Controversy between Safe and Pure Drinking Water Essay

Controversy between Safe and Pure Drinking Water - Essay Example Health impacts of some of the contaminants in drinking water are not clear; however, the availability of contaminants does not always mean that they will harm an individual’s health. The basis for determining safe drinking water is the national or international guideline, with the significant one being the WHO guideline for quality of drinking water. Drinking water can be obtained from two basic sources, which include surface water like reservoirs and rivers, and groundwater. Water has natural contaminants, especially inorganic contaminants from geological strata upon which water flows, and different microorganisms and chemical pollution. Generally, ground water is less susceptible to pollution compared to surface waters that are prone to various sources of fabricated contaminants. Moreover, in case there are no improved water management, the unhealthy residues of substances used in its treatment can lead to pollution, giving rise to presence of deposits in water pipes. In add ition, contamination of drinking water can occur during the distribution of water arising from materials like iron, which corrodes and releases iron oxides into the supply system. Diffusion process taking place in plastic pipes may result in contamination of drinking water; for example, split oil in the surrounding area may result in water problems concerning its taste and smell. Drinking water treatment applied in public water supply includes a series of treatments that vary in accordance with the requirements of supply and nature and susceptibility of the source. Water treatments comprises of systems that coagulate, flocculate, filter and oxidise drinking water. The common oxidative disinfectant is chlorine and it provides effective and robust protection against pathogens. Standards upon which the safety of drinking water is gauged are revised regularly and supported by detailed documents that describe the various aspects of safety (Larason). Pathogen contamination of drinking wat er causes diarrhoea disease and is a significant characteristic of the drinking water quality. This problem is a result of water contamination by faecal substance, particularly human faecal substance comprising of pathogenic organisms. Many regions in developing countries, pathogens remain a significant cause disease. Therefore, breaking the faecal-oral cycle is crucial by preventing the entry of faecal matter into water sources and treating drinking water in order to kill pathogens. Nevertheless, such approach needs to function alongside hygiene practices like hand washing, which helps reduce the chances of person-to-person infection. Detecting and enumerating pathogens in water is not appropriate in many circumstances because of the difficulties and resources necessary; therefore, only two kinds of pathogen are used as indicators for faecal contamination. There is the assumption that once the indicators are detected, pathogens like viruses could be presents; thus, the appropriate action is necessary. Nevertheless, the time taken in analysing the sample means that if there is contamination then, the contaminated water will get to the consumers and probably it will be consumed by the time the analysis results are obtained. Moreover, the small volume of water sample implies that monitoring is not adequate for ensuring safe drinking water (Workshop on Emerging Drinking Water Contaminants, National Research Council 202). The most serious contaminants of water are chemicals that occur naturally and they are found in groundwater. Waterborne contaminants bring about disease in

Technical writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technical writing - Essay Example The purpose of this Request for Proposal is to solicit proposals in a bid to identify a candidate or organization, conduct a fair and extensive evaluation on the criteria listed thereafter and contract him/her to best represent the aspirations of Peter’s International schools as far as professional development of programs in the area of disproportionality is concerned. Literature Review Disproportionality may not be purely pegged on the individual talents by the students but also on the administrative aspect of the management of the school; the infrastructure and transformation of curriculum, and other extra-curriculum programs which in one way or the other helps in the personal development of the students which in turn promotes the academic achievement in a balanced manner (Wiggan, 12). Peter’s International Schools is a network of schools started in 1999 in New York with outlets in Canada, United Kingdom and Belarus, that specializes with â€Å"high school† lev el of education and learning admitting children of 7-17 years of age. As part of the initial research and implementation procedure, Peter’s International schools would recommend school-based focus group discussions as the immediate and appropriate resources to be used to help evaluate the causes and mitigation programs in areas of disproportionality in academic achievement. Purpose of the Project The current education programs used by Peter’s International Schools is based on 2002 curriculum revision and the management has determined they are not effective in providing unique high school education in terms of syllabus coverage and personal development of our students at all levels. Additionally the programs have not been reliable in incorporating science and technology/ innovations in the subjects tackled and they have been fruitless in integrating academic performance across the school’s network. By developing, designing, implementing and conducting professiona l development in the areas of disproportionality in academic achievement across our network of schools, will enable identification of areas that need attention in a bid to level academic achievement of our students, be at par with science and technology/innovations in our curriculum and have a competitive advantage in provision of learning services globally. Project Description Peter’s International Schools is seeking to adopt new and friendly programs that will promote incorporation of science and technology in the curriculum subjects; simple to apply and assimilate both locally and by the international students, programs that will necessitate easy transition to new programs in future without affecting the development of students, and those that will help in reducing the variation in academic achievement among the students in the school’s network. The design should be flexible to accommodate different ages accommodated in our schools and allow smooth implementation wi thin the next five years. In addition the design and development procedures should explicitly define the ways to deal with the disproportionality in academic achievements and give real figures of the expected results within the first five years of

The Kite Runner - Deep Thoughts Essay Example for Free

The Kite Runner Deep Thoughts Essay Guilt is an emotional experience when a person believes or realizes that they have done an unethical action. Many people regard guilt as an unnecessary, even harmful, emotion. Contrary to popular opinion, guilt can be a good emotion. Without guilt, individuals might lack the motivation to act morally. Guilt plays a major role in The Kite Runner, Amir attempts to redeem himself by his feelings of guilt. One of the positive attributes of guilt is that guilt teaches us not to make the same mistake twice. Making mistakes is part of being human, but it is the guilt we feel which prevents us from repeating our mistakes. If a student plagiarizes, then they would feel guilty. Guilt tells the student that this behavior is wrong because we have broken the trust of the teacher. Regardless of whether or not the student gets caught, the guilt prevents him or her from plagiarizing again. In The Kite Runner, Amir often treats Hassan as if he was only a servant rather than a friend. Despite this mistreatment, Hassan remains loyal to Amir and his family throughout the novel. Eventually, this combination makes Amir feel awfully guilty. Amir does not want to repeat his mistake with how he treats Hassan’s son, Sohrab. He said to Soharb,â€Å"Assef hurt your father in a really bad way, and I couldn’t save your father the way your father saved me†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. I won’t hurt you, I promise (pg. 344).† Amir has implies to Sohrab that he had done an action sinful to Hassan. Guilt has changed the characteristics of Amir from a selfish person to a more caring human being. Another honorable characteristic of guilt is that it motivates us human beings to complete a task. Guilt is a motivator because we are motivated to act in order to make ourselves feel better about our transgression. If a student does not complete their homework, they would feel guilty because it is our duty and obligation to complete what we are intended to accomplish. With a low guilt score, we would not be driven to do anything because nothing is actually necessary or our responsiblity to be done. Amir, in The Kite Runner, is motivated by guilt to save Sohrab, who is an orphan in the war-zone Kabul. Without the motivation of guilt, Amir would not act on the rescue because it is not his duty plus it is possible for others to complete the burden for him. â€Å"There is a way to be good again. A way to end the cycle. With a boy. An orphan. Hassan’s son. Somewhere in Kabul.(pg. 245)† Clearly, Amir feels guilt of the action he has done to Hassan. Because of the guilt, Amir would want to redeem himself after doing a sinful deed. Rescuing Sohrab was â€Å"the way to be good again.† Although the feeling of guilt is a virtuous nature, too much of guilt would be paralyzing to an individual. Just like every other emotion, too much reaction leads to a psychological malady. Too much of guilt creates distorted thinking, the inability to perform tasks and other physical diseases. General Taheri, from The Kite Runner, meets this description perfectly. General Taheri was a high-ranked general back in Afghanistan. After the Soviet War of Afghanistan started, he fled from home to America. This action has build up the guilt within him because he had turned down on his country when the country needed him the most. â€Å"The general believes that Afghanistan would be freed. So every day, he donned his gray suit, wound his pocket watch, and waited (pg.191)† The believed excess guilt causes the general to escape reality. General Taheri goes to the flee market every day just so it seems like home, he does not have a job so he only receives welfare from the government, and he has headaches monthly and locks himself in his room. These all mostly symptoms of excess guilt. Guilt is rather a good characteristic than a harmful one, even though, there is a limit to positive guilt. The novel, The Kite Runner, has demonstrated to us various ways on how guilt could be a righteous nature. â€Å"A way to be good again†, the most well known quote from the novel is create by the guilt that has brought to all of us. The novel lacks its significance without the essence of guilt. Reference: Hosseini, Khaled. Chapter 13. The Kite Runner. Riverhead Mass-market International Edition ed. New York: Riverhead, 2007. 191. Print. Hosseini, Khaled. Chapter 18. The Kite Runner. Riverhead Mass-market International Edition ed. New York: Riverhead, 2007. 245. Print. Hosseini, Khaled. Chapter 24. The Kite Runner. Riverhead Mass-market International Edition ed. New York: Riverhead, 2007. 344. Print.

The meaning and importance of business environment

The meaning and importance of business environment Meaning of Business Environment Environment of a business means the external forces influencing the business decisions. They can be forces of economic, social, political and technological factors. These factors are outside the control of the business. The business can do little to change them. Following features: Totality of external forces: Business environment is the sum total of all things external to business firms and, as such, is aggregative in nature. (Specific and general forces: Business environment includes both specific and general forces. Specific forces (such as investors, customers, competitors and suppliers) affect individual enterprises directly and immediately in their day-to-day working. General forces (such as social, political, legal and technological conditions) have impact on all business enterprises and thus may affect an individual firm only indirectly. Dynamic nature: Business environment is dynamic in that it keeps on changing whether in terms of technological improvement, shifts in consumer preferences or entry of new competition in the market. Uncertainty: Business environment is largely uncertain as it is very difficult to predict future happenings, especially when environment changes are taking place too frequently as in the case of information technology or fashion industries. Relativity: Business environment is a relative concept since it differs from country to country and even region to region. Political conditions in the USA, for instance, differ from those in China or Pakistan. Similarly, demand for sarees may be fairly high in India whereas it may be almost non-existent in France. Importance of Business Environment firm to identify opportunities and getting the first mover advantage: Early identification of opportunities helps an enterprise to be the first to exploit them instead of losing them to competitors. For example, Maruti Udyog became the leader in the small car market because it was the first to recognize the need for small cars in India. firm to identify threats and early warning signals: If an Indian firm finds that a foreign multinational is entering the Indian market it should gives a warning signal and Indian firms can meet the threat by adopting by improving the quality of the product, reducing cost of the production, engaging in aggressive advertising, and so on. Coping with rapid changes: All sizes and all types of enterprises are facing increasingly dynamic environment. In order to effectively cope with these significant changes, managers must understand and examine the environment and develop suitable courses of action. Improving performance: the enterprises that continuously monitor their environment and adopt suitable business practices are the ones which not only improve their present performance but also continue to succeed in the market for a longer period. Dimensions of Business Environment What constitutes the general environment of a business? The following are the key components of general environment of a business. Economic environment economic environment consists of economic factors that influence the business in a country. These factors include gross national product, corporate profits, inflation rate, employment, balance of payments, interest rates consumer income etc. Social environment It describes the characteristics of the society in which the organization exists. Literacy rate, customs, values, beliefs, lifestyle, demographic features and mobility of population are part o the social environment. It is important for managers to notice the direction in which the society is moving and formulate progressive policies according to the changing social scenario. Political environment It comprises political stability and the policies of the government. Ideological inclination of political parties, personal interest on politicians, influence of party forums etc. create political environment. For example, Bangalore established itself as the most important IT centre of India mainly because of political support. Legal environment This consists of legislation that is passed by the parliament and state legislatures.Examples of such legislation specifically aimed at business operations include the Trade mark Act 1969, Essential Commodities Act 1955, Standards of Weights and Measures Act 1969 and Consumer Protection Act 196. Technological environment It includes the level of technology available in a country. It also indicates the pace of research and development and progress made in introducing modern technology in production. Technology provides capital intensive but cost effective alternative to traditional labor intensive methods. In a competitive business environment technology is the key to development. Economic Environment in India In order to solve economic problems of our country, the government took several steps including control by the State of certain industries, central planning and reduced importance of the private sector. The main objectives of Indias development plans were: Initiate rapid economic growth to raise the standard of living, reduce unemployment and poverty; Become self-reliant and set up a strong industrial base with emphasis on heavy and basic industries; Reduce inequalities of income and wealth; Adopt a socialist pattern of development based on equality and prevent exploitation of man by man. As a part of economic reforms, the Government of India announced a new industrial policy in July 1991. The broad features of this policy were as follows: The Government reduced the number of industries under compulsory licensing to six. Disinvestment was carried out in case of many public sector industrial enterprises. Policy towards foreign capital was liberalized. The share of foreign equity participation was increased and in many activities 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) was permitted. Automatic permission was now granted for technology agreements with foreign companies. Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) was set up to promote and channelise foreign investment in India. Liberalization: The economic reforms that were introduced were aimed at liberalizing the Indian business and industry from all unnecessary controls and restrictions. They indicate the end of the licence-pemit-quota raj. Liberalization of the Indian industry has taken place with respect to: Abolishing licensing requirement in most of the industries except a short list, Freedom in deciding the scale of business activities i.e., no restrictions on expansion or contraction of business activities, Removal of restrictions on the movement of goods and services, Freedom in fixing the prices of goods services, Reduction in tax rates and lifting of unnecessary controls over the economy, Simplifying procedures for imports and experts, and Making it easier to attract foreign capital and technology to india. Privatisation: The new set of economic reforms aimed at giving greater role to the private sector in the nation building process and a reduced role to the public sector. To achieve this, the government redefined the role of the public sector in the New Industrial Policy of 1991 The purpose of the sale, according to the government, was mainly to improve financial discipline and facilitate modernization. It was also observe that private capital and managerial capabilities could be effectively utilized to improve the performance of the PSUs. The government has also made attempts to improve the efficiency of PSUs by giving them autonomy in taking managerial decisions. Globalisation: Globalizations are the outcome of the policies of liberalisation and privatisation. Globalisation is generally understood to mean integration of the economy of the country with the world economy, it is a complex phenomenon. It is an outcome of the set of various policies that are aimed at transforming the world towards greater interdependence and integration. It involves creation of networks and activities transcending economic, social and geographical boundaries. Globalisation involves an increased level of interaction and interdependence among the various nations of the global economy. Physical geographical gap or political boundaries no longer remain barriers for a business enterprise to serve a customer in a distant geographical market. Impact of Government Policy Changes on Business and Industry Increasing competition: As a result of changes in the rules of industrial licensing and entry of foreign firms, competition for Indian firms has increased especially in service industries like telecommunications, airlines, banking, insurance, etc. which were earlier in the public sector. More demanding customers: Customers today have become more demanding because they are well-informed. Increased competition in the market gives the customers wider choice in purchasing better quality of goods and services. Rapidly changing technological environment: Increased competition forces the firms to develop new ways to survive and grow in the market. New technologies make it possible to improve machines, process, products and services. The rapidly changing technological environment creates tough challenges before smaller firms. Necessity for change: In a regulated environment of pre-1991 era, the firms could have relatively stable policies and practices. After 1991, the market forces have become turbulent as a result of which the enterprises have to continuously modify their operations. Threat from MNC Massive entry of multi nationals in Indian marker constitutes new challenge. The Indian subsidiaries of multi-nationals gained strategic advantage. Many of these companies could get limited support in technology from their foreign partners due to restrictions in ownerships. Once these restrictions have been limited to reasonable levels, there is increased technology transfer from the foreign partners

Good vs. Evil Essay -- essays research papers

Good vs. Evil So often we see a battle of good vs. evil in movies, books, society, and in this case, an epic poem. This motif is used so often because it pertains to so many facets of authentic life. The epic poem Beowulf is an example of this because the hero of the story has an ongoing conflict with the evil villain, Grendel. The same motif is true in the discussion of Christianity versus Non-Christianity. Good and Evil can be talked about in different ways, but here you will see the Good in Beowulf, then in Christianity and the Evil in Grendel along with Non-Christianity. Beowulf reveals numerous qualities that prove he is a great leader and warrior. Courage, religion, and strength just break the ice. He proves to be courageous when he says, â€Å"That I alone and with the help of my men may purge all evil from this hall.† Throughout the story, Beowulf has the courage to never back down from a confrontation and is willing to fight till the death. Beowulf shows that he is religious when â€Å"they gave thanks to God for their easy crossing.† This is talking about when the Geats make their journey safely from home to the Danish shore. Every time Beowulf is victorious in battle he gives thanks to God and says that he knows his fate is in God’s hands. Beowulf is also strong. Strength allows him to show society that they can be strong. He shows strength as a leader but he also shows this as a warrior when he used his strength to kill Grendel and his mother. Beowulf shows integrit...

Communication Essays -- Informative

Communication embodies the ability for one to convey a message through the use of verbals (words) and non-verbals (behaviours) in a process to compare, transmit and interpret messages. Garside and Kleiner (2007) portrays communication as sharing thoughts and feelings with other people. For this process to be effective the message should be transmitted with "maximum accuracy and minimum effort" (Garside and Kleiner 2007) with "mindfulness" (Burgoon, Bieger and Waldron 2002) from both parties. Mindfulness requires the sender and receiver to be alert to "the content, situation and sequence of verbal messages, as well as the paralinguistic cues, gestures, facial expression, body movements and cues produced by the physical environment that occupy verbal messages" (Burgoon, Burger and Waldron 2000). Not everyone is competent in transmitting information, this results in ineffective communication. Ineffective communication can be interpreted as neglecting mindfulness during an interaction, h indering the process of obtaining valuable information and ineffectively transmitting our thoughts and beliefs across. Interpersonal communication is "a distinctive, transactional form of human communication involving mutual influence, usually for the purpose of managing relationships" (Beebe, Beebe and Redmond 2008). By studying interpersonal communicating skills, one can hope to gain an appreciation for the benefits of using effective communication skills on a daily basis. This reflective essay will analyse and deconstruct the effective and ineffective communication skills which were used in an interaction involving myself. In an effort to develop new skills, identify, deepen and improve on existing knowledge, an examination and reflection of ineffe... ...y interaction which hinders our ability to develop new relationships and build from existing ones. I believe the reflection of ineffective communication is essential in the process of developing a more effective style of communication which can be used to convey and interpret interpersonal messages. Through the studying and correct use of verbal and nonverbal messages, future interactions can be dealt with accordingly by applying the interpersonal skills learnt and practiced. Conversely, many situations we encounter on a daily basis might not be the same as one another because everybody is different, thus, it is beneficial to learn many skills to apply to different encounters. Ultimately, the goal of effective interpersonal communication is to acknowledge "Everyone wants to feel that they are important and that their message is valued" (Garside and Kleiner 1991).

Leadership in the New Millenium

Chapter 1: Moral Leadership in America This Chapter talks about the absolute need for moral leadership in America. We live in a very unstable time. Our society is very fragile. Perhaps no other time in our history is there a great need for great leadership, not just based on their ability but their moral compass. They have to lead with creditability and they have to be visionaries that can lead people into the right path to better their conditions. Without the right morality they won’t be able to get people to work together. Chapter 2: The loss of CharacterThis chapter talks about leadership in relationship o having character or not having character. Be we just a plain individual, leader in our society or a part there of. We have to carry ourselves in an exemplary manner because people are always watching us, whether we realize it or not. The higher position you are in authority or stature the more scrutiny you are under. With technology and electronic media being so easily ac cessible it often times leads to people being looked at poorly for one reason or another. A lot of times it is done purposefully by the media for the sake of making money.The author makes a special point to note that this loss of character is prevalent in all walks of society such as religion, politics, and business being the most prominent of these. Chapter 3: A life of Morality This chapter speaks about leadership and morality and how as a people of society and the society at large all have the capability of being moral or immoral regardless of their status in life, their wealth, power, position, or education. In many cases, the chapter concludes, that often times the moral fabric of any group be it government or business often times reflects the morality or immorality of its leaders.Classic point that was given was the melt down of our financial system here in the United States. This was considered due in large part to the moral absence in the corporate banking system leadership. Much of this premise is to be considered in selecting team members and having people with common ideology when it comes to team work. Chapter 4: Yielding to Temptation This chapter talks about yielding from temptation. It talks about not so much the thought but acting upon temptations. When one yields to temptations they can fall so far from grace that it almost makes life unbearable. Temptation crosses all sectors of society; money, power, sex.Its interesting because the writer makes a point that its almost mans nature to want to control things, in his/her job, husband over wife or vice versa etc. man even tries to control nature in the universe at times. He goes on to point out that the hardest thing in nature for man to control seems to be he him self. Often times power such as in government or big business makes people feel almost invincible and unaccountable for their actions. But history has proven time and time again that not to be the case because often time they lose more that position but stature and reputation.Chapter 5: The Duty of Responsibility This chapter talks about moral responsibility. How it is virtually impossible to separate morality from responsibility because one is so closely related to the other. He suggests that the negative political and financial state our country is in today is due a lot to the fact that out leaders have ignored this very important point, were too naive or just plain arrogant. He says â€Å"The bedrock of moral responsibility is an ethical behavior of the leader and his or her adherence to the standards of right conduct. He speaks of businesses at large lacking moral responsibility and caring more about the bottom line instead of what is termed â€Å"the triple bottom line,† which entails the good of all including share holders, employees, customers, suppliers, the community, the environment and the owners of the company themselves. By taking into moral account and responsibility all of these factors will tend to make the business that much more competitive. Leaders have responsibility to lead not just in the corporate by laws but also in common decency and ethicalness.The leader and his or her subordinate have a psychological contract where by the subordinate has an unwritten understanding with the leader that he is going to led in a responsible manner. Leaders take responsibility for things that go wrong and hold themselves responsible for corrective change. All this leadership should be done with transparency and all times they should be trustworthy. This is why they are called leaders because they should be able to live up to the expectancy for which they are charged. Chapter 6: The Facade of PowerThis chapter talks about leadership and power. Some leaders use power as a tool for the betterment of the group at large while others use it for merely selfish reasons. Good power, which is kept in check, normally leads to success of an organization while the opposite can lead to organ ization demise. Power is mostly defined as an instrument to get others to do what the might not have done on their own without the influence of the leader. There are different types of leadership styles. Some use intimidation some use bribery, and while others use their attraction.It also speaks about hard power and soft power. Hard power is when people use coercion, intimidation, sanctions in its sort to get people to do what the want them to do. Often times these leaders use fear and fell that they are in complete control. All its subordinates feel they have little or no recourse. Soft power is considered the more rational approach. It is called sometimes â€Å"the second form of power. † People use more tactical and persuasiveness to get people to perform or react in a certain way. Much like a husband might to do a wife, where it is more subtle.These leaders tend to lead more by example than by command. One might say that hard power has little accountability compared to so ft power which is based largely on credibility. Chapter 7: The Pitfalls of Arrogance This chapter talks about arrogance and its pitfalls. Arrogance can be summed up as one who might think too much of himself and too little of others. This sentiment when combined with power can be overbearing at best and often times can leads to a person’s demise. There is a distinct difference yet subtle between arrogance and self confidence; the latter being good.One can have confidence in himself, which is good, but not to the point of vanity. Often times leaders who are arrogant can not relate nor do they want to relate sometimes to the feelings or opinions of the subordinates. They have too little respect for the opinions of others. Sometimes arrogance leads to micro-managing which will weaken their leadership. He gives illustrations of how arrogance brought down certain people in society such as Sam Waksal, President Bill Clinton, former governor Elliot Spitzer, and New Jersey governor J im Mcgereevy, just to name a few.All these men were considered arrogant in the way in which they went about their business; almost with a veil of invincibility. Their thoughts and actions lead to their downfall. Chapter 8: An Ounce of Humility Humility is called â€Å"a necessity for success. † Humility is the antithesis of arrogance. And by a virtue of its design will bring more good outcomes and success. So where arrogance leads to downfall, humility leads to growth. The act of humbleness dictates that one does not presume themselves more important than others nor is proud or boastful.He talks about humility in relationship to religion in history. it is the foundation of spiritual growth. Nearly all religions be Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, or Islam, preach that humbleness is extremely important in obtaining the richness of ones own sprit and connection with that eternal realm where one might find peace and salvation. Some cynics of humility were characterized as a sig n of weakness or false modesty just so they could feel more â€Å"special and better than others,† the author thinks not.He mentions three distinct leaders who epitomize humility: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Mahatma Gandhi, and Albert Einstein. Another point he makes, in the importance of humility and leadership, is our global military presence around the world dealing with so many vast cultures, almost demands the need for humility and diplomacy because we are dealing with so many different people and ways of life. Today’s business environment, more so than ever, reflects the need for people in leadership to show some humility. The key to leadership is good servitude.The benefits of humility go far beyond one individual or one entity. It affects society at large. Chapter 9: A life of Ethics This chapter addresses ethics. Ethics by some is becoming a thing of the past; in our work places and society at large. All organizations in order to have a meaningful existence hav e to work with some code of ethics. It determines what we should and should not be. It is hard to legislate ethics because it is not so easily measured in business as other areas of the company or organization such as profit. Often times, competitiveness makes leaders act contrary to hoe they should act.It talks about examples of ethics being absent in our workforce such companies as Enron, World Com, Imcone Systems, Tyco, and the like. This is caused as reactions of these companies brought to great despair and has created an environment in our business culture that recognizes the need for more ethics more so now than ever. He blames the poor economic state of our American economy to the non ethical practices of our leaders. They skirted the law in common business practices. Ethical behavior or the lack there of is mostly influenced by our surroundings, i. . : family, school, church, media or peer groups. Individuals in organizations often reflect the culture environment they are in be it upstanding and ethical. In its practices or the reverse of that, it all falls on the shoulders of the leaders of the organization because so often is they that set the tone for everyone else. It is the responsibility of the leader to make sure that his organization is conducting them self in a proper manner. One primary way to keep the environment ethical, the leader must make it a point of topic within the group.He feels that ethics is not given much thought or time in the work place, home or school. In many cases, through either ignorance or arrogance leaders allow themselves to remain unethical with little or no fear of consequence. He goes on to say, a lot of times; the practicing or non-practicing of ethics sometimes comes down to simply a matter of choice. People have blatant disregard for doing the right thing. Although ethics and morality like anything else, filters down from the top, it is actually everyone’s responsibility in the group to use moral ethics in their approach to doing business.Chapter 10: The Seven Deadly Sins The seven deadly sins, otherwise known as â€Å"pewslag,† characterized by theologians and scholars the world over as being very influential in existence of mans and his relationship to good and evil. It is an overall thinking that pride, envy, anger, greed, lust, gluttony, and sloth effect all individuals one tine or another and cause us to act contrary to natures, mans, and God’s laws. Mahatma Gandhi recognized that there was an inner violence that mankind dealt with and external violence. The internal violence is things such as hate, anger, jealousy, greed.Gandhi viewed these seven deadly sins as internal violence. These internal violence were the catalyst behind mans external violence. External violence can be described as the physical violent assault on another such as with the use of a weapon of sort. In relationship to leadership, the leaders who showed more self-control and restrain in these are as variably, are the ones who survive and prosper. They recognize that the spiritual world and the physical world are intertwined and ultimately â€Å"we destroy ourselves because of the baggage of sins that we walk around with. The writer also, in the end of this chapter, suggests we rid ourselves of this load and â€Å"travel light. † Chapter 11: The Necessity of Teamwork The old saying â€Å"no man is an island† is very accurately describes this section. Solid teamwork is the groups’ aspiration to reach when their goal is to be great. Teamwork incorporates all the talents and skills of individuals toward one or more common objectives. Teamwork is also considered a form of energy that is created by the workings of the individuals, as one in sharing ideas and information which culminate into constructive jobs, duties, or functions.The seven deadly sins can creep its ugly head and cause bitterness or conflict within the group. Also, social-cultural and demograp hic factors can cause a breakdown of solid teamwork. The use of the word, belief of the word and the actions of the word â€Å"we,† particularly when it comes from leadership creates an atmosphere of harmony and togetherness when the goal is for the good of all. Ultimately it is the job of the leader to keep the team running as smooth as possible, not necessarily an easy task at all. Chapter 12: Putting the Team TogetherIt is the leader’s responsibility to carefully pick the members of the team and there are so many different variables to look at to determine who might be good and who might not be. Is it youth vs. age, experience vs. non experience, former educated over experience, past triumphs or failures? Or do we spend more time considering the family background of people, their hobbies, interest, their compassion for one another, carrying for other people, honesty, and integrity, willingness to put themselves last and team first? Will this individual bring harmony to the group; will they bring a sense of well being and togetherness?A leader has to consider the individuals purpose for joining the group. Is it for self gratification or gain, and if so, will this person really more help the group or hinder the group irrespective of the many talents and resources he or she might have to offer? These are all the things and more that a good leader must contemplate before taking on any new team members. Many an organization has been brought down because leaders too hastily recruited team members as opposed to carefully taking their time to consider all the above.Chapter 13: The Decline of Altruism This chapter centers on the decline of altruism. Some people will argue that altruism is a dying breed, while others say it is still prevalent everywhere even in the animal kingdom. Altruism which is ones doing good for another in an unselfish or selflessly manner, is broken down into different categories, namely two parts: reciprocal altruism and univers al altruism. The first being almost tit for tat; when one is doing something because it has been done unto them or they expect it to be done unto them in the future.The latter, being unconditional, much like in a sense of Christianity; when one is not looking for anything in return but instead merely doing it because they think it is the humane thing to do. As a consensus by many that neither society, nor any corporate team or entity can survive well without it, it being altruism. There are many different reasons why people are altruistic. Could be a sense of personal responsibility, they think it’s the right thing to do, could be during an emergency or social and cultural values.It could also be the desire to overcome guilt, or it could be because of their exposure to it through school, family, church, and community groups, what have you. Many of the problems today in our society, and the economy at large, might be considered due to the lack of altruism or minimum traits of altruism at best in our modern day leaders who failed to recognize their duty in giving to other selflessly while mitigating their own self righteousness or ego. Chapter 14: The Service of Gratitude The author starts right out by saying â€Å"the primary purpose of human existence is to serve the people of the world. This act of servitude is a very important ingredient in effective leadership. While he is leading he is actually taking on a task of servitude and selflessness. A leadership is considered the custodianship of others well being and overall success. Ultimately a leader must put his self interest secondary to the interest and good of others. Many people serve for the gratuity, what they can get out of it, their own personal agenda. The â€Å"what’s in it for me? † syndrome, but this are not and can not be construed as good leadership. This way of thinking only leads to disruption and potential downfall of any organization if that leader heads.They also sugge st that a big part of the reason for the downfall and collapse of our countries economic decline is because lack of service, both physical and otherwise. Our goods and services are being outsourced to other countries and in other cases many of our leaders don’t see their roles as â€Å"being service providers to the people. † These leaders therefore allow corruption to thrive when it should not. The importance of service is to neutralize the have’s and have not’s. It’s the balance between mans nature to overcome and take care of themselves only and those who can not do for themselves. good leader looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the group, the society or the company and tries to balance the scales to make certain that everyone gets their fare shake or piece of the pie. Good service at its best is good service at its most. Chapter 15: Blueprint for Moral Leadership In the beginning of the chapter there is much discussion about the harms and ills that American leaders have brought on our county at large and how the misuse of trust afforded the m by American people lead to one of the greatest economic down turns since the Great Depression.Leaders failed to take responsibility to any and all part that they played in creating and environment of greed and corruption neither in our government nor in our work place. It is their sense at times that only the average persons are to be held accountable for their actions or lack of. Part of the problem in our leadership[ is how we select them . often times its based on their abilities, education, organizational skills, ability to delegate, but rarely are we using a more natural guideline to choose them by, such as their character, which encompasses not only their ability but their moral consciousness.Basically we have to look beyond the structural part of leadership and more at the intangibles such as the spiritualistic side of leadership, the wholesomeness of it and the accountab ility. It has to be humanistic attributes such as being responsible, modest, courageous, honesty, and the belief in fair play; spiritual qualities such as faith in self and higher power, caring about and consideration for others, self control, devotion and such. These traits along with organizational skills when applied with proper alance form the most greatest of leadership which would ultimately equate to the greatest of success. Theory: Conflict Theory Conflict Theory studies the causes of crime within a society. For the good of the society, standards of morality are imposed by the justice system. Throughout the book the author gives reason to our economic downfall. He put the blame on the leadership in place not making correct moral, ethical and responsible decisions. One example is from chapter 8 when he speaks about major companies such as Enron and World Com who have had a major impact on our economic plummet.It also be no worthy to mention he also suggests some fault on the people who put these leaders in place to begin with. Methodology: Bibliography The author did extensive research on each key points in the book. He incorporated some of Sociologies most respected members such as Jon Witt, Richley Crapo and Robin Williams Jr. Through his research he collectively combined the various thoughts into one seamless idea of how America has been affected by poor leadership. He also used his research to find key components of how to be an effective leader by virtue of morality, humility and ethics.Strengths: I. One strength was the simplicity in which it was written. It read very easily and some how kept the same theme throughout. Enjoyable reading. II. Very informative, educational, thought provoking and diverse in its use of different references and subject matter. Weaknesses: I. One weakness might be there seems to be an overly cynical outlook of American leadership at large. II. Another might be, some chapters left you wanting for more. In other words, it is so good while you are reading you want more information on that particular topic. Conclusion:In summation good leadership must always be in harmony with servitude and have little or no tolerance for arrogance. In chapter 8, a good example of arrogance vs. humbleness is a driver who is lost. The arrogant motorist would refuse to stop and get directions and end up miles away from his destination. While the more humble motorist will stop to seek direction and be quickly put on the proper road. A leader who posses most of these characteristics such as humility, altruism, soft power, gratitude, and the like will lead to a life of success in the organization.Particularly when he possesses a moral compass that mandates he use fairness and compassion in his/her approach to leadership. This person would resist any temptation to be greedy, selfish, egotistical, maniacal or harsh. One change for the future, there will be more accountability expected from our leadership. They will be more c losely monitored, more checks and balances, much tighter regulations, more overview boards, less bureaucracy, more punitive penalties and laws will be imposed.