Utopian Society Essays (1538 words) - Social Constructionism

Utopian Society According to the curriculum of our Athens to New York course, we are supposed to study certain themes that are carried through history and literary works of various eras. In addition, there are some recurring themes that also become evident, especially in some of the more recent works that we have studied. Works like Cornel West's Race Matters, Elie Wiesel's Night, and Franz Kafka's The Trial, carry many similar themes, and teach us readers some important lessons about ourselves as the human race. Through each work's message, we can study "what it means to be: human, a member of a community, and moral, ethical, or just, as well as how individuals respond to differences in race, class, gender, and ethnicity in relation to action" (this quote taken from one Bob Anderson). While I dare not attempt to categorize each of the meanings that the authors gave to their books, I can find one major similarity. In each of the books, the author is in search of a Utopian society that does not contain all of the faults of our modern day society. Charles Darwin heavily believed in "survival of the fittest" in his work with evolution. In the society that we have created in our world today, one can see this belief holding true. Survival and all around relations between different groups in general has become dependent on five little letters. These letters spell out "power." One who holds the "power," seems to try and lord over those who do not. This struggle over power has become one of, if not the, reason for the major differences between groups. While the battle over power rages on, a Utopian society will continue to be an impossible goal. Allow me to explain by use of the books I have earlier highlighted. Franz Kafka's Night tells the story Joseph K., a man who must defend himself against the courts of the day, while lacking any and all information about his case. The man finds himself suddenly arrested one day and placed on trial for a crime he does not know he committed. The man becomes increasingly frustrated as he finds no one capable of helping him develop a case to defend himself with. No one can even provide him with any information about why he is on trial. With no where to go, and no one turn to, Joseph discovers that the justice system that was designed to help the people has worked against him, and his situation is utterly hopeless. Kafka makes a strong about how modern bureaucracy and totalitarianism has become so extreme that it harms the people that it is designed to protect. Justice has become jaded by its own self and its own methods. A government is created by the people, for the people, but has instead gained the power to lord over the people. Here we see the power switch from man to the system. Joseph has become alienated from normal society because of crimes that he does not know he committed, displaying the corruption of the justice system. This nightmare is not entirely too far from our modern day reality. According to a well-known book that discusses this topic, Urban Administration-Management Politics and Change, "Contemporary technological society places a heavy burden upon the individual to adapt to a large-scale, highly complex, and often times impersonal bureaucratic environment. For a substantial number of the members of the modern mass societies this burden has become the source of pervasive feelings of anxiety and estrangement now fashionably termed 'alienation.'" (Bent & Rossum, p. 201) Man now has the choice of falling into line and being another "cog in the wheel," or finding himself alienated from the rest of society who presumably does. In this dark and dreary portrait that Kafka paints of our modern world, a community is formed when everyone agrees to accept his role, be equal with everyone else. It seems that being human is more of being part of a system and being like everyone else, than being an individual. In order to be morally just, one must follow the laws and the system, even if they work against you, rather than for you. Men's minds have been warped to believe that justice is merely a state of mind. Elie Wiesel searches for his Utopian society amid the horrors of the Holocaust. His book Night, gives an autobiographical account of his real-life nightmares during World War II. He had seen things that no one should be forced to see; things that may have

Ethics of Cloning

Ethics of Cloning Introduction Animal cloning became recognized as a commercial venture in 2001, with the intention to improve the quality of herds. It is one of the many ways in the field of genetics that has been used to improve and advance the quality of life. However, serious scrutiny from several advocacy groups considers the venture as a violation against fundamental environment and ethic principles.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Ethics of Cloning specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More ‘Dolly’ was a sheep and the first living organism to be cloned, in 1997 in Scotland by Ian Wilmut and colleagues. This invention was associated with scientific and ethical implications hence, raised a lot of interest and concern from the public. The University of Hawaii subsequently came up with a process through which mass cloning could occur, while using mice. In both cases, somatic cell nuclear transfer was used. Scientists coined the term cloning in reference to duplication of biological material. It is important to understand that, contrary to what the media reports on cloning, with a focus on reproductive cloning, there are a variety of cloning technologies besides the production of genetic twin of an organism. This paper will give insight into the various technologies behind cloning, will help in understanding what animal and human cloning are all about, and subsequently present an exhaustively argued out ethical stand. The cloning of Dolly was received with great attention, and was seen as a theoretical possibility of human cloning. However, it was a shocking revelation that led to the proposal of various bans on human cloning. Some scholars have taken up a balanced approach based on the pros and cons of cloning and have argued out that cloning should be regulated rather than banned. This regulation would be based on one’s intention of using the cloning process because, one cannot ignore the fact that cloning is a solution for infertility, as well as, protecting endangered species (Federation of Veterinarians of Europe 4-5). It is important to understand that cloning is not associated with the production of a clone that has the same size and age as its donor, but rather, it is a form of twinning referred to as ‘delayed twining’. One great misunderstanding associated with a clone as we shall see is that which states that a clone is an exact replica of the donor, while in actual sense, this is not the case. Various types of Cloning To start with, there is recombinant DNA technology or DNA cloning, gene cloning, or molecular cloning (U.S. Department of Energy Genome Programs Para 3-4). This refers to the movement of the selected DNA segment from one organism, to a genetic factor characterized by self-replication, such as bacterial plasmid (picture below). Bacterial plasmids often play a great role in the production of multiple and similar copies of a particular gene. T his helps in generating enough material for a detailed study.Advertising Looking for essay on ethics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reproductive cloning, the popular one and which continues to be a contentious topic, is a kind of cloning that involves generating an animal that has got the same nuclear DNA as its host (the donor animal). The process used is referred to as somatic cell nuclear transfer, and it was the method used to create Dolly (U.S. Department of Energy Genome Programs Para 3-5). Chemicals and electric current are used to ensure that cell division takes place. The uterus is used as the medium for gestation for a cloned embryo, once it reaches a certain stage. While in uterus, gestation continues until the clone grows and develops into a full-term fetus for birth. The cloning of both humans and animals through reproductive cloning has not been accurate enough and is at the experimentation stage. Un til now, there is no one successful human clone that has been created. There is another kind of cloning known as therapeutic/embryo cloning and this is the type of cloning where human embryos are produced for research purposes. This cloning process is apparently similar to reproduction cloning, but in this case, the embryos are not implanted into a uterus/womb, rather, they are used to produce stem cells that are useful for studying human development and treatment of diseases. Therapeutic cloning involves the use of stem cells, whose purpose is well known in relation to organ/tissue transplant. Since this paper intends to focus on human and animal cloning, it will therefore talk about reproductive and therapeutic cloning because they both seem to cover the actual purpose of this paper: human and animal cloning. Animal Cloning Cloning of animals is a relatively new technology, whose role is to breed elite animals, and replace dead ones. Even though animal cloning was previously exerc ised, it only managed to catch the public’s attention in 1997. Animal cloning in the US is far more established compared with any other nation hence, the reason why the FDA recommends consumption of products from cloned animals (The Foods Standard Agency 4). In 2002, Dolly (seen in the picture below) appeared healthy and had given birth to six healthy lambs. It is presumed that it was during the very same year that Dolly radically suffered from lung cancer and arthritis.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Ethics of Cloning specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the scientist involved in producing Dolly said that a problem during the cloning process might have led to her development of arthritis in the hip and knee of her left hind leg at such a tender young age. According to the BBC news, most of the cloned animals had died before birth, or had been born with severe deformities. It is because of these kinds of revelation that concerns over the health of animal clones that appear healthy, yet, may be having underlying genetic abnormalities have come up. In the case of Dolly, contrary to a sheep’s normal lifespan of 10-16 years, Dolly is said to have suffered an unforeseen and premature death. Some research says that Dolly might have been vulnerable to premature ageing (BBC News para 1-10). Dr, Dai Grove-White of the Faculty of Veterinary science at Liverpool University said that arthritis was not a common ailment in sheep, and neither was it well recognized. According to Professor Ian Wilmut, more research and data on animal cloning is required because the case with Dolly cannot be used to make a conclusive judgment. Currently, there are few quantitative studies to give a detailed analytical assessment of the health and welfare of cloned animals during their lifetime as productive organisms. Several confounding and causal factors are thought to have interfered with the assessment p rocess for the reported studies. It has been concluded that cloning is an inefficient process, associated with high failure rate with fatal outcomes (BBC News para 1-10). Farm animals, especially sheep and cattle, are mainly cloned for the purpose of preserving the breeding capacity of genetically elite animals. In addition, this ensures that loss against valuable genetic and characteristic features is insured. It is the males that are normally cloned. Sheep and cattle, followed by goat, rabbits, pigs and horses were among the first mammalian species to be cloned. Their economic importance, as well as, the well-developed assisted reproduction techniques made this possible. Pig cloning, which entails the use of worthwhile boars, helps in artificial insemination, and in evaluating the genetic quality of the pigs through a detailed analysis of the carcass. In European farms, animal breeders indulge themselves in the business of selecting parents of highest quality for the next generati on by choosing from a diverse and distinct European livestock, where the market is highly competitive.Advertising Looking for essay on ethics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Despite the fact that there is no practical benefit at present associated with cloning at the farm level, breeding companies are using it at the forefront of worldwide research and development (Federation of Veterinarians of Europe 5). Cloning can be expected to be a valuable process with time in as far as, the production of high value breeding lines that are useful in broadening the elite pedigree stock are concerned. The escalation in value may be agricultural, encompassing increased performance with regard to food conversion and growth rate; ameliorated health and welfare characterized by resistance to infectious disease and lowered incidence of non-infectious diseases such as mastitis; good conformation marked by reduced prevalence and incidence of disease, and aesthetic value (Federation of Veterinarians of Europe 1-8). Animal cloning is seen as a means of pet replacement, where owners can easily replace their pet animals. The use of animals or cloning however calls for respect for their intrinsic or inherent value to avoid inflicting too much suffering on them. As at the beginning, humans were given the responsibility of ensuring that they care for the animals, and this is what they ought to ensure they abide by, even during cloning (Federation of Veterinarians of Europe 6). Human Cloning There are no certain results that show that it is technically feasible to clone humans. The continued low success rates associated with animal cloning regardless of the tremendous effort put forward to alter the procedures suggest this. In addition, the failure to clone primates also proves this. Safety problems are the reason for the current prohibition on cloning. The limited success despite numerous modifications on procedures for each species, and involving many animals, has further led to this prohibition. This is because, for the cloning process to be successful with humans, it would involve producing hundreds of ova for research, and treating women with hormones that are not risk-free, and this is highly unethical. Even though preliminary animal evidence would prove to be successful, the first attempts at human cloning would be experimental. As an experimental research process, the ethical principles of human research should be looked into, before endorsing the cloning process. In 2001, a breakthrough in human cloning was realized when the Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Massachusetts reported to having successfully cloned human embryos through therapeutic cloning. The report on human cloning was developed six months after the President’s Council on Bioethics discussed, researched and deliberated on it. Unanimously, the council decreed that reproductive cloning aimed at producing children was not safe, and in accordance with the stipulated ethical principles of human research hence, should be banned by federal law. On the basis of the ethical principles of respect for human freedom, dignity and equality, five major categories of concern with regard to reproductive cloning were identified. These are (Iltis 72-73) Identity and individuality of cloned children Perception of cloned children as objects Prospects of new eugenics Implication on family Implication on societal values In addressing the issue of ethical principles, there is a need to understand the reasons behind cloning. Unfortunately, the media is very good at creating misunderstanding and is the facilitator for the misunderstanding on replica of a clone. Despite the fact that good reasons for cloning may be laid down, human cloning is the height of technologies. Creation of man by another man is an insult to God and for this simple reason alone, human cloning will always be opposed. The strong opposition towards cloning mainly rests on the notion that cloning is unnatural. Prior to cloning, there were medical and technological interventions revolving around human reproduction that entailed segregation of sexes and sterilization in the period o f state eugenics, artificial insemination during the 1940s and 1950s and family planning, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and related assisted reproduction technologies that included pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and surrogacy in the 1980s and 1990s, and contraception, legalized abortion, medicalization of pregnancy and birth in the 1960s and 1970s (Human genetics Alert 5-8). Compared with cloning which forces the occurrence of an unnatural reproduction event, these earlier interventions in reproduction work with, and offer solutions to sexual reproduction. The unnaturalness of cloning, conflicts with a given set of moral and social meanings thus, is strongly contested against. The element of ‘naturalness’ is perceived with positivity, while the ‘artificial’ element is considered inferior. As such, cloning, which characterized by artificialness, receives a negative attitude and reception. It is because of this very same the reason that moratoria were arti culately outlined. Most of the religious philosophers have stated their opposition against cloning, claiming that it is wrong to interfere with God’s creation. Ethics in Cloning Despite the fact that cloning may never become a globally used procedure, it is hypothetically recommended for couples that cannot either produce a sperm, or an ovum, but wish to have a child that is genetically related to either one of them without having to use sperm or ovum donors. Basing on people’s attitudes, reproduction is thought to continue being sexual, as this is much cheaper, easier and more fun. Very needy couples, those who are desperate for a child, are likely to use this method and proponents of cloning do not see the need of denying such couples this process. This is because, contrary to a majority of people’s beliefs, the cloned child would be a source of joy for such a couple (Human genetics Alert 8). The National Research Act (Pub. L. 93-348) was endorsed in 1974 as a way of protecting human subjects for use in biomedical and behavioral research. Various ethical principles were identified by the National Commission for Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research to govern the conduct of biomedical and behavioral research. Since cloning utilizes medical procedures and technology, whose implication requires professional care due to the genetic and psychological conditions that result from such procedures, it is said to fall within the medical umbrella. The ethics of research as stipulated by the National Research Act should be carefully evaluated, and especially the role of physicians in practice. The Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs is charged with the responsibility of determining whether; physicians should participate in human cloning, as well as the legality of the process (Office of Human Subjects Research para 1-2). The many embryos created by nuclear transfer fail to undergo a normal development process as seen Dolly’s case where 277 attempts had to be carried out. The highest published success rate of this process has been at around 5%. In a majority of experiments, the success rate is usually less than 1%, and irrespective of the many attempts, dogs or primates have been difficult to clone (Human Genetics Alert 2). loned embryos will mainly die at the early stages of embryonic development, or spontaneously abort before the full gestation period has been attained. As has been evidently discussed in this paper, despite the fact that a clone is born, most of the clones are abnormal and die almost immediately after birth, due to the various physiological and anatomical problems that vary from one species to another. The large offspring syndrome is the main problem, where clones are much larger than normal, and are mainly delivered through caesarean section. Successfully cloned animals like Dolly, are apparently healthy and capable of reproducing healthily and normally. Unfortunately, there seems to be some subtle problems that prevail in these successfully cloned animals, and that are caused by disturbed gene expression, which is likely to manifest itself as the animals continue to age (Gicquel 1338-1341; Jaenisch para 2-6). Scientists claim that reproductive cloning is associated with some benefits. For one, reproductive cloning could be used to create animals with special qualities. In this sense, mass production of drug-producing animals or animals whose genes have been modified could act as avenues through which human diseases could be studied. In addition, repopulation of endangered species, as well as animals with breeding difficulties is achieved through reproductive cloning. The gaur, a wild ox and an endangered species, gained recognition as the first endangered animal to be generated and this was in 2001. During the same year, a healthy baby mouflon, an endangered sheep species, was successfully created by scientists in Italy (Federation of Veterinari ans of Europe 5). It is obvious that reproductive cloning is not without some benefits, but the ethical issues surrounding it are equally significant. According to a recent survey in America, 64% were against the idea of cloning, and 63% said that they would not consider buying cloned food albeit safe. As indicated above, it is obvious that cloning is associated with so many benefits. However, this does not mean that cloning can be ethically approved. Cloning is a very serious issue revolving around various aspects in society like religion, which is defined by certain rules and regulations that cover the right to life, and creation. Life is precious and should not be perceived as a property or item that can be easily owned and sold. This is actually what cloning is about, since it involves objectification and co-modification of animals and humans, thereby treating them as mere machines that can be easily manufactured. Cloning is also considered to exacerbate problems affecting anima ls (Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production para 11-15). Reports made by the media on the advances involved in cloning, imply that cloning is a means of manufacturing â€Å"armies of programmed killers, copying academic geniuses or sport stars, and recreating loved ones that are already dead† (Kass 23-60). The highly held perception of human clones is that they are the exact replica of the donor organism. It is unarguably true that human clones are identical is as far as nuclear genes are concerned. However, when it comes to twinning as is the case with natural monozygotic twins, other confounding factors apart from mere identical genes are involved. A clone is different from its donor in terms of personality and character as a result of environment, and circumstances that define its life. In human cloning, there is no sharing of genomes to produce a hybrid organism and this may be fatal if the donor organism is susceptible to a certain disease as it only means th at the clone will suffer from the same. Cloning therefore should not be considered an alternative to mortality or terminal illness, because terminal illnesses are passed down to the clone. The natural process of procreation as established during creation is enough to establish a balance within the ecosystem (Kass 23-60). The ethical issue in this approach is that the clone is deprived of its autonomy. People think that a clone is the same as the cloned individual and therefore, is linked to giving the donor individual a second chance to life, while in the actual sense, this is not the case. No one person can be entirely replaced by another once he/she dies, and it is precisely for this very reason that sport stars and academic geniuses cannot be replicated through generation of clones. Despite the fact that cloning is characterized by persistence of certain genotypes and resultant phenotypic traits, it does not bring about replication (National Bioethics Advisory Commission 629-641) . Creation of a genetic twin, whose form of demarcation is an element of somatic cell nuclear transfer cloning is said to be troubling and fascinating. As indicated by Schwartz (195-206), various cultures throughout the world and as dictated by history, have enjoyed the intrigue derived from the phenomenon of identical twins. The reason for the fascination is quite easy. If a person witnesses the experience with the identical twins, it is evident that it clearly demonstrates how different these twins are, in person, as well as in personality. Observation of identical twins on the other hand makes one intrigued by the resemblance, expecting that the two identical individuals would have the same abilities and personality since according to the human intuition, body and personality are always intertwined (National Bioethics Advisory Commission 629-641). Reproductive cloning is linked to a scientifically inaccurate and instinctive fear of multitudes of similar bodies, where each body ho uses personalities that are considered to be somewhat â€Å"less unique, less than distinct, and less autonomous than the normal† (Schwartz 195-206). Identity and Individuality of Cloned Children Cloning of humans violates the freedom of uniqueness of an individual. An individual, who feels that he/she is a genetic copy of another person, may undergo intense compelling pressure to become like, or distinct from its progenitor (National Bioethics Advisory Commission 629-641). The risks that are linked to developmental abnormalities in cloned organisms have led to the preclusion of cloning for the time being. Even with homozygous twins, who share the same genes, they are distinct and not identical and therefore, each person has the right to a unique unrepeated genome. Lack of autonomy is associated with limited life choices resulting from constrain from self, and expectation from others (National Bioethics Advisory Commission 629-641). There is a strong fear that human cloning i s associated with a less-than-autonomous child. This is because; creation of cloned soldiers has led to a diminished physical individuality and psychological autonomy. The misplaced belief of cloning has actually made people to believe they can determine behavior and personality hence are able to produce â€Å"armies of co-operative workers, beatific saints, or crazed soldiers† (Kass 3-17). Human cloning is feared to be more or less like an art because the total genetic blueprint of cloned individuals is pre-selected and pre-determined. In this light, human cloning disregards God’s status as the creator and the process of creation is seen, as another man-made activity. The ideal idea of parenting is that which appreciates both the differences and similarities between the parents and their children. This kind of parenting is associated with care and teaching, which leads to general, as well as serendipitous developments in their children. When someone seeks a clone, his mentality of a child is misplaced since the parent-clone considers the child-clone as an exact copy of him/herself and will not appreciate the distinctness that comes with it. As opposed to good parenting which is characterized by a strong parent-child relationship, cloning is fundamentally at odds with unconditional â€Å"love, acceptance and openness, all of which are characteristics of good parenting† (Kass 23-60). It is evident that parenting exercises some form of control over off springs through varied means such as contraception, but reproductive cloning on the other hand is seen to have total specific control over not only a child’s development, but his/her genome as well. This makes the reproduction cloning process to be seen as a manufacturing process. Cloned children are generated based on the donor’s choice and purpose, hence are synonymous to manufactured objects which are produced to serve an intended purpose. On the other hand, procreation gives rise to very unique beings with certain skills that are special to every individual. Despite the fact that cloning may act as a solution to childless parents, the cloned child can never measure up to a child that is as a result of procreation. Human and animal cloning, are not in accordance with the natural law of creation. Human beings have taken it upon themselves to create, which according to religious ethical decree, is not acceptable. God is, and will always be the sole creator. Critics of cloning believe that cloning is a means of playing God. According to Kass’ argument, genetic novelty and uniqueness that is apparent with sexual reproduction is very crucial. This is because; a sexually produced child is free from various setbacks revolving around a cloned child such as societal discrimination, and a feeling of being misplaced in the society. The sexually produced child on the other hand demands respect and equality from other people, and is not seen as some objects th at should function as expected (Kass 17-26). Psychosocial Harm Human cloning is considered to bring about psychosocial harm to individuals in relation to their autonomy. A clone from an individual with known genetic ‘predispositions and conditions’ is perceived to possess the same ‘predispositions and conditions’ (National Bioethics Advisory Commission 629-641). Unfortunately, what people do not realize is that this is a mere hypothesis that cannot be supported by factual evidence. Gilbert Meilaender (Meilaender cited in National Bioethics Advisory Commission 631) commented that: Our children begin with a kind of genetic independence of us, their parents. They replicate neither their father nor their mother. That is a reminder of the independence that we must eventually grant to them and for which it is our duty to prepare them. To lose even in principle this sense of the child as gift will not be good for children. Cloning is associated with predicted gene tic disposition based on the parent’s genetic predisposition as indicated by the National Bioethics Advisory Commission (630) and this being the case, various questions concerning the autonomy and best interests of the child born are felt unanswered. A clone-child is able to see what is expected of him/her if raised by the clone parent and as such, experiences great pressure that forces him/her to live up as per expectations. This deprives the clone child of its freedom and uniqueness in becoming what he/she is, since he/she seeks to become what the world perceives him/her to be. In an example of cloning a sports star, the cloned sports star would hope that his/her clone would be a reflection of his/her characteristics (Kass 23-60). When such a clone-child does not live up to what is expected of him/her as a sports star, he/she is considered a failure, who has not capitalized on his/her genetic gift. Despite the fact that some clone-children feel confident about their inheren t abilities, others may experience limitation on their genetic lot. Failure to perform certain tasks binds the clone-child to the abilities of their clone-parents, and this results in interference of the clone-child’s perception of self and subsequently results in escalated external pressures. Human cloning would therefore lead to destruction of the natural balance that result from natural procreation since it would psychologically diminish the unlimited potential of new human beings, and in turn exacerbate disturbing intentions for having children (National Bioethics Advisory Commission 629-641). The probability that some of the human clones are created from cells obtained from individuals, whose permission has not been sought, is a great ethical concern. If such a probability became a reality, the moral foundations of therapeutic relationships based on personal respect, trust and the physician’s fiduciary responsibility to benefit a patient would be violated. Accordi ng to Opinion 8.08 of the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs on informed consent, the council has stipulated that a patient should make his/her own decisions regarding the kind of treatment to be used, where procedures for reproduction are part. When informed consent is not exercised, then it only means that a physician does not respect an individual’s right to privacy and reproductive freedom (Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs Opinion 8.08). It is because of this ethical principle that cloning should not be carried out without first receiving the consent of an individual. Reproductive cloning is a mere invention, which is at logger-heads with almost all of the ethical principles defining human research. In human cloning, there are two parties involved, the donor, and the clone. Therefore, it is important that both parties are content with this cloning process, far from the highly held and appreciated natural process of procreation. This being the case, the effect of human cloning on a child should be evaluated. Critics of human cloning are of the view that the legal and social status of cloned children has not been clearly defined. The disparity between the child’s genetic blueprint and its social identity is a threat to family stability because it is not clear as to whether the cloned child is qualified for reference as a sibling to a child born through the natural way of procreation. The cloned child’s identity is entirely endangered, since he/she is not aware of his/her identity as well. In addition, the society may undermine the clone-child and this would be an additional torture to the psychological status of this cloned child. Physical Harm Cloning is associated with potential for physical harm. Despite the fact that there are convincing cases that favor reproductive cloning, the fundamental principle of injunction as defined by medical ethics and political philosophy should be achieved. The Hippocratic canon and the Nure mberg code, 1946-49 indicate this. However, substantial risks, to the fetus and physical well being of a child that are as a result of reproductive cloning are far much more weighty, compared with the benefits associated with it (National Bioethics Advisory Commission 629-641). The Dolly reproductive technique became successful in 277 attempts. The use of this technique in humans is marked by hormonal manipulation of the ovum donor, which is a potential risk factor. The outcome on the other hand can be very serious and fatal, resulting in developmental abnormalities and multiple miscarriages. As noted by John Robertson (Robertson 810-813), a Law professor, before NBAC on March 13, 1997: The first transfer (into a uterus) of a human (embryo) clone will occur before we know whether it will succeed. Some have argued therefore that the first transfers are somehow unethical because they involve experimentation on the resulting child and no one knows what is going to happen, and one is po ssibly leading to a child who could be disabled and have developmental difficulties. According to latest research on mammalian cloning, various defects that normally occur during reprogramming of an egg will not be seen until much later in life of the produced animal clone. The incidence of Dolly is one example; she had been suffering from lung cancer and crippling arthritis before her death (Will We Follow the Sheep 69, 70-72). In other cases, the defects are hideous and go unnoticed, resulting in spectacular and unanticipated deaths. Techniques used for cloning pose as potential hazards to developing individuals. According to the Human Embryo Research Panel of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1994 (1-2), the transfer of embryos into a woman’s uterus should be permitted only when, there is guarantee that no harm will be inflicted on the yet to be born child. Currently, there is no guarantee that this harm does not exist and therefore, the transfer of embryos into w omen’s uterus in not permitted. A lot of deaths have been witnessed among amphibian, lamb and mouse fetuses, and these show just how this technology does not provide certainty in as far as long-term safety is concerned. Human and animal cloning is not ethically justifiable because it violates most of the social and ethical considerations that individuals should consider when dealing with animals/people. Cloning does not respect human life, rather, based on the processes and procedures involved; it treats life like an object. In support of Zoloth’s conclusion, reproductive cloning would be abused by people since they would seek to produce a copy of their selves rather than play the crucial role of parenting a stranger to whom life has been given as stipulated by God, the divine creator. Every living being should be unique in its own special way but apparently, human and animal cloning violates this principle. This is attributed to disregard for diversity and ecosystem s urvival by this technology. As opposed to the established natural relationship between humans and nature, cloning fosters the split up from evolution, a natural process that is known to ameliorate the survival instincts of living organisms through diversity, and makes them stronger. Human cloning encourages destructive processes towards the ecosystem by deepening the alienation between two sets of species. An example is the continued destruction of the environment with the assumption that scientists would instigate the perpetuation of cloned trophy species in zoos (Andra para 5-8). Human cloning treats women as mere biological functions that provide ova and womb. This process destroys the basic relationships that are associated with the natural process of conception and delivery. The definition of parentage will totally change once human cloning becomes a success and as such, the bonds of parenthood will be radically ruptured. The element of human dignity is destroyed by human cloni ng. This is attributed to change in treatment and perception of humans from human beings to variables for experiments and test subjects that can be easily created, manufactured and destroyed (Andra, para 2). As stipulated in the Universal Declaration on Human Genome and Human Rights, human cloning is a violation against these rights. Reproduction of human beings should be a natural sexual process involving two factors (a male, and a female). However, with the invention of human cloning, it has become an asexual means of reproduction involving only one factor. This change is believed to stir up greater debate as it is feared that human cloning would reduce sexual reproduction to a manufacturing process. Human cloning does not have respect for human life, if it is to be assumed that human life begins at conception. Lawrence Nelson, an adjunct associate professor of philosophy at the Santa Clara University, supports this predisposition by implying that extracorporeal embryos are entitl ed to respect by the mere fact that they have life. Too many human embryos would be created and destroyed in the search for a successful clone. In such a case, disregard for human life is unethical as it is considered to endanger human life. However, Nelson suggests ways through which ethics can be applied in such a case. According to Nelson, respect to human embryos can be portrayed by, using the embryos as the last option for research; using the embryos for research if they have not attained the gastrulation stage by the time they are being used in research studies; not regarding the embryos as mere property, and not destroying them to pleasure (Andra para 7). In addition, the search for a successful clone in turn would not be a guarantee for a successful life since the clone is susceptible to numerous diseases that eventually result in the clone’s death. Implication on the Family Human cloning is perceived to affect the family. If a wife produces a clone of herself as a da ughter, this distorts the relationship between the father and the daughter. The introduction and endorsement of cloning therefore, is seen to interfere with the family unit. One philosopher wrote that cloning proved to be a major violation of the human nature characterized by â€Å"embodied, gendered, and engendering beings- and of social relations developed from this natural ground† (Kass 23-60). Human cloning would give rise to issues revolving around marital eligibility. In addition, courts would face difficulties trying to solve problems related to assisted reproduction. There is one particular example where a â€Å"court found a child conceived using assisted reproductive technologies to have no parents despite having eight individuals from which to choose† (In re Marriage of Buzzanca). Implication on Social Values If human cloning would be permitted across the globe, this would mean disruption to the interconnected web of â€Å"social values, institutions, pract ices† that offer support for the healthy growth and development of children (National Bioethics Advisory Commission 629-641). Human cloning would change the attitude of value towards one’s children as it would shift towards the ability of a child to meet parental expectations. Parents would love their children based on this ability, rather than for who they are. Love, loyalty, nurturing, and steadfastness are the values, which define natural parenthood and with a world of cloning, they would be replaced with avarice, vanity, and narcissism (Kass 23-60). The ability of man to produce/create living things would render him omnipotent, contrary to the highly held religious values that acknowledge God as the only omnipresent being. Human cloning would escalate the issue of scarce resources because, cloning makes use of the limited researchers and clinicians, who would be better positioned in handling more serious social and medical needs. Treating Individuals as Objects It i s feared that cloned children would be perceived as mere objects. As a mere object, one is not free to reach their full potential as individuals since they are governed by pressures resulting from other people’s desires and expectations. While talking about objectification of human beings, the paper refers to objectification as the tendency to disregard an individual’s desires or well-being. Rather, it is the control over an individual instead of engaging him/her in a mutual and respectful relationship. Alternatively, human cloning commodifies the resulting clones by treating them as commodities that can be easily bought, sold, or exchanged in a market place. Cloning, as opposed to other practices, such as genetic screening, or gene therapy, is intended to benefit the nucleus donor and not the cloned child. The other factor that makes the cloned child to be regarded as an object is due to its diminished physical uniqueness. Eugenic Concerns The use of eugenic was seen as a step towards selective breeding in agriculture. Eugenic programs oversimplify the role of genes in as far determining human traits and characteristics is concerned, yet, there is limited information on the correlation between genes and behavioral characteristics of successful and rewarding human lives. Furthermore, the minuscule information that is available indicates that an interaction between genes and the environment is essential for the development of successful and rewarding characters, and not merely due to genes as indicated by the eugenic programs. Cows are bred to increase yields, while sheep are bred to produce sheep with softer fleece, but, it would be unethical to breed superior humans. To start with, such a practice would only reveal, mankind’s lack of respect for human life and God’s role as the creator of the universe. Production of a superior human being as dictated by science fiction is something that is associated with serious consequence. The A merican public is renowned for its eugenic ideas, which were engineered by scientific and political leaders, but whose menace became a reality during a grotesque fashion in Nazi Germany (National Bioethics Advisory Commission 629-641). Conclusion This paper has said it all, and it is obvious that the risks outweigh the benefits. It is because of this great imbalance that we do not support cloning. The main objective benefits associated with cloning are solving infertility issues, and for transplantation. On the other hand, it is evident that it is incommensurate with almost all of the ethical principles. As human beings charged with the responsibility of taking care of the environment, where animals are part, we should see to it that the animals are not subjected to intended pain. An evaluation of cloning, being among the many laboratory procedures involving animals, has led us to believe that it is ethically and morally wrong to clone animals, considering reproductive cloning, and therapeutic cloning. Dolly, being the first animal to go public in relation to cloning, was also the reason for the stirred up debate about ethics of cloning. Physical endangerment is among the various health and safety concerns that arose from this debate. It is true that technology improves our standards of living, and quality of life, but it is also worth noting that it should not be at the expense of other creatures, the embryos, which even though undeveloped, should not be subjected to intended pain. The fact that animals cannot speak does not give humans the right to treat them in a cruel manner either. It is important to understand that technology is something which is readily accepted and embraced, but when it tends to produce something that is entirely different from the usual, it is then that it faces resistance, as is evident in this case of cloning. It is because of this very reason that cloning has stirred up strong feelings and has become such a contentious debate. We are of the opinion that cloning is associated with serious risks, which not only affect the clone but the donor as well. The case of Dolly, even though is considered inconclusive by some scientists, shows the challenges associated with cloning. To start with, too much life is wasted in the numerous attempts carried out. This proves just how cloning disrespects human life. Furthermore, the eventual birth of a clone does not guarantee absence of genetic mutation, which can be very fatal in the long-run. The birth mother on the other hand may suffer from miscarriages, and the ovum donor may suffer from ovum donor hormonal manipulation. A cloned individual is not free, because this element has been indirectly deprived from him/her due to expectations from society. The various issues raised by cloning makes it impossible for this technology to sail through. It is only until when the benefits of cloning will outweigh the risks associated it that it will be appropriate for physicians to pa rticipate in human cloning. As at now, it is not safe to reproduce children through human cloning because of the highly risky procedures involved as have been discussed in the paper. Regardless of resolved techniques and procedures, weighty concerns will continue to linger around the use of this technology on society and the individual due to anticipated negative effects. Despite the need for more research, it is impossible to imagine that ethical principles will continue to be greatly violated, because for accurate results to be finally obtained, life will not be accorded the respect it deserves. In addition, the society perception of a clone may be difficult to change. As the final word with regard to cloning, it is an extra-ordinary kind of technology that can be considered to be the epitome of man’s intellectualness. However, it is important to realize that it is not right to compete with God for one because; this technology is seen to mimic God. Worse is the fact that hu man cloning will transform creation into a manufacturing process, and violate all the principles that are associated with it. The IVF procedure has already played a very essential role in addressing infertility issues. We think that human cloning will destroy many values that have been amongst us since time in memorial. Therefore, it will only be fair if a continued ban on it prevails. Andra, Picincu. â€Å"The Human Cloning Debate.† Ground Report, 2008. Web. BBC News. â€Å"Animal Cloning: What is the future?† BBC, 4 January 2002. Web. Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, American Medical Association. â€Å"Opinion 8.08: Informed Consent.† Code of Medical Ethics: Current opinions and annotations. Chicago, IL, 1998. Federation of Veterinarians of Europe. Animal Cloning. Brussels: FVE, 2009. Gicquel, Christine, et al. â€Å"In vitro fertilization may increase the risk of Beckwith- Wiedemann syndrome related to the abnormal imprinting of the KCNQ1OT gene.â⠂¬  American Journal of Human Genetics 72.5 (2003): 1338-1341. â€Å"Human genetics Alert.† Reproductive Cloning: Ethical and Social Issues, January 2004. Web. Iltis, Ana S. Research Ethics. New York: Routledge, 2006. In re Marriage of Buzzanca. The appellate court, 1993. Jaenisch, R. The biology of nuclear cloning and the potential of embryonic stem cells for transplantation therapy. Background paper for the President’s Commission on Bioethics, 2003. Web. January 2011. Kass Leon R. The Wisdom of Repugnance. In The Ethics of Human Cloning. Washington ,DC : AEI Press, 1998 : 3-59 . Meilaender, G. Remarks on Human Cloning to the National Bioethics Advisory Commission. Testimony presented to the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, March 13, 1997. National Bioethics Advisory Commission. â€Å"Report on Cloning by the US Bioethics Advisory Commission: Ethical Considerations.† Human Reproduction Update 3.6 (1997): 629-641. National Institutes of Health, Report of the Human Embryo Research Panel. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, 1994. Office of Human Subjects Research. The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the protection of human subjects of research. The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, 18 April 1979. Web. Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production. Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial farm animal production in America. A Project of the Pew Charitable Trusts and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2008. Web. Robertson, J. A Ban on Cloning and Cloning Research is Unjustified. Testimony Presented to the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, March 14, 1997. Santa Clara University. The Ethics of Human Cloning and Stem Cell Research. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, 11 January 2002. Web. Schwartz, H., The Culture of Copy. New York: Zone Books, 1996. The Foods Standards Agency. Animal Cloning and Implications for the Food Cha in: Findings of Research among the General Public. COI, 2008. Web. U.S. Department of Energy Genome Programs. Cloning Fact Sheet. Human Genome Program, 11 May 2009. Web. â€Å"Will We Follow the Sheep?† Time, 10 March 1997; p. 69, 70-72

CERA - Performance Measurement Case Study Free Sample

This assignment is intended to demonstrate the individual performance measurement scheme of the CERA, which is one of the consulting companies that provide their consultation regarding the civil construction. As stated by Sanchez et al. (2015), performance management mainly includes different types of activities that ensure that the organizational goals can be consistently addressed in most efficient and appropriate manner. It is seen that CERA has achieved the competitive advantage for their qualified as well as skilled consultants who are useful in their field. Some of the senior level managers of the company are well convinced regarding their effective HR practices, but some of the managers still think that their organization do not have the effective HR practices to measure the individual performances of their employee. Therefore along with showing the limitation in the individual performance at the CERA, this assignment also provides a recommendation regarding the performance me asurement approaches by applying which the company can get an extensive and more efficient human resource. To manage performance most effectively in CERA, it is imperative to measure the employee performance with more effectiveness by facilitating the close monitoring. As per the viewpoint of Ferreira & Otley (2013), performance measurement can be defined as the process of the collection, analysis and report the evidence related to the fulfilment of the group, individual, system or the organization. Mainly an effective performance management system has five different parts such as defining the expectation regarding the performances, facilitating the performances, encouraging the employees to achieve the optimum level of performances, performance measurements and proving feedback to the employees regarding their performance. However, it is that CERA set some objective for their employees and asks them to achieve this. Therefore, they measure the employee performance by reviewing how many objectives they are achieving with quality. For example, to assess the performance level of the junior consultants they facilitate the performance appraisal by following the management by objective strategy. As per the viewpoint of Tseng (2014), management by objective is one of the model regarding management that mainly improves the performance of any organization by defining several objectives, which are agreed by both the employees as well as management. Moreover, to achieve those objectives they treat their employees like a school student because here the involvement of the senior level management is very high. They provide a brief and sufficient knowledge to their employee regarding how they can achieve those objectives, but by following this strategy, they do not get any sufficient knowledge regarding individual employee performance (Mayer& Davis, 2012). However, this strategy of them makes their organization to achieve more and effective output, but this strategy is not sufficient to produce highly effective and experienced employee. Along with that, this strategy suppressed the innovation capability and individual performances of the employee. CERA facilitates the performance management in their company to encourage the employees. The senior level managers have observed that the CERA is effective to achieve a good level of productivity, but they do not have any effective motivation technique by which they can retain their experi enced employees. Therefore, there are high levels of possibility that after sometimes depression can be generated among employees. To reduce the chances of that, they need to involve an effective level of performance management system. Moreover, after measuring the performance, they apply a wrong strategy to provide employees with a reward (Boland& Fowler, 2011). They provide more facilities or more financial reward to their senior level employees rather than their junior level employees. Therefore, this creates tremendous dissatisfaction among the employees. Therefore, it can be said that there is a misalignment among their organizational objective and their actual performances. CERA advertise their organization as one of the specialist's companies who has excellence compensation strategy for their employees. However, it has been observed in the present situation; CERA do not have any excellence in the compensation strategy, and they do not provide compensation based on the perform ances of the employees. This is because; they think that they can get more effective output from their senior level employees. Their ineffectiveness to provide preferences to their lower level employee may create a sense of de-motivation among the employee so that there is a high level of possibility that affords of the employee can be decreased gradually (Brignall & Modell, 2010). Additionally, it is also observed that CERA does not have any active feedback strategy that any company provides to their employee so that their employees can correct their performance and assists their company to achieve their pre-determined level of returns. In the case of CERA, it has been observed that they do not have any active feedback strategy. As stated by Kaplan& Norton (2013), feedback can be provided in oral or written mode and offers different advantages to both the employees as well as the company. The main benefits of effective feedback are it helps both the company and employee to improve the performances. Along with that it boosts the employee retentions and decreases employee turnover. Therefore, employee loyalty can be increased by following a feedback strategy (Folger, Konovsky & Cropanzano, 2011). Moreover, effective feedback reduces the cost due to fewer requirements of the training and development and increases the sales of a company. From the case of CERA, it is seen that they have very few employees; therefore, if they do not follow an effective strategy to handle their performances then they may face huge problems regarding employee turnover in their near future. One of the effective rationales regarding the re-bo oting of the performance management scheme of the CERA is identification and elimination of weaknesses in the traditional approaches that they mainly follow. Their performance management system must be effective to provide a timely as well as meaningful feedback to their staffs (Yahya & Goh, 2012). Another limitation in the CERA is the higher level management does not take feedback from the lower level employees because they do not have any believe that the lower level employee can provide an effective feedback that can support their company to achieve a better level of output. However, taking feedback from different sources such as customers, subordinates, and peers can develop the innovativeness of any company. It is seen that CERA only follow the management by the objective approach. Therefore, it is highly imperative for them to follow more efficient performance appraisal process by which they can judge the employee performance with more effectiveness and can provide them with the effective feedback by which they can lower their weaknesses. As the senior level management are very much effective to monitor their employees closely so that they can implement the 360-degree performance appraisal process. As stated by Levy & Williams (2014), 360-degree performance appraisal feedback is one of the processes that is utilized by any company to collect information regarding their employees from different sources to assess the work related behaviour of the employee. I order to facilitate the 360-degree feedback in the business; CERA can take the feedback from the immediate boss, supervisor and the peers. CERA can also solicit the feedback from different external sources that regularly interact with their employees. After the implementation of the 360-degree feedback in the company, CERA can assess the actual behaviour of their employees. After that, it is highly important to provide feedback to the employee regarding their performance so that their strength can boost and weaknesses can decrease. As opined by Alimo?Metcalfe (2012), the 360-degree appraisal can help the CERA to measure several things such as it helps to measure the competencies as well as the behaviour of employees. Moreover, it focuses on several areas such as character, leadership and teamwork. Along with that, it helps the upper-level management to conduct the planning and set their business related goals. As per the viewpoint of Bohl (2013), 360-degree performance appraisal also helps the employees as well as management to identify the business related objectives by improving the communication among the employee and employer. Additionally, 360-degree performance appraisal helps the organisation to focuses o n their core competencies. However, there are several issues involved in 360-degree feedback that is this tool is not customised according to the requirement of the company. It is imperative to take information from different stakeholders of the enterprise because it enriches any business with the different innovative idea that helps them to facilitate more growth. However, there is one of the disadvantages of the multisource information because it may generate the conflict in the company (Carless, Mann& Wearing, 2015). Therefore, before taking the multi-source feedback, CERA must be careful regarding that. Therefore, to make this tool more useful, it is important for CERA to customize the tool according to the need of the company. Moreover, manipulation of the employee to provide a rating to the employee may lead some biases because this process can be partial in some cases. There are enormous possibilities here that higher level manager can provide more efficient feedback regardin g those employees with whom they have the practical relationship (Brutus, Fleenor & London, 2016). Along with the 360-degree performance appraisal method, it is also important for CERA to follow the behaviourally anchored rating scale. As per the viewpoint of Murphy & Constans (2014), behaviourally anchored rating scales rate the performance of any employees based on some specific criteria. This performance appraisal process is mainly presented in the vertical mode by involving the point in the scales up to 9 from 5.As opined by Saal, Downey & Lahey (2012), this performance appraisal procedure merges the benefits of critical incidents, narratives as well as the quantified rating in the company to assess the employee performance against different criteria such as poor, good and moderate. Rather than graphically anchored rating scales, behaviourally anchored rating scales are more efficient because it helps the organization to eliminate some of the rater error. There are several advantages for which CERA must follow the behaviourally anchored rating scales which is it reduces the po tential for the biased responses in the company. Along with that, this performance appraisal process only measures the observable as well as specific behaviours. Moreover, it is effective to provide the standard as well as specific comments regarding the fulfilment of the job. As a contrast to different traditionally rating scales, this rating scale provides more accurate evaluation regarding the performances as well as the behaviour of the target persons. This effective tool also has some disadvantages that may create some problem for the managers of the CERA.As mentioned by Bernardin & Smith (2011), the main drawback is this performance appraisal process requires only effective and skilled staff. Moreover, the performance measurements tool require huge time alongside it is very complicated too. BARS are mainly dependent upon the aptness and the precision of different anchored statements. Moreover, the frequent update is mandatory along with the change of the job requirements. During designing the performance appraisal process, the HR manager of CERA must consider different types of error that are mainly occurred in any company. Rater errors are the error that took place during the performance measurement procedures. As stated by Bernardin & Walter (2013), rater error can be described as the credibility as well as the accuracy regarding the measurements of the performances. Rater errors are the human error which is very much common in any performance appraisal process because anyone cannot tell that any performance appraisal will be effective shortly. Different types of rater errors are a halo effect, leniency error, recency error, similar to me error, central tendency error etcetera. After implementing the proposed performance appraisal process, CERA may face problems due to below mentioned the reason. Halo effect error may occur in the CERA if the HR managers rate the dimensions of the performances either based on the positive or the negative rating. Thi s is one of the errors because in this method there are not any rating criteria to judge the performance of employees who have scored the middle-level performances. Due to leniency error, the manager of the CERA may give the low end of the scale if they have achieved the middle position on the range, which called the negative leniency. The manager may also provide high end of the scale to the employees whose performances is in the middle position of the scale that is called the positive leniency. Along with that, recency error in the performance appraisal process of the CERA may occur if the HR manager rates any employee based on the recent incidents regarding any employees. As opined by Borman, Hough & Dunnette (2012), central tendency error may be happened in the CERA, if the HR manager may rate the employee with higher performance by the average performance. HR manager may do an entirely wrong judgment to the subordinate employees if they can judge the lower level of employees ba sed on perspectives of other employees, which is called similar to me an error. The above facts can conclude that for achieving adequate performance, an effective performance management system is necessary. This is because effective performance management system always generates a productive organisation with efficient, skilled and motivated employees. The above fact also concludes that remuneration must be provided based on the performance so that the involvement of effective performance appraisal process in necessary. Performance appraisal process not only helps the organization to understand the capability of their employee but it also helps the employees to eliminate their present weaknesses and develops their strength. It has also becomes clear that as an innovative company, they are suppressing the innovative capability of the lower level staff. Moreover, they do not take feedback from the customers to provide consultation to them, which creates problem to understand the actual needs of the customer. In this context, performance measurement approaches beco mes evitable. The analysis in the report clears the fact that before implementing 360 degree appraisal system in their company, CERA must arrange a meeting with their employee where they should instruct their employees how they should provide feedback to a particular employee. On the other hand, it becomes clear that at present, there is not any rater error that is happening in the CERA because of the absent of their effective performance appraisal method, but it can be generated in the later time if the HR manager takes the performance appraisal process too casually. Further, it is found out that It is seen all of the modern organization provides feedback on the performances by facilitating an efficient performance appraisal method so that their employees can get a chance to understand and correct their weaknesses. Therefore, using error detection strategies might be effective in improving the overall performance of the organisation. Alimo?Metcalfe, B. (2012). 360 degree feedback and leadership development.  International Journal of Selection and Assessment,  6(1), 35-44. Bernardin, H. J., & Smith, P. C. (2011). A clarification of some issues regarding the development and use of behaviorally anchored ratings scales (BARS).  Journal of Applied Psychology,  66(4), 458. Bernardin, H. J., & Walter, C. (2013).Effects of rater training and diary-keeping on psychometric error in ratings.  Journal of Applied Psychology,  62(1), 64. Bohl, D. L. (2013).Minisurvey: 360-Degree Appraisals Yield Superior Results, Survey Stows.  Compensation & Benefits Review,  28(5), 16-19. Boland, T., & Fowler, A. (2011).A systems perspective of performance management in public sector organisations.  International Journal of Public Sector Management,  13(5), 417-446. Borman, W. C., Hough, L. M., &Dunnette, M. D. (2012).  Performance ratings: An investigation of reliability, accuracy, and relationships between individual differences and rater error. PERSONNEL DECISIONS RESEARCH INST MINNEAPOLIS MN. Brignall, S., & Modell, S. (2010).An institutional perspective on performance measurement and management in the ‘new public sector’.  Management accounting research,  11(3), 281-306. Brutus, S., Fleenor, J. W., & London, M. (2016). Does 360-degree feedback work in different industries? A between-industry comparison of the reliability and validity of multi-source performance ratings.  Journal of Management Development,  17(3), 177-190. Carless, S. A., Mann, L., & Wearing, A. J. (2015).Leadership, Managerial Performance and 360?Degree Feedback.  Applied Psychology,  47(4), 481-496. Ferreira, A., &Otley, D. (2013). The design and use of performance management systems: An extended framework for analysis.  Management accounting research,  20(4), 263-282. Folger, R., Konovsky, M. A., &Cropanzano, R. (2011).A due process metaphor for performance appraisal.  Research in organizational behavior,  14, 129-129. Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (2013).Transforming the balanced scorecard from performance measurement to strategic management: Part II.  Accounting Horizons,  15(2), 147-160. Keaveny, T. J., &McGann, A. F. (2013).A comparison of behavioral expectation scales and graphic rating scales.  Journal of Applied Psychology,  60(6), 695. Levy, P. E., & Williams, J. R. (2014). The social context of performance appraisal: A review and framework for the future.  Journal of management,  30(6), 881-905. Mayer, R. C., & Davis, J. H. (2012). The effect of the performance appraisal system on trust for management: A field quasi-experiment.  Journal of applied psychology,  84(1), 123. Murphy, K. R., &Constans, J. I. (2014).Behavioral anchors as a source of bias in rating.  Journal of Applied Psychology,  72(4), 573. Saal, F. E., Downey, R. G., &Lahey, M. A. (2012).Rating the ratings: Assessing the psychometric quality of rating data.  Psychological Bulletin,  88(2), 413. Sanchez, H., Kuttanna, B., Olson, T., Alexander, M., Gerosa, G., Philip, R., & Alvarez, J. (2015, February).Thermal management system for high performance PowerPC/sup TM/microprocessors.In  Compcon'97. Proceedings, IEEE  (pp. 325-330). IEEE. Tseng, S. M. (2014). Knowledge management system performance measure index.  Expert Systems with Applications,  34(1), 734-745. Yahya, S., &Goh, W. K. (2012).Managing human resources toward achieving knowledge management.  Journal of knowledge management,  6(5), 457-468.

The issue of lurking doubt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The issue of lurking doubt - Essay Example But after the passing of CAA 1966, the court is now vested with the power of allowing an appeal against a conviction if the court feels that the jury’s verdict should be discarded on the basis that the case is unsafe or not acceptable or does not satisfy all conditions. Lord Widgery stated that a court must leave the objective part of a case and take a subjective measure of the case analysis. The subjective measure proposed by Widgery is that the court should decide whether to let the matter rest as it is or whether they have some lurking doubt. In this case, the lurking doubt is considered if it makes the court wonder if some miscarriage of justice was committed. This subjective test is strictly not based on the evidence received by the court; instead, it is based on the general feel of the case and the personal opinion of the judge(s) of the case. The precedent set by Lord Widgery in 1966 became the lurking doubt test for the appellate court, where each member of the bench c onsiders if the verdicts given are unsafe or unsatisfactory and then allows the conviction to pass or be quashed. The decision on whether the lurking doubt test should be consigned to history or still be used is based on the court itself and the trial jury. An analysis of different cases indicated that the test is still in use but can be arguable. From an analysis of Malleson’s () research into the use of the lurking doubt test, it is found that after Widgery’s introduction of the test in Cooper, 6 cases used the test between then and 1989.... inst a conviction if the court feels that the jury’s verdict should be discarded on the basis that the case is unsafe or not acceptable, or does not satisfy all conditions. Lord Widgery (1969) stated that a court must leave the objective part of a case and take a subjective measure to the case analysis. The subjective measure proposed by Widgery is that the court should decide whether to let the matter rest as it is or whether they have some lurking doubt. In this case the lurking doubt is considered if it makes the court wonder if some miscarriage of justice was committed.7 This subjective test is strictly not based on the evidence received by the court; instead it is based on the general feel of the case and the personal opinion of the judge(s) of the case. The precedent set by Lord Widgery in 1966 became the lurking doubt test for the appellate court, where each member of the bench considers if the verdicts given are unsafe or unsatisfactory and then allows the conviction t o pass or be quashed. The decision on whether the lurking doubt test should be consigned to history or still be used is based on the court itself and the trial jury. An analysis of different cases indicated that the test is still in use but can be arguable. From an analysis of Malleson’s () research into the use of the lurking doubt test, it is found that after Widgery’s introduction of the test in Cooper (1969),8 6 cases used the test between then and 1989. However, in 1990, of the 102 successful appeals, 6 of them included the aspect of the lurking doubt test, as compared to 14 out of 114 cases in 1992.9 In the 1992 cases, Malleson states that the 14 convictions were reversed based on the court’s opinion that the jury reached wrong decisions, despite the fact that no new evidence was

Great chain of being Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Great chain of being - Term Paper Example However, the passage of time saw this trend slowly fade away and the classes that were hitherto much respected soon lost significance. A good example of this can be seen from the Tudor Dynasty which tried as hard as it could to maintain the existence of the classes but at the same time developed policies that weakened the chain further. According to Bucholz and Key (87), the Great Chain of Being was a system of governance that classified the English people by class, age and sex. From the divisions, it was able to differentiate who was and was not a knight, an esquire, or a gentleman (Bucholz and Key 11). The first of this class was the royalty and gentlemen who were the rulers of the community. This was the followed by the gentlemen and even among the gentlemen, there were still classes where the first and principal were the king, dukes, among others while next to these were knights, esquires, and simple gentlemen. Despite the strong social hierarchy, the passage of time saw this chain becoming weaker and weaker with the climax coming during the Tudor Dynasty. However, the Tudor Dynasty struggled to maintain the chain but at the same time carried out policies and actions that only led to weaken the Great Chain of Being further (Key and Bucholz 17). In the beginning of the 15th century, the England went through a series of wars that affected both the economy and leadership of the nation. Following the war that was going on in the West Country, the king together with his advisers chose Richard, the then duke of York to be the protector of the Realm. By 1461, the duke of Yolk rebelled against the Lancastrian monarchy that he had sworn to serve loyally. Soon after Richard had taken the throne, he was killed in cold blood by his own son Edward who took power in 1461. However, the Lancastrians went on making rival claims based on origin as well as formal vows of loyalty and this led to widespread violence in the entire country. During the 1460’s and

Insights on Style :: Style Writing Styles Essays

Insights on Style A writer sits down on his hickory brown leather upholstered chair in a lowered den of a cape-cod house in the country. He slips his bifocals up the ridge of his nose and pulls his typewriter with both arms to a comfortable typing distance. He is now ready to write and write with style. He has in mind that his certain eloquence will provide cohesion, concision and elegance that will be clear and concise so the reader will be able to determine exactly the message he is portraying. He begins with the intent to be clear, concise and understood. Making an impression on a reader is the idea I have about style. When a completed composition is read, there should be a feeling of understanding and comprehension about a certain idea, thought or consciousness. But, â€Å"Who can confidently say what ignites a certain combination of words, causing them to explode in the mind (Strunk and White, pg. 66)?† This is true in most cases; it is not the combination of words that cause a mind to stir but the way it creates thought and stimulus that create an explosion. There is a conscious effort required to give a work of writing style. Two major contributions to the subject of â€Å"good writing† are the books Style: toward Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams and The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. Before I explain about what it is I gained from these two books about style I want you to get an overall, summed-up insight to the books. Strunk Jr. and White have an idea and knowledge of â€Å"g ood writing† and call it style. In their book, The elements of Style, I can depict it like this: they give you the paint, paintbrush, canvas and the tools and say â€Å"This is what style is made of.† Williams, in his book paints a picture and says â€Å"this is style,† leaving the color out and letting that be determined by the reader. â€Å"We visibly organize essays, articles, reports, memoranda into paragraphs, subsections and major sections to signal readers that we have finished developing one part of an idea and are moving to another, to a new thought.

Management Functions at Work: Dell’s Secret in its Success

The success of managing an organization cannot occur, at least not within a reasonable time frame, without the functions of management deeply imbibed within their operations. Today, more companies recognize the benefits that of these functions of management in the process of organizational development. The implementation and outcome of their operations rely greatly on how they stick with these functions. In rudimentary management classes, we all learned that the job of every manager involves what is known as the functions of management: planning, organizing, directing, and controlling. Henry Fayol, a pioneer of management theory. He was the first to outline the main functions of management. These functions are goal-directed, interrelated and interdependent. Planning involves devising a systematic process for attaining the goals of the organization. It prepares the organization for the future. Organizing involves arranging the necessary resources to carry out the plan. It is the process of creating structure, establishing relationships, and allocating resources to accomplish the goals of the organization. Directing involves the guiding, leading, and overseeing of employees to achieve organizational goals. Finally, controlling involves verifying that actual performance matches the plan. If performance results do not match the plan, corrective action should be taken (Allen, 1998). Furthermore, Mintzberg (1973) undertook an extensive study of five executives (including four CEOs) at work. Based on this research, Mintzberg developed a different view to Fayol’s four functions and improved it as he indicated three major management roles: interpersonal, informational and decisional. In the present view of a success in any given company, a study of how they applied these functions and roles as an organization is vital in attaining their goals. One example of those companies is Dell Inc., which is a trusted and diversified information-technology supplier in the US. Their business involves selling comprehensive portfolio of products and services directly to customers worldwide. Dell, recognized by Fortune magazine as America's most admired company and No. 3 globally, designs, builds and delivers innovative, tailored systems that provide customers with exceptional value. Company revenue for the last four quarters was $52.8 billion (Dell Website). However, with the swiftly growing business Dell Computers have faced serious problems before. When Dell CEO Michael S. Dell and President Kevin B. Rollins met privately in the fall of 2001, they felt confident that the company was recovering from the global crash in PC sales. Regardless of what they thought, internal interviews among their employees revealed that subordinates thought Dell, 38, was impersonal and emotionally detached, while Rollins, 50, was seen as autocratic and antagonistic. Few felt strong loyalty to the company's leaders. Worse, the discontent was spreading: A survey taken over the summer, following the company's first-ever mass layoffs, found that half of Dell Inc.'s employees would leave if they got the chance (Park and Burrows, 2003). As much as it was a big surprise, what happened next says much about why Dell was tagged as the best-managed company in area of technology. In other companies, the management might have shrugged off the criticisms or let the issue slide. But what Dell did was to focus on these criticisms that were thrown at them for they fear that their best employees would leave them. Within a week, Dell bravely faced his top 20 managers and offered a frank self-critique, acknowledging that he is hugely shy and that it sometimes made him seem aloof and unapproachable. He vowed to forge tighter bonds with his team. Some of his employees were shocked because they knew personality tests given to key executives had repeatedly shown Dell to be an †off-the-charts introvert,† and such an admission from him had to have been painful and pride-swallowing.   But in the closer analysis, Dell was just utilizing his â€Å"interpersonal† management role as what Mintzberg has previously emphasized in his management model. The success of how Michael Dell manages the company that has elevated it far above its direct selling business model. The secret might be situated in his belief that the status quo is never good enough, even if it means painful changes for the man with his name on the door. When success is achieved, it's greeted with five seconds of praise followed by five hours of postmortem on what could have been done better. Michael Dell always emphasized, †Celebrate for a nanosecond. Then move on.† One anecdote about his penchant on this belief is when an outfit opened its first Asian factory in Malaysia. The Dell, as the CEO then, sent the manager heading the job one of his old running shoes to congratulate him. The message: This is only the first step in a marathon. Just as crucial is Michael Dell's belief that once a problem is uncovered, it should be dealt with quickly and directly, without excuses. †There's no ‘The dog ate my homework' here,† says Dell. Indeed, after Randall D. Groves, then head of the server business, delivered 16% higher sales last year, he was demoted. Never mind that none of its rivals came close to that. It could have been better, say two former Dell executives. Groves referred calls to a Dell spokesman, who says Groves' job change was part of a broader reorganization. Thus, a manager's role is to lead his/her organization to a clearly stated objective, as what Michael S. Dell did to his company. In doing so he/she must muster all his resources in a concise and organized attempt at achieving those goals.   As Erik Brynjolfsson, director of the Center for eBusiness at the MIT intelligently observed about Dell’s secret management style: â€Å"They're inventing business processes. It's an asset that Dell has that its competitors don't.† Works Cited About Dell. Dell Incorporated Website. Acquired online September 19, 2005 at http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/en/home?c=us&l=en&s=corp Allen, G. Managerial Functions, 1998. Acquired online September 19, 2005 Mintzberg, H. The Nature of Managerial Work, Harper and Row, New York, NY, 1973. Park, A. and Burrows, P. â€Å"What you don’t know about Dell.† Business Week   The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. No. 3856, November 3, 2003, p. 76