Ryanair Business Ethics

Ryanair Business Ethics Summary of the unit: Business Ethics is a key component; in fact, it could be the very bases of the way in which operational activities are carried out within a business. Ethics are to do with what is right and wrong. It is about how a company does its business and how its activities affect all of its stakeholders. A business is part of society and therefore is required to maintain a certain standard of behaviour. TASK 1: Assessment 1 A Study of a Selected Company Using an organisation of your choice but in discussion with your tutor, research the ethical values and activities of the company. Explore ethical issues relevant to the companys progress, identify stakeholders and conflicts of interest and assess the ethical implications for stakeholders. Finally, explore the social implications of business ethics for the company. Introduction: Ethics refers to the moral rights and wrongs of any decision a business makes. It is a value judgement that may differ in importance and meaning between different individuals. Businesses may adopt ethical policies because they believe in them or they believe that by showing they are ethical; they improve their sales. Background of the organisation or company: Ryanair is Ltd which means the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested into the company. Ryanair is an Irish low cost airline, which is located on the grounds of Dublin Airport, with its primary operational base at London Stansted Airport. The airline operates over 300 Boeing 737-800 aircraft and has been characterised by rapid expansion and its low-cost. The route network serves 30 countries both in Europe and North Africa. Explain the ethical values and activities of the company: (Areas of ethical activities include: ethics in finance, eg bribery, executive pay, insider trading, lobbying; ethics in human resource management, eg discrimination, worker surveillance; ethics in production, eg animal testing, genetically modified (GM) foodstuffs, planned obsolescence; ethics in sales and marketing, eg spamming, shills, product placement, green washing; ethics in intellectual property eg software piracy, counterfeiting, peer-to-peer file sharing) Ryanair have made it very hard to find their mission statement, but on the basis of their main objective one can see that Ryanair wants to be the low-cost airline. In my opinion, based on different information I have read during research I believe Ryanair will do just about anything to maintain that low-cost airline status. Ryanair are cutting the costs in which they spend by reducing fuel, re-styling their inflight magazine from A4 to A5 and doubling it up as a menu. The airline has also been accused of environmental effects which are imputing to the speed up of Global Warming due to the emissions which the planes are releasing. In a conference to discuss corporate strategies, Michael OLeary (CEO) says, Its the oldest, simplest formula; Pile em high and sell em cheapà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ We want to be the Wal-Mart of the airline business. Nobody will beat us on price EVER. Ryanair inform their stakeholders about what they believe, is ethical behaviour in the Chairmans report as part of the Annual Report. However, they do not mention how they will improve occurring problems. Notwithstanding the issues we face, the outstanding people at Ryanair continue to work hard on behalf of shareholders to reduce our costs while at the same time delivering the lowest fares in Europe to our 79 million passengers. Explain the ethical issues relevant to the companys progress. (These include corporate governance; corporate social responsibility; environment; sustainability; human rights; corruption; trading fairly; legal and regulatory compliance; business practices; working conditions; individual ethical responsibilities): Human Rights Business ethics considers actions taken on behalf of organisations such as Ryanair. Business ethics asks the business if its actions are good or bad for us humans. Many questions that arise in business ethics affect all of us such as the environmental ones. There are also some issues which relate to human rights too. Therefore, it is important that Ryanair deals with these issues and questions correctly as they do affect humans and the environment. Human rights are mainly about discrimination. For example, it is illegal in the UK to treat people differently because of their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or disability. These are known as basic human rights. There are other types of human rights which are built into legal system. At Ryanair, employees are entitled to a contract of employment, to work part time, to be able to join a union and to have hearing against wrongful dismissal. This is for everyone; this is known as human rights. Ryanair would have to follow human rights when employing people to work with them; they cannot deny someone to work for them because of their race, gender, religion or disability. If these laws are broken in Ryanair they can be sued. Ryanairs commitment to operating with respect for human rights is reflected in company policies and procedures. In order to integrate human rights considerations into the management of their business, human rights due diligence is part of their risk assessment for new production and sales markets. For existing production and sales markets, Ryanair will regularly evaluate human rights related risks and conduct human rights impact assessments on high risk markets. Risk and impa ct assessments are used for them to identifying actual and potential human rights impacts from their business activities, which are then managed by the relevant business functions. Ryanair works broadly to promote respect for human rights through public policy, stakeholders dialogues and collaborations. Working Conditions When people start working for a business organisation, they are entitled to a set of minimum working conditions, which are not just about wages and salaries. They also cover aspects of work such as hours, holiday entitlement, privacy harassment and discrimination. It is up to employers to create working conditions that are fair, just and open. Trade Unions have the traditional role of defending worker rights against bad employers. Ryanairs employees must have been told about the working conditions which should cover all aspects such as things like hours, holidays, salaries and wages. It is up to the employer to create the working conditions, if something is unfair there are Trade Unions who have the role to defend workers from the bad employers. The employees shall be granted and correctly compensated for any types of paid leave to which they are legally entitled. For Example, leaves include annual leave, maternity/parental leave and sick leave. Ryanairs employee should be treated with respect and dignity. Under no circumstances Ryanair either accept the use by their suppliers, their subcontractors or other business partners of humiliating or corporal punishment, and no employee shall be subject to physical, sexual, Psychological or verbal harassment or abuse. Wages must be paid regularly, on time, and must reflect the experience, qualifications and performance of the employee. Ryanairs minimum requirement is that employers shall pay at least the statutory minimum wage, the prevailing industry wage or the wage negotiated in a collective agreement, whichever is higher. All other types of legally mandated benefits and compensations shall be paid. No unfair deductions are allowed, and the employee has the right to a written specification of how the wage has been calculated. Corporate Governance Ryanair have board of directors who make important decisions. They are answerable to board managers. Governance is important to large businesses like Ryanair. it is important because how will HM directors know what mangers are doing. Therefore the government gets involved. Also corporate governance is the people and procedures for taking a major decision within Ryanair. Ryanair will have to send directors progress about the business so they are always updated, the managers at Ryanair will be responsible for consulting the board directors about everything that goes on in the business on a regular basis. Governance is vital to big companies such as Ryanair because how will Ryanair directors acknowledge what managers are doing, this government will step in. Corporate governance is the employees and measures for taking important decisions within Ryanair. Trading Fairly Fair trade is where: Business is carried on in an open manner. Competition takes place on grounds that are equal for all parties Consumers can feel secure that the goods and services they are buying are going to be of satisfactory quality. Ryanair must make sure that they are always trading fairly and theyre consumers should always feel secure that goods and services they are using are going to be of satisfactory quality. Ryanair agree that wages in some production countries are too low. Ensuring that all textile workers should be able to live on their wages has always been Ryanair s vision, and this is also stated in our Code of Conduct. In November 2013, Ryanair had developed a new roadmap based on their vision, a fair living wage covering workers basic needs should be paid by all HM commercial goods suppliers. One important element of this is that Ryanair s while another states that this requirement is based on a skilled workforce whos wages are negotiated and reviewed annually, involving democratically elected trade unions of worker representatives. Identify stakeholders of the organisation and conflicts of interest and assess the ethical implications for stakeholders. (Stakeholders owners, employees, customers, suppliers, competitors, citizens, etc. Conflicts of interest between stakeholder groups e.g. shareholders versus environmentalists) Ryanairs Main Stakeholders include: Shareholders Business Partners Customers Employees Conflicts of interest Ryanair Stakeholders: Employees Vs Owners Employees want higher wages and owners want high profits therefore want to pay employees lower wages. Customers Vs Shareholders Low prices is what customers want, but higher prices is what shareholders want as it means higher profits. Employees Vs Management Conflict might occur when management desire to cut costs to boost profit in order to satisfy their own needs as well as different stakeholders as employees want higher wages. Stakeholders Stakeholders are a person, group or organisation that has interest or concern in an organisation. Stakeholders can affect or be affected by the organisations actions, objectives and policies. The below diagram includes definitions for each stakeholder: Ryanairs main stakeholders are: Employees who seek the necessary training along with career development opportunities within Ryanair. They also want job security. Shareholders who want a dividend from profits. Customers who want services that meet their needs when flying. They wish for flights that are at low prices and convenient dates and times. Explain the social implications of business ethics for the organisation or company. (Implications include adapting business behaviour; responding to ethical pressures; implementing ethical practices; influence of stakeholders and pressure groups; impact on competitiveness; reputation; public image; ethical trade; value-added; complying with relevant legislation and codes of practice, e.g. UK law, EU law;UN Declaration on Human Rights; UN Global Compact; economic activity e.g. location) (Other Implications include: global, eg environment; corporate, eg legal and regulatory compliance, policies and practices; individual (employee, consumer) Ethical Concerns and Solutions Ryanair is a business that is acting unethically in many ways. I have included the reasons which I think are the main ones. EnvironmentalThe emissions, which are coming from the aircraft, are believed to be having a very bad effect on the Earths atmosphere which is causing harm which leads to Global Warming, this will have an effect on everyone if Ryanair doesnt stop right now. This is evidence that the business is acting unethically as they are not caring for the environment in which we are all living in. Social An example of the way in which Ryanair is acting unethically in relation to employment practice which became known when former employee Sophie Growcoot got in contact with her local representative to reveal the details of her employment contract with the company Crewlink, which acts as a contractor for Ryanair. The Independent later published the story. Growcoot explains that Crewlink forced her to take three months of compulsory unpaid leave a year during the winter months, air traffic is slower therefore Ryanair require less staff. Not only is a compulsory unpaid leave bad enough, the contract forbids her from taking additional employment yet provided no compensation during that period of leave. She also criticized Ryanair for making her pay for her uniform and for required safety courses. Growcoot then explains further to all of that they only paid her for the hours she was in the air, which didnt include any turnaround time between flights, meetings, time on ground resulti ng from cancellations or delays and pre-flight briefings. However due to this claims Ryanair have not denied them but expressed that she was employed by Crewlink and not them therefore they hold no responsibility for any of this accusations. Health and Safety The action in which Ryanair is carrying out which leads me to believe that they are an unethical business is that they are putting their passengers and staff at risk by restricting the amount of fuel they carry in an attempt to cut costs. In a recent article published by The Independent, the airline has been accused of not putting extra fuel into their tasks, which would be used due to any delays. The article includes an example of this which has recently happened, a Ryanair flight has to make to attempts to land then make a pit stop as they had not filled the tank fully included extra fuel in which they needed. However, this is not a legal problem as they fill the tank to the amount by law. They have the amount issues by law, but are driving slower in order to use up less this means they are adding time on to journeys. With these issues and more creating black clouds over the business which is making them act unethically, Ryanair needs to consider ways in which they could deal with the occurring issues if of course they can actually deal with them. The fact is that Ryanair is faced with unethical issues including, environmental, social and safety ones. In order to start acting more ethically the airline seriously needs to overcome the occurring problems, for the three issues I have explained above I am going to suggest ways in which they can change unethical to ethical. Environmental: Problem The emissions from Ryanair aircrafts are having bad effects on our environment. Solution In order for the emissions released to not affect our environment Ryanair should look into exactly how much is being released and consider changing what they use that makes the emissions have such a bad effect. Ryanair needs to go green like Virgin America and Air France, which are the two airlines that were awarded the most eco-friendly. Practicality If other airlines that are highly recognised and extremely successful can go green and be environmentally friendly then why cant Ryanair. In order for this solution to be successful the airline need to invest more time and money into biofuel, recycling etc. as in the long run this is the better option for everyone. Social Problem Ryanairs contractor Crewlink has been drawing up harsh contracts for staff of Ryanair. Solution Crewlink are working for Ryanair, yet its Ryanair that get the blame for all the disasters like in Sophie Growcoots story. Ryanair cannot deny its happening as they know it is, but to stop it and act ethically towards their employees, they need to change the way in which the contracts are being drawn. If Crewlink are the ones who are responsible Ryanair should disconnect from them and treat their employees with fair advantages rather than unfair disadvantages. Possible vs. Practicality To change the way in which the contracts are drawn is hard as Crewlink are a company as well (even though they are working for Ryanair) they might go against Ryanairs wishes. To me the most practical thing to do in this situation is to drop Crewlink all together and start employing people straight through Ryanair that way if anything does happen Ryanair has all the documents to fight against claims because at the moment they have no evidence. However, this may increase costs, which would make shareholders unhappy. Safety: Problem In attempt to cut costs Ryanair is reducing the amount of fuel brought on a journey right down to the amount needed by law. This means no emergency extra. Solution The solution to this is obvious. Bring extra. Even though fuel is expensive wouldnt Ryanair rather pay for that then is the cause of passengers and staffs deaths if an unfortunate incident occurs? Possible vs. Practicality This is without a doubt something Ryanair should stop doing it is unsafe to all. If they continue they may end up spending more and getting into more trouble therefore losing customers and loosing profit. This is so important that shareholders would be willing to have lower dividends for a while. Impacts of Acting Ethically Even though acting ethically is a good thing, Ryanair have been unethical for a long time and with the change there is bound to be some impact on the business and its stakeholders. If the business was to carry out the solutions I have suggested they will encounter long-term and short-term advantages and disadvantages. In making the ethical decision to stop reducing fuel in order to cut costs would mean that the business would need to invest more money therefore in the short-term no one would be the winners as the shareholders might not get as much money back as they invested. However, in the long-term, as by carrying out this particular solution, customers may view Ryanair as safer and trust worthier, the business profits may increase therefore the Ryanair will be a good investment once more. If the business were to cut off Crewlink and have an in-house recruitment, Ryanair may save money, as they would no longer need to pay Crewlink for their services. This would be an advantage for the business for two reasons, they would be able to control everything and stay out of trouble caused by linked companies and they would cut costs in a safer way. For the last solution it is a win/win situation for all involved, the business and stakeholders. By being more environmentally friendly Ryanair will attract more customers as they will still be able to keep their low-cost scheduled flights just in an ego way. In my judgment I think Ryanair would be crazy not to carry out these changes, they will be beneficial to everyone in many ways. As a business Ryanair will be able to maintain its low-cost reputation but just do it will more certainty, yes in the short-term it may be a lose but it will be a win for all in the long-term. Assignment 2: Ethical Concerns in the Community of the Selected Company- P3, P4, P2.Research the ethical concerns of different communities in which a selected business operates and write a full report for submission. Define Ethics: Ethics are the set of moral principles that guide a persons behavior. These morals are shaped by social norms, cultural practices, and religious influences. Ethics reflect beliefs about what is right, what is wrong, what is just, what is unjust, what is good, and what is bad in terms of human behavior. They serve as a compass to direct how people should behave toward each other, understand and fulfil their obligations to society, and live their lives. Define Business Ethics: Business ethics are the study of proper business policies and practices regarding potentially controversial issues, such as corporate governance, insider trading, bribery, discrimination, corporate social responsibility and fiduciary responsibilities. Business ethics are often guided by law, while other times provide a basic framework that businesses may choose to follow in order to gain public acceptance. Mention your selected business and give historical background Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and manufactures consumer electronics and computer software products. The companys best-known hardware products include Macintosh computers, the iPod and the iPhone. Apple software includes the Mac OS X operating system, the iTunes media browser, the iLife suite of multimedia and creativity software, the iWork suite of productivity software, Final Cut Studio, a suite of professional audio and film-industry software products, and Logic Studio, a suite of audio tools. The company operates more than 250 retail stores in nine countries and an online store where hardware and software products are sold. Established in Cupertino, California on April 1, 1976 and incorporated January 3, 1977,the company was called Apple Computer, Inc. for its first 30 years, but dropped the word Computer on January 9, 2007 to reflect the companys ongoing expansion into the consumer electronics market in addition to its traditional focus on personal computers. Apple has about 35,000 employees worldwide and had worldwide annual sales of US$32.48 billion in its fiscal year ending September 29, 2008.For reasons as various as its philosophy of comprehensive aesthetic design to its distinctive advertising campaigns, Apple has established a unique reputation in the consumer electronics industry. This includes a customer base that is devoted to the company and its brand, particularly in the United States. Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008 and in the world in 2009. Here I will be using my selected business Apple, to describe the ethical concerns facing specific communities as a result of their activities. Explain the ethical concerns of different communities in which a selected business operates: (DifferentCommunities include: local; regional; national; global; pressure groups, eg Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth; impact of overseeing bodies, eg UK Government, United Nations, European Union, World Trade Organization (WTO), World Health Organization (WHO) (Ethical Concerns include: corporate social responsibility; globalisation; cultural imperialism; ecology; environment; fair trade;corruption; child labour; outsourcing; personal attitudes; whistle blowing) Apple, whose main manufacture in China is Foxconn, had to face ethical concerns in China recently. Local Community The ethical concerns facing the local community are Environmental and Child Labor. The environment is impacting the local community because the business is having an increase in the level of pollution in the city which is of course having a negative effect on the environment. Child Labor is another ethical concern that Foxconn have to face as they are employing under age children which is affecting the local community as they are not getting the opportunity to be educated instead they are having to work in factories. Regional and National Community The ethical concern facing the Regional and National Community beyond China is mostly to do with the Environment. The factories in China in which Foxconn own to manufacture the supplies for Apple create and let off a lot of pollution which is spreading across the seas into H.K and Taiwan. This is then impacting the environment second hand in another community. A business can also be affected by acting unethically in one community but having it pass on to the next through media. Once a community sees what the business is doing in another community they may be less willing to engage with that particular business, this creates a bad reputation for the business. Pressure GroupsEnvironmental pressure groups consistently force issues into the publics attention and therefore pressure both governments and business leaders into action. In terms of Child Labor, U.N.I.C.E.F is a pressure group that stands up for childrens rights. Along with promoting the importance of education for children living in communities where work seems like the only option U.N.I.C.E.F will fund the education. The roles that pressure groups such as U.N.I.C.E.F play in encouraging these businesses to act ethically is extremely vital and so important as without them the businesses would just do whatever is easiest. Overseeing BodiesOverseeing bodies such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Governments are needed to deal with these ethical questions that concern us about our businesses. National, Continental and International bodies are taking all sorts of action to monitor the activities of business around the world. Examples of these overseeing bodies are: UK Government United Nations (UN) European Union (EU) World Trade Organisation (WTO) World Health Organisation (WHO) Concerns of Communities Here I will be taking the issues mentioned above and explaining how businesses could improve their corporate social responsibility. In terms of the Environment and Child Labor concerning the community due to unethical behaviour from Foxconn and Apple there are ways they could eliminate these. EnvironmentThe environment is not just having an effect in one community but is traveling on and having a second hand effect on neighbouring communities much like the second hand smoking effect only this is second hand pollution. Due to the business acting unethically and producing masses amounts of pollution from Foxconn factories manufacturing Apple products the environment is having a beating. This is effecting the rise of global warming aiding it to go faster. The mining of the raw materials is also impacting our environment badly as they are not going about it the correct way. Ways in which Apple can eliminate these unethical environmental concerns is by hiring another company to manufacture their products, although this may mean they need to spend more as one company may be more expensive than another. However, by doing so Apple will no longer be seen as acting unethically as they will not be associated with an unethically partnering company. Foxconn however can eliminate these unethical environmental concerns but it will take more than one step. They need to consider ways in which they can produce what they are producing but ethically. For example, they can start by sourcing the raw material in an ethical way such as mining in areas that are specifically designed to be mined in and recycling the waste materials they do not use. Child LabourChild Labouring is a horribly unethical thing to be associated with and both Foxconn and Apple should be very ashamed of themselves. Due to the hiring of underage children to work in factories manufacturing Apple products both Foxconn and Apple are guilty of this unethical act that is a concern the business needs to face. Apple once again can eliminate this problem quite easily, they can drop Foxconn and find another company to manufacture their products, hopefully a company that doesnt use Child Labour. Again this might cost them more but they should consider whether it is worth saving their money of a childs rights. For Foxconn is little tougher to eliminate this problem as it a reputation they will always carry, however Child Labouring only occurs in certain communities where education is limited for children so working is really their only option. Foxconn can spend more money and open a factory to manufacture the products in another community or country (if needed) so that they cant be exposed to the Child Labouring temptations. The Environment and Child Labor concerning the community due to unethical behaviour from Foxconn and Apple can be prevented by considering and acting upon the suggestions I have made above but there are many more unethical concerns facing these businesses and those also need to be sorted before the business is somewhat considered ethical. Social Impacts Here I will be describing the social implications of business ethics facing Apple in its different areas of activity: Apple has been acting unethically and we can see from this report in the Guardian, Apple has been known to use child labour. The business ethics issues that I believe effect society as a whole are ethics in Finance, Human Resource Management and Sales and Marketing. Ethics in finance relates to issues like bribery, executive pay, insider trading and lobbying and it is a concern to society because it involves all sorts of illegal corruption. Ethics in human resource management includes discrimination, worker surveillance and is a concern to society because it is about the rights of society and employees of the business. Ethics in sales and marketing for example, spamming, shills, product placement, green washing are concerns to society because it is just a way of generating sales and can end up having a baggage pile on society. The implications of these issues for the business are different for each issue. For ethics in finance the business can face legal and regulatory concerns if they are caught demonstrating insider trading. The business is currently keeping a close eye on the stock exchange activity within the business to make sure no one is taking advantage of it. For ethics in sales and marketing faces a potential bad reaction from customers if they keep green washing their products in marketing. Currently the business is doing nothing to address this. As for the child labor Apple face legal concerns as it is against the law. According to the report Apple let the children go and pay for their education in a school of their familys choice. Judging the Impacts For this I will be focusing on the issue of Apples Child Labour use. Apple might deal with the issue of Child Labour by eliminating the problem and sticking to their code

Psychology - Life With (or Without) Father Essay -- essays research pa

What was the purpose of this study? This study had three purposes. The first purpose of this study was to better understand the effects of fathers’ antisocial behaviors have on their children while differentiating between those fathers who have very antisocial behavior with those that have very little. The second purpose was the find out if the effects of a father’s being in his child’s life was the same in every family. The third purpose in this study was to find out whether the children of antisocial fathers were going to develop behavioral problems from both genetic and environmental risks. What hypothesis or hypotheses did the authors test in this study? The author’s felt the father’s antisocial behavior would affect the results in whether the father was present or not. For example, if a father is only a little antisocial and he spends very little time living with his children his children could have a lot of behavior problems. However, if the father is very antisocial and he lives with his children his children can also develop a lot of behavior problems. Even though logically it seems that having a father living with the child would be beneficial for the child if the child observes that his father has antisocial behaviors it can create unwanted problems. Those conducting this study hypothesized that the most extreme cases of behavior problems would be found could they pass on traits that would cause antisocial behaviors genetically but the constant observing of their father’s misbehaving could create environmental factors as well. What was the prior research that motivated these hypotheses? Briefly describe the studies that have been done in the past that cause the authors to propose these hypotheses. There has been research done that children who have been raised with both parents living with them behave better than those children who live with only one parent. A theory stemming from evolutionary psychology indicated that men’s promiscuous sexual behavior lessoned their drive to stick with their family and hence the reason why there are a lot more single mothers than fathers. This caused some lawmakers and researchers to realize that perhaps the absence of a father in his child’s life could create problems with the child both academically and behaviorally. There are several reasons why a father’s absence can be detrimental to the child su... ... the effects that antisocial behavior of fathers have on their children’s own behavior and this can help them better understand the family unit and allows the lawmakers to make adjustments to the law regarding encouraging those on welfare to marry. By understanding the entire picture, the lawmakers are able to convince single parents to abide to laws that are made. What implications do these findings have for parenting practices? The findings can help better parents understand the reasons why their child is misbehaving and how to limit their chances of becoming severe cases. Also the results of this study questions the benefits and disadvantages to the institution of marriage. Marriage can benefit a child if the father has low or average degrees of antisocial behavior and the higher he has and the more time he lives with the child the more damaging it could be for the child. Basically, this study gives us more insight on the effects of not only the presence of the father or lack of, but the degrees of antisocial behavior expressed by him and the interplay of the two. Genetics and environment work together to determine the development of behavioral problems within a child’s life.

Case Analysis for Nursing Ethics Paper Essay

Overview A forty-eight year old female patient was brought into the emergency department with petechiae/purpura distributed over her skin. Her husband reported that she started to bleed from her nostrils and mouth. She suddenly appeared to have had what seemed to be unexplained bruises on her body and was semi comatose. In a state of panic, her husband brought her to the emergency department. With a heart rate of 180, her blood pressure was 60/24 and she was going into endotoxic shock. She received emergency care that made her stable enough to be transferred to the ICU where she became conscious and able to communicate. The medical team explained the seriousness of her condition and their plans for her treatment but she declined their proposal for further care and complained about inadequate insurance coverage for that hospital. She further professed her faith in God for divine healing. The medical team was then faced with offering this patient treatment regardless of her ability to pay to av oid the imminent danger of her leaving the hospital at that time. Medical Indications This forty eight year old female patient, who had no medical history in this hospital was diagnosed with Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC). DIC is a rare, life-threatening condition that prevents normal blood clotting in an individual. A treatment refusal or decline may hasten the disease process resulting in excessive clotting (thrombosis) or bleeding (hemorrhage) throughout the body leading to shock, organ failure or even death. Prognosis varies depending on the underlying disorder and the extent of clotting. Regardless of the cause, the prognosis is often poor, with 10-50% of patients dying. The goal of treatment is to stop bleeding and prevent death. According to WebMD (2007), in DIC, the body’s natural ability to regulate clotting does not function properly. This causes the platelets to clump and clog small blood vessels throughout the body. This excessive clotting damages organs, destroys blood cells, and depletes the supply of platelets and other clotting factors so that the blood is no longer able to clot normally. This often causes widespread bleeding, both internally and externally, a condition that can be reversed if treatment is carried out  promptly. Current indication for treatment include interventions such as transfusion of blood cells and other blood products to replace what has been lost through bleeding. Numerous tests to establish the probable cause of this condition have to be done because it is usually a first symptom of a disease such as cancer or it could be triggered by another major health problem. Patient Preferences The patient is informed of the benefits of follow up interventions after emergency care as well as the likelihood of losing functions of major organs and even death without following interventions being implemented. The principle of autonomy comes to play since it is her right to choose where, when and how she gets her health care. Based on the medical report and her personal reasons for deciding to leave the hospital against medical advice, there seems to be no evidence that she is mentally incapable. There is also no justification in disregarding her requests nevertheless, it is doubtful if she actually understands and appreciates the situation. Her preferences were to be signed AMA (against medical advice) so she can find cheaper, alternative care. Her husband, who was present with her, tried to convince her to accept the teams’ proposal but she insisted that she could not afford it. In my opinion, the patient decision was as a result of her ignorance of what choices was av ailable to her. Quality of life The quality of life for this patient is severely compromised because of the symptoms associated with this diagnosis (bleeding, syncope, weakness, shortness of breath, etc). As stated earlier, DIC could be as a result of an underlying disease such as cancer. If so, chemotherapy and radiation could help alleviate symptoms and give her a vibrant life expectancy. Also, there is the possibility that she would experience tremendous medical progress with treatment if her diagnosis has to do with platelet malfunction. However, we cannot tell, since she turned down any advice by the team to carry out blood tests. Without immediate treatment, she runs the risk of damage to major organs of her body, which could eventually lead to death. Time is of essence here because the longer she delays intervention, the more likely she has irrevocable damage that might negatively alter her previous  quality of life. Ethical issues that would arise with this patient is the emergency care she got, it got her stable enough to where she could refuse treatment. An assumption that we could make about receiving that care is, ‘what if she got into a DIC coma and had to be on a ventilator?’. She would have been unconscious and would probably not be able to debate whether she receives care or not. Contextual features Without casting aspersions, the reason, obvious to me, for refusal of care is financial. The patient talked about shopping for cheaper healthcare. This is a patient born to American missionaries in Brazil. As an American citizen, she took up the calling of her parents and was also a missonary in Brazil for most of her life. She married a man from England who is unaware of how the American system works. Her reason is justified because she probably had little to no social security and with her sojourn in Brazil, we can say that she has been accultured. Therefore her outlook and way of thinking would affect her decision about healthcare in America. Another contextual feature is that of religion and faith, the patient said that her faith in God would heal her but failed to see that this might be why she was at the hospital at that time. It is difficult to attribute her decision solely to faith or finance alone but one thing that stands out is the fact her husband tried to convince her otherwise. Still, she kept saying this was what she wanted. Her husband seemed helpless as he tried to communicate with the team however the patient kept saying that this was about her not him. My patient’s lack of insurance, her job as a missionary and her inability to pay acts as a bias that would prejudice the providers’ evaluation of her quality of life. Analysis The goal of medicine involves promoting health, curing disease, optimizing quality of life, preventing untimely death, improving function (maleficence), educating and counseling, avoiding harm (non-maleficence) and assisting in a peaceful death. The ethical dilemma is deciding to let her go based on her wishes (autonomy) versus doing what seems to be the overall right thing (paternalism), which is giving her treatment (beneficence), thus preventing harm (non-maleficence). The maleficent nature of medicine propels the team to convince the patient of what they think would restore her  health. In a bid to ‘do good(maleficence), she got emergency care that made her stable enough to communicate and state her wishes. Apart from maleficence and non-maleficence there are multiple ethical issues embedded in this case; the medical team is faced with honoring this patient’s autonomy and letting her go when they know she could be dead in a few hours without treatment. Nevertheless the patient is exercising her autonomy at her own detriment because she and her husband got adequate disclosure communicated clearly by the healthcare team about the reasons for treatment and the benefits & burdens related to her decision. The team’s scope of disclosure covered her current medical state, the possible interventions to improve prognosis and their recommendation based on clinical judgement. In addition, they are faced with medically determining her decisional capacity because of the possibility that her mental state might be affected by the pathology and her inability to afford care. If proven to be incompetent, then interventions are carried out regardless of what she wants. Hence, the medical team will deliberately override this patient’s autonomy because of their perceived notion of beneficence (paternalism). As medical practitioners, the team weighs the consequence (utilitarianism) of letting her go. To them, the action that would produce the best overall result is to go ahead and give her treatment. The ethical theory of deontology gives the team, the moral duty and obligation to do good and prevent harm. Compassion and sympathy (Ethics of care) also play a big role here, consider a patient who had committed her life to helping others, yet in her time of need could not get reciprocity. These emotions should play a major role in how the team decides to proceed. The nurse involved with this patient has an obligation to get to know this patient so that she can effectively advocate for her. Inasmuch as I know she has the right to refuse treatment, I strongly believe that her refusal is based on the insubstantiality of information and her lack of knowledge of what is accessible to her. Recommendation I recommend that the patient’s autonomy be empowered not overpowered by giving her information on what is available to her. An advocate (her nurse, case manager or social worker) should be assigned to her. In addition, the Chaplain should be invited to offer spiritual counseling. Asking the right questions, getting to understand her fears and giving her hope. Many  hospitals and clinics have patient navigators that can help determine financial aid for patients who cannot afford care or who do not have Medicaid/insurance. The team should encourage the patient that at this point money is of no consequence, her life and health come first in other words everything will be done to get her aid. I also recommend that the team critically asseses the decision-making capacity of the patient since it determines whether a patient’s health care decisions will be sought and accepted. Furthermore the patient should also be educated on and encouraged to put in place advanced directives to promote her autonomy and avoid a situation where there is no one to decide in case she is incapacitated. Justification In my opinion, Individuals respond favorably to people, things, beliefs and circumstances that hold significance, value and passion for them. Pesut’s (2009) article, confirms that incorporating spirituality into care where appropriate, has the potential to maximize health care quality. For this to be effective, the healthcare team has to look at the patient holistically, they have to put into consideration her profession of faith and how getting the chaplain involved will convince her that the medical team does not just want her money rather they value her worth. Subsequently, paternalism as a recommendation seems to be arbitrary and counteracts the autonomy of the patient, yet Whitney and McCullough (2007) in their article Physicians Silent Decisions: Because Patient Autonomy Does not Always Come First, give support to selective paternalism. They argue that Patients’ values and preferences play varying roles in medical decisions (Whitney et al. 2004). Indeed my patient’s refusal to accept care was not because she wanted to die but because her values of faith and her preference to spend within her means trumped getting the immediate intervention. Suffice to say that culture can be considered in this case because it influences values and preferences. My patient’s background was Brazilian, this is a country where there is little trust for the healthcare system. Hospitals and clinics are more interested in how much money they can make. So, Individuals that reside there, do not have routine checkup, they often wait till they are about to die before they go to a physician. And in this time they are constantly visiting places of worship in belief that they would be miraculously healed. As a result, my  patient probably had many symptoms over a period of time but did not go to the hospital, incidentally when she was brought in, it was a matter of life and death. With the team’s knowledge of her diagnosis and its pro gnosis, my patient’s preference became largely irrelevant. Yet, the physicians wanted to respect her autonomy and her sense of dignity by maintaining her part in the decision-making. As medical practitioners we uphold the goals of shared decision-making and of empowering patients to make important choices. However, these objectives provide important insights, not universal answers. In medicine, as elsewhere, individual choice, however highly we value it, must compete with individual welfare and with constraints of time and money hence the decisive factor will depend on the particular situation at hand. (Whitney and McCullough 2007 p. 37). Next, they explained that decision-making, whether silent or spoken by the physician must be understood in terms of the clinical encounter. In fact the overriding of her autonomy was for her own good. My rationale for encouraging advanced directives especially if she is deemed competent at the moment is, in the event that she can no longer make a decision in the future, something and someone will be in place to help. It will help to guide future clinical decisions and promote confidence in the decision of the surrogate she choos es. According to Lynch, Mathes and Sawicki (2008), patients are in the best position to make choices for themselves, or at least a position that is superior to that held by any other party. Therefore, patient directives must be enforced, though not through the mechanism of strict liability. (p. 158). Therefore, a decision written and signed by the patient legally would prevail, in the event that she becomes incapacitated and cannot decide she would already have that in place. Medical practitioners are encouraged to inform all patients’ about the importance of advance directives because it removes the burden of dealing with what the patients would have wanted. In summary, the discussion and justification of proceeding with medical intervention yet disregarding the patient’s decision, proves that autonomy can be respectfully countered. This is congruent in continuing with medicine’s obligation to ‘do no harm’, ‘do good’ and serve in the best i nterest of the patient. Evaluation The desired outcome was that this patient receives the care and intervention  that she needed in time to prevent gross damage to her body thus altering her quality of life. With the input of the chaplain, her husband, the advocate and careful communication with this patient, the patient admits that she wanted the best care. She accepts the offer for financial assistance and receives the appropriate intervention. The nurse and medical personnel express satisfaction in saving her life (maleficent), Her husband is elated and he also signs an advanced directive for himself. It seemed difficult to convince the patient at first but once the suggestion for financial aid and the Chaplain was received, the patient complied with all other recommendations. References Lynch, H. F., Mathes, M., Sawicki, N.N., (2008). Compliance With Advance Directives: Wrongful Living And Tort Law Incentives. The Journal Of Legal Medicine, 29:133–178. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.proxy.medlib.iupui.edu/pubmed/18569439 Pesut, B. (2009). Incorporating patients’ spirituality into care using Gadow’s ethical framework. Nurs Ethics. 2009 Jul;16(4):418-28.Retrieved from http://nej.sagepub.com.proxy.medlib.iupui.edu/content/16/4/418.long WebMD, (2007). Retrieved November 26, 2012, from http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/disseminated-intravascular-coagulation-dic-topic-overview Whitney, S. N., McCullough, B. L. (2007). Physicians’ Silent Decisions: Because Patient Autonomy Does Not Always Come First. The American Journal of Bioethics, 7(7): 33–38, 2007. Retrieved from http://mcr.sagepub.com.proxy.medlib.iupui.edu/content/early/2012/10/31/1077558712461952.long

The Character of Macbeth in William Shakespeares Play Essay

The Character of Macbeth in William Shakespeares Play The play Macbeth addresses many complex issues throughout. The main one of these revolves around the theme of â€Å"ambition†. We gain our first insight into the main character â€Å"Macbeth† through other people’s opinions in Act 1, Scene 2. The aim of this is to build the suspense and intrigue surrounding Macbeth. The play gives the audience plenty of opportunity to contemplate Macbeth’s actions and influences. In this essay I will be focusing on three of the main influences in Macbeth’s life; ambition, the influence of Lady Macbeth on her husband and the supernatural. From the start of the play it is evident that Macbeth is a brave warrior†¦show more content†¦This is a crucial turning point for Macbeth. He realises this is another obstacle in the way for kingship, â€Å"On which I must fall down or else o’erleap.† Macbeth’s ambition and longing to be King causes him to set up the murder of his best friend, Banquo and also Lady Macduff. This is a perfect example of his cold-heartedness and personal determination. Pursuit of ambition is definitely one of the key influences on Macbeth during play and is an example of how a character may be destroyed over time. During the play the play Macbeth is also influenced by another main character. His wife. As soon as she receives his letter about the witches’ prophesies, she is already planning how to kill Duncan. The letter reveals the closeness of the couple’s relationship, â€Å"My dearest partner of greatness.† Macbeth tells her of how â€Å"fear prevents† him, however, she is not worried about anything. This shows the extreme difference in the their characters. She uses intense language to try to â€Å"unsex† herself. Lady Macbeth uses a variety of strategies to encourage Macbeth to commit the murder. She uses his titles to greet him in Act1 Scene 5, which shows him that she has faith in him and delights in his success. She plans the murder for Macbeth, which shows her powerful and domineering side. Although earlier we perceived Macbeth’s to be strong and powerful, we nowShow MoreRelatedThe Character of Macbeth in William Shakespeares Play Essay2231 Words   |  9 PagesThe Character of Macbeth in William Shakespeares Play Macbeth Macbeth was most likely written in 1606, early in the reign of James I, who had been James VI of Scotland before he succeeded to the English throne in 1603. James was a patron of Shakespeare’s acting company, and of all the plays Shakespeare wrote under James’s reign, Macbeth most clearly reflects the playwright’s close relationship with the sovereign. 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Although outside The Character of Macbeth in William Shakespeares Play Essay The Character of Macbeth in William Shakespeares Play Macbeth Macbeth was most likely written in 1606, early in the reign of James I, who had been James VI of Scotland before he succeeded to the English throne in 1603. James was a patron of Shakespeare’s acting company, and of all the plays Shakespeare wrote under James’s reign, Macbeth most clearly reflects the playwright’s close relationship with the sovereign. In focusing on Macbeth, a figure from Scottish history, Shakespeare paid homage to his king’s Scottish lineage. Additionally, the witches’ prophecy that Banquo will found a line of kings is a clear nod to James’ family’s claim to have descended from the historical Banquo. In a†¦show more content†¦The conventions of a play like Macbeth are very clear, as Shakespeare presents them to the audience throughout. For example, when Macbeth is on stage on his own he has several monologues. These can be perceived as the character talking to the audience, as this empowers the audience, and the reader of the play. When characters are alone on stage they gain a greater meaning of the art form, and can relate to both the character on stage, and any political or cultural factor involved within the play. Moments like this in the play are easy for the audience to understand, Shakespeare clearly lays out the form for the audience throughout the play and this helps develop the meaning. Macbeth is a famously violent play. Interestingly, most of the killings take place offstage, but throughout the play the characters provide the audience with gory descriptions of the carnage, from the opening scene where the captain describes Macbeth and Banquo wading in blood on the battlefield, to the endless references to the bloodstained hands of Macbeth and his wife. The action is bookended by a pair of bloody battles: in the first, Macbeth defeats the invaders; in the second, he is slain and beheaded by Macduff. In between is a series of murders: Duncan, Duncan’s chamberlains, Banquo, Lady Macduff, and Macduff’s son all come to bloody ends. By the end of the action, blood seems to be everywhere.Show MoreRelatedThe Character of Macbeth in William Shakespeares Play Essay625 Words   |  3 PagesThe Character of Macbeth in William Shakespeares Play The play Macbeth addresses many complex issues throughout. The main one of these revolves around the theme of â€Å"ambition†. We gain our first insight into the main character â€Å"Macbeth† through other people’s opinions in Act 1, Scene 2. The aim of this is to build the suspense and intrigue surrounding Macbeth. The play gives the audience plenty of opportunity to contemplate Macbeth’s actions and influences. In thisRead MoreThe Character of Macbeth in William Shakespeares Play Essay640 Words   |  3 PagesThe Character of Macbeth in William Shakespeares Play Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ is a play about murder and tragedy. When we first meet Lady Macbeth’s husband, Macbeth, we see him as a loyal and honourable man, however as we read further into the play his character changes. Macbeth says to Lady Macbeth: â€Å"False face must hide what the false heart doth know.† Macbeth creates an alter-ego to help hide the truth. Macbeth becomes a power-hungry, determined man with no emotionsRead MoreAnalyzing the Character of Macbeth in William Shakespeares Play1856 Words   |  8 PagesAnalyzing the Character of Macbeth in William Shakespeares Play This Essay will focus on the tragic tale of Macbeth, and by doing this I should be able to come up with both his villainous and redeeming qualities, which are shown from the very start of this play. He is a strong warrior along with the fact that people think highly of him, but in addition he is associated with the witches, as in one of the first lines a witch proclaims, There to meet with Macbeth, which Read MoreRole of Women in Shakespeares Plays - a Case Study of Macbeth and the Merchant of Venice1499 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction William Shakespeare (baptized 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English poet William Shakespeare and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England’s national poet and the â€Å"Bard of Avon† (or simply â€Å"The Bard†).His surviving work consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major language and are performedRead MoreMen of Respect V.S Macbeth Essay738 Words   |  3 PagesIn 1991, William Shakespeares great play Macbeth was re-created into a modern day version titled Men of Respect. Was the plays textual fidelity lost in transition during the making of the film, or did the film show total loyalty and devotion to the text and the feelings of the play? A closer examination of the characters/lines, classification between good and evil, and the use of light and dark w ill compare the many differences and similarities between William Shakespeares Macbeth and WilliamRead MoreA Comparison of Shakespeares Macbeth and Rupert Goolds Film Adaptation 954 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Macbeth, is a tragedy brilliantly brought to the 21st Century by Rupert Goold. Although Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play set in 16th Century Scotland, Rupert Goold modernizes the play by changing the setting to a Soviet-styled country and implementing modern elements into the characters and theme. Although Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Rupert Goold’s film adaptation share many ideologies and a general storyline, a difference exists in the setting, the characters, andRead MoreDiscrepancies and Similarities between Shakespeares The Tragedy of Macbeth and History816 Words   |  4 Pagessuccession. William Shakespeare, a playwright of the Renaissance, sculpts events from this era into a dramatic sequence of events. The Traged y of Macbeth displays Macbeth, a zealous thane, and his successful homicide which results in his succession of the throne and his downfall. Each of The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare and history has discrepancies as well as similarities between its characters, settings, and plot events. One element that varies and coincides between Shakespeare’s MacbethRead MoreMachiavelli ´s Principle in Macbeth by William Shakespeare Essay1648 Words   |  7 PagesTHESIS STATEMENT Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, applies the Machiavellian principles of how princes should properly conduct themselves which is directly applied through Duncan, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Malcolm. PURPOSE STATMENT Through analytic research, this paper will examine, as well as, compare and contrast the Machiavellian principles to the characters in Macbeth. The focus will include the influence of his principles, how they affect the characters, behaviors, and if they fit the descriptionRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Macbeth And Richard IIi906 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare employs a variety of techniques in his plays to show good characters from bad characters; one such technique as the application of deformity or an abnormality manifests itself physically and psychologically with the dramas. The incorporation of a defect, whether it be physically or psychology, reveals flawed characteristics within the said character. Most of these flawed characteristics, though revealed in different situations, share similar problems and consequences. For exampleRead MoreMacbeth Themes899 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"What are the major themes in Macbeth† By Connor Maguire William Shakespeare’s Macbeth a play complete with many themes and viewpoints. The themes are exhibited by the main characters of the play, notably antagonist Macbeth. Themes seen in the play include ambition, where is is portrayed as both dangerous and unnatural. However, it does exist in both good and evil forms in the play. Another theme seen is whether Macbeths actions in the play are a result of fate, or free will. Although outside