Ethical controversy

The objectives of a company cannot be achieved without adherence of employees to the code of conduct. Managers in companies are usually charged with the responsibility of ensuring adherence to this code of conduct. To do this, they usually have to make decisions. This is not always easy and sometimes they find themselves in a dilemma especially when actions with good intentions have other bad consequences. Theories of ethics such as deontological and utilitarian can be used by managers to help them make decisions.

Deontological ethics judges the rightfulness or wrongfulness of an action based on whether or not it adheres to a given set of rules instead of its consequences (Johnson, 2006). Morality according to deontologists point of view is strictly following the laid down rules without deviating even when the consequences of doing the prohibited action will yield good results. Deontologists focus is usually on moral rules that prohibit people from doing certain things (Johnson, 2006).
       
On the other hand, utilitarian ethical point of view is that the wrongfulness or rightfulness of an action is judged based on its results (Johnson, 2006).The consequences of an action are more important than the action itself. An action is usually considered morally right if it brings happiness to most people. There are several variations of utilitarian ethical point of view. The utilitarianism known as Act says that in a situation where one is supposed to choose between actions, its important that one first considers the potential consequences of the actions and then chooses an action that will bring the greatest happiness (Johnson, 2006). Another variation known as Rule utilitarian says that in a situation where one is supposed to choose between actions, one should consider the consequences of constantly doing that action. If doing something results in more happiness than not doing it, then that thing must always be done (Johnson, 2006)
       
Based on deontological ethical point of view, its important to first consider the rules laid down regarding use of computers in the office during working hours. If use of computers for personal gain is prohibited, then the employees actions are wrong. This is regardless of the results that this action brings. For example use of the computers by the employees to chat with friends is wrong regardless of the fact that the employees feel happier. Installation of spyware software in employees computers is a form of intrusion to privacy. Morally, this is wrong regardless of whether it will make the employees more productive. Utilitarian ethical point of view on the other hand, will consider the consequences arising from employees spending too much time on the computers attending to their personal matters instead of working. The consequences are lowered productivity which is a bad consequence and this makes their action wrong. Installation of spyware will be an intrusion to the employees privacy and the consequences will be unhappiness among the employees. Another consequence of this action will be increased productivity. Based on utilitarianism ethical view, the head of department should choose the action that will bring the greatest happiness to most of the people (Johnson, 2006). This will be not to install the spyware.

Applying the two ethical approaches will lead to the same decision and that is not to install the spyware. This is because according to deontological point of view, intrusion of privacy is a rule that should not be broken regardless of its consequences. Utilitarian point of view will also not support installation of the software. This is because its installation will not cause happiness to the majority.
       
As the manager, I would decide to install the spyware. This is because according to ethics of work which dictates the guidelines to be followed by workers, workers are supposed to be productive (Johnson, 2006). Another reason is that ethics dictate that workers do what is proper and not what makes them happy (Johnson, 2006). Its the responsibility of the company to ensure that the code of ethics is followed and installing the spyware will ensure that this happens.

Academic honesty in higher education research

Academic honesty is counted as an act of providing the detail of certain circumstances with proper reasoning and proper evidences, in such a way that the listeners believe in the truth being presented.  The circumstances should be realistic and factual.

Newton, (2001) argues that the academic honesty is also counted in terms of the biased truth but the fact remains that the truth should be realistic, factual, and believable. If an importance of academic honesty is established in the educational sectors than the dishonesties as plagiarism and cheating in exams can be avoided.

The broader questions about morality are discussed in the specific branch of philosophy that is named as ethics thereby the academic honesty or the dishonest conduct in the academic research is dealt in an association with ethics. The academic misconduct itself has been defined as a kind of cheating done against the rules of academics. There are many forms of academic misconducts and these include plagiarism, cheating, fabrication as well as professional misconduct. Cheating is one of the main forms of misconducts that need to be addressed to the academics. It is usually observed in the examination that the students more or less depend on the unethical conducts as cheating other than following the ethical standards by being honest while preparing for there examinations. Whitley, and  Keith-Spiegel, (2002) says that cheating is defined as the sharing of information between the students during an examination. As compared to the other forms of academic dishonesties, it has been seen that the students are unable to gain any academic advantages from cheating. There is a form of cheating that has been defined as altruistic and in this case a student is cheating the other student if he informs the other student about a certain assessment which is supposed to be held on the same day, in the later time periods. This kind of cheating has been deprecated.
The principles of utilitarianism can be applied in the ethics in academic honesty.

These principles refer to the fact that the moral worth of any action is always determined by the utility that the action carries in the provision of happiness and pleasure to the other people. Utilitarianism can also be called as consequentialism,by saying that the worth of an action is always determined by the outcome of an action. If the principles of utilitarianism are linked in the code of ethics being followed in the higher education than the dishonesties that are usually observed in the educations systems in these days, including plagiarism that is considered as a crime can be eliminated. Newton, (2001) argues that this is the kind of action, which if performed, can morally degrade a person by making use of the work that has been done by another person, and this act is immoral and illegal. Academic research in the higher education is to be done by referring to the other persons work rather than by taking all that has been done previously. Stopping the act of plagiarism can give relief to the other people thereby they can continue producing better research to be referred in the future. By this means, the main advantage of the application of these principles of utilitarianism is a relief and happiness for the researchers as they are aware of the rules that can prevent there work from being misused and cheated by the dishonest.

On the other hand, Whitley, and  Keith-Spiegel, (2002) says that the other main principle that is applied in the academic research is that of the fitness to practice. These are the policies that are used by the academic institutions in order to align the rules and regulations in which the studies are lesser under a burden of the studies and they practice the studies in an easier to follow manner. In these cases, the universities and the academic institutions require that there is a range of professional behaviors demonstrated by the students.  In higher education and by the research students, the implementation of these policies, the unethical measures that are observed by the stressed out students can be reduced in order to make sure that professional behaviors are demonstrated by the students according to the academic requirements in which the range of academic skills are also reflected.

Academic honesty principles are important for an improvement in a students moral actions. Nevertheless, if these principles are learnt in a correct manner than the students can learn how to use their skills in all of the academic tasks. The students and the academic professionals can also learn ways in which they can show there professional behaviors by being honest in their educational responsibilities.

Ethical Issues in Health Care

1). Cloning
Cloning is the new technology that has found room in reproduction and can be used to create two or more genetically identical organisms. Reproductive cloning can be carried out through what can be referred to as nuclear transplantation or somatic cell nuclear transfer. Since the much publicized cloning of the sheep, Dolly in 1997 by the English researchers, the concept of cloning has been viewed as a controversial undertaking especially when it is viewed as aimed at cloning humans. A number of ethical issues have been raised while the scientists have vigorously defended the undertaking and regard cloning as a major breakthrough in their research activities.

Pros of   Cloning
Cloning has been viewed as a possible solution to infertility since it can serve the role of reproducing offsprings. Through cloning, vital human organs for implantation can be harvested without fear of rejection and therefore cloning is seen as a life savor. Since it involves genetics, cloning is thought to be the right channel of understanding the human genetics and this can help in combating genetically related illnesses. These are just but a few of the advantages that have been put forward in the defense of cloning (Oak, 2008).

Cons of cloning
Opponents to human cloning have argued that the practice is a grave offence to dignity of humankind and it violates the universally accepted fundamental equality of mankind. Genetical diversity which is vital for human survival is threatened due to the cloning process. If uncontrolled, the process can be abused for selfish ends and this is a great danger to mankind. Since the process entails the alteration in the genetic make up, the results could be cumbersome and irreversible. To the naturalists, cloning is seen as disregarding natural law and assuming the supernatural role of creation (Darren, 2008).

As much as cloning may be meant for the good of mankind, it remains a controversial issue. The idea of entrusting fellow humans with the role of creation is itself illogical. What will be the fate of the clones and how will they be related to mankind This and many other ethical questions lead me to vehemently oppose cloning.

2). Administrative ethics
Administrative ethics are usually concerned with how providers would influence the ethics of their members and the influence between members and a given organization. The government and the community have also not been left out as the administration ethics also influences on how the organization and members deal with the two. It is actually a new phenomenon in bioethics and addresses the corporate scenario in which decisions are made. Administrative ethics therefore encompasses conflict of interests from different quotas especially those concerned with care giving. The impacts of administration ethics are best felt by the patients as a group rather than as an individual (Tripod.com, 1998).

Health care facilities use different mechanisms to ensure quality in healthcare delivery. Institutional compliance and ethics committees together with review boards arose due to the need for business ethics in the health institutions. Business ethics involves integrity, honesty, well spelt out duties and roles of the employees and the organization, benevolence, among other ethical concerns. Such concerns are also to be found in healthcare settings in addition to respect of the individual, and emphasis on both fidelity and confidentiality. Institutional compliance together with the ethical committees and review boards have the crucial role of promoting quality and deal with the specific issues that may arise at the institution.

When dealing with administrative ethical issues, the management has the responsibility of ensuring that all the committees are in place to offer guidelines in resolving ethical dilemma as may arise. Staff and the patients have to be educated on the availability of these committees so as to promote prompt and quality service delivery (Bross, 2004).

Hispanic American Diversity

The many Hispanic American communities in America have a number of similarities and differences in their way of life. Though most of the communities share much in common like language by virtual of their origin, their reasons for coming to American as well as their adherence to traditions are different. This paper is a discussion of the linguistics, politics, social-economics, religion, and family aspects of four Hispanic Americans namely Cuban Americans, Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans and the Central Americans. The author also gives a summary of the similarities and differences of the way of life of these Hispanic American groups.

First is the Mexican American community. This community makes an approximated 9 percent of the overall American population thus making it the largest Hispanic group in America (Tate, 2008)). The communitys main language is Spanish though most of the population can now speak fluent English thanks to the introduction of bilingual classes (Alba, 2006). It is due to this reason that English language is the most used language particularly by the second and third generations of the Mexican Americans.

Economically, the community is mainly involved in little entrepreneurship establishments (Alba, 2006).  However, due to its large population, the community is marked with a wealth of varied academic professionals and special skills. This has given its members great potential of getting employment in any sector including even posits in the federal government.

This community practices Roman Catholic faith as their primary religion but there is evidence of protestant believers as well (Eagle, 2006). For this community, the family is the core social structure. It is however to be noted that though men were traditionally the head and breadwinners, such have greatly changed due to economic hardships. Women are nowadays securing jobs to support their families. This community believes in unified family living as is witnessed in the way they treasure and respect extended families (Ramirez, 2004).
Second is the Puerto Rican Americans. This community hails from Puerto Rico which is a commonwealth of U.S. and thus is legally recognized as of the US (Tate, 2008). They speak Spanish as their primary language but most of them are fluent English which gives them a competitive advantage over other groups. English is commonly taught in their elementary classes making their second and further generations quit fluent in speaking the English language.

Religiously, Puerto Ricans are mainly Catholics with a varied mixture of Protestants mainly Baptist and Methodist (Tate, 2008). However, the community has notable number of members who belief in Muslim and other faiths or religions. This group is marked with strong religious background, an element which explains their high levels of friendliness and low divorce rates.

Politically, though considered as citizens of the US, they are legally allowed to participate in the nations presidential elections (Tate, 2008). They however have the constitutional right to enjoy all other political rights in the United States of America.

This group is found to have a strong family bond which forms the basis of its social life. It is also to be noted that due to their recognition of citizenship coupled with their ability to speak fluent English, the community find easy time joining the mainstream social culture of America (Eagle, 2006).

Economically, this group enjoys a number of privileges from the federal government. They are both exempted from federal taxes payment and are free to migrate and invest in the U.S (Ramirez, 2004). This gives them added advantage of job acquisition and business establishment over other groups due to their automatic citizenship acquisition on arrival.

Thirdly is the Cuban American community. The Cuban Americans mainly use Spanish as their primary language. The need for fluency in communicating in English has however forced many Cuban Americans to train and adopt English as a tool for realizing a competitive advantage in the job market. This has made English speaking more common in the upcoming generations of this group (Cohn  Hakimzadeh, 2007).
The Cuban Americans are mainly Roman Catholic faith believers. It has however been established that some Cuban Americans have adopted other religions such as protestant, Jewish and Santeria (Tate, 2008). Just to be noted is that some of them have no affiliated religion. This has been closely attributed to the widespread assimilation into the American culture of this community. Despite such assimilation the group still upholding and respects its strong family bonding practices (Eagle, 2006).

Economically, this group has lived to the dream of their ancestors by continuously involving themselves in entrepreneurship activities. This can be evidently proved by their devoted entrepreneurship efforts which saw the ultimate conversion of Miami their main living land into a modern city through business establishments (Tate, 2008). This is also closely tied to the communitys commitment to uphold and practice their Hispanic culture which makes Miami a Hispanic favorite city.

This group is legally allowed to fully participate in all political involvements of the American nation under the law of citizenship (Eagle, 2006). They can nominate and vote for their own political leaders. However, the group mainly practices conservative politics as can be witnessed from their current representatives in the House of Congress and the Senate.

Fourth is the Central Americans. This group mainly uses Spanish as there common language (Eagle, 2006). However, to gain sustainable acceptance in the American nation, many have struggled to survive by learning speaking English. Such struggles for improved acceptability, the group are marked with high rates of adoption in to the American culture.

In terms of economics, this group has evidently made much investment in America. This is because their main immigration motives are aimed at developing their motherland (Ramirez, 2004). It is due to this that the community is living in poor status but with notable investments back home. This community is not constitutionally allowed to participate in any national politics.

On the religious front, the community is marked with predominantly Roman Catholics. However, there also exist other religions such as Jewish and protestant as well as Afro-Christian in the community (Eagle, 2006).
This group, just like other upholds a strong link in culture, faith and family from its ancestors. It is indeed a direct result of this that the group has found much difficulty in assimilating the mainstream culture. They believe in communal life. It is however to be noted that such are currently changing due to the survival economic hardships.

In conclusion, all the Hispanic American communities discussed a number of common social, religious and linguistic aspects. They all have Spanish as their primary communication language and have a big treasure in upholding their traditions and cultural way of living (Eagle, 2006). Another similarity is that they all have Roman Catholic as their common religion. Lastly is that even those communities seen to have gained much assimilation into the mainstream American are still holding their strong respect and focus on the family bonding as is witnessed in their practice of communal living (Tate, 2008).

However, there are some notable differences among the communities mainly based on the reason for coming to the dreamland as well as their levels of assimilation into the mainstream culture of the American nation. An example is the fact that the Cuban Americans have assimilated the mainstream culture more easily compared to their Central American counterpart (Tate, 2008). Another difference is the constitutional recognition of the groups political rights. The Cuban Americans have full political rights unlike all other communities. The groups also varied economic interests. The Cuban Americans have evidently invested in the American land while other communities like the Mexican Americans are just engaged in little entrepreneurship activities.

Environmental Ethical Issues

The paper is devoted to the discussion of the environmental ethical issues. The history of environmental ethics is discussed. The current state of environmental issues is evaluated. The paper provides a general evaluation of the future tendencies and directions in the development of the environmental ethical science.

Environmental issues are fairly regarded as the most controversial and the most important issues in present day society. Environmental issues are everywhere in business, in politics, and in corporate policies. Environment has already turned into a matter and the determining factor of political and business success  only businesses that are considered sustainable and ecological and only politicians who display respect to environment and environmental issues have a solid chance to succeed in their professional endeavors. Although the history of environmental issues is relatively new and although environmental issues are surrounded by much controversy today, it is clear that the future of environmental issues in the world will be governed and guided by the intergenerational principles in other words, the need for environmental protection and conservation will be integrally linked to the societal obligation to preserve the environment for the future generations.

History and development of environmental issues
The history of environmental ethics goes back to the times, when the first environmental drawbacks of industrialization became obvious. However, it was not before the middle of the 1960s that environmental ethics was consolidated to become an academic science (Schmidtz  Willott, 2002). Although with time, environmental ethics came to dominate the current state of environmental thinking, it took several decades to recognize the real impact of humanity on the environment.

It would be correct to say that the middle of the 20th century became a turning point in the process of reconsidering the state of relationships between human beings and the nature around them, and the questioning and rethinking of the relationship between humans with the natural environment over the last thirty years reflected the already widespread perception in the 1960s that the late twentieth century faced a population time bomb and a serious environmental crisis (Schmidtz  Willott 2002, p. 23). As it often happens with society, crises become a serious driver in reconsidering the principles and standards of human relations with technology, science, politics, economics, international relations, and finally, environment, but nowhere else are the effects of these crises as long and durable as they are in the environmental issues. In many aspects, what has been written and said about environmental issues since the middle of the 20th century reflected and re-evaluated what had been told about environment in ancient times and in the middle ages (Lomborg, 2001), but the emerging environmental crisis became a good justification of the growing attention toward environment as the place in which humans are bound to live.

In 1967, Lynn White Jr. published her book about the roots and causes of the emerging environmental crisis  she was the first to see environmental ethical issues as the by-product of the human over-exploitation of the environment (Schmidtz  Willott, 2002). According to White, because humans historically viewed themselves as superior over other species on earth, they were not able to withstand the pressures of the environmental speculation and to stop the expansion of the environmental crisis on time (Schmidtz  Willott, 2002). In 1972, Dennis Meadows in his study of environmental ethics was the first to claim the need for changing the system of beliefs and values with respect to the environment at personal, national, and international levels (Schmidtz  Willott, 2002). At that time, environmental issues were gradually turning into the issues of the major societal concern and when, by the middle of the 1980s, international community was no longer concerned about the prospects of the third world war and the nuclear conflict between the USSR and the U.S., environmental ethics came to dominate the human thinking.

Environmental issues and the current state of world
In their current state, environmental issues often cross the reasonable boundaries and resemble a convenient tool of mass manipulation. Although the state of environment leaves much to be desired, individuals and whole societies face serious difficulties while trying to understand what is going on with the environment. The topic of global warming is the brightest example of how environmental ethical issues work in the present day world  while no reliable statistical or scientific information ever proved or denied the presence of the real environmental threat, global warming continues to be the source of the major societal fear. In one of its recent works, Greenpeace recognized that the truth is that many environmental issues we fought for ten years back are as good as solved. Even so, the strategy continues to focus on the assumption that everything is going to hell (Lomborg 2001, p. 18). In its current state, environmental ethics reveals both negative and positive aspects in our attitudes toward environment. On the one hand, that environmental ethics exists and seems to work effectively through the development of sustainable technologies and by changing the system of societal values signifies the shift in human consciousness toward better environment. On the other hand, environmental ethics often becomes a convenient tool of manipulation, which rejects the relevance of scientific and statistical figures and argues on faith that some technologies and values are better than the other ones to preserve the environment (Lomborg, 2001). Nevertheless, it is clear that environmental ethics will continue to dominate human thinking for years ahead.

Environmental ethics and the rights of the future generations
Despite the existing controversies, environmental ethics is likely to remain the major social trend in the coming decade, and the rights of the future generations are likely to become its determining feature. These intergenerational principles were first expressed by John Rawls, who was confident that we should choose principles the consequences of which they are prepared to live with whatever generation they turn out to belong to (Gillespie 2000, p. 114). That means that whatever the changes in environmental ethics are, they will seek to preserve environment for the future generations. As such, environmental ethics will work to leave sustainable environmental heritage and to lay the foundation for successful sustainable existence for the young descendants. I personally believe that much time will pass before we are able to define the boundary between real environmentalism and commercialism  in our society, these two elements are closely mixed and leave us no chance to identify the real state of art in the environmental ethics. As a result, the main task of environmental ethics is to distinguish between the real and the imagined state of the environment, because the latter often works for the benefit of the narrow financial and political interests of different societal players.

The history of environmental ethical issues is relatively new. It was not before the 1960s that environmental ethics became an academic science. In its present state, the impact and vision of the environmental ethical issues are two-fold on the one hand, the existence of environmental ethics as a science signifies a dramatic shift in the human consciousness. On the other hand, environmental ethics often becomes a convenient tool of mass manipulation. The future of the environmental ethical issues will be governed by the intergenerational principles, and much time will pass before we are able to distinguish between the real and the imagined state of the environment.

Characteristics of Orientalism, Prejudice and Discrimination

Most people usually fail to distinguish between a Muslim and an Arab, this is due to the fact that Islam started in the Middle East, Prophet Mohammed and the early Muslims were Arabs, and the Holy Quran written in Arabic.

Difference comes in that a Muslim is a person professing the Islamic religion while an Arab can be affiliated to any religious group. It is noted that Arabs predominantly come from Middle East and they follow the Arab Culture, a Muslim originates from any community all over the world. For instance in Kenya, each of the 42 communities has a number of Muslims. In the Middle East there are Arabs who are Jews, Christians or pagans. Not all Arabs are Muslims. Research shows that Islam is professed by about 1.5 billion people all over the world while the Arab is in millions (Rivera, 2008).

Some of the changes put in place concerning treatment of Muslim and Arabs are working with news media in the region and not put forth their own media outlets. Fully enforcing civil rights law and protecting religious liberty- people should be viewed as individuals based on their character and not in terms of their culture religion or race. Actively and fully connecting and improving interaction between Americans with the Arab and Muslims in USA. Taking proactive steps to prevent civil rights problems from happening. Moreover, United States of America especially after the bombing in America, September 11th, 2001 have really struggled to change the perception of its citizens towards Arabs and Muslims. The people are being made to understand that the war is not against any particular religion but against certain radical groups.

Characteristics of orientalism are Imitation or depiction, Ignorance and Pervasiveness. Orientalism, Prejudice, and Discrimination do not give the victim affair chance to defend themselves (Rivera, 2008). They are always assumed guilty until proven innocent this is quite unfair and unjustifiable. Precisely, orientalism, Prejudice, and Discrimination are always made out of ignorance, without full information utilization when making conclusions and always assassinate ones character. This ensures that innocent are not given their right. It is important that people are treated fairly. Let everyone be given fair trial.

Individuals can promote tolerance and reduce prejudice in their towns and cities by taking the initiative to accept, appreciate and respect other cultures and religions since America is a nation of diversity (Rivera, 2008). Individuals also need to fight the assumptions and stereotypes which have been cultivated over time and generalized about people and religion. Intermarriage is also a way which an individual may use since it involves intimacy thus silent communication of diversity appreciation.

Gay Marriages Acceptance or Denial

Same sex partners in a committed relationship do not have the same rights as heterosexual partners and allowing gay marriage is one possible solution to that problem. However, the consequences of allowing such unions demand that homosexuality be rejected. In a society where homosexuality is exceedingly ubiquitous, it is almost illogical not to acknowledge gay marriages. Nonetheless, there are many who still deny it. This subject is one that has been in controversy for many years. The federal government has not passed any laws to uphold the validation of gay marriages, and in fact, has vetoed many propositions brought before them.

There are diverse opinions on the matter, since some believe gay relationships are morally erroneous. Therefore, permitting them would not only be against moral beliefs but religiously wrong. On the other hand, there are some that view gay relationships as not only acceptable but even approving of such marriages.
Which side of this argument is morally correct  Before making that decision, we must look at some basic information from both sides of this argument from a teleology aspect looking at the end outcome.Teleological ethics speaks of morality coming from duties or moral obligations from what is good or desirable as an end to be achieved, in other words, if then outcome is good than the action must be good.

Is gay marriage morally acceptable

Concepts
HomosexualityGay  this is a concept that is used in reference to engagement of two people of the same sex as marriage or sex partners.

Morality - this term is used to refer to the accepted ways of life in a given society.

Society - this is used to capture a group of people that are related in a way.

Individualism - it is an aspect that focuses on a persons stance.

Teleological theory - it is a theory that posits the importance of looking at issues in relation to outcome.

Possible Solutions to the Problem
There are a variety of logical solutions to this issue. At first, the proposal is that individuals be allowed to do what they feel is right for them. This in a sense indicates that they should be allowed to engage in gay marriages. Secondly, these individuals should observe societal traditions and brush aside the idea of gay marriage. These two offer moral solutions. Borrowing from the legal front, it is anchored in the constitution that individual happiness is of paramount importance, hence the need to legalise the gay unions. This is how the side denying gay marriage explains their beliefs. Social and religious conservatives appear to be moved by two main motivations. The major motivations touch on equality in respect to protection and rights. This is in their view supposed to cut across the two sexes (Robinson, 2007). A good number of conservative groups are known to preach that homosexuality is supposed to a choice to be left for the individual to make. They also believe that prayer can help in the reformation. It is fixed in adulthood. That a part of a persons identity is to be discovered, not chosen.  Additionally, many conservative faith groups teach that males and females are to be restricted to very distinct roles in families, in the workforce, and in religious institutions (Robinson, 2007).

The other is how the side, accepting gay marriages, believes that they should be made legal or at least considered. Public acceptance of homosexuality has increased in a number of ways in recent years, though it remains a deeply divisive issue (Kohut, 2006).  Marriage is a form of commitment and sacred ceremony.  Marriage forms a strong construction block for communities and families. When people wed, there is always an opportunity for people to meet and offer their blessings to the marrying couple. This occasion is seen to play a huge role in cementing the family institution as it brings people together

Assumptions
Society has an accepted way of life
Individuals have the right to lead their lives
Children also enjoy similar rights as adults
For a positive coexistence, the societal values must be held by all individuals
A section of society may fail to adhere to agreed upon rules
Homosexuality is unhealthy for society

In a society where homosexuality is exceedingly ubiquitous, it is almost illogical not to acknowledge gay marriages nonetheless, there are many who still deny it.  This subject is one that has been in controversy for many years.  The federal government has not passed any laws to uphold the validation of gay marriages, and in fact, has vetoed many propositions brought before them.  There are diverse opinions on the matter, since some believe gay relationships are morally erroneous therefore, permitting them to marry would not only be against their moral beliefs but religiously wrong.  On the other hand there are some that view gay relationships as not only acceptable, but even approving of marriage.  Which side of this argument is morally correct  Before making that decision, we must look at some basic information from both sides of this argument.

Information
Marriage secures and enriches relationships. Marriage as an institution is supposed to be accompanied by benefits both to the adults and children. According to recent researches, married people have been found to perform better in their jobs as compared to the rest. Their health, both physical and emotional is also catered for in these unions. It is also revealed that married people are relatively safer from violence than the others (Rector, Pardue,  Noyes, 2003).

Marriage among gay couples is a widely and morally accepted option in todays society and should be allowed in other states.  Our system is supposed to be a world of fairness among people, but when gay marriages are denied, the fairness is no longer visible.  Steps must be taken to correct this moral injustice. However, the concerns of its effects must be considered.

Moral reasoning
Teleological theories are those theories that are concerned with consequences or outcomes concerning an issue.  These are theories that hold that there is a connection between moral obligation and moral value (Beauchamp, 1991). In respect to this, I seek to address how the engagement in gay marriages affects societal cohesion.

In respect to the above realization, it is necessary that the outcomes of gay marriage be looked into. The major reason as to why same sex marriage should be rejected rests on te misery it is bound to expose children from these unions to.

In almost all areas of life, there is an emotional, social, cognitive, and developmental disorder that are known to affect children that are exposed to such traumas of missing one or both parents (Broad, 1930). It has been argued that both parents are supposed to be available to facilitate the normal development process for children. It is thought to help the children develop their sexual identity.

There are also other concerns that relate to same sex unions, for instance, there could be health risks and instability in relationships (Flew, 1979). If the union breaks up as these gay marriages are prone to, a devastating effect would follow the children. Heterosexuality is known to be the basis upon which society rests. An attempt to destabilize it would spell doom for the social fabric.

The other problem posed by the same sex marriage is premised on the fact that it creates a second structure in society. The sticky point is that these two sets of existence are extremely antagonistic. The characteristics of these people are totally different from the other set of people. Tying the above two together, fatherlessness and motherlessness holds different consequences for children. Children from such unions will found difficulties in fitting to the society. On the basis of these adverse effects that homosexual relations raise, it is proposed that the gay marriages should be illegalized and objected to by the whole society.

Consequences
The proposed moral solution does not deviate from the current common view on gay marriage. In that regard the consequences would include homosexual engagements in secrecy, denial of individual rights to happiness, and commonality in the social structure (Kamm, 1996).

Gay marriage is not allowed legally in many countries. This does not however imply its absence. It is believed that those engagements are carried out in secrecy to deceive authorities. These secret affairs may portend adverse effects to the victims as it denies them the right to freely associated with the rest of society as these individuals tend to withdraw.

One of the basic tenets of human existence rests on the premise that every individual should be free in making choices that increase their happiness. If homosexuality helps to raise individual happiness, then it follows that those interested in homosexuality should be allowed to pursue whatever they want. However, this should be done if it does not infringe on the rights of the rest. However, a dilemma here is whether there is any logic to uphold societal good against individual good. At a personal level, the society should be secondary to individual needs. But as currently constituted, the world in this respect is seen to value societal cohesion ahead of individual preferences.

As it is currently, pressure is mounting on authorities to push for the allowance of gay marriage. This may be morally wrong but it appears to be the most likely alternative. On the basis of this proposal, it is realized that a moral solution is most appropriate to the question at hand because it is basically a moral question though changes in society point to a different direction.  However, it is worthy that such solutions should be adopted as legislations if they are to be effective.

On the basis of late developments and as this paper finds, it is necessary to target a legislative mechanism in addressing this problem. It would take like six months to lobby the congressman and get them to support such legislation. That is to say that in six months time, an ambitious lobbying campaign can manage to have a policy that allows for gay marriage.

The Death Penalty A History

In recent times, various crimes have shocked the citizenry that have again raised calls for the imposition of the death penalty as a deterrent to the instigation of other crimes of a similar nature. But the opponents vigorously defend the position that the imposition and the execution of another to halt crimes from being committed is not the answer to the problem, rather it will create a new one, violating of the rights of the accused to life, and that state sponsored executions is tantamount to murder, which is no different from the crime committed. The paper seeks to find the answers to the ethics of the death penalty as a proper mode of  punishment for criminal offenders.

In the United States today, approximately 2000 men, women and youth are awaiting their day that the gallows. And the time that they spend waiting for their turn is rapidly growing short, as an increasing number of local legislatures churn out more and more statutes that impose capital punishment on those that choose to violate the laws of the land. Many Americans have gotten so used to the fact that there are executions being conducted that it hardly merited significant media coverage. In fact, there is a swelling opinion from the American citizenry that supports the administration of capital punishment for crimes committed that offend the publics sense of  propriety. But there is a sector in the United States, human rights supporters as well as civil law advocates that support the abolition of the administration of capital punishment, that the action of the state to execute criminals under state and Federal laws is immoral. But the question is, is the death penalty as a form of punishment immoral (Claire Andre and Manuel Velsquez 2008).

More than any other nation, Great Britain had the most influence on the conduct of implementing the death penalty in the United States. The initial execution ever conducted in the United States was done in Jamestown in 1608. In that case, the convict, Captain George Kendall, was found guilty of espionage for being a covert operative of Spain. In colonial times, the laws concerning the administration of capital punishment differed in Colonial America.  But European scholars, such as Montesquieu and the French philosopher Voltaire, began to discuss the death penalty as an institution (Jacqueline Hermann 2008).

By the year 1612, Sir Thomas Dale enforced the Divine, Moral and Marital statutes, which laid out the provision of the death penalty on such petty offenses such filching grapes, killing chickens and trade relationships with the Native American s in the area. Massachusetts conducted its first execution in 1630, while in New York, the colony enforced the  Dukes Laws in 1665, by which the act of hitting ones parents or the denial of God were considered as crimes worthy of the death penalty (Andre and Velsquez 2008).  At this point several initiatives were done to reform the institution, using the arguments of Voltaire, Montesquieu and later on Jeremy Bentham. Thomas Jefferson began by introducing legislation that would make the imposition of capital punishment only for the crimes of murder and treason the Jefferson bill lost out by one vote (Hermann 2008).

By the time of the American civil war, government officials yielded the authority on the conduct of executions from the local level of government to the state, with Vermont, in 1864, revoking the authority of the local government units to legally sanction hangings, only allowing those that have the legal cover of the state. In the end, most of the states followed suit, with the goal of the move to act on the issue of judges that use the imposition of the death penalty too eagerly, thus earning the moniker of hanging judges (William McFeely 2001).

Rationale for and against the death penalty

A life for a life
Society argues that the imposition of the death penalty serves as an obligation of the society, on moral grounds, that the imposition of the sentence will serve to protect the safety and welfare of the law-abiding citizens of the society. They argue that only by setting the example of enforcing the highest possible punishment on offenders can killers and other criminals are halted in their criminal conduct. Another reason that the supporters of the death penalty is that the imposition of such will bring about the greatest good, that of good over evil, and that capital punishment is an effective deterrent to the commission of violent crime. But direct, irrefutable evidence to support this claim, it is said that those that are affected by the severity of the sentence are those that do not commit heinous crimes. This is because that common sense will dictate that if they commit an cat that will warrant the death penalty, it will automatically stop them from committing the act itself (Andre and Velsquez2008).

The radical argument of those against the imposition of the death penalty is that the sentence is nothing more than an instrument of the powerful and the established to control the society beneath them, something akin to having control over the lives and the actions of those under their station. In this regards, the act of imposing the death penalty is that of a final arbitrary act of control, for what else can be construed as absolute control than that of life of the other (Austin Sarat 2001).

As early as the period of the Second World War, the imposition of the death penalty was common in the United States, will all but two states in the Union having at least one law in their legal books imposing the death penalty. Some of the statutes called for a compulsory imposition of capital punishment, while a majority of them had the choice to impose life imprisonment or death on a convicted felon. Opposition to the death penalty was mainly scattered and lacked proper information, espoused by the American League to Abolish Capital Punishment. So it seemed that the death penalty had firmly ensconced itself in the annals of American law (Hugo Adam Bedau 1987).

Arguments against the death penalty
By the middle parts of the 1900s, there arose several challenges as to the legal soundness of the imposition of capital punishment. Prior to this time, the arguments on the issue of the death penalty revolved on the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth amendments of the American fundamental law. But in the early 60s, there arose an argument that the death penalty could be constituted as cruel and inhuman punishment, in violation of the Eighth amendment. In the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Trop vs,. Dulles (356 U.S 86), the Court ruled that the Eighth has a feature of an evolving or changing bar of the societys standard of decency, signaling the maturation of a society. Though the case in Trop did not involve the death penalty, abolitionists used the line of opinion of the Court that states had reached a point of maturity that the society should be purged from the toleration of capital punishment (Death Penalty Information Center 2009).

In the case facts, Albert Trop was sentenced to hard labor, forfeiture of his pay and a dishonorable discharge after escaping from an United States military penal facility, later surrendered and taken back to the facility. Trop applied for a passport in 1952, but was denied subject to the provisions of the 1940 Nationality Act, that deprived members of the Armed Forces found guilty of desertion of their citizenship. Trop challenged this ruling in the courts, and after failing to get favorable rulings from the District Court and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, elevated his case to the United States Supreme Court. In the decision of the High Bench, the provision of the penal clause in the law, that of losing the citizenship of the person, would amount to the absolute destruction of the persons status in the society (Hermann 2008).

The evolving standards phraseology drew its inception from the words on the words used by Chief Justice Earl Warren who said

The Amendment must draw its meaning from the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society... (Hermann 2008).

But it must said that not all of the executions in the United States were in the form of state sanctioned executions. In the southern parts of the United States, in the time of racial segregation, mobs of anti-African Americans would resort to mob killings to control the African American populations in their locales. These lynchings would be watched by onlookers as the white murderers would kill African Americans accused, sometimes falsely, of crimes. When the lynchings ground to a halt, the number of legally sanctioned executions began to increase. In the 1960s, more than 1,600 were executed (McFeely 2001).

But the earlier argument that the tool of capital punishment was used by the powerful to control the lowly could be spun in another way. The tool of capital punishment could be seen as the instrument of the controlled as a means of leveling the field, giving a voice for equality (Sarat 2001). It is noted that a large part of the people executed in the United States before the onset of the civil rights movement were African American, but after the Vietnam War, there were few executions in the United States, and in the period from 1967-1972, there were not state sponsored executions in the United States (McFeely, 2001). This fact was accentuated by the case of Furman vs. Georgia (408 U.S. 238), a consolidation of the cases of Furman vs. Georgia, Jackson vs. Georgia and Branch vs. Texas (Death Penalty, 2009).

In the case of Furman, as in the case of McGautha vs. California (consolidated with Crampton vs. Ohio 402 U.S. 183), the argument of the cases is that the sentencing of offenders to the gallows were the result of biased and whimsical decision making on the part of the judiciary. The case of Furman was instigated under the Eighth amendment, unlike McGautha that was litigated under the auspices of the Fourteenth amendment.  
The Cost of Implementing the Death Penalty
The argument against the death penalty is not limited to the realm of morality and litigation. There is also a expense attached to the imposition of capital punishment. California, one of the states that still impose the death penalty, is currently the home of the largest population of inmates on Death Row, yet the state has nor conducted an execution in the last half decade. The cost of housing all these inmates 130 million dollars a year. Apart from the cost of lodgings for the inmates, the costs of prosecuting them is also putting a strain on the financial coffers of the state (Bill Mears, 2009).

In the report of the Death Penalty Information Center, the report states that many of the states are wasting millions of dollars in operating an inefficient penal system, the money wasted otherwise used to fund other anti crime and law enforcement spending items. In the opinion of Richard Dieter, Executive Director of the Center,  there are still 35 states in the Union that still has the death penalty in its books, but there are less and less numbers of executions being carried out.  In a survey taken among 500 chiefs of police, it was found that 99 of the respondents saw the imposition of the death penalty as the least of the solutions they deemed as appropriate to the reduction of heinous crimes, with the remaining 1 percent saw the imposition of capital punishment as the solution additional law enforcement personnel topped the choices (Mears, 2009).

The optimal argument for the abolition of the death penalty is a commitment to an substantive conduct of due process, to respect freedom, autonomy, and privacy and the limitation of these in the pursuit of a critical social goal. In the words of one of the foremost voices of abolition, Hugo Adam Bedau, the most critical social goal is that of the protection of innocent lives and the reduction of criminality. If the assumption of Bedau is correct, then the absolutist case against the imposition of capital punishment is not absolutist, but on necessity and the determination that such exists (Sarat 2001).

In ending, the issue of the ethics of the death penalty is not the act itself, but on the application of the law. In the Furman case, Justice William Brennan argued that the act was cruel and inhuman. But the fellow justices in the Brennan Court said that the act of imposing capital punishment would conform to the constitutional mandate if the law is applied to all, regardless of the circumstances of the person. Here lies the debate. The law is seen as a racial tool that only minorities are the victims of the law. But the law is not only to be applied to minorities, but to all who break the law and warrant the imposition of such for their criminal behavior (McFeely 2001).

MTV in Arabia

The recent economic crunch has eventually led to international marketing culture consequently leading to the MTV network to target the Arabian market. News about MTV in Arabia came at around 2006 when Faisal Abbas revealed that they will be in the Arabian market within two years given that they will get the right local partners. MTV Arabia has since been launched in the cultural conservative environment of Islam. In attendance, during its launch in the year 2007, there were such renowned artists as Akon and Ludacris. MTV Arabia broadcasts from Dubai and is currently available on Nilesat and the Arab sat platforms (Jaafar, 2007). The channel is conscious about the regional sensitivity which is evident from the way it conducts a call to player during Maghreb.

However, the launch of MTV Arabia has brought about some mixed reaction from both the scholars and the Islamic religion. The scholars are of the opinion that the Islamic Doctrine has the capacity to provide some guidelines on the type of products that should be availed in the Islamic markets. They explain this by using the principle of equity and the unrestricted public benefit.

According to a team of management researchers, any international business has the legitimate interest of maximizing on its profits by targeting the right market. MTV Arabia targets two-thirds of the Arab World population which is dominated by the youth under the age of 30. However, there is a common agreement that while conducting such international business, the social cultural context should not be ignored and those conducting business in the Arab world should be just and equitable.

For the case of MTV Arabia, part of the Muslim community feels that its controversial content should be diluted in a manner that it will not interfere with the religious and conservative communities within the Middle East market (Madawi, 2004).

MTV Arabia wants to lay the platform for the Arab youth as well as form the foundation on what future programming should be made of. For instance, it is now playing both R  B and hip hop music which is a rare thing in other music stations. This leads to the question as to whether playing music is a violation of the Islamic Law or not. In Iran and Afghanistan, priests are now against the production of music.

The Muslims have expressed mixed reactions on the subject because some feel that music is a part of them while others do not want it at all. For instance, in the strict Islamic world music is not allowed but the Sufis in Pakistan believe that Allah can only be reached through cultural expressions such as music and dance. A further contradiction on the subject of music was displayed at a conference in Beirut where some Pakistani clerics were narrating about the life of a prophet in a documentary (Madawi, 2004). In the documentary, only the duff drum was played based on the argument that in the Islamic World the passion for music should not be cultivated.

Instrumental, metered songs and the non-Islamic music are the most controversial musical genres in the Islamic world. The split that is currently evident is between what the Quran defines as haram (forbidden) or halal (allowed). The question which now arises is whether rock, hip hop, jazz or the pop music fit in the group of haram. Further classification is needed as to whether the problem lies with the style or the kind of message contained in the lyrics. This has attracted response from Muslim scholars who share the opinion that music is about melodious words thus if the words are indecent then the music is classified as bad and vice versa. The scholars are part of the salafis which is an Islamic group responsible for interpreting Islam. They enjoy a close relationship with the Wahabi which is the dominant group in Saudi Arabia.

Most of the Islamic scholars such as Shaykh Mnajjid have classified listening to western music as haram. They explain this by arguing that the western music is associated with sensuality and lust. However, they are also of the opinion that if one is in a capacity to single out the kind of music which can uplift the soul and the spirit then one can listen to such provided that the music will not be a distraction towards remembering Allah. Other scholars have also classified the ring tones which are now common in the modern world as Haram.

Isam Bachiri who is a member of a pop group based in Denmark also supports the issue of prohibiting music and he does respect the opinion of Muslim brothers. However, he is also of the opinion that music should be about the message not about the money. He feels that other than banning the music, the music should be used to spread the truth which attracts a lot of audience and has a lot of inspiration (Madawi, 2004).

On the other hand, some individuals like Sheikh are of the opinion that though some lyrics are provocative but still should not be banned. He argues that most of the religious scholars are living in the former centuries and they only issue fatwas based on the ancient times (Jaafar, 2007). He recommends that since music is a universal discourse without nationality or religion, then banning music and stopping the objectives of such channels as MTV Arabia will only stop innovation which forms the basis of different cultures.
 
Muslims living in this part of the world are under the obligation of coming up with creative arts and music that do not associate with sin. This will go a long way in preserving the culture of the Muslims as well as shifting from what is currently being played in channels like MTV Arabia. The Muslim scholars are against any form of music or musical accompaniment which portrays any form of indecency and debauchery. This has served as a major blow to MTV Arabia whose targeted market seems to have a lot of cultural restrictions.

However, MTV Arabia is slowly adjusting to the needs of its market with the latest advancement being the 20th August 2008 event where MTV Arabia refrained from playing music videos (Jaafar, 2007). This came at a time when the Muslims were in the holy month of Ramadan thus it was quickly appreciated and seen as sensitivity to the beliefs of the Islam.

The management of MTV Arabia was quoted saying that this was a response to the needs of its clients in the Middle East who were fasting and focusing on their relationship with Allah. However, some viewers have responded by saying that the refrainment is just an empty gesture which will not be having any impact in conserving the culture of the Muslims. Such viewers as Samir, an IT consultant were of the opinion that the bad music videos on air should be banned for the whole year or else leave the decision as to whether to watch them or not to individuals.

Others felt that by switching doing away with the videos during Ramadan is mere hypocrisy because other channels like Melody and Mazzika. They feel that the decree to all music videos is inappropriate and they should only reduce the explicit content. In the United Arab Emirates, some citizens feel that turning off the music videos would amount to interference with their freedom of choice. They are of the opinion that everyone should be free to watch what fulfills his or her demands (Jaafar, 2007).

In conclusion, since the issue of listening and playing music as well as watching the videos is still a controversial topic in the Islamic Jurisprudence, I believe that it is prudent if we abide by the opinions of the jurisprudential rule. The jurisprudential rule states that where there is a difference of opinion then there will be no condemnation of it. MTV Arabia should be allowed to run its operations which will enable us to celebrate our cultural and social diversity. This will enable our brothers and sisters from the Islamic world to interact freely with the rest of the world. Also by embracing what is being offered by MTV Arabia, any emerging talent will be nurtured and this will enable even the artists in the Arabic community to compete with other artists. The 6040 mix of both international and Arab music videos has promoted the awareness that the channel is specifically targeting the youths who form the largest share of the population. However, measures which regulate the kind of content that is present of the media should be put in place (Jaafar, 2007). The brand managers involved with MTV Arabia should broadcast that what the youth within Middle East finds provocative and entertaining and also do some analysis using the event tree as shown in the next page.

Discrimination in hiring of women and minorities

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was established to prevent employers from discriminating employees on the basis of race, sex, color, religion or nationality. According to the Act, it is illegal to hire, fire, compensate or provide other conditions in a discriminatory manner. All employees must be provided with equal opportunities in the work place. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has the mandate to administer the Act and to ensure that all employees are given their rights. It is also illegal to discriminate employees while training or recruiting them. All employees are equal and ought to be treated equally. Women and minority should not be exploited and they should be considered equally as any other employee (Williams, 1997).

There are exceptions to the law. The employer is allowed to discriminate on the basis of wage when the state of the job requires payment in terms of qualification, or when wages are based on the quality and quantity of work done. However, the qualifications should not be based on race, sex color or nationality of an individual (Rhoodie, 1989). Women and the minorities should be given equal employment opportunities during recruitment and hiring. Organizations should hire an appropriate number of women and minorities. All sections of the organization should have equal representation of the minorities and women (Williams, 1997).

The law has provided standards for hiring so as to avoid discrimination. All applicants should have equal chances of being considered for the job opportunities. Employment conditions should not discriminate women or minorities within the organization. Employees should not be treated differently in terms of payment of wages and other benefits. Promotions should be given on merit but not according to sex, color, race or national backgrounds of an employee. Work assignments should be allocated without favoring any group of employees. Organizations should offer all employees recreational activities. The management should protect women and the minorities from harassment by coworkers. Companies should not classify employees as men or women except when the job is gender sensitive. Married men and women should be given equal opportunities according to Title VII. Pregnant women should not be excluded from the job (Gould, 1999).

Many organizations have taken affirmative actions to ensure compliance with the rules of the Title VII. Employees have formed trade unions to ensure they are protected from discrimination. The government has done intensive campaigns to ensure employees are protected. Organizations that do not comply with the provisions of the Act are bound to face legal actions. Remedies have been provided to employees who become victims of discrimination (Williams, 1997). Organizations have developed policies to protect the interest of employees.

These policies concern the rules and regulations to be followed by the management and the employees. EEOC requires that all employees and employers should post their complaints so that implementation of the Act can be possible. The success of every organization is based on the compliance with these rules since they provide fundamental rights to employees which determine the profitability of the business. All people are equal and should be treated equally. Employees should be respected by their employers and colleagues so that the work environment can allow smooth running of activities. All employees should be informed about all aspects that affect them. Organizations should unite the diverse cultures of the employees so as to fulfill the interest of all stakeholders (Rhoodie, 1989).

Computer Ethics

In todays era, the computers play a very vital role, however there are some ethical issues that are associated with it. The computers differ from the other kinds of technologies that are available for us today and so does its ethical considerations. Computers today are extremely important and interesting as well. The social impact of computers and its use is what we can call computer ethics. However, this consists of both the hardware as well as the software issues that arrive when we talk about computers. (Techterms.com, n.d.).

    Computer ethics deals with the way in which the computing professional should make decisions. It is a branch of philosophy and it was in the 1900s since this field was started.  Information ethics were formulated by Luciano Floridi after which the foundations of computer ethics were laid. (Johnson, 2009).

We see that there is a policy vacuum on the usage of the computers and since the computers give us options to use various features of the technology and to benefit from it, the people might also use it in an unethical manner. Most of the time, the policies that are made with reference to the usage of the computers seem inadequate. In these cases, we should find out what should be done to crater to this problem and policies should be formed to take actions against unethical use of the computers. Although there are many ethical issues that are related to the computers but there are some issues that are linked to the individuals while some are related to the society as a whole and the considerations linked to computer ethics.  It might seem that mechanical application might be needed to solve this problem however this is not possible due the existence of policy vacuum. Initially, the problem seems clear but it is actually something conceptual and an analysis has to be done to deal with it. For this, we first have to understand the ethical issues related to the computers before the solutions to the problems can be proposed.

In order to clarify the problem further, conceptual work is needed to formulate policies in order to keep the computer programs secured. A computer program is something that can be owned by someone. More or less it is like an idea or an algorithm but nowadays people are not buying computer programs but they easily use them in an unauthorized manner and this is indeed not good and it should be avoided. However, it is not always the mistake of the people since softwares as well as hardware parts are available to them at low prices which they prefer to buy rather than buying the expensive ones that are sold to them. It is mainly the black market that deals with all these kinds of softwares and hardware items. Despite the fact that it is the duty of the people to remain ethical and to avoid using the computers in an unethical manner, the people alone are not responsible. The government authorities play a very major role in this and they should formulate policies that would not let people use computer related things in an unethical manner. People should always buy patents for the software they are using or else they should be charged with fines. There are various possibilities that the computer technology provides us with and the policies that the people consider on the fact if they value something or not. For instance, if the government takes no action if the people use softwares without patents, the people will not pay much heed to it but if the government comes with a policy that would charge all those users who are using softwares without the patents, then the people will make sure that they own the patents.

Today, creating new software is considered important and is given respect but in the previous years, it was not given much consideration. Softwares are considered as an intellectual property and they should be protected. The primary problem that is involved with computer ethics is that this technology is very uncertain due to which it becomes difficult to know what to do and how to comprehend a condition. Therefore, all the situations related to the computers do not come under computer ethics. For instance, if some office equipment including the computers is stolen, this is not ethical and is considered wrong but this would them become a general issue of ethics as the computers are involved in this situation but it is basically accidental. (Moor, n.d.).

Computer ethics is a different field for study however the general ethics are also related to computer ethics. The theories that are related to ethics actually determines what is relevant such as the things that are good, our basic rights and the considerations that are important for justifying a conduct that is ethical. Computer ethics is basically a field that is complex and in which relationships are considered among the facts, policies and concepts with reference to the changes in the computer technology. It does not have a set of rules that are fixed but it requires us to think about our values. It is basically a field that falls between science and ethics and is based entirely on them but it also provides us with conceptualizations and policies for us to understand the way the computer technology should be used by us. Some of the features of computer ethics are interesting but there are also some problems that are associated with them. Previously, I have used the example of protecting the computer programs, however that is a very narrow concern as the domain is quite large and it involves various other things that affect us. In order to emphasize on its practical importance, I would not just mention some problems but I would also analyze the conditions that generate these issues only then would I be able to come up with a valid solution. For this, the social impact the computers have on the people will have to be considered.

    Moral principles that regulate the way the computers are being used are called computer ethics. There are some issues that arise with reference to the usage of the computers such as property rights, privacy concerns, etc. and the way they create an impact on the society. It is easy to create a duplicate form of something related to the computers but it is unethical and it should not be done without the approval of the author. Similarly, someones personal information should not be accessed without their permission as this too is considered unethical.
This post is an ethical analysis of the information technology market featuring an analysis of the case study regarding the so-called e-business. The case study analysis mentioned is concern about the standards of the ethical practice by which an IT practitioner should reflect in order to conform to the ethical standards of the Australian Computer Society. The paper also discuss about the IT employment market wherein this writer surveyed two IT streams and the range of opportunities offered in terms of potential opportunity for employment, salary offered, and other possible benefits. This research explicitly confirms that the IT employment market is a vast source of young graduates for employment opportunity.


Computer technologies have come to play a very important role in almost every aspect of the human life and it certainly brings wide range of benefits to business organization through the use of internet. But along with the benefits of the information technology are ethical issues affecting not only the business transactions but also the individual life. Among these ethical issues are the intentions in which the information technologies are used. Drake (2003) pointed out that ethics is concerned with what values are worth pursuing in life and what acts are right. Drake aptly stated that the way the technology is deployed depends on our decisions as professionals and as users of information systems. But the more interesting issues behind the advent of the information market are the vast employment opportunity it offers. Thus, this paper will attempt to shed light on the ethical standards encompassing the information market as well as the vast opportunities the information technology offers to young college graduate.

Part A Formal report
E-business and the Ethical Standard
The case cited is quite complicated because it involves both ethical issues on the part of Leikessa Jones and rights on the part of her customer. The issue concern is the decision of her client to order a system that includes only the most basic security precautions. She knew this would be dangerous in the sense that the system will store important information. Leikessa argued that with only the basic security, the system is vulnerable to enterprising employees and online hackers and they might easily access the system.

    Under the Australian Computer Society (ACS) code ethics, members are oblige to submit to a set of values and ideals that uphold and advance the honour, dignity and effectiveness of the profession of information technology. Leikessa is obliged to provide services and products that will uphold the societys dignity and integrity.
The ACS code of ethics, section 4.1 states as follows To uphold and advance the honor, dignity and effectiveness of the profession of information technology and in keeping with high standards of complete and ethical conduct. Under this provision, Leikessa is obliged to submit. She has to demonstrate in dealing with her customer the ethical standard simply by asserting the quality of the product for the sake of the employees and the integrity of the profession in the process.
In fairness to Leikessa however, she has done what was required of her by the ACS code of ethics. In particular is section 4.6.6, which states that she must advise her clients and employers when she sees that a proposed project is not in their best interest. Obviously, Leikessa believes that the system which the client orders is not in their best interest as the system which the client is ordering, does not fit to the purpose intended for it. Indeed it will be unethical for the company to insist their demand when they knew that the system they wanted is vulnerable to hackers and gangs. It will also be unethical for Leikessa to yield to such demand because from the beginning, the company and Leikessa herself knew it will not be safe to store important information and document to the system which the client is ordering.
As Singh and Wadell (2004) noted, ethics is a fundamental part of a corporate culture (2004 252). By implication modern corporations can also be responsible for their actions and decisions. The client assertion to order unsafe data base management system is unethical because the information that will be stored is vital. The company needs to protect those data rather expose them to danger. Wahsheh and Alves-Foss (2007) contends that that there is need for evidence that the system adequately addresses critical properties such as security and safety objectives (2007 726). Wahsheh and Alves-Fos asserted that this is important particularly in environments where failure can cause security breaches (726). 
Given this condition, section 4.6.3 asserts that IT business should exhibits relevant standards and appropriate action. Leikessa should decide based on the highest ethical and moral standard rather than on the merits of the transaction. Section 4.9.2 Leikessa to be aware of the issues affecting the information technology profession which hold her more responsible as she admit that the data based system the client is ordering may be unsafe for storing important information and documents.
Should Leikessa refuse to build the system as they request
    I would say Yes There are enough considerations for Leikessa to refuse building the requested system amidst the increasing knowledge in information technology. Khosrowpour (2000) recognized this danger stating that increasing electronics attacks by hackers are well documented (2000 89). Khosrowpour emphasized that the increasing attacks does not come from individual hackers alone, but are coming from more organized competitors, criminal gangs, and foreign states (89). Considering these dangers, section 4.3 demand to act with professional responsibility and integrity in her dealings. This means that she should be more sensitive about the potential impact of her decision and placed more emphasis on the possible consequences of her decision. She needs to act professionally by refusing the customer of their order as it will only compromise the standard of quality, the standard of information technology, and the standard of professionalism.
    By refusing the order she conforms to the ACS ethical standard. Section 4.1 (c) requires to increase the competence and prestige of the profession, and to increase knowledge and skill for the advancement of human welfare. The implication of these provisions demands that the individual doing information technology business, should maintain product competence and should not compromise regardless of the consumer demand. It requires Leikessa to be more concern on the effect of business transaction on the general business climate. In the article published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it emphasized that it is imperative that the data system of works both reliably and effectively (Bureau of Labor and Statistic).
    Section 4.1 (d) stressed on the importance of advancing the human welfare which will definitely be put at stake if the transaction was consumed. De George (2003) pointed out that this information will soon be at risk because while the promise of e-business is enormous, it is not without drawbacks (2003 158). This draw backs according to De George are the hazards and dangers from unscrupulous merchants, hackers out to steal credit card and social security numbers, fly-by-night operations, companies that collect and sell personal information, intrusive pornographic sites and  others engaged in illegal, unethical, or questionable behavior (2003158).


Survey and Analysis of the IT employment Market

The IT employment market is not only an online labor market but online economic activities. In his report to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Lerman (1998) noted that the high demand for IT workers significantly contributed to the general demand for skilled workers in various industries. According to Lerman, the contribution of the information technology market on various firms and industries accounted for thirty-two percent of all business capital equipment expenses in 1986. Dos Santos, Peffers, and Mauer (1993) pointed out that today, information technology plays and important role in the smooth operation of different business organizations (1993 2).


The responsibilities and major function of Wireless Communication and Computing include processing of information in the network, compute data fusion, and perform in-network information processing in a sensor network. The Human Computer Interaction or the intelligent systems on the other hand are proactive technologies which brings new technology to business markets. There place in the organization is that they comprise a large range of IT employment areas where IT professionals can find jobs. The following are the various areas of information technology where recent job postings are available. Among the latest IT job advertisement are the following

Dice The Career Hub for Tech Insiders. Job titles Net developer, AJAX developer, Application developer, Software development, software engineer, source of advertisement is by web publication. it is currently available. The title of advertisement is Search 54, 370 Tech Jobs.
Legal Workplace.comJob title Information Technology  Job Description and Interview Questions. Position advertised data entry clerk, data processing clerk, IT manager, programmer, system analyst, Technical support specialist and so on. The source of advertisement, web it is currently available.
allwebjobs The Web Professionals Job marketJob title Web content specialist, DoD Marketing Analyst, Junior Print  Web Designer, Web UI Designer Source of advertisement, web date advertised, 1202010   Atlantic JobsUser experience designer, Web developer and so forth. Source of advertisement, web date of advertisement, Programming jobs at Code-jobs.comJob title Computer programmer source of advertisement web.  Jobs bridgeJob title Network engineer, source web.

Trends on demographic
The range of salaries of each jobs under the six IT streams identified reflect similar demographic which ranges from 45,000 to 75,000. Specialized areas vary from IT professional such as engineers to simple IT practitioner. The trend in the salary demographic reflected in graph below depicts that IT workers and IT professional received much higher salary compared to other employees.  One particular point worth noting is that in the IT market experience are not so much required as long as applicants are skilled in the field they are applying for. According to a book published by the United States Department of Labor entitled Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-2007 Edition, Most companies tend to hire IT workers with necessary programming skills who can think logically and pay close attention to detail (2006 106).

Bodies or Societies that oversee the professional and ethical conduct of the topic selected
One of the societies that oversee the professional and ethical conduct of the topic I selected is the American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIST). This body insures that property rights and the ground rules of the information society are followed. Of course, the ACS is a highly organized society that oversees the professional and ethical practice of information technology profession. With the high standards of ethical professional practice it promotes, it definitely provided a standard for highly ethical conduct of the topic I selected.

How I would prepare for a career in these professional streams   
    Given the large demand for IT workers and professionals, it would not be difficult for me to choose the right field as each firm provides the basic benefits and opportunities.  In preparing for a career in the professional streams I chose, I will enhance my skills in information technology by taking courses on the most advanced technology or by keeping my self up to date with latest technology. By developing IT skills and by keeping my self up to date with the latest technology, it will not be difficult for me to get a good job after graduation.

The advent of information technology is a phenomenal occurrence in the employment aspect of the every economy in the global scale. However, this phenomenon will likely to continue so long as new technology are invented and introduced in to the information market. Given the fast phase of technology development, there is nothing that we can do but to enhance our skills with the latest technology and keep ourselves updated with the technology development. The world is heading towards full speed in this technological path and the only way to catch up is to keep ourselves updated with this development by taking on subjects or courses or by self learning through reading. This idea may not be interesting, but its benefits certainly will be.

Discussion Board Assignment

I feel that measures should be taken to eliminate job discrimination against women and minorities. The measures of affirmative action, reverse discrimination and the use of comparative worth criteria are remedies that are positive steps towards correcting discrimination. Women that were being paid less than men of equal standing in the same job are now being awarded equal pay because both genders are being evaluated using equal criteria of worth. Affirmative action programs work in a similar way to ensure equal job opportunities and pay for minorities and prevent potential employers from discriminating against applicants just because of their race and ethnic background.

    While I believe that these measures are, in theory, positive ways to ensure equal work and pay opportunities for women and minorities, I also feel that these programs contain flaws that need to be corrected in order for the ultimate goal of job and pay equality to be attained. The use of comparable worth criteria, for example, is a good way to evaluate work performance and determine pay grades fairly for all employees. Unfortunately, the criteria used are often subjective and the system can break down when different employers choose to value certain criteria more than others. Its important for the criteria and requirements used to evaluate, hire and promote employees to be equal in order for employees to have equality too.

This coincides with my response in Unit 1 regarding Kants moral philosophy when applied to business. Kants respect-for-people philosophy applies in this context as well. Potential employees must first be measured by the same set of criteria in order for them to ultimately achieve equal pay and employment opportunities. Employers must evaluate candidates of all races and genders based on an equal standard of work performance, qualification and education in order for all employees to be an equal part of the business as a whole.

Ethical Decisions

Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is widely defined as a branch of philosophy that constitutes codes and core values pertaining to human norms and conduct, in relation to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions, as well as to the goodness and badness of the motives, means, and systems of ends of such taken actions.  Ethics is not exclusively used for medical field and practice, and of religious means, and other major institutions, but also in business  by this it means, anything that has to do with transactions and profit, thus saying, even in the episode of production of any means of production or raw material, such as trees used for making paper that eventually will be used as print materials, journals, books, and the like, is greatly covered by the code of ethics  in this it means, the business aspect of ethics.

    In the case of Moira, who is straight from college and has only been employed and working for a manufacturing home decorations company for about four months. Having a corporate job as an administrative assistant, and being a young professional, Moira is but a case of an ideal and nave and employee who  straight from college holds strong and firm to her ideals of a kind of healthy working environment. But little did she know that being exposed to the kind of surrounding at work is very different from what she has expected. It suddenly is a shock for her to have witnessed unethical working antics from her colleagues. It is not a surprise if Moira would consider herself being one with her colleagues by diminishing her work performance and increasing her disobedience at work. Yet, she still takes pride with what she has performed in terms of her job since she has rendered service with her utmost desire of performing, more so in contributing to the company that she works for.

    Moira is now left in a very uneasy situation  she is caught now thinking deep of what she shall do with a problem that resonates in the office from her co-employees to her brand manager. Puzzled and problematic on what to do and how to take action, Moira is on the brink of a major decision.

    At this point, the code of ethics comes in. The moral judgment here is at play with Moiras decisiveness on how to take on with her issue that pertains to her working environment and her colleagues. According to Smith, there are different approaches to ethics, and among those are the utilitarian approach, the common good, the virtue approach, and the fairness. The values of each of the approaches give different results that follow different systems that shape the ethics of people in a given to situation. Take in the case of Moira, these approaches can be options on how to face the issue.  Should Moira have to decide what to do with unethical working habits of her colleagues as well as her brand manager, first she should arrive in a decision-making activity within herself. Some of the aspects to consider in a self-assessment include the impact of the potential choice of action that will take place, the goal of her decision, the response of the people involved in the situation, and the application of that decision made. After identifying the important essentials and content of the things to be considered on her own self-assessment, the list is now escalated in a fashion that will be able for Moira to be coordinated with her superiors to call for a meeting, a group assessment and have an open discussion where everybody can be heard and free of personal attacks formulate and schedule seminars in which all of company employees will be able to attend regarding work ethics, company policies, specific case studies, legal requirements, and other company concerns from these meetings and seminars and even  group or team buildings, signing of agreement can also be helpful, stating that all employees and even the transparency of other superior positions of giving unequivocal support by both word and example written and orally agreed upon code of ethics should have a periodic reinforcement such code of ethics should also be doable in which employees can both understand and perform routine instructions for compliance and improvement should also be done as monitored by the top management also by remaining neutral and nonsexist maintains a clearly stated cooperation and respect to employees and the working environment.

    Business ethics is created to protect the company owners, the companys integrity, and its employees, it aims to eliminate exploitation, most especially those who are being ripped off in wages.

Drug Use in the Workplace

The right to privacy every person have the right to privacy, and this includes withholding information from employers that can be used against a person and be a basis for employment such as drug use. However, there are certain lines that have to be drawn. Companies as business entities also have the right to protect their businesses and their employers. Firms need not wait for exceptional cases for them to deny employment of people who are found out to be drug users either through tests or confession.

    Drug addiction is a destructive behavior, not only to the individual that uses drugs but also to the people around him or her. Luckily, companies need not rely on the word of their applicants because who would admit to drug use in a drug interview Most companies today require their employees to undergo medical examinations which can reveal possible drug use. Immanuel Kants philosophy is based on respect that everyone should respect the rights of everybody else. Yet, while it is only right that we respect the privacy of others (such as the right not to disclose drug use), we must ultimately respect human lives because they are possibly at stake whenever a drug user is around, especially when they are in close proximity to us such as a workplace.

    The right to privacy has its limitations. It is unlikely that Kant wanted men to respect   each others rights, like the right to privacy even if that right could possibly hurt the co-workers of the drug user. Kant would be embarrassed today if companies start losing money and people because of respecting the right of applicants not to disclose whether they are drug users or not or if they refuse a drug test.
Transparency International (TI) has come up with a clear and comprehensive definition of the tem corruption Corruption is defined as the misuse of the entrusted authority for ones private gain. Transparency International distinguishes according to rule corruption from against the rule corruption. Facilitation payments where s bribe is offered to acquire privileged treatment for something that the one who received the bribe is needed to do by law, constitute the former. The latter alternatively, is a bribe given to acquire services the bribe receiver is not allowed to provide.
The two most corrupt countries in the world according to transparency international are Somalia and Afghanistan, while the two least corrupt countries in the world are New Zealand and Denmark. The countries of Somalia and Afghanistan receive billions of dollars annually from international support. According to the recent annual Corruption perception index released by Transparency international, the war-ravaged Somalia remains the most corrupt country in the world followed closely by Afghanistan.

As far as the latest report from the Berlin based organization, New Zealand is the least corrupt country followed by Denmark (Andvig, 1990) these two countries enjoy a consistent political stability, long-established conflict of interest regulations and strong functioning institutions of the public. This is not the case with counties like Somalia and Afghanistan where no political stability exist and they are war-torn.

Trends in corruption in most corrupt countries
In the most corrupt countries like Somalia, corruption is intense such that you have to bribe just to be alive. These most corrupt countries view corruption as inevitable and, as an everyday part of the government. And there is no doubt that the citizens of these countries experience corruption in almost all aspects of their lives. The functioning institutions of the government that are supposed to offer services to people have been extinguished by the rampant wars.
Local businessmen who afford to fly abroad usually experience hard times in the airports when they come back to their war-torn countries. The airport security takes these men in private rooms and interrogates them on offences they dont understand and threatens to arrest them if they didnt pay US1,000. All this is due to corruption that is so intense.

If one refuses to give this amount, heshe is taken to secret prison within the capital city where heshe will be held in private confinement for not less than one month and prohibited to speak to any one. What will follow after that is repetitive interrogation by the ant-terrorism squads after which heshe will only be released after the relatives pay a bribe of not less than US2,000. This money is usually paid out of the convicts consent because the relatives fear that the captives might never get any justice. Due to this, people have to bribe to be alive (Rose-Ackerman, 1999).

When it comes at the seaports, the businessmen importing goods into these most corrupt countries claim that even after they pay regular tax, which they say is prohibitively too much, those who export and import are asked by officials of the port to pay facilitation fee. This implies they have to pay bribes for them to get permission to take their imported commodities from the port or experience indefinite delays that comprise unjustified inspection of explosives, illegal weapons or drugs.
One businessman in Mogadishu said that they have to cooperate, failure of which they lose all they have in the stores of the containers or the ports. If an importer dares to report the matter to higher officials they would wind up fighting for their lives.

According to Blanchard (1996), motorists, mainly bus drivers on Mogadishus potholed roads, face daily demands on their meager incomes from government police, military forces, as well as clan militias. Bus drivers frequently have to pay a sum of money any time they use the few drivable roads in the city. The money from the streets is typically referred to as leejo an Italian corruption term that means legal. But according to authorities, the action is no where near legal. They deny knowing that money of this kind is being acquired from drivers of buses. They claim to have discipline forces that do not obtain money by force from residents.

Trends in corruption in least corrupt countries
The least corrupt country like New Zealand and Denmark does not comprise one single agency assigned to fight corruption. Contrary to many other corrupt countries, these countries have not seen the need to come up with independent commissions to fight corruption. Instead they have many agencies that focus on the various aspects in the war against corruption.

A number of these agencies primarily focus on the more positive task of reinforcing values to certify that these countries maintains an environment that is free from corruption others put emphasis on the laws and rules enforcement. The two main agencies responsible for law enforcement and anti-corruption prosecutions and investigations in New Zealand are New Zealand Fraud Office and New Zealand police.

The New Zealand Fraud Office
It came into being in the year 1990. It mainly focuses on fraud that is complex. The authority governing the New Zealand fraud office does not try to describe complex fraud beyond claiming that it comprises a sequence of connected fraud incidents which if taken together accumulates to complex fraud. Instead, the act avails direction to the director as to the aspects that the director should regard in determining the cases to investigate. These factors include
The alleged nature and penalties of the fraud
The alleged level of the fraud
The legal, evidential and factual complexity of any matter
Any relevant considerations of the interest of the public

Many cases of corruption, bribery and furtive commissions would come under the descriptive section. As Blanchard (1996) puts it, The New Zealand Fraud Office is specifically strategically placed to conduct or help with any investigation which needs financial transactions analysis. Cases of corruption or bribery will frequently be only established after a critical analysis of transactions of finance and flows of money.

All investigations performed by The New Zealand Fraud Office are carried out by a multidisciplinary team consisting of a veteran investigator, a forensic accountant as well as a prosecutor. That team is monitored by a powerful senior investigator or an accountant.

Crime of economy or corruption is at all times clandestine and usually effectively planned. The individuals involved are usually well-educated and may hold relatively higher positions within the community. The only proof may be a complicated set of arrangements that are only understood by those who participate in the scheme. It was against that background that the parliament of Denmark authorized special powers for the Denmark Fraud Office.

Possible ways of reducing corruption
Several ways exist to assist measure corruption and define the problem. These ways include corruption perception surveys, qualitative collection of data and expenditure surveys. A review of these aspects begins by identifying areas with high possibility of corruption, and then evaluates the existence of safeguards of best practice. The policy makers should be presented by a framework to guide them in evaluating corruption and come up with probable ways to intervene and increase transparency and accountability among the citizens. Any one suspected of corruption should face immediate prosecution (Eliot, 1997).

According to the report produced by transparency international, my country is not that corrupt, this is it is much better than the two most corrupt countries, but something needs to be done so that one day we can be like New Zealand or Denmark.

Corruption is the worst enemy of any economic development. From the paper we can clearly see that those countries that have least corruption have stable economies as compared to those that are most corrupt. We can also note that political stability and culture of a nation plays a very important role in cubing corruption. Therefore more research needs to be done to come up with more effective ways of dealing with corruption for the benefit of the citizens.