The United Nations Global Compact platform Essay Example for Free

The United Nations Global Compact platform Essay The United Nations Global Compact platform has ten principles of which three are environmental principles. This submission describes lessons learnt from businesses practices by Honda Motors, Hitachi, and Mitsubishi companies that can be used to achieve compliance of two of the environmental principles. The two principles are (a) promoting greater environmental responsibility, which the eighth principle and (b) development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies, which is the ninth principle (UN Global Compact and Duke University, 2010; 11). Promoting Greater Environmental Responsibility This principle intends to help companies to adhere to a more environmental consciousness. Despite Honda not being a member of the of the United Nations Global Compact initiative, it has established different platforms within the company to ensure that it is promoting greater environmental responsibility. It does this through its Honda’s Global Compact Platform and Earth Dreams Technology (Honda, 2014a). The company has established environmental e-learning campaigns aimed at educating the public about different ways of preserving the environment. Likewise, Hitachi has established environmental management strategies and initiatives that are aimed at improving its environmental impact. In addition, the company is involved in ecosystem preservation initiatives aimed at educating the public about the different ways of preserving the environment. It also encourages customers to buy products that are manufactured using eco-friendly procedures. An analysis of Mitsubishi Company reveals that the company promotes greater environmental responsibility by investing in eco-friendly designs and processes. In addition, just like Honda and Hitachi, it offers information about preservation of the environment to the public (Mitsubishi 2014). Development and Diffusion of Environmentally Friendly Technologies Honda Motors Ltd is at the forefront in developing new technologies that seek to ensure environmental preservation. It has development motor vehicle engines that consume less fuel through its hybrid technology. Further, the company has produced such cars as Honda Jazz which is efficient and environmental friendly. The company has also produced hybrid engines that use electricity as well as gasoline hence reducing gasoline consumption (Honda, 2014a). Hitachi is also developing efficient engines and cars. However in addition to such efforts, the company as a UN Global Compact member ensures that environmentally friendly policies are kept within the company. It has numerous products that are environmentally friendly and it ensures that where it cannot reduce environmental pollution, it does so through other corporate social responsibility events such as planting trees and providing clean water to society. Mitsubishi ensures the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies through the manufacture of such products that preserve the environment. Further, it is involved in construction of more efficient aero engines as a way of reducing pollution to the environment caused by aeroplanes. Positive Lessons Learnt From Businesses Practices Honda uses the Global Compact Platform despite its non-member status in the UN Global Compact initiatives. This shows that any company, regardless, of its membership in the UN Global Compact can participate and ensure the adoption of Global Compact principles. Honda’s success in motor vehicle industry shows that it is possible for a company to be profitable through the use of environmentally friendly strategies in manufacturing and distribution of products. In addition, Honda markets its Honda Jazz series as the best environmentally friendly SUV cars in the market. Mitsubishi and Hitachi also use the UN Global Compact strategies to ensure that all its products and company processes adhere to the principles. Unlike Honda, these companies do not use platforms such as â€Å"Global Compact Platform† used by Honda. Negative Lessons Learnt From Businesses Practices Mitsubishi and Hitachi as members of United Nations Global Compact ensure that they embed, balance, diffuse, and translate the two environmental stewardship principles in their company. The companies have ensured that they provide communication of their procedures and new technologies to the public and Global compact platform as a commitment to the two principles. Unlike Honda, these two companies are accountable to an outside entity. Another lesson from Mitsubishi and Hitachi is that they have worked and invested in developing decision-making strategies that enforce the two principles. Through their development of energy efficient products and services and the commitment to events and CSR programs that are aimed at educating the public about eco-friendly practices, the two companies are able to enhance environmental responsibility and development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies. Further, Mitsubishi can track their success through the laid out procedure in the environmental stewardship strategy developed by UN Global Compact and Duke University (2010). The strategy ensures that there is accountability and it is result oriented unlike Honda which is not accountable to the UN Global Compact. Business Practice Recommendations Since companies joining the UNGC platform wish to benefit from their association and compliance with the principles, it is important that such benefits are protected. In order to encourage compliance, it must be made difficult and expensive to get accreditations of eco-friendliness from other institutions. As such, the UNGC should liaise with other institutions to ensure compliance of the two principles. The companies seeking such recognition must show investments and commitment to environmental friendly procedure and processes. This will prevent companies from seeking recognitions from institutions with lesser strict requirements hence allowing companies that have genuinely investment and committed to environment to be recognized and benefit from such recognition. The following can be done to ensure that business practices conform to the two principles Principle 8: Promoting Greater Environmental Responsibility To enhance compliance with the eighth UN Global Compact principle, it is important for the companies to ensure that they have decision-making strategies that ensure compliance. This helps in assessing the level of compliance within a company. By having membership in the UN Global Compact, companies can remain committed to the principle unlike those that try to enhance compliance without being members of the Global Compact. This ensures accountability as well as encouraging self-assessment. Principle 9: Development and Diffusion of Environmentally Friendly Technologies Companies that comply with the ninth principle should ensure that throughout their supply chain, manufacturing and distribution processes, environmentally friendly technologies are used. This can be ensured by following the environmental stewardship strategies proposed by UN Global Compact and Duke University (2010). Secondly, compliance can be enhanced through benefits such as publicity for technology that is eco-friendly. The UN Global Compact should establish and award that recognizes efforts done by companies. Challenges and Implications to Shareholders The UN Global Compact fraternity will be required to limit the use of phrases such as Global Compact, which may be a difficult process. Further, the UN Global Compact will be required to partner with numerous institutions that give accreditations. The companies involved will also be affected. For instances, companies will now be required to show their commitment to UNGC before getting accreditation from other institutions. Thirdly, customers and the public may find it hard to get information about eco-friendly companies and technologies if UN Global Compact does not provide information of legitimate technologies. References UN Global Compact and Duke University, (2010). Environmental Stewardship Strategy: Overview and Resource for Corporate Leaders. Retrieved from https://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/Environment/Environmental_Stewardship_Strategy.pdfHonda, (2014a). News Releases 2014: Paris Motor Show 2014. Retrieved from http://world.honda.com/news/2014/4141002Paris-Motor-Show/Honda, (2014b). Key Indicators of Honda’s Environmental Performance. Retrieved from http://world.honda.com/environment/report/act_val/indicator/Hitachi, (2014a). Sustainability report 2014: Environmental Report. Retrieved from http://www.hitachi.com/environment/activities/index.html Hitachi, (2014b). Hitachi Recognized as World Leader for Corporate Action on Climate Change. Retrieved from http://www.hitachi.com/environment/newsr/2014/1028.htmlMitsubishi (2014). Progress Towards Sustainable Society. Retrieved from http://www.mhi-global.com/company/csr/policy/releaseandrecognition/sustainable-society.html Source document

Essay on Technical Qualities, Symbolism, and Imagery of Dover Beach

Technical Qualities, Symbolism, and Imagery of "Dover Beach" In "Dover Beach," Matthew Arnold creates a dramatic monologue of the Victorian Era that shows how perceptions can be misleading. Arnold conveys the theme of "Dover Beach" through three essential developments: the technical qualities of the poem itself, symbolism, and imagery. The theme of illusion versus reality in "Dover Beach" reflects the speaker's awareness of the incompatibility between what is perceived and what truly is real. The technical qualities of the poem include rhythm and meter, rhyme, figures of speech, sound, and irony of the words. The mechanics alone do not explain why illusion and reality differ, but they do help to explain how Arnold sets up the poem to support the theme. The most prominent mechanisms include the rhythm and the meter of the lines and the stanzas of the poem. Line 1 is an iambic trimeter: The sea/is calm/to-night. The gentle pulsating rhythm of the iamb mirrors the ebb and flow of the sea. The actual words of the first line manifest this idea to picture a calm sea gently lapping at the beach. The second line, an iambic tetramater, also reveals a calm sea. However, line 3 breaks the pattern and forces the reader to break his or her own rhythm. Line 3 includes: Upon/the straits,//on the French/Coast/the light. The line begins and ends with an iamb, but the middle is broken up with an anapest. The anapest is a foreshadow of the tumult to come. The fourth line breaks up even farther with an anapest at the beginning, but the fifth line recovers the rhythm. Glimmering/and vast//out in/the tran/quil bay. The rhythm recovers by the end of the first stanza, but the original trimeter has not. The number of feet per lin... ...he speaker is supported by the rhythm and the meter, the lack of a consistent rhyme scheme, the figures of speech, the sound of the words, and the irony of the entire poem. The symbolism of the sea and the imagery of light and dark bring out the alternating visual and auditory qualities, which elaborate on illusion and reality, respectively, Arnold's portrayal of one person's battle with illusion and reality shows a complex view of humanity in a simple poem. Works Cited Arnold, Matthew. "Dover Beach." [1867] Literature. 5th ed. Eds. James H. Pickering and Jeffery D. Hoeper. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice, 1997. 952-53. Ciardi, John. How Does A Poem Mean? Boston: Houghton, 1975. 196. Untermeyer, Louis. The Pursuit of Poetry. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1969. 57-59. Walcutt, Charles Child. The Explicator. Chicago: Quadrangle, 1968. 16-9.

Arguments on Utilitarianism Essay

Which is more valuable: a game of push-pin or the study of Latin? Which has greater worth: the life of a single young girl or the lives of an entire community? These are the sorts of questions raised when dealing with the matter of utilitarianism. According to Jeremy Bentham, the father of the theory, the ultimate moral goal of human beings should be to increase pleasure and to decrease pain. To maximize the amount of time spent in content, and minimize the times of depression. And he has a point. Simply stated like that, everyone can agree that that is definitely something they want to achieve. But when his theory is applied to real-life conditions, the varying answers and resulting situations aren’t always applicable with such a cut-and-dry cure-all. Contrary to Bentham’s theory, just because doing something may seem to create an overall better situation than not doing something, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it should be done. When he states his place, Bentham seems to have taken into account all of the variables. He affirms that the standards of right and wrong, and the chains of cause and effect, will influence what exactly promotes pleasure and prevents pain (306). He also recognizes that the quantity of people being affected is a contributing factor as to whether something is ultimately beneficial or detrimental (311). Drawing upon these recognized facts, Bentham goes so far as to create a virtual mathematical equation for determining utility; Including intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, and purity as factors of what qualifies as happiness, and thereby, righteousness (311). But this in itself is absurd, as it is impossible to gauge the properties he proposes. He does not, and can not, provide a scale with which to measure how certain, how intense, or how pure the â€Å"goodness† level of something is. Nor is he able to quantify the overall amount of utility one law or reason offers to an entire population under government; which is what he suggests at the end of his theory (312). It can be conceded that the utility of a rule should be considered during it’s establishment, as in general rules should be for the greater good and therefore the greater happiness. But there are other factors that come into play that Bentham neglects to recognize. In â€Å"Ivan’s Challenge,† Fyodor Dostoevsky suggests a striking situation in which utility is obviously not the lone factor in determining it’s morality (333). He conjures up a circumstance where a small, young girl is to be sacrificed for the â€Å"edifice of human destiny, the ultimate aim of which is to bring people happiness, to give them peace and contentment at last? † (333). With her death, the salvation of the entire community is achieved. At first glance, and in Bentham’s eyes, it’s a simple equation. One is lesser than infinity. Her death would be justified because the lives of so many others would be saved. But, he fails to consider human emotion. Living with the fact that a young child had to have died in order for themselves to live may not necessarily be a life of cheerfulness. Furthermore, by calling this a justified situation, Bentham is putting a price on human life. This action in itself is immoral. Also, it’s an example of a situation where it’s not really a matter of increasing happiness. Putting a value on a human life is an action in which no party is gaining or losing contentment directly. It doesn’t fit into Bentham’s equation, and apart from it, is an immoral action that should not ethically be able to exist passively beside his main theory of morals by utility. In addition to this flaw, Bentham fails to acknowledge the notion that all pleasures are not created equal. In his first writing, â€Å"The Principle of Utility,† he only manages to recognize the aspect of quantity, and it is in a second, â€Å"Push-Pin and Poetry,† that he proceeds to debunk the possibility of varying qualities of pleasure. To Bentham, there are different kinds of pleasure, but one is not greater or better than another. He breaks them down into two different categories: 1, arts and sciences of amusement and curiosity, and 2, arts and sciences of simple and immediate utility (200). Those of amusement he associates with the fine arts, such as poetry, painting, or architecture, and are generally appreciated aesthetically (200). Those of curiosity he associates with sciences and history, such as the study of foreign languages or biology (200). Those of simple utility are more basic, such as a game of push-pin (200). They are ordinary things that can be enjoyed by anyone. He goes on to say that, â€Å"prejudice apart, the game of push-pin is of equal value with the fine arts and sciences of music and poetry† (200). His only concession is that if music and science are placed above a game of push-pin in utility, it is only because those individuals are more difficult to please (200). Nowhere does he acknowledge that those difficult individuals are correct or justified in wanting a more stimulating source of excitement. Nowhere does he consent that the thrill of curing a disease through the study of medicine overpowers the brief amusement of a board game. But, John Stuart Mill, a supporter of the philosophy of utilitarianism, does. He begins by citing a major criticism of utility, which is that many people feel that the idea of life having â€Å"no higher end besides pleasure? no better and nobler object of desire and pursuit† is degrading and dishonorable (201). His rebuke is that it is only degrading if the accusation â€Å"supposes human beings to be capable of no pleasures except those of which swine are capable† (201). This is obviously not the case. We would not be content simply rolling in mud and gorging ourselves on tangerine rinds. Humans require more stimulation and excitement in order to achieve happiness than an animal, such as swine, with lesser faculties. It is â€Å"better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied† (Mill 203). To be able to fully appreciate and understand the higher pleasures, such as love and friendship, is so much more rewarding than the simple contentments of physical gratification. Despite the truth that a fool or a swine may lead a more content life, it is only because they require less to achieve contentment. This supplements Bentham’s statement of a person who prefers poetry to push-pin being more difficult to please. Bentham just fails to see that human beings in their usual healthy, intelligent forms are all â€Å"difficult† to please. All in all, the philosophy of utilitarianism is an acceptable standard of morality? on most occasions. There will always be situations where what is truly moral does not fully satisfy the idea of existence exempt from pain and rich in enjoyments. And, contrary to Bentham, there are pleasures that are of higher quality than others, just as there are pains more severe than others. Works Cited Bentham, Jeremy. â€Å"Push-Pin and Poetry. † Ethics. Ed. Peter Singer. Oxford University Press: New York, 1994. 199-200. Bentham, Jeremy. â€Å"The Principle of Utility. † Ethics. Ed. Peter Singer. Oxford University Press: New York, 1994. 306-312. Mill, John Stuart. â€Å"Higher and Lower Pleasures. † Ethics. Ed. Peter Singer. Oxford University Press: New York, 1994. 201-205. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. â€Å"Ivan’s Challenge. † Ethics. Ed. Peter Singer. Oxford University Press: New York, 1994. 332.

Moody Bible Institute Admissions ACT Scores, Costs...