Volkswagen Emission Scandal and Ethics- MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theVolkswagen Emission Scandal and Ethics. Answer: Over the past few years, one of the most popular and trusted car manufacturing companies Volkswagen has been dealing with the after effects of their internal scandal known as Volkswagen Emission Scandal. This scandal has deeply dented the reliability of the organization. In May of 2014, a research lead by Den Carder of West Virginia University was conducting emission tests on small vehicles from Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen (Burki, 2015). When the team tested two dissimilar Volkswagen models fitted with the 2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, the results forced them to ask California Air Resources Board to launch to full scale investigation on Volkswagen. The investigation revealed that the German car manufacturing company was using a defeat device in their vehicles to comply with the U.S emissions standards. In the U.S, every car manufacturing company was asked to install software systems to clean the diesel exhaust (Barrett et al., 2015). In the case of Volkswagen, they install ed the system in such a way, that it only enabled when the cars were undergoing emission tests, but shut off during normal driving. The company did this to improve fuel economy and efficiency of the vehicles. After the results of the investigation were revealed, Environment Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice against Volkswagen in the year of 2015. Now, in this context it was found that the organization was doing it only to cope up with the increasing competition in the market and to deal with its closest rival Toyota. Three reasons were found behind this decision of the Volkswagen management which was pressure, opportunity and rationalization. Volkswagen management was under immense pressure from Toyota as it conquered the top position in the car manufacturing industry of the United States. In this situation, the engineering reputation of the organization was at stake (Rhodes, 2016). In addition to that, failure of German economy also left no choice for the management of the organization. On the other hand, opportunity was also there for the organization to cheat. Modern vehicles are equipped with nearly 100 million lines of software code. Therefore, it was easy for Volkswagen team t o hide a cheating device. Besides, in 1970s Volkswagen engineers performed the same activity and installed defeat device to cheat on newly enacted emission standards. At that time the outcome was minimal; a mere $120,000 fine. They never realized that it can jeopardize their company reputation. Besides, it is also stated again and again that the organization did this only to save the organization. However, this decision of the Volkswagen management to equip a defeat device in their vehicles also has an ethical side of its own (Zhang et al., 2016). There, the question was whether this decision can be supported ethically or not. In order to understand that, in the next part of this essay, four common ethical theories are discussed which will also help to find out the ethical issues of the decision made by the management of Volkswagen. A well-known ethical theory is Utilitarianism that emphasizes manufacturing the greatest amount of products for the greatest number of people. This theory falls under the consequentiality ethics that means identifying whether an action is measured good or bad unswervingly relates to its consequences (Broad, 2014). Given this, the actions of Volkswagen were moderately oppositional to what a Utilitarian would trust in. Due to this scandal, not good was done to the organization. Customers of Volkswagen faced critical problems as EPA and government of the U.S banned all the cars of Volkswagen. Huge amount of employees of Volkswagen lost their jobs as the management had to spend billions of dollars to rectify the issue. Therefore, from the concept of Utilitarianism, it can be stated that the decision of Volkswagen management was totally unethical. This segment of the essay will talk about the view of deontology on the Volkswagen case. Deontology complete relates to the normative theories and mostly focuses on the procedures and the choice that an individual or a company has. These procedures or choices are be ethically required, prohibited or allowed. An important ethical stream of the concept of deontology is Kantianism were Kant argues that an individual can act ethically if he can conform the unconditional imperative (Hursthouse, 2013). This means, the management of Volkswagen was bound to act as per the principles of the company. The management should always offer environment friendly and sustainable vehicles able to compete in the market. The defeat device of the company did not harm the safeness of the vehicles but tremendously affected the environment. The management also deceived the emission testing organizations. Consumers could also face higher taxes as their Volkswagen cars were emitting more gases that permitted. From the deontological point of view, it can be stated that the decision of Volkswagen to cheat environment tests is wrong and cannot be declared as an ethical act. The virtue theory entirely depends on the ethics of Aristotle and identifies what type of person one is. This ethical concept looks to find out character traits where four main merits of character are courage, honesty, self control and fairness/justice (Bai, 2016). In regards to these four qualities, Volkswagen failed to meet any of them. The management was not courageous as it intentionally placed cheating device to deal with the competitive market. Here, honesty states treating the employees, consumers and other companies properly. By placing defeat device the organization harmed the consumers and later to deal with the scandal, the management terminated a lot of employees without reason. Besides, the management had no self control as they were ready to take any step to fulfill their expectations and desires. Fairness was also not there as the German company did not produce quality products and implemented unfair business practices. Contract theory states that morality consists in the set of policies prevailing behavior that rationale people will admit on the condition that others will agree to them as well (Radtke Widener, 2016). Two main principles of this concept are, There should be guarantees that populace will not hurt each other Populace must rely on each other to keep their harmony In the case of Volkswagen, the organization not only hurt its consumers and employees, but also harmed the communities by producing non-environment friendly vehicles. After the scandal, the consumers of the organization are also losing their faith on Volkswagen. Therefore, this theory also proves that the decision of installing defeat devices was not ethical for Volkswagen. In order to deal with the problems that the Volkswagen is facing, the management of the organization will have to contribute all efforts and possessions to reestablish the brand of the company. However, the chances to re-brand the company are fairly unlikely. It can join hands with an independent corroboration agency which will be more practicable and reasonably simple to achieve. The costliest option for the Volkswagen management would be to sell one of its brands and develop a bond. However, this is the most expensive alternative for the organization and should be used as a last resort. All of these methods can help the organization to regain its lost position in the market. However, the second option which is to join hands with a corroboration agency would be the best for the company as it will be able to regain the trust of the consumers slowly but steadily. In the end, it can be concluded that the emission scandal of Volkswagen is unethical from every prospective. The organization not only hampered the lives of the consumers but also harmed the employees by terminating them. Besides, by installing defeat device, the company also affected the environment and contributed to global warming. All the ethical theories discussed in this essay also describe the same. However, it is true that the management of Volkswagen can regain its market position and trust of the consumers. The recommendations that are provided will help Volkswagen to regain its brand image in the future. Reference List Bai, F. (2016). Beyond Dominance and Competence A Moral Virtue Theory of Status Attainment. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 1088868316649297. Barrett, S. R., Speth, R. L., Eastham, S. D., Dedoussi, I. C., Ashok, A., Malina, R., Keith, D. W. (2015). Impact of the Volkswagen emissions control defeat device on US public health. Environmental Research Letters, 10(11), 114005. Broad, C. D. (2014). Five types of ethical theory (Vol. 2). Routledge. Burki, T. K. (2015). Diesel cars and health: the Volkswagen emissions scandal. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 3(11), 838-839. Hursthouse, R. (2013). Normative virtue ethics. ETHICA, 645. Radtke, R. R., Widener, S. K. (2016). The Complex World of Control: Integration of Ethics and Uses of Control. In Performance Measurement and Management Control: Contemporary Issues (pp. 17-38). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Rhodes, C. (2016). Democratic Business Ethics: Volkswagens emissions scandal and the disruption of corporate sovereignty. Organization Studies, 37(10), 1501-1518. Zhang, B., Veijalainen, J., Kotkov, D. (2016). Volkswagen Emission Crisis: Managing Stakeholder Relations on the Web. In WEBIST 2016: Proceedings of the 12th International conference on web information systems and technologies. Volume 1, ISBN 978-989-758-186-1. SCITEPRESS.

Case Study J & J Company and Its Future Survival

Question: Discuss about theCase Studyfor J J Company and Its Future Survival. Answer: Introduction Success in the construction industry is based on various factors, which poses a direct effect on the delivery and performance of companies. Gbadamosi Nwankwo (2011) define success as the ability of a company to survive all adversities. For J J Company to survive in the current and future dynamic business settings, it should respond to market transformations and implement the finest business norms that are favorable for them to use the available resources. The company should adopt models such as entrepreneurial organization, entrepreneurial competencies, and entrepreneurial orientation in order to compete with other companies in the construction industry. J J Company is in a crisis, and it will only survive in future if the management adopts fundamental competencies of an entrepreneur including marketing competencies, technical competencies, and management competencies (Edwards, 2005). As such, the paper will examine at various organizational, financial, and marketing strategies th at J J Company needs to adopt for its future survival. Organizational Issues J J Company needs to organize itself well in terms of employees, finances, and marketing strategies. The company needs to identify and group the jobs that are to be accomplished by all the employees (Naoum, 2001). Equally, the company should define and delegate authority and responsibility and establish relationships among employees with the aim of encouraging individuals to work efficiently in accomplishing the goals of the company. According to Straton-Ferrier (2001), an organization comprises of any group of people, small or large; that cooperates under the guidance and direction of the executive leadership in attaining of specific common objectives. As such, for J J Company to survive in future, its executive leadership needs to develop an organization process and structure which identify relationships among employees and integrate each activity of the company towards a common purpose. Moore Hackett (2016), assert that an organizations structure is the only way that a company can manage to allocate its resources towards attaining its strategic objectives. To survive in future, J J Company must change its current organizational structure and develop a structure that meets its current objectives in the changing construction industry (Senior Halpin, 2013). Equally, J J Company should avoid being simple in their functions, goals, contents, and structure by adopting science and technology in their projects. In essence, the organization of the company should use technology to plan their activities, evaluate their systems, coordinate their departments, and assess their organizational behavior (Setiawan, Erdogan Ogunlana, 2015). Marketing Issues According to Fifield (2008), marketing denotes any human activity that satisfies the wants and needs of individuals through an exchange practice. J J Company should have a marketing plan that aims to make sales which can earn reasonable proceeds for the company. Additionally, J J Company must create and deliver to its customers the current and better construction materials. Since the company distributes construction material items such as parquets, wallpapers, kitchen cabinets, floor tiles and bathroom taps, it should conduct a market research to find out the exact quality of products that customers require. Then, the company should plan and develop products that would satisfy the requirements of their clients. Similarly, the marketing team should determine the best method of pricing, distributing and promoting the new products of JJ Company. Abd-Hamid, Azizan Sorooshian (2015) assert that the marketing objective of any company should be to develop a customer base that is characte rized by their needs and the organization strategies to meet those needs. Furthermore, the modern marketing concept concentrates on the customers as well as their satisfaction in order to increase the sale of products (Low, 1993). For J J Company to survive in future, it should undertake product development and planning before the real production occurs: other things such as pricing, distribution, competition, and profits are secondary. Financial Issues According to Ananthan, Appannaiah and Reddy (2010), it is essential for managers to be accountable since managerial accounting offers nonfinancial and financial information to a companys decision makers. Equally, J J Company should adopt concepts such as financial accounting which helps in reporting, collecting, and managing information that the customers demand. Due to the economic crisis that the company is facing, it is essential for the company to embrace both monetary and nonmonetary information reporting (Walaski, Rodriguez Keyes, 2015). These reporting styles will enable the company to provide financial statements that contain useful information to the managers (insiders), various employees, and other individuals interested in the organization (outsiders) (Eggers Lin, 2015). Additionally, J J Company should adopt procedures and concepts that can determine their products future costs. Equally, the finance department should develop a plan of how the company will conduct its yearly budgeting, product costing, break-even analysis, cost analysis, and profit planning. The plan will enable the managers to make informed decisions about the current and future costs of their products (Ross Williams, 2012). The predicted costs can be used in profitability analysis, product pricing, and in determining whether to buy or make a product. Conclusion Conclusively, there are many changes happening across the world that will force J J to change the way they have been conducting their businesses. Some of the changes include technological changes, where the tools, equipment, and machinery that are currently being used in the construction industry have changed. Similarly, there are changes in supply and demand, consumer tastes, and needs, as well as competition in various construction markets. Moreover, organizational changes can be as a result of political and social conditions, or the relations between businesses and government. Hence, to catch up with these changes, J J Company needs to change its marketing, organizational, and financial methods and processes. References Abd-Hamid, Z., Azizan, N. A., Sorooshian, S. (2015). Predictors for the Success and Survival of Entrepreneurs in the Construction Industry. International Journal Of Engineering Business Management, 71. Ananthan, B. R., Appannaiah, H. R., Reddy, P. N. (2010). Business Management. Mumbai [India]: Himalaya Publishing House. Edwards, L. (2005). Practical Risk Management in the Construction Industry. London: T. Telford. Eggers, J. P., Lin, S. (2015). Dealing with Failure: Serial Entrepreneurs and the Costs of Changing Industries between Ventures. Academy Of Management Journal, 58(6). Fifield, P. (2008). Marketing Strategy Masterclass. Amsterdam: Routledge. Gbadamosi, A., Nwankwo, S. (2011). Entrepreneurship Marketing: Principles and Practice of SME Marketing. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Low, S. P. (1993). Marketing Research for the Global Construction Industry. Singapore: Singapore University Press, National University of Singapore. Moore, S., Hackett, E. J. (2016). Original research article: The construction of technology and place: Concentrating solar power conflicts in the United States. Energy Research Social Science, 1167-78. Naoum, S. (2001). People and Organizational Management in Construction. London: Telford. Ross, A., Williams, P. (2012). Financial Management in Construction Contracting. Chicester: Wiley. Senior, B. A., Halpin, D. W. (2013). Financial Management and Accounting Fundamentals for Construction. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Setiawan, H., Erdogan, B., Ogunlana, S. O. (2015). Proactiveness of Contractors: A study of Indonesia. Procedia Engineering, 125(Civil Engineering Innovation for a Sustainable), 60-67. Straton-Ferrier, J. (2001). Marketing in the Construction Industry: Proceedings of the IM Construction Industry Marketing Group Meetings second series. London: Institute of Marketing. Walaski, P., Rodriguez, J. A., Keyes, C. A. (2015). Consultants Business Development Guide. Park Ridge: American Society of Safety Engineers.

A Calculating Astronaut free essay sample

I sported a vibrant orange suit and a smile that resembled a waxing crescent moon. Authentic NASA patches adorned my chest and arms. Tightening my watch and securing a flashlight around my neck, I was as official as an eight-year-old astronaut could be. Although my costume lacked a helmet, my official NASA baseball cap ensured that no one would mistake me for a race-car driver. Every moment was a chance to get more candy; I could not waste time explaining my costume. I clutched my durable yellow pumpkin bag, which I hypothesized would fit 800 pieces of candy. Mission control, I mean my mom, had donated three sweets to the haul already. I proudly strode up to my next-door neighbor’s house and knocked with authority. As I waited for Mr. Tumulo to answer, I pulled out my top-secret mission briefing and checked the first house off the list. Before leaving my house at 5:59 p. We will write a custom essay sample on A Calculating Astronaut or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page m., I had planned my Halloween route. Assuming that it would take roughly 40 seconds for adults to answer the door, 16 seconds for me to explain my costume, and 32 more seconds for the traditional Halloween inquiry, each house would take roughly two minutes. Staying on schedule would enable me to reach all 53 houses in the two hours allotted for trick-or-treating, with 14 minutes to spare. Orbiting counterclockwise from my house would limit the uphill climbs. Because of the rough terrain in my neighborhood, I planned on leaping up the hills like Neil Armstrong did as he made his first steps on the moon. Mr. Tumulo took exactly 42 seconds to answer my knock, and he immediately deposited a flashy cellophane bag filled with Halloween treasures into my pack. The night proceeded as planned, despite underestimating how gravity would affect my baggy pants, which slowed me down considerably. After finally returning to mission control, I emptied my tote and my dad’s pockets onto the dining room table, and the real work commenced. From one of my many pockets, I pulled out my notepad and began to record my findings. Although the 14 mini Starburst packets beckoned me, in the name of science and mathematics, I had to complete the mission before I tasted victory. I tallied each and every piece of candy, then created a bar graph to visually represent the success of my collecting. (Note: I left the Almond Joys and other dark chocolate candies out of my calculations because I let my dad have those.) Although I have not been trick-or-treating in many years, my methodical persona remains. Working meticulously, managing time efficiently, communicating well with others, and thinking analytically are ingrained in my DNA. Instead of planning my October 31st mission, I now plan quarterly events for the Latin Club. I traded in candy-cataloguing for graphing and analyzing how my school may benefit from reusable trays in place of styrofoam ones. Instead of seeking to educate my neighbors about my costume, I build relationships with new students at my school as a Student Ambassador. An engineer applies science and math to solve problems. Viewing the world through the lens of a mathematical equation, engineers seek to explain it by applying the scientific method. The methodologies employed in my youth helped me sharpen my ability to make inquiries and search for solutions. As I think about the traits that define me, my precision and determination in the face of challenges illustrate that, truly, I was born to be an engineer.

A Calculating Astronaut free essay sample

I sported a vibrant orange suit and a smile that resembled a waxing crescent moon. Authentic NASA patches adorned my chest and arms. Tightening my watch and securing a flashlight around my neck, I was as official as an eight-year-old astronaut could be. Although my costume lacked a helmet, my official NASA baseball cap ensured that no one would mistake me for a race-car driver. Every moment was a chance to get more candy; I could not waste time explaining my costume. I clutched my durable yellow pumpkin bag, which I hypothesized would fit 800 pieces of candy. Mission control, I mean my mom, had donated three sweets to the haul already. I proudly strode up to my next-door neighbor’s house and knocked with authority. As I waited for Mr. Tumulo to answer, I pulled out my top-secret mission briefing and checked the first house off the list. Before leaving my house at 5:59 p. We will write a custom essay sample on A Calculating Astronaut or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page m., I had planned my Halloween route. Assuming that it would take roughly 40 seconds for adults to answer the door, 16 seconds for me to explain my costume, and 32 more seconds for the traditional Halloween inquiry, each house would take roughly two minutes. Staying on schedule would enable me to reach all 53 houses in the two hours allotted for trick-or-treating, with 14 minutes to spare. Orbiting counterclockwise from my house would limit the uphill climbs. Because of the rough terrain in my neighborhood, I planned on leaping up the hills like Neil Armstrong did as he made his first steps on the moon. Mr. Tumulo took exactly 42 seconds to answer my knock, and he immediately deposited a flashy cellophane bag filled with Halloween treasures into my pack. The night proceeded as planned, despite underestimating how gravity would affect my baggy pants, which slowed me down considerably. After finally returning to mission control, I emptied my tote and my dad’s pockets onto the dining room table, and the real work commenced. From one of my many pockets, I pulled out my notepad and began to record my findings. Although the 14 mini Starburst packets beckoned me, in the name of science and mathematics, I had to complete the mission before I tasted victory. I tallied each and every piece of candy, then created a bar graph to visually represent the success of my collecting. (Note: I left the Almond Joys and other dark chocolate candies out of my calculations because I let my dad have those.) Although I have not been trick-or-treating in many years, my methodical persona remains. Working meticulously, managing time efficiently, communicating well with others, and thinking analytically are ingrained in my DNA. Instead of planning my October 31st mission, I now plan quarterly events for the Latin Club. I traded in candy-cataloguing for graphing and analyzing how my school may benefit from reusable trays in place of styrofoam ones. Instead of seeking to educate my neighbors about my costume, I build relationships with new students at my school as a Student Ambassador. An engineer applies science and math to solve problems. Viewing the world through the lens of a mathematical equation, engineers seek to explain it by applying the scientific method. The methodologies employed in my youth helped me sharpen my ability to make inquiries and search for solutions. As I think about the traits that define me, my precision and determination in the face of challenges illustrate that, truly, I was born to be an engineer.

A Calculating Astronaut free essay sample

I sported a vibrant orange suit and a smile that resembled a waxing crescent moon. Authentic NASA patches adorned my chest and arms. Tightening my watch and securing a flashlight around my neck, I was as official as an eight-year-old astronaut could be. Although my costume lacked a helmet, my official NASA baseball cap ensured that no one would mistake me for a race-car driver. Every moment was a chance to get more candy; I could not waste time explaining my costume. I clutched my durable yellow pumpkin bag, which I hypothesized would fit 800 pieces of candy. Mission control, I mean my mom, had donated three sweets to the haul already. I proudly strode up to my next-door neighbor’s house and knocked with authority. As I waited for Mr. Tumulo to answer, I pulled out my top-secret mission briefing and checked the first house off the list. Before leaving my house at 5:59 p. We will write a custom essay sample on A Calculating Astronaut or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page m., I had planned my Halloween route. Assuming that it would take roughly 40 seconds for adults to answer the door, 16 seconds for me to explain my costume, and 32 more seconds for the traditional Halloween inquiry, each house would take roughly two minutes. Staying on schedule would enable me to reach all 53 houses in the two hours allotted for trick-or-treating, with 14 minutes to spare. Orbiting counterclockwise from my house would limit the uphill climbs. Because of the rough terrain in my neighborhood, I planned on leaping up the hills like Neil Armstrong did as he made his first steps on the moon. Mr. Tumulo took exactly 42 seconds to answer my knock, and he immediately deposited a flashy cellophane bag filled with Halloween treasures into my pack. The night proceeded as planned, despite underestimating how gravity would affect my baggy pants, which slowed me down considerably. After finally returning to mission control, I emptied my tote and my dad’s pockets onto the dining room table, and the real work commenced. From one of my many pockets, I pulled out my notepad and began to record my findings. Although the 14 mini Starburst packets beckoned me, in the name of science and mathematics, I had to complete the mission before I tasted victory. I tallied each and every piece of candy, then created a bar graph to visually represent the success of my collecting. (Note: I left the Almond Joys and other dark chocolate candies out of my calculations because I let my dad have those.) Although I have not been trick-or-treating in many years, my methodical persona remains. Working meticulously, managing time efficiently, communicating well with others, and thinking analytically are ingrained in my DNA. Instead of planning my October 31st mission, I now plan quarterly events for the Latin Club. I traded in candy-cataloguing for graphing and analyzing how my school may benefit from reusable trays in place of styrofoam ones. Instead of seeking to educate my neighbors about my costume, I build relationships with new students at my school as a Student Ambassador. An engineer applies science and math to solve problems. Viewing the world through the lens of a mathematical equation, engineers seek to explain it by applying the scientific method. The methodologies employed in my youth helped me sharpen my ability to make inquiries and search for solutions. As I think about the traits that define me, my precision and determination in the face of challenges illustrate that, truly, I was born to be an engineer.

The Stanford Prison Experiment Essays - Psychology, Conformity

The Stanford Prison Experiment Essays - Psychology, Conformity The Stanford Prison Experiment "Evil is knowing better, but willingly doing worse." (Philip Zimbardo) Amongst various famous psychological experiments exist a few infamous and terrifying psychological experiments. Psychologist Philip Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment of 1971 involved 24 innocent, middle-class men and countless acts of dehumanization and brutality. This experiment took place in a mock prison in a basement of Stanford University in Stanford, California. The Stanford Prison Experiment was a study of the psychological effects of becoming a prisoner. This was a touching experiment because it showed how an environment manipulates good-natured people and gets them to commit unforgiving acts. Zimbardo wanted to show what happened when individuality and dignity was stripped away from humans. He wanted to know how individuals would feel if their lives were completely controlled. Zimbardo wanted to investigate the impact of situational variables on human behavior. Zimbardo's aim was to bring forth the reactions of both, the participants and the guards. The experiment included two main variables: assigned roles and changes in behavior. Assigned roles were known to be independent variables. Prisoners were picked up from their homes. Upon reaching the mock prison, the jailbirds were thoroughly searched and fingerprinted. After the jailbirds were dressed in smocks with no underclothes, they were placed in holding cells. In addition, they were given identification numbers and were forbidden to use names. In contrast, the guards were given no special training. Guards had the free right to do whatever necessary to maintain law and order and command respect. The so-called protectors were dressed in identical uniforms, carried whistles and batons, and they wore mirrored sunglasses to make themselves appear less human. The dependent variables were the changes in behavior. Prisoners rebelled by removing their stocking caps, scratching off their numbers, and barricading themselves in cells. After at least 36 hours of the experiment, the pri soners were emotionally disturbed and were crying uncontrollably with rage. Thus, the initially two-week planned experiment was called off after just six days. On the other hand, guards forced prisoners to perform exercises. The guards sprayed prisoners with fire extinguishers, and stripped their prisoners naked. The security officers who were to maintain peace and protect their prisoners promoted aggression between inmates and forced prisoners to defecate in buckets instead of toilets. In addition, they forced prisoners to clean toilets with their bare hands. The researchers created a mock prison in the basement of Stanford University and randomly assigned people as prisoners or guards to note their reactions. Advertisements were placed in local newspapers, offering "$15 a day to participate" (Zimbardo 2) in the experiment. Only "24 male subjects, physically and mentally healthy" (Zimbardo 2), were chosen as the participants of the experiment. Prior to being selected, the participants were randomly divided into two groups; there were 12 prisoners and 12 guards. The Palo Alto Police of Palo Alto, California, "Agreed to arrest' the prisoners" (Zimbardo 2). The prisoners were treated like real-life suspects. They had their rights read and fingerprints taken. Zimbardo acted as the warden for the duration of the experiment. He informed the guards that the guards were expected to abide only one rule: no physical punishment was allowed. Other than that one rule, guards were to do what pleased them best. The guards addressed prisoners by the c aptives' identification numbers. Prisoners had a small chain around one ankle to remind them that they were inmates. Conditions were tough throughout the experiment. Prisoners were supplied with basic sleeping mattresses and simple food. Throughout the experiment, Zimbardo acted as a spectator as well as an observer and note taker. Data collected was both quantitative and qualitative. Video recording equipment was placed behind an observation screen. Within days, the guards became sadistic and the prisoners were recipients of countless beatings and emotional breakdown. A few participants were released early because of extreme stress. Zimbardo continued to overlook the abusive behavior of the prison guards. That is, until "A new assistant professor at the University of California at Berkeley" (Zimbardo 3), Christina Maslach, voiced objections to the conditions of the prison and the continuation of the experiment. The simulation became so real that the experiment had to be shut down a fter only six days rather than the

MGT DISCUSSION QUESTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MGT DISCUSSION QUESTION - Essay Example Informal work groups if well taken care of in an organisation can help in achieving not only the group’s goals but also management objectives. This is because meeting the group’s social needs will provide the necessary security that will motivate them to meet their company targets. Removing production obstacles is one way of getting an informal group, work. This is quite effective as far as I know. I once worked as a supervisor in one of the export processing zone companies, where I came in touch with an informal work groups. A major concern arose, where their leader confronted me with two issues. The first one was poor working conditions such as employees staying in the cooling rooms for more than four hours without a break and with nothing hot to drink. The second was on material shortages, which made them, do a lot of overtime without pay. I had to face management on their behalf with the issues at hand. Changes were implemented and employees were released on breaks to have some snacks with tea provided by the employer. In addition, the company increased the number of employees supplying materials to my team and I saw great productivity in the next months I worked in that