Much Ado About Nothing : Acts: I & II

Benedick’s Soliloquy on ideal woman: (2.3.20-27) In Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing Benedick, a romantic young Lord in Padua, is head over shoulders in love with Beatrice, Leonato’s niece. A moment ago he satirized the â€Å"fantastical† behavior of Claudius in love. As he readies himself for love, he contemplates the sterling qualities he seeks in his love lady. He desires her to be the embodiment of all rare virtues admired by men. He would not buy her unless she is â€Å"fair†, â€Å"wise† and â€Å"virtuous†. Furthermore, she needs to be â€Å"rich†, and â€Å"mild†, and   Ã¢â‚¬Å"noble†. He also expects her to be   a brilliant conversationalist as well as an â€Å"excellent musician†. Benedick goes about choosing his woman as a fastidious buyer go bargaining for the best property at lowest price. This speech is meant to provide fun and mirth to the audience; but it also demonstrates the male attitude of regarding women as property. If he succeeds, then he would be in possession of a gem of a woman, and could go about boasting of   his prize catch. We are indeed prone to laugh at such acquisitiveness. The commodification of woman is also deplorable. She has to be tailor-made with all virtues stitched in to satisfy the male ego. It is a folly for Benedick that he rules out the possibility   that if such a perfect woman existed at all , she might   not choose him. Benedick’s reaction to hearing that Beatrice is secretly in love with him: (2.3.181-213):2 paras. On her husband like qualities. On why he is so easily duped by his friends. In the speech following the trap   set by Pedro, Claudio and Leanato, Benedict starts behaving like a very compromising lover who is willing to bury past   his antagonism with Beatrice. As suggested by Pedro, Benedick begins his introspection – self-examination to improve his chances of being a good and worthy husband. Like a repentant lover and future husband he feels he has unfairly treated the fair Beatrice, and her love â€Å"must be requited†. (2.3.216) He also decides that he â€Å"must not seem proud.† (2.3.220). He concludes that she is fair, virtuous and wise for having fallen in love with him. He has now grown wise to listen to people’s criticism which would lead to the improvement of his personality. For having so long opposing and railing against marriage, he makes a 180 degree turn and pledges to â€Å"be horribly in love with her.† (2.3.226) He further argues that he must break his vow of celibacy so that â€Å"the world must be peopled.†(2.3.233). Being conditioned and brainwashed by Leanato, Pedro and Claudio he now discovers â€Å"some marks of love in her.†(2.3.236)His conclusion – â€Å"I am a villain; if I do not love her.† (2.3.253) – is a proof of his delusion. In this speech Benedick recapitulates after eavesdropping the mock-serious conversations of Claudio, Pedro and Leanato who aver that Beatrice is dying for his love, but   is too modest â€Å"to wear her heart out first.† (2.3.195) What he so long regarded â€Å" a gull† now has become veritable truth; as he says, â€Å"This can be no trick: the conference was sadly borne.† Like the typical lover with   Ã¢â‚¬Å"imagination   all compact†, he is duped by the   prank played by Pedro and Claudio. He is unable to see through the â€Å"sport† to mislead both   the proud lovers to hold â€Å"an opinion of another’s dotage.† (2.3.208) The old and the experienced Prince and Governor are successful in manipulating the romantic but arrogant lovers to confess their love and overcome their egoes. All Beatrice’s objections like â€Å"Against my will† and forcing her on â€Å"knife’s point †¦to choke a daw withal.† (2.3.246) are romantically interpreted as signs of love. Benedick’s behavior does confirm Shakespeare’s view of lover in Midsummer Night’s Dream: â€Å"The   lunatic, the lover and the poet/Are of   imagination all compact.† (Midsummer, 5.1.7) Their wild imagination hardly resembles the reality. Qualities I like in a man or woman. Do I choose any qualities admired by Benedick? Why? Or why not? The qualities I like in a man are tenderness, affection, and a capacity for enduring relationship. He must not treat woman as a prized possession for his personal benefit; but treat her as an equal partner. The qualities admired by Benedick are male ego-centric and would not satisfy any modern woman. â€Å"Wise†, â€Å"noble† and â€Å"mild† are admirable qualities in male as well   female spouse. Some intellectual qualities like brilliant conversationalist and excellent musician are   welcome personality traits, but not a necessity. But â€Å"rich† indicates love of wealth and dowry which often creates problems in marital life. Benedick gives the impression of a customer with a shopping list of virtues rather than a lover. To match his list a woman has to be perfect. No woman would like such an exacting husband. Work Cited: Craig, W.J.(ed.),   Shakespeare: Complete Works. London. O.U.P. 1974   

Kellogg’s Risk Assessment Essay

Many inventions are discovered by accident and that is the case of Kellogg’s. In 1898, W.K Kellogg and his brother Dr. John Harvey Kellogg attempted at making granola and failed but their failure led to flaked corn which then became Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. Kellogg’s Company engages in the manufacture and marketing of ready-to-eat cereal and convenience foods. The company’s success is due to the continuous improvement in the product line to adapt to changes in consumers’ taste. The company’s purpose is to do more than simply offer products beneficial to the consumers. The company is always seeking ideas to improve the customer’s experience of consuming the product through the packaging, graphics, and labels. Kellogg’s’ vision is to â€Å"enrich† and offer products that are more environmentally friendly and satisfy the world through foods that matter. Kellogg’s’ activities in the United States are subject to regulations. Some of the government agencies that regulate Kellogg’s include the Food and Drug Administration, Federal Trade Commission and the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce and Labor. The company’s facilities are subject to various U.S. and foreign, federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding the release of material into the environment and the protection of the environment in other ways. Kellogg’s has an Emerging Issues Team that helps keep their Executive Leadership Team up-to-date of evolving health, nutrition and food safety issues that could potentially impact the consumers and business. In addition, the Crisis Incident Management Team evaluates and manages incidents that can have a high impact on the business such as natural disasters, product recalls and health epidemics. Kellogg’s has a Social Responsibility and Public Policy Committee whose duty is to oversee all aspects of their corporate responsibility approach. The audit Committee is composed of four non-management Directors and they meet with management, internal auditors, and the independent registered public accounting firm to review accounting, internal control, auditing and financial reporting matters. To help prevent fraud and other unethical practices, the board and senior management set the â€Å"tone at the top†. It is important for the company to have a corporate culture that promotes ethical conduct. Kellogg’s has an Office of Ethics and Business Conduct that clarifies company policy or reporting issues related to ethics and business conduct. The Ethics Office provides online training and basic information on legal and regulatory requirements, policies and standards of the Global Code of Ethics. Each year the employees are given a questionnaire that asks about information of relationships or activities that may lead to a conflict of interest and about any known violation of policies or practices. The ethics office support the internal controls that are put into place to ensure employees obey the personal and professional standards. The internal audit program evaluates the appropriateness and effectiveness of these internal controls. In order to have a better understanding of the company’s financials, the ratios give an insight as to how the company is doing compared to the industry. The current ratio can give a sense of the efficiency of a company’s operating cycle or its ability to turn its product into cash. Kellogg’s’ current ratio of .7 compared to the industry ratio of 1.2 suggests that the company would be unable to pay off its obligations if they came due at that point. Companies that have trouble getting paid on their receivables or have long inventory turnover can run into liquidity problems because they are unable to alleviate their obligations. When comparing Kellogg’s’ return on assets ratio of 8 to the industry’s ratio of 10.8, we see that Kellogg’s is not being too effective in converting money it has to invest into net income. Management needs to make clever choices in allocating its resources so that they can make a large profit with little investment. As for the company’s inventory turnover of 6.8 compared to the industry average of 2.9, the ratio shows that Kellogg’s has greater sales efficiency and a lower risk of loss through un-saleable stock. Kellogg faces a potential risk with their long-term debt. Kellogg’s’ long-term debt to equity ratio of 2.49 compared to the industry’s average of .68 indicates that the company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in unstable earnings as a result of the additional interest expense if the company cannot maintain lower interest rates on their long-term debt. The long-term debt from 2010 went from 4,908 million to 5,037 million in 2011. On February 15, 2012 Kellogg’s’ entered into an agreement to acquire Pringles, owned by Procter & Gamble’s, for $2.695 billion. The purchase comes with some risks for Kellogg’s shareholders since the transaction is intended to be funded by international cash and issuance of about $2 billion of short and long-term debt. The company’s strategy to pay down the debt requires limiting share repurchases to employee option exercises for the next two years. To ensure that the employees provide long-term performance, the company uses stock-based compensation, including stock options, restricted stock and executive performance shares. When comparing the operating profit from 2010 of $1,990 million to 2011 operating profit of $1,976 million, there is a decline which was negatively impacted by the supply chain investments and reestablishment of the incentive compensation program as a result of the company’s strong pay-for-performance orientation. The table below shows the $6.4 million increase in key executive compensation from 2010 to 2011. The increase is mainly due to salary increase and restricted stock award and securities options increase. The management compensation plan that is tied to profit results may cause management to provide erroneous numbers. It seems today everyone is going â€Å"green† and therefore consumers are paying close attention to how their food is made and where it is sourced. With that in mind, Kellogg’s has begun to use only sustainably grown palm oil in Europe. The company has invested in Green Pal sustainable palm oil certificates to encourage the expansion of more responsible palm oil farms. Kellogg’s’ faces a challenge in addressing the growing concern against destructive agricultural practices that has alarmed many companies into ensuring their ingredients are environmentally friendly. Kellogg’s’ faces growing urgency as more consumers shy away from products containing palm oil if they cannot verify the source. Kellogg’s’ has to keep up with the â€Å"green† mentality and do what it takes to educate their consumers about their environmentally friendly products. In conclusion, Kellogg’s appears to be an acceptable client. There are several areas of the company that require attention for example the long-term debt and the acquisition of Pringles. Also, going â€Å"green† is an issue that can be challenging to the company since they have to address the concern against destructive agricultural practices. Overall, I look forward to working with Kellogg Company and being of assistance. WORKS CITED Kaye, Leon. â€Å"Kellogg’s Commits to Sustainable Agriculture and Water Stewardship.† 24 April 2012. 18 Jan. 2013. < http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/04/kelloggs-sustainable- agriculture-water-stewardship-2011-corporate-responsibility-report/>. â€Å"Kellogg Company† DailyFinance. 17 Jan. 2013 . â€Å"Kellogg Company.† Morningstar. 18 Jan. 2013 . Kellogg’s. 2012. 18 Jan. 2013

Proposal to Review How Previous Instances of Global Financial Crises Assignment

Proposal to Review How Previous Instances of Global Financial Crises can be used to Forecast Developing Financial Crisis - Assignment Example These can be used to analyse how such crises could be avoided. This proposal includes detailed descriptions of my methodology for collecting data, schedule for the review as well as my relevant qualifications that make me well suited to this job. Justification of Review The twentieth century witnessed its first financial crisis early within the first quarter. Consequently, the world drifted into another greater war in an effort to gather enough fiscal resources to claim complete financial independence. (Friedman and Scwartz) The financial imbroglio is considered to have emerged as a result of loose ended banking policies. Multiple symptoms were experienced before the financial crisis in the shape of minor fiscal hiccups such as the New York Stock Exchange Crash of 1901, the banking panic of 1907, the panic of 1910-11 and the Shanghai rubber stock market crisis. (Bernanke) The final manifestation came through in the form of the Wall Street Crash of 1929 which crossed the Atlantic and caused militant ideologies to spring up throughout Europe. Consequently, the Second World War broke out which plunged the entire world into untold misery and conflict. This major upheaval was followed closely by the oil crisis of 1973 that was brought about by OPEC in response to the stock market crash of 1973-74. This crisis was followed closely by a scramble for the Middle East which has had far reaching consequences as authoritarian rules sprung up and fuelled militancy. It would not be an exaggeration to relate that the attacks on American soil on September 11, 2001 had roots in the oil crisis and its consequences. Moreover, the oil crisis of 1973 redefined the ways in which consumption patterns were organised. The escalation of oil prices encouraged the use of more efficient vehicles and promoted a drive towards more sustainable forms of energy such as LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). (Eichengreen) Other than the financial crisis listed above, South America saw the development of a debt crisis that soon engulfed the region. The problem began with the â€Å"Mexican Weekend† bank default in 1982 that served as a catalyst for the entire region’s banking systems to crash. The resulting imbroglio witnessed the Latin American debt crisis that forced these already marginalised nations to cut further spending on social development programs. Consequently, the eighties and nineties played host to the development of large drug cartels and mafias that employed the scores on unemployed youth. The resulting struggle in South America left scores dead and saw drug trafficking to the First World increase by leaps and bounds. Names such as Pablo Escobar became legends by becoming philanthropists out of drug money while millions of youth spoiled their lives around the globe using the same drugs. The onset of the nineties saw the development of financial crisis in both the United States and Japan. The high point of financial crises culminated when Japan was hit b y the 1997 stock market crash. Large names such as Casio and Yamaha defaulted and Japans’ position as the prime producer of precision goods declined. However, the financial crisis did not limit itself to Japan but spread to other parts of Asia and caused a storm of devaluations to take place. This was followed closely by the Russian financial crisis of 1998 that saw the government weakened to an extent that it could not pay off pays for its employees. Large banks collapsed and mafias

Ethics and the Criminal Justice Profession Case Study

Ethics and the Criminal Justice Profession - Case Study Example He fails to document this information." (Rothlein, 2007). This case shows that evidence has been discarded that may or may not affect the case. It is not within the bounds of the detective to determine that. All evidence must be disclosed. This case essentially tells how important the Brady v Maryland case is in the everyday job of the police officer or investigator. This in many ways is a difficult question to answer. No one wants to be held to a higher standard than those around them. However, I again quote the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. In paragraph two it says: "I will keep my private life unsullied, as an example to all: I will be exempletory in obeying the laws of the land and the regulations of my department."(Law Enforcement Code of Ethics). If we do not hold the police officer at a higher standard than what might that affect when it comes time to prosecute a criminal If the arresting officer is known to indulge in drug abuse off duty and then arrests someone for doing the same while on duty, how does he justify that Because it is the law.

Plant biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Plant biology - Essay Example HGT is observed mainly between prokaryotes (single-celled organisms) like bacteria but also can be in Eukaryotes (protists, fungi, plants, animals, humans) to a lesser extent. HGT was first described by Ochiai et al. in 1959, in relation to transfer of antibiotic resistance between different bacterial species. Thereafter many scientists have studied and discussed about this phenomenon and now it is accepted that HGT is not a rare event and what is present in the biological world today is not a result of vertical gene transmission alone but also of HGT. Biological kingdom of earth can be categorized into three domains as bacteria, archea and eukaryotes. During vertical gene transmission, genetic information exchange between members of these domains is restricted to closely-related organisms with homologous DNA sequences. Therefore the ancestry of an organism could be traced back by analyzing their DNA and individuals with similar gene sequences can be grouped together to construct the evolutionary pathway. However, as HGT can transfer genes across wide phylogenetic distances, this picture become obscure. The phylogenetic tree of life (Figure 1) which present the relationship among different biological taxa is thus complicated by HGT as numerous interconnecting branches became obvious due to the presence of homologous DNA sequences in distantly-related organisms (Simonson et al.). Transfer of genes between different biological kingdoms, such as between eucaryotes and bacteria, or between bacteria and insects are some extreme cases of gene exchange between wide phylogenetic distances. An example is the presence of bacterial 'rol' genes from Agrobacterium species in tobacco (Nicotiniana) plants (Intrieri and Buiatti). Figure 1. Phylogenetic tree of life as proposed by Carl Woese In vertical gene transmission, genetic variability of a species mainly arises during meiosis by recombination of genes. According to Mendal’s law of inheritance, alleles of different genes assort independently during gamete formation and thereby produce novel gene combinations which in turn generate variability. Mutations, which are the random changes of gene sequence of a DNA strand, are considered as an error in the vertical gene transmission process. It can happen as a point mutation, chromosomal duplication, breaking and rearrangement of chromosomes and addition or deletion of chromosomes. When such mutant is passed down to the next generation, it is not a mutant anymore, but a variant or a novel type. The variants who survive according to Darwin’s theory of â€Å"survival of the fittest†, subsequently pass the novel characters to their offspring by sexual or asexual reproduction. HGT however, is not a mutation and is not involved in gamete formation or sexual reproduction. It moves transposable elements between distantly-related or unrelated genomes and thereby intervenes in the process of evolution by originating different cell types and cre ating variants in its own way. Two hypotheses are presented here as ‘Continual horizontal transfer hypothesis’ and ‘Early massive horizontal transfer hypothesis.’ (Jain, Rivera and Lake). According to the ‘Continual horizontal transfer hypothesis’, HGT is a continuous process during prokaryotic evolution whereas in the ‘Early massive horizontal transfer hypothesis’, a massive exchange of a few operational genes (genes involved in

Personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Personal Statement Example It is my belief that working hard and aiming higher is the key to successful. Other short courses include HP Certificate in Photography obtained in the year 2007. I have successfully completed a non- academic course in Germany language and academic courses in French. I complicated a two-week Translation Course in Media under the Saudi Gazette (George Mason University, 2012). The following is my educational background. Between 2008 and 2009, I studied MA Psycholinguistics and Neurolinguistics in Essex University, Colchester in the United Kingdom. I achieved my diploma in Italian Language in The Italian Consulate Jeddah in Saudi Arabia between 2005 and 2007. Finally, I attained my BA in English Literature and Linguistics in the University of King Abdulaziz, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia in the period between 2002 and 2007. I have learned computer and gained knowledge in various computer packages including SPSS, PowerPoint, Internet, MS Word, MS Excel as well as English and Arabic typing skill s. Based on the knowledge and skills that I have acquired I am in a position to handle complicated issues which require application of such skills (George Mason University, 2012). I have work experience from different institutions. In the period between July 2005 and August 2005, I worked as English tutor in the Saudi Cultural Centre, Jeddah where I taught English from level one to five. Apart from teaching, I was in charge of different activities like using computer labs for the purposes of learning computer. I also taught English in the same college between July and August 2006 still holding the same responsibilities. Between august and September 2006, I worked in the Advanced System Company, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. My role was to translate the contracts of the company from English to Arabic language. Lastly, I worked for AlHayet Newspapers, Jeddah at the customer service. My role was to receive and call back the newspaper customers in addition to filling questions and settling an y disputes which may arise (George Mason University, 2012). Apart from working for to earn something, I have gained experience through voluntary work. I worked as a librarian in the special Library for Linguistics in the University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom. This took place between the months of February and June 2008. My duties involved helping students and teachers open accounts, recording down books which have been borrowed, helping borrowers in making the choice of books which would be of great help to them, putting the books in order and finally making follow-ups of books which have not been returned. I worked for The Child Legal Center, University of Essex as a translator of English into Arabic language between the months of February and May 2008.My duty was to translate legal articles from English to Arabic language so that they can be traced for on-line use (George Mason University, 2010). My hobbies include watching all kinds of movies. I am especially more inter ested in watching comedies, drama, documentaries and novel-based movies. I am also interested in understanding the history of Russia, America, Britain, Greece and Roman. In order to achieve the goals I and some other colleagues have formed groups to discuss books which document the history of those countries. From 2008, we have been meeting once in a month for that purpose. The group is mainly formed by academic

Green Street Hooligans Film Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Green Street Hooligans Film Review - Essay Example The first setting is the university, Harvard University. This college offers educational services to students. It is portrayed as a respectful environment that encourages students to be morally upright. This would be the reason that made Matt be expelled from the institution. He was found in possession of a classmate’s drugs. He is 'therefore' expelled wrongly. Harvard University portrays the learning institutions as being a decent place that mold characters of various students. This place is strict, and any breaking of rules would lead to expulsion. This was made Matt be expelled wrongly even without proper investigation to determine the source or the owner of the drugs. This act would be an example of a loophole that exists in institutions that have strict rules and regulations. In an effort to run away or avoid his parents, Matt takes flight to London to visit his sister who is married to Steve. This gives the film its second setting. This setting is based in London. Moreov er, the London setting encompasses a wide range of settings. From home, Matt goes to the pub where he drinks with colleagues. He goes on to watch a football match and later finds himself in the streets of a city in London where he is involved in a serious fight. This setting in London would be classified into three, the pubs, the football pitch and the streets where fighting occurs. In London that Matt joins a ‘Crew’ that are gangs which would be unofficial and are associated with various football teams. Matt joins new friends who drink a lot, smoke and use vulgar language. This would be associated with football fans in England in support of their teams (Rhodes). The pub where Matt goes to drink indicates a social place where people gather to drink or have their time just before going for football matches. The pubs within England are portrayed as being harbors of hooligans. It would also be reflected as an immoral place that encompasses chaos and evil company. This make s Matt a different person from what he was during his college time. He would now sing rousing within the streets of London. The other setting is the football pitch where fan gather to support their teams. This portrays a football culture in England where fans support their teams. This reflects a culture that is acceptable and has been practiced in England for a long time. The event itself is legitimate or moral, but the activities associated with it thereafter may be ugly. This is what happened in the case of Matt after the football match ended. The enemy team fans were up in arms against each other. This led to serious fights that involved Matt within friends against the fans of the enemy team in the streets. The football game is portrayed as an activity that aggravates hatred and hostility among team fans. Fans drink before going to the pitch to get psyched up so that they can cheer their teams. At times, cheering would affect the result of the game, and this would lead to shoutin g at each other. The result would be a serious fight as in the case of Matt and friends. Although he was initially afraid of violence, through drinking he soon becomes desensitized to Elite gang (Rhodes). The streets have been portrayed as places where fighting takes place. They are evil places that involve blood shedding. In this context, they would reflect dangerous area associated with hooligans, shouting, vulgar language, and painful experiences. This would be the reason why Shannon, her sister is worried and her husband

Legal and Political Aspects in Public Education Essay

Legal and Political Aspects in Public Education - Essay Example CAPE 18 requires that the principal implements strictly the federal, state, and local laws within the learning environment. In this accord, the principal must ensure that the members of staff strictly adhere to the curriculum set by the law. While laws are crucial in ensuring that the teachers have a framework within which to operate, there is evidence that strictness within the learning environment hinders educators’ creativity, which is crucial for modern learning environment. In this light, while laws within the learning environment are crucial to induce ethical behavior and maintain learning standards, they hinder staff creativity. As more laws become part of the learning environment, it becomes crucial to understand their impacts on public education. Over the years, the government has revised its laws that govern public education. The California Administrator performance Expectations is one of the laws that provide guidelines on how the public education staff should conduct themselves within the learning. In CAPE 18, Implementing California Schools Laws, Guidelines and Other Relevant Federal, State and Local Requirements and Regulations, provides guidelines for school heads. This article requires that principals ensure that the staff members remain within the curriculum framework while delivering services in public education. Secondly, it requires that principals maintain high ethical standards while recruiting and dismissing staff. Besides, the principal must ensure that school practices and procedures meet legal maintenance, health, and safety requirements within the learning environment. The implication of this section was that the principals ensure strict implementation of federal, local, and state laws that pertain to education. The law ensures that all staff members work within the legal framework (Catano & Stronge, 2006). Therefore, the law does not admit any diversion from the law, as this would be misconduct

Business ethics Essay Example for Free

Business ethics Essay The quandary people find themselves in when they have to decide if they should act in a way that might help another person or group, and is the â€Å"right† thing to do, even though doing so might not be in their own self-interest. A dilemma may also arise when a person has to decide between two different courses of action, knowing that whichever course he or she chooses will result in harm to one person or group even though it may benefit another. The ethical dilemma here is to decide which course of action is the â€Å"lesser of two evils. † Suppose we see a person being mugged in the street. How will we behave? Will we act in some way to help even though you risk being hurt? Will we walk away? Perhaps we might adopt a â€Å"middle-of-the-road approach† and not intervene but call the police instead? Does the way we act depend on whether the person being mugged is a fit male, an elderly person, or even a street person? Does it depend on whether there are other people around, so we can tell ourselves, â€Å"Oh well, someone else will help or call the police. I don’t need to†? People often know they are confronting an ethical dilemma when their moral scruples come into play and cause them to hesitate, debate, and reflect upon the â€Å"rightness† or â€Å"goodness† of a course of action. Moral scruples are thoughts and feelings that tell a person what is right or wrong; they are a part of a person’s ethics. Ethics Ethics are the inner-guiding moral principles, values, and beliefs people use to analyze a situation and decide what is â€Å"right. † At the same time, ethics also indicate what inappropriate behavior is and how a person should behave to avoid doing harm to another person. Ethics is that study or discipline which concerns itself with judgments of approval and disapproval, judgments as to the rightness or wrongness, goodness or badness, virtue or vice, desirability or wisdom of actions, dispositions, ends, objects, or states of affairs. There are two main directions which this study may take. It may concern itself with a psychological or sociological analysis and explanation of our ethical judgments, showing what our approvals and disapprovals consist in and why we approve or disapprove what we do. Or it may concern itself with establishing or recommending certain courses of action, ends, or ways of life as to be taken or pursued, either as right or as good or as virtuous or as wise, as over against others which are wrong, bad, vicious, or foolish. The essential problem in dealing with ethical issues, and thus solving moral dilemmas, is that there are no absolute or indisputable rules or principles that can be developed to decide if an action is ethical or unethical. Put simply, different people or groups may dispute which actions are ethical or unethical depending on their own personal self-interest and specific attitudes, beliefs, and values. Ethical Behavior It is one thing to decide, in theory, that being ethical is good; in practice, it can be much more difficult to make the right decisions. Many people feel the same way about ethics—that somehow, instinctively, they know what is right and wrong. In real life, however, ethical dilemmas are often not black and white, but many shades of gray. The following ethics checklist will aid to managers in making tough decisions: †¢ What are the facts? †¢ What are the critical issues? †¢ Who are the stakeholders? †¢ What are the alternatives? †¢ What are the ethical implications of each alternative? †¢ Is it legal? †¢ How would it look in the light of day? †¢ What are the consequences? †¢ Does it violate important values? †¢ What kind of world would this be if everyone behaved this way? †¢ Is more than one alternative right? †¢ Which values are in conflict? †¢ Which of these values are most important? †¢ Can you find an alternative that is consistent with your values? What Are the Facts? Although this question seems obvious, people often forget in the heat of battle to listen to (and, more importantly, to hear) all the different viewpoints. Instead of relying on hearsay and rumor, it is crucial to discover the facts, firsthand, from the people involved. There is always another side to the story. What Are the Critical Issues? In analyzing ethical dilemmas, expand your thinking to include all the important issues. Avoid a narrow focus that encompasses only one or two aspects. Who Are the Stakeholders? Stakeholders are all the people potentially affected by the decision. That list might include subordinates, bosses, shareholders, suppliers, customers, members of the community in which the business operates, society as a whole, or even more remote stakeholders, such as future generations. The interests of these stakeholders often conflict. Current shareholders may benefit from a company’s decision to manufacture a product that contributes to global warming, while future generations are left to contend with a potential environmental nightmare. What Are the Alternatives? The next step is to list the reasonable alternatives. A creative manager may find a clever solution that is a winner for everyone. What Are the Ethical Implications of Each Alternative? Is the Alternative Legal? Illegal may not always be synonymous with unethical, but, as a general rule, you need to think long and hard about the ethics of any illegal activities. How Would the Alternative Look in the Light of Day? If your activities were reported on the evening news, how would you feel? Proud? Embarrassed? Horrified? What Are the Consequences of This Alternative? Ask yourself: Am I hurting anyone by this decision? Which alternative will cause the greatest good (or the least harm) to the most people? For example, you would like to fire an incompetent employee. That decision will clearly have adverse consequences for him. But the other employees in your division will benefit and so will the shareholders of your company. Overall, your decision will cause more good than harm. You should look with a particularly critical eye if an alternative benefits you while harming others. Suppose that you become CEO of a company whose headquarters are located in a distant suburb. You would like to move the headquarters closer to your home to cut your commuting time. Of course, such a decision would be expensive for shareholders and inconvenient for other employees. Do you simply impose your will on the company or consider the consequences for everyone? Does the Alternative Violate Important Values? In addition to consequences, consider fundamental values. It is possible to commit an act that does not harm anyone else, but is still the wrong thing to do. Some people question whether, as a diverse, heterogeneous society, we have common values. The following values are almost universal: †¢ Compassion means being aware of and concerned about other people’s feelings, desires, and needs. The compassionate person is able to imagine how he would feel in someone else’s place. †¢ Courage is the strength to act in the face of fear and danger. Courage can require dramatic action (saving a buddy on a battlefield) or quiet strength (doing what you think is right, despite opposition from your boss). †¢ Fairness requires that decisions be made without fraud, prejudice or favoritism. The fair manager treats those he likes at work the same as those who are not his friends. †¢ Integrity means being sincere, honest, and loyal. If you have integrity, you do not criticize others behind their back or take credit for their ideas and efforts. †¢ Responsibility means being trustworthy and dependable. The responsible person meets her commitments, lives up to her promises and contributes to her community. People can count on her. †¢ Self-control is the ability to resist temptation. The person with self-control does not drink or eat too much, party too hard, watch too much television, or spend too much money. Try compiling your own list of values and then check it periodically to see if you are living up to it in your business and personal life. What Kind of World Would This Be if Everyone Behaved This Way? Is this the kind of world in which you would want to live? Imagine that you could cheat on an exam without getting caught. You might gain some short-term benefit—a higher grade. But what would happen if everyone cheated? The professor would have to make the exams harder or curve everyone’s grade down. If your school developed a reputation for cheating, you might not be able to find a job after graduation. Cheating works where most people are honest. To take advantage of everyone else’s honesty is contemptible. Is More than One Alternative Right? Often, the most difficult decisions arise not in cases of right versus wrong but in situations of right versus right. 10 President Harry Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on two Japanese cities is a classic example of right versus right. He argued that if he had not ended the war by using nuclear weapons, more Americans and Japanese would have died during a land invasion. Looking simply at the consequences, he concluded that the terrible suffering by the Japanese people was justified because, ultimately, fewer people died overall. At the same time, none of us want to live in a world where nuclear weapons are used. Indeed, since the end of World War II, the United States has worked hard to ensure that no one else ever deploys nuclear weapons. Which Values Are in Conflict? There are many ways to justify a decision to lay off workers, even 40,000 of them. If managers avoid layoffs, then profits suffer, stock prices fall, companies merge, and executives lose their own jobs. Which of These Values Are Most Important? Suppose that, growing up, you had seen family members or neighbors suffering through bouts of unemployment. That experience might have taught you that compassion is a high priority. Managers must determine which values are important in their own lives. Can You Find an Alternative That Is Consistent with Your Values? The decision you make not only determines the kind of person you are now, but also sets your course for the future. Can you reach a decision that is consistent with the kind of person you are or want to be? Instead of announcing massive layoffs, some companies offer generous severance packages, retraining programs, and other voluntary methods of reducing the workforce. Shareholders may receive less benefit, but employees suffer less harm. Changes in Ethics Change over time: Neither laws nor ethics are fixed principles cast in stone, however. Both change over time. As a society’s ethical beliefs change, its laws change to reflect them. It was considered both ethical and legal to own slaves in ancient Rome and Greece and in the United States until the nineteenth century. Ethical views regarding whether slavery was morally right subsequently changed, however, and slavery was later outlawed. Confusing behavior: In most societies today behaviors like murder, theft, slavery, and rape are considered unacceptable and prohibited. But many other kinds of behaviors are open to dispute when it comes to whether they are ethical or should be made illegal or not. Some people might believe that a particular behavior such as smoking tobacco or possessing guns is unethical and should be made illegal. Others might argue that it is up to individual people if they want to own guns or smoke. Vary from country to country: In the United States it is, of course, illegal to possess or use marijuana even though it has been shown to have many medical uses. Some cancer sufferers and AIDS patients find that marijuana relieves many of the side effects of medical treatment, like nausea and lack of appetite. Yet, in the United States, the Supreme Court has held that the federal government can prohibit doctors from prescribing marijuana to these patients, so their suffering goes on. By contrast in Canada there has been a widespread movement to decriminalize marijuana, and in other countries, marijuana is perfectly legal. Laws can and do change as people’s ethical beliefs change: The point is laws can and do change as people’s ethical beliefs change. For example, in Britain in 1830, there were over 350 different crimes for which a person could be executed, including sheep stealing. Today there are none. Capital punishment has been abolished. No absolute standards exist to determine how we should behave: No absolute standards exist to determine how we should behave. Consequently, we frequently get caught in moral dilemmas and are continually faced with ethical choices. It is a part of life. Importance of Ethics to Society Does ethical behavior maximize profitability? Some people argue that, in the long run, ethical behavior does indeed pay. But they must mean the very long run, because to date there is little evidence that ethical behavior necessarily pays financially, either in the short or the long run. Society as a whole benefits from ethical behavior: Ethics and competitiveness are inseparable. We compete as a society. No society anywhere will compete very long or successfully with people stabbing each other in the back; with people trying to steal from each other; with everything requiring notarized confirmation because you can’t trust the other fellow; with every little squabble ending in litigation; and with government writing reams of regulatory legislation, tying business hand and foot to keep it honest. That is a recipe not only for headaches in running a company; it is a recipe for a nation to become wasteful, inefficient, and noncompetitive. There is no escaping this fact: the greater the measure of mutual trust and confidence in the ethics of a society, the greater its economic strength. Money does not buy happiness: Researchers who study happiness find that people expect material goods to make them happier than they actually do. Sure, you enjoy driving that snappy new car home from the dealership, but afterward your happiness quickly returns to its natural base level. People find themselves on the so-called â€Å"hedonic treadmill†Ã¢â‚¬â€struggling to buy more and more things so they can get that buyer’s high, only to discover that they can never buy enough to maintain the thrill. Almost no matter how much people earn, they feel they would be happier if their income were just a little bit higher. So what does make people happy in the long run? Good relationships, satisfying work, ties to the community—all available at no additional cost. People feel better when they behave ethically: Profitability is generally not what motivates managers to care about ethics. Managers want to feel good about themselves and the decisions they have made; they want to sleep at night. Their decisions—to lay off employees, install safety devices in cars, burn a cleaner fuel—affect peoples’ lives. Unethical behavior can be very costly: Unethical behavior is a risky business strategy—it may lead to disaster. An engaged couple made a reservation, and put down a $1,500 deposit, to hold their wedding reception at a New Hampshire restaurant. Tragically, the bride died of asthma four months before the wedding. Invoking the terms of the contract, the restaurant owner refused to return the couple’s deposit. In a letter to the groom, he admitted, â€Å"Morally, I would of course agree that the deposit should be returned. † When newspapers reported this story, customers deserted the restaurant and it was forced into bankruptcy—over a $1,500 disagreement. Unethical behavior does not always damage a business, but it certainly has the potential of destroying a company overnight. So why take the risk? Even if unethical behavior does not devastate a business, it can cause other, subtler damage. In one survey, a majority of those questioned said that they had witnessed unethical behavior in their workplace and that this behavior had reduced productivity, job stability, and profits. Unethical behavior in an organization creates a cynical, resentful, and unproductive workforce. Ethical behavior is more likely to pay off: Although there is no guarantee that ethical behavior pays in the short or long run, there is evidence that the ethical company is more likely to win financially. Ethical companies tend to have a better reputation, more creative and cooperative employees and higher returns than those that engage in wrong-doing. So why bother with ethics? Because when managers behave ethically, society will be benefited. Money does not buy happiness. Because ethical managers have happier, more satisfying lives. Because unethical behavior can destroy a business faster than a snake can bite. And because, in the end, ethical behavior is more likely to pay off. Stakeholders and Business Ethics The people and groups affected by the way a company does business are called its stakeholders. Stakeholders supply a company with its productive resources. As a result, they have a claim on and stake in the company. Because stakeholders can directly benefit or be harmed by its actions, the business ethics of a company and its managers are important to them. These various stakeholders are shown in Figure Stockholders Stockholders have a claim on a company because when they buy its stock, or shares, they become its owners. This stock grants them the right to receive some of the company’s profits in the form of dividends. And they expect to get these dividends. Stockholders are interested in the way a company operates because they want to maximize their return on their investment. Thus, they watch the company and its managers closely to ensure they are working diligently to increase the company’s profitability. Stockholders also want to ensure that managers are behaving ethically and not risking investors’ capital by engaging in actions that could hurt the company’s reputation and quickly bankrupt it. Managers Managers are a vital stakeholder group because they are responsible for using a company’s financial capital and human resources to increase its profitability and stock price. Managers have a claim on an organization because they bring to it their skills, expertise, and experience. They have the right to expect a good return or reward by investing their human capital to improve a company’s performance. Such rewards include good salaries and benefits, the prospect of promotion and a career, and stock options and bonuses tied to the company’s performance. Managers must be motivated and given incentives to work hard in the interests of stockholders. Their behavior must also be scrutinized to ensure they do not behave illegally or unethically and pursue goals that threaten stockholders’ (and employees’) interests. Employees A company’s employees are the hundreds of thousands of people who work in its various functions, like research, sales, and manufacturing. Employees expect that they will receive rewards consistent with their performance. One principal way a company acts ethically toward employees and meets their expectations is by creating an occupational structure that fairly and equitably rewards them for their contributions. Companies, for example, need to develop recruitment, training, performance appraisal, and reward systems that do not discriminate between employees and that employees believe are fair. Suppliers and Distributors No company operates alone. Every company relies on a network of other companies that supply it with the inputs it needs to operate. Companies also depend on intermediaries such as wholesalers and retailers to distribute its products to the final customer. Suppliers expect to be paid fairly and promptly for their inputs; distributors expect to receive quality products at agreed-upon prices. Once again, many ethical issues arise in the way companies contract and interact with their suppliers and distributors. Important issues concerning how and when payments are to be made or product quality specifications are governed by the terms of the legal contracts a company signs with its suppliers and distributors. Many other issues are dependent on business ethics. Customers Customers are often regarded as the most critical stakeholders: If a company cannot persuade them to buy its products, it cannot stay in business. Thus, managers and employees must work to increase efficiency and effectiveness in order to create loyal customers and attract new ones. They do so by selling customers quality products at a fair price and providing good after-sales service. They can also strive to improve their products over time. Many laws exist that protect customers from companies that attempt to provide dangerous or shoddy products. Laws exist that allow customers to sue a company that produces a bad product, such as a defective tire or vehicle, causing them harm. Other laws force companies to clearly disclose the interest rates they charge on purchases—a cost that customers frequently do not factor into their purchase decisions. Every year thousands of companies are prosecuted for breaking these laws, so â€Å"buyer beware† is an important business rule customers must follow. Community, Society, and Nation Community refers to the physical location in which a company is located, like a city, town, or neighborhood. A community provides a company with the physical and social infrastructure that allows it to do business; its utilities and labor force; the homes in which its managers and employees live; the schools, colleges, and hospitals that service their needs, and so on. Through the salaries, wages, and taxes it pays, a company contributes to the economy of the town or region in which it operates and often determines whether the community prospers or suffers. Similarly, a company affects the prosperity of a society and a nation and, to the degree that a company is involved in global trade, all of the countries in which it operates. Sources of Business Ethics Primarily ethics in business is affected by three sources culture, religion and laws of the state. It is for this reason we do not have uniform or completely similar standards across the globe. These three factors exert influences to varying degrees on humans which ultimately get reflected in the ethics of the organization. Religion It is one of the oldest foundations of ethical standards. Religion wields varying influences across various sects of people. It is believed that ethics is a manifestation of the divine and so it draws a line between the good and the bad in the society. Depending upon the degree of religious influence we have different sects of people; we have sects, those who are referred to as orthodox or fundamentalists and those who are called as moderates. Needless to mention, religion exerts itself to a greater degree among the orthodox and to lesser extent in case of moderates. Fundamentally however all the religions operate on the principle of reciprocity towards ones fellow beings. Culture Culture is a pattern of behaviors and values that are transferred from one generation to another, those that are considered as ideal or within the acceptable limits. No wonder therefore that it is the culture that predominantly determines what is wrong and what is right. It is the culture that defines certain behavior as acceptable and others as unacceptable. Human civilization in fact has passed through various cultures, wherein the moral code was redrafted depending upon the epoch that was. What was immoral or unacceptable in certain culture became acceptable later on and vice versa. During the early years of human development where ones who were the strongest were the ones who survived! Violence, hostility and ferocity were thus the acceptable. Approximately 10,000 year ago when human civilization entered the settlement phase, hard work, patience and peace were seen as virtues and the earlier ones were considered otherwise. These values are still put in practice by the managers of today. Still further, when human civilization witnessed the industrial revolution, the ethics of agrarian economy was replaced by the law pertaining to technology, property rights etc. Ever since a tussle has ensued between the values of the agrarian and the industrial economy! Law Laws are procedures and code of conduct that are laid down by the legal system of the state. They are meant to guide human behavior within the social fabric. The major problem with the law is that all the ethical expectations cannot be covered by the law and specially with ever changing outer environment the law keeps on changing but often fails to keep pace. In business, complying with the rule of law is taken as ethical behavior, but organizations often break laws by evading taxes, compromising on quality, service norms etc. Childhood Upbringing Without really thinking or even being able to avoid it, each person learns ethics from his or her parents—what they teach in words and perhaps more importantly through their actions. These teachings shape our most fundamental attitudes about what is right and what is wrong. As a very brief insurance-related example, the child of an insurance agent, upon reaching adulthood, is much more likely to be honest and truthful in settling claims under his or her insurance policies than is the grown child of another insurance agent if the other agent was terminated by the insurer under disputed circumstances. The child may not have understood the intricacies of those circumstances at the time, but as an adult, he or she is likely to believe in their heart that insurers are not to be trusted and do not deserve to be treated honestly. Later Life Experiences Similarly, a life-shaping event later in life may more directly and consciously shape a persons ethics. Thus, someone severely injured in an automobile accident may have a much higher opinion of the entire automobile-injury reparations system—including the police who investigated, the hospital that provided care, the lawyers and courts that resolved any legal issues, and the insurers that helped finance so much of the injured persons recovery—if that person is satisfied with the ultimate medical and financial result months and years after the accident. If, however, this victim feels the result was medically inferior or legally unfair, the victim may well treat everyone in the system unfairly—even years later in circumstances unrelated to the original accident—just to seek some measure of personal justice. Religious Beliefs Virtually all the worlds religions teach an essentially similar code of ethics that emphasizes honesty, respect for others and their rights, and selflessness. Therefore, in both business and personal situations, a highly religious person is likely to act in ways that most of us will regard as highly ethical. Their religion will give them highly explicit, generally internally consistent, guides to good personal conduct. These guidelines usually can be broadened to apply quite well to business activity. Moreover, those for whom religion is not a central force in their lives are more likely to act in self-centered, ethically questionable ways. Codes of Ethics Perhaps the most direct and explicit sources of our daily ethical guidance are codes of ethics for business conduct. Whether issued by professional societies (such as the Risk and Insurance Management Society, the Society of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters, or the American Society of Safety Engineers), by a business or fraternal society (such as an insurance agents association or the Lions or Elks), or by civic groups (such as local or national chambers of commerce), these ethical codes generally have two goals. The first is to set forth objectives like quality output, honesty, and public service in the customer or community dealings by the people who are governed by, or choose to subscribe to, a particular code. The second typical goal is to protect those to whom the code applies from harmful conduct by others governed by that particular code—conduct such as unfair competition or actions that that cast the entire group in a bad light. This second goal often is expressed through rather specific rules about what those governed by the code definitely must, or must not, do in their dealings with customers, one another, and the public at large. These self-protective rules can sometimes appear to conflict with religious, philosophical, or other sources of ethical guidance. Discussions with Others Almost daily, quite casually, and sometimes without thinking, virtually all of us talk about others and our own actions—offering frequent opinions about whether what they or we have been doing is good, right, and sensible (or perhaps very much the opposite). Buried in this small talk, chit chat, gossip, and mealtime conversations are implicit—sometimes very explicit—ethical judgments about the behavior being discussed. People and their words and actions are labeled wonderful, mean, greedy, generous, or hundreds of other qualities. Over time, these discussions lead each of us to a sense of what the people around us consider to be good and bad, ethical and unethical, conduct. Unless we have strong personal reasons or other commitments to believe otherwise, most of us tend to go along with the opinions of those around us, rather than bucking the tide by independently evaluating the ethical aspects of others actions. Thus, often almost automatically, the social consensus can become the approved, although unexamined, ethical standard. Ethical Philosophers In sharp contrast to these ethics of casual social consensus, the philosophers who have developed systems of ethics—such people as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Bentham, and more recent ethical thinkers throughout the world—have developed basic principles from which they have derived systems of ethics. These principles fall into two general groups: those that are rules-based and those that are results-based. Examples of rule-based ethics appear in the Bibles Ten Commandments, in many professions codes of ethics, and in the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Results-based systems of ethics emphasize principles such as physicians never knowingly doing or allowing medical harm; doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people (Bentham and other utilitarian), and Kants principle of universality—taking an action only if everyone could take the same action without bringing about more harm than good and without creating logical impossibilities (like the logical impossibility of every person being more generous to every other person than anyone is to the first person). Ethical Dilemmas. A final source of ethical insight (more a way of developing ones ethical awareness and sensibilities than a separate source of ethical guidance) is pondering ethical dilemmas. These dilemmas are real or imagined situations that pit two or more ethical principles, rules, or objectives against one another. To resolve the dilemma, one has to decide which of these ethically desirable ends is the more/most important or, alternatively, if there is a way to achieve both/all of these ends without committing some other ethical wrong. For example, if you are an adult and your father, convicted as a murderer, has escaped a federal prison in California to hide in your Missouri house, how do you respond when an FBI agent standing in your yard asks Is your father in your house now? Assuming he is, Yes breaks the commandment to honor ones parents, but No breaks the commandment to tell the truth in all morally significant situations. (When your spouse asks if she/he is especially beautiful/handsome as you are leaving you house to go to a friends birthday party, your response probably is not ethically significant for the community, but it may be very significant within your marriage. ) Classification of Ethics Ethics may be divided into four major areas of study 1. Meta-ethics 2. Normative ethics 3. Descriptive ethics 4. Applied ethics Meta-ethics Meta-ethics is a field within ethics that seeks to understand the nature of normative ethics. The focus of meta-ethics is on how we understand, know about, and what we mean when we talk about what is right and what is wrong. Normative Ethics Normative ethics is the study of ethical action. It is the branch of philosophical ethics that investigates the set of questions that arise when considering how one ought to act, morally speaking. Normative ethics is distinct from meta-ethics because it examines standards for the rightness and wrongnes.

Water Conservation Essay Example for Free

Water Conservation Essay Will there be enough water for a more crowded world? The adult human uses on average about 100 gallons of water a day. Only about 2.5% of earth’s water is fresh and only 1% is actually attainable for usage. The available water on earth has not changed. The same water we have today has been recycled for millions of years, we are not gaining any more. The time to do something is now. In this essay I would like to remark on the past, present, and future of water conservation. We use much more water today than we ever did in the past. With new technologies and fashions, we use more and more water every year. Not only do we have luxuries that we didn’t have a hundred years ago, our world population has more than tripled since then. Yet our supply of water is not changing. Water has gone through the same replenishing cycle since our world began, and we are using more then ever. Now is the time to make sure we conserve. We have an obligation to our future. With world population growing at the rate it is, we must take precautions that those ahead of us don’t suffer because of our negligence. Water is life; the number one necessity for survival. Not only must we conserve now to prevent future problems, we need to teach the coming generations the importance of our water, that they in turn can make sure nothing will ever happen to bring about disaster in the form of water shortage. As we can see, water conservation is a much larger issue now than it ever was in the past. What we do now makes a difference. We must do all we can to make sure our future is safe. Water conservation is a practice in which people, companies, and governments attempt to reduce their water usage. The goal of water conservation may be to address an ongoing water shortage, or to make lifestyle modifications to be more environmentally friendly. In the late 20th century, water emerged as a major issue, especially in the developing world, where many people lack access to safe drinking water, and the issue of water conservation began to attract a great deal of attention. One of the most obvious reasons to practice water conservation is in a situation where water supplies are limited. An ongoing drought can restrict supply, as can a change in water policy, especially in an area where people are dependent on water from other places. Desert regions, for example, rely on water which is shipped, trucked, or moved through aqueducts, so distant policy decisions can directly impact the amount of water which can be accessed in these areas. Water conservation may also be practiced in response to rising water prices. The cost of water is usually contingent on how easy it is to access, how far it must be transported to reach the end consumer, and how much it needs to be processed in order to be rendered safe. Water treatment can get extremely expensive, causing water prices to rise, and water prices also grow when water supplies are tight. From an economic standpoint, water conservation keeps water bills down to a manageable level, and it frees up water for other uses. Some people encourage the practice of water conservation because they would like to promote the sustainable use of water. While water is a renewable resource in a sense, every time fresh potable water is used, it takes a long time for that water to re-enter the water supply, as it may become contaminated by chemicals, bio hazardous materials, and so forth, requiring extensive cleanup before it can be re-used. Using water for things like gardens, car washing, and industrial production may be frowned upon in some communities where people would prefer to reduce the overall amount of water they use so that clean water will be available to future generations and other regions of the world. A water conservation order may be issued to oblige citizens to conserve water in some communities. Conservation orders are often issued when water supplies are low, and officials are worried about running out. They may also be used to mandate water conservation for environmental reasons. Typically, water conservation orders restrict water use by setting rules about how and when water can be used.