Amtrak Train Derailment

Who are the stakeholders in this case? The stakeholders in this case are the passengers, crew and their families, aboard the Amtrak train that derailed. They are also the corporate investors who hold stock in Amtrak and all Amtrak employees who have invested their time in employment with the organization. They could easily lose their jobs if a major layoff occurred or the organization filed for bankruptcy due to the millions they would be required to pay in damages. Stakeholders are the members of the Mobile, Alabama community who either witnessed or heard about the disaster and who may have lost trust in this railway system. The crew and captain of the tug boat which ran its barges into the framework of the bridge are also stakeholders, along with the owners and investors of the transport company in which they were employed. The emergency workers, the agencies such as NTSB, the Alabama Emergency Response Network and the U. S. Coast Guard are stakeholders as well. What are the interests of the stakeholders? Investors in the transport company, CSX and Amtrak stand to lose money as such disasters can lead to public distrust and subsequent falling stock prices. They must answer to the public as to why emergency signals were not designed on the bridge. Families have lost loved ones as passengers or crew members that they cannot bring back. Crew members that lived must deal with feelings of guilt for not being able to do more and not being aware of exactly what had happened. They will also have to face many questions from agencies investigating the disaster and will face stressful situations, possibly for years to come. Their careers and way of earning a living may also be in jeopardy due to the effects of this disaster. Crew and families of the tug boat crews must face feelings of guilt and shame. What is this corporation's social corporate responsibility in this case for the four areas of corporate social responsibility? †¢Legal Social Responsibility With respect to the legal responsibility, both CSX who failed to provide a signal on the bridge and WGN, whose crew ran into and damaged the bridge, while displacing the track have a financial responsibility toward families whose loved ones made a living, whether crew or passengers. Amtrak also shares in this responsibility for not taking greater precautions, such as reduced speed, knowing that some bridges are not installed with emergency signals. There is also a financial burden to repair the damages to the bridge and CSX track by WGN, who initially caused the event that led to the derailment. According to Mallen Baker (2009), â€Å"CSR is about building relationships with customers, about attracting and retaining talented staff, about managing risk, and about assuring reputation. † In this instance, both CSX and WGN did a poor job of managing risk. WGN is responsible for not having staff with better training and navigation skills and CSX for ignoring recommendations to install emergency signals on the bridge. †¢Economic Social Responsibility CSX, Amtrak and NTSB have economic social responsibility in reducing the risk of injury or loss of life due to such incidents, which has a huge financial impact on the families of passengers and crew. WGN shares in this responsibility as well. Though CSX did not install emergency signals, the NTSB should provide greater oversight to ensure such precautions are taken. WGN should be aware of the problems that can occur when a large vessel runs into various structures and should help in repairing the emotional and financial lives of the victims of the accident. Both CSX/Amtrak and WGN have an economic responsibility to the shareholders of their respective corporations, to ensure that business processed provide the smoothest possible operations, for best possible returns on investments. When disasters such as this one occur, investors stand to lose substantial financial gains. †¢Ethical Social Responsibility All agencies and companies involved have an ethical responsibility to make sure that various forms of travel or transport they oversee or are involved in are as safe as possible for their crews and passengers. Ignoring recommendations such as CSX did, in not installing the emergency signal due to cost is an example of social irresponsibility (Eisenbeis, et al, nd). Amtrak could have better communications and emergency systems aboard the trains and passenger cars, to alert the entire crew of emergencies. Though this may not be an issue of irresponsibility, it has implications for future rail travel. WGN has an ethical responsibility to ensure that vessel crews are trained and updated on navigation techniques, so that injury to innocent bystanders does not occur. They also have an ethical responsibility to have proper navigation systems on board the vessels. †¢Philanthropic Social Responsibility Travel and transport organizations do not have a specific responsibility to become involved in philanthropic activities, though they should at least insure that the communities in which they travel through are not adversely affected either economically or environmentally, as a result of their travels. They could take measures to provide incentives for jobs and training for jobs of those in the communities in which they travel through, as taxpayers of those communities share the burden of building bridges and roads. Because the organizations also contribute to introducing carbon emissions into the environment, they should work with and offer some financial support to organizations that help monitor and provide solutions for carbon emissions. Conclusion and Recommendation I believe better communication by all parties involved would have reduced injuries. Amtrak should have had regulations in place for speed during weather conditions and safety devices for the rail in front of them could have avoided a lot of the accident. Having markers in place for emergency response units, would have allowed them to give a more specific place of the wreck. When people’s lives are at stake all ethical issues and laws should be put in full swing. Common sense would have prevented all of this. Large corporations such as Amtrak should have trained employees and safety standards in place.

CASE - 1 Routine and Goodwill Emails Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CASE - 1 Routine and Goodwill Emails - Essay Example It has come to our attention that most of us get distracted from the constant internet activities such as relentless email alerts, mail overloads and constant messages. Most of these actions divert attention of staff from the authentic work schedule to other minimal yet unproductive outcomes. Clearly, these disruptions not only allure you from your work, but more so impinge on your length of concentration, thereby causing unnecessary duress. In addition, such interruptions without a doubt infuriate and thus affect innovation and pleasure that you would otherwise derive from your work. This in turn negatively reflects in your yield. This predicament is taking a toll on most companies and we would like to curb its effects before we face extinction. We will therefore adopt an interruption management policy. Firstly, you are asked to configure your email applications. Adoption of systems such as outlook help sort out the mails. You can also study those who send you mails and know their t raits so as to make better judgment. Moreover, turn off any possible avenues for sound or visual alerts whenever in the office. Additionally, we have come up with specific times for checking and responding to necessary emails. This will be done after every two hours at least. However, the imperative mails must be responded to right away. In addition to this, there is need for face to face communications whenever one needs the output of a colleague within the organization. It helps you unwind and improves concentration. Additionally, through this, you will build a good rapport with your colleagues and save time as well. You can also do phone calls instead of writing emails. Furthermore, avoid as much as you can, replying to all, any message that comes in. This is because; it would interrupt those who are not directly concerned with the message in question. Restrain yourself too from replying virtually any email. Furthermore, you are to employ the automated messages system to shift at tention of your distracters. Also, renew your contacts automatically. The management would therefore like to get acknowledgement for the receipt of this document by you through email. We highly value you and anticipate a smooth transition. In case of any comments on the new policy, contact the human resource manager. Kind regards, Operations Manager Investigations by an Information Technology research company named Basex (2009) shows that basically any human being who uses the internet misses approximately two hours of their work time daily, to distractions caused by junk emails. Bigger companies lose as much as one billion dollars annually due to less productivity from members of staff instigated by overwork from emails (Ross, 2009). According to Rescue Time, a time management company (2010), an individual employee exploits instantaneous messaging seventy seven times on average every day. Definitely, it is clear that this eats into the company’s time (Jones, 2011). This is b ecause, once the effortful control of the brain is distorted, one would voluntarily desire to check the new messages as they come in. This is according to Porter (2010), who attributes this to the rise of technology obsession. The art of thinking requires concentration. Therefore, according to researchers at the University of Michigan (2010), multitasking can never be adopted for simply any activity. Reason being, 40% of the productivity would be negatively affected. It takes approximately fifteen minutes to recover from a

Critical Analysis of the Film Good Will Hunting Essay

Critical Analysis of the Film Good Will Hunting - Essay Example Luckily, mathematics has been spared the symbolism of forbidden knowledge, troubled with ethical dilemmas (Frankenstein, Faust, Rappacini). Quite on the contrary, the film Good Will Hunting strikes a balance, and its mathematicians are portrayed as more multifaceted than those in the works referred to above. Good Will Hunting is in effect not about mathematics. It is about the touching story of a young man's struggling to outdo his Dickensian childhood, to find his place in the world, and to attain closeness with others. The main character, Will (the title is a play on his name), is a tough and supernaturally gifted orphan from Boston's South Side. He works as a janitor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and cannot resist showing anonymously his solutions to (apparently) perplexing mathematical problems. The identity of the solver is revealed just about the time that Will (Matt Damon) is arraigned for taking part in a street brawl. His following court-ordered supervision by a m athematics professor and Fields Medallist Professor Lambeau, (played by Stellan Skarsgard) includes psychological counselling. This sets the plot in motion. The way Will feels about himself, the woman he courts, about his remarkable gift and his background are looked into detail through an interaction with his psychologist (portrayed by Robin Williams) whose a background also turns out to be similar. So what is the role of mathematics in all this? Alfred Hitchcock's metaphor of the "McGuffin" rings in the head: an object or idea that drives the plot and with which everyone in the film, but not the audience, is preoccupied. In films by Hitchcock, the McGuffin might be a hidden treasure, or someone's identity. This film's McGuffins are Will's talent and the mathematics problems the he has a knack of solving so easily. It is quite possible that Will could have been gifted in physics, biology, in languages and faced similar issues in his life. Indeed, his intellect is drawn larger than life, so that he can learn organic chemistry, talk about economics, and even defend himself in court, with an ability to cite precedents. So why mathematics? One of the reasons is that mathematics is alleged to be vague that few can do it. In fact, this is amongst the few remarks about mathematics that this film makes, with which a mathematical audience will strongly disagree. Under the opening credits, the first frames of the film are of a mathematical text out of focus and blurred, as if seen by a general reader who cannot understand it. The mathematics referred to later on ranges from simple graph theory, through basic linear algebra to Parseval's theorem (mispronounced in the film) and to what seems like some deeper graph theoretical results. Mathematics mentioned persistently, but in no scene is it presented articulately. Will's gift is valuable, possibly because it is so rare. Mathematics highlights the major differences between Will and the academics. Will is a tough street y oungster. His gift is well-regarded but not envied by his friends. Had his gift been in rock music or sports, the plot could not have turned on the choice Will has to make between his background and his destiny. The culture of mathematics doesn’t fit well with that of blue-collar South Boston. And it is not predominantly "our fault". Professor Lambeau goes to great lenghths to keep Will out of jail, to get him a decent job which

Television as a live medium Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Television as a live medium - Essay Example To say, hence, that it is â€Å"still alive† as if it is already clutching for dear life would be an understatement. The fact is that live television is a platform by which people are informed today. So long as there are events like disasters, sports, and political exercise such as election, among others, the relevance exists more than ever. The proliferation of canned television shows does not diminish it. Defining â€Å"Live† Bourdon (2000) explained that the concept of â€Å"live† television is fundamentally a label expressing a technological capability (532). It brings people from everywhere - whether at home, work, bars, even the streets - to events as they happen. In the discourse trying to specify the meaning of television and to differentiate it from the cinema, â€Å"liveness† is one of the three identified characteristics that made the medium unique (the other two are screen size and domestic reception) (532). â€Å"Liveness† also denotes the aspect of television that is identified with truth, facts and authenticity. Bourdon cited this point as he defined live television a live transmission of events to the viewers through the use of technological apparatus, making it a public phenomenon since it allows people to live event simultaneously (534). This definition implies two important characteristics. It is all about transmission of events as they occur and, at the same time, it is also about people viewing events together. The concept of â€Å"live† also assumed several meanings. Bourdon comprehensively cited many excellent examples. For example, when a singer does not lip synch in the performance, then it is called live musical performance. There is also the case of talk shows. Resource persons are invited and are moderated by hosts to tell the audience about their lives or to discuss interesting topics (Bourdon, 532). Bourdon argued that live television is present in many programs and television sequences (53 3). This variable indicates the persistence and permeation of live broadcast even on genre that are not classified with news and reporting on current affairs. Bourdon, called this socio-semiotic unity, a fundamental force that ensures the persistence and survival of â€Å"live† television throughout history (532). Out of all the definitions, White helpfully pointed out that â€Å" liveness† is the ultimate concept that â€Å"subsumes a host of other qualities and characteristics† and that it â€Å"serves as â€Å"an anchor for the properties considered essentially televisual - immediacy, presence, reality effects, intimacy and so on† (81). Covering Catastrophe The recent devastation wrought by the super typhoon Haiyan both to human lives and to property in Tacloban City, Philippines is the most recent testament not only to the viewers’ recognition and acceptance towards â€Å"live† broadcast but also its relevance and contribution to televi sion as a medium. Certainly, the most advanced technologies have enabled many reporters to cover the event live as the storm raged even when power, communications and transportation became unreliable. Reports were beamed from the city to the United States as the storm unfolded real time. The static and interference in transmission all served to highlight the catastrophe in the process of flattening

Isolating the Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Isolating the Problem - Essay Example These have exposed the racist culture within the organization to the public. The major root problem has been the continuing harassment and discriminations shown towards minority workers and the negligent role played by the management towards the treatment meted out to the minority employees. The management has over the years been a mute spectator, or in other words, has encouraged the discrimination shown towards African-Americans working in the firm. The minority workers were subjected to blatant racist language and behavior by senior officials and lower salaries and even their grievance claims were completely ignored. If the management had spared time to look into this issue seriously, this public suing of the company could have been avoided. The then CEO of Texaco, Peter Bijur, had taken a wise decision of settling the lawsuit and in addition forming a task force to seriously handle the crisis within the organization, despite the difficult financial state of the company. However, what actually triggered such a behavior towards minorities and the main people who spearheaded such an unethical task remains to be resolved. In matters like this, identifying the core reason is crucial if the problem is to be rooted out completely. There is no record of such facts being analyzed both by the organization as well as the independent task force that was set up. The key players include the management and the minorities who were subjected to such humiliation. The management on its part has set up a task force to analyze the situation and provide useful solutions. Likewise the taskforce has also come out with proposals that would bring about a culture change. This includes hiring, promoting and retaining a diverse workforce. New recruiting systems were in place to increase the number of minorities including women. Scholarship and internship programs were set up for the minorities, thus helping them

Micronutrien metabolism past and present (synthesis of vitamin A from Essay

Micronutrien metabolism past and present (synthesis of vitamin A from beta carotene) - Essay Example In addition, the evolution of the recommended dietary intakes of vitamin A will be discussed. Elmer V. McCollum and M. Davis discovered vitamin A during 1912-1914. In 1913, Yale researchers, Thomas Osborne and Lafayette Mendel discoveredthat butter contained a fat-soluble nutrient soon known as vitamin A. Scientist of this era had determined that there was vitamin A activity from yellow pigmentation in plants that was similar to the yellow in butterfat. Early researchers went on to deny the possibility of a relationship between yellow coloration in plants and vitamin A activity based on findings from Palmer and Eccles, 1914. Palmer and Eccles achieved success in rearing chickens and rats up with diets almost devoid of carotene. In addition, Stephenson [1920] found that butter fat could be completely stripped of color by charcoal without losing its retinol activity. It was not until 1929 when the link between carotene and vitamin A activity was reestablished. Thomas Moore in 1929 continued research between carotene and vitamin A activity in rats from carrot root. In Moore's experiment test rats were fed a vitamin A restricted diet until definite signs of deficiency become obvious, Xerophthalmia (night blindness) and slowed growth. Fresh carrot root cut into pieces of 50, 100 or 200 mg. were added to the rodents daily intake. In all rats receiving 200 or 100 mg. of carrot xerophthalmia was cured and steady growth was resumed. In one rat receiving 50 mg. of carrot no response was observed. In addition, the experiments carried out by Moore in 1929 (T, 1929) confirmed the appearance of vitamin A in liver upon the oral dose of carotene. It was assumed that conversion occurred in the liver but direct evidence to prove the fact was not known. In 1931, the first claim of the conversion "in vitro" was brought into account from experiments by Olcott and McCann. They incubated carotene in an enzyme preparation, carotenase, for 24 hours. The product of this experiment became colorless with an absorption band at 3280 under specrspoic examination. The results of this experiment were not duplicated in subsequent procedures when the carotenase had been deactivated by heat. There was evidence that carotene went through some sort of enzymatic process but the specifics were still unknown. Since the early 1900's much has evolved in our knowledge of how -carotene is converted into vitamin A. Olson JA in 2008 discussed the Provitamin A of carotenoids with respects to the conversion of -carotene into vitamin A. Two pathways have been suggested for the conversion of carotenoids to vitamin A in mammals, central cleavage and eccentric cleavage. -carotenoid-15-15-dioxygenase convert -carotene into two molecules of retinal in good yield. The reaction requires molecular oxygen but, is inhibited by sulphydryl-binding and iron binding reagents. This enzyme is responsible for cleavage of most provitamin A carotenoids to retinal. The excentric cleavage occurs in plants and some microorganism and might also occur in mammals. In Microcystis species, there is a highly specific and essential stochiometric conversion of -carotene to cyclocitral and to crocetin-dial. But, till this report was published no mammalian carotenoid dioxygenase with excentric bond specificity was identified an d characterized. The

Sensation and Perception Essay Example for Free

Sensation and Perception Essay Mental development is a continuous process starting even from the infancy stage. But during certain stages certain activities are more prevalent. During the first few months there will be rapid development of sensory function. The child’s response to a stimulus is influenced not by the sensory stimulus, but by the effects of past experience also. The sensory stimulus separated from past experience is called sensation. The stimulus interpreted and loaded with meanings and ideas are called perception. I have asked my wife and two young kids aging 11 years and 6 years in my family. When we were sitting in our wide hall room after the dinner, I told them that I am going to conduct a memory test for them. I called them one by one and asked each of them to observe the brown objects in the hall room for one minute. Then I asked them to close their eyes and tell me the names of each of them. My wife has correctly told me about 12 objects out of the 14 in my hall room. My elder daughter recollected 10 and the younger one 7. Based on the above facts we can conclude that the perception of elder ones better than the younger ones. This is quite natural since the elder ones always have more experience and more developed intellectual levels than the younger ones. When a sense organ comes in contact with a stimulus, the nerve endings connected with the sense organ become stimulated and this produces a nerve energy which is passed on to the central nervous system and is carried to the area sensory area of brain. The stimulus is interpreted and loaded with meanings and ideas. Now it can be called as perception. Though this is a simple experiment, it involves lot of complicated activities of our senses and the brain. The outcome of this experiment is little bit surprising for me. Even the 37 year old my wife could not tell me the complete list of brown objects, but at the same time the 6 year old kid identified 7 objects out of the 14. My 11 year kid has identified 1o which is just 2 less than her mother. This is because of the fact that the intellectual levels or the sensations and perceptions of individuals are different.