There Is No Free or Cheap Government Land

Free government land, also known as claim-free government land no longer exists. There is no longer a  federal homesteading program and any public land the government does sell is sold at no less than fair market value. Under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLMPA), the federal government took over ownership of public lands and abolished all remaining traces of the often-amended Homestead Act of 1862. Specifically, the FLMPA declared that the public lands be retained in Federal ownership  unless as a result of the land use planning procedure provided in this Act, it is determined that disposal of a particular parcel will serve the national interest... Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees the use of some 264 million acres of public land, representing about one-eighth of all the land in the United States. In passing the FLMPA, Congress assigned the main duty of the BLM as the management of the public lands and their various resource values so that they are utilized in the combination that will best meet the present and future needs of the American people. While the BLM does not offer much land for sale because of a 1976 congressional mandate to generally retain these lands in public ownership, the agency does occasionally sell parcels of land when its land use planning analysis determines disposal is appropriate. What Types of Lands Are Sold? The federal lands sold by the BLM are generally unimproved rural woodland, grassland or desert parcels located mostly in the western states. The parcels are typically not served by utilities like electricity, water or sewer, and may not be accessible by maintained roads. In other words, the parcels for sale are truly â€Å"in the middle of nowhere.† Where Are the Lands for Sale Located? Usually part of the original public domain established during the western expansion of the United States, most of the land is in the 11 Western states and the state of Alaska, although some scattered parcels are located in the East. Almost all are in the Western States of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. Because of land entitlements to the State of Alaska and to Alaska Natives, no public land sales will be conducted in Alaska in the foreseeable future, according to the BLM. There are also small amounts in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin. There are no public lands managed by the BLM in Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. How Is the Land Sold? The Bureau of Land Management sells unimproved public land through a modified bidding process that favors adjoining landowners, open public auction or direct sale to a single buyer. Minimum acceptable bids are based on land value appraisals prepared and approved by the Department of the Interior Appraisal Services Directorate. The appraisals are based on factors like ease of access, availability of water, possible uses of the property and comparable property prices in the area. States Do Offer Some Free Homesteading Land But... While government-owned lands are no longer available for homesteading, some states and local governments do occasionally offer free land to persons willing to build a home on it. However, these homesteading deals usually come with very specific requirements. For example, Beatrice, Nebraska’s local Homestead Act of 2010 gives homesteaders 18 months to build a minimum 900-square-foot home and live in it for at least the next three years. However, homesteading seems to be just as tough a row-to-hoe as it was in the 1860s. Two years after Beatrice, Nebraska enacted its homesteading act, the Wall Street Journal reported that no one had actually claimed a parcel of land. While dozens of people from across the nation had applied, they all dropped out of the program when they began to realize â€Å"how work is involved,† a city official told the newspaper.

World Religions Report Buddhism Essay - 2507 Words

World Religions Report Buddhism Axia University of University of Phoenix HUM 130 Religions of the World Deborah George Stephanie Kyler August 18, 2007 World Religions Report Buddhism How can we begin to understand such a diverse and ancient religion? The width of Buddhism is immense. It is a religion without any written rules. Buddhism is based on self-discovery. Buddhists are born with the quest to find their true form. They believe that they are prisoners of the physical plain until they reach nirvana. Nirvana is the ultimate goal for a Buddhist (Buddhism, 2007). It is the state that saves them from all suffering and evil. They believe that only nirvana can remove them from the never-ending circle of life. Buddhists†¦show more content†¦Dead center was a large scroll with a single character written on it. Two smaller scrolls were on either side of the large character in the middle. Whenever I thought of Buddhist I saw bald men or women with orange robes, white socks, and brown sandals. Obviously, not the older woman with gray hair that was now facing me and the other twenty congregants in the meditation room. She was obviously the leader. As I looked to my right and left, I noticed the veterans of meditating could easily be spotted by their perfect posture and quiet, content, stiffness. To see each person in their own position was amusing. Most had their legs in front of themselves, crossed and slightly below their hips. Their gaze was typically a few feet in front of their eyes. Some had their eyes closed and some were simply staring. One woman to my right was sitting with her arms resting on her bent legs, a unique approach. Her old age and heavy weight prevented her from sitting any other way. Another middle aged man was sitting on his heels with a tiny wooden bench under him. Each person, based upon their size and flexibility, found their own position to stay in. I could not read the expression of the leader facing us, and that made me a little uncomfortable. She seemed to have a somewhat content expression, but I never could quite tell. After about ten minutes of sitting in silence the leader struck a gong. It si gnaled everyone that it wasShow MoreRelatedWorld Religions Report on Buddhism1476 Words   |  6 PagesWorld Religions Report on Buddhism Religions of the World Buddhism is a practical philosophy aimed at awakening people to the limitless potential and value of their own lives. Practicing Buddhism brings about a positive transformation in the depths of an individuals life, transforming fear into courage, deluded impulses into wisdom and egotism into compassion. Buddhism begins with individuals deciding to take responsibility for their own lives, first reforming themselves andRead MoreCurrent Issues Paper and Class Handout861 Words   |  4 Pages 1 Buddhism REL/133 Week 5 Elton Shaw March 17, 2015 Instructor: Susan Cameron CURRENT ISSUES PAPER 2 Intro As one of the most popular religions in the entire world, Buddism is believed to be originated by Siddhattha Gotama, also referred to as Siddhartha Gautama, 2500 years agoRead MoreWhen Asia Was the World Book Analysis Essay1110 Words   |  5 Pagesinfluenced the way we as Americans look at history now. In Steward Gordon’s When Asia Was The World, I found the story of Xuanzang very interesting. Xuanzang was a Buddhist monk who traveled all over to learn more about Buddhism until he became confused and decided to go to the center of Buddhism, along the way he faced many difficulties, he decided to go back to China and share what he had learned. 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I have always been curious about the ways of life in a particular religion and their beliefs about God. Point of view has always been important and is supposed to be respected. I was myself involved in many of the family rituals conducted and that always amused me. I come from a family possessing a religious background. I would credit my grandparents for teaching me the Hindu way of life and for teaching to respect other religions and their beliefsRead MoreEastern Religion Philosophy of Care1740 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿An Analysis of Different Religions, Care, and Christianity Introduction The Christian philosophy of care involves the act of charity, the virtue of looking after someone or something outside of ones self. Jesus Christ essentially divided the Mosaic law into two parts, the first concerning mans duty towards God, and the second concerning mans duty towards his fellow man. In a sense, Christ intimated that we are all our brothers keeper. 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Multi National Corporation Free Essays

string(141) " huge revenues and profits so the amount of tax paid by these organisations is also large, this in turn lifts up the economy of the country\." â€Å"On balance, multinational corporations provide more positive outcomes for society than negative ones†. Multinational corporations are practically in every sphere of modern life, from policy making to the  environment and international security; from problems of identity and community to the future of work and nation state. (Gabel and Bruner,  2003, VI) A multi-national corporation (MNC) is a business organisation which has its headquarters in one country but conducts and controls productive activities in a range of different countries. We will write a custom essay sample on Multi National Corporation or any similar topic only for you Order Now There are numerous examples of such organisations, car manufacturers like Ford, Toyota, Honda , Volkswagen; oil companies like Shell, BP, Exxon Mobil ; technology companies like Dell, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard ,Canon ; food and drink companies such as Coca Cola, Interbrew, McDonalds, FMCG companies like PG and banking companies like Yes bank, Hsbs, etc. According to Bartlett and Ghoshal (1998), the multinational organisation is defined by the following characteristics: ‘A decentralized federation of asset and responsibilities, a management process defined by simple financial control systems overlaid on informal personal coordination, and a dominant strategic mentality that viewed the company’s worldwide operations as a portfolio of national business. In a multinational organisation, the decisions, obviously, are decentralised. ’ Generally speaking multinational corporations are a boon to this world. They have made this world a better place to live in. There are numerous positive outcomes of a MNC. These corporations have brought this world together and have connected the whole mankind. They have developed the underdeveloped countries through their investments and improving their economy. MNC, by their very nature, are large organisations. Their size means they often have considerable power and influence and as a result have come in for some criticism of their actions. It is also assumed that MNCs tend to locate operations in poor countries only. This, of course, is not the case. Honda and Nissan have both invested heavily in production facilities in the UK but are Japanese companies. (Bized, 2007) Multinational Corporations are believed to play a major role in improving the economy and lifestyle of the developing country. MNC have made this world a global village and connected people from all parts of the world and made them work together in a state of harmony. Due to these transnational corporations, the working of people from different origin, caste, and race is possible. These corporations are the reason that we can now live together with any type of human. They have made it possible for us to think globally and live globally. It is believed among many economists that MNCs fill various gaps within a host country’s economy. The first and most often cited one is that, when domestic investment and savings doesn’t meet the required rate of growth in the economy, the gap in investment is filled by the MNCs’ investment because these corporations have large funds and so can help in building an economy benefitting the whole world. Secondly when the targeted foreign exchange is not met by the net foreign exchange derived from imports and exports together with net public debt, the gap is constituted by MNCs’ net exports and capital inflow. These giant enterprises also fill the gap between targeted government tax revenues and locally raised taxes. Lastly the gap of management skills, entrepreneurship and technological skills are believed to be filled by the MNCs. They bind all sorts of people together because these are huge agencies and so require works of all type. Engineers use technological skills to make a product which is sold by entrepreneurs using management skills and lastly the whole all account is managed by managers. So everyone works together filling up the gap between them. (Financial times, 2001) According to A. K. Cairn Cross, ‘It is not possible to buy development so cheaply. The provision of foreign capital may yield a more adequate infrastructure, but rarely by itself generates rapid development unless there are already large investment opportunities going a begging. That is why the intervention of multinational corporations is imperative in the context of the economic growth and modernisation of developing economies where ample investment avenues lie open and yet due to lack of capital and technical know-how, these potentials remain unexploited. Multinational corporations help in reorganising the economic infrastructure in collaboration with the domestic sector through financial and technical help. These corporations bui ld huge buildings and factories which improves the infrastructure of a developing country to a huge extent. Multinational organisations (MNO) have helped in he increase of employment in the host nation as well as in the other countries where it functions. Let us assume that a company manufactures and supplies raw material for making furniture. To this firm, the contract to supply the raw material for the new plant might be worth ? 35000. If the plant was not built then the firm will not generate that order and not receive that work. For workers working in the plant, the order helps to maintain the flow of orders and can keep them in employment. It can also be expected that the additional income will find its way through the local economy. If additional people are hired, they will receive an income which they spend. For existing workers, increased orders might equate to job security and they too might feel more confident in spending on new items – furniture, house extension, new white goods, holidays and so on. Inward investment therefore can act as a trigger to generating wealth in the local economy. If a MNC is attracted to an area then this might also lead to other smaller firms in the supply chain deciding to locate in those areas. Other firms providing services to these firms are then attracted to the area and so on. (Bized, 2007) MNCs provide immense resources and investments, technology, innovation and expertise to the host societies. A culture of research and development is encouraged and human resources are developed, at least within the organization. MNCs also contribute significantly to the national treasury by paying taxes. As these organisations have huge revenues and profits so the amount of tax paid by these organisations is also large, this in turn lifts up the economy of the country. You read "Multi National Corporation" in category "Papers" MNCs bring with them new ideas and new techniques that can help to improve the quality of production and help boost the quality of human capital in the host country. Many will not only look to employ local labour but also provide them with training and new skills to help them improve productivity and efficiency. In some cases this can prove a challenge but in others it can lead to improvements in motivation and productivity. The skills that workers build up can then be passed on to other workers and so this improves the supply of skilled labour in the area which makes it more attractive to new industry as it helps to reduce the costs of training and skilling of workers. In addition to the investment in a country in production and distribution facilities, a multinational orporation might also invest in additional infrastructure facilities like road, rail, port and communications facilities. This can provide benefits for the whole country as in building road or port one requires labour, therefore eradicating the problem of unemployment. If people are employed they will like to buy different products which will lead to increase of production and sup ply leading to making of new factories to meet the demand and therefore uplifting the whole economy. Peter Drucker (1975) remarks that multinationalism and expanding world trade are two sides of the same coin. He points out that the period of most rapid growth of multinational trade was in the fifties and sixties. Indeed, during this period the world economy grew faster than the fastest growing domestic economy of Japan. India has always been facing the issue of brain drain since the past few decades where   Indian students go to developed economies like United States for higher studies and  never return back. But the above statement highlights a new trend, even though not as  prominent as the earlier one, entrepreneurs migrating to other emerging economies for better business prospects. But due to liberalization in 1991 many multinational corporations are allowed in our country which has reduced brain drain to a much greater extent, as students get the opportunities to work in a better environment that is matching their level of education, in their home country itself as these corporations give the skilled employees a good amount of money which was missing before the globalization. So they come back after the higher education to work in their home country instead of settling in foreign nations. In short it causes Brain Gain instead of Brain Drain. Good governance, organizational transparency, clear command structures, and performance-based evaluation and incentives programs for employees encourage the merit system. MNCs introduce a professional working environment and culture for local organizations to emulate, thereby promoting sound management and business education. In some cases, large-scale economies, quality control and a healthy competition lead to price cuts and other benefits for the end-user. People have more access to the comforts of life with a large variety of choices. Today a person is available with many choices if he goes to buy a handbag or a shoe. There are ten brands offering the same material so the company is forced to use the best quality materials for their product reducing the amount of prices. Earlier before liberalization there was no competition so as there was a single local company selling a product which gave that local company full authority over the prices and the material used in making the product. These local companies used low quality material and increased the prices of the goods. But this drawback has been fulfilled by these multinational corporations. MNCs help boost cross-boundary interaction among people. Even education, particularly, business education, has taken on a global perspective. The global perspectives and opportunities for cross-cultural understanding increase the adaptability of students to alien environments. This leads to the mixing of cultures and practices and encourages pluralism as well as competition which helps in overall learning of the student and makes him capable of working in any environment. (Khalid Rahman, n. d. The enormous resources of the multinational enterprises enable them to have very efficient research and development systems. Thus, they make a commendable contribution to inventions and innovations. They also work to equalize the cost of Factors of Production- Land, Labour, Capital and Entrepreneur-around the world. MNCs also stimulate domestic enterprise because to support their own operations, the MNCs may encourage and assist domestic suppliers. So they help in increase completion and break domestic monopolies. Today fun and entertainment have become a refuge for man from their misery, tension and daily hectic routine. A good level of Media Company can provide that kind of entertainment that will help the common man to relax. A good show can only be made if the company has enough funds to afford it which is only manageable by a multinational corporation. Due to the globalization we are able to enjoy the fun of the animated movies, thrill of James Bond and Romance of Twilight. We have been able to enjoy the 3D effects and the shopping mall life due to these corporations. The luxuries offered by the Grand Hayat or Radisson are not possible without MNCs. Reliance is a perfect example for a MNC which provides entertainment to all sorts of people worldwide. From theatres to producing a movie, from channels to televisions, reliance provides everything related to entertainment to the rest of the world. The ‘khushiyon ki home delivery’ of dominoes or the yummy Mc veggie burger of McDonalds was not even believed to be possible in your home town thirty years back. In this world of skyscrapers and travelling to mile long distances for work, one requires transport. I don’t think one can travel by foot twenty kilometres to your office. One has to possess a vehicle or travel by public transport. These vehicles are manufactured by the MNCs like Ford, Mahindra, Honda, Tata and many more. Multinational companies have made your easy and comfortable. In a survey carried over all over the world the most important, unavoidable and most needed service or profession is the field of medicine. To answer the question of MNCs having more positive outcomes than the negative ones, why not take this important field as an index, Particularly in India. This is a proven fact that medical professionals trained in India are amongst the best in the world. A large percentage of doctors in NHS UK (National Health Scheme) 26 % to be exact, and in United States are doctors of Indian origin. This so called brain drain was primarily because of lack of availability of infrastructure and facilities for specialized training and treatments in India. With the advent of Multinational corporations the best of the training facilities, knowledge equipments and medicines are now available freely in India at affordable cost. Health commission of India, London) We take a particular example in the field of orthopaedic surgery, particularly joint replacements. The Dr. C S Ranawat– Atal Bihari Vajpai episode- is not far away when India or India trained doctors replaced our prime ministers knee joint with an artificial joint made by a foreign MNC which was designed and invented by Dr C S Ranwat himself. Incidentally who is from Indore and an old Dali an. To take a company in particular as an example DEPUY, this was previously owned by Johnson and Johnson but now merged with Synthes. They are the largest manufactures of artificial joints of hip and knee in the world. As their operations are now very well established in India the best, latest joints are available freely to us. As these companies have access to the most modern training facilities and so the faculty Indian doctors can get trained in India and abroad at affordable expenses and with ease. The Depuy academy in Chennai, the Ethicon institute in New Delhi and many others are amongst the best training institutes in the world set up by these huge multinational enterprises. As these corporations have associations, sponsorships with the faculties who are in the fore front of research, the Indian doctors now have better opportunity to gain knowledge with the leaders in their field. The sessions held in many cities held in India of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon (AAOS) and annual meetings of IGOF Indo German orthopaedic foundations are possible only because of the logistic and financial support of these corporate. Similarly the British orthopaedic society is having a special autumn session in the national conference of the Indian orthopaedic association in Chennai. So now we have a situation where the best of the medical professionals with world class training and knowledge armed with all the latest equipments and implants available at our door step. Now a common man who previously could not afford to have such modern operations or surgeries now can have access to them. One do not have to go abroad to have these procedures. Agreed that some profit goes to the multinational giants but the ultimate beneficiary is the common man. As the number of these high end surgeries increases the local hospitals, doctors, infrastructure, paramedical staff have their own benefits. Looking to the huge population of India and as the number of these surgeries are growing rapidly, the Indian doctors are also now becoming opinion at world level and the Mncs are designing the implants to special Asian needs. And as the experience of the Indian MNCs are supplying same products to the world. So the product used in its home country will be same as the product it has supplied to the rest of the world. One cannot deny the fact that, today multinational companies have become part of our lives. With all the above glamour and luxuries offered by these corporations they provide a lot of economic help to the developing countries. There are some negative aspects of multinational companies but there are more positive outcomes. They have made our lives worth living. The technological advancements and business growth is the result of working of these corporations. MNCs have connected the world as a whole. Some will say that globalization has ruined the culture of a country, say India. But what MNCs have eradicated is not our rich traditions but our false believes. One still celebrates Diwali with the same enthusiasm as he used to do ten years ago. But due to globalization today women have the right to vote, the literacy rate of our country has increased, female foeticide and infanticide is banned, untouchability has been banned, caste system is eradicated. Today people have started following their own dreams, not doing what others say. Education system of the country has developed. Number of students going into higher education is increasing year by year. This all is possible only because MNCs have brought Globalization which has led to change in the narrow minded mentality of the people to a realistic logical one. Today’s generation is grown up and does not live in a world surrounded by superstitions. Imagine a world without MNCs where we don’t have all the big companies and your favourite brands. From coca-cola to KFC, from Reebok to Adidas, from Starbucks to Barista, CK to UCB, and Louis Vetton to Gucci â€Å"You Are Living It†. REFRENCE LIST 1. Gabel M and H Bruner,  2003. Global In, New York: The New Press. 2. Peter drucker, management, Bombay, Allied publishers Pvt. Ltd. 1975, p. 733 3. Christopher A Bartlett and Sumantra Ghoshal, Managing Across Borders, Boston, Harvard Business School Press, 1998 4. Bized, 2007, Economic Notes- Multi-national Corporations, http://www. bized. co. uk/learn/economics/notes/multi. htm (date accessed: 16/10/2012) 5. Dinithi Thanthiriwatte, 6th June 2004, MNCs – bane or boon for development? Financial Times, Sunday Times. 6. A K Craincross, 1953, Home and Foreign Investment, 1870-1913: Studies in Capital Accumulation, University Press . Khalid Rahman, MNCs and TNCs: Their Role and Socioeconomic Impact on Host Societies, Policy Perspectives, Volume 4, No. 2, http://www. ips. org. pk/globalization/1007-mncs-and-tncs-their-role-and-socioeconomic-impact-on-host-societies. html (date accessed: 18/10/12) 8. Health Commission of India, London, Biotechnology and Healthcare, http://hcilondon. in/biotech. php (date accessed: 20/10/2012 ) 9. American Academy of O rthopaedic Surgeons, http://www3. aaos. org/education/international/courses/prev_courses. cfm? evt_year=2012 (date accessed: 21/10/2012) How to cite Multi National Corporation, Papers

Ethics and Starbucks free essay sample

Introduction Marketing ethics refers to the moral principles concerning acceptable and unacceptable behavior related to the operation of marketing by business people (Barron’s Educational Series, 2007). In order to obtain higher profit, some of the companies may violate business ethical values. Background Mattel founded in 1945 is one of the largest toy companies in the world (Fortune, 2008). Although Mattel is a major toy company, there are many unethical issues found. Firstly, Mattel`s products contained lead paint and tiny magnets that could be swallowed (Mauro, 2007). Secondly, Mattel recalled toys frequently as there were five recalls in less than a year (Mattel. com, 2010). Thirdly, the packaging of Mattel`s product contributed to rainforest destruction (Jakarta, 2011). According to the American Marketing Association (AMA), these activities are unethical and violate 3 ethical values including responsibility, honesty and citizenship. Responsibility For responsibility, Mattel failed to accept the consequences of our marketing decision and strategies. Mattel did not recognize their special commitments to vulnerable market segments such as children who may be disadvantaged. First of all, on August 14 2007, Mattel`s product, the ‘Sarge’ cars, was discovered with lead paint and tiny magnets which are harmful and dangerous to children. Although the product was recalled, some of the products which are claimed passed still contain lead paint. However, Mattel minimized the impact of the use of lead paint. In fact, lead is toxic if ingested by children and there is no safe level of lead in them according to Dr. John Rosen, a lead poisoning specialist (Consumer news, 2007). Although the dangers of lead poisoning are hidden and unobservable, Mattel should take the responsibility instead of doing nothing to prevent the dangers . This violates the ethical value of responsibility because Mattel failed to recognize their special commitments to their customers. Honesty For honesty, Mattel failed to forthright in dealings with customers and stakeholders. Mattel promises that their priority is the safety of the children who play with their toys (URLwire, 2007). However, there were four recalls in six months in 2007, but Mattel did not draw a lesson. In 2010, Mattel toys had been recalled for five times. One of the products called Trikes and Tough Trikes toddler tricycles led to 10 serious injuries before the product was recalled. In order to meet their promise and ensure the safety of children, Mattel should check the quality of their products carefully before they are sold. In these cases, Mattel did not have an adequate quality control in the manufacturing process. Being the largest toy company in the world based on the revenue, Mattel should not recall the defected products only if the injuries happen. As a result, Mattel did not honor their promise to place children safety at the first place. This violates the ethical value of honesty according to AMA. Citizenship In terms of citizenship, Mattel failed to fulfill the economic, legal, philanthropic and societal responsibilities that serve stakeholders. Greenpeace evidenced that Barbie doll packaging come from Indonesian rainforests. Mattel did not protect the ecological environment in the execution of marketing campaigns. Mattel was using products from Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), a pulp and paper company notorious for destroying Indonesian rainforests, leading to the extinction of Sumatran Tiger (Greenpeace, 2011). The product of Mattel, Barbie, was wrapped up in rainforest destruction which destroys the ecological environment and pushes critically endangered wildlife towards extinction. Although Mattel adopted a new packaging policy after the blame from the public, they still did a lot of damages to the environment. According to ! 1 AMA, this practice is unethical because Mattel failed to fulfill the societal responsibility to serve the public and violates citizenship. Conclusion To sum up, consumers lose confident to Mattel`s products because of the mentioned unethical activities. As the world largest toy company, Mattel should not only focus on their sales, but also be more responsible for the environment. Although it is impossible to guarantee zero defected products, Mattel should pay more afford on the quality control to make sure the safety of children. In other words, Mattel should balance the profitability and ethic to achieve her international position. ! Reference Dictionary of Business Terms, Barrons Educational Series (2007), retrieved October 11, 2011 from http://www. allbusiness. com/glossaries/business-ethics/4962856-1. html ! Fortune 500 List (2008) . Fortune, May 5, 2008, Retrieved October 8, 2011. http://money. cnn. com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2008/snapshots/272. html ! Jakarta, R. ( June 09, 2011), Greenpeace accuses Barbie of destroying rainforests, Retrieved October 10, 2011 from http://www. taipeitimes. com/News/front/archives/2011/06/09/2003505320 ! Kenyon, L. (October 5, 2011) Victory: Mattel and Barbie Drop Deforestation, Retrieved October 10, 2011 from http://www. greenpeace. org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/victory-mattel-and-barbiedrop-deforestation/blog/37182/ ! Mattel (2010) . Mattel`s recall, Retrieved October 12, 2011 from http://service. mattel. com/us/recall. asp ! Mauro, T. (August 14, 2007), More Bad News from Mattel, Retrieved October 10, 2011 from http://specialchildren. about. com/b/2007/08/14/more-bad-news-from-mattel. htm ! MSNbc. com (2007, August14), Mattel issues new massive China toy recall, Retrieved October 11, 2011 from http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/20254745/#. Tp8KWN7peGI ! URLwire (September27, 2007) ,Mattel. com Offers Detailed Toy Recall Website, Retrieved October 13, 2011 from http://www. urlwire. com/news/092707. html? !2 ! Sample 2 – Middle Score Corporations’ marketing activities are important information channels for consumers to evaluate the products. Companies that utilize marketing activities to mislead consumers are regarded as unethical by the American Marketing Association. By examining iPhone 4’s marketing strategies, Apple Inc. has been found to violate several ethical standards. ! Apple Inc. is a corporation that designs personal computers and computer software (Apple 2010). In recent years, the company has launched the iPhone series that instantly captivated the consumers (Dalrymple 2010). In contrast, the new iPhone 4 is not positively received by market consumers due to Apple’s unethical marketing strategies. These unethical marketing activities have generated controversies amongst market consumers whether the new gadget should be preferred over other smart phones. ! An apparent violation of the AMA’s statement of ethics is honesty. It is best demonstrated by the promotion of iPhone 4. The newly launched iPhone 4 have been reported by their users with a problem in reception quality. iPhone 4 has its antenna exposed on the outer rim of the phone which makes it more susceptible to interference. The report by Burrows and Guglielmo (2010) has documented Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, is well aware of the flaw in the design. However, official recognition of the problem only came after significant users have reported iPhone 4’s call quality issue. In this manner, Apple has deceived market consumers into buying iPhone 4. ! Another ethical value that has been undermined by Apple is transparency. The underlying principle of transparency is to take responsible actions in regards to product risks that could affect customers’ evaluation of the product (AMA 2010). Although German and Ogg (2010) state the use of a free bumper case is able to eliminate the call quality issue, Apple’s responses to the crisis is unacceptable. It had tried to minimize its responsibilities in this incident by explicitly saying that other brands also have the antenna issue (Michaluk 2010). It had told customers to hold the iPhone differently in order to avoid the signal drop (Rothman 2010). The denial of responsibilities cannot demonstrate the company to have satisfied transparency in its marketing activities. ! Lastly, Apple has breached citizenship in accordance with the AMA ethical standard. A stress made in citizenship is to â€Å"ensure that trade is fair for all participants, including producers in developing countries† (AMA 2010). Recent incidents in the Foxconn’s factories have exposed Apple’s inability to uphold fairness while dealing with its manufacturer. Seventeen suicides have been attempted by Foxconn workers this year which raise suspicions about the working conditions inside the factories (Tam 2010). Although Foxconn is responsible for the harsh working conditions inside the factories, Apple has aided in the exploitation of labours in China by loosely overseeing its producer. In conclusion, Apple has seriously infringed several ethical standards that are set forth by the American Marketing Association. The company has violated the honesty principle by hiding the flaw in the antenna design and denies the mistake made by the engineering team. It has failed to uphold transparency by denial of responsibilities. Apple has breached citizenship by allowing Foxconn’s exploitation of labours in China. ! The overall failure to defend the marketing ethics has left several black spots on the company’s profile. Apple will need to amend the damages done to its reputation in order to regain consumers’ faith. It should admit the mistakes made in the designing stage and take up the responsibilities by recalling the products for reconfigurations. The company should also exert tighter control over its supply chain to ensure fairness is ! 3 met. Only with such reparations can Apple restore its reputation in the subsequent products sales.