Discuss the issue Ethical Business and How it relates to csr Essay Example for Free

Discuss the issue Ethical Business and How it relates to csr Essay Discuss the issue Ethical Business and how it relates to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). With reference to sources, provide examples of companies or organisations which demonstrate ethical behaviour and evaluate their motivation. The ideas of Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility are oftentimes discussed in a similar manner even though they both have distinctly different definitions. As the name suggests, the term ethical business or business ethics is associated with a mixture of both ‘ethics’ and ‘business’. According to Oxford English Dictionary (2010) a business is the buying and selling of products or services with an aim of profit making. Ethics, on the other hand is more complex in that it involves human judgment, between what is right and wrong, in regards to activities and their consequences towards the society (Velasquez, et al. , 2010). Chryssides and Kaler (1993) have drawn attention to the fact that in the same way that political ethics is related to honouring the right and wrong in governmental concerns, or medical ethics being identified with the morality in medical practice, business ethics can simply be defined as the issue of morality within the business industry whereby â€Å"morality is taken to mean moral judgments, standards and rules of conduct† (Ferrell and Fraedrich, 1997, p. 5). Therefore, ethical business can now be defined as the ethics or principles that act as one’s behavioral rules and regulations when dealing in the world of business (Ferrell, et al. , 2010). On the other hand, reference to The World Business Council for Sustainable Development explains CSR by putting across that a business has responsibilities and obligations that go beyond the workplace (WBCSD, 2001). This essentially signifies the voluntary duty that organisations participate in to fulfill the demands of a broader range of stakeholders (Jamali and Mirshak, 2006). Based on the definitions stated above, it would seem that CSR and business ethics share similar theories, considering the fact that both of their notions go further than profit-based decisions and into values along with concerns for the society as a whole (Mullerat, 2010). Having said that, it is certainly interesting to see that most people are inclined to link CSR with the positive operations of a firm yet when a business engages in a non-moral act, they set the stunt side by side with business ethics or rather, the lack of (Crane and Matten, 2010). The question of how business ethics relates to CSR can now be evaluated more closely. Some examples of issues in ethical business as well as CSR include harming the environment and sweatshop labour on top of fraud, health and safety and campaigning (IBE/Ipsos MORI 2009, cited in Irwin, 2010). This essay will comprehensively explore the motivations of firms that have demonstrated brilliant presentations of business ethics, such as Microsoft Inc. as well as examining the motives behind their ethical decisions. Additionally, it will also look at other corporations that have been linked with having high regards to ethics in business yet have been accused in making poor business choices in the recent years, for instance HM’s disposal of unsold clothing items in New York in 2010 (Daily Mail Reporter, 2010). Until recent years, HennesMauritz, more commonly known as HM has been highly admired for launching the use of organic cotton into the high street clothing (Vijayaraghavan, 2010). Green Retail Decisions (2011) reports that it even succeeded in surpassing their organic cotton goal usage in 2010 by tripling their original aim, manufacturing 15,000 tonnes of organic cotton. Furthermore, the company was also proud in producing high street attires out of 16,000 tonnes of fabric that have been recycled (Green Retail Decisions, 2011). Be that as it may, when the firm threw away unsold clothes outside of one of its retail outlets, many were not only left appalled but also questioning their business ethics (Daily Mail Reporter, 2010). In the same year, HM were involved in two more shocking headlines in the news, one of which includes the contamination of the organic cotton textile with GM, and the other being a suspicion of unsustainably made clothes (Vijayaraghavan, 2010). As previously stated, HM is widely respected for working with organic materials on their products. However, when genetically modified cotton was found in random product test conducted in a research lab, they were left with nothing to be applauded for. Hence, it is clear that this particular case study provides contradicting information on HM’s aims and motivations towards ethical decision-makings within their business. Even though they have been acceptable in their business ethics, for many of their stakeholders, the four issues specified above may heavily indicate otherwise. Another good example of a company with a similar situation is Coca Cola alongside its recent endeavours with ethical crises. Ferrel et al. (2011), in their book write that the company has been facing various allegations regarding their ethical misdemeanours since the 1990s, some of which include racial prejudice, pollution and consumption of natural resources. The claim against one of the world’s most acknowledged beverage companies, Coca Cola, otherwise known as Coke, for the practice of racial discrimination within their working environment was taken to court in April 1999 (Winter, 2000). In his article, Winter (2000) reports that Coke practiced a method of pay scale that is based upon a hierarchy whereby employees of African American background were situated at the bottom, earning $26,000 on average less than white workers in a year. Although the company denied all charges at the time, the public was clearly upset, resulting in a decline of their shares at the end of the 90’s (Fairfield, 2007). As a consequence of this, Coca Cola lost one of their main investors and biggest shareholder of 17 years, Warren Buffet in 2006 (Teather, 2006). Having their reputation jeopardised, Coca Cola announced the establishment of a new department to their company, the diversity group (The New York Times, 1999). Since the formation of this group, Coca Cola has been voted 46th on the DiversityInc’s top 50 list of businesses with the best practices along with coming 6th in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Blacks and Latinos (DiversityInc, 2012). In addition to this, Black Enterprise magazine has also awarded the organisation with numerous awards honouring their commitment to establish a working environment that is accepting of different cultures along with featuring the company in the Black Enterprise magazine’s yearly 40 Best Companies for Diversity list (Staff, 2012). DiversityInc (2012) also reports that Coca Cola donates forty percent of their humanitarian effort to culturally diverse non-profit organisations, such as their recent contribution to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation. With that in mind, their ethics in business can be considered as acceptable to the public eye and it is almost unthinkable to think that they were accused of race-related discrimination just over a decade ago. The cases of HM and Coca Cola are referred to in this essay to express the similarity in their questionable motives. HM’s claim of being environmentally conscious with their utilisation of organic cotton within their business proves irrelevant after being caught with immoral acts that were stated earlier. The genuineness of their principles in business ethics is flawed by this flagrant contradiction since one would argue that if their sense of responsibility for the environment were great, they would not be accountable for such unethical activities. On the other hand, Coca Cola only responded to possessing ethics in their business environment after being sued and attracting negative media attention, not including the obvious decline in their sales even though they still remained as the world’s leading carbonated cola in 2006 (Fairfield, 2007). Thus, similarly the sincerity behind Coca Cola’s motive to develop a diversity group and their emphasis in cultural acceptance is also suspicious because these were only developed and implemented after the public uproar. Although it may be surprising, Microsoft Inc. can also be compared to Coca Cola and HM to an extent in terms of the motivations behind their CSR works as well as business ethics practices. The co-founder and chairman of Microsoft Inc. , Bill Gates is widely known and celebrated for his great donations to the public. In 2011, Microsoft Inc. won the award for being ‘Most Ethical, beating Google and Facebook after making donations of millions of dollars to non profit organisations and charities, establishing plans of actions for economic development as well as heightening their means of central reporting procedures (Smith, 2011). Having said all this, it is shocking to note that only just 15 years ago, a board experts at a panel in a well-known seminar held in California could not answer and decide whether Microsoft Inc. were an ethical corporation. (Spinello, 2003). Spinello (2003) continues to write that not only were the panel of experts unsure of the answer, the audience, who were consisted of scholarly representatives did not know how to respond either. This is because Microsoft Inc. has been involved in an antitrust inspection worldwide and some Americans have referred to this event as the â€Å"antitrust trial of the century† (Mota, 2005). The antitrust laws, otherwise known as competition laws were introduced by the American government to protect customers from being exploited by companies who practice unfair competition in the market (Investopedia, 2011). Gates is also the primary shareholder in America’s second biggest waste administration called the Republic Services (O’Hagan, 2013). In her article O’Hagan (2013) questions how the co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation can spread the word to publicise vaccinations for poliomyelitis, a disease that can cause a temporary or permanent paralysis while â€Å"Republic Services is locking out its workers as part of an industrial dispute†, a policy that may put a risk to the Americans’ sanitary. There is no doubt that Microsoft Inc. ’s involvement in charity work over the years have been generous and can be regarded as a model example of a company who takes their corporate social responsibilities seriously. However, it is also evident that while their voluntary organisations are remarkable, their business practice leaves with less to be awed for. Hence, similar to the HM case brought up previously, there is a contradiction between Microsoft’s work with charity and some of their immoral activities in the workplace. It is also comparable to Coca Cola in that it only came to be involved in large ‘corporate citizenship’ after the aftermath from their antitrust cases (Smith, 2011). It is safe to say that most companies are fighting to prove their good works through all types of methods, charity works in the case of Microsoft Inc. as well as forming a new diversity department in the case of Coca Cola. With thousands of other corporations yearning to prove their sincerity in making ethical decisions and practicing moral behaviour in the workplace, it is becoming tougher to examine just how responsible and principled an organisation is (Kwan, 2012). Kwan (2012) writes that this issue can be solved with the help of a B Corp certification. B Corp stands for Benefit Corporations, which is one of the latest kinds of corporate structure, acting as a third party classification to calculate the effects of an organisation to the environment (Fritz, 2013). Balch (2012) argues that the term benefit not only considers social and environmental aspects of a business but also its financial side as well, where he insists that 21st century capitalism would be a hybrid of generating social value together with maximising financial returns. B Corps essentially â€Å"provides what is lacking elsewhere: proof† to support that the specific company is in actual fact practicing what is proclaimed by them, hence, useful for firms whose focus is to not only make profit but also putting social and environmental interest a primary concern while doing so (Rosenberg, 2011). Although certifying B Corps to sincere businesses with aims of increasing positive social and environmental impacts sound fair, smaller and newer companies may say otherwise (Akalp, 2011). In their academic journal, Helsey et al. (2013) report that a company must be prepared to invest on their time and money to obtain the status. Depending on the area that they are operating in, the business must able to relate themselves with certain criteria listed, such as â€Å"providing low-income or undeserved individuals or communities with beneficial products or services† (Helsey et al, 2013). Fritz (2013) also confirms that a company must be assessed in accordance to the B Ratings System in which they must score at least 80 points out of 200 on top of consenting to changes in their legal articles of incorporation. Furthermore, there is a fee involved, which varies depending on the revenue of the firm (Akalp, 2013). This implies that organisations with strong awareness and appreciation of responsibilities may choose not to be certified with B Corps and thus put across a sense of false portrayal to companies without the B Corp certificate (Akalp, 2013). Therefore, it can be argued that larger companies with a higher source of income can afford to pay more to be certified. In addition to this, there have also been criticisms on the marking boundaries of the certification process. As stated earlier, companies need to score a point of 80 out of the maximum 200. Horatio (2012) disputes that this only indicates a 40% passing score for a company to be certified, which he claims as â€Å"not much of a standard† and â€Å"essentially worthless†. With that in mind, a case could be made that there is now a limitation to the authenticity of the certificate since large companies can afford to pay their way through the process and most probably pass the low 40% passing requirement. The purpose of this essay has been to convey that most companies, regardless of their past, recent or current reputation are never completely ethical in their business activities and that in one way or another, they have been associated with its share of moral negligence. With the examples used in the essay, it is safe to say that most companies that operate in what is considered to be as ethical to the public are only doing so to receive public attractions, and consequently earn more profits and success to the company. It is important to draw attention to the fact that there is a fundamental difference between what a company does and what their beliefs are. Just because a company is praised for their CSR related activities and was voted amongst the best of companies with high business ethics performance, this does not indicate that they are doing so for the sake of the planet or the people. If anything, this essay has been stating otherwise, demonstrating that most ethically responsible organisations are only involved in ethical activities to draw consumers in, thus, increase their profit.

Impact of Demand and Supply Forces in the Market

Impact of Demand and Supply Forces in the Market In general, equilibrium market price is determined by where quantity demanded meets quantity supplied. This holds true for the property market in the UK, where prices are being driven by large demand for housing and an almost fixed supply of property. This larger demand of housing over existing supply has been the main factor driving UK property prices up in the last 10 years. However, these increased prices cannot last forever, the market (through changes in supply and demand, as well as government intervention) will find a new equilibrium due to factors that will bring demand down again. According to demand and supply theory, for a downward sloping demand curve, as price increases, quantity demanded moves leftward along the demand curve, resulting in a lower quantity demanded. On the other hand, in an upward sloped supply curve, as price increases, then quantity supplied moves rightwards along the supply curve for a higher quantity supplied. In the case of the UK housing market, let’s suppose we had a downward sloping demand and upward sloping supply, which intersected at P0 and Q0. About 10 years ago, the UK economy was starting its upwards growth cycle. This gave people more money which they could freely spend on purchasing property, increasing demand for housing. This increased demand caused the demand curve for property to shift outwards from D0 to D1. With this increase in demand, and the same supply curve S0, prices would have increased from P0 to P1 and quantity demanded and supplied would have increased from Q0 to Q1. However, this increase in demand which caused higher prices would also affect supply, so more builders and developers would want to construct housing in order to fulfil this growing demand. Yet, this increase in supply is always smaller than the increase in demand because of resource constraints—where will you actually build new housing and the time it takes to build such once you have found a place to do so and also because the builders know that others will be building too and so the increased price will not be as high as they initially saw. In the end, the total increase in supply is smaller than the increase in demand. This increase in supply (which takes a bit longer to be reflected in the market than the increase in demand) would imply an outwards shift of the supply curve from S0 to S1. This in itself would then reduce prices from P1 to P2 and increase quantity even more from Q1 to Q2. Since the increase in supply is not enough to offset the increase in demand, the cycl e begins again with another outward shift in demand, since those demanding Q2 at the lower price P2 are willing to pay up to P3, driving demand out again and helping the boom in housing prices. In reality, this increased demand and supply is continuously occurring and the process cannot be explained by the diagrams above. Some believe that part of the real reason why prices are so high right now is because people are buying based on how prices have been behaving and are not arbitraging: instead of correcting each others mispricing, they reinforce it. (Farlow 2004) However, in the future, demand for housing could become lower than supply, which would mean that prices would go down. Given the high prices to date, more developers are building new housing which would imply that supply is increasing. If this continues or even grows, then supply could at one point exceed demand, driving prices downwards. This is unlikely, as when builders are making decisions as to whether or not create new homes they factor in the supply of housing being built by their competitors, which sometimes causes the overall growth in supply to be lower than what some expected. Another factor that could influence a price crash is an economic recession, whereby many people are laid off and their disposable income is reduced. Were this to happen, then demand for property would decline, and again, prices would have to reduce to accommodate the lower demand. A third factor that could influence is if the government increased interest rates dramatically. In this case, the increas e in interest rates would result in two main issues: reducing consumer spending, which would include buying property, in favour of saving money, as savings rates would increase, and secondly, a reduction of people wanting to borrow money for properties, as mortgages would go up. This two-way reduction would also reduce demand for property, with a result of a reduction in property prices. As we have seen above, demand and supply forces can be used to explain how it is possible to get such a continued increase in the prices of UK housing over the last 10 years, beginning with a strengthening of the economy which injected cash into the market. This led to increased demand for housing which was not offset by identical increase in supply, which combined with continued economic growth and low interest rates just continued putting upward pressure on demand for housing and thus increasing prices. There have been many recent articles wondering when this upwards spiral will end but it is difficult to predict. The Bank of England has been trying to intervene by increasing interest rates in the last few months with yet another increase predicted in the near future, but this is not reflecting in a reduction for housing demand. A big factor that could help reduce property prices is a reduction in the overall economy, as occurred in the 1980s, when unemployment hit certain areas an d many were left with little income for buying homes. This, however, does not seem likely, given the pressure to maintain the economic boom. However, there will come a point when the majority of people will be unable to afford any housing due to its continuous price increases, driving demand for housing down. REFERENCES Farlow, A., 2004, â€Å"Part two: The UK Housing Market: Bubbles and Buyers†, Credit Suisse First Boston. Lipsey, R.G. and K.A. Chrystal, 1999, Principles of Economics, 9th edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Physical Therapy Essay -- Physical Therapist Job Career Essays

Physical Therapy Physical therapists are members of a health care team, specially trained to improve movement and flinction, relieve pain, and expand movement potential. Through evaluation and individualized treatment programs, physical therapists can both treat existing problems and provide preventive health care for people with a variety of needs (Physical Therapy-Improving 1). Physical therapists are very knowledgeable and skillful concerning the human body. Physical therapy is a complex, but rewarding field to pursue as a career. Specialization, working conditions, job outlook, salaries, and education requirements need to be taken into consideration when contemplating a career as a physical therapist. Physical therapists can either specialize in specific areas, like paralysis or orthopedics, or they can treat a broad range of needs. Physical therapy is divided into three basic categories: acute care, neuro-rehab, and outpatient physical therapy. I am particularly interested in acute care, which involves treating patients in the hospital setting. Acute care involves treating patients following surgery, restoring patients' physical activity following an accident or illness, and helping patients to overcome disabilities. Teaching home exercises, preparing rehab programs, and explaining how to use assistive devices are the acute care therapist's main jobs. On the other hand, neuro-rehab physical therapists deal with patients who have long-term injuries, such as spinal cord injuries. Finally, outpatient physical therapists are usually self-employed and generally treat patients in the home. ("Information" 7) All three types of physical therapists perform the same general tasks. The goal of physical therapy is to help patien... ...1.htm. "1997 Graduate School Rankings, Physical Therapy." U.S. News _ Online. Internet. 8 April 1997. Available: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/beyond/gphyther.htm. "Physical Therapist." The Princeton Review Guide to Your Career. Online. Internet. 8 April 1997. Available: http://cgi.review.com/careers/car_search_show.cfm?id=114#life. "Physical Therapists." California Occupational Guide Nurnber 117. Online. Internet. 8 April 1997. Available: http://www.calmis.cahwnet.gov/file/occguide/PHYSTHER.TXT. "The Physical Therapist: A Professional Profile." American Physical Therapy Association. Online. Internet. 8 April 1997. Available: http://www.apta.org/pt_prof/professionalprofile.html. Physical Therapy - Improving Movement and Function. San Bruno: Icrames, 1984. Physical Therapy in Iowa. Des Moines: Iowa Physical Therapy Association, 1991.

Evil and an STN God :: Philosophy of Religion Essays

Evil and an STN God The problem of evil makes theists discern a reason for an STN God to allow evil and suffering in the world. The basic setup for the problem of evil is that either a God who is all knowing, all powerful, wholly good, eternal, and creator of this universe but separate from it (STN) or evil exists. Atheists believe that since evil exists then there is no STN God. Theists branch into two categories, either believing in God, but not an STN God or believing that God has a reason for allowing evil into the world. The latter type is a narrow theist and they use a theodicy to solve the problem of evil, the best of which is the ontological defense. However, the ontological defense does not solve the problem of evil. The problem of evil stems from the contradicting beliefs that either an STN God exists or evil exists (93).1 The problem of evil can be expanded into two arguments against the existence of an STN God: the logical and the evidential arguments (93).1 The argument from the logical problem of evil is simple. The basic form of this argument is that if an STN God exists, then evil cannot exist (93).1 Since there is evidence that evil does exist an STN God cannot exist (93).1 The evidential problem of evil is based more on how any greater good can come from the evil (99).1 In the argument from the evidential problem of evil, there are times when an STN God could have prevented intense suffering without interfering with a greater good (99).1 An STN God would prevent any suffering that would not interfere with a greater good and since suffering has occurred that does not interfere with a greater good an STN God cannot exist (99).1 The problem of evil is solely a problem for theists. In order for a theist to keep their beliefs in an STN God they must find a way to solve the problem of evil by using a theodicy (103).1 Or they can change their beliefs so that they no longer believe in an STN God, but just a God (108).1 The ontological defense appears to be the most successful theodicy at solving the problem of evil. This defense essentially says that it is impossible for good to exist in the world without evil. The ontological defense is the strongest defense because it merely puts forth the concept of opposites and does not try to explain any other reasoning for why evil exists or why God puts evil in the world.

Impact of Advertising on American Society Essay -- BTEC Business Marke

Impact of Advertising on American Society American society has changed drastically over the past years and some people say advertisements reflect the society that we live in now. Advertising in our society encourages unhealthy habits, focuses in on our weaknesses and leads us to believe that we are materialistic. Advertisements can also change our vision of reality and makes us believe the impossible. Advertisements use sexual and racial stereotypes to help sell their products. People in our society encourage the commercials that demonstrate these things, like focus in on our weaknesses. A recent commercial I just saw advertising for Pizza Hut uses sex and famous people to promote their product. The ad was introducing their new Four for All pizza. Jessica Simpson, a young popular singer, was eating this new pizza (four separate squares, with four different toppings but considered one pizza) and Kermit the Frog was in the same room with all the Muppets. Jessica Simpson said to Kermit, "Kermmy, there is some for you, your favorite." Kermit then blushed and floating hearts appeared above his head. The next scene was Jessica Simpson sits on the couch next to Kermit, and Miss Piggy walked over to Jessica and pushed her off the couch because she was jealous. Then the slogan came on the screen, "Everyone Gets What They Want." Then, their famous slogan, "Gather ‘Round the Good Stuff." This commercial in a way does reflect our society. The producers put famous people or characters in this commercial, Jessica Simpson and the Muppets, to get more publicity so more people will actually watch it and pay attention to it. Or maybe the producers thought that people would think since Jessica Simpson or Kermit the Frog eat this new pizz... ...d it was very inappropriate for television. The whole point is, that commercial will stick in the head and this will give more publicity for Budweiser, even if it was unacceptable to a lot of people. I never actually saw it, but I read an article about it in the newspaper. So I prove my point, that it will stick in people’s heads since it was so controversial. It did for me at least! People will always remember commercials that were offending and debatable. Producers are only trying to please our society. So overall, I definitely believe advertising is based on our society. We live in a world where everything has to be easier and more convenient for us, that we need to get everything we can, and we strive to be perfect. Advertising does focus in on our weaknesses and does lead us to unhealthy habits. So we are the one’s that make advertisements the way are today.

Mental Health in Texas Prisons and Jails

Fall 2012 Mental Health in Texas prisons and jails October 13, 2012 University of Southern California A. Introduction: Issue, Policy, Problem: Texas has approximately 24. 3 million residents according to 2010 state statistics from the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Close to 833,000 adults live with a serious mental illness. Within these 24. 3 million residents of Texas in 2008, approximately 37,700 adults with a mental illness were incarcerated (NAMI. org).Additionally, there is an estimated 31% of female and 14% of male jail inmates nationally live with serious mental illness. We see this because there are inadequate public mental health services to meet the needs of those suffering. Texas public mental health system provides services to only 21% of adults who live with a mental illness (NAMI. org). The objective of the 18th Edition Texas Laws for Mental Health are to provide a comprehensive range of services for persons with mental illness or mental retardation that need publ icly supported care, treatment, or habilitation.In providing those services, efforts will be made to coordinate services and programs with services and programs provided by other governmental entities to minimize duplication and to share with other governmental entities in financing those services and programs (TDSHS. us). Regardless of the objective by the Texas Laws, prisoners are not, however, a powerful public constituency, and legislative and executive branch officials typically ignore their rights absent litigation or the threat of litigation (UNHCR. org).With this being said, there is great failure within this objective. Many, even thousands of prisoners become incarcerated without receiving the major mental health services they require. Gazing within, many prison mental health services are woefully deficient, crippled by understanding, insufficient facilities, and limited programs. State budget cuts handed down during the recent legislative session left the Texas Department of Criminal Justice with a dangerously-low $6. 1 billion biennial budget, approximately $97 million less than last year’s funding levels.As a result, the mental health care system suffered layoffs along with the rest of the prison health care services. In addition, although treatment and medications were left untouched, fewer medical workers are now left to treat mentally-ill inmates. Staffing cuts in turn increased the inmate-to-staff ratio from 58 to one upward to 65 inmates for every mental health care worker (Nix, 2011). The growing number of mentally ill persons who are incarcerated in the United States is an unintended consequence of two public policies adopted over the last thirty years.The elected officials have failed to provide adequate funding, support, and direction for the community mental health systems that were supposed to replace the mental health hospitals shut down as part of the â€Å"deinstitutionalization† effort that began in the 1960’s (U NHCR,org). Following the deinstitutionalization process came the â€Å"war on drugs† campaign. This was to have embraced a punitive, anti-crime effort. What we saw was a considerable proportion of the prisons and jails population sore, more than quadrupling in the last thirty years. B.History and Scope of Issue: Eighty-three years after the first American institution exclusively for the insane was opened in Williamsburg, Virginia, the first Texas facility for the mentally ill was established by the Sixth Legislature. Legislation signed by Governor Elisha M. Pease on August 28, 1856, called for the establishment of a state lunatic asylum (Creson). Fifty thousand dollars was appropriated for land and buildings. The State Lunatic Asylum (now Austin State Hospital) did not open until 1861, when Superintendent Dr. Beriah Graham admitted twelve patients.Before 1861, individuals with a mental illness or mental retardation were kept at home, sent out of state for treatment or custodi al care, or confined in almshouses or jails. Dr. David Wallace was the first physician in the state to limit his practice to psychiatry. During his tenure as superintendent of the two institutions, Wallace successfully resisted political patronage in the asylums, advocated removal of the â€Å"harmless mentally retarded† from them, did away with restraint, introduced occupational and recreation activities as treatment modalities, and utilized furloughing as a prominent part of institutional procedure.Dr. David Wallace was a true advocate for the mentally ill, and fought for their right to be treated respectfully. Overcrowding became a major problem during the 1940s. Public pressure to reduce the lengthy waiting lists for admission to state hospitals and to remove mentally ill individuals from local jails increased occupancy in already overcrowded hospitals. In 1943, the legislature converted the Confederate Home for Men into a hospital for mentally ill male geriatric patients in order to provide beds in the larger hospitals.In 100 years, the state system for caring for the mentally ill grew to nine state hospitals scattered about the state. Their population had, however, begun to decline as a result of new treatment techniques and changing social ideas about the role of state psychiatric hospitals in caring for afflicted individuals (Creson). Over the years, as the population continued to grow, so did crime, drug use, and violence. Research indicates that 72% of both male and female jail detainees with severe mental disorders also meet criteria for substance use disorders of alcohol or drug abuse (Abram & Teplin, 1991).Within this negative growth, the punishment for the crimes also tightened. Soon we began to see an increase in arrest, and more offenders incarcerated. However, some of the increase was because those suffering with mental illnesses were the individuals committing the crimes. Subsequently, the mental institutions were closing, due to t he changing social views of the way those suffering were treated, left those suffering with nowhere to go. As time moved forward, we can see a striking corresponding movement with the legislative funding for mental health care; it is spiraling downhill.Hence, the beginning of overcrowding in Texas prisons and jails. Sadly, those suffering from mental illness will not receive quality, fair treatment during incarceration. Providing mental health services to incarcerated offenders is frustrated by lack of resources (UNHCR. org). Reflecting back to the early 1800’s, there is a mind blowing resemblance to what we see today; lack of treatment for those with mental illnesses. C. Perspectives and Analysis of Policy:In Texas, legislators, mental health professionals, and advocates have recognized the need to reduce the prevalence of serious mental illness in jails and prisons by diverting minor offenders to community-based mental health services. In fact, House Bill 2292, passed in 20 04, calls for the development of jail diversion strategies along with the implementation of Resiliency and Disease Management (RDM) by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) for the treatment of severe mental illness (TDSHS).Steps should be taken at the federal, state, and local level to reduce the unnecessary and counterproductive incarceration of non- offenders with mental illness. Mandatory minimum sentencing laws should be revised to endure prison is reserved for the most serious of offenders. Reducing the number of mentally ill offenders sent to prison will also free up prison resources to ensure appropriate mental health treatment for those men and women with mental illness who must, in fact, be incarcerated for reasons of public safety (UNHCR).On any given day, between 2. 3 and 3. 9 percent of incarcerated offenders in State prisons are estimated to have schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder, between 13. 1 and 18. 6 percent major depression, and between 2. 1 and 4 . 3 percent bipolar disorder (manic episode). In 1999, NAMI (formerly known as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) reported that the number of Americans with serious mental illnesses in prison was three times greater than the number hospitalized with such illnesses (UNHCR).In the fiscal 1990 year, the average state hospital census was 3,475, and the number of clients served in community mental health-mental retardation centers was 125,277. The Harris County Psychiatric Center, a 240-bed hospital established in October 1986, jointly funded by the state and Harris County and under the direction of the University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston, served an additional 195 individuals. After federal block grants given to states in 1980 provided more state control in distributing federal funds, Texas (like other states) placed a high priority on severely and chronically ill patients in community programs.This re-allocation of resources resulted in an exacerbation of conflict s caused by different local and state agendas, legislative concerns for cost effectiveness and advocacy groups' agendas for expanded services, as well as professional territorial battles and an expanded definition of what constitutes mental illness. Lawsuits have further complicated the matter of organizing, implementing, and administering the state system while compelling needed reforms. Significant in this regard in Texas was RAJ v.Jones, filed in 1971. Major issues in the case included individualized treatment, patient rights, use of psychotropic medications, and adequate community aftercare services. Morales v. Turman, filed in 1971, resulted in increased quality and availability of mental-health services for juvenile offenders held by the Texas Youth Council. Ruiz v. Estelle did much the same for adults in state prisons and provided impetus for a new prison psychiatric hospital currently under construction in Sugar Land (THSA. org).D. Impact of Policy and Analysis: During 2003 New Freedom Commission on Mental Health found that the mental health delivery system is fragmented and in disarray- leading to unnecessary and costly disability, homelessness, school failure and incarceration. In many communities, access to quality care is poor, resulting in wasted resources and lost opportunities for recovery. The likely-hood of failure for community mental health services to meet the needs of those suffering with mental illness is pronounced.The Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration have estimated that 72 percent of mentally ill individuals entering the jail system have a drug-abuse or alcohol problem. Deinstitutionalization resulted in the release of hundred s of thousands of mentally ill offenders to communities who could not care for them. At about the same time, national attitudes toward those who committed street crime-who are overwhelming the country’s poorest -changed remarkably (UNHCR. rg). Prisoners with mental illness f ind it more difficult to adhere to prison rules and to cope with the stresses of confinement, as evidenced by the new BJS statistics that 58 percent of state prisoners with mental problems have been charged with violating prison rules, compared to 43 percent without mental problems. An estimated 24 percent with a mental health problem have been charged with a physical or verbal assault on prison staff, compared to 14 percent of those without.One in five state prisoners with mental health problems has been injured in a fight in prison, compared to one in 10 of those without. Community health services, though good, are, due to lack of funding, inadequate to meet the needs of persons with mental illness. This results in those suffering to â€Å"fall between the cracks†, and into the world of criminal mishap. The lack of funding also affects the ability of law enforcement, courts and correction facilities to divert persons with mental illness away from the criminal justice system and into a more fitting arrangement.Many persons with mental illness, prison can be counter-therapeutic or even â€Å"toxic. † Nevertheless, we recognize the tragic irony that, for many, prison may also offer significant advantages over liberty. For some mentally ill offenders, prison is the first place they have a chance for treatment. For those who are poor and homeless, given the problems they face in accessing mental health services in the community, prison may offer an opportunity for consistent access to medication and mental health services.Realizing this opportunity depends, of course, on whether the prisons provide the necessary services. In 2008, 1,900 out of 11,000 inmates, or 17. 3 percent in the Harris County jail were on psychotropic medication. Spending on mental health care in the prison has risen to $24 million per year, and the combined cost of incarcerating and treating the mentally ill is $87 million annually. A county official noted: the jails have becom e the psychiatric hospitals of the United States.Class action lawsuits have led to improvements in prison mental health care in a number of states, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. Lawsuits have led to consent decrees and court orders instituting reforms and the court appointment of masters and monitors to oversee compliance. Considering the needs of today's mentally ill prisoners, the progress to date is far from enough. Viewed from the perspective of where prison mental health was two decades ago, the progress has been momentous.Both the state system and the private sector are in a period of major transition. The Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation was placed by House Bill 7 under the auspices of the Commission on Health and Human Services, a new umbrella agency established by the legislature in July 1991. How this new structur ing of the administration of state mental health care will ultimately affect the delivery of mental health services remains to be seen (TSHA). E. Judgement: There are nine state mental hospitals in Texas with a total of 2,477 beds to reat civil and criminal patients. About a third of the beds are reserved for criminal commitments, and in 2006, the Department of State Health Services started a waiting list for the beds, because the demand exceeded availability. The shortage of state hospital beds is a problem that local law enforcement officials have been grappling with for years as sheriffs cope with overflowing jails, in which many of the inmates are mentally ill. Harris County officials have seen the number of mentally ill inmates explode since 2003, the last time Texas had a budget crisis and made major cuts.Then, there were fewer than three full-time psychiatrists on duty at the jail. Now, there are more than 15. Often they see the same mentally ill inmates repeatedly. State law makers are considering budget proposals that would reduce community-based health care services for adults and children and for community mental hospitals by about $152 million in 2012 and 2013. It is about a 20 percent reduction in financing from the previous two-year budget. For community mental hospitals, financing would fall about 3 percent, but the money would be split among five facilities instead of three (Grissom, 2011).Several problems associated with housing mentally ill persons in jails and prisons rather than hospitals: – The rate of recidivism. Since mentally ill inmates generally receive little care for their illness while in jail or prison, they return to jail or prison at a greater rate than the general prison population. – Mentally ill inmates cost more than other prisoners to house. The average Texas inmate costs the state approximately $22,000 per year. While an inmate with a mental illness costs the state approximately $30,000 to $50,000 per year. Ot her issues the study cites include the fact that mentally ill inmates commit suicide at a greater rate than the general prison population, and mentally ill inmates are easier targets for abuse by other prisoners and prison staff. Texas ranks 49th in the nation in per capita spending on mental health services. Only 25 percent of children and 18 percent of adults with severe mental illness and in need of services from the public mental health system in Harris County are able to receive them. Now, Texas lawmakers are looking to cut funding to the already overburdened public mental health system by $134 million for 2012-13.A prime example of cost shifting has occurred within the Harris County Jail, now the largest mental health facility in Texas. The Harris County Jail treats more individuals with mental health issues on a daily basis than our state’s 10 psychiatric hospitals combined. This is especially worrisome given that the United States Department of Justice reports that it costs 60 percent more to incarcerate inmates with serious mental illnesses than it costs to house typical inmates. It is clear that imprisonment of the mentally ill will not help the situation at hand, only add to the severity of it.Incarceration of the mentally ill can be devastating and costly. While, those suffering from mental illness need help, confinement in federal, state, and local prisons is not the answer. Local leaders and government officials need to advocate for the mentally ill, and push for more funding to insure proper treatment is available to those in need. References Abram, K. M. , & Teplin, L. A. (1991). Co-occurring disorders among mentally ill jail detainees. American Psychologist, 46, 1036-1045. Dan L. Creson, â€Å"MENTAL HEALTH,† Handbook of Texas Online (http://www. shaonline. org/handbook/online/articles/smmun), accessed October 14, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Janice C. May, â€Å"GOVERNMENT,† Handbook of T exas Online (http://www. tshaonline. org/handbook/online/articles/mzgfq), accessed October 14, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Undefined. (May 15, 2012). Texas Department of State Health Services. In 18th Edition Texas Laws for Mental Health. Retrieved October 14, 2012, from http://www. dshs. state. tx. us/mhrules/Texas_Laws. shtm.

Development Assistance Essay

The best way for international donors to quicken development in poor Asian countries is to maximize overseas developmental assistance. ODA should be provided both to governments directly and to international and local NGOs. † Development can be considered as one of the most omnipresent concepts today. This term had been a commonplace in governments and non-governmental organizations alike (Nault, 2008). Overseas developmental assistance also referred to as official overseas assistance (ODA), had been a vital part of world economies especially to those who belong to the third world. As early as 1960s, underdeveloped and developing countries have seen the importance of receiving grants in forms of ODA from more developed countries (Berlage and Stokke, 1992) It is now given that most of the countries, which are underdeveloped, or those who are still in the process of developing are indeed in great need of ODAs coming from their more developed counterparts. The lack of resources on the part of the poor countries makes them suffer the opportunity cost of not attending to other pressing issues in within their territories. This paper will present arguments in two fold. First, it will make a point on how international donors can quicken development in poor Asian countries by maximizing the amount it gives through ODAs. Second, it will argue on why is there a necessity to give funds directly to international and local NGOs rather than just giving it to the government; it having the sole discretion on the funds’ disbursement. Similar to the case in developed countries, rising and relentless budget deficits had become one of the major causes for concern in developing countries. Asian countries have been suffering from massive budget deficits for the past recent years (Gupta, 1992). Given that most of the developing and underdeveloped countries are suffering from budget deficit, there really is a need that ODAs should be intensified in order to address other social concerns that are being neglected by the governments due to lack of budget. These social concerns, which deals with welfare and other public issues are often taken for granted by governments despite their noble ideas because they lack resources in financing these programs. If resources will be provided through ODA, the local government will be better equipped of bringing service to their people. Aside from mere economic progress, development must also entail improvements with regard to life expectancy, education levels, literacy, and access to resources (Nault, 2008). With more funds, which are easily available to finance social programs of the government, people may easily reap the benefits of ODAs coming from developed countries. The funds coming from the ODA can be allocated to programs aimed at empowering the grassroots and improving the living conditions of the people. With regard to economic progress, there is also a great need for the funds, which are given by more developed countries. Given the lack of resources of underdeveloped countries, they have no enough assets to stimulate their respective economies. Nowadays, government-initiated economic policies are necessary to save the worsening condition of the global economy. The world economy is being threatened by massive recessions. Hence, there is a necessity for state intervention in stimulating the economy. ODAs can be used by the government to back up state-initiated economic programs aimed at ameliorating the country’s economy. ODAs may be used as capital by the government and also as investment so that it would yield to higher profits in the future. ODAs can also be used by the government in coming up with schemes that will help protect the economy from the global trend of economic downturns by implementing regulations, which will somehow put safety nets to the national economy. ODAs may be used in employment training and job creation in order to assure that the citizens of the country are equipped with appropriate knowledge, which they may use in finding employment. Having established the necessity of increasing the amount of ODAs being transferred by developed countries to their poorer and less fortunate counterparts of Asia, the argumentation will shift towards the necessity of diverting funds not only to state governments but to non-governmental organizations as well. First, the author of this paper acknowledges the vital role being played by the government with regard to managing ODAs. Much substance have been given earlier in this paper and it is beyond argumentation that state-government acceptance of ODAs is indeed necessary. However, a new concept is being realized and offered which relates to the offering of ODAs from developed nations directly to international and local NGOs in the country. Perhaps one of the reasons to such proposition is the lessening trust of developed nations to their underdeveloped counterparts in Asia when it comes with governance. Many Asian countries, especially those who are financially-burdened, are often described in the international arena as engaging in the process of corruption. Documented evidence is being studied to support such claim (Lindsey and Dick, 2002). Good governance within the public sphere is indeed crucial in creating an environment, which will help mobilize resources, both domestically and internationally as well (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2002). Grantors of ODAs take into consideration the political climate within the country, which will receive their grant. They give premium to those who are practicing good governance. However, most countries in Asia had been involved in cases related to corruption. Hence, they do not appear as flawless to those who are sending them their ODAs. On the other hand, NGOs send a message of altruism to the international community. These NGOs project an image that they are indeed concerned in bringing progress to the countries where they have offices in. They appear as the good guys, whose business is to promote the welfare of the oppressed. NGOs are also offering programs that are aimed at bringing progress and development to their host countries. Sometimes, such programs from the NGOs are not being offered by state-governments. Another point is the fact that since grantors of aids are losing trust to corrupt governments, they are finding alternative channels to send their ODAs to residents of the receiving countries. Most NGOs in the international levels have earned themselves of the reputation to help others due to their noble causes. In spite of the manner as to how developed countries will be sending in their grants, what matters most is the fact that these grants are indeed helpful in bring progress and development to underdeveloped countries. References Berlage L. and Stokke, O. (1992). Evaluating Development Assistance: Approaches and Method. London: Routledge Publishing. Gupta, K. L. (1992). Budget Deficits and Economic Activity in Asia. London, Routledge Publishing. Lindsey, T. and Dick, H. W. (2002). Corruption in Asia: rethinking the governance paradigm. Annandale: NSW Federation Press. Nault D. M. (2008). Development in Asia: Interdisciplinary, Post-Neoliberal, and Transnational Perspectives. Boca Raton: Brown Walker Press. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (2002). Official development assistance and private finance: attracting finance and investment to developing countries. Paris: OECD Publishing.