Spiritual and Moral Journeys in The Quest of the Holy Grail Essay

The Spiritual and Moral Journeys in The Quest of the Holy Grail  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Quest of the Holy Grail is an exciting tale that follows the adventures of King Arthur's knights as they scour the countryside for the legendary Holy Grail. Throughout their journeys, the knights engage in many exciting jousts and sword fights with a variety of enemies. The author of The Quest of the Holy Grail intends for the story to be more than just entertainment: the knights' search for the Holy Grail is analogous to the pursuit of morality and spiritual chivalry, showing success through asceticism, confession, chastity, and faith. Lancelot, Bors, and Perceval all strive to become more like Galahad, and the author effectively uses these characters to teach his readers lessons about spiritual chivalry and personal salvation. The author provides each of these knights with a series of monks and hermits who counsel and guide him in the ways of spiritual chivalry, for only the most pure Christian knights have any hope of finding the Grail. The adventures of Perceval are very straightforward and easy to interpret, so he provides readers with a suitable introduction to spiritual chivalry and the importance of virginity, asceticism, and complete faith in God. The author faces Bors with more complicated challenges and visions than anything Perceval must handle; since the author tells Bors' adventures after Perceval's, readers should be more prepared to interpret their meaning and significance with regard to spiritual chivalry and personal salvation. The advice Lancelot receives from his series of monks and hermits shows readers the importance of confession and penance, but the author makes it clear that readers should not emulate Lancelot's life of sin ... ...y responsible for our own salvation and "neither shall the son have any part in his father's guilt, nor the father answer for the son's transgressions" (154). The author of The Quest of the Holy Grail addresses a significant number of spiritual and moral issues throughout his engaging story. His goal is to provide a guide to proper living in the eyes of God, and he successfully achieves this goal through the adventures of several very diverse knights of the Round Table who, through their victories and follies, show us the value of spiritual chivalry; furthermore, if we have any additional questions concerning spirituality that are not addressed in The Quest of the Holy Grail, the author suggests that we may always seek out the guidance of our wise local hermits. Work Cited The Quest of the Holy Grail. Trans. P. M. Matarasso. London: Penguin Books, 1969.

The Evil of the Age :: Short Stories Papers

The Evil of the Age August 26th, 1871, was a humid, busy Saturday at the Hudson River Depot in New York City. Sweat and fatigue had crept in by mid-afternoon, when a porter suddenly smelled the stench of decaying flesh. Along the wooden platform lay hundreds of trunks and bags, piled haphazardly, ready for loading onto a Chicago-bound train. During rough handling in the baggage room, the lid of an ordinary, 2'8" by 18" packing trunk had cracked open, releasing the foul stench. The porter immediately called Robert Vandeward, the baggage-master. Vandeward deliberated for a moment, then moved the trunk, bringing it out of the public eye and into a nearby, open railway building. He wrenched loose the thin rope and flimsy lock that secured the lid, popping it open. First he saw an ordinary quilt. He tossed it aside, and stared at a soiled, bloodstained army blanket. The growing crowd of railway attendants leaned in. As he pulled away the blanket, the attendants gasped and covered their mouths. Doubled up in fetus position was the naked corpse of a young woman, her thin shoulders draped with thick, golden curls. Her body had been crushed into the trunk, her head forced over her breasts and her limbs drawn in tightly. Her mouth hung open in awkward distortion and her bright blue eyes stared blankly from their pale, discolored sockets. The pelvic area was bloody and decomposed. In minutes, railroad officials rushed up and down the tracks in search of the trunk's owner. Police questioned onlookers. Voices rose across the station, as a frenzied chaos spread. Young Alexander Potts, known as "Paddy," spoke up. The twelve-year-old boy helped passengers with their bags, making a living scrambling for spare change. He had helped check the trunk just a half-hour before. According to his testimony, an 18- or 19-year-old woman arrived at the station at 2:30 p.m. in a one-horse coupà ©. She wore a common calico dress and a thin shawl. She beckoned Paddy, saying "Sonny, can you tell me where the ticket office is?" When a truck arrived with the trunk, she paid him to help lift it. She urged him to be careful - it contained glass. She would never be found. Earlier that day, she'd hired the truckman to transport the trunk. Paddy had young, keen eyes. He remembered the small inscription on the truck's cab - "Tripp" - which became, for a brief time, a holy grail of sorts.

Saint Telemachus

The Roman Catholic faith is one of the religions that believe in martyrs and saints and honored their lives because of the sacrifices that they have made in the name of fighting for their religion and in the name of preaching the values and morals that the Roman Catholic faith is teaching and preaching to everyone. How these martyrs and saints lived was somewhat similar – a moment of recognition of the presence of God in their lives, the life of prayer and devotion to the faith, the episode of their life wherein they become the tool or vessel of God for an important mission before they die. While their lives seem to follow a certain pattern, their death is somewhat not always the same. There are those who die peacefully in their sleep or because of old age, and there are those who die a violent death in front of an angry crowd. Jesus Christ, the son of God and one of the three personas of the Roman Catholic God, in life mortal human form, died a very violent and brutal death. So did other saints, martyrs and other individuals who are considered faithful to the Roman Catholic faith especially during its early stage and during the time the religion’s main enemies are persecution of the faith and the presence of a set of social norm that strongly go against the paradigm of the Roman Catholic faith, The setting of the world at the time of St. Telemachus’ life, whose death, like Jesus Christ and the other saints, were violent and brutal, and became a source of an important catalyst in the social landscape inside Rome. This paper will discuss the life of St. Telemachus and the significant aspects related to St. Telemachus that will help establish St. Telemachus as one of the important and noteworthy saint and martyr whose contributions were very realistic and practical and transcended the basic act of religious theoretical teaching and selfless public service. ABOUT SAINT TELEMACHUS Saint Telemachus was known by different other possible names, including Saint Tilemahos as well as Almachus, whose birth is remains unknown. He was a monk who was believed to be the one who influenced the policy about gladiatorial fights after his very popular but seriously challenged story about stopping the fighting gladiators that resulted to his death. His proclamation as a martyr and the stopping of the entertainment of the crowd for armed combats which is usually a fight to the death to which spectators gamble. St. Telemachus was mentioned in many different literary forms by authors from different places. Little is known about St. Telemachus, and because of this, many theological experts, historians, as well as critics and analysts, challenge the veracity and truthfulness in the story about Telemachus. The usual tempo and outline of the available St. Telemachus story – from his journey to Rome, his entry in the arena, his stoppage of the fight, his death and martyrdom, runs something like this: â€Å"The emperor Honorius first prohibited gladiatorial shows at Rome, on occassion of the death of St. Telemachus, who coming thither from the East, during the exhibition of these spectacles, went down into the arena, and exerted himself to prevent the gladiators from continuing the sport . † THE STORIES SURROUNDING THE DEATH OF SAINT TELEMACHUS There were many versions of how exactly St. Telemachus died after he supposedly stopped a fight between two gladiators inside a Roman fighting arena during the height of the fad of this particular type of death match entertainment. Authors like Alban Burns explained that there were two versions believed by the Catholic faithful about how St. Telemachus died. The first version is the death of St. Telemachus from the stoning he got from the audience who were â€Å"infuriated† b y his mediation and intervention that spoiled the excitement of the action that was already progressing by the time he arrived and tried to stop the fight. Another version pointed the death of St. Telemachus towards the actions of the â€Å"city prefect,† who, like the audience, found St. Telemachus’ action inside the arena not agreeable to his preferences and interests. Because of that, the prefect of the city ordered the gladiators (whether the ones who were fighting or those on standby inside the arena is not exactly ascertained by Butler and Burns) to kill him, who supposedly said before dying that â€Å"Today is the octave day of the Lord, cease from the superstitions of idols and from polluted sacrifice . † This act cost his life, but in return earned him the stature of a martyr in the annals of the Roman Catholic faith. THE IMPORTANCE OF SAINT TELEMACHUS Despite the fact that St. Telemachus is not a very popular name or saint among many Roman Catholics compared to other popular saints and martyrs (largely because of the fact that very little was written or known about St. Telemachus besides his action inside the Roman gladiatorial arena compared to other saints and martyrs whose life and works are well written, well documented and well publicized), there are those, especially the devout and the learned religious faithful who does not forget the place of St. Telemachus not just in the religious aspect of the understanding of his life and the significance of his contribution, but also historically as a person who in one particular time, in the history of the Roman Catholic faith and faithful, made his mark and contribution in the effort of the religion to sustain the values and moral preached by Roman Catholic faith. St. Telemachus is nonetheless considered and appraised with the same fervor as with t he other saints and martyrs, especially when discussed alongside his contemporaries and those whose life and location was never far before or after him. For almost four hundred years the martyrs of the Church met here, beginning with St. Ignatius†¦ and ending with St. Telemachus who, dying, implored the mob: ‘In the name of Christ, forbear. ’ They loved and suffered enough to finally change the mind of Rome . † ST. TELEMACHUS AND THE IMPACT ON LITERARY WRITING St. Telemachus was indeed an inspiration not just to the traditional and conventional religious individuals but to literary artists as well. The life and tragedy of St. Telemachus perhaps was a source of inspiration for Sir Alfred Tennyson when he wrote the poem featuring this particular saint, a poem which was another solid contribution and addition to the long list of literature of the same genre, but unlike some of the works which is very puritan and hard line in the messages that it wishes to throw across the audience, St. Telemachus and the poem dedicated to him somehow managed to break off from the general trend a bit. â€Å"Tennyson’s St. Telemachus, who accepts martyrdom in the Colosseum as he repeats to himself ‘the call of god'†¦ s a notable exception to this secularized application (Jeffrey, p 816). † ANALYSING ST. TELEMACHUS’ LIFE THROUGH LITERARY REFERENCES It is really hard to ascertain why St. Telemachus did what he did. But a very good source of information is the analysis of the critics about St. Telemachus and the parallelisms that he and his life shares with other characters in real life and fictional stories that talk about the boldness and honor in the act of sacrifice as the climactic event in a life that is dictated by a life in solitude and constant communing with God and nature and heightened by the belief of a mission from a vision, which, in St. Telemachus’ case led him towards westward from his Asian point of origin towards Rome. In reading how he is appraised and put side by side with other characters to which he seemed to share a particular likeness or similarity, the individual looking for a deeper understanding about the personality of St. Telemachus will be given a chance to expand his or her knowledge about St. Telemachus. â€Å"Several other poems in the collection share significant thematic elements with ‘The Death of CEnone. ’ ‘St. Telemachus,’ for example, immediately follows ‘The Death of CEnone’ and similarly depicts a hermit living alone in a cave, muttering ‘Vicisti Galilae,’ as in Swinburne’s ‘Hymn to Proserpine’ . † This particular side by side analysis of equally significant literary materials and notable characters somewhat provides an individual an idea about how St. Telemachus lived his life and the level of significance he bears, as a person and as a central character in a literary material that is written by one of the most notable and popular poet that ever lived. Like CEnone, Telemachus is drawn out of his cave by the vision of a burning image, in this case the sun, and he leaves the cave to commit an act that will bring his life to a close. Telemachus travels to Rome to attempt to put a stop to the deaths of gladiators in public spectacles . † ST. TELEMACHUS AND HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE IDEA OF HUMAN RIGHTS St. Telemachus can be considered as one of the earliest examples of advocates for human rights. He was merely batting for human rights during his interference midway in the game and the plea to stop because he believes that killing each other is not morally right. He was not a political pawn that was sent to create a situation that is profitable or favorable for a particular group or individual. All that was obvious was that the prospect of what he planned to do will no doubt put his life in peril since he was set to do an action that will put him in cross current with the existing social practice, like the gladiatorial fights. But he did it, and it cost him his life as well as a posthumous recognition, as well as an action that was inspired by his own initial move to stop gladiatorial fight. â€Å"Though he is killed in his attempt, his act draws the attention of the Emperor Honorius, who thereby prohibits such combats in the future . † The claim that gladiatorial fights were indeed ordered stopped after the reported murder of St. Telemachus was supported by many other different literary sources explaining the same repercussion of St. Telemachus' action as the springboard towards the stoppage of such kinds of fights. â€Å"Never again after St. Telemachus implored them in the name of Christ to cease did gladiatorial fights take place in the Colosseum. † A proof that St. Telemachus led a life that exemplifies the passion for a humanitarian cause and to improve the situation of human rights crisis during his time is the fact that some observers describe St. Telemachus as a martyr who died for the cause of humanity, â€Å"the only monk who died a martyr in the cause of humanity . † ISSUES ON THE STORY OF ST. TELEMACHUS Besides the presence of many different version of the story of St. Telemachus, particularly the story of his death as was discussed earlier in the paper, there are also other significant issues that are involved everytime critics and analysts try to ascertain the veracity of the information available and surrounding St. Telemachus’ life and death. What is not clear, however, is the extent of the political impact of the death of St. Telemachus which was enough and sufficient to actually order the stoppage of such practice. Bear in mind that St. Telemachus was an ascetic; he was not well connected, politically and his death is not important inside the political circles of the Roman legislative body; his death was of no serious repercussions, meaning the death of St. Telemachus was far from being akin to political killings or assassination that affect politics and social order. Bear in mind also that gladiatorial fights inside the Roman Colosseum and arenas are a long standing traditional practice that seemed to be not that easy to demolish, especially since many individuals depend their lives on the regular undertaking of this fights, including the fighters themselves as well as the slave traders, merchants, gamblers and many other different individuals. Because of this, it is really very difficult to really understand how it happened that the death of an unknown hermit who is not a native of Rome managed to result in such impact like the stoppage of the gladiatorial fights. And because of this vague, gray part in the history and story of St. Telemachus that begs for more explanation and proof, it is not surprising that many individuals find it difficult to believe in the veracity of the story. McCabe provided a very insightful input in the discussion of the possibility that St. Telemachus indeed put a stop to the gladiatorial fights and how this may not be socially and realistically possible. McCabe discussed in his book that the gladiatorial fights nonetheless persisted long after Telemachus was dead, and that this particular bloodsport featuring man versus beast and man versus man is an important institution in the Roman entertainment that it cannot just be stopped in one fell swoop, just because one person said so by act of intervention and mediation in an actual fight. There are socio-political as well as socio-economical implications that make the story of St. Telemachus very weak and the fact that it is poorly supported in literature by actual real information makes it less and less credible. â€Å"And it is historically false that the games were suppressed in 404; though even this is ninety years after the bishops began to have influence over the emperors . † Some of those who are also very critical about their assessment of what qualify as martyrdom and what is not a considerable act or life of martyrdom questions the martyrdom of several different saints and martyrs, and St. Telemachus has not escaped the criticisms. Those who dissect the understanding of sainthood and martyrdom in a very puritan and very skeptical and crucial way questions the manner by which martyrs and saints like St. Telemachus was proclaimed martyrs in the first place, including in the assessment the understanding of selflessness as well as sacrifice and what really constitutes as real acts of selflessness and sacrifice that is considered as sufficient and legitimate to make the individual a saint or a martyr in the Roman Catholic faith. â€Å"It is likely enough also that martyrs to charity – men like St. Telemachus and St. Philip of Moscow, Abp. Affre and Bp. Patteson – have their portion with the perfect martyrs to faith; in some cases, as in the last, it is hard to draw a line between the two: any way, those who suffer for righteousness sake suffer for Christ†¦ but to suffer for conscience's sake, however noble, is not necessarily quite the same thing: and it is hardly right to claim the name of martyr for the victims – certainly not for the victims on one side only – in the fratricidal contests of Christians . † But even this kind of assessment or criticism does not provide enough ground to challenge the merit of the martyrdom of St. Telemachus. Even with the surfacing of this particular criticism, those who believe in him seem to feel that their faith in the saint did not diminish, especially since the presence of the criticism is not credible or strong enough to push for the review or even the relinquishing of the martyrdom of St. Telemachus. A very difficult problem that needs to be addressed when it comes to establishing the veracity of St. Telemachus as a person, as well as his martyrdom and sainthood is the fact that those who would really want to believe in St. Telemachus finds it odd that there is no cathedral, church or chapel as well as shrines and even statues of St. Telemachus found in popular as well as small religious establishments for the Roman catholic faith. This is odd because Roman Catholicism is one of the religions that is characterized by the penchant of its religious leaders as well as religious followers to create stone, wood, glass or steel statues of Jesus, Mary, the Holy Spirit, as well as the saints and the angels and other holy individuals who are related to the Roman Catholic faith. If this was the practice of this religion, then why one of their Roman civilization-era saints was not featured in any tangible, three dimensional sculpture at least placed in at least one of the lowliest and smallest church in the world? If this is true, then this affects in a negative way the manner by which St. Telemachus is being seen and appreciated as a real martyr and saint in the Roman Catholic domain. â€Å"I wish to believe in the story of St. Telemachus. Yet no church has been dedicated, no altar has been erected † for St. Telemachus. There are critics, historians and analysts who downplay the storyline of St. Telemachus, dismissing it as no more than a work of imagination or fiction and pointing that the socio-political aspects of the time, as well as supporting information (or lack of) makes the idea about St. Telemachus untrue and grossly inconsistent of the closest possible facts that might have really happened. Add to the fact that consistent to the question of fratricide among the Christian brothers belonging to the same religious affiliation, making the story of St. Telemachus close to being fabricated for PR purposes it the fact that St. Telemachus would have surely died in the hands of the same Christian crowd. This scenario seem like it cannot stand well on the moral and values of Christianity that St. Telemachus was though to have been preaching. â€Å"On the other hand, the claim that Christianity redeemed the Romans of their callousness by suppressing the gladiatorial games is a piece of rhetorical d eceit. It is chiefly based upon a pretty story of a monk, Telemachus, throwing himself into the arena at Rome in protest. Those who repeat the story do not add that the monk is supposed to have been killed by the Christian mob, but the story is worthless . † McCabe went to the great extent of challenging the notion of reality of the story of Saint Telemachus and the veracity of the true Telemachus as a person and as a martyr by providing an important point. The name of St. Telemachus, according to McCabe apparently is not found in the list of martyrs that are officially recognized by the church. â€Å"There is no St. Telemachus in Roman lists of martyrs . † CONCLUSION. Whether St. Telemachus and the story of his martyrdom is real or merely fabricated by historians who seek to improve the list Roman Catholic devout and faithful throughout the history by creating a person who will symbolize the stand of the Roman Catholic faith against one of the barbaric past times and forms of leisure in the history of mankind, it cannot be denied that St. Telemachus and his life was an inspiration to some people. It maybe true, it maybe untrue, it may even be a story that is a combination of both, but the important thing is that St. Telemachus was capable of symbolizing the ability of the human individual for sacrifice and act of faith even at the cost of his life. Religious faith, after all, is all about the ability for selfless and unquestioning faith. If St. Telemachus can help them achieve this state, then he will no doubt be an important personality in the Roman Catholic history, unless of course, a very competitive and authoritative work can actu ally challenge St. Telemachus’ life and prove that none of the stories surrounding him were true, real or consistent with facts that should be proven and authenticated. Until that time, the religious can rest their faith on the martyrs and the saints, including St. Telemachus. Even if St. Telemachus was criticized by some, there are those who feel that St. Telemachus should also be taken highly and accorded their necessary fervor, an example of which is how Charles Kingsley referenced St. Telemachus in ‘Hypatia,’ where he wrote: â€Å"Take care, sir, of your words. You revile the blessed martyrs, from St. Stephen to St. Telemachus, when you call such a deed foolish . †

Boeing Case Study

Q1: How would you describe Boeing’s unethical culture. So called rotten to the core (5)? The unethical culture inside Boeing was widespread, and affected multiple geographic areas and there were cases across all divisions of such unethical behaviour. The promotion of the well-being of stakeholders was no longer being practised. Managers were no longer taking the claims of all stakeholders into consideration in their decision-making, and as such all stakeholder groups were at threat from this unethical behaviour, including the stockholders, employees, suppliers and distributors and the customers.The problem is that the relentless pursuit of self-interest was evident, and this seemingly led to a collective disaster inside the company, as one or more people started to profit from being unethical in the company, which likely encouraged other managers and employees to act in the same way. As a result, the efficiency and effectiveness of the company and its performance was compromis ed (e. g. failing to capitalise on cost savings initiatives).All in all, this resulted in reputation loss (e. g. humiliating ouster of Harry Stonecipher). As unethical behaviour was evident from the former CEO (affair with colleague) to his executive and other lower level managers (imprisoned employees), it is understandable and appropriate to refer to the culture and being ‘rotten to the core’. The culture that existed was simply unacceptable. Q2: What kind of factors resulted in Boeing’s unethical culture (10)?There are a number of factors that led to and resulted in culture at Boeing being unethical in nature. Some of these helped to create the environment for poor ethical decisions (e. g. poor ethics), and some of the factors were direct breaches of ethical conduct that served to stimulate further acts of ethical breach in the organisation. a)Environmental The four rules for ethical decision-making had been violated inside Boeing. Utilitarian rule – th e greatest good for the greatest number of people was not being pursued †¢Moral rights rule – decisions were not protecting the fundamental rights and privileges of people †¢Justice rule – distribution of benefits were not fair, equitable, and impartial †¢Practical rule – people in society didn’t not find these decisions and behaviours acceptable The breach of the environmental factors is supported by the complacency amongst the management that existed. Management was used to hiding behind bureaucracy, and there was a lack of effective and centralised leadership.Thus McDonnel-Douglas and Boeing was cultures were still evident in the same organisation. Management also had a culture of excess – they went away on posh getaways for their executive breakouts, â€Å"played golf, and closed down the bar†. The culture in the organisation was a closed culture and a â€Å"culture of silence†. There was no whistle-blowing on ethic s breaches. There was a general lack of attention to factors that create an enabling environment for productive and efficient work execution within ethical norms.Appropriate incentives were lacking and not in place, when the company grew as a result of the merger, there was no strong central control or corporate governance – which resulted in ethical breaches throughout the organisation. Also as a result of the merger, there remained internal conflicts and rivalries by the management teams which were not addressed, resulting in two cultures that didn’t integrate and work together. This led to a number of challenges such as good ideas not being shared, and internal cost cutting measures being hindered. b)Breach of ethical conductThere were also breaches of ethical conduct which only served to perpetuate and entrench the rogue ethical culture: †¢The former CEO’s relationship with his female Vice-President †¢The abuse of attorney-client privilege in cover ing up internal studies †¢Unethical pay discrepancy where females earned less than men at Boeing †¢The theft of 250000 pages of proprietary documents Because self-interest can lead to a collective disaster when others are encouraged to follow suit, it is likely that these acts further the company as a collective in terms of its adopted culture and reputation. The lack of legislation banning some behaviours (e. g. iaisons and affairs with colleagues) may have contributed to such conduct. However, neither law or ethics are fixed principles, and the managers should have used the combination of individual, organisational, occupational, and societal ethics to guide their the behaviour and conduct. All in all, the standards by which the Boeing managers ought to have governed themselves in terms of their individual, organisational, occupational and societal ethics were violated, resulting â€Å"in a tragedy of the commons†, where the company’s performance was compro mised, and the company suffered a reputation loss (the publicised Palm Springs affair).Q3: What steps is the new CEO taking to change Boeing’s culture and make ethical behaviour the centre of attention (10)? McNerney embarked on a process to re-establish business ethics at Boeing, putting individual, organisational, occupational, and societal ethics back at the centre of decision-making. He confronted the unethical culture directly and head-on by giving a â€Å"wake-up call† to his executive management team at the company’s annual executive retreat. This included the reading out of prison numbers at the retreat.He was honest and direct when telling the managers that they had â€Å"gotten carried away with themselves†. An important step was to encourage managers to talk about ethical lapses, and undo the culture of silence that permeated the company. He encouraged people to â€Å"speak up and take the risk†. McNerney paid attention to detail, includ ing remembering employee’s names, to ensure that they feel important and valued, and thereby defusing the need to take ethical short-cuts in their work conduct and behaviour.Some of the direct tools he used to achieve his culture change was centralising leadership to exert more influence and control over the 3 divisions in Boeing. Also, he aligned pay to ethical values and behaviours, rewarding collaborations amongst teams and divisions, and rewarding those who were living Boeing’s values. These values included the promoting of integrity and the avoiding of abusive behaviour. McNerney realised that he had a direct influence on the culture he wanted to create and chose to lead by example.He adopted an understanding and caring type leadership style, asking less technical questions in meetings with staff, and focusing on the human element. This form of leadership quickly established trust. People were able to have faith and confidence in him, and as a result he â€Å"win s praise from co-workers†. He was able to salvage and restore Boeing’s reputation as a result of the combination of steps taken above. However, there was still room for improvement in that of adopting a change and transformation programme.Such a programme would have set very change objectives, been communicated throughout the organisation, and measures established to track progress towards the desired culture and ethical changes. â€Å"Giving speeches about management virtue† and then following through with concrete actions – has a place on the change and transformation programme towards an ethical culture. McNerney could have also drawn-up a code a conduct for his team. This approach would have been more directive, and would have sent a clear and strong message in terms of the importance of ethical conduct and behaviour. Boeing Case Study Q1: How would you describe Boeing’s unethical culture. So called rotten to the core (5)? The unethical culture inside Boeing was widespread, and affected multiple geographic areas and there were cases across all divisions of such unethical behaviour. The promotion of the well-being of stakeholders was no longer being practised. Managers were no longer taking the claims of all stakeholders into consideration in their decision-making, and as such all stakeholder groups were at threat from this unethical behaviour, including the stockholders, employees, suppliers and distributors and the customers.The problem is that the relentless pursuit of self-interest was evident, and this seemingly led to a collective disaster inside the company, as one or more people started to profit from being unethical in the company, which likely encouraged other managers and employees to act in the same way. As a result, the efficiency and effectiveness of the company and its performance was compromis ed (e. g. failing to capitalise on cost savings initiatives).All in all, this resulted in reputation loss (e. g. humiliating ouster of Harry Stonecipher). As unethical behaviour was evident from the former CEO (affair with colleague) to his executive and other lower level managers (imprisoned employees), it is understandable and appropriate to refer to the culture and being ‘rotten to the core’. The culture that existed was simply unacceptable. Q2: What kind of factors resulted in Boeing’s unethical culture (10)?There are a number of factors that led to and resulted in culture at Boeing being unethical in nature. Some of these helped to create the environment for poor ethical decisions (e. g. poor ethics), and some of the factors were direct breaches of ethical conduct that served to stimulate further acts of ethical breach in the organisation. a)Environmental The four rules for ethical decision-making had been violated inside Boeing. Utilitarian rule – th e greatest good for the greatest number of people was not being pursued †¢Moral rights rule – decisions were not protecting the fundamental rights and privileges of people †¢Justice rule – distribution of benefits were not fair, equitable, and impartial †¢Practical rule – people in society didn’t not find these decisions and behaviours acceptable The breach of the environmental factors is supported by the complacency amongst the management that existed. Management was used to hiding behind bureaucracy, and there was a lack of effective and centralised leadership.Thus McDonnel-Douglas and Boeing was cultures were still evident in the same organisation. Management also had a culture of excess – they went away on posh getaways for their executive breakouts, â€Å"played golf, and closed down the bar†. The culture in the organisation was a closed culture and a â€Å"culture of silence†. There was no whistle-blowing on ethic s breaches. There was a general lack of attention to factors that create an enabling environment for productive and efficient work execution within ethical norms.Appropriate incentives were lacking and not in place, when the company grew as a result of the merger, there was no strong central control or corporate governance – which resulted in ethical breaches throughout the organisation. Also as a result of the merger, there remained internal conflicts and rivalries by the management teams which were not addressed, resulting in two cultures that didn’t integrate and work together. This led to a number of challenges such as good ideas not being shared, and internal cost cutting measures being hindered. b)Breach of ethical conductThere were also breaches of ethical conduct which only served to perpetuate and entrench the rogue ethical culture: †¢The former CEO’s relationship with his female Vice-President †¢The abuse of attorney-client privilege in cover ing up internal studies †¢Unethical pay discrepancy where females earned less than men at Boeing †¢The theft of 250000 pages of proprietary documents Because self-interest can lead to a collective disaster when others are encouraged to follow suit, it is likely that these acts further the company as a collective in terms of its adopted culture and reputation. The lack of legislation banning some behaviours (e. g. iaisons and affairs with colleagues) may have contributed to such conduct. However, neither law or ethics are fixed principles, and the managers should have used the combination of individual, organisational, occupational, and societal ethics to guide their the behaviour and conduct. All in all, the standards by which the Boeing managers ought to have governed themselves in terms of their individual, organisational, occupational and societal ethics were violated, resulting â€Å"in a tragedy of the commons†, where the company’s performance was compro mised, and the company suffered a reputation loss (the publicised Palm Springs affair).Q3: What steps is the new CEO taking to change Boeing’s culture and make ethical behaviour the centre of attention (10)? McNerney embarked on a process to re-establish business ethics at Boeing, putting individual, organisational, occupational, and societal ethics back at the centre of decision-making. He confronted the unethical culture directly and head-on by giving a â€Å"wake-up call† to his executive management team at the company’s annual executive retreat. This included the reading out of prison numbers at the retreat.He was honest and direct when telling the managers that they had â€Å"gotten carried away with themselves†. An important step was to encourage managers to talk about ethical lapses, and undo the culture of silence that permeated the company. He encouraged people to â€Å"speak up and take the risk†. McNerney paid attention to detail, includ ing remembering employee’s names, to ensure that they feel important and valued, and thereby defusing the need to take ethical short-cuts in their work conduct and behaviour.Some of the direct tools he used to achieve his culture change was centralising leadership to exert more influence and control over the 3 divisions in Boeing. Also, he aligned pay to ethical values and behaviours, rewarding collaborations amongst teams and divisions, and rewarding those who were living Boeing’s values. These values included the promoting of integrity and the avoiding of abusive behaviour. McNerney realised that he had a direct influence on the culture he wanted to create and chose to lead by example.He adopted an understanding and caring type leadership style, asking less technical questions in meetings with staff, and focusing on the human element. This form of leadership quickly established trust. People were able to have faith and confidence in him, and as a result he â€Å"win s praise from co-workers†. He was able to salvage and restore Boeing’s reputation as a result of the combination of steps taken above. However, there was still room for improvement in that of adopting a change and transformation programme.Such a programme would have set very change objectives, been communicated throughout the organisation, and measures established to track progress towards the desired culture and ethical changes. â€Å"Giving speeches about management virtue† and then following through with concrete actions – has a place on the change and transformation programme towards an ethical culture. McNerney could have also drawn-up a code a conduct for his team. This approach would have been more directive, and would have sent a clear and strong message in terms of the importance of ethical conduct and behaviour.

Western Humanities Essay - How is the Palace of Versailles a fitting

Western Humanities - How is the Palace of Versailles a fitting symbol of the Age of Absolutism - Essay Example Louis chose to build the palace on the location of his father’s hunting lodge in Versailles. For the next two decades the town became an enormous construction site. Le Vau added new wings and faà §ades on every side until they completely enveloped the original hunting lodge. Illustrious additions included the Sun King’s magnificent bedroom (the Chambre du Roi), and the famous Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors). Construction of the Hall of Mirrors began in 1678. The principal feature of this famous hall is the seventeen mirror-clad arches that reflect the seventeen arcaded windows that overlook the gardens (Singleton 25). The mirrors are very decadent and decorated and they use natural light and candlelight to create awesome space. There is an Audience hall within that highlights Louis XIV’s enormous wealth and power. Ceiling frescoes illustrate Louis’s successes in war. Versailles became the home of the French nobility and the location of the royal court thus becoming the center of French government. Symbolically the central room of the long extensive symmetrical range of buildings was the Kings Bedchamber. All the power of France emanated from this center: there were government offices here; as well as the homes of thousands of courtiers, their retinues and all the attendant functionaries of court, thus keeping the lords close at hand and securing the French government in an absolute monarchy. All major avenues radiate from and to the palace courtyard. The King’s bedchamber is the actual radiating point, which highlights the king’s centrality. Buildings create an embrace and the gardens reflect the King’s mastery over the natural world. Exterior is classical; linear and geometric that emphasizes order and stability (Ranum 20). Louis weakened the power of the nobles by excluding them from his councils. In contrast, he increased the power of the government agents called intendants, which collected taxes and

Main Character Analysis - The Yellow Wallpaper Essay

Main Character Analysis - The Yellow Wallpaper - Essay Example THE CENTRAL CHARACTER OF THE STORY REPRESENTS AN ‘OUTSIDER’ WHO DOES NOT WANT TO CONFORM TO THE TRADITIONAL NORMS AND HENCE FREES HER SOUL FROM THE PRETENSE OF THE CONVENTIONAL WIFE WHO ABIDES BY HER HUSBAND’S DECISIONS WITHOUT INDIVIDUAL JUDGMENT. Women have attempted to get rid of the conventional definitions of their roles and the ideology forced upon them, thus seeking for a redefinition of Womanhood. Charlotte Perkins Gilman illustrated the struggle of the female character of the story to overcome the patriarchal constraints in order to be able to cultivate her writing talents. Here she talks about the dominating care of her husband as she says, â€Å"He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction†¦ There comes John, and I must put this away, --he hates to have me write a word. We have been here two weeks, and I haven't felt like writing before, since that first day. I am sitting by the window now, up in this atrocious nursery, and there is nothing to hinder my writing as much as I please, save lack of strength† (Gilman, 1891, 2) Gilman also points out the lack of cooperation from the female counterparts which have helped the male reinforce their dominance. She has mentioned the case of the sister of the woman’s husband in this regard. ... From the fact that John would not encourage her writing let alone appreciate them, she gradually suffered from low-self esteem. The following lines express her feelings, â€Å"But these nervous troubles are dreadfully depressing. John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no REASON to suffer, and that satisfies him.† (Gilman, 1891, 3) The work represents the Cult of Womanhood, which ties up the women folk to the ambience of the home and family. Here the woman has been confined to the defined parameters that have been set by men. Constant domination negatively affects her creativity, as she has to put in the extra effort in order to overcome the mental set back and arouse the self-encouragement within her. The character Gilman creates in her story is an inspiration to all the women who have confined themselves within the shackles of dominance. She depicts the challenges thrown towards patriarchal ideologies and how women could move beyond the conventional ba rrier of ideology imposed upon them. She cites a reflection of this situation as she describes the changes in the wallpaper, saying, â€Å"There are things in that paper that nobody knows but me, or ever will. Behind that outside pattern the dim shapes get clearer every day. It is always the same shape, only very numerous.† (Gilman, 1891, 6) she wonders whether all women would be able to walk out of these artificial misleading designs created deftly by men – â€Å"I wonder if they all come out of that wall-paper as I did?† (Gilman, 1891, 12) The central character of the story ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ therefore represents the ‘outsider’ to the set norms of the society

Is aspartame safe for you Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Is aspartame safe for you - Research Paper Example Aspartame’s health concerns have been an issue of debate lately and this is why it is surrounded by controversies. In this paper the impact of Aspartame will be analyzed. Researches on Aspartame have revealed more than a few negative effects of regular usage of Aspartame especially the way it affects human brain’s cellular activity. In a research it was concluded that â€Å"excessive aspartame ingestion might be involved in the pathogenesis of certain mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR 2000) and also in compromised learning and emotional functioning† (Humphries et al., 2007). It happens so because of the highly toxic derivatives created in the body after the consumption of aspartame. Once ingested, aspartame breaks down intotoxic derivatives because of the presence of 50% phenylalanine, 40% aspartic acid,10% methanol/wood alcohol in its formula which formsformaldehyde (a colorless toxin) and a carcinogen called diketopiperazine in the body. (Humphries et al., 2007) Cumulatively, these toxins are responsible for affecting neurotransmitter regulation. In some studies, aspartame was regarded as the potential prompter, encourager or aggravator of risky pregnancy and cancer. The chemicals that break down after the use of aspartame pose immense threat to the developing fetus as well as the mother because it damages brain activity and can cause birth defects, reported Dr. Russell Blaylock (Raffelock, 2010). Just one can of diet soft drink containing aspartame can cause salient health-affecting symptoms in pregnant ladies such as nausea, headaches/migraines, numbness and dizziness to name a few alongwith increasing the risk of pre-mature baby birth by 78% (Chitty, 2011). Similarly, the risk of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) can also considerably increase with daily intake of aspartame. (Chitty, 2011) This happens due to the formation of excitotoxins like Domoic acid and glutamate by phenylalanine that stimulates the brain cells negatively to