Reflective Work about Ethics in Business - Essay Example

Reflective Journals Name Class Unit Introduction This reflective journal contains my critical reflections based on news which have ethical issues. I have looked at the news in a critical manner and identified issues relating to human rights, environment, social responsibility and other ethical issues in them. Through use of other sources to support the information, the reflection offers a deep insight on the issues. I have ensured that all issues are addressed completely and in a comprehensive manner. Globally, there are a lot of current issues that have led to ethical considerations. There is refugee crisis, medical issues, environment conservation and war among others. This essay will reflect on each of the news article and come up with a critical reflective analysis. Syrian refugee crisis: Tasmania has a role to play The refugee crisis in Syria has led to a lot of public debate. Use of social media has played a major part in exposing the challenges faced by the refugees as they flee the war torn region. The number of refugees has kept on rising with some countries being non-committal in offering them residence (Albahari, 2015). Countries such as Hungary have kept a tough stance on the issue while some of the countries are modestly committed. Several of the Middle East countries have no plans to take in refugees while others are only taking a small number (Felmingham, 2015). As I analyse the article, I am moved by the reference of emotional pressure that has moved US and the rest of the western countries to act. The shocking photograph of a dead child after being drowned was a major issue that led to global action and highlighted the plight of the refugee. I agree with the author that most of the countries had ignored the refugees’ plight. The Australian government which had a tough stance on immigration has started responding through a threefold plan (Felmingham, 2015). I agree with the author that refugees face a lot of problems which need to be addressed. According to Albahari (2015), the western countries are signatory of the refugees’ protocol and hence are bound by law to help. Failure to act on the refugee crisis by the developed countries is against morals and unethical. The number of refugees continues rising especially in the developing countries. I have seen several cases where refugees are seen as a threat to the country. This has acted to stir public fear and resentment especially being fuelled by media (Felmingham, 2015). Despite this, I have been able to analyse the Australian bureau of statistics and realised that asylum seekers are not the major cause of crime. According to ABS, refugees are 45 times less to be charged with a criminal offence as compared to the general public. After reading this, I have been able to realise that the public fear on refugees is being fuelled by politics and media. Seeing refugees as a threat is dehumanising. I have realised the importance of understanding the plight of refugees and the problems they are facing. This helps in coming up with ways to help them and respond to their predicaments (Albahari, 2015). According to the article, civil war in Syria has led to loss of more than 240,000 lives. The war in Syria is not ending soon and helping the refugees is a great step (Felmingham, 2015). I agree with the author view that Tasmanian is great benefactors of those in need (Felmingham, 2015). I see the call for additional refugees as a genuine concern for their welfare. I look at it in a humanitarian assistance perspective where the refugees will get homes. Housing the refugees in private homes is an act of compassion that should be emulated where public housing is not available. Despite this, I see the need for the society to look for all those in need. There is need to address the homelessness for the country citizens and also take care for the refugees. 3 D printing can lead to ethical issues in medicine Despite the benefits offered by 3D printing technologies in medicine, it has raised a lot of ethical issues. Use of 3D printing has the capability to improve treatment in bone cancer, arthritis and hearing loss. At the moment, it is possible for the orthopaedic surgeons to print artificial bones from patient scan. In future, use of 3D printing may be used in stem cell research in printing living bone cells and organs for transplant. The three ethical issues that have been raised by the author are; safety and efficacy, justice in access to health care and use of technology to enhance human capabilities (Dodds, 2015). As I read the article, I was able to agree with the writer that justice and access can compromised by the technology. This is due to the costs of treatment which is high using 3D technology. For those in low social economic status, accessing state of art technology for treatment is very hard. I have seen in several instances where technology creates a social divide due to costs. Treatment using modern technology is left only for those who can afford the high costs. I can see a situation where those with no finances being denied access to health care due to high costs (Dodds, 2015). Despite this, the advantages brought about by advanced medicine cannot be downplayed. Most of patients with serious health conditions which cannot be treated in standardised way. I am well versed with the fact that the cost of customising prosthesis for cancer patients has been very high. I am also aware that use of standardised treatment has been a major hindrance for the patients. I agree with the writer that use of 3D printing will lower the cost of and time of producing the prosthetic legs. The technology may also lead to reduced need for amputation. I see the need to ensure that the cost of personalised medicine is reduced to cater for all in the society. It is important to ensure that all patients are catered for irrespective of their social divide (Dodds, 2015). Another ethical issue raised by the writer is safety of 3D treatment. I see need to ensure that the treatment is safe even before it is administered to the patients. For example, the use of titanium in replacing bones has been tested for safety. The main area of contention is the fact that 3D printing can be used in future in stem cells. According to the writer, this may lead to a situation where a functioning organ is made to replace a patient damaged organ (Dodds, 2015). Despite this, an ethical issue arises due to fact that it is hard to know in advance whether the treatment is safe. I am able to identify with author viewpoint since it is hard to test the organ on healthy people before testing on patients. Despite this, I can point out that there is already research on models for testing these treatments (Mathew & Atala, 2015). Lastly, the writer points out on human enhancement. This is an issue that has been bothering people as the technology advances. I also look at the technology in a perspective where it can be used to enhance human beings beyond what is normal. I have seen cases where doping in athletes has led to ethical concerns. According to Mathew & Atala (2015), this can also happen with technology where human with technology enhanced parts may rise. I consider this situation unethical and unfair since it can lead to dishonesty and crime. According to the writer, the technology can be used in creating strong military as well as coming with a new race. This may increase the danger posed to the civilians (Dodds, 2015). I see a case where technology can be used for personal gains by those with access. The article has been able to enlighten me on the challenges that may arise as a result of technology. I see the need to address these challenges as the technology in medicine advances. Shark culling is unethical Shark culling has been a controversial debate in Australia. This is after shark attacks which have led to death and injuries. Locals and tourists have been in some cases calling for culling especially in the New South Wales. The number of tourists decline with an increase in shark attacks (Phillips, 2015). After reading the article, I was able to comprehend why the issue of culling has been leading to disagreement among the public and governments. I always look at human being as connected to life cycles. They are a legitimate part of the earth ecology. I always advocate for conservation and looking after the environment while ensuring that animal rights are upheld. Killing sharks is a move that the author has termed as controversial. The author sees the culling exercise as being unnecessary and harmful. The practice does very little in protecting the humans according to the writer (Phillips, 2015). I agree with the writer that most of the practices in protecting human from animals are unethical. According to Gibbs & Warren (2014), it is inhuman to cull animals without considering their rights. Despite this, sharks have a lot of indirect benefits to the humans. For example, I agree with the author when he claims that sharks helps in controlling sea population. They help in removing sea population which relies on fish hence increasing the number of fish (Phillips, 2015). I always enjoy observing sharks in ocean since they are a fascination. The risks to swimmers and surfers are not an enough justification for culling according to the writer. The harms that can arise in controlling the number of sharks are much greater than their attacks on humans. There is need for less aggressive methods to control the number of sharks in the marine environment (Gibbs & Warren, 2014). The author asserts that the number of sharks who are killed through culling is higher than the human attacked (Phillips, 2015). One of the problems that I see with culling is the fact that it leads to death of unintended sea animals. For example, baiting leads to killing of turtles, whales and dolphins which are not a threat. The cases of collateral damage when culling sharks lead to more questions on ethics of the method. Also baiting is a method that leads to slow death and suffering for the sharks (Gibbs & Warren, 2014). I would advocate for a better method of culling which minimises pain and reduces collateral damage. Also, it would be more beneficial if a method is devised to ensure that sharks do not enter the human zone (Phillips, 2015). Sharks are legally protected especially the great whites which are endangered (Gibbs & Warren, 2014). This implies that carrying out culling would require high benefits for the human being for it to be justified. It would be reasonable for surfers and those under risk to avoid some areas where sharks are. I see this as a reasonable option for them. I see destruction of whales through culling as a threat to science. This is especially for the great whites which show the impact of evolution. It is thus unethical and wrong to carry out culling since the repercussions are far worse (Phillips, 2015). According to me, sharks are not the biggest predators as compared to human. Without proper advocacy for animal rights, I can see a situation where the number of predators will disappear. Poor ethical outsourcing in Australian fashion industry I have read a report about ethics in Australia fashion industry. The report claims that 9 out of 10 companies that supply clothes to Australian consumers are not aware of the source of their cotton. Most of these companies have not been paying their overseas workers a liveable wage to meet their basic needs. This is following an investigation (Donelly, 2015). According to Turker & Altuntas (2014), the issue of ethics in outsourcing has been very critical in the fashion industry where outsourcing is a major trend. There have been accidents caused by the unethical practices leading to death of workers in developing countries. Most of the consumers have been calling for end of sweatshops while most boycotting sweatshop products (Turker & Altuntas, 2014). I have always been against child labour and any form of exploitation by the multinationals. The report shows that child and forced labour is rampant in the garment industry. This is due to fact that most of the Australian firms have not been able to monitor or trace their supply chains. I agree with the report that most of the companies in Australia fail to monitor their early stages in supply chain. This has led to improvements being made to the final stages of the supply chain while the initial stages are left unattended (Turker & Altuntas, 2014). As a consumer, I feel to be at risk of being connected to slavery. This is due to negligence of the companies who cannot even trace their supply chains. The companies have to take action to ensure that they have an ethical sourcing in their supply chain. The report shows that the implicated companies have more than 200 brands in Australia. This report shows high negligence in supply chain. This is seen where a company cannot identify the source of their fabrics (Donelly, 2015). I have seen situations where garments workers are forced to work in appalling conditions with poor pay. In most cases, the workers are not given protective gear (Turker & Altuntas, 2014). I would advise the companies to implement corporate social responsibility in their supply chains. This will ensure that none of the workers is mistreated or working in bad conditions. For example, minimum wage in Bangladesh is among the lowest globally. Employees are paid poorly and expected to work for long hours. I would advocate for a situation where companies are able to boycott cotton from the countries with a history of child labour. As stated by the article, Uzbekistan which is a major cotton producer has a long history of exploiting children (Donelly, 2015). It would be advisable for the consumers to ensure that they are buying their products from ethical companies. These are firms that have ethical supply chains. I always advocate for boycotts for products from unethical firms. The companies have to be responsible in their supply chain. This is through acting with morality and ensuring that they can trace their supply chain. There is a need to look at the supply chains to be intrinsically part of the firm. All parts of the supply chain must be ethical and periodical monitoring is required (Turker & Altuntas, 2014). The Australian garment industry should have adequate monitoring of their supply chains. This is a move that will cost little to the industries and give them numerous benefits. Conclusion The reflection on these articles has given me more insight on global ethics. It has helped me to relate well with others especially those under threat such as refugees. This reflection has helped in gaining a global perspective on what is happening and the impacts brought about. It is important to note the importance of ethics in making decisions to ensure that we do not have negative impacts to others. Unethical practices as explained in these cases leads to harm for all. It is therefore prudent to ensure that ethics are looked at before making decisions and taking actions References Albahari, M. 2015. “Europe's refugee crisis.” Anthropology Today, Vol.31, no.5, p.1-2. Dodds, S., 2015, 3D printing raises ethical issues in medicine, ABC Science,2nd February 2015, Retrieved 7th November 2015 from, http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2015/02/11/4161675.htm Donelly, B., 2015, Damning report on exploitation in Australian fashion industry, The age.com, April 16th 2015, Retrieved 7th November 2015 from, http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/damning-report-on-exploitation-in-australian- fashion-industry-20150415-1mm4yz.html Felmingham, B., 2015, Insight: Tasmania has role to play in refugee crisis, Sunday Tasmanian, September 13, 2015, Retrieved 7th November 2015 from, http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/insight-tasmania-has-role-to-play-in- refugee-crisis/story-fnj4f64i-1227524407444 Gibbs, L., & Warren, A. 2014. “Killing Sharks: cultures and politics of encounter and the sea.” Australian Geographer, Vol.45, no.2, p.101-107. Mathew Varkey, P. D., & Atala, A. 2015. “Organ Bioprinting: A Closer Look at Ethics and Policies.” Wake Forest JL & Pol'y, Vol.5, no.1, p. 275-531. Phillips, C., 2015, Flaky arguments for shark culling lack bite, Ethics.org, October 2015, Retrieved 7th November 2015 from, http://www.ethics.org.au/on-ethics/blog/october- 2015/flaky-arguments-for-shark-culling-lack-bite Turker, D., & Altuntas, C. 2014. “Sustainable supply chain management in the fast fashion industry: An analysis of corporate reports.” European Management Journal, Vol.32, no.5, p.837-849. Read More

After reading this, I have been able to realise that the public fear on refugees is being fuelled by politics and media. Seeing refugees as a threat is dehumanising. I have realised the importance of understanding the plight of refugees and the problems they are facing. This helps in coming up with ways to help them and respond to their predicaments (Albahari, 2015). According to the article, civil war in Syria has led to loss of more than 240,000 lives. The war in Syria is not ending soon and helping the refugees is a great step (Felmingham, 2015).

I agree with the author view that Tasmanian is great benefactors of those in need (Felmingham, 2015). I see the call for additional refugees as a genuine concern for their welfare. I look at it in a humanitarian assistance perspective where the refugees will get homes. Housing the refugees in private homes is an act of compassion that should be emulated where public housing is not available. Despite this, I see the need for the society to look for all those in need. There is need to address the homelessness for the country citizens and also take care for the refugees.

3 D printing can lead to ethical issues in medicine Despite the benefits offered by 3D printing technologies in medicine, it has raised a lot of ethical issues. Use of 3D printing has the capability to improve treatment in bone cancer, arthritis and hearing loss. At the moment, it is possible for the orthopaedic surgeons to print artificial bones from patient scan. In future, use of 3D printing may be used in stem cell research in printing living bone cells and organs for transplant. The three ethical issues that have been raised by the author are; safety and efficacy, justice in access to health care and use of technology to enhance human capabilities (Dodds, 2015).

As I read the article, I was able to agree with the writer that justice and access can compromised by the technology. This is due to the costs of treatment which is high using 3D technology. For those in low social economic status, accessing state of art technology for treatment is very hard. I have seen in several instances where technology creates a social divide due to costs. Treatment using modern technology is left only for those who can afford the high costs. I can see a situation where those with no finances being denied access to health care due to high costs (Dodds, 2015).

Despite this, the advantages brought about by advanced medicine cannot be downplayed. Most of patients with serious health conditions which cannot be treated in standardised way. I am well versed with the fact that the cost of customising prosthesis for cancer patients has been very high. I am also aware that use of standardised treatment has been a major hindrance for the patients. I agree with the writer that use of 3D printing will lower the cost of and time of producing the prosthetic legs.

The technology may also lead to reduced need for amputation. I see the need to ensure that the cost of personalised medicine is reduced to cater for all in the society. It is important to ensure that all patients are catered for irrespective of their social divide (Dodds, 2015). Another ethical issue raised by the writer is safety of 3D treatment. I see need to ensure that the treatment is safe even before it is administered to the patients. For example, the use of titanium in replacing bones has been tested for safety.

The main area of contention is the fact that 3D printing can be used in future in stem cells. According to the writer, this may lead to a situation where a functioning organ is made to replace a patient damaged organ (Dodds, 2015). Despite this, an ethical issue arises due to fact that it is hard to know in advance whether the treatment is safe. I am able to identify with author viewpoint since it is hard to test the organ on healthy people before testing on patients. Despite this, I can point out that there is already research on models for testing these treatments (Mathew & Atala, 2015).

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