A634.8.3.RB - Shuck, Allison

Gun Control: What is the Answer?

Many people claim that the best way to preserve peace is to prepare for war, and I think they are right. Without the right to bear arms, the United States would become defenseless much like Great Britain and its surrounding countries. Despite its efforts, Great Britain is often fanatically attacked because of its law which prevents its people from acquiring and/or using guns.

Statistics show that the “countries with the most guns don’t necessarily have the most gun-related homicides (Khazan, 2012). The United States currently has the highest gun ownership rate in the world, averaging 9 out of 10 guns per person (Rogers, 2012); And, despite that fact, gun crime within the US has dropped 39 percent over the course of 18 years, from 18,253 during 1993, to 11,101 in 2011 (Planty & Truman, 2013).

Unlike the United States, gun crime in Great Britain has increased significantly over the years. “The latest Government figures show that the total number of firearm offences in England and Wales has increased from 5,209 in 1998/99 to 9,865 last year (2011) -  a rise of 89 per cent” (Pavlich, 2012). I guess this just goes to show that humans are more inclined to do the opposite of what they are told.

Personally, I think that the less protection you have the more likely you are to be attacked. Speaking from a women’s perspective, without the right to bear arms, I am defenseless against the world. Why, because I am small and weak, which in turn makes me vulnerable and helpless. I am sure that many women, if asked, would feel the same way. Take the recent nanny cam incident where a brute man beat up a helpless New Jersey mother in front of her 3-year-old-daughter.  If only that women had a gun for protection. Luckily the whole incident was caught on tape; otherwise, the man would still be wondering the streets potentially assaulting /attacking other women.

Due to the fact that crime is sometimes unpredictable, I believe that everyone should have the gun for protection, unless he/she has prior convictions. 

References

Badia, E. & Siemaszko, C. (2013). Suspect arraigned in home invasion, beating of mom caught on nanny cam. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/suspect-arraigned-home-invasion-beating-article-1.1388065#commentpostform

Khazan, O. (2012). Here’s how the U.S. gun violence compares with the rest of the world. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/14/schoo-shooting-how-do-u-s-gun-homicides-compare-with-the-rest-of-the-world/

Pavlich, K, (2012). Gun crime soars in England where guns are banned. Retrieved from http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2012/12/11/gun-crime-soars-in-england-where-guns-are-banned-n1464528

Planty, M. & Truman, J. (2013). Firearm violence, 1993-2011. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/press/fv9311pr.cfm

Rogers, S. (2012). Gun homicides and gun ownership listed by country. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/jul/22/gun-homicides-ownership-world-list

A634.7.4.RB - Shuck, Allison

Throughout my career as a Financial Aid Counselor, I have witnessed far too many unethical decisions made by students and/or colleagues. However, the one instance that stands out the most actually happened when I was working for Everest University.

Now it is important to note that Everest University is a for profit university; and as a result of that, there is high completion between the admissions counselors for increased student enrollment. From what I can recall the counselors actually received bonuses for high enrollment numbers. Needless to say, this began to create a problem. Why, because counselors would fight over who took what student and whose student were seen by financial aid.

And on top of that, headquarters began to implement the IGNITE program. The program required the admissions office to run through a serious of steps with the student before transferring him/her to the financial aid office; where financial aid would could continue the IGNITE requirements. Between admissions and financial aid, students would spend roughly an hour, hour and a half going through the IGNITE process. More often than not, students would become overwhelmed / restless and would decide to leave before seeing financial aid.  Well… this became a problem for admissions because the student would not count toward enrollment unless he/she went through the entire IGNITE Process.

Here is where the unethical decisions were made. Many admissions counselors started bribing students into finishing the IGNITE process (seeing financial aid). One counselor even offered to drive a student home, which is against company policy. And, when upper management was informed of this, he looked the other way because he too was counting on the enrollment numbers; if his staff did not get high enrollment numbers, he would look bad. I can even recall a time when an admissions counselor tried to bribe me; he offered to buy me lunch in exchange for squeezing his student in-between appointments. Although I really wanted a free lunch, I reported the incident to my supervisor and told the admissions counselor that I did not have enough time to see his student. As you can see the whole situation was chaotic and as a result of the chaos, I decided to leave Everest to work for Embry Riddle.  

A634.6.3.RB - Shuck, Allison

What are Virtues?

After reading Benjamin Franklin’s 13 Virtues and taking the virtue quiz, I realized that there are a few aspects within my life that need improving. For starters, I need to be more frugal with my time and money. Because I am one of those people who peruses perfect, I constantly find myself wasting time. For example, when writing a paper, such as the one I am writing now, I usually get lost in thought and cannot find my words and before I know it, I am rereading and rewriting my paper over again.  This is a constant battle for me!

In addition to wasting time, I also have a habit of waiting money. For example, each week I go to the grocery store, buy lunch mean and various snacks item and promise myself that I am going to pack my lunch. And although my intentions are good, I usually neglect my plan and find myself driving to Chipotles, Chick Fli A, or Panera Bread.  This is a habit that I really need to break; not only and I wasting money on food I am  not eating, but I am wasting my time and gas driving to the grocery store and then out to lunch.  As Benjamin Franklin puts it, “make no expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e., Waste nothing”.

The second aspect within my life that really needs improving is a combination of two virtues: Silence and Sincerity. I really think these two virtues go hand-in-hand. Why, because one cannot avoid trifling conversation without thinking innocently and justly. Unfortunately, since I grew up I a strong independent household, I grew up thinking it was ok to speak my mind; however, I am finding out that that is not the case; I struggle to stay under the radar. Therefore, I have made it a goal of mine to listen and refrain from participating in the gossip. I guess my real problem is separating church and state. I need to understand that I cannot act the same way at home as I do at work; it is just not acceptable. And, I cannot assume that the people at work are my friends. I am there to do a job, not to make friends. Thus, I refuse to allow myself to be negatively affected by others. 

A634.5.4.RB - Shuck, Allison

Is Marketing Evil?

After reading the article by El Sayed and El Ghazaly (n.d.), discuss your views on the following:

1.      Do you feel ethical guidelines make a different to marketers?

Yes and No, it really depends on the company’s current existence/success within the market. Take Victoria Secret for example, the company is well known and highly successful, many of its customers are currently devoted to its product line. Therefore, implementing new ethical guideline may not impact the company’s promotional techniques and/or profits.

2.      How can companies balance the need to win with being ethical?

To answer this question, one must determine what it ethical/unethical; however, doing so it not easy. Why, because ethics is dependent of culture in which you live. Thus, it can be said that “it's the underlying culture that enables a company to grow, simply because marketing is the glue that sticks the consumer to the company or the product it sells” ( El Sayed and El Ghazaly, n.d.). So, as long as the company focuses on the customer needs and develops an ethical strategy to satisfy those needs, the company will win.

3.      Is it ethical to track your buying habits or web visits to target you for marketing purposes?

Personally, I don’t think it is unethical to do so. I love going to the grocery store and receiving a coupon when I cash out. It is marketing genius! And for the most part, I purchase the same products each week, so receiving a coupon is just an added benefit.

4.      As a leader, how will you manage the ethical aspects of your marketing efforts?

As a photographer, my main goal is to satisfy the customer. I want to make the customer happy regardless of cost. Therefore, I believe in offing professional photography at a relatively inexpensive price. That being said, any marketing promotions I offer must live up to that standard.