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The World’s Most Ethical Companies | Homework Helpers

The World’s Most Ethical Companies

Paper instructions:
Review the Ethisphere Institute’s list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, located at ethisphere.com/worlds-most-ethical/wme-honorees/.
Research a sampling from the organizations from the list, and identify one (1) company that you believe treats its consumers, the environment, and employees in an exceptional and morally praiseworthy manner.

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1.Determine at least two (2) ways in which the chosen company behaves in a morally responsible way toward each of the following:

a.consumers

b.the environment

c.employees

2.Predict the effects that these morally conscious decisions would have on the company’s bottom line.

3.Review the company’s policies from a critical perspective, and list at least two (2) areas where the company could improve its treatment of consumers, the environment, or employees. Justify the response with specific examples.

4.Use at least three (3) quality references

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Previous « Topic: GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY: HOW BEST TO FEED THE WORLD Order Description -2000 words OPEN THE LINK IS ATTACHED IN THE FILE FOLLOW THE MARKING CRITERIA IS VERY IMPORTANT THE ESSAY RELATES WITH COMMON GOOD AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Topic: Global Food Security: How best to feed the world? Can you think of any other perspectives? Perspective: Christian Churches What belief is held by this group? What resolution would they opt for? Who would benefit? Perspective : Those who call for change in diet and attitude What belief is held by this group? What resolution would they opt for? Who would benefit? Perspective: Multinational agribusinesses What belief is held by this group? What resolution would they opt for? Who would benefit? Perspective: Science, research and development What belief is held by this group? What resolution would they opt for? Who would benefit? Perspective : Farmers What belief is held by this group? What resolution would they opt for? Who would benefit? Perspective : Aid and development agencies What belief is held by this group? What resolution would they opt for? Who would benefit? TOPIC: Global Food Security A number of resources have been provided for you in this package. Use any/ all of the material to complete your analysis. Your Task: 1. Choose one hot topic from those presented 2. Describe the issue (150 words) 3. Explain why this is an issue of justice or the common good (150 words). 4. Identify the people or groups who have a st ake in the issue and analyse their perspectives on it. Why may some stakeholders not want the situation to change? (750 words) 5. Analyse the issue in terms of the common good and the principles that promote human flourishing. (750 words) 6. In light of your ana lysis, how might the common good best be served in relation to this issue? (200 words). Introduction: Food is a fundamental need and, at its best, a source of delight for all living creatures. For human beings food is an absolute necessity for the life, health and wellbeing of present generations and the hope for future generations. Food prod uction is the most fundamental economic activity; hospitality, the enjoyment and sharing of food, is fundamental to family life and social cohesion. Most of us are lucky enough not to have to wonder where our next meal is coming from. Most of us also do not actually grow or produce the food which we consume on a daily basis. We simply go to the supermarket to buy what we need and before us is a vast array of choices from all over the world . This may mean that we do not get an adequate sense of a number of important issues around food. The production and distribution of food sufficient to meet the needs of the world's population has always been a challenge. Insufficient food, and hunger, is one aspect of poverty and its attendant ills, a fact recognised in the United Nations' Millennium Declaration ( see section III, pp 4 -5). The first of the Millennium Development goals is the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 . Read this fact sheet for more information on this important goal. Food security involves increasing the production of food world-wi de to meet the needs of a global population, which, it is estimated, will rise to over nine billion people by 2050, 1 yet fewer people today are farmers than ever before in history. While over half a billion people around the world are conside red to be obes e, 2 over 800 million people are undernourished. 3 The vast majority of the world's population, and around 98% of its hungry population, live in the developing world. 4 Most of the world's farmers also live in the developing world. These farmers, who are typi cally without political and economic power, need to have access to land and to the benefits of agricultural and related sciences to improve their yields and the nutritional value of the foods they produce. 1 Worldometers World Population: Past, Present and Future, accessed April 13, 2014, http://www.worldometers.info/world -population/ 2 World Health Organisation, 10 Facts on Obesity, accessed April 13, 2014, http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/obesity/facts/en/index1.html 3 United Nations World Food Program, Hunger, accessed April 13, 2014, http://www.wfp.org/hunger 4 Who are the Hungry? United Nations World Food Program, http://www.wfp.org/hunger/who-are For your weekly tutorial preparation and test you will need to cover the introductory and background information in each hot topic ( and all the links within these sections) . These sections will be indicated by this symbol: Test questions may be drawn from this information. In aIDition you need to examine at least two perspectives, again identified with this symbol: Within the identified perspectives, you need to read the general information and access all of the links. If you choose this hot topic for Assessment Task 2 you will need to explore ALL the resources and perspectives presented here. Food security also involves the fair distribution of food under equitable conditions. Producers, especially those in the developing world, need to be able to get a fair price for their products; infrastructure needs to be at a level which provides access to markets; and infrastructure is required to deliver farming supplies, and, where required, food products to those in need. In this Hot Topic, we will focus our investigation on food security in the developing world. Background: Achieving food security is a complex issue. Food production and food distribution are separate issues, but inextricably linked. It is not merely a matter of producing sufficient food, although that is an increasing challenge, but also a matter of ensuring justice in terms of access to adequate nutritious food for all people through equity in distribution. The world needs to produce more food, and food with adequate nutrients, to feed the present and the ever growing population; however, we are faced with enormous challenges: climate change and worsening weather conditions; diminishing arable land due to factors such as soil degradation and urban growth; and increasing demand on our finite water supply. To achieve food security at a global level we need to be smarter and fairer: efficiency and equity must drive responses to this contemporary challenge. The following resources provide an overview of this challenge: This Australian Government sponsored paper, Global Food Security: Facts, Issues and Implications introduces some of the major issues we face in terms of food security. This introductory video from Science Magazine (full captions available) offers an overview of the issue of food security. This article by Charles Godfray, et. al ., Food security: The challenge of feeding Nine Billion People , [Science 327 (2010: 812-818) is from the special edition of Science Magazine, mentioned in the video. It offers an excellent overview of the issue of food security into the future. Issues raised when we consider Global Food Security: How best to feed the world , include the followi ng: The role of scientific research in increasing the amount and nutritional level of food: Are farmers, especially in developing countries, gaining access to scientific discoveries? Is the expertise of these farmers being drawn on, for example, through partnerships between scientists and local farmers? The results of some scientific research raise complex issues, such a genetic modification (GM) of foods: who decides? Conditions resulting from climate change and from soil degradation exacerbate the difficulties of producing more food for a g rowing population: How is climate change affecting the livelihoods of people who were once able to be self- sufficient in food prod uction? Are the industrial societies, which are largely responsible for climate change, adequately compensating those in the developing world who are adversely affected by changes wrought by climate change, for example, increased aridity and salinity? What is the nexus (connection) between increased agricultural production and climate change? Economic, political and social power structures affect access to knowledge and expertise and affect the marketing and distrib ution of food and resources: In whose in terests are global markets organised? What is the role of large transnational companies in disseminating scientific advances to those most in need? What role does political corruption play in local people gaining access to production techniques and to markets? In light of some of the above issues, consider the article A five-step plan to Feed the World, from National Geographic Magazine (May, 2014), whi ch suggests a dramatic re -think of the way in which we produce and distribute food (note: the paragraph at the bottom of p. 35 links with the top of p. 43; the many pages of pictures in between have been placed at the end of the document). What is Austra lia's role, as a net exporter of food, in our region and in the wider world? Australia sees itself as playing a vital role in ensuring global food security, both through research by the CSIRO (click on the links to the left and view all 8 pages of this resource) and the Office of the Chief Scientist which published an Occasional Paper on Australia's Role in Global Food Security . Perspectives: There are various groups (stakeholders) that are involved in this issue in some way . In this section, please refl ect on the information from the previous section and from the following resources. In reviewing the information from these sources, identify the perspectives and interests of each stakeholder group. Consider the questions provided on the cover sheet of thi s task in order to guide your reading. Perspective 1: Scientific Research and Development Bodies Resources CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) is an international research consortium devoted to improving agricultural production, particularly in the developing world. The CGIAR's Strategy and Results Framework gives an overview of their vision and work. They are motivated by the desire to improve the health and welfare of all human persons. They identify four particular aims: Reduced rural poverty Improved food security Improved nutrition and health Sustainable managed natural resources In this Podcast, s cientist Dr Nina F ederoff ( or read the transcript ) , advi sor to the US Government , explores a number of possible solutions to increasing food production . Her interview here is in response to a paper published in Science magazine . OPTIONAL: I f you have an interest in the full article , see: Radically Rethinking Agriculture for the 21 st Century. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation is a leading body in all aspects of agricultural research , again motivated by the desire to improve life for the poorest people . Most countries have their own research bodies e ngaged in agricultural research, such as Australia's CSIRO or America's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. They are concerned with ensuring the f ood security of their own people; moreover, they see the economic potential for their individual nations in being able to export increased amounts of food to other countries which ar e unable to feed their own populations. Ethical Questions for Reflection Do you think that nations should share their research and development breakthroughs with their neighbours? Do rich countries have an obligation to assist poorer nations in their efforts to promote food security? Perspective 2: Farmers producing food Resources Of basic importance in the production of food is, of course , the farmer. 60% of the world's population are farmers but levels of agricultural productivity vary widely throughout the world. 5 The vast majority of farmers live on and work their own land, however, in some places this is under threat from large corporations buying up land. Proponents of small farming argue that family farmers respect and love their land and are thus better able to care for its long term production value. 2014 was declared by the UN as T he Year of Family Farming. This report and podcast o n family farming (or read th e transcript ), fr om the ABC , outlines why the UN undertook this action. Many nations face dilemmas about how to better ensure increased agricultural production to safeguard food security. This piece fro m the European Centre for Development Policy management debates some of the options. The question is: Should large scale farming under foreign investors or small scale farming by local families with better access to land and technology be pursued in Africa? Others argue that it is not simply a question of size but of soil improvement. 5 A.P. Central, V Farming Facts, accessed April 13, 2014, http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/courses/teachers_corner/8655.html Another choice facing developing nations is whether to invest in Genetically Modified crops to increase production or in improving traditional farming methods and seed stock. This choice is currently being debated in Uganda. Debate often revolves around the motives and role of multinational companies which promote GM food. This article Feeding the Hungry or the Greedy explores many aspects of the debate in Uganda. T he article, A five-step plan to Feed the World ( also linked above, in the Background section of this Hot Topic), discusses the interconnectedness of the natural world and ecosystems, thus demonstrat ing the complexity of ensuring food security. Look at this article again, with the farmers' perspective in mind. Ethical Questions for Reflection What are the ethical and environmental implications of small vs. large scale farms? Should governments force their farmers to use GM technology or allow choice? What are some of the broader implications of GM farming? Perspective 3: International Aid and Development agencies Resources Generally speaking, aid and development agencies advocate for working with rural communities in developing countries. They aim to better educate rural communities about agricultural practices and introduc e simple and affordable technologies to help them participate in building their food security by producing better and more plentiful food crops. Such agencies would argue that communities' participation in their own solutions is vital to good development practice. These organisations also tend to promote organic and sustainable agriculture , rather than the extensive use of chemicals and genetically modified seed which are often too expensive for poor farmers to purchase. In this short video, narrated by Matt Damon, this approach of empowering small farmers in poor countries to increase production is highlighted as a solution to food security (or read t he transcript ). The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation report on the State of Food Insecurity 2013 endorses this approach of enhancing local agricultural development in tandem with broader economic development in developing countries. Read the Executive Summary of this report (the full report can be found here , if you have a particular interest) . In its Save and Grow program sustainable intensification of smallholder crop production is advocated (read the Overview' and watch the video). In 2011, the Australian Government established the Australian International Food Security Centre which takes this approach of empowering local growers to enhance their own production capacity. Search these sites for examples of initiativ es to stimulate local agricultural production : Oxfam Australia Caritas Australia Catholic Relief Services Ethical Questions for Reflection Which approach is better: to give people what they desperately need or to work with them in meeting their own needs? Is it better to promote sustainable agriculture or practices dependent on the use of artificial insecticides and herbicides? Perspective 4 : Privately owned multinational agribusinesses Resources Large multinational companies like Monsanto invest a great deal of money in research and development of genetically modified seed to boost yield production and help make crops resistant to pests and disease. View these links (and navigate each page within the section, using the next button on the bottom of the page), for more information on how Monsanto is proposing to assist agricultural production: Why does agriculture need to be improved? What is Monsanto doing to help? How are we doing it? BASFAgro (a multinational chemical company specialising in fungicides, insecticides, herbicides) also promotes the use of biotechnology. In this video, a scientist, Professor Ian Crute , (or read t he transcript ), who works for this company, promotes the use of biotechnology to feed the world. Ethical Questio ns for Reflection Because these larger corporations are privately owned, their core business is to make a return on their investment. They use things like terminator genes in seed , which means that farmers must purchase new seed for each crop they sow. It also means that farmers must use the chemical pesticides and herbicides produced by that particular company as the seed has been br ed to withstand only those products. This imposes a heavy financial burden, especially on poor farmers in developing countries. There are many who are suspicious of large agribusinesses' claims to feed the world through genetic modification. Those who speak against GM say that the genetic modification of food is a dangerous way to go and does nothing to aIDress issues of food distribution and access, especially for those who are poorest and most hungry. The following resources from Greenpeace International outline some of the main arguments: Corporate Control of Agriculture Risks of GE food (see also the video linked to this page) Feeding the World Facts versu s Fiction Another who questions the use of biotechnology is Sean McDonagh . McDonagh answers no to the question, Will Biotech Agriculture Feed the World?. Can poor subsistence farmers in developing nations afford the cost of buying enhanced seed which has a terminator gene' so that seeds cannot be saved from a successful crop? Should big business control the production of food? Perspective 5: Those who call for change in diet and attitudes. In order to better safeguard food security into the future, some people advocate that we need to re think our attitudes and our diets, particularly in the industrialised countries where obesity levels and food wastage levels are high. Resources In this presentation , Tristram Stuart highlights the global food waste scandal (full transcript available). On this site, go to video number 2 which presents Mark Bittman (full captions available) highlighting a number of issues, including the overconsumpti on of red meat and its consequences, in the W estern diet. This article from the Stanford Woods Institute for the Env ironment again highlights a number of problems which arise from the increasing consumption of red meat. This brief video is based on the summary of a report on the livestock industry , by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (or read the transcript ). Ethical Questions for Reflection How much food i s wasted in your household? Do you ever think about those who go hungry every day? Have you ever thought about the energy used to produce the food you eat each day and the impact of that energy consumption on the environment? Perspective 6: Christian Churches Resources In 2008 Pope Benedict XVI aIDressed the participants at a high level Conference on World Food Security organised by the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation. In his aIDress he referred to a number of the principles of human flourishing you have studied in this unit. The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches issued a statement for the same FAO Conference. Pope Benedict was also invited to aIDress the opening session of the World Summit on Food Security in 2009. In 2003, the US Bishops produced a pastoral reflection on food and agriculture. While this refers largely to an American context, note the sections on the signs of the times and Catholic Social Teaching and Agriculture, which discusses the principles we have been studying as they apply to this important question. Ethical Questions: There are numerous questions we need to ask, from an ethical point of view, in relation to the issue of Global Food Security. Many of these questions have been asked through the examination of the various perspectives. A few more are listed here. Can you t hink of any others? How does commitment to the common good inform decisions in meeting the challenge of greater efficiency and equity in achieving food security? How can the thinking of those of good will in developed countries move from a position of providing donations of food to those in developing societies to a social justice perspective, which recognises the rights of all people to have access to techniques and equipment and markets which would enable then to be self- sufficient? When upholding rights to intellectual property, how significant is the common good when considering what is due to large corporations on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the benefits of research findings to small, local farmers in developing countries? How significant is the common good in deliberations on political and economic issues, such as land tenure for small farmers, and the building of infrastructure, such as roads, which would facilitate the transport of food? How does one seek to make more transparent and fair t he prices which are paid for food products internationally? How does one reconcile, from the perspective of the common good , the requirements for food security and environmental sustainability with the wastage of so much edible food? Which approach, or combination of approaches , would most effectively promote the common good? Consider all that you have read in this module. Think about the history and background to the issue, and the diversity of perspectives and interests among the various stakehold ers. Think about the ethical questions, and how the different positions dispose us to thinking differently about what the sta keholders should or should not do. Now ask yourself what the best course of action would be for securing the common good . What should multinational agribusinesses do to bring about the common good? What should the farmers and consumers do ? How will the common good be realized in this situation, and who must contribute? And what about us? What should we do? Assessment: presents a critical account of an issue of social justice or the common good. Length 2000 words or equivalent Weighting 50% TAKE INFORMATION FROM THIS LINK: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AFoods_(cropped).jpg By Keith Weller, USDA ARS [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons from Wikimedia Commons Description 1. TOPIC FOR THE ESSAY : GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY: HOW BEST TO FEED THE WORLD, USE THE LINK ABOVE FOR INFORMATION OF THE TOPIC 2. Describe the issue (150 words) 3. Explain why this is an issue of justice or the common good (150 words). 4. Identify the people or groups who have a stake in the issue and analyse their perspectives on it. [You should analyse at least three perspectives.] Why may some stakeholders not want the situation to change? (750 words) 5. Analyse the issue in terms of the common good and the principles that promote human flourishing. (750 words). 6. In light of your analysis, how might the common good best be served in relation to this issue? (200 words) Learning Outcomes and Graduate Attributes This assessment task goes towards helping you to meet: Learning Outcome 1: Explain the concept of the common good' and present examples of the common good in action; Learning Outcome 2: Explain the concepts of social justice' and advocacy for the most vulnerable' and their importance for the common good, and present examples; Learning Outcome 3: present a critical account of a topic or issue in social justice; Graduate Attribute 2: recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society; Graduate Attribute 4: think critically and reflectively; Graduate Attribute 9: demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media. Criteria for assessment (See the Assessment tab in your LEO unit for a detailed rubric with descriptors for each of these criteria) 1 Explanation of the issue as one of social justice or the common good. 10% 2 Identification of stakeholders in the issue and critical account of their perspectives in terms of social justice, the common good and advocacy for the most vulnerable. 30% 3 Analysis of the issue in relation to the common good and the principles which promote human flourishing. 30% 4 Critical reflection of how the common good may best be served. 20% 5 Written and/or oral English expression including spelling and grammar. 5% 6 Consistent and correct use of selected academic referencing style. 5% TOTAL 100% 2000 word essay REFERENCING Students are required to use correctly one of the following referencing systems for Task 2: APA (in-text referencing with reference list at the end) ) | Homework Helpers

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