Code of Conduct Essay Example for Free

Code of Conduct Essay As a consultant for the merger between UWEAR and PALEDENIM, I have gathered much information pertaining the creating and implementation of a code of conduct. There are many different ways this code of conduct can be implemented and delivered. While understanding that each company will have different preferences as to how to implement the code, I will submit an outline of what I believe is the best and most efficient way to deliver the code of conduct for both companies equally. A code of conduct will create a framework or visual of how employees and clients will view the company as a whole. â€Å"The existence of the codes seem to frame how the companies and their activities are understood.† (Frostenson, Helin, Sandstrà ¶m, 2012, p. 269) The code of conduct for UWEAR and PALEDENIM will include four main components: Our Code and Responsibility, Violations and Consequences, Law Compliances and Regulatory Orders, and Policies and Procedures. Our Code and Responsibilities This would be the first section of the code of conduct. It should include the overview of the code, the responsibilities the code provides to the company, and those persons who must abide by the code. The responsibilities of the code are to serve as a guide to help employees, officers, and board members in making informed and ethical decisions. All persons including third parties, business partners, and contractors must know and understand the code and act in a way that is consistent with the code. Violations and Consequences Violations and consequences will be listed in this section, but will not be limited to the written communications here. Employees will be encouraged to know and understand each violation listed and its consequences. They will also be expected to report any observed accounts of unethical behavior. Consequences would include but wouldn’t be limited to separation of employment. Law Compliances and Regulatory Orders The information listed here would be mostly useful to management and executive level officers. However, employees must maintain knowledge and  understanding of this section in order to remain compliant at the door level. All federal regulations will be stated in this portion of the code of conduct. For example, the policy created to implement the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) to monitor internal auditing policies would be stated in this section. Here is where the human resources department will verify the company’s compliances with federal regulatory acts such as the Sarbanes- Oxley Act. Policies and Procedures The policies and procedures section will include all policies that employees, managers, and board members must follow. There will be sections to separate the policies that apply to each individual level. Although board members and managers are ranked higher than door level employees, they must still abide by the policies and procedures of the lower level employees. For example, the No Gift policy as stated in previous works, will be listed under a section for door level employees but must still be followed by all employees of the company. This will guarantee a fair level of work and maintain employee moral as far as ethics and behaviors are concerned. Consistency across the board for all employees and work levels, is the goal in stating the policies and procedures. Non-compliance to policies and procedures will be stated in the violations and consequences section. After the code of conduct is fully compiled and voted on by the ethics board, it must be delivered. Although having a creative way to present the code of conduct to the company, it is more important to understand the client and their expectations. Preparation as a speaker would be my main focus in delivering the code. â€Å"As much as technology has advanced and improved the quality of audiovisuals aids in presentations, it is important to review the basics of being a better speaker.† (Lucente-Cole, 2004, p. 42) Preparing myself to deliver the code of conduct in a way that generates feedback from the audience, will allow me to verify understanding and knowledge of the code. The code would be delivered in a new employee handbook and reviewed in all new hire orientations. Each new hire would be required to sign for receipt and understanding of the communications in the code of conduct. As for existing employees, they will review and sign for receipt during the next quarterly mee ting. There are other additional policies that haven’t been listed or discussed but should definitely be included. One of the most common policies that hasn’t been established is attendance. The attendance policy would be carried out or listed in different stages. For example, if an employee is tardy, there would be a verbal counseling to address stage one of the tardy policy in attendance. If that employee is tardy again, they will be disciplined according to stage two of the attendance policy. Disciplinary actions can be reduced or removed from an employees record after that employee exemplifies compliance with the policy for six months. Last but certainly not least, UWEAR and PALEDENIM should have a policy addressing sexual harassment. Sexual harassment occurs very often in the workplace. UWEAR and PALEDENIM must state explicitly, the expectations and consequences of sexual harassment. â€Å"Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex. For example, it is illegal to harass a woman by making offensive comments about women in general.† (Sexual Harassment, n.d., para. 2) They, UWEAR and PALEDENIM, must make sure each employee understands what could be considered as sexual harassment in order to maintain compliance to this policy. Due to the fact that major lawsuits can be created from an occurrence of sexual harassment, this policy will be listed under Law Regulations and it must be strongly enforced. References Frostenson, M., Helin, S., Sandstrà ¶m, J. (2012). The internal significance of codes of conduct in retail companies. Business Ethics: A European Review, 21(3), 263-275. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8608.2012.01657.x Lucente-Cole, G. (2004). Delivering An Effective Presentation. Public Relations Quarterly, 49(4), 42. Sexual Harassment. (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2014, from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/sexual_harassment.cfm

The Signigicance of the Scaffold Scenes in the Scarlet Letter Essay

The Signigicance of the Scaffold Scenes in the Scarlet Letter The three scaffold scenes bring great significance to the plot of the Scarlet Letter. The novel is based on repenting the sins of adultery. The scaffold represents a place of shame and pity but also of final triumphs. Each scene illustrates the importance of the scaffold behind them with many potent similarities and differences. In the first scaffold scene Hester Prynne is depicted standing alone while clutching her baby. She has been sentenced to the scaffold for three hours to face public condemnation. In the Puritan society, where this novel is set, public shame is a source of entertainment. On this occasion the townspeople are present to watch the judgment of Hester. As the townspeople are ridiculing her, the narrator is praising Hester for her untamed but lady like beauty (60-61). The narrator goes so far as to compare her to â€Å"Divine Maternity† or Mother Mary, the ideal woman, the woman that is looked highly upon by the whole Puritan society (63). However, the conditions are set up to show the change in Hester due to isolation and discredit of the Puritan society. Throughout this scene the Puritans are condemning Hester for her sin as the narrator is condemning the Puritans for their severity. Many years later, in desperation for a remedy to cure his tortured soul, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale takes to the scaffold where Hester had once suffered her shame. He is envious of the public nature of her ...

Real Beauty Sketches Essay

In April 2013, Dove launched a â€Å"Real Beauty† campaign after performing marketing research and discovering that only 2% of all women consider themselves to be â€Å"beautiful†. In an effort to boost self-esteem and moral, Dove introduced a television ad in the form, which incorporated a powerful and touching social experiment. In this commercial, several different women are asked to describe their physical appearance to a forensic sketch artist, who cannot see them as he sketches their physical descriptions. They are told to use neutral terms, and to â€Å"stick to the facts† when describing their own self-reflections. Next, the same women are described to the same forensic sketch artist by a complete stranger, whom they had only met the day before. The strangers are given the same instructions. At the end of this unknown experiment, both descriptions are drawn by the artist and then compared. Upon comparison, it is incredibly obvious that the stranger’s physical descriptions of the subject are more flattering, and more accurate depict the subject’s true appearance. The commercial sends a very inspiring, real message to the women: to be less critical of yourself, and to embrace the natural beauty of womanhood. After the experiment took place, one woman admitted, â€Å"I should be more grateful of my natural beauty. It impacts the choices and the friends we make; the jobs we apply for; how we treat our children; it impacts everything. It couldn’t be more critical to your happiness. † To the same point, another woman added, â€Å"we spend a lot of time as women analyzing and trying to fix the things that aren’t quite right, and we should spend more time appreciating the things that we do like. † The commercial ends with a powerful and honest message: â€Å"You are more beautiful than you think. † The â€Å"Real Beauty Sketches† ad resulted in widespread reactions worldwide- some positive, some negative. Many praised the commercial for its ability to acknowledge and accept natural beauty and what society may traditional deem as physical â€Å"flaws†. But there were many negative critics as well. Despite the good nature behind the commercial’s intent, many criticized the ad for its heavy emphasis on physical appearance. Critics claimed that Dove’s advertisement still focused too heavily on the physical appearance of woman, and its remaining influence as the single-most defining element of a woman’s worth; as opposed to her personality or personal achievements. Which led me to question: How could this advertisement be improved to focus on the â€Å"true beauty† and essence of a woman’s worth? The message is a refreshing change from the typical message that beauty supply companies often send; instead of shaming women into purchasing things to make them more â€Å"beautiful†, Dove takes a non-traditional approach by supporting the natural beauty, without the enhancement of material products. Although this may seem to counter-act their ultimate goal of selling beauty products, Dove gains seeks to gain more than just revenue- they seek to gain self-confidence and acceptance. But in order to overcome the heavy emphasis of a woman’s physical appearance as the defining element of a woman’s worth, I think it is important to emphasis how the woman achieved her â€Å"beauty lines†, wrinkles, or â€Å"flaws†. Perhaps pulling on the viewer’s emotional heartstring of laughter and love would prove to play a beautiful part in the development of a woman’s wrinkles around her eyes, or expression lines in her forehead. By approaching the beauty from this marketing angle, marketers are focusing on the internal beauty that a woman envelopes, and justifies their natural beauty with self-worth and personal accomplishment. By casting very â€Å"average† and â€Å"typical† looking women, marketers sought to appeal to the majority of women, in an effort to reflect a more realistic depiction of women. By refraining from using â€Å"traditionally† beautiful women, viewers and women find the message to be more relatable to themselves. Marketing Applications: In April 2013, Dove marketers applied a story-like short film to their Real Beauty campaign, in an effort to reveal each woman’s true natural beauty. Marketing Relevance: Marketing emphasis: to encourage the improvement of self-image and confidence among women worldwide. Dove marketers sought to prove that â€Å"we† are our own worst critics, and that our own self-image is often skewed and far less beautiful than our true natural beauty suggests. Intangible elements: Dove focused on producing a moral campaign that reflects the ideals and beliefs of their corporate personnel. In this powerful, thought-provoking message, Dove effectively used an emotional story to â€Å"make a culturally positive difference†. Marketers drew upon an emotional appeal in an attempt to attach these positive ideas to their own product line. In doing so, Dove successfully attached an extension of their own feelings to their product, as well as their corporate image. Many accredit the campaign’s success to its ability tap into deep-seated emotions and â€Å"hit on a real human truth for women. Many women undervalue themselves and also the way they look. † In this ad, Dove focused on the emotional appeal, rather than simply â€Å"communicating a particular product or service benefit. † As a result, consumers will be more likely to remember the positive emotions that the advertisement evoked, and thus, â€Å"associate them with Dove products. † Discussion Questions:

How to Make and Use Homemade Ant Bait Traps

To get rid of ants for good, you need to use a treatment that kills the entire colony, including the queen back in the nest. Dont waste your time squishing the ants on your counters because as long as the colony is actively nesting nearby, more ants will appear. Ant baits, whether homemade or commercial, are the treatment of choice for eliminating kitchen infestations. Ant-killing bait combines a desirable ant food with a pesticide. Worker ants carry the food back to the nest, where the pesticide works on the entire colony. You can make an effective ant killer using boric acid, a low toxicity pesticide available in hardware stores and pharmacies. Identify the Ants Before you make and use homemade ant bait, youll need to confirm which type of ants you have. Ants that youd find in your kitchen usually fall into one of two groups: sugar ants or grease ants.   From an entomological perspective, theres really no such thing as sugar ants. People use the term sugar ants to describe any number of ants that happen to like sweets. Depending on where you live, your sugar ants may actually be Argentine ants, odorous house ants, pavement ants, or some other kind of ants. Grease ants, also referred to as protein-loving ants, prefer proteins or fats over sugars. This doesnt mean they wont eat sweets, but theyre more interested in food with some protein content in it. Grease ants include little black ants, big-headed ants, and pavement ants, among others. To determine which kind of ants you have, do a taste test. Put a teaspoon of jelly and a teaspoon of peanut butter  in the area where you see the most ant traffic. Tape down a piece of waxed paper, or use a paper plate, and apply the bait on the paper or plate to avoid smearing jelly or peanut butter onto your counters or floor. Next, determine which type of baits the ants prefer. If they went for jelly, make a sugar ant bait. Ants that prefer peanut butter will respond to a protein-based bait. Now youre ready to make your homemade ant bait. Ingredients: Break Out the Borax Whether you have sugar or grease ants, boric acid is an effective, minimally toxic pesticide that you can use to create effective ant-killing bate. Both boric acid and sodium borate salts are derived from the element boron, which occurs naturally in soil, water, and rocks. Boric acid is a low-toxicity pesticide, but that does not mean its nontoxic. Virtually any substance can be harmful or fatal if used improperly. Read the label carefully, and follow any directions or cautionary information on the boric acid package. You can purchase boric acid at your local pharmacy or hardware store. Its commonly used as an antiseptic or mixed with water for use as an eyewash. To create a homemade ant killer, youll need to purchase borax in a powder or granule form. How to Make Homemade Ant Killer Use either of the following methods, depending on what kind of ants you have: Sugar ant bait recipe:  Mix 2 tablespoons of mint jelly with about  ¼ teaspoon of boric acid powder. Research suggests that mint jelly is the best sugar ant lure, but you can also try another jelly flavor if you dont have mint jelly in your fridge. Grease ant bait recipe:  Mix 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, 2 tablespoons of honey, and about  ½ teaspoon of boric acid powder. Protein-loving ants respond best to a bait made of both protein and sugar. Use and Application Place your ant bait in an area where you see ants the most. You want the bait to be somewhere along their regular travel path. Use masking tape to secure a square of waxed paper or cardboard, and place the ant-killing mixture on it. If you chose a good location and prepared the right kind of bait, youll probably find ants swarming around the bait within a few hours. If you dont, try moving the bait to a different location. How It Works Boric acid works primarily as a stomach toxin on ants. The worker ants will carry the bait food, loaded with boric acid, back to the nest. There, the ants in the colony will ingest it and die. The boric acid seems to interfere with the ants metabolism, although scientists arent exactly sure how it does so. Sodium borate salts affect an insects exoskeleton, causing the insect to desiccate. Tips and Warnings Keep children and pets away from the ant bait mixture. Although boric acid has low toxicity, you dont want your dog or cat licking up the bait, nor should you allow children to come in contact with it. Store the boric acid and any extra bait mixture where children and pets cannot access it. You will need to replace the bait regularly with a fresh batch, as the ants wont be interested in jelly or peanut butter once it dries up. Continue putting out bait until you no longer see ants. Sources Ant Baits: A Least Toxic Control, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, accessed May 1, 2012Boric Acid (Technical Fact Sheet), National Pesticide Information CenterMaking Your Own Ant Bait, Michigan State University Extension (General Fact Sheet)Boric Acid, National Pesticide Information Center (PDF)Sugar Ants, Washington State University Extension