Vies Assertion About Technology and Society Essay

Vies Assertion About Technology and Society - Essay Example When I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is check the skype messages on my mobile phone to see what my dudes had to say to me overnight. I don’t leave the bed until all messages have been attended to. In the school, I discuss latest Apple apps with my friends. My connection with friends remains open full time in the school because one of the sites that always remains browsed on my computer screen is facebook. When I get back home, I remain in contact with my friends and brothers upon massively multiplayer online games. They consume most of my time. An insight to my daily routine suggests that my social relations have been enhanced because of the 24/7 use of digital technology, though only to a certain group of people i.e. my friends. In my childhood, when I did not have a computer and there was no such thing as skype or facebook, I used to spend more time with mom, dad, grandpa and granny. I used to sit with them, have lunch, dinner, tea and coffee with them. My grandma narrated me stories and I went jogging with dad. I discussed with mom what happened in the school. But all these golden moments have been swiped away from my life by the technology. Digital technology has also changed the way I perceive myself. This is unfortunate but the change has occurred for the worse. Before, I used to feel that my blood relatives have more right upon me but with the passage of time, I have become more independent. I don’t want to think like this but I have become more of a public property than my family’s. Digital technology has increased my social networking with people of my age and distorted my social network with people elder or younger to me. Digital technology has particularly promoted my relations with people, who I am not related to by blood and weakened my tied with my blood relatives.

Starbucks's Corporate Ethics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Starbucks's Corporate Ethics - Case Study Example Sources used include company's official website and two printed books on the subject on CSR. As they say charity begins at home, Starbucks starts its CSR policy with its employees. The firm believes that employees are partners and must be treated with due respect. The company says on its website that one of the key benefits of CSR for the firm has been in the retention of its partners. Howard Schultz, the owner of Starbucks Coffee Co understands the importance of its employees. Ronald Sims in his book, "Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility: Why Giants Fall" appreciates the ethical practices at Starbucks and writes: "Amazingly, Starbucks offers both full- and part-time employees equity in the form of annual stock options. In 1987, when the company was losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in its drive for expansion, he extended medical coverage for any "partner" working 20 hours or more. Paying 75 percent of the insurance premium costs Starbucks approximately $1,275 a year per worker, while hiring a new employee costs the company almost twice that amount." (p. 304) Apart from the employee relations, the firm has been integrating CSR into its operation. ... The company also undertook a research to find out how much greenhouse gas emissions could be attributed to its operations. It found that only 18 percent was due to operations and the rest was due to energy use at its locations. This research however did not include Starbucks' foreign locations. Another important area of CSR at Starbucks is sourcing methods. The firm has to procure coffee from suppliers from around the world. The company has been trying to practice ethical means of procurement by buying from suppliers who are on C.A.F.E list of approved coffee-growers. By 2007, 65 percent of its coffee was being purchased from C.A.F.E approved suppliers but the company aims to make it 80 percent by 2013. These are the suppliers who are following rigorous standards for sustainability throughout the supply chain. The firm has been trying to work in harmony with the governments of coffee producing nations. Starbucks feels "these relationships must be mutually beneficial. They must also be collaborative in nature in order to advance measures and practices that contribute to the sustainable production of high-quality coffee - and sustainable livelihoods for farmers and their families." But things have not always been smooth. Starbucks famously got into an argument with Ethiopian government over trademark issues. But over time, this rift was resolved and Starbucks now enjoys a warm relationship with Ethiopian farmers. Starbucks is also involved in community building ventures in supplier nations. For example it understands that a large number of Mayan people depend on coffee for livelihood. The company has been working on educational projects in this region. "For more than a