Non-Classical Civilizations Are Our Greatest Influence Essays

Non-Classical Civilizations are our Greatest Influence We are influenced by civilizations of the past. Our whole way of life revolves around their developments. They have shaped the current state of our economy, society, and technology. Many think the Greeks and Romans were the civilizations that had the greatest impact. Another view, one I agree with, is that the non-classical civilizations were the ones who paved the way for the future. The technologies the non-classical civilizations developed are the basis of our society. The Indians used herbs and natural remedies to treat illness, set bones, and fix facial injuries before Hippocrates started his research in medicine. In Europe, the iron plow and harness were developed so that seeds could be planted deeper, and horses instead of oxen could do the job faster. The Chinese Daoists discovered gunpowder to use in firecrackers in order to scare ghosts. Later on it was used in weaponry like guns, cannons etc. All these have had an enormous impact on our lives. Our social structure has very firm roots in the societies of the past. In many cultures like the Japanese, Dradavians, and Arabs women were often consider equal and important parts of the society. In China, India, and Europe people were classified into groups. They belonged to different classes or castes on the basis of varying factors like occupation, ancestry, economic status, race, gender, and age. In China and the Mayan cultures there was one supreme ruler who controlled all aspects of people's lives. The legacies from these past societies and cultures can be felt in the fabric of our society today, this is exemplified in several ways. Women are equals in our society. We are still separated by economic status. There even countries that exist where the ruler has ultimate power and control. Modern day economics are still affected by those of the non-classical civilizations. In Europe, currency came into use, replacing the barter system, which is the basis for our currency system. Agriculture was the livelihood of many civilizations including the Africans and Muslims; it still plays a vital role in world economy. As civilizations expanded so did trade. Many things were traded including slaves, silk, ivory, and spices. This allowed communication between different cultures. From them we have inherited and expanded into a truly global economy. The classical civilizations did not make the only, or the greatest, contributions to current society. Many cultures had an impact on our society. We learned and built upon the heritage of an older world, their sciences, trade, and way of life, reflect the non-classical civilizations. We are built on the foundation of the past.

TSA Screening System Draws Criticism

TSA Screening System Draws Criticism Are the airlines getting a free ride on the taxpayers dime thanks to the Transportation Safety Administrations (TSA) new high-tech and high dollar system to detect fake boarding passes?In these days of print-at-home boarding passes and programs like Photoshop, the number of people illegally boarding planes and flying for free by using fake boarding passes and IDs has increased significantly. To the airlines, this is fraud that results in lost income. To honest, paying passengers, its an insult that results in higher ticket prices. To the TSA, its a gaping hole is security that could result in another terrorist attack.To the rescue comes the TSAs high-tech and high-cost CAT/BPSS Credential Authentication Technology and Boarding Pass Scanning System - now being tested at George Bush Intercontinental in Houston, Luis Muà ±oz Marà ­n International in San Juan, and Washington, D.C. Dulles International at an initial combined cost of $3.2 million.In testimony before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Stephen M. Lord, director of homeland security and justice issues at the Government Accountability Office, reported that the estimated 20-year life cycle cost of the CAT/BPSS system is approximately $130 million based on a nationwide deployment of 4,000 units.What CAT/BPSS DoesCosting $100,000 each, and with multiple systems to eventually be installed by the TSA at all U.S. airports serving commercial flights, the CAT/BPSS system automatically compares the passengers ID to an extensive set of security features. Most modern forms of state-issued identification include encoded data, such as barcodes, holograms, magnetic stripes, embedded electrical circuits, and computer-readable text.CAT/BPPS also validates the authenticity of the passengers boarding pass at the first TSA security checkpoint using bar code readers and encryption techniques. The system is compatible with any barcode and can be used with paper boarding passes printed on a home computer, boarding passes printed by the airlines, or a paperless boarding passes that are sent to passengers mobile devices. The system temporarily captures and displays the photograph from the passengers ID for viewing only by TSA agents to help them compare the photo to the person carrying the ID.Finally, CAT/BPPS compares the encoded data on the passengers ID to data on the boarding pass. If they match, they fly.Encountering the CAT/BPSS SystemAccording to the TSA, actually using the CAT/BPSS system will work like this: At the first TSA checkpoint, passengers will hand their ID to the TSA Travel Document Checker (TDC). The TDC will scan the passengers ID, while the passenger scans his or her boarding pass using a built-in scanner. TSA says that testing has shown the CAT/BPSS process takes no longer than the current process in which the TDC visually compares the passengers ID to the boarding pass.In response to concerns about the CAT/BPSS system and personal privacy, the TSA assures that the CAT/BPSS system automatically and permanently deletes all information it has gathered from the ID and the boarding pass. TSA further states that the picture on the passengers ID can be viewed only by TSA agents.Also See: TSA Defends Boarding Gate Drink ChecksIn announcing the development of the CAT/BPSS system, TSA administrator John S. Pistole stated in a press release, This technology will help facilitate risk-based security, while making the process more effective and efficient.What the Critics SayCritics of the CAT/BPSS argue that if the TSA is effective at its primary job - screening for Weapons, Incendiaries, and Explosives - another computer system dedicated only to verifying passenger identity is an unnecessary waste of money. After all, they point out, once passengers have passed the TSA scanning checkpoints, they are allowed to board planes without showing their IDs.Also See: Congressman Takes On Rogue TSA Airport ScreenersWhen the LA Times on June 30, 2011, reported the story of a Nigerian airline stowaway who succeeded in flying from New York to Los Angeles by presenting an expired boardin g pass in another persons name and was found to be in possession of at last 10 similar boarding passes, the TSA issued the following statement:Every passenger that passes through security checkpoints is subject to many layers of security including thorough physical screening at the checkpoint. TSAs review of this matter indicates that the passenger went through screening. It is important to note that this passenger was subject to the same physical screening at the checkpoint as other passengers.While the stowaway succeeded in stealing from the airline by flying free on a clearly fraudulent boarding pass, no evidence was ever found relating the incident to terrorism.In other words, say critics, the CAT/BPSS is another expensive taxpayer-funded solution to something that, if TSA is doing its job properly, should not be a problem in the first place.

Black Hole and White Hole

Under the theory of quantum mechanics black holes possess a temperature and emit Hawking radiation through slow dissipation by anti-protons. Most black holes are made when a giant star, called a supergiant, at least twenty times bigger than our own Sun dies, and leaves behind a mass that is at least one solar mass. Stars die when they run out of hydrogen or other nuclear fuel to burn and  start  to collaps. A supergiant stars death is called a supernova. Stars are usually in equilibrium, which means they are making enough energy to push their mass outward against the force of gravity. When the star runs out of fuel to make energy, gravity takes over. Gravity pulls the center of the star inward very quickly. A white hole, in general relativity, is a hypothetical region of space time which cannot be entered from the outside, but from which matter and light may escape. In this sense it is the reverse of a black hole, which can be entered from the outside, but from which nothing, including light, may escape. However, it is theoretically possible for a traveler to enter a rotating black hole, avoid the singularity, and travel into a rotating white hole which allows the traveler to escape into another universe. White holes appear in the theory of eternal black holes. â€Å"In addition to a black hole region in the future, such a solution of the Einstein equations has a white hole region in its past. † However, this region does not exist for black holes that have formed through gravitational collapse, nor are there any known physical processes through which a white hole could be formed. Like black holes, white holes have properties like mass, charge, and angular momentum. † They attract matter like any other mass, but objects falling towards a white hole would never actually reach the white holes event horizon. The white hole event horizon in the past becomes a black hole event horizon in the future, so any object falling towards it will eventually reach the black hole horizon. They are, predicted as a possible other end of a black hole that has a worm hole through space, ut black holes are most likely just a point in space without an other side. A white hole is the theorized time reversal of a black hole. The event horizon of a black hole attracts matter, so event horizon of a white hole ejects matter even though the white hole itself still attracts matter. The main difference between the two is the action of the event horizon. As you can see, this is what a black hole and a white holes are

Masters Research Proposal Assignment Dissertation

Masters Research Proposal Assignment - Dissertation Example Some empirical research provides evidence in support of such an assumption (Jenkins, Mitra, Gupta & Shaw, 1998; Brown and Heywood, 2002), others however, within the realms of psychology indicate that incentives can in fact have adverse effects on performance (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Deci, Koestner & Ryan, 1999; Ryan & Deci, 2000; Deci & Ryan 2003). A growing and more substantial body of research and studies provide evidence of conflict between intrinsic motivation (a person’s own motivation for undertaking a task) and extrinsic motivation (external and conditionally imposed motivation for undertaking a task) (Benabou & Tirole, 2003; Holmstrom & Milgrom, 1991; Kreps 1997). Motivational theorists consider that for each and every thing we do (behavior and actions) there is a fundamental reason or cause; in other words it influences our behaviour’, our choice of behaviour and its permanence, and the amount of effort put into it (Delmar & Wiklund, 2008). They also believe that ap preciation of the causes will enable prediction and thus allow for influence on those behaviors or actions (Franken, 2002). Current research and theories have evolved and advanced since those of Skinner (1938) who considered performance based on motivations from a behavioral viewpoint, while Maslow (1943; 1954) extended his needs hierarchy to accommodate motivation in terms of people seeking to satisfy needs within a systematic order that progresses from physiological, to safety, to social, to esteem and finally self-actualization. His needs hierarchy accounted for the significance of satisfying the needs of employees if motivation was to be induced and fostered (Nelson, 2009). Motivational research today focuses mainly on the determination of what spurs motivation - what stimulus is required to increase motivation - and takes both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation into consideration. Intrinsic motivation according to Oudeyer & Kaplon (2007) is best understood when contrasted with extrinsic motivation, which relates to any activity that is undertaken because of some of kind of reward or discrete outcome. Intrinsic motivation by contrastive definition refers to activities that are undertaken solely for pleasure with no price or value imposed on it (Ryan & Deci, 2000). An important distinction however, is that intrinsic and extrinsic do not mean the same as internal and external and are not synonymous. Internal motivations receive internal rewards, whereas external motivation receives external rewards; intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation however is not determined by where the reward comes from but on the type of reward that is given (Oudeyer & Kaplon, 2007). The theory of incentives has traditionally assumed that concrete or intangible -money, power or investments- (Hoy & Miskel, 1991) rewards given for specific activities with the intent of their re-occurrence will manifest motivation and in turn output; to some, this translates as the more money giv en by the employer the more effort there will be from the employee (Festre & Garrouste, n.d.). Researchers such as Benabou & Tirole (2003) have shown that monetary or tangible rewards are not always the best means for obtaining employee effort; they claim that intrinsic incentives can be ‘crowded out’ by extrinsic incentives (p.490). They further explain how incentives based on performance can have adverse effects on the perceptions of the activity or of a

To examine a sector in the service industry and analyse the service Assignment

To examine a sector in the service industry and analyse the service marketing issues affecting one of the organisations in that sector - Assignment Example Over the last one year the industry has been the hot topic of discussion due to the recent global financial turmoil which has shaken the banking industry in most of the developed countries in the world. UK is one of the largest economies in the world. As a result its banking industry greatly influences not its own economy but also the global economy. UK banking industry is the third largest banking sector in the world. It is one of the most efficient and dynamic industry in the entire Europe. It serves almost 95% of UK’s total population. Almost 3.5% of total workforce in UK is employed in UK banking industry. It has been found that productivity of UK financial sector is growing at a rate which three times higher than the pace of the UK economy. The sector is heavily influencing the GDP of the country. In 2007 financial sector and banks contributed approximately 70 billion euro to the national output of the country and this amount is almost 7% of UK’s GDP. Most importan tly this amount has witnessed an increase by 100% from the year 2003. UK banking sector is considered as the world leading center for private banking, investment and cross border banking. It is holding the fifth position in terms of global international lending. It has been observed that almost one third of global foreign exchange business involve banks in London only. As of December 2008 there are 381 credit institutions in UK. Moreover there are total 163 foreign credit institutions. Furthermore there are 2,241 investment firms in UK (Financial Service Authority, n.d.). The banking industry has gone through a radical transformation because of market liberalization. Significant deregulations and competition that was created out of that were the two main reasons behind this. In UK banking industry deregulation started when Competition and Credit Control in 1971 (CCC) was introduced in 1971. The competitiveness of UK banking

Comparing the two poems Porphyria’s Lover and My Last Duchess Essay

By comparing the two poems Porphyria’s Lover and My Last Duchess, explore how Browning deals worth the theme of jealousy. Jealousy is a theme that occurs quite regularly in Browning’s poems. This was particularly noticed in both of the poems ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ and ‘My Last Duchess’ where in both cases, the male protagonists were jealous of the extra attention that their lovers received from other admirers. When studying both poems, the reader can create in their mind a vivid picture of both the female characters. However, because the male protagonists gave their view on their lovers, the reader is only given details about the male protagonists’ feelings, not about his features or qualities. Because of this, it needs to be taken into account that the reader is assessing the situation from only one particular point of view. In both of the poems ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ and ‘My Last Duchess’ the reader is told that the male protagonist has murdered their lover as a result of jealousy. However, the murders are entirely different. In ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ the relationship between Porphyria and her lover is very positive and the reader can sense a strong bond between the two characters. Lines 29-34 show how strong the bond is between Porphyria and her lover. ‘For love of her and all in vain: So, she was come through wind and rain. Be sure I look’d up at her eyes Happy and proud; at last I knew Porphyria worshipp’d me surprise Made my heart swell, and still it grew’. Because of this strong bond between the two characters, there is evidence in the poem that Porphyria’s lover could not handle the thought of them not being together, and for this reason the lover murders Porphyria in a moment of passion. The reader c... ...actions. For this reason it would be correct for the reader to assume, that both of the female characters are partly to blame for the male protagonists’ actions. This is because the female characters were not focusing on their actual partners’ feelings, and were just pleasing themselves, regardless of how the situation was affecting their partner, or loved one. I think that Browning has dealt with the theme of jealousy in great depth and has shown the male protagonists’ feelings very thoroughly, making it possible for the readers to even sympathise with the male protagonists. Because of the way in which the theme of jealousy is portrayed, the reader can have a great understanding of the emotions the male protagonists are feeling throughout the poems. This makes the poem and the consequences of the female character’s actions, a lot easier to understand.

Ethical Leadership in Organizations Essay

Ethical leadership is leadership that is involved in leading in a manner that respects the rights and dignity of others. As leaders are by nature in a position of social power, ethical leadership focuses on how leaders use their social power in the decisions they make, actions they engage in and ways they influence others. Leaders who are ethical demonstrate a level of integrity that is important for stimulating a sense of leader trustworthiness, which is important for followers to accept the vision of the leader. Leaders who are ethical are people-oriented, and also aware of how their decisions impact others, and use their social power to serve the greater good instead of self-serving interests. Motivating followers to put the needs or interests of the group ahead of their own is another quality of ethical leaders. Motivating involves engaging others in an intellectual and emotional commitment between leaders and followers that makes both parties equally responsible in the pursuit of a common goal. Ethical leadership falls within the nexus of inspiring, stimulating, and visionary leader behaviours that make up transformational and charismatic leadership. Ethical leaders assist followers in gaining a sense of personal competence that allows them to be self-sufficient by encouraging and empowering them. What is Ethical Leadership? One typical response to the â€Å"ethics crisis† in business is a clarion call for more â€Å"ethical leadership,† yet there are few explanations of what exactly is meant by the term. Many executives and business thinkers believe that ethical leadership is simply a matter of leaders having good character. By having â€Å"the right values† or being a person of â€Å"strong character,† the ethical leader can set the example for others and withstand any temptations that may occur along the way. Without denying the importance of good character and the right values, the reality of ethical leadership is far more complex and the stakes are much higher. Over the past 25 years, in talking to executives in a number of industries about the problems of how to lead in a world of great change—globalization, democratization, and incredible technological advances—we have identified a number of touchstones for the idea of â€Å"ethical leadership.† Our experience is often contrary to the picture of business executives one finds in public discussion where they are often seen as greedy, competitive, and only concerned with compensation. In fact most executives want to be effective in their jobs and to leave their companies and the world a better place, creating value on both fronts for those whose lives they affect. Our view of ethical leadership takes into account not only the leader but also his constituents (followers and key stakeholders), the context or situation that the leader and constituents face, the leader’s processes and skills, and the outcomes that result. Leaders are first and foremost members of their own organizations and stakeholder groups. As such, their purpose, vision, and values are for the benefit of the entire organization and its key stakeholders. â€Å"Leaders see their constituents as not just followers, but rather as stakeholders striving to achieve that same common purpose, vision, and values. These follower and stakeholder constituents have their own individuality and autonomy which must be respected to maintain a moral community.† Ethical leaders embody the purpose, vision, and values of the organization and of the constituents, within an understanding of ethical ideals. They connect the goals of the organization with that of the internal employees and external stakeholders. Leaders work to create an open, two-way conversation, thereby maintaining a charitable understanding of different views, values, and constituents’ opinions. They are open to others’ opinions and ideas because they know those ideas make the organization they are leading better. Characteristics of Ethical Leaders In today’s turbulent world, ethics and values are present at a number of levels for executives and managers—leaders who devote their time and energy to leading the process of value creation. This broader concept of ethical leadership empowers leaders to incorporate and be explicit about their own values and ethics. The following list provides a framework for developing ethical leadership. It is based on the observations of and conversations with a host of executives and students over the past 25 years, and on readings of both popular and scholarly business literature. Written from the perspective of the leader, these ten facets of ethical leaders offer a way to understand ethical leadership that is more complex and more useful than just a matter of â€Å"good character and values.† â€Å"It is important for leaders to tell a compelling and morally rich story, but ethical leaders must also embody and live the story. This is a difficult task in today’s business environment where everyone lives in a fishbowl—on public display. So many political leaders fail to embody the high-minded stories they tell at election time, and more recently, business leaders have become the focus of similar criticism through the revelations of numerous scandals and bad behaviours. CEOs in today’s corporations are really ethical role models for all of society.† 1. Articulate and embody the purpose and values of the organization. Following a series of unethical activities by Citigroup employees in Japan in 2004, new CEO Chuck Prince fired several executives, publicly accepted responsibility and bowed apologetically to Japanese officials. Not only did Prince’s message resonate within Japan, but it also signalled a new era of â€Å"shared responsibility† within the culture of Citigroup where every employee was expected to take ownership for their decisions that affected the enterprise. 2. Focus on organizational success rather than on personal ego. Ethical leaders understand their place within the larger network of constituents and stakeholders. It is not about the leader as an individual, it is about something bigger—the goals and dreams of the organization. Ethical leaders also recognize that value is in the success of people in the organization. In 1998, in a bold gesture demonstrating how he valued the company’s line employees, Roger Enrico, former Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, chose to forego all but $1 of his salary, requesting that PepsiCo, in turn, contribute $1 million to a scholarship fund for employees’ children. In a similar manner, the founders of JetBlue began a process of matching, from their salaries, employee donations to a charity. Today, their entire salaries go to the JetBlue Crewmember Catastrophic Plan charity, to assist staff with crises not covered by insurance. The point of these examples is not that ethical leaders donate their salaries to charities, but rather that ethical leaders identify and act on levers, such as employee loyalty, that drive organizational success. 3. Find the best people and develop them. This task is fairly standard in different models of leadership. Ethical leaders pay special attention to finding and developing the best people precisely because they see it as a moral imperative—helping them to lead better lives that create more value for themselves and for others. Finding the best people involves taking ethics and character into account in the selection process. â€Å"Ethical leaders pay special attention to finding and developing the best people† Many CEOs have said to us that judging someone’s integrity is far more important than evaluating their experience and skills. Yet, in many organizations, employees are hired to fill a particular skill need with little regard to issues of integrity. 4. Create a living conversation about ethics, values and the creation of value for stakeholders. Too often business executives think that having a laminated â€Å"values card† in their wallet or having a purely compliance approach to ethics has solved the â€Å"ethics problem.† Suffice it to say that Enron and other troubled companies had these systems in place. What they didn’t have was a conversation across all levels of the business where the basics of value creation, stakeholder principles and societal expectations were routinely discussed and debated. There is a fallacy that values and ethics are the â€Å"soft, squishy† part of management. Nothing could be further from the truth. In organizations that have a live conversation about ethics and values, people hold each other responsible and accountable about whether they are really living the values. And, they expect the leaders of the organization to do the same. Bringing such a conversation to life means that people must have knowledge of alternatives, must choose every day to stay with the organization and its purpose because it is important and inspires them. Making a strong commitment to bringing this conversation to life is essential to do if one is to lead ethically. Most people know the story of Johnson and Johnson’s former CEO Jim Burke and the Tylenol product recall in the 1980s in which, at a great short-term financial cost, he pulled all potentially tampered-with products off the shelves, thereby keeping the public’s trust intact. The less well-known background to this story, however, is critical to understanding the final outcome. Well before the Tylenol crisis hit, Johnson & Johnson had held a series of â€Å"challenge meetings† all around the world, where managers sat and debated their â€Å"Credo,† a statement of their purpose and principles of who they wanted to be as a company. The conversation about ethics at Johnson & Johnson was alive, and in many ways made Jim Burke’s choice about handling the situation clearer than it otherwise would have been. 5. Create mechanisms of dispute. This needs to be made part of the organizational culture, not just a line item in a compliance program document. Some companies have used anonymous e-mail and telephone processes to give employees a way around the levels of management that inevitably spring up as barriers in large organizations. Many executives also have used â€Å"skip level† meetings where they go down multiple levels in the organization to get a more realistic view of what is actually going on. General Electric’s famous â€Å"workout† process—where workers meet to decide how to fix problems and make the company better—was a way for front line employees to push back against the established policies and authority of management. All of these processes lead to better decisions, more engaged employees, and an increased likelihood of avoiding damaging mistakes. In a company that takes its purpose or values seriously, there must be mechanisms of pushing back to avoid the values becoming stale and dead. Indeed, many of the current corporate scandals could have been prevented if only there were more creative ways for people to express their dissatisfaction with the actions of some of their leaders and others in the companies. The process of developing these mechanisms of dissent will vary by company, by leadership style, and by culture, but it is a crucial leadership task for value creation in today’s business world. 6. Take a charitable understanding of others’ values. Ethical leaders can understand why different people make different choices, but still have a strong grasp on what they would do and why. Following twenty-seven years in South African prisons, Nelson Mandela was still able to see the good in his jailers. After one particularly vicious jailer was being transferred away from Robbins Island because of Mandela’s protest and push back, the jailer turned to Mandela and stated â€Å"I just want to wish you people good luck.† Mandela interpreted this statement charitably as a sign that all people had some good within them, even those caught up in an evil system. Mandela felt that it was his responsibility to see this good in people and to try and bring it out. One CEO suggested that instead of seeing ethical leadership as preventing people from doing the wrong thing, we need to view it as enabling people to do the right thing. 7. Make tough calls while being imaginative. Ethical leaders inevitably have to make a lot of difficult decisions, from reorienting the company’s strategy and basic value proposition to making individual personnel decisions such as working with employees exiting the organization. Ethical leaders do not attempt to avoid difficult decisions by using an excuse of â€Å"I’m doing this for the business.† The ethical leader consistently unites â€Å"doing the right thing† and â€Å"doing the right thing for the business.† The idea that â€Å"ethical leadership† is just â€Å"being nice† is far from the truth. Often, exercising â€Å"moral imagination† is the most important task. Mohammed Yunus founded the Grameen Bank on such moral imagination. By taking the standard banking practice of only lending to people with collateral, and turning it on its head, Yunus spawned an industry of micro-lending to the poor. The Grameen Bank’s motto is that poverty belongs in a museum. In addition to having one of the highest loan repayment rates in the banking industry, the bank’s program of lending to poor women in Bangladesh to start businesses has helped millions of them to be able to feed themselves. 8. Know the limits of the values and ethical principles they live. All values have limits, particular spheres in which they do not work as well as others. The limits for certain values, for instance, may be related to the context or the audience in which they are being used. Ethical leaders have an acute sense of the limits of the values they live and are prepared with solid reasons to defend their chosen course of action. Problems can arise when managers do not understand the limits of certain values. As an example, one issue common to the recent business scandals was that managers and executives did not understand the limits of â€Å"putting shareholders first.† Attempts to artificially keep stock prices high—without creating any lasting value for customers and other stakeholders—can border on fanaticism rather than good judgment. Ethics is no different from any other part of our lives: there is no substitute for good judgment, sound advice, practical sense, and conversations with those affected by our actions. 9. Frame actions in ethical terms. Ethical leaders see their leadership as a fully ethical task. This entails taking seriously the rights claims of others, considering the effects of one’s actions on others (stakeholders), and understanding how acting or leading in a certain way will have effects on one’s character and the character of others. There is nothing amoral about ethical leaders, and they recognize that their own values may sometimes turn out to be a poor guidepost. The ethical leader takes responsibility for using sound moral judgment. But, there is a caution here. It is easy to frame actions in ethical terms and be perceived as â€Å"righteous.† Many have the view that ethics is about universal, inviolable principles that are carved into stone. We need to start with principles and values, and then work hard to figure out how they can be applied in today’s complex global business environment. Principles, values, cultures, and individual differences often conflict. Ethical leadership requires an attitude of humility rather than righteousness: a commitment to one’s own principles, and at the same time, openness to learning and to having conversations with others who may have a different way of seeing the world. Ethics is best viewed as an open conversation about those values and issues that are most important to us and to our business. It is a continual discovery and reaffirmation of our own principles and values, and a realization that we can improve through encountering new ideas.