Causes and Effects of Climate Change Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Causes and Effects of Climate Change - Assignment Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that the stratosphere has been identified as an atmospheric layer which is essential for survival on Earth because it contains ozone gas (O3) which forms the ozone layer protecting the earth from ultraviolet radiations of the Sun. The depletion of this ozone layer can lead to the entry of these harmful radiations into the surface of the earth and these radiations have many harmful effects which range from DNA and RNA damage in humans to the disturbance of even the marine life. Thinning of this layer has been found to be associated with skin cancers, cataracts, and weakening of the immunity. It can damage the ecological balance because it will not only disturb marine life but there is evidence that it might even affect crops. The stratosphere is sensitive to atmospheric pollutants which include chlorofluorocarbons, chlorocarbons, and halon compounds. Because of increased environmental pollution and the emission of these ha rmful compounds into the atmosphere by the industries and other sources which include the emissions from cars, refrigerators, air conditioners and aerosols, the stratospheric ozone has been depleting gradually. The reason behind this is that these gases react with the ozone gas and initiate a cascade which destroys numerous ozone molecules. The greenhouses gases constitute less than one percent of the atmosphere. They include carbon dioxide, ozone, and water vapor. Thirty percent of the solar energy is reflected back before it even enters the last surface of the earth and a significant amount of energy that reaches the earth is also reflected back. This energy is the infrared radiation. This radiation is taken up by the greenhouse gases before it escapes the troposphere thus leading to a warming effect which is known as the greenhouse effect.

Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility a Case Analysis of Enron Essay

Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility a Case Analysis of Enron - Essay Example 2. An evaluation of the potential role of corporate social responsibility in saving Enron in line with the criticisms of CSR by Friedman and Barry. 3. An assessment of whether Enron should have favoured some stakeholders ahead of others or not. 4. An evaluation of whether codes of conducts and stated core values have an effect on a business or not. Question 1 The Role of the CEO in the Enron Scandal This portion of the research examines whether Enron chief, Kenneth Lay acted immorally or not. In order to examine the issue well, the paper would use a broad range of assessment of morality to identify whether actions of Lay were appropriate or not. Each of these issues would be examined critically. Dominant and Unfettered Power and Control It is apparent that Kenneth Lay had dominant and unfettered powers and control over activities of Enron. This is because he had stayed in power for a very long time and had a lot of control in decision making. Although this in itself is not immoral, i t created the impetus for a lot of immoral and amoral activities to be carried out by Lay in conjunction with his fellow managers and directors. Ideally, a business needs to have some kind of control and checks to ensure that managers do not abuse the system (Crawford, 2006 p114). This reason justifies the need for the establishment of an Independent Board of Directors and a Management team. Again, the board needs to be headed by a person who is different from the CEO in order to create an ideal situation where no one in the top hierarchy can get uncontrolled power over the activities of the company. In the case of Kenneth Lay, he was the CEO and the Chairman of the Board of Enron for 17 years and had unfettered powers which contributed to a lot of wrongs in the company. Disregard for Core Principles Kenneth Lay stated that the core principles of Enron were communication, respect, integrity, and excellence. However, there is strong evidence that he led the company to override the ve ry standards he set and the system that was meant to safeguard the implementation of those standards. George and Jones identify that overriding standards and principles means disregard of rules and regulations for reasons that are not consistent with the best interest of the business (2009). As such, there is evidence that Kenneth Lay did things that undermined the core guiding principles that he set for Enron. First of all, he claimed that communication was key. However, there were major reporting issues in Enron that led to its collapse. Secondly, he claimed that respect was a key principle. However, it is apparent that some stakeholder groups like employees were given tough treatments and their rights were blatantly disregarded. Thirdly, Enron claimed to seek integrity but in reality, they had serious issues with truthfulness and the attempt to disguise the reality in its financial situation to maintain a positive image with the public and other stakeholders. Finally, Enron state d that they sought excellence. Although they might have been a leading business at some point in their history, they used unsustainable systems and structures to attain this end. This led to major long term issues which culminated in the collapse of the company. Since Kenneth Lay had extensive powers to ensure that the core principles that he had outlined would be honoured and he failed to do so, there is a major