Amen. Actions and Consequences

Costa-Gavra’s â€Å"Amen. † is a thought-provoking film that combines political thriller, suspense and expose. â€Å"Amen†, translated in Hebrew as â€Å"So be it†, deals with three significant characters, both real and fictional, who act out different moral or ethical principles. These characters, Father Riccardo Fontana, Kurt Gerstein and Pope Pius XII, provide the audience with different perspectives on the dilemma about the genocide of millions of Jews during World War II, commonly known as â€Å"the Holocaust†.By reflecting on the lives, actions or personalities of these three characters, we would understand the ethical challenges, ethical principles and actions they have faced, considered and performed. Body Father Riccardo Fontana, played by Mathleu Kassovitz, is a junior diplomat and an idealistic Jesuit priest. Father Riccardo Fontana learned the life and sufferings of the Jews in the Nazi concentration camps (through the help of Kurt Gerst ein). He also learned that the American government inquired about the genocide of Jews through a letter addressed at the Vatican.He endeavoured or tried his best to alert the Vatican about the genocide of Jews in the Nazi concentration camps. He thought that his familial connections with the local priests and at the Vatican would bring in results or considerations from the Pope. He also thought that by directly stating the problems at the Nazi concentration camps to the Pope, he would be able to bring light to the problem and have the Pope do his part by making a public statement condemning the actions of the Nazis.However, in the end, he was not able to have the support of the Vatican. He lost his life; Father Riccardo Fontana died a martyr. Father Riccardo Fontana is a fictional character in the movie; however, I believe that he symbolizes the early life of Pope Pius XII. As a morally righteous priest, I believe that he wanted to ease the pain or sufferings of the Jews. As a diplo mat, I believe that he wanted to do things in a peaceful and legal manner. I also think Father Riccardo Fontana believes on deontological ethics.Deontological ethics or deontology refers to the method of applying ethics by focusing on what actions are right or wrong, regardless whether the consequences would right or not. This ethical principle is sometimes referred to as â€Å"obligation† or â€Å"duty† ethics. These are the reasons why I believe, Father Riccardo Fontana tried his best to alert the Pope, make a difference or bring the Jews help from the Vatican even if it means to sacrificing his own life for the sake of duty. If I were Father Riccardo Fontana, I would also inform or alert the Vatican, particularly the Pope.I would seek his assistance regarding the genocide of Jews and strongly emphasize my point that it is wrong and immoral. I would let them see that as priests, we should do our best to preserve life and peace all throughout the world, despite the di fferences in race or ethnicity. I would stand for the right of my fellow Jews, especially for their right to live. However, unlike Father Riccardo Fontana, I would seek or provide other kinds of help if all of the previous acts fail. I help the Jews by hiding them from the Nazis and I will ease their pain with my prayers.Subsequently, I will continue my efforts to make the authorities do their part. I will not have myself killed, not for selfish reasons, but because I know that dying won’t solve anything. If I die, I would no longer be able to help the Jews or the needy. If I die, I won’t be able to strengthen their morale and keep their spirits and hopes high. On the other hand, Kurt Gerstein, played by Ulrich Tukur, is a real character or individual, greatly devoted to his duty as a soldier and religious beliefs as a Protestant. He is a German SS officer on board the Waffen-SS during the World War II.He is also an intelligent scientist and member of the Institute for Hygiene who developed the gas Zyklon B for treating or curing the waters drank and used by Nazi soldiers. As a scientist, hygienist and developer of the Zyklon B, he only wanted to prevent illnesses or the spread of diseases among the Nazi troops. Unfortunately, Zyklon B was used to exterminate the Jews. Raised in a family of patriotic officers and soldiers with strong sense of responsibility, his obedience or compliance to authority cannot be doubted. However, after learning this horrible truth, his values as a Protestant dominated his sense of patriotism.He alerted the Protestant leaders, then the authorities, Swedish diplomats and also the Roman Catholic Church about the immoral acts committed by his superiors. He took actions similar to what Father Riccardo Fontana did and just like the efforts of Father Riccardo Fontana, Gerstein’s efforts were in awe. Conversely, I am convinced that he believes the same ethical principles as Father Ricardo Fontana. If I were Kurt Gerst ein, I would first try to reach a higher position in the Nazi party. I will do my best to reach that position as soon as possible because time is of the essence.After having power or authority, I would instantly see to it that the officers under my authority would provide help to the Jews. I would do this secretly or behind the radar of my superiors so that I can still have my power and my life for the service of those who are suffering. With my power and my life, I will provide more help or make more things morally right. Pope Pius XII, the most controversial character in the movie, is subjected to allegations of preserving his selfish-needs, economic interests, ambition and power by doing nothing regardless of knowing the horrible truth at the Nazi concentration camps.In this sense, allegedly, the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church in extension, committed passive sin. Somehow, watching the movie had made me scrutinize or contemplate on the faith and hope that I had for the Vatican or to the Pope. Putting myself in the shoes of Kurt Gerstein and Father Riccardo Fontana made me doubt that the religious authorities are not morally upright. However, considering the position of the Pope, I reclaimed my belief that he did not do anything wrong and that he only wanted greater good for a greater number of individuals or Jews in particular.As a prominent and religious leader, every action should be seriously weighed and the interests of those who are in need or prosecuted should be considered in order to prevent further harm done to them. Alerting the international public would disrupt the allegiance of the Vatican and the Nazi party and spark more tension. If the allegiance is lost and the Nazis are angered by the public statement or expose of their immoral acts, will the Vatican be able to address the retaliation of the Nazis? How can the Vatican keep Jews, provide food and shelter in chapels if the angered Nazis destroyed the Catholic chapels?Will the public state ment improve the situation of the prosecuted Jews? Will it stop a possible war? I don’t think. This is due to the fact that the Nazi party has great military power at that time to retaliate to any threat or opposition. Public protests against this inhumane party would only increase prosecution, not only of Jews but also Roman Catholics; and that would be further agonizing. I think that as a religious leader, a morally upright Roman Catholic and diplomat, Pope Pius XII did actions behind the eye of the public to help the Jews.I believe that Pope Pius XII believes in utilitarianism and because of this. Consequently, he suffered the pain of doing nothing because he knew that the consequences would be right or provide greater good. Conclusion Father Riccardo Fontana, Kurt Gerstein and Pope Pius XII are three interesting characters with varied perspectives when it comes to what is right or wrong. Father Riccardo Fontana and Kurt Gerstein believed in fulfilling their moral obligati ons while Pope Pius XII believed that â€Å"the end justifies the means†.The first two characters believed in doing things now and in considering consequences later while the third character was thinking of the consequences first before making an action. Somehow, I believe that the Holocaust or the genocide of millions of Jews in Nazi concentration camps, considering these two opposite ethical principles, is a dilemma. It is a dilemma where I believe, Pope Pius XII did the best choice. Works Cited Costa-Gavras, dir. Amen. Perfs. Ulrich Tukur, Mathieu Kassovitz. Kino International, 2002.

Organizational Databases

Organizational Databases Randal Chatman University of Phoenix CIS 207 Information System Fundamentals Carlos Andrade December 19, 2011 Abstract This paper is designed to discuss the structure and use of a database system that is currently being used by a nationally recognized telecommunications and entertainment company. It will contain information about the specific type of database that is being used by this company. According to Webopedia, â€Å"a database is a collection of information organized in such a way that a  computer  program  can quickly  select  desired pieces of  data.You can think of a  database  as an electronic filing  system† (Database, 2011). Every company has some type of database system that holds information that needs to be accessed regularly by the employees to be used to complete a task or goal. There will be some recommendations of improvements to the company procedures of the use of the described database. Organizational Database Now that we are in the computer age we no longer need to use a pen and a sheet of paper to write down information that we will need to refer back to in the future.Nor will we need to use a filing system with folders and large clunky file cabinets to store company information. In today’s business world companies use databases to store company information and keep it organized. What exactly is a database? According to Webopedia, â€Å"a database is a collection of information organized in such a way that a  computer  program  can quickly  select  desired pieces of  data. You can think of a  database  as an electronic filing  system† (Database, 2011). Companies in today’s business world use databases to organize various types of information for the benefit and use of its employees to complete a task.In order for computers to access the database, it will need a database application. â€Å"A database application is a computer program whose primary purpose is entering and retrieving information from a computer managed database† (Database Application, 2011). There are several types of data base applications such as Microsoft Access, Oracle, and My SQL. Oracle is a database application that we will look at in a little more detail as it pertains to a specific department of nationally recognized business. Oracle has been around and creating database technology for over 30 years.When it comes to using Oracle with the department mentioned. It is mainly used to maintain and organize an inventory or devices that are being sold to the public. These devices include cell phones, tablets, computers, and a wide variety of accessories for the higher priced merchandise. Oracle keeps a count of the exact number of a particular product the department has. The products are organized in two categories. The first category is called serialized items which contains everything with a serial number. The serialized items are also the most expens ive items in the department.Of course all these items have a model name and number but in order to keep track, these items have sku number associated with them. The sku numbers in the serialized category all begin with a 6. This is a way to prevent confusion when it comes to what goes where. The second category is called non-serialized items which contains items without a serial number. These items are also assigned a sku number and these numbers begin with a 7 or a 4. The Oracle database is masked by the department’s point of sale system.This was designed so that there is a smooth communication between what is sold and what is still in inventory. The database system is a companywide used system and is also used to access inventories of various locations in order to transfer products back and forth. This helps when one location is out or has low quantities of a product and may need additional units. Of course there are times when all great database systems have issues that ma y affect the workplace. Because the Oracle database system runs behind OPUS which is the point of sale system it can affect potential sales within the organization.Serialized items cannot be sold when the database is down because the specific serial numbers must be removed from the system. Non-serialized items can continue to be sold because they are only counted by their sku only and there are not any specific serial numbers associated with those sku’s. A recommendation for improvement is to develop a backup database that will supplement when the main database crashes. By having this in place, it can improve the amount of down time that is associated with inventory count information.Businesses across the country are using databases to store company information and keep this information as organized as possible. Database applications have made this process easier by allowing these businesses to have access to the information they need daily. Though all businesses use database s for different reasons, databases are now a necessity for a successful organization to thrive in today’s business world. References Database. (2011). Webopedia. Retrieved from http://www. webopedia. com/TERM/D/database. html Database Application. (2011). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Database_application

Ethnic or Communal Politics in Malaysia Essay

The results for the ethics awareness inventory that I took last week for class revealed that my ethical profile is most related to obligation and least related to equity. Being related mostly to obligation means that my ethical profile is based on a sense of duty to do what is correct or right. Being least related to equity means that my ethical profile is based on absolute standards of right and wrong rather than practical analysis. How this Applies to my Personal and Professional Life In my professional and personal life I personally feel that obligation and a sense of duty to do what is correct or right fits me well. Since I work for a company that deals with national security and background investigations obligation is something that is required. In order to complete a background investigation there are many steps that need to be completed. My job personally is to obtain records on the subject that are required to complete the investigation such as resident, education, employment records and law checks with police departments. In order to complete these records there are certain guidelines that must be met and followed. Therefore, the duty to do what is right and correct is expected. How my Education has Affected my Ethical Thinking. In m y opinion my education has affected my ethical thinking in many different ways some of which I did not even realize. Some of the most important ethics that I have are honesty, time management and respect. Throughout my education at the University of Phoenix there have been many times that these ethics have come up in conversation and I have had the chance to see my classmates points of view on each one. One way that I have used honesty, time management, and respect in my thinking, decision making and potential for conflict is while working in teams throughout my educational experience. It can be very challenging at times depending on others to complete assignments and there is always a potential for conflict when working with other personalities. Therefore honesty with team members about things that are going on to prevent work from being done, time management when completing assignments and respect of others opinions are all ethics I use when working in teams.

The big idea...read the requirement i send you carefully Essay

The big idea...read the requirement i send you carefully - Essay Example Housing in city is an important issue that affects millions of people in the modern times. The rentals are skyrocketing mainly due to imbalances in demand and supply for housing. Ideas relating to the best utilization of resources and efficiency in human resources management for improved organizational performance call for innovative mindset in organizing, controlling and directing the workforce. Aghazadeh, S. (2003, p. 201) stated â€Å"Human resource management must change as the business environment in which it operates changes.†Ã‚  Competitive edge in business operations leads to sustainable growth and development. A strategy that takes care of transportation and housing problems of the employees can be considered as the best idea from the view point of corporate social responsibility also. This paper seeks to highlight the benefits that could be attributed to this idea from the perspective of human resources management, profitability and sustainability of the organization and corporate social responsibility. ... Technological developments in the field of information and communication technology could be properly leveraged in this idea to mitigate the hardships arising out of transportation and housing in cities to the people as well as society at large due to pollution. Digital convergence of technologies created synergy in business operations resulting in an array of opportunities. Even Alvin Toffler in his ‘Future Shock’ could neither predict the use of mobile phones by a common man nor its impact on the business and society. Digital convergence has provided an excellent platform for the big idea in relation to human resources management in business organizations. According to the Society for Human Resources Management (2008, p. 17) â€Å"Organizations that formally offer telecommuting from a satellite location or telecommuting from other locations deem this flexible work arrangement to be very successful.† Human resources management Matiza, L. (2013, P.2) stated  "Human Resources Management is basically a way of managing humans at their workplace in search of performance and rating it well in order to also remunerate them well.† Managing humans at their workplace signifies that the people work for the company assembles in a firm’s place of work at a particular time for performance of their duties. Human Resources Management involves rating of their performance as well. The firm should remunerate the employees based on their performance. Kayode, O. (2012, p. 1) stated â€Å"Now, more than ever, organizations need to place greater emphasis on attracting human capital rather than financial capital... effective human resource management is the best

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT - Assignment Example The activists are people who are open minded and are passionate towards their work as they gain their learning from the practical understanding. On the contrary, the attitude to take risk of the activists might not be suitable for the establishment in few scenarios (Huang and Busby 92-100). Theorists are the people who acquire their knowledge and learning with the assistance of the relevant theories. The people following the theorists’ perspective get their assistance from the varied theoretical underpinning when they are trained systematically. Thus, it can be stated that the training and development must be associated with the theoretical approach to get a better understanding. However, the key issue faced by the theorists is that they might be hesitant towards gaining the practical knowledge as learning (Huang and Busby 92-100). Pragmatists are the people who seek their learning from the theoretical as well as the practical activities in order to develop their skills. It is observed that these people are innovative and use their theoretical knowledge and understanding when conducting practical tasks. These people are more efficient and hence the companies provide learning opportunities to them at large. However, these people require continuous training and development for better understanding (Huang and Busby 92-100). Reflectors are the people who acquire their leanings by observing various activities of themselves along with others. Employees favouring this learning style will be more considerate and cautious while obtaining proper learning of skills and abilities. Correspondingly, businesses might face issues while offering training to these individuals as they are seemed to be a bit time-taking in their learning approach. However, their considerate nature will ensure that they improve themselves in a comprehensive manner overall. These groups of people are supposed to be less participative in comparison

Strategy, analysis, & Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategy, analysis, & - Assignment Example The RBV view would encompass the VRIN analysis. Value Chain Analysis The value chain of the company is segregated into primary and supporting activities. Primary Activity The primary activities of the King’s College Hospital are to provide specialist and general health care services to the patients. The value chain analysis is important to lay down the business level strategies. The core activities of the hospital are providing medical treatment and emergency services to the admitted and regular patients. Inbound and Outbound Logistics The hospital works closely with various reputed companies for the supply of medical devices, supplements, medicines, injections, gloves and various other medical requirements (King’s College Hospital, 2013a). iSoft is responsible for the supply and delivery of advanced computer systems. Pregnacare is responsible for supplying medical requirements to the maternity department and Teleflex, Macmillan Cancer support is accountable for the tim ely supply of the medical devices and requirements to the various departments of the hospital (King’s College Hospital, 2013a). Operations The operational activities in King’s College Hospital include the hiring of the appropriate medical staff, establishing health guidelines within the hospital and maintenance of the staff along with patient records (King’s College Hospital, 2013b). Marketing and Sales King’s College Hospital is one of the most reputed and oldest hospitals in North and East London (King’s College Hospital, 2013c). The hospital hardly believes in aggressive promotion. However, print and social media service is used in promoting the latest technology or latest health service offering. Services Apart from providing regular and specialist health care services, the hospital also offers blood collection services, training to medical students, awareness program about various disease and several other health related services. Supporting A ctivity Support activities involve support assistance that is required for the primary activities. Procurement The hospital works closely with other organizations of repute like, Venture, BT, Cerner, 3M and other miscellaneous companies for the procurement of the medical devices and other requirements (King’s College Hospital, 2013d). It procures information technology and other communications services from BT, hardware and software services from Cerner and resorts to Liftec for acquiring elevator devices. Technology development The hospital is highly dependent on technology for performing its medical operations and surgery. Technology like, neurological image scaling and scanning system are highly used for the liver transplantation and cancer units (King’s College Hospital, 2013c). Human Resource Management King’s College Hospital has a qualified medical staff which comprises of educated doctors and nurses. The efficiency and the repute of the hospital are tota lly dependent on the skills of the medical staff and

Media Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media Ethics - Essay Example Ultimately, I will conclude that the primary reason many media organizations may find themselves â€Å"aiding† terrorist is not out of the inevitability of an incidental connection, but a money-oriented strategy. Unlike other commentators, Held does not try to invoke the role of news media as a fourth branch or government, but takes the position that everyone in a moral society is obliged to promote the reduction of political violence. This position, in her opinion is partially relevant for those working in the media since it plays a key role in shaping public opinion, which is ultimately the objective of those that engage in political violence. She bases her argument on the claim that the media cannot be relied on to play its moral role in the war against terror since it is predominantly driven by profit motives. Even from a laypersons perspective, the media assist common sense in decreasing incidences of political violence. However, this is not as obvious to members of the fourth estate who tend to present news in the most dramatic and emotive way possible so as to exploit public outrage or fear for increased rating and create a sense of dependency. Given current reporting trends, it is cl ear that the infamous adage, â€Å"tell the people what they want hear† is alive. For example, they will rarely provide objective coverage of the arguments for and against the views by political dissidents unless they happen to be iconic figures such as Dalai Lama. She suggest that the press should air the view of everyone involved in an incidence since many acts of terror are committed by people who feel they are ignored and want to force society to acknowledge their existence and grievances. Her proposal on this matter is on point since in many cases, would be perpetrators of political violence will not get attention from the media unless they do something drastic. Held preeminently talks about the profit motive, which she cites rightly as

Reliability and Validity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reliability and Validity - Essay Example The first article to be analyzed will be the Technostress article, with the second being the Development article. The definitions of validity and reliability will be examined with their relative application to the two articles being examined. A conclusion will be drawn about the research behind the articles. Validity basically is a test to see whether a test really functions effectively in order to garner results that it was designed to gather. According to Cherry (2011), â€Å"Validity is the extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure†¦results [must] be accurately applied and interpreted. Validity is†¦ determined†¦by a body of research that demonstrates the relationship between the test and the behavior it is intended to measure† (pghs. 1-2). For example, in Tarafdar et. al.’s Technostress article, it is very clear that what was being measured was the effect of such stress and roles and productivity. The validity of that research would be that the research effectively measured what it set out to measure. In fact, according to Tarafdar et. al.

GLOBAL OUTSOURCING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

GLOBAL OUTSOURCING - Essay Example It has also been able to simplify stock holding and brought them down to  £8.9 million from staggering  £40 million. The overall net effect of the above savings is decrease in production costs of every component (vehicle) by  £34 (Reynolds, 2012). It has been able to free up its real property for process of manufacturing vehicles. Therefore, Jaguar Land Rover has not only been capable of improving its supply chain but also to deliver fantastic savings on costs. Importantly, Jaguar Land Rover has been able to increase customer satisfaction (Reynolds, 2012). 5 The company trades as â€Å"Jaguar Land Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC†. It is a multinational company manufacturing and selling vehicles globally. Its headquarters are in Whitley, Coventry in the United Kingdom. The chief executive officer of Jaguar Land Jaguar Land Rover Company is Ralf Speth. Jaguar Land Jaguar Land Rover company is the largest automotive manufacturing business in the United Kingdom. The company manufactures the automotives around two iconic car brands from the United Kingdom. These iconic car brands are Land Rover and jaguar. Land over is a world’s top producer of finest all wheel drive automobiles. Jaguar is a world leading premier luxury sports car and sports saloon car Marques. Jaguar Land Jaguar Land Rover brings together these two highly prestigious and much loved brands of cars. Tata Motors acquired Land Rover and jaguar companies from Ford Company in 2008 and later merged them in to a single automotive manufacturing company. Jaguar Land Ja guar Land Rover has been successful and it has been flourishing with innovative technologies and memorable vehicles that add to the companys extensive enduring legacy of unique automotive manufacturer (Woolley & Grice 2013). Jaguar Company started in 1922 as a motorcycle sidecars manufacturer. Now, the company name was Swallow SideCar Company. It started to

The Saxophone in Jazz Music Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Saxophone in Jazz Music - Research Paper Example The invention of the saxophone is credited to a Belgian by the name, Antoine-Joseph Sax. Adolphe was born on 6th November 1814 and gained interest in musical interest from his father Charles. Adolphe’s father was a professional craftsman of musical instruments. To this end, Adolphe became an expert craftsman of musical instruments when he was just six years old. Some of his notable specimens included clarinets and flutes. Moreover, he devoted more time to studying these two instruments at the Brussels Conservatory. As a result, Adolphe noticed that there was a difference in tone between woodwinds and brasses. Evidently, he discovered that woodwinds were being overpowered by the brasses. Moreover, he equally noted tonal differences between the winds and strings whereby the latter was overpowered by the former. Consequently, Sax identified the need to invent a new instrument that achieved some semblance of balance between the strings, brass, and woodwinds. He envisioned a sound that combined the brass tone from the trumpet and the woodwind sound from the clarinet. As a result, Adolphe innovatively incorporated the mouthpiece from the woodwind and the structural form of the brass instrument. The end product was the saxophone.To this end, the pioneer saxophone was a C bass which Sax displayed to the prominently renowned composer, Hector Berlioz in 1841. Berlioz was mesmerized by the versatility, dynamic control and unique tone of the saxophone. As a result, in 1842, Adolphe migrated to Paris to publicize his saxophone.... Consequently, Sax identified the need to invent a new instrument that achieved some semblance of balance between the strings, brass and woodwinds. He envisioned a sound that combined the brass tone from the trumpet and the woodwind sound from the clarinet. As a result, Adolphe innovatively incorporated the mouth piece from the woodwind and the structural form of the brass instrument. The end product was the saxophone. To this end, the pioneer saxophone was a C bass which Sax displayed to the prominently renowned composer, Hector Belioz in 1841(Koenig 295). Belioz was mesmerized by the versatility, dynamic control and unique tone of the saxophone. As a result, in 1842, Adolphe migrated to Paris to publicize his saxophone. At around the same time, an article entitled ‘Journal des Debats’ was published by Hector Belioz. The article described Adolf’s innovative saxophone in depth. Consequently, by 1846 Adolphe Sax was officially recognized as the owner of the saxophon e when it was exhibited in public during the Paris Industrial Exhibition. Moreover, in 1844 a concert organized by Hector Belioz and known as the Chante Sacre featured the saxophone for the first time. However, it was the opera of the ‘Last King of Juda’ that marked the orchestral debut of the saxophone. Apparently, Adolphe proposed a contest between bands. The contest pitted his army band composed of saxophones against another one that was composed of traditional instruments. Evidently, Adolphe’s band carried the day and hence proved that saxophones had the capacity to improve the quality of tone in all the bands. By 1845, the B and E flat saxophones replaced the French horns, oboes and bassoons that were used in French military