The Detriments of Mining
It has long been recognized that mining is an industry that has a decided long-term impact on not only the ecosystem in which it occurs, but on the environment as a whole. And the scope and size of mining operations has increased at a rapid rate since the beginning of the industrial revolution. With the almost exponential growth of population over the past few centuries has come an increased reliance on the natural resources that lie beneath the Earth’s crust, and this has brought about a powerful industry that cares little for the damage it causes in pursuit of consumer dollars. This, in turn, has led to major detriments for both workers and the environment at large. Read more
The Downside of Down Time in Web Hosting
If you use a web hosting service to store your web files and keep your business site connected, then you have probably stumbled across a few problems here and there (perhaps even often enough to cause you to switch web hosts…maybe more than once). A few common difficulties that seem to be par for the course are introductory offers (that last a short time and then convert to higher prices), unnecessary fees for tools that you’re bound to need, security issues, plans that are challenging to scale or change as your business grows, and of course, reliability. In fact, all of these could be considered to have ethical issues at their root. Overcharging, misrepresenting costs, and providing services that are not as advertised are all bad business practices. But the worst when it comes to web hosting is too much down time. Read more
The Legality of Corporations as People
If you’ve recently watched The Colbert Report, you may be aware that titular pundit Stephen Colbert is currently campaigning for a referendum in his home state of South Carolina that would deny corporations the rights of people. Colbert, it seems, is disgruntled about the fact that corporations enjoy the same legal status as people, which is to say that they have first amendment rights and certain protections under the law. Of course, they also enjoy the rights of a corporation, which people don’t necessarily have. The proposed referendum on the ballot would read as follows: “In order to address the matter of Corporate Personhood, the enfranchised People of the Sovereign State of South Carolina shall decree that 1) Corporations are people, or 2) Only people are people.” When you look at it that way it seems pretty obvious. So how did corporations even gain the legal status of “people” in the first place? Read more
The Power of Ethics in Branding
When it comes to branding your business, you are likely aware of some of the legal concerns that come with the territory, such as the possibility of trademark or copyright infringement, the onus of honesty in advertising, and the responsibility that comes with operating overseas, where laws and restrictions may allow you to get away with things that are not legal in your country of origin, but which you should nonetheless avoid (like child labor, forced labor, pollution, and so on). But when it comes to the topic of ethical considerations in branding, you might be scratching your head. How is it different from the legalities involved? Read more
The Cost of Corporate Entertainment
Pretty much everyone in the corporate world understands that some amount of wining and dining is necessary in order to make a public impact. When products are launched, for example, most companies require some fanfare surrounding the event (not to mention press coverage). Or a company may want to get employees hyped up for a launch by hosting an interoffice party to display the goods and turn the staff into brand ambassadors. And of course, corporations often see the holidays as a good time to show their appreciation by sending out gifts to clients and vendors and throwing a lavish party for their employees. And while there is a very real monetary cost associated with such entertaining, companies may be losing more than they think through these outpourings of cash. Read more
Where do Cars Go When They Die?
There has been a lot of hoopla about the final resting place of electric car engines (or more specifically, their batteries), with many claiming that the impetus behind clean, green automotive propulsion is nothing more than an environmental disaster waiting to happen. In truth, the majority of the engine is recyclable, and there are programs in place to safely dispose of the remainder. But what about petroleum powered engines? And what about the rest of the car? You may be picturing a junkyard full of rusting automobiles, slowly leaking their unused fluids into the soil, but while automotive graveyards are not entirely unheard of, ELVs (end-of-life vehicles), for the most part, do not simply go to a junk heap when they no longer run. In most cases, they are recycled. Read more
Online Surveys: Scam or Legitimate Job?
The internet revolution has brought a lot of good things to modern society. It is now possible to communicate with (and even see) people on the other side of the planet at the click of a button thanks to free services like Skype. And any information you care to seek, from the dates of the Hundred Years War to directions to your local natural history museum to the latest runway fashions from eco-designers like Stella McCartney, can be found via search engine almost instantaneously. Of course, many people are also using the internet to expand their businesses or even find work opportunities in a crippled global economy. But there are just as many con artists looking to scam desperate job seekers as there are legitimate companies out there offering work. And when it comes to online surveys, which pay average Joes for their opinions on consumer products and services, the waters can be a little tricky to navigate. Read more
Farm:Shop Shows The Potential For Urban Growing
The population of the world is on a constant upward tangent, and with living and growing space very far from following pace, we are facing a food shortage in the future. However, the amount of concern in the media about climate change over the past decade or so has gradually begun to sink in to the general population, and the increase in sustainable living has been notable. This has begun to happen right from people adding solar panels and insulating their houses to large industry using computer controlled irrigation and solar energy as well.
Engineering for an Eco-Generation
It may be a brave new world of technological advancement, in which, as Albert Einstein put it, our technology is quickly surpassing our humanity, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t upsides to the leaps and bounds that man has made in the last several decades. For one thing, communication technology has improved to the point that one individual can contact another on the other side of the planet in mere seconds. People that would have been unable to meet even thirty years ago are now hopping on the internet and becoming friends via social networking. Technology has shrunk the world and all the people in it into devices that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home or even stick in your pocket when you’re on the go. Of course, there is a dark side; people have not yet begun to realize just how many entities are tracking their every uninhibited move via social media networks. But that’s another story. Read more
Ethical Recruiting: Should There Be Limits?
With unemployment lines stubbornly refusing to dwindle and the economy showing no signs of recovery, there are plenty of people clamoring for jobs in nearly every industry. And companies seeking qualified workers basically have their pick of the litter. But it’s not always so easy for businesses to connect with and select the individuals that are going to provide the perfect fit. So many still use recruiting techniques to ensure that they nab the best of the best before their competitors have a chance to take truly spectacular employees off the market. This could mean targeting universities, frequenting job fairs, or hiring agencies or even headhunters to seek out applicants. But if recruiters aren’t operating in an ethical manner, the companies that use them may be risking their reputation in the process. Read more