Managing Customer Relationships: Case Studies on Loyalty

Managing Customer Relationships: Case Studies on Loyalty CRM This component will focus on managing customer relationships with the organization in order to enhance customer loyalty. Moreover, it will also discuss on the aspects of the virtual world and the strategy which will be implemented to use YouTube as a vehicle to communicate with the customers. Business Dilemma Yes I believe that the most influential person in cafà © is the customer. Customers can help the Broadway Cafà © by increasing the sales of the cafà © and also they can help in promoting our cafà ©. For instance, if a customer comes to our cafà © and finds the service good and enjoys the food then that particular customer would definitely go and tell his/her friends and families about our cafà © and in this way many more customers will start coming to our cafà ©. In order to attract more customers we need to understand the needs of the customers and we need to find ways in which our cafà © can satisfy their needs. Customers will go away if the cafà © does not meet their expectation since customers nowadays have become more demanding. Moving on, it is very essential to give proper service to customers because customers can also hurt the cafà ©. If proper service is not provided to them then they can easily make a complaint about our cafà © and this can harm our reputation in the market. Sales of any business are based on customers and in order to maintain the customers we need to develop a customer relationship management strategy. We need to find ways in which we can improve our services and attract more customers because customers play an important role in the success of our cafà ©. As seen in I hate Dell.net that customers and employees are allowed to post their complaints on websites so it is very important for every business to serve its customers properly so that they dont post any complaints and hurt the reputation of the business. (SN Web Consulting), (I hate Dell.net). Yes our employees also believe that customers are the most important part of the cafà ©. Employees who work in our cafà © understand that it is very important to provide customers with proper service. Every top management expects their employees to practice a good customer relationship. Employees are employed in any company so that they can work and serve customers and they are judged upon how well they serve their customers. The Broadway cafà © can offer reward programs such as bonus to its employees in order for them to work hard and maintain customer satisfaction.   Therefore, employee that is most helpful to customers can be rewarded. Making Business Decision 1 â€Å"Virtual world can help people meet, collaborate, plan, visualize, train and learn together.† (How virtual world can help real world business, 2010). Second life and virtual world are playing an important role in a success of a business. Many businesses are developing virtual world in order to incorporate it into their business and increase profits. Also now businesses have realized that doing business in virtual world can solve problems which are faced in real world such as, communication, costs and training etc. In real world it is very hard for every employee to interact with other employees and work together but through virtual world it becomes easier to communicate with every employee and work together. (How virtual world can help real world business, 2010) Moving on, Advertising in virtual world can maximize our customers and this will also lead to a reduction in production costs. Many customers nowadays like watching videos on internet and they mostly like those videos that are presented in funny structure and which has all information regarding the product. Hence, with the use of videos we can advertise and in this way it will reach to customers more quickly and it would be far more effective. Also there will be a reduction in travelling costs as people can communicate in virtual world and save time and costs on travelling down to each others office for meetings etc. (Lowe, 2009). In virtual world products are displayed in different forms for different businesses and in some you can test out the product how it looks on you and it allow people to see or use them before you actually purchase the product. Virtual world is a very useful tool for people to be able to meet virtually and also get full information about a particular product. Also it increases brand visibility and facilitates a new customer base. Therefore, it could be said that virtual can really make work easier for business in real world. (Saltzman, 2008). Customer relationship will be different in a virtual world is through that there will be no physical interaction amongst customers and employees. In virtual world customers can express themselves properly for what they want and they can also state their views on which type of product they are looking for. Here customers will get an experience of how things will be at store, the surrounding and the types of products that are sold. Moving on, in virtual world customers will be able to make complaints about the product but they will have to wait on the response from the company regarding their complaint. In order to manage customer relationships in this new virtual environment you need to be prompt while providing feedback to customers. For instance you should try to answer a customers query within 24 hours. Also try to deal with customer complaints in correct manner so that they dont get offended. You need to be polite and attentive with customers either in real world or virtual world customers are one of the major factor in contributing to business world. Furthermore try to follow up with every customers concern. (Baley, 2011). Supporting traditional customers are the customers in real world. Supporting second life customers will be different in a way that in second life it will be more advanced and more expensive to implement. In second life only those users who are fully equipped with the latest computing hardware can have equal access to second life. Also in second life a new customer will need to take some time getting familiarize with the second life world while for traditional customers it is not so complicated. (Chia Yao Lee, 2007). In second life customers can interact with the employees at the same time in its avatar forms but on web site customers are unable to interact they are just able to email each other. If any product is displayed on web site, then a customer can only view the image of the product and price of it and can just place an order while in second life customers get chance to try the product on themselves and if it suits them only then they purchase it. Advertising on web site is much cheaper compared to second life but in this modern world second life is more acceptable as it provides customers with maximum satisfaction in regards to what a customer actually wants and is looking for. The security issue which you might encounter in second life is authentication and identity theft. People ‘interact in virtual world via avatars and new accounts can be opened†. (Beer, 2007)There will be times when there will be multiple avatars and it will be hard to ensure which avatar represents whom and even if that particular avatar represents to actual person then it will be hard to know to whom it is actually associated to. Moving on, confidential and sensitive information shouldnt be discussed in a second life because it is not so secured. For instance, the information exchanged texts and chats may not be private. (Beer, 2007). Also theft of virtual objects example, stealing of avatar clothes, virtual buildings designs etc. There can be unauthorized use of real world brand name and trade mark. Furthermore payment and transaction integrity can be an issue too. As there is a risk for virtual wallets and inventory to get stolen. (Chia Yao Lee, 2007). Some of the ethical issue is â€Å"defamation and disparagement meaning spreading of false rumors and misleading information. There can be disparagement of virtual and real world products† (Chia Yao Lee, 2007) . Moving on, people having fake identity are not an ethical behavior. Also â€Å"vandalism and harassment† (Chia Yao Lee, 2007) is an ethical issue, damaging of virtual objects and virtual locations. (Chia Yao Lee, 2007). Making business decision 2 YouTube would help in communicating with customers about the unusual long waits for frappachunios and cappuccinos through a video. As JetBlues founder apologized to its customers via YouTube for the cancellation of flights, thats how Broadway cafà © can show a video to their customers on the implementation of new espresso machine and how employees are still getting used to it. You can show in the video that customers who are willing to have frappachnios and cappuccinos, they can place their order in advance, so once it gets ready then the employee can contact their customers and then customers can come and have their farppachnios and cappuccinos and enjoy the drink rather then waiting in lines for the order and getting frustrated. Since most of the people go on YouTube so it will be best to upload a video about this problem on YouTube so that majority of the customers will see the video and place their order in advance. Moving on, the four new employees who have been employed recently are having difficulty understanding the new machine, so the old employees are most of the time assisting the new ones. In this way much time is wasted and employees are not able to attain to customers. Therefore, you can also upload a video on YouTube regarding on the usage of the new machine so that new employees can view that video and can learn from there on how to use the new machine rather than always asking the old employees assistance. In this way the problems can be rectified. Some of the Pros of using YouTube as a customer communication vehicle are that many people nowadays watch videos on YouTube and thus, advertising on it will be very beneficial for the cafà ©. You can watch the video for free and also Broadway Cafà © can express its creativity of the cafà © and its variety of products on YouTube easily and in more advanced form. Furthermore, advertising on YouTube will result in reduction in marketing cost and it is very useful and much effective then advertising in real world. (Feldman) Some of the cons of using YouTube as a customer communication vehicle is that, the video uploaded on YouTube can be viewed by everyone. Since it is viewable by everyone so everyone who views it can post comment. Some times some people post bad comments which can harm Broadway cafà ©s image and reputation. (Feldman).â€Å"Try to avoid spam approach otherwise viewers will stop watching any video that has been uploaded by the cafà ©.† (Feldman). Yes there are other technologies which could be used as a customer communication vehicle. Websites such as social networking for instance, MySpace, Facebook. Nowadays people enjoy social networking, so publishing on website such as Facebook will be very beneficial since many people will get to view the Broadway Cafà ©s website and this will attract more customers. We can also use Blogs. It can be used to promote products, therefore, Broadway cafà © can use Blogs to promote their products and increase sales. (SN Web Consulting). Apply Your Knowledge Currently the Broadway cafà ©s quality of data within the system is low. It has become difficult to determine which customers are ordering what type of food or music. Having quality information means, to have accurate and up to date information. As for Broadway cafà © their data is not up to date and accurate. Quality information should be free from duplication error meaning not having two names for a particular product which becomes hard to identify under which product name the product should be charged. There shouldnt be any confusion while obtaining certain information. (What is data quality). It is very important to have high quality information because it will determine the success of the cafà © in future and also enable for the cafà © to have a good reputation in the market. Most of the times customers are dissatisfied with the low quality information presented by businesses therefore, it is extremely important to have high quality information so that customers are satisfied. Proper information makes it easy for customers to place orders and also it becomes easy for employees to understand the order and serve the customer with the correct order. High quality information would lead to better decisions to be made and boost more profitability for the business. It can obtain competitive advantage in the market and also achieve employees and customer satisfaction which would enable cafà © to achieve the organisational goal. Furthermore, low quality information simply means not having accurate and up to date information about a particular product. Low quality information mostly results in lose of customers because of customer dissatisfaction. Customers who places order expects to receive the correct product. Moving on, Cafe is facing difficulties in determining which customer has ordered which product. This is due to, the poor quality of data been entered into the system. Low quality information will result in poor decisions made .Also many customers who will be dissatisfied with the service provided will also stop coming to the cafà © and this will affect the cafà © and its profitability. The way in which the Broadway Cafà © could understand its customers is by knowing how much each customer purchases and who all are the valuable customers. This can be done by taking account of the customer ID and calculating the sales for the particular customer for all the years. In this way we will better understand our customers and find ways to retain them. Moreover, by evaluating the products and stock on hand figure. Broadway Cafà © can focus on marketing of those products more which are selling fast, because this would satisfy the customers needs and also increase sales. There are many data quality issues as noticed in CRM_AYK.xls. The data presented is very confusing. For instance, the product name  ½ cup of coffee for coffee sales, it is stated two times differently. First it is named as  ½ cup of coffee and then named as  ½ Cup of Coffee, so when a customer places order for  ½ cup of coffee the data is entered incorrectly. Therefore, to avoid confusion they should just keep one properly spelt name of  ½ cup of coffee. Also data presented under heading ‘Other it does not state any dollar value so we can not state that what actually the figures under the heading ‘Other depicts and how to take account of the figures. Some of the figures are negative so it is very hard to analyse that what the negative figure means. Maybe they are recording some products under one general heading as ‘Other. To avoid this issue the company can just record the products under its respective headings rather then putting it all under one as ‘Other which is ambiguous. It also shows negative amounts which needs to be clarified as, what it means and how it should be taken into account. The Cafà © needs to keep track of the stock and the system should automatically depict that how much stock is left for instance, if a Music CD is sold then the system should automatically decrease one Music CD from the stock record and also show how many more Music CDs are left. Moving on, when identifying the best selling product it is hard to indicate whether to take into account the highest number of sales of the highest number of product sold or the profitability of the products or whether to just take into account the highest number of product sold. We have assumed and taken into account the customer ID and the total amount of sales for each customer for all the years and have analysed upon the highest number of sales as the best customer. Upon analysing the customers with their highest number of sales amount for all the years we see that customer number 305668 has the highest sales amount of $49647.45 and is regraded as the best customer. In past 5years it could be said that these customers have purchased a lot from Broadway Cafà © which is very good and we need to retain these customers by providing them with better service and meeting their expectations. There are many marketing campaigns which need to be used in order to retain our valuable customers. The cafà © should increase in its customer satisfaction and loyalty and try to understand a customers needs. The cafà © can have a promotional activity such as rewards for best customer of the year and the best customer wins prizes. Moreover, cafà © can offer discounts to valuable customers in order to retain those customers. We have assumed that in order to determine the best selling product and the worst selling product we looked at the total sales figure of the best and worst types of products sold and not the units because it was a little confusing. We havent taken into account any value from column heading other because it is very ambiguous, it does not have dollar value so it is hard to determine whether the amounts are in terms of dollars or units. Also it has negative figures so if it is a sale amount then how can it be in negative and how to take account of it. Therefore, we have not taken any data from column heading other in calculation of all the questions above.

Critical Thinking Process Case Study

Critical Thinking Process Case Study As Buckingham and Adams (2000) state, â€Å"getting a better understanding of their decision making processes has important benefits for nurses†, and for their employers and their patients (p 982). Critical thinking in nursing is related to the traditional nursing model of assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation, a fundamental nursing process (Lee et al, 2006). Because of the universal application of the nursing process, and its efficacy, there is an assumption that â€Å"the process of clinical problem-solving is well understood† (Taylor, 2000 p 842-849). This essay explores the critical thinking process related to one client, and evaluates the quality of that process and its relationship to effective planning and implementation of nursing care. Some theorists link critical thinking in nursing to diagnostic practice, particularly in relation to advanced nursing practice, and cite this as a new phenomenon (Lee et al, 2006). This author however, would argue that this is a part of nursing practice in every case, and that critical thinking and diagnostic processes are very similar, except it has never been called diagnosis in nursing until recently. However, Lee et al (2006) do cite the means by which nursing judgements on which plans of care are based, including systems-processing type judgements and intuitive reasoning. One of the criticisms of nursing decision making, however, and a problem which continues to trouble the profession, is the reduction of this process to little more than intuitive processes rather than rational ones (Buckingham and Adams, 2000). This is partly because â€Å"nurses have struggled continually to articulate the nature of their expertise† Buckingham and Adams, 2000 p 982). But the literature demonstrates that intuitive processes tend to represent subconscious decision making combined with conscious decision making, and this author believes that both are of equal value and importance in coming to decisions and planning nursing actions and ongoing care. Aitken (2003) suggests that clinical decision making starts with the development of a hypothesis, which is then proved or disproved by further gathering of clinical data, objective and subjective, including objective tests and nursing-process related observations and questioning. â€Å"Hypotheses were used to summarize attributes that had already been acquired, describe the possible problem that existed and direct future attribute acquisition.† (Aitken, 2003 p 481). Offredy (1998) in research on nurse practitioners found that hypothesis generation as part of the decision making process occurred even before the client history had been taken, and that this kind of ‘hunch’ was one which they believed to be borne out in later more objective clinical evaluation. This is related to the level of experience of the nurse (Offredy, 1998). Lee et al (2006 p 61)) cite the following variables as affecting critical thinking processes: knowledge; experience; discipline specific training, which provides the diagnostic labels that can be used to ‘classify and explain the data’ involved ; and the task. Aitken (2003) suggests that the strategies which are applied to nursing decision making is not necessarily a conscious plan but could be a process which is more subconscious. This may be related to what Offredy (1998) describes as pattern recognition. In this case, the critical thinking process was based on Jaslyn’s symptoms and presentation in terms of physical and emotional state, which in turn were identified and informed by the nurse’s own knowledge, nursing and symptom related knowledge, and by the nurse’s experience gained from training and previous practice. There were key factors which highlighted Jaslyn’s state of health/illness and also flagged up the warning signs that signified Jaslyn’s immediate needs. These were identified both through objective data and subjective data, which in terms of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, could be seen as safety and security needs, related to the patient’s expressed suicidal thoughts, and physiological needs, related to her physical condition, which, once met, would allow for interventions to support in meeting her self-esteem and other psychological and emotional needs. Prioritisation of safety and physiological needs may be derived from p revious nursing experience, as already suggested, because, as Aitken (2003) suggests, clinical decision making processes can be affected by the decision-making environment, and also by â€Å"the potential consequences of each of the [potential] alternative decisions† (p 477). Thus previous experience of nursing, combined with knowledge from my training, which is also affected by the socialisation process of nursing, and by the shared knowledge of colleagues, placed the greatest emphasis on the prevention of harm occurring, which led to the decision to provide close supervision of the patient to prevent self-harm. Another attribute of this decision making process, one which I had hitherto not recognised, was the use of what Aitken (2003) calls â€Å"a think aloud† method (p 483). This is very much evident in the kind of decision making I engage in, and critical reflection suggests that I have learned this process from colleagues, because the process seems to be a communal one, in which colleagues (including myself) verbalise their judgements on findings and gain confirmation from each other that their findings and actions are correct. This might also be a means of trying to reduce the potential for error which is inherent in the decision making proc ess, and constitutes the risk element of the process (Buckingham and Adams, 2000; Round, 2001). The application of the nursing process has shown me that processes of decision making are based on experience, but that some of this experience is derived from shared knowledge and experience with colleagues. Throughout the decision making process involved in this case, decision making was more collaborative than unilateral, signifying the fact that no clinical decision is made in isolation. The decision making process was borne out in the clinical progression of the case, and reflection demonstrates that decision making is both objective, and informed by intuition, but that what is called intuition is simply the bringing to bear of knowledge developed through experience. References Aitken, L.M. (2003) Critical care nurses’ use of decision-making strategies. Journal of Clinical Nursing 12 476-483. Buckingham, C.d. and Adams, A. (2000) Classifying clinical decision making: a unifying approach. Journal of Advanced Nursing 32 (4) 981-989. Lee, J, Chan, A.C.M. and Phillips, D.R. (2006) Diagnostic practise in nursing: a critical review of the literature. Nursing and Health Sciences 8 57-65. Offredy, M. (1998) The application of decision making concepts by nurse practitioners in general practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing 28 (5) 988-1000. Round, A. (2001) Introduction to clinical reasoning. Journal of Evaluation in clinical practice7 (2) 109-117. Taylor, C. (2000) Clinical problem-solving in nursing: insights from the literature. Journal of Advanced Nursing 31 (4) 842-849.

Moments of Life Essay -- essays research papers

Moments of Life How does it seem to be that a natural man who has devoted his life to philosophy should be cheerful in the face of death? It seems that he is confident of finding the greatest blessing in the next world when his life is finished. Philosophy and religion have many differences pertaining to how you live your life and what happens to your soul when you die. Their ideas are so different, yet so alike. Living a philosophical life is to find the truth, to search for wisdom. The love and pursuit of wisdom is religious in a way. It is essential for the nurturing and growth of the soul as well as for the health and welfare of the state. "The unexamined life is not worth living" (Apology 38a). Socrates would rather die than give up philosophy. Philosophy is the practice for death and dying because it is the performance for separation from the body, in which a philosopher is trying to achieve the whole time, trying to separate your soul from the worldly desires. There is not a point in partaking of these worldly desires because they are never perfect. No matter how beautiful something is, it is never perfect, there is always something that could be changed to make it better. The separation of the body and soul is a philosopher’s wish being granted. The art of practicing philosophy can be devoted into one group: the progression and knowledge of the soul. Socrates was put in Athens in order to push people, to have them challenge their own souls knowledge. Socra...

The Crystal Palace Essay -- essays papers

The Crystal Palace During the 1800’s Great Britain’s empire stretched around the world, and with raw materials easily available to them this way, they inevitably began refining and manufacturing all stages of many new machines and other goods, distributing locally and globally. However, despite being the central ‘workshop of the world,’ Britain was not producing the highest quality of merchandise. When comparing factory-made products made in England to surrounding countries, most notably France, those products could not compare as far as craftsmanship and sometimes, simply innovation. It was suggested by Prince Albert that England host a sort of free-for-all technological exposition to bring in outside crafts into the country and also show their national pride. These planners supported free trade, thinking that if local business was exposed to foreign-made goods, they could incorporate those new ideas into their own goods, increasing their worth. Though originally intending to invite only neighboring countries to this exposition, the plan soon escalated to include the global environment. As organization and sponsorship was planned out, the matter of where to host such a large and ongoing event arose. Ideally, it was to take place in London, to sort of show off the best of the country and impress in-coming visitors. The problem was that London was already built up and filled in, and little open space remained for the needed time period. It was decided soon that a portio...

Women in Shakespeares Writings :: essays research papers fc

Shakespeare wrote many entries based on his feelings at that moment. The basis of many of his female characters was brought about by these certain emotions. The women in Shakespeare's writings emphasize many of the characteristics that reflect his own personality. Shakespeare bases many of his plays and poems on his moods.It is often said when writers write of what emotional state they are in, their words form the essence of their works. Shakespeare's moods, whether dark or romantic, have brought about many excellent plays that still touch the hearts of many to this day. (Kellog 225 -256) An example of his romantic mood is found in his play Romeo & Juliet. The strong love between the two reflected Shakespeare's love for his wife Anne. The bonds of love drive the "two star-crossed lovers" to disobey their families in hopes that their true love will unites the mortal enemies forever. In turn it pushes everyone to the edge. Juliet's father partially disowns her because she refuses to marry the suitor he has chosen for her. In effort to keep her and Romeo's love alive, Juliet takes a drug that makes her seem as though she were dead. (O' Conner 69) In the hour of her "fake" funeral, Romeo's friend Balthasar misinterprets Juliet's death. He flees to Mantua, which is where Romeo is exiled for slaying Tybalt. Romeo, not knowing of Juliet and the priest's actions, believes that story he was told to be true. He then returns to Verona a sad and forlorned man. (o' conner 127) Upon his return, Romeo purchases poison so that he may join his true love at the gates of heaven. He arrives at the church and approaches the supposedly dead Juliet. He allows himself one last hug and kiss before they are to meet again. As Romeo drinks the poison, Juliet awakens to find her love dying before her. When Romeo dies, Juliet feels the only way they can be together is in death. Therefore, Juliet falls on Romeo's sword so they can reunite again. Romeo & Juliet is one of Shakespeare's most famous romantic tragedies. (O' conner 217) Another characteristic that Shakespeare posses and gives to his female characters is religious beliefs. During the Renaissance period, women were very active in religion. They were only allowed to speak their minds in church so that is where they spent most of their time (sachs 17). The belief of the Renaissance time was that men ruled over their wives, as parents did children, as kings did coutries, and as God rules over all.

Cell Phone Addiction Essay

Wireless communication has emerged as one of the fastest diffusing mediums on the planet, fueling an emergent â€Å"mobile youth culture that speaks as much with thumbs as it does with tongues. At one of our focus groups a teen boy gushed, â€Å"I have unlimited texts . . . which is like the greatest invention of mankind. † His enthusiasm was hardly unique. Cell phone use and, in particular, the rise of texting has become a central part of teens’ lives. They are using their phones to stay in touch with friends and parents. They are using them to share stories and photos. They are using them to entertain themselves when they are bored. They are using them to micro-coordinate their schedules and face-to-face gatherings. And some are using their phones to go online to browse, to participate in social networks, and check their emails. This is the sunny side of the story. Teens are also using mobile phones to cheat on tests and to skirt rules at school and with their parents. Some are using their phones to send sexts, others are sleeping with buzzing phones under their pillows, and some are using their phones to place calls and text while driving. While a small number of children get a cell phone in elementary school, the real tipping point for ownership is in middle school. About six in ten (66%) of all children in our sample had a cell phone before they turned 14. Slightly less than 75% of all high school students had a cell phone. This report particularly highlights the rapid rise of text messaging in recent months. Some 72% of all US teens are now text message users, up from 51% in 2006. Among them, the typical texter sends and receives 50 texts a day, or 1500 per month. By way of comparison a Korean, Danish or a Norwegian teen might send 15 – 20 a day and receives as many. Changes in subscription packages have encouraged widespread texting among US teens and has made them into world class texters. As a result, teens in America have integrated texting into their everyday routines. It is a way to keep in touch with peers even while they are engaged in other social activities. Often this is done discreetly and with little fuss. In other cases, it interrupts in-person encounters or can cause dangerous situations. To understand the role that cell phones play in teens’ lives, the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and Michigan’s Department of Communication Studies conducted a survey and focus groups in the latter part of 2009. The phone survey was conducted on landline and cell phones and included 800 youth ages 12-17 and one of their parents. It was administered from June 26-September 24, 2009. The overall survey has a margin of error of 4 percentage points; the portion dealing with teen cell owners involved 625 teens in the sample and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points; the portion dealing with teen texters involved 552 teens in the sample and has a margin of error of 5 percentage points. The idea for cellular telephony originated in the US. The first cellular call and the first call from a hand held cellular device also were placed in the US. The cell phone merges the landline telephony system with wireless communication. The landline telephone was first patented in 1876. Mobile radio systems have been used since the early 1900’s in the form of ship to shore radio, and were installed in some police cars in Detroit starting in 1921. The blending of landline telephone and radio communication came after the Second World War. The first commercially available â€Å"mobile radiophone service† that allowed calls from fixed to mobile telephones was offered in St. Louis in 1946. By 1964 there were 1. 5 million mobile phone users in the US. This was a non-cellular system that made relatively inefficient use of the radio bandwidth. In addition, the telephones were large, energy intensive car-mounted devices. According to communications scholar Thomas Farley, the headlights of a car would noticeably dim when the user was transmitting a call. In the drive to produce a more efficient mobile telephone system, researchers W.  Rae Young and Douglas Ring of Bell Labs developed the idea of cellular telephony, in which geographical areas are divided into a mesh of cells, each with its own cell tower. This allowed a far more efficient use of the radio spectrum and the â€Å"cell† phones needed less power to send and receive a signal. The first installation was in 1969 on the Amtrak Metroliner that traveled between New York City and Washington. Four years later Martin Cooper of Motorola made the first cellular call from a prototype handheld cell phone. After the inauguration of mobile phone service in the US, a regulatory environment that allowed multiple mobile-calling standards stifled mobile communication development and expansion in the US for several years. Indeed, the growth of the GSM standard in Europe and the rise of DoCoMo in Japan meant that the dramatic developments in the cell phone industry were taking place abroad. In the US, small license areas for mobile phone companies meant that users were constantly roaming outside their core area. A user in Denver would have to pay roaming charges if he or she made or received a call in Ft.  Collins, Colorado Springs or Vail. To the degree that texting was available, users could only text to users in their home network. In the late 1980’s industry consolidation eliminated the small local areas and by the turn of the millennium, interoperability between operators became standard, and the cost of calling plans and the price of handsets fell. Rather than being a yuppie accessory, the cell phone became widely-used by everyone from the captains of industry and finance to the people who shined their shoes and walked their dogs. As cell phones have become more available, they are increasingly owned and used by children and teens. Further, as handsets become more loaded with capabilities ranging from video recording and sharing, to music playing and internet access, teens and young adults have an ever-increasing repertoire of use. Indeed, we are moving into an era when mobile devices are not just for talking and texting, but can also access the internet and all it has to offer. This connectivity with others and with content has directed the regulator’s lens onto mobile safety practices. It has also prompted the beginning of a cultural conversation about how to ensure that parents have the tools to regulate their child’s mobile use, should they choose to. Understanding how youth use mobile phones is vital to creating effective policy based on the reality of how the technology is used. It is also important to understand how telecommunications company policies and pricing affect how teens and parents use their phones. This report tries to expand a tradition of cell phone research that extends into the early 1990s, and work on landline telephony as far back as the 1970s. The first studies to examine the social consequences of the mobile phone came in the early 1990s when researchers examined its impact on residential markets. One of the earliest papers on cell phones examined it through the lens of gender; in 1993, Lana Rakow and Vija Navarro wrote about the cell phone and what they called â€Å"remote mothering. † Starting in the mid 1990s in Europe there was the beginning of more extended scholarship on cellular communication, and by 2000 work was being done in the US that evolved from a small number of articles to edited books and eventually to both popular and more scholarly books on mobile communication. Several themes have been central in these analyses. One is the use of cell phones in the â€Å"micro-coordination† of daily interaction. As the name implies, this line of research examines how the cell phone allows for a more nuanced form of coordination. Instead of having to agree on a time and place beforehand, individuals can negotiate the location and the timing of meetings as a situation clarifies itself. Micro-coordination can be used to organize get-togethers and it can be used to sort out the logistics of daily life (e. . sending reminders to one another or exchanging information on the fly). Extending this concept further, the cell phone can be used to coordinate so called â€Å"flash mobs† as well as different kinds of protests. While micro-coordination describes an instrumental type of interaction, another line of research has examined how the cell phone can be used for expressive interaction. Since the device provides us direct access to one another, it allo ws us to maintain ongoing interaction with family and friends. This, in turn provides the basis for the enhancement of social cohesion. In this vein, some researchers have examined how the cell phone affects our sense of safety and security. The cell phone can be used to summon help when accidents have happened and they can be seen as a type of insurance in case something bad occurs. Others have examined how teens, as well as others, see the mobile phone as a form of self-expression. Having a cell phone is a status symbol and having a particularly sought after model can enhance our standing among peers. Finally, focusing directly on teens, there has been considerable research on the role of the cell phone as part of the emancipation process. Up to this point, however, there has been little quantitative analysis of teens in the US on this topic. Indeed this is one of the main questions considered in this report. Before the cell phone, there were often discussions in the home as to whether a teen could have a landline extension in her room. Teens’ push to have their own landline phone underscored their drive to control contact with their peers. The rise of the cell phone has changed the dimensions of this discussion. The cell phone has provided teens with their own communication channel. This access can be used to plan and to organize daily life and it can be used to exchange jokes and endearments. It can also be used to plan mischief of varying caliber, and it can be used to exchange photos that are – literally – the picture of innocence or of depravity.

Public administration Essay

‘Ethics’ is a difficult term to define. The meaning, nature and scope of ethics have expanded in the course of time. ‘Ethics’ is integral to public administration. In public administration, ethics focuses on how the public administrator should question and reflect in order to be able to act responsibly. We cannot simply bifurcate the two by saying that ethics deals with morals and values, while public administration is about actions and decisions. Administering accountability and ethics is a difficult task. The 1 levels of ethics in governance are dependent on the social, economic, political, cultural, legal-judicial and historical contexts of the country. These specific factors influence ethics in public administrative systems. This Unit will discuss the meaning, evolution, foci and concerns of ethics. It will bring out the different dimensions of ethics and their relevance for public administration. The significance of an ethical code for administrators will be analysed and the nature of work ethics will be discussed. This Unit will also examine the obstacles to ethical accountability. 21. 2 ETHICS: MEANING AND RELEVANCE ‘Ethics’ is a system of accepted beliefs, mores and values, which influence human behaviour. More specifically, it is a system based on morals. Thus, ethics is the study of what is morally right, and what is not. The Latin origin of the word ‘ethics’ is ethicus that means character. Since the early 17th century, ‘ethics’ has been accepted as the â€Å"Science of morals; the rules of conduct, the science of human duty. † Hence, in common parlance, ethics is treated as moral principles that govern a person’s or a group’s behaviour. It includes both the science of the good and the nature of the right. The ethical concerns of governance have been underscored widely in Indian scriptures and other treatises such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagvad Gita, Buddha Charita, Arthashastra, Panchatantra, Manusmriti, Kural, Shukra Niti, Kadambari, Raja Tarangani, and Hitopadesh. At the same time, one cannot ignore the maxims on ethical governance provided by the Chinese philosophers such as Lao Tse, Confucius and Mencius. In the Western philosophy, there are three eminent schools of ethics. The first, inspired by Aristotle, holds that virtues (such as justice, charity and generosity) are dispositions to act in ways that benefit the possessor of these virtues and the society of which he is a part. The second, subscribed to mainly by Immanual Kant, makes the concept of duty central to morality: human beings are bound, from a knowledge of their duty as rational beings, to obey the categorical imperative to respect other rational beings with whom they interact. The third is the Utilitarian viewpoint that asserts that the guiding principle of conduct should be the greatest happiness (or benefit) of the greatest number (Hobson, 2002). The Western thought is full of ethical guidelines to rulers, whether in a monarchy or a democracy. These concerns are found in the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Penn, John Stuart Mill, Edmund Burke, and others. Rawl’s theory of justice revolves around the adaptation of two fundamental principles of justice, which would, in turn, guarantee a just and morally acceptable society. The first principle guarantees the right of each person to have the most extensive basic liberty compatible with liberty of others. The second principle states that social and economic positions are to be: (a) To everyone’s advantage, and (b) Open to all. A key issue for Rawls is to show how such principles would be universally adopted, and over here his work borders on general ethical issues. He introduces a theoretical ‘veil of ignorance’ in which all ‘players’ in the social game would be placed in a situation, which is called the ‘original position’. Having only a general knowledge about the facts of ‘life and society’ each player is to make a ‘rationally’ prudential choice concerning the kind of social institution they would enter into contract with. By denying the players any specific information about themselves it forces them to adopt a generalised point of view that bears a strong resemblance to the moral point of view. This view point revolves around moral conclusions can be reached without abandoning the prudential standpoint and posting a moral outlook merely by pursuing one’s own prudential reasoning under certain procedural bargaining. 2 The gist of wisdom on administrative ethics is that the public administrators are the â€Å"guardians† of the Administrative State. Hence, they are expected to honour public trust and not violate it. Two crucial questions raised in this context are â€Å"why should guardians be guarded? And â€Å"Who guards the guardian? † (Rosenbloom and Kravchuk, 2005). The administrators need to be guarded against their tendency to misconceive public interest, promote self-interest, indulge in corruption and cause subversion of national interest. And they need to be guarded by the external institutions such as the judiciary, legislature, political executive, media and civil society organisations. These various modes of control become instruments of accountability. 21. 3 EVOLUTION OF ETHICAL CONCERNS IN ADMINISTRATION It is essential to recognise that the discipline of Public Administration has been broadly influenced in the initial stages of its growth, by Political Science and the science of Management. While the philosophical premises of Public Administration were influenced primarily by Political Science, its technological facet was designed by Management Sciences. The early Political Science was taught as Moral Philosophy and Political Economy, while its current curriculum is the product of secular, practical, empirical and scientific tendencies of the past century. The American students of Political Science, in the early years of the last century, were dismayed at the inadequacies of the ethical approach in the Gilded Age. As a result of their interaction with the German universities and the influence on their thinking by scholars such as J. N Burgess, E. J. James, A. B Hart, A. L Lovell, and F. J Goodnow, they sought to recreate Political Science as a true science. They became increasingly interested in observing and analysing ‘actual governments’. Natural and Social Sciences substantially influenced their ideas and approaches. Later, Logical Positivism of the Austrian School influenced scholars such as Herbert Simon and thus there emerged a booming faith in developing a Science of Politics and a Science of Administration that would be able to `predict and control’ political and administrative life. As Dwight Waldo comments, the old belief that good government was the government of moral men was thus replaced by a morality that was irrelevant and that proper institutions and expert personnel were the determining factors in shaping good government. `The new amorality became almost a request for professional respect’. The eminence of Behaviouralism until the mid-1960s further marginalised the ethical issues in the study of Political Science and Public Administration. It was only after the advent of Post-behaviouralism in Political Science and of the accent on New Public Administration in Public Administration that the scientific methods of Behaviouralim and humanistic (read `ethical’) values struck a homogenous chord with administration and the dispute between facts and values was resolved substantially. The current discipline of public administration accords primacy to the `values’ of equity, justice, humanism, human rights, gender equality and compassion. The movement of Good Governance, initiated by the World Bank in 1992, lays stress, inter alia, on the ethical and moral conduct of administrators. While the New Public Management movement is more concerned with administrative effectiveness, the New Public Administration focuses on administrative ethics in its broader manifestation. Both the movements are complementary to each other. This complementarity of foci 3 is as truer today as it was a hundred years ago when the industrial world was experiencing the rise of Scientific Management amidst a strong acceptance of the notion of administrative responsibility. John Kennedy, during his Presidency (19611963) had averred: â€Å"No responsibility of government is more fundamental than the responsibility of maintaining the higher standards of ethical behaviour. The ideal-type construction of bureaucracy, propounded by Max Weber also highlighted an ethical imperative of bureaucratic behaviour. Weber (1947) observed: In the rational type, it is a matter of principle that the members of the administrative staff should be completely separated from ownership of the means of production and administration. Officials, employees and workers attached to the administrative staff do not themselves own the non-human means of production and administration†¦. These exists, furthermore, in principle complete separation of property belonging to the organisation, which is controlled within the sphere of office, and the personal property of the official, which is available for his own private uses†. Weber’s analysis underscores the need to prevent the misuse of an official position for personal gains. Although his ideal-type construct on bureaucracy is not empirical, yet it has an empirical flavour, for it appears to have taken into account the existential reality of bureaucratic behaviour. From a normative angle – knowing that Weber was not normative in his ideal type constructs – also, the message is clear: Don’t misuse official property for personal benefit. Most critics of real-world bureaucracies, including Harold Laski, Carl Friedrich, Victor Thompson and Warren Bennis, have criticised bureaucrats for violating the prescribed norms of moral conduct. Even Fred Riggs, while discussing the traits of a prismatic society like `formalism’ and ‘nepotism’ points out the yawning gap between the `ideal’ and the `real’ in administrative behaviour. The deviations from the norms and mores have been too glaring to be ignored. Immoral behaviour thus has become an integral component of `bureaupathology’ 21. 4 CONTEXT OF ETHICS AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Ethics, whether in an entire society, or in a social sub-system, evolves over a long period of time and is influenced, during its nurturance and growth, by a variety of environmental factors. Administrative ethics is no different. It is the product of several contextual structures and it never ceases to grow and change. Let us now look at some of these contextual factors that influence ethics in the public administrative systems: The Historical Context The history of a country marks a great influence on the ethical character of the governance system. The Spoils System in the USA during the initial phase of the American nation vitiated the ethical milieu of the American Public Administration. â€Å"To victor belong the spoils† asserted American President Jackson. Things would have continued the same way had not a disgruntled job seeker assassinated President Garfield in 1881. Garfield’s assassination spurred the process of civil service reforms in the USA, and the setting up of the US. Civil Service Commission in 1883 was the first major step in this direction. India has witnessed a long history of unethical practices in the governance system. Kautilya’s Arthashastra mentions a variety of corrupt practices in which the administrators of those times indulged themselves. The Mughal Empire and the Indian princely rule were also afflicted with the corrupt practices of the courtiers and 4 administrative functionaries, with ‘bakashish’ being one of the accepted means of selling and buying favours. The East India Company too had its share of employees who were criticised even by the British parliamentarians for being corrupt. The forces of probity and immorality co-exist in all phases of human history. Which forces are stronger depends upon the support these get from the prime actors of politico-administrative system. What is disturbing is that a long legacy of unethical practices in governance is likely to enhance the tolerance level for administrative immorality. In most developing nations having a colonial history, the chasm between the people and the government continues to be wide. In the colonial era, the legitimacy of the governance was not accepted willingly by a majority of population and therefore, true loyalty to the rulers was a rare phenomenon. Although the distance between the governing elite and the citizens has been reduced substantially in the transformed democratic regimes, yet the affinity and trust between the two has not been total even in the new dispensation. Unfortunately, even the ruling elite does not seem to have imbibed the spirit of emotional unity with the citizens. The legacy of competitive collaboration between the people and the administrators continues to exist. The nature of this relationship has an adverse impact on ‘administrative ethics’. The Socio-cultural Context Values that permeate the social order in a society determine the nature of governance system. The Indian society today seems to prefer wealth to any other value. And in the process of generating wealth, the means-ends debate has been sidelined. Unfortunately, ends have gained supremacy and the means do not command an equal respect. A quest for wealth in itself is not bad. In fact, it is a mark of civilisational progress. What is important is the means employed while being engaged in this quest. We seem to be living in an economic or commercial society, where uni-dimensional growth of individuals seem to be accepted and even valued, where ends have been subdued by means, and ideals have been submerged under the weight of more practical concerns of economic progress. Can we change this social order? Mahatma Gandhi very much wanted to transform the priority-order of the Indian society, but there were hardly any takers or backers of his radical thinking that was steeped in a strong moral order. To put it bluntly, ever since Gandhi passed away, there has been not a single strong voice in independent India challenging the supremacy of ‘teleology and unidimensionalism’. Neither have our family values questioned this unilinear growth of society nor has our educational system made serious efforts to inject morality into the impressionable minds of our youth. We have starkly failed on these fronts. The need is to evolve fresh perspectives on what kind of the Indians we wish to evolve and how? Till then, efforts will have to be focused on the non-social fronts. The issues of morality may or may not be rooted in the religious ethos of a society. Indian religious scriptures do not favour pursuit of wealth through foul means. Interestingly, Thiru Valluvar’s Kural, written two thousand years ago in Tamil Nadu, emphasises that earning wealth brings fame, respect and an opportunity to help and serve others, but it should be earned through right means only. Can this dictum form the basis of our socio-moral orientation? The level of integrity among Protestants and Parsees is believed by some to be relatively higher when compared to other religions and one can find the roots of such integrity in the well-ingrained mores of these religions. Nevertheless, it is only one point of view, as there are several other religious and secular groups, which are known for their high moral conduct. The cultural system of a country, including its religious orientation, appears to have played a significant role in influencing the work ethics of its people. For instance, the stress on hard work, so characteristic of the Protestant ethics, has helped several Christian societies to enhance their per capita 5 productivity. While Judaism has valued performance of physical labour by its followers, the Hindu and Islamic societies, on the other hand, have generally considered physical labour to be of lower rank than the mental work. Work ethics may or may not be linked with religious moorings. These are subjective issues but make for an interesting study. The family system and the educational system are influential instruments of socialisation and training of the mind in its impressionable years. If the values inculcated through the family and the school have underscored honesty and ethics, the impact on the mind-set of citizens is likely to be highly positive and powerful. Legal-judicial Context The legal system of a country determines considerably the efficacy of the ethical concerns in governance system. A neatly formulated law, with a clear stress on the norms of fair conduct and honesty, is likely to distinguish chaff from grain in the ethical universe. Conversely, nebulous laws, with confusing definition of corruption and its explanations, will only promote corruption for it would not be able to instill the fear of God or fear of law among those violating the laws of the land and mores of the society. Besides, an efficient and effective judiciary with fast-track justice system will prove a roadblock to immorality in public affairs. Conversely, a slow-moving judiciary, with a concern for letter rather than the spirit of the law, will dither and delay and even help the perpetrators of crimes by giving them leeway through prolonged trials and benefits of doubt. Likewise, the anti-corruption machinery of the government, with its tangled web of complex procedures, unintendedly grants relief to the accused who are indirectly assisted by dilatory and knotty procedures. In India, there is hardly any effective anticorruption institution. As we have read in Unit 7 earlier on in this Course, the Lok Pal is yet to be established, Lok Ayuktas are feeble and toothless agencies, while the state vigilance bodies are low-key actors. The consequences are too obvious to warrant any explanation. The Political Context The political leadership, whether in power or outside the power-domain, is perhaps the single most potent influence on the mores and values of citizens. The rulers do rule the minds, but in a democracy particularly, all political parties, pressure groups and the media also influence the orientation and attitudes on moral questions. If politicians act as authentic examples of integrity, as happens in the Scandinavian countries, or as examples of gross self-interest, as found in most South Asian countries, the administrative system cannot remain immune to the levels of political morality. The election system in India is considered to be the biggest propeller to political corruption. Spending millions on the elections `compels’ a candidate to reimburse his expenses through fair or foul means – more foul than fair. While fair has limits, foul has none. It is generally argued that the administrative class – comprising civil servants at higher, middle as well as lower levels – emerges from the society itself. Naturally, therefore, the mores, values and behavioural patterns prevalent in the society are likely to be reflected in the conduct of administrators. To expect that the administrators will be insulated from the orientations and norms evidenced the in society would be grossly unrealistic. The argument, propounded here, has a convincing logic, yet there can be a counterpoint that the rulers are expected to possess stronger moral fibre than the subjects. Since there are hardly any instrumentalities to protect and nurture administrative 6 morality vis-a-vis the general social morality, such an expectation remains at the most an elusive ideal. Hence, there is an obvious need to go deeper into the problem. The behaviour of politicians has a demonstration effect on civil servants. Besides, the capacity of the less honest political masters to control civil servants is immense. It is ironical that the moral environment in a country like India is designed more by its politicians than by any other social group. The primacy of the political over the rest of systems is too obvious to be ignored. If the media is objective and fearless, its role in preventing corruption can be effective. It can even act as a catalyst to the promotion of ethical behaviour among administrators. Hence, those who own and manage the media should understand their wider social and moral responsibilities. The trend in this direction is visible now with many television channels regularly airing their ‘expose’ on malpractices in the system. This role of the media is important if performed with intent of social responsibility rather than sensationalism. The Economic Context The level of economic development of a country is likely to have a positive correlation with the level of ethics in the governance system. Even when a causal relation between the two is not envisaged, a correlation cannot be ruled out. A lower level of economic development, when accompanied with inequalities in the economic order, is likely to create a chasm among social classes and groups. The less privileged or more deprived sections of society may get tempted to forsake principles of honest conduct while fulfilling their basic needs of existence and security. Not that the rich will necessarily be more honest (though they can afford to be so), yet what is apprehended is that the poor, while making a living, may find it a compelling necessity to compromise with the principles of integrity. It is interesting to note that with the advent of liberalising economic regime in developing nations, there is a growing concern about following the norms of integrity in industry, trade, management and the governance system on account of the international pressures for higher level of integrity in the WTO regime. This is what Fred Riggs would call `exogenous’ inducements to administrative change. 21. 5 ISSUE OF ETHICS: FOCI AND CONCERNS An important question arises in connection with the moral obligation of an administrative system. Is the administrative system confined to acting morally in its conduct or does it also share the responsibility of protecting and promoting an ethical order in the larger society? While most of the focus on administrative morality is on the aspect of probity within the administrative system, there is a need to consider the issue of the responsibility of the governance system (of which the administrative system is an integral part) to create and sustain an ethical ambience in the socioeconomic system that would nurture and protect the basic moral values. Moral political philosophy assumes that the rulers will not only be moral themselves, but would also be the guardians of morality in a society. Truly, being moral is a prerequisite to being a guardian of wider morality. Both the obligations are intertwined. It is a truism that the crux of administrative morality is ethical decision-making. The questions of facts and values cannot be separated from ethical decision-making. Thus, the science of administration gets integrated with the ethics of administration. And in this integrated regime, only that empirical concern is valued, which respects the normative concerns in the delivery of administrative services. 7 Which are the essential concerns in regard to administrative ethics? There can be a long list of values that are considered desirable in an administrative action. However, in being selective, one has to focus on the most crucial values. Let us now concentrate on the values of justice, fairness and objectivity. Woodrow Wilson, â€Å"The Study of Administration† (1887), in his inaugural address averred that justice was more important than sympathy. Thus, he placed justice at the top of value-hierarchy in a governance system. Paradoxically, there has been a lot of discussion on the formallegal aspects of administrative law since then, but very little analysis has been made of the philosophical dimension of administrative justice. The other two issues of ethical decision-making, viz. fairness and objectivity are, in fact, integral components of administrative justice. When administrators are true to their profession, they are expected to be impartial and fair and not get influenced by nepotism, favoritism and greed while making decisions of governance. Objectivity should not be misconstrued as a mechanical and rigid adherence to laws and rules. From the decision-making angle, it has undoubtedly wider ramifications encompassing a set of positive orientations. Currently, the notion of ethics has expanded itself to involve all major realms of human existence. Let us attempt to outline certain salient aspects of ethics in public administration. Broadly, they could be summarised as following maxims: †¢ Maxim of Legality and Rationality: An administrator will follow the law and rules that are framed to govern and guide various categories of policies and decisions. Maxim of Responsibility and Accountability: An administrator would not hesitate to accept responsibility for his decision and actions. He would hold himself morally responsible for his actions and for the use of his discretion while making decisions. Moreover, he would be willing to be held accountable to higher authorities of governance and even to the people who are the ultimate beneficiaries of his decisions and actions. Maxim of Work Commitment: An administrator would be committed to his duties and perform his work with involvement, intelligence and dexterity. As Swami Vivekananda observed: â€Å"Every duty is holy and devotion to duty is the highest form of worship. † This would also entail a respect for time, punctuality and fulfillment of promises made. Work is considered not as a burden but as an opportunity to serve and constructively contribute to society. Maxim of Excellence: An administrator would ensure the highest standards of quality in administrative decisions and action and would not compromise with standards because of convenience or complacency. In a competitive international environment, an administrative system should faithfully adhere to the requisites of Total Quality Management. Maxim of Fusion: An administrator would rationally bring about a fusion of individual, organisational and social goals to help evolve unison of ideals and imbibe in his behaviour a commitment to such a fusion. In situation of conflicting goals, a concern for ethics should govern the choices made. Maxim of Responsiveness and Resilience: An administrator would respond effectively to the demands and challenges from the external as well as internal environment. He would adapt to environmental transformation and yet sustain the ethical norms of conduct. In situations of deviation from the prescribed ethical norms, the administrative system would show resilience and bounce back into the accepted ethical mould at the earliest opportunity. 8 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Maxim of Utilitarianism: While making and implementing policies and decisions, an administrator will ensure that these lead to the greatest good (happiness, benefits) of the greatest number. Maxim of Compassion: An administrator, without violating the prescribed laws and rules, would demonstrate compassion for the poor, the disabled and the weak while using his discretion in making decisions. At least, he would not grant any benefits to the stronger section of society only because they are strong and would not deny the due consideration to the weak, despite their weakness. Maxim of National Interest: Though universalistic in orientation and liberal in outlook, a civil servant, while performing his duties, would keep in view the impact of his action on his nation’s strength and prestige. The Japanese, the Koreans, the Germans and the Chinese citizens (including civil servants), while performing their official roles, have at the back of their mind a concern and respect for their nation. This automatically raises the level of service rendered and the products delivered. Maxim of Justice: Those responsible for formulation and execution of policies and decisions of governance would ensure that respect is shown to the principles of equality, equity, fairness, impartiality and objectivity and no special favours are doled out on the criteria of status, position, power, gender, class, caste or wealth. Maxim of Transparency: An administrator will make decisions and implement them in a transparent manner so that those affected by the decisions and those who wish to evaluate their rationale, will be able to understand the reasons behind such decisions and the sources of information on which these decisions were made. Maxim of Integrity: An administrator would undertake an administrative action on the basis of honesty and not use his power, position and discretion to serve his personal interest and the illegitimate interests of other individuals or groups. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ There could be many more tenets added to the above catalogue of maxims of morality in administration. However, the overall objective is to ensure ‘Good Governance’ with a prime concern for ethical principles, practices, orientations and behaviour. There are no dogmas involved in defining administrative ethics. The chief concern while doing so is the positive consequence of administrative action and not just ostensibly rational modes of administrative processes. In the following Section, a few of the salient concerns and foci of ethics are being dealt with briefly. 21. 6 PERTINENCE OF CODE OF ADMINISTRATIVE ETHICS. The concept of ethics has been a latecomer in the realm of public administration. For too long, doing one’s duty well was considered to be an equivalent of bureaucratic ethics. Interestingly, in the United States, the original city managers’ and federal code of ethics placed notable stress on efficiency as ethical concept. In the early 20th century, the perspective began to change. In 1924, the International City/Country Management Association adopted the public sector’s first code of ethics that reflected anti-corruption and anti-politics facets of the municipal reforms movement. 9. In 1958, the US Congress imposed a code of ethics on the Federal Government and in 1978, founded the Office of Government Ethics as an upshot of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. In 1992, the Office of Government Ethics released the Federal Government’s first comprehensive set of standards of ethical conduct, comprising standards pertaining to gifts, conflicts of financial interest, impartiality, misuse of office, seeking outside employment, and outside activities. Almost all the American states have also promulgated their respective codes of ethics, though compared to the federal initiative, they are less comprehensive. Today, codes of ethics, ethics boards, and ethics training have been accepted as integral aspects of public administration in the U. S. Moreover, ethics education has also permeated the discipline of public administration. The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Public Administration has made ethics education a required component of a Public Administration Programme for its accreditation and has prescribed that all introductory text-books in public administration should include a discussion on ethics (Browman, Berman and West, 2001). Eminent professional associations of public administration also offer training programmes on ethical conduct for public managers. In India, there are a few training programmes on administrative ethics offered by the Indian Institute of Public Administration and other institutions for civil servants, but there is hardly any similar initiative taken up in the realm of education in Public Administration. The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) had adopted in 1984 a Code of Ethics for its members (comprising intellectuals as well as practicing administrators). It was revised in 1994. Certain salient points of the ASPA’s Code of Ethics are as follows: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Exercise of discretionary authority to promote public interest Recognition and support to the public’s right to know the public business Exercise of compassion, benevolence, fairness and optimism Prevention of all forms of mismanagement of public funds by establishing and maintaining strong fiscal and management controls, by supporting audits and investigative activities Protection of Constitutional principles of equality, fairness, representativeness, responsiveness and due process in protecting citizens’ rights Maintenance of truthfulness and honesty and not to compromise them for advancement, honour, or personal gain Guarding zealously against conflict of interest or its appearance: e. g. nepotism, improper ou.