Big Corporations, Big Lawsuits Essay Example for Free

Big Corporations, Big Lawsuits Essay Introduction The lawsuit over the defective design of Firestone tires put on Ford Explorers was perhaps the most publicised event when a company was sued for defective produce. This defect also resulted in a large number of accidents causing over 200 deaths and 700 injuries in the US alone, in addition to accidents in Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, the Arab Gulf Coast, and East Asia. The massive tire recall by Ford and Firestone on August 9, 2000, sent ripples through the American public and added fuel to the legal fire, causing both manufacturers and the public to rethink many issues. Summary of the Lawsuit On August 9, 2000, â€Å"Ford Motor Company and Bridgestone/Firestone jointly announced a recall in the United States of approximately 6.5 million ATX, ATXII and Wilderness AT tires made in Decatur, Illinois because of tread separation problems† (Eto, 2006). This recall came after the increased incidence of driver deaths in accidents in which Ford Exlorers rolled over triggered widespread public concern. At the time, the company was already faced with multimillion lawsuits. For instance, the lawyers for Edelio and Norma Herrera who died in May 2000 overturning in their Ford Explorer on the way from Disneyland demanded $1 billion from Firestone (BBC). The lawsuits filed, for instance, by the law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann Bernstein, LLP, were based on the claim that Firestone and Ford were guilty because it had failed to address the concerns in the testing process. Thus, on June 15, 1989, the auto maker’s engineers prepared a report to the company management in which they â€Å"recommended eight design changes to address the rollover problem and improve the safety of the Explorer† (Lieff Cabraser Heimann Bernstein, LLP, 2006). However, the management refused to make the major improvements recommended by engineers, willing to complete the design by the previously announced deadline. Impact on the Corporate World The lawsuit triggered a nation-wide discussion about the liability of auto manufacturers, business ethics, the need to produce quality products, and the regulation of the industry. The fact that Ford’s management had accelerated production at the expense of safety concerns only to face billions of dollars in lawsuits and a major blow to their reputation later on was a lesson to many managers. The way Firestone and Ford were heaping blame on each other was also an important lesson of how companies should not handle a scandal. To demonstrate commitment to improvement, Ford, for instance, â€Å"ended its relationship with the tyre-maker† (BBC, 2001). The scandal affected one of the largest US auto manufacturers, causing the resignation of its Chief Executive Officers, Jacques Nasser. Impact on Regulations The lawsuits have also alerted the American public and regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that new, tougher laws on safety standards have to be adopted. In 2000, US Congress adopted new legislature that aimed to raise safety standards. However, it was clear that such laws should have been adopted long ago when the danger of rollover crashes in SUVs became apparent. The law required tire makers to submit to the regulators far more information about their produce than before. Impact on the Companies The lawsuits that have been partially successful and partially settled out of court cost both companies, especially Firestone a lot. Thus, the tyre manufacturer found itself spending over â€Å"$1.6 billion in 2001 due to the recall and litigation costs† (Online Lawyer Source, 2004). The company spent $149 million to settle 30 class-action suits all over the US. In 2001, Ford warned its shareholders that â€Å"it could face up to $10bn in lawsuits arising from the Ford Explorer deaths† (BBC, 2001). The result was disastrous publicity for both companies. Firestone in particular took a long time to recover. As of 2004, it was spending several times more on recovering publicity than in the year before (Online Lawyer Source, 2004). Conclusion Thus, the scandal resulted in massive financial losses for the two companies involved and blows to their corporate images. It also made the public pay closer attention to manufacturers’ ethical decision-making. On the government level, safety standards had been strengthened resulting in increased requirements for manufacturers. References Eto, G.C. (2006). Firestone Tire Recall. Retrieved April, 1, 2006, from http://www.garyeto.com/firestone-tire-recall.shtml BBC. (2001, June 17). Firestone faces $1bn lawsuit. Retrieved April, 1, 2006, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1393055.stm Lieff Cabraser Heimann Bernstein, LLP. (2006). Ford Explorer Rollover Danger 2006 Update. Retrieved April, 1, 2006, from http://www.vehicle-injuries.com/ford-explorer-lawsuits.htm Online Lawyer Source. (2004). Firestone Recall Information. Retrieved April, 1, 2006, from http://www.onlinelawyersource.com/firestone/information.html

Goethe & Vonnegut :: essays research papers

Powerful Emotion (3)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anyone who reads The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe instantly feels the emotional intensity portrayed by Werther, the protagonist. His speculations about life are indeed unique, especially in modern times when life often goes by quickly without notice. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why his immense emotion strikes a chord with readers as coming from someone crazy or dangerous. Werther’s mental state seems incredibly alive at some times while seemingly lifeless at others. This lifeless state of mind is similar to another sorrowful character in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five. In his story of Billy Pilgrim, a similar wonder engulfs the reader, causing us to question the cause of both his mindset and of our own. These books bring a couple of interesting questions to mind†¦ How much emotion is too much? How little is too little? These characters struggle with powerful emotion in many ways, and are therefore judged as mad. The two protagonists engage in totally different journeys, but each of them leads the reader to discover the limits of human emotion. These limits are reached by Werther and Billy, therefore leading to both characters’ demise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In simple terms, I think that Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse Five demonstrates the extremity of too little emotion, in contrast with Werther in The Sorrows of Young Werther demonstrating the extremity of too much emotion. Both of these characters live their lives in suffering because of this lack/surfeit of emotion. I’d like to start my analysis off with the odd style of Kurt Vonnegut and how he portrays his main character.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Billy Pilgrim has mental problems. Too many to name, in fact. He has difficulty in almost every aspect of life because of these mental problems. Vonnegut has concocted an anti-war novel that blames Billy’s health (or lack thereof) on the trauma of being in a war, but poor Billy has many problems even before the war. He seems to be extremely emotionally detached from all aspects of life. Yes, he gets married and has children, but it seems to be portrayed as somewhat sarcastic and unimportant. This is the danger of being unemotional in life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the strongest points proving Billy’s lack of emotion is when he is at war and essentially tries to set himself up for his enemy to shoot him (Vonnegut 29). The incident seems very ironic considering Vonnegut’s anti-war opinions, because he seems to want Billy to honor the fairness of war.

Health Records

When going to the doctor’s office, there was a time when patients had to check out their medical records before seeing their doctor or dentist. They would also have to return the medical records before leaving the clinics or hospital. Now patients are able to skip those steps because of electronic medical records. But what exactly are manual medical records and electronic records? According to Merriam-Webster, medical records are a record of a patient's medical information (as medical history, care or treatments received, test results, diagnoses, and medications taken).Electronic medical records are digital medical records that either originates from an electronic format or is converted from paper or hard copy to an online version. This paper will give the reader insight on the pros and cons of both manual and electronic medical records, and will allow the reader to form an opinion on which is the better method of filing records. Medical records are used to maintain all of a p atient’s medical files. These files and documents include, but are not limited to vitals, medication history, prior injuries, treatments, and appointments.The medical records come in two forms: electronic and paper (manual). Both are essential to keeping track of patients’ medical history. This is important for doctors to be able to continue appropriate treatment, and especially necessary for patients that have a team of physicians and therapists. Without medical records it would nearly impossible to give the proper care to a patient because there would be a lack of knowledge of past medical care and treatment. The question that usually arises about medical records is â€Å"which are better, electronic or manual records?†This is a very good question, but both methods are very beneficial. There are pros and cons to both of the methods. When comparing the two I like to evaluate them based on storage, legibility, access, and security. These four points can help you determine which method is more reliable or efficient. â€Å"Storage of medical records is an area in which electronic medical records seem to have the edge. Hospitals and medical providers often have warehouses literally filled with paper records. Besides taking up space, paper records are not eco-friendly.Electronic records can be stored on computer drives that require much less space and fewer resources to produce. Paper records also naturally deteriorate over time in storage, regardless of how well their environment is controlled, and they tend to decay upon excessive handling. Computer records can in theory be stored and accessed forever, without the deterioration of record quality. While doctors may have a reputation for poor penmanship, few people in any profession can write as clearly as a computer word processor can.Paper medical records can be difficult to decipher, particularly for those unfamiliar with medical terminology. One of the clear benefits of electronic records is that typeface is more or less standardized and clear across all records. This clarity saves time for the reader, and time can be critical in medical treatment. However, doctors or their assistants who are unfamiliar with the best practices of word processing technology may find it time-consuming to enter records electronically†According to John Csiszar, one of the main benefits of electronic medical records is that they can be shared with other professionals almost instantaneously via electronic transmission or direct access to a storage system. For paper records to reach other interested parties, they must either be mailed or converted to electronic format, such as via scanning and emailing, before they can be accessed.Both paper and electronic record storage systems have some security vulnerabilities. Electronic records are susceptible to hackers and other unauthorized individuals who can gain access by breaking down the electronic defenses of a storage system. Electroni c records can also be rendered inaccessible due to system crashes or other electronic malfunctions. Paper records are generally safe unless someone physically breaks into a storage unit.Both types of records can be susceptible to natural disasters such as fires and floods; however, a facility will typically have only one copy of a paper record, versus at least one backup copy of an electronic record. Both electronic records and manual records are beneficial. I personally think that they should be filed in conjunction with one another. I think that we should do them electronically, but print copies for paper records as a backup system. Computer systems are not always reliable, so the paper records would be beneficial during those times.

Turn Water into Wine or Blood with Chemistry

This popular chemistry demonstration is often called turning water into wine or turning water into blood. Its really a simple example of a pH indicator. Phenolphthalein, an acid-base indicator, is added to water, which is then poured into a second glass containing a base. If you get the pH of the resulting solution right, you can make the water turn from clear to red—and back to clear again—as many times as you like. The principle for this demonstration is the same as for the disappearing ink formula. What Youll Need Phenolphthalein pH indicatorSodium carbonateWaterTwo drinking glassesStirring rodStraw or pipette Heres How to Do It Sprinkle sodium carbonate to coat the bottom of a drinking glass.Fill a second glass halfway full of water. Add ~10 drops phenolphthalein indicator solution to the water. (The glasses can be prepared in advance.)To change water into wine or blood, pour the water with indicator into the glass that contains the sodium carbonate. Stir the contents to mix the sodium carbonate, and watch the water change from clear to red.If youd like, you can use a straw to blow air into the red liquid which will change it back to clear. Tips for Success Phenolphthalein and sodium carbonate can be ordered freely from any scientific supplier. Most grade school and high school science labs have these chemicals, although you can order them yourself.For a normal drinking glass, the ratio used to get the reversible color change reaction is five parts sodium carbonate per 10 drops of a phenolphthalein stock solution.Dont drink the water/wine/blood. It isnt particularly toxic, but it isnt good for you either. Just pour the liquid down the drain when the demonstration is complete.