Philanthropic principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philanthropic principles - Essay Example Cadbury’s had had an impressive track record of employee welfare schemes and other philanthropic activities. But, unfortunately, such a philosophy is seldom seen in the business world today, where greed overcomes any humanitarian impulse. This essay will argue that the corporate culture and business philosophy followed in Cadbury’s during the 19th century is impossible to apply in the present times. When John Cadbury started the corporation back in late 19th century, he had a vision that was consistent with the principles outlined in Quakerism. Quakers believed that a commitment to communal welfare is essential for attaining divine grace. As a result Quakers were proactive philanthropists, including John Cadbury. He implemented a huge housing project on a scale of 120 acres of land so as to provide all his employees decent dwelling conditions. Even his sons George and Richard Cadbury espoused the spirit of Quakerism in their managerial decisions. For those early generat ions of Cadbury managers, profits were not everything. But today, it is impossible to think of corporate leaders to belong in the same league as John Cadbury and his sons. (Bacon, 1997) What we have today is vapid sloganeering to project an outward philanthropy, which is in essence a garbed push for profits. Jargons such as "cause-related marketing", "social marketing", "altruistic marketing" and "public purpose marketing" and â€Å"corporate do-gooding† arc just some of the unhelpful terms being thrown around these days. They are not true philanthropy as was carried out by John Cadbury and his sons. Even Cadbury's former marketing director John Taylor admitted his concerns in 1992. By then, Cadbury’s had cut its charity roster to two: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Save the Children. The long-term approach, rather than the immediate impact on the bottom line that others claim for Corporate Do-Gooding, was Taylor's concern then. (Dwek, 1992) What Taylor observed two decades back has proved prophetic today, with the Cadbury’s sovereign brand being swept away in an aggressive takeover bid. The top management of companies like Cadbury’s believed in industrial democracy and worker engagement in key management decisions. Of the handful of companies that experimented with industrial democracy, Cadbury’s was outstandingly successful. These companies also had strong ideologies and a strong sense of social responsibility, which actually helped their profitability. Not only was Cadbury’s exemplary in this respect, but its arch rival in the chocolate industry Rowntree as well. In these two companies, worker participation was directly linked to company’s participation in social programs. There was a circular process through which quality products were created by happy and well-paid workers as well as healthy financial performance for the company. (Dwek, 1992) Public health and Christian principles were therefore among â€Å"the 'push' factors that transformed chocolate from an expensive luxury into an increasingly common commodity. Many of the chocolate makers that started up in Britain in the nineteenth century were owned and managed by Quaker families. The philosophy and moral outlook of these founder entrepreneurs pervaded the industry for decades.† (Witzel, 2009) In conclusion, in today’s world of cut-throat competition under the spell of a prolonged economic recession, philanthropy

Causality and logical fallacieis in old wives' tales and old farmer's Essay

Causality and logical fallacieis in old wives' tales and old farmer's tales (tales are given) - Essay Example y arise because of observing some instances where they became true, so people shared these stories as facts, and these beliefs are subsequently passed on to others. The flaws in the logical reasoning behind these tales are: first, non sequitur because conclusions about these superstitions do not necessarily follow from the premises; second, hasty generalization because anecdotal evidence does not support the external validity of superstitions; third, confusing cause and effect because factors that happen together are not always related as cause and effect; and fourth, appeal to fear because black cats are related to witchcraft and demons. The old wives’ tale about pregnant women shows non sequitur because the effect of having a child who becomes a musician does not always follow from the practice of listening to music while pregnant. The exact source of this superstition is not well-documented, although some of these stories are likely to come from European countries that are fond of listening to classical music in the past. These mothers might have been incidentally listening to music while pregnant, so when their children became musicians, they immediately attributed the latter’s musician skills to their pregnancy habits. Nevertheless, even if it was true for some mothers, it does not follow, which is non sequitur, that every mother who follows the same practice will also have children with musical skills. Believing in this relationship results to another fallacy called hasty generalization. Even if some pregnant mothers attest that they listened to music regularly while pregnant, and that this practi ce provided musical skills to their children, their small sampling cannot be applied to the entire population of mothers who follow the same habit. It will be hasty generalization to assume that the practice of a small group generates effects that are applicable for the whole population. Anecdotal evidence is not enough to prove the external validity of the