Promoting Honesty in Negotiation: An Exercise in Practical Ethics

In a competitive and morally imperfect world, business people are often faced with serious ethical challenges. Harboring suspicions about the ethics of others, many feel justified in engaging in less-than-ideal conduct to protect their own interests. The most sophisticated moral arguments are unlikely to counteract this behavior. We believe that this morally defensive behavior is responsible, in large part, for much undesirable deception in negotiation. Drawing on recent work in the literature of negotiations, we present some practical guidance on how negotiators might build trust, establish common interests, and secure credibility for their statements thereby promoting honesty We also point out the types of social and institutional arrangements, many of which have become commonplace, that work to promote credibility, trust, and honesty in business dealings. Our approach is offered not only as a specific response to the problem of deception in negotiation, but as one model of how research in business ethics might offer constructive advice to practitioners.Credibility; Business Ethics; Negotiations; Institutions

Kenyan exports of Nile perch : the impact of food safety standards on an export-oriented supply chain

Over the past decade, exports of fish and fishery products from developing countries have increased rapidly. However, one of the major challenges facing developing countries in seeking to maintain and expand their share of global markets is stricter food safety requirements in industrialized countries. Kenyan exports of Nile perch to the European Union provide a notable example of efforts to comply with such requirements, overlaid with the necessity to overcome restrictions on trade relating to immediate food safety concerns. Although food safety requirements were evolving in their major markets, most notably the European Union, most Kenyan exporters had made little attempts to upgrade their hygiene standards. Likewise, the legislative framework of food safety controls and facilities at landing sites remained largely unchanged. Both exporters and the Kenyan government were forced to take action when a series of restrictions were applied to exports by the European Union over the period 1997 to 2000. Processors responded by upgrading their hygiene controls, although a number of facilities closed, reflecting significant costs of compliance within the context of excess capacity in the sector. Remaining facilities upgraded their hygiene controls and made efforts to diversify their export base away from the European. Legislation and control mechanisms were also enhanced. Hygiene facilities at landing beaches were improved, but remain the major area of weakness. The Kenyan case illustrates the significant impact that stricter food safety requirements can have on export-oriented supply chains. It also demonstrates how such requirements can exacerbate existing pressures for restructuring and reform, while prevailing supply and capacity issues constrain the manner in which the supply chain is able to respond. In Kenya most of the concerted effort to comply with these requirementswas stimulated by the sudden loss of market access in very much a crisis management mode of operation, illustrating the importance of responding to emerging food safety requirements in a proactive and effective manner.Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Environmental Economics&Policies,Coastal and Marine Resources,Fishing Industry,Fisheries&Aquaculture,Environmental Economics&Policies,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Coastal and Marine Resources,Fishing Industry,Agribusiness&Markets

The ‘Skills Drain’ of Health Professionals from the developing World:a Framework for Policy Formulation

This paper examines policy towards health professionals’ migration from economic and governance perspectives

The role of immigrant parents in children's sport development

textParents take a powerful role to a child's sport socializing. Such roles of parents for children's sport are neither static nor constantly applied, depending on parents' cultural beliefs and values. An understanding of these dynamics is crucial for sport managers if they are to design and implement sport programs that can attract a culturally diverse group. A cross-cultural study investigated how Korean immigrant parents were different from American and Korean parents in terms of parents' influences on their children's sport participation. It was found that a parent's cultural model was a significant criterion that explained different degrees of practicing role mechanisms---parents as a provider and interpreter. Parents' acculturation accounted for the outcomes of Korean immigrants in the U.S. The in-depth interviews then explored how Korean immigrant parents supported children's sport according to their contexts and environments. It was found that they interacted with contextual factors such as family, neighborhood, school, sport organizations, work, policy and system, and cultures. These interactions were affected not only by surrounding contextual factors but also by their traditional customs and values. Being released from education fever, the Korean immigrant parents interacted more actively with the values and customs of American society. Thus, they generally implemented an American sport-friendly environment to make their children's sport happen and continue. This dissertation's combined studies demonstrate the crucial role of parents in children's sport and the effect of culture on shaping those roles. Finally, this dissertation helps build up an integrative paradigm of sport development toward expanding the field of sport participants. Culture is invisible but powerfully affects parenting. Sport parenting is a cultural product. Cultural differences are not easily bridged, though the key is in how we understand such differences.Kinesiology and Health Educatio

Ubiquitous and context-aware computing modelling : study of devices integration in their environment

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Information Systems and Technologies ManagementIn an almost imperceptible way, ubiquitous and context-aware computing make part of our everyday lives, as the world has developed in an interconnected way between humans and technological devices. This interconnectedness raises the need to integrate humans’ interaction with the different devices they use in different social contexts and environments. In the proposed research, it is suggested the development of new scenario building based on a current ubiquitous computing model dedicated to the environment context-awareness. We will also follow previous research made on the formal structure computation model based on social paradigm theory, dedicated to embed devices into different context environments with social roles developed by Santos (2012/2015). Furthermore, several socially relevant context scenarios are to be identified and studied. Once identified, we gather and document the requirements that devices should have, according to the model, in order to achieve a correct integration in their contextual environment

Ada as a design specification language

The primary thesis objective is research into current approaches to design specification languages, emphasizing Ada. Requirements specification is touched upon. Design specification is explored and related to requirements and implementation. The role of language in design is discussed, as well as objectives of the design specification and features that a specification language should provide in order to meet those objectives. Formal language is contrasted with natural language. Some formal specification languages are described, both Ada related and not Ada related. The secondary objective, the thesis project, is to illustrate a design specification in a formal language, Ada. The purpose of the project is to compare the Ada expression of an example design with the natural language specification for the same system

AN INQUIRY INTO ECO-LABELING: THE PROMISE OF PREDATOR FRIENDLY CERTIFICATION (PFC)

Agricultural landscapes play key roles in preserving biodiversity through habitat protection while providing ecosystem services necessary for rural livelihoods. There is a small, but growing movement among agricultural producers to live with nature rather than to dominate nature. Within this larger agriculture movement are efforts to live with predators rather than eliminating them through lethal means. This is reflective of the changing conversation around predators in the New West. Means of co-existence include livestock guardian animals, electric fencing, fladry, range rider patrols, rotational grazing, and lights etc. One grassroots effort in this area is Predator Friendly Certification (PFC). PFC is a 2nd party verified eco-label that embraces and merges the notions of agriculture and conservation through the utilization of such innovative strategies. In theory, eco-labels offer the dual promise of price premiums and simultaneous environmental benefits, certifying a commodity’s process of production and unique quality. PFC offered a distinct opportunity to better understand the promise and future advancement of a particular, grassroots eco-labeling effort. This qualitative research study interviewed 17 PFC producers, 8 potential producers who inquired yet chose not to seek PFC, and 5 members of the PFC founders circle. PFC efforts provided insight into the growing phenomenon of eco-labeling as a strategy employed in the alternative foods movement to address process and quality. Notably, despite the fact that PFC is not generating a price premium, small numbers of dedicated producers utilize these practices because of their philosophical and ethical commitments. According to those interviewed, 3rd party verification is critical for marketplace expansion, institutional accountability, and future price premium generation for values-based eco-labels. This research generated suggestions for PFC to increase participation and marketplace expansion as the eco-label transitions to another eco-label, Certified Wildlife Friendly (CWF). These findings also indicate that interest in ecosystem health is equally as important as animal welfare for producers. Facilitating partnerships with the 3rd party verified eco-label Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) may help expand the values of PFC/CWF to a larger circle of producers and consumers in the marketplace. Lessons learned from PFC’s struggles and evolution are valuable to any grassroots values-based labeling effort

The relationship between project performance of emerging contractors in government infrastructure projects and their experience and technical qualifications: an analysis of 30 projects conducted in the Mpumalanga Province over the 2011-2013 period

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Engineering, 11 August 2015This research set out to investigate two relationships; the relationship between technical qualifications and emerging contractor project performance, and the relationship between experience and emerging contractor project performance. The focus was on emerging contractors in the public sector. This study was motivated by the notion that emerging contractors generally fail and have poor project performance. The objective of the report was to determine the general factors that affect emerging contractor performance and demonstrate the relationship between competence and project performance. Information pertaining to progress and performance for thirty projects from a government institution in Mpumalanga Province was collected. This information included contact details of the contractors who conducted the 30 government infrastructure projects. The contact details were used to collect contractors’ curriculum vitaes and company profiles in order to extract information on qualifications and experience. Literature has shown that the most prevalent issues facing emerging contractors in South Africa can be attributed to the contractors’ competencies. These competencies include skills, experience, qualifications and project management knowledge. Other factors that affect emerging contractor performance include project delays caused by late payments by clients, shortage of labour and lack of financial resources and equipment. The results of this study showed that contractors with technical qualifications and experience generally perform better than those with no technical background. It was also found that where there is no technical background, the level of education also affects the level of project performance. This study demonstrated the importance of the number of technical or construction related projects conducted by an emerging contractor company as compared to the number of years that the company has been in operation. The number of projects conducted, regardless of timeline, is more beneficial to project performance than the number of years in operation in the construction industry. This study recommends that focus should be drawn to the definite need to develop emerging contractor competence through skills development, training, collaborations and knowledge sharing. Competence development should focus on transferring technical knowledge and experience through policy formulation, collaboration of government and educational or training institutes. Focus should also be drawn to developing project management competence of emerging contractors in the South African public sector