With reference to literature, examine the shift from a medical Essay

With reference to literature, examine the shift from a medical understanding of disability to social one. Discuss the extent to which the social model itself can now be considered outdated - Essay Example Currently, medical model of disability is used by many people use it to view disability. The social model, on the other hand, has been the outcry of many disabled people established to challenge the medical model. It is propagated by the disabled people who feel that their disability is as a result of personal problem and would prefer to keep their disability, and avoid treatment. This paper seeks to discuss the extent to which the social model itself can be viewed as outdated in reference to the shift in medical understanding of disability. The medical model of disability can be said to be a social political model. The model advocates that disability is inborn and is as a result of physical condition found within an individual. This disability can affect an individual emotionally, physically and mentally affecting how the person acts within the society. In this model, the problem is located within the individual (Norwich 2008 pp.54). The model advocates for seeking medical attention for treatment for the impairments or the disabled. The medical intervention provided to people with impairments enables them to fit well within the society without frustrations. The medical model attempts to explain that, the individual disability emanates from clinical conditions and it does not make distinctions between impairments and individual disability (Shakespeare1998 pp.36) In this model, the disabled individuals need to be provided with attention and help to fit in the society, and if this turn out to be problematic the disabled individuals should be taken to institutions that accommodate them while providing services that help them live within the society. The model brings out stereotypes among people who are not disabled influencing their attitudes and perceptions where they see the disabled people with a lot of pity, fear and negative attitudes towards them. The power to help and change the disabled individuals seems

Why has it become necessary to ask moral (ethical) questions in the Essay

Why has it become necessary to ask moral (ethical) questions in the present global economic conditions - Essay Example This is attributable to the fact that when making business decisions, managers have to take into account the views and beliefs on the working of the world and the social consequences of development, with particular significance in developing countries. Companies are not merely faced with issues about the morality of their actions and practices but also have to consider the impact of the actions on the reputation, legal exposures and competition amongst other aspects (Feigenbaum). Businesses are faced with moral quandaries from various levels of organizational decisions. The wage and labour conditions are critical factors in the economic growth of the company. Businesses that have maintained high standards of worker conditions and have paid the workers well are met with challenges in maintaining the same standards when they expand. For the long-term profitability of business ventures and continuing profitability, managers need to consider the impact of the business on the local workfo rce. Ethical issues may arise on the grounds of discrimination, rights of the workers and their tasks. Businesses are also starting to give more importance to the effects of their activities on the environment in particular reference to the pace and effects of economic globalization (Panayotou 2000). As public awareness rises and there is increasing pressure for social corporate responsibility, businesses who fail to comply with the standards for environmental sustainability are meeting grave consequences in national and international media. Business decisions also have political implications, with differing opinions amongst theorists on the effects of business on the political and economic framework of the country (Feigenbaum). This paper looks into the moral issues of a corporation and seeks to analyse them using moral frameworks including the social contract model and deontology. The Moral Problem: Enron Ethics is defined as the art of guiding the actions of men towards the produ ction of the maximum degree of happiness (Bentham 1823). People who run the business or an organization are responsible for conducting the business in a way that is yields the maximum benefits to not only the company but also the employees and the stakeholders. The ethical practices of Enron became a high-profile ethical scandal because the executives at the company did not give any regard to the interests of the employees and the stakeholders. The unethical practices of the executives of the company led to the company going bankrupt, with all of the shareholders losing their money and the employees being deprived of their jobs. Kenneth Lay, former Enron CEO, and Jeffery Skilling were involved in unethical activities that led to the fall of the entire company. The Executives were involved in manipulating the financial statements of the company (Collins 2006). Amongst other ethical issues, one issue also was whether it was ethical of the women, who took the case to the media, to whis tleblow on the Executives (Kinicki & Kreitner 2009). The Enron crisis gave rise to the â€Å"infallibility of the capitalistic economic system† (Conrad 2010). Analysing the Moral Problem According to a business ethicist, Manuel Velasquez, the reasons for ethical shortcomings of Enron can largely grouped into personal, organizational and systemic causes. Personal causes tend to explain the intent behind the actions that the executives took. The executives appeared greedy and interested in increasing their personal wealth. They did not give any consideration to the ethical implications of their actions and their actions represented a lack of compassion to the employees and the stakeholders (Santa Clara University 2010). When analysing their actions from a moral