The Duchess - Mnage trios and Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Duchess - Mnage trios and Morality - Essay Example The film "The Duchess" directed by Saul Dibb based on Amanda Foreman's biography of the controversial socialite Georgina Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire, entails her very remarkable yet infamous marital arrangements for which, the most interesting moral conflict with regards to marriage can be drawn and is best suitable for further analysis. In the film, Georgina Cavendish (played by Keira Knightley) was portrayed as a fashion-oriented and gambling patron yet intelligent and politically-inclined woman later unfortunately entrapped in marriage with William Cavendish, the 5th Duke of DevonshirIndeed, a handful of reasons can be assumed in modern times as valid justifications for her to separate from her husband. Such include the various sexual affairs of the Duke, one of which even bore an offspring whom Georgina cared for as her own, her misery being that her role as a wife was deduced to her capability of bearing a son, and last but not the least, his husband's affair with Lady Elizabeth Foster, the closest friend of Georgina to which was described in the film as Georgina's "sole comfort". The affair seemed to be beyond sexual reasons since the Duke refused to banish Lady Elizabeth upon Georgina's knowledge of the affair and even insisted that she live with him despite Georgina's presence in the residence. This is where the moral conflict arises and it is best described in the phrase of mnage trios.Mnage trios literally means household of three in French... Despite the already miserable situation, the Duke refused her agreement for separation in order for her to legitimately start a relationship with Charles Grey for whom she had genuine feelings for. Even worse, the Duke threatened of banning her from seeing her children if she continued to see Grey. Georgina chose to be with her children however, she was apparently pregnant with Grey's daughter. In the end, the Duke decided that Grey's family should take the responsibility of raising the child for which Georgina was only able to visit in discretion. The story of Georgina serves as an inspiration and leads us to assess whether an individual's passive approval of a marital arrangement of mnage trios is morally right or wrong for the sake of being able to live with one's children. We shall do so through the differing Immanuel Kant's theory on morality in his written work entitled Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785) and John Stuart Mill's work on Utilitarianism (1861). But before we move on, we should clarify that the point of debate that in upon agreeing with the marital arrangement, Georgina was unable to live with her daughter fathered by Grey in return, since Georgina was able to see and visit, therefore to be with, the child though in discretion. Immanuel Kant is known for being "completely un-utilitarian"3 because of his "..rejection of satisfaction of desires as a ground for morals4". In addition, he believes that the basis for actions to be moral is its aspect of obligation because men are capable of reason stating further that "..reason's proper function must be to produce a will good in itself.."5. Moreover, an action should not be based solely upon the use

The Importance of Diversification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Importance of Diversification - Essay Example The Importance of Diversification Diversification involves adding new products from different industries (Investopedia, 2013). For instance Tuscan Treasures can add to its product line the sale of vacation packages and cruise trips. In 2011 the global tourism industry generated revenues exceeding one trillion dollars (Berwyn, 2012). The use of a diversification strategy lowers the business risk of the company, while at the same time increasing its income streams. The third growth strategy the firm must use is product development. The company can introduce its own line of decorative products. These products are going to be unique and different because they will be made using banana ply paper as the raw material. Banana ply paper is a renewable source that comes from the trunks of the banana trees. The owner of the patent is the company Papyrus Australia. This company offers licensing agreement to companies interested in sponsoring its product to become business partners. Decorative products are a complimentary product to furniture that will increase the overall revenues of the firm. It is important to properly market the new green product through different marketing channels such as the internet, television, satellite radio, and mobile technology. The company is suffering from profitability problems. There are a variety of factors that could be causing the firm’s inability to generate profits. Profitability issues typically involve either declining sales or increasing costs. The company’s sales must be sufficient to cover all fixed and variable costs. If the expenses of the company exceed its revenues the company will incur in net losses. The firm must determine its breakeven cost to ensure the sales projections of the company exceed that number. A way to boost the sales of the company is by investing in advertising. The poor profitability of the company may be associated with high costs. The company must perform a cost analysis to evaluate the payroll obligations of the company. The analysis should provide information regarding whether the company is overpaying its employees and to determine if the firm could operate with a smaller workforce. Investment in new technologies can increase the efficiency and profita bility of the business. New technology can also reduce labor costs. A second element of the cost structure of the company that must be evaluated is its materials costs. The market must be analyzed to determine if a suitable supplier of Italian furniture is available that offers lower prices than the firm’s current suppliers. Lowering materials costs will reduce the cost structure of the firm and raise profitability. Another reason the profitability of the company may be suffering is a lack of productivity. Low employee morale or a lack of motivation can hinder the productivity of the workers. The managers of the company are responsible for motivating the staff. A way to increase the motivation of the workers is by offering intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. An example of an intrinsic reward is a manager telling a subordinate they did a great job during a work day. Offering positive reinforcement can increase the confidence of the workers. Giving financing incentives such as a C hristmas bonus is an example of an extrinsic reward. Part C The downsizing initiative of the firm must be well planned and executed in an effective manner. The company must keep the information about the strategy internal to avoid hurting