Monthly Archives: September 2014

Recently, the topic of Scottish independence has been plastered throughout newspapers and journals as the public referendum is slated to begin on Thursday, September 18^th. Breaking away from the UK would mean that Scotland would become an independent nation with the absolute power to control the countries finances and parliamentary proceedings. However the two sides to this argument have created a distinct divide between many Scottish citizens. Personally, I stand against the separation of Scotland from the UK as I see the people of Scotland losing far more from independence than what they would gain. Scotland is an aging country, with many leaving the workforce and claiming pensions promised by the government, there is increasing pressure on taxpayers; and aside from Scotland’s recent wealth from oil in the North Sea, much of which goes to foreign nationals, Scotland is a relatively low earning state. With a struggling banking system that currently depends heavily on England’s Central bank, the economic situation in Scotland is forecast to worsen significantly with independence. To me, it seems as though Scottish independence could potentially be a self-destructive fantasy of which we will soon find out the outcome.

Sources:

<http://www.thewire.com/global/2014/09/yes-or-no-a-voters-guide-to-scottish-independence/380379/>

What did the Scottish Independence Referendum tell us about Nationalism?

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McDonald’s has and continues to be a dominant player in the fast food market and is able to captivate so many because it offers “tasty” food at lower prices than competitors, often achieved through cutting corners and ultimately sacrificing worker benefits and product quality. Stakeholder Theory presents the idea that all entities within a company must work together and maintain understanding in order to succeed in the market and create value within the company, which in theory should benefit everyone. Recently however, McDonalds has failed to maintain the relationship between its workers and decision makers, which has sparked a nationwide strike in the United States creating negative publicity and temporarily putting many chains out service. From the ethical perspective put forth by Friedman, McDonald’s only responsibility was to maximize its profits for stakeholders, which it achieved through low wages and little to no benefits or security for workers. This practice ultimately helped the company to increase its profits however, it also created a divide and distrust within the company’s ranks and has led to the current strike. Ultimately a company as a whole cannot function without each component working together and establishing a positive and fair infrastructure; and to achieve this companies must consider ethically the affect their decisions have on not only profits, but on their employees and society as a whole.

Sources:

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/sep/08/fast-food-workers-protest-strike-paid-mcdonalds

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald’s

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