Cox, J. (2017). Uber just lost its licence in London. The Independent. Retrieved 27 September 2017, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uber-london-ban-live-updates-tfl-ride-hailing-app-prive-hire-licence-not-renewed-expires-taxi-a7960856.html

As the world of technology is growing individuals are highly dependent on companies like Uber. Currently existing in around 83 countries₁ Uber is currently the largest taxi-hailing app₂. Uber is commonly used all over the world, in countries like London, Hong Kong, Brazil, and more₁.

So, how did Uber start? Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp were unable to catch a taxi, one snowy day, in Paris, and so they came up with the idea of creating an app that would provide individuals with a ride to wherever they please₃. Individual’s credit cards are connected to the app making it convenient. Through the app, people are also able to see exactly where their ride is and how long it will take for their ride to reach. Furthermore, there are different options of cars they provide, the basic cars are cheaper than the elite cars. However, due to multiple security and safety issues that have occurred with passengers from London, therefore Uber is beingbanned₄. Hence, Uber’s chief executive has decided to not renew their license in London, which is expiring on the 30th of September₅.

This action, to stop Uber in London, has affected many stakeholders. Firstly, this negatively impacts the 40,000 Uber drivers in London₆. Some individuals are part-time Uber drivers, they do it as a hobby and a way to make extra income; however, many individuals are full-time Uber drivers, meaning this is their main source of income. Therefore, the decision to ban Uber in a city where it is greatly used would impact an enormous amount of peoples livelihoods. Secondly, this would impact the economy. Since such a dominant market is shutting down, unemployment rates will rise and the London economy can possibly face a major recession. Thirdly, the consumers are complaining₇ because without Uber it will be a lot harder and possibly more dangerous to commute. As a result, 500,000 individuals have signed a petition against the decision to ban Uber in London₇.

Since London is such a boisterous big city, shutting down Uber would result in a substantial decrease in profits. Rather than shutting down, I believe the company can reevaluate their business and make improvements. By creating an important urgency matrix, a business plan can be formed. Security and safety checks would be considered as very urgent and very important. To deal with this problem they can start doing background checks and interviews on the individuals that they hire. Furthermore, they can increase the level of security on the information that they attain of their customers. By regulating these checks, they could possibly still operate in London, and continue expanding to other countries without facing these problems.

Words: 442

References:

1 Uber Country and Language List. (2017). Uber.com. Retrieved 27 September 2017, from https://www.uber.com/en-CA/country-list/

2 Uber: the app that changed how the world hails a taxi. (2017). the Guardian. Retrieved 27 September 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jan/29/uber-app-changed-how-world-hails-a-taxi-brad-stone

3 The Uber story. (2017). Uber.com. Retrieved 27 September 2017, from https://www.uber.com/en-CA/our-story/

4 Direct anger at Uber, says London mayor. (2017). BBC News. Retrieved 27 September 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-41369617

5 Kollewe, J., & Topham, G. (2017). Uber apologises after London ban and admits ‘we got things wrong’. the Guardian. Retrieved 27 September 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/25/uber-tfl-concerns-vows-keep-operating-london-licence

6 Cox, J. (2017). Uber just lost its licence in London. The Independent. Retrieved 27 September 2017, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uber-london-ban-live-updates-tfl-ride-hailing-app-prive-hire-licence-not-renewed-expires-taxi-a7960856.html

7 How Uber decision will affect young women. (2017). BBC News. Retrieved 27 September 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-41365995

SeaWorld Killing Endangered Animals one at a time

Recently moving to Vancouver, from Hong Kong, has emphasized the importance of taking care of our environment and it’s wildlife! I have especially grown passionate towards is the preservation of marine life. While scrolling through Facebook, I came across an article about SeaWorld, which deeply troubled me. For this reason I have decided to write a blog on the unethical ways this corporation makes their money.

Business ethics is the study of determining the morality within businesses, possibly on certain controversial issues that may be raised. Everyone will be, is or has been apart of a business transaction, some considered to be more ethically moral than others. SeaWorld is a theme park where various marine animals live. Many individuals pay entry fees to ride roller coasters and see some marine inhabitants do tricks, however, what many individuals do not realise is the fact that keeping such animals in an enclosed area is killing them.

One of the common animals that they keep in captivity are Orcas. It is essential for Orcas to swim in the depths of the Ocean to avoid sun burns; however, the deepest tank in SeaWorld is 40 feet deep, as a result, their skins are permanently sun burnt. Although zinc oxide is applied as a form of sun block, either their skin is already burnt or it is ineffective, because of how close they are to the surface at any given time.

Only 1 to 5 percent of male Orcas are supposed to have a collapsed dorsal fin, however, all male Orcas grow up to have collapsed dorsal fins when they are in captivity. This is because they are not swimming as much as the average Orca should. At SeaWorld they state that this is normal, however, it is not.

On February 8th, 2016, a Pacific white-sided dolphin named Dart passed away at the age of 12. White-sided dolphins, on average, have a life span of about 36 to 40 years. This was due to the lack of space and freedom to swim in a large area.

SeaWorld runs a business off keeping animals in captivity, and they advertise themselves as a wonderful place, however, it is not the case. Within the business world, this can be deemed as unethical, because they are making money off the suffering of marine life. In conclusion, it can be argued that SeaWorld is an unethical business.

Word Count: 399

Writer: Sai

Bibliography:

SeaWorld of Hurt. (2017). 10 Things You Didn’t Know About SeaWorld – SeaWorld of Hurt. [online] Available at: https://www.seaworldofhurt.com/features/ten-things-didnt-know-seaworld/ [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].

EcoWatch. (2017). Another Animal Dies at SeaWorld Bringing Death Toll to 4 Large Mammals in Just 4 Months. [online] Available at: https://www.ecowatch.com/another-animal-dies-at-seaworld-bringing-death-toll-to-4-large-mammals-1882174821.html [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].

References:

Entertainment, S. (2017). SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment Theme Parks & Water Parks. [online] Seaworldparks.com. Available at: https://seaworldparks.com/ [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].

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