Ethical Issues In The Federal Government’s Department Of Defense Essay Example for Free

Ethical Issues In The Federal Government’s Department Of Defense Essay If there could be anything in the American government that the world has long been admiring, it would always be its military strength. Besides its technology, high product standards, its money, transportation and educational facilities, the world has been looking up at America because of its excellence in the field war and battle. It would seem for the rest of the world that Uncle Sam’s haven offers a smooth-sailing life that people of different colors race and strive to come over. The big question to dig into is this: â€Å"Is America free of corruption and abuse? The answer to the question is a big no. In this paper, we will try to look into the ethical standards of the Federal Government for the purpose of having a benchmark in our evaluation of the ethical deviations inside the organization. Specifically, we will try to evaluate how the Department of Defense go through the process of procurement and will try to pinpoint where the flaw in such process is, resulting to fraud and abuse. This paper has included actual court cases where the Department of Defense was involved. Through these processes, we will be able to prove that no matter how powerful the policies and laws of the Federal Government, the powerful America cannot control its entire people and prevent them from overriding personal interests and public trust. At the end of this paper, the author hopes to have the readers convinced that Federal laws and policies still have flaws and that should be taken into consideration the soonest possible in order for the American nation and the rest of the world restore its fading trust and confidence over the people behind their security. President George Bush during his term, probably ensuring the public of their trust towards the government, issued a separate order that would serve as guideline for strict compliance of all personnel directly serving the public. Executive Order 12731 of October 17, 1990, entitled â€Å"Principles of Ethical Conduct for Government Officers and Employees orders each government employee to avoid, prevent and help detect fraud and adhere to ethical standards at all times and situations. The first section of the EO12731 provides catchy ethical principles which prevent each employee to â€Å"hold financial interests that conflict with the conscientious performance of duty† and engage in financial transactions using non-public government information or allow the improper use of such information to further any private interest† (section 101-b and c). Subsections of the order also require each employee to act will full honesty in their duties and most importantly they are not allowed to use public office for private gain. The Federal Government, based on its laws and policies, has been straightforward and clear as to guiding its public servants to the proper, ethical behavior they should display all the time. So why are there still countless cases and accusations that have been polluting the air of the public servants? What is more frustrating to know is the fact that even in the Department of Defense, many employees and management personnel has been proven to be contributing to such corruption. The fact of unethical behavior existing in the Federal government is not just an outside observation but is also being recognized by those working inside the organization. In a press release issued by the Ethics Resource Center, it turned out that 52% of the Federal employees are aware and are witnesses of at least one type of misbehavior among their colleagues in the previous year. What is more is that only 30% of federal workers surveyed believe their organizations have well-implemented ethics and compliance programs and that only one in 10 said there is a strong ethical culture in their federal workplace (ERC 2008). Almost one quarter of public sector employees identifies their work environments as conducive to misconduct places where there is strong pressure to compromise standards, where situations invite wrongdoing and/or employees personal values conflict with the values espoused at work (Harned, Patricia cited in Smith, Ralph 2008). In reference to the reports mentioned above, this paper made an impression that there might be something inside the Federal government that attracts employees to disregard ethical considerations and to prefer personal interests over public trust. One thing obvious thing is money. The Federal government, even though have limited financial resources, has probably been the most liquid source of kickbacks for the â€Å"bad apples in the barrel. † It is worth noting that the â€Å"U. S. government is the largest consumer of prime contracts† (Lander, Gerald et. al. 2008). Using this mere information, we can clearly conclude that there is enough money for the bad apples on hand. Moreover, it would be very easy for us to extract the fact that the money is more attracting for those inside the procurement departments. As to federal spending, reports say that procurement contracts have been the fastest-growing part of the discretionary budget. In fact, procurement spending rose 86%, twice as fast as other discretionary spending, which rose 43% between 2000 and 2005. Moreover, such spending composed of 40 cents per dollar of discretionary spending (Ibid). The figures are quite more than attractive and conducive for the bad apples to abuse the trust and authorities vested on them by the public. Despite the fact that trust is held as the most important asset of the government, there is one thing that even the most powerful government cannot control: greed. It is a human element that the procurement agencies of the government intentionally or unintentionally tolerate. The uncontrollable fact of human greed is even recognized by the Department of Defense. As the spokesman of the Pentagon, Dan Howard has noted, The acquisition system is sound but there is no system on the face of this earth that completely obviates the human factor greed. And that is why we have policing systems (The New York Times, June 26, 1988). The trust placed by the public over the Department of Defense continue to fade as more and more cases of fraud files in court have resulted to countless convictions. In Philadelphia alone, the investigation conducted at the Defense Personnel Support Center, resulted in the indictment of 28 individuals and companies on various fraud charges. Such procurement transactions involved textile and apparel industry which have government contracts on uniforms, tents, boots for the armed forces. Here then is the chance for us to ask these questions: What is the purpose of having ethical standards in the federal government? Are these statements of ethical behaviors for the sake of complying with the SEC requirements? Are the ethical standards unsound or the problem of abuse of power and ethical deviance matters of implementation flaws? Referring particularly to the Department of Defense, it is unlikely that these educated people came short of understanding the ethical concepts. In fact, the department’s publication, Armed Forces Comptroller, the author recognizes the fact that their personnel understand the concept of ethics. The author even stressed that â€Å"most of them are required to attend some form of mandatory ethics training† (Benoit, Diana 2006). The Department of Defense has in fact sound which they consider as forming the ethical foundation of the Dept of Defense personnel. For the purpose of evaluation, let us try to look into these then core concepts. The author stressed that these core concepts â€Å"reflect the standards and expectations of military personnel and federal employees throughout the organization† (Ibid). The first of the ethical concepts is honesty which they define as â€Å"being truthful and straightforward, regardless of grade or rank. Honesty is regarded by the department as an ethical concept that goes beyond being trustworthy that it encourages its employees to do not only what is legal but also what is right. Relative to this, abuse of power and betrayal of trust still include acts or attempts of hiding the truth. If the Department of Defense personnel clearly understand this concept, there should have been no reason to remain silent on issues that involves witnessing ethical deviance inside the organization. The ethical concept of honesty goes beyond the issues of actual money laundering. It encompasses keeping accurate records and completing tasks to the extent of one’s capacity and ability. This means that coming to the office late, going out early; taking breaks more than the allowable time are forms of cheating and thus are unethical behaviors. Cheating the taxpayers could also mean using office supplies for personal activities or lavish consumption of such resources. What is frustrating is that this concept is being disregarded by high ranking employees of the department at a considerably higher level of deception as mentioned above. Simple cheating in record keeping and of utilizing government resources for personal use can be detected and be prevented at the lower level of organization. However, it would be a different thing to know that cheating is even more practiced at the higher level of management who are expected to be the police in the department. In fact, the report released by the U. S. Department of Justice (DOJ) during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, â€Å"the United States recouped more than $1. billion dollars in settlements and judgments pursuing allegations of fraud and in the next fiscal year, the government recovered a record total of more than $3. 1 billion in settlements and judgments from cases involving claims of fraud† (Lander et. al 2008). Closely related to the ethics of honesty is the concept of integrity which the DOD defines as â€Å"doing the right thing the first time and every time. † In an observation by one of the members of the Special Investigations Unit of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in St. Paul, Special Agent Timothy J. OMalley recognizes the temptations of fraud in their field. O’Malley said â€Å"police officers face greater temptations than they did just a decade or so ago† (Bladow, J. 1994). As an agent, he can pinpoint the fact that the department handles explosives and illegal drug cases which obviously involve a vast sum of money. Taking O’Malley’s exact words, â€Å"a tremendous amount of illicit cash fuels this market. † Here then lies one uncontrollable factor that we can consider. Money is the central thing that enables the government to run. It is money that is the main reason why people oftentimes compromise integrity and principles with dollars. Money enables the government to provide services to public. Employees have to be paid with salaries, supplies have to be bought, buildings have to be constructed, communication and transportation facilities have to be purchased and improved. In fact, America will never be the most powerful nation in the world without its money spent in technology, education and basic government facilities. Moreover, America cannot in anyway be respected or shall we say be feared by other nations if not for its military strength. It is a rare instance that this nation is being challenged by the terrorists during the 911 event. What this paper would like to point out is that even though money is an uncontrollable element in the federal government and particularly in the procurement agency of the department of Defense, transaction processes involving money are very much controllable. In fact, the DOD has sound policies and procedures expressed in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) and Procedures, Guidance, and Information (PGI). In brief, these regulations and guidelines were codified and implemented for procedure compliance purposes especially on procurement transactions undergone by the department. In its Section 201. 304, FAR requires the â€Å"approval of the USD (ATL) before including in a department/agency or component supplement, or any other contracting regulation document such as a policy letter or clause book, any policy, procedure, clause, or form that has a significant effect beyond the internal operating procedures of the agency; or has a significant cost or administrative impact on contractors or offerors† (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) and Procedures, Guidance, and Information (PGI) 2004). Where then lays the procedure flaw- on the approving committee or on those who presents the facts of the procurement contracts? The answer does not solely lies on these precepts. The factors that corrupt integrity in the Department of Defense can be traced in the early stage of the hiring process. â€Å"The applicant selection process represents a critical, though sometimes overlooked, component of police ethics programs† (Bonczek, S. and D. Menzel 1994). The authors suggest that the agency should thoroughly conduct interviews, psychological tests, and extensive background checks (Ibid, p. 4). This would then ensure an applicants compatibility with the departments ethical philosophy. This process can be beneficial in the early identification of â€Å"red flags† in an applicant’s personality before he gets into the department. Even if not all of the factors contributing to the unethical behavior of an employee can be detected at this stage, there are considerable preventive measures that are being done here that can prevent a rotten tomato mingle with the good ones inside the basket. The riskier the world becomes, the higher the standards should the department implement in order to maintain, if not to enhance the integrity of the defenders of the American security. As one observer have noted, it is important that high standards in the hiring process be maintained at all times because of the fact that â€Å"diminished standards or incomplete background checks have resulted in the hiring of armed robbers, burglars, and drug dealers as police officers† (D. Holmquist 1993, p. 38). We have to remember that temptations are everywhere and that is one uncontrollable factor inside the department of defense. Because DOD has got much money to offer especially in the procurement transactions, it clearly caters to a tempting environment. However it cannot really be an excuse neither it will justify one’s act of corruption. Deviance to ethical standards is a clear betrayal of trust and a blot in the name of the person, if he even cares enough for it. A recent study established that fast-talking, outgoing, assertive, and self-confident risk takers represent the best candidates for undercover work. While this may come as no surprise, the study also concluded that these personality traits are often the same ones predisposing an officer to corruption and psychological distress (Bladow, p. 12). This suggests that a good apple in the barrel has always the chance of being badly influenced by others. Strict hiring standards are therefore required to be implemented during the hiring process at all levels. â€Å"Police managers must view their hiring standards as components of managing for ethics† (Wells, S. A. 1993, p. 67). Strict adherence to employee selection is a must although diversity in the law enforcement departments must also be considered in order to foster diverse citizenry. â€Å"Agencies should not pursue the goal of a diversified workforce at the expense of one of law enforcements most valued asset- integrity† (Travis, M. A. 1994, p. 1717).

Dont Mess with Nature :: science

Don't Mess with Nature Of all the things a student needs to make it through a typical day, probably the most important, yet least appreciated, is paper. Paper is used for academic, social, and personal purposes by nearly all students every day. The most obvious use is for the academic or classroom assignment, whether it comes in the form of a test, an essay, or a summary of plant life on Easter Island. The social uses of paper center around the "note," which any student can tell you is s important a part of a student’s social life as Friday night ball games or the Junior Prom. As for the personal applications, there is doodling for the nervous mind, and there is scrunching for the nervous hand. The traditional paper airplanes and spit wads are still around, but they seem less popular than in days gone by-probably because it is easier for a student to move freely about the classroom today than it used to be. In any case, there can be no doubt that paper is just as important as ever to the student whose days would be a waste without it. Not only students, but everyone needs paper. Just as students use the paper, so does everyone else. The social purpose surrounds the mail, which we receive everyday. For personal use, there’s the diary and the note pads to remind us the things we need to remember. There are many examples that I can give for instance, paper plates, paper bags, cardboard boxes, etc†¦ Anyhow, the point that I am deriving at is that paper and cardboard boxes are all made from trees. Millions of trees are being destroyed every year to produce paper. Not only for paper, but for housing projects as well. New programs are being set up to plant trees in replace of the destroyed ones. Little do people realize how much damage could be done when dealing with nature. These housing projects are built, where beautiful trees use to sit letting cool breeze pass through their leaves. Now, the Recycling foundation has set up a program for young kids to plant trees in their neighborhood to save "Mother Earth." These trees are being planted at almost every street corner. The kids don’t know what’s likely to happen. They think they are doing good for their community. Now, trees as thick as fifteen baseballs put together, creep up underneath the sidewalk all over town.

Australian Aborigines

Australian Aborigines The Australia Aborigine’s culture has always had my attention. From the places they lived to they way they where treated always amazed me. After reading about their rituals, social organization and settlement patterns for the textbook, they are a society of people who are all one. The type of kinship they practice is all is one. For example, if an outsider came to their tribe someone in the tribe would classify that outsider as their mother, and a name that is given to that tribe members real mother will be given to the outsider. According to Scheper-Hughes, N. n the 1993 article: Cephu's choice: Is natural for human beings to want personal liberty? or is it a peculiarly western concern? some conclusions drawn from the indigenous cultures around the world.â€Å"Among Australian aborigines of the Western Desert, each new person comes into the world circumscribed by ancestral origin myths about ‘Dreamtime' which structure the world and rigidly define the place of all aboriginal people within it. The myths determine each person's position and the marriage strategies, kinship ties and friendship alliances that each must pursue in adherence to the sacred geography and its accompanying moral economy. The Dreaming', wrote William Stanner, ‘determines not only what life is, but also what it can be. Life, so to speak, is a one – possibility thing'. In this aboriginal society there is no sense of personal ‘agency' fundamental to western notions of liberty and democracy. Nor is there any idea of an individual search for personal salvation which Christian missionaries have tried, but normally failed, to communicate. † The way Australia Aborigines use kinship affects the way they live, act and think. Since there system is â€Å"all is one† they live with the common understanding that they are all under one belief system.This can be compared to when someone in your family marries; the person they marry is no w your family. This understanding creates a strong bond between people who are not technical blood related. The thought of people with such a bond helps in battles and growth within a society. In my own society the type of kinship seen in the aborigines can be seen with close family and friends. Our society tends to compare when we know the person or someone we trust knows the outside person. However, unlike the aborigines, our society has shown a way of turning away what is unfamiliar or unlike them.This brings a crack or weakness in our society because our bonds or circles are not as big because of it. I believe we can learn several things from foragers like the Australia Aborigines to make ourselves stronger. Reference: Scheper-Hughes, N. (1993, Cephu's choice: Is natural for human beings to want personal liberty? or is it a peculiarly western concern? some conclusions drawn from the indigenous cultures around the world. New Internationalist, , 11-13. Retrieved from http://search . proquest. com/docview/200094581? accountid=32521 Australian Aborigines Australian Aborigines The Australia Aborigine’s culture has always had my attention. From the places they lived to they way they where treated always amazed me. After reading about their rituals, social organization and settlement patterns for the textbook, they are a society of people who are all one. The type of kinship they practice is all is one. For example, if an outsider came to their tribe someone in the tribe would classify that outsider as their mother, and a name that is given to that tribe members real mother will be given to the outsider. According to Scheper-Hughes, N. n the 1993 article: Cephu's choice: Is natural for human beings to want personal liberty? or is it a peculiarly western concern? some conclusions drawn from the indigenous cultures around the world.â€Å"Among Australian aborigines of the Western Desert, each new person comes into the world circumscribed by ancestral origin myths about ‘Dreamtime' which structure the world and rigidly define the place of all aboriginal people within it. The myths determine each person's position and the marriage strategies, kinship ties and friendship alliances that each must pursue in adherence to the sacred geography and its accompanying moral economy. The Dreaming', wrote William Stanner, ‘determines not only what life is, but also what it can be. Life, so to speak, is a one – possibility thing'. In this aboriginal society there is no sense of personal ‘agency' fundamental to western notions of liberty and democracy. Nor is there any idea of an individual search for personal salvation which Christian missionaries have tried, but normally failed, to communicate. † The way Australia Aborigines use kinship affects the way they live, act and think. Since there system is â€Å"all is one† they live with the common understanding that they are all under one belief system.This can be compared to when someone in your family marries; the person they marry is no w your family. This understanding creates a strong bond between people who are not technical blood related. The thought of people with such a bond helps in battles and growth within a society. In my own society the type of kinship seen in the aborigines can be seen with close family and friends. Our society tends to compare when we know the person or someone we trust knows the outside person. However, unlike the aborigines, our society has shown a way of turning away what is unfamiliar or unlike them.This brings a crack or weakness in our society because our bonds or circles are not as big because of it. I believe we can learn several things from foragers like the Australia Aborigines to make ourselves stronger. Reference: Scheper-Hughes, N. (1993, Cephu's choice: Is natural for human beings to want personal liberty? or is it a peculiarly western concern? some conclusions drawn from the indigenous cultures around the world. New Internationalist, , 11-13. Retrieved from http://search . proquest. com/docview/200094581? accountid=32521

Fast Facts About George Bernard Shaws Life and Plays

George Bernard Shaw is a model to all struggling writers. Throughout his 30s, he wrote five novels – all of them failed. Yet, he did not let that deter him. It was not until 1894, at the age of 38, that his dramatic work made its professional debut. Even then, it took some time before his plays became popular. Although he wrote mostly comedies, Shaw greatly admired the natural realism of Henrik Ibsen. Shaw felt that plays could be used to influence the general population. And since he was filled with ideas, George Bernard Shaw spent the rest of his life writing for the stage, creating over sixty plays. He won a Nobel Prize for Literature for his play The Apple Cart. His cinematic adaptation of Pygmalion also earned him an Academy Award. Born: July 26, 1856Died: November 2nd, 1950 Major Plays: Mrs. Warren’s Profession Man and Superman Major Barbara Saint Joan Pygmalion Heartbreak House Shaw’s most financially successful play was Pygmalion, which was adapted into a popular 1938 motion picture, and then into a Broadway musical smash: My Fair Lady. His plays touch upon a wide variety of social issues: government, oppression, history, war, marriage, women’s rights. It’s hard to say which among his plays is  the most profound. Shaw’s Childhood: Although he spent most of his life in England, George Bernard Shaw was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. His father was an unsuccessful corn merchant (someone who buys the corn wholesale and then sells the product to retailers). His mother, Lucinda Elizabeth Shaw, was a singer. During Shaw’s adolescence, his mother began an affair with her music teacher, Vandeleur Lee. By many accounts, it seems that the playwright’s father, George Carr Shaw, was ambivalent about his wife’s adultery and her subsequent departure to England. This unusual situation of a sexually magnetic man and woman interacting with an â€Å"odd-man-out† male figure would become common in Shaw’s plays: Candida, Man and Superman, and Pygmalion. His mother, his sister Lucy, and Vandeleur Lee moved to London when Shaw was sixteen years old. He stayed in Ireland working as a clerk until he moved into his mother’s London home in 1876. Having despised the education system of his youth, Shaw took a different academic path – a self-guided one. During his early years in London, he spent hours on end reading books in the citys libraries and museums. George Bernard Shaw: Critic and Social Reformist In the 1880s, Shaw began his career as a professional art and music critic. Writing reviews of operas and symphonies eventually led to his new and more satisfying role as a theater critic. His reviews of London’s plays were witty, insightful, and sometimes painful to playwrights, directors, and actors who did not meet Shaw’s high standards. In addition to the arts, George Bernard Shaw was passionate about politics. He was a member of the Fabian Society, a group in favor of socialist ideals such as socialized health care, minimum wage reform, and the protection of the impoverished masses. Instead of attaining their goals through revolution (violent or otherwise), the Fabian Society sought gradual change from within the existing system of government. Many of the protagonists in Shaw’s plays serve as a mouth-piece for the precepts of the Fabian Society. Shaw’s Love Life: For a good portion of his life, Shaw was a bachelor, much like some of his more comical characters: Jack Tanner and Henry Higgins, in particular. Based on his letters (he wrote thousands of friends, colleagues, and fellow theater-lovers), it seems that Shaw had a devout passion for actresses. He maintained a long, flirtatious correspondence with actress Ellen Terry. It seems that their relationship never evolved beyond mutual fondness. During a serious ailment, Shaw married a wealthy heiress named Charlotte Payne-Townshend. Reportedly, the two were good friends but not sexual partners. Charlotte did not want to have children. Rumor has it, the couple never consummated the relationship. Even after marriage, Shaw continued to have relationships with other women. The most famous of his romances was between him and Beatrice Stella Tanner, one of England’s most popular actresses better known by her married name: Mrs. Patrick Campbell. She starred in several of his plays, including Pygmalion. Their affection for one another is evident in their letters (now published, like many of his other correspondences). The physical nature of their relationship is still up for debate. Shaw’s Corner: If you are ever in England’s small town of Ayot St. Lawrence, be certain to visit Shaw’s Corner. This beautiful manor became the final home of Shaw and his wife. Upon the grounds, you will find a cozy (or should we  say cramped) cottage just big enough for one ambitious writer. In this tiny room, which was designed to rotate to capture as much sunlight as possible, George Bernard Shaw wrote many plays and countless letters. His last major success was In Good King Charles Golden Days, written in 1939, but Shaw kept writing into his 90s. He was full of vitality until the age of 94 when he fractured his leg after falling off a ladder. The injury led to other problems, including a failing bladder and kidney. Finally, Shaw did not seem as interested in staying alive anymore if he could not stay active. When an actress named Eileen OCasey visited him, Shaw discussed his impending death: Well, it will be a new experience, anyway. He died the following day.