M6 – (Taba)

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After a bit of research, I found out about the company from Italy called Parmalat. The company name refers to the Italian town, Parma, and the Italian word for milk, latte. We in the United States know of Parma from the cheese, and prosciutto ham. Calisto Tanzi came from 3 generations of proscuitto production. His “entreprenurial break’ came from UHT, ultra hot temperature, which is a way of producing milk that does not require refrigeration, therefore producing longer lasting milk. It was a huge hit with citizens Europe-wide. The Tanzi family was nicknamed “Italian royalty’, always acting in a humble and approachable manner, never flaunting fame or fortune, creating intense loyalty of support. Once used as a successful model in European business schools, failed ventures, however, were kept secret from the public and investors. They had a multitude of shell companies tied to various fiscal safe havens that helped the misbelief continue. After being audited, it was discovered that Parmalat and its daughter companies were not only bankrupt, but almost $20 billion in debt to Bank of America, Citigroup, and a number of other banks. There were also various personal accounts tied to Tanzi family members, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/4030254/ns/world_news/t/parmas-god-falls-sky/#.XRQZzIyIa-o

M2 (Taba)

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In the early months of 2017, driving up the hill to my parents house, we pulled behind a small hatchback struggling to make it up the hill. We watched from a safe distance as the car attempted 3 times to make it to the top, only to slide back down. We decided that, even though we were hungry, and it was around -20 degrees outside, it would be the right thing to do to help them. We got out of our truck and pushed the car up the hill to supplement what the cars tires could not. The couple made it up the hill and proceeded to drive away without so much as a “thank you”. Instead of being angry at the lack of manners, we laughed and generally felt good inside to have helped someone in need. I feel that this instance fits well into the Utilitarian theory. As our text states, utilitarians understand “good” to be happiness or pleasure. Regardless of not being thanked by this couple, we still felt pleasure in knowing that we helped someone in need.

M1 (Taba)

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I believe that we develop our ethics from a multitude of sources. Our parents or guardians, our peers, our government, and our society as a whole. as we are being raised, our parents have a major influence on our sense of integrity, and what is acceptable behavior. Once we are old enough to start sensibly interacting with our peers, they have a great influence on our beliefs and actions. And then primarily, society tells us what is acceptable or not. Ultimately, I believe that most people make decisions based on how they will be viewed by others. As stated in our textbook, “an action that is illegal can be morally wrong.” In Germany, during the time of the Holocaust, it was illegal to harbor Jewish people for their safety, knowing what their ultimate outcome would probably be. That had an influence legally, as well as socially.