1) Read Chapter 4 of Justice by Michael Sandel.
2) Find another credible source on the internet that connects to the reading above or to terms or concepts from this past week's classes.
3) After you read the source that you find, answer the following questions as a blog entry below:
- How does the text connect to that week’s topic or to the other text you have read? (relevant)
- What evidence do you have that the text you found is credible? (credible)
- Create a clear, specific argument based on the text. (argument)
- Support the argument with thoughtful analysis, using cause/effect, compare/contrast, problem/solution, part/whole, or other methods of analysis. (analysis)
Keep in mind that everyone else will see what you write below, so please keep it professional. This post is due Thursday, 2/23, by 12:00am.
4) Come to class on Friday ready to discuss the reading and the text you found!
If you need support or have questions, my office hours are Monday and Wednesday from 3:15-4:15 in Room 229.
The article I found this week titled “Surrogate mother sues California couple” from CNN’s Law Center addresses the conflict that had risen between a British surrogate mother, Helen Beasley, and a California couple, Charles Wheeler and Martha Berman. Upon discovering that Beasley was carrying twins, Wheeler and Berman opted for a “selective reduction [where] one fetus would be aborted”, but ended up breaking the surrogate contract after Beasley’s refusal to abort one of the two fetuses. This article connects to the topic of surrogacy, which Michael Sandel uses as an example within Chapter 4 of his book, Justice.
ReplyDeleteLaunched in 1980 as the first channel to provide Americans with 24-hour news reports, CNN is a credible source because of the eminent reputation the news company has received throughout the years on both a national and international level. CNN provides millions of individuals with important, up-to-date, and accurate information. Because of the reputation CNN has managed to build up over the years, it would be highly unlikely for the company to suddenly distribute false and inaccurate information to the individuals that depend on the company for news on what’s going on in their society, and become known for delivering erroneous information.
From a utilitarian perspective, the case between the couple and the surrogate mother provided within this article would be looked down upon primarily because of how the happiness produced from the initial agreement of the surrogacy from both sides (the couple and the surrogate mother) was broken when one side decided to part from their agreement. According to Sandel, “The utilitarian case for contracts is that they promote general welfare; if both parties agree to a deal, both must derive some benefit or happiness from the agreement - other wise they wouldn’t have made it” (95). This deal consisted of the couple paying Beasley a $20,000 fee for becoming impregnated and carrying their baby throughout her pregnancy, which would have ultimately given both sides the benefits they wanted to receive as an outcome of the surrogacy. Once it was discovered that Beasley was carrying twins, the couple backs away because they had only wanted one child. Connecting to the “Baby M” case that Sandel addresses, it can be said that the couple’s agreement had been obscured by their desire to have a baby, and that they most likely did not think of their surrogate mother becoming pregnant with twins, much like the way that Mary Beth Whitehead’s “consent was beclouded by the need for money, and by the lack of adequate knowledge about what it would be like to part with her child” (92). Beasley was merely providing a service for the couple - carrying and ultimately delivering the child that she would be pregnant with - in exchange for $20,000. However, because both sides had agreed to have this surrogacy performed, from a utilitarian standpoint it would have only made sense for both sides to stick to their agreement. It should not have mattered that Beasley became pregnant with two fetuses instead of one; when an agreement is formed, the agreement should be kept, not broken. Had the couple realized that there is never a complete guarantee that a woman will become impregnated with only one child (as they had hoped), the surrogacy contract would not have been broken.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2013/02/18/obamacares-health-exchanges-are-customer-free-zones/
ReplyDeleteThe article “Obamacare’s Health Exchanges Are Customer Free Zones” by Sally Pipes shows how the free market in America is not really that free. Obama’s new health plan entails heavy government intervention in the healthcare market. This relates to chapter 4 in Justice because a mandate violates freedom in a free market. A libertarian would argue that the mandate gives people less free voluntary exchange because it is coercive. This is similar to conscription in a an attempt to acquire military service, both are coercive because those affected have limited alternatives. This is beneficial to a certain degree because people have access to affordable health care, but at the cost of people’s freedom.
“Obamacare’s Health Exchanges Are Customer Free Zones” is a credible because it was published in Forbes, a prestigious news provider. Forbes portrays a pro-business atmosphere and is inclined to support the free market, this is reflected in its publications. This gives Forbes strong credentials when it comes to business. If the publisher noticed any misinformation the article would not have been published because it would have negatively affected their business. Wrong information would result in a decrease demand and ultimately in a decrease of revenue. Moreover, Sally Pipes is the author if this article. She is the president and CEO of Health Care Studies at the Pacific Research Institute and she has also published four books, some are Why Canada Isn’t the Answer and The Truth About Obamacare. She is very knowledgeable about health care giving her information much validity and accuracy.
In order to ensure that no one has their economic freedom violated the government needs to treat health and health care like a commodity and place it in a free market. It is difficult for health care providers because they will not have the ability to control their prices, making it difficult to make a profit. “‘We will only participate in exchanges that we assess to be fair, commercially sustainable and provide a reasonable return on the capital they will require,’ UnitedHealth Group Inc. CEO Stephen Hemsley said” (Pipes). If they are being forced to make service exchanges then it is not a solely voluntary action. This causes a shift in the free market to a market with more government intervention. The involvement of the government could backfire if insurers do not participate. “If insurers don’t participate in the law’s exchanges, then consumers who had hoped to secure affordable coverage through the new marketplaces will instead find few choices and high prices” (Pipes). In this case not only is freedom violated, but the general welfare is not promoted because both parties do not have an equal gain. “Taxpayers could be hit hard, too, as higher premiums in the exchanges will require more public spending on subsidies” (Pipes). This is an example of tainted consent because all the citizens are pressured to purchase health care, it is not voluntary, and it has a direct link higher taxes. “When Vice President Joe Biden was asked before Obamacare became law whether insurance companies would go along with the president’s heavy-handed intervention in their business, he was blunt. ‘You know we’re going to control the insurance companies,’ he told ABC News” (Pipes). Controlling insurance companies does not demonstrate libertarian beliefs. This shows that economic freedom is limited, therefore the exchanges made are not truly voluntary. Obamacare plan embodies a utilitarian idea that intends to promote the general welfare of its citizens, not individual freedom. The government wants all parties involved in an exchange to end up gaining something. Utilitarianism helps to justify placing health care in the free market and valuing it as a commodity, and abridging freedom.
The article titled "Court's Split Decision Provides Little Clarity on Surrogacy" addresses the problem of a infertile wife that loses the appeal to be named the legal mother of the baby. The New Jersey couple got an egg from an anonymous donor and made an agreement with another woman to carry the child for them. The couple and the surrogate mother also agreed on the couples name to appear on the child's birth certificate. However, the New Jersey Supreme Court "deadlocked over how to handle the wife's plea to be named the mother of the child that she and her husband are raising... the state had sued, to strip the wife's name from the birth certificate". This article connects to this week's reading of Chapter 4 from the book Justice, where Michael Sandel uses a surrogacy case as an example to further explain the topic of surrogacy.
ReplyDeleteThe text I found is credible because it was published in the New York Times, an American daily newspaper that has had an exceptional reputation since the year it was published, 1851. New York Times website is considered to be America's most popular newspaper site which receiver more than 30 million unique visitors monthly. Furthermore, the New York Times has won 108 Pulitzer Prizes which shows how they've excelled in journalism in a range of categories. It is unimaginable that the New York Times will publish false information to the public that rely on the news souce in order to be aware of their surroundings and community.
From a utilitarian perspective, one would argue that this surrogacy case was unfair because the couple and the surrogate mother had the agreement of having the couple's name appear on the child's birth certificate but according to the state, because of the surrogacy case of Baby M (the example Sandel uses in Chapter 4) "all surrogacy agreements are now gestational-using the egg of the intended mother, or an anonymous egg from a donor" (Zernike). In other words, because the husband used his sperm he is the child's legal father. Unlike, the wife which in this case did not use her egg cannot be clarified as the child's legal mother. Furthermore, the initial agreement/contract is supposed to promote the general welfare. "When two people make a deal, both gain" (75). Indeed, wanting to be a surrogate mother is a voluntary action where one decides to agree on a contract and follow it in order to exchange happiness between the parties. Therefore, a utilitarian might argue that the state has to take into consideration the initial contract and accept their agreements because a deal is a deal.
The article I read this week was, "Women Should Be Required to Register with the Military, Too" from the Time Magazine Ideas website. This article focuses on the benefits that women can bring to the armed forces and how requiring them to register with the military, like men, can prove to be a huge asset if the government re-institutes the draft. This article connects to this week's topic of incentives because it gives the American public a moral and economic incentive to support a draft, and more specifically, a draft that includes both sexes.
ReplyDeleteThis article is credible because its authors, Erika and Nicholas Christakis, work at Harvard University as educators. Nicholas Christakis also has a Ph.D in sociology, which makes him an expert on social interactions. This information leads me to believe that this article has reliable information, and that the statistics and citations used in this article are valid. If these authors provided inaccurate information they would be tarnishing their images as upscale educators. Therefore, maintaining their public image serves as an incentive for them to provide the public with accurate and credible information.
"Women Should Be Required to Register with the Military, Too" attempts to dismiss the idea that women should be protected from the draft with the Aristotelian argument that women would perform well in many military positions and should therefore be required to register like men. Our military runs on a market system. Individuals are paid for the service they provide, protecting the nation. The military also helps soldiers pay for college. These are economic incentives that do a better job of attracting people that are economically disadvantaged. Since the economically disadvantaged have few options, they are sometimes "forced" to join the military for economic security. A moral incentive for the government to bring back the draft would be creating socioeconomic equality by making individuals of all backgrounds protect the nation. An economic incentive for the government to bring back the draft would be a reduction in defense costs because soldiers would no longer have to be compensated as much for their time in the military because they wouldn't be a finite resource anymore. There is a high demand for military personnel and if the government increases the pool of individuals it can choose from it will lower its spending on soldiers. This also helps out regular citizens because their tax money could go toward public services that could help those that are economically advantaged and prone to join the military. In order to make this pool of individuals as large as it can be the government should require the drafting women. In the past, women were protected from the draft because of sexist ideas that they were delicate, and wouldn't be able to protect the nation as well as men would. The article admits that on average women are "physically less strong [than men]". However, the article also states that women are an asset to the nation because the way we fight in wars has changed. War is becoming more of a battle of wits and we need women calling the shots so that we can avoid the most conflict possible. According to the article, there is 16% gap between the amount of women and men that support the war in the Iraq. This difference must be represented in military decisions and that is why women, those that least believe the war in Iraq is worth fighting, should be required to register. As military officers, women have the potential to avoid conflicts that a man would otherwise dive into. In other words, women are better decision makers, so it is only logical, by Aristotelian philosophy, to give the military leadership positions to women. Therefore, requiring women to register with the military and re-instituting the draft is a morally and economically smart decision.
The article “Small Business Guide” by Tom Taulli is one that serves as a resource to those who are interesting in starting their own business by providing tips based around writing a business plan, coming up with a business idea, retaining capital, and selecting a legal structure. This text connects to this week’s topic because we have began to apply entrepreneurial skills in order to create our own business plans. Moreover the suggestions include taking into consideration demand and supply which are an essential parts of a business plan, these aspects of business are addressed by answering questions such as, “What’s happening with your market?...Who is the customer? ”
ReplyDeleteThis article is credible because it was written in the New York Times which is an American newspaper that has been published daily since the year 1851. It remains the largest local metropolitan newspaper in the United States and is one of the largest newspapers overall. The New York Times would not include false information in its paper because it could ruin the newspapers reputation which would led to a decrease in the profit they receive. Furthermore this article was written by Tom Taulli who is an advisor to technology companies and has previously launched businesses such as Hypermart.com. He has also written books about starting businesses such as “How to Create the Next Facebook: Seeing Your Startup Through, from Idea to IPO” and “High-Profit IPO Strategies”.
As stated in the article, “Entrepreneurs often underestimate the time and expense of starting and operating a company.”When one is considering starting a small business the costs should be most important thing that is taken into account. This suggests that minimizing costs should be an ideal thing to try and accomplish because if costs are too high a business may not be profitable. Land, labor, and capital contribute to the total cost of a business and are also parts of a business that allow it to compete with others in the industry because without them the business would not be able to function. For example if the costs of labor are not taken into consideration then the business will not be able to have products made because workers will not be able to earn wages due to the lack of revenue. Additionally start-up costs are what allow a business to be created these expenses should be examined closely because as stated in the article, “It’s tempting to seek financing from banks, angel groups and venture capitalists, but those sources usually look at more established businesses.” This exemplifies how it can be difficult to cover costs of starting a business is one is not prepared with the capital needed and must gather it. Overall this article is a helpful resource for those who are trying to establish a small business since it depicts the most crucial aspects, including information about costs that are involved.
In chapter 4 of “Justice”, Sandel battles with the idea of whether or not a market is free; it isn’t. Continuing to this idea, as seen in the source I found this week, “Humantrafficking.org/SouthKorea”, the black market of human trafficking pertains to a market that is unfair and not free.
ReplyDeleteHumantrafficking.org is a credible online sight that allows its viewers to see how human trafficking has evolved, the effects of human trafficking, where human trafficking exists, and what is being done to help stop it. This organization aims to stop the spread, along with on-going, human trafficking. They have events that people can attend and a “Newsletter” section where online viewers can get monthly Newsletters describing the organization’s continuous effort to stop human trafficking and what is happening on a global level in regards to it.
Many of the women involved in the sex trafficking are not aware of the market that they are getting themselves into. Originally, in places such as “Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Colombia, Mongolia, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, North Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and other Southeast Asian countries”, these women do so because they have an incentive; to marry. “Some victims are recruited by false promises” and traffickers trick these “gullible” women (men are also included in this market) into making them believe that they are arranging for them to get married. Being a married woman is an important aspect of Southeast Asian culture. Socially, getting married creates a high incentive for women as they “rank-up” the social latter. However, they soon come to find that the deal made was not a just deal. It was one that depicts a corrupt market. Unaware that they are about to be coerced into a world of human trafficking, these women go along with the “deal” and give their tainted consent.
When choosing their subjects, traffickers take into consideration the backgrounds of those chosen. Women who are later on forced into human trafficking and are not indeed married. They are young girls who are “particularly runaways”, those trying to pay off debts, and others who don’t have any other alternatives when trying to make any type of financial income. Once into the industry, it is hard to get out. Both Libertarians and Utilitarians will not agree on the principles of this market. For a Libertarian, a person can do what they please to their own body; even if it does include prostitution or voluntary human trafficking so long as you are willing and able to do it. But in this case, the women are stripped of their right to choose whether or not to partake in this market. They are coerced and forced into exploiting their body for the benefit of the consumer (the client) and supplier (the trafficker). Utilitarians would also argue that there is no potential gain for ALL parties; the women gain nothing because they are being forced against their will ultimately not increasing overall utility. Because the women are unaware of ALL aspects of this market, the market is deemed unjust, not free, and corrupt in every way.
The article “Womb for Rent” by Mina Chang discusses the increasing international surrogacy business in India that has been attracting foreign customers and Indian women to participate in the business. This source is relevant to this week’s topic of economic injustice and the labor market. The article addresses the idea of surrogacy being considered a labor market and further connects to the idea of how individuals in lower classes and of low income tend to have less opportunities than affluent people. “Womb for Rent” highlights how Indian women, who are considered to be less economically stable than women in the United States, are entering this business of surrogacy more frequently as an alternative way of earning income they desperately need.
ReplyDeleteThis article is credible because the Harvard International Review published it, which is a journal at Harvard University founded in 1979. Harvard is an Ivy League in the United States that is considered to be one of the best colleges in the country and the world. This college would avoid publishing information that is false to prevent tarnishing its prestigious reputation and status. Additionally, the Harvard International Review is a widely distributed journal across the United States and internationally read in more than 60 countries with over 30,000 readers and prominent scholars and policy makers as the writers. Evidently, because of its wide spread recognition, it can be considered credible.
The article “Womb for Rent” addresses the disadvantages individuals in lower classes have in regards to economic opportunities and voluntary exchanges, but how they are beneficial as a labor market. It has become common for women from all over the world, especially the United States, to hire Indian surrogate mothers. In India, women of lower income are both willing and able to offer their body for services, as they do not have many alternatives in earning money. Because of their economic standing, women in India who live in poverty seek jobs in the surrogacy business in a desperate attempt to make quick income and relive themselves of the economic burden they face. The article states, “Agreeing to carry and deliver a baby may result in new houses, debt repayment, or even investments for their own children’s future. Nine months of pregnancy could produce up to US$6,000, the equivalent of 15 years’ wages for some” (Chang). The idea of earning money in a short amount of time are an incentive for women who need the funds, while individuals who are more economically stable are free to buy anything they desire regardless of the price. Clearly, there is some unbalance in voluntary exchanges; the wealthy have the option to hire someone for services, the poor don’t have the option but to attend to these services. Also, the fact that so many women in India are willing and able to be surrogates presents a series of incentives for women who are looking to hire surrogates. Because supply is so high in these poor communities and the costs are so low, demand has increased. The article states, “While the costs of surrogacy—including medical treatment—add up to roughly US$70,000 in the United States, the same procedure costs one-seventh that price tag in India” (Chang). Evidently, surrogacy does work like a labor market; the women are looking for the worker who is most willing and able to do the job at the lowest price, with the lowest costs, which benefits the individual searching for a surrogate. In a way, surrogacy can be seen as another American job where the employer is seeking the most profit, which in this case is having the baby and decreasing the amount being paid, and the employee hoping to move up a social class by obtaining a job that may increase her income and coax her out of poverty. Regardless of the pay, the employee must accept the conditions because of the lack of options she has and the competition of other workers.
The article I found this week is titled “Blacks See Benefit Of Military Service” this articles talks discusses the how African American community views military service and how it benefits the people of that community. Specifically, however they talk about the fact that military recruiters target low income communities. This article connects to this week’s topic of incentives because of the incentives offered to the youth of these low income communities to help build towards the bigger idea of military market with the high demand for soldiers after 9/11.
ReplyDeleteThe article I found is credible because the Public Source has analyzed news in Western Pennsylvania for quite some time and has built a reputation as a credible resource for analysis on local news. Having a higher reputation incentivises them to ensure that their stories are true and tenable. If their stories were wrong this would hurt their reputation and make them lose money which ensures that their articles are credible.
“I think they feed off the vulnerability” this is a broad generalization however it presents the overall feeling that some of the community expresses and its understandable. Being in a low income community limits their opportunities in a way and thats when the military incentives come into play Keith Clark stated that he has no complaints about his four years with the Air Force and is currently finishing his bachelor’s degree. The military offers many different incentives for joining for Clark “First it was a cash bonus, money always gets my attention, but I guess it was the experience, and the respect that comes with being in the military, along with educational benefits.” This attracts the attention of many of the young possible recruits however there is an underlying reason for all these incentives. “The numbers of African-American enlisting in the Army has declined sharply over the last decade, from 23 percent of all enlistees in 2000 to 13 percent in 2006”. Quite simply, the demand for soldiers remain high but the amount of soldiers, the supply is lower than in the past. The Military is a market and the amount of Soldiers willing and able to join the military is lower than the past which causes the value of the soldiers to rise. This is why these incentives are placed specifically in low income areas where graduates would not have the same opportunities as people of higher income because of financial limitations. With these incentives they wish to bring in more soldiers willing and able to meet the demand that was put out after 9/11 where the demand for soldiers spiked. As long as there is a need for soldiers or a demand for anything at all there will be incentives to try and satisfy the demand. So the true reason behind the military targeting low income areas with these incentives is to try and meet the demand that is being asked for when the supply in the military is lower than before.
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DeleteThe article “Soldier Sues Over Tour Made Longer” highlights a member of the California Army National Guard that was deployed in the war, settling the dispute between Iraq and the United States, was extended by two years without the soldier’s approval. The soldier first joined the military in order to get the economic benefit from health insurance upon serving a set amount of claims in the United States. Discovering that his duty was extended, he filed a suit stating that “Doe's active-duty service kept him separated from his family for extended periods, and his service in Iraq has caused him to suffer post-traumatic stress syndrome”. Similar to Sandel’s use of how the military should be a market instead because it diminishes an individual’s privacy.
ReplyDeleteThe New York Times is a credible source because it is an American newspaper that publishes daily articles about American society. Originally founded in 1851, The New York Times has won over 108 journalistic awards, because of the high reputation, having false information would potentially jeopardize the company’s reputation. In addition using expert writers and journalists about one topic, increasing the article’s credibility based on data, and other expert advice.
The article “Soldier Sues Over Tour Made Longer” addresses how individuals are drafted in order to compensate for the limited amount of soldiers that are at war in Iraq. Since the military is a market, the value of a soldier is high because there are few who are able and willing to risk their lives, making economic incentives available as a reason to join the military. According to Sandel, military volunteers should “freely choose to enlist based on the compensation being offered enables them to serve only if doing so maximize their own [interest]” (Sandel). This should imply that the government should promote the supply of soldiers only if the demand increases if the war continues, while at the same time helping the soldier in college aid and medical assistance as an incentive to join the war. In addition, this idea that Michael Sandel perceives is reflected in the article “Soldier Sues Over Tour Made Longer” as the soldier who filed a lawsuit’s first intention was to receive health insurance after his duty after a soldier was done as an intensive. Although this shows the positive side of his complicated lawsuit, it also demonstrates Sandel’s idea of economic freedom because people like the soldier perceive a reason to risk their lives increasing the demand of soldiers to participate in a war.
In reading Chapter 4 of Sandel’s “Justice” - Markets and Morals, we learn the role of the market and how in reality it is not as just or fair as we are led to believe. The article “F.D.A. Approves a New Drug for Advanced Breast Cancer” is about how in the health industry, a new form of temporary care for advanced Breast Cancer has been found. This text connects to this week’s markets and morals piece because it’s clear that this temporary cure is being put on the market for sale and only the individuals with the most money will be able to obtain it.
ReplyDeleteThe text I found is credible because it is published in a news organization which is prestigious and not biased. The New York Times is an American Daily Newspaper which has been around since 1851. This text is also credible because of its author Andy Pollack who joined the New York Times in 1981 and has been covering the business and science of biotech since 2000. Andy Pollack is a trustworthy and credible man because he earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton and a master’s degree from MIT.
By taking a utilitarian approach, one would argue that selling the cure for such a high price is indeed just and thus promoting the general welfare for all. When a patient goes to his or her doctor, he or she agrees to the treatment and abides to the regulations because he or she hopes the treatment will work. In this case, cancer patients will probably agree to pay the price because they believe the treatment will work and they have no other options. According to Pollack, “The drug, which will be called Kadcyla but was known as T-DM1 during its development, extended the median survival of women with advanced breast cancer by nearly half a year in a clinical trial. Genentech, which developed the drug, said it would cost about $9,800 a month, or $94,000 for a typical course of treatment. That is about twice the price of Herceptin itself, which is also made by Genentech, but it is similar to the price of some other new cancer drugs.” By continuing with the utilitarian argument, no one is getting hurt or hurting anyone and both parties are gaining (doctor gains money and patient gains cure from cancer) therefore both win which means overall utility increases. This also enforces the fact that by the utilitarian approach, the health system is just and fair.
The article I found this week was “For infertile couples, help and support” by Dawn Turner Trice from the Chicago Tribune Times. This article was about how a young woman named Katie Davis lost her ovaries at 12 years old and how she tried to have a baby but since she was diagnosed with having uterine fibroids, a surrogate became her ultimate solution. In this case, this text relates to chapter 4 of Justice because Sandel targets whether surrogacy is needed in a free market or not and he also makes his audience think about the high demand for mothers who want to have babies yet the finite supply of women that are willing to use their bodies to carry a child. In addition, Trice’s article addresses that because Ms. Davis did not have the physical capacity to carry a child throughout nine months it was extremely difficult and expensive to find a surrogate mother that would carry and give up the child at a set price. Evidently, both Sandel and Trice portray that surrogacy can be beneficial since it gives people who cannot have babies the chance to be a parent but this situation undermines the natural rights that people are born with because the mother, surrogate, and child may not always have the same agreements or decisions.
ReplyDeleteThe source I found is credible because it comes from the Chicago Tribune Times which has had editions since 1847. In addition, the source I found is credible because statistical evidence is used to enforce the argument that surrogacy is helpful. For example, Trice writes “surrogacy can range from $50,000 to $100,000.” This is credible because Trice gives readers the range from which a woman can use her body as a tool to make a profit and maximize the happiness of another through the service of a new life. This source is also credible because it is the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and other parts of the Midwest. Apparently, if this newspaper were not credible then it wouldn’t be reliable and American consumers would stop paying for this supply that not only entertains them but also educates them.
From a utilitarian’s perspective, the article by Trice is positive towards the idea of surrogacy because in the case of Ms. Davis, she went to different associations that would help her towards finding a good surrogate since fertility was problematic for her. According to the article, organizations “raised $30,000 towards their costs of roughly $60,000.” The parents who aren’t able to conceive would benefit from a raising of money because they will have to pay less towards a surrogate and also keep their emotional and physical state at a balanced level. This then impacts society because more women notice the amount being paid and those willing and able will become part of the supply in the free market where women who cannot conceive will be able to have their want met. Moreover, adoption can become an alternative solution for those parents who lack the support of programs or have a low income although the total cost is $40,000. In this case, infertile women have the freedom to worry less about a surrogate and expose themselves to an infinite supply of children willing to have a family. Indeed, a utilitarian would agree and argue that both surrogacy and adoption are beneficial solutions since they meet the need of the parent or child within a certain time span and under a reasonable amount even if life itself should not have a price because living and growing is more powerful than just having an amount and considering it “just”.
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ReplyDeleteN. R. Kleinfield’s article “In Manhattan Pizza War, Price of Slice Keeps Dropping” is about pizza stores in midtown going on price wars for their products because competition in that area is high. It connects to this week’s topic on creating a business plan because; a good business plan is fit to work with competition in the market which is something that the businesses in this article needed. Pizza has a high demand and so supply for this product is becoming less of a finite resource causing competition to be more intense.
ReplyDeleteThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded in New York City. It has been publishing since 1851, and it is one of Americas most trusted and popular newspaper sites with more than 30 million visitors per month making, it a credible site. The article I choose this week is credible because the author N. R. Kleinfield has been writing for the NY Times since 1997 giving him the advantage of knowing what a good article is since he has been writing for so long.
My group and I are working on making a business plan for a new pizza place located potentially in the downtown area because of the amount of people that are always in that area of the city. In order to have a successful business plan a part we need to really work on is having a good understanding of the market and the industry we are getting involved with. We decided to work with this type of market structure because it is an easy one to get into but that necessarily isn’t always a good thing, because in a perfect competition market all there is competition. We know that the demand for our product is high because New Yorkers love pizza and so our service would not go to waste. Reading this article it makes it even clearer that starting a pizza store can bring harm to our business if we go through with it. “A perilous moment is approaching. Circumstances suggest that ravenous New Yorkers might soon witness 50-cent pizza, 25-cent pizza or, yes, free pizza (Kleinfield). Not only is this shocking but it is also disturbing because such low prices on pizza do not allow the business owners to be making the profit they should be making. This is impacting for our business plan because we need to figure out if starting a pizza business in a city where that industry is high on competition, is the right choice and if it is there needs to be better planning. If This price war happened in one section of the city chances are its happening everywhere because there is always competition within business that are producing the same product. With all that said, I think that the best solution for this problem is better planning, if we could find a way to have a backup plan that would allow our business to not get affected by the competition as much, if we were to fall into price war for our product it would be great. I think what we need to focus our attention on the pricing of our product, the promotion, and the product diversification in order to be a successful business.