The curse of the super bug, have journalists created a scare story or Essay

The curse of the super bug, have journalists created a scare story or is there a special difficulty in preventing infections by Staphylococcus Aureus and Clostr - Essay Example Methcillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium Difficile have both been dubbed as superbugs one after the other, but differ in their media exposure. Issues on the first have been reported to be blown out of proportion2 while the importance of the second had not caught much public awareness.3 In terms of public safety, however, attempts to inform or educate the public underscore all the more the need to evaluate sources of information and education before they are believed, in light of the public scare that media have created about them. MRSA has been reported by media as a potentially killer ‘superbug’ which common antibiotics have not stemmed. For the 10 year period from 1995 through 2005 of newspaper coverage of MRSA that researchers4 analyzed, MRSA reporting came around with the notion of you-or-me to blame. Guardian5 summarized the MRSA hospital superbug story thus- A bloke with no microbiology qualifications in unaccredited garden shed â€Å"laboratory† finds MRSA on swabs given to him by undercover tabloid journalists for their â€Å"dirty hospital scandal† stories, but proper labs cannot find MRSA in the same places that this â€Å"leading MRSA expert Dr Chris Malyszewicz† (with his unaccredited American correspondence course PhD) has, and proper microbiologists have very good reasons for believing that the methods of this â€Å"expert† (who incidentally sells a range of anti-MRSA products) could not distinguish between harmless skin bacteria and MRSA6 It is noted that the blame centered on why it spreads – the lack of cleanliness in hospitals – and not on its origin.7 As a result, the National Health Service is seen as mismanaged. Nevertheless, in the Hansard files8 it is the credibility of source that is put into question: the tabloid, Evening Standard, covering the story, including the â€Å"expert† who is considered as the source of the tests - Lord Warner replied: â€Å"I entirely agree with you about the laboratory

Ethical issue in Costa Coffee Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical issue in Costa Coffee - Research Paper Example Costa Coffee, one such profitable venture by Whitbread (PRATLEY, 2011).To understand the ethical issue affecting Costa Coffee, it is first imperative to look into detail into the ethical issues that affect the coffee industry in general. The coffee retailing industry is haunted by what is known as the coffee paradox. Coffee production for the larger part takes place in developing countries. According to statistics, 90 percent of the world’s coffee production takes place in developing countries, the leading coffee producers being Vietnam, Brazil and Columbia (BUSINESS INSIDER). However, the world’s greatest coffee consumption takes place in industrialized and developed countries like the United States of America and the United Kingdom. This gives rise to a situation what Benoit Daviron and Stefano Ponte call the coffee paradox. The coffee paradox refers to the existence of a coffee crisis in the countries that produce it, and a coffee boom in the countries that consume i t (DAVIRON, 2005). Low wages, poor living standards and poor infrastructure is a regular feature of countries that supply the world with a commodity with a high demand. The producers get low prices, while the same coffee is sold at a substantially higher price. To offset the negative impact of the coffee crisis, coffee retailing firms consider it a part of their business ethics to employ measures that ensures prosperity for the producers of coffee in the developing countries as well. According to Geoff Riley, it is fair-trade that has helped in reducing the widening gap between the producer and consumer prices in the coffee industry (RILEY). Coffee production in the international market is increasingly pressurized by social activists to abide by fair-trade regulations. Fair-trade refers to the social movement whereby producers in developing countries are encouraged to trade their produce at terms that favor their own economy. Another feature of fair-trade is encouraging sustainabili ty in order to conserve resources for the generations to come. In the field of coffee productions, fair-trade coffee refers to coffee selling companies that comply with the standards of sustainable coffee production and distribution. Companies certified as fair-trade coffee retailers may charge a slightly higher price than those coffee retailers who do not comply with fair-trade regulations. According to the ethical consumer’s guide, Costa Coffee has been rated at 9.5 on a scale of 20, while Starbucks, its direct competitor has been rated at 6.5. The ratings give an insight of the top (SHOPPING GUIDE TO COFFEE SHOPS). (2)Produce a report about how that company could improve the ethics of its operations while meeting its objectives and making sure there are good employer/employee relations Costa Coffee does not abide by the fair-trade standards, however, the company can look into alternative ways of fulfilling its objectives as well as improving the ethics of their business op eration. The issue of Costa Coffee’s commitment to its business ethics however is not as simple as whether the company chooses to abide by the laws of fair-trade coffee. While consumers all over the world recognize the fair-trade logo as synonymous to ethical business operation, Costa Coffee has adopted a different, yet less known approach to responsible and sustainable coffee distribution (WELCH, 2011). Costa coffee reportedly joined the Rainforest Alliance in 2008, an ethical trading body