Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Sewing Tasks

Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Sewing Tasks Title: Work-related psychosocial, physical and sociodemographic risk factors for musculoskeletal symptoms of the neck, shoulders and low back among workers engaged in sewing tasks Abstract Background: Neck/shoulder and back pain are highly prevalent among workers engaged in sewing activities, but their risk factors are controversial or not well-established. Methods: Data on sociodemographic and work-related factors and musculoskeletal pain (MSP) were based on questionnaire surveys of Iranian sewing workers (n = 632) (i.e. carpet weavers, shoe workers and sewing machine operators). Results: The prevalence of neck, shoulder and low back pain was 57.9%, 40.5% and 51.6%, respectively. The prevalence of neck/shoulder pain was higher among females and with increasing age. Working posture and fast working were independently associated with neck, shoulder and low back pain. Number of years worked as a sewing worker was associated with neck and low back pain. Long duration of continuous sitting work without a break was only associated with neck pain. Conclusions: The findings emphasise the importance of individual, physical and psychosocial aspects of sewing tasks in association with MSP and highlight the role of prevention in the workplace in order to reduce MSP. Keywords: hand-sewn; shoemaking; carpet weaving; sewing machine; MSDs Introduction Musculoskeletal pain (MSP) in the low back and neck/shoulders is a common cause of reduced quality of life, sick leave, and work disability in both industrialized and industrially developing countries (van der Windt et al. 2000; Picavet and Schouten 2003; McBeth and Jones 2007; Dianat and Salimi 2014). The risk and protective factors of these pains among different occupational groups, particularly in those involved in sedentary and repetitive activities, can be divided into physical, psychosocial, organizational and sociodemographic factors (Arià «ns et al. 2000; van der Windt et al. 2000; Linton 2001; Cà ´tà © et al. 2008; Dianat and Salimi 2014). Evidence suggests that neck/shoulder and back pain are highly prevalent among workers engaged in sewing activities. Previous epidemiological studies have shown a high prevalence of neck/shoulder and back pain among sewing machine operators (Serratos-Perez and Mendiola-Anda 1993; Roquelaure et al., 2002; Ãâ€"ztà ¼rk and Esin 2011), hand-woven carpet weavers (Motamedzade and Moghimbeigi 2012; Nazari et al. 2012) and hand-sewn shoe workers (Dianat and Salimi 2014). Such tasks are typically highly repetitive, which are performed in a seated working posture for a long period of time. The operations usually require the operator to lean forward (with a forward inclined posture of both head and trunk) to see the point of operation and have better visual control of the task. Such a working condition can impose excessive physical load on the musculoskeletal system, and may eventually lead to the development of MSP in the neck/shoulder and back area. Several previous studies have assessed MSP among occupations involving sewing operations such as shoe sewing machine operators (Serratos-Perez and Mendiola-Anda 1993; Roquelaure et al. 2002), garment sewing machine operators (Westgaard and Jansen 1992; Kaergaard and Andersen 2000; Ãâ€"ztà ¼rk and Esin 2011; Wang et al. 2007; Dianat et al. 2015), hand-woven carpet weavers (Motamedzade and Moghimbeigi 2012; Nazari et al. 2012) and hand-sewn shoe workers (Dianat and Salimi 2014), although the effects of risk factors are not consistent and conclusive. There are, for example, very few studies which have examined the association between working postures and MSP among sewing machine operators with some studies showing positive association (Dianat et al. 2015), while others show no association (Ãâ€"ztà ¼rk and Esin 2011). This also seems to be the case for other relatively similar occupations (i.e. carpet weaving and shoemaking) and their contributing risk factors. Therefore, to reduce m usculoskeletal pain, there is a need to improve the understanding of the risk factors associated with such complaints among this working population. Further research in this area will help to better understand the nature of those jobs involving sewing operation and to develop corrective measures and intervention strategies for this population. It also contributes more evidence to the debate and has the potential to inform work practises in other developing societies with similar occupational groups. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of neck, shoulder and low back pain and their contributing sociodemographic and work-related (psychosocial and physical) risk factors among workers involved in different sewing activities. The intention was to place the discussion in a wider occupational context and use the findings to highlight areas that need more attention and to assist in introducing preventative measures and developing guidelines regarding safe working practices for those jobs involving sewing operation. Methods Study design and sample This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted in three provinces (East Azerbaijan, Kermanshah and Kordestan) in the western part of Iran. The study population consisted of those workers engaged in different sewing activities including hand-woven carpet weavers, hand-sewn shoe workers and sewing machine operators. Data on the number of workers and workshops in the study area was obtained from the Iranian Ministry of Industries and Mines. There were about 14,000 hand-woven carpet weavers, 7,000 hand-sewn shoe workers and 5,000 sewing machine operators in the study area who worked at approximately 1800, 1700 and 500 different workshops, respectively. Sampling was done using a multi-stage random selection process. In the first stage, the required numbers of workshops, which included 60 workshops from each of the three different occupational groups, were selected randomly (using probability proportion to size sampling method). Using the same procedure, participants were then selected from these workshops. The participants were familiarised with the study procedure and their questions were answered by the investigators. They each signed a written informed consent form before participation in the study. The study protocol was approved by the ethical review committee of the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Measures and data collection The data were collected using both questionnaire and direct observation of the participants during their work. Arrangements were made and then investigators visited the selected workshops for data collection. The questionnaire, administered by interviewing the participants, was composed of items on sociodemographic characteristics, work-related psychosocial and physical risk factors and musculoskeletal pain in the last month. Working postures were assessed through direct observation of participants’ postures at their workstations using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method (McAtamney and Corlett 1993). Musculoskeletal pain The questions on MSP were adapted from the standardised Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire (Kuorinka et al. 1987). This questionnaire has been translated and revised into Persian language and has an established validity and reliability (Dianat et al. 2014; Dianat and Karimi, 2014). The participants were asked whether they had experienced pain in the neck, shoulders or low back lasting for more than 1 day during the previous month. The location of these anatomic areas was also demonstrated by a drawing in the questionnaire. The response alternatives were: No/Yes. Those participants who reported MSP in any of these body areas were asked to rate its severity using a scale of 1 – very low pain to 5 – very high pain. Disruption of normal activities due to MSP (No/Yes) was also included. Sociodemographic and work-related factors The sociodemographic details included age, gender, height, weight, body mass index (BMI as weight/height2), educational level (Illiterate, Primary school, Secondary school, and Diploma), marital status (Single, Married), being involved in regular sport and physical activities each week (for at least 30 min) (No/Yes) and smoking habits (No/Yes). The questions regarding the work-related psychosocial and physical factors were based on prior knowledge and a literature review (Westgaard and Jansen 1992; Kaergaard and Andersen 2000; Wang et al. 2007; Ãâ€"ztà ¼rk and Esin 2011; Dianat and Salimi 2014) and included daily working hours, number of years worked as a sewing worker, having a second job (No/Yes), perceived speed of work (asking ‘Does your work require you to work very fast? No/Yes), duration of continuous work without a break (> 10 min) (asking ‘How many hours do you usually work without breaks (breaks > 10 min)?’), perceived pressure due to work (asking ‘Do you feel pressure due to work? No/Yes’) and job satisfaction based on the question: ‘How much are you satisfied with your job? Low, Moderate, High’. The questionnaire was tested in a pilot study on a sample of 65 participants in order to obtain feedback on the content, clarity and wording of the items of the questionnair e. The test-retest reliability (stability) of the items of the questionnaire was also good (Kappa coefficients ranged from 0.80 to 0.98). Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) (McAtamney and Corlett 1993) was used to assess the working postures of operators at their workstations. The RULA is a reliable and validated observational method for assessing biomechanical and postural loading on the musculoskeletal system of operators which is known to contribute to MSP. This method gives a score for each body part, where combinations of individual scores for upper arm, lower arm and wrist are called score â€Å"A†, those for neck, trunk and leg give score â€Å"B†, and the final score is called â€Å"grand score† which indicates the musculoskeletal loading associated with the operator’s posture. The original version of RULA checklist has been translated and revised into the Persian language and has shown to be valid and reliable (Dianat and Salimi 2014). The observations and recordings of working postures were performed by two trained observers. The inter-rater reliability of the RULA scores was also found to be good (Kappa coefficients ranging from 0.82 to 0.99). Statistical analysis The analysis of the data was performed using SPSS software (version 17.0; SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). Sociodemographic data and work-related characteristics of the study participants were tabulated. Logistic regression models with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were developed to estimate the effects. The relationship between prevalence rates and study variables (sociodemographic and work-related characteristics) was initially assessed using univariate binary logistic regression analysis. The variables in the logistic regression analyses included sociodemographic (age, gender, BMI, educational level, marital status, smoking and being involved in regular sport/physical activities each week) and work-related characteristics (daily working hours, number of years worked as a sewing worker, having a second job, perceived speed of work, duration of continuous work without a break, perceived pressure due to work and job satisfaction) as well as three RULA scores including RULA score A (arm/wrist score), RULA score B (neck/trunk/leg score) and final RULA grand score. Multiple logistic regression analysis (using backward stepwise procedure) was also performed to estimate the association between independent variables and the reported neck, shoulder and low back pain in the multivariate context. The study variables were theoretically of equal importance, and therefore an equal role was assigned for all of them in the regression models without any adjustment. The assumptions of the models (including the presence of outliers and collinearity) were checked and the fit of the models was confirmed by the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. P Discussion The aim of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of MSP and their contributing risk factors among sewing workers in a wider occupational context. One of the main findings of the study was that the prevalence of MSP was considerably high among the study population with 76.2% of the sample reporting this, and of these 68% had more than one site of discomfort or pain. This finding provides further evidence that musculoskeletal pain and discomfort is a major problem in this group of workers. More than one-third of the respondents reported disruption of normal activities due to MSP. Individual factors including gender (being female), age (> 30 years old) and lower educational level were independently associated with the occurrence of MSP. Work-related variables such as the number of years worked as a sewing worker (> 20 years for the neck and > 10 years for the low back pain), duration of continuous sitting work (> 2 h) without a break, fast working and working postures were al so found to be independently associated with the occurrence of MSP among sewing workers. There were several notable findings regarding the relation of individual factors to MSP. The results of the present study indicated that gender was a significant factor for neck and shoulder complaints, so that females experienced such complaints more frequently than males. This is similar to the findings of Wang et al. (2007), who reported a higher prevalence of neck/shoulder pain in female sewing machine operators than in males. It was also shown that age was significantly positively associated with neck and shoulder pain. It has been acknowledged that better understanding of the task characteristics may provide an insight into the job (re)design to support the user needs of older working population in future (Stedmon et al. 2012). Moreover, the findings indicated that workers with a higher educational level were less likely to report shoulder and low back pain than other workers. This supports the finding of a study conducted among hand-sewn shoe workers (Dianat and Salimi 2014). As shown in this study, working posture was an important risk factor for the neck, shoulders and low back pain among sewing workers. This finding provide further evidence that the sewing operations involve frequent head and trunk bending movements over the duration of the task, and therefore imposes unacceptable postural loading on the upper body and limbs. Our findings indicated that the RULA scores for the workers’ upper and lower arm/wrist scores (score A), neck/trunk/legs scores (score B), and the grand scores were relatively high. The relatively high RULA scores in this study highlights that the working postures of the workers were constrained by both the visual and the manual aspects of the sewing tasks, and that the design of the sewing workstations had a significant influence on the postures adopted. This emphasises that in most cases the workers’ postures at their workstations need to be investigated and some changes are required immediately. These findings are in part consistent with several previous reports of poor working postures (assessed by the RULA method) among workers involved in sewing machine operating (Ãâ€"ztà ¼rk and Esin 2011; Teodoroski et al. 2012; Dianat et al. 2015) or hand-sewn shoemaking tasks (Dianat and Salimi 2014). The results also suggest that there is a need to consider other work-related physical and psychosocial aspects of sewing tasks. Interestingly, our findings indicated that perceived speed of work (i.e. fast working) was another independent factor that was positively associated with the occurrence of MSP in all studied body regions (i.e. neck, shoulder and low back areas) among sewing workers. This finding may be attributed to the fact that these workers were paid based on the number of items they completed and this provided an incentive to work at high speed without adequate rest breaks. Moreover, the finding indicated that years of employment as a sewing worker was positively associated with the presence of symptoms in the neck and low back areas, which is in agreement with several previous observations (Kaergaard and Andersen 2000; Wang et al. 2007; Dianat and Salimi 2014). It is also interesting to note that the sewing workers in this study had frequent periods of long duration of sewing work without breaks (i.e. sitting in one place in a static or non-moving position for more than 2 hours), but this was only associated with the occurrence of neck complaints. The results from some previous studies suggest that the long duration of sitting work without a break may increase the risk for neck/shoulder pain among different occupational groups (Wang et al. 2007; Johnston et al. 2008; Dianat and Salimi 2014), and that regular rest breaks may reduce the risk for such complaints (McLean et al. 2001). Therefore, sewing workers should be advised to take regular rest breaks in order to minimise exposure and to help recovery from static and awkward postures. The present study has an advantage that the observer error was controlled by using two trained interviewers in comparison to studies in which there were separate observer for each case. However, the findings presented should be interpreted in the context of the cross-sectional study design. In addition, the findings highlight the importance of both individual and work-related aspects of sewing tasks in association with MSP. Thus, in addition to the work-related factors, it might be useful to consider individual factors (such as age, gender and education) as potential confounders in future analysis of MSP among this working group. Conclusions In conclusion, the main finding of the study was that neck, shoulder and low back pain are frequent in workers involved in different sewing activities. The findings highlight the importance of both individual and work-related (psychosocial and physical) aspects of sewing tasks in association with MSP and emphasis the need for ergonomic interventions for improving the working conditions of this working group. Working posture and fast working were found to be as important predictors of MSP in all studied body regions. Number of years worked as a sewing worker was also shown to increase the risk for neck and low back pain among sewing workers. However, long duration of continuous sitting work without a break was only associated with the occurrence of neck pain. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that working postures of sewing workers should be improved through workstation design for sewing tasks (i.e. based on workers’ anthropometry). Moreover, workers involv ed in these tasks should also be advised to take regular rest breaks in order to alleviate exposure and also to aid recovery from unhealthy working postures. These findings highlight the role of prevention in the workplace in order to reduce MSP.

Kant and Business

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from the 18th century, who put forward a new theory of morality. He was very much concerned with formulating a criterion of moral obligation that is different from the traditional moral philosophies of his time, which consisted in the development of good character traits that must be possessed by humans. Other moral philosophies rejected by Kant include utilitarianism, which determined morality based on the consequence of their actions (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2001).Kant was able to formulate one supreme principle of morality, which he called the categorical imperative.   Kant thus wrote several works to explain his theory of morality, with titles such as â€Å"The Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals,† â€Å"The Critique of Practical Reason,† and â€Å"The Metaphysics of Morals (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2001).† His first work, The Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals gave Kant†™s clearest explanation of his notion of the categorical imperative.Kant posited that the categorical imperative is the ultimate moral principle, which means that it could serve as the moral principle to guide to all human actions. Given the huge function of the categorical imperative, Kant provided that it must meet specific criteria. Hence, the categorical imperative should be objective, rational and freely chosen (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2001). The categorical imperative was formulated, thus:â€Å"So act, that the rule on which thou actest would admit of being adopted as a law   Ã‚   by all rational beings. (Kant,1785).†Kant’s moral philosophy is centered on the notion of obligation. This is because Kant believed it is best to have an objective rationale for morality, rather than subjective factors such as pleasure. Moreover, Kant believed that the proper actions of man could be determined through reason alone (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philo sophy, 2001).Kant believed that moral obligation would be met when three essential elements are complied with. The first one involves obligation, which serves as the rational consideration for the human will. Second, this obligation shall be expressed in the form of a command that demands a specific course of action. Lastly, Kant demands thatthe moral standard should not be based on consequences of the act. (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2001).closely connected with the categorical imperative is the principle of universalizability, formulated by Kant as follows:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"So act, that the rule on which thou actest would admit of being adopted as a law by all rational beings (Kant, 1785).†This principle means that an action can only be considered an ethical imperative if his desired action could be formulated as a general rule for all humans facing similar circumstances in the future (Kant).Laws that could serve as an example of Kant’s ethical philosophy in th e business context are laws against job discrimination. There are many laws that prohibit businesses from discriminating employees on account of their age, gender, national origin, color, or religion. Examples of these laws are the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).All of these laws comply with the criteria set by Kant to his categorical imperative. These laws look at the notion of obligation and make the laws applicable to all people in similar situations. They also serve as definite rule of conduct that are based on reason and not subjective factors like emotions.ReferencesKant, I. (1785). The Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals.The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2001). The Categorical Imperative. Retrieved    January 31, 2008, from http://www.nd.edu/~rbarger/categorical-imperative.htmlThe U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Federal Laws Prohibiting Job   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Discrimination Questions And Answers. Retrieved January 31, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/qanda.html

Coffee Drinking Habits Essay

Kantar Media’s Global TGI research (www. globaltgi. com) has explored coffee consumption in different countries, as branches of global coffee house chains become a permanent fixture in even the most far-flung corners of the world. Perhaps surprisingly for a nation once renowned for its tea-drinking, consumers in Great Britain are some of the most likely to visit a cafe for their caffeine fix, report researchers. They share this position with Italians and, among the eight countries analysed, are beaten only by people in Israel, where 75% of respondents visit coffee shops, reports Kantar. The research also reveals the ongoing debate as to the virtues of instant versus filter coffee is alive and well. Whereas 86% of Italians drink ‘proper’ coffee, only 6% of them will consider using instant. Israelis are the highest consumers of instant coffee at 80%, followed by Russians at 72%. Great Britain and Turkey scored low on the ground coffee scale, with 19% and 15% respectively. This research confirms in GB people tend to go to coffee shops for the ‘real deal’ and are generally content with instant coffee at home, said Kantar. Drinking coffee, whether at home or in a cafe, instant or filter, is a global pastime,† said Tracy Allnutt, head of commercial development at Global TGI. â€Å"Global TGI provides brand owners with a flavour for how their marketing strategies should differ by country in order that they reflect the needs of the target market. † The research is the first in a series of ‘Factoids’ produced by Kantar Media’s Global TGI. Scheduled bi-monthly and covering topical issues, they will provide bite-size pieces of information for brand managers in between the more in-depth Dispatches reports undertaken by the company.

Does the Honor System Work Essay - 1561 Words

Does the Honor System Work Almost everyone has cheated on something at least once, whether it was on a test or in a football game, everyone has cheated at least once. For the majority of us, it was only once and we felt guilty enough afterwards to quit, but there are some that continue to cheat at every opportunity. While most colleges and universities would like to think that this does not happen on their campuses, the fact is that it happens everywhere. People have tried solving the cheating problem with various methods, most of which don’t work. The most popular procedure seems to be to spread the students out and keep a close watch. This method is most widely used to make sure that students do not look on each others†¦show more content†¦The Internet is also fast becoming a major tool for the cheater. There are many websites that will give you the information you need to become a successful cheater. 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Managing A Diverse Workforce - 1716 Words

The topic that I’m choosing is Chapter 17, â€Å"Managing a Diverse Workforce.† Although there is an improvement in the diversity in the workforce, there is still room for change. Businesses have made many changes to help enforce the laws that were passed regarding diversity in the workforce. Women have been integrated into the workforce and there also have been many immigrants from other countries that have been given a new start to the workforce in the United States. Laws of equal opportunity have been made to help increase the workforce diversity. The goal for full equality of women and persons of color in the workplace has not been fully met; however, the United States’ workforce has made a lot of progress. Diversity is when a person is†¦show more content†¦There has also been a demand to increase women in the workforce because of more â€Å"women-like† jobs. 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Daniel Shays As An American Officer - 1730 Words

Daniel Shays Daniel Shays served role as an American officer in the American Revolution from 1775 to 1780 and also became known as one of the leaders of Shays Rebellion, which lasted from 1786 to 1787. In 1780 he resigned from the army, and settled in Pelham, Massachusetts, where he held numerous town offices. Soon after, wealth reigned in America at the signing of the peace treaty in 1783, but was quickly transformed into a severe economic depression. He began his rebellion when property holders, including himself, began losing their belongings through confiscations for unpaid debts and taxes and became subject to debtor’s imprisonment. Protests then followed, with threats of violence against the courts conducting the enforcements and arraignments. This is when Shays arose as one of the several leaders of what came to be known as Shays Rebellion. After the Rebellion was over, he and approximately a dozen others were sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of Massachusetts. However, towards the end of the rebellion, Shays had escaped to Vermont, soon afterwards he moved to Schoharie county, New York, and then a few years later moved further west to Sparta, New York. Shays, in his old age, was granted a retirement pension by the federal government for the five years he served in the Continental Army without pay. He lived the last couple years of his life in poverty, as a heavy drinker and supported himself on his pension by working a small piece of land. He laterShow MoreRelatedDaniel Shays Would you work for a government that expected you to put your life in jeopardy, did1000 Words   |  4 PagesDaniel Shays Would you work for a government that expected you to put your life in jeopardy, did not pay you for your service and then try to seize your house and property to settle your debts? This is exactly what Daniel Shays’ government tried to do to him after returning home injured during the Revolutionary War. 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Although there might be different opinions as to why the Americans abandoned the Articles of Confederation. However I believe that because of a weak

Ethics -Radio Shack Ceo Sacandal free essay sample

Ethics is the consideration of how human actions can improve or deteriorate the environments in which we work and live. In the wake of recent corporate scandals like Enron and WorldCom leading to trials and imprisonment of previously powerful (Chief Executing Officer) CEO’s public trust in CEO’s has diminished. Therefore when the story about the forged academic credentials of Dave Edmondson, CEO of Radio Shack came it re-ignited the mistrust. This paper will provide a brief background of the scandal and detailed analysis of the ethical issues involved and whether the actions taken by RadioShack were ethical or not. Background: Dave Edmondson was on a fast career track and was named CEO of Radio Shack in May 2005. In February, 2006 Radio Shack announced that its CEO, David Edmonson has resigned over questions raised over his resume. The Fort Worth Star- Telegram discovered that he had not earned degrees in theology and psychology from Heartland Baptist College as claimed on his resume. Moreover Edmonson had only finished two semesters at the college and the college did not even offer a psychology major. Edmonson admitted to the errors calling them â€Å"misstatements† and resigned in the aftermath of the corporate scandal. Analysis: The main issue about this case is not just forging of the academic credentials but how Radio Shack handled the case that generated criticism from public and turned it into a media circus. The basic hypernorms of honesty and integrity were not met by RadioShack in handling the situation. Edmondson did not display fairness towards Radio Shack by trying to communicate the value of knowledge via false degrees. It was not just the disappointing fact that Edmondson lied on his resume but what was equally troubling was the individual and corporate response to the scandal. Radio Shack supported its CEO and failed to give public any substantial answers. The ethical question then becomes that what is the responsibility of board of directors? Should they oversee the personal ethics of a CEO as long as he is driving the shareholders maximum value and yielding higher profits for he firm or they should step up and take responsibility for their own short comings, take the required action and set an example of driving the company by ethical values and standards not just profits? Radio shack displayed lack of responsibility as a company when it came to take ownership of the issue and failed to address the public with compassion and was unable to provide clarification regarding the r esume issue. From philosophical approach- consequentialism view holds that whether an act is morally right depends only on the consequences of that act. Edmondson’s decision to lie on his resume turned out to bring good consequences only for him in terms of a career hike. Deontology brings up these questions: Was Edmondson’s decision legal, fair, just or right? No, it was not and transparency and information sharing regarding the falsified resume might have led to different outcomes both for Edmondson and RadioShack. Considering the virtue ethics, did Edmondson and RadioShack’s decision demonstrate expected virtues? The company had built its image and reputation over many years. This reputation entailed virtues of trustworthiness, compassion, integrity and responsibility. It did not seem that Edmondson’s decision to not come clean was based on any of these considerations. He bluntly violated the virtue ethics. The stakeholders involved were shareholders, board of directors, employees and common people. He could be cut slack for being an ambitious young individual at the start of his career but how can the ignorance be overseen that in the years of making towards a CEO he never came clean. Infact when the scandal was raised and he was confronted he did not even admit right away. This displays lack of character and credibility. A company’s leader should be transparent and trustworthy. From a modified moral standards approach I feel that there wasn’t any net benefit to the company from his falsified educational claims. It was also not fair to all the stakeholders involved as there could have been a better candidate who got rejected due to a truthful but less flashy resume. Also the distribution of benefits was enjoyed by the CEO whereas the burdens were shared by him and the company equally in terms of a bad reputation and loss of public trust. Also RadioShack was not consistent with the virtues expected by its employees as they did not bring them and other stakeholders in the loop during the media frenzy which led to a discontented employee atmosphere. This also leads to question the monitoring and compliance at RadioShack. They had a code of conduct and code of ethics in place detailing the responsibilities of the employees but how realistically this was being followed can be easily criticized based on Edmondson’s case. I believe that company’s code of ethics should be incorporated in its values and system actions. Corporate risk can be reduced and even mitigated if the organization can align values for ethical motivation and action. Edmondson did take accountability of his unethical actions later and RadioShack’s board of directors also learned the hard way that blind support of a CEO without any solid evidence is unwise and can tarnish the reputation of the company. If they had accepted and reacted to responsibility as soon as the scandal broke the company would have been able to save its reputation and maintained credibility.