The Payment Time CaseThe Payment Time Case.docx

The Payment Time Case
Introduction
Many consulting firm hire statistical analysis to review their
internal processes as well as the effectiveness of their systems
in place. This study is based on a Stockton CA trucking
company that hired a firm to develop an electronic billing
system. This new and improved billing system has been
developed with the hope that it can provide its customers their
bills electronically with the hope that in turn the customer
makes payments sooner. Currently, it is taking 39 days from
the billing day to receive payment which is much higher than
the 30 days net it has set on the accounts. The organization is
hoping that this new billing systems will minimize the mean of

the current billing amount of days it current has by at least
50%. This would dramatically change from the current 39 days
mean to a hopeful 19.5 days, give or take.
Sample Test
The firm will take a sample of 65 invoices out of 7,823 invoices
from the first three months of billing it accumulates with the
new electronic billing system. The consulting firm has created
billing systems for many companies, however, this is the first
trucking company it develops a billing system. The population
mean in other systems they have created varies, but the standard
deviation normally stays around 4.2 days. For this same reason,
this study has provided us with some analytic questions to
review so that we can determine if the organization is on the
right track.
Effective New Billing
Assuming the standard deviation of the payment times for all
payments is 4.2 days, construct a 95% confidence interval
estimate to determine whether the new billing system was
effective. State the interpretation of 95% confidence interval
and state whether the billing system was effective ("How To
Use Excel To Calculate Confidence Interval", 2010).
Using the 95% confidence interval, can we be 95% confident
that µ ≤ 19.5 days?
Confidence Interval Estimate for the Mean
FORMULA CI=X ± Z×α/√N
95%
Data
Population Standard Deviation
4.2
Sample Mean
18.1077
Sample Size

65
Confidence Level
95%
Intermediate Calculations
Standard Error of the Mean
0.5209
Z Value
1.9600
Interval Half Width
1.0210
Sample Size
65
Confidence Level
95%
Confidence Interval
Interval Lower Limit
17.0867
Interval Upper Limit
19.1287
95% CI = (17.0867, 19.1287) less than 19.5. ("Confidence
Interval Calculator", 2017).
Our results achieve a 95% confident that µ ≤ 19.5 days. Both
the Internal lower and upper show results lower than the
original 19.5 days promised by the firm.
Using the 99% confidence interval, can we be 99% confident
that µ ≤ 19.5 days?
Confidence Interval Estimate for the Mean
FORMULA CI=X ± Z×α/√N
99%
Data

Population Standard Deviation
4.2
Sample Mean
18.1077
Sample Size
65
Confidence Level
99%
Intermediate Calculations
Standard Error of the Mean
0.5209
Z Value
2.5760
Interval Half Width
1.3419
Sample Size
65
Confidence Level
99%
Confidence Interval
Interval Lower Limit
16.7658
Interval Upper Limit
19.4496
Our results achieve a 99% confident that µ ≤ 19.5 days. Both
the Internal lower and upper show results lower than the
original 19.5 days promised by the firm.
If the population mean payment time is 19.5 days, what is the
probability of observing a sample mean payment time of 65
invoices less than or equal to 18.1077 days?
Z value for 18.1077 is z = (18.1077-19.5)/0.5209 = -2.67

P (mean x <18.1077) = P (z < -2.67) =0.0038
("Confidence Interval Calculator", 2017).
Conclusion
The firm has created a faster and more reliable billing system.
We have taken a sample of three months of billing for a total of
65 and our calculations show that under 95% and 99%, we are
still under the 19.5 days requirement to reduce the billing
period to more than 50%. This electronic billing system has
proven to be effective given the results from the sample taken.
Currently the sample sits at 65, but it can be increased if the
error of margin needs to be minimized from a hypothesis
perspective. But this sample has proven that it can accomplish
the goal that the trucking company wants to accomplish when
comparing to their current 39 days of invoices being paid.
References

Confidence Interval Calculator. (2017). Retrieved from
http://ncalculators.com/statistics/confidence-interval-
calculator.htm
How to use Excel to Calculate Confidence
Interval. (2010). Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siqx4PbqJ6s
Week 3 - Assignment
Rough Draft of Final Paper
In this course, you have looked at classical ethical theories of
utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. You have also
examined different perspectives on ethical issues introduced by
relativism, ethical egoism, and emotivism. For this paper, you
will apply these theories and perspectives to a current issue.
Choose an ethical issue to write about. You may choose from
the list below, or, with approval from the instructor, select a
different socially-relevant topic. It is recommended that you
choose a topic that you are familiar with or that you have some
interest in exploring further. For the purposes of this paper,
your topic should pertain to a current area of interest in the
news and/or government policy forums.
Possible Issues
· Corporate executive compensation
· Corporate contributions to political campaigns
· Human trafficking
· Mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex
· The media and their responsibilities
· Domestic surveillance
· Whistleblowing in government or in a business
· Religion in the workplace
· Ethical problems of gambling
· Progressive taxation rates
· Immigration reform in the U.S. and/or abroad
· Women’s equality
In your paper, you will apply ethical theories and perspectives
to the issue that you select. You do not have to use all six, but

you should apply at least two ethical theories and at least one
ethical perspective in your paper. Make sure that you write
primarily on ethical topics and concepts, aiming to be both
balanced and intellectually driven in your work. You may share
your personal views, but do not rely on opinions (yours or those
offered by others) to make your case. Think about the evidence
that helps to make your case and use it.
Address the following questions:
· What are the ethical issues?
· Where are there breaches of ethical behavior?
· How could each ethical theory you cite help people think
about what constitutes virtuous or ethical behavior?
Your draft must include at least three pages of text plus a title
page and a references page. Your draft should include a clear
thesis statement that states what you plan to argue. It should
also explain how you intend to develop the final paper and
include a list of the sources you intend to use. You can also use
the Sociology Research Guide located in the Ashford University
Library. Format your rough draft according to APA style and
properly cite and reference all your sources according to APA
format. If you would like to refer to APA samples and tutorials,
visit the Ashford Writing Center, located within the Learning
Resources tab in the left navigation bar of your online course.
Note: The final version of this paper will be 1500 to 1800
words, plus separate title and reference pages, and will use at
least five academic sources.
Running head: ETHICAL CONTRIBUTIONS 1
(Including a Running head and page numbers help to keep your
assignmentorganized.)
Are Contributions to Political Campaigns Ethical?

Joanna Student
SOC120: Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility
Dr. Ashford Instructor
June 20, 20XX
2016-08-16 15:18:01
---------------------------
-----------------
Please be sure to
note the format for the
ETHICAL CONTRIBUTIONS 2
Ethical Contributions to Political Campaigns
A question that comes up frequently in political discussions is
whether organizations
like corporations have too much influence over the political
landscape today. Corporations

have many resources through which to effect political change,
including lobbyists, quid pro
quo back door arrangements and campaign contributions.
Because these funds can have a
large influence on who wins elections and the legislation that
politicians support, it is
important for an educated citizenry to be aware of these
contributions, and to consider their
ethical implications. I will argue using the utilitarian and
deontology theories, indirect
contributions to political campaigns by organizations like
corporations and unions can be
ethical and should be allowed so long as there are sufficient
regulations in place to prevent
undue harm that might result from giving large organizations
too much influence over the
political process. I will contrast this view with that of ethical
egoism, which would argue that
such contributions are ethical inasmuch as they allow
corporations to pursue their own long
term interests.
According to the Federal Elections Commission (2004), “The
Federal Election Campaign

Act (the Act) places monetary limits on contributions to support
candidates for federal office
and prohibits contributions from certain sources.” However,
corporations are allowed to create
separate bank accounts and then make donations from these
accounts to political campaigns as
long as they are not connected directly to the operation of the
business. The Final Paper will
discuss what happens when corporations set up political action
committees or PACs.
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that actions are right or
wrong in proportion to
the degree to which they promote the happiness of all concerned
(Mill, 2008). Accordingly,
whether or not corporate campaign contributions are ethical will
depend on the overall
2016-08-16 15:18:14
-----------------------
---------------------
Begin the paper
2016-08-16 15:18:51
----------------------

----------------------
This section
includes a
h i itd
2016-08-16 15:19:15
-----------------------------
---------------
Government websites
can be useful sources of
information. Consider
using information
2016-08-16 15:19:34
----------------------------
----------------
This section
describes an ethical
theory ina thorough,
accurate and concise
manner 2016-08-16 15:19:58
----------------------------
----------------
It is good to begin

with a clear statement of
th i f th
consequences of such contributions. If a corporation’s making a
contribution results in better
overall consequences than not making it, or than making a
different contribution, then the
contribution would be considered ethical. On the other hand, if
the contribution results in more
harm than good, then the contribution would be unethical. For
instance, a contribution to a
candidate could be unethical if it results in benefits to the
corporation itself, but does so at the
expense of many others in the society. The primary question of
this paper is not whether particular
cases of such contributions are wrong, but whether corporate
contributions to political campaigns
are wrong in general; that is, does permitting them have greater
overall consequences than banning
them would have? I will argue that with careful oversight, the

benefits of such contributions can
outweigh their potential harms, so allowing them is ethical from
a utilitarian point of view.
There are various reasons that representatives of a corporation
may want to donate to a
political campaign. Corporations may be trying to advance their
particular organizational
objectives or they may stand to garner an economic benefit.
While a corporation will always
be concerned with its own future profits, this does not
necessarily conflict with the interests of
society as a whole. In many cases, attempting to have a political
influence that benefits the
corporation can also benefit society as a whole. For example, a
contribution that helps a
corporation to succeed in the market place can result in the
continued employment of
thousands of people, as well as the provision of important goods
and services at lower prices.
Another example of the positive use of political contributions
comes not from
corporations but from unions. According to the Center for
Responsive Politics (2016), the
largest all-time contributors to campaigns has been labor unions

such as the Service
Employees International Union (SEIU), which ranked number
one with $228,096,452 in
2016-08-16 15:20:21
-------------------------
-------------------
Apply ethical
viewpoints
2016-08-16 15:20:45
-------------------------
-------------------
Examples can
help to clarify
i i 2016-08-16 15:21:03
-------------------------
-------------------
This passage
clarifies the
2016-08-16 15:21:31
-------------------------------
-------------
Taking a few key
examples that can be referenced
throughout the paper is

donations since 1989. They were far ahead of the next two
contributors, which were the
National Education Association with $96,619,681 in donations
and the American Federation
of State/County/Municipal Employees Union with $96,445,616
in total contributions. The
millions of dollars from these political contributions have
served to promote the goals of their
union, which in turn promote the well-being of the many
members of the American work
force that they represent.
The Final Paper will further explore the role of PACs in
providing benefits to their
organizational members and society. Further, it will contrast
possible negative consequences
that can result from allowing corporate contributions, with
alternative approaches to
regulation.
Deontology

Deontology is the non-consequential ethical theory that the
outcome of an action should
never outweigh the action itself (Mosser, 2013). This means that
the individual matters equally to
the whole of the group, and pays special attention to people’s
inherent rights. Where
utilitarianism allows for a relatively negative outcome for a few
if the overall outcome benefits
the majority, deontology rejects any action where the outcome
is harmful. For example,
deontology can examine indirect political contributions by
organizations and deem them ethical
if all organizations are equally allowed to contribute. This
might require regulations on limits
and other tactics used by an organization in order to keep it fair
across the board.
This issue can also be examined at the micro level. When
evaluating the ethical nature of
campaign contributions, the nature of the political landscape
and the candidate or legislation
must also be taken into account. If a candidate or piece of
legislation will ultimately harm
people, even if only a few, deontology would not consider
contributing to those as ethical

because the outcome is harmful. In deontology, the ends can
never justify the means to get there.
Just as when applying utilitarianism to this issue, there will
always be specific cases that must be
2016-08-16 15:21:55
-----------------------------
---------------
Throughout the
paper, thoroughly explain
how the rough draft
assignment will be
2016-08-16 15:22:14
-----------------------------
---------------
This section also
begins with a clear statement
of the theory,
f ll d b
examined and considered before the action is deemed ethical.
The Final Paper will explore what current regulations are in
place regarding contributions
by organizations. It will also examine specific research findings

related to financial contributions
made by organizations to see if previous actions have resulted
in negative consequences or harm.
Ethical Egoism
Ethical egoism is the moral theory that one should do whatever
is in one’s own
interests (Mosser, 2013). This does not mean that one should do
whatever one feels like in the
moment, but that one should work hard to promote one’s
greatest long-term success. When
corporations donate to political campaigns, they generally will
do so with the goal of
promoting their own financial interests and thus are acting
ethically according to the egoist
theory. Some may feel that this kind of self-interested influence
is unethical. One can imagine
a business supporting legislation that promotes its own interests
to the detriment of society as
a whole. For example, corporations have often used their
considerable influence to create
legislation favorable to their own interests but not to the
interests of employees, human rights,
or the environment (Burley & Hoedeman, 2011). Because a lot

of harm can come to society
from such influence, some may feel that this degree of power in
the hands of self-interested
corporations should not be allowed.
The Final Paper will further explore the metric by which we
measure the ethicality of
an action based on its overall social consequences and, drawing
from the ideas of Smith
(2007) and others, evaluate the societal implications of
corporate pursuit of self-interest.
2016-08-16 15:22:52
---------------------------
-----------------
Employ persuasive
and applicable information
from credible
sources to develop
an ample analysis
or synthesis of the
topic
2016-08-16 15:23:13
----------------------------
----------------
Considering strong
objections is sometimes the
best way to
strengthen your

Conclusion
Donations from organizations to political campaigns can drive
legislation and thus
have a major influence on public policy in this country. While
this influence can have
positive and negative impacts, this paper argues that such
contributions should be allowed as
they satisfy the ethical egoist goal of allowing corporations to
promote their own interests,
and, at least when regulated, can satisfy the utilitarian and
deontology goals of promoting a
happier society as well. One significant difference between the
approaches is that the
utilitarian and deontology view would insist on certain
regulations designed to limit the
harmful results that could result from organizations donating in
ways that promote their own
interests. However, the ethical egoist would disagree, and
maintain that the freedom of

organizations to promote their interests has the highest priority;
thus, the egoist would likely
oppose most kinds of regulations on political contributions by
organizations. Both theories
appear to agree, however, that, at least when carefully
regulated, corporations should be
allowed to make political contributions that further their long-
term interests.
2016-08-16 15:23:32
---------------------------
-----------------
This learner ends
this paper by providing a
2016-08-16 15:23:51
---------------------------
-----------------
Independently and
accurately apply ethical
2016-08-16 15:24:15
---------------------------
-----------------
It is nice to close
with a brief

References
Burley, H., & Hoedeman, O. (2011, January). The best influence
money can buy – The 10 worst
corporate lobbyists. New Internationalist Magazine, 439.
Retrieved from
https://newint.org/features/2011/01/01/10-worst-corporate-
lobbyists
Center for Responsive Politics (2016). Service employees
international union. Retrieved from
http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=d000000077
&cycle=2010
Mill, J. S. (2008). Utilitarianism. In J. Bennett (Ed.), Early
Modern Philosophy. Retrieved from
http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/mill1863.pdf
(Original work published
1863)
Mosser, K. (2013). Ethics and social responsibility (2nd ed.).
Retrieved from

https://content.ashford.edu
Smith, A. (2007). An inquiry into the nature and causes of the
wealth of nations. In S. M. Soares
(Ed.), MetaLibri Digital Library. Retrieved from
http://www.ibiblio.org/ml/libri/s/SmithA_WealthNations_p.pdf
(Original work published
1776)
2016-08-16 15:24:34
---------------------------
-----------------
The references
page is separate

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