Introduction
British Columbia is found at the far east of Canada and is the sixth Canadian province. The country is known of its natural beauty and strategic positioning for functions like tourist and sporting activities. Its capital city is Victoria, which happens to be the fifteenth largest metropolitan region. The city according to census of 2008 had a total population of approximately 4,419,974 and its current head of state is Premier Gordon Campbell (Belanger, 2009).
The province has undergone massive improvement in different areas with the most notable one being the area of technology in all its processes. The provinces have well-structured infrastructures which have assisted in economic and social growth of the area. This paper looks into how ethic has changed over the past five years and how age distribution has changed over time.
Ethics
In the context of a country, ethics refers to respect of peoples fundamental rights and freedom. It means government measure that ensures that it can be held accountable by its people in the way it administers the country. Before the Second World War, countries were not concerned about the need for collaboration and integration to ensure that there is an economic development attained for the entire world.
After the Second World War; politicians engaged themselves in vigorous planning which were aimed at breaking trade hindrances and to promote interdependence which in turn reduces the possibility of future wars. This led to increase in international trade. British Columbia was not left behind but worked in collaboration with other countries to develop an international market. This led to globalization, which in turn increases the enlightenment of people.
In British Columbia people have been enlightened and are aware of their fundamental rights. In recognition of these rights, the government has developed measures aimed at this move. Secondly, to have an enhanced international trading, the company has embarked on massive infrastructure development where it has built road networks, railways, and ports. This is both to facilitate international and local trade (Kluckner, 2003).
Enlightened people have brought about the need for ethical conduct and management of the country. All persons in society, whether in private or public sector, product or services industry are concerned with ethics; Ethics is defined as the discipline dealing with what is good or bad and with moral duty and obligation. Thus, personal ethics has been referred to as the rules by which an individual lives his/her personal life.
Business ethics is concerned with truth, consultant’s fairness, and justice & accounting. Ethics pertains to the code that guides the professional conduct of aspects such as the expectations of society and customers, social responsibility, consumer autonomy, and corporate behavior in the home country as well as abroad. There is a big difference between personal ethics and business ethics but they interlock at different stages. The way the government respects its citizen is the element of ethics that we are talking about in this context.
In developing an ethical community, the government has embarked on the following areas;
Taxation
The taxation policy of the country respects all cannon of taxation with the most notable being the cannon of equality. The government has devised various taxation policies like income taxes, corporation taxes, and custom taxes. To facilitate ethics and ensure that people in the society enjoy the benefits brought about by payment of taxes, the province has an accountability system where citizens can enquire about certain issues regarding taxes. The budget of the province is the one that sets targets of taxes to be collected and distribute them to various developmental strategies (Johnston, 2008).
Globalization and Ethics
British Columbia is an international trading destination. The country is rich in agricultural production with Fraser and Okanagan valleys as the most notable fertile places.
The area is of good climate that attracts local international investors. It was the host country of 2010 Olympic Winter Games. This international participation and recognition has made the province to adopt international ethical standards. With increase in globalization, there is need for developing international ethical standards and codes to be applicable to all companies in the world.
British Columbia being an international trader needs to develop strong ethical codes for its good to have a wide market in international market. With advances in information communication technology, it will be easy to internationalize and communicate these standards and codes.
There is a precedent to go by. The International Accounting Standards Board has been able to develop international financial preparation and reporting standards that are being used all over the world today in preparing financial statements by companies worldwide.
They were previously not applicable in American companies, but since the recent corporate, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is requiring that they be made applicable to American companies too. With globalization, information can be shared and dispersed easily among nations. Innovators get a platform for borrowing ideas to assist them in their inventions. This can be from previous records where they are able to analyze them and extract the useful ones.
Globalization has opened countries to trade together. This has enabled people to know their rights. People are aware of the quality that they should be getting for a certain product. This has been enabled by globalization. The rights of human beings have been protected by globalization and thus businesses are compelled to act ethically in this effect. There are some set rules that are followed by trading countries; this is rules that protect and set the way of doing business.
There are some set rules that affect the way a certain business was conducted and thus unethical issues that had been practiced by some companies come out. An example of this is the way products are marketed, the way products are advertised and issues about pollution. It is after globalization was taken into place that a meeting was conducted in Copenhagen to discus about atmospheric pollution.
Many companies have been polluting the environment but the case came out clear after the meeting although it has not come out with successful solutions. Equity distribution; with globalization every country was able to understand how its resources were to be distributed. This was not the case initially and thus with the globalization it came clear of the oppression that colonists have had on the less developed (Palmer, 1987).
International Trade
British Columbia is an international trader where it has a comparative advantage in foodstuffs and recreational facilities. The country ensures that there are key elements in globalization. This is facilitated by the elimination of barriers to trade such as tariffs. International trade is the exchange of goods, services or capital between different countries. The country has opened her borders to the world and aims at attaining better goods and services to its citizens.
It has been in existence many years ago although much of its significance has been recognized recently. It has developed economically, politically, and socially with many countries becoming traders. International trade plays a very important role in ensuring continuity of globalization. It has benefited nations with variety of options to choose from which they would not have accessed without it (Barman, 1991).
Infrastructures
From an ethical point of view, when a country has well developed infrastructures it is a show of how well public funds are taken care of. By managing public funds, a country is seen to respect ethical standards and expectation of the people. British Columbia has highly modern developed infrastructures; these are both of transport and those of communication.
The systems are advanced so well that access to the country from any corner of the world is highly enhanced; the airports, the seaport, and internal transport are well managed and assessable. The communication network within and without is of high-tech. This is an asset to the business since it reduces the cost of doing business, on the other hand the international market are enhanced at all lengths.
The sectors have seen the private and public participation, this boosts the efficiency of the systems, and thus one can trade with approximate assumptions. There is what the government refers to as private public partnership that is aimed at maintaining the infrastructures (Anon, 2008). Infrastructure is made from public funds, which are implemented in different ways for the betterment of the country’s projects.
Human Right
Chapter 210 of the country’s constitution is “Human Rights Code.” The code offers a detailed analysis of the rights that human beings have. The constitution of the country offers its citizen’s human rights those that are offered globally and has some local recognition of rights. When people’s rights are recognized, they feel that they are treated ethically.
The constitution offer citizens fundamental rights and freedoms and ensure that they have been followed and respected. Human rights in the country protect its citizens from discrimination in areas of employment, housing, social service, and access to social services. To administer it further, there is a human right tribunal which is aimed to be a support service that ensures equality and justice in administration is attained (Johnston, 1996).
Financial Structures
British Columbia has well developed financial sector with the privatized and government participation in the sector. The banks are stable enough to sustain the growing economy. On the other hand, although this may not have a direct impact on our business there is the emergence of micro finance institutions in the country, the institutions are giving a lot of support to the small-scale trader evident in the country.
Thinking of the economy from that angle, it means that the manufacturing businesses will eventually benefit. Insurance companies are also a backbone of investment sector of an economy. The insurance companies are stable enough and can handle big losses without going under. At the same time, there are reinvestment insurance companies that help in maintaining stability even further. The banking sector has enabled firms to get loans at favorable rates.
The insurance and the banking sectors will thus have a direct and indirect effect. From a direct point it means we stand to benefit the efficiency of these institutions and from an indirect point is that as the other sectors get empowered the benefit trickle down to my business (Moline, 1992).
Technology
British Columbia is among the countries in the world that have the most advanced technology. This is through innovations embraced as well as importation of technology in the country. High technology assist in efficiency and reduction in the cost of production; this means that a business in British Columbia is more likely to produce quality and quantity at a very low price compared to other places in the world.
British Columbia has also embarked on improving the technologies of other countries to suit its system. This will be an advantage to the business. This implies that it was out of deliberate actions, supported by all sectors that made British Columbia decide to invest in technology. At the same angle, if you consider when it was decided to be so, it means there has been enough time for it to grow, and now the fruits of it is what is left to be enjoyed.
Age and Demographics
According to census report released in 2009, the population of the county stands at 4,419,974. Census results, which were released in 2005, showed the total number of population as 4,254,500. This shows that there is an increase in population over time. Population growth rate stands at 4.6%. The rate of birth stands at Birth rate, 9. 7 births p/1,000 this is slightly lower than Canadian average which is approximately 11 births in every 1000. The mortality rate stands at 2.3. % deaths per every 1000.0
Total fertility rate in Canada stands at 1.16. But in British Colombia it stands at 1.4 children born p/woman.
The rate of population increase has been brought about by modern life styles. There has been an increase in good health care in the country. Hospitals are well managed and insurance policies, which offer cover to citizens, have increased the living welfare of the people. The country has a well-structured schooling life where it follows British education system. The government takes different initiatives to ensure that there is adequate access and affordability of education. This is through offering loans facilities and free basic education.
The province has a wide range of ethnic groups both who are residents and immigrants to the province. The majority of the immigrants are not much old but have lived in the country for less than 30years.
British originated people are the dominant group in the province forming approximately a quarter of the population. This has led to a national language as English. British increase in number is as a result of massive immigration in earlier years. Over 57% of the population has an origin from British countries. The main countries that they originate from are England, Scotland, or Wales. This has made the country to have a British influence in the way things are conducted.
The greatest number of people in the country is Christians where minority religions include Muslims and Buddhism (Goldman, 1994).
Politics
Before 1903, there was no political parties or alliances held in the country. Richard McBride was the first person to introduce party politics in the province. He formed the first oppositional party called Conservative party. Since then there has been a tremendous increase in political parties and alliances. With increased campaigns to have democracy, the province has embarked on issues that have led to emergence of political parties in the efforts of looking for democracy.
Civil society is also empowered to ensure that the government has a close watch on the ways that it conducts its affairs. Human rights movements ensure that the government is developing measures that benefit the society. The province had a referendum in 1991 where they change their voting approach to incorporate petition in case a candidate feels offended by results of polls. The province also has fixed voting date. This is the only province, which has offered in the larger Canada.
Every citizen is given an equal chance to participate in a political movement of his choice. The law offers freedom of choice and association. When forming a political rally though, the law requires that you inform relevant authorities mostly the police force. When there is an issue that requires public interferences, opinion leaders can seek approval from central government to hold demonstrations against a certain issue (Schober, 2007).
Environmental Factors
The country has an environmental policy that aims at ensuring that its environment is well managed. The ministry of forestry is responsible of maintaining forests in the country where it works in collaboration with large licensed logging company to assist it in managing and maintaining forest.
On environmental damage the province has devised measures aimed at ensuring there are minimal gas emissions from factories as possible. It is also a signatory of Kyoto protocol (that was ratified in Japan, on 11 December 1997 and aimed to be fully implemented by 16 February 2005 as one of the measures). It was developed by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and ratified by 37 industrialized countries and European community.
The main aim of the protocol was to ensure that emission of green house gasses was reduced by 5% below their level in 1990 by the end of 2010. The protocol targeted the major greenhouse emitters and developed measures to be implemented. Its efforts to implement the protocol have been affected by capitalistic approach that the country has taken. There is a taxation policy where companies are expected to pay a tax for emitting of gases that pollute the environment.
Conclusion
British Columbia is found at the far east of Canada and is the sixth Canadian province. The province has emerged from a low developed area to a developed province. The main activities in the country are farming.
This is favored by good climate and massive fertile land. The government has enacted policies aimed at protecting the welfare of its population. Ethical conduct both nationally and internationally is emphasized. The population is on the rise and straining of resources is evident. There are environmental conservational measures put in place to retain the living standard of the county.
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