Top Glove Corporation Berhad Analysis

Top Glove Corporation Berhad Analysis Globalization opens new opportunities to every one of us. At the same time, it intensifies the challenges before us. This report begins by introducing globalization and the rise of the multinational corporation. Subsequently, it would discuss the benefits and indentify the challenges that the selected company (Top Glove Corporation Ltd) encountered when doing business internationally. This multinational company is the worlds largest rubber glove manufacturer operates in three principal geographical areas of the world. It will conclude by presenting a brief consideration for a multinational corporation in operating business abroad. A multinational corporation is refers to any business that has productive activities in two or more countries. Typically, a multinational corporation develops new products in its home country and manufacturers them abroad. An international trade is refers to an exchange of goods and services with foreign countries. The falling barriers to cross-border trade made it easier for todays firms to sell internationally. Still, foreign direct investment (FDI) is when a firm making a physical investment into building a new factory to produce or market a product in another country. During the 1920s and 30s, various trade barriers raised by worlds nation government have contributed to the Great Depression of the 1930s (Hill, 2009, p.11). However, the emergence of global institutions such as GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) and WTO (World Trade Organization) has successfully lowering the trade and investment barriers between countries and enabled more companies involved in international trade and investment. Besides, technological, market, cost and competitive factors had contributed to the growth of globalization. Many opportunities had produced in an international business. A multinational company can expand its revenues by selling products and services worldwide by producing in nations where key operation costs such as labor, are cheap. As markets globalize, organizations increasingly engage in cross-broader trade and investments indicating that managers need to recognize that the task of managing an international business is differs from that of managing a purely domestic business in many ways. In international settings, manager in a multinational company is confronted with a range of issues that the manager in pure domestic business that would never confronts. Countries differences in political systems, economic systems, culture, legal systems pose a challenge to the manager because these differences require the manager to vary its practices country by country. Corporate Profile Top Glove was established and founded by the husband and wife team of Dr. Lim Wee Chai and Mrs. Tong Siew Bee in year 1991. Dr. Lim Wee Chai was appointed as the Chairman of Top Glove Corporation Ltd on 4 September 2000; he has more than 20 years of experience in the rubber and latex manufacturing business. Co-founder Mrs. Tong Siew Bee was appointed as an Executive Director of Top Glove on 4 September 2000, she has more than 10 years experience in the information technology field. The history of Top Glove stretches back 18 years when Dr. Lim brings a wealth of experience in the marketing of consumer products whilst he was the Sales Manager of a subsidiary company OYL Industries Ltd to set up Top Glove Pte Ltd in 1991. In spite of his first own glove manufacturing and trading business with only three production lines, the manufacture has gone through many changes in its corporate direction, the company survived through chaotic times during the Asian financial crisis in 1997 to 1998. The company was successfully listed in the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in year 2001. In a short span of slightly more than a year, Top Glove Corporation Ltds listing has been successfully promoted from the Second Board to the Main Board of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange on May 16, 2002. Since its inception in Malaysia in 1991, Top Glove had evoked from 1 factory in 1991 with 3 production lines to 20 factories in 3 countries and expanded this business to be the worlds largest rubber glove manufacturer. There are 14 factories in Malaysia, 2 factories in China, 2 glove manufacturing factories and 2 latex concentration plants in Thailand. With 379 glove production lines, Top Glove has a huge production capacity of over 33 billion pieces per annum. Today, Top Gloves customers consist of glove importers and distributors from all over the world, mainly from the U.S. and Europe. The company has comprehensive range of top quality products such as Latex Examination Gloves(powdered and powder-free), Latex Examination Gloves(Powder free), Colored and Flavored (Mint)Gloves, Soft Nitrile Gloves, Surgical Gloves, Vinyl Gloves, Household Gloves, Polyethylene(PE) gloves, Stretchy Vinyl Gloves, Clean room Gloves, and Polyethylene(PE) Aprons. These top quality products used in variety industry such as medical, food and services, dental, automotive, electronic and laboratory sectors. Top Glove has a market capitalization of RM3.7 billion as at 31 August 2010. The corporation posted a sales revenue of RM2.08 billion in FYE2010, it was an increase of 36% from RM1.53 billion last year while profit after tax of RM250 million rose 49% from RM168 million. (Top Glove, Annual Report 2010). The company continuous invests in RD and collaborates with Rubber Research Institute (RRI) and the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB), Top Glove is at the forefront of new development in rubber research technology. The upgrading and collaborations of RD is to enable Top Glove to be a world class of cost effective producer with the most extensive range of premium quality glove products. Benefits As a result of the falling barriers to the free flows of goods and services, declining telecommunications and transportation costs, the volume of cross broader trade and investment has been growing rapidly indicating that there are many companies go global. All these factors made it easier for companies to invest abroad and resulted the growth of multinational companies. This section is to elaborate possible benefits that Top Glove acquires while venturing abroad. Benefits of Globalize Production According to Hill (2009, p.7), the globalization of production refers to the sourcing of goods and services from locations around the globe to take advantage of national differences in the cost and quality of factors of production (such as labor, energy, land and capital). By doing this, a multinational company would be able to lower down overall cost structure and improve the quality of its products offering. According to Mr. Lim Cheong Guan (Executive Director of Top Glove Corp), he said that foreign workers account for about 50 to 60 percent of the groups total workers. Although the cost of hiring foreign workers slightly higher, it is not significant as it can be offset by improvement productivity through the huge base of workers (Top Glove, 2010). For example, when setting up plants abroad particularly in China, the large young and literate labor force available in China provides more choices for the company to recruit the skilled labors that are inaccessible in Malaysia. Thus, with this characteristic, the production in China can be enlarged in a low cost manner. Furthermore, lower land acquisition cost coupled with lower administrative cost grants Top Glove operate its business economically and desirable in the host country. On top of that, having factories in foreign market (e.g. Top Glove (Zhangjiagang) Co. Ltd in China and Great Glove (Thailand) Co., Ltd in Thailand) would enable the company to realize location economy because the high transportation costs can be avoided and it is more preferable for the company to distribute its products within the country besides than exporting. Expand Sales and Income Globalization can provide Top Glove a new source of income. As a multinational corporation, apart from serving the local needs, the firm can also enjoy the sales from the overseas business. For example, Top Glove has more than 900 customers and its products are exported to more than 180 countries. Based on the company website, most of its products cater for export market, sales revenue mainly from Europe 33%, North America 29%, Latin America 20% and Rest of the World 18%. Therefore, the overall business profit can be multiplied through the increasing revenues outside of the home country. International Diversification As mentioned earlier, Top Gloves has a wide export markets. Thus, as the company diversifies its market, it becomes less vulnerable to the changes in local demand. In other words, it spread risk by avoiding having all eggs in a single basket. For instance, in the case of local market goes saturated or other factor such as interest rate raised by local government, when operating in such a huge market can insure Top Glove against such risks. According to Shapiro and Sarin (2009, p.19-20), the foreign cash flows generally are not perfectly correlated with those of domestic investments, the greater riskiness of individual projects overseas can well be offset by beneficial portfolio effects. This has meant that a multinational company like Top Glove would be able to reduce taxes and avoid tight currency control through foreign direct investment having relied on the existence of financial market imperfections. We have better profit, good cash flow and a very healthy balance sheet said by Chairman Dr. Lim Wee Chai in an interview (Porter and Li, 2010). This also implies that the greater cash flow would enable the corporation to acquire potential business or to pay out dividends to its shareholders. Competitive Advantages With regards to the glove industry manufacturers like Kossan Rubber Industries Berhad, Supermax Corporation Bhd, Hartalega Holdings Berhad are the major competitors in the local market. However, operate business globally can aid in minimizing such competitive risks. For example, when profits made by the export sales can be used to upgrade or strengthen the domestic business toward less vulnerable on local competition. Challenges This paper does not focus solely on the benefits of doing international business but also addresses concerns about the challenges that Top Glove have experienced when venturing abroad. These challenges are thus discussed in depth in this section. Difficulty in International Management Based on the company website, currently Top Glove has 20 factories in 3 geographical areas include Malaysia, China and Thailand with a total number of 10, 900 employees. However, its size could also work against its favour as it is more difficult for the management to keep a close eye on all its operations. Most importantly, the differences levels of economic development and legal system among countries complicated the staffing and compensation activities. According to Lane (2009), most countries have an official language, a single basic legal system, a system of government, yet these practices and relationship are often different from those in the country next door. Country is thus a very important type of culture to account for an international business. For example, the journey in the ventured countries not smooth as Top Glove had to deal with different cultures and mindsets, particularly in China with its ever-changing policies. Latex Output and Price Fluctuations For any manufacturers, raw materials are the main concerned. Based on the annual report 2010, raw material like latex is the major costs components of glove products. They were concern over high raw material cost as the latex prices remained at a high of more than RM8 per kg. The crude oil price movement and speculation are the factors that make latex price fluctuate irregularly. Moreover, the output of latex may be shrunk due to weather impact. The varying on latex output may affect the gloves production. Thus, latex price volatility will affect the corporations costs and margins, and there will be time lag on passing on the gloves to customers in different geographical areas when shortage of latex. Competitors As mentioned earlier, Top Glove is facing several major local competitors within the glove industry. In global marketplace, the company is also facing with numerous global competitors such as Kimberly-Clark Corporation (U.S.), Ansell Ltd (Australia), Allfun Enterprise Co., Ltd. (China) and many others. These manufacturers are thus geared towards increasing capacity and offering gloves at the lower prices. Therefore, the domestic competition coupled with global competition result in difficulty in securing orders from overseas markets. Environmental Issues Another challenge is where all operation decisions have some kind of environmental impact. The addition of chemicals in latex compounding, discharge of residual latex containing toxic chemicals and disposal of rejected gloves i.e. not meeting product specifications are the headstream of generating waste materials. These waste materials resulted water pollution, health-related problems for workers and local community. The environmental issues not only challenge the local operation, but also a tough issue when producing gloves in overseas such as in China and Thailand. As a result, the manufacturer is looking ways in reducing and minimizing wastes. Currency Exposure Top gloves main income came from its export sales and all its exports are denominated in U.S. dollar. The reporting currency for the company is the Malaysian Ringgit (MYR). In fact, MYR was actually strengthening against the dollar throughout the year 2010. This may put the company in an unfavourable position as the profits would be contracted when converted from U.S. dollar to RM. According to Top Gloves executive director Lim Cheong Guan, he said that the weakening US dollar hurt the company financial results; the company has incurred forex losses totaling RM21 million in FY10 (Top Glove,2010). This is such a challenge to the corporation to grow at the rate they have been growing in past few years. Moreover, currency fluctuation can impact competitive positions, product prices, payable and receivable and ultimately the value of the firm itself. Conclusion Discussion above has revealed that benefits and challenges are associated with doing business internationally. According to a research done by Foong (2010), Malaysia produces 65% of the worlds latex gloves. Top Glove is in the leading position in the industry with 23% global market share. This was the contributions from its wide range of product offering coupled with export markets. It also indicates that Top Gloves management team truly understands that most of the markets opportunities are outside of the home country, thus only doing business internationally can provide growth opportunities and allow firms to receive substantial sales and income. It can be seen that the firm mainly rely on exporting entry mode into foreign market although has few factories in overseas. Generally speaking, export may help the firm to experience economic of scale and avoid substantial costs of establishing manufacturing operations in the host country. By producing in a large volume and exporting to other national markets may enable the firm to realize substantial economies from its global sales volume. However, it is believed that its exporting has pitfall too. High transportation costs are associated when its products are exported over a long distance such as Latin America, Europe, and Africa. Additionally, abrupt trade policy such as tariffs imposed by host government may prevent international trade which is very risky to the company as well. Managers within international business must develop strategies and policies for dealing with such interventions. As stated in the annual report, Top Glove has a great cash flow. Hence, it would be good for the company to make a merger and acquisition (MA) as it gives immediate access to trained labor force, existing customers and an immediate source of revenue. This requires the international manager to conduct a detailed research otherwise a bad acquisition can be costly. In addition, it can be seen that Top Glove is confronting with quite a number of challenges. It is quite challenging when managing a large number of workforces. Managers in Top Glove have to decide how to staff key management post in the company, how to develop managers so that they are familiar with the subtle differences of when they are based in different countries, and how to compensate people as to retain highly skilled labors. After all, managing a global business is not that easy, it requires manager to see things globally, that is, see the bigger and broader picture by constantly scanning the geographical horizon to learn more about potential markets, competitors as well as technological changes. In a nutshell, a multinational company in complex international settings not only overcoming challenges; but should always prepared for market opportunities. References Foong, M. (2010). Rubber gloves. Gloving the world. Deutsche bank global market research company. Retrieved Nov 25, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.google.com.my/url?sa=tsource=webcd=4ved=0CCwQFjADurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.supermax.com.my%2Fhtml%2Ffiledownload.aspx%3Ffile%3DDEUTSCHE%2520BANK%2520-20100510.PDFei=EvrxTOiPLIGwvgP5rtDJDQusg=AFQjCNGCxYKsiGoK8eHAsnwf5s0NYvRT2w Hill, C. W. (2009). International business: competing in the global marketplace (7th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Lane, Henry W.. International management behavior: leading with a global mindset. 6th ed. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley, 2009 Porter, B. and Li, S. (2010). Top Glove Targets 40% Profit Distribution This Year (Update1). Bloomberg Business Week. Retrieved Nov 24, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-21/top-glove-targets-40-profit-distribution-this-year-update1-.html Shapiro, A. C., Sarin, A. (2009). Foundations of multinational financial management (6th ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley Sons. Top Glove Co, Ltd (2010). Retrieved Nov 28, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.topglove.com.my/index.htm Top Glove Co. Ltd. (2010). Retrieved Nov 22, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.topglove.com.my/news/2010/news_208.htm Top Glove Co. Ltd. (2010) Annual Report 2010. Retrieved Nov 27, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.topglove.com.my/IR-ar.htm Top Glove expects growth to slow in 2011. (2010) TheMalaysianinsider.com Retrieved Nov 24, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/business/article/top-glove-expects-growth-to-slow-in-2011/

Autoimmune Disease Called Lupus Health And Social Care Essay

Lupus has no known cause, it is a complex disease. Lupus can be linked to familial, environmental, and hormonal factors. Scientists believe there is no individual cistron that give people lupus, but suggest the badness of the disease and which tissues and variety meats are affected. SLE can impact the organic structure system otherwise individual to individual. These systems can be affected by lupus. The kidneys, this cause redness of the kidneys and can impair their ability to acquire rid of waste merchandise and other toxins from the organic structure. The lungs, people with lupus develop pleuritis, and redness of the liner of the chest pit that cause thorax hurting and they may besides acquire pneumonia. The cardinal nervous system, lupus affect the encephalon and can do concerns, giddiness, depression, memory perturbations, vision job ictuss, shot, or alterations in behaviour. The blood vass become inflames and impact the circulation through the organic structure. In the blood, p eople with lupus develop anaemia, leucopenia or thrombopenia. Thrombocytopenia is when the thrombocytes in the blood, that assist in coagulating are decrease in Numberss. In lupus the bosom can go inflamed besides destructing the bosom valves. A patient with lupus can besides hold sjogren syndrome. This cause dry eyes and dry oral cavity. The people with lupus will hold many different symptoms or oncomings. These symptoms are fatigue, hurting and puffiness in the articulations and musculuss, a batch like people with arthritis, clamber roseola that may look across the face, ear, upper weaponries, thorax, and organic structure parts expose to the Sun, photosensivity, unexplained febrilities, unwritten ulcers, pericarditis, concerns, giddiness, depression, confusion, ictuss, psychosis, unusual hair loss, picket or violet fingers or toes from emphasis or cold. These symptoms range from mild to severe and different from individual to individual ( 2011 ) Handout on wellness ) . SLE is a disease that is largely in immature adult females than in males. It is in the organic structure from birth to decease, and takes action between the age of 15 and 40. Because SLE often affects adult females of childbearing age, gestation is an of import issue. About 25 % of all babes born to female parents with SLE are premature ( 2011 ) Handout on wellness ) . Most babes born to female parents with SLE are normal. However, a rare status called neonatal lupus causes a babe of a female parent with SLE to develop a tegument roseola, liver or blood jobs, and a serious bosom conditions. In pregnant adult females, lupus can cause30 % them to hold a abortion ( Ferrara, E. ( 2010 ) . This disease is found in chiefly inkinesss. There is a possibility it can be found in Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans. It is hard to name people with lupus.For the physician to state a patient they have lupus, When naming lupus, the physician looks at the medical history of that patient, a compl ete physical scrutiny, complete blood count, erythrocyte deposit rate, uranalysis, blood chemical sciences, complete degrees, anti-DNA, anti-Sm, anti-RNP, anti-Ro, antiaa‚ ¬ † La and anticardiolipin antibody trial. There are other laboratory trials to look into the advancement. The physician besides has the patient make some X raies and other imaging trial to look into for variety meats consequence by SLE ( 2011 ) Handout on wellness ) . It can take up old ages of proving.sometimes other disease will mime the lupus and new accruing symptoms can lift which would assist or do the diagnose take longer.one have to be really patient and willing as for the physician has to hold good cognition of the disease and good communication accomplishments.sometimes. Healthy people can prove positive for antinuclear antibodies due to an infection or an autoimmune disease and non hold lupus. In most people with lupus they test positive for antinuclear antibodies. If the organic structur e is infected the physicians may hold a biopsy ordered to look into their tegument and kidneys ( Ferrara, E. ( 2010 ) . There are several physicians involve in a patient attention. The physicians included are rheumatologists ( one who treats arthritis and inflammatory upsets of the immune system ) , an immunologist ( physician specialize in immune system upset ) , few nurses, psychologist, societal workers, skin doctor, nephrologist, haematologist, heart specialist, endocrinologist, and the brain doctor. Treatment for lupus is to forestall the flairs, handle them when they rise and to minimise organ harm. Doctors can learn a patient to acknowledge the warning mark of the flairs and being able to keep it. A physician may choose from legion intervention options, including ordering one or more drugs to antagonize hurting, redness, and related jobs ( Ferrara, E. ( 2010 ) . Lupus is non curable but it can be managed with medicines. Many patients are instructed to take Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs known as NSAIDS. It is used to handle musculoskeletal jobs and to assist keep febrilities. Hydroxcychloroquine ( Plaquenil ) and chloroquine ( Aralen ) is used to command SLE arthritis, roseolas, oral cavity ulcers, weariness and febrilities. These drugs sometimes take few months before taking affect. The physician will besides order corticosterohe AIDSs to assist with the cutaneal manifestations, arthritis and serositis. If the patient has major organ issues, the physician would order a higher dosage of steroid. They may be given 1 gm of methyprenisolone by endovenous bolus injection. Cytotoxic drugs can be given to handle musculuss or articulations, major variety meats like the kidneys. The patient taking these drugs need to be monitored for serious inauspicious drug reactions like bone narrow suppression and increased susceptibleness to infections ( Roone, J. ( 2005 ) . A figure of alternate interventions have been suggested to assist cut down the symptoms of SLE. There is stylostixis and massage for alleviating the hurting of sore articulations and musculuss. Stress direction, speculation, hypnotherapy, and yoga can be helpful in relaxation. Eating whole nutrients diet with decreased sums of ruddy meat and dairy merchandises can cut down hurting and redness. Food allergic reactions are believed either to lend to SLE or to originate as a effect of the digestive troubles. It may be good eating more fish that contain omega-3 fatty acids, like mackerel, pilchards, and salmon. Vitamins B, C, and E, every bit good as Se, Zn, Mg, and a complete hint mineral addendum have been suggested to better the wellness of SLE patients. Vitamin A is believed to assist better disklike tegument roseolas. Botanic medical specialty can assist the full organic structure through immune transition and detoxification, every bit good as helping single variety meats and system s. Homeopathy and flower kernels can work profoundly on the emotional degree to assist people with this hard disease ( Carson-DeWitt, R. ( 2006 ) . The Center for Disease Control and Prevention provinces that the morbidity and mortality can be due late diagnosing, jobs in entree attention, less effectual interventions, and hapless conformity with curative regiments. The needed, resource aa‚ ¬ † intense surveies are done in little countries. The estimation scope from 1.8 to 7.6 instances per 100,000 individuals per twelvemonth in the United States. I n 19979-1980 Numberss of decease with lupus increased from 879-1,406.Among adult females it is 5 ten higher than in work forces. In inkinesss the decease is 3x higher than in Whites. The cause of decease is chiefly because of organ failure like the kidney, infections and cardiovascular disease. The infirmary stay is longer due to a patient without lupus. In Lupus, the ambulatory attention was listed 1,032,000 in 2001-2005.There is no national cost listed. Populating with lupus can be really ambitious. The achings associated with lupus can be changeless and intolerable. When I wake in the forenoon, I feel like my organic structure went through a compactor. Geting out of bed takes so much out of me because of the tormenting hurting but I know by leting my organic structure to acquire in gesture. Once I get my organic structure in gesture, I feel better, nevertheless I do experience tyre and still see organic structure achings throughout the twenty-four hours. My degree of energy is low. Physical activity is non appealing. At the terminal of the twenty-four hours, am exhausted and the terrible hurting starts ( Annie Jolly,2011 ) .

Rosalind Franklin Discovered DNA Structure

Rosalind Franklin is known for her role (largely unacknowledged during her lifetime) in discovering the helical structure of DNA, a discovery credited to Watson, Crick, and Wilkins—received a Nobel Prize for physiology and medicine in 1962.  Franklin might have been included in that prize, had she lived.  She was born on July 25, 1920, and died on April 16, 1958.  she was a biophysicist, physical chemist, and molecular biologist. Early Life Rosalind Franklin was born in London. Her family was well-off; her father worked as a banker with socialist leanings and taught at the Working Mens College. Her family was active in the public sphere. A paternal great-uncle was the first practicing Jew to serve in the British Cabinet. An aunt was involved with the womens suffrage movement and trade union organizing. Her parents were involved in resettling Jews from Europe. Studies Rosalind Franklin developed her interest in science at school, and by age 15 she decided to become a chemist. She had to overcome the opposition of her father, who did not want her to attend college or become a scientist; he preferred that she go into social work. She earned her Ph.D. in chemistry in 1945 at Cambridge. After graduating, Rosalind Franklin stayed and worked for a while at Cambridge and then took a job in the coal industry, applying her knowledge and skill to the structure of coal. She went from that position to Paris, where she worked with Jacques Mering and developed techniques in x-ray crystallography, a leading-edge technique to explore the structure of the atoms in molecules. Studying DNA Rosalind Franklin joined the scientists at the Medical Research Unit, Kings College when John Randall recruited her to work on the structure of DNA. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) was originally discovered in 1898 by Johann Miescher, and it was known that it was a key to genetics. But it was not until the middle of the 20th century when scientific methods had developed to where the actual structure of the molecule could be discovered, and Rosalind Franklins work was key to that methodology. Rosalind Franklin worked on the DNA molecule from 1951 until 1953. Using x-ray crystallography, she took photographs of the B version of the molecule. A co-worker with whom Franklin did not have a good working relationship, Maurice H.F. Wilkins, showed Franklins photographs of DNA to James Watson—without Franklins permission. Watson and his research partner Francis Crick were working independently on the structure of DNA, and Watson realized that these photographs were the scientific evidence they needed to prove that the DNA molecule was a double-stranded helix. While Watson, in his account of the discovery of the structure of DNA, largely dismissed Franklins role in the discovery, Crick later admitted that Franklin had been only two steps away from the solution herself. Randall had decided that the lab would not work with DNA, and so by the time her paper was published, she had moved on to Birkbeck College and the study of the structure of the tobacco mosaic virus, and she showed the helix structure of the virus RNA. She worked at Birkbeck for John Desmond Bernal and with Aaron Klug, whose 1982 Nobel Prize was based in part on his work with Franklin. Cancer In 1956, Franklin discovered she had tumors in her abdomen. She continued to work while undergoing treatment for cancer. She was hospitalized at the end of 1957, returned to work in early 1958, but soon became unable to work. She died in April. Rosalind Franklin did not marry or have children; she conceived of her choice to go into science as giving up marriage and children. Legacy Watson, Crick, and Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine in 1962, four years after Franklin died. The Nobel Prize rules limit the number of people for an award to three and also limit the award to those who are still alive, so Franklin was not eligible for the Nobel. Nevertheless, many have thought that she deserved explicit mention in the award and that her key role in confirming the structure of DNA was overlooked because of her early death and the attitudes of the scientists of the time toward women scientists. Watsons book recounting his role in the discovery of DNA displays his dismissive attitude toward Rosy. Cricks description of Franklins role was less negative than Watsons, and Wilkins mentioned Franklin when he accepted the Nobel. Anne Sayre wrote a biography of Rosalind Franklin, responding to the lack of credit given to her and the descriptions of Franklin by Watson and others. The wife of another scientist at the laboratory and a friend of Franklin, Sayre describes the clash of personalities and the sexism that Franklin faced in her work. Aaron Klug used Franklins notebooks to show how close she had come to independently discovering the structure of DNA. In 2004, the Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School changed its name to the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science to honor Franklins role in science and medicine. Career Highlights Fellowship, Cambridge, 1941-42: gas-phase chromatography, working with Ronald Norrish (Norrish won a 1967 Nobel in chemistry)British Coal Utilisation Research Association, 1942-46: studied physical structure of coal and graphiteLaboratoire Central des Services Chimiques de lEtat, Paris, 1947-1950: worked with x-ray crystallography, working with Jacques MeringMedical Research Unit, Kings College, London; Turner-Newall fellowship, 1950-1953: worked on the structure of DNABirkbeck College, 1953-1958; studied tobacco mosaic virus and RNA Education St. Pauls Girls School, London: one of the few schools for girls that included scientific studyNewnham College, Cambridge, 1938-1941, graduated 1941 in chemistryCambridge, Ph.D. in chemistry, 1945 Family Father: Ellis FranklinMother: Muriel Waley FranklinRosalind Franklin was one of four children, the only daughter Religious Heritage: Jewish, later became an agnostic Also known as:  Rosalind Elsie Franklin, Rosalind E. Franklin Key Writings by or About Rosalind Franklin Rosalind Franklin and Raymond G. Gosling [research student working with Franklin]. Article in Nature published April 25, 1953, with Franklins photograph of the B form of DNA. In the same issue as Watson and Cricks article announcing the double-helix structure of DNA.J. D. Bernal. Dr. Rosalind E. Franklin. Nature 182, 1958.James D. Watson. The Double Helix. 1968.Aaron Klug, Rosalind Franklin and the discovery of the structure of DNA. Nature 219, 1968.Robert Olby. The Path to the Double Helix. 1974.Anne Sayre. Rosalind Franklin and DNA. 1975.Brenda Maddox. Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA. 2002.

The Philosophy of Honesty

What does it take to be honest? Although often invoked, the concept of honesty is quite tricky to characterize. Taking a closer look, it is a cognate notion of authenticity. Heres why. Truth and Honesty While it may be tempting to define honesty as speaking the truth and abiding by the rules, this is an overly-simplistic view of a complex concept. Telling the truth—the whole truth—is at times practically and theoretically impossible as well as morally not required or even wrong. Suppose your new partner asks you to be honest about what you have done over the past week, when you were apart: does this mean you’ll have to tell everything you have done? Not only you may not have enough time and you won’t recall all details, but is everything really relevant? Should you also talk about the surprise party you are organizing for next week for your partner? The relationship between honesty and truth is much more subtle. What is truth about a person, anyway? When a judge asks a witness to tell the truth about what happened that day, the request cannot be for any particular whatsoever but only for relevant ones. Who is to say which particulars are relevant? Honesty and the Self Those few remarks should be sufficient in clearing up the intricate relationship there is between honesty and the construction of a self. Being honest involves the capacity to select, in a way that is context-sensitive, certain particulars about our lives. At the very least honesty requires an understanding of how our actions do or do not fit within rules and expectations of the Other—where the latter stands for any person we feel obliged to report to, including ourselves. Honesty and Authenticity But theres to the relationship between honesty and the self. Have you been honest with yourself? That is indeed a major question, discussed not only by figures such as Plato and Kierkegaard, but also in David Hume’s Philosophical Honesty. To be honest to ourselves seems to be a key part of what it takes to be authentic: only those who can face themselves, in all their own peculiarity, seem to be capable of developing a persona that is true to herself—hence, authentic. Honesty as a Disposition If honesty is not telling the whole truth, what is it? One way to characterize it, typically adopted in virtue ethics (that school of ethics that developed from Aristotle’s teachings), makes honesty into a disposition. Here goes my rendering of the topic. A person is honest when he or she possesses the disposition to face the Other by making explicit all those details that are relevant to the conversation at issue. The disposition in question is a tendency which has been cultivated over time. That is, an honest person is one that has developed the habit of bringing forward to the Other all those details of his or her life that seem relevant in conversation with the Other. The ability to discern that which is relevant is part of honesty and is, if course, quite a complex skill to possess. Further Readings Despite its centrality in ordinary life as well as ethics and philosophy of psychology, honesty is not a major trend of research in the contemporary philosophical debate. Here are some sources that can be useful in reflecting more on the challenges posed by the issue. The entry on virtue ethics at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, where the example of honesty comes up a few times.David Hume’s Philosophical Honesty, a brilliant short piece, too often forgotten.