What You Need To Know Before You Study Philosophy

There are no prerequisities for talking about the things that matter most. I’ve been studying philosophy since the age of fourteen, when my grandpa, a philosophy professor, invited me to spend the summer with him and learn about Plato and Aristotle with his college undergrads. Right away, I was hooked. Not only were we asking some of the most fascinating questions a human being can consider—what is justice? What is happiness? How can you live a good life?—we were learning from people who had been dead for over two millennia, whose ideas still felt just as fresh as the opinion section of the New York Times. Since then, I’ve taken a lot more philosophy classes, and even taught a few of my own. But even though doing a PhD means becoming even more specialized, I’ve come to believe that philosophy can be made accessible and relevant to everyone, just as my grandpa made it accessible and relevant to me. A couple of years ago, I started leading philosophy discussion workshops with court-involved young adults, ages 17-24, in Harlem. We meet once a week to talk about concepts that impact our thought and action in ordinary life: power, authority, self-interest, morality, responsibility, testimony, paternalism, punishment, racism, and equality. And each week, we have passionate, fiery debates about the issues that matter most. Two things are especially cool about this kind of conversation. First, you don’t have to know anythingto participate. You simply have to judge whether your own experience agrees with the claims that are being made. Second, you learn how to argue well with others. By modeling respectful disagreement and requiring that everyone be able to give reasons for what they say, we as facilitators hope to make clear both how confused many of our intuitions are, and how best to become more confident in our beliefs. Academic philosophy is just a more rigorous and sustained version of the kinds of conversations we have in these discussion workshops. Studying philosophy at the academic level has all sorts of great benefits—it’ll sharpen your critical thinking skills, make you more skeptical of what you read in the news, and help you get into law school—but for me the most important benefit is personal. When we’re born, we find ourselves part of a family, a culture, and a set of traditions that we do not choose. We can either adopt these traditions unthinkingly and unreflectively, or we can do philosophy: we can step back from our habits and think seriously with others about how best to live. For more relevant reading, check out these other blog posts, written by ourphilosophy tutors:Pain and Pleasure, The Problem of Moral Imperfection,andThe Limits of Language. ;

Censorship As A Form Of Oppression - 1075 Words

In F451, Government uses censorship as a form of oppression, which is wrong because it takes away freedom and human rights. One way they do this is when firemen burn books to keep the populous from reading the books and obtaining information from them. Another way is how the government controls the people s every move, â€Å" My uncle was arrested another time†¦ for being a pedestrian.† Page 7. Similar to they way Nazi Germany controlled the populous of its time. And how on the train they play loud music to keep people from focusing and thinking. One way of thinking in the book is that the government burns books because some of them make people unhappy. Governments use censorship as a form of oppression of the populous. Ray Bradbury was born August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois to Ester Moberg Bradbury, a Swedish immigrant. When Bradbury was 14, in 1934, he and his parents moved to Los Angeles. As an adolescent and a young adult he grew up during World War II, and he finished high school during the Great Depression. In the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s throughout the world there was a rising of totalitarian governments, Italy, Germany, Russia etc, â€Å"Totalitarianism, [is a] form of government that theoretically permits no individual freedom and that seeks to subordinate all aspects of the individual’s life to the authority of the government.† (http://www.britannica.com/topic/totalitarianism). Throughout history and the world in totalitarian and oppressive governments, thereShow MoreRelatedCensorship Is Not Freedom, Morality, And Safety Of The People1549 Words   |  7 PagesWhen you think of the word, â€Å"censorship†, what do you think of? Secrecy? Morality? Oppression? Liberals often see censorship as a limit set by the government. A limit to suppress the capabilities of the human race. A limit that keeps a country’s citizens intact. A limit that keeps the people ignorant so that the powerful can stay powerful. But what if I told you that censorship isn’t what the liberals say it is? What if I told you that censorship is the thing that is keeping our country togetherRead MoreThe Eyes Of The Modern World Have Long Borne Witness To1510 Words   |  7 Pagescall themselves the witnesses of this turmoil, but they are in fact the victims. Middle Easterners have long been the victims of corrupt systems of government and have endured the civil oppression forced upon them by these governments. In 2010 Middle Easterners began to collectively take a stand against this oppression. Widespread demonstrations and protests began in the middle of December as Middle Easterners began to take action against their governments. This movement spread all throughout the MiddleRead MoreThe Power Of The Government In Fahrenheit 451 And Red Queen803 Words   |  4 Pagesfactors that are closely related with the form of government, monarchy. The two books have many differences and similarities, most of them relating to the governments and laws presented in the stories. As stated before, the government is an important factor in both Fahrenheit 451 and Red Queen. Each government uses different techniques of oppression, one they have in common is censorship. In Fahrenheit 451, the government does not allow books or any form of information you can read. The regime doesRead MoreThe Journalistic Practices Of China1024 Words   |  5 Pagespolitical reform would be required. The issues facing journalism and media in China include social and legal punishments, radical censorship, a decline in foreign news agencies, and limited freedom of expression. My opinion is that these issues are a result of the political situation, especially the regulations, policies, and laws that restrict journalists. Communism and oppression have been identifying factors in China’s political and media infrastructures and it is clear through the current issues thatRead MoreFreedom For The Sake Of Security1383 Words   |  6 Pages Suppressing Freedom for The Sake of Security Our world today is filled with unnecessary oppression. Slavery is one common form of human oppression, but there are numerous other forms as well. War, death, hunger, and sadness caused the elders in the society of The Giver to force each citizen to live extremely structured, controlled lives. That structure and control effected each person’s ability to live unique, private, and free lives. The elders in The Giver wanted all the citizens in the communityRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Pornography887 Words   |  4 Pagesdignity. It is only to the extent that self-respect and the avoidance of pain are accepted as part of being human, that humiliation and the infliction of pain become eroticised and feminine. In this way, pornography becomes a means to facilitate the oppression of women and the exercise of masculine control. A possible objection to this argument is that although pornography may undermine gender equality, personal liberty and freedom of expression is of greater importance to society and therefore shouldRead MoreAnalysis Of Ray Bradbury s Fahrenheit 4511241 Words   |  5 PagesEinstein). In Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, the novel explores censorships role as a hindrance on individuality, and the severe toll it takes on society’s self-awareness. Academia has widely argued the reason behind Bradbury’s dystopian themed work of art. Most interpretations of the novel suggest the work resembles anti-censorship propaganda. On the other hand, Bradbury himself stated: â€Å"I wasn’t worried about censorship-I was worried about people being turned into morons by TV† (Smolla, TheRead MoreCensorship Of The Beat Generation1062 Words   |  5 Pageswriting to reflect their situation as a form of comfort. However, there were restrictions on what was read, writ ten, heard and spoke due to the influence of communism. During this period of suppression, there a group of young, intelligent and anti-conformist boys who were studying at Colombia University. Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, and Allen Ginsberg are the ‘founders’ of Beat Generation. The group beliefs focused on individuality, lack of censorship and salvation which shifted the lifestyleRead MoreAmerican Politics During The Vietnam War1370 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Vietnam War and was not just an American trend; in fact, two of the most influential and famous pieces of the early 20th century were products of political oppression on the other side of the world. Both Paul Hindemith, under the Nazi Regime, and Dmitri Shostakovich, under the communist reign of Stalin, managed to fight political oppression through their music. The two composers had very different ways of doing so. Hindemith wrote two separate pieces, one that directly opposed the Nazi regime, andRead MoreCens orship And Its Effect On Society1680 Words   |  7 PagesI. A. Censorship. This single word describes the world’s history of literary sabotage, the idea of rejecting a concept or other medium of propaganda simply because it exhibits a disagreeable or supposedly immorally tepid aspect, then forcibly substituting a more ‘ethical’ ideal. Since King Hammurabi stamped out the first cuneiform laws in Babylon, human society has experienced relentless episodes of chronic censorship. It wasn’t until the Roman Empire however, that the word censor was coined, meaning

Research Methods for Strategic Managers - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1198 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? Introduction Statement of problems: Aims /Purpose of the study Objectives: Hypothesis: Methodology Source of data Population: Sample selection and size Data Collection: Statistical analysis Reason for using mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) Significance of study: Ethical consideration Mile stones of the study References Project Information Project Primark Furniture (PF) Project Time-frame 30/09/2012 to 30/09/2013 Summary Introduction of a furniture section in Primark will help customers get furniture at competitively low prices and help them make savings on household expenditure. Introduction Primark is a clothing retailer engaged in several ranges of products (clothes, shoes bags jewelleries, accessories, and household items) for women, men and children operating over 232 stores in Ireland (where it is branded as Penneys), the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium (McDougall, (2009). The companys main headquarters are in Ireland, and it is a subsidiary of Associated British Foods (ABF) (Alam and Hearson, 2006). When Primark first opened in June 1969 (in Mary Street, Dublin) it became apparent that more stores were required and another four were added to the growing number of the list. Further expansion and success in Ireland dictated the move to the United Kingdom, where in 1972 four stores were opened in more suburban areas of England. The first high-street stores were Derby and Bristol (Kehoe, 2006). Primark is known for selling clothes at the budget end of the market. The companys success is based on sourcing their supplies c heaply, making clothes with simple designs and fabrics, only making them in the most popular sizes and buying stock in huge bulks and varieties. All of the companys merchandise is made specifically for the company and as such Primark has its own brand names. Within both menswear and ladieswear there is one main brand name that supplies most of the fashion labels, which are added too by other suppliers. Primark had a milestone year in 1995 with the development of the UK business following the acquisition of the BHS One-Up discount chain. As a result, Primark acquired 154 stores in the UK between1995 to 2010 (McDougall, 2009). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Research Methods for Strategic Managers" essay for you Create order Statement of problems: Although Primark has a home section in each of its stores, furniture is not part of its home products. Therefore, considering the large volume of its customer base, introducing furniture as a product will be crucial to its customers as Primark is known for its discount prices that is its trade mark on all of its products. It is the reason why people flock to Primark. Aims /Purpose of the study The purpose of this study is to introduce furniture section as part of Primarkà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s range of Home products. Objectives: The following objectives will be used to achieve the aim: Examine the demand for furniture from Primark customers To match market needs with product capabilities. Examine the potential for profit maximisation. Design strategies for the launch of the product. Explore the implication of the launch of the new product on operations of the organisation Hypothesis: Introducing furniture as part of the Home products will be profitable to Primark (maximise sales). Methodology Source of data Both quantitative and qualitative data will be collected using questionnaires and interviews. Tashakkori and Newman (2010) state that in a research where mixed methods are used, it is very important to address both the qualitative and quantitave aspect of the research in order to reach at a non-biased conclusion to the research objectives. Questionnaire will be used to collect data regarding perception of customers about Primark having a furniture section, whether they will be happy to have it, whether they will recommend friends to get furniture from Primark, what type of furniture and quality they expect. The interview will also ask customers about where they buy their furniture, whether they are satisfied, whether they will be happy to have furniture from Primark and the specification they need. Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents such age, gender, educational attainment and employment status will also be collected. This will enable us to know the socio-demograph ic features of respondents and what each group want. Population: The target group for this project is all customers to Primark aged 18-65 Sample selection and size Simple random sampling method will be used to select 100 customers 50 men and 50 women to complete both the interview and the questionnaire Data Collection: The questionnaire will be distributed to customers in-store and completed as the questions. The questionnaire will then be edited and coded and then entered into SPSS for analysis. The interviews will also be done in-store and recorded with the consent of customers. This will then be transcribed and main themes arising out of them analysed using thematic analysis. Statistical analysis Descriptive statistics will be used to analyse the data. Pie chart will be used to analyse the perception of the customers about furniture introduction into Primark stores. Simple percentages and means will also be used. Reason for using mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be used for data collection. The justification for using mixed method is that whereas the quantitative methods using questionnaire will help us to quantify and measure the result of the study and help us test the hypothesis, the qualitative aspect using interviews will give us deeper understanding of the mind set of customers, how they feel about introduction of furniture in Primark, and they type of furniture they need. This study will use mixed methods (Tashakkori and Teddlie, 2003) design which is a procedure for collecting, analysing and mixing both qualitative and quantitative data at some stage of the research process within a single study, to understand a research method more completely (Creswell, 2002). Significance of study: The importance of this project stems from the fact that it will help management to decide the feasibility of introducing furniture in Primark stores by knowing customers perception about the project and to establish if the project can go ahead. When this project is concluded, it will help customers to do all shoping including clothing, textiles and home furnishing at one place and thus reduce the inconvenience of buying things at different stores. As Primark produces quality goods at competively low prices, customers will have the benefit of getting their house furniture at competively low prices and make huge savings on their household expenditure. This will also result in profit maximisation for Primak as a whole. Ethical consideration Informed consent will be sought from all respondents. All data collected from respondents will be anonymised and respondents are free to withdraw from the interview and completion of questionnaire if they donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t feel comfortable with proceedings. Mile stones of the study Gant Chart Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Scoping search for background study Writing of proposal Developing project plan Pilot instrument Conducting in terview/ Questionnaire administration Editing and coding data Data entry Data analysis Interpretation of result Discussion Preparation of draft report Having stake holder meetings Preparation of final draft Submission of report to funders References Alam, Khorshed; M. Hearson (2006). Fashion Victims (pdf), War on Want, Retrieved on 2006-12-10. Kehoe, Ian. The very private Ryan, Sunday Business Post, 2006-08-01. Retrieved on 2006-12-10. McDougall, Dan (2009-01-11). Primark in storm over conditions at UK supplier. The Guardian (London). https://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jan/11/primark-ethical-business-living. Retrieved 2010-05-22. Primark Stores Ltd, www.primark.co.uk

Pestel China - 2530 Words

Understanding China’s Political System The Chinese Communist Party (CCP or Party) has been in power in China for more than six decades, a record of longevity that rivals and could one day surpass that of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.2 The CCP assumed power in 1949 by means of a civil war victory over the forces of Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists, who moved the seat of their Republic of China government to the island of Taiwan. The Communists named their new regime the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Although the CCP has been continually in power since, China’s political institutions and political culture have evolved significantly over those decades, with the CCP’s willingness to adapt helping to explain why it has,†¦show more content†¦The views of China’s next leaders on the subject remain unknown. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) The Communist Party’s 80 million members constitute approximately 6% of China’s population of 1.34 billion. Any Chinese citizen over the age of 18 who is willing to accept and abide by the Party’s constitution and policies, which include a requirement that Party members be atheists, can apply for Party membership. In 2010, however, of 21 million applicants, just under 15% were accepted. The Party is heavily male, with female members making up less than a quarter of the total.29 Party membership is considered prestigious, although not to the degree that it was in earlier eras. Every Party member, irrespective of position, must be organized into a branch, cell, or other specific unit of the Party to participate in the regular activities of the Party organization. Party units exist in all official and semi-official organizations and institutions, including state-owned enterprises and universities. As of 2010, they also existed in more than 400,000 private businesses and foreign-owned enterprises, and the party has sought to establish them in socialShow MoreRelatedPestel: Retailing and China7657 Words   |  31 PagesThe PESTEL analysis `The PESTEL analysis stands for political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, environmental and legal analysis of forces that impact the business environment. It will be utilized to find the circumstances surrounding the market and as an instrument for understanding the market situation such as market growth/decline, business position, market potential and the direction of a company’s operations. It is very impo rtant for a company to consider its environment before startingRead MorePestel Analysis on China1481 Words   |  6 Pagesfactor: If Nike wants to open international market such as China, the company would get disadvantages because every country will protect and priority for its domestic products. So, the company must find out exactly these requirements that the country require in Nike to overcome these barriers. International trade regulations The trade regulations in China are formulated in accordance with the Foreign Trade Law of the Peoples Republic of China in order to maintain foreign trade order and fair competitionRead MorePestel Analysis China Essay example812 Words   |  4 PagesPESTEL -Political Recently China has made extraordinary efforts in modernizing legal and economical system aimed to stabilize the growth of the country; however China remains a strictly controlled country, where civil liberties, such as freedom of communication, religion practice and demonstration are severely limited. Major internal problems in China include growing corruption, increasing rural poverty and environmental degradation. China enjoys a strong relationship with the US and otherRead MorePestel for HM in China5292 Words   |  22 PagesPESTEL China 1. Politics Today’s China is the most populous country in the world and is so one of the most important political and economical forces in the world. 1.1. Country name In English China is official called â€Å"People’s Republic of China† https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html and in Chinese â€Å"Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo† https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html. 1.2. Capital The capital of China is Beijing, which is locatedRead MorePestel Analysis China1301 Words   |  6 Pagesstate. The people’s republic of China is a single party state governed by the communist party of China. President : Hu Jintao Prime Minister: Wen Jiabau Independence: 1, October 1949 ( People’s republic of China) Constitutional system China or People Republic of China adopts socialist system or communism in their political system in their decision-making process in governing the country. The country’s sole political party in power is known as communist party of China. The government have the soleRead MorePestel Analysis - Banking in China1112 Words   |  5 PagesUsing PESTEL analysis to understand the macro-environment that impacts the Banking Industry in China. Political Factors †¢ China has a socialist political system †¢ China has entered into the WTO and as part of the commitment to open up the banking industry, has issued the Rules for Implementing the Regulations Governing Foreign Financial Institutions in the People’s Republic of China , which allows Foreign financial institutions to provide foreign currency services to Chinese enterprisesRead MoreThe Impact Of Globalization On The Auto Parts Industry1194 Words   |  5 Pageshas become one of the fastest growing industries which plays a major role in the development of the domestic manufacture as well as the GDP Growth. PESTEL: To evaluate all the internal and external factors that directly or indirectly impact the Auto parts industry, the PESTEL model has been used as the analysis for this major industry. PESTEL stands for the five most important forces that comprehensively analyse and monitor the manufacturing: Political forces, Economical forces, Socio-culturalRead MoreTourism Business Environment Of The Inbound Chinese Market1548 Words   |  7 Pagesselected, China and how it is the situation of the country in terms of business sector. Will be evaluate the impact of macro-environments factors and what this impacts may will have on the Chinese market and its references. Will be critically assess the various political, economic, social and technological factors as a potential market segment in relation to VisitBritain. To finalize this report, will be provide an overall conclusion as this market is suitable target for VisitBritain. China is theRead MoreStrategic Expansion Of The World1187 Words   |  5 PagesSTRATEGIC EXPANSION IN CHINA Abstract LEGO, being one of the leading toy companies in the world, is very well known in Europe and Americas. As LEGO has recently began accelerate its expansion into Asia, China contains the largest portion of the company’s market share in Asia. Besides, Chinese toy industry is the fastest growing toy industry in the world. This serves many advantages for LEGO to become bigger in the region. Therefore, we examined the current situation of the company in China in many differentRead MoreEssay on The Chinese State Environmental Protection Agency5904 Words   |  24 PagesIntroduction This case study report will explore the company Phase Separation Solutions (PS2) and identify the key problems and alternatives. An analysis and application of models will then be conducted. Specifically, the five models chosen consist of a PESTEL analysis, Porters Five Forces, a SWOT analysis, the VRIN model and the organisational configuration model. An evaluation of alternatives involving advantages and disadvantages for the alternatives are then investigated. Finally, a conclusion and recommendations

Marijuana Is The Most Potent Type Of Marijuana On The...

. How is sinsemilla grown, and why is its potency so much higher than that of commercial grade marijuana? Sinsemilla is considered the most potent type of marijuana on the illicit market (Lyman, 2014). Because of this reason, it is no surprise that it also brings the most revenue for drug traffickers. It is produced from unfertilized female cannabis plants in a growing area where the male cannabis plants are removed before pollination (Lyman, 2014)). As a result of marijuana being produced this way, I allows more flowers and resin. This is done as an attempt to attract male pollen. The reason this is done is because it is the resin and flowers that actually contain the most amounts of THC. The more THC that is contained, the more potent the marijuana is, thus making sinsemilla the most potent type of marijuana (Lyman, 2014). In the United States, Cannabis Indicia is grown. It is a high-grade strain of sinsemilla. This particular cannabis originated and was later imported to the Unite d States from Afghanistan. It is also popular because it grows into a short, squatty plant that produces 1-2 pounds of buds per plant (Lyman, 2014). These buds contain high levels of THC and generally take 4-5 months to mature. Sinsemilla is more difficult to grow. This is because it requires more personal attention and takes longer time to cultivate. It is usually produced in doors so the growers can harvest all year. Growers use techniques such as cloning and hydroponics. Cloning involvesShow MoreRelatedDrug Drugs And The New Zealand Party Scene1723 Words   |  7 PagesPrior to this legal highs were posed as an experimental way to try cull the sale of illicit drugs; but after such drugs as BZP showed their harmful effects, this had to be restricted. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoactive_Substances_Act_2013) First of all, what are Legal Highs? Legal highs are substances which have chemicals in them that mimic those that are found in illicit drugs, but are safer than illicit drugs. These days this doesn’t seem to be the case. (http://www.talktofrank.com/drug/legal-highs)Read MoreEssay on Why we should not legalize marijuana?1976 Words   |  8 Pages Marijuana has been used as an agent for achieving euphoria since ancient times (Narconon International, p. 1, para. 1). It was used in early Chinese culture as a medical component since as early as 2737 B.C (Narconon International, p. 1, para. 1). Its use began to spread across the pacific culture and finally ended up in Europe around 500 A.D. (Narconon International, p. 1). It was believed in this early culture to have medical effects that helped with rheumatism, gout, malaria, and even absentRead MoreDental Treatment Planning For Patients Using Cannabis4431 Words   |  18 Pagesof his medical history, the patient reported taking a â€Å"dab† of marijuana app roximately five hours prior to his appointment. Due to the admission of recent illicit drug use, no treatment was rendered. The patient was offered an appointment the next day but refused citing the bias in regard to cannabis use. Conclusions and Practical Implications. The number of Americans using marijuana is rising rapidly. Pending legalization in most states will require dentists to address the possible effects ofRead MoreResearch on the Legalization of Marijuana Essay examples3086 Words   |  13 PagesResearch on the Legalization of Marijuana Americans have been trying to legalize marijuana for years. It seems that all of their opinions divide into three basic groups. Many think that it is not worth legalizing marijuana, many seem to think it should be legalized, and a group of people say it should only be legalized for medicinal purposes. In the following paragraphs I will try to show you reason for all three opinions. My hopes of doing this research project were to specifically determineRead MoreOur Right to Drugs Essay example898 Words   |  4 PagesOur Right to Drugs You might be tempted to label Thomas Szasz, author of Our Right to Drugs, The Case for a Free Market, a counter-culture hippie. However, this analysis couldn’t be further from the truth. Szasz, a Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Syracuse, is a major supporter of civil liberties. He sees the so-called War on Drugs as one of the worst atrocities that the American Government has perpetrated on its people. SzaszRead MoreEffect of Marijuana3829 Words   |  16 Pagescommunication systems† THESIS STATEMENT: â€Å"Intake of marijuana, whether excessive or not, has different effects to the health of individuals that eventually affects the community as a whole† I. INTRODUCTION a. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY i. Definition ii. History 1. Laws of bills II. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION b. Interpretation of collected data iii. Reception of people towards marijuana 2. Positive perspective 3.Read MoreThe Marijuana Growers Guide9909 Words   |  40 PagesTHE MARIJUANA GROWER S GUIDE by Mel Frank and Ed Rosenthal Typed by Ben Dawson Revised 1992 NOTE:- Footnotes have been placed in double brackets (()). Numbers throughout refer to bibliography and are sometimes in brackets, sometimes they aren t. All dates are for northern hemisphere only. Comments on pictures are in curly brackets {}. Please distribute this widely so we can all smoke better marijuana. Legalise marijuana. 4 October 1996 Copying this book was a megamission that took about 3Read MoreThe Devil’s Harvest Essay2832 Words   |  12 Pagesto â€Å"the happy little herb†. Cannabis, which is also called Marijuana, has a known history that dates back over 10,000 years. The oldest remnant of the industry of mankind is a little piece of hemp cloth/fabric that dates back to around 8,000 B.C. (website, HIA: Resources: Education: FAQs Facts: Facts). Cannabis was used by almost every ancient civilization for, but not limited to, ropes, clothing, medicine, and recreation. Marijuana has only been illegal for the past 73 years. The interestingRead MoreDrug Dependency And Drug Related Crime6861 Words   |  28 Pagesdrugs continue to be smuggled across the borders, increasing number of people are using drugs illegally, and violence in the streets continues to climb. A number of arguments have been made in favor of legalizing some less harmful drugs, such as marijuana, as a means of addressing this crisis. Legalization makes economic sense as it would save a net $14 billion/year in saved or redirected enforcement costs and taxes on the product which can be used toward treatment/reform programs and prevention.Read MoreSociety and Drug Use: a Sociological Perspective2922 Words   |  12 Pagesdeviant if others perceive them as such depending on the cultural norms of that particular location. There is also a stereotype that is associa ted with each drug regardless of who uses it. For example, the hippie or stoner stereotype that is placed on marijuana. These stereotypes often make their way into common language such as referring to someone as a crack-head, whether or not they use crack cocaine. Deviant behavior can actually be beneficial to society as it provides jobs for law enforcement, affirms

Dennys Restaurant free essay sample

Corporation is one of the largest full-service family restaurant chains in the United States. And it operates over 2,500 restaurants around the world. Dennys is known for its 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year operations, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert around the clock. During the early 1990s, Dennys was involved in a series of discrimination lawsuits involving several cases of servers denying or providing inferior service to minorities, especially African American customers (Adamson, 2000). According to newspaper reports the following are some of the most notable incidents involving racial discrimination at Dennys: 1. In San Jose, California, several black teenagers were refused service unless they agreed to pay in advance. This was the first recorded incident of such events (Labaton, 1994). 2. Then, Six Asian-American students of Syracuse University visited a local Denny’s restaurant late at night. They waited over 30 minutes as their white patrons were regularly served, seated, and offered more helpings. We will write a custom essay sample on Dennys Restaurant or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They began to complain to management and to their server regarding the situation. They were then forced to leave the establishment by two security guards (called upon by Denny’s management). Then, according to the students, a group of white men came out of Dennys and attacked the group, shouting racial epithets. Several of the students were beaten. (â€Å"Dennys Franchise Faces Suit Over Discriminatory Action,† 1997) 3. Six African-American Secret Service agents visited a Denny’s restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland. They were forced to wait an hour for service while their white companions were seated immediately upon entering (Guillermo, 1997). 4. One African-American Denny’s customer was told that he and his friends had to pay up front at the counter upon ordering their meals. When he questioned the waitress about it and she said some black guys had been in earlier who made a scene and walked out without paying their bill. So the manager now wanted all blacks to pay up front (Ferraro, 1995). In 1994, Dennys settled a class action lawsuit filed by thousands of black customers who had been refused service, forced to wait longer, or pay more than white customers. The $54. 4 million settlement was the largest and broadest under Federal public-accommodations laws established to end segregation in restaurants and public spaces. After the $54. 4 million settlement, Dennys rolled out a racial sensitivity training program for all of its employees (Adamson, 2000). Discrimination: A Crises The failures in managing discrimination and the lawsuits that follow reflect failures in learning by firms. Discrimination management can be defined as the prevention of discrimination and by extension the prevention of discrimination lawsuits. Discrimination is an extraordinarily complex issue, as evidenced by the theoretical attempts to explain why a diverse workforce poses a challenge for organizational managers and employees. For example, discrimination has been examined at the individual level of analysis, focusing on such factors as stereotypes (Sartore Cunningham, 2006) and prejudice (James, Brief, Dietz, Cohen, 2001). By referencing institutional procedures during an image-threatening event, firms attempt to decouple the organization from the situation (Elsbach, 1994; Oliver, 1991), however by doing so the organization fails to look inward and critically reflect on the work environment that inadvertently contributed to the discrimination problem. A Communication Dilemma Communication serves four major functions within a group or organization: control, motivation, emotional expression, and information (Robbins, 2007). Arguably, one of the most difficult situations a company can find itself in involves crisis and reputation management. In the best situations, crises can be averted through a combination of strategic planning and proactive behavior†¦ Unfortunately, many organizations find themselves responding to crises rather than preventing them† (Baker, 2001, p. 513). In the midst of the rubble of what was once an organizations reputation, those without a specified crisis communication strategy will be left to struggle to recover from the grievous blow. Often, organizations spend an inordinate amount of time and money on reputation damage control because they failed to practice effective issue and reputation management before disaster struck. Crises are often the result of insufficient planning for potential issues and poor monitoring of the early warning signs of impending danger. These indicators then were not identified and accordingly prepared for. It is important that managers to pay attention to their environment by monitoring what their publics are saying. In the area of racial crises, Baker noted, (2001) that one must be cognizant of the social and political climates that may determine audience perceptions. Such awareness can go (could have gone, in Denny’s case) a long way toward skirting an all-out crisis situation. Organizational Behavior (OB): A Brief History and Development The field of organizational behavior is related with identification and management of the attitudes and actions of individuals and groups, looking mainly at how people can be inspired to join and remain in the organization, how to get people to perform successful teamwork, how people can accomplish their jobs more efficiently, and how employees can be encouraged to be more flexible and pioneering. Attention is brought to these approaches and actions so as to help managers discover problems, find out how to correct them, and change behavior so that individual performance and eventually organization efficiency increase (Robbins, 2007). As a field of study, organizational behavior is created on a sequence of approaches or ways of thinking about people. Since the early 1900s those who studied behavior in organizations have tried to lay down ways to successfully manage employees to achieve the organizations objectives. The early approaches, referred to as the traditional view, promoted improved management coordination of tasks, strict specialization and consistency of work tasks, a strict chain of command, and centralized decision making at the manager level. During the 1920s and 1930s the next new school of thought began to appear, which was referred to as the human relations movement. Generally this movement began with the well-known Hawthorne studies at the Western Electric plant that showed how psychological and social processes could influence efficiency and work behavior. This new way of philosophy observed organizational behavior by supporting a more people-oriented style of management that was more participative and geared toward employee requirements (Robbins, 2007). Modern organizational thought has moved to a more integrative systems approach, which includes the issues of external influences; the association of the organization with managers and employees; and organizational processes, which are the activities through which work gets done. In other words, the optimum solution for the situation depends on many factors. The organization is represented as many interrelated, interdependent, and interacting subsystems that are constantly changing. Those who administer the classical approach stressed the significant role of control and coordination in helping organizations to attain objectives. Those who managed by the human relations approach considered the risks of high levels of control and coordination, focusing instead on the need for flexibility. A modern approach to management recognizes that there is no one best way to manage; management approaches need to be modified to adjust with the situation (Robbins, 2007). The managers role is to successfully envisage, explain, and manage behavior that takes place in organizations. Specifically, managers are interested in finding out why people are more or less inspired or satisfied. Managers must have a capacity to see and understand the behavior patterns of individuals, groups, and organizations; to forecast what responses will be drawn out by managerial actions; and eventually to use this perception and ultimate predictions to successfully manage employees. Behavior can be studied on three levels the individual, the group, and the organization all together (Johnson, 2004) Managers search to learn more about what causes people individually or collectively to act as they do in organizational settings. Despite the fact that it may be said that the responsibility for studying organizational behavior rests with researchers, evaluating and increasing organizational efficiency is a main responsibility of managers. They need to collect data about the situation in which people work and describe events, behaviors, and attitudes so as to develop plans for changing and improving behavior and approaches. Managers can begin to understand organizational behavior by correctly describing events, behaviors, and attitudes. Data as a consequent can be gathered by observing situations, surveying and interviewing employees, and looking at written documents. These methods help to objectively describe events, behaviors, and attitudes a first step in determining their causes and then acting on them. By direct observation, for instance, managers can attend meetings and then describe what is happening, such as who talks most often, what issues are discussed, or how often those attending the meeting ask for the managers point of view on the topic. Besides, survey questionnaires could be sent to employees; these might provide solid data about the situation, proving more helpful than relying exclusively on personal observation of events. Sending the same questionnaire to employees each year could provide some discernment into changes in behavior and thoughts in due course. Employees could also be interviewed to examine outlooks in greater depth. Some important information about thoughts and opinions may also be gathered by talking casually with employees. As Barsade Gibson (2007) point out, â€Å"employees are not emotional islands. Rather, they bring all of themselves to work, including their traits, moods, and emotions, and their affective experiences and expressions influence others. † Lastly, data could be collected from organizational documents, including annual reports, department assessments, memos, and other non-confidential personnel files. An examination of these documents might provide some insight into the opinions of employees, the quality of management, group relationships, or other possible aims behind the problems or circumstances. Organizational Behavior: An Analysis Organizational Behavior is the analysis of human behavior within an organizational environment. Organizational behavior can be considered as a function of three areas namely Organizational characteristics and contingencies, job characteristics and contingencies, and the larger set of individual characteristics and history brought to bear on the work situation. The aim of organizational behavior is to achieve and/or apply knowledge of these different types of characteristics, with the aim of making an organization more efficient (Robbins, 2007). The broad field of organizational behavior has always laid emphasis on the significance of individual characteristics to organizational efficiency; however they have generally approached these measures mentalistically. In the 1940s, Wilfred Bion and colleagues used psychodynamic theories of instinctive processes to suggest structural and procedural characteristics that might put up with organizational efficiency (see De Board, 1978). Because of their early start and recognition, psychodynamic theories became fundamental in developing organizational behavior theory and, therefore, the design of organizational development (OD) interventions that are still extensively used today. Consistent with a psychodynamic standpoint, a major purpose of these interventions was to make people’s unconscious behaviors, feelings, and observations conscious (De Board, 1978). For example, training groups were one of the original OD interventions rooted in psychodynamic theory. Their aim is to make participants more skillful in identifying and performing the behaviors required doing their job, by increasing participants’ awareness of how they react to others and how their reactions affect other people. Many of the famous OD interventions even today are founded on the concept of helping workers to bring their internal processes into consciousness: be they observation, outlooks, the interpersonal effects of behavior, or the impact of place of work events. The psychodynamic principles that produced these interventions may no longer be mentioned in most organizational behavior textbooks, however the techniques that they motivated still remain strongly fixed (e. g. , Moorhead Griffin, 2001; Robbins, 2007). These intervention techniques are difficult to interpret from the point of view of direct contingency management, which is the basis of Organizational Behavior Management (Daniels, 2000; Rummler Brache, 1995). Relational Frame Theory (RFT), as is noted in Hayes, Barnes-Holmes Roche (2001) makes OBM better able to address such techniques and furthermore specifies manipulable events that can be used to alter the functions of these verbal processes. In doing so, RFT is not suggesting that cognition, emotion, or other private actions are causal (Hayes Brownstein, 1986), rather, it is maintaining that the past and present background events that standardize verbal behavior need to be considered, so as to understand and influence explicit human action. Such an outlook leads to unpredicted and empirically testable predictions, which in turn open pathways for organizational behavior management to expand its influence in organizational behavior and OD. The early research, suggests that by efficiently manipulating these past and background processes, people may be more acquiescent to the contingency management applications that organizational behavior management has identified, which could serve to improve the successes of those strategies.

Discussion on Workplace Human Factorsâ€Free samples for Students

Question: Discuss About the On Workplace Human Factors? Answer: Introduction: Accidents are spontaneous, and that is the thing that allows them the opportunity to attain the element of surprise and leave devastation in its wake. And this surprising element only allows the accidents to be so overwhelming and terrifying at the same time. There are thousands of external and internal factors associated with our daily lives that have the potential for casing accidents of all scales and magnitudes in both personal and professional settings. While the personal environment can be modified to avoid most of the accidents, the workplace environments is not always in our control to modify. Therefore workplaces are magnets to different magnitudes of accidents which potentially harm the staff and the workplace properties (Hinze, Thurman and Wehle 2013). However, there are some strategic actions that can be taken in order to minimize the risk and aftermath of a potentially harmful accident occurring in the workplace. The theories of human factor can be utilized in this scenario, and can help in articulating the best response for such incidences. Human factor can be defined as the scientific evaluation study that judges the human interaction in accordance with the other elements of the workplace system. This system functions by aligning the theoretical understanding and principles with the practical data and designs to articulate the best set of responses to manage an accident (Kniesner and Leeth 2012). This report will attempt to evaluate a selected accidental event occurring in a workplace and orchestrate a set of strategic response actions with the help of human factor study. Description of the event: As mentioned above there can be various exte4rnal and internal factors that has the potential for causing destructive accidents. The risk of such factors is much more multiplied in case of workplaces. There can be a height risk, chemical exposure risks, electrical shock risk, lock out risks and what not in case of workplaces. All of these risks have the potential to harm the employees and cause some permanent damage to the physical or cognitive health of the employees. The workplace hazard opted out as a case scenario for this assignment is a construction site, where an employee has fallen from three stories height and has sustained major injuries. On a more elaborative note the employee never had the fall protection equipment with him and fell sustaining a fractured rib and broken right leg accompanied with a bleeding injury to his head, this unfortunate situation has the entire staff terrified of resuming work and the entire business operation has been stalled post accident (Levine , Toffel and Johnson 2012). Significant components of the system: The workplace system components associated with this case scenario will be the three overlapping sections of any organizational structure. For example, alike any workplace structure will begin with the organizational lay out. For example it will take into account the workstation design, the facility layout and configuration. Along with that this system component will also include variable like the display, controlling mechanism, feedback and warning system etc. Lastly this sector will also entertain the ambiance or environment where the staffs are supposed to work in. This system component is generally concerned with the noise, lighting, vibration, temperature and the chemical exposure of the workplace (Weaver et al. 2012). The second component of the organizational structure is the management of the workplace concerned, this the section where the organizational decisions like distribution of workload, workplace policies and guidelines that are followed (Salvendy 2012). The job design is also an integral element of this component such as the job responsibility designing, shifting, task management, business process management. Then management related communication and information management is also a part of this section. The last system component related to this event is the staff response to the entire workplace organization, it is associated with the level of knowledge in the staff about working in the construction sites, their perception associated with the safety precautions to take, apart from that other demographics like the age, body shape, body strength and stress is also related to this accident. Along with that the health, fatigue levels and attention of the staff to the work at hand can be important factors associated with the entire construction operation. It can be due to the health related imbalance or the fatigued or stressed condition of the staff which made him to fall from the site and sustain the injury. Similarly his age, health related restriction and decreasing sight can also be one of the prime reasons leading to the fall (McCaughey et al. 2013). (Figure source: Hinze, Thurman and Wehle 2013) Potential human factor issues: The human factor components of the work place system allows for the construction of workplace safety measures that will help developing the safest and most comfortable working conditions for the workplace. The theory of human factors is associated with physical and cognitive ergonomics of the employees and the organizational ergonomics of the workplace. Elements from these three key concepts allow for not only the best and the safest workplace environment for the staff but also allows for the perfect investigation of the workplace accidents or hazardous situations (McCaughey et al. 2013). The component of the physical ergonomics is concerned with the design and characteristics of the workplace products and machinery along with the major design outlet of the workplace where the staff performs all the duties and job responsibilities. A workplace must ensure that the physical ergonomical safety of the workplace is taken care of and the staffs are safe working in that environment (Levine, Toffel and Johnson 2012). The cognitive ergonomics can be described as ensuring excellent mental health and wellbeing of the workplace and ensuring that the job responsibilities or the workplace environment to affect the healthy cognitive responses of the staff. The last theoretical component is the organizational ergonomics which is associated with the socio technical aspects of the organizational structures, such as workplace design, shift timing patterns, participatory design and the workplace environmental dynamics. Standardizing all this factors in accordance with the workplace safe ty strategies will allow for the construction of the workplace environment that will be the safest for the physical and mental health of the staff (Lehto and Landry 2012). In this case scenario, there are a number of issues with the physical and organizational ergonomics of the construction company that had the accident with one of their employees. Considering the physical ergonomics of this situation the construction site might not have adequate fall protection mechanism that could have sustained the chance to fall in this case scenario, further more in the physical ergonomic sector the safety and welfare might not have4 been taken into account while designing the construction layout for the construction work (Kniesner and Leeth 2012). In case of the cognitive ergonomics the expectation and the perception of the staff regarding the job responsibilities and the precautionary measures to be undertaken in this scenario. Furthermore the level of consciousness and the stress can also play a huge part in this situation (Kitaneh and Hamdan 2012). The third and final human factor component is the organizational ergonomics, where the faulty staffing arrangements, night shifts, heavy workload can be the reason to the employees losing consciousness and falling leading to him sustaining the injury. The workplace environment or managerial discrimination of the staff can also be the reason behind the reason of the fall and the investigation taking into consideration all these components the investigation for the fall incident can progress (Hinze, Thurman and Wehle 2013). Human Factors Methods for investigation: The human factor approach to accident investigation has not just theoretical principles and set of well articulated guidelines but also has a number of different tools and technological assistive methods to help the investigation process, and arrive at a reasonable and scientific conclusion (Hassall and Xiao 2015). The step to fall investigation must begin with scouting area where the fall was sustained and investigating the area for any signs to the underlying cause behind it. The workplace strategy needs to be evaluated as well to ensure that will allow the assessor to recognise whether or not there are safety precautions in place for the construction site (Hale, Borys and Adams 2015). The hydro-dynamics of the construction needs also to be measured to ascertain the structural balance of the site and the materials that are being used to ensure that the fall was not due to faulty foundational structure of the construction site. The tools that can be used are questionnaires, hydraulics measurement tool, barricade markers, Warning tags or padlocks, camera or video recorder, PPE, voice recorder, measuring tape, flashlight, sample containers, etc (Fernndez-Muiz, Montes-Pen and Vzquez-Ords 2012). Strengths and weaknesses of these tools and methods: All these tools that are accessible for fall incident investigation are made on the principles of human factor approach to workplace safety and employee welfare. All these tools have their own different strengths and weaknesses. For instance taking into consideration the questionnaires that will be prepared to survey the employee response to the incident will elicit important information about the construction site safety and the working ambiance of the organization (Feng 2013). Moreover this step will also elicit important information whether any kind of safety policies and protective principles are followed in the workplace or not. Interviewing the staff will also elicit vital informant about the recruitment policy in place for the organization and whether the age and health conditions of the staff are taken into consideration while recruiting the staff. Moreover the professional relationship of the staff with the managerial hierarchy of the workplace can also be revealed to ascert ain whether the staffs was overloaded with work and were doing extensive shifts (Dul et al. 2012). The employee who was the victim of the accident will also be questioned to ascertain whether he was conscious at the time of fall and whether the he had any health related restrictions that could have aided in his fall in any manner. The downside to this particular tool is the fact that the response of the rest of the employees and the can be biased and wll teh have the potential to affecting the neutrality of the study and the verdict. The same restrictions are going to be in place for the interviewing the managerial hierarchy and their biased opinion will drag down the possibility of the verdict of the intervention being very neutral (D?jus and Antuchevi?ien? 2013). The hydraulics assessment tool will also be beneficial in assessing the structural foundation of the construction site and will help in determining whether the construction site was safe to work on and will also assess the quality of any precautionary mechanism like guard rails, fall restrains and fall arrest in place in the workplace. Tis device will excellently deduce the cause of the fall and will easily generate the reason why these precautionary mechanisms malfunctioned. The downside to these tools is that it is expensive and will be difficult to operate without trained personnel (Conchie 2013). The rest of the standard investigation tools like barricade marker, yellow tapes and the rest will be beneficial in maintaining the security of the workplace and the order of the entire workplace. The downside to these tools is very significant but the extra expense can be a drawback for these toots (Colley, Lincolne and Neal 2013). Conclusion: On a concluding note, it can be said that there are many reasons why a workplace can sustain an accident of minor and major magnitude. And for a workplace that is a construction site it is even more inevitable. It has to be considered that accidents are not something that can be completely stopped from ever occurring however some safest precautions can be taken to ensure that the frequency of these accidents are minimum and the damage done is as low as possible (Carayon, Alyousef and Xie 2012). The injuries that the victim sustained cannot be overlooked and the responsibility of ensuring g the safety and well being of the staff lies in the hands of the management. Therefore, incorporating the human factor tools into the workplace can help in constructing a workplace environment that is safer for the employees and avoid any accidents that have the potential to harming the employees in any circumstances (Basil et al. 2013). 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