Wednesday, January 22, 2020
The Square Deal: Social Reform to Avoid Disaster Essay -- essays resea
The Square Deal: Social Reform to Avoid Disaster à à à à à America at the turn of the century was a very different place than it is today. The industrial revolution had set into motion a series of events that empowered and enriched some and nearly enslaved others. Theodore Rooseveltââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Square Dealâ⬠was a necessary response to growing social unrest. A severely unequal distribution of wealth along with poor living and working conditions were leading workers and capitalists to increasingly extreme means. By enacting a large body of legislation intended to set right the wrongs in society and using whatever force necessary, Roosevelt avoided what could have been a popular revolution of the working class. à à à à à The purpose of this essay is to develop a better understanding of Rooseveltââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Square Dealâ⬠. An examination of historical events will provide a clear picture of the outlook in America during the time of Rooseveltââ¬â¢s presidency that led to the necessity of the legislation and presidential actions that characterized Progressive Party politics. Rooseveltââ¬â¢s response was nothing short of precisely what was necessary to remedy the social unrest that was overtaking the working people of America. à à à à à As is the case with any major public policy, the ââ¬Å"Square Dealâ⬠had its roots in beliefs set forth in the United States Constitution and the basic tenets of Democracy. Without support, large scale changes to the system go down in history as simply another idealistic effort. Roosevelt believed in his ideas and had a way of pushing policies through that resulted in sweeping changes that avoided catastrophe. Every conscious of the possibility of revolution, Roosevelt sought to avoid it by any means necessary. à à à à à Beginning in the 1800ââ¬â¢s, the face of America was changing. As the Industrial Revolution took a firm hold here and around the world, the everyday life of common Americans was affected in almost unimaginable ways. Between 1885 and 1945, a sweeping change was taking place throughout the world. Large scale mechanization as well as new modern modes of transportation and communication changed the way people looked at the world (Rowland, 1997, p. 14). As thousands of new jobs were created, a large scale urban migration began. People were leaving the far... ... 10, 2005 from SIRS Knowledge Source at http://www.sirs.com Pure Food and Drug Act. Retrieved on March 30, 2005 from à à à à à http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/rcah/html/ à à à à à ah_072600_purefoodandd.htm Rowland, P. (1997). Designing the modern world: the messages of objects, and design, à à à à à à à à à à shape our perception of the modern world. Carnegie Magazine, 8, 14+. Sherman Antitrust Act. Retrieved on March 30, 2005 from à à à à à http://www.bartleby.com/65/sh/ShermanA.html Thayer, W.R. (1919). The Square Deal in action. à à à à à Retrieved March 15, 2005 from http://www.bartleby.com The Interstate Commerce Act. Retrieved on March 30, 2005 from à à à à à http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h921.html Wattenberg, B and Mazzetti, M. (1998). Rough riding into the 20th century. American Legion à à à à à à à à à à Magazine, 28, 32-36. à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à Ã
Monday, January 13, 2020
Rational Choice Theory Essay
ââ¬Å"Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason. â⬠As seen from Oscar Wildeââ¬â¢s famous quote, rationality is one of the most crucial and controversial subjects in studying human behavior. To study and examine this rationality, numerous scholars have tried to establish their own theories and generalize their explanation with empirical evidences from real world, which ultimately produces so called, the theory of rational choice. Rational Choice Theory is an approach to understand human behavior. The approach has long been the dominant paradigm in economics, but in recent several decades it has become more widely used in other fileds such as Sociology, Political Science, and Anthropology. The main purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of rational choice theory and briefly discuss its basic assumptions, critiques, political implication, and alternative explanations of individual choice mechanism. First of all, historical backgrounds of rational choice theory and its transition from the field of Economics to that of Political Science will be elaborated. Next, various definitions and meanings of the rational choice will be discussed. The basic assumptions of the rational choice approach with political implication will be followed. Several issues raised by rational choice theory will be followed after this discussion. This paper will suggest some of the main criticisms that have been levied against the rational choice approach. Limited empirical validity of rational choice theory and methodological individualism, which reveals innate problematic nature of the theory, will be discussed. Finally, alternative explanations of individual choice mechanism will sum up this discussion. Before elaborating its theoretical discussion, it is necessary to discuss historical backgrounds of rational choice theory. In the article, ââ¬Å"A Genealogy of Rational Choice: Rationalism, Elitism, and Democracyâ⬠, Maloy introduces Skinnerââ¬â¢s analysis of behaviorism as fundamental background for the discussion of rational choice theory. He argues that, ââ¬Å"Skinnerââ¬â¢s analysis deserves the attention of the recent debates around rational choice ecause it calls attention to the ineluctable ideological features of methodological debateâ⬠(Maloy 751). According to Maloy, Skinner could ââ¬Å"clarify the sorts of normative force which attach to empirical theories in social sciences by a close textual analysis of some leading contributions to the behaviorist debateâ⬠, which ultimately enables the discussion of rational choice to be furthered applied into different fields of study (Maloy 751). Milton Freidman is another crucial figure that provides profound theoretical base for discussing rational choice theory. In ââ¬Å"The Methodology of Positive Economicsâ⬠, Friedman argues that people and firms make decisions that can maximize their profit under perfect information. He defended rational choice model by arguing that, ââ¬Å"a theory should be judged by its predictive accuracy, not the realism of its assumptionsâ⬠(Friedman 10). His argument provides theoretical foundations of rational choice theory in Economics, even though it is often criticized by later scholars because of its weak empirical validity and ceteris paribus nature. While rational choice theory has been dominant paradigm in Economics, it has become ââ¬Å"adapted and adjusted in a number of ways to fitâ⬠different fields of study such as Political Science; Maloy explains that ââ¬Å"the distinctiveness of the rational choice approach among political scientists consists, in general terms, in the use of economic models to explain and predict political behavior (Maloy 753). Maloy points out three prominent figures, Arrow, Downs, and Olson as rational choice founders especially in the field of political science. According to Maloy, Arrowââ¬â¢s work focuses on so called, ââ¬Å"collective rationality whose underlying purpose is to measure collective choices using standards normally applied to individual choices (Maloy 753). Down uses Arrowââ¬â¢s collective rationality as the starting point of his study and ââ¬Å"aims to articulate a behavior rule for democratic governments so that they could be included in economic theories of general equilibrium, alongside non-state agents like private firms and consumers (Maloy 754). Finally, Olsonââ¬â¢s analysis has taken ââ¬Å"the key elements of Arrowââ¬â¢s and Downââ¬â¢s constructs and applied them to a narrower fieldâ⬠; He argues that ââ¬Å"as long as the service provided by a voluntary association is a public good on which an individual can ride-free, there is no incentive actually to take on the costs associated with joining, membership and participation, unless the marginal contribution of that individual appreciably advances the organizational causeâ⬠(Maloy 754). All three choice foundersââ¬â¢ works have enabled rational choice theory to be in the central place of political discussion in ââ¬Å"the creative and cross-disciplinary waysâ⬠(Maloy 755). By arguing that voting results have no specific social meaning, voting has no individual efficacy, and participation in interest group activity has no special individual efficacy, these rational choice founders could criticize unrealistic and irrational assumptions and norms of traditional democratic system and bring rational choice model to the place of political discussion from the field of Economics (Maloy 755). Rational Choice Theory generally starts with consideration of the choice behavior of individual decision-making units, which in economics are often consumers and firms. The theory suggests that the individual decision-making unit is certain larger group such as buyers or sellers in a particular market. Once individual behavior is set up, the analysis generally moves on to examine how individual choices interact to produce outcomes. Then, what does it mean by arguing that a choice is rational? In rational choice theory it means that an agentââ¬â¢s choices reflect the most preferred possible alternative among given opportunities. In other words, choices must reflect utility maximization. Elinor Ostrom defines rational choice theory as a guide to ââ¬Å"understand humans as self-interested, short-term maximizersâ⬠in his work, ââ¬Å"A Behavioral Approach to the Rational Choice Theory of Collective Actionâ⬠(Ostrom 2). In the article, ââ¬Å"The Political Psychology of Rational Choice Theoryâ⬠, William H.à Riker also suggests that ââ¬Å"the rational choice model begins with the assumption that actors know what they want and can order their wants transitivelyâ⬠(Riker 25). ââ¬Å"Transitivelyâ⬠here means that an agent of rational choice model can do so called, ââ¬Å"a transitive orderingâ⬠; ââ¬Å"To know what one wants requires one to choose the best from among several goals and, failing to attain it, to choose the second best, etcâ⬠(Riker 24). This formulation of ordering enables an agent to pursue the best option with given constraints that limit choices he or she can have. In their work, ââ¬Å"Rational Choice Theoryâ⬠, Coleman and Fararo define rational choice sociologically as they use the term, ââ¬Å"models of purposive actionâ⬠, rather than rational choice; ââ¬Å"These models rest on the assumption that actors are purposive which means they act in ways that tend to produce beneficial resultsâ⬠(Coleman and Fararo 21). These several definitions point out that choices pursuing utility maximization and outcomes made by these choices are key elements in rational choice theory. Then how is different when rational choice theory is applied into the field of Political Science instead of other fields of study such as Economics and Sociology? According to Riker, Economistsââ¬â¢ main concern for rational choice is ââ¬Å"the process and outcomes produced by voluntary exchange, where of course, all participants benefit. On the other hand, ââ¬Å"Politics mainly concerns processes and outcomes produced by group decisions which are practically binding on those who cannot resign from the group. Thus, there can be losers and winners in politics according to Rikerââ¬â¢s argument (Riker 24). Although Rational choice theory has long been the dominant paradigm in Economics and other fields of study, it has been subject to vigorous criticism. In ââ¬Å"Pathologies of Rational Choice Theoryâ⬠, Don Green and Ian Shapiro raises several empirical problems that rational choice theory possess; they ââ¬Å"conclude that a number of methodological deficiencies plague empirical applications of rational choice models. They argue that, ââ¬Å"fundamental and recurrent methodological failings rooted in the universalist aspirations that motivate so much rational choice theorizingâ⬠(Freidman 59). According to Green and Shapiro, ââ¬Å"these mistakes stem from a method-driven rather than a problem-driven approach to research, in which practitioners are more eager to vindicate one or another universalist model than to understand and explain actual political outcomesâ⬠(Friedman 59). Green and Shapiroââ¬â¢s argument can be summarized into three propositions; ââ¬Å"there is a list of methodological characteristics that are undesirable in an empirical science and are thus to be avoided. â⬠ââ¬Å"Empirical applications of rational choice theory are more likely to commit these mistakes than other types of empirical analysis in political science. ââ¬Å"These pathologies are not due to and historical coincidence, but are rooted in fundamental characteristics of rational choice theory, especially its universalist aspirations and the lack of specificity in the rational actor assumptionâ⬠(Freidman 60). These propositions suggest that rational choice theory has its empirical limit for testing and predicting actual political outcomes. In detail, Green and Shapiro point out several problems of rational choice theory that possibly undermines the empirical validity of the theory itself. Post hoc theory developmentâ⬠known to statisticians as ââ¬Å"curve fittingâ⬠is one of these problems that rational choice theory contains. Green and Shapiro ââ¬Å"contend that rather than formulating bold predictions that are falsifiable by empirical evidence, rational choice theorist tend first to look at the empirical evidence, then design a rational choice model that fits itâ⬠(Friedman 5). Another problem raised by Green and Shapiro is rational choice theoristsââ¬â¢ engagement in ââ¬Å"arbitrary domain restrictionâ⬠(Friedman 5). As discussed earlier, certain restrictions or constraints enable ââ¬Å"a transitive orderingâ⬠in rational choice theory. Green and Shapiro argue that these constraints and restrictions are defined in ambiguous ways in rational choice model, which ultimately makes the empirical validity of the theory weakened. Green and Shapiroââ¬â¢s examination of the phenomenon of voting behavior is another major example that shows these problems rational choice theory innately possesses. ââ¬Å"In a real-world election with a large electorate, it is instrumentally irrational for anyone to case a ballot, since no single vote has more than an infinitesimal chance of deciding the outcome. Whether one favors selfish or selfless ends, virtually any activity in pursuit of those ends would be more effective than the time spent on voting and on educating oneself about candidates and issues. Yet hundreds of millions of people do vote. For rational choice theory, this would appear to be a gigantic anomalyâ⬠(Friedman 6); As noted earlier, rational choice theory presumes that an agent of the model seeks best possible outcomes to maximize his or her utility in given constraints. However, according to Green and Shapiro, in a real-world voting behavior does not confirm this assumption of rational choice theory where voters cast a ballot without having enough time to assess or predict its possible outcome and realizing whether his or her action of voting maximize benefit or not. Another issue raised by Green and Shapiro is free riding problem; While voters can easily pursue a free riding action on the efforts of others to help the cause succeed, there is no need for people to devote resources of time and money to cause desired results. In other words, ââ¬Å"rational choice theory would seem to be refuted not only by people who vote, but by those who contribute small amounts of money to political campaigns, attend rallies, and engage in other forms of collective action designed to secure goals whose achievement is independent of the efforts of any single participantâ⬠(Friedman 7). As seen from Green and Shapiroââ¬â¢s founding, most criticisms of rational choice theory seem to be that the assumptions of the theory are not literally and completely true. No model can pass such a test, as all theories abstract from reality in certain way. Determining the empirical validity of a model would therefore seem to involve an examination of both feasibility of assumptions and conformity with real-world data. The most basic assumption of rational choice theory is that the primary unit of analysis is the individual decision-maker. Those who believe that groups are fundamental have criticized this assumption. This issue of so called, ââ¬Å"methodological individualismâ⬠are dealt in many contexts in the social sciences. In the book, ââ¬Å"Rational Choice Theory: Advocacy and Critiqueâ⬠, Coleman and Fararo argues that models of purposive action or rational choice model can be useful in explaining and predicting human behavior. They further their argument by saying that ââ¬Å"because the values and beliefs of individuals are shaped primarily by the socializing influences of society, especially as mediated through social relationships with significant other, an understanding of the culture and structure of societies and of the positions of individuals within them is necessaryâ⬠(Coleman and Fararo 22). According to Coleman and Fararo, major problem for applying rational choice model particularly into Economics and Political Science, in which the primary interest has been in aggregate level outcomes, ââ¬Å"is that the postulate of purposive action has been linked to arbitrary and narrow assumptions about what individuals value and believeâ⬠(Coleman Fararo 33). Also the assumption that human behavior is narrowly self-interested and the use of the term rationality to refer to the efficient pursuit of economic benefits has often produced incorrect assumption that rational choice model are innately egoistic; ââ¬Å"that they regard individuals as calculating the expected benefit to themselves of alternative lines of action and acting accordingly (Coleman and Fararo 34). Recent empirical evidences suggest that human beings are capable of acting in ways for the interests of others or the social group above their self-interest, which implies that the assumption of individualââ¬â¢s pursuit of self-interest does not match with reality. Coleman and Fararo further their discussion of this ââ¬Å"methodological individualismâ⬠by arguing that a social norm can be one primary example, which refutes the basic assumption of rational choice model. According to Coleman and Fararo, ââ¬Å"When a social norm is know to have been violated, some type of formal or informal sanction will resultâ⬠(Coleman Fararo 35). Formal sanction like a legal code or a set of rules and informal sanction like a disapproval or social ostracism would affect individualââ¬â¢s choice making process. Therefore, unlike the basic assumption of rational choice model suggests that human behavior is oriented from self-interest, by the effect of social norms and values, individuals can consequently act in altruistic or selfless way for pursuing the interests of groups they are involved in. Because of its limit and problematic nature of rational choice theory, the need for alternative explanation has become necessary for many scholars who criticize the theory. Dennis Chong provides some insights for the possible alternative of rational choice theory in his article, ââ¬Å"Rational Choice Theoryââ¬â¢s Mysterious Rivalsâ⬠. According to Chong, even though Green and Shapiroââ¬â¢s critique against rational choice theory has failed to provide complete form of alternative explanation, there are some theoretical debates and discussions that suggest possible theoretical replacement or revision. Chong argues that, ââ¬Å"Green and Shapiro occasionally allude to the influence of social-psychological and moral factorsâ⬠such as group loyalties, emotions, political identities, ideology, obligation, and altruism (Friedman 47). As found in Coleman and Fararoââ¬â¢s arguments that institutional or social factors can affect individualââ¬â¢s choice making process, many scholars further their discussion of this social motivation as the alternative of rational choice theory. In his article, ââ¬Å"When Rationality Failsâ⬠, Michael Taylor argues that social identification and intrinsic motivation can explain some of significant social phenomenon and collective action that has been ignored by rational choice theory; ââ¬Å"If a person defines herself as a member of a group, or if her membership in a group is made cognitively salient, then she is more likely to observe the groupââ¬â¢s norms and cooperate with group members in social dilemmasâ⬠(Friedman 230). For intrinsic motivation, Taylor explains that there are some activities that are intrinsically motivating people to be participated such as interesting work, volunteering, and political activities. In this case the activity itself or enjoyment of that activity is the reward for people. When extrinsic rewards like money are introduced, intrinsic motivation would diminish (Friedman 231). By suggesting the concept of social identification and intrinsic motivation, problems of rational choice model for explaining some collective action can be resolved. In this paper, a sense of how rational choice theory works and of its methodological foundations has been introduced. It has also been noticed that rational choice theory is not an ultimate answer. The theory is subject to a number of criticisms, but there is no doubt that its influence in various fields of study have brought tremendous amounts of theoretical debates, and increased the depth of economic, sociological, and political discussions. It is impossible to attain complete knowledge about anything, especially social phenomena. However, it is certain that rational choice approach is one of most crucial theoretical resources for human beings to explore and examine to gain this ultimate answer. It can be useful or misleading, depending on how it is treated. It is responsibility of remaining and future scholars and people to correctly apply and use this theory with open-minded attitude.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
William Golding s Lord Of The Flies - 1613 Words
William Golding: Lord of the Flies Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Group. 1954. Print. William Goldingââ¬â¢s acclaimed novel, Lord of the Flies, follows the adventure of a clan of British adolescents stranded on a coral reef island. With no adults left alive, the diverse personalityââ¬â¢s between the main characters Ralph, Piggy, Jack, and Simon struggle with the freedom from authority. This tale begins when Ralph, a fair haired twelve year old, awakes after the fatal plane crash and discovers the jungle and sandy beach where the abundance of boys will now strive. There he meets Piggy, an overweight boy with glasses as thick as bottle caps. Upon their first meeting, it is learned that the boys were being evacuated from theâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Soon it is learned that Jack is weary of killing the pig as he lets it escape but now has the taste for blood. In hopes for being rescued the boys build a fire to try and attract a ship or plane. The plan does not work although, because a ship passes while the fire is out. Leaving the boys with a sense of hopelessness. Ralph focused on building shelters and trying to build a signal fire again, reflects opposite on Jackââ¬â¢s behavior of needing to hunt not for food, but to kill. After the ship passes Ralph calls a meeting where it is learned the younger of the kids are scared of a so called ââ¬Ëbeastieââ¬â¢ w hich scares the others. Convinced and denying Ralphââ¬â¢s reasoning of that thereââ¬â¢s no beast, one child suggests that it hides in the water during the day, causing a breeze of anxiety to flow through the clan. One night, while all of the boys are sleeping military fighting planes have a battle over the island and leaves a dead soldier in a parachute to land on the island. Sam and Eric, being on fire duty to keep it lit, heard the parachute ââ¬Å"fifteen yards away from them came the plopping noise of fabric blown openâ⬠(98). Thinking it is the beast the twins run back to the camp in terror and insist the beast has attacked them. Jack and Ralph trek up the mountain to see and hunt the beast and discover the parachute. By then another meeting is held The most understandable theme Golding displays is the contrasting
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Los Zetas Mexicos Second Most Powerful Drug Cartel Essay...
INTRODUCTION. Recognized as one of the most fearless and violent cartels in all of Mexico, Los Zetas was brought forth by a need for personal security in the Gulf Cartel. This former hit man/security style operation, active since 1997, has since grown into its own ruthless and violent organization becoming the second most powerful cartel and easily the most feared in all of Mexico. Heavily trained and armed, members of Los Zetas are set apart from other cartels because of the level of brutality they are willing to administer to those who cross them, though they had initially hoped that by being more intimidating they would have to fight less. It is their command of the drug market, their lack of fear in using violent tactics, and theâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Logan 2012). Los Zetas, as stated by the Mexican Defense Ministry in 2003, established a name for themselves as, ââ¬Å"the most formidable death squad to have worked for organized crime in Mexican historyâ⬠(S. Logan 2009). By this time Los Zetas had grown from its original thirty-one members to over three-hundred members strong. It wasnââ¬â¢t until 2003, when Orsiel Cardenas Guillen was arrested and extradited to Houston, Texas, that Los Zetas began to contemplate the separation from their then partners the Gulf Cartel. Finally exhausted with taking orders from others, many of Los Zetas, especially the new blood, supported the idea of separating into their own entity. In 2007, Los Zetas officially parted ways with the Gulf Cartel, and transformed into their own singular organization. Today, Los Zetas organization is still recognized for its thirst for bloodshed in the form of murder, torture, dismemberment, and decapitations. One federal agent commented that Los Zetas are more dangerous than any other criminal organization in Mexico because they are heavily armed and eager to engage in gun battles (S. Logan 2009). MISSION. The original mission of Los Zetas focused on protecting the leader of Gulf Cartel, Orsiel Cardenas Guillen, and on killing all of Gulf Cartelââ¬â¢s enemies that may have disrupted normal operations. In an effort to grow Gulf Cartelââ¬â¢s power, top Los Zetas members would carry out covert assassination missions in rivalShow MoreRelatedMexican-American Drug War1105 Words à |à 5 PagesThe Mexican drug-trafficking cartels are said to have been established in the 1980s by a man named Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, also known as ââ¬Å"The Godfatherâ⬠. With the help of Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo and Rafael Caro Quintero, Miguel started the Guadalajara Cartel, which is one of the first to have thrived from association with the Colombian cocaine trade. The two men who helped Miguel Gallardo establish the cartel were arrested, so Gallardo, the single leader of the cartel ââ¬Å"was smart enough to privatizeRead MoreAmerica s Freedom Of Freedom1495 Words à |à 6 PagesIntroductio n Since 2011, the Freedom House has classified Mexico as a purple, or a ââ¬Å"not freeâ⬠country in its annual Freedom of the Press report. The upraise of violence in the country, stemmed from its war against drugs, has threatened Mexicoââ¬â¢s freedom of expression and practice of journalism, undermining the foundations of the countryââ¬â¢s democracy. During the last 12 years, 82 journalists have been murdered, 18 have disappeared and there have been 33 attacks on media outlets according to the NationalRead MoreEvolving Structure of Mexican Drug Cartels1494 Words à |à 6 Pagespayment for the protection of the womans local business against the Juarez Cartel. (Lacey, M. 2010). 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Although todayââ¬â¢s War on Drugs is a modern phenomenon, drug problems have been a common problem throughout history. The market for illegal drugs is massive, when we consider the estimated global drug trade value is worth $321 billion (Vulliamy). The most drug traffickingRead MoreMexico s Powerful Drug Trafficking1827 Words à |à 8 PagesThrough bloody feuding, Mexicoââ¬â¢s main criminal insurgencies, including: The Knight Templar, Los Zetas, Sinaloa Cartel, and The Gulf Cartel, divide the country into gang territories. Since 2006, Mexico s powerful drug-trafficking organizations have committed more than 60,000 drug-related homicides, including the mass murder of innocent civilians. Due to civilian massacre increase, kidnappings and extortion have become a mundane e vent. In February 2014, the Mexican government confirmed that 26,000Read MoreThe Cartel : A Powerful Drug Trafficking Organization1783 Words à |à 8 Pagesborders which is drug smuggling. In the region of North America lies a state that faces struggles everyday with a organization called Sinaloa Cartel. They face battles against this organization for control of the drug market within the state. This cartel plays a huge role within the state by having a huge influence in power compared to other the organizations in the state. The Sinaloa cartel was founded in 1989 which have their base location in the city of Culiacà ¡n, Sinaloa. The cartel is considered
Friday, December 20, 2019
Mentoring For Senior Professional Field - 1096 Words
Mentoring is an interregnal part of every professional field. Organizations that pursue future improvement and development focus on mentoring by means of inviting internal and external professionals to mentor junior members. Mentoring is a rather complex subject and often takes serious preparation on the part of a mentor. Just being an experienced professional is not enough for becoming a good mentor for juniors. Mentoring is a responsible activity, which requires high levels of patience, professionalism, ethics, enthusiasm, tolerance and skills. Even though most of organizations mention highly developed training programs, in practice mentoring is still a new territory for most of them and often the professionals cannot properly explain what actually makes a good mentor and what efficient mentoring should include. The field of engineering is one of the professional spheres where young specialists are in high demand since there is a growing skills shortage in this field. To be able to function effectively in the future, engineering companies must take the issue of skills and professional scarcity seriously and improve mentoring methods in order to prepare highly qualified workers for the future. The word ââ¬Å"mentorâ⬠comes from ancient Greek mythology, Mentor was the name of the teacher of Odysseusââ¬â¢s son (Miller 3). Today this word is used to refer to wise and reliable supervisors. First of all, mentoring is based on a relationship between a mentor and a protà ©gà ©. The successShow MoreRelatedMentoring : A Integrated Mentoring Program1324 Words à |à 6 PagesINTRODUCTION The goal of mentoring in military organizations is to help junior personnel reach their full potential by having senior personnel help develop them, and pass on their practical expertise and professional knowledge to personnel who are committed to advancement and success (United States, 1995). A thriving mentoring program will enhance our overall professionalism and help meet the future needs of our organization. In my current job, I am charged with implementing a mentoring program where officersRead MoreReverse Mentoring For Apple Millennials1527 Words à |à 7 Pages Reverse Mentoring for Apple Millennials Chenise Wade University of Maryland University College July 26, 2015 Chenise Wade 6465 Lexington Ave Norfolk, VA 23513 July 26, 2015 Denise Young Smith Apple 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014 Dear Mrs. Smith, Enclosed is the report entitled, ââ¬Å"Reverse Mentoring for Apple Millennials,â⬠which you summoned for the Board of Directors 16 Jul 2015 on developing an alternative mentoring program for the millennials of the company. The main findingsRead MoreMentoring in Nursing1694 Words à |à 7 PagesBenefits of Mentoring in Nursing Kerri Wiggins Wilmington University Benefits of Mentoring in Nursing Nursing is an evolving profession with an aging work force. Newer nurses are entering a challenging and, at times, thankless profession. The need to train new staff in order to promote desired entry into the profession and increase retention in the field and workplace is dire. The adage that nurses eat their young is a common well-known phrase. It is unlikely in todayââ¬â¢s world, where careerRead MoreExpanding Leadership Diversity Through Formal Mentoring Programs1184 Words à |à 5 Pagesleadership diversity through formal mentoring programs. Journal of Leadership Studies, 3(1), 47-60. To attract and retain people, it is essential that organizations design and successfully implement pro- grams and processes that develop people and nurture their talents. For those who aspire to a leader- ship role, the opportunity to engage in mentoring relationships with senior-level leaders is a powerful way to accelerate growth. In the majority of informal mentoring relationships, mentors and protà ©gà ©sRead MoreThe Impact Of Innovation On Nursing Education Essay1413 Words à |à 6 Pagesnursing shortage. Upon review of Craven Community Collegeââ¬â¢s curriculum (CCC), it was noted that peer mentoring could be utilized in order to decrease anxiety and increase confidence in nursing students. Peer mentoring has been defined as a planned relationship between a more experienced person and a less experienced person with the purpose of achieving identified outcomes. In a peer-mentoring relationship, the mentor and mentee are similar in terms of age and status (Hunt Ellison, 2 010). ThisRead MoreAn Overview of Mentoring1297 Words à |à 5 Pages Mentoring: An Overview Q1. An explanation that includes a definition of mentoring and at least 3 purposes Mentoring is defined as an informal transference of knowledge between an expert and a neophyte. The mentor is said to have greater knowledge either in a particular field or of general, human qualities that he or she wants to transfer to the mentee. (PowerPoint 1: Slide 3). The purposes of mentoring include supporting professional development within an organization; identifying and nurturingRead MoreMentor And Mentee Relationships From The Army1320 Words à |à 6 Pagesappointed, but are instead selected by the persons involved. It is common for this to occur naturally without the relationship being formally defined or initially acknowledged by either. The mentor will advise and counsel the mentee on personal, professional, and career goals through the sharing of personal experience, encouragement, feedback, and guidance. (FM 6-22, 2015) Now that we have defined mentorship we can further define the relationship between the mentor and mentee. As mentioned, mentorshipRead MoreThe Struggle Of Finding A Job1568 Words à |à 7 PagesBarbaranelli, Caprara, Pastorelli 2001). Working a job that does not require a bachelorââ¬â¢s degree completely de-utilizes the education of students. The first and main problem studentsââ¬â¢ face is their lack of experience when applying to a job within their field of study. Internships are competitive and hard to acquire but still it is needed for experience. Practical experience is needed but cannot be achieved if no one is willing to hire the student. This ongoing cycle of ââ¬Å"to get a job, you need experienceRead MoreStudents From Low Income And First Generation797 Words à |à 4 Pageshigher education is becoming the outlet to different avenues of opportunity whether it is through social mobility or economic progress. While screening out possible topics of interest for a rese arch proposal, one of the challenges I encountered in my field experience was the lack of college access education and funding for the families in the urban high schools. The first generation student family typically is unaware of the college process because the studentââ¬â¢s parents have not attended an institutionRead MoreEvolution Of The Leadership Problem890 Words à |à 4 Pagesin the relationship that exists between the professional staff and clinical managers; the second involves a lack of leadership structure and poor enforcement of existing policies. The final point of discussion involves the insufficient development in place for future leaders. We must first analyze each issue in detail, and then discuss methods for assessing causes which will allow us to apply solutions to the problems. The Bridge between Professional and Manager A major problem that health care
Thursday, December 12, 2019
What Impact Does Socioeconomics and Geographic free essay sample
Reana Brethen What impact does socioeconomics and geographic exposure have on musical preference? Music is derived from personââ¬â¢s roots and their history of said parties. Music evolves at the same fast paced rate as society and is typically influenced from previous genres. Music in specific geographical locations and socioeconomic environments are mostly created based on surrounding issues and hardships that face the parties involved. Many factors effect what musical preferences people enjoy such as ethnicity, background, the areas they reside within and basic income. There is a wide variety in types of music in different geographical locations. For instance, African music has had a long journey. The beat of the music that tribes created travelled with the Africans when sailing over to America. Eventually, reggae evolved in the Caribbean. In later years, African Americans started singing revolutionized versions of their previous music (Bebey 83). Using the beats of their ancestors, they eventually created gospel, blues, jazz, and etcetera. Even these genres would later branch off and evolve into more contemporary genres such as hip hop and rock nââ¬â¢ roll. Bebey) Other cultures also have their own music which have also evolved through time. The change seen in music can be attributed to the surrounding influences based on the creatorââ¬â¢s musical preferences mixed with the influences of their socioeconomics environment as well as their geographical location. An individual growing up in a home with no support of a guardian and they must learn to be independent and they use music as an outlet due to the lack of no one to confide in. On the other hand, an individual who grows up in a stable home where they receive attention and may learn to be independent over time may use music to express themselves rather than the individual who uses music as an outlet. These two examples are composed of completely different surroundings of how music preference can be formed. From these two types of examples, one may develop an idea of which social class those persons may reside in. In the United States, people have created stereotypes for the social classes which exist within the country. In the United States, there are three major social classes: lower, middle and upper. The lower class has little education and the individuals live in poverty. Many associate this class to listen to rap, heavy metal and country. Whether it is a viable part in what musical genres people are involved with, they listen to music and the lyrics which express what their feelings are towards life. A stereo-type for people who work in the lower class are listening to various genres that express the anger that can be created through poor living conditions and unrewarding hard work. Rap and metal are two genres that are known to portray anger well. Some African American neighborhoods, that are considered the governmentââ¬â¢s property, have more rap music than any other area. Another example resides within the prominent whites who live in trailer parks. For these low income workers, they are considered to listen to heavy metal or country (Emmison 217). The music can be used as an escape from life and can radically change the mood of an individual. Music is also easily accessible and can be created with no basic formula. Music can be shaped and changed at ones will. Compositions of music can also be used to temporarily escape negative situations and channel energy and emotions. Whether that just be a part of their culture or whether it be something to do with their low income and their moods. This is one reason it is believed that some of the most talented musicians have troubled backgrounds. (Emmison) The middle class is considered to be eclectic. They listen to all types of music which includes rap, punk, country, electronic, pop, gospel, hip hop, blues, jazz, indie-rock, dubstep etcetera (Borthwick 156). This may be due primarily to the fact that the middle class encompasses the largest percentage of the American population. Middle class people generally are happy since they receive some rewarding attributes in their lives while the lower class usually receives none. The middle class is more likely to reside in the urban and suburban areas of North America. Another reason this is that the middle class may spend their money in different ways than the other social classes. They may spend more towards items such as expensive cars and other items instead of living conditions. For this reason, some in the middle class may still live in lower class conditions and thus they will primarily listen to music associated with that of the lower class. This can be seen in a very specific study created by Adrian North and David Hargreaves. Part of the study was to include the way people spent their money. It indicates that within the middle class, those that spent their money more responsibly listened to similar music to that of the upper class. This group of people is distinguished from the ââ¬Å"less responsibleâ⬠group primarily based on how they regularly paid off credit card bills each month. They were generally interested in opera, musicals and classical music. The group that did not pay bills and credit cards off on time as frequently associated more with the music of the lower class. Their preferred genres were DJ based music as well as hip hop and rap (North 481-483). These findings state that although money may affect musical preferences, the lifestyle led by the people within each group has one immense effect upon their preferences as well. (Borthwick) (North) As for the upper class, they are considered to listen to sophisticated music such as classical, musicals and operettas. During the eighteenth century, the aristocrats or the upper class, would attend the well known Mozart and Beethoven symphonies (Emmison 219). Unlike the lower class or middle class that live with less money, the upper class have either had their money handed to them from family members or have earned their money through a high college degree. (Emmison) In the U. S. A. , many people set stereotypes of musical preference with their social class. For example, lower income listen to rap, heavy metal or country, middle class people are eclectic and enjoy many types of music and the upper class enjoys musicals, operas, and classical music. These assumptions can be based off race. However, a study was conducted and stated that income is rarely associated with music preference. The study slims the stereotypes wrong. Yet it does not mean that most people in these classes do not listen to the types of music people associate them with such as blue grass, country, and hymns/gospel, parade, and rap/hip hop are all genres associated with the lower and middle class. (Mizell) Many people believed in the set and stone stereotypes of musical preferences and how they relate to social classes. However, in the study above, those stereotypes were slimmed down. Emmison stated that education was more influential than just the original stereotypes that individuals have created. ââ¬Å"Manual workers and professionals may not like the same types of musicâ⬠¦more highbrow in the case of professionals, more lowbrow in the case of workersâ⬠(Emmison 214). In Northââ¬â¢s study, the relationship between employment status and music preferences was also studied. Here, the relationship between music preference and age can be indirectly linked and explained. People that enjoy rock, jazz, and pop were found to likely be employed. People that prefer the genres of opera, country, and classical music were mostly likely retired. Social status and age seem to be the largest determinates of how to associate a certain individual with a specific genre or group of genres. This is based mostly on how easily accessible certain types of music may be. Those in the upper class are more likely to be exposed to genres such as opera and classical genres due to their ability to be able to spend money on attending its performance. The lower classes listen to the types of music that are prevalent on radio stations and may thrive within their area. The middle classes are the most difficult to associate with any brand of music because they are mostly eclectic and enjoy such a broad array of musical genres and artists. People of all ages have grown up listening to different types of music. In the contemporary era, most teens listen to rap, hip hop and other popular music while the people from the seventies will most likely listen to bands such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Grand Funk Railroad. Music is derived from different backgrounds of several cultures around the world. Music preferences are based off oneââ¬â¢s social class and geographic location.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Corporate Social Responsibilities Policies of BP-Free-Samples
Question: Discuss about the Discuss about the Corporate Social Responsibilities Policies of BP. Answer: BP had established their headquarters in Mexico more than 50 years ago in 1960s. The company in the country is currently operating in the synthetic lubricants market, in natural gases such as liquefied natural gas crude oil and refined products to level including petrochemicals. These activities supplement in meeting the demand of energy and energy security requirements (bp.com, 2017). The essay is focused on the ethical issues of the company regarding the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. It is due to the explosion occurred at occurred at the BPs Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Further research stated that the event could have been avoided if the company, its partners and the government would have dealt with the problem found by the commission appointed by Obama. An analysis and recommendation of the companys business ethics will be discussed in the following essay (wordpress.com, 2017). Business and the society that the business is operating in are interconnected with the business ethics theory. It can be viewed from two points, that are, the goal of the business and the consideration of the business as a part of the society. The dilemmas in the ethical grounds occur if two or more than two social work morals are in conflict. The unsafely performance conditions and environmental pollutions that are found in the Deepwater Horizon oil spills that is Gulf of Mexico put pressure on BP for violating the ethics of the business. Major stakeholders of the company also got affected in the regarded issue. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill that is Gulf of Mexico is considered as the worst oil spill in U.S. history. The explosion took place on 20th April, 2010, that resulted in large oil spill catastrophe, where 11 workers in the rig were killed and the number of injured are 17. Over 150 thousand barrels of crude oil gushed into the sea on every day basis for next five months which covered 68 thousand square miles of the Gulf surface (ocean.si.edu, 2017). BP funded the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative with $500 million to carry out the research on the impact of the spill (ocean.si.edu, 2017). The research teams came up with a report blaming unethical behavior of the company that led to the disaster. They stated that BP used cheaper equipment in installation of a drilling rig which was considered as risky. The utilitarianism theory is used in the description for evaluating the ethics of the company in the matter which states that action of an individual should always be based on the ethics and moral rules (Lata, 2014). It favors the idea of sacrifice of a few for the profit of the larger mass. The benefits of the society were minimized in BPs CSR policy. The oil slip of Gulf of Mexico can be traced back to various missteps that were taken by the companies involved, BP, Transocean, Halliburton and the MMS who acted in an absolutely unethical way and denied their minimal duties. The BPs contribution towards deprived does not compensates for the destruction. The government was equally responsible for the accident for building a flawed relation with the company. The ethical responsibility of the company and the government needs to be reformed in order to avoid such accidents in future (forbes.com, 2017). The lack of professionalism of the CEO, Tony Hayward was observed by all, prejudging the ethical behavior of the companys social responsibility, as he was enjoying a yachting holiday during the crisis. It portrayed a negative image of the company administration (Lamendella et al., 2014). A large number of stakeholders got affected by this accident either directly or indirectly. The major stakeholders are the sea lives. It is due to the pollution that mutated and killed the fishes. The sea lives were devastated by the explosion and the natural lives got changed widely (Paul et al., 2013). Another major party that got affected is the industries of seafood and tourism. The water pollution put the workers at the risk of losing their jobs, increased seafood price in the market which affected the restaurant and supermarkets as well. People refrained from going to the beaches due to the pollution which demolished the tourism sector. On the other hand, the profit figures of the company fell down to 35% which increased the expenditure and obligation for individual compensation and penalties, thus losing revenue (ocean.si.edu, 2017). It impacted in the reputation of the company and damaged the financial backbone of the company as the investors and the stakeholders lost their f aith. The marine life on the other hand was critically harmed due to the explosion. The toxic oil in the water caused mutation in several species and many have been killed due to it (Steele, 2016; Resnik et al., 2015). Moreover, peoples opinion of oil use was questioned because of the disaster in BPs oil station. People were put in the position to consider about shifting to the alternative energy sources as they evidenced the negative impact of oil spill to the environment. On contrary, the attempts that were made by the company to compensate for the damage by taking part in cleaning campaign can also be taken into consideration. People who got affected by the disaster directly or indirectly received benefits out of these actions (practicalethics.ox.ac.uk, 2017). Nevertheless, this cannot undo the accident that took place in the first place. If the BP had taken ethical considerations in constructing standard oil drilling rig, the whole scenario could have been avoided in the first place. It could have saved companys huge amount of money that was spent on cleaning and other fine. They could have invested this money in future projects. It could also contribute in reduction of the oil price by supplying more amount of oil in the U.S. market. This could have benefited the whole economy as many companies have to spend a lot of money in the oil expanses. Hence, if the expenses would have been less, the price of the products or services provided by the companies would have also been considerably decreased (Liu et al., 2016). Kents Deontology theory can be used as the second philosophy in the scenario where it judges the persons action and intentions to fulfill a duty regardless of the consequences that come after (Shafer-Landau, 2014). Though the report shows the usage of poor quality equipment resulted in the explosion, but it was never the intention of BP to create as such. But it is clearly sighted that, the decision taken in immoral as it increased the risk factors and eventually resulted in a catastrophic damage. On contrary, the investment done by the company is containing the damage and in recovery shows good morals and ethical part of the company with good intentions that neutralizes the actions. The companys participation in clean-up mission is considered as ethical and moral according to the Kant theory. BP should invest more time and labor in creating a proper and ethical CSR plan in future which can avoid these unfortunate circumstances. Focus has to be given on the use of standard equipments. This will eventually raise the price of the oil in the market but ensure the safety of the society and the employees of the company. The profit margin of the company will also eventually fall, but it will stop from creating similar situation in near future which will in term save a lot of money. The after steps that were taken by the company were justified as they showed ethical and moral insight of the company. Their decisions in cleaning up the water and help in sustaining the marine life came up profitable for the stakeholders. But this couldnt fully compensate the damage as the unethical decisions taken by the company in prior caused harmful effects to the marine life and altogether to the economic infrastructure of the company. No real benefits were provided from the next ethical decisio ns that were taken aftermath. Conclusion can be drawn from the above discussion that the companys CSR policy clearly needed to be upgraded. The failure of British Petroleums business strategy in Gulf of Mexico has been highlighted in the essay and various ethical issues have been discussed. The ethical dilemmas of the incident can be seen. The use of Kents Deontology theory and utilitarianism theory is also used in the passage for analyzing the situation and the events occurred in following. A brief discussion is also provided of the impact on the major stakeholder in the issue. The final part of the essay comprises of the recommendation that the company should take in order to avoid similar incidents in near future which will affect their image and the products they deal with. References academia.edu. (2017). BP ethical Issue Retrieved 17 August (2017), from https://www.academia.edu/7563817/BP_ethical_issues bp.com. (2017). BP Mexico. Retrieved 17 August 2017, from https://www.bp.com/es_mx/mexico/acerca-de-bp/bp-en-mexico.html forbes.com. (2017). Real Cause of Oil Spill. Retrieved 18 August 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/2010/05/25/oil-spill-engineering-technology-cio-network-bp.html Lata, R. (2014). BUSINESS ETHICS IN FIJI 2.Asia-Pacific Journal of Education, Business and Society,1(1). Lamendella, R., Strutt, S., Borglin, S., Chakraborty, R., Tas, N., Mason, O. U., ... Jansson, J. K. (2014). Assessment of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impact on Gulf coast microbial communities.Frontiers in microbiology,5. Liu, Z., Liu, J., Gardner, W. S., Shank, G. C., Ostrom, N. E. (2016). The impact of Deepwater Horizon oil spill on petroleum hydrocarbons in surface waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico.Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography,129, 292-300. ocean.si.edu. (2017). Gulf Oil Spill. Retrieved 17 August 2017, from https://ocean.si.edu/gulf-oil-spill practicalethics.ox.ac.uk. (2017). practical ethics Retrieved 17 August 2017, from https://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2010/06/ethical-questions-surrounding-the-bp-oil-spill/ Paul, J.H., Hollander, D., Coble, P., Daly, K.L., Murasko, S., English, D., Basso, J., Delaney, J., McDaniel, L. and Kovach, C.W., (2013). Toxicity and mutagenicity of Gulf of Mexico waters during and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.Environmental science technology,47(17), pp.9651-9659. Resnik, D.B., Miller, A.K., Kwok, R.K., Engel, L.S. and Sandler, D.P., (2015). Ethical issues in environmental health research related to public health emergencies: reflections on the GuLF STUDY.Environmental health perspectives,123(9), p.A227. Shafer-Landau, R. (2014). The fundamentals of ethics. Steele, G.A., (2016). Environmental Conflict and Media Coverage of an Oil Spill in Trinidad.Negotiation and Conflict Management Research,9(1), pp.60-80. wordpress.com. (2017). Deepwater Horizon. Retrieved 17 August 2017, from https://bizgovsoc4.wordpress.com/2012/11/11/the-deepwater-horizon-spill-an-ethical-nightmare/
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