Saturday, August 31, 2019

A key choice writers Essay

A key choice writers make is how they name or refer to characters in their stories. Write about the significance of the choices writers have made in naming or referring to their characters in the three texts you have studies. In the three texts I have studies the writers all name and refer to their characters in different ways. For example in The Road the characters are not given names and in Small Island all the characters are named and referred to in detail. Firstly mc McCarthy doesn’t give his characters names throughout his narrative he only refers to them as, the man, â€Å"papa† and the boy which shows they are father and son and that is all the detail McCarthy reveals. The significance of this is to create the effect that this dystopia they live in could happen to absolutely anyone. McCarthy has also done this to create a statement that names are no longer important since the world has ended and all civilisations have been wiped out. The only important this is surviving. McCarthy mentions the boy was born into the post apocalypse s so maybe the boy hasn’t even been given a name through the fact he doesn’t need one since there is no civilisation and there is a nil chance of survival, therefore there is no one to give your name to. McCarthy could also be revealing that maybe the parents didn’t think it was important in naming the boy because they wouldn’t survive. In Small Island Levy names her characters very stereotypically through their personalities. Queenies christened name is Victoria â€Å"I was christened victoria† like the late queen, but forever been called Queenie, which is what her mother wanted to christen her as but the vicar wouldn’t allow it as it was a common name so he suggested Victoria. Levy chose this name as it reflects Queenies character very well as she is very well mannered and â€Å"posh† like the queen. Gilberts name reveals that he is half white through the fact that Gilbert Joseph is a common white man name. Levy also reveals that his father is white by referring his to as â€Å"light skinned†. Hortense’s name reveals that she is not English however it also reveals that she is wealthy and higher class through the fact that Hortense is a French name which automatically stereotypically reveals Hortense’s character is going to be higher class which she is. Levy also refers to her characters in racist ways by addressing and describing the black characters as â€Å"darkies† and â€Å"niggers† the significance of this is to show when the novel was set â€Å"1948† when being racist was common and most English people were, in which Levy has took advantage of to make her narrative realistic. Finally in Rossetti’s poetry, Rossetti refers to men in different negative ways. For example in Goblin Market Rossetti refers men to a Goblins she has done this to reveal her emotions of men implying that they are all vial and evil. However, the word â€Å"Goblin† could also mean gold which could be implying that all men are rich which is true because in the 19th century it was only men who had money, so she could be implying that men are rare and rich. However, still men in Rossetti’s poems are shown to be negative which is interoperating that wealth isn’t all that good. Rossetti also gives her characters common names such as â€Å"Maude Clare†, â€Å"Laura† and â€Å"Lizzie† the significance of this is to make her poems still mysterious and open for interpretations which she does in all of her poems. Rossetti also refers to her characters through social class and skin tone she does this as it was a main importance in the 19th century. To compare all the writers I have studies both Levy and Rossetti refer and name their characters through social class in some way. However, McCarthy doesn’t mention social class or interpratate it in any way. He has done this because there is no longer any social class unlike in when Small Island and Rossetti’s when it was highly mentioned with the time they are set in. In conclusion in all the texts I have studied the writers all texts I have studied the writers all name their characters in different ways for different significance and to create different effects to their narratives. But also to affect the reader differently for example McCarthy doesn’t give names to his characters to give the narrative lack of information as it could be happen to anyone but also to give the reader no emotional connection to the novel.

How Fair British Education for All

HOW FAIR BRITISH EDUCATION FOR ALL This essay will analyse how education system helps to maintain class inequality in contemporary Britain. In Britain, a good quality of public education service has been promised for all children regardless of ethnicity, race or income. Unfortunately, School League Table and recent surveys show opposite. In 1944, the government passed Education Act which allowed all children to receive secondary education. Children would be selected by ability for different types of school through an IQ test called the 11+ (in Scotland, the qualifying exam). Between 1964 and 1974, all secondaries re-organised into comprehensive schools instead of IQ test selection. In today’s Britain, there are state (92%) and private (8%) schools with level of primary, secondary and tertiary. Vocational or non-vocational curriculum is being used and leaving school age is 16 since 1972. Universities continue to grow and now 40% of 18 year olds go onto university whereas in 1960s it was 5% of school leavers. Although the vast majority (80%) of private school pupils go into the university, almost 40% of state school pupils go into the further education. This shows that class inequality exists in British education system. All sociologists accept that education is important in society as people receive 15000 hours of compulsory education. However, they have different opinions about the role of education in society. The originator of the functionalist ideology, Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) argued that education is an agent of secondary socialisation which transmits norms, values and roles (value consensus) and acts as a bridge between family and the whole social system. He claims pupils should see themselves as part of a nation by learning of certain subjects which can establish a common political identity for social solidarity, i. e. history, so pupils can see similarities between themselves and the past society. American sociologist, Talcott Parsons (1903-1979) developed Durkheim’s ideas. He argues that everybody has the same chance to succeed, therefore pupils who are most successful in schools due to their effort and ability and different talents are fitted into appropriate jobs. This is known as meritocracy. People also learn skills required by modern industrial society in order to keep nation efficient and allow people earn a living. These skills may be general skills such as literacy and numeracy or specific skills required by particular occupations. The weakness of functionalism is no explanation for how all schools, including religious and fee-paying schools, can transmit a common value system while there are many individuals with different values. They assume the education system establish fair standards for everyone so pupils can achieve their status in society. This meritocratic approach cannot be true if private and grammar schools are considered as private schools have advantage to state schools. 40% gap of entering higher education between middle class and working class children shows the reality. The other strong ideology is Marxism. The founder, Karl Marx (1818-1883), assumes that education is part of society that is vital for the ruling class (bourgeoisie) to exploit the working class (proletariat). French Marxist philosopher, Louis Pierre Althusser (1918-1990) argues that education system tells people what to believe and how to achieve it which creates false consciousness known as Ideological State Apparatus (ISA). The system also legitimates inequality. Meritocracy and hidden curriculum makes people believe that individual differences are the reasons for success and failure. In addition, Bowles & Gintis suggest that education system produces a workforce with the skills and attitudes required by employers, thus ensuring that profits continue to be made for the ruling class. They also insist there is a pattern of success or failure related to social factors such as class, ethnicity and selection does not occur on basis of ability. Although Marxism provides strong ideas, it has some weak points such as not telling how teachers are â€Å"tools† of the system and showing pupils as passive. It does not explain how the bourgeoisie control the system for their own benefits. Functionalists defined â€Å"cultural deprivation† to explain working class underachievement. It means children who lack the basic cultural norms, values, language and skills that commonly shared by most other members of society. As Basil Bernstein states that working class families speak in â€Å"restricted code† which means smaller vocabulary, less adjectives and adverbs, information is short with no details or additional explanations, while middle class families speak in â€Å"elaborated code†, with more effective communication. Therefore working class pupils have limited skills required by education such as describing, analysing and comparing whereas middle class pupils have enough mental stimulation which is crucial as teachers use elaborated code. Hart & Risley supported this thesis by saying a professional’s child knows more words than a working class family’s child and likely to be more successful in school. However, it fails to consider material deprivation and structural inequalities, the organisation of school and teacher’s expectations. Nell Keddie states that working class culture is different not deficient. Blackstone and Mortimore (1994) argue that working class families have no less interest in their children’s education. Paul Willis tries to answer criticism of Marxism and shows that there is no meritocracy in a capitalist society in his study called â€Å"Learning to Labour†. The â€Å"lads† (12 pupils) had their own counter-school culture which was opposed to the values espoused by the school. The lads felt superior both to the teacher and to conformist pupils. They can see through the ideological smokescreen which means they are aware of capitalistic society is not meritocratic and they will end up having low-paid jobs so there is no need to gain qualifications. Although they believe workplace is a sense of adulthood/manhood, they still have the same attitude: the lack of respect for authority and having a â€Å"laff†. Therefore education can have unintended consequences on pupils which may not be completely beneficial to capitalism. Despite the significant findings, this study has a small-scale view as it includes only 12 boys and is gender biased so it is difficult to generalise the findings. Functionalists and Marxists try to address the problem differently, but none of them have satisfying explanations. Functionalists see the education system as providing a positive educational experience which benefits the children and society. They blame working class families or culture for the poor results of working class children. Whereas, Marxists claim that the system oppresses and harms people, and that it only benefits the powerful. Both of them ignore gender, ethnicity and labelling (Stephen Ball) which develops self-fulfilling prophecy (Rosenthal & Jacobson) means when people treat you as if you had certain attributes, you start acting that way. All these studies and recent surveys show that there is a class inequality in Britain and education system maintains it. The Sutton Trust suggests a solution: secondary schools should be more balanced and disadvantaged youngsters should be attained in order to be in better position. Tevhide Turkmen

Friday, August 30, 2019

Life Insurance

.. TABLE OF CONTENTS STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN DEFINES SALES SUCCESS IN TWO LEADING LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY Target companies: AVIVA Life Insurance Pvt Ltd. 1] Executive summary: The research is to be conduct how each company has performed in sales and the improve effectiveness of selling process. Research objectives and aims are to compare the performance of the AVIVA and HDFCSLI. As this research studying based on the Indian market, the research is proceeding in Bangalore, which is one of the main city in India. Research mythology is proceeding under collecting data of the current status of the both company and from the people to know the brand awareness and the purchasing behaviour when buying life insurance policies. THE BACKGROUND OF THE INDUSTRY Companies rating can be identified as follows:- A++,A+ are superior companies. A or A- good companies B. is growing company C- means position is not good. D is below the standard (minimum). E rate is company is taking the help from the state to run the business. LITERATURE VIEW Sales management and customer satisfaction: Influence of Advertising on Sales: This is a very important fact in life insurance industry as, their most of sales advertising by the salespersons. Draw back of a company can be happen due to the lack of communication and the problems in communicating with the consumers. Influence of Sales promotions on sales Sales promotions has taken an increasing share of the marketing budget, at the expense of advertising,because promotion can achieve a measurable increase in short term sales , which advertising cannot. There is a tension between the short term effects of promotion and the long term effects of advertising. This results in confusion in marketing community. How ever, there is a desirable effect on sales market from promotions. The main intention to promote sales is to attract the customers attention. Doing promotions in life insurance industry is can be following To extend the user base To reward and retaining existing customers To introduce trail of new product and by cashing and on the establish brand To counter competitor’s offer To clear inventory To enhance brand value To survive under the high pressure of competition, companies tend to do more and more creativity on their sales promotions by adding promotion tools. Promotions tools which can be use in life insurance industry are, Games and contests Lucky draw Gifts Attractive offers for the policies RESEACH PROBLEM: *STUDY AIMS AND OBJECTIVES*: To analyze the potential of Life Insurance in Investment Industry. To get the better understanding of various Life Insurance Product. To compare the performance of the AVIVA and HDFC To evaluate various need of customers for Life Insurance and their To study the brand awareness of the AVIVA and HDFCSLI The levels of trade support achieved, such as point of sales display. IMPORTANTS OF THE STUDIES RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY Research Design: Research Design that is followed in this report is sampling which is the most appropriate technique because Bangalore is a big city. The sample numbers were not overlapping in areas & then these selected with ultimate sample consisting of all units whole Bangalore 10 potential areas ere selected and are picked randomly from these area. Thus the total sample of 300 was taken and analyzed. Research Methodology: Research methodology is mainly concentrating following questions. Evaluating the sales and marketing methods, personnel sellings , telephone selling ,postal orders, etc , that each of the retailer’s used , as well as determining the effectiveness of these sales methods. Determining how effective these methods w ere in supporting and communicating each company’s product and company image Determining who are the customer and potential customers in each company. This is to establish their perception of the company , as well as their attitudes to its image in comparison to those of its competitors. Determining the intermediaries in the market place This is to establish why these intermediaries selected the company and its services, rather than the services of its competitors. In addition, the research evaluated how the company image enhanced the over all sales processes , through all the company communications. Contact with head office, agents and inspectors , promotional material sent to intermediaries , and information on new products , proposal forms , company information, etc Determining the insurer’s own agents and sales force This was to determine whether those members of the sales team were communicating the right image and sales message effectively. In addition, this research is designed to determine whether their sales techniques and methods were ‘synergistic’ with other aspects of the marketing mix, such as advertising and promotions All the findings are based on the survey research method. Data Collection Methods: 1. Primary Data: Questionnaire Detail analysis of data collected through questionnaire: To evaluate various need of customers for Life Insurance and their Purchase behaviour. To know the level of brand awareness of the company among the Consumers. Limitations of the study As this research is focussed on limited group and a limited area space it is not enough to study the production success of the world wide company. Sales rofit can be different according to the area , culture and people. As it is not possible to cover the whole india and also whole Bangalore, results could be limited. Richard M SwILSON , Colin Gilligan with David pearson (1992) David jobber, Geoff Lancaster – 7thedition ‘’ selling &sales management’’ Carl McDaniel , Roger Gates (1999) ‘’ marketing research’’ Robin Birn (1992) ‘’The effective use of marketing research (1992) David jobber ‘’ selling & sales s trategy ‘’ Gorden wills (1974) ‘’ strategic issues in marketing ‘’ Colin Mclver (1984) ‘’case study in marketing’’ Journal of marketing (2009) volume 25 Cunliff bolling (1969) ‘’sales management’’ Giep Franzen (1999) ‘’Brand & Advertising’’ William G. Zikmund (2003) ‘’ Exploring marketing research Bill Donaldson (1998) ‘’ sales management’’ Martin lindstrom (2005) ‘’ Brand sense’’ Bill Donaldson (1988) ‘’ sales management’’ Terence A. Shimp ‘’ Advertising and promotion’’ www. AVIVA. co. in www. hdfcsli. co. in Google search

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Operations Management - Essay Example They get all their ship manufacturing outsourced therefore we cannot say that its operations are concerned with manufacturing of ships. Management of RM at beginning economic downturn determined that time of market decline will last for about three-month. These assumptions were wrong and management does nothing to prepare the company for a new market situation. Financial statements for 2009 do not indicate company’s 711 million USD outstanding because this project is being financed by Mother Company instead of RM. In the following chapter we discuss and analyze how strategic vision of RM combined with its operational strategy and quality of people has proved to provide a sustainable competitive advantage; enabling RM to make right decisions at the right time. The focus will to understand RM focus on quality and different aspects of its operations. Rickmers has always emphasized on quality from the very initiation of its operations. There is a Quality control department which has a number of responsibilities. The quality assurance is not only limited to conduction of operations but the emphasis on a stable financial performance and conduct of sound operations are also important quality variables. The most important aspect of operational performance at Rickmers is certification of quality from highly respected authorities. On 20th February 2008 Rickmers received the Singapore award organized by the Business Times in affiliation with Singaporean government. This was a merit commendation in the best investor relations category. This award signifies the long standing corporation disclosure transparency of Rickmers. Increasingly the quality of operations is being judged by the affect on environment. This is usually termed as the corporate social responsibility. This category of disclosure is usually used as a marketing tool by companies but in fact is an operational aspect of doing business. Rickmers Marinetime has displayed

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Horizontal Violence in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Horizontal Violence in Nursing - Essay Example Although many healthcare stakeholders are aware of rampant horizontal violence, many of them are oblivious of its extent. Ditmer (2010) provides an overview of the scope of horizontal violence among nurses, establishing that â€Å"75%† of nurses have experienced aggression, harassment and bullying during their careers. To further exacerbate such grim statistics, majority of such acts go unreported. Besides, such horizontal violence may not be interfered with a reported â€Å"40%† of leaders remaining passive or quiet when witnessing such acts (Ditmer, 2010). Several explanations have been provided for the cause and nature of horizontal violence. In certain situations conflict within the group arises and horizontal violence is a symptom of an underlying problem. The ultimate result is that horizontal violence persists in the nursing workplace and the individual nurses learn it as an expected behavior, being oblivious that it should not be part of their culture. As a resu lt the nurses are vilified for this and develop a low self-esteem, such that by the time they enter the nursing practice they are already negatively socialized to certain submissive roles. Horizontal violence such as â€Å"disruptive and unprofessional behavior† is allowed to enter due to two factors; through acts of omission; and new nurses’ deficient of formal instruction to handle conflicts and assert their rights. In the former case, it is noted that failure of the management to act even after observing manifestations of horizontal violence contributes to its pervading and perception as part of normal culture in nursing practice. In the latter case, new graduate nurses are observed to lack the necessary skills to deal with being victims of horizontal violence. Some of them also... This essay approves that further analysis will be through correlating data for the day and night shifts as well as registered nurses and technical nurses. Correlations will also be done according to age category of nurses in the work place: baby boomers, generation X and generation Y, with the view of establishing which group is most affected by horizontal violence since it is appreciated that generational differences exist in terms of how these groups act and react in the workplace. This report makes a conclusion that Horizontal violence is a widespread and pertinent issue despite being addressed by legal and healthcare policies. Literature is indicative that it is the result of powerlessness and marginalization of nurses at the workplace accompanied by laxity or disregard of its impact by the management. It has very serious consequences on the individual nurse and quality of patient care availed besides translating into massive losses whenever nurses quit the field. On an institutional level, it is argued that horizontal violence contributes to poor retention. Research evidence for this is limited, and thus justifies an inquiry into it. This study develops a correlational research design to be used to study whether there is a link between horizontal violence among nurses and hospital nurse retention in two medical-surgery units. A horizontal violence measuring tool whose reliability and validity has been tested is proposed for use in data collection after assur ing participant protection through the IRB and hospital management.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Management Analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management Analysis - Coursework Example The managing director, however, does not participate in preparing financial statements because the report is considered supplementary information (Finkler et al., 2013, p.477). However, compiling financial statements requires the assistance of managing directors in compliance with GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) outlined in GASB policies on management discussions and analysis. Guidelines on management discussions and analysis require managing directors to access readable documents for government enquiry on financial services based on relevant facts, conditions and decisions. It involves comparisons of different years based on the government’s gathered information on financial issues (Finkler et al., 2013, p.476). Furthermore, discussions must include the government’s general economic positions with outcomes of operations to assist the public in assessing financial positions and improvement of altered results on the year’s activities. Accountants and managing directors should include graphs, tables and charts appropriately in their financial reports to assist other managers in further analysis of information presented. Such information help in keeping relevant information and achieving goals set without following a rigid format that omits some valuable

Monday, August 26, 2019

Three imediments to small businesses in America Research Paper

Three imediments to small businesses in America - Research Paper Example Small businesses in America face many difficulties, but three that are documented in current literature are financing, race, and having a solid business strategy. The literature researched shows three reasons small businesses in America can have difficulty. Part of the discussion around small business difficulty is the definition of what it means to have a small business success. There are several factors affecting survival of small businesses in the United States, but the most dominant are racism, ineffective strategic planning and poor management. In the United States the race factor plays an important role in most of the operations and functioning in the country. Small businesses require loans to boost their performance and increase income. This is because most if the small businesses have limited financial supply. However, racism has greatly affected availability of loans to most of entrepreneurs with small businesses. Most small business owners are African American and the race factor has hindered them access to loans and hence affected development of small businesses. On the other hand, whites are accessing loans. However, not most of the whites are engaged in small businesses. This has affected growth if the small business industry to the expense of large scales businesses (Weinzimmer and Manmadhan, 2009, p 171). For the survival of an organization, it has to posses an effective marketing department. The marketing department is charged with ensuring public awareness of the services and the products of the organization. The department works in conjunction with the public relation department hence inform the public while maintaining a good relation and image with the public. For proper and effective marketing, an organization has to strategically plan the marketing process. For instance, before a company commences it has to determine the kinds of services or products to offer to the public. For established companies, they use marketing as a tool of determi ning the changes they ought to make to their products or services so as to enhance sales. Generally, companies use marketing to determining appropriate strategies to use in sales, development and communication with an aim of increased sales and containing competition (Cavalluzzo, & Wolken, 2005, p 2158). Due to the limitation of resources, small businesses ought to strategically plan. Therefore, small businesses strategically plans the marketing process hence concentrate their limited resources to the greater opportunities available. When the process is effective, the company may realize sales increase and hence achieve competitive advantage in the market. The strategy may enable a company to fill the needs of the market and hence reach the objectives of the market. A good strategy has to effectively scan both the external and internal environments. This can be achieved via appropriate Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats (SWOT) analysis. After the analysis then a company may set a strategic plan for market, establish goals, identify alternatives in the market, determine market mix and implement them (Bergen, 2001, p 460). Strategic marketing plan An effective, efficient and adaptable marketing plan has several components. These components help in the implementation and achieving

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Mental Skills Training Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mental Skills Training Program - Essay Example Based on a recent performance profile, it is found that I lack two mental skills. Imagery and confidence are mental skills currently lacked. The two lacked mental skills are important for everyday life. Imagery helps the mind focus on seeing things that have happened in the past, things that are happening now and events that may happen in the future. Portraying these images in a positive or negative way is a mental imagery skill. Confidence as a mental skill controls how actions are made, decisions in life and the way someone feels. Each one of these mental skills contributes to decisions that are made in everyday life. These mental skills also affect an athlete’s performance. What does imagery as a mental skill do? Imagery as a mental skill is basically the ability to go over an event and imagine what the outcome will be. This goes hand in hand with confidence. Having strong confidence will help the imagery skill imagine a more positive outcome. A positive outcome and better confidence will lead to higher performance. Setting up a plan to improve these skills will help improve confidence and the mental ability to imagine better outcomes. Improving each one of these skills can help an individual go further in live and outperform others. In an article from the Journal of Education for Business, a study has shown that the use of negotiation classes can help build an individual’s confidence which will help the individual become more successful. Becoming better at negotiating will improve performance by a huge amount. Improved performance will lead to better confidence. I plan on using negotiation as a way to improve my confidence mental skill. Duration and repetition will aid in creating a mental skills training program that works on my weaker areas. To obtain better negotiating skills and better confidence I plan on using negotiating and becoming more comfortable negotiating with others. I will practice becoming comfortable negotiating for a month. Twice a week for the first month I will try to negotiate events that I would otherwise ignore. These events will be smaller things like household activities and small individual confrontations. After the first month, I can then begin using real world scenarios for negotiating. These negotiating skills may need to be modified to a class like session. If practicing negotiating on my own terms proves to be unsuccessful, the training can be modified to include negotiating classes. Another great way that was found to assist in improving mental skills was discovered by a research study conducted by International Education Studies. The research study was performed on college level soccer players. The soccer players were given different techniques to try and improve different mental skills like imagery, attention and motivation. The study showed that relaxation was the best improver. Relaxation was able to help the players relax by reducing muscle tension and improving focus. Becoming more relaxed before and after games, improved performance. Since relaxation has shown to have great imagery affects, relaxation will be part of the program used to improve weaker mental skills. In order to use relaxation to improve imagery,

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Freemium pricing at dropbox case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Freemium pricing at dropbox - Case Study Example That is the reason the company had to use the freemium pricing strategy. The company also coupled the strategy with referral activities, where individuals got the upgrade of storage when they referred their friends to the company (Teixeira and Elizabeth, 196). The result for this strategy was that Dropbox hold a large portion of client cloud storage market. The company also outpaced the internet giants like Amazon and Google in the market. This made the company to start targeting the corporate customers directly. Additionally, the Dropbox consumer version started at $120 increased to $800 for five years (Teixeira and Elizabeth, 195). Consequently, the company’s business product allowed the employers to manage the document of their employees. The product also incorporated single-sign-on option that can be installed to the computer system across the business. The strategy has no significant failure or a negative result. The only disadvantage of the strategy is that unless one is a master, the company cannot attain the customer acquisition objective. This is applied to startup companies. For corporate customers and business clients, Dropbox marketed his new brands to businesses. He carried out an endless decision cycles and made use of gatekeepers. The company opted to target the individual users. The idea behind the strategy was to get employees using the service within the company. The objective of the strategy was getting individuals to use and then like which they would get the employers to register as well. To achieve this, the company gave people ways of trying the service. To achieve this he used a freemium pricing strategy (Teixeira and Elizabeth, 197). Additionally, the company incentivized satisfied client to recommend them to their family and friends. Alternatively, Dropbox could choose Search Engine Marketing. This marketing is critical because it will give Dropbox chance to compete with other titan of the internet by being visible on the search

Friday, August 23, 2019

Inventory Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Inventory Management - Essay Example Inventory items usually consist of the goods, raw materials and finished products. All of these items are seen as money or profit for the owner of any specific organization. Campbell (2007) states that keeping track of raw materials, works-in-process and finished products are obviously critical to a companys bottom line. The aims and objectives of the research regarding inventory management are to analyze various issues which are associated with the inventory management process in any specific organization. Another purpose is to talk about the importance and significance of these issues in the process of inventory management. The plan of the report is that those matters or issues, which influence the inventory management process of any company or organization, will be critically examined and studied in order to see their impact on the inventory control and management system and suitable solutions will be found in order to properly tackle any sort of issue that may appear in the organization regarding the process of inventory management. If we talk about the importance of inventory management system, we can say that inventory management is the root cause for the success of any company or organization. Zierden (2009) states that to be successful in today’s market, dealers need to have concrete inventory strategies and processes in place. If the company contains required amount of inventory items in the stock, the company never faces a demand-supply problem. Demand-supply issue always occur when the company gets out of stock and when the inventory stock level of the company is balanced, the company will never face the issue of less stock and high demand. Muller (2003) found that balanced inventories are very important for the companies because all companies, whether they are medium sized or a large sized organization, inventory management is the key to productivity and success. Piasecki (2003) found that

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Is marriage still a goal worth for pursuing Research Paper

Is marriage still a goal worth for pursuing - Research Paper Example Based on the fact that there are certain factors that have rendered the marriage institution irrelevant today like people can have children out of marriage and that compassion can be gained out of wedlock, it does not dispute the importance of marriage. Thispaper will attempt to outline the fact that marriage is worth pursuing even on the 21st century. Marriage is considered to have begun when men were being formed. Various religious groups in the world believe that marriage was ordained by the Supreme Being who rules the universe as he formed man and woman. Marriage is also based on traditional believes where people believed that men were meant to be united with a woman in a relationship that could lead to child bearing and companionship. However, different cultures believe in different types of marriages such as monogamous marriage and polygamous marriage. Marriage in some cultures is considered a mandatory engagement where all members of such societies are required to get married at a certain part of their lives. However, the society today has changed the living style and this has led to change in doctrines and principles about marriage and its worth. Careers, independence of women, and other principles have led people to realize that marriage is not as important as they used to believe (Thornton 90). Marriage is believed to be a cohabitation where children are brought up to become responsible children. Though many people may argue that children can be gained and delivered out of wedlock, it has been proved that children required both parents to raise them to become responsible adults. The children grow up knowing and depending on their father and the wife respect the husband as the head of family. Parental roles and care is expected from both the parents unless where circumstances my lead to one parent as the caretaker of the children. According to an article about arguments on non-parental care by Gheaus (1), many people disagree about the benefit if

Evaluating a Company’s Budget Procedures Essay Example for Free

Evaluating a Company’s Budget Procedures Essay Springfield Corporation operates on a calendar-year basis. It begins the annual budgeting process in late August, when the president establishes targets for the total dollar sales and the net income before taxes for the next year. The sales target is given to the Marketing Department, where the marketing manager formulates a sales budget by product line in both units and dollars. From this budget, sales quotas by product line in units and dollars are established for each of the corporation’s sales districts. The marketing manager also estimates the cost of the marketing activities required to support the target sales volume and prepares a tentative marketing expense budget. The executive vice president uses the sales and profit targets, the sales budget by product line, and the tentative marketing expense budget to determine the dollar amount that can be devoted to manufacturing and corporate expenses, and then forwards to the Production Department the product-line sales budget in units and the total dollar amount that can be devoted to manufacturing. The production manager meets with the factory managers to develop a manufacturing plan that will produce the required units when needed within the cost constraints set by the executive vice president. The budgeting process usually comes to a halt at this point because the Production Department does not consider the financial resources allocated to be adequate. When this standstill occurs, the vice president of finance, the executive vice president, the marketing manager, and the production manager meet to determine the final budgets for each of the areas. This normally results in a modest increase in the total amount available for manufacturing costs, while the marketing expense and corporate office expense budgets are cut. The total sales and net income figures proposed by the president are seldom changed. Although the participants are seldom pleased with the compromise, these budgets are final. Each executive then develops a new detailed budget for the operations in his or her area. None of the areas has achieved its budget in recent years. Sales often run below the target. When budgeted sales are not achieved, each area is expected to cut costs so that the president’s profit target can still be met. However, the profit target is seldom met because costs are not cut enough. In fact, costs often run above the original budget in all functional areas. The president is disturbed that Springfield has not been able to meet the sales and profit targets. He hired a consultant with considerable experience with companies in Springfield’s industry. The consultant reviewed the budgets for the past four years. He concluded that the product-line sales budgets were reasonable and that the cost and expense budgets were adequate for the budgeted sales and production levels.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Modernity in Japan: 1910-1920

Modernity in Japan: 1910-1920 How did changes to Japanese society in the 1910s and 1920s make modernity a lived experience? Japanese society, much like with other societies, has seen many changes over the course of history. Due to Western influence, it can be argued that changes to Japanese society and way of life became more prominent from the nineteenth century onwards; as the rest of the world changed, Japan did as well. Despite initial fears about a Westernized society, change still occurred. As well as this, it is often proposed that Japanese society in the 1910s and 1920s also underwent a great amount of change, especially after the First World War. Whether or not these changes had a positive impact on society remains debatable, as interpretations of Japan during this period are continuously changing.[1] The change to society, as well as the economy, was brought about due to industrialization during the time which affected many other countries as well as Japan. Japan saw an increase in population partially because of industrialization, as the population had grown from 35 million in 1872 to 55 millio n by 1920.[2] By 1908 the population of Tokyo had risen to 2 million.[3] As it is evident that various groups of society experienced change due to this, the question remains: to what extent were these groups effected by industrialization and the changes to Japanese society? This essay shall explore the various changes that different groups in society faced, as well as whether or not these changes were drastic or not. When looking at the history of Japan, especially when looking at a period of great change, it is important to note that there are many different opinions on how the changes to Japanese society impacted different social groups. As previously mentioned, Waswo states that interpretations on Japan are continuously changing and evolving. Andrew Gordon argues that the lives of men and women were extremely different, as well as the lives of the rural population and those in the cities.[4] This appears to be agreed by many other historians, as the differences between urban Japan and rural Japan are very different indeed. Totman writes that young men, the rural population, the industrial working class, and women were expressing anger during this period, resulting in protests from many.[5] From these two statements it can be safe to assume that despite initial romanticism of this period, there were many hardships for those who werent part of the social elite. Much like in other nations, the wo rking-class struggled to keep up with this idea of modernity, mostly due to the lack of money and the attitudes of the government at the time. Gordon also writes that in the 1920s the countryside †¦ was a troubled place,[6] most likely due to troubles concerning landlords. Life during this period was not easy for many according to historians, with each part of Japan experiencing modernity in different ways. The lives of women during the 1910s and 1920s were, for the most part, full of challenges. Working-class women appeared to struggle the most. Despite beliefs about womens lives at that time, prostitution was a large problem within Japan. While brothel prostitution had begun to decline in many European states, in Japan it was a growing industry, especially in the 1920s.[7] The idea of prostitution and sex work was far from modern, and Garon explains that Tokyos policies towards prostitutes at time would potentially embarrass the government internationally.[8] While prostitutes in Japan had to be licensed in order to work, this did not prevent it becoming a large problem. Geisha, as trained performers, were not allowed to engage in sexual acts; by 1929, however, it was estimated that three quarters of geisha were doing so.[9] Prostitutes came from the poorest parts of society, with most coming from the families of farmers and laborers. Many of these women did not have any form of educa tion, with 13 per cent of licensed prostitutes in 1924 never attending school.[10] By 1925, one-in-thirty women between the ages of 18 and 29 had become involved with prostitution, with licensed prostitutes working in brothels and others working wherever they could.[11] Indeed, it is clear that prostitution was a large problem in Japan during the 1910s and 1920s, and little was done to combat it until the 1940s. Despite problems with prostitution, protests for womens rights during this period were also prominent. The idea of womens rights is seen as modern by many, mainly due to the fact that the idea of equal rights for both men and women is associated with a modern state. Activists began to emerge, with names such as ItÃ…Â  Noe becoming well-known. Although many Japanese women began to fight for equal rights, Yamada Waka noted that many of the problems these women faced were essentially middle-class concerns; there was no real confrontation concerning the conditions of workin g-class women who worked in the mines, textiles industry, or sex industry.[12] Regardless, many middle- and upper-class women went on to higher education despite being excluded from male institutions, and these women soon began to join the white-collar workforce, such as teaching and nursing.[13] As a result of this, by the mid-1920s a third of all teachers were women, and while in 1914 there were only 14,000 nurses by 1924 there were 42,000 nurses in the workforce.[14] The situation for women during the 1910s and 1920s was vastly different depending on social class. Whilst many working-class women were inevitably forced into prostitution, middle- and upper-class women began to experience the working world like never before, through nursing and teaching. It can be argued that while the middle- and upper-class women of Japan fit this criteria of a modern state, working-class women were the opposite. Each woman, therefore, experienced this idea of modernity in different ways. upper-cl ass women seeing the positive. As previously discussed, the middle-class in Japan appeared to be thriving off of this new idea of modernity in the 1910s and 1920s. However, it should be noted that a middle-class was not officially recognised by the government until after the First World War after the urban white-collar population began to grow.[15] Although the definition of middle-class was still somewhat uncertain during this period, the idea of what a home was began to change, especially for this new class. As the structure of homes took on different forms, with chairs and tatami mats now appearing within homes.[16] These homes, which were now being inhabited by this new middle-class, were more Western than traditional Japanese homes, meaning that this new class embraced the idea of modernity and Westernization. Homes were not the only thing to be Westernized. During the Meiji restoration, although there was resistance, many members of the Japanese upper-class changed their way of dress and lifestyle. Though th is was not as prominent, a few members of the middle-class adapted this way of life. As Japan was a family-based society (katei honi), family and home remained an important part of life.[17] Many middle-class businesses, which were mainly small home-based businesses, were family operations that meant that wives could work alongside their husbands for the first time.[18] As previously mentioned, during the 1910s and 1920s many women began to work in various areas of work such as nursing and teaching. Many middle-class daughters worked as typists, though pay was much less than that of men.[19] While today unequal pay is not seen as modern, the middle-class evidently embraced other aspects of a modern society. With consumerism depending mainly on the middle- and upper-classes, department stores began to flourish around Japan. Department stores were mainly located near train stations in urban areas such as Tokyo and Osaka and were †¦ a new way to enjoy the fruits of ones labor, esp ecially for families whose husbands worked in salaried middle-class jobs..[20] Imported products made appearances in department stores, such as clothing and cosmetics. Department stores quickly became a central part of life, especially for the middle-class who could afford the luxuries offered at the department stores.[21] Overall, it can be safe to assume that the middle-class fit the criteria of modernity quite well. As the middle-class progressed, meaning that architecture and lifestyles changed, so did Japan. Although there was a fear that quick progression would lead to Japanese tradition disappearing, this was not the case; this can be demonstrated by Japanese family ideals during this period, which for the most part remained mainly unchanged. Unlike the middle-class, it is argued that the working-class of Japan faced many more hardships and challenges during the 1910s and 1920s. Urbanization and industrialization meant that the number of factory workers increased, though this did not come without problems. After the war there was an increase in demand for skilled labor, especially men, in heavy industries.[22] With an increase in labor came an increase in strikes. Between 1914 and 1918 the number of strikes had risen to 417, though these were not often resolved.[23] Whilst wages rose, rising prices and profits meant that the rise in wages did little to help workers live comfortably. By 1919, the number of labor disputes rose to 2388 following a series of wage cuts and lay-offs the year before.[24] Although the main attitude towards workers during this period was that they were selfish, some politicians thought that it would be best to improve their conditions. For example, Kenseikai-MinseitÃ…Â  leaders agreed that ad opting new policies would help restore social peace, and during the 1920s the Diet introduced social welfare laws to help the working class. A national health insurance law, minimum age law, and additions to the original factory law were also introduced.[25] Despite the issues that the urban working-class faced, it can be agreed that there was some reform in order to help improve their conditions. Though it is argued that many factory owners wished to aid workers in their own way, many workers did receive better working conditions during the 1920s. This reform, in some ways, can be seen as modernization. However, Duus notes that many of those who moved to urban areas soon moved back to the countryside during times of distress. There they found that conditions in rural Japan were no better than they had been back in the city, if not even worse.[26] It can be proposed that even though the life of a working-class citizen was difficult, there was some attempt at reform and modernizing J apanese industries; to what extent, however, depends solely on the individual factory and industry. Life in the city, arguably, was much better than it was in the country. According to Gordon, †¦ by the 1920s the Japanese countryside was a troubled place,[27] and this was mainly due to the changes surrounding landlords and land. Independent farmers transferred land to landlords meant that mainstay owner-farmers (chÃ…Â «ken jisakunÃ…Â ) had smaller plots of land to work with or ended up becoming tenants.[28] Tenants were seen as socially inferior to landloards, and were expected to move aside if encountered by someone with a superior social status on roads or footpaths.[29] The idea of the socially inferior performing such actions is, to many, not seen as modern. It is due to this that it is argued that rural Japan was behind the urbanized areas, which were rapidly changing. While agriculture was a key industry in Japan, by 1920 it fell into a depression. Many farmers began to struggle, and by 1929 it is estimated that nearly 40 per cent of farm households had to rely on sericulture for extra income.[30] This could have also contributed to the idea that rural Japan was not having a positive experience with modernity. Rice and silk prices continuously dropped throughout the 1920s, meaning that many farmers faced a continuous struggle to pay rent and buy food. There were disputes with landlords concerning lowering rent in the mid-1920s, though politicians remained mainly silent on the issue in the country. As imported goods became more common and the demand for exports declined, 5.5 million farm families continued to struggle; half the population could not live properly.[31] Although the government eventually tried to help, their policy of increased subsidies did very little to help and the problem surrounding agriculture became much more serious towards the end of the 1920s. Rural Japan had some clear problems concerning landlords and income, though it can be proposed that as the government were more focused on helping these new modern cities flourish they did little to help the rural areas of Japan. Due to this, it i s highly probable that many of those who lived in rural Japan saw modernity as a threat, meaning that they felt alienated and did not like the idea of modernity. The many changes to Japanese society during the 1910s and 1920s did, overall, have a large impact on all aspects of life in the 1910s and 1920s. While little was being done in order to aid the working-class, which inevitably resulted in strikes and protests, the middle- and upper-classes appeared to be thriving on the introduction of modernity. The working-class and rural population struggled with wages and fair treatment, something that is not necessarily associated with a modern state, though the middle-class did not appear to have this problem. Womens rights had emerged and white-collar employment was on the rise. Many middle- and upper-class families also adapted to this idea of modernity and Westernization, meaning that for many their way of life changed, from their eating habits to their clothing. In Japan during the 1910s and 1920s, modernization had a different impact in different parts of society. It is hard to tell whether or not the modernization of Japan was a positive or not when looking at the country as a whole, however it can be argued that the middle- and upper-classes were effected by modernity much more positively than the rural population and the working-class. Bibliography: Secondary sources: Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities, London, 2016. Beasley, W. G. The Rise of Modern Japan, Oxon, 2011. Duus, Peter. Modern Japan, Boston, 1998. Gluck, Carol. Japans Modern Myths, New Jersey, 1985. Gordon, Andrew. A Modern History of Japan, New York, 2014. Gordon, Sheldon. Molding Japanese Minds: The State in Everyday Life, New Jersey, 1997. Holcombe, Charles. A History of East Asia, New York, 2011. Low, Morris (ed.). Building a Modern Japan, New York, 2005. Sand, Jordan. House and Home in Modern Japan, Massachusetts, 2003. Tipton, Elise K. and Clark, John (eds.). Being Modern in Japan, Sydney, 2000. Totman, Conrad. A History of Japan, New Jersey, 2005. Waswo, Ann. Modern Japanese Society, Oxford, 1996. [1] Waswo, Ann. Modern Japanese Society, p. 95. [2] Waswo, Ann. Modern Japanese Society, p. 57. [3] Gluck, Carol. Japans Modern Myths, p. 159. [4] Gordon, Andrew. A Modern History of Japan, p. 139. [5] Totman, Conrad. A History of Japan, p.p. 390-391. [6] Gordon, Andrew. A Modern History of Japan, p. 144. [7] Garon, Sheldon. Molding Japanese Minds: The State in Everyday Life, p. 93. [8] Garon, Sheldon. Molding Japanese Minds: The State in Everyday Life, p. 88. [9] Garon, Sheldon. Molding Japanese Minds: The State in Everyday Life, p. 92. [10] Garon, Sheldon. Molding Japanese Minds: The State in Everyday Life, p. 94. [11] Garon, Sheldon. Molding Japanese Minds: The State in Everyday Life, p. 94. [12] Totman, Conrad. A History of Japan, p. 393. [13] Totman, Conrad. A History of Japan, p. 393. [14] Totman, Conrad. A History of Japan, p. 393. [15] Sand, Jordan. House and Home in Modern Japan, p. 162. [16] Sand, Jordan. House and Home in Modern Japan, p. 163. [17] Sand, Jordan. House and Home in Modern Japan, p. 165. [18] Gordon, Andrew. A Modern History of Japan, p. 148. [19] Gordon, Andrew. A Modern History of Japan, p.p. 149-150. [20] Gordon, Andrew. A Modern History of Japan, p.p. 154-155. [21] Gordon, Andrew. A Modern History of Japan, p. 154. [22] Duus, Peter. Modern Japan, p. 190. [23] Duus, Peter. Modern Japan, p.p. 190-191. [24] Duus, Peter. Modern Japan, p. 191. [25] Duus, Peter. Modern Japan, p. 192. [26] Duus, Peter. Modern Japan, p. 193. [27] Gordon, Andrew. A Modern History of Japan, p. 144. [28] Gluck, Carol. Japans Modern Myths, p. 188. [29] Waswo, Ann. Modern Japanese Society, p. 66. [30] Duus, Peter. Modern Japan, p. 195. [31] Duus, Peter. Modern Japan, p. 195.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Relationship Between Multiculturalism and Liberalism

Relationship Between Multiculturalism and Liberalism In the context of political thought, it would be so hard to think of multiculturalism separate from liberalism. Beyond the scope of political theory, the internal and external dynamics of the countries, the relationship between state and the society have been built on the values of democracy and liberalism. This essay aims to explore and explain the relationship between multiculturalism and liberalism –especially liberal egalitarianism within the frame of minority rights. Multiculturalism started to manifest itself in the political realm after 1980s. There are two main events that triggered the rise of multiculturalism: Firstly, after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, nationalism has become the prominent element of the democratization process. Secondly, a new wave of nationalism has risen among some groups in Western democratic countries. It has been observed that even the Western states that built on liberal values could not completely overcome the problems regarding ethnic and religious groups in their societies. Now, we live in more and more diversified and multicultural societies. Immigration and minorities have been an imminent part of the debates of everyday politics for a very long time. The politicians include their views and policies in their electoral campaigns, surveys are held to get more information about public opinion and more importantly political theorist are looking for new ways and perspectives as coping or integrating strate gies. For instance, the question of the illiberal minorities and the risk of them to violate the liberal principles was always there as a problematic and debatable one. Thus, this case brings us two important questions to discuss: To what extent should we protect the minority rights and how should we recognize the minority identities? For many, it is an undoubtedly accepted fact that liberal state should be neutral but what should be the attitude of this neutral state when it comes to the clash between the values of majority and minority? If we ever need to take one thing for granted in liberal state, it would be the strong idea that each individual should have the necessary rights and opportunities to follow the ways which lead them to a good life. Moreover, individuals should be free while deciding on their own understanding of good life and should pursue their goals freely. Therefore, this principle requires that individuals who are coming from different backgrounds from the majority and having different religious and cultural customs and values should also pursue their understanding of good life without giving up their own. Another important aspect of liberal ideology concerning individual rights is that no state or government has the right to conceptualize a project of good life and impose it upon its citizens. (Kukathas, 1992: p. 108) Thus, in my opinion any attempts stepping out of this line could be easily labelled as assimilative regarding religious and cultural minorities. At this point, it would be notable to remind that, in the liberal state, an individual’s realm of freedom ends when another individual’s begins. This is accepted as another important principle of liberal state regarding individual freedom which is also seen as a guarantee of the individual freedom of each member in the society. In this case, the rights that groups have been entitled could go as far as that they would threat or violate the human rights and values. What should be the attitude of the liberal state about an intervention? Do individuals choose to be a part of these groups and communities? The Proper Attitude of the Liberal Egalitarian towards Multiculturalism Liberal egalitarians favour a system in which state treats its citizens equally and creates such an environment that each member of the society gets a fair share from the resources and available opportunities. Although, this might seem as a clear principle at first sight, two conclusions can be driven from this principle. First, the state should not intervene with the distribution of resources or try to balance the gap its citizens and second, liberal egalitarian attitude requires that each religious and cultural community should have equal chance to survive and continue to practise their customs in the society. In contemporary modern democratic states such as UK, France, USA and Canada we see that states spare necessary social, political and financial resources for the survival and continuity of different religious communities and minority cultures. The reason for that is culture is considered as an important aspect in shaping one’s own identity and his/ her own interpretatio n of good life. The second point of view acknowledges that the state should be neutral and acts within the frame of laissez faire liberalism. Otherwise, the state can create inequalities among its citizens by implementing redistributive policies or entitling minority groups with special rights. Thus, the state should take the minimum part in the affairs of different cultural and religious groups and by nothing or minimum it allows citizens to be treated equally. (Patten, 1992, p.1-3) Kymlicka and Multiculturalism Debate Kymlicka locates his whole ideas on liberal theory and he is an important successor of liberal tradition. Thus, he places individual autonomy prior to the community and communal values. As a political philosophy, liberalism has often been seen as primarily concerned with the relationship between the individual and the state, and with limiting state intrusions on the liberties of citizens (Kymlicka,Liberalism, p. 1). For some scholars, this component of liberalism is seen as a strong one about multiculturalist affairs. In my opinion, this can be easily seen as one of the weaknesses of liberalism when it comes to the deal with the problems regarding minorities and minority rights. If we are stuck with the idea that liberal ideology is the only roof under which both majority and minority values can be represented and peoples can live happily together. In one of his essays, Two Models of Pluralism and Tolerance, Kymlicka also argues against Rawls’s ideas about individual rights and defends the capabilities of group rights. Whereas Kymlicka believes that a well-functioning model can be built on the idea of group rights, some scholars like Kukathas argue that there is no necessity for abandoning the liberal ideology’s individualist principles and create new inequalities. (Kukathas, 1992: p.4) Thus, this part will be focused on this second form of tolerance which is named as group rights by Kymlicka. (Kymlicka, 1992: p.1) Kymlicka’s theory is also famously known for his distinction between different types of minorities based on their cultural aspects. According to him, there are societal cultures of national minorities and the cultures of poly ethnic societies. National minorities are the ones who continuously claim for their self-governmental rights. It is hard for them to get satisfied just by being entitled to some special rights. For them, self-government is the only option for their survival in multicultural society which is composed of a majority and different minority groups. Kymlicka argues that poly ethnic groups would always be weaker and less demanding in their right claims because of the fact that they are immigrant communities. Their right claims would be about practicing their cultural and religious customs. These communities should always bear in mind that they come from another country and culture to be hosted in a new one and they also have some duties such as learning a new la nguage or integrating with the local community. In his book, Politics in the Vernacular, Kymlicka frequently uses the term ‘societal culture’ and states that societal culture should be considered as a fundamental basis for the modern state. It is a concept consisted of both private and public spheres of life which is composed of a common language which has historical roots on a given territory, common educational, political, legal institutions. Moreover, societal culture is mostly the result of a national building process and it includes linguistic standardization and institutional integration. (Kymlicka, 2000: p. 53) Thus, he goes one step further from the idea that culture is an important aspect of self- respect and self-recognition which paves the way for self- realization i.e. a good life. He adds institutionalization and certain functioning administrative mechanisms to the shared history and values. National minorities mostly have certain tragic events, massacres or genocides in their history and they always feel or face the threat of assimilation or discrimination in the nation building process. This is why Kymlicka makes certain distinctions between immigrant groups and national minorities. National minorities face with the results of the events that they did not have no say in the decision making process in the most undesirable ways whereas immigrants mostly (here he seems to forget that some immigrants are forced to leave their countries because of wars or other terrific events) leave their country,in which they could practice their culture in the ways they want, voluntarily for the sake of better economic opportunities. What Kymlicka understands from citizenship based on group differentiated rights is that ensuring the justice between members of different groups. Thus, the idea behing establishing group rights are not only about the idea of that communal rights are prior to individual ones but also about the need for establishing different rights for different groups according to their needs and vulnarabilities in the society. ( Luoboyck, p.9) Tolerance vs. Recognition I think in the most of the relevant literature, scholars did not pay enough attention to the distinction between tolerance, acceptance and recognition. Specifically, for the followers of the liberal tradition, the emphasis has always been on the rights, equality, equal rights, equal opportunities, equal treatment and so on without even asking the people that ‘is that what you really want?’ It is observed that these ‘different’ people are not only in the need to be differentiated but also recognized as who they are. The special rights that they are entitled to by liberal democratic state do not always give them to chance of being recognized or accepted in the eyes of the members of the society or even before law. This is why the ideas of Taylor is really important in the multiculturalism debate. ( Taylor, 1994: p.25) In the history of politics, there has been an important shift from honor to dignity which has also come with the emphasis on the equalization of rights and identities. The age of the ‘more privileged’ citizens has come to an end, at least in the eyes of the state and before law. It would be very optimistic to claim that all inequalities have been disappeared in this way. As Taylor argues, for many people this equalization only brought an equality for civil rights and voting rights. There are also others who claim that it also has affected the socioeconomic aspects of life but I would not agree with them. It requires more than changing votes to shape public opinion and regulate everyday life which contains many social and economic inequalities like equal pay or integrated settlement policies. Although, there are still many problems to overcome, equal citizenship has been accepted as an universal value. Thus, in the new age of politics of difference, liberal egalitarians should be ready to reconsider the classical understanding of the principles of liberal democratic state in order to give more than they used to. They should be ready to present a lot of rights and immunities in order to recognize and accept the differences and try not to create a melting pot. Some still might argue that individual rights come before communal or group rights but the implications of this idea is mostly seen in Anglo- American world. (Taylor, 1994: p.32) I think this is one of the major reasons for why in Anglo- American world, there is always an on-going effort for creating a common identity, one nation, one language for all on the one hand, and promoting the ‘self’ and the individualism on the other. In my opinion, from the perspective of Taylor, they can easily be accused of implementing assimilation strategies in the name of creating a melt pot. This would be a dangerous trap that the liberal state should carefully avoid. The equal use of resources, equal rights and treatment and state’s ‘hands off’ laissez faire policies may lead to the danger of extinction for some cultures and identities. In today’s political realm, the functioning of state mechanisms prove that the state cannot isolate itself from the decision making process of cultural affair. As Kymlicka and Taylor also mentions, the state still has the power of making decisions about official language, some religious ceremonies, official languages that are used in education, public radio and television broadcasting. Thus, the state still remains as a powerful figure to decide which cultures and religions continue to exist in the society. Thus, the liberal state should be ready to intervene when and where there is a necessity. When it comes to the features of these special rights for minorities, Lubbock indicates some principles. First, he states that all the members of the community in question have to accept the culture as it is acknowledged and there must always be an open door for anyone wants to exit in necessary cases. Moreover, a liberal democratic government can never adopt an attitude which tolerates illiberal actions of minority cultures or their customs. The basic principles of human rights are always prior to other policies and special rights. Second, liberal democratic governments have the responsibility to keep the religious and special cultural practices of minorities at a minimum acceptable level which would be ‘sufficient enough’. If a minority group is able to practice their customs at a sufficient level, than there would be no part to take for government. Otherwise, government should intervene and try to create a balanced situation in order to make sure that the minority peo ple in question are able to practice their culture and religion. Thus, while polyethnic groups are being protected by some special rights within the boundaries of existing laws and regulations, this should not allow these groups to have internal restrictions. The intention behind establishing polyethnic rights is to protect these groups from external suppressions and the danger of extinction or assimilation. Thus, it would not be so rightful to allow polyethnic groups to have the right to make regulations and restriction on its members’ individual rights and freedoms. ( Loobuyck, p.8-9) New Challenges Kymlicka believes in the supremacy of societal cultures over immigrant groups and more importantly lesbian and gay community. It appears to me that Kymlicka andh his contemporaries do not give enough importance to LGBT community as a minority group which has serious right claims. In many books of Kymlicka, there is nearly no words about LGBT people and recently he tackled the issue with respect to the Quà ©bà ©cois gays and lesbians and his use of language gives the impression of he is not quite familiar with the gender studies literature – he does not even use the term LGBT. â€Å" Gay separatism would involve cutting oneself off from the culture one was raised in, and relinquishing one’s sense of national identity and cultural membership. Thus gay nationalism is neither feasible nor desirable for most gays. The task, therefore must be fight homophobia within the larger society, to gain recognition and acceptance for gays and lesbians within its schools, media, cour ts, businesses and so on† ( Kymlicka, 1992: p. 90- 95) Although, Kymlicka continues to produce valuable ideas and theories, it should be accepted that there are some challenges that he could not foresee. The liberal democratic state would also be challenged by the problems or right claims that come from contemporary political movements and groups which do not have to be ethnicity based. Now there are the questions of the right claims of non-ethnic groups particularly LGBT community, forced migration, refugees and new generations of immigrant communities who did not choose to migrate but their parents made a decision to migrate like the Turkish people in Germany. In these situations, it becomes harder to talk about a matter of choice. In these cases, is it still possible to claim that societal culture and the minority groups that are based on societal culture are more valuable than the others? This could be one question that the liberal state had to answer. These ideas blur the line between integration and assimilation. It should be considered that the members of these groups are also political subjects that can influence the legislations through their political power. Thus, the leading elements of liberal state should consider the option of recognition rather than mere inclusion and integration with the majority. Conclusion This paper has opened the debate with the strong relationship between liberalism and multiculturalism to elaborate the question of â€Å"How far should liberal egalitarians be prepared to countenance the special rights claims of minority cultures?†. References

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Legalization of Concealed Weapons for Self Protection :: essays papers

The Legalization of Concealed Weapons for Self Protection The legalization of concealed weapons for the purpose of self protection has and will decrease the number of gun related crimes. Guns were not invented for the purpose of robbing a bank, or mugging someone in a dark alley. Guns were not invented by criminals or by people looking for a way to murder or intimidate. The invention of the gun was directed at making hunting easier and eventually was used in war to defend our country. The first guns, or â€Å"mortars† were cannons. These weapons were used to defend cities in the early 1400s. The French were the first to use cannons in mobile warfare. And in recent wars guns have provided the artillary to defend inocent countries against terrorist. What is so wrong with self defense? If someone has the intent to murder, mug, or rape an innocent person, gun laws will not stop that person. The only thing that a gun law does is to take away the right of good citizens like us to protect ourselves from these criminals. We can not go back in time and not invent the gun. We will never get rid of them all, so as long as guns exist, criminals will obtain them easier and faster than the average citizen has ever been able to. A woman who thought she was alone in her Jacona, New Mexico, home and had just emerged from the shower when she heard the sounds of someone ransacking the residence. The quick-thinking resident retreated to the bedroom but was soon confronted by a stocky male intruder who had violently kicked down the locked door. That’s when the intended victim pointed a handgun at the man, sending him fleeing! The woman in this story and others like her are the types of people who cherish the right to bare arms. One year after Australian gun owners were forced to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed, including semi-automatic .22 rifles and shotguns, a program costing the government over 500 million dollars. The results are less than expected. A dramatic increase in criminal activity involving firearms has been experienced by the citizens of Australia. Just after twelve months of the new gun laws, Australia-wide homicides are up 3.2%, assaults are up 8.6%, and armed robberies are up 44%! In the state of Victoria, homicides with firearms are up 300%! Figures over the past 25 years The Legalization of Concealed Weapons for Self Protection :: essays papers The Legalization of Concealed Weapons for Self Protection The legalization of concealed weapons for the purpose of self protection has and will decrease the number of gun related crimes. Guns were not invented for the purpose of robbing a bank, or mugging someone in a dark alley. Guns were not invented by criminals or by people looking for a way to murder or intimidate. The invention of the gun was directed at making hunting easier and eventually was used in war to defend our country. The first guns, or â€Å"mortars† were cannons. These weapons were used to defend cities in the early 1400s. The French were the first to use cannons in mobile warfare. And in recent wars guns have provided the artillary to defend inocent countries against terrorist. What is so wrong with self defense? If someone has the intent to murder, mug, or rape an innocent person, gun laws will not stop that person. The only thing that a gun law does is to take away the right of good citizens like us to protect ourselves from these criminals. We can not go back in time and not invent the gun. We will never get rid of them all, so as long as guns exist, criminals will obtain them easier and faster than the average citizen has ever been able to. A woman who thought she was alone in her Jacona, New Mexico, home and had just emerged from the shower when she heard the sounds of someone ransacking the residence. The quick-thinking resident retreated to the bedroom but was soon confronted by a stocky male intruder who had violently kicked down the locked door. That’s when the intended victim pointed a handgun at the man, sending him fleeing! The woman in this story and others like her are the types of people who cherish the right to bare arms. One year after Australian gun owners were forced to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed, including semi-automatic .22 rifles and shotguns, a program costing the government over 500 million dollars. The results are less than expected. A dramatic increase in criminal activity involving firearms has been experienced by the citizens of Australia. Just after twelve months of the new gun laws, Australia-wide homicides are up 3.2%, assaults are up 8.6%, and armed robberies are up 44%! In the state of Victoria, homicides with firearms are up 300%! Figures over the past 25 years

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Exemplification Essay: America Needs Leaders :: Exemplification Essays, Argumentative

Today, everyone is too concerned with the now to worry about the future. Of course, there are a few who scrimp and save a few dollars here and there so that they will have some when they retire. However, none represent the ideas or beliefs that are destined to change our society. So I ask you are all the idealists gone, or are they just too scared to stand up? Â   Throughout the course of history there have always been those who took a stand against society in order to further their cause. One example of this is Galileo facing the Inquisition of the Catholic Church due to his deep-seated belief in the heliocentric universe. His willingness to face all odds is what made so many become believers in his theory. Galileo did not back down, instead he chose to stand and fight for something he considered right. This is an admirable trait; however, he was not the only one. In our most recent selection "The Communist Manifesto" we are given a glimpse into one of the most renowned idealists ever: Karl Marx. His ability to 'stick to his guns' regardless of the outcome is what won millions to his cause. Even though he said that at his death he was "...the best hated and most calumniated man of his own time," he still made millions believers of a simple idea. An idea, a way of life which even he felt would be extremely hard to attain. Â   These men are not the only ones, there are many more throughout history: Newton who taught us about gravity, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Patrick Henry who helped to found our country, and Einstein who revolutionized the way we look at the universe. The point however is to not hold these people in esteem, it is to find how they relate to our society and our time. Who today professes any kind of ideal which they are willing to fight and die for. Some may think politicians bring this kind of faith with their ideas, their promises for a better America.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

In a book written by Goldscheider Essay

Studying the Jewish Future, the author revealed the reasons for the unexpected results, that instead of a vanishing race, the reality is that of a thriving community. And the explanation can be broken down into the following: 1. Conversion – It is surprising to find out that a considerable number of non-Jewish spouse opted to be converted to Judaism. It must be noted though that the said conversion may be formal or informal but true conversion is rather marked by a following community norms and values. 2. Acceptance – the Jewish community is now more open to the idea of intermarriage and this has resulted in a more openness which predictably made it easier for non-Jewish spouse to get exposed to Jewish ways. 3. Deliberate Outreach – the Jewish community and its institutions are forced to reach out to intermarried couples and by doing so encouraged non-Jews to be respect their beliefs and for some a desire to be counted as Jews. Ambivalence There is a dramatic change in perception and outlook that resulted in an improvement in how the Jewish community in general is treating intermarried couples. Still, the Jewish faith would never have reached its current position, a survivor of the Holocaust and many other forms of persecution without creating a defense mechanism that ensured the survival not only of its lineage but also of its beliefs and customs. It is this defense mechanism that made it hard for other to jump on the â€Å"accept the intermarried couples bandwagon† and prevented some to see the possibilities not only in finding a novel way of thriving in a modern society like America but also a novel way of finding new converts. In one extreme, intermarriage is one valid form of proselytizing whose impact is not yet fully measured. But as mentioned earlier, not everyone is convinced that the time has come for the Jews to fully open its house to the Gentiles. Bayme and Rosen provided an example of this ambivalence when they cited the popular Mordecai Kaplan who at one point encouraged intermarriages: Jews must meet all situations that might lead to mixed marriages, not fearfully or grudgingly, but in the spirit of encountering an expected development †¦ With a belief in the integrity and values of his own civilization, the Jewish partner to the marriage cold †¦ make Judaism the civilization of the home†¦ And yet two years later the same person said: Since Jews are a minority and Judaism is exposed to tremendous disintegrative forces from non-Jewish environment †¦ it cannot approve of uncontrolled intermarriage with non-Jews. If however, a non-Jew who desire to marry a Jew, after studying what is involved in being a Jew and what are the principles and practices of Judaism, he should be given every encouragement and should be welcomed into the Jewish community (Kaplan, as qtd. in Bayme & Rosen, 1994, p. 268). Conclusion After thousands of years since God has declared them the â€Å"chosen people† the Jews continue to struggle and to find their place in the world. Every generation is pressured to find ways to pass on what they have received from their ancestors to the next generation of Jews. Each time the baton is passed the more it becomes more difficult to continually display integrity, commitment, and consistency. Just like other ancient religions, Judaism is finding it extremely difficult to solve the dilemma of identity and relevance. The present generation can enforce and strengthen their spiritual identity and dig deep into their past to find that old familiar path that will lead them to their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. But every time they struggle to keep their ancient traditions and beliefs together they risk losing their relevance to a fast evolving world. This is especially true in America; the world’s most advanced and most powerful nation. As a result the new generation of Jews are abandoning ancient traditions and exchanging it with new ideas. But this is just a part of a bigger problem. What they are most concern about is the marriage of Jews to non-Jews or interfaith marriages. As mentioned in the introduction part of this paper, the Jews can directly trace their lineage to an ancient people, the Israelites, children of Jacob. A long time ago, they co-existed with ancient people groups but they are the only fortunate ones to have survived the passage of time. It can even be argued that they are the only surviving, direct descendants of ancient tribes. This made them a special group. A fact that is not lost in the collective psyche of the Jewish people. This ability to survive against all odds does not come without a price. They have developed a sort of defense mechanisms against the â€Å"melting pot† effect of the world. The world is like one giant sponge of conformity, sucking them in to make them conform to popular trends and standards. The Jewish people, for thousands of years were able to resist that pull. They have their strict diet, their festivals, their rituals, and their traditions that must be strictly followed wherever they are. Whether they are in the midst of prison, or in a land filled with racism they have to remember who they are and by doing all these things they have fought back extinction and remained a distinct people group. The Jewish race also has one major secret weapon and it is the implied rule that they should not marry non-Jews. At first glance it is easy to believe that they perpetuate this rule for the sake of practicality. It would be impossible for an outsider to keep up with their way of life unless one has learned of these things since early childhood. But a close look into this code of conduct reveals a religion that is so exacting that it sees intermarriage as a threat to the continuity of this particular group. For thousands of years they had succeeded in maintaining the status quo. Wherever they went they formed a close knit community of fellow believers that find support and strength from one another. The long history of persecution and anti-Semitism forced them to band close together as one family. It is understandable why for a long time outsiders are reluctant to penetrate their strong defenses so that they can get an idea as to what Judaism is all about. Moreover, anti-Semitism is a serious problem that strongly discourages a potential suitor from risking his life for someone that is as enigmatic as a Jewish girl. Everything went fine until after World War II. It seems that the Holocaust has placed the Jews in the limelight and not to discount also the successes of the Holocaust survivors in the field of finance and business that may well have contributed to their fame in the international stage. Another factor is the settling of Jews in America, first coming in droves as refugees and then finally establishing a place they can call home. In the New World the Jewish community was able to thrive in an environment where anti-Semitism is denounced as something belonging to a bygone era. Then an unexpected thing happened. The lessening of anti-Semitism no doubt changed the way Americans see the Jews. In short Jewish men and women became desirable in the eyes of modern day Gentiles. And since they are in the land of the free, the new generation of Jews can find nothing wrong in interfaith marriages. But for the elders, especially communal leaders have a different perspective. They are perhaps remnants of that era where Jews are considered as the persecuted one in Europe and in many parts of the world. It may have been a difficult notion to entertain for these old folks – that a Jew can finally live with a non-Jew and yet retain its identity and continue practicing their faith. They cannot see the gray area, only the black and white shades that says either one is fully committed Jew, focused on his religious duties or none at all. Moreover, the increasing rate of intermarriages was seen as a black-eye for the Jewish community. They interpret it as a growing weakness in the institution that teaches Jewish beliefs and traditions. It was also interpreted as rebellion towards parents and to their way of life. In modern times, there are researchers like Goldscheider who contends that the elders made a fundamental error in judgment. He argues that the reason for the negative assessment of intermarriage is a wrong perspective. He hastens to say that if the elders and the whole Jewish community can see what intermarriage is doing to the community in general then they will be more open to the idea of intermarriage. Firs of all, intermarriages are means for increasing the number of Jews in America. This is because studies have found a significant percentage of non-Jews willing to learn more about the Judaism, willing to let their children grow up as followers of Judaism and in many instances non-Jews are getting converted formally or informally. Goldscheider warns though that in order for this new trend to be a source of joy for communal leaders and elders they need to have a paradigm shift. They no longer have to limit their idea â€Å"Jewishness† on the basis of birth but they must be willing to accept that a true Jew is not someone with a direct lineage to the ancient people found in the Jewish Bible, but they are people who are in love with Jewish customs and tradition and that they are eager to lead their children in following their lifestyle. For Goldscheider this is what 21st century needs and for him this is what intermarriage brings to the Jewish experience. Works Cited Bayme, Steven. Jewish Arguments and Counterarguments. New Jersey: KTAV Publishing House, 2002. Bayme, Steven & Gladys Rosen. The Jewish Family and Jewish Contiunity. New Jersey: KTAV Publishing, 1994. Goldscheider, Calvin. Are American Jews Vanishing Again? Ed. Put Name of Editor of the book article was taken from. Place of Publication: Publisher, year of publication. _____________________. Studying the Jewish Future. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 2004. Jewish Bible. Retrieved 13 November 2007 from http://www. breslov. com/bible/Joshua3. htm#3 Shapiro, Edward. A Time for Healing: American Jewry Since World War II. MA: The John Hopkins Press, 1992. Sklare, Marshall. Understanding American Jewry. New Jersey: Transaction Books, 1982.

Philippines the Center of the Marine Fish Biodiversity

Environmental Science The Philippines is the center of the marine fish biodiversity and the home of the most diverse marine ecosystem in the world in the study of two biologists Kent Carpenter and Victor Springer. The title of there is â€Å"The Center of the marine shore fish diversity: The Philippine Island,† we have are the center of the marine in the world and the former Environment Secretary Elisea Gozun said in her presentation of the status of the country’s coastal and marine resources at the Philippine Plaza Hotel in Pasay city.We must protect our marine ecosystem so that we can prove to the other country that we can also have a healthy marine that other countries can’t have. Second larges reef Most of the endemic species ar found in the Verde Island passage between Mindoro Island and the main island of Luzon We must improve our reef so that we can still have the second largest reef or the most largest reef on the world we must stop the dynamite fish on t he other side of the Philippines so the we can have a healthy and large reef so that our marine species have a shelter to make them live long and to multiply and we will have a large marine.Most Threatened Save the coral reef stop destroying the corals and stop the muro-ami style of fish and also the dynamite fish it destroys the corals and the are disturbed and the others die because of the toxic that affect the fish and the other marine species.Do not cut the mangroves beside of the river or lake because fishes also live in there it is alright that we make some fish pond but not to much that we need to cut mangroves just to have a fish pond 70% of mangrove have lost because of converting them into fish pond. Compared to the other counties with similar coastal resources, the people in the Philippines doesn’t know how to use our coastal resources.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Agricultural Science Essay

Materials: †¢ Graduated cylinder †¢ 2 marbles †¢ Liquids to test such as water, corn syrup, canola oil, motor oil †¢ Masking tape †¢ 1 cm ruler †¢ Stopwatch that is accurate to 0.1 or 0.01 seconds SAFETY NOTE: See Texas Science Safety Manual for lab and investigation guidelines: http://www.tenet.edu/teks/science/safety/safety_manual.html Engagement: Place a wooden ramp on a stack of books. Challenge students to predict which of three liquids (syrup, water, and motor oil) will reach the bottom of the ramp first. Use one drop of each liquid. Have students write their predictions and observations in their science journals. Ask student to identify which property of matter is best represented by this demonstration. Explore: 1. Fill a graduated cylinder with one of the liquids (water, corn syrup, canola oil or motor oil), up to about 5 cm from the top. 2. Mark with tape a convenient starting point about 2 cm below the surface of the liquid (which will allow the sphere to reach terminal velocity before you begin making measurements). You can use either the top or the bottom of the tape, but use the same points for each measurement you make when you drop the spheres. 3. Mark an ending point about 5 cm from the bottom. 4. Measure the distance between the starting and ending points, and enter the answer in the data table as â€Å"Fall distance.† 5. Drop the sphere into the liquid and start measuring time when the sphere reaches the first masking tape line. Stop measuring time when the sphere passes the second piece of tape. Repeat the time measurements for a total of 5 trials. 6. Clean the graduated cylinder and repeat procedure with other liquids. 7. Complete the data table by averaging the times for each substance. Use this time when calculating the speed of the sphere.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Ob Robinssolutionchap2

Chapter 2 Foundations of Individual Behavior MULTIPLE CHOICE Ability 1. Which of the following statements is true about the term â€Å"ability†, as it is used in the field of organizational behavior? a. It refers to an individual’s willingness to perform various tasks. b. It is a current assessment of what an individual can do. c. It refers exclusively to intellectual skills. d. It refers exclusively to physical skills. e. It is a prediction of future aptitude based on current attitudes. (b; Moderate; Ability; p. 45) 2. Which one of the following words is the best synonym for â€Å"ability†, as the term is used in organizational behavior? . motivation b. capacity c. experience d. intellect e. wisdom (b; Challenging; Ability; p. 45) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 3. Which of the following is not a dimension of intellectual ability? a. number aptitude b. perceptual speed c. spatial visualization d. dynamic flexibility e. social aptitude (d; Moderate; Intellectual Ability ; p. 45) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 4. What is a factor of intelligence that suggests that it makes sense to talk about overall intelligence? a. general mental ability b. intelligent quotient c. ability d. cultural intelligence e. perceptual speed (a; Moderate; General Mental Ability; p. 6) 5. Which of the following is not one of the nine basic abilities involved in the performance of physical tasks? a. stamina b. dynamic flexibility c. speed d. body coordination e. trunk strength (c; Moderate; Nine Basic Physical Abilities; p. 47) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Biographical Characteristics 6. Which of the following is not a biographical characteristic? a. political affiliation b. age c. sex d. tenure e. race (a; Easy; Biographical Characteristics; p. 48) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 7. What will be the largest demographic change in the U. S. workforce in the next decade? a. ncreasing ethnic diversity b. a fall in married workers c. increasing age of workers d. decreasing tenure of workers e. m ore women in the workforce than men (c; Moderate; Age; p. 48) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 8. Research shows that which of the following is likely to decrease as a worker grows older? a. productivity b. likelihood of quitting c. absenteeism d. vacation days taken e. work ethic (b; Moderate; Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 9. Which of the following statements is true? a. Older employees have lower rates of avoidable absence than younger workers. b.Older employees have lower rates of unavoidable absence than younger workers. c. Older employees are more likely to quit their job than younger workers. d. Older employees are perceived to be more flexible than younger workers. e. Older employees generally have lower productivity than younger workers. (a; Moderate, Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 10. Which of the following is true concerning the relationship between age and job satisfaction? a. Most studies have found a negative association between age and satisfaction. b. Some studies have found a U-shaped relationship between age and satisfaction. . Satisfaction decreases among professionals as they age. d. Satisfaction increases among nonprofessionals during middle age. e. Satisfaction decreases among nonprofessionals after middle age. (b; Moderate; Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 11. Research does not support which of the following statements about gender in the workplace? a. Women are more willing to conform to authority than men. b. Men are more aggressive than women. c. Women are more productive at work than men. d. Men have higher expectations of success. e. Women have lower turnover rates than men. c; Moderate; Gender; p. 50) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 12. Research supports which of the following statements about men and women in the workplace? a. Men are more productive. b. Women are more productive. c. Men are the most receptive to socialization. d. Women are more likely to resign. e. Wome n have more absences. (e; Moderate; Gender; p. 50) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 13. Which of the following is the most likely explanation for the higher absentee rate of women in the workplace? a. Women tend to have more illnesses that keep them from work than do men. . Traditionally, women have had the responsibility of caring for home and family. c. Women tend to be less satisfied with their jobs than men. d. Women generally have jobs for which a temporary replacement can be hired. e. Women tend to work in jobs that have less flexible schedules than men do. (b; Moderate; Gender; p. 50) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 14. Which of the following is a major problem in the use of ability tests for selection and promotion of personnel? a. The tests are not reliable. b. The tests fail to take into account the personality of the individual. c.Some individuals with high intelligence are poor test takers. d. Women enjoy an unfair advantage on these tests. e. The tests may have an adverse impact on different racial and ethnic groups. (e; Moderate; Race; p. 51) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 15. Which of the following statements concerning tenure is not true? a. Recent evidence demonstrates a positive relationship between seniority and job productivity. b. Tenure does not appear to be a good predictor of employee productivity. c. Tenure is a potent variable in explaining turnover. d. Tenure and satisfaction are positively related. . Tenure and organizational investment are negatively related. (b; Moderate; Tenure; p. 52) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 16. Studies indicate that which of the following tends to decrease with increased tenure? a. job satisfaction b. productivity c. absenteeism d. raises and promotion e. efficiency (c; Moderate; Tenure; p. 52) 17. Perhaps the greatest religious issue revolves around what? a. Christianity b. Judaism c. Catholicism d. Buddhism e. Islam (e; Moderate; Religion; p. 53) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 18. What F ortune 500 company offers domestic partner benefits for gay couples? . Wal-Mart b. Alltel c. Rubbermaid d. Nestle e. Heintz (a; Moderate; Sexual Orientation; p. 53) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} Learning 19. Which of the following indicates that learning has taken place? a. the ability to perform well on exams b. a change in motivation c. a change in behavior d. a high I. Q. score e. an increase in experience (c; Easy; Learning; p. 54) 20. Learning has not taken place in which of the following cases? a. A farm worker makes sure that she always wears a hat after she was badly sunburned. b. A salesman watches a training video and then uses some f the techniques in that video. c. An athlete trains rigorously, until he can run a mile in less than 4 minutes. d. A warehouseman avoids working by staying in areas of the warehouse where he has observed that the foreman does not enter. e. A manager only completes an important project by working through the night. (e; Moderate; Learning ; p. 54) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 21. All of the following are true about learning except that it _____. a. involves change b. can have a very short duration c. requires a change in behavior d. requires some form of experience e. affects aptitude b; Moderate; Learning; p. 54) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 22. A cashier starts greeting her customers with a simple â€Å"Hello† rather than following the company policy of greeting them with the standard greeting â€Å"Thank you for shopping with us†, since she find saying the latter slightly embarrassing. In this case, what is the experience that has led to learning? a. the feeling of embarrassment when she uses the standard company greeting b. the direction of the company to use the standard greeting c. the decision not to use the company greeting d. her use of the informal greeting of â€Å"Hello† . the decision of the company to adopt the standard greeting (a; Moderate; Learning; p. 54) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 23. Ex periments performed by Ivan Pavlov led to what theory? a. classical conditioning b. operant conditioning c. social learning d. method reproduction e. behavior shaping (a; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) 24. What role did the meat play in Pavlov’s experiment with dogs? a. an unconditioned response b. a conditioned stimulus c. a conditioned response d. a reconditioned stimulus e. an unconditioned stimulus (e; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 5) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 25. Classical conditioning would view which of the following as most likely to be a conditioned response? a. wincing when you stub your toe b. driving on the right side of the road c. flinching when startled by a loud noise d. looking for shelter when the sky turns gray e. mouth watering when you eat delicious food (d; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 26. In Pavlov’s experiment, the bell was a/an _____. a. unconditioned stimulus b. unconditioned response c. con ditioned stimulus d. conditioned response e. none of the above c; Easy; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 27. Which of the following is not true of classical conditioning? a. Classical conditioning is passive. b. Classical conditioning can explain simple reflexive behaviors. c. Learning a conditioned response involves building an association between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus. d. A neutral stimulus takes on the properties of a conditioned stimulus. e. Classical conditioning is different in many respects from operant conditioning. (d; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 28.When Joe gets stressed he often drinks chamomile tea. This calms him since he associates chamomile tea drinking with happy visits with his grandmother in his childhood. The calm feeling brought on by the tea is an example of which of the following? a. classical conditioning b. operant conditioning c. sensory learning d. social learning e. shaping (a; Easy; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 29. Why does classical conditioning theory fail to adequately describe behavior in the workplace? a. Most behavior of individuals in the workplace is reflexive rather than voluntary. b.Most behavior of individuals in the workplace is emitted rather than elicited. c. Most behavior of individuals in the workplace is complex. d. It is very difficult to determine exactly which conditioned stimulus elicits which response in the workplace. e. Classical conditioning works well describing animal behavior but not human behavior. (b; Challenging; Classical Conditioning; p. 56) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 30. Operant conditioning argues that _____. a. behavior is reflexive b. behavior is unlearned c. behavior is a function of its consequences d. the tendency to repeat a behavior is very strong e. he tendency to repeat a behavior is instinctual (c; Moderate; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) 31. Which of the following researcher s thought that reinforcement was the central factor involved in behavioral change? a. Pavlov b. Fayol c. Skinner d. Deming e. Surber (c; Moderate; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) 32. Stella has been late to work often in the past. Stella’s manager tries to change Stella’s behavior by praising her whenever she is on time. However, Stella realizes that this is what he is doing and resents his attempts to manipulate her behavior. This is an example of what problem with behaviorism and OB Mod? . Behaviorism and OB Mod assume that people’s thoughts and feelings in response to their environment are irrelevant. b. Behaviorism and OB Mod put undue emphasis on cognitive processes. c. Behaviorism and OB Mod only have an effect on human subjects when those subjects are unaware that these techniques are being used. d. The best reinforcement to use and the schedule on which it should be used varies widely between individual subjects. e. Behaviorism and OB Mod are based upon sim ple models of stimulus and response that may not hold true in a complex, real world environment. a; Challenging; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 33. Your boss does not follow through on her promise to pay you double for overtime hours worked. When asked again to work overtime, you decline. This is an application of _____ conditioning. a. classical b. operant c. sensory d. association e. disappointment-weighted (b; Challenging; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 34. According to operant conditioning, when a behavior is not reinforced, what happens to the probability of that behavior occurring again? a. It increases. b. It declines. c. It remains unchanged. . It becomes zero. e. It may increase or decrease based on other factors. (b; Easy; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 35. What do we call the view that we can learn both through observation and direct experience? a. situational learning theory b. classical learning c. soc ial learning theory d. hands-on learning experience e. the Pavlov principle (c; Easy; Social Learning; p. 57) 36. Social learning theory is an extension of _____. a. classical conditioning b. operant conditioning c. shaping d. Pavlovian theory e. continuous reinforcement principles (b; Moderate; Social Learning; p. 7) 37. Isadora observes that when her brother Mikey crosses the street without looking he is punished by their parents. Based on this, she is careful to look before she crosses the street. Isadora has learned through what principle? a. classical conditioning b. operant conditioning c. shaping d. extinction e. social learning theory (e; Challenging; Social Learning; p. 57) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 38. Social learning theory would best describe the learning in what situation? a. An employee works through lunch several days in a row after being told by her boss that she will receive extra pay. b.A man learns how to perform yoga by watching a videotape of a yoga teacher. c. A child always addresses his grandmother politely after he is given candy as a reward for his good manners. d. A man stops wearing brightly colored shirts to work after being teased for doing so by his co-workers. e. A postal worker’s pulse rate rises whenever she approaches a house where she has been bitten by a dog before. (b; Challenging; Social Learning; p. 57) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 39. Four processes have been found to determine the influence that a model will have on an individual. Which of the following is not one of those processes? . attentional processes b. retention processes c. motor reproduction processes d. reinforcement processes e. consequential processes (e; Moderate; Social Learning; pp. 57-58) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 40. Which of the following processes deals with how well an individual remembers a model’s action after it is no longer readily available? a. attitudinal b. retention c. motor reproduction d. reinforcement e. attention (b; Easy; Socia l Learning; p. 57) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 41. What do we call the practice of reinforcing closer and closer approximations of a desired behavior? a. modeling b. haping c. classical conditioning d. social learning e. aping (b; Moderate; Shaping; p. 58) 42. You want to increase the productivity of an employee. Your goal is to have him produce 10 units per day. On the first day he produces 5 units and you give him a reward. On the second day he produces 5 units and you don’t give him a reward. On the third day he produces 6 units and you give him a reward. Which method of behavioral change are you using? a. modeling b. shaping c. classical conditioning d. social learning e. ego impairment (b; Challenging; Shaping; p. 58) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 43.Using shaping, which of the following is not a method that can be used to change behavior? a. negative reinforcement b. punishment c. counseling d. positive reinforcement e. extinction (c; Easy; Shaping; pp. 58-59) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 44. Which of the following can be used in shaping behavior? a. positive reinforcement b. diminishment c. reaction d. manipulation e. unionization (a; Easy; Shaping; p. 58) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 45. What is it called when a desired response is followed by the termination or withdrawal of something unpleasant? a. negative reinforcement b. positive reinforcement c. anipulation d. elimination e. psychic withdrawal (a; Moderate; Negative Reinforcement; p. 58) 46. Suspending an employee for dishonest behavior is an example of which method of shaping behavior? a. extinction b. negative reinforcement c. punishment d. poor planning e. reaction (c; Moderate; Punishment; p. 59) 47. Which of the following is an example of the use of extinction in shaping behavior? a. A teacher does not respond to any student who speaks before being called upon. b. A workplace institutes a zero-tolerance policy for drug and alcohol use. c. A manager docks the pay of all workers who arrive late. . A ca t owner sprays his cat with water every time it tries to sit on the couch. e. A soccer coach rewards his players with praise and small rewards if they prevent the other team from scoring. (a; Moderate; Extinction; p. 59) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 48. Which of the following statements about positive and negative reinforcement is not true? a. They both result in learning. b. They both strengthen a response and increase the probability of repetition. c. They tend to weaken behavior and decrease its subsequent frequency. d. They are effective shaping tools. e. They are often used in learning. c; Challenging; Methods of Shaping Behavior; p. 59) 49. An employee is frequently late for work. Every time he is not tardy the manager compliments him for being on time. What form of reinforcement is the manager using? a. continuous schedule b. negative c. intermittent schedule d. repetitious e. repetitious negative (a; Moderate; Continuous Reinforcement; p. 59) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 50. The cor porate audit staff makes a series of randomly timed, unannounced visits to a company office. On each visit they check the records to see that they are up to date and correct. These visits are an example of which of the ollowing? a. positive reinforcement b. variable-interval reinforcement schedule c. continuous reinforcement schedule d. fixed reinforcement schedule e. static response method (b; Moderate; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 51. In which reinforcement schedule is a reward provided after a given number of responses? a. variable-ratio b. fixed-ratio c. variable-interval d. fixed-interval e. viable (b; Moderate; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) 52. According to research, which of the following is a schedule of reinforcement that promotes the greatest resistance to extinction? a. continuous b. ixed interval c. variable interval d. fixed ratio e. negative (c; Moderate; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) 53. In general, _____ reinforcement schedule s tend to lead to higher performance than _____ reinforcement schedules. a. variable; fixed b. fixed; intermittent c. fixed; variable d. variable; ratio e. fixed; static (a; Moderate; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 54. The application of reinforcement concepts to individuals in the work setting is referred to as _____. a. classical conditioning b. self-management c. reengineering d. OB Mod e. social modeling (d; Moderate; OB Mod; p. 2) 55. Which of the following is one of the steps of the problem-solving model followed by the typical OB Mod program? a. identifying critical behaviors b. reinforcing behavior c. developing horizontally arrayed data d. developing vertically arrayed data e. identifying member barriers (a; Moderate; OB Mod Steps; p. 62) 56. A manager wishes to use OB Mod in order to increase the friendliness of his staff towards customers. The manager starts by determining exactly what behaviors his sales staff needs to use in order to increas e their friendliness towards customers. What is the next step that the manager should take? . determine why employees are not friendly towards customers b. develop a strategy for increasing the friendliness of employees towards customers c. reward employees who are friendly towards customers d. record how often employees are friendly to customers at the present time e. establish what is needed to motivate employee friendliness towards customers (d; Moderate; OB Mod Steps; p. 62) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Summary and Implications for Managers 57. Who said â€Å"Give me a child at birth and I can make him into anything you want†? a. B. F. Skinner b. Ivan Pavlov c. Sigmund Freud d.James Emery e. Ben Franklin (a; Moderate; Shaping Behavior; p. 66) TRUE/FALSE Ability 58. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses in terms of ability that make them relatively superior or inferior to others in performing certain tasks or activities. (True; Easy; Ability; p. 45) 59. Ability is the assessme nt of what one will do. (False; Easy; Ability; p. 45) 60. An individual’s overall abilities are essentially made up of three sets of factors: thinking, reasoning, and problem solving. (False; Moderate; Ability; p. 45) 61. A high I. Q. is a good prerequisite for all jobs. (False; Easy; Intelligent Quotient; p. 45) 62.It is illegal in the U. S. for employers to use I. Q. tests for employment selection. (False; Moderate; Intelligent Quotient; p. 45) 63. Stamina, dexterity, and strength are dimensions of physical ability. (True; Easy; Nine Basic Physical Abilities; p. 47) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 64. Individuals who have a high score on one dimension of physical ability will usually score high on all other dimensions. (False; Moderate; Physical Abilities; p. 47) Biographical Characteristics 65. Biographical data is easier to acquire than information on employee motivation levels. (True; Easy; Biographical Characteristics; p. 48) 66.Collecting biographical data is typically a very difficult task in organizations. (False; Easy; Biographical Characteristics; p. 48) 67. Personal characteristics that are objective and easily obtained from personnel records (such as age, sex, and marital status) are called biographical characteristics. (True; Easy; Biographical Characteristics; p. 48) 68. A person’s age is an example of a biographical characteristic. (True; Easy; Biographical Characteristics; p. 48) 69. The relationship between age and job performance is likely to be an issue of increasing importance during the next decade. (True; Moderate; Age; p. 8) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 70. Recent American legislation makes it easier for a company to enforce mandatory retirement. (False; Moderate; Age; p. 48) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 71. Mandatory retirement has become an increasingly rare phenomenon in organizations. (True; Moderate; Age; p. 48) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 72. Age and turnover rates are directly related. (True; Moder ate; Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 73. Age and avoidable absences are negatively related. (True; Moderate; Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 74. Worker’s productivity tends to decline with age. False; Moderate; Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 75. Age and job satisfaction are related for professional workers. (True; Moderate; Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 76. In general, woman and men desire the same work schedules. (False; Moderate; Gender; p. 50) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 77. There is no significant difference between the absenteeism rates of men and women. (False; Easy; Gender; p. 50) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 78. In employment settings, individuals tend to favor colleagues of their own race in performance evaluations, promotion decisions, and pay raises. True; Easy; Race; p. 51) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 79. Mental ability tests used for selection, promotion, training, an d similar personnel decisions may have a negative impact on racial and ethnic groups. (True; Challenging; Race; p. 51) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 80. People who have been on a job longer are more productive than those with less seniority. (True; Moderate; Tenure; p. 52) 81. Tenure is negatively related to absenteeism. (True; Moderate; Tenure; p. 52) 82. Tenure is negatively related to turnover. (True; Moderate; Tenure; p. 52) 83.Tenure and satisfaction are negatively related. (False; Moderate; Tenure; p. 52) Learning 84. Learning has occurred when there is a relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience. (True; Easy; Learning; p. 54) 85. One can easily observe others learning. (False; Easy; Learning; p. 54) 86. Classical conditioning grew out of the work of B. F. Skinner. (False; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) 87. In Ivan Pavlov’s study, dogs salivated in response to a ringing bell. (True; Easy; Classical Conditioning; p. 55 ) 88. The meat in Pavlov’s experiment was an unconditioned stimulus. True; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) 89. Learning a conditioned response involves building up an association between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus. (True; Challenging; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) 90. To explain why Christmas carols often bring back pleasant memories of childhood, you would use operant conditioning. (False; Challenging; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) 91. Classical conditioning is passive. (True; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 56) 92. Classical conditioning can explain simple reflexive behaviors. (True; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 6) 93. Operant behavior means voluntary or learned behavior in contrast to reflexive or unlearned behavior. (True; Moderate; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) 94. What Pavlov did for operant conditioning, Skinner did for classical conditioning. (False; Challenging; Learning Theories; p. 56) 95. Rewards are most effective if they are delayed following the desired response. (False; Moderate; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) 96. Your supervisor has explained that he will reward those who take extra effort to see that their jobs are done well. This tactic follows from research into operant conditioning. True; Easy; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) 97. Learning through both observation and direct experience is called operant conditioning. (False; Easy; Social Learning; p. 57) 98. Older workers are not as capable of learning as younger employees. (False; Moderate; Age and Learning; p. 58) 99. Trainability is a measure of a person’s willingness to learn. (False; Moderate; Trainability; p. 58) 100. Reduced motivation has been found to significantly influence learning and training outcomes. (True; Moderate; Learning; p. 58) 101. Shaping occurs when we mold individuals by using intensive training to change their behavior quickly. False; Easy; Shaping; p. 58) 102. One method of shaping behavior is called positi ve reinforcement and occurs when a desired response is followed with something pleasant. (True; Moderate; Positive Reinforcement; p. 58) 103. Eliminating any reinforcement that is maintaining a behavior is called punishment. (False; Moderate; Extinction; p. 59) 104. Both positive and negative reinforcement result in learning. (True; Easy; Methods of Shaping Behavior; p. 59) 105. Both punishment and extinction weaken behavior and tend to decrease its subsequent frequency. (True; Moderate; Methods of Shaping Behavior; p. 59) 06. A continuous reinforcement schedule reinforces the desired behavior each time it is demonstrated. (True; Easy; Continuous Reinforcement; p. 59) 107. A piece-rate incentive plan is an example of a variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement. (False; Moderate; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) 108. Salespeople on commission are examples of individuals on a variable-ratio schedule. (True; Moderate; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) 109. In the typical OB Mod progr am, everything an employee does on his or her job is equally important in terms of performance outcomes. (False; Moderate; OB Mod; p. 62) 110.The first step in OB Mod is to identify critical behaviors impacting the employee’s performance. (True; Moderate; OB Mod Steps; p. 62) 111. Our knowledge about learning suggests that punishment is a more effective tool in OB mod than reinforcement. (False; Moderate; OB Mod and Reinforcement Theory; p. 63) SCENARIO-BASED QUESTIONS Application of Biographical Characteristics You work in the air filter manufacturing business. Your division is made up of three other people with very different biographical characteristics. Gina is 27 years old, single and female. She has been with the company only six months.Jonathan is 63 years old and a widower who has been with the company for thirty years. Sally is a single mother with four children who has been with the company for five years. 112. Based on the information given, which employee would be least likely to quit his or her job? a. all these employees would have about the same likelihood of quitting b. Gina c. Jonathan d. Sally e. Gina and Sally (c; Moderate; Age; p. 48) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 113. Based on the information given, which employee would you expect to have the lowest rate of avoidable absence? a. ll these employees would have about the same rate of avoidable absence b. Sally c. Gina d. Jonathan e. Gina and Sally would probably have equally low rates (d; Moderate; Age; p. 48) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 114. Based on the information given, which employee would you expect to most desire the option to telecommute or arrange a more flexible work schedule? a. all these employees would have the same desire for these options b. Jonathan c. Sally d. Gina e. Gina and Sally (c; Moderate; Gender; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} {AACSB: Analytic Skills}Application of Learning Theoryâ⠂¬â€Shaping Behavior You are the first-line supervisor for a group of employees who make cheese slicers. Their job is not terribly interesting or challenging and you have noticed that they are frequently tardy returning from their breaks. You have studied the concept of shaping behavior and decide that you will try to apply it to this situation. 115. You praise Allen for returning on time from break. This is an example of _____. a. negative reinforcement b. positive reinforcement c. extinction d. social learning e. modeling (b; Moderate; Positive Reinforcement; p. 8) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 116. You want Allison to take an accounting course so that she can help with the bookkeeping. Allison does not want to go to night school to take the course and has been resisting. You know that her least favorite duty is preparing payroll. You tell her that she will be given extra help with preparing payroll whenever she takes an accounting class. This is an example of _____. a. positive reinf orcement b. negative reinforcement c. punishment d. extinction e. classical conditioning (b; Challenging; Negative Reinforcement; p. 58) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 117.Sam is late coming back to work and you dock his pay. This is an example of _____. a. positive reinforcement b. negative reinforcement c. punishment d. extinction e. classical conditioning (c; Moderate; Punishment; p. 59) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Application of Different Schedules of Reinforcement You have decided to experiment with the relationship between reinforcement schedules and maintaining desired employee behavior. You are interested in observing the differences between continuous and intermittent reinforcement and between the various types of intermittent reinforcement schedules. 118.Veronica is paid $10. 00 per dozen units that she produces. This is an example of _____ reinforcement. a. intermittent, fixed-interval b. continuous c. intermittent, variable-interval d. negative e. none of the above (a; Challengin g; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 119. Gerald is a staff accountant who is visited several times a year by the corporate auditor. These visits are unannounced. This is an example of _____reinforcement. a. intermittent, fixed-interval b. continuous c. intermittent, variable-interval d. negative e. reactive (c; Challenging; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 0) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 120. John’s attendance has historically been unreliable and you have decided to use reinforcement and compliment him when his attendance record shows improvement. The most effective schedule of reinforcement will probably be _____. a. variable-interval intermittent b. fixed-interval intermittent c. continuous d. punishment-based e. shaped (a; Challenging; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 121. You know that the reinforcement schedule that your firm chooses for compensation will have an impact on the behavior of employees.Which of the following is not likely based on available research? a. Continuous reinforcement schedules will lead to early satiation. b. Continuous reinforcement schedules are appropriate for newly emitted, unstable, or low-frequency responses. c. Variable schedules do not clearly link performance and rewards. d. Fixed schedules will lead to higher performance than variable schedules. e. Variable schedules will be highly effective. (d; Challenging; Reinforcement Schedules and Behavior; p. 60) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Application of Behavior Modification Your manager has read about the now-classic study of Emery’s use of OB Mod.He was impressed by the savings to the company of $2 million over a three-year period. He has announced that he is implementing an OB Mod program at your organization. 122. You can expect to see the application of which of the following in the work setting? a. reinforcement concepts to individuals b. open book management c. additional stock option plans d. analysis of biographi cal characteristics e. higher health care benefits (a; Easy; OB Mod; p. 62) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 123. What is the first step that your manager is likely to take? a. identify behavioral consequences b. identify critical behaviors c. evaluate performance improvement . develop baseline data e. none of the above (b; Challenging; OB Mod Steps; p. 62) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 124. In the first step of the OB Mod program, your manager will most likely be attempting to identify those five to ten percent of behaviors that may account for up to _____ percent of each employee’s performance. a. 20-25 b. 40-50 c. 60-70 d. 70-80 e. 100 (d; Challenging; OB Mod Steps; p. 62) SHORT DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 125. Why is the relationship between age and job performance likely to be an issue of increasing importance during the next decade? First, there is a widespread belief that job performance declines with increasing age.Regardless of whether it’s true or not, many people believe it and act on it. Second is the reality that the workforce is aging. Workers age 55 and older are currently the fastest-growing sector of the labor force. The third reason is that U. S. legislation, for all intents and purposes, outlaws mandatory retirement. (Easy; Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 126. Has research indicated the existence of gender differences in job productivity? Explain. There is little evidence indicating that an employee’s gender affects his or her job productivity.In this area of study the similarities between male and female workers seems to far outweigh the very minor differences (for example, in the area of absenteeism) that have been found in some studies. (Easy; Gender; p. 50) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 127. What is learning? Learning is defined as any relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience. (Easy; Learning; p. 54) 128. How can managers shape employee behavior? Managers can shape employee behavior by systematically reinforcing each successive step that moves the individual closer to the desired response.Managers can mold individuals by guiding their learning in graduated steps. Reinforcement increases as responses more closely approximate the desired behavior. Managers may use positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction to promote this gradual shaping of employee behavior. (Easy; Shaping; p. 58) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 129. Give an example of a fixed-ratio schedule for paying employees and an example of a variable-ratio schedule for payment. In a fixed-ratio schedule, rewards are initiated after a fixed or constant number of responses.For example, a worker is rewarded with a piece rate system paying $10 for every 12 widgets produced. Each dozen earns the worker another $10. A variable-ratio schedule provides variable reward relative to the behavior of the individual. For example, a car sa lesman on commission is on a variable-ratio schedule. Each potential customer does not necessarily result in a sale and thus a commission. (Easy; Intermittent Reinforcement; pp. 59-60) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} MEDIUM LENGTH DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 130. What is ability? What are the two sets of factors comprising a person’s ability level?Ability refers to an individual’s capacity to perform the various tasks in a given job. It is a current assessment of what one can do. An individual’s overall abilities are essentially made up of two sets of factors: intellectual and physical abilities. 1) Intellectual abilities are those needed to perform mental activities. 2) Physical abilities are important for successfully performing jobs that are more standardized which require manual labor. (Easy; Ability; p. 45-47) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 131. What is the relationship between age and the organizational issues of productivity, turnover and satisfaction?This is a somewhat comp lex set of relationships. The older you get, the less likely you are to quit your job. Older workers are less likely to resign than are younger workers because their long tenure tends to provide them with higher wage rates, longer paid vacations, and more attractive pension benefits. In general, older employees have lower rates of avoidable absence than do younger employees. However, they also have higher rates of unavoidable absence, probably due to the poorer heath associated with aging and the longer recovery that older workers need when injured.The demands of most jobs, even those with heavy manual labor requirements, are not extreme enough for any declines in physical skills due to age to have an impact on productivity; or if there is some decay due to age, it is offset by gains due to experience. The evidence is mixed when examining the relationship between age and job satisfaction, however. Most studies indicate a positive association between age and satisfaction, at least up to age 60. Other studies, however, have found a U-shaped relationship.Satisfaction tends to continually increase among professionals as they age, whereas it falls among nonprofessionals during middle age and then rises again in the later years. (Moderate; Age; p. 48) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 132. Identify and briefly describe the five steps of a typical OB Mod program. The typical OB Mod program follows a five-step problem-solving model: identifying critical behaviors, developing baseline data, identifying behavioral consequences, developing and implementing an intervention strategy, and evaluating performance improvement. ) The first step is to identify the critical behaviors that make a significant impact on the employee’s job performance. 2) The second step requires the manager to develop some baseline performance data. This is obtained by determining the number of times the identified behavior is occurring under present conditions. 3) The third step is to perform a functional analysis to identify the behavioral contingencies or consequences of performance. This tells the manager the antecedent cues that emit the behavior and the consequences that are currently maintaining it. ) In the fourth step, the manager develops and implements an intervention strategy to strengthen desirable performance behaviors and weaken undesirable behaviors. 5) The final step is to evaluate performance improvement. (Moderate; OB Mod Steps; p. 62) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} COMPREHENSIVE ESSAYS 133. How do we learn? Identify and discuss the theories to explain the process by which we acquire patterns of behavior. Be sure to specifically identify the key elements of each of these theories by name. Classical conditioning was discovered by Pavlov.Learning a conditioned response involves building up an association between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus in order to invoke the performance of a conditioned response, which was formerly an unconditioned response. When the stimuli, one compelling and the other one neutral, are paired, the neutral one becomes a conditioned stimulus and, hence, takes on the properties of the unconditioned stimulus and leads to the performance of a conditioned response (which is the same response as the original unconditioned response).Skinner, who discovered operant conditioning, argues that behavior is a function of its consequences. People learn to behave to get something they want or to avoid something they don’t want. Operant behavior means voluntary or learned behavior in contrast to reflexive or unlearned behavior. The tendency to repeat such behavior is influenced by the reinforcement or lack of reinforcement brought about by the consequences of the behavior and can be manipulated through positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, shaping, and extinction.Social learning is the theory that we can learn through both observation and direct expe rience. Social learning theory is an extension of operant conditioning; it assumes that behavior is a function of consequences – it also acknowledges the existence of observational learning and the importance of perception to learning. People respond to how they perceive and define consequences, not to the objective consequences themselves. (Challenging; Learning Theories; pp. 54 to 57) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 34. Discuss the four processes management should include when creating employee training programs. The likelihood that training programs will be successful can be improved with the inclusion of attentional, retention, motor reproduction, and reinforcement processes. People learn from a model only when they recognize and pay attention to its critical features. We tend to be most influenced by models that are attractive, repeatedly available, important to us, or similar to us in our estimation.A model’s influence will depend on how well the individual remembers th e model’s action after the model is no longer readily available. After a person has seen a new behavior by observing the model, the watching must be converted to doing. This motor reproduction process demonstrates that the individuals can perform the modeled activities. Individuals will be motivated to exhibit the modeled behavior if positive incentives or rewards are provided. (Moderate; Social Learning; pp. 57-58) {AACSB: Analytic Skills}