Managing Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Managing Diversity - Essay Example The history of transport in UK can be traced back to over 4000 years ago, when man was using stone tools and making the transition from a nomadic existence, living by hunting and gathering his food, to living in settlements and developing agricultural skills. Although, history of transport is very old, only during the 1930s, a few roads were upgraded to dual carriageways as a means of relieving unemployment but it was the motorway network that started to develop in the early 1960s that were the first major additions to the road network. (Reference: Shropshire Transport) Modern day today, this industry being the 5th largest employment sector in the country and over 2.3 million people being employed, the need to upgrade the employment process and policies and match the same with the other industries has risen. This is more so important to this industry as people of diverse background and cultures have taken this as a means of employment. This is where the organizational behavior comes into picture to manage diversity and aiming at "Equality" and "Equal Opportunities" for employees. As some of the greats put it, Diversity in an organization is defined as ""Diversity within organisations is about recognising the range of differences in people and valuing people as individuals, respecting their differences and their differing needs. It is also about accommodating differences wherever possible so that an individual can play a full part in the working environment" (Daniels and Macdonald, 2005, p.1). First and foremost, it has to be recognized that an individual alone is unable to fulfil all his needs and wishes and he lacks the ability, strength and time or endurance for achieving all these single handed. Therefore, he must rely on others for help to achieve these. As several people are involved, there is a need to co-ordinate and establish a chain of mutual help. It is a plain truth and fact that in order to achieve organizational goals, all involved in the system have to accommodated and looked after with the same level of interest. Respect for individuals, irres pective of caste, creed and culture is the key. This is the basic concept of managing diversity and bringing all involved, under the same umbrella with no discrimination and giving all an equal opportunity. There are many different ways of defining "equality". When looking at equality initiatives in employment, "Equal Opportunities" has become a common label. But there are many different definitions of "Equal Opportunities". The Collins Concise Dictionary defines "inequality" as "the state or quality of being unequal; disparity" (Collins Concise Dictionary, 1989, p.639). In determining inequality, a moral judgement has to be made about whether social difference is better or worse (Vincent, 1995, p.4). The focus (of EO) is on preventing unfair discrimination, so that when two people have the

Essay on Foundation of Technology Essay Example for Free

Essay on Foundation of Technology Essay In this essay, there are components that differentiate an A paper and a B paper. The A Essay evaluates criteria or ideas in the forefront and subordinates the details to the ideas. If you read with descriptive detail, insights tend to be lost or insufficiently developed. It also focuses on the value added technology tool and the value added of what the teacher does with the technology. The same technology can be used in different ways by teachers. However; the teacher remains the most important element in maximizing student’s learning. For example, if a teacher shows a video, a strong paper addresses the value of the video and the effectiveness of the integration of the video before and after the video is shown. Strengths and suggestions for improvements are also addressed. Generally the strongest essay takes a critical perspective and evaluates what works are done and how they can be improved. It also goes beyond motivation. These two are critical aspects of any learning and should not be undervalued. However, the strong essays should go beyond motivation, in order to answer why a technology was motivating to students. Much of the true insight comes from asking the why question and sometimes asking the questions more than once. For instance an essay that argues that the students were motivated by the technology and were engaged the whole period, and that the students were captivated by technology and they explored different sites. The questions asked should be why the technology was motivating to the students and what engaged them and what made the technology captivating and how different soft wares advance learning apart from motivating (Bayne, 1998, p. 38). The essay also explores readings in depth and also exploring conferences in depth too. I chose to discuss how I will use my new website to improve my teaching methods. A website is very rewarding. It is fun and a great way keep in touch with your family and students. The website has made impact on my image and also given me identity and global presence. I use my presentation skills, without the presence of the internet. I can also download content and have them in cd’s for classroom presentation. Students can get information of upcoming events and changes from the web site. Teachers can now visit my website and download information for our thematic units. I can also help them design theirs. It has also been useful in situations where I have to update it with my students work for parents to see and assist in their studies back home. It’s necessary for teachers to have their own websites in the modern age in order to create sites that can help their students. The fact that students need computer education to help them access the net should not be overlooked. This makes it easier for them to access information whenever they need it. The No Child Left Behind mandates that students should be competent enough when it comes to technology since almost everything is technology based nowadays. They will have to know how to think critically, to be creative, analyze information, understand new ideas, communicate effectively, collaborate, solve problems, and make decisions (Bayne, 1998, p. 66). In my analysis, of my second lesson, I will design a lesson plan to guide me through the teaching process. The topic is about the importance of integrating technology, applying the standards of education and the use of assessments. I’ve realized that integrating technology enhances learning through encouraging and simplifying the seeking and grasping of the meaning of the content being taught. Application of new technology in classroom environment by students has helped to improve learning outcomes which involved deeper understanding. From the peer review conducted, I realized that the students enjoyed the integration of technology in the classroom and retained content in their minds. Introducing standards of education in the classroom will enhance the learning experience by pointing students to available design and marketing tools, and best industry practices. Knowledge of these standards makes the students align the educational concept with real-world applications and market issues. If students don’t learn about educational standards, they may need elementary instruction in their first jobs, have a higher propensity for operating outside of best or accepted industry practices, waste resources and fail in duties to align their products or services with desired markets. Without a guide line component in their education, students may graduate without knowing the barriers presented by using incorrect standards, and without realizing the importance of standards in marketing and product acceptance. If the regulatory standards in reference are not met it results into product non-conformance, or higher development or other costs. Students have to understand the need to design, from inception, to the standards required to achieve marks. When creating a lesson plan, the teacher should tell the students the objective of the lesson, teach the objective, and evaluate the objective. This means that the lesson plan should contain the key concept of the topic, objectives, pre-planning, learning materials, Anticipatory Set (How I will simulate the children so that they will learn what I want to teach. It will also have the procedure I will take when teaching and duration of my teaching process. Closure is also needed. This is the summary of the topic and finally evaluation (Bayne, 1998, p. 113). Assessment can be formal or informal when integrating technology. Most software packages have assessments or built in criteria in it. I have learned that incorporating electronic portfolio is another way to enhance teaching with technology or a teacher can design their own rubrics. However, innovative activities require a reliable and valid mean of measuring students’ progress along with student journals and designing projects. In conclusion, the lesson planning was great and I thank God I had the opportunity to integrate technology in my class and enhance learning for my students. Reference Bayne, J. N. (1998). Strategic plans for technology. New York: Hill crest.

Voluntary Euthanasia Should Be Legalized Philosophy Essay

Voluntary Euthanasia Should Be Legalized Philosophy Essay Euthanasia comes from the Greek word Eu which means good and Thanatos meaning death Euthanasia. In modern usage, it has come to mean a gentle and painless death. Life is ended for a compassionate reason by an active or passive step taken by another person or the individual whom is suffering from a terminal illness or agonizing pain with no hope recovery. Voluntary euthanasia should be legalized in the United States, because a terminally ill, rational human being has the right to choose how they live and how they die. Individuals can choose to drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, eat an unhealthy diet and choose to not exercise, which will enviably lead to a shorter life expectancy as well as a terminal disease. However, none of these choices are illegal, uncommon or generally perceived as unethical. To force someone who is essentially going to die a very slow and agonizing death to live, changes their right to live to an obligation to live. Therefore, to deny euthanasia is to deny a persons right to autonomy and obligate them to suffer for the benefit of an outside agents belief. Euthanasia is broken down into voluntary, involuntary, non-voluntary categories and into sub categories of active and passive. Voluntary euthanasia refers to choosing to end life to escape prolonged suffering with either verbal consent or a written document such as a living will. Involuntary euthanasia refers to the mercy killing of an unconscious or comatose patient who is otherwise unable to explicitly make his intentions known. Non-voluntary euthanasia is taking a patients life without consent; murder. A well known philosopher Peter Singer believes, The consequences of an act or omission will often be, in all significant respects, indistinguishable. If a child needs antibiotics to survive an illness, not giving them is the moral equivalent of administering a lethal injection. Most of our moral guidelines are written to be in a negative format, do not kill as opposed to a positive format, you must preserve life. This is the only thing that bares weight to the argument that there is a difference between killing and letting die. Singer also believes, Just as preference utilitarianism must count a desire to go on living as a reason against killing, so it must count as a desire to die as a reason for killing. Singer has declared that the principle of respect for autonomy tells us to allow rational agents to live their own lives according to their own guidelines and decisions and to be free from coercion or interference. Should a rational agent choose to die, then respect for autonomy will lead us to assist them in their decision to die if they choose to do so. Singer refers to an earlier section of his book and restates these four reasons not to kill a self-conscious being; 1. The classical utilitarian claim that since self-conscious beings are capable of fearing their own death, killing them has worse effects on others. 2. The preference utilitarian calculation that counts the thwarting of the victims desire to go on living as an important reason against killing. 3. A theory of rights according to which to have a right one must have the ability to desire that to which one has a right, so that to have a right to life one must be able to desire ones own continued existence. 4. Respect for the autonomous decisions of rational agents. When considering voluntary euthanasia, active or passive, all four of these ideas favor euthanasia not the preservation of life. In 1 the fear of death does not exist and others will not fear being killed against their will if they must ask for euthanasia before it can be administered. In 2 the victim of euthanasia has no desire to go on living and can only be thwarted by prolonging their life. If a person must desire life to have a right to it no right is violated by voluntary euthanasia as in number 3. The fourth reason is one of the foremost arguments for euthanasia, autonomous decision. Mirko Bagaric, a professor at Deaken University, argues that legalizing voluntary euthanasia will cause health care professionals to carry out acts of non-voluntary euthanasia and cites 2 wide spread studies from the 1990s that revealed abuse of end of life decisions in the Netherlands where it is legal. Professor Bagaric asserts that in roughly 1000 cases in each study euthanasia was carried out without the patients legal consent. However, he fails to conclude whether or not these causes were due to the lack of ability to consent or articulation of wanting to continue life. Another argument brought forth by Professor Bagaric is the risk that some lives, namely the terminally ill, will be seen as less valuable than others. This would lead to a logical conclusion that an individuals capacity to flourish is diminished due to mental, social or physical problems and they would be candidates for euthanasia also. The Declaration on Euthanasia by The Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued by The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and signed by Pope John Paul II argues that, Human life is the basis of all goods, and is the necessary source and condition of every human activity and of all society. The declaration goes on to state that, Nothing and no one can in any way permit the killing of an innocent human being, whether a fetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult, an old person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is dying. The justification offered is the intrinsic value of human life and to their believers the divine gift life represents. According to Roman Catholic teaching suffering, particularly during the last moments of life has a special place in Gods plan and is a sharing of Christs pain and sacrifice. The declaration offers exclusion for double effect action. According to James Fieser, if a pain medication is given to alleviate pain, even if the medical practitioner administering it knows it will speed the death of the patient, and no other pain management is available the act is morally permissible. The declaration further elaborates that even if the patient is not lucid enough to indicate whether they want the medication or not, it should be given. The declaration also distinguishes the difference between medical and biological life support being removed. Feeding tubes serve a biological function by feeding a patient and cant be discontinued on a live person. However, dialysis or chemotherapy serves a medical function and the decision to discontinue treatments such as these is the discontinuation of a medical support and therefore permissible if the costs are disproportionate to the expectations. All four of these positions focus on a few key points. First, is the intrinsic worth of life subject to termination under the authority of personal autonomy? Taking a utilitarian perspective of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain, ending all pain permanently is preferable to existing in pain with no hope of pleasure and therefore moral. Arguments made by the Roman Catholic Church declare that life is divinely inspired and taking life for any reason not moral. However, even under the guise of divine moral law, it is permissible to administer pain medication in lethal doses and refuse treatment which could sustain life. This conflicts with the statement, It is necessary to state firmly once more that nothing and no one can in any way permit the killing of an innocent human being, whether a fetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult, an old person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is dying. Singer and Battin showed that there is no moral difference between an act and omission in terms of the consequence. Therefore, the churchs declaration truly describes two opposing views in an attempt to make a definitive statement that is consequentially as clear as mud. From a utilitarian perspective the authors advocating euthanasia make good logic points that euthanasia, at least in some cases, is moral and often active euthanasia is a moral requirement. The authors condemning euthanasia still put forth evidence and arguments that, from a utilitarian perspective euthanasia is at least sometimes moral. However, if I was sick and in pain with no hope of recovery I would feel much more comfortable in the Netherlands with Singer as the executor of my durable power of attorney for healthcare.

Amazon.com Essay -- Biography, Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos, founder, chief executive officer, president, and board chairman of the mega Internet store Amazon.com is considered one of the most innovative entrepreneurs of the e-commerce industry. At the age of 31, with just a computer science degree, little funding from his family, and a challenging idea, Bezos set out to pursuit his entrepreneurial vision of a internet bookstore which had turn into the biggest online retailer of our times (Jeff Bezos, 2007). Born in January 12, 1964, Bezos demonstrated intense scientific and mechanical interests since an early age. Parents, Miguel Bezos, a Cuban immigrant engineer, and Jackie Gise Jorgensen were impressed when their three-year-old Jeff dismantled his crib apart using a screwdriver (Business, 2006). Bezos’ early age was not different, attending River Oaks Elementary in a Houston Texas suburb while playing scientist from their parent’s garage. From the garage laboratory Bezos assembled an electric alarm to keep his younger cousins away from his workstation. Bezos spent most of the summers at his grandfather’s ranch at Cotulla, Texas were he would display his mechanical skills by repairing tractors, windmills, among other tasks (Jeff Bezos, 2007). In late 1970’s the family moved to Miami, Florida were Bezos attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School. The young man continued his early achievement when he was named valedictorian of his senior class in 1982, and was awarded with the Silver Knight Award from the Miami Herald (Business, 2006). Easily accepted, Bezos attended Princeton University and graduated in 1986 with a degree in computer science and electrical engineering, earning Phi Beta Kappa membership in the process (Business, 2006). Bezos’ entrepreneurial personality... ...e (Esten, 2007). Bezos entrepreneurial visions when further that Amazon when in 2004 he helped found Blue Origin, a human spaceflight tourism start-up company. Recently, the 43 years old capitalist had been using a lot of his time and business knowledge to philanthropic work, heading his own foundation and addressing important issue to the whole world (Jeff Bezos, 2007). Jeff Bezos have proved to be a very successful businessman with an incomparable entrepreneurial vision for opportunities. He led a small garage start-up e-bookstore to become the biggest online retailer in the world. During the process he reaffirmed his position as a great leader, manager, and human being. Recognized by multiple institutions in the business world and out of it, Bezos deserves the respect of the global society for having revolutionized the way the world shops online.

Persian Society: 1673-1677 Essay

Jean Chardin was a well-educated son of a French jeweler. Chardin was a well-known European traveler of Persia in 17th century who produced substantial literature on Persian society. In his book Travel to Persia, Chardin describes the Persians as those who spend their money without care as soon they get it with no thought spared to their future needs. As soon as they lay their hands on some money, they either buy slaves, hire wives, set up a well-equipped carriage, furnish a house extravagantly and/or dress sumptuously (185). The Persians are characterized as kind, generous, and helpful to strangers, abhor fighting and worship Gods name. They are vigilant about the education of their children, they send their children twice a day to school and after school they keep them involved in their business and profession. They keep eunuchs to monitor their children strictly, not allowing them to go out on streets and to meet the relatives only with a eunuch serving as chaperone. At the age of sixteen, they marry their children off and do not allow them travel before they turn twenty (188-189). Chardin further elaborates that Persian men visit young women if their wives are over thirty and their wives, if they become pregnant early, get their fetus’ aborted because of fear of waning interest of their husbands. This situation did result in a decrease in their population. They are very civilized people but their behavior also encompasses negative characteristics too such as use of coarse and vulgar language, cheating, lying and frequently breaking promises (129-130). According to Chardin, â€Å"They are not to be trusted in service, nor in all other engagements† (187). Thus Chardin has depicted the conflicting character of Persian society in his book by stating that, â€Å"Whoever sees them only passing by, or in a visit, will always give them the best character in the world, but he that deals with them and pries into their affairs will find that there is little honesty in them† (188).

The British Government Vs the US Government

The United States and Britain are two powerful democracies in the world that always tried to uphold the values of democratic system and propagate those values across the globe. In most cases, they share same views and opinions in restoration of peace and democracy in different parts of the world. There are several factors that bring the countries closer. The similarity in the political system of both the countries is one of those factors. Their political systems also differ in many aspects. However, still they share almost the same values and principles.The government system of these counties are so strong and convincing that many countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and others have adopted their constitution from these countries. The British Government, a Brief Overview Britain has a parliamentary democratic system with a constitutional monarch. Queen is regarded as head of the state. Unlike other constitutions in the world, the British constitution is made up of a combination of laws and practices that are not legally enforceable.However, they are considered as vital to the functioning of the government. â€Å"The British government system is divided into four parts: the Monarch, the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. Although Queen is not involved in the day-to-day operation of the government, she is an integral part of all branches of the British government system† (James, 1999: 41). Britain provides a unique example of balance between the monarchy and democracy. Both Queen and the democratic head of the country perform their responsibilities without any conflict. The US Government, an OverviewThe political system of the United States gives a strong framework for a federal presidential form of democratic government. There is no monarchy in the United States. Unlike some other democracies in the world, the President keeps most powers in his hands. The president is both head of state and head of government. He is also t he head of a two-party legislative and electoral system. â€Å"The US government system includes the Executive headed by the President, the legislature and the judiciary. Legislative power is vested in the Congress that has two chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives.Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature and is comprised of the US Supreme Court and lower courts† (Vile, 1999: 31). The judiciary also has the power and authority to resolve the disputes between the executive and legislature. The British Parliament and the US Congress â€Å"The major difference between the government systems of Britain and the United States is the basis on which they are formed. While Britain has the parliamentary form of government, the United States has the presidential form of government† (Lijphart, 1992: 31).The legislature in Britain is known as the Parliament. It is made up of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Queen as constitutiona l monarch. â€Å"The House of Commons has 651 elected representatives who are called the Members of Parliament. They represent local constituencies. The House of Lords is comprised of 1,185 members who are selected on hereditary terms, two archbishops and the 24 most senior bishops† (James, 1999: 45). The center of parliamentary power in Britain is the House of Commons. â€Å"The House of Lords has limited powers in the functioning of the government.Traditionally, it complements the House of Commons and does not indulge in any type of conflict† (James, 1999: 46). The British Parliament uses several procedures to control the executive branch of the government system. When any report is prepared, the House of Commons gets the ultimate power to pass the resolution. If the House rejects any proposal, that becomes tantamount to be a no-confidence against the government. Like the British government system, the US Congress is also bicameral. It is comprised of the House of Re presentatives and the Senate.â€Å"The House has 435 members who represent the congressional districts. They serve a two-year term. House seats are determined on the basis of population in the respective states. The US Senate has 100 members. Each state sends two senators to the Senate who serve a six-year term. Both Senators and Representatives are elected through direct election† (Vile, 1999: 54). In the British government system, the House of Lords has very limited powers to decide the passage of any bill or proposal. However, this is not the case with the US Senate.â€Å"The Senate's advice and consent is required to confirm the President's nominations to high-level positions in the executive and the judiciary† (Vile, 1999: 52). Voting system in the British political system and the US political system is similar. In Britain, general elections are held every five years to choose MPs. Similarly, in the US, the President and the members of the House of Representatives are elected every two years. Voting is conducted through a secret ballot and the minimum age requirement to participate in voting is 18 in both countries.Political Parties Political parties in Britain and the United States play a major role in determining the course of the government. The political party system is essential to the smooth functioning of the constitution. Although there are several small parties in Britain, the contest is always between two major political parties, the Conservative Party and the Labor Party. All the general elections have been won by these parties. The smaller parties are mostly represented in local governments.After every general election, the government is formed by the party that gains majority in the House of Commons. The leader of the winning party is appointed as Prime Minister by the Queen. â€Å"The Prime Minister appoints about 100 ministers. Out of them, at least 20 ministers get the rank of cabinet ministers. They take all major policy de cisions. Ministers are responsible for government decisions, as they are party to it† (Lijphart, 1992: 46). The opposition party, which gets less number of votes, plays a constructive role to challenge government policies and present an alternative.The policies are always carried out by government departments that are accountable to the respective ministries. However, these departments are staffed by neutral civil servants who have no association with any political party. They perform the executive functions of the government. The political system of Britain and the US is quite similar. Although they function as multi-party system, only two major parties in both countries hold much importance. The United States has two major political parties, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party that dominate the political spectrum of the country.â€Å"It is true that the political parties have not been recognized or registered by the law either in Britain or in the United States. H owever, they are regulated by the constitutions of individual states or counties that organize elections both at local and national level. Despite having multi-party system, both countries have been limited to a bi-party system† (Lijphart, 1992: 48). Decision Making Group In Britain, the decision-making group is comprised of the Prime Minister and his group of ministers. â€Å"The government of the United Kingdom contains a number of ministries.Each of them is led by a senior minister who is supported by some junior ministers† (James, 1999: 61). Any major decision taken by the government first goes through the House of Representatives and then goes to the Queen for her approval. â€Å"In the United States, the decision-making group comprises of the President and the Cabinet appointed by him. The Cabinet includes the Secretary of State, Attorney General and secretaries of other federal executive departments† (Vile, 1999: 60). The US has separate state departments. Each department is headed by a Secretary who directly reports to the President. Once a bill is prepared, it goes through the House of Representatives and the Senate. It becomes law only after both the houses approve it. Judicial System The British judicial system is completely different from the American judicial system. Britain does not have a single judicial system. It has separate judicial systems for the member countries. â€Å"England and Wales have one judicial system while Scotland has its own judiciary. Northern Ireland has another judicial system.The Lord Chancellor, who is the head of the judiciary in England and Wales, appoints judges and magistrates for criminal courts. He plays an active role in the executive, legislature and judiciary† (James, 1999: 71). The US Constitution provides scope for a powerful judiciary. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial authority in the United States. It is regarded as the guardian of the constitution. The judiciary of the US is completely independent of the executive and the legislature. â€Å"The Justices of the Supreme Court are nominated by the President with the consent of the Senate.While the Supreme Court is established by the US Constitution, all other federal courts are created by the Congress† (Vile, 1999: 62). The Supreme Court has the authority to hold both original and appellate jurisdiction. Functions of the Government The British government makes strategies with the help of group of ministers, approval of the House of Commons and the final assent from the Queen. However, it is not possible for the government to implement the policies without the help of the government departments. Government departments and their agencies are instrumental in implementing government policy.They often work with the local authorities, statutory boards and other government-sponsored organizations. The major government departments in Britain include the Ministry of Defense, Departmen t of Social Security, Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Employment. These departments are headed by ministers. However, there are some departments that are headed by permanent officials from Civil Service. â€Å"Many government departments are assisted by advisory councils or committees. These bodies are generally appointed by the respective ministers† (James, 1999: 79).Members from the Civil Service are integral part of the government activities. Their responsibilities range from policy formulation to carrying out the day-to-day duties of public administration. The US government carries out its operations through various departments. â€Å"Although the President and the US congress formulate strategies, the federal executive departments implement these policies in the country. They work closely with the state governments and the local governments. The federal executive departments are headed by the members of the Cabinet† (Lijphart, 1992: 65).The main government departments in the United States are the Department of State, Department of Treasury, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education and Department of Homeland Security. Heads of these departments are called as Secretaries. Conclusion The United States and Britain always worked closely to restore peace and democracy in different parts of the world. Sometimes they used force to achieve their objective and received huge criticism for that.However, their dedication towards democracy, world peace and maintaining the constitutional values cannot be undermined. They always turned against the dictatorship and fascism and promoted democratic principles across the globe. The government systems of the United States and Britain are so popular that many governments have adopted them in their own countries. Bibliography James, Simon. British Cabinet Government. London: R outledge, 1999. Lijphart, Arend. Parliamentary versus Presidential Government. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992. Vile, M. J. C. Politics in the USA. London: Routledge, 1999.