School Laws Article

There is a need for a teacher to be a good example and a role model to the students. This is the only way that the students will be able to improve especially when they are having serious problem. In this case, the dean was very influential and after realizing what she had done to get where she is, most student are likely to be disappointed and frustrated. Her resignation means that the students will no longer fight for their freedom and this is likely to cause anxiety or even protest among the students. In addition, the dean is guilty of false pretence, if the university sues her; she is likely to pay them for damages. The reason is that for such a prestigious university to have such a case, the credibility of the university and its officials is likely to suffer as people might think that some of the professors who are teaching are not genuine professors at all. This is also likely to affect the education in the institution and the number of people who are attends it. It is therefore a complete negative publicity to the university. Article 2 The district superintendent should try to convince the PR Director of the importance of the use of the new technology to the students. He should try to convince him that a school is an institution that is supposed to assist students get useful knowledge so that they can become useful persons later on in their life. However, with the outdated phone lines and other electronic systems, there are chances that the school only wastes the student’s time. The reason is that the information that they are given is only outdated. This means that after they get out to the real world they will have to learn again so that they can fit in the society. There is therefore a need to upgrade these machines to assist the students. With such statements and such conviction, the district superintendent will assure the PR Director that even though they will spend a lot of money on this upgrade. This is because it saves a lot, as the students will no longer need to learn again. In addition, the new system will be more efficient and therefore more likely to give better results. Together, they should follow the right procedure and see to it that they have achieved their mission. Article 3 In a school setting, the first priority should be to the students. The only way to achieve this is to have the best team of teachers and other staff in line. The best team also has some disadvantages and therefore one should be prepared for this. In the first case of the renewal of chief’s contract, I would also do the same case. I would not care about what people or teachers think of feels, I would still renew the contract of Superintendent Sandra Schroeder, as she is still very effective and competent in her duties. In addition, I would reinstate the four teachers fired. They are very competent and without them, there is a chance that the school will go down. There are some mischievous students in every class and it is not advisable to fire a teacher simply because she tried to correct these students. It is clear that the strike has a great influence on the student’s learning. A sizeable portion of students failed to attend the classes due to the strike. What the drivers wanted are their rights. Everyone has a right to a better and a happy life and I feel that they should have that. I would therefore organize for a sitting so that we can negotiate with them and have solution on the issue. An instance where a superintendent can handle a similar situation is the case where a worker may be discriminated because the immediate boss does not like him. In such a case, the superintendent may fail the reason for firing such a person and may act competently. Article 4 It is necessary to understand that the students who are in school are there with the main aim of acquiring knowledge. These students happen to have different levels of knowledge and different personal attributes. It is therefore clear that there will be diverse personalities in the classroom. In addition, just because a teacher has some believes does not mean that all the students should have the same believe. This is the reasons why there is a syllabus and some books to offer guidance. This further means that whether it is the teacher, the administration or the society in general, personal attributes or rather personal values should not interfere with class teaching. Personal values and believes are not universal. They are unique from one person to the next and therefore if they interfere with what we are teaching in class, there is a chance that the teaching itself will be biased. There is also a possibility that effective teaching, which is the main aim of every teacher will not be there. Article 5 Campaigns do not come all the time and at the same time, they are very expensive. Proper planning for them should be there. In this case, I would first admit that this was a very serious blunder on all mails were sent to children. Secondly, I would gather all correct details concerning the parents and hire another company, which would send apology letter to all those parents whose children received previous mails. I would convene a meeting with the board members and explain to them what happened. I would clearly explain to them that the company we hired caused the mishap. I would assure them that next time we have a campaign, such an incident will not take place. To the media outlet, I would only give a brief explanation that whatever happened was a mistake by the company that we hired.

History of Industrial/Organizational Psychology Essay

Industrial/Organizational (I-O) psychology is an every growing field within psychology. The primary goal behind I-O psychology is to aid in helping organizations/companies who may have employee issues resolve them for a better working relationship between companies and the employees. I-O psychology has been evolving over the course of the last many years, by having developed a foundation, as a science, ethical principles and use of statistics. Industrial/Organizational Psychology Evolution I-O psychology began in early years of the twentieth century and was composed from a combination of science, philosophy and psychology. I-O psychology began advancing as there was growth of large corporations, growth of mass production corporations, growth of measurement and statistics, and growth of engineering developments. When I-O psychology was emerging some of its primary focus was on employee fatigue and health (Spector, 2012). Two primary founders are noted for the American I-O field; Hugo Munsterberg and Walter Dill Scott (Spector, 2012). Both Munsterberg and Scott made many contributions to the field of I-O which included applying the field of psychology to problems within businesses, advertising, writing pioneering textbooks for the field, etc (Spector, 2012). Not only was I-O evolving to help businesses, the concept was even applied to World War I in assistance to the United States and United Kingdom (Spector, 2012). A psychologist, Robert Yerkes, offered assistance to the army through I-O psychology during 1917. A primary service provided through I-O psychology for the army was creating a large-scale psychological test to aid in placing recruits in the right positions (Spector, 2012). I-O psychology continued to develop over the years. I-O psychology grew as organizations grew. More I-O psychologists were needed as organizations grew, hired more employees and began to need guidance on problems that arose. 1921 was another big year for I-O psychology as that is when Charles Myers co-founded the National Institute of Industrial Psychology and the first American Ph.D was earned by Bruce V. Moore (Spector, 2012). I-O psychology still continued evolving into 1964 when the Civil Rights Act was passed (Spector, 2012). The Civil Rights Act required that employer’s change their hiring methods due to discrimination laws changing and it was illegal for discrimination against minorities or women (Spector, 2012). I-O psychology continues to evolve to how it is defined in recent times. Industrial/Organizational Psychology as a Science I-O psychology created a foundation by combining industrial psychology which is the personnel aspect with organizational psychology. I-O psychology should be considered a science for several reasons. The field of I-O psychology uses similar research methods as other fields in psychology. An I-O psychologist would still begin with a question that needs an answer and perform research to aid in providing a solution to the proposed question or problem (Spector, 2012). A hypothesis is created, variables identified, and research conducted. Research is conducted through using tactics such as random assignment and random selection (Spector, 2012). Industrial/Organizational Psychology Six Ethical Principles I-O psychologists follow the six ethical principles from the American Psychological Association Code: Competence, Integrity, Professional and Scientific Responsibility, Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity, Concern for Other’s Welfare, and Social Responsibility (Spector, 2012). The primary goal for all psychologists, including those in the I-O field, is to improve the human condition (Spector, 2012). Industrial/Organizational Psychology Descriptive vs Inferential Statistics Descriptive statistics are defined as a method of reducing large amounts of data to smaller, condensed data by use of mathematics such as means or variances (Spector, 2012). Inferential statistics are defined as statistics, which allow people to make generalized conclusions based on subjects that have been studied to all people based on probabilities (Spector, 2012). The primary difference between the two types of statistics is that inferential statistics takes a small amount of data and applies it to a large group; whereas, descriptive statistics does the opposite and takes information obtained from a large group and reduces it to manageable working numbers. Conclusion Overall, I-O psychology has really grown into what it is known as today. Through its evolution, I-O psychology has had a solid foundation built on ethical principles known to all psychologists. I-O psychology has grown into a science, using statistical data to help problem solve and aid proving hypothesis true or false. I-O psychologists are of great importance to the business world and employee relations.

Education Sector Best Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Education Sector Best Practices - Essay Example Curriculum entails more than an ordinary definition; it is a key issue in the process of education. The scope of career development is so large that it affects every person involved in learning and teaching. Inclusive education practices entail  making the students feel welcomed and valued in the school, and therefore the students are effectively able to undertake all school activities entail rams. Diversity is accepted and respected; students’ different cultures, backgrounds, skills interests and needs; are taken into consideration in school practices and programs. To achieve thi9s end, there exists inclusive practices tools like; student survey, community survey, staff survey, school review profile, inclusive practices and survey reports. Inclusive practices tools are applied in supporting primary, intermediate or schools in engaging in the review process. The main purpose of the review process entails supporting schools in the journey towards developing and implementing inclusive processes for learners, including learners requiring special attention and consideration. Continuous personal development entails; learning by participating in the continuing professional development process; and from the experience and even the feedback. Competent professionals; look for opportunities and challenges in personal learning and development; identify mistakes and use them for learning opportunities; continuously participate in professional development programs; change behavior towards the positive through feedback and reflection. (Booth, 2011 15).Opportunities for learning and development include, pursuing management development training program.

Global Economic Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Economic Development - Essay Example Countries that increase their Income but do not also raise life expectancy, reduce infant mortality, and increase literacy rates are missing out of some important aspects of development. The economic development of a country is defined as the development of the economic wealth of the country. Economic development is a maintainable boost in the standards of living of the people of a country. It implies an increase in the per capita income of every citizen. In the long run, economic development implies that there has been creation of more opportunities in the sectors of education, healthcare, employment and the conservation of the environment. Economic development is aimed at the overall well-being of the citizens of a country, as they are the ultimate beneficiaries of the development of the economy of their country. Michael P. ... ic and social choices available to individuals and nations by freeing them from servitude and dependence not only in relation to other people and nation-states but also to the forces of ignorance and human misery† Economic growth, usually expressed in terms of the gross domestic product or GDP of the country, refers to a rise in national or per capita income and product. If a production of goods and services in a country rises, ultimately means an increase in the overall income and the overall consumption of goods and services in the economy (Wolf, 2005). Economic growth can be either positive or negative. Negative growth can be referred to by saying that the economy is shrinking. Negative growth is associated with economic recession and economic depression. Economic growth is a narrower concept than economic development. It is defined as the increase in the value of goods and services produced by every sector of the economy. Experts have analyzed economic growth in various way s but the main difference lies in the fact that economic growth is generally measured with the mean of percentage. For example, GDP of a country is an example of economic growth (Parkin, 2008). The example of economic development can be social and/or financial development of the country, which is difficult to measure quantitatively. This is why economic growth is part of economic development; it helps to measure some of the whole system. Another difference between these two concepts is the type of changes. In economic growth, it takes only quantitative changes under considerations to determine the growth of an economy. For example the annual income of a country is a quantitative change and can indicate an economic growth if it has increased over time. Economic development, however, takes both

Strategic managent of Marks and Spencer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Strategic managent of Marks and Spencer - Essay Example The intention of this study is Marks and Spencer as a leading UK based grocery retailer selling primarily clothing and food. The company has grown to be a successful large scale grocery being able to attract more than 21 million people each week. The company offers stylish, outstanding quality and greater value clothing and home products as well as supreme quality foods that are supplied from around 2000 different suppliers worldwide. The company is employing around 78,000 people throughout 700 UK stores and other international stores too. Clothing represents around 49 percent of its total sales and food and other items represent 51 % of the total sales. Food sales, especially as it was supplied from more than 2000 different suppliers, are highly crucial to the overall business strategy of the company. The food sales alone amounted to $ 7.90 billion in 2007- 2008, showing an increase of 1.4 percent over the figure of previous year. As the company is proud of the current business opp ortunities, Marks and Spencer remains to be the most favorite clothing retailer, and has delivered a better performance in the 2010-11. The market share of the company in terms of the value has been increased to 11.7 percent and it experienced a growth across all of its major areas because customers around the UKL sought the quality propositions of Marks and Spencer. According to the latest reports about the market share, Marks and Spencer’s share has been improved on year on year from 4 percent to 4.1 percent within a time of three months, ending in December 2010. (Milnes, 2010). With a mission to deliver quality greater valued food and clothing, Marks and Spencer could increase its potential market role and opportunities in the market and thus has achieved far better results than that of previous years. Environmental Analysis of Marks and Spencer The business environment of a firm consists of all the internal and external influences that impact the business at large, its pe rformance, productivity, revenues, competitiveness etc in particular. A large number of factors like employees, workplace situations, organizational culture, management etc influence the business internally where as other factors like competition, politics, economy, and

Global Business and IMF Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global Business and IMF - Essay Example The Great Depression and the two World Wars gave a great setback to the greatest nations of the world. Shook by these disasters, delegates from 44 countries met in July 1944 at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire in U.S.A. and agreed on a framework for â€Å"economic cooperation party† (Clift, 2004). The IMF was conceived in that meeting, whose primary agenda was to avoid those inconsistent economic policies that led to the Great Depression of 1930s. It background was the pursuit of flawed economic policies, like increased restriction on imports and freedom to buy in other countries, dwindling gold and foreign exchange reserves and even devaluation of currencies, which together contributed to worsening the downward spiral in output, world trade and the overall employment rate. All these steps devastated the international economy, leading to a sharp decline in trade, world output, employment and living standards (Dicken, 1986). Hence in order to restore the international monetary relations, the IMF emerged after the constitution of a charter (Articles of Agreement) by the country representatives. Its purpose was the establishment of an international institution, which could overlook the international monetary system and guide the member countries to pursue appropriate economic policies. It officially came into existence in December 1945, when 29 countries signed the Articles of Agreement (IMF). Since then, IMF has strictly pursued its original purposes, which became more important with the expansion of more countries. Any country, regardless of being a member of UN or not, is eligible for membership of the IMF. The membership largely depends on the terms prescribed by the Board of Directors of IMF. However, a country has to agree to financial policies economic growth and reasonable price stability. Furthermore, the country has to provide the IMF with economic data, which it will regularly analyse. After reviewing and monitoring

Economics of Exchange Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economics of Exchange - Research Paper Example Contextually, the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) had been focused on keeping the entire manufacturing process in-house, concerning which the management presumes that out-sourcing certain elements of its production system or rather its supply chain system shall be beneficial for the company to satisfy the augmenting demand. With due concern to the above mentioned aspects regarding the outsourcing initiatives of BlueJay, this essay would intend to present a workbook for weekly staff meetings which is intended to be held in the 30 days period of recommending the outsourcing plan. Hence, the objective of the workbook would be to develop adequate understanding amid the supply chain management team regarding the background of the decision and evaluation to be taken. The proposed workbook will thus address the economic aspects of value and utility (i.e. the concept of economics of exchange) in relation to decision making process to render a better knowledge of economic as well as financial el ements related with the company’s upcoming decision. Workbook The workbook is scheduled for a 30 days period describing the aspects to be covered in 4 weekly staff meetings. ... Correspondingly, the last meeting will be held to obtain feedbacks and evaluate the understanding of the staffs which would assist them in contributing efficiently to the overall outsourcing process. Economics of Exchange Today, when there is a price tag hanging on every element which can be a part of a transaction, the concept of economics of exchange becomes quite apparent. It is often regarded as the process of serving commodities in exchange of a value, particularly in monetary terms. Thus, it can be affirmed that the concept of economics of exchange is based on the process of transaction which further tends to determine the balance between the customers’ requirements and the company’s capacity. It is often described as a transaction process through which the firm intends to serve its customers with the notion of earning value for the commodities offered (Williamson, 2008). In relation to BlueJay’s current economic conditions, the SLT of the firm’s sup ply chain management have proposed the strategy of outsourcing related to which, a number of researches are to be conducted for making effective decisions with concern to the quality as well as cost of the products. This in turn is likely to influence the economics of exchange in the supply chain process of the company where it is required to make decisions with regards to the quantity of in-house production, quantity of products to be outsourced, prices and the risks which are connected with the suggested procedure. It is expected that the outsourcing will assist the firm in reducing the cost of production for the goods and will also assist in meeting excessive demand from the customers. On the

To What Extent Was the Effectiveness of Transition Strategies Essay

To What Extent Was the Effectiveness of Transition Strategies Dependent on the Initial Conditions of the Transition Economies - Essay Example The changing economic landscape in the last century has brought with it considerable political and social change. In terms of theoretical and scholarly research some of the most prominent considerations have been in terms of the shift between developing, emerging, and first worlds. Within this context of understanding one recognizes that a central area of concern has been transition economies. Transition economies are those where a nation is shifting from a centrally planned economy to a free market. Within the modern world environment this has become a highly complex notion as nations such as China have seemingly transcended traditional bounds of the centrally planned economy and combined state-sponsored industries with aspects of the free market. Still, to a large degree the traditional structural boundaries of the transition economy still hold. This essay considers the extent that the effectiveness of transition strategies is dependent on the initial conditions of the transition e conomies. Russia While the subject of transition economy strategies is complex and multi-varied, one of the central understandings is that there has been considerable difference regarding success among these transition countries. One recognizes that while there may be no objective or prescriptive approach to successful transition, one of the most thematic elements has been that the most successful transition economies have been linked to the success of the initial conditions of the transition economy. This is a complex notion that demands deconstruction. One of the major considerations in these regards has been the Russian transition approach. While theorists disagree as to the original state of the Russian centrally controlled government, to a great degree the original conditions were stark. Following the Cold War with the United States and Western powers, Russian experienced a state of considerable economic decline. To a great degree it seems that many of the earlier challenges carried over to the post transition period. As one might expect countless literature has been written on Russia’s transition, still there are a number of notable considerations. Roland (2004) links one of the primary challenges to the lack of structure in Russia’s original socialist system. While one would consider that a centrally controlled system would have stringent controls, it appears that to a degree this didn’t occur in Russia’s socialist practice. It is noted that the government had only centrally planned for approximately 100 goods, when in reality there was over 12 million that needed to be accounted for (Roland 2004). The cumulative effect particularly in Russia, but also in many other socialist economies, was that there emerged a market where quality products were not a concern, because the market consistently had shortages. This structure extended to workers as the seller’s market ensured they were always well employed. When the transition period arose t hese issues came to the forefront, as entrenched enterprises and workers viewed the changes as a threat. Crime and Corruption One of the major problems that arose in transition economies, particularly in Russia, was organized crime. While the emergence of these crime institutions surely had a complex array of reasons, it seems fairly plausible that the dissonance created in the transition between the earlier seller’s market period and the later free market may have contributed to a higher propensity of individuals willing to participate in such activity. These occurrences attest to a level of carry over from dysfunctions in the pre-free market economy that would indicate that the original state of the economy has a direct impact on transition strategies. Boerner & Hainz (2009) support the notion that inefficient pre-liberalization economic states directly contribute to later era corruption practices. Specifically, â€Å"

Interpersonal Communication Essay Example for Free

Interpersonal Communication Essay First off, let me welcome you to a brand new world of love, care family bonds and holy matrimony. My name is Stacey Lindsey, and I am going to give you an idea of interpersonal communication is going to affect your lives, and the skills/knowledge you will need in order to find yourselves together and still happy 50 years down the road. Marriage today seems, to some, to be a fly-by-night operation. I stand here today writing you to let you know that this does not have to be the case. If you two are willing to take suggestions and follow a simple set of rules based on a healthy relationship built on proper interpersonal communication, then you have a chance to find yourself happy and in love for some time to come. Communication is the keystone to any strong relationship. In order to truly understand ourselves and our loved ones, we must first understand the way that we interact in our day to day intermingling. Explain the principles and misconceptions in effective interpersonal communications. In the text book Making Connections: Understanding Interpersonal Communication (Sole,2011), we are shown that there are six basic principles at plat regarding Human communications. First, we are told that communication is symbolic. Second, we are shown that communication is shared meaning. Third, communication is shown to be a process. Fourth, the argument is made that communication is culturally determined. Fifth, we are shown that communication occurs in context. Sixth, we are told that communication is purposeful. While these principles serve to explain the basic meanings behind how communications work, there will always be a basic misconception about how and what communication is meant to be. It is important, though, to remember that a basic set of principles guides us through understanding interpersonal communication. The use of symbols is widely believed to be what makes human language unique. A symbol can be anything that conveys a meaning, and it can be written, spoken, or non-verbal. Drawings, photographs, and music can be symbolic. Even objects such as homes, automobiles, clothing, and jewelry can be symbolic (Sole, Sn. 1.3, para 2.). Human beings have a unique ability to make almost anything stand for something, giving an almost endless ability to communicate. The fact the communication is shared meaning is the driving force behind the ability to visualize stories and information through shared language and symbols of our world. Our perception will directly affect how a story is communicated, so we must see these shared meanings as abstraction. Communication is a lifelong process by which we gain knowledge and experience, with which we sharpen our communication skills. Because this is an ongoing thing, we must continually work to maintain and build on the relationship we form. Communication is culturally determined, meaning that our cultures, or the way we eat, sleep, live and understand the world, affect the way we communicate. Many white americans idealize a dispassionate and logical mode of debating and problem-solving. In mediation this is expressed in maxims such as â€Å"separate the people from the problem† and the use of caucuses to cool down emotions (Fisher and Ury, 1981). In Black and White Styles of Conflict (Kochman, 1981) it states that African Americans construe a difference in communication style differently, and that â€Å"Blacks call this constraining mode of behavior fronting, and they generally regard negatively situations in which it is necessary to front†¦ All blacks consider fronting to be a strain†. Our ability to rationalize, our willingness to work things out, and our likely hood of finding common ground with someone we disagree with is greatly affected by our culture. Communication must be understood as a context driven subject. Where, when, and how we come to communicate is going to drive how we interact with others. Things such as our physical state, our mental well being, and the emotion surrounding a subject are sure to contribute to how we appreciate a communicated subject. It is important to remember that communication is purposeful. We do not communicate simply to make noise, but instead to share meaning and connect with others. Our needs are influenced and met through interaction with the outside world. These principles of communication guide us to understand the meaning and importance of human interpersonal communications and how we can communicate properly. There are misconceptions in interpersonal communication, though. The belief that we communicate only for our own good and that we will be unable to understand the meaning behind something without the proper context is wrong. We will find our way as we need be. Identify the barriers to effective interpersonal interactions. Competence, language, perception, and information are all barriers that can get in the way of effective interpersonal interactions. Any of these four barriers can cause an issue so great that effect communication is made impossible. All four parts must be met satisfactory if clear and concise communication is to be had. An article in the periodical Supervisory Management (1991) a situation is given that shows the proper way to get past barriers of effective interaction. â€Å"In order to make certain that you cover all aspects of a subject, you must take the time beforehand to plan what you want to say. In the case of an unsatisfactory employee, for instance, it’s not enough to know that his work has been slipping. Think about when you first noticed the problem, list examples of the problem on a piece of paper, and be prepared to explain what changes in the quality of performance you are requiring. Mentally go over the employee’s work history for the past few months to see if you can determine when they occurred. Pinpoint episodes that caused problems in the employee’s performance and prepare yourself to discuss them. Put yourself in the employee’s position and anticipate how he will react to what you are saying. Then try to prepare a proper response†. (Para. 4). All four barriers are avoided using simple tools. Competence, or having the knowledge to understand the subject, is taken care of by planning what you will say. The language section is covered by the same effect by known what you will say and how you will explain your thoughts. Your personal perception is a tough barrier to breach, but by listing examples of the particular problem on a piece of paper and taking that aspect of perception our of play, you effectively move forward. Lastly, the information that has been complied in order to present a clear and concise explanation of what is needed and how it can be done will avert any issues of this becoming a barrier. Averting the barriers that get in the way of interpersonal communication in its top form is going to give you a stronger relationship and a better avenue to share and learn about each other. Not allowing these four barriers to get in the way of your communication will leave an open line of communication to share your feelings and understandings of the world with one another. Recognize how words have the power to create and affect attitudes, behavior, and perception. Words are very powerful things. By uttering just the simplest word we can bring division and even hatred into a relationship. The miscommunication of language and can lead to misunderstandings, loss of clear communications, and at times, the end of a relationship completely. This does not have to be true. Understanding that words have power, and they can create and affect attitudes, behavior, and perception is a tool that will allow you to communicate to the best of your ability by understanding the power of your language. A word has the ability to represents can create a myriad of different emotions, feelings, and reactions. By choosing to use a word in one way, we find that we have affected another persons attitude, behavior, or even their perception of us/ ourselves. I, personally, noticed at a young age that my use of certain words in certain ways brought forth great emotion in the people around me. An example of this is the word â€Å"faggot†. I have never, and do not expect to ever, had an issue with homosexuals or their personal lifestyles. My use of the word described a person who did something extremely silly that I found myself unable to understand. Certain people would react angrily to the word, while others would accept it as funny and laugh away the misunderstanding around it. Sole (2011), tells us â€Å"Negative connotations often act s triggers to derail your interpersonal communication. We all have trigger words that create an immediate emotional reaction when we hear them† (Sect. 4.1). By understanding how we interact with one another, and how our words, and not only our actions, effect those around us as well as ourselves, we stand a chance of finding away to communicate effectively. Define emotional intelligence and its role in effective interpersonal relationships. In the text of Making Connections: Interpersonal Communications (Sole, 2011), emotional intelligence is defined as â€Å"The capacity to understand, communicate, and manage emotions and feelings and to understand and respond to the feelings of others† (Glossary), Emotional intelligence plays an integral role in effective interpersonal relationships. Without the skills mentioned we may never have a true understanding of what makes our loved one tick. We, as human beings, are a complicated lot. Our emotional make up is complicated, our ways of communicating are affected by an array of outside sources, and we can be tough to keep up with sometimes. If a husband is unable to sense a change in his wife’s emotional state due to something able to connect and communicate properly in order to find out what may be bothering her, he is doomed to fine himself alone, or worse, in an unhappy relationship. The ability to understand, communicate, and manage emotions will give a husband or wife the ability to make it through life a bit easier, as life will never be easy itself. Evaluating appropriate levels of self-disclosure is satisfying to a stable relationship. The quality and quantity of marital communication and disclosure had been linked to the level of perceived satisfaction within the marriage. Self-disclosure is one type of marital communication that has been identified as a key factor in this development. Although quality communication is defined differently from study to study, most agree that happy marriages and self-disclosure go hand-in-hand. Sharing private feelings, fears, doubts and perceptions is essential to self-disclosure and allows reductions with your mate will be. Once you mutually determine that you want to establish long-term relationship, disclosure continues and over time leads to more personal topics. Permitting one’s true self to be known can be difficult, yet to build a solid rapport in marriage it is imperative. The Risk of Self- Disclosure While self-disclosure can have many positive benefits; it can be risky, and can have negative consequences, true enough. Sharing information about yourself makes you vulnerable, and van be used to take advantage of you. However, it is the only way you can learn, feel, grow and have a meaningful, successful marriage. Broadly speaking, empathy as a form of self-disclosure, gives us the ability to feel for another person, to imagine oneself in the same situation, enduring those same experiences and emotions. Empathy is also something you both will have to learn; you must have the mental flexibility to put yourself in the shoes of the other person. Effective Interpersonal communication is often based on empathy, since interpersonal communication skills refer to how we interact with each other on a personal level. Whenever two people care about each other, as you do, they use many different interpersonal communication skills. Empathy is one of the most crucial skills that we have and can use on a daily basis. Listening with empathy can help you express yourselves and feel heard, as well. Learn to improve your self-disclosure. Empathetic listening will not only give you the ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes, but also provide a supportive listening environment. Neuroscientist Jean Decety, believes that empathy is even a mirrored emotion and that empathy is one of those human impulses that defy easy explanation. It gets entangled with sympathy or compassion or commiseration; it submerges into altruism. Empathy requires emotional control-the capacity to distinguish yourself from the other person, a gift invaluable to experiencing closeness in a relationship such as marriage. Describe strategies for managing interpersonal conflicts. Conflicts are sure to arise in any good, healthy relationship. Though this may seem odd, it is part of effective interpersonal communication. We must be able to discuss our feelings and needs, and at times, we have to argue about the importance of these needs or emotional situations. By listening, understanding and communicating effectively, you will find yourself in a place of understood emotions and happy campers. As a newlywed couple you must remember that life can only be as good as you make it. If you are unable to communicate effectively, you must look at the current situation and see if it is caused by personal error or a misunderstanding of how a relationship is supposed to work. If effective interpersonal communication seems to be impossible, maybe it is time to take steps towards a better understanding of what effective communication is, and maybe it is time to reexamine your relationship as it stands. To find your selves in a relationship that is healthy, open, full of free and exciting communication is the goal here. Good luck, and good night. Reference Fisher, Roger and Ury, William (1981) Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. New York: Penguin Books, 1981 Kochman, Thomas. Black and White Styles of Conflict. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press. 1981 Sachs, R. (1991). Overcoming the Obstacles to Communication. Supervisory Management. Vol. 36, Iss. 7; Pg.4 (found through ProQuest at Ashford. edu) Sole, K. (2011). Making Connections: Interpersonal Communication. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Ashford Student Library ProQuest Shared Talking Styles: Herald New Last Relationships

Important Ethical Theories Is Utilitarianism Philosophy Essay

Important Ethical Theories Is Utilitarianism Philosophy Essay One of the most important ethical theories is Utilitarianism. For utilitarianism, moral duty is to be determined through an assessment of the consequences of an action. In other words, utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory of ethics. More specifically, utilitarianism finds moral worth in those actions which maximize overall happiness the happiness of the greatest number of people. The premise of the theory is a naturalistic view of ethics: ethics is said to be associated not only with consequences of actins but, more specifically, with pleasure-maximizing consequences. This is the case because utilitarianism sees human nature as pleasure-seeking. For pleasure you can substitute utility, preference, or happiness if you insist, but the main point remains the same. This is not an implausible human psychology, of course. Ethics cannot be about psychology [it is about what ought to be done and not about what is in fact the case], but ethical theories cannot ignore human psychology, either; if an ethical theory ignored human psychology, it would be running the risk of recommending what might be impossible for human nature what is called supererogation, or sainthood to put it in a different way. Utilitarianism claims to be a theory that appeals to common sense. This is certainly strength and an asset for a theory. It is indeed a matter of common sense that if we want to perform moral deeds toward people, we should wish to make them happy. Pay attention to this: For utilitarianism, it does not matter at all whether we intend to make people happy. As said above, utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory it pays attention to consequences; all that matters is that the outcome of our action redounds to the greatest possible happiness of the greatest possible number. A strange corollary of this is that we are supposed to have done something moral even if our motives for benefiting the greatest possible number of people are not at all moral even if they are self-interested. Notice also that utilitarianism does not recommend that you pay attention to your own happiness and pleasure. Utilitarianism is not a form of moral egoism it is not a theory that tells you to put yourself above everyone else. Utilitarianism does not tell you to put those close to you above all else either. Clearly, if you did that, you would not be taking into account the benefit or happiness of the greatest possible number of people. You might be wondering now: why should one care about the greatest possible number of people? This is not an objection against utilitarianism in particular any more than it is an objection against any ethical theory: why should we care about doing the right thing? This is not always an easy question to answer theoretically but it becomes an easier question once we pay attention to common sense and to the ways in which human beings are constituted and known to comport themselves toward other people. If you want to do the right thing, utilitarianism give s you an objective and almost formulaic answer: act in such a way as to benefit the greatest possible number of people. In other words, you should act in such a way as to maximize the happiness of the greatest number or overall happiness. There are many particular variants of utilitarianism. For some, you maximize happiness of the greatest number; for other versions, you maximize a utility that can be minutely calculated; or the preferences of people, after you ask them directly instead of appealing to expert opinions. But, in any case, for a theory to be utilitarian, what is maximized must be the happiness, utility curves, average utility, preferences, happiness, or whatever of the greatest number. A major disagreement that erupted within utilitarianism from early is this: Do all pleasures count as the same, or is there a hierarchy or ranking order of pleasures with certain refined and distinctly human pleasures counting as much higher than other, lower, pleasures? Bentham, a felicific utilitarian and originator of the utilitarian school of thought, held that all pleasures are the same. It is clear in this that utilitarianism is anti-elitist and egalitarian there can hardly be a more dramatic manifestation than this equal counting of pleasures. It is still necessary to weigh pleasures to multiply them by different numbers as you try to calculate the consequences of your action but the criteria for a differential weighing of pleasures are subjectively felt intensity, duration, purity [no amalgamation with painful after-effects], and other considerations of this nature. John Stuart Mill, on the other hand, who succeeded Bentham in the utilitarian movement, disagreed. Mill thou ght that it is better to be Socrates unsatisfied rather than a pig satisfied, whereas Bentham had famously opined that push pin is as good as poetry push pin being a mindless and elementary game for children. It is controversial which version of utilitarianism is more consistent as an ethical theory. The strengths of utilitarianism are: It is an objective theory it affords you a method for calculating how you should act regardless of personal confusion or momentary perplexity. The theory is also better than many other theories when it comes to dealing with challenging moral dilemmas cases in which it seems that, no matter how you choose to act, you risk failing to perform a basic human duty you have. Utilitarianism is also consistent with many ethical intuitive insights human beings have about what it takes to be human and what is required in performing moral deeds toward ones fellow human beings. Unlike most other ethical theories, utilitarianism has the apparent advantage that it includes in its compass not only rational i.e. human beings, but all sentient beings, which can experience pain and pleasure. So, animals are not left out by utilitarian ethicists and cruelty toward animals can be consistently condemned by utilitarian theory. Utilitarianism is quite straightforward to apply excepting vagueness as to calculation methods and ways of counting intensity and permanence of pleasures, the method is not difficult to understand. The method of utilitarianism is surprisingly consistent with ethical insights from other moral traditions including, for instance, Christianity, which also appeals to human beings to love and benefit and avoid to harm others, and promises recompense of happiness in the form of a good feeling in this life and heaves rewards in the afterlife. Utilitarianism also satisfies another intuition we have about what is needed for an ethical theory: it treats people equally, provided they are equally situated. Conveniently, utilitarianism finds one common denominator pleasure or happiness to which consequences of actions are reduced. This allows for a calculation to be performed, and ones moral duty to be determined, regardless of how complex and challenging the actual case is. There are also problems with utilitarianism. Utilitarians begin with a logically fallacious equivocation on the meaning of the word desirable. Notice that the foundation of utilitarianism its attempt at procuring a proof of its validity consists in its claim that pursuit of happiness is evidently desirable in human life and the claim of utilitarians is that this is so evident that the proof itself is solid and easy to grasp. But the word desirable is equivocal: It can mean something that is desired in fact; or it can mean what should be desired. Utilitarians claim that we can easily see that the latter meaning is implied this is actually question-beginning, because utilitarianism is actually trying to prove to us that pleasure-seeking is desirable in this sense, in the sense of what ought to be desired for others, and for the greatest number of people, in moral action. But, actually, what is more obviously clear is that pleasure-seeking is desirable in the first sense: it is what people actually desire, but we are still awaiting for a proof to the effect that this is what people ought to desire. Other problems are even more serious: It is not clear why anything should be accorded a non-negotiable, infinite, or intrinsic value. Why shouldnt everything be thrown into the utilitarian calculus? This means that even those things which we hold to be intrinsic goods and non-negotiable, are to be added and subtracted and might be dispensable if the outcome is that the greatest possible number benefits. This dispensability must then apply even to rights, to privacy, and to life itself. For instance, why shouldnt we sacrifice one perfectly healthy person so that we can use his internal organs as transplants for ten otherwise viable patients? No matter how you calculate this referring to this particular action of sacrificing this individual the outcome is indeed maximization of overall happiness in the society. Some utilitarians might even suggest that, shocking though this may sound, it is not clear why this exchange of one life for ten is not the moral thing to do. You can construc t other hypotheticals in which sacrifice of ones right might sound morally appropriate if the stakes affect the happiness, or life, of a greater number of individuals. And yet, there is a problem when rights, and even human life, are thrown into the utilitarian calculus. Utilitarians realized that there is a problem here that can prove potentially fatal for the theory. There is an answer within utilitarian theory and the answer consists in the important distinction between act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Everything we have said so far covers act utilitarianism application of a utilitarian calculus with a view to determining what is the moral course of action to take: you should, in this view, do what maximizes overall happiness for the greatest number and you can take into account the long run, and so on. But, for rule utilitarianism, you should actually apply the utilitarian calculus not to the projected consequences of an action but to the projected consequences of adopting a certain rule of behavior for the whole society to follow in the long run. This saves utilitarianism from the embarrassment of cases like the one mentioned above and others like it for instance, cases of sacrificing one innocent person to appease a riotous mob that is threatening many more lives in its violent path, or torturing the innocent daughter of a terrorist to induce the terrorist to turn himself in and prevent several deaths. But, switch now to rule utilitarianism and see what happens: What would be the consequences of adopting as a societal rule the random sacrifice of a healthy person for the sake of organ harvesting? It seems that a society that lived according to this rule could not be a happy society people would be anxious lest the lot fell on them next time organ harvesting became necessary. Still, there are rules which, as a utilitarian, you will have to adopt as maximizing the happiness or utility of the greatest possible number, and which, at the same time, violate individual rights or other values we hold intrinsic and unalienable under most circumstances. This seems to be the Achilles heel of utilitarianism. But do not lose sight of the strengths of utilitarianism mentioned above. Utilitarianism is the alternative to Kants ethical theory called deontology. The two are the two major ethical theories. Defining Utilitarianism. Differing definitions It may be noticed by the scholar of utilitarianism that the definition of the core of the theory (the principle of utility) has changed over the years, such that the modern version has a number of significant differences from that given by Jeremy Bentham: By the principle of utility is meant that principle which approves or disapproves of every action whatsoever, according to the tendency it appears to have to augment or diminish the happiness of the party whose interest is in question: or, what is the same thing in other words, to promote or to oppose that happiness. The modern definition is effectively this: An action is right if it produces as much or more of an increase in happiness of all affected by it than any alternative action, and wrong if it does not. There are a number of differences between the two versions my thoughts on these differences follow. 1. Subject matter The modern version is explicitly to do with right and wrong, and, since utilitarianism is an ethical theory, this would seem to be quite appropriate. Benthams version is about approval and disapproval, and he seems quite unconcerned with right and wrong indeed he goes on to say only that Of an action that is conformable to the principle of utility one may always say either that it is one that ought to be done, or at least that it is not one that ought not to be done. One may say also, that it is right it should be done; at least that it is not wrong it should be done: that it is a right action; at least that it is not a wrong action. When thus interpreted, the words ought, and right and wrong and others of that stamp, have a meaning: when otherwise, they have none. The apparent ambiguity from Bentham may be to cover the (hypothetical) case where two different actions have exactly equivalent results Bentham may simply be avoiding the implication that someone ought do two mutually exclusive actions (if so, he uses a very blunt tool to achieve his task see below). Or, and this is what I am inclined to believe, he just might not be particularly concerned with right and wrong as they are commonly understood. What I mean by this is that if we say, of two possible different exclusive actions, that one leads to a better state of affairs than the other, then we have said all that needs to be said about them to go on to say that the first action is right and the second wrong either adds nothing, or it seems to suggest (some deontologists would say implies) that to do the second action is blameworthy, or rightfully punishable, or morally disgusting or some other phrase indicating a conditioned morality rather than an objective value-maximizing one some thing that Bentham (and myself) would take care to avoid. When right and wrong are stripped of their punishment connotations, I believe they are equivalent to approval or disapproval by a principle, provided that this principle is justified or warranted by the existence of objective (moral) value. 2. Obscurity Part of Benthams definition is quite obscure: according to the tendency it appears to have. Appears? Appears to whom? Is the core evaluating principle of utilitarianism subjective? And why be concerned with appearances rather than the actual effects? I think this is a mistake by Bentham, where he has tried to deal with the problem of uncertainty in the wrong section of his theory. I believe tendency is also open to misinterpretation if it is thought to imply that utility involves (only) a class of actions, but this should not happen since it has already been established that it is for any particular action. 3. Extent Benthams definition is of utility for some particular party, whereas the modern version is for everyone affected by the action. Neither is really what we mean we normally consider that Utility considers all (relevant) interests, which is not necessarily what is being said in the modern version (which is potentially subtly misleading). To illustrate: if I am trying to show that the (specific) action I have just performed was the right one, it is not only those who were affected by this action (compared to inaction) whom we must consider, but also all those who wouldve been affected had I chosen another action instead. I am sure this ambiguity is very common in discussions about Utility, especially those involving an effort to explain utilitarianism in simple (or laymans) terms though whether or not it actually deceives (that is, that people get the wrong impression) I am not so clear about. There is really no need for this ambiguity: we can say simply that the right action is simply the one that maximizes total utility or maximizes total happiness or whatever, we need not say for whom. Any limit we suggest for the scope of our consideration only lengthens the explanation and as weve seen introduces the potential for misunderstanding. So let us agree with Bentham when he decided that the greatest happiness principle is a better mnemonic for the principle of utility than its predecessor the greatest happiness for the greatest number (or the same with good substituted for happiness). And let us hope that any new definition we produce replaces the current one faster than Benthams later suggestion effectively replaced his former for this replacement is, in common usage, yet to occur. 4. Compared to what? According to Bentham, we are concerned with augmentation and diminuation of happiness, which is to say the changes from the present situation. Utility approves of an action if it makes things better, it disapproves of it if it makes things worse; it approves of one action more than another if that action makes things better than the other. The modern version is quite different on this point. What is compared against is not the current situation, but the situations that would result from alternative actions. So of two exclusive actions, both of which would increase the level of happiness compared to the present level but by different (positive) amounts, the modern principle would call the better action right and the not-so-good wrong, whereas Benthams utility would approve of both (but approve of the better one somewhat more) and hold that both actions are right, and ought be done, or at least that they are not wrong, that it is not the case that they ought not be done. It is surprising to note that neither Benthams nor the modern version admit of degrees of right and wrong, where it is quite in accordance with common usage to do so: we may usually speak of the right action in a given situation, the alternative actions beings wrong, but it is quite common to speak of one such alternative action being more wrong than another yet this is quite unaccounted for under these definitions. There is also a potential stumbling-block for the modern versions comparison: it may be thought that, in choosing between alternative actions, that it implies that there are actually some possible alternative actions in existence. This is a problem if the universe (and particularly psychology) is deterministic, for then it will be the case that there are no possible alternative actions. An agent can only do what he does to do something else would take a different agent or a different situation, so given the agent and the situation, only one outcome is possible. If determinism is true, the modern version of utility would (thus interpreted) tell us that everything that happens is right. This problem can be solved only with the acknowledgement that the alternatives under consideration may not actually be possible. In this case, in order to prevent the required analysis of wild fantastical actions, the range must be limited to those actions that can be done, if the agent chooses to do them. That the agent can choose anything other than what he goes on to choose, is (under this interpretation) neither implied nor denied. In contrast, Benthams version is clearly unaffected by the presence or absence of non-deterministic free will: it can go on approving or disapproving of actions whether these actions are necessary or not, and whether there are alternatives or not. If what happens is determined solely by the fundamental laws of physics, as they existed at the big bang, then to that extent Benthams Utility can imply approval or disapproval of the universe as is, has been, and will be. More Bentham Bentham clarifies the position and extent of Utility in various later parts of the text: An action then may be said to be conformable to the principle of utility, or, for shortness sake, to utility, (meaning with respect to the community at large) when the tendency it has to augment the happiness of the community is greater than any it has to diminish it. Notice that, in this expression, utility is concerned with actual not apparent tendencies, and that utility is also shown to apply to the effects on the community at large (which we can take to mean everyone) rather than some specific party. Also: A man may be said to be a partizan of the principle of utility, when the approbation or disapprobation he annexes to any action, or to any measure, is determined by and proportioned to the tendency which he conceives it to have to augment or to diminish the happiness of the community Here I think it is reasonable for this approbation to be determined by the conceived utility of the action, for this is the judgement of a man and a man must make his judgements without full knowledge of the relevant facts. If it were defined by actual rather than conceived utility, a utilitarian would not be a utilitarian when he was factually mistaken! The point about Utility being with regard to the community is also remade here. The History of Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is one of the most powerful and persuasive approaches to normative ethics in the history of philosophy. Though not fully articulated until the 19th century, proto-utilitarian positions can be discerned throughout the history of ethical theory. Though there are many varieties of the view discussed, utilitarianism is generally held to be the view that the morally right action is the action that produces the most good. There are many ways to spell out this general claim. One thing to note is that the theory is a form of consequentialism: the right action is understood entirely in terms of consequences produced. What distinguishes utilitarianism from egoism has to do with the scope of the relevant consequences. On the utilitarian view one ought to maximize the overall good that is, consider the good of others as well as ones own good. The Classical Utilitarian, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, identified the good with pleasure, so, like Epicurus, were hedonists about value. They also held that we ought to maximize the good, that is, bring about the greatest amount of good for the greatest number. Utilitarianism is also distinguished by impartiality and agent-neutrality. Everyones happiness counts the same. When one maximizes the good, it is the good impartially considered. My good counts for no more than anyone elses good. Further, the reason I have to promote the overall good is the same reason anyone else has to so promote the good. It is not peculiar to me. All of these features of this approach to moral evaluation and/or moral decision-making have proven to be somewhat controversial and subsequent controversies have led to changes in the Classical version of the theory. 1. Precursors to the Classical Approach 2. The Classical Approach 2.1 Jeremy Bentham 2.2 John Stuart Mill 3. Henry Sidgwick 4. Ideal Utilitarianism Precursors to the Classical Approach Though the first systematic account of utilitarianism was developed by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), the core insight motivating the theory occurred much earlier. That insight is that morally appropriate behavior will not harm others, but instead increase happiness or utility. What is distinctive about utilitarianism is its approach in taking that insight and developing an account of moral evaluation and moral direction that expands on it. Early precursors to the Classical Utilitarians include the British Moralists, Cumberland, Shaftesbury, Hutcheson, Gay, and Hume. Of these, Francis Hutcheson (1694-1746) is explicitly utilitarian when it comes to action choice. Some of the earliest utilitarian thinkers were the theological utilitarians such as Richard Cumberland (1631-1718) and John Gay (1699-1745). They believed that promoting human happiness was incumbent on us since it was approved by God. After enumerating the ways in which humans come under obligations (by perceiving the natural consequences of things, the obligation to be virtuous, our civil obligations that arise from laws, and obligations arising from the authority of God) John Gay writes: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦from the consideration of these four sorts of obligationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is evident that a full and complete obligation which will extend to all cases, can only be that arising from the authority of God; because God only can in all cases make a man happy or miserable: and therefore, since we are always obliged to that conformity called virtue, it is evident that the immediate rule or criterion of it is the will of God. (R, 412) Gay held that since God wants the happiness of mankind , and since Gods will gives us the criterion of virtue, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the happiness of mankind may be said to be the criterion of virtue, but once removed. (R, 413) This view was combined with a view of human motivation with egoistic elements. A persons individual salvation, her eternal happiness, depended on conformity to Gods will, as did virtue itself. Promoting human happiness and ones own coincided, but, given Gods design, it was not an accidental coincidence. This approach to utilitarianism, however, is not theoretically clean in the sense that it isnt clear what essential work God does, at least in terms of normative ethics. God as the source of normativity is compatible with utilitarianism, but utilitarianism doesnt require this. Gays influence on later writers, such as Hume, deserves note. It is in Gays essay that some of the questions that concerned Hume on the nature of virtue are addressed. For example, Gay was curious about how to explain our practice of approbation and disapprobation of action and character. When we see an act that is vicious we disapprove of it. Further, we associate certain things with their effects, so that we form positive associations and negative associations that also underwrite our moral judgments. Of course, that we view happiness, including the happiness of others as a good, is due to Gods design. This is a feature crucial to the theological approach, which would clearly be rejected by Hume in favor of a naturalistic view of human nature and a reliance on our sympathetic engagement with others, an approach anticipated by Shaftesbury (below). The theological approach to utilitarianism would be developed later by William Paley, for example, but the lack of any theoretical necess ity in appealing to God would result in its diminishing appeal. Anthony Ashley Cooper, the 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury (1671-1713) is generally thought to have been the one of the earliest moral sense theorists, holding that we possess a kind of inner eye that allows us to make moral discriminations. This seems to have been an innate sense of right and wrong, or moral beauty and deformity. Again, aspects of this doctrine would be picked up by Francis Hutcheson and David Hume (1711-1776). Hume, of course, would clearly reject any robust realist implications. If the moral sense is like the other perceptual senses and enables us to pick up on properties out there in the universe around us, properties that exist independent from our perception of them, that are objective, then Hume clearly was not a moral sense theorist in this regard. But perception picks up on features of our environment that one could regard as having a contingent quality. There is one famous passage where Hume likens moral discrimination to the perception of secondary qualities, such as color. In modern terminology, these are response-dependent properties, and lack objectivity in the sense that they do not exist independent of our responses. This is radical. If an act is vicious, its viciousness is a matter of the human response (given a corrected perspective) to the act (or its perceived effects) and thus has a kind of contingency that seems unsettling, certainly unsettling to those who opted for the theological option. So, the view that it is part of our very nature to make moral discriminations is very much in Hume. Further and what is relevant to the development of utilitarianism the view of Shaftesbury that the virtuous person contributes to the good of the whole would figure into Humes writings, though modified. It is the virtue that contributes to the good of the whole system, in the case of Humes artificial virtues. Shaftesbury held that in judging someone virtuous or good in a moral sense we need to perceive that persons impact on the systems of which he or she is a part. Here it sometimes becomes difficult to disentangle egoistic versus utilitarian lines of thought in Shaftesbury. He clearly states that whatever guiding force there is has made nature such that it is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the private interest and good of every one, to work towards the general good, which if a creature ceases to promote, he is actually so far wanting to himself, and ceases to promote his own happiness and welfareà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (R, 188) It is hard, sometimes, to discern the direction of the because if one should act to help others because it supports a system in which ones own happiness is more likely, then it looks really like a form of egoism. If one should help others because thats the right thing to do and, fortunately, it also ends up promoting ones own interests, then thats more like utilitarianism, since the p romotion of self-interest is a welcome effect but not what, all by itself, justifies ones character or actions. Further, to be virtuous a person must have certain psychological capacities they must be able to reflect on character, for example, and represent to themselves the qualities in others that are either approved or disapproved of. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in this case alone it is we call any creature worthy or virtuous when it can have the notion of a public interest, and can attain the speculation or science of what is morally good or ill, admirable or blameable, right or wrongà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.we never say ofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.any mere beast, idiot, or changeling, though ever so good-natured, that he is worthy or virtuous. (Shaftesbury IVM; BKI, PII, sec. iii) Thus, animals are not objects of moral appraisal on the view, since they lack the necessary reflective capacities. Animals also lack the capacity for moral discrimination and would therefore seem to lack the moral sense. This raises some interesting questions. It would seem that the moral sense is a perception that something is the case. So it isnt merely a discriminatory sense that allows us to sort perceptions. It also has a propositional aspect, so that animals, which are not lacking in other senses are lacking in this one. The virtuous person is one whose affections, motives, dispositions are of the right sort, not one whose behavior is simply of the right sort and who is able to reflect on goodness, and her own goodness [see Gill]. Similarly, the vicious person is one who exemplifies the wrong sorts of mental states, affections, and so forth. A person who harms others through no fault of his own à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦because he has convulsive fits which make him strike and wound such as approach him is not vicious since he has no desire to harm anyone and his bodily movements in this case are beyond his control. Shaftesbury approached moral evaluation via the virtues and vices. His utilitarian leanings are distinct from his moral sense approach, and his overall sentimentalism. However, this approach highlights the move away from egoistic views of human nature a trend picked up by Hutcheson and Hume, and later adopted by Mill in criticism of Benthams version of utilitarianism. For writers like Shaftesbury and Hutcheson the main contrast was with egoism rather than rationalism. Like Shaftesbury, Francis Hutcheson was very much interested

Comparing Finance Motivation With Non-finance Motivation

Comparing Finance Motivation With Non-finance Motivation Motivation is willing to exert high level of toward organizational goals, condition the capability to meet some people need. (Hall. et al., 2008: 374) According to some business analysis, employee motivation is a good method to improve the productivity of organization. While people get motivation, they will have a reason to put more energy on what they are doing. (Echeat, 2005) Consequently motivation is an important management tool that lifted the work team ability. Therefore, this article will discusses what kind of method is more suitable to motivate employees and reason. There are a considerable number of different ways to motivate employees, including financial motivation and non-financial motivation. Motivate staff must determine which is financial motivation or non-financial motivation. This will depend on which factors have contributed to staff, in addition, it may also be the companys budgetary constraints and cannot compensate for any increase in salaries or bonuses, therefore, non-financial incentives are required to submit. Low-wage workers may dissatisfy with their work, as a result, the non-financial incentives will not be an effective motivation. Consequently, it is important to find a balance between them. Although the financial motivation has little value, most firms still use money as a main incentive. There are a variety of payment systems that a company use to motivate staff. For example wages and salaries, piece-rate, fringe benefits, free house, the educational fee of children, the cars, the credit card and share ownership which provided by the companies. (Hall. et al., 2008:381) Taylor scientific management motivation had stated that employees were heavily linked financial factor to meet their maximum gain, people acted individual, not grouped, and people acted like machine. For a pair day payment related to piece work could maximum employees potential ability and motivated and high payment in return. (Hall. et al., 2008:375) Money is the most direct way of motivate employees. People will think about salary when are looking for a job. For instance, there are 17,300 employees accept financial incentives in stock and bonuses. As a result, HBOS also accept cash reward system after merger. Each of HBOSs 65,000 employees will awarded free shares worth between  £500 and  £3,000 and totaling  £70 million. Workers will also benefit from two staff share pounds. Staff worked hard who after got money award. Moreover, to follow the HBOS shares went up more than 56% over the last three years. (BBC News, 2007) Consequently, according to the case, it not only reveals the money has encouraged, but also it is a kind of important incentive way. Financial motivation make a significant improvement on companys performance, non financial motivation also plays a key role during the continuous development. There are four kinds of main methods of non-financial motivation, including job enrichment, job enlargement, team working and empowerment. Job enrichment means enable workers to be more interested in challenging and complex task. Workers should have the opportunity to complete a work unit as a whole rather than individual task. This method can stimulate job enlargement or job rotation, because it increases the complexity and challenging, rather than provide diversification simply. Secondly, Job enlargement is simply give workers more tasks to do, just like a similar nature and complexity. Teamwork, that is to say employees in the group or team work. In the team work, a person can more easily establish friendships and have a sense of belonging to a whole, a unit or group. Team work has other advantages too. Team work can lead to greater production flexibility, employees may be multi-skilled (and can do more than one persons work), because they learn from other team members or a formal job rotation. It means that they can cover any absence from work; they can quickly adapt to new production technologies. Finally, give the power or authority to staff so that they can decide how to finish their work. (tutor2u, 2010) Even though the money may be an incentive to work; at work, payment does not change the way people pay more. Staffs need an incentive to combine. That is why the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) offers so many non-financial incentives to improve personal life. RBS is one of the most important powers of the employees which is the good performance of the level of progress. RBS encourage citizens make it happen through the personal development. It means that RBS encourages staff to grow and develop their skills and abilities. This in turn help RBS change to a company. Employees agree development needs with line manager in their annual performance evaluation. This is recorded in the personal development plan. Development may involve more training so as to acquire new knowledge and skills. This can improve their promotion prospects, and allow employees to improve the organization and their total rewards. (thetimes100, 2010) Consequently, In RBS, employees enjoy Total Reward-A specific wages a nd benefits far beyond salary. It offers each staff not only just money, but also a personal choice, just as working hours and safety. In conclusion, in the view of financial cost there are two variety companies. One with less number of employees so that managers can easily supervise and control. Company can use finance motivate employees who does not need through evaluation process. Another one is a large company which has a significant number of employees. Managers cannot pay attention to every employee; therefore, they can encourage active employees to work by non-financial motivation. Because no company is interested in paying high capital as a reward for their employees. Relative to non-finance motivation, it is a good choice. In my view, non-financial motivation is suitable for both large enterprises and small firms, I suggest that company could use non-financial motivation to encourage staff, because not only does it widely applicated but also save money. Reference BBC News (2007) (online) Staff benefit from HBOS profits http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/6403271.stm (Access date: March 16, 2010) Echeat (2005) (online) Motivating Employees in the Workplace http://www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=27630 (Access date: March 16, 2010) Hall.D, R.Jones, C.Raffo and A.Anter (2008) Business Studies 4th education, Harlow, Essex, Pearson Education (Access date: March 16, 2010) Tutor2u (2009) (online) Motivating employees financial rewards http://tutor2u.net/business/gcse/people_motivation_financial_rewards.htm (Access date: March 16, 2010) Tutor2u (2009) (online) Motivating employees non financial rewards http://tutor2u.net/business/gcse/people_motivation_non_financial_rewards.htm (Access date: March 16, 2010) Thetimes100 (2010) (online) Motivation at RBS Total Reward http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/case-studymotivating-through-total-reward106-258-4.php (Access date: March 16, 2010)

Legalizing Voluntary Euthanasia Essay -- mercy killing physician assis

Today, voluntary euthanasia is getting closer to being legalized in more than just one state in the United States. â€Å"‘Voluntary’ euthanasia means that the act of putting the person to death is the end result of the person’s own free will† (Bender 19). â€Å" Voluntary euthanasia is an area worthy of our serious consideration, since it would allow patients who have exhausted all other reasonable options to choose death rather than continue suffering† (Bender 19). The question of whether or not voluntary euthanasia should be legalized is a major debate that has been around for years. Because the issue of whether people should have the right to choose how they want to live or die is so complex. With the advances in technology today we have made it possible to keep a person alive for longer periods of time, even when a person is permanently unconscious or has brain damage. However it seems reasonable to believe that there are many conditions in which voluntary euthanasia should be allowed, and there are many organizations that support the choice of voluntary euthanasia. So why is it that so many do not support the choice of the way a person wants to live or die? There are many common arguments people have against voluntary euthanasia. One argument against voluntary euthanasia is that â€Å"the old, disabled and incurably ill would feel they should choose voluntary euthanasia so that they were not a burden on others†¦.† (Anonymous Common 1). However there is no real evidence to show that this problem will arise if voluntary euthanasia is legalized. Another argument is â€Å"there is always a possibility of an incorrect diagnosis or the discovery of a treatment that will permit either survival or recovery† (Anonymous Objections 1). This is so... ... possible treatment. â€Å"Unfortunately, even when medical advances and excellent hospice research in palliative care, severe indignity, pain and distress cannot always be controlled† (Anonymous 5). There are many conditions that a person would have to obtain before given the opportunity to choose to die. A person would have to be suffering from a terminal illness that would unlikely benefit from the discovery of a cure for that illness. Also as a direct result of the illness, the patient has to be suffering intolerable pain. Another requirement would be that they are mentally able to make the decision and are not forced into making a decision. Legalizing voluntary euthanasia is all about having a choice. Most people today believe that everyone should be given the right to choose how they live and die. It’s not your life, if you can’t choose when to let go.

Cold War Essay -- essays research papers

In the post World War II era, a war arose between the Soviet Union and the United States, but in reality there was never really any documented fighting between the two nations, thus spawning the catch phrase "Cold War." Even though both countries were ready to go to war at the blink of an eye and almost did, the powers-that-be never got the nerve to authorize a nuclear war that would have made World War II look like child's play. This was a war fought in the political ring, and was also a war that did not start at the end of World War II, this war started during the war against Hitler and lasted for forty more years before peace became predominant over the crumbling Soviet Union. Many events occurred in this political heavyweight bout, and both sides can be blamed for the extremity the tensions escalated to, and this Cold War would have been tough to avoid taking into account the political beliefs of the countries at hand. During the war, once the Allied powers from the west joined forces with Stalin's Red Army, trouble was inevitable. Luckily for the world, America had a great leader and foreign diplomat in Franklin D. Roosevelt while England countered with Winston Churchill. This duo created a steady working relationship with Stalin, thus creating the Big Three and the Grand Alliance. Even though it was far from a perfect relationship, all three diplomats realized the task at hand, the mandate of stopping Adolph Hitler and the Nazi regime of Germany. Sadly, this priority overwhelmed the Big Three, and no solution was ever conjured up on how to handle the Post-War situation in Europe and Asia following an Allied victory. Understandably, stopping Hitler was far from guaranteed, but any plan that was taken by the Allies in Europe never even considered the implications of how to handle the war-torn countries of Eastern Europe afterwards, an area that the Soviets had suffered many casualties and other losses to free from facist control. The few problems with Churchill and Roosevelt is that they both tended to do things their own way, sometimes leaving Stalin out to dry, and also relied heavily on their own diplomatic skills, leaving other politicians out of the foreign policy matters for each country. While many United States Government officials were not fans of Stalin, they all realized the urgency in having him on their side of the fight. In r... ...or Russia to cease these actions, so even though America could have reacted better to some events during and after the war, Russia still would not have been easy to deal with when it came to their own country, not to mention Eastern Europe. The Cold War was more than likely inevitable, but it probably could have transpired more peacefully and definitely not on such a grand level. Someone that crazy as Stalin was and consequences so heavy as letting Russia into Eastern Europe could not be ignored, and the Americans had every right to stop the advancement of Russia into Poland. The Polish would not want to suffer those horrendous acts of oppression, and if the United States wanted to be the policeman of the world and stop these human rights violations, then Russia is the perfect place to start. The United States certainly did not always act brilliantly, and indeed they caused plenty of their own problems by a lack of good communication, but Russia was just as much to blame for the tensions throughout the world during the origins of the Cold War in the late 1940's to early 50's. eCheat. (2004). The Cold War. Retrieved Feb 28, 2005, from http://www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=25261.

Complexometric determination of water hardness Essay

Introduction: The purpose of this experiment is to determine the hardness of a sample of water (#89). Water hardness can be evaluated by an acid-base neutralization titration. (When an acid and a base are placed together, they react to neutralize the acid and base properties, producing a salt.) From the Bronsted-Lowry acid-base reaction theory, the H+ cation of the acid combines with the OH- anion of the base to form water. In this titration experiment, there are no definitive acidic or basic agents being evaluated. This requires the use of the Lewis acid-base theory. Instead of defining acid-base reactions in terms of protons or other bonded substances, the Lewis definition defines a base (referred to as a Lewis base) to be a compound that can donate an electron pair, and an acid (a Lewis acid) to be a compound that can receive this electron pair. Similarly, in either type of acid-base neutralization experiment, an indicator is used to display when the solution is neutralized. The standardized Na2EDTA water solution is will be titrated against the unknown water sample (#89). Upon neutralization, the unknown water sample’s metal cation electrons will transfer to the Na2EDTA solution and will subsequently remove the sodium from the EDTA. (Unknown #89)2+ + Na2EDTA → (Unknown #89)EDTA + 2Na+ Water hardness is expressed in in milligrams per liter. Procedure: The first thing to be done was to manufacture the 0.004 M Na2EDTA solution. This was done by adding 0.7319 g Na2EDTA to approximately 500 mL of DI water. I obtained a 50.0mL burret, a 10.00 mL and a 25.00 mL transfer pipet, and the unknown sample (#89) from the stockroom. The 50.0 mL burret was set in the burret stand. The Na2EDTA was in the burret and CaCO3 solution was in a 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask. The CaCO3 solution was comprised of 10.00 mL of 1.000g CaCO3/mL, approximately 30mL of DI water, 2.5 – 3.5 mL of buffer (ammonia/ammonium chloride), and 4 drops of Eriochrome Black T indicator. The Na2EDTA was being titrated against the CaCO3 while simultaneously being mixed by a magnetic stir bar in the 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask. The titration was run to completion when theCaCO3 solution turned from a violet to a blue color change. This was done three times for the standardization of the Na2EDTA. The titration for the now standardized Na2EDTA solution against the unknown water sample #89 follows a similar procedure as the first titration except the contents of the 250 mL differ. The Unknown sample solution was comprised of 25.00 mL of unknown, approximately 20 mL of DI water, 2.5 – 3.5 mL of buffer (ammonia/ammonium chloride), and 4 drops of Eriochrome Black T indicator. The Na2EDTA was being titrated against the Unknown while simultaneously being mixed by a magnetic stir bar in the 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask. The titration was run to completion when the unknown solution turned from a violet to a blue color change. This was done three times to determine the hardness of water sample #89. Experimental Data & Calculations: 1). Na2EDTA & CaCO3 titration. Na2EDTA solution: 0.7319 g & 500 mL DI Water Trial #1: CaCo3 Solution Na2EDTA Solution 10 mL 1.000g CaCO3/L 31 mL DI water V0 = 0.60 mL 3.4 mL Buffer Vf = 25.20 mL 4 drops Indicator ΔV = 24.60 mL Trial #2: 10 mL 1.000g CaCO3/L 30 mL DI water V0 = 0.60 mL 3.3 mL Buffer Vf = 23.92 mL 4 drops Indicator ΔV = 23.22 mL Trial #3: 10 mL 1.000g CaCO3/L 30 mL DI water V0 = 0.50 mL 3.3 mL Buffer Vf = 24.23 mL 4 drops Indicator ΔV = 23.73 mL 2). Na2EDTA & Unknown water sample #89 titration. Trial #1: Unknown Solution Na2EDTA Solution 25 mL Unknown sample 20 mL DI water V0 = 0.88 mL 3.0 mL Buffer Vf = 13.80 mL 4 drops Indicator ΔV = 12.92 mL Trial #2: 25 mL Unknown sample 21 mL DI water V0 = 18.60 mL 3.1 mL Buffer Vf = 30.80 mL 4 drops Indicator ΔV = 12.20 mL Trial #3: 25 mL Unknown sample 20 mL DI water V0 = 30.80 mL 2.9 mL Buffer Vf = 43.20 mL 4 drops Indicator ΔV = 12.20 mL Na2EDTA molarity equation: Na2EDTA ΔV Na2EDTA molarity Trail #1 = 24.6 mL 0.0040 M Trail #2 = 23.22 mL 0.0042 M Trail #3 = 23.73 mL 0.0042 M Na2EDTA mean molarity: Absolute Deviation: Trail #1 = 0.0001 M Na2EDTA Trail #2 = 0.0001 M Na2EDTA Trail #3 = 0.0001 M Na2EDTA Estimated precision: Estimated precision = 0.1 ppt. Calculating Water Hardness (parts per million): M mol Na2EDTA = [Na2EDTA]mean = 0.0041 M Trail #1 ΔV = 12.92 mL = 216.4 ppm Trail #2 ΔV = 12.20 mL= 204.3 ppm Trail #3 ΔV = 12.20 mL= 207.7 ppm Parts Per Million Mean Calculation : Discussion: There are two tangibles that I feel may have affected the results of my calculations. The first was being able to use the transfer pipet correctly. I recall two trials where there was a combination of having bubbles in the pipet and adding an excess of the limiting reagent. The other struggle for me in this lab was being able to effectively determine the reaction’s completion by color change. An unnecessary excess of NaEDTA may have been added to determine the reactions completion. These two pitfalls in my method can explain for the error in my work. For practical purpose, water hardness values less than 60 ppm is â€Å"soft†, while water with more than 200 ppm is considered â€Å"hard.† The analysis of my unknown sample came out to be 209 ppm, a â€Å"hard† water sample. To present some validity to my result, I can briefly compare the water hardness’s of my unknown water sample to the 1.000 g CaCO3. The CaCO3 solution has a hardness of 1000 ppm and my calculated unknown has a hardness of 209 ppm. Since the CaCO3 has a higher hardness value, this is why it took more Na2EDTA to neutralize it in the first sets of titrations. This assures me that my calculated result should be less than 1000 pmm.

Indian Festivals Essay

A festival is an occasion of enjoyment and celebration. Indian festivals are known to attract the world due to their harmony, variety, colour and excitement. Thus we can divide the festivals into three categories—national or political, religious and seasonal. These are the festivals which punctuate the seasons of the year. National festivals like Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti and others are celebrated with great patriotic fervour. Now-a-days they have been declared National Holidays. Religious festivals and ceremonies are as varied as the people, their customs beliefs and faith. In Northern India, Dussehra is observed as Vijaya Dashmi celebrating victory of good over evil, of Rama over Ravana. In Bengal, the occasion is celebrated as Durga Puja. This festival is celebrated with gaiety and lasts for five days. Diwali is the most prominent of the Hindu festivals. The Hindus celebrate this day to commemorate the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after winning the decisive war against the evil forces of Ravana. The Muslim celebrates Id-UI-Fitra. It is celebrated to mark the end of Ramzan. It was during the month of Ramzan that Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed. Christmas is the greatest festival of the Christians. The festival marks birthday of Jesus Christ the founder of Christianity on 25th December. India is the only country where these festivals are celebrated with great devotion to the Almighty and seasonal variations. The main objectives of festivals are to bring people from different walks of life to welcome each section of society with open arms and to forget the narrow differences between one another.

Analysis Of Scientific Glass Inventory Management Finance Essay

The products of Scientific Glass include customized and specialized glassware for a variety of organizations such as pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, research labs, quality-control sites and testing facilities. By January 2010, a substantial increase in their inventory balances tied up the capital needed for investment for expansion. The debt-to-capital ratio exceeded the 40% target preventing the company to use their capital in other areas. Also the shipping costs were rising, competitive pressures were speeding up, and certain markets in North America and Europe were becoming saturated which underscored the necessity for capital investment for expanding market opportunities in Latin America and Asia. Moreover, expanding warehousing network increased the inventory levels along with costs, documentation complexities and errors. The company hired a new Manager of Inventory Planning, Ava Beane, to come up with an effective plan to manage SG’ s inventory without requiring a large capital investment. In order to finance operations in year 2010, SG requires an external funding of $53.8 million. These expenses would further limit the company to use their existing capital in other areas such as research and development and expanding to international markets. To improve customer service levels, SG had increased the target customer fill rate to 99% and added six more leased ware houses to meet the demand more accurately. This led to an increase in the inventory levels as some warehouse managers kept extra inventory in order to meet the company target fill rate. Good practices Maintained continued sales growth and higher customer satisfaction Produced creative products with lower life cycle costs Focused on durable products, innovative designs and superior customer services Reduced time between ordering and delivering the products to the customers Bad practices Treated inventory management as an afterthought, due to which inventory imbalances were increasing The company exceeded its target debt to capital ratio of 40% Incurred both underage and overage costs High Inventory Problem Due to increasing in customer service level, SG planned to add regional  warehouses in many parts US. SG has the main and the largest one in Waltham, MA, which is next to manufacturing plant. SG also has another warehouse that located outside of Phoenix, Arizona. However, at the end of 2008, SG bought other six warehouses. This means SG has the total 8 warehouses to serve customers. Annual rental and operation costs for North American warehouses were 15% of the cost of the warehoused inventory. However, in 2006, before add more 6 warehouses, SG already made investment to expand the warehouse at Waltham in anticipation of continued growth, but after these 6 warehouses had been bought, this warehouse does not work full efficiency of its capacity. Another problem of warehouse management is company expected to reach high level of customer service to 99%, so that warehouse managers keep order inventory ahead before it reach threshold of inventory level to order new one to assure that they will meet the customer service target level at 99%. This situation causes high inventory levels than required and also high inventory turnover. Moreover, salespeople were allowed to have its products up to $10,000 worth from ware house and keep them in trunk stock in their homes and cars in order to deliver this inventory on short notice to any customer who was within driving distance. This amount could lead to high finished goods in warehouse and in-transit. It could lead to missing products in inventory, and lost. Proposed solutions to inventory problem In order to solve the inventory issues, two main aspects need to be considered: Number of warehouses and their structure can be changed; Related policies can be changed and more appropriate policies need to be implemented. For changing the number of warehouses, in other words, centralizing or decentralizing warehousing functions, the different options considered are as follows: Centralized warehousing in Waltham: This option uses a single central warehouse near to manufacturing facility at Waltham and will send all customer orders from this one location. Centralized warehousing in Waltham to meet demand in Southeast and Northeast regions used the delivery service of Winged Fleet as their rates are cheaper for these two regions. This would allow SG to pool its inventory in one place in order to meet demand. But the customer response times would  increase Decentralized warehousing: This option considers more number of warehouses rather than having a single centralized warehouse to meet the demand better and reduce customer response time. Continuing with 8 warehouses: This option makes no change on the network of the warehouses and all regions will be supplied its warehouse if there is no stock-out occurs. Two centralized warehouses: In this option, the additional warehouse will be at the west at Phoenix and it will be supplied from Waltham. Demand of east region will be met from Waltham, demand of west region will be met from Phoenix and demand of central region will be met from both warehouses, assuming to have equal shares on the central region. This option may also consider including the warehouse at Dallas In addition to the main warehouse at Waltham. This additional warehouse would be supplied from Waltham. This would allow demand to be met for all other regions and prevent any stock-outs in a single warehouse. Outsourcing the warehousing functions: In this option, all warehousing actions will be outsourced to Global Logistics (GL) and distribution will start from main warehouse at Waltham and then GL will be responsible from rest of the operations. Outsource warehousing to GL to meet demand in the Central, Southwest and Northwest regions because shipping costs for those regions is cheapest with the GL rates. Outsource warehousing to Global Logistics (GL) which will provide a centralized warehousing in Atlanta. Goods will be transported in bulk from Waltham to Atlanta and GL would take responsibility of inventory-control and delivery to the customers. This way SG would not have to bear the warehouse rental charges and could focus on increasing sales and develop newer products to meet customer needs. Evaluation of the proposed solutions Having proposed certain options for inventory management, the evaluation of the different options needs to be evaluated using certain parameters to arrive at a conclusion on which would be comparatively the better option to be followed for scientific glass. Evaluation of different options will be conducted based on the following five parameters: Transportation costs, Average inventory levels, Time responsiveness, Fill rates and Additional costs and benefits Since all the products of scientific glass can be arrived out based on the analysis of its 2 products namely Griffin and Erlenmeyer, since they are mentioned as the best representative for a total of nearly 3000 products of Scientific Glass, all the parameters are analyzed for these products to arrive at a conclusion. Transportation Costs: Transportation costs for different options would be calculated for the two products, namely Griffin and Erlenmeyer. In addition, for each option, demand for the next year calculated considering the 20% increase in sales. When warehouse to customer shipments are considered average shipment weight of 19, 5 pound is used and to have an average transportation cost value, these two products’ costs are averaged according to their relative proportion in sales. Inter-warehouse transshipments occur only when stock-out occurs and as the numbers of warehouses are decreasing, effect of these costs will be diminished; therefore, it is only considered in the option where there are 8 warehouses. Option Transportation cost($) Centralized warehouse – all customer shipments are calculated for rates of Winged Fleet 12210, 16 8 warehouses- having 8 warehouses and making no change, from Waltham to all other 7 warehouses all items are sent by bulk shipment. Inter-warehouse transshipments are calculated by bulk shipment rates and they are considered only when a stock-out occurs, therefore fill rate is included in these calculations 2701, 41 2 warehouses – , when two centralized warehouses considered, it is assumed that Waltham will supply east region, Phoenix will supply will west region and they will equally supply the central region 2332, 07 Outsourcing – when warehousing functions are outsourced, assuming the 5 regions of Global Logistics (GL) will have equal amount of demand 2276, 83 To conclude, as it is expected, when numbers of warehouses are decreased transportation costs are increased. From the aspect of transportation costs, GL option has the smallest cost amount. Average Inventory Levels: The inventory policy to be used by the company needs to be decided. Begin with the review type; although firm monitors the entire inventory transfers from Waltham warehouse to other warehouses; they think taking physical counts of inventory at all warehouses. Therefore, it is concluded that company uses periodic inventory review policy. Company did not mention any due date, therefore the inventory plans should consider infinite time horizon. Though there exists a fixed cost for shipments from warehouses to customers; there is no other fixed cost related to transportation to the warehouses, i.e. no fixed ordering cost. The only order cost is $0.40 per pound bulk shipment cost which is a variable cost with weight. As a result, all analysis can be conducted considering critical ratios and the related fill rate values, which is the only option that is left and also it is considered as the most applicable to the situation. Since some of the simultaneous changes can be done, considering ce teris paribus principle and when fill rate is maintained exactly as 99% for all warehouses, we can calculate the average inventory level that must be kept at warehouses. Weighted-average biweekly inventory levels are found as: 8 warehouses : 98853 2 warehouses : 68034 1 warehouse : 59703 Outsourcing : 59703 When outsourcing option is used, it will be the same for the company in the sense of kept inventory levels for the one-centralized-warehouse option therefore they are assumed to be equal. As number of warehouse decreases, level of inventory decreases as it is expected. This is because, â€Å"the greater the degree of collaboration, the lower the uncertainty (standard  deviation of the error or coefficient of variation) of the demand model† This implies that the money tied up in the inventory decreases and this extra capital can be used in other areas, like expansion plans to international markets Based on average inventory levels, either single centralized warehouse or outsourcing gives equal results. Time Responsiveness: Delivery system of the company compensates 2 weeks of shipment cycles including the stock-out situations. In order to be a market leader, differentiation on this subject is also needed and unfortunately since this is not an exact quantitative scale, only possible situations could be mentioned. For having one centralized, or two centralized or 8 decentralized warehouse options, they all include at most 3 days ready to shipment duration and Winged Fleet’s delivery time of at most 3 days if there is no stock-out situation and the stock-out probabilities are diminishing with the aggregated demands. On the other hand, GL has 1-day premium shipment in addition to 3-day regular shipments. Considering the highly growing market situation and different segment of products, having different delivery times to different products and also to different customers will make this company focus on the most yielding areas. Therefore, it can be said that working with GL has the advantage of differ entiating customers/orders and, since there will be 2 warehouses, stock-out probability and related durations will be less compared to other options. And all of these aspects will increase the time responsiveness of the company. Additional Costs and Benefits: Quantitative issues to related to options of inventory management In order to continue with the current 8 warehouses total of $10M investment is necessary, it is assumed that all of this amount will be equally shared among all warehouses. Since warehouse operating costs will be the 15% of the total warehoused inventory, these costs could be directly compared with the annual average inventory levels that are kept in each option The amount paid to sales forces will not change when the company has 1, 2 or 8 warehouses because it is assumed that as the number of warehouses decreased, number of salesperson per warehouse will increase and total number of sales persons will not change. On the other hand, when warehousing is outsourced this  amount will not be paid Qualitative issues to related to options of inventory management. When GL is used for warehousing, SG’s senior managers will be able to focus on increasing sales, marketing issues and developing next generation of products. Stopping the practice of trunk stock could lead to a decrease in the time responsiveness and therefore it should not be stopped. Improving the controlling systems will create a better understanding of the current situation after the warehousing functions changed. Finally, when GL is used, the approach of warehouse managers to keep more than 99% fill rate and 60-day-supply will not be a problem, because all of these operating issues will be responsibility of GL. This will help to company not to keep excessive amount of inventory and less tied-up money in the inventory which can be used in other areas. Fill Rate: Company’s fill rate policy should also be calculated for the different options. The company replaced the earlier fill rate policy of 93%, which is only marginally better that the industry average fill rate of 92%, with 99%. However, there is no sign that the company is implementing this policy because it is the best approach that must be taken for the company objectives. Moreover, using a fill rate higher than optimal level leads to higher inventories and more money tied up in the inventory. Therefore, company should lower the rates down to optimal levels, if there is no other concern related to market leadership or customer satisfaction. To calculate the optimal levels of fill rates for all four options the cost items which are added to underage and overage costs also needs to be considered. The underage costs are 10% of the gross margin and overage costs are 0.6% of the unit cost of any product. Also it is assumed that unit costs covers all the costs such as warehouse rental and operation costs, cost of capital and inventory write-offs. For the three options other than outsourcing, there is no change in cost items, only the multiplied quantities are changed; but the outsourcing alternative eliminates the 15% warehouse rental and operating costs and 1% inventory write-offs. As a result, overage costs are decreased while underage costs are increased. Resulting optimal fill rates are as follows: 1, 2, or 8 warehouses Outsourcing Griffin 95.4% 96.5% Erlenmeyer 94.9% 96.1% These numbers can be interpreted in two different ways: If company is flexible about the determination of fill rate, in other words if it can lower the fill-rates from 99% to optimal levels, outsourcing option pushes the optimal fill rates to higher levels which results in larger inventories and more money to tie up. If the company still insists on keeping fill rate at 99%, the additional costs that must be paid to maintain 99% fill-rate level is lowered in the outsourcing alternative. Consequently, the better policy related to fill rates depend on the attitude of the company. Finally, another policy change about fill-rates can be considered. Rather than using one fill-rate for over all products of the company, different rates for different products can help the company in decreasing inventory costs related to, at least, for some of the products. Conclusion To conclude, since available options are studied from different aspects, it must be mentioned that the company should choose the alternatives and compare the results of evaluations according to their priorities. For instance, evaluation criteria like inventory levels and transportation costs are conflicting on interests. Company can see their situation and make decisions according to priorities. While assessing the weights for factors, it is considered that average inventory level and the transportation costs are the most important costs for the company. Then, the fill rate follows them. Time responsiveness is the next important factor which is followed by additional costs and benefits with equal weights for each. Changes in warehouse management are considered as options other than outsourcing do not provide radical policy changes which could make warehousing management better. These weights and the scores related to the investigations yield that the outsourcing the warehousing  function to Global Logistics is the best alternative among all. All of investigations and cost studies conducted are to find the most cost effective option in order to getting closer to the target debt to capital ratio of the company and provide more capital to fund expansion into new international markets while maintaining or even improving the high customer satisfaction level