Monday, September 30, 2019

Economics and ethics Essay

Describe the tension that exists in businesses today between economics and ethics. Do you think that there really does have to be a tradeoff between economics and ethics? What strategies can be implemented to avoid this tension? Provide examples and research to support your thinking. The reading by Tima Bansal describes the back and forth tension of economics versus ethics. The article states, â€Å"On the one hand, social programs come at an economic cost and firms should not engage in activities that do not have a clear return. On the other hand, economic returns create social costs (Bansal, 2005).† The author then proceeds to explain that this tradeoff between ethics and economics isn’t necessary and that companies should find the overlapping space where activities are both financially profitable, and socially and environmentally responsible (Bansal, 2005) I agree with the author that companies need to be smart and make good decisions and it may take more effort, but if the effort is given the reward will be worth it. I don’t think a tradeoff is necessary if the effort is put forth like in the examples the author gives. By having cross-functional team meetings or involving the shareholders through community involvement in the two examples provided, the companies were able to meet the middle ground and maintain their responsibility (Bansal, 2005). I work for a small company and every month a charitable organization is supported through donations and the company matches what the employees contribute. I think it’s nice to have this involvement. With so many options, the company may have a tough time deciding on where it should contribute to society, but by letting the employees have a voice, they can openly affect those organizations that the employees feel would impact the most. Bansal, T. (2005). Building sustainable value through fiscal and social responsibility. Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved February 17, 2015, from http://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/building-sustainable-value-through-fiscal-and-social-responsibility/ Final Project Milestone #2: The Three Spheres In a journal post titled 2-2: The Three Spheres, explain how your chosen company has demonstrated corporate citizenship in the economic, political, and civil spheres. Provide specific examples. Be sure to examine what the company says about itself, what you have experienced, and what other stakeholders have said or experienced. Cite at least two sources. This milestone will be graded using the Journal Rubric. Be sure to clearly address the questions in the prompt in your journal entry. The post should be at least 350-500 words, applying relevant research, citing at least two sources in each entry. Be as clear and scholarly as you can in your writing style; and of course, be sure your entry is free of errors in organization and grammar. Courtney Croce 2.2: The Three Spheres Target Corporation The three spheres of corporate social responsibility include economical, political, and civic. To achieve and maintain profitability, it’s said that corporations must learn to operate successfully within all three. Economics includes initiatives that help increase profits to the shareholders. Politics includes abiding by rules and laws and business power in society. Civil surrounds enhancing lives of the shareholders. Economically, Target has reduced it’s packaging on many levels of the items it sells. They also began using flexible envelopes in shipping online orders, which reduced packaging by 89 percent. As a result they expect to ship 50000 fewer pounds of cardboard every year. Other than offering lower prices Target wants its products to be made with integrity by qualified vendors who treat workers well, who obey the law, and whose processes minimize their effect on the environment. They’ve begun to do this by working closely with their vendors and setting clear expectations through Standards of Vendor Engagement. They require all vendors to behave to the principles they’ve established and they monitor their progress. Target starts with the basics from the political standpoint, which is ensuring they are abiding by every law and regulation that pertains to the business. They also expect all team members to behave with personal and professional integrity. To support their team members they clearly list the requirements in the Business Conduct Guide, they have a dedicated Corporate Compliance and Ethics Team, have teams focused on building and sustaining business compliance programs and offer integrity training. All of these initiatives help ensure that everyone at Target is abiding by the laws and regulations. Target’s civil responsibility is currently focusing on education. They have set a goal to $1 billion to education by the end of 2015. They have started doing several things like donating books, and providing food pantries for families to help set students, parents, and teachers up for success. They’ve decided to focus on education after gathering information from their customers indicating that that is a popular concern amongst. The EVP also expressed concerns about the reading level and that those who are unable to read by the age of three are less likely to graduate. https://corporate.target.com/corporate-responsibility/education https://corporate.target.com/_media/TargetCorp/csr/pdf/2013-corporate-responsibility-report.pdf

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Of Mice and Men Film/Book Comparison

The lack of interaction between the Weak' ones of the ranch in the film version of Of Mice and Men results in the obscuring of the theme of handicaps that is present throughout the novel. In the film, the scene begins with Leonie approaching Crooks as the rest of the men are in the nearby town. They discuss Lien's desire to tend rabbits and later on, Leonie makes it clear his intention for George and he to be together till the end. George comes in, escorts Leonie out of the room where they encounter Curlers wife as she complains of her unhappy marriage and runs away.The book varies in the way that Curlers wife and Candy are both in the room as they all talk. As Candy, Leonie, and Crooks discuss the promise of a brighter future, Curlers wife is quick to crush their dreams with the reality of each of their situations. After she humiliates them, they are defeated and their harsh circumstances sink in. It is important to notice in the novel that each character has their own handicap, whe ther it is age, gender, race, mental capability, or physical capability; although they show strength even with their weak descriptions, the purpose of the theme is to convey the low tolerance their society has of handicaps.For example, Crooks, even being a bitter man, latches onto their dream of the little house for the promise of companionship, but because of his race and the prejudice during the time period, Curlers wife makes sure he knows that he will never be accepted. Although the handicaps are physically portrayed In the film, they are not reinforced well enough because there isn't as big of a power difference between Leonie and Crooks as there is between them and Curlers wife. Curlers wife may be handicapped as her loneliness makes her desperate, but she has the ability to take away any hope they eave.Also, in the novel, Curlers wife mentions that the men left the three Weak' ones at home. This comment serves to further describe the time period as there Is never enough prote ction for the weak from the strong. The theme of handicaps Is essential to the comprehension of the novel as It grasps the concept of Inequality; without the theme's distinction, there Is no closure, positive or negative, that Is needed for the reader to comprehend the negative Impact the fictional world has on a group of people that are not as strong as society requires them to be.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Competing through Operation: KFC Report Essay

INTRODUCTION The report focuses on KFC – the leading chicken fast food restaurant in the world, and one of the largest players in the fast food market. By using five performance objectives and various research methods, the report aims to  analyze how the restaurant perform and manage its operation capacity in order to provide qualified food and service to the customers. Besides, the restaurant’s capacity constrains and capacity strategies are discussed base on the primary data from KFC Union Street, Bristol City centre. It would link to the relationship between Capacity strategy and five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004), as well as, how they support each other. COMPANY PROFILE KFC first starts in 1930s, when Harland Sanders opened his restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. KFC now spreads out to more than 100 countries with around 15500 outlets worldwide. Of these, there are more than 800 restaurants located in the UK. The restaurant has concentrated on fried-chicken-on-bone products under the name Original Recipe and expanded the offers with other items include chicken sandwiches and chicken wings, as well as, biscuits, mashed potatoes, corn, potato wedges and desserts. The new line-grilled chicken with fewer calories, fat and salt than the Original Recipe- was launched in 2009. It was called â€Å"one of the biggest new product rollouts in the history of the company† by the KFC president Roger Eaton. Being tested in many regions included the UK; this new line has been well received as a healthier alternative which retains good in taste. The following part will discuss about how KFC applies five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004) into its operation and which of the five objectives is concentrated on. FIVE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES The theory has been applied for many companies worldwide for over 10 years in order to manage operating performance. Due to the limitation of resources, each company tends to put only some of the five objectives in priority  during particular periods. It is considered as one of smart methods to maximize profits. Source: (Adapted from Slack et al, 2004) FIGURE1. FIVE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES Figure 1 explains the idea and meaning of five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004) in general. QUALITY is the responsibility to always provide the good product or service that company has claimed. It also requires doing the right thing at the right time and meeting customer specifications, which give customer satisfactions. In KFC, main factors listed as Quality objective are quality of food (delicious, tasty, fresh, healthy, etc), quality of service (clean, supportive, friendly, etc)†¦ SPEED is defined as how fast the company responds their customers. This is one of the most important things required in fast food restaurant, especially in rush hours. Applying to KFC restaurant, speed objective is considered as the elapsed time between customers’ placing orders and the food or services being delivered. FLEXIBILITY measures how much variety in products, services, and solutions for a dynamic market environment in order to meet customers’ need. It is shown as KFC’s various menus, the launch of line â€Å"Grilled Chicken†, the more customization, etc DEPENDABILITY is doing things on time as promises. It not only gains customer’s trust but also has an influence on cost, which are saving money, saving time and giving stability to improve the efficiencies (Strecker, Ulrich, 2011). In KFC, it is on-time deliveries. COST is the product or service price that enables company compete the market, as well as ensure the return. The company aims to maximize their profit;  therefore, reducing the cost is necessary. Cost objective in KFC is measured by the cost of food, cost of manager and staff’s salaries, etc. The Polar diagram below shows how KFC restaurant performs in manager, staff and customer perspectives base on the data that was collected. (Adapted from Slack et al, 2004, p58) FIGURE2. POLAR DIAGRAM OF KFC RESTAURANT The Polar diagram is designed by the result of KFC manager’s interview, staff’s questionnaire and customers’ questionnaire (Appendix 1.0, appendix 2.0 and appendix 3.0). According to KFC manager, the restaurant is performing quite well in quality, cost and dependability objectives while speed needs to improve, especially in rush hours (16:00pm to 20:00pm). Staff and customers have the same opinion about improving speed objective in KFC. â€Å"Although we have 8 queues† – as the manager – â€Å"it is hard to serve a large number of customers at 19pm. However, we tend to give the staffs more training sessions to increase their speed in taking order and cooking. Focusing on people will push up dependability, flexibility and speed all.† (Appendix 3.0) It is the fact that most of the customers want a lower price for their food and services. However, with a fixed price tag, the restaurant tries their best to prove that the food and service offered to customers are worth their paying. The next part of report will focus on how the restaurant meets its customer’s fluctuating demand. CAPACITY The capacity of an operation is the highest level of value added after certain period of time that the process would be able to achieve under certain conditions (Slack et al, 2001). It includes: actual output, design capacity and effective capacity. FIGURE3. CAPACITY OF KFC RESTAURANT ON UNION STREET, BRISTOL Planned losses Avoidable losses Actual capacity 1929 people Planned losses Effective capacity 2331 people Design capacity 2680 people (Adapt from Slack et al, 2001) The figure is resulted from calculations below. DESIGN CAPACITY Design capacity is â€Å"the capacity which its technical designers had in mind when they commissioned the operation† (Slack et al, 2001, p335). The KFC restaurant on Union Street is the largest KFC outlets in Bristol which can serve maximum 100 customers a day (approximate number from KFC manager). Design capacity Daily 100 people Weekly 670 people (7 working days, less working hours on Sunday) Monthly 2680 people EFFECTIVE CAPACITY While design capacity is â€Å"everything according to a plan†, effective capacity helps to show what might happen if something not goes as a plan. Effective  capacity is calculated as design capacity minus planned losses, which is 13% (from KFC manager). Effective capacity Daily 87 people (100 – 100Ãâ€"13%) Weekly 582people (670 – 670Ãâ€"13%) Monthly 2331 people (2680 – 2680Ãâ€"13%) ACTUAL OUTPUT Actual output is the amount of a product that a production facility actually produces, as opposed to the amount that it could produce if it were to run at full theoretical capacity. It is calculated as design capacity minus planned losses and avoidable losses which is 15% (from KFC manager). Actual output Daily 72 people (100 – 100x[13%+15%]) Weekly 482 people (670 – 670x[13%+15%]) Monthly 1929 people (2680 – 2680x[13%+15%]) Planned losses: Public holidays (Christmas, New Year, etc) Human issues (Illness, pregnant †¦) The time customers waiting to be served Avoidable losses: Weather (Storm, heavy snow, etc) Machine failure. CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS Capacity constraints are considered as factors that limit the number of customers served by operation (Dettmer, 2003). For KFC, these are: number of staffs, number of queues, available eating space, speed of cooking and delivering. These factors would push the restaurant to its limit points of operation, which called Bottle necks. NUMBER OF STAFF: There are many shift of working hour a day in KFC. The maximum number of staffs that needed in rush hour is 12 people approximately (with 8 front-men taking customers’ orders and cleaning, 2 middle-men making burgers and chips, and 2 cooks in the kitchen working strenuously). At the busiest hour, the staffs face pressure of too many customers waiting in the queues, shortage of food available, and the mess in eating place. 2 or 3 front-men have to make burger and chips in order to provide food on time. NUMBER OF QUEUE: It often happens in the fast food restaurant that long lines of customers are waiting to be served. Although KFC Union Street has 8 queues, it does not mean that there are always staffs available. AVAILABLE EATING SPACE: It is hard to find a clean table in rush hours because of the large number of customers and the busy staffs. SPEED OF COOKING AND DELIVERING: To ensure the fresh of food provided to customers, the middle-men just make some available. Hence, if a big order is placed or many orders are placed at once, it will take time to make more burgers. Some constraint factors would be solved by staff’s working flexibility, some, however, could not avoid because they links to other factors. For example, KFC could make more burgers available to avoid customers’ waiting time and increase speed performance objective; however, the foods will not as good as the just-in-time one, which reduces quality performance objective. Therefore, it is essential for the restaurant to decide which objectives are priorities. The analysis of KFC’s capacity and capacity constraints lead to the following part which will discuss about which strategy it uses to manage the operation. CAPACITY STRATEGY (Sasser, 1976) There are 2 evidences from the data collected that shows Chase demand plan (Sasser, 1976) is the strategy KFC following. There are different staff numbers and the amount of food ready in a day. Due to staff contracts, the manager arranges a large number of staffs for rush hour, which is from 16:00pm to 20:00pm each day while reduce staffs at the opening (9:30am) and the closing time (22:00pm). In 30 minutes before closing, the kitchen stops working and the front-men focus on cleaning rather than standing behind order place. This arrangement is based on which time customers usually come to the restaurant. It helps reduce cost of staff salaries and avoid human surplus on the time not many customers. Besides, working flexibility is required for all the staffs, which are ability of working in different positions (front, middle or in kitchen), doing different tasks and even overtime, if needed. The other one – amount of food ready in a day – does show that KFC is applying Capacity leads demand theory (Sasser, 1976). KFC always provides the amount of food slightly over than customer’s demand so as to ensure available service in working time. The food left changes to waste because it could not be stored due to KFC’s quality standard. This waste, according to the manager, is not significant and enables to bear with. From the analysis above, it is clear to see that KFC is doing right because the strategy not only fits to identity of fast food market, but also expresses KFC’s customisation, which highly focus on satisfy its customers. After discussing about five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004) and capacity strategy (Sasser, 1976), the final part will clarify relationship between those and how they support each other. THE RELATIONSHIP OF CAPACITY STRATEGY AND FIVE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES (Slack et al, 2004) Before having strategy, the objectives have to be set. It could be simply explained that objectives are the place you want to drive to while strategy is vehicle that helps to get there. For KFC as a whole, the company expresses its concentration on Quality objective through the slogan â€Å"Don’t worry. Eat happy† (http://www.kfc.co.uk/dontworryeathappy) and various actions to be healthier for the customers, such as â€Å"Get fresh inspiration from our Deli Deluxe Range†, â€Å"We’re fighting trans-fats, not flavour†, â€Å"We’ve done away with 25% of saturated fats†, or â€Å"Fitted out with green energy†, etc. Quality is known as the vital factor to compete with other big brands like Subway, MacDonald’s, Burger King†¦, and gain fast food market share when customer’s health concern is increasing more and more. (http://www.propertyweek.com, Domino’s pizza tops the market article) FIGURE4. FAST-FOOD MARKET SHARE IN THE UK However, for smaller scale, according to the manager of KFC Union Street, the  restaurant put Speed objective as their first priority to strive because quality standard as well as promotions is already fixed. â€Å"It is KFC Company’s job to upgrade and spread out how good the food is.† – Said the manager – â€Å"Our job is to provide food with the same standard, and serve the customers those come to our restaurant best services, and it is speed†. Hence, the restaurant tends to increase the factor it can control, which differentiates it among the others. Following the objective above, the Chase demand plan (Sasser, 1976) is decided to make it done. This strategy fits to fast food restaurant’s identity so as to utilize time, human, and money resources. Then, considering either capacity lags demand, which allows demand never less than capacity or capacity leads demand (Sasser, 1976), which is that capacity always meets forecasted demand, KFC Union Street chose the second one. The restaurant gives up waste in order to better its service for customers. Amount of food available reduces waiting time for delivering, as well as, waiting time to be ordered. The customers would be more satisfied thanks to fast service. CONCLUSION To sum up, the report is designed from result collected at KFC Union Street, Bristol. With five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004), capacity, capacity strategy (Sasser, 1976) analysis, it clarified how KFC operates and how theories links to each other, as well as, are applied into practice with particular circumstances. REFERENCES Dettmer, H.W., 2003. Strategic Navigation: A Systems Approach to Business Strategy. ASQ Quality Press. James, P., Rowland-Jones, R., O’Brien, L., 2010. Operations and Business Systems management, 2nd Ed., Harlow: Pearson. Samuelson, Paul A., Nordhaus, William D (2009). Economics, 19th Ed., McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Slack N, Chambers, S., Johnston R., 2001, Operations management, 3rd Ed., London: Pittman Publishing. Slack N, Chambers, S., Johnston R., 2001, Operations management, 4th Ed., London: Pittman Publishing. Slack N, Chambers, S., Johnston R., 2001, Operations management, 5th Ed., Harlow: Prentice Hall. Schoenborn, G., 2009, Personal Communication. Strecker, S., Ulrich, F., 2011. Information Systems and E-Business Management. A modelling method in support of the reflective design and use of performance measurement systems [e-journal] 7(1). Available through: Springer. http://www.kfc.co.uk/dontworryeathappy

Friday, September 27, 2019

Global Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Global Strategy - Essay Example The formation of strategy has to be done very carefully keeping various factors in mind so that the strategy becomes successful and the company gets advantage from it in many ways. In 1980, market guru Michel Porter formulated the five forces focused on the formation of strategy based on the internal and external factors which influences a huge role in the business operation. These five forces are been set up based on the competitors that the company has in the market and these has limited the effectiveness of the strategic management to a great extent. Teece in 2007 defined the strategy formulation as the strategy being the essence of strategy which involves the selection and developing of technologies and the business models that are been built to provide the competitive advantage to the company through by removing the difficulties and thereby providing a competitive edge over the other competitors. For implementing an effective strategy the company needs to follow 6 major steps. These steps are been listed below. Define the organization- The company should know what the company is all about, who are its customers, how the company’s products can create value for the customers and also have a clear idea about the needs and wants of the customers. Define the strategic mission- Based on the knowledge about the company, the customers the company needs to define the mission for the strategy which will include the specific objectives and the goals that the company needs to achieve. Define the strategic objectives- Based on the mission statements the company needs to set up the clear objectives for the employees, these objectives will help them to focus and work towards a particular direction. The strategies implemented by the company are made either deliberately or by the emergence of a strategy from a particular situation. For a particular strategy to be

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Source analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Source analysis - Essay Example ’s suffrage, it also reminds that there is more to be achieved and exhorts all those involved in the movement to continue striving for a better world in the wake of the war’s aftermath. Catherine Osler was secretary of the BWSS from the year 1885. A year before that, she was chosen president of the Birmingham Women’s Liberal Association. She was the founder of the Birmingham Ladies’ Debating Society in 1881 and a member of the National Union of Women’s Workers. In 1891, she brought a resolution for women’s suffrage and in one of her speeches in 1908, she strongly favoured the enfranchisement of women in a debate discussing the motion that ‘the time has now come for granting the franchise to women on the same terms as it is or may be granted to men.’ In 1901 she became president of the BWSS. She held that position until 1921 when the society finally dissolved on the grounds that its aims had been achieved. In 1911, she published a gripping and judicious study of family life titled A Book of the Home, in which she observed that ‘there are no natural spheres for men and women’. Democracy is supposed to be a political system in which all are equal. However, for a long time, even in the democratic countries like US and UK, the right to vote was limited to men and women had no opportunity to take part in the process of elections. Even farmers and labourers, only men of course, came under the purview of the right to vote by the Bill of 1884 in UK. Campaigns by women for the right to vote began in the latter half of the 19th century. However these campaigns were mostly peaceful and followed democratic methods like organising meetings and sending petitions to the authorities by which they sought to persuade and even pressurize the government to make necessary changes in the direction of granting women the right to vote. There were a large number of groups which worked with similar mindset. The term ‘suffragists’ refers to the women who took an

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Sociology - Essay Example In this paper, the author presents Foucault’s ideas on the discourse of criminality vis-Ã  -vis other sociological theories, such as labelling theory, symbolic interactionism, and social imagination. Thereafter it will be argued that perhaps, such theories in fact fall within the relations of power that Foucault insists are components of discourse, demonstrating the extent of Foucault’s theory. Disciplinary institutions are, by and large, places where power is exercised and coursed through various mechanisms, but not merely for its own sake. The latter observation is made by subjecting the study of such institutions to a reversal: is it really the simple case that power is found only on one side, exerting its influence through restrictions and rules? The answer as per Foucault is ‘no.’ Not only can power be understood in the negative, it can also be seen in the positive, as a productive relationship. This is an aspect of power relations that is either overlooked or altogether dismissed. Without doubt, it is in Discipline and Punish (1977) that Foucault’s concern with discipline and surveillance becomes even more pronounced than his other genealogical works. Here he examines the progressive sophistication of disciplinary mechanisms such as punishments employed in prisons that are in fact, upon closer scrutiny, representative of the same progression of di sciplinary mechanisms in society. He undertook an examination of power relations using the penal institution as a take-off point, for the primary reason that it is here where the different disciplinary techniques used in the exercise of power are more evident. At the outset, he shows how torture and execution was made a public spectacle, with the condemned man being paraded in a manner deemed suited to the crime he committed. Interestingly however, public tortures and executions soon became a ‘hidden’ affair, with the condemned man being transferred

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Analysis of Is Google Making Us Stupid by Nicholas G Carr Essay

Analysis of Is Google Making Us Stupid by Nicholas G Carr - Essay Example AI is nothing more than the collective compilation of human knowledge accumulated over bodies of knowledge previously learned.people with very high I.Q.s may think so (from whence such comments may come), they missed to consider the fact that a person with the highest I.Q. still cannot match the speed by which a computer makes calculations and even decisions on the most complex matters. In Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, quoted by Carr in this essay, â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?,† Dr David Bowman’s and Dr Frank Pooles mission aboard the American spaceship Discovery One bound for Jupiter experienced trouble with their supercomputer HAL (an acronym for Heuristic Algorithm). After surviving several attempts to shut him out of the spaceship, Bowman coldly disconnected HAL’s circuits after it nearly sent him to a deep-space death after a malfunction. Whatever human qualities it has subsumed, machines are still made by men. Bowman’s attachment to this machine was a product of science which allowed the machine to possess a seeming human quality. If a man does succeed to make a replica of himself and enhance this subsumation to make the machine assume fine human qualities, there exists an ethical issue. If that machine, as most people and Carr fear, dominates over man, there is a question where to set the limits of manâ€℠¢s reliance on artificial intelligence must end. In the end, that machine still has no soul. It is still a machine unless you can manufacture the soul and add it to that contraption. The author’s personal experience using Google, with so many features on the fly, was enjoyable saved for unavoidable ungrammatical chat language (jejemon). It has shaped language so that it is deliverable in short quips as in telegrams cutting across language barriers, with its ultimate aim, among other things that the information technology may bring.  

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Alice A 3D Graphical Programming environmet to teach algorithm Essay

Alice A 3D Graphical Programming environmet to teach algorithm development and control structures - Essay Example Graphics and visualization helps students in understanding such internals. This paper is about use of an animated graphics tool, namely Alice, to teach C++ programming. The traditional method of teaching programming is to use class room lessons (notes, presentations), in-class demonstrations and to accompany them with assignments. Most courses employ a programming language to illustrate coding, starting off with a Hello World program written using that language. Then they move to programming concepts such as control structures, abstract data types, sorting and searching algorithms etc. The use of traditional memory maps (or sketches) to illustrate the internals of a program creates a "confusing clutter of arrows and boxes on the board or projection screen" (Dann 1). The result is that while students focus on understanding the maze of memory maps, they fail to keep track of the concept of an object. (1) A more modern approach to teach programming is to use a visual method which employs computer graphics. Such visual tools would readily animate the change of state and behavior offering immediate feedback to the students about the programs they write. Alice, developed by the Carnegie Mellon University, is one such tool. Alice is an open source programming environment offering a 3D interactive graphics interface. It is primarily a scripting and prototyping tool with an object oriented (OO) flavor. Users can program Alice using drag-and-drop based interface to animate objects in a virtual world. Alice is a friendly programming environment for novice programmers offering actions, named instructions, functions, control structures and event-driven programming. The whole experience is highly OO making the students think in terms of objects, properties and methods. The storyboarding and game programming concepts, which most students are familiar, are employed to teach algorithmic thinking and designing. (Cooper, Alice, 3-4) (IV.) Why Alice will work Programming needs abstract thinking. As stated by Booch, a pioneer in the OO approach, "deciding upon the right set of abstractions for a given domain is the central problem in object-oriented design" (42) Abstraction needs students to be able to visualize things. Further, understanding control structures, algorithms and applying them to solve programming problems need mental mappings by a student. Alice helps visualization of these programming constructs. It "offloads the mental effort from the student's cognitive system to his or her perceptual system" (Dann et al, Learning to Program, Preface to Instructors). As a result, the programming concepts become more concretely visible rather than being more abstract in the minds of the students. Will a graphical environment such as Alice help students to understand algorithms and programming constructs such as sequence, selection and repetition Yes, the evidence proves so. In a study conducted over two years at Saint Joseph's University and Ithaca College, it has been found that student performance and retention in programming courses and their attitudes towards computer science showed dramatic improvements (Moskal 5). Powers et al has also observed that Alice has been able to improve the

Monday, September 23, 2019

World Heritage Sites Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

World Heritage Sites - Essay Example In most cases the places that have been highlighted as world heritage sites usually have a special physical appearance or culture that is associated with it. The places are usually designated as those that have a special significance to humanity. The selection process of these places is usually a rather complicated one majorly due to the fact that there are several places that may all be proposed for inscription as a world heritage site. The body that elects those sites that are to be listed as the world heritage sites is the United Nations General Assembly. At the same time the list of all the heritage sites of the world is maintained by the International World Heritage Programme which is under the UNESCO. There are certain special conditions under which these sites may receive funds say for maintenance and upgrade from the World Heritage Fund kitty. There are certain countries that have had the chance to have several sites listed. An perfect example in this case happens to be Italy . It is to be noted that the country has close to 47 sites that have been inscribed as world heritage sites.... It is to be appreciated that as a result of the world heritage sites program there are some countries that have benefitted tremendously as a result of this .The main reason for this is because these sites automatically become tourist sites. Over the years these sites have always attracted large numbers of people who are marveled by the features they entail or at the same time there are those that visit the sites with the intention of getting to know more about them. The nomination process that has been set forth is quite a rigorous one especially for the country that wants some of its sites to be listed therein. For starters the country in question must first take an inventory of all its natural properties and cultures which it perceives to be of importance. In actual sense this is called coming up with the Tentative List. After this is done then the nomination process begins. It is to be noted that a country is not supposed to nominate a site or culture that is not in the Tentative List. After this is done those sites that have been selected are then to be placed in the Nomination File. After this is done there are bodies that evaluate the file and make their recommendations to the World Heritage Committee. These bodies include the World Conservation Union and The International Council of Monuments and Sites. The Heritage committee then meets once a year and this is the time when it makes the decision of whether to inscribe particular sites or not. Preservation and Development It may be asked that who owns the site once it has been inscribed as a world heritage site. In actual sense it is the property of the country that it is

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Evolution and Human Beings Essay Example for Free

Evolution and Human Beings Essay Allama Muhammad Iqbal is one of the most outstanding poet-philosophers of the Indian sub-continent belonging to the modern period. His intellectual genius has reigned supreme in the arena of Islamic philosophy during the twentieth century and is likely to direct and influence the Islamic Intellectual tradition in the twenty first century as well. His sublime poetry and philosophy inspired millions of Muslims to wake up to the reality of the times and forge a destiny for themselves. Iqbal explained evolution on the basis of his religious knowledge as well as his experiences in the western society. One of the facets of Iqbal’s genius is the fluidity with which he displays his in-depth knowledge and critical analysis of both Islamic and Western philosophies, theories and concepts. He compared the Quranic concepts of evolution with the western ones. Then, he gave his own concept of evolution. Allama Iqbal’s Concepts of Evolution: Allama Iqbal is against the concept of a fixed and static universe. He consistently upholds that existence reveals itself in constant change. If there is anything which is constant, it is the change itself. According to him, God‘s creative activity is ever-continuing and He is constantly sustaining this universe. God is not only the cause but also the reason of the universe. He believed that the Ultimate Ego was Allah, who, though transcendent in His essence, was intimately connected to human beings through His amr. For Iqbal amr stood for the creative power and will of God. He gave the concept of ‘egos’. At the lowest level egos are unconscious, in the higher order of being, they become conscious. Egos achieve utmost consciousness and finally become self-consciousness in human beings, the highest being in nature and the vicegerent of God. Man is the only being awarded with moral freedom and responsibility. Using his freedom of choice with responsibility, humans approach closer and closer the excellence that is divine. Being conscious of one’s real self i.e self realization is the goal of moral actions. Self, according to him, is of two kinds. The efficient self which actually operates and has dealings with others in spatio-temporal world. The appreciative self which is the real ‘I-amness’ and is divine in nature. It is the self which has to be recognized to have a new and different perspective about the world. The process of evolution and self-realization is not aimless. Iqbal believes that it is purely purposive in nature. However, there is no pre-determined single purpose towards which evolution moves. Rather, fresh goals ever continue to be created during the evolutionary course. Obedience, self-discipline and vicegernce of God are three degrees of development of self in man by passing through which he attain the ideal of a perfect manhood. Analysis: This theory explains evolution in a very unique way. Being a muslim, i find no fault in this theory as it explains everything very clearly and its evidence can also be found in the Quranic verses. The way he has explained everything in the islamic context makes it very difficult to contradict with this theory. Following is the elaboration and analysis of this evolutionary theory on the basis of Iqbal’s explanation, in my own words. Concept of Change: As he was of the opinion that the universe is not static, this is true. We can also find it in the verses of Surah Yaseen. God has talked about the way sun, moon, stars and all the planets keep moving all day and night long. Physicists have also proved that things which appear to be solid and motionless are also in constant state of motion. Their particles also vibrate in a specific manner but we can not sense or feel it. Evolution itself is a process which denotes change. There are hundreds and millions of processes which are occurring in the universe in a continuous manner. So, Iqbal’s idea of an ever-changing universe is true. Concept of Evolution: His answer to the question â€Å"how did man first emerge?† is â€Å"he arose through evolution.† For this purpose, we can quote the following verses of Quran: â€Å"Does not man bear in mind that we made him at first when he was naught?† (19:67) â€Å"Yet we are not thereby hindered from replacing you with others your likes or from producing you in a form which ye knew not! Ye have known the first creation, will you not reflect† (56:60-62). He explained his answer on the basis of above mentioned verses. Iqbal claims that, â€Å"this suggestive argument embodied in the last verses of the two passages quoted above did in fact open a new vista to Muslim philosophers. It was Jahiz who first hinted at the changes in animal life covered migrations and environment generally. The association known as the ‘Brethren Of Purity’ further amplified the views of Jahiz Ibu Miskawaih, however, was the first Muslim thinker to give a clear and in many respects thoroughly modern theory of the origin of man.† In this context, we can say that Darwin said nothing new as the concept of evolution was already present in Islam from the very beginning. Tawheed: Iqbal is not in the favour of deism according to which God became uninterested in this universe after creating it and now it is operating on its own. This is not possible and in accordance with the rules of nature. God is continuously in contact with the universe and is governing every bit and part of it. Being a muslim he added the concept of Tawheed, oneness of God in the theory of evolution. He believed that the concept of tawhÃŒ £iÌ„d contained within it the unity of the spirit and matter, body and soul, the individual and society. The Ego (Khudi): According to this theory of creative evolution, the Ultimate Ego manifests itself, from the lowest forms of matter to the highest evolutionary form i.e. the spiritually most advanced human personality. God is the supreme ego from which only egos are produced. In Iqbal’s words, â€Å"Indeed the evolution of life shows that, though in the beginning the mental is dominated by the physical, the mental as it grows in power, tends to dominate the physical and may eventually rise to a position of complete independence.† What Iqbal means by this is that the process of creative evolution involves a gradual growth of the human individuality or ego (khudi). Iqbal used the word khudiÌ„ to denote the ego, the individuality of a person or the self. He described khudi as follows:- â€Å"Metaphysically the word khudiÌ„ (self-hood) is used in the sense of that indescribable feeling of ‘I’ which forms the basis of the uniqueness of each individual. Ethically the word khudiÌ„ means (as used by me) self-reliance, self-respect, self-confidence, self-preservation, self-assertion when such a thing is necessary, in the interest of life and power to stick to the cause of truth, justice, duty etc. even in the face of death. Such behaviour is moral in my opinion because it helps in the integration of the forces of the Ego, thus hardening it, as against the forces of disintegration and dissolution, practically the metaphysical ego is the bearer of two main rights that is the right to life and freedom as determined by Divine Law.† Iqbal believed in the gradual rising note of khudi or self-hood in the universe through the process of creative evolution till it reaches its highest potential in human beings. The universe according to Iqbal is the spatio-temporal order, where egos of varying levels dwell, interact and take part in the process of continuous change and continuous evolution. Iqbal’s concept of heaven and hell is d eeply connected to his concept of khudi. Hell is basically a disintegration and dissolution of the self or ego whereas heaven is a state where the personality has reached a heightened sense of self-awareness, self-consciousness and distinction. Hell is nothingness, an annihilation of the self. Heaven is the opposite of nothingness. It is to be real, an important, integral part of the Greater Reality. Iqbal quotes the Quran to support his concept of Khudi, the creative will and power inherent in human beings:- â€Å"And they ask thee of the soul. Say: the soul proceedeth from my Lord’s amr (Creative Will and Power) but of knowledge only a little is given to you.† (17:85) It is this nature of the soul that makes human beings distinct and the chosen ones from the rest of creation. Iqbal translates and interprets the word amr as the ‘Directive, Creative Will and Power of God.’ He believes that human beings can share in the creative activity of God by using their own God given creative will and power. Iqbal is an advocate of the freedom of the human personality. He quotes the Qur’an to substantiate his views: By the soul and He who has balanced it, and has shown to it the ways of wickedness and piety, blessed is he who has made it grow and undone is he who has corrupted it. (91:7-10) The ego grows from a position of hardly having any freedom from natural laws and natural appetites, to the position where the ego, through the use of its creative will and power, becomes more and more powerful, free, dynamic and independent. Iqbal says, â€Å"The ‘unceasing reward’ of man consists in his gradual growth in self-possession, in uniqueness, and intensity of his activity as an ego.† He says, â€Å"The fact that the higher emerges out of the lower does not rob the higher of its worth and dignity. It is not the origin of a thing that matters, it is the capacity, the significance, and the final reach of he emergent that matters†¦. It by no means follows that the emergent can be resolved into what has conditioned its birth and growth.† In fact the ideal of the evolutionary growth of the human personality is presented by Iqbal through the words of the Quran referring to the Prophet’s (PBUH) vision of the Ultimate Ego i.e. Allah at the nocturnal journey called the mi‘raaj: ‘His eye turned not aside, nor did it wander’ (Quran 53:17) When Prophet Moses came into contact with God’s Light, he could not sustain the impact. He lost consciousness due to the overwhelming effect of, in Iqbal’s words, the Ultimate Ego. But the emergence of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave perfection to human personality or ego in the evolutionary scale. Love or Ishq: Iqbal believed that behind the process of evolution is the vital impulse of ‘ishq’ or love which is metaphysical in nature and which makes life grow towards higher evolutionary goals. Goal of Evolution: Unlike Bergson, Iqbal believed that evolution has a goal. In fact, the evolution or dissolution of life is dependent on how far the individual chooses to use his or her creative will and power. The perfect man of Iqbal’s conception is mujahid who is ready and willing to face the problems of life, culture and society as he is to face the problems of after-life, spiritual welfare and death. The theory of ‘creative evolution’ as envisaged by Iqbal harnesses human creative potential under the spiritual discipline of religion as the instrument with which human beings become co-workers with God, effecting the destiny of the universe. In my point of view, it is a very comprehensive theory and I totally support it. I would like to end this debate in Iqbal’s words. In the Javid Nama God addresses human beings in this stirring call: Life is both mortal and immortal, it is all creativity and eagerness Art thou alive? Be eager, be creative Like us encompass the whole universe! Shatter into pieces what is uncongenial. Bring forth another world out of thy imagination! It is irksome to the man who is free, to live in a world of another’s making. He who lacks the power of creation is naught to us but an atheist and an agnostic! He has not taken his share of our Beauty. He has not eaten the fruit of the tree of life. Man of truth! Be sharp and incisive like the sword and forge the destiny of they own world!

Saturday, September 21, 2019

A report on recruitment and selection process for the recruiting

A report on recruitment and selection process for the recruiting 1a) Describe a suitable recruitment and selection process for Barretts Carvery. The owners of Barretts Carvery a traditional pub restaurant are interested in expanding their menu by offering other hot plates such as hot pots, stew, and dumplings. Presently the restaurant offers a number of options, including the traditional dinner, vegetarian dinner, and childrens dinner. This report describes the recruitment, selection, and retention process for the three additional employees needed to expand the restaurants menu, along with recommendations to build a wining team, ensure effective leadership, and identify work and development needs for Barretts Carvery. RECRUITMENT PROCESS According to EDWIN FLIPPO Recruitment is the process of searching for prospective employees, and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organization (Draft and Marcic, 2008). The recruitment process begins with identifying the need for staff, which usually derives from the human resources plan. Barretts Carvery has identified the need for three additional staff to assist in the kitchen and to be servers. For every organization it is important to have the right person in the right position. When the wrong person for the position is hired, it typically results in having to refill the position again. Time, money, and energy are lost during this downtime, as well as additional recruiting and training costs. It hurts a company to have an open position in several ways, including loss of productivity, frustration of continuous retraining and inability to progress with company initiatives. Bad hires may also result in good employees leaving the company, creating an even greater turnover p roblem (Main, 2009). The key objective is to be cost effective in the numbers, and quality of employees required fulfilling the human resources needs of an organization. Today, recruiting is sometimes referred to as talent acquisition to reflect the importance of the human factor in the organizations success. (Draft and Marcic, 2008). It is important for Barretts Carvery to get a clear picture of what kind of individuals are needed which can be accomplished by designing a job description along with a person specification. A job and persons description is an organized process of gathering and interpreting information about the essential duties, tasks, and responsibilities of the job to be performed. A persons specification or job specification is vital to any organization as it enables the company to find the perfect person- to-job-fit, (Scribd, 2010). Moreover, it is also important that the skills, aptitudes, and knowledge outlined in the person specification are directly related to the needs of the job: if this is not so expectations will not be met, and both employers and employees will be disappointed (Scribd, 2010). The following job and person descriptions are recommended for the positions of a Server and Kitchen Assistant for Barretts Carvery to assist in their recruitment and selection process. JOB SPECIFICATION FOR SERVER JOB TITLE: Server DEPARTMENT: Dining REPORTS TO: Dining Section Manager OBJECTIVES: Our goal is to be professional and courteous at all times, to provide our customer the best services in order to gain a competitive edge, and to ensure total customer satisfaction. Servers are the first contact for our customers as such you must greet them in a professional and courteous manner in attempt to make Barretts Carvery the number one choice restaurant. (Food and Beverage Underground 2007-2008) Basic functions includes but not limited to: Serves Guests quickly and professionally Should have an excellent knowledge of the menus Maintains sections, and keep tables clean Essential functions: Work without supervision Polish all silverware and glassware used for services Approach Guests, warmly welcome and seat them at the next assigned table Introduce the beverage and food menu in a friendly and enthusiastic manner Accurately take orders Follow all safety and sanitation regulations Accurate calculation when preparing check Clear tables and reset them during shift Any other duties that may be assigned to you by your manager PERSON SPECIFICATION FOR SERVER   JOB TITLE: Server   DEPARTMENT: Dining Education, Training and Qualifications Knowledge High School Diploma Basic Math Skills Work experiences in a Restaurant Must hold a valid Food Hygiene certificate Skills and Aptitudes Speak fluent English Language Ability to communicate effectively Must be able to take directions Capable of working in Teams Must be able to work calmly in crisis Must possess problem solving abilities Non-essential requirements Ability to speak fluent Spanish Server Certification or training SERVER JOB DESCRIPTION Taking Orders, the server will be responsible for taking customer orders, organizing them, and keeping time of the course of the order. (Food and Beverage Underground 2007-2008) Working Environment, you are responsible for keeping your section clean and organized; silverwares and glasses spotless; change table cloths and dust chairs when necessary. (Food and Beverage Underground 2007-2008) Clearing of utensils, you are to replace needed utensils right away after cleaning a plate; be pro active by pre-setting utensils before your guest needs it. (Food and Beverage Underground 2007-2008) Be visible, you are to ensure that your guest can get your attention easily; keep surveying you section for jobs that need to be done. (Food and Beverage Underground 2007-2008) Menu, familiarize yourself with the menu and your specials, it is important for you to know what is offered to better sell the product. (Food and Beverage Underground 2007-2008) Check out, after organizing and calculating the check you are required to take it to the manager on duty who will review and approve same. (Food and Beverage Underground 2007-2008) Based on the job description, job and person specification Barretts Carvery should conduct an internal assessment to determine whether or not their needs can be met from existing staff resources through retraining or redevelopment. If these needs can be filled internally, the company should advertise the positions internally. Internal recruiting has several advantages: It is less costly than external search, and it generates higher employee commitment, development, and satisfaction because it offers opportunities for career advancement to employees rather than outsiders (Draft and Marcic, 2008). The simple monetary aspect of promoting qualified employees is the most obvious advantage. The costs associated with recruiting and training a new employee can be significantly higher than filling that position by promoting from within. A newly hired employee must take time to become acclimated to the corporate environment and learn the daily routines and minutiae that is already second natur e to an already employed worker (Sexton, 2007). Sexton went on to mentioned, depending upon the intricacies involved, its not unusual for it take several weeks or even months for a new employee to fully learn and acclimate himself to the company culture and become productive. By contrast, an employee already familiar with the company may be fully productive in a new position within a matter of days. In addition, the company will be better able to determine the psychological state of those already employed than it can of workers from outside the company (Sexton, 2007). Although there are some advantages with internal recruiting frequently , however external recruiting is advantageous, applicants are available through a variety of outside sources, including advertising, state employment services, online recruiting services, private employment agencies, job fairs and employee referrals (Draft and Marcic, 2008). If the vacancies cannot be filled internally then Barretts Carvery should begin its recruitment process by advertising externally. If no suitable applicants are identified after advertising then the company can opt to re-advertise, or redesign the job and person specification. SELECTION PROCESS On receipt of applications for the position Barretts Carvery should create shortlist in an attempt to determine which applicants are most suitable to fill the position; this commences the selection process. The selection process is the process of determining the skills, abilities, and other attributes a person needs to perform a particular job (Daft Marcic, 2008). The next step would be to select desired candidates from the shortlist of recruited applicants, and conduct interviews or assessment tests for the potential candidates. The suitability of the potential candidates can be assessed by various methods such as the use of application forms, interviews, tests, and assessment centers (Daft Marcic, 2008). In identifying suitable candidates, Barretts Carvery can use applications form to obtain information about persons applying for the position. The application form generally includes education, past job experiences, and personalities of the potential candidate. However, when reviewing application forms, Barretts Carvery should pay attention to questions specifically related to the position posted, so as not to create any undesirable outcome, and ensure there are no discriminatory practices. In addition to the information on the application forms, Barretts Carvery can also use the information garnered during the interview process. According to BusinessDictionary (2007-2010), an interview is a somewhat formal discussion between two parties in which information is exchanged. For a business looking to fill an open job position, an employer might interview potential candidates to gain a better understanding of their backgrounds, qualifications, and skills. Some organizations place major emphasis on the interview process. Google a popular search engine, for example, it could take an applicant anywhere from four to a dozen interviews before they get a shot at working with this company (Tay, 2006). Interviews are considered the most common method used in the selection process. Interviews give the interviewer an opportunity to meet the applicants face to face and see what the person is like and would be able to assess the applicants personalities (CIPD, revised 2010). It is recommended that Barretts Carvery conduct face-to-face interviews which will allow the company the opportunity to assess the applicants in person. Employment test can also play an important role in Barretts Carverys selection process. Employment tests are designed to assess applicants on particular characteristics like intelligence, skills, and other abilities. These tests can be written or computer-based (Daft Marcic, 2008). Today, about 50 percent of all companies ask candidates to answer questions that aim to measure their success at particular jobs for which they apply, industry experts said. Tests generally fall into three categories: cognition and ability tests, which measure an innate capability or intelligence; simulations and skill tests, which measure facts that a person knows; and personality and other indicator tests, which measure values and the right orientation for a specific job (Joyce, 2006). When creating its short list, Barretts Carvery, should ensure that the applicants selected must match the person specification to avoid costs of hiring the wrong persons. The final stage in Barretts Carverys selection process would be to confirm the offer to the selected applicants, who are then sent to undergo a medical for the purpose of pension, life insurance, or to ensure a certain level of physical fitness that may be required to carry out the job. The management of Barretts Carvery should then prepare the contract of employment. 1b) what benefits could Barretts Carvery offer the staff in order for them to remain within the organization? RETENTION Retaining employees is critical in any business. Employee turnover can become problematic especially in areas where skills are relatively scarce, recruitment is costly, or when it takes a long period to fill a vacancy. While employee turnover can be beneficial in some instances by replacing an underperforming employee with a more productive one, it can also have a negative impact such as the lost of productive employees to the competitors. In increasing its staff complement, Barretts Carvery must also ensure that the restaurant retains its current employees which can be accomplished by offering carious employee benefits (CIPD, 2009). EMPLOYEES BENEFITS Employee benefits are elements of remuneration given in addition to the various forms of cash pay. Employees benefits can also include items that are not strictly remuneration, such as annual holidays. (Armstrong, 2006). Employee benefits and their objectives may differ from one organization to another, certainly in the case of restaurants where little or no benefits are offered. According to Food Services Warehouse (2009), wages and salaries vary slightly from restaurant to restaurant, even for the same position. However, restaurant worker wages are different depending on the type of restaurant, the geographical location, and the worker responsibilities Restaurants are one of the businesses known to pay less than minimum wage, and the benefits are what the employees depend on which is sometimes minimal (Food Services Warehouse 2009). The most common restaurant employee benefits are said to be tips, meals, and paid time off. Although tips are often considered a benefit of working in a restaurant, many servers and bartenders would most likely consider it part or their income. (Food Services Warehouse 2009) Based on the fact that tips is not paid by the employer but rather by the customers, tips may not be considered a reliable benefits by some employees, especially in none elite restaurant such as Barretts Carvery. As tips are sometimes supported by the customers perception of the quality of services received, one recommendation Barretts Carvery can employ to retain employees is making gratuity mandatory. Mandatory gratuity which is then pass on to the respective employee, may give the employees a sense of security of receiving this benefit. However, gratuity, from personal experiences, can be problematic especially at times when the service rendered is abysmal. In cases were services are found deficient, Barretts Carvery should take corrective measures. Barretts Carvery could also offer the other common benefits including meals and paid time-off (Food Services Warehouse 2009). Another recommendation is to implement an Employee of the Month recognition program. A recognition program would enable employees to feel valued, which has a positive effect on staff retention (Jones 2010). KFC has a staff recognition program, and Misty Reich, vice-president HR at KFC UK and Ireland Reich, believes the companys culture of recognition sets it apart from its competitors (Jones 2010). It is not something you can really fabricate, says Reich. It comes off as being very inauthentic if it is not in the DNA of a business, and it is very much in our DNA (Jones 2010). Although monetary factor may appear to be the first choice of employee benefits there are other motivating factors that can drive employee to remain with companies including training, the access to the right tools (Heathfield 2010). Moreover, there are also some uncommon benefits within the restaurant industries which can be used by the management of Barretts Carvery; these include Insurance Medical, Dental, Vis ion, Life, and Disability. Barretts Carvery could offer one or more of these uncommon benefits which may not only help in the retention of employees, but also in gaining a competitive edge (Food Services Warehouse 2009). 1c) what ethical and legal implications will Barretts Carvery need to be aware of when recruiting new staff? ETHICAL AND LEGAL CONSIDERATION When recruiting new staff, Barretts Carvery must be cognizant of ethical and legal implication that may have an adverse impact on the business. Ethics take many forms, but in its most fundamental nature, ethics can be regarded as a set of principals of which governs the right conduct of a person (Draft and Marcic, 2008). Ethical Consideration should not be taken lightly by an employer or employee. HR specialists are concerned with ethical standards in three ways: their conduct as professionals, the values that govern their behaviour and the ethical standards of their firms (Armstrong, 2006). In an effort to prevent unethical conduct when recruiting new staff, Barretts Carvery must ensure that selected candidates have a clear understanding of the companys code of conduct and policies, which if not adhere to can result in dismissal. For example, employees of one of UK biggest restaurant chains can be dismissed if they do not adhere to the code of conduct, of not to encourage customers to leave cash tips. According to The Guardian (2009) Employees of Tragus which owns Strada, Cafà © Rouge, and Bella Italia are forbidden to tell diners that the optional service charge is used to subsidize the national minimum wage paid to waiters. Cash tips go directly to staff, but those paid by card go to the company. The company sent a memo last month to all restaurant managers telling them to crack down on staff who appeared to be encouraging customers to leave cash instead of putting the service charge on their card (Elliot, 2009). Barretts Carvery should be aware of the negative implications unethical behavior can have on the reputation, the employees, and operational success of the restaurant. Unethical behavior can have detrimental effects on organizations in ways including giving the company a bad image, causing ineffectiveness, harm sales, and worsen communication which can be costly to retract or repair (National Business Ethics Survey, 2000). Barretts Carvery should ensure that the new and current staff do not indulge in behavior that may be unethical questionable, as this may impact the productivity level of the restaurant. The paper went on to mention that, unethical behavior decreased efficiency, and increases misconduct (National Business Ethics Survey, 2000). In one survey, 71 percent of employees who saw honesty applied rarely or never in their organization had seen misconduct in the past year, compare with 52 percent who saw honesty applied occasionally, and 25 percent who saw it frequently. The f igures were similar for respect and trust (National Business Ethics Survey, 2000). Unethical behavior towards employees can hinder productivity, trust, caused demotivation, worsen absenteeism, and even affect the performance of the highly skilled (Michael and Rao, 2005). In addition to ethical implications, Barretts Carvery must also be concerned with legal consideration when recruiting new staff. One reason why the management of Barretts Carvery should be concerned about the legal implications is to minimize risks of being involved in legal battles. One method to minimize legal risks is to ensure that the recruiting practices conform to the laws that govern the hiring of employees. Barretts Carvery should also take care to ensure that the additional steps in the recruitment process such as job postings, questions asked during the interviews, the checking of references, and job offers, all comply with the legal requirements. Barretts Carvery can also refer to other sources for guidance on ethical and legal implications on hiring new staff. One such source is the Recruiter Guide. According to the A Recruiter Guide job postings or advertisements should not be published which give preference to: Race Colour Ancestry Place of origin Political belief Religion Marital status Family status Physical Mental disability Sex Sexual orientation Age Avoiding discrimination during the recruitment process does not only steer clear of legal battles it also allows you to select the best person for the job. Barretts Carvery must ensure that applicants are not selected based on race, sex, age, political beliefs, religious affiliation or any of the above because people can bring employment tribunal claim if they think they were discriminated during the selection process (Business Link, 2007). In addition to the Recruiter Guide, Barretts Carvery can also use the governing laws to avoid negative ethical and legal implication when recruiting new staff. According to BC Laws, Employment Standard Act, Chapter 13, when hiring an employee the following must be enforced. No False representations Hiring of Children No charge for hiring or providing No fees to other persons Employment and talent places must be licensed Farm labor contractor must be licensed Written employment contract required for domestics Register of employees working in residences It is recommended that Barretts Carvery examine the laws that govern to ensure that it is protected from any adverse legal and ethical implications. Barretts Carvery must also ensure that its employees familiarized themselves with these laws to recognized and prevent unlawful acts that may have ethical and legal implications. CONCLUSION In seeking to increase the number of employees, Barretts Carvery should not take its recruitment, selection, and retention processes lightly. The company should ensure that the job descriptions and person specifications are clear as possible; this is the foundation for selecting the right person for the job. Ensuring that the person specification is directly related to the job, and not selecting the right person for the job can prevent unnecessary costs. In an effort to select the right candidate Barretts Carvery should ensure that the method used, application forms, interviews, tests, etc are tailored to suit the job description: this is important, as not doing so can result in hiring the wrong persons. Moreover, Barretts Carvery must steer clear of any unethical behavior that may tarnished the image of the company, and should ensure that the companys recruitment, selection and retention processes addresses all ethical/unethical and legal issues that can arise. The company should en sure that all the laws that govern are adhere to, as doing so in the recruitment process can reduce the chances of misconduct and lawsuits.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Marijuana: Safe, Therapeutic, and Illegal :: Pro Marijuana Legalization

Marijuana is illegal. Illegal to possess, purchase, distribute or grow. To start off the basic non-creative, non-read between the lines question; Why? Why was marijuana made illegal that fateful day 68 years ago. Is there a justifiable reason to the original criminalization and continuation of that law to present day? So, again I ask; Why? Yet, besides the reason why marijuana is illegal many are against the prohibition laws. However, possibly just as many are for keeping marijuana in the same position it has stood for 68 years. Prohibitionists’ only non defensive argument is that marijuana is a gateway drug. Those in favor of marijuana legalization claim it has a medicinal value and is no worse than alcohol or cigarettes, in their own separate ways. Prohibitionists tend to disagree. Lastly, it seems the system is broken. The way the laws are set up really doesn’t work very effectively, or maybe the focus is on the wrong part of this situation or the ways to eliminate t he â€Å"problem† are being carried out in the wrong manor. Either way, whether marijuana is decriminalized or not some changes need to be made to the current system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After a series of events the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 banned marijuana but it created consequences that were not expected. Prior to the congressional meeting, at which marijuana would be banned, lies and propaganda had been flying about amongst the people. Only years after alcohol prohibition ended the liquor industry, obviously seeing marijuana as a major threat, released the movie Reefer Madness, depicting a man going insane from smoking marijuana, which leads him to murder his entire family. He obviously had some other serious issues. Seeing hemp as a major threat to the plastics industry and timber industry, each aided in promoting the movie and campaigning for marijuana prohibition. Since alcohol prohibition had ended in 1933 the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, now DEA, was losing money. This could be connected to their director, Harry Anslinger’s strong interest in marijuana prohibition. He spoke before congress with circumstantial evidence and accusati ons that I hopefully would not fly today. â€Å"Most marijuana smokers are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes.† I would think today that this statement would be considered bad conduct but then again it isn’t quite legal to have a partner of the same sex. Marijuana: Safe, Therapeutic, and Illegal :: Pro Marijuana Legalization Marijuana is illegal. Illegal to possess, purchase, distribute or grow. To start off the basic non-creative, non-read between the lines question; Why? Why was marijuana made illegal that fateful day 68 years ago. Is there a justifiable reason to the original criminalization and continuation of that law to present day? So, again I ask; Why? Yet, besides the reason why marijuana is illegal many are against the prohibition laws. However, possibly just as many are for keeping marijuana in the same position it has stood for 68 years. Prohibitionists’ only non defensive argument is that marijuana is a gateway drug. Those in favor of marijuana legalization claim it has a medicinal value and is no worse than alcohol or cigarettes, in their own separate ways. Prohibitionists tend to disagree. Lastly, it seems the system is broken. The way the laws are set up really doesn’t work very effectively, or maybe the focus is on the wrong part of this situation or the ways to eliminate t he â€Å"problem† are being carried out in the wrong manor. Either way, whether marijuana is decriminalized or not some changes need to be made to the current system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After a series of events the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 banned marijuana but it created consequences that were not expected. Prior to the congressional meeting, at which marijuana would be banned, lies and propaganda had been flying about amongst the people. Only years after alcohol prohibition ended the liquor industry, obviously seeing marijuana as a major threat, released the movie Reefer Madness, depicting a man going insane from smoking marijuana, which leads him to murder his entire family. He obviously had some other serious issues. Seeing hemp as a major threat to the plastics industry and timber industry, each aided in promoting the movie and campaigning for marijuana prohibition. Since alcohol prohibition had ended in 1933 the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, now DEA, was losing money. This could be connected to their director, Harry Anslinger’s strong interest in marijuana prohibition. He spoke before congress with circumstantial evidence and accusati ons that I hopefully would not fly today. â€Å"Most marijuana smokers are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes.† I would think today that this statement would be considered bad conduct but then again it isn’t quite legal to have a partner of the same sex.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

A Study Of The Negro Policeman: Book Review :: essays research papers

A Study of the Negro Policeman: Book Review Nicholas Alex, assistant professor of sociology at The City University of New York, holds a Ph.D. from the New School for Social Research and a B.S. from the Wharton School. He was formerly a research assistant with the Russell Sage Foundation, an instructor at Adelphi University, and has had working experience in his academic specialty-the sociology of professions and occupations-while an industrial engineer in the aircraft industry, later as business manager of the Walden School. This is his first book. In this book Alex made an effort to examine the peculiar problems of Negro policemen who live in an age which has not yet resolved to problem of inequality in an assertedly democratic society. He drawn heavily on the reflections of forty-one Negro policemen who made plain to me the difficulties involved in being black in blue. Alex was concerned with the ways in which the men were recruited into the police, the nature of their relations in regard to their immediate clientele, their counterparts, and the rest of society. In the broadest terms, the book examines the special problems that Negro policemen face in their efforts to reconcile their race with their work in the present framework of American values and beliefs. The research for the study was based on intensive interviews collected over a period of eleven months, from December 1964 to October 1965. During that time the author talked with Negro police engaged in different types of police specialties, and men of different rank and backgrounds. Alex was interested in preserving their anonymity, and substituted code numbers for names. The language in which their thoughts were expressed is unchanged. Most of the interviews were obtained either at the policeman's home or the authors. Some were held in parks, playgrounds, and luncheonettes. All of the interviews were open-ended. All the policemen refused to have there conversations taped. "I know too well what tapes can do to you," said one. "I can refute what you write down on that pad, but I can't if it's taped. We use tapes too, you know." The author was dealing with a highly expressive and literate group of men who thought of the study as a way in which they could make themselves heard. This book is organized very well. It consist of eight chapters, and each chapter is broken into subdivisions. The first chapter talks about the policemen in the community. Within this chapter mainly describes the police as and occupation, and states how the policemen's job is uncertain. The second chapter deals with the recruitment of Negroes for police work.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Vocabulary :: essays research papers

Vocabulary: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Amendment: Written change in the Constitution. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Balanced Budget: Budget in which income equals expenses. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Birthrate: Number of births per 1,000 persons during one year. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Block Grant: Federal funds given to state and local governments for broad purposes. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brown v. Board of Education: Concerned eight-year-old Linda Brown, a black girl living in Topeka, Kansas. The school only five blocks from Linda’s home was for whites only. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  City: Largest type of municipality. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Commander-In-Chief: Role of the President as head of the armed forces. 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Concurring Opinion: Statement written by a Supreme Court Justice who agrees with the majority but for different reasons. 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Counties: Subdivision of state government formed to carry out state laws, collect taxes, and supervise elections. 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Debt Limit: Limit on the amount of money a government may borrow. 11.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Delegated Powers: Power given to the federal government by the Constitution. 12.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dissenting Opinion: Statement written by a Supreme Court Justice who disagrees with the majority decision. 13.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Double Jeopardy: Being tried a second time for the same crime. 14.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Draft: Policy requiring men to serve in the military. 15.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Due Process: Right of all people to a fair trial. 16.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Electoral College: Group of people who cast the official votes that elect the President and Vice President. 17.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Filibuster: Method of delaying action in the Senate by making long speeches. 18.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General Election: Election in which the voters elect our leaders. 19.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Glittering Generalities: Method uses words that sound good but have little real meaning. 20.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Home Rule: Power of a city to write its own municipal charter and to manage its own affairs. 21.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Immigrant: Person who comes to a nation to settle as a permanent resident. 22.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Implied Power: Authority not specifically granted to Congress by the Constitution but which is suggested to be necessary to carry out the specific powers. 23.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Interest: Payment made for the use of loaned money. 24.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Interest Group: Organization of people with common interests who try to influence government policies and decisions. 25.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lobbyist: Person paid to represent an interest group’s viewpoint at congressional committee hearings and who tries to influence the votes of Congress members. 26.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marbury v. Madison: The case involved William Marbury, who had been promised appointment as a justice of the peace, and Secretary of State James Madison. 27.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Major-Council Plan: System of local government in which voters elect a city council to make laws and a major to carry out laws. 28.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Misdemeanor: Less serious crime, such as a traffic violation. 29.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Personal Income Tax: Tax on the income a person earns. 30.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plank: Each part of a political party’s platform. 31.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Political Action Committee: Political arm of a interest group that collects voluntary contributions from members and contributes it to political candidates and parties it favors.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Direct Democracy

In the United States, direct democracy takes its most evident form in ballot initiatives. According to the president of the Initiative and Referendum Institute, M. Dane Waters, a version of this practice was said to have existed as early as the 1600s in New England. The practice then was for proposed ordinances to be placed on the agenda to be discussed by the whole town and later approved by voting on them during their town meetings.However, Dane Waters continued, ballot initiative as it is known today started during the 1900s – specifically in 1978 when Proposition 13 reduced the property taxes in California from 2. 5 percent to 1 percent. That California initiative resulted to limitations in the property taxes of 43 states and a reduced rate in the income taxes in 15 states (Cato Policy Report). A Washington Post columnist, David S.Broder described ballot initiatives as a tool designed to enable the people to directly write laws and in the process, check the influence being wielded by interest groups in the legislative process. Unfortunately, Broder explained, the initiative process is flawed since the opinion of those who are in disagreement is not being heard. Because of this defect, he maintained, statutes approved through ballot initiatives are not being subjected to checks and balances, effectively robbing the minority of their right to be heard.Broder argued that this contradicts the intent of the founding fathers (Cato Policy Report). The chairman of the Cato Institute, William A. Niskanen, disagreed. He stressed that the initiative process is actually a system of checks and balances since it regulates the power of legislatures. In other words, it does not weaken the American system of government. Dane Waters supported the view of Niskanen. He maintained that ballot initiatives were not meant to introduce adverse changes in the American system of government but to enrich it.In fact, he said, even the founding fathers had recognized its wisdom. To prove his point, he quoted James Madison, one of the founding fathers, who said that As the people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the Constitutional Charter under which the several branches of government hold their power is derived, it seems strictly consonant to the republican theory to recur to the same original authority whenever it may be necessary to enlarge, diminish, or new-model the powers of government (Cato Policy Report).Ellen Ann Andersen, in â€Å"OUT OF THE CLOSESTS & into the Courts, demonstrated how a ballot initiative works. In her search for a suitable illustration, she decided to look at the effects of the initiative process on the civil rights of lesbians, gays and bisexuals (lgb’s). Her decision was baaed on the fact that until 1993, the focus of approximately 60 percent of all ballot initiatives in the country was the civil rights of lgb’s.She therefore concentrated on the most famous of these initiatives à ¢â‚¬â€œ Amendment 2 which was approved by the voters in Colorado in 1992 (Andersen). Amendment 2 was sparked by a proposed ordinance on human rights which was heard by the Human Rights Commission of Colorado Springs in 1991. The proposal sought to prohibit discrimination of any kind based on â€Å"race and color, their religion and creed, their national origin and ethnicity, their age, marital status, their sexual orientation, or their disabled condition.† It immediately encountered stiff opposition mostly from big fundamentalist Christian groups which included the biggest Christian radio ministry in the country – the Focus on the Family. Due to the relentless assault that they made against the proposed ordinance, it was finally defeated in the city council by a vote of 8-1 (Andersen). Things did not end there, however. The defeat of the proposed human rights ordinance started a statewide campaign against gay rights which culminated to the framing of Amendment 2.A grou p named Colorado for Family Values (CFV) was organized at the behest of three individuals, namely: Tony Marco, an anti-gay activist; David Noebel, head of anticommunist Summit Ministries, and Kevin Tebedo, who was the son of Maryanne Tebedo, a senator of the state of Colorado. CFV was able to establish links with national conservative organizations. It obtained the assistance of the â€Å"National Legal Foundation† in drafting Amendment 2 and used the handbook which was written by a lawyer who represented the â€Å"Concerned Women for America† as a guide for its efforts to promote the amendment.The proponents of Amendment 2 appealed to the moral values of the people and capitalized on their lack of adequate knowledge about homosexuality as they painted gays and lesbians as a hazard to society. It distributed a bulletin which alleged that Lately, America has been hearing a lot about the subject of childhood sexual abuse. This terrible epidemic has scarred countless youn g lives and destroyed thousands of families. But what militant homosexuals don’t want you to know is the large role they play in this epidemic.In fact, pedophilia (the sexual molestation of children) is actually an accepted part of the homosexual community (Andersen)! CFV also declared to the people of Colorado that homosexuals represented a great danger to the overall health of the community because they are the most relentless carriers of â€Å"sexually transmitted diseases; they are the most fertile breeders of diseases; and that by the middle of the 1990s, hospital bed would be difficult to come by due to the large number of homosexuals who are infected with AIDS (Andersen).Black propaganda such as these, coupled with the findings of a poll which was commissioned by the Denver Post which showed that 46 percent of respondents considered homosexuality to be morally wrong, 40 percent tolerated homosexuals, and 14 percent declared their neutrality, enabled the anti-gay secto rs of Colorado to deal a crushing blow to the gay militants. The CFV campaign also argued that lgb’s should not be granted protected status or â€Å"special rights† because they were not â€Å"legitimate† minorities having failed to satisfy the criteria set forth by Supreme Court decisions, namely:1. A group wanting true minority rights must show that it’s discriminated against to the point that its members cannot earn average income, get an adequate education, or enjoy a fulfilling cultural life. 2. The group must be clearly identifiable by unchangeable physical characteristics like skin color, gender, handicap, etc. (not behavior). 3. The group must clearly show that it is politically powerless (Andersen). In spite of the sting that black propaganda caused, it was the â€Å"no special rights† campaign slogan that dealt the greatest damage to the gay militants.Lawyer Jean Dubofsky said that The â€Å"no special rights† slogan was very cleve r, particularly given a time when at least white males don’t like affirmative action. The Amendment 2 people spent a lot of time talking about (how) you don’t want gays and lesbians getting in front of you in line for jobs or scholarships or college. Of course, that wasn’t what Amendment 2 was all about overall, but that’s the way it was sold†¦. People I talked with voted for it because they felt gay and lesbians should not get affirmative action (Andersen).In other words, Amendment 2 was ultimately approved by the voters of Colorado, thanks mainly to the underhanded campaign tactics employed by its proponents. Thus ended the political struggle waged by the gay activists. They were decidedly beaten in the political battle. However, it turned out that they were far from accepting defeat. Defeated in the political arena, they then turned to the legal battle. Amendment 2 proponents had only nine days to savor the taste of victory before the lgb’s petitioned the federal district court.A complaint was filed in the name of the following: Richard Evans (he was a former employee at the Mayor’s office of Denver who was open with his being gay); five other lgb’s; and a heterosexual male who was infected with AIDS. The cities of Boulder, Denver, and Aspen were also included as complainants because they had ordinances which protected the rights of lgb’s which Amendment 2 would effectively nullify (Andersen). The second aspect of the initiative process (the legal battle) turned out to be a different matter altogether.Prepared even before the election day as a â€Å"fallback† strategy, the complaint included several allegations. First, it argued that Amendment 2 violated the equal protection clause of the constitution. Then it claimed that the amendment denied lgb’s of their freedom of expression as well as association. Finally, it alleged that Amendment 2 was in violation of due process and the â₠¬Å"right to petition government for a redress of grievances† (Andersen). The difference between the political and the legal aspects of the initiative became immediately evident.Whereas the voters were the center of decision-making in the political exercise, the legal battle transferred the power to decide to the judges. A total of thirteen judges heard the arguments whether Amendment 2 should be considered constitutional. One was a district court judge; three were justices of the Supreme Court of Colorado; and nine justices came from the United States Supreme Court (Andersen). The two sides presented the same arguments that they used during the campaign.The proponents of the amendment argued that they were simply against granting homosexuals special rights and that they were interested in safeguarding the well-being of children and the family, and allow the state to allocate its resources to assisting the legitimate minorities. The gay advocates, on the other hand, argued that in fact â€Å"special rights† as employed by the proponents of the Amendment was merely a red herring to mislead people and that the Amendment would effectively deprive them of their rights and constitutionally-guaranteed protection.They further claimed that Amendment 2 was only motivated by the hostility of its proponents towards lgb’s and that homosexuality was in fact not only a â€Å"life-style choice† but is comparable to race and sexual orientation (Andersen). What happened, however, was while their arguments won for the proponents the battle for the ballot, the same arguments caused them to lose their case in court. Ironically, a dissenting judge claimed that the act of the majority justices from the Supreme Court in striking down the Amendment had been an act â€Å"not of judicial judgment, but of political will† (Andersen). Direct Democracy The assumption underlying the discussion on the initiative process is that the employment of paid petitioners is a harmful development reducing the quality of our democracy and privileging money over true commitment to causes that are put on ballot. However, this assumption is a questionable one, and counterevidence is abundant.Therefore, this essay will have the following structure: first of all, it will show little harms in employing paid signature-gatherers that are offset by possible benefits of such design of the initiative process, and, secondly, the essay will criticize the workability of the solutions offered in the concluding section of the chapter. The perceived danger in allowing paid petitioners is that only causes that enjoy considerable financial support can make their way to the ballot. Another threat, as opponents of this policy argue, is associated with the fact that it is devastating to the spirit of volunteerism and civic involvement.There is a view that ‘[p] aying petitioners degraded the signature gatherer because it came to be seen as a sales job rather than as the precious province of the public-spirited citizen’ (Ellis, 2002, p. 48). Thus, the need for mobilizing and engaging citizens becomes virtually irrelevant to policy-making process. However, there is little persuasive evidence that paid petitioners signify the death of grassroots and the advent of the ‘greenback democracy. ’ Issues that arouse strong public sentiment can recruit a sufficient number of volunteers to push their case through.There are several reasons why volunteer signatures drive will survive in the future. First of all, using volunteers in the qualification phase can help save money for the electoral contest. Secondly, volunteer petitioners often gather signatures with higher validity rates, thus the number of signatures needed decreases whenever volunteers are used. Thirdly, volunteer-based signature gathering campaigns constitute a way to mobilize and inform citizens. Fourthly, volunteer signatures drive is a powerful public relations tool, since such initiatives usually enjoy positive publicity (Ellis, 2002).Volunteer campaigns have potential to succeed only if a campaign issue can easily generate strong feelings among the public. Yet issues arousing strong public sentiment are few and far between; more often, it is an interest of a smaller group of people that is at stake, but it is undemocratic to disregard the plea of such groups of citizens only because their case does not excite hearts and minds of their fellow citizens. In the modern democracy, there are few deeply appalling wrongs that need immediate remedy and can attract crowds of concerned citizen, like the case of African Americans in the 1960s.In the modern democracy, incremental changes need to be made to accommodate different interests and to make their coexistence more efficient and pleasurable for all. Numerous notable initiatives, serving community interests best, made their way to the ballot thanks to paid petitioners. Furthermore, the ban on paid petitioners will affect different states in different ways. It will create a dangerous disparity in the quality of the initiative process in states with smaller and bigger populations.For example, it will create considerable complications for signature gathering in such states as California, where the number of signatures that are necessary for an initiative to be put on ballot can be several times higher than in other states. It is especially relevant given the everyday life constraints on citizenship and civic participation. Consumerist ideology makes long working hours an imperative and leaves people with less time to participate in politics and community affairs. People volunteer in their leisure time, and leisure is a competitive sector.It is hard to expect a large number of citizens to sacrifice their spare time for gathering signatures in favor of their cause, however strongl y they feel about it. Indeed, ‘[t]he main hurdle that most initiative proponents face is finding enough people willing and able to dedicate a large number of hours to gathering signatures’ (Ellis, 2002, p. 53). Moreover, there are legitimate concerns that the ban on paid petitioners will privilege people with abundant amount of spare time over those possessing more financial resources. In fact, paid petitioners democratize the initiative process by making it more inclusive.Many citizens do not hold strong opinions on some issues, but it by no means indicates that these issues should be excluded from the democratic debate. There are issues that are hard to frame in the way that solicits a passionate positive or negative attitude. In addition, privileging people with spare time over those with money borders on classism. For example, unemployed citizens with a lot of spare time can recruit a large number of volunteer to campaign for a welfare reform, while middle-class bus inessmen do not have such time to petition for a tax reduction.In a democracy, all groups ought to have equal access to the mechanisms of democratic participation and should be allowed to make the best use of resources available to them to ensure such participation. Therefore, as Ellis (2002, p. 54) notes, ‘the rise of paid petitioners and professional signature-gathering firms promotes democracy by increasing the involvement of a wider diversity of groups. ’ The ban on paid petitioners will not significantly decrease the role of big interests and money in the initiative process.A fact that is often overlooked by the opponents of paid petitioners concerns the evidence that recruitment, training, and coordination of volunteers mean considerable costs to an initiative sponsor, although volunteers work for free (Ellis, 2002). Moreover, the ban on paid petitioners will give an unfair advantage to organizations with better access to human resources. It ‘would advantage firms that employed large numbers of people and would make it impossible for all but the most popular causes to exercise the right of direct democracy’ (Ellis, 2002, p. 48).The opponents of paid petitioners also overlook the fact that signature gathering firms have a more professional approach to the initiative process. One of the possible advantages, as Ellis (2002) acknowledges, is that such firms have more experience in planning signature gathering campaigns and can offer a clear timeline for the process. However, there is another important advantage in employing signature gathering firms. Professionals working there can inform citizens more efficiently by presenting information about the issue at stake in a more accessible and understandable way.Thus, the indirect benefit of using paid petitioners is greater awareness of the citizenry on a wider array of issues. The proposal to ban paid petitioners also underestimates people’s ability to choose whether to sign a p etition. It is argued that signatories to petitions do not express their real opinion but agree to sign them ‘for a variety of reasons, among which are desire to be rid of the solicitor or to help him earn a day’s wages’ (Register, 1913; in Ellis, 2002). However, citizens are often more aware and concerned than this notion assumes.Many of them refuse to sign petitions that contradict their convictions. If ignorance was the case, volunteer signature drives would be as futile as professional signature gathering firms. Having proven that the harms involved in the process of employing paid petitioners in the initiative process are often exaggerated, there is a need to critique the proposed solutions to the perceived crisis. Providing more information about signature gathering will have little effect, as citizens are already overwhelmed with information on public issues.Few would dedicate their time to studying booklets on how certain initiatives made their way to the ballot. There are cognitive constraints on the amount of information citizens can consume. Furthermore, few would have enough spare time to devote it to reading booklets with information on how many volunteers and how many paid petitioners were employed to gather support for a certain initiative. The proposal to leave petitions with county registration officers can be dismissed on similar grounds: citizens do not have enough spare time to dedicate to public affairs.Valuing signatures collected by volunteers over those collected by paid petitioners is simply non-enforceable. Abandoning signature gathering altogether is also not a viable alternative, since the process of petitioning presents at least some checks on the power of large interests. Paid petitioners ensure that issues of at least some interest to at least some groups of citizens make their way to the ballot. In fact, it does not quite matter how issues are placed on ballot; what matters most is the citizens’ abilit y to express their opinion about different initiatives in a popular vote.