Social Darwinism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Social Darwinism - Essay Example â€Å"Social Darwinism† is a term used to refer to the application of ideas and concepts applied to the social world which are allegedly derived from Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution (Leonard, 2009). There is much controversy surrounding Social Darwinism, its historical significance, its usage and applicability and most importantly its association with some of the known social scientist in history such as Darwin and Spencer. The debate around the definition of the term has in most cases revolved around whether or not Social Darwinism came out of the works of Darwin and other theorists that wrote about the role of biology to explain the social hierarchies present during that era, as Europe, America and other continents witnessed the aftermath of industrialization. There are basically two types of approaches to the definition of the term that have been put forward to explain the different approaches theorists have taken in order to explain the term (Crook, 1996). The â€Å"generalist† approach basically refers to Social Darwinism as the analysis of social inequality by the help of evolutionary and developmental ideas using Darwinian terminologies such as â€Å"survival of the fittest† but not explicitly relying on the original works of Darwin (Weiler). The second type known as the â€Å"restrictionist† approach in contrast, argues that a mere use of phrases that represent the work of a theorist such as â€Å"survival of fittest† does not define the theorist as a Social Darwinist (Weiler). According to the broad definition, the theory came to denote racism, imperialism and capitalism during what came to be known as the Gilded Age where, whilst the poor suffered the consequences of Industrialization in the American society, those that owned the factories and benefited from the wealth they were acquiring, although fewer in number, used Social Darwinism to justify why such notions as â€Å"survival of the fittest† put forward by Darwin and Spencer made it logical for only those that were biologically gifted or a so called â€Å"superior race† to be market leaders and worthy of acquiring the most wealth and superior positions in politics (Hodgson 2004). There is also debate on when the term was first used and while the works of theorists like Hofstadter gave a strict definition of who the Social Darwinist are, others such as Hodgson have argued that these theorists present as facts what are basically just labels (Hodgson 2004). The history of the term is a controversial issue. While some say that the term was first used in the late 1800s and was associated with known social theorists like Spencer and Sumner (Wieler), for example Spencer’s Synthetic Philosophy is one of the first pieces of literature where the term can be traced (Hodgson 2004), others argue that Spencer never used the term Social Darwinism and that he is deemed one of the founders of the theory only based on assoc iations made between the theory and Spencer’s work (Hodgson, 2004). This paper will aim to present a critique of the theory â€Å"Social Darwinism† as presented in the book â€Å"Social Darwinism in American Thought† by Hofstadter that proved to be a very influential piece on the theory. In order to do so I will look at the work of revisionists such as Hodgson and Leonard who

GM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

GM - Essay Example Through this structure the car design process speed up as the decision making of the global engineering and design groups was recentralized. GM had employed a 'Localization Strategy' in the beginning. With this strategy, although there was local responsiveness and the products were designed according to the demands of the various global divisions but due to this decentralized control in each country it operated, there was a duplication of the various activities like the design, component parts, manufacturing and sales functions in the various divisions which resulted in an increase in the costs of GM and therefore effected GM's revenues and profits. The company later implemented a 'Global Standardization Strategy'. This strategy was based on the product-group structure and aimed at coordinating the activities of home and overseas operations. Through this strategy by sharing expertise, the various divisions work together to design cars which can be sold anywhere across the globe. GM has been changing its global structure to allow it to coordinate the production and sale of its products most effectively around the world by the implementation of a "Global Standardization Strategy". GM has firstly centralized the car design and production decisions.

Social Darwinism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Social Darwinism - Essay Example â€Å"Social Darwinism† is a term used to refer to the application of ideas and concepts applied to the social world which are allegedly derived from Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution (Leonard, 2009). There is much controversy surrounding Social Darwinism, its historical significance, its usage and applicability and most importantly its association with some of the known social scientist in history such as Darwin and Spencer. The debate around the definition of the term has in most cases revolved around whether or not Social Darwinism came out of the works of Darwin and other theorists that wrote about the role of biology to explain the social hierarchies present during that era, as Europe, America and other continents witnessed the aftermath of industrialization. There are basically two types of approaches to the definition of the term that have been put forward to explain the different approaches theorists have taken in order to explain the term (Crook, 1996). The â€Å"generalist† approach basically refers to Social Darwinism as the analysis of social inequality by the help of evolutionary and developmental ideas using Darwinian terminologies such as â€Å"survival of the fittest† but not explicitly relying on the original works of Darwin (Weiler). The second type known as the â€Å"restrictionist† approach in contrast, argues that a mere use of phrases that represent the work of a theorist such as â€Å"survival of fittest† does not define the theorist as a Social Darwinist (Weiler). According to the broad definition, the theory came to denote racism, imperialism and capitalism during what came to be known as the Gilded Age where, whilst the poor suffered the consequences of Industrialization in the American society, those that owned the factories and benefited from the wealth they were acquiring, although fewer in number, used Social Darwinism to justify why such notions as â€Å"survival of the fittest† put forward by Darwin and Spencer made it logical for only those that were biologically gifted or a so called â€Å"superior race† to be market leaders and worthy of acquiring the most wealth and superior positions in politics (Hodgson 2004). There is also debate on when the term was first used and while the works of theorists like Hofstadter gave a strict definition of who the Social Darwinist are, others such as Hodgson have argued that these theorists present as facts what are basically just labels (Hodgson 2004). The history of the term is a controversial issue. While some say that the term was first used in the late 1800s and was associated with known social theorists like Spencer and Sumner (Wieler), for example Spencer’s Synthetic Philosophy is one of the first pieces of literature where the term can be traced (Hodgson 2004), others argue that Spencer never used the term Social Darwinism and that he is deemed one of the founders of the theory only based on assoc iations made between the theory and Spencer’s work (Hodgson, 2004). This paper will aim to present a critique of the theory â€Å"Social Darwinism† as presented in the book â€Å"Social Darwinism in American Thought† by Hofstadter that proved to be a very influential piece on the theory. In order to do so I will look at the work of revisionists such as Hodgson and Leonard who

The Hunger Games Essays That Shows Katniss Qualities Essay Example for Free

The Hunger Games Essays That Shows Katniss Qualities Essay Have you ever been taken away from your family and friends? Been forced into a game where to stay alive is the only way to win? The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is about sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the country of Panem from the far- off city called the Capitol. The Capitol divides in districts. It is harsh, cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games until the end of the death and only one survive. Strength and kind Katniss faces challenges and survives the Hunger Games. Katniss has used her strength to try and get through the Hunger Games. When Peeta Mellark had gotten cut by Cato’s sword, he was deeply wounded. Katniss has to try and treat him in order to save his life. She runs toward the Cornucopia without cares of her own to get the bag pack of medicine that will survive Peeta’s life. Also, Katniss has bow and arrows that shows her strength. With her bow and arrows, she finds food and kills her enemies. She can do many things and can last longer throughout the Hunger Games. She acknowledges, â€Å"So I focus on the one really good thing that’s happened since I landed in the arena. I have a bow and arrows! A full dozen arrows if you count the one I retrieved in the tree. They bear no trace of the noxious green slime that came from Glimmer’s body†(197). She had also used bow and arrows when she was in District 12 to help support her mother and her sister, Prim. Along with her strength, she has also kindness for others that succeed her to win the Hunger Games. Katniss goes to the Cornucopia to get the bag pack of medicine that will help to save Peeta’s life. At the feast Clove attacks on Katniss but before killing her, Clove makes a foment about Rue. Thresh hears her and survives Katniss from Clove. He doesn’t kill Katniss because Katniss was rue ally and he feels that he owes her. Katniss acknowledges, â€Å" I decorate her body in the flowers. Covering the ugly wound. Wreathing her face. Weaving her hair with bright colors†(237). That shows Katniss loves Rue because she looks like Prim. In conclusion, the author wants to show us how we can face difficult problems in our life with the help of our qualities. If we have good qualities, we can win every challenge. I have a friend who lives in country of India, city is called Bihar. Bihar government is very cruel and harsh. The political status of this city is not good. Bihar city is poor and struggling with food poverty. The people of Bihar are controlling by their government. The girls cannot go to schools and colleges in this city. My friend has very intelligent and has good qualities. She is president of team that is against the government of Bihar. They use their strength and power to change the rules of their city. Finally, they succeeded in their challenge. Like those People or Katniss we can use our qualities to succeed in our life.

Cross-Cultural Differences

Cross-Cultural Differences Communication is the process of exchanging ideas, facts and figures from one person to another. The term cross cultural implies interaction with people of different cultural, ethnic, age and class backgrounds. Cross cultural communication is a form of global communication which describes how people of different culture communicate and interact with each other in different ways among themselves. Cross cultural communication is a field of study that draws various ways that we have learned to speak and gives non-verbal messages. Communication is interactive in nature and is greatly influenced by our relationship with others. Different words may mean different meanings to different people. In addition to this what makes cross cultural communication really difficult is the difference in language even the same word can mean different things. Thus miscommunication is likely to happen when it involves significant cultural differences among the communicators. This is what known as Cross Cultural difference. CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES For understanding cultural issues in an organization it is essential to understand employee behavior. Five conclusions that can be drawn about cross cultural impact on employee behavior are discussed as follows: Firstly, individual behavior varies across cultures. Employees based on India, Japan, U.S and Germany is likely to have different perceptions, attitudes and patterns of behavior. Secondly, culture itself is an important variable. Various other factors like standard of living and geographic conditions also causes change in behavior of people. Thirdly, behavior of people within organization remains quite diverse across cultures. Though organizations themselves appear to be increasingly similar but the people who work within organization differ markedly. Fourthly, the managerial behavior also differs from culture to culture. A manager may adopt one set of behavior when working in one culture but may change those behaviors when moved into a different culture. Lastly, cultural diversity can be an important source of energy in enhancing organizational effectiveness. Today many organizations are realizing the virtues of cultural diversity. FUNDAMENTAL PATTERNS OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES There are six different cultural patterns that tend to vary from one person to another person. These are discussed as follows: Different communication styles The way people communicate varies widely within people of different cultures. What may mean to one person may have a different meaning to other person. This aspect of communication style is known as language usage. Some words carries different meaning across different cultures. Another aspect of the communication style is the degree of importance given to verbal and non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication not only includes gestures and facial expressions but also involves seating arrangements, sense of time, personal distance etc. Different attitudes towards conflicts Some cultures see conflict in positive manner while others view it as something to be avoided. In the U.S conflict is not considered to be desirable however people often are encouraged to directly face conflicts as they arise. In eastern countries conflicts are considered to be embarrassing; a written exchange might be favorable means to address the conflict. Different approaches to completing the tasks Approaches to completing tasks vary from culture to culture. The reason behind this is different judgments of the rewards associated with the accomplishment of the task, different notions of time and access to resources available. For example Asian culture tends to give more importance to the developing relationships and emphasize more on the task completion towards the end as compared to the European-American culture. Different decision making styles The role played by an individual in decision making process varies from culture to culture. For example in US decisions are frequently delegated i.e. an official assigns the responsibilities to the subordinates associated with the task while in Japan consensus is the preferred mode. Different attitudes towards disclosure In some cultures it is not considered appropriate to be open about emotions, personal feelings and information or a conflict or misunderstanding. When you are working with others or dealing with a conflict questions like what was the conflict about? Or what was your role in the conflict may seem natural to you but may seem intrusive to others. Different approaches to knowing Differences are likely to occur among cultural groups when it comes to knowing things. For example European culture tends to consider information acquired by measuring and counting rather than the other ways of coming to knowing things. Compare that to African cultures preference for affecting ways of knowing things including rhythm and symbolic imagery. EXAMPLE Mr. A went for an interview in a Japanese firm named ABC Electronics Ltd. On selection he was told that after a months training he has to visit Japan for a five years project. Mr. A also accepted the opportunity for working with MNC and was looking forward for the project. During his visit to Japan that is one of the largest economies in the world he observed various cultural differences not only at workplace but even in the society also. Some of the common aspects and challenges that he observed in Japanese culture are discussed as follows: Rules and etiquettes Japanese adheres closely to rules and regulations. It was clearly evident from the low crime rates. Aspects of etiquettes include vocabulary, grammar for polite conversation, Principles for exchanging gifts and greeting others. This made him aware that Japanese are very certain about their rules and regulations. Hierarchy In Japan a strong hierarchical structure still exists with respect, responsibility and authority being rewarded based on age, status and experience. When communicating with Japanese it is considered wise to pay attention towards the face. Face is closely linked with personal pride and forms the basis for an individuals status and reputation. Damaging face through over confrontation can be disastrous for business relationship in Japan. Concept of time Time is one of the major challenges while working in Japanese culture as Japanese are very strict regarding the punctuality. While working being early or on time for all appointments, meetings whether formal or informal is a show of respect and sincerity towards the task while any event of being late requires an apology. Communication styles Understanding communication style is another biggest challenge that is often faced while working in Japanese culture. Japanese have a preference for indirect and high context communication. They emphasize more on the impact of body language, developing relationship, emotions and other non-verbal communication. Harmony In Japan there is more emphasizing on collectivism rather than individualism. They place significant emphasize on loyalty towards the group. In Japanese culture it is important to understand that praising or prioritizing any one individual over others is likely to be embarrassing. OVERCOMING CROSS CULTURAL DIFFERENCES No matter whom you are or where you live or which culture you come from it is important to recognize that although other people may dress like you or even work for the same company they are not just like you. Some of the common aspects that Mr. A observed and decided to follows in order to overcome cross cultural differences are discussed as follows. The key to effective cross cultural communication is knowledge. It is very essential for people to understand the potential problems of cross cultural communication and to be prepared to adjust your behavior accordingly. Try to learn from generalizations about other cultures, but do not use those generalizations to oversimplify your ideas about other persons. One should practice and practice because the more effort you put in observing and learning about other culture more easily you can overcome cross cultural difference. One should not assume that his way of communicating is the only right way of communication in fact one should keep questioning about his assumptions about the right way to communicate. Try to listen actively and empathetically. By putting yourself in the other persons shoes especially when other persons perceptions and ideas are completely different from your own, you might need to operate at the edge of your own comfort zone. Another key ingredient that helps in overcoming cross cultural difference is developing awareness about an individuals culture. This is because if you dont have understanding about different cultures than how do you communicate to someone who understands and relates to the world differently to you. Reflective listening plays an important role in overcoming cross cultural differences. It is very helpful in checking out the meaning of what someone says by repeating back what you have heard which in turn helps you to confirm what has been said accurately. Another important point that one must keep in his mind at workplace is to be wise. People need to be aware how to interact with people with respect and knowledge. One must show maturity of thought and action in dealing with people. CONCLUSION Thus working across different cultures requires a diverse skill set and a different business approach from business in general. When bridging the cultures both similar and foreign to our own certain strategies are crucial for the success of international project which are briefly described as follows. Learning about the project beforehand This helps to get a feel for the atmosphere, attitude and the angle that the business has. Observing new environment One must carefully observe how people act, dress and treat each other. This will keep a persons observation skills engaged and alert to elements that will help you to adjust in new environment easily. Allow more time Working across different culture takes more time to adjust. Communication may be slowed and logistics may be different. Give yourself more time to process information before taking any decision. Learn to tolerate uncertainty Definitive and concrete answers may not always be given especially when you working with Japanese culture with high tolerance for uncertainty.

Probability Theory Statistics :: essays research papers

The Collier Encyclopedia’s definition for probability is the concern for events that are not certain and the reasonableness of one expectation over another. These expectations are usually based on some facts about past events or what is known as statistics. Collier describes statistics to be the science of the classification and manipulation of data in order to draw inferences. Inferences here can be read to mean expectations, leading to the conclusion that the two go hand in hand in accomplishing what mankind has tried to accomplish since the beginning of time – predicting the future. It is the notion of science that this is the most accurate way to predict events yet to occur and this has lead to it being the most widely accepted “fortune telling'; tool in the world today. Probability and Statistics most widespread use is in the arena of gambling. Gambling is big all over the world and lots of money is won and lost with their aid. In horse racing especially the statistics of a horse in terms of its physical condition and winning history sway numbers of persons into believing that the mathematical evidence that is derived can actually be a good indicator of a race’s outcome. Usually it is if the odds or probability are great in favor of the desired outcome. However the future is uncertain and races can turn out any of a number of different ways. The field of medicine is another high subscriber to this forecasting technique. Potential diagnoses are frequently made based on a patient’s history or that of his ancestors and the calculated likelihood of him/her acquiring certain conditions. Statistics and probability aid in the decision making process of which test may be required for a given symptom and how a possible outbreak may be detected and contained. Strategies for isolating and dealing with diseases are often made with the aid of statistics on the percentage of a population that may have been infected and the probability of its escalation. The weather forecasters use probability and statistics just as much if not more than any other field on earth. As weather patterns are not fully understood and are dynamic, analysts have to rely heavily on past weather systems and patterns to “guess'; or estimate the possibility of present weather systems to behave in similar manners. If the probability of its behavior, subject to certain factors, in one manner over another is high forecasters make decisions as to how to advise the public.

The History of Scientific Management Theories Essay -- administrative

In the history of management thinking, there are many ways to manage an organization, such as scientific management and administrative management. This essay will discuss the notion that scientific management was a ‘good’ idea in the history of management thinking, by looking at the historical backgrounds and political beliefs of economist, also how the develop management theory by conducting experiments, and how their theories made it into the managing business does and how do they work. First of all, what is management itself? Management as explained in the Organizational Behaviour book, is a set of activities such as planning, decision making, organizing, leading and controlling the organization’s resources including human, financial, physical, and information. In order for high performance result, achieving organizational goals efficiently and effectively. (Wood et al, 2006. pp12-13) This essay would focus on the scientific management theories; it is where the concept of job specialization and division of labour are born, during that time it was the days of industrial era. The business was expanding, yet the productivity was labour intensive since technology was not much help at that time. Thus managers must find a way to improve the performance of individual workers, and that; the scientific management theory was created. The history of scientific management closely related with Fredrick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915), known as the father of scientific management. Other than Taylor, there are other four renowned economist; Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, and Henry Ford. Each manager has their own way of scientific managing, Taylor who is considered to be the father of scientific management, as explained in the book prepared by... ...rove output production and efficiency of an organization. We could see this specialization everywhere in a workplace, the easiest way to create an example of this in department store; everyone has their own task, the cashier work on the cashier machine, the customer service work on helping visitors and pointing out information. Also in the restaurant, in the kitchen itself, there different task done by different people, the high chef manage the other workers and guiding them with the cooking recipe, then they have other workers who would just do one task such as boiling, frying, cutting, and then the waitress deliver the food. Those are few examples of specialization in the line of work we see today. With that fact, it is clear that scientific management was a good idea in the history of management, providing ways in organizations to achieve more productivity.