Information and knowledge in technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Information and knowledge in technology - Essay Example Such information flow cannot be regulated by the government. Search engines have evolved into very efficient machines today. The first search engines did not meet the needs of the average person. Searches yielded irrelevant information. Companies paid search engine companies to show their websites whenever a customer searched for a certain word or group of words. For example, when a person searched in Yahoo for the word â€Å"car," BMW was among the first websites to appear even before a website that defined the word â€Å"car" (Battelle, 2005). While such advertising models were beneficial to businesses, customers hoped that an efficient search engine would be created. People wanted a tool that would help them get information fast. When Google was created, it answered most of the customer’s needs. First of all, the philosophy that drove the creation of Google was to organise all the information of the world so that people could easily search and get it. The company refused to follow the model of Yahoo and other search engines. In fact, it took some time before Google thought of a way of monetising the search engine. Deep down their hearts, they wanted to help people out. It is the reason Google is the number one search engine on the planet. Other companies followed the model set by Google, so included Microsoft with Bing. Google and other modern search engines earn money through advertising. They use pay per click model whereby all the adverts that appear after the customer searches for information depends on what the customer has looked. It is not a random system. Social media is another method through which people get information. Human beings are social and they do not live in isolation. The fact that people can connect and communicate with loved ones post photos and content such as music and video have revolutionised the way we live. Companies such as Facebook and Twitter facilitate massive transfer of information for people who have signed up for

Scientific Method Essay Example for Free

Scientific Method Essay The scientific method has four steps 1. Observation and description of a phenomenon. The observations are made visually or with the aid of scientific equipment. 2. Formulation of a hypothesis to explain the phenomenon in the form of a causal mechanism or a mathematical relation. 3. Test the hypothesis by analyzing the results of observations or by predicting and observing the existence of new phenomena that follow from the hypothesis. If experiments do not confirm the hypothesis, the hypothesis must be rejected or modified (Go back to Step 2). 4. Establish a theory based on repeated verification of the results. The subject of a scientific experiment has to be observable and reproducible. Observations may be made with the unaided eye, a microscope, a telescope, a voltmeter, or any other apparatus suitable for detecting the desired phenomenon. The invention of the telescope in 1608 made it possible for Galileo to discover the moons of Jupiter two years later. Other scientists confirmed Galileos observations and the course of astronomy was changed. However, some observations that were not able to withstand tests of objectivity were the canals of Mars reported by astronomer Percival Lowell. Lowell claimed to be able to see a network of canals in Mars that he attributed to intelligent life in that planet. Bigger telescopes and satellite missions to Mars failed to confirm the existence of canals. This was a case where the observations could not be independently verified or reproduced, and the hypothesis about intelligent life was unjustified by the observations. To Lowells credit, he predicted the existence of the planet Pluto in 1905 based on perturbations in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. This was a good example of deductive logic. The application of the theory of gravitation to the known planets predicted that they should be in a different position from where they were. If the law of gravitation was not wrong, then something else had to account for the variation. Pluto was discovered 25 years later. Limitations of the Scientific Method Science has some well-known limitations. Science works by studying problems in isolation. This is very effective at getting good, approximate solutions. Problems outside these artificial boundaries are generally not addressed. The consistent, formal systems of symbols and mathematics used in science cannot prove all statements, and furthermore, they cannot prove all TRUE statements. Kurt Godel showed this in 1931. The limitations of formal logical systems make it necessary for scientists to discard their old systems of thought and introduce new ones occasionally. Newtons gravitational model works fairly well for everyday physical descriptions, but it is not able to account for many important observations. For this reason, it has been replaced by Einsteins general theory of relativity for most celestial phenomena. Instead of talking about gravity, we now are supposed to talk about the curvature of the four-dimensional time-space continuum. Scientific observations are also subject to physical limits that may prevent us from finding the ultimate truth. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that it is impossible to determine simultaneously the position and momentum of an elementary particle. So, if we know the location of a particle we cannot determine its velocity, and if we know its velocity we cannot determine its location. Jacob Bronowski wrote that nature is not a gigantic formalizable system because to formalize it we would have to make some assumptions that cut some of its parts from consideration, and having done that, we cannot have a system that embraces the whole of nature. The application of the scientific method is limited to independently observable, measurable events that can be reproduced. The scientific method is also applicable to random events that have statistical distributions. In atomic chemistry, for example, it is impossible to predict when one specific atom will decay and emit radiation, but it is possible to devise theories and formulas to predict when half of the atoms of a large sample will decay. Irreproducible results cannot be studied by the scientific method. There was one day when many car owners reported that the alarm systems of their cars were set off at about the same time without any apparent cause. Automotive engineers were not able to discover the reason because the problem could not be reproduced. They hypothesized that it could have been radio interference from a passing airplane, but they could not prove it one way or another. Mental conceptual experiences cannot be studied by the scientific method either. At this time there is no instrumentation that enables someone to monitor what anybody else conceives in their mind, although it is possible to determine which part of the brain is active during any given task. It is not possible to define experiments to determine objectively which works of art are great, or whether Picasso was better than Matisse. So-called miracles are also beyond the scientific method. A person has tumors and faces certain death, and then, the tumors start shrinking and the person becomes healthy. What brought about the remission? A change in diet? A change in mental attitude? It is impossible to go back in time to monitor all variables that could have caused the cure, and it would be unethical to plant new tumors into the person to try to reproduce the results for a more careful study. Critical Thinking The scientific method relies on critical thinking, which is the process of questioning common beliefs and explanations to distinguish those beliefs that are reasonable and logical from those which lack adequate evidence or rational foundation. Arguments consists of one or more premises and one conclusion. A premise is a statement that is offered in support of a claim being made. Premises and claims can be either true or false. In deductive arguments the premises provide complete support for the conclusion. If the premises provide the required degree of support for the conclusion then the argument is valid, and if all its premises are true, then the conclusion must be true. In inductive arguments the premises provide some degree of support for the conclusion. When the premises of inductive arguments are true, their conclusion is likely to be true. Arguments that have one or more false premises are unsound. Fallacies Arguments are subject to a variety of fallacies. A fallacy is an error in reasoning in which the premises given for the conclusion do not provide the needed degree of support. A deductive fallacy is a deductive argument where the premises are all true but reach a false conclusion. An inductive fallacy consist of arguments where the premises do not provide enough support for the conclusion. In such cases, even if the premises are true, the conclusion is not likely to be true. Common fallacies are categorized by their type, such as Ad Hominem (personal attack), and appeals to authority, belief, fear, ridicule, tradition, etc. An example of an Ad Hominem fallacy would be to say You do not understand this because you are American (or Chinese, etc. . The national origin of a person (the premise) has nothing to do with the conclusion that a person can understand something or not, therefore the argument is flawed. Appeals to ridicule are of the form: You would be stupid to believe that the earth goes around the sun. Sometimes, a naive or false justification may be added in appeals to ridicule, such as we can plainly see the sun go around the earth every day. Appe als to authority are of the form The president of the United States said this, therefore it must be true. The fact that a famous person, great person, or authority figure said something is not a valid basis for something being true. Truth is independent of who said it. Types of Evidence Evidence is something that provides proof concerning a matter in question. Direct or Experimental evidence. The scientific methods relies on direct evidence, i. e. , evidence that can be directly observed and tested. Scientific experiments are designed to be repeated by other scientists and to demonstrate unequivocably the point that they are trying to prove by controlling all the factors that could influence the results. A scientist conducts an experiment by varying a single factor and observing the results. When appropriate, double blind experiments are conducted to avoid the possibility of bias. If it is necessary to determine the effectiveness of a drug, an independent scientist will prepare the drug and an inert substance (a placebo), identifying them as A and B. A second scientist selects two groups of patients with similar characteristics (age, sex, etc. ), and not knowing which is the real drug, administers substance A to one group of patients and substance B to the second group of patients. By not knowing whether A or B is the real drug, the second scientist focuses on the results of the experiment and can make objective evaluations. At the end of the experiment, the second scientist should be able to tell whether the group receiving substance A showed improvements over those receiving substance B. If no effect can be shown, the drug being tested is ineffective. Neither the second scientist nor the patients can cheat by favoring one substance over another, because they do not know which is the real drug. Anecdotal, Correlational, or Circumstantial Evidence. Where there is smoke, there is fire is a popular saying. When two things occur together frequently, it is possible to assume that there is a direct or causative relationship between them, but it is also possible that there are other factors. For example, if you get sick every time that you eat fish and drink milk, you could assume that you are allergic to fish. However, you may be allergic to milk, or only to the com bination of fish with milk. Correlational evidence is good for developing hypotheses that can then be tested with the proper experiments, e. g. drink milk only, eat fish only, eat fish and milk together. There is nothing wrong with using representative cases to illustrate an inductive conclusion drawn from a fair sample. The problem arises when a single case or a few selected cases are used to draw a conclusion which would not be supported by a properly conducted study. Argumentative Evidence consists of evaluating facts that are known and formulating a hypothesis about what the facts imply. Argumentative evidence is notoriously unreliable because anybody can postulate a hypothesis about anything. This was illustrated above with the example about the channels of Mars implying intelligent life. The statement I heard a noise in the attic, it must be a ghost also falls in this category. Testimonial Evidence. A famous football player appears on television and says that Drug-XYZ provides relief from pain and works better than anything else. You know that the football player gets paid for making the commercial. How much can you trust this evidence? Not very much. Testimonials are often biased in favor of a particular point of view. In court proceedings, something actually experienced by a witness (eyewitness information) has greater weight than what someone told a witness (hearsay information). Nevertheless, experiments have repeatedly demonstrated that eyewitness accounts are highly unreliable when compared with films of the events. The statement I saw a ghost last night. is an example of testimonial evidence that probably cannot be verified and should not be trusted. On the other hand, the statement I saw a car crash yesterday. can be objectively verified to determine whether it is true or false by checking for debris from the accident, hospital records, and other physical evidence. Make full use of your senses. Making use of your senses is the subjective part of the Methodology. This is the stage where your special sensory skills can be put to use. If you have extraordinary hearing, use it. If you have a photographic memory make sure that it gets used for most of your problem solving. Nobody else has your s pecific impressions of your environment. Your point of view and your observations are unique. Part of using your senses may involve using instrumentation or interaction with others. Lucky charms, divining rods, and other magical devices that do not have reproducible and verifiable functionality do not count as instrumentation. If you dont have perfect eyesight and you need to see something clearly, use your glasses. Make observations from several points of view to get good depth perception and to confirm impressions. Take photographs if you need to remember something in great detail. Use a tape recorder or a notepad to record your observations for later review. Make sure that your senses are at their best by avoiding intoxicants that affect your perceptions. Interaction with others may involve using another being (not necessarily human) to make the observations for you. For example, a blind person may use a seeing-eye dog to get around, a truck driver may use directions from someone else when backing up into a tight spot, a hunter may use a dogs sense of smell for tracking game, or a miner may use a canary to warn him of pockets of unbreathable odorless gases. Whenever you trust someone elses perception more than your own you may find that the conclusions that you reach are unsatisfactory. How many hunters have been led astray by dogs that followed a rabbits trail rather than the foxs? And how many truck drivers have crashed while backing up because they misinterpreted their helpers signals? Reliance on your own senses is the only way to avoid such problems, but you dont always have this choice. The application of logic may be necessary to determine which perceptions you can trust. Let us say that you are not under the influence of any drugs and you see an apparition of a dead person, what should you do? How do you distinguish hallucinations from real perceptions? How do you know if your senses fool you or if your observations are real? One time-honored test is to pinch yourself to make sure that you are not dreaming. If you should tell someone else about your experience and they dont observe the same things, does this mean that you are crazy or that something is wrong with you? Or does this prove that you have more refined perception that enables you to see things that others do not see? What would it be like to live in a world where only you have color vision and everyone else is colorblind? The difference between real perceptions and hallucinations is that you can repeat and reproduce results from real perceptions but not from hallucinations. In a world where you are the only person with color vision, you would eventually be able to prove to everyone else by objective means that colors, or at least different frequencies of light, do exist.

Standards for Moral Conduct in Criminal Justice

Standards for Moral Conduct in Criminal Justice I have become in fascinated with the way that the criminal justice field works. There are so many different career opportunities that one can get apply to. The field of work that I feel would be best for me will be a juvenile probationer officer. I do feel that being in this line of work will benefit me as well as the juveniles that I can work with. I will be able to help those individuals that have gotten into trouble and help them turn their life around and do positive things that will benefit them in the long run. Job Description To begin, a juvenile probation officer (JPO) is an individual who has the authority to supervise youth who have been delinquent or undisciplined in court and who are placed on probation or protective supervision by the presiding judge and being able work closely with law enforcement, social services, schools, and parents to help juveniles become successful. In this field of work, the probation officers primary task is to supervise the youth on their caseloads for compliance with the courts orders. Normally the tasks involved are regular visits to the juveniles home, school, work, and other areas of the community in which the juvenile frequents. This is a way for the officer to see inside the world of the juvenile. They are able to see where they live and what factors are playing a role in their behavior. These visits could possibly range from weekly as well as monthly visits. This will be determined based off of the supervision level given by the court. These visits can also include unannounced visits to check compliance with curfew, to conduct random drug screens, and to monitor the whereabouts of the juveniles. During this time, the officer will give referral information that will assist with the intervention plan for the juvenile and his or her parents. And if for some reason the juvenile is placed on electric monitoring, the JPO will also install the equipment, attach the monitor, and track the juveniles activities. Stakeholders When it comes to the stakeholders that are involved with this career, there are a few. The stakeholders are individuals that stay on the local system for the adoption of new reforms. The stakeholders can be district attorneys, judges, directors of child welfare agencies, as well as probation officers or chiefs. These individuals along, have sessions to discuss what is the best way to handle the juvenile system. The overall goal is to decrease crime and lower the costs of juvenile defendants. Ethical Decision Making Moral Action In the field of juvenile probation officers, there are many types of issues that could possibly come about. First, one has to understand that they are dealing with a child. Second, this child belongs to someone that most likely cares for them and want them to get the proper help. And third, one has to have some form of understanding when dealing with the different types of juveniles that come before them. So one scenario would be how to handle a juvenile that is quite disrespectable and out of control. Another scenario can be how could I handle a juvenile that thinks they know everything and we as authority figures cant tell them anything. They are right and everyone is wrong. And a third scenario can be how to deal with a juvenile that has gotten their first offense and is not sure of the rules and regulations. As we know, working with juveniles can be a task. With the fact that they are somewhat of age but have managed to follow the wrong crowd, can be difficult at times to get the m to understand they are making very bad decisions. So being a probationer officer, this becomes a task of almost trying to re-raise an individual that has been taught all wrong. Ethical Theories Due to the fact that probation officers deal with many types of individuals, one has to have some ethical theories in place to follow. There are times when one theory might not be compatible with the type of individual you are dealing with. Probation officers have to be prepared at all times. One theory that I could apply to this line of work would be the deontological theory. This theory judges the morality of an action based on the actions adherence to a rule or rules. Basically this is an ethics of duty or obligation. With this theory, I am very well capable of informing juveniles the rules and regulations. There will be a clear understanding that the rules provided will be followed or there will be consequences. Now as always, there are advantages and disadvantages to using certain methods. Now a few of the pros of deontological theory is that the information given is straightforward. That basically means there will be no cutting of the corners. There is simply one principal as the moral test of all actions. The rules will be followed. Another pro is that it carries an intuitive appeal. We feel that we should be respected at all times. Regardless of the situation, the respect has to be acknowledged. There are also cons to this theory as well. One con is the act-to-produce-the-best-consequences. This simply means that no matter what, the outcome must have a great consequence. That means that if a juvenile has violated probation a certain number of times, the consequence for that action has to be the best. This could simply mean jail time for that juvenile. Another con would be that this theory has to deal with conflict that seem to exist between duties and between certain rights. This basically means that conflict of ones duties is inconceivable. There is not a chance th at the rules laid out would be broken. Getting more into the theories, I would also use the virtue theory. Virtue theory judges a person by his/her character rather than by the action that may deviate from his/her normal behavior  It takes the persons morals, reputation and motivation into account when rating an unusual and irregular behavior that is considered unethical. Overall, one would be able to look into the past of the juvenile to see how this person normally acts. One might also be able to determine the cause of why the juvenile ended up going down the path he or she did. The advantage for this theory is that the focus will switch for moral value rather than from the act. Simply put, I would rather judge on what I know about the behavior of the individual than the crime that was committed. Another advantage is that there is an opportunity to learn and improve ones moral life. I am sure that there is a way to help this juvenile get on the right track and to avoid breaking the law in the future. Well, unfortunately, there are also disadvantages or cons to this theory. One of these disadvantages is that it does not take into consideration a persons change in moral character. We know that once we know a character of a person, we want to believe that person will always maintain that character. But there are times when a person can get caught up with the wrong crowd and their whole demeanor will change forever. Another disadvantage would be that virtue ethics does not seem to have room for basic concepts such as rights and obligations. One will seem very inadequate in dealing with big issues. Well in this case, a person would have a difficult time with giving the consequence of the offenders actions. They can only see the good and not the bad. Code of Ethics When it comes to creating a code of ethics, I would want to make sure that it will cover exactly how my organization will be defined. A code of ethics is an overview of what the organization stands for and what the organization as a whole is trying to achieve. It will detail how professionals are supposed to approach problems, the ethical principles based on the organizations core values and the standards to which the professional is held. One of code of ethics would be that professional service will be rendered to the justice system and to the community assuring the social adjustment for an offender. Another code will be that we must abide by all federal laws, federal guidelines and rules, and state laws. I would want to make sure that all officers follow rules to avoid misconduct. A third code would be that we as an organization will uphold the law with dignity, displaying an awareness of our responsibility to offenders while recognizing the right of the public to be safeguarded fr om criminal activity. We will also respect and protect the legal rights of all juveniles and their parents and/or guardians. Regardless of the offenders reason for being there, they should always be respected as well as their rights protected. One has to remember that we are dealing with young individuals. I will also want to enforce to serve each child with concern for their welfare with no expectation of personal gain. Simply put, do what is best for that child without wanting to be recognized for the work you pledged to do. And a final code would be to treat all juveniles and their families with courtesy, consideration, and dignity. We must remember that we are all human, we are not perfect. There will come a time when we all will make a mistake so we should not judge. Best Practices Overall, I would want to make sure that everyone involved with the juveniles are following the same rules and regulation. I would want to make sure that there is a best-practice checklist that one will familiarize themselves with on a daily basis. So to begin, the first on the checklist would be to concentrate on having juveniles being able to understand and relate to the thinking process that warrant negative behavior. Second, we want to promote strong bonds with, and respect for, the other member of his or her family, peers, school, and any other individuals that deal with them on a daily basis. Third, have a comprehensive and understandable path for the juveniles progression towards completion. Fourth, have constant rules in place in the event of misbehavior and rewards for good behavior. Fifth, provide an assortment of highly structured programming activities, including education and/or hands-on vocational training and skill development. Sixth, facilitate discussions that promote family problem solving. Last but not least, integrate delinquent and at-risk youth into generally prosocial groups to prevent the development of delinquent peer groups. Implications The goal with this checklist is to make sure that we can get these juveniles on the right path. They need individuals that can understand and relate to them. They are also looking to be able to trust the individual they are dealing with. When you are able to have compassion and understanding with these juveniles, you will have a better outcome of them opening up to you. And by giving them positive options rather than being in the street, they might also feel a sort of security with you. They will start to put their trust in you. Having positive outlets will always lead to more getting out of the delinquent life style and trying to better them in a positive way. Conclusion In the end, I am sure that my code of ethics will have a positive impact on all the stakeholders. With the fact that all times, we as a whole will always render a professional service. That means at all times, attitudes will be professional regardless of the situation at hand. Also with the fact that all laws, federal and state, will be followed. There will be no corner cutting when it comes to following the rules. And if for some reason any wants not to abide by those rules, there will be consequences. Also, when it comes to the juveniles, we will make sure that their legal rights are protected. Just because they have broken the law, we will treat them with respect and make sure they are protected. But most importantly, we will always be concerned for the welfare of that child. One can appreciate the fact that these children will be taken care of and treated with respect. As I stated earlier, we all make mistakes and dealing with probation system is a way to get that second chance o n life. Regardless of what has transpired, the juvenile will be able to start making better decisions to improve a healthy and positive lifestyle. I do believe that these codes will greatly please the stakeholders. They will have a complete understanding of the goals that we as an organization are trying to fulfil. There will also be an understanding that these juveniles will be treated with the upmost respect and that there wellbeing is our number one concern. But most of all, we are here for them to be able to acknowledge their wrong doings and understand the consequences of their actions. This will be the first step to getting them back on the right track and understanding that there are more positive things you can do with your life besides being in trouble with the law. References Juvenile Probation Officer Career Guide (2016). Criminal Justice Degree Schools. Retrieved  from http://www.criminaljusticedegreeschools.com/criminal-justice-careers/juvenile-probation-officer/ Davis, A., Irvine, A., Ziedenberg, J. (2014). Stakeholders Views on the Movement to  Reduce Youth Incarceration. National Council on Crime Delinquency. Retrieved from  http://www.nccdglobal.org/sites/default/files/publication_pdf/deincarceration-summary-report.pdf Alexander, L., Moore, M. (2012). Deontological Ethics. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.  Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-deontological/ Banks, Cyndi (2013). Criminal Justice Ethics: Theory and Practice (3rd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA.  Sage Publications, Inc. Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Standards. Juvenile Justice Professional Code of Ethics for  Certified Officers. Retrieved from https://www.tjjd.texas.gov/publications/Standards/TAC345STAN.pdf American Probation and Parole Association (2009). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from  https://www.appa-net.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?WebCode=IA_CodeEthics Rainbow, Catherine (2002). Descriptions of Ethical Theories and Principles. Department of  Biology. Retrieved from http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/kabernd/indep/carainbow/theories.htm Investopedia (2016). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from www.investopedia.com/terms/c/code-of-ethics.asp Pros and Cons of Virtue Ethics: Philosophy. Retrieved from  http://www.sevenoaksphilosophy.org/downloads/virtueprocon.pdf Bilchik, Shay (1999). Focus on Accountability: Best Practices for Juvenile Court and Probation. Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants Program. Retrieved from  https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/177611.pdf

Karl Marx :: essays research papers fc

Karl Marx The most influential person pre-1900   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"If a fair list were given, †¦, it would seem reasonable to say that he was bad tempered, caustic, fierce, vain, self-sacrificing, selfish, whining, capable of great love, a good father, a lover of mankind, fatherly to all, honest, scrupulous, tender, brilliant, eminently rational, racist in an off hand manner, irony as an art, a person obsessed with irony, obsessive in general, flexible, a brilliant politician, but a candid one as they go.†(Olson 11) Hopefully we have all heard the name Karl Marx at some time or another, but what did he do that’s so important? Marx was a great influence from before 1900, but his influences are also felt throughout this century. Marx was the most influential person in world history before 1900 because he developed a new form of government, Marxism influenced several world leaders, and Marxism can be linked to such important events as the Russian Revolution and the Cold War.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main reason Marx is so important is because of the political philosophy that he developed, appropriately dubbed Marxism and commonly called Communism. Marx’s goal was to spiritually release mankind by freeing him of his economic chains and allowing him to find harmony with his fellow man and with nature (Fromm 3). Marx’s interests in economics started when he wrote two extensive essays on the position of Eifel peasants and Moselle vinegrowers (Leonhard 4). His interests were also engaged by the labor movement, which the effects of were just becoming apparent (Leonhard 4). As talk about communist ideas first began to rise, Marx was reserved about his opinions (Leonhard 4). In spite of his reservations, Marx heavily researched the contemporary French literature on socialism and Communism, and in 1843 moved to Paris, the heart of the revolutionary movement (Leonhard 4). While in Paris, one of the most important events of his stay occurred, his meeti ng with Friedrich Engels. â€Å"This was the beginning of a lifelong friendship and collaboration of the founders of scientific socialism.† (Leonhard 5) Marx and Engels emphasized the connection of socialist aims, economic reality, and the struggle of the working class (Leonhard 5-6). In 1847 Marx was invited to join the â€Å"League of the Just† which was later renamed the â€Å"Communist League†(Leonhard 6). Marx and Engels were instructed to work out a political program form the Communist League (Leonhard 6-7). Engels sketched a draft of questions and answers know as the Principles of Communism, after reworking by Marx this became the Communist manifesto (Leonhard 7).

Verba and Non-Verbal Communication Theories

In all communication events, unless there is a relationship between actions and words, the message can be wrongly interpreted. I observed a conversation between a bartender and a customer in busy and crowded bar. The customer wanted the buy one more double bourbon but the bartender refused to sell to him. This resulted in a series of communication theories, which will be analysed later. In order to analyse the communication theories that provide most insight into understanding the dynamics of the observed event, it is necessary to define what communication is and examine the different communication models and theories used in the observed event. In the context of the observed event, verbal and nonverbal communication, paralanguage, noise (psychological and physical), attribution errors, body movements (emblems, illustrators, affect displays and regulators) are the communication theories that will be examined to show how they all combine to give more meaning to messages. Communication is a process of which information flows from one source to a receiver and back. ( who) communication is a two way process which is complete only when the receiver gives feedback that he or she has understood the message. When people use words to communicate, they do not just listen to what is said in order to understand the message. They also look at the person who is speaking to see what their body is doing and listen to the way they are saying the words to understand their full message. For example, in the observed event, 80% of the communication has been made before the customer even opened his mouth to speak. The customer staggered to the bar and verbally asked to be served one more double bourbon. The bartender refused to serve him because he knew the customer is already drunk and according to the NSW law, should not be served any more drinks. The question is how did the bartender know the customer was drunk? As opposed to the verbal message, the bartender was able to decipher the nonverbal messages being sent by the customer – the disturbed balance in his movement, his glassy eyes, smell of alcohol, sweat on his face, and the muddled speech. ll these indicated to the bartender that this customer is drunk. When his request was denied, the customer became defensive saying he was not drunk. He refused the alternative non-alcoholic drinks offered by the bartender and became instantly aggressive, yelling and abusing the bartender. One could read the evidence of paralanguage in the customer’s voice. ‘Paralanguage is the vocal (but nonverbal) dimension of speech. (reading 2. 2) one could read from the high pitch of his voice, and the angry tone of his voice which was becoming loud that the customer is beginning to get angry and aggressive. One could also see the angry look on his face; this is called affect display which is any emotional response in a communication. There are also different body movements by both the bartender and the customer that all gave more meaning to the conversation. For example, when the customer could not be controlled, the bartender called the security staff by raising his hand palm up and establishing eye contact with him. The security understood immediately that his service was needed at the bar. This nonverbal body movement is called emblems. According to ( textbook p. 69) ‘emblems are those gestures that have a specific verbal translation. Another body movement was the way the bartender was shaking his head side to side at the same time he was declining the customer’s request. This type is called an illustrator. Illustrators are all those gestures that go along with our speech. ’(textbook p. 70) There was also the evidence of repetitions of messages in the observed event. the bartender had to explain to the customer over and over again why he would not serve him more alcohol because the customer kept saying he should be served now. Here, there was difficulty getting the message across to the customer and this could be due to a particular barrier to communication called noise. Noise is any distortion factor that blocks, disrupts, or distrusts the message being sent to the receiver, interfering with the communication process. (textbook p. 7) In this context, the noise could be psychological due to the emotional state of the customer (being drunk) or physical noise stemming from the loud music in the club and also the presence of many people. Not getting the message across easily could also be due to attribution errors which are errors people make because they assign a certain meaning to something that was not intended. In this event, the customer is of Indian origin; so it could be that he understood the bartender’s shaking of head to be a ‘Yes’ instead of ‘No’. This is because a slow shaking of head in India means ‘Yes’. The presence of regulators such as ‘pauses’ that occurred throughout this conversation indicate opportunities for feedback and responses to be sure the other person is listening. To conclude, communication, which is the exchange of ideas, knowledge, information and attitudes, is much more than words. Although verbal and nonverbal communication are similar in that they both convey meanings and different in more ways, both of them put together provide complete meaning of the message. Even though they work together, it is nonverbal communication that accounts for 65 to 93% of the total meaning of communication. (birdwhitsell, 1970; mehrabian, 1981). This means that what is not being said in a communication determines the success or failure of that communication. Due to the dynamic nature of communications, it is important to master nonverbal behaviours especially in service industries like tourism and hospitality for effective communication. The bartender being able to know the customer was drunk was due to the nonverbal symptoms of drunkenness. Most symptoms of drunkenness are universal irrespective of age, gender, culture or origin and can be easily identified. Thus the different communication theories used in this communication event: verbal and nonverbal communication (vocal and nonvocal), the different types of body movements, noise (physical and psychological), attribution errors all combine to provide the most insight into understanding the dynamics of the observed event.

Johnsonville Sausage

Johnsonville Sausage – Quality Improvement through Change Situation Post 1980, Ralph Stayer began to observe decline in quality due to inattention of the workers as well as ill-maintenance of the equipment in the production unit. With the help of Mr. Lee Thayer, Stayer has planned to implement a major change in the company’s philosophy. Transition from old philosophy purged Stayer’s responsibilities of decision making by decentralizing the power of decision making. The new philosophy was implemented to bring out changes in various departments of the company viz. management structure, personnel, compensation, manufacturing and also systems and controls. According to Thayer’s new philosophy, performance of the personnel and requirement of guidance to personnel to achieve their objectives were the key elements. Management structure was broken down by hiring experienced personnel for the new superior level management to oversee finance, marketing and operation s functions. Stayer emphasized people development as the core element of the new philosophy. Changes in personnel include development of list of responsibilities by the workers themselves and eliminating the performance review process.These changes in personnel function led changes in compensation with the implementation of â€Å"company performance share† program which increased individual responsibility of workers. However this transition was not in agreement among workers while some are excited about it. In terms of manufacturing changes, lead persons were installed at various departments, eliminating supervisors, to seek information and provide necessary measures to train and improve capacities of workers under designated group. Responsibilities of lead person also include development of budget planning and production requirement planning.Job switching and alternating works were practiced to enrich workers’ capabilities and enhance performance and also job satisfac tion. System and controls changes included individuals to develop and be accountable for their own budgets and forecasts and also allow them to analyze performance data. In addition, subordinates were needed to self-evaluate their performance to respective managers. Problem The main issue of the case is the resistance shown by the personnel towards the company’s philosophy transition. According to Stayer, upon implementation of new philosophy, workers at all level were expected to embrace the change.Instead, the company faced issues related to the final goal of the implementation, unsuccessful organization structural changes, clash of responsibilities among the workers, participation of less number of employees in the company decision making process and finally lack of high job satisfaction. However, these issues were expected to expire once the transition is complete. Palmer Sausage offered its consolidated business to Johnsonville but the issue here was whether Stayer could handle an expanded Palmer contract.Stayer examined the situation by understanding that in order to run the contract the company would require to recruit and train a big set of people along with existing people acquiring new skills and retain high quality on both the in-house and Palmer products. In order to achieve this, Johnsonville needs to run the production six or seven days a week for more than a year until its new plant was ready. On the other hand, the company may need to run the business at risk i. e. , if Palmer canceled the contract with 30-day prior notice leaves Johnsonville not only with massive layoffs and but also huge inventory with no market for it.Analysis As the year 1980 folded, Stayer recognizes to restructure his management structure for the growing company. Stayer also realized that there was decline in the quality of the products and employees were also demotivated to work. Later on, in collaboration with Thayer Lee, Stayer has planned to implement new philo sophy which is focused on performance and helps people accomplish their objectives through well-defined job descriptions, clear understanding on performance standards, and providing the required resources. Johnsonville’s new values are based on deep moral commitment to the individual.The main aim of the transition is to augment people capacities, rather than the business. Stayer changed view of his autocratic leadership to a role as a leader delegating his subordinates rather than directing them. Furthermore, the new philosophy also motivated each worker to commit to the company’s betterment. Upon full transition, Stayer expects to create an atmosphere of constant learning and development. The transition also supports creativity, encourages responsibility, and empowers employees to develop solutions rather than simply follow orders.Over the period of time, the company’s organizational structure was transformed in support to the new culture of worker empowerment. Autocratic management was decentralized in order to become more democratic. Conventional management position were replaced by lead persons and their teams who controlled their own compensation, hiring, firing, quality control, and near-and long-term company goals. Several ground-breaking solutions were instigated and evaluated and each member of the company was involved for the company’s success.Moreover, a rewarding compensation system was implemented to retain employees and hone their skills and performance. Over-the-time, Stayer had achieved a complete organizational transformation successfully. In terms of Palmer’s offer, Stayer has two recommendations – either he can accept or decline to take over the Palmer’s business. If Stayer had taken over the business, they might have the advantages of the opportunity for growth and additional revenue. On this regard, private label business offers a 25% return on assets.Contrariwise, the deal clashes with John sonville’s recent business strategy which prevents the company to push private label business over 15%. The company could compete for capital with the rest of the business once it crosses 15%. In addition to this, the company, while in contract with Palmer, is producing at huge capacity utilization. If the deal is on then the company might need to execute two long shifts for six or seven days a week in order to process the new business. Recommendation At this stand-off point, Johnsonville could be advised to accept Palmer’s deal which help the former to tap the revenue and growth opportunities.Stayer’s Johnsonville should continue to implement its new philosophy in a way that it does not affect the previous work-culture. During the agreement, Stayer should continue to involve employees in the decision making process to accept the private label business and planning to handle the additional workload as well. Apart from this, Stayer is required to motivate his tea ms to meet for evaluating staffing requirements, production and quality goals. With the involvement of workers and assigning responsibility for the important decisions, Stayer will help secure their buy-in for tackling the challenges ahead.