I Am A First Year Student, Majoring And Mechanical...

I am a first year student, majoring in mechanical engineering at Wentworth Institute of Technology. I am writing to you in regards to your â€Å"Only Connect† ideas about what makes a liberally educated individual. I somewhat agree with your views on what constitutes a liberal education. The idea of liberal educated people reminds me of what we all try to achieve but basically do not reach it because we think it’s a â€Å"state† that we reach after reading the expectations set for us rather than living and applying it. It takes more than being able to be socially adapt with the ten social qualities stated in your writing. One who is educated can be considered liberally educated as long as they have applied their education to their daily life. Those in society that exhibited a form of liberal education used their knowledge and applied it to their daily life. This learned logic gives them a deeper understanding view of the world. People such as Bill Gates, Barack Obama, used what they learned in order to achieve a form of liberal education which encompasses the ten skills and application of traditional education. They are liberated in using what they have learned, programming, and law in order to become well known world/company leaders. The ten qualities stated in your â€Å"Only Connect† only deal with the social skills an individual must have in order to be a â€Å"liberally educated person. One of the skills that I find interesting and contradicts part of your view is that, â€Å"They understand

Essay on The Importance of Moderation in Greek Philosophy

Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher, once said that all men possess by nature a craving for knowledge. This idea has been explored for thousands of years within various cultures throughout the world. Within Aristotles own culture, many greek myths were developed that pondered the idea of the constant search for knowledge. One of the most famous perhaps is the myth of Daedalus and Icarus. This myth tells the classic story of a man, Daedalus, who wishes to escape the island of Crete with his son Icarus. He creates wings for both himself and Icarus but warns his son that he should not attempt to fly too low near the water or too high near the sun for fear of death. Icarus does not heade his warning and flies high near the sun. The†¦show more content†¦The main form of government that developed throughout the Greek empire was the direct democracy. However, this system sprang up toward the latter end of the empire. The myth of Daedalus and Icarus was written during the Mino an period, which lasted from 2600-1200 BCE. The Minoans enforced a Beareaucratic Monarchy which was the most prevalent form of government at the time (Dickinson 46). According to Oliver Dickinson, a Bearucratic Monarchy consists of a government that includes a king [monarch] but also employs various other offices to collect taxes, keep order, and enforce laws (47). It appears that the Greeks took active steps to limit the authority of the King, so that he would not have too much power. The government also played an active role in Greek trading. The Greeks predominately traded with Egypt, Italy and other Mediteranean cultures. The government set up trading committees that enforced strict taxes to regulate trade (Dickinson 234). Again there is a certain amount of control and restriction that the Greeks enforced. The strong government employed by the Greeks shows that as modern as their society was, they definitly believed in regulation. The Daedalus and Icarus myth reflects the idea t hat chaos ensues if there is no restriction. Perhaps the best example of limitations on power and knowledge comes from Greek philosophy. The Greeks developed the philosophy of Epistomology, which is the study of knowledge. Within epistomology, there are twoShow MoreRelatedReligion and the Development of the Western World1065 Words   |  5 Pagesthe ruler. The rise of the Greeks was a revolutionary step away from this system. Although Greek society was also greatly influenced by their polytheistic religion, they took an intellectual approach to the study of the man-nature relationship. Instead of accepting or inventing mystical explanations for the world around them they applied their development of science to philosophy seeking out empirical answers to the questions of the universe. The focus of Greek thought was on the community ofRead MoreEssay on Religion and the Development of the Western World1109 Words   |  5 Pagesthe ruler.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The rise of the Greeks was a revolutionary step away from this system. Although Greek society was also greatly influenced by their polytheistic religion, they took an intellectual approach to the study of the man-nature relationship. Instead of accepting or inventing mystical explanations for the world around them they applied their development of science to philosophy seeking out empirical answers to the questions of the universe. The focus of Greek thought was on the community ofRead MoreThe Golden Age Of Greece Essay1039 Words   |  5 PagesMohammad AhmadiSt. ID W 0674593Classical Idea in Philosophy, Art and Architecture in Ancient AthensClassical idea, also referred to as classicism, refers to a period within the 17th and 18th century, past the 5th century from class notes, in Greece which was marked by favored rationality, strict forms and restraint in philosophy, arts and architecture (Pollitt, 2012). Philosophy is the belief on how people should live. It involves investigating how people live, beliefs and their ethics. Art involvesRead More Learning Temperance in Homer’s Odyssey Essay1522 Words   |  7 PagesLearning Temperance in Homer’s Odyssey Being a work of importance in the western tradition of philosophy, The Odyssey is much more than some play written by Homer ages ago. Though The Odyssey certainly is a dramatic work and partially intended for entertainment, it also provides insight into the ways of thinking of the time it has been written in. Aside from illustrating the perspective of early Greek philosophy The Odyssey also raises certain questions pertaining to virtues and the moralityRead MoreAristotle : The Good Life1708 Words   |  7 PagesAristotle: The Good Life Aristotle along with Plato and Socrates are three of the first and arguably the most important philosophers when it comes to modern day philosophy and ethics. Aristotle’s work extended beyond ethics and philosophy into scientific thought where he was a very important figure in that field as well. One of Aristotle’s greatest works was the Nicomachean Ethics. In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle explores how people should live and concentrates on the individual’s ethical responsibilitiesRead MoreEssay on Counseling Ethics804 Words   |  4 Pagesrelationship with help seekers, co workers and governing institutions, and Non Malefiscence, and prompt referral action- when appropriate are of paramount importance. So then, following this ethics code ensures decision making and application is credible and can bear public scrutiny. FOUNDATIONS OF THE CODE WHAT IS ETHICS? Ethics is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions of what actions and inactions are right or wrong, questions, about morality, about concepts of good or bad actions and inactionsRead MoreAnalysis of Republic Essay1365 Words   |  6 Pages Philosophy is a Greek word meaning love of wisdom. Throughout Platos Republic, wisdom plays an important role. According to Plato, education is wisdom and all of our knowledge is not acquiring information, but remembering it from the past. He felt that wisdom is a skill that comes to us naturally as we are just removing the veil of ignorance. His search for the true meaning of justice leads to a discussion with his peers of education and what part it should play in the ideal state that theyRead MoreOedipus as King of Thebes: Antigone by Sophocles1380 Words   |  6 Pagesin the Aeneid by Virgil, where the Trojans filled with pride and neglecting the voice of reason, decide to carry the wooden horse into their city as a form of trophy. Consequently their attempt to feed their own hubris would be their doom, as the Greeks lying in wait within the horse ascend from it once in the city, delivering a brutal slaughter. The question then presents itself, are human beings all born with pride, doomed to fall victim to its deceitful nature as it presents itself in the choicesRead MoreA Classical View Of The Romantic Movement1877 Words   |  8 Pagesinfluence by Classical ideologies which related to the wider philosophy of the Romantic Movement. This essay will apply a Classical perspective to John Keats’ Odes. I will examine how John Keats was inspired by the ideologies of the Greeks and Roman mythology. John Keats based his Odes on Roman myths and Greek artefacts; he used these to explore wider themes that relate to Greek Philosophy. This essay will show how Keats related the wider philosophy of the Romantic Movement to the ideologies to the ClassicalRead MoreA Case Study On Homosexuality1303 Words   |  6 Pagesactivities within different cultures spread throughout the entire world. In Greece, it was very common during the 5th century B.C. it was very common for older men and young boys to share a very sexual and intimate relationship with one another. To the Greeks, gender was looked at as an irrelevant factor and rather the focus was on the beauty and interest of what was shared between the two people. They were also known to exchange gifts with one another usually being roosters . The adult male in the relationship

Dennys Restaurant free essay sample

Corporation is one of the largest full-service family restaurant chains in the United States. And it operates over 2,500 restaurants around the world. Dennys is known for its 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year operations, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert around the clock. During the early 1990s, Dennys was involved in a series of discrimination lawsuits involving several cases of servers denying or providing inferior service to minorities, especially African American customers (Adamson, 2000). According to newspaper reports the following are some of the most notable incidents involving racial discrimination at Dennys: 1. In San Jose, California, several black teenagers were refused service unless they agreed to pay in advance. This was the first recorded incident of such events (Labaton, 1994). 2. Then, Six Asian-American students of Syracuse University visited a local Denny’s restaurant late at night. They waited over 30 minutes as their white patrons were regularly served, seated, and offered more helpings. We will write a custom essay sample on Dennys Restaurant or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They began to complain to management and to their server regarding the situation. They were then forced to leave the establishment by two security guards (called upon by Denny’s management). Then, according to the students, a group of white men came out of Dennys and attacked the group, shouting racial epithets. Several of the students were beaten. (â€Å"Dennys Franchise Faces Suit Over Discriminatory Action,† 1997) 3. Six African-American Secret Service agents visited a Denny’s restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland. They were forced to wait an hour for service while their white companions were seated immediately upon entering (Guillermo, 1997). 4. One African-American Denny’s customer was told that he and his friends had to pay up front at the counter upon ordering their meals. When he questioned the waitress about it and she said some black guys had been in earlier who made a scene and walked out without paying their bill. So the manager now wanted all blacks to pay up front (Ferraro, 1995). In 1994, Dennys settled a class action lawsuit filed by thousands of black customers who had been refused service, forced to wait longer, or pay more than white customers. The $54. 4 million settlement was the largest and broadest under Federal public-accommodations laws established to end segregation in restaurants and public spaces. After the $54. 4 million settlement, Dennys rolled out a racial sensitivity training program for all of its employees (Adamson, 2000). Discrimination: A Crises The failures in managing discrimination and the lawsuits that follow reflect failures in learning by firms. Discrimination management can be defined as the prevention of discrimination and by extension the prevention of discrimination lawsuits. Discrimination is an extraordinarily complex issue, as evidenced by the theoretical attempts to explain why a diverse workforce poses a challenge for organizational managers and employees. For example, discrimination has been examined at the individual level of analysis, focusing on such factors as stereotypes (Sartore Cunningham, 2006) and prejudice (James, Brief, Dietz, Cohen, 2001). By referencing institutional procedures during an image-threatening event, firms attempt to decouple the organization from the situation (Elsbach, 1994; Oliver, 1991), however by doing so the organization fails to look inward and critically reflect on the work environment that inadvertently contributed to the discrimination problem. A Communication Dilemma Communication serves four major functions within a group or organization: control, motivation, emotional expression, and information (Robbins, 2007). Arguably, one of the most difficult situations a company can find itself in involves crisis and reputation management. In the best situations, crises can be averted through a combination of strategic planning and proactive behavior†¦ Unfortunately, many organizations find themselves responding to crises rather than preventing them† (Baker, 2001, p. 513). In the midst of the rubble of what was once an organizations reputation, those without a specified crisis communication strategy will be left to struggle to recover from the grievous blow. Often, organizations spend an inordinate amount of time and money on reputation damage control because they failed to practice effective issue and reputation management before disaster struck. Crises are often the result of insufficient planning for potential issues and poor monitoring of the early warning signs of impending danger. These indicators then were not identified and accordingly prepared for. It is important that managers to pay attention to their environment by monitoring what their publics are saying. In the area of racial crises, Baker noted, (2001) that one must be cognizant of the social and political climates that may determine audience perceptions. Such awareness can go (could have gone, in Denny’s case) a long way toward skirting an all-out crisis situation. Organizational Behavior (OB): A Brief History and Development The field of organizational behavior is related with identification and management of the attitudes and actions of individuals and groups, looking mainly at how people can be inspired to join and remain in the organization, how to get people to perform successful teamwork, how people can accomplish their jobs more efficiently, and how employees can be encouraged to be more flexible and pioneering. Attention is brought to these approaches and actions so as to help managers discover problems, find out how to correct them, and change behavior so that individual performance and eventually organization efficiency increase (Robbins, 2007). As a field of study, organizational behavior is created on a sequence of approaches or ways of thinking about people. Since the early 1900s those who studied behavior in organizations have tried to lay down ways to successfully manage employees to achieve the organizations objectives. The early approaches, referred to as the traditional view, promoted improved management coordination of tasks, strict specialization and consistency of work tasks, a strict chain of command, and centralized decision making at the manager level. During the 1920s and 1930s the next new school of thought began to appear, which was referred to as the human relations movement. Generally this movement began with the well-known Hawthorne studies at the Western Electric plant that showed how psychological and social processes could influence efficiency and work behavior. This new way of philosophy observed organizational behavior by supporting a more people-oriented style of management that was more participative and geared toward employee requirements (Robbins, 2007). Modern organizational thought has moved to a more integrative systems approach, which includes the issues of external influences; the association of the organization with managers and employees; and organizational processes, which are the activities through which work gets done. In other words, the optimum solution for the situation depends on many factors. The organization is represented as many interrelated, interdependent, and interacting subsystems that are constantly changing. Those who administer the classical approach stressed the significant role of control and coordination in helping organizations to attain objectives. Those who managed by the human relations approach considered the risks of high levels of control and coordination, focusing instead on the need for flexibility. A modern approach to management recognizes that there is no one best way to manage; management approaches need to be modified to adjust with the situation (Robbins, 2007). The managers role is to successfully envisage, explain, and manage behavior that takes place in organizations. Specifically, managers are interested in finding out why people are more or less inspired or satisfied. Managers must have a capacity to see and understand the behavior patterns of individuals, groups, and organizations; to forecast what responses will be drawn out by managerial actions; and eventually to use this perception and ultimate predictions to successfully manage employees. Behavior can be studied on three levels the individual, the group, and the organization all together (Johnson, 2004) Managers search to learn more about what causes people individually or collectively to act as they do in organizational settings. Despite the fact that it may be said that the responsibility for studying organizational behavior rests with researchers, evaluating and increasing organizational efficiency is a main responsibility of managers. They need to collect data about the situation in which people work and describe events, behaviors, and attitudes so as to develop plans for changing and improving behavior and approaches. Managers can begin to understand organizational behavior by correctly describing events, behaviors, and attitudes. Data as a consequent can be gathered by observing situations, surveying and interviewing employees, and looking at written documents. These methods help to objectively describe events, behaviors, and attitudes a first step in determining their causes and then acting on them. By direct observation, for instance, managers can attend meetings and then describe what is happening, such as who talks most often, what issues are discussed, or how often those attending the meeting ask for the managers point of view on the topic. Besides, survey questionnaires could be sent to employees; these might provide solid data about the situation, proving more helpful than relying exclusively on personal observation of events. Sending the same questionnaire to employees each year could provide some discernment into changes in behavior and thoughts in due course. Employees could also be interviewed to examine outlooks in greater depth. Some important information about thoughts and opinions may also be gathered by talking casually with employees. As Barsade Gibson (2007) point out, â€Å"employees are not emotional islands. Rather, they bring all of themselves to work, including their traits, moods, and emotions, and their affective experiences and expressions influence others. † Lastly, data could be collected from organizational documents, including annual reports, department assessments, memos, and other non-confidential personnel files. An examination of these documents might provide some insight into the opinions of employees, the quality of management, group relationships, or other possible aims behind the problems or circumstances. Organizational Behavior: An Analysis Organizational Behavior is the analysis of human behavior within an organizational environment. Organizational behavior can be considered as a function of three areas namely Organizational characteristics and contingencies, job characteristics and contingencies, and the larger set of individual characteristics and history brought to bear on the work situation. The aim of organizational behavior is to achieve and/or apply knowledge of these different types of characteristics, with the aim of making an organization more efficient (Robbins, 2007). The broad field of organizational behavior has always laid emphasis on the significance of individual characteristics to organizational efficiency; however they have generally approached these measures mentalistically. In the 1940s, Wilfred Bion and colleagues used psychodynamic theories of instinctive processes to suggest structural and procedural characteristics that might put up with organizational efficiency (see De Board, 1978). Because of their early start and recognition, psychodynamic theories became fundamental in developing organizational behavior theory and, therefore, the design of organizational development (OD) interventions that are still extensively used today. Consistent with a psychodynamic standpoint, a major purpose of these interventions was to make people’s unconscious behaviors, feelings, and observations conscious (De Board, 1978). For example, training groups were one of the original OD interventions rooted in psychodynamic theory. Their aim is to make participants more skillful in identifying and performing the behaviors required doing their job, by increasing participants’ awareness of how they react to others and how their reactions affect other people. Many of the famous OD interventions even today are founded on the concept of helping workers to bring their internal processes into consciousness: be they observation, outlooks, the interpersonal effects of behavior, or the impact of place of work events. The psychodynamic principles that produced these interventions may no longer be mentioned in most organizational behavior textbooks, however the techniques that they motivated still remain strongly fixed (e. g. , Moorhead Griffin, 2001; Robbins, 2007). These intervention techniques are difficult to interpret from the point of view of direct contingency management, which is the basis of Organizational Behavior Management (Daniels, 2000; Rummler Brache, 1995). Relational Frame Theory (RFT), as is noted in Hayes, Barnes-Holmes Roche (2001) makes OBM better able to address such techniques and furthermore specifies manipulable events that can be used to alter the functions of these verbal processes. In doing so, RFT is not suggesting that cognition, emotion, or other private actions are causal (Hayes Brownstein, 1986), rather, it is maintaining that the past and present background events that standardize verbal behavior need to be considered, so as to understand and influence explicit human action. Such an outlook leads to unpredicted and empirically testable predictions, which in turn open pathways for organizational behavior management to expand its influence in organizational behavior and OD. The early research, suggests that by efficiently manipulating these past and background processes, people may be more acquiescent to the contingency management applications that organizational behavior management has identified, which could serve to improve the successes of those strategies.

Mergers and Acquisitions of Chrysler, an American entity and Daimler

In the current business world, entities are looking into ways to expand, acquire an operational or a competitive advantage edge. One way of accomplishing this entails mergers and acquisitions.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Mergers and Acquisitions of Chrysler, an American entity and Daimler-Benz specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A merger entails two firms combining on equal terms to form a different firm while in an acquisition; one firm becomes the holding entity of the other. This is normally an exceedingly risky move since most entities are different in diverse ways. Companies differ in terms of philosophy, culture, operations and organizational structure. Integrating all these aspects is challenging. Subsequently, many acquisitions and merge may fail to realize the ambitions of undertaking them (Goldberg Practising Law Institute, 2005). One of the factors that contribute to failure of mergers and acquisitio ns is cultural disparity among organizations. Organizational culture denotes the values that an organization seeks to entrench among the staff members. Most of the American firms have a relaxed approach to management. However, European entities form countries such as Germany will probably have a very formal approach to management. Merging firms form such backgrounds may be tough. This will result in lower job satisfaction among the employees who have to alter the way they undertake their work. The culmination of a merge in the above scenario would be high employee turnover and lower productivity. The merger between Chrysler, an American entity and Daimler-Benz, a German company did not take off appropriately since the entity had many cultural and philosophical disparities.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Chrysler had a relaxed managerial attitude, which was suitable for its employees. Hence, this managerial approach was responsible for the success the entity had realized. Contrary, Daimler-Benz, another successful organization had a different managerial culture. The company owed its accomplishments to a formal managerial approach. The merger between the two organizations should have resulted in a bigger entity with massive potential. The resultant company would have had at its disposal a greater market proportion, excellent employees and a good product portfolio. However, the merger failed to meet the expectation of the managers and owners (Gole Hilger, 2008). The organizations had different philosophies with reference to remuneration and management. Attempts to merge these disparities had massive implications on the work force. The Daimler- Benz’s employees became more motivated as the entire entity tried to replicate their organization’s culture. Conversely, Chrysler’s employees were disoriented and most left the organization. S ubsequently, Chrysler’s performance dwindled significantly triggering take-over attempts by Daimler- Benz. The above example provides insight into the failures of mergers and acquisitions. The two firms failed to consider the human aspects of the merger. Chrysler and Daimler-Benz overlooked the impact of the merger on the most important resource, the human resource. As such, one firm was operating better than the other was, but the merged firm (resultant entity) was not realizing the expected results. This reveals that managers should make lengthy considerations prior to merging. The entity should consider the cultural disparity and various philosophies employed in determining vital issues such as remuneration.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Mergers and Acquisitions of Chrysler, an American entity and Daimler-Benz specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Overall, entities should seek merges among entities with s imilarities in numerous aspects. Disparities make it hard for entities to integrate various aspects of the merger (Sherman Hart, 2006). Conclusion In conclusion, mergers require massive preparations. Hence, merging entities should create a period within which to integrate and jell various aspects of the entities such as operations, philosophy and culture. This period should come prior to the signing of a comprehensive merger and acquisition deal. Period to this period the entities should sign a memorandum, which will detail what the entities should undertake to set the stage for the signing of a comprehensive deal. The integration process should provide insight to possible outcomes of the merger or acquisition (Sherman Sherman, 2011). References Goldberg, R. A., Practising Law Institute. (2005). A guide to mergers acquisitions, 2005. New York, NY: Practising Law Institute. Gole, W. J., Hilger, P. J. (2008). Corporate divestitures: A mergers and acquisitions best practices guide . Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Sherman, A. J., Hart, M. A. (2006). Mergers acquisitions from A to Z. New York: AMACOM.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sherman, A. J., Sherman, A. J. (2011). Mergers acquisitions from A to Z: Mergers and acquisitions from A to Z. New York: American Management Association. This essay on Mergers and Acquisitions of Chrysler, an American entity and Daimler-Benz was written and submitted by user Marisol U. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.