Descartes And John Locke s Views On Human Understanding

The body, mind, and soul are said to be capable of extraordinary properties that assist in human understanding. Renà © Descartes, and John Locke are two primary philosophers that have shaped modern philosophy with their views on human understanding. Both philosophers assumed that the proper function of human understanding relies upon processes within the body. The processes involved in this understanding are viewed distinctly by each philosopher. Descartes described that the mind and body interact between each other to form human understanding. To interpret the mind, and body processes, it is important to decipher what is contributed to each part. Descartes had certain criterion to determine whether a function belongs to the body, or mind. He believed that what is experienced, and physically seen belongs to the body; while everything else that is unable to belong to the body belongs to the mind, or soul (Descartes, 1998, p. 54-55). Due to this, Descartes insisted that nothing can be attributed to the mind, except two types of processes. The first type is actions, or volitions; the other type is passions, which are referred to as sensations and perceptions (Descartes, 1998, p. 54). Each type may be categorized into different processes. Actions are viewed as two different processes. One type is actions that are volitions produced from the mind, or soul (Descartes, 1998, p. 62). This type is considered to be the internal operations that are voluntarily controlled. The otherShow MoreRelatedJohn Locke s View On Identity963 Words   |  4 PagesHow is John Locke acknowledged in society? Rene Descartes became accredited by what? Well, people knew these men for their philosophical views, their views on identity varied undoubtedly. For example, Descartes famous line I think, therefore I am alludes to the fact that he most certainly exists. On the other hand, Locke believes that if you committed a crime, but cannot recall your actions, then you should not serve time for your crime. Hence, Descartes perspective of identity contains the selfRead MorePropelling Rational Thought Over Compelling Empiricism1459 Words   |  6 PagesIn this paper I intend to examine the rationalist philosophy of Rene Descartes and fundamental em piricism of John Locke’s philosophical arguments, in particular their ideas relating to the science of man, his identity and attempt to explain distinctions between the two. As I lay the framework of my argument it is important to understand the precepts that serve as the underpinning for the views considered by Descartes and Locke respectively. Rationalism and empiricism are two modes of thought thatRead MoreRene Descartes s Philosophy And The Science Of Philosophy1114 Words   |  5 PagesRene Descartes was a rationalist who is considered the father of modern philosophy, primarily because his ideas departed from current understanding in the early 17th century, which was more feeling based (Biography.com). He was born on March 31, 1956, in France and was a very educated man. His mother sent him to a boarding school which was considered college at an early age of 8. Additionally, by the age of 22 he had obtained his degree as a lawyer. To further this, he believed that all truths wereRead MorePersonal Statement : Personal Identity1267 Words   |  6 Pagesphilosophers have different opinions on what the â€Å"self† is and how it functions. â€Å"Someone s personal identity in this sense consists of those features she takes to â€Å"define her as a person† or â€Å"make her the person she is† (Eric T. Olson). John Locke was a ancient philosopher who believed that the ‘self† came from memory rather than the body. Renà © Descartes was famous for the phrase, â€Å"I think therefore I am†. Understanding personal identity can be a challenge, and it is very easy to overthink your identityRead MoreThe Philosophical Beliefs Of Substance Dualism And Modern Materialism953 Words   |  4 PagesSubstance Dualism and modern Materialism The tradition of Substance Dualism was formulated by Rene Descartes to define the differing modes of the soul that function in the human mind. The dualistic aspect of this philosophy is based on the presence of a higher power, such as God, that provides the essence of the mind through the soul, yet the human body is separated from this process. Therefore, Descartes sought to divide the mind from the material body as a method of defining the limitations of theRead MoreThe Principles Of Empiricism And The Spirit Behind It2295 Words   |  10 Pagesand the problems it gave rise to. Locke, John, An Essay concerning human understanding, Everyman, 1961: Book 1, of Innate ideas, Book 2, chapter 1, of ideas in general and their original, Berkeley, George, A treatise concerning the principles of human knowledge. Empiricists endorse the idea that we have no source of knowledge in S or for the concepts we use in S other than sense experience. This radical way of thinking began in the 17th century, with John Locke often regarded as the â€Å"father of BritishRead More Nelson on Descartess Theory of Perception and Judgment3058 Words   |  13 PagesNelson on Descartes?s Theory of Perception and Judgment ABSTRACT: One tension in Descartes?s account of human error stems from the idea that we may be faulted for our acts of will, despite the fact that God is our omnipotent and omniscient creator. In the present essay, I describe a second tension in Descartes?s account of human error. After describing the tension, I consider Alan Nelson?s characterization of the means by which Descartes?s intended to relieve it. Although Nelsons interpretationRead More Poes Fall of The House of Usher Essay: Beyond Empiricism and Transcendentalism1482 Words   |  6 Pages     Ã‚   When Edgar Allan Poe wrote The Fall of the House of Usher, two factors greatly influenced his writing. A first influence was John Lockes idea of Empiricism, which was the idea that all knowledge was gained by experiences, exclusively through the senses. A second vital influence was Transcendentalism, which was a reaction to Empiricism.   While John Locke believed that reality or truth was constituted by the material world and by the senses, Transcendentalists believed that reality and truthRead MoreDavid Hume Essay1210 Words   |  5 PagesDavid Hume Hume, David, 1711-76, Scottish philosopher and historian. Hume carried the empiricism of John Locke and George Berkeley to the logical extreme of radical skepticism. He repudiated the possibility of certain knowledge, finding in the mind nothing but a series of sensations, and held that cause-and-effect in the natural world derives solely from the conjunction ofRead MoreA Brief Biography of Rene Descartes1580 Words   |  6 Pagesof philosopher Rene Descartes, who had endorsed the mechanistic conception of the world and the human body by coining notions such as mind, substance, and the knowledge argument; although his notions were not always accepted, he managed to provide valid support. Born in France, Rene Descartes, dubbed The Father of Modern Philosophy was, in a way, a Renaissance man having contributed influence amongst subjects such science, mathematics, psychology, and philosophy. Descartes was the medium of the

Beyond Budgeting and Better Budgeting Approaches to Managing Business Research Paper

Beyond Budgeting and Better Budgeting Approaches to Managing Business Research Paper The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate the two approaches to managing business, which are called Beyond Budgeting and Better Budgeting. Furthermore, the empirical evidence use and various motivational theories will be discussed so as to define the best way of budget setting for accounting manager. Beyond Budgeting and Better Budgeting Approaches to Managing Business The first management model that will be considered is Beyond Budgeting. It was developed as a means to change the situation that was often met by different organizations, when the management process related to budgeting, such as the way of setting goals and strategies, allocating resources, actions coordination, etc. were not neutral in terms of management behavior and thinking. So, there were defined ten reasons why budgeting caused considerable problems and should have been replaced: It is too expensive and detailed, being highly bureaucratic, which results in its absorbing of 20 percent of the manager’s time. It stifles innovation and initiative, as it supports authoritarian management. It increases reputational risk and encourages unethical behavior, as it presupposes aggressive targets and incentives that usually have to be met at any cost. It demotivates people, as budgeting usually entails going with the flow, instead of maximizing performance. As a result people tend to do minimum of work. It is out-of-date within short periods of time, as its key assumptions usually become outdated rather frequently, and their mastering requires additional time spent. It doesn’t deal with strategy, as budgeting is founded on departments and functions. It is out-of-killer with competitive environment, as today mangers are more concerned with continuous innovation and fast response, than with the actual management of budgets and people. It protects costs that do not add value, as they are usually compiled on the basis of previous year outcomes. It prevents rapid response, as it is not the purpose of budgeting, but is required for successful work. It reinforces control and command. So, it is obvious that the budgeting in this way was designed not for working on several tasks with an emphasis on speed and autonomy, but instead for large companies with deep hierarchies (Beinhocker, 2006). As a result, the traditional management model can be summarized in the following way: There are too many costs incurred in setting budgets and targets, implementing tools and managing budgets and people from remote locations. There are too few people involved in decision-making and strategy, which is top-down process. There are many trade-offs made between the demand for short-term results and long-term value creation, which results in micro-management development. This model doesn’t have transparency in decision-making. The structure is too rigid, and talented people tend to leave it. Accountability is aimed at pleasing the management, not the customer (BBRT, 2011). Figure 1. Traditional management model interpretation (BBRT, 2011). The Beyond Budgeting model offers an effective alternative to the existing traditional model. The proposed changes are presented in the form of Table 1. Table 1. Beyond Budgeting model compared to the traditional management model. In order to reach such a style of management, it is necessary to rethink the traditional vertical organization and change it into the one to face the customer. The basis of the Beyond Budgeting model is rethinking team-based accountability (Bogsnes, 2009). Figure 2. Accountability map of adaptive organizations (BBRT, 2011). In Beyond Budgeting model there are three kinds of teams: executive team, which is responsible for setting goals and purpose and maximization of other units’ performance; support services teams that support and serve the value centers; value center teams, which formulate strategy, deliver value and invest capital (Hope, Fraser, 2003). Besides, there are usually project teams formed, but they are project-specific and temporarily established. There are 12 principles of Beyond Budgeting approach that were developed on the basis of evidence collected during 12 years (CIMA, 2004). They combine the best of the best practices of world leading organizations so as to define the best budgeting model. The list of principles is as follows: I Governance and Transparency Values – there is no central plan; instead, there is common cause. Governance – there are no detailed rules and regulations; instead – sound judgment and shared values. Transparency – no restriction an control of information; instead – transparent and open data. II Accountable teams Teams – there are no centralized functions of departments; instead – network of accountable firms. Trust –no micro-management of firms; instead – trust to regulate their performance on their own. Accountability – there are no hierarchical relationships; instead – accountability basis on peer reviews and holistic criteria. III Goals and rewards. Goals – no turning of goals into fixed contracts; instead – facilitation of ambitious goals setting by the teams. Rewards – there are no fixed targets; instead – rewards basis on relative performance. IV Planning and controls. Planning – it is not a top-down event; instead – it is inclusive and continuous process. Coordination – interactions are coordinated not through budgets that are defined on annual basis, but instead – dynamically. Resources – they are made available not just-in-case, but just-in-time. Controls – the basis is not budget variances, but instead – frequent and fast feedback. There are seven steps that are necessary to be made in order to implement the Beyond Budgeting model into reality (Hope, Fraser, 2001): Establishing of a guiding coalition – it should be a team of 10-12 people who can create the vision for change and guide the process of its implementation. Thinking like a revolutionary – leaders have to apply their creative thinking to the management processes, apart from the business models, products and processes. Establishing several design teams – they will implement the Beyond Budgeting principles so as to design an effective management model and implement it into reality. Building an urgent case for change and convincing the board – the executives should understand why Beyond Budgeting principles are necessary for your particular organization. Looking for quick wins – leaders should identify quick wins to maintain momentum and build credibility. Education and training – all the newly-established teams should be properly trained and educated so as to be aware of all the peculiarities of the new model. Consolidating the gains and maintaining the momentum – it is necessary to constantly create value centers and reduce operating process and support services teams. According to the Better Budgeting approach, there are five techniques that are believed to generate improvements (Neely, Bourne, Adams, 2003): Value-based management – it is dedicated to managing the shareholder value’s creation over time. All the expenditure plans are assessed in terms of the shareholder value they will create and evaluated as project appraisals. It helps to link shareholder value and strategy to budgeting and planning. Activity-based budgeting – it involves controlling and planning along value-adding processes and activities. Organization’s activities, as well as business processes are structured so that they better meet external and customers’ needs. Profit planning – it is dedicated to planning financial cash flows of profit centers so as to assess whether a unit or organization creates economic value, generates sufficient cash, and attracts sufficient financial resources for investment. When preparing its financial plans, it ensures consolidation of an organization’s long- and short -term prospects. Zero-base budgeting – it presupposes that expenditures are rejustified during each of the budgeting cycles, which helps to avoid building on the inaccuracies and inefficiencies or previous history. The value of this approach depends on operating environment’s stability. Rolling forecasts and budgets – it solves issues related to infrequent budgeting and, thus, results in more accurate forecasts. It overcomes problems with budgeting at a fixed point in time and the often dubious practices that encourage such cut-offs. It’s also more responsive to changing circumstances, but at the same time requires permanent resources to administer. In order to improve the accuracy and focus of budget outputs, it is reasonable to use zero-base and activity-based budgeting techniques. But in this case, there is a problem – they involve even more work than the traditional budgets. It is the main reason why it Is not recommended to use them on regular basis. Rolling forecasts and budgets has the most potential as a better regular budgeting approach. Many organizations have already introduced it successfully to overcome the traditional budgeting time-lag problem and improve the accuracy of their forecast. Profit planning and value-based management are more theoretical than broadly adopted. It is hard to evaluate their efficiency, as very few examples of implementation techniques and practical applications exist. On the whole, there is no universal approach to better budgeting that can solve all the problems at once (Bunce, Fraser, Woodcock, 1995). Motivational Theories Now let us consider the motivational theories and the use of empirical evidence in them, so as to define the best of them for accountant management purposes. First of all, it is necessary to understand that motivation is a complex issue, and in terms of management they are based on the needs of individuals (CliffsNotes.com, n.d.). The first theory we are going to analyze is the content theory of motivation, which is focused on the specific factors motivating an individual. These specific factors are found within a person, but at the same time things surrounding him/her can exert influence as well. It is clear that all people have some needs that they want to satisfy. Among them it is possible to single out the primary needs, such as ones for sleep, food, and water. They deal with the physical aspects of human behavior and are still considered unlearned. The needs of this kind have biological nature and are relatively stable. The influences they have on people’s behavior are obvious and, thus, are easy to be identified. Another group of need is called secondary needs (Reid, 2002). As distinct from the first group, these needs are of psychological nature and are learned through experience. Thus, they deal directly with empirical evidence. They usually vary considerably by individual and by culture. These needs consist of internal states, such as the desire for achievement, power, and love. Interpreting and identifying these needs is more difficult, as they are demonstrated in a variety of ways. At the same time, they are responsible for exactly the kind of behavior managers are concerned with and for the rewards a person seeks in an organization. We will consider the theories that explain needs as motivation that were developed by several theorists, including Frederick Herzberg, Abraham Maslow, Clayton Alderfer, and David McClelland. According to Abraham Maslow, need is a psychological or physiological deficiency that a person feels the compulsion to satisfy. It can create certain tensions that influence a persons work behaviors and attitudes. The scientists formed a theory on the basis of his definition of need, which presupposes that people are motivated by various needs, which exist in a hierarchical order. His premise is that a satisfied need is not a motivator, and so, only an unsatisfied need can influence behavior (Simons, Irwin, Drinnien, 1987). The following two principles lie in the foundation of the Maslow’s theory: Progression principle: he identified five needs that exist in a hierarchy, which means that a need of any level starts influencing a person when a lower-level need is satisfied. Deficit principle: satisfied need doesn’t motivate people’s behavior, because they act to satisfy only deprived needs. The levels of needs defined by Maslow are presented below: I Higher level needs: Self-actualization needs – the person needs challenging and creative work, as well as participation in decision-making and job flexibility and autonomy. Esteem needs – it is necessary to establish conditions of recognition and praise from the management; responsibility for important part of job; availability of promotion prospects. II Lower level needs: Social needs – it is necessary to have interaction with customers, pleasant supervisor and friendly coworkers. Safety needs – person needs job security, compensation and benefits, as well as safe conditions of work. Physiological needs – person should feel physical comfort at job; reasonable working hours and rest and refreshment breaks. Frederick Herzberg developed another framework for understanding the motivational implications of work environments (Lundberg, Gudmundson, Andersson, 2009). He has developed two-factor theory, which identifies the factors that influence performance level of people: Motivators or satisfiers involve such things as achievement, responsibility, growth opportunities, and feelings of recognition. They are the key to job motivation and satisfaction. Hygiene factors are job security, salary, organizational policies, working conditions and technical quality of supervision. They do not motivate employees, but can cause dissatisfaction if they are missing. According to Herzbergs two-factor theory, managers should ensure that hygiene factors are adequate and only then build satisfiers into jobs. Clayton Alderfer developed ERG (Existence, Relatedness, Growth) theory. It is founded upon Maslows hierarchy of needs. First of all, he collapses Maslows five levels of needs into three (Arnolds, Boshoff, 2002): Existence needs – deal with desires for material and physiological well-being. Relatedness needs – deal with the desires for satisfying interpersonal relationships. Growth needs – deal with desires for continued psychological development and growth. According to this theory, unsatisfied needs motivate behavior, and when lower level needs are satisfied, they become less important. At the same time, higher level needs become more important when they are satisfied. If they are not met, a person may move down the hierarchy, which is called the frustration-regression principle. It means that already satisfied lower level need can become activated again and will influence behavior when a higher level need cannot be satisfied. David McClelland developed a theory, according to which everyone prioritizes needs in a different way (1987). He also believes that it is done on the basis of empirical evidence. He defined the following three needs: Need for achievement – the main drive to excel. Need for power – deals with the desire to make others behave in a way that they would not have behaved otherwise. Need for affiliation – deals with the desire for close, friendly interpersonal relationships and conflict avoidance. Each need is associated with a distinct set of work preferences, which can help managers tailor the environment to meet these needs. High achievers differ from others by their desires to do things better. They are strongly motivated by job situations with feedback, personal responsibility, and an intermediate degree of risk. Those who have a high need of power are likely to follow a path of continued promotion over time. They usually enjoy being in charge and prefer being placed in competitive and status-oriented situations. People with the highest need for affiliation seek social approval, companionship, and satisfying interpersonal relationships. They usually are more interested in work that provides social approval and companionship; they strive for friendship and prefer cooperative situations. Recommendations and Conclusions On the basis of the conducted analysis of widely-spread approaches to accountant management, it is possible to single out the following recommendations and conclusions: It is not reasonable to make use of the traditional model that involves budgeting, as it brings many implications on the way of successful company management and achieving of goals. It is necessary to change the traditional strategy into the one presupposed by the Beyond Budgeting approach, as it was proven that it positively influences the overall efficiency of the company’s management and brings numerous benefits. It was already chosen by many companies, such as Google, Toyota, American Express and success of these companies is another evidence of the model’s edge over the traditional one. In order to successfully base the manager’s work, it’s necessary to take into account the empirical evidence of the workers, and in particular the needs derived by this evidence. In order to do it, it is recommended to make use of the motivational theories based on the individual needs of employers.

Putnam Work@Home Case Free Essays

string(159) " the productivity numbers of the experimental work@home employees and compare them to their respective productivity numbers from when they worked in-facility\." Cost and Benefit Analysis of work@home One of the primary advantages of the work@home program is that it creates a cost advantage. Having employees work at home as opposed to in-facility is significantly less costly. According to Table A in the case, annual recurring costs for each individual working in-facility is around $10,650. We will write a custom essay sample on Putnam Work@Home Case or any similar topic only for you Order Now That is over twice the recurring cost of the average work@home employee with an ISDN connection and over 20 times the annual recurring cost of a work@home employee with a cable modem connection. Given the large quantity work@home employees at Putnam, this program provides a method of greatly reducing recurring costs in the short and long term. Additionally, the e-learning program costs less than half of what the traditional training process costs. It even better prepares employees for the job because the quality of the training is higher and individuals can complete the training at their own pace. Moreover, work@home employees feel that Putnam has made a sizeable investment in them, and feeling is supported by high productivity rates and decreased turnover. The turnover rate among work@home employees is around 8% which is significantly lower than the Putnam average of 30%. By training employees for less and retaining them for longer, Putnam decreases both recruiting and training costs by a significant margin. Furthermore, the work@home program allows Putnam to expand their business into new areas without having to invest in additional real estate. And because the majority of these work@home employees are from rural areas where the cost of living is lower than locations near Putnam’s office facilities, Putnam can get away with paying work@home employees less than their in-facility counterparts. All these factors contribute to the low cost advantage that the work@home program creates. Because Putnam only allows high productivity workers the option of working at home, the work@home program can provide an incentive for employees to increase their productivity. According to a Putnam manager, anyone who is eligible to work from home and who wants to can work at home as long as he has higher than average productivity. Anyone at Putnam who desires to work from home will have the incentive to increase productivity above the mean so that they will have the option of working from home. However, this ncentive only applies to workers who have jobs that allow them to work from home. Also, many people like the social experience that the office brings and have no desire to work from home. One of the pitfalls of using this program as an incentive is that there is no reason for employees to produce anything higher than the company average. However, all things considered, this program does i ncentivize a select group of individuals to boost their productivity levels. Various costs arise from the work@home program as well. It takes a special type of person to succeed in a work@home position. Employees must be willing to sacrifice the social aspect of work and must be good at solving problems on their own because immediate help cannot always be obtained. Unfortunately the workers who fit the work@home criteria do not necessarily bring about optimal production for Putnam. The most qualified and potentially productive candidates may find the work@home program to be unfulfilling. Consequently Putnam is forced to accept candidates who while still productive, may not produce optimally. In fact, overqualified candidates in Vermont and Mane tended to have higher turnover rates due to the unfulfilling nature of the work. One of the other primary costs of the program is the communication barrier. By not being in-facility, work@home employees cannot as easily talk to co-workers or supervisors about work-related problems. Also they are not exposed to the culture and are unable to get as good of a sense of how the company operates compared to in-facility workers. Putnam has tried to mitigate these costs through the advent of the chat system and other communication methods, but the fact remains that communication is not as good as it is among in-facility workers. Finally, employee performance needs to be monitored a bit more closely with work@home. Due to the lack of social pressure among co-workers to perform, employees could be tempted to shirk. But Putnam’s performance evaluation process has eliminated this problem, and in fact, work@home employees have been equally if not more productive than in-facility workers. Human Resources Policies Overall I think Putnam is doing a pretty good job with regards to its human resources policies in the work@home program. However, I feel a few changes could be made that could improve the program. According to some Putnam managers, monitoring an employee working at home is not significantly different from monitoring employees in-facility. Rather, supervisors just have to monitor what’s going on â€Å"in different ways†. If it really isn’t much more costly or time consuming to monitor work@home employees as opposed to in-facility employees, I see no reason to offer work@home opportunities exclusively to high productivity employees. My recommendation is that Putnam rank workers on a relative scale in quintiles and assign each quintile a grade of A, B, C, D, or E with A workers being the top 20% and E workers the bottom 20%. Employees should not be made aware of their rankings. Next, my recommendation is that Putnam select a sample of employees from each of the bottom three quintiles to work at home for a period of 6 months to a year. The reasoning for only using the bottom three quintiles is that the top two quintiles are already eligible to work at home. The purpose of the experiment is to determine from a cost standpoint whether or not it is advantageous to allow average and below average employees to work at home. Putnam should use the exact same evaluation process and compensation system with these employees. In other words, they should be treated no differently from the typical work@home employee. Putnam should then compare the productivity numbers of the experimental work@home employees and compare them to their respective productivity numbers from when they worked in-facility. You read "Putnam Work@Home Case" in category "Essay examples" If there is not a huge discrepancy in their productivity, then it may be advantageous for Putnam to allow employees of average to below average productivities to participate in the work@home program. In fact, because overhead costs are so low for work@home employees compared to in-facility counterparts, it could still be advantageous from a cost standpoint for Putnam to allow these employees to work at home even if their productivities drop off a bit. There are two major concerns I would have with employees in the bottom 3 quintiles working at home. One is that worker productivity will drop without direct monitoring. The second is that monitoring costs will spike due to the employees’ lack of motivation to do the job alone at home. If the increased costs of monitoring and the value of lost productivity do not exceed the difference in overhead cost between work@home and in-facility employees, then Putnam should definitely consider allowing more employees to work at home. Doing so could decrease operating costs and increase profits in the long run. By performing this experiment Putnam can figure out how to optimally take advantage of its unique work@home program. The limitation of this is that it may not be possible to assign a dollar amount to the cost of increased supervisory monitoring or the value of lost productivity. In light of this, it may be difficult to determine any cost advantages from performing this experiment. With regards to employee evaluation and compensation, I believe Putnam is doing a more than adequate job. By using both quantitative and subjective measures of performance like accuracy and call screening, Putnam keeps work@home employees on their toes and producing at a high level. Additionally, by offering bonuses tied to performance of up to 20% of base salary, Putnam does a solid job of aligning work@home employees interests with the company’s. The high level of productivity and low turnover rate among work@home employees is proof that these policies work. One other aspect of HR that could be improved is making a clear cut path of promotion from work@home employee up to a higher level position like manager or supervisor. By establishing a clear path to a higher level job in the company, Putnam can inspire its work@home employees to work harder than ever. However, this could result in employee sabotage and decreased collaboration among work@home employees. Employees may refrain from helping each other out because they are all seeking the same promotion. Experimental work@home The first thing the travel agency should do is come up with a method of measuring employee performance. Without an accurate method of measuring performance, the experiment will not yield any meaningful results. The travel agency ideally would find a quantitative measure of performance that helps predict the total profit or revenues of the firm. By finding a quantitative measure that drives revenues, the travel agency can be sure that their method of evaluation will tie closely into firm performance. For the sake of simplicity in this exercise, I will assume that the number of clients served is the quantitative measure that most closely measures firm profitability and employee productivity. The next step in performing this experiment would be to research the costs associated with having a call center employee work at home as opposed to in-facility. If it is not any cheaper to have employees work at home, then there is no reason to even perform the experiment. This difference in cost is between work at home and in-facility employees will eventually determine whether or not a work at home program would be advantageous for the travel agency. The major cost would likely be installing the work phone in each employee’s house. There could be other costs in addition, however, like increased supervisory costs. Next, similar to my strategy for Putnam, I would rank all call center employees on a relative scale based on productivity and divide them into quartiles. Then I would take a random selection of a given amount of employees from each productivity quartile. These randomly selected individuals would be the ones taking part in the work at home experiment. These individuals would work at home for a lengthy period of say 6 months to a year. The travel agency should heavily monitor their productivity during their time working at home, which in this case would be keeping track of clients served. At the end of the trial period of the work at home experiment, the travel agency should collect all the data regarding the participating individuals’ productivity. Their productivity should be compared to each individual’s respective productivity in the 6 months to a year prior to the experiment. Also, to adjust for possible seasonal factors influencing productivity, the travel agency could compare each work at home employee’s productivity to other employees in the same quartile who work in facility. The main concern here should be that worker productivity could decrease to the point that it would not be cost effective for the travel agency to have employees work at home, in spite of the fact that it probably costs significantly less in overhead to have employees work at home. If possible, the travel agency should attempt to assign dollar values to the additional costs of productivity loss and supervision from having employees work at home. If these additional costs are less than the difference in overhead cost between work at home and in-facility employees, then implementing a work at home program would probably be advantageous for the travel agency. There is a reason workers are ranked on a relative scale at the beginning of the experiment. Call center employees of different productivities may respond differently to working at home. The highest productivity employees are probably the most intrinsically motivated, and thus we would expect to see not as large a drop off in their performance as employees in other quartiles. Based on the data collected at the end of the experiment, the travel agency could decide that it is only profitable to allow employees above a certain level of performance standard to work at home. The firm could then use this standard as a benchmark and incentive for employees to obtain in order to get the option of working at home. How to cite Putnam Work@Home Case, Essay examples

Irish Research Paper Essay Example For Students

Irish Research Paper Essay Shawn Fernandez3/05/01ICS 7Research PaperIrish Culture in AmericaI. IntroductionThe history of Ireland is diverse and fact is mixed with fiction. Through the years in which Ireland had a famine, many people migrated over to the United States in order to have a better life and gain some prosperity. When they arrived they were met with less than open arms, but rather a whole new world of discrimination. I will be discussing the summary I have done on the discrimination of Irish in America today, followed by my reactions, two other Irish blooded reactions, the history, identities, and transitions, of these people of which I learned through doing this research. II. Research SummaryThe readings on Irish immigrants in America led me to understand the racism and culture that is new to them from where they used to live and also showed me their personal views of their treatment by the American society. The article in West Magazine is very good, covering many factors relating to the perception of Irish immigrants and their descendents living in the Santa Clara Valley. The article discussed the racism Irish Americans endured, the religion, and the culture that is celebrated. The article is very relevant to the values and communication of Irish Americans and other cultures. The Irish throughout time have been stereotyped as a very low-culture people. Many people have characterized the Irish as ?fighters and drinkers,? (Krim Early, 1995, p.31) which is not true, because many Irish who are normal working, non-drinking or non-fighting individuals. However, when the holiday called St. Patricks Day comes around, it is celebrated with drinking and eventually fighting. The reality is that no matter what bar you go into, you can find a drunk fighting about something, and the drunks are people of all nationalities and cultures. ?Me and my father have been sober for more than 5 years,? (Krim ; Early, 1995, p.31). Not all the Irish drink and the stereotype is false in many cases per taining to Irish Americans. Another value of the Irish is uncertainty avoidance, ?which concerns the degree to which people who feel threatened by ambiguous situations respond by avoiding them? (Martin ; Nakayama, 2000, 70). This leads the Irish to ?prefer to reduce rules, accept dissent, and take risks? (Martin ; Nakayama, 2000, 70). This can be supported by the massive immigration to the United States during the Potato Famine. Many Irish took to the seas during this period, and it was a great risk for so many to cross a sea and enter a world new to them, breaking away from the British power that controlled their lives. This emigration also demonstrates a sense of free will, which encompasses the need for change and to continue trying even if you fail. I noticed that the Irish are perceived as a group that works hard for what it wants and doesnt seem to give in to the norms of society. The new vision of Irish immigrants seems to be much healthier than that of previous generalizations. The action and doing valu e, which is entangled in the values, seems to be present in the lives of Irish immigrants, ?The young Irish coming over here today are much more sophisticated, more educated, and more ambitious ? (Krim Early, 1995, p.33). There is a definite sense of the contact hypothesis in the Santa Clara Valley, where cultures seem to communicate better than if they were separated by culture. ?The big melting pot of this city (San Jose) brings cultures together, where in other areas of the country, are still segregated based on race? (Morgan, 2001). This is relevant because it means that the chances of group members being of equal status are higher. Therefore, communication can exist between cultures without the dominance issue, being the lower class in job or race. The Santa Clara Valley race issue is not a factor or a prerequisite to be dominant. The Irish can integrate into any conversation and almost any culture without being seen as a threat to the other culture. They even relate to being a minority in some cases, ?We hide feelings, ? ?Irish have a distrust for authority,? ?Some think we are stupid or uncultured,? ?Ive even been called a paddy or mink?(Krim ; Early, 1995, p.33) basically a norm for most minorities in societies carrying a dominant culture or race. Whenever a group has a separate identity compared with the rest of the surrounding groups or cultures, the chances of discrimination or racism increase tremendously. III. Reactions ; AnalysisMy own reactions to the readings were mixed. The books, which I read, had contrasting views based on people and culture. It seems to me that many people are very judgmental and take things to heart, where others seem to be more comfortable with their identity and proud rather than easily affected by discriminatory words. The West article told about both sides of Irish Americans living in this county. The bad experiences were blatant and quoted with as much emphasis as possible for greatest impact to the reader. The good side was directly contrasted. The author could have included a gray area to show the common ground for Irish Americans in the Silicon Valley, but chose to make the issues more controversial. The generalization that Irish drink and fight may or may not relate to me. Since I turned 20, I have been drinking heavily at least every other day. So I have no premise to say that Irish dont drink, except that I think this is just a phase in my life righ t now. My father, who is also Irish, drinks a lot, and has been doing so for quite a while. So, based on my experience I have no evidence that Irish do not like to drink. As for the fighting, I have not been in a fight for 3 years, so I am not completely able to fend off that stereotype based on my own experience. As for my father, well, lets just say he doesnt back down from confrontations very easily. Therefore, I must agree with these generalizations. Doctrine of Ethos EssayV. Histories, Identities, TransitionsSome of the Irish history in America was shaped during the Mexican-American War, when the Irish defected and went to the aide of Mexico, which brought out the power of authority for the Irish living in the United States, giving them a step down in American society. ?The U.S. anti-immigrant press of the time caricatured the Irish with simian features, portraying them as unintelligent and drunk and charging that they were seditously loyal to the Pope? (Martin Nakayama, 2000, 95). Another part of their history was ?Irelands Great Hunger? in 1845 through 1850, where 2 million people died of starvation. The part of this history which is the most important and why Ireland has so much resentment for Britain, is because the ?British landowners exported 25 million bushels of corn and more than 250,000 sheep to England? (Krim Early, 1995, p.31) over the same period when all these Irish died. The history based on these, has shaped how the Irish react, live, and work in Ireland even today. However, resentment is not as harsh among Irish immigrants in America. Many have moved on with their lives and jobs, looking to the future. The identity of Irish was not destroyed because of people leaving the homeland, instead of staying and attempting to win back what was lost. ?The Irish tend not to look down on Irish Americans or Irish Canadians? (Krim Early, 1995, p.98) for this reason. The identity which Irish-immigrants brought was a truly American one. The culture of free speech, press and religion fit perfectly for a group that had escaped from British rule, as it was for Americans here before the American Revolution. In order to describe the Irish identity, we can look at pre-Revolutionary Americans. The Irish found the ability to own land and prosper, although some were poor and suffered a hard life; the idea of manifest destiny was present for all Irish immigrants coming to America. The transition of Irish to A merican culture was somewhat hard. The difference from being under British rule to living in American society where freedom and democracy is praised could be overwhelming, even making some confused at times. The beginning of the big migration to the U.S. put many Irish immigrants to work in mills and plants at low wages and bad conditions. As time progressed equality was a more common way for Irish immigrants. Many moved out west and developed a new way of life. Transition at this age, in the year 2001, is much easier because the young immigrants coming over know that the ways of freedom and the fast paced lifestyle are being picked up worldwide. VI. Conclusion Key LearningsThe key learnings from this paper which I personally experienced were not too dramatic. I learned that many immigrants who came over in the 1800s were at the bottom of the social and economic ladder. I also learned that a big majority of Irish Immigrants live right here in the Santa Clara Valley. The other inter esting fact from the readings were that some Irish felt as though they were not distinguished enough, and put into the big melting pot of ?Caucasian?. I thought that it was very common for white people to be put into the pot, and found no offense to this myself. It was also new to me that Irish are still immigrating, as business people, to find new jobs and become wealthy in America. European History