Sunday, May 24, 2020

The Debate On Gay Marriage - 2745 Words

I. Introduction to Moral Dispute: Gay Marriage Contemporary moral disputes are constantly ongoing around the world and in the United States. For hundreds of years marriage has been defined as the legally or formally recognized union of a man and a woman as partners in a relationship. Up until relatively recently the debate on gay marriage has not been a popular topic. Gay marriage has been illegal in the US and most countries around the world up until the early 2000s.[1] The debate on gay marriage has grown with more and more people publicly speaking and giving their opinions on it, especially in the Unites States. II. Opposing Views Gay marriage has been largely opposed in the US for years now for several different reasons that mostly†¦show more content†¦[3] The strong support of this argument by religious figures, such as the Pope, makes this a strong argument for the opposing side. However, in more recent years Pope Francis has made a slightly less opposing statement, when he said â€Å"Who am I to judge a gay person?† [4] Showing how times have certainly changed in regards to view on homosexual people. American historian Harry Jaffa agreed with this idea that being gay is not natural, he then argues that if people think that this is natural than many other ‘bad’ things are also natural. Jaffa believes, â€Å"if sodomy is not unnatural, nothing is unnatural. And if nothing is unnatural, then nothing - including slavery and genocide - is unjust†. [5]Jaffa argues that homosexuality is not natural because the only natural reason for relationships, according to the bible, is to have children. So, these arguments that homosexuality is unnatural and deviant (once again based off of the bible and religion) couple with the argument that the purpose for marriage, as defined by religion and the bible, is to reproduce, and since two men or two women cannot reproduce they should not be able to wed. An obvious continuation to this argument is the idea that by legalizing gay marriage it is giving the approval of homosexual

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

The Manhattan Project Making the Atomic Bomb

The Manhattan Project was the Allied effort to develop the atomic bomb during World War II. Led by Maj. Gen. Leslie Groves and J. Robert Oppenheimer, it developed research facilities across the United States. The Project was successful and made the atomic bombs used at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Background On August 2, 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt received the Einstein–Szilà ¡rd Letter, in which the famed scientists encouraged the United States to develop nuclear weapons lest Nazi Germany create them first. Spurred by this and other committee reports, Roosevelt authorized the National Defense Research Committee to explore nuclear research, and on June 28, 1941, signed Executive Order 8807 which created the Office of Scientific Research Development with Vannevar Bush as its director. To directly address the need for nuclear research, the NDRC formed the S-1 Uranium Committee under the guidance of Lyman Briggs. That summer, the S-1 Committee was visited by Australian physicist Marcus Oliphant, a member of the MAUD Committee. The British counterpart of S-1, the MAUD Committee was driving forward in an attempt to create an atomic bomb. As Britain was deeply involved in World War II, Oliphant sought to increase the speed of American research on nuclear matters. Responding, Roosevelt formed a Top Policy Group, consisting of himself, Vice President Henry Wallace, James Conant, Secretary of War Henry Stimson, and General George C. Marshall that October. Becoming the Manhattan Project The S-1 Committee held its first formal meeting on December 18, 1941, only days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Pulling together many of the nations best scientists including Arthur Compton, Eger Murphree, Harold Urey, and Ernest Lawrence, the group decided to push forward exploring several techniques for extracting uranium-235 as well as different reactor designs. This work progressed at facilities across the country from Columbia University to University of California-Berkeley. Presenting their proposal to Bush and the Top Policy Group, it was approved and Roosevelt authorized funding in June 1942. As the committees research would require several large new facilities, it worked in conjunction with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Initially dubbed Development of Substitute Materials by the Corps of Engineers, the project was latter re-designated the Manhattan District on August 13. During the summer of 1942, the project was led by Colonel James Marshall. Through the summer, Marshall explored sites for facilities but was unable to secure the needed priority from the US Army. Frustrated by a lack of progress, Bush had Marshall replaced in September by newly-promoted Brigadier General Leslie Groves. The Project Moves Forward Taking charge, Groves oversaw the acquisition of sites at Oak Ridge, TN, Argonne, IL, Hanford, WA, and, at the suggestion of one of the projects leaders, Robert Oppenheimer, Los Alamos, NM. While work progressed on most of these sites, the facility at Argonne was delayed. As a result, a team working under Enrico Fermi constructed the first successful nuclear reactor at the University of Chicagos Stagg Field. On December 2, 1942, Fermi was able to create the first sustained artificial nuclear chain reaction. Drawing on resources from across the US and Canada, the facilities at Oak Ridge and Hanford focused on uranium enrichment and plutonium production. For the former, several methods were used including electromagnetic separation, gaseous diffusion, and thermal diffusion. As research and production moved forward under a cloak of secrecy, research on nuclear matters was shared with the British. Signing the Quebec Agreement in August 1943, the two nations agreed to collaborate on atomic matters. This led to several notable scientists including Niels Bohr, Otto Frisch, Klaus Fuchs, and Rudolf Peierls joining the project. Weapon Design As production ensued elsewhere, Oppenheimer and the team at Los Alamos worked on designing the atomic bomb. Early work focused gun-type designs which fired one piece of uranium into another to create a nuclear chain reaction. While this approach proved promising for uranium-based bombs, it was less so for those utilizing plutonium. As a result, the scientists at Los Alamos began developing an implosion design for a plutonium-based bomb as this material was relatively more plentiful. By July 1944, the bulk of the research was focused on the plutonium designs and the uranium gun-type bomb was less of a priority. The Trinity Test As the implosion-type device was more complex, Oppenheimer felt that a test of the weapon was needed before it could be moved into production. Though plutonium was relatively scarce at the time, Groves authorized the test and assigned planning for it to Kenneth Bainbridge in March 1944. Bainbridge pushed forward and selected the Alamogordo Bombing Range as the detonation site. Though he originally planned to use a containment vessel to recover the fissile material, Oppenheimer later elected to abandon it as plutonium had become more available. Dubbed the Trinity Test, a pre-test explosion was conducted on May 7, 1945. This was followed by the construction of a 100-ft. tower at the site. The implosion test device, nicknamed The Gadget, was hoisted to the top to simulate a bomb falling from an aircraft. At 5:30 AM on July 16, with all the key Manhattan Project members present, the device was successfully detonated with the energy equivalent of around 20 kilotons of TNT. Alerting President Harry S. Truman, then at the Potsdam Conference, the team began moving to build atomic bombs using the tests results. Little Boy Fat Man Though the implosion device was preferred, the first weapon to leave Los Alamos was a gun-type design, as the design was thought more reliable. Components were carried to Tinian aboard the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis and arrived on July 26. With Japans refusal of calls to surrender, Truman authorized the bombs use against the city of Hiroshima. On August 6, Colonel Paul Tibbets departed Tinian with the bomb, dubbed Little Boy, aboard the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay. Released over the city at 8:15 AM, Little Boy fell for fifty-seven seconds, before detonating at the predetermined height of 1,900 feet with a blast equivalent to about 13-15 kilotons of TNT. Creating an area of complete devastation approximately two miles in diameter, the bomb, with its resulting shock wave and fire storm, effectively destroyed around 4.7 square miles of the city, killing 70,000-80,000 and injuring another 70,000. Its use was quickly followed three days later when Fat Man, an implosion plutonium bomb, fell on Nagasaki. Generating a blast equivalent of 21 kilotons of TNT, it killed 35,000 and wounded 60,000. With the use of the two bombs, Japan quickly sued for peace. Aftermath Costing nearly $2 billion and employing approximately 130,000 people, the Manhattan Project was one of the US largest endeavors during World War II. Its success ushered in the nuclear age, which saw nuclear power harnessed for both military and peaceful purposes. Work on nuclear weapons continued under the Manhattan Projects jurisdiction and saw further testing in 1946 at Bikini Atoll. Control of nuclear research passed to the United States Atomic Energy Commission on January 1, 1947, following the passage of the Atomic Energy Act of 1946. Though a highly secret program, the Manhattan Project was penetrated by Soviet spies, including Fuchs, during the war. As a result of his work, and that of others such as Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, the US atomic hegemony ended in 1949 when the Soviets detonated their first nuclear weapon. Selected Sources The Atomic Archive: The Manhattan ProjectNuclear Weapon Archive: The Manhattan Project

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Classical Approach to Management Free Essays

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION I. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization (a group of one or more people or entities) or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal. We will write a custom essay sample on Classical Approach to Management or any similar topic only for you Order Now Resourcing encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resources, technological resources and natural resources. In for-profit work, management has as its primary function the satisfaction of a range of stakeholders. This typically involves making a profit (for the shareholders), creating valued products at a reasonable cost (for customers) and providing rewarding employment opportunities (for employees). In nonprofit management, add the importance of keeping the faith of donors. In most models of management/governance, shareholders vote for the board of directors, and the board then hires senior management. Some organizations have experimented with other methods (such as employee-voting models) of selecting or reviewing managers; but this occurs only very rarely. In the public sector of countries constituted as representative democracies, voters elect politicians to public office. Such politicians hire many managers and administrators, and in some countries like the United States political appointees lose their jobs on the election of a new president/governor/mayor. Since organizations can be viewed as systems, management can also be defined as human action, including design, to facilitate the production of useful outcomes from a system. This view opens the opportunity to ‘manage’ oneself, a pre-requisite to attempting to manage others. II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Management is often included as a factor of production along with machines, materials and money. According to the management guru Peter Drucker (1909–2005), the basic task of a management is twofold: marketing and innovation. The problem of this research is how to use the classical approach to management in this researcher’s job as a manager and determine how it affects the interlocking functions of formulating corporate policy and organizing, planning, controlling, and directing the firm’s resources to achieve the policy’s objectives. III. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The researcher aims to use the classical approach to management as a manager, and employ Henri Fayol’s general theory of management which consists of six primary functions of management and 14 principles of management, and Frederick Taylor’s scientific management which focuses on improving economic efficiency, especially labor productivity. IV. SYNOPSIS As the manager, this researcher will lay down the framework of organization first by creating the top-level managers. They will be responsible for controlling and overseeing the entire organization. They will develop goals, strategic plans, company policies, and make decisions on the direction of the business. In addition, the top-level managers will be involved in the mobilization of outside resources and will be accountable to the shareholders and general public. In order to establish a strong, well-founded, and steady workflow, the researcher will integrate Fayol’s Principles of Management in outlining the business policy that will include: a) the mission of the business which is the most obvious purpose: b) the vision of the business which reflects its aspirations and specifies its intended direction or future destination: c) the objective of the business which refers to the ends or activity at which a certain task is aimed; d) the business policy that will stipulate rules, regulations and objectives, and may be used in the managers’ ecision-making(it must be flexible and easily interpreted and understood by all employees; and e) the business strategy which will coordinate plans of actions that it is going to take, as well as the resources that it will use, to realize its vision and long-term objectives, and will also serve as a guideline to managers, stipulating how they ought to allocate and utilize the factors of production to the business’s advantage. During the operational stage, the researcher will employ Taylor’s principles in maintaining economic efficiency emphasizing the prevention of interpersonal friction between workers and managers, and social tensions between the blue-collar and white-collar classes. To do this, the workforce will be given one seat to the Board of Directors so that they will be properly represented in ventilating their concerns. One good example of Taylor’s and Fayol’s approaches is the case of Bergen Community College (BCC) Bergen  Community College  is a diverse organization that consists of many different departments. The manager who supervises this college is responsible for over 500 employees and a customer (student) base of over 12,000. It is important for a manger to look at the needs of the students and then try to implement the best management system that satisfies all the members of the organization. One factor to look at is the environment of BCC. The main factors that concern the general environment of BCC are the economic conditions, social conditions and the technological factors. At the present time, the  economic factors  are favorable to BCC. The economy is doing well and most people are earning a higher income. This allows people to go to school and it also allows parents to send their children to school. Since the economy is doing well, there is more competition in the workplace, so one needs a higher education to move into a better position. Also, people could work less and make the same amount of money, thus freeing up time to attend classes at a school. All of these  economic factors lead to an increase in enrollment. However, these are not the only theories that are found in management. Many ther theories exist, and they all focus on a different aspect of management. The  Quantitative Approach  uses quantitative techniques, such as statistics and computer simulations, to improve decision-making. The Organizational Approach  is concerned with the behaviors of people at work. This theory has led to such things as human resources management, teamwork, motivation and leadership qualities. However, there are also some disadvantages that may occur. One disadvantage is that with less supervision, the employees may not work hard, thus decreasing performance. Also, there may be some bitterness between co-workers, decreasing the overall performance of the group will decrease. Instead of doing what is best for the organization, the workers may do things only for their benefit or makes them look good and not care about their peers or the organization. All of these forces in BCC’s general environment are affecting BCC in a positive way. They are causing the enrollment of BCC to increase. As a result, there are many factors in its specific forces that are becoming more complex. These factors are the suppliers, customers, competition, government agencies, and special interest. The suppliers are complex because there is a large number of customers at BCC. Thus, BCC has to ensure that they have proper furniture, classrooms, computers, and other everyday necessities. At the same time, the computer system of the various departments has to be properly maintained to make sure that the student’s records are properly kept. Also, proper maintenance of the buildings has to be maintained. This rapidly changing environment makes the job of any manager extremely difficult. However, she needs to take advantage of the good economy to increase the enrollment at the school as well as try and receive extra funding from the government and special interest groups to expand the school and the programs offered. At the same time, the manger needs to be aware of the competition for the students from the four-year universities and the increasing number of vocational schools. Also, the manager needs to make sure that the staff is doing its most to satisfy the needs of the customers V. DEFINITION OF TERMS 1. Scientific management – also called Taylorism, was a theory of management that analyzed and synthesized workflows. 2. Administrative management – management approach that concentrates on the total organization. The emphasis is on the development of managerial principles rather than work methods. 3. Top-Level Managers – Typically consist of board of directors, president, vice-president, CEO, etc. They are responsible for controlling and overseeing the entire organization. They develop goals, strategic plans, company policies, and make decisions on the direction of the business. In addition, top-level managers play a significant role in the mobilization of outside resources and are accountable to the shareholders and general public. 4. Workforce – VI. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY This research primarily aims to use the classical approach to management in this researcher’s job as manager in a private business enterprise and does not include political, educational, and financial institutions. It focuses on employing Frederick Taylor’s and Henry Fayol’s management approaches to find out its effects in today’s marketing and innovations. CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY I. RESEARCH DESIGN This research is designed in several components: Document analysis, surveys of similar business enterprises, and interviews of managements and workforce, and assessment of findings. II. SAMPLING PROCEDURES The researcher will employ the stratified sampling technique so that the identified business enterprises that will be included in the sample will be represented in the same proportion that they exist in the population to enable the researcher draw appropriate inferences. The researcher also believe that this technique could lead to a more efficient statistical estimates. CHAPTER 3 I. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK According to Fayol’s theory, there were six primary functions of management namely; forecasting, planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and monitoring; and 14 principles of management namely; Division of work, Authority, Discipline. , Unity of command, Unity of direction. Subordination of individual interests to the general interest, Remuneration, Centralisation, Scalar chain, Order, Equity. , Stability of tenure of personnel, Initiative, and Esprit de corps. Frederick Taylor  is often called the â€Å"father of scientific management. Taylor believed that organizations should study tasks and develop precise procedures. As an example, in 1898, Taylor calculated how much iron from rail cars Bethlehem Steel plant workers could be unloading if they were using the correct movements, tools, and steps. The result was an amazing 47. 5 tons per day instead of the mere 12. 5 tons each worker had been averaging. In addition, by redesigning t he shovels the workers used, Taylor was able to increase the length of work time and therefore decrease the number of people shoveling from 500 to 140. Lastly, he developed an incentive system that paid workers more money for meeting the new standard. Productivity at Bethlehem Steel shot up overnight. As a result, many theorists followed Taylor’s philosophy when developing their own principles of management. Utilizing Frederick Taylor’s and Henri Fayol’s principles of management, with little modification so as to adapt to the modern world of marketing and innovations, this researcher believes that interpersonal and social clashes will be minimized if not avoided, and a cost-effective, well-organized, competent, and efficient business enterprise would be established. II. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK The conceptual framework of this researcher focuses on using the classical approach to management in his job as a manager that aims to establish whether it is still effective in today’s modern world of marketing and innovations. The substance of this study will primarily be dependent on the researcher’s data that will come from document analysis, surveys, interviews, and assessment of findings. III. ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK The purpose of this research is to use the classical approach to management in this researcher’s job as manager to find out if the principle is still effective in today’s modern marketing and innovations. The type of research design used here is qualitative and institutional in nature. This entails the data analysis which will be extracted from the following: 1) document analysis; 2) surveys; 3) interviews; and 4) assessment of findings. This researcher then collates the data gathered from these areas to ascertain whether the classical approach could still play a vital role in the management of modern systems of business enterprises. How to cite Classical Approach to Management, Papers

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Hierarchical Leadership Structural Supports †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Hierarchical Leadership Structural Supports. Answer: Introeduction: I have found that there have been many concerns about the effectiveness of conducting virtual meetings. Thus, I want to have a quick discussion on the some of the critical areas that needs consideration while managing and leading virtual teams. Here, I must mention that virtual teams have become the norm of most of the organizations operating globally. To be precise, I believe close to around 66 percent of the multinational companies relies on virtual team management for meeting the challenges of the geographical expansion, ensure cost savings and meet the increasing demand for the flexibility in workplace (Aiken, Gu and Wang 2013). However, the critical areas that need attention while leading and managing a virtual team include: Building Of a 24X7 Work Cycle: I believe that the different time zones are a complication but if we think differently, it is also an opportunity for increasing the efficiency of working around the clock (Hoch and Kozlowski 2014). Moreover, greater attention while delegating work will help in overcoming the conflicting deadlines and language barriers. Facing the Unexpected: At some point, there might be a technology failure due to either poor internet connection or the malfunctioning of software. In such cases, you will have to be prepared with either a Plan B or Plan C that can be in the form of dial-in numbers (Fan et al. 2014) Maintenance of Clarity: I believe that the presence of a virtual team often blurs the boundaries of the responsibilities. One can handle this situation by ensuring specific actions to each member after every meeting. Holding Accountability: It is also necessary to create a climate for peer-to-peer accountability that will help in building a sense of trust amongst the teammates (Keil, Lee and Deng 2013). Otherwise, this might leave room for concerns and ambiguity that might not be voiced. Thus, there should be smart handling following a bottom up approach involving everyone. Nurturing Emergent Leadership: Emergent leaders are critical for ensuring innovation. However, when dealing with a virtual team the leaders and the team members should have a shared understanding and sense of acceptance (White 2014). Although, emergent leadership helps in generating positivity but it is important to remember that it leads the internal coercion and burning out caused by the imbalance of the workload. Spotting Differences in Culture: To understand the background of every teammate a critical step needed for the establishment of successful collaboration amongst virtual team members (Verburg, Bosch-Sijtsema and Vartiainen 2013). I believe that expectations significantly vary when it comes to the balancing of informal and formal communication. This is also true in dealing with issues like individualism, perception of time and power distance relationships. For ensuring effectiveness, it is necessary for to use the available tools for making cross-cultural comparisons. I believe that with the consideration of the above critical areas there will be greater effectiveness in leading and managing the virtual teams. Therefore, it not only supports the success of the multiple employees but at same time helps in developing newer capability in terms of the organization. References: Aiken, M., Gu, L. and Wang, J., 2013. Task knowledge and task-technology fit in a virtual team.International Journal of Management,30(1), p.3. Fan, K. T., Chen, Y. H., Wang, C. W. and Chen, M. 2014. E-leadership effectiveness in virtual teams: Motivating language perspective.Industrial Management Data Systems,114(3), 421-437. Hoch, J.E. and Kozlowski, S.W., 2014. Leading virtual teams: Hierarchical leadership, structural supports, and shared team leadership.Journal of applied psychology,99(3), p.390. . Understanding the most critical skills for managing IT projects: A Delphi study of Keil, M., Lee, H.K. and Deng, T., 2013IT project managers.Information Management,50(7), pp.398-414. Verburg, R.M., Bosch-Sijtsema, P. and Vartiainen, M., 2013. Getting it done: Critical success factors for project managers in virtual work settings.International journal of project management,31(1), pp.68-79. White, M., 2014. The management of virtual teams and virtual meetings.Business Information Review,31(2), pp.111-117.