Freedom And Determinism ( its for philosphy class) Essay

Freedom And Determinism ( its for philosphy class) - Essay Example idered the enigma of whether people freely exercise their own choices or if their ultimate fate is actually determined by some mysterious external force. If not for free will, no one could be held accountable for their actions because all behavior, whether good or bad, moral or immoral would be predetermined therefore out of an individuals control. However, most people sincerely believe they possess free will, as evidenced by Darwin’s evolution theory which indicates that â€Å"we do in fact have free will, that we can decide and determine our futures within the limits of physical reality† (Truth and Reality, 2007). A person can chose to, for example, type an essay or go watch television. Simple reasoning dictates that people, and animals for that matter, have the freedom of choice. We are not robots or puppets acting out in some cosmic entities stage play. The power is within each of us to alter behaviors, even long-standing patterns of behavior. The choice to take the right or left direction when we reach a fork in the road is completely ours. It would be unjust to imprison anyone for a crime if society as a whole was not convinced that free will did not exist. Common sense dictates that people have and exercise freedom of choice. William James explained this point of view maybe better than anyone by saying â€Å"people experience regret or sorrow only because they could have done otherwise.† (Stumpf, 1984) According to the concept of determinism, free will is only an illusion as described by Baron dHolbach. People are unable to alter their behaviors because actions are determined by events preceding those actions. The determinism theory dictates that all actions are determined by universal laws. In other words, if only people were fully aware of the inner-workings of the universe, they could reliably forecast impending actions. â€Å"Any present event, including human behavior, is caused by an antecedent cause† (Weiss, 1996). The merits of

Programming software can be good for children Essay Example for Free

Programming software can be good for children Essay Programming software can be good for children with the correct guidance. Antonio Garcia Vicente at only six years old entered to the young programmers club of Valladolid University to learn how to create video games with the computer and mobile devices. He created his first video game at seven years old to help his classmate to improve their understanding of the classes. Maria Vicente, his mother, and software engineer explain that children, computers and mobile devices are meant to be misunderstood. \Children are capable of doing more things with computers and mobile devices but the elders believe that everything is very delicate, and it is, but children have more imagination and they are not afraid to try things.\ (Tosas, 2016). Due to the fact, there is evidence showing that using computers and mobile devices could be harmful to children who are 4-6 years old, the parents and educational institutions can teach the children how to use properly it, can improve their growth. Opponents said that children who are exposed more than ever to computers and mobile screens are more prone to addiction and depression. Even though specialists in psychology from the Childish Hospital Federico Gà ³mez at Mexico City explain that, these negative effects are avoidable by limiting the use of computers and mobile devices (Univision, 2015). It is necessary to balance the time spent with those devices with other activities important for their development such as physical exercise and social coexistence. Mark Baley, Director of the Pacific University Child Learning and Development Center describes how a 5-year-old child fascinated with the Titanic received an interactive CD-ROM with a large screen computer. As he piloted this virtual tour of the Titanic, friends who wanted to hear the story and see the pictures surrounded him. He had to use the mouse carefully and precisely to navigate this tour. His social skills and small motor skills began to show improvement over a cou ple of weeks (Naeyc, n.d). Opponents consider children between 4-6 years old who use computers and mobile devices at risk of potentially irreversible eye damage because of blue light emissions from those screens. Whereas these conditions can be treated and prevented with regular breaks and blinking, the hazards of accrued exposure to blue light are still relatively unknown. In 2014, a US study showed artificial retina cells grown in a laboratory were destroy when exposed to blue light (Ongaro, 2014). However, they were exposed directly to the blue light for many hours that is why they were destroy. This is because they don ´t have the natural blinking that children naturally have. The parents have to educate the children to make continuous blinking, take some breaks, do some exercises and look at distant objects for 10-30 seconds periodically, so that children can rest the muscles they use to see. In addition, the new technologies like the fast refresh rate, high resolution, automatic brightness and contrast are in favor of children ´s ocular health. Opponents argue that there is a struggle with obesity because sitting in a chair in front of a computer and mobile devices can trap children between 4-6 years old, without even thinking to go to the toilet. However, according to Health Awareness Community, the advancement of computers and mobile devices will make the next generation more active, not less (2016). With the advances in smart phone technologies and high accuracy GPS systems, there are entirely new fun physical activities for children. The Sworkit Kids mobile app virtual platform for free was born with the mission to turn physical exercise into a game by providing parents and kids with personalized activities focused on improving flexibility, strength, and agility. This app is to motivate children to play sports, is suitable for 4-6 years old, and encourages them to be entertained and motivated. It is evident that using computers and mobile devices on children between 4-6 years old could be unhealthy, but all those arguments are avoidable with the guidance of parents and educational institutions. Those technology devices will not disappear, the children have to be educated to optimize its use. The computers and mobile devices will not negatively affect the children ´s learning capacity if their parents limit the time spent on it and combine it with other activities. The computers and mobile devices now have better screens and children educated to blinking, take breaks and do some eye exercises after their use, so that they will not damage their eyes. With the mobile devices and its technology, children and their parents will be motivated to do some physical exercise to improve their flexibility, strength and agility.

Applied Research Technologies Incorporation Analysis

Applied Research Technologies Incorporation Analysis Introduction of Case study:- The case study is about the Applied Research Technologies Incorporation, which is an emerging corporation in the field of technology. Company has built up its strength from mergers and acquisitions in the year of 1980 and 1990. As a result, in the year of 2006, the ART portfolio consist of 60 business units having major divisions of Industrial automation, Health care, HVAC (Heating ventilation and air conditioning) and Water management Division. Backbone of the business:- Innovative Culture:- The company success is based on the innovative environment and friendly culture for the entrepreneur mind people. The encouragement for innovative ideas can be idealized from the fact that company spends double money on supporting innovative ideas from the other industrial companies. This innovative culture comes from the top, because the CEO (David Hall) encourage employees to spend half day in a week in brainstorming, problem solving and experimenting which is referred as tinker time. According to the CEO, he likes to have meetings of managers and innovators so that new ideas emerged. According to him, it is the fact that you will not succeed every time but we should celebrate worthy attempts even they are unsuccessful. Knowledge Sharing:- Knowledge dissemination and sharing is also a promising picture that reflects the cooperative culture of the company. Experts of different department help each other in the successful completion of the project as well as problem solving. Funding to entrepreneurial ideas:- As discussed earlier, company serve significant amount of resources on innovative ideas. Whenever an idea comes which successfully complete the beta batch production and market potential analysis process also called proof of concept, quickly the resources are put behind the idea. CEO of the company wanted to minimize the period from the emergence of idea and the successful launching of commercial product. To convert this idea into reality company introduce a program which is referred as fast track pipeline, the main purpose behind this activity is to provide additional resources for the high priority projects. Competitive targets and executive compensation:- As the structure of the company belief on decentralized decision making, so to coordinate the activities toward the completion of business as well as corporate goal highly performance targets are set followed by executive compensation. In 2006, the company gives the target referred to as 10(sale growth 10%)/ 15(pretax margin 15%)/ 20(return on investment). Work force Diversity:- CEO of the company wanted to have a global presence. For this, he not only want to expand his business in different geographical areas but also to open its branches in different areas to grasp the talent and utilize for the further development of the company. In response to this idea, RD group of ART has opened Indian Technical Center (ITC) in 2000. Filtration Unit:- Our main area of discussion is regarding Filtration unit that struggled hard to reach at a success level. This business has been acquired in 1996 from oil and gas Service Company. Its core products are relating to the Government requirement of recycling of water at drilling sites and well heads. A change comes into this business when a 32 years old manager is hired for this unit called Vyas. Having an enthusiastic personality, he immediately starts hiring innovative and creative mind people into his team. Janice Wagner is one of those hired people who have already worked as marketing department of HVAC division of ART Inc. Small scale Oxidation Unit:- Vyas has a strong belief that innovation is the key to success. So to make an innovative culture more strong, he hires a team of technology evaluation. During his review of current and some near past project, he came to know that ITC was working on a project of water purification for developing countries water problem. This small scale oxidation project had been set aside because of increased cost. Market analysis:- Vyas closely review the project and convinced that it could be a considerable idea. ITC was so much motivated and developed a promising design of the product. They claimed that this product can process approximately 2000 liters of unhygienic water. Vyas was quiet satisfied that the product would be a successful one but he also asked Wagner to arrange a brief market analysis. After her analysis, he pointed out some facts: Only 2.5% pure water was available in the World and most of them was frozen. 1.1 billion people suffered due unavailability of pure water. 3.1 Million (90% children) people had been died in 2002 as a result of diarrheal diseases. On these finding and promising design of product enforced Vyas to pursue the project. In result he gave a go ahead sign to ITC technicians and also asked Wagner to make a comprehensive market analysis of potential customer, so that the product would be developed according to the target market demand. After market assessment, she give the report about target customer. In his report he pointed out following customer. For Developing Countries: Purified water is required for drinking. For USA Residential landscape irrigation. Disaster relief. Military. Commercial landscape irrigation. Farms etc. She also claimed that many other industries of China, Europe, Canada and USA were trying researching on this type of product but our design was probably the superior one. First generation product:- Vyas team targeted the developing countries customer who suffered from infected water. Team contacted with funding agencies and made the small scale oxidation system for field testing. This was unfortunate that regardless of too much research and hard work behind the product, it was failed because of significant smell was still found out in the purified water. In the result, funding agencies rejected the projected. Second generation product:- Although the failure of the product was a big disaster for the Vyas, but he came up with a new enthusiasm and tried to turn the tables over. The team decided to work for another group of potential customers that was mentioned in Wager market analysis report. In this time they wanted to manufacture a product for military and disaster relief NGO, s. They refocus all their efforts and at the end they succeeded to overcome the odor problem. But in this time problem caught them in another way, due to high power requirement a frequent battery replacement was a necessary outcome. So, no order would be expedited in near future. Third generation product:- It is the reality that there were two consecutive failures but the Vyas team still thought that it was not the end of story. They made up a new plan and demanded $2 Million. A new six person development team was designed by Vyas who had smart project management and leading skills. The team work tirelessly for the completion of three phase model of Cynthia Jackson (Vice President of Water Management Division). Cynthia Jackson gave a three phase model for third generation product: Market analysis. Technological development. Business planning. Phase 1: Market analysis and product concept:- Before starting the product idea, Wagner took the responsibility of market research of product. This time focus was on the residential water purification. In this sector, she wanted to analyze that cushion was available in domestic agriculture applications or not. She found in her research that there was a water scarcity problem in the Western and Southeastern region of USA. Due to this reason government imposed restriction on the usage of water for residential irrigation. Also, when the water was used for irrigation then the lower quality water could be accepted. It was also indicated in the research that domestic water treatment market generate sale of app $9 Billion. Also, sprinkler units available in the market were ranging from $1800 $4000. So Wagner was quiet sure about the positive response of the market regarding this product. After the research had been made, the team compiled the results and for the Residential irrigation mini-oxidation system (RIMOS) decided a retail price of $2000. But there would be significant discount on price per acre for Agriculture irrigation large oxidation system (AILOS). Vyas and Wagner formed a formal report including all the research analysis and recommendation of the prices for the approval from Jackson. Jackson response on the research was not satisfactory. She had concerns on many issue. After reviewing all the report, she advised the team to reduce the cost of the project either by rejecting RIMOS or AILOS. Vyas and his team agreed upon the rejection of AILOS and decided to unite the efforts for the success of RIMOS project. Phase 2: Initial design and product specification:- Vyas and his team immediately started working on prototype. They should restrict the design in such a way that the cost remain at the level, given in the research. They wanted to convert the design of generation one product into the new product for irrigation. The managers had to face many challenges; one of them was a situation of misunderstanding between researchers team of India and United States. The conflicting point was the delay in production design deadline. The Indian researcher had clarified that wanted to develop a design that satisfy the needs of the customer. They clarified that there is no need to rush and the product design would be finalized after proper testing. The reason behind such a watchful way of developing the design was the threat of failure and that was not acceptable in any case. Jackson was quiet satisfied because the team showed their strong willingness and put efforts for the success of product. But she also advised to use the full internal resources of ART Company. Vyas found out managers and engineers with the help of Jackson form HVAC and Healthcare divisions who coordinate with the team. They suggested some production specification and design changes with resulted in the cost reduction. Phase # 3: Business Plan:- The business plan was a real challenge for Vyas and his team. Anyhow they put all their efforts and made a sale projection, cost elimination plan, product concept, marketing plan and cost projections for RIMOS. They also still believe that there was a big market of water purification for the underdeveloped countries waiting for them. Although the team worked with full commitment but Jackson challenged the pro forma report of financials and instructed the team to review the assumptions given in the report. On the other hand, Vyas and Wagner were pretty sure that the research was quiet satisfactory and had been worked out with due diligence by technological and manufacturing experts. Jackson was also concerned about the price of $2000 and advised Vyas to closely observe the risk linked with it. So, the teams also made a risk assessment. The results showed that: Company should take a close look at beta batch that helps to reduce flaws. Price could be justifiable by increased water efficiency. Competition could be low because of the global impact of ART, its after sale service, distribution channel and supplier relationship. Market acceptability could be increased by highlighting the ART name which has significant value in market. Also distribution channel of HVAC should be used. Decision for the project:- Vyas was still thinking whether to accept the proposal or to reject it. He knew that his team has the required potential for gaining success. His team was absolutely sure about the good performance. On the hand, Jackson heard from grapevine that Vyas had received the funding request of $2000. She was thinking over and over again what would her answer when Vyas came for approval. She knew that her action would be watched critically because many managers of her division think that filtration unit caused to much loss and this is the time to set aside the project. Porter Five Forces Analysis (Figure.1) Willingness to pay Value for the customer Porter five forces analysis consist of following: Price Bargaining power of customer. Bargaining power of Supplier. Threat of new entrance. Cost Competitive rivalry within an industry. Threat of substitute. Bargaining power of customer:- First of all we have to understand the logic behind power of customer. We can clarify our mind from the figure.1, if the price of the product is lower than the willingness to pay range, power of customer is low and vice versa. When we look at the whole scenario, we came to know that filtration made many researches regarding the target market. They have made the prototype for several times and for several types of products. Also a comprehensive study had been conducted to rightly identify the product price with respect to value given by the product. Now to comment on the power of customers, there are two divisions: Bargaining power of customer for first two generations: The product of first generation is highly demanded in the marked. Also the target market was quiet perfect for the product. If the prototype became successful in that time then bargaining power of the customer would be lower than supplier (also depend upon the price charged). Same would be the case with Second generation product. Although the product was a good solution for military and disaster relief activities but the price at sale cost will be very high. Customer had to spend too much money on continuous changing of the battery. Due to this reason customer may be on upper end. So the company realizes this fact before time and leaves this plan. Beginning power of the customer for third generation:- In the third which was under consideration, I believe that the product is a good solution for the customer and available on compatible price in relation to the competitors. As US government had imposed restriction on the landscape irrigation so for landscape irrigation people have to purchase these types of products. So there is a bid market available. Company also has brand equity because of its customer relationship, global presence and speedy efficient distribution channel. So, as the value of product is high, bargaining power of seller is also high. Bargaining power of supplier:- Bargaining power of supplier can also be described for the three scenarios separately. Bargaining power of supplier for first two generations:- Bargaining power of supplier would be very high for the supplier if the odor problem could be solved (also depend upon the price of the product) because the target market chosen by the supplier was quiet demanding for that kind of product. Same would be the case with second generation where target market was properly set, product had a value for the customers but in the end same problem occurs with the company and rather than solving the problem they start thinking for the new product. Bargaining power of the supplier for the third generation:- In this situation, if the product is launched successfully, bargaining power of suppliers will be slightly high. The reason behind that the value of the product will be high for the customers because of government restriction on water irrigation and compatible price. Also the company has its distinct value in the minds of customer regarding its quality, after sale services and distribution channel. Threat of new entrance:- Wagner had analyzed the market for the first generation and pointed out that many private and government sectors RD efforts had been in progress for the purification plant but finally she gave the remarks that our technology was the best amongst all up till that time. For second generation, cushion of success was available as Wagner had pointed out this factor in her analysis. For third generation product, competitors are already into action and new comers are also expected. But the advantage of the company is its compatible price, its global presence, distribution network and suppliers relationship as compared to the competitors. Competitive rivalry within an industry:- We can perceive from the case that competitive rivalry was very high in the first generation because Wagner analysis highlight the Europe, USA, China and Canada government and private sector companies, already working on such a product. But she was also sure that ART technology was far better than the competitors. Also the significant global presence of ART along with the enthusiastic distribution channel and after sale service increases the value of product in the eyes of customers. Competitive rivalry factor is always present in most of the industries dimensions. So this factor is also present in second generation. Competitors are already present in third generation product but as discussed earlier company has a distinguishable position in the market that leads towards high brand equity. Also price and quality of product is some what same as compared to the competitors of the market. So there are bright chances of the success in the market. Threat of substitute:- Substitutes are available for the generations but the technology and brand equity provides special edge to ART. The only lacking factor was the lack of consistency. When we take a look at the case, we came to know that when a problem occurs in the product they simply reject the product. The rational behavior should be that they have to think over the problem and solve it rather than leaving the project and put all the effort into loss. Pestle Analysis:- By Pestle analysis, we mean to say: P = Political analysis E = Economic analysis. S = Social analysis. T = Technology analysis. L = Legal analysis. E = Environmental analysis. I will explain each part separately. Political analysis:- Third generations product is most effected from the political point of view. Third generation product is actually related with the irrigation of residential landscape. But as the case suggest that due to less rain and increasing population growth extreme scarcity of water take place in the region because of that government impose limitations on landscape irrigation. Now this political move causes increase in the demand of the product. So this government action is affecting the demand positively. Economic analysis:- While making the analysis of the product target market and product acceptability, one thing that should be kept in mind is the economic condition of the target market. Because it may be possible that there is a need of product, people are willing to purchase and product contents are absolutely matched with the needs of target market but only due to high cost incurred on the production process it is away from the reach of market. This was the case with second generation product where a problem of consistent change would cause an increase in cost of product that is unacceptable for the target market. Social analysis:- Social aspect also disturbed the ART progress regarding this filtrations unit. Corporate RD section of ART opened ITC and water purification project concept emerged from that unit. But due to difference in social values and culture of the two different continents, there was a situation of misunderstanding communication gap exist between head office and this unit. We can see the confusion among both units, when mini-oxidation plant face a problem of odor and project will be closed that make the ITC technicians harsh. Some situation happens when the third generation product design becomes late. Technological analysis:- ART has advanced technology but the only issue is regarding proper research, effective utilization of technology and consistency. In my view when first generation product faces the problem of odor, there would be a need to reorganize all technological aspect and a RD operation would be done with new passion. It might be a chance that the result would be in companies favor. Same will be the case with second generation product. Legal analysis:- There are minor legal issued faced by the organization. Only the restriction of landscape irrigation is a legal issue that proves beneficial for the increasing demand of the target market. Environmental analysis:- Environmental factor also have a some effect on the existing scenario. The target market of the generations has some environmental characteristics that collectively results in the emerging needs of the products produced by the ART business unit. For example polluted water of underdeveloped countries increase the need of purified water and lack of rain increased population results in the demand for landscape irrigation product Strategic group analysis:- ART has many business units depending upon the different type of products they have provided. Corporation has brand equity in the market due to its after sale services, customer satisfaction, global presence and distribution network. IF we look at the strategic strengths of the organizations on over all bases, we came to know that the corporation has a strategy of growing itself with innovation and entrepreneurial activities. And knowledge sharing dissemination helps to achieve the target. Tinker time is a helping step to achieve that strategic goal. Strategic analysis has another view; filtration unit is a part of the corporation. Having core product of water treatment for oil and gas exploration that meets the government requirement of recycling. The case shows a sort of strategic mistake from the point of view of management while new project was under progress. There is a lack of consistency and lack of commitment that can be seen easily. First generation product came into the field-testing phase after the lab test had been completed. Then, why this problem not be shown in that phase? May be that would happen because of careless attitude while testing or may be the product quality in lab test was different from the field-testing product quality? Even then, if product faces odor problem, the management should encourage the ITC technicians to overcome the problem rather converting the face of project in different way. Same will be the case with second generation product which shows a careless attitude of management as well as lack of strategic vision regarding the project. Key Success Factors:- If we take a birds view of the case, we can easily assess that innovation, entrepreneurial activities, knowledge sharing and dissemination are the four active participants that guides ART towards the success story. Corporation has an urge to achieve competitive advantage over rivals through these factors. CEO advice of tinker time is an example of the innovative vision of the corporation. Key drivers of change in selected industry:- After the two failure of purification water project, now the company stands on a crucial point regarding the decision of investment on the landscape irrigation project. The under discussion industry should keep the vision of innovation and entrepreneurial activities in mind but to achieve a goal this business unit also needs to be more disciplined. Managerial decision should be taken by keeping in view the broader aspect and by analyzing that what impact this decision would be on whole Corporation. Following are the point that should be kept in mind if the company wanted to have success in this project: Critically analyze the market analysis and financials of the plan. If that found to be practical, make the prototype version followed by field testing production. If the product gets success in field testing production then company has to move toward marketing and production. Regular innovative change not only helps to sustain a competitive advantage but also create value for the customer and then increased value can be enjoyed through fruitful profit generation.

Effective Communication Used by Benevolent Leader, Queen Elizabeth I :: European History

Effective Communication Used by Benevolent Leader, Queen Elizabeth I Persuasion is a difficult skill to master. One has to take into account the ideologies held by the audience and how those relate to one’s own intentions of changing minds. In order to encourage her troops to fight courageously in defense of England, Queen Elizabeth I utilizes Aristotle’s principles of effective communication that include logos, pathos and ethos in her Speech to the English Troops at Tilbury, Facing the Spanish Armada. The first principle that Queen Elizabeth I introduces into her speech is logos, as she uses reason and inference to assure her soldiers of her faith in their resolve to fight for the good of England. She warns her soldiers that she has been told to â€Å"take heed how we commit ourselves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery.† This warning is from a source that is concerned with not only her safety, but also the safety of her subjects and, despite that concern, she claims that it is the tyrants who should be fearful. Since she has â€Å"placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good will of my subjects,† she has no reason to worry because she is not a tyrant like her enemies. As a result of investing and drawing her strength from the people of her kingdom, Queen Elizabeth I has little to fear unlike the tyrants who cannot trust their own armies. The trust that she has placed in her armies to protect the kingdom leads to the use of the second of Aristotle’s principles of effective communication. Queen Elizabeth I uses pathos to appeal to soldiers through their emotions by reminding them that she is on the field with them to die for her subjects (them), just as she is asking them to die for her. She is not on the battlefield with them for her own amusement; the Queen is determined to â€Å"live or die amongst you all, to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom† and this appeals to the soldiers’ sense of duty.

Disadvantages and Alternatives to Public Sector Strikes Essay

Strike replacement occurs when employers hire or use individual to perform the work of employees on strike. In the United States, it is not unfair labor practice for employers to replace the striking workers with others in effort to carry on the company’s business. Most other industrialized nations, however, do not allow permanent strike replacement. The United States is already unique among its trading partners in allowing permanent strike replacements and ban on permanent strike replacement would probably raise labor costs and harm international competiveness. For decades, employers have been permitted to hire permanent replacements for striking employees, Congressional action may change this situation, and however, any legislative changes on this issue will most likely become a political hot potatoes for most member of congress or face a probable presidential veto. (Budd, J.W) â€Å"But to maintain a balance of power between employees and employers, hiring permanent replacements is not allowed† and The United States Congress should outlaw the use of permanent replacement workers during strikes and I would argue the followings: workers investments, minimize strategic behavior, encouragement of collective bargaining, voice, Mackay doctrine, role of the law, employer has no real incentive to negotiate, Striker replacements, mandatory or permissive issue, What if negotiations fail and Italian model and Advantages, Disadvantages and Alternatives to Public Sector Strikes. I assert that the key distinction that should be made in the law of striker replacements is one based on the degree of firm ­ specific investments made by the workers involved in the strike. By focusing on that feature, the law  could prevent the use of a strike or the hiring of permanent replacements as an opportunistic behavior weapon designed to expropriate the other party’s rents. Although several proxies could potentially be available to the courts or the NLRB, there are no clear guidelines or definitions that facilitate such distinctions. Banning of replacement workers during strike would further the argument that if Congress make the decision of whether to hire striker replacements a mandatory issue of bargaining, unions and employers could make the distinction between firm-specific and general investments made by workers and thus enforce the contract so as to minimize strategic behavior. Outlawing strike replacement workers would support among the goals of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) which was the promotion and encouragement of collective bargaining. The sponsors of this Act viewed collective bargaining as the means to promote a new labor policy without having to directly regulate the terms of the employment relationship. In enacting the NLRA, Congress rejected a more interventionist approach and opted instead for a system that emphasized the distinct roles of labor and management in which outcomes were to be determined by the ability of the parties to impose economic pressure on each other through the negotiation process. Furthermore, it is somewhat ironic that among the several alternatives that have been progressive to deal with the striker replacements issue, in cases where replacement workers were used, there has been no attempt to use the collective bargaining process as a possible solution. But by incorporating the striker replacement decision into the bargaining process a non-zero-sum situation can be created which makes both parties better off, while at the same time advancing the NLRA’s objectives of industrial peace and collective bargaining by protecting the exercise by workers of full freedom of association, self-organization, and designation of representatives of their own choosing, for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of their employment or other mutual aid or protection which is voice, and I contend that bargaining over the striker replacements issue creates a cooperative solution because in the cooperative game theory of bargaining, the parties can both benefi t by cooperating with each other. Banning Strike Replacement would further support Mackay doctrine to distinguish between â€Å"opportunistic behavior† by either the union or the employer, and behavior that is â€Å"no opportunistic.† Therefore, whatever modification proposal is introduced should be measured by its ability to redress this problem of strike replacement. The United States Congress need to ban strike replacement because I would argue here that the law if passed is based on the assumption that through the negotiation process the parties themselves will be best able to resolve disputes concerning the hiring of striker replacements by making the necessary trade-offs and establishing rules that commit them to mutually enforce the contract. In the law and economics parlance, if someone values an asset more than its owner, then there is scope for mutual gain by exchange. Though, under the Mackay approach to striker replacements, the decision to hire striker replacements is not amenable to resolu tion through the collective bargaining process because the rule makes bargaining over this decision too costly for a union and makes it easy for an employer to behave opportunistically. Strike Replacement Ban by United States Congress if enacted should then focus on providing the proper framework in which negotiations or mutual exchange should take place. In this sense, the role of the law is threefold. First, the legal framework should allocate the initial rights or entitlements in a way that increases the likelihood of successful bargaining. Second, the law should seek to minimize the transaction costs associated with bargaining. Finally, the legal framework should provide adequate enforcement mechanisms for cases in which bargaining fails. However, bargaining situations characterized by zero transaction costs are rare. If there are no obstacles to exchanging legal entitlements, they will be allocated efficiently by private agreement, so the initial allocation by the courts does not influence the efficiency of the final allocation; and the assignment of property rights does not matter when the transaction costs are zero. By negotiating to an impasse and then hiring permanent replacements. The employer has no real incentive to negotiate over the striker replacement issue because any negotiation will by definition make the employer worse  off. Even if the union places a high value on protecting at least those employees that are subject to opportunistic behavior, and even if the union is willing to compromise on the protection of other (less-skilled) employees or on any other issue, no bargaining is likely to ever take place under the Mackay rule. In this sense, and using the language of bargaining theory, the Mackay doctrine makes it less likely that bargaining will take place and in that sense it is inefficient. It is necessary, therefore, that any reform pro ­posal start by changing the initial allocation of rights, by granting union protection against the hiring of permanent striker replacements. On the other hand, giving unions protection against the hiring of permanent replacements, without an ything more, will also result, as developed above, in the likelihood of opportunistic behavior by the union. Thus, if unions are allowed to strike, knowing that their members cannot be permanently replaced, they will be free to engage in strikes and in that way negotiate more freely. Ban on Strike Replacement would more likely if making the striker replacement issue a mandatory subject of bargaining, therefore, providing this protection, will make it more costly for employers to force a strike in the hope of getting rid of the union. The employer will only be able to accomplish this by paying a fairly high price. Even though another means of union bursting is closing operations. By making it a mandatory subject of bargaining, will minimize transaction costs by giving the union, the party which probably values this right the most, the opportunity to exchange the protection against permanent replacements for other bargaining demands they might value more highly. In this sense, the proposal facilitates bargaining by making more explicit the types of exchanges the union has to make. Striker replacements: mandatory or permissive Issue? The NLRA imposes on the employer and the union a duty to bargain in good faith. This duty requires the parties to bargain to impasse over mandatory issues. Permissive issues can be brought to the bargaining table, but neither party is required to bargain over them. But a question that is likely be raised by the proposal of banning strike replacement workers would be, is whether the duty to bargain over the decision to hire permanent. The rationale for arguing that unions will, as opposed to the employer, be more likely to bargain over the  striker replacement issue if given the initial legal entitlement, is based on the realities of the industrial relations process. First, the protection against striker replacement does not make the strike a â€Å"risk free† venture for the union. The adversity of doing without a paycheck and health insurance puts enormous pressure on the strikers to settle a dispute as soon as possible. Most American workers have no cushion, no money socked away to make house payments and car payments, to buy food or to pay doctors’ bills. Second, unreasonable pressures or unwillingness to bargain over this issue could represent a matter of survival for the union. Workers have no incentive to make demands that will throw their employers into bankruptcy or otherwise cause permanent economic harm to their employers. The worker, after all, is dependent on the employer’s long-term economic health. Workers realize this, and this realization significantly moderates worker demands. What is the scope of this duty: For the purposes of my argument, to bargain collectively is the performance of the mutual obligation of the employer and the representative of the employees to meet at reasonable times and confer in good faith with respect to wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. The Supreme Court classified subjects of bargaining as mandatory, permissive, or il legal. Mandatory subjects are defined as those that regulate wages, hours, and other conditions of the relationship between employer and employees. Permissive issues are those dealing with subjects other than wages, hours, and working conditions. Replacements can be characterized as a mandatory issue of bargaining. I would contend that bargaining during contract negotiations over the utilization of striker replacements in the case of a strike should clearly be considered a mandatory topic. Although there do not appear to be any cases directly on point, the striker replacement issue could be considered a mandatory subject based on several grounds. First, like a no-strike provision, bargaining over the use of striker replacements involves a critical aspect of the relationship between the employer and the union, and should on these grounds be seen as a mandatory bargaining subject. Second, similar to work rules such as attendance and absenteeism policies, the striker replacements decision deals with the obligation of the employees to report to work under the employment contract. As such, they regulate an issue central to the day-to-day employer-employee relationship, and finally, making the striker  replacements provision a mandatory issue of bargaining could be sup ­ ported as a means of advancing the objectives of the NLRA in evading industrial conflict and what happens if all out negotiations fail. What if negotiations fail, it could be argued that if Congress by banning Strike Replacement will not, in practice, produce results any different than could be accomplished by merely overruling the Mackay doctrine. Thus my contention could arguably say that bargain to impasse over the striker replacement issue, call a strike, and then behave opportunistically, because employers will not be allowed to replace economic strikers. I argue from both a practical and theoretical perspective that a contrary dynamic will likely prevail. As discussed above, the bargaining process by distributing the initial allocation of rights in a way that is conducive to mutual gain exchange. Bargaining over the striker replacement issue is not likely to occur under current law because employers are given the right to permanently replace strikers and the general issue is not clearly defined as a mandatory topic of bargaining. Thus, under the current scheme of things, there is almost no incentive for employe rs to bargain with respect to this issue. By overruling Mackay, while at the same time making the striker replacement issue a mandatory topic of bargaining, it increases the likelihood that the two parties will reach an agreement. The collective bargaining agreement between the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Olin Corporation, for example, provides: The employees as well as the Union shall cross all picket lines for the performance of work which is essential to the maintenance of the Company’s plant and equipment for standby operations.†189 Similarly, the agreement between the Steelworkers and Harbison-Walker Refractories, provides that: No strike or lockout shall occur at the establishment covered by this Agreement during the life of this Agreement, and continuous kilns shall be maintained at all times at a temperature which will result in no loss of ware or damage to the kilns, and periodic kilns under fire shall be burned off. Pumping operations shall also be continued during any strike or work stoppage that may occur. These two labor contracts clearly indicate the ability of unions and employers to, through the collective negotiations process, devise rules governing behavior in the event of, and during, strikes. An instructive example can also be found in  recent labor legislation enacted in Italy which regulates strike activity involving essential public services. Act 146 of the Italian Labor Code, enacted in 1990 follows the recent trend in Italian labor law towards consensual regulation. It relies in part on collective bargaining as the means of regulating the impact of strikes on the provision of essential services. Indeed, collective bargaining agreements have proven to be the main source of strike regulation under the new Italian law. Agreements have been negotiated with respect to most of the so-called essential services covered under the Act. Bargaining has occurred at both the national and local levels, with local agreements being used as a means of tailoring the rules to the specific needs of the participants. For example, the national agreement covering urban and suburban transportation establishes the principle that during a strike, service must be guaranteed for six hours a day at â€Å"peak times.† The local agreements then specify the definition of peak times and indicate the number of employees required to guarantee the service, as well as the way of selecting those employees. The Italian experience demonstrates, albeit in a different setting, that bargaining is likely to occur on the issue of the regulation of strike activity when and if the proper legal framework and structure is provided to the parties. Although I am not advocating the adoption of the Italian model in the United States, I believe that it provides some hope that a negotiations approach to the striker replacement issue of the kind we have here could bring positive net results to unions, employees, employers, and the general public. In sum, the striker replacement issue and the outlawing or legislative over ­ ruling of the Mackay doctrine are highly controversial and command considerable attention. The issue is, as exemplified in the strike during the fall of 1993 at American Airlines, fraught with emotion, with one side decrying the â€Å"union-busting hiring of scabs† and the other pronouncing the right to hire permanent striker replacements as essential to the preservation of free enterprise and a free society. Though, economic  efficiency of the Mackay doctrine as it currently operates, I would however, dispute the debate that the Mackay doctrine promotes â€Å"economic efficiency.† In particular, I content that employees that have made firm-specific investments are â€Å"inefficiently† vulnerable to an employer’s opportunistic behavior given the ability of employers to permanently replace such workers during a strike. To reform this situation I advocate: (1) the repeal of the Mackay doctrine, thereby granting unions protection against the hiring of permanent replacements; and (2) requiring that the issue of striker replacements be explicitly made a †mandatory† bargaining subject under the NLRA, with any agreements regarding this issue clearly surviving contract expiration. With the 1990 Italian strike regulation statute serving as a general model, the idea is that the resolution of this controversial issue can be most efficiently accomplished through negotiations between the parties themselves. I highly recommend these proposed statutory reforms to Congress and others currently studying reforms of the NLRA. There are however, differences, advantages and disadvantages between private and public sector strikes. (Budd, 2013) â€Å"Prohibiting public sector strikes is rooted in several traditional beliefs: that striking against the government is an unacceptable threat to the supreme authority of the government, that public sector employee bargaining power is too high there are no markets-based checks on their demand, and that government services are too critical to be interrupted†. Advantages and Disadvantages to Public Sector Bargaining From the perspective of the public sector union and the workers they represent there can be seen a number of advantages and disadvantages to bargaining in an environment like the public sector. Advantages: A few of the advantages available to union bargaining representatives seem simplistic in nature, but there is a definite advantage present. First of all, public sector employers do not have the option of relocating. One very important bargaining advantage possessed by public sector unions concerns the mopolistic nature of public services. Public sector labor can exert more pressure than can their private sector counterparts because there are generally few good substitutes available for public services, and any withholding of these services will immediately be felt by those depending upon the service. This increases the incentive for public employers and managers to settle with the union and avoid any action by the union which might result in their having to face an angry public. In case of impasse and strikes occurs: Advantages available to public sector unions and employees as a bargaining tool is the potential that a strike can have as a bargaining weapon in some ways the strike has the potential for being more formidable tactic for the public worker than for private sector unions. For many government services there are few good substitutes available for the service. When the service is denied by a public worker job action, then the public has few available alternatives to turn to in place of the service. The greater the inconveniences to the public brought about by the strike, the greater is the pressure up on the public employer to make concessions and end the work stoppage. Unions can also strikes in the public sector so that they occur when they are the most politically effective. This also increase the incentive for an early settlement. In short, the effectiveness of the public sector strike depends upon public opinion and consequent political pressure that would coerce management in the public sector to concede to the demands of labor. Disadvantages: So far it may seem that labor has controlling advantages in terms of the public sector bargaining relationship, but some very definite disadvantages also face unions in the public sector. The political process and decision approval in the levels of benefits to public workers go through political process. Public managers have far less authority and flexibility in their decision making than do their private sector partners, and the decision making process may take place far away from the actual agency. Strikes in the public sector, labor relations, and the issue which is most controversial and elicits the most attention is the strike issue. In the  past, public sector workers have frequently resorted to the work stoppage in an attempt to exert pressure on public sector management. These workers actions have net with varying degrees of disfavor from public sector management, and have had mixed results as to being successful. There is an important economic implication of denying public employees the right to engage in a work stoppage. In order for the rights of public workers under collective bargaining to be upheld there must be some sort of cost or incentive for managers to bargain seriously. The public sector strike, however, has a few disadvantages which can keep it from being effective. While strikes in the private sector impose costs upon management by preventing the organization’s operation, strikes in the public sector exert no economic pressure. However, there are alternatives to the strike, the strike has significant potential as a bargaining tool in the public sector, but the problems involved with the strike make it a very risky and unpredictable tool to use. There are a number of alternatives to the strike that perform the same basic function as the strike weapon does, namely, that of protecting the right of public workers to bargain effectively. These alternatives also have the added advantage of protecting the rights of public sector employers as well as the general public. Such alternatives are not equal in effectiveness, however, and each possesses its own unique advantages and disadvantages over other types of dispute resolution. Fact Finding: finding is used, the two parties to a dispute select a neutral third party to act to investigate the dispute and to submit recommendations as to the proper course of action. It is not the job of the fact finder to reach an agreement on the dispute. It is important to note that the fact finder’s report is advisory and not binding in nature. One or both of the parties to the dispute may reject the recommendations of the fact finder. The fact finder’s report, however, will become a part of the public record, and if one party has taken an unreasonable stance in bargaining this will soon become apparent to all. In public service industries sensitive to public opinion, the threat of publication is particularly effective as an incentive to bargain in good faith. Another alternative is the mediator who acts as an advisor in bargaining to both parties, and uses his own persuasive influence and other techniques available to him to bring the  parties to an agreemen t

Learn the Days of the Week in Spanish

Learn the Days of the Week in Spanish The names of the days of the week in Spanish and English do not seem very much alike - so you may be surprised to find out they have similar origins. Most of the words for the days are tied to planetary bodies and ancient mythology. Key Takeaways Days of the week in Spanish are masculine and not capitalized.The names of the five weekdays in English and Spanish are connected to each other, coming from astronomy and mythology.The names of the weekend days in English and Spanish have different origins in the two languages. Also, the English and Spanish names for the name of the seventh day of the week, Saturday and sbado, arent related at all even though they look vaguely similar. The names in the two languages are: Sunday: domingoMonday: lunesTuesday: martesWednesday: mià ©rcolesThursday: juevesFriday: viernesSaturday: sbado History of the Days of the Week in Spanish The historical origin or etymology of the days of the week can be linked to Roman mythology. The Romans saw a connection between their gods and the changing face of the nighttime sky, so it became natural to use their gods names for the planets. The planets the ancient people were able to track in the sky were Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Those five planets plus the moon and sun made up the seven major astronomical bodies. When the concept of the seven-day week was imported from Mesopotamian culture early in the fourth century, the Romans used those astronomical names for the days of the week. The first day of the week was named after the sun, followed by the moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. The names of the week were adopted with little change throughout most of the Roman Empire and beyond. In only a few cases were changes made. In Spanish, the five weekdays all retained their planetary names. Those are the five days whose names end in -es, a shortening of the Latin word for day, dies. Lunes comes from the word for moon,  luna in Spanish, and the planetary connection with Mars is also apparent with martes. The same is true with Mercury/mià ©rcoles, and Venus is  viernes, meaning Friday. The connection with Jupiter is not quite so apparent with jueves unless you know Roman mythology and recall that Jove is another name for Jupiter in Latin. The days for the weekend, Saturday and Sunday, were not adopted using the Roman naming pattern. Domingo comes from a Latin word meaning Lords day. And sbado comes from the Hebrew word sabbath, meaning a day of rest. In Jewish and Christian tradition, God rested on the seventh day of creation. Stories Behind the English Names In English, the naming pattern is similar, but with a key difference. The relation between Sunday and the sun, Monday and the moon and Saturn and Saturday are obvious. The celestial body is the root of the words. The difference with the other days is that English is a Germanic language, unlike Spanish which is a Latin or Romance language. The names of equivalent Germanic and Norse gods were substituted for the names of the Roman gods. Mars, for example, was the god of war in Roman mythology, while the Germanic god of war was Tiw, whose name became part of Tuesday. Wednesday is a modification of Wodens Day. Woden, also called Odin, was a god who was swift like Mercury. The Norse god Thor was the basis for naming Thursday. Thor was considered an equivalent god to Jupiter in Roman mythology. Norse goddess Frigga, after whom Friday was named, was, like Venus, the goddess of love. Using the Days of the Week in Spanish In Spanish, the names of the week are all masculine nouns, and they are not capitalized except at the beginning of a sentence. Thus it is common to refer to the days as el domingo, el lunes, and so on. For the five weekdays, the names are the same in singular and plural. Thus we have los lunes, for Mondays, los martes for (Tuesdays), and so on. The weekend days are made plural just by adding -s: los domingos and los sbados. It is very common to use the definite articles el or los with the days of the week. Also, when talking about activities taking place on a certain day of the week, the on of English is not translated. So Los domingos hago huevos con tocino would be a common way of saying On Sundays I make eggs with bacon.