Industrial and Organizational Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Industrial and Organizational Psychology - Essay Example I/O, therefore, serving as a guide tool to ensuring better performance of individual and a better running organization, covers major aspects of organizational management such as human resource management. The human capital serves as the primary factor that contributes to the over-all efficiency of the organization. I/O tools are used in personnel selection, motivation, and further development. It also helps in improving relationships between teams, and within individual workers. McCarthy (2002) outlined the brief historical flow of the growth of I/O Psychology. His accounts started with Wilhelm Wundt, who established the first psychology laboratory in 1879. It served as a precursor to the recognition of I/O psychology although other issues related to I/O had long been raised before Wundt's. During the pre-WW1 era several key figures made contribution in the field of I/O psychology. Among which Frederick W. Taylor's, experimented in 1883 at the Midvale and Bethlehem Steel plant led to the development of his Scientific Management philosophy in 1911. McCarthy (2002) also mentioned Hugo Munsterberg, as being considered as "the father of industrial psychology" who led the way to the application of psychological findings from laboratory experiments to practical matters. His book Psychology and Industrial Efficiency published in 1913 addressed personnel selection and equipment design. During World War I, Walter Dill Scott did some research on best placement of sol diers in Army. The Hawthorne Studies in 1924 led to the publication of the concept of Hawthorne Effect in 1939, which is highly contributory to industrial psychology. It states that the there is a change in behavior, such as increased attention, following the onset of a novel treatment and this effect eventually wears off as the novelty dissipates. From then to present several other studies more elaborative within the field of Industrial and Organizational psychology came out and other names emerged. Farr (2006) laid a comprehensive discussion on the birth of a formal institution that recognizes Industrial and Organizational Psychology. In his Presidential Address to the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology, Inc., at St. Louis on April 11, 1997, Farr reviewed how the society was born from its original mother organization, the APA.. Several members of APA with strong interests in the applicability of psychology, include James McKeen Cattell and the founder of the Journal of Applied Psychology, G. Stanley Hall; while Hugo Munsterberg was elected a member at the first meeting of the charter group. The first applications of psychology that might be labeled as industrial psychology occurred in the early 1900s; Walter Dill Scott in Chicago began work related to advertising, and published books related to this topic in 1903 and 1908. Munsterberg conducted research on the use of aptitude and work sample tests in personnel selection and later published Psychology and In

Discussions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Discussions - Essay Example This is because the power of choices is in their versatility, and it enables the investor to adjust their position as per the prevailing situation or circumstances. However, this versatility has its cost and, therefore, the investors should assess this extra cost based on their knowledge and skills. Options also involve a risk which is not suitable for all investors. One should, therefore, be in a position to evaluate the risk associated and develop measures for managing such risks. Being ignorant of such risks will place the investor in a weak position. Stock options are the agreement between two parties to sell or buy an asset. It is the contract that gives one party the right. It does not give the responsibility to buy or sell an asset in the future at a pre-set price known as the strike price or exercise price (Fabozzi, 2008). There are two types of options; call option and put option. Call option is the financial contract that gives the buyer the right but, not the obligation to acquire a given number of assets in the future at a predetermined price. On the other hand, put option gives the right but not obligation to sell a specific number of underlying securities at some future date (Fabozzi, 2008). It is essential to review the proforma quantification in the footnotes periodically in order to access more information concerning the options. Even though the expense is expected not to persist, it changes as the situation changes and as investors, one should continually assess the information to be able to adjust the value or the cost of the option. Consumer spending theory states that, people spend their money at a level that is consistent with their expected average income. The steady average income which is long term is referred to as permanent income. Any individual will only save if his or her current income is higher than the expected permanent income (Thaller, 1981). This implies that people will only

Outline Home school and private school Essay Example for Free

Outline Home school and private school Essay What two objects, people, subjects, or concepts are you going to compare and contrast?   What are the similarities between the two objects, people, subjects, or concepts? List as many similarities that you can think of. Learning, working yourself towards a diploma to a better future, material used is the same (textbooks, quizzes, test) What are the differences between the two objects, people, subjects, or concepts? List as many differences that you can think of. Homeschool you get more one on one help and attention, greater social interaction in public schools, fights and bullying aren’t as likely in homeschool, flexibility in schedules Are you going to focus on similarities, differences, or both? Explain your rationale. I think it’s important to focus on both I believe there are more difference than similarities when it comes to homeschool vs. public school What do you want your readers to learn and understand after reading your essay? What is the purpose of your essay? The purpose is to show that while homeschool and public schools are different they both have their positive benefits and you have to choose the one that best suits you and your family. What three parallel points of comparison or contrast will you address in your essay? For example, if you were going to compare and contrast two teachers, your three parallel points might be these: Each teacher’s homework policy Each teacher’s classroom conduct policy Each teacher’s demeanor Social Interaction Flexibility of schedule and submitting assignments. Bullying Issues Explain why this is an appropriate and workable topic selection for the final assignment. This topic is appropriate for me because my husband and I have actually been discussing moving our children from public to home school due to my child being bullied by an older child. So I feel like choosing this topic can teach me something and help me in the future to make decisions for my own children. 1. What is your chosen topic from the list? Home School vs. Public School 2. Will you be comparing or contrasting the items? I will be comparing and contrasting home school and public school there are many important differences as well as similarities. 3. Will you be organizing your essay point-by-point or by subject? Point by point 4. What 3 characteristics will you be comparing or contrasting? Social interaction in public vs. home school, bullying, and the flexibility of schedules between both 5. What is your brainstorming plan? I will jot my ideas down as they come to me, I will research the differences and similarities, then make a rough draft. Emails and written letters vary because of the time involved for both senders and recipients. Emails are typed, and letters are hand-written. Typing is much quicker compared to hand writing. Emails can be sent with the click of a button. Letters must be sealed, stamped, and sent by what is today deemed â€Å"snail mail†. Emails can be sent much quicker than hand written letters. A recipient can go into his or her email account and quickly review an email. Letter recipients must wait for the mail, open the envelope and unfold the paper. Recipients receive emails much faster than those receiving written letters. Ultimately, emails and written letters have various differences in the ways that the messages are written, sent, and received, but they also differ because of the popularity of each.

Capitalist society

Capitalist society What are the defining characteristics of a capitalist society? Which characteristics have held constant, and which been transformed, in the period since the 1970s? In this essay I am going to examine the six main characteristics of capitalism, as outlined by Adam Smith in his book An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776). To aid me in this I shall include references from a broad range of Sociologists in order to elaborate on Smiths points and provide elucidated examples. I then plan to discuss how these characteristics have been transformed since the end of the rapid economic growth post World War Two in the 1970s and the catalysts for these transformations. Prior to this I am going to give an overview of the definition and inception of capitalism. Edmund Burke (1795) defines a capitalist society as one in which even labour is seen as a commodity; the means of production are privately owned by the bourgeoisie whom pay the proletariat a wage in exchange for their labour. Good are produced in accordance with what will make the greatest profit for the bourgeoisie rather than to comply with the needs of the consumer base. The history of capitalism can be traced back as early as the 8th century, in his book Capitalism in Medieval Islam, The Journal of Economic History Sabhi Labib refers to this as, ‘Islamic Capitalism; the stability and relatively high value of the dinar currency led to the establishment of one of the first economies were money was traded in exchange for goods or services. However capitalism didnt become dominant in the ‘West until the 18th century, the catalyst for this was the French revolution of 1789. During this time social stress built due partially to an excessive population, which led to food shortages and disease epidemics. Despite the recent growth of capitalism due to increases in overseas trade and thus the continued growth of the economy the majority of French citizens (especially in rural areas) continued to live at or below the poverty level. Furthermore the stratification system of dividing the population into a hierarchy of social orders at birth caused social unrest. People wanted social change but were unwilling to act, until the fall of Bastille. The storming of the French prison by a group of middle class demonstrators protesting the dismissal of Jacques Necker effectively acted as a catalyst for the revolution; people began to realise that drastic action could bring about social change. Violence dominated the French Revolution; King Louis XVI was dethroned and beheaded and in 1793/1794 thousands more also met this fate, executed because they were thought to be anti-revolution. The French Revolutionary government, who had seized power during the political instability that followed the abolishment of the monarchy, entered war with most of the major powers in Europe, a war that outlasted the revolution. Throughout the bloodshed a number of important changes took place, the most radical of these being the abolition of feudalism and the establishment of a new order. A massive shifting of power from the Roman Catholic Church to the state took place; property was taken from the Church and members of the clergy were forced to sign an oath swearing loyalty to the state. The French revolution was swiftly followed by the Industrial Revolution in Britain, which in turn led to the spread of revolution across Europe. The Industrial Revolution brought an end to feudal society in Britain and a capitalist economic system began to develop through the growth of free labour which liberated industries such as the textile industry. E.A Wrigley wrote that industrialisation was the product of a steady increase in per capita income (1972). Though it should be noted that the economic changes were not the only factors to contribute to the rise in capitalism, the process also involves a wider set of social changes (Kumar 1978) for example Max Weber believed the Protestant ethic was a driving force in the development of capitalism. Now I have given an overview in to the development of capitalist societies I am going to discuss the characteristics associated with them. As previously stated Adam Smith outlined six characteristics of the capitalist society, the foundation of these characteristics was the notion of freedom; Smith believed that capitalism was characterised by individuals having both freedom of enterprise, that is the freedom and right to own property and/or a business and the freedom to dictate their own labour and consumer habits (freedom of economic choice). This freedom is however restricted by human need for sustenance and the means of production, ‘He is not forced to live according to the plan of a planning authority enforcing its unique plan by the police, i.e., the social apparatus of compulsion and coercion. What restricts the individuals freedom is not other peoples violence or threat of violence, but the physiological structure of his body and the inescapable nature-given scarcity of the factors of production. (Mises, L. The Anti-capitalistic Mentality, 1956 CH.1) A further characteristic put forward by Smith was the division of labour; for humans to carry out this production of materials they have to form what are known as, ‘relations of production, and divisions of labour must be made which are determined by the means of production at the time and whom owns them. According to Geoff Pilling (1980) for these relations of production take on the form of classes, as they have done present day, the productive forces must reach a certain level of growth (he further noted that if productive forces continued to increase to a higher level society may return to being class-less). . To illustrate Adam Smiths theory that within in a capitalist society there are high levels of self interest it is useful to look at the work of Marx. Marx used the model of a modern capitalist society as an example of how we can look at how the unequal distribution of the means of production leads to class development and thus class conflict. The bourgeoisie (ruling class) own the means of production, which means that for the proletariat (working class) to gain the materials they need to sustain life they must exchange their labour for a wage. According to Marx, capitalism is driven by an innate greed, especially within the ruling class; capitalists try to find ways to increase workers efficiency and force them to work longer hours. Caporaso and Levine (1992) noted, . ‘As a result profit increases, real wage (subsistence) remains the same the worker works harder, and longer whilst his share of the product declines. . This sets the interests of the two classes in opposition each acting in accordance with their own desires, as the working class are trying to limit the amount of exploitation they suffer. In order to control excesses of both individual and collective self interest capitalist societies require a competitive market, ‘As it is the power of exchanging that gives occasion to the division of labour, so the extent of this division must always be limited by the extent of that power, or, in other words, by the extent of the market. (Smith, A The Wealth of Nations, Book I, Chapter III, 1845) To ensure this competitive market there must be a large population of buyers and sellers, this is to ensure that no one person or group of peoples can dictate the price of a good or service by manipulating the supply or demand. One recent example of a company attempting to manipulate the supply/demand chain is that of Apple. The corporation is one of the main buyers of NAND flash memory chips, they are accused of indicating to their suppliers that they require larger volumes of stock than they actually intend to purchase. In order to meet this demand the suppliers increase production and as a result are left with a surplus amount of stock which they are forced to sell at a reduced rate. Moreover a competitive market must allow everyone free entrance and exit from the marketplace and must not restrict knowledge; both buyers and sellers must be aware of the markets that exist and the range of prices. The final characteristic of a capitalist society given by Adam Smith is that of limited government or laissez-faire, however it is a theory that only works if the aforementioned five characteristics are fulfilling their role. Smith believed that the government should not intervene in the marketplace as that would ruin its chances of operating efficiently and to its full potential. He saw it as the governments role to police the marketplace by creating and enforcing laws to ensure fair practice as well as helping to settle disputes. Now I have provided insight in to the characteristics of a capitalist society I am going to discuss how economic events, including two global recessions, over the past forty years have affected the characteristics and policies of the capitalist system. World War Two was the catalyst for the beginning of mass production of goods, this was known as Fordism. The process was named after Henry Ford, whom helped develop the first car that was economically viable for the working class through the use of assembly lines. Not only did this method of mass production lower the price of the end product, it also enabled Ford to hire unskilled workers which helped reduce unemployment at the time. Wages in his factory were high, at five dollars a day which enabled his employees to become consumers through this Ford managed to boost the economy. The practice of Fordism helped overcome the economic depression that occurred during the 1930s as it decreased the numbers of unemployed and increased the efficiency of workers meaning that profits rose. However the Fordist work structure was abandoned in the 1970s when economic crisis put an end to the post-war boom. The causes of this economic downturn were the oil crisis of 1973, the 1973-74 stock marke t crash, a period of slow economic growth (stagnation) and inflation. Gamble and Walton (1976) used statistics to show that it was no longer realistic for ‘Western societies to practice Fordism; they found that by 1975 3.5% of the UK was unemployed (which went against the Fordist ideal of full employment) and that inflation had increased by 27%. The aforementioned factors combined led to a massive decrease in consumerism. This economic crisis caused dramatic changes within the capitalist system and the development of a new system of economic production post-1970 that is often called Post-Fordism. It should however be noted that although the economic downturn was the main driving force for the introduction of Post-Fordism, globalisation and advances in technology also aided the transformation. Flexible production defines Post-Fordism; producers began to look more closely at the individual needs of their consumer base and produce small amounts of specialised goods rather than mass producing standardised products. One example of this is that of ‘Third Italy, this was the name given to regions of Italy such as Tuscany and Veneto that were encouraged by the Italian government to produce small quantities of high quality products. The goods were produced in small workshops with a workforce of fewer than fifty people and workshops from different regions often pooled their resources in order to purchase machinery. Despite the fact that these unique products were highly desirable to consumers and thus enabled these small companies to charge more advances in technology during the 1990s led to many corporations once again succumbing to mass production. Writing of Benetton, whom started as a small family business in Veneto (Third Italy) before becoming a large corporation, Castells stated, ‘New technologies allow for the transformation of assembly lines characteristic of the large corporation into easy-to-program production units that can be sensitive to variations in the market (product flexibility) and in the changes of technological inputs (process flexibility). (2000: 167) This product and process flexibility has enabled Benetton to maintain their individuality and the exclusive feel of their products regardless of their current status as a global fashion brand with over 6,000 retail outlets. Another such change is the deregulation of markets. Reich (2007) wrote that post Second World War capitalist society was dominated by ogliopolies whom controlled the industry; they were aided by government regulation that allowed them to keep out competition. Changes in the seventies however reduced the power of these large conglomerates as the government simplified laws regarding the market place, this led to a massive increase in competition as it became easier to start up businesses. Competition was further increased by the globalisation of the capitalist economy as corporations began increasing their consumer base by seeking larger international markets. The deregulation of markets is a product of the theory of Neoliberalism, which aims to increase the efficiency of governments and improve economies by transferring some economic control from the public sector to the private sector (Cohen 2007). This policy complies with Smiths theory of laissez-faire as it reduces government intervention. Margret Thatcher, whom served as prime minister of the UK for eleven years was an advocate of this policy; between 1979 and 1990 she oversaw the privatisation most of the United Kingdoms utilities including British Telecom, British Railways and bus services throughout London. And although the current government has yet to privatise any public services there does not appear to be any intention of reversing the work done by Thatcher in reforming the economy. There is no doubt that the capitalist system has undergone many transformations over the last few decades; the changes to economic policy caused by the current global recession serve to reinforce this. However the foundation of capitalism and the core values of the system remain intact; the essence of capitalism is still profit. The proletariat are still exploited by the bourgeoisie and the rich-poor divide increases each passing year (particularly in less economically developed countries for example in 2007 the amount of billionaires in India almost doubled). Adam Smiths vision of a competitive market that could not be dictated by any one corporation now seems too idealistic; the ‘free market is controlled by those who own large conglomerates, their wealth ensuring that nothing stands in their way. References Books Burke, E. Thoughts and Details on Scarcity, Edition 3, 1800, Oxford University: F. and C. Rivington and J. Hatchard. Caporaso, J. A and Levine, D.P Theories of Political Economy; 1992, Cambridge University Press Castells, M. The Rise of the Network Society, The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture Vol. I; 2000, Cambridge, MA; Oxford, UK: Blackwell Cohen, Joseph Nathan The Impact of Neoliberalism, Political Institutions and Financial Autonomy on Economic Development, 1980-2003; 2007, Dissertation, Department of Sociology, Princeton University. Defended June 2007 Gamble, A and Walton, P. Capitalism in Crisis; 1976, Macmillan Kumar, K. Prophecy and Progress The Sociology of Industrial and Post-Industrial Society; 1978, Viking Labib, S. Capitalism in Medieval Islam, The Journal of Economic History; 1969 pp. 79-96 Mises, L. The Anti-capitalistic Mentality; 1956, Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2006. Pilling, G. Marxs Capital, Philosophy and Political Economy; 1980, Routledge Keagan Paul Reich, R B. Supercapitalism. The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life; 2007 Knopf; illustrated edition Smith, A. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, 1845, Nelson Wrigley, E.A The Process of Modernization and the Industrial Revolution in England, Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Vol. 3, No. 2, Economics, Society, and History 1972, pp. 225-259 1972, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the editors of The Journal of Interdisciplinary History. Websites http://www.marxists.org/archive/pilling/works/capital/index.htm http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxtstaticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=1889chapter=109993layout=htmlItemid=27 http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/11/apple-using-dodgy-tactics-to-get-better-nand-flash-prices.ars

A Comparison of Jacques-Lois David and Joseph Goebbels Essay -- essays

â€Å"The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never again escape from it† (Goebbels). Both Jacques-Lois David and Joseph Goebbels were aspiring men who rose above the standards that were set for them and utilized their own individual talent in order to sway people’s opinions to match their own. They both possessed extraordinary talent and ideas for their time, where Jacques-Lois David was an artist who mastered in the neoclassical style of painting and used his art work as a form of propaganda to represent a biased view from a revolutionary on occurring events; where as Joseph Goebbels had superb journaling abilities and dominated the media in Russia. Jacques-Lois David was an exquisite artist of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century who had a well educated background in the field of painting. After the tragic death of his father, Jacques-Lois David went to live with his uncle Francois Buron. From here David went to study at Academie Royales, in Italy, and was taught by J.M Vein who was a master of the Rococo style. After four years of attending Academie Royales David won the internationally recognized Prix de Rome with his work of Antiochus and Stratonice. David returned to Paris, after spending five years in Italy drawing antique models, to open his own studio where he taught and took on commissioned portraits. Jacques-Lois David was already beginning to set a fashio...

Theories of Attachment: The Importance of Bonding with Infants and Todd

To infants, the world is a brand new experience full of new sights and sounds, and their parents are their first teacher who educates them about the new environment around them. In addition, they learn about their surroundings through touch which is an important part of the way infants observe this strange new world. Babies and toddlers learn about the way relationships are formed through becoming attached to their parents and bonding with them. Infants and toddlers love hugs, kisses, gentle caresses from their mom and dad as well as being sung and read to at night. Looking at parents bond with their children is a beautiful display of love and affection between parent and child. Seeing their infant smile back at them and be happy when their parents walk into the room are signs of healthy attachment. In order for infants to feel safe and secure they need to form a loving bond between their parents and caregivers. Healthy signs of attachment are eye contact with parents, feeling secu re when parents leave the room, feeling close to their parents, the infant or toddler is friendly, and is not afraid to explore their world without their parents. The first components of healthy attachment for children and toddlers are their ability to make eye contact with their parents and feeling secure when their parents leave the room. According to an article on Kidshealth.com it states that, â€Å"Eye-to-eye contact provides meaningful communication at close range† (Bonding with Your Baby, 2011). The first face an infant sees is their mother’s face. As a result, babies take cues from their mothers and fathers facial expressions and feel safe when they are in their parent’s arms. According to an article in the Encyclopedia of Children’s Health it ... ...en they have loving parents who will protect them from the dangers in the world. Works Cited: Brotherson, S. (2006). Keys to building attachment with young children. Retrieved from http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/famsci/fs631w.htm n/a, . (2011). Bonding with your baby. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/communicating/bonding.html# n/a, . (2011). Attachment between infant and caregiver . Encyclopedia of children's health. Retrieved July 31, 2011, from http://www.healthofchildren.com/A/Attachment-Between-Infant-and-Caregiver.html n/a, . (2011). Different types of parent-child relationships. Retrieved from http://www.athealth.com/consumer/disorders/attachment.html Perry, D. (2011). Attachment: the first core strength . Retrieved from http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/bruceperry/attachment.htm

Conflict between Science and Religion Essay

There have been numerous dissensions between science and religion. The central belief that the earth was the center of the universe prior to the presentation of the Copernican system was held in the primacy of man in the scheme of things, as designed by the will of God. The presentation that the earth was not the center of the universe was met with criticisms. The objections were not helped when it was found that our solar system is not even at the center of the universe but rather located in a spiral arm of the Milky Way Galaxy—one in a cluster of some two dozen galaxies, an infinitesimal part of a universe composed of millions of galaxies. One can only imagine how the religious sector reacted on the principle that our own Milky Way Galaxy is not even close to the center of the vast space of the universe. Conflict between science and religion climaxed when in 1859, Charles Darwin advanced his theory of evolution from natural selection in his work â€Å"On the Origin of Species† which was met with criticisms. The idea that God has not created man and placed him in the Garden of Eden was seen as an insult to Biblical teachings. Even today, evolution is a subject vigorously debated by those who support the theory and antievolutionists, especially those who call themselves creationists. Evidences show, however, that evolution indeed exists and continue to exist. The long evolutionary journey of species has even left its imprints upon the embryo of the individual organism. Despite conflicts between science and religion and an apparent steady movement away from religion, Arnold Toynbee held that man will turn from materialism to technology back to religion and spiritual values. For some time each religion will maintain its identity and minister to its own adherents, but as they are faced with a â€Å"shrinking† world, a positive tolerance will replace their traditional fanaticism.