The Anatomy of Decisions Essay Example for Free

The Anatomy of Decisions Essay †¢ In the real world managers are paid to make decisions on a daily basis, on how your firm’s resources are controlled to meet goals that have been set by higher managers or by yourself. †¢ There are some essential characteristics that manager’s share when making a decision; they are usually made with someone else’s money and need to be justified, they build on one another, the outcome is important to other people, and they are also forgettable. †¢ Decisions with other people’s money: As a manager and not being a self-financed entrepreneur, your job is to make decisions with the money of others, therefore a justification has to be provided to the financers. I believe this puts a pressure on the managers to make sure they make the right decision, since they are not using their own money. That is the reason why managers tend to make their decisions based on instinctive judgment. Previous experiences can save managers from telling their shareholders that they lost money based on the rational and analytically defendable decision. †¢ Decisions that build on each other: Previous experience can be very influential at the time of making the right decision. Managers are asked to â€Å"do their homework† before making an important decision, therefore they look back into previous decisions that have led them to the actual one and analyze what would benefit the firm the most according to previous decisions. Each decision is taken as more information becomes available. †¢ Decisions that matter: Every decision made weather is a good one or a bad one is valid and it matters. Bad decisions are the ones that push managers and the world to become better and keep working to make the right decision on future opportunities, in other words bad decisions are ways to keep progressing. †¢ Decisions that will be forgotten: The way memory works is very beneficial to managers when a good decision has been made. â€Å"Hindsight bias is a tendency to believe that we predicted what actually occurred, when in fact we forecasted the opposite†. After a decision was made and the outcome is positive, managers tend to forget what would have happened if the wrong decision were made. When a bad decision is made and a project fails, partners and other managers who supported the failure decision will claim that they always knew the plan was going to fail. They will believe that they were right all along the way, but never actually tried to convince the other manager to over look at different options before making a decision. In conclusion to this chapter managers are told by different texts and books diverse ways to be great decision-making managers. However, the best decisions yet made, have been made not taking in consideration the characteristics taught to managers through texts. â€Å"The challenge as a manager is not to denying our instincts and following rational theories that cannot work in the real world, but by understanding the strengths and weaknesses of how we do make decisions and by learning to handle uncertainty†. Great managers focus on success and forget failures.

Government Spending, Deficits, and Keynesian Economics Essay -- Econom

A growing government is opposite to America’s economic interests because the various methods of financing a government - taxes, borrowing, and printing money have harmful effects upon the economy. There are many reasons why there is a high deficit in the United States such as extensive spending. This is true because government spending is often economically destructive, regardless of how it is financed. There are many causes of the steady growth in U.S. trade deficits. There are many people are against the high deficits especially economists. â€Å"Economists define government intervention in the foreign exchange market as the buying or selling of foreign exchange for the purpose of manipulating the exchange rate. â€Å"(Case, pg. 398) Economists would agree that there are situations which lower levels of government spending would improve economic growth and other situations in which higher levels of government spending would be pleasing. Economists will generally agree that government spending becomes a burden. Economists feel as though by raising the deficit we are spending money the economy does not. If United States would raise taxes to help pay off the deficit that would not work since so many Americans are out of work. In addition, they believe that raising the GDP taken by the state sector has a negative effect on the growth of the private sector of the economy. Even though the economy could benefit from the budget deficit such as economic growth, the economists do not want to take a chance on that. Also, s ome economists are also concerned that higher borrowing by the government may also openly result in reduced utilization spending. They argue households recognize that higher current government borrowing results in highe... ...ful spending because it is taking a toll on our future, our children’s future, and our children’s children future. Works Cited 1. Case. Principles of Macroeconomics, 9th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions 2. United States Economy - Monetary and Fiscal Policy." Country Studies. U.S. Department of State. Web. 15 Aug. 2011. . 3. Mitchell, Dr. Daniel. "The Impact of Government Spending on Economic Growth." Conservative Policy Research and Analysis. 15 Mar. 2005. Web. 16 Aug. 2011. . 4. Pettinger, Tejvan. "Monetary Policy vs Fiscal Policy | Economics Blog." Economics Help - Helping to Simplify Economics. Web. 09 Aug. 2011. .

Skin

Identity and Belonging Karen Ford May 14, 2012 Skin – directed by Anthony Fabian Skin has so much power on so many levels. It is both empowering and disabling. Protagonist Sandra Laing proves to be a survivor, but at what cost? She is alienated from her family, her home and her identity because of South Africa’s ‘‘Population Regeneration Act’’. For a long time xenophobia, fear and racism have been enmeshed and hidden within government policy. The issues explored in Skin are no different to those sometimes raised in connection with British settlement of Australia, the stolen generation and Australia’s asylum seeker policies.More specifically, a court case last year in which commentator Andrew Bolt was accused of racial vilification touched on attitudes reflected in Skin. Mr Bolt’s comments regarding ‘‘fair-skinned Aboriginal people’’ were found to be in breach of the Racial Discrimination Act. A theme in b oth the Bolt case and Skin is the way skin colour is used as a weapon against individuals and their rights as human beings. One of the ‘‘disabling’’ elements of Skin is that so much of the South African landscape looks so much like the Australian outback.It is ironic that the beauty of the landscape is countered by the ugliness of racism where the rights of individuals to belong are less valued than the fear of those powerful few. Is the landscape the only aspect we have in common? Sandra’s question — What did I do wrong? — could also be the question posed by any person rejected and isolated on the basis of ‘‘difference’’. Sandra is neither white nor black, and as a result is denied a happy life. Though the film traces her life over 30 years, with legislative change along the way, a more entrenched culture of discrimination remains.Though the end of the film brings happiness to Sandra, with her tuck shop, doesn ’t the fact that her two brothers refuse to have contact with her suggest a lamentation for true equality and the existence of persecution? In some ways, Skin is more about Sandra’s father than it is about her. He is a very complex character who insists justice be pursued. But what kind of justice is it that is based on denial? Abraham’s insistence on having Sandra reclassified ‘‘white’’ is not so much for her benefit. He admits he is doing it ‘‘for all of us’’.To have the young Sandra attend a white school and be subjected to furious media inquiries and to drag her to face a courtroom does not suggest an understanding of her needs as much as his pursuit of legal justice. Abraham needs her to be ‘‘white’’ to assuage his own ‘‘black genes’’ and racist philosophy. Working with the Text Skin is all about identity. Sandra is ‘‘born’’ one thing but ‘‘taught’’ she is another. Throughout the film she is ‘‘punished’’ for committing a crime — that of being neither black nor white.Perhaps the greatest tragedy is that her own family rejects her because she does not conform to the ‘‘Afrikaans’’ ways inherent in the National Party to which her family belongs. The nature-nurture divide is reinforced throughout the film and the idea that ‘‘without connection to others there is no me’’ (2011 VCAA English Exam) can be linked to the film in many ways. It is skin that causes tension with her father; it is skin that causes her to be humiliated in school and to gravitate towards the black workers on her farm.It is skin that forms an attachment to Petrus, the black employee and first male to show her any sense of happiness and comfort; it is skin that ultimately causes her to be abused by her husband and which made her a ref erence point for the multiracial elections of 1994 and the victory by Mandela’s African National Congress. Living among the black community, Sandra is confronted with racism from within — a racism created by racism. After the Government Issue destruction of the homes, Sandra and Petrus are exiled into the bush along with the many others exiled on the basis of their skin.One can understand Petrus’ frustration and malaise as he rejects Sandra because she is white. There is truth in his alcohol-infused dirge: ‘‘They treat us like animals †¦ and we’re supposed to believe we’re human †¦ ’’ The audience must wonder how anyone is this predicament would feel a sense of belonging. Indeed, several instances in the film reinforce Sandra’s literal and metaphorical nomadism. She is shown coming to and leaving an environment; she is shown walking over the country and back again to find a place where she can belong.Sandr a is constantly moving or being moved to find a ‘‘home’’. Even at the end of the film, when Sandra is shown happily working inside her rainbow-coloured tuck shop, it is a makeshift add-on to her brick unit. So where does that leave the text and the prompt? What does Sandra have connection with? How does the film reflect the idea of connection and identity? Sandra wants only to connect. It is those around her who prevent her connection — hence preventing her happiness and sense of belonging.Prejudice and bigotry — even from her own family — are endemic in those who believe there is something wrong in being different, something to scorn and deride. Throughout the film, though, there is one place where Sandra finds a connection, and that is with other women. Sandra is supported and empowered by the women in the film, including the black workers on the family property. The bond of motherhood connects them and, regardless of location, women find support in other women. The women pass on her letters.It is her mother who struggles to maintain a relationship with her; it is Petrus’ mother who supports and cuddles her during their exile and it is her mother she seeks out following her abuse. It is the women who reflect the importance of belonging through kindness, compassion and nurturing. The power of women to override the political and cultural divide, and embrace connection, is the empowering force in Skin. In the end, the film confirms that connection does not have to mean a physical or even emotional connection. It can be a spiritual one, and this is what Skin celebrates.Sandra’s struggle is less about skin colour than it is about knowing that where we find happiness is where we belong. And for Sandra, that is a simple life helping, caring and supporting those less fortunate from her Rainbow Tuck Shop. Identity and Belonging – Sample prompts * Conflicts can strengthen our understanding of where we belong. * Belonging enriches and challenges identity. * Choosing not to belong may be detrimental but rewarding. ‘Identity and Belonging’ quotations list An identity would seem to be arrived at by the way in which the person faces nd uses his experience. (James Baldwin – Actor)) From the beginning each human embryo has its own genetic identity. (Robert Casey) The value of identity is that so often with it comes purpose. (Richard Grant – US writer) We all need a past – that’s where our sense of identity comes from. (Penelope Lively – English writer) I think history is inextricably linked to identity. If you don’t know your history, if you don’t know your family, who are you? (Mary Pipher) We are shaped by our thoughts, we become what we think. (Buddha)You can’t change the past but you can change the way you view it. (Anon) To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greates t achievement. Ralph Waldo Emerson What a man can be he must be. Abraham Maslow Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable. Kenyan Proverb Yes, your home is your castle, but it is also your identity and your possibility to open to others. David Soul – US writer We may have different religions, different languages, different coloured skin, but we all belong to the human race. Kofi Annan – ex President of the United NationsBeing human signifies, for each one of us, belonging to a class, a society, a country, a continent and a civilization. Claude Levi-Strauss Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is. Baghavid Gita The value of identity is that it so often with it comes purpose. Richard R. Grant Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds. George Eliot Topic ‘Sometimes we learn more about ourselves from our enemies than from our friends. ’ ‘When you know who you are, you know where you belong. ’ ‘Without connection to other s there is no me. ’ ‘Having a sense of being different makes it difficult to belong. ’

Thomas Hobbes And Robert Boyle - 990 Words

Thomas Hobbes and Robert Boyle are two very different men. That both, however had a huge impact in the science spectrum. The two men did not always agree with each other views on many things. The most known argument, rather differences in a view they had dealt with the air pump experiment. In this paper, a review and support of Hobbes’s will be addressed with the relationship is how Hobbes explanation was the most accurate scientific view regarding the air pump and its many experiments. Looking at Hobbes’s and Robert Boyle’s background may explain their differences. Thomas Hobbes was born April 5, 1558 and died on December 4, 1679 (biography). He was an â€Å"Academic, Political Scientist, Philosopher, Scientist, Journalist, Historian†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Air was not truly defined at the time of the experiment. The main issue was is the difference in the air from the air pump and it components and the surrounding air. According to what can of been said by Hobbes in _____________ it states â€Å"I think it cannot be known whence it can be refilled nor what might follows, unless the nature of the air is/known first (). How can air be moved, if it is not really known. Hobbes may have believed that air can be mixture of air and fluid(). The nature of air, cannot be easily described. Air cannot be sucked out, a vacuum, or an air pump could have not been created. Even more Hobbes questioned the experiments using the air pump. All the air may not have been completely out. The contact of the surfaces were not smooth, rather not perfect. This can allow the force applied to draw back the sucker distending the cavity of the cylinder. Furthermore, hard atoms could have got in between the edges of the surfaces, which can cause the air pump to get some air. Those are reasons Thomas Hobbes stated, that all the air most likely was not taken out the air pump. There were many experiments performed to test the air pump. The Torricelli experiment, was an experiment based off mercury and the space above it. While most view the space above the mercury is empty, Hobbes says that it contains air in the air pump. Air cannot escape the pressure of rising mercury, the weight must goShow MoreRelatedThe Invention Of The Scientific Revolution1705 Words   |  7 Pagesthe more florid aspects of her life (Grant, 1957, Whitaker, 2003), we are the beneficiaries of a recent flurry of scholarly interest in her philosophical and scientific undertakings. She engaged with, and apparently held her own against Thomas Hobbes, Robert Boyle, Renà © Descartes and others in the early Royal Society, though she herself was denied fellowship in that exalted body (Walters, 2014). 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