Psychology Debate Essay Example for Free

Psychology Debate Essay Psychology is a human science and should thereby leave the study of biology to the biologists. Psychology, as defined by the APA is, ‘the study of the mind and behaviour’(APA, 2013), this definition states that psychology is indeed separate to that of biology as biology by definition is ‘the branch of science concerned with the structure, function, growth, evolution, and distribution of living and non-living organisms’ (biology online, 2013), this implies that the two are indeed two different disciplines which do not require interaction, as they are simply focusing on different things. A good example of the two disciplines being separate, is psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis, a method of therapy developed by Freud and still used widely today, focuses on the subconscious and says that mental illness is caused by underlying traumas, repressed memories and unconscious desires. If these are brought to the surface, by the patient verbalising under hypnosis of these repressed, unconscious and underlying issues, it is thought that by uncovering them they will find answers. Psychoanalysis has no foundations in biology and even as it has been expanded upon by people such as Adler and Jung, still does not believe that biology is relevant to psychology (Kandel, 1999). The simple fact that they are, still to this day, separate disciplines again reinforces that they are separate spheres of study and should remain that way. AGAINST: Psychologists need an understanding of biology in order to treat patients, and understand concepts fully.  Psychology could not be practiced if it was not for the fundamental biology that sets human beings apart from any other species. An understanding of the brain, body and how they function and there interactions and co-existence with psychological concepts such as mood, personality, emotions are integral and in fact, psychology needs a biological foundation and understanding to even begin to interpret psychological concepts (Weiten, 1992). When taking a closer look at the definitions mentioned previously, they both study life. Since biology is the study of life psychology fits into this definition as psychologists too study life. In saying that, the study of life should not be left up to the biologists as they are typically concerned with the structure, function, growth, evolution and distribution of living and non-living organisms, whereas psychologists look deeper into the study of life, not just seeing it as a science but seeing it as an avenue to help and better people’s lives through understanding the fundamental biological workings of the brain. But without an understanding of the human brain and body and how it functions psychologists would not be able to put these two disciplines together to achieve their outcomes. It is crucial for a psychologist to understand the work of biology in order to be an effective psychologist. Without a biological basis, there would be no way that psychology would even be a pro-active discipline. Diagnosing a patient today, requires the psychologist to be able to understand the biological forces which influence behaviour (Weiten, 1992).

Knowledge-based organization

Knowledge-based organization Knowledge-based organization Introduction Most organisations in one way or another have embraced the notion that to operate effectively in todays economy, it is necessary to become a knowledge-based organization (Alvesson, 1993). But few truly understand what that means or how to carry out the changes required to bring it about. Perhaps the most common misunderstanding is the view that the more a companys products or services have knowledge at their core, the more the organization is, by definition, knowledge based. The knowledge-based society of the 21st century is characterized by knowledge generation as the primary source of wealth and social well-being. This economic development, facilitated by networked actions of a variety of global actors utilizing new information and communication technology (ICT) including Internet technologies, is fundamentally changing the rules of the game of performing in both private and public organisations. Accordingly, new concepts, frameworks, models and theories are required in order to increase our understanding of the principles of the creation and use of knowledge and information as a resource. This development both in theory and in practice is evident because, contrary to the traditional factors of production, knowledge and information are partly intangible in nature. It is therefore vital for organisations to provide a holistic view of contextual factors which have an impact on the creation, processing, storage, maintenance and use of information and know ledge as a resource. Moreover, organisations must know more about the means that affect processes related to knowledge and information. Knowledge-Based Organisation in Malaysia In the early 1980s, when the Japanese advances in the economy and began to make great impacts on the business state of affairs, knowledge work began to make headway to the workers levels. The Japanese enterprises show their way to knowledge work at the workers levels through such practices as QCC activities, 5S activities, Kaizen suggestion schemes and the like. These practices continue to contribute to improving productivity and competitiveness in production. By mid 1980s, Japan has overwhelmed other western companies and organisations with their low cost and high quality products by it techniques and quality tools. Malaysia as any other countries in the world is moving towards improving their information technology facilities and services. After achieving independence on 31 August 1957, Malaysia was basically a resource-based country and depending on the extraction of natural resources. The need to provide jobs for the local population then was one of the primary foci of the economic development plans. In order to compete with Japanese organisation success Malaysian government in the Malaysian Context of Industrial Development has emphasis learning in every national agenda. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) Malaysia launched the First Industrial Master Plan, 1986-1995 (IMP1) in 1986 with the main focus is to rationalize the industrial growth process and the growth of manufacturing industry. The Malaysian Prime Minister first mooted Vision 2020 in 1991 and it is Malaysia national vision for the countrys continuing development into a developed nation (Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, 1993). Even with the success of the IMP, the Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth recorded over the period 1992-1997 was below the expected level. The manufacturing-based industrialization strategy will only take the country into an industrial society and this will not be sufficient to achieve the post-industrial/advanced industrial society and a civil society as envisaged in the Vision 2020 (NITC, 1998). As Malaysia prepares to become a knowledge-based economy, new strategic focus calls for the nation to work towards the digital economy and a knowledge-based economy. The national response to this is the National IT Agenda (NITA) to direct the progress and the Multimedia Super Corridor (MDC, 1999) and its associated programs that aim to create the IT waves towards this new economy (NITC, 1998). Organisations will have to refocus their strategies to be globally competitive. The new competitive strategy will be knowledge-based, and organisations will have to be knowledge-focused. Even if production of tangible outputs is the core business, the competitive strategy will have to be knowledge-based. In other words, the competitiveness of an organisation will be its knowledge rather than is physical outputs. The proposition here is that managing and exploiting organisational knowledge or knowledge management is a strategic focus for organisation to achieve competitiveness, and the learning organisation is the outcome of this strategic process. Knowledge Management initiatives are developing in a wide variety of government sectors in varying countries around the world and this conference will provide and intergovernmental forum for the discussion of best practice in public sector knowledge management. A recent survey reveals that 73% of governments feel they have made mistakes in setting up their online systems and 56% say that the work has taken longer than expected. Nonetheless, 89% are not yet tired of implementing e-government. By placing individual services on-line, government departments could achieve cost savings of up to 25 percent. If departments collaborate to provide a one-stop shop for a handful of services-say, by creating a World Wide Web site where you apply for a drivers license, pay a traffic ticket, and make an appointment for an emission inspection-the figure raises to 45 percent. Getting departments to collaborate is the tricky part. What is Knowledge? Knowledge as we all know comes from a cycle that involves the transformation from data to information and to knowledge. Information if it is not interpreted accordingly will not be knowledge. Knowledge is an organised combination of data, assimilated with set of rules, procedures, and operations learnt through experience and practice and without meaning knowledge are just information or data (Bhatt, 2001). It is only through meaning that information finds life and becomes knowledge (Bhatt, 2000). McDermott describes six characteristics of knowledge that distinguish it from information (McDermott, 1999): 1. Knowledge is a human act. 2. Knowledge is the residue of thinking. 3. Knowledge is created in the present moment. 4. Knowledge belongs to communities. 5. Knowledge circulates through communities in many ways. 6. New knowledge is created at the boundaries of old. In today competitive environment, organisations are competing which each other to achieve a high competitive advantage. In this era information is now considered as the most important assets in organisation. Information comes from knowledge and knowledge comes from the mind and experience of an individuals. Davenport and Prusak (1998) have provided the following definition of knowledge: Knowledge is a fluid mix of framed experiences, values, contextual information, and expert insight that provides a framework for evaluation and incorporating new experiences and information. If originates and is applied in the minds of knower. In organisations, it is often becomes embedded not only in documents of repositories but also in organizational routines, processes, practice, and norms. Knowledge management emphasizes on the inter-personal communication over the mere capture and storage of knowledge. Organizational intellectual assets and capital are the most priority aspects of the knowledge management efforts. Knowledge is the important elements in a value-chain. This value chain includes data, information, knowledge, wisdom, and the conceptualisation of knowledge management as a process of refinement, leveraging data and information to the more valuable level. These value-added elements can help organisations in problem solving and decision-making to improve performance and increase innovations. Innovation is an ongoing process in which organisations create problems, define them, and then develop new knowledge for their solution (Beveren, 2002). Knowledge Management Knowledge management is an emerging trend. This is because organisations have started to realize the importance of knowledge in order to achieve competitive advantage. Recent years have seen an explosive increase of interest in knowledge management. As well as a massive outpouring of books and articles on KM, many organizations have embarked upon their own KM programmes. A recent KPMG survey (KPMG, 1998) of 100 leading UK firms found that a staggering 43% of respondents were undertaking some kind of KM initiative. For an organisation to survive they must be able to move one step further from their competitors and would be able to differentiate themselves between other. Creating and sustaining a competitive advantage a one way of achieving goals. To coupe with these rapidly changing environments, organisations needs to know what are their corporate knowledge assets and manage these assets to sustain competitive advantage. Knowledge belongs to the family of progressively increasing corporate assets, like management systems, brand identity, customer information and corporate reputation (Pascarella, 1997). Knowledge is a person, highly personal asset and represents the collective expertise and efforts of networks and alliances. Knowledge management has becoming the most critical aspect in organisation to achieve competitive advantage. Nonaka (1991) stated that in an economy where the only certainty is uncertainty, the one sure source of lasting competitive advantage is knowledge. According to McCampbell (1999), to have a successful knowledge management projects, knowledge management was at least partially responsible for a major transformation of one large consulting firm and the transformation was all-embracing in terms of a marked improvement in financial result for the firm while engaged in knowledge management practices. Knowledge Management is multi-disciplinary approach and has now becoming very powerful concept. It is rapidly growing practice used as strategic tool for organisation to produce efficient and productive product and services. This concept helps organisations to seek and maximize value by helping people innovate and acclimatize in the face of change. As the world is moving towards a global knowledge economy, proper management and practice of knowledge can transform services and product and put value into it. As global competition based on knowledge intensive products or services swiftly increase, it is little wonder that organisations are seeking ways to harness knowledge through business strategies and knowledge management tools and techniques (Vandermerwe, 1997). Many organisations are already thriving in our increasingly knowledge-intensive world, often referred to as the new or knowledge economy. These organisations are achieving success by focusing on how knowledge can be used to deliver value to the organisation and its stakeholders. Knowledge management helps people prepare for an environment of constantly shifting demographics, industries, economies, and customer needs by ensuring that people have the expertise and information they need in order to properly assess business problems and opportunities. Knowledge Management is a process that helps organisations to find, select, organize, disseminate, and transfer important information and expertise necessary for activities such as problem solving, dynamic learning, strategic learning and decision-making (Gupta, Iyer and Aronson, 2000). Knowledge management caters the critical issues of organizational adaptation, survival and competence in face of increasingly discontinuous environmental change. Essentially, it embodies organizational processes that seek synergistic combination of data and information processing capacity of information technologies, and the creative and innovative capacity of human beings (Malhotra, 1998). Tacit and Explicit Knowledge There are two types of knowledge. Knowledge that cannot be articulated is called tacit knowledge. In organisations, tacit knowledge is the personal knowledge used by members to perform their work and make sense of their worlds (Choo, 2000). Tacit knowledge is also as important as explicit knowledge. The only problem that occurs is that tacit knowledge is hard to be explained and communicate. As Michael Polanyi the chemist-turned-philosopher who coined the term, put it, We know more than we can tell. Polanyi used the example of being able to recognize a persons face but being only vaguely able to describe how that is done. Contrast to tacit knowledge, explicit knowledge is the knowledge that has been articulated, capture in the form of text, tables, diagrams, product specifications and so on (Cortada, 2000). Explicit knowledge is also knowledge that is expressed formally using a system of symbols and can therefore be easily communicated and diffuse (Choo, 2000). This type of knowledge is the most recognized and captured by organisations. Most organisations concentrate more on explicit knowledge because it is easy to understand and capture (Barlow, 2000). Both tacit and explicit knowledge are very important and critical to organizational information or knowledge management system development. It is just a matter of identify and captured it to make it as an valuable assets. TACIT EXPLICIT INDIVIDUAL DEPENDENT Personal Tacit Self-Motivated Creativity Know-How Know-What Know-Why INDIVIDUAL INDEPENDENT Cultural Tacit Organisational Tacit (e.g. Causal Ambiguity) Regulator Assets (Copyrights, Patents, Trademarks) There are three types of explicit knowledge resident in any organisation 1. Cognitive knowledge, 2. Advanced systems skills, and 3. Systems understanding. In Figure 1, Meso and Smith (2000) described cognitive knowledge, also termed know-what is the basic mastery of a discipline that professionals achieve through extensive training and certification (Quinn et al., 1996). Advanced skills or know-how refer to the ability to apply rules of a discipline to complex real-world problems (Quinn et al., 1996). Systems understanding, also termed know-why is the deep understanding of the web of cause-and-effect relationships underlying a discipline (Quinn et al., 1996; Nonaka, 1991). The creation of new knowledge comes from the ongoing innovations form learning organisations. Therefore, organizational learning occurs at the intersection of tacit and explicit knowledge during the interaction of the various employees, departments or teams in an organisation (Nonaka, 1991). Sustainable competitive advantage results from innovation. Innovation in turn results from the creation of new knowledge (Meso and Smith, 2000). Knowledge Creation It is process how organisation gathers internal and external information in one system. Knowledge creation refers to the ability of an organisation to develop novel and useful idea and solution (Marakas, 1999). Nonaka (1994) identifies four mechanisms for knowledge creation: 1. Socialisation whereby one individual shares tacit knowledge with other. Sharing of experiences through observation, imitation and practice; 2. Combination whereby one pieces of explicit knowledge is combined with other; 3. Externalisation whereby tacit knowledge is made explicit; and 4. Internalisation process of experiencing knowledge through an explicit source, where explicit knowledge is converted into tacit. Meanwhile Rovertson (2001) has identified four types of organisational knowledge: 1. Conscious, which is an individuals explicit knowledge; 2. Automatic, which is an individuals implicit knowledge; 3. Objectified, which is explicit, social knowledge, and 4. Collective, which is implicit, social knowledge. Knowledge Capture Knowledge can be captured inside and outside organisation. The captured knowledge then will be integrated within one system in organisation as a resource. The purpose of knowledge management is to integrate internal and external knowledge at all time in order to cope with environmental changes both within and outside the organisation, to solve existing problem as well as to innovate for business expansion. Beveren (2002) provides a model where information is acquired through the sensors and processed in the brain by using prior knowledge (see Figure 1). Where: Knowledge is the stock of conceptual tools and categories used by humans to create, collect and share information. During the processing of information, new knowledge can be acquired or created for future use, when more or new information is acquired and processed. Knowledge Dissemination Knowledge dissemination in corporate knowledge is involving with the activity to disseminate or distributes knowledge to members in organisation. Knowledge benefited to organisation if they can disseminate. Knowledge needs to distributed and shared if an organisation to leverage value from it (Bhatt, 2000). Beveren (2002) illustrates how knowledge is transformed into information within the brain to be communicated externally through language or demonstration (see Figure 2). Language in this model includes all forms of communication, such as written, verbal and body language. In this model, the prior knowledge contained in human brains is required for the creation of information, just as the creation of knowledge often requires the input of information through the sensors to the brain. The initial formation of prior knowledge has been a huge area of debate for many years and has been discussed from two opposed positions, the empiricists and the nativists. Organizational Learning 2.5.3 Knowledge Sharing The organisational creation of differential knowledge, at its central part, springs unpredictably and unknowingly from social interchanges between competent organisations. Thus the importance of organizational behaviour in adapting to change is self-evident. Unfortunately, our understanding of the processes of organizational change is quite limited. The basic facts of human cognition are that our brains have the capacity to establish an extremely large number of possible networks of connections, but only a small fraction of this potential can be realized. Indeed, the growth of knowledge and the possibility of innovation depend on the incompleteness of present connections (Loasby, 2000b). Knowledge sharing only takes place on a significant scale where organisations have organized themselves into communities of practice. These communities need to be integrated to the companys strategy and its organizational structure.The phenomenon of communities of practice is known under different names. The World Bank, for example, is leveraging global knowledge sharing to attain its goal of becoming a clearinghouse for expertise on sustainable development (Wah, 1999) and they are called thematic groups; in Hewlett Packard they are learning communities or learning networks; in Chevron they are called best practice teams, and in Xerox they are know as family groups (Denning, 2000). Many practitioners pf knowledge managementincreasingly see knowledge sharing as a better description of what they are about than knowledge management. Advantages of knowledge sharing as a term include its commonsense comprehensibility, along with a certain degree of inter-activity implicit in any sharing. Drawbacks of knowledge sharing include the possibility that even sharing is insufficiently interactive, and that it implies (falsely) that the existence of knowledge precedes the sharing process, thereby (wrongly) separating knowledge management from knowledge creation and innovation and research. Knowledge Exploitation Knowledge exploitation is one of the vital parts in corporate knowledge. Knowledge exploitation means making knowledge more active and relevant for the organisation in creating values. If an organisation did not find it easy to locate the right kind of knowledge, the organisation may find it difficult to sustain its competitive advantage (Ganesh 2001). There are certain indicators for an organisations ability to create, disseminate and apply knowledge. Demarest (1997) identified six key questions an organisation has to answer to participate in knowledge management effectively: 1. The culture, actions and beliefs of managers about the value, purpose and role of knowledge; 2. The creation, dissemination and use of knowledge within the organisation; 3. The kind of strategic and commercial benefits a organisation can expect by the use of effective knowledge management; 4. The maturity of knowledge systems in the organisations; 5. How a organisation organise for knowledge management; and 6. The role of information technology in the knowledge management program. Using Demarests model, McAdam (2000) in his research on A comparison of public and private sector perceptions and use of knowledge management found that in terms of knowledge construction, organisations recognised the need for both a scientific and a social construction of knowledge if the benefits of knowledge management were to be realised. Knowledge embodiment was found to be highly dependent on employee interchange, which must be recognised as a source of knowledge and key to the success of knowledge embodiment in organisations dissemination and use. Approaches to knowledge dissemination as part of a KM system were found to be mainly ad hoc. There was little systematic use of the more sophisticated methods available. The use/benefits of knowledge management within the organisations studied was based mainly on reduced costs, and improved quality and efficiency. Creating, managing and transferring knowledge is the top of agenda for a growing number of organisations in the Chase study. They believe knowledge management would improve performance and result such as improved decision making, increased responsiveness to customer, improved efficiency of people and processes, increased ability to innovate and improved products and services (Chase, 1997). Although organisations recognised the importance of creating, managing and transferring knowledge, the research findings also found that many of the organisations still have been unable to translate this competitive needs into strategies. Other conclusion from his study is that the best practice organisations are experiencing great difficulty in translating knowledge management theory into practice. Communities of Practice In todays organisations community of practice seems very important for employees to contribute and share their tacit and explicit knowledge for the organisation development. Community of practice can be define as a group of practitioners who share a common interest or passion in an area of competence and are willing to share the experiences of their practice. Community of practice can play an important role in leveraging knowledge in organisation. Gamble and Blackwell (2001) defined community of practice as collections of individuals bound by informal relationship who share a similar work role in a common context. They are groups that: 1. Come together voluntarily for a shared purpose; 2. Have members that identify themselves as part of the community; 3. Repeatedly engage in activities with other member s and communities; 4. Have interactions that last for an indeterminate period of time. An essential ingredient of knowledge sharing programs in large organisations is the community of practice. In undertaking knowledge sharing programs, most organisations have found sooner or later that the nurturing of knowledge-based communities of practice is a sine qua non to enabling significant knowledge sharing to take place. Such communities are typically based on the affinity created by common interests or experience, where practitioners face a common set of problems in a particular knowledge area, and have an interest in finding, or improving the effectiveness of, solutions to those problems (Denning, 2000). Launching and nurturing communities of practice for knowledge sharing programs can be accomplished in a variety of ways (Denning, 2000). 1. Endorsing informal communities that already exist. 2. Asking practitioners what issues they care about. 3. Instructing leaders to form communities. 4. Launching purely virtual communities. 5. Launching communities among the incorrigibles. Communities of practice can add value into organisations in several important ways: 1. Community of practice can help to drive strategy. 2. They can start new lines of business. 3. They can solve problems quickly. 4. They transfer best practice. 5. They develop professional skills. 6. They help companies recruit and retain talent. Organisational Culture Organizational culture is a critically important aspect for facilitating sharing, learning, and knowledge creation. It is not homogeneous and sometimes has subcultures (McDermontt and Odell, 2001). An open culture with incentives built around integrating individual skills and experiences into organizational knowledge will be more successful (Gupta, Iyer and Aronson, 2000). Goh (2002) argues that one cultural dimension critical to knowledge transfer is co-operation and collaboration. Recent research on co-operation in organisation may help increase organizational understanding of the dynamic knowledge transfer. Knowledge transfer requires the willingness of a group or individual to work with others and share knowledge to their mutual benefit. Without co-operations and collaboration culture knowledge transfer form individuals and groups will not be successful. Culture plays significant function in the success of knowledge management implementations. McDermontt and Odell (2001) used a definition of culture that helped to see its multiple levels (Figure3). Following Schein (1985), McDermontt and ODell defined culture as: The shared values, beliefs and practices of the people in the organisation. Culture is reflected in the visible aspects of the organisation, like its mission and espoused values. But culture exists on a deeper level as well, embedded in the way people act, what they expect of each other and how they make sense of each others actions. Finally, culture is rooted in the organisations core values and assumptions. Often these are not only unarticulated, but so taken-for granted that they are hard to articulate, invisible to organizational members. Because of these layers of culture, people can often act in ways inconsistent with the organisations articulated mission and values, but consistent with its underlying or core values. Following this definition, in an organisation with a knowledge sharing culture, people would share ideas and insights because they see it as natural, rather than something they are forced to do. They would expect it of each other and assume that sharing ideas is th e right thing to do. In order to achieve high level of collaborations and co-operations, there is a fundamental variable needed. It is a matter of trust. A high level of trust is therefore an essential condition for a willingness to cooperate. Trust belongs to the area of human factors in knowledge management. It is defined as expectations and acts that the members of the community direct to each other. In organisations trust supports and enables collaboration and knowledge sharing which are processes related to knowledge management. Collaboration and knowledge sharing are based on organizational culture and climate, which can either support or prevent them (Yoon, 2000). In order to overcome cultural barriers to sharing knowledge has more to do with how organisations design and implement their knowledge management effort than with changing the existing organizational culture (McDermontt and ODell, 2001). It involves balancing the visible and invisible dimensions of culture; visibly demonstrating the importance of sharing knowledge and building on the invisible core values. The companies we studied felt they are still learning how to do this effectively. McDermontt and ODell (2001) derive five critical aspects about aligning knowledge sharing with the organisation culture. 1. To create a knowledge sharing culture, make a visible connection between sharing knowledge and practical business goals, problems or results. 2. Match the overall style of your organisation rather than to directly copy the practices developed by other organisations. 3. Link sharing knowledge to widely held core values. By linking with core values of the organisation values, you make sharing knowledge consistent with peers expectations and managers considerations. 4. Human networks are one of the key vehicles for sharing knowledge. To build a sharing culture, enhance the networks that already exist. Enable them with tools, resources and legitimisation. 5. Recruit the support of people in your organisation who already share ideas and insights. Managers need to encourage and even pressure people to share their knowledge. Build sharing knowledge into routine performance appraisal. There must be a well-built culture of continuous improvement and learning, linked to problem seeking and problem solving and focused on specific values such as product quality and customer service. Employees are encouraged to gather relevant information and to use and share that information in problem solving and implementing innovative solutions and practices (Goh, 2002). Organisational Knowledge Structures Organisational knowledge structure is different than organisational culture and climate in at least two significant ways. The concept of knowledge structures deals with goals, cause-and-effect perspective, and other cognitive essentials. Furthermore knowledge structure is more clearly linked to an organisations plan for survival and more subject to change than an organisations culture, neither of which changes readily of provides specific strategies for action for an organisation (Lyles, 1992). In developing knowledge structures, there are three stages that individuals go through to reach agreement (Weick and Bougon, 1986): 1. Agreement on which concepts capture and abstract their joint experience; 2. Consensus on relations among these concepts, and; 3. Similarity of view on how these related concepts affects each party. Human resource is an important asset and within these resources lays the knowledge useful for organisations. In order to develop organizational knowledge the role of individual knowledge is very important. Organizational Change The organisations creation of differential knowledge, at its core, springs unpredictably and unknowingly from social interchanges between competent organisations. Thus the importance of organizational behaviour in a

Maharaja Ranjit Singh: The Sikh Ruler, In The Eyes Of Non-sikhs :: essays research papers

According to the famous historian Carlyle, a worthy sovereign should be judged from a sole factor as to how he employs his sword after being victorious. ********** Le Griffin writes that: "Maharaja Ranjit Singh ruled his kingdom exactly according to the Sikh way of life and Sikhism considers everyone as friends and talks about the welfare of all irrespective of caste and creed." ********** The spirit of Gurbani couplet, "The one Lord is the Father of all and we are the children of the one Lord rules supreme in every Sikh heart." Charles Hugal, writes in his book, "Travels in Kashmir and Punjab", that, "probably no person in the world could have established such a large empire with minimum bloodshed as Ranjit Singh has established his kingdom." ********** Affirming Hugal's views, Prinsep, also writes in his book, "Origin of Sikh Power in Punjab", that, "Ranjit Singh's whole career was free of any blemishes like unnecessary atrocities and cruel bloodshed." ********** Historian R.S. Kanungo praising all the aspects of the Kingdom of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, in his writings says, "his empire was the kingdom for 'Welfare for All', in which all were equal sharing partners. In his kingdom there was no special love for Sikhs and no animosity for non-Sikhs. There were no special taxes on any caste to show it down from the other or to label it inferior." ********** W.G. Osborne writes that, "Maharaja Ranjit Singh was so compassionate that outside a battle he did not kill anyone, so much so that in generosity he even forgave those who tried to kill him and felt happiness in forgiving." ********** Charles Hugal in his book, "The Court and Camp of Ranjit Singh", writes that, "Ranjit Singh ruled his kingdom according to the Sikh tenets. All the important positions were given to Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, entirely based on merit. Even his main advisors were three famous Muslim brothers: Fakir Aziz-ud-Din, his foreign minister; Fakir Nur-ud-Din, his home minister; Fakir Imam-ud-Din, his custodian of the arsenals. Forty-six senior Army officers and two top ranking Generals were Muslims. One General was French and score of military officers were Europeans. In police and civil services he has about one hundred Muslim officers alone. Hindus too, used to hold many key positions in Sarkar-e-Khalsa. Ranjit Singh was secular through-and-through. Since he had lost his one eye in childhood, due to small pox, he used to remark jokingly about himself that, "God Willed that as a true Sikh I should look upon all religions with one eye". Maharaja Ranjit Singh: The Sikh Ruler, In The Eyes Of Non-sikhs :: essays research papers According to the famous historian Carlyle, a worthy sovereign should be judged from a sole factor as to how he employs his sword after being victorious. ********** Le Griffin writes that: "Maharaja Ranjit Singh ruled his kingdom exactly according to the Sikh way of life and Sikhism considers everyone as friends and talks about the welfare of all irrespective of caste and creed." ********** The spirit of Gurbani couplet, "The one Lord is the Father of all and we are the children of the one Lord rules supreme in every Sikh heart." Charles Hugal, writes in his book, "Travels in Kashmir and Punjab", that, "probably no person in the world could have established such a large empire with minimum bloodshed as Ranjit Singh has established his kingdom." ********** Affirming Hugal's views, Prinsep, also writes in his book, "Origin of Sikh Power in Punjab", that, "Ranjit Singh's whole career was free of any blemishes like unnecessary atrocities and cruel bloodshed." ********** Historian R.S. Kanungo praising all the aspects of the Kingdom of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, in his writings says, "his empire was the kingdom for 'Welfare for All', in which all were equal sharing partners. In his kingdom there was no special love for Sikhs and no animosity for non-Sikhs. There were no special taxes on any caste to show it down from the other or to label it inferior." ********** W.G. Osborne writes that, "Maharaja Ranjit Singh was so compassionate that outside a battle he did not kill anyone, so much so that in generosity he even forgave those who tried to kill him and felt happiness in forgiving." ********** Charles Hugal in his book, "The Court and Camp of Ranjit Singh", writes that, "Ranjit Singh ruled his kingdom according to the Sikh tenets. All the important positions were given to Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, entirely based on merit. Even his main advisors were three famous Muslim brothers: Fakir Aziz-ud-Din, his foreign minister; Fakir Nur-ud-Din, his home minister; Fakir Imam-ud-Din, his custodian of the arsenals. Forty-six senior Army officers and two top ranking Generals were Muslims. One General was French and score of military officers were Europeans. In police and civil services he has about one hundred Muslim officers alone. Hindus too, used to hold many key positions in Sarkar-e-Khalsa. Ranjit Singh was secular through-and-through. Since he had lost his one eye in childhood, due to small pox, he used to remark jokingly about himself that, "God Willed that as a true Sikh I should look upon all religions with one eye".

Adapting Canada to the Future of a World With Scarce Water Essay examp

Introduction Water is just more than drinking water. Water is the most basic and vital resource that humans need to sustain themselves. Water is used for food production from irrigating crops to actually manufacturing them. Canada like the world, uses water for sanitation, cleaning, manufacturing and daily function. Demand and supply will soon be at a crossroad, as increasing population creates increases in pollution, waste-water and global warming (Baker, 2007). This paper will seek to examine the effects of global warming on Canada’s freshwater system, the effects of pollution and will evaluate how Canada manages its freshwater now and what Canada can do to form policies that will adapt to the future crisis in Canada’s freshwater. Degradation of the Great Lakes The North American Great Lakes are the largest resource in freshwater lakes in the world. They contain 95 percent of North America’s freshwater and more than 20 percent of the world’s freshwater (Barlow, 2008). The Great Lakes play a prime role in Canada because they provide water and livelihood to more than 40 million people and are also a huge economic player in Canada (Barlow, 2001). Unfortunately, the lakes are shadowed by a serious threat because of the rise of global warming. In July 2010, The Canadian Press announced that there has been an 11 degree increase in surface temperatures in Lake Superior. There has also been a decrease in precipitation as a result of increasing lake temperatures. Lakes are reaching their summer temperatures weeks ahead of time (Barlow, 2010). This quick change in temperature adversely affects the aquatic chain of life, leading to algae bloom, inevitably increasing Eutrophication. This in combination with Canada’s growing popu latio... ...esult of our industrial system and pollution, we must have a plan to retaliate. Canada needs to see the impacts and decaying of the Rockies and the Great Lakes. The examination of global warming and pollution on Canadian soil is increasing; the future of water is at risk. Without water, Canada cannot sustain itself. New policies must overtake the old; we must improve our priorities and make water the public good that it is. New water managing strategies must be in place. After global warming, the fate rests in the policy making of the government, we must improve our systems, increase research and re-examine failures of water management, including the extent to which we must enforce water laws. The looming crisis on water does not have to be a crisis if we have a plan to combat it, if we have technologies to aid us in a world where water will one day become scarce.

Learn the Law. Question the Law :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the course of human history, people have advanced technology and educated minds in ways that once would not have seemed impossible. From caves drawings to televisions and from the bow and arrow to the machine gun, humans have continually improved their standard of living over the years. Although we now have all sorts of things people could only dream of a thousand years ago, we still live like cavemen in many ways. One of these ways is our contempt refusal to tolerate severe injustice at many levels of society. Just like most problems, injustice starts at the top, and often starts with the people that are supposed to be preventing it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Corrupt police officers and law agencies have been sifting through the sieve of true justice for years, and continue to do so today. From Hitler’s horrifying Gestapo police of the 1940’s to the more recent beating of Rodney King, police officers have abused their powers like a broken record. Police have engaged in unjustified shootings, severe beatings, fatal chokings, and unnecessarily rough treatment of citizens in rural and urban areas from New York to Los Angeles. Just as the founders of our great nation stood to face the British in the 18th century, and just as our forefathers fought to free us from the shackles of slavery, we must now fight to ensure that our democracy is not tainted by the practice of unjust or discriminatory law.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Drunk Ohio Cop Found Passed Out (Drunk) In Burger King Drive-Thru.† This was a headline on CNN.com on February 21, 2005. This kind of story serves as an example that not all of our police officers are as moral as they claim to be. The most disturbing part of this story wasn’t that this police veteran was found intoxicated in his dispatch car, it’s that this man had the power of our law behind him for years before this happened. Many of the thousands of laws that help police officers do things like pull you over for no legitimate reason, or come into your house without probable cause, were constructed for just these purposes. This fact goes hand in hand with a quote from Tacitus, a famous Roman historian and philosopher, â€Å"the more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Police officers sometimes lack a crucial prerequisite for their job, common sense. Instead of getting drug dealers and other dangerous criminals off the streets, they are often seen in packs of three to five â€Å"investigating† events like fireworks in the dorms, or streakers.

Gang violence Essay

â€Å"Once found principally in large cities, violent street gangs now affect public safety, community image, and quality of life in communities of all sizes in urban, suburban, and rural areas. No region of the United States is untouched by gangs. Gangs affect society at all levels, causing heightened fears for safety, violence, and economic costs† (In The Spotlight) As the quote above shows, gangs and everything that goes with them has spread all over the United States and is now one of the major issues the U.S. faces. There are estimated to be about twenty-nine thousand, four hundred gangs and seven hundred fifty six thousand gang members all throughout the U.S. Also, there are thousands of other gang members illegally crossing the U.S. borders, mostly from Central America. Each gang differs in some way but however, â€Å"A common definition for a gang is a group of three or more individuals who engage in criminal activity and identify themselves with a common sign or name † (Barbour 9). The main problem in the U.S. is not the actual gangs, but it is the drugs that they involve themselves with. The drugs only bring violence and problems. The main purpose of many gangs today is not to rule turf or power but to get money by smuggling drugs over the borders and then selling them. Gang activity and violence is occurring all over the U.S. every day, mainly caused by the involvement of illegal narcotics, if this country wants to stop the gangs, it needs to completely cut off the smuggling and trafficking of drugs from Central America into the U.S. by combining different government agencies of different levels to prevent the gangs from entering the U.S. and growing and also to create prevention programs and groups to control it at a more localized level where the issues are the most pressing. Gangs are smuggling over the U.S. borders and it is causing more problems than the government can handle. The main source of drugs is coming from Central America, where the most predominant number of gangs is located. Many gangs are focused only on smuggling different types of drugs into the U.S. and it is the one way to sustain a constant source of income. This is very appealing to any youth who wants money and that is why the number of gang members is growing so rapidly. â€Å"The transnational gangs are located in over 300 cities and 40 states across the country and are becoming a serious  threat to the national security of the United States† (Farah). Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) is the most dangerous gang in the U.S. today and is not even native to the U.S. The homeland of MS-13 is in El Salvador. El Salvador is the most highly gang populated country in Central America. Some other gang-infested countries are Guatemala and Honduras. There are about ten thousand MS-13 members in the U.S. alone and about forty thousand members in Central America. Unfortunately, these numbers are still on the rise. MS-13 recruits members at a very young age, which keeps a steady growth in members. The idea of a better family and brotherhood, but also money, is very appealing to any kid who is struggling at home. MS-13 accounts for the majority of drug distribution from Central America and is the focal point that needs to be attended to if this problem is going to be solved. Another main problem with the drugs is how large of an impact they have on the people because they only add to the already existing problems for society. Also, violence and drugs go hand in hand, which is why they are so involved within the gangs. Violence is always involved with gangs, but with the addition of drugs, the violence can intensify to a level where nothing can be done. This causes the gangs to be much harder to deal with. One main problem is that the American society hates the gangs but loves the drugs and will continue to buy drugs no matter where they are coming from. This makes it even more difficult to deal with. The drugs find a way to enter the lives of people from all of American society. For instance, they have been involved in different businesses and been the cause of murders, including celebrities. â€Å"Gangs have a large involvement in the rap industry and are related to the murders of Tupac Shakkur and Biggie Smalls† (Smith, â€Å"Gangs†). Tup ac Shakkur and Biggie Smalls were two iconic rappers of their time but sadly, gangs found a way into their lives and ended up causing both of their deaths. The drugs and violence become so intertwined into society, that now they are very hard to remove and a resolution to this problem needs to be found. There are many different processes that are being implemented now to stop this problem. An example is that groups and programs are being formed to fight back against the gangs. The Arizona Corridor has proven to be one of  the busiest places for gang smuggling and trafficking. There was a group formed to prevent it called IIMPACT Arizona. â€Å"IIMPACT Arizona! is a multi-agency project that is managed by the Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission (GIITEM) and designed to address rising crime associated with illegal immigration.† (Gang and Immigration Enforcement) IIMPACT is acronym that stands for â€Å"Illegal Immigration Prevention and Apprehension Co-op Teams† (Gang and Immigration Enforcement). IIMPACT is a program where local, state and federal police forces team up to fight against smuggling organized by crime groups. The main goals of the group are to deter, disrupt and dismantle gangs from illegally immigrated people and drugs into the U.S . If they are able to succeed with what they want to do, then they would be shutting down one of the hotspots for gang smuggling. This group is in action today and could eventually make a large impact on preventing gangs from smuggling over the U.S. borders, which would greatly decrease the amount of drugs that would be entering the U.S. The U.S. government has tried to pass different acts and laws against gangs but there has been many legal issues revolving around the civil liberties of the individuals being persecuted. â€Å"Responding to the rise in gang violence in the early 1980s, Los Angeles judges began to issue gang injunctions. This occurs when the city attorney’s office issues a restraining order against specific gang members. This is done only after gathering evidence from police officials and the public. However, in 1987, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenged the injunctions, indicating that they presented a violation of an individual’s civil rights† (Smith, Gangs: Outlook). Whenever the government gets close to cracking down on the gangs, an issue involving civil liberties arises and prevents the laws to be passed. The way some of the laws enabled police officers to treat gang members and the hostile level violated some of their rights. In 1994, the Violent Crime Contr ol and Enforcement Act of 1994 was passed and it tightened the choke hold on gangs. It stiffened the penalties for crimes committed by gangs, so that the members would be less prone to break the law. The penalties for a gang member were much more severe than one for just an average person, even if the same crime was committed by both of them. Many lawmakers and law enforcers believe the answer is to make laws to  combat the actions gangs. If the penalties are stiffened, then they will be less prone to smuggle drugs and the drugs levels will go down. If drug trafficking can not be stopped, then there is no chance of slowing down gangs and the violence they create. The solution to this problem will take time and effort but will work. More groups and programs have to be made in order to stop the drug smuggling and gang violence. Also, younger kids have to be reached out to early on so they don’t even have the option to join some sort of gang. If more localized programs can be formed, then smuggling can be cut down from area to area and over time, will disappear. Even though there was extensive research, only one program that was focusing on gang involvement in their area was found and it had been working efficiently so far (IIMPACT). This group is so successful because it requires the usage of town police, state police and federal police all working together. The information that can be shared from each level is key to success. A joint effort is always more successful than a singular effort. If different levels of government enforcement could join up and work together in states all along the border, the smuggling of drugs could be cut dow n immediately. â€Å"The combination of different agencies has brought up results that show that gang violence and just gangs in general are able to be controlled if not reduced a significant amount† (â€Å"In The Spotlight†). This combination occurring much more frequently can be the resolution to the problem that has needed to be solved for so long. The main problem can be seen lying within the gangs but the actual problem revolves around the American educational institutions and the environments that kids are provided with. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) believes that laws will not help and that providing the right environment for kids is what is needed. The main problem with setting a lot of laws and enforcing them is that even if a kid is stopped from being fully involved in a street gang by sending him to prison, he will be more likely to join a gang in prison than out in the world because of how frequent prison gangs are. By trying to prevent one problem, the laws would only cause another. â€Å"If younger kids were provided with better opportunities to enact in a community and have a better environment to conduct their actions, they will  be less prone to join gangs† (Smith â€Å"Gangs: Outlooks†). Groups like the ACLU are trying to stop the problem before it arises and that really is the best po ssible thing that can be done in this situation. If the number of gang members goes down, then gangs will lose their power and influence over the surrounding communities. This would cause there to be less drug smuggling occurring and the problem would gradually decline to a non-existing issue. Gang activity and violence is occurring all over the U.S. every day, mainly caused by the involvement of illegal narcotics. If this country wants to stop the gangs, it needs to completely cut off the smuggling and trafficking of drugs from Central America into the U.S. by combining different government agencies of different levels to prevent the gangs from entering the U.S. and growing and also to create programs and groups to prevent it at a more localized level where the issues are the most urgent. The information that was presented shows how much damage that the gangs are causing to the U.S. and how drugs being smuggled over the borders from Central America are the main cause. This is very important because some of what is being done now and what can be done could be the solution to this enormous problem. Possible trends in the future will definitely be that more laws and acts will be proposed and whether or not they go into action, they will make a positive affect on trying to st op gangs in the U.S. Gangs were first formed in the U.S. in New York in the early 20th century, particularly 1928, so it could be the first time in one hundred years where gangs are not relevant in the U.S. Also, it could make a large global impact because it would encourage other nations to crack down on gangs too. If the necessary steps are taken, the problem of gangs in the U.S. could be completely ended and we could experience a gang-free and drug-free time period in the U.S. for the first time in years. Work Cited Barbour, Scott, ed. Gangs. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2002. Print. Farah, Douglas, and Pamela Phillips Lum. â€Å"Central American Gangs and Transnational Criminal Organizations.† Strategycenter. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2013. â€Å"Gang and Immigration Enforcement.† AZDPS. Arizona Department of Public Safety, 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. â€Å"In the Spotlight: Gangs.† National Criminal Justice Reference Service. U.S. Department of Justice, 7 Sept. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. Smith, Pamela K. â€Å"Gangs.† Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. Smith, Pamela K. â€Å"Gangs: Outlook.† Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.

Ethic Simulation Essay

This week I participated in two Ethic Game Simulations; The Mysterious Blogger and The Veiled ID. The Mysterious Blogger was about the leaking of confidential information by an employee and the actions of a second employee. The Veiled ID presented an issue that arises as the company tried to implement more strict security issues. The â€Å"Mysterious Blogger† had me playing the part of the Director of Information Technology for G-Bio Sports Company. During a routine check the department finds there is an employee that is posting blogs about the company and although 90% of the information is not confidential and questions safety this is a clear violation of the company policy. An anonymous email is also received by me this note indicates the name of the person posting the blogs. This information was obtained by hacking this person’s personal computer. My department was able to identify the name of both employees involved. There is an ethical issue on both cases one employee is violating the NDA policy and the other is violating the privacy of another employee. The action of both employees can cause major harm to the company. It is important to identify everyone that needs to be informed of the situation and decided the proper way to handle the situation. Both employees have been with the company for a while and are an asset to the company. Based on this information I do believe that both employees need to be discipline and made aware of the seriousness of their actions at the same time ensure safety concerns are address. My next step is to involve the proper stakeholders, our HR Director and our Legal Counsel they will help me validate my position and outline next steps. â€Å"The Veiled ID†, I play the part of the Associate Director of Operations. The  company has recently suffered a breach in security a former employee broke into a lab causing not only damage to the equipment but harmed another employee in the process. A new security system is being put in place to protect employees and our clients. Every employee will be required to carry a work Identification that will include a photograph without the ID they will not be allow in the building. Although the solution seems to very easy I did not take into consideration that some of our employees cannot be photograph due to religious beliefs. After, determining who will be affected by my decision and discussing the issue with a representative of our Human Resource Department, Training Manager and, other employees. We decided that the photo ID will still be require however, there will be some measures put in place to accommodate people with special needs. In conclusion, by utilizing the Rights and Responsibility Lens and the Baird Ethical model I was able to determine the best decision for each separate situation. The decision was the result of a serious of steps that help me first identify the issue, the people affected and the effect that my decision would have had in the community. Each steps helps you understand what is morally right and fair for the primary stakeholders and the community and how your decision making impacts others. Making sure that you understand everyone that will be affected either directly or indirectly is important prior to making your final decision. Doing the right thing is not just to following company procedure; it is also about protecting the shareholders interest and the interest of the company. In the case where the company’s policies were violated, the company must make a sound decision that that produces an outcome in the best interest of the company and its stakeholders. The ethical perspectives used to make the decisions during the simulation were based on options given in each scenario. In the simulation, you were to determine the best outcome for each scenario based upon the information given. Neither one of the scenarios had a right nor was wrong answer it just the best ethical decision you consider fair for all parties involved. The important part is to make sure that each situation it’s analyzed and all the components are taking into consideration prior of making your final decision. Reference Trevià ±o, L. K. & Nelson, K. A. (2011). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right (5th ed.).