Analyzing Atheism Essays -- Religion, Spirituality

Religion is one of the touchiest subjects in America. It is something that is rarely on the forefront of many people’s minds but as soon as someone brings it up, everyone has an opinion. Similarly, the idea of no religion, of atheism, is equally opinionated. While Americans of â€Å"faith† often have conflicting opinions with each other, they often stand united on the stance of atheism. For them, atheism is bad and atheists are bad. However, what really is an atheist? At its most basic, an atheist is merely an individual who rejects the idea of god and religion. It is nothing more, nothing less. Nevertheless, many people of faith attach secondary implications to this definition. They unify atheists under a series of assumptions concerning morality, belief, organization, and just plain illogical misconception. As an atheist of eight years myself, I find such assumptions to be insulting and prejudiced. I am an individual. My lack of belief does not entail other beliefs. T he same is true for all atheists. The first misconception I bring up is the most radical and illogical. Very few hold this sort of belief, but those that do I am unlikely to sway with simple logic and common sense. They are the type of people who only see what they want to see and hold onto their preconceived prejudices like a life preserver in a dark sea. Thus, I will address it first and be as quick and succinct as possible. As an atheist, I do not believe in the devil and so I cannot be a Satanist. That is a logical impossibility. The next misconception is a little more subtle, but by far the more widespread. Many people believe that morals are a religious construction and that without religion there is no morality. Thus, they conclude that atheists are amoral ... ...e science of the universe and the science of life are beautiful and help give meaning to existence to me in ways that religion never could. At the end of it all according to science, we are all made up of the same stuff as stars. Within us all are the building blocks of creation, of everything. The last and overarching point I am trying to illustrate is the atheism in not a standardized system of beliefs like religion is. Being an atheist does not entail anything other than a disbelief in deities and religion. While it is likely that atheists will share other beliefs it is not because they are atheists. To say otherwise is to make a baseless and prejudiced assumption. Atheism is not a religion or a belief system; one is not a follower of atheism. We are individuals with differing thoughts and opinions on the many myriad of issues that we often are lumped under.

Steps of the New Induction Program

SWelcomes the new comer to the organization. 2. Explain the overall objectives of the company and the department. 3. Explain the employees’ role in achieving the objectives. 4. Show the location or place of work. 5. Handover the rules and job descriptions. 6. Give detail the training opportunities and promotional advancement. 7. Discuss the working conditions. 8. Furnish all details regarding salary and benefits. 9. Guide the employees through a tour of entire of the organization. 10.The induction program usually done either by formal induction program and or by informal induction program. Some large organizations follow the formal induction program, which carefully planned induction-orientation training program helps a new employee to quickly adjust to the new surroundings, assimilate the new culture, and Reduce Insecurity, Reduced Anxiety, Reduced Cultural Shock, and Reduced Exploitation. In some medium and small organizations informal induction program is carried out either by Supervisor system and or Buddy or Sponsor system.Elements of good Induction Programme A good induction programme has three main elements which is described below: 1. Introductory Information: Introductory information regarding the history of the company and company’s products, its organizational structure, policies, rules and regulations etc. should be given informally or in group session in the personnel department. It will help the candidates to understand the company and the organizational policies and standards well. 2.On the Job Information: Further information should be given to the new employee by the department supervisor in the department concerned where he is placed on the job about departmental facilities and requirements such as nature of the job, the extent of his liability and the employee activities such as recreational facilities, safety measures, job routine etc. 3. Follow up Interviews: A follow up interview should be arranged several weeks after the emp loyee has been on the job by the supervisor or a representative of the personnel department to answer the problems that are a new employee may have on the job. . 7 EMPLOYEE SEPARATION Employees separate from the campus in a variety of ways. Some separations are voluntary and initiated by the employee, such as resignation or retirement. Others are involuntary and initiated by management, such as lay off or medical separation. The death of an employee or dismissal for cause creates unique challenges. Each type of separation requires specific, different actions by you, though some processes are common to all. Your common sense and good judgment will serve you well in response to the special circumstances that arise with each employee’s separation.Whatever the circumstances, every employee leaving the campus, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, should feel they were treated with respect. Keep this goal in mind as you review the guidelines for different types of separations in t his chapter. ? Death of an Employee ? Dismissal ? Exit Interviews ? Job Abandonment ? Lay off ? Medical Separation ? Resignation ? Retirement Training benefits There are numerous reasons for supervisors to conduct training among employees. These reasons include: ? Increased job satisfaction and morale among employees. Increased employee motivation. ? Increased efficiencies in processes, resulting in financial gain. ? Increased capacity to adopt new technologies and methods. ? Increased innovation in strategies and products. ? Reduced employee turnover. ? Enhanced company image, e. g. , conducting ethics training (not a good reason for ethics raining! ). Reasons for emphasizing the growth and development of personnel include: ? Creating a pool of readily available and adequate replacements for personnel who may leave or move up in the organization. Enhancing the company’s ability to adopt and use advances in technology because of a sufficiently knowledgeable staff. ? Building a more efficient, effective and highly motivated team, which enhances the company’s competitive position and improves employee morale. ? Ensuring adequate human resources for expansion into new programs. Research has shown specific benefits that a small business receives from training and developing its workers, including: ? Increased productivity. ? Reduced employee turnover. ? Increased efficiency resulting in financial gains. Decreased need for supervision.EVOLUTION OF MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES: AN INDIAN 1. 7 PERSPECTIVE Kautilya’s Period: Kautilya provides a systematic treatment of management of human resources as early as in the 4th Century B. C. in his treatise titled ‘Arthashastra’. ? There prevailed logical procedures and principles in respect of labour organizations such as ‘Shreni’ or Guild system and the cooperative sector. ? The wages were paid strictly in terms of quantity and quality of work turned out, and punishments were imposed for unnecessary delaying the work or spoiling it. Kautilya provides an excellent discussion on staffing and personnel management embracing job descriptions, qualifications for job, selection procedure, and executive development, incentive systems (Carrot and Stick approach). Varnasharm: There are several indications regarding the operations of principles of the divisions of labour. The concept of Varnashram or caste system was originally based on these principles: ? The individuals, who used to earn their livelihood by engaging themselves in activities such as teaching, sacrifice or state management, were designed as Brahmins. Individuals engaged in the areas of trade, business and agriculture were called ‘Vaishyas’ and those devoting themselves to manual work were known as ‘Shudras’. Later on, these professions emerged to be heredity which facilitated the transfer of skills and training from one generation to another. The Medieval: (As regard to In dian Economy in Medieval India): Although there were a lull because of numerous foreign aggressions for around 700 years, during the Mughal Rule, the Indian trade and commerce were reviewed.Several ‘Karkhanas’ were established at Agra, Delhi, Lahore, Ahmedabad and various other places. ? A majority of the artisans and the craftsmen had extremely poor conditions of existences and lived on starvation level. ? The productivity of workers was very low, low wages, climatic conditions and poor physique were the major factors responsible for it. British Period: There prevailed laissez-faire policy towards business. ? As it is evidenced in the report of the Indigo Commission, the working conditions were appalling, living conditions were subhuman, and several abuses prevailed in Indigo plantations.Again, as regards tea plantation, several cases of inhuman cruelties caused to the workers are encountered. ? Even the Plantation Act of 1863 makes provisions that if the workers faile d to complete their period of contract, they should be imprisoned for a period not exceeding three months. ? The labourers who attempted to run away were subjected to imprisonment whipping and allied extreme punishments. ? Accordingly, the workers were entirely helpless in the face of organized and powerful European Planters. The above conditions prevailed till the enactment of the Factory Act of 1881.According to the Act; the workers employed in the factories were allowed a weekly off day, and provisions were also made for inspection as well as limiting the hours of work for women workers to 11 per day. The Act further provided that the minimum age of children for employment should be seven years and that the maximum working hours for them should not exceed seven hours a day and that too in the day shift. In 1890, the first labour organization designated as ‘Bombay Mill Hands Association’ was established.Subsequently, in 1905, the Printers Union at Calcutta and in 1907 , the Postal Union at Bombay were established. The Madras Labour Union was organized thereafter in 1918. In 1920, the indentured labour system involving migration of Indian labour to other countries on contract basis, was abolished as a result of a strong national movement. In the same year, the Central Labour Board was established to federate the different unions in the Bombay city and the All India Trade Union Congress was organized.In 1923, for the first time in the organized sector, Tata Steel appointed K. A. Naoroji as a labour or welfare officer to look after labour issues in the various departments of the steel work. The formal implementation of the Indian Trade Union Act, 1926 forms a landmark in the history of industrial relations in this country. The Royal Commission on Labour (1929–1931) recommended the appointment of labour officers or liaison officers to deal with recruitment as measures to prevent corrupt practices in Indian industry.They were considered a recru itment officers directly reporting to general manager. As the commission observed, ‘No employee should be engaged except by the labour officer personally in consultation with the departmental head, and none should be dismissed without his consent except by the manager after hearing what the labour officer had to say’ accordingly, the Bombay Mill Owners Association and the Indian Jute Mills Association appointed labour officers in 1935 and 1938, respectively.During World War II, the need for mobilizing labour support was felt and thus, several welfare officers were appointed to deal with working conditions, canteen, ration shops, recreations, medical facilities, worker’s housing and allied fringe benefits. Post-Independence Period: With the emergence of compulsory adjudication under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, the welfare officers were made responsible for handling the disputes and adjudication pertaining to the conditions of services including wages, leave s, retirement benefits and bonus.Thus, they became industrial relations officers and started performing industrial relations functions such as collective bargaining, conciliation, and adjudication. Employment Exchange (Compulsory notification of vacancies) Act, 1959 and the Apprentices Act, 1961 were passed to regulate recruitment and training of workers, respectively. In the view of growing labour legislation commencing with the right to hire and ending with right to fire, the employees tended to employ welfare or labour officers with a legal background. 21st session of standing Labour conference held in Dec. 963 recommended that the functions of welfare officer and personnel officers should be precisely demarcated and that the former should not be responsible for dealing with disciplinary cases against workers or appears in court on behalf of the management against the workers in labour dispute cases. Personnel Management during 1970s: In the early seventies, as Punekar observes, the personnel field covered under three major areas of professional disciplines: (1) Labour welfare, (2) Industrial relations, and (3) Personnel administration.These three areas revealed the chronological order of the development of the personnel field. Immediately after industrialization, labour welfare, mainly social reformist in nature, came into the picture. The inevitable emergence of trade unions resistance organizations to employers opened the field of industrial (or Union-Management) relations. Lastly, with the development of scientific management of industry, personnel administration took root.The three areas of labour welfare, industrial relations and personnel administration were being looked after the three professional functionaries: (1) Welfare officer, (2) Labour officer, and (3) Personnel officer. However, in the early 80s, the area of labour officer largely merged with personnel administration and refers to as personnel management. Personnel Management during 1980s: In 1980s HRM was regarded as a specialized rofession such as that of other professional functions. In addition to industrial relations functions (although sometimes the industrial relations formed a separate branch), the personnel branch was responsible for varied functions i. e. , employment, safety training, wages and salary administration and research and development. Indeed, the activities involved in the personnel department were akin to those performed in this department in other western countries.Specially, where the personnel, industrial relations and welfare functions were combined in one department, three categories of activities relating to these functions were obtained. The personnel department involves in technical and allied services. Thus, industrial relation activities including contract negotiations, grievance handling, preparation and presentation of arbitration cases and research in labour problems; for educational activities including employee training, supervis ory training, organizational planning and management development, communication programs etc. for wage and salary administration, including preparation of job descriptions, job evaluations, incentive and profits sharing systems and executive compensation; for employment activities, such as recruiting, psychological testing, medical examination, interviewing, and employee record keeping; and technical services: health and welfare measures. The personnel manager’s role is to advice. Usually, advise the line and top management in respect of legal matters regarding the termination of services and transfer, human relations problems confronting the line managers and technical procedures in areas, such as wages and salary administration.In some instances, the personnel manager was required to advise management regarding the improvement of human climate in the organization. Human Resource Management during 1990s: During 1990s a new human resources management has emerged, especially a s a result of the globalization and liberalization. The economy and the policy of India is fast changing in the wake of liberalization policies mooted in year 1990. Consequently the form and content of capitalist relations between the various factors of production are undergoing a change.What has emerged a new era of HR Management? As a result of liberalization and globalization the human resources management and industrial relations have acquired strategic importance. The success of the new policies mostly depends on to a large extent, on the introduction of new industrial relations and human resources policies at the national and the organizational levels. The pressure of change is already visible in the economy and witnessed in the industrial relations and HRM areas.The world economic order is also changing rapidly. Evolutionary changes are taking place at revolutionary pace, largely influenced by the external forces, arising out of a desire to increase competitiveness and effici ency. Centrally planned economics are opening up to have their tryst with counterpart of free market economy. Structural adjustments and reforms are holding sway establishing primary of economic imperatives over dogmatic political compulsions.Organization today working in a commercially competitive global economic environment are struggling for their own survival and growth. The liberalizations and bold economic reforms by Government have thrown out many challenges and opportunities to the Indian industry. With explosion of the Information and communication technology, increased global competition, fast changing market conditions, the deregulations etc. organizations have to redesign their strategies and outlook to HRM.

STRATEGIC MANGEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION Free Essay Example, 1000 words

Police vehicles and ambulances which use the line of lights on top of vehicles. The use of LEDs is also becoming famous in normal everyday items of use like Televisions, radios, telephones, watches and even in calculators (Schubert, 2006). These are also used in the festive lights. b) Electric Cars: These are in most cases used by golfers to carry around the golfs and the entire packs across the course. This was the original use of the cars, however as time has passed by, the electric cars are now also used in huge resorts, where the guest can move from rooms to the restaurants in the small electric cars. Also the most recent users of electric cars are the general public. These cars have been introduced worldwide and are being used as a replacement to the traditional fuel vehicles. Also the other main segments of the markets are the racers, conversions, and hobbyists. (4) Identify the types of organizations that may need to evaluate strategy more frequently than other types of organizations. Justify your choices. There are several organizations that need to identify and evaluate their strategies more than any other organization. We will write a custom essay sample on STRATEGIC MANGEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now These are mainly the ones operating in the turbulent industry and which need to ensure that the strategies are in line with the current market needs as well. The various industries that need to be a part of these are, electronics, aerospace, and any other organization who base all products and services on electronic items. Some excellent examples are mobile phone manufacturers, computer industry, aerospace industry, gaming industry, i.e. the game producers like Sony, Television and entertainment industries. The main reasons for the need to evaluate strategy are the fast and unstoppable improvements of technology every single day. This leaves the companies needing to create newer products which can compete in the markets. Take the example of Sony, The company first brought in the Play Station, and with the high improvements in technology, the immediate next step was the improved version, i.e. the Play station 2 and within a very short period Play Station 3. The main difference in these is the technology used and the basic strategies of development of the games. Companies of this nature need to be updated at the earliest to ensure that they have the first mover advantage and gain over the market as well (Dixit & Nalebuff, 1993). Hence they need to continuously improve their strategies. (5) Compare and contrast having strategic management more visible or hidden as a process in a company.