A Critical Response to the Editorial “Productive Labour” Essay Example for Free

A Critical Response to the Editorial â€Å"Productive Labour† Essay â€Å"A Productive Labour† is an editorial written by Roger Martin and James Milway. This tackles on the topic of productivity – what it is, what it does, and just how important it is for a country’s economy and living. The essay’s main point can be seen in its secondary title, which states that â€Å"the only limit to productivity growth is human ingenuity.† The article’s strength lies in this statement, and supported by the many reasons the authors discussed afterwards. Although the essay is strongly put together, with the main points being clearly stated, there is still the existence of some weaknesses, evident in many parts of the article. These loopholes are either poorly explained or there is no sufficient evidence presented to actually support it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors, in this essay played the role as lecturers and persuaders at the same time. They started off by discussing productivity by stating it as a practical way to raise our living standards. They gave an assertion that the only limit to productivity is the human ingenuity, unlike other methods which would use up all of the natural resources, or the number of hours to work. From here they gave specifics on how to actually increase the productivity. One of their main arguments here is the use of what they called â€Å"new value creation† (par. 10). This, together with strategies leading to innovation will drive a country’s productivity higher. The editorial also contained written benefits of productivity, and how it can help a country’s growth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One interesting fact that the authors pointed out is that the limiting factor of increasing a country’s productivity lies in ingenuity. This seems to be partially true, because the article defined ingenuity as the only limiting factor, when in fact in a practical world it is not. The article in the succeeding paragraph stated that a â€Å"countrys ability to improve its standard of living over time depends almost entirely on its ability to raise its output per worker (par. 6). If productivity is the key to raising the standard of living, it is then limited by the output of each worker. And any worker, no matter how ingenious he or she may be, will only reach a certain level and never go beyond it. This is a practical theory of everything; no matter how long and how much energy you put into something, it will reach a point where there is no useful output produced. Then, the next step would be to find a new worker with new and fresh ideas. Over time, productivity will not only be limited by the workers’ ingenuity, but also by the number of workers available and efficient enough for the tasks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although compared with the limitations caused by natural resources, productivity still has an edge. Taking into account the length of a worker’s useful ingenuity and the possible number of workers available, the depletion of natural resources would come to dawn at time earlier than this.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another eye opening fact is the information on new value creation (par 10). This is truly one important way of increasing productivity and it is covalently linked to ingenuity and innovation. These unique creations are a wonderful way to not only enhance a worker’s thinking skills, but also create an edge in the economical tug-of-war. Instead of trying to compete against a nation who perfected a certain technology, others can develop a technology different from it. And if that technology or product becomes a hit, the nation pioneering that new design would benefit greatly from it. This is just a way of showing how productivity can be translated to economics and businesses, just like the article suggests. But it should not forget the prerequisites for an actual new creation to be born. First would be the development of science and technology in the country. The chances of creating a new product would greatly rely on the technology readily available. A man may have designs on creating the world’s greatest car but if the society lacks the tools and techniques required in making one, these innovation would not be manifested as a usable object. Again, it is not always practical for a new creation to make its way into the conceiving stage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, the article speaks to a very broad audience. Its first paragraph ended with a challenge to governments, businesses, and citizens (par. 1). The whole article in a sense is then dedicated to every single one person of a country or nation. The productivity challenge is something that everyone must be a part of. It is true that although many think of productivity as a term only used in labour, or businesses, it should actually encompass every being that contributes to the society. Citizens, by the simple due of paying their taxes, enters the world of productivity and contributes a part of that to the government, which in turn must make use of these taxes in a very much productive way. For the work force, productivity would be of benefit for them since it means higher wages.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In a nutshell, the editorial speaks clearly of the purpose and strength of productivity in our daily lives. Its arguments are supported by concrete examples and the essay is in fact very persuasive. There are just some little details which may not be noticeable at first. These usually jump in the practicality of the suggestion. We must always take into consideration the practical events that would happen and define them differently from the hypothetical or theoretical events. This way, factors can be explained much better without bias. References Martin, R., Milway, J. A productive labour; the only limit to productivity growth is human ingenuity.

Analysis of Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illu

Analysis of Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations Michael Walzer first wrote Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations in the years following the Vietnam War, and unfortunately its premise on morality in war will always remain as relevant as it was then as it is now, with conflict between states forever existing. Michael Walzer is one of the most prominent social critics in North America and in this book, he explores two main concepts, the justice of war and the justice in war in a great depth, and uses numerous historical references to support his claims. It is a very well configured piece, written in such a way of persuasion that your personal view on morality in war may ultimately change after delving into thoughts for several hundred pages. To an overwhelming majority of people, the words ‘war’ and ‘morality’ have seemingly opposing meanings, however in the preface to his book, Walzer points out that "whether or not its specific terminology is adapted, just-war theory has always played a part in official argument about war" (Walzer XI). He proceeds to discuss in a greater detail the ways that war has been perceived and how this impacts the topics of war and morality, and in doing so, he provides an intelligently structured and persuasive argument that can be viewed within a moral context. He addresses this topic both from the view of the role of the state and also from the perspective of how the decision to fight impacts the individual. Walzer takes the position that an individual should fight only for private and personal reasons rather then from nationalistic feelings because he feels that it is crucial that this decision should be freely chosen and that it constitutes one of the crucial requirements for a ‘just’ war. Walzer defines a ‘just war’ as a ‘limited war,’ and that just wars are governed by a set of rules, designed to prevent, as much as possible, "the use of violence and coercion against non-combatant populations" (Walzer XVII); On the other hand, a limited war attempts to establish the way things were prior to the aggression taking place. Aside from extreme cases, just wars do not have legitimate reasons for reaching beyond this goal, including the replacing of the aggressor’s... ...f becoming aggressors themselves. As Walzer points out, the Kuwait regime that US intervention restored to power was little better for the Kuwait people than their Iraqi invaders. However, the ultimate fate of this regime was placed back in the hands of the Kuwaiti people disregarding our attempt at improvement. Reading this book was both uplifting, in that Walzer does an excellent job of developing a framework to understanding what should and should not be done during wartime, as well as depressing, in realizing that war will only evolve and forever exist. The limits that a ‘just’ war places on the use of aggression between states for both states and individuals, according to Walzer, offers a rational and moral way of perceiving modern warfare. He ends his text with the comment that "The restraint of war is the beginning of peace" essentially summing up his argument, though will this ‘end’ ever arrive? (Walzer 335). This book offers a sane way of perceiving morality within the insanity of war. Work Cited Walzer, Michael. Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations. New York: Basic Books, 1977. Analysis of Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illu Analysis of Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations Michael Walzer first wrote Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations in the years following the Vietnam War, and unfortunately its premise on morality in war will always remain as relevant as it was then as it is now, with conflict between states forever existing. Michael Walzer is one of the most prominent social critics in North America and in this book, he explores two main concepts, the justice of war and the justice in war in a great depth, and uses numerous historical references to support his claims. It is a very well configured piece, written in such a way of persuasion that your personal view on morality in war may ultimately change after delving into thoughts for several hundred pages. To an overwhelming majority of people, the words ‘war’ and ‘morality’ have seemingly opposing meanings, however in the preface to his book, Walzer points out that "whether or not its specific terminology is adapted, just-war theory has always played a part in official argument about war" (Walzer XI). He proceeds to discuss in a greater detail the ways that war has been perceived and how this impacts the topics of war and morality, and in doing so, he provides an intelligently structured and persuasive argument that can be viewed within a moral context. He addresses this topic both from the view of the role of the state and also from the perspective of how the decision to fight impacts the individual. Walzer takes the position that an individual should fight only for private and personal reasons rather then from nationalistic feelings because he feels that it is crucial that this decision should be freely chosen and that it constitutes one of the crucial requirements for a ‘just’ war. Walzer defines a ‘just war’ as a ‘limited war,’ and that just wars are governed by a set of rules, designed to prevent, as much as possible, "the use of violence and coercion against non-combatant populations" (Walzer XVII); On the other hand, a limited war attempts to establish the way things were prior to the aggression taking place. Aside from extreme cases, just wars do not have legitimate reasons for reaching beyond this goal, including the replacing of the aggressor’s... ...f becoming aggressors themselves. As Walzer points out, the Kuwait regime that US intervention restored to power was little better for the Kuwait people than their Iraqi invaders. However, the ultimate fate of this regime was placed back in the hands of the Kuwaiti people disregarding our attempt at improvement. Reading this book was both uplifting, in that Walzer does an excellent job of developing a framework to understanding what should and should not be done during wartime, as well as depressing, in realizing that war will only evolve and forever exist. The limits that a ‘just’ war places on the use of aggression between states for both states and individuals, according to Walzer, offers a rational and moral way of perceiving modern warfare. He ends his text with the comment that "The restraint of war is the beginning of peace" essentially summing up his argument, though will this ‘end’ ever arrive? (Walzer 335). This book offers a sane way of perceiving morality within the insanity of war. Work Cited Walzer, Michael. Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations. New York: Basic Books, 1977.

A Research Proposal on Wive’s Income and Marital Quality

1. Increases in wives† income over time will contribute to increases in marital discord. (Expect strong effect on husbands† report of marital discord.) 2. Increase in wives† income over time will contribute to decreases in marital discord. (Expect husbands and wives to be about the same.) 3. Increases in perceived marital discord over time will contribute to increases in wives income. (Expect marital discord on wives† income stronger for wives than husbands.) Used data from Marital Instability Over the Life Course Study (1991). This was a 4-wave panel study that began in 1980 with random telephone interviews of 2,034 married individuals (not couples), younger than 55 using the clustered random-digit dialing procedure. Of the people called, 65 % completed the survey, 18% refused, and 17% were unreachable after 10 or more callbacks. Respondents were similar to national population of married individuals on age, race, region, household size, presence of children, and home ownership. Attempts to reinterview the same respondents took place in 1983, 1988, and 1992. Successful reinterviews were 78%, 66%, and 58% respectively. A decision was made to use date from 1980-1988 as these years showed the most dramatic change in married women†s employment and earnings. Also, the results of the 1992 interview had slight underreporting of younger, renter, African-American or Hispanic, and those without a college education in 1980. Respondents consisted of a total of 455 women and 316 men who were in a stable marriage from 1980-1988; a first marriage for both spouses. The study was restricted to continuous first marriages because previous evidence suggested relationships between income and marital quality differs depending on marriage order. Remarried families have lower incomes, fewer assets on average. Remarried women are more likely to be employed 40 hours or more per week than continuously married women. Marital discord was measured in three areas: marital instability (12 item scale that taps propensity to divorce), relationship problems (14 problems like easily angered, jealous, moody, not home enough), and marital conflict (assessed the amount and severity of conflict between spouses). Structural equation modeling was used. This allowed the investigation of the directional relationship and testing of the relative strength of each. Study took into account husbands† unemployment and the birth of a child. The model used to test 4 demographic characteristics: children, race, age, yrs of education. They didn†t affect the model substantially or alter conclusions. The average respondent had 14 years of education, was 35 years old, 92% were white, 41% were male. Data does not support either hypothesis 1 or 2. Data does support #3. Wives increased their income over a period of 8 years due to their own perceptions of increased marital discord. Husbands† perception of marital discord didn†t have an effect on wives† income. In 1980 54% wives employed, 96% of husbands. Income of wife is $7277 vs. $40559 for a family. In 1988 69% wives employed, and 94% of husbands. Income for a wife, $9495; and for a family, $42,420. ($ figure is adjusted to reflect 1988 constant dollars.) By 1988, 20% more wives entered the workforce and 10% dropped out. 24% of the husbands experienced some unemployment and 24% had experienced a birth of a child. Earnings gender gap went from 60% to 71%. By the end, women were contributing 30-40% toward the family income. Increases in wives† income do not significantly affect either spouse†s perception of marital discord. Instead increases in marital discord contribute significantly to increases in wives† income by increasing the likelihood that non-employed wives will enter the workforce. It isn†t clear if wives enter the labor force to prepare for divorce or to improve their own lives and perhaps their marriages by seeking additional personal challenges. More women responded than men. Also, if couples would have been interviewed so a clearer picture between spouses response could have been analyzed (couple-level data). Also gender role attitudes of spouses were not included. The role of social class was not taken into consideration. Another item is that the study began 19 years ago, concluding 11 years ago. This country has experienced a bull market and a low unemployment rate.

My Personal Philosophy Of Education - 976 Words

My philosophy of education is for every student to reach his or her full potential. This is by inspiring all students and helping them realize how much they can achieve. I believe every student can become a great person with the right motivation and support by parents, friends and a teacher. Teaching is inspiring students and learning is obtaining knowledge. The definition of teaching, to me, is to inspire students and be a positive role model. My personal definition of learning is obtaining knowledge. The student’s role in the classroom is to learn and obtain knowledge; this is by providing them with new ideas and questions to ponder. Teaching and learning relate because a student cannot learn without teaching and inspiration. A teacher cannot teach if students are not enthusiastically learning and participating in the lesson. Therefore, one cannot successfully work without the other. I want to be a teacher so I can change the lives of students. Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to become a teacher, I even remember playing â€Å"school† with my friends. My mother is a kindergarten teacher and she is the biggest hero in my life, I strive to one day be as much of an effective and positive role model like her. But, I do not want to be a teacher solely because my mother is a teacher, I want to teach to inspire students. I love helping students understand new material and the look of accomplishment on their faces. Lastly, I want to make a difference in every student’sShow MoreRelatedMy Personal Philosophy : My Philosophy Of Education1046 Words   |  5 Pagesmanipulate the information for their own use in the future. Choosing between the four, I would say my philosophical views line up more as an essentialist. 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This essay focuses on my personal philosophy of education. It unfolds the function of philosophy in a teacher’s life, my view on the purpose of education, the student teacher- relationship and the philosophy which influences myRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy : My Philosophy Of Education1844 Words   |  8 PagesMy philosophy of education is romanticism. According to Ryan, Cooper, and Bolick, romanticism can be defined as â€Å"a child-centered philosophy of education that condemns the influences of society and suggests that a child’s natural curiosity and the natural world should be used to teach.† I am a believer in â€Å"gaining knowledge through sensory experiences and interactions with your peers† (Ryan, Cooper, a nd Bolick, 2016). I agree with this philosophy because it says that the needs of the student areRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education1443 Words   |  6 PagesThese beliefs of education are known as the philosophy of education. 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All of these elusive beings have left tracks, yet there isn’t a single photograph to prove their existence—just likeRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education1335 Words   |  6 Pagesteaching style in the â€Å"Finding Your Philosophy of Education Quiz.† While I enjoyed learning about the different philosophies and psychological influences of teaching, I prefer constructivism, social reconstruction, and progressivism due to their student-centered learning, hands-on or project based learning style, while making efforts to improve the world around them. I will be discussing why I chose progressivism, social reconstruction, and constructivism as my preferences, as well as the role ofRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education873 Words   |  4 Pagesis a meaningful education? Throughout time many philosopher and educators have pondered on this question, leading to the development of theories and concepts that are present in the classroom today. In my personal experience, an educator philosophy is built over a course of time which is based on their knowledge and experience. An educator belief system is like a river, it changes and matures throughout its course, bending and changing as it progresses. Throughout the course of my educational careerRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education1152 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction My personal philosophy of education relies on the fundamental belief that every individual has inherent value, therefore designating education as an environment where students may grow in their self-worth through academic and relational support. Thus, the purpose of education is to provide individuals with the opportunity to learn about both content and about self, growing in their identity. Within this personal philosophy of education, I will further detail the aim of education, the role