Management History Module

Exercises  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–1 Multiple choice †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Whereas _____________ is concerned with Whereas the means of getting things done, _____________ is concerned with the ends, or attainment of organizational goals. or a. effectiveness; efficiency b. efficiency; effectiveness c. effectiveness; goal attainment d. goal attainment; efficiency Answer: b  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–2 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ An organization is ______________. a. the physical location where people work b. a collection of individuals working for the collection same company same c. a deliberate arrangement of people to eliberate accomplish some specific purpose accomplish d. a group of individuals focused on profit group making for their shareholders making Answer: c  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–3 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Operatives are defined as employees w ho Operatives ___________. ___________. a. report to top executives b. report to middle managers c. supervise others d. have no others reporting to them Answer: d  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–4 True/False question †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The roles of figurehead, leader, and liaison are The all interpersonal roles. all Managers who are effective at meeting Managers rganizational goals always act efficiently. organizational Determining who reports to whom is part of the Determining controlling function of management. controlling All organizations develop a structure that All defines and limits the behavior of members of the organization. the v  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. ? ? v 1–5 Blank filling †¢ †¢ †¢ Katz found that managers needed four Katz essential general skills: ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ). ), Today, the basic management processes are Today, considered to be ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ). ), Mintzberg found that m anagers perform 10 found different roles, which can be grouped under hree categories: ( ), ( ), ( ).  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–6 Short Answer †¢ Explain what is meant by the term Explain â€Å"management†. †¢ Describe the four primary processes of Describe management. management. †¢ Summarize the essential roles performed by Summarize managers. managers. †¢ Describe the difference between managers and Describe operatives. operatives.  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–7 History Module THE HISTORICAL ROOTS OF CONTEMPORARY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–8 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. XY ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 1–9 Adam Smith’s Contribution To The Field Of Management †¢ Wrote the Wealth of Nations( ) (1776) Advocated the economic advan tages that organizations Advocated and society would reap from the division of labor: Increased productivity by increasing each worker’s skill Increased and dexterity. Time saved that is commonly lost in changing tasks. Time The creation of labor-saving inventions and machinery. The saving  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–10 The Industrial Revolution’s InfluenceOn Management Practices †¢ Industrial Revolution Machine power began to substitute for human power Machine Lead to mass production of economical goods Lead Improved and less costly transportation systems Improved became available Created larger markets for goods. Created Larger organizations developed to serve larger Larger markets Created the need for formalized management practices. Created  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–11 I. Classical Contributions †¢ Classical Approach Classical The term used to describe the hypotheses of the The scientif ic management theorists and the general dministrative theorists. Scientific management theorists Scientific – Fredrick W. Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, Fredrick and Henry Gantt and General administrative theorists General – Henri Fayol and Max Weber  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–12 ——Frederick Taylor †¢  ·  · (1856-1915), †¢ †¢  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–13 Scientific Management †¢ Frederick W. Taylor The Principles of Scientific Management (1911) The Advocated the use of the scientific method toAdvocated define the â€Å"one best way† for a job to be done Believed that increased efficiency could be achieved Believed by selecting the right people for the job and training them to do it precisely in the one best way. To motivate workers, he favored incentive wage To plans. Separated managerial work from operative work. Separated  © 2008 Prenti ce Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–14 †¢ †¢ †¢ â€Å" †, , : 1. ; 2.  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–15 †¢ , , : (Time Study)†Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€ , â€Å" (Motion Study)†Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€ , , ?, , , , ,  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–16 †¢ Shovel Experiment Shovel †¢ Pig-iron Experiment †¢ High-speed Steel Experiment  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–17 †¢ : †¢ : , 22P ,  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–18 †¢ †¢ 12T, :47. 5T †¢ :$1. 15, :$1. 85 †¢ —— †¢ , —— †¢  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–19 †¢ 26? †¢ 80 †¢ †¢ , †¢  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. †¢ 1–20 Taylor’s Four Principles of Management P24 1. Develop a s cience for each element of an individual’s work, which replaces the old rule-of thumb method. 2. Scientifically select and then train, teach, and develop the worker. (Previously, workers chose their own work and trained themselves as best they could. 3. Heartily cooperate with the workers so as to ensure that all work is done in accordance with the principles of the science that has been developed. 4. Divide work and responsibility almost equally between management and workers. Management takes over all work for which it is better fitted than the workers. (Previously, almost all the work and the greater part of the responsibility were thrown upon the workers. )  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–21 P24 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ :1911 : ; , 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–22 †¢ :  · ?, —— , 12 20? , ?1 30? , 1921 1  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–23 †¢ â €Å" † , †¢ , ?, , (? )?  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–24 (2) †¢ , , ?:â€Å" , , , , † †¢ , , —— .  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–25  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–26 General Administrative Theory †¢ General Administrative Theorists General Developed general theories of what managers do Developed and what constitutes good management practice Henri Fayol (France) Henri Fourteen Principles of Management: Fundamental Fourteen or universal principles of management practice †¢ Ideal bureaucracy Ideal Max Weber (Germany) Max Bureaucracy: Ideal type of organization Bureaucracy: haracterized by division of labor, a clearly defined hierarchy, detailed rules and regulations, and impersonal relationships  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–27  · †¢ 1860 ? · †¢ †¢ â€Å"? †, à ¢â‚¬ ¢ 40 (Henry Fayol, 1841-1925),  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–28 : 1916 †¢ †¢ : †¢ :14  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–29 EXHIBIT HM–2 Fayol’s Fourteen Principles of Management 1.Division of Work 8. Centralization 2. Authority 9. Scalar Chain 3. Discipline 10. Order 4. Unity of Command 11. Equity 5. Unity of Direction 12. Stability of Tenure of Personnel 6. Subordination of Individual Interests to the General Interest 13. Initiative 14. Esprit de Corps 7. Remuneration  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–30  · †¢ ? †¢ †¢ : †¢ †¢ †¢  · (Max Weber, 1864-1920),  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–31 EXHIBIT HM–3 Weber’s Ideal Bureaucracy 1.Division of Labor 2. Authority Hierarchy 3. Formal Selection 4. Formal Rules and Regulations 5. Impersonality 6. Career Orientation  © 2008 Pren tice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–32 ? ? , :  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–33 II.  · †¢ 1924-1932 (Hawthorne) †¢ (George Elton Mayo, 1880-1949),  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–34 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Illumination Experiment Incentives Experiment  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1923-1927 927-1929 1929-1932 1929-1932 1–35 Hawthorne Studies †¢ A series of studies done during the 1920s and series 1930s that provided new insights into group norms and behaviors norms Hawthorne effect Hawthorne Social norms or standards of the group are the Social key determinants of individual work behavior. †¢ Changed the prevalent view of the time that Changed people were no different than machines. people  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–36 MG2-25 †¢ â€Å" † ?â€Å" † †¢ , †¢ , †¢  © 20 08 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. –37 —— A B ( —> ) C D E F G H  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–38 MG2-26 ? ? †¢ ( ), , †¢ : â€Å" † †¢ â€Å"? †  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–39 II. Human Relations Movement †¢ Based on a belief in the importance of Based employee satisfaction—a satisfied worker was employee satisfied believed to be a productive worker. believed †¢ Advocates believed in people’s capabilities and capabilities ere concerned with making management practices more humane. practices Dale Carnegie . Dale Abraham Maslow Abraham Douglas McGregor Douglas  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–40 III. The Quantitative Approach †¢ Operations Research (Management Science) Evolved out of the development of mathematical and Evolved statistical solutions to military problems during World War II. Involves the use of statistics, optimization models, Involves information models, and computer simulations to improve management decision making for planning and control.  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc.All rights reserved. 1–41 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ , , ,  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–42 Social Events That Shaped Management Approaches †¢ Classical Approach The desire for increased efficiency of labor intensive The operations †¢ Human Resources Approach The backlash to the overly mechanistic view of The employees held by the classicists. The Great Depression( ) The †¢ The Quantitative Approaches World War II armament production World  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–43IV. Management Theory Jungle (Harold Koontz) Management †¢ In 1961, Harold Koontz concluded that there existed a â€Å"Management Theory Jungle† ( ) †¢ The diversity of approaches to the study of The management—functions, quantitative emphasis, management functions, human relations approaches—each offer human each something to management theory, but many are only managerial tools.  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–44 Management Theory Jungle , †¢ (Harold Koontz) â€Å" †? †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ (? ) The Management Process School (? The Empirical School The (? ) The Human Behavior School (? ) The Social System School (? ) The Decision Theory School (? ) The Mathematical School  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–45 What is the Process Approach? †¢ Process Approach Process Planning, leading, and controlling activities are Planning, circular and continuous functions of management. †¢ †¢ †¢ ,  ·? ?, â€Å" †, †¢ †¢  © 2008 Prentice Hall, Inc. All rights reserved. 1–46

Bylaws of Natural Health Essay

Section 1: Membership shall consist only of the Director/President, Jason Wilson. ARTICLE III – AMENDMENTS Section 1: These Bylaws may be amended when necessary. ARTICLE VI Restrictions on Actions 1. All the assets and earnings of the Corporation shall be used exclusively for its exempt purposes, including the payment of expenses incidental thereto. No part of any net earnings shall inure to the benefit of any employee of the Corporation or be distributed to its Directors, officers, or any private person. 2. Notwithstanding any other provision of these bylaws, the Corporation will not carry on any activities not permitted by an organization exempt under Section 501(c)(3), Internal Revenue Code, 1986, or the corresponding provision of any future federal law, or organizations whose contributions which are exempt under Section 170(c)(2), Internal Revenue Code, 1986, or the corresponding provision of any future federal law. The Corporation shall have no capital stock, pay no dividends, distribute no part of its net income or assets to any Directors, Officers, and private property of the subscribers, Directors or Officers shall not be liable for the debts of the Corporation. 3. No substantial part of the Corporation’s activity shall be for the carrying on of a campaign of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation. The Corporation shall not participate in any political campaign, will not engage in political campaigns or attempt to influence legislation or interfere with any political campaign on behalf or in opposition to any candidate for public office. 4. In particular, but not without limitation of the generality of the foregoing paragraph, during such time as the Corporation may be considered a private foundation as defined by Section 509(a), Internal Revenue Code, 1986, or the corresponding provision of any future federal law, it shall not: A. Fail to distribute its income for each taxable year at such time and in such manner as not to become subject to the tax on undistributed income imposed by Section 4942, Internal Revenue Code, 1986, or the corresponding provision of any future federal law. B. Engage in any act of self dealing as defined in Section 4941(d), Internal Revenue Code, 1986, or the corresponding provision of any future federal law. C. Retain any excess business holdings as defined in Section 4943(c), Internal Revenue Code, 1986, or the corresponding provision of any future federal law. D. Make any investment on such manner as to subject it to tax under Section 4944, Internal Revenue Code, 1986, or the corresponding provision of any future federal law. E. Make any taxable expenditures as defined in Section 4945(d), Internal Revenue Code, 1986, or the corresponding provision of any future federal law. These bylaws were adopted on July 30, 2012. Jason Wilson, President

Management & Budgetary Control and the Beyond Budgeting debate Essay

Management & Budgetary Control and the Beyond Budgeting debate - Essay Example During the recent years new ideas have emerged in the business world that challenge the traditional approach to budgeting and claim it not be fit for the current business environment as it is unable to fulfill the demands and requirements. It is both private and public sector that have adopted traditional approach to budgeting since very beginning and they find comfort in tradition even if it doesn’t suit the current business environment. The new ideas are revolutionary they compensate both future financial planning keeping in view non-financial factors that influence the performance and working of the organization (Moolchand, Narendra, & Koshina, 2012). Therefore this changing business world gives rise to the idea of â€Å"Beyond Budgeting† that provides a model beyond command and control towards a more adaptive, flexible and empowering model. Beyond Budgeting is being used to transform the performance potential of the organization it removes the shackles of annual bud get and at the same time allowing the employees to use their full power in the front line. Business environment especially in the past one decade has become much dynamic, complex, turbulent and uncertain. Adaptability is the greatest attribute that the organizations should possess in order to sustain in the market. Life cycles of the products have reduced with the continuous advancement in the technology innovation becomes a critical factor of success for the corporates. These details regarding the business and market environment signify that diversity along with flexibility is important for sustainable growth of the organization. It is not the organizations with huge capital and resources who can survive it is corporates that are adaptable would progress in future. Recent events in the business world raised the comments and the criticism over budgeting system that is in practice currently. It brings rigidity in the system, restricts movement and doesn’t limits

Portfolio from Qatar exchange Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Portfolio from Qatar exchange - Assignment Example ty of giving maximum returns, but also include in the investment basket of less risky investment assets, with intent of minimizing the investment loss should one asset suffer poor performance (Daniel et al. 1998). As behavioral scientists suggest, most investors tend to be risk averse and taking this into consideration, I carried out proper analysis of the market before deciding on the best class of assets to invest in. This is done by looking at the historical performance of the desired shares to gain a better understanding and hence forecasting of the possible future performance. In the course of carrying out an investment in the money and capital markets, an investor should be up to date with the market information as it plays a bigger part in determining the equity price movement. Also, in considering investing in the stock market an investor should carry out thorough study of the companies in which he intends to purchase the stocks by paying much attention to its financials, the management and also its future plans. Further, for an investor to realize his investment goal, they should adopt an investment strategy that is consistent with his risk tolerance attitude failure to which a mismatch could otherwise lead to maximum loses. The following set of measurements was conducted to assess the performance of different classes of portfolio. We used these tests to perform Treynor Measure, which helped us decide on the best portfolio select the best portfolio among the six options, which has the lowest risk The best portfolio is one that balance returns with risk. Treynor Measure can be used to measure the success of the successful portfolios, by reviewing both risk and return together. To estimate risk, Treynor Measure takes into consideration the beta coefficient, which measures the volatility of the portfolio to the market (HÃ ¼bner 415). The following formula is used to calculate Treynor Measure: In this case, beta is represented by the standard deviation;

Brooklyn Bridge, Joseph Stella, 1920 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Brooklyn Bridge, Joseph Stella, 1920 - Coursework Example Marin is famous for painting landscapes scenes in New England. In this particular painting, Marin was inspired by the Woolworth building and decided to paint it using water color and charcoal to preserve the materials that were used to paint then. Marin made even the most familiar views of the abstract during his time. In his painting, even the city is made abstract. He dangerously depicts Woolworth building veering toward abstraction in his painting. The building is painted to stagger ominously over the viewer of the work. In the painting, Marin has handled the surface roughly in his painting to demonstrate that watercolors can be classified as a modernist medium. Wood was inspired by the American Gothic House in which colonialists lived. He decided to paint the house and the people living in it. The paint portrays a farmer standing beside his spinster daughter. The woman in the paint is dressed in a colonial print apron, which evokes the Americana of the 19th century and the couple is a traditional festival involving couples. 2. The painting by Grant Wood is organized rigorously. The man in the paint is holding a pitchfork and he is mirrored by a similar pattern in his overall stitching. The man’s shirt stripes have been echoed in the boards of the house and a barn behind him. The woman, on the other hand, is tied into a composition to form a pattern of circles on her shirt that rhyme with the man’s spectacles. In the last rhyming pattern, the pair has been rendered in a stiff manner to resound.

Population Health Change Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Population Health Change - Research Paper Example Identification of the Target group In this case the problem identified in the population is obesity which refers to a medical condition in which there is excess accumulation of body fats in the body to the extent that it has adverse effects on the health of an individual resulting in reduced life expectancy and increased health problems. The scenario here is that in the population we have two different groups of people, the people who operate the cafeteria and the residents. The residents consume food from the cafeteria that causes the obesity. This change program will focus on the residents because of a number of reasons. The first reason is that if the change was directed on the cafeteria workers, the people will still look for that food because they are used to consuming that diet. Secondly for a lasting change to occur the residents must change their eating habits and this will also cause the cafeteria management to change their menu (Barr, 2007; Swinburn, 2004). The argument her e is that it is important that the residents realize the effects of the poor diet on them and change their eating habits. ... t supplies from outside to satisfy their needs (Barr, 2007) Dietary changes/modification There are a variety of strategies used for reducing obesity and these strategies vary depending on certain demographic factors within the target group. Some of the strategies that are very appropriate for this population are dietary changes and physical activity. Dietary changes involve the improvement of diet quality through the reduction in consumption of energy dense foods especially those that are high in fats and sugars and increase the intake of foods that are high in dietary fiber. In physical activity the individuals are encouraged to maintain a healthy body through planned body exercises that are regular and follow a specific pattern. These two strategies are most important in solving obesity and if followed well will lead to success of the change program (NHLBI, 2000; Schroeder, 2007). It is important to realize this is a residential center and this kind of place is usually for people w ho are older and cannot live on their own. Such people have low mobility levels and therefore cannot move from place to place. The best strategy for this group would dietary changes. This is because of a number of reasons. The first reason is that this group has low mobility levels and therefore engaging them in physical activities on a daily basis will not be welcomed by them. Secondly the age group of these people does not allow them to engage in physical activities such as running, they may walk for a short distance but this will burn fewer calories and therefore the change may take a very long time to occur and people usually do not like this and will end up stopping the activity before they actually reduce their body weight (NHLBI, 2000). The dietary plan changes will involve a five

Problem scenarios in Consumer Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Problem scenarios in Consumer Law - Case Study Example But the primary liability still lies with the seller who effected the sale transaction. In addition, when the goods are sold in the course of a business there is the additional protection available to the buyer in terms of the provisions of Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 which prohibits their exclusion. The protections constitute statutorily laid implied terms of sale. The meaning of this is that SGA will render these terms made applicable to all contracts for sale of goods irrespective of whatever terms and conditions the parties to the sale have agreed at the time of entering into the contract of sale. Under Contract law there are three categories of terms are applied for the contracts. They are (i) conditions, (ii) warranties, (iii) innominate terms Conditions are the main terms of a contract which forms the nucleus of the contract. When the condition attached to a contract is breached the innocent party can claim damages and repudiate the contract. Damages represent monetary compensation for the loss suffered by buyer. Repudiation is the avoidance of the contract which has the effect of relieving both the parties to the contract from the obligations under the contract. Warranties represent technical legal term which corre... Damages represent monetary compensation for the loss suffered by buyer. Repudiation is the avoidance of the contract which has the effect of relieving both the parties to the contract from the obligations under the contract. Warranties Warranties represent technical legal term which corresponds to minor contractual terms. These terms are less important terms of the agreement between the parties. For the breach of any warranty the party who suffered losses can only claim damages. He cannot repudiate the contract totally. Innominate Terms Innominate terms are those terms attached to the contract which cannot be classified either as condition or warranty just by looking at the terms of the contract. These terms can be classified either as condition or warranty only looking at the effect of the breach. When the consequences of the breach are only slight not causing any major loss to the buyer it will be treated as a warranty. On the other hand when the impact of breach is great it will be categorized as a condition. Implied Term with Respect to Goods sold by Description Section 13(1) provides for the implied term that when the goods are sold by description the goods shall correspond with the description. For making this section apply the goods should have been sold exclusively by description.1 This provision shall not apply when the buyer sees the goods physically before the sales takes place. This position has been clearly explained in the case of Harlington & Leinster Enterprises v Christopher Hull Fine Art2 In this case the purchasers were unable to claim damages under section 13 when the painting they bought thinking as done by a famous artist turned out to be

Explain connection between the issue(A suggested ban on audit firms Essay

Explain connection between the issue(A suggested ban on audit firms providing non-audit services)and confidence in the role of a - Essay Example Al., 1999). It can be recognised from the above description that the roles and responsibilities of an auditor are concentrated on the execution of the auditing process including the ethical aspect of independence. However, certain real life evidences have revealed the fact that numerous auditing firms are engaged in serving their clients with non-auditing services which consequently have an affect on the quality and the effectiveness of the process. The paper shall, thereby, be focussed on the study of the roles and responsibilities of the auditor in the present scenario. Additionally, the paper shall also tend to identify the impact of the non-auditing services rendered by auditors on the quality and effectiveness of the auditing services in the UK business environment. Roles and Responsibilities of Auditors From the legal point of view, any company with limited liability should compel the auditing process before the presentation of their annual accounts in order to confirm the erad ication of any misstatement in the financial statement of the company(s). Therefore, the roles and responsibilities of the auditor(s) are to examine the financial statements of the client’s company and ensure that the audited statements are mostly free from the mispresentation if not entirely. In other words, it is the responsibility of the auditor(s) to provide â€Å"reasonable assurance† to the conclusion that the financial statements presented by the company are at large free from any kind of material mispresentation occurring due to fraudulence or error. Apart from these responsibilities the auditors are also liable to communicate their viewpoints to the stakeholders which again call for an ethical behaviour from the end of the auditor (Green Paper, 2010). However, as revealed from various researches and studies, the focus of auditors, today, are inclined more towards the minimisation of risks occurring during the preparation of the financial statements. As quoted by the European Commission, the implication of auditing has been shifting from a verification based approach to a risk based approach raising certain major limitations on the part of the auditing process. For instance, the recent banking crisis was an example which apparently depicted the affect of this changing concept of auditing on the quality aspect and on the aspect of effectiveness as well (Green Paper, 2010). It is worth mentioning that the role practised by the auditors at present are inclined to be focussed majorly on the non-auditing services, (i.e. the eradication of risk of misstatement arising during the completion of the financial statements) rather than the auditing services which are centred on the evaluation of the financial statements presented by the company. The Impact of Non-Auditing Services Practised by Auditing Firms in the UK In the present day phenomenon, the practise of Non-Auditing Services by the auditors have gained a considerable amount of reaction fro m the global business environment, especially after the fall down of Enron. The reason of the dismissal according to a group of researchers is the impact of Non-Auditing Services on the aspect of auditor independence. On the contrary, a separate group of researchers state that the Non-Auditing Services in real life practises are beneficial for the auditors. According to the

Le Confessionnal - Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Le Confessionnal - - Research Paper Example This not only shows a cultural type of grammar toward Quebec and the French during this time frame but is also directly linked to other movies which associated with the same cultural beliefs. Historical Background of the Film Le Confessional was first written in 1994 and released in 1995 as a Canadian film in Quebec. The background also links to the shooting of Hitchcock’s film, I Confess, released in 1952. There are several shots and references to this particular movie as a flash back and as an association with the culture of Quebec when this film was created. The approach which this took as well as the unique perspective which was associated with the film led to distinguished responses from viewers. This included the Genie Award for Best Canadian Film in 1996. The noticed reactions were not only based on the double storyline and philosophical approach that was taken. There were also attributes to the cinematography, acting and the structure that the film had in revealing the double time periods and the twisting of plots (Canadian Film Encyclopedia, 115). The inspiration for the film is one that is directly linked to the instructions of Robert LePage and the approach which was taken with the film. LePage was born in Quebec City in December of 1957. He was not only known as a director, but also worked as a playwright, actor and stage director. LePage began theater in high school as an outlet for his personality. From 1975-1978, he began to study theater at the Conservatory for Art Drama. He also studied in France under the direction of Alain Knapp for direction in theater. After coming back to Quebec, LePage began to participate in different theater opportunities, including the Theater Repere in 1982. Through this time, LePage used independent films and short cuts as his main outlet. In 1984, LePage released his first full film, Circulations, which was recognized for the best Canadian production at the International Theater of Quebec. After this release, he began producing several films that continued to gain wide recognition and international critiques for their unique plot lines and cinematography (Caux, Gilbert, 7). Even though LePage was working with film, he also continued to work on the theater. From 1989 – 1993, LePage produced a variety of stage plays, including Shakespeare classics and his own writing. It wasn’t until 1994 that LePage was able to move into a complete studio that he opened, known as Ex Machina. He became the artistic director of the productions that were worked on, including The Far Side of the Moon and Elsinore. LePage directed a total of four films, with Le Confessional as his first approach. He was also known for his acting in Jesus de Montreal and Stardom, both feature films by Denys Arcand. His acting is followed by his musical talent where he worked with providing funding for tours while working in opera as well as acting. The works of LePage are continuously involving both theater and f ilm productions as well as experimental works, such as street plays, that LePage works with to make statements related to societal problems and philosophies. The several areas of success by LePage have caused him to be one of the most recognized forces of talent in Canada. In 1994, he was made Officer of the Order of Canada for his works. This was

Describe the main strengths and weaknesses of Utilitarianism Essay Example for Free

Describe the main strengths and weaknesses of Utilitarianism Essay Strengths * Utilitarianism is simple. It doesnt have a lot of complex rules, but instead the individual can decide would be the best, by how it affects others. * It is flexible: no law or principle is unchallengeable. * It allows for circumstance, so you can decide what is the best thing to do given the current circumstance. * It ties in with the Christian ethic of unconditional love, as preached by Jesus. * If someone believes that both lying and breaking promises are acts that are intrinsically wrong, utilitarianism provides a principled way in which they can choose which moral rule to break if forced to make a choice between them. * The emphasis on impartiality, unselfishness and altruism is to be commended. * There is no need to consider precedents as absolute just because one action worked for someone does not mean that it must be enforced again, when it may not work for someone else. * It is also attractive to secular thinkers, because it makes no grand claims to the supernatural or metaphysical. It appeals to tangible results the consequences of an action will be perceived. Weaknesses * What do we mean by happiness? What makes us happy? It is hard to define happiness as it varies with person to person. * Should happiness always be pursued? What if we can only be happy if we achieve it in a bad way? Like if a murderer is only happy if he kills someone. * How can we say that happiness from one pleasure is greater than from another? There is no way to tell if a genius is any more happy than someone not so clever. * Humans do not always treat each other equal. We care more about the people close to us and would give them more consideration in an ethical dilemma. Some would claim that utilitarians are simply idealistic and unrealistic because they do not accurately evaluate human behaviour and just assume we are all perfect, caring equally for everyone. * It is impossible to be certain about a consequence, which is a general problem with teleological ethics. * It is very difficult to measure pleasure given by any outcome. It will take a great deal of time, thought and study, considering effects on both people and the situation. * Can we compare one persons happiness to another persons happiness? * If only the total happiness counts, imagine these two situations: [A] 80% population live very well and are very happy because the other 20% are their slaves. [B] There are no slaves and everyone is happy but not as happy as the 80% in situation A. The total and average happiness in both situations is the same, therefore to a utilitarian there is no difference between the two, and both are equally morally right, but slavery is considered wrong. * Is Act Utilitarianism too demanding? Someone buys a TV for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½500, which would make them happy; but they could also spend the money saving 1000 lives in Africa. Some Act utilitarians would argue that, yes, we should send most of our money overseas, since that would create the most happiness for the most people, but is that too demanding? * The refusal to acknowledge intrinsically wrong acts: a judge might convict an innocent man in order to prevent a riot that would ensue if he were not convicted a utilitarian would argue that this is permissible because more people would be made unhappy by the lack of a conviction and the riot; but is it intrinsically wrong to imprison or execute an innocent man? * Act utilitarians might accuse Rule utilitarians of being legalistic: whats the point, they could say, of following a rule when it is clear that the consequences will decrease happiness? In their view, past experience can only give guidelines, not rules. * Rule utilitarianism may just be act utilitarianism in disguise: all the rules are focussed around the maximisation of happiness. Rule utilitarians believe that the best way to maximise happiness is to maximise happiness with every act- but this is just act utilitarianism. * Human rights, justices, and other such values may not have any place in a utilitarian ethical system if the wishes of the majority override them. * Christians, Muslims, and others of religious faith would argue that god decides what is rights, and what is the best outcome; it is not four humans to try to calculate. * Utilitarianism ignores meaning well benevolent motives. * Utilitarianism seems to require more of a human that many are capable of providing * Just as there are no absolutes for determining acts which are intrinsically wrong, there is also no way to define what is universally good. * There must be sufficient account taken of the minority view the majority are not always right, even though the satisfaction of their wishes might create the most happiness.

Effect of the 2012 Olympic Games on Disabled Transportation

Effect of the 2012 Olympic Games on Disabled Transportation The Olympic Games in 2012 can â€Å"leave a legacy of accessible transport and facilities not just for disabled sportsmen and women, but for people with a disability in general.†[1] Phil Lane, British Paralympic Association Chief Executive Table of contents (Jump to) 1. Introduction 2. Methodology 3. Evaluation 3.1. Legislation 3.1.1. DDA 1995 3.1.1.1. Meaning of Disability 3.1.1.2. Meaning of Discrimination 3.1.1.3. Positive Duty under the DDA 2005 3.1.1.4. Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles 3.1.1.5. Rail Vehicles 3.1.1.6. Public Transport Vehicles 3.1.1.7. Aircraft and Ships 3.1.1.8. DDA 1995: Comparison to other Anti-Discrimination Legislation 3.1.1.9. Criticisms 3.2. Case Law 3.3. Stakeholder Commentary 3.4. Survey Results 4. Recommendations 5. Conclusion 5. Appendix â€Å"A† 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1.  Introduction The Labour government under Tony Blair has set out an ambitious agenda for tackling disability discrimination across society. Part of this agenda has involved amendments to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995)[2] in order to ensure that the lessons of the first ten years of the Act having been in force are taken into account. The DDA 1995 sets out, along with the regulations and orders made under the Act, the legislative framework the intention of which is to ensure that disabled people throughout the country have access to the same opportunities as the public at large. With London having been awarded the Olympic Games in 2012, the ability of this legislative framework to force through change, both on a functional level, and on a cultural one, will be put to the test. The purpose of this report is to examine and critically assess, within the context of transport in London and airline operators, whether or not this legislative framework is sufficient to meet the needs of disabled people coming up to the Olympic Games and beyond. 2.  Methodology In order to assess the readiness of London to meet the needs of disabled travellers during the Olympic Games and beyond within the confines of a research paper it is necessary to clearly define the scope of the intended research. In this case, the scope of the investigation is limited to transport in London, which includes taxis, trains, public authority vehicles, buses, the underground, aircraft and, to a lesser degree, accessibility to the buildings from which those transport vehicles leave from and arrive to. In order for it to be concluded that London will be ready to meet the needs of disabled travellers by 2012, it will need to be shown, that the current legislative framework is sufficient; that where there are ambiguities within the legislation, the Courts have been willing to provide useful guidance to transport providers and disabled travellers generally; that the culture within the public transport industry has changed with managers and employees now aware of their obligations under the legislation; that there are adequate penalties in place to discourage those that fail to comply; and finally, that these previously mentioned factors will all work together to provide disabled travellers with a integrated means of getting around London by 2012. In order to investigate these matters, it was necessary to look in detail at the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995), how the Act has been amended over the past eleven years, and in particular by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA 2005), the various regulations and orders made under the DDA 1995 pertaining to public transport, cases decided dealing with the DDA 1995 and various commentary available from both public transport service providers, disabled travellers and other stakeholders. A survey of both rail and airline employees was also undertaken in order to gauge the level of understanding of the provisions of what is a complicated and often misinterpreted piece of legislation. The results of that survey are set out in Appendix A and discussed within the body of this report. 3.  Evaluation 3.1  Legislation One of the main aims of this report is to establish whether or not the amendments made to the DDA 1995 by the DDA 2005 have assisted in making the DDA 1995 more accessible or whether it remains, as noted by Lord Justice Mummery, â€Å"without doubt an unusually complex piece of legislation which poses novel questions of interpretation.†[3] 3.1.1  DDA 1995 The primary piece of legislation dealing with discrimination against disabled people using public transport is the DDA 1995 which has been amended by the DDA 2005. The DDA 2005 received royal assent on the 7th April 2005. Its main purpose was to give effect to the submissions made by various groups relating to the operation of the DDA 1995 over the preceding ten years by providing for certain important amendments in relation to that legislation. The DDA 2005 makes several substantial amendments to the DDA 1995. Those that apply to public transport are set out in Sections 5 to 9. Section 5 inserts a new Section 21ZA into the DDA 1995 and replaces the existing exclusion of transport services from Sections 19 to 21 of the DDA 1995 with a more precise exclusion which relates to only those transport services which consist of vehicle provision and use. Section 21ZA(1)(b) excludes discrimination which relates to a service provided, or not provided, while a disabled person is travelling in a vehicle. Section 21ZA(2) excludes from the duty to provide adjustments, transport services involving providing or using a vehicle. Sections 21ZA(1) and (2) can be disapplied through regulations made by the Secretary of State under Section 21ZA(3).[4] Section 6 of the DDA 2005 clarifies the timeframe for the bringing into force regulations dealing with all rail vehicles and the duty requiring rail operators to have in place measures allowing for disabled people to get on and off regulated rail vehicles in safety and without unreasonable difficulty and to be carried in regulated rail vehicles in safety and reasonable comfort. The Secretary of State is now required, under the new Section 46(4A) to ensure that all rail vehicles are regulated under the rail vehicles accessibility regulations by 1st January 2020. Section 6 also removes from the definition of â€Å"rail vehicle† the exemption relating to vehicles first brought into use after 31st December 1998. This means that there is now no start date and the Secretary of State is able to make regulations which apply to all rail vehicles and for instance, make regulations which apply to rail vehicles first brought into service before 1998 and which are for example refurbished. This closes a potential loop-hole in the legislation and allows the Secretary of State to meet the deadline imposed by 46(6A).[5] Section 6(3) clarifies the Secretary of State’s powers to make exemption orders relating to regulated rail vehicles by specifically allowing the making of exemption orders which relate to the operational as well as the construction elements of the rail vehicle accessibility regulations. Section 6(4) clarifies the procedure to be followed by the Secretary of State when exercising their discretion under Section 67(5A) of the DDA 1995. This procedure applies to the making of exemption orders and requires the Secretary of State to consult the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, and any other bodies that may be appropriate, and furthermore, for such regulations to be subject to the draft affirmative procedure which allows for greater parliamentary scrutiny. In the same vein of providing closer scrutiny over the making of exemption orders, Section 6(5) of the DDA 2005 inserts a new section (67B) which requires an annual report to be produced by the Secretary of State deta iling the exemption orders which have been made and containing details of the consultation process undertaken.[6] Section 7 of the DDA 2005 deals with the new concept of rail accessibility compliance certificates and allows for the Secretary of State to make regulations appointing independent assessors responsible for granting and enforcing the certificates, setting out the mechanisms for the charging of fees and dispute resolution. The intention of the certification scheme is to ultimately prohibit regulated rail vehicles operating without a valid compliance certificate. These certificates will also provide a degree of flexibility with Section 47A(4) allowing the certificates to be subject to conditions.[7] Section 8 of the DDA 2005 replaces the criminal sanctions set out in the DDA 1995 for a breach of the rail vehicle accessibility regulations with a civil regime allowing the levying of penalties should an improvement notice and final notice issued by the Secretary of State not be complied with. It also provides the Secretary of State with new powers of inspection in cases in which it is suspected that a regulated rail vehicle fails to conform to the provisions of the rail vehicle accessibility regulations (Sections 47E and 47F). New sections 47D to 47L deal with the imposition of penalties on train operators. Section 47D to 47H deal with the amount, due date and recovery of penalties imposed under the Act. Most importantly, any penalty imposed cannot exceed 10% of the operator’s â€Å"turnover†. Section 47K sets out the procedure to be followed and the operator’s right to object. If the operator is not satisfied with the penalty imposed by the Secretary of State, they have the right to appeal to a Court, whether or not they have lodged an appeal with the Secretary of State, but only on the grounds that either the penalty should not apply to them or that the level of the penalty is too high.[8] Section 9 allows for the recognition in England and Wales of disabled persons’ parking badges issued in foreign jurisdictions. This then allows for reciprocal recognition of UK badges in other EU countries.[9] 3.1.1.1  Meaning of Disability The DDA 1995 defines a â€Å"disabled person† as someone who has a disability.[10] A person has a disability if they have, â€Å"†¦a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.†[11] This is further clarified in Schedule 1 of the DDA 1995. A mental impairment is not exhaustively defined but it originally only included mental illnesses in cases in which that illness is clinically well-recognised.[12] This constraint has now been removed by Section 18(2) of the DDA 2005. In addition, the DDA 2005 by way of Section 18(3) deems those suffering from HIV, Cancer or MS to be disabled before the symptoms set out in Section 1, or paragraph 8 of Schedule 1, have been experienced by them.[13] An impairment is held to be long-term if a person has had it for at least twelve months, it is expected to last for at least twelve months or it is likely to affect the person for the rest of their life.[14] 3.1.1.2  Meaning of Discrimination Section 3A(1) of the DDA 1995 states that a disabled person is discriminated against if, for a reason relating to a disabled person’s disability, a person treats a disabled person less favourably than they would someone without a disability and the person alleged to be discriminating against the disabled person cannot show that it is justified to treat them in this way. In order for the treatment referred to above to be justified, it must be both substantial and material to the particular cases’ circumstances.[15] However, if the treatment amounts to direct discrimination, it cannot be justified.[16] Similarly, if the person was required to make reasonable adjustments to cater for disabled people and has not done so, they will not be able to rely on a defence of the treatment being justified unless even if he had complied with the duty it would have been justified.[17] More relevantly to the issue of public transport, a person is also held to have discriminated against a disabled person if when a duty to make reasonable adjustments in relation to disabled people is imposed on them, they fail to comply with that duty.[18] 3.1.1.3  Positive Duty under the DDA 2005 The DDA 2005 introduced the concept of a â€Å"positive duty† for public authorities which makes it unlawful for them to, in the course of carrying out its functions, to discriminate against disabled people.[19] A similar â€Å"positive duty† has not been included with respect to private companies and employers. 3.1.1.4  Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles The DDA 1995 allows the Secretary of State to make regulations to ensure that it is possible for disabled persons; â€Å"to get into and out of taxis in safety,† and â€Å"to be carried in taxis in safety and in reasonable comfort;† and for disabled persons in wheelchairs; â€Å"to be conveyed in safety into and out of taxis while remaining in their wheelchairs,† and â€Å"to be carried in taxis in safety and in reasonable comfort while remaining in their wheelchairs.† It is proposed that regulations are introduced in respect of all new Taxis by 2010 and all Taxis by 2020.[20] One notable exception is that private hire vehicles are not provided for under the DDA 1995 however, this is not an exception that is likely to remain for long with both the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Group and the Disability Rights Commission looking into the matter.[21] 3.1.1.5  Rail Vehicles A â€Å"rail vehicle† as amended by the DDA 2005 is a vehicle, â€Å"constructed or adapted to carry passengers on any railway, tramway or prescribed system.†[22] The DDA 1995 provides the Secretary of State with the power to make â€Å"rail vehicle accessibility regulations.†[23] These regulations, made in 1998 and amended in 2000, cover several important areas. They allow the Secretary of State to require, by way of these regulations, transport operators to provide means for disabled persons to be able to get on and off regulated rail vehicles in safety and without difficulty and to be able to travel in those vehicles in safety and comfort. They also cover such matters as, â€Å"wheelchair accessibility, the design of on-board accessible toilets, the size and location of handrails, handholds and control devices as well as the provision of audible warnings and other equipment.†[24] The DDA 1995 also allows the Secretary of State to make an exception in relation to a case in which a rail vehicle operator is unable to meet the requirements and makes an application for exemption. An example of such an exemption relating to London is the one granted to Gatwick Express (The Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Gatwick Express Class 458) Exemption Order 2006). This Order exempts Gatwick Express from some of the requirements of the regulations until April 2011.[25] However, without doubt, the main hurdle that the government needs to overcome to ensure that the Olympic Games in 2012 are an inclusive event is the issue of accessibility to the London Underground. Transport for London currently lists as accessible by means other than stairs or escalators, only 40 of its 275 underground stations.[26] The pace of improvements taking place also fails to fill one with confidence. Over the next five years there will be an additional 27 step-free stations. The intention is then for 25% to be step-free by 2010 and 50% by 2015.[27] As the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) correctly point out, if these figures are to be accepted, less than half of London’s Underground stations will be accessible by way of stair-free means by the time of the Olympics in 2012 and this is a situation that they find unacceptable.[28] While being the main means of transport for many spectators who will arrive in London at the time of the Olympic Games, the Tube is also perhaps the most culturally significant icon that London possesses and it will reflect poorly on the country as a whole if accessibility to London Underground stations has not been addressed in a productive manner before 2012. 3.1.1.6  Public Transport Vehicles The regulations applying to public transport vehicles are set out in the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000. These regulations provide standards which are to be met and apply to â€Å"all new public service vehicles (buses or coaches) introduced since 31st December 2000 with a capacity exceeding 22 passengers used to provide a local of scheduled service.†[29] They also set out deadlines for the meeting of the standards. For instance, wheel chair users must be able to access all small buses by the 1st January 2015, large single deck buses by the 1st January 2016 and double deck buses by the 1st January 2017.[30] At present the accessibility by wheelchair users of buses nationwide stands at approximately 30%.[31] However, the DPTAC note that with respect to London’s buses, accessibility for wheelchair users is close to 100%.[32] The main concern with respect to buses in the capital is not in relation to compliance with the required modifications, but rather with the failure of some drivers to use the modifications available to assist their disabled passengers.[33] It should be noted that the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 do provide for a driver refusing to assist a disabled person in cases in which doing so would â€Å"adversely affect his health or safety, your safety or that of other passengers or the safety of the vehicle.† [34] However, it should be stressed to all drivers that this exemption should only be relied upon in specific circumstances with clear examples being provided. Finally, the DPTAC also suggest the greater availability of audible and visual information systems and this is an area that Transport for London is considering as an improvement for all their customers, not only those that are disabled.[35] 3.1.1.7  Aircraft and Ships One of the main criticisms of the DDA 1995 is that it fails to specifically address the duties of ship and airline operators. While ports and airports will still need to comply with the requirements of the legislation, the DDA 1995 fails to provide in respect of ships and aircraft the same regulatory making powers that it provides with respect to taxis, rail and public transport vehicles. Ships and aircraft come under European laws dealing with anti-discrimination legislation, however it is still argued that for disability discrimination legislation to be effective, it must apply to all public transport vehicles that operate within the UK. This gap in the legislation is seem as a major hurdle to ensuring that there is consistency across all types of public transport coming up to the Olympic Games and beyond. The DPTAC endorses this view and notes that â€Å"aircraft and ships will be the first and last Olympic travel experience that most overseas participants and audiences will experience, and we believe that the Government should do all it can to ensure that that experience is a positive one.†[36] They also emphasise that aviation and shipping are currently covered by voluntary codes but that the government has made it clear that should these codes fail, they would be prepared to remove the exemption from Part 3 of the DDA 1995 that currently applies to them.[37] As Karen Buck, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport sets out in her response to Tony Manwaring, CEO of Scope, the government is carrying out benchmarking tests in association with DPTAC the results of which were hoped to be available in early 2006. These exercises would then help determine whether or not it was necessary to lift the DDA 1995 Part 3 exemption currently granted to airline and shipping trans port providers.[38] 3.1.1.9  DDA 1995: Comparison to other Anti-Discrimination Legislation One of the most important differences between the DDA and other anti-discrimination legislation is that the DDA only applies to people who meet the criteria set out for being disabled. The Disability Rights Commission estimates that approximately ten million people have rights under the DDA 1995.[39] In contrast, other anti-discrimination legislation is much more pervasive in its application and applies to all members of society as long as they can show that the type of discrimination they are alleged to have suffered occurred. Another important difference is that the DDA takes into account the fact that the aim of assisting people with a disability is not to ensure that they receive equal treatment but rather, treatment which is appropriate to their circumstances. As such, the DDA does not aim to restrict the ability of those dealing with disabled people to positively discriminate in their favour, rather accepting that where appropriate, disabled people need to be treated differently.[40] Under other anti-discrimination legislation, discrimination can never be justified. 3.1.1.9  Criticisms Jan Nesbitt, chair of the Disability Law Service, notes that, â€Å"one of the weaknesses of the DDA has been that the service provision elements have been brought in over a lengthy period of time and some disabled people have had to wait for their needs to be met. There are some areas that are unsatisfactory, transport is still not covered, except for design features†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [41] The focus of the DDA 1995 is to put the duty to change on the public transport operators. This focus is sometimes referred to as being â€Å"solution-oriented†.[42] A solution-oriented approach to disability discrimination is a positive and extremely powerful tool in combating discrimination. However, this approach can only genuinely apply to those with physical disabilities and this has lead some commentators to suggest that the DDA 1995 is in fact discriminatory in itself as it places much more emphasis on those with physical disabilities as opposed to those suffering from mental disabilities. This however could be said to simply reflect the relative ease of making adjustments for those with physical disabilities, compared to making adjustments for those suffering from mental illnesses. People suffering from mental illnesses create a much more difficult problem for public transport providers to solve. There are no simple physical modifications that can be made to cater for people suffering from mental illnesses. This is further exacerbated by fact that it is often clear when someone is suffering from a physical impairment and staff can be trained to respond to their needs quickly and effectively. It is a lot more difficult to gauge whether or not someone is suffering from a mental illness, how best to assist them and whether or not they may pose a danger to staff and/or other members of the public. A frightening prospect is that the legislation as it currently stands could allow public transport companies to segregate those with disabilities from the rest of the travelling public. While this is already done to some extent, eg spaces for people needing wheelchair access; it is only a short distance from an ID card which lists a person’s disability, to a separate carriage for those with disabilities. The unfortunate aspect of this is that it would no doubt be argued that this solution provides the best means of catering for the individual needs of disabled people. 3.2  Case Law One of the leading cases decided under the DDA 1995 was Clark v TDG Ltd (t/a Novacold).[43] This was an appeal from the Employment Appeal Tribunal and was the first appeal decided by the Court of Appeal (Civil Division) under the DDA 1995. While that case dealt with employment law, Lord Justice Mummery’s comments about the DDA 1995 and its relationship to other anti-discrimination legislation is still of importance to the area of public transport. Lord Justice Mummery stated, â€Å"Contrary to what might be reasonably assumed, the exercise of interpretation is not facilitated by familiarity with the pre-existing legislation prohibiting discrimination in the field of employment (and elsewhere) on the grounds of sex (Sex Discrimination Act 1975) and race (Race Discrimination Act 1976). Indeed, it may be positively misleading to approach the 1995 Act with assumptions and concepts familiar from experience of the workings of the 1975 Act and the 1976 Act. Unlike the earlier discrimination Acts the 1995 Act does not draw the crucial distinction between direct and indirect discrimination on specified grounds; it provides a defence of justification to less favourable treatment which would constitute direct discrimination and be without such a defence under the earlier Acts; and it does not replicate the express requirement of the 1975 Act (section 5(3)) and the 1976 Act (section 3(4)) that, when a comparison of the cases of persons of different sex or persons of different racial groups falls to be made, the comparison must be such that the relevant circumstances in the one case are the same, or not materially different, in the other. One consequence of these differences is that the terms discriminate and discrimination are not used in Part II of the 1995 Act in the same sense as in the earlier Acts. Failure to discern and observe this difference in meaning in decision making (and in commentaries on both the 1995 Act and on decisions under it) can lead to serious conceptual confusion.† The key question that Lord Justice Mummery concluded as being fundamental to whether or not a disabled person had been discriminated against was, â€Å"is the treatment related to a complainant’s disability?†[44] Andy Rickell, director of the British Council of Disable People has stated, in respect of the case law arising from the DDA 1995, â€Å"Barristers are, and have been, running a coach and horses through disabled people’s rights.†[45] Jan Nesbitt, chair of the Disability Law Service, concurred with Rickell’s sentiments but added; â€Å"It’s like any new piece of legislation, barristers will find loopholes because there’s no case law so there’s nothing to test against. I think what happened in the beginning was that a lot of disabled people, in employment tribunals particularily, conducted their own case, and fell at the first hurdle which was proving that they were a disabled person. Any good barrister will make their case. The definition of â€Å"disability† is one of the things that’s currently being reviewed so that tribunals and courts have a better understanding of it. In any case, it is important for disabled people to get access to legal representation when taking a case.†[46] A case more relevant to transport was Roads v Central Trains.[47] This case involved a disabled resident of Norwich who relied on her electric wheelchair for mobility who brought a claim against Central Trains. The facts of the case revolved around the claimant not being able to access platform 1 at the station. The only means of accessing the platform from the side he was on was to either cross the footbridge or travel half a mile down the road where he could pass under the track and return on the other side. As both of these alternatives were not reasonable, the train company suggested the claimant, at no extra cost, take the train to a further station which was equipped with disabled access facilities, adding approximately one hour to the journey time. The claimant suggested that this was not reasonable and that the defendant company should have paid for a specially adapted taxi to drive him around to the other side. In the first instance, the Judge held that as the nearest specia lly adapted taxi was based in Norwich which was some way from Thetford where the station was located, it was unreas

Hocus Pocus Abracadabra - Is It All Just Words and Show? Essay

As a child the notion of magic was as simple as a magician sawing a woman in half, then piecing her back together, or the illusion of a human gravitating in mid air. Even as adults, we are still awed by such pastime entertainments of magic. On the contrary, Rebecca L. Stein and Philip L. Stein depict magic as a way of life similarly to elements of religion. In The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft Stein and Stein illustrated magic as being a subcategory to religion; laws of magic; functions of magic; how it works; magic in society; and divination. In terms, of magic, what is it; and what makes it real? WHAT IS MAGIC? Magic refers to methods that somehow interface with the supernatural and by which people can bring about particular outcomes (Stein and Stein 136). Unlike religion, magic is geared to the satisfaction of an individual (e.g. Voodoo). Magic in contemporary societies has negative connotations affiliating magic to witchcraft or Voodoo like practices. Unlike religions rituals that tend to involve the whole of the community, magic is often centered on the needs and desires of an individual (Stein and Stein 137). However, in Western civilizations magic is the â€Å"answer† to unanswerable questions, and is the validation to which things are the way they are (dream interpretations, psychics). For instance, teenyboppers craze over horoscopes in Pop culture magazines. Readers feed into justifications to their emotions and faith, and hopes of true love. Overall, who wants to be in the world alone and lost? Therefore, horoscopes are the directions when one is confused when they are at the fork in the road. Based on that, is magic an omniscient power that can collectively derive from the supernatural? In some case... ...y will (Howie, et al 187). Hence, the nature of magic in objective of gaining a series of successful outcomes is purpose why magic continues currently. Works Cited 1. Howie, Linda, et al. â€Å"Some Thoughts on Magic: Its Use and Effect in Undergraduate Student Life.† Totem: The University of Western Ontario Journal of Anthropology 19.1 (2011): 187. Web 30 Mar. 2012 2. Stein, Rebecca L, and Stein L. Philip. The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft. 3rd ed. *Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, (2011), p. 136. Print 3. Stein, Rebecca L, and Stein L. Philip. The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft. 3rd ed. *Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, (2011), p. 137. Print 4. Zorich, Zach. â€Å"Archaeology† Fighting with Jaguars, Bleeding for Rain 61.1 (2008): n. pag. Web. 30 Mar 2012. http://www.archaeology.org/0811/etc/boxing.html.

Courtly Love Essay -- History, Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, Courtly love was a code which prescribed the conduct between a lady and her lover (Britannica). The relationship of courtly love was very much like the feudal relationship between a knight and his liege. The lover serves his beloved, in the manner a servant would. He owes his devotion and allegiance to her, and she inspires him to perform noble acts of valor (Schwartz). Capellanus writes, in The Art of Courtly Love, â€Å"A true lover considers nothing good except what he thinks will please his beloved†. The stories of Marie de France and Chrà ©tien de Troyes illustrate the conventions of courtly love. According to Capellanus, â€Å"Good character alone makes any man worthy of love†. In Lanval, the fairy lover chooses Lanval because he is â€Å"worthy and courtly† (Lawall 1319). Lanval gladly accepts the fairy’s love. He promises to â€Å"abandon all others for [her]† (Lawall 1319). Capellanus also says that â€Å"a true lover does not desire to embrace in love anyone except his beloved†. Therefore, Lanval loves his fairy lover solely. When the Queen offers her love to Lanval, he rejects her because his heart is devoted to his fairy lover. His beloved is one whom he â€Å"prized above all others† (Lawall 1320). Lanval desires no one more than his fairy lover. She provides him with â€Å"great joy and pleasure† that he can forego the other pleasures of the world (Lawall 1320). The claim she has on him is like that of a king’s. A good, chivalric knight should hold ladies in esteem. He should do all in his power to serve and protect ladies. Perceval’s mother instructs him to never â€Å"withhold [his] aid† from a lady or a â€Å"maiden in distress† (Lawall 1333). She says that â€Å"he who does not yield honor to ladies, loses his honor† (Lawall 1333).... ...hat is secret. Lanval, likewise, enjoys a secret love. In fact, if he ever reveals his love, he would â€Å"lose [her] forever† (Lawall 1319). Indeed, when Lanval tells the Queen that he is loved by a lady more worthy than the Queen, Lanval loses his beloved. He calls â€Å"his beloved repeatedly, but to no avail† (Lawall 1321). She leaves him once their love is made public. Courtly love defined the romance between a knight and his lady love. A knight must be worthy of love. A knight must be sworn to complete devotion to his beloved. He must hold her in high esteem and do all he can to protect her. A knight must desire no one above his beloved and the thought of her must continually be in his mind. Furthermore, courtly love must be a secret love; it does not exist within marriage. The conventions of medieval courtly love directed a knight towards servitude to his beloved.

India- a Growing Country

India- A growing country India is growing forward day by day. New methods of science and technology have been introduced since years†¦. Many of the new techniques have been introduced in the field of agriculture†¦ so India has been growing economically forward†¦ great majority of people use science in their day to day life for many purposes†¦ Overall in my point of view the science and technology is improving†¦ Science is the human endeavor to discover truths about the world around us. Scientists seek out answers through observation and experimentation.As we discover more and more, we are able to apply what we've learned to develop new technologies and to improve everyday life. But perhaps more importantly, as we gain knowledge through science, we are able to begin satisfying our deep-felt need to know more about ourselves. The word â€Å"science† comes through the Old French, and is derived in turn from the Latin scientia, â€Å"knowledge†, the nominal form of the verb scire, â€Å"to know†. The Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root that yields scire is *skei-, meaning to â€Å"cut, separate, or discern†. Similarly, the Greek word for science is ‘ ‘, deriving from the verb ‘ , ‘to know'. From the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, science or scientia meant any systematic recorded knowledge. Science therefore had the same sort of very broad meaning that philosophy had at that time. In other languages, including French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian, the word corresponding to science also carries this meaning. Technolgy make life more convinient It is used in every house for work . because any house work depend upon this It is used in hospitals in many operation to save people life Organisation,office to communicate ,make wrk up to date with speed and reliability. hrough they can interact ,make presentation. Does modern technolgy make life more convenient,or was life bette when technolgy was simpler? Life was simpler and better before technology . however before technology ,any single work need a lot of time to do and there is no security and reliability in this and it is difficult to lead without technology. after advent of technology ,it ease the work and create more reliability and everything done very easily . before technology we have to communicate one person to another person who live another city ,it take days to†¦

Technological Progress Has Made Us Lazy

Technological progress has made us lazy. Technological progress is a continuous process, which plays a very important role in our daily lives. However, some people believe that this progress has made us lazy, saying we rely on machines too much. For me, the progress, while not making us lazy, makes human beings more active both physically and mentally. First of all, machines or high technology don’t help people do less work but help them complete tasks more quickly.With washing machines, vacuum cleaners, other housework machines, people can quickly complete trivial tasks and move on doing other important tasks such as going out with their friends, family, doing exercise, doing their jobs. For instance, parents have more time with their kids after finishing household chores, or have more time for themselves after a hardworking day. Second, machines as well as other technological achievements like the Internet have helped human do and complete tasks more effectively, and enjoyab ly. For example, doing exercise becomes much easier and enjoyable, while it becomes more effective.Instead of running on the roads in order to keep our shapes, running machines and other body building machines which are both convenient and safe can help us consume larger amount of calories, and fat. Finally, we not only physically work harder but also mentally develop along with the technological progress. Communicating means such as the Internet, television and radio daily provide us with large amount of information. Our brains work harder to process the information unless we want to be outdated. We mentally improve the ability to analyze, research, and innovate to understand and get useful information among various sources.In conclusion, unlike making us lazy, the technological progress helps us effectively work harder, and develop ourselves both physically and mentally. Is technology making us lazy? Results so far: Yes| | 56%| 1032 votes| Total: 1842 votes| No| | 44%| 810 votes| | Yes by Russell Waldron Created on: March 21, 2010 Baby boomers will easily recall watching movies and cartoons which portrayed how easy life would be in the future. Remember the Jetsons? A myriad of people scoffed at what they called â€Å"the vivid imaginations of those intrigued with technology. † Yet screenplay writers were eerily close to perfection.Did they not show life as being extremely simplistic? Where one barely had to lift a finger to cook a meal, wash clothes, talk to friends and loved ones far away and so much more. We are right in that very time frame, and this is all thanks to technology. We no longer need to do back breaking work around the house. The washing is done automatically, meals can be cooked in the microwave at the press of a button, mobile phones allow us to send instant messages, the internet lets us see family and friends in other countries, and while this all takes place the obesity crisis escalates. Why?Because technology has made a majority of the world’s population so lazy. Just the other day a friend’s son bemoaned the fact that he no longer had credit on his cell phone. He was upset because he could not contact his girlfriend who was on holidays oversees until his next pay packet arrived. Raising the eyebrows the boy’s father said â€Å"Well write her a letter! † The young lad’s jaw dropped, he gasped in shock and said â€Å"Are you kidding dad? Writing letters went out with straw hats! † His father later confided to the author that the boy’s spelling was atrocious due to having become used to text message jargon.Games can be played via the internet and this distances people from the great outdoors, fresh air, green grass, sunshine and the realities of life. It also distances people from ‘real exercise. ’ Unfortunately computer games can sometimes give a person a false impression of real life. At times they become so fixated on computer games that they la ck the skills needed to differentiate between fantasy and reality. This then leads to some thinking that they can get through life a little like they get through the games they play. Where video games have people dying, being bought back to life, being indestructible and so forth, real life differs.Therefore one needs to be out in the real world, not hiding behind technology for the rest of their lives. Technology has made a myriad of people couch potatoes, everything is done at the push of a button and most people like the fact that it is. The internet is used for study and taking a leisurely stroll to the local library is almost obsolete now. Why walk to the library when all the information you could ever want is at your fingertips? Search engines on the internet make study and learning so easy. But if one misinterprets the information, they have nothing to gain.Washing machines and clothes dryers make housework so much easier. Dishwashers do as well, but what happened to an hones t days work? No longer is there a need to sweep the floors when we have all purpose vacuum cleaners. And we don’t need to rush to the bank before closing time anymore. With internet banking you can pay all your bills on line or even do your grocery shopping. We don’t even need to walk to the post office anymore, we can send news to others via the fax machine. From automatic toilet cleaners to self defrosting fridges and freezers, there is very little manual work involved in a host of chores these days.Gosh one doesn’t even need to get out in the sun to looked bronze and well tanned these days. Simply head on over to your local solarium for a spray on tan. Going camping? Well lucky you, head on over to your nearest camping store and you can purchase a fifty second pop-up tent or a self-inflating mattress. Ah such strenuous work camping is huh? Need a new dress, shoes, sports coat? Buy them online and save your feet. Let the fingers do the walking. Might as well t hrow in a pair of label brand sports shoes as well, you want to look the part even though you know they won’t be used.Admit it, you break out in a sweat just watching re-runs of Saturday Night Fever. Honestly, few people even walk to the store these days to get their photos developed. Simply plug in your digital camera and print your own photos straight from your own computer. Paint your house with a spray gun, gather up all the leaves with a leaf blower, let your kids consistently use a pocket calculator and they’ll never excel at maths. Trim your hedge with a hedge trimmer. Hop on your ride-on mower and do the lawn then head back indoors to sit underneath the air-conditioner before you take a shower. Need to go to the toilet before you do?Ah well install a bidet, press a button and all will be cleaned automatically. Has technology made us lazy? You bet your automatic dog-walker it has! No by Patrick Darski Created on: October 18, 2009 Is technology making us lazy? It 's a common question asked frequently by all types of people, from doctors, to government agents, and of course, concerned parents. This question is in a way, totally subjective, and depends heavily on one's definition of â€Å"lazy†, which for me, when used to describe a person, simply means that the person rather do something easy, but relaxing, than something possibly difficult, but rewarding.Technology can help us in both. For example, a lazy person can stream videos of stand-up comedians all day long on YouTube, while a productive person can research a topic interesting to him/her. That being said, I think that most people are not â€Å"lazy†, especially most of the time. We all have periods of time that we become lazy, which is perfectly normal and healthy, but most of us realize that being productive is ultimately more rewarding than just lounging around. Ultimately, it does depend on the person, because no matter how you look at it, technology opens a door whic h leads to a forked path.One with various commodities that are â€Å"just for fun†, and the other which is nothing but productive. Every time we boot up a computer, turn on our cell-phones, take out our mp3 players, turn on the television, or plug in practically any other appliance, we choose the road which we want to go down. Technology itself, is perfectly neutral, it has no preference as to what we do with it, this holds true no matter if we are speaking of the scientific definition of Technology, or the more mainstream definition. Making the point that technology is totally neutral in it's judgment, or rather, lack thereof, is extremely important to this stance.This is because if we look at it, it becomes obvious that technology opens up the door to many more useful tasks, than it does to useless ones. It can also make us more willing to do tasks that we might otherwise want to ignore. For example, thanks to technology, it is a simple matter of a few keystrokes to send a message across the world. Just 50 years ago, this was a task that required thought, time, and patience. Oftentimes, for practicality's sake, one just wouldn't bother to send said message, technology makes sending that same message a breeze.Try to imagine the world without any tools, and that would ultimately be a world without technology. Now certainly, that wouldn't be a very comfortable place to live, and we couldn't afford to be lazy simply because our survival would depend on it. All the technology that we have today doesn't make us lazy at all, it just gives us more choices. Sure technology takes away the effort you would have to put into things otherwise, but that doesn't mean it makes us lazy, it just makes it easier to complete an otherwise strenuous, boring, repetitive task.Imagine mowing a lawn with scissors versus mowing the lawn with any sort of lawn-mower. In conclusion, technology doesn't make humans lazy, it makes things easier to do, serving it's original purpose. Ho w we use the technology is totally up to us, and so it simply isn't fair to blame technology for people becoming lazy, that is almost always a personal choice. I believe that blaming technology for laziness is akin to blaming a pen for miss-spelled words. Ultimately, it's the people who decide how to utilize technology, technology does not decide for people how they should use it.Yes by Freyda Tartak Created on: October 10, 2009   Ã‚  Last Updated: July 01, 2010 Congratulations! You have a cell phone, a laptop, and your fridge even tells you how much water it has filled your cup with. Technology has made it possible to be everywhere without actually being anywhere. So now we are faced with a universal trend toward mediocrity. With so much information and access to choice people are becoming satisfied with just getting by rather than striving for excellence. There is more value placed on the quantity of things that we can do, rather than quality of our output.It is a sad state of e vents and is the reason why bridges fall down and planes fall out of the sky. It is the reason why carbon offset credits are considered an effective way to save the planet. Certainly, there are many perks and positives to having such an unprecedented array of tools that are so readily available for relatively little expense. They are used to save lives, bring clean water to places that have none, allow people to have a voice where they are being suppressed and denied basic human rights. Technology is clearly a great thing. It has the capacity to automate redundant tasks and provide endless hours of entertainment.It negates the need to leave the home, the room, the chair we sit in. Back in the summer of 2003 the entire Eastern sea board went without electricity. People panicked! They had no idea how to exist without something that powered so many of the things now considered essential. Some, did the truly unusual: They gathered everything that could go bad in their fridge and that of their neighbors, went outside, fired up the barbecue, hibachi, and the crank radio and had a picnic. When the power came back on, they rushed back inside and went back to surfing the net and watching TV.Nobody is saying that we are now lazy because we do not have to go out to the well for fresh water each day, or stand in line at the market early each morning because there is no such thing as a refrigerator. We can warm up food in seconds using microwaves and stand in the middle of a forest and call for help on a PDA. We can call the police from half a world away because somebody we don't even know is crying out for help in a chat room. Sure, there are benefits. But, let's be realistic. Most people do not simply use technology for essential needs.They have turned it into life sustaining tools and avoid tasks and chores by flicking a switch or pressing a button. Society has become helpless when unplugged. We used to have to get up and go to the library to research projects for schoo l. Now, libraries are depleted of truly useful volumes. Even librarians point to the web as the place to go instead of aisle EE 647 – 749. Anybody who has ever tried to find information online should be able to attest to how easy it is to get distracted and find far more and far less than what was aimed at. While we are on the topic, the quality of information put out there is not the same.Much of it is unreliable and unverified. Anybody can publish anything and we are all too busy multitasking to dig deep enough to get true insight. No by Team Vico Created on: July 06, 2010 I think an individual’s use of Technology will dictate how active or lazy they become. I believe that technology saves heaps of hours and it’s how active you want to be in that newly free time is not imposed and only a personal decision. I have the following list of examples of beneficial and time saving technology used in the workplace, the home and as a part of social networking.I hope by these few examples that I can emphasise that the use of technology is a personal one, how much or how little is 1. Integrate your sporting activities with technology. Go to www. sportypal. com and download this application directly to your phone. This great little application allows you to track your sporting achievements via GPS and is great to work on your goals. 2. Save a significant amount of time and effort in organizing sport events such as weekly football. Your team are notified either via email or text messaging of the upcoming games and team information. Really handy as well when canceling events. Visit: www. eamer. net/ 3. Social Networking utilities such as Facebook take the hassle out of organizing social events and reunions. Sending out a general group invite, for example, saves time and money in trying to locate and contact people by phone, snail mail or email. 4. Instant messenger programs are another great business time saver when used correctly. Again, saving us tim e and cost in phoning people up if you just have a quick query to ask or something to verify. There is an argument that gaming and over use of the internet, to name but two adverse aspects of the misuse of technology, is what technology is doing to us.I disagree and suggest that moderation is the key here. Overuse of almost anything will have an adverse affect or result. Self-regulation and self-responsibility need to be employed to achieve a balance. Technology can integrate into our lives without being out of balance. We still are in the age of rapidly changing and growing technology. The speed of development and growth is parallel with the speedy pace of life. I think that technology is serving to improve quality of life, supporting day-to-day tasks. Were it not for developments in technology, we would find that we have less time in an age dictated by time and achievement.I give technology a thumbs up and applaud that which serves efficiency and growth in our living and lives. Ye s by Nathan Ciraulo Created on: December 05, 2009 To dig from the roots of technology would be a long journey through years of experimentation which has brought us to a day and age of convenience. There are limitless items available for virtually any part of life, be it productivity, entertainment, maintenance, etc. We have objects that wake us up at exactly the time we expect. Insulated boxes preserve food for an appropriate time to be consumed. Mechanical frames on wheels transport us in inutes at high speed safely to destinations miles away. The world is connected via endless miles of fiber and copper lines that compile the most sophisticated conglomerate of communication known to mankind. Waves at varying wavelengths are transmitted and received into tiny handheld devices with little delay from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world. Despite all these improvements to our way of life, it begs a long look at the question, Are we better for it? Have vast improvements in eff iciency cost us endurance and the ability to perform a good day's work?If every vital act we needed to survive was accomplished by a thoughtless piece of equipment, would we ourselves even bother to think? The tendency to become less productive puts us in a position to do less with our own two hands, even forget how. Worse, the attitude and willingness to let it happen despite the clear end of the road arriving in a dismal crater of inactivity deserves the attention of all. But the warnings are being overlooked. Technology has its uses and there are legitimate reasons to use it. There are endless examples of tools used for the medical field, the construction field, information technology field, etc.But to rely solely on it and continue to place more emphasis on its importance than ourselves points to a rift of lazy thoughtlessness. To embrace a microwave dinner mentality is a slippery slope that ends in loss of personal quality. With the option of microwave noodles in cup versus Fet tuccine Alfredo, which sounds more desirable? Both will feed and sustain you, but one is more worth the work and time. We have a greater call to remain strong and capable; able to stand on the knowledge and courage passed on to us. We have a duty to strike a balance that keeps us efficient but does not make us forget discipline.Without such, we have only chaos. Those who have the gift to invent, I applaud your efforts. Yet I implore your brilliance to help teach us to use the improvements to get us back on our feet. No by Neima Izadi Created on: July 16, 2010 To say that technology is making us lazy is true to a certain extent, but overall it is a poor blame game. It is not in good form to attribute the proliferation of laziness to technology, something that has brought us so much prosperity, and continues to do so. Technology has led advances in medicine,industry, and science. I should not blame a spell checker for a ecline in my spelling abilities. The spell checker should only se rve as a device that increases efficiency, I should not neglect proper spelling practices and studies just because I have a spell checker. Any presence of laziness, or harm brought on with the use of technology, should not be attributed to the technology itself, but the misuse of it. It is important to look at the way we utilize the technologies we have. For example, we should moderate our use of cars, such as walking to a neighbor's house instead of driving, this way we can stay active, minimizing laziness.With regard to a popular item of technology, computers, it is best to think of them as devices that allow the dissemination of knowledge, and as motivators of learning and discovery. Yes, we will get lazy if we spend hours on the computer in front of facebook, email, or games, but computers and the internet are so grand and complex that they have many opportunities for productive work and learning. We must moderate our activities as a way of keeping our laziness in check. It is b ackward for us to say that we should be lax in our development of certain technologies because we fear that they will cause our society to become lazy.To blame technology on making society lazy, will stifle innovation, creativity, and technological advancement, to put it simply, it is merely an excuse for our laziness that we ourselves cause, due to our over reliance on the things that are comfortable for us. Laziness is more a result of our character and habits. Those that firmly espouse that technology makes us lazy are grossly underestimating the value of technology, and the impact it has had by improving our quality of life by increasing communication abilities, our medicine, our businesses, and industries. The way we use technology is responsible for the degree of our laziness.A computer is not a laziness machine, it is a device that allows communication and various other activities. A car is a machine that can get you from one destination to another. A spell checker makes docu ment editing more efficient. This is technology. Yes by Erich Heinlein Created on: October 20, 2009   Ã‚  Last Updated: February 20, 2010 Technology can make you lazy. It all depends on the person. But generally, yes technology has made us lazy. For example, what most typical Americans do when they get home from a long day at work is come home and then sit in front of the TV for a good portion of the evening.In a matter of fact an age-old study states the average American watches TV for over two hours a day. Others do more productive things it depends on the person. Most American males sit through sometimes multiple college football games. Let's think about that. Your average college football game takes about two and a half to three hours on any given afternoon. So, assuming the games go there average length that means most American males consume themselves with football six hours on Saturday and at least six on Sunday.. But there is also another aspect to this as well. Not only h as it made us lazy it has contributed to making us unfit.One could also credit technology for the obesity level in this country. Most kids who are overweight are overweight because not only do they not eat healthy they spend a tremendous amount of time in front of the TV or playing video games. Video games have been around long enough that even most people in their late 20's-early 30's (I'll admit it I'm one of them) play video games on a far too frequent basis. Although the affects of video gaming may change in the near future once the Nintendo Wii starts to become more affordable and hit more homes, technology still has it's dark side.For those of you who may not be familiar with the Nintendo Wii, it is an interactive video gaming console. Most of the games actually require you to physically do the motions as opposing to just sitting there hitting tons of buttons like you would do with Playstation and XBox. The next negative effect technology has had on society is the porn industr y. It is very easy to access pornographic web sites through the Internet and it is not very hard to get through the parental controls part of the sites most of the time at most sites.Obviously there are ways around preventing your children from getting into those types of sites but that is another article for another day. One could very well spend hours on both the Internet and it is also possible with most cable and satellite TV providers to order pornographic materials via pay per view. Doing it through Pay Per Views or even through a video store can also become a very time consuming and expensive hobby for most people. This effect is probably the worst. Let's all face it. We are sexual beings. We have to accept that fact and there is nothing anybody can do about it.Although it is the least frequent, the next way the porn industry has invaded the technological world is phone sex. Anybody who is a sex-phene or constantly thinks about sex is prone to any of these types of technology . The fortunate reality is there are ways of preventing all of them. So what good comes of technology if all this bad stuff is happening with technology one might ask? It all essentially comes down to convenience. Let's break down the three major types of technology and explain why they are beneficial. It all essentially comes down to convenience.The three major types almost everybody has are Phone, Internet and TV. Let's start with phone service: Phone service: There are numerous types of phone services out there. The most basic reason people need phones are so they can communicate with somebody instead of having to talk with them face to face because that is more time efficient for most people. It also saves a tremendous amount of car gas. Most cell phone companies offer many other features with their phones nowadays such as GPS, having your own calendar, having your own clock and numerous other applications as well.Internet: Internet service allows you to check e-mail which is a big time and money saver. The reason is that people can get e-mail instantly and they save money on stamps and envelopes. It is also possible to do extensive research on the Internet without having to go to a library. If you want an updated copy of your bank statement or you need it to dispute a charge and it is going to be a while before your next bank statement comes out at most banks you can just hop online and print out a copy of your bank statement. While this is a good convenience it is another way that society has become lazy.Instead of coming a check register most people use their bank statements online exclusively. TV: With television, one purpose everybody uses it for is to become informed of what is going on in the world (although in the transforming news business people are also turning to the Internet for this as well). Television is also influential for sports fans. Let's face it everybody has their favorite shows and has preferences when it comes to TV providers. But that is another article for another day. Essentially, all technology is the same. It all comes down to how you use it.Yes it has made us lazy. No by Bob Lloyd Created on: January 04, 2010 Technology is often associated with labour saving and in the past, there were devices designed to specifically save on physical effort. But in most areas, those technologies are already very mature. We already use washing machines, lawnmowers, hedge-trimmers, microwave ovens, and a host of other devices to do things quicker and to save effort. But laziness is something different to saving labour. Saving labour so as not to expend effort is very different from using that available effort to achieve something different.In order to make use of our effort we have to be motivated and information technology has massively expanded our options, opening entire new worlds. Whereas just twenty years ago we would have needed to go to a library to look up information, we have it in seconds through a browser. We can manage our bank account, order goods, communicate with others, share photos, music, and videos so easily now, that we need not spend much time doing it. So the technology has enabled us to do the same things as we used to do as well as new things, but much quicker and more conveniently.Which of course, gives us more time to use on things that interest us. And the technology also provides us with a huge choice. Any subject, any hobby, any interest, is so well supported that we can get involved and involved without a great deal of preparation or effort. So we are encouraged to explore, to find out, to get involved, to communicate, about anything that interests us. There has been a huge democratisation of access to information meaning that even individuals who may be personally shy or reluctant to state their views, get the opportunity to be heard.It is now easier than ever to become well-informed about any issue, any subject, and the age of the Google expert has arrived. Forums a nd chat rooms, social networks, virtual worlds, all enable people to communicate with others in a relatively safe environment, free from the challenges that physical proximity can pose. But there are other consequences as well. If we don't need to make the effort to relate to others emotionally in person, in the real physical world, does our ability to do so decline? Does less use imply less capability?If that really is the case, then our interactive technology-driven other world impoverishes the quality of our human interaction. But here too, the consequences are ambiguous. In a virtual world, or even a forum, a person hidden behind an avatar can experiment with their own reactions, exploring the reactions of others, and in doing so become more aware of the emotions of other people. They can become more skilled at relating to people, more appreciative of the range of views, more understanding of emotional responses.The success of these media demonstrates that far from becoming soci ally lazier, many people are becoming much more communicative, expressing their opinions and views more freely, and engaging in discussion and debate. But it remains true that this is different from the interactions with real physical people and there are those who lack the confidence to get involved even virtually. If the participants are exporting their egos online through avatars and that the responses they get there are more pleasant and less stressful than real life, is there not a tendency to place more focus on this artificial ego than their presence in the real world?But isn't even that begging the question because whatever and wherever they experience their interactions, it is still them getting the experience? If these people were lazy, we would expect them to do the minimum, to expend the least effort. But in fact, the massive stimulus provided by these open technologies has led many people to experience interactions on a scale that was previously impossible, enriching th eir emotional lives as well as helping them develop a better understanding of themselves.Certainly there is an addictive element, and unless there is some balance between real and virtual interactions, the benefits of the one may not reach the other. But if anything, we are now more highly motivated and involved that previously. Physically, as we spend more time online sat at a computer, we are less active but that is not through laziness, but through focussing our activities on those that are more interesting and satisfying. A balance is necessary of course, but the indications are that far from being lazy, we are becoming more motivated and open to new experiences.