What are the advantages of utilitarianism? Identify the main problems of utilitarianism. To what extent do these make utilitarianism unacceptable?
What are the advantages of utilitarianism? Identify the main problems of utilitarianism. To what extent do these make utilitarianism unacceptable? The ethical theory of Utilitarianism, derived from the word Utility was developed by Jeremy Bentham in the nineteenth-century who aspired to establish a universal theory which could be applied to all ethical situations. It is a teleological theory of ethics, which says that the moral value of any action can be solely judged by the most probable consequences of the action. It does not take into account motives or the intrinsic rightness of any action. This principle claims that an action should be chosen by way of it usefulness to a situation or 'The greatest good for the greatest number'. Bentham argued that the potential usefulness ('Good' or 'Pleasure') of a situation could be 'calculated' in order to reach correct decisions within ethical situations, that would lead to the greater number of persons receiving the largest amounts of pleasure. He proposed the Hedonic Calculus which took into consideration the intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity and extent of any given action in an ethical situation. It was John Stuart Mill who argued that there are different levels of happiness, and pleasures of the mind should be of more value to a person then physical pleasure. He said 'It is better to be a human being
Foreign Policy Under MacDonald and Baldwin
Foreign Policy Under MacDonald and Baldwin A - The International Context . Japan was seen as an 'aggressor state' and threatened Britain's Eastern interests such as Hong Kong, Malaya and Singapore. 2. Taylor's assumption that Hitler was an opportunist like Weimar politicians can be argued with due to the German invasion of Russia and Poland which clearly indicated his determination in pursuing his objectives 3. The recovery of Alsace Lorraine completed French territorial ambitions. Emphasis was placed on forming powerful alliances (e.g. -Britain) to restrain a resurgent Germany, however French politics remained uncoordinated and weak and the shortlived governments were hard to cooperate with. 4. Western governments were faced with an unappealing ally in the USSR because it was necessary it deter a Stalin-Hitler alliance and therefore unavoidable, despite Russia's communism. 5. For the entire 1920's, the US congress had remained isolationist. The 1935 Nye Commission concluded that high profits on American munitions had resulted in US involvement in WW1. As a result the 'Neutrality Acts' were passed which banned the sales of arms to any foreign country. Roosevelt failed to amend the act and as a result the USA were rendered powerless to aid foreign friends. B - The Policy Makers Why were leading British politicains unwilling to take a stand against Hitler?
Why and to what extent have conservatives supported tradition?
Why and to what extent have conservatives supported tradition? Traditional conservatives place an emphasis on tradition as they believe, according to Edmund Burke that traditional customs and practices in society is 'God given'. Burke thus believed that society was shaped by the 'law of the Creator', or what he called the 'natural law'. If human beings tamper the world they are challenging the will of God. Burke further described tradition as a partnership between 'those who are living, those who are dead and those who are to be born'. Tradition is also revered as it could be argued to proven to work as it has been 'tested by time', and should therefore be preserved for the benefit of the living and for generations to come. Tradition reflects a Darwinian belief that those institutions and customs that have survived have only done so because they have worked and been found to be of value. They have been endorsed by a process of 'natural selection' and demonstrated their fitness to survive. Conservatives also respect tradition because it generates, for both society and the individual, a sense of identity. Established customs and practices are ones that individuals can recognize; they are familiar and reassuring. Tradition also generates social cohesion by linking people from the past and providing them with a collective sense of who they are. Change, is unknown and therefore it
What are 'femininity' and 'masculinity'? To what extent and in what ways are women feminine and men masculine?
What are 'femininity' and 'masculinity'? To what extent and in what ways are women feminine and men masculine? 'Masculinity' and 'femininity' are two gender related concepts which social scientists have trouble with defining along with finding ways to measure. During the 1990s psychologists had used gender-associated behaviour to measure what was masculinity and femininity characteristics for instance they used interests. However, to measure the children's masculine and feminine characteristics toys and games were used. The concepts 'femininity' and 'masculinity' are the individual's gender identity. These two terms are used to describe the extent of which, people identify themselves as masculine or feminine although this depends on how the society defines what man or woman is. Gender differences between men and women are significant in all societies as their gender is structured around the society. However, there is a great difference between the meaning of 'gender' and 'sex'. The concept of sex is defined as: "the biological differences between males and females", whereas, gender is defined as: "the socially-determined personal, and psychological characteristics associated with being male or female, namely 'masculinity' and 'masculinity'". (Garrete 1987:vii). Although there is a connection between these two terms many social scientists have differing opinions on what
What are the causes of poor productivity within large organizations and how can we look at trying to improve this?
Course: BABM, Year 3, Semester 2 Module: Managing Business Problems Assignment: Section B Tutors: Jeff Gold, Les Hamilton & Stuart Watson Student Name: Jennifer Winn Student ID: 11209431 Date: 24th May 2004 What are the causes of poor productivity within large organizations and how can we look at trying to improve this? Productivity is the degree of output achieved in relation to a certain level of input. For example, in a call centre environment, productivity would be seen as the number of telephone calls answered per hour by a certain number of staff. The telephone calls are the output and the staff available to take the calls are the input. In order to improve productivity, one of the following has to occur: The level of input is decreased however the level of output remains the same, or, the level of output increases but the level of input remains the same. In relation to the example of the call centre, this would mean reducing the number of staff available to answer the phone but yet the remaining staff would still have to answer the same number of calls, i.e. they would have to answer more calls each to compensate for the decrease in staff. Or the other way to increase productivity in a call centre would be to keep the same number to staff available to take customer calls but the number of calls being answered in total would have to increase. Productivity is
To see what factors affect the rate of photosynthesis. Introduction Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light into chemical energy
Factors affecting photosynthesis Aim To see what factors affect the rate of photosynthesis. Introduction Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light into chemical energy. In green plants, light energy is captured by chlorophyll in the chloroplasts of the leaves and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds (simple and complex sugars) that are the basis of both plant and animal life. Photosynthesis consists of a number of photochemical and enzymatic reactions. Any acceleration in the process of photosynthesis will naturally result in the production of more organic compounds and consequently more plant growth. For this reason we want to do a research on factors affecting photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is as follows: light energy is used to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen, the product which we shall be using as an indicator for the rate, is then defuses out of the leaf. Therefore, if light intensity is increased, light energy is increased and the product, oxygen, is also increased. Photosynthesis is as follows: light energy is used to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen, the product which we shall be using as an indicator for the rate, is then expelled through the leaf. Therefore, if light intensity is increased, light
What Are the Major Food Components in a Diabetes Diet
What Are the Major Food Components in a Diabetes Diet? Carbohydrates Carbohydrates have the most effect on blood sugar levels compared to fats and proteins and different carbohydrates have different effects. The building blocks of all carbohydrates are sugars (also called saccharide units), which are used by our body to create energy. Carbohydrates that only contain one sugar unit (monosaccharide) or two sugar units (disaccharides) are called simple sugars. Simple sugars are sweet in taste and are broken down easily for rapid release of energy. Two of the most common monosaccharides are glucose and fructose. Glucose is the primary form of sugar stored in our body for energy and fructose is the main sugar found in fruits. One gram of carbohydrates is equal to four calories. The current recommendation daily caloric intake of carbohydrates is between 50% and 60% for a diabetic. Complex carbohydrates are found in whole grains and vegetables such as pastas, white-flour products, and potatoes. Recent studies have shown that people with type-2 diabetes, who replace their normal bread with special starch-free bread, greatly reduce their levels of glucose and haemoglobin A1c in their blood. Fibre is only found in a wide range of plants, especially vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, beans and peas. Fibre cannot be digested but passes through the intestines, drawing
What are the chief sources of bias in the selection of employees? To what extent can these biases be minimised?
BUSINESS STUDIES SUMMER ESSAY Organisation Studies Jane Stiller Matric #: 0237293 Malcolm Hamilton Wednesday 11am What are the chief sources of bias in the selection of employees? To what extent can these biases be minimised? There are a number of issues when tackling the problem of bias in the selection of employees in the modern market environment. To bias against someone is to exert a preference or an inclination that inhibits impartial judgement. This often stems from a prejudice. Perceptual selectivity operates when we are perceiving other people. It can lead to a stereotyping in decision making and ultimately a biased view point of potential employees. However, people are less likely to use stereotypes when they are motivated to avoid using them. This essay will discuss the source of stereotypes and bias in the selection of employees and consider additional methods for reducing their biasing effects. The judgement heuristics and biases model represents the current thinking in decision making. Decision making involves choice, and choice requires both careful thought and much information. Excessive information might overload and delay a final decision. Indeed, some managers believe that making the right decision but taking a long time is as bad as making the wrong decision. Therefore the process is sped up by relying on judgements shortcuts called heuristics. The
This essay will cover some aspects of sociological research. It will answer not only questions like what is research, but also briefly illustrate the research process
Sociology Assignment Topic: Research Methods Student: Chirag Khaitan Student No.: SIC040237 Course: Diploma In Economics Lecturer: Dr.Rhine This essay will cover some aspects of sociological research. It will answer not only questions like what is research, but also briefly illustrate the research process It will then further define the fundamental terms used in sociological research.. What is Research? Research refers to search for knowledge. It is a scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a particular topic. In another words, it's a careful investigation or inquiry especially through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge. The Research Process Research is regarded as a cyclical process that generally involves the stages shown in the diagram on the following page. Stage 1: Define the research problem Select a topic for the research. For example, increase in number of crimes in a particular society. Stage 2: Reviewing the literature After defining the research problem, the next important stage is reviewing the literature. It means to look for previous works done by other researchers or as Patrick McNeill quotes in his book Research Method 1985: Every researcher, of whatever status, should spend time reading what other people have written about the area in which they are interested (pg 20). As every action has a purpose
What are 'Enzymes'?
Introduction Enzymes are biological catalysts that carry out thousands of chemical reactions that occur in living cells. They are a class of proteins that have a unique three dimensional structure that allows it to bind with a specific substrate to facilitate a reaction. Many biological reactions will not occur spontaneously in the cell; there is simply not enough energy for the reaction to take place. Enzymes make these reactions possible by lowering the reaction's activation energy. Each cell has tens of thousands of different enzymes that collectively allow both the break down and synthesis of molecules to drive all cellular processes. This investigation will explore the effect of pH on the three-dimensional structure of a protein. Much of the three-dimensional structure of an enzyme is held together by weak interactions including H-bonds, ionic bonds, and hydrophobic interactions. These interactions can be easily disrupted by changes in temperature, salt concentration, and pH. pH levels out of the normal intracellular range would denature enzymes, slowing the enzyme's reaction rates. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a toxic chemical that is continually being formed as By product of reactions in peroxisomes of living cells. Since it is poisonous, the cells must either get rid of it or change it to something nonpoisonous. If they cannot do this, the cell may die;
