Rene Descartes s Meditation On First Philosophy - 802 Words

Renà © Descartes objective in Meditation on First Philosophy is to construct philosophy as a solid methodical study and discipline alike the sciences. To do so he must first suspend belief in all things doubtful and from their go about verifying the true concepts of the world. In meditation II he verifies that he is a thinking thing and finds that the certainty of the cogito â€Å"I think therefore I am† lies in the distinct perception of what he affirms. From this he generates a general rule of evidence, stating that whatever is clearly and distinctly perceived, alike the cogito, is true. However, if there is an evil genius at work he cannot be assured of this rule of evidence since something could be true on the one hand but not on the other. He must therefore prove both the existence of God and that God is not a deceiver. This would rule out the evil genius hypothesis, since an omnipotent undeceptive God would not allow some other being to deceive his children. Having confirmed his own existence as a mind Descartes, is certain of two things; that he is a being who thinks and that he distinctly and clearly perceives himself as a mind. For Descartes to possess the degree of certainty he needs to construct philosophy and verify other truths he must find a method of identifying things of absolute certainty. He resolves that everything that is clear and distinct is true and that all perceptions he thinks of as clear and distinct are also true. Accidental modes such as the ideas andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Rene Descartes s Meditations On First Philosophy 1399 Words   |  6 PagesPhilosophy Essay 1 Rene Descartes was born in in La Haye, France, in 1596 and he studied at La Fleche Jesuit College and University of Poitiers. Descartes also lived in Germany, Holland and Sweden. He then worked in the army as a private councillor and then as a court philosopher. Descartes book ‘Meditations on First Philosophy’ was first published in 1641. The edition used to write this essay was edited by John Cottingham and was published by the Cambridge University Press in 1996. Descartes wasRead MoreAnalysis Of Rene Descartes s Meditations On First Philosophy1066 Words   |  5 Pageswhat is reality? Among these writers were Renà ¨ Descartes and George Berkeley, who respectively argued that everything perceived must be real due to God being unable to deceive, and that the physical world only exists in one’s mind. In my view, it is not certain that the physical world is real, but one should act as if it is. Renà ¨ Descartes, in Meditations on First Philosophy, wrote each section after successive â€Å"meditations.† In Descartes’s first meditation, he claims it is unable to be proven whetherRead MoreThomas Aquinas vs. Descarates Essays673 Words   |  3 PagesTHOMAS AQUINA’S V. DESCARATES Meditation III Several hundred years ago, two great philosophers Thomas Aquinas’s and Rene Descartes used the method of ontological argument for the existence of God and used intuition and reason alone to get to each other’s theory. Rene Descartes wrote out several mediations, but the one we’re going to touch base on is meditation III that he wrote in the 1600’s; While Thomas Aquinas’s wrote his five proofs of God in 1270 that specifies God’s existence in each proof;Read MorePropelling Rational Thought Over Compelling Empiricism1459 Words   |  6 PagesEmpiricism Aaron Nicely Intro to Philosophy 02-09-2016 In this paper I intend to examine the rationalist philosophy of Rene Descartes and fundamental empiricism of John Locke’s philosophical arguments, in particular their ideas relating to the science of man, his identity and attempt to explain distinctions between the two. As I lay the framework of my argument it is important to understand the precepts that serve as the underpinning for the views considered by Descartes and Locke respectively. Read MoreDescartes’ Cogito Argument Successfully Shows the Evil Demon Argument is Unsound888 Words   |  4 PagesDoes Descartes’ Cogito argument successfully show that the Evil Demon Argument is unsound? In this essay I will attempt to show that the philosopher, Renà ¨ Descartes’ Cogito Argument successfully proves the Evil Demon Argument to be unsound. By an analysis of the structure of the arguments and what they prove, I will show the evil demon argument to be unsound. An argument is unsound when the premises as false and the argument is invalid. This analysis of both structure and content will eventuateRead MoreThe Mind-Body Problem Essay957 Words   |  4 Pagesthe mind and the body. Theorists, such as Renà © Descartes and Thomas Nagel, have written extensively on the problem but they have many dissenting beliefs. Descartes, a dualist, contends that the mind and body are two different substances that can exist separately. Conversely, Nagel, a dual aspect theorist, contends that the mind and body are not substances but different properties. However, although Nagel illustrates the problems with Descartes= theory, Nagel=s theory runs into the problem of panpsychismRead M oreDescartes Belief in God Essay1503 Words   |  7 PagesDescartes and God In his groundbreaking work, Meditations on First Philosophy, the French philosopher Rene Descartes lays the groundwork for many philosophical principles by attempting to â€Å"establish a bold and lasting knowledge† (171)1. The foundations for knowledge Descartes established would go on to influence a plethora of other philosophers and philosophical works. Descartes argues in his meditations first from the point of view of complete skepticism, using skepticism as a tool in order toRead MoreThe Philosophical Works Of Descartes Essay1690 Words   |  7 PagesRenà © Descartes 1641 Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 1996. This file is of the 1911 edition of The Philosophical Works of Descartes (Cambridge University Press), translated by Elizabeth S. Haldane. Prefatory Note To The Meditations. The first edition of the Meditations was published in Latin by Michael Soly of Paris â€Å"at the Sign of the Phoenix† in 1641 cum Privilegio et Approbatione Doctorum. The Royal â€Å"privilege† was indeed given, but the â€Å"approbation† seems to have been of a most indefiniteRead MoreEssay about Rene Descartes Impact on the Scientific Method923 Words   |  4 PagesRene Descartes Impact on the Scientific Method People have always thought about the world around them. Through the centuries they have wondered about what their surroundings were made of. Modern science has proven to be most effective in explaining our environment. What makes modern science superior to the ancient schools of thought is the employment of the scientific method. The man credited to a great extent with the development of the scientific method is Renà © Descartes, a French philosopherRead MoreThe Dream Inside Of A Dream By Christopher Nolan1683 Words   |  7 PagesFinal Paper: Descartes The possibility of having a dream inside of a dream is an idea that has been discussed far and wide. However, before Inception came out in 2010 by director Christopher Nolan, many people in the modern world may not have ever considered this idea. Nonetheless, this idea of â€Å"a dream inside a dream† has been around since 1640, when Rene Descartes published Meditations. In Inception, Christopher Nolan uses Descartes ideas to enhance the storyline of his film. In this paper

Impact Of The Great War On The World War I - 1140 Words

The Great War The War to end all Wars† 1914 - 1918 The First World War was one of the most remarkable wars in history. Out of one shot from a Serbian rebel came one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history, and one of the most revolutionary. (importance of world war one, 2015) The purpose of this assignment was to find out the role of Australia in the war and its impact upon the nation. In this assignment, key events and actions that lead to the outbreak of war and Australia’s involvement in the war will be talked about. A particular element of the First World War is the technology that was used. Weaponry, artillery, aircrafts and technological advances will also be mentioned. Outbreak of World War 1 The First World†¦show more content†¦As the war progressed, further acts of aggression drew other countries into the conflict. (How did the First World War start?, 2015) Australia became involved in the First World War because they were part of the British Empire at the time. Once Britain declared war, Australia was automatically involved in the war, as well as all her other colonies. Technology in World War 1 World War One had introduced machine guns, modern artillery and airplanes to the battlefield. Horses were removed from the battlefield, replaced by tanks in 1916. (World War 1, 2015) A wide variety of weapons were used in this period of time. Before World War I, there were no machine guns. Instead, hand-cranked Gatling guns were used, and riflemen had to reload after every shot. However, it was in the First World War that the machine gun would rise to dominate the battlefields. By 1914, gas-driven, water-cooled machine guns had been perfected. A two-man team could fire hundreds of rounds per minute. (World War 1, 2015) It was easy to kill opposing army on a larger scale, did not require constant reloading, was accurate and was easily mountable on many things like ships and planes. Because of the use of machine guns, trenches were used extensively in World War 1. A trench is a long, narrow

How The Brain Works Or How It Is Connected - 1347 Words

Have you ever wondered how the brain works or how it is connected? Outside the brain may just appear to be a handful of pink and gray muscle, however, as you enter the human brain, it unveils an extremely complex circuit, connecting you with the rest of your body, the brain contains almost 100,00 miles of blood vessels and billions of cells. The brain is a library of information, remembering information and processing it as quick as 11 million bits per second (The Human Brain). The brain is a very copious system made of four lobes which dictate emotions, thoughts, skills and actions. To begin with, the brain is split into four different lobes, the Occipital, Temporal, Parietal, and Frontal lobes (Parts of the Brain). The Occipital lobe†¦show more content†¦Weighing at 2% of our body mass, the adult brain weighs 1300 grams. The chimpanzee is the closest animal relative to the human, around 98% of the DNA in our genes can be traced back to chimps (Who am I?). When it comes to the chimp’s brain it weighs 420 grams, nearly two-thirds smaller than the humans brain. The largest land animal, the African Elephant, has a brain nearly four and a half times larger at 6000 grams, which in contrast should mean they have a higher brain function, which may be true but logically we know is false. The African Elephant and other species have been around longer than the human race and should have adapted such as the human species did with technological and physical evolution adaptations. Even though our brain is not the largest, we can conclude that there is somethi ng special when it comes to the human brain.â€Å"One general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die.† (Charles Darwin). We cannot fully understand why humans progress when it comes to evolution, but we can see that humans are the superior species. If our brains are not the largest, why are we superior? When the brain’s cells divide and grow at a rapid rate and cannot be controlled or replaced after they die our brain often develops a growth or tumor. There are three categories that tumors fall into benign (not

William Golding s Lord Of The Flies - 1415 Words

There are certain traits in individuals that seem to be passed down from generation to generation and, regardless of the number of studies and discoveries established, they have a way of showing up in our environments. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a group of schoolboys find themselves stranded on an island and in a series of events, their behavior is altered and they become very malicious. It is questionable whether the reason for this alteration in their behavior is due to their circumstances or to their human nature. It is most probable that both of these options played a part in the boys’ immoral decisions but stronger evidence supports that their behavior was situational. Stanley Milgram dedicated himself to study behavior, bringing forth results that indicated that the majority of people will behave unethically when they are in a situation that calls for it. Relating this to Lord of the Flies, one is able to see the influence that Jack had over the other boys towards the end of the novel and this is an interesting concept to explore. There have been many people in the psychological world that have been working hard to study the behavior of people. Several psychologists have come to agree that behavior is not something that can be determined as a part of someone’s characteristics but that it changes depending on what situation they may find themselves in. Various factors play into what influences people to express decadent behavior. In many cases anShow MoreRelatedWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies1263 Words   |  6 PagesResearch Paper: Lord of the Flies William Golding, the author of Lord of The Flies, included adults for only a brief time throughout the novel, playing only a minor role at the end. The absence of adults exemplifies how children require the structure and guidance that only parents can provide, symbolically, how nations newly freed from the British Empire’s control would be better off under English colonial power to survive and maintain order before deteriorating into anarchy. The adults of theRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies752 Words   |  4 Pagespossible, so a five year old who teases others to Adolf Hitler would be classified as perpetrators of evil. Lord of the Flies is a fictional story about a group of British boys who get stranded on island. The author of the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding, showcases Zimbardo’s ideas in his story. Zimbardo did not form his theory Through the character development of Jack and Roger, Golding illustrates the intensity of evil when one is impacted by situational forces. Before Ralph and Piggy unifiesRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies1869 Words   |  8 PagesEssay Outline – Unit 11 Introductory paragraph: Topic Sentence (includes the book title and author) The novel Lord of the flies by William Golding is a type of literature that revolves around an anti-war theme. Main Points that will be discussed in the essay presented in order of weakest to strongest: 1. Lord of the flies was written during WWII and one of the manifestations is the dead man in the parachute presumably a victim of a bombed plane. 2. Faction among the group which is similar toRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies1282 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Golding, the author of Lord of The Flies, included adults for only a brief time throughout the novel, playing only a minor role at the end. The absence of adults exemplifies how children require the structure and guidance that only parents can provide, this can be seen how nations newly freed from the British Empire’s control would be better off under English colonial power to survive and maintain order before deteriorating into anarchy. The adults of the novel can be seen as the motherRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies1389 Words   |  6 PagesA response to Lord Of The Flies Imagine an airplane crash. The heat of flames scorch passengers’ backs in addition to the wind burning their faces. Lucky, this crash was over water and near an island so most passengers survive, with an exception of the airplane staff and the pilot. Even though alive, many are in fits of fear and panic, and others are in shock. After hurried deliberation, a lone member of the group is elected leader in hopes that they will calm the panic, and make the hard, but necessaryRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies1315 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies was set somewhere on the timeline of World War Two, a war between the Axis and the Allies lasting from 1939 until 1945. Although WWII was fought between many countries in the Pacific and Europe, the main contender was Germany, led by Adolf Hitler. Hitler and his followers, the Nazis, changed the lives of everyone when they attempted to strengthen Germany and brought out all the evil and ugli ness in the world. After WWII, nothing would be able to change theRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies886 Words   |  4 Pageshow to live their lives not knowing what s right or wrong. Everyone has a different opinion towards different things. Some say gun laws should be banned while some say they want a gun in their house. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding there are clear aspects of leadership shown within the characterization between Jack and Ralph. I m chief, said Ralph, because you chose me. And we were going to keep the fire going. Now you run after food- (Golding 150). There is evident conflict between theRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies1672 Words   |  7 Pages The Different Social Cognition of the Similar Stories — Synthesis essay of Lord of the Flies Final Project With the development of British culture, the format of Desert Island Literature has an inevitable connection with the geographical and culture heritage of the development of British history. Generally speaking, the setting of such literature is basically around an isolated island which is far from human society. The characters usually follow a primary lifestyle so that illustrate the courageRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies1745 Words   |  7 Pages1954 novel, Lord of the Flies by Nobel Prize-winner William Golding is a dystopian allegory indicative of vast aspects of the human condition. Set in the midst of a nuclear war, the text details a group of marooned British school boys as they regress to a primitive state. Free from the rules and structures of civilisation and society, the boys split into factions - some attempting to maintain order and achieve common goals; others seeking anarchy and violence. The novel is based on Golding’s experienceRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies1776 Words   |  8 PagesMaybe the beast is us (Golding 85), in the novel, Lord of the Flies, by author William Golding, Golding uses the entire book as social commentary. The social aspect he focuses on is man’s ability to be evil and destructive. William Golding uses three specific literary devices to convey this idea; characterization, diction and symbolism. Lord of the Flies explains man s capacity for evil which is revealed in his inherent human nature, which he cannot control or ignore. The hidden evil within

Why Did the Native Americans Lose the Plains Wars Free Essays

When the Euro-Americans (whites) and Native Americans came into contact, there was conflict. This conflict eventually led to The Plains wars, which the Native Americans lost. In this essay the details as to why the Native Americans lost the plains war will be explained. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Did the Native Americans Lose the Plains Wars or any similar topic only for you Order Now These details include seven main points, which are- the end of the civil war and the manifest destiny, different attitudes towards land, the whites upsetting the population balance, the effect of reservations, the start of the Californian gold rush, the weapons that both the sides used during war, and the actual wars that made up the plains war.At the end of the civil war the god-fearing Christian whites believed that god had told them to spread the freedom and democracy of the United States westward into North America. This was the manifest destiny. Whites everywhere were willing to fight for the land and for god. The fact that the Native Americans were not very good long-term fighters, made the natives weak, also the whites had just been in a long term wars so they had many physically powerful men. This proves that the manifest destiny and the end of the civil war were one of the reasons as to why the Native Americans lost the Plains wars.Another factor that is to be considered is that the Whites and the Native Americans both had different attitudes to land. The Native Americans believed that land could not be owned, and looked at it as a life source, while the Whites though the private ownership of land was extremely important. This made the Native Americans more likely to lose because, if a white settler came and lived on some land, the white would think e owned the land, while the Native Americans wouldn’t mind because they thought that the land couldn’t owned by the Whites.This scenario would not have been a problem, but if the amount of whites increased, the Native Americans would eventually have no space for their living. The Native Americans didn’t notice this, and the population of whites increased in some areas and overpowered the Native Americans. When the population count of the whites increased, there was a disturbance in the Population balance between whites and Native Americans. As well as the different attitudes to land there were a few more happenings that led to the unbalance.The US government wante d to wipe out the Native Americans, so they told the Whites to go around on trains killing the Buffalo. The buffalo was the main life source for the Native Americans so many of them died. When the Euro-Americans traveled over to North America, they bought their diseases long with them. Since the Native’s weren’t immune to these diseases, many of them died. This made the Whites more powerful because the Native Americans turned to the whites for cures, and the Whites wouldn’t help. When the whites expanded and became more powerful, there were many incidents were the two groups didn’t get along together.To prevent this from happening, the Native Americans were put into reservations. There was a benefit for both the sides by this; the whites had more land, while the Native Americans were paid, allowed to keep there sacred land where whites weren’t allowed, and were given houses to live in. One example of the sacred land being protected against Whites was the treaty of fort Laramie. This was a Treaty signed saying that whites wouldn’t be allowed into the Black Hills which were sacred grounds for the Santee Sioux. Although both sides were meant to be content, the Native Americans were upset.The effect of the reservations were that the native Americans, who were nomadic by birth, were refined to a certain area, also they realised that the white’s were going against their beliefs by owning the land. Although there were reservations, the Californian gold rush in 1848 made many white men trespass into the reservations secretly. This became a problem because some men started to look for gold in the Black Hills. This was the end of the Treaty of Fort Laramie and a Sioux Chief said, â€Å"If we make peace, you will not keep it†. Also a very famous Gold Trail, called the Bozeman Trail was opened up in Western Sioux Hunting grounds, the Sioux feared the Whites and started to attack them at the same time the whites fought back and many Native American men were killed. The trail was closed, but the Whites were angry, and this lead to more wars which made the Native Americans weaker. In the wars, the weapons that the Whites used killed man Native American men. This is because the Whites weapons were guns, rifle, canons and other weapons which worked from long distances and were very deadly.The Native Americans made their weapons of war out of wood, stone, and bones. Later on the Native Americans were able to make steel knives, but this wasn’t very efficient compared to the White’s weapons. Some Native American tribes possessed a gun; they got guns because some unhealthy trade was carried out between the some money avaricious whites and the Native Americans. Of course, the Native Americans couldn’t refill the guns with gun powder or bullets because they didn’t know how to make them. Therefore, more Native Americans were killed, and this was a major aspect towards their loss.The weapons of war were more powerful, but the wars themselves had a huge impact of the Native American’s loss. There were many wars, battles and massacres under the overall title of the Plains wars. These were from Chippewa in1862, to Wounded Knee in 1890. But one of the most well-known wars was the Little Big Horn. In Little big horn the whites were defeated and 250 white men died, this was because Colonel Custer under-estimated the number of Native men that would come to fight and only took 250 white men. Therefore, the whites were outnumbered.The battle of little big horn, and also the fact that a group of Native Americans slaughtered Captain Fetterman and 79 of his men in the Fetterman Massacre, made the Whites determined to win. This determination created the final major battle between the whites and the Native Americans, and the Native Americans lost. All these factors contributed towards the loss of the Native Americans in the Plains wars. The Native Americans lost their land, freedom, and peaceful lifestyle when they lost the Plains wars. The Native Americans fought until the end and so did the Whites, but there is always one winner, and those were the Whites. How to cite Why Did the Native Americans Lose the Plains Wars, Papers

Why Did the Native Americans Lose the Plains Wars Free Essays

When the Euro-Americans (whites) and Native Americans came into contact, there was conflict. This conflict eventually led to The Plains wars, which the Native Americans lost. In this essay the details as to why the Native Americans lost the plains war will be explained. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Did the Native Americans Lose the Plains Wars or any similar topic only for you Order Now These details include seven main points, which are- the end of the civil war and the manifest destiny, different attitudes towards land, the whites upsetting the population balance, the effect of reservations, the start of the Californian gold rush, the weapons that both the sides used during war, and the actual wars that made up the plains war.At the end of the civil war the god-fearing Christian whites believed that god had told them to spread the freedom and democracy of the United States westward into North America. This was the manifest destiny. Whites everywhere were willing to fight for the land and for god. The fact that the Native Americans were not very good long-term fighters, made the natives weak, also the whites had just been in a long term wars so they had many physically powerful men. This proves that the manifest destiny and the end of the civil war were one of the reasons as to why the Native Americans lost the Plains wars.Another factor that is to be considered is that the Whites and the Native Americans both had different attitudes to land. The Native Americans believed that land could not be owned, and looked at it as a life source, while the Whites though the private ownership of land was extremely important. This made the Native Americans more likely to lose because, if a white settler came and lived on some land, the white would think e owned the land, while the Native Americans wouldn’t mind because they thought that the land couldn’t owned by the Whites.This scenario would not have been a problem, but if the amount of whites increased, the Native Americans would eventually have no space for their living. The Native Americans didn’t notice this, and the population of whites increased in some areas and overpowered the Native Americans. When the population count of the whites increased, there was a disturbance in the Population balance between whites and Native Americans. As well as the different attitudes to land there were a few more happenings that led to the unbalance.The US government wante d to wipe out the Native Americans, so they told the Whites to go around on trains killing the Buffalo. The buffalo was the main life source for the Native Americans so many of them died. When the Euro-Americans traveled over to North America, they bought their diseases long with them. Since the Native’s weren’t immune to these diseases, many of them died. This made the Whites more powerful because the Native Americans turned to the whites for cures, and the Whites wouldn’t help. When the whites expanded and became more powerful, there were many incidents were the two groups didn’t get along together.To prevent this from happening, the Native Americans were put into reservations. There was a benefit for both the sides by this; the whites had more land, while the Native Americans were paid, allowed to keep there sacred land where whites weren’t allowed, and were given houses to live in. One example of the sacred land being protected against Whites was the treaty of fort Laramie. This was a Treaty signed saying that whites wouldn’t be allowed into the Black Hills which were sacred grounds for the Santee Sioux. Although both sides were meant to be content, the Native Americans were upset.The effect of the reservations were that the native Americans, who were nomadic by birth, were refined to a certain area, also they realised that the white’s were going against their beliefs by owning the land. Although there were reservations, the Californian gold rush in 1848 made many white men trespass into the reservations secretly. This became a problem because some men started to look for gold in the Black Hills. This was the end of the Treaty of Fort Laramie and a Sioux Chief said, â€Å"If we make peace, you will not keep it†. Also a very famous Gold Trail, called the Bozeman Trail was opened up in Western Sioux Hunting grounds, the Sioux feared the Whites and started to attack them at the same time the whites fought back and many Native American men were killed. The trail was closed, but the Whites were angry, and this lead to more wars which made the Native Americans weaker. In the wars, the weapons that the Whites used killed man Native American men. This is because the Whites weapons were guns, rifle, canons and other weapons which worked from long distances and were very deadly.The Native Americans made their weapons of war out of wood, stone, and bones. Later on the Native Americans were able to make steel knives, but this wasn’t very efficient compared to the White’s weapons. Some Native American tribes possessed a gun; they got guns because some unhealthy trade was carried out between the some money avaricious whites and the Native Americans. Of course, the Native Americans couldn’t refill the guns with gun powder or bullets because they didn’t know how to make them. Therefore, more Native Americans were killed, and this was a major aspect towards their loss.The weapons of war were more powerful, but the wars themselves had a huge impact of the Native American’s loss. There were many wars, battles and massacres under the overall title of the Plains wars. These were from Chippewa in1862, to Wounded Knee in 1890. But one of the most well-known wars was the Little Big Horn. In Little big horn the whites were defeated and 250 white men died, this was because Colonel Custer under-estimated the number of Native men that would come to fight and only took 250 white men. Therefore, the whites were outnumbered.The battle of little big horn, and also the fact that a group of Native Americans slaughtered Captain Fetterman and 79 of his men in the Fetterman Massacre, made the Whites determined to win. This determination created the final major battle between the whites and the Native Americans, and the Native Americans lost. All these factors contributed towards the loss of the Native Americans in the Plains wars. The Native Americans lost their land, freedom, and peaceful lifestyle when they lost the Plains wars. The Native Americans fought until the end and so did the Whites, but there is always one winner, and those were the Whites. How to cite Why Did the Native Americans Lose the Plains Wars, Papers

Managing People and Teams Initial Performance Management

Question: Describe about the Managing People and Teams for Initial Performance Management. Answer: Case One: Performance Management Initiative In the company there has been initiated a performance management initiative or program for boosting the motivation of the employees. The performance management initiative focuses on the bringing transparency, increasing co-operation and incorporating systematic feedback through the initiative of performance management. There has been incorporated a 360 degree feedback and training and development sessions and incentive program (Van Dooren, Bouckaert and Halligan, 2015). The performance management initiatives works in the following ways: 360 Degree Feedback It is the feedback which helps in analyzing an individual from entire associated members of the company. It includes the customers, suppliers, peers, subordinates, superiors, higher authorities as well as self-evaluation. This program is generally to know the substantial areas of improvement from all the levels. It is constructive in nature as this helps in overall improvement (Tee and Ahmed, 2014). Training and Development Sessions The performance management initiative involves the various sessions which provide training to the employees for their development and growth. These training and development sessions are undertaken by the coaches or the mentors who help in boosting the growth and morale of the staff members (Cummings and Worley, 2014). Incentive Program This is one of the most effective parts of the performance management initiative. The incentive program is basically incorporated so that the hard working employees can be appreciated for their keen efforts and continuous hard work. By this program the employees can be motivated to work more effectively and bring out higher productivity with great efficiency (Gregory, et al., 2014). Impact of the Performance Management Initiative on the motivation of staff It is necessary to analyze the impact of the performance management initiative as only this will help in evaluating the effectiveness of the initiatives undertaken. Thus the performance management initiative taken place in the Mining Co. also has several impacts over the performance of the employees, their motivation level and the companys productivity. Following are impacts of the performance management initiative: Alignment of objectives and Goals With the help of this performance management initiative, there has been increased alignment in between the individual goals and companys objectives. They both are appearing and fulfilling on a simultaneous basis. Employees are not compromising their individual goals and objectives for achieving the companys mission and goals. And thus this performance management has helped effectively in aligning the goals and the objectives (Taylor, 2013). Resolution of Conflicts and Doubts With the help of the initiative implemented in the Mining Co. it has been analyzed that the rate of conflicts has been significantly declined and the conflicts which took place were also resolved at the initial phase only. The performance management initiative also supported in handling the various doubts of the employees and was successful in resolving them through am open discussion and conversation with the employees (Redpath, et al., 2013). Increased Motivation The most significant and vital impact of the performance management initiative was seen in the motivational level of the staff members. As it was resulted that the employees has an increased motivation and their will to work was also enhanced with the effective performance management. The workers are working peacefully with a positive state of mind (Jensen, Patel and Messersmith, 2013). Increased retention rate Another impact of the initiative is the increase in the retention rate of the employees as the initiative motivated the employees to work effectively as well as provided a better and improved working environment and thus the retention rate tends to increase (Rothwell, et al., 2015) Enhanced productivity There has been analyzed and identified there are positive impacts of the performance management initiative for the organization as the overall productivity or outcome increased significantly. There were improved results in comparison with the results of previous quarters and this recognizes that the performance management initiatives are very much effective from the organization point of view also (Rothwell, et al., 2015). Lower down of issues at workplace One more positive impact of the performance management initiative is that there has been a significant decrease in the rate of issues taking place at the workplace. People are working in a harmonized way and there is friendly environment in the company and thus the occurrence of the issues and conflicts have decreased effectively (Redpath, et al., 2013). Recommendations to the board There are few recommendations which are made to the board which demonstrates that in what way the proposed initiative will have a major impact over the decisions of moving forward: In the achievements of the organizational goals and objectives the performance management initiative will help the Mining Co. effectively as it will make sure that the individual goals are also met of the employees while accomplishing the organizational objectives and thus the initiative will help in boosting the growth and development of the company. The performance management initiative will improve the understanding and decision taking approach of the employees and will directly assist in fast decision making and saving the company from idle time and will support in increased productivity. Case Two: Issue: Senior executive onsite wishing to leave In the Mining Co. there has been a significant issued which was identified at the isolated sites of the company. It was found that because of the two major reasons the company has to face an issue of resigning of the senior executives. The primary reason behind this issue was the economic crisis which took place in Greece (Simou and Koutsogeorgou, 2014). In the year 2007-08 the financial crisis took place all over the world and after this crisis, Greece was badly impacted by these economic crises. The GDP was completely squat and the government debt increased rapidly. There has been up surge unemployment all over the world and all these impacted the working of both the small and the large scale companies (Madianos, et al., 2014). The second major thing which forces the senior executives to leave their job is the increasing impact of the presence of ISIS in the Middle East on foreign nationals. There has been a significant and rapid increase in the cases where ISIS members have harmed the people, murdered or kidnapped them. As the sites are located at the isolated places it creates a sense of danger and threat of the attacks and develops insecurity and opposition to live at those isolated sites and force the workers to leave and stay at a safer place. The ISIS i.e. Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is a terrorist organization which is continuously terrifying the people with their awry, nasty and pernicious conducts such as beheadings, destruction of historic places, human right abuses, ethnic cleansing and many more unethical conducts (Wechsler, et al., 2016). And this causes a fear and threat to safe and secure living of the people. And it resulted into leaving the jobs which are at isolated and unsecured regions where there is a threat of terrorist attacks. Recommendations to the board To make the senior executives retain in the company there is a need that a safer and secure workplace must be provided to them so that they do not work in the threat of the attacks. Thus for the resolving this issue following are the recommendations provided to the board so that the situation of panic can be control and curb: Increase workforce The main reason of threat is that the workplace is isolated sites where there are vey less number of people are present. And the primary step the company should take is to increase the number of staff so that there can be more human presence and less chances of any kind of contingency to take place. As well as it will also help in flexible rotational shifts and will also support in decreasing the threat. Extra Incentives and monetary benefits to the senior executives to sustain economic instability and financial crisis Because of the economic crisis and the financial instability there ate threats related to jobs and to encounter this threat and risk the Mining Co. must provide higher benefits and monetary benefits to the senior executives so that they can have a better sustainability and can manage the circumstances of economic crisis without impacting their work life. The higher incentive is termed as the monetary motivations provide to retain the employees. To increase security The company must increase its security by taking various initiatives such as by having various security protectors which can identify the threats and save the employees from any sort of attacks. There can be used for bullet proof doors in the company which can help the employees to have a safer place to escape if there takes place any inconvenient situation. There can be various other security initiatives like hidden cameras etc. To build contingency plans There must be development of the contingency plans so that if there takes place any non-happening situation or contingency the employees and the company are ready to cope up with it. The contingency plan must be robust and highly efficient which can effectively reduce the negative implications of the contingency. The contingency can be both an economic/financial crisis and the ISIS attacks. There must be strong remedies such as there can be licensed self-defense arms available by the Government to the organization as well as other ways to get out of the situation (Scharling Pedersen, Pillai and Hun, 2015). To have rescue plans There can be few effective and significant rescue plans to save the senior executives from the non-happening events and circumstances such as there can be secret place where the employees can hide to save themselves or there can be secret or hidden route which can be use for moving out from the place. To have Governmental support The company can also have a major support from the Government to save the employees and to provide a safer place to work. Government can increase the security by placing the local police force station in those regions. This will decrease the risk of attacks and will motivate the senior executives to work effectively (Byers, 2015). Provide the employees various insurances and life covering policies The company can also provide the employees various insurance which can help them and their families if there is any kind of non-happening event. These insurances can be of various forms such as monetary benefits, health benefits or other assistances which can help the executives and can boost their motivation to work adequately. Case Three: Issue: Talent Management Gap At one of the individual site of the Mining Co. there took place an issue regarding the substantial talent management gap. The company is not able to find and recruit the potential and well skilled workforce to have better organizational working. The substantial talent gap is increasing day by day. And to control this gap there is a need that a crisis management team must be placed in the company for handling and resolving such issues (Al-Abdulbaqi, et al., 2013). Crisis management team A crisis management team is basically placed in an organization for protecting the organization from the negative implications of any sort of crisis occur in an organization as well as the crisis management team also prepare and make the organization ready for any kind of contingencies and inevitable threats. In the Mining Co. also there are few issues taking place which requires a crisis management team to handle and resolve them. One such issue is talent gap, it is analyzed that the candidates are not appropriately suitable for the job as they are lack of the specific knowledge needed for the post as well there is shortage of talent in the industry. The companies are also not able to retain the talent staff for a longer period and thus there is shortage of talent. And to control this issue there is a need that there must be a crisis management team (Booth, 2015). Selection Criteria For selecting an effective and appropriate crisis management team the criteria would be that the candidates or the members will be selected upon their experience, logical reasoning, conflict solving techniques and approaches and an individual with optimistic approach and successful leadership qualities. The members must be effective in communication, fast in making decisions and also have a practical approach while making actions and taking decisions (Waller and Pratten, 2014). Format and Structure The format and the structure of the crisis management team will be that there will be a chief leader who will be responsible for taking final decisions as well there will be 5 supportive members who will be the team member which will assist the leader in taking correct and effective decisions. The work will be distributed among all the team members equally. While taking the final decision, there viewpoints will be considered and the best and suitable decision would be implemented. Functioning The functioning of the crisis management team is as follows: Firstly there is an appointment of a team leader who is authorized to have the complete charge of the situation and the leader motivates the staff to perform as a single unit. After that there is understanding of the primary regions of concern at the time of emergency circumstances. The next step is that the team will work over the problem of talent gap and will try to know the various reasons which are the cause behind the occurrence of the issue. After that plans are developed for improving the situation i.e. how to fill this talent gap and to overcome the issue. The issue is discussed in an open forum so that the different viewpoints and opinions can be encountered and the best possible plan can be implement (Coombs, 2014). To fill the talent gap there are plans life training and development of the existing talent groups so that they can preferably fill the gap and can also assist other employees to have developed skills and knowledge so that they can be have the matched and suitable work skills for the required job role. The crisis management team will also develop various effective recruitment and selection techniques so that the best and most suitable candidates can be approached for the work. There can be development of various plans and strategies which can help in reducing the talent gap and increasing the appointment of talented workforce (Johansen, Aggerholm and Frandsen, 2012). Rewarding Program The crisis management team must be rewarded for performing well and eliminating the substantial talent gap from the company. There are various reward programs which will motivate the team to work hard and in an effective manner and to have better and improved results (Aguinis, Joo and Gottfredson, 2013). Following are few of those rewarding programs: Variable Pay The variable pay is one form of the reward program in which the team members will get variable pays as per their performance and work. It is a kind of performance appraisal which provides some additional benefits to the employees who have worked effectively to uplift the company (Gomez-Mejia, Berrone and Franco-Santos, 2014). Bonuses It is the incentives or additional monetary benefits given to the team members for their good work so that they can be motivate to continue with the same (Han, Bartol and Kim, 2015). Profit Sharing Profit sharing is a great way to reward the employees for their hard and sound efforts made to resolve issues and provide growth perspectives to the company. The company provides a share in the profits to the team members and appreciates their efforts (Aguinis, Joo and Gottfredson, 2013). Stock Options The stock option is a reward program in which the stock of the company i.e. the shares are given to the team members on discounted or relatively low prices in comparison with the market rate of share so that they can have monetary benefit (Shield, et al., 2015). Findings From the above analysis of all the three cases it has been identified that in Case one if the company has implemented effective performance management initiative then it can thoroughly improve its performance and productivity as well as it will also assist in moving the decisions forwards. So it is very much essential for the company to place effective performance management initiative. In Case two, where the company has a major issue where the senior executives want to leave the company because of the economic crisis as well as the terrifying impact of ISIS, it is necessary for the Mining Co. to implement various strategies and plans which can reduce the impact and can boost the morale of the employees so that they can work peacefully. In Case three, there is an issue which arises in the company related to substantial talent gap and it is one of the major issues which is currently prevailing all over the world. And to overcome such issue the company is introducing a crisis managemen t team in the company so that the issue can be resolved and there can be potential and skilled talent workforce in the company. Recommendations There are few recommendations which can be provide to the Mining Co. for the better business operations and improved retaining of the employees. The company should have a continuous improvement plan so that the existing workforce can be developed and retained in the company and the talent gap can be reduced. The company should also have a governmental support in order to reduce the contingencies and threats of ISIS and the economic crisis. In the present scenarios to retain the talent in the company it is required that the company should focus on improving the employee benefit program and also develop various strategies to have provide the employees a safer and secure place to work. The company should also have an adequate and set structure for selection of the members of crisis management team as they are required to be effective and latent enough to recognize the issue and resolve it efficiently. 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