Review of Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

To over-generalize, there are two types of nonfiction books worth reading: those written by an eminent specialist summarizing the current state of his or her field, often focusing on the singular idea that defines the authors career; and those written by a journalist without special knowledge about the field, tracking a particular idea, crossing the boundaries of disciplines when required by the pursuit. Malcolm Gladwells Blink is a bravura example of the latter sort of book: he ranges through art museums, emergency rooms, police cars, and psychology laboratories following a skill he terms rapid cognition. Rapid Cognition Rapid cognition is the sort of snap decision-making performed without thinking about how one is thinking, faster and often more correctly than the logical part of the brain can manage. Gladwell sets himself three tasks: to convince the reader that these snap judgments can be as good or better than reasoned conclusions, to discover where and when rapid cognition proves a poor strategy, and to examine how the rapid cognitions results can be improved. Achieving three tasks, Gladwell marshals anecdotes, statistics, and a little bit of theory to persuasively argue his case. Gladwells discussion of thin slicing is arresting: In a psychological experiment, normal people given fifteen minutes to examine a students college dormitory can describe the subjects personality more accurately than his or her own friends. A cardiologist named Lee Goldman developed a decision tree that, using only four factors, evaluates the likelihood of heart attacks better than trained cardiologists in the Cook County Hospital emergency room in Chicago: For two years, data were collected, and in the end, the result wasnt even close. Goldmans rule won hands down in two directions: it was a whopping 70 percent better than the old method at recognizing patients who werent actually having a heart attack. At the same time, it was safer. The whole point of chest pain prediction is to make sure that patients who end up having major complications are assigned right away to the coronary and intermediate units. Left to their own devices, the doctors guessed right on the most serious patients somewhere between 75 and 89 percent of the time. The algorithm guessed right more than 95 percent of the time. (pp. 135-136) The secret is knowing which information to discard and which to keep. Our brains are able to perform that work unconsciously; when rapid cognition breaks down, the brain has seized upon a more obvious but less correct predictor. Gladwell examines how race and gender affect car dealers sales strategy, the effect of height on salary and promotion to top corporate positions, and unjustified police shootings of civilians to demonstrate that our unconscious biases have genuine and sometimes tragic consequences. He also examines how the wrong thin slice, in focus groups or in a single-sip test of soft drinks, can lead businesses to mistake consumer preferences. There are things that can be done to redirect our mind along lines more conducive to accurate thin-slicing: we can alter our unconscious biases; we can change products packaging to something that tests better with consumers; we can analyze numerical evidence and make decision trees; we can analyze all possible facial expressions and their shared meanings, then watch for them on videotape; and we can evade our biases by blind screening, hiding the evidence that will lead us to incorrect conclusions. Takeaway Points This whirlwind tour of rapid cognition, its be, efits and pitfalls, has only a few pitfalls of its own. Written in a forthright and conversational style, Gladwell makes friends with his readers but rarely challenges them. This is science writing for the broadest possible audience; people with scientific training may chafe at the substitution of anecdote for study results, and may wish that the author had gone into greater depth with any or all of his examples; others may wonder how they can broaden the reach of their own attempts at rapid cognition. Gladwell may whet their appetites but will not fully satisfy those readers. His focus is narrow, and this helps him meet his goals; perhaps this is appropriate for a book titled Blink.

Michael Sandel Video Summary and Analysis Essay - 2728 Words

Michael Sandel Video Summary and Analysis Deirdre Martinez 800047839 Laird Smith CRN 12555 Introduction Michael Sandel has done it again, this time, in his auditorium setting at Harvard University. He invites the public into his undergraduate lecture through the recordings provided online at JusticeHarvard.org. In this work, episode 1 The Moral Side to Murder and episode 2 Putting a Price Tag on Life will be summarized and analyzed as it is also put to use in a local situation. Both of these lectures evolve around one theory: the theory of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is basically described as the greatest good for the greatest number. Both episodes†¦show more content†¦What this means is that decisions are made based on the morality in the consequence of the act. With the trolley car, only two options were available: go straight and kill five or steer and kill one. Regardless, one situation was going to occur, that was out of the drivers hands. But which situation would cause lesser damage? With the doctor scenario: let all five patients in need of an organ die, or dissect the perfectly healthy man to save all five? In this case, it would be considered murder. The man in the waiting room had no doing in this situation and would be â€Å"morally† wrong to include him as part of the solution in regards to taking his healthy life. Had the consequences not mattered in this scenario, then the idea of categorical moral reasoning would be taking place. Categorical moral reasoning locates morality in certain duties and rights, regardless of the consequences. It is the doctor’s duty to save the five people in need of an organ transplant, regardless that the man in the next room is healthy and has no part in this situation. The most famous categorical philosopher known to our time in Emmanuel Kant, an 18th century political philosopher, as where the doctrine of utilitarianism was invented by Jeremy Bentham, also and 18th century political philosopher. Bentham believed that the right thing to do is to maximize utility. Utility, in Bentham ’s ides, was the balance of pleasure over pain and happiness over

Delhi’s Air Free Essays

Clean air and healthy environment is a pre-requisite for well being of people. In the modernising world, urban expansion and industrialisation has been a rapid process. With industrial expansion and rapid urbanisation, clean air in cities has become rare phenomena. We will write a custom essay sample on Delhi’s Air or any similar topic only for you Order Now Though, Air Pollution has increasingly become an environmental health hazard over the years in India and the World. The exposure to air pollution has put people at Risk of several kinds, of which health risk is the most prominent one. According to a report by World Health Organisation (WHO) on an estimate 7 million people die each year prematurely as a result of air pollution throughout the globe. Meanwhile the world in present times desires to achieve Sustainability, Delhi’s unsustainable and deteriorating air quality is put under the scanner time and again. India is a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals. The Goal three which calls to promote good health and well-being has targets directly linking to air pollution and health risk; and Goal eleven is about making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe and resilient wherein a specific target is being listed for reducing environmental impacts of cities which include reduction of levels of particulate matter in air as well. Air Pollution in India has become an issue of national importance. Many urban and rural spaces to some extent in India have highly deteriorated air quality. Delhi, being India’s capital is top in the red list. Delhi has also been consistently part of Central Pollution Control Board’s list of Non-attainment cities list with respect to ambient air pollution. This paper is based upon the research conducted upon Delhi’s case of air pollution. Delhi is a union territory and a sub-state, the federal complexities of risk governance of air pollution here has become a tedious task. Since there’s an underlined interface between the public health concern and governance of this health risk. Risk management here is of immense importance and hence governance comes into the picture through governance has become significant for this study. Air pollution in Delhi is not a contemporary cause of concern but has been now deliberated for long by various agencies. Time and again various policy initiatives have been introduced by different governments and authorities to save the Delhi’s Air. This paper through its different sections tries to trace the evolution and structure of this governance process and analyses’ the same. Towards the end, various issues of concern for the air pollution governance in Delhi have been identified and few suggestions have been chalked. How to cite Delhi’s Air, Papers

Institutional Affiliation Products and Services

Question: Discuss about the Institutional Affiliation for Products and Services. Answer: Part A Bizops provides a wide range of products and services across Australia under its brand name. They have about 150 retail, online and phone sale outlets across the country. The companys main value system is based on sustainable business practices. Their highest priority is their customers followed with their staff and providing opportunities for team work, their identity in the market and their sustenance. They are devoted to providing products and services of high quality and innovations to its customers. They operate on the main value system of providing clean and green services and products to their customers. They operate on the value system of equality. Every employee is respected, provided with safe environment and not discriminated based on colour, sexual orientation or financial background. Since BizOps believe in quality service they maintain an employee standard by hiring highly skilled professionals. The staff is also supported through various training programs and awareness is done in the technical field to educate them on the work processes. The success of a company is in its customers and customers can only be satisfied if a certain level of standard is met. Since BizOps believe in high quality they strive to recruit staffs that are intelligible and enthusiastic. They hire people who are proactive and willing to give their best for the success of their business. In the coming years from 2015-2020 their main objective is to be the leading company in providing exclusivity in providing green and sustainable products and services. They want to be the sole retailer of green products through sustainable solutions for high standard and exclusive products. A competitive HR team can help in the formulation of their goals through frequent meetings and seminars. The HR must recruit staff who possesses formal retail qualification to render the required productivity level. Further training must be scheduled to improve their knowledge of technology and awareness on consumer demand. The HR team employs efficient retails sales staff who are competitive in nature and who are trained to provide after sales product support to its customers. They seek to fulfil their goals through the following objectives: Financial stability by increasing their revenue, keeping the annual profit levels stable and reinvest a major part of their revenue back into the business. They also look forward to maintaining the number one rating in the market by producing high quality consumer products to meet their demands within the pre-judged budget. Their goal is to provide training and tech support to its employees and remain ahead of its competitors by providing products according to client needs. Bizops desires to maintain professional and provide adequate support to its staff. They do this by providing training at the beginning of recruitment in order to encourage their employees to be energetic and knowledgeable and proactive. PEST is an analysis tool used to analyse the impact of Political, Economical, Social and Technological aspects on a company. Here we have conducted a PEST analysis of Australias political, economical social and technological aspects to understand the its impact on the human resource factors of Bizops. There is vast global economic crisis that is prevalent at the moment which has obviously affected the country of Australia. As a result job opportunities have decreased considerably. The country is also in the midst of fighting social issues such as abortions, LGBT Adoption rights, legalising Gay marriage. There are a number of political issues too that is on the rise with regards to Muslim immigrants. The recent threat to countrys security is the terrorism activity that is plaguing nations. Should Muslims be allowed immigration into Australia? Australia being a Democratic country that allows freedom of religion and does not discriminate based on religion should ethically and constitutionally allow Muslim immigrants, is the majority view of the nations citizens. Australias technological developments are in the form of a high amount of investment made towards National BroadbandNetwork, finding means to dump nuclear wastes. Based on the countrys analysis made above I believe that the economic issues are most likely to affect Bizops recruitment process. As a result of mild recession prevalent across the world there may be a cut down of staff to cut down costs. In order to maintain diversity in workplace at Bizops they should seek to recruit people of different ethnic backgrounds, financial and cultural backgrounds. People of different religious backgrounds as well as racial differences would play a vital role and varied impact on the productivity of the company. A company requires the contribution of people with various experiences their lifes challenges to make them who they are and that will help them serve better. For example someone who is financially weak will be committed to their work. Similarly someone who has faced racial discrimination will respect other people of different ethnicities and colour. A healthy environment will increase productivity of the people where there is a culture of respect and honour. In order to comply with HR options such as maintaining quality standards and timely production a legislation must be passed for the staff to maintain targets for producing within a given amount of time as well as employees must pass the quality assessments of products in order to expect benefits based on their performances. Roles and Responsibilities of Staff Implementing HR Options Staff must render high quality of services to increase revenue Stability of profit levels and quality must be consistent throughout the years to maintain the profit levels of 15% Their dedication and enthusiasm must remain consistent in order for Bizops to maintain their ranking in the market. Their technological knowhow must be constantly improved; they must find better and faster methods of production to stay ahead of their competitors. A constant mentoring must be in progress to maintain adequate communication with the HR personnel in order to know that they are moving in the right direction. Constant assessments and meetings would be of great help to the HR in understanding company requirements to deliver quality in work. The Australian Human Resources Institute provides in- house corporate training to enhance team performance and performance. Through the Australian Human Resources Institution the organisation can customise their training programs in accordance to the company requirements. The courses are tailor made to fit into the company strategies of business activities. For further details on the in house training program you may contact: customlearning@ahri.com.auor phone Leonie Pilgrim on 1300 239 978. The benefits of HR option will ensure that the organisation is actively working to promote the performance of the company in order to generate the targeted revenue for the company. The HRs active participation in the on- going activities of the company will help increase productivity which will yield higher returns which will result in reinvestment of funds. Agreement Overview This agreement represents a Service Level Agreement between Bizops and Australian Human Resources Institute where the AHRI will provide training to Bizops HR team in order to deliver quality. This Agreement remains valid until superseded by a revised agreement mutually endorsed by the parties. This agreement outlines all the parameters of all services provided and mutually understood and agreed upon. Objectives and Goals The objectives of this agreement is to ensure that the commitments and training procedures are in line with the requirements. The goals of this Agreement are: Chalk out a custom made training resources typical to Bizops requirement Proper assessments to check progress A thorough check on its implementations in workplace Periodic Review This Agreement is valid from the Effective Date outlined herein and is valid until further notice. This Agreement should be reviewed at a minimum once per year; however, in lieu of a review during any period specified, the current Agreement will remain in effect. Bizops is responsible for conducting periodic reviews of the document. Contents of this document may be modified as required, with prior notice to the parties of this agreement and communicated to all affected parties. The Document Owner will include all revisions and obtain mutual approvals as required. Service Agreement The following are the parameters for the training: Technological training Skill based training Communication and Relationship Service Management Bizops will require an assessment report of each trainees periodically to keep a check on their progress levels. The report from the surveys helped to understand that the Training was greatly beneficial to the trainees. The team was extremely energetic and excited to incorporate all they had studied into their practical work place. The training gave them insight into different forms of communication, ways to increase productivity and generate higher revenues without compromising on business ethics. In order to improve the future service delivery the company must maintain their time of delivery. Since the sale is on large scale and on a greater geographical area the company is expected to produce on a larger scale. Furthermore the company must diversify their products to meet the needs people of different genre. We can access ongoing client feedback while the HR options are being implemented by constantly communicating with our customers or making available an online survey to constantly work on our work activities. A thorough analysis report must be prepared firstly on the productivity level, the response to the surveys and the exchange of communication with the buyers their recommendations would help to fetch approval for variations in the production patterns. Additionally a new pattern of work format must be prepared which shows higher quality and quantity that will prove beneficial for the organisation. Such a comprehensive report will help convince the senior management on the success of these changes and remove any ambiguity. The Human Resource information system helps store, retrieve and gather information to perform HR services perfectly. The system provides confidentiality and security for information. Part- D The company believes in two major aspects, Anti- Discrimination and diversity policy. The anti discrimination policy helps the people to work in unison without any personal barriers to ensure high levels of productivity and enthusiasm at work. The company encourages diversity of religion, culture and colour. Any breach of this policy must be reported and strict action will be taken against those who break these rules. Any harassment, bullying or any other offensive conduct among the employees or with the seniors or clients will not be tolerated. Furthermore the companys mission is to provide high quality, speedy deliveries of their products and services and offer innovative solutions and constantly improving their services based on customer feedback. The vision of the company is to provide sustainable products and do it through the policy of clean and green practices at workplace. Their highest level of priority is their customers and efforts are made at every level to suit the growing needs of the customers. They strive for excellent product quality, making sure that products are delivered as quickly as possible or according to commitments made with clients. BizOps believes in employee productivity therefore treats their employees with high regard. Employees are provided with training, given safe environment to work in where people are not treated badly based on their skills or abilities. The company believes in respecting each and every employee. A New legislation incorporating the prerequisites of the value system of the company will help people to maintain considerable level of values and code of conduct. Any breach of such standards will be strictly dealt with through pay cut or laying off. In addition a method of appreciation must also be introduced where every quarterly a closer assessment of each employees behaviour will be done and every employee who exceeds expectations will be publicly rewarded to encourage good behaviour and business ethics at work. This initiative would help in the observation of code of conduct through the company at Bizops and encourage others in the company to follow the same path. Every half yearly a meeting should be held to assess the HR team and their functionality as well as their approach to their work. A thorough study on their response to the expectation of work from them will be done and will be presented before them in order for them to understand the requirements of ethical behaviour from them. In addition to these initiatives a counselling team must be set up from the senior team to counsel the HR in meeting the standard of the company. People who excel must be rewarded in order to encourage improvements in others in the HR team. This step will cause each personnel from the HR team to recognise the standard of values expected of them and the rewarding aspect will help them to push forward without any external pressure from seniors of the Company. The greatest way a company can prepare a healthy working team is by providing incentives to performing well. When the employees have work satisfaction they naturally start to perform in favour of the compan y. The values and code of conduct that BizOps strive to follow is an evidence of their understanding of this aspect of a company. The strength of a company is in its workers, better yet in its HAPPY workers. References "Political Issues Of 2016," last modified 2016, Isidewith, https://australia.isidewith.com/polls. "Tripadvisor Inside - Wiki Travel Guides", 2016, TripAdvisro, Tripadvisor.Com. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g255055-. "Australia: Telephones - Tripadvisor", 2016, Tripadvisor.Com, https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g255055-s605/Australia:Telephones.html. "Recruitment Letter Templates Clinical Research Resources Office Boston University". 2016. Bumc.Bu.Edu. https://www.bumc.bu.edu/crro/recruitment/resources/letters/. "Human Resource Information Systems - What Is Human Resource ?". 2016. Whatishumanresource.Com. https://www.whatishumanresource.com/human-resource-information-systems. "Corporate In-House Training". 2016. Ahri.Com.Au. https://www.ahri.com.au/education-and-training/corporate-in-house-training. Anonymous., 2016. https://www.finance.nsw.gov.au/ict/sites/default/files/resources/Info%2520Sharing%2520SLA%2520Template.doc+cd=1hl=enct=clnkgl=in. Anonymous, 2016., https://aspire-bizops-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/info/vision-mission-values.pdf.