M9 (Levenson)

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What, if any, has been your experience with the Hawthorne effect on a job?

My experience with something comparable to the Hawthorne effect has come from my current position. When I became the store manager at my current workplace, I learned all of the duties of the position and policies of my company; it seemed like my idea of a typical management position. Since then, the company has initiated a program set up to catch up with the times-updating systems, creating new training programs, providing more tools for the customers, etc. Corporate has also encouraged us at the store level to become more involved with both our customers and throughout the company. We have competitions within our districts, are encouraged to be creative, and are asked for our opinions and ideas regularly. Even at our quarterly meetings, there are themes, games, and more brand reps coming to support us and get us involved. This has given me a feeling of belonging within my company and made me to believe that I am appreciated and my ideas respected, even though I am a thousand miles from the next closest store.

Describe a supervisor who was a poor supervisor (un-motivating, indecisive, uncaring, etc.) — what were their characteristics or actions that made you feel that way?

The only poor supervisor I have had was when I was in my early 20’s. At first I thought she was really “chill’ for a boss, and seemed like she was everyone’s friend. It didn’t take a lot of time to realize that she was passive-aggressive and manipulative. A supervisor shouldn’t have to use these tactics in order for their employees to do what the manager needs done. Instead of continuing to train me, especially after moving from sales associate to merchandiser, she had those who had been there a little longer than I had to teach me. At times they would show me how to do something, and I would later find out that it wasn’t actually how my supervisor wanted it done. She also would keep important information to herself about what was going on in the company and store. We never had team meetings or did anything as a group, so I felt like it was every worker for themselves most days. The final characteristic that resulted in my leaving that job, was that the manager did not take personal responsibility when something went wrong in the store. She literally blamed others for her actions at times.

M7 (Levenson)

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Research and find an alternative/opposing point of view to Climate Change as proposed in the Introduction.

Although I know others have read and sourced Procon.org as their resource for this question, I thought it was a very interesting source. This website identifies multiple arguments that reinforce the negative impacts climate change has had and the causes of them. For each “pro’ there is a “con’ of climate change that challenges these facts. While most of the scientific jargon is unidentifiable to me, the basics are simple. For most of the “cons’ research has been done explaining that humans really might not be the primary reason for the current climate changes. Some of the most interesting “cons’ on this website are those describing natural changes that have occurred for centuries just like those we have been seeing in the last 50 years that have been the source of fear regarding this issue.

Learning Objectives:

1)What obligations do we have to future generations?  

In my opinion, the section of chapter 7 had some ridiculous philosophical arguments and idea regarding obligations to future generations. Simply, I believe that we should take care of this earth  now for all humans, including those currently living on this earth, and those who have yet to be born. There should be the utmost concern of those future generations and what we are doing present day to harm or help our planet; without regard for them, the human species will not survive.

2) Does nature have value in itself?

I believe that nature does indeed have value in itself. Within the chapter, plants and animals and how they are affected by us is mentioned. With this in mind, I do think that these parts of the ecosystems that make up our planet deserve respect and consideration. Whether or not humans think the Grand Canyon is special shouldn’t matter, because at some point, destroying it would mean destroying a functioning ecosystem. The human condition is the reason why questioning nature’s values exists. If humans would stop arguing the philosophical reasoning behind why we do or do not have the right to do whatever we please, and remember that the earth serves us, then our function in this world would be less consequential.

Who should pay the cost for protecting the environment — those responsible for causing the pollution or those who stand to benefit from protection and restoration. Explain your position.

I believe that the majority of the cost for protecting the environment should come from those responsible for causing the pollution. I understand the questions that arise from this thinking; the consumers have benefited and continue to buy products and use services from those that create pollution, so shouldn’t they be responsible to some degree? However, individuals may not be able to change as much as large corporations. Because of this, I think that it is mainly the responsibility of these large corporations to make the changes necessary to decrease pollution. Consequentially, consumers and the general population that would benefit would ultimately help pay due to increase costs or taxes, so they would end up paying as well.

 

Resources

https://climatechange.procon.org/

M6 (Levenson)

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It might not seem like the biggest problem to many people, but the illegal/unauthorized sales of professional hair products is a big issue in the beauty product industry. I work in this field, and I know all about how you can find professional brands for sale at places like Fred Meyer’s, Walgreens, and Amazon even though they are not supposed to be there. Many professional brands have contractual agreements with the companies they sell to in order to avoid diversion, yet these contracts are constantly broken in secret. Why is this a problem? First of all, the sellers of these products are making money that should be going to the true retailers and salons that sell the products to their clients. Also, these products being sold are typically expired, contaminated, or not the advertised product at all! Using expired or contaminated hair products can leave nasty residue on the scalp and in hair causing many other issues, including infections. Chapter 6 in our textbook briefly mentioned how beauty products are not regulated, and this applies for hair care as well. These secret sales are not usually done by the brand themselves, but hurts them implicitly. Unfortunately, this problem has been going on so long that only the consumers can be the fix for this.

 

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/out-of-date-contaminated-and-counterfeit-salon-brands-could-end-up-on-store-shelves

M2 (Levenson)

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A couple of months ago, I was driving down College Road with a full car; my boyfriend was in the front seat and our two dogs in the back. As we were heading home, a dog darted out into the street and ran across all lanes. I saw him and slowed down, but a car driving on the other side of the road in the opposite direction did not, and grievously hit the dog. We saw the dog roll under the car, and then run back across the street. We were shocked, and my first instinct was to pull over to see if it needed help. The dog jumped into a car, which was his owner’s, and stayed in there crying. The owner was stunned and didn’t know what to do because it was Easter and most offices were closed; I let him know the emergency vet was just a block away, found the number for him, and made sure he didn’t need anything else before I left.

I believe this is an example of Kant’s ethics. First of all, our textbook explains the concept of duty which is encompassed in good will, and how “when we act from a sense of duty…our actions have moral worth” (Shaw, pg. 57). I believe that the instinct of helping another being forms out of the “formula of humanity” that Kant included in his ideas. This formula states: “Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end, and never as a mere means” (Kant & Categorical Imperatives). All of this wraps back around to ethics revolving around having empathy for another human. Universal acceptability can also be a way of explaining this example simply by following the golden rule: treat others how you would like to be treated.

 

Resources:

M1 (Levenson)

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How do we develop our ethics? What are the primary sources for us to develop our ethical position?

The idea of ethics is interesting in the manner that they are a powerful source for us to help guide our actions in life. Our decisions can, and should be, influenced by this want to do the “right” thing. While an individual’s moral code is deeply personal, it seems as though they are developed by external factors. Our textbook makes it very clear; our upbringing and those who surround us at early ages are influential for the rest of our lives, including the point in which we start to decide what it means to be ethical for ourselves.

I believe in regards to ethics, both nature and nurture have a part to play in developing our ethical position. If we grow up in a religious family, that could impart a lot of ethical standards on us. If a child’s parents are involved in criminal activity, they may be less willing to teach their children the typical “right” and “wrong’s.” Then throughout that child’s life, they will eventually grow up, and get thrown into the real world where they will have plenty of opportunities to experience situations where it becomes obvious that there are a multitude of grey areas.  This  could be where nature comes into play. We recognize what our conscience is saying and might start questioning what we had believed to be morally responsibility in our former years. As humans, we have the capacity to never stop developing our values.