Staffing Organizations - 1563 Words

Coffee Shop Staffing Organizations - Part One 1. Identify the type of employment relationship you would establish between the coffee shop and its Employees, from a legal perspective. Explain your reasoning. In order to determine, from the legal perspective the type of relationship that needs to be establish between the business and its newly hired employees, it is imperative to understand what the definition and the significance of the term â€Å"Employee Relations.† The term â€Å"Employee Relations† is a very broad term that refers to the management, and planning activities that involve the developing, training and improving employees. These activities are accomplished by communicating with the employees through policies and regulations that†¦show more content†¦When dealing with shortage of manpower is a situation a little easier to handle because more hours could be offered to employees in an effort to maintain the productivity of the shop. 5. Outline a strategy for workforce diversity. A diverse workforce is very important for any business to adapt to the always changing demographics. It is especially important for the coffee shop to embrace diversity given the location of the business. My strategy would be first, to develop a hiring strategy to make your workforce resemble the community you operate in. Another easy practice to create a diverse workforce would be to ask existing employees for referrals. Last, but not least, talking to the community organizations to help find candidates. Provide diversity training in your workplace. Diversity training is a vital element of a diversity initiative and signifies the chance for the Coffee Shop, as the employer, to inform and educate the employees about diversity. The goal of diversity training is not only to create and increase awareness of workplace diversity, but also to grow and boost skills among employees to help them communicate more profoundly in the future. Differences in race, sexual orientation, education and work experience can cause tremendous damage between employees and to the business as well. Diversity training has the ability to increase awareness, teach knowledge and educateShow MoreRelatedStaffing and Selection - Person/Job Fit and Person/Organization Fit2206 Words   |  9 PagesThe use of person-job fit and person-organization fit in making selection decisions Pierre-Emmanuel IWEINS 12018013X The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 12018013X@connect.polyu.hk Staffing and Selection MM4161 Simon C.H.CHAN Introduction The goal of any company is to increase its profits and efficiency, and to do that, it need the human capital. Most of the companies have realized their workforce is their most valuable asset because it can give them a competitive advantage. Thus, the duty ofRead MoreStaffing Organizations783 Words   |  4 PagesAssignment 1: Staffing Organizations 1 Staffing Organizations Jeffery E. Dandridge Professor Joyce Mayfield Business 335 Staffing Organizations November 30th, 2012 Staffing Organizations 2 1. Identify the type of employment relationship you would establish between the coffee shop and the employees from a legal perspective. Explain yourRead MoreStaffing Organizations2415 Words   |  10 Pagesestablished and applicants have been generated, the most important part of the staffing process is developing methods to identify individuals who will be the best performers on the job. Anything that identifies good potential performers is a â€Å"predictor.† This includes interviews, standardized tests of knowledge, personality measures, job trials, and so on. Although finding good predictors requires intuition about the job, the organization, and the type of people who are going to apply, demonstrating which predictorsRead MoreStaffing Organization1867 Words   |  8 PagesStaffing Organization –Part 2 Angela Tabor Dr. Timekee Turner - Battle Business 335 August 22, 2012 Formulate a recruitment plan and strategy that will be used to staff the coffee shop initially and throughout the next three years. The recruitment plan and strategy that will be used to staff the coffee shop initially and throughout the next three years will be to solicit the help of an external recruitment agency. Seeking the help of an external recruitment agency wouldRead MoreLeadership, Training, Staffing Employment And Developments Of Indian Manufacturing Units And Indian Organization Essay847 Words   |  4 PagesIn every organization there are some key roles like motivation, leadership, training, staffing employment and developments which are performed by Human Resource Management. These performances are deeply related with each other to the role of leadership and motivations in the organizations. These are the basic and fundamental functions in every organization as well as in the whole of human resource management. It is also related with the role of leadership, motivation, and aims of objectives of theRead MoreOrganization, Planning And Staffing Essay933 Words   |  4 Pagesconcepts from the module entitled ‘ORGANIZATION,PLANNING STAFFING’.Each one of the concepts will be described in terms of its meaning ,will be critically analyzed for its real life application and will be followed by some reference of the current research evidence.Real life application will explore a possible relation ship of the concept with personnal,social,and professional life. ï  ¶ Concept-1 ‘Teamwork’. This concept is taken from â€Å" ORGANIZATION,PLANNING STAFFING† module no.5 entitled as ‘organizationalRead MoreStaffing an Organization Essay1799 Words   |  8 PagesManagement Staffing the Organization Bryant Cozart University of Maryland University College Table of Contents Human Resource Management 3 Staffing 3 Job Analysis 3 Questionnaires 4 Interviews 4 Observation 4 Diary/Log 5 Recruitment 5 Internal Recruiting 6 External Recruiting 7 Web-based Recruiting 8 Selection 8 Interviewing 9 Human Resource Management Staffing the Organization Read MoreBenefits Of Staffing An Organization Essay3181 Words   |  13 PagesThere are numerous components to contemplate while considering staffing an organization. Staffing requires reviewing of duties and task, figuring out compensation and benefits, making reporting determination†¦employee’s supervisor and their supervising role, who does the company want†¦internal or external individual, marketing strategy, staffing process, and staffing selection. An organized and successful human resource department would have incorporated a few components into their daily, weeklyRead MoreStaffing within a Sheriffs Organization1717 Words   |  7 PagesStaffing within a sheriffs organization Introduction Staffing in a Sheriffs organization is an extremely important part of human resource management. It helps to identify the strengths of the current workforce and opportunities for improvement that relate to the delivery of service within the organization. In order to find out the staffing issues within a Sheriffs organization, it is important to conduct an analysis of the whole organization in order to view the arising matters. This assessmentRead MoreStaffing Organizations: Recruitment Strategy1880 Words   |  7 PagesSTAFFING ORGANIZATIONS 2 Staffing Organizations Introduction Recruitment is among the many functions of every organizations human resource management that critically influences the organizations performance. There is a negative impact on the organizational performance and goal achievement limited by poor decision making concerning the recruitment process. Companies should implement effective recruitment and hiring strategies aiming at acquiring skilled personnel for every job position. This

Music The Rave Subculture - 1812 Words

Music is a part of the cultural expression that can be embodied by all people in all generations. Music helps people connect with each other and it is a way for people to express themselves through sounds and the rhythm of the song as well as allowing them to escape reality. There are so many different types of music such as classical and art music tradition. Opera, country, hip-hop, jazz, breakbeat and especially electronic dance music (EDM) that is a new youth cultural phenomenon nowadays. EDM is known as rave subculture that is characterized by wild parties with loud music, neon lights or laser shows, fireworks show, live DJ, alcohol, and drugs. In addition, rave subculture is involved with youth, mostly from the of fifteen to thirty†¦show more content†¦In a music festival, ravers are a major component of a rave culture. Ravers who are about fifteen to thirty years old are from around the world and all come to EDM to enjoy the music together. I remember, in March 2017, I went to Ultra Miami music festival. I met many people who were from Germany, Japan, Italia, Korea, China, and Brazil. All of them flew from their countries to Miami to attend Ultra Miami electronic dance music festival. Ravers are from many countries around the world so there is no official language or jargon. However, EDM is the language of rave subculture. â€Å"Ravers also exist in urban and virtual social spaces such as a warehouse, dance club, fields, basements, chat room, and new groups† (Wilson 2006, 123). Thus, at the raves, there is no age, racial, sex, race discrimination between ravers. All of them come to any music festival to dance and enjoy music together. Rave’s identity maker as rave fashion is an important thing in rave subculture. The most important thing of rave clothing is always to wear something that they can imagine themselves dancing in hours on straight without missing any beat. They like wearing lightweight clothes and bright colors that glow well under UV lights and give off a neon lights appearance. For example, the girls often wear â€Å"bikini top with short skirts or ballerina’s tutus.Show MoreRelatedIs Dance Music a Subculture or Has it Now Become a Culture in its Own Right?967 Words   |  4 Pages Is Dance Music a Subculture or Has it Now Become a Culture in its Own Right? Classically subcultures define themselves as other and subordinate to the dominant culture. Many cultural theorists such as Stuart Hall and Dick Hebdige have been chiefly concerned with the ways in which subcultures subvert and pose a resistance to the established order through their expressive dress codes and rituals. Dance music seems to depart from these theories of youth cultureRead MoreOn Raves and Club Drugs1058 Words   |  4 Pagescounting the days back with full of excitement like little kids around Christmas and the day had come. When we got off the road the beat of the music in the background just hit our ears. As we approached to the scene the music got louder with our excitement as well and we finally got there. Hundreds of our friends were already jumping around to our special music in the hangar with the hugest smile in their face. I could feel the love in the air in the shadow of the laser lights. We were so happy thatRead MoreSubculture/Counterculture of Raves1834 Words   |  8 Pages10 October 2011 Raves and Ecstasy Rave. What does one think of the word rave? Does ranting and raving come to mind as a way of communication or does flashing lights, dance music, and the use of drugs come to mind? If the youth of society were to be asked this question, every single of one of them would refer the word rave as a party filled with dance music and ecstasy. This youth movement has evolved into an electronic music subculture known as rave (Morris 1). A subculture is a separate worldRead MoreElectro House Subculture1053 Words   |  5 PagesSubculture: Electro House Raver The hallway is dark and all you hear are melodic beats getting steadily louder growing with your anticipation as you walk closer to the entrance. The hallway opens up to a huge warehouse stuffed with ravers. Strobe lights blind you at first but their inviting energy gets you in the mood. Up front is a DJ mixing continuous beats making the floor pulsate. All of your senses are heightened giving everything movement and energy. Electro House is more than just a genreRead MoreEscape From Wonderland645 Words   |  3 Pagesescape from reality or a form of entertainment to a married couple, music brings everyone together. While some individuals may see music as nothing more than a song on the radio, it may be a major part of someone else’s life. Every month ravers unite as a community that spread positivity and love around one another at rave parties while they vibe and dance to electronic music from sunset to the early morning. In the late fifties, â€Å"rave† was first used in Britain as a title for the wild bohemian partiesRead MoreThe Rave Subculture Essay2619 Words   |  11 PagesThe dizzying laser lights flashed in synchronicity with the pulsating bass of the music that bounced off the psychedelic warehouse walls. As my boyfriend and I mentally attempted to organize the chaos surrounding us, we pushed our way through the crowd of spasmodic lunatics who contorted their bodies in time with the music and lights. We located a couch in a room covered with cartoonesque, hyper-graphic graffiti. An androgynous man sat himself at my feet and began massaging my thighs, while a girlRead MoreEssay On Edm1249 Words   |  5 PagesThe awareness of the drug use from DJs allowed them to better cater their music for their audience. When DJs had lyrics in their mixes, they would frequently include themes of love and acceptance. Additionally, DJs will often include white noise, initially beginning at a low pit ch and volume, gradually increasing during the buildups of their songs before the drop. This supposedly garners a positive reaction from the audience who is rolling and have a heightened sense of hearing. These traits canRead MoreDance Music and Moral Panic3609 Words   |  15 Pagesto popular music culture: Stanley Cohen. You may use a case study approach in your answer. Scholars such as Rietveld suggest that; The British Culture has a long history in regulating pleasures associated with parties. A fear seems to exist of the unregulated body that dances and is intoxicated...It is therefore not surprising that the acid house parties; that heady mix of house ‘n’ E events in 1998, were followed by various moral panics. (Rietveld, 1998, pp. 253-4.) The dance music genre thatRead MoreThe Role of Music in Forming and Transforming Identities2290 Words   |  9 Pagesand cultural traditions, discuss the role of music in forming and transforming identities.’ Introduction This essay will explore the role of music with regards to the formation and transformation of identities within the ‘emo’ subculture contrasting it to the dance music tradition. The subculture of emo music engulfed many young adults of today’s generation including myself and those who were drawn to its spectrum and their affiliation to the music will allow for an in-depth analysis of pointsRead MoreThe Subculture Of Consumption History And Origins2409 Words   |  10 Pageswith the theme of oceanic concepts. Seapunk as its own subculture has its own lifestyle incorporating history, how they differ from other groups, dress behavior, and satirical styles and rules. Discussion Subculture of consumption background information Subculture of consumption history and origins. Seapunk is a virtual aesthetic of music and art forms, generally surrounding oceanic concepts, blue hues, and the 90s rave era. This subculture is birthed out of the Internet, using social media sites

Law of Corporations and Business Organizations

Question: Discuss about the Law of Corporations and Business Organizations. Answer: Introduction: According to Section 198A of the Corporate Act 2001, the directors of the company are responsible for managing affairs of the company or they give direction to others to work in certain pattern. However the constitution of the company may provide separate requirements which may be discussed in the annual general meeting of the company. There is no specific method of conducting any business given in the general meeting. The members decide which people are to be appointed as directors, how much money to be paid to them, voting criteria, approval which relate to party transactions, voting on the non binding report, amending the constitution, institute statutory derivative actions, accessing the agenda to be discussed by the shareholders in the meeting, accessing the registered number of shareholders, requesting the circulation of the statement to all members. There are provisions in constitutions of companies which allow directors to delegate their responsibilities to other people like managing directors, committees appointed by the board etc (Balotti and Finkelstein, 2008). Directors of the company can give any powers to the managing directors and they might differ from person to person. An agreement is constituted when a director is appointed. Since they are officers of the company, they are entrusted by the common law of the land with duty which is of fiduciary nature to work according to the companys benefit. In the modern day internal management, provisions of the companys composition are shown upon. Directors of non executive nature of big companies are unable to control business affairs every day with same efficacy. Similarly there is no law which forces upon them to deliver their expertise in such daily large scale business affairs. Sections 191 to Section 195 of the Corporation Act deal with conflict of interest. Directors having a material personal interest in a matter relating to the affairs of the company disclose the interest to the directors unless a s 191(2) exception applies. The directors should always mention their interest in the company affairs in the standing notice. The said notice should keep factual details like the level of interest and the type of interest and the date on which the interest arose which is linked to company affairs. The Corporations Act 2001 including a number of provisions which needs directors in disclosing material personal interest. Section 191 of the Corporation Act needs the director in disclosing any company affair related interest. Section 195 excluding the public company directors to vote on the matter which is related to material personal interests unless exception applies to section 195 (Davies, 2008). The directors difficulty is the material personal interest is not defined in the Corporation Act and in a few cases having considered the scope of the term. Section 191 (2)(a) (iii) has applied to interests relating to a contract where the company has proposed in entering into the subject to approval by the members and does not imposing any obligation on the firm and is held in common with other members of the company (Glazer, 2012). The fact that the directors have interest in the company business is important to operations of sections 191 and 195 of the Corporations Act, but not mentioned in the Act. The concept also receives attention from legal fraternity. When material interest is talked about it always refers to remuneration to the directors and vote related matters pertaining to the board of directors. An interest does not become personal when the director has a different duty like related to another firm who has interest with the present company unless something proves the interest of the director. The directors are under moral responsibility to avoid circumstances where duties clash which results into confusion. Conflicting duties are not controllable and directors should make suure that such possibilities are minimized. Corporation Act 2001 SECT 250R pertains to the business of Annual General Meeting. SECT 250R(2) of listed companys annual general meeting deals with passing of the resolution adopted on remuneration by putting it to vote. However it is imperative to inform members that such a resolution on remuneration will be placed in the meeting according to paragraph 249L(2) According to 250 R(3), the key management are not in compulsion to vote as this voting on resolution is only advisory type. However section 250R(4) of Corporation Act clearly indicates who should not cast a vote on such resolution as enumerated below. Somebody who work in the top tier of the company having income data to be entered in the report pertaining to it must not cast a vote and also somebody on behalf of Closely Related Party of the above members cannot cast a vote under any pretext. The directors of a company are members of the key management and as clearly stated in 250R(3) of the Corporation Act, they would have to abstain from participating in such voting process on the resolution in the interest of the company as well as putting forward any sort of recommendation on such resolution (Hill and McDonnell, 2009). A person may be chosen to vote on behalf of the original person to vote regarding resolution and mention on what basis he or she is qualified to do so. If the person is a proxy who is appointed by writing specifying how the proxy is to vote on Resolution 1 or the person is the Chairman of the Meeting and appointed as the proxy using the proxy form circulating with the Notice of Meeting(Strine,2010).. However the proxy voter will also be able to cast his vote by specifying how he will vote on Resolution and as authorized chairman of the company including the fact that the resolution is in link with the earnings in either ways of the top tier personnel of the company. As per subsection 6 of 250R of the Corporations Act, 2001, ASIC can declare in black and white that for this specified resolution, subsection 4 may not apply or this does not debar any person or on behalf of a key person to provide his opinion through casting his vote on the specific resolution. However, this undertaking can only be adopted if it felt that such decisions may cause injustice to any key personnel of the company. It should not be taken for granted that such a declaration is legal and legislative right and has to be decided upon in right spirit (Welch et al., 2015). In case a certain person cast his vote against the norms as declared in subsection 4, it is taken as contravention of the subsection and will be adequately dealt with as an offense. Even if such a vote is cast it will not be counted as a valid vote and will be considered as if the vote has not been cast. This also means such vote will not be counted while calculating on percentage of vote even though the resolution may or may not be passed. Thus to sum up the Section 250 R(2) and (3) it is important to identify whose vote are counted when somebody is voting on behalf of a person. These are (i) if he is identified as a proxy voter representing the actual voter (ii) if he is voting on somebodys behalf and (iii) if he possesses a share of the company for which he has (a) voting powers (b) he can exercise power or exercise control over his authority to vote (Wells, 2009). Conclusion The above three sections which have been discussed elaborately mainly caters to the functioning of companies under the proper decorum and clearly mention the dos and donts for the smooth operation of such corporate companies. If the Corporation Act adheres to properly, there will be no obstruction in the proper functioning without any legal hassles. The AGM of a company is very important as it is a forum to highlight the performance of the company to its shareholders and also taking important decisions and resolutions which has been taken care of by this Act. It is expected that this corporate act will provide suitable cover guarantee to the directors and the key persons to run this company in a efficient manner. References Balotti, R.F. and Finkelstein, J.A., (2008). Delaware Law of Corporations and Business Organizations: Statutory Deskbook 2009 (Vol. 4). Aspen Publishers Online. Davies, P.L., (2008). Gower Davies: the principles of modern company law. Sweet Maxwell. Glazer, D.W., (2012). Massachusetts Corporation Law and Practice. Aspen Publishers Online. Hill, C. and McDonnell, B., (2009). Executive Compensation and the Optimal Penumbra of Delaware Corporation Law. Va. L. Bus. Rev., 4, p.333. Strine, L.E., Hamermesh, L.A., Balotti, R.F. and Gorris, J.M., (2010). Loyalty's Core Demand: The Defining Role of Good Faith in Corporation Law. Georgetown Law Journal, 93, p.629. Welch, E.P., Saunders, R.S., Land, A.L., Voss, J.C. and Turezyn, A.J., (2015). Folk on the Delaware General Corporation Law: Fundamentals. Wolters Kluwer Law Business. Wells, H., (2009). The Modernization of Corporation Law, 1920-1940.University of Pennsylvania Journal of Business Law,11.

Whisper of Aids free essay sample

Fisher wanted people to know that AIDS can happen to anyone. In her speech she said, â€Å"It [AIDS] does not care whether you are Democrat or Republican; it does not ask whether you are black or white, male or female, gay or straight, young or old. † In this speech, she was talking to the Republican National Convention. By comparing the two completely opposite political parties (Republicans and Democrats), it shows that truly anyone can be victims of this disease. Fisher really made people think when she stated, â€Å"Though I am white and a mother, I am one with a black infant struggling with tubes in a Philadelphia hospital. Though I am female and contracted this disease in marriage and enjoy the warm support of my family, I am one with the lonely gay man sheltering a flickering candle from the cold wind of his family’s rejection. † She used a method known as â€Å"pathos†, which is using emotions to convince an audience in what you are saying. We will write a custom essay sample on Whisper of Aids or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page By a normal woman comparing herself to the typical stereotypes of AIDS, Fisher opened eyes about this disease. Many people thought only African American’s could contract AIDS because the disease is said to be originated from Africa and the disease was well-known there. Fisher was known to be very wealthy. This also helped people realize it’s not just the poor it can happen to. Fisher also talked about President Bush Sr. ’s family supporting her through this time. This is interesting because Republicans are known as the â€Å"conservative† party vs. the Democrat party, so typically democrats would have been more likely to accept AIDS epidemic. I believe Fisher brought up President Bush to make Republicans more open to the idea of â€Å"normal† people contracting AIDS. When Fisher told people from the beginning that she got contracted her STD from her husband, she was automatically thought of as honest. It was good for her to be known as honest because then the audience trusted her and really believed in what she had to say. Fisher used pathos many times in this speech. When she started talking about her family, she really hit home to many Americans. Everyone who had children could relate to her at that point. She stated, â€Å"My son Max, now four, will take the measure of his mother. My son Zachary, now two, will sort through his memories. I may not be here to hear their judgments, but I know already what I hope they are. I want my children to know that their mother was not a victim. She was a messenger. I do not want them to think, as I once did, that courage is the absence of fear. † In my opinion this was the most touching part of her speech. Talking about her children was really emotional to read and by her stating that she might not be there to hear her judgments made people realize that this disease is serious and deadly. Her final statement, â€Å"To all within the sound of my voice, I appeal: Learn with me the lessons of history and of grace, so my children will not be afraid to say the word â€Å"AIDS† when I am gone. Then, their children and yours may not need to whisper it at all. God bless the children, God bless us all. Goodnight. † showed America that AIDS is not something to be ashamed of and not something that needs to be hidden. Mary Fisher did an outstanding job at influencing people’s thoughts about AIDS. In this time and day, AIDS is well known and it’s not something people are embarrassed to talk about. She made it her goal to let people know AIDS can happen to anyone and warned people to be cautious of it. Fisher changed the life’s’ of many and how we look at AIDS today.

Alice in Wonderland Differences essays

Alice in Wonderland Differences essays At the mention of the name Alice, one tends to usually think of the childrens stories by Lewis Carroll. Namely, Alices Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are two classic works of childrens literature that for over a century have been read by children and adults alike. These two stories tell the tale of a young girl named Alice who finds herself in peculiar surroundings, where she encounters many different and unusual characters. Although Alice is at the center both stories, each tale is uniquely different in its purpose, characters and style. Carroll first published Alice Adventures in Wonderland in 1865, three years after he had first told the story to the young girl Alice Liddell and her sisters, following for a story. The creation of this story began on a river picnic as Carroll began telling the tale of Alice in Wonderland to entertain the girls. Through the Looking Glass was published six years after the first, when Alice was a teenager. This story was more logical than the first and clearly differed from it in both its style and direction. The introduction of Alice and how she finds herself in the other world is very different in each of the stories. In Alices Adventures in Wonderland, Alices curiosity and boredom leads her to follow the White Rabbit as he rushes passed her. She ends up falling down the rabbit hole which takes both her and the reader into a world of magic and disorder. Carrolls Wonderland is a place where Alice finds many of the characters difficult and odd. She encounters various characters along her journey, many of whom likely represented real people known to the real Alice Liddell. Throughout the first story, Alice also finds herself growing and shrinking at various stages, something that Carroll does not repeat in Through the Looking Glass. Alices curiosity also leads her into the other world in Throug ...

Fast Food Essays

Fast Food Essays Fast Food Essay Fast Food Essay In the book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser investigates the working conditions in both the fast food restaurant and the modern slaughterhouse, which supply fast food as their main customer for ground beef. In chapter three, Behind the Counter, Schlosser talks mainly about the working experiences of employees at Mc Donalds. Majority of the workers are teens, elderly, or immigrants willing to work for a low wage and require little experience. In chapter eight, The Most Dangerous Job, he investigates the slaughterhouse. Schlosser goes into detail about how the meatpacking industry has become the most dangerous job in America. About two-thirds of the nations fast food workers are under the age of twenty. Since the fast food industry seeks to find unskilled part-time workers that are willing to work for minimum wage, teenagers are their first choice. Their young inexperienced minds makes it easier to control and theyre less expensive to hire than adults. Schloss er interviewed many teens that stated they enjoyed working at fast food restaurants. They enjoyed making money, getting away from school and home, hanging out with friends at work, and goofing off in the kitchen. As much fun as that sounds, the adolescents still have to deal with the rude, demanding customers and long, tiring shifts. According to the Fair Labor Act, the employment of kids under the age of sixteen are prohibited to work more than three hours on a school day, or later than seven oclock. Some of the teens interviewed by Schlosser claimed that theyve worked until two, sometimes three in the morning. Working these long hours causes problems like neglecting their homework, being exhausted in class, fewer participants in sports, dropping out of school, and industries. Common injuries include slips, falls, strains, and burns. In the beginning of The Most Dangerous Job Schlosser takes a tour of the slaughterhouse, feeling sick and disgusted, he was determined to get through the whole

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Philosophy - Essay Example Turing’s article discussed the famous Turing test, i.e. the imitation game. A similar take on Turing’s philosophy is John Searle’s Chinese room argument or thought experiment. In this essay, I would like to share something vital that I learned in our discussions in class, as well as something that I learned beyond our class discussions, since the topic was of great value to me. I shall give an overview of Turing and Searle’s philosophy of mind. Afterwards, I shall show how their philosophy is of much value to me, in this present day. For, I do believe that topics such as these are not only valuable inside classrooms but also in the real world, that is, in my life. To begin with, like Turing, the Chinese room argument or thought-experiment, advanced by John Searle (1980), specifically challenges the view of artificial intelligence or what is more commonly known as the computational theory of mind. It challenges the claim that all there is in having a mind i s the implementation of a computer program, and that as a consequence, the mental states of humans are no different in kind from the computational states of a running computer program. The Chinese room argument challenges this claim by showing that, unlike humans, computers do not know what the contents of their computational states (or the symbols they manipulate) are about or represent in the world. What computers only know of these symbols are their shapes and the ways in which they should be combined according to the rules of their programs. The Chinese room argument, in its simple form, goes this way. Imagine a native English speaker who does not understand Chinese is locked in a room with only two outlets. Outside of this room are native Chinese speakers who do not know who or what is inside the room. In one outlet, the Chinese speakers give the person inside the room several manuscripts bearing Chinese symbols and a manual of English instructions for manipulating these Chines e symbols. The person inside the room does not even know that the symbols are Chinese; he only recognizes and individuates the symbols according to their shapes or formal properties. Now imagine that the manual, which the person has immediately mastered, says that if he recognizes certain combinations of symbols in the manuscripts given to him in one outlet, then he should arrange certain combinations of symbols and send them to the persons outside the room through the other outlet. Suppose that what the person inside the room sends to the persons outside the room are correct answers to the questions that the persons outside the room ask him through the manuscripts that they send him. In this case, in so far as the persons outside the room are concerned, the person inside the room understands Chinese. But the fact is the person inside the room does not understand the symbols—he does not even know that they are Chinese; he does not know what they represent; and he simply manip ulates them according to the instructions in the manual. Technically speaking, he does not know the semantics of those symbols; he only knows their syntax. So does that count as intelligence? Similarly, an important thought experiment that is used to defend the views of artificial intelligence is the Turing test as discussed in our previous lessons. It will be recalled that according to this test, if after a series of questions and answers, the human interrogator could not tell, on