In the event when the expansions in operations exceed the available limits, it will be advisable to look for another facility for expansion. The best place to look for this new facility will be in the same area as where the old facility was located. This is due to the availability of factors of production in the area especially labor and raw materials. I would view several facilities before deciding on which one to pick. This will ensure that I pick the best facility for the task at hand.
Information technology is essential in the operations of any facility (Lerner and Soudry, 2011). It has found several applications in our facility. It is used to calculate the wages of employees, ensure that all machines are running efficiently, assist in production and control various systems in the facility. It has helped to save time and energy which was required to do this work manually. Through the use of computers, the operation and maintenance of machines has been more effective and efficient. The use of IT in the facility has boosted production and increased the profits earned.
Policy statement 1 which says the customer is always right and should be satisfied should be left in the hands of the decision maker for interpretation. This is because the main aim of our facility is to satisfy the needs of our consumers. This will assist to create consumer loyalty and increase the chances of survival in the long run. The words in this policy statement should therefore remain the same because they put forward the aim and objectives which want to be achieved by the firm.
At some point in the management of this organization, the policies that have been formulated to ensure that the operations of the firm are smooth and efficient have failed in application. They are no longer effective or efficient in application. This is because they led to the development of bureaucracy in the leadership of the firm. For example, the introduction of decision making on key issues by top managerial staff was a brilliant idea. It was believed that the managerial staff had a good experience hence make wise decisions, but this was not realized. At the moment, the firm has started to involve staff from all levels in decision making.
There have been several constraints in finding solutions for the firm. Initially, this task was left to the managerial staff. However, with their failure staff of all levels are vested with this responsibility especially those in lower levels. It is the lower level staff that have up to date information concerning the needs of customers therefore the solutions which they make have a positive effect in the firm.
Recently, I made the decision to increase production due to a belief that demand would increase due to the increase in the prices of other alternative sources of power. This move did not materialize as the demand of batteries did not increase. We had to reduce their selling price to ensure that we sold more units in the market and realize some profits from the move.
Production forces affects the decision making process of any firm (Mockler, 2002). The employees of the firms have been suggesting an increment in their payment rates. This firm values its employees a lot. They are the strength which has helped us to grow and develop. As a result, we increased their wages by 12%last month. To recover this excess cost, we had to increase the price per unit and minimize marketing costs to gain profits from the venture.
References
Lerner, A. and Soudry, M. (2011) Armed Conflict Injuries to the Extremities: A Treatment Manual. New York: Springer
There are several qualities of statistics that are highly important and the prominent absence of these qualities is denting the reputation of the field of statistics (Brown & Keeley, 2008). Statistical data and information should be reliable, valid and relevant for them to be credible but when there are fallacies and misrepresentations in any statistical evidence, it affects the fairness of the whole text. This paper will analyze a statistical text derived from the internet and point out various statistical fallacies and misrepresentation and discuss the overall fairness of the text. The paper will analyse an article written by the associated press regarding the use of bio diesels.
The bio diesel industries have been under attack by some critics who have used some false statistics and misrepresentation to make their point. In this article, the author quotes a world bank report that argued that Bio fuels in American and Europe has pushed food prices up by more than 75 % contradicting another White House report that had claimed that the contribution of bio fuels towards increase in food prices is negligible. According to this report, other factors have marginal contribution and bio fuels are to blame for the skyrocketing food prices. According to the report without bio fuels, the worldwide maize and wheat stocks would not have declined like they have and this would have kept food prices low. This report therefore implies that crop driven fuels are responsible for the food riots that have been witnessed in various parts of the world and rising cases of starvation caused exceedingly high food prices. The article attacks the industry by claiming that it takes food and turns it into fuel. The article claims that the bio diesel industry has reduced the food available for human and animal consumption by 13 percent. This is a fallacy because bio diesel is actually made of oil extracted from crops such as cottonseed and soya beans and after the extraction of the oil, the by product is still edible especially by animals. Secondly, the article misrepresents some facts because most of the crops that are used to provide bio diesel are not food crops. These crops include Algae and jatropha and their usage does not threaten food security in any way. The article also claimed that bio diesel is a pollutant and its usage should be limited to 20 percent. In real sense bio diesel creates 48% less carbon dioxide than other fuels and they also produce negligible amounts of hydrocarbons. The article had called on the Environment Protection Agency and the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality to limit the usage of bio diesels and should the two agencies respond to these calls, they would be acting on falsified information because bio diesels cut carbon monoxide by half meaning that it is one of the most environmentally friendly fuels.
Another controversial claim by the article is that bio fuels cannot replace fossil fuels without exploiting the scarce land resource. The article claims that growing foods for bio fuels requires 10 percent more land and this will strain the already scarce land resource. This is a statistical fallacy because it is possible to grow all that is needed to replace fossil fuels in less than 3 percent of the arable land in the country. For example, Algae can be harvested on lands that cannot support other crops and this would put non arable land into positive use. The article also rises against bio fuels saying that it consumes a lot of energy (Batman, 2101). The article claims that bio diesel is not an effective fuel because it uses as much energy as it creates meaning that fossil fuels are more efficient than bio diesel. This is the worst misrepresentation so far because research has shown that bio diesel produces 4 times the energy it uses meaning that it is the most effective form of fuel because it does not put a strain on energy resources. The only problem with bio fuel is that it is not as convenient as fossil fuels but bio diesel beats fossil fuels in terms of energy efficiency.
This article is not fairly presented because it tends to use invalid and un- reliable information that cannot be easily substantiated. There is no enough evidence to support the statistics that the article quotes while some of the facts presented are self contradictory. These statistical fallacies and misrepresentations seem to be expertly calculated to discredit the bio diesel industry which is posing a huge threat to the petroleum industry by providing an alternative source of fuel. Facts have been misrepresented in order to serve certain selfish ends but it is easy for a keen observer to identify some of the misrepresentations and fallacies in the article since they go against what qualitative and quantitative research has documented. The article does not indicate when and how this research that came up with the statistics it is fronting was carried neither has it quoted credible sources. All in all the fallacies and misrepresentations in this article are quite striking making the information presented by its author unrealiable and invalid.
The first claim that has to be examined is the idea that salespeople do not have access to marketing resources that could be helpful in promoting the watches. It directly relates to the notion of hasty generalization because the organization did not perform any in-depth analyses of its sales or marketing efforts (Boss, 2017). Therefore, the team might have mistakenly hypothesized that the market is slowing down because of several reports prepared by other companies. The team should look into its own data instead and ensure that all data sets are considered.
The second claim eligible for examination is the lack of positive interaction between the marketing department and the financial manager. It is a rather vivid example of a red herring fallacy because one of the parties accuses the other one in a possible attempt to cover up its own faults. The problem with this logical fallacy is that there were no audits performed to be certain of the fact that any of the given units tend to conceal information or share invalid data with their colleagues (Boss, 2017). Eventually, the team might find out that its claims were erroneous, but it would be too late to introduce any changes.
The third claim to be examined is the assertion that salespeople are not doing a great job and, therefore, have to be kicked out from the organization in order to help the management improve sales. This is an example of the post hoc ergo propter hoc logical fallacy because there is no proven association between the salespeople being completely responsible for the state of affairs in the market and target audience behaviors (Boss, 2017). Accordingly, the established sales goals could be merely inadequate and have nothing to do with the professional attitude and skills of the companys salespeople.
Identifying Potential Fallacies
Creative thinking could be inhibited by hasty generalization because this logical fallacy creates a situation where employees do not have enough courage or interest to explore new possibilities. Accordingly, a single report regarding the ineffectiveness of the salespeoples actions could lead to irrational decisions and potentially negative outcomes for the organization (Larsson, 2018). Wrong conclusions are synonymous with the lack of creativity because they avert the responsible individuals from thinking that they could be able to perform something unorthodox and actually succeed as a result.
The red herring logical fallacy might also be a devastating factor in terms of affecting creative thinking within the organization. The main reason for considering it is the high rate of the team becoming too preoccupied with secondary issues that have nothing to do with productivity and flexibility, leaving practically no room for creative decisions and approaches (Islam, 2020). The red herring fallacy seems to be the most impactful for the organization because it could lead the workers to lose precious time and resources while focusing on a secondary issue.
The post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy is a limitation for creative decision-making as well because it mostly dwells on the link between different organizational elements that have to be created to explain the existing failure. Without a proven link between a drop in sales and organizational lack of performance in certain units, such claims only have a negative impact on creativity and avert employees from forecasting organizational successes (Islam, 2020). Creativity cannot exist within an environment where workers are recurrently misled by the management decisions and tend to see logical connections between elements that do not relate to each other in any way.
Overcoming the Fallacies
The first possible strategy to help the team overcome the logical fallacies identified above would be to address hasty generalization. In order to do it, the team would have to engage in a never-ending exploration of options and market possibilities instead of focusing on the claim that nothing could be done about a drop in sales. Due diligence should become the leitmotif for any corporate operations, with every employee performing a complex decision-making process to find new ways to sell the existing products. Hasty generalization is a damaging aspect for any business, and the current case is not an exception.
The red herring fallacy could be overcome with the help of communal decision-making and joint efforts aimed at refocusing the organizational strategy. Creativity among employees shall be nurtured by means of collecting timely feedback and creating more freedom in terms of how sales are organized. Accordingly, the team would have an opportunity to stop looking at the red herring and assume that there is more value in resolving the initial issue instead of adding secondary problems to the list.
In order to overcome the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy, the team would have to focus on teambuilding activities much more often. It would help the organization to increase employee morale while also eradicating the numerous scenarios where the workers blame game would have taken them away from creative decision-making. According to the current case study, there are no inherent issues in terms of interpersonal communication, so the management should capitalize on peoples relationships to spark their creativity.
References
Boss, J. (2017). THiNK: Critical thinking and logic skills for everyday life (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Islam, G. (2020). Psychology and business ethics: A multi-level research agenda. Journal of Business Ethics, 165(1), 1-13.
Larsson, M. (2018). Risks and logical fallacies. In Circular Business Models (pp. 257-273). Palgrave Macmillan.
The Socratic Method is a philosophical mode of questioning that involves the investigation of connotations of other situations that are related to the topic of inquiry itself (Benson, 2000). This approach, also known as the method of Elenchus, allowed rational judgments and enhanced the generation of a very clear idea. The Socratic method was also considered a dialectical method because it employed discussion of issues, both pros, and cons, and each point from each side was forced against the opposing point. Such contrasting comparisons thus facilitated the point of the investigator.
The Socratic method was originally employed by the philosopher Socrates himself during debates and discussions in Athens. One of Socrates friends, Chaerephon, was often present at the venue of such discussions and he discovered that Socrates was very intelligent and probably the most knowledgeable person in the entire city. However, Socrates perceived such revelation of his talent as a paradox and used his style of debate as a tool to combat his friends statement. Analysts have explained that the Socratic method was not created by Socrates himself, but by the other philosopher Protagoras.
In the modern world, the Socratic method pertains to the technique of interrogation that employs questions as a form of an answer to a pre-existing question. Such double doses of questioning thus enhance the first interrogator to revise and review his initial question to progress through the entire examination. The Socratic method thus follows the central concept elenchus, which is the usage of several questions that are connected to finally conclude the investigation with an agreement that appropriate answers all the questions (Vlastos, 1983).
The Socratic method was also used by the philosopher Plato during his analysis of ethical issues, as well as judiciary cases. Such a method often starts with a simple statement and the other party will question the first statement. Should a disagreement ensue, a series of questions will be sent out to each other to oppose the statements and beliefs of the opponent. Further debate will take place until a single and agreeable idea will be achieved.
Another interesting feature of the Socratic method is that every claim that is first expressed in a debate will be examined and classified as either good or bad, or positive or negative. Thus, the beneficial and deterrent features of the claim will be discussed and even further supported or disclaimed, to finalize whether that initial claim is precisely good or bad. In simple terms, a positive claim is said to be anything that will provide more information or knowledge to the people, while a negative claim is exactly the opposite.
Other analysts describe that the Socratic method is a negative mode of screening hypotheses because this method largely depends on how knowledgeable a defendant is of the topic of debate. It involves the presentation of axioms or postulates which may strongly influence the thinking of society. The scrutiny of the debaters will thus influence the way the debate will progress and usually the more intelligent debater will generally win in such debates, no matter how insufficient, incomprehensible, or erroneous the claim may be. It thus mainly depends on how glib the debater is during the debate and how many positive statements he can present during the debate. The methods of definition and induction are commonly used during debates that employ the Socratic method.
References
Benson H (2000): Socratic wisdom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Vlastos G (1983): The Socratic elenchus. Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 1:2758.
Asking the question of what critical thinking is, if not referring to scholarly literature, the answers will be sufficiently diverse. Finding common sense, objective judgment, logical connection, and the ability to abandon own assumptions are a few of the typical answers that might be received for such questions.
Although the definitions might vary, the previous answers are partly correct, while all of them mostly acknowledge two important aspects, i.e. the existence of certain skills and abilities, and the disposition to use them in a thoughtful manner. (Sternberg, Roediger and Halpern 5). The importance of such a subject can be related to that in this era, where people have access to an excessive amount of information and the decisions made either personal or as members of society have a particular weight affecting the future generations.
In that regard, it can be said that the ability to think critically is an important requirement. Accordingly, this paper analyzes the concept of critical thinking in terms of the skills, techniques, practices as well as common obstacles that usually hinder people from being critical thinkers.
Critical Thinking Overview
As previously stated, the definition of critical thinking might differ in its terminology, but nevertheless, it is consistent in its contest. In that regard, a definition that covers all the concepts of critical thinking might be considered as follows:
Critical thinking is the use of those cognitive skills or strategies that increase the probability of a desirable outcome. It is used to describe thinking that is purposeful, reasoned, and well directed the kind of thinking involved in solving problems, formulating inferences, calculating likelihoods, and making decisions, when the thinker is using skills that are thoughtful and effective for the particular context and type of thinking task. (Sternberg, Roediger and Halpern 6).
A good method proposed in identifying the skills and the strategies mentioned above is taking an example of a particular role model. In that case, examples of people who were commonly known as good critical thinkers will have several mutual aspects that distinguish them from the others. Basically, it is a list of mental abilities and attitudes or habits, [which] the experts, when faced with the same problem& refer to their lists as including cognitive skills and dispositions. (Facione 4).
The Characteristics
The characteristics that are common to critical thinkers differ in their statements and priorities, but they are equally important. One set of characteristics discussed in the class workshop include the following:
Open-Mindedness The ability to listen to others arguments.
Healthy Skepticism The ability to criticize and question others arguments when relying on proofs and facts.
Intellectual Humility The ability to change own mind when being logically convinced.
Free Thinking The ability to eliminate presumptions and stereotypes when forming an argument.
High Motivation The ability to devote efforts to research and backup ones arguments.
It can be seen that these characteristics are mostly related to certain rules in leading a healthy and efficient discussion. In that regard, it can be assumed that these are characteristics are related to a set of techniques that should be used.
Another approach to address critical thinking was proposed by Arthur Costa and Bena Kallick. The approach proposed by Costa and Kallick deals with the intellectual abilities of the people, stating that there are some attitudes and views that promote the formation of thinking skills in all subject areas, where these such attributes are called habits of mind .
Accordingly, Costa and Kallick formed a list of characteristics that are intrinsic for people with such attributes. These characteristics include:
Inclination, which can imply that people have the intention to thoroughly think over the problems solution.
Value, i.e. choosing to employ a pattern of intellectual behaviors rather than other, less productive patterns. (Costa and Kallick)
Sensitivity, i.e. the ability to choose the appropriate strategy for each particular situation.
Capabilities, which are basically the main basic abilities to compare, contrasting objects, and the using logical arguments to convince others.
Commitment, i.e. basically it is a combination of factors that imply continuous improvement of own knowledge, skills, and abilities.
A mutual parallel can be established between the characteristics proposed by Costa and Kallick and the discussed in class, where commitment might resemble high motivation, while capabilities might represent a combination of more than one characteristic.
Obstacles
If critical thinking can be taught, and according to Costa and Killick thinking intelligently can be habituated, then accordingly, there are factors that can limit ones ability to think critically that should be learned to avoid. Such critical thinking hindrances might include confirmation bias and selective thinking, which can be seen through selecting premises that might be unproven, weak, or false just because they coincide with ones belief. Accordingly, such bias includes personal ones, where life experience might prevent people from thinking objectively.
While bias and prejudice can be considered as one of the most influential hindrances, as they might imply conscious manipulation with arguments and premises in leading to a certain conclusion, other hindrances are also worth mentioning.
The emotional factor, for example, can influence critical thinking in different manners. On the one hand, it is understood that emotional stresses might affect the ability to think clearly, while on the other hand, such emotions as aggression might result from overestimating the values of ones ideas. The latter might be seen, where people like the conclusions that they came up with, and accordingly they try to protect themselves from the influence of others.
Implementation
As previously stated, the skills and the characteristics previously mentioned can be taught, and accordingly, people have control over them. In that sense, an example of the implementation of good critical thinking can be taken from assessing such controversial issues as euthanasia. Taking the position that euthanasia can be used when it results in relief for incurable patients, who suffer great pain, engaging critical thinking to imply the following:
Research the literature in regard to euthanasia on both sides of the issue.
Criticizing the arguments that euthanasia is unethical using only proven facts from respected sources.
Eliminate the stereotype that euthanasia is only used for people who are in great pain with a little time left to live, accepting the different versions that might imply abuse in such practice.
Weighing the arguments of others, without allowing personal bias, such as the case of people one might know, who were dying in pain, from objectively assessing the issue.
Logically building arguments, where the leading premises should form from strong and proven facts.
In that example, being a controversial issue, the right and wrong of the subject can be established through the way people critically think about this subject and the way the arguments are presented. Avoiding hindrances in critically thinking about this subject is related mainly to setting aside the personal factor, whether it is a personal experience, a prejudice, a certain emotion, or a memory.
Conclusion
Critical thinking is a vital attribute of intelligent behavior. In that regard, it can be seen that the mentioned skills and characteristics can be used as the main guidelines through which not only in the process of thinking itself but also through the way the arguments and the conclusion of logical reasoning can be convincingly presented and discussed. Additionally, an important aspect of critical thinking, in general, is universality.
In that sense, answering the topics question, it can be said that an accomplished critical thinker is not the one who has all the characteristics previously mentioned, but rather the one who can use these skills and characteristics in all life spheres, and not only within the curriculum. The skills of critical thinkers should be used beyond imaginary examples and mythical case studies.
Works Cited
Costa, Arthur L., and Bena Kallick. Describing 16 Habits of Mind. (2000): 1-14 pp. Web.
Facione, Peter A. Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts . 2006. California Academic Press. Web.
Sternberg, Robert J., Henry L. Roediger, and Diane F. Halpern. Critical Thinking in Psychology. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Knowledge and understanding are two ways through which humans gain information and experiences about life. By gaining information and experiences, a person accumulates wealth of knowledge, while understanding enhances rational utilization of information and experiences.
Hence, it suffices to say that knowledge is necessary because people require information and experiences for them to utilize their lives and environment optimally for the benefit of humanity. Likewise, understanding is essential for people to formulate theories and concepts about their lives and environment. Thus, by definition, knowledge is the amount of theoretical information and empirical skills that one gains through education and experiences of life.
In contrast, understanding is the ability of a person to conceptualize information and experiences rationally. Since both knowledge and understanding are important in learning, philosophers have differed as to which is the preferable way of learning or thinking. Therefore, based on the reading, thinking, and writing, this essay argues that the preferable form of critical thinking is the understanding because it allows people to conceptualize things rationally.
Socrates
Understanding is the preferable way of thinking because it helps people to rationalize and conceptualize what they perceive in their environment. In the Allegory of the Cave, Socrates describes how the prisoners have knowledge about what they see yet they do not understand how shadows appear on the wall (Cohen 1).
Since prisoners have lived in the cave for a long time, they have gained enough information and experiences about shadows that they see on the wall. Despite the fact that they have enough knowledge about their cave, they are unable to differentiate real images from shadows because they do not understand how that how they occur. Hence, lack of understanding makes the prisoners unable to conceptualize what they see on the walls.
Although the prisoners can identify activities that the shadows on the wall perform, they do not understand how puppeteers generate them. The prisoners can identify activities that shadows perform such as walking across the wall, carrying luggage, and doing construction (Cohen 1). The prisoners are right in identifying the activities for they have knowledge; however, they do not understand that they perceive shadows as real images.
According to Socrates, the prisoners have knowledge about different forms of human activities because they can attribute all images that they see on the wall to certain objects or activities. Through experience, the prisoners have learned that the images on the wall depict people when performing different activities. However, they fail to understand that they perceive shadows of real activities taking place behind the scenes.
David Foster Wallace
According to Wallace, knowledge does not provide an effective way of learning or critical thinking because it increases ignorance and delusion (8). For one to gain knowledge, one must collect information and derive meaning from it. Hence, the process of reading and deriving information eventually results in confusion and ambiguity.
Too much knowledge without understanding of how it occurs increases ignorance and delusion. In essence, knowledge does not support critical thinking because one collects massive information, which ultimately confuses and increases ignorance. Essentially, the process of gaining knowledge is a passive one because one literally takes face value of the available information without considering whether it is real or imaginary.
The amount of knowledge that people have gained over a long period signifies the extent of their ignorance since they rely on information without necessarily reflecting on its importance. Wallace also asserts that getting informed and increasing literacy enhance stupidity as they make one to over-rely on the information (8).
In spite of the fact that knowledge enhances the intellectual capacity of the people, it deprives them of the ability to think critically about the information that they have amassed. Contrastingly, understanding enables people to use their basic knowledge about a given phenomenon in conceptualizing ideas and theories. Thus, understanding is the preferable form of critical thinking and learning.
Education as Maturity
Knowledge gained through education enables people to mature and comprehend the essence of life. In the Education as Maturity, Overstreet states that a born baby is very ignorant, but he/she has an innate knowledge of suckling breasts (38). The innate knowledge emanates from the fact that a baby feels hungry and understands that suckling is a way of satisfying the hunger.
Moreover, without knowledge, a baby can also register discomfort when exposed to temperature conditions such as cold or hot. This means that babies understand the environment and make appropriate responses for them to survive, despite having the limited knowledge possible.
Since the creation of humanity, knowledge has increased tremendously because new fields of knowledge have emerged across centuries. In modern society, although different fields of knowledge exist, it is impossible for a person to be an expert in all the fields.
Specialization is relevant as it differentiates people according to their knowledge; however, understanding is necessary for people to appreciate the importance of knowledge in various fields. One can be a rocket scientist, but understands life as a gardener. In this perspective, education enables both the rocket scientist and gardener to mature in their perception of different fields of knowledge. Therefore, understanding is essential for one to comprehend different fields of knowledge.
The Matrix
The Matrix is a movie that depicts how people with knowledge live under an illusionary world where they exist in a simulated computer matrix. The computer matrix creates illusions that confuse and prevent people from perceiving the reality. Neo is the main character in the movie as he transitioned from the illusionary world to the real world.
In the movie, Neo is a computer hacker who has lived under illusionary world despite having such an enormous knowledge of computer programming. The knowledge of computer programming did not help Neo to understand that computer matrix was an illusion created by immense computer system. Hence, Neo lacked understanding for he failed to conceptualize that the matrix system was an illusion.
However, when Neo swallowed the red pill, he exited the illusionary world and entered into the real world where he realized that the computer matrix system is an illusion. Before swallowing the red pill, Neo thought that the illusionary world of the matrix system was the real world.
Consequently, after realizing that the matrix is an illusion, Neo began to learn many things about the real world. Therefore, the Matrix is a fictional movie that depicts illusion and reality as variables that are dependent on the understanding of a person. From this movie, it is evident that understanding is the preferable way of critical thinking and conceptualizing reality.
Conclusion
Understanding is the preferable form critical thinking as it permits people to conceptualize what is happening in their lives and environment. The Allegory of the Cave effectively illustrates how prisoners have gained knowledge about their cave, yet they do not understand that they live under a delusion.
Additionally, other philosophers argue that too much knowledge and literacy deprives people of their critical thinking ability, and thus decrease their understanding. Therefore, understanding promotes critical thinking and enhances conceptualization of knowledge.
Overstreet, Harry. Ideals and problems: Education as Maturity. A College Treasury: Prose, Fiction, Drama, Poetry. Eds. Paul Jorgen and Frederick Shroyer. California: The University of California, 1956. 38-39. Print.
Defining the term of whistleblowing , an individual should consider a complex character of this concept. Generally speaking, deciding to blow the whistle, a person is going to tell the truth. Still, mere honesty would be insufficient for becoming a whistleblower. For example, an individual unveiling certain personal secrets to a close friend cannot be defined with this term. These are the significance of information, circumstances under which it is released and following aftermath that need to be taken into consideration while defining a certain act as whistleblowing. A whistleblower is a person with a certain set of personal qualities and intellectual skills. On the one hand, standing for truth and justice, this individual is able to express ones protest against the existing state of affairs even being aware of possible reprisal or even physical harassment following the act. Their altruism prevails, and weighing all pros and cons, whistleblowers decide to put at risk their own well-being and to release the truth. On the other hand, they can conduct a research and collect evidence before proceeding to actions. Thus, whistleblowing is an act representative of critical thinkers.
Deciding to blow the whistle, individuals are conscious of risk they expose on their well-being. A strong will power is required for putting ones life at stake while standing for truth and justice. Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, for instance, is nationally known for blowing the whistle on Brown & Williamson due to illegal choice of ingredients for enhancing the smokers nicotine addictiveness. Another famous whistleblower is Peter Buxtun, who released the truth concerning the crimes committed during the Tuskegee syphilis experiment. He blew the wind on the Public Health Service in 1965. Reviewing the materials of the study, he learned that the researchers did not treat the Afro-American participants of the experiment, though penicillin was validated as an effective cure for the illness in 1940. There were no limits to his indignation when he got to know that the aim of the study was to observe the natural progression of the disease, sacrificing the lives of human beings, while the patients could be cured.One more famous whistleblower is Karen Silkwood who was killed after investigating wrongdoing at the Kerr-McGee plant and going public with the collected evidence. These people acted like investigators collecting the necessary evidence, analyzing the materials and making the appropriate conclusions. It should be noted that conducting the research they demonstrated their developed skills of critical thinking.
According to the above-mentioned definition, whistleblowers need to become critical thinkers during the research process. After Wigand was fired from his job, he has to decide between acting on behalf of society or protecting his wife and children from possible harassment. His confidentiality agreement might have become a hindrance for releasing the truth in case if Wigand were afraid of following punishment. The inner struggle of the main character is shown in The Insider, Wigand expresses his doubts speaking with journalist Bergman. Still, Wigand managed to make a choice after evaluating his personal risk and benefits of the society after releasing the truth. Collecting evidence and considering all possible consequences before making the final decision, Wigand acted as a critical thinker.
Similar to Wigand, Peter Buxtun decided to violate his confidentiality agreement after investigating the crimes contradictory to his life views and professional ethics. It was hard for him to believe that the crimes took place at the Public Health Service sector. During the investigation process, Buxtun was shocked with the mess in the Studys science over time and how the men were persuaded to join with the free meals, promise of treatment, examinations, and burial insurance (Reverby, p. 79).His two official protests were rejected and the experiment with human beings continued. He was assured that the study was to be continued until its completion, in other words, until all the participants were dead. Demonstrating the strength of his character, Buxtun was not going to give up and went to the press. In 1972 his testimony became front page of the New York Times. Finally, the US government agreed to pay 9 million and to save the surviving participants. In the process of investigation and following blowing the whistle, Buxtun demonstrated his skills of critical thinking, while neither public opinion nor threats could influence his decision to stand for justice.
Karen Silkwood, an American labour union activist, decided to go public and blow the whistle on the Kerr-McGee plant. The young woman got to know that she and other employees of the plant were contaminated with plutonium. The hypothesis was that the level of contamination was sufficient for causing cancer. She managed to conduct a research, collect evidence to support this statement and found several witnesses who were former employees of Kerr-McGee. The fact is that after testifying, Karen and her family died under mysterious circumstances, though the car crash was defined as an accident. She is considered one of outstanding environmentalists and her research was influential. Karen Silkwood is the personification of thousands of people who work every day in these difficult jobs in high-risk industries, trying to improve conditions for their co-workers (Mongillo, p. 262). Conducting the research and collecting the evidence, Karen demonstrated her skills of critical thinking.
Each of these whistleblowers contributed to their spheres conducting the investigation, analyzing the retrieved information and taking measures with the aim of releasing the truth and influencing the existing state of affairs. It is obvious that all of them proceeded to actions only after collecting all necessary materials and critical evaluation of the situation. It demonstrates their critical thinking.
Analyzing the definitions of whistleblowing and critical thinking , it is possible to make a conclusion that these concepts have similar meanings. At least critical thinking is an essential component of whistleblowing. Thoreau in Civil Disobedience admitted that Truth is always in harmony with herself, and is not concerned chiefly to reveal the justice that may consist with wrong-doing (McFaul, p. 327). In other words, discrepancies between the truth and the generally accustomed norms might occur rather often, and this is critical thinking that might help to see the difference and stand for the truth. Emerson in Self-Reliance noted that it is terribly difficult to take the stand, when the rest of the society is against the person: The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude (McFaul, p. 292). Still, these people had to couple their critical thinking with belief in universal values for becoming the whistleblowers in their trouble times. Plato in Allegory of the Cave admitted that In the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort (McFaul, p.179). It is often not that easy to tell good from bad, whistleblowing always requires efforts and critical thinking.
Analyzing these examples of whistleblowers, it is possible to make a conclusion that critical thinking is of crucial importance for whistleblowing, while whistleblowing is always an act representative of critical thinkers. Before blowing the whistle, an individual has to investigate the case, collect evidence and try to predict the aftermath. Whistleblowers are critical thinkers because they are able to tell the truth from a lie and to fight for justice.
Works Cited
Giles, Robert, Robert Snyder, Lisa DeLisle. Profiles in Journalistic Courage. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 2001. Print.
McFaul, Jason. Critical Thinking A Shepherds Guide to Tending Sheep. New Hampshire: Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2010. Print.
Whistleblowing is an extremely courageous act, because it is a distinct form of dissent (Johnson, 3). Whistleblowing is defined as having four component parts: 1) an individual acts with the intention of making information public; 2) the information is conveyed to parties outside the organization who make it public and a part of public record; 3) the information has to do with possible or actual nontrivial wrongdoing in an organization; and 4) the person exposing the agency is not a journalist or ordinary citizen, but a member or former member of the organization (Johnson 3). Critical thinking on the other hand is defined as: the propensity and skill to engage in an activity with reflective skepticism (Thayer-Bacon 58).
Whistleblowers need critical thinking skills, because they are expected to make serious allegations. Their testimony tarnishes the reputation of the accused. At the same time, their testimony creates conflict that may result in the loss of jobs and other privileges. It is important for them to gather all pertinent information, before they blow the whistle. Therefore, whistleblowing is an act representative of critical thinkers.
Allegory of the Cave
Jeffrey Wigands experience as a whistleblower provides clear evidence that critical thinking is a crucial step before making the information public. He struggled with the idea of exposing the unethical practices of his employer. He analyzed available information. At the end of the thinking process, he made the decision to become a whistleblower. The same thing can be said about Roger Boisjoly and Aaron Ahearn, because they are whistleblowers like Jeffrey Wigand.
Boisjoly and Ahearn made the decision to go public after a thorough evaluation of the data regarding the unethical and illegal practices in their respecitve workplace. It was not an easy thing to do. In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato describes the ordeal necessary for the souls ascent from shadowy illusion to enlightenment (Soccio 141). At one point Wigand, Ahearn, and Boisjoly tried to stay loyal to their employers. However, they experienced enlightenment, and they decided to live with the truth.
Self-Reliance
Roger Boisjoly was a former Morton Thiokol engineer (Johnson 31). He was unhappy with the way his agency treated the memo he wrote regarding the problematic seals used in the construction of the Space Shuttle Challenger. His clamor to change the policies regarding the examination of the seals was ignored.
However, when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in midair, it was the wake-up call that compelled Boisjoly to expose serious safety issues in the workplace. Before the tragic event was seen by millions of viewers across America, Boisjoly made repeated remarks regarding safety protocols. He alerted his superiors to the fact that cold weather compromises the integrity of the seals. Boisjoly wrote a letter to his employers that the engineering issue was a life-threatening problem for the astronauts.
Nevertheless, Morton Thiokol and NASA decided to go ahead with the launch. After the explosion, a commission was created to investigate the disaster. Boisjoly gave the commission the memos and documents warning his superiors about the integrity of the seals. He became the whistleblower that provided key information pinpointing the people responsible for the tragedy.
In this particular example, Boisjoly utilized his skills as a researcher to understand the repercussions of using defective seals. His analysis made him realize that the seals in the booster rockets will malfunction if the ambient temperature drops to a certain point. After he completed his research, he crafted a memo that provided a detailed description of what would happen if Morton Thiokol failed to replace the seals.
Aaron Ahearn was a former navy man assigned to serve under the USS Abraham Lincoln. Ahearn grew up in Santa, Cruz, California. As a young boy his community taught him to take care of the environment. Therefore, when he discovered that the USS Abraham Lincoln was dumping half a ton of plastic trash every single day, he was flabbergasted. He was shocked to find out that the aircraft carrier discharged raw sewage close to shore.
Ahearn spoke to his superiors. He told them that the law requires them to dump raw sewage three nautical miles from shore. They ignored the recommendations he made. He spoke with the ships chaplain, but there was no change in policy. He went AWOL to protest the unethical dumping of raw sewage and trash. CBS news picked up his story, and he became an instant celebrity. He went back to Santa Cruz, and he was treated as the hometown hero.
Wigand, Boisjoly, and Ahearns decision to blow the whistle was a sheer manifestation of self-esteem and self-reliance (Arszulowicz 40). Self-reliance gave them the confidence to speak out. Ahearn used his experience as a surfer to determine the impact of dumping raw sewage near the seashore. He knew that flora and fauna would be affected by the dumping of plastic trash into the ocean floor.
The Rewards Is?
In the film, The Insider, Lowell Bergman tried to persuade Jeffrey Wigand to appear on 60 Minutes as a whistleblower. Wigand wanted to speak out, but he knew that he would violate the nondisclosure agreement that he signed with the company. He would lose his company benefits, and he would not be able to pay for his daughters medical bills. Wigan worked for Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corporation for four years (Johnson 2).
He was the vice president of research and development. He was in charge of hundreds of scientists, and was paid almost half a million dollars a year to stay loyal to the company (Johnson 2). In 1993, he confronted the companys CEO regarding the discovery of cancer-causing tobacco additives in the cigarettes (Johnson 2). He lost his job. When he decided to appear in 60 Minutes, his former employers retaliated with lawsuits and negative publicity.
Jeff Wigand realized that seeking to prevent or expose a public health threat could mean becoming a public figure, and debating your employer in the media (Devine 42). Ahearn was rewarded for his efforts. But Jeff Wigand paid a terrible price for exposing the dangers of smoking cigarettes. Critical thinking played an important role in his decision to speak against the unethical practices within the organization.
Thoreaus Civil Disobedience
In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau expressed his opinion regarding the extraordinary character needed in order to go against the wishes of the majority. According to the former general counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Whistleblower advocates would tell you that it takes extraordinary courage to be a whistleblower, because blowing the whistle on corporate misconduct invariably means, at a minimum, ostracism in the workplace (Lipman 4).
In fact, less than 10 percent of disclosures about wrongdoing are ever made to persons outside the organization (Brown 20). In most cases, employees have no choice but to leave or become a whistleblower (Lachman 151). Therefore, whistleblowers are compelled to double-check their source of information.
They determine if there are holes in their testimonies. They need to know if they have the smoking gun to prove that an unethical or illegal activity was committed. The foundation of the whistleblowers defense against their detractors is his intimate understanding of the truth. Whistleblowers must do their homework before they go to war. Considerable brainpower is needed before they are ready to come forward.
Critical Thinking
At first glance, whistleblowing is an emotional process, because it deals with ethical issues. However, the decision to adhere to ethical principles requires the use of logical thought, it is about doing the right thing and assessing the benefits and harm caused by an individuals action (Pickett 51).
Whistleblowing is an extremely difficult process. It is hard to pick a fight against an employer, because workers have never had a general right to disclose information about their employment (Lewis 10). They can lose their jobs, bringing their families to financial ruin. They can lose the respect of their peers, forcing them to live like an outcast. It is based on critical thinking, because whistleblowers are former employees using empirical observations to report illegal or unethical conduct that results in harming the public (Rainbolt & Dwyer 93).
Whistleblowers utilized the power of critical thinking to uncover illegal activities or illegal practices. It is by investigating and analyzing information that allowed them to discovder closely guarded secrets.
Before they decided to come forward, and expose their employers resistance to rectify the problem, they utilized critical thinking skills to determine if there is a way to resolve their dilemma. They have to utilize critical thinking skills to figure out the best course of action. They need to know the consequences of their future decisions. Thus, whistleblowing is an act representative of critical thinkers.
Works Cited
Arszulowicz, Marek. Whistleblowing: In Defense of Proper Action. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 2011. Print.
Brown, Andrew. International Handbook on Whistleblowing Research. UK: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2014. Print.
The ability to introduce the elements of critical thinking into problem management and address patients needs is one of the principal skills that students will have to develop to have a proper clinical practice. Therefore, this activity, which allowed building students critical thinking by encouraging them to make decisions and solve healthcare-related issues in the context of restricted time and under additional pressure, was vital in their professional development. Specifically, the described activity has contributed to them developing the resilience needed to manage the needs of multiple people at the same time.
It is believed that the activity in question has enhanced the students ability to multitask in the clinical environment while avoiding instances of medical errors. There is no secret that medical errors often occur in the healthcare environment due to time pressure and increased workload (McEnroe-Petitte & Farris, 2020). The specified issues affect patients well-being and the length of their recovery time, thus, increasing their hospital stay and exposing them to unnecessary risks. Thus, training students to avoid the specified issue and increase the safety and accuracy of their actions was a vital step in improving their skills as future nurses.
The opportunity to investigate a scenario that was particularly close to a real-life issue was also an essential advantage of the task in question. Since all of the students sought to deploy patient-oriented care, they suggested several viable and effective solutions to the presented problem, indicating their readiness to work in the context of an actual clinical setting. Specifically, the students ability to focus on patient-specific issues and analyze data critically was discovered during the completion of the specified task.
As nurses and healthcare experts, students will have to face a range of complicated cases requiring urgent decision-making and impeccable analysis of the available data. Therefore, the second task inviting the learners to consider a scenario of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) represented an essential opportunity to train the skills of critical analysis and decision-making under time pressure. In the described activity, the focus on verbal communication was maintained throughout the simulation, which allowed testing the learners ability to process data immediately, retain crucial information, and produce an effective solution based on the assessment outcomes.
In turn, the use of the simulation as a tool for placing the students in the context of an actual clinical and nursing setting was a vital modification to the training process. Namely, the specified change has served to prepare the students for the complexity and unpredictability of the actual clinical environment. Therefore, the activity in question can be considered an essential step in the development of critical faculties in the learners. Moreover, the simulation setting has helped recognize students ability to function in real-life clinical settings (Kapucu, 2017). Introducing the factors of time pressure and challenges in communication between a patient and a healthcare expert, the specified activity demonstrated the students preparedness to manage clinical issues, including the obstacles to effective data management.
Overall, the learners have shown impressive resilience and flexibility in managing the described tasks, which indicates that they will be able to manage their tasks in the clinical environment properly and tend to patients needs accordingly. However, further training will be needed to build the skills of interdisciplinary collaboration and the promotion of effective information transfer. Though the students have shown the ability to avoid clinical errors during the simulation, additional complexity must be incorporated into the training so that they can develop resistance to obstacles in the actual nursing setting.
References
Kapucu, S. (2017). The effects of using simulation in nursing education: A thorax trauma case scenario. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 10(2), 1069. Web.
Critical thinking is essential in all aspects of my line of work, imports, and exports, or more generally referred to as international trade. Attempts to persuade people are everywhere (Kemp, 2005). My line of work exchanges goods across international borders while outsourcing plays a major role. The environment is similar to the more commonly known domestic trading because the principles are still the same, however, there are some important differences to note.
International trade is commonly more expensive because of export taxes and additional time which so often must be invested to make deals. Language problems are often common as well, however, the solution to this particular situation does not require a significant amount of critical thinking. The most common problem I face is in choosing how to organize teams for outsourcing. To manage my business I often hire teams online to handle smaller subtasks such as sales, accounting, leads, business communication, customer service, and some finer areas of inventory as well. Handling these teams and people requires an extensive amount of critical thinking.
Why do I need critical thinking?
My thinking is normally more casual in everyday life, however, when I must think critically I tend to think about my thinking processes. I often wonder if I am correctly perceiving my business and if I need to better use my employees to accomplish certain tasks to reflect certain changes. On average I handle organizing teams well as I am not overly experimental and have learned much from my experience.
I have a strong ability to learn the most from all situations and recall similar situations that I have been in before in an attempt to decide what to do. I am also educated in my areas, so I have the knowledge required to consider all aspects and business outcomes when designing a team. My results in the past have been mixed but all above average, so I know that I am at least doing some things right, which also suggests that I do have some skill in implementing effective methodologies.
I understand that critical thinking requires persistence as well as the ability to recognize problems. I consider myself to have a strong ability for detecting problems in potential employees through their resumes and communication skills. I tend to disregard employees which have a lot of fluff or material that would only sound nice in another area when I consider resumes.
Also, when an employee is to be working in a team if he is hired, I know that if he cannot bring himself to speak openly with me or anyone else he may have spoken with previously in the company then it would be foolish to hire him. Whether or not interviews make people nervous is irrelevant in this situation. Critical thinking requires a great deal more besides this, such as testing conclusions, building beliefs on experience, and finding accurate information which others can use.
The role of critical thinking
Critical thinking commonly asks serious questions to serious problems, though oftentimes a solution may not require little more effort than applied critical thinking. Someone skilled in critical thinking is regarded as skilled in being able to communicate as well. In the hiring teams for my outsourcing project, I must seek knowledgeable and friendly people or else consider working alone. There was an instance in the past where team members were attempting to go on strike asking for more money. Since they had the potential to damage the internet site in question, I had to be careful that I did not let the cons outweigh the pros. I was able to block their access to all web materials through administrative settings, and then fire both of them.
Critical thinking is considered to be part of a bigger picture of scientific skepticism, and while not always dealing with science, critical thinking can be said to use the scientific method in an attempt to locate the most knowledge. In my work, there are often people who will not show their skills or take the head of the direction, and for these people, I must consider taking an alternate route than firing them. I typically must choose between assisting the people myself and directly or only monitoring them and helping in a less dedicated manner.
The importance of critical thinking in the international trade business is that it lets people think about what it is they desire and how they can take steps to achieve it. This includes the identification of several psychological traits.
While easier than managing people in person, managing people over the internet is difficult to work. One can only hope for the confidence in those hired, or when that fails, that at least its been a good negative experience. The decisions involved in building a team, in addition to what has been mentioned, include choosing creative, generally intelligent, social, and happy people. While applicants may be qualified, this is no proof of their ability to do a job. Traits such as these must be analyzed with my skills.
Conclusion
International trade is arguably a good thing for the economy, to most people anyway. As our team outsources, it has a unique perspective on the other countries ways of life and methodologies. Making decisions when forming a team may include affecting a project so seriously that it fails (or must be canceled) however, this rarely happens. It can be prevented with only a little preparation.
Knowing the difference between learning, writing, and thinking is important in this area, as is having different views towards anyone elses creative thinking (Moon, 2007). It is nice that someone has thought critically enough to make outsourcing possible, however it would be even nicer of course if one were able to naturally think critically, with no attempts. In any case, I must continue to employ the processes of critical thinking to build the most effective teams in the international trade business.
References
Kemp, G. (2005). Critical thinking: a concise guide. Routledge.
Moon, J. (2007). Critical Thinking: An Exploration of Theory and Practice.Routledge.