Human factors in technology Essay Example for Free

Human factors in technology Essay Man is the only being who has utilized technology, to the point that it also caused technology to change rapidly through time. Technology has been one of the most influential concepts in the lives of every human being throughout history. It was so influential that it had become one of the major deciding factors in the direction of history. Technological innovations had evolved from the simple to the very complex. From the simple stone cutting tools that prehistoric man had, to the contemporary blades that virtually do not need any resharpening at all. There had also been evolution from the very crude computing technique such as the finger counting, to the very complex supercomputers. In terms of transportation, from the very simple mode of walking and running, man had innovated transportation technology by inventing and innovating cars, planes, ships, etc. Technology had not only affected transportation and computing, but also the social and psychological scene as well. Companies whose general trade is information and technology are the ones whose organizational structure is very much affected by the technological changes. Most of the companies are either computer manufacturers or technological research companies. Apple Inc. , formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc. is an American-based multinational corporation which has its focus on technical manufacturing and designing of electronics and software programs for variations of consumers all around the world. It headquarters can be found in Cupertino, California (Apple, Inc. , 2007; History of Apple, 2007; Mesa, 1998; Apple. com, 2007). This company basically focuses on the development and support of several electronic gadgets for the market. This same company currently has its eyes focused on the innovation of already existing technologies, as well as the formation of a new breed of technology for the market. Some of its world-famous creations are the iPod, iPhone and the AppleTV. Aside from these electronic equipment and gadgets, the Apple, Inc. is also into the creation of new and better software programs. In the past, it had focused on creating and developing operating systems (OS), and specific application programs. Today, Apple, Inc. is now setting the path before it releases its newest operating system, the Mac OS X â€Å"Leopard†. Apple is very much into expanding its frontiers by exploring new ways of marketing and product presentation (Apple, Inc. , 2007; History of Apple, 2007; Mesa, 1998; Apple. com, 2007). It is now into the trend of having an online store where its products, whether hardware or software, can be bought by just a click of the mouse. The company is well-known for their very user-friendly hardware as well as software. Their iPod series, as well as their iPhone, Macintosh series of personal computers and peripherals, iLife software suite, and the Mac OS are just some of their best-known software and hardware products. Also, the company is a major supplier of prosumer software products for specialized purposes such as the audio and film industry (Apple, Inc. , 2007; History of Apple, 2007; Mesa, 1998; Apple. com, 2007). The mentioned things about Apple, Inc. , set up a background for the contemporary company. Technology has an implicit message, and that is to put everything into a very objective perspective, where everything could and should not be subject to an individual’s / group’s personal judgments or beliefs. By virtue of technology, man was able to do things such as measurement and judgment without having biases. With the use of technology, organizations can track their development without having doubts if the people who assessed them were biased about the evaluation process. But this strength is also its weak point. Being very objective would mean that the assessment would be very strict, and it would be guided by certain sets of quantified measurements such as numbers and / or a set of quantified codes. These standards for judgment and assessment can be used to evaluate employees’ activities, company sales and company economic standing. Having these strict standards would mean an easier, more efficient and more economic way of assessing the company. With these, companies such as the Apple could rely on machines about their company’s survival. Machines, which are products of modern technology, could be programmed to assess particular aspects of the company and suggest possible options about how to make the company even more productive. This may sound farfetched, but it could be a good way of looking at the possibility of how machines could help organizations in optimizing their parts. Business oriented companies such as the Apple is currently facing the possibilities of having less human members, and more help from the technology they are developing. These companies, with the help of modern technology, could be able to assess their employees using certain standards that can be input to a computer for further assessment. This way, there would be less processing time, less need for human HRD team members, less specialists in the field of assessing people, more possible members for the pool of computer and technology specialists (which could also mean more capital would be invested on the specialty of the company), and less expenses on the part of the company. Looking at the advantages posed by this method, it would be good to conclude that this could boost company income, thus uplift the lives of its employees in an economic and political sense. On the other hand, this method could also pose a very detrimental effect to the company as a whole, both in the macro and micro perspectives. One disadvantage of this method would be that without the subjective judgments of humans on human resources, it would be possible to miss important and potentially able applicants. Also, it would be possible that the programmed machines would not be able to look the implicit factors such as family background and the personality types of the applicants. Another is the fact that hardcore statistics, which programmed machines use, does not claim that the results are products of the interplay of all possible factors, instead it can only present results with the extraneous factors (which may possibly matter) omitted. References: Apple. com (2007).Retrieved August 9, 2007 from http://www. asia. apple. com/. Apple, Inc. (2007). Wikipedia: The Fee Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 9, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Apple_Computer. History of Apple (2007). ). Wikipedia: The Fee Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 9, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_Apple_Inc.. Mesa, A. (2007). Apple History Timeline. The Apple Museum. Retrieved August 9, 2007 from http://applemuseum. bott. org/sections/history. html.

Affirmitive Action In The College Admissions Process Essay -- essays r

Every year millions of high school seniors apply to colleges and universities across the country. Some get in, some don’t. These schools have strict policies on the criteria for the acceptance of such students. The criteria involve many aspects of a student’s prior academic career, such as their academic standing, extra curricular activities and work ethic. These are criteria that put everyone on the same level because everyone has the ability to work harder or join more athletics. However, no one can change the color of their skin, and colleges base their admissions on these variables as well. So racism, in a sense, affects even the most basic of human ideals, education. If all men are truly created equal, as it is written, then race should not matter. Why aren’t college admissions based solely on merit? No person should be given an advantage based solely on the color of his or her skin.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Racism is the belief that one particular race is superior to another. Throughout history people have been persecuted or singled out because of the color of their skin, even in our own country. How can this be in a country that claims that all men are created equal? Racism is so much a part of American culture now that we have claims of reverse racism and programs implemented, such as affirmative action, not just to protect the rights of a different person but to further them along in life and to make things easier for them. When this country was founded, it was believed that people that were born with a different color skin were inferior to those with white skin. They were in fact enslaved before America was actually founded, and this treatment continued until the country was nearly a hundred years old. Since then African Americans and other races have been attempting to reach equality in this country. One such method has been through education. In America, intell igence for the most part is respected, just as much as hard work. College in this country is the epitome of both.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the university setting young adults are pushed to their limits. Their intelligence is tested on a daily basis in many different ways. Some classes involve heavy writing and still others involve written exams as their form of grading. Work ethic is also pushed. Homework is assigned and the true student does these assignments to maintain th... ... Lomotey. The Racial Crisis in American Higher Education. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991. Browne-Miller, Angela. Shameful Admissions. San Franscisco: Jossey Bass Inc., 1996. Kleiner, Carolyn. â€Å"Wanted: a whole rainbow of talent Colleges are vying for minority students.† U.S. News and World Report 18 Volume 129 Sep. 2000. Marcus, Amy Dockser. â€Å"Class struggle.† Money Volume 29 Oct. 2000. Meacham, Jon. â€Å"The new face of race† Newsweek Volume 136 Sep/ 18, 2000. Reisberg, Leo. â€Å"A professor’s controversial analysis of why black students are losing the race† The Chronicle of Higher Education Volume 46 11 Aug. 2000. Selingo, Jeffrey. Florida’s universities see rise in minority enrollment after end of racial preferences.† The Chronicle of Higher Education Volume 47 8 Sep. 2000. Pages 1-3. Walsh, Laurie A. et al. â€Å"Affirmative action in American higher education and the goal of diversity in physical therapy programs† Journal of Physical Therapy Volume 14 Spring 2000.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Population Is a Source Not Burden

Population; A Human Source Or Burden Zawar Hussain The world population milestone that is sparking a global discussion on today’s most pressing environmental, health and justice issues, Pakistan’s population has continued to grow at break-neck speed. This has put immense pressure on the resources Pakistan has or can generate. Some would argue that every birth produces a consumer. Increasing population is actually a blessing in Islam, Christianity and Judaism. So in religious sense its good. Also if we analyze it, increasing population is actually good.Man power is a resource and not a burden, It is a burden if the wealth is distributed in an unjust manner, like for instance in Pakistan, India and through out the world. So if we want to follow capitalism there will always be an unjust distribution of the wealth. But if we follow the Islamic concept of Zakat. 2. 5 % tax on savings (gold, money, silver property etc)not on salary, and we quit corruption then its a blessing. And man power can be used in agriculture, industries and other productive things. In this way there won’t be capitalistic pyramide and jobless people.Population, A Human Resource; A huge population can prove to be a nation’s biggest asset. For the all-round progress of a large nation, it is essential that all its people contribute significantly to diverse areas and sectors of the economy—like agriculture, service industry, construction and other industries, to name a few. The talented and hardworking people of a nation can emerge as a highly competitive human resource. A country marches ahead largely on the strength of its talented, educated and enterprising manpower. Many nations like Japan and Israel have proved it time and again.These nations are poor in natural resources: they lack land and other natural resources such as minerals, metals and water, and various sources of energy like natural gas and crude oil. But these nations have shown that the general p opulace could be turned into a valuable human resource. Further, huge populations of young people, a majority of whom are hardworking and enterprising, can make a nation that finds respect worldwide, often evoking the envy of other nations which are under populated and lack the valuable human resources necessary for taking a nation forward. Highly talented and educated people can be proved valuable y providing their expertise and technical and no technical know-how to various industries and vocations, and can tremendously add to the overall growth of nation. Nation has to excel in many fields by making the most imaginative use of its large human resource. If the huge rural population is suitably educated, trained and equipped in agriculture know-how, the nation would achieve excellence in agriculture of an unforeseen kind. This way the burden on the economy will ease and the nation will progress by leaps and bounds as all its people will have a significant role to play in the nation - building process.A few lakh young people graduate every year in Pakistan,a sizeable section of them in professional disciplines. Very few nations of the world can boast of such a feat. Conclusion; According to my point of view and above all discussion,population is a human source, not burden. Some great personality had said –  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Population is not a burden in itself† It means that a large population is not a burden on its own. A large population can be turned up as an asset for the country. The biggest example we can cite is China.It has a bigger population than even India has, but we can see the level of development that China has when compared to India. It does not take its population to be a burden. It does not get tensed and does not think about what to do with such a big population, but it uses its population as an asset. Population can be used as an asset if we have an attitude. we don't actually understand that population can be used as an asset instead o f taking it as a burden. We can use our population as an asset by planning a good system of classification and sending people to various fields, as per their qualifications.We need to provide better education system and we need to keep it up continuously. We need to produce good human resource. . This we do easily. We are producing so many professionals every year, but the problem is that we are not able to send them to work in different fields, we are not able to employ them. So I think that a population can be used as an asset only and only if we understand this theory. We will need to train our people and fix them to work and then we won't take up our population as a burden.

How Was My Ideas And Understanding About Critical Thinking...

How was your ideas and understanding about critical thinking changed? There has been a lot of talk about critical thinking during my four years of nursing school, with an array of different meaning and explanation; some was even unfathomable and baffling. Not so long ago, during my early years as a novice nurse, I didn’t pay much attention to the word, critical thinking. From where I used to work, decision making skills of nurses do not have a strong foundation. Every time there was a problem regarding patient care, it was immediately referred to the attending physician and then I would just carry out orders without sometimes thinking it through. I was a task-worker who simply carried out doctors’ orders and followed a fixed set of rules. That is how I practiced before, reckless and impulsive. I never rethink and reconsider decisions made by doctors. I never admit to a lack of knowledge. I was too proud of myself .Luckily, it didn’t cost any patient lives but it could have. I wasn’t thinking and acting like a professional n urse. To think like a nurse requires that to learn the content of nursing; the ideas, concepts and theories of nursing and develop intellectual capacities and skills so that we become disciplined, self-directed, critical thinkers (Heaslip, 1993)  ¬Ã¯â‚¬ ­ a realization that I just have found out recently. My perspective about critical thinking change immensely while taking this course. Not only because it covered different aspects of critical thinking but alsoShow MoreRelatedHow Does Critical Thinking And Ethics Affect Your Decisions Essay1242 Words   |  5 PagesHow Does Critical Thinking and Ethics Affect Your Decisions Introduction Critical thinking and ethics go hand and hand with the responsibly of one’s professional and social interactions. Critical thinking is a six step process one takes when making a decision and/or is given a new idea or concept. 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