...a manual entry, which could be modified very easily and apart from that, while being at work employees would keep on taking short breaks in every hour or two from their production time which leads to decrease in the overall output at the end of the day. The “entry In-Out” system helped the administration to check and verify the employees production hours, whether it met the requirements or not, and also helped in keeping a concurrent data for the future reference, keeping in mind that this would lead to increase in overall production hours of the employees, help in justifying the employee’s appraisal and also increase the overall output for the business. Simon (1957) introduced the term “Bounded Rationality” to express the idea that, as humans, our...
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...Irrationality of rationality (i) To what extent is Ritzer’s McDonaldizaton a realisation of Max Weber’s “irrationality of Rationality”? To first answer this question we must understand some key underlying concepts. Rationality is the idea that humans are utility maximisers and as a result will make all decisions in an effort to generate the most benefit from them. A Bureaucracy is an organisation that takes on these traits to maximise their gains and be completely efficient. They do this through a number of steps; * Specialisation: Bureaucracies assign individuals to highly specialised duties, this maximises efficiency, these specialised duties are made as easy and unskilled as possible to make sure it can be done quickly and repeatedly to maximise output. * Hierarchy: Arrange personnel in vertical hierarchy of offices thus each person is supervised by a higher up. * Rules and Regulations: Cultural and tradition holds no sway, operations are guided by fixed rules and regulations. Ideally the bureaucracy seeks to operate in a completely predictable fashion. * Technical competence: Officials are expected to have technical competence to carry out duties, this is rational as technology maximises efficiency and work output by eliminating human error and unflinching performance of repetitive tasks. * Impersonality: Rules take precedence over personal feeling. Uniform treatment of clients and workers as personal feelings can get in the way of rationality. Take for...
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...BOUNDED RATIONALITY Herbert Simon (1916-2001) is most famous for what is known to economists as the theory of bounded rationality, a theory about economic decision-making that Simon himself preferred to call “satisficing”, a combination of two words: “satisfy” and “suffice”. Contrary to the tenets of classical economics, Simon maintained that individuals do not seek to maximise their benefit from a particular course of action (since they cannot assimilate and digest all the information that would be needed to do such a thing). Not only can they not get access to all the information required, but even if they could, their minds would be unable to process it properly. The human mind necessarily restricts itself. It is, as Simon put it, bounded by “cognitive limits”. Hence people, in many different situations, seek something that is “good enough”, something that is satisfactory. Humans, for example, when in shopping mode, aspire to something that they find acceptable, although that may not necessarily be optimal. They look through things in sequence and when they come across an item that meets their aspiration level they go for it. This real-world behaviour is what Simon called satisficing. He applied the idea to organisations as well as to individuals. Managers do much the same thing as shoppers in a mall. “Whereas economic man maximises, selects the best alternative from among all those available to him,” he wrote, “his cousin, administrative man, satisfices, looks for a course...
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...idea that practical deliberation is genuinely a form of reasoning? Second, there are large issues concerning the content of the standards that are brought to bear in practical reasoning. Which norms for the assessment of action are binding on us as agents? Do these norms provide resources for critical reflection about our ends, or are they exclusively instrumental? Under what conditions do moral norms yield valid standards for reasoning about action? The first set of issues is addressed in sections 1-3 of the present article, while sections 4-5 cover the second set of issues. * 1. Practical and Theoretical Reason * 2. Naturalism and Normativity * 3. Reasons and Motivation * 4. Instrumental and Structural Rationality * 5. Maximizing Rationality * 6. Consequentialism, Value, and Moral Reason * Bibliography * Other Internet Resources * Related Entries 1. Practical and Theoretical Reason Practical reason defines a...
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...then the price mechanism take over and lessen all the claims on resources and subsequently lead to meet market equilibrium. Sometimes, two filters (Islamic and conventional) can make it possible in making optimum economy, due to may be one filter not able to fulfill the market needs of all human being. This two filter can be together in order to use only the necessary resources to satisfy the material as well as spiritual needs of all human being. Besides, it also can reduce the concentration of wealth in a few hand to rise saving, in order to promote for a greater investment and employment. Other than that, help to be rational economic man also one of the differences between the Islamic economics and the conventional economics. Rationality is a need in human life which leads to be human behavior....
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...Sheana McMichael Gen/200 John Carroll January 16, 2014 Personal Ethical Statement Preferred Ethical Lens My preferred lens is Rights - Responsibility and Results Lens. I use my reasoning skills (rationality) and my intuition (sensibility) to help me with each and every situation I may face in life to fulfill my duties while achieving the greatest possible outcome for each individual (autonomy). Blind Spot My Blind spot: Belief that motive justifies method or your own good is good enough. Sometimes when others depend on me, I fail to be accountable when I exercise my free will. When my own needs are satisfied I can become complacent, leaving problems unresolved issues. When I become complacent, everyone else is left to fend for themselves. When I am focused on my good motive, unintentionally harm may cause people to be upset and feel pain because I may not see the problems with my method. Strengths and Weaknesses My Gift: Self-Knowledge and Free will. My gift to the community is balancing responsibility with entrepreneurship. I strongly value autonomy. I am also fiercely self-reliant and accountable – and expect the same of others. I temper doing your duty with noticing what is required for me and others to be happy, and thus avoid both rigidly following your duty and seeking the next fleeting dream. My Risk: Being autocratic or reducing decisions to cost-benefit analysis. Without self-knowledge, I run the risk of becoming autocratic, of requiring everyone...
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...5/18/2015 ELI Ethical Lens Inventory Rights - Responsibility and Results JENNIFER ROBINSON You balance your reasoning skills (rationality) and your intuition (sensibility) to determine how to fulfill your duties while achieving the greatest good for each individual (autonomy). Core: Autonomy and Rationality/Sensibility You prioritize the value of autonomy over equality. Your primary concern is protecting individual rights. You believe this is the best way to assure that everyone in the community is treated fairly. You value rationality and sensibility equally. You believe that while there are universal principles, each situation is unique and not all exceptions can be categorized. For you the best solution is both consistent and flexible. Classical: Temperance and Prudence You value individual balance and restraint in the desire for pleasure as you seek to satisfy your duties. You also demonstrate wisdom in practical matters and foresight as you act with enlightened self-interest in a particular situation. You also bring optimism, imagination and the gift of entrepreneurship to the table. Key: “I make responsible choices that are good for everyone.” Because you equally value rationality and sensibility, along with autonomy, you tend to assume that each person operates from a clear sense of their own values, as you do. Behavior: Fulfilling duties while creating the greatest good You define an ethical person as one who fulfills their duties and does the right...
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...The Thief of Time The Thief of Time Philosophical Essays on Procrastination Edited by Chrisoula Andreou Mark D. White 2010 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2010 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The thief of time: philosophical essays on procrastination / edited by Chrisoula Andreou and Mark D. White. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-19-537668-5 (hardback: alk. paper) 1. Procrastination. I. Andreou, Chrisoula. II. White, Mark D., 1971– BF637.P76T45 2010 128'.4—dc22 2009021750 987654321 Printed in the United States of...
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...The decision making is about both perception and rationality towards the problem or situation. Both decision makings are not perfect in an economic view, and both involve consequences that may arise. The rational decisions presuppose the best possible outcome and also reduce chances of potential risks and biases in the decision making process. Despite its accuracy, most everyday life decisions are made by individual’s perceptions due to its high demand in time and bound rationality. The perceptual decision makings are quick-step thinking process and can be effective in everyday activities. However, these perceptual decisions can be impinged upon the perceptual errors or distortions, leading to failure in selecting right decisions. In economic view, these perceptual decisions can be employed by entrepreneurs or managers to increment their assets of the organisations. Therefore manager should concentrate on both rationality and perception to make more appropriate decision making. The rational decision making is a systematic process in identifying problems and generating most logical, effective choice to address the problem. To make rational decisions, the information must be sufficient and reliable, and low on risk level. The decision’s rationality depends on the specification of models, and different models impose different rational decisions. Managers evaluate these rational decisions and select the optimal decision. Marcel (2011, p. 371) states that a real-life decision problems...
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...Laroche being prescriptive and descriptive Laroche follows a prescriptive method in arguing for decision making theory. He argues it is a social representation which will improve decision making. In his abstract he writes “The paper argues that […] the concept of organizational action should not be opposed to decision and decision-making. Decision and decisionmaking are best understood as social representations […]. As organization members think and act in terms of decision-making, a theory of organizational action cannot simply do without a theory of decision-making. “ showing clearly that he is prescribing a certain way of looking upon decision-making. This is further strengthened in the conclusion where he for example writes “This paper argued that decision-making is best understood as a process of reality creation through organization members’ representations of their own role and activity.” The extent to which Laroche is prescriptive is debatable however. He acknowledges descriptive factors such as when he claims in conclusion that “no theory of action can develop without integrating the fact that, to a significant extent, organizational members think and act in terms of decision-making... a relevant phenomenon for a theory of action, not a marginal one”. He lists examples from empirical studies in describing the decision-making process: “bureaucratic processes (e.g., Cyert and March 1963, Carter 1971), political processes (e.g.. Bower 1970), psychological...
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...3 September 2014 Violence: Social Irrationality and Spontaneity Violence can be interpreted as a type of phenomenon, as it can be as unpredictable in masses as it is in individuals. The very moment when a crowd turns violent, or the moment a criminal pulls a trigger, is typically highly unexpected in most situations and leads one to think: what exactly is violence? Is it simply an action, or is it a state? I believe that violence can be a series of actions which an individual in a violent state may take. Violence is a physical and emotional state which holds various categories of intensity and origins. Bill Buford, in his novel Among the Thugs: The Experience, and the Seduction, of Crowd Violence, describes the experience and observations made of violence, namely within the masses of football teams. The human inclination towards control and dominance is a contributing factor towards most violence. Violence, from my interpretation of Buford's novel, holds its main origins from a spontaneous and irrational desire to establish either control or dominance over a certain event. The potential for spontaneous violence is innate within humans, but humans are not inclined towards violence by itself. The trigger for violence, as Buford notes, can suddenly occur from participation in mass events and the competitive nature of such events (namely, European football in his case.) When such violence is triggered in an individual within such a competitive atmosphere, there is a high chance...
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...Introduction The English word 'Decision' originated from the Latin word 'decisio' which means "to cut from." 'To decide' means "to come to a conclusion" or "to pass a resolution. According to Trewartha and Newport "Decision making involves the selection of a course of action from among two or more possible alternatives in order to arrive at a solution for a given problem." Bounded rationality The concept and associated decision model of bounded rationality was first discussed by Herbert Simon in his celebrated book Models of Man published in 1957 by John Wiley and Sons. Simon basically stipulates that individual decision making is not rational as assumed by a number of theories, especially dealing with economics issues. Individual decision making is limited by a number of boundary conditions such as the individual's intellectual traits, time, and non perfect information. Non perfect information for example, can pertain to limited access to reliable information or raw information, information corruption through layered processing and/or simply lack of information Bounded rationality and decision making. When applied to management decisions, managers, usually because of time constraints, lack of information, and cognitive factors usually make numerous daily decisions and seek to make the best possible decision considering the circumstances, rather than the optimal decision; the optimal decision would be the most rational decision under perfect circumstances. Perfect...
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...The ideas of the classical theorists, particularly those of bureaucracy and scientific management, are generally considered as rather old fashion and out of date, and of little relevance to work and organization today. Is this really the case? The classical theory is the earliest form of management that perceived that a set of universal principles would apply to all the organizations in all situations to achieve efficiency and organization's goals. Scientific management and bureaucratic theory were one of the several components of the classical school of organization. Important pioneers among them are Frederick Taylor and Max Weber. The classical theories have been contested of little relevance to work and organization today simply because today’s organizations have moved from industrial revolution to the information age due to the fast-paced change in technology (Toffler, 1984). Although bureaucracy has been synonymous to red tape and has negatives effects such as “rigidity, alienation and low commitment” (Adler, 1999, p.37) and dehumanizing people (Grey, 2009), the characteristics of bureaucracy such as specialization, hierarchy of authority, system of rules and impersonality (Stewart, 1986) as well as evidence of ongoing existence of this management method, bureaucracy is proved to remain noteworthy. This essay will examine the situation presented in organization today, and determine whether bureaucracy and scientific management can be considered as old fashioned,...
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...aspects of the concept of ‘rationality’ and how these are identified in different management theories Rationality in today’s world has become a significant facet of management in organizations. Rationality as a whole can be defined as the ability of being consistent with or based on logic (Rona-Tas, 2007). A more appropriate definition for rationality in management for this essay is, described by Simon (1972) as a style of behaviour that is appropriate to the achievement of given goals, within the limits imposed by given conditions and constraints. The principal meaning of rationality is a condition of consistency among choices made from different sets of alternatives. In his view, rationality is defined by the existence of a preference relation which is complete and transitive (Arrow, 1996) .The essay is concerned with giving a brief overview of rationality and it will also discuss the different aspects on the concept of rationality identified in different management theories. Types of Rationality Rational behaviour is behaviour in accordance with reason, behaviour that in some sense serves the actor’s interests. Most writers seem to accept that rationality is an essential premise for any science of economics. In so far as economics is a science of human action, there seems to be little one can say of action, which is unreasonable. However, much work has gone into distinguishing alternative concepts of rationality, which it is suggested, could...
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...Your Core Values: Autonomy/Equality and Rationality You value autonomy and equality equally. For you interdependence is the goal, harmonizing the rights of individuals with the well-being of the community. You strongly value rationality over sensibility. Your commitment to applying universal rules equally to everyone is so strong that you resist making exceptions even when intuition suggests a more compassionate result. Your Classical Values: Temperance and Justice You value individual balance and restraint in the desire for pleasure as you seek to satisfy your duties. You also value the social balance achieved through loyalty and consistency in dealings among members of the community, especially those without power. Your Key Phrase: “I am fair and responsible.” Because you equally value autonomy and equality, along with rationality, you tend to assume that every person must value the universal application of a fair system in order to achieve an ethical result. Your Definition of ethical behavior: Fulfilling duties fairly You define an ethical person as one who fulfills their duties and does the right thing as an autonomous, fully-responsible adult. In your mind, the ethical person fulfills their duties by implementing systems that give everyone in the community, especially those without power, a chance to succeed. Your Tools for analyzing problems: Reason and Authority You tend to think through a problem carefully and research options to find the one that will...
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