Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Philosophy and ethics

Description of Human Faculties

Primitive Christianity made a huge effort to absorb the essential elements of Greek philosophy. A basic element is reason. According to the Platonic model, there are two different meanings or types of reason.

Universal Reason (LOGOS)

It governs the order of the world. According to Plato, this one lies in a superior world. Its supreme essences are the ideas: good, truth, and beauty.

Individual, Partial, and Limited Reason in Each Man

It allows captivating the superior order. However, the ascendance of the sensible world to the intelligible world is never produced completely. It is always done with difficulties.

Classical Notion of Human Freedom

It is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, and so to... Continue reading "Understanding Human Faculties and Freedom in Christian Morality" »

Immune to Impresud with Inferior to
Indifferent to Jealous of Kind to keen on
Limited to Lucky at/with Mad at about Married to Nervous of/about Notorious for
Opposed to Optimistic about Patient with
Pessimistic about Pleased with Polite to
Popular with Presented with Proudof Punished for Puzzled by/about Qualified for
Ready for Related to Responsible for Sad about Sensitive to/about Serious about Sick of Similar to Shocked by Skillful at Slow at
Sorry for/about Successful at/in Suitable for Sure of/about Superior to Surprised at/by
Suspicious of Sympathetic with Talented at
Terrible at Terrified of Tired of Thankful to/for Typical of Upset about Used to. Nouns + prep ON Debate on Information on Hold on
Agreement on Ban on Congratulations on
Decision... Continue reading "Essential English Prepositions List" »

Understanding Common and Preferred Stock

Par Value Explained

Par Value: The stated value on a stock certificate.

• An accounting value, not market value.
• Represents the dedicated capital of a corporation, calculated as the total par value (number of shares * par value of each share).

Authorized vs. Issued Common Stock

• The articles of incorporation must state the number of shares of common stock the corporation is authorized to issue.
• The board of directors, after a vote of the shareholders, may amend the articles of incorporation to increase the number of shares.
• Authorizing a large number of shares may concern investors about dilution because authorized shares can be issued later with the approval of the board of directors but without a vote of the

Dividends

• Unless a dividend is declared by the board of directors of a corporation, it is not a liability of the corporation (A corporation cannot default on an undeclared dividend)
• The payment of dividends by the corporation is not a business expense. (Therefore, they are not tax-deductible)
• Dividends received by individual shareholders are, for the most part, considered ordinary income by the IRS and are fully taxable (There is an intra-corporate dividend exclusion)

Preferred Stock

Preferred stock represents equity of a corporation, but is different from common stock because it has preference over common in the payments of dividends and in the assets of the corporation in the event of bankruptcy. They have a stated liquidating value (usually $... Continue reading "Understanding Dividends, Preferred Stock, Debt, and Equity in Corporate Finance" »

Alternative Models of Behavior

_(1.2)

Money Matters

• Reductionist and simplistic model: “Everything and everyone has a price” – the “economic model” is richer and more subtle than this.
• The only component of a job is monetary compensation.
• Therefore, anyone can get anybody to do anything for sufficiently high compensation; the economic model cannot guarantee that! (Easy job life and poor results)

Happy-Is-Productive

• Employee satisfaction and happiness is not a means in itself but rather instrumental to firms’ goals.
• It is the view of managers who believe that “happy employees are more productive”.
• In this way of thinking, employees exert higher effort and dedication in the job not when they are better paid, but when they feel better treated.

• Even in this place where there is no competition for power (the king is absolute) nor for goods (they are common), there is still a place for malice (cf. XII.35).
• Rasselas's encounter with the aeronautical engineer (VI) provides a pattern that is repeated throughout the narrative.
• The engineer's project would have seemed futile to Johnson's contemporaries: The attempt at human flight, though rational, is doomed to failure; the engineer's fall into the lake is typical of all human aspirations.
• The story of Imlac also prefigures the rest of the narrative: Though his father aspires only to the increase of wealth, Imlac recognizes that his own desire for the increase of knowledge does not bring him happiness.
• The possession of knowledge cannot prevent

Authoritarian

Expecting others to obey rules completely.

Demanding

Needing a lot of your time and energy.

Consensual

Involving the agreement of most people in a group; democratic.

Coaching

Giving training or advice for a specific job or task.

Mentoring

Advising and helping someone more generally over a longer time period.

Empowerment

Giving control over decisions to other people.

Liaison

Exchange of information between people so that they work well together.

Hierarchical

Where people and jobs are divided into many levels of importance.

Proactive

Taking action before it's needed, rather than waiting until problems develop.

Qualities

Part of your character and personality, often present at birth or developed early in life. Hard to change.

Skills

Can be developed... Continue reading "Essential Business & Management Terminology" »

Effective Shift Handover

Effective communication between outgoing and incoming personnel is extremely important in maintenance. Individuals must assume personal ownership and responsibility for their tasks. Information should be transmitted in written, spoken, and gestured (nonverbal) forms. Using multiple communication methods (redundancy) reduces risk.

When an experienced person hands over to an inexperienced one, the former must assume the latter lacks the same knowledge and will need more time for the handover. For example, a brief, spoken-only handover (lack of redundancy) resulted in missing screws during installation. The next shift, believing all screws were installed, released the airplane for service.

The Dirty Dozen

The Dirty Dozen refers... Continue reading "Effective Shift Handover and Human Error in Aviation Maintenance" »

Advantages and Disadvantages of Starting Your Own Business

Some people contemplate starting their own business at some point in their lives. Like everything in life, owning a business has its advantages and disadvantages, its securities and risks. But perhaps, not having a job also has risks. The wonderful adventure of starting a business is something worth experiencing. In this essay, we will discuss the arguments in favor of and against this issue.

Advantages of Owning a Business

On the one hand, there are many advantages, such as:

• Economic independence
• Freedom of time
• The possibility to work where you like
• Leaving an inheritance
• Planning your holidays

A study by... shows that 40 percent of people have benefited from owning their own business, 50... Continue reading "Starting a Business: Advantages and Disadvantages" »