Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Social sciences

1. What is Globalization According to A. Scholte?

Giddens aptly observed that „there are few terms that we use so frequently but which are in fact as poorly conceptualized as globalization‟ (Giddens, 1996).

Various Interpretations of Globalization

Let's delve into different understandings of globalization:

• Internationalization:

  This refers to the growth of transactions and interdependence between countries. A more globalized world, in this sense, witnesses increased cross-border flows of messages, ideas, merchandise, money, investments, pollutants, and people.

• Liberalization:

  Globalization, from this perspective, is the process of removing officially imposed restrictions on resource movements between countries. It aims to create an „open‟

Grammar Translation Method

• Based on translation.
• Study of literature in the target language (L2).
• Instruction in the native language (L1).
• Focus on reading and writing.
• Vocabulary taught through word lists.
• Sentence is the basic teaching unit.
• Grammar taught deductively: explanation followed by exercises.

Natural/Direct Method

• Emphasis on spoken language learning.
• Meaning acquired through context.
• Grammar learned inductively.

Advantages

• Classroom instruction in L2.
• Vocabulary through demonstrations (objects, pictures).
• Emphasis on correct pronunciation and grammar.
• Everyday vocabulary and sentences.
• Graded oral communication skills.

Disadvantages

• Requires teachers with high/native English proficiency.
• Time-consuming explanations in L2.

Audiolingual/Oral Approach

Principles

• Selection
• Gradation
• Situational

Key Actors in Public Opinion Formation

The actors involved in shaping public opinion are diverse and influential. Here are some of the main players:

Politicians

Politicians and political parties regularly conduct polls, especially during campaigns. They also use focus groups to understand public sentiment. This research often aims to find ways to influence public opinion in favor of their policies. Politicians are keenly aware of the power of public opinion and work to shape it to their advantage.

Mass Media

The mass media plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion. It is a major factor influencing how the public thinks about various issues. Media outlets conduct political surveys to create content for their audiences. Larger media organizations... Continue reading "Key Actors Shaping Public Opinion: Politicians, Media, Elites, and the Public" »

MNE and Div

Div-

Universal inclusion encompasses any individual characteristic that affects an employee's performance in the workplace. It tries to redress the imbalance of power and addresses discriminatory practices in MNE to meet employee needs.

Equality and Div-

Equality (dimensions along which equality might be measured are culturally and contextually specific/core values of equality are fraught with difficulties/different kinds of equality/creation-opportunity-treatment-result).

Meritocracy

Equal moral and political worth of all persons. Young argued Merit principle asserts that division of labor must be questioned, no privileges. Neutrality with respect to race & gender/gender-blind/HRM decisions not influenced by race or gender/Affirmative... Continue reading "Maximizing Diversity and Inclusion in Multinational Enterprises" »

Education and Teaching Methods

Teaching is the basis of society, because each person has had to study something in their life, and these studies helped them to be trained as a person.

The traditional method of class is with a teacher who explains the lesson for that day, assigns homework, and administers tests to verify that the students have reached the objectives.

However, some think that this method is not good because exams produce fear in the students, causing many of them to fail despite having studied a lot. There are new methods of evaluating students, such as through projects.

Personally, I feel that it's better to have more exams with less content than fewer exams with a lot of material.

Reality TV Shows vs. Other Entertainment

Nowadays,... Continue reading "Thoughts on Education, Entertainment, and Politics" »

Classical Liberalism

• Key Thinkers: Adam Smith, John Locke, David Ricardo, John Stuart Mill, Woodrow Wilson.
• Core Assumptions: Objectivity is weak; the system is anarchic.
• Game Theory: Positive-sum game; Prisoner's Dilemma leads to mutual and collective gains.
• Key Actors (Institutions): Individuals, states, markets, International Governmental Organizations (IGOs), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and pressure groups.
• Individual Preferences: Utilitarian and idealistic.
• Intervening Variables: Non-state actors (political parties, markets, lobbies).
• Explanatory/Predictive Scope: Normative international, foreign, and domestic policy.
• Goals: Self-determination, cooperation, security, wealth, peace, and stability.
• Key Concepts: Just War Theory, Collective

Theme: Progress

Text analysis: Persuasion

Technique:

• Logical appeal: this technique uses reason and evidence to support a position.

• Emotional appeal: This technique creates strong feelings, such as fear and anger, to influence readers' opinions.

• Ethical appeal: This technique refers to values and principles which the reader is likely to believe in strongly.

Reading skill: Recognize ideas

Victorian writers use complex sentence filled with phrases, clauses, and modifiers.

Strategies:

• Clarify meaning by identifying the main subject and verb of a sentence.

• Watch for patterns in the text, such as repeated sentence structures, that the author uses to organize thoughts.

• Once you identify the idea of a passage, reread it. Consider the details you initially skipped

Progressive Era Goals

Five primary goals sought during this era:

1. Spread democracy across the U.S. and globally.
2. Limit the power of big business.
3. Bring about better government structures.
4. Government intervention to aid the poor.
5. Increase government regulation across industries.

Theodore Roosevelt's Achievements

Despite early health struggles with asthma, Theodore Roosevelt overcame obstacles to become Governor and later President. Key accomplishments include:

• Establishing national parks and wildlife preserves.
• Enacting the Pure Food & Drug Act.
• Limiting the power of large corporations.

Eight Major Antebellum Events

These events significantly shaped the path to the Civil War:

1. The Compromise of 1850
2. Uncle Tom's Cabin
3. Dred Scott v. Sandford
4. The Kansas-Nebraska

The Role of Leadership in Corporate Success

Iconic Founders and Entrepreneurial Leadership

Some organizations are defined by their leaders. Amazon is identified with Jeff Bezos, eBay with Pierre Omidyar, and Google is identified with Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Entrepreneurs and founders of their organizations, they are perceived to possess leadership qualities and pronounce on the issues of the day. They are often held up as role models.

The mercurial leadership characteristic of many entrepreneurs means that they might found and then sell a series of start-ups, rather than guiding them to the next, more mature stage. Unlike the examples above—corporations that operate on a global scale—others prefer to leave the day-to-day management of... Continue reading "Corporate Leadership Dynamics: Founders, Turnarounds, and CEO Succession" »

Types of knowledge:

• Intuitive: acquired through direct experience with things, objects, people.
• Empirical: based on experience; does not explain reality.
• Magic relig: built on beliefs and supernatural ideas.
• Philosophical: guide for human beings in the search for knowing.
• Scientific: produced with a method of study for observing, analyzing, and reflecting on reality.

Human beings:

Characterized by reason and consciousness of their acts, with a natural desire to know.

Formal sciences:

Study conceptual entities like numbers, figures, and concepts.

Factual sciences:

Study natural events, including natural and social phenomena.

Social sciences:

Study human social relationships and institutions.

Methods of sociology:

Main methods include positivism, comparative,... Continue reading "Types of Knowledge and Human Sciences: A Comprehensive Overview" »