Affirmative action- Trials within human resource management Term Paper

Affirmative action- Trials within human resource management - Term Paper Example The term â€Å"affirmative action† was first mentioned in the United States when President John F. Kennedy signed the Executive Order 10925 on March 6, 1961; this was then used to refer to initiatives that aimed to attain equality and prevent discrimination By 1965, the Executive Order 11246 was implemented, requiring all national contractors to make use of affirmative action when hiring employees, regardless of national origin, culture, and religion; in 1968, gender was then included in the anti-discrimination list. Aside from the US, other countries have taken similar approaches to promote equality in the society, such as Canada’s employment equity or the United Kingdom’s positive discrimination. Affirmative action is known to be a set of policies that consider gender, race, culture, religion, and national origin for an underprivileged or underrepresented population to obtain equal rights and benefits, thereby contradicting the outcomes of discrimination that h ave been passed down from every generation . Such policies emphasize a wide range of aspects, from health programs and social services to education and employment opportunities. Because affirmative action aims to encourage equal opportunities, it is typically applied in government actions and educational settings to make sure that all groups in the society are involved in such programs. Affirmative action can be exemplified through different forms, such as rigid quotas or encouragement of members of minority groups to apply for employment. Similarly, each intends to increase the number of underrepresented groups in the workplace, educational settings, or in any societal context. Programs that demonstrate affirmative action vary in terms of the extent to which they consider race as an important factor in making decisions and obtaining results. In 2001, representatives from the Americas gathered together to establish policies and implement strategies to combat racial discrimination. I n order to adopt affirmative and positive actions, paramount importance was attached to the creation of conditions for every individual to become involved both in decision making and realizing civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights with regards to all aspects of life on a foundation of non-discrimination (Global Rights, 2005). Such ideas acquired considerable support in the World Conference against Racism with which the Declaration and Programme of Action points out affirmative action as fundamental factor for the global struggle against discrimination. Due to the fact that international law promotes affirmative action, national and international treaties along with regional and global institutions have attempted to integrate countless norms that support equality and non-discrimination; more states are also being required to take on active roles in guaranteeing such rights. While a number of norms state that affirmative action is permissible, this form of positive a ction can be made mandatory by others. While the form and outline of such norms may slightly vary, nonetheless, international law requires that all states be involved in promoting affirmative action. Guidelines for Affirmative Action Plans and Programs Affirmative action should be supported in all contexts, such as in educational and workplace settings; therefore, educational institutions and organizations have proposed guidelines to promote equality among all individuals (Kravitz, Bludau, and Klineberg, 2008). For instance, American universities, in their intentions of seeking employees, have established guidelines for their affirmative action programs, directed towards women, minority groups, people with disabilities, and veterans, to which academic and staff members should comply. For instance, university policies that affect staff members should be reviewed to ensure the provision of equitable treatment for every employee, compliance with the legal requirements for avoidance of discrimination and equal employment opportunity, as well

Character of Socrates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Character of Socrates - Essay Example The paper initially compares, then contrasts and eventually concludes about the character of Socrates. This is done by taking into account what is said by Nietzsche about Socrates’ problems in TI, as Socrates talks with Crito and as seen in Apology. Some of the attributes of Socrates as discovered by Nietzsche are similar to the ones seen in Apology, when Socrates appeared in court and when he talked with one of his friends Crito. There are certain characteristics of Socrates, which did not change, even though his life became quite tough. These include: I. Being argumentative II. His acts of being a real criminal III. Being erotic IV. Being controversial V. Being ironical I. Argumentative Socrates was actually argumentative (Friedrich 33). He began his speech by arguing on how the problem he faced was massive; he stated that his accusers hardly uttered a word of truth about him. He went onto further state that his accusers may go ahead and tell the men of Athens that Socrates deceives people through his eloquence. He also goes onto declare that using the same words is like a known habit to Socrates, since it was seen in the money changer’s table and agora among other places. ... Socrates established that this was one of his principles. He further explained that the bad opinions need no consideration, but good ones need careful deliberation. He explained that this was the reason for him not escaping to a nearby safe country. He took one-step further and stated that his opinions are better than the rest, since he regarded himself as a wise man. The opinions of unwise people are evil and therefore require no attention. II. Being a typical criminal Nietzsche discovered Socrates as a typical criminal. Nietzsche validates this fact by stating that in Apology, Socrates, in the presence of judges confronted everyone without any sort of fear or remorse. By defiantly asking Meletus to name the improver of the youth, he implied that he was the youth’s corrupter. Furthermore, one of the foreigners also told Socrates that he was full of worst appetites and vices. At this remark, Socrates actually agreed with the foreigner, stating ‘You know me sir’, s howing that someone who barely knew Socrates also found him to be a criminal. Moreover, Nietzsche also used the appearance of Socrates to claim that since Socrates was so ugly, he was ugly in spirit, as well, as elucidated by ‘monstrous in appearance, monstrous in spirit. III. Socrates was erotic Socrates was quite erotic, as mentioned by Nietzsche. He told men of Athens that he was not going to change his way of living, even if he had to die many times. He told people not to interrupt him, while he was delivering his speech, as shown in Apology in these lines ‘And I must remind you that you are not to interrupt me if I speak in my accustomed manner’. (Walter and Hollingdale, 162). He claimed that he might be a corrupter of youth by stating that he never misled them intentionally. By asking