Analysis of an Issue
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"As technologies and the demand for certain services change, many workers will lose their jobs. The responsibility for those people to adjust to such change should belong to the individual worker, not to government or to business."
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your position with specific reasons and/or examples drawn from your reading, your observations, or your own experience.
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Response
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Its true that the growing demand for use of technology and similar automated services in today's competitive business world will have adverse effect on the manual labour 'the workers' currently employed in the industries, but nonetheless it is an inevitable requirement as well. But I disagree with the stated view that it is the lone responsibility of the individual worker's and not the government or business to make the situation for the worker class prettier. Instead such an effect will only be possible if the governments take the primary responsibility followed by the secondary backup efforts of the business on the whole.
We all know that the workers, the less skilled, educated and gifted people are already a deprived lot and it would be an herculean effort on their part if things are to be moved from their end. Additionally, any social change/reform is more effective if applied on macro level and the results provide a substantial effect on the economy as a whole.
Even if individuals work on micro level to break the shackles it would be next to impossible that they bring about any noticeable change anywhere
As can be better observed by this instance - major efforts for upliftment, social justice and equality for the extremely backward tribes, scheduled caste in India was on for centuries on individual level and on community level by NGOs, but any tangible effect started being visible only after the government of independent India passed legislative bills in this regard to enforce things.
similarly, if the govt and business together put in sincere efforts towards the need of change of the worker class after technology starts replacing them from the production line and they start losing their jobs then only we can assume to effectively curb a possible menace arising out of this displacement of human labour.
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Analysis of an Argument
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The following appeared in a memorandum from the directors of a security and safety consulting service.
"Our research indicates that over the past six years no incidents of employee theft have been reported within ten of the companies that have been our clients. In analyzing the security practices of these ten companies, we have further learned that each of them requires its employees to war photo identification badges while at work. In the future, therefore, we should recommend the use of such identification badges to all of our clients."
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. You can also discuss what, if anything, would make the argument more sound and persuasive or would help you to better evaluate its conclusion.
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Response
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The argument in the passage is lopsidedly dependent upon the behaviour of a set of sample data which is extremely low to be able to derive at a generic conclusion. Not only that the directors of the security and safety consulting company have decided to prescribe a course of action to all its clients limiting its analysis on a single factor "photo identification badges" only.
The passage doesn't clarify whether the photo Identification badges used by 10 of the under observation companies were the only security measure adopted by them or there were other factors influencing the result as well. It also assumes that the present situation of employee theft in these 10 companies have improved after the ID badges were introduced. Passage also leaves the factors of the size and nature of working in these 10 companies up for assumption.
Infact, if the passage had given more insight into the obvious gaps it would have been easier to better analyse the relevance of the decision of the directors. For ex. what if these were real small companies where management can easily keep strict vigil with minimal security measures. Then these photo Ids can prove to be substantial.
These companies could be hi-tech Information Technology companies where other more swift security measures has been a part of the overall processes. In this case this Photo Id is only a complement to other more advanced anti-theft security measures in force.
These companies under observation could be small/medium/large manufacturing units producing cumbersome, huge end products requiring bigger heavier materails for their production, in such a case instances of employee theft would already be absolute minimum and the Id badges help mitigate any further risks.
Thus, not only the sample data is very low but it also does not take into account certain other factors which can be of great consideration impacting the extremely sensitive recommendation the directors of the security and safety company are trying to make to all its clients. If these were present, it would have been helpful in reaching to the conclusion but in their absence and in light of the available data the argument does not provide any tangibility.
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"As technologies and the demand for certain services change, many workers will lose their jobs. The responsibility for those people to adjust to such change should belong to the individual worker, not to government or to business."
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your position with specific reasons and/or examples drawn from your reading, your observations, or your own experience.
***********************************************************************
Response
********
Its true that the growing demand for use of technology and similar automated services in today's competitive business world will have adverse effect on the manual labour 'the workers' currently employed in the industries, but nonetheless it is an inevitable requirement as well. But I disagree with the stated view that it is the lone responsibility of the individual worker's and not the government or business to make the situation for the worker class prettier. Instead such an effect will only be possible if the governments take the primary responsibility followed by the secondary backup efforts of the business on the whole.
We all know that the workers, the less skilled, educated and gifted people are already a deprived lot and it would be an herculean effort on their part if things are to be moved from their end. Additionally, any social change/reform is more effective if applied on macro level and the results provide a substantial effect on the economy as a whole.
Even if individuals work on micro level to break the shackles it would be next to impossible that they bring about any noticeable change anywhere
As can be better observed by this instance - major efforts for upliftment, social justice and equality for the extremely backward tribes, scheduled caste in India was on for centuries on individual level and on community level by NGOs, but any tangible effect started being visible only after the government of independent India passed legislative bills in this regard to enforce things.
similarly, if the govt and business together put in sincere efforts towards the need of change of the worker class after technology starts replacing them from the production line and they start losing their jobs then only we can assume to effectively curb a possible menace arising out of this displacement of human labour.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Analysis of an Argument
*******************
The following appeared in a memorandum from the directors of a security and safety consulting service.
"Our research indicates that over the past six years no incidents of employee theft have been reported within ten of the companies that have been our clients. In analyzing the security practices of these ten companies, we have further learned that each of them requires its employees to war photo identification badges while at work. In the future, therefore, we should recommend the use of such identification badges to all of our clients."
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. You can also discuss what, if anything, would make the argument more sound and persuasive or would help you to better evaluate its conclusion.
***********************************************************************
Response
********
The argument in the passage is lopsidedly dependent upon the behaviour of a set of sample data which is extremely low to be able to derive at a generic conclusion. Not only that the directors of the security and safety consulting company have decided to prescribe a course of action to all its clients limiting its analysis on a single factor "photo identification badges" only.
The passage doesn't clarify whether the photo Identification badges used by 10 of the under observation companies were the only security measure adopted by them or there were other factors influencing the result as well. It also assumes that the present situation of employee theft in these 10 companies have improved after the ID badges were introduced. Passage also leaves the factors of the size and nature of working in these 10 companies up for assumption.
Infact, if the passage had given more insight into the obvious gaps it would have been easier to better analyse the relevance of the decision of the directors. For ex. what if these were real small companies where management can easily keep strict vigil with minimal security measures. Then these photo Ids can prove to be substantial.
These companies could be hi-tech Information Technology companies where other more swift security measures has been a part of the overall processes. In this case this Photo Id is only a complement to other more advanced anti-theft security measures in force.
These companies under observation could be small/medium/large manufacturing units producing cumbersome, huge end products requiring bigger heavier materails for their production, in such a case instances of employee theft would already be absolute minimum and the Id badges help mitigate any further risks.
Thus, not only the sample data is very low but it also does not take into account certain other factors which can be of great consideration impacting the extremely sensitive recommendation the directors of the security and safety company are trying to make to all its clients. If these were present, it would have been helpful in reaching to the conclusion but in their absence and in light of the available data the argument does not provide any tangibility.
