Immorality of Excessive Gambling Essay

Excessive gambling is immoral because it causes people to exhaust their resources on an activity with uncertain results which can result to bigger problems in the end. Those who gamble should practice moderation in their ways so that they will be able to avoid the possibilities of gambling dependency on one’s future and of drying-up one’s financial resources just to satisfy an earthly pleasure. Instead of going to casinos and playing card games on a regular basis, people should only do so as a pastime so that they can a lot most of their time to more rewarding activities that are certain to compensate for their efforts. If a person gambles too much, the tendency of the individual is to use most—if not all—of his financial resources just to satisfy his desire to gamble (Kusyszyn, 1984). An excessive gambler does not mind if the odds of winning are small compared to the odds of losing. Moreover, an excessive gambler no longer minds if the money he has gambled has already reached to amounts that are already way beyond the ordinary. The excessive gambler, therefore, is so devoted to spending a luxurious amount in the hopes of winning his bet which, if he did win, he will then again use to gamble. While the case of an excessive gambler is not always beyond repair, the damages that his deeds can inflict not only to himself but also to his family can certainly alter the course of their lives for the worse, if not the worst. For one, financial debt can never be far behind because an excessive gambler will find ways just to fuel his addiction—including loans either from lending institutions or other people. This will certainly affect the financial security of himself and of his family. Another thing is that excessive gambling can lead to loss of time for work and for the family. If the excessive gambler losses time for his work, there is a great chance that he will be losing his job which can cut-off his or his family’s source of income. The loss of time for the family is also negative consequence because it causes family members to lose emotional bond. If the gambler is a father, there is the risk that his children will no longer see him as a fatherly figure or, probably worse, they may reach the point where they will no longer miss his presence in the household while he is out in the casinos gambling. More importantly, excessive gambling is immoral because it takes away the opportunity for families to develop and grow in many ways. Instead of spending the money on gambling, the money could have been better spent on household furniture, on paying monthly bills, family vacation and other things that could have brought the family closer together. The latter options are certainly the better options to take instead of gambling too much. The omission of these good options in exchange for the worse option is certainly not a moral thing to do when the person could have just chosen the option that was primarily beneficial to everybody in the household and its future. From a utilitarian perspective, disregarding the option that maximizes benefits to the most number of individuals concerned is not the moral thing to do (Freeman, 1994). Thus, excessive gambling is immoral from a utilitarian standpoint. Aristotle’s philosophy of moderation suggests that human beings should avoid the extremes because the excess and the deficiency of anything are vices whereas the moderation of it is considered to be a virtue (Yu, 1998). The same principle can be applied to contemporary gambling. For example, an individual’s deficiency of playing slot machines in casinos or anywhere else where there ways to gamble is considered as a vice. On the other hand, spending too much time, attention and resources on playing poker in a Las Vegas casino is also considered to be a vice. The best option that should be taken is a moderate gambling practice because, according to Aristotle, the moderate way is the virtuous way which can lead to the good life. Instead of going regularly to casinos or spending more time in the race track than in the household, the excessive gambler should practice moderating his addiction. He can instead cut the time and money he is spending on his vices and devote more of them to his family. He can also choose to work harder in the office or spend more time with his children so that he will have less time for gambling. The bright side to that is that he becomes less of a person addicted to gambling while being more of a normal person at the same time. The point is not to siphon all of your time, resources and attention to gambling as it deprives you of some of life’s better activities. It does not mean, however, that the person should altogether abandon gambling. The thing is that gambling can still be a part of a person’s life, only that this time around gambling is no longer an addiction but rather a leisurely activity spent for pastime. In fact, moderate gambling can be a source of emotional bond for family members especially for the adult parents. For instance, a couple can decide to go on vacation in Las Vegas and spend a bit of time and money in a casino where they can play together for fun. If they lose, not much is lost because the primary goal was to establish more emotional bond together. If they win, however, their financial winnings can be considered as mere ‘bonuses’ to their primary intent. This perhaps best explains why gambling can also be a good deed so long as it is within moderate limits. It is easy to see and understand why excessive gambling is immoral. For the most part, it is a menace that tears down family bond and deprives people of spending their lives on better activities. Although excessive gambling is immoral, the moderation of gambling can still be considered as a good thing for it can also bring families closer together. References Freeman, S. (1994). Utilitarianism, Deontology, and the Priority of Right Utilitarianism, Deontology, and the Priority of Right. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 23(4), 313-349. Kusyszyn, I. (1984). The Psychology of Gambling. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 474, 133-145. Yu, J. (1998). Virtue: Confucius and Aristotle. Philosophy East and West, 48(2), 323-347.

Assessing The Strategic Human Resource Management Preferences Business Essay

Assessing The Strategic Human Resource Management Preferences Business Essay Number of growing organizations believes that Human Resource (HR) provides them competitive advantage. It was understood by many organizations that competitive advantage can be obtained by quality work force/employees and culture. Approach of linking Human Resource Management to Strategic objectives of an organization is called as Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) (Bratton and Gold, 2001). It was cited by Bratton and Gold (2001, p39) strategic management is defined as ‘that set of managerial decisions and actions that determines the long-run performance of a corporation’. Strategic HR ensures that employees/human capital of an organization contributes to its achievements with their skills and performance. Traditional HR is concerned with implementation of policies and techniques like recruitment, staffing, remuneration, assessment etc (Klabbers, University of Bergen). But linking the general HRM and the organization’s strategy gives HR department more sc ope to enhance the abilities of their workforce and concentrate on the vision and mission. This connection is made to improve the organization performance and develop organizational culture which in turn facilitates innovation and flexibility. Overall the key principle of Strategic HRM is to achieve organization’s vision and mission. Bratton (2001) describes SHRM as a continuous process that requires constant adjustment in three major areas namely Value of Senior management, the environment and the resources available. Fig 1: Three major poles in strategic planning (Adapted from Bratton and Gold, 2001) Some authors believe that Strategic HRM is an Outcome and some believe that it’s a process. It was cited by Bratton and Gold (2004) that authors like Ulrich (1997) and Snell et al had different opinion on Strategic HRM. Snell et al believed that it’s an outcome designed to achieve sustained competitive edge through quality workforce. Ulrich (1997) also stated SHRM as an outcome of mission, vision and priorities of HR department. HR strategies are more concerned about matching the Five Ps that stimulates the employee roles for competitive strategy (Bratton and Gold, 2004, p46 and Cerdin and Ashok Som, 2003). It was cited by Cerdin and Ashok Som (2003) that Strategic HRM is identified in three levels namely Strategic, Managerial and operational level. Strategic level looks to the long term future, Managerial level looks at the mid term and the operation level looks at the short term focus. Different models and approaches were discussed in this assignment to understand the functionality of strategic HRM and how far the organization able to implement it. Models and Approaches There are several approaches and models by which Strategic HRM can be applied but basic strategic HRM model is widely accepted by many authors, researchers and even critics as well (Kane and Palmer, 1995). This basic model is based on the external and internal environment a nd basic organization strategies. Fig 2 Basic Model of Strategic Human resource Management (Adapted from Kane and Palmer, 1995) Strategic HRM models demonstrate how an organization links its business strategies and HR function to achieve it goals. Though SHRM adopts resource based philosophy, there are three different models defined by authors (Bratton and Gold, 2004, p49). These models are Control based, Resource based and Integrative model.

U.S. History from 1700 to 1877 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

U.S. History from 1700 to 1877 - Essay Example The book ‘The Negro in American Rebellion’ by William Wells Brown, a noted literary figure, highlights the contributions of African-Americans in the military, in previous wars and in various slave uprisings. Recounted in less traditional historical point of view, the book argues that the African-American involvement and contributions to the war efforts were ignored or misrepresented in other traditional historical documentation which chronicled the life of African-American soldiers. The essay also describes that the book has a few weaknesses but on the whole the author’s arguments are convincing as they were backed by primary sources, such as newspaper articles and documents published by the government. The author’s agenda is mentioned in the essay in details and is apparent from the beginning: To promote the rights of African-Americans, acknowledge the contributions of the African-Americans in the war, support the anti-slavery efforts and bestow voting rights to soldiers of African descent in the Union. In conclusion, author of this essay suggests that Brown’s book is important in the understanding of the American history and experience as a whole in that it offers a disparate insight of life in the past. It factually depicts the struggles of the African-American soldiers and argues for the acknowledgement of their heroism. The experiences of the African-American soldiers in uprisings, rebellion and war cannot be discounted as they form a collective consciousness of the American life.

Aviation Maintenance Programs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Aviation Maintenance Programs - Research Paper Example To address the safety concerns the Federal Administration Aviation and the military services often take similar or divergent maintenance programs to address the aircraft safety issues. The paper will look at the similarities and differences of how the Federal Administration and the military service run their aircraft maintenance programs. The paper will also make a comparison of aviation maintenance programs of the United States and those of other countries in the world. Similarities Similar Internal Mechanism used to Communicate Safety Related Information In running the aircraft maintenance programs, both the military service and the Federal Administration Aviation have established a formal and informal internal means to realize their aircraft safety issues. In both cases, there are established formal internal mechanisms that are used to convey any official information that is of concern such as those of giving orders and directives in the aviation industry and the military service. In cases where the Federal Administration aviation predicts any unsafe condition for the aircraft, they issue a formal airworthiness directive of the unsafe condition to the primary owners and the operators of the aircraft so that they can take precautionary measure to avoid areas that are considered unsafe for the aircraft to pass through (United States General Accounting Office, 2000). In case of large civil commercial airplanes, the airworthiness directive is first written by the agency based in Renton, Washington, and then sends to the Federal Administration Aviatio

Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 7

Interview - Essay Example The other similarity in the cultures of both countries is the mish-mash cultural diversity, where American culture comprises of cultural practices from different nationalities and ethnic groups, since America is an immigrant country, while the Kenyan culture comprises of a mixture of tribal cultures and cultures from different nationalities too. Nevertheless, while the American language culture is characterized by English as the predominant language, the Kenyan language culture is multilingual, comprising of 42 different spoken languages, in addition to English and Swahili which are the official Kenyan languages. The youth culture is another notable area that both the USA and Kenya shares a similarity. Despite the fact that Kenya is by way, too far to develop its economy to the level of the American economy, the advancement in education and technology in Kenya has been great especially in the last two decades. Consequently, the youths in Kenya are able to access the social media and other globally interactive platforms where the people share information and cultures internationally. As a result, the Kenyan youths have adapted a high percentage of the western culture, and most especially the American culture, such that the American youths are likely to feel at home while in Kenya. However, there are many aspects in which the culture of the USA and that of Kenya vary. Firstly, the family culture in the USA and in Kenya are very different, considering the fact that in USA, the family unit is basically the nuclear family, with the extended family not often living together. On the other hand, the Kenyan culture comprises of the extended family living together in the same homestead. Additionally, the family cultures in both countries vary in size, with the size of the nuclear family in Kenya being relatively bigger than that in the USA, having on average 2-4 children and 4-7 children respectively.

Motivation Bulletin Board Post Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Motivation Bulletin Board Post - Assignment Example The driven-reduction theory can apply to my guilt over leaving my homework too late, or the stress of knowing how much I have been putting off and how much I will have to do to catch up. Regardless of which, these feelings increase as I put off what I have to do, and what should have been done days ago. Not wanting to feel guilty or stressed, I feel the need to actually do the tasks to deplete these feelings. The less that I want to experience these feelings, the more I get done in regard to school and homework. The longer I can put off experiencing these emotions, the more willing I am to get work done. The optimal arousal theory relates to the success that I want to feel as a student. When I have my work done and I am feeling good about where I am with school, then I have reached my optimal level. I become inspired to do my best so that I may inherently feel that I have indeed done the best of my abilities. It is a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when I focus hours on end to finish my work, and actually finish my work. The incentive theory, in regards to my school situation, allows me to reward myself for getting good grades on tests or homework, or for completing projects well before they are due. When I offer myself an award prior to my doing something, I feel more eager to complete the task and obtain that treat. Once I realized that I was more anxious to get something done knowing that something better was waiting for me, I would focus more on the task at hand. Such rewards would vary from simply taking a break or going out to the movies with friends. I would treat myself for a job well

Movie comment Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Comment - Movie Review Example There seems to be a break in connection with the past. This can be a good thing, however, because it forces the next generation to carve out a new way for themselves, and escape from the weight of history that has been handed down to them. One of the most interesting aspects of the film is that Pilar, who has a white father and Mexican mother, is a teacher whose job is to reinterpret the history for all of the different groups, even though the parents of the schoolchildren resist her open minded approach to the past. Cinema has a great power to play with time: â€Å"Sayles visually reinforces the weight of history and the past in Frontera with seamless chronological transitions smoothly effected by means of panning or other camera movement during uninterrupted takes.† (West and West, 1996, p.1) The flashbacks help to put history into context. Question 2. The town of Frontera, whose name literally means frontier or border, is at the meeting point of North America and South Amer ica, and it is also where the different mentalities of these two worlds meet.