Operational Excellence (OE) is one of the management buzzwords currently in circulation. The term refers to an overall management philosophy, whereby the leadership continually strives to maintain high standards of efficiency, co-ordination, communication and problem solving both within and without the organization. Key concepts associated with Operational Excellence are teamwork, employee empowerment, innovation and quality…
Torture and America’s War on Terror
The practice of resorting to torture in order to elicit vital information goes back to ancient times. While human civilization has much progressed in many areas, this tendency has held humanity back. The practice of torture is not merely repulsive to the senses. Beyond the obvious pain and suffering inflicted on the victim, it poses…
Gorbachev’s analysis of the problems confronting the USSR
“Perestroika is a pressing necessity that has arisen out of the profound processes taking place in the course of the development of our socialist society. That society is ripe for change-one might say it has suffered enough. Any delay in pursuing Perestroika could lead in the very near future to a deterioration in the situation…
Philosophy of Education in the Elementary School setting
Formal education is something most children in our country have the privilege of attending. To its credit, the education system in the United States has extended literacy and math skills to several generations of students. As a result, the country overall has become more educated. The percentage of young adults passing high-school has increased steadily;…
Q & A on Separation of Church and State
1- Define the concept of “separation of church and state” Separation of Church and State is one of the governing principles under the Constitution of the United States, which forbids any interference of religion in affairs of the state. At the time of the inclusion of this provision in the American constitution, it was seen…
The rule of St Benedict: Bringing order out of chaos
St.Benedict of Nursia is a key figure in early Roman Catholic Monastic tradition. He founded a total of twelve communities for monks in and around Rome, before moving to Monte Cassino for the later years of his life. St. Benedict’s main contribution to Christian theology was his prescription of the ‘Rule’, which laid out a…
An Interpretation of Oryx and Crake
Margaret Atwood has never shied away from controversial subjects and issues and her widely acclaimed novel Oryx And Crake contains its fair share of hard-hitting questions. Moreover, Atwood seldom gets into controversies for the sake of gaining publicity. Her bravadoes have always been to reflect on contemporary social, political and economic problems and this book…
Reaction to Lecture: How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Dr. Michael Brown
Dr. Michael Brown’s illuminating lecture on new explorations in the outer solar system has really captured my imagination. His interesting and humor-filled account of the discovery of ‘Eris’ – a planet-like object orbiting the sun in an extremely elliptical pattern – has been a pleasure to listen to. In the lecture, Brown talks of how…
Clinical Decision Making About Psychopathy and Violence Risk Assessment in Public Sector Mental Health Settings
Violence in society is not just a law and order problem, for it is a persistent area of concern for mental health professionals as well. Mental healthcare facilities in public sector thus serve a dual role – 1.Helping create a harmonious society and 2. Helping ailing individuals recover from their violent tendencies. Before, mental healthcare…
Why and how was neo-liberalism able to establish itself as the dominant paradigm in the 1980s?
By the start of 1980s, currents of change were detected in the global economic order, with nationalism and protectionism being replaced by neo-liberalism and free flow of capital. Even as elites from the West promoted this new economic order, the process was facilitated by respective business leaders from nations across the world. (Tyvela, 2004, p.156)…