Utilitarianism Is Inconsistent With The Demands Of Friendship

Friendship requires partiality and altruism. If one aims to build a friendship, s/he must show partiality by making sacrifices that benefit this friend in lieu of maximizing pleasure for all. Utilitarianism requires persons to act only in ways that benefit hedonic utility – maximizing pleasure while minimizing pain. Utilitarianism forgoes partiality and requires that an individual only commit actions that benefit the greater good. Thus, friendship – an act that requires partiality – and Utilitarianism – an act that requires impartiality - cannot coexist. This raises problems for the utilitarian because many persons would agree that friendship serves an integral function in any human life. It seems that no ethical framework should require persons to forgo anything central to our understanding of life as Utilitarianism might. A person who wholly espouses Utilitarianism cannot serve as a good friend because the two contradict each other. Utilitarianism requir es one to act impartially while friendship builds its foundation on partiality. Roadmap: In this essay, I will argue for Shafer-Landau’s suggestion that Utilitarianism is inconsistent with the demands of friendship. First, I will assert that a true utilitarian cannot also act as a true friend as result of the two having conflicting and contradictory ends. Next, I will object my original argument using the claim that Utilitarianism does often suggest that persons offer preference to their friends and family. Finally, IShow MoreRelatedEssay about Utilitarianism: Explanation And Study of Criticisms3046 Words   |  13 PagesUtilitarianism: Explanation And Study of Criticisms The dictionary definition of Utilitarianism is: The doctrine that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be the guiding principal of conduct. When making a moral decision, we should look at the outcome of an action. Whatever brings the greatest happiness to the most people is the morally right decision. It is a consequentialist principal where the majority rules. It is also relative as each situationRead MoreBa 12n12432 Words   |  50 Pagesinformation about cross-cultural values is that it incorrectly assumes that everyone within a specific country holds similar values.   True  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  False    47.  Utilitarianism judges morality by the consequences of our actions, not the means to attaining those consequences.   True  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  False    48.  Three personality traits are care, utilitarianism, and distributive justice.   True  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  False    49.  One problem with applying the individual rights principle of ethical decision making is that one individualRead MoreBook Review5062 Words   |  21 Pageswell. He was shown as being inclined towards the Pandavas. He also manipulated the war in favour of Pandavas. His actions lead the author to question whether Krishna was indeed a God or a mere human. Karna – Karna is known for his loyalty and friendship. The book emphasises on his status Anxiety. The status was compared to different caste system in India and also compared with American and European culture. Ashwatthama – He was shown with a revengeful attitude and believed that end justify meansRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesEmilio drink water that you know will cause a disease, but it is clearly negative, and the probability of this consequence is 100 percent; that is, it is certain to occur if you tell Emilio you are sick. In addition, if Emilio finds out, then your friendship with him might end. This is also a negative, and one that is likely to occur, but then again Emilio might never find out what you’ve done. Finally, there is one more consequence worth considering: If Juanita finds out you broke your promise toRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesOrganizations Networked organizations allow people to communicate and work together even though they may be thousands of miles apart. Independent contractors can telecommute via computer to workplaces around the globe and change employers as the demand for their services changes. Software programmers, graphic designers, systems analysts, technical writers, photo researchers, book Challenges and Opportunities for OB 21 and media editors, and medical transcribers are just a few examples

Introduction. Cindy Is Debating On Whether Or Not She Should

Introduction Cindy is debating on whether or not she should open a business to sell and install solar panels for residential and business use. She believes that this business will help companies and consumers save money on bills every month, while having a positive impact on the environment. However, the business will require all of Cindy’s life savings, so she wants to be positive that it is a good economic investment in the current economic environment. This essay analyzes the current economy of the U.S., including: GDP, the business cycle, unemployment rate, inflation, monetary policy, interest rates, fiscal policy, international trade, and demographics and provides a recommendation for Cindy. GDP Growth Rate The gross domestic†¦show more content†¦The two main cycles are either expansion or recession. The U.S. is currently in a cycle of expansion. The economy continues to grow, the unemployment rate continues to drop, and wage growth is accelerating. According to Fidelity (2017), consumer spending should continue to be strong in 2017, with growing wages. Odds of recession should remain low throughout the year (Fidelity, 2017). This is good news for Cindy. The best time to start up a new business is during a cycle of growth. The unemployment rate is currently 4.5%, which is the lowest in almost 10 years. Many new jobs are being added every month, with 219,000 jobs added in February, and 98,000 added in March. The unemployment rate indicates that the labor market is returning to a sustainable pace of progress (Jamrisko, 2017). Employment is currently healthy in the U.S. This is also good news for Cindy. This indicates that there are more people working, earning, and having disposa ble income to invest in solar panels. According to the US Inflation Calculator (2017), the current inflation rate is 2.7% as of February 28, 2017. This is the rate at which consumer goods rise in price per year. An inflation rate between two and three percent is beneficial for an economy because it encourage consumers to buy and borrow more. This means that the government and central banks strive to meet a limited level of inflation (The Economic Times, 2017). The consistent inflation rate is positiveShow MoreRelatedMade to Order: Designer Babies2432 Words   |  10 PagesMade to Order: Designer Babies (Introduction) Imagine that children were genetically engineered to accustom parent’s exact desires of both physical and mental characteristics. Would parents choose physical traits such as blonde hair and green eyes, or choose mental traits such as athleticism and intelligence? Scientists are now able to genetically engineer a human embryo to the traits that a parent desires. Designer babies are usually seen as beneficial due to the eliminating chances of geneticsRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pageswritten permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, website www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, (201)748-6011, fax (201)748-6008, website http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. To order books or for customer service please, call 1-800-CALLRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesthis publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992 Printed in the United States of America 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1 C ONTENTS Introduction Michael Adas 1 1 World Migration in the Long Twentieth Century †¢ Jose C. Moya and Adam McKeown 9 †¢ 2 Twentieth-Century Urbanization: In Search of an Urban Paradigm for an Urban World †¢ Howard Spodek 53 3 Women in the Twentieth-Century

Dimensions of inter-professional practice Free Essays

Introduction Inter-professional practice is an essential part of modern healthcare, enabling new models of healthcare delivery to be established (Martin et al. 2010). It allows the team to use unique disciplinary knowledge in a complementary manner to offer patient centred, holistic care on an individual basis (Castelli, 2011). We will write a custom essay sample on Dimensions of inter-professional practice or any similar topic only for you Order Now Inter-professional working was defined by Pollard (2005) as a process where members of different professions and/or agencies work together to provide integrated health and social care for the benefit of service users. Leathard (2003) defined inter-professional as a group of professionals from related professions engaging in interdependent collaborations with mutual respect in order to provide integrated health and social care for the benefit of clients, Reflective practice has been shown to be an invaluable learning tool in nursing care (Royeen et al. 2011). Successful patient care is dependent on good team-working and the inter-collaboration model of healthcare delivery is vital part of the contemporary healthcare system (Humphris and Hean, 2004). Effective team-working creates positive patient outcomes; however, ineffectual team-working is a factor in negative patient care incidents (Grumbach and Bodenheimer, 2004; Korner 2008). For this assignment I have chosen Gibbs Reflective framework (1988) to enable my personal reflection on inter-professional practice and I will use the findings from this analysis to improve my future nursing practice (Boyd and Fales, 1982; Kumar, 2011). In order to comply with NMC Codes of Practice (2008), the name of the patient has been altered to comply with confidentiality regulations; the patient will be called Agnes. Case history Agnes, a 65 year old female, presented at the hospital with kidney failure. She is diabetic and obese and in recent years has been admitted to hospital for a variety of health issues. This was a complex case and would require a team of clinical professionals to successfully treat her. Holistic care relies on good inter-professional teamwork (Hinchliff et al. 2003). Description Agnes had been a regular visitor to the ward, her case was already known to the doctor and he called for an inter-professional meeting to ensure Agnes received appropriate treatment. Due to commitments of some of the team members, it was a few days before the meeting took place. The team comprised of the doctor in charge of her case, the ward nursing staff (my mentor and I), a diabetic nurse, a dietician, a nutritionalist, and a psychotherapist. During the meeting the doctor in charge of Agnes’ case took the role of team leader. He began by briefing the team on her condition and my mentor gave additional details from our daily observations of Agnes. The doctor asked the dietician and nutritionalist to work together to develop a diet to address her immediate health issues of obesity and diabetes, using the nutritionalist’s assessment of her condition and dietary requirements, which was complimentary role to the dietician who would be in charge of producing a diet that would suit Agnes whilst following the requirements of the nutritionalist. The diet needed to be complimentary to the drugs that she would be receiving for her other health conditions and the diabetic nurse would ensure that her insulin requirements were controlled. There was some debate during the meeting on the best way to ensure support for these needs with respect to medication and diet. Feelings I felt that the meeting was a necessary to ensure that Agnes received good holistic care, but I also felt frustrated on behalf of the patient as her care could not start until the meeting occurred and due to prior commitments from some of the members attending, the meeting was delayed. I was unsure why the psychotherapist was involved in the meeting as they had no input during the meeting. I thought that the doctor who had taken the role of team leader should have ensured that all members of the team participated. During the meeting I added very little to the proceedings and wished that my mentor had involved me more in the meeting as I felt more like a spectator than a member of the team. During my time on the ward I had spoken to Agnes and knew some of her dietary dislikes, but I was too nervous to interrupt and offer this information. Later, when I saw the dietician again I mentioned Agnes’ had some dietary dislikes. The dietician thanked me for the information and said that it could prove useful in ensuring Agnes had a diet she would follow. Evaluation Evaluating the meeting, I believe it was necessary to have waited until all clinical staff involved with Agnes’ care could be present and that although it had caused the meeting to be delayed, on a positive note it had ensured that all relevant team members had an opportunity to be involved in the care plan. I found the meeting challenged my perceptions of inter-professional collaborations as I believed that everyone would simply add what they knew about Agnes and her case and then they would discuss the best course of action using all the facts gained from all members of the team to ensure that everyone was involved within the care of the patient. However, on evaluation of this, I realise that this could have increased the time it would take to generate a care plan for Agnes as well as reducing the number of patients that the team members could see, which would increase the time before other patients started their treatment. I realised that if a clinician had information to a dd they should simply add it if it is appropriate to the discussion, which reduces the time needed to have meetings and increases the amount of relevant information gained within the meeting, and if you have nothing to add that is relevant, then you should sit quietly but absorb the information being given as this may have bearing on your own treatment if the patient requires your input at a later date, as the psychotherapist had done. I also realised that having information about Agnes’ dislike of vegetables would have been useful to know in the meeting as this would affect the diet she was given and the chances of her following it when she returned to the community. Analysis Analysing the overall meeting, I believe the doctor in charged worked towards the best possible holistic care for Agnes, rather than simply using a ‘blanket’ approach to her care, he ensured that all relevant professionals had an opportunity to add to her care plan, thus ensuring the best holistic treatment (Martin et al. 2010). Guidelines state that ‘Working Partnerships’ ensure the best treatment and have better prognosis for the patient (Nice guidelines 2005). Communication is an important aspect of inter-professional working and can ensure a successful outcome (Reeves et al. 2011). Having a team leader that clarified the roles within the team, as the doctor did, is an important part of team working, understanding and clarification of your role within the team is necessary from the onset for good team-working, while failure to correctly define roles can lead to confusion (Ovretveit et al. 1997). Barriers to beneficial inter-professional collaboration include poor communication, lack of understanding of other team members’ roles, work priorities and professional hierarchy, when these issues arise it is beneficial to identify shared objectives and state concerns (Whitehead, 2000). Inter-professionals should use clinical judgment that encompasses the best and most appropriate of all team members’ professions to provide excellent provision of care and thus improve client wellbeing, which can in turn aid them to cope with their health problems and achieve the best quality of life with their illness (DoH, 2013). Each team member brings a different aspect and focus to an inter-professional meeting and each role is distinctive, the nursing role is unique in that they are closer to what is happening with the patient because they seem them daily and have more ‘human’ contact with them (NMC, 2006). Conclusion It is important to remember during inter-professional meetings that health professionals may not have the skills or attributes essential for inter-professional practice and may require education in order to learn how to collaborate (McCallin 2005). Developing inter-professional practice requires a commitment to engage in shared learning and dialogue. Dialogue has the potential to encourage collegial learning, change thinking, support new working relationships, and improve client care. Looking back I realise I should have mentioned Agnes’ dislike of vegetables rather than worrying that it was a trivial matter and staying quiet, the role of the nurse in an inter-professional meeting is not just to report on daily observations, but also to be the advocate of the patient, as nursing staff often develop closer relationships with the patient as they have more contact with them (RCN, 2010). Action plan I will seek to become more familiar with inter-professional team working to ensure than I become an effective member of the team. I will do this by talking to my peers and mentor on their experiences and what strategies they used to become part of the team. I will also find out more about the roles of the other professionals and how what their disciplines work within the inter-professional team. To achieve this aim I will study the general roles of the other team members. I will also work on my assertiveness, as I realise that relevant information should be mentioned in inter-professional meetings, especially if it allows the patient to have a say in their care. Furthermore, in the future, if I have a student that I am mentoring I will ensure they have a good understanding of how inter-professional meetings can unfold and I will ensure they have a voice in these meetings so that they feel involved in the proceedings. References Boyd, E. M., Fales, A. W. (1983). Reflective learning: key to learning from experience. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 23(2), 99-117. Castelli, P. (2011). An intergrated model for practicing reflective learning. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 15, 15-30 Department of Health (2013) https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/improving-quality-of-life-for-people-with-long-term-conditions. Accessed 3/5/13 Gibbs, G., (1998). Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit, Oxford Brookes University. Grumbach K, Bodenheimer T. (2004) Can health care teams improve primary care practiceJAMA. Mar 10;291(10):1246-51. Hinchliff, S. Norman, S. Schober, J. Eds (2008) Nursing practice and healthcare. 5th ed. Oxford: Blackwell science Housley, W., (2003). Interaction in Multidisciplinary Teams. Ashgate Publishing Limited: England. Humphris D, Hean S. (2004) Educating the future workforce: building the evidence about interprofessional learning. J Health Serv Res Policy. Jan;9 Suppl 1:24-7. Kumar, K. (2011). Living Out Reflective Practice. Journal of Christian Nursing, 28(3), 139-143. Korner, M. (2008). Analysis and development of multiprofessional teams in medical rehabilitation. GMS Psychosocial Medicine, 5(13), 2. Leathard, A., (2003). Inter-professional Collaboration: from policy to practice in health and social care. Philadelphia: Brunner – Routledge. McCallin, A. (2005). Interprofessional practice: Learning how to collaborate. Contemporary Nurse: Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 28-37. Martin, J.S., Ummenhofer, W., Manser, T., Spirig, R. (2010) Interprofessional collaboration among nurses and physicians: making a difference in patient outcome. Swiss Med Wkly. 1;140:w13062. Nice guidelines (2005) Guidelines for establishing and supporting working partnerships of patients and clinicians. https://www.evidence.nhs.uk/document?ci=http%3A%2F%2Farms.evidence.nhs.uk%2Fresources%2FHub%2F15565q=nice%20guidelines%20on%20interprofessional%20workingReturnUrl=%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dnice%2520guidelines%2520on%2520interprofessional%2520working. Accessed 3/5/13 NMC (2008), Code of Conduct, Nursing and Midwifery Council, London NMC (2006) The role of nurses in interprofessional health and social care teams, The role of nurses in interprofessional health and social care teams Accessed 3/5/13 Ovretveit, J., Mathias, F., Thomoson, T. eds., (1997). Interprofessional working for health and social care. Hampshire: Macmillan Press Limited. Pollard, K., (2005). Interprofessional Working: an Essential Guide for Health and Social-Care Professionals; England, Nelson Thrones Limited. Royal College of Nursing (2010) Principles of Nursing Practice. RCN website. Accessed 3/5/13 Royeen, CB., Jensen, JM., Harvan, RA. (2011) Leadership in interprofessional health education and practice. Jones Bartlett Publishers Whitehead (2000) Education, behavioural change and social psychology: Nursing’s contribution to health promotion. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 34(6), 822-832 How to cite Dimensions of inter-professional practice, Essay examples

Economics (Law of Diminishing Returns) Essay Example For Students

Economics (Law of Diminishing Returns) Essay Law of diminishing returns a law affirming that to continue after a certain level of performance has been reached will result in a decline in effectivenessIn 1798 the Reverend Thomas Malthus examined the impact of population growth and reached the somewhat gloomy conclusion that population growth would naturally check itself in the form of famine, wars and disease. He based this view on the idea that populations tended to grew geometrically (assuming couples had two or more children)2,4,8,16, 32, 64while the capacity of land to produce food tended to increase arithmetically (the ability to cultivate more land was less rapid)2,4,6,8,10,12The inevitable conclusion for him was that the population growth rate outstripped the capacity of land to provide food for the people, ergo starvation and famine. The theory was based upon what has become known as the law of diminishing returns. The laws states that as increasing amounts of a factor input such as labour or fertiliser are added to a fixed factor such as land then the marginal product of the input would eventually diminish i.e. the increase in the output of land, the crop yields, would progressively decrease. All factors of production have a capacity determined by their physical and technological capability. Simply adding more inputs of labour to an area of land will not continually increase the output of land proportionately. There comes a time when the capacity of the land is reached and diminishing returns sets in. No extra fertiliser or extra labourers can change the physical composition of the soil to increase its fertility. Indeed the diminishing returns suggest additional factor inputs would reduce productivity of the land. As with all theories and models, their strength can be tested according to the extent to which they enable predictions to be made about the real world. Has the population of the world or regions shown signs of cataclysmic famine? On a global scale one has to conclude not. The weaknesses of Malthuss analysis were that he assumed a given state of technology. The technological changes that have enabled the development of improved fertiliser and pesticides and more sophisticated machinery and horticultural techniques generally have ensured that agricultural yields has increased dramatically. The law of diminishing returns is a short run concept. It assumes that there is a fixed factor and that the state of technology is constant. In reality the productivity of the factor of production land and the state of technology has increased. Nevertheless, perhaps, in the case of rural Zambia where the population is growing at a rate of between 2 and 3% per annum with a doubling rate of every 20-30 years and limited access to the technologies that enable the productivity of land to be expanded, the worsening levels of poverty are omens to some of Malthuss gloomy predictions being realised. The `law of diminishing returns plays so large a part both in the theory of rent and the theory of population as they are now taught, that we should naturally expect to find it promulgated both by James Anderson, the reputed anticipator of Ricardo, and by Malthus in his Essay on the Principle of Population. In this expectation, however, we should be disappointed. Anderson, far from teaching the law of diminishing returns, was one of those enthusiastic agriculturists who have a hazy belief that an increase of the labour employed upon the soil will always bring in a proportionate, if not more than a proportionate, increase of returns. Malthus is often supposed by excessively careless readers to have put forward the law of diminishing returns when he said, `The improvement of the barren parts would be a work of time and labour; and it must be evident to those who have the slightest acquaintance with agricultural subjects, that in proportion as cultivation extended, the additions that co uld yearly be made to the former average produce must be gradually and regularly diminishing, but between this and the law of diminishing returns there is nothing in common, except the use of the word diminishing. Nothing that has ever passed muster as the law of diminishing returns ever asserted, as Malthus did, that the increases of the whole produce of a country must necessarily diminish. All that the `law` asserts is that under certain circumstances the returns to a given additional quantity of labour must necessarily diminish. Whether the whole ` addition that can yearly be made to the former average produce increases or diminishes depends not only on the produce per pair of hands, but also on the number of pairs of hands. In the first edition of the Essay on the Principle of Population I have not been able to find a trace of the law of diminishing returns. As edition succeeded edition it found its way in here and there, but no great importance was ever attributed to it. Curiou sly enough, in one of the first places where it is incidentally referred to, Malthus is rebuking Anderson for maintaining `that every increase of population tends to increase relative plenty and vice versa.This famous law was first written about by a Frenchman, Anne Robert Jacques Turgot and then alluded to by Thomas Malthus in his Essay on the Principle of Population (1798). The law was discussed in England during debates on free trade and the Corn Laws. Sometimes textbooks call it the law of decreasing (marginal) returns or the law of variable proportions. .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694 , .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694 .postImageUrl , .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694 , .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694:hover , .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694:visited , .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694:active { border:0!important; } .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694:active , .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694 .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3e3479fbf318c74b75ddc6bcb36b0694:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Resolved: That colleges and universities have a mo EssayImagine a farm growing wheat. There are a number of jobs that need doing at harvest time and these must be done quickly before weather ruins the crop. First the wheat must be cut and gathered, the wheat and chaff must then be separated. The wheat has then to be carted to a barn, weighed, dried out in some instances, and then stored. All the farm machinery needs maintained, the paperwork completed and last but not least breakfast, lunch and dinner prepared. One man working alone will have difficulty doing all these tasks. By dividing the labour there will be gains in productivity (see division of labour). If a second worker is employed the tasks can be shared. This means that productivity increases. They each become more skilled in the tasks that they specialise in and save time previously wasted by switching between tasks. However both have to stop when a piece of machinery breaks down or one of them stops for lunch. Employing yet another person may once again improve their productivity. The harvest may continue as they take their lunch in rotation for example. But employing a fourth worker might mean productivity begins to fall (diminish). The gains made by employing the 4th are not as great as employing the 3rd worker. Eventually adding more employees might even lead to an overall decrease in production as they become bored with nothing to do and begin to interfere with production. The table below shows what happens as each extra worker is employed. Marginal means the next unit. So the marginal physical product (MPP) is the amount by which production rises when one extra worker is employed. MPP is calculated by measuring the change in total physical production per worker. The average physical product (APP) is simply the total physical product (TPP) divided by the number of workersNumber of workersTotal Physical Product (TPP)Marginal Physical Product (MPP)Average Physical Product (APP)110101023030 -10 = 201539090 30 = 60304120120 -90= 30305130130 -120 = 10266120120 -130 = -1020In the example the factors of production land and capital are constant but the amount of labour is being varied. The marginal physical product, (MPP) increases to start. When the 4th worker is employed the total still increases from 90 to 120 tonnes, but the increase of 30 tonnes is not as great as the previous increase of 60. It as this point that we say the marginal return diminishes. The diagram and table shows that when the marginal physical product curve reaches its peak and then changes direction downwards that this is the point of diminishing marginal returns. On the total physical product curve diminishing returns do not occur at the peak of the curve (a common mistake), but where the gradient of the curve instead of becoming steeper changes and becomes less steep (known in maths as the point of inflection). When MPP becomes negative this means that additional workers are causing a reduction in the total production and the TPP curve changes direction downwards. The relationship between the marginal and average curves is important to understand. Notice that MPP intersects the APP when APP is at its maximum point. The reason is merely a simple mathematical relationship between marginal and averages. Think of a class of students. The average age in the class is 17. If another student comes in the room and they are 18, what will happen to the average? It will of course increase. On the other hand if the student were 16 the average age in the class would fall. So in the graph, as long as the marginal is higher than the average the average curve goes up and when the marginal is below the average. The average falls. .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa , .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa .postImageUrl , .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa , .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa:hover , .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa:visited , .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa:active { border:0!important; } .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa:active , .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9b3f990ffba73cfea66b8ca7e6f1bafa:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: I Am the Best Student Athlete EssayThe demonstration of the law above rests on a couple of assumptions. First we assume that each unit of labour is homogenous. That is that each worker has the same skills and works equally hard. Second, all the other factors of production are held fixed in quantity. The law of diminishing marginal returns has two main applications for IB students. 1. The shape of the short run cost curve is determined by the principles above and,2. Diminishing marginal returns in agriculture act as a barrier to economic development