Team Analysis

History of Team 2
It all started from a forum post made by Connor, looking for other students in Palmerston North. It didn't take long for a group of five to be formed. A facebook page was setup and before long we had organized a meeting of the minds at the library.

The Leader - Connor
 As the person who started the group, organized contact details and got the ball rolling, Connor was the clear leader (although Christina also filled this role occasionally with her co-ordinator abilities). His organizational skills, strategy and decisiveness really helped to rally the troops. When we we're exactly sure who was doing what, Connor stepped in and helped clarify things and often assisted with tasks such as helping me edit. The notes he made throughout the report showed me how many points I completely missed, great attention to detail and his work on the survey was excellent.

The Co-Ordinator - Christina
Christina was extremely helpful when it came to organizing the group. She set up some of the meetings and ensured everyone knew their roles. Apparently one of the "weaknesses" of this Belbin role is that co-ordinators may over-delegate all the responsibilities until they don't have to do any work - This didn't apply to Christina at all, she made a great contribution with her section of the report as well as getting the extra bits and pieces done (ex. the team's contributions sheet and cover memo).

The Specialist - Tayla
Tayla was our team's expert in the ethical side of things. She had prior experience with different ethical stances and helped to clarify some of the points early on in the report writing process when we were deciding which ethical approach to take. She also went beyond her "specialization" at times when she took up the job of writing the introduction to the report.

The Team Worker - Josh
Although Josh didn't take an organizational role in the group, his contributions were great. He wrote the section on the treatment of the marine environment which was detailed with plenty of references. I am thankful to Josh for his fast help when I needed information about the formatting of the report while I was editing. I was way off the mark at first, but his information about the paragraphs, titles and sections helped a lot.

The Finisher - Wil
I mostly took up this role as the editor, however I couldn't of done it without the help of the entire team, there were plenty of points in the last few days when I needed additional information and clarification from the group.

Who would have know that a group that started based on location would have been this hassle free and effective! Thank you everyone and I'd be lucky to have a group like you again if I ever need to do another team work based assignment.

A Public Speaker I Admire

Out of all the suggested topics for this week, I immediately knew I wanted to talk about a public speaker I admire. I didn't know who I wanted to talk about but Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln came to mind. Each of them has had at least one famous speech which have all made their own impact on history, however I felt most people already know a fair bit about them. I was also pretty close to choosing to talk about Socrates and his "Apology" as I really admire his resolve to stick with his beliefs despite facing execution for them. In the end I chose someone who might seem out of place when mentioned in the same sentence as the previous speakers however he has in his own way also made an impact on society:

Chris Rock

Yes, the comedian. He has worked extremely hard to reach where he is today by constantly improving himself and stepping out of his comfort zone. These are talents I see as being quite rare in a society where most people will avoid doing anything which might shine a spotlight on them and bring potential judgement from their peers.

To prepare for a big show, Chris will visit many many small comedy clubs and practice new material. A lot of the time this ends with no laughs or the audience laughing at him for his failures. For the majority of the population, being laughed at by our peers can seem like a nightmare. After all, public speaking is one of the top phobias in the world. However these failures are actually part of the way which he develops his act. He takes small risks which may result in an uncomfortable situation but instead of being discouraged, he pays attention to the audience to see what works and what he can improve on the next time he performs.

Another interesting part of his writing process is that after a big tour, he will refrain from writing jokes and instead go out and just focus on experiencing life. This approach allows him to find new material without worrying about finding humour in it until months later when he wants to write a new act. I think a lot of writers try to go out and find a story or a joke and by looking for it, they'll end up missing it when it finally shows up as they'll distracted by the search.

To me, the way that Chris Rock approaches his act is interesting and shows a great ability to brush off criticism, find positive aspects of a situation and use these to create something brilliant. He is a public speaker I admire greatly and a person who everyone could learn a thing or two from.

Identifying our Conclusions and Recommendations

With one day to go until the report is due in, summarizing our team's work seems like an enjoyable topic to write about.

Our writing process for the environmental ethics report involved three of us covering topics we had previously used for the first assignment as well as two of us investigating public opinion and ethics. The topics of the treatment of the marine environment, quality of our waterways and pollution by plastics were investigated by Josh, Christina and myself (respectively). With each of us coming up with a discussion, conclusions and recommendations regarding our chosen environmental topics.

Finding our conclusions
We researched the issues related to our topics, and chose the larger and more serious problems to talk about. Some of the conclusions we found were:

• The treatment of the marine environment involved issues related to the illegal dumping of fish and the use of deep sea trawling techniques, both of which lead to the over-fishing of many marine species.
• The water quality of our waterways involved issues related to pollution caused by agricultural nutrients and the effects this had on fish which spend parts of their life cycles in fresh water sources.
• The pollution caused by plastics involved issues caused by the growing amount of pollution and the effect this has on marine life and people who consume contaminated seafood.

Finding our recommendations
Public opinion played a large part in finding ways to improve these issues, most people seemed to have similar ideas on how the problems could be reduced. Our research also helped us to find solutions which other countries have tried or solutions presented by other studies. Some of these suggestions were:

• Lowering quotas for fishermen, tighter controls on fishing practices and grants/subsidies for alternative fishing methods. With each of these solutions leading to less over fishing.
• Implementation of less intensive farming practices, stricter farming regulations, restricting access to areas where contamination could occur and the rebuilding of wetlands. With each of these helping to improve the quality of our freshwater areas.
• Improvement of current recycling infrastructure, fines for companies and individuals who contribute to pollution, packaging restrictions and government funding for alternative forms of packaging. With each of these contributing to less pollution and reduced health problems for marine life and fans of seafood.

Thoughts on our conclusions and recommendations
Through our research done in this assignment and sharing our topics with each other, I've discovered how many environmental issues there currently are and how little is being done about them. They are largely being ignored under the assumption that something is being done about them however after reading about the amount of pollution, we know how bad things are. Our recommendations wouldn't be too difficult to implement and I hope that soon similar solutions are implemented to being the recovery of our environment.

The Role of a Leader

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. —Warren Bennis (an author and expert on leadership).

If someone can organise group members to get the job done, I would consider them a good leader. However if they can get the job done while making sure that each group member is happy with their role and the end result, I would consider them a great leader.

The type of leader I prefer to work for is a person who listens to all the members of a group to find a shared vision for a project and then knows how to delegate the workload fairly and efficiently to get the job done. The kind of leader I prefer to work for is the type of leader I aim to be.

The qualities of a great leader:

• A visionary mind which is capable of planning out a project and seeing each individuals place.
•  The focus and commitment to keep the group on task and moving in the right direction.
• The ability to inspire others in to action and keep them organized.
• Knowing how to approach different people and communicate an idea effectively.

Belbin roles which don't (usually) work for leadership roles:

• Plants and Resource investigators are great in the beginning stages of a project as they can generate ideas and contacts however they are usually bad at organising ideas and others to get a job done.
• Monitor Evaluators and Team Workers can communicate well or see the bigger picture (respectively) however they lack the ability to inspire a group.
• Specialists could be good leaders if they were experts in leadership however when they're working outside of their specialization, they lack motivation and passion so they usually won't make a good leader.
• Completers are accurate and focused however they focus on every detail and are usually too intense to organize others well.

Belbin roles which make excellent leaders:

• Co-ordinators are focused and good at delegating/organising the members of a team and this makes them a good candidate for a leader.
• Shapers are great visionaries who can see what needs to be accomplished within a project, they are also good at inspiring action in a group.
• Implementers are very efficient and focused on getting the job done, they know what needs to be done and how to get it done.

Note: I don't believe that a personality test can sum up a person effectively especially when different situations arise – because people are capable of learning and changing as different problems present themselves. If a leader role is needed, yet no one in the group is a leader on paper, someone will rise to the occasion and fill the role. For me, Belbin roles are just a list of possible group roles which a person could take, not which roles a person is “made” for.

Ethics and Science

What are Ethics?
Ethics are philosophical views which justify and support which behavior is right (good) and which behavior is wrong (bad). There are many different ethical view points which can conflict with each other under certain circumstances. Some believe as long as they intended to do something good, the results of their actions can be justified (Kantianism). Others believe the actions which benefit the most people should be taken (Utilitarianism). Some believe as long as they do what benefits them the most, they are doing the right thing (Egoism). So as you can see, different beliefs can have very different results.

What are some Common Ethical Theories?

•  Egoism: Self interest is the top priority in this belief; what ever benefits me is the most important.
• Utilitarianism: The greater good is always considered; if five lives can be saved by taking one then it is more beneficial for the group.
• Kantianism: The consequences are of less importance than the intentions behind an action.
• Principlism: Actions take four principles in to consideration; free-will, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice.
• Virtue: Look to emulate heroes/saints and what is believed to be good.
• Natural rights theory: 3 basic rights (listed in order of priority) are life, liberty and property. Life is the top focus and it trumps the other two rights if they are in conflict.

Why do Ethics matter in Science?

I believe that ethics are important in the field of science because they set guidelines on the behaviors of scientists. Ethics limit what actions can be taken/justified in the name of science. They stop us from testing treatments on living creatures (mostly). They keep scientists aware of what they should be striving for and most importantly, they limit what shouldn't be done in the pursuit of progress.

Important Aspects of Writing in the Sciences

The purpose of writing in the scientific field (and in general) is communication. Being able to record and convey ideas that will be read and learned by others at a later time is an invaluable tool. Below are the aspects which I believe are important in a piece of scientific writing. They are valuable because they allow information to be shared and received in the most effective way.

Style

The way which information is presented can be the difference between a piece of writing being praised or ignored. Even if the information is accurate, no one will want to continue reading it if the writing style is tedious, unexciting and redundant. Science is all about exploring and explaining the unknowns in the world so writing should reflect this and make it interesting for the reader. 

However sometimes writing will require a less interesting approach to style when the writing has to be formal and then the focus shifts solely to the accuracy of ideas presented in an effective way.

Organization and Clarity

Getting all the information to the reader is important however if the information isn't organized in a clear manner, it will be difficult for the reader to understand the information in the first place. People only have a limited memory capacity, so picking which information to present is an essential skill. A paragraph with some key points can easily be more valuable than a page of disorganized ideas.

Accuracy and Facts

The actual ideas which are being presented should be correct and just in case someone doesn't believe what you're say, they should be able to easily look up the information and find research which supports you. Personally, I find having to find sources to cite a chore however I do see their importance especially when any information is being presented in academic and scientific writing.

Plastic Pollution in Marine Environments

The reduction of plastic pollution in New Zealand’s marine environments

 

New Zealand is often thought of as a country full of vibrant forests, unique wildlife and alluring oceans. An environmentally friendly haven where littering has largely become a faux pas however a stroll along one of the many beaches usually results in coming across at least a few pieces of plastic partially hidden in the sand or being continuously bounced between the waves. The origin of the trash is puzzling, do we blame ninja litterers? Careless fishermen? Cost cutting corporations? Other countries whose waste is carried to us by currents? Personally I don't care whose fault it is, I just care that we fix it.

Currently many things are being done to reduce and remove plastics from New Zealand’s marine environments but is enough being done? I am currently writing a position paper on the topic of whether NZ needs to do more to reduce the pollution of our marine environment by plastics. The two different viewpoints on the issue that I am exploring are whether enough is being done by New Zealand to reduce marine pollution and whether more needs to be done by New Zealand to reduce marine pollution. 

Enough is being done
People usually look to the government to lead the way and set the standards when it comes to national and global issues. According to a government statement in Garbage disposal in the marine environment (2015) “New Zealand enforces tough new international regulations to protect the marine environment from garbage pollution by ships, pleasure craft and offshore installations”. This show us, the public, that enough is being done right now because the government is enforcing regulations to protect the marine environment from pollution, so we don’t need to worry, it would cost too much time, effort and money to do anything else. 

More needs to be done 

There are currently many positive efforts to clean up pollution in the marine environment but there is also not enough is being done. Even with the government enforcing international regulations, Morton (2015) reports that more than 25,000kg of plastic waste was littered in New Zealand each day and a large amount of that ends up in the ocean. These kinds of figures for pollution levels are unbelievable but we still buy drinks in plastics bottles and somehow they still end up in the ocean. It will cost a lot more time, effort and money to fix this issue but it needs to be done.

 

References:

Garbage disposal in the marine environment. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/Environmental/Garbage-disposal.asp

Morton, J. (2015). More than 25,000kg of plastic littered in NZ daily. Retrieved from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11401696