Is Tadeusz Kotarbiński’s Independent Ethics Program Important Nowadays?

In the paper, the essential elements of Kotarbiński’s independent ethics are presented. These are ethics which are one example of ethics in the broader sense, with a range of problems related to the question: how should we live our lives? Kotarbiński proposed an idea of independent ethics, ethics that are independent of religion and philosophy, ethics based on “platitude (obviousness) of heart”. In the paper, some shortcomings of this proposal will be shown, but also, by analysis of the parable of the Good Samaritan, it will be shown how we can overcome the weaknesses of independent ethic theory

A study of spectra of Cyg X-3 observed by BeppoSAX

We model the ~1-200 keV spectra of Cygnus X-3 observed by BeppoSAX. The continuum, modeled by Comptonization in a hybrid plasma, is modified by the strongly ionized plasma of the stellar wind of the Wolf-Rayet companion star. Discrete absorption and emission spectral features are modeled with XSTAR. The model has been applied to phase-resolved spectra in the hard and soft spectral states.Comment: 3 pages, to appear in the Proceedings of the Conference "X-ray Diagnostics of Astrophysical Plasmas", Cambridge, November 15-17, 2004. Replacement: minor changes in text and acknowledgement

Russian influence on news media in Belarus

This article investigates Russian media influence in Belarus during the second half of 2010, when an “information war” broke out between Moscow and Minsk. Samples of news content are analysed to reveal the varying portrayals of Russia generated by leading broadcasters and publishers; interviews with media professionals shed light on the forces which shaped the news. The article considers the outcomes of the information war and argues that the impact of Russian news exports lay more in their capacity to provoke than their capacity to “elicit attraction” as envisaged by the literature on soft power

Zastosowanie badań marketingowych w marketingu wewnętrznym. Metody pomiaru kontrproduktywnych zachowań pracowników w organizacji

The article describes the use of marketing research in relation to the internal market of an organization, particularly in the context of identifying and measuring the prevalence of Counterproductive Work Behaviours (CWB), e.g. mobbing, theft or destruction of company’s property, verbal and non-verbal violence against employees. The article consists of three main parts: 1. Internal marketing vs. external marketing, 2. Marketing research in internal marketing and 3. CWB and measurement of the same.W artykule opisano kwestię wykorzystywania badań marketingowych w odniesieniu do wewnętrznego rynku organizacji, szczególnie w kontekście identyfiacji oraz pomiaru skali występowania zachowań kontrproduktywnych (np. mobbing, kradzieże czy niszczenie własności fimowej, przemoc werbalna i niewerbalna wobec współpracowników). Artykuł składa się z trzech zasadniczych części: 1. Marketing wewnętrzny a marketing zewnętrzny, 2. Badania marketingowe w marketingu wewnętrznym oraz 3. Zachowania kontrproduktywne i ich pomiar

While Russia’s narrative on Ukraine has been misleading, it should not be excluded from media reports in the West

Throughout the Ukraine crisis there has been persistent criticism from the West that the Russian media have presented intentionally misleading information on the conflict. Joanna Szostek writes that while there are legitimate concerns about the standard of reporting in organisations such as the state-funded broadcaster RT, to ban or exclude Russian perspectives from western media would be counter-productive. She argues that the best way to generate dialogue between both sides would be for western media organisations to engage with the issue tactfully by making a commitment to explain the fears and resentments underlying Russian (and Ukrainian separatist) views

Badania opinii pracowników w procesie identyfikacji patologicznych zachowań w miejscu pracy

This paper describes problem of use of employee surveys in the diagnosis of pathological behaviours in enterprises in Poland. The problem is very significant in each company, where an intensive process of internationalization of business activities is conducted. The author has used his own results of a survey conducted among working students.W artykule opisano kwestię wykorzystania badań opinii pracowników w diagnozie patologicznych zachowań w przedsiębiorstwach w Polsce. Problem jest bardzo istotny w każdej organizacji, szczególnie obecnie, gdzie zachodzą intensywne procesy internacjonalizacji działalności gospodarczej. Autor wykorzystał wyniki własnego badania przeprowadzonego wśród pracujących studentów

The Power of Detraction: Belarusian Reporting of Russian Social Problems During "Information War"

The mass media play a prominent role in contemporary international relations. Foreign policy success is said to depend not on military or economic power alone, but on "whose story wins". Governments therefore construct "strategic narratives" to position, legitimize and characterize themselves in international affairs. In doing so, they tend to project negative characterizations of their rivals and adversaries. There has been less scholarly attention devoted to this "detractive" dimension of state-led efforts to persuade global audiences than to the "attractive" dimension, which is associated with the concept of soft power. However, the former has become increasingly salient, particularly in the post-Soviet region, where acrimonious "information wars" fought between Russia and some of its neighbours via the mass media are regular occurrences. This article contributes to the emerging literature on strategic narratives in international relations through a case study of the Belarusian state media and their reporting of Russian social problems. It focuses on the latter half of 2010, a period of heightened tension between Moscow and Minsk, when the Belarusian leadership was trying to legitimize its actions in the face of harsh criticism from the Kremlin. Empirically, the article is based on qualitative analysis of content from the leading state-controlled media in Belarus (three TV channels and one newspaper), plus interviews with editorial staff from those media outlets. The article demonstrates how reporting of Russian social policy in the Belarusian state-controlled media was carefully orchestrated to serve particular goals. By instructing editors to highlight instances of social neglect in Russia, the Belarusian leadership sought to undermine the public reputation of its critics in Moscow while simultaneously reaffirming close ties with Russia on the basis that bilateral discord was attributable to the Russian elite rather than any rifts with the ever "fraternal" Russian people. The research in this article provides a timely addition to scholarship that focuses exclusively on the positive-sum communication activities of governments in international relations

The first near infrared detection of XTE J1118+480 in quiescence

We report the first quiescent detection of KV UMa, the optical counterpart of XTE J1118+480 at near infrared. The observed magnitudes and colours are consistent with a K7-M0 V star, at the distance 1.4 +/- 0.2 kpc. The light curve shows strong orbital modulation with possible contamination from a superhump detected in the quiescent optical light curves.Comment: To appear in MNRAS Letters; 4 pages, 3 figure