Dear members, on one of the WA groups of HR, the Administrator, Mr. Rajaram Thorve, raised a topic for discussion. The topic is Copy and Paste Culture. He posed the following questions:
Q. 1 Have we become accustomed to the COPY-PASTE culture in educational and professional life?
Q. 2 Do you seriously think that the information available on GOOGLE is authentic and true concerning Human Resource Management?
Q. 3 How does it impact our professional capabilities when we do not think OUT OF THE BOX to arrive at solutions?
I have provided replies to the questions below:
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Dear Mr. Rajaram Thorve,
The replies to your questions are as follows:
Have we become accustomed to the COPY-PASTE culture in educational and professional life?
Reply: In the past, typewriters were used to type documents. They had advantages over manual writing because multiple copies could be produced faster than writing by hand. However, making corrections on a typed document was not possible. To make corrections, re-typing the entire document was the only solution. When MS Windows and especially MS Office were invented, they solved the problem of re-typing. Before printing, one could make corrections and then print. Therefore, the need for corrections and creating multiple documents gave birth to the "copy and paste" activity. Over time, it became ingrained in our lives and became part of our culture, both professionally and personally.
Nevertheless, "copy and paste" has not become part of our culture just because of its ease. Partially, it is a result of our plagiaristic mindset. Instead of wasting time, people just go to a search engine and copy whatever is available from someone else's work without qualms. This is due to a disregard for copyrights.
The advent of email communication and the mushroom growth of WA groups or other forms of social media have further fueled this culture. A large number of members just copy articles from websites and upload them to WA groups. How many group members really come forward and share their workplace experience of implementing the contents of the article? Few and far between, but the administrators allow the copy and paste activity for years together!
Do you seriously think that the information available on GOOGLE is authentic and true concerning Human Resource Management?
Reply: Those who upload information on various websites are also human. They are prone to mistakes. Verification of the authenticity of the information is the user's responsibility. Apart from verifying authenticity, it is important to check suitability, applicability, and above all, grammar. But zealots of the "copy and paste" culture take things too far and accept everything at face value. That happens because of a lack of personal standards.
How does it impact our professional capabilities when we do not think OUT OF THE BOX to arrive at solutions?
Reply: Too much dependence on the "copy and paste" activity reduces human creative abilities. Creating something new is time-consuming. "Copy and paste" reduces the time spent on the job. While not all copy and paste activity is bad, and for clerical activities where jobs are repetitive, it is helpful and improves productivity, at a higher level, it starts diminishing one's ability to generate new ideas. Life exists beyond Google. But to glimpse that life, one has to get up from the chair and engage in study or research activities. That is not easy!
To reduce the culture of "copy and paste," Asian countries in general and India, in particular, need to implement copyright laws strictly. Those who violate these laws need to be brought to book. When violators are given exemplary punishment, that will be the beginning of a creative culture.
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
From India, Bangalore
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8072Q. 1 Have we become accustomed to the COPY-PASTE culture in educational and professional life?
Q. 2 Do you seriously think that the information available on GOOGLE is authentic and true concerning Human Resource Management?
Q. 3 How does it impact our professional capabilities when we do not think OUT OF THE BOX to arrive at solutions?
I have provided replies to the questions below:
+++++
Dear Mr. Rajaram Thorve,
The replies to your questions are as follows:
Have we become accustomed to the COPY-PASTE culture in educational and professional life?
Reply: In the past, typewriters were used to type documents. They had advantages over manual writing because multiple copies could be produced faster than writing by hand. However, making corrections on a typed document was not possible. To make corrections, re-typing the entire document was the only solution. When MS Windows and especially MS Office were invented, they solved the problem of re-typing. Before printing, one could make corrections and then print. Therefore, the need for corrections and creating multiple documents gave birth to the "copy and paste" activity. Over time, it became ingrained in our lives and became part of our culture, both professionally and personally.
Nevertheless, "copy and paste" has not become part of our culture just because of its ease. Partially, it is a result of our plagiaristic mindset. Instead of wasting time, people just go to a search engine and copy whatever is available from someone else's work without qualms. This is due to a disregard for copyrights.
The advent of email communication and the mushroom growth of WA groups or other forms of social media have further fueled this culture. A large number of members just copy articles from websites and upload them to WA groups. How many group members really come forward and share their workplace experience of implementing the contents of the article? Few and far between, but the administrators allow the copy and paste activity for years together!
Do you seriously think that the information available on GOOGLE is authentic and true concerning Human Resource Management?
Reply: Those who upload information on various websites are also human. They are prone to mistakes. Verification of the authenticity of the information is the user's responsibility. Apart from verifying authenticity, it is important to check suitability, applicability, and above all, grammar. But zealots of the "copy and paste" culture take things too far and accept everything at face value. That happens because of a lack of personal standards.
How does it impact our professional capabilities when we do not think OUT OF THE BOX to arrive at solutions?
Reply: Too much dependence on the "copy and paste" activity reduces human creative abilities. Creating something new is time-consuming. "Copy and paste" reduces the time spent on the job. While not all copy and paste activity is bad, and for clerical activities where jobs are repetitive, it is helpful and improves productivity, at a higher level, it starts diminishing one's ability to generate new ideas. Life exists beyond Google. But to glimpse that life, one has to get up from the chair and engage in study or research activities. That is not easy!
To reduce the culture of "copy and paste," Asian countries in general and India, in particular, need to implement copyright laws strictly. Those who violate these laws need to be brought to book. When violators are given exemplary punishment, that will be the beginning of a creative culture.
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
From India, Bangalore
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Dear Members,
I opine that the data available on Google or elsewhere can be used as a reference, but not to copy and paste. As rightly mentioned by Dinesh, the person who uploaded the data is also prone to making mistakes, and ultimately, the person who is copying and pasting simply continues this. Hence, the data should be used as a reference.
Regards, Kamesh333
From India, Hyderabad
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I opine that the data available on Google or elsewhere can be used as a reference, but not to copy and paste. As rightly mentioned by Dinesh, the person who uploaded the data is also prone to making mistakes, and ultimately, the person who is copying and pasting simply continues this. Hence, the data should be used as a reference.
Regards, Kamesh333
From India, Hyderabad
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Ready availability of material from multiple sources, coupled with a lack of honesty, has mushroomed the COPY-PASTE culture. As rightly pointed out by Mr. Dinesh Divekar, the facilities are to be used to save time in doing original work (the ills of the typewriter era have been nicely explained by him). Trying to achieve success in a short time unscrupulously is undesirable.
V. Raghunathan
Chennai
From India
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V. Raghunathan
Chennai
From India
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Google as a Universal Encyclopedia
Google is the universal encyclopedia. It has a vast collection of articles posted, linked, and archived. The required guarantee of correctness is not there, and therefore, people have to spend time and cross-check information for correctness, updating, etc. But people in a hurry just copy and paste. This defeats the purpose of learning.
Q. 1 Have we used the COPY-PASTE culture in educational and professional life?
Unfortunately, yes. Shortcuts are taken, and I have seen even young children being told by parents to use Google to get inputs or even complete projects and then copy and paste with minor changes. Even schools should start using tools for plagiarism checks. This will discourage the copy-paste culture, which inhibits true learning.
Q. 2 Do you seriously think that whatever stuff/information/data available on GOOGLE is authentic and true concerning Human Resource Management?
Not necessarily true. HRM information is subject to changing laws and rules of society. If you cursorily check the Gratuity limit, older articles may give you lower limits, but changes to higher limits are recent in nature. But people in a hurry can get confused and put up inaccurate information. Many such examples can be quoted. Cross-checking the date of information and the source of info is important.
Q. 3 How does it impact our professional capabilities as we do not think OUT OF THE BOX to arrive at solutions?
For getting out-of-the-box solutions, one needs to be creative and knowledgeable about the topic and, in general. Besides, time will have to be spent researching solutions to problems. For those who are in a hurry, it may appear that Google is the ultimate baba with all answers. One needs to search and find answers and then merge their ideas with the answers. Effort has to be put in for any worthwhile solutions. If you copy, then it is not self-expression.
Keep this in mind. Research, study, check, and then use your God-given brains and thought process to make a solution/article with your imprint.
Regards, Michael Schenker
From India, Pune
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Google is the universal encyclopedia. It has a vast collection of articles posted, linked, and archived. The required guarantee of correctness is not there, and therefore, people have to spend time and cross-check information for correctness, updating, etc. But people in a hurry just copy and paste. This defeats the purpose of learning.
Q. 1 Have we used the COPY-PASTE culture in educational and professional life?
Unfortunately, yes. Shortcuts are taken, and I have seen even young children being told by parents to use Google to get inputs or even complete projects and then copy and paste with minor changes. Even schools should start using tools for plagiarism checks. This will discourage the copy-paste culture, which inhibits true learning.
Q. 2 Do you seriously think that whatever stuff/information/data available on GOOGLE is authentic and true concerning Human Resource Management?
Not necessarily true. HRM information is subject to changing laws and rules of society. If you cursorily check the Gratuity limit, older articles may give you lower limits, but changes to higher limits are recent in nature. But people in a hurry can get confused and put up inaccurate information. Many such examples can be quoted. Cross-checking the date of information and the source of info is important.
Q. 3 How does it impact our professional capabilities as we do not think OUT OF THE BOX to arrive at solutions?
For getting out-of-the-box solutions, one needs to be creative and knowledgeable about the topic and, in general. Besides, time will have to be spent researching solutions to problems. For those who are in a hurry, it may appear that Google is the ultimate baba with all answers. One needs to search and find answers and then merge their ideas with the answers. Effort has to be put in for any worthwhile solutions. If you copy, then it is not self-expression.
Keep this in mind. Research, study, check, and then use your God-given brains and thought process to make a solution/article with your imprint.
Regards, Michael Schenker
From India, Pune
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Dear All,
The 'copy-paste' culture, like it or not, has almost become the global norm, and it's on the rise even in some of the highest-ranked universities. The malaise, with the intrusion of IT tools, ghost academic writers have facilitated its mushroom-like growth. Plagiarism has its consequences but rarely goes beyond the annotated texts on the brochures/statutes.
I'll be getting back to the discussion in detail the coming weekend.
Regards,
Arif ur Rehman
From Pakistan, Karachi
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The 'copy-paste' culture, like it or not, has almost become the global norm, and it's on the rise even in some of the highest-ranked universities. The malaise, with the intrusion of IT tools, ghost academic writers have facilitated its mushroom-like growth. Plagiarism has its consequences but rarely goes beyond the annotated texts on the brochures/statutes.
I'll be getting back to the discussion in detail the coming weekend.
Regards,
Arif ur Rehman
From Pakistan, Karachi
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