Finding the Exception Essay Example for Free

Finding the Exception Essay â€Å"I remember riding my bike to school every day and seeing those two men working on their bicycles in their garage, little did I know that they would be the founders of the Trek Bicycle Corporation.† My mother told this to me a few months back when we were reminiscing on the good ol days. Waterloo, one of the smallest towns I have ever been too, is home to the success of French history. Its Trek bicycles are now the Tour de France winning frames that brought Lance Armstrong his victories and brought the midwest its spotlight on making the first American bike frames to win the worlds most prestigious bicycle race. By 1984, Trek was at its peak and sales were around $20,000 with approximately fifty thousand Treks being sold in the United States (Burke, 2012). However â€Å"Trek had grown arrogant, and the problems were starting to show† (Burke, 2012). Within business success lies problems and for this company the early years presented many because Trek did not like the bicycle retailers that they were dealing with, they had no brand strategy, and they had no money to advertise It seems that the most successful businesses start with the passion of at least one person. For Trek it was the vision of Richard Burke and Bevel Hogg. Burke was a former accountant that took interest in investments. Hogg was the owner of a Midwestern chain of bicycle stores. While Burke spent 15 years perfecting his business skills with Roth Corporation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Hogg was growing tired of the retail business while keeping his heart with bicycles. Burke had a passion for outdoor recreation which drove him toward the bicycle market. During a meeting between the two men in 1975 when they sought to solve the issue of foreign made product. Their main competitor at the time was Schwinn bu this company dominated the specialty retail market but their bikes were Japanese made. Burke and Hogg wanted to sell American-made product for the same specialty. The company began as a five-person operation in a barn and is now a globally oriented company with distribution in 65 countries and over 1500 employees worldwide. What made the Trek bicycle so unique? Their mission was and still is simple, build the best bikes in the world. The frame sets were handmade from steel. The style was adopted from a European brazing style with its own American flavor. Tim Issac, an early frame engineer, said that a Trek bicycle could be identified without any paint on it. The company was blessed with the right designers and tolling infrastructure to use exactly the right materials to create such unique frame sets. The company had successfully found a way to distinguish itself. â€Å"In order to succeed, you cannot just sell any brand; you need to produce something special† (Burke, 2012, p. 4). Once this is established its time to settle on a distribution channel to ensure customers are being reached. At the time, Penn Cycle, outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota was Treks dealer. What attracted this dealer to Trek was that not only did this bicycle manufacturer provide lightweight, advanced bicycles, but they were also made in the United States. Market shares were quickly gaining from the Japanese and European competitors and the company was gaining dealers from Madison to San Francisco and sales had grown to over $1,000,000. After expanding the facility to allow for assembly lines and paint factories, reshaping the entire business, the company was able to hire its first true sales representatives and there in lies its customer service foundation. In 1981, sales doubles and again in 1982. In 1983, the company was already building additions to the factory. The business growth inspired a movements on the West Coast in corporations like Gary Fisher. Then in 1985, sales were over $20,000,000 But, as with any fast lane growth, Trek was facing a net loss for the second year straight. The totals sales in 1984 did not meet expectations and quality control was lacking which angered retailers. The assembly line was built but   it seemed as thought the company didnt know how to keep it moving forward. On top of that the turn over rate was lacking. John Burke, the son of Richard Burke, who worked for his fathers business remembers writing orders and them showing up at the customer two weeks later but yet having other orders written on prior sales call that still were not arriving to the customers (Burke, 2012, p. 10). The quality in the company was deteriorating. There were paint problems, frames were out of alignment, credits that were promised were not going through, etc. â€Å"I worked hard and sold a lot of product but the problems from the home office kept mounting† (Burke, 2012). Retailers were becoming more and more upset which pushed Trek even harder and the company was falling apart. Customer services makes or brakes a company in the retail world and Treks mission was to make every customer happy. It was up to their customer service department to bring this company back up and that is exactly what John Burke did. He knew that they needed to regain their focus, and that he needed to take a more active role in the companies day-to-day operations. A lot of options were being faced which included closing the operation and liquidating the business, sell the company, or turn it around. â€Å"We decided to roll up our sleeves and get it done (Burke, 2012). There is one method in business that seems to always prevail and that is the back-to-basics approach. Build a quality product, at a competitive value, that can be delivered on time while maintaining a positive work environment for customers and employees. Most importantly, deliver profit. The company first needed to start shipping orders on the same day. Cross training is always an excellent tool and this was a perfect opportunity for the business-suited employees to start putting their hand in on the factory work. The factory would get backed up and so the office workers would go into the warehouse and make sure that orders were fulfilled. Saturdays may seem like a day of rest for some but for Trek to succeed it had to require work on the weekends. Not only were deadlines met but lousy product needed to stop making it out the door. This truly shows the customer that their needs are  being met no matter what it takes. Organizational buying process is such an important business practice. With the many years of developed partnerships Trek has established, the company now has suppliers around the world that allow the fulfillment of demands of the product line. In the 1980s, when Trek was struggling, they were overlooking one very important aspect of their customer relationships-what is the actual value of their product? They were not going to their buyers and simply asking if they could help them find a vendor based on the value they were proposing. One a vendor is found there is some research that is to be done as well. Does this vendor have good history? Who has worked with them in the past? Is there opportunity to save some money in the mean time? Reliable quality product is what businesses thrive on. Any product that is overpriced needs to be discontinued and new products need to be developed that hit the right price points. â€Å"When potential suppliers are identified, theyre evaluated on four criteria: quality, delivery, capability, price, and environmental impact of their production process† (Kerin, 2005). In an industry such as bicycle production, the operational approach to management is essential. This approach is dedicated to improving efficiency, cutting waste, and improving quality (Kreitner Cassidy, 2011). By staying in line with business ethics, the manager of Trek would have put more energy into building better product so that it would support the challenges faced today such as limited mobility, issues with the environment, and now more than ever, issues with health. Essentially the bike must work well. If the name Trek is one it then there is quality behind it and this quality needs to be adhered to in the warehouse during production. At the time, Trek probably could not have seen that the bicycle would become the simple solution to all of these things but just as we embrace the availability of such innovation, managers of any business should be at least two steps ahead as to almost predict the future, therefore focusing on sustaining the reputable quality product that the c ompany originated from. In 1988, Trek introduced the Model 1200 aluminum road bike. This was the turning point for the company. This was true quality at a very competitive price. The original dollar amount was $500. Originally the company planned to sell 3,000 of these models but at the end of the year 12,000 were sold. This is when a business needs to reevaluate its retail margin. What goals are being made to improve the amount of retailers and what is the target date? Buyer centers then need to help the company find vendors to find the right place to sell new product. New strategic visions for new models and components builds a better business. Trek was learning, slowly but surely, that they needed to look at their own processes, understand how they make their product, how they source their product, and how they will continue to bring their product to the market and maybe at the end of the day, saving a dollar or two. How could Trek build bicycles that last longer, maybe even use recycles tires. Every business has room for improvement. Business owners should always be looking for ways to bring new technology and solutions into the marketplace. By 1996 Trek was now over $300 million in sales. At this point in the time the company was expanded in Europe to include Japan. However, when there is sunshine expect rain and when there is rain expect for sun. After Trek ramped up their budgets by 20 percent in 1996, 20% more product was to be produced. Sales forecasts were starting to get missed which left inventory levels shooting through the roof. The company was yet again out of balance. There were more bikes in inventory than sales. Every year bicycle products are expected to change, therefore this high inventory of product needed to be discounted heavily in order for sales to continue. This only hurts profit margins. Basically what happened was that Trek grew too big too fast. Just about an hour away form Waterloo is the Whitewater Trek manufacturing plant. When this plant was first opened in 1995, the goal seemed to still be manufacturing low-price point bikes. â€Å"We got out of 1996 making a profit, but the future was no longer bright, and storm clouds were on the horizon† (Burke, 2012). Then numbers continued to look worse and worse as the years went on. Finally in 1998, Tim Callahan was hired on to Trek to take over manufacturing. He turned over Trek manufacturing that essentially saved the business, yet another time. The concept of Kaizen, Japanese for â€Å"continuous improvement† was used first to turn the Trek factories around. â€Å"In the gift-that-keeps-on-giving department, we took Kaizen to our dealer network and it has continued to make an amazing difference to this day† (Burke, 2012). Businesses to do not There was one other thing that added to Treks new found momentum in success. Trek signed a sponsorship deal with the US Postal Service to sponsor a bike team. Thanks to Lance Armstrong, who had a good group of riders, Trek appeared in the 1999 Tour de France. Lances winnings gave Trek the opportunity to show up on the front of Sports Illustrated and The New York Times, as well as on the Letterman show (Burke, 2012). Business was great until the year 2006. Production needed a facelift. How do you keep a product backed for years by consumers by maintaining its quality and reputation? For consumers of Trek bicycles, there is customer loyalty. Just like with Apple computer or Smart phones. Why such dedication from the customer? Trek figure out that to continue this relationship they would not only have to continue to build quality bicycles-the best in the world but they would provide their customers with quality products at competitive value that would be delivered on time. Just as with Apple computers, the product continues to prove itself in quality, never leaving the customer unsatisfied. IF there is a problem for whatever reason, dedication to customer sanctification shines the most by fixing whatever issue there may be in a timely fashion. When Senior Burke fired the management team and asked John to move back to Wisconsin to run Treks customer service department, he learned the value of maintaining relationships with retailers and customers.

Defects Caused by a Defective Government

Defects Caused by a Defective Government Kyleigh Grandon Erin Miller Between the years of 1961 and 1971, over 11 million gallons of an extremely harmful pesticide were sprayed throughout what equates to 10% of Southern Vietnam, or 4.2 million acres. The pesticide, Agent Orange, would go onto lead quite a legacy, ranging from severe birth defects and various types of cancer. The United States is responsible for these health issues that influence over 2.1 million peoples lives today. Veterans that fought in the Vietnam War cannot control who they pass the illnesses on to, so many of their poor, unknowing children and grandchildren are impacted as well. The Department of Defense needs to take responsibility for the effects of Agent Orange and increase the funding to stop the suffering. Agent Orange was accidentally created in 1943 by Arthur Galston. Originally only supposed to be a plant growth stimulant, the pesticide wiped the plants out. This caught the eye of scientists at Fort Detrick in Maryland and they began to study Galstons work. With the help of the British Air Force, Agent Orange was born. Though initially not toxic, it becomes hazardous during production with the addition of the chemical dioxin. Galston boycotted the use for years, but it was not stopped until the presidency of Richard Nixon in 1971. During this time, millions were exposed leading to many severe health problems that most still have today. Money was not given to Vietnam by the country responsible, the United States, until 2007. The U.S. did not even mention helping the Vietnamese until 2006. The fact that 35 years passed before discussions even began is outrageous. When high levels of dioxin were found in soil in two locations in the United States: Love Canal and Time Beach, the Vietnamese almost immediately provided clean-up services and help for American veterans. Over 12 years went by before the United States government considered helping the more severely affected Vietnamese people. There is absolutely no reason why such a long period of time had to go by before the Department of Defense brought the severe effects of Agent Orange before Congress so they could provide proper funding and resolution. One Vietnamese study estimates that up to five million people have health issues that are caused by exposure to Agent Orange. Of the 5 million people suffering, 3.5 million are veterans that have such severe problems, many parish every day.   If they are lucky enough to survive, they are faced with the fact that their health issues can still be passed on to their children and their childrens offspring. Approximately 350,000 family members of these veterans have health issues, many being small children. Most that are affected have a cleft palate, congenital heart disease, and / or spina bifida and many do not live until the age of 18. These are only three of the possible 31 diseases listed by the United States Department of Veteran Affairs. With many victims living in small, poverty-stricken villages, they are unable to afford proper medical care and every day parents are forced to watch their small children pass. With all the acts Congress passed between 2007 and 2011, they gave $31,000,000 in total. With the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012, Vietnam received a well deserved $20,000,000 on top of that. However, it still is not enough, with 17 of 23 soil samples taken from Da Nang, Vietnams fifth highest populated city and busy tourist area, being deemed harmful and far above international standards.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   This is devastating, considering there are 1.047 million people living there and when tested, the test results of some Da Nang residents was 100 times above acceptable. A bone marrow and tissue test is typically done to help diagnose people who are ill, but many are unable to receive them because a single test costs a grand. Since most of the funds from the U.S. go towards clean-up, people who suffer with health issues are left stranded, hoping they can get free healthcare just to stay alive. The fact that the clean-up completion date only keeps getting pushed even further into the future and that more people just become exposed everyday is pitiful. This just goes on to prove that Department of Defense does not want to take full responsibility because they are only looking out for themselves and cannot realize the humane thing to do. Since the United States is the highest donator towards the Agent Orange clean-up, many think that they have done enough. With a total of almost 62 million dollars donated, that is completely understandable. 75% of cleanup is complete as of mid-2016, so the question some are asking is why the United States should come up with more funding. When Americans do not have the healthcare coverage they need, the government feels like why should they have to pay for another countrys healthcare. With every one person exposed and the chance to still pass it down from generation to generation it simply means the effects will never end. With millions suffering every day with defects from a defective government, the Department of Defense needs to reach out a longer helping hand to reach those in villages who need increased help. Additionally, the highest concentrated area is next to an airport that has four million attendees a year, one million of those people being foreigners. This only means that the effects of dioxin are potentially spreading all throughout the world for more to get ill. The United States does not recognize any legal liability for damages alleged to be related by Agent Orange. Why is that when they are 100% responsible? Vietnam did not spray Agent Orange on their own country, America did it all. Every time someone gets a disability from Agent Orange, it is all because of us. Dear Department of Defense, accept reality, be humane, and take full responsibility for the mess you have caused.

Immanuel Kants Idea of Knowledge

Immanuel Kants Idea of Knowledge Immanuel Kant is responsible for introducing the term â€Å"transcendental† to the philosophical discussion. By doing this it was his goal to reject everything that Hume had to say. His argument proved that subjects like mathematics and philosophy truly existed. One of his main arguments was the idea that gaining knowledge was possible. Without this idea of knowledge there would be no reason for a discussion. Since we know that knowledge is possible we must ask how it got this way. According to Kant, one of the conditions of knowledge is the Transcendental Aesthetic, which is the mind placing sense experience into a space and time sequence. From this we understand that the transcendental argument is an abundance of substances situated in space and time, with a relationship to one another. We cannot gain this knowledge from sense-experience (Hume) or from rational deduction alone (Leibniz), but showing how knowledge exist and how it is possible. Kant makes the claim in the Transcendental Aesthetics that space and time are ‘pure a priori intuitions. To fully understand what this means we must define what an intuition is. According to Kant an intuition is raw data of sensory experience. So basically intuitions are produced in the mind. Kant is saying that space and time are things that are produced in the mind and given before experience. Space is a necessary a priori representation, which underlies all outer intuitions. It does not represent something in itself or any other relationship. Space is only a form of appearance represented outside of the mind. Time, on the other hand, is a necessary representation that underlies all intuitions and therefore is a priori. Since time is only one dimensional there is no way that we could access it quickly. We know that space and time are both a priori because of all of our experiences. Kant also claims that space and time are ‘empirically real but transcendentally ideal. When Kant says that space is ‘empirically real he is not presupposing external objects. There is no way for space to be an empirical concept. We cannot just come up with the idea of space; a representation of space must be presupposed. When we experiences things outside ourselves it is only possible through representation. For space and time to be ‘transcendentally ideal Kant is basically saying that â€Å"they are not to be identified with anything beyond or anything that transcends the bounds of possible experience or the a priori subjective conditions that make such experience possible in the first place.† Before Kant begins to explain the transcendental aesthetic he claims in the introduction that mathematical knowledge is synthetic a priori. This statement is based on Kants Copernican Revelation. According to Kant, time and space taken together are the pure forms of all sensible intuitions. This is our way of creating a priori synthetic propositions. These propositions are limited in how they appear to us but not present within themselves. We have a priori knowledge of synthetic judgements. According to Kant our judgements/statements can either be analytic or synthetic. An analytic judgement would be where the concept of the predicate is part of the concept of the subject. If it is denied then there would be a contradiction. A synthetic judgement, on the other hand, is where the concept of the predicate is not contained in the concept of the subject. So, if we denied it then there would be no contradiction involved. An analytical judgement would be â€Å"all bachelors are unmarried†. The concept of bachelor is defined as being unmarried. In analyzing this word we would say that it is an unmarried male adult. When we analyze concepts the parts come out. Therefore, when broken down our predicate concept of â€Å"unmarried† is shown. The mind is capable of finding this concept without going outside and experiencing it. If we tried to deny this statement there would have to be a contradiction, therefore making it false. An example of a synthetic judgement would be â€Å"the sun will rise tomorrow†. When we say this it is our way of taking two separate and distinct ideas and putting them together. There could be no contradiction in this statement because we can image that something like this could occur. In Section I of the Transcendental Aesthetic, Kant gives four arguments for the conclusion that space is empirically real but transcendentally ideal. As we know space is not an empirical concept. We cannot physically derive the idea of space. The only way that we can receive these outer experiences is through our representation. When it comes to space we cannot represent the absence of space but we can imagine space as being empty. In order to be given any content in our experience we must presuppose space. Knowing that space is not a general concept we can only discuss one space at a time and if we speak of diverse spaces we only mean parts of the same space. The parts cannot decipher the bigger space but only what is contained in it. Since space is seen as only one, the concept of spaces depends on a limit. Concepts containing an unlimited amount of representations cannot be contained within itself. All parts of space are given to us at once. Therefore it is an a priori intuition not a concept. All of the previous information is Kants way of showing that the synthetic a priori knowledge of mathematics is possible. As we know mathematics is a product of reason but is still synthetic. But how can this knowledge be a priori? The concepts of math are seen a priori in pure intuitions. This just means that the intuition is not empirical. If you do not have intuitions then mathematics would not even be a concept. Philosophy, on the other hand, progresses only through concepts. Philosophy uses intuitions to show necessary truths but those truths cannot be a consequence of intuitions. The possibility of math only occurs because it is based on pure intuitions which only occur when concepts are constructed. Like pure intuition, empirical intuition, allows us to broaden our concept of an object by providing us with new predicates. With pure intuitions we get necessary a priori truths. Synthetic a priori knowledge in mathematics is possible only if it refers to objects of the senses. The form of appearances comes from time and space which is assumed by pure intuitions. Doubting that space and time do not belong to the object in themselves would cause us to not have an explanation about a priori intuitions of objects. We have to come to the conclusion that in space and time objects are only appearances entailing that it is the form of appearances that we can represent a priori. Concluding that a synthetic a priori knowledge of mathematics would be possible. What is the Transcendental Deduction? This is the way concepts can relate a priori to objects. Kant says, â€Å"If each representation were completely foreign to every other, standing apart in isolation, no such thing as knowledge would ever arise. For knowledge is [essentially] a whole in which representations stand compared and connected.† Kant lays out a threefold synthesis about experience: a synthesis of apprehension in intuition, a synthesis of reproduction in imagination, and a synthesis of recognition in a concept. We should not divide these steps into one but they should all be intertwined as one. So what we see must occur consecutively. Therefore our idea of the Synthetic Unity of Apperception comes into play. This is where every possible content of experience must be accompanied by â€Å"I think†. Everything in your mental state should be able to be accompanied by â€Å"I think† if not then it will not matter at all. â€Å"I think† is not something that consists in sensibility. It is an act of spontaneity. It precedes all possible experience. The unity of this particular manifold is not given in experience but prior to it. Thinking substances can only perceive what is going on inside as perception goes on at all times. This is where our awareness of a manifold comes into play. We are aware of one thing after another. Each impression is different from one other. We must say that these impressions are mine. Basically accompanying them with the phrase â€Å"I think†. As for the Transcendental Unity of Apperception we are never aware of ourselves as the thinker but just the intuitions. All of our experiences must be subjective to this combination of things. I must actively pull them all together as them being a part of my experience. The only way that I can be aware of this â€Å"I† is if I am able to pull together all of these representations. In this we can see the idea of objective unification. There is a connection between transcendental unity of apperception and objective unification. When we speak of objective unification we believe that there is a right way to put things together. This concept basically comes from our categorical synthesis which involves a priori concepts. With the categorical synthesis it is our way of putting together intuitions in a category. We must be able to make a judgement. For example we must be able to say this is how things seem to me because of pass experiences. By saying this it would be a near judgement. Whereas a judgement would be us just saying this is how things are. To make a judgement is to say this is how things are out there; how they objectively are rather than how they appear subjectively. For a manifold to be complete the sensible intuitions have to be subject to the category. This is how we can have a categorical synthesis. We cannot have sense impression unless I can bring them together under a unified manifold by knowing they are objective rather than subjective. Any intuition that we have must be subject to the category. We could not have an awareness of one event coming before the other unless there is a manifold of â€Å"my†. Appearances are not objects in themselves. They are not just representations; they are separate intuitions therefore having no connection between them. Imagination is what connects the manifold of sensible intuitions. Nature is just appearance. Anything that appears to us must conform to law. We have to complete this synthesis in order to have experiences. It is presupposed that there is an objective to all of my experiences. Without it there would be no way to put them together and I would not be aware of them as experiences. Both the threefold synthesis and a transcendental unity of apperception are necessary to have ordered experience for any sort of theory of experience. 3. Kant defines Idealism as â€Å"the theory which declares the existence of objects in space outside us either to be merely doubtful and indemonstrable or to be false and impossible.† Since I am conscious of my own existence, objects in space must also exist. Having knowledge, the only thing that we are aware of is our representations. These representations are only achievable through an object outside of me not by the representation of that object. Therefore I exist in time because I am capable of perceiving actual things outside of me. I am conscious of my existence in the same frame of time as I am conscious of those objects existing outside of me. When referring to idealism it is believed that our immediate experience is inner experience and from this particular experience we only receive outer objects. It is quite possible that these representations come from within. When considering the representation â€Å"I am† a subject is included. We do not know what that subject is though. So according to circumstances we do not have any experience of that subject. To fully understand the knowledge of the subject we must have intuition. But the only way to receive this inner experience is through our outer experience. To have the existence of outer objects we must be conscious of ourselves. This does not mean that our representation of them involve true existence because they could also be produced by our imagination. The representations of our outer objects come from our perceptions. According to Kant â€Å"all that we have here sought to prove is that inner experience in general is possible only through outer experience in general. Whether this is or that supposed experience be not purely imaginary, must be ascertained from its special determinations, and through it congruence with the criteria of all real experience.† According to Descartes, we really know only what is in our own consciousness. We are instantly and honestly aware of only our own states of mind. What we believe of the whole external world is merely an idea or picture in our minds. Therefore, it is possible to doubt the actuality of the external world as being composed of real objects. â€Å"I think, therefore I am† is the only idea that cannot be doubted. This is because self-consciousness and thinking are the only objects that can be experienced in the real sense. Descartes presented the main problem of philosophical idealism which was an awareness of the difference between the world as a mental picture and that of a system of external objects. Lockes theory, on the other hand, encompasses the mind as the origin for modern conceptions of identity and the self. Locke was the first philosopher to define the self through a continuation of â€Å"consciousness.† He also speculated that the mind was a â€Å"blank slate† or â€Å"tabula rasa†. These two strategies are very different from the above strategies of Kant. At the beginning of early modern philosophy, in Descartes, we seem to see our familiar world slipping away. At the culmination of early modern philosophy, in Kant, however, we get our familiar world back through at a price. In the following essay I will discuss this process, beginning with Descartes, ending with Kant, and discussing two of the four philosophers we have examined this semester. In Meditation One Descartes gives three separate arguments. From these particular arguments one can conclude that we cannot claim to know with certainty anything about the world around us. Everything might seem probable but in reality that does not mean that it lacks doubt. If we can never be certain how can we know anything. This is the main reason for Descartes bring this issue up. Basically his entire argument is based on Scepticism. Scepticism is very important and is seen as an attempt for our knowledge and understanding of the world. It is really hard to doubt that someone really exists but there is no way that one could get rid of the idea of scepticism The one thing that we know is that Descartes does not just randomly doubt everything. He provides very concrete reasons for the things that he doubts. As he sets up this doubt he has to be very rational about it. If he does not then his argument is not going to work. The KK thesis that Descartes uses is to show how these arguments work. The KK thesis follows: if a knows that p, then a knows that a knows that p. basically this means that if I know that there is snow outside then I know that I know that there is snow outside. The problem with this argument is that if we are not sure about our senses then there is no way that we can be sure about the knowledge that we possess. In making this thesis work one must have a strong understanding of what â€Å"knowing† really means. But there is no way that one can actually have this understanding. One must have self-knowledge or basically one must really know himself/herself. Therefore if you do not have that notion of self then you do not possess any knowledge. As we can see the KK thesis works in favour with what Descartes is saying in all of his arguments. The only problem is that he does not believe that his argument about God is that strong. He feels that if there is an Omnipotent God then there is no way that he could ever deceive us. There is no way that he could be all knowing and make us doubt the things that we do. On the other hand there is no way that there could be no God because our senses had to be created by someone. Therefore there must have been an evil demon that has deceived us. But since he doubts everything then he is not mislead into the false believing of a demon. So, in a later meditation he proves that there is a God and that he is not a deceiver. We turn to Liebniz and we continue to see the world slipping away as he discusses the monad. In looking at the things that Liebniz said it is believed that monads (Entelechy) are not physical or mental but biological. Therefore, the ultimate cogs of the world are biological elements or Entelechies. In doing this there is no distinction made between inanimate and animate objects, which would make everything, animate. If these monads are really just biological there is no way that they can make changes in each other. The only way for this to happen is if God caused these changes to happen. The reason that monads cannot bring changes in bodies is because that is not what they were programmed to do. They were created so that compound substances could be made. The biological nature of Monads makes their essential qualities to be apperception and appetition and even motion itself. Their relation is more of a final cause than an efficient cause. This is why he considers final causes as the principle of efficient causes and gives priority to final causes. Therefore, this made it hard for a monad to bring change in a body. As we can see, God is the unifier of the monads but he also brings harmony. Leibniz came to the conclusion, by using metaphysics and the nature of monads, that God was the ultimate monad and the Creator of this world. We are now at a point where nothing is the same. We believed in one thing but now it is completely different. The first problem that Berkeley would have with this objection is the fact that ideas cannot exist if they are not perceived. If we cannot perceive of the idea then there is no way that we can truly conceive of the thing. For example if I do not have the idea of the sky being blue then there is no way that I am going to walk outside, look up, and say the sky is blue. I do not have the concept of blue in the first place. He says that we cannot say what reality is like without using language. You cannot use a word well if you do not know the meaning of that word. When we are describing an idea it is based on what we feel. There is no way that I can say what I mean if I have no conception of the word. According to Berkeley, ideas do not do anything so it cannot cause anything to happen. The mind is active; it is able to perceive of new ideas by imaging. The one thing that the mind cannot do is actually form ideas. It can perceive the ideas but cannot come up with ideas that will resemble the mind when it does this. So, therefore there is no way that we can perceive of any sensible things without knowing what the words mean in the first place. If you do not know what the words mean then you cannot come up with ideas and without the ideas you cannot perceive anything. As we continue we start to see some changes. Berkeley is bring us closer to what Kant has to say. We finally come to Kant and we get our world back through pieces. The way that we do this is through the Kantian price. The Kantian price is how we get our world back through space and time. We have to realize that we would not exist without a world of space and time. Space is not empirical; the idea of space cannot be conceived of. Space is of only one thing. It cannot be talked about in parts because parts are only contained in the overall bigger picture. All space is, is a form of all appearances of the outer sense. As for time it is a little different. Time is not something, which exist of itself. An intuition taking place within is what time is. Time cannot be removed from appearance even though it does not have to actually possess appearances. These appearances can come and go but time cannot be taken away. It is only suitable in conjunction to appearance not for objects preoccupied or taken in general. Time and space are the pure forms of all sensible intuition and so are what make a priori synthetic propositions possible. Therefore, bring back our world through a price. We get a chance to see how Kant breaks down what everyone is saying and shows us how the world is not really slipping away but it is just seen in a different way.

Th Brain :: essays research papers

Your brain has two sides ,and each has a distinctly different way of looking at the world. The more we integrate those two sides, the more developed we make ourselves. Integration not only increases our ability to creatively solve problems, but to control physical problems such as epilepsy and migraines. Even more startling is evidence coming to light that we have become a "left-brain culture". Your brain's right and left side have distinctly different ways of looking at the world. Your two hemispheres are as different from each other as me to you. The left brain controls the right side of the body (the exception to this occurs with left handed people which is 15 percent of the population) and is logical scientific, judgmental and verbal. It's interested in the facts, and efficiency. The right brain controls the left side of the body and deals with the creativity and imagination. It is concerned more with the visual and emotional side of life. As you read, your left-side is sensibly making connections and analyzing the meaning of the words, the syntax and other complex relation-ships while putting it into a "language" you can understand. Meanwhile, the right side is providing emotional and even humerous cues, recognizing visual information and causing you to find humor or sadness. While all of this is going on, the two sides are constantly communicating with each other across a connecting fiber tract called the corpus callosum. There is a certain amount of overlap but essentially the two hemispheres of the brain are like two different personalities that working alone would serve no efficient purpose, but when functioning together bring all things into perspective. The most creative decision making and problem solving come about when both sides work together. The left brain analyzing issues, problems and barriers; the right brain generating fresh approaches; and the left brain translating the into plans of action. "In a time of vast change like the present, the intuitive side of the brain operates so fast it can see what's coming," says Dr. Howard Eisenberg, a medical doctor with a degree in psychology who has studied hemispheric relationships. "The left brain is too slow, but the right can see around corners." An increasing number of medical professionals believe that being in touch with our brain, especially the right half, can help control medical problems. For some doctors use "imaginable thinking" to control everything from migraines to asthma, to high blood pressure. It is said that by teaching someone to raise to raise their temperature - by imaging they are sunbathing or in a warm bath- they can control their circulatory Th Brain :: essays research papers Your brain has two sides ,and each has a distinctly different way of looking at the world. The more we integrate those two sides, the more developed we make ourselves. Integration not only increases our ability to creatively solve problems, but to control physical problems such as epilepsy and migraines. Even more startling is evidence coming to light that we have become a "left-brain culture". Your brain's right and left side have distinctly different ways of looking at the world. Your two hemispheres are as different from each other as me to you. The left brain controls the right side of the body (the exception to this occurs with left handed people which is 15 percent of the population) and is logical scientific, judgmental and verbal. It's interested in the facts, and efficiency. The right brain controls the left side of the body and deals with the creativity and imagination. It is concerned more with the visual and emotional side of life. As you read, your left-side is sensibly making connections and analyzing the meaning of the words, the syntax and other complex relation-ships while putting it into a "language" you can understand. Meanwhile, the right side is providing emotional and even humerous cues, recognizing visual information and causing you to find humor or sadness. While all of this is going on, the two sides are constantly communicating with each other across a connecting fiber tract called the corpus callosum. There is a certain amount of overlap but essentially the two hemispheres of the brain are like two different personalities that working alone would serve no efficient purpose, but when functioning together bring all things into perspective. The most creative decision making and problem solving come about when both sides work together. The left brain analyzing issues, problems and barriers; the right brain generating fresh approaches; and the left brain translating the into plans of action. "In a time of vast change like the present, the intuitive side of the brain operates so fast it can see what's coming," says Dr. Howard Eisenberg, a medical doctor with a degree in psychology who has studied hemispheric relationships. "The left brain is too slow, but the right can see around corners." An increasing number of medical professionals believe that being in touch with our brain, especially the right half, can help control medical problems. For some doctors use "imaginable thinking" to control everything from migraines to asthma, to high blood pressure. It is said that by teaching someone to raise to raise their temperature - by imaging they are sunbathing or in a warm bath- they can control their circulatory

George W. Bushs Faith Based Initiative and the Separation of Church an

George W. Bush's Faith Based Initiative and the Separation of Church and State Clause Nowhere in the U.S constitution or any other official documents  does it say that there must be strict â€Å"separation of church and state†.   This clause was used by Jefferson in his letter to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut on January 1, 1802 (Truthwalk 1).   After being revised six times by one of our founding fathers, James Madision, the first amendment now states that,   â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." (Parsons 40).  Ã‚   Did the fore fathers intend the first amendment to keep religion out of government, or did they want to create a law that stated religion was a free choice moreover preventing the government from forcing one religion upon the people of America. When hearing the phrase â€Å"separation of church and state† one thinks of controversy.   Every other day you hear of something on the news regarding, â€Å"the separation of church and state,† where is the right place to draw the line? Many issues have arisen in the world today that makes the topic of "separation of church and state" very controversial; however, one of most significant issues is Bush's Faith Based Initiative.   Bush’s Faith Based Initiative has strong separationists crying out â€Å"separation of church and state† all over the news. "Separationists argue that our fore fathers wanted such a complete division between church and state that any government accommodation would be unconstitutional"(Frank Guliuzza, p.116). On January 29th, 2001, right after his inauguration, Bush set up his Faith Based Initiative that would soon provide â€Å"faith-based† organizations with governmental federal fund... ... Religion. pgs: 163-164.   Boston Mass:   The Beacon Press, 1953. * "The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life."   Faith Based Initiative and the Bush Administration.   2004.   <http://pewforum.org/faith-based-initiatives> * Sheldon, Louis P.   "CON: IS BUSH VIOLATING SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE?."   The Wichita Eagle.   7 Janurary 2003.   <http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/news/editorial/4886897.htm>. * Scott, Robert C. "Statement of Rep. Scott on Bush's Executive Orders on Faith Based Initiatives."   Press Release. 12 December 2002.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚               <http://www.house.gov/scott/press12_12_02.htm>   * "TruthWalk"   November 7, 2004.   The Separation of Church and State.   <http://www.truthwalk.com/Feedback/separation.html> * "White House Faith Based and Community Initiative".   November 2003. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/guidance_document.pdf>

Analysis on Automobile Industry Essay

Globalization had indeed left its impact on the automobile industry. Now foreign auto dealers were facing lesser restrictions to operate in overseas markets. Michael E. Porter in his book â€Å"Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors† dealt with five competitive forces that shaped all industries. This helped to analyze the intensity of competition which had an impact on the profitability of an industry. The US automobile industry was considered as a force to reckon with from the days of craft production and hence would serve as a standard use case to identify Porter’s five forces. With low level of entry barriers, the Big was facing increasing competition from foreign players like Toyota and Honda. The relationship among Porter’s five forces in the US automobile industry, detailed below clearly proved its’ competitive nature. 1. Threat of New Entrants – The existing loyalty to major brands, incentives for using a particular buyer, higher fixed costs, scarcity of resources, high costs of switching companies, and government regulations constituted the barriers to entry which in turn reduced the competition in an industry. The success of foreign car manufacturers like the Honda Motor Co. had disproved the general belief that the Big Three were invincible. The only factors expected to retard the growing significance of foreign auto dealers were the loyalty to American made vehicles and the after-sale services offered. 2. Power of Suppliers – The presence of very few suppliers of a particular product, and the absence of any substitutes for the product supplied reflected the pressure exerted by the supplier. Sometimes the product was extremely important to the auto-maker and the alternatives proved to be very costly. In such cases the suppliers were in a better position to dictate terms. A lot of suppliers depended on automakers to buy their products. But if the automaker decided to change suppliers it would badly affect the supplier’s role in auto manufacturing. 3. Power of Buyers – Small number of buyers, purchases of large volumes, prevalence of alternative options, and price sensitive customers were some of the factors that determined the extent of influence of the buyers in any industry. American consumers were driven towards foreign cars mainly because most of the auto-makers sourced their key auto-parts from different suppliers. But this raised doubts on the reliability of the vehicle itself. 4. Availability of Substitutes – If substitutes were available offering similar services, the likelihood of buyers switching over to another competitor depended mainly on the cost. The cost of the automobiles along with their operating costs was driving customers to look for alternative transportation options. The rising gasoline price was bound to influence the buyers. 5. Competitive Rivalry – The presence of many players of about the same size, little differentiation between competitors, and a very mature industry with very little growth were the features of a highly competitive industry. Higher the competition in the industry lower would be the profit margin. To remain ahead in competition, auto-makers were tempted to offer value added services to the customers incurring more costs. Easyfinance options and long term warranties were offered to lure the customers. But these measures cut into the profit margins. Thus the US automobile industry in the face of global competition from foreign firms was offering better deals to cater to diverse needs of customers SWOT Analysis An analysis of the fortunes of Ford, a global leader in the automotive industry based in Michigan, wielding significant influence since the inception of global automobile industry, would serve as a classic example to diagnose the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats existing for auto-makers. Strengths †¢ Ford owned a vast array of brand names, which had world wide recognition and respect. Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, Land-Rover, Aston Martin were the famous vehicle brand names owned by the company. Ford Credit, Genuine Parts & Service and Motorcraft were its’ automotive service brands. †¢ Huge size of the business operations allowed Ford to reap the benefits of economies of scale. As of 2005, Ford’s distribution network spread over 200 markets across six continents, supported by an employee base totaling 300,000 and 108 plants worldwide. †¢ Business diversification initiatives of past decades helped Ford to focus on financing sector in addition to manufacturing, with the help of its subsidiaries. Most of the vehicles sold to dealers and distributors were financed by Ford Credit at wholesale rate. The diverse product line was another positive outcome of business diversification. As of 2005, Ford was the second biggest player in US with a total market share of 18. 2%. In Europe, the market share stood at 10. 8%. Weakness Ford’s large size could pose serious impediment to its efforts to adjust to the dynamics of global automobile market. Unlike its Japanese counterparts, Ford had to ride on heavy incentives to boost sales of models, which failed to catch the attention of consumers. Financial Constraints prevented Ford from channeling investments towards the manufacture of new models. Failure to control plant capacity also cut down the profit margin. Opportunities The opening up of Asian markets, wherein lied the potential for growth in commercial vehicle sales, offered a big opportunity to Ford in the near future. The big size and extended global reach, which some identified as a weakness, was helping Ford to become a major player in these markets. Meanwhile in the US, consumers in the higher income category were expected to spend more on high-end models more frequently. The growing trend in energy prices23 was paving the way for a huge market for full and medium sized SUVs and hybrid vehicles with better fuel economy. Despite losing the first mover advantage to Japanese auto-makers, Ford was making headway in this growing market. And in order to leverage on its brand image, efforts were on to differentiate brand identities to the potential consumers. By this initiative, Ford was trying to cut down its incentives. To check capacity issues, Ford made plans to close 10 plants and 30,000 jobs by 2008. Its ultimate aim was to boost capacity utilization to 95% from the current level of 72%. Threats The main threat to Ford’s market dominance came from Japanese auto-makers, particularly Toyota, whose products were of high quality. Ford was losing out customers, who went for higher quality vehicles from Japanese auto-makers, despite absence of incentives. The negative ratings given by most of the credit rating agencies in 2005 also demanded attention as the decision reflected concerns over Ford’s cash flow and profitability, declining market share, excess industry capacity, industry pricing pressure and rising health care costs.

Post Modernist Director Jim Jarmusch Essay

Jim Jarmusch is one of the prominent post-modernist directors whose works produced a profound impression on the audience and often evoked quite controversial emotions. His films are very original and convey the authentic message of the author, but the director often chooses such means of conveying his ideas that his works are perceived in different way by different people. In fact, some people enjoy his films and believe they are genius, while, on the other hand, there are people who do not really understand his works and are very critical in relation to his works. At the same time, it should be said that his films are destined not only for specialists but also for the mass audience, though the director’s ideas may be not always clear for ordinary viewers. Nevertheless, the artistic value of his works is practically undeniable. As a rule, his films are stylistically and artistically rich. The director skillfully applies different stylistic devices which help him convey his message to the audience. Among films created by Jim Jarmusch, it is possible to single out his film â€Å"Down by Law†, which depicts the tragedy of main characters who have to pass through serious challenges in the course of the film. At the same time, this film is a perfect sample of post-modernist films, where main characters confront severe reality of the modern world and where it is really difficult to distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong. In his film the author shows that in the epoch of high technologies, there are still a lot of problems which affect the life of ordinary people and make the life very difficult and even tragic. On analyzing the film â€Å"Down by Law† by Jim Jarmusch, it is necessary to start with the title of the film because it gives insight into the contents and message of the film. In fact, the title of the film is quite symbolic, though it is practically directly indicates to the overwhelming power of law and its impact on an individual. The title of the film clearly conveys the message that the law can affect the life of people dramatically and, what is even more important, the law is not always right or good. Basically, it is possible to estimate that Jim Jarmusch attempts to moralize and analyze the relationship between an individual and the law. Judging from the title, the director stands on the ground that the law can oppress an individual, it can deprive a person of freedom and punish severely. In this respect, the events depicted in the film are quite logical and basically support first ideas that the title of the film evoke. To put it more precisely, the main characters, three inmates, Zack, Jack and Bob, are cellmates and the director attempts to show that all of them are innocent and were wrongfully accused of crimes they have never committed. Nevertheless, all of them are sentenced and, therefore, punished by the existing judicial system which executes the law established in the society. In such a way, the author uses the title to prepare the audience to the perception of the film and adequate interpretation of his main message and ideas. It gives insight concerning the problem raised in the film, but, at the same time, the title also creates certain emotional state or mood which prepares the audience to perception of the film in the way the director finds the most suitable. To put it more precisely, the title has quite a negative connotation of the law. Traditionally, the law is associated with justice. The modern society gets used to perceive law as the basis of the social life, since laws regulate relations between people and support the existing social order and social stability. The violation of law naturally leads to the punishment of an individual through which the individual is supposed to be corrected and change his lifestyle and behavior. In other words, the law is viewed as a tool of the adaptation of the behavior of an individual to socially appropriate and acceptable norms. In such a context, the law is viewed as a positive concept since it maintains justice and social stability that are highly appreciated in the modern society. However, the title of the film suggests an alternative view on the law. Implicitly, â€Å"Down by Law† tends to convince the audience that the law is the punishment above all and its power is used to get people down, while there is little indication to any kind of justice in the title of the film. On the contrary, such a title rather produces an impression that the law is not absolutely just, if not to say unjust. In actuality, the title of the film refers probably to one of the major themes of the film – the relationship between a man and the law. Remarkably, the author attempts to show that the law is really oppressive that may be seen from the title of the film. However, such a conclusion is logical and the title is only a tool with the help of which the director conveys this idea. In actuality, the entire film shows that the law, as a tool of human justice, is often blind. Jim Jarmusch shows that the law is not a synonym of justice. In stark contrast, the law is shown as a powerful tool which has little in common with the concept of justice (Jilesen, 236). Even thought the concept of justice is not clearly defined by the director in the film, it is very difficult to get rid of impression that the law is wrong, at least in relation to the main characters, who got their sentences for crimes they had never committed. In actuality, the director manages to show that the concept of law, as a symbol of justice, is very conventional and it seems as if he wants to convince the audience that people should not totally rely on the law and the justice system at large, because there still remains the risk of errors and innocent people can go to prison. At the same time, Jim Jarmusch pays a lot of attention to interpersonal relations between people. In fact, it is even possible to estimate that the director attempts to underline the significance of interpersonal relationships, which can outweigh even the relationship between a man and the law. Unlike the relationship of a man and the law, the relationship between people is not conventional. In stark contrast, they are very personal and people can learn more about each other through communication and, in such a context, decisions of the judicial system made on the basis of law are absolutely irrelevant to people. What is meant here is the fact that the main characters of the film, the three cellmates, could perceive each other as criminals. Formally, all of them were accused and sentenced to different terms. Therefore, they could naturally perceive each other as criminals because the law defined them as criminals. At the beginning of the film, the director actually shows that such stereotyping on the basis of decisions of the judicial system can affect the perception of people. In such a situation, it seems to be quite natural that Zack and Jack soon come to blows because they perceive each other as criminals and, in actuality, their conflict is, to a significant extent, provoked by stereotyping and biased attitudes of Zack and Jack to each other. In fact, it is the biases and stereotypes imposed on them by the law lead them to the conflict. However, the director of the film apparently does not really believe that the law and the existing judicial system is worth trusting. Jim Jarmusch lays emphasis on the importance of interpersonal relationships which actually define the life of people and their perception of each other (Jilesen, 218). In other words, the director puts human relationships consistently higher than any conventional norms or regulations imposed on people by laws, traditions, tc. In fact, it is through the interpersonal relationship between people their nature and character is revealed. In this respect, it should be said that from the point of view of the law all the three inmates are criminals, but through their interpersonal relationships, they reveal the fact that they are not as bad as they seem to be judging from their sentences and crimes they are accused of. On the other hand, the director avoids labeling his main characters as either positive or negative. He wants to show that his characters are real people, they are alive, they have their own feelings, emotions, ideals. Briefly speaking, they are humans and, therefore, they are imperfect. At any rate, Jim Jarmusch does not idealize his characters and shows that they have both positive and negative qualities. At the same time, he shows that the world, society get used to perceive people in such a way, i. e. through the antagonism between good and bad. In this respect, the use of black and white color in the film is very symbolic. Traditionally, good and bad is associated with white and black color respectively. Jim Jarmusch has shot the film in black and white intentionally in order to convey his message to the audience. In fact, it is possible to view his film as a kind of mirror where the traditional perception of the modern world is reflected. To put it more precisely, people get used to perceive each other either positively or negatively, people are either good or bad. Hence, the choice of colors in the film is very original and unusual for the late 1980s, when there were quite a few films shot in black and white. The director attempted to convince the audience that people get used to perceive this world only in two colors (Hertzberg, 175). Therefore, the use of black and white was quite logical since the film just shows people the world in the colors people get used to perceive the world in. In such a way, the director also warns people about the danger of the loss of other colors since, on perceiving the life through the antagonism of black and white, bad and good, wrong and right, people forget about intermediary states and other colors and concepts. In such a context, when black and white dominates in the film, it is the complexity of interpersonal relationships of the main characters that makes the film really colorful and bright. And again it is possible to speak about a profound attention of the author to interpersonal relations between people which are extremely important to each individual. Moreover, it is relationships with other people that make human life purposeful and brings in certain sense. However, the director creates quite an unusual relationship between the main characters. For instance, Zack and Jack do not speak to each other after the conflict which occurs at the beginning of the film. Nevertheless, it does not prevent them from the establishment of good relationships and it is even possible to speak about a strange but strong friendship between these two not very talkative men (Hertzberg, 153). Their friendship grows stronger as they come through all the hardships after the escape from the prison. In such a way, the author shows that human relations are very complicated and it is very difficult to understand what actually makes people help each other and become friends. At first glance, Zack and Jack have no chances to become friends, at least at the beginning of the film, but by the end of the film they cannot be viewed otherwise but friends, even though they do not talk to each other. Consequently, there should something else in humans that makes them feel confident in each other and become friends. In this respect, it is possible to speak about strong post-modernist trends that can be easily traced in the film, especially through the relationship between Zack and Jack. What is meant here is the fact that Jim Jarmusch actually challenges the existing social norms and purely materialistic view on human life. Obviously, he rejects the supremacy of the law as a synonym of justice. Moreover, he even rejects traditional views on human relations and denies the rigid materialism of the conservative or traditional artists. His characters’ friendship cannot be rationally explained by a scientific theory or logic. Traditionally, normal or positive interpersonal relationships are established through verbal communication, but Zack and Jack have none. Instead, it is rather a kind of spiritual unity or spiritual communication between the main characters. In fact, their friendship is, to a certain extent, almost mystical. At any rate, it is irrational and does not meet any scientific approach that is very typical for post-modernist art at large and films in particular. In this respect, it should be said that, being a post-modernist director, Jim Jarmusch is very skeptical about science as well as about existing stereotypes, social norms, and the law (Suarez, 186). Instead, he argues that people are spiritually rich and it is impossible to explain logically and rationally all their actions and behavior. They can make errors and they can suffer from errors of other people or the existing social or justice system, but still they remain people. Basically, it seems as if the director cannot fully understand human beings, this is why he shows that some of their actions are defined by their internal inclinations or spiritual world. At the same time, the entire film may be viewed as a post-modernist protest against the existing social norms, stereotypes and biases, which limit humans by boundaries of social and legal conventions, norms and regulations. In such a context, the successful escape of the main characters from the prison is very symbolic because, in such a way, they escaped from the social biases and stereotypes, they freed themselves not only literally as they got freedom to move wherever they wanted, but they also got moral and spiritual freedom. They escape from the prison of social stereotypes and unjust laws. Moreover, after the escape, Bob even found his love and became happy that implies that only freeing themselves people can become really happy. Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is possible to conclude that Jim Jarmusch is a successful post-modernist director, who attempted to convey his original ideas and his unique vision of the world and men through his works, among which it is possible to single out â€Å"Down by Law†. In this work, the author perfectly illustrated the imperfectness of the contemporary world and humans. He lays emphasis on the erroneous nature of the existing laws, stereotypes and traditional views of people which heavily rely on materialism, rationalism and logic. Instead, he appeals to human nature, to human spirituality and he underlines that people should strive for their own freedom from their own biases and stereotypes. People, according to Jim Jarmusch should be really free as are his characters.