Freedom of Air

* First Freedom of the Air – the right or privilege, in respect of scheduled international air services, granted by one State to another State or States to fly across its territory without landing (also known as a First Freedom Right). * Second Freedom of the Air – the right or privilege, in respect of scheduled international air services, granted by one State to another State or States to land in its territory for non-traffic purposes (also known as a Second Freedom Right). Third Freedom of The Air – the right or privilege, in respect of scheduled international air services, granted by one State to another State to put down, in the territory of the first State, traffic coming from the home State of the carrier (also known as a Third Freedom Right). * Fourth Freedom of The Air – the right or privilege, in respect of scheduled international air services, granted by one State to another State to take on, in the territory of the first State, traffic destined for the home State of the carrier (also known as a Fourth Freedom Right). Fifth Freedom of The Air – the right or privilege, in respect of scheduled international air services, granted by one State to another State to put down and to take on, in the territory of the first State, traffic coming from or destined to a third State (also known as a Fifth Freedom Right). ICAO characterizes all â€Å"freedoms† beyond the Fifth as â€Å"so-called† because only the first five â€Å"freedoms† have been officially recognized as such by international treaty. Sixth Freedom of The Air – the right or privilege, in respect of scheduled international air services, of transporting, via the home State of the carrier, traffic moving between two other States (also known as a Sixth Freedom Right). The so-called Sixth Freedom of the Air, unlike the first five freedoms, is not incorporated as such into any widely recognized air service agreements such as the â€Å"Five F reedoms Agreement†. Seventh Freedom of The Air – the right or privilege, in respect of scheduled international air services, granted by one State to another State, of transporting traffic between the territory of the granting State and any third State with no requirement to include on such operation any point in the territory of the recipient State, i. e the service need not connect to or be an extension of any service to/from the home State of the carrier. Eighth Freedom of The Air – the right or privilege, in respect of scheduled international air services, of transporting cabotage traffic between two points in the territory of the granting State on a service which originates or terminates in the home country of the foreign carrier or (in connection with the so-called Seventh Freedom of the Air) outside the territory of the granting State (also known as a Eighth Freedom Right or â€Å"consecutive cabotage†). Ninth Freedom of The Air – the right or privilege of transporting cabotage traffic of the granting State on a service performed entirely within the territory of the granting State (also known as a Ninth Freedom Right or â€Å"stand alone† cabotage). Source: http://www. icao. int/icao/en/trivia/freedoms_air. htm

Crucial Scene in Macbeth: The Dagger Soliloquy Essay

So far, the play has hurdled through seven scenes of mounting tension and now  tithers on the threshold of regicide. At this point, Shakespeare freezes the action. In the tension of silence, both character and play develop on new levels. For Macbeth, this soliloquy, in A.C. Bradley’s words: â€Å"is where the powerful workings of his imagination rises to a new level of visible intensity as his conscience manifests itself as an air-drawn dagger.† This is the first glimpse of a vigorous imagination from which stems the guilt-inspired hallucinations that will torment him. Bradley concludes that â€Å"his imagination is a substitute for conscience†, but this isn’t all. This soliloquy expresses macbeth’s most profound fears and hopes, and the dagger symbolises the fulfilment of his black desires. It conveys his internal struggle to divest himself of fear and scruples to become wholly committed to murder. His attempt to grab the dagger indicates his desperation to accomplish the deed before any regrets. Yet the past tense in â€Å"the way I was going† suggests that realisation of his desires has blunted blind courage. Macbeth’s difficulty in overcoming his conscience demonstrates that murder goes against his person, and he has to fight his own nature to carry it out. This soliloquy halts the action for us to absorb this crucial element in his characterisation. His struggle also alerts us to his suffering and heroism. The â€Å"heat-oppressed brain† and his confusion as his eyes and touch contradict each other emphasises his tortured, conflicting mind. Macbeth seeks the reassurance of reality, drawing his own dagger in fear and frustration of confusion. He ultimately rejects the illusion, attributing it to the ‘bloody business’. S.T. Coleridge suggests that macbeth â€Å"mistranslates the recoiling of conscience into selfish reasonings due to his cowardice.† From then on, there’s a grim acceptance of the deed and Macbeth bids the earth to â€Å"hear not his steps†. According to Samuel Johnson, â€Å"that Macbeth wishes to escape the eye of providence is the utmost  extravagance of determined wickedness†, yet Bradley interprets Macbeth’s aligning himself with evil as â€Å"frightfully courageous†. From such varied analysis emerge a humanly complex man driven by his internal turmoil to the point where survival requires that courage straddle fear. On the play’s level, this scene guarantees Duncan’s death. The dagger is a symbol of Macbeth’s resolution, turning its handle toward his hand, spurring him to ‘clutch’ it. The personification of ‘withered Murder† gives the deed a concrete tangibility. And Macbeth’s final words â€Å"whiles I threat, he lives† show his cold determination. In confirming Ducan’s death, it marks a turning point in the play, as Macbeth fulfils the witches’ prophecy. Another turning point is in Macbeth. He lets the dagger marshal him toward the deed, pursuing the illusory rewards offered by evil. In David Elloway’s words: â€Å"He’s entered a world of deceptive dreams and moves through it with the mindlessness of a sleepwalker.† Macbeth expresses his fear of the ‘sure and firm-set earth’, which is a symbol of reality. This shows his tendency to take meaning at face-value, justifying his blind confidence in the witches later. The soliloquy’s dark imagery enforces the magnitude of Macbeth’s crime, and foreshadows its consequences. Blood appears both on the blade and handle of the dagger, insinuating that he cannot emerge cleanly from the deed. Associates of night and evil are evoked to set the scene for murder. The apparent death of nature during night connotes the unnaturalness of the deed. Coleridge believes that â€Å"the dimensions of murder are expressed in the portrayal of its movement.† Murder moves in three ways: stealthily, as that of a trained assassin. Then, with Tarquin’s ravish, equating it with rape. And, like that of a ghost’s, a mindless wraith â€Å"alarumed† to fulfil his sole purpose. By portraying the diverse facets of murder, Shakespeare demonstrates its profound unnaturalness, and the magnitude of its consequences. Also, this crucial scene reinforces the themes and motifs of the play, extending upon their importance. Primarily, it illuminates the conflict between appearance and reality. Despite the apparent solidity of the dagger, Macbeth cannot grasp it. This dramatises the deceptive nature of appearance. The latent meanings of many lines epitomise the idea that the full truth is hidden by face value. The phrase: â€Å"dagger of the mind† doesn’t merely mean an imaginary weapon, but also the bane of the mind – a rancour in his peace. Only both meanings together can convey Macbeth’s turmoil and the depth of his thoughts. The image of blood in ‘gouts’, the darkness of night, and the non-restriction of action to merely human agencies are potent elements of this soliloquy. These are what create the ominous ambience of the play. According to Bradley, â€Å"macbeth gives the impression of a black night broken by flashes of light and colour.† Here, the glimmering dagger and the potent colour of blood create this effect. Such vivid and violent imagery are what characterises Macbeth. Shakespeare’s pre-eminence as a dramatist is due to his capacity to create vivid images that embody powerful human emotions. This soliloquy brims with such imagery and symbolism, and is imperative in promoting Macbeth, the simplest of Shakespearean tragedies, to be the most broad and massive in effect.

Amoco Case Write Up Essay

As long-term valuation is assumed, risk free rate is set as 30-year treasury rate, 5.73%. Cost of debt is 6.72% reflecting Amoco’s credit level. Cost of equity is calculated as 10.63%, leading to final WACC at 8.85% (Chart 1). In DCF valuation (Chart 2), long-term growth rate is assumed to be 4%. Change in working capital is calculated as the average of 1997 and 1996 figure and is assumed to be constant for simplicity. Terminal value is valued at $69,398.1 million and NPV is $51,525 million. Stock price will be $37.07, indicating an exchange ratio at 0.46. This is a very conservative valuation as our DCF price is lower than Amoco’s current market price. Regarding of multiple valuation (Chart 3), P/E ratio from comparable firms are used, which leads us to an exchange ratio at 0.68. Thus, our estimation for Amoco’s stand-alone value is from $37.07 to $54.69 per share, i.e. 0.46 to 0.68-exchange ratio. As the acquirer, our basic negotiating strategy is to low the exchange ratio as much as possible. Based on our conservative evaluation of Amoco, our opening exchange ratio is 0.46. For Amoco sides, their opening exchange ratio is 1. The big difference between our opening prices indicates this negotiating process should be tough. First, we checked the discount rate. For us, BP company, we use 8.83%, however, Amoco they use a higher one around 9%. The main difference to calculate the discount rate is that we use the 30-year Treasury rate as risk free rate compared to Amoco used 20-year Treasury rate. Moreover, we use the debt to debt plus equity but they use debt to equity to calculate WACC. To compromise these differences, we agree to use the average discount rate that doesn’t make a large influence of the valuation price. After this, we discussed the most important factor –growth rate. Based on the assumption in the case, we use 4% as terminal growth rate, 2% annual oil demand growth rate plus 2% inflation rate. However, Amoco hold the view that the oil price would grow at 6% in long-term, and it’s hard for both of us to get a compromising rate. Therefore, we jumped to synergy and currency questions, and we agreed on the synergy that Amoco would bring BP the North America  market and BP would use US currency to acquire Amoco’s share. After discussed all these details, we came back to the final offer price. We offered a higher one as exchange rate 0.6. Amoco rejected. Finally, after they thoughtful discussion they offered 0.66 exchange rate or price 52.965 as their final offer, which for us is lower than our walk-away price 65.94. Therefore, we accepted this offer and we both reach our goals to reach the deal and build a good relationship with the other management team. The previous 959.6m Amoco shares will convert into 633.336m shares of BP ADS equivalent, with the previous 965.6m ADS shares, BP shareholders will take part 60% of the new company, still have majority control over the firm. In this deal, we paid for about 20% premium, which is quite standard and normal. Because synergies from revenue and chemical divisions’ combination are not estimated nor not expected to bring benefit, the main synergy from the merge is 2 billion dollars saving of pretax operating cost. The value we create for our shareholders is $14,840.06 million (Amoco stand-alone value $46,430 million+ synergy $2 billion – price paid for Amoco $33,538.94). But this number is quite sensitive to a lot of factors, such as future energy demand, oil and gas price, industry growth potentials, ultimately affecting Amoco’s stand-alone and synergy valuation. Please see the chart 4 of sensitive analysis of Amoco’s stand-alone value according to the change of terminal growth rate in the appendices. But even modest assumptions still can lead to positive value created in this deal.

Relationship Between Sexual Selection and Human Reproductive Behaviour Essay

Relationships can be explained by both sexual selection and the human reproductive system; however they both differ from each other. Sexual selection explains how evolution is driven by competitions for mating and to ensure the characteristics that are chose allow the reproduction to be a success. The human reproductive behaviour explains the strategies that both males and females take on. Sexual selection has two types, Intra-sexual selection and Inter- sexual selection. Intra-sexual selection is men competing towards each other for females. This allowed men to evolve into bigger, stronger males with more manly characteristics. Inter-sexual selection involves females choosing their males. They seek partners who can provide them with resources such as a home and wealth as well as protection. Due to the two types of selection, both male and females have evolved leading to better characteristics. Evolutionary theory states that body symmetry and symmetrical faces are desired characteristics, Cartwright (2000) found that women who have symmetrical breasts are more fertile than those with asymmetrical breasts. This supports the idea that body symmetry indicates reproductive fitness which leads to evolved characteristics, and allows women to have high self-esteem. Furthermore, other than symmetrical body and face structures males use physical attractiveness to judge how fit a female is to reproduce. Men look of more attractive females however females look for men who can provide good state of wealth. This is due to men only looking for the characteristics of reproduction and successive care of children from females. Although men and women both look into different characteristic, females are choosier since they have a larger investment and therefore more to lose. However, the study cannot be supported since a disadvantage of this study is that female may alter the appearance in order to seem young and fertile, while men may also lie and exaggerate on the amount of resources they have in order to get females to mate. Buss conducted a study testing participants from 37 cultures, finding that men like young, attractive females while females prefer men who are rich, ambitious and industrious. A criticism of this study is that it was conducted via a questionnaire. The problem with questionnaires is that individuals may lie or exaggerate about their mate preference in order to fit with the norm of satisfy social desirability. The female handicap hypothesis states that females choose male with handicap features such as smoking, drugs etc. This is because the find men are more superior and show a sign of genetic fitness. Grammer and Thornhill (1994) found that females choose men with masculine features which suppress the immune system since only the healthy mates can produce masculine features. The research doesn’t support the theory since it shows that women do care about features rather than only if they have genetic fitness. The features allow females to generate an investment in anosogamy which leads to their ‘sexy son hypotheses, since they sexually select the genes. One of the many male strategies for mating success includes size. Since males selective females that are the most reproductively fittest, they evolve to be biggest and show strength of success in competition against other males for females. The evolutionary theory supports this strategy as it states the men do evolve do to characteristics gained from previous reproduction. This indicates that the characteristics must have been gained from successive male and female reproduction. The evolutionary theory as a whole has a lot of faults. Deviant activities such as rape and forced sexual activities also cause a success in reproduction, however this doesn’t mean that the reproduction must of occurred due to the male and female strategies nor does it suggest that individuals choose who they mate with. The theory is also a educationalist as it ignores other factors such as cultural influences on why reproductive success occurs.

Community Corrections Essay

Introduction Probation and parole are two alternatives to incarceration. Many jurisdiction are looking more to probation as an alternative to incarceration and early release through parole to reduce the size of the prison population. Probation and parole officials are there to help offenders return to society and ensure compliance with the terms of the offenders’ release. What are the primary goals of using community corrections supervision for probation as an alternative to incarceration? What are the primary goals for parole or correctional supervision following release from jail or prison? Primary goals of probation. There are many goals for using community corrections supervision for probation as an alternative to incarceration; however, the main goals are to reduce the rate of crime. According to Families against Mandatory Minimums (2013), over 40% of offenders leaving prisons will commit another crime and return to prison within three years. Understanding the problem and getting help for the offender with prevent new crimes. Other goals are: Strengthening families and the community, savings to taxpayers as well as giving the court systems other options for sentencing (Alternatives to Incarceration In A Nutshell, 2013). Primary goals of parole. The primary goal of parole and correctional supervision is to allow individuals to re-integrate into society without any difficulties. Many times after an individual has served enough time in prison, the parole board may determine that an individual may be released. When an individual is released they are given the opportunity to finish serving their sentencing in the community under controlled conditions; parole/correctional supervision is part of the rehabilitation program, it is a mechanism to manage the risk of parolees to the community, and it’s an incentive to continue good behavior. Rehabilitation and re-integration are the main focus to everything. How important is it for offenders who are no longer incarcerated to have the ability to work to support themselves and to support their families? For many years the main focus of correctional systems has been the offenders during incarceration. One major concern now is how the offender will support themselves and their families after incarceration. When offenders are released from incarceration it is very challenging for them to become integrated within the community and families. Many offenders face personal challenges such as  low self-esteem, low motivation, skill deficits, lack of training, mental illness, substance abuse; and lack of stable accommodations. They also face social challenges such as negative peer influence, an absence of family support and poor employment records (Visher, 2005; Rakis, 2005; Graffam, 2004). These challenges can make it difficult for ex-offenders to support themselves or their families. The challenges must be addressed to keep the offender from returning to jail. That is why the system provides alternative programs to assure the ex-offenders a better way to return to society and be productive individuals. Should a convicted offender released from incarceration be eligible for public assistance? Should their family–a spouse and children–be eligible? Public Assistance. Yes, currently depending upon each state, ex-offenders are eligible for different kinds of public assistance. If the assistance is already approved it can be because it was properly studied and evaluated. I consider that public assistance can be provided on a case-by-case basis with restrictions, and be monitored often. Ex-offenders should first participate in a rehabilitation program before they qualify for assistance programs. Some ex-offenders deserve a second opportunity in the community (Serving People from Arrest to Reintegration, 1999-2004). An offender’s family member should not be punished for the crimes of the offender. They should be allow to receive public assistance if the meet the qualifications. Conclusion There are many challenges for former inmates returning to society. Re-entry is the primary focus on parole officer to ensure that the offenders return to society is a productive one. It is important for offenders to have the appropriate resources in order to obtain the necessary training and support upon their release from incarceration to be able to support themselves and their families and become productive members of society. References Alternatives to incarceration in a nutshell (2013).

Human Resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Human Resource - Essay Example The issue of job satisfaction has been studied in connection with the disciplines such as economics, psychology, management science and sociology .A good employer is one who would ensure that his employees are satisfied because satisfaction is closely related to their labor market behavior such as quits, productivity and absenteeism. Research shows that job satisfaction predicts if an employee will quit just like in case of wages .It is therefore imperative to study the determinants of job satisfaction. In this study focus will be an aspect of job satisfaction with age, degree in the field of study and the educational level of employment of persons working in different sectors of the economy (Clark et. al). There have been different attitudes of people towards job satisfaction in International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). Researchers have indicated that job satisfaction is affected by the factors like educational factors for example degree status, situation factors for example workplace situations and biological factors like age. Employees in this company give varying results on job satisfaction. They claim that the companies do not have a good pay master and annual appraisal. This stud Purpose and objectives of the study This study is trying to determine how age and education level are related to the level of job satisfaction of employees in this company. The research proposal is based on some crucial questions which will be a guide to the research. Research Questions. 1. What is the overall job satisfaction for employees working in the Human Resources Department 2. What degrees of satisfaction do the employees of International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) with factors raised on job satisfaction 3. What is the relationship between job satisfaction and variable factors such as field of study at college, educational levels and age Significance of the study The humanitarian aspect is one angle that helps people to look at job satisfaction in detail. All employees regardless of the level in which they are should be treated well and respected as it contributes to their wellbeing. From the utilitarian aspect, job satisfaction may affect how employees behave and this may have either positive or negative effects on productivity depending on how a worker feels when they are being treated. Scope and limitations The study will focus on the workers who are at the human resource department. The sample size

The Use of Memory, Development of Communication Skills, and Applies Se Essay

The Use of Memory, Development of Communication Skills, and Applies Self-Derived Solutions to Solve Simple Problems - Essay Example Avery began touching a bunch of keys that I had in my hand keenly examining one key after the other as he asked me questions about them. ‘’Your door key?’’ He was trying to ask me if the keys were for my door. ‘’Yes,’’ I said to him. After they had been released to go to the playground, I sat back in the same corner as last time to observe Avery. When he got out of the classroom, Avery ran quickly to join the other children in the playground where they were kicking the ball. He shouted, ‘’Ball!’’ ‘’Ball,’’ as he ran towards the ball. Avery then got hold of the ball and held it to his chest. ‘’Avery, Avery,’’ shouted the other children. The teacher then said to him, ‘’Avery put the ball down and play with the others.’’ He then put the ball down and hurriedly kicked it hard until he fell down. Another child began to laugh at h im. He got annoyed and stood up quickly and slapped the child on his cheek. The child began to cry as Avery ran away and squatted down at a drainage that connected the water tank and the flower garden. The teacher then quickly responded to the cry of the other child and cautioned Avery not to beat others again even when they wronged him. The teacher then gave a sweet to the crying child who then stopped crying afterward. ‘’You need to tell me in case anyone annoys you and I will deal with them personally,’’ said the teacher to Avery. Avery then began scooping the wet soil from the drainage as he tried to make a hole where more water collected. With the scooped soil, he began molding it into a structure that looked like a car. Even before the molding was done, Avery had begun dragging his car down with his knees down on the ground. Suddenly, he saw an insect in the nearby grass and he left his car made of soil and ran towards the insect. ‘’Look !’’ ‘’Look!’’ ‘’Look!’’  Avery and other few children began chasing after the insect until they caught it.   As they were struggling for it, one of its wings pulled out and was left in Avery’s hands.   Avery began looking at the wing keenly as he ran towards the teacher. He asked the teacher,’’ What is this Teacher?’’   Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ¢â‚¬â„¢That is an insect’s wing,’’ replied the teacher.   Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ¢â‚¬â„¢Wing is for what?’’ Asked Avery. ‘’A wing is used by an insect to fly,’’ replied the teacher as she demonstrates using her hands how flying takes place.  

Critical Thinking Steps Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Critical Thinking Steps - Essay Example 19), an issue can be described as a question or a controversy that is responsible for a conversation or discussion that is taking place. It can further be described as the stimulus for whatever that the communicating parties are saying (Brown and Keeley, p. 19). The authors suggest that there are basically two types of issues namely the prescriptive and descriptive issues. The descriptive issues refer to issues that raise controversies or questions concerning past, present or future descriptions. On the other hand, prescriptive issues have been described as those issues which issues that raise concerns as to what is wrong or right. The case in the PDQ memo is a descriptive issue since the PDQ memo expressly states that â€Å"Specifically, the question is whether the compensation level for PDQ’s CEO is appropriate to the position with respect to current industry standards† (Mark Headlee, personal communication, October 1,2011 ). This clearly shows that the issue in the m emo questions whether it is right to pay the sum provided for the CEO after considering the current standards in that industry. According to Brown and Keeley (p.21), a conclusion can be described as the message that speaker or author wants you to accept as viable. The PDQ memo concludes by saying that, â€Å" Our finding is that the compensation of the chief executive is not appropriate to the current industry standards for a company the size of PDQ because it is maligned† (Mark Headlee, personal communication, October 1, 2011).

Digital Marketing Campaign for fictional event (Wind Racers Horses) Term Paper

Digital Marketing Campaign for fictional event (Wind Racers Horses) - Term Paper Example The main product that the company deal in is hygain balanced. This product can perform all the mentioned function and take care of the situations. The marketing for the product is majorly done through the website. The plan of the communication would involve considering different aspects. Cost is much essential in the planning. The company will consider the general cost of the campaign whether it will be expensive. The campaign should be cost efficient (Ryan and Calvin, 63). The much to be involved in reaching a given number is considered. There should be no much wastage. Influence is also considered in the planning. A website that is used should be that that can reach a large number of people who need the horse product. Personalization of the message in the website is also much considered. The credibility of the communication on the horse product is seen as such that the information is widely accepted to be accurate. Planning of the website advertisement should consider the control. The site information should be able to reach the targeted horse owners or those that deal with the animal product (Ryan and Calvin, 102). The plan ning on the website advertisement is done in stages. The objectives of the communication are identified and set. The appropriate budget is made such that the cost of the transmission is defined. The company should then decide on what they want the audience to know about the product and its impact on their horses. The targeted audience are then decided, and they should be those that deals with horses. Hygain Feeding Company produces hygain feed for horses. The pellets are fed are highly rich in vitamin E and selenium that are required by the horses for cell health, minerals, proteins and amino acids that are needed for muscle strengthening and muscle development. The product contains biotin for hoof and also coat health. The product has been improved such that the contents of the pellets also act as blood builders. The promotion of

Writing assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing assignment - Essay Example The interviewer was inquiring as to the trouble of instituting democracy in the Middle East and in so doing referred to a traditional concept that the individuals there are simply not capable of democratic order. In refuting this notion, Michael Scheuer remarks that the issue is not a sort of innate resistance to democracy, but instead the long ingrained combination of church and state in the region that makes instituting democracy a highly challenging process. Scheuer indicates that when the West points to its own prosperous ways and the democractic political process that they were brought about through, the Middle Eastern people still believe that this form of government is man-made and has turned its back on God. Scheuer goes as far as to argue that the least exportable thing the United States has is its democracy. The remark underlines one of the critical areas of difference between the United States and Middle Eastern states. Namely this difference is a core value system, with t he West pursuing a socially constructed sense of profit and equity, and the Middle Eastern clinging to an ancient religious order. Within this spectrum of thought, one begins to question the sociological elements that have led to the Middle East retaining their religious affiliations, while the United States has adopted a more profit-centered existence.

Industrialisation and the Family Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Industrialisation and the Family - Assignment Example Of course, not all of the explanations can be found in economics and, most likely, social structure and culture can explain the changing economics as well. However, looking for explanations in the changing economics for sociological phenomena enriches our insights and sharpens our sociological analysis. I will attempt to do just that in this work. According to Eshleman and Bulcroft (2010, p. 4), a family traditionally refers to â€Å"two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption who reside together in a household.† It is a definition that â€Å"emphasizes the structural dimension of families because it focuses on the requirements for membership and spatial arrangements of members.† Simultaneously, families can also be defined â€Å"in terms of their functional significance as societal institutions† (Eshleman and Bulcroft 2010, p. 4). The function of a family can be for â€Å"procreation† or â€Å"socialisation† of children (Eshleman an d Bulcroft 2010, p. 4). Social structure and power distribution in society influence how a family is defined (Eshleman and Bulcroft 2010, p. 5). How a family is defined mirrors adaptation to circumstances and is a product of cultural innovations and of a process in which â€Å"those in positions of power and privilege promote definitions that serve their interests and values† (Eshleman and Bulcroft 2010, p. 5). Eshleman and Bulcroft identified three basic types of family structure. ... n easy visiting distance, contacts are regular, provides autonomy for families in decision making, manifests considerable exchanges of goods and services, and provides roles for kin, friends, and non-kin in the socialisation process (Eshleman and Bulcroft 2010, p. 28). The nuclear and conjugal family is small, experiences geographic isolation, is exposed to only minimal kin contact, enjoys family autonomy, displays economic self-sufficiency, usually acquires socialisation from non-kin and get emotional support and protection from non-kin (Eshleman and Bulcroft 2010, p. 28). Of the latter type are the transnational families (Eshleman and Bulcroft 2010, p. 11). Transnational families are families whose members are scattered all over the world. There is a variety of transnational families (Eshleman and Bulcroft 2010, p. 11). In particular, Eshelman and Bulcroft (2010, p. 11) identified that some of the several types of transnational families are: 1. families created by marriages between individuals from different nationalities; 2. families residing in one nation but some of whose members may be working in other parts of the globe; 3. families residing in one country but â€Å"recreating their home culture with that nation (diaspora families)†; 4. families whose members are scattered across several nations; and 5. families that regularly move across several countries. Elliot and Gray (2000, p. 7) defined a nuclear family as a â€Å"two-generation family consisting of a father and mother and their children or a single, possibly widowed, parent and his/her children.† However, besides a nuclear family, Elliot and Gray (2000, p. 7) also identified a stem family which is â€Å"a three-generation consisting of a father and mother, a married child, their spouse and their children.†

'In Defense of Food An Eater's Manifesto' By Michael Pollan Essay

'In Defense of Food An Eater's Manifesto' By Michael Pollan - Essay Example We are weak in a sense that we need to consult doctors and therapist to know what we must eat and follow the logo that processed food containers hold. We go by mob psychology without giving any judgment to what actually is the truth. Other animals and organisms do not have such requirements, they are capable of making a decision what they should eat and they eat what nature has offered them. Our story is different as we need a variety of different things to eat to stay fit and healthy. The author has thrown light upon the biased nature of human beings regarding what to eat, how much to eat and what sequence to follow. We have set certain parameters regarding with what a particular food item will go. This tendency came in picture because of a lot of variety has captured the market with guiding and misguiding food-labeling rules. Genetically modified food and all the variety of processed food has taken us away from our roots. What we are eating today is totally different from what our ancestors have eaten and most probably what our mothers have eaten. Food comes with various logos some are stating that they may protect against cancer but actually it has no such role. Some of the food items presented in the market are the result of vague kind of research that has been carried out in the market, for e.g. the genetically modified food are gaining much prominence these days. "Genetically Engineered" food is grown, manufactured, created, developed or changed by utilizing the techniques that brings changes in molecular or cell biology of an organism. This technique cannot be exploited in nature or under natural conditions. These techniques are mostly based on recombinant DNA technology, cell fusion, micro- and macroencapsulation, gene deletion or duplication, introduction of any gene from other organism through microinjection or by the process of transgenesis where the desired foreign gene is inserted in the early sates of development and also the techniques based on altering the position of the genes. The process does not include propagation, conjugation, fermentation, hybridization, in vitro fertilization and tissue culture method (Grubesic, 2005). These marketed food products are highly advertised in the TV, newspapers and magazines with big claims but according to the author the best food is what our grandmothers have eaten and recommends us. In the present era, in order to make maximum gains people are adopting unfair means to market the products by decorating them through packaging and variety of other methods to attract women and children. These processed food have no true food value and incorporate food additives for manufacturing, stuffing or in packaging, dispensation, preparing, treating, and packaging, food additives may also be used when long distance transporting is to be done or when the food item is to be kept for long duration. Now-a-days radiations are given to ensure the safety of food from chemicals. The food is labeled with the name of the company or firm or by any legal or commercial entity. If the research has provided us with the processed food items then research has also provided us the information about the repercussions of eating such products. The author has therefore recommended that if we eat modified food which claims to be rich in nutrition and possess

Evidence-Based Practice Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Evidence-Based Practice Project - Assignment Example To help among the interventions on heart diseases, echocardiography was introduced. The use of echocardiography as a means of identifying the structural aspects and those related to functional means in relation heart diseases remain disagreed on. Some of the problems associated with the use of the machine include the recurrence rate of the problem due to failures or weaknesses related to this machine. To add on to the above is the fact that echocardiography has only been used among adults and has not been used among teenagers yet teenagers face an increased risk of heart diseases. This is a problem because teenagers must also receive the help if the machine can help them (Mane, et.al. 2012). Addressing heart diseases from a young age should be the ideal intervention. Therefore, by leaving teenagers out in the tests on whether the machine can help control heart diseases alongside other interventions is not right (Welsh, Sharma, Cunningham & Vos, 2011). As such, this problem must be re solved to ensure that teenagers have the chance to use the machine. There are several stakeholders/ change agents that are concerned or may benefit from this proposal. The first change agents will be the teenagers. This proposal directly affects teenagers and the proposed solution will be tested on them. Therefore, teenagers form the first and most important change agents and stakeholders in this respect. The second stakeholders is the parents and or guardians of the teenagers because teenagers cannot make decisions to participate in the proposed solution by themselves. Therefore, parents and or guardians come in as representatives for teenagers. The university is a stakeholder in this proposal because the proposed solution will be implemented under the university. Therefore, it is an important stakeholder in this proposal. The healthcare system, healthcare practitioners especially cardiologists, manufacturers of echocardiography and potential users are all stakeholders/

Intervention plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Intervention plan - Essay Example Apparently, her painful memories of such a traumatic experience were triggered when she and her workmates visited a friend’s farm in the country. While in the farm, she had flashes of her painful childhood memories which she thought she has forgotten over the years. However, the sights, smells, sounds, etc. of the farm only made the flashbacks more vivid. Sherry was only four years old when her grandfather began sexually molesting her in his barn. He did this to her until she was nine years old when she and her family had to move to another city due to her father’s employment. Sherry used to adore her grandfather because he brought her on trips around the country side and had ready treats for her every time she and her parents came to visit him and her grandmother. It is in the barn when he would sexually abuse her in the guise of pretend play. Sherry did not enjoy that kind of play at all and felt uncomfortable with her grandfather’s touch. Even if she was already toilet trained, she would sometimes soil her underwear in the hope that her grandfather will not rape her. Although he told her that it was their secret and she was not supposed to tell anyone, she tried to tell her mother when she was five years old, and in response, she was spanked, in the belief that she was lying. She never told anyone again. Bowlby’s Attachment Theory (1969) is one theory that explains the development of attachment of children to their significant others. It posits that a person’s real relationships in the earliest stages of life shape his or her survival functions as he or she grows and develops throughout the life span. To Sherry, her attachment relationships to both her grandfather and mother may have been shattered by her disappointment in them. Ringel (2012) contends that children like Sherry develop disorganized attachments alternating between ambivalent and avoidant behaviors as well as dissociative behaviors like

5S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

5S - Essay Example The lean philosophy has a number of processes that make it a good strategy to deal with modern issues in the construction industry. The philosophy looks to make sure that there are efficiencies in the workplace and that engineers avoid waste in construction projects. In the construction industry, the lean philosophy can be useful in avoiding two types of wastes. First, it can be useful in avoiding time wastage and materials wastage. This is when the firm follows the five codes of the 5S philosophy. In any construction site, order and standardization lead to less time wastage. Those working in the site are able to access the tools and the materials they need for a specific task in order to make sure that there is no wastage of material and time. The principle is that any unnecessary material and processes must be at minimum or eliminated from the site and the process of work. This helps in ensuring that there is no wastage of time as well as materials. In efficient management of the construction engineering, it is necessary for only the materials that are necessary for a project to be used in order to make sure that the construction workers can access these materials they require when they need them. This helps in tow major ways. To begin with, the unnecessary materials in any construction site are not there in two main ways. If the item being under construction does not need certain materials, these materials should to be included. For instance, with the use of reinforced concrete, the engineers are able to eliminate the use of excessive materials and this makes it easy for them to complete the project with minimal materials. This kind of minimalism is necessary for modern projects because materials are not only expensive but are also scares. As Ogunbiyi, Oladapo, and Goulding (2013) argue in their article, the modern construction engineer must be able to know that the sources of materials for construction is now a competition. With

The Crappy Shades Sunglasses Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Crappy Shades Sunglasses Company - Essay Example There have been certain unfortunate incidents like strikes on some of the issues, which put a bad impact on the overall operation of the company. Company happened to lose its key customers as well as few new orders. The company has been able to attain a profit of around  £ 2.3 million in the year, 2006. As the competition is getting intense, more of its competitors are going global. There is a low entry barrier in this market; which has led to a number of new entrants in this market. The products and prices of all of these companies are quite similar, so day by day, the market is getting divided into more segments. To survive this competition Crappy Shades now would like to go for expansion in some new regions to tap the global market. Zeroing down on a singe opportunity is the main decision to take on. Globalization has allowed ease in free trades among the countries. It has introduced greater speed and lesser difficulty in transportation of goods as well as that of the people. Most of the companies, in developing countries, are now interested in using their cash inflows to invest in developing nations. Even the company is now in a situation, where they can take the advantage of globalization by expanding their business to other regions. The destination should be cautiously picked as the company would like to keep their cost effectiveness up in that country. In such a way they can carry their brand names out of UK. With every brand name, an image gets attached to it. So this ‘low cost’ company should keep that image alive, even out of UK. Moving to another country means they would get access to the technology and resources of that nation. At the same time it would have a large customer base with access to a large talent pool of that nation. So using the resources worldwide, technical and cultural, the company would be able to

The history and evolution of La Cosa Nostra Essay

The history and evolution of La Cosa Nostra - Essay Example La Cosa Nostra, over several years, founded its reputation for the cold-blooded use of violence. This aggression has taken place generally in the form of thrashings and assassinations. Personal aggression, and to a lesser extent it was brutality against property, such as, intimidations, fire-raising, blasts, is the distinctive pattern of the methodical use of aggression as an instrument of doing business. Violence and the threat of aggression were the ways by which the LCN gained monopoly control over a variety of illegal enterprises. It disheartened and abolished competitors, and it strengthened the reputation and trustworthiness of the LCN. Aggression is also used for in-house discipline. By the mid 1950s, Cosa Nostra thought of shifting their business to the cities from the rural areas. They understood that they could achieve financial gains only in cities. The industrial boom took place in the cities of Sicily. Here, the gains in terms of real estate, construction, and transporta tion were more hopeful. Thus, they turned out to be industrialists and became an element of the urban enterprise.

The US has gone through several keyboom and bust cycles since the Essay

The US has gone through several keyboom and bust cycles since the Civil War - Essay Example There was also the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania, and coal in the Appalachian Mountains. In 1873, there was a recession causing the collapse of the New York Stock market. This recession lasted until 1897. The next period is the progressive era of the 1890 to 1920. This period saw the emergence of a powerful middle class who advocated for the regulation of the American business environment. Due to their efforts, the American congress passed the Sherman antitrust act. This law was meant to prevent large business organizations from controlling a particular industry. It was passed in 1890. In 1912, President Woodrow Wilson introduced the income tax system. It is during this period that saw the creation of the Federal Reserve2. The role of this organization was to regulate the monetary system in America. There was the growth of the American economy between the periods of 1920-1929. This point in time is called the Roaring twenties. It is during this period that the automobile industry grew, and there was a reduction in taxes. The oil industry grew, as well as the glass industry. As a result, millions of people were employed in these industries. However, between 1921 to 1941, the economy of the state came under recession. This period is referred to as the Great depression. There was a failure in the country’s stock market, and money circulation was low3. Due to an increase in the country’s debts, congress raised the rate of income tax. The periods of 1945 to 1973 saw the rise of the American economy. This period is referred to as the post war period. This period saw the emergence of a well educated workforce, and the maturity of $200 billion war bond. This period saw the emergence of labor unions to advocate for the right of workers. The periods of 1972 to 1992 saw an increase in the capital and operational costs of several sectors of the American economy4. This period is referred to as the deregulation and reagonomics phase. This period saw the enac tment of the airline deregulation act, and the monetary control and the depository institution deregulation act. President Jimmy Carter instituted the 1977 stimulus package for purposes of recovering the economy. In 1980, there was a massive unemployment rate, with over 1.1 million people losing their jobs. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan introduced the concept of reagonomics. This concept led to a reduction of the income tax. The rate of reduction was 25%5. Between the periods of 1990, to the late 2000 is the era of globalization. There was the growth of the American stock market, and an increase to its GDP by 69%. This period was followed by the great depression of 2008 to 2010. This period saw the collapse of the construction industry, and the housing prices6. There was a collapse of leading financial institutions such as the Lehman brothers, and AIG insurance company. To bail out the economy, the American congress passed out over $700 billion. President Obama initiated the 2009 Investment and American recovery act. This law was meant to provide a stimulus of about $ 787 billion to the American economy. In conclusion, this paper identifies seven major boom and bust cycles that America had. These are the gilded age, the progressive era, the roaring twenties, the great depression, the age of deregulation and reagonomics, the period of globalization, and the great depress

Assess the advantages of job specialisation Essay Example for Free

Assess the advantages of job specialisation Essay 1. Terminology Job Definition Job definitions in practice are usually only applied to low level manual and clerical jobs, at more senior levels there are usually greater degrees of own job making. There is a school of thought that suggests newly appointed staff ought to know exactly what their duties are in detail. The suggestion is that this higher degree of definition (or specification) helps to motivate employees by letting them know exactly what is expected of them. Others schools of thought are that, far from being motivating a high level of job definition acts to control peoples behaviour and sets minimum performance standards. Job Specialisation Job specialisation is typically a feature of bureaucratic organisations where there is an implied clear-cut division of labour and a high level of specialisation; this is especially relevant to both knowledge jobs and jobs of a manual or clerical nature. After general training some workers e.g. doctors may become gynaecologists, assembly line workers may specialise in fitting car tyres whilst others fit doors, therefore they become a specialist. The design of the organisation relates to what types of jobs should be created and how narrow and specialised they should be. Advantages of job specialisation would be: * Job holders can develop enormous skill in performing a narrowly defined and specified task * Job specialisation typically means that less work time is lost in switching from one job to another * Specialised equipment to increase productivity can be more easily developed in highly specified jobs * Training people for specialised jobs is relatively easy Disadvantages of job specialisation would be: * Boredom is a problem. Workers often get little satisfaction from the job and feel no pride in carrying out trivial tasks * Workers with highly specialised jobs often have high levels of absenteeism and job dissatisfaction and may quit more readily or develop antagonistic relationships with their superiors Once jobs have been designed, organisations must then group the jobs into logical units. At upper levels of an organisation, the groups may be called divisions, product groups or units. At middle and lower levels, they are usually called departments. Departmentalisation is the basis on which jobs are grouped together within an organisation. Another form of grouping is by product. This is a popular structural form in large organisations having a wide range of products or services. In the National Health Service, for example, the key groups of employees medical, nursing, paramedical and hotel services are dispersed according to the service they provide, e.g. maternity, orthopaedic, surgical, psychiatric etc. The advantage of a product organisation is that it facilitates co-ordination and integration, speeds up decision making and eases assessment of units performance. Disadvantages of this type of organisation are that there is some duplication of effort in the various functional areas and managers tend to focus narrowly on their product responsibilities rather than the overall organisation. Hierarchical Structure Hierarchy refers to the number of levels to be found in an organisation. In a company that has a flat organisation structure there are relatively few levels between the lowest and highest levels of authority. A hierarchy is the pattern of reporting relationships between individuals in positions throughout an organisation. The hierarchy has two purposes; to specify which positions are responsible for which areas of operation and to specify the authority of different positions relative to one another. Authority is the power created and granted by the organisation. Organisations must decide how authority is to be distributed among various positions, levels and departments. The process of distributing authority between managers and subordinates is known as delegation. Delegation is a three step process between a manager and one or more subordinates. 1) Assigning responsibility 2) Granting authority 3) Creating accountability Many managers are reluctant to delegate because they dont know how to do so or they feel threatened by a subordinate who performs well. Organisations need to help managers decide how much responsibility to delegate and to overcome the threat of being overshadowed. Decisions about how to distribute authority throughout an organisation result in decentralisation or centralisation. Decentralisation is the systematic delegation and responsibility to middle and lower levels of an organisation. Centralisation is the systematic retention of power and responsibility at higher levels of an organisation. Decentralisation and centralisation are the opposite ends of a continuum. Most firms are relatively more decentralised or relatively more centralised. Centralisation generally allows top managers to exercise control over the organisation, however, it also slows decision making and constrains innovation. Decentralisation distributes control more evenly throughout the organisation. It also tends to speed decision making and make the organisation more flexible and responsive. However, decentralisation allows more opportunities for errors in decision making. The decision to decentralise or centralise is influenced by the organisations environment, size and economic performance. Span of Control Delegation is essentially a power-sharing process in which individual managers transfer part of their legitimate authority to subordinates / team leaders, but without passing on their own ultimate responsibility for the completion of the overall task which has been entrusted to them by their own superiors. The reasons for delegation are mainly practical, but some are idealistic. Practical reasons include: * Senior managers can be relieved of less important, or less immediate, responsibilities in order to concentrate on more important duties * Delegation enables decisions to be taken nearer to the point of impact, and without the delays caused by frequent reference upwards * Delegation gives managers the opportunity to experience decision making and the consequences of their decisions * Delegation encourages managers to learn how to cope with responsibility * Delegation enables organisations to meet changing conditions more flexibly, especially at the boundaries of their system Idealistic reasons for delegation include: * Delegation is a good thing for individual growth, and contributes to staff morale * Delegation is the sine qua non of empowerment (Peter, 1988) * Delegation helps to enrich individuals jobs and humanises work. Most organisations find the need to delegate forced on them by circumstances, especially the pressures on managers to concentrate on environmental issues rather than on internal problems. However, the best practice is to be found in organisations that use delegation positively as an important employee motivator as well as a means of facilitating effective decision-making throughout the organisation. One of the major questions which has to be faced when considering the practical aspects of delegation is how many subordinates, or team members, can be managed effectively by any one manager or supervisor. This is the classical management issue of the so-called span of control, i.e. the number of employees reporting directly to one person. The term span of control refers to the number of subordinates that an individual manages or controls and for whose work that person is responsible. In tall hierarchical organisations an individual employee may have a wide span of control. In contrast in a teamwork structure the span of control may be narrow or may not exist at all. Within an organisation, the span of control bears an inverse relationship to the number of layers of hierarchy, i.e. if the span of control is narrow a large number of levels of hierarchy are needed. In practice spans can vary between one and forty or more subordinates directly supervised, although the most likely range is between three and twenty. Smaller spans tend to be found among managerial, professional and technical groups. Here factors such as cost, the complexity of the work and the need to deal adequately with the problems of people, who may themselves be managers of others, require a closer involvement by superiors in the total operation of their units. Towards the bottom end of the organisational hierarchy, where employees who have no subordinates themselves are carrying out routine tasks, it is practicable to have much larger spans. The whole question of spans of control is linked to top managements views about the number of levels they should have in their organisation. If a flat organisation is preferred, then larger spans are an inevitable consequence, especially for middle managers. If a tall structure is preferred, then spans can be smaller. Any final decision has to be a compromise between these opposing consequences. Other important influences on the size of the spans in an organisation or unit include: * The levels of ability of management i.e. are they capable of producing results with spans of a certain number. * The level of knowledge and experience of the subordinates concerned, e.g. well-trained and experienced staff require less supervision than those without training and experience * The complexity of the work of the unit and the degree of change to which it is subject, i.e. the more complex and more fast changing the work, the more necessary it is to install narrow spans of control * The costliness of possible mistakes by individuals in the unit * The degree of hazard or danger associated with the work, e.g. work on oil rigs or in biochemical laboratories requires special attention to safety procedures In a tall organisational structure many levels separate the lowest positions from the highest one. Hierarchical structures are taken to the extreme in organisations like the army. There are lots of different ranks or grades of workers, with different responsibilities, pay and status. Such organisations are meant to be more inflexible and bureaucratic. 2. Informal and Formal Organisational Structures Organisational structure can be viewed from many perspectives, but I find viewing it from a decision making perspective most useful. Structure exists to perform two essential functions within an organisation: a) Control Ensuring that decision makers at all levels use the managerial or hierarchical constraint as one of the criteria in making their decisions, and b) Coordination Ensuring that decision makers at all levels use lateral or peer constraints as criteria in their decision making The informal organisation structure usually consists of staff and workers who report directly to a small number of managers. This permits a strong influence on morale, motivation and how satisfied staff are with their jobs. This can assist in giving a fast response to customers and following up market opportunities quickly but can lead to confusion of responsibilities and confuse decision making. Organisational growth could lead to increased tension due to overlapping of job roles which would lead to the organisation adopting a formal organisational structure. The informal organisation is: * Flexible and loosely structured * Relationships may be left undefined * Membership is spontaneous and with varying degrees of involvement. The informal organisation can serve a number of important functions: * It provides satisfaction of members social needs, and a sense of personal identity and belonging * It provides for additional channels of communication; for example, through the grapevine information of importance to particular members is communicated quickly * It provides a means of motivation, for example, through status, social interaction, variety in routine or tedious jobs, and informal methods of work. * It provides a feeling of stability and security, and through informal norms of behaviour can exercise a form of control over members * It provides a means of highlighting deficiencies or weaknesses in the formal organisation, for example, areas of duties or responsibilities not covered in job descriptions or outdated systems and procedures. The informal organisation may also be used when formal methods would take too long, or not be appropriate, to deal with an unusual or unforeseen situation The informal organisation, therefore, has an important influence on the morale, motivation, job satisfaction and performance of staff. It can provide members with greater opportunity to use their initiative and creativity in both personal and organisational development. The informal organisation is the networks of relationships that employees form across functions and divisions to accomplish tasks fast. Control is also an integral part of the process of management and a key element for any organisation, playing an important role in the relationship between managers and their subordinates. Control is not only a function of the formal organisation and hierarchical structure of authority, it is also a feature of organisational behaviour and a function of interpersonal influence. The whole purpose of managerial control is the improvement in performance at both the individual and organisational level. Control involves the planning and organisation of work functions, and guiding and regulating the activities of staff. A social organisation is an ordered arrangement of individual human interactions. Control processes help circumscribe typical behaviours and keep them conformant to the rational plan of the organisation. Organisations require a certain amount of conformity as well as the integration of diverse activities. It is the function of control to bring about conformance to organisational requirement and achievement of the ultimate purposes of the organisation. At the organisational level, management need to exercise control over the behaviour and actions of staff in order to ensure a satisfactory level of performance. Managerial control systems are a means of checking progress to determine whether the objectives of the organisation are being achieved. Control provides a check on the execution of work and on the success or failure of the operations of organisations. There are two main types of control which can be used within the organisation and whichever one of these two styles is chosen plays an important factor in the relationship between the manager and his/her subordinates. Firstly, there is Behavioural Control which is based upon the direct personal supervision of the employees. This form of control appears more useful to the needs of individual managers in their attempts to control subordinates in one department or section. There is also Output Control which is based on the measurement of outputs and the results achieved. This form of control serves the needs of the organisation as a whole and is used largely because of the demand for simple measurement of organisational performance. There are five essential elements for a management control system to be truly successful. These factors include the planning of what is desired, establishing standards of performance, monitoring actual performance, comparing actual achievement against the planned target and also rectifying the taking of corrective action. Control is viewed as an essential feature of formal organisation and a hierarchical structure of authority. An alternative view of control is more in keeping with the human relations approach, control is seen as a feature of interpersonal influence and takes place within a network of interaction and communication. While the need for some form of control is constant, the extent and manner of control is variable. In the formal organisational structure there will be patterns of communication and procedures for decision making. Some organisations will have tall structures with lots of layers of command. Other organisations can be relatively flat. The formal structure is usually the first structure adopted after the simple informal organisational structure. It represents a significant shift from centralisation (one person in charge) to decentralisation. Management is divided into tasks of getting the work (sales marketing), carrying out the work (operations), getting the staff (personnel) and recording transactions and arranging finance (finance). This can lead to tension and inter-rivalry between functions, overlap, duplication of effort and difficulties in co-ordination can also occur. Formal structures are often based on specific tasks and it is how these tasks are allocated and the authority which they carry are explained by the organisational structure. The formal organisation is based on official links and connections whereas the informal organisation is based on loose ad hoc connections. It is much easier to set out an organisation chart for formal structure than for informal ones, which may not be obvious and may change although some informal structures are deeply embedded in working practice. The formal organisation is: * Deliberately planned and created * Concerned with the co-ordination of activities * Hierarchically structured with stated objectives, the specification of tasks, and defined relationships of authority and responsibility. Within the formal organisation an informal organisation will always be present. I would define an organisations structure as the architecture both visible and invisible which connects and weaves together all aspects of the organisations activities so that it functions in a dynamic way. One simple approach is to consider how an organisations structure is described when represented in the form of a diagram which is most often shown as an organisation chart. Below is an example of formal organisation chart for 3. Organisational Structure of Scottish Enterprise Borders a) Scottish Enterprise operates a formal organisational structure subdivided into regional structures for each Local Enterprise company. This structure is due to the organisation being relatively large, geographically dispersed, and delivering a wide range of goods/services. This is in common with all 12 local enterprise companies and allows us to work in close proximity to our customers and partners, by locating staff throughout lowland Scotland. The regional structuring was adopted following a process the Scottish Enterprise Network went through 2 years ago called Business Transformation. This entailed a radical overhaul of the way Scottish Enterprise conducted its business. As part of Business Transformation the organisational structure of the entire Scottish Enterprise Network was reviewed and as a result a flatter less bureaucratic structure developed. The original structure hindered the decision making process and there was a lack of co-ordination. The network needed to modernise its working practices to ensure that it was giving tax payers value for money. b) It was considered that adopting this type of structure would improve decision making, fix accountability for performance and increase the coordination of functions. This structure allows the network to evaluate and monitor its activities, it also allows a degree of flexibility. The main downside of this strategy is that it does foster rivalry among the divisions. This is why our organisational values became an integral part of how we do business. Rivalry between local enterprise companies and departments is a cultural and historical issue that will probably always exist. In Network terms, our business units are the 12 LECs and the directorates in Atlantic Quay. Every business unit owns a balanced scorecard to help them manage the performance of their own business unit. The reference point for this is the Network balanced scorecard agreed with the Corporate Management Team. Strategy maps articulate the key objectives that describe both what the organisation wants to achieve and how it is going to achieve it, and demonstrates the critical cause and effect relationships between these objectives (i.e. linkages between desired outcomes and what we must have in place internally to deliver them). Strategy maps are now considered to be the single most important and useful element of designing a balanced scorecard. 4. Organisational Chart a) The organisational structure of a business is most easily summarised in an organisational chart. The chart shows at any given moment in time how work is divided and the grouping together of activities, the levels of authority and formal organisational relationships. Organisation charts describe in diagrammatic form the structure of an organisation. It is the skeleton upon which every other activity depends, more importantly, it is the framework which explains the communication pattern, process and the linking mechanisms between the roles. It illustrates to everyone who communicates with whom, how the control system works, who is in control, who has authority and above all, who is responsible. It explains how the organisation is co-ordinated and how individual departments relate. The division of labour and the relationship of one position to another is reflected in an organisational chart which can act as a guide to explain how the work of different people in the organisation is co-ordinated and integrated. Once specified and defined, the jobs and the authority and responsibility relations between them are represented on an organisational chart. Some charts are very sketchy and give only a minimal amount of information whilst others give varying amounts of additional details, such as an indication of the broad nature of duties and responsibilities of the various units. Others include names of post holders and even photographs, and some give the salary grading for individual positions. Using such a chart would allow employees to become familiar with the organisation, making them feel a part of the company, allowing them to know whos who and whats going on. Organisational charts are useful in explaining the outline structure of the company. They may be used as a basis for the analysis and review of structure, for training and management succession, and for formulating changes. The chart indicates several important details about the organisation: * Lines of communication * Delegation of authority * Accountability * Span of Control * The way in which the work of the organisation is grouped Organisational charts have several weaknesses as a means of explaining organisational structure. Most importantly, they may not be consistent with reality. They may not be current. They may imply a formality that does not exist in practice. Often, they are drawn from a top down perspective. The organisation may look quite different from the bottom than from the top. They often imply that a pyramid structure is the best or only way to organise a business. A circular organisational approach or team approach may in fact be better in some cases. The organisation chart may fail to come to come to grips with the power and authority of a popular and charismatic person relatively low in the organisation or a person who has a substantial financial investment in the business without being a formal part of the management team. Hierarchy refers to the number of levels found in an organisation. In a company that has a flat organisation structure there are relatively few levels between the lowest and highest levels of authority. The basic distinction made between tall hierarchical organisations, and flatter teamwork structured organisations is that a tall organisation will have several layers of command. In contrast team structures will be based on cells of team members working together, often belonging to several project teams which form and reform as projects start and finish. The line relationship authority flows vertically down through the structure, for example, from the chief executive to director, director to team. There is a direct relationship between superior and subordinate, with each subordinate responsible to only one person. Line relationships are associated with functional or departmental divisions of work and organisational control. Directors have authority and responsibility for all matters and activities within their own directorate. Lateral Relationships exist between team members. The organisation is not concerned with responsibilities or authority but rather with providing an avenue for communication and co-ordination between widely different aspects of work. The lateral relationships that exist may be categorised into: Colleague Relations: These are the relationship that exists between people working in the same directorate and who are members of the same team. Collateral Relations: These are the relationships that are necessary for the interchange of ideas and opinions between people at the same level but in different teams within the organisation. 5. Organisational Structure Matrix Structure Matrix structures are organisational forms which have evolved as a result of co-ordination problems in highly complex industries such as software development, where functional and product types of structure have not been able to meet organisational demands for a variety of key activities and relationships arising from the required work processes. A matrix structure usually combines a functional form of structure with a project-based structure. For example, in a two year project to produce a modified version of a standard software programme, one project manager will co-ordinate, and be held accountable for, the work to be undertaken by the project team, and he will be the person who deals on a regular basis with the client. However, in addition to reporting to his own senior line manager on progress with the project as a whole, he will also report on specialist matters, such as design issues, to one or more functional managers, depending on the complexity of the project. The functional managers provide technical expertise and organisational stability. The project manager provides the driving force and the day-to-day control required to steer the project through during its relatively temporary lifetime. The main feature of a matrix structure is that it combines lateral with vertical lines of communication and authority. This has the important advantage of combining the relative stability and efficiency of a hierarchical structure with the flexibility and informality of an organic form of structure. A matrix form focuses on the requirements of the project group, which is in direct contact with the client. It helps to clarify who is responsible for the success of the project. It encourages functional managers to understand their contributory role of the purely functional form, i.e. individual empire building by the functional heads. Three conditions are necessary for the matrix: * Economy of scale in the use of internal resources * Environmental pressure for two or more critical factors such as product (need to complete a specific projectfor example development of the Lower Churchill Falls for electricity) and function (specialized work activity skills needed from within the functional structure necessary for completing this project) * Environment is both complex and uncertain Key Matrix Roles The matrix relies on three key roles: Top leader This individual must keep a balance between the two authority structures. The leader attempts to achieve a balanced matrix structure. Oftentimes either a functional matrix (primary boss functional leader) or product matrix (primary boss functional leader). Matrix bosses Individuals who have management responsibility within the functional and divisional structure need to work collaboratively and establish a priori arrangements for decision making and dispute resolution. Two-boss employee These individuals are the employees who perform the essential work and they report to two bosses requiring them to be able to deal with conflicting demands. Strengths and Weaknesses * Achieves coordination necessary to meet dual demands from divisional-product and functional requirements, but dual authority can be frustrating and confusing to employees. * Provides flexible use of human resources across divisions-products, but participants need excellent interpersonal skills for work to proceed smoothly and successfully * Suited to environment in which frequent changes occur, but consensus seeking and meetings are time-consuming * Provides an opportunity for employees to acquire in-depth skill development for both functional and division-product skill development. * Suited best in medium-sized organizations with several products or projects However, like all organisational form, matrix structures do have their disadvantages. The most important are: * The potential conflicts that can arise concerning the allocation of resources and the division of authority as between project groups and functional specialists * The relative dilution of functional management responsibilities throughout the organisation * The possibility of divided loyalties on the part of members of project teams in relation to their own manager and their functional superiors Despite these disadvantages, the matrix form probably offers the best answer to date to the issue of handling the tension between the need to differentiate and the need to integrate the complex activities of modern organisations. Hybrid Structure Hybrid structures occur when an organisation adopts a structure, which combines two structures from either functional, product or customer principles as a basis for its design. Most organisations eventually use multiple forms of structure within a single overall structure. Once work groups have been departmentalised, the organisation needs to develop a network of reporting relationships. A hierarchy is the pattern of reporting relationships between individuals in positions throughout an organisation. The hierarchy has two purposes; to specify which positions are responsible for which areas of operation and to specify the authority of different positions relative to one another. Authority is the power created and granted by the organisation. Organisations must decide how authority is to be distributed among various positions, levels and departments. The process of distributing authority between managers and subordinates is known as delegation. Delegation is a three step process between a manager and one or more subordinates. 1) Assigning responsibility 2) Granting authority 3) Creating accountability Many managers are reluctant to delegate because they dont know how to do so or they feel threatened by a subordinate who performs well. Organisations need to help managers decide how much responsibility to delegate and to overcome the threat of being overshadowed. Decisions about how to distribute authority throughout an organisation result in decentralisation or centralisation. Delegation is essentially a power-sharing process in which individual managers transfer part of their legitimate authority to subordinates/team leaders, but without passing on their own ultimate responsibility for the completion of the overall task which has been entrusted to them by their own superiors. Strengths and Weaknesses * The hybrid is a balance between a pure divisional or product structure and a pure functional structure and combines the advantages of each. * Weaknesses include high administrative costs and potential conflict over goal focus and resource allocations for functional and divisional departments. The reasons for delegation are mainly practical, but some are idealistic. Practical reasons include: * Senior managers can be relieved of less important, or less immediate, responsibilities in order to concentrate on more important duties * Delegation enables decisions to be taken nearer to the point of impact, and without the delays caused by frequent reference upwards * Delegation gives managers the opportunity to experience decision making and the consequences of their decisions * Delegation encourages managers to learn how to cope with responsibility * Delegation enables organisations to meet changing conditions more flexibly, especially at the boundaries of their system Idealistic reasons for delegation include: * Delegation is a good thing for individual growth, and contributes to staff morale * Delegation is the sine qua non of empowerment (Peter, 1988) * Delegation helps to enrich individuals jobs and humanises work. Most organisations find the need to delegate forced on them by circumstances, especially the pressures on managers to concentrate on environmental issues rather than on internal problems. Overall, organisations have to adapt and grow whilst responding to environment and technology changes by developing more complex structures that are composites of the basic types. Both Hybrid and Matrix structures are composites of the basic type of organisation structure. The reasons why organisations divide into different structures is varied. Typically, structures develop out of functional lines (production, sales etc); geography (like Coca Cola); or by business. The reason will be about capitalising on some structural efficiencies or economies of scale to produce competitive advantage. The benefits are that the smaller (hopefully more logical) units will be more manageable, efficient and profitable. Perhaps being closer to their market and more adaptable. Possibly maximising on internal communications and transfer of knowledge. The consequences are (hopefully) that the benefits are realised. However, the best practice is to be found in organisations that use delegation positively as an important employee motivator as well as a means of facilitating effective decision-making throughout the organisation.

Philosophy Paper Essay Example for Free

Philosophy Paper Essay One of the most heated debates that troubled the church in the Middle Ages was the question of universals. This question goes back as far as Plato’s Forms. It has to do with the relationship between the abstract and general concepts that we have in our minds (what is the relationship between Chair with a capitol â€Å"C† and chair with a small â€Å"c†? ). And from this, two radical viewpoints emerged, realists and the nominalists. The realists followed Plato in insisting that each universal is an entity in its own right, and exists independently of the individual things that happen to participate in it. An extreme form of realism flourished in the church from the ninth to the twelfth centuries. Among its advocates were John Scotus, Erigena, Anselm and William of Champeaux. On the opposite side were the nominalists and they held that universals were just names, and therefore, have no objective status apart from that which is fabricated in the mind. Nominalists, such as Gabriel Biel and William of Occam (see O section), said that the individual is the only existing substance. Unfortunately, their treatment of nominalism removed religion almost entirely from the area of reason and made it a matter of faith beyond the comprehension of reason. 1 And here lies the significance of the French theologian Peter Abelard (1079-1142). Between the two extremes, Peter Abelard proposed a more moderate form of nominalism. Though critical of the idea of the separate existence of universals, he nevertheless believed that resemblances among particular things justified the use of universals for establishing knowledge. More specifically, Abelard proposed that we ground the similarities among individual things without reifying their universal features, by predicating general terms in conformity with concepts abstracted from experience. This resolution (which would later come to be known as conceptualism) of the traditional problem of universals gained wide acceptance for several centuries, until doubts about the objectivity and reality of such mental entities as concepts came under serious question. Thomas Aquinas favored a moderate realism which rejected the view that universals exist apart from individual entities in favor of the view that they do indeed exist, but only in actual entities. 2 Anaximander (Milesian School): Anaximander (610-547/6 B. C. ) was one of the three key figures that comprised the Milesian School (the three prominent figures associated with the Milesian School is Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes). Together, they worked on problems concerning the nature of matter and the nature of change, and they each proposed a different material as the primary principal. 3 Anaximander seemed to be quite modern in his view of reality. He believed that the world was cylindrical like a drum, and that the earth rested on nothing. He also invented an undefined non-substance, called the apeiron, a neutral, indeterminate stuff that was infinite in amount. Anaximenes (Milesian School): Anaximenes (546 B. C. ), the other member of the Milesian School, returned back to the idea that everything derives from a single substance, but suggested that substance was air. Though it is likely his choice was motivated by wanting to maintain a balance between the two views of his predecessors, Anaximenes did provide solid grounds for his choosing; first, air, has the advantage of not being restricted to a specific and defined nature as water, and therefore more capable of transforming itself into the great variety of objects around us. Second, air is a more likely source of this variety than Anaximander’s apeiron which seems too empty and vacuous a stuff to be capable of giving rise to such a variety and profusion. 4 Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury: In (452 A. D. ), twenty-two years after Augustine’s death, Rome fell, bringing on a period of conquest and chaos, and degree of order was ultimately realized through the emergence of feudalism. The church, which had managed to survive the social and political upheaval, gradually assumed responsibilities that previously had been relegated to the civil government. This involvement in government led in turn to the secularization of the church. Bishops became ministers of the state, and church dignitaries became warriors. In the tenth and eleventh centuries, many within the church were so involved with the secular world that a movement led to the emergence of the monastic life as a force within the church. Those who wanted to escape the temptations of the secular world and pursue holiness were naturally drawn to the monasteries and among those who followed was Anselm (1033-1109), the archbishop of Canterbury. The greatest Christian thinker between Augustine and Thomas Aquinas was Anselm (1033-1109). He was born to a wealthy family in northern Italy, whom, to their disappointment, left home in (1056) to fully dedicate his life to God. Following a period of travel, he arrived at the Norman Abbey at Bec, where he took his monastic vows in (1060). Within a few years, he became prior of the abbey, abbot in (1078), and then archbishop in (1093), which he held until his death. His writings range from treatises on logic to an explanation of the divine inner logic of the atonement in Cur deus homo. Anselm stood in the tradition of Augustine and Platonic realism. 5 Following the tradition of Augustine, he held that faith precedes and leads to understanding, and, like many other medieval thinkers he drew no sharp distinction between philosophy and theology. In his famous ontological argument for the existence of God, Anselm presents a defense based on the fact that it is self-contradictory to deny that there exists a greatest possible being. 6 He claims that the more universality, the more reality. And from here it follows that if God is the most universal being, he is also the most real; if He is the absolutely universal being, he is also the absolutely real being, ens realissimum. He has, therefore, according to the conception of Him, not only the comparatively greatest reality, but also the absolute reality. A reality in which no greater can be thought. 7 Aquinas, Thomas: By common consent the greatest philosophical theologian of the Middle Ages was Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). Everything about him was big. In his later years his voluminous writings, massive in scope, won him the title of the Angelic Doctor. His life was dedicated to the intellectual defense and propagation of the faith, as he understood it. It was during his teaching career (1252) in Paris that Aquinas, being drawn into the critical debates of his day, started battling the objections posed against Aristotelianism and its place in the university. By this time, Plato was known only through the imperfect translations of the Timaeus, the Phaedo, and the Meno. Islamic Jewish thinkers were much better acquainted with Aristotle, and for nearly two centuries they had been wrestling with questions posed by Aristotelianism to religious faith. For Aquinas and his Christian contemporaries the issue was doubly acute. On the one hand, there were questions posed by Aristotle’s way of thinking. On the other hand, there were the answers already given by Islamic and Jewish scholars which were hardly acceptable to a Christian thinker. Aquinas decided to face the problem head on. He made his own study of Aristotle, on whom he wrote extensively. He also made his own study of non-Christian thinkers. He subjected all ideas to rigorous scrutiny, giving due recognition to the truth of ideas, wherever they came from, but giving his own evaluation of every issue, point by point. In all, Aquinas produced about a hundred different writings. His work ranged from philosophical commentaries to hymns. 8 Aquinas’ main works are two massive Summae or compends of theology and philosophy. The Summa contra Gentiles was designed as a textbook for missionaries, and the Summa Theologiae has been described as the highest achievement of medieval theological systematization and is still the accepted basis of modern Reformed theology. In Aquinas’ proofs (what later came to be known as the Cosmological and Teleological arguments), certain facts about nature are compelling evidences of God’s existence. He argues, accordingly, that nothing can adequately account for the fact of motion or change. Rejecting the idea that change or motion is simply an ultimate, mysterious fact of nature neither requiring nor permitting any explanation except God, its Unmoved Prime Mover. Furthermore, in his five arguments, Aquinas suggests that the Christian belief in God is completely consistent with the world as we know it. Aquinas’ arguments, known also as the Five Ways are sometimes referred to as the proofs of the existence of God. But this is not necessarily correct because Aquinas did not try to prove the existence of God by rational argument, but to provide a rational defense for an already existing faith in God. His primary reason for believing in the existence in God is God’s revelation of Himself. Aquinas expects his readers to share the same faith. He does not expect that he will have to prove anything to them first. This point is important because many critics accuse believers of grounding their faith in outdated arguments, such as Thomas Aquinas. It is proper, therefore, to respond to such criticisms by pointing out that they are based on a superficial reading and on a serious misunderstanding of how individuals come to faith. 9 The basic principal guiding Aquinas throughout the Five Proofs is the principal of analogy, which holds the world as we know it mirrors God, its creator. The structure of each of Aquinas’ proofs is quite similar. Each depends on tracing a casual sequence back to its ultimate origin and identifying this ultimate origin with God. The first begins with the observation that things in the world are in motion or change. Second is the concept of causation. The third concerns the existence of contingent beings. The fourth deals with human values, and lastly, is the teleological argument, in which Aquinas explains how the world shows clear traces of intelligent design. Natural processes and objects seem to be adapted with certain definite objectives in mind. They seem to have purpose. They seem to have been designed. Arguing from this observation, Aquinas concludes that it is rational to believe in God. 10 Aristotle: Aristotle’s thought, like his mentor Plato, embodied the concept of arete, which taught that human excellence in all things was an important goal that should direct human purposes. For Aristotle, that excellence ideally exemplified the defining quality of human nature, the pursuit of reason. Attracted by science and believing that the universe could be explained, Aristotle greatly valued the work of Thales of Miletus, and accepted his concept that the physical universe operated rationally and in a way that was knowable to human beings. From Anaximander, Aristotle took the view that a balance of force existed in nature that made things what they were. Aristotle was also knowledgeable about the atomic theory of Parmenides and was intrigued by the question of what was stable and what was changing. Indeed, these Greek scientists had a significant influence on Aristotle’s intellectual search to examine and explain reality. 11 For Aristotle, the world in which we live is the world that we experience through our senses. Unlike those who followed Plato, Aristotle believed that we live in an objective order of reality, a world of objects that exist external to us and our knowing of them. Through our senses and our reason, human beings can come to know these objects and develop generalizations about their structure and function. Truth is a correspondence between the person’s mind and external reality. Theoretical knowledge based on human observation is the best guide to human behavior. And, while human beings have various careers, they all share the most important factor, the exercise of rationality. Reason gives human beings the potentiality of leading lives that are self-determined. Congruent with his metaphysical and epistemological perspective, Aristotle’s ethical theory portrays the good life as that of happiness (eudaimonia). He believed that the ultimate good for the human being was happiness, activity in accordance to virtue. The virtuous life is one in which actions are part of a consciously formulated plan that takes a mean, a middle ground course, avoiding extremes. 12 For example, true courage would be the choice that avoids the extremes of cowardice and rashness. And what decides the right course to take is the virtue of prudence (phronesis). Good is the aim of every action but, given the fact that goods can be ordered in relation to one another, there must be a highest good to which practical wisdom directs us. And if the possession of any good is what makes us happy to some extent, the possession of the highest good is the highest happiness, the ultimate goal of all our actions. 13 At this point, it is difficult to resist the thought that Aristotle’s notion of the intellectual life being the gateway to happiness and virtue is not an shallow one. But, though there are some elements in his presentation that are unclear, this much is clear; that this happiness, which is the possession of the good, is ultimately an act of contemplation, or of  beholding, the good. But to contemplate the good is to enter into union with it. Therefore, if contemplating on god means entering into union with the life of the gods, this is the highest activity of man and his ultimate happiness. The conclusion of the Ethics is one with the Metaphysics, in which the â€Å"divine element† in a man coincides with the â€Å"possession† of god by an act of thought, called contemplation, which is the â€Å"most pleasant and best† we can perform. In Eudemian Ethics, Aristotle says, What choice, then, or possession of the natural goods – whether bodily goods, wealth, friends, or other things – will most produce the contemplation of God, that choice or possession is best; this is the noblest standard, but any that through deficiency or excess hinders one from the contemplation and service of God is bad; this man possess in his soul, and this is the best standard for the soul. 14 With statements like this one can’t help but wonder what Aristotle’s response would have been if he would have had the opportunity to serve the one true God, who is worthy of such adoration and praise. What’s more, Aristotle categorized virtues as either moral or intellectual. Moral virtue, though not easy to define, is a habit by which the individual exercises a prudent choice, one that a rational person would make. Moral virtues tend to moderation, falling between excess and inhibition. They focus on the concrete actions a person performs and the measured sense he has regarding them: â€Å"to feel them at the right times, with reference to the right objects, towards the right people, with the right motive, and in the right way. † A good action thus exhibits due proportion, neither excessive nor defective, but midway between them. This is Aristotle’s doctrine of the mean. Peculiarly, a virtuous action is one that lies between too much and too little. To give another example, in regard to the feeling of shame, modesty is the mean between bashfulness and shamelessness. Not every virtue, however, is a mean, and so not every action is to be measured in this way. Nonetheless, every action should and can at least be measured in its rightness by the virtue of prudence or, in a larger sense, by â€Å"practical wisdom. †15. Furthermore, one of Aristotle’s most significant contributions to the Western world is his Poetics. His earlier works, Physics and Metaphysics contain important statements about art and nature, and Rhetoric, written after Poetics, distinguishes rhetoric as a practical art and has had a strong influence on literary criticism. His Poetics, nonetheless, is particularly important because Aristotle is addressing Plato’s doctrines on ideas and forms he came to disagree with. In Poetics, it was Aristotle’s intention to classify and categorize systematically the kinds of literary art, beginning with epic and tragic drama. Unfortunately, not all of the poetics survived, and it breaks off before the discussion of comedy. Nonetheless, our sense of Aristotle’s method is established. He is the first critic to attempt a systematic discourse of literary genres. 16 Augustine (Saint), of Hippo: One of the greatest thinkers of not only the early church, but of all time is Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A. D. ). His writings laid the foundation not only for Western theology but for later philosophy as well. His three books On Free Will (388-395), set out a doctrine of creation, evil and the human will which was a superior alternative to the type of thinking that had attracted so many to Gnosticism and Manichaean dualism. His response to the Donatist schism in the church set the pattern for the Western doctrine of the church. His writings on the subject of Pelagianism clarified, as no one before him and few after him, the crucial issues in the question of grace and free will. His major theological writings include On the Trinity (399-419), which presented better models for thinking about the Trinity than those of the Greek fathers. Augustine’s book On the City of God (413-416) was a reply to those who blame the church for the fall of Rome, in which it gave both a panoramic view of history and a theology of history in terms of the basic conflict between the divine society and the earthly society. 17 Interestingly, Augustine put forth a theory of time that Bertrand Russell would later pronounce superior to earlier views and much better than the subjective theory of Kant. Augustine’s account of how we can learn language provided Wittgenstein’s starting point for his Philosophical Investigations. In answering skepticism Augustine put forth an argument which anticipated Descartes’ cognito ergo sum without falling into the pitfalls commonly associated with the argument. Furthermore, Augustine believed that philosophical reflection may correct mistaken notions, lead to a grasp of truth, and serve to clarify belief. But rational reflection is not a substitute for the beatific vision of God. For it is the apprehension of God alone which transforms human life and alone satisfies our deepest needs. Though Augustine was deeply influenced by Platonism and Neoplatonism, he never was simply a Platonist. His view of the soul stands in the Platonic tradition, but he repudiated the doctrines of pre-existence and transmigration. Augustine’s view of the transcendent spiritual reality might also be said to have affinities with Plato, but Augustines approach was not an attempt to erect an edifice of Christian theology on either Platonic or Neoplatonic foundations. Rather, it was to state the Christian worldview in a theological and philosophical system that cohered as a unified whole. 18 (B) (back to top) Bentham, Jeremy: In nineteenth century Victorian England two contrasting systems were developed by Jeremy Bentham and Herbert Spencer. Utilitarians Bentham and John Stuart Mill applied naturalistic presuppositions in their worldview. Herbert Spencer applied the concept of evolution. And Ernest Mach prepared the way for logical positivism in his strongly anti-metaphysical scientific approach. The antithesis of the Kantian ideal is utilitarianism, an ethical theory founded by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832). Bentham was a hedonist. Taking the good to be pleasure, Bentham proposed a new model for morality in his principal of utility, which holds that â€Å"Actions are right in proportion to the amount of happiness it brings; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. 19 Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism. The ends justify the means since actions are judged on the results they bring, not on the person’s intentions or motives. For Kant, the end result was not important in determining the rightness of an action, rather, it was motive. 20 In its simplest form utilitarianism teaches that the right action is the one that promotes the greatest happiness. Modern utilitarianism dates from Thomas Hobbes in the seventeenth century, but its antecedents date as far back as (341-270 B. C. ) to the philosophy of Epicurus of Samos. The theory of utilitarianism actually held little influence until John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) who popularized the term and produced the classical Victorian exposition of the doctrine. Mill used the principal of utility to critique all social, political, and religious institutions. Anything that did not promote the greatest happiness of the greatest number was to be challenged and reformed. For this reason social and religious institutions that curtail individual liberty should be reformed. This is necessary, argued Mill, in order for freedom of belief, association and expression to be safeguarded. 21. Different conceptions of happiness separated Mill’s version â€Å"Better a Socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied,† which recognized qualitative differences between different kinds of pleasure, from Bentham’s forthright attempt to reduce all questions of happiness to the mere presence of pleasure or pain. Bentham’s version aims to render the basic concepts of ethics susceptible of comparison and measurement, but this was not the goal in Mill’s presentation of the system. 22 A hedonistic utilitarian like Bentham would say that the sole consideration is the quantity of pleasure that an action produces. A problem with this approach, however, (as if it wasn’t obvious) is that it draws no distinction in principal between an evening spent at the bars or one spent having quality time with your spouse. It all depends upon the tastes of the person. Berkley, George: George Berkeley (Irish, 1685-1753) was one of the three greatest British empiricists of the eighteenth century (Locke and Hume being the other two). Though his father was an Englishman, Berkley always considered himself Irish. He was an early subjectivist idealist philosopher, who argued that all qualities of objects exist only in the mind of the perceiver. His famous theory is often summarized, esse est percipi, â€Å"to be is to be perceived,† and is still important to modern apologetics (due to the method he used in demonstrating the necessity of an eternal Perceiver). Berkley’s argument was that the phenomena of visual sensation can all be explained without presupposing the reality of the external material substances. Interestingly, Berkley was also a bishop of an Anglican church, and was the only important philosopher to visit America before 1900. He came hoping to start a missionary training college for evangelizing to the Indian tribes of New England. 23 Berkley disagreed with Locke in that there is a material substance lying behind and supporting perceptions. He also disagreed with his treatment of the representative theory of perception, that material objects are perceived mediately by means of ideas, and the mind does not perceive the material object directly, but only through the medium of the ideas formed by the senses and reflection on them. â€Å"If we know only our ideas,† reasoned Berkeley â€Å"then we can never be sure whether any of them are really like the material qualities of objects, since we can never compare the ideas with them. † For that reason, he denied the ultimate existence of material substance believing that the Spirit is the only metaphysical reality. 24 (D) (back to top) Derrida, Jacques: Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) was a French literary critic and founder of the school called deconstructionism. His (1966) lecture Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences delivered at Johns Hopkins University, played a significant role in ushering American critics into the era of poststructuralism. Particular influences on his thought include Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Freud. He wrote prolifically, and had a great influence on not only literary criticism but in sociology, linguistics, and psychology as well. Derrida regarded philosophical and literary texts as already containing the seeds of their own deconstruction. This means that in any work the author unwittingly includes contradictions, blind spots, and unjustified assumptions. The main purpose and task of the deconstructionist, according to Derrida, is to simply bring these contradictions to the surface. 25 Beginning in the Victorian Age, a paradigm shift slowly spread throughout Europe that set the groundwork for modern theory. Unlike the revolutionary movements of the Renaissance and Romanticism, which were in part reactionary, this paradigm shift that marked a radical break from the past had little precedent. Nonetheless, it marked a rejection of long-held metaphysical and aesthetic beliefs that most theorists from Plato to Coleridge took for granted. Until the modern period, most of the great Western philosophers have been logocentric in their thinking, and Derrida is one of the ones responsible for this definite break from the past, bringing forth the notion that meaning is never fixed. Dr. Louis Markos, a Christian Professor at Houston Baptist University, made some interesting comments on Derrida in one of his lectures on deconstructionism. He said that Derrida reads the history of Western metaphysics as a continual search for a logos or original presence. This logos is sought because it promises to give meaning and purpose to all things, to act as a universal center. Behind this search is a desire for a higher reality (or full presence). Western philosophy since Plato has simply renamed this presence and shifted this center without breaking from its centering impulse. Even Saussure’s structuralism sought a center, and though he broke from the old metaphysic, he still used its terminology and binaries. Furthermore, Derrida deconstructs all attempts to posit a center or to establish a system of binaries. Instead, he puts in their place a â€Å"full free play of meaning. †26 Democritus (see Leucippus): Descartes, Rene: The first great continental rationalist27 was Rene’ Descartes (Frenchman, 1596-1650). For it was he who defined the terms and laid down the agenda for the continental rationalist school of thought. But in a sense, the world that Descartes produced, by the exercise of pure reason, was a fairly straight forward affair – Descartes does preserve â€Å"the self† in a recognizable form, as well as both â€Å"God† (even though it is not a terribly human sort of God) and the material world in a broadly speaking recognizable form (even though it might be a material world deprived of some of its more vivid and colorful attributes). Nevertheless, the worlds created by the application of the procedure of rationalism start from some self-evident propositions (like Euclid’s geometry) and then carry out processes of absolute, straight forward deduction from these self-evident propositions and what that led to in the case of Spinoza and Leibniz is something very far removed in both of them from the ordinary understanding of the world. To some extant, Descartes, by comparison with them, is in the business of saving the appearances. Whereas both Spinoza and Leibniz say that what the world is really like is very different from what it appears to the ordinary person to be. Nonetheless, there is still in both cases (Descartes and Spinoza and Leibniz) an underlying reality that philosophy can tell us something about reality even if common observation cannot. 28 His two chief philosophical works were Discourse on Method (1637) and his Meditations (1641). His ideal and method were modeled on mathematics. He is sometimes portrayed as the first modern philosopher due to his break with the traditional Scholastic-Aristotelian philosophy and for introducing a new mechanistic science. 29 In refurbishing the medieval proofs for the existence of God he was drawing upon the legacy of the Middle Ages. Like the Medieval philosophers, he was interested in metaphysics, and to the end of his life, Descartes remained a nominal Catholic. But there is a sense in which Descartes represents a new departure. Descartes (so it seems) was interested in God not for his own sake, but the world’s. God is invoked as a kind of dues ex machine to guarantee the validity of our thoughts about the world. 30 Nonetheless, Descartes takes his place as a Christian thinker by resting cognitive truth on the personal truth of God, and laying the blame for error not on God but on the exercise of the human will. Descartes successors eventually lost their reliance for truth. George Berkeley retains it by tracing directly to God all the ideas we receive from outside the mind and Leibniz by making each mind mirror eternal truths in the mind of God. But many Enlightenment thinkers, and many empiricists today who share some of Descartes’ rational ideals or the correspondence theory of truth, talk to truth independently of God as if it were a self-sustaining ideal and as if human reason were a purely objective and impersonal activity. Descartes’ failure was not in the relation he saw of truth to God, but in the lack of relation he saw between man’s rational capacity for knowing truth and his personality as a whole. 31 (F) (back to top) Fibonacci: His real name was Leonardo Pisano (Italian, 1170-1250) but he is better known by his nickname â€Å"Fibonacci† (filius Bonacci), which means â€Å"son of Bonacci. † A striking example of Fibonaccis genius is his observation that the classification of irrationals given by Euclid in Book X of the Elements did not include all irrationals. Fibonacci is probably best known for his â€Å"rabbit problem. † Leonardo Fibonacci began the study of this sequence by posing the following problem in his book, Liber Abaci, â€Å"How many pairs of rabbits will be produced in a year, beginning with a single pair? †32 The analogy that starts with one pair of rabbits who give birth to a new pair from the first month on, and every succeeding pair gives birth to a new pair in the second month after their birth. Fibonacci shows that this leads to the sequences 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, and so on. As one can see, each term is the sum of the two previous terms. For example, 2 + 3 = 5 and 3 + 5 = 8, and the farther and farther you go to the right of this sequence, the ratio of a term to the one before it will get closer and closer to the Golden Ratio. Additionally, this same principal also applies to that of the Golden rectangle. The connection between the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci series is fascinating, and is very simple to understand. If you take a Golden Rectangle, and cut off a square with side lengths equal to the length shorter to the rectangle side, then what remains is another Golden Rectangle. This could go on forever. You can just keep cutting off these big squares and getting smaller and smaller Golden Rectangles. Consequently, the idea with the Fibonacci series is to do the same thing in reverse. You start with a square (1 by 1), find the longer side, and then add a square of that size to the whole thing to form a new rectangle. Therefore, when we start with a (1 by 1) square the longest side is one, so we add another square to it. As a result, we have accumulated a (2 by 1) rectangle. Then the longest side is 2, so we connect a (2 by 2) square to our (2 by 1) rectangle to get a (3 by 2) rectangle. As this continues, the sides of the rectangle will always be a successive Fibonacci number, and eventually the rectangle will be very close to a Golden Rectangle. To translate in more illustrative terms, the ratio of two successive numbers in the Fibonacci series, as aforementioned, if divided by each number before it, will result in the following series of numbers; 1/1 = 1, 2/1 = 2, 3/2 = 1. 5, 5/3 = 1. 666, 8/5 = 1. 6, 13/8 = 1. 625, 21/13 = 1. 61538. The ratio that is settling down to a particular value is the golden ratio or the golden number, which has a value of approximately 1. 618034. 33 Fichte, Johann Gottlieb: Johann Gottlieb Fichte (German, 1762-1814) was one of the major figures in German philosophy in between Kant and Hegel. He was regarded as one of Kant’s most talented philosophers, but later developed a system of his own transcendental philosophy called the Wissenschaftslehre. Fichte had immense influence on his contemporaries, especially during his professorship at the University of Jenna, a position he held for five years (1794-1799) before taking up a profes.