Knowledge Concept Essays - Epistemology, Philosophy, Knowledge

Knowledge Concept When discussing the concept of knowledge it must be made clear what type of knowledge is being discussed. Three types of knowledge are proposed in philosophy; object knowledge, know-how knowledge, and propositional knowledge. Object knowledge involves a person, place, or thing. For example saying that I know my friend Antony is object knowledge, implying that I have had personal contact with him and it could also imply that I know facts about him. Know-how consists of abilities such as knowing how to ski. An Olympic skier who goes to the slopes every day to practice has know-how knowledge of skiing. Meanwhile a scientist, who studies the physics of skiing, the physiological make up of the skier and has never skied before, has the third and final type of knowledge, propositional knowledge. This form of knowledge deals with something that is either true or false, in other words the is a proposition stated as the category of propositional knowledge indicates. Propositional knowledge is the most debatable of the three and involves more in depth ideas to it, therefore I will spend my words on this form of knowledge. Basically knowledge demands two things, truth and belief. Belief in the persons mind that what they know is true and truth is self-explainable. But, when it comes down to it knowledge requires more. People can be fooled into believing things, true or not, by other people. These persons have a true belief in what they were told to believe but they don't actually have knowledge of the subject. This where justification comes into play. If I am justified in knowing that my car is red I have evidence to support my claim, I and others have viewed the red paint on the car and my registration has red 2 written as the color of the car. My knowledge is strengthened by the supporting evidence behind my claim. The JTB theory suggests that knowledge consists of true belief and that it is justified. This leads into the argument on what definition of justification is required for knowledge. There is highly reliable evidence and there is infallible evidence. I have highly reliable information that my car is red, but there are variables that could account for the car to appear red in my evidence and actually be pink in true color. Consequently, I can't be sure that my knowledge is purely infallible, in turn weakening my claim. There are three counterexamples to the JTB theory. One argument is that a person may have justified true belief that something will happen, and their justification is highly reliable. Then have the end result of the prediction come true, but not the knowledge about how it came to be the result. For example I may learn that the weather channel has predicted a 90% chance of rain tomorrow. I then conclude that since my car is outside and the weather channel is highly reliable source on weather patterns, my car will get wet tomorrow. The next day it may turn out that the weather channel has had a miss calculation and the storm clouds pass over without releasing a drop of rain, yet my car is sprayed with water by a neighbor watering his flowers. I had good justification in my true belief that my car was going to get wet, but I lack the knowledge about the more specific outcome of the prediction. This is similar to the philosopher Edmund Gettier's counterexample. Another counterexample came from Bertrand Russell, which contemplates a highly reliable clock. While passing by the clock, a man stops to note the time given by the clock. It indicates that the time is 9:55, so the man walks on with the justified notion that this clock is reliable and has given him the correct time. Unknown to the man the clock had stopped dead 3 exactly 24 hours ago. So the man has a justified true belief that the time is 9:55, but he doesn't know that this is the right time. A third counterexample was proposed by Elliott Sober. He explains a fair lottery. 1,000 tickets are sold in this lottery and I have bought ticket number 452, with the odds being 1 in 1,000 that I will be the winner, I make the logical assumption that ticket 452 will not win. As it turns out 452 didn't win and my supposition was correct. My belief was true and I had good reason to believe that my chances of winning were small, but after all I had no

F451 essays

F451 essays Ray Bradburys satire, Fahrenheit 451, is a novel full of symbols criticizing the modern world. Among those symbols appears The Hound. The Hounds actions and even its shape are reflections of the society Bradbury has predicted to come. Montags world continues on without thought; without any real reason. There is no learning, no growth, and no purpose. The Mechanical Hound slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live in its gently humming, gently vibrating, softly illuminated kennel back in the dark corner of the firehouse (24), wrote Bradbury to describe this hound. Like the hound, society was alive yet dead as well, drudging through life; mindless. The Hound was a programmed robot that didnt thing on its own; that only acted as it was told. Captain Beatty states, It just functions. It has a trajectory we decide on for it. It follows through. It targets itself, homes itself, and cuts off. Its only copper wire, storage batteries, and electricity (20), and It doesnt think anything we dont want it to think (27). That society was programmed to not think, wonder or ask why. They didnt do anything that they werent supposed to do. Today, everything is happening just as The Hound is controlled. Programming is happe ning in our very world. Take schools for example. Consider Pavlovs experiment with ringing bells to provoke an automatic response in dogs. He rang a bell; the dogs salivated expecting food. The school board rings a bell, and students rise to show respect for the American flag because now is the designated time to be patriotic, and you will or face consequences. The bell rings, students stand. The bell rings, the students sit, the student walks, the student is allowed to eat. Were robots in the programmed society. The perversion of Montags society was eminent in the appearance of the Mechanical Hou...

Research paper, management responsibility of a small, start-up Essay

Research paper, management responsibility of a small, start-up software company - Essay Example The cut throat environment of global business demands a committed management that is focused towards collective goals and creative thinking. The management needs to accept the challenge of creating a cohesive and encouraging atmosphere so that the workers could get effective learning environment. They are also responsible for advocating and nurturing a high standard of ethics and quality work while fostering a good relationship amongst them which includes the administrators, management and entire customer base. The major objective of quality management is to promote quality assurance at various levels of business processes through measures that drastically reduce the percentage of error within the production and maintain a minimum standard. Juran asserts ‘all quality improvement occurs on a project-by-project basis and in no other way’ (Juran, 2000). This is the foundation of quality assurance techniques and application which the organizations follow in order to meet the challenges of the time. Hence, the changing dynamics of the global business has necessitated formation and incorporation of management strategies that go beyond the realm of individual company’s concern and plan for distinctive competencies to give the company market leadership. The focused approach must facilitate and identify the critical factors of change and meet the challenges with creative inputs through collective vision and shared goals. IBM believes that policy rationale for quality management promotes ‘productivity and quality across the entire service lifecycle from requirements, design, development, quality assurance, security, and compliance to deployment and operations’ (IBM). Hence, SQM must ensure that careful consideration of various inter-related modules, which are intrinsic to its successful implementation, are incorporated within the processes to

Software Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Software Engineering - Essay Example Some of them are Waterfall model, Spiral Model, Rapid Application Development (RAD) model, Prototyping model, Incremental Model, Concurrent Development Model, Component-based model, Formal Methods model and Fourth Generation Techniques. All these models describe different processes that are used for development of software. Generally for new types of applications, Waterfall model, Spiral Model, Rapid Application Development (RAD) model and Prototyping model are not yet so standardised. For these types of application new models such as Incremental Model, Concurrent Development Model, Component-based model, Formal Methods model and Fourth Generation Techniques is commonly used with the combination with previous mentioned methodologies. These all methods provide the technical specifications for building software. They encompass a broad group of tasks that include requirements analysis, design, program construction (coding), testing, and support. These all tasks are performed for development of software. Next section will cover some commonly used software development methods with advantages/ disadvantages, and where it can be used for development of software (or applications). The Waterfall Model: It is also called as Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) or Linear Sequential Model. It is the oldest and the most widely used paradigm for software engineering. The waterfall method attempts to pin down the requirements early in the project life cycle. After gathering requirements, software design is performed in full. Once the design is complete, the software is implemented. The Waterfall model suggests a systematic, sequential approach to software development that begins at the system level and progresses through analysis, design, coding, testing, and support. [Pressmen 2001] Software is integral part of a larger system or business; therefore initially requirements for

Open Table System in Blackshop Restaurant Coursework

Open Table System in Blackshop Restaurant - Coursework Example The Cerny brother emphasized on the concept of human tough and considers the tremendous success of the restaurant for the same. However, it is seen that extensive work done manually gives rise to mistakes which consequently affects the quality of services and impacts on the revenue too. The project makes an analysis of the present conditions of operations for the restaurant. Based on the above it puts forth reasons why an online reservation system called Open Table must be incorporated. The relative advantages of doing the same are presented in the project. Finally, a suitable operational strategy has been recommended in the project. This includes the market analysis, marketing, and advertising plan, reservation system, and operations for the restaurant. The quality of services and the role of the front office staff have also been highlighted in this regard.In order to know whether the Open Table system should be incorporated into the organization, it is important to understand the f unctions of the system and its relevance in the organization. Open Table was established in the year 1998 and operated a website which connected numerous reservation-taking restaurants and customers who dined at the restaurants (Huber, Larmaraud, Li & Williams, 2009, p.1). Open System is a reservation, guest management, and table management software designed for the restaurants. The software and hardware systems of smoothened the process of automation of reservations, table management by replacing the conventional methods of reservations by restaurant hosts and hostesses using pen and paper. The system is used by users for the construction of customer databases which fosters guest recognition and allows targeted e-mail marketing. Moreover, the open system also helps the restaurants to save cost and time, improve their services, attract businesses, and increase revenue in terms of the numbers of diners and also improve efficiencies with tools of table management. The system was prima rily aimed at the independent restaurant groups, restaurants, hotels and resorts. The system has been adopted by numerous customers across different nations like Canada, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, and Spain. The main advantage offered by the system is that it allows its users to allow electronic reservations using their website.

The Nationalism In The Contemporary World Politics Essay

The Nationalism In The Contemporary World Politics Essay This essay will be focusing on the ethnic conflict that erupted predominantly in Eastern Europe as a result of the dissolution of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia in the late twentieth century. Attention will be given specifically to Bosnia Herzegovina (Bosnia) to illustrate the on going effects of ethnic conflicts that continue and how autonomy was sought by the Bosnian Muslims in reaction to the strong nationalism expressed by the Serbians and Croats during that time. The situation surrounding Bosnia is a valid example of contemporary nationalism, and as a nation it continues to face ethnic conflict and conquest and the threat of war and domination by the Serbians, who still seek a unified Slavic state. In assessing Bosnia, this essay will firstly define nationalism and assess how Bosnia can be looked at as an example of both ethnic and civic nationalism. A brief interpretation will also be given to what is meant by ethnic conflict before looking specifically at the causes of the eventual collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Yugoslavia) and how this subsequently gave birth to several new nations, including Bosnia. Focus will then turn solely to Bosnia and at the key issues that led to the outbreak of ethnic conflict and the rise of nationalism within the nation and furthermore, which ethnic groups were involved and what their motives were. Conclusions will then be drawn as to the stability of Bosnia in the present day and why it can be used as a case study to demonstrate the happenings of both contemporary nationalism and of ethnic conflict. To begin with this examination into Bosnia, it is firstly important to set out the parameters of what is meant when one refers to ethnic conflict, the ideology of nationalism and more specifically the further distinctions made between ethnic and civic nationalism. For the purposes of this essay, the idea of nationalism occurring within or against a state is defined as a group of people who see themselves as distinct in their culture, history, institutions, or principles and should thus rule themselves in a political system that expresses and protects those distinctive characteristics.  [1]  Quite simply, it can be looked at as a category of practices as an institutionalized cultural and political form with the aim of building a nation.  [2]   Ethnic or Eastern nationalism is a strand of nationalism that places more emphasis on the creation of a state based on common cultural, religious and linguistic traditions and generally occurred against an existing state opposed to within it.  [3]  Conversely, civic or Western nationalism appeared to encase a more sophisticated demeanor and was based on the ideals of individual liberty  [4]  and political ideals with membership to that state being defined purely in political terms.  [5]  As this essay will later purport to show in its discussion, Bosnia identifies with several parts of the ethnic nationalist ideology, however it also shares commonalities with civic nationalism, particularly in certain areas of Bosnia where there are separate political institutions set up to bring order and civility to those areas. Ethnic conflict refers to the struggle between mobilized identity groups for greater power, whether for equality within an existing state or for the establishment of a fully independent nation.  [6]  It should be noted that the collapse of states is more often than not, the cause of ethnic conflicts opposed to the result.  [7]  In this instance, the dissolution of Yugoslavia as a multination state resulted in the re-emergence of much older historical identities, religions and ethnicities being used as a mechanism and foundation on which to base a nations claim to autonomy.  [8]  Consequently, conflict began to erupt between those who were dedicated to the principles of state sovereignty and territorial integrity, versus those who clung to their ethnic and religious roots as a means to define an independent state.  [9]  A more in depth analysis will be given to the role of ethnic conflict and its causal link to the rise of nationalism in Bosnia at a later point in this essay. To understand the relevance of these terms that have now been interpreted, a brief overview must be given of the collapse of Yugoslavia and the birth of Bosnia as an independent state near the end of the twentieth century. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Yugoslavia) emerged in 1943 and comprised of six socialist republics. Those republics were Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. Serbia, in addition, included two autonomous provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo. During this period, Josip Tito began his reign as Prime Minister of Yugoslavia and in 1953 he became the President of the state.  [10]  It has been said that Tito was the chief architect of the second Yugoslavia  [11]  , as he was pivotal to the development and birth of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Tito instigated the ideology of socialism throughout Yugoslavia and after the commencement of World War Two in 1945, Yugoslavia became victim to peculiarly harsh Communist system.  [12]   For several decades during the mid twentieth century, Yugoslavia enjoyed economic success and prospered as a nation. In the nineteen sixties, Yugoslavia could boast an annual gross domestic product growth of approximately 6.1 percent, with free medical care, and a literacy rate of 91%.  [13]  Yugoslavia remained at this point in time, the most diverse collectivity of societies in the Balkan region.  [14]  Political reform began to lose momentum in the early nineteen seventies and was suddenly pushed aside within the pluralist multi-nation in favour of federalization.  [15]  The push for federalization came as a reactionary movement to the growing Serbian supremacy in Yugoslavia as Tito realized he needed to enforce institutional innovations that would federalize the federation.  [16]   By the nineteen eighties, Yugoslavias once growing economy began to hinder as the international arena was changing from a bipolar sphere to the dominance of the United States of America as a unilateral mega power. There was a growing amount of foreign debt and increasing amounts of Yugoslavias GDP were being swallowed by debt servicing. There was also a sudden decrease in Western aid after the Soviet President Gorbachev began to admit defeat to the American and Western Europe.  [17]  On May 4th 1980, Tito passed away and with this, the strong socialist regime of Yugoslavia began to break down and the process of democratization in the six republics started to ensue. As a result, central state authority became increasingly weaker, and Yugoslavia faced an upsurge of nationalist movements and anarchy.  [18]   Titos 1974 constitution remained in force during the immediate period after his death and this allowed for a rotation system out of the eight leaders of the republics, for year long presidencies. These short terms of presidencies turned out to be highly ineffective and added to the unstable and increasingly volatile conditions of Yugoslavia. Essentially it left open a power vacuum with Slobodan MiloÃ…Â ¡eviĆ¡ gaining steady momentum from the many Serbian nationalists who resided throughout Yugoslavia and particularly within Bosnia Herzegovenia.  [19]  MiloÃ…Â ¡eviĆ¡ began rallying to the many Serbian supporters he had, making reference to Yugoslavias historical past and the pressing need to unite all the Slavic nations into one centralized government and brotherhood.  [20]  As a reaction to the strong nationalist Serbian movement occurring within Yugoslavia, both Croatia and Slovenia quickly declared autonomy and independence of state and after a v ictorious week of fighting by the Slovenes in the Ten Day War the breakup of Yugoslavia had begun.  [21]   In 1992, the multi-nation state of Yugoslavia began to break apart and left several nations fighting for autonomy. Instead of these nations clinging to Western liberal democratic ideals to form a state, they fell back on their own older and entrenched religions, ethnicities and national identities to assert independence over one another.  [22]  Bosnia, compiled of the Croats, Serbs and Bosnian Muslims, was suddenly facing an internal clash of cultures and identities with the Serbians residing in Bosnia wanting to unify with Serbia and the other remaining Slavic nations, against the Croats and Muslims who wanted independence as a state. There were several factors that contributed to the tensions and ethnic conflicts between the three main ethnic groups residing in Bosnia. Firstly, there were historical hostilities and antagonisms that had existed within the ethnic groups for centuries. There was also the sudden presence and dominance of Serbian nationalist MiloÃ…Â ¡eviĆ¡, who continued to pursue Bosnia as a Slavic nation and part of that sanctity. To add to the fragility of the situation facing Bosnia during the early nineteen nineties, there was an inadequate political institution in place with Bosnias parliament fragmented based on ethnicity and was divided into a majority Bosnian faction and minority Serb and Croat factions.  [23]  In 1991, Radovan KaradÃ…Â ¾iĆ¡, the nationalist leader of the Serb Democratic Party, gave a strong and hostile warning to the Bosnian president, stating: This, what you are doing, is not good. This is the path that you want to take Bosnia and Herzegovina on, the same highway of hell and death that Slovenia and Croatia went on. Dont think that you wont take Bosnia and Herzegovina into hell, and the Muslim people maybe into extinction. Because the Muslim people cannot defend themselves if there is war here.  [24]   Bosnia was surrounded by two incredibly powerful and nationalistic states; Croatia and Serbia who both extended equal rights and citizenships to the Croat and Serb Bosnians. Therefore, it was impossible for Bosnia to resolve its national identity without the input of Croatia and Serbia.  [25]  One the one side in Bosnia, there were the Serbian nationalists who identified closely with Milosevic and their greater homeland of Serbia and thus wanted a unified Slavic state, and to be part of the brotherhood. Others however, such as the Croats and particularly the Bosnian Muslims, wanted to identify with their own individual ethnic groups and stick to the notion of individual opposed to collective rights and the freedom to identify with whom they choose. With Bosnias demographic structure comprising a population of Serbs and Croats of approximately 50%, and with ideas on independence resting with the ethnicities rather than the nation on the whole  [26]  , control of territory once again became open to interpretation, particularly due to the pluralist and multi-culture nature that existed within Bosnia which led to large sections of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia under dispute as to its proper ownership.  [27]   In October 1991, Bosnia joined Croatia and Slovenia in declaring its sovereignty and quickly organized a referendum on independence in March 1992.  [28]  The general Serbian population residing in Bosnia was encouraged by the Serbian nationalists to boycott the referendum and subsequently, the turnout in the referendum was 64-67% and the vote was 98% in favor of independence.  [29]  Independence was however officially declared on March 5 1992 by the parliament of Bosnia. However, this merely added and even encouraged the continued surge of nationalism from the Serbs in Bosnia and instant war broke out in Bosnia between the different ethnicities and much to the detriment of the Bosnian Muslims who although made up an estimated 48%  [30]  of the population, were ill equipped to stand up to the strong Serbian forces who were receiving support from their own nation. A period of genocide, ethnic cleansing and blood shed occurred over the next three years and was the tragic consequence of the Bosnian War that illustrated a series of failures made by the Western world at large and also at a regional level, the failures of local leaders to intervene and offer any sort of assistance.  [31]  There was a fundamental breach of human rights during this period and a total disregard for any rule of law or civility. Whilst the Serb Bosnians engaged in a greater amount of ethnic cleansing during this period of trauma, it should be noted that they were also the victims of such cleansing at the peril of the other two ethnic groups.  [32]  The Bosnian Muslims had really pushed to preserve Bosnias existence as a multi-cultural state  [33]  and did not want to see the division of Bosnia. Only a scarce minority of politically significant actors in Bosnia were committed to trying to mediate a balance between a civil society and competing nationalisms.  [34]   November 1995 brought some hope to the Bosnian cause when the Dayton Accord was signed, purporting to end the Bosnian War and the continued outbreaks of conflict in the region.  [35]  The Dayton Accord had the purpose of compromising between the ethnic groups who sought an independent unitary state, versus those who sought total autonomy from Yugoslavia and the Slavic nations.  [36]  The institutional part of the agreement created a Bosnian state divided between Bosnia, which is shared between the Bosnians and the Croats, and the Republika Srpska. The Bosnian-Croat federation holds 51% of the territory with the remaining 49% controlled by the Republika Srpska.  [37]  Each division has their own parliament and presidency. Fifteen years has passed since the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accord which effectively ended a great proportion of the ethnic conflict and cleansing occurring in Bosnia as a result of the Bosnian War. However, in a contemporary setting, nationalism and consequently ethnic conflict still pursues in Bosnia and there are mounting fears by the United Nations and the international community, that war is still a threat to the Bosnians due to the divided and segregated nature of Bosnia.  [38]  With the Dayton Accord dividing Bosnia into a Muslim -Croat federation and a Serbian republic, each ethnic group has established their own legislature with ten regional authorities each with their own police force, health system, education system and judiciary.  [39]  Furthermore as a result of the Bosnian War and the division of Bosnia, there is a huge displaced population of Bosnian Muslims, Croats and Serbs who were essentially driven out of Bosnia and are now scattered throughout t he world with little national identity left in tact. In conclusion, the situation that occurred in Bosnia during the late twentieth century exemplifies the pivotal role nationalism played within the state and the consequential ethnic conflict that erupted and continues to do so, as a result of three different ethnic groups identifying strongly to their own historical nationalisms and religions. Due to the strong nationalistic tendencies of the Croats and Serbs residing in Bosnia during this time, Bosnian Muslims who historically were not allowed to declare themselves as Bosnians  [40]  were forced to band together and unite in their own autonomy and form a national identity so as to compete with the much stronger Croats and Serbs. As a result of these competing nationalism, ethnic conflict ensued and was only resolved after the implementation of the Dayton Accord which effectively segregated Bosnia into different regions dominated by different ethnicities. For example, the city of Mostar before the Bosnian War was considered the mo st ethnically integrated city in all of the former Yugoslavia.   [41]  Now, Mostar has developed into the most divided town in Bosnia where even a pizza delivery joint will not deliver to the Muslim sector of Mostar across the bridge. This is viewed as a victory for the Croat and Serb Nationalists against the Bosnian Muslims.  [42]   The on-going situation in Bosnia Herzegovina really demonstrates a contemporary example of nationalism occurring and further shows the severe impact nationalism has had on the country and how it led to the eventual segregation of the nation as well as pursuant ethnic conflict. Whilst the nationalism portrayed by the Serbs and Croats mostly identifies with the ethnic strand of nationalism, that is nationalism founded on historical ethnicities, customs and religions, it is interesting to note that Bosnia Herzegovina as a whole, and particularly through the Bosnian Muslims, share many elements of civic nationalism in its attempt to set up order, democracy, and political institutions. Perhaps the conflict of the two nationalisms also contributed to the volatile nature and confusion that seems to cloud over Bosnia. Whilst it is idealistic and perhaps naÃÆ' ¯ve to hope that Bosnia will one day have unity as an independent state, it is still a vision that many civilians in Bosnia and around the world share. Bosnia has provided the global arena with a strong message and precedent and demonstrates a situation that must be learnt from especially in the overall dangers and effects that competing nationalisms can have on even the most harmonious nations.

To Kill A Mockingbird: Childhood Experience :: essays research papers

To Kill A Mockingbird: Childhood Experience   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Have you ever thought of an answer to reply to your children, when they ask you, â€Å"What was the world like when you were a child?†, â€Å"What things that happened that impressed you most when you were a child?† or â€Å"How interesting is your childhood experience?†. Everybody must have had their childhood. Some of the experiences may cause them to smile, or even laugh, while some of them may bring back bitter memories. It is always hard to express the childhood incidents or experience in a clear and interesting way, since they were past memories that happened long time ago. Moreover, when a person has grown up, they will never have the same feeling which they might have in their childhood. However, the authors Harper Lee and Mark Twain can express their own childhood inside the stories they created, in a lively and realistic way. The two novels To Kill a Mockingbird and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer have a very similar characteristic. It is the way they describe a person's childhood experience, and their feelings and new knowledge that come out from those experiences. This characteristic, however, has given me a big revelation after reading the two novels. The novels show that the childhood experience of a person has a great positive influence on his personality, behaviour, and ways on dealing with others. This idea has been shown by the authors in both novels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, one could discover that innocent behaviour and misunderstanding can lead a child to view a person or thing incorrectly and incompletely. This behaviour can also lead a child to a wrong perspective. In the first part of To Kill a Mockingbird, the main characters Scout, Jem, and Dill thought that the Radley family and their member, Boo Radley, as strange and unnatural human beings. They described Radley's house as â€Å"That is a sad house....† (Harper Lee, 48). This is a â€Å"fact† they heard from their neighbours. Until one day, their neighbour Miss Maudie's house was found on fire. While Scout was standing outside in the cold watching the fire, someone from behind her and put a blanket around her shoulders. Later, Scout and Jem realized that there was only one person in town who had not fought to put out the fire -- Boo Radley. Scout asked, â€Å"Thank who?†(Harper Lee, 76). Jem replied, â€Å"Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn't know it when he put the blanket around you.†(Harper Lee, 76) It was then that Scout and Jem started

Speech Class Topic Proposal

Informative Speech Outline 1. Intro 2. 1 Attention Step: Wouldn’t it be cool to know how to do some stunts in Tekken? 2. 2 Involvement Step: The video game Tekken consists of many martial art disciplines like jeet kune do, street fighting, taekwondo, ninjitsu, sumo wrestling, aikido, judo, karate, and many more. These are the most common martial art disciplines people would think about when you say the word Tekken. But why don’t we focus on 2 certain characters namely Eddy Gordo and Christie Monteiro. These 2 characters are doing some martial art discipline that looks a lot like they are dancing it rather than martial arts.So did you know that the martial art disciplines Christie and Eddy are doing is called Capoeira. 2. 3 Indication Step (thesis statement): Capoeira is considered as a martial art discipline because it used for fighting, acrobatics, dancing, playing, and tradition. 2. Body 3. 4 Major point 1: Fighting, dancing, and tradition 3. 5. 1 Supporting detail: I t is considered one of the most comprehensive forms of physical conditioning and is an integrated balance of mind, strength, rhythm, poetry, agility, and harmony (Escola Brasileira de Capoeira Philippines, 2012). 3. 5. Supporting detail: It is the maximum expression of liberty and keeps the art of the ancestors alive, being part of Brazilian and now, world history (Escola Brasileira de Capoeira Philippines, 2012). 3. 5 Major point 2: Acrobatics, and playing 3. 6. 3 Supporting detail: The roda is the center of Capoeira (Rensselaer, n. d. ). Being the center of Capoeira, the roda has always been considered as the playing grounds of the Capoeiristas. It is where they practice their moves, styles, and forms. While two Capoeiristas play in the middle of a roda, everyone else watching them play is making music.Some will be in-charge of playing the instruments, while the rest will enjoy singing until it’s their turn. 3. 6. 4 Supporting detail: Capoeira is kind of similar to acrobati cs because of the movements involved in the martial art. Au de Cabeca  movement is essentially a cartwheel done on your head. We recommend you are comfortable with queda de rins and au before you try au de cabeca. Learning au de cabeca will be easier and quicker to learn and you will be equipped with the right skills needed in perfecting this specific au (Capoeira Universe, 2011). 3.Conclusion Capoeira is like any other recreational sports that help build our bodies and keep us healthy. So why not give it a try? References Capoeira Universe. (2011, June 11). Basic Capoeira Moves List. Retrieved from Capoeira Universe: http://capoeirauniverse. com/capoeira-moves/basic-capoeira-moves-list/ Escola Brasileira de Capoeira Philippines. (2012). Capoeira. Retrieved from EBC Philippines: http://www. ebcphilippines. com/index. php/capoeira/ Rensselaer. (n. d. ). The Roda. Retrieved from Rensselaer: http://capoeira. union. rpi. edu/roda. php

Dells Marketing Case, Dillema

How would you describe Dell's current distinctive competencies? What other potential sources of distinctive competency might Dell work to develop? Answer: According to the case, Dell's Current distinctive competencies are: ; â€Å"Mass customization†; by focusing on this strategy (which they followed as their core differentiation strategy), Dell has successfully been able to transform the way consumers shop for technology. Customer could place customized orders for their PC's according to their unique needs and wants.Which at that time seemed to be a very attractive, innovative and hence successful strategy. However while concentrating too much on its distinctive strategy of mass customization for too long, Dell gravely failed to adapt to the changing world of technology which opportunity was promptly grabbed by its current and emerging competitors like HP, Sony, Leaner, Apple and others. They quickly managed to reap the benefits of the fast growing market for technological p roducts like PC's and notebooks. Direct Sales Channel- Dell has proved to be extremely successful at coming up with a very efficient and smart supply chain, by making Its customers able to place orders for their PC's online, wrought e commerce. Dell used direct sales via Internet, whereas traditional PC manufacturers previously assembled PC's to make them ready for purchase at retail stores. Thus, Dell enjoyed early-to-market advantage. This eliminated the need for retailers that would add unnecessary time and cost for Dell and Dell has enjoyed this competency for a pro-longed period of time. Dell's cost efficiency: Dell was able to provide PC's at a low cost for quite a period of time, until paying a low price for a standard PC was no more attracting the potential customers who were rather lured y the more technologically advanced products offered by Dell's competitors like Hewlett-Packard. However continuing with its cost cutting strategy cost them their customers in later years w hen HP emerged as the market leader and attracted all the consumers and business clients to themselves.Moreover, Dell's extremely efficient supply chain management aided In keeping Its costs low and hence being cost effective. Dell's strong market position due to its strong brand value as one of the top 100 brands In the world (In the IT systems market), provided It with a competitive advantage. Dell has a strong market presence in IT systems market. Despite losing market share to other players in the recent past, Dell continues to remain a strong player in the IT systems market.In the fast growing market for technological products Dell should have obviously gone for innovating their product lines. Dell should go for product development. It might work to launch faster and more attractive versions of PC's and laptops. Most Importantly Its marketing strategy should be changed, In order to reap benefits from Its distinctive competencies. Being Innovative could have obviously paid off a s a good extinctive competency, because then competitors like HP and Apple would get as much opportunity to grab the market share.Moreover, Dell could go for making ‘OFF silent changes In Its organizational culture Day encouraging Its employees to De more creative and to think out of the box so as to get rid of the monotonous feeling in them which would also enhance the productivity and would obviously spread a good word of mouth regarding Dell as a â€Å"ready to innovate and serve company', which would work as another great distinctive competency. Question 2) Dell is currently engaged in a cost leadership strategy. If Dell decided to move more toward a differentiation strategy, what might be some sources of differentiation Dell could explore?Answer 2: Emphasizing on the cost leadership strategy for too long has caused Dell to lose it market share and not to mention has lead it to earning lower profits. That's because the same strategy would not work forever. Dell has not ex plored in serving their customers with variety in their offerings for PC's and notebooks, neither did it do much to upgrade its features and technology. Dell has not re-invested any of its profits into going for a different racketing strategy other than cost leadership.A differentiation strategy incorporates the development of a product or service so that it can offer a customer perceived uniqueness in the marketplace that seems to be better than or different from the products of the competition. Dell has to focus more on providing additional value for their customers if they want to differentiate their brand form the others in the market, to do so, they have to address their customers not yet raised demand for new technology say for example, delight their customers by offering new software and applications for their PC's.Dell can also go for sales promotion; that is they can provide short term offers where they would be providing free upgrades for software in their current customer s' PC's and offer discounts on certain software Just so as to attract their customers' lost interest. Launching and promoting different complimentary products made by Dell can be a good idea to enhance the sales of Dell PC's.For instance if Dell came up with a product line for gaming computers, to attract a certain segment of its potential clients, and along with that if it issued games made by Dell one of which would be provided for free with the gaming PC's, it loud be a great way of differentiating their brand as â€Å"innovative† in the mind of customer, especially since no other competitor at that time came up with gaming PC'S. Question 3: According to Nations Product-Market expansion grid which strategy is applicable for Dell computer's offerings?Explain the strategy in your own words in the context of the case. Answer 3: Nations model is based upon four types of strategies which are; market penetration strategy, market development strategy, product development strategy and diversification strategy. The diagram below illustrates the Nations Product-Market expansion grid. In my opinion, Dell should primarily go for product development strategy and then market development strategy. By going for product development strategy, Dell would be issuing new, developed and modified versions of its products.By doing so, Dell can show it to the industry that they are all ready to launch innovative products and solutions for their clients both Business and consumer. Moreover given the strong and well established brand name Dell has, it would not be a problem to beat its competitors Like HP, IT Dell can offer new Ana developed products to Its customers. For example by considering software as an product/service to offer, Dell can assemble a services portfolio that would include e-mail disaster recovery, spam/virus filtering and archiving via its Message acquisition.Moreover Dell can come up new models of its PC, and notebook, more lighter ones, faster ones, PC's specially made for gaming, and PC's which are specially made lighter and smaller for office going executives and students. Just like Google developed a new browser Chrome for the existing Internet user. Going for a market penetration strategy would be bad session for Dell since it has proved to be a failure Just because it refused to be innovative about its products and was only focusing on a single strategy of â€Å"mass customization†.However, Dell can also go for a market development strategy if that is feasible giving the transportation and set up costs associated with setting up business and dealerships in developing countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, or it can focus on a different demography, like the elderly people; by creating easy to use and simple light laptops for them, which they can also afford with a little portion of their savings.

Crisis on Developing Countries

Crisis on Developing Countries Since remote times, governments around the world have shown interest in many aspects being one of the most important the economy of their nations. Nowadays, the global economy is in crisis, consuming the attention of people around the world. Since the US to China, countries around he world are struggling due to the constant negatives changes that world's economy is facing. Instability has appeared in all sectors of economy, from housing and real state to bank and financial markets, until reaching all parts of world's economy. The financial crisis that started in the United States in the real state market has expanded all over the world, producing fear inside the European Union, and some of the principal markets in Asia, such as Japan and China. According to the professor of Economics at Columbia University, Joseph E. Stiglitz the financial crisis that nowadays we are affronting can be considered as "the worst of the global economy since World II".Map of developping countries, without least advanc...The preoccupation that all nations around the world have shown during the last couple of years can increase dramatically if governments around the world do not take more active actions. Many economists believe that this crisis can easily grow from a recession to a depression; while other economist believe that we already are into a depression that can be like or worst that the Great Depression in the 1930's. An economic recession is recognized when the GDP of a country falls for two consecutive quarters, while a depression occurs when the GDP falls for more than four consecutive quarters (1 year). This statement infers and emphasizes Stiglitz words about the real problem that we are facing and the long period of time to recover the economy that it is going to take. However, not only developed countries have been affected by the...

An assessment of the leadership and training techniques used in the Essay

An assessment of the leadership and training techniques used in the Royal Air Force and the Commercial Aviation Industry - Essay Example IOT is used to select potential officers. The Commercial airline also uses a rigorous interview process, and the aptitude testing at RAF Cranwell. It is the widely held view that a team will perform better than an individual in the cockpit is. Crew Resource Management (CRM) training in the United States stems from a workshop â€Å"Resource management on the flight deck† sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 2000. This conference was the result of NASA research into causes of air traffic accidents. The findings presented at this conference pointed to human error in the majority of air crashes being because of interpersonal communications, decision-making and leadership. The object of CRM is to ensure that the performance of the team is more important than the performance of the individual in a two pilot cockpit. Effective CRM will ensure that leadership and management skills enable the team to work safely, thereby ensuring the safety of the ai rcraft and reduce aviation accidents so far as is reasonably practicable. CRM can today be seen as the effective utilisation of all available human, informational, and equipment resources toward the goal of safe and efficient flight. It will be necessary to have an understanding of the RAF and Commercial flying training methods and management styles in order to produce a safe and efficient environment. Where humans are used in conjunction with machines, errors are inevitable. There are five types of error to be looked at here: procedural, communication, proficiency, decision making and intentional non-compliance. In order to understand this area, one must be clear about the differences between a manager and a leader. Another topic that needs to be researched is whether leadership can be taught or whether people are born as leaders. Dr Howard Kahn has researched into this area. There are a number of factors, which affect how

Wikileaks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Wikileaks - Essay Example The organizational operations are designed to protect journalists, activists and whistleblowers. The term wikileaks is a combination of two terms â€Å"wiki† and â€Å"Leaks† each of which is defined separately. According to Jennings, a wiki is a server program that permits users to work together in making up the content of a website. With it, any user who is using a web browser from their own computer can edit the site including other user’s contributions (4). It uses a collaboration of many users. The contributors can view the page any time conveniently before and after changes have been made to it. According to Jennings, the term wiki comes from Hawaiian language meaning fast. From the English dictionary, the word leak is defined as permitting to escape or to flaw. The leak part of the word describes what the organization does (Times Taffn.p). Wikileaks is an organization which gathers information that governments and institutions do not want released and posts it on the internet where everyone can read it. It is a system for untraceable mass document le aking. The founding and registration of wikileaks.org domain name was done on 4th October 2006 and was launched under the sunshine press organization. The founder of wikileaks was Julian Assange who was an Australian internet activist. The wikileaks site however states that it was â€Å"founded by Chinese dissidents, journalists, mathematicians and startup company technologists from the US, Taiwan, Europe, Australia and South Africa†. It was not until 2007 when Julian Assange was referred to as the â€Å"founder† of wikileaks. The advisory board consisted of Assange, Phillip Adams,Wang Dan, CJ Hinke, Ben Laurie, TashiNamgyalKhamsitsag, Xiao Qiang, Chico Whitaker and Wang Youcai. It started publishing leaked documents in 2007 which were significant and became leading front page news items. Since it was launched and started working, wikileaks has endured and