Christian Philosophy on Death Essay

The Christian philosophy on death has long been that there is life after death. â€Å"Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.† (2 Corinthians 5: 8) We are supposed to take solace in the fact that while although our earthly body will be no more, our spirit or soul will move on into immortality. Since life after death seems like a simple enough concept, death should be no big deal, right? We should just view it as a step in becoming closer to God. While in theory, we should just take death in stride, even for those who wholeheartedly believe in life after death find it difficult to accept death. We find it difficult to visualize and conceptualize the afterlife and what our role will be in it. People cope with death differently. Some choose to combat it head on, others choose to simply ignore it all together. However most people fall somewhere in between those two extremes. â€Å"Dying person will use belief systems as the y have throughout there entire life-constructively, destructively, or not at all† This saying generally tends to hold true as one dies. All people cope with death differently however, by in large, most people go through some form of Kà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½bler-Ross model of grieving. The Kubler-Ross model contains five stages that people go through while contemplating their own death. The first stage is denial. In this stage the person grieving thinks that â€Å"This can’t be happening.† In the second stage, anger, the griever says, â€Å"Why me? It’s not fair?!† (either referring to God, oneself, or anybody perceived, rightly or wrongly, as â€Å"responsible†) The third stage is bargaining. In this stage, the dying person says, â€Å"I know its me but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"Please just let me live to see†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The bargaining can be directed toward God which if the bargain is perceived as accepted can lead to a sense of hope or resignation, or anger, guilt, or fear if the bargain is perceived as denied†. The fourth stage is depression, which is arguably the hardest to go through. During the depression stage the dying person takes time to grieve his/her own death. The final stage is acceptance in which the dying person is â€Å"ready to go†. While not everyone goes through these stages in exactly this order, almost everyone goes through these stages in one form or another. They may experience the stages out of order, skip a stage, or even go through the cycle multiple times. There is also a belief that people have three spiritual needs of dying people: the search for the meaning of life, to die appropriately, and to find hope that extends beyond the grave. The search for the meaning of life takes on a higher priority when one is closer to death. â€Å"The knowledge of impeding death creates a crisis in which one reviews life in order to integrate one’s goals, values, and experiences. Without finding their life’s meaning one may feel that their life had no meaning. Another spiritual need is to die appropriately. â€Å"People want to die in ways consistent with their own self-identity.† Most people want to die a quick death surrounded by fantasy, however this is only the case for a lucky few. â€Å"People fear not so much the fact of death but more the process of dying.† The final spiritual need is to find hope in life after death. Life after death is an integral part of many faiths and religions. â€Å"We seek assurance in some way that our life, or what we left, will continue.† We all want some sort of life after death, because the thought of death being the ends of things can be an awful thing to think about. Oftentimes during class or discussions on death, I find myself questioning my own faith and trying to imagine what it would be like if I wasn’t on earth anymore. I guess to be more specific what it would be like if my mind or soul did not continue on in some way, shape, or form. The thought of the world around me going on without me often leads to a chilling feeling and a headache. I almost prefer just to shut down, effectively turning off my ears to the discussion around me. Doing that just seems easier than thinking of the what-ifs that the thought of no life after death means. I believe in God, that there is a life after death, and that my soul and mind will exist eternally. However, it is still hard for me to shake that feeling that comes with thinking about death. If I am getting these chilling feelings while thinking of death as a teenager, I can only imagine the thoughts running through peoples heads while they are on their deathbeds. While it is easy to dwell on the negatives that death presents, there are other ways to approach death. Some people handle death with much grace, accepting their fate and using the time allotted to them to try to make their last days count. No one exemplifies this more that Morrie Schwartz from Tuesdays with Morrie. Morrie rather than overly dwell on the fact that he was dying, chose to take the time he had left on earth to explain dying to the world. His advice such as â€Å"When you learn how to die, you learn how to live.† and â€Å"Love each other or perish.† are just two of the numerous tings that Morrie has tried to teach us. If we could all handle death as gracefully as Morrie did, death wouldn’t be nearly as big a deal to people. Morrie teaches us that there is a time to be three and a time to be sixty-three. Morrie tells us that death is just as much a fact of life as a birthday or getting married. Morrie sets a high standard for coping with a terminal illness. We can also look to the Bible to give us God’s take on death and life after death. The Catholic faith believes that no matter what there is life after death. Whether that life after death takes place in heaven or hell depends largely on how you live your life here on earth. â€Å"Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who†¦will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.† (Philippians 3: 20, 21) Through the belief in God and living according to his commandments we can attain a life after death. â€Å"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.† (1 Corinthians 15:51-57)

There are always ups and downs associated with any line of business

There are always ups and downs associated with any line of business. IT is not an exception. During downturn profit margins take a toll and consumer confidence plummets. Business executives around the world eagerly scan the latest report on economic indicators and search for good news. Downturn affects many segments. It is not only the industry that experiences the negatives of the economy, but also the common man is affected. Economic uncertainty elicits different reactions from different firms. Some organizations simply tread water and attempt to ride out the storm; others swim upstream with the intent to move ahead of their competitors. As executives rethink their business strategies, they should consider a variety of approaches – including some that are not immediately obvious given today's uncertain economic climate. 2 Problem Definition Understanding the problem is a key to solving it. Howsoever generic this statement may be, it is apt to say that the strategies and actions formulated to emerge strong in downturn may not succeed without understanding how the downturn was caused. It is imperative to understand the factors that influence the downturn and how a particular downturn may be triggered. The cause could be many; a particular industry segment might not meet expectations and could trigger decrease in growth in other sectors. E.g. the dot com burst. In this section we endeavor to list down indicators that could possible play a role in causing the downturn. Along with it we also list down the reactions that companies worldwide give to tackle downturns. By way of research we would like to present how these reactions can indeed be made operational strategies to emerge victorious in the downturn. 2.1 Economic Downturn – Defined Economic Downturn is defined by a significant decline in total output, income, employment, and trade, usually lasting from six months to a year, and marked by widespread contractions in many sectors of the economy. Downturns can be * Industry specific * Economy based * Long term/ short term or * Geography specific The severity of an Economic Downturn is measured through parameters like: Economy * Employment * GDP Growth * Interest rates * Inflation * Investments * Public Expenditure Corporate * Lack of growth in profitability * Falling earning outlooks * Squeeze in margins * Drop in share price Index * Low dividends * High investor expectation * Dried-up cash flow * Low capacity utilization * Urgent need for cost optimization * Increased market competition * Stagnant Markets – Non expanding – Frozen pie vs. Expanding Pie People * Fall in Personal income * Fall in Personal expenditure * Fall in Private Investments 2.2 Company Reactions during downturn Companies adopt various tactics that can help them emerge stronger and subsequently more competitive when the economic upturn arrives. Forward-thinking initiatives that concentrate on lowering an organization's ongoing cost structure are more effective than blanket budget cuts. The tactics focus equally on efficiency and expansion, since businesses keen on moving ahead have to consider both perspectives. In fact, when corporate coffers are clamped shut, companies must rely on efficiency gains to fund expansion initiatives 2.2.1 Cut Costs Cutting the cost is probably the most obvious option for a company when margins are thin. Cost cutting is done in different forms and many of the following options directly or indirectly deal with them. 2.2.2 Improve Focus In boom times, the proverbial strategy is to let a thousand flowers bloom. However, when the financial picture darkens, the businesses tend to do some pruning. An economic downturn becomes an ideal time to focus the corporation's scarce resources -both marketing and manufacturing dollars – on the most popular, promising or profitable products and brands. In other words, invest in the best and ignore the rest. Savings from consolidation efforts can then be applied to further support selected focus areas. Similarly, businesses try to concentrate on acquiring and retaining the most profitable customer sets: How? 1. Forego expensive mass-marketing efforts; instead, market directly to carefully targeted prospects 2. Focus efforts on serving top accounts better than ever. Understand customer cost and revenue drivers to determine the real â€Å"top accounts†, then consider e-commerce and self-service solutions that can increase satisfaction while lowering costs. 3. Learn to effectively use information that is already available in-house to build revenues from the existing customer base. By combining in-house information with proprietary market data, the company can start to understand the â€Å"why† of customer preferences and build a stronger competitive advantage. 2.2.3 Ease points of pain When revenues are climbing continuously, inefficiencies are easy to ignore; declines in per-unit margins can be made up through volume. But when growth stalls, margins come under tremendous scrutiny, forcing companies to inspect every aspect of their business for possible improvements. Rarely can a business simply stop performing a function; instead, it must find a way to accomplish the task differently. This often requires the help of technology. Surplus inventory, high work-in-process and supply-and-demand discrepancies are more costly than ever. By digitally linking the entire supply chain and collaborating electronically with suppliers and customers, companies can potentially lower costs in the short term and improve market responsiveness over time. 2.2.4 Share costs It's not surprising that when margins are squeezed, firms search out and eliminate redundancy. Internal and external best practices implemented through shared or common business models across the enterprise can dramatically lower costs while increasing competitiveness. However, an â€Å"all or nothing† approach to standardization can sometimes backfire. When implementation teams look beneath the surface of â€Å"common functions†, they often discover legitimate needs for variance. Before too long, the cost of processing exceptions outweighs the anticipated synergy savings. An effective shared services strategy requires a deeper analysis up front – pursuing similar parts, not necessarily the whole function. Rather than forcing each function – regardless of line of business – into a standard mold, look for naturally occurring affinities, pinpoint specific areas of similarity, and combine those particular pieces. 3 Analysis 3.1 Reasons for Downturn Studies have shown that the following are the main reasons for downturn: 60% of the respondents feel that this downturn is caused by normal fluctuations in business cycles. The fluctuations in share markets are attributed as the reason for downturn by 20% of the respondents. Only 15% of the respondents felt that the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center is the cause for the downturn. This shows that people perceive downturn as a natural phenomenon happening due to ups and downs in the economy. Terrorist attacks and other reasons, are not the main factors causing downturn, but they can trigger an already bad situation worse. 3.2 How do people see the downturn Majority (61%) of the people feel that downturn is an opportunity to find newer markets, restructure their organization and fine-tune the process to increase productivity. The findings here support our arguments provided in the previous section. Downturn is definitely an opportunity for businesses to take a look at their processes, the way they provide services to customers, markets and other factors affecting them and improve their way of working. 3.3 Strategies to focus during downturn Studies found that during a downturn the energies of people are concentrated in keeping their customers happy. 32% of the people have made this as their primary focus area. The other areas where people are concentrating are in strengthening the sales and distribution/marketing. When getting new business is tough, it makes sense to keep the existing customers happy, provide them the extra bit for their dollar and come up with innovative ideas to service them. Keeping the existing business stable can sustain the current revenues and increase. Repeat business can increase the revenues. With these factors in mind, people are following customer centric strategies to face the downturn. 3.4 HR strategies during downturn Human Resources are on of the key focus area during a downturn. Cost can be cut cost by retrenching employees. Productivity can be increased by extending the working hours or by employing cross-functional training. â€Å"Punish the non-performers† is the key mantra. 80% of the respondents have stated that this is the primary task that needs to be accomplished or that their companies have started identifying non-performers and taken steps to ensure that employees perform to expectations. Some of them advocate extending the working hours. There seems to be not much support for unpaid leave or freezing salaries among the people interviewed. 3.5 Outsourcing as an option Downturns might pose a good opportunity to study what the companies are doing the best and discard the rest. Outsourcing to low cost destinations is definitely being looked as a possible opportunity. 76% of the respondents feel that they should resort to outsourcing non-core activities. 4 Suggested Strategy to Manage Downturns â€Å"Recessions, sound a lot worse than they are — in part because they're a great opportunity to move forward on key strategies and to take on competitors.† To get through a recession the most important thing for a company to do is to keep a positive attitude and identify its challenges and convert them into opportunities. There are various strategies that a company can adopt to not only survive but also grow in a reversionary economy. Based on the various arguments and data provided in the previous sections, we are in a position to present these action items to manage business in a downturn. We have grouped them under different functional management areas. 4.1 Core Competencies Recession is the time when a company must concentrate on its core competencies. Core Competence implies Resource, strength, skills or a combination that provide tangible advantage to a firm. It is very essential for the company to maintain focus and do what it does best. It is dangerous for a company to venture into unknown territories with an intention to broad-base itself, as one wrong decision could make it fall deep in the red. Every company must take stock of its strengths and leveraging unique strengths that are difficult to emulate. It should strive to enhance its knowledge and skill by keeping in touch with the market requirements. Identify strengths and axe weaknesses. This can translate in restructuring, selling or closing weak or mediocre businesses. Selling is particularly difficult, as the same division might have fetched much more in good days. In a downturn, this aspect should not change the focus. Companies cannot afford to waste money and management attention in areas that destroy value or limit their ability to invest in the future. Young companies may not have enough run way for the next year or two. They must rapidly adopt survival strategies. Tough choices range from giving up equity at low valuations; merging with compatible product or service companies; partnering to, in effect, use other people's resources; or narrowing the strategic focus to a bare minimum. A careful study and analysis will help in taking the right decision. 4.2 Customer is the King Repeat business from customers is important to maintain profitability. It has been proven that, repeat business accounts for around 70% of the total business in most of the established companies. Customer delight should be the focus. Offer something to the customer, which not only exceeds his expectations but also goes even beyond it. E.g. Special features in a software application/product in line with the customer requirements. Infosys receives 85% of its revenues from its existing customers. This is what we can call as a â€Å"Customer focused capabilities† which Infosys has built over a period of time. Customer delight can also be achieved by actually sending out people on the field and spending time with the customers to find out their requirements, the value they put on the product or service offered by the company, their level of satisfaction with the quality and other suggestions they can offer to better our product. This strategy was recently adopted by Hindustan Lever Ltd. with their â€Å"feel the pulse† drive. 4.3 Human Resource 4.3.1 Talent Retention At the outset, we have shown that recession and growth form a continuous circle. Therefore, it is imperative for companies to resist the temptation of cutting costs through retrenchment, as it sows the problem of rehiring professionals when the economy turns around. Instead, companies should encourage their employees to accept pay-cuts, and cross- train them so as to equip them with the necessary skills that will help the company take advantage of the opportunities that arise once the situation improves. Many companies that want to cut costs during recession adopt the policy of downsizing. A vast number of talented professionals are thus available for recruitment. Managers can take advantage of this favorable situation by recruiting these professionals after thoroughly interviewing them, thus testing their competency levels, attitudes, and the organizational culture fit. 4.3.2 Miscellaneous Actions Companies can resort to cross-train people in view of the opportunities that can come up after the recession is over. This is more like doing an investment in hope of better time to come In case of situations that warrant stopping the production, companies can ask the employees to take unpaid leaves or giving extended weekends. Lucent has adopted this strategy. It can have a downside to it by way of loosing talented employees because of employees getting demoralized. Offering additional perks to those who can get in more business can motivate employees. This can be mainly applicable to the marketing and sales force. Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric Co. called pay freezes â€Å"the worst crime of management† and underscored his long-held belief in a meritocracy approach that consistently rewards the top 20% of employees and dismisses the bottom 10%. While he was CEO at GE, Welch said, 75% of his time was spent â€Å"evaluating people† and raising the company's intellectual capital â€Å"through candid evaluations.† 5 Conclusion: Economic Downturn is a phenomenon that occurs at different spheres of the society and attracts a lot of attention from the corporate world, the policy makers and of course the common man. The strategies to set things right are also decided at various levels and encompass a wide range of actions. Above study consists of observing typical industry response to downturn, conducting primary research through surveys and analyzing the data and secondary research through analyzing reports and news available in business journals and internet research groups like Gartner, Meta group etc.

Alysis of Milkshake Essay

After careful analysis of the does this milkshake taste funny case, I believe that the managements social end ethical responsibilities chapter and the influence, power, and leadership chapter hold the solution to this problem. George Stein, a college student employed for the summer by Eastern Dairy is faced with an ethical dilemma. His co-workers don’t care about proper procedures required in ensuring that the milkshake produced during the shift is hygienic and safe for human consumption. The milkshake that is produced is usually delivered to fast-food restaurants and drive-ins. George had less than a minute to think about his choices and altruism and must decide if he is going to remove the filters from the plant’s piping and, thus, allow the current production run of milkshake mix to be contaminated with maggots or refuse to remove the filters, and report the maggot problem to management. This course of action will save the company money, at least in the short run, an d allow George’s shift to go home on time. George was disturbed by the mental image of children drinking contaminated milkshakes as he weighed his ethical options. Although he does not have much empowerment, he can still do something in regards to this matter if he consults with Paul. In this case, there are several instances of poor management including a lack of proper training, and accountability and adherence to manufacturing industry standards. A company as large as Eastern Dairy should have a manager on site and more than four employees on for the night shift, especially given how critical the night shift is in meeting production needs. Paul and George have different sets of values. Paul is worried about going home early and the cost impact to the company if product needs are not met for one night with his instrumental value. Paul’s decision to ignore the issues puts George in an extremely difficult situation. Paul should be worried about the issue and the fact that George could whistle blow and call the outside authorities upon the issue. Another issue to note is the management in the corporation. All too often, employees have self serving motives and conflicts of interest that essentially stems from culture of the organization and how it operates. When George initially brings the issue to Paul, we learn quickly from Paul’s  demeanor that he had encountered this problem in the past and had seen maggots several times. Paul could benefit from behavior modification to fix his normal actions when an issue like this one is brought up to his attention. Paul is essentially immune to the feeling that George experienced as he was headed home. George should have tried to influence Paul to clean the maggots and throw the 500 gallon mix away to assure the cleanliness of the batch even though he doesn’t have the power that Paul does. If the issue is thoroughly fixed, the boss should offer positive reinforcement to get them to keep making the right decision on what to do. The lack of ethical culture that was instilled by Eastern Dairy’s management is such that the employees just care about clocking in and out and do not take pride in their work at all, they need corporate social responsibility. The fact that Paul is in a position to oversee the night shift in and of itself is a significant issue. Furthermore, the company culture did not instill the ethical values that are required to best serve customers. If they did, people like Paul would not be in a position to make decisions that adversely impact the company’s quality of work and reputation. The third issue in this case involves ethical awareness and practical intelligence and how to instill that awareness in the workplace. It starts with strong leadership and a commitment to excellence by serving the best interests of your customers. It is a system that can not be understated. Most successful organizations have a strong ethical leadership team, that includes both formal leadership with official objectives set in place, and informal leadership with the goals that have not been set but are more unofficial and unsaid. The employees look up to this for guidance and also for direction.

Does A Star is Born Represent the Real Judy Garland Essay

Does A Star is Born Represent the Real Judy Garland - Essay Example The story is used as a Hollywood flick to grab the attention of the audience and to create a strong basis to help with advertising and production of the film. The concepts that are approached in â€Å"A Star is Born† comes from the ideology of asking Garland to perform after she had not produced a movie for over four years. This particular method is one which immediately grabbed attention, specifically because those in public were interested in what had happened to the young actress since her growth and fame. This approach drew the attention of society and was able to form a sense of culture and ideologies around the actress that everyone had loved as one of the brightest of Hollywood. Since this was the main ideology, Hollywood attempted to change the main approaches which were taken while trying to highlight Garland as one that had continuous success with every part of her life (Haver, 7). The need to enhance the publicity of the movie was followed with trying to highlight G arland as a success story. The first part of the movie, which is inclusive of Nelson helping Garland to get her start in the movies and to build her success with her first musical are parts of Garland’s career that were true. ... r first movie and went and out of fame, specifically which could be seen with the decision not to make a film in four years and the problems which occurred with some of her later films in terms of critiques and acting styles. The double standard which was a part of her career, including the heightened success and the lower aspects, were not highlighted in the movie and only were able to show the positive parts of her career (McGilligan, 217). The other parts of Garland’s life were fictional, specifically with the relationship that was highlighted throughout the story and the effects which this had on the character of Garland. Norman is the husband of Garland who helps her to get her start as a famous actress. However, in doing so, he loses his prestige as an actor. He moves into gambling, drinking and other lifestyle dependencies that cause Garland to be the main character of him in the household. This leads him to acting up on stage as a drunk, being arrested for gambling and continuing to use drugs. This also leads to his tragedy of committing suicide because of his downfall. These particular concepts are a reflection of Garland; however, it was Garland who had the several problems. She was known to be millions of dollars in debt, went through four divorces and was on drugs as well as faced several illnesses throughout her life. She gave birth to three children during her marriages; however, she remained caught in between the illnesses, stardom and problems with the several drugs and other influences that were surrounding her personal life (Clarke, 5). The several known facts about Garland’s life were not presented in the film. Instead, Garland is seen in â€Å"A Star is Born† as one who only carries the problems of her husband. She is seen as wealthy, takes care

Im attaching the file that has all the information you need Essay

Im attaching the file that has all the information you need - Essay Example In other disciplines, mostly economics, international relations, political science, cultural studies, films and media, marketing and advertising, and communication, the probable date when globalization actually began was from1970s. It is difficult to comprehend such a significant occurrence in world history just began in the last four or three decades ago. These occurrences that began in about four decades ago merely accelerated the process of globalization, and as such they do not predict the actual date of globalization, they are just the antecedents of globalization. This paper seeks to get the deeper meaning and definition of the term globalization and the important factors that accelerated it. The paper also analyses three different phenomena which show indicate the existence and slow spread of globalization which dates back nearly 600 years ago and finally I would carefully present my own perception of the concept. Shortcomings of the Presentist Approach The mere understanding of the concept of globalization from the perspective of complex connectivity only refer to the concept in modern times, but ideally the analysis of the term implies economic, social, cultural, and political activities of human began much further in time. The term globalization was initially used in the business disciplines; in fact, it was first used in this field in 1970s, is has since spread out to other studies. According to Jones ‘†¦.thinkers began to refer to this process as globalization and by the 1980s this was already becoming one of the key vogue concepts pushed in both the academic literature on management and in the popular business literature†. The rise in the use of the term is mostly associated with the post war periods when many multinational corporations were setting up footprints in other countries, then the growth in information and communication technology, jet travel, global value chains, global advertising and global finance. The presentist vie ws of the term globalization do reveal very many short comings of their understanding of the term. First, due to their leanings, very many research works on globalization tends to overlook structural patterns, they present as original the older features and misreading of contemporary trends. Second, this view implies a Eurocentric view, meaning that world history probably began with the rise of western imperialism many dub it as the â€Å"the rise of the west†. Consequently, this perception of globalization ignores or down plays contribution to globalization by non western societies. These perceptions tend to downplay the historical perspective of the concept and present a narrow understanding of both history and globalization with understanding of the term modernity. Vary many historians have accounted for the concept without necessarily referring to the word itself, in fact; they recorded happenings that implied globalization before the advent of the word globalization. By any account, this is merely a semantic problem, as historians have found evidence of wide and deep infrastructures of global network amongst different societies without necessarily using the term globalization. Globalization is an approach that asserts that the world has never been isolated, unconnected communities, trade and other social interactions have

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Art - Essay Example It comprises of an image that is centered and surrounded by flowers. In this art piece, the image is a dress made of cloth, and for the head there is a small cluster of daisy like flowers. The periphery of the frame is lined by flowers and ribbons that adorn each corner. The lower escutcheon has a ‘Coat of Arms’ with words of advice or comfort. Robleto makes use of unusual materials for his art pieces and in this case he made use of homemade paper that was made from the letters received by the soldiers of war, cotton, colored paper, lantana stalks, silk, ribbon, ink, foam core, thread and cloth made from soldier’s uniforms. 3: Meaning   The meaning of the ‘Obsequies in Albany’ by Robleto is that of paying homage to those who lost their lives in the Civil War and it is considered to be a memorial for them. 4: Did you like?   Yes, I liked Robleto’s ‘Obsequies in Albany’ for both its simplicity and authenticity. I also liked it fo r the significance it held for all those who lost their lives during the war. I was also inspired by the materials used by the artist and his ingenuity in doing so.

Legal Environment Surrounding Sale and Purchase of Goods Essay

Legal Environment Surrounding Sale and Purchase of Goods - Essay Example According to Crose & Miller (2011), in any legal undertaking it is good to understand about what is legally right and what is legally wrong in any kind of legal issue. Therefore, it is advisable that Winston understand where his rights were infringed and where he might have failed during contract signing so that he can lay out a base for his legal arguments. This would enhance his chances of winning the case and thus enabling him to obtain compensation. As a plaintiff in this case he also need to understand the courts that will be involved if the case reaches litigation stage and the procedures involved in this stage so that he can prepare adequately. This paper plays a very significant role in explaining these issues and thus it would be of great assistance to Winston. Any kind of legal environment or undertaking is influenced by various factors. According to Meiners et al (2011), some of the factors that influence the legal environment are the needs and demands of the business comm unity, consumers, and the government. In this paper, we start by explaining the issues surrounding these factors. These issues are like the difference between express and implied terms, sales of goods act, difference between consumer and non-consumer sales, and process and procedures involved in the litigation stage of a case. ... These terms are rigid and cannot change to implied term whatever the case that interpret them. They also do not have further categories and we cannot have very many of them in a contract. However, each contract must have several of those terms clearly understood by both parties before signing. All other terms found in a contract, which are not express term, are regarded as implied terms. Unlike the express terms, these terms are subdivided to those implied primarily by factual circumstances of the agreements and those implied primarily by the law (Klass 2010). Also unlike the express terms, the terms implied by the factual circumstances of the agreement can change to express terms depending on the situation that interpret them. They are also found in larger number in any form of a contract. However, these two terms have one similarity, which is that they have to be included in any form of a contract and each party must read and understand them before signing the contract. According t o Klass (2010), when interpreting a contract, a court gives more priorities to express terms as compared to implied terms. This is merely because of their characteristics and their ability to explain the contract and the situation in which the contract was made. The express terms can also reveal some of the factors that made either of the parties to sign the contract. Therefore when signing any form of a contract one should be very careful with the express terms because they can play a very great part in making a case ruled to your advantage in case of any dispute arising from the contract. Sales of goods act The sales of goods act deals mainly with the sales contract

Cultural diversity, multiculturalism and inclusion Essay

Cultural diversity, multiculturalism and inclusion - Essay Example On the other hand, inclusion denotes the embodiment of different groups of people that have special needs. Apparently, the proposition to engage multiculturalism, cultural diversity and inclusiveness in the education sector has not been implemented due to the divergent implications that have been expressed. Thus, this paper will focus on the positive and negative implications that have been mention in concern to the subject. Firstly, it is noted that to nurture human cohesion, all individuals need a glimpse of the historical background of all the groups that reside in an area. For example, America is considered one of the most diverse nations in the world because it has people from diverse origins. Notwithstanding, it would be prudent to engage all the population to afflict a unified society. Secondly, the inclusion of such approaches will guarantee that people will comprehend their diversity, which has not been acceptable in the past. Through such an understanding, different societies will express peaceful coexistence in the possible manner. Thirdly, the available documentations express the impressive performance of particular races. However, with the inclusion of other individuals with successful innovation, all the learners will appreciate the diversity of all the races (Grant 179). For example, the policy makers need to embrace African American who fought against the social ills as well as the white s that struggled for economic sustenance. Fourthly, the approach will enhance comprehension of collaborative methodology that expresses the concerns of all the groups that live in the region. Lastly, the execution of such an approach will lead to multicultural equity in the state. Evidently, some of the minority groups are not given identical treatment as the other majority groups, and this affects the livelihood of the marginal population. Thus, the inception of the

Trademark Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Trademark - Assignment Example Identifying trademark-offending companies is not an easier task. This is because it can only be done by technologically advanced modes of comparing the quality of the products of the same company’s logos by the consumers. Dinwoodie and Janis (2008) note that trademark-offending companies have been on the rise, which has either increased or reduced the costs associated with various goods and services (Dinwoodie & Janis 2008). This calls for the identification of the complaints consumers raise about trademark-offending companies to reduce the increasingly burdensome business domains in the analgesics and financial market structures. An email, like written letters, merits copyrights protection. Copying and forwarding emails violates a sender’s copyrights with a prima facie case for copyright infringement. This issue can only be mitigated through a well-established cyber-crime control laws (Dinwoodie & Janis, 2008). In conclusion, consumers are more likely to face challenges in establishing the origin, sponsorship or the approval of the gripe site created by the trademark-offending companies due to lack of a better understanding of the original companies’ logos. Customers usually confuse counterfeit logos with the original companies’ symbols. Therefore, they should also not be blamed for tarnishing the company’s name. Additionally, they cannot be held responsible by the Federal Trademark Dilution act as they do these actions only as patriotic citizens and concerned

Human resources management. Personal Case Study Reflection Essay

Human resources management. Personal Case Study Reflection - Essay Example Instead of hiring another architect to succeed him, the position was united with that of the SMA in an affiliate mall. Since the current SMA with expanded duties held office in another mall and only remotely communicated with Robinsland, a ‘stand-in’ was assigned with whom he could coordinate. This was Edna, who worked as technical clerk in the leasing department, a marketing group. Leasing was a logical unit to relate with the mall architects because they dealt with tenants. As junior architect, Charles’ main job was to coordinate with the tenants and conduct inspections of their units, making sure that they met the mall standards for repair and refurbishing. As soon as Edna began her new function, friction erupted between her and Charles. Edna was heard fuming: ‘OMG, Charles, you are the reason for all my problems! You are the technical person, you should know this!’ When interviewed by the Group Manager (GM), Charles expressed that he was always stressed, and he and Edna had communication problems. Charles was demoralised and was thinking of resigning. However, the GM felt that he had great potential in the company, and wanted him to stay, also because architects were getting harder to recruit for mall operations. Issues and their causes The issues in this case are squarely within the sphere of human resources management and deal with how individuals behave in relation to each other in an organisation. There are three principal issues that surfaced. Staffing The first is the issue of staffing, which is broadly defined as â€Å"the process of determining human resource needs in an organisation and securing sufficient quanti ties of qualified people to fill those needs† (Caruth, et al., 2009, p. 2). Specifically in this case, the issue revolved around the assignment of duties on the basis of convenience, not capability. The facts showed that Edna acted as bridge the role of junior architect and SMA, yet was not an architect. Expanding the scope of duties of the other SMA over two malls was a mistake because the individual occupying that position cannot effectively discharge his duties particularly pertaining to Robinsland. Charles may be an architect, but as a junior he has no prerogative to decide matters that Edna knew nothing about. Organisations’ staffing policies should require that the individual possess the skills and knowledge to discharge the duties. Motivation The second issue is that of motivation, defined as â€Å"those psychological processes that cause the arousal, direction, and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal directed† (Mitchell, 1982, p. 81). In this d efinition, the meaning of â€Å"goal† is admitted even by experts to be ambiguous. One construct can mean â€Å"achievement goal† such as those encountered in a school or sports setting (Shah & Gardner, 2008, p. 238). In this case, however, while achievement goal may apply, it seems inadequate in explaining the cause of the conflict. Aside from the purpose of achieving the goals of their functions, Charles and Edna were also motivated by personal goals – for Charles, the fulfilment of his architectural interests, and for Edna, the need to be recognised as competent in her new job. Supervisory training It is noticeable that Edna’s designation as â€Å"technical clerk† is rank-and-file and not supervisory. A supervisor is one who is put in charge of rank-and-file personnel and is the first line of management in the organisation (McConnell, 2011). The supervisor’

Success of Islam Essay Example for Free

Success of Islam Essay Islam word means peace literally, surrendering of the wills i. e. for the sake of God loosing oneself and for the pleasure of God surrendering one’s own pleasure. 1400 years before through the Holy prophet Muhammad (pbuh) the message of Islam was revealed. It was sent down by the angel Gabriel (pbuh) and in the Holy Quran it was preserved. The best features of the earlier scriptures are said to be recorded in the Holy Quran, which is a guarantee that’s Divine without any interruptions or errors. Unity of God is the primary message of Islam, only one is the creator of this world and only he is worthy of worship and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is His Messenger and we all are its servants. A person who believes in these is a true Muslim. Other beliefs of a Muslim are in the revealed Books of God, God’s angels, belief in all the prophets from Adam to Jesus (pbuh), in the Day of Judgement and in God’s Verdict. There are five main pillars to Islam or you can say five main duties to perform, these are of being a witness to the Unity of Allah and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as His Messenger, prescribed prayers observation, the payment of Zakat, in Ramadhan keeping the fasts and performing the pilgrimage to Mecca. Every person is born pure is what the Islamic beliefs say. God has given the human beings a choice to seek its pleasure through charity, faith and prayer and also a choice between good and evil is what the Holy Quran says. In God’s image mankind is created, says Islam and in order to attain nearness to Him mankind needs to fill in the attributes of God on a human level. Worshipping God and treating all of His creatures with compassion and kindness is what’s the main message of Islam. The rights of the needy orphans and old parents are clearly stated in the Holy Quran. 1400 hundred years ago the rights of women were safeguarded when the world was in complete darkness about liberation. The principles and rules of Islam are universal truly and have stood the test of time and the teachings of Islam also encompass every situation that’s imaginable. Neglecting the bounties of nature that are lawful is not indicated by Islamic virtue. Leading a healthy life is what it encourages, living our life with the qualities of kindness, honesty, charity, patience, politeness, courage and chastity. Basically Islam has all the guidance code for the individuals as well as communities as a whole. As time changes and time passes the messages of Islam are indisputable as the entire message is derived from the Holy Quran and the Hadith and Sunnah. Regardless of the human changes it is easily adaptable in actual fact though it may appear rigid to the eye. The spiritual path is open to all is what Islam teaches. Through sincere and earnest worship any individual can seek nearness to God if he/she believes in One Creator, establishing a relationship with the Almighty is central. A positive message like this fills the heart with courage and hope (Azam). In more than 50 countries of the world there are 1. 5 billion Muslims worldwide. The fastest growing faith in the world is Islam with its beautiful message reaching in the far corner of the earth to millions. To a merchant family the Holy prophet was born in Mecca. At the age of five he had been orphanage. To become a caravan manager he grew up and married widow rich women eventually who was his employer as well. He began to experience the visions inspired by Allah in his middle years. The Holy Prophet had believed that even though Allah had revealed himself through Moses and Jesus in parts through Hebrew and Christianity the final of the revelations were given now to him. On the basis of which the followers were to live were contained in the Quran which were the guidelines for mankind sent down as revelations to the Prophet. The teachings of the Prophet formed the basis of the religion Islam which means the ‘submission to the will of Allah’. Everything in this universe and the universe itself was created by Allah Almighty himself. For an everlasting life the humans must subject themselves to the will of Allah. The followers of him were called Muslims which meant â€Å"practitioners of Islam† Prophet Muhammad set out to convince the people of Mecca after the revelations were received. Many of the people at first thought of him as insane whereas some other people feared that the attacks of him on the corrupt society would disturb and social and political order. At the time of the failure of the Meccan’s in making people accept the religion the Holy Prophet along with his close followers migrated to Yathrib which was later renamed Medina (city of the Prophet). The holy Prophet had been invited to that town by some prominent residents over there. The Holy prophet soon had begun to win the support of the Medina people and other Bedouin tribes in the countryside surrounding it. He then formed the first Muslim community by these groups. There was no separation seen by the Muslims in the social and political authority, as to them the submission to the will of Allah was seen as submission to the Prophet Muhammad. The Holy Prophet then soon became a political and religious leader. By his military and political skills he was able to put together a reliable military force, with whom he had returned to Mecca in 630, to the new faith converting the city and the townspeople. Across the Arabian Peninsula Muhammad’s ideas began to spread quickly from Mecca and within a short period of time it resulted into both the political and the religious unification of the Arab society (Spielvogel, 64). For the balancing of the individual and the spiritual life of an individual the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has provided guidance. The guidance of the Holy Prophet Muhammad was accepted by all Muslims and they were interested more in the spiritual and individual activities of the founder than his activities as a new social order founder. The success of the Prophet as the movement leader having worldwide implications can be explained by two aspects, spiritual being the first and the other being material. Generally accepted by the religious scholars and the other Muslims the first aspect holds that Prophet Muhammad was chosen as a Prophet by Allah and his success was divine. The second one which had been used and embraced by the historians and the western researchers believe that it was the distinctive leadership skills and the charismatic personality of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) that had helped in the success and also the success was believed to be the result of historical and experimental motives. The ideal personality and the historical personality were both aspects of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) that were regarded as the models of Islam. Both of these models require different research and analysis methods to be examined carefully, they do not contradict each other. With the existence of his great individual skills he lived a simple life which had been witnessed by other people. The life of the Holy Prophet would not have been considered a perfect model for humanity in the Holy Quran if this was not true. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) was sent as a guide to the wide variety of people with different emotional, aspirational and moral needs, with the mental and spiritual maturity that he possessed embraced the social and individual needs of these people and helped them in solving their problems. The depth and breadth in his policies were applied to all the societies and individuals with enormous human nature range with great sensitivity. In the social, political and economic fields Prophet Muhammad was the first Prophet and leader to put his policies into practice. To the sublime quality of the Prophet such implementation of the guidance and the leadership mission was a testament. Contrary to the Mecca situation, during Hijrah, the Prophet’s political aspect and his presidential status in particular for a state newly found had emerged. Along with his religious guidance his political leadership, the establishment of the relationships between the Muslim society and the other groups had started to grow importance. The holy prophet did not gain power or became the ruler of median at the time of Hijrah but acquired the control on the city when he had defeated his enemies in Mecca and the other places when people of Medina who had accepted Islam came to join him. Several years before the demise of the Holy Prophet the political leadership of the Holy prophet became undisputed with the subsequent developments when most of the Arabian tribes had accepted Islam. Therefore, it had been seen that under his ruling a wide political unity had been developed. The personal skills, the highly developed wisdom, his diplomacy as a ruler, his understanding with other people and his tactfulness cannot be separated from his success even if the conditions were said to be in his side always. The good behavior of the Holy prophet and his politics and leadership skills played a great role in the success besides the attractiveness of Islam and the fact that Islam responded to the needs of the Arab states religiously and as a social system (Abdul Rahman,25). Under the leadership of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) the political structure of the Arabian Peninsula changed with the quarter century. Due to the efforts of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) the Arabs had become a nation, first who were living as nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes. Rotting in terms of these concepts a new moral and social order in the society was also formed by the Prophet besides struggling heavily with the dominant religion, institutions and the social concepts. The superiority concept that was believed to exist since birth was ended by the Holy Prophet (pbuh) besides his elimination of the social injustice, tribal animosities and the inequalities. The artificial obstacles that tend to separate an individual from the society were also removed by him. A society that was based on affection, fellowship and cooperation was founded by him. The misbehavior toward women and the killing of girls was also stopped by him. The status of women was raised to such an extent by the Prophet that from the oppressive obedience rule they were made to share their lives with the men and had mutual amount or responsibilities and rights. The women were allowed to have their legal professions; they could purchase detached residences and spent their money on whatever they wanted. The old perceptions which did not treat or regard women’s as independent individuals were eliminated and he had invalidated the provisions in the field of family law of women. Steps to abolish slavery were taken by the Prophet (pbuh). After a short period of time as a matter of fact the liberated slaves began to outshine their masters in different fields like scholarships arts etc. In the tenth year of Hijrah as the entire Arabia had come under the Islamic rule and the Medina regions became Islamic state provinces the people from the Prophet’s tribe were assigned these provinces to administer. Through merit and personal ability these people were assigned the provinces. In recalling the people who were incompetent and assigning the provinces to the more skilled workers the Prophet was never hesitant. A person who was well skilled and well informed would not be assigned the work if he had issues with overcoming the task. From the values of nobility, class, tribal superiority and wealth the value of faith was more essential in administration. According to their personal capacity everyone was given the opportunity to achieve. It is hence seen that only the competent believers were assigned by the Holy Prophet (pbuh) (Malise,43). The act of consultation was one of the indispensible actions he employed in administration. On the issues of significance he consulted leading believers and took their opinions. The decision he used to make was enact to the decisions formed by these consultants even if it contradicted his own opinions (Ozel). The Holy prophet possesses some great leadership qualities which played a major role in the success of Islam at the time of the unification of Arabia. The Holy Prophet when received his first revelation, he with fear was trembling. Of the great responsibility he was fully aware of the great responsibility being given to him. He could only confide about this was to his wife Khadija as he was so fearful. The confidence by which the Holy Prophet took Hazrat Khadija in confidence was remarkable. Regardless of the prevailing norms it reflected his inner strength and confidence in judgment. At that time he trusted and respected his wife for her support something which was very rare at that time. The Holy Prophet’s deep humility was also reflected. He only preached to his family and close friends in the start, true to his humility. He was completely aware of the fact that this would completely turn his community upside down but would transform it for the better. He took the risk of dividing his community with great courage. His desire was to save the community and not destroy it (Khan). The followers of the Holy Prophet used to carry out all the orders of the Holy Prophet without any kind of hesitation as they all had blind faith in him and if they were asked to plunge themselves in the river of fire they were also ready to do that but the Holy Prophet never adopted any of the methods that were dictatorial. At times when the Holy Prophet received no instructions from Allah he used to consult his companions about the issue and respected whatever views they put forward and considering those he took his decisions. To the advice of his companions in the battle of Badr about choosing the camping grounds, taking military action against the enemies, how the prisoners should be dealt with etc were all left to the companions. He also consulted his companions at the time of the battle of Uhad about whether to attack the troops from within the city of Medina or from outside of Medina. On the Battle of Ahzab and Tabuk also he consulted his companions (Hart). The Holy Prophets kindness and tolerance, his anxiety in seeking the forgiveness of its community’s sins, he giving so much of importance to his companions and all his consultations with them were all main factors that had contributed to the great influence and wonderful exercise over his companions. The maximum qualities of leadership were all that he himself possessed. Like firmness, boldness, determination, no fear of any consequences of an action, bearing criticism, delegation of the powers in accordance to their abilities, giving importance to others, flexibility in his personal matters, emotional and practical talents, modesty, humility, contentment, simplicity, dignity, elevation of manners and great interest in the organizing of human resources (Mutahhari). At the disposal of humanity a complete program and a code of comprehensive laws had been placed with the raising of the Prophet of Islam. The teachings and laws implementation of Islam would ensure the happiness and the prosperity of the human beings in this as well as the next worlds. When the Quraish saw Islam as a threat they started torturing the Holy Prophet and all of his followers. But in spite of the unbearable hostility and suffering they were firm on their belief and held fast on their faith. When the news of the success of Islam reached the Quraish in general and the Umayyad in particular they with the Jews conspired to uproot the Muslims. Treachery was widespread and the Holy Prophet who had never yielded a weapon had to defend Islam by the force of arms. From the battle of Badr commencing a series of the battles were being fought in which the community had defended itself successfully. The Muslims remarkable achievements were primarily due to the outstanding leadership qualities of just one man- the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his teaching and explicit faith in Islam. By the same spirit his followers were also imbibed, which had carried them across the continents and inclined them against the two mighty empires, as the Muslims armies marched on were swept aside (Lodi). A successful prophet was Muhammad and a statesman who in brief span of 21 years went from the visionary of persecution to the ruler of Arabia. It was his success that made Islam a powerful tool for the providence and the second largest religion in the world. So the success of Islam is great due to the skills of the Holy Prophet which lead it to become a widespread strong belief religion (Cromwell).

Manufacturing process Essay Example for Free

Manufacturing process Essay ?What are two items regarding the manufacturing process related to the organization that the team finds unique or interesting? One of the processes that we found interesting concerning the Coca Cola Company is that the company operates through multiple local channels. The operation is set-up to manufacture, sell concentrates, beverages bases and syrups with partnerships with within the local regions in the world. This occurs because Coca Cola is comprised of many bottling partners who manufacture, package merchandise, and distribute the final branded beverages through local customers and vending partners worldwide who then sell to their local consumers with in their region of distribution. This is a unique operation because most consumers would think that Coca Cola is located at one place of operation and distributed worldwide. Another unique aspect that we found interesting is that Coca Cola has a conservation process called Sustainable Packaging. This process starts with the company having and showing an active role with recovery and recycling process. One way they are in the forefront in this process is that they support and invest the placement of several thousand recycling bins in public areas every year. They also directly invested in six plastic bottle to bottle recycling plants around the world, these plants process millions of pounds of material each year. This process helps to produce new packaging along with other items within the company. These innovated conservation awareness processed has gain favorably and partnership with Ocean Conservation and Keep America BEAUTIFUL. These two process from producing the product to investing in conservation show the cradle to grave aspect of the Coca Cola Company.

The Things They Carried Philosophy Essay

The Things They Carried Philosophy Essay The Things They Carried is author by storyteller Tim OBrien and addresses truth through fiction. He has taken the acts of the Vietnam War and told them through a series of stories. The characters listed in the book may actually be true but their actions may not be or not in the way OBrien tells the stories. He does not write in this book a historical account of the war but instead tells us about experiences that the soldiers had. In the chapter How to Tell a War Story (64) OBrien tells us that the truth is ugly and that war is not always about the glory or bravery of the soldiers. The stories are more about the soldiers feelings than the actual acts of war. I came to realize quickly that the book was about what the soldiers carried such as guilt, sadness, mental anguish and self doubt over acts of war and not the actual possessions. I believe people carry burden every day. I carry the guilt over my divorce and the fact that I wanted it so badly. I know that I will carry that guilt the rest of my life even though my life today is much better. Could I have tried harder? Did the divorce truly harm my son in anyway? The Things They Carried was a difficult book for me to read and I have to admit that reading the book actually has increased my concern for my son who is currently serving in Iraq. Once of my greatest fears is what he carries home with him after he has completed his mission. I understand that he may experience things thing that no one can image much like what OBrien wrote about. I am sure his experience is much different than what is referenced in OBriens book since we are not fighting the same kind of war. Those men had no choice they had to serve when called upon. My son has chosen to serve of his own free will and is actually enjoying his deployment even thought silently I worry about him. Human behavior is very strange especially in the act of war. Soldiers will do things that most human beings would not think of. In the normal routine of our day we do things that are strange. At work we may act a certain way so we can keep our job. Soldiers do the same thing; they act a certain way to stay alive and deal with the issue of war. In the chapter How to Tell a True War Story OBrien explains how war affects the soldiers minds. They hear voices, music, talking but there is nothing there. The soldiers call in fire power and there still is nothing there. The soldiers mind played tricks. The human mind can affect human behavior. Pre-Socratic Greek Philosophers Thales Thales was known as a first Greek philosopher and mathematician and introduced the idea of geometry. He was a successful business man and started his own school of philosophy which taught math and astronomy. Thales is also known for his thoughts on natural rather than supernatural views for events such as earthquakes. Looked upon as a man of knowledge and wisdom, Thales was named one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece. Thales was one of the founders of math and applied geometry but made a name for himself by establishing the need for deductive reasoning and proof for demonstrating a statement. Before Thales, geometry was focused on measuring surfaces and solids. He focused on lines, circles and triangles and is known for the five basic theorems of geometry. Besides his interest in geometry and math, he enjoyed astronomy. He is most noted for astronomical observations when he predicted a solar eclipse. It is thought he learned to predict the eclipse while in Babylon where they kept detailed records of astronomical events for years. With well kept records, Thales was able to calculate when an eclipse would occur and in what year. Thales believed the earth was flat and floated on water. Water was the origin of all life and was the one element needed to grow and nurture all things. He also believed that supernatural events could be explained by natural events. That an earthquake was caused when the earth was rocked by waves. It is thought Thales died sometime around 546 BC and was the only one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece to be declared wise multiple times. His philosophy became to be known as the Ionian School of Philosophy (Thales of Miletus, 2005). Heraclitus Heraclitus lived from 540-ca to 480 BC and tried to explain the nature of the universe by using logos or reason as the guide to all things, specifically fire. Heraclitus was born in Ephesus and is thought to have renounced his social status, probably king, to his brother. He was a lonely man who looked for the truth within himself and his works were similar to the writings of other philosophers. Much of Heraclitus work, On the Nature of the Universe, exists today but the work is difficult to interpret due to the use of abbreviations and style of writing. The basis of Heraclitus philosophy is the world of appearance, all things are constantly changing. Change is due to the idea that opposites guide all changes such as hot and cold, day and night, good and bad. He also believed that things that are inconsistent through conflict or tension are a type of harmony. Heraclitus thought the cosmos had always existed but did not come to existence at some specific time; that fire is the basic substance in the cosmos and all elements are changed because of it. He thought that the human soul may come to understand the truth of the cosmos even though humans understanding may only be child like. He commanded humans to learn the nature of the universe through the understanding of their own souls and was considered to be one of the first mental philosophers. Heraclitus was one of the first Greek philosophers to focus on the problem of knowledge and was the first to note the importance of an understanding of the soul as the beginning to understanding the world (Heraclitus, 2005). Empedocles Empedocles was a philosopher, poet, politician and visionary. He developed a philosophy around four elements in the universe and defined matter as the various ratios of these elements. Empedocles was born in Sicily to a wealthy family and named after his grandfather. His sharp intellect allowed him to combine his talents in philosophy, natural history, poetry and politics to accomplish popular status in his day. He was thought to be the inventor of rhetoric which is used in politics. He was popular because of his support of democracy. His scientific exploration included mysticism but his philosophies contained the basic laws of physics which included atomic theory. Empedocles followed the Greek philosopher Parmenides in the belief that matter is indestructible. He stated that matter made up all things and the four elements of the universe air, fire, earth and water made up all things according to various ratios of these four elements. Empedocles thought that love and hate controlled how the four elements came together or moved apart. Empedocles introduced the theory of reincarnation because nothing that comes into being can be destroyed only transformed. Later in his life he wrote a poetic piece called On Nature which contained ideas of evolution, the circulation of the blood and atmospheric pressure. He was the first to state the moon could be seen due to the reflection of light and thought the moon to be one third the distance from the earth to the sun. Empedocles made significant contributions to the philosophy of science. He is credited for founding the Italian school of medicine and was known to have a style for self promotion and public relations which is seen in his writings (Empedocles of Acrages, 2005). Apology-Justice and Duty (i) and Socrates Speaks at his Trial in Plato: The Last Days of Socrates Skillful Speaker with Speaking the Truth Socrates contrasts being a skilled speaker with speaking the truth (17b). Today in the media we are exposed to a great deal of false advertising. The commercials or print ads are produced and skillfully done. They are colorful, pleasing to the eyes; cleaver and many times catch our attention. Americans spend a great deal of money on these items and many times they are worthless. In the example of the toy company advertising a dancing ballerina, it was determined the television commercial through video made the ballerina dance, not the doll itself. Today in politics, Americans are exposed to very skillful speakers running for political office. When they speak of their platforms, what they believe in, many times it is thought to be what we want to hear and not what it necessarily the truth. Americans are exposed to their cleaver speeches and many times make decisions based upon those skillful speeches. Many times when a political race is about to end and individuals are expected to vote, the ads and political speeches begin to contain damaging information and again, this damaging information is skillfully delivered but is not always the truth. We then make a last minute decision based upon this questionable information and find out later it was a bad choice. In Socrates the Apology, Socrates, much like the skillful advertisers, used rhetoric to attempt to sway his accusers. He professed to be a plain main who speaks only simple truth yet he uses cleaver rhetoric and uses words in such a way as to manipulate them to serve a different purpose. Socrates claims he is not a cleaver speaker but the Apology tells us otherwise (The Interplay of Influence: News, Advertising, Politics and the Mass Media, 2001). Socrates was not afraid of Death Socrates continues to tell the accusers that he will not be the formal charges which will destroy him but the prejudicial gossip and slander. He does not fear death because he is concerned about acting right or wrong. Socrates argues that those who fear death show ignorance, that death is a blessing but those who fear it as an evil thing cannot know it to be such. He points out that his wisdom lies in the fact that he is aware that he does not know (29a, b). Socrates thought that man should be evaluating his actions as being right or wrong, just or unjust. This is because the value and justness of our lives count. He also thought that man should not be afraid of death, because we do not know what it is. To be afraid of something we do not know is to assume we know and Socrates felt that was unwise. He was not afraid of death because he realized it is a peaceful sleep and you meet those who have died before you, so how can this be evil? Socrates also thought that man should not stop fighting for what he believes in, even if it leads to death. He felt that he would rather die than give up his philosophical life. Socrates died for a righteous cause, the belief that one should never change their beliefs because of the fear of death. When Socrates declares to the jury, Wherefore, O men of Athens, I say to you, do as Anytus bids or not as Anytus bids, and either acquit me or not; but whatever you do know that I shall never alter my ways, not even if I have to die many times, he is giving up his life as an example for the future generations. He thought that if he died for a great cause it was justified. Once Socrates was found guilty, he insisted that a just person will not allow anything to count against doing the right thing, no matter the cost. If he chose ordinary good instead of the just course of action he would be choosing an action that was not good for him and he refused to do this. He did not propose an alternative to the death penalty. Socrates chose to accept his fate and becomes known as the greatest hero in the history of philosophy. His main concern in life was excellence in moral character of the soul which has set the foundation for ethics and philosophy today (Encyclopedia of Ethics, 2001). The Last Words in the Apology and Socrates Defense God and gods play a huge role in the Apology. The last word in Socrates defense is God (42a) and is placed there on purpose. In addressing the charges against him, charged with believing in other gods and corrupting the youth, Socrates does a good job of making the charges seem ridiculous. When Plato wrote the Apology he emphasizes the importance of the gods in agreement with Socrates wisdom. It was the Oracle of Delphi that proclaims that he is the wisest of the wise (20c) not Socrates. He is not defying the gods but trying to reach some truth and meaning. By asking questions he is gaining knowledge and truth which challenges the accuser to think beyond what they have always known. Socrates accusers try to prove him to be an atheist but fail by establishing Socrates teaches men to acknowledge some gods and that he believes in spirits or demigods (26a). This proves Socrates is not guilty of teaching the youth to not believe in gods of any kind but of introducing the youth to other ideas of god. In the defense of Socrates he delivers the argument that he believes in the spirits or demigods which establishes the fact that he has not corrupted the minds of the youth with ideas of not believing in God, when he himself believes in gods. Socrates tells us in the Apology that we should strive to be like God if God is considered to be the supreme entity.

Workers Need a Living Wage Essay -- Its Time to Raise the Minimum Wag

It's 6:00am and that annoying beep of your alarm is ringing in your ears. You get up, start the coffee maker, shower, and get dressed in your work attire. You start your car and back out of your drive-way before noticing that you're running on the last fumes of your tank. You drive to nearest gas station where you see gas prices have, once again, risen. The aforementioned scenario is only one of many examples of the depreciating value of the dollar. In fact, in the past five years, the CPI-U has increased from 168.8 to 190.7 - that's a 12.97% inflationary increase (Historical CPI)! Sure, to Corporate Joe in his fancy sports car, a few extra pennies for gas isn’t much, but what about the school janitor who is trying to successfully raise a family of four on minimum wage? The most immediate reality behind Living Wage organizing is the dramatic erosion of the minimum wage. Even with the 1996 increase to $5.15 an hour the buying power of the minimum wage is still 30 percent below its peak in 1968. This is true despite the fact the economy was about fifty percent more productive than in 1968. A minimum wage that had kept pace with productivity gains would be roughly $11.20 today (Pollin and Luce, 58). In fact, in 2003 the poverty rate rose from 12.1 to 12.5 percent leaving 35.9 million people at or below the poverty line of $18,660 for a family of four (U.S. Census Bureau). These 35.9 million people trudge through their manual labor occupations day in and day out only to see the (few) dollars they earn slowly depreciate in value. In 1906, John Ryan, advocate of the living wage, wrote "Every man who is willing to work, has, therefore an inborn right to sustenance from the earth and on reasonable terms or conditio... ...ome of the fiscal burden they experience. With the increasingly inflating dollar and therefore the depreciating value of the minimum wage, an implementation of a universal living wage would be the humanitarian thing to do. Works Cited Historical Consumer Price Index. Historical CPI. 2003. 4 March 2015. Pollin, Robert and Stephanie Luce. The Living Wage: Building A Fair Economy. New York: New Press, 1998. U.S. Census Bureau. Poverty 2003 Highlights. 26 August 2004. 25 February 2015. Glickman, Lawrence. A Living Wage: American Workers and the Making of a Consumer Society. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997. Acorn.org. ACORN: About Acorn. 2005. 2 March 2015.

cold war Essay -- essays research papers

Dear President Bush,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I would like to advise you on the causes, course and effects of the Cold War in hopes that you this will help you in shaping your current foreign policy. The Cold War is a term used to describe the intense rivalry and strained relations between the two superpowers that had arose after World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union. This period of hostility mainly resulted from ideological differences, and mutual distrust between the two blocks. Following World War II, Germany and Berlin were divided into four zones. Each zone was controlled either by Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, or the United States. Despite objections by the Soviet Union, the United States, Great Britain and France planned to re-unify Germany. In response, the U.S.S.R. placed a blockade on Berlin. The United States organized massive airlifts to send food and other necessities to the isolated city. After promises for free elections were broken by the Soviet Union, the already strained relationships between the two superpowers were worsened. In fear of Soviet expansion, the United Stated adapted a new foreign policy of containment, in which they attempted to stop the progress of communism. The Truman Doctrine of 1947 stated that the United States would help any non- communist country resist the pressures of communism. The Marshall Plan involved sending money to help countries recover from World War II, so that they would be less likely to...

Affirmative Action :: Essays Papers

Affirmative Action President John F. Kennedy used the phrase "affirmative action" in March of 1961, when he put into effect Executive Order 10925. The order required every federal contract to include the pledge that "The Contractor will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, or national origin. The Contractor will take affirmative action, to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." However, in 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson felt that in order to achieve fairness more was need than just a commitment to impartial treatment. Months later, President Johnson issued Executive Order 11246, which stated that "It is the policy of the Government of the United States to provide equal opportunity in federal employment for all qualified persons, to prohibit discrimination in employment because or race, creed, color or national origin, and to promote the full realization of equal employment opportunity through a positive, continuing program in each department and agency." Two years later, the order was amended to prohibit discrimination based on sex. Today, it is argued that the affirmative action policy has resulted in reverse discrimination, as well as an increase in racial tension. Those in opposition feel that it is undemocratic to give one class of citizens advantages at the expense of other citizens. They feel this policy promotes quotas rather than qualifications. They believe that discrimination on some level is a part of everyone's life and is an inescapable part of forming preferences and taste. Those in favor of affirmative action state that it is not about preferential treatment for certain racial, gender, or ethnic groups, but rather about promoting equality and equal opportunities for everyone. Defenders feel this policy helps level the field for women and minorities that historically have been overlooked and discriminated against. The issue of affirmative action is a sore subject in society. I have mixed feelings on the policy; it can be beneficial as well as harmful to those affected by it. As a woman in the workforce, it is reality to me that segregation based on sex does exist, as well as a wage gap. I feel that women will benefit more from a free market system rather than one controlled by government regulation. In order to meet their quota, employers will promote women and minorities too quickly or into positions, they are not qualified for.

Failed Amendment: Protecting Slavery Essay

In 1861, an Amendment was proposed to protect the practice of slavery, known as the Corwin Amendment.. It would make it so not amendments could be made to effect the use of slavery. This is the only proposed Amendment that has the signature of the President, to not be ratified. The President’s signature is considered unnecessary due to the face the constitutional provision that on the concurrence of two-thirds of both Houses of Congress the proposal shall be submitted to the States for ratification. Two states approved this proposal, Ohio and Illinois. It is believed that Maryland also ratified the Corwin Amendment, but due to military conflict during the Civil War it was never official. I believe that it was never ratified for many reasons but the main was because many state did not agree with slavery at the time, and they did not want to â€Å"protect† it with an amendment, they also saw that change was coming and if it was ratified, change could not happen. Technically the Corwin Amendment is still â€Å"live† and it could still be ratified, although the 13th Amendment put an end to slavery. If the 13th Amendment did not make slavery illegal, it still not be ratified, especially today. People’s views on equal rights, and racism have changed drastically, and if the Corwin Amendment was proposed today people would be disgusted. I believe that is the Corwin Amendment was even suggest America would become a very different place. Many citizens would change their views on the government and protest and riots would break out.

Patterns of Evolution

Patterns of Evolution Humans alter our environment to suit our needs rather than adapt to our environment based on environmental stressors. Due to this fact, we are unlikely to be affected by the pressures of natural selection. We will not likely be affected by further evolution. In convergent evolution, unrelated species living in the similar environments become more and more alike in appearance as they adapt to the same kind of environment. Dolphins and sharks are examples of convergent evolution. Although they are from different vertebrate groups, they live in similar environment. They have evolved similar characteristics like their body shape, coloration, location of back fins, and shape of tail. Divergent evolution is the process of two or more related species becoming more and more dissimilar. Adaptive radiation is an example of divergent evolution. Horses are an example of divergent evolution. Over time as they adapted to different environments, the species diverged and evolved into mules and zebras. Honeycreeper birds are examples of adaptive radiation. Species of birds evolved, seemingly from a single familial species, on a group of islands. Co-evolution is the evolution of one species influencing the evolution of another species. Predators and their prey sometimes co-evolve. Cheetahs and Thompson’s gazelles are examples of co-evolution. As a result of co-evolution, Cheetahs have evolved into the world`s fastest mammal and the gazelle is just slightly slower. As predators evolve, prey evolves and vice versa. Divergent evolution could have an impact on humans in the future. Although we are all different in appearances and characteristics right now, we could diverge in the future. Climates are different all over the world and as human move to and habitat in these environments, the body could adapt to the different atmosphere. This will cause humans to diverge in appearance. Head shape could change, skin and eye color as well. References Pruitt, N. L. , & Underwood, L. S. (2006). Bioinquiry: Making connections in biology (3rd ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Food inc review

Food Inc Extra Credit Food Inc is a documentary about the state of the food industry within the United States. It was a very in depth look at the farming industry that most people don't get a chance to see. Most people don't really think about where the food comes from or how it was farmed. This documentary gave a clear insight into how our food is really produced. When you think of farming, you may think of an area of land which is devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food, but in this ocumentary we learned that most of our food is actually produced in mega factories.Since there is such a high demand for processed food these days, farmers are artificially growing their crops. The film introduces us to an overcrowded chicken farm in Kentucky and clarifies the fact that chickens have doubled in size since the 1950's. Chickens today are genetically modified to have larger breasts in order to respond to the demands of the consumer's preference for white meat. The chickens row at such a rate that their bones and organs can't keep up with the rapid weight gain.The chickens aren't able to walk around since their legs cannot carry the weight. Health and safety regulations of the food, the animals, the workers on the assembly lines, and of the consumers who will be eating the food is often overlooked by the companies in an effort to provide cheap food regardless of the negative consequences. Animals at factory farms stand ankle deep in their manure for long eriods of time meaning that if one cow has E.Coli, the other animals can easily be infected with it which will then be passed on to the consumer when ingested. Overall, I believe that this documentary was a major eye opener for me to pay more attention to the type of food that I consume and to also take the proper precautions when preparing food at home. I have learnt the importance of properly reading food labels prior to purchasing food in order to be fully aware of what I am putting into my body.

Human Impacts on the Sustainability of Groundwater Essay

The purpose of this lab is to show the sustainability of groundwater, if human development continues, at the same rate it has been, over the last few decades. Over the last 50 years our water demand has tripled, which is causing water tables all over the world to fail, and when these aquifers are depleted, worldwide food production will fall. I have looked over the data provided, and have come to the conclusion, that if we do not control our population, we will likely experience worldwide famine, maybe even have it as the catalyst for the next world war. Data collected from the M.U.S.E. in the virtual classroom, located at cut online, also researched on the internet, from the Google search bar, Nairaland forum, and WOA. Documentation, from these resources, and research, written in the following paragraphs. Stated in a 2009 report, that if the world population reached 7.5 billion, by 2020, 1.8 billion people, would be living in regions with extreme water scarcity. In a current report  as of December 1, 2014, our global population, has already reached over 7 billion, and futuristically, Africa is the only nation that is capable of self-sustaining. The Americans, Chinese, and Europeans, aspire to live a certain life style that will ultimately end in a survival of the fittest.  Several studies show that earth is currently capable of sustaining about 2 billion, at half the recourses, we currently consume. Each American, consumes about 20 acres, of biologically productive land, so if the worlds 7 billion people, consumed that of the average American, we would need about 5 earth’s resources, to be sustained. Obviously Earths 29.6 billion acres of biologically productive land, and water, support about 1.5 billion people. So we need to reduce the population by 80 %, or reduce our consumption by over 50%, and realistically, neither one is going to happen anytime soon. Which leaves our grandchildren, and so on, in serious risk of a grave global catastrophe? Resources: Politics,Lagbaja, taken from web address http://www.nairaland.com/2022950/current-world-population-three-time, on 1/05/2015 WOA!! Taken from web address http://www.overpopulation.org/water.html on 01/06/2015

Attitude Formation

†¢ The affective component consists of the emotional feelings stimulated by the object of the attitude. †¢ The behavioral component consists of predispositions to act in certain ways toward an attitude object. The object of an attitude can be anything people have opinions about. Therefore, individual people, groups of people, institutions, products, social trends, consumer products, etc. all can be attitudinal objects. †¢ Attitudes involve social judgments. They are either for, or against, pro, or con, positive, or negative; however, it is possible to be ambivalent about the attitudinal object and have a mix of positive and negative feelings and thoughts about it. †¢ Attitudes involve a readiness (or predisposition) to respond; however, for a variety of reasons we don’t always act on our attitudes. †¢ Attitudes vary along dimensions of strength and accessibility. Strong attitudes are very important to the individual and tend to be durable and have a powerful impact on behavior, whereas weak attitudes are not very important and have little impact. Accessible attitudes come to mind quickly, whereas other attitudes may rarely be noticed. †¢ Attitudes tend to be stable over time, but a number of factors can cause attitudes to change. †¢ Stereotypes are widely held beliefs that people have certain characteristics because of their membership in a particular group. †¢ A prejudice is an arbitrary belief, or feeling, directed toward a group of people or its individual members. Prejudices can be either positive or negative; however, the term is usually used to refer to a negative attitude held toward members of a group. Prejudice may lead to discrimination, which involves behaving differently, usually unfairly, toward the members of a group. Psychological factors involved in Attitude Formation and Attitude Change 1. Direct Instruction involves being told what attitudes to have by parents, schools, community organizations, religious doctrine, friends, etc. 2. Operant Conditioning is a simple form of learning. It is based on the â€Å"Law of Effect† and involves voluntary responses. Behaviors (including verbal behaviors and maybe even thoughts) tend to be repeated if they are reinforced (i. e. , followed by a positive experience). Conversely, behaviors tend to be stopped when they are punished (i. e. , followed by an unpleasant experience). Thus, if one expresses, or acts out an attitude toward some group, and this is reinforced by one’s peers, the attitude is strengthened and is likely to be expressed again. The reinforcement can be as subtle as a smile or as obvious as a raise in salary. Operant conditioning is especially involved with the behavioral component of attitudes. 3. Classical conditioning is another simple form of learning. It involves involuntary responses and is acquired through the pairing of two stimuli. Two events that repeatedly occur close together in time become fused and before long the person responds in the same way to both events. Originally studied by Pavlov, the process requires an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) that produces an involuntary (reflexive) response (UCR). If a neutral stimulus (NS) is paired, either very dramatically on one occasion, or repeatedly for several acquisition trials, the neutral stimulus will lead to the same response elicited by the unconditioned stimulus. At this point the stimulus is no longer neutral and so is referred to as a conditioned stimulus (CS) and the response has now become a learned response and so is referred to as a conditioned response (CR). In Pavlov’s research the UCS was meat powder which led to an UCR of salivation. The NS was a bell. At first the bell elicited no response from the dog, but eventually the bell alone caused the dog to salivate. Advertisers create positive attitudes towards their products by presenting attractive models in their ads. In this case the model is the UCS and our reaction to him, or her, is an automatic positive response. The product is the original NS which through pairing comes to elicit a positive conditioned response. In a similar fashion, pleasant or unpleasant experiences with members of a particular group could lead to positive or negative attitudes toward that group. Classical conditioning is especially involved with the emotional, or affective, component of attitudes. 4. Social (Observational) Learning is based on modeling. We observe others. If they are getting reinforced for certain behaviors or the expression of certain attitudes, this serves as vicarious reinforcement and makes it more ikely that we, too, will behave in this manner or express this attitude. Classical conditioning can also occur vicariously through observation of others. 5. Cognitive Dissonance exists when related cognitions, feelings or behaviors are inconsistent or contradictory. Cognitive dissonance creates an unpleasant state of tension that motivates people to reduce their dissonance by changing their cognitions, feel ing, or behaviors. For example, a person who starts out with a negative attitude toward marijuana will experience cognitive dissonance if they start smoking marijuana and find themselves enjoying the experience. The dissonance they experience is thus likely to motivate them to either change their attitude toward marijuana, or to stop using marijuana. This process can be conscious, but often occurs without conscious awareness. 6. Unconscious Motivation. Some attitudes are held because they serve some unconscious function for an individual. For example, a person who is threatened by his homosexual feelings may employ the defense mechanism of reaction formation and become a crusader against homosexuals. Or, someone who feels inferior may feel somewhat better by putting down a group other than her own. Because it is unconscious, the person will not be aware of the unconscious motivation at the time it is operative, but may become aware of it as some later point in time. 7. Rational Analysis involves the careful weighing of evidence for, and against, a particular attitude. For example, a person may carefully listen to the presidential debates and read opinions of political experts in order to decide which candidate to vote for in an election. Attitude Formation †¢ The affective component consists of the emotional feelings stimulated by the object of the attitude. †¢ The behavioral component consists of predispositions to act in certain ways toward an attitude object. The object of an attitude can be anything people have opinions about. Therefore, individual people, groups of people, institutions, products, social trends, consumer products, etc. all can be attitudinal objects. †¢ Attitudes involve social judgments. They are either for, or against, pro, or con, positive, or negative; however, it is possible to be ambivalent about the attitudinal object and have a mix of positive and negative feelings and thoughts about it. †¢ Attitudes involve a readiness (or predisposition) to respond; however, for a variety of reasons we don’t always act on our attitudes. †¢ Attitudes vary along dimensions of strength and accessibility. Strong attitudes are very important to the individual and tend to be durable and have a powerful impact on behavior, whereas weak attitudes are not very important and have little impact. Accessible attitudes come to mind quickly, whereas other attitudes may rarely be noticed. †¢ Attitudes tend to be stable over time, but a number of factors can cause attitudes to change. †¢ Stereotypes are widely held beliefs that people have certain characteristics because of their membership in a particular group. †¢ A prejudice is an arbitrary belief, or feeling, directed toward a group of people or its individual members. Prejudices can be either positive or negative; however, the term is usually used to refer to a negative attitude held toward members of a group. Prejudice may lead to discrimination, which involves behaving differently, usually unfairly, toward the members of a group. Psychological factors involved in Attitude Formation and Attitude Change 1. Direct Instruction involves being told what attitudes to have by parents, schools, community organizations, religious doctrine, friends, etc. 2. Operant Conditioning is a simple form of learning. It is based on the â€Å"Law of Effect† and involves voluntary responses. Behaviors (including verbal behaviors and maybe even thoughts) tend to be repeated if they are reinforced (i. e. , followed by a positive experience). Conversely, behaviors tend to be stopped when they are punished (i. e. , followed by an unpleasant experience). Thus, if one expresses, or acts out an attitude toward some group, and this is reinforced by one’s peers, the attitude is strengthened and is likely to be expressed again. The reinforcement can be as subtle as a smile or as obvious as a raise in salary. Operant conditioning is especially involved with the behavioral component of attitudes. 3. Classical conditioning is another simple form of learning. It involves involuntary responses and is acquired through the pairing of two stimuli. Two events that repeatedly occur close together in time become fused and before long the person responds in the same way to both events. Originally studied by Pavlov, the process requires an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) that produces an involuntary (reflexive) response (UCR). If a neutral stimulus (NS) is paired, either very dramatically on one occasion, or repeatedly for several acquisition trials, the neutral stimulus will lead to the same response elicited by the unconditioned stimulus. At this point the stimulus is no longer neutral and so is referred to as a conditioned stimulus (CS) and the response has now become a learned response and so is referred to as a conditioned response (CR). In Pavlov’s research the UCS was meat powder which led to an UCR of salivation. The NS was a bell. At first the bell elicited no response from the dog, but eventually the bell alone caused the dog to salivate. Advertisers create positive attitudes towards their products by presenting attractive models in their ads. In this case the model is the UCS and our reaction to him, or her, is an automatic positive response. The product is the original NS which through pairing comes to elicit a positive conditioned response. In a similar fashion, pleasant or unpleasant experiences with members of a particular group could lead to positive or negative attitudes toward that group. Classical conditioning is especially involved with the emotional, or affective, component of attitudes. 4. Social (Observational) Learning is based on modeling. We observe others. If they are getting reinforced for certain behaviors or the expression of certain attitudes, this serves as vicarious reinforcement and makes it more ikely that we, too, will behave in this manner or express this attitude. Classical conditioning can also occur vicariously through observation of others. 5. Cognitive Dissonance exists when related cognitions, feelings or behaviors are inconsistent or contradictory. Cognitive dissonance creates an unpleasant state of tension that motivates people to reduce their dissonance by changing their cognitions, feel ing, or behaviors. For example, a person who starts out with a negative attitude toward marijuana will experience cognitive dissonance if they start smoking marijuana and find themselves enjoying the experience. The dissonance they experience is thus likely to motivate them to either change their attitude toward marijuana, or to stop using marijuana. This process can be conscious, but often occurs without conscious awareness. 6. Unconscious Motivation. Some attitudes are held because they serve some unconscious function for an individual. For example, a person who is threatened by his homosexual feelings may employ the defense mechanism of reaction formation and become a crusader against homosexuals. Or, someone who feels inferior may feel somewhat better by putting down a group other than her own. Because it is unconscious, the person will not be aware of the unconscious motivation at the time it is operative, but may become aware of it as some later point in time. 7. Rational Analysis involves the careful weighing of evidence for, and against, a particular attitude. For example, a person may carefully listen to the presidential debates and read opinions of political experts in order to decide which candidate to vote for in an election.