Reason And Experience Essay

Many rationalist philosophers argue that we have at least some innate knowledge of concepts such as God, Maths and causation. However, an empiricist would disagree, arguing that we have no knowledge at birth, our minds are tabula rasa and all our concepts are essentially derived from sense experience. Most rationalists subscribe to the view that maths is innate; Plato argues this using the concept of equality and geometry. He presents us with the scenario of judging whether two sticks are equal in size, we use equality, a concept which we haven’t experienced as nothing in the world is exactly equal, rather â€Å"almost equal†, although this concept still contains equal – thus, he argues that equality is an innate concept. He presents another example of when Socrates discussed geometry with a slave child. Socrates presented the child with a question on geometry which he happened to answer correctly, all without any prior knowledge or experience of geometry. Plato suggests that Socrates triggered innate knowledge within the child. An empiricist would respond to the concept of equality by stating that â€Å"almost equal† does not contain the concept equal, rather â€Å"almost equal† is itself a simple concept derived from sense experience upon comparing objects. The sticks would always differ in length by some amount; therefore we can form the concept of equal by abstracting two sticks which differ by no length. In regards to the slave boy argument, Socrates enquires the boy through leading questions, a method where he can learn the rules and relationships and apply it to the original question. In Descartes’ â€Å"Trademark argument†, he claims that we have an innate idea of God. He claims that we are imperfect and finite minds, and God is something which we could not have come up with as he is both infinite and perfect. We also haven’t experienced anything infinite or perfect in the physical world, thus Descartes concludes that our concept of God is innate. Hume objects to this argument, stating that we formed the idea of God through abstraction and negation, since we are familiar of things which are finite and imperfect, we can then imagine the opposite, something which is infinite and perfect. Descartes follows up to this, saying that the initial concept of perfection is necessary to make comparisons in order to recognise imperfection. Upon closer inspection, we can see that there is an inconsistency in Descartes’ argument, he claims we have a clear and distinct idea that God is perfect and infinite, yet he claims as finite minds we cannot form a clear idea of God’s infinity. Descartes expects us to acknowledge that the idea of God is positive – meaning the concept of infinity and perfection is not formed through opposite their opposite meanings, yet we only have a negative idea of God as we are finite, we therefore must be the cause of the idea. Another prominent cause of division between rationalists and empiricists is the concept of causation. Rationalists argue that causation cannot be experienced through sense impressions; to illustrate this, an example of one ball striking a second ball is often used. The second ball appears to have moved off, initially it may seem as though it was the cause of the first ball, but in fact the movement of all the balls were controlled by magnets. Rationalists would conclude that causation is an innate concept as it cannot be acquired through sense experience, as shown in the example it seemed as though the first ball was the cause of the second ball moving off even though this isn’t the case. Hume tackles causation by arguing that patterns which repeat themselves are regarded as causation. To illustrate this, if we heard thunder immediately before clapping our hands, we would think nothing of it. If the same thing happened a minute later, we would still regard it as coincidence. Although if this continued to happen for a fourth, fifth or sixth time, we would begin to think that clapping our hands was the cause – yet the only difference between the first and the sixth time was the repetition. Hume concludes that that the feeling of causation is simply the result of repetition and is simply nothing more than a habit. Taking all this into account, it appears that the many ideas which rationalists claim are innate actually originate from sense experience, just like all other ideas. Having even some innate ideas is not possible, as John Locke stated, at birth are minds our tabula rasa, therefore there are no innate ideas in the human mind. If there were, it would mean there are propositions which everyone would assent to, including children and â€Å"idiots† – but there clearly aren’t.

The Responsibility Project

The Responsibility Project The Responsibility Project 9/17/2012 ETH/316 The Responsibility Project The issues in this film are important because it shows how a typical shift may seem like everything goes wrong, and nothing could possibly make things worse. There are days when the typical worker wishes they did not get out of bed. Occurrences happen and people want to run off the job and give up, but people should not give up. Accidents happen, and when they do, people should evaluate what is happening at work. There are ways and options to fix broken lights, and equipment utilized on the job.At times it looks like there is no solution, but there are always options one may not view as available to them. The best option for an employee to choose is to not panic. The job looks dark at times, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, or in this case, a light in the top of the lighthouse. The film teaches how equipment failures occur, but if people ban together and help each other th e job will go smoothly and the organization of the company improves. The roles of external social pressures have a high amount of influence in organizational ethics.The news media, social networks, and word of mouth of customers affect the organizations publicity and reputation immensely. The employees of a company should always remember to help each other when they are able, and an extra hand makes light work. Social pressures influence organizations and companies to maintain quality assurance within the organization. The company must maintain a clean, safe, and productive environment at all times. A well-organized company will work with ease, and if the equipment is well maintained the company is productive and more efficient.If the company is dangerous for the employees and the customers, the publicity is hazardous for the economic status of the company. These issues are relevant to the organization because if the news media knows a certain organization is hazardous to the health of the employees and the customers, the business will fall into economic strife, and this would lead to the downfall of the local economy as well. It is important for the maintenance and upkeep of the equipment to remain healthy and well adjusted. If proper maintenance and equipment checks are not regularly scheduled, the equipment may malfunction.Clean work areas and production floors are necessary to keep the company running smoothly. A clean and well maintained work place will minimize errors and accidents. When all the employees maintain their work area and continue to perform their tasks of production, the organization will have a proper balance and flow of output. The relationship between legal and ethical issues in this film about a lighthouse is brilliant. The video tells a story in three minutes that had my imagination flowing with years of friendship and responsibility between the men of the town, and the workers of the lighthouse.The ship is in danger of crashing on the rocks off the shore, and the men in the town are off work, and in the local pub. They are jovial and happy at their gathering, while the man in the lighthouse is at his post. He sits there documenting his ledgers, and when the light makes a noise and goes out, he stumbles in the darkness to investigate his equipment. He is a bit clumsy at the light when he is trying to repair the damage, and he breaks it worse than it was. He unethically had a mess of tools in the work area he tripped over, but that was not illegal.Sadly the boat continues towards the lighthouse in the dark. The man in the lighthouse soon hears a noise. He opens the door and sees all the men in town climbing up the hill to offer him a light. They all stand around the top of the light tower with their lanterns just in time for the boat to turn and safely go around the peninsula. The men in town were not legally responsible to save the ship, or help with the lighthouse, but ethically the town all pulled together to he lp each other. Reference http://www. youtube. com/watch? feature=player_embedded&v=FIG0L5OhhdE

International Comparative Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Comparative Analysis - Essay Example This essay focuses on analyzing and presenting of the international comparative analysis, that is highly relevant in today’s growth-oriented societies in which problems can crop up when large concentrations of people are put within a relatively small area such as in highly-urbanized cities of the developing countries. In particular, urbanization continues to pose serious challenges to country planners who have to contend with limited and finite resources while populations continue to expand. This paper discusses some approaches applied to the urban renewal efforts of cities suffering urban decay. The theories from comparative analysis are useful when explaining new patterns of spatial development, like uneven or unequal development such as the new poly-centric patterns of urban growth. The practical application of comparative analysis is to learn from the de-industrialisation taking place in cities like London and New York and apply them to waves of industrialisation taking pl ace in China and the Asia-Pacific. An interesting use of international comparative analysis will be determining which of the two largest nations in the world can pull off an economic miracle. It is concluded by the researcher that theoretical and practical applications of international comparative analysis will guide modern city planners when drafting country policies for development. It will let the countries to maximize all the resources they have and avoid the mistakes of the past because it is very hard to undo them in future.

Why Peace Processes Fail to End Violence Research Paper

Why Peace Processes Fail to End Violence - Research Paper Example The failure of talks among governments, societies, rebels, communities and other parties faced with conflict to come to consensus is discussed in the paper. Various examples of such instances have been given, and the challenges they face in the negotiation process outlined. Attempts and failure of dialogue in solving a conflict eliciting new beginning of the conflict have also been illustrated in this document. Factors hindering peace methods in curbing the conflicts have also been widely discussed. In various cases, both international and domestic, mediation has always failed; this is discussed with various relevant examples in the world.  Most warring parties embark on physical confrontation as a means of solving the problem. Political and fiscal reforms will be noted to assist in decision-making during the negotiation process. This often results in the elimination of peace as a solution to the problem that resulted in war. This idea has been viewed from different angles in this document such that it is realized that peace often fails in the process of ending violence.  The definition of peace may be varied, but, in this context, it can be summarized or explicated as the absence of hostilities or war. It can be attained by various applications depending on the context. Establishment of peace through peace method has proved inefficient in most cases thus termed to have failed in ending violence. This method is mostly applied through negotiations and settling of disputes through peacebuilding and peacekeeping. Political factors, in most cases, are the culprit of war thus making peace a difficult avenue to take in bringing things under control. The willingness of the warring parties to have a round table talk is a problem.

Financial economics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financial economics - Assignment Example Most investors as well as investment managers always assume that they can pick securities which can beat the market. As such, they always utilize available public information when making promising investment decisions. According to Lengwiler (2004), when investing, shareholders utilize financial information as their core decision-making tool. That is, if a market is termed as efficient, shareholders will purchase the security most probably at its present market price, though depending on accessible public market information. Consequently, investors who purchase other securities or the stock perceive that market information as an indispensible appraisal. Market efficiency commands that any market price of a security indicates the consensus projection of the market value of such security. As such, efficient market is can only be achieved if the security price is a replica of the accessible public market information. That is, information concerning the economy, financial markets, and th e specific companies involved. However, as a consequence, the market prices of such securities adjust very swiftly to fresh market information. In Finland Stock Exchange (FSE), it was affirmed that the market did not exhibits weak-form market efficiency since stakeholders are capable of utilizing the time series data concerning prior stock prices to differentiate the design of price changes when forecasting prospective stock return. To establish if variation in current stock price is not caused by changes in prior stock prices is our concern. As an effort to tests, with regards to data from Finland`s Stock Exchange, how market prices exhibit weak-form efficiency, a variance ratio test, nested if instructions, and run test was done on past and present stock price. This was done by investigating whether market value data, liquidity data, debt data, and profitability data have any effect on future stock returns. By collecting the data of various companies listed in

Western Alienation in Canadian Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Western Alienation in Canadian Politics - Essay Example The history of western alienation dates back to the forming of the dominion of Canada and Canada confederation in the year 1867. The conservative party prime minister J. Macdonald implemented a national policy with regard to manufactured goods and trade policies. In doing this, he was responding to the high tariffs that were in the United States. The western farmers were forced to compete with international markets when trading grains (Surhone and Miriam2010, 53). This created dissatisfaction. Western provinces thought the tariffs were freight rates were discriminatory and favored the central provinces. Western Canadian politics and culture are extremely pervaded by sentiments of an asymmetrical relationship between the two central provinces and the West (Ferguson and Simon 2009, 70-74). The feeling of being exploited is not limited to westerners. Many Canadians in Atlantic Provinces feel the same alienation (Mackenzie 1984, 29). Western alienation is both a regional and political id eology in with regard to discontent. Western alienation represents a common and shared set of political beliefs. It is viewed as both intellectual articulation and cultural expression. The alienation has a recognized constituency and history. It is got representatives and hence fundamental element of the western political culture. For many years now, Western alienation has been a vital component in the Canadian political field. The emotion and attitudes behind the term can be traced back to mid 1800s. This is pre World War I period. The term western alienation is relatively recent. Many believe Canadian political system is the main cause of this phenomenon. The federal political system is dysfunctional and unrepresentative according to many western Canadians (Alberta 2000, 41). A large portion of the literature reveals western alienation revolves around political concerns. The federal political system is accused of alienating the western provinces in Canada. The alienation has cause d ongoing struggles to defend the interest of the western Canadians (Ibbitson 2012, 2). The oil discovery in the province of Alberta, in the year 1947, led to a conflict between the province and the federal government of Canada. The premier of Alberta, Lougheed, said the province should utilize the profits from oil to propel its economy. There was a threefold agenda to complete a transcontinental railway, to create a manufacturing base and to settle prairies. The manufacturing base was to be in eastern Canada. According to J. Macdonald, this would be the solution to the problem of uniting Canada both economically and geographically. In contrast, the national policy ended up becoming a source of significant western discontent. This policy left a legacy of discriminatory freight rates. To the western Canada, the policy enhanced a resource based economy that propelled the growth of financial and manufacturing sectors in the central Canada (Mackenzie 1984, 29). It should be noted the la st half of the 20th century has witnessed enormous growth and change in western Canada. The provinces of British Columbia and Alberta have been impacted tremendously. The discovery of oil in Leduc, Alberta in 1947 changed the economy of the province although it created increasing conflict with Ottawa.

Do Smartphones Benefit Classroom Learning or Not Essay

Do Smartphones Benefit Classroom Learning or Not - Essay Example Many governments in the world today have acknowledged the importance of technology by either including it as a subject in its own right in the curriculum, or stressing its importance as a set of cross-curricular skills, usually ICT. Technology allows information to be presented more accurately and more attractively than by most traditional means, so that it engages the attention of the user. Despite having its benefits technology has its disadvantages and many people have pointed at them as reasons why smart phones are not good for class room learning (Academic Conferences Limited and Balcaen 159). The use of smart phones in classroom learning has its failures and benefits at the same time (Winebrenner and Brulles 214). However, the benefits certainly outweigh the failures. This paper supports the use of smart phones in class room learning by arguing on its benefits against its failures. The term smart phone is generally used to refer to more advanced cellular phone, whose capabiliti es outdo those of feature phones. Smartphones are primarily communication devices, but today, their functions have increased. Many schools today allow students to use their smart phones or other handled devices in the classroom. One thing people should not forget is that smart phones are not limited to classroom learning, but can also be used to do further research after class, making them very beneficial to learning. For example, smart phones have software’s such as cameras, which are extremely helpful for creating digital projects. Students today are always finding ways to get connected. For example, children of all ages now know how to use smartphones more than their parents. Research has shown that even at the age of three, some children learn how to use their parent’s smart phones. The Benefits of using Smart Phones for Classroom Learning There are many benefits that come with using smart phones in classroom learning. These include: a. Reducing boredom in classroo m learning People have argued that though smart phones reduce boredom in classes by making learning lively, students in this new age are highly motivated by technology and thus, tend to be very mischievous when the class is still in session. They tend to log-in social sites and instead of concentrating in class they, are busy exchanging non-educational materials leading to poor performance in academics Davies and Eynon point out that â€Å"opportunities to continue out-of-school uses of technology when in school have been limited or non-existent until quite recently for most young people† (1931). However, many are times that teachers look for ways to inspire or motivate learners in class. For example, one will find them opening doors and windows, also engaging the learners in singing so as to make them want to learn. Technology and in this case smartphones can play a key part in achieving this easily. It is very evident of how children of this new age are motivated easily by technology. A research done in 2006 suggested that â€Å"technology can have a positive impact on pupil’s levels of concentration, self-confidence, self-esteem, independence, and behavior† (Waugh and Jolliffe n.p.). b. Smart phones provide access to the curriculum for children with special educational needs Smart phones and especially those used by special needs learners, like any technology, are not cheap to purchase. In some schools, they are limited in meeting the needs of each and every student. This does not make learning any simple for such people, but rather, complicates their lives more and at the end, their goals are not achieved. Despite this, smart phones have

Analyse how Public Relations communications theory can help an Essay

Analyse how Public Relations communications theory can help an understanding of the role of new media - Essay Example Toward the end of the century, as business corporations became the dominant institutions of our times, the scope of PR widened and assumed new roles in the commercial realm of product marketing. At the birth of the new millennium, the ascendency of digital technology into the mainstream has once again enhanced and redefined the nature and role of public relations industry. Irrespective of the evolution and change of mediums of communication over the last century, the essence of PR industry has remained more or less the same. In other words, the theoretical framework within which the PR industry operates is applicable across media technologies, both new and traditional. This essay will pertain itself to the analysis of how Public Relations communications theory can help understanding the role of new media. Firstly, new media is a term that is used to refer to a range of communication options that fall along a spectrum. The research team of Diana Owen and Richard Davis have done extensive analytical work on new media. They describe the wide range of new media technologies thus: â€Å"At one end are communications platforms based on old technologies that have taken on new political roles, such as radio and television talk programs, tabloids, and television news magazines. In the middle of the spectrum are mixed or hybrid media that combine elements of traditional media with newer technologies. These include 24-hour cable news programs and the Internet sites of newspapers and magazines. On the far end of the spectrum are new media that have developed as a result of new technology that has been put to novel political uses. Internet applications, such as social networking Web sites like Facebook and MySpace, blogs, video-sharing sites including YouTube, and podcasts fall into this category.† (Owen & Davis, 2008) What we learn from the history of PR theory over the last century is the identification of

Yahoo Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Yahoo Corporation - Essay Example Other means through which the corporation raises revenues is through selling wide ranges of premium services with higher competition arising from Google as well as facebook corporations, which are leaders within the industry (Clausse 4-18). Ease of entry by compotators within the industry and increased threats of substitutes represents the competitive external environment of the corporation. This therefore empowers the consumers to have higher bargaining power, which influences the general consumer behaviors in spending as well as consumption. Though the company performed excellently well in the past years especially before the technological advancement to have other global movers like the social media platforms, the company have lost great market segment to the compotators which have greatly influenced the shape of digital advertising as it is today. This caused the company loose lots of revenues but efforts are underway in reclaiming the corporation’s competitive advantage through capitalizing on the corporation’s strengths and improving on the weaknesses. The company’s SWOT analysis shows strategic opportunities and strengths that could be exploited for the improved performance while improving on the weakness and overcoming the threats (MarketLine, 4-10). Strengths: In among other strategic strengths that are pointed out with the corporation is very strong business brand as well as great talent in designing and marketing of the company’s products. It has very powerful trading partners besides having commendable customer service across the nations. The e-commerce expertise as well as integration of customer services such as search engines and the photo sharing also show great strengths within the corporation. Weaknesses: the company suffers quite slow speed in innovation and launching of new products, which accounts largely to strategic strengths with the competitors. Frequent managerial changes contribute greatly to the

Coffee and Starbucks Essay Example for Free

Coffee and Starbucks Essay Transnational corporations have had a tremendous impact on the interconnectivity that between countries, corporations, and people on a global landscape. Fueled by capitalistic ideals of increasing profits numerous corporations have expanded there operations into the global marketplace, some with much more success than others. One such transnational corporation that has embodied this pursuit of expansion in domestic and foreign markets for profit is the Starbucks Coffee Company. This company, which finds its roots in the opening of a single retail location in Pike place Market of Downtown Seattle in 1971, has been able to infiltrate into countless foreign domains and grow into a global powerhouse of the food and beverage industry with over nine thousand stores across the globe today in thirty-four countries outside of the Unites States. (Business Wire, 2005) Starbucks serves is an excellent specimen of a company that follows continual patterns of expansion directly correlating to increased access to foreign markets, and also the ability to nurture growth within these markets as well as gain access to new markets through the Market merging. In my research of this company and its path to globalization, I found that information about certain aspects of the company were more readily available than others. For example, I found that I had more difficulty finding scholarly articles that dealt with the distinct business strategies that Starbucks employed in order to globalize, in that it became apparent that much of the information about the terms of their mergers and acquisitions were not released or that the companies and business groups that they did so with had websites that contained no information in English. Interestingly enough, I found more of an abundance of scholarly material on the homogeneous cultural impacts that Starbucks has had and how the spread of the companys locations worldwide has been received by some cultures as the spread of American values. A bulk of my research findings came from business reports and releases about the company, which were useful in keeping accounts of how the company was able to infiltrate global markets and expand. The Website was a good starting point for my research in that it provided points of interest about the company that I could research into greater detail in order to root out the bigger picture. In order for one to have a more complete understanding of how this company operates and how it has come to succeed at a global level, I will outline the companys geographic expansion in terms of its operations and production; second, I will explain the companys main motivation for global expansion as well as factors that had an effect on the expansion; lastly I will detail the methods of expansion and production employed by the company. These will all be discussed within the time frame from present day back to 1996, when Starbucks first became a global corporation. (Starbucks. com) Of the nine thousand locations Starbucks has worldwide, over two thousand of those are outside of the United States in thirty four different countries. (Sowa, June 2004) The expansion of retail stores into foreign countries began with a joint venture with Sazabay Inc. in Japan in 1995, and then the eventual opening of retail locations within the country during the following year. (starbucks. com) This was the first time Starbucks ever set up operations outside of the US, and it was in the form of construction of the Starbuck brand retail store locations operated by a foreign company. Starbucks entered the East Asian Market first, in countries such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, and China, and concentrated on growth in these markets mainly for the first few years of entering the foreign market. Eventually, Starbucks was able to break into other markets as well, such as Australia, London, and New Zealand amongst others year after year until its present standing of 34 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim with retail locations that exists today in 2005. (Business Wire, Feb 2005) Within these countries, retail operations were set up at first just primarily in areas with the densest population. (Ramsey, Mar. 1997) However, as the market for the Starbucks Brand continually increased, the locations throughout the countries would increase and fan out from the city centers. This can be seen in the example of Japan, whom after 5 years operations had opened 300 stores by the year 2000. (starbucks.com) The primary raw material that Starbucks purchases and uses in terms of production is coffee beans. Coffee beans grow in regions near the equator, where the climate is suitable to sustain their growth. It follows that Starbucks purchases all of its beans from countries in South America, Africa, and Asia. Coffee beans that Starbucks import come from regions near the equator, such as South America, Africa, and Asia (Starbucks. com). Basically, the beans that are grown in these countries are purchased by the company to be roasted or packaged in all of its 9000 locations worldwide. However, Starbucks is not the only buyer when it comes to the bean supply as numerous other coffee retail companies rely on these farms as well, which places Starbucks as part a modular model commodity chain. The production of a generic commodity such as coffee beans allows for that commodity to be purchased by numerous companies without any affiliation or necessary interconnectivity between them. Starbucks reasoning for their initial expansion domestically in the United States as well as into the foreign Market place was centered on the basic capitalistic need for increase in profits, as well as the promotion of free trade from a neo-liberalist standpoint. Looking back to Starbucks early domestic expansion, it can be noted that just prior to addition of retail operations in Japan in 1996, there had been signs of a retraction of sales and growth, even with the addition of new retail locations domestically in the United States. There were signs of slowing in the US, one such being that comparable store sales, up 9 percent in 1995, were up 7 percent in 1996 and 5 percent approaching the following year. (Ramsey, Mar. 1997) These numbers indicate that it was becoming evident that in order to further sustain growth and high profit margins; Starbucks could achieve gains and benefit from free trade by setting up operations abroad. There are certain social contexts which provide commentary on the manner in which Starbucks was able to globalize. Especially that of the companys abilities to access markets from cultural and political standpoints. In order to bridge the culture gap between markets, Starbucks must follow three basic steps; first, it must engage in prospecting the local culture and its nuances; second, it must access the market conditions and the potential response to their presence; and lastly they make or dont make the decision to mobilize (Santos 2004). All this is considered with the fact that they are marketing a product in not only the coffee but in the retail location itself, in that Starbucks attempts to blend an Italian style beverage with a highly European influenced coffee house setting (Santos 2004), which is something that has to be marketed correctly in order to effectively find its niche in a foreign market setting. This marketing schematic sheds light on the purpose in placing global operations in East Asia in the late 90s before breaking into the European market due to a feared negative response to an American global presence in what had always been a highly saturated European local market. There was also a strong potential that the War in Afghanistan and later Iraq would have a devastating effect on growth and sales in the foreign market. There were some signs of this seen in April of 2003, when Starbucks was being heavily protested and boycotted in Lebanon and New Zealand, and was forced to pull operations out of Israel for fear of terrorist attacks. Despite these setbacks, however, it remained that Starbucks International persevered in revenues, according to Greg Schroeder, a research analyst with Fulcrum Global Partners LLC, who stated Starbucks popularity persists even in an economic downturn and during the war is an undeniably impressive feat as other retailers are struggling. (Jung, 2003) Starbucks maintained strong development during this period, and continued to open stores and form partnerships in Turkey, Chile, and Peru (Starbucks.com) despite facing political tensions created by Starbucks national affiliation with the United States. Market access brought Starbucks to the foreign domain but how they were actually able to break into these markets came in the form of some key business strategies. Starbucks used a few basic strategies in order to gain access to a particular foreign market which was joint ventures, acquisitions, and licensing. Two specific examples include Starbucks acquisition of the Seattle Coffee Company in the United Kingdom with more than 60 retail locations in 1998(Starbucks.com) , and the joint venture Starbucks formed with Sazaby Inc in 1995. The acquisition of the Seattle Coffee company basically allowed Starbucks to renovate each retail location previously owned by the company and to put the Starbucks name on each location as well. Another different but successful strategy employed in Japan was that of the joint venture with Sazaby Inc. This partnership gave Sazaby Inc. the right to develop and operate coffeehouses throughout a defined region. The rationale behind both of these types of partnerships is explained by Peter Maslen, president of Starbucks Coffee International, who states, The idea is that an experienced local partner can help identify locations, sift through tax issues, and give Starbucks stores more community appeal. (Jung, Apr. 2003 p. E1) This allows Starbucks to continue to expand into other markets knowing that operations elsewhere are in the hands of carefully chosen partners and business groups who are able effectively read and access the climate of their targeted regions market. The employees, CEOs, and other workers all have an integral part in this corporations ability to globalize. Starting at the level of both full as well as part time employees which facilitate the day-to-day functions of the retail locations in each of the 34 countries that Starbucks operates in, we can see that they receive a fair amount of benefits; including above-average hourly-wages, a comprehensive health benefit plan, and stock options. (Sancovich, 2002) Increased development and growth will fair well for those with stock in the company, including employees at the retail level. If the scope is broadened however, a very large gap exists between employees at the corporate level and those who produce the raw materials(coffee beans) that the company modulates into packaged or roasted coffee sales. It should be noted that Starbucks prides itself on the sale of Fair Trade Coffee in its stores to benefit the farmers that supply their coffee beans, which certifies that growers and farmers would receive a premium price above the prevailing market price for the sale of the coffee beans they produce (Starbucks. com). It should also then be noted that, according to an author in the ecologist, Starbucks advertises the fact that it bought 1. 1 million pounds of coffee last year at fair trade prices ($1. 27 per pound). This represents less than 0. 5 per cent of the coffee Starbucks buys each year. Fair trade is also highly profitable. While Starbucks pays $1. 27 per pound for fair-trade coffee, one pound of that coffee sells for $11. 45. Thats a 90 per cent mark-up (The Ecologist, Vol. 33, p. 22, 2003) The fact that Starbucks buys Fair Trade coffee in actuality does little to benefit the farmers who grow their beans. Another notable feature of the relationship between the owners, employees, and farmers is the overall disparity between employees at the corporate level and those employed to grow coffee beans, Millions of coffee farmers survive on less than $2 a week. Orin C Smith, Starbucks president and CEO, was paid $1,088,269 in 2002, and received a bonus of L1,362,500. Exercising share options in the company made him a further $36,321,643. He stands to make around $8. 5m more on share options granted in 2002. (The Ecologist, Vol. 33, p. 22, 2003) The economic disparity between wages is a direct result of the practices Starbucks engages in, such as markups. The farmers, as well as the retail employees would gain from the continued global development of the company, in that higher demand for coffee would increase the price of coffee for farmers and stock options would benefit regular employees, but would do so to an exponentially smaller degree than the employees at the corporate level of operations.

Benefits of Buying a House

Benefits of Buying a House Buying a house is one of the smartest financial decisions a person can make. People have been reluctant to invest in a house for many reasons. Among the reasons are decreasing home values, high student debt, the volatile job market, and other reasons. This reluctance has caused a drop in homeownership, especially by the millennial generation. Many people rent because it is easier and seems cheaper. But, when considering likely resale value, and emotional benefits, the benefits of investing in a house are apparent. When renting a house or apartment from a landlord, the renter pays the landlord a monthly fee at the beginning of the month. When purchasing a house, the purchaser borrows money from the bank to pay for the house. The purchaser must pays back a monthly amount equal to a portion of the borrowed money plus interest associated with the borrowed money. Many people compare the price difference between rent and mortgage payments, and seeing that the monthly rent amount is less, decide to rent. Generally, rent payments are initially cheaper which is attractive. But, if you compare the total long-term financial differences between renting and paying a mortgage, youll likely see the opposite. Rent payments go to your landlord as pocket money. Mortgage payments are an investment to a likely appreciating asset. As a purchaser pays off a mortgage, the purchasers home equity increases. In other words, the purchaser is building his or her retirement account and not a landlords. When comparing rent payments versus mortgage payments, there are a number of variables to consider, including the characteristics of the properties, their location, their condition, and the potential of the properties to appreciate in value. Below is a table showing the average comparison between rent monthly payments and mortgage monthly payments, taking inflation into consideration. As you can see on the table, we are comparing the mortgage of a home that costs $160,000 to renting that home for $800 per month. Rent is cheaper throughout the first five years, which is what causes many people to decide to rent. But, due to inflation, rent becomes more expensive than mortgage would cost after those initial five years. Rent payments and mortgage payments for similar properties are only marginally different. The long-term aspects between the two, however, are significant. A renter is not encumbered with the longer-term responsibilities that accompany home ownership such as maintenance, upkeep, and the potential of having to sell the house before having the ability to relocate. On the other hand, while paying a mortgage, a purchaser is building equity in an asset. While paying rent, a renter is paying a fee to a landlord without any long-term financial benefit. Buying is a financially superior decision. Buying a house is an investment, meaning it is possible that an investor can lose money or make money depending on whether the asset depreciates or appreciates in value. A renter does not have the investment risk associated with owning a house. In the case of real estate, though, it is more likely that an investor will make money. For example, properties sold in cities like New York, DC, and Miami are good investments because those areas tend to attract professional people who plan to stay for a long period of time. Buying in an area like these, where the market is trending up increases net worth. In 2000, a house that cost $300,000 could sell for $500,000 in 2017, which means an investor who bought a house in 2000 and sold it in 2017 made $200,000 from the investment. The likely potential to realize appreciation on the investment in a house is a big benefit to the purchaser. People who invest in buying a house often benefit from more than just financial benefits. When buying a house, the purchaser can redesign and make alterations to the home. In other words, the purchaser can personalize their home in ways that a renter cannot. This gives a homeowner a sense of control that a renter doesnt have over their home. It results in homeowners having a higher satisfaction with life, a more positive mindset, and a home that suites the needs of the entire family that can be modified as needed. There is a sense of pride that comes along with buying a home. Most people who purchase a house plan to stay for a while. So when an investor buys a home, they are also investing in the local community. They are not simply buying a piece of real estate. They are buying a home in a neighborhood, surrounded by people who are all working together for the greater good to make it a fantastic place to settle down and call home. People who rent a house rather than buy a house are not likely to create these interpersonal relationships in the community to the same degree. The renter knows they may have to move when their lease is up and so may not be as invested in the community activities. These relationships create a reliable support system, which is emotionally healthier. Although renting and buying each have pros and cons, buying is a better long term investment. In most places, mortgage and rent payments are only marginally different. Paying a mortgage for a house and building equity in the house has long-term benefits, both financial and emotional, that renting does not provide. Although renters are not encumbered with many of the responsibilities of home ownership, investing in a home is a great long term investment. A purchaser has the potential upside of asset appreciation and emotional attachment. Assuming a purchaser can handle the responsibilities of home ownership, the long-term benefits of home ownership make purchasing a home a great investment.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Essay -- Christmas Carol Charles

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Charles Dickens wrote his novels during the Victorian times. Britain was a harsh place at this time with the upper and lower classes being clearly separated. Dickens himself grew up as part of the lower classes, and so he knew what it was like. It was very hard for the poor to survive, many of them having no alternative but to go into the workhouses. This seemed to be the worst place to end up, as many people would rather have died than gone into the workhouses. When people went to the workhouses, they were separated from their families, forced to work long hours and hardly fed at all. The workhouse system was the upper classes solution to poverty, but it did not help at all. The lower classes were still living very hard lives. Dickens published 'A Christmas Carol' in 1843 to try to bring the lower classes hard lives to the attention of people who could do something about it; the upper classes. He decided to write a novel because he felt that more people would take an interest in a book rather than leaflet, because the attitude towards helping the poor was not good. In the novel, the main character, Scrooge, is used to personify the upper classes. The three ghosts are used to show that the poor are not all 'idle' and that some are genuinely in need. Before the ghosts came, Scrooge was 'hard and sharp as flint' and solitary as an oyster'. There is a lot of descriptive language used about Scrooge (in the 6th - 8th paragraphs) by Dickens, which gives the impression that Scrooge was bitter, cold and lonely. He believed that if people were poor, it was not his 'business' and he just wanted 'to be left alone'. He refused to give money to the poor at Christmas and sai... ...f they do not change their ways, then the poor people who still have some dignity, who were shown by the 'Ghost of Christmas Present', will also eventually become so desperate, that the seedy, dirty London that is shown by the 'Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come' is what the whole city will end up like. Dickens presents the lower classes realistically; he does not try to make out that all poor people are kind hearted. He tries to make the upper classes realise that the situation of the poor can only get better if they do something to help. He also tries to make the reader feel concerned about Tiny Tim and show the upper classes that they can help; when Tiny Tim is mentioned, it is almost like a personal appeal to the reader to help someone in need. Dickens presents the lower classes effectively and this is probably why the book is still very popular today.

Teen Depression and Suicide :: Teenage Depression

Depression has become a big issue among the adolescent world these days. It is something that is overlooked much of the time, and is often even hidden by other things. The suicide rate for teenagers has increased more than 200% over the last decade. Recent studies have shown that more than 20% of adolescents in the general population have emotional problems and 30% of adolescents attending psychiatric sessions suffer from depression. Maurice Blackman MB, FRCPC says that, â€Å"The majority of teenage depressions can be managed successfully by the primary care physician with support from the family.† Teens with psychiatric illness are 20 times more likely to die from accidents or suicide than adults Is depression in adolescents a significant problem? As in the afore stated paragraph a baffling 20% of adolescents in the general population have emotional problems! Despite this, depression in this age group is greatly under diagnosed, leading to serious difficulties in treatment of this issue. Adolescence is a time of emotional turmoil, mood instability, gloominess, great drama and heightened sensitivity. Possible suicidal thoughts can emerge from this troubled mind. Adolescent depression may present itself primarily as a behavior or conduct disorder, substance or alcohol abuse or as family turmoil and rebellion with no obvious symptoms normally associated with depression. Significant acute crisis in the teenager's life may also involve depression. Significant stresses include divorce, parent or family quarreling, physical or sexual abuse and alcohol or substance abuse. The teenager who exhibits signs of depression may be going through these tough situations. Teenagers can be oppositional and negative when depressed. If the teenager is an active participant in the treatment process than the physician will be able to identify the problem or problems to the patient and the parent, to offer hope and reassurance, outline treatment options and arrive at a mutually agreed-upon treatment plan. When depressed the teenager may not wish to participate actively in the treatment program, but without that treatment is pointless and ineffective. There are two main types of treatment: psychotherapy and medication. Sessions of family therapy may be required to deal with specific problems or issues. Other disorders may also be treated during this process; such as obsessive compulsive disorder, learning disability or attention deficit disorder. For the more serious and persistent depressions, particularly those with suicidal consequences at stake, medication is much more effective and actually necessary to maintain the proper chemical balance in the body. Teen Depression and Suicide :: Teenage Depression Depression has become a big issue among the adolescent world these days. It is something that is overlooked much of the time, and is often even hidden by other things. The suicide rate for teenagers has increased more than 200% over the last decade. Recent studies have shown that more than 20% of adolescents in the general population have emotional problems and 30% of adolescents attending psychiatric sessions suffer from depression. Maurice Blackman MB, FRCPC says that, â€Å"The majority of teenage depressions can be managed successfully by the primary care physician with support from the family.† Teens with psychiatric illness are 20 times more likely to die from accidents or suicide than adults Is depression in adolescents a significant problem? As in the afore stated paragraph a baffling 20% of adolescents in the general population have emotional problems! Despite this, depression in this age group is greatly under diagnosed, leading to serious difficulties in treatment of this issue. Adolescence is a time of emotional turmoil, mood instability, gloominess, great drama and heightened sensitivity. Possible suicidal thoughts can emerge from this troubled mind. Adolescent depression may present itself primarily as a behavior or conduct disorder, substance or alcohol abuse or as family turmoil and rebellion with no obvious symptoms normally associated with depression. Significant acute crisis in the teenager's life may also involve depression. Significant stresses include divorce, parent or family quarreling, physical or sexual abuse and alcohol or substance abuse. The teenager who exhibits signs of depression may be going through these tough situations. Teenagers can be oppositional and negative when depressed. If the teenager is an active participant in the treatment process than the physician will be able to identify the problem or problems to the patient and the parent, to offer hope and reassurance, outline treatment options and arrive at a mutually agreed-upon treatment plan. When depressed the teenager may not wish to participate actively in the treatment program, but without that treatment is pointless and ineffective. There are two main types of treatment: psychotherapy and medication. Sessions of family therapy may be required to deal with specific problems or issues. Other disorders may also be treated during this process; such as obsessive compulsive disorder, learning disability or attention deficit disorder. For the more serious and persistent depressions, particularly those with suicidal consequences at stake, medication is much more effective and actually necessary to maintain the proper chemical balance in the body.

Cicero Letters Translation

Nunc ea cognosce, quae maxime exoptas: rem publicam funditus amisimus, adeo ut C. Cato, adolescens nullius consilli, sed tamen civis Romanus et Cato, vix vivus effugerit, quod, cum Gabinium de ambitu vellet postulare neque praetores diebus aliquot adiri possent vel potestatem sui facerent, in concionem escendit et Pompeium privatum dictatorem appellavit: propius nihil est factum, quam ut occideretur. 2 Ex hoc, qui sit status totius rei publicae, videre potes. 3 16. Nostrae tamen causae non videntur homines defuturi: mirandum in modum profitentur, offerunt se, pollicentur. 5 Equidem cum spe sum maxima, tum maiore etiam animo, spe, superiores fore nos, animo, ut in hac re publica ne casum quidem ullum pertimescam. 6 Sed tamen se res sic habet: si diem nobis Clodius dixerit, tota Italia concurret, ut multiplicata gloria discedamus; sin autem vi agere conabitur, spero fore studiis non solum amicorum, sed etiam alienorum ut vi resistamus. 7 Omnes et se et suos amicos clientes, libertos se rvos, pecunias denique suas pollicentur. Nostra antiqua manus bonorum ardet studio nostri atque amore; si qui antea aut alienores fuerant aut languidiores, nunc horum regum odio se cum bonis coniungunt. 9 Pompeius omnia pollicetur et Caesar, quibus ego ita credo, ut nihil de mea comparatione deminuam. 10 Tribuni pl. 11 designati sunt nobis amici; consules se optimos ostendunt; praetores habemus amicissimos et acerrimos cives Domitium, Nigidium, Memmium, Lentulum; bonos etiam alios, sed hos singulares: quare magnum fac animum habeas et spem bonam; de singulis tamen rebus, quae quotidie gerantur, faciam te crebro certiorem.Now for the news that you chiefly desire. We have so completely lost the constitution that Cato,[11] a young man of no sense, but yet a Roman citizen and a Cato, scarcely got off with his life because, having determined to prosecute Gabinius for bribery, when the praetors could not be approached for several days, and refused to admit anyone to their presence, he mou nted the rostra in public meeting and called Pompey an â€Å"unofficial dictator. † No one ever had a narrower escape of being killed. From this you may see the state of the whole Republic. People, however, show no inclination to desert my cause.They make wonderful professions, offers of service, and promises: and, indeed, I have the highest hopes and even greater spirit–so that I hope to get the better in the struggle, and feel confident in my mind that, in the present state of the Republic, I need not fear even an accident. However, the matter stands thus: if Clodius gives notice of an action against me, the whole of Italy will rush to my support, so that I shall come off with many times greater glory than before; but if he attempts the use of violence, I hope, by the zeal not only of friends but also of opponents, to be able to meet force with force.All promise me the aid of themselves, their friends, clients, freedmen, slaves, and, finally, of their money. Our old regiment of loyalists is warm in its zeal and attachment to me. If there were any who had formerly been comparatively hostile or lukewarm, they are now uniting themselves with the loyalists from hatred to these despots. Pompey makes every sort of promise, and so does Caesar: but my confidence in them is not enough to induce me to drop any of my preparations.The tribunes-designate are friendly to us. The consuls-designate make excellent professions. Some of the new praetors are very friendly and very brave citizens-Domitius, Nigidius, Memmius, Lentulus[12]–the others are loyalists also, but these are eminently so. Wherefore keep a good heart and high hopes. However, I will keep you constantly informed on particular events as they occur from day to day.

High School Speech Materialism and Money

We Have become largely materialistic as a society. Nowadays the size of your income is the point that defines you and happiness is the latest Ipod. Now just take a moment to consider. What was it that made you happy as a toddler? Was it that you had the latest Pumpkin patch fashions? Or perhaps it was that your parent’s earnt more than your best friends parents? No it was simply the love and affection of your parents, a sense of achievement when you achieved something and the companionship of people your own age. You see, I think those toddlers are onto a good thing. I believe that we as the young people of New Zealand place far to much emphasis on the importance of money. If you think about it, all that money causes is bad things; Debt, relationship problems, and inter-class prejudice. Money has such a strong influence over our lives, so much so that it often causes relationship problems. Many couples have put relationship problems down to financial problems. Debt and lack of income place major financial stresses on people. As a result their relationships with friends and sexual partners suffer. This can often lead to domestic violence, alcoholism and abuse. Recently a survey was conducted by a New Zealand relationship service. This survey revealed that 41% of couples experiencing relationship problems blamed their financial issues. A representative from the National relationship service declared that the groups of people most susceptible to domestic violence were young couples experiencing relationship troubles. We’ve all seen the massive controversy in the media about Slumdog millionaire Actress, Rubina Ali’s father tries to sell her. If money were such a brilliant thing why it was the very reason for a father trying to sell his daughter? His very own flesh and blood? Breaking up a whole family. I believe that if we were to place less importance on money then many relationships would benefit greatly. Debt is a major intrusion into people’s everyday lives. Debt is becoming a far more predominant issue. This is because a lot of the younger generations are un educated about the consequences of using credit and eftpos cards. They are also unaware of how to keep their accounts under control. Debt has become more of an issue in recent years with the introduction of electronic devices. Credit cards now allow people to spend heir money in advance meanwhile they are charged large amounts of interest. Because they are unable to physically ‘spend their money people are often fooled into spending large amounts of money. This is essentially a loan. The credit companies then charge the customer high interest rates and by the time the customer pays-off this debt they have paid almost twice the amount for an item in orde r to use their money in advance. The amount of debt an average New Zealander racks up is increasing. Take for example, a survey carried out by the Reserve bank of New Zealand in 2001. This survey stated that the average amount of debt as a New Zealander had increased by 10% over the ten year period since 1991 This is a leading cause for depression and mental illness. I believe that if proper education about money was given and the use of technology with money was reduced then money would become less of an intrusion into our everyday lives. Money encourages discrimination and prejudice. Society is quite distinctly split into different ‘classes’. These ‘classes’ are majorly influenced by, Yes you guessed it, Money. Why should someone be any less of a person just because they have a smaller income than the next person? The universal declaration of human rights declares that each person is entitled to certain things. Sadly are unable to access such things as they have a small income. Many low income families find that they are frowned upon by the ‘Upper classes’. One such person, a student, was mocked and taunted by her peers as her family had to carry out a ‘paper run’ to help sustain their family. As ashamed as I am to say it I stood back and watched while such blatant discrimination was taking place right in front of me. This is just one example of inner-class prejudice. The government also shows prejudice towards different classes by providing subsidies for health care and other services. Families qualify for these benefits by being under a certain income. Often families with incomes just slightly above the qualification standard often struggle to pay for such services but receive no subsidy. To qualify for a community services card a family must have a combined income of less than seventy thousand dollars per annum. A family earning seventy two thousand dollars per annum had a child that became critically ill. Because their income was two thousand dollars higher than the requirement this family received no financial help from the government and as a result they are now in major debt. I believe that inter class prejudice would become less of an issue and the lifestyle of many people would improve if less emphasis were put on money. So as the young people of New Zealand we need to take a stand and make a difference! Lets stop our consumer society form being consumed! We need to realize how the influence of money affects our relationships, emotions and attitudes towards others.

Narcotics

The communication capabilities of specialized databases within the criminal Justice system, has been enhanced by the help of technology. Technology has many various forms in use today within the criminal Justice field. Systems such as the IRIS scans and mobile data terminals or MET for short, are electronically advanced tools for law enforcement work. For the subject matter of this particular paper my intention is to discuss and compare different forms of specialized databases.Also provided are some of the negative and positive effects due to all the new technologies in the rimming Justice field. Including those that have been and are currently being incorporated daily law enforcement actions and activities. One such specialized database used to help with communication is the mobile data terminal (MET). The mobile data terminal device is used in emergency and transit vehicles to communicate with the dispatch or central office (91 1 Dispatch Online, 2011). Many police agencies require officers to have this form of terminal system usually in the form of wireless mobile installed in their vehicles.Law enforcement officers use this database to manage their workload in the center and also provide officers gain better efficiency regarding time management. Mobile data terminals allow officers to have access to status updates, dispatch receipts, and to other units in case that unit needs backup and/or assistance. Frequent communication between dispatch and officers happen on this device frequently in order to know where to go, to update their statuses, to call for assistance, etc. IRIS scans are another form of specialized database the criminal Justice system uses frequently.The IRIS scan is a method of biometric identification in which pattern connection of the eye is used to determine the identity of a subject and/or suspect (Technology LLC, 2010). When identifying an individual IRIS scan may be quicker than retrieving fingerprints. IRIS recognition and IRIS scan are without a doubt proven to be the most accurate type of biometric devices the criminal Justice system has today. Utilizing a scan of different patterns in the eye are taken by a camera and then scanned. This works because Just like fingerprints no one person's eyes are the same.Everyone's eyes contain different patterns that make them unique thereby asking the device's results accurate due to a person's eye patterns different from any other person. Communication in the criminal Justice system is improved by the utilization of this technology. IRIS scans allow officers to determine if a person has already been processed in the criminal database as well as if they have a criminal history or background while allowing other Jurisdictions to be able to access the same forms of information even if the officers are not in the same town or city.IRIS scans and IRIS recognitions have only been used in the past decade and the overspent wants to continue to see this type of technology advance a nd grow within the criminal Justice system (Technology LLC, 2010). Currently database access, watch lists, security purposes, border crossings, passports, and computer logging are the main uses of the IRIS database. The mobile data terminal is currently the most widely used in vehicle device in the criminal Justice system.Just by typing in a suspect's name or scanning a form of their identification, a screen full of information comes up. This can include prior arrests, addresses, known associates, and aliases. The IRIS system although more advanced is not currently in may police vehicles and if it is they are usually a federal law enforcement vehicle. In comparison although the MET system is the most widely used and probably will be for a long time, the IRIS is the next evolution of this system.Both systems are very accurate and produce many of the same results. MET shows results when the information is scanned, typed in or relayed to the officer in another way. The IRIS scans the a ctual individual, stopping a suspect or offender from being able to lie about any detail of you they actually are. Thus providing the officer with a fake name impossible. The phrase' the eyes cannot tell a lie', is a motto I think the IRIS has proven. For many of us in today's society technology is a major factor we depend on to live our daily lives.New technologies create many positive effects towards communication. Cell phones, computers, IRIS scans and mobile data terminals, are only a few technological advances that have improved safety measures of officers while they patrol our communities. Cell phones are the greatest advancement of communication to date. Computers as well as the internet have increased the costive aspects on communication; they have allowed officers to organize, store, and process large amounts of information and data that officers use daily.As technology grows, new advancements will continue to improve computer systems and data processing that the criminal J ustice system uses on a daily basis. As with anything else with positives come negatives especially, in regards to technology. As a society we are so dependent on technology that if we were to lose the use of computers it would constitute a drastic negative effect on the criminal Justice system. Specifically he way officers gather, store, and share information and data.Advancements and the growth of technology have resulted in people to have to be trained over and over to keep abreast of the new types of technology. Technology and the consistent advancing, changes and updating causes problems due to the time it may take for an officer and/or person to learn the ever changing forms and uses of technology. Cost is another negative aspect of technology is that it costs to upgrade many of the devices I. E. Computer systems, cell phones, etc. And some law enforcement agencies ay not possess the monies required to upgrade these devices.Modern technology has caused some to work faster and harder to stay abreast of all the new technologies that are being implemented into our Jobs almost on a daily basis. I would choose the mobile data terminal, if given the option to choose the type of specialized technology I wanted to use. Since this device is helpful in storing large amounts of data while allowing information to be sent and received in a matter of seconds. Another reason is that the mobile data terminal has a built in GlobalPositioning system (GAPS) it would be very convenient to an officer who does not know the area well, but needs to get somewhere in a hurry. This same technology referring to the mobile data terminal is also responsible for allowing officers to receive status updates of other officers, subjects and suspects, and dispatch receipts. Also, the data terminal allows officers to receive information on offenders, suspects, etc. In a matter of seconds as opposed to having to go back to the police station to retrieve information and files that are needed in a timely manner.AVIS, mobile data ermine's, IRIS scans, live scans, and facial recognitions are all different forms of specialized databases in the criminal Justice system that help to improve our communication and work capabilities for law enforcement officers. Although, technology has many negative and positive effects overall it has improved our lives and work force especially in the criminal Justice system by leaps and bounds. Before the telephone police work was still successful and Justice was served. With new technology being developed it has also brought new types of criminals into the light.What technology has done for law enforcement worldwide is make it easier to log information, record larger amounts of data, and most importantly quickly share information, that can become corporeal such as records, criminal data, and up to the date essential data. In closing technology has changed the Justice system. References: Online, 9. (2013). Dispatch Magazine Online. Retrieved f rom http://www. Dispatch. Com/info/immobility. HTML Technology. (2012). Http://www. Technology. Com/CT/Technology-Article. Asp? Arthur=64. Retrieved from Technology: http://www. Technology. Com

Intelligence Testing Article Analysis Essay

No other topic in psychology has ever generated as much interest as the study of human intelligence. Numerous tests and strategies have been designed to explore the quality of human intelligence in depth and to analyze the basic factors and processes which take place within the structure of human cognitive functioning. From the viewpoint of psychology, intelligence testing may provide professionals with a wide range of effective instruments of research and analysis. Simultaneously, not all professionals and scholars in the field of psychology agree that intelligence testing is an effective and a relevant tool of psychological analysis. In this context, a number of theories have been designed to explain the essence of intelligence testing as such and the factors which may impede or enhance one’s successes in the process of testing intelligence. Intelligence Testing Article Analysis Introduction No other topic in psychology has ever generated as much interest as the study of human intelligence. Numerous tests and strategies have been designed to explore the quality of human intelligence in depth and to analyze the basic factors and processes which take place within the structure of human cognitive functioning. From the viewpoint of psychology, intelligence testing may provide professionals with a wide range of effective instruments of research and analysis. Simultaneously, not all professionals and scholars in the field of psychology agree that intelligence testing is an effective and a relevant tool of psychological analysis. In this context, a number of theories have been designed to explain the essence of intelligence testing as such and the factors which may impede or enhance one’s successes in the process of testing intelligence. It is difficult not to agree to Gottfredson (2006): â€Å"the debate over intelligence and intelligence testing focuses on the question of whether it is useful or meaningful to evaluate people according to a single major dimension of cognitive competence†. Nevertheless, researchers keep to believe that intelligence testing may be of extreme value, when measuring specific aspects of human cognitive activity and seeking to expand the boundaries of human cognitive functioning. Gottfredson (2006) develops a whole set of theoretical assumptions, trying to remain objective in her evaluation of intelligence testing relevance as a tool of psychological analysis. In Gottfredson’s view, intelligence testing is usually designed to measure one specific aspect of one’s cognitive ability (e. g. , mathematical skills), but where psychologists seek to evaluate one specific cognitive function, they tend to forget that intelligence tests cannot be fully released and clarified of other mental skills. These are usually referred to as â€Å"mental impurities†; they do not have any significant effects on cognitive testing results, but should be taken into account to guarantee the objectivity of testing procedures. Interestingly, Gottfredson (2006) links the effectiveness of intelligence testing to biological factors. In her view, the effectiveness of one’s cognitive functioning depends on age; moreover, researchers tend to believe into existence of a human gene responsible for IQ. Finally, it is at least incorrect to assume that social and psychological environments produce marked effects on one’s IQ. As a result, it is unclear whether measuring one’s intelligence may produce any significant changes on the quality of one’s wellbeing (Gottfredson, 2006); nevertheless, professional psychologists are still committed to the idea of using intelligence testing to define one’s learning disabilities. O’Brien (2001) develops a set of theoretical assumptions which place intelligence testing as the outstanding means to define one’s learning disabilities and the means of resolving them, and while intelligence testing has been widely used to analyze and determine one’s learning disabilities, it would be fair to say that to some extent intelligence testing had been devised for this purpose. In his theory, O’Brien (2001) refers to the cut-off scores which may prevent professionals from investigating the cognitive implications of low-IQ groups, but which cannot also serve a serious obstacle on professionals’ way to developing more effective intelligence testing forms. It appears that on the basis of IQ alone it is possible to predict the pathways children will follow in their cognitive development, and develop a set of social adjustments low-scored children will need to improve the quality of their well-being. In this context, intelligence testing is expected to produce long-term impacts on one’s life and one’s prospects for individual and professional self-realization. Given that intelligence testing involves information processing mechanisms and relevant nerve centers which require activation, the speed of this activation and the quality of information processing shapes the cognitive image of a person and turns intelligence testing into a relevant tool of psychological analysis (Schweizer, 2000). However, how is effective intelligence testing? And what factors professionals need to consider in order to promote objectivity of testing results? Despite the wide application of intelligence testing in psychological practice, its effectiveness remains the topic of hot debate. On the one hand, there is no single definition of what intelligence is. On the other hand, it is not clear, how appropriate it is to measure the social usefulness of a person based on a single cognitive criterion (Gottfredson, 2006). It appears that the effectiveness of intelligence testing also depends on one’s mood, fatigue, or motivation. From the cultural viewpoint, the majority of intelligence tests are designed to fit to Westernized cultural criteria, and are thus of limited use in mixed populations (O’Brien, 2001). Finally, Schweizer (2000) suggests that due to the limited access of human consciousness to information, the processes of information processing involved into intelligence testing may not always reveal the true state of cognitive functioning in children and adults. Certainly, intelligence testing remains one of the most reliable and widely used methods of investigating cognitive mechanisms in humans; but the problem is that we have not yet gone beyond the boundaries of traditional cognitive knowledge. For psychology professionals, intelligence testing remains the only available tool of research, the reliability of which is usually taken for granted. As a result, whether professionals are able to look deeper into the essence of human cognition and to develop sound analytical strategies depends on their preparedness to cross the boundaries of traditional research, and to investigate the effectiveness of traditional intelligence testing procedures. Conclusion Intelligence testing remains one of the central instruments psychology professionals use to test human cognitive abilities. Despite the stable popularity of intelligence testing, its effectiveness remains the topic of hot debate. Numerous factors have to be reconsidered and reevaluated to guarantee objectivity of testing procedures. To a large extent, the reliability of intelligence testing is taken for granted, and whether this type of analytical research works to promote individuals’ social wellbeing depends on the psychology professionals’ ability to look deeper into the essence of intelligence testing and cognitive mechanisms, which are involved into the process of testing one’s cognitive features. References Gottfredson, L. S. (2006). The general intelligence factor. Scientific American. Retrieved April 28, 2009 from http://www. psych. utoronto. ca/users/reingold/courses/intelligence/cache/1198gottfred. html O’Brien, G. (2001). Defining learning disability: What place does intelligence testing have now? Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 43 (8): 570-573. Schweizer, K. (2000). Cognitive mechanisms at the core of success and failure in intelligence testing. Psychologische Beitrage, 42 (2): 190-200.

MASLOW’S THEORY OF HUMAN NEEDS Essay

MASLOW’S THEORY OF HUMAN NEEDS Maslow’s theory of human needs focuses on the key foundation and the relations of human needs A need is a physiological or psychological deficiency that a person wants to satisfy In his theory, Maslow identified human needs and categorized them into 5 levels. These levels are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs and self-actualization needs. It is Important for managers to know this theory because these needs cause tensions which can influence a person’s work attitude and behaviors Maslow’s theory is based on two underlying principles: Deficit principle which states that a satisfied need no longer motivates behavior because people act to satisfy deprived needs Progression principle that states that the five needs he identified exist in a hierarchy, which means that a need at any level can only be put into play after a lower-level need has been satisfied. Maslow identified five levels of human needs, starting from highest to lowest which are: Physiological needs: Physiological needs are basic human needs and biological necessities such food, water, shelter, air, sleep, etc. These needs are the strongest because the physiological needs come first in the person’s search for satisfaction. Ex: rest and refreshment breaks, physical comfort on the job, reasonable work hours Safety needs: Safety needs includes the need of security, protection, and stability in order to be free of the threat of physical and emotional harm. It is important to understand this need and for managers to provide a safe workplace. Ex: safe working conditions, job security, base compensation and benefits Social needs: Social needs are those related to interaction and belongingness with other people and include work groups, friends, family, love and affection, relationships, etc. People seek to overcome feelings of loneliness and alienation and managers must understand this to ensure  employee involvement, production and motivation. Ex: friendly coworkers, interaction with customers, pleasant supervisors Esteem needs: Esteem needs are when people desire self-esteem from both themselves and by others too. Esteem needs include achievement, mastery, respect, competence, prestige, recognition, managerial responsibility, etc. Managers who understand this can help ensure employees and team members feel valued and respected which increases their self-esteem. Ex: responsibility of an important job, promotion to higher status job, praise and recognition from the boss Self-actualization needs: Self-actualization is a person’s need to reach their full capability. It is the highest need because it develops only after all of the foregoing needs are satisfied and includes realizing personal potential, personal growth, self-fulfillment, and creativity. As a manager, it is important to help employees or team members find this, so their employees will be satisfied and productive. Ex: creative and challenging work, participation in decision making, job flexibility and autonomy

Choose 1 Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Choose 1 Topic - Essay Example Here we are going to discuss about the globalization strategies implemented by Toyota in its production line. Company Overview Toyota, a Japanese automobile manufacturer having headquarters at Toyota, Japan was founded in the year 1937. It started its production operations in America in the year 1957. For more than fifty years, the Toyota automobiles have continuously expanded their operations in 170 countries and regions throughout the world. Today, it has its presence in the major markets of North America, Europe and Asia. With the development of their exports the firm has started to localize their production bases, keeping pace with the policy of "producing vehicles where the demand exists". Presently they have 51 production bases in around 26 different regions globally (toyota-global.com). Moreover, there are R&D and design bases in almost nine locations in the foreign market, exhibiting that "from development and design to production, as well as sales and service, Toyota has now achieved consistent globalization and localization." Production System The company has gone through several hurdles while globalizing their production units. One of the most important factors of this process is quality assurance, which emphasizes on the statement, â€Å"no matter where Toyota vehicles are made, they must have the same high level of quality." The company doesn’t follow the policy of putting a "Made in The USA" or "Made in Japan" tag on their products. Instead they prefer to put the label of "Made by TOYOTA† on all its vehicles. This clearly defines the company’s manufacturing philosophy which is the "Toyota Way" and they like to advertise themselves in this manner throughout the world. The firm believes that through educating people they will be able to achieve quality assurance. Therefore they established the Global Production Center (GPC) in 2003 inside the Motomachi Plant in Toyota City. In addition to this, Toyota commenced regional Global P roduction Centers in 2006, in the United Kingdom, Thailand and United States to perform its respective activities in the Asia-Pacific, North American and European regions. The illustration below shows its design and production houses in several regions of the world- The production process of the company is based on two main principles which are continuous improvement and respecting the employees. Toyota's production system is a means of "making things" which is often known as "lean manufacturing system" or a "Just-in-Time (JIT) system.† The production system has been set up on the basis of constant improvements, with the aim of "making the vehicles ordered by customers in the quickest and most efficient way, in order to deliver the vehicles as quickly as possible."   The company’s production process is based on two models- "Jidoka" that refers to mechanization along with some human touch. It implies whenever an issue arises, the apparatus stops instantly that prevents defective production. "Just-in-Time† concept where every process makes the particular part that will be required by the next process and in this way the production flows. Based on these two concepts, Toyota globally produces exactly whatever is in demand within time and in a cost effective manner. Objectives The main objective of Toyota is to offer world class quality and to meet the customer’

Negotiating Strategy on XYZ Airport Services Essay

Negotiating Strategy on XYZ Airport Services - Essay Example Under this stage, XYZ should get to know the other party (Airport Authority) by initially setting an appointment. Before making any attempt to establish a wide-range of the settlement with the Airport Authority, the top management of XYZ should carefully plan on some strategies that could enable both parties to come up with a win-win situation or conduct negotiations on neutral ground (Guirdham 2002, pp. 400 – 404). Since negotiation process is dynamic by nature, Shell (2001) suggests the need to be careful when choosing the best bargaining style. In line with this, negotiator such as in the case of XYZ company should consider not only the culture but also the personality of the people behind the Airport Authority. For instance: The personality of the people behind the Airport Authority is outgoing. Therefore, it is necessary on the part of XYZ company to satisfy the personality, needs and wants of the people behind the Airport Authority. Since most of them are outgoing people, XYZ management should invite and treat these people to have lunch or dinner as a group meeting or play golf while discussing the issue involved. This strategy will enable XYZ management to easily win the trust and sympathy of the people behind Airport Authority. Becoming familiar with the entry phase of negotiation is a crucial factor that determines whether or not the outcome of a given negotiation process can be successful. Right timing is very important in the negotiation process. As explained by Zartmann (2002) and Rubin (1989), the process of knowing the phases of negotiation could somehow enable the negotiator to know whether or not it is the right time to begin the pre-negotiation stage, the formal negotiation stage which normally takes place after the preparation stage, and ends the bargaining process which is the post-negotiation stage.

Amniocentesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Amniocentesis - Essay Example This sampling allows the doctors to look for any genetic abnormalities in the chromosomes, infections, or any other possible factors which could impact the fetal development. For example, defects in chromosome 21 such as trisomy-21, can be detected and can help later on should Down syndrome develop. One of the most common things that the process can pick up is the Rh factor. This is where the blood type of the baby does not match the blood type of the mother. In this case an immunosuppressant, Rh immunoglobin, has to be given to the mother in order to keep the mother’s immune system from attacking the fetus. This procedure is usually conducted between fourteen and twenty weeks; however it has been known to be performed as early as eleven weeks. The procedure itself takes around forty five minutes to complete and results can be handed back between a few days and a few weeks (American Pregnancy Association, 2006). There are, however, potential risks associated with the use of am niocentesis which should be taken into account for. The primary risk associated with amniocentesis is miscarriage. The most obvious, but rare complication, is that the needle actually hits the developing fetus and damages them. This is closely controlled through the use of sonogram technology.

Western expansion In Africa and Asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Western expansion In Africa and Asia - Essay Example In the 14th century, Europeans mainly concentrated in the old system of trading, which connected Africa and Asia. The best ceramics and silks came from china, which prompted the Western states to develop interest in their products.China’s foremost interest was to obtain slaves from Africa, peacocks from India whereas African required cowrie shells and Maldives from the Indian Ocean (McKay et al 2011) Europeans wanted silk and spices from Asia but, unfortunately, they did not have desirable merchandise to give in return. The desire for Europeans to have full access in Asia led to the establishment of numerous empires and the western Hemisphere discovery where after few decades, they did dominate trading connections and political empires in most parts of the world. Consequently, this yielded to the exchange of cultural values, conversions and resistance due to global interactions besides prompting Europeans to fight with the aim of enforcing their cultural values. This was unto the societies that they encountered with the intention of making them understand the essence of the values (McKay et al 2011). (10) The West and Global Economy New imperialism Imperialism was the domination of a state especially based on political, economic and culture of another country (McKay et al 2011). Mainly, this emanated from the west where due to the growth in the industrial revolution and technology intended obtain materials from the less developed states. This is because of insignificant competition in those states by then who had low intellectual capacity, for instance Africa. Additionally, through this practice, the West used to augment their political and economic power, which enabled them to dominate the entire world through the influence of their affluence. European dominated both the African and china coastal territories but they were unable to the natives living in these regions, for instance, Africans, Chinese and Indians (McKay et al 2011). In the year 1800, Euro pe attained considerable power stability, since states, which had strong regimes emerged while the industrial revolution strengthened its numerous states’ economies. New imperialism emerged due to the economic interests by manufactures’ states who ventured in diverse regions in search of natural resources such as rubber and petroleum. Additionally, these states also wanted to get new and reliable markets meant for their industrial goods, which prompted them to apply political and military power to impose new imperialism. Merchant ships needed bases for taking coal and supplies, which led to the seizing of islands to satisfy their needs. In addition, nationalism was another factor that contributed to political interest in other states especially in the third world, where its states seemed to have uncouth civilization by then like Latin America and Africa (McKay et al 2011). The colonial states of then era encompassed the France, which annexed West Africa whereas its riv al Britain seized nearby lands to stop further expansion. Social Darwinism was another factor that led to new imperialism that was then growing among the westerners who practiced and supported the idea of social imperialism. Mainly, this entailed quest to destroy the weaker race because they deemed it was the nature’s way of improving human species. Trade In Indian Ocean Afro-Eurasian trade’s centralization in the Indian Ocean paved way for commercial and cultural exchange in Africa, Asia and Europe. It did increase trade between 7Th and 14Th centuries though it faced a sharp decline during the Black Death. Traders came together in multicultural forms around cities and ports (McKay et al 2011). Many of cities had attained self-governance, and there was minimal violence due to mutual and self-interest issues among the communities who represented the most developed group in the Southern China owing to their desirable trade merchandise. Africa also played a significant ro le in the then global trade besides economy prior

Then And Now How Is America Changing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Then And Now How Is America Changing - Essay Example The paper shows that racism in America has always appeared as a system. It is a system that has been supported by economic and materialistic conditions in places of work whether in blue collar jobs or in other forms of employment. The joblessness has also been reinforced by increased social isolation due to lack of proper education and other social supports. This, in the long run, condemns the unemployed segment into a vicious cycle that is not easy to break, which gives the impression that particular race is not fairly considered. America is one country that is very dynamic politically, socially and economically. Our main focus is economic changes that have happened in America for the last forty years and how these changes have influenced racial, sexism and classism. Many factories in America have opted for cheap labor abroad, which in turn produces cheap products that have ready market both in America and the world. The trend in racial harmony has been a function of the elements of tolerance and understanding that has been cultivated into the American people since the days of Martin Luther King Jr. In as much as the racial and gender divide has been bridged, America is today faced with a much bigger problem of economic disparity with 99% struggling as the 1% wallow in wealth. The economic divide so created is severe to the extent that poor Americans have opted to mounting regular demonstrations like the ongoing â€Å"occupy the wall street demonstration† and with these happenings a possible class revolution may be seen in the future.

Job Redesign and Workplace Rewards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Job Redesign and Workplace Rewards - Essay Example Different companies have diverse issues that need to be dealt with in order to ensure that employees are up to the level that is required for enhanced motivation and productivity. It requires that a company develop the right strategies to enhance performance of a respective organization. Every department in an organization is unique and therefore, requires different motivational strategies to enhance performance (Cooper et al, 2009). Kroger is an established pharmacy that deals with a wide range of drug substances. It has a number of customers both locally and internationally. In the local set up, the company receives many customers at different intervals within a day. It, therefore, requires that every department work round the clock to ensure that the customers are well served and their expectations met as appropriate. On the hand, the employees are vital to the wellbeing of the company. Case in point is that the technicians are very essential components of the company. It has been argued that the technicians in the company are the most motivated and productive in the company. There are a number of issues that enhance the motivation and productivity of the company. A technician at the pharmacy has a wide range of duties in the company. Case in point is that the technician is in charge of all the issues that related to the technical issues in the company. One of the duties of the technician is to ensure that there are no faults in any department within the organization. The technician is in charge of every department in terms of technical issues. At the Kroger pharmacy the technician is charged with the responsibility of supplying the drugs to the patients either on prescription or at the counter. Consequently, the technician is charged with the responsibility of assembling the different drugs for the purpose of prescribing. On the other hand, the

Individual Sales Management Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Individual Sales Management Paper - Essay Example Decisions that influence the performance of the sales team eventually determine the level of profitability. The sales personnel dictates the way an organization launches new products into markets, how new customers are acquired, how a business expands though using existing customers and achieving the targets set in revenue acquisition. It is therefore necessary that the team leaders adopt favorable techniques in managing the performance of the sales personnel. It involves understanding the important elements of a sales force and knowing why this be the case. Sales personnel management entails a number of interrelated mechanisms of influencing the fruitfulness of the team. It comprises of many techniques drawn from varying fields in psychology sociology and many others. These techniques include hiring, training, promotion, career development and motivation. Motivation as a way of sales force management entails giving a listening g ear to them and answering by the sales force leaders. It also entails adopting positive feedback verbally. By enriching the salesperson through information motivates the workers. The management can have salary variations as a way to motivate and encourage the sales personnel. Profit sharing and extending bonuses to the sales force also boosts personnel spirit of delivering. It raises self gratification for the personnel by increasing the hourly rate and other benefits. Motivation is therefore one of the mechanisms that the human resource managers employ in coordinating the performance of the sales force (Nicolescu, 2009, 6-12). . Promotion in human resource management entails appreciating the efforts of a person in one rank and rising by grading the level of his job prescription. It entails offering better remuneration to the person as he/she is ranked higher than previous position held. More too rising in ranks, promotion also involves getting involved at higher level of decision making, positions that were previously held by the mana gement team before. This is equally within the sales personnel field where the management ascends a person to higher posts within the same field of sales force, offering improved salary packages as well as involving the individual to decision making processes. Career development entails much more than just offering the sales personnel an opportunity to serve an organization but to grow in the career path. Good management practices for the sales force also involves understanding the need to continuously improve the career path for the sales force as part of the entire human resource. Among other practices that helps improve the career of a sales agent is clear job analysis, understanding and developing a clear career plan and engaging in proper tutorials for the job market. Mentoring entails walking the career path with other professionals in the career, through whom the sales agent, earns how to navigate through the job field. Tutorials and coaching are equally better methods throug h which the management assists develop the careers of their employees. This therefore adds to many other ways through which the sales force is managed. (Nicolescu, 2009, 6-12) Training As part of the mechanisms that the management undertakes in influencing the performance of sales agents, it involves assisting the force access better training through which the performance of the employees gets boosted. We find that managements of firm encourage individual study as part of their strategies to

Open vs Closed Systems Essay Example for Free

Open vs Closed Systems Essay The state of Kansas defines OSS (Open Sourced Software) as software for which the source code is freely and publicly available, though the specific licensing agreements vary as to what one is allowed to do with that code. The book defines open source operating systems as those made available in source-code format rather than binary code. Closed source is exactly the opposite. Closed source is proprietary software that is only made available in binary code which is very difficult to reverse engineer. Open-source code is exactly what the programmer developed including all of the comments and notes. Open-source is most commonly confused with free software although the difference is very miniscule however strongly opposed. When all of these ideas are put together we can understand that as an end user with open sourced OS’ we have the ability to see all of the code and modify most of the OS if we have the necessary skills to do so. Whereas with closed source we can only see the code after it has been compiled into binary, or machine code, and only make changes that the programmers allow us to make within the OS. Open Sourced OS When we talk about open-sourced OS’ usually people think of UNIX or Linux. These are great examples of what open- source is. If a user wanted to download a version of Linux to install on his computer he could, and the open source would not cost him a thing. What he may end up paying for is support. Or if he is an experienced developer himself he can do what open-sourced software was originally intended to and make changes to the source himself. This is the biggest difference between open and closed source OS. With open source the individual has the freedom to make absolutely any change he deems necessary to the OS. Imagine being able to change the way Windows works. If you somehow figured out that the Windows OS would always crash when you have exactly 6 explorer windows open what would you do? Well if Windows was an open-source OS you could fix it and compile it. Then you could send the fixed version to the author so it could be updated and distributed to everyone else. That is the beauty of open-sourced OS’. Some can argue that because there are so many more eyes on the open-source systems that it makes them more secure. Closed Source OS Closed-source operating systems are the extreme opposite of open-source. The only form of closed source you can get is binary, which means you’ll have to do some very heavy hex reverse engineering in order to be able to actually understand the code. Closed source OS’ like Microsoft cost hundreds of dollars to buy, and if there’s issues with the latest version, you are forced to wait until Microsoft developers release an update that may fix your issue and yet break another one of your applications. Users are at the mercy of Microsoft at all times. You can make recommendations and complaints about Windows not behaving in a matter that suits your needs, but you can’t do very much more. GNU Public Licenses GNU (GNU Not UNIX) General Public licenses are licenses used for distributing free software. The idea of â€Å"copyright† was flipped around and introduced as â€Å"copyleft† by the FSF (Free Software Foundation). The purpose of â€Å"copylefting† was to do exactly the opposite of copyrighting. Instead of locking the software down and using the full extent of the law against anyone attempting to copy the copyrighted software; a GNU GPL forces the authors to allow anyone to copy and modify the code. The best example of how the GNU GPLs are used is the Linux operating system. Using GNUs UNIX compatible tools, Linus Torvalds created a UNIX like kernel and invited all developers around the world to modify his code and submit it back to him. Using the open source method Linus was able to complete the Linus OS much faster than anyone anticipated. Even though GNU had begun to be developed before Linux, the use of the internet and GNU GPLs allowed Linux to be completed before GNU was. Microsoft Licensing Due to the fact that Microsoft Windows was created to be a closed-source OS, users are forced to pay for a license before being able to download the binary file and install the software. Microsoft licensing copyrights the software and prevents anyone not appointed by Microsoft from viewing and modifying the source code. The advantage of Microsoft licenses is that when vulnerabilities or bugs are found, the end user doesn’t have to worry about figuring out how to fix it. Microsoft developers package the fixes and notify the end user’s OS when they are available for download. For an end user with no programming experience, the Microsoft Licensing scheme is a perfect scenario. Of course it costs a nice chunk of change, but for some people ignorance is bliss. The obvious disadvantage to this licensing structure is the complete opposite. The end users are completely powerless to fix known vulnerabilities and bugs. Microsoft has been able to blow past the competitors because of the availability of Volume licensing and software assurance policies. The biggest customer any software company can have is the government. When Microsoft started offering proprietary software that was easily deployable in any environment, the government and most other large companies were enticed into buying into the Microsoft Licensing closed source idea. Conclusion As a rule of thumb a person should never completely close any door even after seeing what’s inside and turning the other way. In one hand open-source OS’ can be extremely useful because they are easily modified and tailored to ones need. Along with the fact that there seems to always be someone interested in helping with code and the development of useful software. Most of the time, these programmers are not getting paid and are mostly just looking for a challenge. And on the other hand when money isn’t an issue and the knowledge of code is an issue, one can easily find themselves completely absorbed in the closed source way of life. Is either one better than the other? Maybe in some scenarios, but neither can nor should be considered a failure of societies way of thinking.