A Business Organization Of The Gilded Age - 1405 Words

Karen George Period 5 1/27/2017 A business organization left to monitor its adherence to legal, ethical or safety standards on its own, runs the risk of unmonitored and unfettered damage to the economy. The Gilded Age in America was a time in history marked by ruthless competition and zero business ethics that saw only a few rise to the top. John D. Rockefeller of the Standard Oil Company became a so-called â€Å"Captain of the Industry† and a household name. He served as the poster child for Capitalism and in the nature of a true capitalist, he amassed tremendous wealth. However, along with his incredible success, Rockefeller also became known as the â€Å"Robber Baron† due to his unethical business practices of monopoly. Rockefeller wanted to†¦show more content†¦At around the same time the Civil War began, the demand for his goods increased greatly, and he found himself amassing a small amount of wealth. And so, while the average worker earned about $8 a week, Rockefeller was on his way to be worth millions. Rockefeller introduced new techniques that completely reshaped the oil industry as well as how business was run. In 1859, Edwin Drake discovered oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania, and Rockefeller was quick to foresee a future. He was persuaded that refining oil would bring immense wealth and so he began to sell off his other interests. Around 1863, Rockefeller and several partners entered the booming oil industry by investing in a Cleveland Refinery. During the 19th century, kerosene was in high demand and during the process of refining crude oil to kerosene, there were many byproducts that many saw as waste, but thrifty Rockefeller saw it as gold. Byproducts such as petroleum jelly was sold to medical supply companies, paraffin to candlemakers, and other wastes as paving materials for roads. He kept shipping a plethora of goods, therefore, railroad companies drooled over the prospect of getting his business. Due to the immense use of railroads, Rockefeller demande d discounted rates, or rebates from them. The high cost of transporting his oil to his Cleveland refineries cost 40 centsShow MoreRelated The Gilded Age Essay1094 Words   |  5 PagesThe Gilded Age Mark Twain collaborated with Charles Dudley Warner on The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. Published in 1973, as Twain’s earliest work of extended fiction, The Gilded Age gives a name to the period of opulence and corruption at the end of the 19th century. Portraying the superficial luxury of Washington and high society, the authors describe â€Å"The general laxity of the time, and the absence of a sense of duty toward any part of the community but the individual himself† (Twain 203)Read MoreEssay about Big Business In The Gilded Age1028 Words   |  5 Pages20th century, dubbed the Gilded Age by writer Mark Twain, was a time of great growth and change in every aspect of the United States, and even more so for big business. It was this age that gave birth to many of the important modern business practices we take for granted today, and those in charge of business at the time were considered revolutionaries, whether it was for the good of the people or the good of themselv es. The exact period of time in which the Gilded Age occurred is ever-debatableRead MoreWomen During The Civil War997 Words   |  4 Pagesdiffering and sometimes conflicted social standings during the Progressive Era. Attention is also given to specific strategies that were realized by organizations and groups, such as women’s conventions, schools, and settlement houses to help achieve their overall goal of equality. Attention is also given to specific strategies that were realized by organizations and groups, such as women’s conventions, schools, and settlement houses to help achieve their overall goal of equality. The paper also pinpointsRead MoreA Time Of Rapid Industrialization1713 Words   |  7 Pagesrapid industrialization in the United States. The great American author, Mark Twain, dubbed this period the â€Å"Gilded† Age. Gilded items are covered thinly with gold leaf or gold paint, which hides all that is inside. This idea is evident in this time per iod because America’s golden paint, or industrialization, was hiding all the economic and social problems on the inside. Although the Gilded Age brought along great advances in industrialization, it brought many new problems that were never experiencedRead MoreJohn D. Rockefeller : The Gilded Age Of The Gilded Age741 Words   |  3 PagesFollowing years of reconstruction, the U.S. entered a new age. For this new age, Mark Twain named it after the â€Å"glittering† surface of the time that covered vast corruption underneath. The late 19th century would be called the Gilded Age (Houston). From this Gilded Age, a powerful businessman emerged. John D. Rockefeller ruled the oil industry as king. Using his incredible knowledge of business, he rose up through the age to become one of the most influential businessmen in history. Amidst the 1880sRead MoreThe Gilded Age Of The Nineteenth Century And The Succeeding Period887 Words   |  4 PagesTwo prominent eras of American History were the Gilded Age at the end of the nineteenth century and the succeeding period, the Progressive Era. The Gilded Age, also know as the Second Industrial Revolution, was a peak of high economic development with the rise of technological advancements in a free market environment, meaning that the economy was driven by self-interest instead of government authority. Besides its economic growth, the Gilded Age handle changes in social divisions. After the abolishmentRead MoreReconstruction Of The Civil War1365 Words   |  6 Pagesto keep this going so when slavery was abolished, this frustrated and angered them. These states had left the Union. This led to the American Civil War between the North and South. The Gilded Age was one of the most dynamic periods in the history of America. Mark Twain gave this time period the name Gilded Age. It was during the late 19th century and our country was corrupt underneath. Southern states established laws that deprived African Americans. Laws were passed that would require votersRead MoreThe Gilded Age : The Gilded Age1340 Words   |  6 PagesMark Twain, an American writer, named the late 19th century, the ‘Gilded Age.’ This time frame is ‘gilded’ because the time was glittering with gold on the surface, but corrupt and rotten underneath. This was a time period full of greed and guile, filled with robber barons, speculators, and Buccaneers. Not only that, but there were many sneaky business schemes to get more income, improper politics, and many impolite displays. Although, it’s better to think of this time as modern America’s formativeRead MoreThe Vibrant and Unpredictable Era of the Gilded Age1050 Word s   |  4 PagesThe Gilded Age was one of the most vibrant and unpredictable eras in the history of America. It brought about a new wave of industrial and economic opportunities that allowed some to build massive businesses and fortunes, while other lower and middle class citizens struggled to survive. Some would go as far to say it created a war between the classes across American societies. Giants of industry, such as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, revolutionized how big business led to the riseRead MoreThe Gilded Age By Mark Twain1730 Words   |  7 PagesThe Gilded Age was a period from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. The name of this time period was given by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today which expresses this time using two stories. One of a Tennessee family trying to sell undeveloped land and the other of two upper class businessmen. This book visits the highs and lows of living in this age. Those who are rich and plentiful, and those who are dirt poor. Showing the struggle people went

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay - 2848 Words

On any given day in the United States... 10,657 babies are born. (US Census Bureau). Twenty of these babies are born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Twenty may seem as though it is not a lot, but when you compare it to the fact that this number is more than HIV positive, Muscular Dystrophy, Spina Bifida and Down Syndrome combine it creates a whole new parameter. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a direct result of a woman’s competed disregard for the fetus. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS, hereinafter), is a series of both mental and physical birth defects that can include, but are not limited to, mental retardation, deficiencies in growth, central nervous system dysfunction, behavioral maladjustments, and craniofacial†¦show more content†¦(The New York Times, January 19, 1994) nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;As mentioned above, a baby with FAS can suffer from many different birth abnormalities. These disabilities will indeed last a lifetime. There is no amount of alcohol found to be safe to consume during pregnancy. FAS is, however, 100% preventable when a woman abstains from alcohol. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;FAS is the leading known cause of mental retardation. Approximately, one out of 750 live birth are born each year with FAS. (The Journal of American Medical Association, 1991) Thirty to 40% of the mothers who drink â€Å"heavily† throughout pregnancy have the syndrome. FAS is not limited to any one group, race, culture, or socio-economic background. Between one-third and two-thirds of children in special education have been affected by alcohol in some way. (The Journal of American Medical Association, 1991) nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Comparison of children and adults with FAS shows that with the approach to adolescence, the specific craniofacial features are not as noticeable as they are in infancy. Average academic functioning of these children and adults does not seem to develop beyond early school grade level. The short stature and small head (micro cephalic), seem to be permanent. The most noticeable behavioral problems were found to be with comprehe nsion, judgment, and attention skills, causing these adults born with FAS to experience major psychological and adjustment problems for theShow MoreRelatedFetal Alcohol Syndrome942 Words   |  4 Pages Fetal Alcohol Syndrome According to Seaver, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is birth defects causing learning, and behavioral problems in individuals whose mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy. This disorder is very serious, yet it is recognized as one of the most preventable. This causes major issues, when something so serious could be prevented but is not. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a problem because it leaves a permanent effect on the unborn child, but some solutions could be educating women andRead MoreFetal Alcohol Syndrome1466 Words   |  6 PagesFetal Alcohol Syndrome â€Å"If women didn’t drink anymore during pregnancy, there would never be another baby born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effect† (McCuen 33). This is a very powerful statement. It is also a very simple cure for an alarmingly high birth defect that all women have the power to stop. â€Å"Every year more than 40,000 American children are born with defects because their mother drank alcohol while pregnant â€Å" (McCuen 34). That is 1 to 3 per 1,000 live birthsRead MoreThe Disorder Of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome1018 Words   |  5 Pagesthe the disorder Fetal Alcohol Syndrome .This paper will aim to discuss what the disorder is ,it s history how it is diagnosed and the treatment and prevention of this disorder. Taking a sip a int hip Introduction :Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing(Bible-Judges 13:7).It has been known throughout history that the effects of alcohol use in pregnancyRead MoreEssay on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome1390 Words   |  6 Pageslead to many severe abnormalities in the growing fetus. More specifically, a disorder that will be explored in this essay is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS); caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Since the alcohol is consumed in such a developing stage of the fetus, it can potentially cause many different complications in the unborn child. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome could easily be prevented with more awareness to the issue and its defining characteristics, how it affects the fetus during growthRead MoreFetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay1707 Words   |  7 Pagesof prenatal alcohol exposure (Lupton, 2003). This number will only continue to grow if the risk of drinking alcohol while pregnant i s not brought to the people’s attention. When the mother takes a drink of alcohol, so does the fetus, which will cause physical and behavioral problems after birth. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is completely preventable and irreversible. FAS awareness and prevention is important; expectant mothers need to know the background information about the syndrome, some commonRead MoreFetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay1699 Words   |  7 PagesFetal Alcohol Syndrome Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a condition affecting children born to women who drink heavily during pregnancy. There are three criteria used to describe the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and to make a diagnosis of FAS. The first of these is a pattern of facial anomalies, these features include: #61558; Small eye openings #61558; Flat cheekbones #61558; Flattened groove between nose and upper lip #61558; Thin upper lip These characteristicsRead MoreFetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay1096 Words   |  5 PagesFetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a mental and physical birth defect. It occurs when a pregnant women consumes high levels of alcohol during her pregnancy. The effects of FAS can be traumatic in some cases, and in others children were slightly affected by exposure to alcohol. FAS has a wide range of effects on the fetus and infant, retarded growth, under developed facial features, slow cognitive development, and many more. The evidence of cases is overwhelming, yet in some societies it is still anRead MoreFetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay1522 Words   |  7 PagesFetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a disorder that can happen to children whose mothers drank sufficient amounts of alcohol sometime throughout their pregnancy. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a condition classified in a group called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, and is the most known and severe of the group. FAS, depending on the factors such as location, population and race studied is considered one of the leading known causes of mental retardation and birth defects, with 0.2 – 1.5 out of every 1Read MoreFetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay1100 Words   |  5 Pagesyou want your child to have FAS? Read on and I believe you will come to the same conclusion as I have about FAS. FAS doesn’t sound so bad, but in reality it is. FAS means Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. FAS is a combination of physical and mental defects first evident at a baby’s birth. FAS is a direct result of a woman drinking alcohol during pregnancy. These defects continue through out the child’s life. One in five hundred children are born with FAS. Your baby is at risk no matter how much liquor youRead MoreEssay on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome2703 Words   |  11 PagesFetal Alcohol Syndrome Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a pattern of mental, physical, and behavioral defects that may develop in the unborn child when its mother drinks during pregnancy. These defects occur primarily during the first trimester when the teratogenic effects of the alcohol have the greatest effect on the developing organs. The symptoms associated with FAS have been observed for many centuries, but it was not until 1968 that Lemoine and his associates formally described these

Pre Activity Health Screening and Customer Care Free Essays

string(70) " to plaque in the heart therefore reducing the risk of heart disease\." Explain the reason why pre-activity health screening is necessary Pre activity health screening is used to highlight health problems that may be aggravated by physical exercise. A fitness instructor can then assess and prescribe the correct fitness plan for the individual. Screening takes place in the form of a questionnaire and physiological measurements. We will write a custom essay sample on Pre Activity Health Screening and Customer Care or any similar topic only for you Order Now Some health risks looked for by taking part in pre activity health screening are shown by Woolf, May (2006), categorised by risk factor. The first category is known as ‘primary risk factor’s’ which include high cholesterol and high blood pressure. These problems are related to some of highest risks to health such as heart attack when completing exercise . The ‘Secondary risk factor’s’ that may be aggravated by exercise include obesity that is indicated by a body mass index of over thirty kg/m2 and physical inactivity indicated by a failure to reach the minimum fitness standard required. The last category is ‘non modifiable risks’ that is made up of factors that can not be helped such as age and a family history of heart disease.Someone over the age of fifty is also considered to be a factor in this category. When an individual has completed a health screening questionnaire they may then be asked to take part in further tests in the form of physiological measurements. A persons body mass index may be taken by dividing their weight by height. This can tell a fitness instructor whether the individual is over weight which would need consideration when an exercise plan was produced.An individuals blood pressure may also be taken as a high reading is considered a high risk factor contributing to coronary heart disease. Another test that may be carried out would be the weight to hip ratio which measures distribution of fat around the body. If the person has more weight around the abdomen it is known as ‘apple shaped’ and is related to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Completing pre activity health screening is becoming increasingly important for the fitness industry as the need for their services becomes more opular. The evidence shown suggests that health screening has the potential to save lives through diagnosing health problems that may be aggravated by certain physical activity, however a different kind of activity may be appropriate. Although health screening questionnaires are good for highlighting health risks the physiological measurements taken after are vital to further help both the instructor and the individual to diagnose health problems. (405) Q2) Discuss and analyse Reshma’s results.Your analysis should identify whether or not the results fall into healthy ranges, and discuss the implications of this with a particular focus on the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Reshma’s PAR questionnaire showed that she answered ‘no’ all the questions, however she admitted to smoking ten cigarettes a day which is putting her at risk of serious health problems and is classed as a ‘primary health risk’ leading to coronary heart disease (Woolf May 2006). A number of physiological measurements were then taken. Reshma had a blood pressure which read 140 over 100 millimetres of mercury.Andy Russel explains that the first reading is systolic pressure which is a contracting heart and diastolic pressure is the heart relaxed. The average reading should be between 100 to 140 over 60 to 90 (mmhg) (The Open University 2008). A reading over 130 and 85 provides more risk of coronary heart disease in middle aged people . (Vasan et al 2001). Reshma then had her resting heart rate measured at 90 beats per minute. According to Netfit (2009), the average heart beat of a women of 48 years old should be between 74 and 77 and anything over 84 BPM is thought to be poor.Stress is one cause of a rapid heart beat and regular exercise would lower heart rate considerably. Reshma has a body mass index of 30. 5 which is calculated by dividing weight and height. Marie Toms explains that healthy people have readings between 19 and 24 and that anything over 30 is classed as obese (The Open University 2008). Reshma is putting herself at a higher risk of coronary heart disease and other risks such as cancer. Regular exercise would help Reshma lower her BMI and make her a lot healthier. Reshma’s waist to hip ratio was a reading of 1. 0.As Sharky and Gaskill (2007) suggest, the safe limit for women is between . 75 and . 8 which shows Reshma is in further danger of health problems which could be reduced by regular exercise. Reshma’s body fat percentage is shown at 33%. This reading is taken in 4 measurements with a calliper from the arm and back. According to Family education (2010), the average body fat percentage for a women of between 20 to 50 years old should be between 17 to 27 %. Reshma is clearly over the safe limits of body fat and combined with her other measurements is putting herself at serious risk.The evidence shows that Reshma is at higher risk of cardiovascular disease due to her results. Physical activity can reduce these risks and with regular exercise participation, Reshma would be considerably healthier. If Reshma stopped smoking she would decrease her chance of health problems even more. (402) Q3) Outline how physical activity could have a positive effect on Reshma’s health. If Reshma began a fitness plan she would see dramatic improvements to not only her physical health but her mental health too.Improvements to the efficiency of the vascular system and metabolic changes would increase better health both physical and mental health by reducing stress. Sharky and Gaskill (2007), describes the Vascular system as having many tasks in the body which include carrying blood with oxygen, hormones and food to the cells of the body. The system can be made more efficient when a person takes part in physical activity by reducing blood clotting in narrow coronary arteries. This is achieved by the arteries being made larger and educing the risk of blockage due to plaque in the heart therefore reducing the risk of heart disease. You read "Pre Activity Health Screening and Customer Care" i n category "Papers" A notable change of the system for Reshma would be that of blood pressure being reduced when regular exercise is carried out. Another benefit of physical activity on the system would be that blood volume increases by 10 to 15 percent and in doing this will lower Reshma’s heart rate over time. The metabolic changes to the body when participating in physical activity contribute to many factors in helping Reshma become healthier.Blood lipids including high cholesterol and triglycerides can be a factor of coronary heart disease. Important metabolic changes would be seen with an increase in fat metabolism because exercise burns fat and increases muscle which further helps to reduce fat. The metabolic changes are significant to Reshma as the metabolism of fat would help to lower her body mass index and would further contribute to a lower waist to hip ratio and body fat percentage. Physical activity not only helps physical health but can also improve mental health. Reshma has high blood pressure due to a busy lifestyle. Hendrix and Hughes(1997) states that regular exercise contributes to good health by lowering diastolic blood pressure and reducing stress. Exercise is also thought to be the best form of stress management because it not only reduces the risk of physiological problems but can also reduce anxiety and depression through its relaxing abilities. These factors would lower Reshma’s blood pressure to an acceptable level. When it comes to Reshma taking part in physical activity the benefits to health are endless.A more efficient vascular system and metabolic changes improve physiological factors in the body and improved mental health reduces the stress leading to a lower blood pressure and a better overall lifestyle. (399) Task 2 Q 1) What legislation governs health and safety in a sport and fitness facility, and how might these relate to this accident. The main legislation in the sport and fitness sector is the ‘Health and Safety Act Ect 1974’ . This act is known as a Statute Law which means it is provided by parliament and contains a number of acts that relate to all health and safety topics in an industry.The Child Protection at Work in Sport Unit may also be interested in Luke and Fiona’s case. As Heany and Goody (2008) suggest, the Health and Safety Executive governs a lot of the health and safety aspects in the sport and fitness sector through ‘The Health and Safety Act ect 1974’. The act protects the health and safety of people at work but it also provides health and safety for visitors to a facility. An important Factor in the case of Luke and Fiona could be ‘The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999’ which states that an employer should carry out a risk assessment including risks to people not in his employment.A court may then ask if an appropriate risk asse ssment was carried out in preventing such injury happening to Fiona. The Child Protection at Work in Sport Unit, which is part of the ‘National Society for the prevention of cruelty to children’ may show concern because they may ask why Luke took Fiona into the gym in the first place As the sport and fitness sector grows in stature, the ‘Health and Safety Executive’ becomes more important in the guidance it gives in the of running the industry. (252) Task 2 Q2) Discuss whether or not Luke or his 14 year old Fiona would have a case for negligence against the facility.Explain the reason for your answer. Before a verdict of negligence is awarded a court will use the ‘law of tort’ which takes into account many factors. Jane Goody (2008) describes the law of ‘Tort’ as being a French word for a wrong and that the law makes a defendant protect someone from harm and owe a person a duty of care. The court must prove this by showing the defendant owed the person a duty of care, that the duty of care was broke n and that the person received injury due to a breach to the duty of care. Negligence is further explored by using other laws such as ‘Occupiers liability’ and the ‘Reasonableness test‘. These are of much importance in the case of Luke and Fiona When it comes to Luke and Fiona the receptionist does not owe a duty of care because although she let Fiona into the premises, she did not let her into the gym. However the Fitness Instructor did owe Fiona a duty of care because he did not ask for any form of identification. In doing this he broke that duty of care and it could be said, he then breached that duty of care when she was injured. Occupiers liability is the law that gives the occupier of a property or land, the responsibility to make sure such land or property is safe for people to enter.The notable law in the case of Luke and Fiona is that of Occupiers law of 1984 which states that land should be safe even for trespassers. (Jane Goody 2008). Fiona was classed as a trespasser as she entered the gym without permission but the owner still had to make it safe for her as a trespasser. However, the law then becomes more important in the case of Luke and Fiona because even though the defendant has a duty of care to make a facility safe for all, the law changes if the claimant is a child who should have been under the care of an adult.The court may then say that Luke was being negligent for taking Fiona into the gym and it was his responsibility to look after her especially as she should not have been there in the first place. The reasonableness test takes into account whether a defendant acted in a reasonable way in the circumstance and also takes into account any different behavior by the defendant or the claimant, the size of the risk and whether injury could have been prevented. Special qualifications held by the defendant are also taken into account (Jane Goody 2008)In the case of Luke and Fiona it could be said that the gym instructor was being unreasonable in not asking Fiona for any identification. In other aspects the instructor could have acted in a reason able way because Fiona fell over and no equipment was involved however the situation would change if Fiona slipped on a wet floor or fell over equipment because it should have been checked and deemed safe by the instructor. The evidence shows that a case of negligence could be successful in many factors but the law of occupiers liability may lead to an unsuccessful claim .The gym instructor broke his duty of care to Fiona by not asking for identification . Occupiers liability shows that although Fiona was trespassing she had a right to safety, however an award may be reduced or lost because Luke was being negligent in taking Fiona to the gym. 566) .Bibliography 1 2) Woolf, May (2006), study topic 3: Minimising the health risks of physical activity in E112 Introduction to Sport, Fitness and Management study guide, Milton Keynes, The Open University. 3) The Open University (2008) E112 Introduction to Sport, Fitness and Management DVD, Milton Keynes, The Open University. ) Vasan et al (2001) ‘Hypertension and Stroke’ in Fitness and Health (6th edn) Sharky and Gaskill (2007), Leeds, Human Kinetics. 5) Netfit (2009) ‘Resting Heart Rate’ (online). Available from: Http://netfit. co. uk/fitness/test/resting-heart-rate. htm (accessed 17th January 2010). 6) The Open University (2008) E112 Introduction to Sport, Fitness and Management DVD, Milton Keynes, The Open University. 7) Sharky, B. J. and Gaskill, S. E. (2007) Fitness and Health (6th edn), Leeds, Human Kinetics. 8) Family Education (2009) ‘Fat Percentage Chart’ (online), Available from: Http://life. familyeducation. com/weight/body-image/46748. tml (Accessed 17th January 2010). 9) Sharky, B. J. and Gaskill, S. E. (2007) Fitness and Health (6th edn), Leeds, Human Kinetics. 10) Hendrix and Hughes (1997) ‘Activity Minimises Stress’ in Sharky and Gaskill (2007) Fitness and Health (6th edn), Leeds, Human Kinetics. 11) Heany and Goody (2008) ‘Physical Activity and Health and Safety’ in E112 Introduction to Sport, Fitness and Management Study Guide, Milton Keynes, The Open University. 12) Goody,M. (2008) Negligence: ‘Legal Frameworks of Health and Safety’ in Oakley, B. and Rhys, M. (eds) The Sport and Fitness Sector: An Introduction, London, Routledge/Milton Keynes, The Open University. How to cite Pre Activity Health Screening and Customer Care, Papers

Evaluation Of A Business Plan

Question: Discuss abouth the Evaluation of a Business Plan. Answer: Introduction Company Background In the year of 1974, the company JB Hi-Fi was established BY Mr. Jhon Burbuto. At that time the company only operated a single store in East Keilor (Jbhifi 2016). During the years between 1983and 1999, the company had opened 9 more stores in Australia (Jbhifi 2016). The company has offred different types of products such as home appliances, consumer electronics and air- conditioning. The company also sells all the renowned brand of T.V., Cameras, Computers, Speakers, Home theater and Portable Audio system and many more (Jbhifi 2016). The company also offers different types DVD music, recorded music and games at cheap price compare to the market. Mission and Vision Main business philosophy of the company is very simple. Mission of this company is to offer a specialist range of Hi-Fi and recorded music at lowest price to Australian customers (Jbhifi 2016). Maintaining this philosophy, the company has become one of the largest and fastest growing retailers of home appliances in Australia. The vision of the company is to become the largest retailer company is the country within next two years. Three Sources of Business Plan There major source of business plans are such as management, financial and marketing. They are discussed below: Management The company JB Hi-Fi has announced a major management restructure. Presently the company is trying to expand its focus on online marketing. CEO of the company named Richard Murray has announced that the day-by-day management team of the company will be strengthened. As the part of its expansion program, the company will increase its focus on digital and online marketing operations. For this purpose, James Saretta is appointed to take the role of Digital and strategy Director (Jbhifi 2016). He will be responsible for expansion and development of the organizations online business operation. Due to enhance customer experience in JB Hi-Fi website online sales of the company was increased by 28% (Jbhifi 2016). For this reason JB Hi-Fi website is recognized as one of the biggest appliance and consumer electronic in Australia. There are various other changes have been found in the management team. For example, Cameron Trainor (presently assigned as Merchandise Director) will take the responsibility of the marketing department along with his present role (Jbhifi 2016). In addition, Gary Siewart has been appointed as general manager of marketing who will report to Cameron Trainor. However, the previous role of marketing director of the company has been eliminated. In addition, Belinda Minieri will be appointed as a part of the senior management, who will take on the role of general manager of online and solutions operation. Financial Till 30th June 2016, the company has more than 194 stores in Australia and New Zealand. In future, the company has the opportunity to increase its business in these two countries. The company JB Hi-Fi is achieve to sales of $3.90 billion in the year of 2016 (). The total sales growth of the company is 8.3%. The net profit of the company after tax is approximately 11.5%. Gross profit of the company is increased by 8.4% (Jbhifi 2016). It has been found that the total operating cost of the company remained well controlled throughout these years. In future, the company will try to remain focused on minimizing indirect expenditure and increase productivity. Due to low financial and operating leverage, the balance sheet of the company continues to grow. The company is considered as a discount retailer, which has the ability to offer low price products through the scale of its business operation. The company offers the largest category of consumer electronics, home entertainment at discounted price. It helps the company to position itself in the mind of all customers. Marketing Gollenia (2016) stated that, good retailers always try to focus on low costs, right products and appropriate pricing. Company JB Hi-Fi is considered as one of the great retailers. Even if the company has grown to $2 billion organization, the management has not shifted its focus from that of the value player in the electronic retail market of Australia. The company is competing with big names such as Good Guys and Harvey Norman. The company is considered as a low price alternative, which has provided competitive advantage. According to the CEO of JB Hi-Fi, the company has deliberately positioned itself as low end branding and shop fittings. Human et al. (2015) stated that this strategy is highly effective during the downturn of market. Branding of the company can be hardly considered as slick. The company mainly uses slightly tacky and loud print advertising. However, the television advertising is minimally used by the company. However, the store fitting of the company has a second-hand feeling. They use lots of hand-drawn price tags and signage. It provides customers the opportunity of bargaining. Ripsas et al. (2015) stated that branding of the company is consistent for store and it has a consistent product range. The company uses Uechtritzs business model for this purpose. Market Analysis: Market Segmentation: JB Hi Fi has successfully divided the market in three distinct segment which are described below: Family Homeowners: This particular segment owns middle-end to high-end homes along with other electronic equipments. Half of the families have two incomes and more than half families earn around $78000. More than half families have cable TV and broadband internet connection. Single Homeowners: This particular segment owns their personal home only for them. They are mostly inclined towards using electronic technology. The median income has been assumed around $65000. Three quarter of the segment owns cable TV and broadband Internet Connection. Commercial Sales: This segment mostly contains SMEs and mid-size businesses. This particular segment is focused on purchasing expensive electronics equipment for various purpose regardless of their industry. Target Market Segment Strategy: JB Hi Fi mostly focuses on these market segments as they are most attracted towards new models and technological entertainment electronic devices. While majority of the homeowners have cable TV, many other families would be inclined to purchase new models of TV. Moreover, the professional single homeowners would be attracted towards innovative electronic devices for entertainment (Corbett et al. 2014). In addition to that, the small and mid-size business organization would require a large amount of electronic products. In order to attract these customers JB Hi FI would focus on minimizing their cost so that they can offer limited price for their product. In addition, promotional activities with latest technology will also help to reach maximum numbers of customers. Products JB Hi-Fi mostly operates its business in the sector of Home Entertainment Electronics Equipment. The product range contains various entertainment equipments such as large home appliances, hardware/electronics, video games, Blu-ray discs, DVDs as well as CDs. In addition to that, the organization also focuses on providing the business related products such as computing equipment, audio visual, BYOD Programs as well as corporate gift cards. Industry Analysis: The external market factors JB Hi-Fi is analyzed with the help of PESTLE model. PESTLE analysis P Political The legislative amendments due to the global requirements in Australia have immensely affected the business decision of company (Jones et al. 2013). The trade faces greater challenges due to the international trade laws and political instability. E Economic The high inflation rate immensely affects the online trading The high rate of Dollar highly affects the monetary transactions European economic crisis has also affected the internal market S Social The customers are inclined towards entertainment related electronics equipment They often focuses on the perceived quality and service availability T Technological The emerging social media technology has enabled the organization to undertake new marketing strategy (Kunz and Dow 2013) The online marketing and gaming market has been immensely improved by the advanced internet accessibility L Legal International trade law is a major factor for the business operation In addition to that taxation is a crucial element of business expansion E Environmental The company has to focus on several major areas regarding environmental preservation and recovery. These areas are Waste disposal Disposal of worn-outs Bulk packaging Noise reduction Strategy and Implementation Summary Competitive Edge The competitive position of JB Hi-Fi is analyzed with the help of Porters 5 Forces model. Porters 5 Forces Analysis Figure 1: Porters Five Forces Analysis (Source: Blank 2013) Marketing Strategy JB Hi-Fi would be focused on attracting the customers by offering a large range of products in a limited price. In order to bind the price in a certain level the company will emphasize on cost reducing techniques so that the products can be manufactured with limited expenses (Ghezzi et al. 2015). However, the company will also concentrate on the factors, where the quality of the products is not compromised. In this context, the organization will not reduce the cost of the quality control and materials. This way the organization would be able to ensure the quality of the products. JB Hi-Fi will also be focused on investing in proactive and aggressive advertising approach. It will undertake numbers of promotional activities in order to attract a maximum number of customers. The most effective promotional activities are discussed below: Inserts in Bills: The organization will construct the bills in such a fashion that the promotional messages will be conveyed to the customers. It will effectively increase a significant number of repeat businesses. It is most inexpensive, albeit powerful way to reach the customers. Website: In the contemporary technologically advanced era, any advertising campaign is not complete without online activities. The website campaign and advertisement is highly effective for reaching majority of the target audience in Australia, as most of the citizens actively use internet. In addition to that, the website also offers an effective platform for the customers to purchase the companys products in an easy and convenient way. Moreover, the social media sites are also quite useful platform for reaching the customers in a limited effort. Direct Mail: JB Hi-Fi will also use direct mail as a means of business communication. The customer database will be most effective for conveying necessary updates on the companys activities and product renovation. The company will be able to inform the messages regarding the new information regarding the organization. Sales Strategy The organization would be focused on implementing push sales for increasing the sales figure in a significant manner. The supportive shopping experience provision would be also helpful to encourage the customers to purchase from JB Hi-Fi stores. The regular greetings would be most effective for enhancing brand recognition and repeat sales. Financial Plan Projected profit and loss statement for the 1st year Pro Forma Profit and Loss Statement for JB Hi-Fi Amount (in $) (Debit) Amount (in $) (Credit) Revenue 27700 Closing stock 1700 Purchase of materials 7400 Carriage inward 900 Gross Profit 21100 Salaries to the staffs 11700 Maintenance expenses 910 Rent and rates 3000 Cost of building the internal structure 1400 Electricity charges 610 Other expenses 1000 Net Profit 2480 Projected Balance sheet statement for the 1st year Pro Forma Balance Sheet for JB Hi-Fi Amount (in $) Amount (in $) Assets: Fixed assets: Furniture 4700 Machineries 1400 Total fixed assets 6100 Current assets: Debtors 6100 Cash in hand 1700 Closing stock 1700 Total current assets 9500 Total assets 15600 Liabilities: Long term liabilities: Long term bank loan 4000 Current liabilities: Creditors 3700 Bank overdraft 1000 Total liabilities 8700 Owner's capital: Capital 6000 Reserve 900 Total Owner's capital 6900 Projected Cash flow statement for the 1st year Pro Forma Cash Flow Statement for JB Hi-Fi Amount (in $) Amount (in $) Profit from the operations 2480 Cash flow from operating activities: Add: Increase in current liabilities 570 Less: Increase in current assets 360 Total cash from operating activities 2690 Cash flow from investing activities: Purchase of new furniture -1000 Sale of old furniture 300 Total cash from investing activities -700 Cash flow from financing activities: Bank loan taken 4000 Capital provided by the owner 1000 Total cash from financing activities 5000 Net cash inflow 6990 Projected profit and loss statement for the 2nd year Pro Forma Profit and Loss Statement for JB Hi-Fi Amount (in $) (Debit) Amount (in $) (Credit) Revenue 31070 Closing stock 1870 Purchase of materials 8100 Carraige inward 1100 Gross Profit 23740 Salaries to the staffs 11700 Maintenance expenses 1010 Rent and rates 3000 Cost of building the internal structure 700 Electricity charges 900 Other expenses 1400 Net Profit 5030 Projected Balance sheet statement for the 2nd year Pro Forma Balance Sheet for JB Hi-Fi Amount (in $) Amount (in $) Assets: Fixed assets: Furniture 4900 Machineries 1400 Total fixed assets 6300 Current assets: Debtors 7400 Cash in hand 1600 Closing stock 1870 Total current assets 10870 Total assets 17170 Liabilities: Long term liabilities: Long term bank loan 4000 Current liabilities: Creditors 5070 Bank overdraft 1100 Total liabilities 10170 Owner's capital: Capital 6000 Reserve 1000 Total Owner's capital 7000 Projected Cash flow statement for the 2nd year Pro Forma Cash Flow Statement for JB Hi-Fi Amount (in $) Amount (in $) Profit from the operations 5030 Cash flow from operating activities: Add: Increase in current liabilities 1470 Less: Increase in current assets -1370 Total cash from operating activities 7870 Cash flow from investing activities: Purchase of new furniture -1400 Sale of old furniture 360 Total cash from investing activities -1040 Cash flow from financing activities: Bank loan taken 4000 Capital provided by the owner 500 Total cash from financing activities 4500 Net cash inflow 11330 Conclusion and Recommendation In Conclusion, it can be mentioned that JB Hi-Fi is already an established home appliance retailer of Australia. The main motto of the company is to offer consumer electronics and home appliances at cheaper price. In the year of 2003, the company had entered into the Australian Stock Exchange. Presently, the company is worth $2 million. However, the company still has limited presence in Australia and New Zealand. For this reason, the company will try more to expand its business in these two countries. The company also will try to improve its online business strategy. In order to help the company to improve its business plan, there are some recommendations given to the organization. They are mentioned below: Recommendations The company has to improve its website and make it more user-friendly, so that customers can easily purchase their goods from the company websites. The company has to improve its supply chain in order to distribute all the products equally at every corner of the country. The company has use social media marketing such as Facebook, Twitter in order to make effective interaction with customer References: Blank, S., 2013. Why the lean start-up changes everything.Harvard business review,91(5), pp.63-72. Corbett, A.C., Siegel, D.S. and Katz, J.A. eds., 2014.Academic Entrepreneurship: Creating an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem(Vol. 16). Emerald Group Publishing. Curley, A. and Slocum, J., 2016. Organizing a Startup Business According to Differentiation Strategy and Virtual Design. Fernndez-Guerrero, R., Revuelto-Taboada, L. and Simn-Moya, V., 2012. The business plan as a project: an evaluation of its predictive capability for business success.The Service Industries Journal,32(15), pp.2399-2420. Gately, C. and Cunningham, J., 2014. The Contributions and Disconnections Between Writing a Business Plan and The Start-up Process for Incubator Technology Entrepreneurs.Academic Entrepreneurship: Creating An Entrepreneurial Ecosystem (Advances in Entrepreneurship, Firm Emergence and Growth, Volume 16) Emerald Group Publishing Limited,16, pp.197-241. Ghezzi, A., Cavallaro, A., Rangone, A. and Balocco, R., 2015, April. A Comparative Study on the Impact of Business Model Design Lean Startup Approach versus Traditional Business Plan on Mobile Startups Performance. InICEIS (3)(pp. 196-203). Gollenia, L.A., 2016.Business Transformation Management Methodology. Routledge. Human, S.E., Clark, T., Baucus, M.S. and Eustis, A.C.S., 2015. Idea or Prime Opportunity? A Framework for Evaluating Business Ideas for New and Small Ventures.Journal of Small Business Strategy,15(1), pp.59-80. Jbhifi., 2016.JB Hi-Fi | Australias Largest Home Entertainment Retailer. [online] Jbhifi.com.au. Available at: https://www.jbhifi.com.au/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2016]. Jones, C., Penaluna, A., Matlay, H. and Penaluna, K., 2013. The student business plan: useful or not?.Industry and Higher Education,27(6), pp.491-498. Kiznyte, J., Welker, M. and Dechange, A., 2016. Applying Project Management Methods to the Creation of a Start-up Business Plan: The Case of Blendlee. Kunz, D.A. and Dow, B.L., 2013, July. Organizing and Financing a New Business Venture. InAllied Academies International Conference. International Academy for Case Studies. Proceedings(Vol. 20, No. 2, p. 11). Jordan Whitney Enterprises, Inc. McAdam, J., 2013.The One-hour Business Plan: The Simple and Practical Way to Start Anything New. John Wiley Sons. Miller, A., 2014. A Vision of Capitalism, as it was Meant to be: A Social Purpose Business plan for FoodShed Productions. Mullins, J., 2012.The new business road test: What entrepreneurs and executives should do before writing a business plan. Pearson UK. Olsson, E., 2013. A long lasting effort: A tentative business plan for a health care e-learningsystem in Tanzania. Ripsas, S., Schaper, B. and Trger, S., 2015. A Startup Cockpit for the Proof-?of-?Concept.Erscheint imHandbuch Entrepreneurship, Wiesbaden. Thomas, D.F., Gudmundson, D., Turner, K. and Suhr, D., 2014. Business Plan Competitions and Their Impact on New Ventures' Business Models.Journal of Strategic Innovation and Sustainability,10(1), p.34. Turner, K. and Suhr, D., 2014. Business Plan Competitions and Their Impact on New Ventures Business Models David F. Thomas University of Northern Colorado Donald Gudmundson University of Northern Colorado.Journal of Strategic Innovation and Sustainability,10, p.1. Wentzensen, N. and Wacholder, S., 2013. From differences in means between cases and controls to risk stratification: a business plan for biomarker development.Cancer discovery,3(2), pp.148-157.

THE BERLIN AIRLIFT Essays - Allied Occupation Of Germany

THE BERLIN AIRLIFT THE BERLIN AIRLIFT With the Nazis defeated after World War II, the Western powers finally thought the string of wars was over. On the contrary, the USSR had other plans for the newly conquered Germany. Berlin, Germany's capital, was divided among Great Britain, the United States, France, and Russia. While this division was intended to keep peace, the Russians were formulating plans to take over the other three sections of Berlin. The Berlin Airlift was the first major test of the Free World's will to resist Soviet aggression. It all began in June 1948, when Soviet authorities claimed that "technical difficulties" would halt all traffic by land and water in and out of the western-controlled sections of Berlin. The only passages left into this territory that wouldn't upset the Soviets were three 20-mile wide air corridors. The Western powers (United States, Great Britain, and France) were then faced with two options: abandoning the city, or supplying the 2.5 million people with enough supplies to live by air for the next 11 months. By choosing the latter, the Western powers embarked on one of the greatest aviation feats in history. Operation Vittles, as the airlift was unofficially dubbed, began on June 26th with the USAF's C-47s carrying in 80 of the 4,500 tons of food, coal, and various other materials needed daily to maintain a minimum level of existence. Soon the U.S. Navy and British Royal Airforce cargo planes joined in to augment this force. To increase safety and cooperation between allied countries, a unified command was established called the Combined Airlift Task Force and was under the supervision of Major General William H. Tunner of the USAF. Once again, a common threat has brought together the Western Powers of Great Britain, and the United States of America. The difference in this conflict was that it remained, for the most part, peaceful. The airlift in Berlin was not only aimed at saving the city's occupants. It was also a fight to keep Communism from spreading even further by passive means. To underscore the allied force's determination, three bomb groups were placed in Europe, putting Soviet targets well within B-29 range. In response, the Soviets harassed the allied planes in the form of jamming radio channels, directing searchlights at aircraft taking off at night, the "buzzing" of cargo planes by Russian fighters, and barrage balloons allowed to drift into the air corridors. Throughout the entire operation, tensions rose. While this was intended to be a peaceful mission, more than 65 lives were lost comprising of British, German, and American personnel. At midnight on May 12, 1949, so many months after closing them down, the Soviets reopened land and water routes into Berlin. However, the airlift continued until September 30 to build a backlog of supplies. Although the allies kept the airlift going long enough to keep the city alive, it didn't resolve all the issues. Feelings of resentment were only increased between the United States and the Soviet Union. The leaders of the U.S. military did manage to keep peace, but soon the arms race would begin between these two major world powers. The events of the airlift only escalated the tension of the Cold War, although there wasn't any alternative. The only thing that could possibly have been done differently would be that instead of starting the airlift, Western countries could have tried to negotiate with the Russians resulting in a peaceful outcome. I find this a very unlikely outcome, however, because the Russians were planning for the expansion of communism, while that is the essence of what the allies were fighting against, thus their interests were dramatically opposed. The Western Powers chose the best possible route to solving the issue at hand; they saved the city without creating yet another blood-filled war. Although this defused the crisis temporarily, the issue of a divided Berlin and Germany was not resolved. In the years after the airlift, the Soviet Union and the United States engaged in a multi-decade arms race. West Berlin, being under Western control, enjoyed more liberties than Eastern, communist, Berlin. The Berlin Wall was constructed to keep eastern citizens from escaping to the West, becoming a perfect symbol for the Cold War. Finally, in 1989, the Berlin Wall was destroyed, and East and West Berlin were united. Bibliography 1. "The Berlin Airlift." Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia. Compton's NewMedia, Inc. Simon Schuster. 1996. 2. "The Cold War." Microsoft Bookshelf Reference Library. Microsoft Corporation. 1998. 3. "Berlin Airlift." United States Air Force Museum Webpage. Online. 6 May 1998.

Geography of Christmas

Geography of Christmas Every December 25, billions of people around the world gather together to celebrate the Christmas holiday. While many dedicate the occasion as the Christian tradition of the birth of Jesus, others commemorate the age-old customs of the pagans, the indigenous peoples of pre-Christian Europe. Still, others might carry on the celebration of Saturnalia, the feast of the Roman god of agriculture. And, the celebration of Saturnalia included the ancient Persian Feast of the Unconquered Sun on December 25th. Whatever the case, one can certainly encounter many different ways of celebrating the occasion. Through the centuries these local and universal traditions have gradually blended together to form our modern tradition of Christmas, arguably the first global holiday. Today, many cultures around the world celebrate Christmas with a wide variety of customs. In the United States, most of our traditions have been borrowed from Victorian England, which were themselves borrowed from other places, notably mainland Europe. In our current culture, many people may be familiar with the Nativity scene or maybe visiting Santa Claus at the local shopping mall, but these common traditions werent always with us. This compels us to ask some questions about the geography of Christmas: where did our holiday traditions come from and how did they come to be? The list of world Christmas traditions and symbols is long and varied. Many books and articles have been written about each one separately. In this article, three of the most common symbols are discussed: Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ, Sa nta Claus, and the Christmas tree. Origin and Diffusion of Christmas Symbols Christmas was designated as the birth of Jesus in the fourth century CE. During this period, Christianity was just beginning to define itself and Christian feast days were integrated into the popular pagan traditions to ease the adoption of the new religious beliefs. Christianity diffused outward from this region through the work of evangelizers and missionaries and eventually, European colonization brought it to places all over the world. The cultures that adopted Christianity also adopted the celebration of Christmas. The legend of Santa Claus began with a Greek Bishop in fourth-century Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). There in the town of Myra, a young bishop, named Nicholas, gained a reputation for kindness and generosity by distributing his family fortune to the less fortunate. As one story goes, he stopped the sale of three young women into slavery by providing enough gold to make a marriage dowry for each of them. According to the story, he threw the gold through the window and it landed in a stocking drying by the fire. As time passed, the word spread of Bishop Nicholas generosity and children began hanging their stockings by the fire in hopes that the good bishop would pay them a visit. Bishop Nicholas died on December 6th, 343 CE. He was canonized as a saint a short time later and the feast day of Saint Nicholas is celebrated on the anniversary of his death. The Dutch pronunciation of Saint Nicholas is Sinter Klaas. When Dutch settlers came to the United States, the pronunciation became Anglicanized and changed to Santa Claus which remains with us today. Little is known about what Saint Nicholas looked like. Depictions of him often portrayed a tall, thin character in a hooded robe sporting a graying beard. In 1822, an American theological professor, Clement C. Moore, wrote a poem A Visit from Saint Nicholas (more popularly known as The Night Before Christmas). In the poem, he describes Saint Nick as a jolly elf with a round belly and a white beard. In 1881, an American cartoonist, Thomas Nast, drew a picture of Santa Claus using Moores description. His drawing gave us the modern-day image of Santa Claus. The origin of the Christmas tree can be found in Germany. In pre-Christian times, the pagans celebrated the Winter Solstice, often decorated with pine branches because they were always green (hence the term evergreen). The branches were often decorated with fruit, especially apples and nuts. The evolution of the evergreen tree into the modern Christmas tree begins with Saint Boniface, on a mission from a Britain (modern-day England) through the forests of Northern Europe. He was there to evangelize and convert the pagan peoples to Christianity. Accounts of the journey say that he intervened in the sacrifice of a child at the foot of an oak tree (oak trees are associated with the Norse god Thor). After stopping the sacrifice, he encouraged the people to instead gather around the evergreen tree and divert their attention away from bloody sacrifices to acts of giving and kindness. The people did so and the tradition of the Christmas tree was born. For centuries, it remained mostly a Ger man tradition. The widespread diffusion of the Christmas tree to areas outside of Germany didnt happen until Queen Victoria of England married Prince Albert of Germany. Albert moved to England and brought with him his German Christmas traditions. The idea of the Christmas tree became popular in Victorian England after an illustration of the Royal Family around their tree was published in 1848. The tradition then quickly spread to the United States along with many other English traditions. Conclusion Christmas is a historic holiday that blends ancient pagan customs with the more recent universal traditions of Christianity. It is also an interesting trip around the world, a geographic story that originated in many places, especially Persia and Rome. It gives us the account of three wise men from the orient visiting a newborn baby in Palestine, the recollection of good deeds by a Greek bishop living in Turkey, the fervent work of a British missionary traveling through Germany, a childrens poem by an American theologian, and the cartoons of a German-born artist living in the United States. All of this variety contributes to the festive nature of Christmas, which is what makes the holiday such an exciting occasion. Interestingly, when we pause to remember why we have these traditions, we have geography to thank for it.

Michelangelo Buonarroti's Sistine Chapel Research Paper - 1

Michelangelo Buonarroti's Sistine Chapel - Research Paper Example Hence, the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo Buonarroti embraces different episodes of Biblical nature in smooth and quite invisible transitions between each scene. First and foremost, the Sistine Chapel was set for Michelangelo by Pope Julius II and painted on the â€Å"chapel’s ceiling which covered a curved surface of about 5,600 square feet† (Somervill 45). At a glance, it is an enormous representation of High Renaissance which inspires by luminous and quite patterned schemes of different paintings divided into different topic, mainly of genesis and God’s creation of Adam. All in all, the Sistine Chapel was commissioned by Pope Julius II to take place in the large Papal Chapel for the religious purposes of Vatican’s clergymen (Lucid Cafà © 1). It was a remarkable order for the Church at large and for Pope Julius II, in particular. Michelangelo urged for something unusual he could reflect on the surface. Once, he even noted the following idea: â€Å"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free† (Lucid Cafà © 1). Thus, before painting the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo was greatly inspired b y a divine impact from above. The artistic ensemble of the chapel is performed in a fresh renaissance vision of Michelangelo which he nurtured out of his genius. He started working on the chapel in 1508 and finished it in 1512 (Holroyd 35). Thus, Michelangelo followed a sequential flow of ideas which were constantly interrupted by Pope Julius II (Somervill 46). As might be seen, it was madness for the artist, as he could not concentrate more on the art and artistic thought in keeping with the best traditions of High Renaissance. Definitely, he was well influenced by the intangible muse while painting, whereas he was stopped by tangible and insignificant remarks of Pope Julius II. Needless to say, the work of Michelangelo was the fruit of his entire life. Of course, there were other works of art which Michelangelo created. As

Religion and Politics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Religion and Politics - Research Paper Example Challenge to separate church from State arise due to immediate and long term causes which includes social, political and religious changes respectively. Americans are trying to divide the neighboring countries in terms of religion and politics. The division or separation of religion and politics rests on the cornerstone that, religious affairs cannot be compared and equated to politics. In this chapter, I will discuss how the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance has brought forth conflicts between religion and politics among American citizens. I will base my argument on the Supreme Court case of Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow. The Pew Research Center’s Religion and Public Life Project has done studies on how religious issues cross over to political debates in the United States. The studies also include the examination of how politics spills over to religion. The above named project has also identified different ways in which religion has molded the American citizens’ behaviors and attitudes. These issues and attitudes are targets issues pertaining politics and whether religious institutions should be involved in the same. Ideally, the commitment of the public to religion in the United States has prompted the progression of the debate on whether religion and politics should be separated (Noll & Harlow, 2007). ... Elk Grove Unified School District in California, U.S.A, has a pledge case to defend against in the Supreme Court. Michael Newdow’s daughter attended classes in this school. Newdow argued that the mentioning of the phrase by students during recitation of the pledge violated the establishment clause of America. The case endured different levels before reaching the Supreme Court. First, Newdow sued the school to a federal district court in the city California. However, Newdow was not the first man to raise concerns over the recitation of the pledge by students in public school. The seventh circuit of 1992 supported a law in Illinois that allowed public school students to recite the Pledge. However, in 2003, Ninth Circuit of Appeal ruled that the addition of the phrase â€Å"Under God† in the pledge and the demand by the School District Policy for the recitation of the pledge by students was unconstitutional, and it also violated the establishment clause of the first amendm ent (Andonian, 2003). The Supreme Court dismissed the case in 2004, for lack of provident standing. On the contrary, the court concentrated on the interests of both Newdow and his daughter. Justice Stevens argued that probably, Newdow’s daughter was not willing to affirm the constitutional challenge. On the concurring opinions, the majority ware accused by Justice Rehnquist for avoiding to consider the advantages of the constitutional challenge addressed by Newdow (Goelzhauser, 2011). Justice O’ Connor also argued that, Newdow had grounds to challenge the Elk Grove school policy. He later found out that the school policy opposed difficulties in the establishment clause. However, the dismissal of the case by

Marketing - Marketing Metrics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing - Marketing Metrics - Essay Example The mere thought that the cruise ship market segment will become saturated is illogical. In the cruise ship’s French market segment industry indicates the government had taken the industry on board. Consequently, the United Kingdom government must follow the example of the French government, in terms of prioritizing the cruise ship industry (http://www.cybercruises.com/shiplist.htm). 2. Cruise Market Watch In terms of United States cruise ship travel (http://www.cruisemarketwatch.com/blog1/market/), there are statistical data indicating which sector leads. In terms of age, cruise ship customers belonging to the 40-49 years of age ranks no. 1 & 2 at 26 percent. Cruise ship customers belonging to the 60 and above years of age ranks no. 1& 2 at similar 26 percent. Lastly, the cruise ship customers belonging to the 50-59 years of age ranks no. 3, at 22 percent. The income data indicates a striking cruise ship company impression. First, cruise ship customers belonging to the $100,0 00 to $200,000 annual income ranks no. 1 at 39 percent. Second, cruise ship customers belonging to the $75,000 to $100,000 annual income ranks no. 2 at 19 percent. Third, cruise ship customers belonging to the $60,000 to $75,000 annual income ranks no. 3 at 16 percent. ... Further, the data indicates that there is a significant difference when the race criteria are used. The white gender represents 91 percent of the cruise ship customers. The Americans represent 3 percent of the cruise ship customer pie. Last, the other race profiles represent 6 percent of the cruise ship customer pie. In terms of employment status, there is a significant difference. The graduates comprised 75 percent of the cruise ship customer population. On the other hand, the undergraduates comprised 25 percent of the cruise ship customer population. The graduates include those with doctoral degrees. In terms of employment status, there is also a significant difference. Statistics indicate the full time workers represent 63 percent of the entire cruise ship population. On the other hand, only 20 percent of the entire cruise ship population had retired from work. 3. Drivers of the Cruise ship Business. There are many factors driving the cruise ship business to continue serving the n eeds of the current and prospective cruise ship customers, including customers of Cunard cruise ship lines. Customers. Cunard shipping lines is one of the oldest and finest cruise ship lines in the global, especially United Kingdom, cruise ship industry. The Cunard cruise ship lines offers cruise to major ports of the world. The ports include Mediterranean, Caribbean, Northern European, and other World cruise ship tours (Kotler, 2009). Carnival United Kingdom Chief executive David Dingle emphasized 2010 was the most successful year for the company, in terms of cruise ship financial performance. The company’s acquisition of several cruise ships bolstered its financial performance. The company acquired Caronia, QE2 and the brand new Queen Mary 2. The three cruise ships had different

Role of the First Amendment in Freedom of Speech and Social Media

Role of the First Amendment in Freedom of Speech and Social Media Freedom Speech in The Age of Social Media Summary: This paper discusses the First Amendment and its role and relevance in the Internet and Social Media. It touches base on violation of First Amendment Rights through censorship, and libel cases that were not protected by the First Amendment on Social Media. The First Amendment of the Constitution can be found in the First section, which is called the Bill of Rights, which are known to be the most significant part of the US Constitution. The First Amendment entitles US citizens the vital freedoms of speech, religion and expression. Not all countries give these rights to their citizens and this is why US citizens are so fortunate because they have the freedom to express themselves and to stand up for what they believe in or what they don’t. The Founding Fathers ‘Framers’ of the US Constitution had a vision for the United States and for its citizens to have these vital freedoms, the problem is that these amendments were written centuries ago, and with time and new technologies come many changes and the interpretation of these rights has changes because of these technologies, especially now in the age of Social Media. Most of modern interaction and conversation is now done on Social Media platforms with the help of the Internet and a problem with this is that there are very few laws that regulate what happens online. Thanks to the internet and the new technologies, most people have access to social media platforms, therefore people have access to information and opinions in the palm of their hands. The internet has proven that speech is easy on these Social Media Platforms, because most people can access the internet and basically write or speak their minds through videos or blogs. An amazing example of this can be sites like Yelp, where people are able to give restaurants and hotels ratings and they can say whatever they want and it is not considered libel. Many people take it online to rant about things that happen to them, other like to speak their mind, but recently many Social Media platforms have been banning certain words that might be offensive to others and deleting this that might affect others, this is a violation of freedom a speech. Pages such as Facebook will not let you type in certain words that other’s might find offensive, or they will directly delete a comment or photograph that is inappropriate or that might hurt somebody else. Although these censorships help save people’s lives from cyberbullying or prevent people from using strong words, it is censorship nonetheless. Social Media and the Internet has altered the way that people communicate and as new technologies emerge people have to learn to adapt to them. Thanks to the usage of chat forms, instant messaging, picture & video sharing, social networking, blogs, image collecting boards among many other things, people are adapting more than ever. Throughout out the last 20 years, the Internet has quickly expanded and matured as new technologies are being developed. With the invention of social media platforms, the way that people network and communicate has completely changed, even the way that they read and consumer the news. Social media platforms have given individuals a freedom that they never thought was possible, they feel free to access whatever they want and to express however they want to express themselves, they even have the protection of speaking and posting anomalously, and many people hide behind their computers.   The majority of US citizens take the privilege of living in the United States, and what that the country allows them for granted. They have the privilege to go online and rant about their jobs and horrible bosses, give opinions about political candidates, and read what other people have to say about things. The reality is that the Internet allows people to express themselves, whether it is on a blog, social media platforms, or even their work email and people are constantly expressing themselves freely. This is a privilege that people in other countries do not necessarily have, countries like China, where it is prohibited to access any type of social media platform (Ferguson), or where speaking their minds could land them in jail. Although the Internet is moderately new, it has long become a part of people’s daily lives, especially those people living in the United States. The Internet has alleviated all the communication tensions people had, since it allows people to communication easily with one another and also mass communication like articles, videos, and blogs. One of the reason why the internet has become such a powerful communication tools is because it integrates several types of communication like Articles, podcasts, broadcasts, videos, letter communication among many other things (Ferguson).   Now a day most places have Wi-Fi and internet has become such an inexpensive thing to access, people can even connect to the internet in airplanes and during bus rides, mainly because â€Å"the Internet has the potential to be a tremendous force for development by providing quick and inexpensive information† (Sorensen). One problem with the Internet is that it has no country boundaries so measuring and enforcing US laws is very hard to do, since the US cannot control what other countries do or say, consequently the Internet cannot be virtually controlled by one country. What many countries do to have control over the internet is implementing thing such as filters on a server, which in the end limit people’s freedom of expression and is nonetheless censorship. Because the Internet is really a mass medium, because it can reach virtually anybody, it possesses a big threat to many governments, because anybody with internet can communicate to the mass audience. Censorship of information is in direct violation of the first amendment because it takes away people’s right to express themselves freely. There are many types of censorship over the internet, sometimes people do not even realize that content is being censored when infact it is. Many governments believe that censorship helps avoid unsafe or threatening information from spreading and that it keeps children safe from retrieving inappropriate content.   Some of these materials can be for example web-sites that promote eating disorders such as anorexia, or websites that tell people how to commit suicides or how to build home-made bombs and such things. Although many of these things are extremely controversial and may be offensive to some, in the end they are violating First Amendment, and these sites should be shielded by the freedom of speech. Some of the reasons why filter on servers are imposed make a lot a sense when it is for protection of minors, since most children know how to use a computer more than most adults, but when adult’s information is being filtered this is denying people a right they are entitled to. The United States has unsuccessfully made efforts at censoring offensive and/or inappropriate information and content on the internet. Firstly, was the Communication Decency Act (CDA), this act forbid people from using material online that was offensive to minors (Sorensen). The CDA directly violated the First Amendment and this why the Supreme Court overruled the act.   Their second attempt was the Child Pornography Prevention Act (CPPA) which stated the pornography, whether a video or an image on the internet of a child/minor acting in an explicit or sexual behavior. Again, the CPPA was also directly violating the First Amendment, and it was overruled by the Supreme Court. Then came the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), which is theoretically obligates Web-Site owners and publishers to guarantee that minors will not access material and content that is harmful to them on their designated websites (Sorensen). Copa was also in violation of First Amendment rights, therefore overrul ed.   As of today, there are no Internet Censorship Laws in the US in action, but nevertheless censorships still happen. Just as there are people who think censoring the internet is the correct thing to do, many people oppose it because they are firm believers of the vitality of First Amendment rights of free speech and expression. It is the first amendment that permits people to openly and freely discuss ideas and thoughts to other people and to society itself. It is unethical and unconstitutional for the government to take this vital right away from people, as they should feel free to express themselves in any way that they please. Along with the Internet come new ways of communication such a Social Media Platforms, which have rapidly landed in the hands of millions world-wide, these new evolutions in technology drastically change the definition of free speech, for example before nobody would knock on anybody’s door to tell them their opinions, now it is on all of people’s devices from their smart phones to their computers. People are being constantly hit by others opinions and beliefs, for example that person who always share their political affiliation and beliefs on their Facebook status, it is starting to become unavoidable. One of the first cases regarding freedom of speech was in July of 1995, Stratton Oakmont vs. Prodigy. Prodigy was a type of social media platform that had a board with a chat forum, one of the users left a chat/comment saying that the CEO of Stratton Oakmont committed fraudulent acts. As a result, Stratton Oakmont sued Prodigy for online libel, the case was ruled in favor of Prodigy since it was protected by the First Amendment and the comment was left by an anonymous internet user not Prodigy itself. These things are very hard to control, because for example that anonymous person who commented might be in another country and therefore they do not fall under US jurisdiction, this is why it is so hard to control the internet as a whole. After some of these chat forums began to pop up across the web, this was the birth of social media platforms. Rapidly many websites started to launch and their focus was the public, they wanted individuals to have their profiles and for them to express themselves and engage in communication with other members. Facebook and Twitter have been the long lasting two as they both have been around for over a decade (Somerson), and they revolve around people who express themselves freely. Four months after the launch of Facebook, the company integrated a new feature in their social media platform and this was called a ‘status’. Facebook was asking its users ‘what was on their mind’ and allowed people to speak their minds in a maximum of 356 characters, which is now unlimited on Facebook. Twitter quickly incorporated the same feature and allowed its users to speak their minds in 140 characters, which will probably soon increase. Many people engage in ranting on socia l media, and once something goes up on the internet it is there forever, even if deleted, with ranting many people can take it as defamation or libel, but in the end, it is people exercising their free speech. In 2009, there was a town re-election for Sheriff BJ Roberts in Hampton, Virginia and six deputies were not reinstated after it. These deputies stated that they were wrongfully terminated because they supported Jim Adams that was Sheriffs Roberts’ rival.   They had stated that they had shown support for Jim Adams by ‘liking’ his Facebook campaign and sharing his page on their profiles. As a result, Sheriff Roberts threatened the deputies and consequently did not reinstate them. Consequently, the deputies filed a lawsuit against Roberts, claiming that they were wrongfully terminated because of their behavior on social media. In an appeals court, it was agreed that the deputies should have been terminated because they should not partake on law-enforcement politics and siding with candidates and this is violation of First Amendment rights. When this case was taken to the Fourth Circuit, it was recognized that Sheriff Roberts was entitled immunity and that he had th e right to not reinstate them (Vogel). The First Amendment does not protect all speech and expression and this was a perfect example were people were not protected by their First Amendment Rights. Another famous case that was not protected under the first amendment is Elonis vs. Unites States. In 2010 Anthony Elonis was abandoned by his wife and he quickly took the matter to Facebook and started ranting through rap lyrics, most of these sounded like threats, with everything he posted he gave a disclaimer saying that they were just lyrics and nothing real (Liptak). Elonis rapped about things like having his ex’s head paraded like Marie Antoinette, among other horrible things. Ms. Elonis was afraid of all of his commentaries and lyrics and quickly took information to authorities. This was an extremely difficult case because Elonis argued that they were just lyrics and nothing more, that it was just a form of art and expression and that he did not intent to do anything that he rapped about. The Supreme Court stated that the First Amendment did not protect all speech and did not protect threats whether real or not, they were still treats (Liptak).   Elonis was found guilt y of violating the Anti-Threat stature and was convicted for 44 months in prison and three years of supervised release (Liptak). Many of these chat forums online like Twitter and Facebook are allowing people virtually everywhere to speak their minds and for them to express themselves in ways that they see fit. The problem is that many people are not aware of all of the consequences that their online ranting can have on their lives. Most people follow their favorite celebrities and athletes on Social Media, since this is how the engage with their fans, even President Trump engages in Social Media by his infamous ‘tweets’ on Twitter. Many brands and companies take advantage of the presence that celebrities have on social media platforms and they begin to endorse them so that the public sees them wearing their products or talking about their brands on the ‘tweets’ or ‘status’. In 2010 Rashard Mendenhall an NFL player of the Pittsburgh Steelers who was endorsed by brands like Champion made a series of tweets after Osama Bin Ladin’s death that tarnished his online prese nce and reputation. Mendenhall tweeted that â€Å"what kind of person celebrates death? Its amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. Weve only heard one side(Mendenhall). He then continued by saying â€Å"well never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style†. Mendenhall was consequently dropped as a Champion Celebrity and he lost his endorsement deal, Mendenhall quickly deleted his tweets and said that he was just expressing his thoughts and that they were just mere opinions. Although he was protected by First Amendment and he was in all of his right to share his opinions and many conspiracy theorist do, he lost many fans in the process. Lawsuits that come from social media are most commonly those of claims of libel or defamation. Libel is a written or published untruthful statement that directly hurts the individual’s reputation (MacHenry). Because many people have dedicated themselves to ranting on social media, there are typically libel. In 2015, came another quite interesting libel case in social media, known as Desert Palm Surgical Group v. Petta. Sherry Petta underwent cosmetic surgery, a rhinoplasty to be exact at the Desert Palm Surgical Group. To give Petta a little background she was a big fan of cosmetic procedures and surgeries and had underwent several in the past. After her rhinoplasty Petta claimed that she was not healing properly and that the nose did not look as the doctors told her it would, she then took all of this ranting online on Myspace and created a website just to rant about her experience. On her site and her social media page Petta ranted that â€Å"the surgeons intentionally shor tened and curved her nose upward against her wishes† (MacHenry) and she uploaded images of her rhinoplasty. Consequently, Desert Palm Surgical Group started to lose a lot of business and sued Petta for libel and defamation along with 11 million dollars in damages caused by her pages. Petta pleaded that she was protected by the First Amendment right and that she was only speaking the truth about her experience with her surgery. The only thing that could have saved her from this defamation case was if what she said had been true, and it wasn’t most of the complications she had was because she did not take care of herself after her surgery and most things she had underwent in the past cosmetic surgeries and procedures. Petta was not protected under the First Amendment and consequently had to take down all of her post and her website and had to pay 12 million to the Desert Palm Surgical Group for all of the damages (MacHenry). Many of these libel cases that involve the use of social media as the source are repeatedly occurring and becoming extremely common and popular. The problem is that freedom of speech is not protected if there is a false statement involved, and it is no longer an opinion or a type of expression, it is a lie. Opinion in the end is not fully protected by First Amendment rights if there is a false or an untruthful statement involved, because it can have adverse effects on an individual’s image and reputation and it can even cost somebody money. Social media is a type of mass communications and people can easily reach mases of people, therefore when they decide to rant or to post their opinions there may be consequences since they have such a big audience. Many companies know that it is very hard to regulate was is being posted online, many companies are even going as far as creating departments to monitor their online presence (Liptak), the intent of this is for these departments to take care of things like that before they get out of hand. Many of these cases should be more known to the public, this way they can prevent something like this happening to them, being media literate and educated about how social media works and the laws of the country can prevent them from falling into trouble. In conclusion, new technologies such as the Internet and Social Media has integrated into individual’s daily lives. People cannot live a day without checking their social media platforms or reading the news online, people are communicating now more than ever, and many people have become reliant on it because it is so accessible. The problem is that Social Media and the Internet are still undiscovered territory when it comes to developing laws to regulate content, and a new definition for the First Amendment in regards to these new technologies should be made. The First Amendment is a grey area, because there is no right answer when it comes to how to define it, but it is very important to protect speech. Sources Chander, A., & Là ª, U.,P. (2015). Free speech.  Iowa Law Review,  100(2), 501-549.   Hardenbrook, J. A. (2013). First amendment rights: An encyclopedia: V.1: Traditional issues on the first amendment; v.2: Contemporary challenges to the first amendment.  Choice,  50(9), 1606-1606,1608. Holden, J. (2017).  Steelers react to Mendenhalls bin Laden tweets.  ESPN.com.   Liptak, A. (2017).  On the Next Docket: How the First Amendment Applies to Social Media.  Nytimes.com.   MacHenry, K. (2015).  The Top 10 Arizona verdicts.  Docplayer.net.   McChesney, R. W. (1998). The new theology of the first amendment: Class privilege over democracy.  Monthly Review,  49(10), 17-34. Sorensen, K. (1996), Human Rights Watch, â€Å"Silencing the Net: The Threat to Freedom of Expression On-Line,†. Electronic Privacy Information Center Vogel, P. (2017).  Using Facebook like is Free Speech | Internet, Information Technology & e-Discovery Blog.  Internet, Information Technology & e-Discovery Blog.

The Use of Alcohol in Society Essay -- essays research papers

Throughout history, society has engaged in taking substances such as alcohol, that alter our physical being or our psychological state of mind. There are many experiences and pressures that force people to feel like they have to drink in order to cope with life, but for many alcohol is a part of everyday life, just like any other beverage. Alcohol is introduced to us in many ways, through our family, television, movies, and friends’. These â€Å"sociocultural variants are at least as important as physiological and psychological variants when we are trying to understand the interrelations of alcohol and human behavior†#. How we perceive drinking and continue drinking can be determined by the drinking habits we see, either by who we drink with, or the attitudes about drinking we learn over the years. The chances of people drinking in ways that can harm others and ultimately themselves can be seen by the correlation of educational lessons, cultural beliefs and the usage o f alcohol. Looking at all the possibilities, the complex question we must ask is why do people drink? Is it through their defiance of law, the accessibility of alcohol, teachings of others or the values set in place in their society? Every society has its own views on how the consumption of alcohol should be handled and regulated. Their differences create a trickle effect of how it is used, and is distinctive to that culture or society. Many cultures drinking habits go hand in hand with religion, and social customs. Drinking alcohol is in many cases a part of extensive learned tradition, where people pride themselves with their ability to hold their liquor. In countries where alcohol is part of the â€Å"norm†, the outcomes of drinking habits or the effects of alcohol are much different, â€Å"A population that drinks daily may have a high rate of cirrhosis and other medical problems but few accidents, fights, homicides, or other violent alcohol-associated conflicts; a population with predominantly binge drinking shows the opposite complex of drinking problems†#. It has been observed that cultures with rich traditions and acceptance of alcohol use tend to deal less with the typical alcohol related p roblems, compared to the cultures who treat alcohol as an escape or something that will make them better in the eyes of others. In these societies, like the U.S. alcohol hasn’t always been present and grown to be... ... 429 3.Varley, C. (1994). Life Issues-Alcoholism. New York: Marshal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cavendish. 4.Rorabaugh, W.J. (1979). The Alcoholic Republic: An American   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tradition. New York: Oxford University Press: 26 5.Levine, H.G. (1995).â€Å"The Good Creature of God and the Demon   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rum,† International Handbook on Alcohol and Culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Westport, CT: Greenwood Press: 115 6.Heath, 121 7.Heath, 436. Bibliography Claypool, J. (1981). Alcohol and You. New York: Franklin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Watts- An Impact Book. Dolmetsch, P, and Mauricette, G. (Ed). (1987). Teens Talk   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  About   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alcohol and Alcoholism. New York: Dolphin Book. Heath, D.B. (1982).â€Å"Sociocultural Variants in Alcoholism,†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Encyclopedic Handbook of Alcoholism. New York: Gardner   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Press. Hornik, E.L. (1974). You and your Alcoholic Parent. New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Association Press. Levine, H.G. (1995).â€Å"The Good Creature of God and the Demon   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rum,† International Handbook on Alcohol and Culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Rorabaugh, W.J. (1979). The Alcoholic Republic: An American   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tradition. New York: Oxford University Press. Varley, C. (1994). Life Issues-Alcoholism. New York: Marshal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cavendish.

Plato and the Concept of Knowledge Essay

Plato’s Theaetetus is a dialogue that discusses and attempts to find a definition of knowledge. The two characters, Socrates and Theaetetus, approach the argument with the initial idea that knowledge is the addition of a true judgment and an account. However, Socrates raises some concerns regarding the fundamental aspects that make the definition true. Ultimately, the two characters find that their original definition of knowledge is not as accurate, nor as simple as they once believed. The article opens with Theaetetus recalling a definition of knowledge he once heard, which stated â€Å"true judgment with an account is knowledge [and is therefore knowable], and the kind without an account falls outside the sphere of knowledge [and is therefore unknowable]† (126). Socrates begins to question one’s ability to determine whether something is or is not knowable, and he demonstrates the concept using the relationship between elements and complexes. In doing so, he explains a recent dream of his, which, in turn, is actually an explanation of Dream Theory. Dream Theory states that â€Å"the primary elements, of which we and everything else are composed, have no account. Each of them itself, by itself, can only be named† (126). In other words, as elements cannot be broken down further, elements cannot have an account because that would require the determining of whether or not the said elements exist. The addition of that information onto the original element itself results in something that is no longer in its simplest form. Therefore, no elements can have accounts, nor can they be knowable; elements can only be perceived. Consequently, this poses the question as to whether or not complexes are knowable given that their elements are not. When complexes are viewed as the sum of all their elements, it is safe to conclude that the complexes are unknowable, as their elements are unknowable. This idea allowed Socrates to then consider whether complexes were mere sums or if they should instead be viewed as wholes that cannot be dissected into parts. However, the problem with this idea is that, when viewed as a whole that cannot be separated, the complex is then no different than an element, and therefore cannot have an account. After failing to determine what does and does not have an account, Socrates decides to turn his attention to determining what constitutes an account. First, he defines it as stating one’s judgment through speech. Immediately, this manifests flaws in the sense that any true statement could then be considered an account. If this were the case, there would be no differentiation between an account and a true judgment. Next, he defines an account as listing the elements of the things known. Again, this must be incorrect because the possibility exists that one could simply memorize the elements without actually understanding them. Without understanding, one cannot have knowledge. Finally, he defines an account as differentiating the known thing from everything else. This would require knowledge of the differences, and ultimately would again be a reiteration of the true judgment. Additionally, one would be defining knowledge as true judgment plus knowledge, which would be considered a fallacy. This marks the final turning point in Socrates’s and Theaetetus’s overall definition of knowledge, where the two characters decide that their initial definition could not be considered correct. Through their attempts to dissect the supposed explanation of knowledge, Socrates and Theaetetus finally reach the conclusion that knowledge is â€Å"neither perception, nor true judgment, nor an account added to true judgment† (133).