Locke and Hobbes Views on State of Nature

Introduction The state of nature, in political philosophy, is a term used in social contract theories to refer to the hypothetical condition that preceded governments.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Locke and Hobbes’ Views on State of Nature specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In a broader sense, state of nature can be described as the condition before rule of positive law comes into being, thus it is a synonym for anarchy (Schochet, 1967). State of nature is fundamental in social contract theory since people seek to be governed by persons in higher authority in order to maintain their social stability. Hobbes and Locke were among the few philosophers who contributed immensely to the concept of state of nature. They were both natural law and social contract theorists who lived in the same era but had different views and arguments on the state of nature, justification of governments and the motives to move ou t of the state of nature. All other natural law theorists, except Hobbes, assumed that man was a social animal by nature. On contrary, Hobbes assumed very different conclusions and was infamous for several other unconventional results in mathematics and physics. Differences Thomas Hobbes wrote in his greatest work Leviathan, that nothing could be as worst as life without the state protection. As a materialist he borrowed a lot from the principle of conservation in motion from Galileo’s theory. He noted, that an object is eternally supposed to be in motion unless someone disturbs it. Using the principle of conservation of motion, he argued that, human beings are perpetually seeking for new things (Macpherson, 1990). In addition stated that, life itself is in a state of motion and can never be enjoyed without desire to move. He argued that, it is only through the search of well-being that human beings go to war with one another and that the fear of death is the only leading fac tor to the creation of a state. The state of nature is pictured by Hobbes as a state where all are at war with each other. The search for felicity results to men constantly trying to aggravate their power. According to Hobbes, human beings are made equal by nature since what they possess is equal in terms of strengths and skills. He argued that the weakest has strength enough to kill the most formidable, either by secret maneuvers or by coordinating with others. Hobbes cited that in a state of nature three reasons motivate human beings to attack each other, which included the desire for safety, glory, reputation or for selfish gains. According to Hobbes’ theory, in a state of nature there is no room for the unjust hence there is no space for immorality, something that he referred to as the National Right of Liberty.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Individuals with coll ective rationality are contrasted by Hobbes. When explaining the peculiarity of â€Å"prisoner’s dilemma† Hobbes argued that it is difficult to achieve cooperation when individuals with collective rationality diverge. He believed that an individual’s rational behavior leads to attack of other people. According to him, it is our duty to obey the laws of nature just as other people around us are obedient to it. Incases where an individual feels endangered by other people’s standing, in just an occasion one is termed as acting jealously. According to Hobbes theory the level of collective suspicion and fear is very high such that we are excused for not obeying the law and that we only act in a morally upright way when others act the same way. Hobbes assumes that one concedes his rights to the government in return for life. To him, the role of the society is to direct creation of state and a reflection of the will of the ruler and that whatever the state does is just by definition. On the contrary, Locke’s views and arguments differ a lot when compared to Hobbes’. John Locke believed he could live in a state of nature and in a life without a state government. According to Locke, the state of nature is a state of perfect freedom and a state of equality that is only bound by the law of nature. In his theory, Locke adds a moral and technological aspect where he states that due to the fact that we are all creatures of God we should not harm others except for purposes of self defense. All people have a duty to protect and help others without doing harming themselves. On matters of liberty, we have the freedom to do what is morally upright. Here Locke’s view clearly contrasts Hobbes’ who cited that every one has a right over every thing in a state of nature, even the right over other people’s bodies. Locke advocated for equality among human beings and stated that everyone has the power to enforce the law of n ature within a state of nature. According to Locke, harming somebody is only allowed in self defense and those who break the laws of nature should face punishment as a natural right. He argued that each offense should be severely punished according to its magnitude so as to act as an ill bargain for the offenders and to make them repent, thus terrifying others who may be wanting to commit the same transgressions (Olivecrona, 1998).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Locke and Hobbes’ Views on State of Nature specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Locke the most important right to be secured in a state nature is private property. He claims that God created us to own property and live in satisfaction but not to end up starving. Locke cited that there is a natural reason to own property in the sense that if man was to ask permission from another man to use the earth then it would amount to starvation. Lo cke’s picture of the state of nature is very optimistic. He argues that nature is not ruled by morality and individuals act for their best but not for the best of the community as whole. According to Locke, the reasons that led to creation of states were; increase in resource scarcity and the invention of cash that is a means of non perishable exchange. People could exchange land produce for money avoiding loss, creating wealth and imbalances that Hobbes termed as a state of war. According to him, the role of the society was to ensure justice was done. Similarities There are similarities between Hobbes’ and Locke’s views on state of nature. Both are political philosophers and their writings have influenced to a great extent development of modern political thought. Both refer to the state of nature in which man lives without a government and both point out risks in the state. Both, Hobbes and Locke talk about the dangers of the state of nature. Man is referred by both of them as being equal to the state (Macpherson, 1990). Locke describes nature as a state of perfect equality where superiority over one another is not exercised but despite the equality both warn of dangers of state of nature. For instance, Hobbes says that if two men cannot enjoy the same thing they turn out to be enemies, something that ends in a state of war. Locke points out risks in cases where the law of nature is lacking and everyone executes duties, this may result to what Hobbes refers to as a state of war. Both Locke and Hobbes somehow seem to agree on the law of nature. They seem to agree the concept of law to imply a law enforcer; otherwise the law would be an empty concept. Conclusion I tend to agree with Locke’s point of view in his argument, that in a state of nature there are moral codes which guide and inspire human beings (Macpherson, 1990). My reluctance to support Hobbes argument is supported by the fact that people may choose follow individual reas oning instead of a collective reason. However, Locke’s law of nature is somehow weak since it requires somebody to enforce it and his argument that everybody is empowered may not be true and may result to what Hobbes termed as state of war.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More References Macpherson, C.B.(1990). The political theory of possessive individualism. Oxford: Clarendon Press Oxford Olivecrona, K.L.(1998). Appropriation in the State of Nature: Locke on the Origin of Property. Journal of the History of Ideas,78(67),90-123. Schochet, G.J.(1967). Thomas Hobbes on the Family and the State of Nature. Political  Science Quarterly,90,78-80 This essay on Locke and Hobbes’ Views on State of Nature was written and submitted by user Annika Ramos to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

A Rose By Any Other Name Essays

A Rose By Any Other Name Essays A Rose By Any Other Name Essay A Rose By Any Other Name Essay Michael to Janet Lea and Page, there are millions of Baby Name Books that guide parents in selecting the right name for their little bundle of joy. With names having both cultural and historical meanings, these books are intended to pick the best name for a child that describes the characteristics that the parents wish for their child to have. For example, A parent might decide to chose their soon to be baby girl to be called Adding meaning Noble, gentle, delicate (http:// www. Thanklessness. Com/search/O/gentle). Or perhaps Ethan, a Hebrew name for a baby boy that means firm, strong, impetuous (http:// bandoleers. Protectionist. Com/meaning_of_Ethan. HTML). While parents search for names that have pleasing characteristics, there is one huge aspect that goes into the name selecting process: Gender. Before the child is even born, parents begin defining gender norms for their child the second they find out the sex of the baby. Looking towards masculine names such as Michael, David and Adam, parents wouldnt dare name consider one of these Ames for their baby girl. Society clearly defines gender appropriate names; there is a set name for men and female. Even in Different languages, such as Spanish adding a n a to feminine and o to masculine words, a clear distinction between male and female attributes. Our society feels comfortable with these genders normative names. When we are introduced to a man named Josh and a woman named Sally, our views are not disturbed; there is no confusion in our mental process. Now there are gender-neutral names such as Taylor and Cameron, that may take more inconsideration but once given a male or female face the confusion is solved. However once names that have already been socially defined as belonging to a certain sex are given to another group, a problem is presented. It is not acceptable to name your son Brittany, this challenges the characteristics that are assumed to be depicted and present for males by assigning a name that is traditionally feminine. I ran into this particular problem when I asked for my friends and family to call me John. I did not change my physical appearance or convey the message that I wanted to e a boy or undergo a sex change; I Just asked to be called John (an abbreviation of my last name) since I considered it to be a good nickname. However every time I asked to be called this, I am quickly shut down under the Justification that John is a boys name and I am not a boy. Instead they rather try to suggest feminine nicknames such as Nina, Ann or Toni (spelled with an l of course that reinforces gender normative adjectives). Addis Amelia (2003) stated, Gender is a verb rather than a noun. Did calling me John, make me behave any less like a girl or deter me room wearing make up or negate the fact that I still identify as a female? Despite the fact that I was still the same girl I had been for the last 20 years, asking to be called a masculine name was the most confusing thing for people to understand. However gender is depicted through my actions. A child isnt a boy because of his name. He is instead a boy once he is socialized into being a masculine Joshua or David by his parents and society pressures on him to be as they tell him not to cry like a sissy or punish him for showing an interest in dolls. Gender is a social pressure that the culture considers appropriate for ones sex 0. It is not until that baby is socialized into believing being that he or she through the pressure and influence from their environment and the media to behave in a certain way. It is this doing of gender that makes a person what is consider to be a male or female, it doesnt matter what their parents decide to call them. I look forward to seeing a world full of female Johns, Spencer and Jeans and some boy Ashley and Alexis.

Cheating in College

Cheating in College â€Å"Cheating is to deceive by trickery; swindle† (Dictionary. com). From time to time, every person has cheated. The problem of cheating, or academic dishonesty is not a new problem in college. Ever since there have been exams to cheat on, papers to copy, and homework to be copied. More and more, faculty is trying to understand why students cheat, and how to combat cheating. There are a number of reasons that students cheat are that they want to get good grades, it is an easy work to do, everyone does it, and it is even fun to do. Cheating can take the form of working together rather than independently on projects, access to tests or answer keys, taking exams for others; doing another’s assignments, purchasing research papers, taking cheat notes into an exam, copy of work another students and claim it as his or hers or simply plagiarism. â€Å"Plagiarism is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as ones own original work† (Dictionary. com). Plagiarism has become more popular among college students. This type of cheating includes but it is not limited to copying and pasting text from one site directly to his or her report, paraphrasing ideas from someone else work, paying someone to do a paper on his or her behalf, without citing of every source. In fact, anything that allows a person to have education biased in favor of him or her can be interpreted as cheating. Cheating happens in the classroom more often than could be recognized. Some of the cheating is intentional, while other cheating could take place accidentally. However, academic cheating is not only an activity that exists in the classroom, it passes through in college. Cheating therefore does not need to be for personal gain. The person who helps others cheat is also cheating. Therefore, if a Professor allows cheating, they are cheaters. There are pros and cons of cheating such as it is little work required for a passing or obtain good grade, getting something for nothing, and can help student get ahead when it works, students are more likely to make better decisions rather than cheating. The consequences of cheating are can result in a failing grade and even discharge from school, become a habit and destroying students’ future. Cheating in order to get material from books or the Internet, copying the homework of other, it results in not having to work very hard and get ahead when it is successful. A passing grade or even good grade on GPA that it may be enough to push students in front of the crowd to qualify for a better job. Cheating is like getting something for nothing and students feel tempted to do it once in a while. Sometimes students avoid to do their homework or studying for a test, they are too busy or forget to do the work or even it is because they just do not feel like doing the work. Then they just copy other students’ homework or test answers to free up their time. Students are more likely to make better decisions rather than cheating since college discipline create new ways of intervention become so strict could lead to and does not exclude be disqualified. However, down side of cheating is more damaging rather than benefits. Get caught cheating on a test or copying someone elses material for homework can result in a lowered grade and even kicking out from college. † Even if you dont get caught, there is still the problem that you havent learned the material. That ignorance may come to haunt you down the road, when you are required to apply what youve learned† (Kurtus). For example, if student cheat through spelling tests, they wont learn how to spell because they dont make an honest attempt to learn as much as they can. Those people may go far in life, but he or she will never be a champion. Some students have cheated once, they feel guilty and feel don’t deserve the grade they received. They decide that it is not worth it but unfortunately most of them feel can’t stop cheating and become a habit. Some students have cheated once, feel guilty and decide it is not worth it but unfortunately most of them, feel can’t stop cheating and become a habit. Consequence for cheating at academics by plagiarism is severe at most colleges. It is even worse where companies treat employees who cheat and it can lead to prison, criminal record, financial and family ruin, and tarnish their reputation, they have a lot to lose. To sum up, another reason that students cheat is that they strive for that all-important GPA that is necessary to get into a good job or future. This pressure can be self-cause, or pressure from high expectation parents to make students have a better life. Students may gain in the short-term with good grades, but not in the long run. They are setting themselves up for failure in later classes. Students will probably end up lacking needed knowledge and skill that they have to apply at work. But it can also result in serious consequences, if they are get caught. It is much better to work efficiently and effectively so that tests are not that difficult to do. And always have positive thinking that they should realize that they have the potential to get good grades without cheating. Works Cited Cheating. (n. d. ). In Dictionary online. Retrieved from http://www. dictionary. reference. com/browse/cheating? s=t Kurtus, ron. â€Å"Cheating To Get A Better Grade† School for Champions Web. 19 January 2013. Plagiarism. (n. d. ). In Dictionary online. Retrieved from http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/Plagiarism? s=t

Business Planning and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Planning and Development - Essay Example The company mainly operates in Asia, Europe and North America with its headquarters in New York. Research and analysis has shown that PVH currently has high level of debt and interest payments which is reflected in its high debt-to-equity ratio (showing that the company is highly geared). Furthermore, the company has a relatively small, concentrated customer base, intense competition which could lead to volatility in earnings and an underfunded pension plan. Therefore, it is increasingly important for PVH to secure its market position and reduce its dependence on debt rather than increasing it. Discussion Liquidity It is important to analyze the financial liquidity of PVH in order to ascertain its ability to take on more debt. The current ratio of a company reflects its ability to take on short term debts or debts within a period of 12 months (Baker & Powell, 2005). Usually a current ratio of PVH’s current ratio is 2.39 (NASDAQ, 2013) which reflects that for every $2.39 of cur rent assets, the company has $1 of current liabilities. Normally, companies having a current ratio over 1 are considered to have strong liquidity position or ability to pay off short term debts (Weil et al., 2012). This is visible in the case of PVH. Although the short term liquidity of PVH seems to be high (as indicated in the research), its long term liquidity remains very weak. Furthermore, the high current ratio may not be a good indication as a review of PVH’s Balance Sheet shows that majority of its current assets (almost a third of the dollar value) are tied up in inventory which indicates a major problem. This is because inventory may take time to convert to cash and may, therefore, negatively affect the company’s ability to pay off its short term liabilities (Ross et al., 2012). Therefore, the high liquidity indicated by the high current ratio may, in effect, be insignificant because of too much inventory being held. Furthermore, PVH’s cash flow stateme nt indicates a positive operating cash flow of 453m which, in itself (Yahoo! Finance, 2013), indicates a high level of cash availability and liquidity. However, the relevant figure in this case is not operating cash flow but levered free cash flow as the latter takes interest on debt into account. In short, levered free cash flow indicates a cash position of a firm after it pays off the interest on its debt (Penman, 2009) . This is a negative value (-45m) for PVH (Yahoo! Finance, 2013) which indicates high interest payments and suggests that the cash generated may not be sufficient to ensure continuity of the business in future. Debt position PVH’s financial position indicates an already high level of long term debt as a percentage of its total liabilities (roughly 58%). Furthermore, it is important to understand the financial leverage of PVH in order to further determine its ability take on the additional ?20 million. This is explained by the total debt to equity ratio which describes the relative proportion of debt and equity that the firm uses for financing its assets (Heitger et al., 2008). A higher ratio typically suggests an aggressive growth strategy with the effect of increased earnings, albeit often with high interest charges. Normally, a debt-to-equity ratio over 20% is not considered a healthy sign (NASDAQ, 2013). The total debt to equity ratio of PVH is very high (108.65) which suggests that the company is highly geared (NASDAQ, 2013). This already high debt indicates the high interest cha

Henri Lefebvre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Henri Lefebvre - Essay Example These critiques of the city were the basis for Lefebvre's investigation of the cultural construction of stereotypical notions of cities, of nature and of regions" (Shields, 2002). Within his writings, Lefebvre brought attention to the tendency of academia to place too much emphasis upon the classification of studies as being psychology, sociology, archaeology or geography among others, that all had as their end goal a study and understanding of space and other human geography issues. In analysing city life, Lefebvre argued 'everydayness' or banality is a soul-destroying feature of modernity and extended Marx's analysis of this concept by discovering new forms of alienation within the city. According to this view, consumption is part of the result of a failure to recognize this alienated state on the part of the modern consumer, which Lefebvre called the 'mystification' of consciousness (Shields, 2002). This early work influenced Walter Benjamin's Marxist analysis of culture as well as reflecting Le Bon's work on crowds and the furtherance of psycho-geography. In discussing space, Lefebvre delineated three key components of the urban lifestyle. These components include the perceived space of everyday social life that was predominantly ignored by professional life, the conceived space of cartographers and planners who work to segregate portions of land out to particular private owners within the capitalistic society, and lived space which exists in the imagination of the fully human individual who keeps it alive through accessibility to the arts and humanities. "This 'third' space not only transcends but has the power to refigure the balance of popular 'perceived space' and the 'conceived space' of arrogant professionals and greedy capitalists" (Shields, 2002). This conceptual space, as opposed to material space, is considered by Lefebvre to be of much greater significance to the shaping of the individual as is shown in the comment: "space as directly lived through its associated images and symbols, and hence the space of 'inhabitants' and 'users'... This is the dominated...space which the imagination seeks to change and appropriate. In terms of organized society, Lefebvre indicated this conscious awareness of these representational spaces as illuminated through art and the humanities was the only way in which Utopia could be reached. Within the French society of the interwar period, Lefebvre pointed to the dystopian malaise of his fellow countrymen as they struggled through periods of famine and industrial transition as well as the later society in which the urban landscape changed the rural nature of his homeland to develop his rhythm analysis. Through this analysis of the 'everyday' life of the city, Lefebvre indicates that the increases in speed seen through our advances in technology have quickened the tempo of the 'everyday', making it harder to keep up with both the changing rhythms of the city as well as the changing dynamics of the individual within that city. This model of modern concrete spaces and their interrelationship with the conceptual interior spaces that have been defined within the modern context have helped human geographers to further

Management of Security Essay Example for Free

Management of Security Essay Sever security is instrumental in enhancing authentication, authorization, and control of access to the network from a localized point. Therefore, implementation and management of security on windows server 2003 administration is important first because it enables easy and coherent configuring and maintenance of security setting and software installation on computer network systems. The quest for implementing security on windows server 2003 administration is failure by Microsoft to provide a single mechanism for security related settings configuration (Bragg, Hunt, 2005). The security components are attached to the server externally, a factor which makes remote monitoring and control of connections to the network by the server impossible without them. In addition, management of security in windows server 2003 is important in protecting the privacy and confidence of network users. Internet access has been on the rise in the community, an element that threatens confidentiality of computer information. Such are due to hacking and infecting of personal computers by malicious computer programs. On the other hand, security management in windows server 2003 administration serves the purpose of mitigating unauthorized access into the network. Moreover, this can also function to identify and prevent malicious computer programs from compromises services of the network users. Another important aspect of implementing and managing security in windows server 2003 is that it promotes monitoring and control of the network even when the server is offline. Employing security settings like Baseboard Management Controller hardware for example enables independent communication with remote computer. In return, this effectively enhances the process of remotely identifying errors and initiating response by the network administrator (McCann, Eckert, Schitka, 2005). Therefore, security implementation and management in windows server 2003 administration serves to reliability and efficiency service provision. References Bragg, R. , Hunt, C. (2005). Windows Server 2003 Network Administration. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly. McCann, B. , Eckert, J. , Schitka, J. (2005). Managing a Microsoft Windows server 2003 Network, Enhanced. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

The Effects of Cloning on the Actual Clone Essay -- Biology Medical Bi

The Effects of Cloning on the Actual Clone Abstract An examination of the side-effects of cloning from the actual clone?s point of view. Focusing on the female cloned sheep Dolly (1995-2001) and her development under the unusual conditions in which she was raised that resulted in a premature euthenization. Not only is the process of conception brought into consideration, but also the living conditions and interactions between Dolly and other creatures is detailed. The resulting behavioral development of the sheep is then weighed and the death of Dolly attributed to not the cloning process, but the propaganda and attention given the actual sheep. The controversy surrounding the issue and ethics of cloning, centered on the large animal side, is also addressed here. Contributing factors as to why clones are not the exact carbon copies of their ancestors, as is expected, are also listed. Technical jargon is elaborated upon. _____________________________________________________ With all the controversy over the ethics of cloning, the focus of all the articles has been on ?playing God? and how it changes the meaning of life. The train of thought has been that animal cloning will lead to human cloning, and that human cloning is unethical and maybe even dangerous if the practice becomes common. But the common civilian doesn?t stop to think about the effects of cloning on the actual clone. No, most non-scientifically oriented people simply know some of the ethical arguments for or against cloning. Such points including that tampering with natural selection is wrong, or that cloned livestock would benefit the economy. Of course, the media most commonly focuses on the bad news and then the propaganda about cloning issues surfaces. Tak... ...cloned sheep that would be consumable by humans. (NISE 19997) This study is still being continued at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, and now Dolly has two younger cloned siblings that are contributing to the research along these lines. From the Clone?s Perspective 5 Many other animals such as lab mice have been successfully cloned as well. However, domestic animals like dogs and cats have not been produced through the cloning process. Rats as well have so far been a failing experiment. (Pence, 2004) From the Clone?s Perspective 6 References NISE. (1997 March). Hello Dolly. Scottish Sheep Shocker. 7-28-05: http://whyfiles.org/034clone/ Pence, G. (2004) Cloning After Dolly: Who?s still afraid? Lanham Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc. Roslin Institute. (1998 April). Progress AD (After Dolly). 7-28-05: http://www.roslin.ac.uk/public/cloning.html

Todd Carnes

1. Discuss how the corporate culture at Ben & Jerry's, as described in this case, influences the daily implementation of ethical decisions in the firm. The company believes that the â€Å"product, economic, and social† aspects of its mission statement are equally important, that mutual respect from everyone in the communities in which they are part of are necessary for a socially responsible (and ethical) existence. This vision lays the groundwork in which the company operates.They espouse a somewhat fun and unorthodox culture, from the way they name their administrative positions, to their product branding. They also feel strongly about supporting the community—when they offered their initial stock to the public, it was only initially restricted to Vermont residents. The concept of â€Å"caring capitalism† is being consciously followed in such a way that the company operates not for the sole purpose of profit.Since its inception, Ben & Jerry's operated with the improvement of the lives of its employees and the community in mind—from creating charity projects, giving to environmental causes, and implementing streamlined employee compensations—Ben & Jerry’s tries to stick to its core values and always gives something back to the community. 2. [†¦] In what other ways could Ben & Jerry's demonstrate to stakeholders its commitment to ethical and socially responsible conduct? In Ben & Jerry's Social Audit, its social missions and environmental accomplishments are clearly outlined.However, there were concerns that employee morale is low, mostly because of the assumption that the company, particularly the top management, does not/would not remain committed to its values. Since employees are in the core of the organization’s mission and values (and are therefore major stakeholders in the company), Ben & Jerry's should not take this matter lightly—they should create more initiatives and opportunities to affirm their commitment to the community. 3. [†¦] How can such companies protect their core values as they grow from small firms into large ones and/or are acquired by multinational conglomerates?Companies like Ben & Jerry’s, which start out small but are ultimately acquired by conglomerates (such as Unilever) can protect their ethical and social platforms first by a legally binding pre-acquisition agreement to the effect that the constituents of the original companies top management is preserved, and that whoever are the progenitors of the company’s ethical and socially aware paradigm remain in control and thus have the ability to preserve the moral foundations of the company.Upon acquisition, said management should not allow the safety buffer of the new umbrella company to make them complacent about upholding their original goals. The company should keep up public and internal awareness of the company's ethical and social responsibilities. Public awareness, in particu lar, will be a positive driving force for the company's goals.

Business Feasibility Study†Seventh Heaven Café Essay

Seventh Heaven Cafe is not only a coffee shop, or rather a place for relaxation. It sells different kinds of coffee, desserts, books and flowers. Customers bring them back or just enjoy them in my shop. Besides, I am good at dealing with problems of Organizational Behavior. I also have great expertise in human psychology and marketing. Therefore, I have the abilities to operate this shop. Seventh Heaven Cafe targets at white collar community and some companies which need flowers to decorate the site of activities. Therefore, it is located at the street corner with elegant environment near transnational commercial corporations in Suzhou. Seventh Heaven has to confront or avoid a number of threats, especially some strong competitors, such as Starbucks, UBC Coffee and DIO Cafe. However my shop has powerful competitive advantages to face the challenges. Additionally, our market-oriented mission is â€Å"make people happy and relaxed in the Seventh Heaven Cafe by provide delicious coffee, warm fragrant memories and dreams from books. † The primary finance objectives are to get first-year sales revenue of 1 million yuan, and break even early at least achieve 3 million RMB in second year. After on track, shop scale and economic benefits will increase year by year. To achieve this goal, we should make sustaining efforts on marketing strategies, such as promotion strategy and price strategy. This new combination coffee shop will be successful and this business idea is worth pursuing. Section 1: Personal Skills, Qualities and Experience I have obtained an MBA degree from the Liverpool University five years ago. After that, I have worked in a local company for four years. Then I came back to my country and planned to do pioneering work. So I have some basic abilities and work experience to operate this coffee shop. I have learned many useful skills and valuable knowledge from university. Firstly, the Organizational Behavior Study covers three levels of analysis, but intertwined, such as individual, group formation and decisions making. So it is practical for me to do the business. Secondly, I was interested in the course of Marketing when I am a student. It has huge effect on my occupational career. However, these courses just are foundation. My work experience background is a critical element for later entrepreneurial career. Nevertheless, I still need some other outside help. About initial capital, it comes from my personal savings (1. 5 million RMB) and my parents’ investment (0. 5 million RMB). In addition, recruitment and selection of good employees is vital part of success. My mother was a senior accountant before, so she could help me manage finance matters. Besides, I also need a first-class barista and a pastry cook, a waitress and a waiter with good looking, as well as a professional purchaser. Section 2: The Business Idea and Market Assessment Product and service Before making decision to start business, I used questionnaire to get and analysis customers’ demand. So Seventh Heaven Cafe is not only a coffee shop, or rather a place for relaxation. It sells different kinds of coffee, desserts, books and flowers. Customers bring them back or just enjoy them in my shop. My coffee shop called Seventh Heaven, this name represents happy, pleasure and relaxed. I want to my customers get out of the pressure and tiredness, enjoy the release of soul and physical relaxation in Seventh Heaven. Relaxation can bring comfortable feeling to you and have benefits to your health. When you come in the Seventh Heaven, you will feel the music in the air washing your spirit and smile of waiters warming your heart. The flowers tinged the air with their light fragrance. At spare time, you could read a good book alone and drink a cup of delicious coffee, or talk with your good friends with some scrumptious snacks. Owning good books, intimate friends and a serene heart, that is a perfect lifestyle. This is something I want to provide to people, enjoy life, and live in the moment. Target market and customers One of our target markets is white collar employees with middle or high income. These people pay more attention on quality of life and have a good consumption level. Another is business customers, which need flowers to decorate the site of activities, parties, events or meetings. Competition However, there are some strong competitors in this market, especially Starbucks. It is the world’s largest coffee shop chain from America. Starbucks enjoyed a higher reputation and strong brand effect in China. There are about 31 Starbucks in Suzhou alone, but some problems are observed in the course of rapid extension. For instance, single and boring of the unchangeable products and service is a big weakness. To the contrary, Seventh Heaven Cafe provides a combination service and products to customers. It is a novel and creative form to attract people. Besides, high quality service and elegant environment are our powerful points of attraction. Sales and marketing strategy To gain more customers, the price of our products is slightly below the Starbucks. Internet advertising and posters are effective for publicity. Furthermore, we use push money and allowance to motivate my employee to increase sales. Critical risk factors Despite of these, some risks still exist, for example some people are reluctant to try something new, or we make losses at early stage. All of budgets are based on the business feasibility study, but there are so many unpredictable changes in the reality, the cash flow may be not enough. Moreover, the shortage and outflow of talent in related field are hidden trouble for the business.

Definition and Examples of Apologia in Rhetoric

Definition and Examples of Apologia in Rhetoric Definition: In classical rhetoric, communication studies, and public relations, an apologia is a  speech that defends, justifies, and/or apologizes for an action or statement. Plural: apologia. Adjective: apologetic. Also known as a  speech of self-defense. In an article* in the Quarterly Journal of Speech (1973), B.L. Ware and W.A. Linkugel identified four common strategies in apologetic discourse: denial (directly or indirectly rejecting the substance, intent, or consequence of the questionable act) bolstering (attempting to enhance the image of the individual under attack) differentiation (distinguishing the questionable act from more serious or harmful actions) transcendence (placing the act in a different context) *They Spoke in Defense of Themselves: On the Generic Criticism of Apologia See Examples and Observations below. Also see: OratoryPersuasionRhetoric What Are the Three Branches of Rhetoric? EtymologyFrom the Greek, away from speech Examples and Observations There may be several purposes for apologia rhetoric, including to explain the behavior or statement in a positive light, justify the behavior to minimize damage to image and character, or remove the topic from public discussion so that other issues may be discussed.(Colleen E. Kelley, The Rhetoric of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton: Crisis Management Discourse. Praeger, 2001) The Rhetoric of Damage ControlSome genres are so complex and high stakes that they require a special kind of rhetorical maneuvering and critical assessment. One such animal is what Aristotle called an apologiaor what we label today as the rhetoric of self-defense, damage-control, image-repair, or crisis management. . . .Its indebtedness to all three genres [deliberative, judicial, and epideictic], but its allegiance to none, makes the apologia a challenging rhetorical hybrid to create and critique (Campbell Huxman, 2003, pp. 293-294). . . . .The genre [of apologia] is a public purging of sins and a reaffirmat ion of the ethical norms of society dressed up in theatrical proportions to bring pleasure to spectators; it is the most intimate form of secular discourse. Success in this arena requires a let it all hang out (remorse, pride, outrage) approach. The visual media are especially equipped to provide the excess and exaggeration that this type of theater demands.(Susan Schultz Huxman, Exigencies, Explanations, and Executions: Toward a Dynamic Theory of the Crisis Communications Genre. Responding to Crisis: A Rhetorical Approach to Crisis Communication, ed. by Dan P. Millar and Robert L. Heath. Lawrence Erlbaum, 2004) BP CEOs Apologia for the Gulf Oil Spill (May 31, 2010)The first thing to say is Im sorry. . . . We’re sorry for the massive disruption it’s caused their lives. There’s no one who wants this over more than I do. I would like my life back.†(Tony Hayward, televised speech in Venice, Louisiana, May 31, 2010) Bill Clintons Apologia: The Monica Lewinsky Affair (Aug. 17, 1998)Good evening.This afternoon in this room, from this chair, I testified before the Office of Independent Counsel and the grand jury.I answered their questions truthfully, including questions about my private life, questions no American citizen would ever want to answer.Still, I must take complete responsibility for all my actions, both public and private. And that is why I am speaking to you tonight.As you know, in a deposition in January, I was asked questions about my relationship with Monica Lewinsky. While my answers were legally accurate, I did not volunteer information.Indeed, I did hav e a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate. In fact, it was wrong. It constituted a critical lapse in judgment and a personal failure on my part for which I am solely and completely responsible.But I told the grand jury today and I say to you now that at no time did I ask anyone to lie, to hide or destroy evidence or to take any other unlawful action.I know that my public comments and my silence about this matter gave a false impression. I misled people, including even my wife. I deeply regret that.I can only tell you I was motivated by many factors. First, by a desire to protect myself from the embarrassment of my own conduct.I was also very concerned about protecting my family. The fact that these questions were being asked in a politically inspired lawsuit, which has since been dismissed, was a consideration, too.In addition, I had real and serious concerns about an independent counsel investigation that began with private business dealings 20 years ago, dealing s I might add about which an independent federal agency found no evidence of any wrongdoing by me or my wife over two years ago.The independent counsel investigation moved on to my staff and friends, then into my private life. And now the investigation itself is under investigation.This has gone on too long, cost too much and hurt too many innocent people.Now, this matter is between me, the two people I love mostmy wife and our daughterand our God. I must put it right, and I am prepared to do whatever it takes to do so.Nothing is more important to me personally. But it is private, and I intend to reclaim my family life for my family. Its nobodys business but ours.Even presidents have private lives. It is time to stop the pursuit of personal destruction and the prying into private lives and get on with our national life.Our country has been distracted by this matter for too long, and I take my responsibility for my part in all of this. That is all I can do.Now it is timein fact, it i s past time to move on.We have important work to doreal opportunities to seize, real problems to solve, real security matters to face.And so tonight, I ask you to turn away from the spectacle of the past seven months, to repair the fabric of our national discourse, and to return our attention to all the challenges and all the promise of the next American century.Thank you for watching. And good night.(President Bill Clinton, televised speech to the American public, August 17, 1998) Pronunciation: AP-eh-LOW-je-eh

Developing Personal Management Skills Assignment

Developing Personal Management Skills - Assignment Example Like any other business, organizations have little or no interest on good management and emphasize on exciting and glamorous work of leadership. Nevertheless, managers are subjects for good performance. Generally, managers should translate their leadership skills to high productivity and good governance. Whereas leaders bring forth vision, motivation and challenge, all these things are in vain if there is no effective implementation as a result of good management. Essentially, a good manager should be equipped with vast skills, ranging from planning, communication, and delegation to motivation. Since there are several management skills required for proper management, it is very tricky to build skills in areas you are not comfortable. Leaders have different management skills, and their applications vary (Mcgrath, 2009). However, for good results and long-term success, it is worth analyzing your personal managerial skills, knowing your strengths and weaknesses and capitalizing on your best management skills. As if this is not enough, pose a challenge to your to improve in your weakest points. This helps you to identify your strong and weak areas, take advantage of past and manage the latter (Hannaway & Gabriel , 2005). Communication is a very crucial tool in the management. In any organization, you have to communicate with your workmates, seniors, juniors and the stakeholders. This tool has given me confidence in place of work and build a lot of trusts. As long as I know what am talking about, worries have no place. It implies that as I communicate with staff, I should have substance so that they can listen to me. Likewise, as they pass information, they should have a clear conscience of what they want to pass across. Communication is a very critical skill for managers. For a number of years, employe es in one of the organizations, I once worked went for a strike because of reshuffling their supervisors. Essentially, there was a  need to make changes, but most of them were unwilling. When I joined as one of the managers, the tension was all over. I took some time to study the organizational structure and the entire set up, and I realized there was need indeed to reshuffle.  

CASE 4 Electronic and Mobile Commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CASE 4 Electronic and Mobile Commerce - Essay Example The free access to information across multiple global markets is severely disrupting the market dynamics as consumers are getting more aware and demanding in nature. Today’s global consumers are focusing highly on buying the right products, which provides them with a greater value as well as consumer satisfaction. This tendency of consumers is creating cross geographical demands for products and services. In order to capitalize on the business opportunity, associated with cross cultural demand for products and services, businesses need to make their presence in the online arena, which is managed by electronic and mobile commerce. This assignment intends to focus on the steps that businesses needs to follow to create online presence and the related skills that are needed to manage it. It will also take into account the opportunities and challenges associated with electronic and mobile commerce. The first step is the analysis of potential e-business initiatives. In order to do so, the online businesses need to focus on either value creation for stakeholders or improving cost efficiencies. In order to create value for the stakeholders through e-business, a firm should concentrate on customers as well as the related components of a value chain which comprises of suppliers, distributors and partners. For improving cost efficiency through e-business initiatives, the firm should concentrate on the internal business process and functions as it will benefit them in the long run. The next step is to analyze the functional scope of e-business initiatives. It is important to mention that the proper categorization of the e-business initiatives on the basis of functional scope enhances the ability of the firm to qualitatively identify the estimated business value along with cost savings. The third step is to analyze the scalability of benefits associated with the e-business initiatives. For the purpose of this