Don Quixote Essays - Spanish Films, Chivalry, Don Quixote

Don Quixote Madman or Idealist? In my judgement, Don Quixote is and idealist. He lives in a time of Machiavellian beliefs and wants to escape these characteristics. He fantasizes about the way things used to be in the times of the knights, and the code of Chivalry, and wishes that he too could live in this time period. Some may argue that he was a madman due to his attack on the windmills, but he just seems to suffer from a slight mental illness, which does not in turn qualify him as a madman. Don Quixada is a man of about fifty years old; he was born of nobility and therefore, could not get a job after his wealth was spent. At this age it did not seem that he had much of a future, the majority of his life was in the past, but he wanted to do something about this and somehow change the destiny of his future. He had a great interest in medieval times; he spent a lot of time reading about the knights and codes of chivalry. He wanted himself to be a noble knight, to ride out on his horse with his trusty sidekick and to be a hero. So he decided, being the idealist he was, that he could accomplish these things even though he now lived in the Renaissance time. Idealists dream, and then turn their dreams into a reality, which is what Don Quixada did when he transformed himself into Don Quixote. He knew the things he needed to make his dream come true. He needed a horse, a trusty sidekick, and a woman to love. He attained all these items, but they were not quite up to par. He renamed everyone on his journey, to make them all seem a little more dream worthy. His horse was renamed Rozinante, the name spruced up the old dilapidated horse. His sidekick, Sancho Panza, was merely after wealth and land in this journey, and was attempting to desert his wife and children. His love interest, Aldunza renamed Dolcinea, was not your typical high class sophisticated woman, she was a rough country girl. It took a great deal of imagination on Don Quixote's part to turn these aspects into his fantasy. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza set out on their adventure very late one night, so that no one would notice them leaving. The next day they arrived at a point where they could see thirty or forty windmills. Don Quixote imagined them as being giants, and attacked them. He did this out pure wit and excitement, not out of lunacy and derangement. He all along knew that they were not really giants, but thought that it would be fun to be in some sort of battle. In my opinion, Don Quixote is an idealist, not a madman. He simply dreams of a different life for himself, rather than facing his fate that is thus far set out for him. Being an idealist, he turns his dream into a reality, suits up in his armor and heads out on his horse into the sunset.

Contingency theories and Situational leadership theory

Contingency theories and Situational leadership theory Abstract There are many theories on what defines successful leadership and contingency and situational leadership are among them. These two theories are almost similar but the contingency leadership theory is not about whether or not a style should be adapted to external factors but rather how different factors can interact in unexpected ways to shape the outcome.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Contingency theories and Situational leadership theory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Definitions Situational leadership theory is based on the interaction between the dimensions of task behavior and relationship behavior as well as follower readiness/maturity in performing a certain task. Followers are the most critical factor in leadership proceedings and as followers differ, so does the suitable method of management. Contingency theories of leadership hold that there is no one best way of leadership and that an organiz ational/ leadership style that is effective in some situations may not be successful in others (Fiedler, 1964). Introduction Fiedler (1964), states that the success of a leader in a given situation isn’t up to the skills that the leader has, but rather how those skills line up with factors outside of him or her. This means that it isn’t just having a skilled leader that leads to success, but rather it is having a leader who can solve the right problems in the right way and at the right time. Discussion Edward (2004) in his article states that â€Å"although situation and contingency mandates managers to take into account such things as the experience of employees, the time available to make a decision, and the type of work that is to be done; they leave the employees uncertain on how they will be treated†. The employees also feel left out in decisions making and not fully informed by their manager. To further support Edward’s arguments, Yuki (1981); in hi s study indicates that concept of task relevant maturity e.g. job maturity that is notable in both theories is conceptionally ambiguous and hence poses serious flaws to these theories. However, in a research done by scholars such as Graeff (1983) indicates that; â€Å"the situational nature of leadership brings forth the concept that one style of management cannot possibly fit all situations†. Edward (2004) in his article also recalls that the recognition of the subordinate as the most important asset in an organization is a determinant of appropriate leader’s behavior by both the contingency and situational leadership theories.Advertising Looking for article on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In his study, Edward (2004), states that â€Å"the degree to which subordinates like or trust the leader, the degree to which the task is structured and the formal authority possessed by the leader are key determinants of the leadership situation†. To add on Vroom and Yetton (1973) indicate that, â€Å"the effectiveness of a decision made by a leader depends upon a number of aspects of the situation†. Hersey and Blanchard (1977), explains that the leadership method one employs should be dependent on the situation and that before one selects a leadership style to use, they must first understand the situation and the importance of the possible outcomes. However, Edward (2004) reiterates that the leadership brand needs to apply across the entire organization and at all times and should not involve what is often called situational leadership† as this will result to confusion and alienate people in an organization. Conclusion Although the two leadership theories have their setbacks, I feel that their main strengths should not be ignored. For example, the situation approach shows leaders what to do and when to do it and contingency approach is valuable for its ability to deal with diverse situations requiring the exercise of leadership. Generally Edward’s article highlights very important approaches that leaders should use to usefully manage their organization and employees. References Edward, E. L (2004) Leading A Virtuous-Spiral Organization. Leader To Leader, No.32. Fiedler, F. E. (1964) A Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Vol.1). 149-190. Graeff, C.L. (1981) Some theoretical issues that undermine the utility of the Hersey-Blanchard situation leadership theory: A critical view. Relationship between theory, research and practice. 19th Annual Southern Management Meeting. Atlanta, 204-206.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Contingency theories and Situational leadership theory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Hersey, P., Blanchard, K.H. (1982) Management of organization behavior: Utilizing human resource s. 4th ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, Inc Vroom, V.H. and Yetton, P.W. (1973) Leadership and decision-making. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press Yuki, G.A. (1981) Leadership in organizations. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Differences among Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, and the Bank of Essay

Differences among Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, and the Bank of Japan - Essay Example In 1694, the bank operated from its foundation, and it was privately owned. However, the bank has since become independent becoming a public organization. The Treasury Solicitor owns the bank on behalf of the Government. In addition, the Treasury Solicitor has independence in monetary policy (Yasin, 2013). The bank of Japan, BOJ had its reorganization after the post-war time in 1942. The bank was independent and operated independently. The BOJ had its own monetary and controlled its credits. The bank had considerable independence that lead to losing of its accountability leading to promulgation of the Japan law. The BOJ controlled the monetary and currency, which controlled the economy. The government maintains a close relationship with the bank. The government helps the bank in managing the currency and monetary aspects of the bank (Yasin, 2013). The main difference among the three banks is the ownership and control of the banks. The Canada Minister of Finance owns the bank of Canada. He owns the bank behalf of Her Majesty in right. The Treasury Solicitor on behalf of the Government owns the Bank of England. The Bank of Japan is independently owned, and the government maintains a close relationship to help the bank in its currency and monetary aspect (Yasin,

Financial Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Financial Services - Essay Example Limited equity financing is used by most of the small or growth stage businesses. Whereas in debt financing, funds pour in from different quarters like from friends, relatives, etc. Venture capitalists are the most common source of equity funding. Venture capitalists may be institutional risk takers, financial institutions, wealthy persons, etc. and most of them specialize in industries. Venture capitalists are risk takers and show interest only in three to five year old companies that result in more than average profits. These venture capitalists are called as investment gurus whose interest lies in those companies that have major regional and national concerns. Commercial finance companies, financial institutions, banks, savings and loans, Lloyds Bank small business, etc. are some of the sources for debt financing. Because of their positive impact on the whole economy local and state government encourage the growth of the small companies. In debt financing additional funds comes from friends, family, relatives, and industry colleagues, etc when capital investment is smaller. Generally banks formed as a major source for loans for the establishment of small businesses. Banks don't offer long term loans to small firms instead they grant short term loans for machinery and equipment, they also offer demand loans to small firms that reduces the risk of leveraging the funds available. The Income Statement presents the summary of the income earned and the expenses incurred during a financial year. Position statement presents the financial position of the business at the end of the year. b) Financing One of the frequent reasons of business failure is poor management and insufficient and poor management of financing comes second1. For starting or relocating or expanding a business sufficient capital is required. Having good financing is not enough in attaining profits; proper knowledge and planning are required to manage it well. These help in strengthening the management of financing and avoid common mistakes like miscalculating or underestimating the cost. The Income Statement presents the summary of the income earned and the expenses incurred during a financial year. Position statement presents the financial position of the business at the end of the year. By Financial Statements, we mean two statements - (i) Profit and loss A/c or Income Statement, and (ii) Balance Sheet or Position Statements. These are prepared at the end of a given period of time. They are indicators of profitability and financial soundness of the business concern. Thus, analysis of Financial Statement means establishing meaningful relationship between various items of the two financial statements, i.e., income statement and position statement. Applying for a loan Loan application should be well written, so that the reader could get a clear picture of what your plans are. The presentation should be of the best quality in the initial loan proposal and application. Only industry specific details should be included so that reader can easily understand. Earning capacity or profitability The overall objective of a business is to earn a satisfactory return on the funds invested in it. Financial analysis helps in ascertaining whether adequate profits are being earned on the capital invested in the

The political atmosphere which influenced the Russian avant garde Essay

The political atmosphere which influenced the Russian avant garde - Essay Example This research paper examines that young artists from Russia decided not to be influenced by literature and painting, rather by the various political movements. Many artists from Russia attended lectures held by Marinetti as they had admiration for Italian futurism. In the years 1908 to 1909, there were various Golden Fleece Markets and some notable artists had their works shown. They included Mikhail Larionov and Natalia Goncharova who promoted scenes that were primitive as well as robust. Later on, during the exhibition known as ‘Donkey’s Tail’, Larionov and Goncharova proved that they could make sure that Russian painting was modernized. At the same time, these two artists were critical and independent concerning western culture. In conclusion, Larionov published the ‘Manifesto of Rayonism’, which had information regarding artistic theories that were new. They were known as synthesis of Orphism, Futurism and Cubism. Larionov was inspired by the scie ntific discovery of ultra-violet rays and radioactivity, thus obtaining the name Rayonism. The Rayonism movement was popular in the western part of Europe from 1913 to 1914. Moreover, in the year 1917, while in Rome, it was zealously taken up and unfortunately, did not survive during the war. In turn, Larionov went to France and worked on the Ballets Russes. This shows that the avant garde in Russia affected many artists and the manner they carried out their work.

Ethics and Corporate Responsibility: Accounting Fraud

Ethics and Corporate Responsibility: Accounting Fraud The key issued described in the suit against Xerox Corporation is that Xerox had overstated its revenues during the past four years by almost $2 billion. The fraudulent scheme had misled investors about Xeroxs earnings to polish its reputation on Wall Street and to boost the companys stock price. These accounting fraud cases show us that ethics is a real issue, a very current issue and it is one that needs to be addressed. Unethical behaviour is common and reasons exist for such behaviour. Recent accounting scandals involving high-profile companies such as Xerox Corp have called into question accounting practices and undermined public confidence in the profession. These ethical scandals in the real world suggested a market economy being out of control and raised demands for more stringent and effective government regulation. Such deception by management hampers the ability of the users of financial statements from gaining accurate business information for decision-making and leaves their interests unprotected. 2.CASE DISCUSSION a)What are the ethical issues confronted in these cases? The term ethics refer to a system or code of conduct based on moral duties and obligation that indicate how we should behave; it deals with the ability to distinguish right from wrong and the commitment to do what is right. Unethical behaviour in the corporate world is political and business scandals, which arise with the disclosure of misdeeds by trusted executives of large public corporations. Such misdeeds typically involve complex methods for misusing or misdirecting funds, overstating revenues, understating expenses, overstating the value of corporate assets or underreporting the existence of liabilities, sometimes with the cooperation of officials in other corporations or affiliates. For Xerox Corp. it has been defrauding investors since 1997 till 2000. In a scheme directed and approved by its senior management, Xerox falsely portrayed itself as a business meeting its competitive challenges and increasing its earnings every quarter. Xerox knowingly or recklessly increased revenues and earnings by accelerating the recognition of revenues through mostly non-GAAP accounting actions, overstated its earnings by using so called cookie jar reserves and interest income from tax refunds, disguised loans as asset sales and manipulated its accounting in violation of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). All of them should have been disclosed to investors in a timely manner because, singly and collectively, they constituted a significant departure from Xeroxs past accounting practices and misled investors about the quality of the earnings being reported. Besides that, senior Xerox management reaped over $5 billion in performance-based compensation and over $30 million in profits from the sale of stock. The practices summarized above constitute an unlawful scheme by Xerox to defraud investors through undisclosed accounting practices and other material transactions, some of which the company knew or should have known violated GAAP. Xerox failed to tell investors that these actions were the reason Xerox met or exceeded consensus earnings estimates quarter after quarter. b) The possible reasons or factors that may cause the unethical actions in the cases. The ethical issues faced by Xerox corp can be explained from a personal, organizational and systematic level and it possible reasons why they commit unethical actions. Personal Level Possible reasons: Individual moral failures and greed Personal level calls for the character evaluation of the main individuals that participated in the various fraud as for Xerox Corp Former Chairman and CEO, Paul Allaire, Former Chief Financial Officer, Barry Romeril and KPMG partner, Michael Conway, in a statement reported that they are the main person whom in charged by the SEC way back years of 1999. The values and ethical behaviours of these individuals have continuously been called into question. Many of the charges directed towards these individuals are a clear indication of acquiring personal interest. It is not that the senior executives did not receive any ethics training earlier on but it is their own individual moral failures and greed that led to the distortion of financial statements. They did not consider the social implications of their unscrupulous decision on their company and also all parties with interests in the company. What concern these executives are their own individualized interests especially in wealth maximization. Organizational Level Possible reasons: The need to follow orders from bosses and pressure from top management on their accountants to make the numbers add up. An unethical practices by the Top management to ensure that the accountant of the Corporation to make up the financial statement reporting to reflect the corporation financial position was on a good position no matter what it cost as long as they can manipulate the treatment of accounting practices. This might be the reasons for the accountant in that organizational tied up( unable to perform as an independent parties) with the mislead accounting practices in order to follow the command of the superior management. As in Nicor Energys overstated unbilled revenue by approximately $4.5 million for 2001 was a collusion between Johnson (senior-most financial officer) and Stoffer (NEs President CEO) in inflating the unbilled revenue number. Stoffer also directed a reversal of a portion of the incurred expense of 2001 into 2002 to meet year-end earnings targets. Besides that, Johnson who was responsible for setting the level of the bad debt reserve was under pressured by Stoffer to purposely understate the bad debts reserve. Systematic Level Possible Reasons: Cosy relationship the firms have with their corporate clients and Enormous pressure from Wall Street investors to keep up short term earnings. As been spell out, many external factors have contributed to the confront of this unethical issues. Such possible factors from the external forces are Corporations often hire accountants and other personnel from their auditor and accountants and much of the pressure brought to bear on accountants; stems from the cosy relationships the firms have with corporate clients. As for Xeroxs auditors, KPMG kept silent when it found out about the accounting discrepancies in Xerox so that they can maintain their relationship and businesses with Xerox. There was no watchdog ( legal and structure) at Xerox. KPMGs bark sounded no warning to investors; its bite was toothless. Beside the possible causes that might led them to commit in these unethical actions possibly might be due to the investment climate of 1990s added insults to injuries. Cited back, year of 1990s, Companies that failed to meet Wall Streets earnings estimates by even a penny often were punished by significant declines in stock price. In addition, compensation of Xerox senior management team depended significantly on their ability to meet increasing revenue and earning target. c).Who were the stakeholders (individual or groups) that are affected by the unethical actions? How are they affected by the fraud or unethical actions? Stakeholders are those groups who can affect or [are] affected by the achievement of the firms objectives. Stakeholders in a company may include shareholders, directors, management, suppliers, government, employees and also the community. The unethical actions in Xerox Corp have affected the stakeholders in a way or so. Shareholders Shareholders are invariably the first victims of top management fraud. When news of fraud by a firm becomes public knowledge, it immediately reduces the stock market value of the companies involved. Bondholders and other creditors of the firm can also end up bearing the negative effects of management fraud. After news of the financial fraud at Xerox Corp. is released, Xeroxs stock has been declining sharply and is now trading at about $7. Shareholders can no longer assume that management is acting within the law or with their best interests in mind. Shareholders now require greater openness on the part of their senior managers. Society Fraud also depresses the overall moral climate in a society. It can lead to a general lack of faith in the integrity of senior managers, erosion in the confidence in the free market system, including its political institutions, processes, and leaders, and a general growth of cynicism in a society. The failure of accounting firms to detect managerial fraud has also led to less faith in audited financial statements. Worse still, many believe that the accounting firms have compromised their own integrity because of the lure of lucrative consulting contracts from firms they were auditing. In Xeroxs case, their auditor, KPMG complied with management at Xerox to allow the accounting irregularities to continue. Employees Employees of companies whose top managers engage in fraud often are hit the hardest, even when they are unaware of their executives illegal activities. Fraud can cause employees to lose their jobs, their retirement savings (which often are tied up in company stock) and their reputations. Frequently, the very fact that employees have worked for a fraudulent company taints their resumes to the point that some find it difficult to find jobs elsewhere. The negative impact of Xeroxs fraud was that Xerox has laid off thousand of workers in the past two years and may make further retrenchments in the future. d) Discussion on the governance and control issues arising from the companies experienced. The highly visible accounting scandal in Xerox Corp showed us one significant matter; the corporate governance and internal controls is failed in the corporations. The worst incidences of fraud are usually committed by insiders, among whom those executives figure prominently who are assigned to manage and control their organizations. Corporations are now looking at how they can make their respective boards of directors more effective. Xerox Corp, has made a good progress on corporate governance and control issues arising from the companys experience. They have adopted strict new guidelines on what constitutes director independence. Applying this definition, 75% of their directors are independent. Proactively integrated Sarbanes-Oxley Act and proposed NYSE rules into their governance processes. Revised and strengthened the charters for their Board of Directors committees. Hold regular executive sessions of outside directors without Xerox management present. Launched a massive effort to strengthen internal controls, train their people and promulgate a clear and strong Code of Conduct. Established an Ethics Help line for their employees and have taken other measures all aimed at making Xerox a role model in ethical behaviour. Bear in mind that, no laws or policies will ever be sufficient to end all corporate misbehaviour. We are confident, however, that truly independent and inquisitive boards of directors will provide the best safeguard against corporate wrongdoings. such Audit Committees must be autonomous and vigorous, Financial Information is inherently judgmental ,give Sarbanes-Oxley a chance to work, excessive executive compensation can be tamed by the Compensation Committee and directors must be selected and appraised by Independent Nominating Committee. 3.Conclusion Fraud had damages the reputations of the individuals and firms involved. Revelations of top management fraud have caused the public to question the ability of boards of directors to monitor senior executives and protect shareholders wealth. As for Xerox Corp, in order too minimize the harm caused by the unethical actions by the executives, firstly Law and regulations are, and will remain, the most influential external drivers of corporate ethics, but legislation is no substitute for the presence of leaders who support and model ethical behaviour. The single most important ethical leadership behaviour is keeping promise, followed by encouraging open communication, keeping employees informed and supporting employees who uphold ethical standards. Corporate leaders need to communicate ethical values throughout the organization, but they must do more than talk the talk in order to establish and sustain an ethical culture. As for specific programs and practices, a corporate code of conduct is viewed as being most important to prevent or minimize accounting frauds. Such a code must reflect and reinforce the values and principles of an organization. Besides that, ethics training for all members of the organization, corporate social responsibility programs, ombudsman services and help lines can be done to combat unethical behaviour. In summary, employees need to have a code to set the ethics foundation, training to help people truly understand it, and programs that permit them to inquire about and report ethical violations. A comprehensive Whistleblowers Act to provide wide-ranging protection for whistleblowers in all sectors too can help encourage whistle blowing. Study Of Knowledge | Empiricists Vs Rationalists Study Of Knowledge | Empiricists Vs Rationalists The dispute between empiricism and rationalism begins within epistemology, the study of knowledge. Epistemology attempts to answer the questions: what is knowledge?, what can we know?, and what is the difference between opinion an knowledge? The study of knowledge began in Greece with the Pre-Socratic thinkers, as far back as the sixth and fifth centuries B.C.E. Zeno, a Pre-Socratic, is the first thinker to bring about the two schools of philosophy, rationalism and empiricism, which would grow to become a popular focus among other philosophers. Rationalism is defined as the epistemological view that true knowledge is derived from reason and from within the mind. This school of thought is based off of the a priori: truths that can be known independently of observations, and innate ideas: ideas believed to be present from birth. Empiricism, on the other hand, is the view that true knowledge is derived from sense experience. Empiricists believed that a priori and innate ideas were none existent, and rather all significant knowledge came from the a posteriori, the belief that truth is established only through observation. Zeno chose to focus on information derived from mathematics or rationalism, because he believed this information to be certain. He thought that information derived from the senses, or empiricism, could be deceiving. From there, the way by which we obtain knowledge continued to be argued over. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, philosophers began to take sides as to what they believed was the source of knowledge. They formed two groups: the Continental rationalists and the British empiricists. In the Continental rationalist group were philosophers Rene Descartes and Baruch Spinoza. The philosophies of Descartes and Spinoza are similar because they are systematic, logical, and rational. Both Descartes and Spinoza sought a system of thought that possessed the certainty of mathematics and was free of Scholastic tradition, because they believed scholasticism could not be trusted. They thought that judgments must be made from a mathematical basis and believed in a mechanistic worldview, the real world is not the world as known by the senses but rather by mathematical physics. They were also both pantheists, which meant that they equated God with nature. Spinoza worked off of Descartes ideas from his Cartesian Method, that nothing is true unless it is clear and distinct. This idea of only believing what is certain was an idea brought up years ago by the Pre-Socratic thinker, Zeno and developed further by the Continental rationalists. The biggest difference, however in Spinozas p hilosophy was his opinion on substances. Descartes defined substance as that which can exist by itself, without the aid of any other substance. He divided the world into two kinds of substances, thinking substance (the mind) and extended substance (the body). He then divided thinking substance into the infinite thinking substance (God) and finite thinking substances. Although Descartes believed that there was only one infinite substance (God), he believed that there were many finite thinking substances, so he was a pluralist. Spinoza rejected Descartess divisions of substances and his plurality of finite substances. He did not agree with Descartess division of infinite and finite thinking substance. For Spinoza, there was only infinite substance, and no thinking substance and extended substance. Spinoza claimed that there was only one substance, infinite substance, which he equated with God. Spinoza also argued that the definition of substance makes it impossible for the mind and th e body to be distinct substances. He said that mind and body are modes of that single substance. So, Spinoza took Descartes idea of substances and built upon it, but Spinoza was a monist rather than a dualist like Descartes. The other major philosophical group during the seventeenth and eighteenth century was the classical British empiricists. The empiricists believed that all knowledge is derived from observation. Hume and other British empiricists rejected the intuition/deduction thesis and the idea of innate knowledge proposed by Descartes. Hume believed that true knowledge came from a posteriori, sense experience, rather than from a priori. A major difference between Hume and Descartes is their take on the issue of Gods existence. When the two applied their very different theories to the topic of Gods existence, they arrived at different conclusions. In Descartes efforts to doubt everything, he realized that only one thing was certain, I think, therefore I exist. Descartes concluded that God exists when he realized that if he himself is subject to doubt, he is imperfect, and cannot be the cause of his existence. Because he had an idea of perfectness, this idea must come from a perfect being, or God. However, Hume was not able to prove Gods existence. Hume built upon Leibnizs analytic synthetic distinction in creating his Humean Method. He separated ideas into three categories: analytic propositions, synthetic propositions, and nonsense. He created a set of questions that one could ask to come to the conclusion as to what category an idea fell under. In contrast to Descartes conclusions about Gods existence, the Humean method suggests that God should be placed under the nonsense category because it is not possible to trace God back to sense data. Descartes, the rationalist and Hume, the empiricist had differing opinions. However, the two philosophers are similar because they both raise very skeptical issues. Descartes idea of the possibility of an evil demon putting thoughts in our heads and Humes conclusion that the idea of God is nonsense caused people to begin questioning traditional teachings and what they had always thought to be true. New ideas like the ones presented by D escartes and Hume later caused problems because as people became more aware of these ideas, more rebellion from authority and religion began to occur. Part Two: Immanuel Kant In the Preface to the second edition of the Critique of Pure Reason, Immanuel Kant compares his philosophy to the Copernican Revolution. It is said that as Copernicus believed that all heavenly bodies moved round the sun, Kant believed he was the center, and that everything moved around his philosophy. The philosophy of Immanuel Kant was so revolutionary because he brought together rationalism and empiricism. Because of Kant, the debate between rationalists and empiricists ended, and epistemology could move forward. Kant was inspired to build his philosophy after he encountered a copy of Humes Inquiry. He realized that he disagreed with many of the issues Hume brought up, and decided to refute them. In his book, The Critique of Pure Reason, he combined the ideas of Hume and the ideas of rationalists. Kant agreed with the empiricist claim that sense experience is the source of all beliefs, but disagreed with the conclusion that those beliefs may not necessarily be true. He also disagreed with the rationalist idea that truths about what does or does not exist could be decided through reason alone. He eliminated the debate by claiming that thinking and experiencing cannot let us know how things really are. Instead, Kant asked if it was possible that we have metaphysical knowledge. He claimed that the mind analyzes the data it perceives in terms of space and time. So, space and time are not features of external reality, as the empiricists and rationalists before him believed. Kant said that in order for human beings to interpret the world the human mind imposed certain structures on the incoming sense data. Kant defined these structures in terms of twelve categories: substance, cause/effect, reciprocity, necessity, possibility, existence, totality, unity, plurality, limitation, reality and negation. These categories were characteristics of the appearance of any object in general. However, these categories are related only to human language. When making a statement about an object, that person is making a judgment. A general object, that is, every object, has attributes that are contained in Kants list of Categories. In a judgment, or verbal statement, the Categories are the predicates that can be asserted of every object and all objects.

the bomb :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  August 6th 1945, 70,000 lives were ended in a meter of seconds. The United States had dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima then on Nagasaki. Today many argue over whether or not the US should have taken such a drastic measure. Was it entirely necessary that we drop such a devastating weapon?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First look at what was going on at the time the decision was made. The US had been fighting a massive war since 1941. The outcome was obvious but both sides continued to fight, and both were determined to win. Obviously the best thing would have been to bring the war to a quick end, with a minimum of casualties. In a meeting on the 18th of June the Joint War plans Committee gave Truman projected death rates ranging from a low of 31,000 to a high of 50,000. This number is much lower than estimates from other sources. AC Snow, a News and Observer editor, wrote â€Å"The invasion was expected to be the Armageddon of world war II. Some historians project that a million or more lives would have been lost.† President Truman and secretary of war, Henry Smitten, said that dropping the bomb was a military action that avoided the loss of many lives in the upcoming invasion of Kyushu.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I wonder what would have happened had the A-bomb not been used? The most obvious thing is that the war would have continued for much longer. Us forces therefore, would have had to invade the home island of Japan. Some historians say the number of casualties could have reached a million us soldiers, dead or wounded. Also, our forces would not only have to fight off the Japanese military, but they would have to defend themselves against the civilians of Japan as well. The Japanese would have continued to fight the US with all they had.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No one can say exactly what would have happened, because let’s face it, no one knows. It’s possible Japan was just about to hand over its unconditional surrender, but most evidence would not agree with that. One thing that points to the Japanese not surrendering would be Kamikaze pilots. Kamikaze were â€Å"suicide† pilots. They would load an airplane up with explosives and try to nose-dive it into an enemy target. The Japanese Soldier would fight until the end, for his Emperor and his country. They scary thing about this is the majority of the Japanese’s military thought this way. The fact that the enemy is ready to die as long as you die with him is not something that a soldier wants to think

Analysis on Blackfish Essay

Introduction: Sea World is a place for people to get a splash of happiness and amusement watching whales do intricate tricks but is the fact that the Orcas are held in captivity and unhappy worth that splash of amusment. The case of â€Å"Blackfish† deals with the captivity of Orca Whales in Sea World and the bill being put up in California to ban the captivity and breeding of Orcas called the California Captive Orca Welfare and Safety Act (Sanchez, 2014). A documentary produced by Magnolia Films about the â€Å"Blackfish† case and the danger of Orcas being in captivity lead to a menacing effect on the image of Sea World. Description: In 2010, a trainer who worked for Sea World, Dawn Brancheau was killed by one of the show whales in Sea World [Tilikum] which set off this controversy and the realization that Orcas should not be kept in captivity (Zurko, 2014). In the documentary â€Å"Blackfish† that was released in July of 2013, it expresses that when Orcas are h eld in detention and bred within such confinement they grow unhappy and aggressive. Orcas are used to living in open waters and that’s where they are happiest, being so detained makes them unhappy to the point where they get aggressive towards those trainers who they know have a part in keeping them imprisoned. They lash out towards the trainers, not because they are dangerous creatures, because they are desperate for a normal healthy life back in the open waters. Because Tili attacked Brancheau, it lead to the beliefs that the title of killer whales was a literal title, when in reality their anger is due to the face they are in captive in the park. Animals are adapted to the environment they were intended, Orcas are used to living free in open waters being able to communicate with other animals in the ocean (Sanchez, 2014). The captivity of the orcas has shortened their lifespan because they are unable to live the way that they should. Interpretation: The image of Sea World has been totally turned around since the â€Å"Blackfish† case has escalated into the media forming a new image for the company. Identity is when a company’s reality is exposed through evidence, such as the services they provide, from the company, whereas image is a tangent of identity where it is the refl ection of the organization’s identity. In  relation to â€Å"Blackfish† the way the trainers and the company of Sea World treat the orcas has been exposed to the public altering the image of the company. Sea World used to be viewed as a place for families to go and enjoy watching trained Orcas do awesome tricks and entertain their audiences, where now it is seen as a place where animals are mistreated and held captive. Evaluation: This captivity is a huge controversy building up to protests against Sea World and leading to the bill put up by California to ban the act of keeping Orcas that were caught from the wild and keep them in captivity. Though there are Sea Worlds in Texas and Florida, the bill will immediately affect the California Sea World (Rohenkohl, 2014). If the bill were to pass, California would have to find a new way to entertain their guests or breed orcas that are not wildly caught (Martinez, 2014). The documentary, â€Å"Blackfish† caused much controversy and threatened the image of the Sea World Company. Conclusion: It would make a person wonder, if Brancheau was not attacked, would the true identity of Sea World been exposed? The image of Sea World being a happy escape has been reformed due to the fact that Orca’s being detained was proven to be a problem and a danger to not only to the trainers, but to the Orcas themselves. Orcas deserve to live in the open waters, free, and live the life span they are intended and not be confined within the tiny pools of Sea World. California may be the first to make a difference in Orca’s lives, now the rest of the world can be a part of the change. Annotation of Information Sources Martinez, Michael. (2014, March 8). Seaworld ‘Blackfish’ backlash: Richard Bloom calls for banning orca shows. Retrieved from http://www.wptv.com/news/state/seaworld-blackfish-backlash-richard-bloom-calls-for-banning-orca-shows

How to Write a Research Essay in Shakespeare Studies

How to Write a Research Essay in Shakespeare Studies William Shakespeare is considered a genius poet and playwright, not only in Great Britain but throughout the world. It is generally recognized that his works are a kind of encyclopedia of human relationships, they are like a mirror in which people, great and insignificant, are represented in their essence. This gives colossal opportunities for thinking, reflection, analysis, and application of the conclusions made in modern realities. That is why students so often receive the task to write an essay based on one of the works of Shakespeare. In this article, we will give practical recommendations and show examples of how to do this. Essay in Shakespeare Studies vs Any Other Essay Are There Any Differences As a general rule, writing an essay on Shakespeare has the same standard requirements as writing an essay on any other subject. You must also observe a clear structure, develop a thesis, back it up with evidence, and come to a conclusion. But there are some differences. First, all your essay should be concentrated around the literary work. Secondly, quoting Shakespeare has its own special rules. And thirdly, these quotes will be direct evidence of your thesis and all your ideas on which you will build your essay. What Can You Write in the Essay Based on Shakespeares Sonnets? W. Shakespeare is the author of 154 sonnets, which were first published in 1609. They were created over a long time and reflected the significant changes that occurred in the author’s worldview and creativity. Confirmation of such a maxim can serve as evidence of one of the contemporaries of the poet, who in 1598 wrote that ‘Shakespeares sonnets are known among his friends.’ Some of the researchers tried to restore the facts of the biography of the poet, to identify those not named persons whose portraits we find in these verses. However, such efforts, as it turned out, did not bring concrete and convincing results. And it is entirely natural. Therefore, your task as a student studying the works of Shakespeare is to identify these hidden meanings, hints, and references to people and phenomena of those times. Study the Nature of the Sonnet Based on Comparative Characteristics You can begin to study the topic by clarifying the concept of a sonnet and its features in Italian and English literature. Sonnet, as a persistent 14-line lyric verse form with a certain rhyming order, was born in Italy in the 13th century. This became one of the favorite forms of the lyrical poetry of the great Italian poets of the Renaissance and under the pen of Dante, and especially Petrarch, acquired the flexibility that is necessary for a short verse that contains partly very important philosophical and aesthetic content. Over time, the sonnet became established through the efforts of Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542) and Henry Surrey (1517-1547). But their sonnets were different from Italian. What is this significant difference? For example, you can conclude yourself by comparing one of the sonnets of Petrarch and Shakespeare (in particular, F. Petrarch’s sonnet ‘Laura’s Death’ and XV of the W. Shakespeare’s Sonnet). Study and Analyze the Internal Structure of the Sonnet During the analysis, it is possible to conclude that the English sonnet differs from Italian in its internal structure (3 quatrains and 1 distich), free rhyming order, after which three quatrains have two independent rhymes, and the last two lines rhyme with each other. In all Shakespeares sonnets, there is one important common feature characteristic of the poet’s creative writing, which is intense drama. There is always a sharp conflict in it, which is usually solved in the last lines of the sonnet. You can choose several sonnets and analyze the development of drama in them, as well as the tools that the poet uses to set the tense. A few more questions you can answer analyzing Shakespeares sonnets For example, in your essay you can: Define a sonnet like one of the poetic genres; Determine how the sonnet is built, does its structure affect the internal content? Select the images of the first quatrain, find out their meaning; Determine the intonation fracture; Examine what the main informative images in the sonnet you noticed? How do they change the mood of the sonnets? What Can You Respond to These Questions Combining the completed form with a rich ideological content made Shakespeares sonnets a wonderful aesthetic monument of a distant era, in which the great humanist told his descendants about true and deep feelings. The dominant aesthetics of Shakespeare is revealed in 103 sonnets, where the poet asserts the advantage of the beautiful in life over his reflection in works of art. Art as a mirror of nature is the main leitmotif of the named sonnet. In several sonnets (55, 60, 63, 64, 65, 107) the theme of the incorruptibility of works of art, the understanding that the poet will be immortal in his works, is revealed. This thought acquires greater flexibility and clarity in the sonnet 55. Although most sonnets are devoted to solving ethical problems, the poet’s interest in the public life of his era is constantly pulsating. There are images of a state that perishes under the pressure of Time, a war that scars the face of the earth, a miser who trembles over treasures, or a person who is harassed by the nobility of his origin. It is they who testify to the close attention that Shakespeare reveals to the various phenomena of reality. The famous sonnet 66 is a concentrated expression of the poet’s non-perception of life, which distorts the relationship between people. It is not by chance that quite a few researchers compare this sonnet with the gloomy tragedies of Shakespeare. Problems in the Play of Romeo and Juliet Things to Reflect on in Your Research Essay The plot used by Shakespeare two siblings of warring families was used in ancient literature more than once. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ one of the most famous works of Shakespeare, as the figurative concentration, the concentration of motifs and the eternal themes of humanity in it reaches its maximum. This is the theme of love, and the theme of blood feud, and the theme of death, and the theme of hostility, and the theme of chance. You can highlight each of these topics or issues in your essay. The main problem in the play is the problem of the conflict of real big love and prejudices of society. The reason for the hatred of the warring families has long been lost in time, but the misunderstanding remains. The theme of love, of course, is basic. And it is affected not only in the context of the relationship between Romeo and Juliet but also speaking as an important area of human life. Many characters speak about her, everyone sees his own. Especially distinguished in the love line 5 scene a ball in the house of Capulet. Here, the theme of love is concretized to the motive of love at first sight. You can further elaborate on this phenomenon in the works of Shakespeare and search for the phenomena of such love in sonnets and other plays. In addition to love between a man and a woman, in the tragedy, a great place is given to the boundary between love and youthful passion. In this context, it would be interesting to reconcile the feelings between Romeo and Juliet with the feelings of Othello and Desdemona. The theme of maternal, paternal, family love, as well as the love of the nurse to Juliet, is highlighted. Here, by analogy, it is possible to recall Hamlet and his father. All the problems, themes, and motives in the tragedy are related to each other. Revenge and anger give birth to death, which in turn is overcome by love. But the case an unknown and omnipotent force, still overtakes those who dare to go against the system, order, and God. Throughout the whole play, we see the rebellion and liberty in complying with church laws Romeo, who was dressed as a monk, both families repeatedly violated the most important religious commandment to ban murder, the main characters also do not respect their parents. In your essay, you can reflect on the inevitability of the script written by fate, on the will of chance or higher powers, on the place of religion and its prohibitions in the past time and modern life. What Can You Write in Your Research Essay on Hamlet Working with an essay on this work, you can start by describing the main problem. Motives of treason, crime, love have always been popular in literature and in life itself. W. Shakespeare was able to notice the internal fluctuations of people and convey them with the help of the word, so he could not stand aside from the listed problems. The main theme of ‘Hamlet’ is a crime committed for the sake of wealth and power. In this context, it is very interesting to conduct a modern study and find traces of crimes committed in a still tangible past for a similar purpose. It is also interesting to analyze the features of the composition of the play. Even though everything is very logical, some things can be analyzed in your essay. Features of the composition are dictated by the laws of drama organization. The work consists of five acts. The plot is revealed sequentially, it can be divided into six parts: the exposition acquaintance with the heroes, the plot the meeting of Hamlet and the ghost, the development of events the princes way to revenge, the climax the observation of the king during the play, the denouement the death of the heroes. The event outline is interrupted by Hamlet’s philosophical reflections on the meaning of life, on death. You can penetrate his reflections by highlighting one topic for one essay, or you can combine all thoughts in one work, exploring how these reflections fit into the whole structure of the play. It is also interesting to look at this play from literary techniques and tools. Hamlets genre is a play written as a tragedy since all events are centered around the problems of murder, death, and revenge. The denouement of the work is tragic. The direction of the play of Shakespeare ‘Hamlet’ is baroque, so the work has an abundance of comparisons and metaphors. You can focus your essay on some of them. One More Idea to Study Is the Influence of Shakespeare on the Development of Science Today, Shakespeare is not only the genius of Anglo-Saxon literature, but also one of the key figures of American and surely British educational systems, both at school and in universities. Shakespeares studies have long gone beyond the English culture. Turning to Shakespeare, in the largest educational centers of the world, they study not only the literature of the late Renaissance, the evolution of Shakespeares poetics in the context of world culture, Shakespeares reminiscences in national literatures, not only the evolution of drama, the history of theater, music, cinema, but also other, seemingly far away discipline from the world artistic culture. So, according to Shakespeares characters, human psychology is studied. Many authors of classical works on the nature of human consciousness addressed them. Z. Freud, used the characters of Shakespeare as illustrations to explain his psychoanalytic concepts and ideas. His Freudian reading of the image of Hamlet was especially popular. His work played a huge role not only in the improvement of psychoanalysis, but also had a direct significance for the development of Shakespeare studies in particular, and world philosophical criticism in general. They became the impetus for the emergence of a completely new trend in philosophy psychoanalytic criticism. In the Shakespearean characters, Freud discovered a fertile field for reflection on human nature, which it would have been much harder to imagine or discover if Freud turned to his real patients.

Free Essays on Importance Of Parenthood

Parents, what a lovely thing to have. Two people who care for you, are always there for you, and love you. Isn’t it something so simple, to love some one, or even cherish them? Your own child, but yet some children don’t even know that people like that can even exist in their life. Most kids don’t even have both parents together, or even both parents alive. Something that I most fear is the way these children grow up, with no example. Not only has the fact that kids are taught mostly by example, sunk in to the parents minds. Thinking its cute to hear their child say a curse word or even hit their sibling as a moments worth of entertainment is not something that a parent should encourage their child to do. Things like this cause the child to think its ok to speak or act in that certain manner and as they get older this bad habit becomes very difficult to over come. Work is sometimes an issue, whether it is because a parent needs to work two jobs to support their c hild, or because just working those extra hours will bring in the cash that is just for luxury living. The most important thing that a child should have in their life, is not the latest toys, or the millions of games to make them happy; parents need to know that these things wont fill that empty space that most of them will have, when they get older and look back, wondering whether or not, mom and dad were ever there for them. That’s why adults need to rally think about having kids before they do, they need to really know if they’re going to give up usual Saturday night out just to stay home and have a night with their kids and maybe some movies. Isn’t the most important part of a persons life, is when they’re young? Don’t people they accomplish most of their learning at a young age? With out any responsible parents who will be there to teach them the best way they can, to become a responsible person, as well as fill their lives with the understa nding of love a... Free Essays on Importance Of Parenthood Free Essays on Importance Of Parenthood Parents, what a lovely thing to have. Two people who care for you, are always there for you, and love you. Isn’t it something so simple, to love some one, or even cherish them? Your own child, but yet some children don’t even know that people like that can even exist in their life. Most kids don’t even have both parents together, or even both parents alive. Something that I most fear is the way these children grow up, with no example. Not only has the fact that kids are taught mostly by example, sunk in to the parents minds. Thinking its cute to hear their child say a curse word or even hit their sibling as a moments worth of entertainment is not something that a parent should encourage their child to do. Things like this cause the child to think its ok to speak or act in that certain manner and as they get older this bad habit becomes very difficult to over come. Work is sometimes an issue, whether it is because a parent needs to work two jobs to support their c hild, or because just working those extra hours will bring in the cash that is just for luxury living. The most important thing that a child should have in their life, is not the latest toys, or the millions of games to make them happy; parents need to know that these things wont fill that empty space that most of them will have, when they get older and look back, wondering whether or not, mom and dad were ever there for them. That’s why adults need to rally think about having kids before they do, they need to really know if they’re going to give up usual Saturday night out just to stay home and have a night with their kids and maybe some movies. Isn’t the most important part of a persons life, is when they’re young? Don’t people they accomplish most of their learning at a young age? With out any responsible parents who will be there to teach them the best way they can, to become a responsible person, as well as fill their lives with the understa nding of love a...

Outsourcing of American Jobs to Foreign Countries Research Paper

Outsourcing of American Jobs to Foreign Countries - Research Paper Example â€Å"Offshore outsourcing in the services sector is a major shift in how our economy operates, and it will have serious impacts on the tragedy of economic growth, national security, the distribution of income, and the workforce† (Hira and Hira, 2008, p. 95). This is essentially a way in which jobs that would otherwise have been made available to the Americans are being sold out to people outside America, thus causing hundreds of thousands of Americans to remain unemployed and face the consequences. There is a lot of literature that suggests that US is bringing the economy of such other countries as China at par with her own by outsourcing jobs to them, thus creating a two-way negative effect on her own economy, firstly by depriving the Americans of jobs and secondly, by making the economy of other countries stronger and her own weaker. This paper discusses the negative implications of outsourcing jobs to other countries by US. Outsourcing is making the American economy weaker and the American citizens unhappier day by day. Overseas outsourcing is causing loss of jobs for the Americans. â€Å"Over 2 million manufacturing jobs have been lost since the official start of the Great Recession and since the 2000, the United States has lost 5.6 million jobs, or about 33% from year 2000† (Oak, 2011). ... One company that is conventionally loaded with criticism despite the fact that it is the largest retail brand in the US is Wal-Mart. The very reason for which Wal-Mart is criticized is outsourcing. Wal-Mart is accused of outsourcing the services of vendors to make the products it does business from. Wal-Mart is enlisted among the biggest importers of China in the US as it imports up to $7.5 billion from China and roughly just as much from its suppliers (Heal, 2008, p. 115). One of the most vocal critics of Wal-Mart is the organized labor, which is primarily the group of unskilled labor which suffers from the effects of outsourcing. â€Å"Economist Paul Samuelson, a Nobel Prize winner, wrote in a 2004 paper that the economic effect of outsourcing is similar to allowing mass immigration of workers willing to compete for service jobs at extremely low wages† (Bloomberg Businessweek, 2012). Outsourcing of American jobs to the foreign countries exposes the American entrepreneurs to a lot of risks. In the capacity of the importers of services of the foreign vendors, success of the American entrepreneurs is tied to the financial health of those vendors. It is not quite unusual for a foreign vendor to go bankrupt in which case, the American entrepreneur has to bear the consequences. In addition to that, outsourcing endangers the national security interests. One of the main causes of war that happened between the US and Japan in the year 1941 was the Japanese perception that her economic and industrial development was being unjustly hampered by the US as the US had restrained the supply of raw materials and technology into Japan along with restricting the export of goods out of the Empire. Outsourcing of jobs to other

ADVENTURE FACILITATION AND EDUCATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

ADVENTURE FACILITATION AND EDUCATION - Essay Example Similarly, as a means of determining overall viability of the social media outreach plan that has heretofore been utilized, the discussion will be concentric upon seeking to define the plan that best promotes the interests of the firm while seeking to maximize the exposure per pound spent on marketing that lies at the core of any and all successful marketing analyses. As a way to provide answers to the overarching question of effectiveness which has been outlined above, this report will seek to lay out the results of a pilot study. As such, the pilot study will have the express intention of providing insights into whether or not the social media outreach which is being performed has a positive contribution to the viability of the firm, to what extent, and whether or not the expense to operate such a program is worth the yield that it generates. As with any pilot program, the scope, time frame, number of individual results weighed, and an analysis of the contributing factors have all been weighed (Tuten et al 2012, p. 203). The following section will briefly detail how each one of these was undertaken within the confines of the given pilot study. For purposes of the pilot study, the account activity, posting ratio, overall number of hits, total number of sign ups generated and percentage of clicks garnered were analyzed. With respect to the period of time that was employed, a period of 2 months of activity was analyzed (Rodriguez et al 2012, p. 371). The raw data itself was made available to the requesting entity by statistics and tracking software provided free of charge to the firm via Facebook’s statistics software. For purposes of brevity and the absence of bias, the software was employed as a way to readily generate a plethora of data and habits with relation to the web habits of those within the target demographic. Through an analysis of the time period mentioned, the