Estore at Shelll Essay

In recent years there has been shift in the fuels and lubricant marketplace that has resulted in more price-sensitive customers and a growing downward pressure on Shell Canada’s margins. Due to the financial pressure to reduce costs, Shell Canada launched an online, self-serve â€Å"eStore† to their agricultural customers in hopes of streamlining their business, cutting costs and salvaging their shrinking profit margins. The purpose of this case report is to address and analyze the issues surrounding eStore, identify the best alternative to solve the key issues and determine the most appropriate method of implementation. It is anticipated that these findings will illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of potential solutions, which will in turn lead to actual implementation of the best solution. Key issues encompassing Shell’s shrinking profit margins, communication and delivery and technology were identified and discussed. Using a SWOT analysis and the Porter’s Five Forces model, internal and external factors affecting the eStore business plan were analyzed. In accordance with the analysis, three alternatives were generated including the redesign of eStore website, abandonment of the online project and the generation of alternative self-serve strategies. After considering which solution would best serve the eStore initiative at Shell Canada, it was determined that continuing with the project and redesigning eStore would be most effective and a plan of implementation was established. It is recommended that Shell Canada follow the implementation plan in order to attain maximum success for eStore. Despite some reluctance of agricultural customers to adopt an online ordering system, there are clear opportunities for Shell’s eStore initiative to succeed in this market. Introduction As a leading manufacturer, distributer and marketer of refined petroleum products, Shell Canada limited is one of the largest integrated petroleum companies in Canada. With consolidated earnings of $810 million and $9. 5 billion in assets in 2003, Shell Canada was ranked the 14th largest company in the country. In recent years there has been a shift in the fuels and lubricant marketplace that has resulted in more price-sensitive customers and a growing downward pressure on Shell’s margins. The agricultural segment s specifically underperforming and because of this, Shell hoped to effectively implement an online ordering system that would decrease the need for costly rural sales representatives. After the initial launch in September of 2002, it was noted that eStore was not as successful in attracting and retaining customers as initially planned. This report will outline key issues, conduct internal and external analysis and prepare an action plan to implement the best solution to achieve success in Shell’s eBusiness initiative. Key Issues Shell has three key issues that need to be addressed before deciding how to best proceed with the implementation of eStore. Shrinking Profit Margins in the Agricultural Segment With the shift in the agricultural segment towards price-sensitive customers, Shell Canada is currently experiencing a growing downward pressure on margins and is thus faced with the need to minimize costs. The remoteness of Shell Canada’s agricultural customers provides unique challenges in managing communication, delivery and sales settlement, therefore there is a need for a more streamlined process in managing these customers. Using local sales representatives in the agricultural segment is costly, and thus Shell is faced with the need to move towards a more efficient, self-serve strategy for these customers. In order to effectively decide on an implementation strategy for eStore, Shell Canada needs to determine an optimal self-serve strategy to satisfy these customers. Communication and Delivery The second key issue is centered upon the lack of sufficient marketing of eStore. After the initial implementation of eStore, Shell Canada noted a pattern whereby customers had signed up for an account only to not use it again or use the system only perfunctorily. Feedback from the customers indicated a range of issues, including a lack of familiarity with eStore and a preference to use other options such as their local sales representatives, or the call center to place their orders. Some customers had not heard of eStore, and those who had, did not see the added value of eStore, and were concerned that an online solution was no better than either placing their orders directly through the 1-800 call center or faxing orders in directly. Many preferred to do business with their local sales representative as they valued the personal relationship of dealing with someone in their own community. Shell is faced with the need to develop a strong marketing platform that will attract customers to eStore in order to increase usage levels. Technology A user experience review of eStore by RareMethod consulting group also indicated a number of technological issues with the eStore website. While some customers saw the value, many found it cumbersome to use and experienced inconvenient interface-related issues. Some customers found the website cryptic and often encountered trouble when typing the Web address. If they failed to type the secure connection URL, it appeared as if the system was non-responsive. Also, the passwords automatically generated by eStore were often too complex for the customers to remember. They required the customer to remember a random sequence of letters and numbers in order to conform to the strict security guidelines. The log-in screen was confusing to customers as it presented what appeared to be two separate log-in panes, one for customers, and one for employees. As these two options were not clearly labeled, customers who chose incorrectly would be presented with an error notification, and would invariably stop trying to log on. The e-mails customers were receiving from eStore were also confusing. Instead of receiving e-mails from eStore, customers were receiving e-mails from eBusiness, and having no familiarity with eBusiness, would often ignore them. In order to enhance the user experience and retain customers on the system, Shell must eliminate these cumbersome interface-related issues and design a website that is more user-friendly. Given these key issues, the following ranking was created based upon their importance and urgency. Shell’s greatest strength is arguably the relationship they have developed with their agricultural customers. By taking advantage of the rapport the local representatives have built with their rural customers, Shell can effectively use these employees as distribution channels to promote eStore. By using Shell International, Shell Canada can also capitalize on considerable resources and expertise to develop an effective implementation strategy. The Electronic Customer Access to Shell (eCATS) initiative by Shell International to develop a generic electronic store can be used as the basis for the self-serve application needed in the Canadian marketplace. By using eCATS as their platform, Shell Canada is able to considerably reduce the development costs. Capitalizing on these strengths will allow Shell to effectively implement eStore in their target market. Weaknesses  Although assessed above as a strength, the relationship the local representatives have built with the rural customers is concurrently one of Shell’s weaknesses when considering the implementation of eStore. Because customers have been able to enjoy a personalized working relationship with members of their own community, they could be hesitant to adopt an impersonal online system that will remove the valued relationship they have with their local representatives. The lack of sufficient marketing for the eStore project is also one of the weaknesses Shell faces in implementing eStore. Many of Shell’s customers have never heard of eStore, and those have do not see the added value in using an online system. Even the local representatives are not fully on board as many feel their time is better spent dealing with client issues rather than promoting eStore. Other weaknesses pertain to technological and user-interface related issues. The customers that have tried eStore are not currently satisfied with the online system and as a result, eStore is experiencing low usage levels. Opportunities Due to the remoteness of many of Shell’s agricultural customers, there is an unfulfilled need to develop a system that makes communication, delivery and sales settlement easier and more efficient for these customers. An online, self-serve strategy provides customers with an easy, convenient way to place orders and gives Shell an opportunity to more effectively manage these customers and generate sales. Also, while a competitor analysis showed that there were many competitors in the market such as Imperial Oil, Irving Oil, UFA, PetroCanada and Federated Co-op, none was pursuing initiatives similar to eStore. Because these companies are likely experiencing the same margin compression, this gives Shell the opportunity to salvage profit margins and simultaneously increase their market share by providing customers with the innovative offering of an electronic store. Streamlining business using an online system would not only attract new customers, but it would also cut costs and relieve some of the pressure on Shell’s margins. Threats Although Shell Canada has few external factors that would seriously threaten the implementation of eStore, there are a few considerations to keep in mind. With the shift in the agricultural segment towards price-sensitive customers, Shell Canada must find ways to satisfy these customers in order to maintain their business. Shell must ensure that an online store is the most effective way to keep these customers, not deter them. Also, although no other company has currently developed an electronic store, there is nothing stopping them from developing one in the future. If Shell is unable to effectively implement their eStore, another competitor could easily learn from Shell’s mistakes, and develop a more effective online system that would satisfy the particular customers Shell was trying to attract. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis The ‘Porter’s Five Forces’ model was designed primarily to conduct industry analysis. It may aid a company to understand both the â€Å"strength of their current competitive position and the strength of the position that they are looking to move into. The model is used to identify whether new products, services or businesses have the potential to be profitable† (Porter’s Five Forces, 2010). Figure 2: Illustration of Porter’s Five Forces Model Source: http://www. quickmba. com/strategy/porters. html Supplier Power- Low  The supplier provides the input for the final product or service, and therefore the supplier for Shell’s eStore is the developer and platform owner. Although implementation of the online system requires the development of at least some the applications since they are not readily available in the marketplace, Shell has extensive resources to draw upon from within the organization therefore making the supplier power low. Members of the Calgary IT group were involved with the development of eCATS and Shell Canada has a strong information architecture already established to guide the implementation of eStore. Buyer Power- High With the shift in the agricultural segment from traditional based farming methods to business-class farming, the fuel and lubricant market currently consists of highly price-sensitive customers. As business-class farmers make up a vast majority of Shell’s agricultural business at 95 per cent, these customers control about 2 percent of Shell’s total market share, and make up a significant source of revenue. Since there are no associated switching costs, customers can easily choose to do business with any company offering the lowest price. As well, customers can decide which services best meet their needs and implementing an electronic store website is only as useful as the number of users. If few people make the transition, regardless of the services eStore can offer, the system will be virtually useless. Threat of Substitutes- High Although substitution is currently not a threat as no other companies have developed an eStore, it is likely that another company could easily develop the same initiative in the near future. While the internet is not heavily regulated in Canada, there is no way for Shell to develop a patent on their eStore system. Another company could not only follow suit, they could learn from Shell’s mistakes and make their own store more effective. Although Shell Canada had the cost-saving advantage of using eCATS as their platform foundation, technology is getting cheaper and companies may be easily able to buy better, more effective online applications off the shelf. Similarly, if Shell fails to satisfy customers with an online ordering system, ustomers may look to other companies that offer the representative relationship they prefer. Barriers to Entry- Low The marketplace in which eStore will conduct business is online, and therefore there are very few barriers to entry. Because there is little regulation online, other companies can easily enter this marketplace with similar initiatives. Moreover, it is often the case that the second version of an IT system is better than the first, therefore other companies can see what Shell has done with eStore, and make their version even more efficient. Competitive Rivalry- High  Taking into consideration the aforementioned factors, competitive rivalry can be considered high. With price sensitive customers in the agricultural segment occupying 2% of the market share, and many players in the market, the company that offers the lowest price will assume this customer base. Shell’s online initiative could potentially set them apart from the competition by offering an innovative, more efficient way of doing business. By reducing their own costs, the savings could then be passed on, at least partially, to the customer in the form of lower prices.

Philosophical Worldview Essay

A philosophical worldview is a complex phenomenon influenced by a number of factors including scientific knowledge and philosophical doctrines, religion and everyday experience of a person. Along with the worldview comes a social system, an accompanying ideological structure. In some instances, the person may not be aware of the extent to which she or he is stepping into a new world—or a new way of grasping the world and understanding oneself influenced by new ideas and ideologies. Nevertheless, the subtlety of the process does not diminish its impact, which is to achieve change toward a specific end. The desired goal is the transformation of the adherent into a committed believer, which means becoming a loyal group member or follower in those instances in which a group is attached to a belief system. Science, logic and religion play a crucial role in the philosophical worldview determining the main priorities and concepts accepted or rejected by an individual. It is possible to say that science stipulates the frames through which we perceive the world. Following David Hume: The identity, which we ascribe to the mind of man, is only a fictitious one, and of a like kind with that which we ascribe to vegetables and animal bodies. It cannot, therefore, have a different origin, but must proceed from a like operation of the imagination upon like objects† (Hume, n. d. ). Science helps humanity to understand natural phenomena and biological changes, evolutionary processes and shifts. Descartes explains that: â€Å"Arithmetic, Geometry, and the other sciences of the same class †¦ contain somewhat that is certain and indubitable† (Descartes, 2005). Science influence the worldview representing a particular way of knowledge and perception of the world and human beings based on historical information, hypotheses and experiments. Science is not a self-contained or self-sustaining activity. The most important it is conducted only in a community that has reached a certain level of intellectual development, which involves and implies social organization, culture, art, and religion, as well as philosophy. Religion can be interpreted as a worldview itself determining the main values and concepts which help a person to interpret the world. The person who begins to think about religion may find himself identifying his particular beliefs with the essence of all religion. His own religious beliefs are vivid and vital to him, especially if his religious training has been consistent and regular, and if his religion is emotionally allied with valued experiences at home, at school, and with friends. Again, if his specific beliefs have become connected with satisfying moments of high inspiration and if he has found these beliefs helpful in time of need, his religion will have so permeated the nooks and crannies of his life that any other â€Å"religion† is a relatively dead thing, something foreign and alien, and, indeed, not really religion. There is only one religion for him. As he tries to evaluate his religion, it will be difficult for him to examine his beliefs impartially and to give adequate weight to those factors in the experience of others which have little meaning to him in terms of his own emotional background. For instance, Descartes gives the following example of the role and influence of religion in the worldview: it is true that when I think only of God (when I look upon myself as coming from God, Fr. ), and turn wholly to him, I discover [in myself] no cause of error or falsity† (Descartes, 2005). In this case, the worldview of a person is determined by his religious beliefs and perception of the world influenced by interpretation of God and his authority. Religion helps to develop a perspective toward life which determines ideas, rituals, and emotions. What happens to religious belief depends on innumerable factors in the life-experience of the believer. What the individual calls his religion is interwoven with experiences which are religiously significant for him (Warburton, 2006). Logic exhibits an ideal of knowledge, namely, a one-possibility consistency derived from established premises. This ideal is demonstrated unusually well in the realm of mathematics and geometry where all conclusions are logically bound to accepted definitions or axioms. This pattern of thought is what many people have in mind when they refer to reason or to its conclusion, rational truth. For Descartes, a logical conclusion in this sense would have a must-be-so character; almost-surely-so would have no more validity than to say that two and two â€Å"almost surely† equal five. One can understand why this conception of logical reason (and of truth) has been held up as the ultimate ideal. When a proof is logically valid, there are no other possible conclusions, and our uncertainty vanishes. Logic influenced the worldview helping to explain, select, organize and interpret information combining it into a meaningful and coherent picture of the world. Reality is a function of the interpretation we assign to our own perceptions and logic. Using three frames, logic, science and religion, people interpret the world and events take place around them; logic, science and religion become lenses through which we determine and perceive the world and its processes. Science, religion and logic allows a person to perceive ideas of others and create a unique worldview and understanding of reality. Our worldview is derived from the science base we bring to the system and the development of that base as we operate within the system. In many ways, religion and logic is both the instrument with which we succeed by making sense out of the world and the limitation on our ability to see greater or different issues that might be critical to our interpretation of the world. All of the readings (Descartes, Hume, Sartre) can challenge and expend the philosophical worldview. All of them present a unique interpretation and explanation of events and philosophical concepts which force a reader to rethink and test his worldviews. For instance, Descartes and Hume can help to perceive certain things that other people do not necessarily notice. They are more likely to see particular characteristics as important. Hume explains: â€Å"’Tis evident, that the identity, which we attribute to the human mind, however perfect we may imagine it to be, is not able to run the several different perceptions into one, and make them lose their characters of distinction and difference, which are essential to them† (Hume, n. . ). Thus, no matter how acute our own perceptual abilities might be, the reality we carry with us is essentially less than the actual event. Sartre’s ideas challenge a worldview forcing a reader to rethink his religious beliefs and ideals applying an existentialist point of view. Most of us have the same kind of experience as we try to grasp the scientist’s account of the world. If we are to understand at all, we have to be satisfied with a harder â€Å"thinkable† conception-that is, one which is consistent with the facts. With the help of the microscope and the telescope, the scientist can check much of his mathematics and â€Å"thinking† about the â€Å"population† of the universe, its nature, and its extension in space and time. But ultimately he has the right to ask our intellect to accept his conception of the physical universe, provided no facts are left out, even if that conception outruns imagination. These readings can help to rethink and reinterpret some ideals and beliefs but they cannot change a philosophical view and perception of reality. These readings represent different historical epochs and are influenced by reality and traditions of these periods. In many cases, philosophical doctrines and concepts differ from modern world and construction of modern reality. The further development of a person’s worldview can be drawn from existentialism. Existentialism addresses itself to what are today called the â€Å"existential† problems of man — the meaning of life, of death, of suffering, to name but these. The relationship of human existence to beings which do not enjoy human existence is transcendent in a double-edged manner. On the one hand human existence is thrown down into the world and is attuned to and utterly subject to the beings in it; in this way the world transcends human existence. On the other hand, human existence is really the â€Å"formative† agent of the world; it transcends the world; the domination which it exercises over things in being is so complete that it actually draws them out of their fundamental hiddenness and endows them with being, that is, with meaning and truth. Existentialism is also clearly indebted to life-philosophy and is in certain ways an expansion of the latter especially in its actualism, its analysis of time, and its criticism of rationalism and natural science (Warburton, 2006). The difficulty does not stem from inadequacy in expression or weakness in logical structure, for work always proceeds in very systematic fashion. The difficulty arises rather from the unusual and strange terminology which he has devised in the hope of providing a language for conveying his thoughts. Therefore the analysis of being as human existence is declared to be the starting point of the investigation. It is the peculiar quality of human existence that it is a being which, in being, is interested in this very being. The understanding of being is in itself an element in the being of human existence, and for this reason human existence is said to be â€Å"ontological. To determine the essence of human existence requires much more than a matter-of-fact answer to the question â€Å"What? † For the â€Å"essence† of human existence, is found in its existence, from which alone it can be understood. Following Sartre [man] â€Å"is nothing. Only afterward will he be something, and he himself will have made what he will be. Thus, there is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it. Not only is man what he conceives himself to be, but he is also what he wills himself to be† (Sartre 2000, p. 36). In contrast other philosophers decide that they must either accept the biblical account of creation or reject altogether the conception of creation by God. They do not realize that two kinds of assertions are involved and that it is at least possible to maintain that God is creator without holding that he created by specific edict in the order suggested. It may be that the acceptance of evolution should modify only the conception of the way in which God creates the world (Warburton, 2006). The main value to study different philosophies is to expand and challenge ones philosophical ideals, comparing and contrasting different perspectives and philosophical notions. It seems to me important that people should be familiar with the work of different branches of philosophy. It is not, necessarily, that some philosophers are more acute or profound than their scholastic predecessors. It is rather that the individual is unlikely really to get to grips with the thought of the classic scholastics unless he has been brought by the study of philosophy to a genuine appreciation of the problems in these fields. Fields of inquiry has to do not with one set of events which occur in the world but with the nature of all events and of the universe as a whole. The second issue involves the question as to whether the actual steps in the development of man were those indicated. Different philosophies help to expend the knowledge and rethink philosophical ideals and truths. Understanding different perspectives is a crucial element of universal understanding because it is impossible to arrive at a position of knowledge from a single perspective. Understanding different perspectives is a good thing because it allows a person to build his own worldview based on contrasting elements and concepts, values and views. It does not mean that a person should accept these perspectives but he should understand the different and value of each of them. The essential structure of understanding secures an existential grasp of the range of the capacity for being, and it is that aspect of human existence in which worldview is its potentiality. To snatch ourselves back again out of the grip of man is to make a choice, to commit ourselves spontaneously to the possibility of being arising from the most intimate self. The worldview is determined by science and religion and the discoveries of the philosophers made during a particular period of time. Accepting these restraints, the person secures to himself the protection given by the community of others who accept the same canons of philosophy, religion logic and scientific knowledge.

Against Euthanasia

Euthanasia  is: 1. â€Å"A quiet, painless death. †Ã‚  or 2. â€Å"The intentional putting to death of a person with an incurable or painful disease intended as an act of mercy. † BIBLICAL POINTS: -Euthanasia is considered MURDER One of the Ten Commandments is â€Å"Thou shall not kill† and life is a gift from God that should not be destroyed – God has given us life to live, and SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AWAY on purpose – God is in everyone and every living thing. If you harm a living thing, YOU ARE HARMING GOD. – Paul stated (1 Corinthians 6:19) that our bodies are temples of our Lord. In VOLUNTARY EUTHANASIA, we should not destroy ourselves because our life contains God’s Holy Spirit – WHEN JOB WAS GOING THROUGH SUFFERING, he still refused to TAKE HIS OWN LIFE. He argues that we must accept the suffering as we accept happiness and joy. SUFFERING IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH. – No man dies unless God allows it (Job 2:6) Therefore, according to the Bible, a person SHOULD NOT be killed because of a certain condition they have. Although they WILL DIE, euthanasia should not take place. IT IS MURDER. Yes, God has planned that they will be terminally ill, and he knows when they will die. But only HE has the right to take their life, not doctors. OTHER POINTS: -the power to play with people’s lives should not be handed out under a legal and /or medical disguise. – it promotes abuse and gives doctors the right to urder. – doctors are people who we trust and cure us, but euthanasia gives them the opportunity to PLAY GOD -It’s not only Christians who are against euthanasia, but other religions too. (Musilim, Jews, Hindu, Buddhist) -UNBEARBLE PAIN- pain cannot be all eliminated, but killing is not the answer! The solution is to command better education of health care professionals, expand health care, and inform patients about their rights to be alive. – Euthanasia is not about the right to die. It’s about the right to kill. OTHER RELIGIONS AGAINST EUTHANASIA: Roman Catholic Church: direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped sick or dying persons. IT IS MORALLY UNACCEPTABLE. Muslim: -All life is a gift Allah, so it is sacred and Muslim have a duty to respect it and submut to his will -Only ALLAH can choose when a life will end -The reason for any suffering will be known to Allah, there must be a reason for pain Jews: – Anything which shortens life is forbidden, only God could decided when a person’s life should end Hindu: -Euthanasia goes against the belief of Ahimsa (non-violence) Buddhist: -voluntary euthanasia is wrong, it shows that the person’s mind is in a bad state. Against Euthanasia Euthanasia  is: 1. â€Å"A quiet, painless death. †Ã‚  or 2. â€Å"The intentional putting to death of a person with an incurable or painful disease intended as an act of mercy. † BIBLICAL POINTS: -Euthanasia is considered MURDER One of the Ten Commandments is â€Å"Thou shall not kill† and life is a gift from God that should not be destroyed – God has given us life to live, and SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AWAY on purpose – God is in everyone and every living thing. If you harm a living thing, YOU ARE HARMING GOD. – Paul stated (1 Corinthians 6:19) that our bodies are temples of our Lord. In VOLUNTARY EUTHANASIA, we should not destroy ourselves because our life contains God’s Holy Spirit – WHEN JOB WAS GOING THROUGH SUFFERING, he still refused to TAKE HIS OWN LIFE. He argues that we must accept the suffering as we accept happiness and joy. SUFFERING IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH. – No man dies unless God allows it (Job 2:6) Therefore, according to the Bible, a person SHOULD NOT be killed because of a certain condition they have. Although they WILL DIE, euthanasia should not take place. IT IS MURDER. Yes, God has planned that they will be terminally ill, and he knows when they will die. But only HE has the right to take their life, not doctors. OTHER POINTS: -the power to play with people’s lives should not be handed out under a legal and /or medical disguise. – it promotes abuse and gives doctors the right to urder. – doctors are people who we trust and cure us, but euthanasia gives them the opportunity to PLAY GOD -It’s not only Christians who are against euthanasia, but other religions too. (Musilim, Jews, Hindu, Buddhist) -UNBEARBLE PAIN- pain cannot be all eliminated, but killing is not the answer! The solution is to command better education of health care professionals, expand health care, and inform patients about their rights to be alive. – Euthanasia is not about the right to die. It’s about the right to kill. OTHER RELIGIONS AGAINST EUTHANASIA: Roman Catholic Church: direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped sick or dying persons. IT IS MORALLY UNACCEPTABLE. Muslim: -All life is a gift Allah, so it is sacred and Muslim have a duty to respect it and submut to his will -Only ALLAH can choose when a life will end -The reason for any suffering will be known to Allah, there must be a reason for pain Jews: – Anything which shortens life is forbidden, only God could decided when a person’s life should end Hindu: -Euthanasia goes against the belief of Ahimsa (non-violence) Buddhist: -voluntary euthanasia is wrong, it shows that the person’s mind is in a bad state.

HIST - American History Since 1865 Research Paper

HIST - American History Since 1865 - Research Paper Example It is the legacy of that decision which since 1945 has come to have a variety of interpretations among both laymen and scholars alike. Despite the ensuing controversy, the bombing of Nagasaki was both necessary and militarily expedient. Shortly after the Hiroshima bombing President Truman addressed the American people regarding his decision and the implications it and nuclear weapons would have for the future of the country and the world. †¦It was to spare the Japanese people from utter destruction that the ultimatum of July 26 was issued at Potsdam. Their leaders promptly rejected that ultimatum. If they do not now accept our terms they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth.2 The President in no uncertain terms sought to justify his decision as one that would prevent the costly use of manpower needed to carry out an amphibious invasion of Japan. This comes as little surprise given that by 1945 some â€Å"7,000 American fami lies had already sacrificed two or more of their boys for freedom.†3 Many Americans had grown tired of the war, then in its fourth year. Truman made it clear that his decision stemmed from the sole desire to utterly destroy and annihilate Japan’s war-making capacity and shock that country into surrender. The decision to bomb Nagasaki therefore was a pragmatic one. Secretary of War at the time, Henry L. Stimson, played a major role in the decision to use the bomb on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A recent biography of Stimson by Prof. Sean L. Malloy has claimed that Stimson took part in the most significant foreign policy decision of the twentieth century: â€Å"to use nuclear weapons against Japan and as a diplomatic tool against the Soviet Union.†4 Revisionist historians have long sought to claim that the use of the bomb was to intimidate the USSR and not due to real military needs. Many historians today look to Truman and Stimson as being the two biggest factors in the decision to use the bomb. They assert the president’s role by virtue of his office and Stimson’s role by virtue of his political influence with the president. Stimson supported both Truman’s reasoning and his decision. The fact that he saw the practical effects of the bomb for diplomatic and political ends after the war is not surprising. Given that the post-war world was shaping up to be one dominated by the US, a weakened Britain, and a war-ready and war-ravaged Soviet Union, men like Stimson (who had far more foreign policy experience than Truman) were well aware of the implications of atomic weaponry. And yet the war in the Pacific Theatre had been an especially sanguine one. This is not to say that the European Theatre was nothing to fret about, after all death and mayhem are, in the end, death and mayhem. Many accounts of American soldiers who fought in both Europe and the Pacific often detail the outright perseverance, refusal to surrender, fight-t il-death mentality of the Japanese as being somehow more pronounced than in other armies’ soldiers. Japanese tenacity was well demonstrated and DOWNFALL (the code name for an invasion of the Japan) assumed a death toll of at least 500,000 and as much as 1 million.5 The unanimity of Japanese defense commanders is striking. Navy and air commanders presided over mere remnants of their forces, but the Japanese spirit, and their suicide devices, still gave them hope. The army, short as it was of fuel, was almost manic because of its powerful defense of

What was Wilmot proviso and why was it significant Essay

What was Wilmot proviso and why was it significant - Essay Example In spite of the opposition the bill was enacted and this led to some democrats pulling off from the party due to their disagreement. Through the Wilmot Proviso endorsement the Liberty party joined hands with President Martin and together they came up with A Free Soil party which was in support of the Wilmot Proviso bill. In the 1848 elections, the Wilmot Proviso’s terms were a definite challenge to proslavery groups; they were hence ignored by the Whig and Democratic parties but adopted by then Free-Soil party, which later became the Republican Party. They favored excluding slavery from new territories .It was through the bill that the currency was formed. The bill stated a provision of two million dollars ($2milllion) for the Mexican war. This led to the creation of the green paper which was used as a legal tender . For many years, arguments in support of and in opposition to slavery were debated in both churches and newspapers. The House of Representatives passed a rule threatening the discussion of slavery but this issue could no longer be avoided. Lawmakers in both the Senate and the House, the north and south, had to stand up and be

Companies Monitoring Employees Computer Usage Essay

Companies Monitoring Employees Computer Usage - Essay Example ncidences of employees misusing company time surfing the internet, action plans have been introduced in many organizations to help identify employees involved in such activities. For instance, some sniffers on computer usage can show all the key strokes a person has made on a company computer. This can act as the basis for firing employees found to have a habit of misusing company time surfing the internet. Other than reasons pertaining to productivity, there are also other reasons why organizations monitor and control internet usage. A good example includes legal liabilities that may arise due to misuse of technology (Anandarajan and Simmers 144). For instance, an employee may use the company internet to download and distribute pornographic materials. If such materials falls into the wrong hands, the company could be sued for casualness. Sending pornographic materials to colleagues in the workplace could also be considered sexual molestation and the company could also be liable if necessary steps are not taken to address the problem (Anandarajan and Simmers 144). In a nutshell, monitoring and controlling internet usage in the workplace increase productivity and minimizes the likelihood of paying for legal

TOGAF Framework Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

TOGAF Framework - Research Paper Example The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) is a structure that presents a comprehensive technique and a group of supporting systems and tools for building effective enterprise design. Additionally, it can be utilized without any restriction from any corporation desiring to build up enterprise architecture for use inside that association/business/corporate. In addition, this formwork was established by associates of The Open Group, functioning inside the Architecture Forum. However, the first version of TOGAF framework was developed in 1995. In addition, it was foundational upon Technical Architecture Framework for Information Management (TAFIM), built by the United States Department of Defense (DoD). In this scenario, the Department of Defense offered The Open Group open authorization and extensive support to build TOGAF by crafting the TAFIM. Thus, it was the fruit of many years of development attempts as well as a lot of investment comprising million of dollars of US Government. Moreover, by taking the advantage of this powerful base, the members of The Open Group Architecture Forum have built several editions of TOGAF every year and published every one on The Open Group public website (The Open Group, 2011) and (Chase, 2006). 4 TOGAF Heritage 4 As discussed above the Open Group Architecture Forum has built several versions of TOGAF at normal intervals as well as published every one on the web site of The Open Group. Additionally, every form of TOGAF standard is built collaboratively by the members of the design Forum. In addition, at present it consists of approximately 200 corporate members, comprising vendor and customer organizations. In this scenario, the development is carried out by architecture practitioners, with the content foundational upon most excellent practices that developed within the contributing member businesses (Sante & Ermers, 2009) and (The Open Group, 2011). 5 Moreover, TOGAF was one of the primary representations with a powerful fo cus on procedure approached to structural design in the business. In this scenario, architecture can be considered as a business wide procedure that will be controlled by the business administration, through the support of corporate architect. Thus, the (corporate) planner has consequently become a very important person having organizational sensitivity (Sante & Ermers, 2009) and (The Open Group, 2011). 5 Furthermore, the latest versions of TOGAF involve superior features, which focus on the use of architecture as well as its power. However, it came into view when TOGAF started tackling with

Case Report, Warner brothers Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Report, Warner brothers - Case Study Example Horn is presented with the dilemma with what strategy to adopt to produce and market movies that generate revenues and compensate for other low performing ones. On one hand, selecting the right script is guided by factors like experience, star loyalty, some specific genres of movies which are always liked by the audience or a rival spearheading a new concept which can be marketed along similar story lines. On the other hand, there are various other operational and strategic factors which shape up the selection decision and are based on more of data than intuition or gut feeling (Pisano & Wagonfeld 2009). One of the most essential components to pay attention to and analyze is the risk taking and sharing basis. Warner Bros. typically do not share risks of producing and marketing a movie with other studios and puts in the entire capital and efforts with an optimistic view of getting the risk-return trade-off. However, with such mammoth budget big-event films which are constrained by pub lic acceptance, rival moves and reduced opening weekend sales, risk sharing should essentially be a part of green-lighting a project. True that if successful, the movie will garner huge revenues to the studio and provide for even low budget movies that have failed at the box office. But in case, any of the above $200 million movies did not capture the expected response or fails in the successive weekends, the entire financial statement of studio can dissipate. With risk sharing, the studio can still remain optimistic and energetic of producing and marketing the movies in pipeline, which would otherwise be thought of as sheer waste of money and efforts on account of observed failure and huge losses. Trend of videos and DVDs is capturing fast with audiences turning to this medium more than actually visiting a theatre. Apart from traditional sources of revenue, studio revenues like theatre contracts, sale of broadcast television rights and videos and DVD sales are fast catching up, lea ving behind normal box office revenues. Warner Bros. operates on the philosophy of vertical integration which provides it with increased access to downstream distribution channels. This practice can be improved with more focus on securing additional studio revenues. This can also reduce the risks which are more frequent in box office openings. Television broadcast rights, theatre contracts and such other studio revenue streams are considered to be more immune and hence, they should be treated as risk management activities where every single film is a time and cost based project. Marketing campaigns play a significant role in the success or failure of a movie. It educates the audience about what actually is contained in the movie. Trailers are extracted from the movie run itself, which are some exceptionally excellent scenes to hit the psyche of the target audience. With every market, trailers are customized according to the choice, language, seasonality and preference. Trailers befo re launching the movie are generally for box office purposes. However, what if trailers are also developed for television broadcast and theatre screenings simultaneously with box office openings! This could eliminate the fear of a disappointing opening weekend where theatre screenings and sale of videos and DVDs could counteract the losses of bad openings. Maintaining relationships with distributors, actors and directors is yet another

The Role of Investment Bankers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Role of Investment Bankers - Essay Example As far as the role of investment banker is concerned, it encompasses three major activities: origination, risk bearing, and distribution. Origination requires decisions about the type (e.g., debt, equity), quantity, price, timing, and other features of the new securities issue and the determination of the method of distribution. Risk bearing comes into play when the issue is a firm-commitment offering, in which the underwriter buys the securities from the issuer at a fixed price and resells them to the public. It is by far the most common form of underwriting. If the price of the securities falls before they can be resold, the underwriter will suffer a loss, thus the risk associated with this activity. Occasionally, underwriters suffer substantial losses due to abrupt declines in some underwritten offerings. The investment bankers have been the subject of more industry analysis than has the overall broker-dealer industry. Pugel and White ( 210-14) studied the investment-banking industry using the structure-conduct-performance paradigm in a consideration of allowing commercial bank affiliates to underwrite corporate securities. Rogowski and Sorensen Investment banking has always been a highly profitable but risky business for securities firms. Before Rule 415 was enacted, underwriting was very profitable, especially for the leading firms. Some of the profits were the result of entry barriers into the ranks of the top underwriters. But with Rule 415, the profitability of underwriting traditional corporate issues has declined. Now, the high-profit lines are not quite as profitable, although, there are always opportunities for securities firms, because of the ever-changing market conditions. For example, the opening of Eastern Europe may provide an area in which the ability of Wall Street firms to develop new products might be put to good use. As the Eastern European countries introduce more market-oriented approaches to economic management, there may be a need for unique securities instruments that would be compatible with the types of ownership that will emerge in these countries. (Mandelker, 683-94) The riskier economic environment and the importance of innovations and diversifications for securities firms call for a new regulatory approach. The central focus of federal securities regulation has been to provide investors with sufficient material information to make informed investment decisions, to prohibit fraud in connection with the sale of securities, and to provide a safe and sound securities industry environment. (Dale, 3-13) The broad regulatory charge of protecting investors and maintaining fair and orderly markets grew out of the stock market crash of 1929 and the fraud, securities price manipulation, and other practices that took place before the crash. In the current, more volatile environment for securities firms, regulators must be more responsive to the needs of the regulated firms. Important new financial instruments have helped securities firms manage the increasing risks they face, and the regulators should facilitate the development of these instruments. Entry into the basic

Why do some pupils achieve more than others in mathematics Essay

Why do some pupils achieve more than others in mathematics - Essay Example An issue means something significant that needs to be finalised, an argument that is not settled. ‘Taking an issue’ means disagreement and ‘to issue onwards’ means to illustrate. Among the contemporary issues, Peter Bailey‘s statement is of value to everyone. He proposed that â€Å"teachers of mathematics can play a crucial role in making the world a fairer place† (Gates, 2001, p. 10). Different pupils think differently to a same mathematical problem. This creates trouble for teachers in devising the most appropriate method in the best interest of all. Some students do achieve more because of the individual differences in terms of abilities, motivation levels, preferences etc. (Orton, 2004, p. 136). Mostly mathematical calculations are thought to be convergent - having a limit however there are also divergent questions whose answers could be manifold. Hudson (1966) tested the convergent and divergent thinking ability of sixth form students in a research study of individual differences and concluded that students weak at the IQ tests were much better in subjective questions. Most of the students that perform better in mathematics are convergent thinkers, who likes logic, definite solutions etc. They are bound to have mathematics as their favourite subject while divergent thinkers have difficulties (Orton, 2004, p.139). â€Å"Mathemetical abilities are not innate but are properties acquired in life that are formed on the basis of certain inclinations†¦ some persons have inborn characteristics in the structure and functional features of their brains which were extremely favourable to the development of mathematical abilities†¦anyone can become an ordinary mathematician; one must be born an outstandingly talented one† (Orton, 2004, p.142). Generally Maths is considered a subject you cannot humanize. Russel (1938) proposed that most students have the common perception of considering

Emotional Intelligence Essay Example for Free

Emotional Intelligence Essay The pursuit of knowledge through education entails the many manifestations and progressive procedure of one’s emotion. Human nature previously regarded intelligence as the primary component of learning and eventually as the main source of success. In the modern educational or learning setting, however, a person’s emotional intelligence is now supposed to be of equal authority and even better than intellect as far as its benefits are concern. Hence, based from its advantageous implications to the filed of education or teaching particularly in contemporary schools, emotional intelligence is not to be ignored as a vital requirement of education. The principle concerning the significant nature and value of emotional intelligence in today’s learning is depicted with various circumstances where one’s emotions play very notable part and effect. Considering a person’s varying feelings in response to different life events and realities, it can now be noted that the level of emotional aptitude of a person measures his strength and ability to handle a situation. Most importantly, an individual’s emotional intelligence determines the eventuality of failure and attainment of success. Thus, this is where emotional intelligence apparently matters more because it is able to provide people with success as compared with intelligence quotient. Nowadays, emotional intelligence is subjected to the requirements and challenges of the teaching field. Since people and the society have acknowledged the undeniable positive impacts of emotional intelligence to education, it is then just empirical to pursue further this concept. This is because an increased awareness and involvement by the people as regard the quality and implications of emotional intelligence will definitely work to the advantages of the majority of the population and the communities where they belong. Since learning is determined by how people manage their emotions, then it can be implied that one’s feeling is a factor in determining success or that it can even be considered as a tool to improve education among students. It is, in fact, essential to assist students identify how their respective emotional intelligence will lead them to success or not. Lastly, it is also fortunate that considerable fresh perspectives about how the intellect creates human emotions were already realized. This is for the reason that the brain now creates ways on how emotional intelligence influences, affects and works to the benefit of student’s education. â€Å"Emotional Intelligence† Book, an Overview The above-mentioned hypothesis was clearly illustrated in the 1995 book of Daniel Goleman entitled â€Å"Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. † The author provided the public with apparently compelling proofs that the emotional intelligence quotient or a student’s level of emotional intelligence is equally valuable in achieving educational success as what cognitive intelligence, as gauged by IQ or SAT percentages, provide (Goleman, 1995). The book opened with an account of how brain functions in relation to one’s emotions. Thereafter in the middle part of the book, Goleman supplemented the rationale behind how to wisely handle emotion and eventually revealed the benefits derived from such thereby proving that it has more substance than IQ. In conclusion, Golemen provided the public with true-to-life manifestations which established the value of emotional intelligence as it performs a more fundamental function in human’s search and eventual attainment of success (Goleman, 1995). Intelligence quotient was previously regarded as the major deciding factor in one’s accomplishment. In the book, this was disputed by Goleman who stated that human’s perspective on IQ is, in fact, a distant and slender version of reality. The book instead stressed the principle of emotional intelligence as the ultimate determinant of a person’s success. Goleman discussed emotional intelligence based from the aspects of one’s consciousness, selflessness, motivation, understanding as well as power to offer love and other endearing emotions while at the same time being loved by people around him (Goleman, 1995). Additionally, the book presented various incidents which proved how people, who exemplified high levels of emotional intelligence and who nurtured their existing emotional strengths, were able to achieve success in their respective areas. In Goleman’s view, emotional intelligence is not inherited or already innate at birth but it can be developed as person matures and its benefits are eventually attained (Goleman, 1995). Focusing on the field of education, the entire book evidently centered its discussion on the emotional intelligence among the students of the young generation. It is at this point that Golemen called on educators and other concerned people in the area of learning to clearly explain to students the nature of emotional intelligence and its evidently positive implications as far as the education of the young ones (Goleman, 1995). In imparting the value of a student’s emotional literacy, the Goleman book also requested the parents to pay attention to the emotional necessities of their children. Adults, on the other hand, need to immediately educate themselves to deal with their respective interpersonal affiliations in a wise manner. Ultimately, the book heightened the beneficial implications of emotional intelligence in the field of education as manifested by the accounts of success which were attributed to the said Goleman concept (Goleman, 1995). â€Å"Emotional Intelligence,† a Critical Analysis The Goleman book is worthy to be examined by presenting the worth or impacts of emotional intelligence as it is compared with IQ and applied in the several stages of human development. Initially based from the characteristic of the human brain, the principle of emotional intelligence as provided by the book concretely challenged that one’s intellect is subjected to limitations. The said position of the book has a sense because in reality, a person is considered intelligent and has a well-defined logic or reasoning aptitude yet this does not holds true as far as decision-making is concern. The book is to be commended with the said stand that the worth of the human brain should not be the determining factor of aptitude but rather one’s emotional intelligence which provides the logic behind every decision. In short, this position is best explained wherein people experience various situations and promptly decide by conforming to what their emotions dictate or simply based from how they feel at the moment and definitely not according to what their mind think. The book specifically illustrated the said position with its initial discussion about the complicated system of the human brain. In particular, the portions of the book where a person’s reaction to a snake as well as the presentations made by Goleman concerning several subject matters such as depression, nervousness, post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, drug dependency and misuse, teenage pregnancy and issues on human relationships are all corroborating facts which confirm the principle that emotional intelligence really matters more than IQ (Goleman 1995). While Goleman was criticized for his apparent inclination towards the promotion of emotional intelligence only among children, he is nonetheless acclaimed for such effort. This is because the book has, in fact, succeeded in imparting the beneficial implications of emotional intelligence especially in the field of education of the young students. In particular, the author is to be credited for his suggestion about several procedures of how to improve the emotional intelligence of children, which he proposed to be done from their schools into their respective homes. Hence, the author is correct with his observation that children particularly students turn out to manifest an increased degree of depression, sadness, hostility and rowdiness as they mature or are provided with more academic information. The book is logical when it attributed the said blunders to children’s limited or even lack of emotional intelligence. The pieces of evidence provided by the book regarding the effects of emotional instability among children need to be concurred by the public. This is because an aggravated level of emotional predicament is possible if the issue is not immediately addressed, if not solved. Emotional intelligence as the book implied, on the other hand, is of similar benefit to the adults. That is why the criticisms, which the book got for it reportedly fell short in discussing emotional intelligence among adults, are not justified. In fact, Goleman has comprehensively discussed the importance of adult’s emotional aptitude and stability because it is perceived that logic or the appropriate level of reasoning of an adult is adequately needed for human relationships. The book is truthful with its revelation that an adult is required to be stable with his emotional intelligence in order to achieve well-accepted interpersonal relations with others. This position was appropriately supported with portions of the book which explained the reason behind the emotions’ creation of several reactions and how an adult gets used to such incidents. In particular, a reader may even feel that Goleman is directly addressing the issues by providing his personal insights about life realities which require the application of emotional intelligence. Other issues discussed by the book are of equal significance in the author’s efforts to explain the value of emotional intelligence in adult’s life. Goleman was rational when he wrote that emotional urges usually surpass the procedure of applying logical thinking. This is primarily what his principle of emotional intelligence suggests. That is, in specific incidents in human life, a person is likely to respond in a way what his emotions dictate as correct reaction rather than what the mind implies to assume and reason out. Simply put, emotional desires supersede the course of logical and coherent thinking. While the public apparently regarded that the book resulted into an unusual debate when it stated that emotional intelligence has a higher percentage of status and applicability than IQ, Goleman should not be totally blamed for neglecting the value of academic abilities. This is because his emotional intelligence principle was in accordance to what the results of his studies implied as well as what his observations suggested. Although the disapproval against the Goleman book may have its justification, it is still fair to note that the author did not totally set aside the worth of IQ or intellectual capabilities in general. What Goleman just did was to destroy the incorrect declarations of IQ testing that it is the ultimate determining factor of success and one’s proficiency. Goleman, through the book, just put the issue in its right perspective. When Goleman claimed that emotional intelligence possess around 80 percent while IQ only has 20 percent as their respective contribution to one’s success, what he really tried to impart is that the said due significance of the two elements was based from what people portray as they respond to life eventualities. Based from the accumulated facts by the author, the book was able to illustrate a more transparent image when a person has to react to an incident wherein, while human both considers both his mind and feeling, he is still inclined to decide over a situation based from what he feels and this is where emotional intelligence sets in. The book was also justified in its suggestion that it is not the human IQ percentage which eventually determines one’s triumph or failure. Thus, what the book and its author presented as components of success, such as the manifestations of emotional intelligence, are things which should not be out rightly disregarded. Goleman was able to support his emotional intelligence principle by providing studies which showed that people with high IQ percentages did not eventually succeed in life or attained any substantial achievements. Instead, the book succeeded in proving that even people with low IQ percentages succeed in the end precisely because they possess an impressively high level of emotional intelligence. Implications in Contemporary Education As previously stated, emotional intelligence is not an inherent ability. One way of emphasizing this idea is the effort made by the Goleman book that people can nurture such principle from the educational system. In fact, the author emphasized that it is critical that emotional intelligence is cultivated as children are introduced to formal learning until they reach their adulthood. This was made known by the book because of the apparent beneficial implications that emotional intelligence provide to people and the society in general. It is in this aspect that both educators and students benefit from reading the book primarily due to its main objective which is to impart the value and advantages of adhering to the nature of emotional intelligence. With learning institutions existing naturally wherein the students and the information derived from such field interact and are connected with each other, it is just practical that it is the proper venue where emotional intelligence may effectively manifest its value and usefulness. This is because it is in schools where students, while learning, are subjected to various incidents which test their respective emotional intelligence capabilities. Appropriate and acceptable responses to these situations are then considered to be as concrete manifestations of the power of emotional intelligence among students. The issue whether emotional intelligence fits the educational system is based according to the implications of the said philosophy to contemporary learning. Given the modern academic standard, it is logical to state that emotional intelligence directly affects how students are taught with various topics and that their specific responses to every situation depict how a high level of emotional intelligence really matter more as far as making decisions are required. While Goleman indicated that it is not totally easy to impart emotional intelligence in today’s school particularly to the level of young students, there are specific ways where the said ability can be used and eventually achieve its purpose of leading the young one into the eventuality of achieving success in the future. Through the guidance of the book and the suggestions offered by Goleman, the public was provided with the idea on how to have emotion-based incidents and emotional intelligence best suit the field of learning. Implications of incorporating emotional intelligence in educational programs are, in fact, existing and are proven in the formulation of curriculum in various learning facilities. Once the principle of emotional intelligence is imparted in education, students manifest self-awareness wherein they monitor and acknowledge their own emotions and they eventually are able to identify the link between ideas, emotions and responses. Additionally, the decision-making ability of students is enhanced by emotional intelligence because they are able to study their actions and the effects of the decision to a particular incident. Above all, emotional intelligence when put into the educational structure ultimately develop one’s overall personality as the students are able to manage their emotions, deal with stress, enhance interpersonal relationship and most importantly develop their individual accountability and ability to correctly resolve problems. Conclusion The principle of emotional intelligence is by itself can be considered as valuable in today’s education. Goleman and his book made it more clear, acceptable and beneficial to the public hence I personally like and commend it. Above all, the book succeeded in its main argument that emotional intelligence is definitely more important than IQ based from the advantageous implications it provided to today’s students. Beyond the controversy, the book ultimately served its very purpose of offering the students and educational system an alternative learning principle which is better or has more substance than what already exists. Reference Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. New York, NY: Bantam.

Functionalist Views on Religion Essay Example for Free

Functionalist Views on Religion Essay The functionalist view of religion stems from Durkheim who said that society is like the human body. He argued that that religion reinforces collective conscience that leads to a unity within society as a whole and that each member of the society is joined in solidarity, therefore it acts as glue. It does so by reinforcing social norms and values that bring the community together. It allows people to accept that society is about more than just the individual. However this can be questioned as western societies such as Britain are becoming increasingly secular. This means that they don’t believe in religion as much, and therefore how can religion act as a collective conscience. People are turning to science as a way of life, theories which head down the evolutionary approach. It suggests that the theory is out of date. Malinowski looked at the psychological function of religion. This looked at when things such as funerals and divorce occur. Religion acts as an act of hope which allows individuals to feel at ease when they are increasingly stressed out. They are brought together like a community within things like a funeral because it allows the individual to grieve but collectively with active members of the family and church/synagogue/mosque etc. At times of uncertainty and stress, religion helps people to gain control of themselves again, and community acts like funerals progress that. This is supported by the study of the Trobriand Islanders. The fisherman had a number of prayer rituals which they performed before going out to sea. They did this as a group of individuals to have a sense of a belonging to a community of fishermen. They would not perform these then they were sailing because of safety. Malinowski suggested that the threat of the open sea to them, was like a threat to the stability of their community and therefore they had to perform those prayer rituals to prevent that from happening. However Marxists would criticise this and say that actually religion teaches people social control. And actually when people have grieved at a funeral it doesn’t allow them to fully express their grief, they are socially controlled into â€Å"getting over it† which is morally wrong. Parsons agreed with Malinowski and Durkheim, but went further and suggested that religion provided answers to unanswered questions about the meaning of life, and about things like death, it also prevented anomie. He agreed that religion promotes social solidarity, and agreed that it helps in times of stress. EG during the Second World War, people began to gather together in churches as a community as a source of comfort. Bellah suggested that there were functional alternatives to religion known as â€Å"civil religion†, which brought whole countries together regardless of their faith but on behalf of a civil religion. He suggested that instead of religion facing secularisation it is facing transformation into isms such as Americanism. Uses religious images to promote national identity, EG in America having â€Å"God bless America† on coins or the Queen’s coronation in Britain. It is an act that allows the country to come together without questions of ethnicity, gender, religion etc. The functionalist theory of religion benefits wider society and the individual through marriage, bar mitzvahs, christenings, pilgrimages to Mecca/Lourdes, praying the holy books – Quran, Bible, Torah, and things like hymns. Religion helps to bring communities together and also helps individuals who may not feel wanted, welcomed into religious practices. However, contemporary examples suggest that religion doesn’t bind people together at all; in fact it allows the complete opposite. For example, in Northern Ireland there is conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants, which suggests that religion doesn’t help equality between religious groups. And as functionalism is a consensus theory it is doing the actual opposite – allowing conflict. Functionalism has been criticised because of today’s multicultural society. Theorists such as post-modernists are questioning whether religion can actually integrate a multi-faith society, where lots of small groups have different religious views. They would agree that Durkheim’s view of religion was accurate for a primitive society but not for a complex society such as today. Many other theorists have criticised functionalists and their theories about religion. Marxists would argue that religion oppresses groups of women and the poor, so how can religion benefit the individual or society. If an individual is being separated due to his/her gender and class then how can religion allow them to fit into a community when the elites would look down upon them. People recognise that Bellah’s approach of civil religion begins to overcome the problem, but again can something like Americanism be considered as a religion, especially if there is no belief in he supernatural? Some people would argue that religion is spread as a plan to spring hatred on one group of people. It benefits one group but puts down another. Today’s example would be of Pastor Terry Jones, wanting to burn the Quran. He brought about this plan to make Muslims angry, and therefore how can a group of Muslims be part of a community when someone in a position like his can provide such hatred for another religious group. It goes back to the question of integrating a multi-faith society. Granted that the church proposing this was small, but sometimes minority influence has an impact which is why it was all over the media. This provides evidence that religion isn’t able to benefit society or an individual because certain groups are always made to feel alienated, from a mainstream trend. To conclude, religion is inevitably able to help people in terms of crises, and does prevent anomie, but on the other hand it does allow for social cohesion to break down, as hatred for religious groups grow subtly in countries.

Virgin Blue Holdings Limited SWOT Analysis

Virgin Blue Holdings Limited SWOT Analysis About the company Virgin Blue Holdings Limited, an Australia-based company, is involved in the airline industry. The companys segments include long and short hauls. The company owns a fleet comprising of 68 Boeing 737-700 800 series along with Embraer E-170 and E-190 aircrafts. Virgin Blue Airlines functions approx 2100 flights per week to 24 national cities and centers and 8 international places including ports in Figi, New Zealand, Tonga, Vanuatu, the Cook Island and Samoa. Virgin Blue had been established in the year 2000 as wholly owned subsidiary of Virgin Group. In 2002 Virgin, along with Partrick invested in the airline field. In the year 2008, Virgin Blue Holdings Limited came into existence and floated on the exchange for selling the holdings of Virgin Group. Virgin Blue Holdings main operation is in the airline business in Australia, while it operates in air transportation and schedule sector also. SWOT Analysis Of Virgin Blue Holding Limited (S)trengths: Motivated management: The management of the Virgin Blue Holding Limited is highly motivated and continuously involved in value improvement process. A motivated team ensures giving its best to earn super profits. Innovation: The corporate level strategy of this company is innovation. This helps the company in preparing the niche segment for itself. Also helps the company in having a upper hand over competitor. Young staff: Strength of Virgin Holding Limited lies in their staff which is comprised of young people. This will increase their work efficiency and productivity, and thus lead to superior profit making. (W)eaknesses: Capital Intensive Business Lines: Virgin Blue Holdings business is highly a capital intensive business thus requiring managing of heavy investment and maintenance cost. The point to reach breakeven too is thus, longer than otherwise. Low return on investment: The airline industry is highly volatile and cyclical in nature and usually have low return on investment. (O)pportunities: Niche market: Instead of targeting the masses to fly economy and certain business class crowd, the company targets the student and this segment has high growth opportunities. Less competitive market: Another opportunity for the company is that this market is less competitive market and has high growth scope, and thus it would enable them to get the movers advantage and becoming market leader thereby earning super profit. Richard Branson: Richard Branson passion for aircraft also helps in expansion of business. (T)hreats: Existing player: Existing competitor can act as a threat for Virgin Blue and impact their market share. Also there is a threat from the entry of new player. Air flight safety: Another concern for airline industry is safety. This is the most common sector for terrorist attack and any such event can damage their business and brand to a greater extent. Key audit risks: Mainly the audit risks are of three types: Inherent Risks Control Risks Detection Risks The following are the key Audit risks- Revenue Recognition: (Detection Risk) Identifying important ratios such as Accounts receivables/Sales or Inventory/Cost of Goods Sold is important are these are predictive of negative events. Account affected: Profitability Ratios. Expense Recognition: (Detection Risk) Deferred long-term expense and exaggerated depreciation often distorts balance sheet. Checking of these ratios such as Selling GA Expenses to Operating Expenses YoY basis and also comparing them with industry standards. Account affected: Profitability Ratios. Asset-Liability Valuation: (Detection Risk) Liquidity, Asset Turnover, Net Income/Equity, Leverage, Goodwill, etc may be comparable with peer group and previous years. Account affected: Asset Turnover Ratios and Liquidity Ratios. Directors holding position of Officers: (Control Risk) As directors have fiduciary responsibilities towards the shareholders, they should not have positions that are subjected to conflict of interest. Account affected: Dividend payments and other policies related to shareholders. The CEO and Chairman are separate: (Control Risk) The roles of the CEO and Chairman are performed by separate people as the chairman would then be able to represent the shareholders interest better. Account affected: Dividend payments and other policies related to shareholders. Stepping down of Virgins long term CEO Brett Godfrey: Earlier in 2010 virgin long term CEO Brett Godfrey stepped down and was replaced by John Brochette. Due to change in CEO, the auditors need to properly emphasize or assess the following points: Change in corporate governance: Stepping down of the existing CEO can lead to corporate governance issues in organization. If the new CEO is not as effective, then it leads to bureaucracy and account manipulation issues in an organization. The auditor needs to evaluate this area carefully. Accountability of board of director: The auditor should make sure that same practices of accountability and displace is maintained in organization. There should not be any misappropriation or misuse of funds available. Analysis of share holding pattern change: The auditor needs to analyze if there is any change in the shareholding pattern due to stepping down of the CEO. This will help in evaluating the existing funding structure of the company and help in evaluating welfare of shareholder by maximization shareholders wealth. The auditor should properly investigate where the funds are being divested. Current Financial Information of Virgin Blue Holding Limited: Net profit after income tax for 6 month period, ended 31/12/2009 was $62.5 million and that reflects $163.9 million more compared to the corresponding 6 month term ended 31/12/2008. The net profit of the period is made up of: In these 6 months to 31/12/2009, the underlying OPs profit before tax went up by 34% and got profit of $80.1million. Basic EPS for the 6 months period ended 31/12/2009 had a profit of 3.3cents/share. Business segments Virgin Group has 2 segments, described below that are Groups business segment. The business segment offers different services and products, and managed separately as they need different types of aircraft. For each business segment, the internal management reports are reviewed on monthly by the board. The summary describes operations in each segment: Short haul Operations using short haul fleet by Boeing 737 aircraft Embraer 190 and 170 aircraft. This includes Australian, New Zealand, Trans-Tasman and Pacific Island flying. Long haul Operations that use Boeing 777 fleet. This predominantly comprises of Trans-Pacific flying. Partnerships of Virgin Blue Holdings Limited: Etihad signed a partnership with Virgin Blue Holdings Limited: All Virgin Holding services will now be available also to the Etihad customers, by opening up of 44 destinations in Asia, Australia, Pacific Islands, New Zealand, and Los Angles.ÂÂ   The code share agreement will come to effect right from October. As result of this deal, Virgin Australia is to become as first Australian carrier operator to operate at the Middle East since 1991. Together with V Australia and Eithad Virgin Blue will be able to fly twenty seven flights in between Abu Dhabi Australia which will include the services between Abu Dhabi-Sydney, Melbourne Brisbane. Etihad management said that Australia is a very important market place for us we are happy that after this collaboration we will be able to serve our purpose better. We currently fly about 450,000 people a year to Australasia, we think this deal will add about 100,000 to that figure. With this collaboration we will be in a position to serve the USA Europe trips better from Australia, that will give us a distinct advantage over the other competitors, improves the sustainability comfort of travel. The agreement would joing the Blue Group and Etihad frequent flier programs, thus allowing the customers to earn burn miles in all of these airlines that are involved in deal. Partnership of Virgin Blue V Australia with Virgin America for Frequent Fly: Virgin Blue with its long-haul airline, V Australia has partnered with Virgin America to give benefits to loyalty customers to get some points when they take flight on sister airlines. This simply means that people travelling through any of these 3 flights will earn some credit that will be deducted under frequent travelling program. This partnership has applied from April, 2010. This exchange agreement will enable Virgin Blue or V Australias Velocity customer to earn Velocity points vice-versa through any of the 3 flights. Virgin Blue is presenting this as benefits to its guests a act of Customer relationship management. Virgin Blue team says that their motto is that people from whole USA other parts of the world plan their tours with our developing airline family. Virgin blue is famous for its customer service, product innovation, great design high level of facilities. Virgin Blue has got Best National Airline for 3rd consecutive year at the Australian National Travel Industry Awards.

Misery of Mind :: English Literature Essays

Misery of Mind Dark clouds drew closer to Paddington square. Thick drops of rain broke as they hit the ground. A frozen sculpture of an eagle standing on the world, beneath the winter moon, stared at John with its little stony eyes. John felt an instant moment of remorse, standing, soaked, at the front door of his house. In his hand spools of suffering as the thunder roars. A moment of intense lightening. John shivered in the cold, as he dared not meet the eye of the eagle. He noticed a figure run in the distance out of the corner of his eye. John saw a figure get in a car and drive off. Standing scared of his own shadow, John lifted his left hand, agony in his wet pocket, as rain drips from the end of his nose, shattering on the welcome sign at the door. In his darkroom he was finally alone with the spools of suffering now set out in ordered rows. The only light was red, tenderly glowing as though he was in a church: John the priest preparing the mass. Solutions lie now in trays beneath his hands. Tension mounted in him as the photo processed. John waited anxiously, with a Mr Kipling cake in his right hand. His hands trembled. Features faintly started to twist before his eyes, a half formed ghost. John saw his life end in front of him. He found it hard to breath, as if his lungs were bare. The feeling of being alone was no longer their, John felt as though he was being squeezed around his neck. The cold crept into his body through the surface of his skin. The beat of his heart was fading. He saw only one shadow, his own, as he looked round the room tortured. Then his neck was let loose. Air was now his obsession as John gasped in relief. John looked again at the trays as twisting features slowly formed a figure of a person. Reluctantly he recognised this person. It is his Sarah. She lay before him on the floor, in the kitchen by the cupboard, pleading for her life as John held a razor-sharp knife, standing over her, his bear like shadow across her. She tries to fight back and strikes his left hand with her sharp red nails. He punches her fiercely, full force as tears of blood came down the face of Sarah. Misery of Mind :: English Literature Essays Misery of Mind Dark clouds drew closer to Paddington square. Thick drops of rain broke as they hit the ground. A frozen sculpture of an eagle standing on the world, beneath the winter moon, stared at John with its little stony eyes. John felt an instant moment of remorse, standing, soaked, at the front door of his house. In his hand spools of suffering as the thunder roars. A moment of intense lightening. John shivered in the cold, as he dared not meet the eye of the eagle. He noticed a figure run in the distance out of the corner of his eye. John saw a figure get in a car and drive off. Standing scared of his own shadow, John lifted his left hand, agony in his wet pocket, as rain drips from the end of his nose, shattering on the welcome sign at the door. In his darkroom he was finally alone with the spools of suffering now set out in ordered rows. The only light was red, tenderly glowing as though he was in a church: John the priest preparing the mass. Solutions lie now in trays beneath his hands. Tension mounted in him as the photo processed. John waited anxiously, with a Mr Kipling cake in his right hand. His hands trembled. Features faintly started to twist before his eyes, a half formed ghost. John saw his life end in front of him. He found it hard to breath, as if his lungs were bare. The feeling of being alone was no longer their, John felt as though he was being squeezed around his neck. The cold crept into his body through the surface of his skin. The beat of his heart was fading. He saw only one shadow, his own, as he looked round the room tortured. Then his neck was let loose. Air was now his obsession as John gasped in relief. John looked again at the trays as twisting features slowly formed a figure of a person. Reluctantly he recognised this person. It is his Sarah. She lay before him on the floor, in the kitchen by the cupboard, pleading for her life as John held a razor-sharp knife, standing over her, his bear like shadow across her. She tries to fight back and strikes his left hand with her sharp red nails. He punches her fiercely, full force as tears of blood came down the face of Sarah.

Custom Written Essays: A Comparison of Hamlets Gertrude and Ophelia

A  Comparison of Gertrude and Ophelia  of Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚   Gertrude and Ophelia occupy the leading roles for females in the Shakespearean drama Hamlet. As women they share many things in common: attitudes from others, shallow or simple minds and outlooks, etc. This essay will delve into the various facets of what they hold in common.    John Dover Wilson explains in What Happens in Hamlet how the prince holds both of the women in disgust:    The exclamation â€Å"Frailty thy name is woman!† in the first soliloquy, we come to feel later, embraces Ophelia as well as Gertrude, while in the bedroom scene he as good as taxes his mother with destroying his capacity for affection, when he accuses her of    such an act That blurs the grace and blush of modesty, Calls virtue hypocrite, takes off the rose From the fir forehead of an innocent love And sets a blister there.    Moreover, it is clear that in the tirades of the nunnery scene he is thinking almost as much of his mother as of Ophelia (101).    Hamlet’s disgust for his mother is so great that it even â€Å"envelops and exceeds her† (Elliot 25). In the closet scene he attacks her with â€Å"the indulgence of an obsessive passion† (Knight 70). Such aggressiveness is contrary to the natural direction of both Ophelia and Gertrude. They are both â€Å"tender of heart,† and â€Å"to Hamlet, Ophelia is no better than another Gertrude† (Bevington 9). Both are motivated by love and a desire for quiet familial harmony among the members of their courtly society in Elsinore. At the first social function in the play, Gertrude advises out of love:    Dear Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark. Do not for ever... .... â€Å"Hamlet and His Problems.† Selected Essays. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., 1950. Rpt. in Twentieth Century Interpretations of Hamlet. Ed. David Bevington. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.    Kermode, Frank. â€Å"Hamlet.† The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.    Knight, L.C. â€Å"An Approach to Hamlet.† Twentieth Century Interpretations of Hamlet. Ed. David Bevington. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Rpt. from An Approach to Hamlet. Stanford, CT: Stanford University Press, 1961.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos.    Wilson, John Dover. What Happens in Hamlet. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999.      

Flying Squirrels Essay examples -- Biology, DNA

Flying squirrels is in subfamily Petauristinae. They are arboreal and nocturnal. They do not actually fly, but glide between trees by a gliding membrane (patagium). This membrane connects the front legs to the back legs (Parr, 2003). In another word, a furry parachute-like membrane stretches from wrist to ankle. Flaps of skin connecting limbs to body provide a wing-like surface. All species have reddish eyeshine, brighter in the large species than the smaller ones which may be quite dim. The subfamily shows severe taxonomic complications, with little agreement among mammalian researchers (Parr, 2003). Giant flying squirrels (Petaurista sp.) have highest diversity in term of richness in population in Southeast Asia. This species is large in size, being on average 422 mm long. The Red Giant Flying Squirrel is believed to mate twice a year and the young are typically born in March or August in litters of 2 - 3 (Parr, 2003). The Indochinese ground squirrel (Menetes berdmorei) is a member of the family Sciuridae. The family has only 29 species of 14 genera in Thailand (Lekagul and McNeely, 1977, 1988; Par, 2003). The characteristics of the Indochinese ground squirrel are black mid-dorsal stripe, two or three black stripes on the sides, and reddish brown fur on the back (Lekagul and McNeely, 1977, 1988; Par, 2003). Identification is more difficult during the dry season, however, when they are much less brightly colored. They have been found throughout Southeast Asia, from the east of Myanmar to Vietnam. As a ground squirrel, it is rarely found on trees, but spends most of the time in the thick underwoods of the rainforests. (Walston and Duckworth, 2008). The sizes of squirrels are variable between species. There are three types of... ...th at least one restriction enzyme and sequencing the ends of the resulting fragments using an Illumina Genome Analyzer in order to sample the genomes of multiple individuals in a population (Baird et al., 2008). The major advantage of RAD is that it gives information for a very large number of loci across the genome, and for the same loci in each individual sampled. The current method for accelerating targeted sequencing from ancient and highly degraded DNA includes the linking of multiplex PCR directly with sample barcoding and high-throughput sequencing. The method creates the chance to generate many kilobases of overlapping sequence data from 31 cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) ancient specimens at the same time (Stiller et al., 2010). It seems likely that in the future high-throughput sequencing technologies will have many advantages for the study of ancient DNA.

Empiricism †Science Essay

I have a standard deal with my students that if they recommend a book to me, I will read it. One of my students recommended Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, which turned out to be my least favorite book ever. After the first half, I jotted down some of the reasons why. Here is a list of problems I have with the book, most of which are either logical fallacies or just rhetorical stunts that annoy me. replacing the progress fallacy with the doomsday fallacy Quinn argues against the assumption that things are necessarily getting better, but he commits the opposite error, the assumption that things are necessarily getting worse. It is almost certain that some things are getting better and some worse. If Quinn wants to make the argument that we are headed for an environmental doomsday, he has to make the argument empirically. poisoning the well Pointing out the influence of culture on our thinking, Quinn sets up a ready answer for anyone who disagrees with him: the opponent is blinded by culture! Of course it is important to be skeptical of conventional wisdom, but we are no better off rejecting blindly what â€Å"Mother Culture† tells us than we would be accepting it blindly. the meta fallacy When someone produces a meta-x, they often pretend it is not, itself, an x. For example, when a news story gets hyped out of proportion, some reporters start covering the hype as if it were a story. They think their meta-hype is better than the hype, but it’s not. Similarly, Quinn tries to place himself outside culture in order to create meta-culture, but he can’t. He is just as much a victim of â€Å"Mother Culture† as the rest of us, and his book is just another piece of it. In fact, this kind of work has become a genre! Another book in the category is â€Å"Mutant Message from Down Under,† in which the author uses the rhetorical device of being kidnapped by Australian aborigines to give herself a voice apparently outside the culture of civilization. Quinn uses a telepathic gorilla, but its the same device with the same deceptive intent. the naturalist fallacy There aren’t many ideas in philosophy that are universally accepted. The one that comes the closest is the maxim that you can’t get â€Å"ought† from â€Å"is. † In other words, you can’t derive an ethical system from empirical observation. Historically, there have been lots of people that tried, and the results have been universally disastrous. Quinn attacks this view straight on, arguing that there is a law that all species (except humans) follow, and that we can figure out what this law is empirically. He fails on two fronts: the law he presents is empirically false, and even if it were true, it still wouldn’t make it possible to know what we should do. At best, it would help us predict the consequences of our actions, but that is not sufficient to derive an ethical system. Why do I say his law is empirically false? Well, one counterexample is trees. Trees are engaged in a internecine competition for sunlight in which they squander resources on preposterously long trunks, deprive other species of their food source, and poison their environments to eliminate competitors. Ever look at the floor of a dense pine forest? Nothing but pine needles. the Lorax fallacy. Quoth the Lorax, â€Å"I am the Lorax, and I speak for the trees! † To which I reply (1) what makes you think you know what the trees want, and (2) what makes the trees so special? It is probably wrong to assume that nature has intent, but in any case it is ridiculous to presume that we know what its intent is. To see how ridiculous this is, consider the unpublished first draft of â€Å"The Lorax,† in which another irritating troll appears and shouts, â€Å"I am the Borax, and I speak for the grass, and I say, chop down those trees — they’re blocking all the sun. â€Å" Then, â€Å"Wait! I am the Snorax, and I speak for the dung beetles, and I say, please breed enormous numbers of cattle. † Then, â€Å"I am the Thorax, and I speak for the slime molds, and I say, please make big piles of decaying organic matter. † And so on. You can see why it wasn’t a big hit. the biocentrism fallacy Quinn argues against anthrocentrism, the view that the universe was made for humans and that we have the right to do what we want with it. The alternative is biocentrism, an ethical system in which animals and other parts of nature have rights as well. It is often (wrongly) assumed that an ethical system that extends rights to more entities is morally superior to one that is more stingy. Of course, we already extend some rights to some animals, and we could extend more rights to more animals, but that does not change the fact that (a) we’re still the ones extending the rights and it’s still our choice, and (b) we would still be in the position of trying to figure out the intent of nature, if there is one. Anthrocentrism may seem self-centered, but there is no sensible alternative.inconsistency regarding the role of humans Sometimes Quinn considers humans part of the natural world, sometimes not, as it serves him. Where this error hurts his argument the most is his claim that all species that follow the law live forever, environmental conditions permitting. What â€Å"environmental conditions† is he talking about? He seems to mean the abiotic environment, but that’s absurd. For every species, â€Å"the environment† includes every other species. I am not sure, but I would guess that of all the species that have become extinct (for reasons that have nothing to do with humans) the vast majority have been wiped out because of other species (too many competitors, too little prey) rather than the abiotic environment. Humans are part of the environment, and every species that has been wiped out by human activity has been wiped out by â€Å"environmental conditions. † Quinn’s distinction in this case between natural causes and human activities is contrary to his argument in the rest of the book that humans are part of nature. identification of science as a form of mythology Quinn stamps the current scientific understanding of the origin of the universe as mythology. He pulls this stunt with a bit of rhetorical slight-of-hand. He offers an anthrocentric story of creation and then rejects it because it is anthrocentric. In fact, the narrator was invited to offer an explanation of â€Å"how things came to be this way† in an environment that was completely surrounded by human artifacts. It was perfectly reasonable to explain such an environment by focusing on the human activity that led this to be â€Å"this way. † In any case, telling and rejecting an antrocentric version of the origin of the universe does not undermine the claim that our scientific understanding is qualitatively different from the stories we usually label mythology. Specifically, if representatives from two culures with different creation myths met, there is nothing one could say or do to persuade the other to adopt a new myth (at least not rationally). By contrast, there is a lot we can do to convince someone to adopt the  scientific view — in fact, millions of people, raised to believe some version of Genesis, have come to adopt the scientific view on the basis of evidence and reason. ignorance of evidence When Quinn bothers to present empirical evidence for his position, it is almost always false. I already mentioned one biological error, the claim that no other species competes with other species the way humans do. I’m not a biologist, but I thought of 10 counter-examples before I turned the page. I already mentioned trees. What about the mold that produces penicillin? Simians that kill members of other species for sport, and members of their own species for social standing or mating priviledge? Beavers that wreak environmental havok to build safe housing? Species evolve mechanisms and behaviors that allow them to survive (more precisely, the ones that didn’t aren’t around). Quinn observes, rightly, that most of these mechanisms are peaceful, but that’s because non-violence is generally a good survival strategy, not because the species are following laws. There are exceptions throughout nature, including some aspects of human behavior. As for the economic relationship between population and food supply, Quinn gives a half-hearted voice to some 19th century ideas, but seems oblivious to a century of subsequent work. His model is absurdly simple and provably false. I don’t know as much about anthropology, but many of Quinn’s claims are contrary to what little I know. Judging by his track record, I am hardly inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt ugly misanthropy The population crisis is a serious and difficult problem. Its central questions are  (a) if we keep doing what we’re doing, will the population grow to a level that is either unsupportable or supportable only with an unacceptable quality of life? (b) if so, is there something different we can do that will lead to a smaller population and a better quality of life? The first is an empirical question. The only way to answer it is by using evidence and reason as best we can. Quinn has no interest in evidence or reason — he just assumes that he knows the answer. The second is an ethical question. Obviously there are a lot of things we can do to reduce the population. The hard part is finding one that actually makes things better. To do that, we have to think about ethics. If there is, in fact, a population crisis, then it makes a lot of traditional ethical problems harder. For example, saving a life becomes an alloyed victory. The problem, of course, is that once the sanctity of human life is off the table, the table becomes slippery and steep in every direction. Finding an acceptable ethical system in that context is a hard problem. Quinn’s misanthropy is a lazy, ugly solution. We can do better.