Divorce Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Divorce - Assignment Example This paper will look at the consequences of divorce on family life. The foundation of every society is its families. When two parents split up, a family is undermined. Divorce is a terrible scourge which forces families to move out of houses, sometimes change cities or schools, and split into two separate families. For everyone involved this is a severe and traumatic situation. Children are impressionable. They are starting their journey on the path of life and are deeply sensitive to the world around them. They seek patterns and they seek to understand why certain patterns have certain results. Although they may not understand the huge complications underwriting our society, they nevertheless have an inkling of how are world is structured and determined, the family provides this context as does their parents marriage. Divorce can have a serious effect on this. As Socrates writes: ‘Now, do you appreciate that the most important stage of any enterprise is the beginning, especially when something you and sensitive is involved? You, that’s when most of its formation takes place, and it absorbs every impression that anyone wants to stamp upon it. . . . Shall we, then, casually allow our children to listen to any old stories, made up by just anyone, and to take into their minds views which, on the whole, contradict those we’ll want them to have as adults?’1 In the Republic, the guardians are educated as children by the stories they are told. These stories provide moral justification for the actions and inactions of the people around them and are instrumental in their understanding of their own role in the world. But they must not be poems or fanciful stories, Socrates insists. They must tell young people about the truth of the world, not of lies. It is vitally important for parents who are having a divorce to be honest with their children. Lies do not help anyone. Divorce is a traumatic experience. It affects the foundation of society:

Supply chain management - optimization problem Coursework

Supply chain management - optimization problem - Coursework Example ), the second cash flow comes at the end of year two and gets an interest for one year (one thousand, one hundred ?), whereas the third cash flow happens at the end of year three and thus does not earn any interest (one thousand ?) (Leeman, 2010, 34). It is the value of cash or an asset at a given time or date in the future, which has a value that is equal to a particular amount of money presently (Leeman, 2010, 34). The Future Value can be calculated in two different ways as follows: For an asset that has a simple annual interest: Future Value = Original Investment multiplied by (1= (rate of interest* the total number of years)). For an asset that has an interest that is compounded years, Future Value = Original Investment multiplied by [(1+rate of interest) ^ total number of years]. One has to account for inflation when planning for his or her retirement. The nominal interest rate is generally used; thus even though he or she might have several ? in the future; we find that the mon ey will actually be worth less that the present million ? (Leeman, 2010, 34). For proof of the impacts of inflation take into consideration that one ? in the year 1940 is presently worth about only 8.5 cents. How do you apply FV to a house purchase of ?245,000/7%Int/30 FV =Â   FV = ?245,000* (1.1)30 ? 4275103. ... At one point, the company’s profits were decreasing because of the competence of its logistics management. The company over depended on the in-house manufacturing and distribution operations that were dysfunctional such as incompetent movement of goods along the chain of supply. These issues led to the chief executive Jim Maxmin choose to form a coalition with Federal Express BLS, which is the master of logistics (Leeman, 2010, 34). FedEx utilizes their logistical ability to operate as the inventory and supply agent for various enterprises whose main proficiency is in manufacturing. This move will also benefit the Federal Express since neither of these companies could perform their function well and the alliance formed gave the better of the two worlds. There are a number of essential factors that supply chain alliances should have in order to be successful. This is since its control is not only associated with the management mechanism they employ. The alliance partners should balance the control mechanism with trust building and the level of this trust largely depends on the alliance formed. Laura Ashley and Federal Express based their alliance mainly on trust with few elements of control in the official agreement. The agreement that Laura Ashley and BLS arrived at resulted to BLS taking over LA’s Newtown, distribution activities and Wales’s warehouse. Jim Maxmin initiated this process and handed the project over to the Global Operations Executive team for implementation. This led to the reformation of the current procedures and writing down of new incorporated distribution system. LA had to withdraw from warehousing, handling of goods with distribution and handing this task to a third party. He felt that this procedure would take

Candide Is A Humorous Satire About Young Candide Religion Essay

Candide Is A Humorous Satire About Young Candide Religion Essay Criticism of religion is a reappearing topic in Candide. After the great earthquake that destroys Lisbon, agents of the Inquisition capture Candide and Pangloss. Pangloss is charged with speaking his mind and Candide for seeming to approve what he had said. Eight days later, they are prepared for an auto-da-fe where Candide is whipped and Pangloss is hanged. The very same day, there is another earthquake. Voltaire intended this event to show the foolishness and ineffectiveness of the Church. The auto-da-fe is organized because the Inquisitors believe that by punishing offenders, they can save the city from any additional damage. The reader sees through the closely following earthquake that the Church made no difference with their impractical solution. One also sees the cruelty shown by the Inquisitors, the intended servants of God that in Candides reality only harm. They wickedly torture and execute their fellow citizens over philosophical disputes, many of which cannot be backed up by Scripture. Voltaire strongly emphasizes the hypocrisy shown by the Church officials that Candide encounters. The Grand Inquisitor captures a man for marrying his godmother, and yet he himself is guilty of several crimes. He threatens to use his influence with the Church to punish Don Issachar for his Jewish religion if he does not share Cunà ©gonde with him as his mistress. The Inquisitor plainly shows his hypocrisy through this blackmail and unchaste behavior. Cunà ©gondes own brother, the baron, becomes a Jesuit priest. He is guilty of having homosexual tendencies, as implied throughout his part in the book. Even the most prominent Church figure, the Pope, has a role in Candide, even though Candide does not meet him directly. Candide meets an old woman who is the daughter of a Pope. Simply the fact that the Pope has a daughter makes him a sinner and a hypocrite, for he violated his vows of celibacy. These themes of sin and blatant hypocrisy appear in connection with the Churc h throughout Candide. As a well-known philosopher, Voltaire had his own specific beliefs about life and human nature, many of which he expressed in Candide. One of his major ideas throughout the book is a question of philosophy, but in a different sense than one would think should come from a man of his time. Voltaire still channels Enlightenment thought as he argues against philosophy as a pattern for life and instead promotes practical action and hard work. Candides mentor, Pangloss, believes in unrestrained optimism. This is shown though his constant assertions that everything is for the best. Pangloss is Voltaires burlesque representation of a group of philosophers during the Enlightenment known for their optimism. As crisis and calamity repeatedly befall Candide and Pangloss, his never-wavering optimism appears self-indulgent and senseless. Voltaire supplies a polar opposite to Pangloss in Martin. Also a philosopher, Martin is an internally scarred man who advocates complete pessimism. His negativity is so absolute that he disagrees with Candides statement that there is some good in the world. Martins philosophy appears to be more reasonable. This could be because his character is more knowledgeable, or simply because the philosophy itself is more suited to human nature. Voltaire himself leans more towards Martins views in his personal thinking, but he points out that Martins philosophy is also flawed. Because Martin believes that nothing happens for the better in the world, he cannot see it as it really is. Although the many tragic events that happen support Martins pessimism, Voltaire denounces this philosophy as asinine as well. Coming from a philosopher, condemnation of a philosophic lifestyle, both optimistic and pessimistic, creates a heavy emphasis on the virtues of hard work and action instead of unreasonable thoughts. In Candide, Voltaire champions honest hard work. His character Cacambo is a reliable, practical man. In contrast to the philosophers, Pangloss and Martin, Cacambo inspires confidence and optimism, although he is neither an optimist nor a pessimist. When Candide gets into trying situations, Cacambo repeatedly helps him. Through this, Voltaire shows that action is more beneficial and practical than ideas are. Cacambo disagrees with Pangloss opinion that the world is created perfect by his own experiences, saying that the law of nature teaches us to kill our neighbor. He directly disproves Martins view of the world through his trustworthiness. Cacambo is responsible for reuniting Candide with his love, Cunà ©gonde. Instead of taking advantage of Candide as so many others did, Cacambo stays true to his word. Many misfortunes befall Cacambo, as with most other characters in the book, but he manages to lessen the ill effects of these events through his intellect and willingness to work in order to improve the world. Cacambo restores the readers faith in human nature after so many other characters have destroyed it. Voltaires Candide is a masterpiece of the Enlightenment, championing the ideals of hard work and morality. Voltaire takes a traditional Enlightenment perspective on the corruption within the organization of the Church, exposing the guilt and hypocrisy he sees in Church officials. While Voltaire condemns philosophy as a basis for life, he does not denounce it completely. He elevates Cacambo above the other characters because he uses thought in a practical way, while Pangloss and Martins philosophies prevent them from seeing the true world and living in reality. Voltaire masterfully manipulates his characters to reflect Enlightenment values and his personal beliefs pertaining to them.

Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide Essay -- Argumentative Essay

Physician-assisted suicide should be a legal option, if requested, for terminally ill patients. For decades the question has been asked and a clear answer has yet to surface. It was formed out of a profound commitment to the idea that personal end-of-life decisions should be made solely between a patient and a physician. Can someone's life be put into an answer? Shouldn't someone's decision in life be just that; their decision? When someone has suffered from a car accident, or battled long enough from cancer, shouldn't the option be available? Assisted suicide shouldn't be seen as cheating death, but as a way to pay homage to the life once lived. As far as including the mentally challenged in this equation, I am against it. The mentally challenged, although less likely to grasp information, still has the physical awareness to grow. It can be subdued with medicine and psychotherapy. From personal experience I am a witness of being around mentally challenged adults who love life regar dless of their conditions. Most don't have the ability to express a request such as life or death. Living life is a daily task just like it is for healthy citizens. Most if not all mentally challenged people aren't in any pain throughout their entire life. For this they shouldn't be targeted for assisted suicide. Death is an occurrence in life, whether it's unexpected or expected, it can't be cheated nor can it be avoided. The terminally ill should have the option to end their suffering with dignity. Assisted- physician suicide also goes by many names such as euthanasia. 'Euthanasia' rings an enormous bell as the same structure used during the holocaust in the 1940s. The difference between now and then is the innocent lives lost because of their inc... ...end ones terminally ill life should be up to the patient and no one else. Religion plays a major part on why the law hasn't been pasted yet. Just like the hippocratic oath, religion doesn't prohibit suicide in any way. One of the most basic commandments is â€Å"Thou shall not kill.† But no one knows where humans go once they past so it seems hypocritical to judge such situations on a myth. I do not encourage anyone to end their life nor would I request such a thing. However, I do support ones choice to die with dignity if facing medical reasoning such as terminal illness. The government should grant such request to honor their citizens. Works Cited http://www.balancedpolitics.org/assisted_suicide.htm http://euthanasia.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000134 http://www.religioustolerance.org/euthanas.htm http://www.assistedsuicide.org/future_of_right-to-

Outline and Evaluate research into the effects of deprivation Essay

Deprivation refers the disruption of attachment that has already been made. Bowlby has conducted a case study of little John whose mother was admitted to the hospital and he showed effect of short term deprivation. He found that he had gone through 3 stages which he called the PDD sequence (Protest, Despair and Detachment). At first when he was separated from his mother, he showed signs of protest and he was crying, shouting and shows signs of desperate attempts to get his mother to return. But after a period of time, he appeared to be calmer but showed signs of depression, these include refusing to eat and play. At last, he rejected his mother at reunion although he looked okay on the surface. Criticism for the study is that it is a case study of an individual, so it cannot be generalized to the public. Bowlbly has also conducted a study on 44 juvenile thieves. He interviewed 44 male teenage criminal who displayed affectionless psychopathy to check if they have experienced early separation in the first 2 years of age. He has found that 12 out of 14 affectionless psychopaths had experienced prolonged separation from mothers in the first 2 years. And 5 out of 30 who were not affectionless psychopaths had experienced deprivation. So he had jumped to the conclusion that deprivation before the age of two will lead to affection psycopathy and this supports his idea of critical period. However, his assumption is too big as he was trying to draw a cause and effect. He had not manipulated the variables and this is only a correlation study. Also, he has not taken into the account of what had happened during the period between 2 years old and teenage years. The boys may have other experiences e.g. joined a gang and that had lead them into being affectionless psychopaths. Also, the sample size is small and he has only used male participants in his study, so the sample is not representative and this study cannot be generalized. Bowlby wanted to use this study to proof his theory and he used an interview approach in this study. He might have asked leading question and lead the participants into answering the answers that he wanted. So this study may not be truthful. And this research is retrospective, which he had the participants to talk about their past, and memory could be distorted and may not give accurate answer. Moreover, there may be potential self-serving bias in the teenage boys as they may want to make excuses for their behaviour, so they may blame the situation and make themselves to appear in good light. Furthermore, Bowlby has suggested a maternal deprivation hypothesis. He proposed that a child needs continuous presence of a primary care giver in the first 1.5 to 2 years of age. Or else they will suffer from long term effects of deprivation, these include mental retardation, depression, affectionless psychopathy, etc. However, Rutters study on privated Romanian orphans has suggested effects of privation can be overcome as it was shown that there wasn’t long term damaging effects in the orphans after they have been adopted to a loving home.

Home Appliance Case Study

Q1. What are the Industry’s Dominant Economic Traits? Industry’s Dominant Economic Traits| Features| Questions to answer | Market Size & Growth Rate| U. S is the largest producer of Home appliances in the world. U. S Home appliances industry is in the phase of Maturity. There are four major firms in Home appliances industry in United States. in 2002 there are 74. 5 million units. Dollar volume had been growing at an annual average rate of 1. 9 percent since. Scope of Competitive Rivalry| As major  home appliance  industry became increasingly global it became difficult for global and domestic major  home appliance  companies to survive independently in the competitive environment. | Number Of Rivals| Major rivals who shared 99% of the  market  share were Whirlpool,  General Electric, and Maytag, AB Electrolux. Others who shared 1% of the  market  share were Bosch-Siemens, Haier, Emerson Electric, Sub-zero, Viking and Wolf. Buyer Needs & Requirements| Ma ny consumers were demanding appliances that are attractive, convenient and easy to clean for that consumers are willing to pay top prices for top of the fine appliances that enhances their decor's and save precious time. The manufactures have responded to the consumer demands, by manufacture smart appliances with sophisticated electronic controls and self diagnostic features. | Pace of Technological Change| New technologies and designed were being introduced into major home appliances.Due to governmental pressure, appliance manufactures were introducing energy efficient versions of Home appliances| Degree of Product Differentiation| In US major  home appliances  industry firms differentiated themselves on the basis of quality and cost. | Product Innovation| As a result of high competition and rivalry companies were always in search of innovation. Huge amounts were being spent on R;D in order to replace current technologies with more efficient one. For example use of microwave en ergy in  clothes dryers  so that clothes could be dried faster, at low temperature.This technology was not marketed as it needed further improvement. Another example of innovation is that silent, vibration-free refrigerator instead of the noisy, energy-consuming compressors. The cooling apparatus consisted of wheel containing gadolinium powder moving through a high powdered, rare earth magnet. | Economies of Scale| All the major  home appliance  manufacturers were trying to gain economies of scale by renovating and building production facilities in order to  improve quality  and reduce material costs. | Q2. What kinds of competitive Force are industry members facing? Please make sure you follow my slides for Porter’s analysis. You have to explain the reasons for your evaluation. Threat of New Entrants/ Entry Barriers| Factors|   | HUFA| MUFA| Neutral| MFA| HFA|   | Comment| Economies of scale| Small| | | | 4| | Large| 99% of market shares capture by big four f irms. | Capital require red| Low| | | | | 5| High| The high amount of capital required for the new entrance in this industry | Access to distribution channels| Ample| | 2| | | | Restricted| There are three mass distribution channel. Which distribute appliances to mass. Differentiation| Low |   | 2|   |   |   | High| There is no such differentiation in products features. Focusing on price reduction that drove the surviving firms to increased efficiency and a strong concern for customer satisfaction | Brand Loyalty| Low |   |   |   |   | 5| High| A significant fraction of the consumers of high-end appliances were very knowledgeable about the brands and were also particular about the brands they used. | Experience Curve| Insignificant|   |   |   | 4|   | Significant| They have more than 50 years of experience in appliance industry that was the main source of their success. Govt. Action| | | | | 4| | | Govt has put strong regulations on Industry to produce energy saving products. | Exit Barriers| Factors|   | HUA| MUA| Neutral| MA| HA|   | Comments| Specialized Assets| High| 1  | |   |   | | Low| They have captured a huge market through product development, learning experience and R;D. | Fixed Cost of Exit| High|   | 2|   |   |   | Low| They have spent a huge amount on machinery,labour trainings,R;D| Strategic interrelationship| High|   | 2|   |   |   | Low| Collaboration and commitment with their suppliers and dealers. | Competitive Rivalry|Factors|   | HUFA| MUFA| Neutral| MFA| HFA|   | Comment| Composition of Competitors| Equal Size |   |   |   |   | 5| Unequal Size| All have same resources and same product line so they can compete easily with each other. | Mkt. Growth rate| Slow|   | |   |   |    5| High| Because they have maximum market share and have grap the customers loyalty. | Scope of competition| Global|    1| |   |   | | Domestic| Because of competition with International marke ts. | Capacity Increase| Large|    1|   |   |   | | Small| When they will produce same products as like their competitors so it will exceed the requirements and have to sellin lesser price. Degree of differentiation| Commodity|   |    3| |   |   | High| No such product differentiation among rivals| Threat Of Substitute Product | Factors|   | HUFA| MUFA| N| MFA| HFA|   | Comment| Threat of Obsolescence of Industry’s product| Hi|   |   |   | |    5| Low| Product durability and reliability and no such substitute. | Aggressiveness of substitute products in promotion| Hi|    |   |   | |    5| Low| There is no threat facing from substitute product| Switching Cost| Low | |   |   |   |   5| High| No substitute| | Power Of Buyer|Factors|   | HUFA| MUFA| N| MFA| HFA|   | Comment| Number of Important buyers| Few|   | |   |   4|   | Many| Brand loyalty and innovative products preference. | Product supplied| Commodity|   |   2| à ‚  | |   | Specialty| Similarities in products so they can easily switch to other if they increase the cost | Switching cost| Low| 1|   |   |   |   | High| Buyers can easily switch to other products if low cost. | Profit earned by buyer| Low|   |   2|   | |   | High| Company is getting less profit and providing more discount to customers| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Overall Industry attractiveness| | | | | Factors| Unfav| Neutral| Fav| | | | | Entry Barriers|   |   | *| | | | | | Exit Barriers| *|   |   | | | | | | Rivalry among existing firms| *  | |   | | | | | | Power of buyer| | *  |   | | | | | | Threat of substitutes|   |   | *| | | | | | Q3. Identify forces likely to exert greatest influence over next 1-3 Years? (Please note the Drivers of change are few usually not more than 4 factors). Your Drivers of change must point out. i. Are driving forces acting to cause demand for product to increase or decrease?The driving forces increase th e market demand for product because of emerging technologies, increase in globalization, product innovation and customers’ demand. ii. Are driving forces acting to make competition more or less intense? Competition increases because the existing firm more involved in product innovation, price reduction and globalization. iii. Will driving forces lead to higher or lower industry profitability? Their profitability will increase because of mass production, change in cost, efficiency, change in people’s life style. Q4. Develop Strategic group map for the industry.Justify your reasons? Price| Highlow| Maytag | | AB Electrolux | | | General Electric | Whirlpool | | | | | | | | | Few models Many models| Model Variety| Q5. What are the key Factors for competitive success? Develop competitive profile matrix. Common Types of Industry Key Success Factors (KSF)| Features| Questions to answer| Technology | Introduce energy saving products, customers oriented features and efficient products that have save their cost and time. Manufacturing Related KSF| Economies of scaleIt plays very vital role as the entire major home appliance manufacturers were heavily engaged in renovating and building production facilities to gain economies of scale. E. g. , reducing labor cost and manufacturing cost. QualityProduct Quality is also a key success factor it includes eight dimensions of quality which consumers want i. e. , performance, features, reliability, conformance, durability, serviceability, aesthetics and perceived quality. | Distribution related KSF| There is a strong network of wholesale distributors.Strong direct sales capabilities via the internet. | Marketing Related KSF | They have well known brand name. They have a narrow product line. They are giving guarantees and warranties to their customer. | Strategic Factors| WhirlpoolWeight Rating Weighted Score| MaytagWeight Rating Weighted Score| Market Share| 0. 25| 4 1| 0. 15 3 0. 3| Global expansion| 0. 25| 4 1| 0 . 5 3 0. 3| Learning experience| 0. 20| 4 0. 8| 0. 20 3 0. 6| Product Quality | 0. 15| 3 0. 45| 0. 25 3 0. 75| Production Capacity| 0. 15| 3 0. 45| 0. 25 2 0. 75| Total| 1| 3. 7| 2. 7| Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM)

How Augustine accounts for the existence of evil Essay Example

How Augustine accounts for the existence of evil Essay Example How Augustine accounts for the existence of evil Paper How Augustine accounts for the existence of evil Paper Augustine started from the assumption that God is God holy good and that God created a world free from defects. Following the teaching in genesis 1, Augustine emphasised that all God has made pleased Him. Suffering and evil were therefore unknown. He made the logical point that it is not possible for God to be responsible for evil since evil is not a substance. Instead evil refers to what is lacking in a thing; it is a privation of good. Augustine used the analogy of blindness which is not an entity in itself but an absence of sight. If God can not have created evil, Augustine traced its origin to those areas within the world that have free will, namely, angels and human beings. These abused Gods gift of freedom and chose wilfully to turn their attention away from God, the supreme good, and to idolise instead lesser goods. In keeping with the story of the fall in genesis 3, he argued that the desire for power proved too much for Adam and Eve, who were tempted by Satan, to break Gods command and eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. Having explained the origin of evil, Augustine went on to show that all suffering is a fully deserved consequence of human sin. Natural evil originated from the loss of order within nature following the first sin. This destroyed the delicate balance of the world. From then on, there was to be enmity between humans and other creatures. Humans would have to battle constantly to grow enough food. Pain, such as that resulting from child-birth, entered the world, along with death. The first sin also caused the world to be distanced from god. In this new ad damaged environment, remote from god, moral evil flourished and spread. Both types of evil are interpreted as a punishment; all evil is either sin or punishment for sin. Augustine made the essential point that all humans, including innocent babies, deserve to suffer as all humans were present in the loins of Adam. This reflects the ancient belief that every generation was seminally present in Adam, and therefore that every generation is guilty because they inherit his guilt for disobeying god. Augustine concluded this theodicy with a reminder of gods grace if god was simply just every one would go to their rightful punishment in hell. Through his grace however, god sent his son to die on the cross so that some might be saved and go to heaven. This shows that god is merciful as well as just. Augustines view that evil is the result of human free will rather than gods will can be supported. For example, we can argue that if god gives human beings genuine free will this necessarily entails the possibility of moral evil. Augustines theodicy successfully accounts for the existence of natural evil as a result of the introduction for moral evil into the world. We can also support Augustines assumptions that free will is so valuable that it justifies the risk of evil. Because of its compatibility with, and reliance upon, the genesis account of creation, Augustines theodicy appeals to Christians who accept the authority of the bible as the word of god. Some weaknesses of the theodicy are that it has been argued that his theodicy contains; logical errors, scientific errors, and moral errors. Augustines appeal to the free will defence poses a logical difficulty within the specific framework of his theodicy. It is hard to see how, in a perfect world, where there was no knowledge of good and evil, there could possibly be freedom to obey or disobey god, since good and evil would be unknown. The fact that gods creatures chose to disobey him seems to suggest there was already a knowledge of evil which only could have come from god. The scientific difficulties stem from Augustines reliance upon the creation and fall stories in genesis. As a result, much of the arguement rests upon ancient and scientifically controversial Judaeo-Christian theology. One problem is Augustines idea that the world was made perfect by god and then damaged by humans. This contradicts evolutionary theory which asserts that the universe has continually been developing from an earlier stage of chaos. The second major weakness concerns Augustines assumption that each human being was seminally present in Adam. This theory must be rejected on biological grounds which mean that we are not in fact guiltily for Adams sin. This means that god is not just in allowing us to suffer for someone elses sin. One moral difficulty in Augustines theodicy concerns his concept of hell. Hell appears to b part of the design of the universe. This means god must have already anticipated that the world would go wrong and have accepted it. Finally, although Augustine argued that gods selection of some people for heaven shows his mercy, other would argue that it displays irrational inconsistency, further questioning gods goodness. The combined effect of these criticisms leads most people to concluded that Augustines theodicy does not work.