The Mind Of Great Political Thinkers - 1203 Words

Throughout the semester, this class, political science 260, we have delved into the mind of great political thinkers of history. From Plato to Marx, each political philosopher has given to us their thoughts and ideas, through their works, entrusting us to interpret it and, at the very least, give it a serious thought. All of the philosophers were brilliant in their own since, and each one, no matter how big or small their impact on the world today, is important. Each political philosopher creates their vision and philosophy on the world they see, and each philosopher saw the world in their own light. For that reason, each on, even if we do not think they do, gives us an important look upon the world. I myself have those I favor, and those†¦show more content†¦Secondly, what does the philosopher consider to be justice, and what is the purpose of the political system? Again, in other words, under what way of governing does a society achieve justice, and what is the government of a society meant to do. When arriving upon one’s own political philosophy, these questions must be answered, in order to fully develop that philosophy. As for my own political philosophy, I too, answered these questions to guide myself to my final product. Along the way drawing influence from past philosophers, whom have been discussed in class. To begin with, one must ask themselves about human nature. Like Hobbes, and Mills, I personally find humans to be unequal by nature. Not everyone is born the same in multiple aspects, such as physically, mentally, even socially. For example, I was born vertically challenged (short), not particularly skilled in math, and am socially introverted. Meanwhile, one of my close friends was born taller, is a math major, and is a social butterfly. That is just how it so happens to be by chance. We were both genetically meant to stand at the height we do, we were both born with talents, and whether our social personality is caused by nature o r nurture, we also did not get a choice on the family we were born into to raise us either outgoing or shy. However, like many liberal thinkers, I do believe that politically, we are all born equal, and hold liberties to

Form and Matter in Aristotle Essay - 1585 Words

Aristotle defined nature â€Å"as an internal origin of change or stability†1. Natural substances are things such as animals, plants and inanimate matter like earth, water, fire and air. Each natural substance according to Aristotle has its own nature, which is what gives rise to its natural behaviour/characteristic. The nature of a natural substance is its inner principle/source of change.2 Therefore natural substances are capable of motion i.e. growing, gaining qualities, losing them and lastly being born and dying. In Book II of Physics and Parts of Animals Book 1, Aristotle goes on to contrast natural substances with artefacts, he states these are also capable of motion, but they move according to what they are made out of, he gives†¦show more content†¦It is also important to say that he also believes the soul is the form of the body in part, because the soul is the organization of the parts the body, the body is matter and it or soul is the form-the actual living body. To reiterate this point Aristotle offers us the example of a corpse and a bronze or wooden hand and states that these are not forms as they â€Å"lack the potentiality to perform the function of a hand†.7this would also suggest that once we are dead we undergo a material change which stops function and makes us akin to a statue. Aristotle then goes on to discuss matter which he says is â€Å"the matter that is the subject necessarily has a certain sort of nature....fire has a hot and light nature†8. He states that matter is what earlier philosophers focused on and it was how they explained the order of the world. Aristotle however does not believe that this is the way in which we should study nature, he believes we should ask what gives each natural substance its characteristic and we should look at â€Å"how each thing has naturally come to be, rather than how it is...then state their causes†9. Therefore he concludes that a prior observational investigation is best and that we should study the form. Aristotle goes on to discuss why he things it is important to study the form he gives an example of a bronze statue, bronze being the matter,Show MoreRelatedPlato and Aristotle on Form and Matter794 Words   |  3 PagesPlato and Aristotle on Form and Matter Plato: Form and Matter Platos idea of form is also called eidos the ideal, idea, or inherent substance of the matter. To Plato, the ideal was the immanescent substance in the matter. It was always there even when the matter had expired. It was something that the matter could cling to and, sometimes, become like. It was the potential of the matter. To exemplify: the acorn tree was the matter. 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Hylemorphism1309 Words   |  6 PagesIn the realm of metaphysics, Plato and Aristotle are both regarded as realists, and their philosophical ideas hold some similarities, but Aristotle is more considered as â€Å"moderate realist,† compared to Plato as an â€Å"absolute realist.† Generally speaking, Plato’s interpretation of â€Å"what is real,† reflected in his absolute realism, differs from that of Aristotle’s, reflec ted in his hylemorphism, to a large extent; besides, Aristotle’s theory of matter and form, is the more convincing one because ofRead MoreAristotle s Philosophy Of The Mind And Soul1176 Words   |  5 Pagesknowledge. Aristotle begins his theory of knowledge with a critique on Plato’s forms. Before sensation and perception can be discussed, a rudimentary understanding of his other theories is necessary. For Aristotle, the Forms did not sufficiently explain the nature of the material reality we live in. Aristotle felt that in order to explain coherent and objective knowledge of the world, form must be located in particular individual objects, not in some supernatural realm. All objects then have matter, orRead MoreSocrates s Quest Of Truth1337 Words   |  6 Pagesconspiring against him and getting him executed for corrupting the youth and failing to acknowledge the gods of Athens. After Socrates’ death, Plato picks up where Socrates leaves off and comes up â€Å"with his metaphysical theory called the theory of forms.† (Socrates and Plato intro lecture 10) Plato separates reality into two spheres: one of appearance, which is a material world, and one of reality. Plato believes â€Å"in a transcendent world of eternal and absolute beings, corresponding to every kindRead MoreEssay about Aristotle vs Plato1665 Words   |  7 Pages Aristotle is considered by many to be one of the most influential philosophers in history. As a student of Plato, he built on his mentor’s metaphysical teachings of things like The Theory of Forms and his views on the soul. However, he also challenged them, introducing his own metaphysical ideas such as act and potency, hylemorphism, and the four causes. He used these ideas to explain his account of the soul and the immateriality of intellect. Prior to Aristotle, philosophers likeRead MoreThe Tripartite of the Soul that Socrates Discussed in Platos Republic1429 Words   |  6 PagesIn this paper I will be discussing the tripartite (three parts) of the soul that Socrates discussed in chapter 6 of Plato’s Republic, and I will compare and contrast them to that of Aristotle and Anthony Kenny. In Plato’s Republic the three parts of the soul consist of the rational, spirited and, desire. In this dialogue the three parts of the soul go hand and hand with three parts of a just society. The desire or appetite of the soul is what controls our want for the pleasures of life. An exampleRead MorePlato Vs. Aristotle On Observational And Deductive Reasoning1139 Words   |  5 PagesSince the early sixth century, the questions of reality, matter, and change have perplexed philosophers. These questions have since become a major topic of inquiry amongst philosophers eventually garnering the attention of notable figures such as Plato and his pupil Aristotle. Although both Plato and Aristotle shared many similar notions of order and an eternal universe, their methods of inquisition as well as their theories of reality and truth vary significantly. This difference would eventually

Beijing Carvel Case Study Essay Example For Students

Beijing Carvel Case Study Essay Carvel Beijing Question 1: SWOT Strengths| Weaknesses| * quality/taste of product * experienced American manager, combined with Chinese manager who understood the market * unique offerings of ice cream cakes in different shapes/designs| * disconnected management, and problems with the joint venture with New Continent * lack of brand awareness in Beijing * very high operating expenses * perception of Carvel as a purely â€Å"American† brand| Opportunities| Threats| market the product as a premium brand to differentiate and enter an untapped market in Beijing * New offers to imports vending carts and freezers much cheaper could help get around the imports taxes| * competition from other established Ice Cream companies, both local and American, that are cheaper * other typical Chinese treats sold cheaply on the street * other American companies in the market (McDonalds, etc) * lack of acceptance due to different cultural norms * Expensive tariffs on foreign imports made it very d ifficult to operate in China| Question 2: Business Challenges Price: The challenge facing Carvel Beijing in terms of the price of the products was whether they should price, and therefore position, their ice cream and cakes at a high, premium price, to demonstrate to their customers the value and quality of the product. Or, if they should price their product to compete with other ice cream companies already in Beijing who sell their product at a lower price, and therefore potentially attract more customers who may not be able to afford a premium-priced product. Product: There were two main challenges concerning the product itself. First, Carvel Beijing had to decide whether they would use their traditional American mix for the ice cream, or if they should use a less sweet mixture, which is more in keeping with Chinese tastes. Second, Carvel Beijing had to decide if they should use the same American designs, shapes and flavours, even though some of these were not familiar to Chinese consumers and did not sell well initially. Place: One of the main challenges in terms of place was which type of stores to set up to sell Carvel in Beijing. Initially, Carvel set up large stores resembling the American locations. However, these were expensive to set up and run and did not do well. Therefore, they had to downsize to smaller stores with no seating in food courts and department stores. They also had to decide whether or not they should sell in grocery stores, like they do in the United States. They had stores in high volume locations, such as the East Four, but needed to keep looking for more affordable locations as well. Promotion: One of the biggest challenges for Carvel Beijing was promotion. How they decided to promote and position their product would have a large impact on their success. Demadis felt that although the quality of the product was superior, he was lacking in the promotion area in Beijing, and needed to increase this greatly in order to improve brand awareness and positioning in the mind of the Chinese consumer. It would be a challenge to market correctly in a different cultural environment. Question 3: SMART Objectives: 1. Achieve trial, of either ice cream or cakes, by 40% of market in Beijing, by December 31st, 2005. 2. Achieve 30% market share of ice cream companies in Beijing by December 31st, 2006, to become the market leader. In order to achieve these objectives, Carvel Beijing will have to overcome the main marketing challenge, of establishing themselves as the choice for premium ice cream, in a market with different tastes and tendencies than the traditional American market. To overcome this, the American Carvel employees working in Beijing must listen carefully and take into account the advice of Phil Fang and the other local employees, who have a much deeper understanding of the Chinese consumer. Question 4: .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f , .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f .postImageUrl , .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f , .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f:hover , .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f:visited , .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f:active { border:0!important; } .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f:active , .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4ecf291b9946ba0bea10dedeb820724f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Swot Analysis of Walmart EssayObjective 1: In order to achieve this objective, Carvel Beijing will need to overcome the notion that they are selling a purely American brand, as Phil Fang, the Taiwanese manager, did not feel that this would sell the product. Carvel must work to understand what makes Chinese consumers different from Americans and what compels them to buy. Knowing that quality is an extremely important factor, and not only price, will be integral to the marketing and brand-positioning plan of Carvel. Also, knowing that the majority of Chinese consumers are aware of American brands is a competitive advantage to be utilized. Finally, as their advertising plan dictates, Carvel Beijing must advertise fountain and novelty products in order to achieve trial and therefore push cake sales, as cakes have the highest margin. Objective 2: In order to achieve this objective, Carvel Beijing will need to leverage its competitive advantages against the other ice cream companies currently in the market in Beijing. This would be difficult, as Chinese consumers tended to favour companies that had been in the market longer, such as Bud’s and Walls. Carvel Beijing also considered Baskin-Robbins to be its main competition in Beijing, as they were its main competition in the United States. Although Carvel Beijing took market share away from Walls, it had yet to establish itself as the true front-runner in the ice cream market. By focusing on their superior quality as well as their product differentiation of flavours, cakes, and designs not offered by the other companies. By demonstrating to customers that their product is better and therefore worth paying more for, Carvel Beijing can also take market share from some of the lower end companies such as Meadow Gold. Carvel Beijing, however, must be careful not to cannibalize New Continent, which they have a joint venture with. Question 5: Marketing Programs Recommendation: Specific activities Carvel Beijing will need to focus on strengthening their brand in China. Providing free advertising blasts in busy locations will be a great way to gain exposure and meet potential customers. Carvel can set up booths and hand out small samples of their delicious products. This is allows you to connect with your target market on a personal basis and create brand awareness. Timelines Focus on promotion, advertising and opening in small stores, by October 31st, 2005. Achieve trial, of either ice cream or cakes, by 40% of market in Beijing, by December 31st, 2005. Achieve 30% market share of ice cream companies in Beijing by December 31st, 2006, to become the market leader. Budget In order to create a successful and strong marketing promotion and advertising plan and execute it, Carvel Beijing will need to invest some money. By December 31, 2005, Carvel Beijing should focus on a budget of 10,000?. This budget is sufficient enough to make important changes, and if spent correctly can help bring Carvel Beijing into the leading position of ice cream companies in Beijing.

Small Business vs Big Business free essay sample

Big Business Starts as Small Business Software to support a growing enterprise There are two certainties in life death and taxes. While both are unavoidable, at least the taxes issue can be managed. But managing taxes, and business finances in general, takes detailed information. Considering how most small businesses get their start in accounting for their business operations, it is not surprising that information gathering becomes one of the most time -consuming and frustrating tasks around tax time. Fixing the problem from the beginning and keeping a system with the detailed ata you need on an ongoing basis is the key to avoiding the rush and to building a business information framework that spans the life of the business entity. In order to understand how to solve the problem, it is important to understand the evolution of business accounting. Not how the concepts or practices have evolved, but how technology has (or has not) been applied to certain problems, and where the gaps are. We will write a custom essay sample on Small Business vs Big Business or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Just starting out the business in infancy The first things a new business owner generally does is get a business license, get a computer, and run down to the discount store to buy a copy of QuickBooks or maybe Microsoft Excel. Now, this business owner isnt necessarily prepared to properly handle the accounting for the business, but he understands that he has to do something. Keeping a check register, at the minimum, lets him know how much money is in the bank. And thats what its all about for the small business person cash flow and cash availability. But the focus on the checkbook frequently causes the business to postpone implementing deeper, more beneficial processes. With a focus on the checkbook, the business manages cash by counting payments out and receipts in. But the nature of the payment or the receipt is the true question that must be answered and accounted for. It is surprising how many businesses still keep ledger cards those manual 35s in a box where customer and vendor information is kept. It is a simple method, and provides the business a way to keep individual account records. But the fact that this detail information is not part of an integrated system creates a greater potential for lost or inaccurate data. Further, the greater the volume the more difficult and error-prone managing the information becomes. Insynq, Inc. 2005 Page 1 of 5 Appgen Business Software It is at this point that the business seeks to find a more comprehensive means to manage the additional business data. This is another buying decision the business owner must m ake, introducing a new system which can handle the additional etc. The business was already keeping track of products or services, customers and vendors. But here we are at a step where new systems and processes must be introduced. A belated effort, this after-the-fact implementation of customer, vendor and item tracking, establishes the means to manage more business activities as part f an integrated system. The difficulty comes in loading the historic information and learning new systems . Depending on volume, the quality of the manually-kept data, etc. , it may be determined that historic transaction details are not to be entered. So, the business moves forward with a better system for managing business activities and data, but loses the value of the early transaction detail. The next steps handling volume and growth The business has implemented an accounting system which helps to keep track of customers, vendors, items, and cash. More detailed processes are introduced as the usiness requirement grows offering perhaps more specific information on costs of certain products, or summaries of customer purchases or item sales activity. This data provides a much mo re informed basis for business decision- making, but also impacts the systems as the volume of data to be managed grows. Growth may present itself in many ways growth in the number of products or services offered, growth in the number of transactions processed regularly, growth in the dollar value of transactions, or growth in the number of employees who need access to the system. All of these areas impact the ability of the system to continue to support the business requirements. Quite frequently, a certain density of data is reached and the current system is not able to efficiently manipulate and manage the volume. Here again is another buying decision. Can the existing system be expanded to handle the additional volume? Or must a new system yet again be introduced? The business process requirements may not have changed, but the earlier choice of systems may cause a forced change simply due to business volume or number of users. The frustrations of changing business systems are compounded the further into the usiness lifecycle the change comes. Much of the historic intelligence of the business is derived from the earlier days of the business; data which reflects the stages and activities of the business over time. When a business reaches a point where data volumes force a systems change, a worst-case scenario occurs: The volume of historic data is too great for the current system, and loading it into a new system Page 2 of 5 takes a huge amount of time and effort. Unfortunately, this task often proves too daunting for the company, so again valuable historic detail information is lost and ummary information is loaded into the new system. As the business matures and in order for the business to mature in a healthy manner specific and detailed information must be captured and analyzed. Systems which take a broad view of the business, offering only general information and process support, frequently do not supply the business with the levels of intelligence truly required. For example, a manufacturing business needs to fully understand and manage the manufacturing processes and materials supply to ensure profitability and consistent product quality. A retailer needs to know which products sell in which arkets in order to ensure product stock and availability to key customers. And all of this information is time-critical if the business is to make necessary adjustments in time to benefit from them. This level of detail can only come from a system which incorporates a certain specific orientation towards the operational processes of the business. The fact of selling a product to a customer is an activity which gets recorded, but the additional details of the customer location, pricing levels, purchasing levels, salesman, inventory item, and warehouse location tell the rest of the story. Over time, the business owner can then better understand customer purchasing habits, inventory item turnover, supplier dependencies a wealth of business intelligence. This data is then used to assist the business owner or management in determining the specific activities or actions necessary to keep the business moving forward and improving performance. In the end, it is the demonstration of well-defined processes, deep insight into the business operational metrics and financial performance, and the ability to effectively and accurately report on this information that creates a basis for proveable business value. There is One When looking at the business accounting and finance systems available in the market particularly considering those which have earned a level of market share there are visible gaps big ones. This is clearly reflected in the numbers, where Intuit QuickBooks leads in the small business market, but has no reciprocal in the midrange or enterprise markets. QuickBooks fits into that early space, where the business is Just starting out and, maybe, extending into keeping more detailed customer, vendor and item information. MS Excel is also a winner for very small and ew businesses, as the spreadsheet is a simple and easy solution to creating an electronic check register. But there comes a point where a business has Page 3 of 5 requirements that extend beyond the ability of the small business software. Sometimes, the mere thought of change is so abhorrent (usually based on a bad initial implementation experience) that the business attempts to use the software far beyond what it was built to handle. Other application makers offer systems that have capabilities to handle the growing business. These systems, too (such as Peachtree, MAS2000, etc. have a great potential to be outgrown, and can be costly implementations which handle only a portion of the business lifecycle. Larger, module-based systems (such as Great Plains, Oracle, etc. offer a broad range of functionality, integration, and data management capability. They typically address more and more detailed business processes, and can scale to very large sizes. But the cost and complexity of these systems is often the barrier, and given that there is no clear seed product (small business version of the big business software), the upgrade path is unclear and problematic. Microsoft is seeking to impact this area, preparing to offe r a small business accounting system which would in concept seed to the much larger Microsoft Business Solutions applications. Given the huge gap between the typical small business system and the upper-levels in the MBS catalogue the transition from very small to very large is not likely to be made in the single step Microsoft may envision. Each stage of business requirement typically drives to a buying decision. This buying decision is met with anxst, as considerations include not only cost, but data conversion vs re-loading, new process or system esign and setup, user training, proofing the system (running parallel? ) and a host of other issues, not the least of which is the business benefit to be derived. All the anxst, the frustrations, and the repeated buying decisions can be avoided. There is a system which scales from the very small business to the very large business and that has been proven in high availability, high performance, large volume systems for over 25 years. And this system offers flexibility ease of use for the new or small business user, a broad range of feature-rich and functionally powerful business and inance applications, and a comprehensive development tool to allow even the most complex business requirement be crafted as part of the system. And the best feature is the database which grows with the business throughout the business lifecycle. Information is power, and this system provides you with the ability to capture all your valuable business information from the inception of the business through growth and on to maturity. Page 4 of 5 The system is from Appgen. For the small business, its the MyBooks Professional system, offering a broad range of functionality within an easy-to-understand nterface. Simple flowcharts help describe the accounting process, and assist new and novice users with effectively managing business activities within the system. As the business requirements increase, the MyBooks Pro suite of applications may be customized, or may be replaced with the full-featured modules from the Appgen Custom Suite of applications. The database is the same, however, so there is no loss of any level of data or detail. As the business needs more specific functionality to modifications to standard applications, or to create completely new customized pplications, designed and suited for the unique and particular requirements of the business. Again, the database is the same, but may be extended to capture any number of additional data elements desired. Appgen offers the business a single buying decision: a single database; a clear application migration path; and a way to taylor the system to meet specific business needs. And for the cost, there is no comparable alternative. Visit wrww. Appgen. com and discover the only accounting system your business will ever need. Always-on Technologies, powered by InsynQ wrww. Appgen. com 866-206-1781 Page 5 of 5