Kantianism

Kantianism: Nagel, Moral Luck Moral luck is a term used by Nagel to describe the external factors beyond our control, which act upon moral decisions we make. Nagels opinion is that people make moral decisions that may have good or bad intentions, but because of moral luck the outcome may be contrary to what he/she intended. Moral luck can be constitutive, the kind of person that someone is. Some people are born with certain characteristics, which enable them to be more virtuous then others. Others are born with a nasty streak of envy or jealousy, which makes it that much harder for them to make moral decisions. Another type of moral luck is ones circumstances. People are faced with different types of situations and problems, and certain situations make is easier to make the right moral decision. Nagel also describes two types of consequential lucks. One type is antecedent, in which certain consequences took place before the moral act and influence the moral decision to be made. The other type o! f consequential luck is the way actions and decisions turn out. Basically, moral luck is all the outside factors, which are beyond human control. These factors will determine whether a moral act turns out to be found moral by others or by oneself. A student may decide that he will not study for a specific exam because he intends to cheat off his neighbors paper. However, upon arriving to class he finds that all the seats but one in the front of the classroom are taken. The student, who had every intention to cheat no finds himself unable to look at anyones paper and must take the test on his own. This is an example of moral luck. According to Kant the student should be judged as having committed a moral wrong because Kant believes that moral acts must be judged on good or bad will. The student definitely had bad will in this case, however any Consequentalist would say the conseque...

Analysis of The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World

Analysis of The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World Colombian writer Gabriel Garcà ­a Mrquez (1927-2014) is one of the most important literary figures of the 20th century. Winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature, he is best known for his novels, particularly One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967). With its juxtaposition of ordinary details and extraordinary events, his short story The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World is an example of the style for which Garcà ­a Mrquez is famous: magic realism. The story was originally written in 1968 and was translated into English in 1972. Plot In the story, the body of a drowned man washes up in a small, remote town by the ocean. As the people of the town attempt to discover his identity and prepare his body for burial, they discover that he is taller, stronger and more handsome than any man they have ever seen. By the end of the story, his presence has influenced them to make their own village and their own lives better than they had previously imagined possible. The Eye of the Beholder From the beginning, the drowned man seems to take on the shape of whatever his viewers want to see. As his body approaches the shore, the children who see him imagine he is an enemy ship. When they realize he has no masts and therefore cant be a ship, they imagine he might be a whale. Even after they realize he is a drowned man, they treat him as a plaything because that’s what they wanted him to be. Though the man does seem to have some distinctive physical characteristics on which everyone agrees namely his size and beauty the villagers also speculate extensively about his personality and history. They reach agreement about details like his name that they couldnt possibly know. Their certainty seems to be both a part of the magic of magic realism and a product of their collective need to feel that they know him and that he belongs to them. From Awe to Compassion At first, the women who tend to the body are in awe of the man they imagine he once was. They tell themselves that if that magnificent man had lived in the village†¦ his wife would have been the happiest woman and that he would have had so much authority that he could have drawn fish out of the sea simply by calling their names. The real men of the village fishermen, all pale in comparison to this unrealistic vision of the stranger. It seems that the women arent entirely happy with their lives, but they do not realistically hope for any improvement they just fantasize about the unattainable happiness that could have been delivered to them only by this now-dead, mythical stranger. But an important transformation takes place when the women consider how the drowned mans heavy body will have to be dragged across the ground because it is so large. Instead of seeing the benefits of his enormous strength, they begin to consider that his large body might have been a terrible liability in life, both physically and socially. They begin to see him as vulnerable and want to protect him, and their awe is replaced by empathy. He begins to seem so defenseless, so much like their men that the first furrows of tears opened in their hearts, and their tenderness for him also equates to tenderness for their own husbands who have begun to seem lacking in comparison to the stranger. Their compassion for him and their desire to protect him put them in a more active role, making them feel capable of changing their own lives rather than believing they need a superhero to save them. Flowers In the story, flowers come to symbolize the lives of the villagers and their own sense of efficacy in improving their lives. We are told at the beginning of the story that the houses in the village had stone courtyards with no flowers and which were spread about on the end of a desertlike cape. This creates a barren and desolate image. When the women are in awe of the drowned man, they passively imagine that he could bring improvement to their lives. They speculate that he would have put so much work into his land that springs would have burst forth from among the rocks so that he would have been able to plant flowers on the cliffs. But there is no suggestion that they themselves or their husbands could put forth this kind of effort and change their village. But thats before their compassion allows them to see their own ability to act. It takes a group effort to clean the body, to sew large enough clothes for it, to carry the body, and to stage an elaborate funeral. They even have to enlist the help of neighboring towns to get flowers. Further, because they do not want him to be orphaned, they choose family members for him, and through him all the inhabitants of the village became kinsmen. So not only have they worked as a group, they have also become more emotionally committed to each other. Through Esteban, the townspeople are united. They are cooperative. And they are inspired. They plan to paint their houses gay colors and dig springs so they can plant flowers. But by the end of the story, the houses have yet to be painted and the flowers have yet to be planted. But whats important is that the villagers have stopped accepting â€Å"the dryness of their courtyards, the narrowness of their dreams.† They are determined to work hard and make improvements, they are convinced that they are capable of doing so, and they are united in their commitment to realize this new vision.

The importance of iron in the human body Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The importance of iron in the human body - Essay Example Deficiency of iron is found to affect the normal functioning of the human body in several ways indicating the importance of iron to the human body. This requirement varies based on age and gender. (1). Iron is an important element for the normal functioning of the human body The Importance of Iron to the Human Body Among the many metals found in the earth’s crust iron is the second most abundant metal. During the course of evolution of living organisms iron became a key metal for the existence of living organisms and this is reflected in the importance of iron to the human body. Many of the functions in the human body at the cell level find iron playing a significant. In the human body normally about 50mg per kilogram of body weight is the quantum of iron present. On an average this works out to between 3-4gms in a human adult. Of this amount of iron in the human body approximately 60% is present in the form of hemoglobin in the erythrocytes. Nearly ten percent of iron present in the human body is found in myoglobin in the muscle. Iron containing proteins like cytochromes, iron-sulphide enzymes and iron storage and transporting proteins is where the remaining 30% of the iron on the human body can be found. This shows that iron is not present in the body as free ions in the body fluids or tissues. (2). Taken at glance the main functions of iron in the human body consists of DNA synthesis and cell formation; sensing of oxygen and cellular uptake of oxygen, transportation and storage of oxygen within the blood and muscles; electron transfer and conversion of oxygen to adenosine triphosphate (ATP); antioxidant as well as pro-oxidant functions; and regulation of inter-cellular iron. The many functions of iron in the human is the reason that iron is present in the human body in its functional forms rather than as free ions in the body fluids and tissues. (3). Hemoglobin Iron is essential as a cofactor in the formation of red blood cells and hemoglobin and it i s a part of the structure of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin makes up most of the cytoplasm of erythrocytes. Each molecule is made up of four protein or globin chains, which is attached to prosthetic heme group. The heme group has an iron molecule that is complexed at the centre of a porphyrin ring. Hemoglobin is very efficient at binding and carrying oxygen. This efficiency is reflected in its ability to causer blood to carry almost hundred times the oxygen in comparison to plasma alone. An added factor in this ability of hemoglobin to act as the transporter of oxygen in the human body is the capability of hemoglobin to modulate oxygen binding under different conditions. This feature of hemoglobin permits adaptation to a wide variety of environments and demands within the human body. When there is a deficiency of iron normal erythrocyte and hemoglobin production in the human body is affected. The lack of iron causes a reduction in the synthesis of the heme group, which gets translated into effects on the globin production. The reduced presence of the heme group in the red blood cells make the cells smaller and gives them a paler appearance than red blood cells produced that are produced when adequate levels of iron are present. In the presence of adequate levels of iron the maturing red blood cells continue dividing as per their development program till such time as the hemoglobin gas attained appropriate levels. When iron is not present in adequate levels the

Combining risk assessment and value engineering (this is project risk Essay

Combining risk assessment and value engineering (this is project risk management class) - Essay Example ng is an important technique that helps in the identification and elimination of unnecessary costs in construction, product design, manufacturing, operations, practices and processes. For over sixty years of existence and use, value engineering is referred to by different names. While some people refer to it as value engineering, others call it value analysis, value methodology or value management. However, the reference to value engineering in different terminologies does not change its concept. The concept of value engineering as a systematic process can be used to improve a projects value through a critical analysis of its functions by a multidisciplinary team. Value refers to the equivalent in goods, money, services or a fair return for something exchanged. It is most often represented in the relationship indicated below: The function is measured by the customer performance requirements while the resources are measured in labour, materials, time, price and many other elements that are essential for the accomplishment of the function. In a value methodology, the focus is primarily on how to improve value through the identification of alternative ways of reliably accomplishing a function that meets the customers performance expectations. A job plan in the systematic process of value engineering outlines the specific steps used to evaluate an issue and attain the maximum feasible alternatives that address the issue in consideration. The issue being considered could be a particular event risk(s) that potentially can be dealt with through value engineering in the context of risk assessment (Cretu, Stewart and Berends, 2011). The analysis of functions, as done by a multidisciplinary team through the application of value engineering, helps to improve the value of a project. The multidisciplinary team is a value engineering team that comprises the project stakeholders and experienced professionals. The team members are chosen based on their experience and expertise

Socrates Essay -- essays research papers

Socrates (470-399 BC)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Socrates was born to a poor Athenian family in 470 BC He spent most of his time teaching others. One of his pupils was Plato. Socrates was a believer in absolute truth rather than relative truth. His main interest was the process by which people learned how to think for themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He would usually talk to whoever would take the time to listen. He asked many questions and criticized answers. His style of conversation has been given the name Socratic dialogue. Socrates would often ask students questions without giving them answers. When the students did give answers, he opposed them with clear logical arguments. This method forced his students to defend their statements and to clarify their thinking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Socrates was the wisest philosopher of his time. He was one of three great teachers of ancient Greece. Socrates was short and fat, with a snub nose and wide mouth. Despite his ugly appearance, many said he was a very moral teacher and a pleasant man to be around. Socrates married a lady named Xanthippe. She was notorious for her sharp tongue and quick temper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Athenian mob and its self-serving leaders did not appreciate Socrates and his teachings. In 399 BC, they accused him of â€Å"corrupting the young† and of â€Å"not worshipping the gods worshipped by the state.† These men took Socrates to trial and brought hi...

Spontaneous Generation and Cell Theory

Spontaneous Generation and Cell Theory 1. Tradition thought is very hard to overcome- even with solid evidence to support new ideas * Social pressure has effect on acceptance of scientific ideas and technological advancements * Science is a social/political enterprise * New ideas often met with resistance * Sometimes ostracisms, persecution, death * Microscope helped to overturn some strange ideas * Disease processes * â€Å"spontaneous generation† Attitudes and skills of scientific inquiry (questioning, predicting, observing and recording) are required to provide unbiased and factual info * Investigations must follow ethical guidelines and results must be reproducible under controlled conditions * Example of way that science, technology and society are linked is found in development of the current understanding of the way living cells function * Microscope provided technology to explore the world of microscopic particles and organisms * Then possible to obtain evidence for or against generally accepted opinions or theories about living thingsSpontaneous Generation 2. Believed that life can emerge from non-living matter 3. A superstition- people unaware of microscopic forms of life * e. g. mice created from mixing wheat husks with sweaty undergarments * Maggots and flies emerge spontaneously from raw meat * Francesco Redi * Example of scientific method * Believed flies laid eggs on meat * Experiment to prove hypothesis Limited access to meat (air, no fresh air, flies, no flies) 4. Idea that life could emerge spontaneously from non-living matter = widely accepted from time of the Romans through to the 19th century * Even in time of Robert Hooke and Antoni van Leeuwenhoek * Believed that to produce mice, you put a sweaty underwear and husks of wheat in an open jar and after 21 days, the sweat and husks would combine and change the husks into mice 5. 668, Francesco Redi (Italian physician and poet) questioned belief that maggots appeared from raw meat * He believed that flies laid their eggs in the meat * Set up experiment to test his hypothesis * Set out flasks containing raw meat but some were sealed, some were covered in gauze and some were open to the air * Controlled the access of flies to the meat * Maggots were found only in the flasks that were open and accessible to flies to lay their eggs * Despite evidence, idea of spontaneous generation still thrived 6.John Needham (proving that living things could be produced from non-living matter) boiled chicken broth and put it in a flask and sealed it * Everyone accepted that boiling killed micro-organisms since boiling was a common method of removing substances that would make one ill * However, in his experiment, micro-organisms continued to appear * Suggested that there was a life force that produced spontaneous generation 7.Lazzaro Spallanzani (Italian priest) claimed that there were micro-organisms in the air that were responsible for the new growth * Re-did Needham's experiment but drew off the air in the flask, nothing grew in the remaining broth * Critics suggested that all Spallanzani had shown was that air was required for spontaneous generation to occur * Spontaneous generation theory continued to be accepted 8. 859, French Academy of Sciences announced a contest for the best experiment to prove or disprove spontaneous generation * Louis Pasteur used the work of Needham and Spallanzani with important change * Before boiling meat broth in flask, Pasteur heated the neck of the flask and bent it into an â€Å"S† shape * Air could reach the broth but micro-organisms and other particles would get caught in the S- bend * Nothing grew in this broth but if the flask were tipped so that the broth reached the S-bend in the neck, moulds would later appear 9.Pasteur controlled his experiment in that he used the same broth, same type of flasks and same light and temperature conditions * Controlled variables (conditions that are held constant throughout an e xperiment): broth type, flasks type, light, temperature * Manipulated ariable (condition deliberately changed in an experiment): access of dust to the flask * Responding variable (condition that changes in response to the manipulated variable in an experiment): ability to grow mould in the broth * Had experimental control, a part of the experiment which the manipulated variable is not changed in any way from its normal condition * Flask in which dust had normal access to the broth after boiling * Result: moulds occurred * Experiment treatment Prevent the access of dust to the broth, resulting in evidence of no growth of mould * To allow access of dust to the broth very briefly, resulting in evidence of mould growth * Strong evidence that says that spontaneous generation doesn't occur, but also that micro-organisms are found in the air * His work opened new doors to microbiology, immunology, biochemistry and gave credibility and new importance to the processes of conducting controlle d experiments, maintaining detailed records of observations, and connecting results to conclusionsThe Cell Theory 10. Importance of cell as the functional unit of life was recognized with the improvements in lens technology and increased number of observations made by scientists in several countries 11. 1833, Robert Brown identified an important cell structure, the nucleus, in study of orchids * Saw an opaque granular spot within the cell * Others had seen it too but he was the first to recognize at this cell structure must have something for cell function 12. 1838, M. J.Schleiden observed that all plants were composed of cells and he proposed that the nucleus was the structure responsible for the development of the remainder of the cell * Discussed his work with a friend (Theodor Schwann), who was studying animal physiology * Schwann believed that there must be similarities btwn plant and animal tissue * When Schwann searched for opaque spots in animal tissue, he found structures t hat resembled the cells that botanists were studying in plant tissue and the nucleus structure that Brown and Schleiden had identified 13. 839, Schleiden and Schwann proposed the cell theory as a result of observations of plant and animal specimens through the microscopes * All plants and animals were composed of cells and that the cell was the basic unit of all organisms 14. 1859, cell theory was further extended by Rudolf Virchow's statement that all cells arise only from pre-existing cells Cell Theory 15. All living things are made up of one of more cells and the materials produced by these cells 16. All life functions take place in cells, making them the smallest unit of life 17.All cells are produced from pre-existing cells through the process of cell division 18. Applies to all living things regardless of size, shape or number of cells involved * Subcellular particles (viruses and prions) fall into category that is neither living nor non-living although they may exhibit certai n characteristics of living cells 19. Evidence in support of cell theory came from Pasteur's experiment to investigate the concept of spontaneous generation in micro-organisms * Cell theory has become the cornerstone of the study of biology

Sara Lee Corporation in 2011 - 2018 Words

MEMORANDUM DATE: 11/12/12 TO: Mrs. Sabine Turnley FROM: Team 5 (Jamie Briscoe, Bradley Veenendaal, Jessica Kolb, Rebecca Christie, Kody Lynn) SUBJ: Sara Lee Corporation in 2011: Has Its Retrenchment Strategy Been Successful? EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: In 2005, Sara Lee placed a strategic plan in action to transform the business into a more tightly focused food, beverage and household products company. This involved the divestiture of weak-performing business and product categories, which included eight business units. Although the divestiture would decrease Sara Lee’s revenues, it was believed that concentrating their financial and managerial resources on a smaller number of business units would be beneficial. Sara Lee struggled†¦show more content†¦Using our measures, weights, and the importance of the weight, we found that the five industries that Sara Lee occupies are fairly similar in attractiveness. The food retail industry is the most attractive and the international refrigerated bread industry is the least attractive. The food retail industry is the most attractive primarily because it has an extremely high market size. This industry is benefiting from the economic downturn because less people are eating at restaurants. Instead they are making more meals at home. Although this industry is benefiting from the economic downturn, there is a high risk of uncertainty. This is because of the competitiveness of the industry, economic factors, and emerging opportunities that the business unit will have to face. On the other side, the international refrigerated bread industry is the least attractive because of the global economic downturn. The economic recession affected this company particularly hard. Spain is the main country that supported this industry for refrigerated bread and got hit harder than other countries. Spain is also the only country that is looking to continue the want for refrigerated bread, whereas other countries are turning to fresh breads as its leading bread products causing the projected growth rate to decrease significantly. The business units represented in Sara Lee’s portfolio are highlyShow MoreRelatedSara Lee Case Study1074 Words   |  5 PagesOver the years, Sara Lee was broadly known for their catchy slogan of â€Å"Everybody doesn’t like something, but nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee,† which mainly pertained to the companies bakery group; but Sara Lee Corporation was so much more. The Sara Lee Bakery Group was a division of a larger Sara Lee Corporation which had product lines including such categories as packaged meats, coffee, tea, underwear, intimate apparel, body care, air care, shoe care and air fresheners. In 2006, the slogan wasRead MoreSara Lee1173 Words   |  5 Pages------------------------------------------------- Sara Lee Corporation in 2011: Has Its Retrenchment Strategy Been Successful? Executive Summary Sara Lee Corporation was founded in 1939 and, as of 2001, had acquired more than forty companies. Sales reached $10 billion in 1988, $15 billion in 1994, and $20 billion in 1998. However, revenues peaked in 1998, as Sara Lee struggled to manage the company’s broadly diversified and geographically scattered operations. In February 2005, Brenda Barnes, Sara Lee’s newly appointedRead MoreDiversification Strategies1287 Words   |  6 PagesSome corporations have diversified and succeeded, while other have tried but failed. Today Sara Lee Corporation is a global manufacturer and marketer of brand-name products for consumers globally focused primarily on the meats, bakery, beverage and household products categories. Once known as Consolidated Foods Corporation, Sara Lee started out as a wholesale distributor of sugar, coffee and tea in Baltimore, MD. Then in 1956 the corporation bought a company known as Kitchens of Sara Lee. ByRead MoreSara Case Analysis992 Words   |  4 Pages------------------------------------------------- Sara Lee Corporation in 2011: Has Its Retrenchment Strategy Been Successful? Executive Summary Sara Lee Corporation was founded in 1939 and, as of 2001, had acquired more than forty companies. Sales reached $10 billion in 1988, $15 billion in 1994, and $20 billion in 1998.However, revenues peaked in 1998, as Sara Lee struggled to manage the company’s broadly diversified and geographically scattered operations. In February 2005, Brenda Barnes, Sara Lee’s newly appointedRead MoreAbout Sara Lee1061 Words   |  5 PagesExecutive summary Sara Lee has its international headquarters in Utrecht, The Netherlands. One of Sara Lee’s key products includes Douwe Egberts known for its superb coffee products based on a unique branding process. Despite that coffee sales have taken a hit due to worldwide economic crises, Sara Lee’s plans for expansion of Douwe Egberts’ stores up to 20 by 2011 as a competitor to Starbucks in The Netherlands remain unaffected. Sara Lee uses a two step sales approach, the first one to initiateRead MoreSara Lee, Ratio Analyis1687 Words   |  7 Pages | |Sara Lee Corporation is engaged in manufacturing and marketing of branded products for consumers throughout the world focusing primarily | |on the meats, bakery, and beverage categories. The company has presence in Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Sara Lee is the| |owner of approximately 25,000 active trademark registrations and applications. 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In 1942 he acquired Sprague, Warner amp; Company and changed its company name to Sprague Warmer – Kenny Corporation moving its headquarters to Chicago. Its first stock exchange was in 1946 and in 1954 they changed its name to Consolidated Foods Corporation to best fit its diversifiedRead MoreCase Study Questions1276 Words   |  6 Pagesemerging markets, and other ventures? Friday, March 23 Case: Sara Lee Corporation in 2011 (case 16 in text) 1. What is Sara Lee’s corporate strategy? How has its retrenchment strategy changed the nature of its business lineup? 2. What is your assessment of the long-term attractiveness of the industries represented in Sara Lee Corp.’s business portfolio? 3. What is your assessment of the competitive strength of Sara Lee Corp.’s different business units? 4. What does a 9-cell industryRead MoreBusiness Functions Of Operations Management3020 Words   |  13 Pagesprovide staff, and suitable training and marketing with refer to operations when specifying product features and designs. The report entails the importance of Operations Management. As researched for the strategies already achievable within Sara Lee Corporation, the report explains and describes operations management strategies with the support of case material of other business both global and international. The strategies assessed within the report include; Performance objectives, Supply chain management