Friday, August 9, 2019
File Properties and Attributes, Operating Systems Assignment
File Properties and Attributes, Operating Systems - Assignment Example The operating systems are the system software that provides an interface for users to interact with the computer to perform their required tasks. The operating systems are major software applications necessary for computer users to use the system. Without the operating system, the users can not use the computer as computers do not understand human languages. The operating systems perform the task of translating user inputs to computer understandable format and vice versa. "An operating system is a special computer program that manages the relationship between application software, the wide variety of hardware that makes up a computer system, and the user of the system" [Wikipedia]. Once the booting process is complete, the kernel hands over the control to various other applications and programs to run. Kernel also provides access to various core services to other programs. These include disk access, memory management, task scheduling and other hardware devices. The layers of OS include Service layer providing services to other software to interact and use the functionality of kernel, Command layer providing a command driven interface options and application layer running and executing application level software and tasks. The Listà of resources allocated by the operating system and explain the process of the allocation process. Include: Single process resource allocation -à The single process resource allocations are done in a simple manner. Based on the available resources, the CPU distributes the entire process into pieces and allocates and schedule resources accordingly.
Thursday, August 8, 2019
Homeostasis in humans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Homeostasis in humans - Essay Example Core to this is the human bodyââ¬â¢s management of a variety of highly complex relations, critical in maintaining either a return to, or a balance of, normal functionality of the body (Guyton & Hall, 2006:310). This is achieved through three core types of processes i.e. thermoregulation, osmo-regulation and chemical regulation. Such interactions vitally facilitate changes, which are compensatory in nature and hence supportive of both psychological and physical human functionality. In the case of an imbalance, a function is usually altered, causing a reversal of the functionality back to its normal settings (Guyton & Hall, 2006:317). This is exemplified by the function of human skin, with an increase in temperature necessitating thermo-receptor feedback to the brainââ¬â¢s hypothalamus. This results in increased sweating, as a way of balancing the temperature. In the case of blood pH imbalance, chemoreceptors send messages to the brainââ¬â¢s respiratory center, thus enhancing the affected individualââ¬â¢s respiratory rate (Guyton & Hall, 2006:324). Other processes crucial in the maintenance of homeostasis include the bodyââ¬â¢s balance of electrolyte and blood pressure levels. Core to this body functionality, is the input of various body organs i.e. the human brain, the kidneys and the liver. The latter twoââ¬â¢s role in maintaining homeostasis is undisputed, with the brainââ¬â¢s endocrine system, hypothalamus sector, and its autonomic nervous system being core to this functionality. The human pair of kidneys is on their part essential for a number of roles i.e. the re-absorption of substances into the blood circulation; the excretion of human waste matter and urea; the regulation of blood water levels and blood pH, in addition to maintaining iron and salt levels in circulation (Maton et al., 1993:35). As Marieb and Hoehn (2007) allude, the liver provides core maintenance of
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Good and Evil (a Wrinkle in Time, and Frankenstein Review) Essay Example for Free
Good and Evil (a Wrinkle in Time, and Frankenstein Review) Essay ââ¬Å"Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil. â⬠Marcus Aurelius. A Wrinkle in Time is a book about the journey through the war of good versus evil and the ultimate triumph of love. Every character is clearly distinguished with either good or evil: the ââ¬Å"goodâ⬠characters include Meg, her family, Calvin, the Mrs. Wââ¬â¢s, Aunt Beast, and the Happy Medium; the ââ¬Å"evilâ⬠characters include IT, The Dark Thing, and the Man with the Red Eyes. Frankenstein, on the other hand, is a story told in a series of letters, as Robert Walton, the captain of a ship bound for the North Pole, recounts to his sister back in England the progress of his dangerous mission. Successful early on, the mission is soon to be disturbed by seas full of impassable ice. Trapped, Walton encounters Victor Frankenstein, who had been travelling by dog-drawn sledge across the ice and is weakened by the cold. Walton take him abroad the ship, helps nurse him back to health, and hears the fantastic tale of the monster the Frankenstein created. This tale that Frankenstein is reciting reveals the two sides that a person, or a living creature can portray: good and evil. Frankenstein was banned in South Africa for being ââ¬Å"obsceneâ⬠and ââ¬Å"indecentâ⬠, while A Wrinkle in Time was banned for having a fantasy-related genre throughout the plot, including witches and demons. Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. ââ¬Å"Slave, I before reasoned with you, but you have proved yourself unworthy of my condescension. Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master; obey! â⬠(Shelley 149). In Frankenstein, the monster represents evil, as it comes to life, and terrorizes its creator. Dangerous knowledge is an ideal theme in Frankenstein. The pursuit of knowledge is right in the middle of Frankenstein, as Victor attempts to go beyond accepted human limits and find out the secret of life. Likewise, Robert Walton attempts to pass the past human explorations by being determined to reach the North Pole. In A Wrinkle In Time, comfort and individuality is a major theme that I saw throughout the plot. The main character, Meg, is caught between the desire for conformity and the expression of her own creative nature. At the beginning of the novel Meg feels embittered towards other students at her school that make fun of her and tease her for being different, as well as those who see her little brother as being weird or odd. She desperately wants to be more like her twin brothers who have little problem fitting in. The theme that the two stories share, and that I have mentioned before, is the theme titled good and evil: ââ¬Å"Suddenly there was a great burst of light through the Darkness. The light spread out and where it touched the Darkness the Darkness disappeared. The light spread until the patch of Dark Thing had vanished, and there was only a gentle shining, and through the shining came the stars, clear and pure. Then, slowly, the shining dwindled until it, too, was gone, and there was nothing but stars and starlight. No shadows. No fear. Only the stars and the clear darkness of space, quite different from the fearful darkness of the Thingâ⬠(Lââ¬â¢Engle 102). Its interesting that the defeat of the Black Thing doesnt lead to the universe being lit up like a baseball stadium, but rather to an absence of unnatural darkness. Its almost like the battle isnt so much between evil and good as between evil and the normal. Characters are ââ¬Å"Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinationsâ⬠Ray Bradbury. In Frankenstein, the main character or the creator of the monster. Victor becomes obsessed with the idea of creating an artificial human form and eventually attempts to make it. Immediately after creating the monster, he falls into a depression and starts to fear. He leaves the school and returns home to his family, where he finds only tragedy. Not fully aware of the consequences of his creating a new human, he ends up really spending his entire life trying to destroy the same creation he was working to make for so long. In a Wrinkle In Time however, the protagonist is portrayed a bit differently: Meg Murry, The books hero, an awkward, but loving high school student who is sent on an adventure through time and space with her brother Charles Wallace and friend Calvin to rescue her father from the evil force that is attempting to take over the universe. Megs greatest faults are her anger, impatience, and lack of self-confidence, but she changes and overcomes them, and in the end is victorious, as the story ends with a stereotypical kidââ¬â¢s-story ending. A happy ending for the protagonist. The main differences that I saw between the two are the two protagonists: Meg Murry (A Wrinkle In Time), and Victor Frankenstein (Frankenstein), are to begin with, set in different times. A Wrinkle In Time could be set anywhere in the recent past. Frankenstein however, is set in the late 18th century. The whole concept of Frankenstein is much darker, and in fact I would say it could be classified as gothic science fiction, as the characters are much darker, and seem more serious and cold-hearted by the way Shelley describes them compared to the other book. A Wrinkle In Time is much lighter, as the characters, their actions, and abilities are all easier, and always give the advantage to the ââ¬Å"good guysâ⬠. Also the whole concept of the book, and the idea of it, is more for a childââ¬â¢s imagination to handle and comprehend compared to Frankenstein, and I would classify it as plain science and fantasy fiction. Although these differences shape the stories in totally different directions, there are some similarities: The similarities between the characters and their traits are that they both have solid downsides to them. As I mentioned before, Megââ¬â¢s (A Wrinkle In Time) faults are her temper, impatience, and lack of confidence in herself, and Victorââ¬â¢s (Frankenstein) faults are that he is in a depression and great fear throughout the plot after the Monster is created and is woken. Another trait I can compare between the two protagonists, are their determination to reach their final goal. Although I cannot see it in either book, but both books were officially banned in one place or another for ridiculous reasons. Frankenstein was banned in South Africa for being ââ¬Å"obsceneâ⬠and ââ¬Å"indecentâ⬠in 1955. Maybe 57 years ago there were different rules and traits a person had to portray to be defined as ââ¬Å"goodâ⬠, but to make this specific book banned for being ââ¬Å"obsceneâ⬠(which means that it is offensive or the opposite of accepted manner). A Wrinkle In Time is banned for having witches, crystal balls and demons. Also, because Jesus is listed among the names of great artists, philosophers and teachers, and it is banned in the U. S. ââ¬Å"Thus strangely are our souls constructed, and by such slight ligaments are we bound to prosperity or ruinâ⬠(Shelley 37). All in all, these books have more differences than similarities in my opinion. Although both are really good, one is dark while the other is light compared. The similarities that I saw in the characters, the themes, and the reason they were censored are mostly because of the relationship between good and evil throughout it. Studying these two books and the reason for them being banned has surprisingly changed my life in a minor way, as I learned how people from different cultures and education they grew up with react to different things, and I learned to compare and contrast, not only the books, but real life situations such as the South Africans who banned Frankenstein versus my lifestyle and way-of-thinking. ââ¬Å"Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil. â⬠Marcus Aurelius. A Wrinkle in Time is a book about the journey through the war of good versus evil and the ultimate triumph of love. Every character is clearly distinguished with either good or evil: the ââ¬Å"goodâ⬠characters include Meg, her family, Calvin, the Mrs. Wââ¬â¢s, Aunt Beast, and the Happy Medium; the ââ¬Å"evilâ⬠characters include IT, The Dark Thing, and the Man with the Red Eyes. Frankenstein, on the other hand, is a story told in a series of letters, as Robert Walton, the captain of a ship bound for the North Pole, recounts to his sister back in England the progress of his dangerous mission. Successful early on, the mission is soon to be disturbed by seas full of impassable ice. Trapped, Walton encounters Victor Frankenstein, who had been travelling by dog-drawn sledge across the ice and is weakened by the cold. Walton take him abroad the ship, helps nurse him back to health, and hears the fantastic tale of the monster the Frankenstein created. This tale that Frankenstein is reciting reveals the two sides that a person, or a living creature can portray: good and evil. Frankenstein was banned in South Africa for being ââ¬Å"obsceneâ⬠and ââ¬Å"indecentâ⬠, while A Wrinkle in Time was banned for having a fantasy-related genre throughout the plot, including witches and demons. Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. ââ¬Å"Slave, I before reasoned with you, but you have proved yourself unworthy of my condescension. Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master; obey! â⬠(Shelley 149). In Frankenstein, the monster represents evil, as it comes to life, and terrorizes its creator. Dangerous knowledge is an ideal theme in Frankenstein. The pursuit of knowledge is right in the middle of Frankenstein, as Victor attempts to go beyond accepted human limits and find out the secret of life. Likewise, Robert Walton attempts to pass the past human explorations by being determined to reach the North Pole. In A Wrinkle In Time, comfort and individuality is a major theme that I saw throughout the plot. The main character, Meg, is caught between the desire for conformity and the expression of her own creative nature. At the beginning of the novel Meg feels embittered towards other students at her school that make fun of her and tease her for being different, as well as those who see her little brother as being weird or odd. She desperately wants to be more like her twin brothers who have little problem fitting in. The theme that the two stories share, and that I have mentioned before, is the theme titled good and evil: ââ¬Å"Suddenly there was a great burst of light through the Darkness. The light spread out and where it touched the Darkness the Darkness disappeared. The light spread until the patch of Dark Thing had vanished, and there was only a gentle shining, and through the shining came the stars, clear and pure. Then, slowly, the shining dwindled until it, too, was gone, and there was nothing but stars and starlight. No shadows. No fear. Only the stars and the clear darkness of space, quite different from the fearful darkness of the Thingâ⬠(Lââ¬â¢Engle 102). Its interesting that the defeat of the Black Thing doesnt lead to the universe being lit up like a baseball stadium, but rather to an absence of unnatural darkness. Its almost like the battle isnt so much between evil and good as between evil and the normal. Characters are ââ¬Å"Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinationsâ⬠Ray Bradbury. In Frankenstein, the main character or the creator of the monster. Victor becomes obsessed with the idea of creating an artificial human form and eventually attempts to make it. Immediately after creating the monster, he falls into a depression and starts to fear. He leaves the school and returns home to his family, where he finds only tragedy. Not fully aware of the consequences of his creating a new human, he ends up really spending his entire life trying to destroy the same creation he was working to make for so long. In a Wrinkle In Time however, the protagonist is portrayed a bit differently: Meg Murry, The books hero, an awkward, but loving high school student who is sent on an adventure through time and space with her brother Charles Wallace and friend Calvin to rescue her father from the evil force that is attempting to take over the universe. Megs greatest faults are her anger, impatience, and lack of self-confidence, but she changes and overcomes them, and in the end is victorious, as the story ends with a stereotypical kidââ¬â¢s-story ending. A happy ending for the protagonist. The main differences that I saw between the two are the two protagonists: Meg Murry (A Wrinkle In Time), and Victor Frankenstein (Frankenstein), are to begin with, set in different times. A Wrinkle In Time could be set anywhere in the recent past. Frankenstein however, is set in the late 18th century. The whole concept of Frankenstein is much darker, and in fact I would say it could be classified as gothic science fiction, as the characters are much darker, and seem more serious and cold-hearted by the way Shelley describes them compared to the other book. A Wrinkle In Time is much lighter, as the characters, their actions, and abilities are all easier, and always give the advantage to the ââ¬Å"good guysâ⬠. Also the whole concept of the book, and the idea of it, is more for a childââ¬â¢s imagination to handle and comprehend compared to Frankenstein, and I would classify it as plain science and fantasy fiction. Although these differences shape the stories in totally different directions, there are some similarities: The similarities between the characters and their traits are that they both have solid downsides to them. As I mentioned before, Megââ¬â¢s (A Wrinkle In Time) faults are her temper, impatience, and lack of confidence in herself, and Victorââ¬â¢s (Frankenstein) faults are that he is in a depression and great fear throughout the plot after the Monster is created and is woken. Another trait I can compare between the two protagonists, are their determination to reach their final goal. Although I cannot see it in either book, but both books were officially banned in one place or another for ridiculous reasons. Frankenstein was banned in South Africa for being ââ¬Å"obsceneâ⬠and ââ¬Å"indecentâ⬠in 1955. Maybe 57 years ago there were different rules and traits a person had to portray to be defined as ââ¬Å"goodâ⬠, but to make this specific book banned for being ââ¬Å"obsceneâ⬠(which means that it is offensive or the opposite of accepted manner). A Wrinkle In Time is banned for having witches, crystal balls and demons. Also, because Jesus is listed among the names of great artists, philosophers and teachers, and it is banned in the U. S. ââ¬Å"Thus strangely are our souls constructed, and by such slight ligaments are we bound to prosperity or ruinâ⬠(Shelley 37). All in all, these books have more differences than similarities in my opinion. Although both are really good, one is dark while the other is light compared. The similarities that I saw in the characters, the themes, and the reason they were censored are mostly because of the relationship between good and evil throughout it. Studying these two books and the reason for them being banned has surprisingly changed my life in a minor way, as I learned how people from different cultures and education they grew up with react to different things, and I learned to compare and contrast, not only the books, but real life situations such as the South Africans who banned Frankenstein versus my lifestyle and way-of-thinking.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
300 - Rationalism vs Empiricism - Summary and History Essay Example for Free
300 Rationalism vs Empiricism Summary and History Essay What is reality really like? A current running through much of the philosophical thinking around the time of Socrates and Plato was that there is a difference between how the world appears and how it is. Our senses reveal one layer of reality but it is our minds that penetrate deeper. The world of appearances is a world in flux but underneath there must be a stable reality. For there is much that is unchanging. We recognise kinds of things ââ¬â badgers, daffodils, mountains ââ¬â and whilst members of these kinds are born, change and die, and differ from one another in ever so many ways, the kind-defining essence doesnt change. We see here the key rationalist idea that knowledge is a priori knowledge of necessary truths Plato said that kinds were defined by the transcendental forms. He presented a number of arguments for the existence of these things. Prior to our incarnation, our souls existed in the realm of forms where we learned about these essences. In our terrestrial state, we cannot recall what we know. Socrates considered himself a midwife to knowledge instead of a teacher, helping his interlocutors to draw out what they dont know that they know. The example of Meno and the slave-boy shows this idea clearly. Like many philosophers, Plato was also fascinated by mathematics. We are able to tap into a universe of truths that are non-sensible: we do not see numbers and we do not see the perfect geometric forms. Once again, we see the difference between the powers of the mind and the powers of the senses. It was in the 17th century that the debate between the rationalists and the empiricists came to a head. Philosophers such as Descartes and Leibniz emphasised the power of reason over the senses. Descartes argued that our senses were fallible and that we could not rule out the possibility of the demon deception hypothesis on the basis of sensory evidence alone. Descartes argued that he knew he existed, as a mind, on the basis of reflection alone: when I think, I cannot fail to be aware of myself as existing as that thinker (cogito, ergo sum). Having proved that he exists, Descartes argued that God exists. Since God is no deceiver, he would not have given us senses that systematically mislead. But let us not overemphasise the powers of the senses. Descartes argued that even with material things, it is reason that exposes their essences. In his piece of wax reasoning, he argued that the senses merely reveal a succession of impressions: it is reason that grasps the underlying and enduring substance as extended (and filled space). Plato and Descartes believed that we are born with concepts and knowledge. In Descartes case, there was a religious motive: we are all born in the image of God. We discover more about the world primarily through metaphysical reflection. The philosopher Francis Bacon, an early empiricist, famously dismissed this rationalist approach to knowledge. He compared rationalists to spiders who spin complex metaphysical systems out of their entrails. Empiricists get their hands dirty: like bees gathering pollen, they gather knowledge about the world and only then reflect on it. Around the same time as Bacon, many new discoveries were being made that shook the prevailing views of reality. The Earth was dethroned from its position at the centre of the universe by Copernicus. A new star (a supernova) was observed by Tycho Brahe in 1572 ââ¬â yet the heavens were supposed to be timeless and unchanging. Galileo discovered the moons of Jupiter ââ¬â again, everything clearly didnt revolve around the Earth. Later in the 17th century, scientist-philosophers such as Newton, Boyle, Gassendi and Huygens would revolutionise our understanding of reality. The original empiricist manifesto was written by John Locke. In his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, he sought to show how a mind that was blank at birth ââ¬â a tabula rasa or blank slate ââ¬â could come to be filled. His first targets were the innate concepts and knowledge (ideas) of the rationalists. There are no such things. There are no truths everyone agrees on. Many people fail to grasp the supposed metaphysical truths. Instead, our senses deliver ideas to us. We store them, abstract from them to form general ideas, and compound and mix them to generate new ideas. Like Lego bricks, we build the meagre sensory data into ever more complex structures. Even Leibniz thought Locke was onto something here. He claimed that our minds were like blocks of marble that had to be carefully chiselled at to reveal the hidden structure (the innate truths). It is hard work and not everyone will end up well-chiselled. Hume took empiricism to its limit. Where Locke talked indifferently of ideas, Hume distinguished impressions and ideas. Impressions are the direct deliverances of the senses and are forceful and vivid in comparison to ideas, which are the copies our minds makes. (He also agreed with the Empiricist Berkeley that Lockes theory of general ideas was wrong. We do not abstract from particular ideas to a general idea but use a particular idea in a general way via a general name. ) What about the precious necessary truths philosophy is supposed to study? Locke argued that once we have ideas in our mind, our mind will perceive the necessary connections between them ââ¬â e. g. that a triangle has internal angles that add to 180o? But where does the idea of necessity come from? Hume provided an answer. He distinguished statements into two categories: those expressing relations of ideas (analytic) and those expressing matters of fact (synthetic). The analytic truths express mere definitions: we simply are aware of an association between terms. The synthetic truths are the contingent truths. So what happens to interesting necessary truths, such as God exists or nothing exists without being caused to exist? Hume argued that if these werent analytic ââ¬â and they arent ââ¬â they arent necessary. We feel that they are necessary and this is all necessity is: a psychological property. When we say that X caused Y, we think we have said something about the universe. We think we have seen an example of a law of nature (e. g. the water in the bucket froze because it was cold exemplifies the law water freezes at 0oC). Science investigates these laws. Hume said that causation was all in the mind. We see one thing after another and when weve seen instances of a regularity enough, we develop the feeling that one thing must be followed by the other. Hume, like Locke, emphasised how all we can be certain of are our impressions ââ¬â how the world seems. Scientists are really investigating how the world appears: they can never be certain that the world really is the way it appears. So, empiricism seems to lead straight to scepticism about the external world. Kant objected strongly to this. Science really is studying the external world and there really is an external world for it to investigate. Kant brought about a revolution in philosophy (he called it a Copernican revolution). He argued that the empiricists and rationalists were both right and wrong. The Empiricists were right: science requires the study of the world and the world is brought to us via the senses. The Rationalists were right: our mind is not blank but contains structures that enable us to interpret the stream of data from the senses. We may liken the mind to a mould and the data to jelly: one only has something structured by combining both. Or: the mind is a computer with an operating system and the data is the input from the user. A computer with just an operating system is inert. A computer into which data is inputted but which has no operating system is just data: it cannot be interpreted. Only when you combine both do you get something useful. Our minds contain the structures for space, time, objects and causation, for example. (In Kants terminology, space and time are the pure forms of intuition whereas the structures for objects and causation are pure concepts of the understanding. ) This means that we experience a world of spatio-temporally located objects in which causation happens because this is how our minds make it appear. Does this mean that the world as such is all in the mind? Or is the mind somehow tuned to the structure of reality, so that our pre-programmed minds mirror the structures of reality? This is a very difficult question over which there is no agreement amongst experts. The Empiricist movement came back with a vengeance in the 20th century. Philosophers such as Bertrand Russell agreed with Hume that our knowledge begins with our knowledge of sense-data (classical empirical foundationalism). Armed with new discoveries in mathematics and logic, and backed by the successes of science, the logical positivists argued that the only proper way to investigate the world was the scientific way. If I say p and p is synthetic and there is no objective, scientific way to verify my claim that p, then my claim is meaningless. (This is the celebrated verification principle). So, if it is true that there atoms, we should be able to find empirical ââ¬â sensory ââ¬â evidence of them. If it is true that nothing happens without being caused to happen, then we likewise need scientific evidence for this. We cannot discover whether it is true by pure reason. The Logical Positivist movement failed. There is much that seems meaningful that is not objectively verifiable by the senses, such as the occurrence of private sensations. The principle makes it impossible for general claims such as all mammals are warm-blooded to be true, as we cannot verify all of them. The very verification principle itself fails its own test! The Logical Positivists responded by watering down their principle: a meaningful claim is one we could gather some evidence for in principle and the principle itself is special ââ¬â exempt from this rule. But it was not enough. (* Then Quine argued that the fundamental division between analytic and synthetic sentences was incorrect. Analytic sentences cannot be false. But no sentence enjoys this privilege. As we learn more and more, truths we thought were beyond doubt are rejected. Once upon a time, we would have thought it analytic that no object can be in two places at once or that there is no fastest velocity. Quantum physics and general relativity theory show that they are not true. Instead, we should have a web of belief. At the centre are those sentences least likely to be revised ââ¬â our core beliefs. As we move out, we find those sentences that would be easier and easier to accept as false ââ¬â that would cause less and less disruption to the rest of what we believe. ) In the 1950s, Chomsky became famous for suggesting that we are not born as blank slates when it comes to language. We are born knowing the fundamental structures of human language. When we are young, we hear our mother tongue and use our knowledge of language to pick up our language very quickly. (At 24 months, the average child understands 500-700 words; at 36 months, 1000; at 48 around 2500-3000; at 60 around 5000 words: thats around 7 words a day between 3 and 6). More recently, studies have shown that children are born with brains structured to expect the world to behave in certain way. Very young children expect objects to persist over time: not to disappear and reappear at two different places, for example. Is this a revival of rationalism? Not according to many people. Rationalists argued that we had innate concepts and knowledge. By reflection, we can discover them and manipulate them to gain new knowledge. But our knowledge of language is altogether different. None of us can easily articulate the rules we follow in generating syntactically-correct English. (And certainly none of us at all can articulate the common structure rules to all human languages. ) Our brains are certainly pre-programmed, but only perhaps in the same way that a computer is pre-wired: clearly something has to be there but nothing as advanced as software. So where are we today? No side is victorious: this would be to grossly over-simplify the debate between the empiricists and the rationalists. We definitely have minds in some way ready to receive the world ââ¬â hardly surprising, perhaps, given the time it has taken for us to evolve. But when it comes to working out what is true? Few philosophers are rationalists in the old-fashioned way. There is no sharp division between metaphysics and science: our study of reality cannot be done from the armchair alone. But our capacity to grasp abstract mathematical truths has always been difficult to explain from an empiricist perspective. We seem to have an access to a mathematical realm and a cognitive or intuitive access instead of a sensory one. You cant see numbers, after all, and it is not easy to say what we could see that would lead us to generate the ideas of numbers.
Monday, August 5, 2019
MOS Burger Franchise Expansion Strategy
MOS Burger Franchise Expansion Strategy 1.0 INTRODUCTION MOS Burger is a famous fast-food service in Japan that founded in 1971 by Mr. Satoshi Sakurada. The name of MOS comes from the words Mountain, Ocean, and Sun and each of this word have its own meaning. Mountain stands for dignified and noble, Ocean stands for wide and vast while Sun represents vibrant and life-giving (MOS Food Singapore, 2012). It is now the second largest fast-food service in Japan after McDonald and MOS outlets had successfully expanded into overseas markets such as Taiwan, Singapore, China, and so on. The company differentiate itself from competitors by apply cook to order concept (MOS Burger Website, 2012). The foods will be cooked only after the customers order to ensure the freshness of the foods. MOSs burgers used rice bun and many other Japanese sauces like teriyaki sauce that cover up on the burgers to shows its uniqueness which emphasized on providing a healthy, delicious and clean food. Moreover, the company also served variety of unique and original MOS Burger as well as using transnational strategies when going global because they keep standardized the recipe and the business system while localized some of the product to fit with local taste and preference. The corporate motto To make people happy through food was an important driver for the company to produce fresh, delicious, and quality burgers to their customers (MOS Burger Website, 2012). The passionate commitment of the company make it successful possible and to ensure a continuous survival in this competitive market. MOS Burger has successfully expanded its business globally and currently there are 28 outlets in Singapore, 223outlets in Taiwan, 16 in Hong Kong, 7 in Thailand, 2 in Indonesia, 18 in China, 2 in Korea and 5 in Australia (MOS Burger Website, 2012). The 1412 outlets in Japan have almost reached the limit for the company to expand, therefore the company hope to accelerate its expansion with a vision from MOS of Japan to MOS of Asia and finally MOS of the World. The company planned to expand their business and choose to enter those markets that they have not enter yet such as Malaysia, Canada, Western countries and so on in the future (MOS Food Singapore, 2012). The entry mode used by MOS Burger to enter the oversea market normally lies on joint venture and franchise system. The company form joint venture with the local company as expansion strategy into overseas market (MOS Burger Website, 2012). MOS Burger headquarter will assigned a personnel to discuss about the development and joint effort with the local company to ensure that they can enter into the new market successfully which is totally differences in terms of the ways of doing business, culture issues and other issues. MOS Burger also use franchise as one of the entry mode strategies but it is not easy to obtain a franchise license from MOS Burger because it needs to fulfill the requirements set by the company. The potential franchisee need to know well about the companys philosophy that created by Mr. Sakurada because he wish to partner with those who cares on nature; and also a group of people who can contribute to the creation of happiness both for people and society (MOS Burger Website, 2012). However, the company will only seek for the countries or regional franchisees. As conclusion, the company is preferred to use a master franchise system to enter the new markets instead of a normal franchise system. 2.0 CURRENT EXPANSION STRATEGY MOS Burger starts to expand their business since year 2001 and the first overseas outlet is established at Taiwan. MOS burger has work attentively to expand their business and successfully opened 265 stores across seven regions in year 2011. (MOS report, 2011). 2.1 Joint Venture Joint venture is an entry mode by establishing a firm that is jointly owned by two or more otherwise independent firms (Charles and William, 2011). MOS Burger decided to use joint venture as one of the entry modes to enter other regions because it able to control over the business and at the same time it also can deeply understand that particular regions culture and lifestyle. In expansion into each region, MOS Burger only will establish a joint venture agreement with those companies that stressing on good human relationship even it is able to pursue profit (MOS Burger Website, 2012). MOS Burger will carefully in evaluate and select their joint venture companies in order to ensure their business performance to achieve satisfaction result. Those companies that qualified to pursue a joint venture agreement with MOS Burger must going through few processes start from submission of proposal, presentation, interview and they must able to cooperate in the development of MOS Burger in that particular region (MOS Burger Website, 2012). This strategy have been used very successfully in Taiwan by established a joint venture with TECO Group in year 1990. After 22 years, there are 223 stores was opened in Taiwan (MOS Burger Website, 2012). The successful expansion of MOS burger in Taiwan is because they expert in training their employees who able to understand the basic philosophy of MOS burger which is safe and secure. (Kouhei, Hideaki, Tsukasa, Shigeharu, 2010) In Indonesia, MOS Burger established a joint venture, Pt Mog Indonesia in year 2008 and they start the first outlet in Plaza Sendayan located at South Jakarta (Plaza Indonesia Shopping Centre, 2009). Moreover, MOS FOOD SERVICES Inc. has joint venture with Media Will Holding Co. Ltd, a Korean company that involved in broad spectrum of activities including printing, distribution and restaurant management to open a new South-Korea outlet in March 2012 (MOS Report, 2011). Joint venture is important for MOS Burger and successfully using by MOS to expand their business to overseas regions including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and others. MOS burger decided using joint venture because they found that the natural barrier in developing the business opportunities overseas. Those natural barriers mainly refer to each regions language and culture differs from each other (MOS report, 2011). The successful of this strategy can be seen in Taiwan which consist the highest number of outlets among the foreign markets. It was so success because the joint venture company TECO group fully understand their own region and succeed in training the employees who can speak Chinese well and at the same time they able to understand the basic philosophy that developed by MOS burger. (Kouhei, Hideaki, Tsukasa, Shigeharu, 2010) However, joint venture still has its own limitations which are MOS burger unable fully control over their own business and conflict may arise when there is different point of views. (Charles and William, 2011) 2.2 Franchising Other than joint venture, franchising is another entry strategy that used by MOS Burger as it falls under fast food industry. According to Charles and William (2011), franchising considered as a specialized form of licensing in which franchiser sell the intangible property to the franchisee and insists on rules to do the business. MOS burger expands their business and increase the number of outlet out of their home country by seeking large franchisees instead of seeking the small scale or individual capacity (MOS Burger Website, 2012). Within every single region, those individual franchisees will be managed by the joint venture company together with MOS Burger to make sure all franchisees perform according to the established business practice and ensure the quality control in term of food as well as their customer service. Similar to joint venture, the franchise agreement will be signed after gone through several processes which are propose, present, interview, environment analysis and then only come with the agreement. MOS burger will only engage in partnership with those franchisees that sympathy to their idea included do work that will be appreciated by customers, getting personal satisfaction when customer satisfy with them and must have the full heart motivation to operate the franchise business. (MOS Burger Website, 2012) Today, MOS burger has become the second largest franchise in Japan after McDonald. (Phillip, 2012). This franchise system has been applied in different Asia region including Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and others. MOS Burger use franchise system able to generate fixed income by collecting royal fees from the franchisees. However, increasing number of franchise granted by MOS Burger will result in a stronger competition among all the MOS Burgers franchise business within a particular region. In Taiwan, MOS Burger consist of 223 outlets and each outlet is compete together in order to achieve the highest profit for each other. Strong competition between the franchisees will decrease the overall profit that can generate by MOS Burger and this becomes the limitation of this strategy. There are many success franchises from MOS Burger in different regions; however there is a failure case that found in Hawaii, United State. In the late of 1980s, MOS Burger was enter to Hawaii but the business is fail due to the high rents, inventory problem and inconsistent food quality (Andrew and Kulwant, 2005). 2.3 Wholly Owned Outlet In planning to expand their business out from then Asia, there is a wholly owned outlet which opens in Australia in April 2011. Michelle (2012) reported that Shinji Yamaguchi who is the head of international operation of MOS burger said they enter Australia because it closes to Asia and there are a lot of Asian people which have similar culture (Michelle, 2012). Besides, Australia outlet also is a test run of their business practice for MOS burger before their plan of entering Western countries. Yamaguchi said MOS burger now is still unclear to use franchising strategy or wholly own business by them in the following year to expand the business. 3.0 FUTURE EXPANSION STRATEGY Success only belongs to those who are well in prepared. An organization or company want to achieve a continuous successful, a well planning future strategies is a crucial. In order to achieve the goal from MOS of Japan to MOS of the World, MOS Burger has been involved in expansion of the business in Asia and even plan to enter Europe market in the future. Once the MOS Burger decides to enter a foreign market, it must implement some of the entry mode strategies which are suitable for future expansion. As a fast food company, it is popular for using franchising or joint venture as a strategy for international expansion. However, increases in competition during international expansion, MOS Burger also need to consider some other strategies for future expansion and stand out from competitors. 3.1 Export Canada MOS Burger is recommended invest into new product line besides from joint venture and franchising. MOS Burger should use this well established brand name to come out some snack food and using exporting strategies in future as well. This practice found in success case of Old Town White Coffee which expand their business by come out own brand of package instant coffee besides from set up the food stores. MOS Food services, Inc has experience in collaboration with other companies and come out product such as MOS Baked Choco Caramel Corn and flight meals such as Air MOS Burger (MOS report, 2011). Moreover, it also collaborates with Kit Kat in Japan and come out rich white chocolate within limited time period. These indicate there is a possibility of MOS Burger to implement this strategy. MOS Burger is suggested export snack food such as Japanese Dorayaki, dessert like Hokkaido milk ice, pudding and sells their uncooked Hokkaido Croquette at the hypermarket in foreign countries. As mention above, MOS Burger is planning expand to Canada, so exporting strategy may adopted to expand their business as it is a low risk strategy. Besides, exporting strategies provide opportunities for MOS Burger to learn and understand more about the overseas markets in term of culture, politic, economic, preference before invest in bricks and mortar store (FAO Corporate Document Repository, 1997). Canada will be the first Europe country suggested for MOS Burger to adopt export strategy for snack foods because according to National Eating Trends (NET), snacking is the fastest growing circumstance in Canada and snacking consists of more than 24% of all meal eaten in 2009 compared to 2000 with 22 % (Demontis, 2010). Using export strategy can be a stage to adopt franchise in Canada for MOS Burger. Export snack foods able to create Canadas consumers awareness, interest and familiarity toward this brand. Moreover, MOS Burger also can increase their understanding toward Canadian consumer behavior and preference. When MOS Burger achieve favorable result in Canada by using export, they can be easier to planning the adoption of master franchise system in Canada in the following year (MOS Food Singapore, 2012). Canada is a viable market due to growing in Canadian prefers Asian fast food with a growth rate of 9% (Ryomoto, 2009).Moreover, Ryomoto (2009) said that, changing in the consumer trend toward convenient, safety and quality foods also increase the feasibility for MOS Burger fast food franchise in Canada. Canada also can become platform for MOS Burger to expand into other western countries. 3.2 Partnership Malaysia Simultaneously, another entry strategy that recommended for MOS Burger is partnership. Partnership is one of the entry modes which two or more parties contribute their resources such as money, property, talent, knowledge and etc to share in the profit and losses of the business (Gerald Kathleen, 2005). Partnership can bring several benefits. First and foremost is capital acquisition. The fund is rising easily if there have several partners because they can easily contribute more funds rather than a single entity. Second is share responsibility. Different partners will have different abilities and skills. Rather than assign the task equally, partnership allow all the parties responsible the task they are excel in. Malaysia is the suggested country that to adopt this entry strategy. In order to avoid the fierce competition in fast food industry throughout Malaysia, MOS Burger will be suggested to start and growth-up their business at the location along with the South-North Expressway, Malaysia. These locations suggested as it can mainly target the travelers who use the expressway and lack of fast food outlets along the highway. MOS Burger can partner with the petrol station such as Petronas, Shell or etc. This proposed entry mode is derived from other fast food firm such as Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. The Pizza Hut and Taco Bell have created a strong partnership and this is a successful cooperation (Co-branding examples, 2012). According to Onakayo (2003) the managing director of Mobil Oil, Mobil petrol station has a fast food court called On The Run and it provide family or friends to enjoy in a comfort and quality place. Besides, Dr. Paa (2003) said that partnership of fast food with petrol station provide benefits to customers, share holders as well as the overall economy of a cities or places. Besides, the practice of this strategy can benefits those long journey travelers who use the South-North Expressway especially those from Singapore to North areas need to pump in the petrol and take a rest during their journey or half way. Dr Paa (2003) also said that this practice can commend as a tourism attraction because it able to serve the travelers need who moving around and between cities. Once this partnership has been implementing, after the traveler pump in the petrol they can take a rest while will enjoy their meal just beside the petrol station only. This will open-up a new opportunity for the MOS Burger while also will attract the traveler for particular petrol station to fill up fuel and rest. This will create a win-win situation. 3.3 Backward Integration New Zealand Last but not least, MOS Burger can adopt backward integration which is taking the role of their suppliers. Backward integration allow MOS Burger to gain some benefits such as to ensure the source of quality of the raw material at a competitive prices, have full control to the cost and able to supply the expanding market either locally and abroad (Poultry Integration, 2012). This practice has been used by KFC Holding (KFCH) as they have invested into different activities that assist their core business (Poultry Integration, 2012). To implement backward integration, MOS Burgers is recommended to to own a breeder farm and hatchery, feed mills, animal farm, broiler farming or further processing plants through acquisition. Acquisition refers to acquiring others businesses through occupying certain amount of share or assets (Tan, 2009). Acquisition strategy able to provide the benefits of speed, decrease in risks, avoids strong competition, overcome entry barrier and others (Business manag ement strategy, 2010). Acquisition is worth to be practice as it allows the company to access a wider customer base and increase their market share. The most appropriate country for MOS Burger to adopt backward integration. Dairy Group (2012) said that New Zealand is the country which holds 35% of dairy products in the world market. The dairy industry in New Zealand is famous and distinctive in term of its high quality and flavorful products. Besides, according to the statistic New Zealand (2011), milk powder, butter and cheese are the top one as well as meat and edible offal as the top two commodities that exported by New Zealand. In order to hold the strong position in the world market, New Zealand is very straight in protecting their grass-fed heard through bio-security policies and using bio-nutrients to feed the cow (Investment now, 2012). As conclusion, the high effort of New Zealand to ensure the quality of their dairy products provide a great opportunity to MOS Burger to implement the backward integration as they can fully control the quality of the dairy products that may used as one or more raw materials for MOS Burger in the fast food industry. Conclusion In conclusion, the study has identified the entry modes and also the expansion strategies that adopted by MOS Burger to enter foreign markets. There are also some future expansion strategies proposed for the company which are applicable and implementable as some of the real cases discussed have shown a good example. The entry modes that currently used by the company for expansions are mainly fall on franchise and joint venture. The company will choose a suitable franchisees or partners that know well and align to the MOS Burgers philosophy to cooperate. This is to make sureÃâà that the risks of enter into a different market for doing business can be reduce and to maintain a substantial control over the quality of the food. Moreover, choosing the right partners is to ensure that the commitment of the company can be transmit to those who like to eat MOSs burger. Besides that, MOS Burger can expand their business using other entry modes as well in the future to compete with their rivals in foreign markets. Exporting is another alternative for MOS as it is the easiest way for the company to enter the new markets and reach the customers easily. The company is suggest to export their product in term of snack form by using the well established brand name MOS Burger to enter the Canadian market which has a high consumption of snack food. Meanwhile, the partnership entry mode can be adopted as well in Malaysia by cooperating with local well known company for example Petronas. MOS can partner with the petrol station distributor to build their outlets beside or near the petrol station along the South- North Highway in Malaysia to gain benefit while the travelers take their rest or refill petrol at the petrol station on the highway. Next, the company can also use the backward integration strategy to gain some advantages on the cost of material and als o to strengthen the supply chain system of the company which need not depends much on the main suppliers anymore. This can be done probably in New Zealand by acquiring a piece of land and breed their own poultry that needed for making the burgers. Finally, MOS Burger is a company that has a potential to expand and grow globally. Thus, it need to be managed by a talented and committed management team and also maintain a good cooperation with his partners and franchisees.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Destructive Stem Cell Research Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Topic
Destructive Stem Cell Research à à Nine states now ban all destructive embryo research, whether publicly or privately funded. The state of Virginia itself has banned the use of cloning to make human embryos for research, and is considering a response to the Jones Institute's project for making research embryos by in vitro fertilization.(36) And the Food and Drug Administration, without funding any part of in vitro fertilization, recently wrote to in vitro fertilization clinics engaged in new reproductive techniques to remind them that such technologies, albeit privately funded, are subject to federal regulation. à Like the argument that human embryos are not members of the human race, arguments that destroying them is necessary for medical progress or that funding such destruction is needed to prevent broader abuse cannot be sustained. With these arguments out of the way we can return to the real issue at stake: Should the federal government subsidize - and force millions of morally opposed taxpayers to subsidize - research that requires the destruction of innocent human life? We hope that Congress will answer that question in the negative, and will unite instead to support promising medical research that everybody can live with. à Most Christians have grave concerns on this critically important issue of embryonic stem cell research. In our view, conducting research that relies on deliberate destruction of human embryos for their stem cells is illegal, immoral and unnecessary. à It is illegal because it violates an appropriations rider (the Dickey amendment) passed every year since 1995 by Congress. That provision forbids funding "research in which" human embryos (whether initially created for resear... ...eficiency (SCID)-X1 Disease," 288 Science 669-72 (28 April 2000). à 16. K. Foss, "Paraplegic regains movement after cell procedure," The Globe and Mail (Toronto), June 15, 2001 at A1. à 17. E. Ryan et al., "Glycemic Outcome Post Islet Transplantation," Abstract #33-LB, Annual Meeting of the American Diabetes Association, June 24, 2001. See: http://38.204.37.95/am01/AnnualMeeting/Abstracts/NumberResults.asp?idAbs=33-LB. à 18. M. McCullough, "Islet transplants offer hope that diabetes can be cured," Philadelphia Inquirer, June 22, 2001 at A1. à 19. D. Woodbury et al., "Adult Rat and Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Differentiate Into Neurons," 61 J. of Neuroscience Research 364-70 (2000) at 364 (emphasis added). à 20. D. Prockop, "Stem Cell Research Has Only Just Begun" (Letter), 293 Science 211-2 (13 July 2001)(citations omitted).
America Needs More Immigrants Essays -- Immigrants Immigration Persua
America Needs More Immigrants America is sometimes referred to as a "nation of immigrants" because of our largely open-door policy toward accepting foreigners pursuing their vision of the American Dream. Recently, there has been a clamor by some politicians and citizens toward creating a predominantly closed-door policy on immigration, arguing that immigrants "threaten" American life by creating unemployment by taking jobs from American workers, using much-needed social services, and encroaching on the "American way of life." While these arguments may seem valid to many, they are almost overwhelmingly false, and more than likely confused with the subject of illegal immigration. In fact, immigrants actually enhance American life by creating, not taking jobs, bolster social service funds through tax payments, and bring valuable technical knowledge and skills to our country. If we are to continue to excel as a nation, the traditionalists who fear an encroachment of foreign-born Americans must learn to ac cept that we achieved our greatness as a result of being "a nation of immigrants." Ã A common argument among those opposing further immigration is that foreigners take U.S. jobs and cause unemployment among the displaced American workers. In the July 13, 1992 edition of Business Week , a poll states that sixty-two percent of non-blacks and sixty-three percent of blacks agree that "new immigrants take jobs away from American workers." This is a widely held, if erroneous belief, among Americans. However, Julian L. Simon, author of The Economic Consequences of Immigration , states: immigration does not exacerbate unemployment...Immigrants not only take jobs, but also create them. Their purchases increas... ...cent more likely...to have post-graduate educations" than Americans, according to Simon. The traditionalists opposing immigration must recognize our lives are enhanced by their knowledge and education, and that in order to "preserve our nation", they must realize we are a "nation of immigrants" and let others prove their worth. Ã The issue of immigration must be dealt with rationally, not emotionally. Facts, figures, and statistics must be studied by both sides in order to reach a decision most beneficial to our nation. Our lives are enhanced by the new jobs created by immigrants, the social service funds bolstered by their tax payments, and the valuable technical skills and knowledge brought with them. These benefits far outweigh any negative effects and prove the value of immigrants as they pursue the American Dream in our "nation of immigrants." Ã
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