Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay

Those who think Transcendentalism is just a literary movement that took place in the early 1800s are only half correct. Transcendentalism is indeed a literary movement; however, it is much more than that. It is meant to challenge people to think for themselves and cause change. Authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee taught the importance of non-conformity and civil disobedience through short stories such as â€Å"Self Reliance† and â€Å"On the Duty of Civil Disobedience†, and the play, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail. Transcendentalism is based on the belief that knowledge is derived from experience and personal reflection as opposed to reason. Transcendentalism promotes self-revelation because it encourages people to form their own opinions and then voice them in a way that will promote change in society. Transcendentalists ground their philosophy with the idea that every person’s inner self is where knowledge is gained. In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s â€Å"Self Reliance†, he says, ‘†What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think†¦It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. ‘† Emerson realizes that it is easy to conform to society, but there is value in forming one’s own opinion. What makes a person great is if he or she can stand out in a crowd of people. While in a crowd, one can see the overall ideas of the group but never the individual thoughts that made up these ideas. Emerson is saying that to be great, one must be able to be with the crowd physically, but mentally remain one’s own person with their own ideas. Because Transcendentalism values individual opinions, it is also important to people such as Henry David Thoreau that everyone, especially the government, is open to other peoples’ opinions. In â€Å"On the Duty of Civil Disobedience† Thoreau says, â€Å"There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power†¦ and treats him accordingly. † Thoreau understands that citizens should be able to influence the government and cause change. To do this, the government needs to treat its citizens with respect. Politicians and other government workers need to do away with their pride and listen to what is really important- the citizens. When people can form their own opinions, respect others’ opinions, and voice their opinions, there will be harmony. In Transcendentalism, people are encouraged not only to form their own opinions, but to voice them as well. Thoreau tells everyone to â€Å"make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it† (Thoreau). He supports transcendentalism by encouraging people to stand up and talk about their opinions. Thoreau understands that change, especially in government can only occur when individuals make their opinions heard. During his life, Thoreau challenged the idea of slavery, government corruption, payment of taxes, and the Mexican-American War. In The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, Thoreau is talking to his old professor about how he should voice his discontent with the Mexican-American War. When Thoreau’s professor asks when he should voice his opinion Thoreau yells, â€Å"‘NOW! A year ago was too late! I’ll get you an audience. This afternoon. At Concord Square! †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Lawrence and Lee 89). In the play, Thoreau expresses that opinions are no good if they are not proclaimed to the world. If opinions are not voiced they cannot be heard. Transcendentalism values individual opinions and acknowledges that voicing them is crucial if they are going to spearhead change in their society. Transcendentalists agree that self-revelation is wasted if it is not voiced and then heard and thereby causing change. During The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, Thoreau spends a small amount of time as a schoolteacher. While Thoreau is a schoolteacher, he gets into trouble with the schoolmaster because he lets his kids â€Å"Huckleberry† in order to come to a conclusion in a class discussion. After he gets in trouble Thoreau sarcastically tells his students, ‘â€Å"You must not listen to a cricket or smell a flower that has not been approved by the School Committee. You’d better close both ears and hold your nose- though you may have to grow an extra hand to do it†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Lawrence and Lee 20). In this instance, Thoreau is trying to speak out against the strict policy of the school committee. He sees that the policy is unfair and that students should be able to learn in a way that is effective for them. By speaking out against the school committee, Thoreau is opening up the possibility for a reform in the education system. Thoreau sees that there is an opportunity to promote change so he takes it and speaks his opinion. According to Thoreau and other transcendentalists, the government needs to be ameliorated. Thoreau says, â€Å"The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it† (Thoreau). Transcendentalists agree that the government usually does not work for the people it is protecting. However, they do realize that it is necessary for the survival of the United States. Thoreau is encouraging people to take a stand against the current government, which he hopes will lead to a reform that will empower people to demand more influence in politics. Transcendentalism emphasizes that individuals need to voice their opinions if change is going to occur. According to Transcendentalists, promoting change in society occurs through self-revelation. There must be free thinking people in the world who are willing to make their voice heard if change is ever going to occur. Today many people think that the American school system is something that needs to be reformed. There is a problem if most students are no longer engaged and excited to go to school. Transcendentalists would say that students should be learning things that are interesting to them and cause them to think beyond what is being taught. Students should be encouraged to investigate and debate ideas in order to come up with their own. If America were still in the Transcendentalism time period, people would be insisting on these types of changes. They know that if they do not speak out, nothing will happen.

Innocent Smoothies

Innocent drink case study analysis: Innocent drinks are a unique business selling 100% natural fruit smoothies. (Innocent drinks) There are many factors that contribute to the company’s successful development so far. Firstly, and most importantly, their unique selling point which is using just fresh fruit in their drinks. This is a major strength to the company as they fit in today’s trend of a healthy eating lifestyle. â€Å"They contain even more antioxidants than the average five a day† (Adams 2007). Moreover Innocent has environmentally friendly packaging; their bottles are clear with simple product information in one colour. Straight away this makes it stand out more than the rest on that shop shelf. â€Å"They were the first company in the world to put drinks on shelves in 100% recycled plastic bottles† (Oracle 2008). However they did not carry out in depth research, they only asked consumers one question: â€Å"Do you think we should give up our jobs to make these smoothies? † (Bains et. al. 2008). No questions related to the product that could help them in the future were asked. Moreover the founders abided by their principles and they only produced their products how they wanted to. This had moved them from a niche market to a nationalised company, now holding more than half of the market share. Furthermore they have met their social responsibilities in many ways such as projects in India, providing food for the homeless and the big knit- providing warmth for the elderly. â€Å"We knitted 20,000 hats to raise ? 10,000 money for Age Concern† (Innocent drinks) Another factor of success to Innocent is their fun and informal business style. Their organisational structure is unique as their staff get bonuses on having children and snowboarding holidays. Even their website is fun-filled excitement; it has its own attractive style it tells you everything about them. Lester (2007) explains â€Å"Their Company’s offices are among the friendliest and relaxed in the world† However the difficulties that company’s like Innocent drinks face are firstly lack of experience and knowledge. Lester (2007) describes â€Å"Its founders had no real experience in the sector. † Moreover raising capital, the founders of Innocent being foolish gave their jobs up straight away without any solid plans. Lester (2007) explains â€Å"They needed to raise money to buy fruit and bottles and get the smoothies made. † However capital problems can be solved by finding ‘Business Angels’. Innocent also found theirs – a wealthy American Maurice Pinto, had the experience and the `money; he was highly impressed by Innocent. â€Å"Maurice decided to invest ? 250,000 in return for 20% stake in the business† (Lester 2007). Furthermore many new businesses underestimate things like how much raw material they will need, this was similar to Innocent. They had only ever made small quantities of their juices but were looking to expand across the nation† (Lester 2007). But using fresh fruits meant that the drinks will be perishable quicker and will have to be sold really quickly. Having too many founders can also be an obstacle to a small business. Innocent had three founders, which meant there were conflicts and every decision had to be discussed and debated befor e reaching a conclusion. This can slow down progress. Innocent have many more business opportunities now that they are a successfully developed business. They have already started to expand their product range in making further products like desserts. They could furthermore develop their product range from ice-creams to maybe even meals, keeping to their principles of healthy eating. Moreover, with the right market research, if these products became successful, they could even open up shops, even restaurants or cafes and possibly start selling online too. These are opportunities because â€Å"By differentiating the products or service the company increase the value of its operators and hence, improves performance† (Bradley 2002 p21). They could further enhance their existing products starting with new packaging, a new style, new combination of colours or even new sizes (king/snack size). Ali (2001 pg 24) suggests firms should â€Å"Keep products fresh by introducing new variants and improved versions†. Using incentives is a good way to get attention, Innocent could offer a free soft toy cow, or a free membership pass to a gym. Innocent use testimonials on their website, they could use famous faces to make these testimonials stand out more. Ali (2001 p11) also explains that a business should â€Å"Look at the various aspects of their business that customers use to form a view of you† Lastly Innocent could sponsor big charity events and music shows, this way they are being ethically responsible and they raise awareness about their products. All of these suggestions would contribute to reducing the risk of business failure for Innocent drinks in the future. Innocent is a fast growing business and one of the most successful. However Page, Ralph and Jones (1989 p 1-55) explain fast growth in a short period of time is a threat. Having to produce on a large scale and making deliveries on time can be difficult. Forecasting demand and market growth is essential; firms almost fail predicting this incorrectly. A fast growing business like Innocent, need to keep track of forecasts as accurately as they can, or they can lose their reputation and money. For example, â€Å"Firms need skill in measuring and forecasting the size, growth, and profit potential† (Kotler 1994 p 245). Also Innocent will have to be aware of changing trends and tastes in their market, drastic changes in the market can affect Innocent. However there are also external threats to Innocent like competition (Myroslaw 1987 p 45). They need to keep a constant watch on competitors to make comparisons with their own business. Moreover change in economic conditions effect firms, currently the economy is suffering a recession; (www. news. bbc. co. uk) during these times it would be best to lower prices. Even more technology changes can be threatening to the position of a firm, Innocent might need to update their current technology and re-train their employees. Finally meeting their liabilities, avoiding bad debts and cash flow problems will contribute to a firm’s success. In conclusion Innocent drinks is proven to be a surprisingly successful business even after all the struggles, they came through as a strong and honest business. However they now need to be extra careful because they have reached a high level of success, and the higher you are the harder it becomes to maintain that position. Word count: 1,062 Bibliography: Anthony S. Page, Ralph C. Jones (1989) ‘Business Growth – How to Achieve and Sustain It’, Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 10(2) p 1-55. Ali, M. (2001) Marketing Effectively, Hampton, Dorling Kindersley. Baines, P. Fill, C. and Page, K. (2008) Marketing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bradley, F. (2002) International Marketing Strategy, Dublin, Pearson Education. Kotler, P. (1994) Marketing Management, USA, Prentice Hall. Myroslaw J. (1987) ‘customer service competition business to business and industrial market’ Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 2(4) p45-52. ttp://www. innocentdrinks. co. uk/us/? Page=our_story Accessed 21/11/08 http://www. innocentdrinks. co. uk/bored/ Accessed 21/11/08 http://money. aol. co. uk/small-business/innocent-drinks-coming-to-fruition/article/20070814091309990004 Accessed 19/11/08 http://www. oracle. com/customers/snapshots/innocent-drinks-demantra-snapshot. pdf Accessed 21/11/08 http://www. drinks-business-review. com/art icle_feature. asp? guid=55937F47-8134-4E4F-A9A4-881AE440062F Accessed 21/11/08 http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/magazine/7686531. stm Accessed 01/12/08

Elizabeth Taylor's personality Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Elizabeth Taylor's personality - Term Paper Example 10). This was her first film role, and she played the role of a young equestrian who was competing in a national championship event. This role in National Velvet landed her other subsequent, but perhaps less notable roles, until she filmed Cleopatra, which rocketed her to cult star status. According to Royster (2003), â€Å"Indeed, for the rest of her life, Elizabeth Taylor tended most often to apply the excessive blue eyelid makeup designed for Cleopatra† (pp. 225). What Ms. Taylor is also known for is her elaborate relationships. According to the biographical news article â€Å"Elizabeth Taylor: News Stories About Elizabeth Taylor† (2011), â€Å"During her 79 years, Elizabeth Taylor appeared in more than 50 films, won two Oscars, and was married eight times to seven men† (pp. 1). Ms. Taylor also had several romances. According to the Elizabeth Taylor Biography article (2011), â€Å"Elizabeth's marital affairs have been a target of many tabloids† (pp. 1). Ms. Taylor did much charitable work. According to the article â€Å"In Loving Memory of Dame Elizabeth Taylor† (2011), she worked tirelessly for raising charitable donations to AIDS victims, gaining more federal funding for AIDS research (pgh. 4). Until her death, she was always supporting her various causes. As stated in Elizabeth Taylor’s Charity Work, Events, and Causes (2011), Ms. Taylor also worked to ensure the ethical treatment of animals by supporting the foundation entitled Dogs Deserve Better (pgh. 1). Certainly, Ms. Taylor was a woman of remarkable talents with assets to further her causes—which were extensions of her graceful and compassionate heart. Hopefully others will follow her example. An Analysis of Liz Taylor’s Behavior, Personality Traits and Observations About Feelings, Values, and Social Relationships Ms. Taylor’s behavior, personality traits, and some observations about her feelings, values, and social relationships will be discussed here. Ms. Taylor was never much of a â€Å"drama queen†Ã¢â‚¬â€except when it came to acting as well as personal life. She was not a standoffish person, but rather was a warm and kind individual thrust into the spotlight of fame perhaps a bit early. However, Ms. Taylor handled all of her interactions with grace and beauty. Even in her declining years, when she no longer could walk by herself, Ms. Taylor radiated a certain glow about her that was unmistakable. One of Ms. Taylor’s personality traits included the fact that she was a serial monogamist—at least, when she wasn’t having an extramarital affair. Why is it that under the long shadow cast by â€Å"old† studio Hollywood, such behavior was tolerated? Liz Taylor was indeed a beautiful woman, but what may have compelled her to get involved in such destructive relationships? Of course, no one can really entirely map out the reasons why someone would engage in romances on the side, but i t may have spoken to Ms. Taylor because—even though she was very rich—she was continually dissatisfied with what she had or who she was with seemingly many times. Having been married eight times, it seems that she would have been a very fickle wife. Perhaps it could be attributed to her vanity, but perhaps there is also a deeper meaning behind those divorces—that she was seeking something that she could not find in one man alone—

Historical Significance of AIDS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Historical Significance of AIDS - Essay Example The article views a range of aspects from a social perspective on practices of institutions that shape the response of Brazil to AIDS and victims lives and their stories. It is drawn from interviews with policy makers, corporate actors, longitudinal ethnographic and activists among the care services of AIDS. The innovation of pharmaceuticals allow for unlikely coalitions which exposes the insufficiencies of action to reforms and paradigms of public health, if to global values, limited extent and mechanisms. The treatment rollouts form matters of strong negotiations, the local realization shape up by uncertainty and contingencies. Such realizations program diverse political and economic interests, as well as desires and citizens needs. The therapeutic merges also expose local infrastructure and national deficiencies and bring together the relations of civil society. A public health model that is pharmaceutically centred has surfaced to be a by-product from the treatment of AIDS sustai nability and scale up of policy of AIDS in Brazil has to constantly be negotiated in the drugs world market. Many networks and differentiation in the AIDS care resurface and in the article, the reason for the difficultness in AIDS practice among the poor has been well spelt out. The AIDS victims who are poor stay in a flux state and simultaneously acknowledging their condition during their participation in salvation. In a micro and macro level, there is a triage state and survival politics crystallizing (Biehl, pp 1083) Many communities have different beliefs, ideas and healing systems about AIDS and therefore, a viewed few ideas will be considered (porter, pp8). AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a feared disease which results into entire failure of resistance to bacterial and viral infection that originally exist in the body of human being. AIDS is caused by Human T-cell Lymph tropic-associated HTLV-III according to scientists from America. In France the scientists name d it LAV and World Health Organization calls it HIV. The virus affects selectively helper T-cells responsible for very crucial role in the defence responses of human body to fight diseases (Christopher et al, pp 7) The named symptoms might show one or alongside others or altogether might be suppressed: unexplainable and significant weight loss, thick sputum cough, glands which are swollen in neck side, groin and armpits, watery diarrhoea that persists, white copursles reduction, anal and oral ulcers persistent mood of tiredness and blood platelets reduction. The virus presence in human body is discovered through an easy test of blood called ELISA. Other tests like test of immune florescence and Western blot can be used to confirm this test (ELISA). AIDS is not curable. But researchers worldwide are working on finding a safe but effective vaccine and a drug which would stop this virus from spreading. Considerations have been on many drugs. But Dideoxy nucleoside, Ribavarin and Azidot hymidine seems to be more satisfactory. Already AZT is being used in the United States of America on the victims. AIDS is a name derived from a deadly immune structure weakening. Furthermore, AIDS as investigated is caused by T4cells destruction or functional failure. T4 cells are also known as helper cells that perform a systematic role in production of immune system or body defence antibodies. During the period of ailment, there exists a big reduction of the helper cells count blocking the manufacturing of antibodies and

The Legal Environment of Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Legal Environment of Business - Assignment Example Two parties are involved; the one providing an offer (offeror) and the one accepting or agreeing to the offer (offeree). As a first step, legal contracts require both parties to agree on the subject of the contract (Goldman and Sigismond 2010). After that, the parties agree for appropriate way the contract can be made. The process now enters into negotiation process where the offeror make an offer (promise) to the offeree (promisee). It is always required that when this takes place, the offer in the context should be seriously intended, be definite and well communicated to the promisee. Serious intention is the key to make the contract legally recognized, since without serious intention, the contract is regarded as a less binding agreement (Goldman and Sigismond 2010). An offer becomes legally accepted when it is devoid of subjective intentions such as secret inner feelings by the offeror. In most cases, the court to legally recognize offer and acceptance contract, the parties are re quired to have intentions that are clear and objective in nature. Moreover, the terms expressed in the agreement should be definite in nature, where specific aspects such as price, time, quantity, and quality should not be vaguely expressed. In addition, the offer must be communicated clearly between the parties involved especially the promisee who has to understand the contents of the agreement before accepting. Lastly, the process should reflect a regally recognized invitation process among the parties and not done through coercion (Goldman and Sigismond 2010). The difference between warranties and conditions Contract whichever type or nature is generally perceived to be either a warranty or condition. In most cases, understanding whether a contract is warranty or condition may be problematic but the courts usually establish the rules of construction of contracts that in most cases are used to resolve ambiguities. Therefore, are certain specifics, which can be looked upon, and hel p in differentiating warranty from condition. First difference between the two arises from the purpose, which they serve. Condition usually constitutes stipulation aspects that are necessary to the primary purpose of contract of sale (Geet and Deshpande 2008). On the other hand, warranty constitutes stipulations that are collateral in nature (subsidiary) to the main purpose of contract of sale (). Another difference is brought about by the issue of breach. When a condition is breached, the party that is aggrieved has the right to sue for damages and also enjoy the right to repudiate the contract (Geet and Deshpande 2008). On the other hand, when warranty is breached, the part that is aggrieved only enjoys the right to sue for damages and not right for repudiate. Further, when a condition is breached, it is sometimes treated as breach of warranty and the same cannot be applied to warranty when it is breached. Lastly, condition goes direct to the root or core of the contract, while wa rranty does not go direct to the root of the contract (Geet and Deshpande 2008). How mistake may affect a contract Contracts may be appealing at first instance they are created and may be viewed to be fine without mistakes. However, unlike the common and general mistakes, contract mistakes exhibit unique feature in that it has to do largely with mistaken assumptions that are related to contract formation

Unit 4 Individual Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Unit 4 Individual Project - Essay Example Euthanasia is a word derived from the Greek, simply means a â€Å"gentle and easy death† (Oxford English Dictionary, 2004). Obviously, supporters of the decriminalization of euthanasia are not using the word in this uncontroversial sense. They are not simply supporting the expansion of hospices and improvements in medical services. Rather, they are arguing that doctors should in certain circumstances be allowed to ensure an easy death not just by killing the pain but by killing the patient. Often the decision to practice euthanasia is more of a decision between letting the person die now or later, rather than a choice between life and death. Thus, it could be deemed that the movement in favor of euthanasia may be rooted in our fear of facing death, and that euthanasia is used to hasten death so that we will not have to cope with the consequences associated with the actual process of dying. In fact, according to U.S. surveys, there is greater support for physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia among patients and the general public than among physicians (Kashima and Braun, 15 October 2001). More Caucasians support these practices than members of ethnic minority groups (Braun, et al., February 2001). This is a very sorry situation wherein people would like to have complete control of their lives. In reality, humans have limited control but, ultimately, are forced to accept phenomena which they cannot change. Sickness and death fall into this category. The humane response to a dying person is to keep him company and alleviate his discomfort. There is no medical or ethical reason to deprive a person of all the pain medication needed to keep him comfortable and, for most people, a regimen of comfort care can be established in either a health care facility or at home. To be sure, keeping company with the dying and caring for their physical needs is a demanding task, but it is not a task

Movie Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Movie Response - Essay Example The director of the movie, Spike Lee, who also plays the character of Mookie, portrays the relationship between the characters on the racial background. The message about racism and the relations between races is quite strong and powerful in this film. You can divide the characters into two groups – those who try to live peacefully with the representatives of another race (Pino, Jade, Vito), and those who are in the state of conflict and have anger at the people of different race (Buggin Out, Radio Raheem). Mookie is somewhere in between – he seems to be torn between both sides due to his commitments. One more important character of the movie is Mister Senor Love Daddy – his is the voice of reason in this conflict. The conflict, which builds up gradually and finally breaks out in the end of the movie, is triggered by Buggin Out and Radio Raheem, but the main part is played by Mookie, who seems to finally decide for himself which side to take, and he ends up on the side of his race, the African-Americans. Even though the movie is not easy to watch, I would even dare to say that it is a heavy-duty film, in the end you feel like you have learned something, because you see the position of those who are at the other side. The main conclusion that I come to is that racism is ugly in all its manifestations. Whether there are people dying from the racial conflicts, or businesses suffering, or children are getting the wrong message – racism is bad, it is wrong. When you start watching the movie with the title â€Å"Do the Right Thing†, you wonder what IS the right thing? Watching the movie I was thinking and, in a way, hoping that in the end I will get the answer to this profound question. Instead, I was left wondering. This question is left up to the audience to decide, and that is probably what good movie is about – not to tell you what is right or what is wrong, but to make you ask yourself these questions. In the end of the day, after watching the movie

Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Art History - Essay Example This particular link must affect the viewer. So, real art must have the capacity to unite people via communication. Art can also be the constant state of change and therefore, finding an exact meaning for the word â€Å"art† can be difficult. Art has a name; it has a shape, size, stroke, color and texture. And every piece of art is unique. In light of that piece of information, one can better grasp the concept of art and all of its beauty. Peter Paul Rubens was born in 1577 and was considered a seventeenth century baroque painter. His style of art emphasized movement, color and sensuality. This is clearly visible in all of his paintings but one painting in particular. Because Peter was well known for his counter-reformation altarpieces, landscapes and history paintings and mythological allegorical subjects, he was criticized. He was a classically educated humanist scholar art collector and diplomat who was knighted by both the king of Spain and the king of England. Peter did not just paint for any reason. Every painting has a certain frame, stroke, color and size which will lend to his reasoning behind the painting. His 1639 paining of he, his wife and son has a particular view and purpose. It is first and foremost an oil painting on wood. The dimensions are 80.25 high by 62.25 inches long. Rubens’ wife Helena became the model for ideal beauty or love. His paining switches the focus to Helena being the ideal mom of that time and away from him being the dominant half. The parrot symbolizes the Virgin Mary and in the background you can see Peter’s garden which he painted as a reminder of his courtship to his wife Helena. Rubens combines bold brushstrokes, luminous color and shimmering light of the Venetian school with the fervent vigor of Michelangelo’s. His use of color richness adds to the painting and highlights certain aspects that he feels to be important either by experience in travel or connections to people. His art is

Drug use laws Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Drug use laws - Essay Example At the same time, the above-mentioned initiative does not touch upon workplace as well as the issue of drug testing, which means employers have an absolute freedom to test their employees, and they choose to use this right (Turner, 2014). Many of the employers decide to test their employees for marijuana and other drugs use for it is what is stated in their legally adopted policies. The main reason why they should do it is that such drug tests guarantee that employees are able to do their work properly and are not impaired while being at their work place. In addition to this, they should continue testing to identify those who abuse drugs, are not able to perform established tasks properly and, consequently, threaten the quality of work of the entire company. What is more, as employers and business groups state, testing for marijuana and other drugs can help create a safer workplace for in many cases safety at a workplace depends on people who are present there (Healy, 2014). In case an emergency situation takes place, there is no guarantee that one who abuses drugs can handle it. Finally, employers should continue to test for marijuana, despite it being legal in order not only to save employees but to be on the safe side when it comes to their businesses. In accordance with Raabe of the Denver Post (2014), â€Å"there seems to be a movement toward more testing. A lot of people are freaked out about the prospects of employees’ legal marijuana use†. In this regards, it is worth mentioning that the number.

Hello Kitty Singapore Essay Example for Free

Hello Kitty Singapore Essay A person has many needs at any given time. Abraham Maslow sought to explain why people are driven by particular needs at particular times. According to him, human needs are arranged in a hierarchy (refer to Figure 1), from the most pressing to the least pressing. In order of importance, they are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs and self-actualization needs. The most basic level of needs must be satisfied first before desiring higher level needs. Therefore, having a Mctoy fulfils the forth level needs, called as ‘Esteem Needs’. Self-esteem is the desire for status, self-respect and prestige. Owning the series of Hello Kitty dolls has gained a sense of fulfilment to the individual because it is not that easy to get the limited edition toys at any time. Besides that, the ‘Kiasu’ attitude which is very popular among Singaporeans to have something which everyone else is having, regardless of whether it is of any use. The fear of losing out drives the feeling to fulfil their esteem needs, where they are happy knowing they too have one like others. In order to fulfil the esteem need, people are often engaged in either profession or hobby to gain recognition. For those who loves collecting dolls, use this hobby as a platform to gain recognition from others so that they will be praised. Thus, they feel that by owning the series of hello kitty dolls can make them gained recognition. How has McDonald’s created value to its consumers by offering Hello Kittty dolls in their Extra Value Meals? Marke ting experts, Don Peppers and Martha Rogers say that ‘The only value a company will ever create is the value that comes from customers.’ Customer value is the relationship between the consumers perception of benefits they believe they will derive from a purchased compared to the price that will be paid. The total benefit package includes functional attributes of the product and related service attributes. Creating value not only transforms sales effectiveness, it also provides insulation from price pressure. There are many sales strategies, tactics and techniques for creating value for customers. McDonald’s has identified the benefits that consumers would gain from the promotion by creating a series of value to its customer through the promotion. The total value created to its consumers by McDonald’s comprises of four sources namely product, services, personnel and image. Firstly, the product (Hello kitty Dolls) were given as a premium to its loyal consumers at its cost price when consumer purchases the Extra Value Meal, rather than charging any extra amount for it. McDonalds has created value to its consumers by offering this product premium. In terms of service, McDonald’s has created value to its consumers an alternative way of getting the exclusive dolls, where these dolls can only be purchased through McDonald’s outlets during the limited period of time. This series of limited-edition toys will not be available as and when consumers want them. Thirdly, the satisfaction gained by consumers by owning these dolls. As the dolls were limited edition and were sold at cheaper price, McDonald’s has created the satisfaction feeling among its consumers when they own them. And finally image value is created to McDonald’s consumers where the consumers have the option to choose designs of their preferences during the one-month promotion. The image of ‘Kitty’ representing different cultures wedding costumes creates value to those owning them. Thus, McDonald’s has added up values from all the four sources mentioned above to successfully create values to its consumers through its ‘Hello Kitty’ Promotion. Recommendations and Conclusion Here are several alternatives that McDonald’s should have considered before carrying out the promotion to avoid such havoc from happening: 1) Study the consumer behaviour of Singaporeans 2) Periods of the promotion 3) Increase the number of toys offered for promotion In conclusion, the havoc caused from the ‘Hello Kitty’ Promotion in Singapore has not tarnished McDonald’s image in any aspect. This was proven when McDonald’s introduced another six sets of designs featured royal costumes around the world a year after, and the sales seem not to be declining. There was no repeat of the previous year’s frenzy as McDonald’s was prepared. Several precautions were taken such as limiting the number of dolls each customer can buy to four, and had more dolls in stock for panic buying. Besides that, to monitor and control the crowds, McDonald’s has hired security personnel and mobile squad officers to visit McDonald’s outlets.

Brand loyalty

Brand loyalty INTRODUCTION Brand loyalty is the preference of the consumer to buy a particular brand in a specific product category. Brand loyalist have the following mindset: I am committed to this brand, I am willing to pay a higher price for this brand over other brands and I will recommend this brand to other (Giddens, 2002). Greater loyalty leads to numerous benefits such as an improved market share, decline in marketing cost and improved opportunities for brand extension to name a few (Martin evans). The Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic research determined that in December 2007 the U.S. economy reached its peak in economic activities. The peak marked the end of the expansion period that began in November 2001 and the start of the recession episode. Recession is a considerable decline in all economic activity which affects employment, production and real income spread over the economy. The recession has forced many consumers to prioritise and cut back spending. But how will consumers cut back and by how much, will vary immensely by brand and by category. The money consumers spend on various brands in different product categories would vary person to person but one thing that remains constant is that each one evokes a set of positive feelings like powerful, confident, young, happy, stylish etc. Consequently, for a brand to do well in an economic downturn, it is vital for the brand to do more than just satisfy a need or service. It must create and maintain an emotional connection with its customers which would induce positive feelings in them and hence the consumer will keep coming back for more (Isakovich, 2008). In this regard, this research proposal would answer a few questions regarding the effects of recession on brand loyalty of consumers in the U.S. Firstly, how store brands have become more popular than name brands in supermarkets. Lastly, how luxury brands have benefitted even through recession. The structure of the proposal would include methodology, its literature review, research techniques, research time-table and a conclusion. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research methodology is a system of principles and methods of procedure followed by a researcher of any discipline. There are several paradigms of research methodology. The most quoted definition of paradigm is Thomas Kuhns (1962, 1970) concept in The Nature of Science Revolution, i.e. paradigm as the underlying assumptions and intellectual structure upon which research and development in a field of inquiry is based. The main components of a paradigm are ontology, epistemology and methodology. Under these comes the comparative study of different approaches like positivism, interpretivism and critical theory. Ontology is reality and the state of being. It is how things exist in the world. It is how we view objects in studies (Lecture 2). Reality can be subjective or objective. For example are people with free will wholly responsible for their actions or is life predetermined by situations. Subjectivists believe that something comes into existence only when one experiences it and gives it meaning. They believe that people have their own beliefs assumptions and perceptions so they experience realities in different ways. While objectivists consider that reality is independent of those who exist in it. From their point of view people react to situations in a predictable way since their behaviour is a part of the material world these can be determined by causes (Hatch, 2006). There are a few assumptions which have to be explained in order to carry out this research: Store brands also include private-label brands Luxury brands are the companies which sell true luxury commodities. In this study hypermarkets are also taken into account. Recession is still prevalent but the economy is improving so the study is of when it was at its worst. Brand loyalty will be restored to its original state once consumers have disposable income to spend. Epistemology is the theory of knowledge in which we study how we know the world (Lecture 2). It basically investigates and answers questions like how do people generate knowledge? How do we discriminate knowledge (for example: good from bad or valid from invalid)? How should reality be represented? Epistemology and ontology is interlinked since answers to these questions help to forge and depend on ontological assumptions (Hatch, 2006). Epistemology can be of two categories either positivist or interpretivist. Positive Epistemology is the search of accurate representation which is objective in nature (Lecture 2). It assumes one can learn about what actually happens in organizations by categorizing and scientifically measuring the behaviour of individuals and systems. They generate knowledge by gathering data and analysing it, then develop hypotheses and propositions and finally test these against the external reality to see if they are accurate (Hatch, 2006).Positivists use more of t he quantitative methods like questionnaires and surveys. Based on these methods they derive theoretical models for factual explanations. Interpretivist believe that there are multiple and subjective interpretations of the world. This means that there can be numerous understandings and interpretations of reality. Interpretive epistemology helps us to apply methods designed to understand meanings made by others and how they come to make these meanings (Hatch, 2006). The third approach is critical theory which is governed by conflicting, underlying structures -political, social, economic, ethnic, gender. Individuals can reconstruct their world by way of action and critical reflection (Voce, 2004). Methodology is figuring out how can the researcher go about finding out whatever she/he believes can be known (Guba, 1994). There are basically two ways or carrying out research Quantitative and Qualitative. According to ontology and epistemology the methodology is chosen. So if the ontology is objective then epistemology will be positivist and methodology will be quantitative. So in positivism quantitative methods are used like surveys, questionnaires and quantitative analysis. Positivists need more data and large samples to prove their study. But if the ontology is subjective then epistemology will be interpretivist and methodology will be qualitative. Interpretivists use qualitative methods like case studies, interviews and ethnographic style of investigation. Here researchers can lose context with large samples. Many researchers combine both quantitative and qualitative methods in one study this is known as the triangulation approach. This research proposal would be positivistic. The objects here would be independent from the external environment. Brand loyalty in customers is based on consumer behaviour which is predictable. In recession, since the disposable income of consumers have reduced it is very obvious that consumers will shift to cheaper brands in the short term. This brings brand loyalty down for the commodity or service. The research questions specifically are how store brands have become more popular than name brands and how luxury brands have benefitted through recession also. Addressing the first question it is based on consumer preferences which can be studied using quantitative methods. For example: does Mr.Simon prefer brand A over brand B in toothpastes? These results are quantifiable and are objective. Since we are addressing the issue of recession in the U.S., we have to keep in mind and study the product type as well since luxury brands did well in these times. Since luxury brands are bought by the wealthy, these brands did well. Not that the rich were not affected by recession but there are several reasons (discussed in the literature review) that the rich could not keep away from these brands. The behaviour of the affluent is predictable and one of the major causes luxury brands are flourishing. LITERATURE REVIEW A study released by Boston Consulting Group on 30th April, 2008 indicated that 73% of Americans said that they intended to cut down on spending in the next twelve months. In reality, spending has been on a steady drop each month since July 2008 (Bureau of Economics Analysis, 2008).The significance of brands for consumers in the U.S. has been continuously declining. Only 27% of Americans said they were ready to trade up for a superior brand (McGregor, 2008). Research denotes that the less personal the commodity, the lower the need to stay loyal to a particular brand (Isakovich, 2008). This research will cover two broad product categories which are household items and luxury goods. Due to the recession, one way consumers are cutting back on spending is by substituting more expensive name brands with less expensive store or private label alternatives (Isakovich, 2008). This is mostly seen in supermarkets since consumer have a wide variety of name and store products to choose from. Retailers are also sensing shopper experimentation. Supermarkets like Safeway Inc. and Kroger Co. recorded that sales of their store brands were on the rise. In this economy, customers are much more willing to try a private-label item, and were seeing signs that this is happening more and more as the year progresses, Kroger CEO David Dillon said on a conference call (Brown, 2008). Thomas Falk (CEO) of Kimberly -Clark Corp noted that the companys once famous potty training which used to be one of the biggest sales growth products in the baby aisle has reduced in it sales and consumers now prefer diapers since the diaper is less expensive (Brown, 2008). Mintel International, a market research company by interviewing 3000 customers found out that 40% of primary household shoppers said they would buy store brand paper because it is cheaper than national brands. This is one product category where consumer strictly trade for budgetary reasons. Paper napkin, facial tissue and paper towels suffered the sharpest declines in the past year though toilet paper did well (Brown, 2008). Laundry habits were another sector in which change in consumption patterns was seen. Consumers shifted to cheaper detergents and softeners this is a rare shift since it is one of the most brand loyal among product categories (Brown, 2008).According to Nielson Co. private label soaps and other bath products did very well and were up by 23% and skin care products was up by 16%. It is obvious that lower incomes consumers were hit the most and reacted to changes quickly by changing to store brands. Upper income consumers have also started reacting to prices. According to a survey conducted by IRI consumers with household incomes of $100,000 are making considerable changes. A report Shopper in crisis found that upper -income consumers had reduced spending on nonessential groceries by 41%. In another IRI survey of 1000 respondents of all income levels, 52% of consumers said they try to make personal -care items last longer and a quarter of them share these products with household members (Brown, 2008). Nielson reported from late November 2008 that private label brands grew in the U.S. to $81 billion that would a 10% growth from 2007 (Wong, 2008). This study also reported that 72% of respondents viewed private label brands while 62% viewed store brands as good alternatives to name brands (Wong, 2008). There is empirical evidence that consumers have shifted to private label or store brands and have become more loyal to name brands. In numerous of product categories people often buy the same products or brands repeatedly either as several purchases or on the same purchase, For example groceries, we buy them week after week but that does not show our loyalty towards the brands. Consumers are brand loyal when even if a cheaper option is available the consumer would still be committed to a brand due to trust (Martin evans). Riechheld (1988) argued that repeat purchasing pattern of a consumer cannot be called loyalty. Since here consumers are forgoing trust and accepting a lower quality product and are willing to change to a less expensive alternate. This aspect of research should be analysed as well. This one of the drawback of this research whether repeat purchasing behaviour can be called brand loyalty or not. The marketing and branding are very different for luxury commodities compare to household commodities. As for luxury goods their business plan places trust designer and his artistic vision and anticipates that it will lure customers. There are several reasons why consumers purchase luxurious brands. Some of which is uniqueness of the brand /product, materialistic attitude of the consumer, quality associated with the brand, functional advantages and financial associations with luxury product (Shukla, 2009). The rich tend to fly towards quality this is reason that luxury brands will survive the recession specially the ones with heritage and a strong identity (Fellowes, 2008). The rich continue to spend on private jets, boats, cars, art, jewellery and beautiful garments. This is because they are used to it but now during recession they will buy carefully and ensure value for their money. Prince and associates, a consulting company conducted a recent survey which saw that consumers worth more than $10million including assets intended to increase their expenditure this year on luxury goods but those with less than that will cut back (Sullivan, 2007). In these times of recession it is important that we differentiate between affordable luxury and true luxury. The affordable luxury sector especially cars, travel, perfumes and clothing which have been hit by recession. Since the broader market is subdued, as middle-income consumers have deserted luxury brands which they used to buy during the good times. This is why profits of the affordable luxury companies have significantly dropped (Clark, 2009). The Companies which come under true luxuries have actually flourished even during recession. Since only a few individuals have cash to spare they look for genuine luxury and not something everyone can own (Clark, 2009). These brands have to have an image of exclusivity and qual ity but at the same time they should achieve enough scale to be profitable. Brand like these have very glamorous stores and boutiques, their goods are never crammed into sales racks or sold at discount stores. Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Rolls-Royce are a few of the companies which did well even in the face of recession. According to the Top 100 Most Powerful Brands, Louis Vuitton tops the luxury category with a enormous brand value of $19.4 billion and following behind is Hermes at $7.86 billion (Sherman, 2009). Despite the Automotive industry not doing well in recession but the luxurious car manufacturer Rolls-Royce accounted a 20% increase in sales for the year 2008. According to the company it sold 1010 cars in 2007 compared to 1212 cars in 2008 (Clark, 2009). Providing Empirical evidence and conceptual understanding it now clear that all luxury commodities did not flourish during the economic downturn. It was only the very exclusive and unique brands that were successful. Other mid-market retailers of luxury brands did not abide by this and reduced their prices. For example Saks Fifth Avenue went on a price cut rampage last fall, offering 70% discount on several high-end brands. But stores like Louis Vuitton remained at full price. Strategies should be implemented but in such a way that the exclusivity of the brand should not be lost whether in good or bad times. RESEARCH METHODS Research methodology and research methods are interlinked because methodology determines which methods to use quantitative or qualitative. In reference with this research proposal, ontology is objective which makes epistemology; positivism therefore the methodology used here would be Quantitative. Research questions under consideration are firstly, how store brands have become more popular than name brands in supermarkets and lastly, how luxury brands have benefitted even through recession. Both have a positivistic approach, so to investigate this topic, more of quantitative methods will be used. Usually both quantitative and qualitative methods are combined in order to get the fuller picture. Methodology can be only one but methods can vary. In this study of how brand loyalty was affected in the U.S. due to recession, several research methods can be used. Some of which are interviews, questionnaires, surveys, focus groups, case studies, observation, laboratory experiments and mathematical modelling. Interviews can be structured, semi-structured or unstructured. In structured the question are preset, in semi-structured the some questions are preset the rest are spontaneous and in unstructured there are no preset questions only a framework of the research questions. Structured Interviews are more quantitative in nature. Questionnaires and survey are also quantitative method of research. These have open or close ended questions which individuals answer. There are various mediums to do a survey via mail or telephone or face to face. Written questionnaires and surveys have a coding system to analyse their results. Laboratory experiments and mathematical modelling are also quantitative methods. Case-studies and observations ar e qualitative methods. Being a positivist study, the research methods which will be employed will be structured interviews and Questionnaires. Structured interviews will be used to answer the first research question on store brands and Questionnaires will be utilized for the second research question on luxury brands. To test whether store or private label brands did better than name brands in supermarkets structured interviews would be planned with supermarket giants in the U.S. A representative of the market research team would be interviewed in order to gain insights and facts into this topic. Using questionnaires for this topic would be difficult because there is a very huge market to cover since lower, middle and upper income consumers reacted during recession. These interviews will be structured and through the telephone (convenient and less time consuming). There will be five supermarkets involved Aldi, Costco, Kroger, Safeway and Wal-mart supercenters. Interviewers will be informed that where their information will be used and all the necessary background information will be given beforehand. The length of the interview will be merely 20 minutes. There will be four questions asked. For example: has the market share of their store brand increased? According to them the cause of this increa sed popularity? Which products were doing very well as store brands? What does the future hold for name brands endorsed in their respective supermarkets? There will be one open ended question at the end of the interview. If possible within the level of confidentiality secondary data supporting the information just given will be requested for. This would help since there will be a back up of empirical evidence. Questionnaires will be utilized to prove that the brand loyalty of luxury brands in U.S. consumers was intact during recession. These questionnaires will be sent out to consumers and their families worth more than ten million dollars including assets. Since the range is so restrictive in money matters there will be no age barrier. This Questionnaire will let us know that whether the ultra wealthy are ready to spend on true luxury brands or not. These Questionnaires will be emailed to suitable candidates. Assuming the response rate of questionnaires is only 20%, 5000 questionnaires will have to be sent out in order to get 1000 respondents. There will be very little cost associated with these questionnaires. The Questionnaire will provide clear instructions for respondents and will state the purpose and aims of the study. Respondents will not have to disclose their names but they will have to disclose their age and income. There will be an income and age bracket which they will have to place themselves in at the end of the questionnaire. There would be a code to analyse results since there will be there will be all multiple choice questions. There will be one question in the end which will not be a multiple choice and the respondents will have to express their views. Examples of questions would be: Do you feel brand loyal towards any luxurious brand? Do you still purchase these brands? What is the average price range you would spend annually on these brands? How often do you purchase products from these brands? Why are you loyal to these brands? Other than the last question all other questions are multiple choice questions. There are several problems which one can face with these research methods. Structured interviews may be expensive and time consuming. It is open to manipulation in answers by the interviewer. It might be also difficult to summarise findings. Interviewing giants can be a problem because they might not want to disclose information regarding their brand because of several reasons. A questionnaire has its own set of problems. They have a very low response rate and responses can be biased. Many of the respondents may not understand the questions. Its not certain that the intended individual filled in the questionnaire. Lastly, we cannot check responses with the respondent (Nef, 2008). Data Protection and ethics have also become an integral part of a research topic. In this research data will be held fairly, lawfully, accurately and relevantly. It will not be used for any future purposes and will not be held any longer than necessary. Ethics will also be taken care of while dealing with individuals. Confidentiality and anonymity of respondents will be respected. The research design will be reviewed to further ensure integrity and quality. There is no forms of compulsion to take part in the research it is purely voluntary. There is no sexism or racism involved in this study. CONCLUSION Impulsive buying used to be one of the most distinct features of American Consumers. According to Abrahams (1997) 62% of supermarket and 80% of luxury -goods sales in the U.S. were impulsive (Zhang, 2009). But these are the two product categories in which due to recession either people are moving to name brands in supermarkets or are buying luxury goods very carefully to ensure value for money. The basic aim of this research is to show how the popularity of store brands have increased and how the luxury brand still make profits during recession. The recession has created great opportunities for store brands to advance their market position. As for the luxury brands, true luxury will always sell at its highest price so it remains exclusive and unique. Both product categories one of household items and the other of luxury commodities are very different but it shows a contrast in the market which is affected by the recession. Bibliography Brown, E. (2008). At the Supermarket Checkout, Frugality Trumps Brand Loyalty . Wall Street Journal , D1. Bureau of Economics Analysis. (2008, November 25th). National Incone and product accounts. Retrieved from Hhttp://www.bea.gov/nationalH Clark, N. (2009, February 24th). Luxury brands ditch mass-market strategy as credit crunch deepens. Marketing magzine. Fellowes, J. (2008, October 17th). Financial crisis: Luxury brands boom as rich fly to quality. Telegraph. Giddens, N. (2002, August). Brand Loyalty. Guba, L. a. (1994). Handbook of Qualitative Research. In Competing paradigms in qualitative research (p. Chapter 6). U.S.A: Sage Publishers. Hatch, M. a. (2006). Organisation Theory:Modern,Symbolic and Postmodern Perspectives. What is Organisational Theory Handout . Oxford: Oxford University Press. Isakovich, H. (2008). How brands can capitalize on an economic downturn. Consumer spending in a recession. New York: Interbrand. Martin evans, A. J. (3rd edition). Consumer Behaviour. John Willey and Sons. McGregor, J. (2008, April 30th). Consumer Spending in a Recession. Retrieved from Businessweek: http://www.businessweek.com/careers/managementiq/archives/2009/04/consumer_spendi.html Mclean, C. (n.d.). Research Methodology. Lecture 2. Nef. (2008). Comparison chart. Retrieved from http://www.proveandimprove.org/new/meaim/documents/CompareChart.pdf. Sherman, L. (2009, May 10th). Powerful luxury brands that say, what recession?. Forbes. Shukla, D. P. (2009, May 1st). Luxury brands in recession: Developing a better value proposition and luxury brand strategy . Retrieved from Perspectives: http://pauravshukla.blogspot.com/2009/05/luxury-brands-in-recession-developing.html Sullivan, A. (2007, March 7th). Luxury brands covet the recession-proof. 1. New York Times. Voce, A. (2004, November). Introduction to research paradigms. Handout for Qualitative Research Module. Wong, E. (2008, November 17th). Nielson: Private Label Deemed Equal to Name Brands. BrandWeek . Zhang, Y. (2009). Power-Distance Belief and Impulsive Buying. Journal of Marketing Research, 4.

The Lives and Contests of the Gladiators :: Papers

The Lives and Contests of the Gladiators One form of entertainment in the Roman world was gladiatorial contests. In these, the Roman citizens would go to watch gladiators fight, often to the death. Today, these contests seem brutal and cruel, but at the time it was very popular and widely accepted. The Roman people would quite happily judge over whether a man would live or die. Why were the contests so entertaining that they would cost a man his life over it. There were different types of gladiators and different types of contests to keep the citizens interested. The gladiators were traditionally slaves or convicts and therefore very low in the social hierarchy. We also know that they were low down in the hierarchy because they were sold and given between masters, for example one advertisement said: "Twenty pairs of gladiators, given by Lucretius Satrius Valens, priest of Nero, and ten pairs of gladiators will fight". However, despite this apparent lack of social standing, gladiators could become very popular and famous and could eventually be freed. Gladiator is taken from the term "gladius", which means sword. They were originally used during funeral services for dead heroes. Fights between them would be held during the funeral to celebrate the hero. This tradition was taken from the Etruscans. Although today we would see such a custom as cruel, it was in fact made less so than it originally was. Festus wrote - "it was the custom to sacrifice prisoners on the tombs of valorous warriors; when the cruelty of this custom became evident, it was decided to make gladiators fight before the tomb. It seems strange to modern people that somebody would want to have people die at their funeral, but then it was seen as "appeasing the spirit" of the dead man, by honouring them with as big a thing as the life of a man. The Romans would not have seen the loss of a gladiator as too much anyway, as the slaves or convicts that became gladiators were generally considered unimportant anyway.

Our Perceptions of Purpose in Nature :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

Our Perceptions of Purpose in Nature "It will be objected that the book deals too much with mere appearances, with the surface of things, and fails to engage and reveal the patterns of unifying relationships which form the true underlying reality of existence. Here I must confess that I know nothing whatever about true underlying reality, having never met any..for my own part I am pleased enough with surfaces- in fact they alone seem to be of much importance." -Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire The primary distinction between humans and the rest of the natural world is our sense of consciousness and self-consciousness. We have very different perceptions and filters than any other organism on the planet. Language, for example, enables "story tellers" to communicate and interpret their surroundings. However, there are limitations to relying on language as a primary tool for both internal and external dialogue- the verbal definition of things can often differ vastly from how they actually are. Words have cultural connotations and if the story teller is not careful, a meaning or significance that he did not intend will be assigned to the subject. Equally dangerous is the instance where a story teller actively searches for meaning in the natural world and uses language to clarify and articulate it. The roots of self-consciousness go as far back as the origin of humankind. Choice, morality, altruism, and a sense of purpose do not exist in a vacuum, they are as much the products of an evolutionary process as our physiological features. Until approximately 10,000 years ago, the only organisms to exist could be classified as "model builders," meaning they are able to anticipate external change but do not have language or a sense of self. "The Game of Life" is a good example of the factors which determine the behavior of model builders, and nature in general. There are certain biological constants which limit the possible outcomes, but there is, in fact, no purpose or intentionality to the patterns which emerge. Edward Abbey explains this phenomenon in his novel Desert Solitaire- "I am not attributing human motives to my snake and bird acquaintances. I recognize that when and where they serve purposes of mine they do so for beautifully selfish reasons of their own." (25) "Story tellers," on the other hand, though part of nature as well, have much more complex factors to guide their actions- including emotions, consciousness, and language.

Essay Comparing Louise of Story of an Hour and Nora of A Dolls House

Comparing Louise of The Story of an Hour and Nora of A Doll's House    In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," the main character is a woman who has been controlled and conformed to the norms of society. Louise Mallard has apparently given her entire life to assuring her husband's happiness while forfeiting her own. This truth is also apparent in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. In this story, Nora Helmer has also given her life to a man who has very little concern for her feelings or beliefs. Both of these characters live very lonely lives, and both have a desire to find out who they really are and also what they are capable of becoming. Although the characters of Nora and Louise are very much alike in many ways, their personalities differ greatly when it comes to making decisions regarding the direction of their lives.    Both Nora and Louise's lives have been shaped and molded to conform to their husbands' wishes. At the time these stories took place, it was basically unheard of for women to assert their beliefs or to act upon their ideas. As a result, Louise was forced to succumb to the role of an obedient wife, in order to abide by the norms of society. This is apparent because of the way she reacts when she learns of a false rumor regarding her husband's sudden death. While in deep thought, and staring out the window by herself, she has a sudden realization of complete happiness and total freedom. As she tries hard to repress these fresh, new feelings, she speaks the words, "free, free, free" (23)! These words help the audience to understand the repression she has been forced to withstand for many years. She feels sudden exhilaration as she reflects on what her new life will bring her. She speaks of the treatmen... ...ay.   â€Å"Freedom and Desire:   The Theme of Awakening in the Works of Kate Chopin.†Ã‚   Critical Interpretations:   Kate Chopin.   Ed. Harold Blooming.   New York:   Chelsea House, 1989.   14-32.   Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Introduction to Literature: Reading, Analyzing, and Writing.2nd ed. Ed. Dorothy U. Seyler and Richard A. Wilan. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1990. Durbach, Errol. A Doll's House: Ibsen's Myth of Transformation. Boston: Twayne, 1991. Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll's House. Introduction to Literature: Reading, Analyzing, and Writing.2nd ed. Ed. Dorothy   U. Seyler and Richard A. Wilan. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1990. Salomà ©, Lou. Ibsen's Heroines. Ed. and trans. Siegfried Mandel. Redding Ridge: Black Swan, 1985. Templeton, Joan. "The Doll House Backlash: Criticism, Feminism,and Ibsen." PMLA (January 1989): 28-40.        

Should Nurses Disclose Hiv Status Health And Social Care Essay

Globally human life is exposed to a premier threat of deathly HIV virus which has halted 35 million people to decease and 34 million were populating with HIV boulder clay 2011. In the recent epoch, augmented figure of I.V drug users, insecure blood transfusion and multiple sex spouses are considered high hazards for HIV transmittal, on the contrary fright of stigmatisation, deficiency of credence in the community and effects on sexual relationship are some critical factors which hinder revelation of HIV position and advancing rapid spread of HIV among vulnerable people. Continuing the secretiveness of HIV position means endangering others life. Should the septic one hazard the life of others? I assert that unwraping HIV position to sexual spouses and household will diminish hazard of HIV transmittal, better entree to medical intervention and increased chances to societal and moral support for the patient. Advocates argue that the foremost of import benefit of unwraping HIV position to sexual spouse and household is to cut down the hazard of transmittal. Although to make up one's mind when and how to portion the dismaying HIV positive position is hard but after the revelation, sexual spouses and household members become watchful to cognize their ain HIV position. To command HIV epidemics, Voluntary HIV proving and unwraping can efficaciously cut down hazard behaviours among vulnerable persons ( WHO, 2004 ) . Besides that, the most dynamic effect of Sharing HIV position with sexual spouse is involvement in preventative sexual behaviour. Sexual spouse become interested to cognize the different path of HIV transmittal to follow preventative schemes. We know that despite of the singular promotion in the field of medicine no vaccinums are available for HIV. However, the merely defensive tool is to affect the vulnerable population in precautional behaviours. Research based literatures have c oncluded that after unwraping HIV position the most frequent preventative behaviour followed by testing is addition in the usage of rubbers ( Lauretta et al, 2010 ) . Furthermore, in the survey of Niccolai, Dorst, Myer & A ; Kissinger ( 1999, as cited in Lauretta et al. , 2010 ) it was concluded that the usage of rubber among those who havenaa‚Â ¬a„?t unwrap their HIV position to sexual spouse was about 23 % comparison to 73 % among those who have disclosed. The advocates besides claim that unwraping HIV increase the inclination towards better intervention chances. Normally in our ain cultural context after sharing any alarming diagnosing, non merely patient but customarily his close relations remain in battle to place such intervention centre which is easy accessible and cost effectual. Besides, those who have already suffered from the same disease shared their experiences and battles for intervention which become helpful in designation of different agencies to acquire rid of the disease. During my clinical in civil infirmary Karachi, I have encountered two HIV positive immature patients. The parents of both patients knew the diagnosing and the male parent of one patient despite of limited income shifted his boy to Aga khan university infirmary for quality intervention. Certain intervention like HAART therapy if received in initial phase can cut down the lay waste toing consequence of HIV virus. HAART therapy decreases the patterned adv ance of HIV to AIDS by 86 % ( Sterne et al. , 2005 ) . Early designation, revelation and entree to intervention are good for the better forecast of any disease. Instrumental, informational, emotional and fiscal advantages can be achieved to better entree to medicine through unwraping HIV position to supportive web ( Waddell & A ; Messeri, 2006 ) . In the survey of Waddell & A ; Messeri ( 2006 ) it was concluded that those who did non concealed their HIV positive position from any family member the average odds of intervention was 0.64 with a high support while those who did non unwrap their Status the average odds of intervention was 0.21. In add-on, different researches have proved the relationship between the effectivity of antiretroviral therapies and HIV forecast. About 80 % of patients are now alive 10 old ages after sero-conversion due to ART ( Oppenheim, 2009 ) . HIV marks CD4 immune cells of the organic structure finally decreases the opposition power of the organic structur e and the rate of timeserving infections like Tuberculosis ( TB ) addition. Preventing the patient signifier these timeserving infections can better life quality of HIV persons. In 2010 among 34 million instances of HIV worldwide, 1.1 million instances in sub-Saharan Africa were estimated holding HIV related TB ( Suthar et al. , 2010 ) . To command the overpowering effects of HIV /AIDS revelation facilitate entree to the support commissions. There are different organisations in different states working for bettering the life criterion of HIV patients, for illustration Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association ( 2008 ) supply aid to 300 HIV single yearly in the signifier of money, medicine, occupations, lodging, and instruction in Alaska ( USA ) . Unwraping HIV position seems helpful to acquire societal and emotional support from household. Not unwraping oneaa‚Â ¬a„?s HIV position is striping patient from psychological support which is possible to be achieved through revelation. Family members, friends and equal group become more sort and credence is increased. While believing about and protecting self from the negative reaction ( e.g. favoritism, rejection, and stigmatisation ) from the community, HIV patient attempt to maintain their position secrete with a fright that if my household come to cognize about the diagnosings what will be the effects? It becomes the cause of societal isolation and produces bad impacts like emphasis, depression and low self-pride. But revelation increases societal support, household credence and beef up relationships between patients and household ( WHO, 2004 ) . These positive attacks from the household non merely cut down stress degree but besides the instrumental, moral and fiscal support from household increases the degree of self-esteem. The important others of the HIV positive patient facilitate induction and attachment to HIV intervention. Harmonizing to Norman, Chopra & A ; Kadiyala ( 2006 ) revelation of HIV position can enable the activation of household or community support web and cut down morbidity through better psychological direction. Oppositions argue that HIV position of patient should non be disclosed because unwraping the diagnosing consequences in stigmatisation and patients feel fright of rejection in household and community. Furthermore, oppositions besides claim that HIV positive patients are discriminated in the society, their rights of confidentiality are violated and revelation to sexual spouse affects sexual relationship. Due to the mentioned grounds oppositions support to maintain the diagnosing in secretiveness. Protecting others from catching disease is ethical and moral duty of every person. To diminish the opposition and increase credence of HIV positive patient, cumulative attempt are needed to convey a drastic alteration in people perception through verbally pass oning guidance and through engagement of media. As a nurse it is our premier duty to aware the people about HIV and alter the perceptual experience of people about HIV persons. Oppositions besides argue that revelation consequence sexual relationship but one time the position is shared with the sexual spouse does non intend that sexual activities can non be continued any longer. There are alternate preventative steps like usage of rubbers and serosorting to forestall the hazard of transmittal. In peculiar survey HIV positive drug users after sharing their position with their sexual spouses they were experiencing more comfy and relax with a lower anxiousness degree about HIV transmittal ( Julianne, Daniel, Sarah & A ; Tinal, 200 5 ) . Evidences exist that reding can assist to increase the frequence of revelation to sexual spouse. The effects of guidance was evaluated by a cohort surveies with the result of 56-65 % revelation rate among those who attended six reding session comparison to those who attended three Sessionss and did non unwrap their position ( Scaly et al. , 2012 ) . To reason, being the member of a wellness attention squad we can play a function of pedagogue, counsellor, and advocate. We can cut down the incidence of HIV transmittal by bettering the degree of instruction to allow the people know the path of its transmittal and bar. Today as a nurse we can play function to urge such policies which could cut down the stigma and demand to ease HIV persons morally, emotionally, and socially to guarantee more revelation of HIV position.

Principles of Marketing Essay

The course content includes a study of the relationship between marketing and society, nature and functions of marketing, marketing management processes, marketing tools, the markets, and the consumers. Course Objectives The main goal of the course is to provide an overview of the basic principles underlying modern marketing theory and practice. It will provide participants with an understanding of the analysis that is necessary for taking marketing decisions, and the wide range of factors (and interactions of those factors) that need to be considered in the design of a marketing program. Students should come away with this course with an understanding of the marketing system and its role within the Malaysian economy and within an individual firm by studying how products and services are planned, priced, promoted, and distributed in order to satisfy consumers’ wants. Learning Outcomes Upon completion of the course, students should be able to: ? define and apply knowledge of the key marketing concepts. ? explain how marketing decisions are influenced by environment, trends and developments. ? discuss the factors influencing consumer behavior. Please dress decently and appropriately (according to university’s dress codes) when attending classes. ? Group projects ; Assignments There will be group projects and assignments. For group project, work together with your group members and at the end of the project your group members will assess your contribution to the project. You are expected to do a group presentation before submission of written copy during the semester. Assignments will be uploaded in UNIEC. In class assignments must be submitted on the specified date otherwise you may be penalized for late submission. If you encounter any problem to submit assignments on the specific date, you are required to inform the lecturer within 2 days of the specified date. For any type written assignments given, the format of the paper should be as follows: ? A cover page with your details – Name, Student ID and Sections ( as registered in CMS) ? Font: Time New Roman , size 12 with 1. 5 spacing ? Include a reference page for every assignment that you submitted. ? Forums Students are required to participate in ALL 3 forums posted by the Course Leader and marks will be assigned based on the quality of the discussion. ? Accessing/ Checking UNIEC Virtual It is utmost important for students to access and check their UNIEC Virtual for any updates and information pertaining to the course regularly throughout the semester. Ignorance is NO EXCUSE. Examination Format Final examination will be a three hours-examination. The exam will evaluate your level of understanding and knowledge acquired in this course. The question formats may consist of multiple choice, true-false, short essays, and case-based problems. Week Topics Covered Overview 1 2 3 4 Topic 1: Marketing: Managing Profitable Customer Relationship Topic 2: The Marketing Environment and the Marketing Information Topic 3: Consumer Markets and Consumer Buyer Behavior Topics/Activities Remarks/ Deadlines Introduction. Class activities: – Getting to know. – Overview of course plan. Marketing: Managing Profitable Customer Relationship ? Definitions of marketing ? Basic concepts of marketing ? Evolutions of marketing ? Relationship marketing ? Marketing strategy and the marketing mix ? Marketing Challenges in the future Read. The Marketing Environment and Marketing Information ? Company’s Microenvironments ? Company’s Macroenvironments ? Marketing research process Read: Forum 1 ? Kotler: Chapter 3 ; 4 ? Real Marketing 4. 2 ‘Tracking consumers on the Web: Smart targeting or a little creepy’. p 151 Class activities: ? Discuss reading materials Topic 2 ? Discuss ‘Prius: Leading a Wave of Hybrids’ case Consumer Markets and Business Market ? Consumer Buying Behavior ? Consumer Decision-making Process ? Factors Affecting Consumer Buying Behavior ? The Organizational Market ? The Organizational Buying Process.

Who Wrote 2 Peter

Who Wrote Second Peter An Explanation Michael S. Summy LUO 1185240 NBST 679-01 Dr. Leo Percer November 13, 2012 Table of Contents I. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 II. History of the Authorship of Peter†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2-5 III. Arguments for Petrine Authorship of 2 Peter†¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6-10 IV. Arguments Against Petrine Authorship of 2 Peter†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦. 10-15 V. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 15-16 VI. Personal Conclusion†¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 16 VII.Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 17 INTRODUCTION Debates over the authorship of various books in the Bible are common among Biblical scholars. Some of these debates are legitimate as the book of the Bible lacks a claim of authorship, while others appear to be ridiculous as the claims within the Scripture appear to settle the issue. Some books, such as 2 Peter fall into the category of books that claim a certain authorship, but sufficient arguments exist that can cast some doubt as to the truth of the legitimate writer.The theory of the authorship of 2 Peter is a question that has caused a great deal of debate and controversy within the church. The purpose of this pape r is not to defend the theory that Peter wrote this epistle. An investigation of various arguments on the subject will be used to debate both the tradition view of Peter as the author and the more liberal view that someone other than Peter is responsible for writing the epistle. This is not a new debate, but rather an ongoing controversy that has existed since the second century.The arguments for both sides seem similar at times, and both use valid evidence to support their conclusions. This paper will show how a logical conclusion can be drawn that the Apostle Peter was the author of second epistle of Peter. HISTORY OF THE AUTHORSHIP OF 2 PETER The answer to the question of authorship of 2 Peter seems as if it should straightforward as the book claims within the first few words to have been written by the apostle Peter. Surprisingly this question has existed since the days of the early church and even to this day clarity is still being sought. Although 2 Peter was not as widely kno wn and recognized in the early church as 1 Peter, some may have used and accepted it as authoritative as early as the second century and perhaps even in the latter part of the first century (1 Clement [AD 95] may allude to it). † This early canonical acceptance did not end the debate. The first time the book was credited to Peter was around the beginning of the third century in the time of Origen. â€Å"Even he cast some doubt as to the church’s ability to ascribe the book to Peter, but Origen did not completely deny it either. Origen’s comments in his Expositions on the Gospel according to John, provided evidence that some in his day doubted the Petrine authorship of 2 Peter. He stated, â€Å"And Peter, on whom the church of Christ is built, against which the gates of Hades shall not prevail, has left one acknowledged epistle, and, it may be, a second also, for it is doubted. † Origen also placed doubt on Petrine authorship by making the statement that t he existence of the book was not known until his own time, which caused serious problems. Eusebius (265–340) placed it among the questioned books, though he admits that most accept it as from Peter. After Eusebius’s time, it seems to have been quite generally accepted as canonical. † After the time of Eusebius, the debate over the second epistle continued on, but eventually the book as accepted in the New Testament Canon by Clement. The controversy over Peter’s authorship grew silent for many years, but never completely disappeared. â€Å"In recent centuries, however, its genuineness has been challenged by a considerable number of interpreters. The only fact that seems to be certain in the debate is that the authorship of 2 Peter will never be completely satisfied. Many in the early church were quick to classify 2 Peter as a letter written by the Apostle Paul. â€Å"Why would the author of 2 Peter refer to Paul’s letters, which did not circulate a s a group until about 95 AD? † The early church leaders also saw the fact that the author of 2 Peter referred to himself many times within 2 Peter. They further recognized that the author of 2 Peter identified himself twice as any times as did the author of 1Peter.In 2 Peter the author goes on to compare â€Å"all the letters of Paul with the writings mentioned previously, further suggesting that the recipients do not posses the entire Pauline corpus. † Although some in the early church felt that 2 Peter was written by Paul, this belief never gained a great deal of traction and eventually was dismissed by church leaders. A major factor in the history of the authorship 2 Peter was the date of the death of the apostle Peter. Most conservative thinkers would date the death of Peter to the time of Nero and would place the date around 66 AD.This timing would allow for Peter to be the writer of this book and answers most of the objections made by the more liberal minded schol ars. Those who ascribe to a later death for Peter, used this evidence to support the idea that someone other than the Apostle wrote this book. Most church leaders agreed on the timing of the death of Peter and since it was such a public event there is little doubt that he died in the middle 60’s. The early church used this date and the writing within the book itself to create a strong argument for Peter being the author.The early church fathers had many important decisions to make as leaders of the followers of Christ and one of the most important ones was which writings to accept into the Biblical Canon. Of all of the books of the New Testament 2 Peter was one of the most debated and argued over. â€Å"The first direct quotation of 2 Peter is in 1 Clement, a letter written around the end of the first century. Theide says that once the quotations started appearing, the list is longas to the number of times 2 Peter was referenced. Another Church Father Irenaeus, also appeared to take a part of 2 Peter or allude to it, but he choose not to mention this book by name. Not even the book of Revelation received as much scrutiny as 2 Peter. The hesitancy of the early church to accept 2 Peter was due in part to that fact of Peter’s name was being used in many Gnostic writings. At least three apocryphal writings were being circulated at the same time as 1 and 2 Peter. Another difficulty was both Peter and Jude alluded to Enoch, which quickly became known as an apocryphal book.It is clear that in the Fourth Century, at the Councils of Hippo, 2 Peter was recognized as being part of the Biblical Canon. â€Å"At this same counsel other books such as I Clement and the Epistle of Barnabas were rejected mainly on the grounds that they lacked a claim of authorship by someone who was considered an apostle. † A scholar of church history during this time wrote this synopsis of the feelings of the believers towards Peter’s second epistle. He wrote, â₠¬Å"Quite probably the churches which originally received it, knowing it not to be Peter’s own work, would not have granted it the same status in their own use as they did, e. . , to the Pauline letter. . . . Whatever the reasons for its lack of wide use in the second century, this seems to have contributed to its very slow progress toward general acceptance into the canon. † As with most historical data, little is known of the status of this epistle during the next 1000 years. As the church entered the period of the Reformation many of the standards of the church were called into question including the Biblical Canon. â€Å"2 Peter was regarded as second-class Scripture by Luther, rejected by Erasmus, and regarded with hesitancy by Calvin. The fact that 2 Peter had several claims of authorship by the Apostle Peter within its text allowed it to be spared and recognized as part of the inspired Word of God. ARGUMENTS FOR PETRINE AUTHORSHIP OF SECOND PETER The book of 2 Pe ter begins with this verse, â€Å"Simon Peter, a bond servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. † This statement seems to make clear the claim that Peter wrote this letter would also seem to leave little room for doubt.Few other books with such a claim have been disputed, but the critics are quick to ignore this initial claim by Peter and scrutinize the letter. This is not the only place in the letter that Petrine authorship is proclaimed and details of the life of the Apostle support this assumption. 2 Peter 1:16 speaks of the author as a man who is facing or is near to his death. This allusion would certainly support the idea of Peter as the writer, because it was believed Peter knew he would be martyred and wanted to give his followers one final word of encouragement.Further in the letter in 2 Peter 2:16-18, the author shared a retelling of the Transfiguration o f Christ. In the gospel of Matthew, Peter is one of only three men who accompanied Jesus at this event. The retelling of the details of this amazing display could only be completed by Peter, James, or John. One final statement from with the book itself can be found in chapter three. 2 Peter 3:1 made a clear references to a prior letter, which should be assumed as being 1 Peter. There is little comparable material in the two epistles, but this reference to the first epistle seems to lead to the conclusion that they were written by the same person. On the one hand it is argued on this fact the 1 and 2 Peter must have two different authors, but on the other hand it seems strange that a pseudo-writer would not use any content from the prior book he was attempting to imitate. † The evidence within the book itself would seem to clearly suggest that Peter was the author. The reception of the early church leaders of 2 Peter or the lack thereof can be seen as a contradictory. On one ha nd the book of 2 Peter is mentioned very little in the ancient writings of the church leaders. On the contrary, those same leaders did not lump the book of 2 Peter into the category of the rejected books.Few if any of these men make a clear statement of denial of Peter as the author, but many did cast doubts about it. Some of the earliest remaining documents that refer to 2 Peter, have shown evidence that a debate over its authorship was present in the church. â€Å"One such document written by Origen in the third century is considered to be the first to explicitly mention 2 Peter by name. † This mention by Origen may be the first documented reference to 2 Peter, but many scholars believe there are other writings made by the early church fathers which made allusions to the book.Another leader, Jerome, mentioned doubts surrounding the authenticity of 2 Peter, but never concluded that Peter did not write this letter. A strong fact to support the Petrine authorship is the overwh elming majority the church fathers do not argue against the epistle. â€Å"2 Peter was never rejected as suspicious nor was it attributed to anyone other than Peter. In support for Petrine authorship, 2 Peter enjoys wide inclusion in what is arguably the strongest early Papyrus, which was thought to be as early as the 3rd Century. Due to the support by the church fathers and the lack of opposition to the book, 2 Peter is believed to have unofficially gained canonization as early as the mid-second Century. Critics of Petrine authorship are quick to point out differences in the styles of the two books of Peter. They feel that the two epistles could not possibly have been written by the same man. Upon examination of the two books, there are clear differences between the two letters. â€Å"The vocabulary of 1 Peter has only 153 words in common with 2 Peter while 543 are unique to 1 Peter and 399 unique to 2 Peter. The book of 2 Peter also has far fewer participles than does first Pete r and the ones in 2 Peter are often repeated. â€Å"One common example given by critics is the use of apokaluyi† in 1 Peter and parousiva in 2 Peter to refer to the Lord’s coming. † This is not a practice that is unique to these two letters. Many of the works of Paul contain unique language to the particular letter in which it was used. Paul also choose the same terms as Peter used for the Second Coming and selected these words when writing 1 Corinthians and 2 Thessalonians.The problem with the argument for similarity between the two epistles seems to be that the critics almost expect Peter’s second epistle to be simply a rehash of the same material as was seen in the first. There is an unreasonable demand for vocabulary and themes that match the first work, but the critics seem to forget the reasons behind the writing of each letter. Each letter was written to address a different set of circumstances and there was a unique purpose to each epistle. The cri tics can point to stylistic differences in the books, but this lack of similarity can be explained.The more liberal leaning thinkers also point to the differences in the theology and doctrinal themes of the books as reason to Petrine authorship. The purpose of 1 Peter can be summed up as a challenge to the believers to endure suffering and live holy lives. 2 Peter on the other hand seems to contain mostly strong warnings against the false teachers of the day and also a final message to the believers before the death of Peter. This criticism seems to ignore the fact that Peter felt the need to address issues that were pressing at the time of his writing.Differences should be expected if the author is dealing with different problems, as was the case with Peter. The assumption that an author must deal with the same topics in both letters is unrealistic and uncommon. Most if not all of Paul’s letters deal with issues that were unique to the area to which Paul sent the letter. It can be concluded that Peter deserves the same consideration as Paul in this matter. Although there are many differences between the two letters of Peter many similarities also exist etween them. The critics point to an excessive amount of repetitive word in 2 Peter, but 1 Peter can also be characterized by repetition of words. Bigg says, â€Å"The habit of verbal repetition is therefore quite as strongly marked in the First Epistle as the Second. There are similarities of thought and no document in the New Testament is so like 1 Peter as 2 Peter. † Upon review of both letters, there does seem to be enough commonality between the two books of Peter to conclude that the same man wrote both books.Since there is little evidence to argue against Apostle Peter as the author the first book of Peter, the conclusion can be reached that he also wrote the second. One of the more common practices among the writers of the New Testament was to have a scribe or someone who would write their words for him. Longenecker states in his work, â€Å"The Greek papyri, therefore, indicate quite clearly that an amanuensis was frequently, if not commonly, employed in the writing of personal letters during the time approximating the composition of the NT epistles. † Sometimes this was done to help the writer use better Greek and make his work more understandable.Men like Peter, who were not educated in the same manner as the upper class, would need assistance in making their writing more professional and acceptable to the educated class. â€Å"One plausible explanation for the differences between 1 Peter and 2 Peter is that Peter used an amanuensis to do the actual writing of 1 Peter with Peter checking and approving the final product. † This seems to be the clear method in which the first epistle of Peter was written. 1 Peter 5:12 says, â€Å"Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God.Stand firm in it! † A logical conclusion to explain the differences between the two letter of Peter is that he wrote 2 Peter himself and he had someone write his words for him in his first letter. Peter received the inspiration for both letters from the Holy Spirit, but the methods of recording each of the books were unique. The best argument for Peter being the author of the second epistle is the fact that the letter was eventually accepted as into the New Testament Canon.One of the main reasons for its acceptance would have to be the assumption that the book was written by a man of the standing in the church like the Apostle Peter. â€Å"Although it could be pseudonymous letters like â€Å"The Gospel of Peter†, â€Å"The Apocalypses of Peter†, â€Å"The letter of Peter to James†, none of these works was accepted into the canon because they hadn’t God’s inspiration. † Second Peter had gained acceptance in to the Canon by the time of Cyril of Jerusalem. The issue of its canonicity was settled by the acceptance of the church leaders such as Cyril, Athanasius, Augustine, and Jerome.These church leaders, who were not easily swayed to allow books into the Canon, acknowledged 2 Peter to be Scripture because of the overwhelming internal and external evidence. ARGUMENTS AGAINST PETER AS AUTHOR OF SECOND PETER Although there seems to be an abundance of evidence to support the idea that Peter wrote the second epistle of Peter, many Christian scholars and thinkers disagree with this assumption. The amount of evidence to disprove Petrine authorship seems to be as great and some would argue more that the evidence to support his authorship.Issues about the date, the style of writing, the lack of historical claims, the brevity of the book, the language used by the author, and the similarities to Jude are all cited as reasons to discount the possibility of the disciple known as Simon Peter being the writer. At one point in the history of the church, the leading school of thought was that 2 Peter was an example of pseudepigraphal literature and therefore was not the work of the Apostle. There is little doubt that a definitive answer as to the authorship of this book will not be obtained until all questions are answered by God in eternity.The book of 2 Peter was and is still considered by many to be pseudepigraphal in nature and was not written by Peter. Ksemann states that â€Å"2 Peter is perhaps the most dubious writing in the New Testament. † Others went as far as to conclude that virtually no one believes that 2 Peter was written by the disciple and friend of Christ named Peter. These men would argue instead that someone else wrote the letter and used the name of Peter to give legitimacy to it. Pseudonymous works are defined as â€Å"the practice of writing a literary work under the pretence that someone else, usually someone more famous, wrote it. 2 Peter is one of only a few books that were accused of being pseudonymous that survived the scrutiny of the canonical counsels and eventually it was accepted by the church fathers. The looming questions over the authorship of 2 Peter has led to the conclusion by most critical scholars that the book needs to be labeled as pseudepigraphal literature. The issues come from those who are not willing to accept the first verse of 2 Peter and the other internal evidence as sufficient for proving that Peter was the author.These scholars, feel the evidence to support Petrine authorship is weak and should not be accepted without questions and a thorough examination. One major issue is that the features of the letter seem to give evidence of a time later than Peter's lifetime. In 2 Peter 3:4, the author used the phrase, â€Å"Ever since our fathers died. † This verse seems to make a reference the first generation of Christians, which would seem strange coming from Peter as he too was part of this group. Another instance is 2 Peter 3:15 which states, â€Å"Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. † The author seemed to be looking back at the letters of Paul as works already complete and established. Most of Paul’s works were not even known about until well after the death of Peter. The internal evidence in 2 Peter seems to offer as many questions about the authorship of the book as it does answers. The possibility of a pseudonymous author is high due to these facts.One of the most convincing arguments against Petrine authorship of 2 Peter is a thorough examination of the Greek of the epistle. Peter was described as a Galilean fisherman in the gospels and he and his brothers were most likely worked for a fishing business owned by his family. According to Dr. Leo Percer, â€Å"Peter was not uneducated, as he most likely attended schools that were taught by the Pharisees to help him learn the Law of Moses. He was not however educated to the extent that we would have been proficient in writing Greek. † Many scholars look to the description of Peter in the book of Acts as proof of his lack of education.Acts 4:13 states, â€Å"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. † The Greek of 2 Peter appears to be much less formal and unstructured and it is very different from the Greek of 1 Peter. The ability to conclude that both letters were written by the same hand is very difficult to prove. The Greek of 1 Peter and the Greek of 2 Peter is quite different and contain words and phrasing that make it difficult to reconcile the differences between the two books.Two major issues result from the Greek of 2 Peter and help support the idea that Simon Peter was not the author of second Peter. The first is the si mple fact that most scholars agree that Peter did write the first book attributed to him, which makes the case against his authorship of the second. The second is the grandiose language that is used by the author. The fact remains it is unlikely that a Galilean fisherman would use the language in this book. â€Å"The author of 2 Peter seems to be pretentious and out to prove that he has a grasp of the Greek language through the use of such flowery words. Peter was looked at as the leader of the early church, which would give him no reason to feel the need to write in a way to give himself any more credibility than he already possessed. One critic made this statement â€Å"this letter betrays an artificial dialect of high-sounding words learnt from rhetoricians and books such would not fit well with both Peter’s modus operandi (of heavy reliance on written sources for his composition) and with the psychological probability of one attempting to write in a second language. The se objects do provide problems for those trying to prove Peter as the author of 2 Peter. An even more problematic argument against the authorship of Peter for this short epistle is apparent similarities between 2 Peter and Jude. The books share a common message and a common theme. It also appears that the books share at least 17 common passages and parallels to one another. One example is 2 Peter 1:12 and Jude 5. 2 Peter 1:12 says, â€Å"Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. The parallel verse in Jude 5 says â€Å"Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. † Just in these two verses alone there are seven shared words and a few common phrases. Most of the similarities in these two books occur in chapter two and thr ee of 2 Peter and can be seen throughout the one chapter of Jude. This commonality between the two letters presents problems in attempting to establish Petrine authorship.Another issue to be answered is the date of Jude and 2 Peter and the chronology of the two letters. â€Å"If Jude was written after Peter’s lifetime (as most scholars assume), then if 2 Peter uses Jude, it cannot be by Peter. † There is little evidence for a late date of Jude, but there seems to a great deal of evidence for 2 Peter having a late date. The date most scholars agree to for Jude is around 64 AD and even conservative thinkers would place the earliest date for 2 Peter at somewhere around 65 AD.This dating would lead to the possible conclusion that if Peter was written after Jude that much of 2 Peter was copied from Jude. The comparison of the books also supports the idea of 2 Peter being written at a much later date. A later date for Peter would allow for the writer of the book to use Jude as a source and would help to explain the many similarities. No matter which book was written first, there seems to be clarity that the books share from one another. A final, and maybe not as convincing, argument is that the overwhelming opinion of Biblical scholars is that Peter was not the author of this letter.One scholar writes, â€Å"the issue of authorship is already settled, at least negatively: the apostle Peter did not write this letter and that the vast bulk of NT scholars adopt this perspective without much discussion. † Other men such as Stephen Harris and Werner Kummel agree with this position and go as far as to say that â€Å"virtually no authorities defend the Petrine authorship of 2 Peter. † Even leading conservatives such as Carson and Moo would agree that there is little popular support to back Petrine authorship, but they still hold to the view that Peter wrote both books.The evangelicals and conservatives remind the liberals of the early acceptance of 2 Peter into the canon, but the liberals feel this decision was made before enough scrutiny of the book was made. â€Å"Nearly two thirds of Bible experts contend that Peter did not write 2 Peter. † CONCLUSION The evidence for or against Petrine authorship of 2 Peter is in no way strong enough settle the issue in a conclusive manner. For each point in support of Peter there is an equally convincing argument against him. This debate is not new; as it has been going on for close to 2,000 years.At times over that history, the issue seemed to be settled for Peter, but this was a short lived victory as the authorship of the book has been an ongoing issue for the church. Men from the time of Peter until now have searched for a definitive answer, but the answer has remained illusive. Each one of the arguments made by those who support Peter as the author has a counter argument against it. â€Å"The external evidence, while not proving authenticity neither disproves it, for the evidence provides twenty-two possible usages of 2 Peter. † Those who argue for Peter point to the internal evidence, and the personal allusions to the life of Peter.These illusions such as the retelling of the Transfiguration and the suffering of Christ are written by the author to establish his identity as the Apostle Peter. The other side would argue that a pseudo-author wrote in these illusions to try to establish his work as a book of an Apostle. An examination of the issues regarding the history, style, and even the doctrine of 2 Peter have been attempted to be used against Peter, but on the contrary, may be used to support it. Many of the problems the critics have with these issues can be answered by the fact that Peter likely used an amanuensis to help write his book.Those who disagree with Peter as the writer of 2 Peter would offer pseudonymity as the answer to the question of authorship. The issue with this stand has to be that â€Å"at the time of 2 Peter’s c anonization, the practice of pseudonymity was scorned and had not one example of New Testament usage, while the canonical books were only admitted after careful scrutiny of genuineness. † Since 2 Peter was admitted into the Canon, the assumption of there being a pseudo-author is answered. Point by point each argument for Petrine authorship can be disputed, but each one against his authorship can also be torn down.PERSONAL CONCLUSION After examining all of the leading arguments both for and against Peter, I have come to the conclusion that Peter did in fact write the book of 2 Peter. The issue for me isn’t style or the quality of the Greek used by the author; it is in a personal belief that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. 2 Peter 2:1 clearly identifies Peter as the author of the epistle, and this ends the debate for me. As I examined evidence against Petrine authorship, I was always drawn back to the fact that the Bible says Peter wrote the book.As Payne says in h is book, â€Å"How can one accept the verbal, plenary inspiration—which would demand Petrine authorship at verse one—and still call 2 Peter non-canonical? † 2 Peter was accepted, even though it was under a cloud of suspicion, into the New Testament Cannon, which qualifies it as the inerrant Word of God. If I believe that the Bible is never wrong, then 2 Peter must have been written by the Apostle named Simon Peter. The question of authorship for me is answered in 10 simple words, â€Å"Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. † Bibliography Green, Michael. Peter & Jude: an Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007. Green, Christopher & Lucas, Dick. The Message of 2 Peter & Jude: the Promise of His Coming. Leicester, England. : IVP Academic, 2004. Eusebius. The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine. New York: Penguin Classics, 1990. Gilmour, Michael J. â€Å"Reflections On the Autho rship of 2 Peter. † Evangelical Quarterly 73, no. 4 (Oct. – Dec. 2001): 291-309. Lillie, John. Lectures On the First and Second Epistles of Peter. Reprint Edition ed. Minneapolis, MN: Klock & Klock Christian Pub, 1978.Mayor, Joseph B. The Epistle of St. Jude and the Second Epistle of St. Peter: Greek Text with Introduction Notes and Comments. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979. Moo, Douglas J. 2 Peter, and Jude: from Biblical Text– to Contemporary Life. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Zondervan, 1997. Pfeiffer, Robert Henry. History of New Testament Times,: with an Introduction to the Apocrypha. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1972. Walls, David. Holman New Testament Commentary – 1 & 2 Peter, 1 2 & 3 John and Jude. niv based ed. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 1999. ——————————————– 1 ]. Michael Gilmour, â€Å"Reflections On the Authorship of 2 Peter,† Evangelic al Quarterly, Oct. – Dec. 2001, 294. [ 2 ]. Ibid, 296. [ 3 ]. Eusebius, The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine (New York: Penguin Classics, 1990), 107. [ 4 ]. Michael Gilmour, 297. [ 5 ]. Ibid, 297. [ 6 ]. Robert Henry Pfeiffer, History of New Testament Times,: with an Introduction to the Apocrypha. (Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1972. 490. [ 7 ]. Ibid, 491. [ 8 ]. Dick Lucas & Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude: the Promise of His Coming (Leicester, England. IVP Academic, 2004), 242. [ 9 ]. Michael Gilmour, 300. [ 10 ]. Dick Lucas and Christopher Green, 243. [ 12 ]. 2 Peter 2:1,(NASB). [ 15 ]. MacArthur [ 16 ]. Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, p. 832. [ 17 ]. Ibid,836. [ 18 ]. Bigg, Critical and Exegetical Commentary, p. 227. [ 20 ]. Bigg, Critical and Exegetical Commentary, p. 239. [ 21 ]. 1 Peter 5:12, (NASB). [ 23 ]. Ernst Ksemann, â€Å"An Apologia for Primitive Christian Eschatology,† Essays on New Testament Themes, Studies in Biblical Theology, 42, 1964, p. 169 [ 25 ]. 2 Peter 3:4 [ 26 ]. 2 Peter3:15, NIV [ 27 ].Dr. Leo Percer, lecture notes. [ 28 ]. Acts 4:13, (KJV). [ 30 ]. W. F. Howard, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament, 2:28. [ 31 ]. 2 Peter 1:12, (NASB). [ 32 ]. Jude 5, (NASB) [ 34 ]. Daniel B. Wallace, ed. , Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament: Manuscript, Patristic, and Apocryphal Evidence (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic & Professional, 2011), pageNr. [ 35 ]. Harris, Stephen L.. Understanding the Bible: a reader's introduction, 2nd ed. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. page 354. [ 39 ]. Inerrancy [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980], 106). [ 40 ]. 2 Peter 1:1