Plato's parable allegory of the cave expresses his doctrine of Ideas Essay

Plato's parable allegory of the cave expresses his doctrine of Ideas or Forms - Essay Example ad.’ This may have been â€Å"derived either from the width of his shoulders, the results of training for wrestling, or from the breadth of his style, or from the size of his forehead† (Rowe, qtd. in O’Connor and Robertson, Plato). His father, Ariston, died when Plato was a young man and his mother, Perictione, married Pyrilampes, in whose house Plato lived. Plato served in the military from 409 – 404 B.C. during the Peloponnesian War. He then participated in the Athenian oligarchy of the Thirty Tyrants in 404 B.C. but soon repudiated their violence. His disillusionment with Athenian politics was complete with the execution of Socrates in 399 B.C. which had a deep impact on his life and thinking. Leaving Athens, Plato traveled to Egypt, Sicily and Italy, where he was influenced by Pythagoras’ work to conclude that valid scientific thought must necessarily be expressed in mathematical terms. He again served as a soldier. On returning to Athens in 387 B.C. Plato founded a school of philosophy and science in a grove belonging to man called Academos: the origin of the word ‘Academy.’ Aristotle was the most renowned of the Academicians. The aim of the academy was to instruct young men to become the ideal statesmen who would usher in the ideal world of Plato’s writings. Except for an intervening period of a few years as tutor to Dionysus II of Syracuse, Plato continued in his role at the Academy until his death in 347 B.C. Plato’s life shows that, in addition to being a philosopher, â€Å"he was a man of the world, an experienced soldier, widely traveled, with close contacts with many of the leading men of affairs, both in own city and elsewhere† (Field, qtd. in O’Connor and Robertson, Plato). Plato’s Academy flourished for nine hundred years, as the longest surviving university known, until it was disbanded by the Emperor Justinian as a pagan establishment. Plato’s Dialogues assured his place â€Å"among the greatest writers of the world†

Iron Ore Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Iron Ore - Dissertation Example However, most of the reserves that harbor such natural ores have now been depleted. Pig iron is made out of iron ore. This pig iron is one of the main raw materials used in the making of steel. Iron ore is believed to contribute more to the global economy than any other commodity in the world. Hematite is the main iron ore in the Brazilian miles (Axinn 2006). In the global world, metallic world is virtually unknown. It is the fourth most abundant element in the world, though, silicate or carbonate minerals are the vastest minerals. Formidable and extremely energy intensive barriers often are used to separate supremely pure iron from other minerals (David 2006). Before the industrial revolution, most of the iron used was obtained from goethite, which was widely available. Societies during the pre historic times used laterite as the main source of ore. Most of the iron ore used by the emergent industrialized societies was obtained from haematite. These deposits are often called the nat ural ores. The increased iron ore demands in conjunction with the depletion of the most high quality haematite in the United States of America led to development of low quality sources of iron. This happened especially after Second World War. These lower sources of iron require beneficiation to improve on their quality. Magnetite on the other hand, is used due to its magnetic properties. Therefore, it is able to be separated easily from other minerals and was able to produce high quality concentrate with minimal impurities. The mining of these iron ores vary considerably with the type of ore that is being mined. Currently, there are four types of ores of iron being worked on. The business of mining ore is often a low margin one due to the significant low level of iron than other base metals. It is expensive to mine, meaning it is extremely capital intensive. It requires a heavy investment in infrastructure such as rail transport in order to transport the ore from the mining sites to the freight ship. Therefore, mining of ore is concentrated among the majority few. The world leading and largest iron producer is Brazil. This mining corporation is referred to as vale. Other developed countries follow the line due to the high costs involved in the mining and transportation of the ore. My research question arises from my curiosity to find out how iron ore is produced, consumed and distributed in the global market. This is because I understand that the cost involved in its mining process and transportation is quite high. Therefore, I would like to find out how extreme the ore is mined and the processes used in the mining process (Edward 2007). Executive Summary This research is concerned with the production, consumption and distribution of iron ore globally. In other words, it seeks to show candidly the cycle of iron ores from its mining and separation from impurities until the moment it is processed and distributed to the global market for various uses. The researc h shows all the methods used in extraction of these iron ores and how it is separated from other metallic substances or impurities. It also reveals research rationale that is used in carrying out my research. In addition, this research paper has addressed my research question based on the prevailing international market and all the key findings that emerge (Institute 1997). Moreover, the methodology I use to address the research question is emergent in the research paper. The paper

Management - Southwest Airlines Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management - Southwest Airlines - Term Paper Example Southwest Airline is one of the most popular low cost American domestic airlines which was incorporated in Texas and commenced operation in 1971 with three Boeing 737 aircrafts serving 3 cities. Today it has nearly 400 Boeing 737 series of aircrafts and operates in more than 59 cities across America. In 2011, it completes 40 years of its existence. Its mission is to provide the customers with highest quality of personal services (company). It has been able to sustain its profitability through the turbulent phase of post 9/11 period and current recessive economy even though the rest of the important airlines like Pan Am, Eastern etc. were struggling to survive. Situation analysisAfter deregulation in 1978, the airline business had become highly competitive. It had used various mechanisms to enhance its operational efficiency. While its human resource strategy was its major organizational coup to maintain its customer centric image, its efficient use of air routes, cost effective strat egy in operation became critical to its success. As such main reasons that have contributed to its continued success are: human resource; customer service; and innovative cost effective strategy of operation. Schwenk (1997: 4) claims that ‘employee’s absolute commitment to a shared vision of change is seen by many leaders/ change agents as so important for their organization’s continued survival’. The organizational culture of the company is highly encouraging which believes in empowering its workforce. It also provides a facilitating environment of continuous learning and most importantly it encourages share in profits through stock ownership. After the 9/11 tragedy, the operations cost of SW Airlines as well as other airlines had considerably increased. The key reasons being: tighter security had required more rigorous screening; increase of overheads expenses vis-a-vis security screening, changes and reprogramming of its tracking of passenger informatio n details and management strategy etc; drastic reduction in the number of passengers due to terrorist threat. These were major challenges that required highly creative inputs to not only maintain trust of the customers but also the confidence level of the employees. In the tough times, Southwest airline maintained high degree of employees’ morale by not laying off any employee. Most importantly, the management initiative was able to inculcate tremendous confidence amongst its workers by ensuring that there was no cut back in the number of flights also. This was a hugely important factor which sent a positive feedback to the public and greatly boosted the confidence of employees. Addressing the problem Maintaining the confidence of the customer was major problem which was mainly met by its human resource policy and organizational culture. It was also a key element that led to the firm’s continues success. It retained its policy of non attrition and did not lay off any s taff. The company’s strategic plan was to improve customer service by increasing the number of customer service agents. This helped the passengers to get more personalized service. The empathetic attitude of staff, emotional

Continuous Quality Monitoring Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Continuous Quality Monitoring - Research Paper Example Department of Health, 2011). This paper explores CMS accreditation in references to surgical site infection, one of the hospital-acquired infections. Hospital-acquired infections during surgeries may be caused by poor performance of surgical procedures such as insertion of catheters (tubes) into body tracts, nose, mouth, or blood vessels, contaminated hands and surgical environment and materials. Hospital-acquired infections are sometimes referred to as nosocomial infections and appear 48 hours to four days after a patient has been admitted at a health facility. Most affected by nosocomial infections are patients under long-term care in hospitals and patients admitted for intricate procedures such as surgeries. In most cases, surgical site infections are caused by surgical procedures or/and unsterilized surrounding. Regrettably, health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have indicated that almost half of nosocomial infections are preventable if only health care providers strictly adhered to the set guidelines (Centers for Medicare, Medicaid Services, & U.S. Department of Health, 2011). The situation is made worse by the fact that nosocomial infections occur in already immune-compromised patients (Pittet, 2010). Among the major causes of surgical site infections are bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, which are already in the body or are acquired from contaminated hospital equipment, other patients, the environment, or health workers. In recent times, hospital-acquired conditions such as surgery site infections have poised quite a range of new challenges for the Medicaid and Medicare programs (Centers for Medicare, Medicaid Services, & U.S. Department of Health, 2011). In fact, these challenges led the President to sign the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005 on February 8, 2006, an Act, which required that an alteration be done in Medicare Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) concerning payments for

Introduce the two companies and explain the difference between a b2b Essay

Introduce the two companies and explain the difference between a b2b company and a b2c company - Essay Example is a B2B company since it provides manufactures and supplies microprocessors necessary for computer manufacturing companies such as Dell, HP, Samsung, Sony etc. On the other hand Dell is a B2C company since the products manufactured by this company is sold directly to the consumers. B2B and B2C companies differ in terms of marketing mix, product ranges, marketing communication, pricing and distribution Product, Price, Place and Promotion are considered as the four major elements of marketing mix (Ritcher, 2012). Intel is one of the major semiconductor chip manufacturers in the world. It supplies many types of semiconductor chips including microprocessors to prominent computer manufacturers as well as electronic devices manufacturers. Therefore, the company is targeting only the major manufacturers of electronic devices such as Dell, Sony, HP, Lenovo etc. Unlike B2C companies, B2B companies or Intel is operating through channel partners in different market. For example, LG, Lenovo, Dell and Zenith are some of the channel partners of Intel in different markets (Mody, 2007). Intel has a variable pricing strategy across the world. Since the company enjoys monopoly in some markets, it has the ability to fix the prices of its products in such markets. As in the case of B2C companies, Intel also use various promotion strategies to get more market share. â€Å"In 2006 Intel launched a fi ve-year campaign known as the ‘World Ahead Program’. This initiative is geared toward an increase in digital literacy, research, and development†(Flores, 2008). Dell on the other hand has a wide range of products such as workstations, desktops, desktops, tablets, etc. The company is marketing its products directly to the consumers with the help of advertising and promotion strategies. Promotion plays a big part in Dell’s marketing mix even though it plays less significant role in Intel’s marketing mix. Variable pricing mechanisms were implemented by dell in different markets based

The inequality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The inequality - Essay Example The blame game going on is deep-rooted in the inappropriate structure of the American economy that cultivates inequality. Economic inequality can be gauged by comparing the earnings of a worker at the top with those of a worker at the middle. The economic inequality has grown more than two-folds from 1978 to 2010. Today, 400 Americans have more income than half of the total population of The US. In the economic boom from the Second World War up until 1978, economic benefits were widely distributed and the whole society benefited. But as the US started to recover from the economic recession of 2008, 95% of the gains went to the top 1% people. Something happened in the early 1980s that altered the relationship between economic growth and wages for the worse. Along with the stagnation of wages for the middle-class, costs of housing, education, healthcare and other facilities have soared up. Multinational companies are not increasing their products or services’ range so that more people would be hired because more and more people are aspiring to join the middle class while the purchasing power of the massive middle class in the US is decreasing. The stringent tax laws of the US serve as a disincentive for multinational corporations to bring their money to the US, so they instead spend their money buying other companies e.g. Microsoft buying Nokia. Some inequality is desirable in a capitalist system to motivate people to work hard and rise up economically, but the real problem is rooted in the inequality of opportunities in the US. The inequality of opportunities is much attributable to biased tax laws determined by the top 1% in their own favor. The existing economic structure of the US is shattering Americans’ confidence in democracy at large. An economy cannot be stable without having a strong middle-class. When adjusted for inflation, the median wage in the US is declining, and that is increasing the

FINANCE STRATEGY- EXAM REVISION QUESTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

FINANCE STRATEGY- EXAM REVISION QUESTION - Essay Example This means that the repayment of the principal exceeds one year. The following are types of long-term debt Bonds – negotiable instruments that can be bought and sold like common stock, usually at units of $1,000 which is called its face or par value. It has a specified interest rate called coupon rate. Interest payments are usually paid at the end of each interest period, while the principal is paid at maturity. Debentures – This is a bond the only collateral of which is â€Å"the full faith and credit† of the company. The loan is made only on the basis of the creditworthiness and credit rating of the debtor. Debentures are thus a form of unsecured credit and command a higher interest rate because of the higher risk. Mortgage Bonds – This is also a bond like the debenture, but it is secured by a specific collateral, usually a piece of real property. Mortgage bond lenders are thus secured lenders. Because of the security, interest rates are usually lower than debentures. Convertible Bonds – A type of debenture that may be converted to a share of stock at a later date. This special feature allows for a relatively lower interest rate, because of the lower risk of default (the lender may elect to convert to common stock) i. Stock – An instrument that signifies an ownership position (the stock holder owns a portion of the company). A stockholder is entitle to rights of ownership of a business, such as the right to receive a portion of the profits, and the right to vote for the company’s board of directors, or for certain issues in the governance of the company. i. Efficient market hypothesis – Theory of Eugene Fama formulated in the sixties. It states that the prices of stocks in the stock markets have taken all relevant information into consideration already – that is, prices discount all information – so that it is impossible to beat the market by trying to buy stocks at undervalued levels. Stock