The Investment Detective free essay sample

This case presents the cash flows of eight unidentified investments, all of equal initial investment size. The student’s task is to rank the projects. The first objective of the case is to examine critically the principal capital-budgeting criteria. A second objective is to consider the problem that arises when net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) disagree as to the ranking of two mutually exclusive projects. Finally, the case is a vehicle for introducing the problem created by attempting to rank projects of unequal life and the solution to that difficulty criterion. Please answer following questions 1. What analytical criteria can we use to rank the projects? How do you define each criterion? Please evaluate each project using all investment criteria we learned during the class. 2. Which of the two projects, 7 or 8, is more attractive? How sensitive is our ranking to the use of high discount rates? Why do NPV and IRR disagree? 3. We will write a custom essay sample on The Investment Detective or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page What rank should we assign to each project? Why do payback and NPV not agree completely? Which criterion is best? 4. Are those projects comparable on the basis of NPV? Because the projects have different lives, are we really measuring the â€Å"net present† value of the short-lived projects? (Question 4 Hint) Comparisons based on standard NPV ignore the inequality of project lives such as those in the case. Simply put, short-lived projects could be replicated within the life of the longest project (for example, project 6 could be replicated 15 times within the life of project 3), producing very different time profiles of cash flows for the projects. One solution to this problem is the so-called replacement-chain approach, in which shortlived projects are replicated out to a horizon common with the long-lived projects; the NPV on the entire chain is then calculated and compared with the NPV of the other chain. This approach can be cumbersome, however, in problems with many alternative investments.

Free Essays on Westward Expansion

Westward Expansion The Affect on Native Americans Writer and historian Noel Ignatiev posed the question, â€Å"What is the role of westward expansion in American culture?† His answer points the reader in an entirely different direction than a person of average patriotic and historic beliefs would have expected. What was and is our belief about ourselves as we examine the westward expansion are both as enlightening as it is painful. This, of course depends on whose historical perspective it is. The proud history widely recognized by most Americans, focuses on the story of the Puritans quest for freedom and the expansion west as natural extension of this movement to the new continent. It tells of the struggles and successes, colonization of the new world, as well as the heroic fight for independence from England. However, from the perspective of the black slaves or Native Americans, the story of our heritage and the subsequent expansion west is much less than heroic. It is a story of man’s inhumanity to his fellow beings.1 During the nineteenth century just after the War of 1812 there was a significant migration of people with no land and no slaves to remaining lands in the east. Around this time speculators were making a great deal of money selling land, sometimes making ten times what they would pay for it. Professor William Scarborough in an Internet article about the Indians displacement in the 19th century writes of one man, â€Å"Guy S. Whitfield of Alabama, who said he was making a thousand dollars a week for land speculation.† When the land was purchased it need to be cleared and worked. The demand for labor increased and contributed to the growth of the slave trade. â€Å"Mississippi, 1. Noel Ignatiev, â€Å"Noel Ignatiev on the role of westward expansion.† Judgment Day, pars. 1-4 [article online] accessed 16 February 2003. Available from pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4i3098.html. for example, the slave... Free Essays on Westward Expansion Free Essays on Westward Expansion Westward Expansion The Affect on Native Americans Writer and historian Noel Ignatiev posed the question, â€Å"What is the role of westward expansion in American culture?† His answer points the reader in an entirely different direction than a person of average patriotic and historic beliefs would have expected. What was and is our belief about ourselves as we examine the westward expansion are both as enlightening as it is painful. This, of course depends on whose historical perspective it is. The proud history widely recognized by most Americans, focuses on the story of the Puritans quest for freedom and the expansion west as natural extension of this movement to the new continent. It tells of the struggles and successes, colonization of the new world, as well as the heroic fight for independence from England. However, from the perspective of the black slaves or Native Americans, the story of our heritage and the subsequent expansion west is much less than heroic. It is a story of man’s inhumanity to his fellow beings.1 During the nineteenth century just after the War of 1812 there was a significant migration of people with no land and no slaves to remaining lands in the east. Around this time speculators were making a great deal of money selling land, sometimes making ten times what they would pay for it. Professor William Scarborough in an Internet article about the Indians displacement in the 19th century writes of one man, â€Å"Guy S. Whitfield of Alabama, who said he was making a thousand dollars a week for land speculation.† When the land was purchased it need to be cleared and worked. The demand for labor increased and contributed to the growth of the slave trade. â€Å"Mississippi, 1. Noel Ignatiev, â€Å"Noel Ignatiev on the role of westward expansion.† Judgment Day, pars. 1-4 [article online] accessed 16 February 2003. Available from pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4i3098.html. for example, the slave...

Examples and Definition of Discourse Domain in Speech

Examples and Definition of Discourse Domain in Speech In sociolinguistics, the term discourse domain refers to features or conventions of language use determined by the context in which communication takes place. A discourse domain typically includes a variety of registers. Also known as  cognitive discourse domain, discourse world, and knowledge map. A discourse domain can be understood as a  social construct as well as a cognitive construct. A discourse domain is made up of individuals who exhibit their own distinctive knowledge structures, cognitive styles, and biases. However, within the boundaries of a domain, there is continual interaction between domain structures and individual knowledge, an interaction between the individual and the social level (Hjà ¸rland and Albrechtsen, Toward a New Horizon in Information Science, 1995). See Examples and Observations below. Also, see: Cognitive LinguisticsConversation AnalysisDiscourseLinguistic VariationPragmaticsSpeech Community Examples and Observations Along the lines of what Wittgenstein called (2009) language games and Levinson (1979) labelled activity types,  discourse domains are  frameworks for conduct that organize participants verbal and non-verbal comportment around  recognized modes of activity grounded in shared norms, purposes and goals. Relevant activities include playing tennis, having an academic debate, or going on a walk with a dog- in short, activities that involve interacting with one or more human or non-human others in a particular setting and for specific kinds of reasons. -(Daniel Herman, Building More-Than-Human Worlds.  World Building: Discourse in the Mind, ed. by Joanna Gavins and Ernestine Lahey. Bloomsbury, 2016) These are some domain contextual examples (Based on Hymes, 1974; Gumperz, 1976; Douglas Selinker, 1985a): physical: setting, participants;phonological: voice tone, pitch, tempo, rhythm, volume;semantic: code, topic;rhetorical: register, style, genre;pragmatic: purpose, interactional salience;paralinguistic: posture, gesture, gaze, facial expression. The above list is not intended to be exhaustive and there are no doubt other types of contextualization cues, but it does give the reader a sense of the types of information available to language learners/users in communication situations. -Dan Douglas, Discourse Domains: The Cognitive Context of Speaking. Studying Speaking to Inform Second Language Learning, ed. by Diana Boxer and Andrew D. Cohen. Multilingual Matters, 2004 Contexts and Discourse Domains [A] discourse domain is a cognitive construct created in response to a number of factors, including semantic category, but also to other features of situational and linguistic context. For example, when we enter a room where a conversation is going on, we of course pay attention to the topic of the talk, but we also take note of a number of other features of the situation, including the physical setting, who the participants are, what the purpose of their conversation appears to be, whether the conversation seems to be businesslike, friendly, or angry, what features of language the participants are using, and what relationship they appear to have with each other. Depending upon our analysis of the situation in terms such as these, we might feel that this is a situation we are familiar with and would feel comfortable joining; in other words, as Douglas and Selinker would say, we possess a discourse domain for dealing with this communication situation... [D]iscourse domains are developed or engaged in response to signals in the situational and linguistic environment which interlocutors attend to in interpreting (indeed, creating) context. -Dan Douglas, Discourse Domains: The Cognitive Context of Speaking. Studying Speaking to Inform Second Language Learning, ed. by Diana Boxer and Andrew D. Cohen. Multilingual Matters, 2004 The Discourse Domain of Higher Education All persons involved in formal education at some point find themselves participating in various sorts of encounters, including less formal interactions in small groups- in laboratories, study groups, or colloquia. It is important to know how to display oneself as intellectually competent, and this is done more often than not through face-to-face interactions...How to utilize powerful speech behaviors without presenting oneself as arrogant involves a careful dance of negotiation. Joking, teasing, challenging, asking questions and commenting, getting and holding the floor- these are all important phenomena of face-to-face discourse in higher education... The discourse domain of education is one that everyone experiences. As an increasing number of citizens seek a higher education, it becomes ever more critical to understand how to negotiate relationships in this domain of interaction. The stakes are high. -Diana Boxer, Applying Sociolinguistics: Domains and Face-to-Face Interaction. John Benjamins, 2002 Story-Telling as a Discourse Domain There are clear reports that have shown that storytelling as a particular discourse domain is an activity that follows a well-delineated line of development within the mainstream culture. From very early on mother and child engage in an interaction format that resembles a book reading activity in the sense that both participants engage in a labeling game of more or less decontextualized units (cf. Ninio Bruner 1978; Ninio 1980). The capacity to label is not only a necessary prerequisite for the joint storytelling activity, it is also an activity that is propagated and embellished with short picture book-like stories that develop into more complicated narrations in the course of the pre-school years. -Michael G. W. Bamberg, The Acquisition of Narratives: Learning to Use Language. Mouton de Gruyter, 1987

Description of Temple Run Game Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Description of Temple Run Game - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that  the player is required to collect coins on the way in form of diamond coins primarily yellow but depending on coin value, they can change to red and blue. The collected coins are eventually used in the games store where the player can buy power ups that are beneficial to unlock characters. Mega coins retail at 150coins which is the coin value three times. Boosts helps up to 1000meters as the invisibility lasts 30seconds. Two point coins starts at 1000meters while three point coin starts at 2000meters. As the player continues to survive the higher score, he accumulates points which are five times the value of collected coins.  This study stresses that the target of Temple Run Brave is virtually everyone. Its’ design ensures it can be used by almost everyone who owns a smartphone, tablet or computer and loves speed and racing. The extensive market research that the Temple Run app did is the cause of their success in the flooded market. It is important to note that in the over one billion smartphone and tablets users, games command more than 40% of the time spent on apps. Temple Run has been designed in such a way that it is easy to learn starting from simple to complex tasks. This allows a wide range of users depend on their capabilities and age. The predictable playing pattern allows for all genders to play it hence a wide market range.  Temple Run can be played by children, young adults and adults with a smartphone, tablets, laptops and computers. It is easy to download and can also be played offline.

International advertising campaign Research Paper - 1

International advertising campaign - Research Paper Example the company has created in the minds of its target clients the idea that the Cisco-offered internet utilities and services are capable of transforming the way individuals work, learn, play and live, and the Cisco Networking Academy (CNA) Program is spearheading this great transforming. Since 1984 when it was founded, the company has overwhelmingly dominated the network equipment world making a number of network administrators to attest to the idea that they never see any burden channeling intensive funds to acquire Cisco products and services. Indeed, the overall cost of Cisco-produced routers and switches surpasses the prices issued by a number of the competitor firms, but this has steel left businesses perceive the Cisco tools as the way to go for safe and efficient network practices. The company has also been credited for producing reliable products that target a wider range of global customers (Wylie 33). As a way to evade the high rates associated with Cisco networking products, some consumers have often tried exploring products from competitor firms, but they have always ended up settling for Cisco tools. The organization also employs a strategic approach to marketing adventures as a way to increase revenue. This has been realized through an active research unit that pursues custom research on the prevailing market trends then uses the findings to advise the company on best approaches to design adverts. Some areas of focus during research adventures include brand positioning, buying behaviors, price elasticity and advertising among others. The organization also uses business intelligence tools like database analysis and reporting tools. These tools provide benefits like offering insights plus directions ahead of market planning and execution and delivering incremental values obtained from data-generated models that are applied to different marketing programs. The company advertises its products through Cisco mConcierge program. At the most basic level, the

Iraq War and Osama bin Laden Essay Example for Free

Iraq War and Osama bin Laden Essay The United States of America has failed in its endeavors with Iraq. Looking at the current situation in Iraq, there were so little, or no improvement at all ever since America waged a war on â€Å"terrorism,† pointing the finger to Iraq. When it was planned to train Iraqi soldiers so that they could â€Å"defend† themselves, leaving them to the hard work in their own backyard, one thing has been overlooked. Training a small population of Iraqi’s to defend or fight for their welfare is not the solution, hence it could further lead to something worse. It is only adding fuel to the fire, igniting the civil war Iraq is experiencing in its backyard (Bereuter, 2004). It will only increase the horrifying truth of the Iraq war, and its negative effects on the humans – death, starvation, poverty, and hatred of its own countrymen. It also has its toll on economy, pestering both Americans and Iraqis. There are various variables to consider when you talk about this war. These are the dependent and independent variables. The first variable that is a proof of the war’s failure was the increasing death toll. It is a rather dependent variable on the war because it is directly affected by the war itself. The military death toll have greatly increased, wasting the precious lives of the soldiers willing to do any of the President’s bidding. Non-Iraqi workers and contractors death toll has also doubled, bringing fear in the hearts of those who wish to work in there. The insurgencies and Iraqi resistance has then risen in a great number of times since the war has started. Death is the biggest price that both sides will pay in this Iraqi war. Roughly a lot of Iraqis have died defending their country – or fleeing it. U. S. -trained Iraqi police and National Guards were unable to protect the people, to provide safety for everyone, as it was promised by the United States government. On the other hand, not only were the United States losing the war in Iraq, they are also losing precious lives of the soldiers fighting for a lost cause. More than a thousand American soldiers and their families have suffered the consequences of the Iraq war. If death wasn’t enough, it also caused a tragic change in the economy of both countries. Both countries have increasing number of bodies being piled on the ground. Another dependent variable is insurgency. It is a consequence of the United States’ campaign on Iraq. Many people decided to take arms and fight US instead of helping peace to prosper. Insurgency has grown stronger than ever, as it can be seen on the number of deaths and losses from both ends. As the U. S. continues to stay in the Iraqi backyard, the more these Iraqi insurgents would mass up and attack people, the more the problem will continue for Iraq and the US, just like an incurable headache. The Pentagon points out that in November 2003, there were only about 5,000 Iraqi insurgents. But as of September 2004, the number of these people have blown out 400% 20,000. And considering that the number of dead Iraqi resistance fighters were around 24,000, the grim fact is that it is even larger in reality (Lieberman, 2005). An independent variable of the United States war against Iraq was the impact on economy. It is a rather independent factor that you consider because it is not connected to the so called â€Å"campaign against terror. † But whether people like it or not, war has affected the economic situation of the country and the whole world. Not only was this war wasting precious lives, it is also wasting hard-earned money. About 151 billion U. S. dollars went down the drain as the cost of this war continually increases. The money which came from America’s taxpayer’s pockets are surprisingly being wasted on bullets, guns and ammunitions, vehicles, and more, considering that these things are being wasted, and have no real benefit as of late. Ending the war: the price for Osama’s head The United States, along with the United Nations and the European Union have resorted to a lot of efforts in order to solve this problem. This includes empowering a few chosen Iraqis to defend themselves and be able to start a new government. This effort has been considered futile since Iraq as a country is being plagued with internal conflicts – civil wars between various ethnic groups. So if you empower any of these groups, there is a tendency that they would just go against each other, so instead of solving the problem, you are giving them another blow in the head. Another effort which they had resorted to was hunting down the famous terrorist leader, Osama bin Laden (Kirkpatrick, 2004). As the Al Qaeda’s leader, he is considered to be one of the most influential heads of the Iraqi resistance. They think that killing him would mean victory in the Iraq war. They see that his presence – his very existence, is considered to be an encouragement for the Iraqi people to take arms and fight the â€Å"invaders† in their lands. Using the terrorist attacks in the country as an example of what this man can do, the United States government has waged an all out operative to search for bin Laden. The army literally bombarded the possible hiding places for Osama bin Laden, but still returning empty handed. Rumors about his death came out, but the lack of evidence has left the people doubting. What the United States overlooked was not Osama bin Laden is not the problem, so putting him out of the scene was definitely not the solution. Osama bin Laden was only a part, just a fraction of what the US government is up against with. He may be an influential leader, but still, there are other factors that they have to consider if they really want to end this war against Iraq. Iraq is in the middle of a very turbulent civil war; different groups in the country are fighting among themselves for survival, since each of them claims that they can’t live with any of the other groups. It is a communal war, wherein they are slugging it out with other groups; Sunnis fighting against Shiites, Kurds against Sunnis, and Shiites against Kurds (Diamond, 2006). In these groups there are other minorities fighting on multiple front, thus making the war complex. Osama bin Laden as a terrorist icon doesn’t necessarily prove much of an importance, since between these Iraqi’s lies greater conflicts. These conflicts could lead to mass slaughter, thus creating chaos in the global level.

The Gambia :: essays research papers

The Gambia, translated from the French La Gambia was first colonized by Portugal in 1445 on what was later named St. Mary’s Island. Subsequently, the area was visited by France and later, Britain who began to build strong trading posts along it’s western shores. In the 1700’s The Gambia was proclaimed to be part of Britain. By 1969 The Gambia became a republic within the British commonwealth of nations. In 1982 it was declared a republic in what was later declared the Senegambian conference. The Gambia stated its independence from Britain and the Province of Senegal. The Gambia then established The People’s Progressive Party led by, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara , until the change of government in 1994. Today The Gambia lives under a multi-party system. The Constitution of the Second Republic of The Gambia provides elections by making everyone over the age of 18 pay suffrage. Every five years the people elect 45 candidates that make up the county’s Natio nal Assembly. Four parties made up the 1996 elections. The Alliance for Patriotic Re- Orientation and Construction (APRC), The United Democratic Party (UDP), The National Reconciliation Party (NRP), and The People’s Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS). On October 18, 1996 Yahya Jammeh (ADRC) won 56% of the votes to become the new president of The Gambia. The flag consist of three horizontal stripes. From top to bottom they are: red, blue, then green. Sorry I couldn’t get a color print on the flag pictured below. TOPOGRAPHY: The Gambia is a long narrow country focusing around the central river that gave them their name. The Gambia river is 300 miles long inside The Gambia and is about 3 miles wide at most points. The Gambia has a total land area of 4,000 miles. It is relatively flat with few mountains and has an inward sloping bowl shape from where the Gambia river once covered. The Gambia river opens into the ocean at the western most tip of The Gambia. The capital, Banjul, is located near the inlet to the river and is a very large city with many tourist attractions and shops to buy stuff in. The Gambia is located completely within the county of Senegal from which it won it’s independence. The river is navigable up to 241km inland. After that point is impossible to further follow the river without the aid of a specialized boat for such a trip.

Kant and Equality Essay

Some readers of this essay will have become impatient by now; because they believe that the problem that perplexes me has been definitively solved by Immanuel Kant. It is certainly true that Kant held strong opinions on this matter. In an often-quoted passage, he reports a personal conversion from elitism: â€Å"I am myself a researcher by inclination. I feel the whole thirst for knowledge and the eager unrest to move further on into it, also satisfaction with each acquisition. There was a time when I thought this alone could constitute the honor of humanity and despised the know nothing rabble. Rousseau set me straight. This delusory superiority vanishes, I learn to honor men, and I would find myself more useless than a common laborer if I did not believe this observation could give everyone a value which restores the rights of humanity. †What Kant learned from Rousseau was the proposition that the basis of human equality is the dignity that each human person possesses in virtue of the capacity for autonomy (moral freedom). This moral freedom has two aspects, the capacity to set ends for oneself according to one’s conception of what is good, and the capacity to regulate one’s choice of ends and of actions to achieve one’s ends by one’s conception of what morality requires. According to Kant’s psychology, brute animals are determined to act as instinct inclines them, but a rational being has the power to interrogate the inclinations it feels, to raise the question what it is reasonable to do in given circumstances, and to choose to do what reason suggests even against all inclinations. The question arises whether Kant’s psychology is correct, or remotely close to correct. Perhaps something like the conflict between conscience and inclination is experienced by social animals other than humans. Perhaps the freedom that Kant imputes to human on metaphysical grounds can be shown to be either empirically nonexistent or illusory. For our purposes we can set these questions aside and simply presume that the human psychological complexity envisaged by Kant does describe capacity we possess, whether or not it is shared with other animals. My question is whether Kant’s characterization, if it was correct, would have the normative implication she draws from it. It might seem that the Kantian picture helps to show how moral freedom is arrange concept, which does not significantly admit of degrees. If one has the capacity to set an end for oneself, one does not possess this freedom to a lesser extent just because one cannot set fancy ends, or because other persons can set fancier ends. If one has the power to regulate choice of ends by one’s sense of what is morally right, one does not possess this freedom to a lesser extent because one cannot understand sophisticated moral considerations, or because other persons can understand more sophisticated moral considerations. Moreover, one might hold that it is having or lacking the freedom which is important, not having or lacking the capacity to exercise the freedom in fancy ways. But the old worries lurk just around the corner. The Kantian view is that there are indeed capacities that are crucial for the ascription of fundamental moral status that do not vary in degree. One either has the capacity or one does not, and that’s that. If the crucial capacities have this character, then the problem of how to draw a no arbitrary line on a continuum and hold all beings on one side of the line full persons and all beings on the other side of the line lesser beings does not arise. The line separating persons and nonpersons will be non arbitrary, and there will be no basis for further differentiation of moral status. One is either a person or not, and all persons are equal. Consider the capacity to set an end, to choose a goal and decide on an action to achieve it. One might suppose that all humans have this capacity except for the permanently comatose and the anencephalic. So all humans are entitled to a fundamental equal moral status. This view is strengthened by noting that there are other capacities that do admit of degrees that interact with the no degree capacities. Individuals who equally have the capacity to set an end may well differ in the quality of their end-setting performances. Some are able to set ends more reasonably than others. But these differences in performance do not gainsay the fundamental equal capacity. It is just that having a high or low level of associated capacities enables or impedes successful performance. So the fact that individuals differ in their abilities to do arithmetic and more complex mathematical operations that affect their ability to make rational choices should have no tendency to obscure the more basic and morally status-conferring equality in the capacity of each person to make choices. In response: First of all, if several of these no degree capacities were relevant to moral status, one must possess all to be at the top status, and some individuals possess more and others fewer of the relevant capacities, a problem of hierarchy, though perhaps a manageable one, would emerge anew. More important, I doubt there is a plausible no degree capacity that can do the work this argument assigns to it. Take the capacity to set ends and make choices. Consider a being that has little brain power, but over the course of its life can set just a few ends and make just a few choices based on considering two or three simple alternatives. It sets one end (lunch, now) per decade three times over the course of its life. If there is a capacity to set ends, period, not admitting of degrees, this being possesses it. The point is that it is clearly not merely the capacity to set ends, but something more complex that renders a being a person in our eyes. What matters is whether or not one has the capacity to set sensible ends and to pick among alternative end at a reasonable pace, sorting through complex considerations that bear on the choice of ends and responding in a rational way to these considerations. But this capacity, along with any similar or related capacity that might be urged as a substitute for it, definitely admits of degrees. The same point would hold if we pointed to free will or moral autonomy as the relevant person-determining capacity. It is not the ability to choose an end on ground of consideration for moral considerations merely, but the ability to do this in a nuanced and fine-grained responsive way, that is plausibly deemed to entitle a being to personhood status. In general, we single out rationality, the ability to respond appropriately to reasons, as the capacity that is pertinent to personhood, by itself or in conjunction with related abilities, and rationality so understood admits of degrees. Kant may well have held that the uses of reason that are required in order to have a well-functioning conscience that can tell right from wrong are not very sophisticated and are well within the reach of all non crazy non feebleminded humans. Ordinary intelligence suffices. His discussions of applying the categorical imperative test certainly convey this impression. But commentators tend to agree that there is no simple all-purpose moral test that easily answers all significant moral questions. Thus Christine Korsgaard cautions that the categorical imperative test is not a â€Å"Geiger counter† for detecting the presence of moral duties, and Barbara Herman observes that the application of the categorical imperative test to cases cannot be a mechanical procedure but relies on prior moral understanding by the agent and on the agent’s capacity to make relevant moral discriminations and judgments and to characterize her own proposed maxims perspicuously. These comments confirm what should be clear in any event: Moral problems can be complex and difficult, and there is no discernible upper bound to the complexity of the reasoning required to master and perhaps solve them. But suppose I do the best I can with my limited cognitive resources, I make a judgment as to what is morally right, however misguided, and I am conscientiously resolved to do what I take to be morally right. The capacity to do what is right can be factored into two components, the ability to decide what is right and the ability to dispose oneself to do what one thinks is right. One might hold the latter capacity to be the true locus of human dignity and worth. Resisting temptation and doing what one thinks is right is noble and admirable even if one’s conscience is a broken thermometer. However, one might doubt that being disposed to follow one’s conscience is unambiguously good when one’s conscience is seriously in error. For one thing, moral flaws such as a lazy indisposition to hard thinking and an obsequious deference toward established power and authority might play a large role in fixing the content of one’s judgments of conscience. A conceited lack of healthy skepticism about one’s cognitive powers might be a determinant of one’s strong disposition to do whatever one thinks to be right. Even if Kant is correct that the good will, the will directed unfailingly at what is truly right, has an absolute and unconditional worth, it is doubtful that the would-be good will, a will directed toward what it takes to be right on whatever flimsy or solid grounds appeal to it, has such worth. Take an extreme case: Suppose a particular person has a would-be good will that is always in error. This could be strong or righteous, so that the agent always does what he thinks is right, or weak and corrupt, so that the agent never does what she thinks is right. If the will is always in error, the odds of doing the right thing are increased if the would-be good will is weak and corrupt. Some might value more highly on consequential grounds the weak and corrupt erroneous will, even though the strong and righteous invariably erroneous will always shines like a jewel in its own right. And some might hold that quite aside from the expected consequences, acting on a seriously erroneous judgment of right is inherently of lesser worth than acting on correct judgment of right. Even if the disposition to do what one thinks morally right is unassailable, its purported value does not provide a sound basis for asserting the equal worth and dignity of human persons. The capacity to act conscientiously itself varies empirically across persons like any other valued capacity. A favorable genetic endowment and favorable early socialization experiences bestow more of this capacity on some persons and less on others. If we think of an agent’s will as disposed more or less strongly to do what she conscientiously believes to be right, different individuals with the same disposition will experience good and bad luck in facing temptations that exceed their resolve. Even if we assume that agents always have freedom of the will, it will be difficult to different degrees for different persons to exercise their free will as conscience dictates. Moreover, individuals will vary in their psychological capacities to dispose their will to do what conscience dictates. One might retreat further to the claim that all persons equally can try to dispose their will to do what is right, even if they will succeed in this enterprise to different degrees. But the ability to try is also a psychological capacity that we should expect would vary empirically across persons. At times Kant seems to appeal to epistemic grounds in reasoning from the goodness of the good will to the equal worth and dignity of all human persons. We don’t know what anyone’s inner motivations are, even our own, so the judgment that anyone is firmly disposed to do what is right can never be confirmed. But surely the main issue is whether humans are so ordered that we ought to accord them fundamental equal moral status, not whether, given our beliefs, it is reasonable for us to act as if they are so ordered. The idea that there is a threshold of rational agency capacity such that any being with a capacity above the threshold is a person equal in fundamental moral status to all other persons prompts a worry about how to identify this threshold non arbitrarily. It might seem that only the difference between nil capacity and some capacity would preclude the skeptical doubt that the line set at any positive level of capacity could just as well have been set higher or lower. Regarding the proposal to identify any above-zero capacity as qualifying one for personhood, we imagine a being with barely a glimmer of capacity to perceive the good and the right and to dispose its will toward their attainment. The difference between none and some might be infinitesimal, after all. However, a threshold need not be razor-thin. Perhaps there is a line below which beings with rational capacities in this range are definitely not persons and a higher level such that all beings with capacities above this level are definitely persons. Beings with rational capacities that fall in the middle range or gray area between these levels are near-persons. The levels can be set sufficiently far apart that the difference between scoring at the lower and the higher levels is undeniably of moral significance. But the difference between the rational capacities of the beings just above the higher line, call them marginal persons, and the beings at the upper end of the scale who have saintly genius capacities, is not thereby shown to be insignificant. At the lower end we might imagine persons like the villains depicted in the Dirty Harry Clint Eastwood movies. These unfortunates are not shown as having moral capacities which they are flouting, but rather as bad by nature, and perhaps not entitled to full human rights. No doubt this is a crass outlook, but the question remains whether the analysis we can offer of the basis for human equality generates a refutation of it. Suppose someone asserts that the difference between the rational agency capacities of the most perceptive saints and the most unreflective and animalistic villains defines a difference in fundamental moral status that is just as important for morality as the difference between the rational agency capacities of near-persons and marginal persons. What mistake does this claim embody? COMMENTS ON KANT’S ETHICAL THEORY Because we so commonly take it for granted that moral values are intimately connected with the goal of human well-being or happiness, Kant’s insistence that these two concepts are absolutely independent makes it difficult to grasp his point of view and easy to misunderstand it. The following comments are intended to help the you to avoid the most common misunderstandings and appreciate the sort of outlook that characterizes what Kant takes to be the heart of the ethical life. Kant’s ethical theory is often cited as the paradigm of a deontological theory. Although the theory certainly can be seriously criticized, it remains probably the finest analysis of the bases of the concepts of moral principle and moral obligation. Kant’s endeavor to ground moral duty in the nature of the human being as essentially a rational being marks him as the last great Enlightenment thinker. In spite of the fact that his critical philosophy in epistemology and metaphysics brought an end to The Age of Reason, in ethics his attempt to derive the form of any ethical duty from the very nature of a rational being is the philosophical high water mark of the Enlightenment’s vision of humanity as essentially and uniquely rational. What Kant aims to provide is a â€Å"metaphysics of morals† in the sense of an analysis of the grounds of moral obligation in the nature of a rational being. In other words, Kant aims to deduce his ethical theory purely by a priori reasoning from the concept of what it is to be a human person as a rational agent. The fact that people have the faculty of being able to use reason to decide how to act expresses the fundamental metaphysical principle -the basis or foundation in the nature of reality- on which Kant’s ethical theory is erected. Kant begins his treatise, The Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals with the famous dramatic sentence: â€Å"Nothing can possibly be conceived in the world, or even out of it, which can be called good without qualification, except a good will. † 1. What does Kant mean by â€Å"good without qualification†? Obviously people try to seek and avoid many different sorts of things; those things which they seek they call â€Å"good,† while those they try to avoid, they call â€Å"bad†. These â€Å"goods† which people seek may be divided into those which are sought as means to some further end and those which they seek as good as ends in themselves. Obviously some things may be â€Å"good† as means to one end and â€Å"bad† as means to some other end. Different persons, motivated by different ends, will thus find different things â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† (relative to their different ends). More food is â€Å"good† to a starving man, but it is â€Å"bad† to one overweight. In order for something to be good â€Å"without qualification† it must not be merely â€Å"good† as means to one end but â€Å"bad† as means to some other end. It must be sought as good totally independently of serving as a means to something else; it must be â€Å"good in-itself. † Furthermore, while one thing may be good as means relative to a particular end, that â€Å"end† becomes a â€Å"means† relative to some other â€Å"end†. So a college diploma may be sought as â€Å"good† as a means for the end of a higher-paying job. And a higher-paying job may be â€Å"good† as a means to increased financial security; and increased financial security may be â€Å"good† as a means to obtaining the necessities of life as well as a few of its luxuries. However, if we seek A only for the sake of B, and B only for the sake of C, etc. , then there is never a justification for seeking A at the beginning of such a series unless there is something at the end of that series which we seek as a â€Å"good in-itself† not merely as means to some further end. Such an â€Å"ultimate† end would then be an â€Å"absolute† rather than a â€Å"relative† good. Kant means that a good will is â€Å"good without qualification† as such an absolute good in-itself, universally good in every instance and never merely as good to some yet further end. 2. Why is a â€Å"good will† the only thing which is universally absolutely good? Kant’s point is that to be universally and absolutely good, something must be good in every instance of its occurrence. He argues that all those things which people call â€Å"good† (including intelligence, wit, judgment, courage, resolution, perseverance, power, riches, honor, health, and even happiness itself) can become â€Å"extremely bad and mischievous if the will which is to make use of them†¦ is not good. † In other words, if we imagine a bad person (i. e. one who willed or wanted to do evil), who had all of these so-called â€Å"goods† (intelligence, wit, etc. ), these very traits would make only that much worse his will to do what is wrong. (We would get the â€Å"criminal master-mind† of the comic books. ) Even â€Å"health† often also cited as a â€Å"good in- itself† may serve to make a person insensitive and indifferent to the lack of good health in others. 3. Isn’t â€Å"happiness† such a universal, absolute good in-itself? Kant answers clearly, â€Å"No. † However, many philosophers (the ones we call â€Å"eudaemonists†) have assumed the obvious answer to be â€Å"Yes. † All ancient eudaemonistic ethical theories as well as modern utilitarian theories virtually define â€Å"happiness† as the absolute end of all ethical behavior. Such eudaemonistic ethical theories are attractive because of the fact that they make it easy to answer the question â€Å"Why should I do what is morally right? † For any eudaemonistic theory the answer will always be â€Å"Because the morally right action is always ultimately in the interest of your own happiness. † Since these theories generally assume that people really are motivated by a desire for their own happiness, their only problem is to show that the morally right action really does serve as the best means to obtain the end of happiness. Once you are led to see this, so such theories assume, the question â€Å"Why should I do what is morally right? † is automatically answered. Kant totally rejects this eudaemonistic way of ethical theorizing; he calls decisions made according to such a calculation of what produces your own happiness â€Å"prudential† decisions and he distinguishes them sharply from ethical decisions. This is not because Kant thinks we are not motivated by a desire for happiness, in fact like the ancient philosophers, he takes it for granted that we are; however, such motivation cannot be that which makes an action ethically right or wrong. The fact that an action might lead to happiness cannot be the grounds of moral obligation. Kant regards the notion of â€Å"happiness† as both too indefinite and too empirical to serve as the grounds for moral obligation – why we ought to do something. In the first place it is â€Å"too indefinite† because all people have very different sorts of talents, tastes and enjoyments which mean in effect that one person’s happiness may be another person’s misery. This is because the concept is â€Å"empirical† in the sense that the only way you can know whether what you seek will actually serve to bring you happiness is by experience. As Kant points out, â€Å"†¦ it is impossible that the most clear-sighted [man] should frame to himself a definite conception of what he really wills in this†¦. † Since we cannot know a priori before an action whether it really will be conducive to our happiness (because the notion is so indefinite that even the most clear-sighted amongst us cannot know everything that must form part of his own happiness) the desire for our own happiness cannot serve as a motive to determine our will to do this or that action. Moreover, Kant observes that even â€Å"†¦ the general well-being and contentment with one’s condition that is called happiness, can inspire pride, and often presumption, if there is not a good will to correct the influence of these on the mind†¦. † In other words happiness cannot be good without qualification for if we imagine it occurring in a person totally devoid of the desire to do what is right, it could very well lead to all sorts of immoral actions. 4. What does Kant mean by a â€Å"good will†? To act out of a â€Å"good will† for Kant means to act out of a sense of moral obligation or â€Å"duty†. In other words, the moral agent does a particular action not because of what it produces (its consequences) in terms of human experience, but because he or she recognizes by reasoning that it is morally the right thing to do and thus regards him or herself as having a moral duty or obligation to do that action. One may of course as an added fact get some pleasure or other gain from doing the right thing, but to act morally, one does not do it for the sake of its desirable consequences, but rather because one understands that it is morally the right thing to do. In this respect Kant’s view towards morality parallels the Christian’s view concerning obedience to God’s commandments, according to which the Christian obeys God’s commandments simply because God commands them, not for the sake of rewards in heaven after death or from fear of punishment in hell. In a similar way, for Kant the rational being does what is morally right because he recognizes himself as having a moral duty to do so rather than for anything he or she may get out of it. 5. When does one act from a motive of doing one’s duty? Kant answers that we do our moral duty when our motive is determined by a principle recognized by reason rather than the desire for any expected consequence or emotional feeling which may cause us to act the way we do. The â€Å"will† is defined as that which provides the motives for our actions. Obviously many times we are motivated by specific desires or emotions. I may act the way I do from a feeling of friendship for a particular individual, or from desire for a particular consequence. I may also be motivated by particular emotions of fear, or envy, or pity, etc. When I act in these ways, I am motivated by a desire for a particular end; in Kant’s vocabulary I am said to act out of â€Å"inclination. † Insofar as an action is motivated by inclination, the motive to do it is contingent upon the desire for the particular end which the action is imagined to produce. Thus as different rational agents might have different inclinations, there is no one motive from inclination common to all rational beings. Kant distinguishes acts motivated by inclination from those done on principle. For example someone may ask why I did a certain thing, and point out that it brought me no gain, or perhaps even made life a bit less pleasant; to which I might reply, â€Å"I know I do not stand to gain by this action, but I do it because of the principle of the thing. † For Kant, this sort of state of mind is the essence of the moral consciousness. When I act on principle the sole factor determining my motive is that this particular action exemplifies a particular case falling under a general law or â€Å"maxim. â€Å" For Kant the mental process by which the actor understands that a particular case falls under a certain principle is an exercise in â€Å"reasoning,† or to be more precise, what Kant called â€Å"practical reason,† reason used as a guide to action. (â€Å"Pure Reason† is reason used to attain certainty, or what Kant called â€Å"scientific knowledge. â€Å") Since to have moral worth an action must be done on principle, and to see that a certain principle applies to a particular action requires the exercise of reason, only rational beings can be said to behave morally. 6. Why does Kant believe that to have moral worth an action must be done on principle rather than inclination? Kant’s argument here may seem strange to the contemporary outlook, for it assumes that everything in nature is designed to serve a purpose. Now it is an obvious fact that human beings do have a faculty of â€Å"practical reason,† reason applied to the guidance of actions. (Kant is of course fully aware the people often fail to employ this faculty; i. e. they act non-rationally (without reason) or even irrationally (against what reason dictates); but he intends that his ethical theory is normative, prescribing how people ought to behave, rather than descriptive of how they actually do behave.) If everything in nature serves some purpose then the faculty of practical reason must have some purpose. Kant argues that this purpose cannot be merely the attainment of some specific desired end, or even the attainment of happiness in general, for if it were, it would have been far better for nature simply to have endowed persons with an instinct to achieve this end, as is the case with the non- rational animals. Therefore, the fact that human beings have a faculty of practical reason cannot be explained by claiming that it allows them to attain some particular end. So the fact that reason can guide our actions, but cannot do so for the sake of achieving some desired end, leads Kant to the conclusion that the function of practical reason must be to allow humans as rational beings to apply general principles to particular instances of action, or in other words to engage in moral reasoning as a way of determining one’s moral obligation: what is the â€Å"right† action to do. Thus we act morally only when we act rationally to apply a moral principle to â€Å"determine† the motive of our action. 7. Do all persons have the same moral duties? According to Kant only rational beings can be said to act morally. Reason for Kant (as for all the Enlightenment thinkers) is the same for all persons; in other words there isn’t a poor man’s reason versus a rich man’s reason or a white man’s reason versus a black man’s reason. All persons are equal as potentially rational beings. Therefore, if reason dictates that one person, in a particular situation, has a moral duty to do a particular thing, then any person, in that same situation, would equally well have a duty to do that same thing. In this sense Kant’s reasoning parallels the way in which stoicism led Roman lawyers to the conclusion that all citizens are equal before the law. Thus Kant is a moral â€Å"absolutist† in the sense that all persons have the same moral duties, for all persons are equal as rational beings. But this â€Å"absolutism† does not mean that Kant holds that our moral duties are not relative to the situation in which we find ourselves. Thus it is quite possible for Kant to conclude that in one particular situation I may have a duty to keep my promise, but in another situation (in which, for example, keeping a promise conflicts with a higher duty) I may equally well be morally obligated to break a promise. 8. Why is it that actions done for the sake of some end cannot have moral worth? Since what one’s moral duties are in a particular situation are the same for all persons, one’s moral duties must be independent of the particular likes and dislikes of the moral agent. Now any action which is motivated by the desire for some particular end presupposes that the agent has the desire for that end. However, from the simple concept of a â€Å"rational being† it is not possible to deduce that any particular rational being would have any particular desired ends. Most people, of course, desire to seek pleasure and avoid pain, but there is no logical contradiction involved in the notion of a â€Å"rational being who does not desire pleasure† or perhaps who desires pain. Thus reason does not dictate that any particular rational being has any particular end. But if the desire for a particular end gave an action its moral worth, then only those rational beings who happened in fact to desire that end would regard such actions as â€Å"good,† while those that desired to avoid such an end, would regard the action as â€Å"bad. † (Thus for example eudaemonistic theories which assume the end of achieving happiness is what gives an action its moral value, would serve to induce only those beings who happened to have the desire for happiness to behave morally. For those rational beings who happened to desire to avoid happiness, there would be no incentive to behave morally and what appears â€Å"good† to the happiness-seeker will appear positively â€Å"bad† to one who seeks to avoid happiness. ) But, as we have seen above, Kant’s absolutism reaches the conclusion that moral obligation is the same for all persons. Thus the ground of moral obligation, what makes an action a moral duty, cannot lie in the end which that act produces. 9. What does reason tell us about the principle that determines the morally dutiful motive? Since Kant has ruled out the ends (i. e. the â€Å"consequences†) which an act produces as well as any motive but those determined by the application of principle as determining moral duty, he is faced now with the task of deriving the â€Å"fundamental principles† of his ethical theory solely from the concept of what it is to be a rational being. He now argues (in a very obscure manner) that from this notion of what is demanded by being rational, he can deduce that it would be irrational to act on any principle which would not apply equally to any other actor in the same situation. In other words, Kant claims that reason dictates that the act we are morally obligated to do is one which is motivated by adherence to a principle which could, without inconsistency, be held to apply to any (and all) rational agents. This fundamental ethical principle, which is commonly called â€Å"The Categorical Imperative,† Kant summarizes with the statement that â€Å"I am never to act otherwise than so that I could also will that my maxim become a universal law. † Kant’s claim that Reason demands the moral agent to act on a universal law thus in many ways parallels Jesus’ dictum that God commands that those who love Him obey â€Å"The Golden Rule. † 10. What is a â€Å"categorical imperative†? Any statement of moral obligation which I make the principle of my action (my â€Å"maxim† in Kant’s vocabulary), in the context of a specific situation, constitutes an â€Å"imperative. † I might, in such a situation, choose to act on a statement of the form, â€Å"If I desire some specific end (e. g. happiness, maximum pleasure, power, etc. ), then I ought to do such and such an action. † In doing so I would be acting on what Kant calls â€Å"a hypothetical imperative. † However, Kant has already ruled out ends as the grounds for moral obligation; thus hypothetical imperatives cannot serve as the basis for determining my moral duty. However, if I act on a principle which has the form, â€Å"In circumstances of such and such a character, I ought to.

Polar Bears

The different adaptations of the Polar Bears and Brown Bears Polar Bears: Polar bears mainly eat seals Paw pads with rough surfaces help stop the Polar Bears from slipping on the ice Polar Bears don't swim The polar bear's fat layer, which is three to four inches thick, not only protects it from the cold A polar bear is so well insulated that it experiences no heat loss. The bear's blubber layer can measure 4. 5 inches thick. Polar bears have excellent underwater vision. They can spot food up to 15 feet away.They have sharp claws and teeth to eat prey Their ears have small surface area compared to body, reduces heat loss Thick white fur for camouflage and insulation Long legs for running to catch prey Brown Bears: They have thick insulating coats and tend to be large which helps them to keep their body heat They hibernate during winter. They have sharp claws and teeth which help them attack their prey. Adult brown bears are powerful; much of their diet consists of nuts, berries, frui t, leaves and oots.Bears also eat other animals. Brown bears can be recognized by their most distinctive feature, their shoulder hump. The shoulder muscle helps the bears to dig up roots and tear apart logs to find food. These muscles are located in the ‘hump' of the brown bear. Brown bears can move rocks and logs and dig through hard soil and rocky ground using their long sharp claws when making their dens. They eat grass, fruit, insects, roots and bulbs of plants.

Free Essays on Birth Control

Womens health concerns Birth control is a way to prevent pregnancy. While there are many different types of birth control, they all fall into two different categories: barrier and hormonal. Barrier methods basically block the sperm from getting to the egg. Condoms (both male and female), diaphragms and cervical caps are all barrier methods of birth control. Hormonal methods basically change the menstrual and ovulation cycle to prevent a female from releasing an egg from her ovaries, known as ovulation. That makes it nearly impossible for a pregnancy to happen. Birth control pills (the Pill), Depo-Provera (the shot), and the birth control patch are all hormonal methods of birth control. Certain types of birth control, like Depo-Provera and The Pill, are 98 to 99 percent effective. But, only if they’re used properly. Human error is a huge factor in whether birth control works. It’s so important that manufacturers actually have two different rates of effectiveness. One is with perfect use in a laboratory, where there’s no room for mistakes. The other is the â€Å"real world† rate, which takes into account the occasional broken condom and the couple of nights you forgot your pill. Of course, the perfect use rate is always higher. Condoms are 98 percent effective at preventing pregnancy when used correctly. That drops to 86 percent with "typical" use, which means making mistakes, not using them every single time. So you have to use them right, every single time you have sex, to get that kind of pregnancy protection. Condoms protect people from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that are spread through body fluids - semen and vaginal f luids. That includes HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis. Some STIs, like herpes and genital warts, are spread through skin-to-skin contact. A condom may not cover areas of the skin that are infected, such as the scrotum, labia, or even the inside of the thigh. So condoms can’t protect aga... Free Essays on Birth Control Free Essays on Birth Control Womens health concerns Birth control is a way to prevent pregnancy. While there are many different types of birth control, they all fall into two different categories: barrier and hormonal. Barrier methods basically block the sperm from getting to the egg. Condoms (both male and female), diaphragms and cervical caps are all barrier methods of birth control. Hormonal methods basically change the menstrual and ovulation cycle to prevent a female from releasing an egg from her ovaries, known as ovulation. That makes it nearly impossible for a pregnancy to happen. Birth control pills (the Pill), Depo-Provera (the shot), and the birth control patch are all hormonal methods of birth control. Certain types of birth control, like Depo-Provera and The Pill, are 98 to 99 percent effective. But, only if they’re used properly. Human error is a huge factor in whether birth control works. It’s so important that manufacturers actually have two different rates of effectiveness. One is with perfect use in a laboratory, where there’s no room for mistakes. The other is the â€Å"real world† rate, which takes into account the occasional broken condom and the couple of nights you forgot your pill. Of course, the perfect use rate is always higher. Condoms are 98 percent effective at preventing pregnancy when used correctly. That drops to 86 percent with "typical" use, which means making mistakes, not using them every single time. So you have to use them right, every single time you have sex, to get that kind of pregnancy protection. Condoms protect people from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that are spread through body fluids - semen and vaginal f luids. That includes HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis. Some STIs, like herpes and genital warts, are spread through skin-to-skin contact. A condom may not cover areas of the skin that are infected, such as the scrotum, labia, or even the inside of the thigh. So condoms can’t protect aga...

Ballistics and forensic science

The amount of damage a bullet has sustained upon hitting a hard surface can help determine approximately where the shooter was standing, what angle the gun was fired from, and when the gun was fired. Any residue on the bullet can be studied and compared to residue on the hand of a suspect, on the gun that was fired, or on any object that was close by when the firearm was used. This information helps researchers uncover the identity of the shooter. When the bullets are missing, the type of impact they made can lead Investigators to ascertain what kind of bullet the rimming used, and therefore the type of gun as well.Studying the markings found on a bullet or the Impact a bullet made on any surface can establish exactly which gun the criminal used. Every firearm produces a slightly different and unique pattern on the shell-casing It fires; the bullet will therefore imprint a distinct pattern upon anything It hits. Once scientists have Identified these markings they can easily match them to the appropriate firearm. There are many experts deeply Involved In this study, and they are frequently called upon to help solve crimes.Ballistics details are also commonly Input Into a large database that can be accessed by law enforcement agencies all across the country. When someone enters new data, the computer locates any relevant data from previous Investigations. This Information can lead to the discovery of the owner of a particular weapon, and assist In tracking down the guilty party who fired the gun. Ballistics and forensic science By freshmen type of impact they made can lead investigators to ascertain what kind of bullet theStudying the markings found on a bullet or the impact a bullet made on any surface different and unique pattern on the shell-casing it fires; the bullet will therefore imprint a distinct pattern upon anything it hits. Once scientists have identified these There are many experts deeply involved in this study, and they are frequently called upon to help solve crimes. Ballistics details are also commonly input into a large previous investigations.

Environmental Scan Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Environmental Scan - Research Paper Example The external environment covers the public’s perception about the company, which entails the brand awareness of the company among the public and the reputation of the company. Changes in technology are a major aspect of the external environment of the company, as it influences client service models as well as the technology used in service delivery. The cultural environment is a major component of the external environment, which influences the business of the company (Thomas & Pederson, 2004). The internal business environment of McDonalds comprises of human and capital resources in the company, and the company’s effective leadership structure. The internal environment of the company is changed and adjusted in response to changes in the external environment for the strategic purpose of maintaining the company’s market dominance (Mourdoukoutas, 2012). For example, in response to the competition, the company is increasing its market perception through offering heal thy foods in order to outsmart the competitors (Smith, 2007). In response to the changing outlook of the consumers, regarding the unhealthy nature of fast foods, the company has adjusted its resource allocation and its menu items, towards more healthy foods (Gasparro & Jargon, 2012). In response to the cultural environment, McDonalds has entered different markets as vegetarian outlets (Smith, 2007). These markets include the Middle East and India (Gasparro & Jargon, 2012). In response to advances in technology, the company uses voice transmission systems in taking orders during the delivery of customer’s orders. In addition, the company uses technology in other areas that include food heating machines, conveyor belts, and freezers – for food storage. The external environment of FedEx consists of the economy, the government and the weather conditions at different market areas. The company has narrow external environment coverage since its business is not affected by man y outside forces (FedEx, 2012). The government influences the company’s operations as it offers security regulations that guide the company’s business. One regulation affecting operations is the adjustment of the security regulations made by the US central government. The regulation’s adjustment protects the company from external threats, which surface during the process of service delivery. The regulation affects the company negatively, as it increases the time required to deliver packages, and during the processing of the operations of the company. Weather affects the company’s operations positively and negatively, because bad weather like snow and rain causes road closures and flight delays, which delays shipping dates. The impact causes problems with the customers of the company (FedEx, 2012). The favorability of weather can encourage faster delivery of packages, prior to the day set for the delivery, which shows that it can increase customer satisfac tion. The economy affects the internal environment