Epistemic Themes Explored Essay Example for Free

Epistemic Themes Explored Essay All men, the learned philosopher Aristotle insists, desire to know. Thus, when the first group of men from Ionia, then part of the infamous Grecian province of the ancients, began their thoughtful quest to know the most fundamental â€Å"stuff† constituting reality, it started a whole history of inquiry which later on was to be called â€Å"philosophy† (Marias, 1967, p. 11). But while their controlling concern was primarily cosmological – in that these philosophers â€Å"wrestled with the problem of explaining physical nature by asking what is the one basic material out of which the world is made† – their inquiry nevertheless engendered lasting impacts on the way humanity has since then understood the nature, scope and use of human knowledge (Lavine, 1982, p. 23). In view of the foregoing, this paper aims at successfully presenting a summative account of some of the major concerns or themes of Epistemology throughout the history of Philosophy; specifically, the theories which were propounded by key philosophers as they seek to understand certain epistemic issues. Along the same vein, I would also attempt, through this paper, to evaluate, if not compare such concerns within the present context as my way of appropriating what I have learned from this course into my own frame. Methodology and Scope This paper endeavors to firstly circumscribe three salient (among many others) themes of epistemic exploration, namely, (1) the quest to understand the nature of knowledge, (2) the compelling desire to establish certitude, and (3) the all-important need to appropriate human knowledge into a prolific use. As such, these three elements correspond to three different epochs in the history of Philosophy – the ancient, the post-Scholasticism and the modern periods respectively; and these epochs are further typified by key philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle (for the ancient epoch), Rene Descartes (for the modern epoch) and the empiricists in the likes of J. Stuart Mill and Francis Bacon. Secondly and as hinted above, this paper is an attempt to appropriate their concerns with my own present context. The method with which this paper employs shall be both expository and analytic. The Epistemic Concerns of Key Philosophers of Knowledge At the onset of Philosophy, the overarching epistemic concern was to discover the nature of human knowledge. In order to do this, the Ionian philosophers started to put into question the things that they took for granted. Socrates tried to propound, through the infamous Socratic method, that knowledge â€Å"cannot be equated with belief† or personal opinion (Bruder Moore, 2005, p. 35). Plato on the other hand maintained that true knowledge consists not in our perception of the visible things, but in acquisition of a type of knowledge that brings us into the World of Ideas (Lavine, 1982, p. 26). Refuting Plato, Aristotle meanwhile asserted that abstraction alone does not afford true knowledge. Instead, he believed that true knowledge must be scientific; i. e. , it circumscribes the proximate and remote causes of things and events. As one author puts it, â€Å"for Aristotle, to have scientific knowledge of a fact, it is not enough to know that it is true; you must also know why it is true† (Robinson, 1985, p. 11). If these ancient philosophers were chiefly engrossed with the proper definition of the nature and parameters of human knowledge, the thinkers of the modern era meanwhile sought for a kind of knowledge marked by certitude or truthfulness. Simply put, the concern shifted from the defining the contents of human knowledge into deciphering whether such contents were truthful or not. Far more critical, modern philosophers did also entertain in a fair amount of skepticism. The chief proponent to this cause was Rene Descartes; and he is usually credited for starting a new phase in the field of Epistemology. He is known for his skepticism – a â€Å"vow to suspend judgment about everything† so as to arrive at a knowledge which is certain, if not altogether doubt-proof (Broughton, 2002, p. 1). The crux of this â€Å"doubt† does not lay on the act of doubting itself; for at the very least, the act of doubting has to serve its reasoned purpose, which is to proceed from an induced skepticism into an irreducible certainty. And Descartes succinctly refers to this as the â€Å"first principle of philosophy† – a principle which serves as a formidable base from all kinds of human knowledge stand erect (cited in Marias, 1967, p. 214). Descartes and his contemporaries thus dedicated their efforts to establish what constitutes certainty in human knowledge. By contrast however, the philosophers after them began to focus on discovering how human knowledge can be used prolifically in life and work. Thus, from being merely speculative in approach, the philosophers after the modern era began to see the wisdom of framing human knowledge within the context of practicality. John Stuart Mill for instance asserted that the true measure of human intellect lays in the way we human persons can employ knowledge for the â€Å"progress† of humanity (Donner, 1991, p. 123) Still, another important facet of this utilitarian perspective would be palpable in the formulation of the Principle of Induction. Francis Bacon for instance rejected the deductive reasoning of the ancients in favor of the principle of inference: i. e. , â€Å"from a serious of individual facts†¦one obtains by abstraction†¦the general concepts of the things and the laws of nature (Marias, 1967, p. 250). This principle is now widely known as the scientific method; and this method has in turn led to the rise of technological advancements witnessed during the Industrial Revolution. The concerns addressed by the three epochs herein cited could be summed into these three fundamental questions: (a) what constitutes knowledge? , (b) how do we know the truth? (c) and how do we concretely apply what we know? In ways more than one, these three questions are the self-same concerns which continuously confound the present society. Now more than ever, humanity is a witness to the flood of competing information from all fronts; and it is indeed a tall challenge to decipher which information affords a knowledge that approximates the truth and/or engenders beneficial results. For instance, in drafting key policies, any given government needs to be fed with accurate information about societal conditions; as indeed, in contemplating medical procedures, doctors and nurses need to be given precise information to avoid errors. To be sure, a thousand and one other examples may be cited to this end. But the crux of the matter lies in the fact that, even at an age when we are able to verify the veracity of information with advanced technologies, humanity’s chief concern has always been about correctly obtaining knowledge, establishing the its truthfulness thereof, and putting them into practical use.

Effect of Nutritional Deficiencies Occurring During Pregnancy

Effect of Nutritional Deficiencies Occurring During Pregnancy The type of nutrition that a mother gets during pregnancy, both qualitatively and quantitatively, can be the deciding factor in a childs well-being. A study1 showed that there was a small (70 g) but significant increase in birthweight among infants of mothers receiving multiple micronutrients as compared with infants of mothers receiving iron-folic acid supplements hence signifying the importance of giving not just the traditional supplements. It is essential that the mother intake a very healthy diet: according to American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), pregnant women should increase their usual servings of a variety of foods from five basic food groups to include the following: Three to four servings of fruits and vegetables Nine servings of whole-grain or enriched bread, cereal, rice, or pasta for energy Three servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese for calcium Three servings of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, dried beans, and peas for protein Separate and specific supplements for the nutrients found in the above foods should only be taken to make sure all the requirements are being met, not as a replacement for a healthy diet. The specific nutrients required by women in the pre-pregnancy and pregnancy state have already been discussed. This section talks more about the effects that malnutrition (lack of specific essential nutrients) during pregnancy state will have on the health of a child. The effects being studied in this report focus more on cognition, language, social and emotional behavior. In order to properly identify the specific effects of malnutrition, it would be beneficial to first allocate a time-period during which development is most sensitive. This period is termed the critical period and extends from gestation to first 2 years of life. However this may vary study to study and also with reference to different aspects of development being studied. A Broad Perspective Maternal malnutrition, which amounts to a BMI of

Comparative Analysis of Nike and Adidas

Comparative Analysis of Nike and Adidas Adidas is the second largest company who manufactures sporting goods all over the world. It was established in 1920.The Original founders of Adidas were two brothers Rudolph and Adi Dassler .The companys first manufacture were slippers and after that they decided to make sport shoes which went so successful that it led them to open their own shoe making factory in 1926. Then it didnt look back and today it is one of the most successful company in sporting goods. Nike was initially started in 1962 as a blue ribbon sports. The founders of Nike were Bill Bower man and Phil Knight. Nike from its modest start grown as a sporting leader in sporting goods. It is also now recognised as world s leading manufacturer, designer, marketer and distributor. Market and Literature Review of Adidas and Nike Market Share and Sales In 2009, the Market shares of Adidas was 22% of the worldwide athletic footwear while on the other end the market shares of Nike was about 33 % . In 2009 the sales percentage of Adidas reported decline in profits. In last quarter of the 2009 its sales percentage was declined by 5 % which was because of their increase in marketing costs. While in 2010 the financial report shows that there is 15 % increase in their sale because of 2010 FIFA World Cup. On the other end the sales of Nike in the fourth quarter of 2009 was decreased down by 7 %. While the first quarter of 2010 shows 53 % increase in net income. Target Audience In case of target audience both Adidas and Nike have different target audience globally. The main target audience of Adidas are between 12-34 years consumers specially involved in sports. There are various sports which are targeted by Adidas that includes gym regulars, NBA players, Football etc and also the youth who believes in living a sporty life style. While Nike on the other end has very specific target audience .It focuses mainly on males and females, who are between 18 35 years old. As Adidas, Nike also focuses on football players under its target audience. Product: Adidas The products of Adidas are divided in to 3 Categories Adidas Performance Sports shoes, perfumes, eye wear Adidas Original Superstar Sneakers, Vintage Clothing, Adicolor Trainers Adidas Style Caps , Bags , Belts , Hand Gloves Etc Nike Nike Products Sports Shoes , Sunglasses, Trainers,BodyCare,Sneakers, Hoodies , Clothes ,Caps , Bags , Perfumes etc Price : Adidas There are various Pricing strategies which are followed by Adidas according to its product. But generally it uses Market skimming strategy, that is the price of the product depends upon its colour, look etc for example: white colour shoes of Adidas is more expensive than other colour shoes. Nike As compared to Adidas , the price of products of Nike are high. It adopts different and Competetive pricing startegy than Adidas, it is based on the basis of premium segment as target customers . Nike as brand has high premium , so the price of its products is high than adidas. Place/ Distribution Adidas The most basic distribution strategy adopted by Adidas is to concentrate resources at the place where most profitable customer segment is available. So for this purpose it opened its shops all around the world. It also focuses on offering total customer service at the place where customer goes to buy its products. In addition to shop, Adidas also gives online buying service. Nike Nike on the other end had a strategy of exploring the current and developing new market, so its shops are in nearly 200 Countries. Like Adidas, it sells the products to independent distributors, licenses and subsidiaries. Same as Adidas, it also sells its products online. Positioning Adidas Adidas has its own unique brand positioning in the mind of customers. For instance one of the images of Adidas is those who want to wear light shoe should go for Adidas, rather than going for other brands. Other positioning of Adidas in customers mind is basketball shoes , this is because generally basketball players wears it because of its unique design and light weight. NIKE Nike on the other end has image of an innovative company who focuses making new innovations and designing new style shoes. As Nike s one of the main target audience are football players its key positioning in customers mind is to provide competitive edge; help athlete to perform well. Recently in order to improve its brand positioning , it made a deal with NFL by paying 1 billion dollar (approximately) , Nike will produce all the on-field apparels , it will also produce game uniforms and other side line personal apparel and fan gear. Research Method Used and Its Limitation In order to carry out research there were two main methods used Primary and Secondary Research methods. To assemble primary data a questionnaire was designed which compares both athletic brand Adidas and Nike. Sample Size. 30 While to gather secondary data internet, magazines, annual reports of the company, articles were used. Manual Method is used to get output information after analysing data. Time Schedule Total estimated time used to complete this report will be 9 week. Limitations of Primary Data Collection Method 1. The first disadvantage of carrying primary research was difference in response. Each individual has its own view. So it was difficult to generalise the information. 2. It was time consuming, costly as it takes lots of time to find a respondent who can fill questionnaire. Limitations of Secondary Data Collection Method 1. It was difficult to find data from company s website as sometimes they might not say their weakness. 2. The person who wrote secondary data might be biased. 3. The sample used by a secondary person might be small. Analysis and Discussion Key findings of Marketing Strategies Adopted By Nike and Adidas after analysing Secondary data ; Adidas There are various promotional strategies adopted by Adidas which includes television, internet, billboards and magazines. Television Advertisement Analysis of TV ad Adidas uses different media vehicles which can pop up its advertisement on television; it uses various sports channels like Star Sports, ESPN. The recent Adidas original Ad has celebrities like David beck ham, Agnes den, they used Informative Advertising because the objective of the ad was to create awareness about the launch of its new star wars collection which includes cool, funky clothes and shoes for youth, so in order to attract them they used Musical Appeal to stir up the feeling of buying. It used Peripheral Cues because it might have thought people would not be able to process information that their new collection is very cool and stylish, and so they used fashionable celebrities like Beckham and Agnes to influence target audience attitude positively. According to me the message of ad was if one wants look modish and funky as David Beckham and Agnes then should go for this new collection of Adidas. Adidas uses internet in many ways to reach its target audience, it created its own website (adida.com) exclusive digital content where one can get all information about the company including company back ground, products, sales, new launches etc. Other than this recently adidas used windows messenger game platform in order to promote its Predator and f50 boots to the age group of 15-24 years old males. Which was most effective advertisement strategy as it helped the compnay to increase 14 % brand ratings by gamers.Additionally popup ads can also be found on yahoo , espn home pages etc . According to me , the objective of using internet marketing was to attract the younsters who spends more time online than watching TV. Outdoor advertisement The organisation uses various groundbreaking outdoor advertisement such as billboard soccers, expansive wall scrappers , topiary styled billboards etc. Recently in japan adidas came with unique outdoor adverisement concept where two footballers were hung wearing hearness and have to play football for 10 mintues. The objective was to grab the attention of the people towards the billboard and adidas was successful in doing that as shown in figure , traffice around that froze for about 70 mintues. Other extremely effective concept of outdoor advertisement was made in germany in 2006 during fifa world cup , a huge arc like structure with Oliver Khan s image was putted across the road , the objective of this concept was to grab attention of the vehicles passing by road and it was successful in doing this . Sponsership And Events In addition to these it sponserd soccerex football festival for 2010 football and has confirmed four year sponsership deal with it . The objective of the deal must be to promote its products in foot ball after successfully promoting it in NBA games .Aditionally adidas have agreed to make eight year sponsership with major league soccer the objective of adidas is in to promote its products as well as to increase growth of the league and insvesment for youth development . Adidas also uses various sales promotion startegies in order to increase its sales, one of the recent sales promotion strategies is adidas coupons and coupons code in which adidas distributes coupons through dealtaker.com in which if a customers code matches with the adidas code , discount up to 30% or more than that will be given by company on various types shoes. In addition to these it also cuts down the prices of product during special festivals and events in order to increase its sales or to finish the old stock . Other than this , adidas also uses various maganizes and newspapers in order to promote its products . Nike Nike uses different promotional strategies. It promotes its products by adopting endorsement focus scheme, creating a prevailing media existence, establishing flagship stores and use of magazines, billboards, mobile etc TV Advertisement For TV ads Nike uses various sports channels to promote its products by various celebrities like Ronald no, Renaldo, and Roberto Carlos. It mainly shows its ad during football games. Recent ad was a sort Comparative Advertisement because as the title describes Nike: My better is than your better, in this ad it shows all sports games like basket ball , baseball, Running etc and try to deliver a message that Nike products are best in every game whether it is basket ball , base ball , jumping . In order to grab attention and to stir up Emotional appeal it used Fantasy and surrealism because certain images shown create fantasy. While to stir up Rational appeal it indirectly compared it s products with other products, the ad might be effective as it shows and considers its products superior in every game as compared to other companys products. Internet Nike uses various online methods in order to promote its products. It has established its own website, where customers can get lots of information about the products and company. It also uses yahoo to promote its products, according to me the objective of using yahoo and other popup ads is to make youngsters who often goes online, aware about the brand Billboards and Magazines In comparison to Adidas, Nike uses different ways of billboard advertisement to promote its products, in recent times in Hong Kong to promote its Nike s T90, a series of black and white markers were posted in local Nike stores, subways, stations and also in magazines. These markers were a kind of 3D Window Display, and to watch it, customer need to text the key word displayed on the marker and has to download the Nike application. After the software is downloaded, if one points the camera on the markers, one can see virtual 3d Nike T90 boots. These types of billboard s were specially launched for the target market of Hong Kong who is found of latest technology. Other than this Nike uses ESPN magazines to promote its product. Key Findings of Survey (Questionnaire); Recent research founded that Nike scored low rates as compared to Adidas in terms of positioning; this is because they primarily focuses on men, only 10% of female supposed that they would buy Nike sneakers again, while rest of the women likes Adidas because it focuses on both men and women uniformly.(Referred To questionnaire) 40 % of respondents prefer and gave an average rate of 6.9 to Adidas because it is cheaper and lighter in weight. For example many of the samples said I would go for Adidas because they are cheaper and also I feel myself more comfortable in the products of Adidas, particularly youngsters who are fascinated in playing foot ball because David Beckham wears it. But on the other hand 60 % of entire sample likes and gave an average rate of 8.5 to Nike, out of which 40 % sample likes it and gave an average rate of 7 because they deem its shoes are good in quality, comfortable over long distance. While other 20 % likes it and gave an average rate of 7.5 because they feel Nike provides more variety of design in shoes than Adidas and they look more stylish. For example sample 4 said I like Nike because the products are very much cool and also there are various types choices available and various types of pattern and styles are available, So it looks that People are more concerned about qualit y and comfortableness than price, so by this it can recommended to Adidas to focus more on its quality. Out of total respondents, only 70% of respondents were able to give description of recent ad of two companies out of which 40 % of respondents described Adidass new star war collection, while other 30 % of respondents described Nike s War hawk Matt Scott s No excuses commercial. 30 % of total sample remembers and likes, TV ad of Adidas because they use well-known celebrities like Beckham, Messy, Kaka etc and they are more eye-catching. For example sample 21 Said the action it shows in its ad s add attract the viewers and also the style of showing the product was awesome. 70 % of overall sample remembers and likes TV commercials of Nike because every time they demonstrate foot ball game in a unique and a bit comical way. Some people remember it because they reflect that the frequency of Nike s ad on TV is more than Adidas. After analysing primary data it can be said that, respondents like Nike more than Adidas, and Nike s communication strategies are more effective than Adidas. Conclusion Based on above analysis following Conclusion can be made ; Both Nike and Adidas are following almost same types of promotional Strategies up to some extent, both benchmarks each other, both uses internet , billboards , magazines , TV advertisement to promote their products the only differences is that they both are using different celebrities to promote their products and they also follow different endorsement strategies ,Adidas focuses on sponsoring a team and various events, while Nike bulls its eye on various stars of football, basket ball, golf etc. The other difference is their advertising message; they both use same scoop and scale but try to communicate with different messages. While the target audience of both the brands are same as well as the brand building strategy adopted by both the company seems to be same. So both companies are investing more and more in their promotional strategies, to attract more customers and at last to expand their growth.

The Struggle of an Outsider Essay -- Race Relations, Native American

Throughout our readings this semester, the theme the outsider has been present. The outsiders in these selections have all had similar roles. One of the main roles was subjection that developed from the feeling of unequal standings. This subjection silenced and forced many from the mainstream. The Native Americans were outsiders to the Europeans. The Europeans had different beliefs and ideas about life which they forced upon the Native Americans. Suddenly with the arrival of Europeans, Indians became strangers on their own territory. They lose the stability which came with knowing the simply pleasures that surround them. They could not longer listen to wind or feel the sun’s touch but they were forced to fight just to keep a place on the land in which now could be owned. â€Å"Could there be a more efficient way to distress and murder them by inches than the way they have taken† (Apess 484).Even if the Indians were successful in keeping a small portion of land, they were afraid of when it would be taken from them. Before the Europeans, they never knew this world. They were somehow â€Å"ignorant of time, either by the sun or moon; nor do they reckon by the month or year. They understand the seasons in terms of the ripening of fruits, the dying of fish, and the position of stars† (Cabeza de Vaca 32). The perplexing thought for most Native Americans was the Europeans claimed to be Christians but seemed so engulfed with hatred toward this people constantly causing destruction to this innocent group of people. William Apess of both European and Native American descent writes of Europeans who â€Å"would think it no crime to go upon Indian lands and cut and carry off their most valuable timber or anything else they chose† (Apess 484).Slowly, the N... ... control. Simon Rosedale is also an outsider in this society although not for the same reason as Lily. Mr. Rosedale Jewish background prevents him from acquiring a position in this society. Although Rosedale is quite wealthy, he cannot advance in this society unless he can marriage a member that has rank in society like Lily at the beginning of the novel. â€Å"Why should I mind saying I want to get into society† (Wharton 200). Mr. Rosedale intentions are obvious and he uses his wealth to try to succeed in obtaining a role in this society. Lily and Rosedale both posses attributes of outsiders trying to earn their way in a vain society. Many of the outsiders in our readings tried desperately to gain acceptance to the inside. They were subjected to the ideas and beliefs of others. They also were forced to take off their identity to gain acceptance in their society.

Linguistic Communication Barriers Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Es

Communication Barriers Hispanic immigrants living in American are regularly faced with communication problems. When one’s native culture varies from the norm they are often the one expected to eliminate the disparity. Language barriers present for the Hispanic population living in America and their physical therapists can cause significant problems, not only for communication in general but also for diagnosis and treatment. In order to overcome communication barriers in the field of physical therapy, providers need to become more linguistically and culturally competent. When asked what was a problem that regularly frustrated her while working, Karen Hobbs, PT of Erwin NC, immediately responded, â€Å"not being able to talk to my own patients† (Hobbs). Mrs. Hobbs is a physical therapist who works in a rural farming community that is largely populated by Hispanics. Her frustration is shared by many physical therapists who struggle to communicate with their patients. Language barriers are a problem that physical therapist are faced with across the nation. In American, over two-fifths of the Spanish-speaking Hispanics report that they experience difficulty understanding their medical provider because of a language barrier. In many cases the weight of this problem that physical therapists are faced with is handed over to the patients. Only half of the patients that report a difficulty understanding and needing an interpreter present are regularly provided one (Uninsured). One study found that only one percent of Hispanics received help from a trained medical interpreter. Most patients relied on the help of family and friends (Bustos). Family members and friends that are used as translators often have a limited under... .... (March 2002): Joyner Library, City of Greenville, NC. February 2004. â€Å"Safety Pros Share Proven Tricks for Training Spanish-Speaking Workers.† LexisNexis. IOMA Safety Directors Report. (July 2003): Joyner Library, City of Greenville, NC. February 2004. Taylor, Curtis. â€Å"A Language Barrier; Mayor, HRA Oppose Bill Requiring Interpreters.† NexisLexis. Queens Edition. (November 2003): Joyner Library, City of Greenville, NC. February 2004. â€Å"Tips on How to Increase Cultural Competency.† American Physical Therapy Association. Foundation for Physical Therapy. 20 February 2004. . â€Å"Uninsured Hispanics With Limited English Face Formidable Barriers To Health Care Finds Commonwealth Fund Report.† LexisNexis, U.S. Newswire. (February 2003): Joyner Library, City of Greenville, NC. February 2004.

How Is Tension Created And Maintained Between John And Elizabeth, And How Does Their Relationship Change?

Arthur Miller was born in the year 1915 and grew up during the great depression. His fathers business crashed during the great depression, this meant there was no money for Arthur miller to exploit his great talent that was play writing. Fortunately through earning small amounts from odd jobs he was able to save up enough to go to university where he received several awards for his early plays. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in the year 1952. He used the play as a way of criticizing the government for what is know as McCarthyism. McCarthyism is a communist witch hunt where anybody could be accused of being communist. One of the many people to be accused was Arthur Miller; this is why the main themes of the play are justice and truth. Arthur Miller normally uses society and individuals as main themes for his plays this can also be seen in the crucible. A good example of this is how all the other members of the puritan community look down on John Proctor for not being a regular church-goer. This is relevant today because it could be translated into a suppression of individuality and a pressure for people to fit into society. Another area it explores is the increase of tension and panic in a society. The Crucible is set in a small puritan town where everybody knew each other and it was a very tight community. The despised local preacher called Parris stumbles across several of the village's girls performing a sinful dance including his own daughter Betty. While the girls are performing the dance with his slave Tituba , Betty falls into an unconscious state causing panic. The girls are accused of witch craft. The girls admit to this but one of the girls called Abigail who had an affair with one of the central characters called John Procter sees a chance to exploit the situation and claims there are more witches in the village. Abigail still has feelings for John claims that his wife Elizabeth is a witch. John goes to court to appeal against this, he also tells the court about the affair he had with Abigail to ruin her credibility. The court gets Elizabeth to come in and confirm John's confessions but unfortunately she denies it to save his reputation. John is sentenced to be hung; Elizabeth who has survived so far due to her pregnancy tries to convince John to confess to witchcraft; however he chooses to die with his dignity rather then live without it. The Salem witch trails was a real event and John , Abigail , Elizabeth and some other characters were real people however a lot of the story was written by Arthur Miller. The language of the play is accurate because it uses the correct accents and the characters would have been played by English actors because the modern American accent would not have developed yet. To show the fact that the characters live in a very religious community the characters often make references to the Bible this can be seen were Elizabeth describes Abigail's affect on the court as ‘ Parting the sea of Israel. This shows that the bible was part of their every day life. Before Act two starts the audience is aware of the tension between John and Elizabeth because of John's affair with Abigail. Despite having an affair with Abigail John still loves his wife and wants to protect her. A good example of this is were Abigail accuses Elizabeth of being sickly and John says ‘ You will say nothing of Eli zabeth. ‘ Which show he wants to protect her over Abigail . The tone he uses is angry and full of frustration which shows that he is frustrated and ashamed for having an affair. Read also Intro to Public Relations Notes The setting of the scene makes the audience question Johns commitment to Elizabeth , the scene is set eight days after Abigail told John that her actions are nothing to do with revealing that in fact there are no witches in the village and they where just dancing sinfully. This show that John is withholding information from Elizabeth and the rest of the community and the audience is aware of this. The room that the scene is set in is described as long, dark with a low ceiling which could be a metaphor for John and Elizabeth's relationship. It is also set in this way to create pressure and claustrophobia in the scene ahead which adds to the tension. In contrast to this Elizabeth can be heard singing to the her children which paints a picture of a loving mother in the audiences minds and can create a sense of empathy with the character. It also gives the impression that John and Elizabeth where once a loving couple. The pattern of speech used by the characters increase the sense of tension because it is in short sharp snippets spoken rushed as if not to offend one another by speaking to long. It is clear that Elizabeth concerned why John is late and she decides to confront him about. She expresses her worry by saying ‘You come so late I thought you'd gone to Salem this afternoon. ‘ John lies and says ‘Why! I have no business in Salem. ‘ Which the audience knows is untrue because he was previously in Salem where he met Abigail, this shows that John feels he has to lie to Elizabeth and that it is easier then telling the truth. John then checks the stew and is displeased with its taste so he proceeds to add more seasoning. When he is served the stew and tasted it he compliments Elizabeth on the seasoning. These shows how troubled their relationship is because John would rather lie about the seasoning of the stew then tell her it was under seasoned. The couple begin to discuss the witch trials and Elizabeth asks John to go to court and explain to the court about Abigail's trickery. John dismisses this and says things like ‘I'll think on it. ‘ And the stage actions show him considering where or not to tell the court. Elizabeth thinks he is trying to protect Abigail but really he doesn't want Elizabeth and himself to be accused of witchcraft. The couple begin to argue and use longer sentences to express their true feelings which break the tension that has been built up through out the scene. In this scene the couple are trying to avoid confrontation or trying to please one another we can see this from the stage directions where it says ‘Holding back a full condemnation of her' and ‘She doesn't want friction. ‘ Act three is the most important scene involving John and Elizabeth. John has gone to the court to confess about his affair with Abigail which will discredited her and prove her accusations of witch craft false. To prove Johns confession true Danforth the judge asks Elizabeth to be brought before the court who John claims can never tell a lie. This increase tension because if Elizabeth does lie it will worse because John has put all his trust in Elizabeth's confession. When Elizabeth goes into the room John and Abigail's backs are turned, this is so they can't give hints to Elizabeth but it also is a represent how Elizabeth is feeling about the two. She thinks that John has turned his back on her. The tension is enhanced by Arthur Miller gives stage direction ‘She glances at Proctor for a clue. ‘ and ‘She turns to Abigail. ‘ This shows how Elizabeth is trouble over making the right decision. When she finally answers we can see that she is still trouble at her decision ‘(in agony) No sir'. With this Elizabeth has condemned many people however she has realized that she still loves John and will even lie ,something that goes completely against her beliefs to save his reputation. It also shows that Elizabeth is not perfect and has begun to forgive John. In the next scene John is about to be hung however Elizabeth has a chance to convince him to confess which will save his life but ruin his reputation. This instantly creates tension because it gives Elizabeth a chance to save John. The audience wants to see Elizabeth ask John to lie and confess to witch craft but the tension is prolonged because Elizabeth fails to give John a final answer. She puts the decision in his hands by saying ‘do as you will. ‘ John wants Elizabeth to be part of the decision because he says ‘would you give them such a lie. Showing that John respects her feelings and considers her to be his partner raising the tension even more because of the couples new found care for each other. We finally see her true feelings where she tells him ‘and yet you've not confessed till now. That speaks goodness in you. ‘ and if she does not give an answer John will continue to deny the charges building more tension because the audience now fears for Johns life. John and Elizabeth's relationship is still getting better however John still thinks of himself as ‘a fraud' and a ‘no good man'. Elizabeth doesn't want John to think this , this is made clear where she says ‘Do as you will, do as you will. ‘ Which shows that she is giving him space so that he can prove to himself that he is a good man. John decides against confessing and by doing so he now feels he is worthy of Elizabeth. Elizabeth finally forgives John telling him her true feelings ‘John I counted myself so poorly made, no honest love could come to me! Suspicion kissed you when I did; I never knew how to say my love. It was a cold house I kept. ‘ This also shows that she has recognised her own failings. Despite the fact that John is going to hang the audience now know they both recognise their love for each over which is signified by Johns kiss ‘he lifts her, and kisses her now with great passion. ‘ Showing they are not afraid to love each other. The play shows us that it is dangerous not to speak your mind and that it can lead to great tragedies. It is also dangerous for society to put someone in a position where they cannot speak their mind. John and Elizabeth realized this and if they had talked about their feelings more then Elizabeth would not have had to of lied. We can also see the parallels the play shares with the McCarthy communist hunt. The death at the end is important because it was preventable the play also shows how lies and deceit can lead to pointless deaths. We can also see the pressure needed for people to talk about there true feelings , only when John was about to hang did the pair express their love for each other and in contrast to this when they where living a comfortable life before the trials they where constantly wanting to please one another and not disrupt their normal everyday existence.

Bargaining power of supplier Essay

Bargaining power of supplier is also known as the amount of control your suppliers have over the price of goods you purchase dictates whether this area is an opportunity or threat. This is driven by the number of suppliers of each essential input; uniqueness of their product or service; relative size and strength of the supplier, and cost of switching from one supplier to another. In this case, Minbaochong Sdn Bhd is the supplier of Eight Eleven, the largest chain of twenty-four hour grocery stores in Malaysia. MinBao brand is one of the most popular brands of bread in Malaysia which supposed to give Minbaochong Sdn Bhd a strong bargaining power. However the tremendous mistake made by Kelvin Tan, the sales manager of Minbaochong Sdn Bhd, closed a deal with Eight Eleven by offering them a price concession and allowing them to offer a 400 gram loaf of MinBao bread for RM3.00 instead of its recommended retail price of RM3.20. This strategy causes sales of MinBao bread in supermarkets an d other outlets declined significantly and resulted Eight Eleven is now accounted for one-third of Minbaochong’s sales. Further, the company already burdened by debt acquired in its recent spin off was on the edge of bankruptcy lower the bargaining power of Minbaochong Sdn Bhd. The bargaining power is now with Eight Eleven as Eight Eleven controlling one-third of Minbaochong’s sales and even Minbaochong Sdn Bhd terminate the contract and stop supplying bread to Eight Eleven, it does not affect much to Eight Eleven because they have its own house brand or there is greater presence of substitute inputs for Eight Eleven means the extent to which it is possible to switch to another supplier for an input or a close substitute, thus it results the bargaining power of suppliers, Minbaochong Sdn Bhd become lower. Competitive rivalry The intensity of rivalry among competitors in an industry refers to the extent to which firms within an industry put pressure on one another and limit each other’s profit potential. Competitive rivalry affects the competitive environment and influences the ability of existing firms to achieve profitability. High intensity of rivalry means competitors are aggressively targeting each other’s markets and aggressively pricing products. This represents potential costs to all competitors within the  industry. High intensity of competitive rivalry can make an industry more competitive and decrease profit potential for the existing firms. On the other hand, low intensity of competitive rivalry makes an industry less competitive and increases profit potential for the existing firms. In this case, the competitive rivalry is low because competitors have unequal size. Eight Eleven was the largest chain of twenty-four hour grocery stores scattered all over Malaysia. By having nume rous branches of grocery store leads to the great advantages against other competitors. Besides that, Eight eleven had a strong strategy that preventing them to receive any threats from rival. â€Å"Every Day Low Price† Although the product selling by Eight Eleven is lack of differentiation and Eight Eleven have high fixed cost due to numerous branches in Malaysia, but Eight Eleven is well known among the market and able to offer a lower price compare to other grocery stores due to large number of stocks held by Eight Eleven. This will eventually enhance the brand loyalty of Eight Eleven’s customer as customer switching costs are high. Hence the competitive rivalry is low due to Eight Eleven is the main driver of the grocery stores and had established a strong market base in Malaysia.