Essay about Descartes - 861 Words

Descartes 1. In the Discourse on the Method, Descartes laments that as a young man he was forced to conclude at the end of all his studies that â€Å"there was no doctrine [i.e., teaching or body of knowledge] in the world that was of the sort that I had previously been led to hope for.† In your essay, I would like you to discuss the nature of the body of knowledge he was looking for a s well as the place of the cogito (that is, the utterance â€Å"I think, therefore I am†) in it. You may discuss his criticism of the learning of the time, but do not spill much ink over it; the focus of your paper should be on the new science he is seeking, not the old. Rene Descartes is considered by many to be the father of modern philosophy. His new†¦show more content†¦He decided to pretend that all he had previously learned is false and start all over by rebuilding his knowledge from the ground up. This is were he developed â€Å"the method.† The rules of the method were to reject everything that you believe to be true unless you know with absolute certainty it is true. The second rule dealt with solving complicated problems. He discovered that you needed breakdown complicated problems into smaller problems to solve them. Thirdly, Descartes figured that the best way to learn about big things that were hard to analyze would be to look for similar, smaller things and attempt to understand them. By this I mean if you want to learn about larger things start small and work your way up. The final rule in Descartes method was to go over calculations again and again to be very thorough. The first rule was a very radical rule . It knocked down the â€Å"old house of philosophy in order to build a new one over from the foundation. Descartes was in search of the truth. He realized that the principle of his new philosophy could in no way be doubted. Instead of going through all of ideas and theorems to find an indubitable piece of knowledge he boiled everything down to three things. Descartes decided that if these bases could ever be a source of error then we should not look any farther into what these three things lead up to because their base was a possible source ofShow MoreRelatedDescartes Vs. Descartes Philosophy1142 Words   |  5 Pages Rene Descartes’ begins to illustrate his skeptical argument as presented in Meditation l. Descartes basic strategy to approaching this method of doubt is to defeat skepticism. This argument begins by doubting the truth of everything, from evidence of the senses to the fundamental process of reasoning. Therefore, if there is any truth in the world that overcomes the skeptical challenge then it must be indubitably true. Thus, creating a perfect foundation for knowledge. The first Meditation is anRead MoreHitchcock/Descartes924 Words   |  4 PagesHitchcock/Descartes Am I really awake typing a paper for philosophy? Did I just watch the Hitchcock film Shadow of a Doubt or did the â€Å"not so supremely good God† plant a reel of thoughts in my head (Descartes16)? That would be ironic since the themes of the film are based upon human understanding of doubt, dreams, good, evil, ignorance and knowledge. The film portrays a neat staircase that leads into the house of an all American family and a rickety set of stairs off the side of the house thatRead MoreAnalysis Of Rene Descartes s The Descartes 2020 Words   |  9 PagesRene Descartes was a French mathematician who concurred with Plato and the early scholars about the significance of reason. Nonetheless, he found that his antecedents regularly settled their thoughts upon what he took to be a to some degree temperamental and dubious establishment. In this way, he starts his own venture by perceiving that all that he supposes he knows could be the consequence of sense involvement, which can mislead us, as when we think the street is wet when it is just a trap of lightRead MoreDescartes Epistemology1696 Words   |  7 PagesEpistemology ------------------------------------------------- Carefully explain Descartes’ cogito and his attempt to build his knowledge structure from the ground up. (Be as succinct as possible.) Does Descartes succeed or fail in that attempt? Justify your answer in full. Descartes’ Epistemology This essay attempts to explain Descartes’ epistemology of his knowledge, his â€Å"Cogito, Ergo Sum† concept (found in the Meditations), and why he used it [the cogito concept] as a foundation when buildingRead More Descartes Essay1269 Words   |  6 Pages In the early 17th century a philosopher named Descartes, questioned his existence. His life was dedicated to the founding of a philosophical and mathematical system in which all sciences were logical. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Descartes was born in 1596 in Touraine, France. His education consisted of attendance to a Jesuit school of La Fleche. He studied a liberal arts program that emphasized philosophy, the humanities, science, and math. He then went on to the University of Poitiers whereRead MoreEssay on Descartes1128 Words   |  5 Pages Rene Descartes was one of the most influential thinkers in the history of the philosophy. Born in 1596, he lived to become a great mathematician, scientist, and philosopher. In fact, he became one of the central intellectual figures of the sixteen hundreds. He is believed by some to be the father of modern philosophy, although he was hampered by living in a time when other prominent scientists, such as Galileo, were persecuted for their discoveries and beliefs. Although this probably had an impactRead MoreDescartes vs. Locke1175 Words   |  5 PagesPhilosophy Essay (Descartes vs. Locke) Socrates once said, â€Å"As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.† Several philosophers contradicted Socrates’ outlook and believed that true knowledge was in fact attainable. This epistemological view however had several stances to it, as philosophers held different beliefs in regards to the derivation of true knowledge. Rationalists believed that the mind was the source of true knowledge, while in Empiricism, true knowledge derived from the senses. ReneRead MoreEssay on Renà © Descartes759 Words   |  4 PagesRenà © Descartes Renà © Descartes was a French philosopher and also mathematician. His method of doubt led him to the famous cogito ergo sum when translated means I am thinking, therefore I exist. This cogito was the foundation for Descartes quest for certain knowledge. He explored doubt and how we can prove our own existence, by taking the first steps of scepticism. His book Meditations On First Philosophy, was written in six parts. EachRead MoreObjections to Descartes’ Interactionism1431 Words   |  6 Pages In the following essay I will be offering some objections to Descartes’ interactionism as is primarily represented in his works The Passions of the Soul, Part I and Correspondence with Princess Elisabeth, Concerning the Union of Mind and Body. I will start by describing the basic features of how Descartes’ notion of interactionism works. Namely, that the pineal gland is the â€Å"principle seat† of the mind because it is the only singular part of the brain. The pineal gland also has a range ofRead More Rene Descartes Essay1094 Words   |  5 PagesRene Descartes was a famous French mathematician, scientist and philosopher. He was arguably the first major philosopher in the modern era to make a serious effort to defeat skepticism. His views about knowledge and certainty, as well as his views about the relationship between mind and body have been very influential over the last three centuries. Descartes was born at La Haye (now called Descartes), and educated at the Jesuit College of La Flà ¨che between 1606 and 1614. Descartes later claimed

Details of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Essay Topics

Details of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Essay Topics Getting the Best Buffy the Vampire Slayer Essay Topics But, it is likely that it's due to production price. Fortunately, the producers can just avoid that issue. It is not important to us, whether you're too busy on the job concentrating on a passion undertaking, or simply tired of a seemingly infinite stream of assignments. Even though there are only three different signed cards to pull, collectors must purchase five or more sets to guarantee all 3 autographs because they are produced in various quantities. She finds he is truly a guy whom she transformed into a demon many years back, who now seeks revenge against her. Vampires are attracted to bright colours and are thought to dislike garlic. In the series, they are manufactured from the lifeless victims of additional vampires (provided that a particular rite is conducted through the victim's death). Because of this, there's an endless number of vampires and demons for Buff y to fight. What Has to be Done About Buffy the Vampire Slayer Essay Topics It's a really hard tone to attain. Her mum thinks that everything will work out in Sunnydale and that they'll be in a position to have a joyful life there. The original show never felt outwardly preachy, but that's a feat that's even more complicated to perform in 2018. One other great topic of the show is unity. It is her pain that is definitely the most important, and her story which other characters support. With Buffy Summers, Joss Whedon produced a feminist icon for those ages. Cordelia, like Willow, is a person who will find a big transformation as the series continues. Joss is the sole reason that we'd go back. Life After Buffy the Vampire Slayer Essay Topics If a monster occupies the exact same space for a character then a wound is put on the track instead, which isn't so bad as there are a few techniques to discard wound tokens. The question of power is an essential theme in Buffy, and it's explored in a number of manifestations including that of those that are on the appropriate side. The word is that the desired star needs to be African-American, and the remainder of the cast needs to be more representative of the diverse, multi-cultural world we dwell in. The language used within both shows is quite similar on account of the sci-fi nature of the show, though there are still a few very distinct differences in how each person has been presented and the way in which they talk throughout the show. The show was able to manage several genres simultaneously making it challenging to classify it under just one genre. It was among the few shows on TV to have its very own distinctive appearance. Nowadays many shows aren't able to get the ideal balance of unique genres as this show did. Be warned, however, there are a few horrible artifacts which make life worse when drawn. Vampires, for any reason, have come to remain in our popular culture and, while this might be disturbing to some, are a part of the planet in which we live. Her very first watcher was killed in the movie edition of the story but this truth isn't talked about in the collection. Altering how people think about women and how they think about themselves is what I need to do with my life. A Secret Weapon for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Essay Topics No official casting announcements are made. Contest information and rules are available here. They probably have to finish the scripts initially, but you can be confident that whenever the trailer does drop, we will stick it straight into this informative article, and therefore do bookmark this page for several of the most recent Buffy reboot news. A script or director hasn't yet been determined. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Essay Topics: No Longer a Myst ery You realize they're always part of your life. Over the span of seven seasons, each one of the big characters struggle with these problems. Each show employs form, language, purpose, and context to attach with their preferred audience. Don't just provide a historical account. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Essay Topics Help! Let's return to the start. Our aim was to be sure it stays fresh, which we did. We've got zero mentor, we haven't any mother, we've got no parental figures. At the time that I was really getting to know my mom for a mother, but in addition a friend.

Lee Iacocca Essay Example For Students

Lee Iacocca Essay Lee IacoccaLee Iacocca, born Lido Iacocca on October fifteenth 1924, was the son ofan Italian immigrant named Nicola Iacocca. He had one sister named Antonette. The family lived in Allentown, Pennsylvania. His father was some what of anentrepreneur in the food service industry. The family business was called theOrpheum Weiner House in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company is still standing today, operating under the name Yoccos,his uncles are still making hot dogs for the public. Growing up in Allentownwas difficult for Lee, because of his ethnic background. Allentown wasprimarily made up of Dutch immigrants. In his early years of education he wasridiculed for his heritage. An his senior year in high school Lee came downwith rheumatic fever. He had a harsh bout with the disease because there was nomodern medicine to aid in the recovery. In 1941 during the World War he wasvery excited about joining the military. Ironically, the illness that had almostkilled him, saved him from going to war. Most of his classmates that joined theservice had been killed over-seas and abroad. For college Lee chose LehighUniversity for its engineering program, although he wanted to go to Purdue, hedid not get a scholarship. Lehigh University was one of the sights that FordMotor Company used to recruit new employees. He was able to secure a place inthe Ford trai ning program, it was difficult for him to get admission but hesurvived. During his time in the training program Lee had become lessinterested in the engineering aspect of the business and more in sales. Hedropped out of the program to pursue areas in sales with the Ford Corporation. During his time at Ford Lee Iacocca came out with several very innovativepurchasing concepts. One concept was the 56 for 56 payment plan. This paymentplan would allowed the consumer to purchase a new Ford vehicle with a twentypercent down payment and a $56 monthly payment until the vehicle was paid off. This was one of the first payment plans that was structured to be affordable forthe consumer. The system was responsible for selling over seven hundred fiftythousand vehicle in 1956. Although his career with the Ford Motor Company wasextensive, all that would come to an end with the production of one vehicle thePinto. After Ford was able to settle law suits over the compact car forexplosive reasons, (the Pinto was noted for exploding from rear end collisions),they recalled over a million and a half Pintos. This was June of 1978, onemonth before Lee was fired. In 1979 Lee Iacocca was employed with the Chrsler Corporation. Withinhis first few month there he had seen Chrysler cancel production of over sixtythousand cars. After a short period of time he found out there were no dealersto sell cars for them. Their inventory was bulging because of cars that weremade with no destination. These vehicles were part of Chryslers sales bank. It was a large inventory of cars that were manufactured only to keep plantsrunning. One of his first ideas was to get rid of the sales bank. He putpressure on all local dealers to empty the inventory. He made the dealers takeup the slack so he could implement a just in time form of inventory. They wouldbe manufacture specific orders so no capital would be wasted. Another problemwith Chrysler was they were leasing vehicles to rental agencies instead ofselling to them. Chysler had been running the worlds largest leasing company. .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73 , .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73 .postImageUrl , .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73 , .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73:hover , .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73:visited , .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73:active { border:0!important; } .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73:active , .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73 .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uda4169c302949fa48114ab01fb52ee73:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Architecture as a Means of Upliftment in South Africa EssayEvery six months they would buy them back. The new car dealers wanted nothingto do with the rented cars. With this policy in effect, Chrysler also madeitself the worlds largest used car broker. In late 1979, early 1980 Chrysler had wrote off almost 88 milliondollars in used car losses. Between the inventory problem and the leasing issue,Chryslers loss was in the five hundred million dollar range. The next item was the staff. He needed to replace over thirty five stoplevel managers, and replace then with people that knew what they were doing. With over twenty years of experience with Ford it was clear were thereplacements would come from. Sales continued to drop steadily until thecreation of the K car. These were compact vehicles that would put Chrysler backin the market place or finish them off. The present problem was that Chrysler had such a

Teen Suicide in the US Essay Example For Students

Teen Suicide in the US Essay Suicide is the third leading cause of deaths among people 15 to 24 (16) Although lately the rate of suicide is beginning to level off, it has tripled since the 1950s. The suicide rate varies with gender, race, sexuality, and environment. Males commit suicide four times more than females, yet females attempt suicide four times more than males. Concerning race, Statistics state that white males and females make up almost half of the suicides in the US, which is more than any other race.(2) Homosexuals commit 30 percent of all suicides in the United States. Some one who commits suicide can have a deceiving environment. Most people believe teens that come from a poor home life would have the higher suicide rate, but research shows teens that come from wealthy homes and prestigious neighborhoods are more apt to commit suicide. Keep in mind that suicide among other races and environments do occur, just not as often as those stated above. The popular belief of why this increase in suicide among teens is the pressures put on teens today that did not exist in the 1950s. Teens are forced to juggle pressures on sex, school, huge expectations, and societys opinion. Many teens feel that they are on the outside looking in when it comes to sex. We will write a custom essay on Teen Suicide in the US specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now They are torn between what society and communities think is right and what television, advertisements and radio tell them is right. School is also a great pressure for teens, especially for those who dont do so well in academics. Society plays a big role in homosexual suicides. Homosexual teens use suicide as an escape from the constant disgust from what society thinks is proper and from what they feel is proper for them. As for expectations, the world in general has many expectations on the new generations. Some expect that the upcoming adults will be the destruction of all they have worked for, yet others put it on the new generations shoulders the weight of many great things like medical cures or technology advancements. Teens feel this is too much to deal with and get away from this by ending their lives. There are a couple of different types of suicide. The main on is just plain suicide. The person no longer wants to deal with life, so he/she does away with it. Next is called a suicide cluster. This is when, a group of suicides, suicide attempts, or both, that occur closer together than would normally be expected in a given community. (6) When one teen commits suicide, this suddenly opens up a door to other vulnerable teens who have been either experiencing some of the danger signs of suicide or who have been considering suicide all together. The last is known as a suicide pact. This is when two or more people make a pact to commit suicide together. These people are usually friends and have a common reason for this decision, but are afraid to do it alone. Another scenario are teens in forbidden love, this romantic notion (stemming from the love story Romeo and Juliet) that death is the only way for them to be together, due to dividing forces. (12) There are many reasons that can not possibly be known, as to why a teen might want to commit suicide. However, the majority of the reasons that are known have been combined into six main groups which are stress and pressure, drugs and alcohol, mental illnesses, unloving and/or abusive parents, loneliness, and (believe it or not) curiosity. Stress, pressure, drugs, and alcohol are the most common among teens. These combined make any person feel hopeless and cloud their judgement. They just want to get away from all their pain. Next in line is mental illness. Their reasons are that, they dont know any better or they know somethings wrong with them and feel they are a burden on their families, so they turn to suicide. .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362 , .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362 .postImageUrl , .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362 , .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362:hover , .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362:visited , .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362:active { border:0!important; } .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362:active , .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362 .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0783902d2ff11390425be9c14e3b9362:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Cookies And Internet Privacy Essay (9) Loneliness can leave a teen with no one to talk to or turn to with problems they have. They just bottle them up inside and think no one understands them. One day they can not take the alienation any longer and do something .

How to Define Acceleration

How to Define Acceleration Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity as a function of time. It is a vector, meaning that it has both magnitude and direction. It is measured in meters per second squared or meters per second (the objects speed or velocity) per second. In calculus terms, acceleration is the second derivative of position concerning time or, alternately, the first derivative of the velocity concerning time. Acceleration- Change in Speed The everyday experience of acceleration is in a vehicle. You step on the accelerator, and the car speeds up as increasing force is applied to the drive train by the engine. But deceleration is also acceleration - the velocity is changing. If you take your foot off the accelerator, the force decreases and velocity is reduced over time. Acceleration, as heard in ads, follows the rule of the change of speed (miles per hour) over time, such as from zero to 60 miles per hour in seven seconds. Units of Acceleration The SI units for acceleration are m / s2(meters per second squared or  meters per second per second). The gal or galileo (Gal) is a unit of acceleration used in gravimetry but is not an SI unit. It is defined as 1 centimeter per second squared. 1 cm/s2 English units for acceleration are feet per second per second,  ft/s2 The standard acceleration due to gravity, or standard gravity  g0 is the gravitational acceleration of an object in a vacuum near the surface of the earth. It combines the effects of gravity and centrifugal acceleration from the rotation of the Earth. Converting Acceleration Units Value m/s2 1 Gal, or cm/s2 0.01 1 ft/s2 0.304800 1 g0 9.80665 Newtons Second Law- Calculating Acceleration The classical mechanics equation for acceleration comes from Newtons Second Law: The sum of the forces (F) on an object of constant mass (m) is equal to mass m multiplied by the objects acceleration (a). F am Therefore, this can be rearranged to define acceleration as: a F/m The result of this equation is that if no forces are acting on an object (F   0), it will not accelerate. Its speed will remain constant. If mass  is added to the object, the acceleration will be lower. If  mass  is removed from the object, its acceleration will be higher. Newtons Second Law is one of the three laws of motion Isaac Newton published in 1687 in  Philosophià ¦ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy).   Acceleration and Relativity While Newtons laws of motion apply at speeds we encounter in daily life, once objects are traveling near the speed of light, the rules change. Thats when Einsteins special theory of relativity is more accurate. The special theory of relativity says it takes more force to result in acceleration as an object approaches the speed of light. Eventually, acceleration becomes vanishingly small and the object never quite achieves the speed of light. Under the theory of general relativity, the principle of equivalence says that gravity and acceleration have identical effects. You dont know whether or not you are accelerating unless you can observe without any forces on you, including gravity.

A Quick Guide to Balanced Scorecards

A Quick Guide to Balanced Scorecards Here is an overview of a BSC (balanced scorecards) management tool, its advantages and disadvantages. The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a popular strategic management tool developed in 1992 by Robert Kaplan and David Norton to answer what the two researchers saw as a shortcoming in existing strategic planning methods: A way to connect the long-term objectives of a business to short-term performance measures, particularly financial indicators. The problem is easy enough to understand; a company’s overall goals, usually expressed in its Mission Vision Statement, are often somewhat abstract and difficult to express in terms of the day-to-day (or month-to-month, or year-to-year) activities and processes of the organization – it may not be clear to the people in the organization exactly how their work tasks at this moment are steps towards the company’s greater objectives, a bit of confusion that can create problems for maintaining productivity and motivation. The BSC is a way to â€Å"provide a roadmap† showing how to present activities lead to future objectives, and if used correctly, the tool can be very effective. If you have any questions our writers will gladly help you! STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT TOOLS PART 1 Background of the BSC The Fundamental Ideas Behind It Kaplan and Norton first introduced the Balanced Scorecard in an article in the Harvard Business Review in 1992 (â€Å"The Balanced Scorecard – Measures That Drive Performance†, HBR January-February 1992), in which they explained that any firm has four key perspectives from which it should consider its strategy: Financial, Customers, Internal Processes, and Learning and Growth. The firm needs to make money, and for that it needs customers; customers’ needs are served by the output of the firm’s internal processes, and in order to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage, the firm must learn and improve over time. Consequently, the BSC begins with a firm asking itself four important questions: What is our value to our shareholders? (the financial perspective) What is our value to our customers? (the customer perspective) In order to provide the value to our shareholders and customers, in what must we excel? (the internal processes perspective) How do we sustain our advantages and continue to improve? (the learning and growth perspective) The answer to each of these four questions has four parts: A relevant objective or objectives; the measures of performance that appropriately assess progress towards those objectives; the specific target value of the performance measures that would signify the objectives’ having been successfully achieved; and the specific processes or activities that must be done in order to achieve them. In form, the Balanced Scorecard is a four-sided matrix, with the firm’s vision and competitive strategy at its center: The Balanced Scorecard (Source: Kaplan Norton, â€Å"Using the Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management System†, HBR, January-February 1996) DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP Advantages of the BSC The first advantage of the BSC is that it forces firms to quantify their goals. Aspirations expressed in a Mission Vision Statement such as â€Å"being an empowered organization† is a platitude without some explanation of what â€Å"an empowered organization† is, and how, exactly, the organization can become â€Å"empowered†. Or for that matter, whether or not being â€Å"empowered† actually has anything to do with effectively meeting stakeholders’ and customers’ needs, maintaining sound internal processes to achieve those, and improving the organization to maintain a competitive edge. The second advantage of the BSC is that its format makes it easy to see how all of the strategic management perspectives relate to one another. Conflicts between objectives in different areas are immediately apparent and can be corrected. Perhaps the biggest advantage of the BSC is its versatility. Although it was designed for application in business management settings, the basic template can be applied to almost any initiative or organization. By slightly modifying the four key perspectives, the BSC can even be applied to specific areas of the organization and even to individuals. In fact, there is some research that suggests that the BSC is gaining, even more, use as a performance management and assessment tool in HRM applications than as a firm-level strategic planning tool. Disadvantages of the BSC Like many other strategic management tools, the BSC has one unavoidable potential handicap in that it is only as good as the quality of the information put into it. The tool suffers from the same risk as the SWOT analysis called SWAG (Scientific Wild-Ass Guess) by Oxford’s Professor Malcolm McDonald; the importance of objectives and other factors may be over- or underestimated or overlooked entirely, which leads to the BSC returning poor results because the right information is not actually included. Another problem that can make the BSC less effective than expected is that by design, it gives equal weight to all four of the key perspectives, while in actual practice, many organizations might need to give greater weight to one or another. For example, a non-profit organization would likely have very strong customer perspectives and a lesser focus on financial outcomes; without adjusting the BSC to reflect its priorities, the organization might end up actually hindering its efforts towards achieving its goals. And finally, the results of some empirical research on the effectiveness of the BSC suggests that just as with most strategic management tools, its performance in real-world applications falls a little short of the academic hype. A fairly recent broad study of strategic management tool use and effectiveness found that the BSC tends to work better for larger and more complex firms than for smaller ones, and that the alignment of strategy and performance is perceived to be better among firms that use the BSC in combination with other strategic planning and assessment tools than among firms using the BSC by itself (E.Tapinos, R.G. Dyson M. Meadows, â€Å"Does the Balanced Scorecard make a difference to the strategy development process?† Journal of the Operational Research Society, vol. 62, no. 5, 2011). One reason for this may be that, contrary to the assertions of Kaplan and Norton, the BSC is not actually designed to develop organizational strategy; the firm’s vision an d strategy must necessarily exist beforehand in order for the BSC to work as designed, meaning that the BSC is the best thought of as a performance management and operational planning tool (hence its popularity in HRM practice), rather than a strategic development tool. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT TOOLS PART 2 Whatever project you are working on, be assured you have a  reliable team  of writers  to work with. You can place your order here!

Dox Thrash - Making Prints of His Real Life Research Paper

Dox Thrash - Making Prints of His Real Life - Research Paper Example Since the art was funded by the government, the art could be used for government purposes. One such artist is Dox Thrash. Defence Worker is one print created by Thrash which will be examined as a relative piece of art of the Depression Era. Another print from Thrash is Boats at Night which is also inspired by social realism will also be looked at. While Thrash was making prints of his real life, the U.S. government took these prints and used them for their own purposes. Defence Worker and Boats at Night by Dox Thrash will be examined in relation to social realism inspired art being used for United States government propaganda. Dox Thrash created both of these prints using a pioneering technique. Thrash had created a new printing technique called carborundum mezzotint.1 Both prints were commissioned by the WPA during the depression. The subjects of these prints were influenced by social realism. The Depression Era made many artists, including Thrash, rethink their perspectives on life and art. Artists begin to think capitalism might not be the best form of government. Kathe Kollwitz was a German artist that dealt with the same issues as Thrash. One of her paintings will be compared to Thrash in order to show how different countries reacted to the situation after World War I. The artists sketched, painted, or carved art reflecting their new views. An analysis of these two works will be undertaken along with a comparison to Kollwitz’s work. Dox Thrash has created two incomparable prints that illustrated the Depression Era, but his art was used as government propaganda in the end. Dox Thrash’s Defense Worker is a male worker. Thrash completed this piece in 1942.2 The worker is using a jackhammer, power sweeper, or some other piece of equipment. The huge male is a worker. This can be determined by the clothes, boots, and helmet the man wears in this print. There is a white billow of steam behind the figure.     Ã‚