Impact Of Recession On Business Of British Airways Commerce Essay

Impact Of Recession On Business Of British Airways Commerce Essay The global economy is experiencing problems ever since. There have been notable economic recessions in international business history. These recessions were managed in a variety of ways depending on the strategies which were implemented on a business-to-business basis. Each international company have intensified their efforts in order to come up with a variety of strategies which are geared towards the implementation of business policies and practices aimed towards the reduction of the impact of economic problems in the performance of their business. Depending on the extent of damage that the recession has caused the financial performance of a particular company, they have differing efforts in terms of redirecting their strategies and goals just to be able to combat the adverse effects of this economic downturn. Some efforts have proved to be effective. Unfortunately, some proved to be not effective which even forged some businesses to shut down or to merge with other businesses in o rder to battle the survival of the fittest in the environment of the worlds toughest businesses. In the field of economics, the term economic recession is described to an incident in the situation of a country wherein the gross domestic product reflects a negative growth in a period of at least two consecutive quarters  [1]  . Given the fact that the United States is the global leader when it comes to the consumption of goods and services, once this country experiences the phenomena of the recession, such will send shockwaves to the global economy and will inevitably affect the other countries in the world. When the United States experienced the phenomenon of the economic recession, many countries have been affected and their economy also experienced a downturn as the financial crisis hit their respective areas and shows effects which are negative to the business. Furthermore, in a scholastic work published by Leamer (2008), he stated that it is not enough that we only take a look at the two consecutive quarter negative growth of the gross domestic product in order to define recession. In his work, he mentioned that recession according to the National Bureau of Economic Research refers to that situation wherein there is a significant decline in activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, visible in industrial production, employment, real income, and wholesale-retail trade. Such definition of the concept of economic recession takes a broader look on the phenomenon rather than paying dedicated attention on the decline of the nations gross domestic product. There are other academic works which contest the inclusion of only the gross domestic product in understanding economic recession. The occurrence of recession is not primarily concentrated only on one sector of the economy that is why there is a need to take a look at economy-wide measures in order to fully understand the theory which lies beneath such economic activity. The committee also holds that there are four indicators which wil be useful in understanding economic recession including employment, personal income less transfer payments, and volume of sales of the manufacturing and trade sectors, and industrial production.  [2]  This concept strengthens the assumption that understanding the occurrence of economic recession cannot be full by only looking at the gross domestic product, rather it also entails an understanding of other economic variables which may prove to be just as useful in understanding recession. The occurrence of every recession in the global economy can be characterized by the painful increase in the rate of unemployment and a decline in the personal income of the citizens of the nation  [3]  . Such aspects should not be disregarded in order to understand the realizable signs to claim that the economy is in trouble and it is in fact experiencing the occurrence of recession. In 2001, when economists claim that the United States is experiencing economic recession, such signs have been visible in their business performance. Although the occurrence of such has been hard to accept, there is no way but to do so to move on with global business. As mentioned earlier, to fully combat recession, various strategies have been formulated in order to improve business performance with the objective of bringing in additional profit for the company to provide a better living on its employees. While some efforts have proved to be useful, it is very unfortunate that some caused more troub le and resulted with a number of companies shutting down, especially the small ones and those which were hardly hit, causing a big number of employees to have lost their jobs. In the course of this paper, the researcher will study the concept of recession, including the variety in its definition and the signs which will be indicative of the economic trouble. While studying the concepts which underlie recession, the researcher will study the case to the situation faced by the British Airways, one of the worlds providers for air travel. Just like any other businesses, it cannot be denied that British Airways also experienced recession. The paper will examine how the company faced these problems, including the strategy which it has formulated to combat recession and also the long term effect which were brought about by the recession. RESEARCH PURPOSE As what has been mentioned, economic recession is a global phenomenon. The United States is a global leader in business, any economic downturn in the country will send shockwaves all over the world, affecting every local market. The main purpose of this research is to take a closer look on the impacts of global recession in the economy of United Kingdom, specifically in the business performance of British Airways. In the course of the research process, adhering to its main purpose, various economic indicators will be studied to know how it leads to the occurrence of economic recession. Furthermore, the core of the study will be focused on the business of British Airways and will look at how recession affects its global business in terms of sales, profitability, and sustainability of the business in the global market. RESEARCH QUESTION To fully understand the study, the researcher will be guided with several questions which will shape the foundation and backbone of this paper. The research questions will guide the researcher to be able to achieve desired results of this study. One of the questions which the research will try to answer will be those associated with recession itself including how it occurs, historical background, what are the signs and indications that the economy is indeed experiencing recession, and its variety of effects on different businesses globally. Moreover, with much more intensive focus, the research intends to answer question regarding the business performance and status of British Airways in the global market. The study will answer questions including those associated with the indications that the business of British Airways is indeed affected by economic recession and what are the efforts including business strategies and redirection of business practices done by the company to combat the inevitable effects brought about by recession. The main question which the research will consider will include main focus on the significant effects of recession with British Airways in terms of sales, profit, and sustainability. RESEARCH STRATEGY AND DESIGN The design of research which will be utilized in the conduct of this study will be a conclusive research. The researcher opted for this research design because of the belief that such design will be the most useful and most appropriate in the process of gathering relevant information and in provision of the effects which the occurrence of economic recession has brought in the business of British Airways. The conclusive research is a formal and structured research in which data will be subjected to quantitative analysis  [4]  . By quantitative analysis, the research will make use of presentation of relevant figures especially those related to sales and profit in order to fully grasp the effect of recession in the business. Moreover, the type of conclusive research which will be utilized in the study is descriptive research. Descriptive research is one of the two types of conclusive research wherein the major objective is the description of something, which normally refers to marke t functions or characteristics. In the case of this study, the researcher will describe the characteristics of the market of British Airways as reflected by the obvious results of economic recession. This will be made possible by providing a picture of the current situation of the company in the global landscape. The major assumption in which the research will operate is that these characteristics are brought about by the inevitable effects of global economic recession in every international business. It will include the description of various groups related to the critical operation of the business such as the consumers, salespeople, organizations, and the market areas. Through a description of these relevant groups, the researcher will find it easier to provide a look at the effects of recession as shown by the people who were affected the mostly by the occurrence of such situation. Such research design is also expected to provide an association of to until what degree is marketin g variables associated with such economic situation. The research strategy will attempt to answer the 6 Ws which are associated with the conduct of a descriptive, conclusive research. The first is concerned as to who were considered the market of the business, which pertains to the bulk of passengers flying through British Airways. Another one will be what information are relevant and can be obtained on these passengers such as on why, if ever, they no longer fly the said airline. The research strategy will also attempt to delve into when such incident began to happen, where, and why it leads to such situation. Lastly, the chosen research design will also provide information as to the ways in which the company combats the recession. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The research methodology will include data collection and analysis which will provide a better understanding of the issue at hand. Because of the difficulty of obtaining first hand information from the groups which are directly concerned with British Airways including its market of passengers and the authorities or business divisions which are associated in the performance of business, the data will mainly come from secondary sources which will provide the backbone of the study. The primary sources of information will be useful in this study because they can provide first hand information on the problem because they have a direct connection to the business. Nonetheless, such will be hard to obtain and will entail dedicated time to be extracted. With that, the researcher opted to make use of secondary data sources which will also provide the same quality of information as primary data. The secondary data which will be collected in the purpose of this study will include those information extracted from secondary sources such as books, academic journal, scholastic articles, and information which will be derived from the website. It will include sources such as annual company reports and financial statements which will show relevant quantitative information which will prove the claim that the occurrence of economic recession has indeed affected the business operation of the company. This information were previously collected and used for other problems, other than the topic of the researcher. Nonetheless, to be assured that the use of such data is valid, the researcher will see to it that those data were used on studies which are of the same context as to that of this research. These data will be carefully analyzed, including methods to verify the veracity of the sources and steps to assure that the data are genuine and indeed reflective of the situation of the compan y. There is a need to careful select the sources so as to be assured of relevant information usage. A thorough analysis of these data will assure the researcher of a more coherent study with findings which are true. The data will be analyzed to derive information relevant to the economic situation and to input actual variables in business operation. If these data are not carefully analyzed, a weak research will result. With that, the researcher will put an utmost importance to data analysis to be assured of reaching the purpose and objectives of this study as these data try to answer the relevant research questions. VALIDITY AND COHERENCE Aside from a careful analysis and presentation of information relevant in the completion of this research, the researcher also puts an unwavering emphasis on the validity and coherence of the information. This means that the data which will be presented must reflect only what is relevant or essential in the study that is, economic recession and will omit information which are invalid, or those which are related to variables other than recession. The data must be also coherent with the purpose of the study to avoid deviance from the topic at hand. REVIEW OF RELATED CONCEPTS AND THEORIES Currently, British Airways is celebrating 90 years of flying with pride, providing its wide array of clients with excellent services on their flights resulting to ultimate customer satisfaction. To fully understand the current business of British Airways, it is also of utmost importance that we take a closer look at its extensive history. The very beginning of the rich history of this airline can be traced back as early as the beginning of the history of civil aviation pioneering on the days after thee First World War. After a period of 90 years since the worlds first schedule air service which happened on August 25, 1919, there have been a lot of changes in terms of air travel. Each decade was marked by new innovation and developments which brought British Airways into its current position in the global market. The first decade of the operation of the company was marked by launching the worlds very first international scheduled air service which flew between London and Paris. The se cond decade, however, was characterized by the merging of Britains four major fledging airlines to provide a better service to the flying public. On the other hand, the third decade was marked by the merging of small air transport companies in the United Kingdom to form the British Airways Limited which became the primary competitor of the merger formed by the four companies during the second century. Furthermore, on the fourth, fifth, and sixth decade up to the present of the companys operation, more and more innovations had been on the rise to make the airlines known in the global market in terms of provision of excellent air services  [5]  . It is said that British Airways is United Kingdoms largest international scheduled airline with flights to 148 key destinations globally at best located airports. It is also said to be one of the leading scheduled premium international airline in the world. The principal business of the company is in the airport in Heathrow, which is one of the premiere airports in the world and serving a relatively large geographical area. During the end of the year 2009, it is said according to company statistics that they have already flown a total of 33 million passengers in different key destinations globally. During the same year, the company said that they have earned nearly a total of  £9 billion in revenue which was almost 2.7% higher than the revenue which they have generated in the previous year. The traffic of passenger is said to have accounted to 87.1 per cent of the total revenue, 7.5 per cent is attributed to airline cargo and 5.4 pr cent is constituted from other business activitie s of the airline  [6]  . The main activities which were carried out by British Airways in the course of its business operation include undertakings on both local and international scheduled air services involving carriage of the traveling public, and freight and mail and provision of ancillary services. The fleet of the company operates in different places in the global landscape with 38 networks in the America, 9 in the United Kingdom, 67 in Europe,12 in Middle East and South Asia,15 in Africa and 7 in Asia Pacific. These networks of operation of British Airways only go to show that the company has intensified operations all over the globe. Such also connotes that once economic trouble comes along the way of their operation, it is indeed inevitable that the global operation on these locations will also be dramatically affected  [7]  . The occurrence of global recession has affected global markets and brought about bad performance for every global business. One of the most significant years in which the recession was felt in the global market was during the year 2001. When the World Trade Center bombing happened, the economy of the United States suffered and it sent shockwaves to different local economies which affected the global market as well. The effects brought about by recession did not only last during that year. Until the present, the effects of the said recession can still be felt by some while others have already recovered from the economic downturn in terms of realizable increase on their sales and profit. During the first month of 2009, it was declared that Britain was experiencing recession  [8]  . While some are actually trying hard to escape the adverse effects of recession, unfortunately for Britain its effects were highly realized and very visible in their economy. This was said to be one of th e most unfortunate events in the history of the countrys economy since the 1990s where it experienced the adverse effects of the episode of economic recession. When the British economy was declared to be officially in recession during January 2009, the Office for National Statistics announced that the gross domestic product of the countrys economy showed a decline of 1.5 per cent during the last quarter of the year 2008 and a .6 per cent drop during the previous quarter. Following the definition of recession, which connotes two quarters of consecutive drop in the gross domestic product of the country, such statistics would have been enough to show that indeed the British economy is suffering from a recession, just like most economies in the global landscape. Prior to this occurrence of recession, the biggest drop in the gross domestic product of Britain is said to be during the 1980s. The recession brought about in Britain is said to be because of the direct result of the credit crunch in the global market in which manifestations were seen and felt as early as August 2007 and seen to be worsening during the autumn of 2008. The central probl em is said to be the banks operating in Britain which is said to have invested their reserves into assets which were assumed to be illiquid, unsafe, and worthless. This uncertainty in the economic situation is said to be damaging into different businesses in Britain for reasons including: lack of credit opportunities which resulted into the companies weakened abilities to hire workers, make new investments, and start innovative projects. This prompted various economic activities to slow down and cut back on the two main drivers of growth which include investment and employment  [9]  . Although recession was just declared in Britain during the year 2009, the early effects of such economic occurrence have been already felt by British Airways during the year 2001 in which the economic downturn in the United States have sent shockwaves towards other economies in the globe. During the 2001-2002 Annual Report which was released by British Airways, it acknowledges the fact that they have been on a bad year of operation as shown by their sales and profit margins. In the statement of the chairman of the company during that year, it showed that the company incurred a pre-tax loss of 200 million pounds compared to the previous year in which they registered a profit amounting to 150 million pounds. To add to the consequences of the economic downturn, no interim dividend has been paid and the Board also recommended not paying any final dividend because they have been operating on a loss. The disappointing financial report in their annual operation that year did not at all surp rised the shareholders for it was somewhat expected because of the obvious situation in the global economy. That year was also regarded as the worst in their operations, although it has not been the most difficult by far for the management. On that same year, the people working behind the company were also affected. There has been a significant 20 per cent reduction in the workforce of the company brought about by thee economic crisis. Nonetheless, this reduction was done on a voluntary basis such as through elected severance and early retirement  [10]  . Moreover, also on the annual report for the year 2002, the Chief Executive Officer of British Airways strengthen the assumption that the company is experiencing financial crisis as brought about by the global recession. They considered that year to be the toughest in the history of their business and they also considered it as an impact of the terrorist attack in the United States affecting the general of the global economies. In their efforts to bring back the company in the landscape of profitability, they have formulated various strategies and policies which are all geared towards a better business performance in the upcoming years. They have formulated various activities in order to practice cost efficiency and used technology in order to develop a more convenient way for the public to be bale to book their flights  [11]  . When the economy of Britain was declare to be experiencing recession during January 2009, in the Annual Report released by the British Airlines the occurrence of such has also been acknowledged as shown by their business performance on that given operating year. The company also recognized that the global airline industry is highly and fiercely competitive subject into heavy global regulations, and highly exposed to the changes which were evident in the behavior and confidence of the consuming public. They are even more challenged with the current economic situation that is an economy which was suffering highly from the consequences of the occurrence of recession. The sharp declines in growth can also be highly associated with record prices in oil and commodity and the unprecedented financial crisis bringing about global recession. One of the most significant effects of recession in British Airways is seen on the market to which it caters. The most significant impact of recession in the airline company is reflected by its premium passengers who cut back sharply their travel spending in order to save money. Statistics shows a significant 2.8 per cent decrease in the traffic of premium passengers in British Airways. This is said to last longer because a recent survey showed that almost 47 per cent of businesses will incur fewer travels abroad in order to save. In addition to this, more passengers are opting to spend the holidays in the comfort of their own homes to cut back on costs  [12]  . Furthermore, in a statement which was released by the Chief Financial Officer of British Airways, he acknowledges the fact that during the previous year that their record profitability has put them into a condition in which they can combat economic slowdown. However, with the recession greeting the year 2009, it proved otherwise as they have suffered from dramatic losses in terms of sales and profit making them face the sharpest downturn in the course of the history of their business. When they have incurred profit in the previous year, they said that they are in a good position to combat economic downturn and the perpetual increase in the price of fuel. Unfortunately such did not come true and they instead suffer from the consequences of the poor condition of the economy in the global landscape. In order to control the effects of recession, measures to be able to combat market, credit, capital, and liquidity risks have also been implemented. The over-all management of these risks is focused on the unpredictability of the financial markets as it seeks to minimize the adverse effects brought about by the occurrence of recession. More efforts have been extended by the management to be bale to combat the adversity of recession and to bring back profit in the operation of the business of Britush Airways  [13]  . The business of British Airways during the turbulent time of economic recession can be better understood by taking a closer look at the key performance indicators of the business. Because of the unprecedented downturn in economic conditions, the company was not able to meet their financial target. In terms of their financial operating margin, a loss has been incurred attributed to soaring fuel prices and the economic recession  [14]  . In December of 2008, the International Air Transport Association a 2.5 billion dollars in terms of loss for the airline travel industry to be brought about by decrease in traffic because more people or travelers are cutting down on their costs because of the economic crisis. These were brought about by current economic conditions. After the economic downturn brought about in 2001, the airline industry recovered during the year 206 but that does not seem to be for long because eon January of 2009, recognizable losses in terms of profit have been incurred. Many of the worlds leading airlines, including British Airways, have been in poor financial health and are not well-equipped to combat the global recession.  [15]  The financial loss for the year 2008-2009 has been very drastic for the companys management and made them formulate strategies in order to combat the downturn. However, even though they are experiencing losses, they have not formulated any policy related to increase in air fare. The management believes that doing so will not help increase sales, rather it will just lower demand  [16]  . In the balance sheet which was released by the Annual Report of the British Airways, the total assets for the year 2008 totaled to 11,229,000 million pounds which was relatively lower compared to 11,938,000 million pounds during the year 2008. Moreover, their cash and cash equivalents for the year 2009 only totaled to 219 million pounds as against in 2008 where it was 433 million pounds  [17]  . These significant declines as reflected in the companys annual financial statements are enough testimonies to the fact that British Airways, just like any other company in Britain is indeed in the turmoil of economic recession. The management of British Airways acknowledges the fact that it has been a very difficult year for the financially but they are doing well financially. For the operating year 2008-2009, the company was able to incur a loss before tax amounting to 401 million pounds as compared to its profit before tax of 922 million pounds in the previous yea  [18]  r. In order to manage sustainability of business performance, the company is also geared towards various measures. One of which is to strengthen their name through their brand reputation. Their brand, being of significant commercial value, is taken well care so that it can be prevented from erosion and destruction from the publics perspective. Competition is also highly managed in order to achieve sustainability. The management ahs acknowledged the fact that indeed competition is very fierce in their industry. With that, they have formulated conscious efforts in order to get ahead of the competition and find their edge in the market. Moreover, other issues which were addressed in order to manage sustainability include employee relation, debt funding, management of environmental conditions, fuel prices and currency fluctuation, and deregulation among others  [19]  . In order to potentially manage sustainability despite an economy suffering from recession, the future direction of Brit ish Airways is also geared towards environmental related strategies which they hope will also increase their performance. The efforts of the company are focused towards adding value and enhancing their reputation in the global landscape while getting the trust of the shareholders and stakeholders in achieving a sustainable business  [20]  . Furthermore, to be able to combat the effects of such economic downturn, it is just but normal for British Airways and other businesses to invest on their intensive and conscious efforts to bring back profitability to the business. In the undeniably incredibly tough environment in which the airline operates, a dedicated focus is given towards pulling the business through the immediate crisis as it embarks on immediate preparations for better economic times. They have developed strategies which were mostly based on an upgraded customer service, competitive cost base, corporate responsibility, perpetual plans for growth, and other strategies which aim to improve the way they do business  [21]  .

John Locke: Human Understanding Essay -- philosophy, knowledge

When considering knowledge, Locke is interested in the ability for us to know something, the capacity of gathering and using information and understanding the limits of what we know. He believes this also leads him to realise what we perhaps, cannot know. [1] He wants to find out about the origin of our ideas. His main stand-point is that we don’t have innate ideas and he aims to get rid of the sceptical doubt about what we know. The innate ideas which Locke sets out to argue against are those which â€Å"the soul receives in its very first being, and brings into the world with it†. [2] â€Å"Let us suppose the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters†. [3] This quote depicts the idea of the â€Å"Tabula Rasa†, that at birth are minds are completely empty like that of a blank slate and it is our experiences which draw on the blank slate, in order to form thoughts and ideas. He has two types of argument against innate ideas; direct and indirect. The indirect argument can be seen as the more positive of the two, and the idea of it is that we are able to explain all knowledge we have without innate ideas but from other sources. The direct argument is the more negative view, and focuses on the problem of universal assent which Locke believes to be an insufficient idea and also necessary and absent. He expands from this by saying that modified universal assent is too inclusive and depends on the order of discovery. So really he is saying that the argument for innate principles doesn’t work, especially with regard to universal assent. He believes that if universal assent existed, it could be explained in other ways and therefore is not innate. However, Locke doesn’t believe that universal assented principles can exist at all and thi... ...t innate epistemic principles – revised December 1996 3. Reading: Ariew & Watkins 270-290 (Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Book I Chapters I and II, Book II Chapters I - VIII) 4. https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/lockeessay/section3.rhtml 5. https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/lockeessay/section4.rhtml 6. https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/lockeessay/section4.rhtml 7. https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/lockeessay/section3.rhtml 8. https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/lockeessay/section6.rhtml 9. Reading: Ariew & Watkins 270-290 (Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Book I Chapters I and II, Book II Chapters I - VIII) 10. http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/lockeessay/quotes.html 11. https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/lockeessay/section1.rhtml 12. http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/lockeessay/terms.html

Plato and the Allegory of the Cave Essay

The son of a wealthy and noble family, Plato (427-347 B.C.) was preparing for a career in politics when the trial and eventual execution of Socrates (399 B.C.) changed the course of his life. He abandoned his political career and turned to philosophy, opening a school on the outskirts of Athens dedicated to the Socratic search for wisdom. Plato’s school, then known as the Academy, was the first university in western history and operated from 387 B.C. until A.D. 529, when it was closed by Justinian. Unlike his mentor Socrates, Plato was both a writer and a teacher. His writings are in the form of dialogues, with Socrates as the principal speaker. In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato described symbolically the predicament in which mankind finds itself and proposes a way of salvation. The Allegory presents, in brief form, most of Plato’s major philosophical assumptions: his belief that the world revealed by our senses is not the real world but only a poor copy of it, and that the real world can only be apprehended intellectually; his idea that knowledge cannot be transferred from teacher to student, but rather that education consists in directing student’s minds toward what is real and important and allowing them to apprehend it for themselves; his faith that the universe ultimately is good; his conviction that enlightened individuals have an obligation to the rest of society, and that a good society must be one in which the truly wise (the Philosopher-King) are the ru lers. The Allegory of the Cave can be found in Book VII of Plato’s best-known work, The Republic, a lengthy dialogue on the nature of justice. Often regarded as a utopian blueprint, The Republic is dedicated toward a discussion of the education required of a Philosopher-King. The following selection is taken from the Benjamin Jowett translation (Vintage, 1991), pp. 253-261. As you read the Allegory, try to make a mental picture of the cave Plato describes. Better yet, why not draw a picture of it and refer to it as you read the selection. In many ways, understanding Plato’s Allegory of the Cave will make your foray into the world of philosophical thought much less burdensome. * * * * * * [Socrates] And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: –Behold! human beings living in a underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets. [Glaucon] I see. [Socrates] And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent. [Glaucon] You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners. [Socrates] Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave? [Glaucon] True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads? [Socrates] And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows? [Glaucon] Yes, he said. [Socrates] And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them? [Glaucon] Very true. [Socrates] And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow? [Glaucon] No question, he replied. [Socrates] To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images. [Glaucon] That is certain. [Socrates] And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, -will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him? [Glaucon] Far truer. [Socrates] And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him? [Glaucon] True, he now. [Socrates] And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he ‘s forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities. [Glaucon] Not all in a moment, he said. [Socrates] He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day? [Glaucon] Certainly. [Socrates] Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is. [Glaucon] Certainly. [Socrates] He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold? [Glaucon] Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him. [Socrates] And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the cave and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them? [Glaucon] Certainly, he would. [Socrates] And if they were in the habit of conferring honors among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do you think that he would care for such honors and glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer, Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner? [Glaucon] Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner. [Socrates] Imagine once more, I said, such an one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situation; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness? [Glaucon] To be sure, he said. [Socrates] And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the cave, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death. [Glaucon] No question, he said. [Socrates] This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon, to the previous argument; the prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed. [Glaucon] I agree, he said, as far as I am able to understand you. [Socrates] Moreover, I said, you must not wonder that those who attain to this beatific vision are unwilling to descend to human affairs; for their souls are ever hastening into the upper world where they desire to dwell; which desire of theirs is very natural, if our allegory may be trusted. [Glaucon] Yes, very natural. [Socrates] And is there anything surprising in one who passes from divine contemplations to the evil state of man, misbehaving himself in a ridiculous manner; if, while his eyes are blinking and before he has become accustomed to the surrounding darkness, he is compelled to fight in courts of law, or in other places, about the images or the shadows of images of justice, and is endeavoring to meet the conceptions of those who have never yet seen absolute justice? [Glaucon] Anything but surprising, he replied. [Socrates] Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind’s eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he sees any one whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will first ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter light, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess of light. And he will count the one happy in his condition and state of being, and he will pity the other; or, if he have a mind to laugh at the soul which comes from below into the light, there will be more reason in this than in the laugh which greets him who returns from above out of the light into the cave. [Glaucon] That, he said, is a very just distinction. [Socrates] But then, if I am right, certain professors of education must be wrong when they say that they can put a knowledge into the soul which was not there before, like sight into blind eyes. [Glaucon] They undoubtedly say this, he replied. [Socrates] Whereas, our argument shows that the power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already; and that just as the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light without the whole body, so too the instrument of knowledge can only by the movement of the whole soul be turned from the world of becoming into that of being, and learn by degrees to endure the sight of being, and of the brightest and best of being, or in other words, of the good. [Glaucon] Very true. [Socrates] And must there not be some art which will effect conversion in the easiest and quickest manner; not implanting the faculty of sight, for that exists already, but has been turned in the wrong direction, and is looking away from the truth? [Glaucon] Yes, he said, such an art may be presumed. [Socrates] And whereas the other so-called virtues of the soul seem to be akin to bodily qualities, for even when they are not originally innate they can be implanted later by habit and exercise, the of wisdom more than anything else contains a divine element which always remains, and by this conversion is rendered useful and profitable; or, on the other hand, hurtful and useless. Did you never observe the narrow intelligence flashing from the keen eye of a clever rogue –how eager he is, how clearly his paltry soul sees the way to his end; he is the reverse of blind, but his keen eyesight is forced into the service of evil, and he is mischievous in proportion to his cleverness. [Glaucon] Very true, he said. [Socrates] But what if there had been a circumcision of such natures in the days of their youth; and they had been severed from those sensual pleasures, such as eating and drinking, which, like leaden weights, were attached to them at their birth, and which drag them down and turn the vision of their souls upon the things that are below –if, I say, they had been released from these impediments and turned in the opposite direction, the very same faculty in them would have seen the truth as keenly as they see what their eyes are turned to now. [Glaucon] Very likely. [Socrates] Yes, I said; and there is another thing which is likely. or rather a necessary inference from what has preceded, that neither the uneducated and uninformed of the truth, nor yet those who never make an end of their education, will be able ministers of State; not the former, because they have no single aim of duty which is the rule of all their actions, private as well as public; nor the latter, because they will not act at all except upon compulsion, fancying that they are already dwelling apart in the islands of the blest. [Glaucon] Very true, he replied. [Socrates] Then, I said, the business of us who are the founders of the State will be to compel the best minds to attain that knowledge which we have already shown to be the greatest of all-they must continue to ascend until they arrive at the good; but when they have ascended and seen enough we must not allow them to do as they do now. [Glaucon] What do you mean? [Socrates] I mean that they remain in the upper world: but this must not be allowed; they must be made to descend again among the prisoners in the cave, and partake of their labors and honors, whether they are worth having or not. [Glaucon] But is not this unjust? he said; ought we to give them a worse life, when they might have a better? [Socrates] You have again forgotten, my friend, I said, the intention of the legislator, who did not aim at making any one class in the State happy above the rest; the happiness was to be in the whole State, and he held the citizens together by persuasion and necessity, making them benefactors of the State, and therefore benefactors of one another; to this end he created them, not to please themselves, but to be his instruments in binding up the State. [Glaucon] True, he said, I had forgotten. [Socrates] Observe, Glaucon, that there will be no injustice in compelling our philosophers to have a care and providence of others; we shall explain to them that in other States, men of their class are not obliged to share in the toils of politics: and this is reasonable, for they grow up at their own sweet will, and the government would rather not have them. Being self-taught, they cannot be expected to show any gratitude for a culture which they have never received. But we have brought you into the world to be rulers of the hive, kings of yourselves and of the other citizens, and have educated you far better and more perfectly than they have been educated, and you are better able to share in the double duty. Wherefore each of you, when his turn comes, must go down to the general underground abode, and get the habit of seeing in the dark. When you have acquired the habit, you will see ten thousand times better than the inhabitants of the cave, and you will know what the several images are, and what they represent, because you have seen the beautiful and just and good in their truth. And thus our State which is also yours will be a reality, and not a dream only, and will be administered in a spirit unlike that of other States, in which men fight with one another about shadows only and are distracted in the struggle for power, which in their eyes is a great good. Whereas the truth is that the State in which the rulers are most reluctant to govern is always the best and most quietly governed, and the State in which they are most eager, the worst. [Glaucon] Quite true, he replied. [Socrates] And will our pupils, when they hear this, refuse to take their turn at the toils of State, when they are allowed to spend the greater part of their time with one another in the heavenly light? [Glaucon] Impossible, he answered; for they are just men, and the commands which we impose upon them are just; there can be no doubt that every one of them will take office as a stern necessity, and not after the fashion of our present rulers of State. [Socrates] Yes, my friend, I said; and there lies the point. You must contrive for your future rulers another and a better life than that of a ruler, and then you may have a well-ordered State; for only in the State which offers this, will they rule who are truly rich, not in silver and gold, but in virtue and wisdom, which are the true blessings of life. Whereas if they go to the administration of public affairs, poor and hungering after the’ own private advantage, thinking that hence they are to snatch the chief good, order there can never be; for they will be fighting about office, and the civil and domestic broils which thus arise will be the ruin of the rulers themselves and of the whole State. [Glaucon] Most true, he replied. [Socrates] And the only life which looks down upon the life of political ambition is that of true philosophy. Do you know of any other? [Glaucon] Indeed, I do not, he said. [Socrates] And those who govern ought not to be lovers of the task? For, if they are, there will be rival lovers, and they will fight. [Glaucon] No question. [Socrates] Who then are those whom we shall compel to be guardians? Surely they will be the men who are wisest about affairs of State, and by whom the State is best administered, and who at the same time have other honors and another and a better life than that of politics? [Glaucon] They are the men, and I will choose them, he replied. [Socrates] And now shall we consider in what way such guardians will be produced, and how they are to be brought from darkness to light, — as some are said to have ascended from the world below to the gods? [Glaucon] By all means, he replied. [Socrates] The process, I said, is not the turning over of an oyster-shell, but the turning round of a soul passing from a day which is little better than night to the true day of being, that is, the ascent from below, which we affirm to be true philosophy? [Glaucon] Quite so.

DBQ #1 essays

DBQ #1 essays Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by people of English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies. In 1607 when the New England and the Chesapeake region colonies planted was intended originally for the same purpose, becoming independent of Spain. So exactly why did this difference in development occur? The three major factors were location, attitudes, and beliefs. With a difference in location, attitudes and beliefs where one is from seems to be of little or no importance! Which factor played the biggest part is almost impossible to decide. The locations of the two colonies are in and of itself were completely opposite. The New England Colony's growing season was shorter than that of the Chesapeake regions was. The New England Colony's land was poor and you could not collect furs or even fish very easily, making life difficult. The local Indians taught the settlers how to grow maize. The Chesapeake region settlers did not know how to make the best of the areas wildlife and fish. In addition, one could not depend on supplies from England. The attitude made a big difference also. The New England colony had a positive attitude for the most part. The Chesapeake region had several problems with people's attitude. When the settlers started to plant and farm the well to do adventurers did not like the idea of manual labor. They came here for different reasons (money) not to make a farm settlement. Beliefs were incredibly different. The New England Colonies John Winthrop wrote the famous sermon A model of Christian Charity aboard the Arbella on the Atlantic Ocean. It deals with primarily with equality. It also recognized the fact that there were different conditions of humankind, That God in his holy and wise ways had decided. Someone else's problems were your problems and vise versa. It also acknowledged the importance of working together i ...

Enzyme-controlled reaction Essays

Enzyme-controlled reaction Essays Enzyme-controlled reaction Essay Enzyme-controlled reaction Essay Write an account of how any two factors affect the rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction. How do these factors affect the chemical construction and belongingss of the enzyme. Many things can impact the rate of enzyme activity. The temperature of the enzyme. the pH of the solution. the concentration of the enzyme. substrate and the merchandise. Besides. another affector is the figure of competitory and non-competitive inhibitors. As I can non explicate them all. I have chosen to explicate the consequence of temperature and besides the consequence of inhibitors on enzyme activity. Temperature: As the temperature is increased the kinetic theory is applied. More energy is present and the molecules move fast. This increases the opportunity of hit between the enzymes and substrate and so increasing the rate of reaction. At these higher temperatures the active site of the enzyme is really reasonably flexible. The heat has broken a little figure of Hydrogen bonds which hold the site to its form. Harmonizing to the lock and cardinal theory the enzyme’s active site is specific to the substrate and so they fit together. The enzyme merely catalases a individual reaction. As the site is now flexible. there is an increased sum of induced tantrum and so the production of an enzyme-substrate composite is more likely. If the temperature is lower. the active site of the enzyme is much less flexible as there is the maximal figure of bonds present keeping it all together. At the optimal temperature shown on the curve. the conditions are perfect for this enzyme to work in. Different enzymes have different optimums. For illustration. human enzymes work at organic structure temperature whereas there are thermophilic/stable enzymes which are optimal at much higher temperatures such as 85C. Once the enzyme-substrate composite has been formed. the activation energy is lowered and the reaction is at its optimum. For mammalian enzymes. the rate of reaction doubles for every 10C alteration. Once the temperature goes beyond optimum. the rate of reaction lowers. At a certain point on this negative gradient. the enzyme becomes denatured. The third construction is changed and the enzyme becomes for good damaged. Inhibitors: There are two types of inhibitors to an enzyme. They are competitory and non-competitive. The competitory type are similar in form to that of the substrate and so fit into the active site of the enzyme. non responding. hence suppressing the production of an enzyme-substrate composite. An illustration of this is Malonate. It is similar in form to that of succinate and competes for the active site of succinate dehydrogenase which is involved in the krebs rhythm. Another illustration is that of Acetohydroxamic Acid which is similar in form to urea. It competes for the active site of urease. Fortunately. the effects are reversible. To antagonize the effects of an inhibitor without being able to take it itself one should increase the concentration of the substrate to increase the ratio of substrate to inhibitor. The nons of non-competitive inhibitors are really good known as they have been used to harm worlds or other lifeforms. These are things such as nitrile. heavy metals ( which are reversible as they are slackly bound to the enzyme ) and phosphate insect powders and nervus gasses ( which are irreversible and do decease ) . What do you understand by the undermentioned footings: I ) Enzyme-Substrate Complex two ) Enzyme Specificity three ) Prosthetic Group I ) I have mentioned this already in my earlier replies. This composite is what is produced when the substrate tantrums and binds to the active site of the enzyme. In this province. the conditions are favorable and the bonds are weak intending the merchandise can be easy formed. two ) I have besides mentioned this in my above replies. It merely means that the enzyme is specific to one substrate. The lock and cardinal theory explains this where the enzyme is the lock and the key. being the substrate. fits merely into that lock. The enzyme is wholly specific and lone catalases a individual reaction. three ) In the prosthetic group are non-protein molecules. They are covalently ( strongly ) bonded to the enzyme and must be at that place for the enzyme to work decently. If removed they will most likely cause the enzyme to denature. They are one type of an enzyme co-factor. Such illustrations of this are haemoglobin. chlorophyll and cytochromes.

American constitution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American constitution - Assignment Example Secondly, it should provide social infrastructure wherein the citizens can interact well and establish connections and ties with one another. Thirdly, it is tasked in protecting human rights and upholding and ensuring that everyone is treated fairly and accorded with the things that are of the essence to being human. Citizens should be safeguarded against violations of human rights. And lastly, it is the government’s role to provide public safety. In relation with its other roles, this dictates that it should protect the state from both internal and external threats, be it in whatever nature such as, but not limited to, political, military, health, etc. 2.Define democracy and discuss 5 bases of democracy(five bases to use are, self-government john locke-2nd treaties on government, social contract, majority rule, minority rights, limited government, democratic institution, free election, free expression of ideas ). In the modern era of politics, democracy as a form of government has risen as the most widely practiced form of government. The word can be literally translated to mean as the Government of the People/Majority (Becker and Raveloson 4). It is easily distinguishable from other forms of government such as monarchy, aristocracy, and dictatorship simply because the governing body comes from the people themselves. Leaders of such government and elected and empowered by the people in the rationale of them serving the common interest of its citizens. 3. Discuss 5 types of powers (Reward-ability to provide what others don’t have, Coercive-ability to punish, Authority-based on titles and position, Expert-based on knowledge, Referant-based on charisma or respect. The reward-ability power is anchored in the ability of the authoritative entity to grant and motivate its constituents by its desires and undesirables. This regards the work of

The Increasing Involvement of the Clergy in Politics Essay

The Increasing Involvement of the Clergy in Politics - Essay Example In the American context, American Muslims seem to just take care of themselves and mind their own businesses. Bill uses facts and opinion polls to back his arguments. For instance, when he says that 11% of those polled agreed that they had been influenced to vote along political divides, this only depicts the selfishness, majorly on the part of the clergy (Agnew 56). One might want to ask: why do they involve themselves in politics in the first place? Truly the American Muslims have replaced the Koran with their own interpretations, which in my view, is a paradox indeed. McKibben reveals the dangerous misinterpretations of the Koran by most American Muslims. When I read Bill’s article, what first came to my mind was the infiltration of the â€Å"expensive mega-churches†, plus their founders. When one visits some of the churches, they may be shocked by the elegance and the exurban styles of the churches. The churches are built using millions, or billions of dollars. The founders seem to use the church as an avenue to enrich themselves, promising worshippers that the â€Å"the hands that give are the hand that receives†. The American worshippers have understood this and would give an arm and a leg to receive the â€Å"blessings†. Instead of helping the poor members of the church just as Mohammed commanded, the founders and top clergy live lavish lifestyles, adorning expensive suits and other wears. In some cases, they are reportedly involved in scandals such as those pertaining to sex and politics.