Critically analyze Brandom and Haugeland’s views regarding Cartesianism Free Essays

The concept of Cartesianism is that every and/or any thing that can be doubted must be discarded, and ideally formulated anew in order to be cemented in truthfulness. Doubting is the first way of determining whether something is useful, and if it isn’t, you discard what you know and basically reinvent it in such a way that is useful. We apply this Cartesianism in a social context when we look at society, politics and the interactions of people on any communicative grounds. We will write a custom essay sample on Critically analyze Brandom and Haugeland’s views regarding Cartesianism or any similar topic only for you Order Now This would include linguistics, thinking and any other forms of interaction that form any kind of groundwork for social and societal interaction. Using Cartesianism, we can draw distinctions between such things. We will look at the notions of language, reasoning and thinking, in terms of the works of two philosophers, Robert Brandom and John Haugeland, with the emphasis on comparing and contrasting their unique views. Brandom: Freedom, Norms, Reason and Thought Robert Brandom’s views on personal freedom were rooted in the difference between how he perceived his forerunners on the subject matter; he compared and contrasted Kant and Hegel in his work ‘Freedom and Constraint by Norms’. In this work, he critically observes the foundation from which Kant and Hegel analyzed the ideas of personal freedom, as expressed – or refuted – by norms. In order to set out these principles – freedom and norms – we must first define them. Brandom had this to say about Kant’s viewpoint: One of the most suggestive responses to the first set of concerns has been developed by the Kantian tradition: the doctrine that freedom consists precisely in being constrained by norms rather than merely by causes, answering to what ought to be as well as what is. (1979, p. 187). We assume the fact here that norms are things which become established over time by society/community, and that they determine and decide how things should be done, by the individual and by the community. Where Kant pragmatically argued that society used norms to determine the individual’s actions, Brandom also included how Hegel proposed a different approach, from a different angle: The central feature determining the character of any vision of human freedom is the account offered of positive freedom (freedom to) – those respects in which our activity should be distinguished from the mere lack of external causal constraint (freedom from) †¦ (1979, p. 187). Brandom furthers his argument by taking his proposed solution into the domain of the linguistic. He argues that the basis of norms, with regards to their use in regulating society and the individual’s role therein, requires creative expression from individuals in order to promote the Hegelian concept of idealistic, ‘positive’ freedom. Ultimately, Brandom proposes a post-Hegelian solution, one which builds on Hegel’s initial statements and ideally assists the advancement of individuals within a communal setting. In ‘A Social Route from Reasoning to Representing’, Brandom further explores the generally held principles that individual beings are capable of reasoning and reasonable thought processes. Because of this inherent trait, fostered in the upbringing of each individual, truth by inference or deductive reasoning becomes a cornerstone of the thoughts and actions of every individual. The exploration of the difference between actually thinking and thinking about something is established and represented by the accepted standard that individuals move in social circles, and so influence each other’s ideas and notions of reason. Common ground is found in these motions, or as Brandom qualifies, â€Å"the representational dimension †¦ reflects the social structure †¦ in the game of giving and asking for reason. † (2000, p. 183). Haugeland: Truth, Rules and Social Cartesianism John Haugeland approaches the idea behind the social establishments in much the same way as Brandom. He explores the same set of topics in his work ‘Truth and Rule-following’, where he mentions the idea of norms as being bound to rules and how the social circle comprised of unique individuals see such institutes. These rules are divided into factual and governing, with factual being held as understood and upheld by all and governing as normative; â€Å"how they ought to be† (Haugeland, 1998, p. 306). Haugeland also argues that these norms are upheld by a communal motion to associate and create similarities between individuals: conformity. He further proposes that social normativity can be grounded in biological normativity – the same principles and arguments can be applied, but only insofar as human beings are capable of reason, and that a biological body by contrast follows certain predetermined, preprogrammed sets or rules, while a reasoning mind can necessarily adapt around or expand on conditions and work beyond them, as a biological preset cannot. This supports the idea of governing norms being changeable, separate from objective truth. Also, social norms are enacted through the input of others, in a sense promoting a system where one member of the community checks up on the others, and vice versa. Haugeland’s case is concluded with an emphatic argument for the similarity and union between norms of reason (governing norms) and objective truth (factual norms) boiling down to being the same thing: both are in fact changeable, if in different, subjective ways. With ‘Social Cartesianism’, Haugeland explores the work of three other philosophers, objectifying the reason for his assumptions based on the use of philosophy in language, which all three works – the works of Goodman, Quine and Wittgenstein/Kripke – explore in some form. The reason for this analysis is Cartesian in origin. The first work, by Goodman, is an argument based on defining predicates – accepted rules – and testing the limits of their acceptability, in true, doubtful, Cartesian style. The work of Quine focuses on the elements of translation, of taking personally accepted norms and placing them over a culture with differing norms, thereby defining that culture according to our own way of doing things. Lastly, the debate ventured by Wittgenstein/Kripke is one of skepticism that proposes that all norms are social, not private: â€Å"In sum: if meanings must be normative, but individuals can’t impose norms on themselves, then private, individual meanings are impossible† (Haugeland, p. 219). Haugeland extrapolates that each one of these arguments is fundamentally flawed, based on the conclusion he draws regarding each of the three works’ shortcomings: they all fail to account for the real world, the world that everyone lives in and is affected by. Brandom versus Haugeland Perhaps the most obvious similarity between Brandom and Haugeland’s individual accounts and reasoning is the fact that they approach the same kinds of topics: social situation, individuality, freedom, language and thought. Despite various approaches and held viewpoints, both are compelled to a certain Cartesian way of doing things, of discarding everything or anything that is not beyond doubt and recreating these things anew by using sound reasoning. Brandom is fond of referencing Kant and Hegel and placing them in opposition against each other, most notably in stating their viewpoints from necessity and polarity: Kant held the view that norms dictated freedom and individuality, whereas Hegel was more positive in expressing his views on freedom ultimately determining norms. In a similar fashion, Haugeland approached the subject of norms and normativity, and how they affected individuals, both linguistically and thoughtfully. We will look at the comparison of norms and normativity first, and then spread outward into linguistics and thought. The view of normativity being a deciding factor, most notably on a linguistic basis, for representing the two polarities of norms and facts, is upheld by both philosophers. Brandom sees norms as something which is instituted based on reason, on the idea that they are something that is held by a communal mindset and imposed on the individual. Facts in turn are things which are accepted as a given by not only individuals but also by the community. Focusing on linguistics, Brandom draws on translation, on the action of placing or transposing one set of accepted norms – from, say, one community’s point of view – onto another community’s point of view. Note here that Haugeland also referenced the idea of translation in his critique of Quine’s work. This poses the first real contrast between Brandom and Haugeland’s points of view: Brandom poses the idea that translation promotes assimilation: By translating, rather than causally explaining some performance, we extend our community (the one which engages in the social practices into which we translate the stranger’s behavior) so as to include the stranger, and treat his performances as variants of our own. (1979, p. 191). The act of making something your own, drawing something or someone in from outside your boundaries, speaks of a shift of norms. Logically it can be argued that assimilating something new forces your way of thinking about something to be altered to accommodate what is new, even if what has been absorbed becomes a representation of something completely new and different. In this we see Brandom’s shift to the Hegelian idea of the novel, the new, being created in a positive sense in order to advance and enhance the communal whole. Haugeland contrasts by referencing Quine: â€Å"†¦ although the translations are different, there is no fact as to which of them is the ‘right’ one, because there is no ‘objective matter to be right or wrong about’. † (cited from Haugeland, ). Haugeland would seemingly disagree with Brandom’s use of translation as a means of successfully integrating norms, of taking norm and transforming it into fact. Translation still argues for something similar, not new: it presupposes a universal component that stretches through all languages. Judgment is another key concept, one bound to reason and thought. Brandom cites Kant once more in bringing to the fore the sense that one must act from thought, and that judging and acting requires a commitment, â€Å"staking a claim – undertaking a commitment† (1979, p. 164). Brandom repeats the basis of linguistics, of the game played between people, based on inference and the inherent ability to deduce and conclude. An individual can naturally deduce something spoken or gestured from another individual by making a commitment to do so. This commitment relies heavily on the shared understanding between individuals, the factual norms that are referenced again and again as a means of achieving the communal awareness of similarity. Haugeland agrees here; linguistically, words must have a normal, generic meaning in order for the speaking individual to be understood. There must be common ground. He continues by saying that â€Å"meanings, by their very nature, are normative rules,† and emphasizes this dilemma by citing this example: And the essential problem is that individuals cannot impose norms on themselves. For that would be like taking a dictator, with absolute legal authority, to be bound by her own law. But she can’t really be bound by her own law since, given her authority, if she changes her mind and does something different, that just changes the law – which is equivalent to saying that the law did not bind her in the first place. Similarly †¦ an individual cannot, on his own authority, bind himself by his private norm. (Haugeland, , p. 219). The crux of this comparison between Haugeland and Brandom is that both agree on the fact that law, in a sense, and rules, must be used to bind a norm, albeit a governing one – a norm based on reason. A person cannot be subject to his/her own norms, therefore the norms must be implemented from outside the individual; from the communal. Coming back to the linguistic component again, we can logically assume that language as a means of communication forms a regulating basis here. The words, actions and judgment of others forces a certain conformity, a means whereby an individual can operate and coexist within a community. Thought has always been at the core of the human need to define him/herself. The adage cogito ergo sum (I think therefore I am) has been advanced to more complex statements. Rene Descartes advanced dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum (Latin for I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am) (Persaud, p. 259). Cartesian philosophy dwells deeply on thought processes, so it should be unsurprising that both Brandom and Haugeland spent some thought on the dynamics of applying Cartesian methods on the thought process. Haugeland praised Descartes’ input, going further than the original assumptions made by Descartes and stating that â€Å"The determinacy that matters here concerns not the formal reality of those ideas †¦ but rather their objective reality (roughly their intentional content as representations. ) (Haugeland, , p. 224). In other words, Haugeland implies that human individuals in isolation, as subjectively separate, is fairly unimportant. What matters ultimately is the collective, the union of all individuals in an objective community, not necessarily defined by the community but by their place in it, and their unique contributions to it. Brandom seems to agree by stating: The social dimension of inference [deduction] involved in the communication to others of claims that must be available as reasons [common ground] both to the speaker [individual] and to the audience [collective, community], in spite of differences in collateral commitments, is what underlies the representational dimension of discourse [communication]. (2000, p. 183). Summed up, the previous statement can be matched to Haugeland’s assumptions: the community is not the only important thing, but in order for norms, rules and laws to make sense regarding thought, language and freedom, the community or collective needs to operate on a standard of shared understanding, so that each unique individual can still function and interact with others despite the individuality. Conclusion Through using Cartesian principles regarding the discovery of usefulness, we have come to the conclusion that, with regards to using doubt as a means of determining an outcome or a reality, pragmatism is in fact a necessary element. Reality, as Haugeland would have us believe, is not simply determined by the individuals, communities and their norms only, but rather arises from the world we live in first, before casting a shadow of effects over the individual and the rest. We have argued that Brandom and Haugeland, though often different in their modes of expression and discourse, are nevertheless in agreement on many of the key aspects regarding norms, whether factual or governing, subjective or objective. At the end, Cartesian doubt influences thought, and thought influences language and interaction between people, yielding a collected sense of understanding and finally yielding a system of laws, rules and judgments that govern and regulate society and community. However, in conclusion it is perhaps better to emphasize Hegel’s idealism – as opposed to Kant’s pragmatism: that freedom be positive, to allow for creativity within the system and to not be bound by external causes such as rules and laws only. References Brandom, R. B. (2000). A Social Route from Reasoning to Representing. Articulating Reasons: an Introduction to Inferentialism. Cambridge, Harvard University Press. Brandom, R. B. (1979). Freedom and Constraint by Norms. American Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 16, 13, 87-196. Haugeland, J. (). Social Cartesianism. 213-225. Haugeland, J. (1998). Truth and Rule-following. Having Thought: Essays in the metaphysics of mind. Cambridge, Harvard University Press. Persaud, R. (2002) Ten Books. The British Journal of Psychiatry, Volume 181, 258-261, Retrieved May 17, 2008, from http://bjp. rcpsych. org/cgi/content/full/181/3/258. How to cite Critically analyze Brandom and Haugeland’s views regarding Cartesianism, Papers

Higher Education System in England and Australia

Question: A. Compare and contrast the primary education system in England/the UK with that of ONE country of your choice. B. Compare and contrast the secondary education system in England/the UK with that of ONE country of your choice.C. Compare and contrast the higher education system in England/The UK with that of ONE country of your choice. Answer: Introduction The education system of a country is generally divided into three parts, such as primary, secondary and higher education system. The primary and secondary education systems are the base of any tertiary education system in any of the countries and has a lot of importance in the entire education system of the country. The higher education system in England is generally split into two levels undergraduate programs and postgraduate programs. Some of the undergraduate programs in England are higher national diplomas, bachelors degrees and foundation degrees. Some of the postgraduate programs in England are doctorates, PhDs and masters degrees. The educational institutes in the higher education system of England include various universities, colleges, business schools and specialist institutions. The higher education system in Australia also consists of a number of bachelors degrees, masters degrees, PhDs and doctorates among a number of other programs. The educational institutions in the higher education system of Australia consists of 43 universities including 40 Australian universities, one private specialty university and two international universities. The higher education system in Australia is more innovative and collaborative, which puts it apart from the education system in England having similar policies (Gale, 2013). Higher education system in England and Australia The funding of the higher education system has a significant impact on the quality of the education along with the performance of the educational institutions in the corresponding system. Both the countries have been targeted for criticism for the funding of their higher education system and have been suggested to learn from each others mistakes. Some time back Deakin Universitys Jane Den Hollander stated that the recent changes in terms of cuts to the funding of Australian higher education system will have a catastrophic negative impact in terms of inability of the students to afford the high fees, cuts in the academic salaries, increase in the debts on the education loans and possible increase in job losses (Tight, 2012). The deregulation of the tuition fees in the Australian higher education system has led the universities to be in a price competition. The current funding for the higher education system in England is also deregulated, where almost all the universities charge the f ull 9,000 maximum fee for various programs (Stephenson, 2013). Another factor for comparing the higher education systems in England and Australia is the innovations implemented in the universities in the higher education system and the system itself. Both the countries have similar policies for their higher education system such as the maximum cap for the tuition fees for various higher education programs as the governments of both the countries try to mimic the educational policies from each other (Lozano, 2013). There have been a number of comparisons done in a number of platforms over time, between the higher education system in England and Australia. Such a comparison was made in The Guardian, which published an interactive timeline to show which of the educational systems implemented which innovative solution first (Shaw, 2014). This timeline shows that the Australian government was quicker to implement various innovative solutions in the higher education system and the education system in England has followed a few of the policies implemen ted in Australias education system (Bhandari, 2013). Collaboration among the universities in the higher education system of a country is another factor for comparing the education systems of the two countries. A number of surveys and researches have been done to determine the collaboration among the universities in the corresponding higher education systems. An article in The Guardian showed a perceptive comparison of the research collaboration capabilities of both the higher education systems. The author of the article, Simon Marginson is a professional associate in the University of Melbourne in Australia along with his employment at the Institute of Education in UK as a professor. This article focused on the recent strengthening of the relationship of Australia with various Asian countries (Marginson, 2016). This report also mentions the lack of research collaboration of the institutions in England with various Asian countries such as China and Singapore. The report stresses on the point that the high research collaboration of the Australian universities with that of the Asian countries, is setting the Australian higher education system at a higher level than that of Englands (Altbach, 2015). Conclusion The essay analyzed the higher education system of Australia and England with each other in terms of a number of factors. Australias higher education policies have the universities caught in a price competition, which has made the costs of higher education to be more in Australia than that of England. A number of researches have proved that the higher education system in Australia is first to implement various innovative solutions and has more research collaboration with the Asian countries than Englands higher education system. All of these comparisons between both the higher education system define them to be quite similar. The education system in Australia seems a bit more effective than that of Englands because of the higher exposure into innovation and strong relationship with the fast-growing countries across the world (Hazelkorn, 2015). This in turn allows the students of the higher education system in Australia to have a lot of opportunities for yield more value from various i nnovative policies along with the collaboration with the international students for researches. The funding structure of the higher education system of England can be restructured through a number of careful policies and changes. The fee structure can be regularized to increase the effectiveness of the higher education programs and the students could be provided with lenient education loans from various government bodies in order to enhance the popularity and strength of the higher education system of England (Amaral, 2013). References Altbach, P., 2015. Perspectives on internationalizing higher education. International Higher Education, (27). Amaral, A., Jones, G.A. and Karseth, B. eds., 2013. Governing higher education: National perspectives on institutional governance (Vol. 2). Springer Science Business Media. Bhandari, R. and Blumenthal, P., 2013. International students and global mobility in higher education: National trends and new directions. International Studies, 1(11), pp.316-317. Gale, T. and Parker, S., 2013. Widening participation in Australia in higher education. Hazelkorn, E., 2015. Rankings and the reshaping of higher education: The battle for world-class excellence. Springer. Lozano, R., Lukman, R., Lozano, F.J., Huisingh, D. and Lambrechts, W., 2013. Declarations for sustainability in higher education: becoming better leaders, through addressing the university system. Journal of Cleaner Production, 48, pp.10-19. Marginson, S. 2016 Links with china: Why Australian universities are leading the way. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2014/jul/07/australian-uk-universities-links-china (Accessed: 8 August 2016). Shaw, C. 2014 Higher education policy in the UK and Australia who did what first? View our timeline to find out. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/ng-interactive/2014/jul/09/higher-education-policy-in-the-uk-and-australia-who-did-what-first-view-our-timeline-to-find-out (Accessed: 8 August 2016). Stephenson, J. and Yorke, M., 2013. Capability and quality in higher education. Routledge. Tight, M., 2012. Researching higher education. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

English Conformity Essay free essay sample

In 2001, The American Scholar derived an excerpt from a talk given by Margaret Drabble, an English author who stated, â€Å"Our desire to conform is greater than our respect for objective facts.† This quote declares that as we tend to ignore our logic sense and morals in order to fulfill society’s needs. The desire to not be distinctive can make us cohere with something we normally wouldnt agree to. As human beings we fall upon this constantly with smoking illegal substances, treating others with disrespect and the inability of implying our self morals in public. In the United States, marijuana is known as an illegal substance, yet, it does not stop teens or adults from blazing it. In fact, it happens so often now a days that its considered to be non-taboo in a variety of places. For example,Tennessee is one of the most corrupted states in the US because of marijuana, still they continue to smoke the illegal substance in order to conform with society. We will write a custom essay sample on English Conformity Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Peer pressure is the blame of this cause, for example, if a young boy who endeavors to be popular and becomes friends with the in crowd; he will disregard anything, even if its not right. Conformity and selfish needs defeat logic and morals to obtain popularity. As student in high school, I have fallen to conformity many times as so have others. For instance, I have been guilt of excluding others because of different styles of wardrobe and personality; yet even though as a child I been taught to treat people as I want to be treated. Conformity is able to intrigue you to do things you never imagined, as I did. However, I ignored my morals to continue fitting in or simply out of fear of disagreement and confrontation. As humans, we have the natural instinct of being afraid of standing up for what we believe it, because others may not concur with us. In elementary school, I experienced the sight of many inferior children getting bullied as myself. Yet, nobody would speak up because were all afraid of being targeted or teased for defending the weak. Even though we acknowledge the fact that it was wrong, we continued to walk our own separate ways. Many say we are young and care too much for our reputation than our characters, but I  believe you dont have to be young to fall into conformity. Nobody is perfect, adults fall for it as well in order to keep employment, etc. Adults will do anything to maintain job like cheat, lie and steal, which is where conformity fits in. We work so hard to be accepted into society that we forget on walls and the matter we were raised. In other words, we come form to what society expects of us rather than what our hearts demand of us. Disregarding the objective facts comes so easily when we are faced with complex situations. Most of the times we choose not to do the right thing but the easiest thing at the moment.

3 Problems with Suspensive Hyphenation

3 Problems with Suspensive Hyphenation 3 Problems with Suspensive Hyphenation 3 Problems with Suspensive Hyphenation By Mark Nichol The grammatical convention known as suspensive hyphenation is employed when two or more adjacent and parallel phrasal adjectives, phrases that in tandem modify a noun that follows them, have a common element in the same position. Elision of one of the repeated words because it is clearly implicit is a common strategy, but misuse of suspensive hyphenation can complicate a sentence rather than simplify it, as the examples below demonstrate. (Each sentence is accompanied by a discussion and a solution.) 1. We help companies identify, manage, and resolve the business and technology related risks they face. This sentence contains two phrasal adjectives, â€Å"business related† and â€Å"technology related,† but because they share the second word, that word has been elided from the first phrase because it is implicit. However, because the phrasal adjectives precede the noun, they must be hyphenated, and a hyphen should follow business to clarify that an implicit word has been omitted: â€Å"We help companies identify, manage, and resolve the business- and technology-related risks they face.† 2. Most of these markets are little-known small- and midsize cities. Here, suspensive hyphenation has been erroneously introduced. Because small is not part of a phrasal adjective (the reference is to â€Å"small cities,† not â€Å"small-sized cities†), no hyphen should be attached to it: â€Å"Most of these markets are little-known small and midsize cities.† 3. The meeting was held to discuss risk-assessment and -management policies. Here, suspensive hyphenation is employed to elide the first word of a two-word phrasal adjective that has the same first word as an adjacent phrasal adjective. (Notice that in this case, the second instance of the first word has been omitted; compare this with omission of the first instance of a second word in common to two or more two-word phrasal adjectives.) The construction is technically correct but awkward and distracting, so it’s better to explicitly include the second instance of risk rather than elide it: â€Å"The meeting was held to discuss risk-assessment and risk-management policies.† Check out our latest YouTube video: How to Write a Reference Letter Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Using "a" and "an" Before WordsAwoken or Awakened?9 Forms of the Past Tense

Free Essays on Fibonnaci Sequence

Fibonacci Sequence In the 13th century A.D. Leonard Fibonacci introduced Liber abaci, which means â€Å"The Book of calculations.† Fibonacci was best known for a series of numbers which were introduced in Liber abaci, and later named the Fibonacci sequence in his honor. The sequence begins with 0 and 1. After that, use the simple rule: Add the last two numbers together to get the next. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377†¦ In Fibonacci's day, mathematical competitions and challenges were ordinary. In 1225 Fibonacci took part in a tournament at Pisa ordered by the emperor at the time, Frederick II. During this competition the following problem arose: Beginning with a single pair of rabbits, if every month each productive pair bears a new pair, which becomes productive when they are 1 month old, how many rabbits will there be after n months? This rabbit breeding problem that caused Fibonacci to write about the sequence in Liber abaci may be unrealistic but the Fibonacci sequence really does appear today. For example, some plants stem in such a way that they always have a Fibonacci number of growing points. Flowers often have a Fibonacci number of petals; daisies can have 34, 55 or even 89 petals. Next time you look at a sunflower look at the arrangements of the seeds. They appear to spiral outward, both left and right. There is a Fibonacci sequence in the number of spirals. This arrangement keeps the seeds evenly packed regardless of how large the seed head. The Fibonacci sequence appears every day in a normal person’s life, they just never knew.... Free Essays on Fibonnaci Sequence Free Essays on Fibonnaci Sequence Fibonacci Sequence In the 13th century A.D. Leonard Fibonacci introduced Liber abaci, which means â€Å"The Book of calculations.† Fibonacci was best known for a series of numbers which were introduced in Liber abaci, and later named the Fibonacci sequence in his honor. The sequence begins with 0 and 1. After that, use the simple rule: Add the last two numbers together to get the next. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377†¦ In Fibonacci's day, mathematical competitions and challenges were ordinary. In 1225 Fibonacci took part in a tournament at Pisa ordered by the emperor at the time, Frederick II. During this competition the following problem arose: Beginning with a single pair of rabbits, if every month each productive pair bears a new pair, which becomes productive when they are 1 month old, how many rabbits will there be after n months? This rabbit breeding problem that caused Fibonacci to write about the sequence in Liber abaci may be unrealistic but the Fibonacci sequence really does appear today. For example, some plants stem in such a way that they always have a Fibonacci number of growing points. Flowers often have a Fibonacci number of petals; daisies can have 34, 55 or even 89 petals. Next time you look at a sunflower look at the arrangements of the seeds. They appear to spiral outward, both left and right. There is a Fibonacci sequence in the number of spirals. This arrangement keeps the seeds evenly packed regardless of how large the seed head. The Fibonacci sequence appears every day in a normal person’s life, they just never knew....

Public Health Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public Health - Research Paper Example Public health also alleviates human suffering, and is practiced by a variety of professionals in the field. As a field of study, I have gained vast knowledge on public health, including all the aspects of public health, and policy and practice. Therefore, this has prepared me to undertake practical tasks in the field, where I will perform effectively, considering the amount and quality of knowledge I have gathered in this course. Through learning this course, I have realized that there are many challenges that face public health today. Therefore, as a professional and leader in this field, I have to contribute to the development of solutions to the challenges. Therefore, learning this course has increased my understanding of the complex challenges, which professionals in the field of public health are faced with. Times have changed, and so have the challenges in Public Health. These are evolving, and becoming more complex. Three major factors are responsible for the changing the natu re of health threats today. These include demographic transition, which occur because of urbanization and ageing, epidemiological transitions, and compromised physiology. In addition, financial insufficiencies have hindered the effective implementation of most public health initiatives. Furthermore, it is challenging for public health practitioners to achieve the desired influence in society, since the main ethos of public health; prevention, is undervalued in society, basing on its invisible benefits. Communication is another major challenge in public health, as the field is highly involved in the education of the public. Finally, because of globalization, public health professionals are expected to adopt a global thinking by local action (Pomerleau & McKee, 2005). Therefore, the aspect of intercultural communication is core to public health, and professionals in this field. Like other any workplace, the field of public health also faces considerable issues at the workplace. These vary in nature, and might involve the company itself or its employees. Therefore, as a leader, it is important to develop strategies that can help in addressing the emerging complex issues. There are various strategies, which managers at the workplace can employ to address workplace issues. The most important strategy is for managers to develop an open-door policy for employees. In this case, employees will consider the manager approachable, thus will feel free to report any pressing issue they experience. Secondly, it is important for a manager to address problems or issues immediately they occur, instead of leaving them unaddressed. Furthermore, fairness at the workplace is of great importance. The culture of fairness helps to prevent major problems, which would have occurred at the workplace. Above all, communication is key, therefore, managers should foster effective communication with employees, as this helps to cut down on difficult situations. In order to increase efficiency at the workplace, as a manager, I must push for the adoption of effective information technology. Today, the technology is highly advanced, and has increased efficiency and performance of tasks. Therefore, present public health managers have a role of ensuring that new technology is adopted at the workplace.  

Mergers and aqcuisition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Mergers and aqcuisition - Essay Example Since Bentley has somehow gained fame after operating with eleven stores in Southern Europe, Zeta's should look for 24-year AA bonds to determine the discount rate. Judging by the present status of Bentley in the Southern European market, the discount rate Zeta's should use to assess the value of Bentley for their equity holders should range from 5.0%-5.25%. At this low discount rate, they generally have a much shorter period concerning their liabilities. Furthermore, a discount rate of that range is competitive enough to acquire Bentley if Zeta's other competitors for Bentley acquisition uses a higher discount rate. Zeta's also have the advantage since they have operated for years and gained patronization from retail stores in London and Newcastle. Thus, using a lower discount rate to assess the Bentley's is a safe way for their excess cash. By doing so, Zeta's is being prudent enough. If they take the bond rate, Bentley equity holders would actually overview it down for prudence. A pparently, it is quite difficult to get a good AA measure for acquisition and bond yields. Markova (2001) states that if a company uses a discount rate of such range, the competitors tend to overlook the rate and thus t discourages them to continue bidding. Terminal value is defined as the value of any item at the end of a particular time phase. For instance, the terminal value may include the value of a fully depreciated asset and the maturity value of a bond (Bergstein, 1998). Based on the Table 1 of Mr. Sharpe, the terminal value is 8.5 million. The terminal value that should be used in order to evaluate the cash flow of Bentley is satisfactory enough for Zeta's to gain full acquisition to it, which has principally been driven by the market. Since Bentley has somehow gained fame after operating with eleven stores in Southern Europe, Zeta's should look for 24-year AA bond. At this terminal value, they generally have a much shorter period concerning meeting the demands of their liabilities. Furthermore, a Bentley's terminal value for 2005 which is expected to grow by 5% in 2006 is competitive enough to acquire Bentley if Zeta's other competitors for Bentley acquisition uses fashion retail items using their own names. Since Zeta's is j ust planning to start using its own name, Zeta's have the advantage since they have operated for years and gained patronization from retail stores in London and Newcastle. Thus, using a lower discount rate to assess the Bentley's is a safe way for their excess cash. By doing so, Zeta's is being prudent enough. If they take the bond rate, Bentley equity holders would actually overview it down for prudence. Collateral, which consists of securities that could be sold by the Reserve Bank if the borrower fails to pay back the loan, limits the Fed's (and therefore the taxpaying public's) risk exposure. Acceptable collateral includes, among other things, U.S. Treasury securities, government agency securities, municipal securities, mortgages on one- to four-family dwellings, and short-term commercial notes. Usually, collateral is kept at the Reserve Bank,