Simple Disparaître Verb Conjugations in French

Simple Disparaà ®tre Verb Conjugations in French French verb conjugations can be challenging, particularly when it comes to words like  disparaà ®tre. Meaning to disappear, this is an irregular verb and that makes memorizing its many conjugates difficult. Yet, a quick lesson and some dedicated practice will help you out tremendously. Conjugating the French Verb  Disparaà ®tre In English, we use -ing and -ed endings for verb conjugations. Its more complex in French because the ending changes not only from the past to the present or future tense  but also with the number of people or things were talking about. Disparaà ®tre  is an  irregular verb  and while it is not the most common conjugation pattern, nearly all  French verbs ending in  -aà ®tre  are conjugated in the same way. While you are learning and practicing these conjugations, you may want to tackle two or three similar words to make the entire group just a little easier. Using the table, study each of the  disparaà ®tre  conjugations. Simply pair the subject pronoun with the appropriate tense and youre on the way to forming a complete sentence. For instance, I am disappearing is je disparaà ®s and we will disappear is nous disparaà ®trons. Subject Present Future Imperfect je disparais disparaà ®trai disparaissais tu disparais disparaà ®tras disparaissais il disparaà ®t disparaà ®tra disparaissait nous disparaissons disparaà ®trons disparaissions vous disparaissez disparaà ®trez disparaissiez ils disparaissent disparaà ®tront disparaissaient The Present Participle of  Disparaà ®tre The   present participle  of disparaà ®tre  is  disparaissant. Not only is this a verb, it can also become an adjective, gerund, or noun when needed. The Past Participle and Passà © Composà © The  passà © composà ©Ã‚  is another popular way to express the past tense disappeared in French. To form it, begin by conjugating the  auxiliary verb  avoir  to fit the subject pronoun, then add the  past participle  disparu. For example, I disappeared is jai disparu  Ã‚  while we disappeared is nous avons disparu. More Simple  Disparaà ®tre  Conjugations to Learn Should you find that the action of disappearing is questionable or not guaranteed, the subjunctive verb mood can be used. In a similar fashion, the conditional verb mood implies that the action will only happen  if  something else occurs. The passà © simple is primarily found in formal French writing, so you may not use it yourself. The same can be said of the imperfect subjunctive, though it is good to be able to recognize these as forms of  disparaà ®tre. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Passà © Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je disparaisse disparaà ®trais disparus disparusse tu disparaisses disparaà ®trais disparus disparusses il disparaisse disparaà ®trait disparut disparà »t nous disparaissions disparaà ®trions disparà »mes disparussions vous disparaissiez disparaà ®triez disparà »tes disparussiez ils disparaissent disparaà ®traient disparurent disparussent In the imperative verb form,  disparaà ®tre  is used for short commands and requests. There is no need to include the subject pronoun here: simplify tu disparais to disparais. Imperative (tu) disparais (nous) disparaissons (vous) disparaissez

Doris Lessing - Novelist, Memoirist, Essayist

Doris Lessing - Novelist, Memoirist, Essayist Doris Lessing Facts: Known for: Doris Lessing has written many novels, short stories, and essays, most about contemporary life, often pointing to social injustices. Her 1962 The Golden Notebook became an iconic novel for the feminist movement for its consciousness-raising theme. Her travels to many places in the British sphere of influence have influenced her writings.Occupation: writer short stories, novels, essays, science fictionDates: October 22, 1919 -  November 17, 2013Also known as: Doris May Lessing, Jane Somers, Doris Taylor Doris Lessing Biography: Doris Lessing was born in Persia (now Iran), when her father worked for a bank. In 1924, the family moved to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where she grew up, as her father tried to make a living as a farmer. Though she was encouraged to go to college, Doris Lessing dropped out of school at age 14, and took clerical and other jobs in Salisbury, South Rhodesia, until her marriage in 1939 to a civil servant. When she divorced in 1943, her children stayed with their father. Her second husband was a Communist, whom Doris Lessing met when she also became a Communist, joining what she saw as a more pure form of Communism than she saw in the Communist parties in other parts of the world. (Lessing rejected Communism after the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956.) She and her second husband divorced in 1949, and he emigrated to East Germany. Later, he was the East German ambassador to Uganda and was killed when Ugandans revolted against Idi Amin. During her years of activism and married life, Doris Lessing began writing. In 1949, after two failed marriages, Lessing moved to London; her brother, first husband, and two children from her first marriage remained in Africa. In 1950, Lessings first novel was published: The Grass Is Singing, which dealt with issues of apartheid and interracial relationships in a colonial society. She continued her semi-autobiographical writings in three Children of Violence novels, with Martha Quest as the main character, published in 1952-1958. Lessing visited her African homeland again in 1956, but was then declared a prohibited immigrant for political reasons and banned from coming back again. After the country became Zimbabwe in 1980, independent of British and white rule, Doris Lessing returned, first in 1982. She wrote of her visits in African Laughter: Four Visits to Zimbabwe, published in 1992. Having rejected communism in 1956, Lessing became active in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. In the 1960s, she became skeptical of progressive movements and more interested in Sufism and nonlinear thinking. In 1962, Doris Lessings most widely-read novel, The Golden Notebook, was published. This novel, in four sections, explored aspects of the relationship of an independent woman to herself and to men and women, in a time of re-examining sexual and political norms. While the book inspired and fit in with increasing interest in consciousness-raising, Lessing has been somewhat impatient with its identification with feminism. Beginning in 1979, Doris Lessing published a series of science fiction novels, and in the 80s published several books under the pen name Jane Somers. Politically, in the 1980s she supported the anti-Soviet mujahideen in Afghanistan. She also became interested in issues ecological survival and returned to African themes. Her 1986 The Good Terrorist is a comedic story about a cadre of left-wing militants in London. Her 1988 The Fifth Child deals with change and family life in the 1960s through 1980s. Lessings later work continues to deal with peoples lives in ways that highlight challenging social issues, though shes denied that her writing is political. In 2007, Doris Lessing was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Background, Family: Father: Alfred Cook Taylor, farmerMother: Meily Maude McVeagh Marriage, Children: husbands:Frank Charles Wisdom (married 1939, dissolved 1943)Gottfried Anton Nicholas Lessing (married 1945, dissolved 1949)children:first marriage: John, Jeansecond marriage: Peteradopted informally: Jenny Diski (novelist) Selected Doris Lessing Quotations   The Golden Notebook  for some reason surprised people but it was no more than you would hear women say in their kitchens every day in any country. That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something youve understood all your life, but in a new way. Some people obtain fame, others deserve it. Think wrongly, if you please, but in all cases think for yourself. Any human anywhere will blossom in a hundred unexpected talents and capacities simply by being given the opportunity to do so. There is only one real sin and that is to persuade oneself that the second-best is anything but second best. Whats really terrible is to pretend that the second-rate is the first-rate. To pretend that you dont need love when you do, or you like your work when you know quite well youre capable of better. You only learn to be a better writer by actually writing. I dont know much about creative writing programs. But theyre not telling the truth if they dont teach, one, that writing is hard work, and, two, that you have to give up a great deal of life, your personal life, to be a writer. The current publishing scene is extremely good for the big, popular books. They sell them brilliantly, market them and all that. It is not good for the little books. Trust no friend without faults, and love a woman, but no angel. Laughter is by definition healthy. This world is run by people who know how to do things. They know how things work. They are equipped. Up there, theres a layer of people who run everything. But we were just peasants. We dont understand whats going on, and we cant do anything. It is the mark of great people to treat trifles as trifles and important matters as important It is terrible to destroy a persons picture of himself in the interests of truth or some other abstraction. What is a hero without love for mankind? In  university  they dont tell you that the greater part of the law is learning to tolerate fools. With a library you are free, not confined by temporary political climates. It is the most democratic of institutions because no one - but no one at all - can tell you what to read and when and how. Nonsense, it was all nonsense: this whole damned outfit, with its committees, its conferences, its eternal talk, talk, talk, was a great con trick; it was a mechanism to earn a few hundred men and women incredible sums of money. All political movements are like this we are in the right, everyone else is in the wrong. The people on our own side who disagree with us are heretics, and they start becoming enemies. With it comes an absolute conviction of your own moral superiority. Theres  oversimplification  in  everything,  and a terror of flexibility. Political correctness is the natural continuum from the party line. What we are seeing once again is a self-appointed group of vigilantes imposing their views on others. It is a heritage of communism, but they dont seem to see this. It was OK, us being Reds during the  war,  because we were all on the same side. But then the Cold War started. Why were the Europeans bothered about the Soviet Union at all? It was nothing to do with us. China had nothing to do with us. Why were we not building, without reference to the Soviet Union, a good society in our own countries? But no, we were all in one way or another obsessed with the bloody Soviet Union, which was a disaster. What people were supporting was failure. And continually justifying it. All sanity depends on this: that it should be a delight to feel heat strike the skin, a delight to stand upright, knowing the bones are moving easily under the flesh. I have found it to be true that the older Ive become the better my life has become. The great secret that all old people share is that you really havent changed in seventy or eighty years. Your body changes, but you dont change at all. And that, of course, causes great confusion. And then, not expecting it, you become middle-aged and anonymous. No one notices you. You achieve a wonderful freedom. For the last third of life there remains only work. It alone is always stimulating, rejuvenating, exciting and satisfying. Bed is the best place for reading, thinking, or doing nothing. Borrowing is not much better than begging; just as lending with interest is not much better than stealing. I was brought up on the farm in the bush, which was the best thing that happened, it was just a wonderful childhood. None of you [men] ask for anything except everything, but just for so long as you need it. A woman without a man cannot meet a man, any man, without thinking, even if its for a half second, perhaps this is  the  man.

Human Morals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Human Morals - Essay Example The paper tells that people have moral values – this is a universal maxim. However, philosopher, thinkers and scholars differ in their opinion on the history and origin of human morals. While some like Karl Marx believe that morality is a product of capitalism, Stankov contends that man’s nature acquired a moral sense in pre-historic times. Debates and discussions continue with the proponents and opponents presenting their arguments. Different religious groups also have their own stand on the origins of human morals. For instance, Christianity believes that morality has been endowed by God in the form of Ten Commandments. Even though morals are natural and spontaneous, with time and as situations changed, certain modifications have been made based on the religious and cultural affiliations, to help people cope with the changed environment. However, human morals are basically innate and universal because if they were not innate they would not be spontaneous, and some mor als would not be universally accepted by every society, culture and religion. Morals are the values that are concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong. Morals are concerned with the judgment of the goodness or badness of human character and action. This implies that virtuous deeds are those that conform to standards of what is right or just in behavior. Moral behavior is defined as the action of a person who sympathetically takes into account the impact of his action on others. (Ayala, 2010). Moral beliefs are the beliefs that one has about how to live life when one takes a sympathetic view of how the person’s life and decisions impact others. However, moral beliefs and values, the moral standards or morality have changed with time. It also depends upon individual environment, individual experience, upon religions and upon the cultural environment that one grows up in. Morals are natural and morality is the expression o f man’s innermost character (Johnston, 1916). Morals are spontaneous, honest and straightforward; they are traditional and universal. Humans and morals Human conduct involves not just consciousness but self-consciousness. Human are the only moral beings endowed with the mind and reasons, endowed with consciousness and self-consciousness, with personality, free-will and conscience (Stankov, n.d.). This implies that all humans possess moral strength – they are thinkers, workers and creators, responsible for the harmony of the world. Stankov states that since the formation of the homo sapiens in prehistoric times, man’s nature acquired a moral sense. No other creature is responsible for all its deeds and humans are held responsible because they have been endowed with the moral sense. Marxism treats consciousness as a derivative of the material process. However, attributes such as hatred, selfishness and violence on the one hand and loving, caring and fellow-feeling on the other, constitute the moral sphere and these are independent of the material process (Patnaik, 1995). The material sphere is also important for the human existence but it has no connection with the spiritual reality. Marx believes that the moral history of humankind has no parameters but is a derivative of the material history. The human species possesses moral as well as physical structures both of which are essential to satisfy its needs. The psychic structure is the starting point of the moral evolution. Nietzsche believes that are no absolute morals and there are no moral systems that humans need to abide by. This implies that he does not believe in any moral system and the strong can overpower the weak by any system. He states in the Genealogy of Morals that there are no moral codes of conduct; there are no values or actions that are moral (Nietzsche, 2009). People interpret them as good or bad, moral or immoral. This view implies that human morals are not internal and that they do not drive or guide an individual from performing or not performing any act. It also

Iodine 131 properties and usages in Brachytherapy Essay

Iodine 131 properties and usages in Brachytherapy - Essay Example In the testing of the thyroid gland and its functioning, iodine absorption by the cells makes use of iodine 131. Iodine 131 has certain chemical properties. It is a non-metallic, purplish-black crystalline solid. In a process known as sublimation, it can change its state from a solid to a gas directly, without changing into the liquid state. At room temperature it sublimes into a deep violet vapour which irritates the eyes, nose and throat. Iodine 131 dissolves in water or alcohol fairly easily and melts at 236F. Since it does not remain in its pure state when released, it is generally found as a compound because of its capacity to bind with other elements. In medical treatment, Iodine 131 capsules contain I-131 sodium iodide granules specially produced to be easily swallowed by the patient. The liquid form of Iodine 131 is a clear liquid and is used to diagnose and treat thyroid problems. When a person is exposed externally to large quantities of iodine 131 it can cause burning of the eyes and skin. Internally, the thyroid gland is affected. This gland utilizes iodine to produce thyroid hormones but is unable to differentiate between radioactive iodine and the more stable iodine. Precautions must be taken when using Iodine 131 as there are harmful effect of gamma radiation, the maximum energy being 0.723 MeV (Bentel p.537). Iodine 131 is administered orally in doses of >100 mCi for thyroid malignancy. Lower doses of 1 to 3 mCi are given for diagnostic reasons. The exposure rate constant for iodine 131 = 2.2 (R/mCi-hr at 1 cm). Also known as Gamma Factor, exposure rate constant is the exposure rate at a certain distance from a quantity of photon-emitting radionuclide. This constant is commonly used for radiation protection reasons. The following equation calculates the exposure time t at a distance r from the patient. D(t) = (34.6 Q0 Tp (1 - e -0.693t/Tp )) / r2. Here D(t) is the accumulated exposure at time t (in roentgens). 34.6 is the conversion factor of 24hours / day times the total integration of decay (1.44). is the specific gamma ray constant for a point source, R/mCi-hr at 1cm. Q0 is the initial activity in millicuries of the point source at release time. Tp is the half-life in days. r is the distance from the point source to the subject in centimetres and 't' is the exposure time in days. In the environment, radioactive fallout can cause high concentrations of Iodine 131 which may be absorbed by the body and harm the thyroid gland. To counter the harmful absorption of radioactive iodine, the intake of higher doses of iodine supplements raises the overall quantity of iodine in the body which does not necessitate the absorption and retention in body tissues thereby lessening the assimilation of radioactive iodine. One historical use of iodine supplements was after the Chernobyl disaster where enormous quantities of radioactive material was released. Iodine supplements protected the population in the vicinity of the disaster from absorbing radioactive iodine. It has been found that with exposure to iodine 131, the risk of thyroid cancer increases but even among those exposed to iodine 131, not many develop thyroid cancer. The highest exposure people received was during the nuclear test explosions in the 1940's. Although iodine 131 settled on leafy vegetables and fruits, people received

Understanding of Life after Death Essay Example for Free

Understanding of Life after Death Essay With reference to the topics you have investigated, examine and comment on the claim that the teachings of the new testament do not add anything of value to our value of our understanding of Life after Death. (50 marks) The claim that the teachings of the New Testament do not add anything of value to our value of our understanding of life after death is a very big claim to make. With reference to the topics I have investigated, 1Cor 15, St. Paul, Soma, The Soul, Dualism, Monism and the Empty Tomb, I will examine and comment on that claim. This claim is controversial because it has many objections from other scholars and many Christians. In 1 Corinthians 15 there are six key sections. The first of which is Christ’s Resurrection. Here Paul is keen to tell the Corinthians that he isn’t the teacher on life after death and that he is simply passing on Jesus’ message, because as we know, Jesus was the teacher and his apostles, which later included Paul after Damascus, were his messengers. The second section is the denial of the resurrection. Paul says that some people argue that â€Å"there will be no resurrection of the dead† and some scholars argue that this is not a theological argument, but Paul argues that the soul is immortal and not the body. Paul illustrates the theological implications of the objections from Corinth are that if dead men don’t rise, then Christ did not rise and Christian faith is empty. Paul continues to say that if Christ was not raised, then our preaching is useless. Clearly Jesus’ resurrection must have happened as the tradition has survived. The third section is all about the consequences of Christ’s resurrection. Barrett writes that â€Å"the resurrection of Christ is a pledge and proof of the resurrection of his people†. St Paul makes a direct link between Adam and Christ, Adam’s actions had far reaching consequences such as original sin and Christ’s Resurrection has too such consequence such as universal salvation. Paul goes on about two different orders, Christ and his believers. Morris argues that the Greek word for destroyed does not imply fighting, just that all rule, other than Christ, we will be rendered null and void. Section four is all about the Arguments from Christian Experience. V29 brings about an abrupt change in focus, and St Paul moves from Christ to Christian. Section five goes on about a bodily resurrection. St Pauls uses the miracle of the harvest and says that are bodies are â€Å"sown up† in corruption, dishonour and weakness, but it will be raised in incorruption, glory and power. Paul’s teaching of a glorified body is a marked difference from Jewish thought, as they expected an identical body. Section six and the last section is about the victory over death. This is where Paul made clear that those who rise will be different and not flesh and blood. Paul stresses the continuity present and future state with fourfold use of the word â€Å"this†. He emphasises that ‘this’ perishable and ‘this’ mortal will be clothed with imperishablity and immortality. In my opinion, 1Cor 15 doesn’t help the claim that the teachings of the New Testament do not add anything to our understanding of Life after Death because it tells us about how we can overturn death and destroy it. John Drane argues that Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, together with Jesus’ Passion, Death and Resurrection, led him to believe that he was truly living in the presence of God. From a close study of the New Testament, it can be argued that St Paul changed his belief about resurrection as time progressed. St Paul spoke about Parousia to the Christians. The Parousia is the final victory over evil, when Jesus rises again. Initially, St Paul held a strong apocalyptic view which was that all Christians will live until the Parousia, yet this was challenged by the Thessalonian Christians, as many of them began to die. St Paul then said that those who have died will be raised to new life at the Parousia. He then added that those who were still living at the end of time of the Parousia would be transformed at the same instant. St Paul then declared that this transformation would not be sudden, but a gradual change, beginning with conversion and ending with death, which would lead directly into a new existence in a spiritual body without the need for the Parousia to arrive first. Drane argues that the change in St Paul’s thinking represents a change from unrefined Jewish view to a more sophisticated position that owed a lot to the influence of Greek philosophy. The Greek Tradition is that the Hellenistic thinking originated from Plato who said that the soul is immaterial and does not occupy space. It therefore does not disintegrate. It is immortal. Whereas the Jewish view is that they believed that, in some way, the soul begins to perish at death, and the psycho-physical unity that was the person is re-created elsewhere. The question has been asked as to whether Paul ever believed in spiritual resurrection? Whether Paul did believe in a spiritual resurrection, then that would prove to help our understanding on Life after Death. Most scholars disagree with the notion that St Paul believed in a purely spiritual resurrection, as this is a very primitive Christian belief that has since been replaced with belief in a physical resurrection. However Carrier and Friedman maintain that there are a number of arguments to support this view. First, that St Paul experienced a vision on the road to Damascus, during which he was converted. Therefore, it is reasonable to suggest that the appearances were understood by Paul to also be visions, and not literally physical occurrences, as portrayed in the Gospel of Luke and John. For Paul used the same Greek word to describe the ‘appearance’ in both instances. Secondly, that in 1Cor 15, Paul writes of ‘perishable’ and ‘imperishable’ bodies; he also makes a distinction between things of earth and things of heaven. Because he doesn’t disclaim the popular belief that things of heaven are ethereal, it can be argued that the people at Corinth already accepted it. Therefore, it is ‘prima facie’ that it is reasonable to suggest that St Paul was implying that the ‘imperishable body’ was ethereal, and not physical. Furthermore, St Paul literally makes this distinction calling the perishable body ‘psychikos’ which means a natural body and the imperishable body ‘pneumatikos’ which is a spiritual body, and says that they both co-exist in one body. He says that the body we know, the body of flesh, is own only this other, second body, the body of the spirit, rises to new life. Finally, St Paul says, that â€Å"flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God† because they are part of the perishable body, whereas it is an imperishable body that rises to new life. Yet these arguments have been outright rejected by the majority of scholars, who favour the idea that St Paul did actually believe in a bodily resurrection. So why does it seem so convincing that St Paul believed in a bodily resurrection? Scholarly debate has identified that firstly, Paul’s self-identified Jewish heritage precludes such a conclusion. Secondly, that the language Paul uses to describe the resurrection, most notably â€Å"soma†, emphasises the physical nature of the resurrected person. And thirdly and finally, Paul’s belief that Christians immediately went to be with Jesus upon their death, but still awaited a â€Å"resurrectio n† demonstrates that the resurrection being discussed was a physical one. I believe that there is no doubt that there is a strong Jewish background to Christianity. Carrier and Friedman ignore this background, arguing that because Christianity changed some Jewish beliefs, there is no part of Judaism that is informative to Christianity. The little regard that Carrier and Friedman exhibit for Paul’s Jewish background is in direct contravention of the importance Paul clearly places on it. Carrier again attempts to confuse the issue by arguing that, even if Paul was a Jew, only the Pharisees believed in a bodily resurrection. The Sadducees and Essenes did not. Moreover, Young argues that Pharisees stressed a literal resurrection of the physical body, which would be reunited with the spirit of an individual. By aligning himself with a Pharisaic background, Paul provides us with an important insight into the meaning he attaches the term ‘resurrection’; he believed in a physical resurrection of the body. â€Å"Soma† emphasises the physical. In his writing, St Paul uses the Greek word ‘soma’ to refer to the body. Importantly, he does not use it solely for referring to resurrection; strengthening the argument that when it is used to refer to resurrection, it will die; but it will also be resurrected. â€Å"Soma† is also mentioned in the NT but not referring to resurrection. In 1Cor 15:3, Paul says that his ‘soma’ is not present with the Corinthians, but his ‘spirit’ is; emphasising the physical nature of the ‘soma’. Barrett argues that Paul’s use of the word ‘spirit’ here colloquial rather than theological. In Rom 4:19, ‘soma’ is used to describe how the bodies of Abraham and Sarah were too old to be fertile; its physical nature, again, stressed. Accordingly, the very fact that Paul uses the term ‘soma’ to explain the resurrection demonstrates that he is referring to a physic al event that involves the body of the believer. Additionally, Paul uses the analogy of the seed, stressing the continuity of the earthly body with the resurrected ‘glorious’ body. In 1Cor 15:50-54 Sanders comments that immortality is ‘put on’ and replaces mortality. Paul was not thinking of an interior soul which escapes its mortal shell and floats free, nor the new life being breathed into the same body, but again of transformation, achieved by covering mortality with immortality, which it ‘ swallows’; emphasising the physical. Wright and Barrett argue similar points. My own personal opinion is that Paul believed more in a spiritual resurrection but he didn’t rule out a physical resurrection. In light of the statement I think that this is an influential part of our understanding of Life after death because it helps us understand which resurrection was more likely. The term ‘soul’ refers to ourselves, who earn rewards and consequences by coming to know, or failing to come to know, God by faith. We will come to earn blissful life in heaven, or eternal loss of heaven. Jesus’ parables clearly teach us that it is the same self judgement which faces judgement after death as the self who lived on earth in the body. There are three different theories about the soul. The first theory being the Theory of Origen. The soul existed in the heavenly realms before descending into this world, and that its present imprisonment in a material body is the result of a primeval fall from grace. This was never widely accepted, and rejected by the Church at the Council of Constantinople in 540 AD. The second argument is that of Traducianism. The theory that the soul-substance which God breathed into Adam has been passed down through generation after generation of his descendants by continual division. To some extent, this draws parallel with modern genetic science: everything comes from a gene pool. This was gradually abandoned by the Church. The third and final argument is that of Creationism. Each new soul is a new divine creation which God attaches to the growing foetus at some point between conception and birth. This was enshrined by the First Vatican Council, who declared that â€Å"God creates a new soul and infuses it to ach man†. However, Creationist thought is incompatible with the findings of modern science as it suggests that there are characteristics of the self that are derived neither from genetic inheritance nor from interaction with the environment; Dawkins would ridicule this theory, saying it was none-sense. Personally i believe that the soul is resurrected and moves on in life and that our bodies will rise up at the Parousia. Therefore it is an important aspect to our understanding of life after death. Monism is the theological view that all is one and this will help us understand Life after Death; human beings are made up of one substance and that what it is to be human can be defined in material terms because the soul cannot be separated from the body. Monism comes in a number of different forms: some argue that the soul and body are one, whilst others reject the concept of soul altogether and that the body is one substance on its own. People were beginning to speak of the soul as â€Å"the ghost within the machine [the body]†. Ryle argued that this was â€Å"a category mistake† as the language was being used incorrectly. By describing the soul in this way, the soul is being proposed as something ‘extra’ inside the body, which can physically identified within a person. Ryle argues that to talk of the soul is to talk about the way a person acts and integrates with others in society: it, therefore, is not separate and distinct. Dawkins perspective of Monism is that the view that we can only know what we are able to empirically verify. The soul does not exist separately from the body as it cannot be verified. This is known as Materialism. Linked to Dawkins is that he believed that humans are bytes of digital information; there is no soul as we are simply the sum of our genes. The soul cannot survive death, there is only the survival of DNA. Dawkins can be described as a ‘Harsh Materialist’ because he does not believe in life after death. He believes it is nonsense to talk of a life after death as one body is dead, it ceases to function. Dawkins claims that human consciousness has now fully evolved because we are now at a stage where we are able to predict the result of our actions, enabling us to choose how to behave. Therefore, humans continue to evolve because of the need to develop our memes (the way in which we mimic behaviour from other humans), not because of the genetic need to display our consciousness as a human race. I fell that this is important to our understanding of Life after Death because it allows us to see and understand the different attitudes to life after death. Soft Materialists still support monism but, unlike Harsh Materialists, they do believe in a life after death. The main supporter of soft materialism is John Hick, who proposes a replica theory. The strengths to this theory are, one, if you accept God’s omnipotent existence, then Replica Theory is perfectly plausible. Second, Replica Theory does not posit a soul, and so does not have to justify its existence. Thirdly, the Replica Theory answers the ‘conflicting claims’ argument because, according to Hick, everyone goes to heaven, regardless of their religion/beliefs. Fourth, the theory does not depend upon dualism and so is ‘acceptable’ to more people. Finally, in terms of logic, Replica Theory is possible. The criticisms of the Replica Theory are, one, Vardy challenges Hick by questioning whether the replicated being would be the same person. Is a ‘replica’ the ‘same’ as the original? Secondly, Vardy further argues that there is a break in continuity; for a person to stop existing in one place and be replicated in another there has to be a break in continuity of existence. So much so that the replicated person cannot be the same person. Thirdly, Williams simply argues that an endless life of replications would be increasingly boring and result in a meaningless life (an argument against Christian beliefs). Finally, logical possibility does not equate to factual possibility. Dualism however, is the idea that the mind and body are two separate substances. It is possible to survive death, as the soul disembodies. Human beings consist of both physical minds and that the mind is the essence of a person. This belief supports the immortality of the soul. Plato was a dualist who believed that the soul and body are two separate substances that interact with each other. Plato argued that the real identity of the person lies with the soul. He argued that the body and the mind are often in opposition; he saw the body as a nuisance and a bind. It is not the real person. Plato wrote â€Å"We may say ‘I have a body’ but not ‘I am a body’†. Plato believed that the real person is separate and distinct from the body it inhabits. The soul existed prior to being in the present body and, on death, will leave the body. The soul is on a higher level of reality than the body, being immortal with understanding of the realm of ideas. The body is concerned with the senses, the soul with reason. The soul is not always perfect because the body corrupts it and drags it down. Humans have the task of taking care of the soul, but this is easily corrupted. This helps our understanding of life after death because it gives us two sides of the argument for a spiritual or bodily resurrection and why they are both accepted. There is a wealth of scholarly debate on the historicity and significance of the empty tomb. The empty tomb will tell us if Jesus’ resurrection was bodily or spiritual, because he rose in body but then the robes were left perfect, as if to say that he floated up out of them, making it a spiritual resurrection. Arguments against the empty tomb detail are the fact that, St Paul gives the ‘official Christian list’ of resurrection appearances, without making a single reference to the empty tomb. Also, sceptics claim that the body of Jesus was simply stolen (i.e. not resurrected) or hidden by the disciples, making any post-resurrection appearances documented in NT nothing more than spiritual visions. The Swoon Hypothesis proposes that Jesus never actually died on the cross, but entered into a coma, from which he awoke whilst in the tomb, and so therefore never resurrected. Some go as far as saying that Joseph of Arimathea offering a tomb for the body of Jesus is an invention of early Christians who were desperate to make a bodily resurrection seem possible. Dawkins would concur this. If these arguments were to be accepted, then it would suggest that there was no spiritual resurrection, it was purely bodily, if there even was a resurrection. Arguments for the historicity of the empty tomb, i can be said, of the ‘stolen body theory’ Hick says that it would have been impossible for the disciples to do at Pentecost, less than 2 months after Jesus’ crucifixion; to have publicly proclaimed the resurrection in Jerusalem (within a mile or so of the tomb), if his body was still there and able to be produced. Brown argues that there was an understandable hostility in the early church toward the Jewish leaders. In Christian eyes, they had engineered a judicial murder of Jesus. Therefore, because Joseph of Arimathea was a part of the Sanhedrin that condemned Jesus, it is highly unlikely that he was a Christian invention (there is no reason why Christians would make up a story about a Jewish Sanhedrinist who does what is right by Jesus!). The empty tomb is reported by many independent early sources (incl. Mt, Mk, Lk, Jn, and Paul). Jewish historian Josephus reports that Jewish women were not even allowed to serve as witnesses in court; making it even more remarkable that it was women who discovered the empty tomb (surely this detail would have been omitted or changed if it were not true?!). My own personal opinion is that there was a resurrection, but going on the arguments given to us, I think that it was a bodily resurrection and that I would fall under the bracket of a monist. I believe that the New Testament teachings help us in our understanding of Life after Death because it teaches us about the body and soul, but I believe that it was a bodily resurrection because i believe the that the body and soul must have been working together as one to raise Jesus from the dead, because if it was one or the other then Jesus would have come back as a different person. Others would disagree with me because they feel that the bible is made up and that the historicity aspect is just coincidence and that it was a recent write-up of events of landmarks still existing today. This view fails because Johanine eschatology proves otherwise. The pool with five porticos still exists today, and that wouldn’t have been included in John’s gospel if it didn’t exist in John’s time. The eschatological aspect of it is that Jesus’ second coming will be at the Parousia when, we rise, bodily and spiritually to overcome death and evil.

The Purpose and Power of Language Essay -- Research Essays Term Papers

The Purpose and Power of Language If you are fluent in a language, you probably don't give much thought to your ability to interact with others, to understand and be understood in your world. But what would happen if you lost your voice? Or if suddenly the language skills you have, that is your ability to read, write, and speak, were no longer sufficient to allow you to understand television and newspapers or to tell a waitress what you wanted to eat or a doctor what was wrong with you? What if your language actually caused others to discriminate against you? I suspect your perception of the importance of language would undergo a pronounced change. Recently, I had an experience with language deprivation when I had laryngitis. The three days I was without my voice were frustrating, interminable, and evidence of the power and purpose of language. Early in her essay, "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan discusses this power of language. She writes, "it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth" (26). Though at times, I could whisper, people had difficulty hearing and understanding me, and I couldn't write my thoughts down quickly enough to meaningfully converse with others. In short, my lack of voice impaired my ability to express myself and to communicate and indeed participate in my world. Moreover, language, the combination of specific words in a particular order, not only empowers individuals to participate as members of a designated community, it is also a fundamental key in enabling individuals to establish and define the dimensions of their identity. Language is the impetus that empowers individuals to forge ties that bind into a community, thus giving them personal, social, or cultural identificat... ... Language is many things: the arrangement of words in a particular order, uttered in a certain way, denoting certain meaning, a political instrument which evokes images and emotion. Certainly, all of this is a description of the purpose and function of language. But at its most fundamental, language is quite simply the expression of self and the ability to share that expression with others. Baldwin and Tan both highlight the importance of language: to be without language is to be voiceless, and to be voiceless is to silence the song of the self. Works Cited Baldwin, James. "If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What is?" Across Cultures. Eds. Sheena Gillespie and Robert Singleton. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999. 128-131. Tan, Amy. "Mother Tongue." Across Cultures. Eds. Sheena Gillespie and Robert Singleton. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999. 26-31.

Management Decision and Control Systems

CSC 546: MANAGEMENT DECISION & CONTROL SYSTEMS SPRING 2007 METTLER TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC. PAPER 1: COMPANY PROSPECTUS Due March 2, 2007 Submitted by: SUDEEPTHI MOGALLA DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERISTY Email: [email  protected] edu INTRODUCTION Mettler-Toledo International Inc. , headquartered in Greifensee, Switzerland is the world’s largest manufacturer of weighing solutions for laboratory, industrial and retail applications. With manufacturing facilities in USA, Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom, and China, and sales & service operations in over 35 countries, it is also a leading global provider of precision instruments and services. It is a market leader in balances and pipettes, and a top provider of automated chemistry systems. It also holds leading market positions in several analytical instruments and process analytics applications. Its industrial product line includes weighing sensors for production and quality, and inspection systems for packaged goods. It also provides weighing solutions for transportation, and food retail industries. It supports its products through a comprehensive global service network assisting customers from calibration to compliance with regulations. It also provides retail software for fresh food management. Mettler-Toledo’s North American headquarters is located in Columbus, Ohio. In 2006, the company generated net sales of $1,595 million, a 7% annual growth with an operating income of $234 million, a 13% increase from 2005. The company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker MTD. Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 2 of 23 COMPANY HISTORY The company Mettler Instrumente AG was started in 1945 by Dr. Erhard Mettler, a Swiss engineer, in Kusnacht, Switzerland. He developed weighing balances that used single pans for laboratory applications. By 1973, the company entered the electronic precision industry by producing the award winning electronic precision balance, the PT1200. With innovations applying microprocessor technology, new products like automated titrators, and thermal analyzers were added to the laboratory product lines. In 1980, the company was bought by Ciba-Geigy AG, which entered the retail scale market and produced weighing solutions to manufacturing companies. The company increased its sales and service network to various global locations. Toledo Scale Corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio was the largest scale manufacturer in US for industrial and retail markets. In 1989, it was acquired by Mettler to form Mettler-Toledo International Inc. In 1997, the company went public and started trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Over the years, the company undertook some major acquisitions thus adding some major brands to the Mettler-Toledo group of companies. Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 3 of 23 GROWTH BY ACQUISITIONS Mettler-Toledo started its Product Inspection Division by acquiring HI-SPEED Checkweigher Systems, a custom designer and manufacturer of checkweigher and product handling equipment in Ithaca, NY in 1981. In 1987, GARVENS based in Europe was purchased for its capabilities to produce checkweighing solutions for moving products. The Product Inspection Division was completed by the acquisition of SAFELINE, a leading metal detection manufacturer with facilities in UK and Tampa, Florida in 1997. The Process Analytics Division is started by the acquisition of INGOLD in 1986. INGOLD provides pH and conductivity solutions for process measurements in chemical processes and sterile applications. THORNTON, a provider of industrial water monitoring based in Bedford, Massachusetts was added to the group in 2000. Some of the markets leaders that operate under their own brands are BERGER Instruments that uses high performance technology to analyze and purify chemical compounds for drug discovery, CARGOSCAN that provides cargo space optimization solutions, LASENTEC that provides solutions for in-process particle size and population analysis and is part f the Automated Chemistry Division, and the California based manufacturer of pipetting solutions, RAININ Instruments. RAININ Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 4 of 23 holds a broad range of patents in the pipetting technologies and serves pharmaceutical, biotech, and research applications. Most recently, Mettler-Toledo acquired SOFTECHNICS INC. a provider of software solutions for food retailing applications in 2002. MANAGEMENT TEAM The management team at Mettler-Toledo is led by the President & CEO, Robert F. Spoerry who is also the Chairman of Board of Directors. Mr. Spoerry has served in the positions of Head of Industrial & Retail divisions for Mettler-Toledo in the past. He is supported by the CFO, William P. Donnelly who was the Head of Product Inspection, the CIO, Jean-Lucien Gloor, and the Head of Human Resources, Peter Burker. Table 1 lists the management team. Table 1: Mettler-Toledo Management Team Name Robert F. Spoerry Current Position President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of Board of Directors William P. Donnelly Jean-Lucien Gloor Peter Burker Olivier A. Filliol Chief Financial Officer Chief Information Officer Head of Human Resources Head of Global Sales, Service & Marketing, and Head of Process Analytics Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 5 of 23 Ken Peters Karl M. Lang Beat E. Luthi Urs Widmer Joakim Weidemanis Hans-Peter von Arb General Manager – North America Marketing General Manager – Asia/Pacific Marketing Head of Laboratory Division Head of Industrial Division Head of Product Inspection Division Head of Retail Division CORE COMPETENCIES Mettler-Toledo was able to maintain its market leadership in numerous product lines primarily due to its ability to constantly develop new products and embrace new technologies. It has gained a reputation as a global innovator by successfully launching new products in various product lines each year. Research & Development has been its core competency from the beginning, and the company has increased its investment in R&D each year over the last few years. In 2005, its R&D spending was over $80 million, which is 5. 5% of its net sales. Mettler-Toledo holds more than 1700 patents and trademarks in USA, Switzerland, Germany, UK, France, Japan, and China. They developed strong knowledge base in automation, robotics, laser & optical applications, and industrial software development. Over the years, R&D at Mettler-Toledo has contributed through application of advanced technologies, feature-based enhancements on its products, increasing their products Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 6 of 23 reliability & accuracy, and developing new software capabilities for its products. With an R&D force of about 800 employees, the company was able to focus on multiple development efforts simultaneously. As more and more products from the company started including advancements in user-interface through touch screen and LCD technologies, a significant R&D effort went into developing its products’ user-interfaces, the supporting software, and information systems for data management. The significance of software development as a key R&D effort can be understood from the fact that almost half of Mettler-Toledo’s R&D personnel are software engineers. Beyond R&D efforts, Mettler-Toledo has also made deep inroads in managing its cost structure. The company has developed a strong base of cost reduction functions through its Global Supply Chain Group, which includes the Global Procurement, Global Electronics, and Global Logistics teams. These teams work closely with all the manufacturing facilities and marketing teams on regional and global initiatives to reduce manufacturing costs, internal process costs, total cost of procurement, and logistics costs. They also work with the Information Technology groups to implement new automation tools that enhance internal process efficiencies, and provide effective data analysis solutions. Key initiatives like supplier category management, corporate procurement card, and field Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 7 of 23 employee automation have enabled Mettler-Toledo to reduce their operating costs significantly. Members from Marketing, Purchasing, and Logistics work closely with R&D and Engineering in product development & re-engineering to ensure that efforts are being made to reduce manufacturing costs. Another aspect of Mettler-Toledo that makes it unique and reduces its risk is its ability to operate profitably in diverse markets. They have developed innovative products in most of the markets they serve and have maintained a strong cross-segment knowledge-sharing that enabled them to use a technology in different segments. Key business functions like Finance, Supply Chain, Service, Human Resources, and Legal are centralized. They assist the decentralized business units to coordinate their R&D, marketing, and customer support functions in product development and customer service. PRODUCTS & SERVICES The products and services of Mettler-Toledo can be broadly categorized into Laboratory Instruments, Industrial Instruments and Retail Solutions. Process Analytics and Product Inspection are sub-categories within Lab and Industrial groups. The make up of its 2005 net sales between these business segments is shown in Figure 1. Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 8 of 23 Figure 1: 2005 Sales ($ in millions) Retail Solutions, $193, 13% Laboratory Instruments, $667, 45% Industrial Instruments, $622, 42% Laboratory Instruments Laboratory balances are the primary product group in this business segment and are used in research & development, drug discovery, and process quality control. They are capable of weighing from one ten-millionth of a gram to 32 kilograms. Other products offered in this segment include pipettes, analytical instruments, and automated chemistry solutions. Titrators, thermal analysis systems, and pH meters form the analytical instrument group. The data capture, analysis and management are facilitated by their Lab Software known as LabX. Within this segment, Process Analytics forms a major subgroup of products that are used in pharmaceutical, biotech, beverage, microelectronics and chemical applications. They offer Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 9 of 23 sensor technology for pH, dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, conductivity and turbidity. They also include calibration and cleaning systems. Industrial Instruments This segment primarily includes industrial scales and balances for varying weighing needs and ranges. They are used in measuring, counting, ingredient mixing, and mail sorting applications. Products in this segment also offer in-process and in-motion measurement, dimensioning and identification technologies. Weighing scales for trucks and railcars form the heavy equipment products. All these products are supported by proprietary software like FreeWeigh. Net for statistical quality control, and Formweigh. net for formulation & batching. Product Inspection is a key product group in this segment that the company has invested increasingly in the past few years. The products are used in food processing & packaging, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing industries. They are made up of metal detection systems, X-ray visioning equipment, and checkweigher systems. Retail Solutions Retail segment is the smallest of Mettler-Toledo businesses in terms of sales. These are scales used in supermarkets, and Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 10 of 23 food retail businesses for weighing and labelling applications. With Mettler-Toledo entering the various emerging markets like India, this business segment is expected to grow significantly. Mettler-Toledo also provides software solutions for its retail products through its Softechnics division. The software provides capabilities for retail inventory management for fresh foods, and integrated data management. The various products offered by Mettler-Toledo are listed in Table 2. Table 2: Products & Service Offerings Product Categories Laboratory Weighing Products & Solutions Micro and ultra-micro balances, analytical balances, precision & high-capacity precision balances, mass comparators, weighing modules, halogen moisture analyzer, pipette calibration workstation, and support software. Analytical Instruments Thermal values, thermal analysis, titrators, pH-/cond-/ISE-meters, density meters, refractometers, and electrodes for laboratory and field. Pipettes & Tips Single channel pipettes (manual & electronic), multi channel pipettes, tips for Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 11 of 23 LTS & traditional pipettes – bio clean, positive displacement pipettes & tips, and repetitive pipettes. Automated Chemistry Solutions Lab automation, chemical synthesis, chromatography, particle system characterization, reaction calorimeters, automated lab reactors, and informatics & workflow management. Process Analytics Transmitters & Meters, pH & Redox sensors, dissolved oxygen sensors, total organic carbon instruments, conductivity/resistivity sensors, dissolved ozone sensors, dissolved carbon dioxide sensors, flow sensors, and cleaning & calibration systems. Industrial Weighing Automotive refinish scales, material transfer controllers, bench, compact and counting scales, overhead/monorail scales, postal solutions, weigh modules & load cells, software, statistical process control, , and weighing terminals. Product Inspection Transportation & Logistics Checkweighing, metal detection, and X-ray. Air cargo scales, dimensioners, forklift scales, post/mail solutions, rail scales, and Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 12 of 23 weighbridges & truck scales. Food Retail Scales (basic, retail counter, self service, retail hanging, checking & receiving), wrapping machines, auto labelling & security tags, and retail software. CUSTOMERS The customer base of Mettler-Toledo is spread across numerous industries like chemical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food & beverage, raw materials, pulp & paper, jewellery, transportation & logistics, OEM, machinery & automotive, and retail. Most customers are serviced through their three business segment groups, Lab, Industrial and Retail. Certain key accounts with which the company has developed strategic relationships over the years are serviced and supported by their Strategic Accounts group. The customer base of Mettler-Toledo is also highly diversified with sales from each of their top customers accounting for less than 3% of total net sales. MANUFACTURING Mettler-Toledo’s manufacturing facilities known as Producing Organizations (POs) are located primarily in USA, UK, Switzerland, Germany, and China. Each PO dedicates its product Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 13 of 23 development and manufacturing efforts to a certain group of product lines and serves the global needs of those products. This enables Mettler-Toledo to reduce R&D costs, maintain a customer focus, and to develop product leadership by a PO in its line of business. The POs work with each other in their product development, manufacturing, and procurement efforts, and with the marketing groups in understanding customer needs. Safeline, Garvens, and Hi-Speed, which serve the Product Inspection markets, work very closely in coordinating their efforts. Depending on the manufacturing capability and capacity constraints, certain POs act as internal suppliers to other POs who may use their manufacturing resources. MARKETING, SALES & SERVICE Unlike the Producing Organizations, the Marketing Organizations (MOs) at Mettler-Toledo are segmented based on their geographic focus. The MOs are located all over the world, with the largest groups in USA and Europe. This enables them to understand the specific local needs of the customers, and develop close relationships with their entire customer base. The sales and service efforts parallel that of the marketing thus maintaining a close loop for the customer relationship. MettlerToledo maintains a large employee base of 5000 employees that is Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 14 of 23 spread over 35 countries in the form of marketing, service technicians and customer service professionals. Mettler-Toledo also offers numerous services in the form of repair & service maintenance, and value-added services for regulatory compliance. These are offered across the globe based on local regulations. Their global service network has expanded over the years as they explore numerous emerging markets. In 2005, revenues from service agreements, repair, and spare parts constituted 23% of the company’s net sales. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & MIS The company’s IT operations are lead by their corporate team in Switzerland, which maintains the globally used operating systems, providing regular updates and support. Their global contracts with key hardware and software vendors ensure product standardization and concurrent upgrades. They have however decentralized most of the locally operated systems, like their MRP and ERP solutions at the manufacturing facilities and marketing organizations. Being a highly decentralized organization, except for some global software systems, most IT infrastructure is maintained regionally. The regional IT groups also handle the telecommunications, mobile phone, and data networks for their region. The company has continuously made significant investments to standardize the IT operations where Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 15 of 23 necessary, and provided the flexibility to local units when higher efficiencies could be gained through local optimization. The company uses ERP packages from well known providers like Baan and Oracle, and also from smaller companies like Fourth Shift, and MAPICS. The company uses numerous enterprise software for various sales and service operations, as well as hosted solutions for e-procurement and e-commerce applications. EMPLOYEES & CULTURE Mettler-Toledo follows a highly decentralized organization structure providing high levels of autonomy to the business units, encouraging entrepreneurial responsibility and accountability for growth and success. The product development and manufacturing activities are performed by the producing organizations, where the marketing, sales and support functions are the responsibility of the marketing organizations. All POs and MOs are supported by corporate global functions. Mettler-Toledo employs more than 9000 fulltime employees across the globe with more than 4000 in Europe, over 3000 in the Americas, and about 1000 in Asia. About 50% of the workforce is part of their global sales and support network. R&D with over 800 employees is also a key function in the company. The company provides various employee benefits including a pension & post-retirement savings plan that cost them $1. 5 Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 16 of 23 million in 2005. Their health care benefits cost over $10 million each year. Employee Purchase Programs through corporate agreements are provided for products like personal computers, office supplies, consumer technology, mobile services, and home mortgage. Mettler-Toledo is an equal opportunity company and hires employees from diverse cultural backgrounds and geographic locations. Due to their line of business, they mostly hire engineering graduates from well known institutions in Switzerland, USA, and China. Most of their senior management has a strong analytical background with engineering, mathematics, or finance focus and many middle management and senior management employees hold advanced degrees in engineering or business. In USA, they recruit new graduates into their Initial Career Experience program (ICE) which is a rotational program for undergraduate degree holders. They also provide internship opportunities in IT, marketing, and supply chain management, and offer fulltime opportunities upon their graduation. Mettler-Toledo maintains a core set of cultural values it expects its employees to follow in their day to day operations. It includes maintaining a strong focus on quality in both its products & services, and its internal processes. It stresses the importance of being aggressive in exploring new markets, and embracing new technologies. There is also a strong need to be Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 17 of 23 cost-conscious so that it can maintain its competitiveness against larger players and unsuitable market forces. It expects employees to show initiative and leadership qualities. Employees should also be innovative and be ready to face the hurdles in executing their ideas. With a global market in place, the company should be agile allowing it to quickly react to changes. A semi-formal work environment is maintained to develop closer employee relationships. The company restricts itself in the use of titles to its management and in fact doesn’t use â€Å"Vice President† as a title. Except for division heads, who are either known as a Head of division or General Manager, all the others are known as Managers, Engineers, or Analysts. A business casual dress code is maintained at all of its locations. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE The markets Mettler-Toledo operates in are highly competitive, and fragmented by location and application. In most markets, they face stiff competition from companies that are focussed and specialized in their offerings. In many cases, the focussed competitors are smaller divisions of very large multinational companies with extensive resources. These factors further signify the necessity for Mettler-Toledo to develop efficient R&D and manufacturing processes to maintain its cost structure. Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 18 of 23 The major competitors of Mettler-Toledo are Beckman Coulter Inc. with $2. 5 billion in annual revenues, Siemens AG with $117 billion in annual revenues, and finally Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. with $3. 8 billion in annual revenues. Among these Siemens AG operate in many other markets and businesses that MettlerToledo does not involve in. Due to its cost structure advantage, Mettler-Toledo was able to maintain operating margins of over 13%, when their competitors have recorded them at below 10%. RISK FACTORS Mettler-Toledo notes that since it operates in numerous countries, its operating income can be affected by currency fluctuations. Its international operations also face risks in the form of trade barriers, employee retention in growing markets, lack of protection for its intellectual property, nationalization, and economic and political stability in some countries. Some of the markets are highly competitive and hence may be difficult to continuously maintain market leadership in multiple product lines. As Mettler-Toledo grows via acquisitions, it has the risk of assimilation challenges, lack of focus on key initiatives, and loss of key employees. As Mettler-Toledo operate in many markets subject to regulations, they have the risk of not meeting some of the regulations in time. Exposure to additional income taxes and unanticipated tax Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 19 of 23 laws are also some of the perceived risks faced by MettlerToledo. FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE Mettler-Toledo International Inc. has been delivering strong financial results over the years. It generated net sales of $1,596 million in 2006, a 7. 6% increase from its 2005 sales revenue of $1,482 million. Figure 2 shows 2006 sales by geographic region. Figure 2: 2006 Sales ($ in millions) by region Asia & Rest of the World, $287, 18% Europe, $670, 42% North & South Americas, $638, 40% The chart in Figure 3 shows Mettler-Toledo’s financial performance since 2001. It shows that net sales have increased at an average of 7% year over year. The operating cash flow increased to $192 million in 2006, an 8. 5% increase from $177 Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 20 of 23 million in 2005. The adjusted operating income (gross profit less R&D and SG&A expenses) increased by 13% to $234 million in 2006 from $207 million in 2005. Figure 3: Financial Data (2001-2006) Net Sales $1,800 Operating Cash Flow Adjusted Operating Income $1,595 $1,600 $1,482 $1,404 $1,304 $1,214 $1,148 $1,400 $ in millions $1,200 $1,000 $800 $600 $165 $179 $167 $102 $115 $165 $200 $0 2001 2002 2003 Years $117 2004 $166 2005 $177 2006 The company reported Earnings per Share (EPS) of $3. 86 for 2006, which is a 29% growth from $2. 52 in 2005. Through these results the company has demonstrated a strong balance sheet and a substantial cash flow generation. POSITIONING FOR 2007 AND BEYOND The company exceeded expectations in 2006 with strong financial results, and is expected to perform well in 2007 and beyond. With rising cost pressures due to price increases for oil, steel, paper & pulp, and other raw materials, the company Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 21 of 23 $192 $400 $207 $234 needs to continue to improve its cost structure through efficient and effective processes. Some of the key customercentric marketing initiatives undertaken by the company like â€Å"Spinnaker† have been successful in generating new customer leads and improving existing customer relationships. Its new product launches have been successful in 2006, and the company continues to develop new products in many of its business segments. In 2006, the company was very successful in increasing its market share in emerging markets like Russia and India. With the acquisition of distribution channels in these countries, its market share is expected to grow at significant rates in 2007 and beyond. The analysts estimate that revenues for Mettler-Toledo would grow to $1. 69 billion in 2007 and to $1. 78 billion for 2008. It represents an annual increase of 6. 3% for 2007 and 5. 3% for 2008. In the short term, the company aims to consolidate all its existing market positions in the various product lines it now holds the top positions, especially industrial and laboratory instruments. It aims to increase its market share in retail weighing market by focusing on emerging markets, which offer the greatest potential for untapped markets. In the long-term, the company will look to be the industry leader in all product segments ranging from laboratory Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 22 of 23 instruments, industrial instruments, process analytics, product inspection, and chemistry solutions. It also plans to consolidate its retail market share through partnerships with global retailers. The strong values developed by its employees, its continued investment in developing innovative products, diversified customer base, and global service network should ensure that Mettler-Toledo is in a strong position to fulfil both its short-term and long-term objectives. REFERENCES 1. Mettler-Toledo website (http://us. mt. com) 2. Yahoo Finance (http://finance. yahoo. com) 3. Hoovers (www. hoovers. com) 4. The Wall Street Journal Online (http://online. wsj. com) Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Page 23 of 23

“Philip Condit and the Boeing 777

The case study „Philip Condit and the Boeing 777: From Design and Development to Production and Salesâ€Å" deals with the launch and development key points of the Boeing 777 model in the 90s. Generally, the aircraft industry is described as a very risky one as failure is the norm due to high product development costs. Furthermore it consists of a rival duopoly of the survival jet makers Boeing and Airbus. The Boeing company’s history of producing jets can be split into two eras. In the 1920s, 1930s and during Worlds War II., it was a military contractor producing bombers and fight aircraft. Later on, in the 1950, Boeing became the world‘ s largest manufacturer of commercial aircraft. Their first jet was the 707 model. Although Boeing was very successful, Airbus remained a serious rival. In 1988, Boeing planned to upgrade the 767 model in order to meet the level of Airbus‘ competition which launched two new models. As Boeing had no 300-seat jetlines, nor plans to develop such a jet, the Executive Vice President Philip Condit proposed to design a 767 double-decker jet. To explore the risks, he tried to find out if the customers were interested in such a launch. But United Airlines rejected the idea of a 767 double-decker, as it had no chance against Airbus‘ new model transports. Instead, Condit was won over to develop a completely new commercial Boeing jet which would be called the 777 project. One of the main characteristics of the Boeing 777 jet was that it was a consumer driven product. In order to decrease the risk of developing the new jet, Boeing approved the project only until it obtained 68 firm orders of the 777 jet by the carrier United Airlines. Only then Boeing commited to the 777 program and the directors approved the close cooperation of the two companies. For the design and development phase Boeing introduced the „Working Togetherâ€Å" with eight more carriers. Furthermore Boeing 777 was a globally manufactured product, for which 12 international companies were contracted. Boeing split the risk of the new product on a family of planes consisting of different planes build around a basic 777 model. By that, the design included a maximum flexibility for future changes of the model according to customer preferences. Besides these facts, the 777 project delivered the first jetliner designed entirely by computers. Instead of old-fashioned two-dimensional methods, the sophisticated computer program „Catiaâ€Å" (computer aided three-dimensional interactive application) had been used. Furthermore, all team members were connected according to Catia, which made them be cross-functional. During the 777 project, Boeing implemented a new company culture, where assembly line workers were empowered and encouraged to offer suggestions and participate in the desicion making. Managers also payed attention to problems faced by their workers, such as safety concerns, childcare, etc. The Leadership and Management style changed from a secretive one to open communication among employees; from an individualistic mentality to teamwork. In the 1990 the new 777 aircraft program had been launched and in 1995 the first jet had been delivered, while in 2001 the 777s were flying in the service of major U.S. and international airlines. Although Boeing produced the most successful commercial jetliner, it was a risky project and its process contained unresolved problems. Problem statement The main concern of Boeing was its insufficiency to reach the competitive level of its only rival, Airbus. While Boeing had no plans to even develop a 300-seat jetline, Airbus had launched in 1988 two new successful models. Condit’s proposition of a modernization of the already existing 767 model by upgrading it to a double-decker jet, had been refused by United Airlines. United’s contra argument was that a Boeing 767 double-decker was no match to Airbus’s new model transports. Boeing’s challenge was to create a completely new commercial jet model which should not only be the preferred airplane in the aircraft industry, but at the same time be launched at a competitive price. The most costly and risky part of the development of an aircraft was the production of the jet engine. Its production could cost as much as producing the airplane itself. By deciding to develop a completely new 777 model instead of updating the older 767 model, a new engine had to be developed. Although Boeing had been strong in the 90s, the project still was risky. A failure of the costful new jetliner might have led to a decline of the Boeing company. The question was how to develop technological and managerial innovations to cut costs. Those innovations in aircraft design, manufacturing and assembly were supposed to update Boeing’s engineering production system and manufacturing strategies. The case focuses on efforts done to survive in the aircraft market by modernization, success and cost effectiveness. All efforts finally run to the question, if Boeing will achieve a better competitive position to Airbus. Data analysis The main problem of the company arouse because its latest, eight-year-old, wide-body twin jet 767 Boeing model, even if upgraded and turned into a double-decker, still couldn’t be a match to Airbus’s new 300-seat wide-body models (the two engine A330 and the four engine A340). If Boeing wanted to have future on the market, it quickly had to resolve this issue by planning a way of enhancing its competitive position relative to Airbus. Boeing was also being urged by the United Airlines and also by other airline carriers to develop a brand new commercial jet, which was even expected to be the most advanced airplane of its generation. The decision to be made in terms of this issue lies in the responsibility of Frank Shrontz, Boeing’s CEO, in 1988. The stakeholders to be further affected by it were the future customers of the 777 Boeing model – airline carriers from all around the world, like United Airlines. Also relevant to the outcome of Shrontz’s decision were the manager Philip Condit, put in charge for the 777 project, as well as all the others 10 000 employees and lower level managers, that were recruited to work on it. The situation was going to affect as well Boeing’s suppliers for structural components, systems and equipment, which were twelve international companies located in ten countries. As first constrain for resolving the issue we can note that Boeing’s production system and manufacturing strategies were outmoded and needed to be updated. In order to create an aircraft, which could compete with Airbus’s latest ones, Boeing first needed to revitalize their mass production manufacturing system. Airbus also was ahead of Boeing because of their use of the most advanced technologies, and therefore Boeing had to introduce leading edge technologies into its jetliners. If we look at Exhibit II in the business case, we will see the market share of shipments of commercial aircraft of Boeing, McDonnell Douglas (MD) (until 1997, before the merger with Boeing) and Airbus, for the period 1992 – 2000. The percentage numbers on the table show the competitive relationship between Boeing and Airbus, especially when they remain the only players in the industry in 1997. Airbus is steadily raising the percentage of its market share of shipment throughout the years, for Boeing’s misfortune respectively. From here we can extend more our understanding of the threat that Boeing had in the face of Airbus and also of the need for the CEO of Boeing to come up with a solution for how to strengthen its competitive position.

Taxpayer Cost for Political Conventions

Taxpayer Cost for Political Conventions American taxpayers help pay for the political conventions held every four years by both the Republican and Democratic national committees. The conventions cost tens of millions of dollars and are put on even though there have been no brokered conventions and every presidential nominee in modern history has been chosen well beforehand. Taxpayers directly contributed $18,248,300 million to the Republican and Democratic national committees, or a total of $36.5 million, to hold their presidential nominating conventions for the 2012 election. They gave similar amounts to the parties in 2008. In addition, Congress set aside $50 million for security at each of the party conventions in 2012, for a total of $100 million. The total cost to taxpayers of the two national party conventions in 2012 exceeded $136 million. Corporations and unions also help cover the cost of the conventions. The cost of holding the political conventions, though, has come under intense scrutiny because of the nations growing national debt and annual deficits. Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma has referred to the political conventions as mere summertime parties and called on Congress to end taxpayer subsidies for them. The $15.6 trillion debt cannot be eliminated overnight, Coburn said in June 2012. But eliminating taxpayer subsidies for political conventions will show strong leadership to getting our budget crisis in control. Where the Money Comes From The taxpayer subsidies for political conventions come through the Presidential Election Campaign Fund. The account is funded by taxpayers who choose to contribute $3 to it by checking a box on the federal income tax returns. About 33 million taxpayers contribute to the fund every year, according to the Federal Election Commission. The amount each party receives from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund to cover convention costs is a fixed amount index to inflation, according to the FEC. The federal subsidies cover a smaller portion of the political convention costs. In 1980, the public subsidies paid for nearly 95 percent of the convention costs, according to the Congressional Sunset Caucus, whose goal is to uncover and eliminate government waste. By 2008, however, the Presidential Election Campaign Fund covered only 23 percent of the political convention costs. Taxpayer Contributions to Political Conventions Here is a list of how much each major party was given in taxpayer subsidies to hold their political conventions since 1976, according to FEC records: 2012 – $18,248,3002008 – $16,820,7602004 – $14,924,0002000 – $13,512,0001996 – $12,364,0001992 – $11,048,0001988 – $9,220,0001984 – $8,080,0001980 – $4,416,0001976 – $2,182,000 How the Money is Spent The money is used to pay for entertainment, catering, transportation, hotel costs, â€Å"production of candidate biographical films,† and a variety of other expenses. There are few rules on how money from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund is spent. Federal law places relatively few restrictions on how PECF convention funds are spent, as long as purchases are lawful and are used to defray expenses incurred with respect to a presidential nominating convention, the Congressional Research Service wrote in 2011. By accepting the money the parties do agree, however, to spending limits and the filing of public disclosure reports to the FEC. Spending Examples Here is some example of how money is spent by the Republican and Democratic parties on political conventions in 2008, according to Coburns office: Republican National Convention Committee: $2,313,750 – Payroll$885,279 – Lodging$679,110 – Catering$437,485 – Airfare$53,805 – Film production$13,864 – Banners$6,209 – Promotional items - gift bags$4,951 – Photography services$3,953 – Floral arrangement for convention$3,369 – Communications consultant Democratic National Convention Committee: $3,732,494 – Salaries$955,951 – Travel$942,629 – Catering$374,598 – Political consulting fees$288,561 – Production music$140,560 – Production: Podium$49,122 – Photography$14,494 – Gifts/trinkets$3,320 – Makeup artist consultant$2,500 – Entertainment Criticism of Political Convention Costs Several members of Congress including Coburn and U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, a Republican from Oklahoma, have introduced bills that would end taxpayer subsidies of political conventions. The major parties are more than capable of funding their own national conventions through private contributions, which already generate over three times the amount the federal grants provide for this purpose alone, the Sunset Caucus wrote in 2012. Others have pointed out what they call the hypocrisy in congressional criticism of the General Services Administration for spending $822,751 on a team building meeting in Las Vegas in 2012 and lack of scrutiny over political convention spending. In addition, many critics of taxpayer subsidies for political conventions say the events are unnecessary. Both parties chose their nominees in the primaries and caucuses- even the Republicans, whose party implemented a little-noticed change in the primary system that lengthened the amount of time it took the eventual nominee to secure the 1,144 delegates necessary for the nomination in 2012.

Free sample - Brand and Customer Behavior literature review. translation missing

Brand and Customer Behavior literature review. Brand and Customer Behavior literature reviewBrand and Customer Behavior in the contemporary corporate world has received a lot of attention and debate on whether the former affects the latter. As a matter of fact, there have been so many questions seeking to establish whether brands have any effect to the customer behavior. In regard to literature by Glynn (2009, p.97), brand is a market based asset which largely shapes the behavior of a customer. Arguably, brands are advertised so that they may influence the behavior of the customers. In some cases, customers have purchased products owing to the brand. For instance, a car that is branded with a brand reflecting status and reputation may influence a customer to purchase the car brand seeking to get the prestige promised by the brand. On the other hand, brands have effect on the customer behavior (Kumar, 2008). He supports this by presenting detailed information on brand attitude which is the attitude toward a brand by a customer. This attitude is attributed to the brand trust and effect altogether. The former refers to the customer’s willingness to trust the brand to satisfy his or her needs while the latter has to do with customer’s emotional response towards a brand. This makes it possible to generate an emotion toward the customer’s preference of the brand for use (p.193). Further in this context, Wilburn (2006) has examined in detail the factors that affect as well as shape customer’s behavior. As a matter of fact, he points out to brand image as the mental picture formed by a customer towards a brand. In this case, brand has been pointed out as to provide a customer with a reason to purchase a product in place of another. Traditionally, Wilburn (2006, p.2-3) states that brand images have been in use as a method of influencing customer behavior and as well acquisition of new customers of a product. Arguably Salver (2009, p.92-93), has provided literature on the effect that brand has on the customers. In this context, brand image has been associated with an ability to bind consumers on the basis of emotion and thus customers going for the very brands. Brand images have also been cited as powerful tools for establishing loyalty of the customer to the particular brand. From this point of view, it is evident from literature that there have been an academic background regarding brand and customer behavior which has previously tried to answer the research question whether brands affect the customer/ consumer behavior.      References Glynn, MS 2009, Business-to-business brand management: theory, research and executive case study exercises, Emerald Group Publishing, Bingley. Kumar, V 2008, Managing customers for profit: strategies to increase profits and build loyalty, Wharton School Publishing, New Jersey. Salver, J 2009, Brand Management in the Hotel Industry and Its Potential for Achieving Customer Loyalty, GRIN Verlag, Norderstedt. Wilburn, M 2006, Managing the customer experience: a measurement-based approach, American Society for Qualit, Wisconsin.

Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Film - Essay Example Strangelove to directly confront many of the most dangerously held beliefs of its American audiences is not only that it does so in comic manner, but that the form of comedy is muted. In fact, future generations could well be forgiven for reading the film as a straight drama. Every scene in Dr. Strangelove is filmed and edited and acted with the utmost seriousness. Despite being one of the funniest movies ever made, actors are not allowed to give in to the temptation either foreshadow the joke or even deliver a "punch line." Despite the fact that the eminently talented physical comedian Peter Sellers stars in three different roles, he is never allowed to mug for the camera. In other words, Dr. Strangelove is a comedy, but it is a comedy based on dramatic irony. One need only watch the far more earnest film that broaches almost exactly the same plot, Fail-Safe, to see how important this approach has been to making Dr. Strangelove a classic, while relegating the dramatic interpretation to merely being a great, but little-known movie. It may only have been possible to fully explore the true extent of the nuclear nightmare through the distancing that comedy naturally allows, but Stanley Kubrick wisely chose not to make anyone in the movie to act as though th ey were making a c comedy. One of the brilliant elements of Dr.