Philosophy †Free Will vs Determinism Essay

The dialogue between philosophers over the existence of free will versus the inevitability of determinism is a debate that will always exist. The discussion centers around the true freedom of humans to think and act according to their own judgment versus the concept that humans are intrinsically bound by the physical laws of the universe. Before I enter this chicken and the egg debate I need to quantify my terms: Free will is defined by the great philosopher, St. Thomas Aquinas as â€Å"vis electiva† or free choice. It is the ability of man to contemplate and judge the effects of the actions he is about to take. †¦But man acts from judgment, because by his apprehensive power he judges that something should be avoided or sought. But because this judgment, in the case of some particular act, is not from a natural instinct but from some act of comparison in the reason, therefore he acts from free judgment and retains the power of being inclined to various things. † (Aquinas. Suma Theologica) Determinism is a complex notion but is best described by David Hume as the notion that something cannot come from nothing and that all actions have causes preceding them. I conceive that nothing taketh beginning from itself, but from the action of some other immediate agent without itself. And that therefore, when first a man hath an appetite or will to something, to which immediately before he had no appetite nor will, the cause of his will, is not the will itself, but something else not in his own disposing. So that whereas it is out of controversy, that of voluntary actions the will is the necessary cause, and by this which is said, the will is also caused by other things whereof it disposeth not, it followeth, that voluntary actions have all of them necessary causes, and therefore are necessitated. (Hume. Liberty and Nessessity. ) Philosophy and world religion alike were born of the same origins. Each of the two ancient disciplines arose from the quest for the answers to life’s ominous questions. These human questions, archetypical to people of all geographic locations; where did we come from; why are we here; where do we go when we die; unite us as a race. It is no coincidence that each religion and theology from all four corners of the earth tackles these black holes of human logic. Each religion carves their own individual explanations of these unanswerable questions into their core belief systems, each one centrally different than others. However, they all share one common thought; each shares a belief in an afterlife determined by the choices made in life. Free will is the common denominator in all world religions, because all share the essential concept of morality. The widespread acceptance of the concept of morality implies that there is a choice to be had at each and every juncture or life. The choice comes from recognition of good and evil. For good and evil to exist, then there has to be the ability to decipher between the two and also decide to accept one over the other. The existence of morality alone proves that free will exists, because without the freedom to choose right or wrong in any given situation there would be no qualitative measure of the â€Å"rightness† or â€Å"wrongness† of ones actions. David Hume comments on the origin of morality and its place in our everyday decision making processes, â€Å"Only when you turn your reflexion into your own breast, and find a sentiment of disapprobation† (Hume.  Treatise of Human Nature). In other words, there are no outside stimuli that can decipher good from evil; the line can only be drawn by internal thought. Hume was a naturalist in that his vision of the world and therefore stance of philosophy was based directly through the experiences of the senses. His stance on many issues directly originated from his ability to experience it with the five senses, and on the subject of morality he takes exception. Even he recognizes the existence of morality in everyday life, even though it cannot be explained through the lens of the senses. It would seem that morality’s acceptance must therefore prove that free will exists, but there is one essential school of thought yet to weigh on this topic; science. Science was the latest bloomer of the three major disciplines of existential explanation and in the post modern era is becoming more and more popular. As the world becomes further secularized and the reaches of scientific logic continue to exceed their grasp, many of the world’s intellectuals identify â€Å"truth† on a scientific scale. Science does not support the theory of morality, because it can’t be proven to exist. The notion of â€Å"free-will†, something which world religion and philosophies alike recognize as a fundamental part of our human anatomy, is called into question in a few simple and logical ways. Science supports the theory of determinism as the only logical explanation of the unfolding of the actions of our lives. First off, science has recently developed the discipline known to us as physics, in which the laws of the universe have been defined. In the short time in which humans have been graced by the scientific understanding of the laws of the universe, human kind has yet to fully step back and contemplate the magnitude of this discovery. In generations past, humans believed that we were made special with â€Å"free will†, but now we know that like all things in the universe we are subject to the physical laws. This is a huge step forward in rational thinking because it allows us to understand that our previously God given concept of â€Å"free will† was really a result of a lack of understanding of the deterministic laws of the universe. For instance a law as simple and commonly accepted as â€Å"gravity† challenges the idea of free will. Gravitational pull determines that no matter the size of an object, once separate from the surface of the earth will be dragged back down at the same force every time. This is a simple concept that we take for granted, but it works in the free will v. determinism argument. We are ruled by gravity, and therefore all of our lives activities answer to it. We can’t choose to jump off a building and float in the air because we’ll be pulled back to the ground to our imminent deaths. We can’t choose to stay younger and keep our skin tight to our faces because gravity’s long-term effect causes our skin to droop down towards the ground. The choices I just listed may seem farfetched to some, however, if we examine the notion that we have â€Å"free will† in the empirical sense of the word we see that not all of our decisions are controlled by us, and that we fall victim to the tyrannical rule of the physical laws of the universe. We aren’t truly â€Å"free† to create our own actions in life. Albert Einstein offers a particularly apt synopsis, â€Å"Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect as well as the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper. † (Albert Einstein) The rule of physical law aside, which hinders us from truly being â€Å"free† to choose our own actions in life, is a much more simple scientific argument that dispels the notion of free will. For example: Say a 20 year old man murders another man in cold blood. They have no affiliation, no prior knowledge of who each other is, or reason to dislike each other. Man A walks up to random Man B and shoots and kills him. Was this action of Man A a result of â€Å"free will†? To examine the notion fully you need to look at his action coming from two sources. Either Man A was born with the moral flaw to allow himself to find killing another human acceptable, or that Man A was influenced during the course of his life by interactions and actions of others and came to that conclusion based on his own experience. There is no other explanation for Man A to willingly choose to open fire on Man B and kill him. If we look at the first option, Man A’s natural moral compass was skewed, allowing for him to conceive the notion that killing another is okay. This speaks to the determinant nature of our chemical makeup. Its possible his DNA made a mistake coding somewhere and he developed overtime and understood that killing another is â€Å"wrong† or maybe that his entire sense of â€Å"right from wrong† was skewed inside his mind. This would lead Man A to lead a life normally on the outside, and yet without regard for consequence, open fire on another man and kill him as easily as he could have held a door for him. This is the idea that he naturally had the capacity to kill, and that he could not control it. Eventually one of his animalistic impulses would finally stick and he’d be in the right place at the right time, and that it was only a matter of time until he killed someone. If you don’t subscribe to that theory and believe that he chose to kill Man B that day, try and consider that the results will still be pre-determined. If Man A killed Man B due to his choice, then his own â€Å"free will† and judgment that he finds reprehensible to kill another man can’t be attributed to truly â€Å"free† will of choice. Not every human kills others as part of their natural lifestyle, as they might kiss or mate with another. In fact a very small percentage of people in the world murder other humans, and this begs the question of why? What makes this small percentage of people â€Å"choose† to kill another person? The answer is that if they choose to do it, and they weren’t previously miswired so as said in the prior paragraph, then they must have been influenced by their surroundings. When Man A was six years old he didn’t choose to murder Man B, the events of his life led him to make this decision about whether or not murder was okay. This is yet another reason that he wasn’t truly free to choose; outside influence hinders the ability to choose freely. Whether he was abused, molested, lost a loved one, or just plain fed up with the monotony of everyday life in society, something pushed him over the edge. Something allowed for him to justify his actions; that something is outside influence. This deterministic train of thought explains why people do what they do, but not when. What makes us actually hit the point of no return, or when will the right opportunity hit the right mood leading the right action? (In our example the murder of Man B) The paradox between â€Å"free will† and â€Å"determinism† exists because of the influence of the different schools of thought. If one aligns his personal truth based on religious fervor, then an understanding of â€Å"free will† can exist logically and on the other hand if one bases his logic around science then â€Å"determinism† seems to be the only answer. So where does that leave philosophy, the great bridge between the two polarized schools of thought? It leaves philosophy somewhere in the middle, examining the validity of both sides of the argument, and helping to shed light on the debate over whether or not we truly are free to make a choice or if we are merely floating along the currents of the universe. Personally, I’m lost somewhere in the middle, hoping that the answer to this time-old question will be revealed.

“Lone Star”-Borderlands America Essay

Hispano-Mestizo America/Borderlands America: â€Å"Lone Star† The film â€Å"Lone Star† is a murder mystery film based in Frontera, Texas which is a multicultural border town. The significance of the conclusion of â€Å"Lone Star† is based off of several contexts presented throughout the film. The portrayed contexts of the film have to do with relationships and conflicts between races, social classes and power struggle within a community and the border between Mexico and Texas. These contexts place significance throughout the film as a murder mystery is sort of a background to all the events and conflicts that take place. The phrase â€Å"Forget the Alamo† is an idea that is depicted throughout the film. The phrase refers back to the time when Texas was trying to gain independence from Mexico and also deals with a great conflict and broken promises between the Anglos and Mexicans. This idea significantly deals with conflicts between the borders. The phrase is meant to say that they should forget the border war and racial conflict. We even see the border issue between Mercedes Cruz who is a Mexican restaurant owner and a Mexican immigrant herself. She will make rude remarks to the Mexican â€Å"illegal aliens† as she presumes them to be. And to other fellow Mexican Americans, if they speak their language she will stop them and tell them to speak in English because they are â€Å"in America†. And she will even call the border control on other Mexicans she finds trying to sneak into the border town. The concept of cross-cultural relationships is shown in the film by the relationship between Pilar and Sam. Pilar is a Mexican-American school teacher and Sam is an Anglo police officer of Frontera. They had a past relationship when they were younger and in the film find a recent renewed romance between each other. This idea also contributes to the conflicts between races. There is some conflict between Anglos and Mexican-Americans. There is some hostility between them that we see in the film when we look at Pilar’s mother, Mercedes, and between Sam. She has not liked the idea of her daughter being with a â€Å"white† man even back when they were teenagers and still in their renewed romance as they are older. Another reason of her disapproval deals with a surprise later found that Pilar and Sam are half brother and sister. We also see the racial conflict with the questioned morale police officer, Charley Wade. While he was a police officer he was a tyrant to Mexicans and African Americans and would do whatever he can to make them afraid of him, to show whose boss since he was an Anglo. He harassed Otis’ who was an African American who owned a bar that was popular among African Americans. He also shot a Mexican man he knew was smuggling immigrants across the border. And also at the end of the film, he attempted to unjustly kill Otis. His character just showed racial prejudice and abuse of his positional power as a police officer. Another concept from the film is the conflict between the social classes within the community. This concept is portrayed in the film by the political election approaching and the involvement the Mayor Hollis Pogue in the murder mystery years ago. He struggles with dealing with his social and political status and possible loss of power as Mayor in the truth that he is the one who killed Charley Wade. There is also a part of the film that shows the class struggle as the talk of building a new jail as it is an issue of the upcoming sheriff election which is between Sam and a fellow Mexican colleague. And also from the issue about the school curriculum and the debate about which one teaches the â€Å"real† history of the area which one place the right race as the â€Å"good guys†. The teachers debate about this as they know they live in a community with different cultures, race, and classes. In the film â€Å"Lone Star† we see a struggle between the contexts of race, class, power struggle and border wars presented throughout the film. Although the murder mystery is the main plot of the film, these issues are really what the film is about. The film shows the cultural and racial struggles in the relationships  between Otis and other African-Americans and Mexicans against Charley Wade, Mercedes and Sam, Sam and Pilar, and Mercedes and â€Å"illegal aliens†. Whatever race or culture they may be, they have to deal with multicultural issues whether it may be against their own race or another race. Some deal with it in prejudice ways and some have the â€Å"forget the Alamo† mindset. â€Å"Lone Star† opens its viewers to the sometimes â€Å"hidden† issues that are often unforeseen in border towns. It shows the cultural, racial, power, class struggles and conflict present in border towns. It also shows the hardship that the community and people of the community deal with, not only with each other but also within themselves and identifying who they really are and trying to be multicultural and dealing with people of different race and cultures. REFERENCES * Rosa Linda, Fregoso. â€Å"†Gender, Multiculturalism, and the Missionary Position on the Borderlands†Ã¢â‚¬  Docutek Eres. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. . * Mckenzie, Shelly. â€Å"Teaching John Sayles’ Lone Star: A Guide for Teachers of Grades 10-12.† Mediapede.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. .

Life Span Development and Personality Essay

Today the topic of discussion will focus on the famous Sigmund Freud and his viewpoints on developmental psychology. This discussion seeks to answer four questions about Sigmund Freud’s life. The first topic is Sigmund Fraud’s influences and environment in psychological development. Second the discussion seeks to reveal Sigmund Freud’s view of family issues or support systems that influenced Freud’s developmental growth and adjustment. Third the discussion seeks to explain two different theories of personality. The discussion seeks to explain how each theory differs in terms of the explanation of Freud’s unique pattern and traits. The fourth and final topic of discussion seeks to explain the theatrical approach that explains both Freud’s behaviors and achievements. The reason this paper chose to write about famous Sigmund Freud explained. Sigmund Freud was born in 1856 and died in 1940. Freud studied the personality of humans. Freud describes three major systems of the human personality. Sigmund Freud’s structural model is as follows: 1. the id holds the human sexual and aggression energy driven by impulses and characterized by a human’s primary thinking (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). 2. The superego explains a human’s conscience and a major source of ideas established through a person’s identity (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). 3. The ego describes a person’s desires, morality, and desires (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual development suggest in the first five years the human personality begins. Zero to one is the oral stage of development. Children from zero to one gain the most gratification from sucking than from biting and chewing food and sometimes other objects. In stage one through three describes the anal stage. During the anal stage children seem to gain gratification from defecation through the anus. The conflict begins when children begin potty training. Some children hold back feces causing him or her to become constipated. Generalized by some children’s behavior and the way he or she does, for example, cleanliness, stinginess, or stubbornness. On the other hand some children may have accidents in his or her pants. This may relate to expulsive personality, for example, disorderly conduct, messiness, and throwing fits. The final stage of three to five referred to as the phallic stage (Maitland, 2011). In this stage the genital area becomes a sense of pleasure. This causes the superego to begin and guards against incest and aggression. Children also can feel a sense of inferiority in this stage. Freud suggests mental disorders may come from an individual’s history and not just an individual’s physical impairments. Freud developed a new way to analyze human behavior. Freud’s view explained mental energy comes from the body. Freud believed all humans can only obtain a limited amount of mental energy. Freud believed human behavior was from causation. Freud also believed tension-reduction consist of a human goal for behavior. Freud claims humans consist of two human impulses for example, sexual impulses, and libido. Sexual impulses consist of life affirming impulses. Libido consists of energy source impulses. Needs consist of basic life impulse, aggression consists of death encouraging impulses, and aggressive impulses consist of an energy source for aggressive impulses. When a human impulse grows the more likelihood the human will react on impulses to reduce the need he or she feels to do so. Life affirming libido consists of activities, people objects, or goals. Cathexis consists of the process of investing libidinal energy. When an individual uses excessive cathexis this may lead to neurosis, however, neurosis is treatable. Treatment for neurosis often referred to catharsis or in other words a talking therapy. Sigmund Freud believed mental processes were unconscious. Sigmund Freud believed the conscious contains an individual’s specific information that a person’s paying attention at any given time. Freud believed the preconscious contains information or clues most individuals do not pay attention to unless recalled by a specific situation. Sigmund Freud believed the unconscious contains an individual’s desires, feelings, and thoughts held without an individual’s knowledge. However, these desires, feelings, and thoughts affect an individual’s everyday life. Freud believed the information in an individual’s unconscious emerges by ac cident, such as joke telling, dreams, symptoms of illness, and the associations between individual’s ideas. Sometimes the anger in a person’s unconscious comes out by mistake Understanding Psychology (nd). Another theory of Sigmund Freud contains the three components of personality, for example, id, superego and ego. Freud claimed the three components appear always in conflict with each other, according Freud the conflicts usually appear sexual or aggressive and most violate the societal rules. From a personal standpoint Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalyst theory the way an individual’s personality develops during ages zero to five. However, from a personal standpoint an individual’s personality develops throughout his or her life. For example children’s development goes through the age of 18. Some children take longer to develop than others. Even in adulthood an individual’s experiences and environment may change a person’s personality. Many individual live and are raised in bad environment’s that would affect his or her personality. On the other hand many people are also raised in a good environment that also affects his or her personality i n a positive and occasionally negative manner. In both scenarios an individual’s actions and behavior may affect his or her personalities throughout life. This paper was chosen on Sigmund Freud because he was a very intriguing and an expert in psychological research. In conclusion, this paper revealed the famous research in psychological research by Sigmund Freud. The paper revealed the three components of personality, according to Sigmund Freud. The three components of personality according to Sigmund Freud are id, superego, and ego. Sigmund Freud suggests that most human behavior develops during the age of zero to five. This paper revealed the Sigmund Freud’s view human personality and the unconscious mind of a human. Freud also suggests that many disorders may come from an individual’s history and not just an individual’s physical impairments. Freud suggests most disorders deal with sexual disorders or an individual’s aggressive behavior. Freud also suggests humans act on his or her impulses. Some people may act on bad impulses that may lead to terrible outcomes and consequences for his or her actions. Sigmund Freud was greatly scrutinized for his psychological research. Sigmund Freud was chosen for this paper because his research was very intriguing research in human personality and human behavior. Reference: Kowalski, R., and Westen, D. (2011). Psychology (6th ed.).Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Retrieved from University of Phoenix eBook Col Maitland, L., L. (2011). Personality Theories and Approaches for AP Psychology Retrieved from http://www. education.com Understanding Psychology (nd). Chapter 14 Theories of Personality Retrieved from http://www.glencoe.com

President Obama visit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

President Obama visit - Essay Example This would be of great help especially to the people with low incomes, since they would be reduced of the burden of having to repay the loan in full. The president also wanted to get to the students’ voting alliance that was responsible for his winning back in 2008, and told them that he needed their votes again in 2012 elections. The officials of the White House alleged that those students who had one or more federal loans would be allowed to merge their debts, which would reduce interest rates by half of the percentage point. Obama said that this plan was supposed to get rid of those federal subsidies that were taken to the private banks after the loans are merged, and this would help in improving the economy. He believed that if a big percentage of people’s paycheck is used to repay the loans instead of doing other things, it would affect the economy. This would be a great burden especially to those families who are in the middle-class; since their source of income is mainly from the salaries they get from their jobs. A big percentage of people’s income should help people to improve their businesses, so that the business can grow, and this would help improve the country’s economy. This would ensure that the future generations did not suffer economically due to insufficient funds. The president questioned Republicans who were in the congress for having blocked the job bill he had put in place. He said that those individuals who were jobless weren’t supposed to be deserted, and he would try to help them out even if the congress did not help him. He told the students’ things he planned to do, and he would do them single-handedly if the congress did not back him up. He said that he would ensure that each individual had an access to acquiring college education. This showed that the president was concerned about the future generation who are the next leaders of America, and by giving

Learning about late adulthood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Learning about late adulthood - Essay Example This paper evaluates the challenges of late adulthood, approaches of addressing each of the age related changes, and how each approach affect an individual’s quality of life. Different changes occur in late adulthood that starts from sixty-five years and above. First, individuals undergo physical changes. One of the physical changes associated with late adulthood is wrinkles on the skin. Wrinkles form on the skin as it looses elasticity and collagen, which is a protein that forms the basic fibre of body tissue. The skin becomes dry, less flexible, and may have liver spots on the skin due to loss of subcutaneous fat. Secondly, persons in late adulthood undergo cognitive changes. Individuals speed to respond declines as the number of neurons decline in some parts of the brain. The space between the skull and the brain doubles the original size reducing the rate of sending neural impulses to the dendrite and resending them through the axon terminal. Additionally, fluid intelligence declines greatly but crystallised intelligence stay steady or increase. Thirdly, late adulthood comes with social-emotional changes. One of these changes includes withdrawal from the public who tend to seclude them due to in capabilities. Old people also retreat from the public because they tend to address them as little children. They may eventually get into depression. Individual in old age can take various approaches to address late adulthood challenges. To address wrinkles on their skin, persons in late adulthood need to accept it and love themselves as they are. They also need to adopt a health living lifestyle and opt to eat lots of fruits and vegetables that will enhance how they look. Drinking a lot of clean water will enhance skin appearance and reduce the ageing process. Additionally, taking regular exercises will boost skin appearance. By adopting a healthy living lifestyle, persons in old age will keep themselves busy by joining gyms

Cultural relativism (sociology) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cultural relativism (sociology) - Essay Example Such relationships are popular in western world in terms of partner relationship and marriage but it is condemned in the eastern world. When we deal with people in or from cultures different from our own, not only prudence but also moral decency requires that we attend to these differences and consider them with care and sensitivity in light of the respect we owe the members of other cultures simply as human beings. It is a true doctrine relating to the sociology and anthropology of moral beliefs (What is Culture relativism). Differences in dress, diet, and social norms are readily apparent. Such diversity in terms of ethics and justice are also easily seen and apparently shaped by the culture in which we live. Proponents of cultural relativism believe this cultural diversity proves that culture alone is responsible for our morality (Culture relativism). Moral relativists say that what we perceive as moral convictions or conscience are the byproducts of culture. Moreover, to pass judgment on another culture would be ethnocentric. This strength, nevertheless, is also a major weakness. Cultural relativism excuses us from judging moral practices of another culture. Still, provide the feeling of being compelled to condemn such actions as the Holocaust or ethnic cleansing (Cultural Relativism).

Case study 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case study 2 - Assignment Example Dream analysis is indispensible given that dreams are the key towards understanding of the subconscious (Freud, 1953 p.145-9). When one goes to sleep, they get withdrawn from reality and cease to even take the least of interest on it though the extent does not warrant total perception towards the environment hence the subject of dreams. For an individual to proceed into peaceful sleep, factors like negative emotions, forbidden thoughts and unconscious desires must be covered up in any way possible so that their occurrence does not distress the sleeper (Freud, 1953 p. 190-1). According to Freud, a dream is composed of two major parts, the manifest and the latent contents because formation of visual responses to a stimuli is not coincidental. The manifest content is the part of a dream that an individual is able to remember when they wake up. This aspect is termed as symbols by Sigmund since they can result to constant meaning and they are more or less sexual. This part of a dream does not create any meaning whatsoever given that it is a covered aspect of the true thought behind the dream. While the latent part of the dream presents the true meaning of a dream of both the unconscious desires and forbidden thoughts, some parts of the manifest content in most cases corresponds to the latent content most so in ‘infantile dreams’ (Freud, 1953 p. 200-5). This is despite the fact that the manifest aspect in this is disguised and hence appears unrecognizable. This brings us to the forms of distortion, which exists, in the concept of dreams and dreams interpretation. ‘Dream work as the process by which the latent content is interpreted into manifest content can result into a distortion and disguise. Dream work is disguised and distorted as either condensation or displacement; this result into a completely different meaning. Through condensation, two or more latent thoughts are brought together to result into one manifest dream image or situation. Here, the dreamer has the behavior of trying to hide their feelings or urges by way of contracting or minimizing its representation in the forms described. According to Freud (1953), every situation in a dream seems to be put together out of two or more impressions or experiences, which exists in extremes. One need only think about how people and places tend to meld into composite figures in our dreams for such dreams to be complete (Freud, 1953 p. 212-15). Displacement on the other hand works in a manner that it directs he emotions and desires onto a meaningless or unrelated object in a manifest dream instead of directing the same towards the intended object (Freud, 1953 p.145-61). Therefore, some other very different thing symbolizes the desire for a thing. The harmful emotions associated with threatening impulses are displaced so that the trivial elements of a manifest dream do not cause distress. According to Freud, "Displacement is the principle means used in the dream-distortion to which the dream-thoughts must submit under the influence of the censorship" (Freud, 1953 p. 298). These forms of distortion hence become so ingrained in the ID making them posses the quality of rigid symbols and these are similar in all human race. Most of the unclear aspects of dreams become

Science, not Dogma Should Be the Standard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Science, not Dogma Should Be the Standard - Essay Example Over the past century and one-half, however, people’s opinions regarding evolution have experienced an evolution. Many religious persons today acknowledge evolution to be valid. The Pope even admitted creation and evolution are compatible. Still, there are a dwindling numbers of people who choose to stubbornly reject the science and contend that magical account of life described in the Bible is the â€Å"gospel truth.† This emotion-charged dispute usually occurs when the fundamentalists object to science being taught in school. They want the creation version of events taught alongside the scientific version as a viable alternative. Eventually, everyone will acknowledge that the matter is not subject to dispute no more than the question of a flat earth vs. round earth is debated. Unfortunately, it will take generations to achieve this reasonable goal because our society evolves extremely slowly. Creationism is not based on the scientific model. No evidence exists, nothin g to test or question. It is based on the belief that a supernatural being magically created the universe including all life in it. The faithful accept this version of events without question because if they did question it they likely would cease to believe it. Science is a journey for the truth. Hypothesis is formed from observation, testing and retesting. When new information is presented the original premise is altered. Science continually tries to disprove the hypothesis or theory until the conclusion is shown as credible and irrefutable based on all available evidence. Religion readily accepts the explanations of an ancient, very superstitious and uneducated people. â€Å"Religion is based on faith that is never questioned while science is based on knowledge that is constantly questioned† (Edwards, 1980). Creationist’s first line of attack is that evolution is just a â€Å"theory† therefore unproven and unacceptable when compared to the God’s unassa ilable holy words. Evolution is scientifically proven by the same method scientists prove other universally held theories. Gravity is a theory. No one knows precisely how or why gravity works but we all know it does, same with evolution. Creationists require a much higher standard of proof from evolutionists than they are willing to provide. Religious fundamentalists thought the earth was flat prior to the 16th Century. In fact, since the church controlled the government at that time it was considered heresy to publically disagree with that falsity, a crime punishable by torture and/or death. However, learned people including Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella knew better. So did Aristotle who proved the earth was round 2000 years before Columbus. (Lienhard, 1998). Science was rejected then as now by the overtly religious but even they accept the scientific evidence regarding disease, that the Devil does not cause sickness. They also, because of science, realize the sun does no t revolve around a flat earth as is described in the Bible. â€Å"There are still many points of major conflict between science and religion. In each case, only one will eventually win public support. The historical record indicates that religion wins very few of these disputes† (Robinson, 2003) Darwin theorized that species adapt and change over the duration of millions of years according to new environmental conditions. He called this process natural selection. Darwin observed and recorded

Introduction to Management -- Economics, Finance and Management Assignment

Introduction to Management -- Economics, Finance and Management - Assignment Example One of the stakeholders of the firm may be its customers who can significantly be involved in the stakeholder’s conflict. This may be due to the fact that the customers may not be willing to purchase the products of the firm due to various reasons including firm’s reputation for providing environment friendly products etc. This may be an strong point of conflict between the firm and its most important stakeholders. Government can be another important stakeholder in this business because Government has the overall responsibility of ensuring that firms are meeting the exact criteria as laid down by the law. Further, it can also be at conflict with other stakeholders because Government often take unilateral decisions which may adversely affect other set of stakeholders. As such government takes such actions very wisely in order to avoid direct conflict with other set of stakeholders. Every commercial organization has the sole purpose of achieving higher value for its shareholders. As such it is important that it must earn profit and maximize it to the fullest advantage of the shareholders. Profit maximization therefore is a term which is used to indicate that the firm’s value is what it should have been rather than what it is now. Profit satisficing on the other hand is the firm’s pursuit to earn satisfactory profits rather than maximum profits. This can be due to the fact that a firm might have some other objectives to pursue rather than the profit maximization. Such objectives can included maximization of market value etc. it is also important to note that the notion of profit satisficing differs from firm to firm and each management or firm may pursue the aim in different manner. From the given facts in the essay study it seems that the firm is a profit satisficer as its objectives and actions indicate that it is attempting to increase the profitability to a reasonable level. It is important to note that the profit

PLC Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

PLC - Coursework Example Apple may also lure customers to purchase the new product by using sales tools and pricing activities such as giving free samples and price incentives (Stark, 2011) In the growth stage marketing strategies goals that is used is monitoring competitors’ activities compared to those of the firm and ensuring that quality standards are adhered in order to maintain customer satisfaction. Finally the strategies that can be applied in the stage are, developing new product image, finding new customers, applying new technology and discovering new uses (Stark, 2011). c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the maturity stage, firms strive to ensure that they generate cash flows. They seek to ensure that they cover the initial outlay costs. They also struggle to hold market share, steal market share and increase share of customer. However, when this fails, you can apply some strategies to bring the business back to life. The firm can develop a new product image, try to lure new customers, find alternative uses of the product, and embrace new technology (Stark,

Daily plate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Daily plate - Essay Example My diet consists mostly of beef, iced tea and fast food. Sometimes I would have chicken and fruit but these days were not very common. I also tend to skip meals due to a busy schedule. As a result, these occurrences are empty in the excel file. I know I can improve on the kinds of food I eat in order to have a more nutritious diet. I can plan accordingly so that the amount of food I eat corresponds to the food pyramid. (Food Pyramid, n.d.) I should try and eat more vegetables, dairy products and fish. I can also avoid skipping meals because this only makes me hungrier. Consequently, I end up eating more than what I should. I know a little fat is good for my body. Nevertheless, with the data I have gathered I believe I have been eating more than the proper amount of fatty foods. From now on, I believe I should be more aware of what I eat and the nutrients it can give me. This way I can monitor the amount of carbohydrates, fat and protein I take in. Reference: Food Pyramid. (n.d.) Retr ieved on April 20, 2011 from http://www.charantia.com/30-day-challenge/learn-a-healthy-lifestyle/food-pyramid/

Types of Essay Writing Essay Example for Free

Types of Essay Writing Essay Essays are major part of academic education. In US almost all college and university admission can be done by writing essay. The admission officers with better insight about your essay and how you differ from the other applicants essays. In crucial stages the essays are used to make a decision whether an applicant will be selected. In academic education students regularly have essay writing activities based on their course content. The initial steps are usually deciding what topic to discuss. The next choice that essay writers tackle is what type of essay to write. There are various types of essays such as critical essays, reflective essay, admission essays, narrative essays analytical essays and many others. In addition there is variety of essay types, most of them are related to academic coursework written to study an exact topic and reflect the outlook of the writer. However, the students should focus on specific topic and what types of essays will be wrote. Admission essay The main point of an admission essay is conducted by admission board that you are worth entering the college. Nowadays almost all college and university admission can be done by using admission essay. You should write your best and demonstrate your superior writing skills. The admission essays are the best chance to show your commitment to a career in business by demonstrating those experiences, people, and events that influenced your decision to enter the field. Argumentative essay In Argumentative essay writing we try to convincing others to agree with our facts, share our values. When writing argumentative essay you should state or position regarding of a subject for the main point of opinion. While writing you can add statistics report, well expert view and well support advice about a state or debate. The well argumentative essay should be clear, exact, and highly focused. Cause effect essay In Cause effect essay writing you have to talking about a troubled with why things occur (causes) and what happens as a consequence (effects). The cause and effect essay is the best technique of organizing and talking about ideas. At university and college cause and effects essays are most general papers in a composition course. Classification essay Classification essay writing is not only writing about other essay types, but also the ability to organize the ideas and things into sort. Most of students are well experts in writing classification essays. Since years the students studying in the field that have need of them to sort out ideas. Hence, the students can be written his classification essay without difficulty. Critical essay When critical essay writings you have to state agree with the fully subject. The word critical is telling about the attitude when you have read editorial or part of the book. The critical essays start with a psychoanalysis or explanation of the article or part of a book. Definition essay The definition essay writing you can talk an understanding about certain idea or things. Such things as bird, water are very exact and well concentrate. The way of writing your definition essays you have to give your readers with a new way of looking at things your way. Five paragraph essay The five paragraph essay is the classic format of composition. Its only the format of writing essays; its the types of essays which help for college and university students to develop your composition skills. The name represents like this essays should have five paragraphs. The introduction should include with thesis statement and following paragraphs must be talking about the core your essay topic or subject. The conclusion should be concluding the topics or idea of your topic given.

Should Hong Kong promote cultural tourism?

Should Hong Kong promote cultural tourism? Background Information, Related Concepts and Relevant Knowledge Objectives/ Expected Outcomes (if any) Focus Questions Tentative Enquiry Plan and Method(s) Reflection References 1 [1]à ©Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¯Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ »Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ °Ã‚ ¼Ã…’ ¼Ã…’à ¨Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¦- ¼rthk.hk à ©Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¯Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ »Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ °Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¶Ã‚ ²Ãƒ §Ã‚ «Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã‚ ¼Ã…’http://programme.rthk.hk/rthk/tv/programme.php?name=tv/hkccd=2014-04-13p=858e=257861m=episode ¼Ã…’à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¦- ¼2014à ¥Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ´11à ¦Ã…“ˆ15à ¦- ¥Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ [2] The UNWTO World Tourism Organization, Definition, Sustainable Development of Tourism, http://sdt.unwto.org/content/about-us-5>, (15 November 2014). [3]à ©Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¯Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ »Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ °Ã‚ ¼Ã…’ ¼Ã…’à ¨Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¦- ¼rthk.hk à ©Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¯Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ »Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ °Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¶Ã‚ ²Ãƒ §Ã‚ «Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã‚ ¼Ã…’http://programme.rthk.hk/rthk/tv/programme.php?name=tv/hkccd=2014-04-13p=858e=257861m=episode ¼Ã…’à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¦- ¼2014à ¥Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ´11à ¦Ã…“ˆ15à ¦- ¥Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡

PepsiCo Buyer Behaviour Analysis

PepsiCo Buyer Behaviour Analysis Buyer Behavior for Consumer Market Introduction In the summer of 1898, In New Bern, North Carolina, a young pharmacist named Caleb Bradham began experimenting with combinations of spices, juices and syrup trying to create refreshing new drinks to serve his customers. He succeeded beyond expectations by inventing new beverages know as Pepsi-Cola. Nowadays, Pepsi is a well known soft drink in all over the world. From its humble beginnings over a century ago, Pepsi-Cola has grown to become one of the best-known, most-loved products throughout the world. And the company behind it PepsiCo has grown as well, standing today as the premier marketer of refreshment beverages, juices and snack foods. They have consumer in over 200 countries in the whole world. The company offers more than 500 beverages and snack that appeal to every age of consumer age group and demographic category. Today, PepsiCo is a $29 billion company, employing more than 150,000 people speaking more than 40 languages around the globe. The company is consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, philanthropic efforts and diversity programs. It is the worlds fourth-largest food and beverage company and is staking its claim as the global leader in convenience foods and beverages. PepsiCo has a strong plan to continue to expand with an enormous lineup of convenience foods and drinks that provide great taste, nutrition and fun around the clock. Here is the list of Pepsi Co brands and products. Mirinda, 7UP (International), Pepsi Limà ³n, Kas, Teem, Pepsi Max, Pepsi Light, Starbucks Doubleshot (Partnership), Starbucks Doubleshot, Energy (Partnership) Starbucks Iced Coffee (Partnership), Tropicana Twister, and Mountain Dew. Model of Consumer Behavior Consumer makes many buying decision every day. Many large companies do some research about consumer buying decision in great detail to answer questions what will customer buy, where they buy, how much they, when they buy and why they will buy those product. According to Principles of Marketing, Kotler (2008) Consumer Buyer Behavior refers to the buying behavior of final consumer which are individuals and households who buy goods and services for personal consumptions. The entire final consumer combines to make a consumer market. Many big companies did a lot of marketing effort to attract the consumer to buy their product. For example, Pepsi Company. The company did a lot of marketing effort to attract the consumer such as advertising, survey, promotion and apply the 4 Ps to make the consumer aware about their product. The question here is, how did the consumer respond to the various marketing effort that Pepsi company use? Model of buyer behavior consist of Marketing and other stimuli, Buyers black box and Buyer Responses. Marketing and other stimuli will enter the consumers black box and produce certain responses. So marketers need to figure out what is in the buyers black box. Marketing stimuli consist of the Four Ps which are Product, Price, Place and Promotions. Other stimuli included major forces and events in the buyers environment such as economic, technological, political and cultural. All the inputs will enter the buyers black box, where they are turned into a set of observable buyer responses. Under buyer responses there are product choice, brand choice, dealer choice, purchase timing and purchase amount. Consumers do not make their decisions in a void. Their purchases are highly influenced by cultural social, personal, and psychological factors. Here some of that influence the behavior or the particular market: Cultural Factor Cultural factor divided into three sub factors Culture, Sub Culture, Social Class. Culture is the set of basic values perceptions, wants, and behaviors learned by a member of society from family and other important institutions. Culture is the most basic cause of a persons wants and behavior. Every group or society has a culture, and cultural influences on buying behavior may vary greatly from country to country. Based on the case study, we are doing a Pepsi brands in Malaysia. Malaysia has many races of people such as Malay, Chinese, Indian and many more. Now days many people choose to drink Pepsi because it is Halal and did not contain any alcohol. It is because most culture in Malaysia did not allowed them to drink alcohol. So for teenager of adult who cannot drink an alcohol drink, they can choose to drink Pepsi. Other than that, now day culture in Malaysia more shift towards greater concern about health and fitness. This had brought a lot of huge industry for health fitness services, more natural foods and variety of diets. So for Pepsi company which serve soft drinks, they had come with a new products known as Pepsi Max which has less sugar and gas to fulfill the new culture of Malaysian people. Sub Culture is a group of people with shared value systems based on common life experiences and situations. Each culture contains smaller sub cultures a group of people with shared value system based on common life experiences and situations. Sub culture includes nationalities, religions, racial group and geographic regions. Many sub culture make up important market segments and marketers often design products. For Pepsi company, sub culture is very important in influencing the consumer to buy their products. They need to target consumer based on their nationalities, religions, racial group and geographic regions. For nationalities, Pepsi must aware about any country that did not allowed their people to take soft drinks. For example, India. They had once ban Pepsi in their country because of the sugar contain in Pepsi. According to Marketing, Kotler (2008), Many subcultures make up important market segments, and marketers often design products and marketing programs tailored to their needs. Pepsi should not make an advertisement which can touch the sensitiveness of any religions, nationalities and others. Social Class Almost every society has some form of social structure, social classes are societys relatively permanent and ordered divisions whose members share similar values, interests and behavior. Social class did not determined by a single factors such as incomes, but it measured as a combination of occupation, income, education, wealth, and other variables. Marketers are interested in social class because people within given social class tend to exhibit similar buying behavior. Social Factors A consumers behavior also is influenced by social factors, such as the Groups, Family, Roles and status. Groups are two or more people who interact to accomplish individual or mutual goals. A persons behaviors are influenced by many small groups. Groups that have a direct influence and to which a person belongs are called membership groups. Some are primary groups includes family, friends, neighbours and coworkers. Some are secondary groups, which are more formal and have less regular interaction. These include organizations like religious groups, professional association and trade unions. For groups, it is much easier for Pepsi to attract them to buy their products. Because a single member of the groups can influences almost all the group member to follow them. For example, a leader in one group can influenced the members to buy Pepsi as part of the group activities. Family members can strongly influence buyer behavior. The family is the most important consumer buying organization society and it has been researched extensively. Marketers are interested in the roles, and influence of the husband, wife and children on the purchase of different products and services. In this social class, Pepsi need to target the children because they are the people who will consume more Pepsi. But of cause they will ask their parents to buy the products. So Parents is the customer and Children is the consumer. Roles and Status is a person belongs to many groups, family, clubs, organizations. The persons position in each group can be defined in terms of both role and status. For example, Mdm Airis plays the role of Mother, in her family she plays the role of wife, and in her company, she plays the role of manager. A Role consists of the activities people are expected to perform according to the persons around them. Personal Factors Personal factors consists of Age and life cycle stage, Occupation, Economic situation, Life Style, and Personality and self concept. Age and Life cycle Stage is People changes the goods and services they buy over their lifetimes. Tastes in food, clothes, furniture, and recreation are often age related. Buying is also shaped by the stage of the family life cycle. Here Pepsi cannot target the all age of people to buy their products. They should target consumer from children, to teenagers and finally the adults. Because nowdays many people concern about their health. So they will try to avoid any soft drinks that have a lot of sugar and gas. This will affect their health. Occupation is a persons occupation affects the goods and services bought. Blue collar workers tend to buy more rugged work clothes, whereas white-collar workers buy more business suits. A Company can even specialize in making products needed by a given occupational group. Thus, computer software companies will design different products for brand managers, accountants, engineers, lawyers, and doctors. From here we can conclude that only working people can purchase Pepsi products. But not every one of them will purchase Pepsi. So Pepsi need to find a thing or a person to influence them. For example, advertisement is the best tools to influence them or for parents, children are their best factors to influence them to buy Pepsi products. Economic situation is a persons economic situation will affect product choice. Life Style is a persons Pattern of living, understanding these forces involves measuring consumers major AIO dimensions. For example, activities such as Work, hobbies, shopping, support. Other than that interest, Food, fashion, family recreation and opinions about themselves, Business, Products Personality and Self concept each persons distinct personality influence his or her buying behavior. Personality refers to the unique psychological characteristics that lead to relatively consistent and lasting responses to ones own environment. Psychological Factors Psychological factors consist of Motivation, Perception, Learning, Beliefs and attitudes Motivation. Motive drives a need that is sufficiently pressing to direct the person to seek satisfaction of the need. Perception, The process by which people select, Organize, and interpret information to form a meaningful picture of the world. Learning is Changes in an individuals behavior arising from experience. Beliefs and attitudes. Belief is a descriptive thought that a person holds about something Attitude, a Persons consistently favorable or unfavorable evaluations, feelings, and tendencies towards an object or idea. Marketing Research Technique INTRODUCTION According to Malhotra (1996), Market Research can be defined as a key element within the total field of marketing information. Its links the consumer, customer and public to the market through information which is to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems generate, refine and evaluate marketing actions while improved the understanding of marketing as a process and of the ways in which specific marketing activities can be made more effective. This is for the reason that its always incorporates some form of the data collection whether it is secondary research (often referred to as desk research) or primary research which is collected direct from a respondent. While based on the case study we know that Pepsi Co is one of the most famous company that produce soft drink and some other product. Subsequently to get the information about Pepsi Co we need to do the market research so that we will know how far the customer or consumer is satisfied with the Pepsi product as well. This is because without the market research they might be tough for Pepsi Co to know about the level of satisfaction of their customer towards their product that has been produce by them. Consequently to get the work become more efficient we will follow the step on market research which is the first step is we will apply the web site method to get the first condition and perception about the Pepsi Co. This is because through the web site method we will get extra information such as the impression, background, financial and so on about the Pepsi Co. Next we will make some preparation on preparing the questionnaire about Pepsi Co which is in the questionnaire include some of the question about how society get know about the Pepsi Co and how much they spend to buy Pepsi product. On top of that the 20 sheet of questionnaire has been distributed towards the people around the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC) which is the trendiest place that all people knew bout it. The data analysis will analyze by 20 people around there with the different age and occupation. Finally the data that has been collected will be prepared and presented in the best way. Primary data collection can be considered as one of the extra sources because is needed when a researcher cannot find the data needed in secondary sources. Market researchers are interested in primary data about demographic, socioeconomic, characteristics, attitudes or opinions or interests, awareness or knowledge, intentions, motivation, and behavior. Three basic means of obtain by primary data are observation, surveys, and experiments. The choice will be influenced by the nature of the problem and by the availability of time and money. SURVEY According to Business Dictionary.com (2009), Survey can be defined as the collection of data from a given population for the reason of analysis of a particular issue. Data that frequently collected from a sample of a population, knows as a sample of survey. As we already informed surveys is one of the ways that are used widely in research, especially in market research to find some information or any feedback from others towards some product. Besides that there have 4 types of survey which is include personal interview, self-administrated surveys, telephone interviews and direct observation. In order to collect the information of Pepsi Co we were applying 2 types of survey which is personal interview and self administrated surveys which are made by us as well. Personal Interview According to Business Dictionary.com (2009), Personal Interview can be defined as a market research technique for gathering information through face-to-face while contact with individuals. Personal interviews take place in a variety of place like settings-in homes, at shopping malls, in a business office and so forth. One of the personal interviews is face-to face interviews which is this interview are conducted between a market researcher and a respondent. Then the data is collected on a survey. Some surveys are very rigid or structured and use closed questions. So that the data is easy to compared with others. Further about face-to-face interviews is more in strength, and depend upon more open forms of questioning. The research will investigate and develop points of interest. While based on the case study, we were takes place in KLCC to do the research up about the Pepsi Co which is the trendiest area in the Kuala Lumpur. We chose this place because on a daily basis there is more people visit that place and most of them are from people around the Malaysia. Consequently we use the face to face interview because easy to get feedback from them and we can get the information on the spot. On top of that Pepsi Co can get directly more explanation from them because they can through out what they felt about the product that has been produced by Pepsi Co. Self-Administrated Surveys A self-administrated survey is one in which the respondent completes the survey on his or her. While as we know Questionnaires are usually printed on paper, but they might be in other ways like programmed into computer and places on the internet and ask for the respond. However, Self-administrated questionnaires present a challenge to the marketing researcher because they really on the efficiency of the written word rather than the skills of the interviewer. Self-administrated surveys are attractive because they are low in cost, and they avoid interviewer evaluation apprehension or worry. While based on the case study, when we do the survey about Pepsi Co we would just used pen and a paper to make the survey complete. Instead of that the people that has been ask for complete the survey questionnaire will directly respond on the questionnaire. Consequently we can get the result of the information directly of the questionnaire which is has been complete by the respondent. Telephone Interviews Telephone interviews also can be consider as one of the techniques that can be done to make our survey complete which is telephone interviews is also one of the key under the survey method. Telephone interview can be defined as an interview that gathers information through telephone contact with individuals. This means that the interviewers will call their respondent to get the feedback or respond from their customers. As a result the information that gathers would help us as well to make changes towards our product that has been survey. Direct Mail While surveys also can be made by using the direct mail which is the interviewers will send the questionnaire through the email so that the respondent can give the feedback form there using the mail responded .Example like company A which is the interviewer and in order to evaluate their performance towards society they will try to make and Direct mail interview which is they will send some question that will be in questionnaire and may be might ask about their company services that has been provided to society and they will sent the questionnaire to Company B which the interviewee. On this cases the company will receive the questionnaire form in direct mail from the Company B. So as the respondent Company B will return the answer also in mail form which is they will send back to Company A Through this method its give lots of pros towards the company which is can save cost in order to prepared the questionnaire because through the direct mail its the company can save cost OBSERVATION The market research technique is not just only based on the survey method, this is because Observation also one of the method that can be used to collect the information on the level of satisfaction towards Pepsi product. Observation can be easily defined as the systematic process of recording the behavioral patterns of people, object and occurrences without questioning or otherwise communicating with them. Observations can be divide into two types which is having as human observation and mechanical observation. As a Marketing Research officer for Pepsi Co we were use both types of observation to know what behavior of people or society towards the Pepsi Product. Observation as a methodical process of recording the behavioral patterns of people, objects and event without questioning or else communicating with them. Observation can be divides into two types which are as the chart show above two types of observation is Human observation and Mechanical observation which is can be implementing by Pepsi Co in order to observe their customers. Human Observation Human observation can be defined as self explanatory, using human observers to collect data in the study. We can do the observation by human observation. It means that we use human as the observers which is we can just look and interpret what they do, what feeling are they, or else from their body languages. We can know what their feel now such as happy, enjoy, bored and so forth towards the product of Pepsi. Other than that through the human observation the best technique that can be implement by the Pepsi Co to evaluate their customer feelings is through facial reaction of the customer which is can be in their smiles, raised eyebrows an head nods as well. As a result we can automatically analyze how the customer sense towards the product of the Pepsi. Besides that Pepsi Co also can used the direct observation in order to observe the customer of their product. Which is they can straightly observe the customer behavior towards the Pepsi product Mechanical Observation Mechanical observation involves using various types of machines in order to gather the information, data, which is then interpreted by researchers. On a daily basis we are already know that with the continuing improvements in technology, there are lots of mechanical ways that can be used in order to capturing data in observation studies however, these new gadgets tend to be extremely expensive. The most commonly used and least expensive means of mechanically gathering data in an observation study is a video camera. A video camera offers a much more precise means of collecting data than what can simply be recorded by a human observer. Based on the case study we know that in order to observe the customer we can implement the other ways which is like Mechanical Observation as a Marketing Research Officer we try to look forward on the ways of implementing the mechanical observation this is because they will make our work become more easily with the observation for employees or customers of the Pepsi Co. Otherwise Pepsi Co can used the CCTV which is to get the information without knowing by other people. Example that can be stated at here is like Pepsi Company in order to observe their employees in all departments like marketing department, chemical department which is this entire department were play and important role while producing and made the product Pepsi. Consequently we can see the action that shows by them is humble, lazy, and friendly and so forth. Indirectly, Pepsi Co can manage or take an action towards the employee which is not performing effective and efficient towards their work. Other than that we also can used the Video in order to observe the behavioral of the customer while the purchase the Pepsi product and we can see how they felt either satisfy or not which the number of purchase. Conclusion While based on my point of view the conclusion that can be made at here is survey is a type of research which is comparatively costly, because it requires a staff of interviewers, but it provides the best opportunity to obtain information through probing for clearer explanations. Consequently, we can know what people in KLCC feel about the Pepsi product. This is because the respondent can tell us what they feel. Ultimately, we can know either they satisfy or not about the performance of the Pepsi product or not. Besides that the personal style (tone of voice, rewording of a question) and biases of each interviewer can affect how the participants respond and how the responses are recorded. As a result, we can get information from our recorded such as from video recorded. While from mechanical observation, we must spend more time to get the information. At the same times, we cannot observe the feeling of people in this campus because we cannot ask then but just take their photo or vide o. On the whole, for us, survey is the best technique to use early on in the research process when the researcher is not yet sure which questions need to be asked, because new and better questions can come out of the dialogue. SWOT ANANLYSIS Introduction According to Businessdictionary.com (2009), secondary data is an existing primary data that was collected by someone else or for a purpose other that the current one. It depending on whether the data come from inside and outside the organization needing to research. In secondary data, it divided into two parts of sources such as internal and external secondary data. Internal secondary data are data that have been collected and exits inside the business firm or other organization. External secondary data is data from outside that firm. According to Business Dictionary.com (2009) SWOT is a tool that identifies the strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of an organization. Specifically, SWOT is a basic, straightforward model that assesses what an organization can and cannot do as well as its potential opportunities and threats. The method of SWOT analysis is to take the information from an environmental analysis and separate in into internal such as strengths and weaknesses and external issues such as opportunities and threats. Once this is completed, SWOT analysis determines what may assist the firm in accomplishing its objectives, and what obstacles must be overcome or minimized to achieve desire result. Based on case study, to be comes a strong business strategy, Pepsi Co can used SWOT analysis that helped it become stronger competitor in other way Pepsi Co must identify which is their strength, weakness, opportunity and threat? SWOT Analysis of PEPSI Co The Pepsi Company is a leading manufacture, distributor and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, in the world. Pepsi has a strong brand name and brand portfolio. Business-week and Interbrain, a branding consultancy, recognize Pepsi as one the leading brand in their top 100 global brand ranking in 2006. The business week-interbrain value Pepsi $67,000 million in 2006. Pepsi ranks well ahead of its close competitor Coco-Cola which has a ranking of 22 having brand value $12,690 million the companys strong brand value facilitates customer recall and allows Pepsi to penetrate markets. On the other hand, the company is threatened by intense competition which could have an adverse impact on the company market share. Strengths Strong brands allow the company to introduce brand extension such as Pepsi max, Pepsi Cola, Pepsi Twist, Pepsi Diet, Pepsi Light over the year; the company has made large investments in brand promotion. Consequently, Pepsi is one of the best recognized global brands. The companys strong brand value facilitates customer recall and allows Pepsi to penetrate new market and consolidate existing ones. Pepsi has been a complex part of world culture for a very long time and they take a good qualities control of their product by take important on qualities processes n also procedures to maintain their customer satisfaction. They have a unique product image and the products image is loaded with over-romanticizing and this is an image many people have taken deeply to heart. The Pepsi image is displayed on T-shirts, hats and collectible memorabilia and many more. This extremely recognizable branding is one of Pepsis greatest strengths. It allows them to conduct business on a global scale while at the same time maintain a local approach. The bottling companies are locally owned and operated by independent business people who are authorized to sell product of the Pepsi Company. Because Cola does not have outright ownership of its bottling network, its main source of revenue is the sale of concentrate to its bottlers. Weaknesses Weaknesses for any business need to be both minimized and monitored in order to effectively achieve productive and efficiency in their business activities, Pepsi have no exception. Even though domestic business as well as many international market are thriving volumes in Latin America were up 12%, Pepsi has recently reported some decliners in unit case volumes in Indonesia and Thailand due to reduce consumer purchasing power. According to an article in Fortune magazine, in Japan, unit case sales fell 3% in the second quarter of 1998. Consequently we can determine the Pepsi Weakness which is can be improve and can be make sure that in future they will never happened again. Besides that, Pepsi on the other side has effects on the teeth which is an issue for health care. It also has got sugar by which continuous drinking of Pepsi may cause health problem. Being addicted to Pepsi also is a health problem, because drinking of Pepsi daily has an effect on your body after few years. Because its contain chemicals which could cause cancer, damage the nervous and reproductive system and reduce bone mineral density. Such negative publicity could adversely impact the companys brand image and the demand for Pepsi product. This could also have an adverse impact on the companys growth prospects in the international market Negative publicity The company received negative publicity during September 2006.The Company was accused by the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) of selling products containing pesticide residues that contained a hazardous pesticide residue. These pesticides included chemicals which could cause cancers, damage the nervous and reproductive systems and reduce bone mineral density. Such negative publicity could adversely impact the companys brand image and the demand for Pepsi products. This could also have an adverse impact on the companys growth prospects in the international markets. Opportunities Brand recognition is the significant factor affecting Pepsis competitive position. Pepsis brand name is known well throughout 94% of the world today. Its mean that the primary concern over the past few years has been to get this name brand to be even better known. Packaging changes have also affected sale and industry positioning, but in general, the public has tended not to be affected by new products. Pepsi bottling system also allows the company to take advantage of infinite growth opportunities around the world. This strategy gives Pepsi the opportunity to service a large geographic, diverse area. Pepsi is such an experienced powerful global company, which has a basic of a great fund. So it has the ability to place an idle sum of money to the promotion. We can see that the advertisement of Pepsi-Cola is so attractive. It also invited the top famous people to advertise for it. The advertisement is so elaborate and attractive so that Pepsi gained the special prize of the advertisement Granny. Threats Currently the threat of new viable competitors in the carbonated soft drink industry is not very substantial. The threat of substitutes however is a very real threat. The soft drink industry is very strong, but consumers are not necessarily married to it. Possible substitutes that continuously put pressure on both Pepsi and Coke include tea, coffee, juices, milk, and hot chocolate, even thought Coco-Cola and Pepsi control nearly 40% of the entire beverage market, the changing health-consciousness of the market could have a serious affect. Of course, both Coke and Pepsi have already diversified into these markets, allowing them to have further significant market shares and offset any losses incurred due to fluctuations in the market. Consumer buying power also represents a key threat in the industry. The rivalry between Pepsi and Coke has produce a very slow moving industry in which management must continuously respond to the changing attitudes and demands of their consumer or face losing market share to the competition. In addition, consumer can easily switch to other beverages with little cost or consequence. Intense competition Pepsi competes in the nonalcoholic beverages segmen

The Perspective of Plato and Aristotle on the Value of Art Essays

The Perspective of Plato and Aristotle on the Value of Art    As literary critics, Plato and Aristotle disagree profoundly about the value of art in human society. Plato attempts to strip artists of the power and prominence they enjoy in his society, while Aristotle tries to develop a method of inquiry to determine the merits of an individual work of art. It is interesting to note that these two disparate notions of art are based upon the same fundamental assumption: that art is a form of mimesis, imitation. Both philosophers are concerned with the artist's ability to have significant impact on others. It is the imitative function of art which promotes disdain in Plato and curiosity in Aristotle. Examining the reality that art professes to imitate, the process of imitation, and the inherent strengths and weaknesses of imitation as a form of artistic expression may lead to understanding how these conflicting views of art could develop from a seemingly similar premise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both philosophers hold radically different notions of reality. The assumptions each man makes about truth, knowledge, and goodness directly affect their specific ideas about art. For Plato, art imitates a world that is already far removed from authentic reality, Truth. Truth exists only in intellectual abstraction, that is, paradoxically, more real than concrete objects. The universal essence, the Idea, the Form of a thing, is more real and thus more important than its physical substance. The physical world, the world of appearances experienced through the senses, does not harbor reality. This tangible world is an imperfect reflection of the universal world of Forms. Human observations based on these reflections are, therefore, highly suspect. At b... ... the definition derived by each philosopher is profoundly different. In order to construct a coherent, wide-ranging philosophy, art and its impact on society must be reckoned with, whether as an imitation of a system far removed or a system in our midst. The process of imitation is used in both cases to promote the particular version of reality espoused by each man. While such a study is beneficial in tracing the philosophical conflict regarding the usage and importance of imitation in art, what is most apparent, perhaps, is the discovery that language itself is an imperfect imitation of meaning, capable of fostering such conflicts. Works Cited: Aristotle. "Poetics" The Critical Tradition. Ed., David H. Richter, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989. Plato. "Republic, Book X" The Critical Tradition. Ed., David H. Richter, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989.

A Critical Evaluation of Charles De Gaulles Handling of the Algerian Insurrection :: European Europe History

A Critical Evaluation of Charles De Gaulle's Handling of the Algerian Insurrection The 1950s was not a particularly good decade for France. The Fourth Republic, which had been established in the aftermath of the Second World War, remained unstable and lurched from crisis to crisis. Between 1946 and 1954, there had been a war in French Indo-China, between a nationalist force under Ho Chi Minh and the French. The war was long and bitter and towards the end, the French suffered the ignominy of losing the major fortress of Dien Bien Phu to the guerrillas on 7 May 1954. An armistice was sought with Ho Chi Minh, and the nations of North and South Vietnam emerged from the ashes of the colony. It is entirely likely that the success of the guerrillas influenced the Algerian insurrectionists, the National Liberation Front(FLN), in tactics and in the idea that the time was ripe to strike. It is clear that the FLN employed similar methods to those developed by the nationalists under Ho Chi Minh.1 For several months, France was at peace. The insurrection began on 1 November 1954. The insurrection precipitated the fall of the Fourth Republic. Charles de Gaulle, hero of the Second World War, became President of France in 1958, and was intent on securing a political solution to the insurrection, rather than one based on force. His efforts were largely successful in avoiding a civil war in France, and ending the insurgency - although it took four years to do so. It has been estimated that more than a million Algerians died in the insurrection.2 Before 1954, Algeria was not considered to be a French colony - rather it was seen as an integral part of France. The region was composed of departments, like those of the mainland. There were over a million white French nationals living in Algeria at the time and around eight million Muslims.3 This was a greater proportion of French nationals than in the other major North African colonies of France - Morocco, and Tunisia.4 Although there were benefits to remaining with France, the colonial administration was heavily weighed against the Muslims - particularly with regards to voting rights. In 1936, for instance, the Popular Front Government of Blum introduced legislation to the Assembly proposing to extend French citizenship to over twenty thousand Algerian Muslims.5 The initiative failed when all the European mayors of Algerian towns resigned in protest.

JoAnn Marshall - The Roles of Southern Women, Black and White, in Society :: Essays Papers

JoAnn Marshall - The Roles of Southern Women, Black and White, in Society Lillian Smith provides a description of the typical black woman and the typical white woman "of the pre-1960's American South" (Gladney 1) in her autobiographical critique of southern culture, Killers of the Dream. The typical black woman in the South is a cook, housekeeper, nursemaid, or all three wrapped up in one for at least one white family. Therefore, she is the double matriarch of the South, raising her own family and the families of her white employers: "It was not a rare sight in my generation to see a black woman with a dark baby at one breast and a white one at the other, rocking them both in her wide lap" (Smith 130). The southern black woman's duties extend far beyond rearing children, as she also serves as a family counselor, confidant, and nurse for the entire white family (Smith 129) and her own if time permits. She can do all this and more because she is strong, wise, and insightful in all areas of life (Smith 119). In short, the southern black woman is the cornersto ne of the southern, domestic life. The white woman in the South has an equally important role. The southern white woman is responsible for maintaining southern social order, better known as Southern Tradition. She establishes "the 'do' and the 'don't' of behavior" (Smith 132) in her children and believes, "If you could just keep from them all the things that must never be mentioned, all would be well!" (Smith 142). At the same time, the southern white woman sits atop the pedestal of Sacred Womanhood that her husband and his ancestors built for her (Smith 141). She meekly sits there, a symbol of southern society used to benefit men's ideals, feeling empty and powerless against everything going on around her (Smith 141-2). The whispers in her children's ears and her presence on that pedestal fulfill the white woman's role as protectress of Southern Tradition, but does not fulfill the southern white woman. In fact, the roles of the southern black woman and the southern white woman are equally important and equally oppressive: "In a culture where marriage and motherhood were women's primary roles, neither black nor white women were free to be fully wives or mothers, and neither were able to sh ield their children from the physical and psychic destruction of the racist society in which they lived" (Gladney 6).

Angels Demons Chapter 49-50

49 Langdon and Vittoria stood alone now outside the double doors that led to the inner sanctum of the Secret Archives. The decor in the colonnade was an incongruous mix of wall-to-wall carpets over marble floors and wireless security cameras gazing down from beside carved cherubs in the ceiling. Langdon dubbed it Sterile Renaissance. Beside the arched ingress hung a small bronze plaque. ARCHIVIO VATICANO Curatore: Padre Jaqui Tomaso Father Jaqui Tomaso. Langdon recognized the curator's name from the rejection letters at home in his desk. Dear Mr. Langdon, It is with regret that I am writing to deny†¦ Regret. Bullshit. Since Jaqui Tomaso's reign had begun, Langdon had never met a single non-Catholic American scholar who had been given access to the Secret Vatican Archives. Il gaurdiano, historians called him. Jaqui Tomaso was the toughest librarian on earth. As Langdon pushed the doors open and stepped through the vaulted portal into the inner sanctum, he half expected to see Father Jaqui in full military fatigues and helmet standing guard with a bazooka. The space, however, was deserted. Silence. Soft lighting. Archivio Vaticano. One of his life dreams. As Langdon's eyes took in the sacred chamber, his first reaction was one of embarrassment. He realized what a callow romantic he was. The images he had held for so many years of this room could not have been more inaccurate. He had imagined dusty bookshelves piled high with tattered volumes, priests cataloging by the light of candles and stained-glass windows, monks poring over scrolls†¦ Not even close. At first glance the room appeared to be a darkened airline hangar in which someone had built a dozen free-standing racquetball courts. Langdon knew of course what the glass-walled enclosures were. He was not surprised to see them; humidity and heat eroded ancient vellums and parchments, and proper preservation required hermitic vaults like these – airtight cubicles that kept out humidity and natural acids in the air. Langdon had been inside hermetic vaults many times, but it was always an unsettling experience†¦ something about entering an airtight container where the oxygen was regulated by a reference librarian. The vaults were dark, ghostly even, faintly outlined by tiny dome lights at the end of each stack. In the blackness of each cell, Langdon sensed the phantom giants, row upon row of towering stacks, laden with history. This was one hell of a collection. Vittoria also seemed dazzled. She stood beside him staring mutely at the giant transparent cubes. Time was short, and Langdon wasted none of it scanning the dimly lit room for a book catalog – a bound encyclopedia that cataloged the library's collection. All he saw was the glow of a handful of computer terminals dotting the room. â€Å"Looks like they've got a Biblion. Their index is computerized.† Vittoria looked hopeful. â€Å"That should speed things up.† Langdon wished he shared her enthusiasm, but he sensed this was bad news. He walked to a terminal and began typing. His fears were instantly confirmed. â€Å"The old-fashioned method would have been better.† â€Å"Why?† He stepped back from the monitor. â€Å"Because real books don't have password protection. I don't suppose physicists are natural born hackers?† Vittoria shook her head. â€Å"I can open oysters, that's about it.† Langdon took a deep breath and turned to face the eerie collection of diaphanous vaults. He walked to the nearest one and squinted into the dim interior. Inside the glass were amorphous shapes Langdon recognized as the usual bookshelves, parchment bins, and examination tables. He looked up at the indicator tabs glowing at the end of each stack. As in all libraries, the tabs indicated the contents of that row. He read the headings as he moved down the transparent barrier. Pietro Il Erimito†¦ Le Crociate†¦ Urbano II†¦ Levant†¦ â€Å"They're labeled,† he said, still walking. â€Å"But it's not alpha-author.† He wasn't surprised. Ancient archives were almost never cataloged alphabetically because so many of the authors were unknown. Titles didn't work either because many historical documents were untitled letters or parchment fragments. Most cataloging was done chronologically. Disconcertingly, however, this arrangement did not appear to be chronological. Langdon felt precious time already slipping away. â€Å"Looks like the Vatican has its own system.† â€Å"What a surprise.† He examined the labels again. The documents spanned centuries, but all the keywords, he realized, were interrelated. â€Å"I think it's a thematic classification.† â€Å"Thematic?† Vittoria said, sounding like a disapproving scientist. â€Å"Sounds inefficient.† Actually†¦ Langdon thought, considering it more closely. This may be the shrewdest cataloging I've ever seen. He had always urged his students to understand the overall tones and motifs of an artistic period rather than getting lost in the minutia of dates and specific works. The Vatican Archives, it seemed, were cataloged on a similar philosophy. Broad strokes†¦ â€Å"Everything in this vault,† Langdon said, feeling more confident now, â€Å"centuries of material, has to do with the Crusades. That's this vault's theme.† It was all here, he realized. Historical accounts, letters, artwork, socio-political data, modern analyses. All in one place†¦ encouraging a deeper understanding of a topic. Brilliant. Vittoria frowned. â€Å"But data can relate to multiple themes simultaneously.† â€Å"Which is why they cross-reference with proxy markers.† Langdon pointed through the glass to the colorful plastic tabs inserted among the documents. â€Å"Those indicate secondary documents located elsewhere with their primary themes.† â€Å"Sure,† she said, apparently letting it go. She put her hands on her hips and surveyed the enormous space. Then she looked at Langdon. â€Å"So, Professor, what's the name of this Galileo thing we're looking for?† Langdon couldn't help but smile. He still couldn't fathom that he was standing in this room. It's in here, he thought. Somewhere in the dark, it's waiting. â€Å"Follow me,† Langdon said. He started briskly down the first aisle, examining the indicator tabs of each vault. â€Å"Remember how I told you about the Path of Illumination? How the Illuminati recruited new members using an elaborate test?† â€Å"The treasure hunt,† Vittoria said, following closely. â€Å"The challenge the Illuminati had was that after they placed the markers, they needed some way to tell the scientific community the path existed.† â€Å"Logical,† Vittoria said. â€Å"Otherwise nobody would know to look for it.† â€Å"Yes, and even if they knew the path existed, scientists would have no way of knowing where the path began. Rome is huge.† â€Å"Okay.† Langdon proceeded down the next aisle, scanning the tabs as he talked. â€Å"About fifteen years ago, some historians at the Sorbonne and I uncovered a series of Illuminati letters filled with references to the segno.† â€Å"The sign. The announcement about the path and where it began.† â€Å"Yes. And since then, plenty of Illuminati academics, myself included, have uncovered other references to the segno. It is accepted theory now that the clue exists and that Galileo mass distributed it to the scientific community without the Vatican ever knowing.† â€Å"How?† â€Å"We're not sure, but most likely printed publications. He published many books and newsletters over the years.† â€Å"That the Vatican no doubt saw. Sounds dangerous.† â€Å"True. Nonetheless the segno was distributed.† â€Å"But nobody has ever actually found it?† â€Å"No. Oddly though, wherever allusions to the segno appear – Masonic diaries, ancient scientific journals, Illuminati letters – it is often referred to by a number.† â€Å"666?† Langdon smiled. â€Å"Actually it's 503.† â€Å"Meaning?† â€Å"None of us could ever figure it out. I became fascinated with 503, trying everything to find meaning in the number – numerology, map references, latitudes.† Langdon reached the end of the aisle, turned the corner, and hurried to scan the next row of tabs as he spoke. â€Å"For many years the only clue seemed to be that 503 began with the number five†¦ one of the sacred Illuminati digits.† He paused. â€Å"Something tells me you recently figured it out, and that's why we're here.† â€Å"Correct,† Langdon said, allowing himself a rare moment of pride in his work. â€Å"Are you familiar with a book by Galileo called Dialogo?† â€Å"Of course. Famous among scientists as the ultimate scientific sellout.† Sellout wasn't quite the word Langdon would have used, but he knew what Vittoria meant. In the early 1630s, Galileo had wanted to publish a book endorsing the Copernican heliocentric model of the solar system, but the Vatican would not permit the book's release unless Galileo included equally persuasive evidence for the church's geo centric model – a model Galileo knew to be dead wrong. Galileo had no choice but to acquiesce to the church's demands and publish a book giving equal time to both the accurate and inaccurate models. â€Å"As you probably know,† Langdon said, â€Å"despite Galileo's compromise, Dialogo was still seen as heretical, and the Vatican placed him under house arrest.† â€Å"No good deed goes unpunished.† Langdon smiled. â€Å"So true. And yet Galileo was persistent. While under house arrest, he secretly wrote a lesser-known manuscript that scholars often confuse with Dialogo. That book is called Discorsi.† Vittoria nodded. â€Å"I've heard of it. Discourses on the Tides.† Langdon stopped short, amazed she had heard of the obscure publication about planetary motion and its effect on the tides. â€Å"Hey,† she said, â€Å"you're talking to an Italian marine physicist whose father worshiped Galileo.† Langdon laughed. Discorsi however was not what they were looking for. Langdon explained that Discorsi had not been Galileo's only work while under house arrest. Historians believed he had also written an obscure booklet called Diagramma. â€Å"Diagramma della Verita,† Langdon said. â€Å"Diagram of Truth.† â€Å"Never heard of it.† â€Å"I'm not surprised. Diagramma was Galileo's most secretive work – supposedly some sort of treatise on scientific facts he held to be true but was not allowed to share. Like some of Galileo's previous manuscripts, Diagramma was smuggled out of Rome by a friend and quietly published in Holland. The booklet became wildly popular in the European scientific underground. Then the Vatican caught wind of it and went on a book-burning campaign.† Vittoria now looked intrigued. â€Å"And you think Diagramma contained the clue? The segno. The information about the Path of Illumination.† â€Å"Diagramma is how Galileo got the word out. That I'm sure of.† Langdon entered the third row of vaults and continued surveying the indicator tabs. â€Å"Archivists have been looking for a copy of Diagramma for years. But between the Vatican burnings and the booklet's low permanence rating, the booklet has disappeared off the face of the earth.† â€Å"Permanence rating?† â€Å"Durability. Archivists rate documents one through ten for their structural integrity. Diagramma was printed on sedge papyrus. It's like tissue paper. Life span of no more than a century.† â€Å"Why not something stronger?† â€Å"Galileo's behest. To protect his followers. This way any scientists caught with a copy could simply drop it in water and the booklet would dissolve. It was great for destruction of evidence, but terrible for archivists. It is believed that only one copy of Diagramma survived beyond the eighteenth century.† â€Å"One?† Vittoria looked momentarily starstruck as she glanced around the room. â€Å"And it's here?† â€Å"Confiscated from the Netherlands by the Vatican shortly after Galileo's death. I've been petitioning to see it for years now. Ever since I realized what was in it.† As if reading Langdon's mind, Vittoria moved across the aisle and began scanning the adjacent bay of vaults, doubling their pace. â€Å"Thanks,† he said. â€Å"Look for reference tabs that have anything to do with Galileo, science, scientists. You'll know it when you see it.† â€Å"Okay, but you still haven't told me how you figured out Diagramma contained the clue. It had something to do with the number you kept seeing in Illuminati letters? 503?† Langdon smiled. â€Å"Yes. It took some time, but I finally figured out that 503 is a simple code. It clearly points to Diagramma.† For an instant Langdon relived his moment of unexpected revelation: August 16. Two years ago. He was standing lakeside at the wedding of the son of a colleague. Bagpipes droned on the water as the wedding party made their unique entrance†¦ across the lake on a barge. The craft was festooned with flowers and wreaths. It carried a Roman numeral painted proudly on the hull – DCII. Puzzled by the marking Langdon asked the father of the bride, â€Å"What's with 602?† â€Å"602?† Langdon pointed to the barge. â€Å"DCII is the Roman numeral for 602.† The man laughed. â€Å"That's not a Roman numeral. That's the name of the barge.† â€Å"The DCII?† The man nodded. â€Å"The Dick and Connie II.† Langdon felt sheepish. Dick and Connie were the wedding couple. The barge obviously had been named in their honor. â€Å"What happened to the DCI?† The man groaned. â€Å"It sank yesterday during the rehearsal luncheon.† Langdon laughed. â€Å"Sorry to hear that.† He looked back out at the barge. The DCII, he thought. Like a miniature QEII. A second later, it had hit him. Now Langdon turned to Vittoria. â€Å"503,† he said, â€Å"as I mentioned, is a code. It's an Illuminati trick for concealing what was actually intended as a Roman numeral. The number 503 in Roman numerals is – â€Å" â€Å"DIII.† Langdon glanced up. â€Å"That was fast. Please don't tell me you're an Illuminata.† She laughed. â€Å"I use Roman numerals to codify pelagic strata.† Of course, Langdon thought. Don't we all. Vittoria looked over. â€Å"So what is the meaning of DIII?† â€Å"DI and DII and DIII are very old abbreviations. They were used by ancient scientists to distinguish between the three Galilean documents most commonly confused. Vittoria drew a quick breath. â€Å"Dialogo†¦ Discorsi†¦ Diagramma.† â€Å"D-one. D-two. D-three. All scientific. All controversial. 503 is DIII. Diagramma. The third of his books.† Vittoria looked troubled. â€Å"But one thing still doesn't make sense. If this segno, this clue, this advertisement about the Path of Illumination was really in Galileo's Diagramma, why didn't the Vatican see it when they repossessed all the copies?† â€Å"They may have seen it and not noticed. Remember the Illuminati markers? Hiding things in plain view? Dissimulation? The segno apparently was hidden the same way – in plain view. Invisible to those who were not looking for it. And also invisible to those who didn't understand it.† â€Å"Meaning?† â€Å"Meaning Galileo hid it well. According to historic record, the segno was revealed in a mode the Illuminati called lingua pura.† â€Å"The pure language?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Mathematics?† â€Å"That's my guess. Seems pretty obvious. Galileo was a scientist after all, and he was writing for scientists. Math would be a logical language in which to lay out the clue. The booklet is called Diagramma, so mathematical diagrams may also be part of the code.† Vittoria sounded only slightly more hopeful. â€Å"I suppose Galileo could have created some sort of mathematical code that went unnoticed by the clergy.† â€Å"You don't sound sold,† Langdon said, moving down the row. â€Å"I'm not. Mainly because you aren't. If you were so sure about DIII, why didn't you publish? Then someone who did have access to the Vatican Archives could have come in here and checked out Diagramma a long time ago.† â€Å"I didn't want to publish,† Langdon said. â€Å"I had worked hard to find the information and – † He stopped himself, embarrassed. â€Å"You wanted the glory.† Langdon felt himself flush. â€Å"In a manner of speaking. It's just that – â€Å" â€Å"Don't look so embarrassed. You're talking to a scientist. Publish or perish. At CERN we call it ‘Substantiate or suffocate.' â€Å" â€Å"It wasn't only wanting to be the first. I was also concerned that if the wrong people found out about the information in Diagramma, it might disappear.† â€Å"The wrong people being the Vatican?† â€Å"Not that they are wrong, per se, but the church has always downplayed the Illuminati threat. In the early 1900s the Vatican went so far as to say the Illuminati were a figment of overactive imaginations. The clergy felt, and perhaps rightly so, that the last thing Christians needed to know was that there was a very powerful anti-Christian movement infiltrating their banks, politics, and universities.† Present tense, Robert, he reminded himself. There IS a powerful anti-Christian force infiltrating their banks, politics, and universities. â€Å"So you think the Vatican would have buried any evidence corroborating the Illuminati threat?† â€Å"Quite possibly. Any threat, real or imagined, weakens faith in the church's power.† â€Å"One more question.† Vittoria stopped short and looked at him like he was an alien. â€Å"Are you serious?† Langdon stopped. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"I mean is this really your plan to save the day?† Langdon wasn't sure whether he saw amused pity or sheer terror in her eyes. â€Å"You mean finding Diagramma?† â€Å"No, I mean finding Diagramma, locating a four-hundred-year-old segno, deciphering some mathematical code, and following an ancient trail of art that only the most brilliant scientists in history have ever been able to follow†¦ all in the next four hours.† Langdon shrugged. â€Å"I'm open to other suggestions.† 50 Robert Langdon stood outside Archive Vault 9 and read the labels on the stacks. Brahe†¦ Clavius†¦ Copernicus†¦ Kepler†¦ Newton†¦ As he read the names again, he felt a sudden uneasiness. Here are the scientists†¦ but where is Galileo? He turned to Vittoria, who was checking the contents of a nearby vault. â€Å"I found the right theme, but Galileo's missing.† â€Å"No he isn't,† she said, frowning as she motioned to the next vault. â€Å"He's over here. But I hope you brought your reading glasses, because this entire vault is his.† Langdon ran over. Vittoria was right. Every indictor tab in Vault 10 carried the same keyword. Il Proceso Galileano Langdon let out a low whistle, now realizing why Galileo had his own vault. â€Å"The Galileo Affair,† he marveled, peering through the glass at the dark outlines of the stacks. â€Å"The longest and most expensive legal proceeding in Vatican history. Fourteen years and six hundred million lire. It's all here.† â€Å"Have a few legal documents.† â€Å"I guess lawyers haven't evolved much over the centuries.† â€Å"Neither have sharks.† Langdon strode to a large yellow button on the side of the vault. He pressed it, and a bank of overhead lights hummed on inside. The lights were deep red, turning the cube into a glowing crimson cell†¦ a maze of towering shelves. â€Å"My God,† Vittoria said, looking spooked. â€Å"Are we tanning or working?† â€Å"Parchment and vellum fades, so vault lighting is always done with dark lights.† â€Å"You could go mad in here.† Or worse, Langdon thought, moving toward the vault's sole entrance. â€Å"A quick word of warning. Oxygen is an oxidant, so hermetic vaults contain very little of it. It's a partial vacuum inside. Your breathing will feel strained.† â€Å"Hey, if old cardinals can survive it.† True, Langdon thought. May we be as lucky. The vault entrance was a single electronic revolving door. Langdon noted the common arrangement of four access buttons on the door's inner shaft, one accessible from each compartment. When a button was pressed, the motorized door would kick into gear and make the conventional half rotation before grinding to a halt – a standard procedure to preserve the integrity of the inner atmosphere. â€Å"After I'm in,† Langdon said, â€Å"just press the button and follow me through. There's only eight percent humidity inside, so be prepared to feel some dry mouth.† Langdon stepped into the rotating compartment and pressed the button. The door buzzed loudly and began to rotate. As he followed its motion, Langdon prepared his body for the physical shock that always accompanied the first few seconds in a hermetic vault. Entering a sealed archive was like going from sea level to 20,000 feet in an instant. Nausea and light-headedness were not uncommon. Double vision, double over, he reminded himself, quoting the archivist's mantra. Langdon felt his ears pop. There was a hiss of air, and the door spun to a stop. He was in. Langdon's first realization was that the air inside was thinner than he had anticipated. The Vatican, it seemed, took their archives a bit more seriously than most. Langdon fought the gag reflex and relaxed his chest while his pulmonary capillaries dilated. The tightness passed quickly. Enter the Dolphin, he mused, gratified his fifty laps a day were good for something. Breathing more normally now, he looked around the vault. Despite the transparent outer walls, he felt a familiar anxiety. I'm in a box, he thought. A blood red box. The door buzzed behind him, and Langdon turned to watch Vittoria enter. When she arrived inside, her eyes immediately began watering, and she started breathing heavily. â€Å"Give it a minute,† Langdon said. â€Å"If you get light-headed, bend over.† â€Å"I†¦ feel†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Vittoria choked, â€Å"like I'm†¦ scuba diving†¦ with the wrong†¦ mixture.† Langdon waited for her to acclimatize. He knew she would be fine. Vittoria Vetra was obviously in terrific shape, nothing like the doddering ancient Radcliffe alumnae Langdon had once squired through Widener Library's hermetic vault. The tour had ended with Langdon giving mouth-to-mouth to an old woman who'd almost aspirated her false teeth. â€Å"Feeling better?† he asked. Vittoria nodded. â€Å"I rode your damn space plane, so I thought I owed you.† This brought a smile. â€Å"Touche.† Langdon reached into the box beside the door and extracted some white cotton gloves. â€Å"Formal affair?† Vittoria asked. â€Å"Finger acid. We can't handle the documents without them. You'll need a pair.† Vittoria donned some gloves. â€Å"How long do we have?† Langdon checked his Mickey Mouse watch. â€Å"It's just past seven.† â€Å"We have to find this thing within the hour.† â€Å"Actually,† Langdon said, â€Å"we don't have that kind of time.† He pointed overhead to a filtered duct. â€Å"Normally the curator would turn on a reoxygenation system when someone is inside the vault. Not today. Twenty minutes, we'll both be sucking wind.† Vittoria blanched noticeably in the reddish glow. Langdon smiled and smoothed his gloves. â€Å"Substantiate or suffocate, Ms. Vetra. Mickey's ticking.†