Persistence: Endurantist vs. Perdurantist :: essays research papers

The notion of Persistence gives way to several predominant theories; of which, attempt to account for many possible questions that arise from it. As in most cases of debate, when more than one account of such is held to be true, there will clearly be much disagreement. Two views that claim to account accurately for persistence that remain widely known are , that of an endurantist (Threeist) and that of a perdurantist (Twoist). The endurantist will hold that objects are wholly present at all times, a persistent object ‘endures’ over time. The conflicting view of a perdurantist claims that objects are actually composed of temporal parts, more precisely, proper temporal parts. Further, a Twoist (vs. Oneist), will say that a name most often refers to the sum of one’s temporal parts, whereas a Threeist believes a name to refer to one who is wholly present during all times of its existence. The two opposing theories stated very simply, as above, give insight as to the nature of their arguments against one another. It does seem, however, that the Twoist’s account of persistence gives an exceedingly useful notion in regards towards many more subjects of philosophy, as well as an explanation that accounts for much more in terms of the problems associated strictly with persistence itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The argument posed by VanIwagen, a Threeist, against the Twoist is known as the problem of Essential Duration; and the counterpart argument given by the Twoist is referred to as the problem of Temporary Intrinsics. VanInwagen’s (modal) argument goes as follows: One could have lived longer than did in the actually world; this must be accounted for by either, one having been composed of more temporal parts that actually was, or at least some of one’s temporal parts had a longer duration than did in the actual world. VanInwagen continues with; a twoist must clearly hold that temporal parts have their duration essentially; their duration can not be shorter or longer. It then follows that a person is also a temporal part, which is to say they are the sum of all his or her temporal parts, making this the largest part. If this is so, says VanInwagen, then the Twoist must hold this duration essentially and one could not have lived longer than did in the actu al world. A contradiction is reached, VanInwagen then very quickly disregards any additional consideration of such an avenue.

Patagonia Case Study

Ana Martinez Valls 22/10/2012 PATAGONIA 1) Evaluate Patagonia’s business model. How important to Patagonia’s business model is its environmental position? Business models generally have as a primary objective to earn money, however, Patagonia’s is primarily oriented towards â€Å"doing things right†. That is why Patagonia’s founder Yves Chouinard considers the company an opportunity to â€Å"challenge the conventional wisdom and present a new style of responsible business†.It’s business model differs substantially from the traditional business’ one. PATAGONIA’S BUSINESS MODEL * Target customer: Patagonia builds products for its â€Å"core users†, those who lead the â€Å"dirtbag† lifestyle (someone who wanders for temp jobs and long summers†, someone who is passioned about climbing, surfing.. etc) * Product: High quality & useful products, for different occasions that are aimed to â€Å"last foreverà ¢â‚¬ : Four main product categories: Sportswear (47%), Technical outwear (30%) Technical Knits(12%), Hard Goods (6%). Mission- Core service:  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis†. Value delivered: Manufacture of high quality outdoor and adventure sport clothing -Quality: Best clothes, own quality Lab (patents and technique used by other big corpportaions) -Environmentally impact (organic materials, recyclable products, environmental campaigns) -Innovative products that can â€Å"last forever† (more intelligent consumption) -Service to he customer (repair, replace) Acquire and keep customers: during a recession as it is the case nowadays, in a competitive market if two firm s have the same product at a similar price and one of them has a more responsible business, customers are going to choose the responsible business’ product * Differentiation: Organic mate rials that decrease harm to the environment. Products that last forever. Indeed you don’t have to buy new products you can repair them ! Products tested (proved by professionals) and developed in Patagonia’s lab. Revenue generation: Margin earned from selling through its four channels: wholesale(44%), retail (33%), catalog and internet (23%). As a percentage of sales, the gross margin ranges form 50 to 55%. In their new products they focus on innovation, environmental impact and quality what enabled them to â€Å" charge prices roughly 20% higher than those of other outdoor apparel and 505 higher than mass market brands for comparable products†. * Cost structure: one third of the cost comes from manufacturing and two thirds form raw materials.Higher costs due to labor costs in North America which are â€Å" estimated to be anywhere from four to ten times those elsewhere† but also by the use of eco friendly materials such as organic cotton which was betwee n 50% and 100% more expensive than normal cotton. * Profit margin: $26 963 000 ($332 862 in net sales) in 2010 2) How fast can Patagonia grow? How fast should it grow? Patagonia could grow faster, from a financial perspective but if it did it so it would not be â€Å"The Coolest Company on the Planet† (Fortune cover  story, Casey 2007).Indeed Patagonia endeavors a sustainable growth and it prioritizes a slow growth that enable the corporation to be committed to its mission and values. Patagonia’s growth path is closely related to the values that have being shaping the company since 1957 when Chouinard founded it. Indeed, Chouinard is a reluctant entrepreneur and his primary objective in business is not to earn money but he states that â€Å"the reason why [he is] in business is to protect what he likes†. An unsustainable growth goes against his values. Patagonia has found unambiguous ways to couple their products’ function and the brands environmental v alues.Their business model raises major sums for environmental causes and their technological innovation reduces the environmental impact of their products- and that is what it is important for Patagonia. A perfect example of the sustainable growth Patagonia wants to pursue is their willingness to use organic cotton. The help provided to other corporation in order to help to establish a whole new  organic? cotton industry is also a landmark of how they are committed to a sustainable development of the manufacturing industry.Indeed, Patagonia is a reference for other business in its path to reduce contamination and some big corporations such as Nike have imitated -in a certain degree -this new organic cotton initiative. Patagonia has a responsibility towards society and the future reduction of pollution and feels that its mission is â€Å"to share broad sustainable practices†. Another initiative that in theory slows Patagonia financial growth is its participation in the â₠¬Å"1% For The Planet† program- â€Å"an alliance of over 1200 business that donate a self imposed environmental tax of 1% of revenues to environmental organizations worldwide.Also, some of Patagonia’s practices such their Employee Internship Program- through which employees can leave their jobs at Patagonia for up to two months to work full-time for the environmental group of their choice- could also slow their financial growth but increase their positive impact in society In a nut shell, Patagonia is not only focused in economic and financial growth but more on â€Å"its path of breaking new ground on reducing environmental harm†. Patagonia wants to be part of the solution to this economic crisis, and not part of the problem.Even if it could grow faster in financial terms, there is no doubt that Patagonia is growing exponentially in other parameters such as in its position as a beneficial actor in society. 3) Would Patagonia’s business model differ if it were a publicly held company? If Patagonia was a Publicly held company it should in theory pursue other objectives and values that the ones it has currently since it should give priority to shareholder’s value. At a first glance we may think that a faster growth pace will be the solution.In fact, in the case it is suggested â€Å" the fact that Patagonia was private was a major reason that it could pursue environmental sustainability†. On the one hand, shareholders care about dividends and the value of their stocks and â€Å"Patagonia’s sustainable agenda† is said to be â€Å"at the expense of its growth†. On the other hand, Patagonia’s environmental committeemen â€Å"g[ives] the company its competitive advantage† and helps the company to pursue a sustainable growth.Maybe it is true that in the short term to have as the main goal Maximizing shareholder wealth by boosting growth could be a good solution. Nevertheless, in the long ter m it may be unsustainable. In a long term perspective achieving the multi-ends of the firm in accordance with the common good of the society seems to be the good solution-and more now in times in of a global economic crisis where competition is huge and customers have a high bargaining power.Customers will appreciate that the company is a member of the society, a member that balances short term and long term value and seeks for the common good. Patagonia does so by being environmentally committed and by providing services for other companies by sharing with them their innovative sustainable practices and product innovations. It is interesting to point out that Patagonia has being increasing its profits each year even if they were environmental friendly.They have always bear in mind that â€Å"if [they] wish to lead corporate America by example, [they] have to be profitable†. This kind of rationale will be difficult to implement in a publicly held business where the stockholde rs may be unsatisfied with the company’s objectives. However in the medium or in the long term stockholders will be happy to earn stock from one of the â€Å"100 Best Companies† that is probably carrying on growing.Patagonia has achieved an exceptional degree of integration between Corporate Social Responsibility values and commercial activity. Its business strategy is extraordinary and instructive. Patagonia WTP * High products * Durable Credible environmental Policy * Moral Wellbeing * Innovation * Multi use Organic cotton: reduce models because they did not found as many providers as they needed Patagonia’s business model : Invest in research and development: quality , innovation, high price, profit Invest in environment: Reduce harm, En4139ry

M.A. Project Work

Publication Month & Year :  July 2009 Authors:  Mora Sowjanya & Dr. Lokanandha Reddy Irala Industry:  Automobiles Region:  India Abstract: The objective of this case study is to illustrate the lessons of capital investment decisions through Tata Motor’s Nano project. In 2003, Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Group, announced his vision of designing a safe and affordable car for the common man. However, right from its inception, the project had gone through several hurdles.Finally, overcoming all the financial, technical and social challenges, Nano, acclaimed as the world’s cheapest car, was launched amidst much hype and attention from all sections of media. While giving a brief on the entire journey of Nano from the origin of the idea to its launch, the case study highlights the importance of quantitative and qualitative factors in the evaluation of capital investment decisions.Besides, it provides the learning opportunities to discuss the nature of the capital budg eting decisions and its various types. Pedagogical Objectives: * To understand the nature of Tata’s Nano project and analyse the sequence of events that marked the launch of Nano * To derive relevant capital investment lessons from the way Nano project was conceived, handled and executed * To debate on the role of qualitative parameters in capital investment decisions and weighing the magainst quantitative analysis.Keywords :  Initial Capital Outlay; Qualitative Factors; Capital Investments; Irreversible projects; Capital Budgeting; Strategic; Long-term planning; MBA; Corporate Finance; Financial Management; Finance for Managers; Business Finance; Principles of Financial Management; Course Case Maps; Course Case Packs; Managerial Finance; Financial Management Course Case Pack; Financial Management Course Case capital budgeting of tata motors,  capital budgeting of tata nano,  capital budgeting technique of tata nano,  tata motors capital budgeting,  capital budget o f tata motors,  capital budgeting of tata pdf,  tata com motor from capital budeting,  tata com from capital budeting,  capital budgeting statement of tata motors,  capital budgeting of tata motors of 2012,  capital budgeting of tata motors in pdf,  capital budgeting of tata steel,  showing capital budgeting of tata motors,  capital budget of tata,  capita budget of tata moters,  capital budget of tata nano,project report capital budgeting of tata motors,

Plagiarism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Plagiarism - Essay Example one else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledg ­ing its source (Council of Writing Program Administrators, 2003). Nelson and Stepchyshyn have defined plagiarism as the use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as ones own original work (Stepchyshyn & Nelson, 2007). Plagiarism is not a new concept, passing off others’ writings and ideas as one’s own existed even before the internet came into existence. However, the easy access of a variety of materials has caused an increase in plagiarism and it has now become a great cause for concern for universities and academic institutions across the world. About two decades back, plagiarism did not have severe punishments or consequences. However, in today’s scenario plagiarism is very serious offence and can have numerous consequences that include expulsion from the academic institution or a job. Apart from that, the most serious consequence is that the loss of credibility of a writer. One key reason why students indulge in plagiarism could be lack of awareness. As Evan (2000) says, everyone seems to know that plagiarism is wrong, including those who commit the offence, but few know how to completely define it. Many students do not understand that even using their own previous works without citation is plagiarism. This increases the instances of unintentional or accidental plagiarism, where students are not aware of what qualifies as plagiarism. For some students, reproducing large chunks of others’ texts is a way of signalling they know of the existence of this information (Ryan, 2000). Therefore, it is clear that lack of proper awareness is one reason why there is an increase in plagiarism. Ensuring proper awareness and making the students familiar with the various aspects of plagiarism can make the students more conscious and thereby reducing the cases of unintentional plagiarism. Teaching appropriate

Opportunity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Opportunity - Essay Example Success does not depend on how hard a person works but how appropriate a person works. Opportunities therefore present us with chance to work appropriately in order to meet our objectives and responsibilities. This essay will therefore discuss the availability of opportunities in America with emphasis on American students. As a country, America started with the American dream that was initiated by the great pioneers and founders of the nation. Through the American dream, the country has been able to achieve its current success and global position. Working towards a sustainable nation was part of the American dream that has helped the country attains its global position as the most prosperous nation and the country with the strongest economy. How much the country has lived the dream is questionable due to the current economic difficulties experienced in the country (Colombo, Cullen, & Lisle, 1992). These economic difficulties not only affect the country but also the entire world since America is a symbol of global economy. Americans and specifically the American students have the chance to prove to the world that America is capable of living the American dream. Currently there are numerous opportunities for the people and specifically the students to make this reality. Presently the country is recoveri ng from a financial crisis and it is a concern to the government and the world. The recession presents an excellent opportunity to American students to defend the American dream. Knowledge is strength; students have acquired a lot of knowledge from their school and education. Although most of this knowledge is theoretical, students have the ability to utilize this knowledge to solve the current financial problem. Finding a solution to the recurring financial crisis is important to the country’s economy as well as the global economy and hence an

Gender Inequality on Women in the Workplace Thesis

Gender Inequality on Women in the Workplace - Thesis Example Studies have revealed that such gender inequality have grave effects on women’s perceptions of their efficiency and motivation. Some women fall into the trap of giving in to bleak self-fulfilling prophecies that they are not as good as their male co-workers and eventually prove the expectations to be right. This research paper explores the perceptions of women workers of the realities in the workplace regarding gender equality. It will attempt to investigate the grievances and fulfillments of women regarding their current jobs, pay and career advancement and probe the psychological and emotional effects these have on their job performance and motivation. It is hypothesized that gender inequality exists in workplaces, especially in bigger companies. This is exhibited by a large pay discrepancy between men and women who hold the same position and job descriptions. This study will investigate the workers’ perception of gender inequality across the board. The hypothesis will be: Due to the significance of equal opportunities to citizens the world over, laws have been passed to ensure that they are available to everyone. These laws have been designed protect anyone from being discriminated against by reason of sex, marital status, ethnic or national origin, color, race, nationality, age, disability, religion, and differing terms of employment, including pay for jobs of equal value. 1 In the United Kingdom, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (amended 1986 and in the Employment Act 1989) makes it unlawful to discriminate in terms of gender who is offered the job; opportunities for promotion, transfer and training. (Equal Opportunities Management Guidelines) Â  

Formal systematic learning is of less important than informl learning Term Paper

Formal systematic learning is of less important than informl learning. Discuss this statement with reference to theories of learning - Term Paper Example In relation to standard typology, there is a need to gain more understanding of intended learning not separately, but in connection to others. The role played by informal learning and tacit knowledge in organizations is widely acknowledged but insufficiently understood. It is one of the core premises of adult learning that adults resort to life experience to beneficial outcome in learning or training programs (Smith & Defrates-densch 2008). There is sparse previous empirical evidence regarding how this occurs, and none of which puts emphasis on tacit knowledge use and its role in the learning mechanisms and outcomes in shifting between contexts over time (Smith & Defrates-densch 2008). The need for broader recognition of skills and knowledge through informal learning is only one aspect of a debate focused on the characteristic of the purported knowledge-based economy and the ways whereby the knowledge involved is organized and applied (Moon 2004). The current debate has been intensified by economists and labor market scholars, generating new potentials for interdisciplinary engagement with learning scholars and social/educ ational specialists in attempting to understand more what it is that really makes up the knowledge-based economy and the position of informal learning in this context (Rainbird & Munro 2004). Informal learning includes accidental learning in the workplace and in areas of endeavors outside the formal economy. It may also involve intended and explicit frameworks of learning performed in any of these contexts which are not acknowledged within the system of formal education and training (Bratton, Mills, & Pyrch 2003). Informal learning has well-built tacit domains. The explicit is easily collected, organized, and communicated to others whereas the tacit is personal, subjective and experiential, and considerably harder to communicate (Evans, Hodkinson, & Unwin 2002). This paper argues