Product Summary Essay Example for Free

Product Summary Essay The commercialization of the internet proves to be a major opportunity of for business organizations in the global arena. It should be noted that this technology has allowed the creation of new business model where companies can become more efficient and generate more revenue by establishing online presence. The internet has become a venue where sellers and buyers meet for purchases. Some business organizations have opted to augment their brick and mortar strategies by having online outlets while still others have opted to solely operate online. Perhaps three of the most successful business organizations which utilized the advancement of internet technology are retailers like eBay, Amazon, and Walmart. All these industry players have gained the reputation of being the top in internet retailing both in the number of visitors and the amount of sales generated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If I am given the chance to be a competitor of these giant retailers, I will utilize the individual strengths which they display while staying away from their weaknesses. In order to avoid direct competition from these already established players, I will specialize catering to a small segment instead of going after the whole market. This will help me in building the right image for the company and establishing public awareness for the product and service that I would offer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   eBay represents one of the purest market in the world today where buyers and sellers can directly transact with each other. The website is a very good place to buy products because buyers and sellers can negotiate on the price, payment, and other service. However, I believe that an online retailer should have a fixed price and rules when dealing with its customers. Before entering a transaction, the customer should be adequately informed on the price which is most acceptable in the exchange of product and service. The establishment of a fixed system of payment, delivery, and price will eliminate the necessity of having to answer queries for each customer when they find details to be unclear. However, I will consider the user-friendly and frequently upgraded website of the company in order to attract buyers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Amazon is remarkable because of its being purely an online entity. What I will adopt with this company is its system of recording customers’ details which they can use in their future purchases. I believe that this is a very much essential value-added feature because it really makes customer more convenient as they don’t need to type information again and again. Amazon should also be applauded for its customers’ reviews which aids prospective buyers in making their purchase decisions. I will integrate this when putting up an online retailing entity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Walmart is known as the market leader when it comes to price and quality. The company also extends this in its website which showcases all its affordable products. The website of the company is very extensive almost comprising its entire product line which it has in store. What I like about Walmart is the warmth of experience even in online shopping. Customer service is still very remarkable and consistent both in its outlet and its online store. This consistency makes shopping very relaxing in an online marketspace where customer emotions are not often considered. References Kotler, P 2002, Marketing Management, Prentice Hall: New Jersey

The Correlation Between Music and Math: A Neurobiology Perspective :: Biology Essays Research Papers

The Correlation Between Music and Math: A Neurobiology Perspective I remember the first time I heard the statement  ¡Ã‚ ° Did you know that listening to classical music enhances your mathematical abilities? ¡Ã‚ ± I was both intrigued and excited, intrigued because I did not understand how music and math, two seemingly unrelated subject could possibly affect each other. I was also excited because I began to view classical music as some kind of magical potion that would transform my math skills from decent to extraordinary. When I had the opportunity to write this web paper, I immediately jumped into the topic of music and math. The questions that I wish to answer throughout this paper are; does listening to music really help you do better in math? If so, which part of the brain is controlling the correlation between math and music? In addition, how does music stimulate the brain in a way that enhances mathematical abilities? It turns out that there is much evidence that supports the positive effects of music on one ¡Ã‚ ¯s ability to do math. Most research shows that when children are trained in music at a young age, they tend to improve in their math skills. The surprising thing in this research is not that music as a whole is enhancing math skills. It is certain aspects of music that are affecting mathematics ability in a big way. Studies done mostly in children of young age show that their academic performance increases after a certain period of music education and training. One particular study published in the journal  ¡Ã‚ °Nature ¡Ã‚ ± showed that when groups of first graders were given music instruction that emphasized sequential skill development and musical games involving rhythmn and pitch, after six months, the students scored significantly better in math than students in groups that received traditional music instruction. (1) The result of this study posed another important question. How does this type of music that emphasized sequential skills, rhythmn and pitch manage to improve children's ability to do math? It turned out that there are two distinguished types of reasoning, spatial temporal (ST) reasoning and Language analytical (LA) reasoning. LA reasoning would be involved in solving equations and obtaining a quantitative result. ST reasoning would be is utilized in activities like chess when one needs to think ahead several moves. The effect of music on math sometimes termed the Mozart effect. The Mozart effect gain its name after the discovery that listening to Mozart's compositions, which is very sequential, produces a short-termed enhancement of spatial-temporal reasoning.

19th Century Theories in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment Essay

19th Century Theories in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment â€Å"I teach you the Superman. Man is something that has to be surpassed. What have you done to surpass him? † These words said by Friedrich Nietzsche encompass the theories present in Dostoevsky’s nineteenth century novel, Crime and Punishment. Fyodor Dostoevsky, living a life of suffering himself, created the character of Raskolnikov with the preconceptions of his own sorrowful and struggling life. Throughout his exile in Siberia from 1849-1859, his sentiments of suffering, sorrow, and the common man surfaced and heightened, inspiring him to begin writing Crime and Punishment in 1859. The main motif in this novel is that of suffering. It is apparent that all characters, major and minor, experience some sort of internal or external affliction. The overall theme of the work is that all mortal men suffer, and that salvation can not be obtained unless this anguish is present. Dostoevsky’s protagonist, Raskolnikov, must evolve and realize this fact to overcome his conflicts and reach the salvation of peace and tranquillity. Volumes and volumes of critique can be written on where this suffering originated, but Dostoevsky’s main concentration and focus is not where, but why suffering must exist and how this suffering can be overcome. See more:  First Poem for You Essay This is seen from the fact that throughout the six sections of the novel, only one section is focused on the origin of the torment – the Crime, and the remaining five sections are concentrated on Raskolnikov’s path to overcoming this anguish – the Punishment. By focusing solely on the punishment, the internal and external conflicts that arise within the novel do not only provide Raskolnikov’s own philosophy of the path toward salvation, but encompasses that of the German philosopher Nietzsche, as well as his contemporaries. Raskolnikov’s justifications for his actions are relayed in his own Extraordinary Man Theory, which states that there are two classifications of men in the world: ordinary, and extraordinary. He wanted prove that he was extraordinary, that he could commit a crime as horrid as murder, but because he did it for the betterment of society, he would feel no sympathy or regret for his justified actions. In following Raskolnikov’s theory, it becomes apparent from where his conceptions originate. Though the whole work encompasses the philosophies of all the nineteenth century theorists, Raskolnikov’s ideas spawn from that of Friedrich Nietzsche and Georg Wilhelm Hegel. Since it has already been established that the entire novel contains theories of its era, to begin an analysis in regard to the novel’s main ideas evolving from the concepts of merely Nietzsche or Hegel would, in a way, belittle the importance of the remaining non-Hegelian nineteenth century philosophers. By analyzing the ideologies of the major theorists from Father to Fruitcake (Kierkegaard to Freud) with respect to Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky’s intentions, motifs, and ideas can be interpreted with ease. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) believed that truth is both power and suffering. He is often noted as the Father of Existentialism, an innovated modern belief that life has no meaning, and that we must live life just for the sake of living, and nothing else. To know the truth about life and the individuals living it would be a form of powerful knowledge incomprehensible to man. The truth is – Life is suffering. Kierkegaard believed that man was blessed with the greatest gift of all – free will, but this free will creates decisions, and decisions generate emotions. Emotions are the key to the suffering of man. Happiness creates a fear in losing prosperity, fear leads to anger toward life’s unjust ways, anger leads to hatred of life in general, and hatred leads to the suffering of the individual mind. This is the path of the common man, the man who â€Å"thinks† that life can be blissful. The existential man â€Å"believes† that life has no meaning, no substance, and no path for happiness. He is the man who knows and accepts that all things, good and evil, exist, including suffering. This is why the existential man is indifferent toward the benefits and consequences of life. Raskolnikov believes that The Extraordinary Man feels no suffering and no pain. He is the man who can break the laws, transgress the laws, and make the laws. Raskolnikov believed that if he were extraordinary, he could commit any crime, even the crime of murder, and walk away from it indifferent, apathetic, and without emotion. What he did not realize was the main point of Kierkegaard’s philosophy, that no matter what – man suffers. Raskolnikov thought that he could avoid the truth and avoid suffering. It is not until he confesses to both Porfiry and Sonia, which coincidentally is the same instant that his own pain begins to vanquish, that he fully understands and believes in the suffering of man. Georg Wilhelm Hegel (1770-1831), another prominent philosopher of the nineteenth century, hypothesized a dialectic method for the analysis and comprehension of history. He believed that all events in time move in a teleological fashion contrary to the popular belief of a circular path. Hegel stated that history, rather than repeating itself, learns and moves forward toward a purpose. In his theory this purpose is the freedom of all men in a rational state, and moving toward such a beneficial purpose justifies all good and evil events in history. The dialectic method also consisted of a diagram regarding this teleological path. Hegel believed that history is made up of a series of events all corresponding to a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. The thesis and antithesis serve as the conflict in history, while the synthesis becomes the result. In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov is the thesis, the symbol of good intentions, while Svidrigailov is the antithesis, the epitome and reality of evil and suffering. With the battle of good and evil comes salvation, or the synthesis, in this case – Sonia, the representation and key to Raskolnikov’s salvation. This method can also be viewed in the perspective of Dostoevsky’s primary concentrations. With that respect the crime can be viewed as the symbol of good intentions. Raskolnikov killed Alyona because she represented the evil in society. Because her death would be a blessing and benefit to the world he believed his crime would be justified. The punishment can be viewed as the reality of suffering. It is not until after he commits the crime that Raskolnikov realizes that all men in fact do suffer. The key is to overcome this suffering instead of avoiding it. The salvation can be viewed as the redemption and end to suffering – the result of the crime and of the punishment. This analysis also maps Hegel’s teleological perspective because the novel moves in a linear fashion. The Crime (thesis) encompasses Part I of the novel, the Punishment (antithesis) is demonstrated in Parts II-VI, and the salvation (synthesis) is introduced in the epilogue. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844- 1900) did not believe in the suffering of all men. He believed that there existed a superman, a powerful individual that lived for self-gratification and nothing else. The Nietzschean superman asserts his own power to situations while he watches the common and ordinary man suffer because of life’s imperfections. This man needs no justification in his actions, because as long as he has satisfied himself, then his dominance over others requires no reason. Nietzsche also believed that in order to become a superman, an individual must surpass the common man. He must have no qualms or regrets in his actions, and above all, he must not fear his actions or consequences. â€Å"Fear is the mother of morality,† it is an emotion only known to ordinary men. A superman has no fear. Perhaps the character of Svidrigailov emits the best example of a Nietzschean superman in the novel. He is the epitome of evil and lives only for self-gratification. His downfall to his superman visage is suicide. Death is the escape to suffering. Svidrigailov feared its company, and in turn, took his own life to avoid it. Raskolnikov on the other hand, did not avoid suffering – he conquered it. Though before his crime he did ask the Hegelian question of â€Å"Will this crime serve a noble purpose,† he also asks the Nietzschean question of â€Å"Do I dare commit this murder and therefore prove myself to be a man by proving that my will is strong? † It is after this that he commits the crime and begins to endure this suffering. Unlike his rival, Svidrigailov, Raskolnikov overcomes his pain through salvation with the help of Sonia, ends his isolation, and returns to the humanity of society. Karl Marx (1818-1883) believed that society was the root of suffering. His common man, the proletarian, struggled because of the capitalistic bourgeoisie. He believed that â€Å"the proletariat goes through various stages of development. † The first stage is the struggle against the bourgeois, which later turns to suffering. Through the growth of the masses, the final stages of the common man of strength and victory evolve. The goal and path of the Marxist man is to emerge from being a mere commodity of society into being a creative and active member of it. The strength that allows him to do this is the realization that he is suffering because he lives for others, and his victory is obtained by overcoming this anguish through the bond of the proletariat. Though Raskolnikov does not face the same pain of worthlessness as the proletariat, he develops in the same fashion. He struggles against his inner emotions of reason and morality, and suffers because of it. Though Sonia and Porfiry contribute to his salvation, it is Raskolnikov himself that overcomes his emotions. He does not need the bond of the masses to aid him in his survival and path toward salvation; he only needs the bond of his inner rational and emotion states. This is why Raskolnikov survives. In 1859 the theorist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) published a controversial book of survival entitled The Origin of Species. In this work Darwin established that an organism’s evolution or devolution in life is representative of their ability to conform, adjust, and survive within the harshness of its environment. This theory of â€Å"survival of the fittest,† later became the coined theme of Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism believes that man survives and prospers in nature because he is the organism that is fit enough to do so. In a battle between man verses nature, and even man versus society, only the strong shall survive, while the weak will parish. Faith and belief no longer have any bearing on the members of tomorrow’s society, only strength.   his theory is presented many times in Crime and Punishment. Alyona and Lizaveta both perish because they are not capable of defeating Raskolnikov. Alyona also did not survive because Raskolnikov’s beliefs were stronger than her will and intentions. Svidrigailov cannot conquer the constraints society has placed upon him, and in turn, he commits suicide. The only exception to this theory is Raskolnikov. His inner strength of intelligence may be strong, but his physical and emotional abilities do not coincide with Darwin’s notion of fit. Raskolnikov’s survival is from his redemption. He reaches salvation because he chooses to, and therefore he survives because he chooses to. He does this through his own realization and rationalization. The psychologist and theorist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) believed that an individual’s decisions are not always determined by the rational state of mind. He believed that all humans possess three distinct decision making chambers of human behavior. He refers to the first of these as the id. The id is the childhood and instinctual need of the individual. This is the sector that satisfies an individual’s wants and desires, accomplishing them at no fear of risk. The second portion of human behavior is referred to as the ego. The ego is the rationalist, the sector that makes decisions that benefit the individual and society. Freud believed that the majority of all individuals make decisions based on their ego. The final and third division of an individual’s behavior is called the superego. The superego is the ideal individual. This individual makes decisions that should be made; he does things the way they should be done in his opinion, and no matter what the results may be, has no reason for regret. Though most of the characters in the novel make decisions based upon their ego, it is evident and apparent that Raskolnikov does not. He knows what he believes to be right and wrong, and tries to right the wrongs in society with his superego. Though he is the only one to use his superego, all of the other Freudian sections of human decisions exist in the work. Throughout the novel, Svidrigailov uses his id. His encounters with women, prosperity, and fortune are not prolific because he deserves them, but because he wants them. It is his id that leads him to his desire for an end to suffering, and his death near the end of the novel. Sonia and Dounia both rationalize their actions through their ego. Though Sonia does not and should not be a prostitute, she knows that it is the only way for her family to survive. Dounia is in a similar predicament. She did not wish to marry Luzhin, but his wealth and proposal to help Raskolnikov rationalized her to stay. Later, her ego permits her to marry Razumihin for his compassion, admiration, and companionship. This use of the id, ego, and superego supply a Freudian element to Dostoevsky’s work. With all of these theories analyzed, computed, and settled, we can end this critique where we began: â€Å"I teach you the Superman. Man is something that has to be surpassed. What have you done to surpass him? † Is Raskolnikov a Superman? Well, he follows Kierkegaard’s existential statement of â€Å"I believe, therefore I am,† which means that he surpasses the common man who merely â€Å"thinks. † Through the ideas of Hegel, his teleological movements from crime to punishment all serve a justified purpose in benefiting his moral and rational states. He overcomes the common man through the salvation he obtains from this linear evolution of trials. He suffers not from Marxist classes, but from internal struggle, excluding him as a member of the proletariat, or common man. Though not physically or emotionally fit to survive, his confession becomes his salvation, his survival, and his disclaimer in the Darwin theory of surviving. The common man may survive because he is fit to survive, but Raskolnikov survives because he chooses to survive. Unlike Freud’s theory that the everyday man lives his life through his ego, Raskolnikov makes his decisions based on his superego, doing things not just because it would be rational, but because that it the way it should be done. So then, â€Å"Is Raskolnikov a Superman? † Yes.

Determinism Vs. Indeterminism And The Existence Of Free Will

Though there is no singular definition of ‘free will’, the standard argument against it is the dilemma between determinism/indeterminism and the fact that these two concepts threaten the prospect or the existence of free will. Determinism is the basic philosophical principle that every event, including human decisions and actions, are the imminent consequence of prior events. Strict determinism would argue that free will does not exist due to the fact that our previous actions or past events, determine what our future actions will be. Thus creating the idea that a ‘present free will’ could not actually occur, essentially contending that human autonomy is impossible. A determinist would argue that ‘free will’ is essentially an illusion, arguing that preceding actions predetermine any choice we make in the future. Though determinism argues against the case of free will, it is a common misconception that most compatibilists are determinists. Though useful, determinism is somewhat unnecessary when deciding whether we act freely or not as it fails to explain why we act at will. However, the objection to free will that the deterministic approach takes is one that I will explore in this essay in regards to the different theories of compatibilism. A traditional argument of compatibilism would simply state that freedom of the will is otherwise known as the freedom to do whatever an agent would desire, without the obstruction from any exterior elements. Hobbes would argue that freeShow MoreRelatedBaron dHolbach and William James on Free Will and Determinism1192 Words   |  5 PagesBaron dHolbach and William James on Free Will and Determinism 3. Discuss the issue between Baron dHolbach and William James on free will and determinism? Before we can discuss the issue between Baron dHolbach and William James we have to know the definitions of the items the issue is about. Free will according to the Encarta encyclopedia is The power or ability of the human mind to choose a course of action or make a decision without being subject to restraints imposed by antecedentRead MoreFree Will vs. Determinism Essay1951 Words   |  8 PagesFree Will vs. Determinism Society walks about day-by-day living their lives and never really thinking or breaking down how their day unfolds or why it plays out the way it does. Some people have said that individuals have a choice and are able to decide on where their day goes. Others on the other hand would argue this assessment and state that your day and your life as whole are all pre determined. The different is free will vs. determinism. Do you believe we live in a free will world or has