Executive summary Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Executive summary - Case Study Example Home depot management is seeking to improve profitability by; reducing costs through product review, purchasing improvement and increasing number of rental centers, address the current declining customer service and increasing its revenue by between 15% and 18% to be achieved partly through acquisition. Lowe’s company seeks to improve profitability by; introduction of new merchandise, changing its pricing strategy. It expects to open up more branches in its predominant rural areas as well as metropolitan areas, currently dominated by Home Depot. The management also seeks to maintain its current revenue growth 18% to 19%. Alternate products; Home depot has the ability to diversify its current operation by expanding into alternative product as a means of boosting profitability. The new ‘at home’ product has a growth potential of 30% annually compared to overall company’s growth potential of 15%. Alternative retail format; home depot should focus on new methods of ensuring that its customers are taken care of. This should involve focusing on the new program of Service Performance Improvement as a value addition to its customer since preliminary studies show that it’s outperformed the current do-it yourself program in terms of productivity, operating margins and inventory turnover Alternative product; the current market is made up of hardware’s, lumberyards and larger-format home centers. By consolidating its market share gains in the new category of appliances, the company stands a change to operate more profitably. International expansion; Lowe’s is currently a major participant in the domestic market but does not have international presence, compared to Home depot whose revenues from foreign markets make up to 10% of total sales. Although both companies are currently implementing growth strategies, future growth opportunities available for them vary. Home depot can successfully improve profitability by acquisition, developing

How convincing is Porter's model of national competitive advantage in Essay - 1

How convincing is Porter's model of national competitive advantage in explaining the workings and achievements of major nation - Essay Example The claims are based on the total percentage of the entire exports across the entire globe and their relation to the three nations (Hill, 2009). This is an evidence of how Porter created a convincing analysis on his view on national competitiveness. In explaining the national business systems, Porter analyses national business systems by reviewing their input in the global market. He argues that the more exports a nation make the more significance it has in the global market(Thompson, 2004).This way of reviewing national business systems is preferable when comparing the output of nations in the global market. According to Thompson (2004) this method may be however, biased since not all national business systems are based on exports. The author further argues that they are nations with greater G.D.Ps and have very stable economic systems and they have less input in the international market (Thompson, 2004). In using porter’s way of analysis such nations lacks the international standard of competitive advantage. This assumption has created a Porter system that only recognizes the financial stable nations on the global market (Uchida & Cook, 2005). Porter uses the national diamond to show the influence of nations to their local companies. The influence and pressure from a nation will be a great determinant on whether or not the organizations attain an international competitive advantage. Nations provide support and resources to specific countries which then generate outstanding products and income. However, analysts argue that this diamond structure is usually biased depending on mutual agreement by both parties. For instance, an organization may enter into a deal with a government to share a certain percentage of their profits in exchange for support and resources. In such a scenario the market becomes unbalanced (Smit, 2010). However, this strategy is used by states to strengthen their international market significance. In an argument by Smit (2010) the g reater the significance in the international market the greater income through partnerships and revenues. The author further argues that, state governments use the national diamond to help the nation gain greater competitive advantage in the international market. This automatically raises the economic status of an organization. In support of the national diamond strategy, Porter claims that it improves specialization and the quality of goods produced in a country (Schott, 2004). He gave an example with Denmark and its influence in the global market in terms of export of insulin. The Danish government has significantly alleviated the production of insulin and treatment of diabetes in the country. It has provided resources, diplomatic and economic support for this project (Peng, 2009). The impact of this move is significant to the whole industry. Denmark is the leading exporter of insulin in the globe. Minus the support from the government this achievement would not have been possible (Peng, 2009). In Holland there is a premier research institute which focuses on cultivation, shipping and packaging of flowers. This project is almost a sole project of the Holland government that is supplied with resources and labor from the body. After this intervention Holland has become the leading exporter of flowers in the globe (Salvatore, 2002). This shows how great significance government support is on an organization. However, Porter

The Toyota Prius Essay Example for Free

The Toyota Prius Essay The microenvironment consists of actors close to the company that affect its ability to serve its customers- the company, suppliers, marketing, intermediaries, customer markets, competitors, and publics. During the introduction and sale of the Toyota Prius, four major sectors of the microenvironment attributed to its success: The company, suppliers, marketing intermediaries, and publics. Toyota’s customer driven marketing strategy is largely responsible for its success in the hybrid car market. Forward thinking and focus on the societal and marketing concepts allowed for the company to deliver superior customer value to its customers. Management’s focus on the world’s dependence on gasoline and perceived customer value proved to be useful tools in understanding the more environmentally conscious and non-affluent mindsets of consumers. Sleek Asian- inspired design, a roomy interior, and expensive interior options and features usually only found in luxury vehicles, provided customers with the superior value of luxury at a desirable price. Toyota’s value delivery network is also crucial to daily operations. The timely delivery of cars to manufactures helped to avoid bottlenecks and supply shortages which are often seen with products gaining rapid market share. Delays, labor strikes, and loss of suppliers can seriously disrupt the supply chain, cost sales in the short run and damage customer satisfaction in the long run. Working closely with its suppliers, Toyota is able to strengthen relationships to insure it receives the lowest costs; thus, providing more customer value for its customers. Marketing intermediaries such as media publics, government publics, and the general public play a pivotal role in Toyota’s Prius sales. Due to the economic and environmental forces facing the world today, media publics depict the company as doing a good service for the world, gaining governmental support and enticing the general public to purchase the Prius with the sense that they are doing their part to reduce the world’s dependence on fossil fuels and preserving the environment. In 2007 Toyota sold 181,000 Priuses in the US alone, a 70 percent increase over 2006 sales with little promotional effort. This implies that media, government and the general public played a large role in creating customer awareness, and Toyota’s dedication to its customer driven marketing strategy and value supply chain provided its customers with the best value. Which technical and economic forces affect the marketing of the Toyota Prius? The economic environment consists of factors that affect the consumer’s purchasing power and spending patterns. Marketers must pay close attention to major trends and consumer patterns in domestic and global markets. One economic force facing the entire world is our dependence on gasoline and the price that it costs. For Toyota, the release of the Prius was designed to gain market share by doing exactly that: saving the consumer money on gasoline purchases. While the national average per car in 2001 was 25 miles per US gallon (9.4 l/100 km) in the United States, the Prius boasted as staggering 42 miles per gallon. With the current strain on North American consumers, high unemployment, companies downsizing due to technological advances, recessions, and price inflation, it is not hard to see why consumers would favor a car that saves you money at the pump. Not to mention, the price of gasoline was a record $4.12 in 2008 and during that time the financial meltdown had left many consumers out of work and looking for ways to make ends meet. Gasoline is a finite commodity, and it is prone to drastic swings dependent on the global macroeconomic picture and supply chain distributions. Toyota understands that customers don’t like to be held sway to these forces and it will continue to imply this strategy in its marking to insure future sales. Technical advances also played a very important role in Toyota’s success. The Prius’ combination of power sources, a rechargeable battery, and low gas consumption made it instantly appealing to consumers. Without the technological advances in hybrid systems and lithium batteries, the Prius would be much less effective and would not have gained market share so quickly. Advancements in LED screens, GPS, touch screen displays and other high tech gadgets made them more affordable, giving the Prius the interior of a luxury car at an appealing price. Though as technology advances and once luxury items become more common place and affordable, new advancements in technology might pose a threat to the company in the future. Toyota must reinvest in research and development in hybrid technology to maintain its current market share. A value network is defined as the network made up of the company, suppliers, distributors, and ultimately customers who â€Å"partner† with each other to improve the performance of the entire system. A value network for a company as big as Toyota plays a critical role in delivering customer satisfaction. The Toyota Prius value delivery network begins with the company Toyota itself. Strong management, design, and marketing must all coalesce to ensure that the Prius is designed and marketed properly. Internal research, development and innovation are crucial in maintaining market share and increasing share of the customer in such a competitive industry. Day to day operations must run smoothly at Toyota in order for it to focus on new product ideas and promotional efforts. However, many companies must look beyond their own value chain and focus on external factors facing the company. Once Toyota is ready to proceed with the construction of the Prius, it must work closely with supp liers. Relationship management is crucial in receiving external parts such as LCD screens, dashboard displays, sound systems, and other features of the luxurious interior of the Prius at lost cost. This is crucial in maintaining an attractive cost to consumers. Timely delivery of these parts is also of extreme importance as faulty products could cause costly recalls and delays of product deliveries could set Toyota’s production behind schedule, delaying distribution, and ultimately damaging the reputation of the company and hurting sales. The companies that Toyota chooses to affiliate itself with, is also of extreme importance. New technological advances in RD design could help give Toyota an advantage over its competition and faulty equipment could cause costly recalls. Toyota must continually strive to improve its product and actively manage its business portfolio to achieve its goals and increase its long term share of the marketplace. With a total of 2.8 million Priuses having been sold worldwide as of October 2012, Toyota knows that distribution is a huge part of its success. Customers flock to showrooms and car dealership to get their hands on Priuses. Toyota knows that its customers must be able to purchase their products easily and that waiting lists and other delays could hurt the relationship with its customers. With strong competition from other electric car manufactures such as the Chevy Volt and the Tesla Roadster, proper manufacturing, timely and cost effective deliveries of products to Toyota, and global distribution of its products is the key to generating customer satisfaction and ultimately increasing market share. What is the market orientation of the Prius? The Prius shares characteristics of three of the five major market orientations: the product concept, the marketing concept, and the societal concept. Toyota shows that it is deeply dedicated to improving product quality, performance, and innovation. In the competitive world of the electric car, innovation is extremely important. Toyota has displayed this with the improved gas conservation and better battery power of the newer models of the Prius. The company also knows the needs and wants of its customers more so than its competitors. This dedication to the marketing orientation is a big reason why the Prius is one of the best selling cars in the world. The marketing orientation that stands out for the Prius is its dedication the societal concept. Toyota knows that gasoline is a finite commodity and that the days of the gas guzzling SUV’s are coming to an end. Toyota’s dedication to long term societal and environmental effects is one of the key points of the marketing strategy for the Prius. Its saves the consumer money, but it is also better for the environment. Forward thinking, such as environmentally stable, eco-friendly green cars is clearly the wave of the future for the automobile industry. Toyota’s dedication to the societal orientation will insure that the company stays focused on the long term effects of its products and will be better prepared for future challenges. A company’s â€Å"value proposition† is the set of benefits of values it promises to deliver to customers to satisfy their needs. Toyota’s Prius has differentiated itself by offering a solution to consumers who are uncomfortable with the current price of gasoline. By focusing on cleaner, greener energy, the Toyota Prius has captured market share from many of its competitors in the automotive industry, and left many companies wondering how they can reduce their carbon footprint and improve their image. The value to owning a Prius doesn’t stop at the pump. The Prius is stylish, roomy, and packed with luxury options in the interior creating a strong sense of satisfaction for customers. Toyota is selling a vehicle, but it is also selling an experience. It ultimately lies in the satisfaction customers get from driving the product and the feeling that is created knowing that you are doing your part to save the environment. Why buy a Prius? It’s simple. In a world as congested and polluted as the world we live in today, why not do your part to save our environment and reduce global warming? The answer to many consumers questions is: the Prius. Works Cited Kotler,Armstrong,Cunningham,Thrifts: Principles of Marketing 8th Canadian Edition, Pearson Canada, 2010. Print. Fuel economy, January 29th,2013 Patrick Dehaan, Jason Toews, Feburary 2013 http://gasbuddy.com/gb_retail_price_chart.aspx Toyota Prius sales, February 7th, 2013

Translational Heading Control of a Hovering Platform

Translational Heading Control of a Hovering Platform Translational Heading Control of a Hovering Platform using Multiple Control Logic The main objective of this project is to design an attitude control system of a nonlinear and unstable system, which is a Hovercraft, a machine that can move on the land or water, and it is supported by cushion that has high compressed air inside. Attitude control of the hovercraft is considered a major challenge because of the friction offered by skirt and the aircushion. The main idea of this project is the development of a wireless controlled hovercraft testbed connected to a computer. The proposed control strategy for the attitude stabilization will be based upon Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) and Fuzzy Logic for the comparison of transient response, steady-state error and input output constraints satisfaction by the user. Thus ensuring if any disturbances are inflicted on the hovercraft, the controllers will be able to maintain the desired position. The reference for the attitude control will be provided from the computer. The magnetometer will measure the attitude in real-time and controllers will be implemented on myRIO. TABLE OF Contents Declaration Final Year Project Acknowledgements Abstract CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project Framework 1.2 Objectives 1.3 Scope 1.4 Report Structure CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Recent Study References 1.1 Project Framework The hovercraft is a fascinating ground vehicle that possesses the unique ability to float above land or water. Riding on a cushion of air endows the hovercraft with many interesting and useful properties. Unlike wheeled robots, which feature constrained kinematics, the hovercraft can move freely in any direction. For example, although the lateral direction of travel is not usually actuated, the hovercraft is completely free to move sideways. In addition, the Coulomb damping acting on a hovercraft is minimal. The translational and attitude control perception of a hovercraft can be protracted to many control uses. A hovercraft that can rotate and attains a desired position while being mobile at the same time is designed and developed using motors, H-bridge motor driver, battery, magnetometer and NI myRIO. The controllers are designed using the software NI LabVIEW, which are then compiled and burnt on a NI hardware myRIO. The purpose of the control is to estimate the attitude of the platform with the help of sensors. Thus resulting in the use of the attained information from the sensors to make the propellers rotate in the required direction to sustain or alter the position of the hovercraft. An angular position based on the response of the control will be provided to the magnetometer. The response of the control will be transmitted through the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) control, which will either make the dc motors work clockwise or anticlockwise for the translation, and attitude control of the hovercraft. These values are then added and returned to the actuator, which requires this for the production a counter torque used to set the required position of the mobile hovercraft. Fuzzy Logic and PID controllers both will be implemented and used for this project where a detailed comparison will also be performed between the two using NI LabVIEW software and NI myRIO hardware. 1.2 Objectives The aim is to develop the proposed controlled strategy for the attitude and translational control of a hovercraft, which will be based upon PID, and Fuzzy Logic set with myRIO that will measure and compute the comparison of transient response, steady-state error, and input output constraints by the user and other key parameters. All the controllers will be designed in NI LabVIEW and implemented on NI myRIO. Development of a testbed based upon multi-rotor hovercraft. Control of translational and rotational movements through wireless link. Development and testing of PID controller for the attitude control of Hovercraft. Development and testing of Fuzzy controller for the attitude control of Hovercraft. Performance comparison (Transient response, peak time, settling time, steady-state error) of above mentioned controllers. 1.3 Scope The opportunities for gaining knowledge through this project will be: Using material available easily for the development of the mobile hovercraft. Translational and heading Control of the hovercraft using NI LabVIEW Using a magnetometer for the measurement of the incline along Z-axis. Understanding the working of translational and heading control and interfacing sensors at the same time. Using NI myRIO as the mainboard of the mobile hovercraft. Implementation of PID Controller on NI myRIO. Use of PID for the attitude control of the hovercraft. Implementation of Fuzzy Controller on NI myRIO. Use of Fuzzy Controller for the attitude control of the hovercraft. Measuring the Key Parameters (transient response, steady-state error etc.) of both the controllers. Performing a comparison between both the balancing controllers. 1.4 Report Structure As a summary, the flow of this report is briefly described below: Chapter 1: Introduction that provides the background, objectives and scope of the Project. Chapter 2: Literature review of the recent studies based on this project. Also contains a brief description of the different concepts used. 2.1 Recent Study Hovercraft is an air cushion vehicle, ACV, equipped for voyaging over land, water, mud or ice and different surfaces [1]. Many control techniques have been used to compromise for issues like computer torque methods [2], developed on the foundation of PID feedback [3] [4]. Optimal control [5], adaptive control [6], variable structure control (VSC) [7], neural networks (NNs), and fuzzy systems [8] are a few of the recommended control techniques. On the other hand, these strategies are only possible when the mechanical dynamic forces of the hovercraft are well known. A detailed study on the two above mentioned controller techniques i.e. PID and Fuzzy will be carried out for the control of the mobile platform. A hovercraft is not quite the same as other more ordinary, earthbound vehicle in that it requires no surface contact for footing and it can move unreservedly over an assortment of surface while bolstered ceaselessly on a self-produced pad of air. Researches have been made to concentrate the outline qualities and working rule of the air cushion vehicle, and utilize standard estimations to decide the lift powers required. The measurements of the air hole created are likewise computed particularly. The push powers required are enormously lessened because of the decrease in frictional strengths [1]. A famous inventor named Christopher Cockrell in 1955 devised the idea of hovercraft. It is a new means of transportation. The hovercraft is different from other transportation vehicles in a way that it has no contact with the ground and it rides on a cushion of air hence known as Air-Cushion-Vehicle (ACV). He carried out a set of experiments to observe and learn the force that an air jet could produce. Encouraged by the results he designed and made a simple hovercraft, which was a plate with a hole in the middle. A fan supplied the airflow through the hole lifting the plate off the ground. This design was far from optimal. The pressure of the fan was not used efficiently and obstacles in the surface were a problem. After this first design, the hovercraft has undergone a lot of development. British government provided funding for the development of hovercrafts because they saw possibilities to use it for military purposes. In 1959, the first hovercraft prototype crossed the English Ch annel. In 1962, a passenger service by hovercraft began. The largest passenger hovercraft in the world is used for the Dover to Calais crossing. It can carry 380 passengers and 40 cars. It can attain a speed of 70 mph (miles per hour), which makes it one of the fastest ferries in the world [9]. In a research paper the author, Michael McPeake discussed about the history of the hovercraft in 2004. The author discussed the very early hovercraft used named SR.N1. This hovercraft was considered the first real craft because most of the other hovercrafts at that time resembled the planes. The skirt size used on this model was 6 inches long and later to enhance the speed they shortened the skirt size to 4.5 inches and converting to gas turbine engines hence this doubled the speed of the hovercraft. In the book written by R. M. W. Sanders, the author used Electro Cruiser, an amphibious hovercraft as his experimental model. In order to analyze the hovercraft model, the author derived a dynamical model of the hovercraft with the Newton-Euler method. The author only conducted the simulation study and not tested the controller strategy with the real hardware [9]. The U.S Naval Army used the hovercraft in Vietnam. For two years, they used hovercraft against the Vietnamese guerrillas and for ground combat. The hovercraft model they used named SR-5. After the war, the last SK-5 became a showpiece at museum [9]. At the University of Moratuwa, a project was carried out in which they made a testbed to analyze the potential capabilities of a hovercraft [10]. The students at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign also have made a hovercraft testbed for Cooperative control [11]. From the study of paper Comparison between PID And Fuzzy Controllers Used In Mobile Robot Control, where a comparison has been performed between the concerned controllers, it is known that the main issue in the fuzzy controller is that it takes a longer time for computation as compared to the PID controller. The reason for this delay is due to the fuzzification of the inputs, calculation of the experiment through inference and defuzzification of the outputs [12]. In paper Amphibious hovercraft course control based on support vector machines adaptive PID, adaptive PID controller based on support vector machines (SVM) is applied in the course control of a hovercraft, but no comparison was performed using other controllers. This control technique demonstrates that the controller designed accomplishes high dynamic and enduring exhibitions, which brings another viable technique to take care of the issue of air cushion vehicle course control [13]. Other techniques like flatness based approach, dynamic feedback control and neural networks are applied as supplementary controllers to aid the PID controller by refining the forces against the turmoil [14]. Fuzzy Logic has been applied in the paper Fuzzy reasoning as a control problem, but no hardware experimentation has been performed. Fuzzy logic is commonly used for characterizing human speech terms into mathematical expressions for the controlling of a system. The steps taken to form the optimal rules for this logic are rather time consuming. Despite this drawback, this controller operates better than PID controllers due to their non-linear functions, which therefore lead to infinite advantages [15]. Although many comparisons have been performed over the years between PID and Fuzzy Controllers. The goal of this bachelor project is to set up a feedback controlled laboratory hovercraft using NI myRIO as a real-time controller. Apart from control, designing the electrical and mechanical system for this hovercraft is also a part of the assignment. [1] V. Abhiram, A Study On Construction and Working Principle of a Hovercraft, International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 308-313, 2014. [2] G. B. G. a. T. N. M. Nafar, Using modified fuzzy particle swarm optimation algorithm for parameter estimation of surge arresters models, International Journal of Innovative Computing, Information and Control, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 567-581, 2012. [3] J. J. Criag, Introduction to Robotics, New Jersey: Mass: Addison Wisley, 2004. [4] M. V. M. W. Spong, Robot Dynamics and Control, New York: J.Wiley Sons, 2003. [5] I. C. J. C. a. C. S. W.H. H. S.H. Chen, Design of stable and Quardratic-Optimal Static Output Feedback Controllers for TS-Fuzzy-Model-Based Control Systems, 8: 1, 2012. [6] K.-S. S. T.-H. S. L. a. S.-H. Tsai, Observer-based adaptive Fuzzy Robust controller with self-adjusted membership functions for a class of uncertain MIMO non-linear systems, International Journal of Innovative Computing and Control, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 1419-1437, 2012. [7] J. Z. P. S. a. Y. Xia, Robust Adaptive Sliding-Mode Control for Fuzzy Systems with mismatched uncertainties, IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 700-711, 2010. [8] O. D. a. .. H. H. S. C. Elmas, Adaptive fuzzy logic controller for DC-DC converters, Expert Systems with Applications, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 1540-1548, 2009. [9] M. McPeake, History of Hovercraft, Ms Giffen Tech High Senior Engineering, New York, 2012. [10] Project Hovercraft, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa, 2014. [11] First-year engineering students get creative at IEFX Explorations, Urbana-Champaign, 2016. [Online]. Available: www.mechanical.illinois.edu. [12] N. P. a. O. C. C. Popescu, Comparison between PID And Fuzzy Controllers Used In Mobile Robot Control, Annals of DAAAM Proceedings, vol. 13, no. 2, p. 223, 2011. [13] Z. L. M. F. a. C. W. X. Shi, Amphibious hovercraft course control based on support vector machines adaptive PID, IEEE International Conference on Automation and Logistics (ICAL), pp. 287-292, 2011. [14] H. S.-R. a. C. A. Ibanez, The control of the hovercraft system: a flatness based approach, IEEE International Conference on Control Applications. Conference Proceedings, pp. 692-697, 2000. [15] K.-Y. C. a. L. Zhang, Fuzzy reasoning as a control problem, IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 600-614, 2008.

Canada and NATO :: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO

In the book entitled Canada, NATO and The Bomb: The Western Alliance in Crisis by Tom Keating and Larry Pratt the main issue discussed was Canada’s position in Europe, North America and their view on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It went into specific issues dealing with political tension within Canada and tension outside Canada with other countries. It went through the years of different political parties and how they dealt with the matters of NATO. It states Canada’s opinion dealing with matters such as the alliance, war, and decision making with other countries involved in NATO. The book came across Canada’s decision making as though Canada went along with the decisions made by other countries. Canada, NATO, and The Bomb is not a book to inform it is a history book. It addressed issues that had happened previously and stated the type of involvement Canada had in it. In most cases, a book dealing with these sensitive issues, which involved other countries, would provide the pros and cons but in this case only the cons of NATO and the alliance were provided. This book showed NATO as being an organization that is very unorganized. It came across as though the countries involved did not respect each other’s thoughts and opinions. It dwells on the mistakes made by countries for example the United States, various other European countries. It made it seem as though NATO was in conflict within each other making the organization as a whole seem incapable of compromise and the defence of anything. At many points NATO wanted to vote the United States out of the organization but this obviously never happened. At one point it was a problem â€Å"about the possibility of being dominated and ultimately overwhelmed by too close an association with the United States† (pg.30) for Canada and their relationship. The themes of the book were Canada and its position in NATO and NATO’s and its position in the world. The theme was not presented clearly. One of the points were Canada and the main focus was any and everything but Canada. It stated over and over again that Canada did not approve of very much but that was it. It came across as if Canada was only complaining and nothing was being done. NATO and its position are expressed as only conflicts within the congress. It was giving history presentation information dealing with NATO, its purpose and its views on important topics.

Analysis of Alexander Popes An Essay on Man -- Pope An Essay on Man

Analysis of Alexander Pope's An Essay on Man    There are three main issues that Pope talks about in his long poem "An Essay on Man." First, the poet evokes a timeless vision of humanity in which the universe is connected to a great chain that extends from God to the tiniest form of life. Secondly, Pope discusses God's plan in which evil must exist for the sake of the greater good, a paradox not fully understandable by human reason. Thirdly, the poem accuses human beings of being proud and impious. Pope feels that man claims more insight into the nature of existence then he possesses. In "An Essay on Man" Pope is trying to make clear the relationship of humanity to the universe, himself, society and also to happiness. He states "For me health gushes from a thousand springs; seas roll to waft me suns to light- me rise; My footstool earth my canopy the skies" (330). Pope implies that the universe is created for man's pleasures and needs and so therefore we are all connected to the chain of universal order. Through this connection man realizes that all are part of one stupendous whole. He then suggests that this order extends further then we know; any interference with it could destroy the whole. Pope asks in the poem,   "Is the greater chain, that draws all to agree,   upheld by God or thee?" (327). Here he explains that by conforming to the order of the universe we can all agree on and connect to one goal. Through this connection, we would then reach the purest form of humanity. The belief in this poem is that although things do not turn out well for some individuals, everything falls into place in the great chain of the universe. In the long run everything works out for the best, Pope argues. Because humanity is ignor... ...m with these words: "Whatever is, is right" (333). This implies that things are done or happen for a reason. When humanity tries to change things for individual gain rather than the improvement of the whole it weakens the chain, which in turn affects the rest of the universe. I believe we are all individuals who are connected to a higher power, whatever that power may be. The beauty of humanity is exactly that individuality. I agree with Pope in the sense that we are all connected somehow, but I do not agree with total submission in order to achieve total unity. Rather than total submission, I believe our mission is to connect with the universe by using the special gifts given to us by the power that unites us. Works Cited   Pope, Alexander. "Essay on Man." Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces 6th ed. Ed. Maynard Mack et.al. New York: Norton, 1992. 326-333

Example of Interview Protocol

Interview Protocol: 1. How would you define biology? 2. How would you define life? 3. Give 5 examples of life and explain why they exhibit life. 4. What is the smallest unit of life? 5. Is soil alive? Why or why not? 6. Is air alive? Why or why not? 7. What body part makes us most alive? Why? Interview #1 Interviewer (LH): How would you define biology? Interviewee (BM): Um.. as a part of life LH: Okay, how would you define life? BM: Uh.. everything around you†¦from the sky to the grass LH: Can you give 5 examples of life and explain why they exhibit life.BM: Plants, because you need them to breathe oxygen, yourself, because you are you, animals, because they are part of the food chain (she flashed a thumbs up here because she was proud she recalled this information), the sun, because you need it to grow and not be moody, and water, water because everything needs water. LH: Nice.. what is the smallest unit of life? BM: Um†¦um.. um†¦I know this†¦ LH: I know you doâ € ¦ (Another minute passed and never recalled despite looking around the room and looking directly at the cell poster) LH: Is soil alive? Why or why not?BM: Yes, because you can make it grow. LH: Is air alive? Why or why not? BM: Um†¦(about 30 second delay)†¦I am going to say no†¦ LH: Why not? BM: (she shrugs) LH: Okay, go back to how you defined life. How do you define life? What makes something alive to you? BM: It grows and survives. LH: Okay, so is air alive? BM: No, because it doesn’t grow. LH: One of your examples of life was the human body. What part of the human body makes you most alive and why? BM: Your heart because it makes everything move. Because you can live without a brain, can’t you? You can be brain dead.LH: But once your heart gives out then you are dead? BM: Yes, because you still can live†¦ LH: Without a brain but not without a heart? BM: You can live more without a brain then a heart. LH: Very nice, thank you for participatin g. Interview #2: Interviewer (LH): How would you define biology? Interviewee (YC): The study of life. LH: And†¦how do you define life? YC: Something that moving, breathing, functioning LH: Ok.. can you give me five examples of life and explain why they exhibit life. YC: Plants, cause they grow, humans, cause they move around, they function, they think and they also grow.. m.. wait†¦animals cause that’s like humans†¦. um.. LH: Two more YC: I really can’t think of two more. Those are the only ones I can think of right now. LH: Ok, so plants, animals and humans, what is the smallest unit of life? YC: The cell LH: And, is soil alive to you? Why or why not? YC: Um.. yeah because it makes things grow. LH: Okay.. is air alive to you? Why or why not? YC: No, because in order to be alive you have to be, like, functioning, growing, moving and air is just two chemicals put together to make one chemical. LH: Okay, and what body part makes a human being most alive an d why?YC: The heart because without your heart you can’t function, you can’t, because your heart makes your whole body function so without that you won’t be able to function. Because the heart is the one that produces the blood and the blood sends out to all of your†¦um.. cells and all your body parts. It also sends out reflexes. It also helps with your reflexes and everything. LH: Nice, thank you. Analysis: The most surprising part of the interview came after the interview when the two subjects started arguing about their answers. I invited two friends to come after school but interviewed them separately.After I was done with the second interview, the girls started discussing how they answered each question. Their focus was specifically on the last two questions: is air alive and what part of the body makes a human being alive? They started discussing molecules and molecular interactions in air that could create life or prevent life depending on the qualit y of air. In addition, they considered the importance of the brain in the human body and discussed the implications of being brain dead but still alive. After some discussion, the girls decided the brain is the coach and the heart is the player.Both students are basketball players so it helped them to process the information by relating to basketball. In other words, the coach gives direction but the players still have to execute the plays. Another point of interest was the correlation of grades with ease and accuracy of recall. My first subject is receiving a B in my class and the second subject an A. The first subject knew the concepts but had more difficulty with the exact definition. The first subject talked around topics demonstrating knowledge of content standards but had difficulty pinpointing her ideas.The second subject gave exact definitions and answers quickly. The comfort level was visible in the answers provided, both in accuracy and timing. In addition, despite discuss ing the characteristics of life, I realized both students still created a superficial definition of life. They summarized life as something that moves and grows and breathes, but they did not consider reproduction and they are made of cells and more technical aspects of the definition of life. The students also had trouble with their own definition when I started asking them about specific questions regarding living/non-living parts.Although it was interesting the second subject had a greater connection between her definition and her explanation of why a heart is the most critical organ for life. I also noticed when giving examples of life, both subjects focused on broad categories of life: plants, animals, humans and neglected specific examples of living things. I would be interested to see if a younger student would name specific living things or focus on broad categories. I suspect the broad categories come from the fact we are studying cells and just studied ecology and the focu s is on plant versus nimal or consumer versus producer. After completing my interview I realized my questions were too narrow. I tried to predict what the students would say and create appropriate follow-up questions but the questions still had short answers. I need to reflect on how to write my questions to solicit longer responses with more detail to demonstrate feeling. The discrepancy between what I anticipated and what happened could be the result of the nature of the survey and the focus on content compared to my research survey that focuses on experiences and emotions.