Do objects exist independent of the mind?

Do objects exist independent of the mind? This essay will investigate the question of whether mind independent objects exist according to John Locke and George Berkeley. John Locke reasons that objects do exist independently of our mind but this is not without some caveat. George Berkeley on the other hand argues that no material substances exist other than ideas or perceptions in our minds. Hence there are no mind independent objects. I will argue that John Lockes reasoning is actually stronger than Berkeleys and therefore the case for mind independent objects existing is coincidentally stronger as well. Lockes argument in support is that we can be sure of the limits of our knowledge of their existence because of the ideas we obtain from our senses. I will firstly detail how Lockes reasoning supports this contention. Secondly I will explore Berkeleys claim which denies that any form of material substance and hence mind independent objects do not exist independently. I will argue that Berkeleys claim fails because of inadequacies raised during his rejection of Lockes argument. Berkeley relies on an appeal to the supernatural (e.g. God) to counter the universal proposition that he inevitably draws himself into with the existence of other minds in external human bodies and in his contention that external objects only exist as ideas in the mind. Locke adopts a pragmatic approach to this inquiry because he uses the senses in a practical everyday way to assess the degree of certainty of knowledge. Importantly, Locke accepts the limitations of human knowledge which then defines the inquiry question of what level of certainty there is for the existence of external objects (Bennett, 2007). Locke says that an idea is; whatever is the object of the understanding when a man thinks (Bennett 2007 p2). This is an important definition because it suggests an idea to be more than just a representation of an external object. What Locke alludes to here is that we have a cognitive ability to obtain knowledge of the external world through a relationship in our mind between simple (sensations from experience) and complex (abstracted from particular to universal principles) ideas and are thus able to pass judgement (subjective) about the certainty of that knowledge. Locke states that; Knowledge, then, seems to me to be nothing but the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement and incompatibility, of any of our ideas. That is all it is (Bennett, 2007, p196). So knowledge then becomes the outcome of complex ideas created in our mind from sensations. The mind has no innate ideas and starts out as a tabula rasa (or blank sheet) but with mental faculties which thus enable the creation of ideas from experiences of the external world (Bennett, 2007). This is not unproblematic though because it raises the question of exactly which faculties are then innate. However, the ideas created come into being from when a person first has sensations. Locke says that: Since there appear not to be any ideas in the mind before the senses have conveyed any in, I think that ideas in the understanding arise at the same time as sensation (Bennett, 2007 p22). These ideas fashioning our knowledge are thus derived from our experience. They are also built upon the immediate impression of external objects in our mind through our senses. More complex and abstract concepts result from our own introspection. Locke then talks about three types of knowledge which are important in our understanding of the certainty of the existence mind independent objects. He claims that these three types of knowledge are; 1. Intuitive Knowledge which is the immediate agreement or disagreement between ideas without an intervention of other ideas; 2. Demonstrative Knowledge which does not immediately perceive the agreement or disagreement of ideas. It therefore brings into itself more ideas and creating complex ideas thus calling it reasoning; 3. Sensitive Knowledge which is knowledge gained through the senses (Bennett, 2007 p22). Sensitive knowledge is the key element of his claim that external objects exist independent of the mind. Whilst it is readily conceded by Locke that sensitive knowledge is not as certain as intuitive knowledge or demonstrative knowledge, it nevertheless goes beyond probability (Bennett, 2007, p202). It follows then that the level of certainty in establishing a case for the existence of external objects knowledge using the senses is limited. But I contend that the degree to which it is limited does not discount its use. Locke also asserts that whilst some philosophers question whether external objects exist even though they may have an idea in their mind, there is a degree of evidentness which puts the question beyond doubt (Bennett, 2007, p202). So he postulates that we can feel the sun, notice the difference at night without the sun and appreciate the contrast between a dream and an idea coming into our mind through the senses (Bennett, 2007, p202). So for all practical purposes, I contend along with Locke that this is all we need to establish a high level of certainty about the existence of mind-independent objects. This is not to say, that his logic is not without some openings for criticism such as the probabilistic certainty of sensitive knowledge. However I argue that the strength of Lockes reasoning for the existence of mind independent objects lies in its pragmatic simplicity. If we have the idea that something exists independently of our mind and we confirm this with our senses, then it is highly probable that it does exist independently of our mind. If we have the idea that the ground we walk upon is solid, then the idea comes from our experience of solid ground through our walking upon it. Using Lockes reasoning then, the idea of solid ground (as a mind independent object) can be held to be certain; to the limit that sensitive knowledge allows. In contrast to Locke, one can postulate as does George Berkeley, that material substances (and hence mind independent objects) do not exist. In his inquiry, scepticism surfaces amidst the proposition that we think only about the idea and not the actual external object. This scepticism charges the materialism of Locke for example, with implying that it leads to disavowing God (Downing, 2011). This aspect of Berkeleys rejection of Lockes materialist conceptions of the existence of external objects is also a key element of my rejection of Berkeleys Idealism. Berkeleys main argument for the mind independent objects not existing is structured thus; That we perceive ordinary objects and I wouldnt have known them if I hadnt perceived them by my senses; Things perceived by the senses are immediately perceived; and Things that are immediately perceived are ideas; and Ideas cant exist outside the mind. So it follows that; The existence of things I perceive by my senses consists in being perceived. When they are actually perceived [the existence of things], therefore, there can be no doubt about their existence (Berkeley P41). Unfolding what Berkeley means by this hinges upon his use of the word perceive. If the definition of perceiving is to become aware of something through the senses, then it seems that what Berkeley is saying is that we can have knowledge of the existence of external objects. But in fact that is not what he is saying. In #1, #2, #3 #4 he is arguing that our perception or awareness of ordinary objects (external) is based upon the use of our senses creating ideas which can then only exist in our minds. Premise #5 makes his argument look remarkably circular but I will grant that it isnt for this purpose. What he is saying is that external objects only exist because we are able to be aware of them. His conclusion at #6 reiterates the thrust of his claim that when we are made aware of external objects by our senses, then we cannot doubt their existence. He does not mean the external object. He means the idea of the external object. So, if the external object is not a representation and it is not anything other than an idea brought about by a perception or awareness through the senses, how is it that we come by the idea of knowledge of the external world? And more so, how is it that when we are not present or are denied our senses for any reason, that other people continue to experience the external world. Berkeley answers this by saying that When I say that sensible things [external objects] cant exist out of the mind, I dont mean my mind in particular, but all minds. Now, they clearly have an existence exterior to my mind, since I find by experience that they are independent of it (Berkeley p42). I argue here that this sentence inherently disrupts Berkeleys claim that there are no mind independent objects. How is it that there can be other independent minds (assuming them to be within external human bodies) which have an existence exterior to his and which perceive external objects whilst Berkeley is say, asleep? How is it that they are not considered to be external mind independent objects? There must be some other explanation. So Berkeley finds himself having to refer to the supernatural deity for relief; God. There is therefore some other mind in which they [external objects] exist during the intervals between the times when I perceive them; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. it necessarily follows that there is an omnipresent, eternal Mind which knows and comprehends all things and lets us experience them in a certain manner (Berkeley p42). In my assessment this appeal to the omnipotence of God diminishes Berkeleys argument dramatically. It is not a question of having or not having a belief in God. It is about establishing a level of certainty that the external world exists independently of our mind. In contrast to Lockes argument which allows for a probabilistic consideration about the certainty of knowledge; Berkeley simply refutes the external mind independent world and fills the void he creates with that of a supernatural deity. It is contextually understandable but I argue that it severely reduces the plausibility and explanatory power of his claim that mind independent objects do not exist. This essay has argued that Lockes assertions about the existence of mind independent objects are stronger than Berkeleys claim that no mind independent objects exist and to this I offer my support. Lockes probabilistic approach to sensitive knowledge assists him to overcome the vicarious connections between the mind and the external world. This is not without its problems though as I have discussed in the paper. Locke struggles with innateness of ideas and faculties along with proving the level of certainty against a measure of probability. In contrast, Berkeley simply rejects mind independent objects outright, which leaves him with the problem of how to then deal with the issue of other minds and human bodies. To this he simply defers to a supernatural deity in God. This I contend creates a most significant weakness in his argument and causes me to reject it. ConAgra Foods, Inc: Economic Analysis ConAgra Foods, Inc: Economic Analysis Author: Artem Zaiets(36981) Summary This paper’s purpose is to look through and analyze the activities of ConAgra Foods within food processing industry. It will touch the areas of the financing of the company as well as those of the business strategies and compare the company’s major competitors’ operations over the past 5 years. The statistics will also project the expected future growth under the rate of 5% over a 3 year period and look at the sensitivity analysis. Using the projected data, this paper will also show the internal growth rate of the company as well as the external funds required for the future. Introduction ConAgra Foods, Inc. is an American packaged foods company that is located in Omaha, Nebraska that was founded a whole century ago in 1919. The company produces and sells products under 27 different brand names, most of which are popular and known only within the North America. Some of ConAgras major brands include Hunts, Healthy Choice, Marie Callenders, Orville Redenbacher, Slim Jim (snack food), Reddi-wip, Egg Beaters, Hebrew National, P. F. Changs, and Bertolli ready meals. The products of the company diverse from cooking oil to hot dogs, frozen dinners, peanut butter, hot cocoa and many more. As was mentioned earlier, the company’s brands are known mostly in North American, including Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, nevertheless, the company still competes with European and Asian packaging food companies in the market and holds a quite strong position in the list. Financial Strategy There are many tools and ratios that can be useful in order to find out a firm’s financing strategy over a course of period. In this passage, I will be discussing 3 of them: debt to equity ratio, payout ratio and retained earnings during the period from 2010 to 2014, and will compare them with other major competitors that the company has in the food processing industry. The first tool that will be used is debt to equity ratio. This ratio indicates the proportion of equity and debt that a company uses to finance its assets to know whether it is conducting a riskier but more profitable business or vice versa. From the chart we can observe the comparison of this ratio with 2 other industry-related companies (Appendix Table 1). As can be seen from the chart, over the course of these 5 years, the ratio for ConAgra Foods, Inc. jumped drastically from 0.7862 to 1.752 in December 31st of year 2013. This can be explained by the fact that the company decided that it did not have sufficient revenue in order to operate further, and as was mentioned earlier the higher the ratio is, the more risk the company takes but the more money it receives as a turn-over at the same time. We can observe the same situation with Kraft Foods, an American company which was founded in year 2012 as a grocery manufacturing and processing conglomerate. A new company has relatively à ¢â‚¬Ëœless’ to lose than an older one, especially when a company such as ConAgra Foods is nearly 100 years old. Indeed, in the short run, according to microeconomic rules of companies, the latter need to have as much revenue as possible in order to operate in the long run. That is why the ratio for the second company is relatively high. As for Nestle which was founded in year 1905 and that is headquartered in Switzerland, we can observer that the situation is rather more stable compared to the 2 other companies. In year 2012, it reached a maximum of 0.4494 ratio in debt to equity which is quite low considering this industry is capital-intensive. The payout ratio, on the other hand, shows the amount of dividends per share to earnings per share that a company makes. For investors, the ratio can show whether the company’s dividend payments seem to be appropriate and sustainable or whether the company’s paying out more than it can sustain. New and-or fast growing companies usually focus on re-investing their earnings so the business can grow, and as a result, tend to have lower dividend payout ratios. Conversely, larger companies usually have a higher payout ratio. Let us analyze the data from Table 2 (Appendix Table 2). ConAgra Foods company’s payout ratio during the period of 2010 to 2011 has been always higher than 40%, and in 2012 even reached 84.8%. This shows that the company decided to increase the relations with their shareholders, or increase the amount of people contributing to the company by having a more attractive dividend payment. As for the new company Kraft Foods, in 2012 the ratio was at 18.2% which is not surprising. However, the company in the next year decided to increase the dividend payments to 48.2%. The reasons may be the same as ConAgra Foods company’s and also that the company does not have much operating cost at this stage. Nestle in years 2010 to 2011 was quite low, but increased to a reasonable amount in the next years. Yet another tool can be used in defining a company’s financial strategy and it is the retained earnings. Retained earnings are usually used to pay off debts and/or gain additional assets (Appendix Table 3). Table shows the relationship between the retained earnings with long-term, short-term debts, as well as non-current assets and stockholders’ equity for ConAgra Foods company. The short-term debt in the company is kept relatively low at all times in the company, which shows that it spends its earnings to keep them down. Non-current assets, however, get increased by twice as much in year 2013. The explanation for this may be that the company decided to increase investments for its many brands recognition, as well as some new equipment. 1.2. The relationship between the financing strategy and the business strategy Since ConAgra Foods, Inc. has so many brands under its name, a wise strategy for the company would be to increase their investments on those brands that have the highest potential, make them more recognizable around the U.S. The company has, therefore, undertaken a few financial actions that would reflect on their business operations. An example of that is the dividend action. The dividend continues to represent one of the highest payout levels among consumer food companies today. As was shown earlier in the chart with the payout ratios of the company and its competitors, we could indeed see that the ratio was the highest for ConAgra Foods, Inc. Restructuring charges is the next strategy that the company recently implemented. The balance of this charge will reflect upon the volatile and non-volatile costs relating to the implementation of restructuring activities, including programs designed to reduce the company’s ongoing operating costs. In other words, the company also focu ses on reducing operating costs. This does make sense, knowing that this industry is quite capital-intensive. The company also announced plans to divest its seafood and domestic imported cheese businesses. 1.3. Internal Growth Rate The internal growth rate of a company illustrates the highest level of growth which is achievable by the company without obtaining external financing. The formula for calculating the growth rate is as following: IGR = Plowback ratio Ãâ€" return on equity Ãâ€" . The plowback ratio is simply 1 subtracted by the payout ratio (1 – payout ratio), and the return on equity is the net income divided by the shareholders’ equity (ROE = ). Using the latest financial data of the company for year 2014, we get that IGR = (1 – 0.527) Ãâ€" Ãâ€" =0.473Ãâ€"0.058Ãâ€"0.272=0.00746 or roughly 0.75%. A conclusion of this is that without external financing, the growth rate of the company is mediocre. In case of any questions considering number (Appendix B Balance sheet of the company). 2.1. ConAgra Foods spreadsheet Assumed growth rate 0,05 Comments Comments Income statement 2014 2015 2016 2017 Revenue 17 702 600 18 587 730 19 517 117 20 492 972 5% increase Cost of goods sold 13 980 000 60,4% of sales 14 679 000 15 412 950 16 183 598 5% increase EBIT 955 400 1 003 170 1 053 329 1 105 995 5% increase Interest expense 379 000 379 000 379 000 379 000 Earnings before taxes 576 400 EBIT-I.expense 624 170 674 329 726 995 Taxes 298 000 51,7% of EBT 322 696 348 628 375 856 Net income 315 100 EBIT I.expense taxes 301 474 325 701 351 139 Dividents 166 057 Payout ratio = 0,527 158 877 171 644 185 050 Reatined earnings 149 043 Net income-dividents 142 597 154 056 166 089 Balance sheet Assets Net working capital 1 588 400 1 667 820 1 751 211 1 838 772 5% increase Fixed assets 15 123 600 15 879 780 16 673 769 17 507 457 5% increase Total assets 16 724 000 17 547 600 18 424 980 19 346 229 Equity and liabilities Long-term debt 8 767 600 8 767 600 8 767 600 8 767 600 Shareholders equity 5 258 500 5 401 097 5 555 154 5 721 242 Increase due to Retained earnings Other liabilities 2 601 200 2 601 200 2 601 200 2 601 200 Minority interest 96 700 96 700 96 700 96 700 Total liability and s.equity 16 724 300 Equal to total assets 16 866 597 17 020 654 17 186 742 Required external finance 0 681 003 1 404 326 2 159 487 Total assets Total liab. and s.equity From this table we can observe how much external finance company needed to maintain future growth. It means that company will either sell equity or borrow debt to obtain extra cash for future growth. Required external finance was calculated, simply, by subtracting future total assets from future total liabilities and shareholders’ equity. In case of any questions considering number (Appendix B Balance sheet of the company). Appendix A 2.1. Financing strategy Table 1 DEBT TO EQUITY 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 ConAgra Foods (CAG) 0.6543 0.6183 0.7862 1.752 1.522 Kraft Foods (KRFT) N/A 0.0021 2.79 1.924 2.298 Nestle (NSRGY) 0.3249 0.3928 0.4494 0.3475 0.3024 The numbers were taken from December 31st of each consecutive year. Table 2 PAYOUT, % 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 ConAgra Foods (CAG) 43 46.8 84.8 82.1 52.7 Kraft Foods (KRFT) N/A N/A 18.2 48.2 53.1 Nestle (NSRGY) 17 18.5 60.6 72.2 47.5 Table 3 Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Retained Earnings 4417 4854 4765 5130 5011 Short-term Debt 261 364 78 703 226 Long-term Debt 3226 2870 2859 8887 8768 Non-current Assets 7778 7509 8223 16026 15136 Stockholders Equity 4924 4702 4440 5264 5259 Appendix B 1.3. Internal growth rate; 2.1. ConAgra Foods spreadsheet Balance sheet of the company 2014 Assets Current Assets Cash And Cash Equivalents 183,100 Net Receivables 1,393,200 Inventory 2,292,600 Other Current Assets 361,900 Total Current Assets 4,230,800 Property Plant and Equipment 3,822,800 Goodwill 7,836,500 Intangible Assets 3,205,800 Other Assets 270,500 Total Assets 19,366,400 Liabilities Current Liabilities Accounts Payable 2,416,400 Short/Current Long Term Debt 226,000 Total Current Liabilities 2,642,400 Long Term Debt 8,767,600 Other Liabilities 2,601,200 Minority Interest 96,700 Total Liabilities 14,107,900 Stockholders Equity Common Stock 2,839,700 Retained Earnings 5,010,600 Treasury Stock (3,494,400) Capital Surplus 1,036,900 Other Stockholder Equity -134,3 Total Stockholder Equity 5,258,500 References conagrafoods, (2015).Investor Relations and Investor Information | ConAgra Foods. [online] Available at: http://www.conagrafoods.com/news-room/news-ConAgra-Foods-Announces-Strategy-for-Strengthening-Long-Term-Operating-PerformanceStreamlined-PortfolioIncreased-Marketing-on-Key-BrandsAggressive-Cost-Programs-and-Lower-Dividend-Shape-New-Financial-Profile-1008563 [Accessed 29 Jun. 2015]. Financials.morningstar.com, (2015).Balance Sheet for ConAgra Foods Inc (CAG) from Morningstar.com. [online] Available at: http://financials.morningstar.com/balance-sheet/bs.html?t=CAGregion=usaculture=en-US [Accessed 29 Jun. 2015]. Gurufocus.com, (2015).ConAgra Foods Inc (CAG) Debt to Equity (%). [online] Available at: http://www.gurufocus.com/term/deb2equity/CAG/Debt+to+Equity+%28%25%29/ConAgra+Foods+Inc [Accessed 29 Jun. 2015]. Markets.ft.com, (2015).Nestle SA, NESN:VTX financials FT.com. [online] Available at: http://markets.ft.com/research/Markets/Tearsheets/Financials?s=NESN:VTX [Accessed 29 Jun. 2015]. Finance.yahoo.com, (2015).CAG Balance Sheet | ConAgra Foods, Inc. Common Stoc Stock Yahoo! Finance. [online] Available at: https://finance.yahoo.com/q/bs?s=CAG+Balance+Sheetannual [Accessed 30 Jun. 2015]. Finance.yahoo.com, (2015).CAG Income Statement | ConAgra Foods, Inc. Common Stoc Stock Yahoo! Finance. [online] Available at: https://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=CAG+Income+Statementannual [Accessed 30 Jun. 2015].

Is It Possible to Prove the Existance of God Essay

Is it possible to prove the existence of God? Throughout time many philosophers have been searching for an answer to creation and whether it is actually possible to prove (or not prove) if God exists. Some of the philosophers include Thomas Aquinas, William Paley and Blaise Pascal they came up with various different theories and arguments to prove the existence of God and why they believed he did exist. Another philosopher Karl Marx thought that his theory could convince people not to believe in God. One philosopher, Thomas Aquinas believed that God did exist and that he could prove this simply by arguing that the Universe could not have been made by nothing at all, saying that it was impossible for something to come from nothing. He believed that the universe was caused to exist by something which itself is uncaused, or else there would be an infinite regress. He thought that the only way to explain the start of the universe in a rational way was to say that it was created by God. I think that Aquinas may be right, but I doubt that he is right as he is saying that God was created by nothing but I feel that something must have created God and therefore there must have been an infinite regress. There is also no solid evidence or proof that God does exist and since there isn’t I think that not even Aquinas is 100% sure that God exists. Also, Aquinas’ theory seems rather contradictory as he says that the Universe must be caused by something and cannot just simply be made by nothing but that God is an uncaused causer. Another Philosopher, William Paley, like Aquinas was convinced that God does exist and that he could prove it. Paley ‘invented’ the thought experiment to encourage people to agree with him that God exists. He called his argument that Teleological argument (coming from the Greek word ‘telas’ meaning purpose). Story Imagine you are walking across open countryside with some friends. Then you suddenly come across something lying on the grass. You are so impressed with the workmanship that you are your friend. Who do you think made this watch? † The friend says†Nobody made this watch it was always there† Paley said that the universe, like a watch is too complicated and intelligently designed to have no creator. Paley used the Analogy of the watch to argue the existence of God. Paley argues that if a simple watch has a creator then the universe, which is so much more complicated and in some ways more beautiful than a watch must have a creator and that creator must be God. I think that Paley’s theory does seem reasonable but I do not fully agree with it completely. I think that the world must have a creator but not necessarily God anything could have been the creator and that the creator might not be Omnipotent, Omnibonevelant and Omniscient the creator could have simply just created the universe and then just left it or done nothing else to it. Another philosopher who also likes Aquinas and Paley ‘believed’ in God and thought that he could use his theory to encourage others to do so was Blaise Pascal. However, Pascal’s theory was very different to Aquinas and Paley’s. Pascal believed that God’s existence can neither be approved nor disapproved and whatever you decide about this problem will be uncertain and that your answer can be nothing more than a gamble. Pascal said that you cannot avoid making a gamble on God’s existence and you have to place your bet whether you like it or not. Pascal soon came to the conclusion that it would be better to believe that God existed than not to as you will not lose anything by doing so. He thought that if you believed that God existed and then after your death he actually did you would have a big gain by going to heaven. If, however God didn’t exist and you believed that you did you would not lose anything apart from some of your time praying and going to religious places etc. Pascal also thought that if you did not believe in God and came to know after your death that he did you would be most likely to go to hell therefore have a big loss. He called his theory Pascal’s wager. I strongly disagree with Pascal’s theory mainly because he only believed in God for selfish reasons and wanted people to believe in God only because of the happiness they would get in heaven which is not the actual idea. Also I think that God does not decide to put people in heaven and hell based on whether they believe or not but by the good deeds they have done in their life, so people who believe in God just for reasons like Pascal’s probably would not go to heaven anyway. I think that Pascal seems rather greedy to believe in God just to go to heaven after his death. The last philosopher I’m going to talk about is Karl Marx. Marx thought that that â€Å"Religion is a tool of oppression† meaning that Religion is something that you do not actually need but use to distract yourself from other things and something that someone just gets pleasure and happiness from. So he thought that everyone should just reject religion and this would make people aware of their own true situation and this may give them a chance to improve the conditions in which they live. Marx used quotes from the bible to back up quotes from the bible to back up his theory. â€Å"Blessed are the poor in spirit†¦ inherit the earth† Marx would argue that this quote is trying to say that it is not the rich and powerful who are most fortunate but actually the poor, as they will go to heaven because of all the suffering they have endured. He would say that the poor are often given quotes like this to make them content with their own miserable lives and that religion makes a virtue of poverty and meekness and unacceptable lives have been glamorised. Therefore I do not agree with Marx argument mainly because his theory may have been applicable at that time but it is not now, as people do not use religion just to have a distraction or something to comfort them when everything else is a mess. To conclude I think that although there are many different theories for whether God exists or not it is not actually possible to prove that God exists and that if you believe in God you should not just believe that he exists because of some theory but because you actually believe he exists and want to believe in him. Although it is probably not possible to prove whether God exists or not (unless he came down to earth and told everyone) the most convincing way would be to experience a miracle. Miracles can prove that God exists to a certain amount because most miracles would be far too big to be just a coincidence. Even though there are many stories about miracles in the news and in religious books such as the bible you cannot actually be sure until you experience one yourself. Miracles may not prove that God as people know him exists (Omnipotent, Omnibonevelant and Omniscient etc) but they do prove that there is an all powering/ supernatural being.

A Health Promotion And Social Participation Program

Healthy Food, Fun Friendship Cooking Group for Seniors on a Fixed Income The aging of the baby boomer generation is creating the fasting growing population group in human history, the elderly. As a result, economically stable societies are faced with the unprecedented challenge of helping this rapidly expanding population maintain their health, independence, and well-being (de Almeida, Graca, Alfonso, Kearney Gibney, 2001). There is a plethora of evidence-based research supporting the fact that good nutrition, physical activity, and social participation are essential for the functional and psychosocial health, self-sufficiency, and well-being of aging seniors (Jones, Kimberlee, Deave Evans, 2013). The purpose of this community-built proposal is to create a health promotion and social participation program in order to educate seniors on a limited income about the positive long-term health benefits of social engagement and good nutrition on one’s health, well-being, and overa ll quality of life. Profile of Target Population Description The target population of the community-based cooking program is community-dwelling adults, aged 65+ years, living independently in an apartment complex for individuals on a fixed income. 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Examples And Ambiguities Of Art Censorship - 1459 Words

Examples and Ambiguities of Art Censorship (Position Paper) Art censorship, suppression of the arts, has a very long history. This is because all societies must decide what the limits of free speech are, and in this decision they must also decide the status of art. It is easy to raise more questions than answers when exploring this topic as it is a question whose answer is affected by differing perspectives and opinions. It would be exceedingly difficult to articulate an argument based on data, and even more difficult to prove any kind of causation using this data. Because of this I won t even try to make this type of argument, instead I ll only provide some historical and current examples of art censorship and express my own opinion†¦show more content†¦Pope Paul IV ordered a list of prohibited books in 1559. This list has been updated 20 times and was not abolished until 1966. This list was horrifically enforced during the inquisitions through the burning of the books in q uestion and sometimes their authors. In 1652 The Catholic Friar Diego de Landa order the commencement of the burning of Mayan codices and idols. Only three of these codices written in the Mayan hieroglyphics remain. A whole written system was very close to being completely annihilated. This demonstrates how harmful and destructive censorship can become when taken to the extreme. Eventually attitudes towards the naked human figure had changed in the art world. But, in 1865 Edouard Manet s Olympia was still able to generate controversy. Although it was normal to see nude paintings, this particular painting generated controversy because of its realistic rendering which contrasted with the usual idealized style of the time. Also, the woman in the painting returns the viewers gaze which some found to be off putting. This particular work did not experience censorship problems with the government or gallery, but instead the attempted censorship came from bystanders. In fact two policemen were there to guard the painting from them. I would argue that this is indeed a form a censorship. Censorship does not have to come from a government or a gallery, but can come from anyone attempting to suppress speech

The Death Of A Black Man - 1360 Words

2. a.(A woman who loves to fly is seated on an airplane next to an elderly gentleman who is flying for the first time and is shaken by fear) â€Å"You don’t understand my situation.† The woman smiled kindly to the gentleman next to her. â€Å"Oh, I’m sure I do sir. There is no reason to be afraid.† The poor soul, the woman thought sweetly. He looks so old. Maybe it is not such a good idea for him to fly. â€Å"No,† the man said angrily â€Å"You cannot possibly understand.† â€Å"Than perhaps you might inform me.† The man turned away from her. She could hear him muttering under his breath, â€Å"People. Always thinking that an old man has outlived his problems. If only I was so lucky.† The woman did not like being spoken to in such a manor. After all, she was†¦show more content†¦Maybe she should say something. â€Å"Sir, you are going to be okay. I fly all the time, I love it. Nothing has ever happened to me during a flight.† She tightened her seat belt. â€Å"In fact,† she said, smiling at him, â€Å"I have gotten into several car accidents, but I have never had any problems flying.† The man looked straight at her. His eyes were a milky gray, and they were clear with desperation. â€Å"Yes,† his voice trembled, â€Å"But you have never had me on board either.† Before the lady could respond, the plane began to accelerate. Speeding down the runway the plane shuddered and then took off. The world slowly disappearing behind several puffy white clouds. â€Å"See,† The woman said, turing to look at the man, â€Å"There is nothing to worry about.† But the man was gone. Along with all his belongings. b. A sensitive, awkward teenager tries to tell his father, a stern disciplinarian, that he has quit school. His dad was mowing the yard. Maybe this would be the best time to tell him, when he had been working all day. â€Å"Hey† he called, â€Å"Dad?† â€Å"Son. Come on over.† His father had taken off his shirt and his farmer’s tan was on full display. His slight pot belly had become pink from the sun, while underneath had stayed white. His son walked over, kicking the balls of cut grass, staring at the ground. If I had one wish, I would turn into an ant. I wouldn’t even mind if I only lived for a day, because I am sure ants do not know they are only going to live for a little while, just

EU-Belarus Relations Free Essays

This paper will utilize 5 articles from around the world on the question of the relations between Belarus and the European Union. The purpose here is to unmask the propaganda, the unsubstantiated rumors and western-sponsored attacks on Belarus and specifically, its president, Alexander Lukashenko, wildly popular in Belarus itself. The Moscow Times (May 4, 2009), speaks of the possibility of Lukashenko boycotting the EU’s summit in Prague that same week. We will write a custom essay sample on EU-Belarus Relations or any similar topic only for you Order Now There are two reasons given for this. First, that the visit might â€Å"irritate† some EU members, and secondly, that part of the agenda of the meeting is to promote the â€Å"economic integration† of eastern Europe within a EU run framework. Both of these reasons are telling. First, the economic success of Belarus outside of the system financed by the International Monetary Fund has threatened the European Union and the United States. The endless accusations of vote rigging and oppression are belied by the fact that Lukashenko is overseeing a huge expansion of the post-Soviet economy of Belarus, and that he holds to a solid popularity rating of 80%, this after over 10 years in office. The Los Angeles Times (September 25, 2005) has said: â€Å"even [Lukashenko’s] fiercest opponents don’t question the accuracy of independent polls that rate him the most popular politician in this country. † Yet, the major papers and agencies here do not make reference to it at all. From the Financial Times (May 2, 2009), the Belarussian foreign Minister, Sergei Martinov, fears that the Prague Summit would have turned into a competition for Belarussian support. In other words, that the EU was using this summit to lure Belarus away from Russia. Martinov said that â€Å"We are not going to make a choice between the EU and Russia. We are not going to develop relations with one at the expense of relations with the other. † It seems that the fears of Lukashenko and his government are justified here. The only rational reason why the EU, whose public contempt for Lukashenko is daily made clear, would want Belarus to attend the Prague summit is so that they can take Belarus away from the protection of Russia with the aim of altering her highly successful political system. What other government would tolerate this? It seems more that the EU seeks the cooperation of Belarus, at least partially because Russian oil pipelines and much refining capacity goes straight thought Belarussian territory. While the EU publically condemns Belarus for vague crimes, the Belarussian foreign trading regime has been heaving tilted towards the EU and away from a dependence on Russia. Belarus is skillfully playing both sides, making herself indispensable for both the Russian and the European sphere of influence. The fact is that, vague denunciations aside, Belarus still sports a large trade and budget surplus, high economic growth rates and an unemployment rate of around 1%. These numbers are difficult to argue with, and hence, the EU’s approach has now been directed more towards dialogue rather then confrontation. In April 29, 2009, the Euro-Business newspaper from Brussels came out with a scathing article attacking Belarus from a Polish point of view. It relates the president of the European parliament’s condemnation of Belarussian policies while speaking in Poland, and reminds readers that Lukashenko was under a EU imposed travel ban lifted only in October. But what are the facts here. Again, the president of the rather toothless EU parliament attacks Belarus for a lack of democracy. But Belarus has 14 independent and rather large political parties, some pro-Lukashenko, some opposed. Belarus has dozens of privately owned newspapers of diverse backgrounds, including the large anti-government Charter 97 news agency. Apparently, the issue is not over â€Å"democracy† but Belarus’ strong sense of national independence, including in terms of economic integration with the EU. Pro-Belarussian professor Matthew Johnson had this to say about the situation in Belarus: In Belarus, a country the size of Kansas, there are about 800 newspapers. Of this, about 600 are privately owned. There are about 450 magazines are various kinds. Of these, about 300 are owned by private investors or entrepreneurs. In television, there are 9 state owned stations, and about 40 stations owned by private investors (Johnson, 2006). On April 30, 2009, the Soros owned Radio Free Liberty newspaper wrote that â€Å"Czech President Vaclav Klaus has said he would neither shake Lukashenko’s hand nor invite him to the Prague castle if he comes to the Czech capital. † No reasons for this immature overreaction are given. It does strongly suggest that the EU and the US are putting quite a bit of pressure on European leaders to freeze out the independent Lukashenko. His economic success and thriving democracy are a threat to the west where democracy is synonymous for â€Å"integration with the west. † Lukashenko’s independent course and economic success far and above either Poland and Czech Republic in terms of incomes and unemployment (cf. World Bank Report, 2009). The Russian News and Information Agency wrote on February 18, 2009, that â€Å"The EU plans to include Belarus in its new program, Eastern Partnership, on the condition that Minsk complies with EU demands on the country’s democratization. † In other words, Belarus can be a part of Europe so long as she ceases to be an independent country and permits Brussels to restructure her domestic policy. And would Great Britain like it if Belarus refused to ship any oil to Europe unless she pull out of Northern Ireland? This is about power, and the foreign policy independence of Belarus. Refusing to follow any western line, Belarus has strong economic and military ties with Iran, China and Vietnam, hence standing in the way of western foreign policy. This seems to have more to do with the EU’s contempt for Minsk than anything else. But often, the newspapers dealt with here refuse to deal with the major issues. First, none of the above papers ever dealt with the economic success of Belarus, even when such success is seconded by the World Bank statistics themselves. Second, they refuse to deal with Lukashenko’s popularity and, lastly, refuse to deal with the long history of the CIA in attempting to destabilize that country, hence prompting Lukashenko’s paranoia about foreign manipulation. Paul Labarique writes in the Non-Aligned Press Network: The Bush administration’s many attempts to overthrow Alexander Lukashenko and destabilize Belarus to bring it to the North Atlantic orbit (NATO) have failed. Not precisely because the extremely authoritarian president has had the support of Russia, but because it has relied on his voters. Appreciating the country’s good economic performance and the maintenance of their independence, the Belarusian distrusted an opposition too openly submitted to Washington’s interests (February 18, 2005) While this is a dated reference, it does show that many are suspicious about the so-called anti-Lukashenko opposition and the CIA’s long running interference in Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, Georgian and Belarussian elections. But none of this is spoken of in the major media outlets in America or the EU. The more recent articles dealt with in this paper refuse to deal with any of the major issues involved with the west’s irrational attacks on Lukashenko. But what are the newspapers leaving out? Apparently they are under a great amount of stress to paint Lukashenko in the most dire colors possible. But this is a problem: if the major newspapers worldwide are refusing the report the truth, than what does this say? It says that, especially in more obscure parts of the world, CIA involvement can lead to distorted reporting for reasons of â€Å"national security. † Or it may be merely that the reporters involved do not want to be thrown out of the country club, or that, even more, the Radio Free Europe report is motivated by the fact that the Soros NGO’s were thrown out of Belarus some years ago as agents of the CIA. Either way, the fact remains that newspaper reporting is highly suspect, and yet, the issues here are tremendous: Russia is a nuclear armed country, and pushing Belarus too hard is, to some extent, pushing Russia. To re-create the Cold War is likely not the best idea in the world, and the fact that Belarus is reaching out to China and Venezuela suggests that an alternative trading and military bloc is being formed. The picture the newspapers paint of Lukashenko is an unrestrained tyrant. Yet that is not backed up by facts in any forum. Hence, in reading papers about the relations between Lukashenko and the EU, one must be wary of the bias of the authors. The issues that the authors are not bringing up either because they are too ignorant of the subtleties, or they are under pressure, are that first, Belarus is an economic and political success. Lukashenko enjoys wide popularity and has controlled the effects of both the breakup of the USSR and the current economic crisis. But Lukashenko’s policies have been driven by state independence and the desire for a multi-polar world. This has led to threats from the west that has led further to the realignment of Belarussian politics towards anti-western centers throughout the world, including the crucial area of nuclear power (Kommersant, 2006). The west’s policies in this respect have been failures. But it is also clear that the media is also a major power behind the attacks on Lukashenko, often without the facts and research necessary to make sense out of the complex political situation of small states in a hostile environment. Obviously the media is misreporting the situation in Belarus. It seems to this writer that the real reason Belarus is a threat is that they are an economic successful nation outside of the integrative structures of the west and its banks. Luskahenko has refused to permit his country to come under the control of the west, and has pursued a strategy of international equality, seeing all states as equal and as contributing to global justice. As a result he is vilified in the press, as some of the newspaper reports mentioned here show. History is in the making indeed, and it is being made by a handful of reporters and journalists in elite newspapers. References: Barber, Tony. â€Å"Belarus Fears Battle for Regional Influence. † The Financial Times. May 2, 2009. Moscow Times. â€Å"Lukashenko Expected to Skip EU’s Prague Summit. May 4, 2009 EU Business. â€Å"European Parliament Chief Calls for Democracy in Belarus. April 29, 2009. Radio Free Liberty. â€Å"Belarussian President Will not Attend Prague Summit. † April 30, 2009. Labareque, Paul. â€Å"Belarussians Defend their Interests. † Non Aligned Press Network. February, 15, 2005 Johnson, Matthew Raphael. Belarus: A New Look. The American Journal for Russian and Slavic Studies, 2006. Kommersant. â€Å"Lukashenko Speaks Chinese. † May 24, 2006 World Bank. Belarus. 2009. (Cf www. worldbank. org/by) for all the statistical information on the Belarussian economy. How to cite EU-Belarus Relations, Papers

Robin Hood Case Analysis free essay sample

Robin Hood Case Analysis BY JAZZY08 In the Robin Hood case, we can easily apply the principles of a business organization. Robin was the CEO of the Merrymen. He made all important decisions and a few lieutenants serve in roles that have been delegated such as information gathering, discipline, finances and provisioning. These make up the top management in the organization. This is associated with the Fayolism theory developed by Henri Fayol who proposed that managers perform particular functions for the growth and success of the organization. The four tasks that have been delegated as well as Robin Hoods personal vendetta against the Sheriff serve as the basis for many problems encountered by the Merrymen. First year, did well because they were a small organization experiencing little problems, growth was steady, revenues were consistent due to stealing from the rich, no major competitive forces were established in the industry and Robin Hood and the Merry men had the support of the stakeholders (peasants and farmers) because the men saw to it that the people were taken care of as well as their equal hate for the Sheriff . According to Henri Mintzberg what is expected of a manager is described through management roles. Robin as the CEO possesses the decisional roles which entails the important decision making and choices. The Merrymen acquire informational roles through information gathering and finances as a few of their delegated tasks and finally, the peasants and farmers possess the interpersonal skills that are very symbolic in nature because of their absolute interest and support in the efforts made by Robin and the Merrymen. Their peasants and farmers are the main reason for their formation rob the rich-give to the poor). Over the years, Robin Hood was faced with many issues that needs to be addressed. He believed that the strength and manpower of any army was in its numbers and so the band is growing too large with insufficient resources to sustain it. There is also a decline in the Merrymens vigilance as it is so hard to keep track with the larger numbers which may cause them to be unprepared if the Sheriff were to place a surprise attack on them and discipline is hard to enforce resulting in less control. This issue needs to be resolved in order for the men to work well with one another before a case of mutiny outbreaks (Robert. L. Katz; human skills). The Sheriff is growing stronger and becoming better organized because of his owerful allies as well as the support of the evil Prince John. Just as the numbers of Merrymen are growing, travelers are beginning to find alternate routes through the forest to avoid apprehension, causing a decline in the bands revenue stream. This is the major problem that Robin Hood needs to overcome. If he cannot steal the rich peoples money, he has nothing to give to the poor which can cause a strain in the relationship with his stakeholders. Also, with no money, Mr. Hood will not be able to maintain his group of Merrymen, and they will become weaker making themselves susceptible to attacks from the Sheriff. The two satellite problems facing Robin Hood are the intensive threat of competitive rivals and threats to suppliers. The core problem is rivalry, Prince John and the Sherriff are Robins main rivals and pose a definite threat to his operation. They are in direct competition with each other, and their actions have to constantly be monitored which is going to be difficult due to the their persistent efforts to capture Robin Hood and his Merrymen. Suppliers are a high level threat, because at any point those who support Robin Hood could be captured by Prince John and the Sherriff, thus cutting off supplies. Also, the bargaining power of suppliers is high simply because of the business Robin is involved in(robbing). His business is illegal and therefore a high level threat to anyone who supplies to him. Threat from buyers is currently a low level threat because an objective of Robins is to give to the poor. They have no reason to pose any threat unless at some time Robin Hood begins to tax them. The threat of new entry is also low given the legality of this endeavor. Individuals will likely be more willing to Join Robin Hood as opposed to forming their own faction. Although it is bviously more common to have a threat of new entry when in control of the market while making a profit, in this particular situation it is relatively low given Robin Hoods rapport within the forest. The threat of substitute products has been identified as a low to moderate threat. The residents of the forest are assumed to be the customers. The variable that make them a threat include: the perceived possibility that Robin may fail. In the event of this transpiring, the most probable alternative would be the majority of the people leaving the forest. This is a low to moderate threat because lthough Robins current status is relatively stable; his customers face the real possibility of being forced into making alternative decisions. This, along with the changes in the external environment is making the bands business model obsolete. These changes must be addressed along with the structuring and training of the ever-growing band of Merrymen. In short, Robin needs to select a new strategy and rally the Merrymen behind the cause because the current strategy is becoming timeworn at a hurried pace. Robin Hood and his men need a new mission, objectives, and strategy. Their vision is belonging to a kingdom with an honourable King who treats everyone fairly. His new mission should be to free the people from Prince John and return King Richard to the throne. Robin Hood and his band are in need of a fresh strategy in response to external happenings. For instance in the situation where the travelers are beginning to avoid the forest, despite added cost and inconvenience, to protect their belongings. Also, Robins plan to force the Sheriff out of Nottingham by causing unrest is not working. Indeed, the Sheriff is using powerful connections to apply added pressure to Robin and the Merrymen. To further complicate matters, some of the barons that appointed Prince John to the throne are now campaigning to clandestinely raise the ransom to free King Richard. These barons have offered Robin Hood the chance to help in this mission in exchange for future amnesty. While the return of King Richard and the ousting of Prince John is what Robin wants, the risks involved in such a deal are very high. The mission of the gang is rob from the rich and give to the poor. However, the true goal of the organization is to remove the amoral Sheriff from office, as evidenced by the consideration of Robin to institute a fixed transit tax. A more appropriate mission would be rid Nottingham of the corrupt King John and Sheriff. The gang also needs to outline some objectives, as this has not been done in the past. For example, each Merryman shall produce enough loot each day to pay for his own food. The band does need a new organizational structure as a result of the lead for change in structure would possibly be promoting more lieutenants in order to monitor the men more effectively and keep the men clear of their strategy. Maybe the group could form smaller camps that are part of the whole for organizational stability and spread across the entire forest of Nottingham. Robin Hood could Join with the barons to collect the ransom to release King Richard, receive amnesty and a resolution to the campaign against the Sheriff. It is risky because the barons could offset his efforts and if the plan proves to be unsuccessful, Prince John will unleash his vicious and volatile side to ensure Robin Hoods demise, but it is less risky than doing what he is presently doing which is nothing. In assisting them, he has more support against the Sheriff. If he continues to do nothing he will eventually end up caught by the sheriff, run out of supplies or mutiny will break out among his men. Robin Hood must weigh the benefits and risks of the following : forming a strategic alliance with the barons to rescue King Richard , expanding the organization into areas outside Sherwood Forest ,killing the Sheriff as a defensive strategic move or switching to a fixed transit tax as an offensive strategy move. A SWOT analysis will help determine some strategic alternatives and how the band can attempt to fulfill its mission and achieve its goals. Robin Hood can use the SWOT analysis to identify where he is strong and vulnerable, where he should defend and attack by scanning both internal and external environments. The group has grown spontaneously in its numbers. Manpower is the largest resource any group can have and the number of the Merrymen is formidable. Robin Hood is also a strong leader. For any one-single man to organize a group of this caliber, strong leadership skills must be present. The brand recognition the Merrymen posses has also been a strength. Because the group is so popular, it has allowed them to make a difference in their community. This popularity has also gained the group access to the resources of the surrounding towns and communities. The cost of training and producing their product is also a trength as well as their skills of being well trained fghting men. According to Robert. L. Katz, managers need three essential skills, in being well trained men, they must acquire Job- specific knowledge and technigues needed to proficiently perform work tasks (technical skills) They simply steal to obtain the capital they need and training costs are small outside the capital needed to supply the arms and feed the Merrymen. Most of the combat supplies are probably stolen as well. Moreover, new recruits are coming in and the men are being reunited in the enmity against the Sheriff. The first major weakness I have identified is Robin Hoods personal grudge with the sheriff. This has a great potential to cloud his overall view and influence judgments that may otherwise may not be for the good of the group. Even though the group was born from this idea, it has seemingly surpassed Just over-throwing the sheriff and transformed to a scope much larger. This personal vendetta may not take this into account and cause ill-formed decisions. The second major weakness I have identified is the alliances Robin Hood has made. This problem encompasses a few of the other weaknesses the Merrymen have. At first, the recruitment looked for viable candidates that fit a certain criteria. Now, the Merrymen will accept anyone who is willing to serve the cause hence there is a lack in familiarity with all the organizational members. Because of this single change in recruitment procedures, the now laxed recruitment process, another issue has arisen; exceeding the food capacity of the surrounding lands. This is simply a numerical problem that is encountered when you let anyone Join a group that relies so heavily on natural resources. The food shortage has also resulted in a depletion of the Merrymens financial reserves. Since the land can no longer provide the resources the group needs, they have turned to trade and purchasing. The large number of the group has also caused a space problem. The next major sets of weaknesses I have identified are a result of the looting and raids the Merrymen participate in. This raised the question to Robin Hood of what alternatives are available to help the group raise funds. Robin Hood favored taxation of the travelers and local towns people rather than looting and raiding but this concept was met with much resistance. His lower management argued that taxation would turn their closest allies against them and ould virtually put them in the same category as the Sheriff. A major opportunity present that is not coupled with the weaknesses the Merrymen have is the proposition of freeing King Richard. Securing the release of King Richard, if successful, would be very beneficial to the Merrymen. This is potentially another source of income for the Merrymen and would shine beneficial political light on the group. If the group were to fail, the retribution would be detrimental. Instead of fghting Just one sheriff and his men, the band would potentially have to take on the entire army commanded by Prince John. The opportunities present are forming an alliance with the barons in order to bring King Richard back to Nottingham and expanding the Merryman into the forest spreading revenue base. The sheriff, of course, was the source of the major threats to the Merrymen. At first the campaign was successful but over time the sheriff and his forces are growing larger and better organized causing increased direct competition. They have received the funding they need to disrupt the Merrymens operations. The plan the group first used forecasted that a perpetual state of unrest would cause the Sheriff to be removed from his osition, however the opposite happened and the sheriff used the unrest to secure reinforcements and funding for the campaign. This was a result of his close strategic alliance with Prince John. Moreover, Prince John is very paranoid and could act irrationally by sending his spies to offset the Merrymen. Additionally, aligning with the barons is very risky as they could deceive Robin. Several recommendations have been developed for the Merrymen to aid in the success of the group. It is the belief that the current strategy is one that can again be successful but many changes need o be implemented to ensure this strategys success. I recommend that Robin Hood align with the barons. He should help them collect the ransom that would free King Richard. In order for this to work, Robin Hood would have to sell this idea to the Merrymen and the farmers and the townspeople and change the policy of outright confiscation of goods. He has to convince them that the fixed transit tax will go towards their Kings ransom. Robin acquires the conceptual skills required of any manager to perform proficiently according to Katz, he is looking at the bigger picture which he believes everyone will benefit from. conceptual skills). This will help everyone feel loyal and patriotic to one common cause. The citizens already do not like the Prince John and they would likely unite together and support any strategy lieutenants to help the already overworked ones that he has, given the state of discipline and other problems. Robin has considered killing the Sheriff but it would not end the campaign because it has grown beyond the scope of Just the Sheriff, but decided against it because it would only satisfy his thirst for revenge without improving the matter. The next Sheriff would undoubtedly be Just as bad if not worse ecause the Sheriffs association is devoid of values. Also, with the Sheriffs high- powered friends and increasing resources, the chances of succeeding in the slaying are dim because this would more than likely anger Prince John into dealing out very harsh punishment that could terminate Robin Hood and his men. If there is an unsuccessful attempt on the life of the Sheriff, retribution will be fierce. The Merrymen need to build off the strengths it has. The quality of the manpower is an area of concern. Implementation of the original recruitment process or an advanced recruitment process is the first necessary fix. Just letting anyone be a participant of the group has been the source to several of the issues plaguing the Merrymen. Candidates should have a particular set of skills to allow entry. If there is a food shortage, pre-screen candidates for skills such as farming. Discipline has been identified as another issue. This can be eliminated through the better screening process and better training. For this all to work, there must be a better management system put in place. The external threats, weaknesses and opportunities the Merrymen have are formidable but proper action can be used to manage these. The ack of food and provisions can first be solved by recruiting farmers and hunter/ gathers to the group who solely focus on these issues as well as enforcing that the men produce enough loot each day for his own food. This would also help eliminate the expenses the group incurs as trading and bartering for provision could be gradually eliminated. Since revenues are in decline, any money-saving action is beneficial. Concurrent with this issue, expansion of the raiding area is a must. Though Robin feels as though he is losing control of the band, he admits to not knowing half of the men and is finding it hard to enforce discipline. They have the opportunity of limiting the size of the band which maintains discipline and solves food scarcity which basically curtails growth. This strategic move will deem them weak and powerless against the Sheriff and Prince John. The more manpower they have, the greater chance they have of carrying out the mission. The band should extend their operations throughout Sherwood Forest in order to rejuvenate revenues, which at present are in decline. They may also be able to access supplies more readily which previously would have been obtained from outlying villages, thus reducing costs. This also allows them the opportunity to continue robbing in an adjacent region which is consistent with the original organization and its growing size. The part of the group that conducts raids should also work very closely with the intelligence gathering portion. Once again, proper recruitment and training will result in a part of the group who can focus on this important aspect. The intelligence can be used to know when and where raids are conducted and what moves the sheriff is making. However, all the groups need to be properly trained in combat for when the need arises. These groups should continue to be managed separately.. In this instance, time is of the essence. As the Sheriff of Nottingham and his men learn Sherwood Forests resources have been depleted by the large amounts of recruits that inhabit the area, and this has seriously drained the bands financial reserves, however, this does give the men a greater asset in their numbers. The case seems unclear about where the Merrymen see themselves over the next few years, but one thing is clear, if they wish to survive, they will have to take immediate action. If the band is successful overthrowing Prince John, they will have to work in close onjunction with King Richard to shape a society which functions equally for members of all socio-economic classes (assuming this is their goal). The central issue faced by Robin Hood and his Merrymen is how to win their fght against the Sheriff of Nottingham. We recommend partaking in this venture though because we see the benefits outweighing the risks. However, this must be a carefully planned and executed venture. Robin Hood and his band should organize an attack on Prince John in order to eliminate the Sheriffs authority over Nottingham and its occupants. If successful, the Merrymen will return to their law abiding life.