Porter’s notes

Porter’s notes Porters notes that ‘firms, not individual nations, compete in international markets.How does this statement help to explain some of the major challenges facing MNEs .How do the determinants of national competitive advantage help explain how companies can maintain their economic competitiveness? Porters note that firms and not individual nations compete in the international market is a statement that is very valid and cannot be overemphasized. The involvement of nations in the international market is just to weigh and to justify their existence in terms of the total output in term of production from the nation. A nation with a high production rate will be rated high in terms of its GDP which is the market value of the total amount of goods and services made within the borders of that particular country in a calendar year. This makes nations to encourage firms to establish in their countries while they provide conducive environment for such firms to operate. These firms are always beneficiary to the people of the nation by providing employments, goods and services, income to the government, and most importantly increase the GDP of the nation. The standard of living of people in the nation increases by a reasonable income per capita. However, firms not individual nation competes in international market (Porters; competitive advantage) and faces various challenges to have a competitive advantage over other firms in the same industry. Competitiveness is often confused with productivity. Productivity refers to the internal capability of an organization, while competitiveness refers to the relative position of an organization against its competitors. These two important concepts are often confused and interchangeably used. For example, in his famous book, The Competitive Advantage of Nations. Porter (1990, p. 6) says that the only meaningful concept of competitiveness at the national level is national productivity. Competitiveness may also have a distinctly different meaning at different levels of analysis — product, firm, industry, and nation. Porter (1990, p. 33) says that the basic unit of analysis for understanding competition is the â€Å"industry,† while the title of his book refers to â€Å"nations.† He also says that firms, not nations, compete in international markets. (http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/eb046319 ) To grow to the level of becoming a MNE, the company must have achieved to an extent in its home country before extending the production/services to the other country. In modern international competition, firms need not to be confined to their home nation; they can compete with global strategies in which activities are located in many countries (Michael .E. Porter, The Competitive Advantage of Nations). In achieving this, lot of things have to be put in place and various principles regarding to location of an industry have to be considered. There are various challenges been faced by multinational companies but first and foremost, I will like to explain what a multinational company is, and what it entails for a company to be a multinational. Moreover, I will like to look into reasons why companies go multinational and considering the major challenges they will have to overcome, using typical examples. Mullti-national Corporation (MNC) or transnational corporation (TNC), also called multinational enterprise (MNE), is a corporation or enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. Multinational corporations (MNCs) are corporations that own or control production or service facilities outside the country in which they are based.(United Nations, 1973, P. 23) The rise of Globalisation has forced and enabled more companies to venture abroad in order to thrive for more profitability: bigger market, cheaper raw materials, and lower labour costs. However, MNCs have also noticed that the more countries they enter, the more ethical issues appear. At best, even when MNCs are dealing with one only one culture, they are already facing ethical difficulties; as they encounter two or more different cultures, it would become extremely problematical. http://www.cheathouse.com/essay/essay_view.php?p_essay_id=50620#ixzz0fA3KI9ss Some of the major challenges firms faces includes; economic weakness, price competition, terrorism, higher expense, environmental concern, change of government/regulation problems, health problems/hazard, government policies etc. . By following the globalization campaign, multinational companies supply chains can be enriched, high costs work force can be transformed and potential markets can be expanded. Consequentially, competitive advantages of companies can be strengthened in a global market. Otherwise, some problems are met in the changed environments in foreign countries at the same time. The changed environments can be divided into four main aspects, namely, cultural environment, legal environment, economic environment and political system problems. All the changed environments make problems to multinational companies. In particular, problems which are caused by changed culture environment are the most serious aspect of running a multinational business. . (http://www.oppapers.c om/essays/Discuss-Management-Problems-Facing-Multinational-Companies/120224) Firms in various industries faces different challenges whether domestic or internatonal, this could be explained with the five competitive force where all the challenges are embodied. The five competitive forces according to Porters are: The threat of new entrants The threat of substitute products or services The bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of buyers The rivalry between the existing competitors. These five competitive forces determine the level of competitiveness and the structure of various industries. Porters five forces is a framework for the industry analysis and business strategy development developed by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School in 1979. It uses concepts developing, Industrial Organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. Attractiveness in this context refers to the overall industry profitability. An unattractive industry is one where the combination of forces acts to drive down overall profitability. A very unattractive industry would be one approaching pure competition. Three of Porters five forces refer to competition from external sources while the remaining two are internal threats. For proper and qualitative understanding, it is useful to use Porters five forces in conjunction with SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). Five Forces Analysis assumes that there are five important forces that determine competitive power in a situation. These are: Supplier Power: Here you assess how easy it is for suppliers to drive up prices. This is driven by the number of suppliers of each key input, the uniqueness of their product or service, their strength and control over you, the cost of switching from one to another, and so on. The fewer the supplier choices you have, and the more you need suppliers help, the more powerful your suppliers are. Buyer Power: Here you ask yourself how easy it is for buyers to drive prices down. Again, this is driven by the number of buyers, the importance of each individual buyer to your business, the cost to them of switching from your products and services to those of someone else, and so on. If you deal with few, powerful buyers, they are often able to dictate terms to you. Competitive Rivalry: What is important here is the number and capability of your competitors if you have many competitors, and they offer equally attractive products and services, then youll most likely have little power in the situation. If suppliers and buyers dont get a good deal from you, theyll go elsewhere. On the other hand, if no-one else can do what you do, then you can often have tremendous strength. Threat of Substitution: This is affected by the ability of your customers to find a different way of doing what you do for example, if you supply a unique software product that automates an important process, people may substitute by doing the process manually or by outsourcing it. If substitution is easy and substitution is viable, then this weakens your power. Threat of New Entry: Power is also affected by the ability of people to enter your market. If it costs little in time or money to enter your market and compete effectively, if there are few economies of scale in place, or if you have little protection for your key technologies, then new competitors can quickly enter your market and weaken your position. If you have strong and durable barriers to entry, then you can preserve a favourable position and take fair advantage of it. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_08.htm Nations role too could not be undermined in any international business. Using thePEST analysis (Political.Economical, Social and Technological), one will see that firms/industries can only flourish in areas where there is a stabilised political, economic, social, and technological activity. Considering the case of dell in Brazil, dell was at a point of dilemma just because of political issues (change of government). For multinational companies, political riskrefers to the risks been faced when a host country l make political decisions thatwill prove to have adverse effects on the multinationals profits and/or goals. Adverse political actions can range from very detrimental,such as widespread destruction due to revolution, to those of a more financial nature, such as the creation of laws that prevent the movement of capital. For example,after Fidel Castros government took control of Cubain 1959,hundreds of millions of dollars worth of American-ownedassets and companies wereexpropriate d.Unfortunately, most, if not all, of theseAmerican companies had no recoursefor getting any of that money back. (http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/06/politicalrisk.asp) NATIONAL COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE NEW TECHNOLOGY-new possibility of producing/design of new product NEW OR SHIFTING BUYER NEEDS-change in priority THE EMMERGENCE OF NEW INDUSTRY SEGMENT CHANGES IN GOVT REGULATIONS SHIFTING INPUT COSTS OR AVAILABILITY http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do;jsessionid=B68DD8C0CD4FB01EF762C29BE22E6C93?contentType=ArticlehdAction=lnkpdfcontentId=1668938 How do the determinants of national competitive advantage help explain how companies can maintain their economic competitiveness? Porters Diamond Determining Factors of National Advantage Increasingly, corporate strategies have to be seen in a global context. Even if an organization does not plan to import or to export directly, management has to look at an international business environment, in which actions of competitors, buyers, sellers, new entrants of providers of substitutes may influence the domestic market. Information technology is reinforcing this trend. Michael Porter introduced a model that allows analyzing why some nations are more competitive than others are, and why some industries within nations are more competitive than others are, in his book The Competitive Advantage of Nations. This model of determining factors of national advantage has become known as Porters Diamond. It suggests that the national home base of an organization plays an important role in shaping the extent to which it is likely to achieve advantage on a global scale. This home base provides basic factors, which support or hinder organizations from building advantages in global competition. Porter distinguishes four determinants: (http://www.themanager.org/models/diamond.htm) Factor Conditions The situation in a country regarding production factors, like skilled labor, infrastructure, etc., which are relevant for competition in particular industries. These factors can be grouped into human resources (qualification level, cost of labor, commitment etc.), material resources (natural resources, vegetation, space etc.), knowledge resources, capital resources, and infrastructure. They also include factors like quality of research on universities, deregulation of labor markets, or liquidity of national stock markets. These national factors often provide initial advantages, which are subsequently built upon. Each country has its own particular set of factor conditions; hence, in each country will develop those industries for which the particular set of factor conditions is optimal. This explains the existence of so-called low-cost-countries (low costs of labor), agricultural countries (large countries with fertile soil), or the start-up culture in the United States (well developed venture capital market). Porter points out that these factors are not necessarily nature-made or inherited. They may develop and change. Political initiatives, technological progress or socio-cultural changes, for instance, may shape national factor conditions. A good example is the discussion on the ethics of genetic engineering and cloning that will influence knowledge capital in this field in North America and Europe. Home Demand Conditions Describes the state of home demand for products and services produced in a country.Home demand conditions influence the shaping of particular factor conditions. They have impact on the pace and direction of innovation and product development. According to Porter, home demand is determined by three major characteristics: their mixture (the mix of customers needs and wants), their scope and growth rate, and the mechanisms that transmit domestic preferences to foreign markets. Porter states that a country can achieve national advantages in an industry or market segment, if home demand provides clearer and earlier signals of demand trends to domestic suppliers than to foreign competitors. Normally, home markets have a much higher influence on an organizations ability to recognize customers needs than foreign markets do. Related and Supporting Industries The existence or non-existence of internationally competitive supplying industries and supporting industries. One internationally successful industry may lead to advantages in other related or supporting industries. Competitive supplying industries will reinforce innovation and internationalization in industries at later stages in the value system. Besides suppliers, related industries are of importance. These are industries that can use and coordinate particular activities in the value chain together, or that are concerned with complementary products (e.g. hardware and software). A typical example is the shoe and leather industry in Italy. Italy is not only successful with shoes and leather, but with related products and services such as leather working machinery, design, etc. Firm Strategy, Structure, and Rivalry The conditions in a country that determine how companies are established, are organized and are managed, and that determine the characteristics of domestic competition Here, cultural aspects play an important role. In different nations, factors like management structures, working morale, or interactions between companies are shaped differently. This will provide advantages and disadvantages for particular industries. Typical corporate objectives in relation to patterns of commitment among workforce are of special importance. They are heavily influenced by structures of ownership and control. Family-business based industries that are dominated by owner-managers will behave differently than publicly quoted companies. Porter argues that domestic rivalry and the search for competitive advantage within a nation can help provide organizations with bases for achieving such advantage on a more global scale. Porters Diamond has been used in various ways. Organizations may use the model to identify the extent to which they can build on home-based advantages to create competitive advantage in relation to others on a global front. On national level, governments can (and should) consider the policies that they should follow to establish national advantages, which enable industries in their country to develop a strong competitive position globally. According to Porter, governments can foster such advantages by ensuring high expectations of product performance, safety or environmental standards, or encouraging vertical co-operation between suppliers and buyers on a domestic level etc.

The Game of Runescape :: Games History Runescape Essays

The Game of Runescape For many, the world of Runescape is an unfamiliar world. Runescape involves many players in a medieval world of ghosts, goblins, and dangerous dragons. By fighting these monsters, characters can level up and get stronger. Each combat level that a player acquires increases his or her character’s strength by one point. People outside this discourse community would have a difficult time trying to understand everything that is going on in this internet game. Even people playing for years might not know everything there is to know about the game. It takes about two weeks to understand and incorporate Runescape’s terms and ways to trade, but that two weeks goes by plenty fast. Breaking things down to its simplest parts is a tough thing to do, but it puts the world of Runescape into view for others that have not heard about the game. Interacting with the other players of Runescape and understanding what the other people are trying to say are key survival techniques tha t must be used in order to last in this game. In order to understand the game of Runescape, a player must first understand the pagan religion. The pagan religion concentrates on witchcraft and wizardry. A lot of the game centers on witches and wizards and the ability of a character to use magic. Pagans today still believe in witch craft and the ability to cure or even prevent certain illnesses from spreading to a community of people. The world of Runescape will help players delve deeper into the pagan traditions and help them understand more about their religion. A beginning player of Runescape must first understand what some commonly used words and phrases mean in order to play the game. â€Å"Noob† for instance means a newcomer or newbie to the game of Runescape. Many high leveled characters will tend to use this word frequently when speaking to lower leveled characters. Noob is a fairly new term and only used by more experienced people. This word groups all newcomers into a negative category of being ignorant and gullible, because many new comers to the game do not know all of the tricks that experienced players know. As soon as a player increases his or her combat level to at least level thirty, the word â€Å"noob† would no longer pertain to them.

Pop culture

In this 21 SST century, pop culture has become a hot topic among the society. The reasons that the community concerned about it are the pop culture influences the content of media and how we think, dress and act. It's well known that pop culture Is a way of life or normally known as the latest trends and styles of the youthful generation adopt and follow in this 21st century era. Incidentally, the word â€Å"pop† refers more specifically to something containing qualities of mass appeal.Hence, the pop culture Is referring to things that happen around us every day whether on clothes, movies, music, education or entertainment. As we all known, the Influence of pop culture, especially from western country, Is now widespread namely In dressing, mannerisms, food, books, entertainment and even education. The youth of today are affected by pop culture In almost every aspect of life whether It Is music, media, celebrities, fashion, and even literature. These kinds of things have become top priority for youth generation of today's world.In my opinion, pop culture brings more ad than good. This is because pop culture will affect the youth generation whose mind are easily influenced and corrupted like in the way they dress. Many of them will follow the fashion of west, such as clad in low cut tops, low waist jeans and in short very revealing outfits. They mimic western style of clothing as well free intermingling of sexes. This is because they will follow and play in the field of entertainment which is under the influence of westernizes.For example, the youth will visit video arcades, discotheques, nightclubs and other places of entertainment which they find it is exciting and fulfilling. Thus, they will expose themselves to the morally deficient elements at this kind of places. Others than that, they will pick up bad habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol and others behaviors that is unsuitable for people of such a young age. Besides, they will also expose themse lves to abuse and exploitation.Further, the cinema which is a part of the pop culture will also bring the negative influences to the youth generation. As an illustration, youth will tries to imitate, performs different stunts, copying styles, acting in the same way after they had watch the movies. They not only will consider the actor or the film stars as their Gods, but also catch the negative aspects shown in the movies Like violence. This will lead them no interest In their study and discontinue their studies.In conclusion, the Olin addition, the children from these families will also disrespect towards their parent and using slang language In front of their parents because of the western pop culture. The pop culture Is not only affects the youth generation and family, but It's also affects the whole community. For example, a community will radically forget their religious value besides they will slowly lose their heritage and tradition when they are In favor of western pop cultu re.Additionally, the food culture of a community will also be Influenced. For Instance, previously In Malaysia, only the ethnics food was given importance, but now the food culture importance, has drastically changed. Today's pop culture food habits include having Pizzas, burgers, Italian food or Mexican food. While the main focus of food is on fast food culture which is contain of high calories and will lead to obesity and others disease like heart out generation across the world, but it also brings some positive influences to our country.For example, a country which is ethnically and religiously diverse will become a more diversity, racial equality and tolerance with the influences of pop culture. Hence, the war or quarrel among the citizens can be avoided. On the whole, the pop culture is all around us and influences our life and culture. Depending on the day it is, the influence may be a good one. But for me, I still believe that pop culture brings more bad than good influences to us because it will affect the morality of the youth generation who is easily be affect. Pop Culture Position Essay Pop culture is a Plus for Students Every day a great number of good and bad events are happening such advances in technology, weather changes, wars, bad politicalchoices, economics effects, unfair treatments at work, charities, and so on which are researched and transmitted trough media. Media‘s information maybe not always be accurate or freely expressed, sometimes it can be distorted and as a result an entire nation can be guide wrong or good through a few persons’ analysis. Then, Why not push American population to do their own study? Pop Culture would be a plus here. The developing of this new field, pop culture, is a great opportunity to expose million of students to actual events, where they will expand and apply their researches and critically skills and as a result will corroborate media’s information. As students are in the process to learn how to think critically, and express accurately; then enforce them to think independently and make them evaluate if all what is outside is valuable. Actually, there is a fever for plastic surgery, and Wood cites in her essay some reasons like, â€Å"†¦Undergo cosmetic surgery in order to improve their lives. †(119) â€Å"Plastic surgery, he says, is â€Å"a tool. It can be used to customize your appearance in the same way you customize your car, or your pets, or the way you dress in Prada versus Dolce. †(123) I wonder in what moment people learnt to devaluate themselves and became a fake shadow of another person. After a practiced surgery, people is really happy, and all surgery have been successful are topics that matter at the moment of follow the wave. Eventually, if we teach the scholar to think critically the actual topics, they can analyze the negative and positive sides of different subjects and choose their best evaluation by themselves. In brief, Pop Culture is a worthy academic subject matter in this century and for the futures. It encourages being aware of existing events, new tendencies and how they influence in population’s behaviors. As Lee quotes, â€Å"The study of popular culture†¦is the future. †(7) Schools must reinforce it to have future generations which analyze and think critically about their decisions in today’s world, not just influence by media and mass. Works Cited Wood, Gaby. â€Å"Meet Marnie. † Mirror on America. Ed. Mims, Joan T. and Elizabeth M. Nollen. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. 118-126. Lee, Eric. â€Å"Sclock Waves Felt across U. S. Campuses. † Mirror on America. Ed. Mims, Joan T. and Elizabeth M. Nollen. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. 118-126. However, my concerned is; Medias are free of influences of the big guys in this county, they are really telling us the entire true in all matters. Or journalists are limited to say only what their supervisors allow to them. Medias has a big influence in us because we never take the time to see if what they say is truth. We also and specially students should be more involved in what is happening now. Popular culture is the best ways to develop skills to collect, evaluate, corroborate and inform realities that surround the world. Using this method we’ll be updated, have accurate information, and can formulate logical opinions or solutions.

Italian Verbs Inviare Conjugations

Physical Indicators Of Sexual Abuse - 1235 Words

t the child might be coerced into lying to protect the abuser. (Indicators of Abuse) Physical Indicators of sexual abuse can be harder to see than those of physical abuse this is because most often, if there are any physical signs they are hidden. Physical signs can include the child having difficulty walking or sitting, if a child looks like he or she is in pain while doing either activity ask questions. Torn, stained or bloody underwear is also a sign of sexual abuse, this sign is hard to go off of because only someone who is doing the child’s laundry or changing the child will come across this. If a child has pain, itching or bleeding in either the genital or anal areas than this is an important touchstone as well. (Indicators of Abuse) Behavioral signs of sexual abuse can include being unwilling to change in front of people, especially if they weren’t ever shy about it before. If a child has an understanding of sex well beyond what is age appropriate this is a very obvious and important sign. Sometimes children who have been victims of sexual abuse will touch their genitals or masturbate frequently, this goes beyond a little boy or girl just being curious. If a child seems to regress in development, like for example going back to sucking their thumb or if a child seems to have retreated into a fantasy world than one should start wondering if sexual abuse could be a horror this young child has faced. Another factor that is important and can be overlooked is if a childShow MoreRelatedEssay about Unit 11 P11679 Words   |  7 Pagesassignment will describe the forms of abuse which may be experienced by adults; describing indicators that abuse may be happening to adults. It will then look at factors that may le ad to abusive situations and assess the possible immediate effects of two different forms of abuse. 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These people are vulnerable as they are at more risk of abuse as they are in a more vulnerable position and are less able to protect themselves from abuse or neglect due to illnesses and disabilities. WHO IS MOST AT RISK? Some people may be more at risk to being abused than others because they are more vulnerable than others. These groups could be people with physical or learning disabilities, mental illnessesRead MoreP3: Explain the factors that would lead to suspicion of child maltreatment or abuse.972 Words   |  4 Pagesthat would lead to suspicion of child maltreatment or abuse. The different types of maltreatment is sexual abuse, Sexual abuse refers to any action that pressures or forces someone to do something sexually they don t want to do. Sexual abuse can be when you’re being touched in a way that you may not like, or being forced to have sex, another type of sexual abuse is when somebody is forced to look at sexual pictures or videos. Sexual abuse can also include someone flashing or exposing themselvesRead MoreThe Range Of Child Abuse1358 Words   |  6 Pagesunderstand the range of child abuse, detection, and appropriate response to abuse. According to the NSPCC ‘almost 2,000 children in Northern Ireland were identified as needing protection from abuse last year’ (NSPCC, 2015). Child abuse is when a parent or carer, whether by action or reluctance to act, causes injury, death, emotional harm or risk of serious harm to a child. The Children’s Order (NI) 1995 recognises four types of abuse: physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and neglect. Children whoRead MoreDomestic Violence in the United States Essay example971 Words   |  4 Pagesknown as domestic, spousal and child abuse, domestic violence can take many forms, including physical, sexual, emotional, and economic. Regardless of what type of abuse it is, they can all have one common denominator: to obtain and maintain complete control over the victim. 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The National Center on Elder Abuse which is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services notes by 2050, people of the agesRead MoreUnit 8 Understanding Safegaurding Of Children And Young People1585 Words   |  7 Pagesadult sector) 1.1 The aim of the policy is to ensure that children and young people who are service users, or who are family or dependents of service users, are given the best possible opportunity to achieve positive outcomes and are protected from abuse or other harm The objectives of the policy are to ensure: That all staff, students and volunteers are aware of and follow Local Safeguarding Children’s Board Procedures which take precedence over any local Safeguarding Children’s Procedures, if thereRead MoreTypes And Types Of Maltreatment1360 Words   |  6 Pagesemotional abuse, sexual abuse and domestic violence. Briggs and Hawkins (1997, p. 22) justify that emotional abuse is one of the hardest forms of abuse to define, prove and that it is least reported. 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The Problem Of A World Problem - 1281 Words

A world problem is one that cannot be solved by countries acting alone and do not affect one country alone, these problems will have consequences for many people across the globe. Additionally, global problems can be so significant that they affect the ability of the planet itself to support life. There are many world problems that are evident around the globe today, however the most significant problem is population growth. According to the UN News Centre, in 2015 the world population was 7.3 billion. In 1990, the population was only 5.3 billion, meaning in 25 years, there was a dramatic increase in population by 2 billion. It is projected that by 2100, the population will exceed 11.2 billion people. The exponential growth of population can be traced to the increase of global development. Hite and Seitz attributed the population booms to three major factors that influenced development and population. Beginning with the agriculture boom, people began to grow their populations because they could sustain more people with the more food they were growing. Then came the industrial revolution, which increased the quality of life for people, causing them to once again increase populations. Still, populations were multiplying steadily because death rates were still high. Now, we are seeing more major health improvements, thus extending the life expectancy and reducing death rates. While initially the growth could be attributed to high birth rates, that has since evened out becauseShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of World Hunger1258 Words   |  6 Pagespervasive threat of death have been streaming on various media. World Hunger is one of the main problems that a large portion of the global population faces today. Hunger varies with severity but in this case it is the want of food in a third world country. 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Existence of god Essay Example For Students

Existence of god Essay In David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Cleanthes’ argument from design is successful in supporting the idea that the universe has an ordered arrangement and pattern. This argument is not sound in its ability to prove the existence of the Christian God. However, Cleanthes does present a sound case for order in the universe, which can be seen as an aspect of one’s faith in a Supreme Creator. In the argument from design, Cleanthes is attempting to discover and defend the basic foundations of religion by using the same methods applied in scientific thought. Paramount in the process of scientific thought is reliance on previous observation and experience of certain causes resulting in specific effects. If a scientist experiences a million times that when chemical A is directly exposed to fire, an enormous explosion takes place, it is logical that the scientist is wholly expecting the same effect the next time the experiment is run. It appears through this line of reasoning that the argument from design relies heavily on the relative probability of an event occurring over a specified period of time. This idea corresponds to human interpretation of the Universe in that perception without the aid of experience is not sufficient in the realization process of a particular phenomenon. If a human were left only to their own perceptions of the universe without prior experiences, th ey would be able to make several value judgements, but without experience with these judgements it would be impossible to determine which were genuine. (p.61, par.2) Even if one believes that truth is relative, they must agree that there is an experience that has occurred in the past causing this person to label a particular outcome as being true or false. If I have no prior experience or knowledge of the qualities of a tree, I would be left to hypothesize on these qualities only from what I could perceive by looking at the tree. I may come up with several theories, one of which may happen to be the correct one, but with no prior experience on which to base these guesses, I would have no way of knowing which theory was correct. Philo objects to the use of only human intelligence as the benchmark by which to measure the order of the universe. Nature is also an example of a great wealth of order and arrangement that coexists with the human mind in the universe. He believes that by com paring the order that is present in the universe, being the whole, to the order that appears in the parts, being the human mind and nature, one makes too presumptuous an inference concerning the characteristics of both the whole and its parts. (p. 65) However, it is logical to presume that the qualities of any whole are reflected, at least in part, in the workings of the whole. The use of the watch to analyze the design of the universe originates in the belief that the universe would dictate the qualities of the watch, and would therefore bestow upon the watch characteristics similar to its own. It is indeed arbitrary to select human intelligence as the means by which to analyze whatever order may exist in the universe, but it seems as logical an example as any. Surely, nature, the cosmos, and other examples of order exist in the universe, but human intelligence is by far the most know entity to humans of any of these examples. It should appear logical to analyze such a monumental t ask such as the arrangement of the universe using the most know example of design that human beings can comprehend. The next important aspect in Clenthes’ argument is the implementation of the theory of cause and effect as it applies in the case of perceiving means to an end and presuming that effects follow from a previous, related cause. As mentioned above in regards to the scientist, events that have similar effects are assumed to have similar causes. Cleanthes argues that the universe is â€Å"nothing but one great machine, subdivided into an infinite number of lesser machines.† (p.59, par.4) From human experience with machines, it is believed to be true that they involve a complex system of design and order through working parts. Through the rules of analogy, Cleanthes comes to the following argument and subsequent conclusion: Since both machines and the human mind share the tendency toward order and producing an end from previous, ordered means, the two most like ly arise from a similar cause. Cleanthes therefore concludes that the creator of nature is similar to the creator of the mind of man. (p.60, par.1) In other words, because machines and the universe share common characteristics and tendencies, it can be inferred from experience that they share similar characteristics and come from similar causes. It’s reasonable to conclude that Cleanthes comprehends the folly in believing that discovering the natures of the universe and proving beyond the shadow of a doubt the existence of a Supreme Being will end successfully. He is a man searching for answers through the avenue most familiar and reasonable to himself. Believing in mystery as opposed to measurable experience is not a logical or viable solution to him. .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f , .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f .postImageUrl , .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f , .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f:hover , .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f:visited , .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f:active { border:0!important; } .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f:active , .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u573450394d5ce131f4e35dec5ddc460f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Strategy Framework Of Knowledge Management Commerce Essay On the issue of comparing two events from experience, Philo contends that the origin of the universe was a singular event of which man has no experience, and therefore cannot compare it to anything such as a watch or a house. (p. 66) This premise is true, but what needs to be taken into account when studying the argument from design is that Cleanthes is referring to merely a quality he believes the universe to hold, namely design, not the very nature of its origin. To presume to understand from experience an event so beyond the scope of logic granted to the human mind is absurd, but to ruminate on the nature of such a creation is far more realistic. As Philo has said, humans are presented with examples of design in the universe everyday. It is a natural human inclination to postulate on phenomena beyond their comprehension through tangible examples such as nature, the human mind, and the cosmos. There is a scientific theory that appears to, in part, concur with Cleanthes’ argument from design in assessing the nature of the universe. This theory is known as the Anthropic Principle. There are variations within this principle, but the basic foundation is this: New worlds are created with every particle interaction, and with all these worlds (or universes), it is not unexpected that at least one is ideally suited for life. Henceforth, the universe came into existence with the â€Å"capability and tendency to evolve life, conscious and even self-conscious creatures.† This principle holds in common with the argument from design that, inherent in the nature of the universe is a certain order that fosters the perfect environment for intelligent life. Certainly, we cannot know to what extent similar life forms exist beyond our own solar system, or even our own universe for that matter. However, we do know that within our own solar system, earth is the only planet perfec tly suited, physically, for the generation of a sustainable life form. Perhaps this is another example of examining the part in an attempt to rationalize the whole, but we must use examples of things that we know to be true to analyze things we know nothing about. It is true that many of those who believe some variation of the Anthropic Principle deem it logical to presume from its premises that a pre-existing God that we cannot observe is responsible for the universe and the order within. This is certainly an unsound conclusion, but the idea of believing something that we cannot observe is what faith is all about. This is not an attempt to avoid responsibility in supporting an argument that falls short in proving the existence of God. On the contrary, one must conclude that logical reasoning can only take the human mind as far as an experience of the subject matter will allow. Surely man would love to know how and why he arrived here and who is responsible, but without experience o f this phenomenon, he will never know for sure. Cleanthes’ argument from design is an attempt by a man to come to grips with an incomprehensible event through human faculties of both science and religious faith. He may have fallen short of proving the existence of a Christian God, if that was even his original intent, but Cleanthes’ does present a very intelligent and persuasive argument in favor of a universe based on order and design. Bibliography: