Building Materials Used in Construction

Building Materials Used in Construction In the world of construction, the king of building materials is concrete. It is the most common material and it constitutes the base of a lot of constructions like buildings, roads, bridges, tunnels, water pipes dams etc. It is an absolutely indispensable tool of civil engineers that is used for more than a century. Before its existence the largest portion of constructions was covered by two other materials, wood and stone, while the last years is very widespread the use of the reinforced concrete; which is concrete with bars of steel in it. Concrete Analysis We can say that concrete is a type of an artificial stone, a mixture of four elements; cement, water, sand and aggregates that is succeed by the process of hydration. This process converts the slushiness mixture into an artificial stone just in a few hours. The tight concrete continue to harden for many years but in the seven fist days has already taken more than 70% of its total resistance and in 28 days will have take practically its total resistance. Making the concrete we should be very careful to the proportioning. Cement and water are the two chemically reactive elements while sand and aggregates are chemically inactive. The proportions of each material in the mixture affect the properties of the final hardened concrete. As the cement (created by crushing up clay and limestone together and roasting it in a kiln) content increases, so does the strength and durability of the concrete (a good rate is 12%), the water should be pure and not overtop the 17% because the mixture will b e weak and as it concerns the aggregates, too much fine aggregate gives a sticky mix while too much coarse aggregate gives a harsh mix. All these materials together give to concrete some properties and the basic property is that concrete has a very high resistance in compression but low resistance in tension. For this reason, as it mentioned before, we use a lot the reinforced concrete; because the steel bars can handle the concrete in tension. As exists the term of resistance so on the opposite will be another term, this of fatigue. Explanation of Fatigue Fatigue is a process of progressive, permanent structural change occurring in a material which is subjected to conditions that produce time fluctuating stresses and strains. The structural changes appeal in cracks or complete fracture after a sufficient number of fluctuations. The fatigue process occurring in concrete has been under investigation since about 1900 with the majority of the significant work having been done during the past twenty years. This process has been observed in concrete under repeated compressive and flexural loading and small amounts of experimental work show that it also occurs under reversed flexural loading and repeated tensile loading. Reasons of damage on concrete In perfect conditions, that means an artificial environment of a laboratory and without considering the human mistake, concrete can last without any corrosion about 50 years. But in our environment the fatigue of concrete will start to appear in 30 years and after that the construction need to be watched and maintained. We can examine the fatigue of concrete with two different points of view; macro scale and micro scale. As it concerns the fatigue of the concrete from a macro scale view we can refer the following reasons. Concrete is a mixture of materials that is decayed in time so the first reason of the fatigue of the concrete is because of its old. Another cause is the intense alkaline environment of the atmosphere and this phenomenon is appeared especially at the urban centers because of the exhausts that are coming out from vehicles and factories. The proximity of the concrete in the water environment, such as big amounts of salt in the air and big amounts of moisture, is also an erosive factor. Furthermore, the boisterous change of the temperature as much as in winter and summer months in combination with the high amounts of moisture cause intense shrinkages and expansions on concrete. It is characteristically observed that the boisterous change of temperature per 10Π¿ C doubles the velocity of corrosion in concrete. Earthquake is the most dangerous reason of all. It can affect the concrete less or too much. It can cause a damage that is invisible but this may affect the building for years creating a bigger damage later. But the earthquake also can cause a complete fracture of concrete. The last important reason tin the macro scale view is the fire. During the fire the most common problems that are presenting are firstly the fracture part of the concrete because of the violent development of pressures from the evaporation of the water contain in concrete, secondly the thermal expansion of the concrete which also leads to fracture and finally the various change of stresses on concrete because of the abrupt freezing extinguishing of fire. If we want to study it from a micro scale view we could refer the following causes of the fatigue on concrete : Sulfate Deterioration. Sodium, magnesium, and calcium sulfates are salts These sulfates react chemically with the hydrated lime and hydrated aluminate in cement paste and form calcium sulfate and calcium sulfoaluminate. The volume of these reaction byproducts is greater than the volume of the cement paste from which they are formed, causing disruption of the concrete from expansion. Alkali Aggregate Reaction. Certain types of sand and aggregate, such as opal, chert, and flint, or volcanics with high silica content, are reactive with the calcium, sodium, and potassium hydroxide alkalies in portland cement concrete. These reactions, though observed and studied for more than 50 years, remain poorly defined and little understood. Some concrete containing alkali reactive aggregate shows immediate evidence of destructive expansion and deterioration. Other concrete might remain undisturbed for many years. Petrographic examination of reactive concrete shows that a gel is formed around the reactive aggregate. This gel undergoes extensive expansion in the presence of water or water vapor (a relative humidity of 80 to 85 percent is all the water required), creating tension cracks around the aggregate and expansion of the concrete. If unconfined, the expansion within the concrete is first apparent by pattern cracking on the surface. Deterioration Caused by Cyclic Freezing and Thawing. Freeze-thaw deterioration is a common cause of damage to concrete constructed in the colder climates. For freeze-thaw damage to occur, the following conditions must exist: The concrete must undergo cyclic freezing and thawing. b. The pores in the concrete, during freezing, must be nearly saturated with water (more than 90 percent of saturation). Water experiences about 15 percent volumetric expansion during freezing. If the pores and capillaries in concrete are nearly saturated during freezing, the expansion exerts tensile forces that fracture the cement mortar matrix. This deterioration occurs from the outer surfaces inward in almost a layering manner. The rate of progression of freeze-thaw deterioration depends on the number of cycles of freezing and thawing, the degree of saturation during freezing, the porosity of the concrete, and the exposure conditions. Acid Exposure. The more common sources of acidic exposure involving concrete structures occur in the vicinity of under-ground mines. Drainage waters exiting from such mines can contain acids of sometimes unexpectedly low pH value. A pH value of 7 is defined as neutral. Values higher than 7 are defined as basic, while pH values lower than 7 are acidic. A 15- to 20-percent solution of sulfuric acid will have a pH value of about 1. Such a solution will damage concrete very rapidly. Acidic waters having pH values of 5 to 6 will also damage concrete, but only after long exposure. Construction Defects. Some of the more common types of damage to concrete caused by construction defects are rock pockets and honeycombing, form failures, dimensional errors, and finishing defects. Honeycomb and rock pockets are areas of concrete where voids are left due to failure of the cement mortar to fill the spaces around and among coarse aggregate particles. Solutions Generally when a crack affects the performance of the structure, then we will repair it to restore its structural properties. Epoxy injection is typically the basis for this type of repair, with or without added reinforcement. The injected epoxy is actually stronger than the concrete and can restore the concrete strength. To use epoxy injection to repair a crack, the crack is first cleaned by vacuuming or flushing with water to get out any dirt or contamination. The cracks on the surface are then sealed with an epoxy gel to prevent the injected epoxy from running out. Injection and venting ports are installed and the epoxy is injected. High pressure is not used since that could actually widen the cracks. Once the cracks have been filled, the ports and surface seals are removed, typically by grinding the surfaces flush with the concrete matrix. When concrete is too deteriorated for epoxy injection, then all unsound concrete is removed and new concrete is placed. (http://www.concretene twork.com/concrete-repair/structure.html) (accessed 17/04/2011) Portland cement mortar may be used for repairing defects on surfaces not prominently exposed, where the defects are too wide for dry pack filling or where the defects are too shallow for concrete filling and no deeper than the far side of the reinforcement that is nearest the surface. Repairs may be made either by use of shotcrete or by hand application methods. Replacement mortar can be used to make shallow, small size repairs to new or green concrete. Surface grinding can be used to repair some bulges, offsets, and other irregularities that exceed the desired surface tolerances. Excessive surface grinding, however, may result in weakening of the concrete surface, exposure of easily removed aggregate particles, or unsightly appearance. The dry pack concrete repair technique shall be limited to areas that are small in width and relatively deep, such as core holes, holes left by the removal of form ties, cone-bolt and she-bolt holes, and narrow slots cut for repair of cracks. Epoxy bonded dry pack shall be used for critical repairs or for repairs expected to be exposed to severe service conditions. Dry pack mortar shall consist of type I or II Portland cement, clean sand that will pass a 1.18-mm sieve, and clean water. Epoxy-bonded concrete is defined as freshly mixed Portland cement concrete that is placed over a fluid epoxy resin bond coat on hardened existing concrete. Epoxy-bonded concrete repair may be used when the depth of repair is 30 cm à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 50 cm or greater. Resin injection is used to repair concrete that is cracked or delaminated and to seal cracks in concrete to water leakage. Two basic types of resin and injection techniques are used to repair Reclamation concrete. Epoxy Resins and Polyurethane Resins. Conclusion Without concrete, the history of constructions would not be the same and our concern must be to make it stronger and friendlier to the environment and make even more impressive constructions.

Applications of a Connectionist Model of Poetic Meter to Problems in Generative Metrics :: Poem Poetry Poet Meter Metrics Essays

Applications of a Connectionist Model of Poetic Meter to Problems in Generative Metrics Meter is one of the most distinctive formal features of English verse. Yet theoretical approaches to metrical analysis have proved problematical for a number of reasons. Traditional metrics, based upon scansion systems derived from Latin forms, is strong and flexible in its ability to describe individual units of a line, but fails to describe well the dynamics of the line as a whole and the lexical and syntactic structures which underlie that line. Moreover, traditional metrics does not address the general issue of metricality: most lines of poetry show some variation from metrical norms through the substitution of irregular units (such as a trochee opening an iambic line). When do such variations, which are permissible in individual units, render the line as a whole unmetrical? Generative metrics does address these issues by analyzing underlying lexical and syntactic structures and formulating rules to describe allowable and unallowable metrical transgressions. In this way, th e theory defines metricality, distinguishing between lines which are metrical and those which are not. This approach has had some success, and yet counter-examples, lines which are unmetrical by its analysis but are found to be used by poets, have proved somewhat intractable. Generative metrics is not, moreover, well adapted to describing verse in its actual performance. While generative metrics does account for some of the factors that affect the metrical rhythm of a line of poetry, such as lexical stress and the syntactic structure of a textual unit, it does not have a place for other features which may impact on the amount of stress that a syllable receives in performance, such as rhyme, alliteration, repetition, and the reader's interpretation of the significance of the word in the poem. Any or all of these features may affect the speaker's decision to give a certain prominence to the word, a prominence which will be realized in performance by stress. Moreover, since stress is measured in comparison to adjacent units, the amount of stress given to one unit will affect other units in its immediate environment. One reader of Keats's line, 'My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains' may stress 'heart', rather than 'aches'; this will aff ect the amount of stress given to 'aches'.

Essay on Millays Relationships in Sonnet xxxi -- Sonnet essays

Millay's Relationships in Sonnet xxxi      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his 1967 book, Edna St. Vincent Millay, James Gray writes that "the theme of all her [Millay's] poetry is the search for the integrity of the individual spirit" (Gray 6). While searching for the uniqueness of the individual spirit, Millay's poetry, especially "Sonnet xxxi", becomes interested in how the individual works when it is involoved in a relationship and must content with the power struggles which occur within that relationship. Power struggles occur on many levels, but Millay works in "Sonnet xxxi" with the decision of a partner to deny her individuality in order to provide harmony within the couple. Ultimately, the poem demonstrates that happiness cannot be found when one partner chooses to deny themselves and their individuality.    In "Sonnet xxxi", Millay's woman mentally confronts her husband after he has insulted her intelligence by taking a book away from her and commenting, "What a big book for such a little head!" The woman complies with his insistance that she entertain him by primping and preening in fr...

Blue spider case study

Fellness Systems Engineering Principles: Blue Spider Case Study Name: Professor: Course Name: Subject: Date Due: Executive summary Parks Corporation is a firm involved in R & D business; the firm does projects on behalf of the Department of Defense. Over the years, Parks Corporation has transformed its focus from the R & D business to being involved in low cost production. The process of retrenching employees in the firm was as a result of the recession and this brought down the number of staff to 2200 down from 6700.The upturn in the spending habit of the Department of Defense in 1975 made the firm hanged its corporate strategy. The new strategy involved Parks improving its R & D staff in the engineering section. Considering the salaries which Parks was providing, there was limitation in terms of getting experienced engineers and hence they decided to employ the young who lacked experience. One of the recruits from college was Gary Anderson.Despite his lack of experience, Gary Ander son was a great production engineer and this resulted to his promotion to a senior scientist who was in Judge of the R & D activities conducted at the Mechanical Engineering department. In 1978, Parks made a decision to bid for the 1st phase of Blue Spider Project together with Lord Industries being the major contractor for the Spartan Program for the Army. This project was meant to ensure improved structural capabilities as well as the age life related to the short range of the tactical missile; the tactical missile was showing failure because of fatigue as it had been used in the field for 6 years.One of the conditions for the choice of the bid for subcontracting was based on the low bid with expertise in technical and also the management performance. Parks Corporation had a feeling that they had a unique advantage over TTS competitors since they had a previous experience in the Lord Industries projects. From the onset of this project, there was a problem which can be identified; this was that Gary Anderson was given the chance to be the head of project management due to his background in R & D; however, he lacks the experience vital in managing projects.It is worth noting that the technical background is not enough to ensure an effective project manager. In specific a number of problems can be identified as the project took off; one of the problems is the informal way of starting the project was en and there was no particular guidelines, the proposal for the project was done in unethical manner, Parks Corporation seem to have issues in its behavior, problems in the operational process as well as problems in the organization's architecture/ relations which was not clearly defined and also followed.Project management often includes 9 specific areas of integration, management scope, time management, the cost management, the quality management, the human resource management, the communications management, the risk management as well as procurement management al l of which lacked in the Blue spider project. Table of Contents Table of figures 1.Introduction 1. 1 Summary of the Case study Blue Spider Case study represents a case where systems engineering principles failed; this case represents one of the failed projects as the head of the project team lacked the experience to manage projects and hence failure to use the systems engineering principles.Among the major events in the case study are Gary Anderson accepting the position of the project manager; the DoD have asked Lord Industries through a contract to improve the operation of Spartan program; on November 3, 1977, Blue Spider project kicks off. The events in Blue Spider case are done in a quick manner in that there are a number of problems which arise right from the begging of the project because of the poor planning of the major events in the project.Amongst the results of the events is the poor communication in the various departments due to the overburden that is caused by Gary And erson; communication breakdown both internal as well as the departments which are associated with the project; the changes in the project are not well talked in advance. Despite the project going ahead, Lord industries accept the work of Parks Corporation reluctantly because of aviations from the requirements of the client due to changes in information and also implementation of the requirements. . 2 Objectives of the Report The aim of this report is to tie the systems engineering principles to the Blue Spider Case study. 1. 3 Organizational structure of Parks Corporation Figure : Parks Organizational Structure (sage & Rouse, 2011 : 80) 1. 4 SOOT Analysis of Blue Spider Project The current situation of the project is that it is influenced by a number of weakness as well as the strengths. Amongst the weakness of the Blue spider Project is thatAnderson was so much concerned with R & D works and also the administrative issues without creating any balance between them; there was a probl em in the financial planning; the project lacked a standby schedule which would have been important in the event that the formal was affected by certain changes; there was poor communication with the Lord since the start of the project which resulted to more costs on communication; additionally, it was not possible for Gary to find Gable the time when he need some form of assistance; however, Gable would intervene in the midst of the project a number of times without the knowledge of Gary that exulted to more issues in the project management; some of the issues included rescheduling of the project or redoing some works during the last times. On the other hand, there is lack of leadership skills demonstrated throughout this project. Both Gary Anderson and also Henry Gable show lack of leadership skills in the various tasks which they are involved in doing the work, poor delegation skills as well as lack of team effectiveness.Despite the weakness of this project, it is important to no te that the project had enough backing from the top executives and directors. It is to often easier to find a project which has enough backing from the management just like Blue Spider Project, the level of attention given to the project was high, and there were enough resources for the project which came from the functional team. Some of the projects in project management have failed simply because of lack of backing and also priority which has resulted to issues. 1. 5 Definition of the requirements The requirements of a customer as well as the constraints of a project constitute the input to a process. The requirements of a process are directly related to the performance metrics of a system that is being designed.The requirements often tell more about the needs of a customer in the system as well as the needs for the given system and they show clearly how the system is likely to work in the given environment. On the other hand, the constraints are some of the conditions which exis t in a system due to the effect of the external interfaces, the support of the project or the life cycle systems. The constraints affect the opportunities of the design team in achieving their objectives. The major focus of the system engineering is changing the requirements into design (Grammar et al 2011:77). The requirements or the Spartan program was that the technical specifications needed all the components to operate in a normal way and successfully in a temperature range of -65 degree F to a temperature of 145 degrees F.At the current time, the design of Parks Corporation was not able to operate over 130 degrees F. Despite this, one of the major constraints in the requirements was that the preliminary design material would not be operated over 130 degrees and this indicates that Gary Anderson and his technical team would not meet the set objectives. The requirements of a customer are very important in any design process; this is because they define the expectations of the cu stomer, the environment, the measures of effectiveness as well as the suitability of the system requirements. According to O'Leary, et al 2012:562), the process of defining the requirements of a system provides the initial step in the development of a system.However, in the Blue Spider case study, this is not given any meaningful importance with Gary Anderson and also Henry Gable conversing on the possible ways of changing the design material so that it would seem that they have followed the requirements of the customer. Henry Gable indicates that their reports would indicate that the design would be operative up to 155 degrees F so that the customer would be pleased something which was never true. This indicates that they both have failed to observe care in design process; this is likely to result to problems as this is likely to surface in the later stages of the life cycle of the Spartan program which will mean spending more time and also money in fixing these issues (Chandler et al 2011:375).From system design, specification requirements and testing, all were not done in the right manner with unethical behavior seen in in much of the design process. Figure 1, indicates the various requirements in a system, clearly the requirements are established within a system in order to ensure accuracy and also completeness. Serener (2013: 208) asserts that, it is always not easy to establish good requirements for a system since it needs effective communication and technical skills; the head of Spartan program Gary Enders on lacks the technical expertise to lead the project the reason why the start of the project faces a number of challenges with the requirements not done in the right manner and this made the implementation of the project to seem mixed up.Lack of ethical requirements are common in the project with Henry Gable stating that they can improvise the materials in order for the Spartan program to read 155 degrees F which is not the case as the customer would not know the improvises which the technical team would have done. 2. SE Management 2. 1 System engineering process According to Chandler et al (2011 :376), to ensure that a system is well engineered, it is important to conduct its development process in an orderly manner. Well-defined systems engineering process makes it possible to develop a system. However, for the gig projects, which involve a team, it is important to have a good systems engineering process (Coleman et al 2013:176). This is seen as guidance by the project participants to know the direction of the project and how they are going to achieve the objectives of a system.There is a common agreement amongst the engineers on the main steps in the software process. In figure 3, this is indicated, the initial steps indicate the process of solving a problem in feasibility study, the fourth step is defined as being post-development phase and this is the stage where the project is deployed to he users, where maintenance is don e and also improved to ensure that it meets the ever changing requirements. The initial steps of the process are often termed as being â€Å"what and how' in the software development while the â€Å"analyses and specify' step evaluates the problem which is to be solved while the â€Å"design and implement† provides information on how the problem is to be solved (SГ ¶Darlene 2011 :155).Figure : Systems engineering process Spartan program development process failed to pass through the right stages with several system engineering requirements not available in the different stages of the velveteen of Spartan program; this is vital so as to effectively achieve the customer requirements. The requirements of the customer were that the technical specification components were to operate in the normal way and in a successful manner through the temperature range of -65 degrees F to 145 degrees F. The analysis of the current system indicates that the design by Park Corporation is not likely to function at a temperature which is above 130 degrees F.Additionally, the requirements of the Spartan program were not well stated early on during the initial stages of the project; this explains the reason why the project is running into robbers at the early stages. One of the problems of the project is cost which should be defined and the budget of all the expenses prepared at the analysis stage when the problem is being defined to avoid any further expenses on the way which were not budgeted for. Gary Anderson should be the one who should be answerable to any of the problems which the projects runs into since he is the project manager; his lack of experience in handling projects is affecting the smooth flow of this project. 2. Development process Young (2013:113) states that development process indicates the procedure for evolving the various parts of a project; this helps the various persons involved in the project to identify the different issues early on in the p roject before the occurrence of bigger problems which would alter the smooth running of the project. The development process is vital in a project as it helps to guide a project which does not have well defined goals and objectives which the customers are unable to define on their own. Morris and Considered (2011:68) argue that development process of a project provides a way of getting feedback instead of planning as their main control mechanism. The feedback is as a result of more and more regular tests and also the releases related to the evolving software.In Blue Spider case study, the development process has failed and there are no consultations with the various departments in the preparation of the project proposal as well as consultation with the customer on their requirements. Although the customer's requirements for the Spartan Program are not followed and intentionally altered so as to suit how both Gary Anderson and Henry Gable want it to be; this is attributed to lack of technical expertise in the development process as well as unethical business behavior. . 3 Life cycle integration Frangipani (2011:390) states that, life cycle integration is the process of bringing together the existing systems as well as the new technologies to form a new system that performs more tasks provide more and improved performance as well as ensuring that they enhance the existing systems.According to Cravings (2011 :465), life cycle integration is seen as a way of using new as well as the expanded performance requirements in the most effective manner and also a timely manner during the design, the procurement, and installation and also in the operational infatuation that has specific modules where each of them may have some form of limitations and constraints. One of the major aims of the Blue Spider project was to ensure improved structural capabilities related to the Spartan missile which is a tactical missile made sue by the army. The missile was showing some form of fatigue in terms of failure after spending over six years in the field. The needs of the customer here were that they needed the new materials, which would last for longer for the Spartan missile.By providing new materials the new program would last for Eng and ensure improved performance and also making the present Spartan missile more effective. This is one of the major purposes of the life cycle integration where improving the present system is of utmost importance to the army (Marques et al 2011:1058). 3. Program Life cycle 3. 1 Generic Business Life cycle According to Fiction & Skimmer (2012:309), the increased importance of transition to a greater and sustainable economy presents one of the most challenging aspects of the society. While the evidence where developing a highly sustainable business model is related to great profits, it is a problem to majority of the conventional manufacturers.Because of this, firms are supposed to search for ways to improve the business models and in the process become more sustainable. Parks Corporation is always committed to developing new strategies so as to keep up with the changes in the market. The firm has performance criteria where the best and employees are promoted; the reason for Gary Andersen's promotion is because the firm is committed to developing a sustainable business model. Park Corp.. Seems to make use of the product-service system in order to relate to particular life cycle stage in the development of a project. The business model in Park Corp.. Involves marketing, he software engineering process, design, production and operation.Through marketing, Park corp.. Has been identified as one of the most successful firms in software engineering the reason why the Department of Defense (DoD) had several contracts with the firm. Stark (2011:10) notes that, software engineering is the next stage in the business life cycle with the firm making sure that the right project manager is in place to guide the developm ent of a project. Gary Anderson was chosen as the project manager who was to oversee the completion of the Spartan program; Gary was to oversee the design of the project, production as well as operation. 3. 2 Simulation of DoD acquisition policy Diagram 4. System engineering product 4. System Requirement review According to Blanchard (2012:66) the system requirements review is done after the end of the functional analysis as well as the preliminary requirements allocation to the hardware configuration items, the computer software configuration items, the facility configuration items as well as the personnel so as to determine the objective and progress related to the system engineering management. The items to be reviewed include the mission and requirement analysis, the human factor analysis, he mission and requirement analysis, the functional factor analysis, the program risk analysis and also specification development (Shall et al 2011: 556). Kiss-off et al (2011:98) state that, the requirements of a system fall in different categories.The customer requirement provide the statements or the facts as well as what the customer expects from the system in relation to achieving its set objectives, its effectiveness and also the suitability. One of the major requirements of the DoD contract was that the Spartan program was to operate normally and successfully on a temperature of -65 degrees F to 145 degrees F. However, the present design of the system indicated that the program would not function above 130 degrees F and this indicates that the objectives of the customer are to have the program operate at a temperature above 130 degree F. Despite the customer requirements stated clearly, the management in their proposal have developed a different system requirements which does not suite what the DoD want.Gary and Henry Gable intentionally meet to discuss the inability of the preliminary design material being operated above 130 degrees F as the customer want but the n because of lack of effective system acquirement analysis and accomplishment of the mission; they think of changing the design material or incorporate new materials and this problem has come as a result of poor system requirement review (Shall et al 2011 : 558). Another important factor in successful completion of a system is the human factor analysis. Stanton & Walker 2013:721) notes that despite the increase in technology, human factors are still vital to the success of a project. Thus effective interaction of human beings in the development of a project not only reduces the risk of project failure but also ensures hat the objectives of the customer have been met.Additionally, the use of human factors ensures improved safety, increased reliability as well as efficiency of the system. Despite the increased importance of human factors in a project, there seem to be a challenge in the Blue Spider project because of lack of human factors. The process of bidding never followed staffin g; one of the reasons provided is because Parks Corporation refused to give out its staff for the project; the engineering managers were not cooperative in giving out their key people towards the Blue Spider program. Human factors are important and should not be underestimated in successful project completion (Shall et al 2011: 558). Additionally, milestone is vital in the project completion (Adamant 2011:216).This state the important dates in a system which the client need to be updated on the progress of the system should be considered so as to ensure that the customer's requirements are well reviewed as the system keeps on being developed. Blue Spider project has successfully completed the first milestone of the project; the second milestone is scheduled to be after 180 days where acceptance of the raw materials and also the production runs ere considered; milestone is prepared in a way to avoid overlapping of activities in a system preparation something which Gary Anderson and h is team have done effectively in terms avoiding an overlap of the lab development and also the full scale production. 5.System engineering core process Schemas et al (2011:76) asserts that the system engineering major processes are developed so as to provide support to the people that are required to implement the systems engineering methodology. The core processes follow the following steps: provide an analysis, decomposition as well as allocation of the system requirements; litigation of the requirements of a system and management are important so as to ensure that the customer requirements have been met. Gary and Henry are making up important follow ups regarding the specifications of the system; despite the fact that Henry is imposing his own strategy in the initial phases of the program; the test matrix does seem to be a failure as the raw materials which the test result indicate do not seem to coincide with the particular specification requirements by the customer.This means t hat analysis of the requirements of the Spartan program is aced by ethical challenges as Henry is stating that the customer would not be aware of the trouble changes which they are about to make regarding the specification requirements for the program. Next is definition of the system behavior where the system's functionality as well as its operations is the major specifications at this stage. The functionality of Spartan program is well stated in the proposal by Gary team as well as the customer specification needs which is meant to improve the structural capabilities and also the age life related to the short range tactical missile.According to Apparel et al (2011 :120), the definition of the system architecture is important in the system engineering process; this includes defining the internal and external interfaces; the subsystems and the components of the system; although the specification of this contract by the customer (Army) was that the Spartan program missile was to be i mproved its structural capabilities; the project team led by Gary failed to define the system architecture of the project in their proposal to the Lord industries; the reason for this can be articulated to the inexperienced project anger who has not handled similar projects in the past and therefore thinks that projects can be done without even specifying their system components and subsystems.Marques et al (2011:1060) notes that, the most important systems engineering functions include operations concept development, architecture and the design development as well as identification of the requirements and management; however, these functions as well as the final products depend on one another. According to O'Leary, et al (2012:562), the system engineering functions, the validation, the prediction on performance, the analysis and trade off are important in optimization and development of a total system. In the system engineering life cycle, there is more refinement of the system req uirements, the design as well as the operations concept in the lower levels to a point where the design has been realized. After that verification and validation of the system requirements is done and also planning for the events and resources.Verification of the system requirements is done by both Henry Gable and Gary Anderson; however, their verification does not provide any importance to the success of this project as the customer requirements re ignored, making them to think of ways of devising the performance of the Spartan program missile to operate at a temperature of 130 degrees F. The events and also resources in Blue Spider project have not been planned well; despite that the project does not meet the planned milestone and this is because of the inexperience of Gary Anderson as he is left to do most of the work by himself to beat the deadline; the case indicates that Gary did not want to overburden the staff with the responsibility of the handouts and because of this he di d this by himself, the reason why the reject does not have enough resources is because of lack of planning for the events and resources and hence putting in place the necessary budget for the same and this has resulted to cost overrun.The system engineering is important so as to handle the challenges which the system engineers face during system development (Meredith & Mantel 2011:155). 6. System engineering process implementation 6. 1 Events where System Engineering was needed According to Apparel (2011 :130), the use of different engineering tools as well as the safety analysis tools is important during the design process. This is important as it ivies the designers an opportunity to identify the dangers in the early stages of the design process and this is the place when they are easily worked on. The use of system engineering would be possible in the analysis of customer requirements; this will translate the requirements if the customer into both functional and also the design p arameters.Both Gary Anderson and Henry Gable are contemplating on how to fix the materials so as to ensure that the Spartan program is operating at a temperature above 130 degrees F; something which the matrix test failed to produce the required raw materials. Additionally, functional requirements of the Spartan program are not identified early on at the start of the system planning, design and also the development phases; the result is failure to meet the system milestone. The important safety system requirements were not included in the Spartan program including the system-level safety analysis. 6. 2 Consequence of lack of system engineering Lack of system engineering in the Blue Spider project has resulted to a number of challenges in the development and completion of the project.Key stages have been omitted and this has affected the achievement of customer requirements; the customer has complained about the materials included in the proposal which seem to contract with their req uirement on how the system should be and how it should operate. It is worth to note that systems engineering is often implemented by coordination in the design engineering, effective architecture development as well as the design which are able to ensure that they meet the needs of the customer. Gary and Henry are unable to satisfy the needs of the customer in the Blue Spider project because they failed to in the use of system engineering principles during the design s well as systems requirement specification.Blue Spider project headed by Gary Anderson has failed in the systems engineering as well as in the operations concept which failed to reflect the objectives of the Spartan program customer (the Army) as well as failing to schedule the project within the set budget. 6. 3 How to Implement Systems Engineering One of the objectives of systems engineering implementation is the full-integrated development as well as making products, which meet the needs of the customer within speci fied cost, schedule and also the risk constraints (Apparel et al 2011 :152). Therefore, this implies that a project needs to give a structured process for effective integration and link the requirements well, the schedule, the decision milestone and also validation and verification.However, this is not the case in Blue Spider project as the project team lacks the needed cooperation to ensure that the implementation objectives are met as well as the systems engineering process. Gary Anderson is forced to do majority of the scheduled tasks in order to avoid expenses, which would mean that the project would not meet the set budget and hence the implementation of the system was a problem. Not all the departments are involved in the various phases of the project; the project team often needs to work on a â€Å"single, integrated set of requirements and also process† which mean that the integration of the system requirements and also the design stages will reduce the cost; a challe nge being faced by Gary Anderson as the project cost is going high.Additionally, effective implementation means that it is vital to lower the unplanned as well as the cost of reengineering that is important in solving the â€Å"omissions and challenges in integration†. 6. 4 Events where Systems Engineering were present Despite the challenges which the Gary Anderson and Henry Gable faced in the Blue Spider project, the use of systems engineering were present in the formation management of the software development project more so in the planning of the project, estimating the cost (budget), formation of the project team, allocation of work for the members of the team, the work schedule plan, reviewing of the progress of the project and also reporting the project's milestone.All these activities used the system engineering concept despite a few challenges. 6. 5 Benefits Davenport (2013:118), states that, systems engineering is important as it ensures that reduces which match the challenges of the global market are produced; it is clear that customers need a higher range of products and the choice which need that firms are supposed to produce products which match the customer needs; thus systems engineering helps firms to ensure that this objective is achieved. Systems engineering provides a way of ensuring that customer objectives are achieved and also the best way of achieving the market leadership by producing the best products in the market with good quality. 6. Comparison It is clear from the case study that concepts of design principles, specification acquirement, and risk management never made use of the system engineering principles, the reason why Gary Anderson and Henry Gable are faced with challenges of meeting the customer needs. 7. Systems Engineering Planning 7. 1 Project management Plan Marques and Laura (2011:1061) states that, project management plan involves organization, the relationship involved in reporting, the decision process as well as the role of the management committee in ensuring the success of the project. It shows the amount of time which the project manager is likely to spend in the project management. Therefore, the project team members should be written down as well as the details of the contact and any changes communicated to the program manager; the project need to state whether there is any need for training.Gary Anderson is involved in majority of the work the reason why most of the plans are behind schedule. The decision by Gary to lower the costs through accepting to work on the bill of materials by himself indicates that there is lack of project management plan for the project; scheduling and making sure that all activities are accomplished thin the stipulated time is important to effectiveness of system engineering. 7. 3 System engineering plan According to Adamant et al (2011 :21 5), System engineering plan is a major activity that has an effect on the acquisition planning decision and as a r esult develops important methods which will be effective in achieving the objectives of acquisition.This is important in the systems management in assuring of the technical activities' identification and their management; ensure that the technical approach in the development team has been communicated, ensure that there is technical implementation and that decisions have been documented and finally help in establishing the benchmark of system development which is vital in meeting the needs of the customer and that of the systems engineering as well. Systems engineering plan has been followed in the Spartan program development; plans are put in place as Gary Anderson is appointed as the project manager with various persons involved in the development team; however, this is not done to satisfactory and this is because of lack of proper system engineering plan, the engineering integration distances themselves on the preparation of the bill of materials because

Customer Value and Superior Performance Essay

Market Orientation, Customer Value, and Superior Performance Stanley F. Slater and John C Narver Thinking in terms of the market (not marketing) is essential in the highiy competitive arenas of today, o achieve superior performance, a business must develop and sustain competitive advantage. But where competitive advantage was once based on structural characteristics such as market power, economies of scale, or a broad product line, the emphasis today has shifted to capabilities that enable a business to consistently deliver superior value to its customers. This, after all, is the meaning of competitive advantage. Our recent research shows that a market-oriented culture provides a solid foundation for these value-creating capabilities. A business is market-oriented when its culture is systematically and entirely committed to the continuous creation of superior customer value. Specifically, this entails collecting and coordinating information on customers, competitors, and other significant market influencers (such as regulators and suppliers) to use in building that value (see Figure 1). The three major components of market orientation+ustomer orientation, competitor focus, and cross-functional coordination-are long-term in vision and profit-driven. Based on extensive interviews with managers and executives, Kohli and Jaworski (1990) conclude that market orientation provides â€Å"a unifying focus for the efforts and projects of individuals, thereby leading to superior performance. † A developing stream of empirical research has found a strong relation- T ship between market orientation and several measures of business performance, including profitability. customer retention, sales growth, and new product success. Customer Orientation The heart of a market orientation is its customer focus. To create superior value for buyers continuously requires that a seller understand a buyer’s entire value chain, not only as it is today but also as it evolves over time. Buyer value can be created at any point in the chain by making the buyer either more effective in its markets or more efficient in its operations. A market-oriented business understands the cost and revenue dynamics not only of its immediate target buyers but also of all markets beyond, for demand in the immediate and â€Å"upstream† markets is derived from the demand in the original â€Å"downstream† markets. Therefore, a market-driven business develops a comprehensive understanding of its customers’ business and how customers in the immediate and downstream markets perceive value. Employees of market-oriented businesses spend considerable time with their customers. Managers and employees throughout the business call on their customers or bring them into their own facilities in a constant search for new ways to satisfy their needs. For example, Ih Pont has developed a program called â€Å"Adopt a Customer† that encourages a blue-collar worker to visit a customer once a month, learn the customer’s needs, and be the customer representative on the factory floor. Market-driven businesses continuously monitor their customer commitment by making im- proved customer satisfaction an ongoing objective. To maintain the relationships that are critical to delivering superior customer value, they pay close attention to service, both before and after sales. Because of the importance of employees in this effort, these businesses take great care to recruit and retain the best people available and provide them with regular training. Some businesses even involve their customers in hiring, training, and developing contact people as well as in making motivation and reward system decisions. Involving customers in these key areas forges strong customer loyalty. ogy development. Top managers frequently discuss competitors’ strategies to develop a shared perspective on probable sources of competitive threats. A reason for the success of many Japanese companies is that they train managers to understand that competitive intelligence is part of everyone’s job. Using this information, marketdriven businesses often target opportunities for competitive advantage based on competitors’ weaknesses. In any case, they keep competitors from developing an advantage by responding rapidly or anticipating their actions. Interfunctionai Coordination Competitor Focus The third of the three core components of a marCreating superior customer value requires more ket orientation is the coordination of personnel than just focusing on customers. The key quesand other resources from throughout the comtions are which competitors, and what technolopany to create value for buyers. Any point in the gies, and whether target customers perceive them buyer’s value chain is an opportunity for a seller as alternate satisfiers. Superior value requires that to create value for the buyer firm. This means the seller identify and understand the principal that any individual in any function in a seller firm competitors’ short-term strengths and weaknesses can potentially contribute to value creation. As and long-term capabilities and strategies. For Michael Porter (1985) explains: example, a team of Marriott employees traveled the country for six months, staying in economy Every department, facility, branch office, hotels and collecting information about their and other organizational unit has a role facilities and services. Armed with this informathat must be defined and understood. All tion about potential competitors’ strengths and employees, regardless of their distance weaknesses, Marriott invested $500 million in a from the strategy formulation process, new hotel chain. Fairfield Inn, its budget market must recognize their role in helping a entry, achieved an occupancy rate 10 points firm achieve and sustain competitive higher than the industry average in one year. advantage. A seller should adopt a chess-game perspective of its current and principal potential competiTo accomplish this, effective companies have tors. Moreover, it should continuously examine developed horizontal structures that focus on the competitive threats they pose, inferring these building value, such as time-to-market for new threats from intent and value-creation capabilities. This is crucial information to a seller in developFigure 1 ing its contingency competitive Market Orientation strategies. In one case, HewlettPackard decided to accelerate the Interfunctional announcement of a new computer Information Assessment Acquisition peripheral after discovering through its travel agency that a rival had booked conference rooms around the country for a specific date. Knowing that this rival had a similar product in development, H-I-’ rushed its announcement and beat the competition to the market. In market-driven businesses, employees from all functions share information concerning competitors. For example, it is crucial for R&D to receive information acquired by the sales group about the pace of a competitor’s technol- Customer InformationCompetitor Information d Coordinated Superior Customer Value Other Market Information Market Orientation. Customer Value, and Superior Performance 23 products. They manage projects through small multifunctional teams that can move more quickly and easily than businesses that use the tradtional function-by-function, sequential approach. For example, cross-functional teams call on customers to identify additional opportunities for value creation. Engineering becomes involved during preliminary market research to help marketers understand what is feasible. Production is involved during product design to ensure that the product can be manufactured at a reasonable cost. Engineers and production people constantly discuss their capabilities and limitations with sales and marketing so capabilities can be leveraged and limitations avoided when promoting products or sewices. When all functions contribute to creating buyer value this way, more creativity is brought to bear on increasing effectiveness and efficiency for customers. Does This Mean the Marketing Department Is in Charge? Shapiro (1988) tells the anecdote of a company CEO explaining to top managers that because of increasing competition, the business needed to become more market-oriented. With that encouragement the marketing vice president jumped in, â€Å"I’ve been saying all along we need to be more marketing-oriented. Marketing has to be more involved in everything Ixcause we represent the customer and we have an integrated view of the company. † At that point the CEO snarled. â€Å"I said more ma&et-oriented. not 177arketin~-oriented. † That story is very epresentative of our experience with marketing orientation as well. A marketing orientation implies an emphasis on the marketing function that may not be appropriate. Customer value is created by core capabilities throughout the entire organization. Whereas Procter and Gamble’s competitive advantage may be based on :I core marketing capability, 3M’s advantag e is innovation: Canon’s is technology. This does not make 3M or Canon any less market-oriented than Procter and Gaml~le. Because market-driven behavior permeates multiple functions at 3M and Canon, they may be more market-oriented and less marketing-oriented. In our view, lvhen a business achieves the objective of developing a pervasive market orientation, the marketing function may become lessnot more-important, because all functions are dedicated to creating and delivering customer value. This is consistent with Regis McKenna’s (1991) notion that â€Å"Marketing is everything and everything is marketing. † Webster (1992) foresees a time when marketing specialists will become increasingly rare while marketing as a general management function becomes more important. This is the result of a general focus on cross- unctional cooperation, which causes internal functional boundaries to lose meaning. GE’s 1990 Annual Report puts it this way: In a boundary-less company, internal functions begin to blur. Engineering doesn’t design a product, then â€Å"hand it off† to manufacturing. They form a team, along with marketing and sales, finance, and the rest. Customer service? It’s not somebody’s job. It’s everybody’s job. However, for businesses that currently have an internal orientation on production or research and development, the marketing department may have to take the lead role in encouraging marketoriented thinking throughout the firm. As the primary boundary between the business and its markets, marketing is â€Å"management’s window on the world† (Holver and Garda 1985). Because it is dependent on other functional areas for the timely and efficient development, production, and delivery of the product, marketing is likely to be the first function that fully appreciates the benefits of market orientation. To maximize its effectiveness. marketing must demonstrate the benefits of market-driven behavior to top management and to other functions. Marketing may have a key role in the development and maintenance of a culture that is truly arket-oriented The crux is that the responsibility for superior buyer value is beyond that of any one function. Creating value for buyers is analogous to a symphony orchestra in which all members contribute according to a general plan and in which the contribution of each subgroup is tailored and integrated by a conductor-with a synergistic effect. A seller must draw upon a nd integrate effectively all of its human and other resources in an ongoing effort to create superior ,alue for buyers at a profit. This coordinated integration of company resources builds directly on both customer and competitor analysis.

Aids Awareness – 1

AIDS is a silent killer. The main reason for AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome) is HIV (Human Immuno Defiency virus). This virus when it enters our body, immediately turns into RNA, and then spreads quickly. After that it starts to destroy the white blood corpuscles. Because of this our resistance towards diseases gets decreased. Now the human body cannot withstand even an ordinary cold. In the year 1996 according to the survey, about 5000 persons per day were affected by AIDS in the whole world. The final stage of HIV is known as AIDS.In 1996, it was discovered that the virus can be controlled to a certain extent. The survey in 2002, says that about 3. 97 million of people are suffering from this disease in India. Origin of AIDS At first, this virus was found in green monkeys of Africa. At that time it was known as ‘Siman Immuno Deficiency Syndrome'. Africans ate the monkeys flesh as their food. In 1981, it was found that, the virus has spread among the Africans. In th e year 1987, it was discovered as AIDS. Mode of Transmission of HIV VirusFollowing are the ways in which HIV virus can be transmitted 1. Unprotected hetero or homosexual contact 2. Injection which is used without sterlising after using for HIV/SIDS affected person. 3. Blood of HIV affected person used for another person 4. From the pregnant lay who is affected of AIDS to the child or when she breast feeds child. Ways in which HIV/AIDS cannot be spread AIDS cannot spread by shaking hands, eating together, using the dress of the affected person, through mosquito, air, water. Symptoms 1. Loss of 10% or more of body weight . Fever of unknown origin 3. Preumonia, brain tumours, haemorrhage, unremitting diarrhea, swelling of lymph glands. Role of youth in HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention Today's youth is going to build tomorrow's future. They build the nation and they together build the world. Each one has his/her own responsibility in building a healthy world. Because of the scientific invention many diseases are eradicated many can be cured but still there are certain exceptions like HIV/AIDS virus which threatens the whole world.At first, youth must realize the present problem created by HIV virus and their self control is going to be the main solution to the problem. The main reason to say that the solution of this problem is in the hands of youth is that they have more understanding power and they have more ability. So they can understand the seriousness of AIDS and they can take effective steps to being about the awareness and prevent the deadly disease. Following are some of the steps which may help in eradicating HIV/AIDS virus: 1) Self controlTeenagers should understand their problems clearly. They should have a clear idea about the change in harmones during this stage. They should have self control and they should be motivated to concentrate on good aspects of life. They should have awareness about the preventive measures of HIV/AIDS virus 2) DRAMA Studen ts of the college must be encouraged by their teachers and they should be taken to the rural areas, schools other educational institutions, offices etc. to conduct street plays bring about the awareness among the people and he people should be taught clearly the preventive methods, symptoms, methods of testing the HIV virus and also the facilities provided by the government to the HIV affected. People must be given awareness in their vernacular language and they must be motivated to extend their support to the HIV virus affected person. 3) Conducting completion and exhibition Youth should take the responsibility in conducting various types of competition and exhibitions in various schools, colleges regarding the awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS. ) Extending their support to the HIV affected person Youth have to discharge their responsibility of meeting the HIV affected people and giving them self-confidence and also encourage them to engage in some activities in which they are i nterested. 5) Creating awareness in the family Teenagers create awareness about HIV in their family, because when the family realizes the importance of eradication of HIV virus, then the society will realize and then the nation will realize and finally all together the world will realize the importance of eradicating this virus.People of the whole world will be aware and take preventive measures. Conclusion HIV affected people can live to the maximum of 10 to 15 years. This period can be extended if they live happily. Only way to make them happy is to touch and talk to them. Youth are the main solution for creating awareness and preventing HIV/AIDS virus. Colleges and the institutions should make them understand their responsibility and start taking steps they can obliterate the words â€Å"AIDS/HIV virus† from the whole world.

Three Varieties of Knowledge- a Critque

Donald Davidson- Three Varieties of Knowledge Submitted By: Nathan Copeland- 500349268 Submitted to: Prof. Checkland PHL550 April 15, 2013 In Donald Davidsons Three Varieties of Knowledge, he sets out to more or less prove that â€Å"A community of minds is the basis of knowledge; it provides the measure of all things. † (Davidson, 218). This is done by first categorizing knowledge into three distinct categories. There is knowledge of ones own mind, knowledge of another’s mind, and knowledge of the shared physical world around us. He argues that no one could exist without the others.According to Davidson, knowledge of ones own mind differs from the other two types of knowledge in the sense that one knows the contents of their own mind without any study or evidence in most cases. On the other hand, the minds of others and the physical world may only be interpreted through the senses, at least initially. He also notes that certain aspects of our physical world can be inte rpreted almost instantaneously, our example being distinguishing colours, while many aspects of another’s mind contents are done through physical observation of actions and words, which we then reconcile with our own knowledge to make inferences.This makes the latter two types of knowledge open to a degree of uncertainty that is rarely experienced in matters of your own mind. He also acknowledges the asymmetry that is apparent between coming about knowledge of our own minds and knowledge of other minds. They are both minds, yet we come to understand our own in a very unique way. He criticizes the solution that the actions and behavior or others is sufficient for inferring certain mental states to others, but those same actions and behaviours carried out by our selves are irrelevant when we attempt to describe ourselves.An issue being- If both types of knowledge come about so differently, how can we believe that others mental states are comparable to our own. He sets out to pa int a picture that includes all three types of knowledge, and shows how they are related in hopes of solving these issues. Davidson claims that â€Å"what we could not do is get along without a way of expressing, and thus communicating, our thoughts about the natural world† (Davidson, pg. 208). He also proposes that in order for a creature to have a belief, they must also posses the idea of objective truths.He then draws on Wittgenstien to say that â€Å"the source of the concept of objective truth is interpersonal communication† (Davidson, pg. 209). This is based on the assumption that thought cannot exist without language. Davidson argues that without the distinction between objective truth and what one thinks to be the case, there is no thought at all, and since there cannot be objective truth without the confirmation on the correct use of words through communicating, there cannot be thought without communicating, in his example language.It is argued that in order f or communication to work, the speaker and interpreter must share an understanding of what is meant by what is being said. Davidson then uses an example of how one would go about learning a new language to illustrate how we come about having an understanding of the words we use. In this case, we assign words and sentences we know in our native tongue to the utterances and actions made by a foreign speaker. With trial and error we come to understand what is meant by these utterances and how they relate to ‘reality’.This process of connecting ones own thoughts with the thoughts of another through some aspect of the external world is regarded by Davidson as triangulation. â€Å"it takes two points of view to give a location to the cause of a thought, and thus define its content† (Davidson, pg. 213). He believes this to be the only way that one can know another’s mind or the external world, making the two mutually dependent. He points out that there is the limi tation of perception at play here, with no way to look in from outside the standard to see if its write, but we may consult a third and forth party and so on to lessen the chance of an error being made. Davidson, pg. 217) Davidson then goes on to say that â€Å"knowledge of the propositional contents of our own minds is not possible without the other forms of knowledge, since there is no propositional thought without communication† (Davidson, pg. 213). Furthermore, knowledge of others cannot be inferred unless we have knowledge of ourselves, as the process of coming to know another’s mind is done by matching evidence from others behaviour to our knowledge of our own, thus showing that knowledge of our own minds and others is also mutually dependent.He acknowledges that there are a great deal of possible ways that we could assign our native language to the language and behavior of another to come about an understanding. He relates this to the measurement of weight in th e sense that no matter what system you use for measurement; kilograms, pounds ounces, etc. , the invariable factor, in this case the actual weight of the object, is the fact of the matter, not the arbitrary units of measure. His point is that there will likely always be indeterminacy in our translations, but we will often get the general idea.He also believes that there are no strict laws that connect mental states with physical ones, stating that such laws can exist â€Å"only when concepts connected by the laws are based on criteria of the same sort† (Davidson, pg. 215). This all leads to the fact that we will never be able to agree on how sentences and thoughts should be structured to describe other sentences or thoughts, as the very process of discussing how we would do this is ultimately done with the very thoughts were discussing, leaving it perpetually open to interpretation.As such â€Å"A community of minds is the basis of knowledge; it is the measure of all things. It makes no sense to question the adequacy of this measure, or to seek a more ultimate standard. † (Davidson, pg. 218). Analysis I agree with the general idea of what Davidson is saying, with a few exceptions. I would agree that ‘advanced’ knowledge can only come about with the all three types of evidence, but I also believe that basic knowledge can be acquired by just a person and the observable world. Suppose I live in a world with no other living creatures.I have no formal language. If I walk across a bed of sharp rocks, my nervous system will say â€Å"ouch†, and it wont take long to figure out that sharp rocks hurt my feet. I am aware of this with no need to confirm with another. I am also in contention with the idea that â€Å"language is essential to thought† (Davidson, pg. 209). My dog ‘thinks’ its going for a walk every time I put my boots on. I suppose that may be considered language, or some may argue that my dogs actions hav e no thought, but it seems to me that to make such a claim demands more evidence.I also had an issue with the claim that â€Å"enough in the framework and fabric of our beliefs must be true to give content to the rest† (Davidson, pg. 214). Although I agree that ‘enough’ of our beliefs are true, I don’t see this as a necessary condition. What if everything we think is wrong, or we’re a brain in a vat. The claim is overly definitive for my liking. Going back to my ‘only creature’ idea, I find the statement â€Å"there is no propositional thought without communication† (Davidson, pg. 213). Perhaps on this lonely planet I have a rock, which I am in love with.I may possess the thought, as primitive as it may be, that I love this rock. We don’t communicate, but the thought remains. This may be argued as a feeling, not a thought, but I’m not sure I know the difference. Finally, I have another idea that is in opposition to Davidsons claims, although I’m not sure if I believe it myself. He seems to think there are three distinct categories of knowledge, with knowledge of ones self coming mostly from inside, and knowledge of the world and others minds coming indirectly.My idea is this; all of the thoughts, behaviors, desires etc. , of any living creature is merely a manifestation of very complex processes happening in our brains. Our brains are chemicals and axons and neurons and much more that we are not 100% about. I’m proposing that theoretically, if we can observe the brain all the way down to each and every atom, we could see how your brain looks for any given idea, memory, feeling, and document the physical state relating to each and every instance.The only difference between the three states is how we go about knowing them, and with this theory we could even come to know our own minds without having to think internally about how we feel, but by merely observing our brains. Tying thi s back to my ‘alone in the world’ scenario, if I had the capability to observe my own brains inner workings while feeling the mental manifestations of such neurological reactions, I could correlate the pictures with feelings the ame way we correlate others words with objects in the world. If I became well enough versed at this, I could then look at the brain of someone else whom I’ve never seen, and come to know their mind as well. This theory is in contradiction with Davidson’s statement that there are no strict laws that connect mental states to physical ones, but even he acknowledges that this topic â€Å"has understandably been found inconclusive by critics† (Davidson, pg. 216), myself included.