Current Situation Essay Example for Free

Current Situation Essay Tien Tzuo was the chief strategy officer at Salesforce.com and K.V. Rao was head of strategic marketing and business development at WebEx. Both Tien Tzuo and K.V. Rao worked on building their respective billing solutions that was a big barrier to many SaaS companies. Once realized that this is a huge unaddressed problem for SaaS companies, they saw this an opportunity to exploit this new e-commerce niche in the SaaS Industry, thus creating Zuora. Cheng Zhou, the head of Bliss joined them and they were able to obtain . 5 million start-up investment from Benchmark, a venture capital company, and Benioff, Tien Tzuo’s former boss, the founder of Salesforce.com Analysis of Zuora Inc as a business Tien Tzuo and K.V. Rao founded Zuora to address the need for billing efficiency. They are aware that there’s an increase in products being offered as a subscription service (i.e. Netflix offering a monthly subscription for a library of shows and movies, Zipcar offering a pay as-you-go utility that eliminates the need to buy cars etc). Their vision is to provide an e-commerce platform that provides a low-cost, state-of-the-art and highly efficient billing systems. Before the launch of their billing module, they tested their program to 5 alpha customers. Their feedback caused Zuora to create a payment module that handles payments, and signed a partnership contract with PayPal. With their launch in October 2008, their Z-billing product sold to over 70 customers. In January 2010, Zuora released another product, Z-commerce, a billing platform aimed towards cloud developers What is wrong? Zuora currently faces the following threats: †¢The rise of Cloud Computing †¢Offline Subscription of Zuora’s current services offered by their competitors such as ATT or Zipcar †¢Given the constant change in the market dynamics of the technology industry, Zuora must be able to ‘quick think’ of opportunities in order to strengthen its current position as a major player in the SaaS Industry What is the impact? †¢The rise of Cloud Computing oZuora shouldn’t be thinking of Cloud Computing as a threat just because the IT industry had not yet clearly defined what role cloud computing will play. oCloud Computing is very advantageous to Zuora because all cloud services needed a billing and payment solutions and Zuora, with its state-of-the-art, highly efficient and low-cost billing platform, can differentiate itself with the rest in the Saas Industry by combining its platform with cloud computing †¢Offline Subscription offered by ATT or Zipcar oWith the offline subscription offered by ATT or Zipcar, they still present a disadvantage because pricing for services was more complicated than pricing for products especially when time dimension was introduced. Thus, with offline subscription of billing and payment, introducing a new pricing for subscription systems could take as long as 6 to 12 months and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars †¢The constant change in the market dynamics of technology industry

Light Observations :: essays research papers

Light Observations Made on 2-17-05 From the hours of 1800 to 2200 on Thursday 2-17-05, an inspection of the lights found on the exterior of the warehouses, container lots, pipe yard, and dock took place. After searching all the light fixtures on the outside of the warehouses there were only two found that possibly could cause a hazard to someone. The first one found was at bay door 1A-1, the fixture was hanging loose off the wall with wires exposed. 2B-2 was the other site with a possible hazard. The light fixture was missing it’s covering exposing it to the elements as well as anyone who goes to use it. There were also some lights found that were inoperable upon completion of the inspection. All lights found on the front side of warehouse 1 were in working condition, except for one of the sidelights found on the left of door 1B-3. The same can be said about the backside of the warehouse, the only one that was not working was the one found at 1A-2. Lights 2C-3, 2D-1, 2D-2, and 2D-3 on the front side of warehouse 2 worked, but all others were found to be inoperable. Only one of the sidelights found at 2D-3 on the backside of the warehouse works, but all others were in sufficient working condition. The light post, closest to 95 found behind warehouse 3, had one bulb that was not working. The second light post found at the back of the pipe yard, right next to 95, also looked like it was also about ready to go out. Light coming from that pole was very dim and in my observation not adequate. In J-Lot down by the gate, the first light that runs along the 95 side turns off and on randomly. This could cause a major hazard concern because the line of sight for individuals is greatly depleted. When entering A-Lot the light to the right is out. One of the quad lights found at the back of the lot is also out, along with one of the quads found at the front of the lot, facing the water. The whole container area located in Lot-A closest to the water needs to have more light because there is no light coming from the water side, making it very hard to see. After completing a survey of the dock it was noted that lighting is barely adequate for operation. Light Observations :: essays research papers Light Observations Made on 2-17-05 From the hours of 1800 to 2200 on Thursday 2-17-05, an inspection of the lights found on the exterior of the warehouses, container lots, pipe yard, and dock took place. After searching all the light fixtures on the outside of the warehouses there were only two found that possibly could cause a hazard to someone. The first one found was at bay door 1A-1, the fixture was hanging loose off the wall with wires exposed. 2B-2 was the other site with a possible hazard. The light fixture was missing it’s covering exposing it to the elements as well as anyone who goes to use it. There were also some lights found that were inoperable upon completion of the inspection. All lights found on the front side of warehouse 1 were in working condition, except for one of the sidelights found on the left of door 1B-3. The same can be said about the backside of the warehouse, the only one that was not working was the one found at 1A-2. Lights 2C-3, 2D-1, 2D-2, and 2D-3 on the front side of warehouse 2 worked, but all others were found to be inoperable. Only one of the sidelights found at 2D-3 on the backside of the warehouse works, but all others were in sufficient working condition. The light post, closest to 95 found behind warehouse 3, had one bulb that was not working. The second light post found at the back of the pipe yard, right next to 95, also looked like it was also about ready to go out. Light coming from that pole was very dim and in my observation not adequate. In J-Lot down by the gate, the first light that runs along the 95 side turns off and on randomly. This could cause a major hazard concern because the line of sight for individuals is greatly depleted. When entering A-Lot the light to the right is out. One of the quad lights found at the back of the lot is also out, along with one of the quads found at the front of the lot, facing the water. The whole container area located in Lot-A closest to the water needs to have more light because there is no light coming from the water side, making it very hard to see. After completing a survey of the dock it was noted that lighting is barely adequate for operation.

Doctors’ Arguments

This paper seeks to examine several arguments presented by three doctors concerning the presence of mental states in a non-human brain and posit the writer’s own reasoning and conclusion.The three arguments will be presented along with the writer’s commentary on each. After careful examination of the arguments and reading various sources, the writer has come to a conclusion that non-human brains are capable of mental states albeit extremely limited ones.In the matter of mental states, it would be useful for the writer of this essay to first define the mental state. For purposes of this essay, a mental state will include conditions or processes that are performed exclusively by thinking and feeling organisms.Therefore, in examination of the arguments, the capacities of thinking and feeling are key to the presence of mental states. It is imperative that the brain in examination should be able to induce emotion and thought.It must be noted that the patient in question coul d be the writer herself.The first doctor posits that the patient in question is not capable of thinking and feeling, because of the absence of the soul. Thus it is established that the patient in question does not have a soul and is not perhaps human.Personally, the writer finds it even more difficult to explain the concept of the soul than that of mental states. Mental states may be recognized and even documented, however, in the field of evidence, souls have not been documented or recognized.Perhaps the doctor in this argument would equate the soul to the mind, an entity which is hidden and whose inner workings in the capacity of the human body are mysterious and unexplainable but are thought to function fundamentally for human existence.In Gilbert Ryle’s examination of Descartes’ position on the matter (1949), the separation of mind and body are presented to give way for the understanding of mental states in a separate fashion. However, Ryle mentions the difficulty in examining the mind because of the mystery of its powers and processes (Ryle, 1949).If we were to follow Ryle’s work, the mind presents a consciousness or entity separate from physical space and intangible to the senses. The processes which it undertakes are not witnessed at all and it is sometimes even perceived that these processes may not exist.The fact that these processes cannot be monitored give venue to its questionability. For the writer, explaining the presence of mental states through the soul which can be similar to the mind is insufficient because of the difficulty in verification.Also, Ryle explains the difficulty in seeking to explain the causality of the mind’s processes (Ryle, 1949). If such a mysterious and invisible entity exists, how can it directly cause so many actions? Also, the congruence of such actions is questionable, such as how a will can cause a perception to scratch his nose (Ryle, 1949)?The second doctor’s argument posits that on ly organic brains alike to those of humans are possible of having mental states. It is thus established that the patient in question (who is most probably the writer) does not have an organic brain and the brain itself is not akin to a human brain. This presumes that the doctor believes in the existence of brains that are inorganic and not human, and explains the difference as well. Inorganic brains are not capable of mental states and processes.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What then, are the capacities of an inorganic brain?Searle (1980) posits the ‘strong AI’ or strong artificial intelligence in this case, which is capable of outputting actions and responses similar to that of humans when presented with certain stimuli (Searle, 1980). This strong AI has its own structure or physical materials and to function, it is programmed with a set of rules to follow and guidelines in which the responses of humans are thought to be replicated.Perhaps the doctor th inks that artificial brains that are programmed are not entirely possible of replicating human thought. After all, the set of rules that the AI is governed by dictates its responses and in the end, it will only follow those rules. The doctor may be looking for responses that are unique to humans and that vary greatly.Indeed, even the strongest AI is still governed by only a larger and more intricate set of rules which the human programming it inputted. It would only go as far as the human who created it could consider.The last doctor then rejected the formers’ conclusions and reasoning by virtue of the outputs that the patient presented. The similarity to human actions made the doctor believe that though the patient has an artificial brain, the brain could produce mental states.Bertrand Russel posits the capacity of the mind to react to stimuli in unique ways depending perhaps on the mental state in which the person is in (Russel, 2001). The last doctor may see that the patie nt reacts in unique ways, and similarly to a human, due to the fact that the patient had lead a normal life up to the moment her brain was examined.After examining all the doctors’ arguments the writer would like to concentrate on the second argument. The most probable form of artificial brain would be that of an AI and its strength determines how much of a mental state it can produce.However, once the program is inputted, the AI can still only perform what the program tells it to, and most probably, be in whatever mental state the program also tells it to. A human brain, on the other hand, can change responses depending on the mental state, which no program induces.It is then that the writer posits that the patient does have mental states, but because of the lack of information from the prompt, the mental states cannot be examined. However, if an artificial brain is in place within the patient’s brain, then the mental states are dictated by the program as well.The wri ter also says that no matter how numerous the responses are that are programmed into the patient’s artificial brain, these responses can never be changed and can never differ from what they are programmed to do. The AI can perhaps learn but cannot exhibit the changing responses of a human.If the question would be solely based on mental states then the position of this writer would be that the patient is capable of producing and being in mental states, but these are all borne from programming. The validity of the programming is not in question in this essay but only that of the mental states.In going further, these mental states of the artificial brain can only produce set and programmed outputs. True, the patient may indeed feel pain and pleasure, but the responses are set. They may be numerous, but always set.The new factor that would come in when considering the mental states of human brains and that of artificial brains is that of the concept of choice. A human can feel a mental state and choose to respond to it. She may respond in different ways and it would be depending on her choice.An artificial brain on the other hand would need only look to the rules programmed into it and evaluate several factors and produce a response that would follow the said rules. Indeed, the mental states that the patient goes through may even be the programmed response as well, accompanying the outside response as well, to make the patient herself unaware of her own artificial brain.What then of the human brain, is it programmed as well? Could socialization and other life processes have acted as the programmers for our brains? This question would depend on how the human makes her choices. After all, a human can change on her own but an artificial brain can only do what it does again and again.BibliographyRussel, B. (2001). The Argument from Analogy of Other Minds. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from TCU Philosophy Department: http://www.phil.tcu.edu/readings/Russell.doc Ryle, G. (1949). Descartes' Myth. In G. Ryle, The Concept of Mind.Searle, J. (1980). Minds, Brains and Programs. Behvioral and Brain Sciences Vol. 3 , 417- 457.

Gay Marriage And The Right Of Same Sex Marriage - 1387 Words

In the United States, there is a communal controversy regarding the right of same-sex marriage. I decided to explore the views of two different authors who contrast each other. British Author, Andrew Sullivan writes the essay, â€Å"For Gay Marriage† about equal rights on marriages for same-sex couples. William J. Bennett composes the essay, â€Å"Against Gay Marriage† giving his views on why couples of the same sex should not be allowed to engage in marital relations. Sullivan supports the idea of gay marriages while Bennett opposes the idea. Referring to the article in the â€Å"Moral Issues† book†¦. Page†¦give examples from there. Every human being has emotional needs and different interests, giving rise to diverse and conflicting opinions on gay marriage dealing with social issues, domestic partnership and religious viewpoints. Marriage is a statement of love and commitment; it is the key to a pursuit of happiness. Homosexuals have identical emotional needs and temptations as heterosexuals and there is no reason marriage should be permitted to one class and not the other. Sullivan is a strong believer that gay and lesbian couples should be treated as equals in society and no different than anyone else. Many people are afraid of the effects same-sex marriages could have on our culture. Sullivan explains that gay men and women are no different from anyone else in society as far as political and moral beliefs, so they deserve equal opportunity. Sullivan stays strong in emphasizing thatShow MoreRelatedSame Sex Marriage And Gay Rights2277 Words   |  10 Pagesrecently the courts have made sweeping changes over the past two decades in laws defining whether marriage is limited to relationships between a man and a woman or is extended to same sex couples. Gay marriage and gay rights are a major controversy in t he world today. It is a constant debate on whether or not traditional marriage is out-of-date and that a new way is better. Although many believe in gay rights, it is difficult to support something that is against the foundation of America, and somethingRead MoreLegalizing Same Sex Marriage Is Not The End Of The Fight For Equal Gay Rights1801 Words   |  8 Pagesall state-level bans against same-sex marriage unconstitutional, legalizing same-sex marriage all over the nation. While this ruling was a huge victory for the gay rights movement, it was not the end of the fight for equal gay rights. In fact, many gay people are still fighting for adoption rights, job safety, and government protections from abuse and segregation. 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It flat out is just not right at all. No matter if same sex marriage is legal or illegal it will never be okay on any circumstance. Marriage has always been between A Man and Woman not two guys and two girls. Marriage should stay the same, it should not be legalized, they’re just too many wrongs to it and it is not acceptable. TheRead MoreThe Legalization Of Gay Marriage1749 Words   |  7 PagesThe Legalization of Gay Marriage: A Step to Equality Imagine a world where heterosexuals are the minority. Straight people would be the ones fighting for the same rights as homosexuals. Same-sex marriages would be average and normal, while straight marriages would be frowned upon and considered unholy in the eyes of religion. Heterosexuals would be denied service at restaurants because of their sexuality, they would be called derogatory names while holding their partner’s hand and most importantlyRead MoreGeorge Chauncey, Why Marriage?1245 Words   |  5 PagesGeorge Chauncey, Why Marriage?: The History Shaping Today s Debate over Gay Equality, 2004 Nisha Chittal, Judges Chip Away at Florida Gay Marriage Ban, msnbc.com, July 26, 2014 Jeffrey M. Jones, Same-Sex Marriage Support Solidifies Above 50% in U.S., Gallup.com, May 13, 2013 Stonewall Rebellion, www.nytimes.com, Apr. 10, 2009 Goldberg, Carey (February 10, 2000). Vermont Panel Shies From Gay Marriage. New York Times. Retrieved July 13, 2013. https://www.isidewith.com/poll/965633 Read Moreâ€Å"Same-Sex Marriage Should Not Be Legalized† Essay982 Words   |  4 Pages ID Number: 2009-5699 Teacher: Emilia Gracia Final Draft: Essay 3. â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage Should Not Be Legalized†. July 18th 2012. Same-Sex Marriage Should Not Be Legalized. As we know, same-sex marriage has been discussed and argued for a long time. Within the controversial topic of gay rights, there’s no area more controversial than same-sex marriage. And all of us ask ourselves if same-sex marriage should be legal or not. But the fact is that we have to start thinking about itRead MoreEssay about Lets Legalize Gay Marriage872 Words   |  4 PagesLet’s Legalize Gay Marriage Gay marriage is a right. Heterosexual couples are allowed to enjoy all the marriage benefits, so why shouldn’t same-sex couples be able to? Why should other people be able to choose who marries who? If a man and a woman get married, no one seems to care. Gay marriage should be legal because it’s an issue of equal rights, it would save society money, and it will increase the chances for foster children to be adopted into loving families. Same-sex marriage is an issueRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Banned874 Words   |  4 Pagesgrounds that gay rights or same sex marriage should be banned or that it’s wrong under their religions. With that there are many factors that contradict against gay rights, such as religion, child adoption, and divorce just to name a few. Roger Severino, a graduate from Harvard Law School, and has a master in public policy claims the negative collusions that are against gay rights (924). Severino tells us that gay marriage conflicts with religious beliefs because it ruins the traditional marriage betweenRead MoreGay Marriage Moment Essay951 Words   |  4 PagesGay Marriage Moment Gay marriage should be allowed nobody is perfect. In this world we all have the ability to love somebody. We shouldn’t judge others, all of us are human beings just because we don’t like a man or women of our kind. Each one of us that are homosexuals or lesbians or gays. Doesn’t mean that we can’t have the same things as men and women some people believe that same sex marriage is against their morals and their religious won’t accept it. Gay marriage should be allowed because the