The Belief In Miracles Philosophy Essay

The Belief In Miracles Philosophy Essay I will proceed in the following way: First, I will respond to Humes charges against the belief in miracles. Then, I will present conditions that, if met, would justify a belief that a miracle has occured. The arguments against miracles in Humes work can be divided into three categories. The first arguments attack the coherence, or intelligibility, of the concept of the miraculous. The second accept, for the sake of argument, that the concept is coherent, but target the plausibility of miracles, arguing there could never be sufficient evidence for believing in a miracle. The third attacks the reliability of the reports of those who claim to have witnessed miraculous events. This paper shall concern the first two arguments but not the last, because I cannot disagree with Hume that historically, the evidence for miracles has indeed been remarkably weak. Additionally, I would like to take this opportunity to further clarify what I am not trying to prove. I do not contend that there ever has been a miracle, nor that the things commonly considered evidence for miracles are evidence at all. What I do contend is that given certain conditions, the most rational explanation for an event could be that it was a miracle. A miracle may be accurately defined, says Hume, a transgression of a law of nature by a particular volition of the deity, or by the interposition of some invisible agent. Note that there are two conditions set out in this definition. First, a miracle presents as an exception to the established laws of nature. But that is not all; an events exceptionality is not enough to warrant it miracle status. The exception must be attributable to some sort of supernatural interference with the laws of nature. Thus, we may paraphrase Humes definition as the following: A miracle is a violation, enacted by a supernatural agent, of the laws of nature. This is how Hume defines it, and accordingly, this is the conception I shall use in my refutation of Hume. The first charge I shall address is the charge of unintelligibility, or incoherence. It is Humes most ambitious argument against miracles. However, what exactly Hume meant by this charge is the subject of debate. The first view to be considered is Anthony Flews. He interprets the argument as the following simple argument: Laws cannot have exceptions. The definition of a miracle is an exception to the laws of nature. Therefore, miracles cannot exist. But this argument is unsound, specifically at the second premise. Miracles are not just exceptions according to Hume, but violations, the result of supernatural interference with nature ¿Ã‚ ½s normal course. The laws of nature cite relations of natural causes to their effects, not supernatural causes to their effects. In other words, the supernatural is beyond the proper subject matter of natural laws. Accordingly, it would be unreasonable to expect for the laws of nature to account for miracles, which are events caused by the supernatural. So because miracles are caused by forces external to the natural realm, and because natural laws describe only those causes within the natural realm, miracles present no problem for our acceptance of the laws of nature. We may accept the laws of nature as accurate descriptions of the natural world as it usually functions. What would be incoherent is an internal exception, that is, a natural exception to the laws of nature. But of course, Hume ¿Ã‚ ½s miracles are not of that nature. The second interpretation of Hume ¿Ã‚ ½s argument connects the charge of incoherence to Hume ¿Ã‚ ½s particular conception of lawhood. Hume ¿Ã‚ ½s conception of the laws of nature is one that places strict checks on the use of the natural-supernatural distinction. It claims that we form our ideas of natural laws based on all the evidence, exceptional events included. Thus, there can be no clear way of distinguishing what is a natural event from what is supposedly supernatural. As Hume ¿Ã‚ ½s natural laws encapsulate all observed events, there is no basis for saying that some events are miracles that should be excluded from the scope of these laws, but be instead placed in a conveniently created supernatural realm, as we do when we label them miracles. To respond to this argument, one need only point out that it is not free from some quite substantive assumptions about lawhood. It attaches the charge of unintelligibility of miracles to a particular and narrowly defined view of lawhood, substantially limiting the argument ¿Ã‚ ½s scope, and likewise weakening it. There are other theories of lawhood, such as the Naturalness theory of laws, which have no problem excluding anomalous events from the explanatory scope of natural laws. (Lierse, 19__) Thus, this charge of Hume ¿Ã‚ ½s is not one of unintelligibility or incoherence, but a charge of incompatibility with a particular conception of lawhood. And of course, that two ideas are incompatible is just as much a problem with either one the two as it is with the other one. So why see this incompatibility as a problem with the concept of miracles when we can easily construe it as a problem with Hume ¿Ã‚ ½s theory of lawhood? The charge against Hume ¿Ã‚ ½s theory of lawhood being t hat it clashes with the intuitive idea of a miracle. The claim that miracles are incoherent is, therefore, unfounded. Now for Hume ¿Ã‚ ½s second charge. He argues that given the vast body of empirical evidence that has established the laws of nature as laws, it would be impossible to have comparable evidence supporting a miracle claim. In other words, the fact that any law of nature is a law means that, in our experience, it has never been violated, so any claim that a law has been violated is in direct contradiction to a vast body of evidence. Thus regardless of how trust-worthy a person reporting a miracle may be, that report cannot possibly be more likely to be true than false. As a result, Hume argues, it is never reasonable to accept reports of miracles. What this argument tries to do is pit the evidence in support of a miraculous occurrence against the evidence for the laws of nature. But in truth, the two do not negate each other. When we label an event that violates a law of nature  ¿Ã‚ ½a miracle ¿Ã‚ ½, we are not contradicting a law of nature, but in a way defending it; we are protecting the law ¿Ã‚ ½s integrity. An anomalous event would seem to challenge the law it violated, but not if that event is a miracle. If the event is a miracle it is no longer counter-evidence to the law, because the law is not expected to account for it in the first place, as it has a supernatural cause. So we may continue to claim there have been no observed natural events that have contradicted the law, and therefore, we may conclude the law still stands. As an example, imagine there were a 2000 year old monk living somewhere up in the mountains of Tibet. The law of nature that all humans are mortal would seem contradicted. But if the monk ¿Ã ‚ ½s extraordinarily long life is a miracle, then his longevity is ultimately the effect of some supernatural force interfering with his natural life-span. We could argue the law of human mortality, correctly construed, only applies to people whose lives have not been interfered with by the supernatural, and accordingly, it is fully coherent to suppose that interference by a supernatural force could cause the law of human mortality to be violated. Just like the law of human mortality, other laws of nature can also be protected from perceived counter-instances in this way. By appealing to the supernatural, laws can be saved from apparent counter-evidence. Of course, there are other ways to explain anomalous events without appealing to the miraculous. There seem to be three other options: we can dismiss the evidence for the event, we can posit another law as the cause, or we can modify the law to accommodate the anomalous event. In order to demonstrate that miracles are possible, it must be shown that a miracle could be the best explanation available in certain circumstances. And that is what I shall demonstrate in what follows. I begin with an admission. In explaining an apparent violation of a law of nature as a miracle, all other explanations must first be completely ruled out. This is because if we accept that a miracle happened, it may pose a challenge to the coherence of our established beliefs. If we accept a miraculous explanation for an event, then we are accepting that a supernatural power exists, and not only exists, but also interferes with the natural world. This may lie in contradiction to our established beliefs about such matters, and this threat to coherence may very well be considered evidence against a miracle claim. However, a miracle may nevertheless be the best explanation available for certain events, because all other explanations may in fact be impossible. This can occur when a number of conditions are met. The first condition is repetition. If an event is only reported once, even if the only reasonable explanation is the miraculous, we still might reject the report as evidence. This is because no matter how convincing the evidence may seem, we are aware that our track-record for assessing the reliability of evidence is weak, and we can deny that a miracle has in fact occurred on those grounds alone. But if an event is reliably reported to have been repeated enough times, and by enough people, this concern is taken care of. The more the event is reliably reported to have occurred, the more difficult it becomes to deny that the event has taken place. Consider the following example. Suppose there were reports that Tom Cruise could cure cancer with his mind. And not just individual reports, but double-blind placebo controlled scientific studies, published in all the top medical journals. We would, it seems, be forced to rule out other explanations and seriously open our minds to the possibility that Tom Cruise has supernatural powers. We are not be able to dismiss the reports as faulty because of the degree to which they are reported, and the reliability of the sources reporting them . But could the laws of nature be modified to permit this occurrence? It seems unlikely. In this case, Tom Cruise is violating numerous laws of nature. If we are going to modify a law of nature, we need to be able to explain our reason for doing so, as well as provide a plausible account for why the exception we are permitting is in fact justified. Normally, when we modify a law to account for an exception, we can provide an explanation for why the law should not apply in the exceptional case. But there is no biological difference between a cancer that Tom Cruise wills to go away with his mind and one he does not. Any law we would devise for this phenomenon of cancers spontaneously healing would have to rely on a completely non-physical property: being willed to heal by Tom Cruise. So if we modify our laws of biology to allow that can cers can be spontaneously disappear, not only must we explain why some cancers spontaneously disappear and some do not, but we are also faced with the challenge that the only description we can give for the set of exceptions refers to the non-biological property of being willed to disappear by Tom Cruise. Now this is of course a very odd sort of exception to a law of biology, one that is completely unprecedented in any other biological law. Alternatively, trying to explain it in natural terms is a completely hopeless endeavour. However, claiming that Tom Cruise ¿Ã‚ ½s ability is a miracle, and given a Scientologist world-view not unexpected, provides two important advantages to the above explanation. Firstly, it provides us with an explanation for why cancers willed to heal by Tom Cruise are disappearing, and not other cancers. Secondly, it allows us to retain our natural laws as comprehensive, simple, and therefore useful descriptions of the natural world. So appealing to the miraculous is the best explanation. And though we can always modify our conception of the laws of nature to avoid introducing miracles into the equation, it would, as demonstrated in the above example, be crazy for us to do so. My defence of miracles has a potential objection that must be addressed. Problems of the unreliability of evidence for reported events, I argued, could be defeated by appealing to the repetition of miracles. That miracles can be repeated, however, is sometimes denied. One objection is by Swinburne. Swinburne is not prepared to allow that a miracle could be repeated, though he does allow a single miraculous occurence. He argues that any repeated miracle would nullify the credibility of the miracle and demand a modification of our law. This argument is weak. Firstly, it grants God the ability to interfere with nature, but just one time for any particular kind of interference, which leaves us with a rather odd sort of metaphysics. Secondly, if it is logically possible that a law can be violated once, then why can it not be violated again? It is arbitrary to insist that the point where a law requires modification is when an anomaly is repeated. Some modifications of laws provide poorer explanations for events than does an appeal to the supernatural, and that anomalies may be repeated does not change that fact, as we saw in the case of Tom Cruise. The reasonable conclusion is that a miracle can possibly be repeated any number of times. Even the possibility of  ¿Ã‚ ½miracle laws ¿Ã‚ ½ is something we should be willing to accept. Miracles can themselves be law-like despite being violation of laws. This is coherently understood in the case of supernatural laws violating natural laws, an instance of laws violating other laws. For example, consider the biblical story of the Israelites ¿Ã‚ ½ God turning the Egyptians ¿Ã‚ ½ water into blood. What is claimed to have happened is that any and all water belonging to an Egyptian spontaneously turned into blood. The spontaneous transformation of water into blood is certainly in violation of the laws of nature. Thus, by the biblical account, a supernatural power created a supernatural law, and caused the laws of nature to be violated in doing so. Any remnants of disreputability that miracles may have been tainted with should be taken care of by the admission of  ¿Ã‚ ½miracle laws ¿Ã‚ ½.

The Science Guys - Theories of Evolution :: essays research papers

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829) Today, the name of Lamarck is associated merely with a discredited theory of heredity, the "inheritance of acquired traits." However, Charles Darwin, Lyell, Haeckel, and other early evolutionists acknowledged him as a great zoologist and as a forerunner of evolution. To be fair to Lamarck, we should mention that since the time of Linnaeus, few naturalists had considered the invertebrates worthy of study. The word "invertebrates" did not even exist at the time; Lamarck coined it. The invertebrate collections at the Musà ©e were enormous and rapidly growing, but poorly organized and classified. Although the professors at the Musà ©e were theoretically equal in rank, the professorship of "insects and worms" was definitely the least prestigious. But Lamarck took on the enormous challenge of learning -- and creating -- a new field of biology. The sheer number and diversity of invertebrates proved to be both a challenge and a rich source of knowledge. What Lamarck actually believed was more complex: organisms are not passively altered by their environment. Instead, a change in the environment causes changes in the needs of organisms living in that environment, which in turn causes changes in their behavior. Altered behavior leads to greater or lesser use of a given structure or organ; use would cause the structure to increase in size over several generations, whereas disuse would cause it to shrink or even disappear. This rule -- that use or disuse causes structures to enlarge or shrink -- Lamarck called the "First Law" in his book Philosophie zoologique. Lamarck's "Second Law" stated that all such changes were heritable. The result of these laws was the continuous, gradual change of all organisms, as they became adapted to their environments; the physiological needs of organisms, created by their interactions with the environment, drive Lamarckian evolution. Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) Carl Linnaeus, also known as Carl von Linnà © or Carolus Linnaeus, is often called the Father of Taxonomy. His system for naming, ranking, and classifying organisms is still in wide use today (with many changes). Erusmus Darwin He did discuss ideas that his grandson elaborated on sixty years later, such as how life evolved from a single common ancestor, forming "one living filament". He wrestled with the question of how one species could evolve into another. Although some of his ideas on how evolution might occur are quite close to those of Lamarck, Erasmus Darwin also talked about how competition and sexual selection could cause changes in species

Advertising Essay examples -- essays research papers

Billboards, signs, radios, newspapers, television, and internet are main instruments that we as society see or use everyday and advertisers use as channels to advertise to society. Advertising has a major role in businesses and advertising is a business in itself. How else would businesses get their name and product or service out to the consumer by efficient means and time? A business may create a product and within a couple days reach consumers across the nation to sell that product. Without advertising businesses would not expand into nationwide companies, they would only exist as bricks and mortars in towns where they exist and the community knows them. Without advertising competition would only exist between companies by positive feedback of consumers and their price. Without advertising our society would move at a snails pace to grow. Spending would be minimal as well as sales. Advertising creates more business to be done and more spending to be done. Furthermore, advertising is a paid link between the business and the consumer to inform and persuade them about a product or service to promote consumer sovereignty of products available to the consumer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To understand the disputes and arguments of advertising, the definition of advertising has to be established. Advertising happens to be anything that distributes a message to another to inform or persuade. A garage sale sign pinned on a tree is a form of advertising. But to keep it from a business standpoint, advertisements are â€Å"paid, nonpersonal communication forms used with persuasive intent by identified sources through various media† (Commerce and Morality p43). In order to make advertising unique from announcements and other types of information, advertising main purpose is to inform and persuade to consumers to go out and buy the service or product. The advertisers have a general knowledge of who their target audience is, but do not know the individual that exist within the target audience. â€Å"They [advertisements] appeal to unknown individuals† (Commerce and Morality p43). For example, advertisers may target teenagers to sell a new hip shoe. Advertisers will have hip teenagers to model the product instead of mother or father figures to identify with the target audience. So on the whole, the advertisers may touch the target audience, but each individual in the target aud... ...m or her to buy something than himself or herself. Coca cola is one of the biggest soft drink companies. The amount of times I will see some form of advertisement of Coca Cola would be less than five times in a day. Is this a lot? The amount I will see a movie advertisement is less than ten times in a day, which involves two and a half minutes of my twenty four hour day, and that is being generous. Consumers should reevaluate what they claim.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Overall consumer sovereignty is not hindered by advertising. Advertising creates more choices for consumers to consider which product they most desire. Consumer sovereignty exists for a consumer if he or she wishes. Many consumers fall into the trap of having to spend money, and right then an advertisement comes along which causes them to buy something. The root of buying products starts with the consumer themselves not the advertisement. Advertising does not control the consumers on what they buy; advertising merely informs them on what they can buy. Consumer sovereignty goes hand in hand with advertising to create an economic system for consumers to obtain products that they wish and for businesses to flourish.

Brian Friels Translations Essay -- Friel Translations Essays

Brian Friel's "Translations" 'Translations', by Brian Friel, presents us with an idyllic rural community turned on its head as the result of the recording and translation of place names into English; an action which is at first sight purely administrative. In Act 1 of the play, Friel brings together the inhabitants of this quaint Irish village in what can only be described as a gathering of minds - minds which study the classics, yet minds which study dead languages. In the same way, while this community is rich in culture and togetherness, it is also trapped in what is later described as a "contour which no longer matches the landscape ofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦fact". Thus, in expressing his ambivalence, Friel presents the reader with a question - is Baile Beag an intellectual Irish Arcadia? There is no denying that Baile Beag is an intellectual community. At the beginning of the play, Jimmy Jack Cassie, one of the central characters, is in the process of reading Joyce's 'Ulysses'. He is capable of reading the text fluently and understands it, despite it being in another language (although he later reveals that, while he is fluent in Latin and Greek, he knows only one word of English). He even relates his own life to that of characters in the book, posing the question, "if you had the picking between them [Athene, Artemis & Helen of Troy], which would you take?". Furthermore, he even goes so far as to associate the smoke described within the pages of the text to the turf smoke which he believes has turned his hair flaxen. Hugh, the teacher in charge of the running of the hedge-school, is also an intellectual. While one could argue that he displays pomposity (his long, drawn out sentences result in him never rememberi... ...g is not what one would describe as a predominantly intellectual community. Furthermore, while Baile Beag is a place rich in community and in culture, a sense of threat and danger undercuts this. For, you see, Friel presents us with a society that teeters on a knife-edge; a people that live in constant fear of rural collapse and the horrendous poverty which would inevitably follow. Exacerbating the relentless grip which this fear has on people's lives is the prospect of the collapse of the Irish language at the hands of the national school, and the potential cultural and linguistic erosion as the result of the remapping of Ireland by imperial forces (although it is unlikely that the people of Baile Beag were aware of this erosion until it occurred). Therefore, while Baile Beag may be a relatively intellectual community, it is in no way an idyllic Arcadia.

Letter of Successful Probation Essay

Letter of a successful probation period template |You can use this letter to provide an employee with written confirmation that his or her employment will continue beyond the | |probation period (if applicable). You are not required by law to provide a letter like this or to have employees on probation. | |Information you will need to fill in: | |the end date of the probation period | |that the probation ended successfully, and | |the start date of the person’s ongoing employment with the business. | |Please note, a probation period does not affect any entitlements employees receive under the National Employment Standards or a | |modern award, such as annual leave, personal leave, and notice of termination. The probation period may be different to the minimum | |employment period for unfair dismissal applications. | Suggested steps for preparing a letter of successful probation period If at any time you need more information or assistance, call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94 or visit www.fairwork.gov.au. Step 1:Create your letter of a successful probation period It is best practice to confirm with your employee that his or her employment will continue beyond the probation period. The letter should be given to the employee before the end of the probation period. When drafting the letter you should: †¢ review the letter of engagement to check the length of the probation period, and †¢ check whether the relevant industrial instrument (e.g. an award or an enterprise agreement) contains any compulsory rules about probation. This template has been colour coded to assist you to complete it accurately. You simply need to replace the red < > writing with what applies to your employee and situation. Explanatory information is shown in blue italics to assist you and should be deleted once you have finished the letter. Step 2:Meet with the employee While it is best practice to meet with an employee towards the end of their probation period, there is not a legislative requirement to do so. Meeting face to face is an opportunity for you to: †¢ provide feedback to the employee about their performance or conduct, and †¢ explain why the probation period was successful. Step 3:Keep a copy of the letter of successful probation period Keep a copy of the letter given to the employee and document the meeting for your records. Private and confidential Dear Probation successful Your probation period with is due to end on . I am pleased to confirm your ongoing employment effective . The terms and conditions of employment set out in your original dated will continue to apply to your ongoing position. Thank you for your contribution to . Yours sincerely, ———————– PLEASE KEEP A COPY OF THIS LETTER FOR YOUR RECORDS ———————– Fair Work Ombudsman is committed to providing useful, reliable information to help you understand your rights and obligations under workplace laws. It is your responsibility to comply with workplace laws that apply to you. The information contained in this publication is: †¢ general in nature and may not deal with all aspects of the law that are relevant to your specific situation; and †¢ not legal advice. Therefore, you may wish to seek independent professional advice to ensure all the factors relevant to your circumstances have been properly considered.

Airasia: Low Cost Carriers in Asia Pacific Essay

The use of information technology plays an important role in the strategic and operation management of airlines,and facilitates the successful airlines in the future. This paper will look at the awarding-winning low cost carriers (LCC) in Asia Pacific region – AirAsia, analyzes the current business environment, competitive advantages, value chain, current implementation of information technology, and the recommended future implementation of technology in customer relationship management (CRM) implementation to pursue competitive differentiation and profitability effectively in the future. COMPANY BACKGROUND AirAsia is one of the award winning and largest low fare airlines in the Asia expanding rapidly since 2001. With a fleet of 72 aircrafts, AirAsia flies to over 61 domestic and international destinations with 108 routes, and operates over 400 flights daily from hubs located in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Today, AirAsia has flown over 55 million guests across the region and continues to create more extensive route network through its associate companies. AirAsia believes in the no-frills, hassle-free, low fare business concept and feels that keeping costs low requires high efficiency in every part of the business. Through the corporate philosophy of â€Å"Now Everyone Can Fly†, AirAsia has sparked a revolution in air travel with more and more people around the region choosing AirAsia as their preferred choice of transport. AirAsia creates values through the following vision and mission: Vision Mission To be the largest low cost airline in Asia and serving the 3 billion people who are currently underserved with poor connectivity and high fares.To be the best company to work for whereby employees are treated as part of a big family Create a globally recognized ASEAN brand To attain the lowest cost so that everyone can fly with AirAsia Maintain the highest quality product, embracing technology to reduce cost and enhance service levels AirAsia makes the low fare model possible and create values through the implementation of the following key strategies: Strategies Safety First Partnering with the world’s most renowned maintenance providers and complying with the world airline operations. High Aircraft Utilization Implementing the regions fastest turnaround time at only 25 minutes, assuring lower costs and higher productivity. Low Fare, No Frills Providing guests with the choice of customizing services without compromising on quality and services. Streamline Operations Making sure that processes are as simple as possible. Lean Distribution System Offering a wide and innovative range of distribution channels to make booking and travelling easier. Point to Point Network Applying the point-to-point network keeps operation simple and lower costs.

Marketing Plan analysis on Forever Living Products Essay

1.Summary This assignment will look at the existing marketing plan for the company Forever Living Products that focuses on the selling of aloe vera based products. The marketing plan will show how the company focuses on two areas – the consumer and the distributor. Both seem to be interlinked and both are important in the objective of the company. Furthermore, recommendations on shortfalls and lacking information will be made as to ensure that marketing is optimised and that this sales orientated company can improve on sales and profits. 2.Introduction and Background Founded in 1978 on little more than dreams and hard work, Forever Living is a multi-billion dollar company, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, that manufactures and sells dozens of wellness and beauty products. People from  all over the world, including South Africa, distribute these life-enhancing products, providing the opportunity to own an own business and secure a financial future with a proven plan. With over nine and a half million distributors in over 145 countries, Forever Living offers a once in a lifetime opportunity of living a healthier, wealthier life. The founder proposed a very simple business idea to his closest family and friends over thirty years ago. Offer consumable products to the public that are proven to promote lasting wellness and health—and do it in a personal way. Instead of dumping big bucks into traditional advertising, compensate anyone willing to share these products with their family and friends. In minimising traditional advertising, the company’s marketing plan was developed as seen in Addendum A . This marketing plan is very simple and focuses primarily on sales and promotion levels of sellers. Since 1978, very little changes were done to keep up with trends over the years. 3.Business Mission Forever Living believes their greatest legacy is what they do for others and how they do it. â€Å"We adhere to sustainable practices that let us work in harmony with the earth, leaving a more promising future to our children. We take great pride in our charity foundation, Forever Giving, because it allows us to help others around the world who has needs far greater than our own. We are taking ideas and turning them into reality. It is a part of our business that’s so deeply ingrained you could call it our culture. Working towards a brighter future is so much more than our duty—it’s truly our pleasure. Forever Living offers a unique opportunity where distributors are in business for themselves, but never by themselves.† 4.Objectives Seeing that the company primary focus is on sales, that is exactly what drives the objectives of the company. This is very clear in the current (unchanged) marketing plan still in use. The main objective is: Own your own business – You are in charge of your own destiny. Instead of making your boss rich, all the work you do actually benefits you. Thus, the company tries to empower ordinary people with the ability to own an income related to the amount of effort put into sales and marketing based on known and proven products and catering for people with the same values in life. A promotion scheme is followed where the distributor starts at entry level and then progress to higher levels determined by the amount of sales accomplished. It seems like primarily the focus is based on the total of sales obtained, but on the other hand a strong emphasis is placed on customer satisfaction. 5.SWOT Analysis Strengths – Being a company that has existed since 1978, it proves that this is no fly-by-night company. Sound records and proven results are in favour of establishing this company as a reputable business. Forever Living has a track record of more than 30 years of success. The company offer excellent training, seminars, incentives, and a support center. Forever Living is a company with an international presence that demonstrates stability, growth, and ample industry experience. Innovative, quality products speak of the credibility of the company. Weaknesses – Seeing that the Forever Living Company, on customer related issues, primarily makes use of word-of-mouth marketing, as well as drawing the majority of costumers from family and friends, it seems like this could lead to a potential gap in their marketing plan. On the side of distributors, it seems like there is limited protocols and measurements regarding the amount of sale being monitored and available for  scruitinising. Thus, it seems like whatever sales you submit per month is the only way of monitoring your own progress in the company. Opportunities – Although it could also be seen as a stumbling block, Forever Living Products utilise the opportunity to play the ecological card (which seems to be quite popular in recent trends) and puts a great deal of emphasis on being â€Å"green† and sustainable. As quoted they are: â€Å"- Accountable to the Environment Ever since Forever Living Products was founded in 1978, we’ve had the utmost respect for nature. – Not Just Greenwashing Our challenge to be more eco-friendly wasn’t based on following fads or silencing critics. In 2006 we launched a formal environmental sustainability program to challenge ourselves to do more. We designated two areas where we could improve: * Waste Generation * Waste Recovery Since we began monitoring our progress we have reduced our waste by 50% and increased our recycling from 26% to 61%. – Our Carbon Footprint When it comes to the efficiency of converting CO2 into oxygen, 20 aloe plants are equal to one tree. With over 40 million aloe vera plants in our plantations, our Aloe Vera of America plantations actually cleanse the earth of 2 million tons of CO2 every year!† https://www.foreverliving.com/marketing/Page.do?name=sustainability Threats – Looking at the global economy, this could be a factor in reduced sales as Forever Living Products might be costly for costumers in countries (third-world countries) that are struggling economically. Few competition threats in relation to the product itself are known of as aloe vera products  are limited by resources (aloe plants mostly grow in arid/ desert areas). Also, the amount of aloe vera in the base product makes this product range unrivaled by most other products. 6.Competitive Advantage For consumers, the Forever Living Company’s product range is solely based on Aloe Vera products, which are divided into health drinks, nutritional supplements, weight management products and cosmetic / personal care products. This alone already gives the company a unique foothold on the health and beauty market – a fresh approach with a definitive product focus. As for distributors, Forever Living also has the advantage of a multi-level â€Å"step-up† promotion scheme for distributors where you can reach a certain level and not â€Å"degrade† once you have reached that level. With this being said, other advantages are: Owning your own business – You are in charge of your own destiny. Instead of making your boss rich, all the work you do actually benefits you. Little risk and no overhead costs – Traditional brick-and-mortar businesses cost tens of thousands of dollars to establish, not to mention a bank loan that will take you decades to repay. Starting your home-based business with Forever Living only costs you a few hundred dollars. No salary cap – Corporate jobs limit your pay range based on a market standard. With Forever Living, there is no cap on how much you earn. The harder you work, the more money you make. Residual Income – Perhaps the greatest benefit is that the multi-level marketing strategy offers lasting income. You as a distributor will always earn commissions on distributors you introduce to Forever Living, continually reaping the benefits of your hard work. 7.Marketing Strategy 7a). Target Market As the company’s unique product – aloe vera – is linked to many health and cosmetic benefits, it is a product that is sellable to virtually anyone. The target market is generally based on friends and/ or family buying from the distributor. This is not limited though to the above mentioned, but also includes people that have the urge or need to better their lives by living more healthy and doing so in reaching out to products (like Forever Living Products) that could sustain and/or improve that kind of living. Because of the relative high pricing linked to these products, one would classify the core target market as middle to high income groups. Being a sales orientated business, distributors are however expected to contact as many as potential â€Å"consumers† to sell to and build up enough credit points (as part of the sales plan) to earn their compensation/rewards. Although a fair deal of business comprise of new business, a large part of sustaining and re-enforcing selling targets is based on repetitive sales from previous customers. 7b). Positioning The positioning basically rest on aforementioned health and cosmetic benefits – to improve your way of life. With few competitors supplying specifically (certified) aloe vera products (keeping in mind that at least 75% of the base product must comprise of aloe vera), Forever Living has created a niche market and a unique selling opportunity. 7c). Marketing Mix Marketing to potential customers basically comprises of launch events, word-of-mouth and sample tests conducted in various environments suitable to potential customers. In this instance distributors seem to gather a group of people and thus present the products to various potential customers. This type of approach seem to work well in that people in numbers agreeing on an issue would more likely be proned to buying and thus push up the sale quota. As for distributors, Forever Living Products provides them with a simple, proven cycle that guarantees your success. If the distributor and their team members follow the steps in this cycle, there is no limit to how large their business will become and how much money you will earn. 1. Purchase a Business Pak 2. Develop a personal selling/marketing plan 3. Set your foundation by retailing four case credits per month 4. Follow up with your clients and prospects 5. Present the business opportunity 6. Sponsor new team members and guide them through the cycle i)Product Since the foundation in 1978, Forever Living Products markets extensively aloe vera based products. They pride themselves in claiming at least 75% of the base product consists of this core ingredient. Thus all products marketed are said to contribute to the health and cosmetic (e.g. skin care) satisfaction of their customers. Over the years, with the trend of energy drinks that became popular in recent years, the company made sure that the products offered also includes these trends. Focusing on a better living, the name Forever Living Products leans quite suitably towards what the company tries to â€Å"sell† – a longer, better, healthier life. The company also offers a full refund and/ or replacement of products without any disputes. What has been noted in delivery service is that customer service in this regard is very sufficient and fast – 2 days delivery since placing an order to delivery on your doorstep. ii)Place Forever Living took a stance on the fact that they want to assist ordinary people to â€Å"own† their own businesses. As Forever Living Products markets primarily through the use of family and friends and word-of-mouth, it seems that there could be a gap in utilizing other means of distribution. However, it is also understandable that the company would like to empower distributors (without the necessity of holding a large stock reserve) and thus ensure that even the smallest distributor would be able to make a  living. This would furthermore project the products as being more exclusive – not being able to walk into your nearest shop and pick it off the shelf, and in this way â€Å"justify† the price of the product. The home company is situated in Arizona, United States. The South African setup with four distributor outlets services distributors all over South Africa. iii)Promotion As mentioned earlier, products are primarily marketed by means of word-of-mouth, friends and family. Other means of marketing and advertising includes internet advertisements and online testimonials. All of these are rather inexpensive marketing tools being utilised. Through these channels is seems that there is sufficient affirmation to uphold the reputation of the products offered. However, with these channels used it seems to be difficult to obtain a clear estimation of the effectiveness of these efforts. On actual selling by distributors there is no clear indication of time spend, the only indication that could be used as a measure is the sum of â€Å"case credits†. Case credits determine the effective selling of a distributor. The more case credits accumulated during a month, the higher the incentives and possibility to progress to another level (often with even better incentives). The company tries to keep their products â€Å"exclusive† and thus the use of database marketing seems ineffective, as this would make the products seem â€Å"common†. In general, promotion of products for this company is based on testimonials from â€Å"regular consumers† who can recommend the benefits to others. Through this line of advertising, it would seem that benefits of the products are more creditable, true and trustworthy – due to the fact that you â€Å"know† the person who introduced you to the line of products. iv)Price Pricing on international products are generally seen as being expensive, especially on â€Å"niche† products. Even with Forever Living Products, this phenomenon occurs. However, focusing on health and cosmetic enhancements, the company can still make a reasonable stance in the pricing arena. 8.Implementation, Evaluation and Control The marketing plan appears to be in line with the goals set out by the company to achieve the desired goals. Primarily the activities required are achieved through sales of the distributors, which is measured on a monthly basis. Most probably the company would need to attempt a fresh approach on current marketing strategies such as e-commerce, although this could affect the purpose of the current structure and â€Å"mission† of the company – to empower â€Å"normal people to own a business of their own†. Seeing that performance standards are basically measured in the amount of sales per month (to achieve the desired â€Å"case credits†, this is the only way to measure the above mentioned. 9. Conclusion / Recommendations The Forever Living Products Company has set remarkable sales initiatives in place, rarely found in this type of marketing. For one, when a distributor has reached a certain sales level, there is no reverting back to a lower sales level. In every sale that is made down your line as distributor (no matter what level), you benefit from the inputs of â€Å"your team. Although the company follows a very plain marketing plan, which seems to be quite effective, some improvements can be noted. Lack of information is found in the distributors’ channels. As the company’s main aim is based on sales, it could be recommended that an on-line â€Å"portal† be created as to inform distributors of a current sales analysis (as of the first of every month, and therefore should be accessible and reflect updates any time of the month). This would pose to be a great motivational tool in driving this  sales orientated business and ensuring that you as distributor acquire the necessary â€Å"case credits† required. It is also recommended that the use of social media such as e.g. television and radio, bill-boards and poster be used on a global and general scale to promote products. This would in turn mean that a central access point (like a website or telephone call centre be utilised to direct potential customers to their nearest distributor. References Forever Living Products South Africa (Pty) Ltd.(2014): https://www.foreverliving.com/marketing/Page.do?name=sustainability, [Accessed 29-04-2014] Forever Living Products South Africa (Pty) Ltd.(2014):.https://www.foreverliving.com/marketing/Page.do?name=our_culture, [Accessed 29-04-2014] http://aloe-business.yolasite.com/resources/Marketing_Plan_English%20Forever.pdf, [Accessed 28-04-2014]