The Social Construction of Sexuality and Gender Article

The Social Construction of Sexuality and Gender - Article Example The categorization of men and women into two binary groups is a universal phenomenon which in many societies favors men thus creating power imbalances and gender inequalities. In Britain as well as throughout much of the world, notions of sexuality and gender have historically been for granted and perceived to be natural. According to Jeffrey Weeks, We learned very early on from many sources that "natural sex" is what takes place with members of the opposite sex...The social processes through which this is taking place are complex. But the implications are clear, they're the ones we still live with. In the first place, there is the assumption of a sharp distinction between the sexes, a dichotomy of interest, even an antagonism ('the battle of the sexes', which can only be precariously bridged. Men are men and women - and rarely the twain shall meet (Weeks, 1990, 13). Accordingly, while the sex of an individual is innate and established at birth, gender and human sexuality are now understood to be shaped by social forces and socially constructed concepts with important societal ramifications. Social constructivism is the belief that certain ideas, beliefs, behaviors, and concepts are socially constructed and shaped by environmental factors. The argument that gender roles were socially prescribed did not appear in scholarly literature until the 1940s with Klein’s The Feminine Character and thus began an exploration into the arbitrariness of the social categories of male and female. Influential scholars such as Judith Butler, Jeffrey Weeks, and Michel Foucault have sought to shed light onto the socially prescribed nature of gender categorization, and onto the lives men and women throughout the world with an eye to the in the ramifications of the sexual and gender binary.

How can social media be used as a powerfful marketing tool in a small Research Paper

How can social media be used as a powerfful marketing tool in a small business (Using case study) - Research Paper Example rough interview with the owner of the business as well as looking into the financial figures derived from their sales and comparing them from the time she used traditional word-of-mouth marketing to the time she already used Facebook as a marketing medium. The findings prove that since posting pictures of her children’s clothes in her Facebook page and setting up one for TCC, the business’ sales has grown by 150% in just nine months. The profit increase is evidence that Facebook is an effective marketing medium for a small business. The internet has evolved to be a powerful tool that can be used for a variety of purposes. Being known as the information highway without leaving one’s home, it provides users with a vast range of sources of information that allow them to find answers to any question in one click. Even businesses have boomed with the utilization of online advertisements. Currently, social media has likewise hopped on the marketing bandwagon, offering their sites as platforms for selling products and services in a myriad of ways. Research Objective: This paper will show how small businesses can maximize social media to make their business grow. It will focus on a small dress shop in London started by a young woman who worked from home and decided to sell the dresses she made for children online using her Facebook account. The shop’s name is Twinklestars1. Marketing goods and services online has been ongoing for many years now. Berthon et al. (1996) explain that potential customers begin with their search for a preferred product when they surf the internet. Businesses which have established their website presence are more likely to attract customers as long as they keep their sites dynamic, with their advertising designs and texts consistently updated so they sustain the interest of their customers (Durkin & Lawlor, 2001). Apart from the use of computers, mobile devices have stepped up to include features that access the internet, widening

The Subject Of Human Rights And Globalisation Politics Essay

The Subject Of Human Rights And Globalisation Politics Essay The subject on human right and globalization are not easy topics to discuss, mainly because of different connotation and understanding of the terms globalization and human rights. Some scholars defined Globalization, as conceived process that turns the world into a global market for goods and services dominated and steered by the powerful gigantic transnational corporations and governed by the rule of profit  [1]  . In which scholars argue that all the human rights of the people in the world, particularly in the south mostly developing countries are critically endangered in this context scholars view globalization as posing new treats not adequately governed by existing international human rights  [2]  . On other hand, globalization is seen as turning the whole world into one global village in which all peoples are increasingly unified and all the fences or barriers are detached, so that the world witnesses a new state of fast and free flow of people, capital, goods and ideas . In this context globalization is bringing prosperity to all the corners of the globe, and spreading human right and freedom as well as justice, human rights and globalization are then viewed as two topics mutually reinforcing and positive in improving human well-being.  [3]  The topic of Human right and Globalization are subject of discussion among scholars and policy makers in the world today, where there are clear pictures on how Globalization has positively contributed to the universality of human rights and created more potential for its promotion across the world, some scholars disagree with this assumption and argue that, to some instance globalization put human rights in danger. This paper examines the impacts of globalization and it achievement of human rights with focus it will explore the interaction linking the state and none states with the market to evaluate the effects of globalization on the accomplishment of human rights standards in the world. Working with the definition cited by Allan (2009), that sees Globalization as process that turns the whole world into one global village in which all peoples are increasingly interconnected and all the fences or barriers are removed, so that the world witnesses a new state of fast and free flow of people, capital, goods and ideas. One will say that globalization has positively contributed to human rights, as these processes allows non governmental actors to be involved with transnational social movement networks, increasing consciousness and information politics that have potential to address both traditional and emerging forms of human rights violation. Understanding this global village phenomenon allows scholars to look deeply on transnational integration and increased mobility has simultaneously strengthened the protection of individual rights and the dignity of individuals. At its core globalization is the interrelationships, interconnection, and interdependence of all the countr ies of the world. It is the spread of capitalism across the globe bringing with it both opportunities of business and a flow of capita. However, it is more than just free trade; the forces that allow businesses to operate beyond national borders allow activists, journalists, and scholars to work on a global scale. in this context, Globalization resulted in a significant loss of control and sovereignty for the state  [4]  , its argued by Apodaca (2001) that states no longer hold a control over the allocation of public goods and services  [5]  , information is gained by everybody either through internet or international media, people get access to foreign information and this is believed to have contributed positively to spread of human right around the globe  [6]  . While some nation states still restricts it citizens to access international news, like the case of china, scholars still argue that Globalizations has weakened government power to control people movements. In other word globalization has also lead to a noticeable empowerment of actors such as transnational corporations, civil society groups and intergovernmental economic organizations, and lead to a rapid development of human rights.  [7]  In short; due to improved technology, less government interferences, and free movement of people and goods, globalization increased media coverage draws the attention of the world to human right violations, which leads to improvement in human rights. As argued by Marquardt that globalization offers great opportunities to generate more universal observance of human rights, but it also poses serious dangers to the fundamental rights of the individual  [8]  . Moreover, globalization is essentially a synonym for global business and is personified by three organizations: the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Trade Organization (WTO). These organizations are at the center of a great debate over the virtues and evils of globalization. There are many convincing arguments both against and in favor of globalization. For positive side, scholars argue that globalization of capital contributes positively to the universality of human rights as it permits a flow of capital to the most productive and resourceful business projects. This trend is believed to boost profits, which make the economy grow, which mostly results in constructive social goals, such as higher employment levels that improves living standards, education become affordable, lower taxes, and larger capital expenses on people, in areas such as health care which play very significant role in improving human conditons. Globalization of capital in addition i s believed to have remarkably developed and increased attention to womens rights and incorporation of womens human rights into the human rights discourse (Moghadam 2005). It has also created economical opportunities for women. Though, many of these opportunities are formed in sweatshops and low payment jobs. Nevertheless, they increase women participation in the economy, even if it is largely in the informal sector the potential demand of empowering women is increasing (Mae, Bayes et al. 2000). Furthermore, supporters of globalization argue that, while the state is the agent charged with the protection and promotion of human rights, it is also traditionally the primary violator of those rights.  [9]  Kind models of globalization recommend that the liberalization of markets reinforces human rights by encouraging growth and plunging the authority of the state. Without a doubt, a number of studies on human rights, defined as physical integrity rights, do indicate a connection between economic development, conventionally calculated by GDP, and the higher attainment of human rights. The right to personal integrity is essential in that, the exclusive of these rights, no human can survive without being in panic for his or her life and well-being. Scholars have revealed that there is an elevated level of individual integrity infringements in underdeveloped countries. The free market or liberal economic policies, it is believed, that it will not only promote development in poor countries but in addition it will uphold civil liberties and democracy. It was argued by Moore as cited by Apodaca (2001) that,economic liberalization is also thinning the power of the governments by removing capital out of the hands of the state and making it accessible for of individuals to get financial resources, these are those individual are those who search not just for legal protection but moreover greater influence in policies affecting them  [10]  . this demonstrate that globalization in this regard is privileging individuals and weakening abusive governments. Scholars have been studying the issue of multinational corporations in connection to human rights, and the result seem to be more positive than one might aspects, according to Richards and Gellenys quantitative studies, there are key points that are indentified to be positively influential to human rights specifically in Less Developed Countries (LDCs). First property rights, is argued to be influential to investors who would prefer to invest in a nation where property rights are respected and where rule of law is followed, that gives them guaranty that their property and investments will be respected. Moreover, labour policies are additional concerns that most MNCS look at before investing as argued MNCs evaluate labor and wage policies, which including as well the right of workers to organize, safety standards, social welfare policies and wage rate  [11]  . Reputation is an additional point that is believed to bsse influential for investors, Richards and Gelleny argue that comp anies may seek to improve their reputation by associating their product with improving human rights. Otherwise they may run the risk of being exposed to an embarrassing media campaign highlighting their connections to regimes that abuses human rights  [12]  . Additionally to their findings, Richards and Gelleny discovered that countries where government respect open political participation and open media and freedom of worship and free movement of its people MNCs appear willing to invest. There are known to be additional benefit of Globalization in connection to human rights, these including education and access to new technology, as its argue by Stiglitz that, globalization has reduced the sense of isolation felt in much of the developing world and has given many people in the developing countries access to knowledge well beyond the reach of even the wealthiest in any country a century ago  [13]  . He further argue that foreign aid, is an additional aspect of the globalized world, which has brought benefits to millions, often in ways that have almost gone unnoticed, globalization in this way provide help for educational services for those who had no information for instance in HIV/Aids prevention, its helps in other projects that were ignored by nation governments. In contrast, the benefits of globalization on human rights are not universal. As most scholars argues, Globalization has increased the gap of poverty, that makes the rich are getting richer and the poor are becoming more poorer. Those who reject the notion that Globalization contributed positively to human rights argue that: Globalization has led to exploitation of labor. Prisoners and child workers are used to work in inhumane conditions. Safety standards are ignored to produce cheap goods. These arguments are issues that one should take into consideration when debating the impact of globalization on human rights, as it provide us with evidence how inequality and poverty are measured and what the results of such measurements are. Additionally, those on the opposition to the benefit of globalization on human rights argue that the influence of the World Bank- and IMF and their structural adjustment policies that include privatization of the economy, has made Multinational Companies an d corporations which were previously restricted to commercial activities to have increasingly influence on political decisions of developing countries, this lead to governments inability to maintain social welfare in developing countries. As is argued by Dr Samir Naim-Ahmed that; Since the Universal declaration of Human rights in 1948 many countries of the world ,whether in the north or the south succeed in enhancing the implementation of human rights , particularly in the economic, social and cultural domains simply through policies of subsidizing food, housing and services such as health care , transportation ,sanitation, culture and education . Many countries, particularly in the south made considerable achievements in the field of the right to work simply by taking decisions to protect local industries from competition and thus creating job opportunities for their population.  [14]   Moreover, a scholar against globalization in relation to human rights like Alison Brysk (2002) argues that social rights and economic rights have been mostly abandoned both in terms of international recognition and policy implementation. He further argues that The recent phase of globalization enriched some but did not improve the human rights conditions for a large segment of the world population.  [15]  It was further argued by Apocade that Labor rights and social services have been denied by the upward trend of neoliberal policies. Improvements in civil and political rights have been rough, mostly symbolic, and perhaps unsustainable. Especially since the attacks of September 11, 2001,  [16]  national security and order have reemerged as values that are considered to be more important, and that can be maintained only at the expense of human freedoms. Measures taken by the United States and its allies in connection to their war on terror show the fragility of human rights th at were assumed to be well-established and secure at least in mature Western democracies. Moreover, scholars argue that due to free markets and a rapid access to goods, Terrorists have access to classy armaments increasing their ability to inflict damage. As the case of Terrorists use the Internet for communicating which create more treat to the world? Its has been disputed that, the strictness agendas imposed by financial institutions have some very unenthusiastic outcomes on the people living in developing countries, those against globalization argue that demands from global financial organization has formed perhaps the strongest form of reliance since the beginning of dependence. In order for a state to be eligible for financial support from global organizations, the government must approach its economic policies to meet the terms with the regulations and standards recognized by the main actors. Thus, states in required of credits give up their administrative power to global agencies such as the World Bank, the IMF, or the World Trade Organization (WTO)  [17]  . With Many MNCs having superior resources than many Third World states. Third World countries rely on those corporations for financial support, monetary flows, industrial transfers, and employment opportunities for their citizens. Economic globalization thus exploits the developing world: cheap labor, minimal skill transmission, restrictions on technology transfers, and no long-term commitment to stay or reinvest in a countrys economy. Consequently, foreign capital reinforces and strengthens repression in developing countries. To attract or preserve foreign investment, governments must lower business costs, thus suppressing labor demands and reducing corporate taxation rates. Moreover, Corporations are growing constantly the power of which must not be underestimated. For example, it can damage liberty with inhumane working conditions, child labor or the ruthless destruction of the environment and hence the fundamentals of life. The question as to whether and how such power is controllable raises explosive legal and economic issues.  [18]   A more negative view of developing countries integration into the global economy, often attributed to dependency or neo-Marxist theorists, holds that multinational corporation activity contributes to human rights abuses. Its argued that due to these conditions and the level of poverty in developing countries many MNCs have larger revenues than many developing countries states. Third World countries are dependent on MNCs for trade, financial flows, technological transfers, and employment opportunities for their citizens. Economic globalization thus exploits the developing world: cheap labor, minimal skill transmission, restrictions on technology transfers, and no long-term commitment to stay or reinvest in a countrys economy. Consequently, foreign capital reinforces and strengthens repression in developing countries. To attract or preserve foreign investment, governments must lower business costs, thus suppressing labor demands and reducing corporate taxation rates. It was argued by A podaca (2001) that due to weaknesses of governments, if government officials attempt to enact unfriendly policies, the result could lead to capital flight, loss of tax revenues, and massive unemployment. States may feel that they have no option but to entertain MNCs if they want to increase their economies, employment, and tax revenues  [19]  . The discussion on globalization and human right has lead scholars to look at the issue of culture and human rights, its has well provided topic of discussion that most policy makers seem to disagree on, the issue of The Western human rights approach which primarily focuses on civil and political rights to the effective segregation of economic and social rights. These arguments are based on what Pieterse cites the conceived understanding of Globalization in sense that the world is becoming more uniform and standardized, through a technological, commercial, and cultural synchronization emanating from the west, and that globalization is tied up with modernity  [20]  . Moreover, the thrust of social and political rights believed to be a way to protect the individual from the unrestrained power of the state which seem to be different in Asia  [21]  , as it was cited by Apodaca that political and civil rights, for Asian-values advocates, may be deferred until other, more pressing, economic rights are met. It was further argued by Apodaca that to accelerate economic development and to maintain a stable political environment, a state may have to resort to authoritarian governing practices, often suppressing labor demands and political opposition  [22]  ; this was a scandalous exposure in a 1993 declaration, Singapores then Minister for Foreign Affairs Wong Kan Seng declared a cited by Apodaca (2002) that: Poverty makes a mockery of all civil liberties. Poverty is an obscene violation of the most fundamental of individual rights. Economic growth is the necessary foundation of any system that claims to advance human dignity, and that order and stability are essential for development.  [23]   it was argued by Wong as cited in Apodaca (2002), if political and civil human rights are an obstacle to economic progress, they would not be accepted, and an overemphasis on individual rights would retard the process of development. For many Asian leaders and policy makers, according to Apodaca economic rights are the most fundamental of rights, while political and civil rights are viewed as a luxury to be considered only once everyone is fed  [24]  . In short, those against globalization in connection to human right argue that, the results of globalization are the way many people have been poor and for many countries social and political instability and chaos. They further argue that IMF has made mistakes in all the areas it has been involved in: developments, crisis management, and in countries making the transition from communism where it was believed that human rights were not respected to capitalism. The most divisive topic in rejection of globalization and human rights is structural adjustment programs which resulted to failure of most states that were hoping to benefits from it, in contrast it created a gape between the poor and rich. As the case of education in developing countries, where more social services are restricted by the b y the IMF, health care as well are known to be been affected by the structural adjustment program. All these are known to have negative impact on human rights globally. While most scholars discuss the benefit of Globalization is sense of connection and creation of a global village, a place where people from all over the world meet and move freely, one will argue that this is just a theory but in actual sense these movements of people are restricted by developed nations, people are not as free as it sound to get American visa, or European visa. In conclusion, Markowitz argues that globalization and human rights are known as wide conditional fields that hold expressive and descriptive power and as political, juridical, economic and cultural development and institutions. Presenting promises of liberation from restraining national limits and substitute to caste, gender and a racial hierarchy, the discourse of globalization and human rights offers avenues for resisting local structures of power and asserting identity claims via supranational organizations and the state  [25]  . While there are still resistance on how much is globalization improving human right , based on the above arguments one will still close this debate by stating that the situation of human rights has improved in general compared to previous centuries, where slavery was dominant, colonization was the leading mode and government were not democratic. For instance, due to globalization one can argue that the rights of women and children are seen to be bett er and recognized as well as safeguarded than in earlier times this might be associated as well to the need for development and the interconnection that globalization is promoting. Moreover, freedom of expression has been facilitated via internet where activists have chance to rise their voice freely (though this might not be easy in countries like china but there are seen to be improvement due to the globalized technology), freedom of religious belief is a very problematic problem due to the war on terrorism. Freedoms of movements is known to have improved in the last decades due to increasing technology, this allows human rights activist to move and get information easily that ever before. In addition, the modern means of communication helps in realization of person and people rights.

Hero In Myth and Film :: essays papers

Hero In Myth and Film " †¦and he saved the day, got his girl and everyone lived happily ever after." Sweet, short, cut and dry, that was the typical ending of our childhood books and early movies. There was the perfect hero and the bad villain. That was in the pre-modern era, now our hero isn’t always perfect and has his flaws. The hero in today’s movies needs these flaws and needs to travel through a combination of paths to become a hero. In order to sell movies which decide who a hero is in today’s society. A hero in today’s society needs to admit that he needs help and isn’t superman, he needs to have problems and prove that he doesn’t belong up on a pedestal where his image is totally unattainable, third he needs to travel one of the paths of a hero according to Seger. Bruce Willis plays the character John McClain in the trilogy Die Hard, he is a good example of a hero in America today. In the third movie, McClain takes on a partner to help him fight a mad bomber. This is different from the movies from the past, James Bond or John Wayne never needed help. The partner he picks is a inner city black man, in the fifties this never would have happened. The fact that he picks a black man incorporates some multicultural aspects into the movie. The fact that he picks a partner shows some post modern aspects of Hollywood. Both of these facts help sell movies and help define a hero in America today. Another aspect that makes McClain a post modern hero in America is the fact that he to has problems, James Bond was never like this, he always had a woman by his side, or falling at his feet. People held this man in high esteem, because he was perfect. However in real life blond bimbos at your feet don’t happen all the time. Post modern heroes have problems McClain even though he is out saving lives and helping people his wife wants a divorce. People can relate better to John McClain because we all have problems besides the bad guys. The hero today isn’t so perfect and people are able to relate to him more easily. The travel of a hero from an average guy to a hero via the myths defined by Seger is also another determining factor in what a hero is today. Hero In Myth and Film :: essays papers Hero In Myth and Film " †¦and he saved the day, got his girl and everyone lived happily ever after." Sweet, short, cut and dry, that was the typical ending of our childhood books and early movies. There was the perfect hero and the bad villain. That was in the pre-modern era, now our hero isn’t always perfect and has his flaws. The hero in today’s movies needs these flaws and needs to travel through a combination of paths to become a hero. In order to sell movies which decide who a hero is in today’s society. A hero in today’s society needs to admit that he needs help and isn’t superman, he needs to have problems and prove that he doesn’t belong up on a pedestal where his image is totally unattainable, third he needs to travel one of the paths of a hero according to Seger. Bruce Willis plays the character John McClain in the trilogy Die Hard, he is a good example of a hero in America today. In the third movie, McClain takes on a partner to help him fight a mad bomber. This is different from the movies from the past, James Bond or John Wayne never needed help. The partner he picks is a inner city black man, in the fifties this never would have happened. The fact that he picks a black man incorporates some multicultural aspects into the movie. The fact that he picks a partner shows some post modern aspects of Hollywood. Both of these facts help sell movies and help define a hero in America today. Another aspect that makes McClain a post modern hero in America is the fact that he to has problems, James Bond was never like this, he always had a woman by his side, or falling at his feet. People held this man in high esteem, because he was perfect. However in real life blond bimbos at your feet don’t happen all the time. Post modern heroes have problems McClain even though he is out saving lives and helping people his wife wants a divorce. People can relate better to John McClain because we all have problems besides the bad guys. The hero today isn’t so perfect and people are able to relate to him more easily. The travel of a hero from an average guy to a hero via the myths defined by Seger is also another determining factor in what a hero is today.

Does Oedipus fall due to fate or due to flaw of his character Essay

In the play, Oedipus the King, it was portrayed that Oedipus, the main protagonist, was destined to slay his father and go to bed with his mother as foreseen by the Oracle of Delphi. Although Oedipus did unknowingly kill his own father, Laius, and marry and slept with his own mother, Jocasta, it was the flaws in his character and attitude, and not fate entirely that led to his downfall. In short, even though he was fated to do what he did in the story, he had the option to avoid that fate. However, his very nature prevented him from doing so. In the story, Oedipus was illustrated as a wise and very good ruler. He was sympathetic and compassionate towards his people. However, like most classical Greek tragic heroes, Oedipus also has flaws that eventually led to his downfall. Possibly his most notable flaws include his impulsiveness, rashness, stubbornness, and his tendency to make lapses or errors in judgment. These flaws were shown in several parts of the play, particularly during the time when he was in the process of discovering the truth about his past. When he recounts to his wife and mother, Jocasta, how he killed a group of travelers, one of which was later revealed to be his biological father, Laius, on a crossroad, Oedipus showed that he is highly capable of being rash and short-tempered. Although he was merely defending himself, he could have simply run away and avoided killing the travelers. By doing so, he could have avoided killing his true father while also disproving the prophecy of the Oracle of Delphi. It was also during this scene in the play that Oedipus was portrayed as a man who moves greatly based on impulse and does not think first before acting. Moreover, his rashness was also shown when Tiresias, the blind prophet, refused to tell Oedipus of the truth about the murderer of Laius. Although the prophet warned him that the truth would be bring him only pain and suffering, Oedipus still insisted and even threatened to accuse him of the murdering the fallen king himself. This forces Tiresias to reveal that it was Oedipus who killed Laius. Due to his short-temper, he accused the prophet of conspiring against him, which further showed how foolish he was. In addition, this also showed how blind Oedipus was because even though the truth was already being presented to him, he still refused to acknowledge it. Furthermore, it was his stubbornness and his desire to seek the truth that eventually led to his downfall. When he was still prince of the kingdom of Corinth, he overheard in a banquet that he was not the true child of the king and queen. He immediately sought the truth from the Oracle of Delphi, who simply told him that he would murder his own father and sleep with his own mother. This forced him to flee his home and it was during this time that he met the group of travelers whom he would all kill. After some time, he saved the kingdom of Thebes from the curse of the Sphinx by answering its riddle. This led to this coronation as the king of Thebes and also led to his marriage to Jocasta, whom he did not know to be his biological mother at the time. Finally, when he became king he then sought out to find the murderer of Laius, which set forth the chain of events that brought about his downfall. In other words, in his intense desire to seek the truth and avoid his fate, Oedipus became blinded and unwittingly fulfilled the prophecy of the oracle. Had he not left Corinth, he most probably would have not fulfilled the prophecy and avoided his doomed fate. In short, although it appeared that Oedipus was destined to fall, it was his very nature and lapses in judgment that sparked consequences which, he was not initially aware of. Moreover, it was his fatal flaws such as his arrogance and impulsiveness led him to kills his own father and marry his own mother. It can then be deduced that fate was greatly assisted by Oedipus nature and actions and did not act on its own.

Salvation in Hinduism and Christianity

INTRODUCTION Salvation is a common belief for many religions despite the difference in their Supreme Being or Beings, which they seek deliverance from. In this research, a comparison between how salvation is viewed by Christians and Hindus will be examined so a conclusion can be formed. What is Christianity? Christianity is God’s revelation of himself and purpose to mankind. And his revelation was designed to bridge the gap between a rebellious world and a caring God. Christianity is found in most parts of the world, with in the region of one hundred million followers and could be the world’s largest religion.There are many branches of Christianity, namely Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant churches. There are many Protestant Churches called denominations. They include Lutheran, Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Pentecostals and many others. Protestant churches stress the importance of reading and understanding the bible. The members of these de-nominations are called Christians. Christians are described as people who follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. Christian teaching is written in the bible, which is divided into two parts called the Old and New Testaments.The bible is also used by Christians during worship, and it serves as a guideline on how to live their lives. Christian Beliefs Christians has many beliefs, some of which will be mentioned below. Christians believe that the universe was fashioned by God. According to the scriptures God created the heaven and earth in six days, and rested on the seventh day. They also believe that it is wrong to act against God’s laws, for example; killing and stealing. Any action against God’s law is referred to as a sin. The bible teaches that Jesus, who was without sin, came to earth and sacrificed his life for the sins of the world.Christians believe in life after death, because Jesus was raised from the dead. They also believed that Eternal Life is a gift from God. Christians believe that there will be a judgment, when Jesus will judge the living and the dead. Christians believe in a God who offers salvation to all who wish to take it. But there is a cost, and that is for people to accept God as rulers over their lives, their thoughts, motivations and actions. What Jesus’ Death on the Cross means to Christian The most commonly used Christian symbol is the cross.The cross is also important because his death on the cross mended the broken relationship between God and humanity. Christians used the word atonement to describe Jesus’ death on the cross. They also believed that Jesus redeemed mankind when he died on the cross. He paid the price for their sins. Jesus Christ died in our place, so that we will not suffer eternal death but become partakers of the life that he offers, we should have paid the penalty of eternal death ourselves since, we are the guilty ones. But the Saviour was willing to take our place.That w as what happened at the cross. â€Å"The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper was given to commemorate the great deliverance as a result of the death of Christ. The Lord’s Supper is the Christian’s Passover. The bread is a symbol of his broken body and the wine signifies his spilt blood which is shed for many for the remission of sins. In scripture Paul wrote â€Å"For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come’ (1 Cor. 11:26). It is God’s grace that will bring about the change we need in our daily lives which will enable us to do â€Å"good† works.This race is free. It cannot be earned. It is undeserved favour from God. Satan is real, the battle is real, and only at the Cross was he defeated and his destruction made certain. Christian ways of Salvation Chris Wright in his book Beliefs, Questions and Issues stated that Christians are sometimes described as people who follow the teachings an d examples of Jesus Christ. They believed that by looking at Jesus, a person can see what God is like. Christians worship the Creator of heaven and earth the Father the son of God Jesus Christ, who is the Creator of all things.Most Christians believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ, to judge the living and dead. They believe that through Jesus’ death on the cross, salvation became possible as his death on the cross mended the broken relationship between God and humanity. This relationship was broken when humanity rebelled through sin against God. According to Oxford School Dictionary and thesaurus, salvation is the act of saving from loss or damage. This is a general view of the term. In the religion Christianity, salvation is saving souls from sin and its consequences.Salvation is achievable by first accepting that a mistake was made and so the feeling of sorrow and guilt is experienced. This is the act of repentance, the sin is then confessed, and the act of forgivenes s is desired. When this is done, the sinner’s desire is to forsake the sin. This is a combination of step two and three. The fourth step in the salvation process is justification. According to the book Growing in Christ, in justification the sinner is forgiven, acquitted of the charges of sin and reckoned righteousness. This act brings about the assurance of the believers acceptance. It also brings the joy of being united with God. † Sanctification is a result of true repentance and justification. The word sanctification means holiness or consecration which is a result of what God does in us. The blood of Christ for many Christians brings forth transformation. The believer becomes a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Why do Christians need Salvation and how is it Achieved Christians need salvation because of sin, which is the transgression of the law.The sin problem refers to the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, which brought to the earth the Great Controversary between good and evil. And it is God’s action to rescue his people from the destruction of sin, which brings about salvation. The consequence of sin is death. Human beings live their lives every day with the reality of sin and its effects. The effects of sin were so great that without a divine solution, there would be no solution. We should all be grateful that the solution was given. It is called â€Å"the plan of salvation† and its purpose is to solve the problem of sinOnly through Jesus Christ can one experience salvation, â€Å"for there is no other name under heaven given among men which we must be saved† Acts 4:12. The experience of salvation involves repentance, confession, forgiveness, justification and sanctification. Sins have to be confessed and repented of before it can be forgiven. Sin does not only have to do with wrongfully committed acts. It also includes the desire and fantasizing about things that we know are wrong. There is also a category of sin that usually referred to as â€Å"sins of omission. This is the willful neglect of duty; a conscious refusal to do something one knows ought to be done. As sinners who have violated God’s law, we can do nothing to make ourselves right with God. The only way to save us was for Jesus to pay the penalty in our stead and then offer us the perfect righteousness, which we claim by faith. We cannot earn our salvation; it is a gift of grace. The Origin of Hinduism Hinduism has its root in the interrelationship of two basic religious systems of the ancient civilization residing in the Indus Valley from the third millennium B. C. nd the religious beliefs brought to India by the Aryan people who began infiltrating the Indus Valley sometime after 2000 B. C. Most Hindus believe in one supreme Spirit, Brahman which is unchanging and eternal. He is also described as â€Å"Ultimate Reality† and the ‘Absolute’. Hindu s worship a total of three hundred and thirty three million deities. For Hindus, these gods and goddesses are different aspects of Brahman, however the trimurti which is made up of Braham, Vishnu, and Shiva. Together they represent and control creation, preservation and destruction. Hindu BeliefsFor Hindus, death is not the end but merely the separation of the soul from the body. They believe that the body dies and the soul continues its eternal journey. Hindus believe in re-incarnation that the soul is re-embodied according to the law of Karma. The cycle of death and re-incarnation continues many times. Their ultimate goal is to attain moksha. Hindus cremate their dead, since they believe that this releases the soul to continue its journey. Hindus believe that every thought and action has consequences. This is the law of Karma. The goal of Hindus is to achieve moksha that is, to be free from that cycle.To achieve moksha, it is important to follow the right path in life. The right p ath is called yoga. There are many forms namely: karma yoga is doing service for humanity; raj yoga is practicing self-control and meditation; bhakti yoga is the path of loving devotion; and jnana yoga is the path of knowledge and understanding through study and discipline. Hindus practice the spiritual exercises of meditation and yoga as ways to help them centre their thoughts on God. Hindu ways of Salvation In the religion of Hinduism, there are four aims of life.They are Dharma – the aim to carry out ones duty, Artha – the aim to make an honest living, Kama – the aim to enjoy the pleasures of life and Moksha – the aim to become free from the cycle of rebirth. In Hinduism salvation is known as the fourth aim of life Moksha. Moksha is when an enlightened human being is freed from the cycle of life and death (the endless cycle of death and reincarnation) and comes into a state of completeness. He then becomes one with God. There are four ways to Moksha: T he way of Action: This involves carrying our certain religious ceremonies, duties and rites.The objective is to perform works without regard for personal gain. The Way of Knowledge: This requires using your mind and philosophy to come to a complete comprehension of the universe The Way of Devotion: Salvation is reached through acts of worship, based upon the love for a God (there are thousands of gods in Hinduism). The Royal Road: The use of meditation and yoga techniques. This method of reaching salvation is typically only used by wondering monks. Each of these ways to salvation in Hinduism requires that a person do certain things. Salvation is through what a Hindu does.However, many Hindu believe that this salvation is only achievable by the caste system which is associated with reincarnation. According to Hindu teaching, there are four basic castes or social classes (and thousands of sub-groups within the castes). Each has its own rules and obligations pertaining to nearly all fa cet of life. At the top are the Brahmins or priests. Second in rank are the Kshatriyas or warriors and rulers. Third are the Vaisyas or merchants and farmers. Below these are the Shudras or laboring class. Salvation is possible only for the top three castes, which are called the â€Å"twice born. Outside the caste system are the untouchables or the outcastes. Though outlawed in India in the late 1940’s, many in the countryside are still considered outcastes. Conclusion Hindus are correct in their recognition that all is not right with the world and with human existence in it. They are correct as well in suggesting that the ultimate to the human dilemma is spiritual in nature. However, there is little common ground between Christianity and Hinduism. We will now look at a few more important areas. First Hinduism lacks any understanding that God created the world for a good purpose.Also lacking is a conception of God as infinitely holy and righteous and as the one to whom we as humans are accountable for the way we conduct our lives. Another area of contrast between Hinduism and Christianity is the conception of human nature and of the source of our estrangement from God. According to Hindu teaching, man is divine at the core of his being. He is one with God. According to the biblical teaching, however, the source of our alienation from God, is not ignorance of our divinity, but our sinful rebellion against God and his purpose for our lives.This now leads us to our final point—the way of salvation. According to most Hindu teaching, salvation from the cycle of reincarnation is achieved by our own efforts—whether through good works, meditation, or devotion to a deity. According to the Bible, however, our spiritual need is for deliverance from God’s judgment on our sin and for restoration to a life under his direction and care. This salvation can be provided only by God’s gracious and undeserved action in our behalf It is true tha t in certain Hindu groups there is a similar emphasis on God’s grace (probably as a result of past Christian influence).But even here, there is a major distinction. The Hindu teaching about grace sees no need for atonement for sin, but simply offers forgiveness without any satisfaction of the judgment on sin required by a holy God. In contrast, the Christian gospel is this: God the Son became human, died a sacrificial death on the cross, making real forgiveness of sins against the real God possible to those you place complete trust in Christ. All who do so can experience true forgiveness, know God and his purpose for their lives, and have the assurance of Eternal Life with Him.

Brand Value and Brand Cannibalization Essays

Brand Value and Brand Cannibalization Essays Brand Value and Brand Cannibalization Paper Brand Value and Brand Cannibalization Paper In brand marketing, the term cannibalization refers to a new product eating into the profits of a current product from the same company. Its a fairly common business strategy, and while the idea of cannibalizing your own product sounds bad, it can actually be a successful business practice. In 2010 for example, when Apple introduced the iPad, it took sales away from the original Mac computer. However, the iPad ultimately led to an expanded market for consumer computing hardware and was quite a successful venture for Apple. Brand management is a process that involves every part, bit and employee of the company to capture the true essence of the brand. Brand Value cannot be built in a day. It is a long process of building inseparable attributes in consumers mind. Consumers take time to adjust and bond well with a brand. They, like any other child, need to be taken care of, served well and be communicated as well as educated with the correct knowledge at every touch point. Over a period of time, as the brand ages, the loyalty within their minds evolve into an inseparable bond. Hence, brand Value cannot be created by the company alone; it requires to be co-created by the consumers too. The process of brand management is not the role of the marketing department but of the top management of the company. The paper will discuss the theory of creating a brand strategy for a company as a tool for managing a brand and developing it. Now at Present the role of branding is of great importance in the business world and its role is quite hard to ignore. Branding helps differentiate goods or services of one firm from another. It is because of branding that customers are able to identify and prefer the products and services of one firm over another. The paper will examine a uniform knowledge of what the brand stands for and how it will be communicated to the general public and serve as a framework for strategic decision-making for the company management and employees. Brands are in stores, in advertisements, television commercials and with the internet, they are everywhere we look, while browsing through the vast networks of our interests. In brand management, brand contains manager-based and customer-based functions. Brand managers usually stand from the marketer’s and the firm’s perspectives, stressing the perceptions they accrue to a brand to promote products, differentiate companies from their competitors and satisfy short-term commercial goals [5, 6]. From the customer’s point of view, brands not only sign to differentiate products from competing goods but also a semiotic engine producing meaning and values [13]. Therefore a brand is the product as it is experienced and valued in social life, and branding refers to all the activities that shape customer perceptions, particularly the firm’s activities. Today brand management’s importance lays company†²s outside the business itself, in the minds of potent ial buyers [16]. These values of brands are reflected in the, anchors of company. Products are introduced, they live and disappear but brands never ended [16]. The term brand holds multiple meanings. According to John Murphy, founder of Interbrand, a brand is not only an actual product, but also the unique property of a specific owner. Brands are increasingly considered to be the primary capital in many businesses. Sterne [26] argues that a brand is not a name. A brand is not a positioning statement. It is not a marketing message. It is a promise made by a company to its customers and supported by that company. Sterne’s statement indicated a phenomenon of how consumers give their passion and loyalty to a brand. We can explain this phenomenon in a more straight forward way via taking an example of Apple. Apple maintains its consumers by creating a brand connecting with an image of imagination, design and innovation, which is the key to its survival. This phenomenon indicates a brand has an additional value that enables marketers to maintain current consumers and attract new consumers. This value is brand equity. Brand equity means raising brand awareness, maintaining brand loyalty, building up positive associations about brand, and spread product or service information via words-of-mouth communication. How to achieve these goals via optimizing of brand management resources becomes the challenge for today’s marketers [1]. Hence, the paper begins by giving a background of the happening of brand and brand equity valuation are the centre of interest of both academic and business experts in today’s world. The paper also highlights how a company can build, and use a brand in order to obtain and sustain the competitive advantage in the market place. Therefore a brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. Branding is the main important strategy of any business. Branding or Brand is not important only for companies but it takes equal importance for customers. Brand for customers will indicate commitment towards quality from sellers there by reducing time spent in coming to a purchase decision. Brand for companies will indicate a sort of benchmark in quality as well as customer expectation, a point of differentiation from competitors and a steady stream of profit. The brand value can be shown in to four dimensions like Reputation Value, Relationship Value, Experiential Value, and Symbolic Value. Working with a scarcity mentality will help maximize returns for every dollar spent by answering the question, Is this the best way to spend dollars on marketing my brand, or is this money better spent elsewhere to generate greater returns? Like Starbucks, instead of spending money on TV advertising, clusters an area with its stores, increasing total revenue and market share. This was contrary to what established retailing houses did, which was to avoid placing stores near each other so as not to cannibalize sales at existing outlets. For Starbucks, doing so resulted in reduced supply costs and made management of the stores cheaper, which more than made up for sales lost to cannibalization. Thus, funding for expansion from internal cash flow was a judicious use of money. Until recently, Starbucks spent just 1% of its revenues on marketing and advertising (compared to more than 10% for companies of the same size).

Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis essays

Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis essays Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote the Letter From Birmingham Jail in order to address the biggest issue in Birmingham and the United States at the time. The Letter From Birmingham Jail discusses the great injustices happening toward the Black community in Birmingham. In order to justify his desire for racial justice and equality, Martin Luther King, Jr. uses appeals to emotion, ethical appeals, and logical appeals. The thesis, which is located in the second and third paragraphs, states that although Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is not from Birmingham, he needs to be there because of the many injustices whites do toward Blacks. By helping the people of Birmingham he helps people from everywhere because injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere (Pg. 718). Dr. Kings thesis explains the reason for his involvement in the non-violent direct-action demonstrations. The thesis gives good reason for the Negroes desire to have equal rights. One way that King supports his thesis is by using appeals to emotion. In the Letter From Birmingham Jail King writes of all the terrible things that the whites have done to the Negroes. He also talks about how tough it is on children to learn the discriminations blacks go through: When you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she cant go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people.... (Pg. 720) This use of appeal is very effective because it give the reader an issue which most can relate to. Parents with children can feel the pain...

Biography Topics

Biography Topics Are you looking for an interesting person to write about? Youll find that the more you are intrigued or inspired by your subject, the more time youll give to this assignment. This list may inspire you. Try to find a biography subject you enjoy reading about! Albert Einstein (scientist)Alexander Fleming (scientist)Alexander Graham Bell (inventor)Alexander the Great (leader)Amelia Earhart (aviation)Anne Frank (Holocaust)Benjamin Franklin (Founding Father)Betty Ford (inspirational)Carl Sagan (scientist)Charles Lindbergh (aviation)Clarence Birdseye (inventor)Eli Whitney (inventor)Elie Wiesel (Holocaust)Frank Lloyd Wright (architect)George Eastman (inventor)George Washington Carver (agricultural chemist)Henry Ford (industrialist)Isaac Newton (scientist)Jacques Cousteau (explorer)Jane Goodall (anthropologist)Johann Gutenberg (inventor)John Deere (inventor)John F. Kennedy (political leader)John James Audubon (nature)Jonas Salk (scientist, inventor)Karl Benz (inventor)Leonardo da Vinci (scientist and artist)Lewis Braille (inventor)Margaret Mead (anthropologist)Marie Curie (physicist and chemist)Martin Luther King, Jr. (civil rights)Medgar Evers (civil rights)Mohandas Gandhi (political leader)Mother Teresa (Nobel Prize winner)Nelson Mandela (poli tical leader)Patrick Henry (Founding Father)Rachel Carson (conservationist)Robert Goddard (physicist and inventor)Rosa Parks (civil rights)Samuel Morse (inventor)Sandra Day OConnor (political leader)Stephen Hawking (scientist)Susan B. Anthony (famous women)Thomas Edison (inventor)W.E.B. Dubois (civil rights)Wright Brothers (inventors)Winston Churchill (political leader)

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 25

Business Law - Essay Example â€Å"Procedures for settling disputes by means other than litigation; e.g., by Arbitration, mediation, or minitrials. Such procedures, which are usually less costly and more expeditious than litigation, are increasingly being used in commercial and labor disputes, Divorce actions, in resolving motor vehicle and Medical Malpractice tort claims, and in other disputes that would likely otherwise involve court litigation.† Reading and understanding from the above definition, it can be interpreted that ADR is an alternate mechanism for justice which is less costly and more expeditious. Alternate Dispute Resolution consists of Arbitration, Mediation and Conciliation. Arbitration is a process by which the parties to the dispute appoint an independent Arbitrator who judges the case for the respective parties. This independent arbitrator is appointed on the behest of both the parties. Once the arbitrator is decided, the venue for the arbitration depends upon the parties to the matter. Unlike the Court system where the venue is decided as the courts itself, here the parties have more autonomy towards the way the case is going to take place. Hearings take place in accordance to the whims and fancies of the parties, and therefore the whole procedure is way more relaxed and chilled out. Mediation and Conciliation are the less popular form of ADR trials. These systems envisage a concept where the parties mediate and conciliate with the other parties on their own without the admission of an arbitrator. The process of Mediation and Conciliation is considered to be more in the zone of a personal conversation rather than a legal case going on. The idea of ADR has always been to allow a more open and calm approach towards justice delivery system. And it has ben quite successful in the Europe and UK with a streamlined method of arbitration, medication and conciliation process in practice. The ADR Group is a world-renowned

Moral Reasoning Assignment ( Business Ethics) Essay

Moral Reasoning Assignment ( Business Ethics) - Essay Example Drug should be used for intended purpose and therefore withholding some information about the drug on either the side effects or the purpose of drug leads to misinformation or put the life of patients into danger (Lemmens, 2013). It was morally unacceptable. The food and poison board has been established to help regulate the amount of ingredients in drugs because overconsumption of such substance used in making drug is harmful to health. Drug manufacturers should, therefore, provide detailed relevant information to the food and poison board for the regulation of such drugs. The drug manufacturer had it in mind of the failure to provide relevant information then make safety claims about the product. The company could even offer doctors benefits and privileges in order to deceive the public about the safety of the drugs while marketing them. By use of medically trained doctors as sales agents, they were well aware of the safety information they had kept away from the public. The drug manufacturer in this case endangered the life of consumers, and this was morally unaccepted in pharmaceutical regulations. According to my assessment, such activities were out of law and were worth being punishable. There would be much difference according to morally thinking individual if such activities are never punished. Anything that exposes life into risk should be avoided at all cost. However, any attempt by anybody or organization hide vital, relevant information is prosecutable under the law as noted by authors (Mc Donell, Altman, Leitch & ABC TV, 2012). Drugs are poisonous if their content and ingredients are not regulated and therefore relevant information about the chemicals and reagents used in their manufacture is crucial in regulating their consumption. Drug manufacturers, therefore, should adhere to the bylaws set by food and poison board in order easy and efficient regulation to ensure poison free drugs (David,

Group project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Group project - Essay Example While Gamefly offers both purchasing and renting service on subscription basis for video games for every gaming console there is. Apart from this gamefly also own a series of websites provide detailed information on video games and Kongregate.com is one of the closely associated companies. Also Joltonline is another key company.Warner Bros, Wea Corp for the release of Transformers 3. Apart from that it is working with Virgin corp are in a partnership to power online video games competition. Sequoia Capital are termed as Entrepreneurs behind entrepreneurs are one of the major investors. Other is Tenaya capital the other major investor. Partnerships with Del taco and Six flags theme park for summer long promotions. Apart from that Bawls a non alcoholic carbonated beverage had also partnered with Gamefly. Gamestop wants to portray the image that the company prefers customer satisfaction at the most, they intend to make the experience at their outlets a wonderful experience for each and every customer that visits them irrespective of the age bracket they belong too. Gamefly on the other hands wants their customer to save their hard earned money and spend in wisely while spending it on something which is expensive at the most apart from it being short lived if the wrong choice is made. So they want to offer their customer an opportunity to minimize spending on the wrong choice they made and provide them with new

The Holistic Assessment Process Based on the Goal of Facilitating Essay

The Holistic Assessment Process Based on the Goal of Facilitating Recovery - Essay Example This paper shall first present an overview of the clinical presentation of the service user. Secondly, it will identify the needs of the service user required to achieve recovery. Lastly, it shall present a critique of my involvement in the assessment process and how this reflected the principles of recovery. Body Overview Mrs. Smith is 46 years old, and was admitted to the mental health unit after she accused her son of apparently spying on her. She also attempted to slash her wrists claiming that there were some implants there placed by government agents spying on her. She is married and has been for the past 20 years and has been a math teacher at a local community college for the past 10 years and before that, has worked as an analyst with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). She has three children, all grown and she is living with her husband and one of her children. She has an IQ of a genius and has had no known history of any mental illness. For the past ten years howeve r, she expressed that sometimes she has often felt depressed, but did not seek professional mental health. Her husband declares that he also noticed his wife being paranoid about other people spying on them. He also shared that he thinks his wife is sometimes speaking to someone that he could not see, and that when he asked her who she was talking to, she said she was talking to her friend. She also believes that she is secretly working for the FBI and is sending and interpreting coded messages for them. She also believes that as a result of her work with the FBI, Russian spies want to kill her and so she is suspicious of every mail man or stranger that knocks on their door. As a result of her delusions, she was asked to take a sabbatical leave of absence from her work and to seek mental help. She is however in major denial over her mental health, insisting that what she sees and what she believes are all real. Two weeks prior to her current admission, after her husband left for wor k, she locked herself in the house and refused to open it to anyone. She drew the curtains and turned off all the lights. She then went to the bathroom and locked herself, taking with her a baseball bat to serve as a ‘weapon’ to ward off any supposed attackers. Her son came over to check on her and when he could not get in the door, used his key to get in the house. When his mother was not answering his calls, he then checked every room and found the bathroom door locked. He also heard his mother telling him to go away and leave her alone. Worried that his mother is hurt, he kicked the bathroom door open and as soon as he did, his mother started hitting him with the baseball bat. After subduing his mother, he called the emergency services for assistance. She was later referred to the mental health unit after the health professionals considered a possible mental health affectation. Assessment of needs In assessing the patient’s needs, I evaluated her ability to ca rry out her daily activities, mostly in relation to self-care (functional needs) (Velligan, et.al., 2004). I also evaluated her family situation, especially in relation to potential family caregivers who can supervise her care and assist her in her daily activities and support her during her recovery period. I also assessed her psychological health and emotional health, interviewing her and her family while asking pertinent questions relating to her feelings and her ability to cope with stress (Popescu and

Pre-Raphaelite Women in Rossetti's The Girlhood of Mary Virgin Essay

Pre-Raphaelite Women in Rossetti's The Girlhood of Mary Virgin - Essay Example This is that blessed Mary, pre-elect, God's Virgin. Gone is a great while, and she Dwelt young in Nazareth of Galilee. Unto God's will she brought devout respect, Profound simplicity of intellect, And supreme patience. From her mother's knee Faithful and hopeful; wise in charity; Strong in grave peace; in pity circumspect. So held she through her girlhood; as it were An angel-watered lily, that near God Grows and is quiet. Till, one dawn at home, She woke in her white bed, and had no fear At all, -- yet wept till sunshine, and felt awed; Because the fullness of the time was come. II. â€Å"These are the symbols. On that cloth of red I’ the centre is the Tripoint: perfect each, Except the second of its points, to teach That Christ is not yet born. The books – whose head Is golden Charity, as Paul hath said – Those virtues are wherein the soul is rich: Therefore on them the lily standeth, which Is innocence, being interpreted. The seven-thorn’d briar and th e pal seven-leaved Are her great sorrow and her great reward. Until the end be full, the Holy One Abides without. She soon shall have achieved Her perfect purity: yea, God the Lord Shall soon vouchsafe His Son to be her Son1. The Girlhood of Mary contains strong religious symbolism. ... Gabriel Rossetti the artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti was born in London, England on May 12, 1828 with the given name of Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti. His mother was Frances Polidori and his father was Gabriel Rossetti who as a poet had a partiality towards the works of the poet Dante Alighieri that he gave his first son the same namesake. Later, Rossetti put the Dante first ahead of his birth name Gabriel in honour of the poet he was named after. Dante’s early works were said to be mirrored in the earlier works of Rossetti3. Dante Gabriel Rossetti had three other siblings (whom he was the eldest) who were equally talented. His other sibling, Cristina was also a poet just like her brother Dante Gabriel who sat as the Virgin Mary in the paintings of Dante Gabriel The Girlhood of Mary Virgin and Ecce Ancilla Domini. III. The Victorian Female during Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s time Dante Gabriel Rossetti (12 May 1828  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 9 April 1882) was born during the reign of Queen Victoria who was the Queen of England from 1837 to 1901. During the reign of Queen Victoria (known as Victorian era), the idea of ideal feminine was patterned after the queen herself. The respectability and figure of the ideal lady during the era of Queen Victoria surrounds around domestic purity as she dispenses her duty as a wife, mother and daughter 4(BBC 2004). This era is characterized as the domestic age as femininity was centered on family as epitomized by Queen Victoria who was the role model of marital stability and domestic virtue5. This social milieu during Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s time may have tremendously influenced his early works especially his first public oil painting The Girlhood of Mary when he describes his idea of lady to be innocent and pure; This concept of womanhood stressed

Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 14

Terrorism - Essay Example sequent to these, the following discussion aims at highlighting a case related to terrorism as shown in the movie â€Å"A Mighty Heart,† as well as my own personal opinions about terrorism. The movie a mighty heart features the world of Daniel Pearl, a reporter of the Wall Street Journal. He embarked on researching a story on a shoe bomber known as Richard Reid (Pearl, 11). The story led him to a place called Karachi where an informant was to give him details of an elusive source. As Daniel left for the meeting, he told his wife he could get late for dinner. However, Daniel never returned from this meeting. Supporters of Omar Sheikh kidnapped and beheaded him. This movie depicts one of the many incidences that have led to the death of innocent people. Daniel was in the course of doing his work, thus giving service to the society when he met his death. He was to expose facts associated with terror attacks in the U.S., thus assist in the fight against terrorism. However, the terrorists could not spare him for his bravery, leading to his demise. In response to this, I think people who opt to trend on such important missions should take such precautions as requesting for g overnment protection. In my opinion, terrorism bears adverse effects on the lives of people. It denies them the freedom to conduct their activities in a free manner as it evokes fear among them. It also hinders them from accomplishing their dreams in life as shown in the case of Daniel in the mighty heart movie. More to these, terrorism hinders the exploitation of people’s potential, thus hampering the process of development in any nation. When terror attacks are directed, for example, towards individuals, the family members of the targeted person experience a lot of suffering. The person may go missing for a considerable period leaving the family members in a confused state. The members go through a lot of emotional turmoil as they hope for a reunion with their beloved one. Eventual death of such

Pre-Raphaelite Women in Rossetti's The Girlhood of Mary Virgin Essay

Pre-Raphaelite Women in Rossetti's The Girlhood of Mary Virgin - Essay Example This is that blessed Mary, pre-elect, God's Virgin. Gone is a great while, and she Dwelt young in Nazareth of Galilee. Unto God's will she brought devout respect, Profound simplicity of intellect, And supreme patience. From her mother's knee Faithful and hopeful; wise in charity; Strong in grave peace; in pity circumspect. So held she through her girlhood; as it were An angel-watered lily, that near God Grows and is quiet. Till, one dawn at home, She woke in her white bed, and had no fear At all, -- yet wept till sunshine, and felt awed; Because the fullness of the time was come. II. â€Å"These are the symbols. On that cloth of red I’ the centre is the Tripoint: perfect each, Except the second of its points, to teach That Christ is not yet born. The books – whose head Is golden Charity, as Paul hath said – Those virtues are wherein the soul is rich: Therefore on them the lily standeth, which Is innocence, being interpreted. The seven-thorn’d briar and th e pal seven-leaved Are her great sorrow and her great reward. Until the end be full, the Holy One Abides without. She soon shall have achieved Her perfect purity: yea, God the Lord Shall soon vouchsafe His Son to be her Son1. The Girlhood of Mary contains strong religious symbolism. ... Gabriel Rossetti the artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti was born in London, England on May 12, 1828 with the given name of Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti. His mother was Frances Polidori and his father was Gabriel Rossetti who as a poet had a partiality towards the works of the poet Dante Alighieri that he gave his first son the same namesake. Later, Rossetti put the Dante first ahead of his birth name Gabriel in honour of the poet he was named after. Dante’s early works were said to be mirrored in the earlier works of Rossetti3. Dante Gabriel Rossetti had three other siblings (whom he was the eldest) who were equally talented. His other sibling, Cristina was also a poet just like her brother Dante Gabriel who sat as the Virgin Mary in the paintings of Dante Gabriel The Girlhood of Mary Virgin and Ecce Ancilla Domini. III. The Victorian Female during Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s time Dante Gabriel Rossetti (12 May 1828  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 9 April 1882) was born during the reign of Queen Victoria who was the Queen of England from 1837 to 1901. During the reign of Queen Victoria (known as Victorian era), the idea of ideal feminine was patterned after the queen herself. The respectability and figure of the ideal lady during the era of Queen Victoria surrounds around domestic purity as she dispenses her duty as a wife, mother and daughter 4(BBC 2004). This era is characterized as the domestic age as femininity was centered on family as epitomized by Queen Victoria who was the role model of marital stability and domestic virtue5. This social milieu during Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s time may have tremendously influenced his early works especially his first public oil painting The Girlhood of Mary when he describes his idea of lady to be innocent and pure; This concept of womanhood stressed

Legal Environment Essay Example for Free

Legal Environment Essay Sexual harassment is always a legal topic in the work environment because the ramifications are so severe, but at the same time very abstract to describe what can constitute sexual harassment. This paper will take into consideration different elements of the law including Employment Law and cases tried before the U. S. Supreme Court. It will also offer suggestions for corrective action pertaining to the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace. In corporate America, sexual harassment is a huge concern amongst many organizations. The matter of sexual harassment is an issue that needs to be immediately attended to in order for companies to avoid large costs associated with lawsuits stemming from allegations of being sexually harassed in the workplace. Sexual harassment is usually an immediate damage. According to Crucet et al. (2010), â€Å"sexual harassment can cause damage to a company’s representation, status, customers, as well as their proceeds†. Sexual harassment can be identified as any unwelcome sexual jesters or advances, request for sex, and/or any physical or verbal conduct that may be considered in a sexual nature. The legalities circling sexual harassment can be broken down into two particular categories. According to Crucet et al. (2010), â€Å"the first category is quid pro quo and the second one consists of a hostile environment†. The first category of quid pro quo (this for that) sexual harassment usually involves an employee and a supervisor because in most situations only supervisors have the power of hiring and firing an employee. It also â€Å"involves some express or implied linkage between an employee’s submission to sexually oriented behavior and tangible job consequences† (Mallor et al. 2010, p. 1328). An example of quid pro quo could be related to a supervisor telling his female employee that â€Å"if you do this sexual favor for me, then you will be promoted†. According to Tyner Clinton (2010), â€Å"other examples include managers requesting sexual favors, and the receipt or non-receipt of those favors as a condition for making hiring, termination, promotion, and other placement decisions. † Quid pro quo is easier to identify than hostile environment harassment. The second category of sexual harassment is called hostile environment harassment. According to Mallor et al. 2010), â€Å"hostile environment harassment, occurs when an employee is subjected to unwelcome, sex-related behavior that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to change the conditions of the victim’s employment and create an abusive working environment† (p. 1328). The key element of any type of harassment is unwelcomed sexual advances but in hostile environment harassment it is definitely a bit tricky and at times hard to define (Tyner Clinton, 2010). Both categories of sexual harassment violate Title VII of Employment Law that is in place to protect equal opportunity in the workplace. In order to avoid or limit their liability for sexual harassment allegations, an employer must act immediately when issues of sexual harassment are brought to their attention in addition to providing adequate training on sexual harassment along with having an effective policy in place that identifies the definition of sexual harassment. A current ethical situation that I have encountered in the workplace involves hostile environment harassment. I have an employee by the name of Bob Doe that has been accused of sexual harassment in the workplace. Bob has been working as an Admissions Counselor under my supervision since January of 2011. Bob is married with three young children between the ages of ten to sixteen. Bob is a great worker but people still feel uncomfortable around him and comes off much different that the other male employee or co worker. He carries around an aura or vibe that makes the female employees feel uncomfortable. For instance, when Bob has a conversation with other female employees he tends to get too close and invade personal space. He is often caught saying vulgar and raunchy remarks that are HR inappropriate and has a habit of speaking under his breath a lot. Many of the female employees have claimed that he stares at them for periods of time without saying anything. He is medium to tall height, with a muscular build and tends to wear tight articles of clothing to reveal his muscles. Bob is middle aged and is about 5-10 years older than the average of other Admissions Counselors. In August of 2011, one day another male employee approached me and said that Bob had made some remarks to him regarding another female employee. Bob told this male employee â€Å"that he would love to catch her drunk† about that female employee. As a supervisor, this remark made me feel very angry that one of my employees would make comments like that about another employee and I immediately reported this action to my Director, Steve. Steve said that he really couldn’t do anything about that comment because I could not confirm whether or not he said it based off of the word of another employee and that the comment was not heard by the female employee. The director then told me to stay away from the gossip in the workplace and not to get involved in drama, He reminded me that I am suppose to be above that sort of office slander and that I was put in this position to make others people at their job and not be a whistle blower. I acknowledged what he told me and agreed that I would do a better job moving forward, but I still asked him to please report this incident to Human Resources. Steve said that he would handle the situation and would report the incident to Human Resources. Steve likes to handle all HR issues as he calls, â€Å"in house†. Steve wants the managers to run an incident by him before going to HR because he feels that he can handle the issues and that only if the cause was serious enough and if he was not present then we could go to Human Resources, otherwise we were to seek his approval or direction first. The second incident that involved Bob was in November 2011, when he approached another female employee on the team and grabbed her from behind and hugged her. Although he was not being overly aggressive and had a smile on his face, the female employee named Helen was caught off guard and felt violated and asked Bob not to touch her again because it made her feel uncomfortable. Bob laughed it off and said â€Å"Gezz girl relax! You know it’s not like that† and pointed at his wedding ring and walk away. Helen approached me and told me what happened. I immediately pulled Bob into a conference room and told him very sternly that it was inappropriate to hug and/or touch another employee in the workplace especially if it is unwelcomed because it could be viewed as sexual harassment. He said he understood and apologized for his behavior. At this time, I felt that this particular incident did not need to be reported to Human Resources since I felt I had a pretty good handle of the situation. I, however did document the incident in his employee activity log and mentioned it to my director who also said I handled the situation appropriately The third incident that happened regarding Bob was in January 2012. Bob was flirting with a female employee named Lisa who was not an employee on my team but still in the same division. Bob then began to grab Lisa’s hand and hold it with his hand. As Lisa pulled away, she asked Bob â€Å"why are you trying to hold my hand? † Bob’s response was â€Å" you’re so hot you’re making my hands clammy. † This was another sexual harassment issue that could have blown up. Once Lisa’s manager brought this situation to my attention, I once again called Bob into the conference room and explained to him that this was his second warning not to touch another employee, especially a female employee because it is inappropriate and unwarranted and if it were to happen again, then I would have no choice but to personally report him to Human Resources. Once again, I turned to my Director, Steve to seek his advice. Steve again told me that as long as you feel that you handled the situation appropriately and documented it then Bob should be fine. At this point I started getting the feeling that Steve didn’t care about the safety of my female employees and that he just wanted to avoid HR to avoid a situation. I felt as if Steve was allowing this to happen to prevent himself from looking bad. I then decide that I had to take the situation into my own hands and be more cognizant of Bob’s behavior with other employees. There have been a number of other times that Bob continued to make inappropriate comments to other female employees. He would compliment girls on their dress and say how nice their legs looked or that a certain color really brings out their figure. However, there were no mo complaints from Bob in regards to touching another employee inappropriately. He eventually decided to move onto another role with a different company and that was that. Sexual harassment is subjective because everyone identifies and perceives sexual harassment differently. Bob did come from the food and beverage industry where he was a bartender and a lot of his employees were cocktail waitresses in a night club in downtown. He did mention that in his previous job that he was very friendly with his staff because the culture would be more tolerable, especially with alcohol being involved. So, he may not have viewed his actions as being sexual harassment to his female employees, but obviously the employees felt otherwise. Author Tyner and Clinton write that â€Å"According to the law, the victim must be a â€Å"reasonable person† (Tyner Clinton, 2010). The â€Å"reasonable person† standard initiated in the landmark case of Rabidue v. Osceola Refining back in 1986. According to Tyner Clinton (2010), â€Å"in this case the majority ruled that vulgar language and the sexually oriented posters did not result in a working environment that could be considered intimidating, hostile, or offensive under the guidelines. † Essentially Judge Keith felt that â€Å"sexual harassment should not be judged by a reasonable person but rather by a reasonable victim† (Tyner Clinton, 2010). It is the victim that feels uncomfortable and is claiming the allegations of sexual harassment. They are the one that feel that the acts of another are unwelcomed and violating their legal rights. Unfortunately, as a manager of fourteen Admissions Counselors, at times I don’t have the presence to be everywhere at all times. I have frequently not been present at urgent moments because I was helping or assisting another employee. I always made it a conscience effort to praise in public and coach or criticize in private. This was the course of action I took with Bob whenever I witnessed an inappropriate behavior from him. I took him into the conference room and let me know that what he just did is not acceptable. I did not want him to feel that he was being discriminated against because he was an older male. I know that it was my ethical duty to make sure that all of my employees have the right to feel safe in the workplace. This topic really sticks out to me because as a manager of a big company we are constantly having sexual harassment trainings and seminars on how to identify and prevent instances from occurring. A manager at the training shared with the rest of the managers a horrific case of sexual harassment from one of her employees. The employees name was Tim and he was a very skilled and tenure Admissions Counselor and often looked at as a great example of a successful hard working Admissions Counselor. When a female new hire Kristy was added onto the same team as Tim the manager advised that the new hire learn from Tim and create best practices and habits that Tim has. Kristy was near Tim a lot because she was given orders to learn from Tim. Tim would use this opportunity to flirt with Kristy constantly and asking her very intruding questions about her personal life such as, if she is dating anyone or if she is interested in a relationship or just â€Å"hooking up. † Kristy became very ucomfortable when Tim started to text message her at night saying that he is bored now that he is divorced and that he wants to meet her early in the morning to go over performance strategies. When Kristy finally confided in another employee the manager was brought to attention. The manager immediately told Kristy to go to HR right away and the manager went to her supervisor and they both took immediate actions. Because of Tim’s behavior Kristy was about to quit her job and she would attempt to be sick in order to stay away from Tim’s desk. Tim’s behavior created a hostile environment because Kristy was in fear of encountering Tim. This incident not only saddens me for Kristy, but also made me sad because of what Bob had done in the past to my fellow employees and I had not taken immediate actions like I should have. Legal Viewpoints: The U. S.  Supreme Court According to Crucet et al. (2010), â€Å"in 1980 the Supreme Court said that sexual harassment was a breach of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. † Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 â€Å"prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin in hiring, firing, job assignments, pay, access to training, and apprenticeship programs, and most other employment decisions† (Mallor et al. , 2010, p. 1323). An important case that first appeared the â€Å"reasonable person† argument was in the Rabidue v. Osceola Refining in 1986 mentioned earlier in this paper. This case is often cited as the predecessor to the landmark Supreme Court case of Ellison v. Brady in 1991. In Ellison v. Brady (1991) the Supreme Court rules that â€Å"it is unreasonable to use a â€Å"reasonable person† standard since the rules were established by men† (Tyner Clinton, 2010). This is where the â€Å"reasonable victim† came into existence. The court went on to say that â€Å"we note that the reasonable woman victim standard we adopt today classified conduct as unlawful sexual harassment even when harassers do not realize that their conduct creates a hostile working environment† (Tyner Clinton, 2010). This Supreme Court ruling is of great importance. Many of times, harassers don’t even realize what they are doing is wrong because their perception of reality is off. Two important Supreme Court cases in 1998 created the framework for deciding whether or not employers were held liable for sexual harassment committed by its employees. The first was Burlington Industries v. Ellerth (1998) and the second was Farragher v. Boca Raton (1998). According to Cabassa (2011), â€Å"employers in jurisdictions where courts have allowed indemnity claims against employees for actions giving rise to harassment cases† are on the rise. There are many cases linking to sexual harassment in the workplace that they have launched a litigation committee that covers employment law to covering all legal issues related to the employment relationship (Cabassa, 2010). The question still stands on whether or not a company is liable for sexual harassment committed by one of its employees. The answer to that question lies on â€Å"whether the harasser was a coemployee or a supervisor of the victim, whether the victim suffered tangible job detriment and whether the company had sexual harassment policies, training, and grievance procedures† (Mallor et al. , 2010, p. 1328). Therefore, in order for a company to release themselves from association and allegations of sexual harassment a number of things need to be considered. Suggestions for Corrective Action According to Das (2007), â€Å"sexualization itself, as a precursor to signaling, could arguably stem both from a targets developmental trajectory and from later-life experiences that get layered onto this basic personality substrate. † Therefore, although Bob had these precursor straits of sexualization prior to him going through divorce, the later-life experiences of divorce layered into his life may have caused him to be more relentless. Regardless of his personal life experiences, Bob needs to be in line with the Employee Handbook and follow its policies. It is imperative each company have a Human Resource or Employees Relations Representative that can handle any allegations of sexual harassment. It is first and foremost important for a company no matter of size small or large, to have an Employee Handbook in place to identify what is considered acceptable and what can be recognized as sexual harassment. Then adequate training needs to be in place to help identify what may be considered as sexual and/or ostile environment harassment. After the training, each employee should be required to sign off on an acknowledgment form acknowledging that they know and understand the sexual harassment policy. Once those guidelines are set then it is important for managers and supervisors to take the allegations of sexual harassment very seriously and prevent any further occurrences to take place. If allegations of sexual harassment are made, it is important for Human Resources to open an investigation immediately to determine the facts of the case and to get each sides of the story.  Once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, then the next step is to take appropriate disciplinary action up to and including termination of the harasser. This measure will hopefully prevent sexual and hostile environment harassment. Conclusion In conclusion, the Employment Law has been established by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 allowing every person the right to pursue a career and economic gain with the absence of sexual harassment in the workplace. The U. S.  Supreme Court has been a huge help in identifying the law surrounding and interpreting the U. S. Constitution as it pertains to sexual harassment. According to Tyner Clinton (2010), â€Å"the Society for Human Resource Managers reported in 2002 that 97 percent of employers have written sexual harassment policies and that 62 percent of those employers provide training on sexual harassment. † Therefore, as a society we are on the right track to preventing harassment of any type in the workplace especially unwelcomed and unwarranted sexual advances.

Corporate Strategy of Fedex Corporation

Corporate Strategy of Fedex Corporation Executive Summary This analysis of the corporate strategy of FedEx Corporation relates to three specific issues in the corporate strategy case. The first issue is a critical analysis of the global express transportation and logistics industry. The second issue discusses about the mergers and acquisitions in transportation and logistics industry. The final issue is a critical review of the performance of FedEx in the events leading to the January 2000 reorganisation. In the first section, the global express transportation and logistics industry is an attractive sector based on the fundamentals of the sector given in the five forces analysis using Porters framework. There are large barriers to entry, there are minimal substitutes that exist, industry is relatively disciplined, and the power of buyers and suppliers are mixed. FedEx is well placed in the sector given its core competencies and dynamic capabilities relating to its management and the functional areas of marketing, human resources and information technology and systems. In the second section, gives a brief knowledge about the benefits and limitations of merger and acquisition strategies in this industry. This also describes how effective was the 1998 Caliber System acquisition and where did it led the company do in its further years. In the final section, it is noted that FedEx performed poorly within its sector and given its capabilities, the firm was expected to have been more proactive in moving past its poor performance. Nevertheless, the firm had to wait until after several quarters of poor performance and only after the competitors have taken advantage of the development in the Internet market did FedEx make changes to its business. Post the changes, FedEx did well in utilising its core competencies that were identified in the first section, and leveraging these competencies to its advantage. CHAPTER-1: Analysis Of Global Express Transportation And Logistics Industry Introduction To Transportation And Logistics Industry. Global Transportation Logistics Industry comprises a wide range of service providers, covering all modes of transport air, road, rail, sea as well as related services such as warehousing, handling, stevedoring, and finally value added services like packaging, labelling, assembling etc. In addition to these physical services, TL involves all sorts of planning, organising and managing services in the area of transportation and logistics. Over the past years, we have seen a trend to diversification (growth strategies mergers acquisitions), which results in larger integrated groups operating in more than one of the TL sub-sectors. As a result, it becomes very unclear to understand the limits between the different TL sub-sectors. (http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/transportation-logistics/index.jhtml) About FedEx FedEx corporation offers transportation, e-commerce and business services through its network of subsidiaries, divided into four business segments. The FedEx express segment includes Federal Express Corp., a leading global express transportation company offering time-certain delivery within one or three business days; and FedEx Trade Networks Inc., a provider of customer brokerage, global cargo distribution and Global Trade Data and Global Trade Tools software products. The FedEx ground segment includes FedEx Ground Package System Inc., which provides small package ground delivery to nearly 100% ofU.S.residences. The FedEx Freight segment includes FedEx Freight Corp., a US provider of next day, second day and interregional less than truckload (LTL) freight services; FedEx Custom Critical Inc., the worlds largest provider of expedited time critical shipments; and Caribbean Transportation Services Inc., a provider of airfreight forwarding services between the US and Puerto Rico. The last segment is FedEx Kinkos, consisting of FedEx Kinkos Office and printing services Inc., which provides copying and printing services, signs and graphics, videoconferencing, high speed wireless and wired Internet access and computer usage, as well as retail access to all FedEx ground and global express shipping services. (Jack W. Plunkett 2007) Porters Value Chain Analysis This section assesses the global express transportation and logistics industry through the value chain analysis of Porter. The review is done across the primary and support activities for the value chain with the details presented in the following table: Primary Activities Comments Inbound logistics Increased presence in various markets to expand footprint and capture market share by players (Lai et al, 2008) Operations Increased cost in operations due to rising fuel prices; margins of industry players hit (Wadewitz, Johnson Weinz, 2008) Outbound logistics Important activity as link to customers Distribution centres being set up by the largest players in the sector in new markets such as China (Lai et al, 2008) Marketing and sales Increased importance in current market with pressure on margins though players have generally kept pricing discipline Service Service to customer could potentially change with new pressures and competitive dynamics; current focus on service but business models on customer service delivery could change (Greene Longson, 2008). Support Activities Comments Firm infrastructure Entrepreneurial culture typically Management of firms could be forced into action with potential consolidation in the sector driven by pressures in decreased business and margins; could lead to synergies and value (Fitchie, 2008) HR management Human resources continues to play an important role as talent influences the activities across the value chain Technology development Technological capabilities continue to be critical factoring the sector and a requirement to be a player (Greene Doshi, 2007) Procurement Important lever for sector given large capital outlay required for building or replacing fleet Some are pursuing this activity despite sector pressure as business has decreased; FedEx recently reported to have bought some aircraft from Rolls-Royce (Armitage, Fornaro Crispin, 2008) www.umbrellacloud.com/business-model/value-chain We note from the analysis above and the supporting arguments in articles, the key factors impacting the value chain are the following: Integration of the firms activities across primary and support activities Though each of the activities above have their influence on the sector and its development, the important underlying factor is the integration of the primary and support activities in order to drive the efficiency of the firms in the sector, and ensure the delivery of the customer service required by clients. Use of technology to drive integration and also efficiencies across the value chain Aside from the integration of the activities, a key driving force as well is the use of technology to both drives the integration and also pushes the efficiencies across the value chain as this impacts the pricing of services and delivery of customer requirements. Strong management to drive actions and initiatives across the chain Finally, strong management is needed in order to identify the opportunities and be able to push for the implementation of these initiatives, particularly in technology and in integration. The current industry pressures from higher fuel prices are changing the dynamics of the sector. Supply Chain Management Supply Chain analysis involves working across multiple enterprises or companies (Inter-enterprise) to shorten the supply chain time in the delivery of goods and services to the consumer or customer. Demand uncertainty in supply chains can be addresses by faster response times. A basic product supply chain can afford longer lead times and batch manufacturing of large lot sizes to meet the demand. A supply chain that produces fashion or mass customization products must respond quickly and be more agile. Most supply chains are moving in the direction to support a more rapid changing of demand by the consumer or customer. Good transportation and logistics companies also natures in reducing total costs through supply chain management excellence. Supply chain management means managing the business process from the initial supplier to the ultimate customer focusing on speed and flexibility, resulting in the lowest total cost and highest customer satisfaction-from suppliers supplier to customers customer-with supply decisions based on total life cycle costs. In this Context, FedEx identifies five principal attributes of supply chain management: Strategy Creating an effective supply chain management organization and supporting fact-based strategies and plans. Resources Developing and deploying human resources and information systems necessary to maximize performance. Nothing happens without top-notch, highly-skilled professionals using effective technical tools. Processes Creating strategic plans based upon total cost management and in sourcing/outsourcing analysis and applying a systematic approach to better utilizing the supply base. Optimization Aligning the supply base with our supply chain goals and continually seeking to improve the supply chain methods and composition. Globalization Viewing supply opportunities on a global basis. (www.fedex.com) FedEx Core Competencies And Dynamic Capabilities The analysis above of the global express transportation and logistics industry provides an indication of the requirements needed in order to be successful in the sector. This sub-section presents the core competencies and dynamic capabilities of FedEx and will present the link with the sectors requirements for success. The core competencies and dynamic capabilities of FedEx are the following: 2. Human resources: empowering employees One of the core competencies of FedEx is the empowerment of employees which has led to entrepreneurial behaviour among the employees (Schindehutte, Morris Kocak, 2008). This empowerment is the reason that FedEx is able to adapt quickly to market changes and keep abreast of the development in the global express transportation and logistics sector and ahead of competition. 3. Marketing: delivering customer value FedEx is known for their innovativeness in delivering value to their customers. It is partly the point above on employee empowerment which drives this. However, it is also largely the strength of their marketing organisation in being able to identify the value that customers require and their ability to deliver this through convenience and minimised relational costs (Smith Colgate, 2007). 4. Information systems and technology: providing accurate 24/7 information FedEx has invested significantly in its information and technology systems in order to provide customers with information to track the services being provided by FedEx. The firm realised early on in their business history, and well ahead of the other firms in their sector, the importance of information (e.g. package tracking, drop-off location finder) and the power this brings to meeting customers needs (Bhattacharya, 2006). 5. Management: continuing learning and application to operation This core competence of FedEx is driven by their CEO and Founder Fred Smith who stated that the success of FedEx is based on â€Å"continual learning and education and the discipline to apply those lessons to your operation† (Sarros, Cooper Santora, 2007). FedExs actions have been based on a continual understanding of their market situation and the implementation of initiatives to meet the requirements of the evolving sector such as technological demands and customer service level requirements. Strategic Vision And Infrastructure Within FedEx Corporation (a) FedEx Strategic Vision And Visionary Leadership. Frederick W Smith, the Chairman, President, and CEO of FedEx Corporation was presented the â€Å"Peter F. Drucker Strategic Leadership Award† for the year 1997. The award, established in 1995, was in recognition of an individuals innovative and result-oriented leadership. With the help of his team he executed a vision with consistency and focus. Analysts credit Smiths leadership as the reason for the transformation of FedEx, from a once loss making company, to a global logistics industry leader with revenues of â€Å"$22.5 billion.† Under his leadership, FedEx management has developed rigorous processes with extremely low defect rates; employees are empowered through information, technology and thorough training. Information technology has transformed the company into a cyberspace leader as well as a logistics trailblazer. Smith was one of the few business leaders who first anticipated the application of Internet in business operations, resulting into the launch of the website www.fedex.com in 1994, enabling customers to do business online. FedEx had been established as a technologically driven company. Smith stipulated three goals, which he believed would form the critical success factors of FedExs business in future speed, reliability and customer service. In order to achieve these goals, Smith invested heavily on IT. Smith strongly believed that for an express industry, it was necessary to use IT to provide customers with real-time information about the movement of their documents/packages. Visionary Leadership FedEx Supply Chain Services will be an acknowledged world leader in global integrated logistics management, supply chain solutions and time-definite delivery. Our motivated associates will forge mutually profitable partnerships with our customers using world-class technology and business practices. Smith also believed that in a service oriented organization like FedEx, it was very important to have highly committed employees, failing which; it was not possible to deliver the kind of service that the customers expected. FedExs employees were made to believe that they were not merely performing their duties but were solving the transportation problems of the customers. It is clear from these analyses that FedEx Corporation had been very competent in technology and human resources which resulted in its great success. FedExs corporate strategic vision is based on three principles; operating independently: by focusing on independent networks to meet distinct customer needs; compete collectively: by standing as one brand worldwide and speaking with one voice Manage collaboratively: by working together to sustain loyal relationships with their workforce, investors, and customers. http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Leadership%20and%20Entrepreneurship/LDEN023.htm (b) FedEx Transportation And Logistics Infrastructure FedEx Corporation (â€Å"FedEx†) provides a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services through companies competing collectively, operating independently and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. These operating companies are primarily represented by Federal Express Corporation (â€Å"FedEx Express†), the worlds largest express transportation company; FedEx Ground Package System, Inc. (â€Å"FedEx Ground†), a leading provider of small-package ground delivery services and FedEx Freight Corporation, a leading U.S. provider of less-than-truckload (â€Å"LTL†) freight services (FedEx Annual report 2007). Overall, FedEx hasover 280,000 employees worldwide,operates approximately 50,000 drop off locations and managed over 10 million square feet of warehouse space worldwide. They have 670 aircrafts, and 75,000 vehicles and trailers, handling around 6.5million daily shipments to more than 220 countries and territories. (Jack W. Plunkett 2007). FedEx Corporation introduced express delivery to the world in 1973, and remains the worlds largest express transportation company and it is the worlds largest overnight package carrier with about 30 percent market share. Taking into considerations the key elements from the above analysis and FedExs core competencies it can be figured out that FedEx primary activities are Marketing and Sales, checking orders, financial analysis and receiving payment, packaging, shipping products, logistics, handling and storing of products to be shipped, handling orders, delivery of the products, and finally Service to ensure customer satisfaction. But, the key elements which support these activities are: Procurement (purchasing, trucks, planes, gas and other assets). Research and Development (RD) activity which include technology development, investments in systems innovation, and information technology (IT) development. Human Resource Management that includes hiring, training, developing and compensating employees from the truck drivers to the top management. Firm infrastructure which includes general management, planning, accounting, legal support, government regulations, and other general requirement to support the value chain. (c) FedEx Virtual Information Infrastructure Information Technology is the backbone of the FedEx Corporation which is immensely responsible for its success and its competitive advantage over its rivals. FedExs consistent effort in the development of information technology and system innovations has always been its prime concern which created the direct interconnection between its customers and services. FedExs Virtual Information System emerged as a revolution in this context which closed the gaps between the consumer and seller. In 1979, a centralised computer system Customer, Operation, Master Online System kept track of all packages handled by the company. This computer system relayed data on package movement, pickup, invoicing and delivery to a central database. In 1984, FedEx started to launch a series of technological systems. The Power-Ship program, aimed at improving efficiency and control, which provided the most active customers (around 850,000) with the proprietary online services. But, the most significant development in this field came between the years 1994-99 which started giving the shape to the virtual information infrastructure. They were first to offer online package status tracking through FedEx website so that customers can actually conduct business via internet. In 1995, a Windows-based shipping and tracking software allowed around 650,000 users to process and manage their shipment from their desktops. FedEx Virtual-Order Software in 1996 linked internet ordering with the delivery and o nline tracking. In 1997, FedEx introduced e- Business tools for easier connection with shipping tracking applications. FedEx decided to overhaul its internal I.T. infrastructure under the Project GRID (Global Resources for Information Distribution). The project involved replacing 60,000 terminals and some PCs with over 75,000 network systems. Also, in 1999 FedEx signed an agreement with Netscape to adopt Netscape software as the primary technology for accessing its corporate intranet sites. FedExs intranet included more than 60 Websites, created for its end users and some cases by its end users. At this point of time FedEx was the largest online client server network in the world that operated in real time. The benefits of these services were not limited to FedExs customers. Its online services, which in 1999 handled 60 million transactions per day, saved FedEx cost of 200,000 customer service employees. In turn, the Company reported spending 10 percent of its 17 billion U.S. dollar s annual revenue on I.T. in 1999. Information had allowed FedEx to lower its costs such that the cost to customers of using FedEx in 1999 was lower than it was 25 years ago. FedEx Virtual Order Process http://www.ite.poly.edu/people/brao/fedex_case.htm CHAPTER-2: Mergers Acquisitions In Transportation And Logistics Industry. Benefits And Limitations Of Merger And Acquisition Strategy. Merger and Acquisition is basically a mechanism by which an organization grows. It is a kind of external growth strategy which involves using the businesss money to invest in other businesses, whereas the internal growth occurs by investing profits in the same business. A merger occurs when two separate companies agree, usually by mutual consent, to come together. On the other hand, acquisition is a takeover which involves purchasing a shareholding of over 50%, and then this company can control and impose its will upon this. Merger and acquisition are growth strategies are beneficial for transportation and logistics industry, as in all the other industries if two companies decide to join hands after a detailed research and surveys. (book†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦book†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.book) Benefits Of Merger And Acquisition: Mergers and acquisitions usually succeed in building cost efficiency through the implementation of economies of scale. Basically, a new economically stable firm emerges, through the union of two parent firms with an increased scale of operations. As a result, there are chances that the cost per unit will come down with rise in output production. In context of TL industry the company will get a bigger infrastructure and they may get easy access to the areas which were to difficult to reach. This in turn will increase their logistics offerings and their efficiency with reduced cost, which was not possible if they would have thought of increasing the branches on their own. This process also often leads to an increased value generation for the company. It is expected that the shareholder value of the newly established firm would be greater than the sum of the shareholder values of the parent companies which is applicable in TL industry as well. One of the benefits of mergers and acquisitions is increase in market share. When a financially stable company acquires a contrastingly distressed one, the newly found organization experiences a substantial increase in market share. The new firm is usually more cost-efficient and competitive when compared to its financially weak parent organization. Limitations Of Merger And Acquisition: I. If due to mergers and acquisitions, a company has considerably a big market share then there could be less competition complacency amongst firmscan lead to lower quality of services and less investment in new products and services. II. Due to merger or acquisition, if a company expands too much then it could also lead to diseconomy of scale. In this condition, it will lead the firm to produce products and services at increased per unit costs. III. Mergers and acquisitions can lead to loss of jobs. IV. Mergers could be a factor of de-motivation for staff, for example, managers would prefer to work for big company where they get higher salaries and more prestige. V. There could be failure to secure good will of a wide range of stakeholder groups in both companies. VI. Potential conflict between individual and corporate objectives is not given sufficient recognition and isnt managed. VII. Reputation can also be damaged during the merger process. Acquisition Of Caliber Systems In 1998 By FedEx Corporation In the year 1998, FedEx took a big leap in context to its diversification by acquiring Caliber System Inc. As a result of this, five subsidiary companies were formed: Federal Express, RPS, Roberts Express, Viking Freight and FDX Logistics. Apart from Federal Express, all the other four were the part of Caliber System and all were managed independently. The logistics operations of both FedEx and Caliber were different as differed in customer bases and service offerings. Caliber was expertise in providing an elaborate logistics operation focusing mainly on high priced goods industries such as moving raw materials, managing work-in-progress, manufacturing of cars and fork-lift trucks etc. Federal Logistics and Electronic Commerce (FLEC) before the acquisition was not able to provide complete supply chain solution because they just focused on finished goods and reverse logistics. But, the acquisition led FLEC to put there hands into areas like warehousing and transportation apart from th e basic logistics functions. Later, Caliber became apart of FDX Logistics and FLEC continued as a division under Federal Express. The burden which this acquisition brought along with it to the company was that, the company has to loose its image of just being an express delivery company. The challenge was that all the critics including the customer related the FedEx brand just with transportation. One solution to this challenge was the renaming of the company. In this context, the acquisition gave the name to the holding company as ‘FDX Corporation but they did very less to promote the name. Therefore, the transportation subsidiary FedEx Express still lived on as a brand image and the corporate name was still under cover. Unlike other companies such as UPS which ran only under one name for all its services, FedEx was trying to promote all its subsidiary companies with completely unrelated names under FDX logo. The key agenda here was that, the two separate logistics businesses within the group with separate sales and customer service staff created confusion within customers and resources were duplicated. The big thing was despite having such confusion the branches continued to operate and offer solutions at all level of supply chain. In this scenario, the autonomy of all subsidiary companies where maintained but the challenge was to bring the companies closer to create the synergy. These companies were operating with separate accounting systems and customer service staff, so they made a vision to â€Å"progress individually but compete collectively.† Therefore, we can figure out that this acquisition was not a complete success as all the subsidiary companies sustained but the ultimate goal for the corporation was to provide customers with a single point of access to the whole Group. In later years, this became the main reason for the companys structural transformation through advancement in information technology within the company. CHAPTER-3: Events Leading Up To January 2000 Reorganization This section provides an analysis of the events leading to the January 200 reorganisation of FedEx. The first sub-section reviews the performance of FedEx and the developments in the Internet market while the second sub-section touches on the impact of the major strategic initiatives undertaken. The final sub-section provides a quick summary of the analysis. FedEx Performance And Internet Market Developments The January 2000 reorganisation was largely driven by the poor performance of FedEx in the preceding periods. While performance remained strong and positive up to 1999 with record earnings, this proved to be the start of a downtrend in performance. The next several quarters saw FedExs performance experience considerable in income and profit. This was partly influenced by the rising fuel prices but the failure of the company to react and still be reasonably profitable in a backdrop of rising fuel prices led management to believe that change was needed. The performance of FedEx was sub-par and deserved poor reviews. The lower financial performance aside, FedExs performance was inadequate for the following reasons: Un-reactive and inflexible It took several quarters of poor performance for FedEx management to take action. FedEx could have been more aggressive in its actions and realised immediately after the first quarter of poor profit performance that the industry was changing and that FedEx needed to make a move. At the very least, FedEx could have made moves that would have impacted other players as well and severely harm the poorer capitalised firms (e.g. start a price war) Did not utilise advantages in sector Partly related to the first point, FedEx did not push to make any impact on the sector. FedEx could have utilised its network, for example, and worked with its suppliers and even buyers to ensure that the firm still maintained good profitability in the period of high fuel prices. In addition to the poor performance of FedEx in the preceding several quarters, the development of the Internet market and the actions of competitors forced FedEx to review its business strategy and determine the steps necessary in order to bring the firm back to profitability and successful operations. In this respect, the actions of FedEx were unacceptable as well for a couple of reasons: Failure to realise technological changes For a firm that was known to be reliant on technology as well as at the forefront of technological advancements, the actions of FedEx were unacceptable as they showed poor pro-activity and understanding of the changes happening in the sector. Reactionary moves to technological innovation Not only did FedEx not realise technological changes that would impact the sector, FedEx had to wait for other firms to take the first move in tapping the new technology. This thus made the situation worse as it placed FedEx in a position that was far behind other competitors in terms of the use and development of technology. Motivation for Strategic Initiatives FedEx had three strategic initiatives following the reorganisation in January 2000. For these actions, FedEx could be lauded as these addressed the concerns that FedEx faced following the several period of poor performance and the developments in the Internet market. The strategic initiatives and the rationale for pursuing each are as follow: A new branding strategy that involved changing the Companys name to FedEx Corporation, and extending the ‘FedEx brand to four of its five subsidiary companies This is an excellent move for a couple of reasons: (1) integrates the firm and leverages the successes of the various divisions, (2) taps the brand that clients are familiar with. This would allow FedEx to leverage its advantages in the sector as seen in the five forces analysis. Although relatively belatedly, FedEx did realise the importance of integrating their businesses and maximising their position in the sector. The need for one point of access to sales, customer services, and billing and automation systems This again touches on the integration point although at a different aspect. With an integrated business across its key activities, FedEx could provide clients with easy access and reliable services, factors that are important for the FedEx clients. Also, this action gives FedEx the technological push that it needed in order to bring its technology up to par with competitors, and position the firm for possible advancements at a later time. FedEx Home Delivery, a new, economical residential delivery service- This last action by FedEx touched on several important factors related to the success of firms in the global express transportation and logistics industry: (1) innovation in products and services, (2) leverage of strengths of related businesses, and (3) exp