Monday, September 30, 2019
A Choice We Make through a Decision of Our Will
We cannot let the world's wounds destroy our spirits. We cannot let our hurts and betrayals destroy our capacity for growth and caring. That there will be Judgment and, perhaps, Justice, is necessary. That the violence be confronted and, if possible, contained is essential. But, most important is our capacity to nurture a loving heart, to affirm and not to curse, to forgive even when we cannot completely forget. †– Glenn H. Turner Some Questions to ask: How do you respond when you are wounded? How do you feel toward the person who has hurt you?How long do you carry your anger and how does that re-sentment (feeling it again and again) continue to hurt you? Can you forgive and break the cycle? Can you understand the other? What does forgiveness mean to you? It is not uncommon for Christians to have questions about forgiveness. Forgiveness does not come easy for most of us. Our natural instinct is to recoil in self-protection when we've been injured. We don't naturally ove rflow with mercy, grace and forgiveness when we've been wronged Is forgiveness a conscious choice, a physical ct involving the will, or is it a feeling, an emotional state of being?The Bible offers insight and answers to these and many more questions about forgiveness. We'll take a look at the most frequently asked questions and find out what the Bible says about forgiveness. Is forgiveness a conscious choice, or an emotional state? I believe forgiveness is a choice we make through a decision of our will, motivated by obedience to God and his command to forgive. The Bible instructs us to forgive as the Lord forgave us: Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one nother.Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (NIV) How do we forgive when we don't feel like it? How do we translate the decision to forgive into a change of heart? We forgive by faith, out of obedience. Since forgiveness goes against our nature, we must forgive by faith, whether we feel like it or not. We must trust God to do the work in us that needs to be done so that the forgiveness will be complete. I believe God honors our commitment to obey Him and our desire to please him when we choose to forgive. He completes the work in his time.We must continue to forgive (our Job), by faith, until the work of forgiveness (the Lord's Job), is done in our hearts. Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (NLT) How will we know if we have truly forgiven? Lewis B. Smedes wrote in his book, Forgive and Forget, â€Å"When you release the wrongdoer from the wrong, you cut a malignant tumor out of your inner life. You set a prisoner free, but you discover that the real prisoner was yourself. ? More Forgiveness Quotes that comes as a result. We are the ones who suffer most when we choose not to forgive. When we do forgive, the Lord sets our hear ts free from the anger, bitterness, resentment and hurt that previously imprisoned us. Most times, however, forgiveness is a slow process. Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, â€Å"Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? †Jesus answered, â€Å"l tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. (NIV) This answer by Jesus makes it clear that orgiveness is not easy for us.It's not a one-time choice and then we automatically live in a state of forgiveness. Forgiveness may require a lifetime of forgiving, but it is important to the Lord. We must continue forgiving until the matter is settled in our heart. Is it okay to feel anger and want Justice for the person we need to forgive? This question presents another reason to pray for the person we need to forgive. We can pray for God to deal with the injustices, for God to Judge the person's life, and then we can leave that prayer at the altar. We no longer have to carry the anger.Although it is normal for us to feel anger toward sin and injustice, it is not our Job to judge the other person in their sin. Luke 6:37 Do not Judge, and you will not be Judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (NIV) Why must we forgive? The best reason to forgive is because Jesus commanded us to forgive. We learn from Scripture, if we don't forgive, neither will we be forgiven: Matthew 6:14-16 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also orgive you.But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NIV) We also forgive so that our prayers will not be hindered: Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. (NIV) In summary and in closing, we forgive out of obedience to the Lord. It is a choice, a decision we make. However, as we do this â€Å"forgi ving,†we discover the command is in place for our own good, and we receive the reward of our forgiveness†freedom.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Resume Revision Essay
MANAGEMENT PROFILE Accomplished Professional Wine Industry Executive with 20+ years of sales experience in the wine industry leveraging efficient and effective business solutions while increasing revenue and profits. A Dynamic Sales Team Leader with a proven track record for significantly enhancing company operations utilizing strong analytical skills and demonstrating expertise in management, sales, and marketing. In-depth knowledge of budget creation and new sales development, utilizing critical thinking skills while consistently achieving sales goals. Solid ability to adapt to a highly competitive market. Key Strengths & Expertise Marketing – Brand Management Public Relations General Management Business Planning Client Relations Sales Force Leadership Strategic Planning P&L Responsibility Operations Management Sales Territory Development SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS Successfully increased annual revenues grossing over $4 million as a result of cultivating and maintaining sales relationships for key customer accounts. Doubled sales and customers in the first year through implementation of effective sales strategies. Significantly increased revenues in the first year by more than 114% from 2006 to 2007. After the first year as Sales Director, significantly increased clients from 30 to over 200. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Mistral Barrels Inc., Sonoma, California                                                                               2006-Present General Manager / Sales Director Managed and directed all sales of wine barrels and oak alternatives for North America. Developed market strategies and directed Regional and National Sales Teams. Created marketing strategies for the development of two barrel brands and oak alternatives. Developed sales & projection goals for the sales team and managed key customer accounts. Developed public relations and marketing with Wine Business Monthly, Wines & Vines, and Practical Winery magazines. As a result of effective sales strategies, significantly increased revenues in the first year by more than 114% and clients from 30 to over 200 from 2006 to 2007.  KEN SEYMOUR                                                                                                                      Page Two  PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE  (Continued) Kelvin Cooperage, Louisville, Kentucky                                                                                          2003-2005 Sales Manager Developed sales for the West Coast and Pacific Northwest wine barrel market. Successfully achieved sales through direct visits to winemakers and purchasing managers as a result of implementing effective sales strategies. As a result, doubled sales and customers in the first year. Managed Sales Agent in Canada to include sales training of all products, and developing sales strategies and goals. Canton Wood Products, Santa Rosa, California                                                                             1994-1993 North America Sales Director Originally worked as the sole Sales Representative for the entire US wine market for the sale of oak wine barrels and oak alternatives. Successfully achieved sales goals and was promoted in 1997 to the position of North America Sales Director. Managed and led sales team in the development of sales throughout North America. Cultivated and maintained sales relationships with key customer accounts and consistently grossed over 4 million dollars in annual revenues. Developed and maintained the operating budget for North America Sales Office. Reported quarterly sales reports to the company Board of Directors in France. Demptos Glass (Agent for Canton Wood Products & Tonnellerie Boutes), Napa California   1991-1994 Cork Associates (Agent for Canton Wood Products & Tonnellerie Boutes), Napa California 1990-1991 Barrel Builder (Agent for Canton Wood Products & Tonnellerie Boutes), Calistoga, California         1988-1989 Sales Representative Sold oak wine barrels throughout the United States as a Sales Representative of Canton Wood Products and Tonnellerie Boutes. EDUCATION University of California Davis, Davis, California Home Winemaking Course, 2005 Certificate in Winemaking, 1999 Santa Rosa, Marin, San Mateo, De Anza, & Hawthorne Junior Colleges Approximately 60 units in General Education & Viticulture, 1989-1996 COMPUTER SKILLS Word ¨Excel  ¨PowerPoint  ¨QuickBooks  ¨ ACT
Saturday, September 28, 2019
CONFLICT RESOLUTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
CONFLICT RESOLUTION - Essay Example This paper explores the application of the concept of conflict resolution in my relationship, in my life. My relationships with different people including my family members have not been beds of roses as they have been always plagued by tug-of-war issues relating to who is wrong and who is right between the other party and I. But thanks to conflict management information that I learnt in class I have sufficiently resolved the issues. The resolutions have saved me from nasty fighting side effects both physically and emotionally, for instance, I no longer feel intimidated or having given up on what I really wanted after utilizing the compromisation approach to conflict resolution in my relationship. Instead, the sense is that of a win-win situation as part of my interests are addressed as much those of the party are addressed- none of us totally surrenders their interests for the other party (West & Turner, 2012). From conflict management, I have learnt useful tips of resolving relationship conflict; avoidance of deal-breakers, best time choice, loving acceptance and benefit-of-doubt. First, I have learnt to avoid deal-breaker habits such as personal criticisms, stonewalling and sneering contempt as they hamper mutual communication. Second, I recognize the importance of picking the best time to discuss and resolve the conflict as resolutions are less effective in times characterized by stress ad hunger. Loving acceptance helps to eliminate personal defenses while promoting the urge of pleasing each other (West & Turner, 2012). Benefit-of-doubt puts off jumping to conclusions without hearing explanations from the other
Friday, September 27, 2019
Law (International Business) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Law (International Business) - Essay Example To answer the legal questions at hand, let us look into the different principles of law involved in this case. b. Legal Principles Before we can determine as to whether or not there was a passing of property between the seller and the buyer, we need to establish first the existence of the contract. According to Section 3 of the Sale of Goods Act 1895, a contract of sale can be â€Å"made in writing†¦. or by word of mount, or partly in writing and partly by word of mouth†¦Ã¢â‚¬ There are three important elements needed to make a valid contract, namely, a valid cause or object offered, acceptance of the offer and consider. According to the court in the case of Grainger & Sons v Gough1, an offer must be made with the intention of entering into contract with the buyer and not merely an invitation to treat. When it comes to acceptance of the offer, the court ruled in the case of Entores Ltd v Miles Far East Corporation2 the acceptance must be communicated to the seller in ord er for the acceptance to be bidding upon the seller. The acceptance of the offer may be made in writing or through word of mouth. According to Denning LJ in this case, the acceptance must be made unequivocally and such unequivocal acceptance must be communicated clearly to the seller. For instance, if the acceptance was made through telephone, the buyer should see to it that the seller heard the acceptance. Acceptance and counter offer are two different things so it is important to determine as to whether or not what was communicated to the seller is an acceptance of the offer or merely a counter-offer. Note that acceptance give rise to a contract while a counter-offer does not. Also, in acceptance, the buyer accedes to the terms of the seller while in counter-offer; the buyer proposes different terms to the seller. When a counter-offer is accepted by the seller, such acceptance will be binding upon the parties. In international transactions, the place of acceptance is very importan t as this will determine the law applicable to the contract. In the case of Entores Ltd v Miles Far East Corporation3, the court ruled that the place of acceptance is the place where such acceptance is communicated. This means that if the offer was made in UK and the acceptance was made in Australia, the laws of Australia shall govern the transaction since the acceptance of the offer was made in Australia. Acceptance is not absolute in the sense that the parties can revoke the acceptance when the terms agreed upon are not met. According to the court in the case of Grainger & Sons v Gough4, the buyer may withdraw his or her acceptance anytime before or after the contract has been perfected. If the buyer withdraws his or her acceptance before the contract has been perfected, there contract is deemed inexistent. An accepted offer needs to be accompanied by valuable consideration in order for a valid contract to materialize. According to the court in the case of Currie v Misa5, consider ation is not limited to money but also include rights, interest, profits and the like. As stated by the court in the case of Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Co v Selfridge & Co Ltd6, the valuable consideration can be a â€Å"benefit to the promisor or a detriment to the promisee†. The intentions of the parties
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Total quality management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Total quality management - Essay Example Mechanistic models value stability. In an organismic model, their goals focus on organizational survival. Organizations that use organismic model encourage an objective work environment that focuses on an inside boundary. The organismic model describes quality through customer satisfaction. The managers create visions and system that serves to coordinate and provide control. Employees in this model practice self-control within the system. In an organismic model organisations believe that learning assists the organisation to adapt change. A cultural model of organization sets goals that meet individual needs and encourage human development. Quality in this model is described through constituent satisfaction. The cultural model of organization adapts a work environment that is defined through relationships. The role of management in a cultural model coordinates and mediates consultation regarding vision, systems and rewards. Employees play an active role by participating in the creatio n of vision, system. A cultural model of organization values change and learning. Evans and Lindsay describe performance excellence as an integrated approach to organizational performance management. Performance excellence ensures organizational sustainability through the delivery of continually improved value to customers and stakeholders. Performance excellence ensures the improvement of organizational effectiveness, organizational and personal learning (Evans and Lindsay 12). A system is an organized structure made up of interrelated and interdependent elements, which influence one another directly or indirectly. Deming systems theory explains that organizations have systems of interconnected processes and people that make up system components. Deming considers the success of any system is dependent on the management’s ability to coordinate the influence of each component in order to achieve optimization of the whole system. This is possible through appreciation of a syste m, by understanding how variations influence the system (Evans and Lindsay 91). Juran explains quality as the features of a product that meet consumer satisfaction. In this case, the effect is on sales Juran explains that providing quality products increases costs. On the other hand, Juran considers quality as being free of errors by reducing error rates, waste, customer dissatisfaction, field failures. In this case, the effect is on cost, which in the end means higher quality costs less (Evans and Lindsay 104). Evans and Lindsay explain four absolutes for quality as stated by Crosby. According to Crosby, quality is conformance to clients’ expectations. Crosby states that quality comes from prevention of defects. Quality requires standards that ensure zero defects. This requires that a company meet the customer requirements. Crosby explains that we measure quality by being aware of the price of non-conformance. Failing to meet the customers’ requirements does make a bu siness lose money (Evans and Lindsay 106). Total quality is a management approach that guarantees success through customer satisfaction. In total quality, the members of an organisation participate in improving the products, services and organizational culture. In total quality, organizations utilize strategic focus on quality, data, effective communication through employee engagement and teamwork to incorporate quality into the culture and activities of the organisation. Visionary
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Contemporary management issues(1) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Contemporary management issues(1) - Essay Example 3. Virtue ethics: Virtue ethics appraises the characteristics of the agent and not what should be done (deontology) or the outcome (consequentialism).The approach emphasises that action, within the principles of virtuosity, is ethical if virtue informs the action and leans on a moral evaluation of the performer rather that on the result or the duty considerations. In addition some philosophers have posited different approaches for delineating the ethical from the unethical, these are essentially shades of the above three basic approaches, and not recounted here. This essay looks at Consequentialist and Virtue Ethic approaches and their application in modern business practices using specific reference to the supply chain up to the customer of flowers that are out of season within the United Kingdom. Flowers, grown in all parts of the world, find their way to the auction houses in Holland. Buyers and representatives of large dealers buy the flowers and transport them to their respective countries and from there to the retail outlets. The chain is so organised that the flowers are at the retail outlets within hours of harvest. However, glitches do take place and the flowers may be out of season by the time they reach retail. In addition, stale, and flowers of lower quality sometime spend more time in the auction areas until a buyer picks them up at fractional prices or a decision taken to destroy them. A number of questions of ethics and ethical behaviour arise here from the points of view of the supply chain, the retailer, the customer, and consumer groups. Within the paradigm of consequentialist ethics, according to Williams (1973), confusion exists between goals (the desired/ desirable consequence) and actions, for once a goal is achieved, it becomes the means to the achievement of, or definition of, the next aim or goal. This continuity is bound to carry on as long as we are alive and taking some action. Therefore, the journey
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Latino Narrative film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words
Latino Narrative film - Essay Example My goal in this paper is to explore The Motorcycle Diaries in depth focusing on the way the spiritual transformation of Ernesto Che Guevara, the movie’s protagonist, evolves. Specifically, I will focus on how the film’s story is told and the devices that have been employed by the director to draw the audience. In particular, film’s script, performances, and the way it is shot will be discussed in relation to the research topic. Secondly, my goal is to compare The Motorcycle Diaries to another film by Salles Central Station (1998), which, similarly to the former, contains the theme of transformation. To achieve my goal, I have thematically divided the paper into four meaningful parts. The introduction sets the background to the essay. The first section focuses on the transformation experienced by the character of Ernesto Che Guevara and director’s devices employed to get the message across in a successful way. The second section will concentrate on the film Central Station and the similarities and differences between ways the two movies describe transformation. The paper ends with the conclusion of the major ideas discussed. In brief, The Motorcycle Diaries is a movie about a road trip taken by two young men who, while travelling, learn a serious lesson about life. A closer look at the movie’s focus allows claiming that it is not the result of the motorcycle journey that the movie’s director Walter Salles, a Brazilian by origin, emphasizes as the overall message on screen, but rather the transformation of the inner self of Che Guevara’s character. In particular, this is a transformation of a lighthearted medical student into a resolute leader. It happens against the backdrop of major social mishaps faced by people of the land that this weird duo encounters. This view can be well supported with the evidence from the film. First of all, it is clear at the beginning that the two young people who intend to cross the c ontinent are politically unconcerned. Their major interest, it seems, is courtship and enjoying the company of as many women as possible. Indeed, in the first section the friends are shown in a quite lighthearted manner  – just as they try to make use of their suggested status as doctors to obtain food and lodging and visit parties. Besides, one sees how the two repeatedly wreck their falling-to-pieces motorcycle, which they joyfully call La Poderosa or â€Å"The Mighty†(The Motorcycle Diaries). Just as the film approaches its ending, one sees a different character. Ernesto is no longer lighthearted, neither is he daffy or frivolous. Instead of acting in a playful manner, he now perceives life in a thoughtful and serious way. Clearly, Ernesto’s life has taken on a new direction. To illustrate, the movie ends with Ernesto’s crossing of the Amazon river with the aim to bid farewell to his downtrodden and outcast patients, with whom Ernesto now aligns hi mself. Thus, a young reckless student of the upper middle class Argentinian background has transformed in a radical revolutionary, who even after his death will have crowds of admirers kicking up the motto â€Å"Che lives†across the globe (Brussat and Brussat, â€Å"Film Review†). Just as any transformation suggests a process which results in a complete change, let us examine in detail how this process went on in Che Guevara (Alberto seems to have undergone transformation too, yet not in
Monday, September 23, 2019
Midterm exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Midterm exam - Essay Example were primarily formed to support the rebuilding processes of the nations and provide a world forum that can provide mediation. The central banks play critical role and national political and economic agenda main revolved around low interest rates, regulation of industries, labor unions to strengthen the business environment with the countries. Neo-liberalism, on the other hand, can broadly be defined in terms of emerging new economic paradigms in the changing socio-political scenario across the world that favors opening of domestic market for global business powers. But 1975 onwards, the world economy has increasingly become more market driven and trade across geographical regions has become more attractive to developed and developing countries. In the new-liberalism era, the economic conditions had drastically changed through de-regulation of industries, privatization and curb on union power. America came into the forefront of global political and economic front. With Ronal Reagan, as President of America in 1980, the demise of old economic order became a certainty. The role of central bank was significantly curbed and privatization became the major propellant of new economic order. The strong economy and advanced stature of United States, subsequently, made sure the success of US Dollars as Global Currency. This system greatly facilitated international trade and investment but restricted the capital movement so as to maintain certain extent of control by few dominant countries (Harvey, 2005). The advent of neo-liberalism primarily relied on economic liberalization. It promoted more capitalistic approach that favored the rich and made the poor nations as the scapegoat for getting exploited by the developed countries and multi-nationals. The monopoly of American influence in all the leading international financial institutes like World Bank and IMF, have followed the American
Sunday, September 22, 2019
The United Kingdom, Manchester, A Boeing 737-236 Crashes Assignment
The United Kingdom, Manchester, A Boeing 737-236 Crashes - Assignment Example This was 9 seconds later. The commanders reported that the acceleration of the left engine was acceptable. This was seconded by the first officer who thought it was better than the previous day. The auto-throttle was selected and the engines achieved the required take-off. The controller then confirmed the fire with the air traffic control and warned the crew on an evacuation that was to be done through the right side of the aircraft. The aircraft was then brought to a stop at the entrance to the link delta (Gero, 2011). Investigations showed that the accident was caused by failure of the left engine which was brought about by failure that occurred at combustor 9 which had been the subject of a repair. The fire developed as a result of adverse orientation of the parked aircraft relatively to the wind though the wind was not strong. The main cause of the accident was recorded to be caused by the ignorance that was done to the thud and the accelerator that was ignored to be working. The pilots and the 4 cabin crew reported to take the flight at 0500hrs on Thursday August 1985. The flight was scheduled to take off at 0600hrs. The pilots and the commander who was a training captain completed their preflight preparation and the crew was also briefed on the duties they were to undertake before they boarded the aircraft. The external check was carried out by the commander while the co-pilot carried out pre-flight check on the flight deck (Gero, 2011). Documents of the aircraft were examined and an entry was made on the previous day’s technical problem that related to reduction in acceleration of the left engine. There had been no problems reported on the two flights and the commanders signed the acceptance of the aircraft in the technical log. Starting the engines was done by the co-pilot and there were no problems that were observed during the start (Gero, 2011). The cabin crew carried out their roles through
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Improving mathematics Essay Example for Free
Improving mathematics Essay It is important for Mathematics teachers to create an atmosphere in which the subject is not seen to be outside of the student’s sphere of involvement and therefore irrelevant. Mathematics techniques that relate the subjects to things in the everyday world will more readily grasp the student’s attention and get him or her fully involved in the learning process. Mathematics can become more powerful and engaging if it is built â€Å"into an extended inquiry on a topic of importance for [the] subject, for students, and for the world at large†(Daniels Zemelman, 2004). Since the techniques practiced in the subject are used by people from retailers to engineers, teachers should take real life situations to the classroom and connect them to each lesson. For example, since the world’s population has been growing exponentially, it is possible to illustrate a lesson on exponents using such an example (2004). The constructivist idea that learning should be predominantly an active and social experience should be applied to the teaching of mathematics (Crowther, 1997). Although it is easier to ascertain the level of achievement of a given student via individual work, it is possible for students to gain much more from learning sessions if they are allowed to interact with their peers while completing tasks. This has several advantages, but two very important ones are these: It gives students the opportunity to gain different perspectives on the problem as well as the chance to have the theory explained in a novel way. Since students are more in tune with the way other students think, those who understand the problem will be able to re-present it to their fellow struggling students and to reveal the nuances of their understanding possibly in ways that the teacher had never considered. The other benefit of allowing interaction is that it gives the teacher time and space to visitâ€â€not just individual students, which would take the entire class period, but groups. Within the groups, salient issues will likely have already come up, and will most likely be revealed more readily by the students, as the group setting reduces the embarrassment that generally attends airing one’s ignorance on a topic. It is often during working and not teaching that students â€Å"realize†that their understanding of the topic is limited. Creating an atmosphere in which questions will arise and will be easier for the student to ask is a general teaching method that will improve the mathematics learning. A very important and unnerving part of mathematics teaching is the assessment. Assessment has generally been used as a tool for screening and separating students who have an aptitude for mathematics from those who do not (Linchevski et al. , 1998). However, this use of assessment (along with ineffective teaching methods) has contributed to the hatred that many have of the subject (Cock Pickard). Instead, if assessment were used consciously as a tool to determine what students need to learn, it would become a more effective tool in teaching (Linchevski Kutcher, 1998). Inevitably, some (if not most) students in a class will attack at least one problem and come up with the wrong answer. However, during assessment it is necessary for the teacher to scrutinize the process. Mathematics problems can be considered similar to an essay in that the student allows the teacher a glimpse into his or her mental processes via the different steps taken to get from one level in the answer to another. The faulty reasoning that leads to these erroneous steps is the area in which students need help. Planning is a very important part of teaching mathematics, and it can be used in conjunction with this kind of assessment to benefit the students (Linchevski Kutcher, 1998). It might be found that several students make similar errors. In such cases, the teacher has the opportunity to plan general lessons to address the areas in which students have shown weakness. If only a few make similar errors, for one class period following the assessment students could be grouped according to the areas in which they demonstrated weakness. The teacher would then be able to move around to each groups and explain where the members went wrong. References Cock, S. P. Pickard. â€Å"Improving student learning on entry level mathematics courses through course design. †University of North London. http://homepages. north. londonmet. ac. uk/~pickardp/oxbrk696. htm Crowther, D. T.(1997). â€Å"The Constructivist Zone. †Electronic Journal of Science Education. Vol. 2(2). Daniels, H. S. Zemelman. (2004). Subjects matter: every teacher’s guide to content-area reading. Portsmouth: Heinemann. Linchevski, L. and Kutcher, B. (1998). â€Å"Tell me with whom you’re learning and I’ll tell you how much you’ve learned: Mixed-ability versus same-ability grouping in mathematics. †Journal for Research in Mathematics Education. November. Linchevski, L. , R. Liebenberg, M. Sasman A. Olivier. (1998). Assessme.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Customer Relationship Management in Volkswagen
Customer Relationship Management in Volkswagen A Critical Evaluation of Customer Relationship Management in the Volkswagen Group Introduction Regardless of what industry or business one would elect to select, the one key as well as critical component that is present as well as common to all is the ‘customer’. Peter Drucker (1954, p. 64) expressed the foregoing when he stated that â€Å"†¦ the purpose of a firm is to create and serve customers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ The preceding might seem all too obvious, yet it is a concept that repeatedly seems to become lost in terms of a company’s marketing focus. The resources spent in terms of advertising budgets to create consumer awareness, trial and to win them over represents the beginning rather than the objective of marketing. Initially, marketing might not seemingly represent a consideration with regard the management of a customer relationship at Volkswagen, until one views it in context. Referring back to Peter Drucker’s (1954) statement, the process starts at the very beginning, and this entails the marketing of the product, goods or service to the prospective customer. This is in terms of whether the customer is presently with the company or not as competing brands are consistently on the hunt for customers outside of their existing base and this represents those that are presently within your company’s fold. Thus, the examination of the management of a customer relationship in the context of Volkswagen shall look at the entire environment in which the preceding occurs, and refer to an example within this genre. The process shall endeavor to critically evaluate the example from an historical context and then make recommendations as to how that process might have been improved or enhanced utilizing the contemporary understandings of customer relationship management practice and theory. In order to understand the process of managing a customer relationship, it is imperative that one has a grasp of the environment in which that context lives. Marketing is defined as a process which entails the â€Å"†¦ planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Marketing on the Internet, 2006) of products, goods and or services, and via which a company seeks â€Å"†¦ events to create and maintain relationships that †¦ satisfy individual and organizational objectives†(Marketing on the Internet, 2006). The preceding provides an understanding of the broader conceptual ramifications that entail the marketing process. (Morris et al (2001, P. 98) have upgraded this definition in consort with contemporary views and applications whereby the function has been defined and equated as a set of activities that create value. They indicate that today’s understanding and application of the marketing process is more complex as well as complicated, and state that â€Å" Organizations must make fundamental decisions regarding how to approach different market segments and individual customers†Morris et al (2001, P. 98). Their expanded definition goes on to add â€Å"The conventional wisdom is that the marketer is no longer interested in making a sale or achieving a transaction, but instead must focus on relationship marketing†Morris et al (2001, P. 98). Buttle’s (1996) overall view is that relationship marketing is yet to prove itself, but that vision was almost a decade ago. According to Professor Adrian Payne of Cranfield University, (2003) there has been research that has been conducted that indicates that just a five percent (5%) increase with regard to the retaining of customers represents a net profit yield in the range of twenty percent (20%) to one hundred and twenty-five percent (125%) (Payne, 2003). The foregoing is slightly more conservatively calculated by Reichheld et al (1990, Pp 105-111) who indicate that a five percent (5%) improvement with respect to customer retention yields a profitability increase of between twenty-five percent (25%) and eighty-five percent (85%), which they state depends upon the particular industry. The value of customer retention, and thus efforts directed at maintaining such, customer relationship management, has been equated by Buchanan et al (1990) who indicated that the foregoing results in an increase in profitability as a result of: The fact that the cost to acquire a customer occurs at the inception of the relationship, therefore the longer said relationship remains in force, the initial cost becomes amortized. The costs of maintaining the customer declines in terms of a percentage of total revenue. Research has indicated that the longer a relationship is maintained with a customer, the less inclined they become to switch. In addition to the foregoing, they also tend to become less sensitive to price. The foregoing translates into a more stable base of unit sales volume as well as an increase in terms of revenue sales volume. Longer-term customers are more likely to engage in word-of-mouth discussions regarding the product or company, thus potentially resulting in referrals. Longer term customers are also more likely to wind up making purchases of other products, services or goods offered, as well as trading up or purchasing higher profit products, goods or services. Longer-term customers, on average, tend to be more satisfied with the company and as a result are less inclined to switch to competing brands. The foregoing makes it increasingly difficult for competitors to make inroads in a company’s customer base the longer the relationship lasts. Longer-term customers are usually less expensive in terms of servicing as they are familiar with the processes within the company and thus require less indoctrination and or education. The benefits of a longer-term customer relationship results in easier job related tasks for employees and higher degrees of satisfaction in dealing with customers who have a long relationship with the firm. The foregoing view is also shared by Chye et al (20002, Pp 1-27) who state that Customer Relationship Management is the method via which to develop customer relationships. They define Customer Relationship Management as â€Å"†¦ the process of predicting customer behavior and selecting actions to influence that behavior to benefit the company†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Chye et al (20002, Pp. 18). They further state that the Internet has greatly increased the performance and enhancement aspects of Customer Relationship Management as it provides database information and is available as an additional avenue via which to provide further service to customers in an unobtrusive manner. The Internet also permits the customer relationship manager, and company, to maximize the performance of Customer Relationship Management tools and processes through more precise data collection and segmentation methodologies which results in being able to target customer needs, preferences and predict probabilities for a more proactive approach based upon the foregoing, rather than the traditional reactive mode. Through the preceding, the Customer Relationship Department as well as employees can strategize the appropriate courses of action to be in advance of customer needs, or have the appropriate solutions or responses prepared and waiting. The preceding also increases the relative performance of individual employees within the function thus making its overall effectiveness in terms of customer satisfaction enhanced, thus further aiding bottom line performance. Storbacka et al (2001, P 8) sum up the Customer Relationship Management practice in the following statement â€Å"The aim of CRM is to develop a common process, the idea being that when the relationship is developed, both sides win.†The relative similarities between competing products in the automotive industry provide a perfect example of the importance of effective and well-planned Customer Relationship process. With the right strategies in place an automotive company can create an effective differentiation with respect to competitors through providing extraordinary service. The preceding is made possible through new technologies, such as the Internet, whereby personalized service can be provided as well as anticipated as a result of the warehousing of customer information, prior contacts and original order data (Jackson, 2003, P 71). And with information technology as well as the Internet are providing new dimensions to the Customer Relationship Management practice, the importance of personal contact as well as personal service are and remain the critical components in achieving and maintaining customer satisfaction. â€Å"†¦ the increasing availability of modern technology †¦(makes)†¦it relatively easy to compete on product. What they find more difficult to do is compete on service†¦Ã¢â‚¬ states Freemantle (1992, P 15). He adds that â€Å"†¦ service not only depends on modern technology, but also the attitude of its people, and therefore the capability of its managers.†(Freemantle, 1992, P 15). The Value of Customer Relationship Management Drawing on a consultancy relationship that existed between the advertising agency for the Volkswagen company, the opportunity to see as well as be involved in the first hand observation as well as participation of the importance of Customer Relationship Management was provided as a result of research being conducted to gather the views and opinions of customers with regard to the service aspect of the company’s business. In so doing the task was assigned of managing a small base of customers who had just purchased vehicles in consort with the company’s policies at the time. The objective was to equate the reactions as well as attitudes of customers and their viewpoints along with positive and negative reactions to the company, its policies and the product. The period of time that the preceding was undertaken, which can be commented upon from an historical perspective, was when Volkswagen was experiencing problems in integrating a new model into its line up. The year tha t the preceding customer relationship consulting arrangement occurred was in 2000. The customer relationship example shall be referred to as Mr. Smith. He was a 52-year-old schoolteacher, married with two children who had graduated college. He lived in a modest one family home in the suburbs and represented the average VW customer profile. The 2000 Volkswagen Jetta was his first experience with any foreign vehicle, having previously owned Ford and General Motors products. Mr. Smith represented one of the portfolio of customers assigned as part of the afore indicated marketing analysis observation. Mr. Smith’s first contact came within the first month of his Volkswagen Jetta purchase as he called to schedule a service appointment to fix the air conditioning system that was not working. He also indicated that there was a problem with the driver’s side rear door latch. Mr. Smith’s appointment was scheduled for free warranty service for the following day, as a result of the air conditioning emergency. Mr. Smith was called the next day after the ser vice appointment as asked about his rating of the visit in terms of his issues being resolved, promptness in handling, his rating of the service done and satisfaction. Mr. Smith indicated that all the areas asked were satisfactory and that the car was working perfectly. The next contact with Mr. Smith came approximately three (3) weeks after the initial call. The contact was to express his dissatisfaction with the air conditioning system as the cooling level since the repair was average on warm days and barely adequate on hot days. He indicated that he did not pay much attention to the foregoing as he primarily drove the car to work in the mornings and by the afternoon the temperatures were cooler. His compliant came about as a result of a weekend trip where he was subject to 95-degree temperatures and stated he was perspiring the entire time. Mr. Smith also stated that the car exhibited severe hesitation during the hot drive and stopped functioning entirely on two occasions whereby he pulled over and after the car cooled down, it restarted. He was particularly unhappy that a local Volkswagen dealership could not assist him as he was on the road and asked that we schedule a service appointment. Mr. Smith’s extreme displeasure was a result of being under a new car warranty and unable to get any assistance which he claimed was never a problem with his former Buick LeSabre. He requested an immediate service appointment and a loaner vehicle so that he could get back to work. Under the terms of his Volkswagen warranty, Mr. Smith had not purchased the Road Side Assistance option and his warranty also did not have a provision for a loaner vehicle. I informed Mr. Smith of the foregoing, which was not received well and asked if I could make some inquiries regarding getting his vehicle scheduled for an emergency service appointment as well as what I might be able to do concerning the loaner vehicle, which temporarily calmed him down. In conferring with personnel at Mr. Smith’s dealership, I was informed that as a result of his warranty coverage that did not include roadside assistance, future problems could not be handled any differently unless he took the option. After considerable discussion with the dealership management and service department we arranged an immediate service appointment and under the circumstances I was able to secure a dealer vehicle for Mr. Smith to utilize. Mr. Smith was called back and advised of the preceding points, he was pleased to hear of the loaner vehicle and immediate service appointment request, but indicated that road side assistance for a new car should be an included item and not one subject to additional purchase. Mr. Smith’s visit went according to plan and when he was called the next day after picking up his vehicle, I was thanked for resolving issues he came to find out were not a part of his service contract. He indicated that despite the problems, getting h im service for non-covered items was changing his mind about a car company that he thought he had made a mistake on. Subsequent investigation into the problems encountered by Mr. Smith uncovered that Volkswagen was having quality control problems resulting from the new facility located in Puebla, Mexico. Globalisation, as well as newer technological aspects included in their vehicle had upped the manufacturing degree of difficulties with respect to including features such as cruise control, automatic windows with multiple settings, variable speed air conditioning and automatic temperature control settings, fuel injected engines and other features that are commonplace fixtures in the American vehicle market. It was subsequently uncovered that Volkswagen’s J.D. Power and Associates quality rating for that model year reflected the problems associated with incorporating this new plant into the production line, as well as the fact that the model was a new design. In that year, the average number of problems that were reported in the J.D. Power survey per one hundred vehicles averaged 158 (The Car Connection, 2000). The survey was conducted among a sampling of 47,000 owners representing 2000 model year cars and light trucks showed that the Volkswagen Jetta scored 238, compared to the average of 158, with the largest Passat ranging in at 162, and the new Beetle hitting 170. Only the Jetta was being manufactured at the Mexican facility during that period (The Car Connection, 2000). Inquiries into the company’s warranty and roadside assistance program indicated that the requirement for this aspect had not been an issue in prior models as reliability had always been a model strong point. Historically, Volkswagen had manufactured vehicles in Germany and the reliability factor was insignificant in terms of assuming the internal costs for such warranty features as road side assistance, which at the time was a feature generally reserved for higher priced vehicles such a GM Buick, Oldsmobile and Cadillac models, as well as Mercury, BMW, Mercedes and similar vehicles. The company’s service department was converting to a nationalized computerized program whereby service request projections could be correlated against last visits, new car purchases and scheduled appointments. The lack of a finished system left the service department vulnerable to service request overloads owing to unforeseen events or occurrences. The Aftermath The customer relationship example indicated represents a situation in which Volkswagen was apparently unprepared for the ramifications of quality control issues at its new Mexican assembly plant which was possibly further exacerbated by the initial shake out problems traditionally associated with new model introductions. The resulting spike in quality complaints and the lack of traditionally expected resolution procedures and remedies expected in the American market, as suggested by the example utilized, pointed to an instance whereby Customer Relationship Management offered the solution that was outside of company policy and procedures. It clearly indicates the importance of a personalized relationship with the customer and working with them to resolve issues. The focus in modern day business enterprises is the understanding that Customer Relationship Management is an important tool in understanding what customers want (Lin et al, 2003, Pp 715-732). The preceding manifested itself i n the example utilized. The relationship described with Mr. Smith represents a summary look into the fundamental internal changes and external customer ramifications that increased competitive levels have created. Christopher et al (1991) overall view is that relationship marketing can help to forge a synthesis with quality management, marketing and customer service management, that the processes are basically inseparable, and that the concept is becoming a trend in terms of modern business practice. The six forces model they proposed has gained wide acceptance, and it includes customer markets, internal markets, which are the individuals and departments inside the company, referral markets, supplier markets, potential employee markets and influence markets as within the grand scope of the practice (Christopher et al, 1991, Pp 21-31). The indicated example called upon the Customer Relationship Department to engage assistance from other quarters of the operation which included no marketing individuals to see to fulfilling the customer’s concerns, the foregoing has been pointed out by Barnes (1989, Pp 11-21). Jain et al (2003, Pp 17-22) support the foregoing analysis and add that the popular as well as more important utilizations of Customer Relationship Management can be found among; Sales Market Share Profit generation New customers Customer turnover Cost Reduction Service time Customer Complaints Of the preceding list, new customers, customer turnover, service time and customer complaints were the issues addressed as a result of Mr. Smith, clearly 50% of the list. The aspect of the important to achieving operational efficiencies as well as improved bottom line performance and increased customer satisfaction has also been addressed by Bruhn (2003, Pp 178-197). He further stated that the development of these relationships over time represent the foundation for customer loyalty as well as retention (Bruhn et al, 2004). Jain et al (2003, Pp 17-22) study of Customer Relationship Management identified ten behavioural dimensions that help to identify the effectiveness of the process, and which serve as a model as well as basis for evaluating as well as recommending an approach for implementation and utilization : Attitude geared to serve: The aspect of Customer Relationship Management refers to the importance of employees having the right attitude with regard to the handling and listening to customer concerns, calls and requests. The foregoing provides clear signals to the customer that the company is interested in resolution. An understanding of expectations: Customers have certain expectations regarding the company they have purchased a product from as gathered either from acquaintances, reputation, advertising or sales personnel. Meeting or better still exceeding these expectations is an importance variable in winning them over. Perceptions of quality: The company’s marketing, advertising, word of mouth and other claims provide customers with a certain level of expectation with regard to quality. Reliability: The performance of the product must be equal to or exceed other like products in terms of reliability, and when this fails, superior service and Customer Relationship Management can balance the perception. Communication: The better the representatives of the company listen as well as communicate with the customer, the higher the level of esteem they achieve in terms of the important aspect of interaction. The content, style, manner, timing, effectiveness and rapidity of response as well as anticipation of needs are all aspects of this category. Customisation: The delivering of either products or services to meet the needs and expectations of customers is a critical component in Customer Relationship Management. Recognition: The customer represents the reason why any company is in business and thus providing them with the proper respect is an important aspect in building a successful customer relationship foundation. Keeping promises: The advertised, written or stated claims of a company represent its public face of trust. The keeping of those commitments and promises immediately is a factor in building and maintaining a successful customer relationship. Satisfaction audit: A key aspect in gauging the performance the company is having in terms of customer satisfaction is obtaining direct feedback in the form of follow up calls surveys and questionnaires. These areas are critical in determining the after effects of actions taken as well as serving as guides to further policy and behavioural processes. Retention: Retaining customers is the cornerstone of the purpose of Customer Relationship Management. The preceding aspects clearly point to the importance of ‘relationships’ (Ford, 1999, Pp 137-148) in the process of CRM as well as interpersonal interaction, reaction and anticipation in listening to, seeing to and expecting customer needs. The foregoing would have served Volkswagen well of it had utilized the proper forecasting models with regard to the incidents of problems in bringing a new model on line at a new assembly facility as well as tracking initial customer complaints and heading these off through advance communications such as letters and customer relationship telephone calls to alert customers of potential trouble spots. Gronroos (1997, P 327) refers to the foregoing as one of the prime objectives of relationship management, which he stated is â€Å"To establish, maintain and enhance relationships with customers†¦ by mutual exchange and fulfilment of promises.†Suggestions to Volkswagen, in addition to those already indicated, included the understanding that Customer Relationship Management is a proactive tool that focuses on customer retention (Little et al, 2003, P 26). The heart of the process is what Peppers et al (1995, P 48) refer to as a â€Å"†¦one-to-one†¦Ã¢â‚¬ marketing process whereby customers are treated as individuals which thus provides the company the opportunity to develop a relationship with them. The example of Mr. Smith is a singular, yet potentially universal customer encounter in that the aspects of the complaints or service requests will change, but certainly not the underlying principles. Volkswagen’s poor quality showing in 2000 as reported by J.D. Power’s ratings should have been forecast through advance vehicle testing sessions as well as having the appropriate customer relationship contact reviews and correlations in place to see a pattern developing. In making recommendations to the company, attention was called to the following: Model Forecasting This aspect entails correlating the potential for part problems based upon the newness of introduction, as well as results encountered in vehicles test sessions. Where a part indicates the propensity for a higher than acceptable norm, it should be brought to the attention of the engineering as well as Customer Relationship Department and procedures developed to either head off the problem or have set procedures in place for calls and complaints Alternative Strategies While there are set procedures as well as warranty and other guidelines in place, there will be instances whereby some customers will take exception to aspects they should have known, or that were clearly stated in literature and other materials. In these instances exception resolution could be employed to make allowances for those customers while the stated points are gently pointed out for future reference and knowledge. The foregoing can apply to warranty and other coverage’s Advance Resolution The Internet provides a perfect means to inform as well as advise customers regarding aspects of their vehicle maintenance as well as warranty coverage’s. The tool can also be utilized to interface with an interactive web site that permits them to click on or scroll across areas rather than the traditional FQ format that few people read or engage in. The utilization of an interactive tool will be more entertaining as well as informative and useful Road Side Assistance If economically feasible, this feature should be clearly pointed out as an option or made an integral part of the vehicle warranty, with the terms of loaner and other aspects clearly presented. It should be noted that this provision presently exists in Volkswagen warranty coverage’s included as standard, with the loaner provision based upon customer inconvenience. The preceding suggestions are a result of the example utilized and are borne out of the theories represented by varied authorities on Customer Relationship Management. Taylor (2002, Pp 9-10) supports the preceding as he states that there are seven key skill categories that are a part of the successful implementation of a Customer Relationship Management process: It should seek to be in harmony with the overall business plan It should be seen as a strategic business process Its purposes as well as objectives should be defined clearly and be communicated to all departments It needs to be measurable Realistic goals and objectives need to be set It needs to be adapted to specific requirements If needed, the culture of the company might need changing to comport to the Customer Relationship Management initiative The preceding demonstrates that the implementation and utilization of a well planned, thought out and fluid Customer Relationship Management process that redefines itself on a consistent basis can aid a company in an enhanced reputation, bottom line profitability and customer retention. Ahmed et al (2002, Pp 29-45) stated that it is important that the internal staff also be treated as groups with their own needs as well as demands in crafting a Customer Relationship Management process. This enables their views, goals and objectives to be considered and where feasible, incorporated. The example utilized was before the prevalence of Internet based Customer Relationship Strategies and thus this technology represents a means to provide further service to customers in an unobtrusive manner. The Internet also permits the customer relationship manager, and company, to maximize the performance of Customer Relationship Management tools and processes through more precise data collection and se gmentation methodologies which results in being able to target customer needs, preferences and predict probabilities for a more proactive approach based upon the foregoing, rather than the traditional reactive mode. Conclusion Given the period of time since the pronouncement by Peter Drucker (1954, p. 64) that â€Å"†¦ the purpose of a firm is to create and serve customers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ his vision has proved to be true. Morris et al (2001, p 98), Professor Adrian Payne of Cranfield University (2003), Chye et al (20002, Pp 1-27) Storbacka et al (2001, P 8) and a litany of others have concluded the importance of Customer Relationship Management in having an integral part in the achievement or enhancement of Sales Market Share Profit generation New customers Customer turnover Cost Reduction Service time Customer Complaints (Jain et al, 2003, Pp 17-22) Jain et al (2003, Pp 17-22) observations synthesized the foregoing into ten behavioural dimensions to identify the process effectiveness that clearly illustrates the organization wide dimensions involved: Attitude geared to serve: An understanding of expectations: Perceptions of quality: Reliability: Communication: Customisation: Recognition: Keeping promises: Satisfaction audit: Retention: The customer has, is and remains as ‘king’ and in order to keep him in the realm a company’s overall strategy must be in consort with doing all that is possible inconsideration of bottom line objectives. The foregoing illustration that utilized the Volkswagen company provided an example that incorporated a goodly percentage of the aspects as indicated by Jain et al (2003, Pp 17-22), Morris et al (2001, p 98), Professor Adrian Payne (2003), Chye et al (20002, Pp 1-27) and Storbacka et al (2001, P 8), among others. With the understanding that the customer is the purpose as well as reason for being of any enterprise, then the application of Customer Relationship Management strategies no longer is a problem, it represents an opportunity to enhance the effectiveness of the company. Little et al (2003, P 21) sums up the foregoing by stating states that relationship marketing represents â€Å"†¦ an alternative strategy to the traditional marketing mix approach â₠¬ ¦ (as) †¦ a means of obtaining sustainable competitive advantage and the best way to retain customers in the long run†. Bibliography Ahmed, Pervaiz, Rafiq, Mohammed. (2002). Marketing Tools and concepts for customer focused management. Butterworth Heineman, ISBN: 0750648384 Barnes, J., G. (1989). The Role of Internal Marketing: If the Staff Won’t Buy It, Why Should the Customer. Vol. 4, Issue 2. Irish Marketing Journal Buchanan, R., Giles, C. (1990). Value managed relationship: The key to customer retention and profitability. Vol. 8, Issue 4. European Management Journal Buttle, E. (1996) Relationship Marketing: Theory and Practice. Paul Chapman Publishing, London, The United Kingdom Bruhn, Manfred, Frommeyer, A. (2004). Development of relationship marketing constructs over time. Vol. 3, Issue 4. Journal of Relationship Marketing Christopher, M., Payne, A., Ballantyne, D. (1991). Relationship Marketing. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, The United Kingdom Chye, K.H., Gerry,
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Essay --
Sexiness Have you ever noticed someone from a distance who acted so excited and inviting that you felt the need to come closer? Whether the person acted as if full of life, necessarily charming and overwhelming sexuality to the extent that you barely managed to control his excitement? Does the person who performed the seductive ballet you simultaneously attracted and repelled? Does your Mom like mountain spring? Have you been drawn, like a moth to a flame, its high personality, so that you desire is to leave the usual caution and the usual ways? Is your unbridled joy was when at the end of that person open, and let you in with a welcome? Have you felt a burning, blinding wealth of the person who is selected from the crowd? Have you been filled with pride you have prevailed over numerous competitors who have gathered and sticks to her like bees around bulkheads roses? Are you then replaced its granite for grains of gold a common language and provide pieces of silver as a token to conn ect the soul? Have you discovered, however, that her veins sand that basin in stone cave? Examining the depth that you have found a vacuà ¼m in the center of its volcanoes? Or was it icy lake? Is it fuel her fire - a consuming interest in how she looks and acts to others - was thrown into the icy shadow you? Do you get turned into a cold as a corpse for you, the sudden presence of some others? Are you shaking with rage as she ran after them since you rejected and ceased to be respected? Can you accept that your purple, fully bulkheads and fragrant flower barren of pollen and bled into passion? Will you ever summon the strength to leave your adoration for this paper rose? seeking attention Essential characteristics unreasonable-on personality disorders ar... ...ten act as if they were included and excluded too fast to feel more deeply, you can get others to accuse them of being insincere these feelings. They also possess a high level of suggestibility, as to their opinions and feelings can easily effect other people and passing trends. These people may have too much trust in authority figures who are seen as able to magically solve their problems. Tend to work on the (front) and the feeling that soon accept condemnation of others. Individuals with this disorder often find a link to a much more intimate than it actually is. For example, they almost every acquaintance called "dear, dear friend" or by peers and experts who meet once or twice a personal name and address without . Often make decisions based on emotions rather than on rational and often their details and facts boring. Take-off the romantic fantasy is commonplace.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
What Christians can do in a world of cultures in conflict? :: Religion
What Christians can do in a world of cultures in conflict? The main topic of this book is â€Å"worldview†. What’s â€Å"worldview†? It’s not easy to find completed answer. There is a story like that. King of Siam was surprise about story of Dutch ambassador that in winter elephant could walk on river. It’s hard for King of Siam living in the tropics to believe. The King’s worldview could not allow him to accept this. The aim of this book is to help reader will gain a better understanding of his own worldview. This book seems not interesting for me at the first time I read. However, I realized that sometimes I had asked myself such questions. After chapter 2 I gradually understand. In chapter 3 tell about â€Å"the secular world view†. It means the world without God and spirits. The rest tell about modernists’ thought. Some of these are Ludwig Feuerbach (1804 - 1872) he said: humanity created God. Another one is psychologist Richard Gregorg said that body is hardware and â€Å"mind†is software. The other is human is consider a biological mechanism. Sometime I surprise with assumption from it. This non-answer question I asked myself sometimes. The rest of chapter 3 tells about community, value (ethic), Marxism and why the secular worldview influences around the world, and the imperfect. In community, the worth of each member is more important than that of family and social responsibilities. Laws and ethical values are based upon man-made assumption. The Marxism’s view is â€Å"nothing remains exactly the same†or the new generation is better than previous generations. According to this, communism is better than capitalism. Nex t, the reason why secular worldview influences most the world is affecting the economy and technological development. Therefore, this affects the country economic in specially. However, this worldview has some weakness. The secular worldview has result in major scientific develop but it has failed to provide answer to some of the basis question of human life. In chapter 4 tell about the traditional worldview. I read this chapter very quickly because I live in a traditional worldview. This chapter compares secular and traditional worldview. For example, person‘s soul is external which differ to Western worldview. In traditional worldview community or society is more important than individual desires. I always believe that important decisions are made by the community as a whole and age is important and respect. However, some thought is not up to date such as the viewing time of traditional worldview.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
A Comparison of Classic and Contemporary Philosophers Essay -- essays
A Comparison of Classic And Contemporary Philosophers Why is it so important that young children in our society receive a good education? The answer to that question is very simple; because they are our future. The old saying â€Å"the youth of today are the leaders off tomorrow†holds more truth than many people realize. By giving children a good start at an early age we are only helping ourselves as well as the children. A good example of this is can be seen in our society. By the time a teacher in our society retires from his or her position their students will have made it out into the real world and taken jobs. This new generation will be the ones to make the decisions about laws such as Social Security, and Medicaid. The students will be able to turn these programs around and make them more beneficial to their recipients. These teachers who are now retired will be the ones who are collecting Social Security and reaping the benefits of the children’s solid education. The idea of educating the youth is not even close t o a new idea. Philosophers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau in the seventeen hundreds and even farther back than that to the time of Plato in three hundred eighty six B.C. and after. Both of these great men shared similar ideas on how children should be taught so that they can get the most out of their education. Though educational philosophy dates back thousands of years, there are still many great thinkers who are revolutionizing teaching with their philosophies today. In the later part of the twentieth century there was also Paulo Friere who is considered by some to be the greatest thinker of his time and also Maxine Greene who has also greatly changed education in today’s society. Thanks to these great minds along with many others, modern day education was revolutionized. Many of the teaching techniques and ideals that are practiced in the classroom today originated from these philosophers. These four philosophers though from two very different time periods had some very sim ilar ideas about education. Jean Jacques Rousseau said that children are born innocent and pure, and become contaminated by the world, as they grow older. â€Å"Everything is good as it comes from the hands of the Maker of the world but degenerates once it gets into the hands of man†. (Cahn 163) This quote shows that Rousseau saw the world as an imperfect place that corrupted ... ...that they had a firm grasp on what it takes to give children a proper education, and to prepare them for the real world. The approaches that they proposed would give students more of a drive or desire to learn. In toady’s society school is just a hassle that kids have to put up with. I think that if children were taught in the way that Plato, Rousseau, Friere, and Walzer said they should be, our society would be very different. One other thing that I found interesting about these philosophers is the fact that they all had very similar philosophies about education even though one live around 300 B.C. and another in the seventeen hundreds while the other two in the later part of the twentieth century. I guess that no matter the time period, its like they always say; â€Å"great minds think alike.†Works Cited Cahn, Steven M. Classic And Contemporary Readings In The Philosophy of Education. Apr 20, 2002. McGraw Hill Co. 1997. â€Å"Educational Philosophy†. http://home.pacbell.net/altsch/Philosophy.html. Aug 11, 1999. HotBot.com. Accessed Apr 20,2002. â€Å"Plato†. http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Plato.html . Jan 1999. Google.com. Accessed Apr 20,2002.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Productivity Measurement at National, International and Firm Level
Productivity Measurement at International, National and organization level. PRODUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT Productivity measurement is the quantification of both the output and input resources of a productive system. The goal of productivity measurement is productivity improvement, which involves a combination of increased effectiveness and a better use of available resources. While productivity can be given the sort of short hand definition as the ratio between output and input USE OF PRODUCTIVITY MEASURES Productivity is a required tool in evaluating and monitoring the performance of an organization, especially a business organization.When directed at specific issues and problems, productivity measures can be very powerful. In essence, productivity measures are the yardsticks of effective resource use. Managers are concerned with productivity as it relates to making improvements in their firm. Proper use of productivity measures can give the manager an indication of how to improve produc tivity: either increase the numerator of the measure, decrease the denominator, or both. Managers are also concerned with how productivity measures relate to competitiveness.If two firms have the same level of output, but one requires less input this is due to a higher level of productivity, that firm will be able to charge a lower price and increase its market share or charge the same price as the competitor and enjoy a larger profit margin. Within a time period, productivity measures can be used to compare the firm's performance against industry-wide data, compare its performance with similar firms and competitors, compare performance among different departments within the firm, or compare the performance of the firm or individual departments within the firm with the measures obtained at an earlier time.Productivity measures can also be used to evaluate the performance of an entire industry or the productivity of a country as a whole. These are aggregate measures determined by com bining productivity measures of various companies, industries, or segments of the economy. NATIONAL LEVEL MEASUREMENT Since productivity is one of the basic variables governing economic production activity some mention of national productivity concerns would be appropriate. As a matter of fact, productivity may be the most important variable governing economic production activity.It is the fundamental controllable factor in wealth production. Since other economic variables depend on it, increasing productivity tends to have a beneficial multiplying effect on other economic variables. Improving productivity is of national importance because, for a society to increase its standard of living, it must first increase productivity. Overall productivity for individual countries is calculated by dividing output, as measured by GDP or GNP, by the country's total population.Thus, productivity is measured as the dollar value per capita outputs. An increase in this measure of productivity means that each person in the country, on average, produced more goods and services. Also if productivity increases, then profits increase. The resulting profits can then be used to pay for wage increases (inherent in inflation) without having to raise prices. In this way, productivity gains actually help curb inflation. It has been estimated that technology was responsible for at least half of the growth in productivity.It would appear, then, that if the country wants to continue to increase productivity, technology may be the key. ORGANIZATION LEVEL PRODUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT For an individual firm or industry, measures of gross output, combined with labour, capital and intermediate inputs, correspond directly to a specific model of a production function with â€Å"neutral†or â€Å"output-augmenting†technical change. When multifactor productivity[MFP] measures are based on such a gross-output concept, MFP growth approximates the rate of neutral, disembodied technical chan ge.Alternatively, MFP measures could be based on a value-added concept where value added is considered a firm’s output and only primary inputs are taken as a firm’s input. Value- added based productivity measures reflect an industry’s capacity to contribute to economy- wide income and final demand. In this sense, they are valid complements to gross-output based measures. At the aggregate level of the economy, gross-output and value-added based measures converge when gross-output measures are defined as sectoral output.Sectoral output is a measure of production corrected for deliveries within a given sector. From this perspective also, gross-output and value-added based measures are complements. A useful strategy in the development of productivity measures is to start with aggregate value-added based productivity measures: the necessary data tends to be relatively easily available and the choice between gross output and value added makes less difference than at t he detailed industry level.INTERNATIONAL LEVEL PRODUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT NEED Interlinked monetary systems Technology/ service transfer Domestic and regional competitions Valuable tool for evaluation Problems of Productivity Measurements at International Level In exchange rate measurements (often prices of similar goods not compared). All industrial level data not available. Social, Political, cultural factors not included. Data for developing countries is lacking.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Beauty Pageants
Did beauty pageants go a bit too far? According to Oxford, beauty pageants are public entertainment contests of a procession of people in elaborate, colorful costumes, or an outdoor performance of a historical scene; however, child beauty pageants according to Wikipedia child beauty pageants are beauty contests that feature contestants up to 18 years of age; however, Competition categories may include interviews, talents, swim wear, casual wear, western wear, theme wear, etc.Contingent on the type of pageant system competitors may be seen with elaborate hairstyles, or wearing makeup as well as and custom designed, fitted outfits to fit their act on stage. There are a lot cons and pros to participating in beauty pageants. The most effected by such pageants are children, who are mostly hopeless and do not have a say in such things. In this essay I will be discussing how child beauty pageants are harmful to members psychological healthiness, developing superficial values that would dist ract from family relations and mess-up the natural progression of infantile or childhood, and promote a degrading prospect of women.The negative outcome of these pageants on the health of our children is becoming very scary and concerning. To begun with, beauty Pageants tend to cause psychological issues that may appear as sicknesses later on in their life, and members grow up in a mood where they absorb fake, damaged values. Such Pageants, effect children, especially girls in a very harmful way leading to anxiety, Paranoia, low self esteem, feelings of inferiority , bulimia, depression ,anorexia ,etc. Nevertheless, these are just the early effects of competition on young girls.The worst part is that those little innocent girls or boys are stuck in between two horrible extremes, which are the two feelings of wining, or losing. Experiencing such feelings at a young age is definitely unhealthy for children. â€Å"This study evaluated the association between childhood beauty pageants and adult disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, depression, and self-esteem. Eleven women who participated in childhood beauty pageants were matched on age and BMI with 11 non-participating women.Childhood pageant participants scored higher on body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust, and impulse dysregulation than non-participants, and showed a trend toward greater ineffectiveness. There were no significant differences between groups on measures of bulimia, body perception, depression, and self-esteem. These findings suggest childhood beauty pageant participation may influence adult body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust, and impulse dysregulation, but not bulimic behaviors, body perception, depression, and self-esteem†(Gold, Eating Disorders).Secondly, childhood is a precious moment of a person’s life that should be churched and lived to its fullest; nonetheless, these beauty pageants cause Little girls to start developing superficial values such as the importunacy of looks over everything, conformity to the sick society, growing radical measures looks and wanting to be perfect, and lastly trying to fit the ideal. All those superficial values lead to producing, superficial women that will raise a generation under poisoned values.Beauty pageants teach little girls that in order to succeed in life it is acceptable to be two-faced and shallow. Conversely, media also helps in convincing little girls to be dependent on others' opinions and decisions for themselves, which is considered a big negative vibe. â€Å"Author's abstract: Child beauty pageants are a phenomenon in rural communities throughout Georgia. My belief is that most of those who compete in these pageants are from the lower socio-economic bracket, participating for a multitude of reasons.A bricolage of post-structural feminism, critical ethnography, critical hermeneutics and cultural studies lenses will analyze how the performances of participants and the power exercised by the beauty pageant culture work to formulate girls' identities. Analysis will also include how power operates to perpetuate this subculture and its right to dictate norms for beauty and acceptance and will be situated in the culture of girlhood. Examination of what is depicted in popular culture through videos, documentaries, and television shows will also occur.I suggest that the rural beauty pageant culture does work to create girlhood identity and a way in which the participants view the world and themselves. In fact, I believe that the rural beauty pageant culture does intricate cultural work in terms of gender and class†(Thompson, Reynolds, Trailer park royalty). Superficial values can distract from many important things such as family life, which is a very important component in the raising of each child. Messing up the natural progression of childhood can have unpleasant consequences that can lead to bigger issues.Lastly, Children are innocent creatures that should live their childhood without the interference of media, and sick minded people. The sexualisation and Materialization of these young girls is highly wrong, and also leads to degrading the female gender, and lastly places them in danger of being sexually harassed. Taking advantage of such innocent creatures is highly immoral, and should be punished for. Beauty pageants opened the doors for sexual harassers, by allowing little girls to do sexual routines or to wear sexual outfits.The issue of sexualizing children is a dominant issue that seams to be pushed and encouraged by the media: â€Å"stealing away a child's innocence by portraying her in the suggestive pose of a sexualized nymphet †¦ when her sense of self-worth is defined largely through a notion of beauty that is †¦ such relations is that the identities of the young girls who enter the pageants become meaningful†(Giroux, Stealing innocence). Media and beauty pageants Degrades the image of both women and girl s around the world, therefor each and every one of us should act against such things that put us, and the next generations in danger . Beauty Pageants Children's beauty pageants have been around for a long time. Toddlers and Tiaras is a show, based on mothers living their dream lives through their children. The mothers dress their young girls as if they are grown models. My out look on the whole situation is that little 5 year old girls, should not be competing in beauty pagents. Fake teeth, tans, eye lashes, and hair make these children look as though they are in their teens. No child should have to compete in looking â€Å"beautiful†or â€Å"the best†. Children their ages should be happy and not care what people think.Most children in their age groups are playing outside, not caring what their hair and makeup looks like. They are little girls, not teenagers. The parents of these little girls expect more from these children then they should. The outer beauty of these girls, seems more important than inner. I don't agree with the way these children are being raised, but it's the parents who choose to do this to their children. As for these children, as they grow up they will be held high above everyone and will not understand what it's like to work for things.One of the arguments against children's beauty pageants has to do with pedophilia and that this may encourage that. What I'm most concerned about is the message that it sends to girls and the unhealthy relationships that it perpetuates between parent and child. The worst part of the whole situation is that the children are going on stage dancing provocatively and â€Å"flirting†with the judges. As young as these children are they should not even know how to dance or â€Å"flirt†like they do. While I don't believe that it encourages pedophilia, it certainly will give that child a warped sense of the importance of female sexuality.Throughout the show there are many pageants distributed, but the ones that I've seen on the shows are the â€Å"Glitz†pageants. During the â€Å"Glitz†pageants the girls are expected to have spray tans, pounds of makeup, flippers; fake teeth, and fake hair. Its one thing to apply some lip gloss and a few hot rollers. It's another to make a 5 year old resemble a Vegas show girl. If there is going to be a pageant for children that involves beauty, at least it should involve the child's natural beauty and features.One of the arguments for pageants is that it promotes self confidence and that the children have fun doing it. As this may be true, the children are being taught at a very young age that it is okay to dress, dance and act inappropriate to get attention. The only thing these pageants are teaching children is that wearing pounds of makeup, and looking like a Barbie doll, is okay. As these children grow, they will hold themselves above everyone, and will expect everyone to treat them as if they are perfect. Beauty Pageants Did beauty pageants go a bit too far? According to Oxford, beauty pageants are public entertainment contests of a procession of people in elaborate, colorful costumes, or an outdoor performance of a historical scene; however, child beauty pageants according to Wikipedia child beauty pageants are beauty contests that feature contestants up to 18 years of age; however, Competition categories may include interviews, talents, swim wear, casual wear, western wear, theme wear, etc.Contingent on the type of pageant system competitors may be seen with elaborate hairstyles, or wearing makeup as well as and custom designed, fitted outfits to fit their act on stage. There are a lot cons and pros to participating in beauty pageants. The most effected by such pageants are children, who are mostly hopeless and do not have a say in such things. In this essay I will be discussing how child beauty pageants are harmful to members psychological healthiness, developing superficial values that would dist ract from family relations and mess-up the natural progression of infantile or childhood, and promote a degrading prospect of women.The negative outcome of these pageants on the health of our children is becoming very scary and concerning. To begun with, beauty Pageants tend to cause psychological issues that may appear as sicknesses later on in their life, and members grow up in a mood where they absorb fake, damaged values. Such Pageants, effect children, especially girls in a very harmful way leading to anxiety, Paranoia, low self esteem, feelings of inferiority , bulimia, depression ,anorexia ,etc. Nevertheless, these are just the early effects of competition on young girls.The worst part is that those little innocent girls or boys are stuck in between two horrible extremes, which are the two feelings of wining, or losing. Experiencing such feelings at a young age is definitely unhealthy for children. â€Å"This study evaluated the association between childhood beauty pageants and adult disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, depression, and self-esteem. Eleven women who participated in childhood beauty pageants were matched on age and BMI with 11 non-participating women.Childhood pageant participants scored higher on body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust, and impulse dysregulation than non-participants, and showed a trend toward greater ineffectiveness. There were no significant differences between groups on measures of bulimia, body perception, depression, and self-esteem. These findings suggest childhood beauty pageant participation may influence adult body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust, and impulse dysregulation, but not bulimic behaviors, body perception, depression, and self-esteem†(Gold, Eating Disorders).Secondly, childhood is a precious moment of a person’s life that should be churched and lived to its fullest; nonetheless, these beauty pageants cause Little girls to start developing superficial values such as the importunacy of looks over everything, conformity to the sick society, growing radical measures looks and wanting to be perfect, and lastly trying to fit the ideal. All those superficial values lead to producing, superficial women that will raise a generation under poisoned values.Beauty pageants teach little girls that in order to succeed in life it is acceptable to be two-faced and shallow. Conversely, media also helps in convincing little girls to be dependent on others' opinions and decisions for themselves, which is considered a big negative vibe. â€Å"Author's abstract: Child beauty pageants are a phenomenon in rural communities throughout Georgia. My belief is that most of those who compete in these pageants are from the lower socio-economic bracket, participating for a multitude of reasons.A bricolage of post-structural feminism, critical ethnography, critical hermeneutics and cultural studies lenses will analyze how the performances of participants and the power exercised by the beauty pageant culture work to formulate girls' identities. Analysis will also include how power operates to perpetuate this subculture and its right to dictate norms for beauty and acceptance and will be situated in the culture of girlhood. Examination of what is depicted in popular culture through videos, documentaries, and television shows will also occur.I suggest that the rural beauty pageant culture does work to create girlhood identity and a way in which the participants view the world and themselves. In fact, I believe that the rural beauty pageant culture does intricate cultural work in terms of gender and class†(Thompson, Reynolds, Trailer park royalty). Superficial values can distract from many important things such as family life, which is a very important component in the raising of each child. Messing up the natural progression of childhood can have unpleasant consequences that can lead to bigger issues.Lastly, Children are innocent creatures that should live their childhood without the interference of media, and sick minded people. The sexualisation and Materialization of these young girls is highly wrong, and also leads to degrading the female gender, and lastly places them in danger of being sexually harassed. Taking advantage of such innocent creatures is highly immoral, and should be punished for. Beauty pageants opened the doors for sexual harassers, by allowing little girls to do sexual routines or to wear sexual outfits.The issue of sexualizing children is a dominant issue that seams to be pushed and encouraged by the media: â€Å"stealing away a child's innocence by portraying her in the suggestive pose of a sexualized nymphet †¦ when her sense of self-worth is defined largely through a notion of beauty that is †¦ such relations is that the identities of the young girls who enter the pageants become meaningful†(Giroux, Stealing innocence). Media and beauty pageants Degrades the image of both women and girl s around the world, therefor each and every one of us should act against such things that put us, and the next generations in danger . Beauty Pageants Did beauty pageants go a bit too far? According to Oxford, beauty pageants are public entertainment contests of a procession of people in elaborate, colorful costumes, or an outdoor performance of a historical scene; however, child beauty pageants according to Wikipedia child beauty pageants are beauty contests that feature contestants up to 18 years of age; however, Competition categories may include interviews, talents, swim wear, casual wear, western wear, theme wear, etc.Contingent on the type of pageant system competitors may be seen with elaborate hairstyles, or wearing makeup as well as and custom designed, fitted outfits to fit their act on stage. There are a lot cons and pros to participating in beauty pageants. The most effected by such pageants are children, who are mostly hopeless and do not have a say in such things. In this essay I will be discussing how child beauty pageants are harmful to members psychological healthiness, developing superficial values that would dist ract from family relations and mess-up the natural progression of infantile or childhood, and promote a degrading prospect of women.The negative outcome of these pageants on the health of our children is becoming very scary and concerning. To begun with, beauty Pageants tend to cause psychological issues that may appear as sicknesses later on in their life, and members grow up in a mood where they absorb fake, damaged values. Such Pageants, effect children, especially girls in a very harmful way leading to anxiety, Paranoia, low self esteem, feelings of inferiority , bulimia, depression ,anorexia ,etc. Nevertheless, these are just the early effects of competition on young girls.The worst part is that those little innocent girls or boys are stuck in between two horrible extremes, which are the two feelings of wining, or losing. Experiencing such feelings at a young age is definitely unhealthy for children. â€Å"This study evaluated the association between childhood beauty pageants and adult disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, depression, and self-esteem. Eleven women who participated in childhood beauty pageants were matched on age and BMI with 11 non-participating women.Childhood pageant participants scored higher on body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust, and impulse dysregulation than non-participants, and showed a trend toward greater ineffectiveness. There were no significant differences between groups on measures of bulimia, body perception, depression, and self-esteem. These findings suggest childhood beauty pageant participation may influence adult body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust, and impulse dysregulation, but not bulimic behaviors, body perception, depression, and self-esteem†(Gold, Eating Disorders).Secondly, childhood is a precious moment of a person’s life that should be churched and lived to its fullest; nonetheless, these beauty pageants cause Little girls to start developing superficial values such as the importunacy of looks over everything, conformity to the sick society, growing radical measures looks and wanting to be perfect, and lastly trying to fit the ideal. All those superficial values lead to producing, superficial women that will raise a generation under poisoned values.Beauty pageants teach little girls that in order to succeed in life it is acceptable to be two-faced and shallow. Conversely, media also helps in convincing little girls to be dependent on others' opinions and decisions for themselves, which is considered a big negative vibe. â€Å"Author's abstract: Child beauty pageants are a phenomenon in rural communities throughout Georgia. My belief is that most of those who compete in these pageants are from the lower socio-economic bracket, participating for a multitude of reasons.A bricolage of post-structural feminism, critical ethnography, critical hermeneutics and cultural studies lenses will analyze how the performances of participants and the power exercised by the beauty pageant culture work to formulate girls' identities. Analysis will also include how power operates to perpetuate this subculture and its right to dictate norms for beauty and acceptance and will be situated in the culture of girlhood. Examination of what is depicted in popular culture through videos, documentaries, and television shows will also occur.I suggest that the rural beauty pageant culture does work to create girlhood identity and a way in which the participants view the world and themselves. In fact, I believe that the rural beauty pageant culture does intricate cultural work in terms of gender and class†(Thompson, Reynolds, Trailer park royalty). Superficial values can distract from many important things such as family life, which is a very important component in the raising of each child. Messing up the natural progression of childhood can have unpleasant consequences that can lead to bigger issues.Lastly, Children are innocent creatures that should live their childhood without the interference of media, and sick minded people. The sexualisation and Materialization of these young girls is highly wrong, and also leads to degrading the female gender, and lastly places them in danger of being sexually harassed. Taking advantage of such innocent creatures is highly immoral, and should be punished for. Beauty pageants opened the doors for sexual harassers, by allowing little girls to do sexual routines or to wear sexual outfits.The issue of sexualizing children is a dominant issue that seams to be pushed and encouraged by the media: â€Å"stealing away a child's innocence by portraying her in the suggestive pose of a sexualized nymphet †¦ when her sense of self-worth is defined largely through a notion of beauty that is †¦ such relations is that the identities of the young girls who enter the pageants become meaningful†(Giroux, Stealing innocence). Media and beauty pageants Degrades the image of both women and girl s around the world, therefor each and every one of us should act against such things that put us, and the next generations in danger .
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