Thursday, August 27, 2020

Experiential Introduction of Auditing & Journal of Accounting

Question: Examine the money related execution of the two organizations dependent on your counts, recognizing and talking about the reasons for computing those proportions and the shortcomings of proportions examination.? Answer: Presentation In present day business times, there exists an extreme rivalry among the business firms. It is significant for the associations to play out a serious examination to support in the serious condition. Budget report investigation helps the business associations to perform such sort of inside and outer evaluations of their individual monetary positions. The given report will reveal insight into the business firms Sainsbury and Tesco. This will be assessed through the investigation of fiscal summaries of both the associations throughout the previous two years. Both these two associations are retail monsters of United Kingdom and piece of the overall industry of both the associations are on the higher side (Ongore and Kusa, 2013). Money related status of both the associations The money related status of both the associations can be investigated with the help of budgetary proportions. There are different sorts of money related proportions. These are liquidity, gainfulness, productivity and outfitting proportions. Every one of these proportions help to decipher the budgetary situation of the firm as for its nearby rivals. With the assistance of money related proportions, the association can control their procedures and gauge them for what's to come. Despite what might be expected, there are a few burdens of these proportions. Probably the greatest constraint or shortcoming of budgetary proportions is that it depends on recorded information examination and it does exclude all the components of a fiscal summary of an association. Be that as it may, the beneath money related examination will mirror the investigation of both the associations as far as their fiscal reports. The partners and speculators of a business association can take distinctive venture choic es dependent on the translation of money related proportions (Hall, 2013) Liquidity proportions Liquidity proportions mirror the liquidity status of a business firm. This further deciphers ability of a firm to meet their transient obligation commitments. Jiang and Lee (2012) deciphers that liquidity proportion has an immediate relationship with the working capital pattern of a firm. In the event that the business associations like Sainsbury and Tesco are able to deal with their working capital cycle, at that point, they can without much of a stretch improve their liquidity status on the eyes of the partners. Current proportion and brisk proportion are the two fundamental sorts liquidity proportions that help the firm to decipher the liquidity status of both the associations (Mawani, 2012) Current proportion and Quick proportion of Sainsbury Sainsbury Current Ratio= Current Assets-Current liabilities Snappy Ratio= Current Assets-Stock-Prepaid costs/Current Liabilities 2013 0.610272873 0.293419 2014 0.644789357 0.496231 2015 0.638595984 0.494583 Table 1: Liquidity proportion of Sainsbury Current proportion and Quick proportion of Tesco Tesco Current proportion Snappy Ratio 2015 0.603635 0.475298 2014 0.727698 0.595435 2013 0.689808 0.490261 Table 2: Liquidity proportion of Tesco The counts of liquidity proportions have been introduced in reference sections of the report (Refer to Appendix 1). The above examination mirrors that the both the associations have performed significantly well to keep up their liquidity status in agreement to their financial specialists. Be that as it may, the liquidity proportions of Sainsbury are better than the association Tesco. This mirrors Sainsbury is keeping up its working capital cycle better than its nearest rival Tesco. The liquidity of the firm Tesco has declined than earlier years. Despite what might be expected, Sainsbury is effective in keeping up a higher liquidity proportion from the last three budgetary years. Current proportion reflects about the working capital administration of the business associations. As far as current proportion, Sainsbury has performed marginally better than Tesco. Furthermore, Quick proportion deciphers about the liquidity status of the association by barring stock and prepaid use. Sainsbury has a superior brisk proportion than Tesco. This mirrors the association is using its working capital costs by de aling with their stock and prepaid use. Regarding liquidity, the financial specialists will decide on Sainsbury instead of Tesco. Productivity proportions The money related proportions likewise help to decipher the benefit position of a business association. These should be possible through powerful usage of productivity proportions. These are as Gross benefit, net benefit and working net revenue. All the productivity proportions will help a financial specialist of an association to decipher how well the associations are dealing with their benefits regarding their business income (Bekaert and Hodrick, 2012). The beneath investigation will mirror the benefit status of both the organizations. Net benefit, net benefit and working overall revenue of Tesco and Sainsbury Sainsbury Net benefit proportion Net revenue Working net revenue 2015 0.047613039 - 0.00698 0.003197 2014 0.018539396 0.029897 0.039334 2013 0.019611209 0.026349 0.035189 Table 3: Profit edge proportions of Sainsbury Tesco Net benefit proportion Net revenue Working net revenue 2015 - 0.03391 - 0.09217 - 0.0962 2014 0.063093 0.015325 0.041396 2013 0.063077 0.001913 0.033752 Table 4: Profit edge proportions of Tesco Table 2 reflects about the impression of productivity edge of Sainsbury from three sequential budgetary years that is from 2013-2015. Net revenue deciphers the capacity of the firm in using its business edge to win higher gainfulness status by limiting the immediate costs. The gross net revenue of Sainsbury has expanded by a higher rate. Despite what might be expected, table 4 reflects about the benefit position of the retail firm Tesco. Tesco has a lower net revenue and it is on the declining stage. In the last budgetary year that is 2014-2015, all the overall revenue of Tesco is on the negative side. This further deciphers Tesco has neglected to build up a higher edge or level of deals income. The firm has likewise neglected to chop down their particular immediate and aberrant costs. What's more, the association has likewise falling a long ways behind than its nearest rival Sainsbury. Nonetheless, Table 1 deciphers that the net revenue of Sainsbury is negative, still the gross net revenue and working edge is on positive. Since, the net overall revenue of the firm is negative, it deciphers that the association has a higher circuitous and working costs. This is certainly not a decent sign for the associations as they are neglected to control the working costs by an enormous percent. Along these lines, it is of extraordinary pith for the two firms Tesco and Sainsbury to chop down their costs to build their net revenue as far as their business income. All the estimations of the benefit proportions are appeared in the rundown of Appendices. Budgetary Ratios (Gearing) Equipping proportions decipher the aggregate sum of level of monetary dangers present inside the business firms. The essential sorts of monetary proportions are obligation value proportion, intrigue inclusion proportion and value financing. Obligation value proportion of the association reflects about the level of obligation as far as its all out value. Higher obligation value proportion deciphers that that the specific firm is presented to budgetary hazard and a higher opportunity to exchange and become bankrupt. Despite what might be expected, intrigue inclusion proportion of a business firm the way wherein the firm is proficient to get together with the obligation consumption by concealing the intrigue costs. On the off chance that the given intrigue inclusion proportion is lower, at that point, it mirrors that the firm isn't at all skilled in meeting up its obligation costs by concealing the aggregate sum of intrigue costs. In this way, it is essential for the firm to keep a high er measure of intrigue inclusion proportion. A higher proportion will mirror the ability of a firm to meet the separate intrigue costs (Gifford and Howe, 2012). Outfitting proportions of Tesco and Sainsbury Sainsbury Money related Gearing Ratio Value outfitting Intrigue Coverage proportion 2015 0.736276 2.028652 5.121951 2014 0.850256 1.882784 12.06107 2013 0.874716 1.91757 11.19531 Table 5: Gearing proportion of the association Sainsbury Tesco Money related Gearing Ratio Value outfitting Intrigue Coverage proportion 2015 0.280081 0.954808 - 8.66733 2014 0.289274 0.871193 11.12081 2013 0.267246 0.763488 10.71685 Table 6: Gearing proportion of the association Tesco The table 5 deciphers about the outfitting proportion of the firm Sainsbury in the past three money related a long time from 2013-2015. The association Sainsbury has a higher intrigue inclusion proportion than the firm Tesco. Be that as it may, this proportion of the firm has declined by a specific rate from the earlier year. This can't be considered as a positive sign for Sainsbury inside, as there are slacking to meet their advantage costs of their separate obligation use. Unexpectedly, intrigue inclusion proportion of Tesco is lower and on the negative side. Consequently, the administration of the or

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters free essay sample

Roasters uncovers the accompanying : 1. 1 Strengths I. Item Consistency By using best in class simmering programming, GMCR is in this manner ready to keep up their degree of item consistency, ii. Extraordinary Products Its key achievement is in separating its espressos. The espresso beans have been deliberately chosen and afterward cooking them in little clusters to guarantee consistency and to expand their taste and flavor contrasts. This one of the motivation behind why are the Green Mountain espressos unique in relation to those of other claim to fame espresso organizations. Then again, Keurig likewise gives Green Mountain access to the workplace and one-cup section. iii. High Distribution GMCR flushes nitrogen into its bundled espresso and utilize single direction esteem sack bundling innovation that gives a base timeframe of realistic usability of a half year for the organization espresso as client can hold the newness of the espresso in the bundle. This thus, permits GMCR to grow it’s appropriation, with no stresses over undermined quality. We will compose a custom paper test on Green Mountain Coffee Roasters or on the other hand any comparative theme explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page v. Socially Responsible Business Practices GMCR is a supporter of social and ecological causes, and being recorded in the â€Å"100 Best Corporate Citizens† and â€Å"The World’s Most Socially Responsible Companies† records. This goes about as a little something extra to the company’s standpoint and notoriety. v. Broadly Available GMCR’s items are generally accessible in the market. By focusing on different circulation channels and client classifications, GMCR is sure that shopper preliminary at one purpose of the appropriation level will prompt an ensuing buy at another. vi. Leads Lead clients, for example, Amtrack, Exxon-Mobile, JetBlue Airways and American Skiing Company are vital to the company’s geographic extension procedure as they give perceivability and testing openings 1. 2 Weaknesses I. Single Product Line GMCR manages claim to fame espresso exclusively, placing it at a genuine burden in haggling with grocery store chains for good rack space. ii. Own Distribution and Sales Force GMCR depended on its own dispersion and deals powers to extend the Green Mountain brand in the basic food item channel. 1. 3 Opportunities I. Expanded utilization Increased espresso utilization in Europe, Asia and Brazil has recently extended GMCR’s dispersion openings. By focusing on and impacting a greater amount of the previously mentioned countries’ espresso consumers, GMCR can would like to impact the greater part of the customers before its adversaries do as such. ii. Claim to fame Coffee Market Gourmet, forte espresso is the bread-and-butter of GMCR’s foundation. A developing increment in shoppers looking for strength espresso will mean more brilliant possibilities for GMCR. iii. Keurig Acquisition Green Mountain procured 42 percent possession in Keurig Inc. The intrigue of the Keurig K-cup splendidly preparing only one mug of espresso from an assortment of espresso choices has added to GMCR achievement in the workplace espresso administrations. 1. 4 Threats I. Diminishing in espresso utilization The U. S espresso showcase now just records for 20% of world espresso utilization, contrasted with the 80% during World War II. The espresso advertise is currently proceeding onward to Europe, Asia (especially Japan). ii. Business espresso roasters There is higher rivalry as significant organizations try to enter the claim to fame espresso industry. Such names incorporate yet are not constrained to : Phillip Morris’ Gevalia, Procter Gamble’s Millstone and Nescafe. The significant espresso advertisers make a major push to make their top notch espresso brands prevailing in the discount channel. iii. Starbucks Partnerships Starbucks, seen as quite a while contender to GMCR, after going into a long haul permitting with Kraft, will hope to produce additional business 20-40 pounds of espresso for every store every week. This is viewed as a danger to GMCR, which has a normal deals of 100 pounds of espresso for each store every week. Starbucks, which has dissemination concurrence with Kraft nourishments Inc. plans to put their espresso in general stores alongside Kraft Maxwell House brands. Kraft deals with all conveyance, showcasing, publicizing and advancement for Starbuck espresso in basic food item, distribution center club and mass product store. It highlighted particular, rich bundling, noticeable situations in basic food item paths and a similar premium quality as that sold in its stores. Starbucks is likewise collaborating with Dreyer’s for marked dessert, and Pepsi to disperse packaged Frappuccino. Starbucks become the espresso provider to 20 million travelers who fly United Airlines every year and mail-request deals division represented approximately 2 percent of absolute income. iv. Seattle Coffee Company Acquisition Starbucks procurement of Seattle Coffee Company in the forward quarter of monetary 2003 and expanded distribution center club income because of development in existing record. The expansion was fundamentally inferable from the development of the food administration business as an aftereffects of the securing of Seattle Coffee Company and the development in new and existing Starbucks food administration accounts. To finish up Green Mountain’s SWOT examination, its asset qualities are constrained, and the organization is a so a lot littler contrasted with the remainder of the significant espresso advertisers, as Starbucks. Be that as it may, it is cutting out a market specialty for itself and has made an honorable showing of making sure about discount accounts. 2. QUESTION TWO In your investigation of the organization’s qualities, make certain to distinguish the firm’s Core Competencies utilizing the Value Chain. M. Porter’s esteem chain is as per the following : Source : UK Education, Accounting For Strategic Management According to M. Porter’s esteem chain, we have dissected and indentified the firm’s center skills as follows : 2. 1 Technology Development Nitrogen-based single direction valve bundling permits GMCR to build the time span of usability of it’s espresso, in this manner prompting a higher Convection air roasters joined with explicit cooking programs for each bean type permits GMCR to make â€Å"signature† espressos, itself from other espresso organizations. 2. 2 Inbound Logistics GMCR acquire their espresso beans from Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Indonesia and other espresso developing nations. This takes into account a wide assortment of espressos be made. By getting its assets for various areas, GMCR is at lower danger of being influenced by deficiencies. 2. 3 Marketing and Sales GMCR has more than 100 assortments of completed espresso items, which obliges purchaser taste and inclination, in the forte espresso part, the market specialty which it has distinguished. Organization with Wild Oats and Costco considers more prominent infiltration into the discount and store channels. The Keurig K-cup proprietorship by GMCR has enormously expanded business possibilities for GMCR. With the priority of internet shopping, correspondingly, espresso is set to follow, as an ever increasing number of buyers are beginning to mix their own espresso from the solace of their own home or office. 2. 4 Services According to Wikipedia (16 JUL 2007), GMCR has likewise propelled conveyance administrations to take into account purchasers. Bistro EXPRESS is Green Mountain’s programmed conveyance espresso club that compensates their end purchasers with limits, unconditional presents, and exceptional advantages and benefits that lone Cafe EXPRESS enrollment brings. Other than espresso beans, Green Mountain additionally offers brewer and assistants to the end customers out there. In this manner shoppers can get all the essential gear inside one stop. 3. QUESTION THREE Identify and assess the systems that the association has sought after to keep up its development and administration position. GMCR has embraced a separation methodology, along these lines making notoriety and brand picture. Since the time GMCR entered the claim to fame espresso showcase in 1981, it has made more than 100 varities of completed espresso items, and with the utilization of innovation to improve consistency and quality, edged over its rivals. Green Mountain’s procedure has a few key components: A key part of management’s development technique was to make Green Mountain espressos helpful and accessible for shopper preliminary by the cup at accommodation stores, office espresso administrations, and food administration foundations, in this manner prodding deals of green Mountain espressos general stores and claim to fame food stores. Green Mountain has a wide choice of great espressos. There are around 90 assortments. Green Mountain’s espresso items included single cause, domain, affirmed natural, Fair Trade, seasoned, and exclusive mixes of espresso sold under the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Newman’s Own Organics brands. Green Mountain additionally accentuation on 2 conveyance channels which are; I. Inventory deals To advance list deals, Green Mountain concentrated sales on index clients who purchased consistently, particularly individuals from the company’s â€Å"Coffee Club† who had altered standing requests for programmed re-shipment. As of late, the organization had started seeking after approaches to expand traffic on its site both to fabricate brand mindfulness across the country and lift direct deals to buyers where the organization had a restricted nearness in grocery stores and forte food stores. ii. Discount accounts Supermarkets, claim to fame food stores, comfort stores, lodgings, eateries, colleges, travel and office espresso administration clients, and food administration organizations. Significant discount clients incorporated the American Skiing Company elevated hotels, Amtrak, ARAMARK, ExxonMobil Convenience stores (very nearly 2,000 areas), Fred Meyer Stores, Hannaford Bros. Grocery stores, Kash N’ Karry Food Stores, Kings Super Markets, Nestle Waters of North America, Price Chopper, Shaws Supermarkets, Sodexho and Wild Oatsâ€see Exhibit 6. Securing extra â€Å"flagship† clients was seen as key to the company’s geographi

Friday, August 21, 2020

Web Hosting Control Panel Smackdown cPanel vs Plesk

Web Hosting Control Panel Smackdown cPanel vs Plesk Make Money Online Queries? Struggling To Get Traffic To Your Blog? Sign Up On (HBB) Forum Now!Web Hosting Control Panel Smackdown: cPanel vs PleskUpdated On 04/10/2017Author : Pradeep KumarTopic : Web HostingShort URL : https://hbb.me/2fIwWLP CONNECT WITH HBB ON SOCIAL MEDIA Follow @HellBoundBlogA server control panel is a solution used for web hosting that allows people to manage their hosted services from a single, simplified place. These control panels are typically available for servers that run on both Linux or Windows operating systems. Often, web-based control panels come with a graphical interface and a tool suite that has been specifically designed to simplify the process of hosting a website.Two of the most common web hosting control panels are Plesk and cPanel. While each has their own range of features and benefits, its important to remember that these options are both powerful administration tools with plenty of great security options. In todays articles, were going to dive a little deeper into the functionality in Plesk and cPanel and discover what each option can offer for website owners.Defining cPanel and PleskcPanel is fundamentally a Linux-based control panel for web hosting, which features a simple graphical interface, and an intuitive automation suite that makes it easier for you to manage your web hosting needs. cPanel was designed using a three-tier structure, and its functionality can be tailored and changed to suit the needs of resellers, administrators, and end-user website managers, depending on the requirements at hand. Sometimes, website management and server administration can be controlled through a web browser, and cPanel is currently the most popular control panel solution.Plesk on the other hand is a web hosting service control panel that gives people the ability to maintain and configure both Linux and Windows servers. With the Service Provider management features, you can use simple and effective controls to create subscrip tion packages for individuals, resellers, and customers. Additionally, bundled WordPress support tools make using Plesk 12.5 security features easier which is perfect for shared hosting. With Plesk, unlimited domains and accounts can be supported.The Main Features to EvaluateTo help you decide which control panel is right for your needs, youll need to assess the different features and functionalities that each solution can offer. For example:AdministrationWeb hosting developers can automate system administration solutions. cPanel is designed to function as a virtual private server or dedicated server, depending on requirements, and the latest version supports installation on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Cloud Linux, and CentOS. Application-based support is wide-reaching for MySQL, PHP, and Apache, and email support is offered for POP3, IMAP, and SMTP.Command Line AccessBoth cPanel and Plesk deliver command line access through the control panel. cPanel provides command line access as w ell as API access, which means that you can enable interactions with third-party software. On the other hand, Plesk offers an access tool for the command line known as the Panel Action Log tool.Ease of UseAt the level of user interface management, cPanel can aggregate numerous functions into a range of high-level groups that include email, preferences, logs, files, security, databases, domains, and software services. On the other hand, Plesk offers ease of use through functions that are divided into users, email, resource usage, domains, websites, statistics, and applications.READAll you want to know about Cloud Dedicated Server through the Host Provider eWebGuruRemoving PanelsIf you get tired of the control panel youre using, then you might want to remove it. Unfortunately, its not possible to remove cPanel, as this would require you to reformat the entire server and re-install your operating system. While uninstall scripts are available for Plesk, theyre not often recommended.What About Multi-Server Clustering?One of the most important areas where cPanel and Plesk differ is in the fact that Plesk is unable to support multi-server clustering. To take advantage of this solution, you will need to use an add-on called the Plesk Automation Services. On the other hand, cPanel now has functionality for managing multiple services at once. Root users can also use remote access keys, and share configuration settings across servers.At the same time, its worth noting that Plesk can sometimes lead to slower loading on websites than cPanel, particularly in the case of Linux servers. Additionally, with Plesk, you can manage MYSQL or MS SQL servers from your web browser. On the other hand, with cPanel, you can simply move into PhpMyAdmin, which allows you to manage various MySQL databases. When it comes to database activities, if you need to access the MS SQL solution from the panel, youll need to stick with Plesk.Deciding Whether to Use cPanel or PleskThere are many consid erations that may go into making your decision whether to use cPanel or Plesk. For instance, Plesk has a more detailed range of support requests than cPanel and allows for management of the MS SQL server from your web browser. Plesk is also well-integrated with the Windows OS, and its easy to use.Plesk also comes with a fairly-detailed and intuitive support request form that requires you to provide as much information as possible about the problems that you have with your web hosting panel. For some people, this may be more frustrating, as theres more to fill out, while others will prefer the attention to detail.However, on the other hand, cPanel can load faster than Plesk, and it can aggregate various functions into simpler, high-level groups to provide easier accessibility. Many people believe that cPanel is best for Linux environments. When it comes to accessing support through cPanel, you simply need to enter your email address, name, and issue into the cPanel interface.Finishin g ThoughtsUltimately, its hard to argue with the fact that Plesk and cPanel are two of the most popular and efficient server panels for web hosting clients. While each option comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, its worth noting that the best choice for you will be based on the features and requirements that accommodate your personal environment and clients. When making your decision, remember to think about your server configuration, operating system, access control, and security needs.At the same time, it may be worth noting that Plesk is generally more suitable for Windows OS while the cPanel configuration is better for Linux.

Monday, May 25, 2020

What Does Cest Pas Vrai Mean in French

Youll definitely find the French expression  Cest pas vrai! to be a fun and useful addition to your vocabulary. Essentially, you can use it anytime you want to say No way! or Youre kidding! The Meaning of  Cest pas vrai! The pronunciation of  cest pas vrai  is  say pa vray.  While it literally means thats not true, its used in less formal terms such as No way! or I dont believe it! or Youre kidding! Technically, the grammatically correct expression is  ce nest pas vrai,  which  literally means this/that/it isnt true. In  informal French, the  ne  is usually dropped to produce the more common phrase cest pas vrai. This expression definitely falls into  the informal register. Its extremely casual, so best reserved for conversations with family, friends, and other close acquaintances. Examples of Cest pas vrai! in Context This phrase can be used in a variety of ways. It may be questioning the truth of a situation as seen in this example: Ce nest pas vrai quil mange cinq fois par jour: Its not true that he eats five times a day.   It may also be used as an informal gasp of disbelief at something that was just said. Jai eu 250 â‚ ¬ damende:  I was fined â‚ ¬250. Cest pas vrai!: No way! Heres another example of when the exclamation may be used when responding to a friends statement. Il ma dit de porter une jupe courte: He told me to wear a short skirt.Cest pas vrai!: Youre kidding!

Thursday, May 14, 2020

The Importance Of Motivation On Student Experience

Motivation plays a crucial role in the day-to-day life of every human being. It is responsible for the different decisions we make every day, the goals we set, and how we go about attaining those objectives. Without motivation, completing tasks and accomplishing goals will prove difficult, often impossible. In this essay I am going to discuss the importance of motivation in maximising my student experience in the University of Aberdeen. I am also going to describe Alderfer’s ERG Theory, Vroom’s Expectancy Theory and Locke’s Goal Theory, and show how these motivation theories apply to my intention to make the most of my student experience. Motivation is the energy, the driving force behind our actions. Motivation determines the goals a person attempts to achieve, the energy that is devoted to attaining the goal and the persistence with which the goal is pursued (Smith, 2011, p. 182). Every student comes to the university with the intention to graduate and obtain a diploma therefore an extrinsic motivation is present in the student life. There is certain recognition for people who have been successful in their chosen degrees, and there is a social pressure that everyone faces to not fail a course and drop out of the university. An intrinsic element of motivation is also a factor in our studies. We experiment with many different subjects during our course of study, and we decide on a discipline that we would enjoy pursuing throughout our career. I chose to study Economics asShow MoreRelatedWhat is Intrinsic Rewad?1466 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is intrinsic reward, intrinsic reward is a non-monetary reward, where it not involved physical things; for example; motivation, cooperation, self-esteem, and encouragement. Its more refers to motivation that comes from inside an individual rather than from external rewards, such as money or grades. It comes from the pleasure from the task itself and sense of satisfaction in completing any task that you have done. Intrinsic reward are differ from extrinsic reward, where extrinsic reward is likeRead MoreGoals Of An Educational Environment Essay1483 Words   |  6 Pagesan educational environment is to motivate students toward environmentally friendly behavior change. The need for student motivation in the high school setting is attributed to the fact that motivation creates positive experience, which helps in improving learning outcomes. Actually, students with positive experiences usually report better attitudes and increasingly positive expectations in their learning process. Through effective motivation of students, teachers and school administrators ca n closeRead MoreHow Motivation Fit Into My Content Area Goals857 Words   |  4 Pagesmy own questioning when surveying my students, I asked a more diverse range of questions to appeal to more aspects of student motivation. 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Because of the importance of PA to a person’s well-being it is not only important to know and understand the possible underlying factors existentRead MoreThe Importance Of Motivation As A Teacher1512 Words   |  7 PagesAn Introduction to the Importance of Motivation As explained by Lou Holtz, â€Å"[i]t’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.† His statement is true for the importance of motivation. As a teacher candidate, learning the concept of motivation is crucial for my well-being and for the future of my students. The way that students are taught and encouraged have a huge impact on their careers and their life. In this paper I will be exploring how I was motivated during my earlier yearsRead MoreRelationship Between Self Regulation And Motivation869 Words   |  4 Pagesdevelopments in how teachers can motivate students to self-regulate their learning. Sansone and Thoman reach a conclusion in their research that made a critical case of the relationship between self-regulation and motivation. The purpose of their argument was to explain the importance the â€Å"interest experience† plays in students maintaining motivation in order to self-regulate. They used research already completed to explain their suggestion that the â€Å"interest experience is the missing piece in the self-regulationRead MoreMotivation And School Applications Of Motivation839 Words   |  4 PagesMotivation and School Applications Early theoretical models of motivation consider its source to be primarily instinctive (Schunk, 2012). The stimuli-response model of the behaviorist paradigm did not account for the cognitive aspects current theorists assert are intrinsic to the learning process (Martinez, 2010; Schunk, 2012). Behaviorism is the attempt to understand humans through observations of their actions rather than on a cognitive level and considers the learning process as a superficial

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

From Cain and Abel to Serial Killers Essay example

From Cain and Abel to Serial Killers Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Mark Allen Smith, Richard Chase, Ted Bundy-the list goes on and on. These five men alone have been responsible for at least ninety deaths, and many suspect that their victims may total twice that number. They are serial killers, the most feared and hated of criminals. What deep, hidden secret makes them lust for blood? What can possibly motivate a person to kill over and over again with no guilt, no remorse, no hint of human compassion? What makes a serial killer? Serial killings are not a new phenomenon. In 1798, for example, Micajah and Wiley Harpe traveled the backwoods of Kentucky and Tennessee in a violent, year-long killing spree that left at†¦show more content†¦in Lunde 84). Today, however, we dont expect killers to have fangs that drip human blood, and many realize that the boy-next-door may be doing more than woodworking in his basement. While there are no specific physical characteristics shared by all serial killers, they are almost always male and 92 percent are white. Most are between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five and often physically attractive. While they may hold a job, many switch employment frequently as they become easily frustrated when advancement does not come as quickly as expected. They tend to believe that they are entitled to whatever they desire but feel that they should have to exert no effort to attain their goals (Samenow 88,96). What could possibly turn attractive, ambitious human beings into cold-blooded monsters? One popular theory suggests that many murderers are the product of our violent society. Our culture tends to approve of violence and find it acceptable, even preferable, in many circumstances (Holmes and DeBurger 27): According to research done in 1970, one out of every four men and one out of every six women believed that it was appropriate for a husband to hit his wife under certain conditions (Holmes and DeBurger 33). This emphasis on violence is especially prevalent in television programs. Violence occurs in 80 percent of all prime-time shows, while cartoons,Show MoreRelatedThe Death Penalty Should Be Abolished Essay1630 Words   |  7 Pagesthat s an innocent life. More, it s biblically proven that even God forgives and humanely punishes his people and servants. Men in the bible are examples that demonstrate that everyone is human and everyone sins, even the godliest men like Moses and Cain that have committed murder. Even though God knows what they have done, he doesn t p unish them with death but in moral ways. Although there may be many arguments against the death penalty, there are stronger arguments for it as well. Death penaltyRead More Music Today: Entertainment or Influence to Murder? Essay1888 Words   |  8 Pagesblamed for the crimes of obvious psychotic adolescents. The music business, mainly â€Å"death† metal, has been said to be at fault for major tragedies, for example the Columbine High School Shootings. In fact, one media spokesperson even related the two killers to Marilyn Manson because they were apparently dressed like him. This constant distraction of pointing the blame on someone else just strays our focus on the real causes. Music can directly express the personality of many individuals. The way theRead MorePopular Culture and Violent Behavior Essay11795 Words   |  48 Pagesresearch into violent behaviour and the impact that popular culture can have on individuals and groups in society - mainly adolescents and young children - by looking at susceptibility, attraction, reactions and influences. Figures from the internet highlight the capability television can have to influence an individual: There are 7.5 violent acts per minute on television in the United States during Prime-Time,8.6 in Germany, 5.8 in Denmark, and violent acts per

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Erp Failure free essay sample

I Hershey Foods Corporation: Failure and Success with Information Technology Point of View Managerial Point of View Objective To examine the reasons behind the SAP AG’S R/3 ERP implementation failure at Hershey’s Food Corporation Problem What could have done otherwise to avoid the SAP AG’S R/3 ERP implementation failure at Hershey’s Food Corporation? Areas of Consideration In late 1996, Hershey Foods Corporation the leading manufacturer of chocolates, confectionaries and beverages in United States of America began modernizing hardware and software systems in the company. In an attempt to manage Y2K issues, it chose to replace those systems and shift to client/server environment, which suggest that the company had pressing needs which forced the implementation. It was to switch over to the new ERP system by April 1999 as per original plan. It chose three software vendors SAP, Manugistics, and Siebel for implementing different software modules. The company spent $112 million and 30 months on their ERP project. The project was running as per schedule till January 1999, and when it came to the final phase of the implementation, the company faltered. Time pressed, they went live in July 1999 which led the company experienced several problems pushing orders through the system, resulting in shipping delays and deliveries of incomplete orders. The retailers who ordered for Hersheys products could not get them on time, even though the company had ample supplies stocked at its warehouses. However, it was too late for Hershey to respond to this problem. As a result, Hersheys revenues dropped. Many reasons have been cited for the Hershey ERP failure. One, the project was originally scheduled to take four years, but the company forced the implementation to go live in just 30 months. Two, the company simultaneously implemented a customer-relations package and a logistics package, largely increasing the overall complexity and employee learning curve. Three, the company went live at their busiest time of the year, just before Halloween, and the resulting delays caused profits to fall. Though SAP was blamed for Hersheys disaster, the companys management viewed it differently. Hence, the top management of the company as well as industry analysts began looking at other reasons for the problems at Hershey. Alternative Courses of Action 1. Before opting to deploy a new ERP system, try to consider upgrading your old version of system rather than instantly launching for a new one. Before trying to replace those systems and shifting to new ones, try to know the factors affecting or contributing to success and failures that you might encounter along the implementation. Evaluate the needs first before making a decision. Also before opting to deploy a new system, try to stabilize first the phases of its implementation before going on live. Make sure that the old version of system is running standstill during the first phase of implementation of the new system. Lest the new system suddenly fall short, you still have the old version of system to back you up during mid-operations. 2. Never have multiple vendors within one project. ERP systems must be installed in a more staged manner, especially when applications from multiple vendors are involved. Roll out the modules in stages and don’t attempt to implement other applications simultaneously. 3. Choose the right time for implementation. Implementing it in a wrong time is a messed up. The company would have very well avoided this trouble if only they thought of going ahead with ERP during those occasions when the business process in the whole market experiences a slow movement. And never went to the extent of spending the whole time and efforts on implementing ERP. This will disrupt the normal functioning of the business and creates confusion in the company. Since attention was wholly diverted to ERP it was not possible to rectify the uncertainties that emerged in the business as a result of ERP. . Effective testing and scheduling. Effective testing in an ERP implementation can lessen exposure to failure risks and damages. Never opt to quicken the implementation process, where several modules are implemented simultaneously. The company must ensure that the system is fully tested and ready for implementation. If possible, plan the ERP project to go-live date during the company’s slow periods. Effective scheduli ng is important in ERP implementations because the process is lengthy, complicated and delays can increase large costs. However, management must review closely the need for extending the timeline to ensure success of the project. TOWS Threats ERP Implementation in Hershey Foods Corporation can be a difficult, time-consuming, and expensive project for the company. The technology is tightly integrated and requires a commitment from all division. It can take years to complete and cost risks. Moreover, there is no guarantee of the outcome. If not properly planned for, the investment may drive Hershey out of business. Opportunities Hershey made efforts to stabilize SAP and other systems. Hershey’s recent upgrade of its ERP system to R/3 version 4. was completed 20 percent under budget and without any of the order processing and product-shipment disruptions that marred the initial $112 million rollout in 1999. It was able to make more than 30 improvements to its core business processes within 60 days of going live. The company cited enhancements such as the automation of pick-list processing and mate rials management invoice verification, plus credit processing for distributors to military customers. These improvements have helped reduce costs and speed up processing times. It has also â€Å"achieved a near-zero-defect production environment† with R/3 4. and is using SAP’S business analysis tools to measure the impact of sales and marketing programs as they happen. Weakness Hershey wouldn’t specify whether the problems stemmed from its configuration of the system or the software itself. The top management of the company as well as industry analysts began looking at the reasons for the problems at Hershey. Though SAP was blamed for Hersheys disaster, the companys management viewed it differently: Hershey decided to take shortcuts since the project was originally scheduled to take four years, but the company forced the implementation to go live in just 30 months. Thus, Hershey’s experiences illustrate the fact that most troubled ERP rollouts are caused by project management issues, not faulty software. Strengths By experiencing this kind of failures Hershey Foods Corporation’s IT Staff was able to exceed its delivery commitments for the project because of strong program management and executive leadership, diligent planning and an extensive testing and training plan. This time the implementation underwent extensive testing. Hershey made sure to take the time and resources to thoroughly test the computer systems. Conclusion Consider alternative course of action no. 1 Failures in major business/IT projects continue to occur to large companies like Hershey Foods Corporation with so much IT expertise and financial resources. These mistakes cost the price in the long run. Hershey has learned valuable lessons from their SAP implementation and these lessons are to move slower and be more methodical. The lessons learnt can as well serve as indication for failure or bankruptcy by driving you out of the business path. Hershey’s failure should caution any company that chooses to implement such broad application and make sure that system will function smoothly before entering peak sales period. There is one final aspect to be considered in any degree of project failure. All success is rooted in either luck or failure. If you begin with luck, you learn nothing but arrogance. However, if you begin with failure and learn to evaluate it, you also learn to succeed. Failure begets knowledge. Out of knowledge you gain wisdom, and it is with wisdom that you can become truly successful. Recommendation Before committing to a specific ERP software package, companies like Hershey Foods Corporation need to take the time to evaluate their ERP needs. They need to define in advance: 1. How they want to run their business? 2. What problems need to be resolved? 3. What are their priorities? 4. What are the current processes – what works and what doesn’t in the implementation plan? 5. What software will best resolve their problems, meet their goals and priorities?

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Adn vs. Bsn free essay sample

The nursing profession continues to argue whether a nurse who holds a BSN is desirable to the Associates-Degree-prepared nurse. This has been a topic of debate since 1965, when the American Nurses Association published an opinion paper advocating for the baccalaureate degree to be the minimal standard for entry-level nurses. While some say that the level of education isn’t relevant once you orient a nurse to a certain setting, others disagree and assert that the baccalaureate degree prepared nurses demonstrate higher levels of skill in communication, delegation, assessment, teaching and supervision.Most agree, however, that each degree program provides a different level of preparation and competencies for the graduating nurse. The focus of ADN programs has been to prepare the nurse with considerable clinical experience and technical nursing skills needed to provide patient care at the bedside, while the BSN program concentrates on evidence-based practice, research, leadership skills and communication. An additional difference is the target client. We will write a custom essay sample on Adn vs. Bsn or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Associate-degree graduates are prepared to meet the needs of the patient. The baccalaureate graduate’s scope is widened to include the family and interdisciplinary groups.According to a study done in 1988 by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, nursing competencies across the spectrum of nursing education, â€Å"varied in complexity, depth, and breadth. †(Poster, 2006) Entry-level competencies were evaluated on three categories: provider of care, coordinator of care, and member of a profession. There was virtually no difference noted in the provider of care category other than the use of an evidence-based analytical approach by the baccalaureate-prepared nurse, as opposed to a critical thinking approach to decision making by the associate-degree-prepared nurse. In the category of coordinator of care, the major contrast was between how the advanced-degree-prepared the nurse to act as more of a facilitator of care between multiple factions of the healthcare team. As a member of a profession, the BSN nurse acted as a leader rather than in the participant role of the ADN nurse. Where the major differences occurred was in the â€Å"knowledge required for achievement of competency. †(Poster, 2006) The diploma prepared nurse bases her plan of care on the nursing diagnosis.The advanced-degree nurse’s basis for developing the plan of care uses â€Å"evidence-based and theoretical analysis of available data. †(Poster, 2006) An example of this difference might be in the care of patient who has a chronic condition, such as congestive heart failure. This patient undoubtedly is seen multiple times in the course of a year for symptoms pertaining to his health condition. Nurse A, with the associate’s degree, does a good job of taking care of the patient. She sees to it that he gets all of his medications in a timely fashion, and that he completes all of his scheduled tests; that his basic needs are met.Her plan of care would include all of the interventions to reflect such care. She would weigh him daily, make sure his meals followed the proper diet, and etc. Nurse B, with the BSN, also provides the afore-mentioned care. However, in addition, she may look at why this patient has frequently been admitted to her floor. She would perhaps investigate whether the same symptoms precipitated his decline and question the patient as to whether he is weighing himself daily, what types of food he is eating at home, and whether he has been taking his medications on a routine basis. She might find that he doesn’t have a scale at home, does not have access to his medications all of the time, or is simply non-compliant. Her plan of care may include a social worker and case management are more involved in his discharge planning to insure that the patient has the equipment and resources required to manage is illness at home. Nurse B might also collaborate with the patient to develop a plan he can agree to follow and provide a list of community resources that are available. Both Nurse A and Nurse B have seen to it that the patient got what he needed during his hospital visit. The healthcare industry is changing rapidly.The life expectancy of the average patient has extended due to the increase in technological advances and life-saving measures and requires that professional nurses have the ability to mange these complex patients. The baccalaureate-degree program provides an opportunity to build on the communication, problem-solving and decision-making skills t aught in the ADN program to facilitate better patient care. Whether it be a an associate-degree-prepared nurse or one holding an advanced degree, one thing I am sure we can all agree upon is that better educated nurses will better serve the profession as a whole.

Monday, March 9, 2020

Where in the World Classroom Icebreaker

'Where in the World' Classroom Icebreaker Technology and transportation in the modern world have given us the opportunity to learn so much more, often first hand, about the rest of the world. If you haven’t had the privilege of global traveling, you may have experienced the thrill of conversing with foreigners online or working side-by-side with them in your industry. The world becomes a smaller place the more we get to know each other. When you have a gathering of people from various countries, this icebreaker is a breeze, but it’s also fun when participants are all from the same place and know each other well. Everyone is capable of dreams that cross borders. To make this icebreaker kinetic, require that one of the three clues be a physical motion. For example, skiing, golfing, painting, fishing, etc. Basic information about the Where in the World Icebreaker: Ideal Size: Up to 30. Divide larger groups.Use For: Introductions in the classroom or at a meeting, especially when you have an international group of participants or an international topic to discuss.Time Needed: 30 minutes, depending on the size of the group. Instructions Give people a minute or two to think of three clues that describe, but don’t give away, either the country they are from (if different from the one you’re in) or their favorite foreign place they have visited or dream of visiting. When ready, each person gives their name and their three clues, and the rest of the group guesses where in the world they are describing. Give each person a minute or two to explain what they like best about their favorite place in the world. Start with yourself so they have an example. If you want students on their feet and moving, require that one clue be a physical motion like swimming, hiking, golfing, etc. This clue may include verbal help or not. You choose. For example: Hi, my name is Deb. One of my favorite places in the world is tropical, has a beautiful body of water you can climb, and is near a popular cruise port (I am physically imitating climbing). After guessing is finished: One of my favorite places in the world is Dunn’s River Falls near Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We stopped there on a Caribbean cruise and had the marvelous opportunity of climbing the falls. You start at sea level and can climb 600 feet gradually up the river, swimming in pools, standing under small falls, sliding down smooth rocks. It’s a beautiful and fantastic experience. Debriefing Your Students Debrief by asking for reactions from the group and asking if anybody has a question for another participant. You will have listened carefully to the introductions. If somebody has chosen a place related to your topic, use that place as a transition to your first lecture or activity.

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Facing it paper assignment1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Facing it paper assignment1 - Essay Example The scene of the poem is the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Washington D.C., which lists the names of the American Army personnel who died in the war. The poem deals with the images of this experience. The poem is autobiographical, being based on his stint in Vietnam. Written in the first person point-of-view, the narrator of â€Å"Facing It† is Yusef. This point of view gives the poem a very intimate tone. The reader is absorbed into the mind of the poet and sees the Memorial through his eyes. The poet’s point-of-view narrative in â€Å"Facing It† expresses his confrontation of his own emotions, shows his empathy for others and explores his search for closure. As Yusef faces the Memorial, he confronts his own emotions and experiences during the Vietnam War. The Memorial is a wall of black, polished stone. The high polish results in the images of viewers being reflected off the names of the dead soldiers which are inscribed on the wall. In effect, Yusef tre ats the polished granite wall as a looking glass reflecting the images of war. By adopting this perspective, Yusef sees himself in the wall. He asserts his African-American identity in the very beginning of the poem: â€Å"My black face fades/hiding inside the black granite† (Yusef, 1 / 2). ... However, to the poet’s frustration, this device of melding with the stone does not guard him against pain of his powerful emotions. However much he tries to hide within the wall, and insulate himself from pain by exerting a rock-like self-control, Yusef has to finally acknowledge that he is a living man, with all the sensitivity of living flesh: â€Å"I’m flesh† Yusef accepts (Yusef, ---5). It is obvious that the poet is moved to tears by the recollection of his war experiences. As he views the wall through tear-filled eyes, it is his â€Å"clouded reflection† (Yusef, ---6--) which stares back at him. Yusef pays his personal homage to the dead by going â€Å"down the 58,022 names† (Yusef, ---14) inscribed on the wall. Andrew Johson is obviously someone he knew in the war. The poet relives the horror of the soldier’s death in â€Å"the booby trap’s white flash† (Yusef, --- 18). Yusef’s mention of â€Å"half-expecting to f ind my own in letters like smoke† conveys to the reader his puzzlement at the arbitrary nature of war. He is alive while 58,022 men died. There is a hint of guilt in this image. This sentiment also makes Yusef particularly sensitive to the pain of those who lost loved ones in the war. Yusef empathizes with the other visitors to the Memorial. He sees â€Å"Names shimmer on a woman’s blouse† (Yusef, 19). Like Yusef, this woman is also there to pay homage to the dead. It is likely that there is a name on that wall which belongs to a loved one with whom she identified in life. But now, â€Å"when she walks away, the names stay on the wall† (Yusef, --- 20 / 21). The dead are irrevocably gone and the woman has to leave her love behind in the dead wall. The separation is final. A white veteran approaches Yusef. The man’s

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Telepresence is Finally Coming of Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Telepresence is Finally Coming of Age - Essay Example Similar to face-to-face interactions, telepresence meetings allow users to view one another and the tension to stay attentive and engaged occurs. For most offices, such an innovation would prove the ideal solution (Shein 2010). Clearly, the abilities of the technology might form an experience that feels very realistic. However, users must question whether the experience is similar in quality to real human communication. As a result, prior to continuing to grow telepresence technology, an organization must take its effect on human communication and relationship quality into account. a. Apart from the travel cost savings mentioned in the case study, two less tangible advantages for applying telepresence over the travel alternative are the quality of the life of a worker and ecological footprint. These merits are not effortlessly weighted or valued. As a result, I will offer and reference conformist approximations in this research to support my answers. These kinds of innovations are only possible because of the functionality of grids, particularly telecommunications (Shein 2010). b. Levels of stress affect human health significantly. Researchers surveyed traveling businesspersons in 2000 who recorded 80% more clinical claims than those who are stationary (Shein 2010). Consequently, clinical claims can result in lost work output at the workplace. Between 60 and 90% of grievances made by patients and taken to doctors are about stress (Shein 2010). Researcher Dr. Herbert Benson says three of the most widespread symptoms, headaches, serious pain, and hypertension, account for more than half of lost incomes from absenteeism. It is logical to presume that retain workers in their homes as much as possible to prevent increases in their stress levels (Shein 2010).  

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Is Religion Opposed to Change?

Is Religion Opposed to Change? Religions are often presented as if they are opposed to choice and change. To what extent do the controversial futures examined in Book 4 support or challenge this view? Controversies surrounding religious futures rely on a premise of religions either remaining true to their origins to retain authenticity or adapting to change to accommodate an increasingly spiritual and consumeristic world. The tensions that arise stem from assertions that religion, in an unaltered state cannot remain relevant to modern adherents and therefore will eventually die, alongside a view that a religion that adapts loses the essence of its original message to the pressures of consumerism and therefore its integrity is depleted. Proponents of the latter view argue that when an adopted message become too far removed from the revealed religion a cut flower culture (Herberg, cited in Mercadante, 2014) is created where the moral and spiritual messages of the root religion withers and dies; in other words, they lack the moral depth and social cohesiveness of more traditional religions (Gauthier et al., 201, p. 292) The choice between stasis and change is not binary, however, as there is a continuity between sacred scriptures and the most eclectic, free-spirited spirituality of today (Gottlieb, 2012). This continuity has become increasingly important as the terms religion and spirituality become less synonymous than they have previously been, highlighting a shift from a static, structured and institutional view of religion to a more individualistic pick and mix (King cited in Harvey, 2013, p. 20) approach to spiritual futures. This transition has witnessed approximately 40% of Americans unchurched with no connection with organized religion who claim to be strongly religious or spiritual on a personal level (Fuller, 2001, p. 1), exemplifying the balancing act that religions must take in charge to maintain identity against a maelstrom of modern demands whilst adapting to attract or retain the consumers needed to exist in the competitive spiritual marketplace. The change of emphasis from institutional to individual has been in discussion for many years, indeed the definition of religion varies from the personal and psychologized versions of spirituality (Harvey, 2013, p.19) where the individual feelings and experiences are of supreme importance or the feelings, acts and experiences of individual men in their solitude (James, cited in Harvey, 2013, p.9) to the institutional view of a religion where the church is central and essential to a faith, or as Durkheim suggests the idea of religion is inseparable from that of the Church (Durkheim, cited in Harvey, 2013, p.9). Durkheims view could be considered to represent a view of religion that is resistant to change, placing emphasis on the continuity of the Church and the sacred things therein (Durkheim, cited in Harvey, 2013, p.9), whereas James view of religion, being more individualistic in nature is infinitely more susceptible to change because the very nature of the individualism adapts spi rituality to the person who perceives it, a situation in which a spiritual seeker creates or rec-creates his or her own private system of symbolic meanings and values (Hanegraaff, 2009, cited in Harvey, 2013, p.25). Such individualism allows for exploration of spirituality outside of the constraints of church mores, spirituality then, can be seen as the positive aspects of the ancient religious traditions, unencumbered by the dead hand of the church; (Carrette King, 2005, p.2), with a strict emphasis on the self and on spiritual experience not a concept of God, but, rather, of the higher self (Hanegraaff, cited in Houtman et al., 2009, p.170). Such contrasting viewpoints highlight a definition of religion as a being concerned with external dogmatic authority set over the individual and spirituality being concerned with the deepest experiences of the individual (Vincett and Woodhead, cited in Woodhead and Catto, 2013, p.158). The individualistic element of spirituality has often bee n labeled as New Age, although this is an all-encompassing label for a multiform hypersyncretic splicing of ideas (Sutcliffe, 2000, cited in Harvey, 2013, p.23) that is hardly satisfactory. Such is the diversity of human spiritual need and options available to the seeker that a consistent formula for spiritual satisfaction cannot be achieved, in which case a label such as New Age can only be used as a contrast to traditional religions under the assumption that traditional religions do not undergo any form of borrowing from other faiths; as Hanegraaff suggests the term New Age is a label attached indiscriminately to whatever seems to fit it and as a result, the New Age means very different things to different people (Hanegraaff, 1996, p.1, emphasis in original). However, New Age belief invariably stems from traditions as there has been a mutation of traditional religions for a New Age believer to accommodate, in this sense New Age religion unquestionably emerged from esoteric traditi ons in Western culture (Hanegraaff, 1996, p.383). Such variation means that New Age believers, with such an infinite matrix of needs become ready consumers and, as their spiritual needs change so do their material wants, a phenomenon borne out at Glastonbury in the South West of England; which is a keen example of the mutation, adaptation and commercialisation found within religion and spirituality. Glastonburys past is steeped in claims made for it on behalf of goddess worship, paganism, Christianity and new age spirituality. These claims range from Glastonbury being the site of Avalon; the site where Joseph of Arimathea washed and buried the Holy Grail and a venue that Jesus himself visited; it is therefore a popular pilgrimage site for Christians and non-believing pilgrims as pilgrimage is not clearly distinguishable from acts such as tourism (Hedges, 2017). Such a diverse pedigree in one venue has the potential for conflict and controversy between groups of believers, as well as between believers and local residents; however, Gl astonbury, as a religious site, has successfully incorporated all of these claims in such a way that, not only do different belief groups co-exist but they do so symbiotically, with each group benefiting, often financially, from the lure of diversity for spiritual consumers keen to sample all that beliefs that Glastonbury has to offer; this has created a spiritual marketplace of significant proportions. The attraction of Glastonbury for the spiritual seeker is evident in the windows of the shops which display a plethora of spiritual material culture catering for a wide variety of spiritual interests within one shop. This enables the spiritual seeker to purchase containers of the sacred (Colman and Elsner, cited in Bowman, 2013, p.55) from one or many religions to suit their particular needs; this example of vernacular religion in which consumers either produce ritual objects themselves, re-purpose traditional religious props, or shop off the shelf from other religious traditions to use for their own inventive, often empowering, spiritual practices (Twitchell, cited in Scott and Maclaran, 2009, p.60). Such commercial opportunity creates a level of competition with each religion vying for custom and therefore creating a spiritual economy which is leading to the establishment of an appropriate, sustainable and new Glastonbury economy (Ivakhiv, 2001, p.124), an economy fed by competition which traditional religions are not immune to. The consumer spiritual market place has encouraged the Abbey at Glastonbury to retain and recruit new adherents by marketing their own brand of religion that resonates with dominant social values of individualism, empowerment and aspiration to affluence (Yip and Ainsworth, 2010, p. 702) indeed, the Glastonbury Abbey website not only describes the history of the Abbey but also displays a level of commercialism as it advertises entrance to the Abbey at  £8.25 as well as an array of gifts including Celtic designs, the Green Man, and ch urch mice among other gift ideas (Glastonbury Abbey, 2017), many of which are not directly Christian in nature but are available as a commodity for tourists, spiritual or otherwise, thus demonstrating a recognition and an acceptance of change within a traditional religious setting. The commercialization of Glastonbury Abbey is not new, historically it has been a land owner and wool trader and as such played a major part in developing market capitalism in Glastonbury (Bowman, 2012, p.15); however, the Abbeys economic influence is no longer restricted to the physical world as the Abbey has adopted technology to create a website capitalises on e-commerce, trading on the provenance of Glastonbury as a sacred space, to allow people who may not have attended Glastonbury to purchase items in order to support the upkeep on the Abbey stating that All profits from the shop are used to help to care for the abbey ruins as well as enhancing the experience for our visitors and that Shop and ticke t sales and donations are the abbeys main source of income'(Glastonbury Abbey, 2017). Glastonbury therefore is an example of religious change in which a traditional religion has recognised that competition within the market and has adapted its offerings to retain custom. Glastonbury Abbey is by no means unique in its willingness to adapt to the demands of its consumers; Luss Church in Scotland boasts fifteen hundred years of continuous Christian presence and, despite a small population, and a smaller local congregation, attracts seven hundred and fifty thousand visitors to Luss many of them to our Church and Pilgrimage Centre (lusschurch.com, 2017) This represents a significant change from the churchs past in which a financially struggling church has adopted the availability of the internet in which New technology has opened up alternative ways of making relationships with visitors real and profitable and our small congregation is enjoying discovering new ways of being the Church in a new century (Luss Church, 2017). This is clearly a development that has been embraced by a worldwide congregation of people who regularly access online services streamed over the internet, this technology also allows friends and relative to view the weddings of people f rom over 40 countries (Bowman, 2013, p.79) express a desire to marry at the church. The exposure that Luss has received from the internet has enabled them to tap into a lucrative wedding industry, removing market share from local hotels who previously would have enjoyed the income from overseas couples wanting to marry in the picturesque setting of Luss. In return, the church adds to the local tourist economy as many friends and relatives will stay for prolonged periods after the wedding at local hotels. The adoption of new technologies has allowed Christianity to reach a larger audience of potential customers, as Pope John Paul II states With the advent of computer telecommunications and what are known as computer participation systems, the Church is offered further means for fulfilling her mission (Pope John Paul II, cited in OLeary, 1996, p.782), a sentiment that has been taken up in many churches. A survey by Elena Larson finds that the Internet is being used being used by congr egations to strengthen the faith and spiritual growth of their members, evangelize and perform missions in their communities and around the world (Larson, 2001, p.2) with the main use of technology being to encourage people to visit the church and become part of the local congregation. Regardless of the success of this mission religions are embracing the opportunity that change brings, indeed Larsons survey suggests that 83% of those responding to our survey say that their use of the Internet has helped congregational life (Larson, 2001, p.2). The spirit of change lies not just with the church but also with by the congregation who, according to a job to vacancy for a new Minister are looking for someone not bound to the past, who are open to change (Luss Church, 2017). In conclusion, traditional religions are not averse to change, indeed, the adoption of different practices and ideas has long been part of religious traditions and a need to adapt to accommodate modernity is essential for a religions survival. Modernisation, and a shift from religiosity to spirituality, is not necessarily a prelude of the death of religion, or its social extinction, but its continuing relevance has required a change in and transformation of its social forms (Adogame, 2014, p215). The continuation of traditional religion within an individualized spiritual market proves it to be a constantly moving target (Beaman, 2016, p. 185) that consistently displays the elements of individualism, mutation and commercialism that enable it not only to survive, but in its manifold manifestations thrives (Bainbridge, 2004). Indeed, the arrival of competition within the spiritual marketplace, rather than being detrimental to traditional religion has encouraged it to mutate into marketa ble entity that has increased its presence and market share of consumers worldwide. Word count, 2047 Bibliography Adogame, A. (2014) Putting God in Place! Religious continuities and mutations in classic and diasporic communities, Social Compass, 61(2), pp. 207-218. [Online] DOI: 10.1177/0037768614524662 (Accessed 8 March 2017). Bainbridge, W. (2004) Thinking about religious futures, Futures, 36(9), pp. 943-946 [Online] Available at http://dx.doi.org.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/10.1016/j.futures.2004.02.006 (Accessed 3 March 2017). Beaman, L. (2016) Grace Davie, Religion in Britain: a persistent paradox, Religion, State and Society, 44 (2), pp. 185-186. [Online] Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09637494.2016.1210345 (Accessed 3 March 2017). Bowman, M. (2012) Understanding Glastonbury as a site of spiritual consumption in Lynch, G. and Mitchell, J. (eds). Religion, Media and Culture: A Reader, Abingdon, Routledge. [Online]. Available at Google Books https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=enlr=id=z4eoAgAAQBAJoi=fndpg=PP1dq=Religion,+Media+and+Culture:+A+Readerots=U-7W5rpHptsig=oS-Qq2lYBhtPm4hpFIW_TSXWyFs#v=onepageq=Religion%2C%20Media%20and%20Culture%3A%20A%20Readerf=false (Accessed 21 March 2017). Bowman, M. (2013) Consuming religion: materiality, markets and spiritually shopping around in Controversial Futures, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Bratton, M. (2015) Belief without Borders: Inside the Minds of the Spiritual but not Religious, Journal of Contemporary Religion, 30(2), pp. 327-329 [Online] Available at http://dx.doi.org.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/10.1080/13537903.2015.1025565 (Accessed 4 March 2017). Carrette, J. and King, R. (2005) Selling spirituality, [Online], London, Routledge. Available at ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/open/detail.action?docID=182496. (Accessed 7 March 2017). Fuller, R. (2001) Spiritual, but not religious, [Online] Oxford, Oxford University Press. Available at ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/open/detail.action?docID=3051860 . (Accessed 7 March 2017).. Available at ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/open/detail.action?docID=3051860 (Accessed 7 March, 2017). Gauthier, F., Martikainen, T. and Woodhead, L. (2011) Introduction: Religion et societe de consummation/ Religion in Consumer Society, Social Compass, 58(3), pp. 291-301. [Online] DOI: 10.1177/0037768611412141 (Accessed 10 March 17). Glastonbury Abbey, (2017) Gift Items Glastonbury Abbey Shop [online]. Available from http://www.glastonburyabbeyshop.com (Accessed 20 March 2017). Gottlieb, R. S. (2013) Spirituality what it is and why it matters. New York, Oxford University Press. [Online] DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199738748.003.0006 (Accessed 5 March 2017). Hanegraaff, W. (1996) New Age religion and Western culture, Leiden, Brill. [Online]. Available from ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/open/detail.action?docID=253432. (Accessed 20 March 2017). Harvey, G. (2013) Religious individualism: the rise of spirituality in Controversial Futures, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Hedges, P. (2017) Remembering and the Creation of Sacred Place: Glastonbury, Anglican Christian Theology, and Identity, Implicit Religion, 17(3), pp. 297-320, [online] DOI: 10.1558/imre v17i3.297 (Accessed 19 March 17). Ivakhiv, A. (2001). Claiming sacred ground. Bloomington, Indiana University Press.[online] Available at https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=QNHTOvnZ3poCdq=adrian+ivakhiv+glastonburylr=source=gbs_navlinks_s (Accessed 8 March 2017). Larson, E. (2000). Wired churches, wired temples: Taking congregations and missions into cyberspace Pew Internet American Life Project: Online life report [Online]. Available at http://www.pewinternet.org/files/old-media/Files/Reports/2000/PIP_Religion_Report.pdf.pdf (Accessed 21 March 2017). Luss church. (2017). Luss Parish Church. [online]. Available at http://lusschurch.com/history.html (Accessed 20 Mar. 2017). Maclaran,P. and Scott, L. (2009). Spiritual Tourism: Mystical Merchandise and Sacred Shopping in Glastonbury, Advances in Consumer Research, 36, pp. 60-63.[Online] Available at http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/14366/volumes/v36/NA-36 (Accessed 21 March 2017). Meradante, L. (2014). life without borders: inside the minds of the spiritual but not religious, 1st ed. New York, Oxford University Press, [online] Available at http://www.oxfordscholarship.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199931002.001.0001/acprof-9780199931002-chapter-1 (Accessed 14 March 2017). OLeary, SD. (1996). Cyberspace as Sacred Space: Communicating Religion on Computer Networks, Journal Of The American Academy Of Religion, 64, 4, pp. 781-808, [Online]. Available at http://jaar.oxfordjournals.org.libezproxy.open.ac.uk (Accessed 21 March 2017). Woodhead, L.and Catto.R. (2013), Religion and Change in Modern Britain, [Online]. Available at ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/open/detail.action?docID=957397. (Accessed 17 March 2017). Yip, J. Ainsworth, S. (2010). Religious Artefacts as Consumer Culture Products, Advances in Consumer Research, vol. 37, pp. 702. [Online] Available at http://libezproxy.open.ac.uk/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=bthAN=57668009site=ehost-livescope=site . (Accessed 20 March 2017). Should the State Promote Positive Liberty? Should the State Promote Positive Liberty? Critically discuss the argument (Isiah Berlin) that the state should not promote positive liberty. The term freedom has always been a difficult discussion; there are various views of freedom in different fields. According to Heywood, A, (2004), he pointed out that in philosophy, freedom is often described as an attribute of the will to observe and study. However, in economics and sociology, freedom has always been seen as a social relationship. The political theorist often viewed freedom as a liberal ethic or normative principles. Among many definitions of freedom, Isiah Berlin subdivided freedom into positive and negative liberty. On the basis of this distinction, Berlin not only declared that positive liberty concept is the theoretical basis of totalitarianism, but also aggressively criticized the concept of positive freedom. He believed that the state should not promote positive freedom. In this essay, we will discuss the theoretical structure from Berlin’s concepts of liberty and pros or cons respectively. Also discussion about whether the state should not advocate posi tive liberty will be included. According to the Berlin (1958) in the Two Concepts of Liberty à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’the concepts of negative liberty and positive liberty were clearly distinguished. The negative liberty was defined as a personal action without interference from others. For instance, the individual has the freedom that others do not have right to attack him. The positive liberty means that the choices of individuals living pattern were decided by themselves rather than any other factors, or simply known as everyone has the freedom to pursuit happiness. In other words, the purpose of negative freedom is the protection of individual rights and resistance of collective rights, which serves for the implementation of various individual rights. For the positive freedom, its main purpose is to obtain certain interests or achieve contain goals. Mostly it displays in the social rights of various participatory. Therefore, it is often expressed as social rights. Isiah Berlin indicated in his theory of freedom that positive freedom always lead to despotism and society should focus on negative freedom. Pursuing positive freedom may lead to no freedom. For instance, we asked for the right of education, which is a positive freedom. It will require government intervention; hence the power of government will increase accordingly. It may result in a violation of individual freedom. As comparison, the negative freedom is less risky. The freedom of not suffering from invasion by external forces is a fine illustration of such point. If people want to enhance the negative freedom, we only need to change regulations. However to promote the positive liberty, not only we need to change the distribution system, but also the ability of mankind. More importantly it is related to the desire of people. Therefore, compare with negative freedom, positive freedom has more opportunities for people to abuse. Criticism of positive freedom from Berlin was very critical. He warned us that dangers come with positive freedom, which are restriction and compulsion. Berlin thought that positive freedom has a generally applicable correct mode, rationale for instance, and we should do everything in accordance with this model. However, in reality, people are affected by various factors including level of understanding, which leads to diffident opinions about right model. Therefore, they need an authority to define what the right model is and force people to comply such rule. Eventually, people will follow the rules under the power of authority, but meanwhile it has changed freedom to restriction. Berlin called the procedure of turning positive freedom into not restriction as strange conversion. After such change, the reversal of positive liberty becomes deprival of freedom. However, in fact such phenomenon is unlikely to happen. Berlin was not completely certain about positive freedom will move tow ard to constraint and inevitable fetter. He only recognized that the possibility was extremely high. Based on that, Fromm,E (1941) refuted the view of Berlin. He thought that positive freedom has a generally applicable correct mode. This mode implies that people can only act in accordance with this model without other choices. He analyzed through German history to understand the reason of Nazi successful controlling their power. He believed despotism of Nazi could be achieved based on the two premises. The first one is that with the development of society, people have the negative liberty, which appeared before the rise of capitalism. The second one is that people obtained the negative liberty, but not the positive freedom. He also indicated that freedom will become constraint even tyranny, if and only if society does not have positive freedom. Fromm’ opinion was consistent with other members from Frankfurt school. They all thought that fascism and capitalism had a close rela tionship. The tyranny of Nazi will become a powerful weapon to deny Berlin’ view, as no matters what negative freedom will always stay the same. In Fromm,E s opinion, state should promote positive liberty due to it will promote development of society. Although in Berlin’ view, the positive freedom is always connected with rationalism and through the rationalism, it can turn into constraint or autocracy. However, negative liberty will also face such problem. For example, when people do not have any restrictions, they will do anything just based on their desires, and this will lead to conflict inevitably. Therefore, as a result, we need the law to limit the people’ freedom. Based on that, positive and negative freedom face the same issue as law is required to restrain both of them. The negative freedom and positive freedom must be considered as equally important factors when people discuss the problem of freedom. However, because of positive freedom is very easy to be used by the autocratic government. It always associated with a very poor reputation, which makes people embarrassing to advocate positive liberty. Taylor, (1985) pointed out, contemporary liberalism paid too much attention to the negative freedom and rejected positive freedom. This behavior was inappropriate. The negative freedom and positive freedom are indispensable parts of the liberty. In order to achieve real freedom, it is necessary to link both of them. Secondly, in the real practice, positive freedom is one of the most essential freedoms in any society. Negative freedom alone can never constitute freedom completely. If there is no positive freedom, negative freedom cannot exist by itself. For example, the right to vote is recognized in all free societies. Such freedom is an essential condi tion for guaranteeing various freedoms. However, this freedom itself is not a negative freedom, but a positive freedom. According to this, positive freedom is always the condition of guaranteeing and completing negative freedom. So the negative liberty could not be understood and implemented alone. Apart from voting right, we can cite many other apparent examples, which also belongs to the positive freedom and also very important that we cannot understate it. For example, it includes obtaining the basic right of survival; the rights of freedom of speech, press freedom; the right of education; the right of obtaining medical support and healthy environment; the right of obtaining healthy food; and the right of enjoying the sunshine, clean air and water. Everyone has to admit that these rights are critically important, but they are all positive freedom. Therefore, it is incorrect that Berlin suggested that state should not promote the positive freedom and only keep the negative freedom . He ignored the importance of positive freedom, as the freedom that people wanted to obtain it directly is always a positive freedom, these freedoms help people to carry their life. Negative freedom should only be used to guarantee or protect the positive freedom. If there is no positive freedom, negative freedom will lose its meaning. The goal of freedom is the positive freedom; negative freedom is just a rational agreement, which provides a limit upon positive liberty. It can be seen that the negative freedom itself is hollow; its only content is to guarantee rational strategy of positive freedom. In the conclusion, Berlin’s theory was against positive freedom, and mainly it was directly against the positive freedom of Marxism. He stated that the positive freedom of Marxism will lead to a totalitarian society, which will vanish individual freedom. However, we cannot just focus on negative liberty and ignore positive liberty, and vice versa .We need to link them together, use the negative freedom as the premise, then we could carry out various positive measures to protect the negative freedom. Therefore, if the positive freedom implemented without negative freedom, it will fall into compulsion or tyranny as Berlin said. However if the negative freedom does not involve positive freedom, it will become weak and fragile, as such freedom cannot maintain a long time by itself. So if a state wants to achieve a good level of development, only negative freedom is inadequacy. Hence the state needs to promote the positive freedom, as it has its own unique value, which also made a certain contribution to the society. Reference: Heywood,A.,(2004).Political Theory: An Introduction .3rd Edition Berlin, I., (1969). Four Essays on Liberty,Oxford: Oxford University Press Matravers, D., Pike, J., Warburton, N. (2000). Reading Political Philosophy: Machiavelli to Mill.P231 Fromm,E.,(1941). Escape from Freedom. Inc., New York Fromm,E., (1942). The Fear of Freedom. Inc., Great Britain Taylor, C., (1979). Whats wrong with Negative Liberty, in D. Miller (ed.) (1991), Liberty. P141-162

Monday, January 20, 2020

21st Century Advertisement Tactics Essay -- essays research papers

21st Century Advertisement Tactics At first glance you see an incredibly handsome man embracing an enchanting young lady. The two appear to in love. They are all alone, kissing in a dark gloomy subway station. How can this be an advertisement for men ¡Ã‚ ¦s shoes? Most advertisements use appealing visuals like these to sell their products. Many of those techniques are illogical, deceptive, and some may even be considered too erotic. The attached advertisement for shoes employs many of these techniques in campaigning their product to customers. It promotes shallow values (sex appeal), it was illogical, and even deceptive. This advertisement was geared more for men. It is an ad for men ¡Ã‚ ¦s shoes and was found in a magazine geared for men. The magazine Maximum is geared generally toward the male crowd. The most prominent figure in the advertisement is what appears to be a couple, dressed in dark dull colors, standing in a subway kissing. However, at the bottom of the advertisement a bright tan colored shoe appears to jump out at you from the dismal dark back round. This advertisement is a prime example of using color to promote a product. The tan shoe is bright in contrast to the dismal bland appearance of the background. It seems to jump off the page and grab your attention. Clearly in this advertisement color was used to help elaborate on the product. The use of color is only one of the many techniques advertising companies can use to embellish their product. Sometimes they may...

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Jewish Passover

JEWISH PASSOVER FESTIVAL MOOD: The mood of this festival is happy as it is a celebration of freedom. TIME AND DURATION: Passover begins on the 14th or 15th day (depending on where you are from) of the month of Nisan and ends on the 22nd day of the month of Nisan. It is celebrated for seven days in Israel and eight days outside of Israel. The reason for the difference has to do with the way the ancient calendar worked.HOW DOES THE RITUAL REFLECT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JEWISH PEOPLE AND GOD? The ritual reflects the relationship between Jewish people and God through the purpose of the festival. The aim of Passover for Jews is to create a connection between one’s self and God by fulfilling the biblical commandment from God to the Hebrews of commemorating and celebrating ‘Chag Ha-Matzot’ (the festival of Unleavened Bread).WHAT PRACTICAL/ETHICAL ACTION COULD COME OUT OF CELEBRATING THIS FESTIVAL? By recounting the events of the first Passover during Seder before dinne r, Jewish people feel as if they had been personally involved in those events, therefore making them feel more aware of the events and they gain more empathy toward those still living under oppression and consequently work towards gaining their political and physical freedom as well.As well as this, another ethical action that comes out of the celebration is that many Jewish people invite all of their friends and family around for Seder and in particular the dinner. EXTRA FACTS: *The Passover festival is the oldest festival/holiday in Judaism *Passover's name comes from the last of the Ten Plagues visited on the Egyptians by Yahweh before the Exodus *This festival has had an influence on some other religions, for example Christianity.The Christian feast of Maundy Thursday finds its roots in the Jewish feast of Passover, the night on which the Last Supper is generally thought to have occurred *This year Passover begins on March 25th and ends on April 1st BIBLIOGRAPHY: URL: http://jud aism. about. com/od/holidays/a/Jewish-Holiday-Passover-Pesach. htm DATE VISITED: 9-3-2013 URL: http://www. religionfacts. com/judaism/holidays/pesach. htm DATE VISITED: 9-3-2013

Saturday, January 4, 2020

What Is True Self Awareness Will Ever Be Possible For...

It s hard to say whether true self-awareness will ever be possible for machines, but many scientists predict this is not only possible, but just around the corner. Maybe we need to start thinking about the social ramifications involved in a world where we are no longer the only intelligent beings on the planet. After all, if our new machine friends feel mistreated, we don t want it to result in a skynet-like scenario. Are we already off to a bad start? Are we developing a culture of inequality toward AI? Parents are voicing concerns about the way their kids are treating Alexa, the AI personal voice assistant which Amazon has adopted for its Amazon Echo Speaker/device. Amazon Echo is a cloud-based AI that listens to people’s questions and commands, then accesses the appropriate application to fulfill the request. It’s a sophisticated program with cloud-based access to over 100 applications, which means Alexa can do a wide variety of things for you, including order a pizza, play your favorite song, give you a weather report and she even tells jokes. Also, Alexa has a machine learning architecture that enables her to adapt to your voice patterns, which means she will get even smarter over time. Since Amazon Echo’s release in 2014 it has grown rapidly in popularity, which has prompted Apple and Google to develop similar products. Apple has begun adopting its Siri program to a similar platform, and Google has already announced its equivalent program, Google Home. Children,Show MoreRelatedEmotion As Described And Theorized By Antonio Damasio1366 Words   |  6 PagesDamasio’s work to explain how Block and Chalmers distinguish between conscious awareness and conscious experience. 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