Financial Leverage, Eps and Profit Margin Essay

Profits might be compared with sales, assets, or stockholders’ equity. Why might all three bases be used? Will trends in these ratios always move in the same direction? All the three bases are used to find the return earned with respective to sales as well as investment made. When the profit is compared with sales, it is called as the net profit margin. When the profit is compared with assets, it is called as return earned on total investment and when profit is compared with stockholders’ equity, it is called as return on equity. All these are profitability ratios and help to analyze the profitability at a particular period with respect to various bases. The trend in these ratios may not always move in the same direction. For example, return on assets may increase from one period to another, but not necessarily the return on equity. A cause for this may be due to change in capital structure and mix of debt and equity. Would you expect the profit margin in a quality jewelry store to differ from that of a grocery store? Comment. Yes. The profit margin in a quality jewelry store may differ from that of a grocery store. A jewelry store’s profit margin would be much higher than of a grocery store. A grocery store will have a lower profit margin with respect to sales and earns its profits by selling more volume. But in the case of a jewelry store, the profit margin earned on each unit would be higher. Give a simple definition of earnings per share. Earnings per share can be defined as the earnings available to equity shareholders after the payment of preferred dividends, if any, with respect to one share. It is calculated as net income available to equity shareholders divided by the number of outstanding equity shares. Define financial leverage. What is its effect on earnings? When is the use of financial leverage advantageous and disadvantageous? The extent to which a firm uses fixed income securities can be termed as a financial leverage. The fixed income securities include bonds and debentures. The effect on earnings includes reduction of profits due to payment of fixed interest on these securities. The use of financial leverage is advantageous especially when the leverage is at the optimum level. At this level, the existence of leverage maximizes the earnings per share of the equity holders. This is because all the excess profits after the payment of interest go to the equity holders. The use of financial leverage is disadvantageous when it exceeds the optimal level. When the leverage is too high, it increases the risk of the company as well as the cost of capital. This also reduces the long term solvency of the business.

Ethnocentricity Essay

The cultures of people in different countries can affect the marketing strategies that a company will use as it enters new international markets. The company has to consider vary many factors of the new international, market place, some of these are political factors, social factors, economic and technological factors. Looking at the social cultural factors ethnocentricity is a major factor especially if the new marketplace is in a country with diverse cultures. This is a major challenge because most of these people hold so much to these cultures that it is very difficult to make them adopt your product and your marketing strategies. To enter a market like the Japanese market one must understand that they do not consume other products like pork as an example because that’s some of their cultural beliefs This means that in order to enter such markets one has to understand the practices of the people in these regions, their cultures and other influences like customs ethnic differences attitudes towards the products or services e. . c. The cultural activities of these people desires and their likes and preferences, these equip the individuals of the communities with certain value systems and on the other hand compel individuals and the community to comply with certain demands and participate in certain activities. In U. K for example a large population like football and most of them are at least attached to teams in their locality i. e. Manchester Everton etc. This should be used as a good ground for marketing products and distribution. Britons also have other tastes and preferences that differ with other people i. e they are not all that attached to rap music unlike the Japanese and Chinese who have their indigenous types of music the British like rhythms and blues. Some of these diverse likes and preferences will affect the planning and the channels of distributions that will be used. The Japanese people for example produce most of their goods especially electronics locally using cheap labor and locally available materials making it hard for a foreign product to penetrate that particular market. This should be a challenge to the marketer to introduce products that are rare I this particular market and price them lower than the competing brands and use vigorous distribution systems by the use of many levels of distribution probably the three level distribution channel i. e(manufacturer –wholeseller-retaillet-consumer) so that the product can reach all people in the target market. The French on the other hand are the direct opposite of the Britons in culture and hence in order to penetrate the French market a company should adopt products that have some attributes attached to them i. e social classes. This is because the French culture is that they believe that they are way above the rest and that their civilization is the best hence the type of product that fits them is a prestigious product hence to penetrate this market there is need to position the product ahead of the rest as a market leader. In order lure many people to adopt the product. Ethnocentricity has also a great impact on the type of media to use in communication of the product preferences to people of diverse cultures i. e the way the company will advertise its products and services in Britain will be different from the way the product will be advertised in Britain and the advertising media to use. The advertising medias range from print visual, audio- visual, billboards and small adverts done in between movies i. in between football matches. In France and Britain the best media to use are the print media and audio visual like T. Vs. However, billboards can also be used especially if they are to be set up in roundabouts in towns to remind the people on the product. China and Japan on the other hand need entirely advertisements over the Radio because this is the best media to reach a large number of people.

The Gaze a Critical of the Female Figure in Art and Advertising

Ideas and Perspectives Module 2012/2013 Claire Hynds The Gaze A Critical of the Female Figure in Art and Advertising 22/01/2013 Contents Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 Chapter 1: History of ‘The Nude’ within European oil Paintings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5-6 Chapter 2: Susanna and the Elders†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6-10 Chapter 3: The Vanity of Women†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 10-11 Chapter 4: Helene Fourment in a Fur Coat†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦11-12 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 13 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 14 List of Illustrations Peter Paul Rubens Susanna and the Elders (1636-40)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Artemisa Gentileschi Susanna and the Elders (1610)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 Tintoretto Susanna and the Elders (1555-56)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 Rubens Helene Fourment in a Fur Coat (1577-1640)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦12 Introduction Women have often been observed in society as being different from a man. A man’s presence is seen as being a powerful force; whereas a woman’s presence has been depicted as being a physical emanation, a kind of heat. It has been said that from a young age a woman has been taught to constantly watch her every move, whether it be her walking across a room, or whilst weeping at the death of a loved one.To be born a woman was said to have been born within a confined space, or into the keeping of a man. Throughout history men have always surveyed a woman before they considered treating them. Consequently how a man treats a woman can be determined by many things, for instance if a woman is to throw a glass on the floor, this is how she expresses her anger towards a situation and how she would like it to be perceived by others, yet if a man was to do the same this would be read as an expression of his anger. As John Berger states in ‘Ways of Seeing’ (P. 47) Men act and wome n appear. Men look at women.Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between men and women but also the relation of women themselves. â€Å"The surveyor of women in herself is male: the surveyed is female. Thus she turns herself into an object and most particularly an object of vision: a sight† (John Berger ‘Ways of Seeing’ Page. 47) Chapter 1 History of ‘The Nude’ within European oil Paintings In the history of European oil painting it has been said that women were known for being the primary and ever-recurring subject. In the subject of women they were best known for being painted in the nude.It is said that the first nudes to have been depicted in the history of art was that of Adam and Eve. John Berger has stated (P. 47) that is was worth mentioning the story of Adam and Eve as told in Genesis: ‘And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves aprons†¦.And the Lord God called unto the man and said unto him, â€Å"Where are thou? † And he said, â€Å"I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself†¦. Unto the woman God said, â€Å"I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee† What is found striking about this particular story is how Adam and Eve become aware of each other’s nakedness the exact moment they take a bite of the forbidden fruit, as a result of this they saw one another in a completely different way.Nakedness was created in the mind of the beholder. Wha t is also striking about this story is how the woman is blamed and made to suffer by being made to serve the man. As the traditions of paintings become more secular, other themes are offered up as an opportunity for painting nudes. But in all of them there remains the fact that the subject (a woman) is all too aware of being watched by the spectator. ‘She is not naked as she is. She is naked as the spectator sees her. ’ (John Berger ‘Ways of Seeing. Page. 50) Chapter 2 Susannah and the EldersSusanna and the Elders was one of the most popular images of the sixteenth century, these pieces were taken from the Old Testament story of Susanna and the Elders. The images that were done of Susanna and the Elders were depicted from specific passages from the 13th Chapter of the book of Daniel. Unlike most versions of Susanna and the Elders, the Schonborn painting presents the central confrontation between the main characters, the exact moment within the story when the Elder s return to the garden to seduce Susanna. Mary Garrard (â€Å"Artemisia and Susanna†, Feminism and Art History: Questioning the Litany, Norma Broude and Mary D.Garrard, eds. , pp. 146-171) had this to say on her account of these paintings: Few artistic themes have offered so satisfying an opportunity for legitimized voyeurism as Susanna and the Elders. The subject was taken up by relish by artists from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries as an opportunity to display the female nude, in much the same spirit that such themes as Danae or Lucretia were approached, but with the added advantage that the nude's erotic could be heightened by the presence of two lecherous old men, whose inclusion was both ichnographically justified and pornographically effective. The story of Susanna and the Elders is seen as a remarkable testament of the man’s ego, a biblical theme of the exemplum of a female’s chastity which shows the celebration of sexual opportunity. Or as Max Rooses enthusiastically described Ruben’s version of the story as a â€Å"gallant enterprise mounted by two adventures†. Peter Paul Rubens, Susanna and the Elders, 1636-40 Griselda Pollock (Differencing the Canon, p. 105) states the following on the subject of Susanna and the Elder’s. â€Å"The biblical story of Susanna and theElders tells of a young married Jewish woman living in Babylon during the first exile of the Jewish people (after 586 BCE. ). Susanna is bathing in her garden. She sends her two maids into the house to fetch oil and perfumes for her bath. Two lecherous elders of the community spy on her, conspiring to force her to submit to them sexually. They threaten her that, if she refuses, they will denounce her of adultery with another man, adultery being, according to ancient Jewish law, a capital crime for women.Susanna refuses, preferring the fate of death to the sin they propose. She is then falsely accused by the elders and condemned to death. Daniel, of leonine fame, vindicates Susanna by exposing the elders' mendacity. Interrogating them separately, he asks them under which tree Susanna committed adultery. Each names a different kind of tree. They are then executed for the crime of false witness. † This story is seen as a complex narrative of sexual desire and visual temptation.During the Renaissance the focus of the woman’s nakedness while bathing is exposed to a lecherous conspiracy which emphasized the sexual, voyeuristic and visually violating aspects of the theme, while at the same time providing a biblical and even a theological justification of the painting as an erotic female nude, a genre that was emerging in this period, shifting the focus of the female nude from its traditional association with truth towards a more modern signification of desire and its privileged visuality.Garrard and Pollock’s focus on the subject of Susanna and the Elders is of a painting based on the same subject by A rtemisia Gentileschi. Artemisa Gentileschi, Susanna and the Elders, 1610. In one of the many versions of Susanna and the Elders by Tintoretto, Susanna is seen looking at herself in the mirror. In turn she becomes the spectator herself. Tintoretto, Susanna and the Elders, 1555-56. Mary Garrard Mary Garrard (â€Å"Artemisia and Susanna†, Feminism and Art History: Questioning the Litany, Norma Broude and Mary D.Garrard, eds. , pp. 149-150) presented the following on Tintoretto’s painting of Susanna stating: â€Å"Tintoretto, whose adventurers stage their advance in a manner more sneaky than bold, nonetheless offers a representative depiction of the theme in his emphasis upon Susanna’s voluptuous body and upon the Elders’ ingenuity in getting a closer look at it. † Chapter 3 The Vanity of Women The Mirror was often used within paintings to show the vanity of women. The moralizing, however, was seen as being quite hypocritical. You painted a naked woman because you enjoy looking at her, you put a mirror in her hand and you called the painting ‘Vanity’, thus morally condemning the woman whose nakedness you had depicted for your own pleasure†. (John Berger, ‘Ways of Seeing’, P. 51) The main function of the mirror was to make the woman notice herself and see what men see her as, a sight. It is a well-known fact that some paintings do include a male lover. However, the woman’s attention isn’t always directed straight at him.The woman is usually panting looking away from the man or she is seen looking out of the painting supposedly looking towards her true love, or in this case the spectator-owner. In one instance of this type of theme is that of Lely’s painting titled ‘Nell Gwynne’ at painting done especially for the king of that time. In this piece it is clear that the woman is looking passively out of the painting at the spectator, in this case the spectator turns out to be the king. However, Nell’s nakedness was not the expression of her own feelings, but instead was the sign of her submission to the king’s demands. Chapter 4 Helene Fourment in a Fur CoatOne painting that was found to be particularly fascinating was that of Ruben’s young second wife, who he had happily married even though he was, at the time, quite old. Rubens ‘Helene Fourment in a Fur Coat’ 1577-1640 In this piece we see Ruben’s wife in the mist of turning, as she does her fur coat begins to gradually slip off her shoulders. It is clear that if she continues with what she is doing she will not remain covered for very much longer. As her body faces us, even if it isn’t full frontal, it is shown as being a well experienced body. Her appearance has, in the eye of the painter, been altered bye his subjectivity.As John Berger (‘Ways of Seeing’, P. 61) describes ‘There is a displacement sideways of about nine inchesà ¢â‚¬â„¢. If looked at closely it is easy to work out that her thighs, where they are meant to join up with her hips, are seen to be at least a couple of inches apart from the left side of her body. Conclusion The ways of seeing a woman and the way they are presented within a painting have not changed. Women were depicted as being different from men, not because of the difference between feminism and masculinity, but because the spectator is often assumed to be a man and a painting of a naked woman were designed to flatter him. In the art-form of the European nude the painters and spectator-owners were usually men and the persons treated as objects, usually women. This unequal relationship is so deeply embedded in our culture that it still structures the consciousness of many women. They do to themselves what men do to them. They survey, like men, their own femininity†. (John Berger, ‘Ways of Seeing’, P. 63) In the end what was found was quite remarkable and found that women were often observed in society as being different from a man. It just goes to show that even in paintings women will always be seen as objects and nothing more.Bibliography Books: Berger, J. (1972) Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin Books. McMillan, K. Weyes, J. (2011) How to Write Essays & Assignments. 2nd ed. Ashford: Pearson Educations Limited. D’Alleva, A. (2010) How to Write Art History. 2nd ed. London: Laurence King Publishing. Broude, N. Garrard, M. D. (1982) Feminism and Art History: Questioning the Litany. 1st ed. New York: Harper & Row. Websites Tilt, S. (2011) Susanna and the Elders [Online]. Available at: http://employees. oneonta. edu/farberas/arth/arth200/women/susanna. html [Accessed: 14 January 2013]

The Carribiean Nations - Focusing on Haiti Essay

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Week 5 discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Bolshevik Biscuit Factory - Essay Example Since 1992, Danone, although holding a majority share (87%) in Bolshevik, has had only consulting status that changes could take place only with the approval of the Russian management. Danone took full managerial control of Bolshevik from 1997. The present staff at Bolshevik are said to be apparently having problems to include the nuances of having a multicultural workforce (ibid.). This report provides some four challenges met in the case and suggests for changes so that Bolshevik may become compatible with the Danone Group, while allowing for Russian cultural context in fulfilling their objectives. These challenges may somehow overlap in some ways. The facts used in the following discussion lean heavily on the de Vries et al. (2004) case study. Challenge 1) Power structure and reaching out to all or integration. A local Russian worker said, 'We need to understand what the priorities are. This is very clear to westerners because they are working in their own system. It's not clear to us because capitalism is very new to us. It is very important to know what the consequences are for certain actions or non-achievement of tasks. We are playing a new game and the rules need to be explained clearly.' (Quoted from Camiah and Hollinshead. In: de Vries 2004). There is a need to reach out to all workers, no matter how subordinate they are in the power structure of the business. Managers must pass on relevant information to all workers in the system. This means providing equally all employees with what they need to know about career advancement, communication, leadership, management, organizational culture, power, networking, interpersonal skills, and all the other unwritten rules, norms, and cues for success (Copeland 2003). The following ideas can help integrate cultures like those of Russians who prefer a more defined corporate structure where leaders lead and employees follow, with other cultures who like much looser exchange of ideas even on coffee shops (Noik-Benet 2004) - Hold season celebrations that encompass several different holidays and observances under one banner. Establish support networks like clubs for specific groups Use multicultural calendars. Allot to staff three or four discretionary days to cover "non-majority" holidays. Hold season celebrations. Hold a diversity month. Challenge 2) Moving from diverse to diversity-aware organization. There is also the need to be trained in cultural diversity. People from a different cultural background have diverse world views based on religion, philosophy, experience. From diversity to diversity-awareness, groupings should not be emphasized but the wholeness of the organization, therefore as much as possible groups should be treated as one without impinging on the rights of subordinate groups. Diversity awareness training (Payne 2003). Diversity is said to be one of the most serious issues for workers today, but employers are not even prepared for it. They are actually "culturally deprived," not having experienced the kinds of situations arising in today's multicultural settings. Russians and Fins and Americans in Bolshevik or Danone may undergo these trainings. Diversity awareness trainings [offered by some organizations for the purpose] provide an understanding of the issues underlying cultural systems, to help improve communication and its effectiveness in distinct multicultural

Government Regulation of the Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Government Regulation of the Internet - Essay Example Since the cyberspace’s geopolitical demarcation is virtually erased, the question whether a government should step on the internet became in itself questionable. Given that with the issues spawned by the cyberspace are disturbing, that it now becomes an imperative to maintain an acceptable standard of behavior over the internet, it is questionable whether the government do it and will it bring good or disaster?This brings to mind the geographic relativity of laws. Laws are not uniform and essentially differ in each country while the nature of internet stays the same whichever country it may be. For example, laws governing e-commerce and speech in the United States may differ or may not even exist say that of the Middle East country and vice versa that the enforcement of cyberspace regulation may prove to be a challenge if not impossible to implement. Speaking against the government may be a crime in the Middle East and other countries but is perfectly acceptable in the United States as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution. E-commerce and the Anti-Piracy law may be stringent in countries such as the United States but may also be non-existent in other countries. Such, many concerned parties proposed to adopt an intergovernmental regulation to create a cross-border harmonization of internet governance policy for greater efficacy. This may appear good on paper but quite impossible to apply. As mentioned above, what can be acceptable in one country may not be acceptable in other countries.... For example, laws governing e-commerce and speech in the United States may differ or may not even exist say that of the Middle East country and vice versa that the enforcement of cyberspace regulation may prove to be a challenge if not impossible to implement. Speaking against the government may be a crime in the Middle East and other countries but is perfectly acceptable in the United States as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution. E-commerce and Anti-Piracy law may be stringent in countries such as United States but may also be non-existent in other countries. Such, many concerned parties proposed to adopt an intergovernmental regulation to create a cross-border harmonization of internet governance policy for greater efficacy. This may appear good on paper but quite impossible to apply. As mentioned above, what can be acceptable in one country may not be acceptable in other countries. Asserting one’s law on another sovereignty country is just out of the ques tion to regulate the internet. It will just complicate the issue more. There is however other interest groups that espouse the idea of self-imposed regulation of cyberspace conduct. Among these is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in the United States whose mandate is to develop a bottom-up consensus on the usage of the internet among the private sector. Though it differed in identity compared to that of the government, it still called for the regulation of the cyberspace by a broader consensus of different interested parties in the private sector. It is not coercive and is done by an initiative of the private sector who acknowledges that there has to be a set of acceptable behavior in the cyberspace to curb if not eliminate misconduct. For

Leadership in a Police Organization Research Paper

Leadership in a Police Organization - Research Paper Example By calling the attention of the harassing officers, I will also show that I do not condone the improper behavior and hope that my subordinates will adopt my example. Because the people in a police organization depend on each other, at times, even for their lives, there is a strong bond of loyalty tying one to the other which discourages them from speaking about each other’s misconducts. The whistleblowers broke this bond. As their leader, I will publicly applaud their courage to stick to their principles and go against the norm. By doing so, I am subconsciously sending a message to the harassing officers that upholding the law should start amongst those enforcing it. Hopefully, this loyalty to principle will end the harassment and encourage the rest to behave appropriately. (Mullen, A., 2000)Â  It is difficult to be a new leader in an environment such as a police organization. The relationship among its members is bound by a certain sense of devotion that can sometimes cause one to act unethically. However, it is a trait of a good leader to be able to assess the situation and take appropriate action which would serve as an inspiration.

Finance assignment related to china and jordan political risk

Finance related to china and jordan political risk - Assignment Example 14). This paper aims at comparing the corruption price index rating of China and Jordan, reasons for the differences, and issues that create these differences, a rating of political risks of Chin and Jordan, examples of political risks on all countries, and potential drawbacks, and ways to hedge against risk. Corruption percentage index in Jordan is at 45 a decline from the 2012 rating of 48 while China’s corruption percentage index is at 40 showing that it increased from a rating of 39 in 2012 (Transparency International., 2014). Both countries were downgraded in the latest corruption percentage index owing to some factor that necessitated this action by Transparency international. The corruption price index differ by 5 points that that of Jordan being higher than in China and this can be explained by some reasons including a deterioration in political risk in China owing to increased political violence, slowing of the growth of the economy, and nationalism of resources. In Jordan, the differences is as a result for the lowering of corruption percentage index are fighting in Syrian that have led to the influx of refugees into Jordan leading to the domestic shocks on the Jordan economy and domestic strain on the economy owing to insecurity (Intelligence Quarterly, July 22, 2011). The issues that this could create are a reduction in foreign investment in the two countries as well as a reduction in the economic growth of the country. The other issues that could be created by increased political risk I inability of the county to attract new investments and investments by local investors in other countries with a high corruption percentage index. Generally, the political risk in China is low while in Jordan it is high. Examples of political risk in Jordan include the 2011 protests that rocked the country. There have not been enough reforms as agreed in 2011, as a measure to end the protests

Quality Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Quality Management - Research Paper Example Due to heavy losses incurred in the past five months, the bookshop is undergoing a change in management structure. The change is to take effect from next month and it will only involve the replacement of the accountant. Leadership team: The management team involved in implementing the success of the bookshop is the priest who is the chief executive officer. The manager is the chairman of the senior youth group of the church. Finally the accountant is any qualified senior youth member. The priest is the chief executive of the bookshop. His responsibility is overseeing the running of the business from the management to the actual transactions. He is the chief advisor to the manager. He authorizes orders and co-sign major documents together with the manager. He chairs all executive meetings of the bookshop. The manager is the authoritative head of the bookshop. His responsibility ranges from decision making to planning. He is involved in the daily running of the business at the management level. He oversees all the operations of the bookshop and he is the reporting figure of the bookshop. The accountant records every transaction in the bookshop. He is responsible for all the bookkeeping in the bookshop. He ensures all the legal regulations of operating a bookshop are followed. He updates the inventory control ledgers and advice on order quantities and periods. Culture: The culture of the senior youth bookshop is the principles, integrity and values. The value of the bookshop is the customers, staff members and all the other stakeholders. The Principles are to offer the best customer service and products. Also to ensure the books and products offered are the best quality available in the market. The integrity of the bookshop is charging fair prices and fair business practices. The changes needed are: (1) restructuring the management structure. (2) Improving the selling strategies of the bookshop. Existing improvement initiatives: The initiatives are to improve

The 2008 Presidential election Essay Example for Free

The 2008 Presidential election Essay The 2008 Presidential election will soon be upon us as many   states have moved their primaries closer to the present day. It therefore would behoove every individual, no matter how apathetic they think that they are about the political process, to identify it and where they lay within the political spectrum. It is a source of great contention for all responsible citizens, when others dismiss our political process and then later complain when they have done nothing to change the status quo and do not even know the names of the candidates. This could have identified myself a few years ago. I took a greater interest in the history of politics than what was happening to my country in the present day. I then became aware of politics and therefore, needed to know where I stood and why.. This does not always hold true and there are certainly exceptions. However, the fact that Republicans base their beliefs on their faith and Democrats base their beliefs upon the Constitution first and perhaps their faith as well, such issues as abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research and the break down of the American family, all have compelled me to place one foot deep in the Republican Party and the other foot outside of both parties in the event that the Republican Party forgets the faith of the people that they represent as did the Democratic Party during the 1960s and 1970s. I consider myself a Kennedy Republican: strong moral and religious faith, unashamed of the greatness of this country, compelled to improve conditions for minorities as well as the poor, but always pushing self responsibility, self control and fiscal conservatism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the earliest and most powerful factors in a variety of aspects within my life, has been my family. It is ironic that the person who I learned the most from, now votes differently than I do. My father is a member of his union at work so he is compelled to vote for the Democratic Party. He does however disagrees with their stances on various social issues. The rest of my family agree with me and usually vote as I do. I come from a nuclear family and as a result, certain experiences are seen as an enigma rather than what was once the norm. My childhood was far from perfect. However, at the end of the day, I knew that my parents would always be there to meet my needs as well as a few of my wants. This did not happen by chance but through hard work and preparation. My parents were married when they were young but did not have children until seven years into their marriage. The reasons for this are two fold: First, they didn’t have the money to   raise a family and second, they first wanted a stable marriage in which to bring a child into the world. As a result, I was afforded a few more opportunities and benefited directly from my parents responsibility. That is one reason why I am a strong believer in personal responsibility. If a person commits a crime, it is his fault alone for committing that particular infraction.   That is why I am against an unfettered welfare system in which positive reinforcement is given for negative behavior. This does exclude those who are truly down on their luck and despite their best efforts, cannot find gainful employment. This does not mean however, that an individual with no job, no education and no significant other who would be there to share the financial and emotional burdens that come from having a child, should continue to receive an escalated rate of payment from the government, because that person chose to have yet another child that they cannot support. The child should not be punished for the irresponsible behavior of his or her parent but the parent should not be rewarded as well. Unfettered welfare irks me to no end. My father worked two jobs in order to support his family. My mother is obese and is in ill health but still works 50-60 hours a week.   Rather than apply for disability benefits which she would surely receive, she cannot consent to accept payments from the government for services that were never rendered.   My father is a painter in the summer and a school teacher the rest of the year. One summer day, he was painting outside and lost his balance.   He fell and fractured his ribs on an air conditioner unit. He was back to work in two days with a bandage on his abdomen. As a family, we were never poor and he could have afforded to stay home for another week but if he could work, he did and continued to do so, six days a week, fifty two weeks out of the year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As a result, I am firmly against continuing government sanctioned positive reinforcement toward negative behavior in the form of unfettered welfare payments. The current welfare system was started under President Lyndon Johnsons War on Poverty† (Schlesinger, 1965 pg. 761) where it was assumed that people would fight and claw their way back to become self sufficient but just needed a helping hand in the process. It could not be fathomed then, as it is still hard to comprehend today, that people would submit to receiving welfare payments for decades and would even have more children out of the motivation of receiving a larger government check. I feel that it is the responsibility of the parent, more than society and surely more than the government, to raise and support that child. I also believe that if the government is going to help and give aid to those families who are temporarily suffering from hard times that should be afforded to them while encouraging that individual to find another job as soon as possible. The government does not exist to serve as a babysitter for the American people. This is not what the rights expressed in the Constitution states and it contrary to the American work ethic which helped to give America the influence that it is long enjoyed. Hard work, responsibility and self control, I learned from my parents. As a result, I find it hard to prescribe to modern Democratic thought that seeks to protect abortion when parental responsibility would have avoided such issues, unfettered welfare while the individual is able to work and universal health care when it is the responsibility of the parent to pay for the bills of their own children.    The second great factor that influences me is my religious faith. More and more people are identifying themselves as atheists. The Republican Party has shown that they have little room for them.. Therefore, they go, sometimes by default, to the Democratic Party and affect the political party that used to stand for Christian values. It has become a sad reality but one cannot hope to gain the Democratic nomination for President unless he or she is pro choice and pro gay marriage to some degree. Also, many Democratic are for stem cell research in which the human embryo is destroyed in the process. The Republicans do not have a monopoly on what is right and moral.. However, the terms: The religious right and the secular left are becoming more and more accurate, although there are many exceptions. As a result, as long as such issues remain so destructive to the American moral fiber of this country, mistakes that the Republicans make, including many aspects of the War on Terror, it is understood, will not last forever and therefore, people should not be switching their vote over to the Democratic Party.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   No matter how long it takes, the war will be over before babies will be given the protection of life that is seen in the Constitution and if our forefathers were alive today, would cringe at the fact that the practice of killing a human life, sometimes by piercing their brain with a steel rod, is allowed and tolerated in this country. The Bible states that God knew us while we were in our mothers womb. (Bible, 2000 pg. 328) Abortion is avoidable in 99% of the cases if the parents only possessed the desire not have sex until they are ready to endure the full consequences. Some of the blame should be placed at the feet of those who perpetrate this notion of a blameless society in which the consequences of sin which is now regarded as vile as a four letter word, is real and should be avoided.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The same can be said for the issues of gay marriage and stem cell research. Such things God takes very seriously.   However, the fact that nearly 20,000 murders happen every year with the use of hand guns and Republicans fight so hard to keep that right, might seem to disappoint God as well. The Republicans do not have a monopoly on what God wants for this country. However, serious Christians cannot get past the idea of legalized murder and the continued acceptance of homosexuality by our government. Such notions appeal to many Americans and compels others to wonder what our forefathers would say if they were given the chance to commend on what has happened to the morals of this country. There are many on the political left that shake their head in frustration and disgust when they hear such motivations behind the Republican Party. This will likely be the case as religion becomes a four letter word more now than in recent history, As Muslim extremists hurt, not only the religion of Islam but all religion as those on the outside looking in and trying to understand those who claim a faith as religious fundamentalists and radicals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There has been a minor resurgence of faith in America but as much as Christians and others of faith push for America to be the country that it once was in the area of religious freedom and expression, secularists will push back just as hard. Although a controversial figure, Bill OReilly corrected identified the problem as a culture war. It was saddening but not surprising that during the Clinton Presidency, the Christmas Tree became rather a holiday tree. When crosses are forbidden to reside in the side of the road as a family member tries to honor the death of a loved one, Christmas is now referred to as X-mas and American soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to their country in a time of war, yet cannot have any mention of God at their burial if the government is going to sponsor it. When that occurs, it is hard to believe that   there is not a definite war on people of faith in this country and, from my point of view, it is perpetrated by people who identify themselves as politically liberal. This is not an attempt to vilify all Liberals in such a way. The Democratic Party of Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, yes Lyndon Johnson, simply does not exist anymore and Democrats of faith are forced to choose their party over their faith as the two have less and less in common.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Once I began to identify with the Republican Party as I grew stronger in my faith, I then wanted to know my role in the political socialization and if I had any role in it. I avoid fights and heated arguments on the issue of politics. Discussing NAFTA or the growing trade deficit is not worth the loss of a friendship as my friends can become rather heated in their discussion of politics. I find it refreshing that I discuss politics with people my own age who actually follow the news. There are many who have become so apathetic about anything that does not involve popular culture, that to discuss politics, one would first need to be aware of the very basics of American Civics to which many are completely ignorant. In those case, I tend to inform my friends about what is going on and sometimes, spin the information to perhaps gain another convert. I would conclude however, that everybody, especially the media, does the same to a much greater degree. If somebody hears the details of partial birth abortions but then the media, in an effort to calm the moral outrage of the viewer, informs them that such things happen in less than 1% of the abortions in this country, I would then inform the same individual that with more than one million abortions committed every year, if only 1/4 of 1% of babies were subjected to this procedure, that meant that every year, twenty five hundred babies were having their brains pierced by a metal rod; a baby with the same number of hands, fingers, feet and toes as one who had just been born. (Johnson, 2004 pg. 1A)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Republicans will probably lose their bid for the White House this year as the war in Iraq has made most Americans tired of the Republican Party and their mismanagement of it. Even the strongest supporter of the White House, questions when and where the Iraq war will end. This will cause a number of people to switch their allegiance to the Democratic Party. However, for the individuals like myself who are in this for the long haul and wish for America, not to become a theocracy, but to remember and respect what made this country great, to resist those who would seek to revise this countrys history and the basis for its laws. However, in an age of such apathy towards such serious issues that face the country in favor of who is the latest to survive the round of cuts on American idol, I am just happy to discuss politics with any informed and enlightened individual;, regardless of their political leanings. Such discussions serve as a welcomed and relaxing respite from what has become Americas most abundant export; mindless and fleeting popular culture. I will follow with great interest, the road that the rest of the country takes during this presidential election next year. WORKS CITED Johnson, Mark   Partial Birth Abortion Ban Challenged by Dems USA Today August 12, 2004 Schlesinger, Arthur  Ã‚   A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House New York: Doubleday Press 1965 Toobin, Jeffrey   The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court  Ã‚   New York: Doubleday Publishers  Ã‚   2007 The Holy Bible  Ã‚   New York: Oxford University Press 2000

Understanding the context of the bible

Understanding the context of the bible Understanding the context of the bible Introduction Although the bible is a superb story-book, full of exciting tales well told, But it is more than just a collection of stories. Tthere is one big story told by the whole collection of individual stories. The centre of it is God, and all what he did in this world and for human race.[1] The bible was written by people in order to be understood by people, but there are some hindrances that makes difficult for it to be understood in its original meaning,[2] this is a demands when you interpret it you must consider the importance of historical, geographical and cultural context for effective preaching? Because if you miss Gods meaning you are no longer had? Gods word because you have to know what it says, understands what it mean, for this reason it must be interpreted in order to get a meaning, because this creates a gap in our understanding the original meaning of scriptures. The only way to get everything right on it is to consider its historical, geographical and cultural context.[3] So in this essay we will look the land of the bible geographical constitute the arena in which God chose uniquely to speak and act?[4] Because Gods revelation touches specific times and places. Geographically account begins in the so-called Ancient Near East or the present-day Middle East.[5] This essay will explain the importance of understanding the geographical context of the bible for effective preaching, because the purpose of preaching is for people to get the meaning of the bible. It is very much important to understand the bible passage in its historical context looking to the authors views. And place of writing also the reason for writing who were the readers political economic social religious legal ethically all will help in understanding the meaning of the passage, particular purpose and occasion. Culture is what people believe what they say, what they do, wear, eat make or practice with different customs would that cultural practice have the same significance today if not is there a timeless principle that could be practised today but in a different way? Geographical it is very important to consider that the bible was written in a different land in this way it will be easy to interpret it correctly. In stressing the necessity of determining the original meaning of the bible, John Chrysostom, also called the Golden Mouth He maintained that the bible is the infallible word of God and his exegesis was both spiritual and practical.[6] The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are clear infallible revelation of Gods will and His salvation. The Bible is the Word of God, and alone is the standard which all teaching and experience must be tested (2Tim. 3:15, 17; Ps. 119:105; Prov. 30:5, 6; Isa. 8:20; John 17:17; 2Thess. 3:14; Heb. 4:12). 1. Historical meaning The historical context provides us with the author, date, original audience, purpose, theme, and other important information about historical or background setting of the book, Scripture is an authentic, reliable record of history and Gods acts in history. It provides the normative theological interpretation of those acts. The supernatural acts re ­vealed in Scripture are historically true. For example, chapters 1-11 of Genesis are a factual account of historical events. The Antioch exegetes pose historical questions. They say the word in a passage of scripture must be understood and interpreted historically, that is, in terms of their ordinary meaning.[7] According to Augustine in Alexandrian and Antioch and methods, this means that to him each biblical text has literal (that is, historical) and figurative (that, is Spiritual) meaning. The most important thing, in short, in hermeneutical skill depends upon (1) ones knowing the bibles use of language properly and precisely, as well as distinguishing and representing to oneself the historical circumstances of a biblical discourse; (2) ones being able to speak today of these matters in such a way as the changed times and circumstances of our fellow human demand.[8] 1.1Interpret the bible in view of historical It is important that each and every verse or passage of scripture to be interpreted in its historical, in historical setting we consider firstly the author Walter Kaiser, JR says Interpreters often can understand authors better than they understand themselves. The promise that this saying appears to hold is that there is a stratum of thought, an inner form of the work (Dilthey), which in the creative process bypassed the authors consciousness, but is now left for the interpreter to uncover.[9] But for Schleiermacher, his technical and psychological interpretation (Ernestis subtilitas explicandi) involved the additional step of personally assimilating the subject by determining or attempting to reconstruct the mental process of the author-an altogether impossible task. We notice three divisions of the bible as well as in the New Testament is that in each case there are a number of distant of development in the formation of the Scriptures. There is original historical event in which the revelation is attested to or spoken of, then a period oral tradition, a period of fragmentary accounts, and finally books and collections of books as we have them today. Thus the meaning of a text always goes beyond what its author intended, and the true sense is an unending process which is never exhausted or captured by an infinite line of interpreters! So, as we read the bible, we need to keep asking ourselves; what did the author intend to convey by this? What is he actually asserting? What will his original hearers have understood him to have meant? As we attempt to transport ourselves back into the authors mind and times, and to listen to his words as if we were among his first readers, we shall need particularly to consider the situation, the style and the language in which [10] 1.1.1 The date of writing If we are to understand the text it is important to know the times in which he wrote. On the other side to know something of the conditions in which these books were written is to better understand the text itself.[11] A list of significant biblical dates to provide a framework for the flow of biblical History, The Patriarchal Era (1800-1290), Exodus and the Period of the Judges (1290-1050), Early Israelite Monarchy (1050-750), Assyrian Dominance (750-640 BC), The Rise of Babylon and Exile (640-538), the Persian Period and Return (538-323), the Greek Wars/Maccabean Period (323-63), the Rise of Rome (63-3)Chart of the reigns of kings of the United Monarchy and the Divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah to the fall of Jerusalem (1050 586 BC), colours coded to show good and bad kings, as well as those deposed or assassinated.[12] 1.1.2 Place of writing Its context in scripture is the place where it is found. So each text must be understood both its historical and its scriptural background. Like the first testimony to the revelation of God was often given long before the written document this where Jacob called the place where God appear to him Bethel[13] Gen28:17) 1.1.3 Reason for writing Who wrote it and to whom? In what circumstances, for what reason it is the situation in which it was written. 1.1.4 Readers Although it was given to those who lived in an ancient Near Eastern/Mediterra ­nean context, the Bible transcends its cultural backgrounds to serve as Gods Word for all cultural, racial, and situational contexts in all ages.[14] 1.1.5 Political The bible gives relatively little direction on specific political and legal models. As a result Christianity is (or should be) politically non-partisan in the sense that no particular political system or philosophy can be truly defined as biblical or Christian. The bibles focus is on the ethical and spiritual relationships which inform the individuals of any given society.[15] Therefore individual Christians are free to choose and endorse political and legal systems (or parts of) which promote justice and good governance, so that people everywhere have their God-given dignity respected. As part of these two key political outcomes should be of special interest to Christians: First, (1 Tim 2) calls Christians to pray for (and support) government which allows people to hear the good news about Jesus Christ: I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. Second, while love of neighbour is a universal command (Matt 22:37-40; Luke 10:25-37; Rom 13:8-10) the bible has particular concern for the needy and marginalized. Neglect of these groups is frequently a reason for Gods judgment upon the ancient nation of Israel. For instance the prophet Zechariah delivered this message of condemnation: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another [11] But they refused to listen [12] Therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 7:9 -12) 1.1.6 Social What are the various reconstructions of the specific context to which your text is addressed or in which it has been written? (The story behind the text) What alternate reconstructions have been suggested? E.g., the different theories about Pauls opponents in Galatians[16] or, the identification of large parts of Deuteronomy with the scroll found in the Temple as described in 2 Kings. (Note: Reconstructing a specific context is more difficult for the Pentateuch than for a prophetic book like Jeremiahor a letter of Paul where the specific situation is clearer.) 1.1.7 Religious Like circumcision of the Jewish nation (Gen 34:14-17, 22) and the term uncircumcised for the Gentiles Galm2:7-8; Col3:11. These are the historical religion of the bible that needs to be understood and interpreted in their context, so that the message of the bible will give a meaning to people.[17] 1.1.8 Legal An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth (Exodus 21:23-25)John 19:10-11Do you refuse to speak to me? Pilate said. Dont you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you? Jesus answered; you would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.The eye for an eye principle can be seen as a legal application of the golden rule (Matt 7:12): Do to others what you would have them do to you. Both principles assume that we humans are equal and should treat each other in an equal and fair manner. If we harm another fellow human we at the same time admit that according to the spirit of these principles that others (i.e. the state governed by law) can do the If a woman has intercourse before marriage (Deut 22:20-21).Same to us.For the Lord is a God of retribution; he will repay in full. Jer 51:56) 1.1.9 Ethical Many of the major problems in our time have to do with morals. In public life we have witnessed a breakdown of ethical standards. What is right? What is wrong? If the Bible gives an accurate description of Moses views, then by modern standards some of his commands might amount to calls for murder, war crimes or slavery. For instance, according to Numbers 31:15-18, he called for the massacre of boys and the enslavement of female children to Israelite veterans of the Midian war (kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the little girls among the women, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for you). It is important to note, however, that such ethical dilemmas can be cited without an adequate understanding of the historical context. In contrast, believers in the accuracy of the Bible can use assumptions to discourage exploration. But religions opponents can also discourage further exploration by making debatable assumptions about a text, classifying the intent of the text as immoral, and thereby dismissing the text as unreliable. In the above example some readers may infer an implied equality between slavery under Mosaic Law and slavery as understood in the New World. The political context of rights (individual v the state) doesnt appear to capture the bibles emphasis on responsibility. Despite these limitations, human rights have proven an extremely useful way to protect the dignity, freedom and equality of individuals. Equality is sometimes controversial but the bible underlines the inherent equality of all people in several ways: Every person is made in the image of God.[18] (Gen 1:27) All are sinners and equally in need of redemption (Rom 3:19-26, esp. there is no distinction) Hierarchies based on social rank, ethnic background and gender are counter to the gospel (Gal 3:28; James 2:1-10) In fact, God frequently favours people who are regarded as lesser in the eyes of people: But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) 2. Geographical The bible was written in a different land, it is impossible to understand the meaning of the bible without some knowledge of its geographical setting, and the story of the bible touches specific times and places. Geographically, the account begins in the so-called Ancient Near East or present-day Middle East. It includes the area known today as Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.[19] It is important to understand that the whole bible takes place in a rough rectangle of land five hundred miles from north to south and one thousand miles from east to west. Yet the very mention of geography especially bible geography, is enough to switch some people off. Some people who have no taste for geography if the bible gives a list o Kings of Israel and Judah in their chronological order. May ask rather impatiently why God did not reveal himself in a rather remote geographical context, so that we have to struggle to understand the context, so that we have to struggle before we can grasp the revelation?[20] God want to deal with us in our situation of time and place, as he dealt with the biblical characters in theirs. To understand his ways, we must understand this, we must know something of both where and when it all happened thats the importance of understanding and interpreting the bible in its geographical context, we must be able to visualise it. Consider the land of the bible including terrain, topography, weather, transportation, distance, cities, and agriculture, the land of the bible was highly with mountains, desert and seas, rivers, plains and coastline, Luke 10:30-37Jesus story of a good Samaritan this road made travellers to be vulnerable to robbers they could easily hide in the rocky place we see the valuable geographical context for the meaning of the story, preaching or giving the meaning of the passage it needs an understanding of the context in which the authors was writing on. Geographical context Consider the land of the bible including terrain, topography, weather, transportation, distance, cities, and agriculture, the land of the bible was highly with mountains, desert and seas, rivers, plains and coastline, Luke 10:30-37) Jesus story of a good Samaritan this road made travellers to be vulnerable to robbers they could easily hide in the rocky place we see the valuable geographical context for the meaning of the story, preaching or giving the meaning of the passage it needs an understanding of the context in which the authors was writing on. 3. Cultural settings It is very important that the bible to be interpretation including its cultural institutions and terms, and to make them into normative teaching on a par with any other in- junction of Scripture. Consider the culture in which author lived in order to understand what he meant. Culture is valuable only if the culture is in the passage. For instance Jesus conversation with the woman in the well is culturally significant because the bible says Jews had no dealings with Samaritans John 4:9) Contrast of ancient tribal cultures concern with community and communal ways of thinking with modern individualism, and its implications for understanding Scripture. A paper dealing with the Israelite appropriation of metaphors, symbols, and conceptual categories from the pool of ancient Middle Eastern culture, noting both the similarities and differences, and the implications both for understanding the OT, as well as for addressing the modern conflict of science and religion, to further complicate thi ngs, the original authors, while writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote in their own personal style using illustrations relating to their particular culture and history. Distinguishing between Scripture that is cultural relative and that which is relative for all times can sometimes be very difficult.[21] Theres not enough space here to deal with it adequately, but generally, to find the timeless principles, look to the Bibles core message (those messages that stay consistent across many cultures), the inherently moral or immoral items, and the items that are expressly accepted or forbidden (those which the Scriptures merely acknowledge). Guidelines for determining whether a passage is culturally bound or applicable today: What was the purpose of the cultural practice or teaching? Would that cultural practice have the same significance today but in a different way? Assume every teaching or practice of scripture is applicable today unless-but Mark 2:18-21 every cultural practice and tradition must be measured against the teaching of Gods word. Culture is what people believe say do wear eat make practice and how they think or process information[22]. Since God revelation was given in particular cultural setting and the social customs which from the background of some biblical instruction are entirely foreign to those of our day. Are we then rejecting the teachings because are culturally dated? It is better to accept the biblical instruction itself as permanently binding, but to translate it into contemporary cultural terms. John Stott mentions one of the more difficult examples which caused a tension between the permanently valid and culturally dated concerns the status, behaviour and dress of women. More especially when Paul addresses the church in Corinth the veiling of women, head covering when prophesying, here Stott says we must find other social customs which express a womans acceptance of the authority which God has given to man.[23] Consider the culture in which the author lived in order to understand what he meant. Culture is valuable only if the culture is in the passage. For instance Jesus conversation with the woman in the well is culturally significant because the bible says Jews had no dealings with Samaritans John 4:9).Contrast of ancient tribal cultures concern with community and communal ways of thinking with modern individualism, and its implications for understanding Scripture. Conclusion This essay describes the bible as superb story-book, full of exciting tales well told. It shows it as more than just a collection of stories but what is centred one big story which told by the whole collection of individual stories. The centre of it is God, and all what he did in this world and for human race.Since God revelation was given in particular cultural setting and the social customs which from the background of some biblical instruction are entirely foreign to those of our day Bibliography Burden, J.J., E.E, Deist., Biblical Studies (Honours) Biblical exposition (South Africa: University of Pretoria, 1992) Kaiser. Walter Jr., Toward An Exegetical Theology (Michigan: Baker book house, 1987) Stott, R.W John., Understanding The Bible (London: Scripture union, 1973) Schroeder, David., Learning to Know the Bible (Pennsylvania: Faith and life press, 1967) Towns, R.L Elmer., Bible Answers for almost all your questions (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc, 2003) William, H.Green., General Introduction to the Old Testament (Michigan: Baker book House, 1980) Gorder, P.R., The Old Testament Present (Michigan: Radio Bible Class 1982) Kaiser, Otto., Introduction to the Old Testament (Great Britain: , 1973) Drane,John., Introduction the Old Testament (England: Lion Publishing, 1987) Dyer, Charles., Eugene, Merrill., Old Testament Survey (Nashville: Word Publishing,2001) Purkiser, W.T Exploing The Old Testament (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 1940) John Macquarrie., James Childress., A New Dictionary of Christian Ethics(London:SCM,1993) Harris, Marvin., Cultural Anthropology (New York: Harper Row, Publishers,1987) [1] Alexandra,Pat,.David Alexandra .,Zondervan Handbook To The Bible(Michigan: Lion publishing,1999),p.18 [2] Burden, Deist., Biblical Studies (Honours) Biblical Exposition,p.3 [3] Burden, Deist., Biblical Studies(Honours) Biblical exposition ,p.4 [4] Stott., Understanding The Bible (London: Scripture union,1973 ),p.35 [5] Stott., Understanding The Bible (London: Scripture union,1973 ),p.37 [6] Burden, Deist., Biblical Studies(Honours) Biblical exposition (South Africa: University of Pretoria,1992),p.4 [7] Burden., Deist., Biblical studies (Honours) Biblical exposition,p.3 [8] Walter,C.Kaiser Jr., Toward An Exegetical Theology (Michigan: Baker book house,1987) ,p.27 [9] Kaiser Jr., Toward An Exegetical Theology,p.35 [10] John, R.W, Stott., Understanding The Bible,p.225 [11] David, Schroeder., Learning To Know The Bible (Pennsylvania: Faith and life press, 1967),p.84 [12] American Academy of Religion,1955 [13] David, Schroeder., Learning To Know The Bible,p.39 [15]John,Macquarrie., James Childress., A New Dictionary of Christian Ethics(London:SCM,1993),p.484 [16]William, Hendriksen., Galatians Ephesians(Edinbuburgh:The banner of truth,1999),P.22 [17] Elmer, R. L. Towns., Bible Answers for almost all your questions (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, inc,2003),p.8 [18] Dyer, Charles., Eugene, Merrill., Old Testament Survey (Nashville: Word Publishing,2001) ,p.7 [19] David, Schroeder., Learning To Know The Bible (Pennsylvania: Faith and life press, 1967),p.17 [20] John, R.W, Stott., Understanding The Bible,p.33 [21] Harris, Marvin., Cultural Anthropolog ( New York: Harper Row,Publishers,1987),P.46 [22] Harris, Marvin., Cultural Anthropology,P.47 [23] John, R.W, Stott., Understanding The Bible (London: Scripture union,1973 ),p,229

Reflection on Situated Knowledge Map

Reflection on Situated Knowledge Map For the Situated Knowledge Map, I created five pins titled Hairy Legs, Get On The Scale, Talk To Your Sister, Crazy Feminist, and No under the pseudonym BS. These pins focus on body image, fatphobia, the feminist killjoy, and racism. In this reflection, I will examine how these moments in my life changed my perspective then reflect on the system and other posts I read while placing my own pins. While I found the assignment slightly difficult due to the nature of the content, I believe the analysis caused by the assignment is valuable and I found the system utilized simple but possibly exclusive. Hairy Legs, Get On The Scale, and Talk to Your Sister all focus on body image with the last two focusing specifically on fatphobia in our society. Hairy Legs discusses the first time I recognized gender performance and how it affects body hair for men and women. As a 3rd grader at the time, I did not understand why my hairy legs were a problem but the boys hairy legs were fine. Now I recognize hairlessness is a societal standard of gender performance for women. This was the first time I had a negative comment directed towards my body and the first time I thought of my body in term of good and bad. Get On The Scale and Talk to Your Sister are 2 events about a decade apart that made me realize how people treat my sister and I differently due to our weights. As a small girl and woman, my mother only mentioned my weight when she believed I might have an eating disorder. However, my mother started talking about weight with my sister more frequently when she began to gain weight; even goin g as far as to try to convince me to talk to me sister about losing weight. After the events in Talk to Your Sister, I recognized it and the events of Get On The Scale as the double standards surrounding weight women face and the general fatphobia in our society. These events remind me of a quote from The Body Politic-Meditations on Identity by Elana Dykewomon: Women in almost every society offer their daughters up to the prevailing cultural standards of beauty and usefulness for womenif women dont prepare their daughters to meet institutionalized male demands, they know their daughters will suffer in life (Dykewomon 453). I believe this accurately describes what my sister and I went through in these events. The third post, Crazy Feminist, describes the beginning of how I came to understand my identity as a feminist and how grateful I am for taking that step. I had not thought of feminism or considered calling myself a feminist until I joined Women in Learning and Leadership (WILL). I had been discouraged from joining and staying in the group during my first and second year of college. First from my friends sister commenting on how it is a crazy feminist group then with my parents continued attempts to convince me to drop the group and Women and Gender Studies minor for a more useful math minor. It was these attempts and the influences of WILL the led me to my crazy feminist identity which has been more helpful to me and given me more skills, in my opinion, than a math minor would have as a woman in science. The final post, No, is the story of the day I discovered my father holds racists beliefs. I was shocked when he came to me asking me to explain to my sister that she could not date a n African American boy. This event did not change my view of racism so much as it made me realize how truly wide spread it is in my own life. It made me look more closely for subtle racism in my life as well. I found the system used for the Situated Knowledge Map simple to use overall. I believe it is important to create online tools that are easy to navigate if the group creating the tools want them to be accessible for everyone. In the article Invisible feminists? Social media and young womens political participation, Julia Schuster argues that the use of social media and the internet by young feminists make them invisible to older feminists and the use of these tools leads to the exclusion of certain groups of feminists. This effect seems to be happening with this tool, as the clear majority of the pins I looked at were authored by apparent college students, and may be invisible to older feminist groups who are not using these forms of media. I also examined interesting perspectives from reading several of the pins on the map. One particular pin that made me examine my standpoint was Church; a pin written from the perspective of a Methodist discussing the Catholic ceremony of Confirmat ion. This pin made me think about religious privilege from the perspective of a child not experiencing violent religious percussion but subtle religious exclusion. Before reading this pin, I had never considered how a child may feel excluded and othered by other childrens shared experiences from and dislike of their parents religion. I found this project to be slightly difficult for me because I had to admit, not only to myself but to possible hundreds of people, that these experiences affected my behavior, particularly in Hairy Legs, and that my family holds these beliefs. However, I also think it is important that I analyze these events that have clearly shaped who I am today. In regards to the system used for this project, I found it simple to use; however, I am an individual who has had the privilege of growing up surrounded by this technology. People and groups who do not have this privilege may be excluded from using these tools. In addition, reading the perspective of previous posters led me to thought processes I would not have if I had not read their experiences. Work Cited Dykewomon, Elana. The Body Politic-Meditations on Identity. This Bridge We Call Home-Radical Visions for Transformation. Ed. Gloria Anzaldà ºa and Anaouise Keating. New York: Routledge,2002. 450-457. Print. Schuster, Julia. Invisible feminists? Social media and young womens political participation. Political Science 65.1 (2013): 8-24.

Romeo and Juliet - A Great Love Story? :: Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet has been known as the best love story to hit the face of the earth. It is the most known and most talked about Shakespeare play and has become the ultimate classic love story. But is it even all that great? No, I do not think Romeo and Juliet is all that great of a love story. I think that the public who were exposed to the play at the time, which was around the 1600's, had not seen too many other tragic love stories, so they of course loved it. Everybody loves new and original things. So I think that Romeo and Juliet was just a big "fad" of that time. Everybody went all bazerk about the play and it just carried on. Pretty soon, all the grand children and great grandchildren (of the people who first saw the play) were told about how great of a love story Romeo and Juliet was. And it was all ready instilled in the publics mind that this was a great play even before they saw or read it. And the same has happened in our time. When somebody talks about Romeo and Juliet, everybody immediately thinks that it is the greatest book and that it is the best love story. But I do not think so. Over the past years, many love stories (movies) have came out that I think are better love stories than Romeo and Juliet. If these stories would have came out 400 years ago, then they would probably be just as well known and publicized as Romeo and juliet is today. Also, I do not like the play because it does not correspond well with current times and current ways of love and culture. That may be the reason so many people like it, because it is a classic, but it is one of the reasons why I do not. There are also some parts of the play that I do not like, Such as the idea of pretending to be dead, and being put in a coffin. There is no possible way a person can pretend to be dead. You still have to breathe, and the people that are crying over you would have to have noticed you breathing.

Cannibalism as a Sexual Disorder :: Anthropology Essays Paleontology Papers

Cannibalism as a Sexual Disorder Cannibalism occurs prevalently in both Tarzan and Heart of Darkness, and is a controversial topic with which the public is largely unfamiliar. Although cannibalism is generally thought of in a primitive animal sense, experts have revealed that cannibalism can be identified as a sexual disorder (O’Connor). A cannibal is scientifically classified as an anthropophagus (â€Å"Anthropophagus†), which falls under the category of Anthropophagy. Anthropophagy by definition is the sexual gratification by consumption of human flesh or blood. Although rather disturbing, sexual cannibalism is now accepted as the more common variety of cannibalism (O’Connor). Because sexual cannibalism is considered to be a social taboo both today, and during the times of Tarzan and Marlow, the creation of entertainment based on it has been limited, though the urges to expand on this topic may have been far more prevalent. There have been many films and novels created which depict the anthropophagy related to animals, most specifically, spiders. For example, films such as â€Å"Invasion of the Body Snatchers† and â€Å"Little Shop of Horrors† develop the similarities among human and insect anthropophagy (O’Connor). Due to the use of Anthropophagy for leisure purposes, it is evident that cannibalism is a topic of much interest among humans, aside from its label as a social taboo. Technically, a human’s eating of another human has a chemical effect on the blood. Too much human meat causes a build up of vitamin A and amino acids such as homocysteine in the bloodstream, which could cause congenital defects in future offspring. However, if human organs which are rich in B vitamins and folic acid are eaten along with the human meat, homocysteine is not able to metabolize in the bloodstream. This means that cannibalism could hypothetically be the basis of a healthy diet (â€Å"Natural Food†). Contrary to human meat and organs actually being healthy to a human diet, cannibalism is also said to cause madness and addiction based on sexual urges and gratification. Kate Rix depicts that sexual cannibalism in its truest sense may in fact lead to the development of necrophilia tendencies. Disturbing behavior, such as that of cannibalism as well as necrophilism, is a result of chemical imbalances in the brain.

Parisian Realism Artists of the 19th Century

The following body of work focuses upon Realism and the artists, Manet (not to be confused with Monet) and Degas, two Parisian artists of the 1800s who captured the lives of the French people through their paintings.   Realism’s definition, it’s three defining characteristics, and its place in the time line of art history will be briefly presented, moving into the similarities and differences, such as mediums used in the artists’ works and their subjects of focus, found between Manet and Degas, in regards to their life’s passion as artists of the 19th century.   Brief summaries of each artist’s life will precede comparison of two selected â€Å"famous works† to compare and contrast the artists manifested passions for the work each created.RealismRealism is a style of painting which depicts subject matter-form, color, space-as it appears in actuality or ordinary visual experience without distortion or stylization (progressiveart.com).   Through realism, subjects are depicted in as straightforward a manner as possible, without idealizing them and without following rules of formal artistic theory (artcyclopedia.com).   Little emotional value is depicted, as the painter shows nature and people just the way he or she observes them (horton.ednet).Realism began to appear on the art scene in the 18th century, following the styles of Romanticism and Neoclassicism; French realism, in particular, was considered the guiding influence on the philosophy of Impressionists (artcyclopedia.com).   Manet and Degas were both considered Impressionists as well as Realists, Manet eventually being considered the leader in the Impressionist movement (artchive.com).Edgar Degas (1834-1917)Born in 1834 to a wealthy Parisian family, Degas was considered a shy, insecure, aloof individual; he never married.   Due to the family’s status, there was never a shortage of funds for his passion of art (artchive.com)[1].   Receiving his training in Louis Lamothe’s studio, Degas displayed the intense influence of paintings and frescoes he observed on long trips to Italy; his notebooks are filled with these subjects (metmuseum.com)[2].   He eventually came to â€Å"maturity† as a painter in the 1860s, where history painting was considered the most popular art at the time (artchive.com).Degas varied with mediums and supports, ranging from his classical training of oil painting on canvas to working with pastels on paper.   Sometimes he would combine mediums, as evident with his combination of oil and tempera paint on canvas with Dance School, dated 1874.   His subjects were typically women, especially noted for his observation of ballet in the 1880s, and people’s faces, of which he started out with self-portrait work before moving onto Parisians of low class.*Dance School, 1874[3]This work captures several different activities going on in a dance class.   There is the instructor, with whom three students are focused on the instruction being given.   A dancer in the left foreground pays attention to the violinist before her, as if waiting for a cue, from the music being played, to either join her classmates directly behind her or perhaps to wander to another part of the room where other students can be found.   This appears to be a possibility with another dancer, who stands poised with her head tilted to the left, listening for the moment to pull her into full stance and move into formation with her fellow classmates.The young lady directly behind her appears to be distracted, perhaps bored with the routines that are consistently taught, as she places her arms up around her head and looks slightly upward towards the ceiling.   A dancer at the window may be also distracted or bored but the observer is unaware due to the nature of her back being turned towards the class.   A final dancer stands at the bar, leg extended and appears to be concentrating on her bala nce and poise, or perhaps preparing herself to join the class after a proper warm up.Light from outside streams into the classroom, softly touching the floor, reaching out to add a sort of quiet lingering in the room; for all the various activities in the room, one would assume a sort of busy, almost chaotic sense would linger, creating distraction for all dancers, and even perhaps the musician and dance instructor, while in the midst of this setting.Eduard Manet (1832-1883)Manet was born in 1832, into the Parisian bourgeoisie.   Although well educated, he didn’t excel in the academic world; he displayed a passion for the arts at an early age and was encouraged by his mother’s brother to pursue this passion.   It wasn’t until after serving a brief time in the Merchant Marines in 1850 that he took up study with Thomas Couture, of which he stayed with his mentor until 1856.   During this time, he displayed preference for the works of Valazquez and Goya but f elt that â€Å"one’s art should reflect ideas and ideals of the present, rather than the past† (artchive.com).Manet, much like Degas, focused on the lower class Parisian people, a class unlike the class either one were born into.   Manet also had a preference for nude models in his work, of which he displayed in some of his work, the most popular-and controversial work being Olympia, an oil paint on canvas work from 1863.   His mainstay for medium preference was oil paint with a canvas support.*Olympia, 1863[4]The painting that caused a stir in 1863, one of which Manet did not intend.   The artist didn’t consider himself a radical, like Courbet but this work caused controversy just the same (artchive.com).   In the painting, there is a woman appearing to be reclining, with a relaxed, non aroused appearance not only found in her expression but can also be seen in her posture.   She wears a few simple pieces of jewelry, a flower tucked behind her left ea r, and one of her slippers has fallen off of her foot, yet she doesn’t seem to pay too much attention.   A small black cat, almost hidden in the shadows, arches its back and eyes are wide.The indentation made by the lady’s elbow emphasizes the softness of the pillows she reclines upon, and the floral scarf or shawl she is holding in one hand-with the remainder appearing out from under her lower body, seems to add a touch of color to the otherwise stark, white of the bedding she is resting upon.   Emerald curtains, perhaps made of velvet or a similar heavy fabric used with window treatments, hang in the background, one pulled aside just right of the subject’s head.To her left, it appears as if a servant of the house has brought flowers into the room; from a suitor or maybe even from the painter himself-although Manet was newly married at the time of the painting.   The servant’s expression displays a hint of trying to capture the attention of the rec lining woman but to no avail.Compare/ContrastDegas and Manet were working at the same time, and although Degas worked with other mediums and supports, such as pastel on paper, the two artists focused upon the common people of Paris, mainly women.   Degas has been more noted for his work with dance classes, Manet for his focus with women, such as the subject in Olympia, and the barmaid in A Bar at Folies-Bergeres, 1881-82[5].   Natural, relaxed expressions are to be found on the faces of the women who were the subjects of these two Parisian artists, bodies not posed for endless, exhausting hours appear to be more relaxed, giving a sense of â€Å"in the moment† with the work displayed, from beginning to completion.Similarity is found in the ability to allow subjects to â€Å"just be,† as opposed to awkward posing and unrealistic facial expressions. Difference can be found in the quality of the completed work, focusing on the mediums implemented by each artist.   Ma net’s use of oil on canvas provides a polished, almost photograph-like appearance, almost as if numerous sessions were undertaken to capture the quality of the resulting work.   Degas’ use of oil and tempera on canvas, sometimes an implementation of pastels and paper, gives a more â€Å"on the spot,† beginning on sight and then moving away to completion upon return to the studio quality to his finished work.SummaryManet and Degas, Parisian artists of the 19th century, men who were noted as Impressionists as well as Realists of their time, captured the images of the people of France, Paris and low class citizens in particular, and brought them to life on canvas for the world to eventually come to view; their works are displayed across the globe, from such places as Shelburne, Vermont to London to Paris.   Manifesting real life images, in a more natural state of being, was the center of the work Manet and Degas focused on in the duration of their art careers, influencing fellow and future artists to explore capturing the moment, and bringing the moment to life on the canvas.Works Citedwww.artchive.comHughes, Robert.   Nothing if not Critical: Selected Essays on art and Artists.*DegasMacDonald, Lisa.   1999.*Manetwww.artcyclopedia.com*Characteristics of Realismwww.google.com*Characteristics of Realismhttp://www.horton.ednet.ns.ca/staff/syme/arthistory/tsldo39.htm*Definition of Realismhttp://www.progressiveart.com/art_terms.htmwww.metmuseum.orgSchenkel, Ruth.   Edgar Degas: 1834-1917 Painting and Drawing.   In Timeline ofArt History.   New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000.http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dgsp/hd_dgsp.htm[1] Notes from Huges, Robert.   Nothing if not Critical: Selected Essays on art and Artists.   www.artchive.com [2] Notes from Schenkel, Ruth.   Edgar Degas: 1834-1917 Painting and Drawing.   In Timeline of Art History.   New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000.   http://www.metmuseum. org/toah/hd/dgsp/hd_dgsp.htm [3] Image can be found at www.artchive.com [4] Image can be found at www.artchive.com [5] Image can be found at www.artchive.com

Management Is an Integral Part of the Work of Everyone

Human resource management is an integral part of the work of everyone in a managerial post and therefore line managers are the key drivers of Human Resource Management practices and systems BMAM702: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Executive Summary HRM may have many good thing to offer and line manager and perform many of it’s duties. Some line manager thing they are doing lot of HR duties and they are don’t mind doing it. However, other agrees that they don’t have enough knowledge and experience to carry put some of the action. Also they see these actions as waste of their time.Table of Content Introduction1 Who is line manager? 1 The role of line managers in implementing HR processes2 Relationship between HR and the line2 Devolving responsibility down the line2 Impact of line manager behaviour3 Managing line managers4 Recommendation:5 Conclusion5 Reference5 Introduction This report will look at the how HRM can be incorporated to HRM. The involvement of line manager i n HRM has been noted in literature from early 80’s. this report will try to show the role of line manager in implementing the role of HR and possible obstacle they may face due to this.Who is line manager? Front Line manager usually promoted from normal employees. As a result, they are experienced and know the general employee well, while they may not have any formal management education. CIPD have given a typical role of a front line manager, which may include the followings: * Day-to-day people management * Managing operational costs * Providing technical expertise * Organisation of work allocation and rotas * Monitoring work processes * Checking quality * Dealing with customers/clients Measuring operational performance. Increasingly, line managers are taking new responsibilities such as undertake performance appraisals, handle disciplinary activity also provide coaching and guidance. Moreover, in many companies line manager carry out responsibility such as recruitment and selection along side with HR. To answer the question why line managers are important? Sisson (1994, pp. 7-8) have given four principles of HRM, which includes beliefs and assumptions, managerial role, organisation design and personal policy.Sisson also defines the role of top-manager, where it was stated that top-managers should establish organisation’s mission and values, and shearing their future vision and success with other employee and provide transformational leadership. Where as when describing the role of middle manager Sisson states that they should be able to â€Å"inspire, encourage, enable and facilitate change by harnessing commitment and co-operation of (the organization’s) employees; they also see the development of employees as a primary role† (Sisson, 1994, p. 8).Hence, it can be said that Sisson trying to say every layers of management has important part to play in implementing the HRM approach in an organisation. The role of line managers in i mplementing HR processes Relationship between HR and the line Research has shown front line managers play more central role in implementing people management policies, because they have influence in employee’s attitude and behaviours. Which, in turn affects the performance of an organisation (Hutchinson and Purcell, 2003). Although line manager have some input in this area but many HR directors have shown concern about the ffectiveness of line manager in implementing people management policies (Hutchinso, 2008). When a line manager was asked about their role â€Å"one manager interviewed remarked ‘you are the piggy in the middle’ – on the one hand expected to be the voice of management and yet on the other the champion of the team’s interests† (Hutchinso, 2008). Storey (1992) have made the role of line manager clear and cleared the idea that HRM is not another alternative title for Personal Management; rather it is very unique approach. Store y has identified 3 elements that connects HRM and line manager.The first element is to agree that HR of a company is the ones that â€Å"make the differences†. Connected to the first, the second element is as a result HR needs to be managed in a strategic way. Therefore, Storey states â€Å"people-management decisions ought not to be treated as incidental operational matters or be sidelined into the hands of personnel officers† (Storey, 1992: p. 26). Connecting first and second element, Storey stated his third element, which requires line managers to be aware of HR and Strategic direction of an organisation as stated by top-level managers.Thus, the management of people have to be done accordingly by the line managers. Devolving responsibility down the line In late 80’s and early 90’s the use of the term human resource management (HRM) gave rise to pool of literature to be written in order to establish the definition and differences of HRM compare to Perso nal Management (PM). Among many others Armstrong (1987) was saying â€Å"The game was changing and it was useful to have a new name and a new language to encapsulate what was taking place in the world of work. Even though, there were lot of disagreement about HRM and PM, however many have agreed that the new proposed HRM system increased the role of line manager. Hence, numerous articles and reports have been written on the involvement of Line manager in HRM. Currie and Procter (2001) presented in their report that, recently line manager is playing more central role to HRM because of the fact that some HR works is ‘devolved’ to the line manager. The researches carried out by CIPD have shown that, there are positive feelings amongst the employee when the line manages plays significant role in implementing some of the HR policies themselves.As a result, employees have higher level of commitment and satisfaction in their job, which gives higher performance. Cunningham et. el (1999) have stated that devolution of responsibility between line manager and HR consultants, enables release of HR professional â€Å"from the burdensome toil of conducting routine techniques†. As a result they can focus more on strategic business decision (Whittaker, and Marchington, 2003). Impact of line manager behaviour Line managers have significant effects on employees. Their behaviour and practice will affect the level and focus of employee commitment.The goal of HRM is to achieve employees’ commitment to the organization, with the aim of making these employees â€Å"more satisfied, more productive and more adaptable† (Guest, 1987, p. 513). That is only possible with having a strong line manager who can recognise, and appreciate the work of employees. Research shown that generally line managers are relatively happy in completing some HR work, one of the managers said, â€Å"If there wasn’t any personnel [function] I’d need to do person nel work anyway, because it’s my job (Power Business, Utility Co. †. However, same time they agree that they are on their own inadequacies in HRM. Another manager have made remark such as: â€Å"Look at sickness absence, there are those line managers that will do that without being reminded, there are those that will do that because they care, and there are line managers that just will not do it unless they are actually pushed into doing it. I think the more HR that we push down to the line managers, the more uncontrolled it will become (Generation Business, Utility Co. )† (Renwick, 2003).Renwick (2003) have done extensive research on line manager involvement in HRM, and listed many positive and negative of HRM perctices withing line managers. Some of these are listed below (1) Positives: * The line are taking on responsibility and accountability in HR work. * Flexibility is forthcoming from the line to do HR work. * The line are keen to take part on doing HR wor k. * The line are managing large numbers of employees. * The line take a professional and serious attitude to doing HR work. * Line managers are relatively happy doing some HR work. The line are considerate of employee needs and wishes. * The line see HR as positive helpers in HR work. * The line see career bene? ts for them in doing HR work. (2) Negatives: * The line have many duties, and lack time to do HR work well. * The line do not see themselves as experts in HRM. * Doing HR work dilutes the line’s generalist managerial focus. * Signi? cant line inadequacies in handling HR work. * Tensions between line and HR over transfer and completion of HR duties. * The line need to re? ect and be critical of their performance in HR work. The line are reliant on HR to do HR work properly. * Differing line commitment and discipline levels to doing HRM. * The line have responsibility and accountability in HRM, but little authority. * Little appreciation of line ? exibility in doing HR tasks from ? rms. After the research Renwick summarised it with saying line managers â€Å"acknowledge that they shared the completion of HR work with HR. † However, although line are doing well in some HRM practices, but still they lucks the expertise, knowledge and experience to carry out full HRM duties.Moreover, many aspects of HRM line dislike doing. Redman’s (2001) finding shows that some line will complete employee performance appraisal over phone call. Managing line managers To get best performance from the line manager they have to be managed in right way. The relationship line manager enjoys with from their manager will reflect on how line manager conducts themselves with others. The graph below shows how senior management felt about HRM and effect it will have on value added activities.The trends shows that the move towards strategic HRM mean that an ef? cient and professional service will be delivered within agreed time-scales with an ensured consistency o f approach, (Sisson, 1994). Fig 1. The road to achieving a value-added function (Sisson, 1994). The figure and the report have show that line managers are happen to carry out some of the duties, however, they do feel long and bureaucratic process of HRM is waste of their time. Recommendation: I feel line manager should perform some HRM actions.Such as , undertaking performance appraisal. This process will enable them to learn more about the employee, hence they will be able to relate to the employee and show consideration for them. Since, line manager is the first level of contact with employee they should take the responsibility to overlook the employee‘s training and couching. Moreover, line manager should be the role model and shows how to balance work-life. Conclusion Although HRM practices show benefit to an organisation, however there are still many areas need more clarity.Although line manager understand the importance of HR work but they still require training and unde rstanding some of the practices of HRM. Line manager have the most influence, performance and commitment of employee greatly depends on how line manager conduct themselves with employees. Reference Armstrong, M. (1987. Human resource management: a case of the emperor’s new clothes?. Personnel Management, Vol. 19 No. 8, pp. 30-5. Cunningham, I. and Hyman, J. (1999), â€Å"Devolving HR responsibilities to the line – beginning of the end or a new beginning for personnel? †, Personnel Review, Vol. 8 No. 1-2, pp. 9-27. Currie, G. and Procter, S. (2001). Exploring the relationship between HR and middle managers. Human Resource Management Journal, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 53-69. Hutchinson, S. (2008). The role of front line managers in bringing policies to life. Bristol Business School. Hutchinson, S. and Purcell, J. (2003). Bringing Policies to Life: The vital role of front line managers. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Renwick, D, (2003) â€Å"Li ne manager involvement in HRM: an inside view†, Employee Relations, Vol. 25 Iss: 3, pp. 262 – 280 Richbell, S. 2001), â€Å"Trends and emerging values in human resource management: The UK scene†, International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 261-8. Sisson, K. (1994), â€Å"Personnel management: paradigms, practice and prospects†, in Sisson, K. (Ed. ), Personnel Management – A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice in Britain, 2nd ed. , Blackwell, Oxford. Storey, J. (1992), Development in the Management of Human Resources, Blackwell, Oxford. Whittaker, S. Marchington, M. (2003) â€Å"Devolving HR responsibility to the line: Threat, opportunity or partnership? â€Å", Employee Relations, Vol. 25 Iss: 3, pp. 245 – 261