Conviction on Economic Stability Essay

One of the best renowned authors of the 21st Century, Adam Harmes – a foreign policy instructor bumped in an idea of analyzing the mishaps which is seemingly occurring in today’s era. Upon producing the book The Return of the State, he cited numerous instances and reasons why the International Business Propagandists must think of ways to expunge the ascending clash between the level of intervention implemented by the economic and political scheme, which he was able to sought as the primary problem on why the country has been departing from the reality of the immediate. Furthermore, he stated the major inevitable state of free-market trade mishaps are that by which denotes â€Å"supreme power† on America, which he, and Paul Martin believes as the root of all fault and that America should not only swallow the benefit out of the concept of trade alone, but rather share the Supremacy along with the other developing states since that as for the moment, they are considered as that which is vested with the pre-dominant influence over all the countries in UN and thus must make a move to improve the welfare of the general masses. He also mentioned numerous convictions on globalization’s effect in the economic realm, Unitarianism in America, G-20 series – as a cure to the rivalry in the economic basis and the expansion of the elite powers’ support over those who need such (Harmes). Concluding the totality of the book, Harmes’ enthusiasm and devotion on racial and international equilibrium and social welfare serves him a ticket on gaining the sympathy of those cosseting on prose historical books. In addition to that his arguments may have seemed opinionated in some certain circumstance, however, it illustrates the need of higher rationality and thus giving the â€Å"elites† in the world of globalization a tickle in their higher sense of rationality that the world is but a web of inter-related active countries and such voices and needs must be well taken care of (Harmes). The Return of the State is grandeur of Harmes in uplifting the banner of humanitarianism and concern for global economic stability. Reference: Harmes, Adam. The Return of the State. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2004.

Financial Report for Sole Traders and Partnerships Essay

Sole traders: According to Peterson and Plowman : â€Å" As sole proprietorship is a business unit whose ownership and management are vested in one person. This individual assumes all risk of loss and failure of the enterprise and receives all profits from its successful operation†. A sole trader describes any business that is owned and controlled by one person, although they may employ workers, e.g. a newsagent’s shop. Individuals who provide a specialist service like hairdressers, plumbers or photographers, are also sole traders. Sole traders do not have a separate legal existence from their owner. As a result, the owners are personally liable for the firm’s debts, and may have to pay them out of their own pocket. This is called unlimited liability. Advantages * The firms are usually small, and easy to set up. * Generally, only a small amount of capital needs to be invested, which reduces the initial start-up cost. * The wage bill will usually be low, because there a few or no employees. * It is easier to keep overall control, because the owner has a hands-on approach to running the business and can make decisions without consulting anyone else. Disadvantages * The sole trader has no one to share the responsibility of running the business with. A good hairdresser, for example, may not be very good at handling the accounts. * Sole traders often work long hours and find it difficult to take holidays, or time off if they are ill. * Developing the business is also limited by the amount of capital personally available. * There is also the risk of unlimited liability, where the sole trader can be forced to sell personal assets to cover any business debts. Partnerships: Partnerships are businesses owned by two or more people. A contract called a deed of partnership is normally drawn up. This states the type of partnership it is, how much capital each party has contributed, and how profits and losses will be shared. Doctors, dentists and solicitors are typical examples of professionals who may go into partnership together. They can benefit from shared expertise, but like the sole trader, have unlimited liability. A partnership can also have a sleeping partner who invests in the business but does not have dealings in the day to day running of the enterprise. Advantages * The main advantage of a partnership over a sole trader is shared responsibility. This allows for specialisation, where one partner’s strengths can complement another’s. For example, if a hairdresser were in partnership with someone with a business background, one could concentrate on providing the salon service, and the other on handling the finances. * More people are also contributing capital, which allows for more flexibility in running the business. * There is less time pressure on individual partners. * There is someone to consult over business decisions Disadvantages * The main disadvantage of a partnership comes from shared responsibility. * Disputes can arise over decisions that have to be made, or about the effort one partner is putting into the firm compared with another. * The distribution of profits can cause problems. The deed of partnership sets out who should get what, but if one partner feels another is not doing enough, there can be dissatisfaction. * A partnership, like a sole trader, has unlimited liability. Source taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk

The One Minute Manager Reaction Paper Essay

The One Minute Manager provides a concise and simple method for planning, coaching and evaluating people for organizational and personal success. For many, the book sets forth the principles for productive relationships between a manager and his or her associates. There are three different methods portrayed that will help employers and employees find such a relationship. The first is One Minute Goal Setting. The second is One Minute Praising. Lastly, the book suggests One Minute Reprimands. With these work ethics in practice, a friendly, more productive work place results for everyone. These three ideas will help simplify life, increase productivity, reduce stress and help the reader find peace of mind. One minute goals, one minute praising and one minute reprimands are ideas that if used effectively can help to increase ones success in life. These are the three different methods in One Minute Manager. The first one is the one minute goal is about being aware of what is expected from the beginning. It is recorded on a single sheet of paper and should only take one minute to read it. It can help your staff to produce efficient results. The second step in one minute management is to catch people doing something right or the one minute praising. It hardly takes a minute for you to tell someone that he or she did a good job. One minute praisings include praising the people immediately, telling them what they did right, how you feel about it and encourage them to do more of the same. And the third one is the One minute reprimands are given as soon as an employee does something wrong. One minute reprimand has three parts. One: praise them for their usual good work and reliability. Two: point out the error and let them know it’s unacceptable. Three: Remind them how much they’re capable of, and that you value them. And once it’s over, it’s over. One minute reprimands are highly effective because the feedback is immediate, unlike the annual reviews where you are charged for things committed several weeks or months ago. This book has helped me to understand how to become a good leader and a manager in the future. It shown me that by setting attainable one minute goals will keep the business moving forward and by giving one minute praising’s when the job is done right will help the business move forward and keep moral up in the work place. Also that if the job was done wrong and the goal is not obtained  you must give the one minute reprimand to get back on track and once the reprimand is over it’s over. If I will be a manager on my own business or become as an HR Manager in an organization someday. I will use these skills that I have learned to make my business and workers as efficient as possible. I will use these lessons as the base of my management and all new managers that work for me will take a course on one minute managing. This will allow me and my employees to enjoy more success with less stress.

Advertsing of commodities and cultuer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Advertsing of commodities and cultuer - Essay Example In advertising for commodities, one should always choose the right marketing strategy. In order for commodities to sell through good advertising, one has to ensure two very important components are checked: price and value. People only respond to commodities that are offered at low prices compared to their competitors. In addition, high value products tend to attract a good market compared to low value commodities (Forker 2012, p.34). Therefore, one has to ensure these two factors are kept at bay when deciding on proper advertising tools. According to Forker (2012), commodities can never sell when they are low value and placed at high prices. It human nature to acquire goods cheaply that he or she fins high quality. Therefore, when one intends to conduct commodity advertising, one has two place these two factors in check, Lowering of prices can only be achieved if the expense of acquiring the commodity is kept low (Forker 2012, p.88). Branding of the commodities is one of the key ways in which one can ensure the commodities sale. Branding basically refers to making the given commodity unique to the consumers (Jackson 2005, p.76). Branding can be achieved through making the commodity highly sort after based on the qualities which it has. One basically needs to be aware of the market which one is targeting. Knowing the target market can be useful in knowing their taste and preference in order to tone down the commodities to the level which satisfies the clients need. In branding, one has to create a unique image that will give your commodity an upper hand over the competitors (Jackson 2005, p.46). In addition, one would have to identify reasons as to why customers purchase commodities from your competitors and try to eliminate them. Commodities that have been branded generally have a good impact of attracting and retaining clients who are attached to it (Jackson 2005, p.88). Brands creates things which people are a ble to associate and relate with. Culture has

Debating Globalisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Debating Globalisation - Essay Example Stiglitz, in his 2002 book â€Å"Globalization and its Discontents,† argues that globalisation can be a â€Å"force of good,† but it has to be â€Å"radically rethought† (Stiglitz, 2002: ix-x), particularly after being mismanaged by three global institutions, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the WB, and the IMF, that made globalization a deceitful tool for the advancement of developed countries. This paper critically assesses his views on globalization. It argues that Stiglitz provides compelling evidence that globalization has failed, because the main international institutions that were supposed to manage it failed as well; however, he neglects social, cultural and religious factors that are important in making globalization work and his suggestions are not entirely workable. For the WTO, WB, and IMF, globalisation works, because it has economically integrated countries and enabled the â€Å"free flow† of goods, services, information, and capital all over the world. On the one hand, Stiglitz agrees, because he provides an economic perspective when he defines globalisation as â€Å"the removal of barriers to free trade and the closer integration of national economies† (2002: ix). ... He provides the examples of East Asian countries, which before the interventions from the IMF, were making globalisation work for them (Stiglitz, 2004: 203). They did this by exporting to other countries, closing the technological gap, and then ensuring that the fruits of globalisation were equitably distributed among their citizens (Stiglitz, 2004: 203). East Asian governments took an active role in managing the economy, which was far from the tenets of rapid liberalisation, privatisation, and deregulation of the IMF and WTO (Stiglitz, 2002, 2007). These governments managed the slow transition to deregulation and protected key industries. At the same time, they also provide safety nets for those who will be disadvantaged by free trade (Stiglitz, 2002, 2007). On the other hand, Stiglitz’s positive understanding of globalisation changed after serving the WB and the IMF. In an interview led by Stern (2006), Stiglitz remembers asserting to the WB that he will represent the intere sts of the developing countries and not the WB: â€Å"When I accepted the job, I said that I would do it only if I could be a spokesperson for the developing countries, not for the World Bank.† He believes that he took the job, because he would be free to express himself as an economist, and not as an advocate and public relations personnel of the WB. He underlines that his â€Å"effectiveness as a chief economist depended on people believing it was my analysis† (Stern, 2006). Within the organisation, however, Stiglitz gathers evidence that prove the contrary to the belief that the world is flat and that globalisation works. His analysis showed that

BMW of Leadership and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

BMW of Leadership and Management - Essay Example This report will help the decision makers to evaluate the current and future positioning of the company under the company’s current market analysis with respect to its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The reports also highlights the structure, conduct and performance of the company’s human resources and finally recommend the strategic steps that can be taken for further improvements relating to management, development and implementation of organizational plan. ... At first, there were three companies named Rapp Motorenwerke, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, and Fahrzeugfabrik. BMW group is the German’s largest automobile company. It came into being when these three companies amalgamated into a single automobile company established in 1917, almost 90 years back the business of the company started with the production of aircraft engines and now in the 21st century, it has expanded its business form the manufacturing of engines up to the complete vehicles. BMW group has the most famous and highly valued brands of the automobile industry named BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce. The head quarter of BMW group is present in Munich, Bavaria Germany. The head quarter controls and manages the overall performance of the company in over 150 countries (Schlegelmilch, Lehbrink, & Osterroth, 2011, pg 45-54). Size and Ownership The ownership of the company is in the hands of three personnel Stefan Quandt with 17.4% shares, Johanna Quandt with 16.7% shares and Susann e Klatten with 12.6% shares (Schlegelmilch, Lehbrink, & Osterroth, 2011, pg 56-67). Since its establishment, BMW group has focused on the excellence in engineering and it is the only reason that it has expanded its growth and profit margin as compare with its other competitors. BMW group has almost 12 research and development centers all over the world in order to realize the market trends and create innovative automobiles as required by the consumers. The credit of all of its success goes to the R&D and consumer informed innovations as on average basis the company invests 2300 pounds on each car for research and development. In 2007, BMW group splendidly increased its sale up to 8%, Rolls-Royce by 26% and Mini by 18% (Schlegelmilch,

Internet in life Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Internet in life - Research Paper Example However, using a computer today is fun because of the internet. The internet has become such a necessity that it is almost impossible to figure out how our lives would be without it. Since its invention the whole world has become one big community as people are able to communicate with each other despite the distance between them or the different time zones they are in (Rosenberg 22; Tapscott,60) Parents can follow the proceedings of their children’s graduation ceremony through the internet, doctors can communicate with their patients and business executives can have boardroom meetings with colleagues from all over the world. This paper seeks to critically examine the benefits of the internet in our social lives and in sectors like communication, education, economy and politics. Computers have become one of the greatest innovations the world has ever had. They have changed the way people organise, perform, analyse and store their work. Almost every home in the world has at lea st one computer. Today, tasks are performed faster and more efficiently since people are using these machines in executing the tasks. According to Swedin, Gottfrid and Ferro, history of the computer dates back to the nineteenth century when Charles Babbage designed the first computer. The World War II and the Cold War led to the development of digital computers as nations sought to tighten their security. The development of interactive interface SAGE in the United States and connecting computers across the country with ARPANET led to the internet. As people evolve, computers and the internet technologies evolve too (7-9) Swedin and Ferro say that the computer does not organise information like the human brain. Many different jobs can be done simultaneously and the device is able to sort out its files so there is no need for book-keeping. Complex accounting formulas are processed within a very short time. The computer is also able to produce very precise images and graphs and all thi s information can be sent to millions of people across the globe instantly (44) Almasy says that, the internet traces its roots all the way in the 1950’s. In 1973, the U.S. Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiated a research program, to connect several research databases across the country. In 1988, the Internet began to get the attention in the popular press after the release of the first computer virus at Cornell University. Almasy also notes that 1991 saw the beginning of the transition of the Internet as we know it today. Websites like AOL, Netscape and Webcrawler were invented in the mid 1990’s. Previously, Mosaic and Netscape were the only browsers in use but majority of Americans were still using old methods of communication like the post office. By the mid nineties, a total of four million people in the United States used the browsers each month. Today, Billions of people use the internet each day, some to search the web and others to send em ails. The emergence of social media like Facebook and Twitter has also increased the number of internet users. The internet has become a crucial part of life (Web, 10 December, 2013) The internet has influenced almost all the things done in life today. Houses, furniture, household equipment, dresses and jewellery can be bought online. Not forgetting advertisements that are everywhere on the net. Greenfield discusses the magnitude of how the net has reorganised and reshaped our lives. He has developed a

Chemical Firms Plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chemical Firms Plan - Case Study Example The sixteen firms plan a 7.6% rise in spending for new plants and equipment in 2007 to 0.4 billion, down from 28.1% and 16.5% for 2005 and 2006 respectively. While companies surveyed in January 2006 expected to increase capital spending by 17.0, the expected increase in R&D was 4.7%, proving that priorities and spending plans can change over the course of a year. This year's group reports that it actually increased R&D by 9.0%. Of the 16 companies that provided 2007 capital spending plans, 10 expect to increase spending on new plants and equipment compared with 2006, two plan to spend the same, and four have plans to cut back. This compares with 14 that increased spending in 2006 and two that pulled back. In some cases, firms are spending on new capacity in response to customer demands. Other firms intend to make capital improvements to enhance efficiency and productivity. Ferro, for instance, says it is increasing spending to fund productivity improvement and also to underwrite restructuring programs in its electronic materials and colors segments. The firm plans to increase capital spending by 36.4% to million in 2007. Of the 14 firms surveyed on R&D spending plans, nine plan to increase spending in 2007, three plan spending cuts, a... The 14 firms in this group budgeted a combined 0.6 billion for research in 2007, up 5.8% over 2006. Their plans mark a slowdown compared with the collective 7.3% and 9.0% boost to research budgets in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Funds slated for R&D tend to move in a narrower range than those for capital improvements. So when capital budgets jump, a proportionately smaller share of the budget goes to fund research. This year, the firms in C&EN's survey expect to devote 30.3% of future-oriented funds to research, compared with the decade high of 34.8% in 2004 and the decade low of 27.7% in 1997. The combined 2007 budget of the 14 firms that supplied both R&D and capital spending data is .5 billion. Despite the slowdown in the rates of increase, the figure marks a decade high. Four years ago, in 2003, the group's future-oriented spending hit a decade low of .9 billion. A significant run-up in capital expenditures gets most of the credit for the rebound. But take inflation into account, and the funds destined for future-oriented projects won't buy nearly as much as they did 10 years ago. The .5 billion that the group plans to spend this year is only .9 billion in 1997 dollars. Because of the boost in capital spending in recent years, the ratio of investment in new equipment to investment in research has steadily increased. Inevitably, inflation whittles away at the buying power of dollars devoted to research. The .6 billion devoted to R&D by this year's group of 14 companies represents only .1 billion based on a constant 1997 dollar. However, that .1 billion also marks the inflation-adjusted decade high. The Industrial Research Institute's "R&D Trends Forecast for 2007" notes that despite a slowing housing market and wavering consumer confidence, many

Contract and procurement management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contract and procurement management - Case Study Example The budget of Ruralshire County is short and it is expecting high quality of services. Traditionally, only a small number of local contractors have the high capacity (100 seater) vehicles for these routes and because the routes are long they are challenging in terms of the ability of vehicles to keep to time, especially in adverse traffic and weather conditions. In keeping with wider practice, bus and coach operators deploy older vehicles to school transport and pupils can expect to travel in vehicles more than 10 years old.  The client is unhappy at the high cost and unreliability of a cluster (8) of long-distance routes transporting around 700 secondary age pupils from the city of Maynard Kaines (located outside the county) to Amplewealth (the county town) some 22 miles away where these children attend four local grammar schools. The combined cost of these contracts is 1.1M per annum. This report intends at identifying the important of this project. This report also intends at identifying the important of reverse e-auctions for the upcoming project. Moreover, this report ends at presenting a business case that identifies the benefits, costs, risks and gaps of the upcoming project (Worksafe.vic.gov.au, 2015). Effective procurement is a key to provide best services to businesses and customers. Selection process of suppliers is a way to identify a best person or company for a service. There are a lot if procurement approaches to select vendors to get service and goods. There are a lot of possible re-procurement approaches to achieve the business objectives mentioned in our case study of home-school transportation. In our case it is important to reduce the costs associated with the transportation of children from homes to schools. The award of new contract is strongly associated with the cost effectiveness of the transportation coupled with less travel time (Imagination.lancs.ac.uk, 2015).

Security in Wireless Protocols Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Security in Wireless Protocols - Essay Example Some of these risks are similar to those of wired networks; some are aggravated by wireless connectivity; some are new. The important basis of risks in wireless networks is that the medium, the atmosphere, is open to all including the malicious intruders. Maintaining a secure wireless network is a continuous task that needs better effort than that needed for other networks and systems (Karygiannis and Owens, 2002). 802.11 standards: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in the year 1997 created the first WLAN standard and it was named 802.11. However, soon the disadvantage of using 802.11 came up and it was found that 802.11 only supported a maximum network bandwidth of 2 Mbps. As a result the data transfer was too slow for most applications (Mitchell, 2008). Concerning the security aspect, 802.11 use the shared secret key and this in turn helps a hacker decrypting any of the 802.11 frames. Normally 802.11 dont supply any functions that support the exchange of keys among stations. Because of that, system administrators and users usually use the same keys for weeks and even months together. This gives malicious offenders ample of time to observe and hack into WEP-enabled networks (Geier, 2002). The IEEE 802.11 specification recognized many services to offer a safe operating background. The protection services are offered mainly by the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protoc ol to secure link-level data during wireless transmission between clients and access points. WEP does not provide total security, except only for the wireless portion of the connection. RC4-based stream encryption algorithm is used for confidentiality, verification, and integrity (Karygiannis and Owens, 2002). 802.11b: As the technology advanced IEEE expanded on the original 802.11 standard in July 1999 and created the 802.11b specification. It was found that 802.11b supports high bandwidth up to 11 Mbps when compared to traditional Ethernet. Similar to 802.11, 802.11b

Facial landmarking (mapping) on the FBI facial catalogue Literature review

Facial landmarking (mapping) on the FBI facial catalogue - Literature review Example Owing to the sub rosa nature of criminal activity, such measurements are often inaccurate, but indicative nonetheless. There are several sources used to gauge crime rate in a country, the first being the official crime statistics drawn from criminal records compiled by the police and law enforcement agencies. However, unlike health, employment and housing, police records are not exactly comprehensive and complete, as some offenses, especially victims under threat and experiencing humiliation (i.e. rape and abuse), are not reported. Thus, governments like that of the United States institute public surveys throughout the different states, along with collating hospital and insurance records to fill the gaps that official police records are afflicted by. Having both economic and social welfare in mind, international organizations like the United Nations (UN) and the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) gather and compile crime statistics from different countries to publi sh worldwide crime indices. One such index was created by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2009) which features a statistical compilation of various violent crimes that occurred from 2003 to 2008, classified according to the continent and country where they occurred. According to the index, there has been a steady decline of at least 5 – 10% in violent crimes that occurred in the European regions, specifically those involving crimes against property. This decreasing trend in the crime rate can be explained by the widespread installation of surveillance cameras that occurred at the turn of the millennia. Today, surveillance cameras are set up in main throughways, business establishments as well as in households, waiting to record the criminal activities of unsuspecting wrongdoers and help bring them to justice. Facial Recognition Where available, surveillance cameras are invaluable to the police and law enforcement agencies as the video record narrows down their s uspect list to persons that closely resemble the perpetrator caught on camera. According to Enciso et al. (n.d), however, matching the 3D image of a person to 2D photographs in a database presents several problems because it involves the processes of visualization and analysis. The procedure is therefore prone to asymmetries and deviations from the norm. Additionally certain video surveillance equipment have poor contrast and resolution or they are mounted at an angle that distorts the face of the criminal. Adding insult to injury, criminals have learned to wear masks to hide their faces. All these hinder precise identification. The following sections discuss the methods, current and previous, used to identify criminals in 2D photograph databases as well as the technology required to automate 3D facial recognition. Identification Methods Anthropometry is the field of science that defines the physical measurements of a person (i.e. size, form, stature) for the purpose of studying hum an physical and functional variations. According to De Angelis et al. (2008), the identification of the living began in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Discovered in 1883 by Alphonse Bertillon and accordingly termed â€Å"Bertillonage†, anthropometric identification was based on the unchanging measurements and characteristics of human body parts. This scientific field therefore worked on the premise that if a database of measurements of specific parts of every individual was recorded, it would

Classroom Teaching & Technology integration in the society Essay Example for Free

Classroom Teaching Technology integration in the society Essay An individual in this urban society interacts more with machines than the humans. Similarly, a child in this 21st century is born in an environment where digital electronics rules and it would be very much difficult of him to realize the fact that a century ago it was difficult to even call a place nearby. Things were very much mechanical and analytic. The world was a big place and large enough to consider each of the nations as islands of culture with least of interference of other culture. But now the world has become very small with information from far off places are available with a click of mouse. Websites are the second address of everything that has got dual presence i.e. both physical as well as virtual. Even though there is the same physical distance but virtually all are sitting together and is available at the virtual locations. The above mentioned changes and the rate at which these changes are being incorporated into the human civilization are going to continue and as a result everything that will see the integration of technology will accelerate. These can be a business group or a community or a simple family. The matter of importance is the individual’s capability to adopt itself to changing condition not only to thrive but to achieve further success (Chen, 2006). The above mentioned changes have actually called on classroom teachers to follow up with this technology integration. The common nation is that teachers without the knowledge of basic technology skills are more of an obstacle to any technology integration either in present or in future. But the same person can provide efficient leadership by becoming aware of basic technology skills and some imaginative thought process (Bolman Deal, 2002). This includes creation of a vision and then sharing and implementing the vision through arrangement of proper funding. A teacher’s acquaintance with these issues and its impact of technological standards actually gives an in depth view of very basic platform over which administrators knowledge stands (Bowman, Newman, Masterson, 2001). His knowledge and understanding of technology is perhaps the most important factor that determines whether the assimilation of education and technology will work in the classroom or not (Hughes Zachariah, 2001). Teachers who are technologically sound are more comfortable with the youth and children of today who are very much tech savvy and habitual of using hi-tech electronic equipments. They generally work in direct contact with students thereby the exchange of ideas from both side could be achieved and hence the possibility of better result from this technology implementation would be achieved. They would also convince the students in cooperating with the other teachers and other important elements of the complete implementation staff. Being an education professional, he or she is very much aware of facts that the effectiveness of the technology integration is a very much a variable depending on administrators’ competencies. The development of this specific and well researched competencies helps in providing proper guidelines for establishing steps for the administrator to maintain technology leadership and hence his assistance in technology integration in schools will result far reaching outputs in technology literacy and enhanced student learning. The educators’ perceptions of principal technology leadership competencies at the later stage is an important factor behind the successful integration of technology ensuring smooth rather flow of knowledge and information (Chin Hortin, 1994). Learning in the classroom will generate a new relationship between the teacher and the student thereby engaging and modernizing various methods for assessment as well as study. The broader relation between the educators and the students will give real time information to the teachers about the performance of the students. Through this they can search for newer methods to help their students. These processes will ensure more compact relationship and the students will learn in a very few period rather than the months (Trends, 2006). The newer technology generally in the form of computer internet has provided a different addition to the meaningful learning of education. One of the first and most vocal proponents of the use of technology to promote this type of meaningful learning was Seymour Papert (1980, 1994) who believed that computers could provide a powerful tool for learning. He also noted that schools have frequently ignored the broad capacities of computers for instructional support, isolating them from the learning process rather than integrating them into all areas of the curriculum. Using the techniques of the constructivism effectively, the teacher can teach or educate their students in a better way. Teachers are beginning to use technology as a tool to promote students’ ability to reason and solve authentic problems. Teachers have now been using technology and also integrating them into formal education system with intention to transform classrooms into technology intensive knowledge centers providing purposeful learning with experimental leaning that would intuitively create an environment of authentic action rather than awareness and simple information. The effective use of technology can integrate higher cognitive skill development and thinking skills such as problem solving, reasoning, decision making, and scientific inquiry. When teachers are thorough and totally integrate technology into class room a very different environment comes into existence. A constructivist learning environment is a place in which learners work together and support each other as they use a variety of tools and information resources in their guided pursuit of learning goals and problem-solving activities. Constructivist learning environments frequently encompass many different applications of media and technology. Classrooms under this environment are active with the combine of the tools of constructivism with communication and visualization tools that enable communication and collaboration among learners in a socio cultural context. Increased student achievement can result because of the synergy created through dynamic interactions (Sandholtz, Ringstaff, Dwyer, 1997). In short the teachers must acquire the desired skill level which helps them in gaining the knowledge the use of computer based technology .The survey revealed that most students have said that their teachers do not use computers in sophisticated ways. And if the teachers are not provided the useful support needed to integrate computers into the overall framework of the classroom, it is unlikely that their students will use computers in ways that will improve their learning process (Fuller, 2000). References Bolman, L. G., Deal, T. E. (2002). Leading with soul and spirit. The School   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Administrator, February, 21-26.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   computer. New York: Basic Books. Sandholtz, J., Ringstaff, C., Dwyer, D. (1997). Teaching with technology: Creating

Sociological theory of religion

Sociological theory of religion 1 Using examples critically assess one sociological theory of religion In most traditional societies, religion is an important form of social togetherness. It augments a feeling of community and promotes a set of shared values and beliefs in some form of god. Religion also plays a central role in cultural life; people often synthesize religious symbols and rituals into the material and artistic culture of the society: literature, storytelling, painting, music, and dance.[1] It is the focus of the society that is of interest to religious sociologists, in particular theories concerning the way religious behaviour differs between and within societies. Beckford notes that theories revolving around how social interaction benefits or holds back societies, has made sociology a renowned area of study.[2] In order to establish a fundamental starting point in this thesis, the foundations of sociology and the sociology of religion will be described in context. Furthermore, it will discuss, in some detail, the sociological theoretical approach of functionalism by sociologists; a critical analysis will aim to show the differences in their approaches to functionalism and will include supporting and critical statements from preceding and subsequent sociological theorists. Sociologists generally define religion as a codified set of moral beliefs concerning sacred things and rules governing the behaviour of believers who form a spiritual community[3]. Auguste Comte (1798 1857) describes sociology as the study of human societies.[4] A classical view is that, it is a social science that, uses varied methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis,[5] and is often used to develop theory about human social activity. The sociology of religion therefore takes into account the aforemention ed and also includes the practices, historical backgrounds, developments, universal themes and roles of religion in society.[6] Jones (2003) describes Comte as the first to proclaim the virtues of an empirically based social science,[7] a type of sociology that would have enormous implications for someone like Comte, who had been born during the aftermath of the French Revolution. Bilton et al (1996) explain this further: Positive social knowledge could offer the means for peaceful reconstruction of social order by the elite of enlightened scientists and intellectualsSocial change need not depend upon revolutionary violence and the manipulation of the mob[8] Comte was able to make use of the new science for the progression of society and the re-establishment of order as well as being able to apply the positive method to social theory[9]. Comte and his fellow Frenchman Durkheim are said to be the forerunners in creating the discipline of sociology. Thompson (1982) describes Comte as giving the subject its name and an ambitious prospectus, whilst Durkheim gave it, academic credibility and influence.[10] Functionalist sociologists focus their attention on the nature of institutional relationships in society.[11] To understand this further, one can use Talcott Parsons functionalist ideas as an example. Parsons, [who supported functionalism in the United States] used the functionalist perspective to group institutions in society into four related functional sub-systems; economic, political, kinship, and cultural. This theory stressed the importance of interdependence among all behaviour patterns and institutions within a social system to its long-term survival. [12] In a similar way Durkheim In trying to explain the value of social and cultural character, illuminated them in terms of their contribution to the operation of an overall system. Furthermore, Malinowski, who promoted functionalism in England, endorsed the idea that cultural practices had psychological and physiological functions, such as the reduction of fear and anxiety, and the satisfaction of desires.[13] Another English man Radcliffe-Brown contended that, all instituted practices ultimately contribute to the maintenance, and hence the survival, of the entire social system, determining the character of inter-group relations.[14] It is Parsons sub-system of culture that encompasses religion that we now turn to. A functional definition of religion is fundamentally based on the social structure and drawing together of people, it pays particular attention to how religion guides and influences the lives of people who are actively involved, and through this promotes unity and social cohesiveness.[15] Durkheim believed and argued that, religion was a socially constructed institution, serving the needs of society by socialising members into the same norms, values and beliefs, therefore reinforcing the collective conscience upon which the stability of society rests.[16] He looked in depth at the origins, meaning, and function of religion in society. His belief was that religion was not so much about God, but more about the consolidation of society and the sense of identity that this creates within a particular society.[17] He fully believed that individuals who accepted their role within their own society develop a form of social conscience as part of that role, which Durkheim labels as the Conscie nce collective,[18] which in simpler terms could be labelled as, a common understanding.[19] Published in 1921 and penned by Durkheim, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, is renowned as the best-known study on the sociology of religion.[20] Using secondary data, Durkheim studied native totemism in primitive Australian tribes, in effect the totem is a symbol that is an integral part of the group, and during ceremonies will be the magnet that draws everyone together to form a collective whole. Therefore, totemism in this instance is explained not in terms of what it is, [what the content of its doctrines and beliefs are] but what it does, that is, the function it performs for the social system.[21] Durkheim claims that, the totem, the sacred object is a representation, by which society symbolises itself,[22] which according to Fulcher and Scott, he believed to be the real basis of social solidarity.[23] From his observations Durkheim developed his theory of the sacred and profane, believing that all things in society can be separated into these distinct categories, as a fundamental dichotomy the sacred and profane are seen as two separate domains or worlds. For Durkheim the sacred meant the unity of the group embodied in symbols, as in his example of totems, the profane was more about the mundane or the individual, and less concerned with the group. However the British anthropologist Evans-Pritchard (1937) observed that sacred things may be profane at certain times, an example he gives is the case of the Azande[24], who, when their shrines were not in ritual use, were used as props to rest their spears.[25] This analysis of the sacred and the profane was extended to all religions by Durkheim and his followers, making a focus on what is similar about what they each do, and about the integrative functions all these religions perform on their social systems.[26] He therefore viewed religion within the context of the entire society and acknowledged its place in influencing the thinking and behaviour of the members of society.[27] Furthermore he beli eved that order flowed from consensus, from the existence of shared norms and values,[28] for him the key cause of social upheaval stems from anomie, the lack of regulating norms. Without norms constraining behaviour, explains Durkheim, humans develop insatiable appetites, limitless desires and general feelings of irritation and dissatisfaction.[29] Radcliffe-Brown continued Durkheims sociological perspective of society; he particularly focused on the institutions of kinship and descent and suggested that, at least in tribal societies, they determined the character of family organization, politics, economy, and inter-group relations.[30] Thus, in structural-functionalist thought, individuals are not significant in and of themselves but only in terms of their social status: their position in patterns of social relations. When regarding religious ceremonies Radcliffe-Brown contends that ceremonies, for example, in the form of communal dancing, promoted unity and harmony and functioned to enhance social solidarity and the survival of the society, in this he agreed with another renowned anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski. Malinowskis functionalism was highly influential in the 1920s and 1930s, a British anthropologist, he conducted one of the first major studies of religion from an ethnocentric perspective, on the people of the Trobriand Islands.[31] The first anthropologist to undertake a long-term piece of field research, Malinowski lived among the Trobriand islanders for four years.[32] In studying the functions of religion in a small scale, he agreed with Durkheim that religion reinforced social norms, values and promoted social solidarity.[33] Malinowski also believed that religion could relieve social anxiety and could provide a sense of security especially when people are faced with situations in which they have no control, an example Malinowski gives is based on his observation of the Trobriand islanders fishing in a calm lagoon, no religious practice was attached, however when faced with the perils of fishing in the open ocean, religious rituals were always performed. In this way Malinowski b elieved humans could exert a perceived control over a world in which they held no significant, individual power.[34] This individual, perceived control can be seen to be used by people facing a personal crisis. Often in a situation where they have no control over the outcome, people will turn to religion looking for guidance and sanctuary; thereby giving them a sense of power. For Malinowski then, religion also helped to conciliate periods of life crises and events such as death, marriage and birth, these rituals, known as rites of passage are marked by ceremonies, that by their very nature, are a form of social togetherness that help to create social order and contentment. These rites however can be seen to be controlled in that to a certain extent one is prepared for new life, death and marriage, these events form part the circle of life and therefore come with some prior knowledge. Ceremonies that relate to these life events could be seen as a predictable common bond that will help to reinforce social solidarity. Malinowski argues that religion minimizes the disruption, in particular, of death. He believes that the assertion of immortality gives rise to feelings of comfort for the bereaved, whilst the act of a funeral ceremony binds the survivors together.[35] Coser (1977) explains further: Religion can counter a sense of loss, which, as in the case of death, may be experienced on both the individual and the collective level therefore religion as a social institution serves to give meaning to mans existential predicaments by tying the individual to that supra-individual sphere of transcendent values which is ultimately rooted in his society.[36] So far we have seen that collective or communal gatherings are generally aimed at promoting social solidarity and cohesion, this is backed by the empirical evidence offered by Malinowski in his study of the Trobriand Islands. Hamilton (1995) offers that these gatherings can also be interpreted as involving the recognition of divisions, conflict and disharmonies inherent in the society and rituals may be seen as a means of coping with and defusing them.[37] Concerning Malinowskis empirical evidence, a contrasting point is noted by Casanova (1995) who questions functionalism on empirical grounds, he argues that religion does not provide consensus and unity, instead he says that most conflicts [an example he gives is the Iran/Iraq war] in society have religious foundations.[38] Marxist sociologists also criticise functionalists on a theoretical level. Marx claims that religion does not create societal consensus, instead it creates conflict between those that have wealth in the ruling class and those that do not in the working class.[39] Therefore according to Marx, the only norms and values that are conserved by religion are those of the ruling class. Functionalist theory could therefore be said to neglect the areas in which religion has been dysfunctional for society, whereby religious divisions have caused disruption and conflict rather than promoting social order. History provides numerous examples of this including the aforementioned Iran/Iraq dispute, Northern Ireland and Bosnia. An Extreme functionalist assessment of religion, declares William Stevens, is put forward by American sociologist Robert Bellah. Bellah fuses Parsons argument that America derives its values from Protestantism, with Durkheims belief that the worship of god is the disguised worship of society. From this Bellah develops a new kind of religious concept, that of a civil religion.[40] Therefore despite the individual belief systems of American citizens, it is the overarching faith in America that unites Americans. Wallis (1983:44) cited in Jones, explains that Bellah finds evidence of civil religion in Presidential inaugurations and ceremonials such as Thanksgiving Day and Memorial Day are similarly held to integrate families into the civil religion, or to unify the community around its values.[41] A further point to be made here is that generally civil religion does not hold to a belief in the supernatural. Bellah disagrees and says examples of confirmation in the supernatural can be see n or heard on a daily basis, phrases such as God Bless America and the words In God we trust on the national currency, he believes are prime examples of this. However Stevens asserts that this is not the god of any particular creed, but a god of America. For Bellah then civil religion creates a social cohesiveness by gathering people together to collectively partake in some form of ceremonial event. Therefore flag waving at a sporting event or lining the street to celebrate a royal marriage or death can bring about a united outpouring of joy or grief that in itself generates order. A contemporary example is the untimely death of Princess Diana. Her funeral witnessed a monumental combining of people, faiths and nations in a symbolic act of grief. Functionalist sociologists tend to emphasize what maintains society, not what changes it and are criticized for being unable to account for social change because it focuses so intently on social order and equilibrium in society. Functionalists have to take into account that change does happen in societies and that change is a good thing, and can represent progress. Jones says that the functionalist way around this is to use an organic analogy social progress occurs as it does with organisms as an evolutionary change.[42] Bilton et al explain that this takes shape in the form of structural differentiationdifferentiation is a type of splitting or separation of a previously undivided unit, the new units differ in that they are more specialised in the functions they perform.[43] Talcott Parsons, in his approach to social change, emphasises differentiation. According to Parsons, Institutions change, if the need of the system changes.[44] An example of a system change stems from The Indu strial Revolution, which was facilitated by capitalism, was increasingly demanding technological advances to increase profit. In order to make this possible there was a need for more educated workforces. As a result the industrial economy needed a new form of family to perform these specialist functions. Thus, as one aspect of society changed the economy and production it required a comparable change in the educational system, bringing social life back into equilibrium. This new modernization of society, explains Marske, is associated with the increasing indifference of the individual from the traditional social bonds of an intimate network of diffuse social relationships. [45] Due to a greater demand in the workforce people from all walks of life came together causing an increase in the cultural diversity within a particular society. As a result individuality became a more prominent feature; religion it seems was becoming less social and more personal. Durkheim would disagree with this statement as he believed it was possible to be an individual as well as social institution, he explains, In reality, the religion of the individual is a social institution like all known religions. It is society which assigns us this ideal as the sole common end which is today capable of providing a focus for mens wills.[46] Dillon (2003) explains that social scientists and Western intellectuals have been promising the end of Religion for centuries, Comte announced that, as a result of modernization, human society was outgrowing the theological stage of social evolution and a new age was dawning which the science of sociology would replace religion as the basis or moral judgements.[47] Durkheim predicted the gradual decrease in formal world religions; in post-enlightenment society he felt that there would be a greater emphasis on the individual. This he believed would lead to a weakening of ties in the modern world. In addition he envisaged that social solidarity and the collective conscience would be taken up by other institutions that would evolve into new forms of religious experience.[48] Furthermore a maturing modernity would see scientific thinking replace religious thinking. As a consequence, Durkheim considered the concept of God to be on the verge of extinction. In its place he envisioned society as promoting civil religion, in which, for example, civic celebrations, parades, and patriotism take the place of church services. If traditional religion were to continue, he believed it would do so only as a means to preserve social cohesion and order. Parsons disagrees with this synopsis, with modern life will come structural frameworks that are more competitive and specialised, however they would still persist because religion is an adaptable structural framework for the explanation of inexplicable social phenomena.[49] A criticism applied to the functionalists perspective stems from Durkheims analogy that societies and social institutions have personalities.[50] To imagine that a society is a living, breathing organism is a difficult concept when in fact it is seen as an inorganic object. This creates what can said to be a philosophical problem and an ontological argument that society does not have needs as a human being does; and even if society does have needs they need not be met. The view here is that society is alive in the sense that it is made up of living individuals. What is not taken into account is that each individual is a different entity, with their own wants and needs. As part of the unit they can function and integrate within the group as a viable member. However individual life choices may not always create a positive function for the society as a whole. Functionalists in general tend to have a too positive view by believing that everything that exists in society does so because it has some kind of functional purpose. Robert Merton believed that it was entirely plausible for society to have dysfunctional elements.[51] Durkheim also recognised that some forms of social life could be seen in the same way, however he did not use the term dysfunctional. In his work on crime, he noted that crime was functional to society, this seems to be a contradiction in that he also said, too high a level of crime might not be functional, because it could create a state of confusion regarding what constitutes the norms that applied to peoples lives. As a society dysfunctional actions, in particular criminal actions are frowned upon, and as a society we can become mob-handed in the way people come together to condemn an act of crime. Durkheim has a point to make here in that, people combine together, forming a collective cohesion in defining themselves against what they are not.[52] Picturing society like a vast machine, Merton argues that a society should best be considered as a cross between the cultural goals of a society-what it holds its members should strive for-and the means that are believed, legally or morally, to be legitimate ways that individuals should attain these goals. In an ideally organized society, the means will be available to deliver all of its members to their goals.[53] One must take into account when analysing such theories that at the time of writing the world was a very different place to the one we live in today. Social anthropology has come under criticism for looking into primitive societies as a representation of unchanged societies criticism in particular stems from the lack of historical records that could confirm or deny any findings. Radcliffe-Brown considered this type of work a mistakehis belief was that the religious and ritual systems had to be understood in the context of the existing society and their role in that society.[54] One could linger on Durkheims prediction that religion would decrease with modernity, religion here being in reference to the act of attending a social gathering in the worship of some form, whether it be totemic or divine. However an important point to note is that at the time when the Sociology of Religion was in its infancy, religious practice was more of a regular occurrence than one would perhaps find in todays society. However individuals are still irrevocably influenced by the role of religion in their own lives. Their beliefs and values allow them to feel supported in their everyday life; religion sets aside certain values and infuses them with special significance. Culture plays an important part here, as values, customs and beliefs combine to become a moral code by which societies adhere to and live by and pass on to future generations. Religion encourages collective worship be it in a church, mosque, temple, home or some other specified gathering place. Through the act of collective worship the individual is encouraged to feel part of a wider community. Today, societies are classed as more secular in their nature, yet if one consider the earlier statement about religion being an important form of social togetherness it would be easy to make analogies with the different groups that make up the society we inhabit. For example schools hold assemblies, awards evenings and performances all which can be seen as an example of community spirit and social cohesion. People as individuals, have interests outside of their immediate social groupings, this does not make them an outcast or outsider, and instead it promotes a sense of identity, individualism and the self. The writings of sociologists such as Durkheim, Comte, Radcliffe-Brown and Parsons are still important today, especially in comparing the way society sees religion. However, in contemporary society sociologists have a different set of problems to contend with as belief in modern society and materialism for many becomes a more vital moral value than partaking in a religious practice . BIBLIOGRAPHY Beckford, James A. (2003) Social Theory and Religion, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003). Bilton et al, Introductory sociology 3rd Edn (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1998). Casanova, Jose, Public Religions in the Modern World (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995) Christiano, Kevin J., William Swatos Jr Peter Kivisto, Sociology of Religion: Contemporary Developments Lanham, 2nd edition (MD: Rowman Littlefield publishers, 2008). Comte, Auguste, A Dictionary of Sociology (3rd Ed), John Scott Gordon Marshall (eds), (Oxford: OUP, 2005). Coser, Lewis A. Masters of Sociological Thought: Ideas in Historical and Social Context, 2nd Ed., (Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1977), pp. 136-139, Coser, Lewis A. Masters of Sociological Thought: Ideas in Historical and Social Context, 2nd Ed., Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1977: 136-139, Dewar, Greg, Religious studies, Philosophy and Ethics, (London: Oxford University Press, 2002). Dillon, Michele, Handbook of the sociology of religion (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003). Durkheim, Emile, The Division of Labor in Society. Translated by, George Simpson. (New York: Free Press, 1893/1964). Durkheim, Emile, and Coser, Lewis A., The Division of Labor in Society. (Free Press, 1997) Durkheim, Emile. The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life: A Study in Religious Sociology. Translated by, Joseph Ward Swain. (New York: Macmillan, 1915). E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Theories of primitive religion, (Oxford: Clarendon press, 1965). Emile Durkheim, Sociology and philosophy (New York: free press, 1974). Evans-Pritchard, E. E. Social Anthropology and Other Essays. ( London,1950).Contains a critique of Radcliffe-Browns functionalism from the perspective of historicism. Fulcher, J. Scott, J. Sociology, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003). Giddens, Anthony, Durkheim, (London: Harper Collins, 1996). Goldschmidt Walter, Functionalism In Encyclopaedia of Cultural Anthropology, Vol 2. David Levinson and Melvin Ember, (eds) (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1996), p. 510. Hamilton, M, The sociology of religion, 2nd edition (Oxon: Routledge, 2001). Hunt, S. Religion in Western Society, (Hampshire: Palgrave, 2002). Jones, Pip, Introducing Social Theory, (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2003). Jones, Robert Alun., Rules of the sociological method 1895, in Emile Durkheim: An Introduction to Four Major Works. (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, 1986), pp. 60-81. Macionis, J. Plummer, K. Sociology: A Global Introduction (Essex: Pearson, 2005). Merton, Robert, Social Theory and Social Structure, (USA: Macmillan, 1968), chapter 3. Orenstein, Ashley D. DM, Sociological theory: Classical statements 6th edition (Boston: Pearson Education, 2005), pp.3-5: 32-36. Sociology Quarter, Durkheim as a functionalist, vol 16 no 3 (Summer, 1975), pp 36 -379. Thompson, Kenneth, (1982) Emile Durkheim, (Sussex: Ellis Horwood Limited, 1982). Winthrop, Robert H. 1991. Functionalism In Dictionary of Concepts in Cultural Anthropology (New York: Greenwood Press, 1991), p. 130. WEBLIOGRAPHY Functionalism, in Anthropology and Sociology The Columbia Electronic Encyclopaedia. 2000-2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease. http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0819881.html (Accessed: 18.01.10). Functions OF religion learningat.ke7.org.uk/socialsciences/soc-sci/soc/a2/R. Accessed 14.1.10. CliffsNotes.com. Introduction to Religion. http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/topicArticleId-26957,articleId-26927.html. Accessed 10.1.10 Chris Livesey, Functionalist perspectives on Durkheim, www.sociology.org.uk Marjolin, Robert French sociology-Comte and Durkheim, University of Chicago press American journal of sociology, vol. 42, no 5 (Mar., 1937), pp693 -704. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2767763 (Accessed: 12.1.10.). Mark Glazer, Functionalism http://www.utpa.edu/faculty/mglazer/theory/functionalism.htm (Accessed: 13.12.09). Marske, Charles E, (1987) Durkheims Cult of the Individual and the Moral Reconstitution of Society, Sociological Theory, Vol. 5, No. 1, (American Sociological Association, 1987), pp. 1-14. http://www.jstor.org/stable/201987. Accessed: 17.01.10. The Azande, http://lucy.ukc.ac.uk/EthnoAtlas/Hmar/Cult_dir/Culture.7829 (Accessed: 15/1/10). William J. Stevens, Religion: A Functionalist Assessment, http://www.helium.com/items841304-religion-a-functionalist-assessment. (Acces

Marketing planning

Marketing planning Introduction : This assignment is submitted in partial fulfilment of the marketing planning unit. I have been asked to conduct macro-environmental and micro environmental marketing audit to identify the current and key issues facing the organization I propose to launch a Fabindia store in Milan, Italy. The report outlines reasons for undertaking the audit and appraises the processes, models and techniques used for the audit. It also assesses the external and internal marketing environment for the organisation and summarises the impact of this analysis for the organisations marketing plan and marketing mix. Finally have proposed a marketing plan details about how it can be executed. 1.About Fabindia: 1.1 History: The first Fabindia outlet was set up in 1961 by John Bissell to provide a platform for traditional artisans and printers to market their produce to showcase diverse craft traditions of India. 1.2 Current Philosophy: Eco-friendly, ethical hand crafted Indian products. Mission: Traditional, ethnic products creating sustainable employment for craftsmen and artisans in rural India. 1.3 Current Target Audience: Retail- Age Group: Not specific Sex: Male Female Economic Class: Upper and higher middle class. Geographical Places: Metros, tier 2 tier 3 cities. Institutional Buyers: Heritage hotels, resorts corporate houses. 1.4 Current Product Range: Garments for men and women, Accessories, Home Linen and Furnishings, Home Products, Floor Coverings, Body Care Products and more recently, Organic Food Products and ethnic jewellery. 1.5 Timeline of its stores: 1976 1st retail outlet, New Delhi. By 2001 6 stores concentrated in the metro cities. By the end of 2004 20 stores. By the end of 2007 75 retail stores across India and in addition, stores in Dubai, Rome and Guangzhou in China. By 2008 99 stores. By 2009 108 stores. By 2011 Target of having 250 stores. Fabindia: Retail Snapshot 108 stores across 40 cities 6 stores abroad. Dubai, UAE, Bahrain (three stores), Doha, Qatar and in Rome, Italy. Online Shopping Exports to 34 countries 1.6 Sales Revenue: 2000-01 : Turnover of 36 crore rupees 2005-06 : Turnover of Rs 130 crore. 2007-08 : Revenue of Rs 257 crore 2008-2009 : Revenue of Rs 300 crore. but growth more than halved to 17% from 40% in 2007-08. By 2011: Target turnover Rs 1000 crore. 1.7 Future Plans: Leveraging the Organic Products section, childrens market. Expand nationally internationally. 100,000 shareholders and five-fold increase in skilled jobs in the rural sector. Reduce the number of defects in the products to a minimal which include bleeding of colours, shrinkage etc. 2. Internal Audit: 2.1 SWOT Analysis: S T R E N G T H S Differentiable products, Diverse product mix, International appeal, Eco-friendly, ethical, natural stylish, Showcases diverse Indian craft traditions contemporary styles, Creates employment for craftsmen in rural India, Different categories of stores, Products all age groups variety of economic strata, Constant development innovations product line, Partnering suppliers sourcing from 21 states across India, Big distribution network, In-house manufacturing, Customer Loyalty, Manifold growth of most artisan suppliers linked exclusively to Fabindia. No awareness about the brand, Limited channels of business, Sourcing strategy skewed towards suppliers, Competition from brands having similar product range, Inconsistent quality of products. W E A K N E S S E S T H R E A T S Time-lines and Delivery schedules dependent on too many variables, Monitoring and Supervision contemporarising and bench marking of traditional skills based products, Building Capacity time and resource intensive, Not in touch with Fashion Trends, Competition from leading Italian brands stores. In store merchandising, Promoting e-business channel, Interactive website for customized designing Organic foods market, Customer acquisition Strategies, Growth in demand : eco-friendly products, Growing interest Indian culture, handicrafts textiles, Milan host for 1 of worlds most prestigious furniture and design fairs. Milan one of worlds major financial business centres, Worlds 26th richest city by purchasing power. O P P O R T U N I T I E S 3. External Audit: 3.1 PESTEL Analysis: Political: Change in implementation of rules regulations with introduction of new government. Eg No foreign collaborations, no foreign goods and products coming in the Italian market. Changes in policies by existing Indian government. Refer RESEARCH final.doc5.1.1 Economical: Changes due to economical descend. Eg. Reduction in employment rate purchasing power of people, resulting in low sales. Social: Social acceptance towards certain colors might vary according to different cultures and stratas of society. Eg: Products in bright colors which are popular in India is not socially accepted in Milan. Refer RESEARCH final.doc5.1.3 Technological: Utilizing technology infrastructure of international standards. Eg. CRM software implemented in stores will help in maintaining centralized database. This will help Fabindia in retaining customers by building lasting relationships improving Loyalty. Environmental: Material used for making products not approved allowed by Italian Government. Eg. If products are found to be made of materials hazardous to the environment the Italian government can take strict actions against the company under the Environmental Protection Law. Refer Legal: Difference in manufacturing standards , process , trading etc. Eg. Conformity to European standards and CE marking. Taxes for businesses in Italy. Refer RESEARCH final.doc5.1.6 3.2 Impact of Porters 5 Forces : Threat of Subsitutes: There should not be threat of substitute to the products of Fabindia since they are eco-friendly organic products which have replaced the ordinary conventional products are in huge demand. Market Segmentation: 4. Market Segmentation : Age Group: All age groups. Sex: Male Female Economic Class: Not specific Geographical Place: Milan, Italy. Fabindia intends to continue expanding internationally currently 6 stores abroad. Milan very important city in Italy one of worlds major financial business centres. Main goal of Fabindia to promote vast diverse craft traditions of India. Since there is a growing interest among Europeans about Indian handcrafted products, Indian textiles, art cultures, Fabindia holds lot of potential in European market. Fabindia very ethical eco-friendly company which supports many causes Europeans like being part of such endeavours. Fabindia does not target any specific age group or any specific economic strata, has something for every one. Fiera Milano citys ExhibitionCenter and Trade Fair complex is one of most important in the world Milan is one of fashion capitals of the world. Fabindia wants to increase its global reach, since lot of international buyers visit Milan, it can prove to be great opportunity for it. The employment rate in Milanis 95-96% therefore the spending power of people is very high. Thus opening a store at Milan should prove to be beneficial. 5. Proposed Marketing Mix: Execution: They should carry out extensive market research, study kind of products established stores are selling. Meetings with designers artisans can be conducted designers give inputs on current market trends and emerging designs to weavers brainstorm innovative techniques. They can design stylish products emphasizing on Indian craftsmanship explore rich Indian fabrics with numerous surface ornamentation techniques. Range will be exclusively designed for the Milan market. They can take customer feedback through their online website know preferences of their customers design accordingly. Product range fine combinations of Indian aesthetics and western design sensibility. Farmers will supply Fabindia with organic varieties from places like Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Coorg, Tamil Nadu. They believe giving farmers fair price for their produce, and supplying very highest quality food to their customers. 5.2 Price: Products different price ranges. Products will be affordable, will give ‘value for money. It hasexpanded its range- to provide something for all its customers. Execution: Type of Products PriceRange ( Euros) Textile-based product range 5-15 Home Products range 20-300 Fabindia Organics 3 onwards Fabindia Sana 3-30 5.3 Place : Fabindia should be strategically located at Sesto San Giovanni full of commerce, restaurants, hotels, malls, rail station, red line of Metro. Brand Zara home is located there Habitat is near by. 2 eco hotels Hotel la Residenza Via Scialoia or Hotel Ariston, Galeria del Corso near Sesto San Giovanni can be considered. Piazza del Duomo is also very good location which attracts lot of people boutiques, bookstores big stores to indulge in elegant and cultural shopping. They can haveconcept stores or premium stores located in famous historical landmarks and renowned big heritage for convenience of potential buyer and creation of overall awareness. Execution: With help of Search Office Space (SOS), can find appropriate place. FREE Service They are paid by advertisers. Impartial Advice Their mission is to find space that meets YOUR requirements. They provide with tailor made options that match your specifications. They take care of entire search show options, help create a shortlist, arrange for you to view space, compare prices, make your final selection and arrange your move-in date. 5.4 Promotion: Promoting its products, mostly through posters, word of mouth and events. Placing ads in local newspapers about ongoing events organized in store to increase awareness about store locations, usinglot of in-store posters to create consumer awareness about products and rural suppliers etc., putting up hoardings, creating awareness social causes which they represent associate with, promote through website. Execution: GlobalCom PR-Network is worldwide group of full service PR and Marketing Communications agencies. It more than 40 partners and affiliated agencies cover all member states of European Union. Their strength is their local expertise in all European market. Portfolio includes: Public Analyst Relations Marketing Communications Online Marketing Market Research Media Training By engaging professional PR agency conversant with Italian Market environment, different strategies can be devised to promote store. 5.5 Process : It believes: â€Å"Delighted Customer is our Best BrandAmbassador†. It should focus on customer retention build loyal customer base. Execution: It should implement CRM software aims to help maintain centralized database to keep records of customers, details about past purchases, preferences or by having Value Customer Card gives history customer details each time, card is swiped. They should have interactive events for customers with design team, customers can get style tips, Feedback sessions between Fabindia designers customers loyal customers can be given certain privileges get special invites to events organized by Fabindia like exhibitions, concerts. will help it in retaining customers improving loyalty. 5.6 Physical Evidence: By endorsing and sponsoring events- creative communication tools innovative activities attract customers gaining maximum publicity possible. Execution: Having in store posters to create consumer awareness about dyes used in products, products and where they come from, i.e. rural suppliers Having dà ©cor and layouts highlight traditional and natural focus, having catalogues giving details current merchandise, LCD screens playing how artisans work manufacture, brochures informing Fabindia events lined up, Indianised eco-friendly stylish carry bags with personalized thank you cards, leaflets informing causes Fabindia supports eco-friendly practices it follows. 5.7 People: People working with and for Fabindia representatives of Fabindia. They should be aware of all its products, be knowledgable, friendly, helpful, attentive, speak lot of languages and develop good customer relations. Store personnel encouraged to wear clothes that reflect Fabindia ethos of traditional and natural look. Execution: Fabindia should register on website of recruiting agency help it to find its potential employees. Fabindia should train people with required knowledge and customer service. People working in store can attend regular training programmes. 6. Ansoffs Grrowth Strategy: 6.1 MARKETING STRATEGY FOR FABINDIA MILAN USING ANSOFFS GRID Milan potential market with growing interest among Europeans about Indian handcrafted products, Indian textiles cultures Fiera Milano citys Exhibition Center one of most important in world visited by manyinternational buyers, great opportunity for Fabindia help increase global reach. Fabindia very ethical eco-friendly company, supports many causes Europeans like being part of such endeavours. Currently Fabindia store in Rome, Italy has been doing well. Fabindia expand internationally to create brand awareness in new place, to launch itself in different parts it should use Market Development Strategy . Fabindia very popular for its fashion apparels mostly made of homespun cotton. But one cannot wear cotton due to climatic conditions in Milan. The colors of Fabindia products mostly very colourful, but due to gloomy weather in Milan larger population prefer pastels mid tones of all colors summers and winters black n brown rules. Milan fashion capital houses leading brands, famous for their innovative designs. It is important for Fabindia to have its merchandise designed their range planned as per market in Milan I strongly suggest Product Development Strategy. EXECUTION Core values of Fabindia to provide quality natural products, reflect the unique Indian culture hence Isuggeststore can be located infamous historical landmark have layouts highlight traditional and natural focus. Store showcases rich legacy of Indias traditional weavers, offering wide array of styles contemporary and sophisticated, must create distinct image location must be chosen with utmost care. Fabindia very ethical eco-friendly brand Ariston hotel first ecological hotel of Italy- perfect place for exclusive Fabindia store. Ariston hotel situated in heart of Milan, 500 metres from the Duomo, monuments ,few steps from Via Torino shopping area. With privileged position compared to other 3-star, near Piazza del Duomo andsubwaystops(to New Fair). Very well serviced bytram, bus. Very strategic location connected to all important places renowned museums, monuments famous shopping streets, restaurants, pizzerias movie theaters near the Duomo awareness could be created through advertising physical evidences. Since new market no awareness, needs to carry out lot of promotional activities. Can organize events like authentic Indian food festivals, , interactive workshops with Indian designers, showcasing the rich Indian culture. Fabindia associated with social causes, create awareness about involvement and brand.  · Can organize social events , sponsorships, advertise in magazines, hoardings, posters to create consumer awareness,Know what you wear Workshop. Makes customers more aware of work put in for their fabric and helps them with association with brand FabIndia. Lot of competition leading established brands in Milan selling similar products.They need to create distinct image come up product range exclusively for Milan after doing a detailed market research, products with innovative ecofriendly stylish designs with Indianised touch. Lot of importance laid on aesthetic appeal good quality. Should focus on customer retention work on strategies to build a loyal customer base. These are my recommendations for launching Fabindia in Milan. Feedback Mechanism: Mystery Shopper Program: In mystery shopper program, person hired by management goes to every store and shops there and then give feedback according to customer perspective. Store people never come to know or suspect anyone whether he is a mystery shopper or not. Detailed feedback is given to every individual shop. It consists of minute details signages outside, restrooms, behavior of staff. So it serves as a tool to provide better customer satisfaction. Feedback registers Feedback questionnaire to be filled on the website: Customer feedback by maintaining visitors register to record customer views or through questionnaires filled online. Store managers can prepare report, periodically reviewed by Product Selection Committee to know about buying pattern among consumers. CRM software Value Customer Card: CRM software can be implemented to maintain centralized database to keep customer record details or by having the Value Customer Card history details of customer each time, card is swiped. Can get to know fast slow moving products, popular styles can accordingly do range planning. Can have meeting every month to review performance discuss measures to be taken to improve sales increase consumer satisfaction.

Mass Communication :: Communication Essay

Mass communication, by definition, is the process in which professional communication using technological devises share messages over great distances to influence large audiences. The technology of modern mass communication results from the confluence of many types of inventions and discoveries, some of which ( the printing press, for instance) actually preceded the Industrial Revolution. Technological ingenuity of the 19th and 20th centuries has developed the newer means of mass communication, particularly broadcasting, without which the present near- global diffusion of printed words, pictures, and sounds would have been impossible. The steam printing press, radio, motion pictures, television, and sound recordings- as well as systems of mass production and distribution- were necessary before public communication, in its present form, might occur. What I would like to discuss now is the actual process of mass communication and how it works. In mass communication, a professional communicator is the source, someone who shares information, ideas, or attitudes with someone else. The source may be an author, a newspaper reporter, a television reporter, or an announcer. The technological devices are the channels, or the means by which the message was sent. An example of this would be that radio and television messages are transmitted via cable and satellite systems. The message is whatever the source attempts to share with another person. In mass communication, the large audience comprises the receivers, the people who are the attended recipients of the message. Occasionally a receiver of the message will sent feedback to the source, that is, a response that allows the source to determine if the message was correctly understood. In mass communication feedback can be conveyed through a letter to the editor, for instance, or a telephone call to a television station. There are several reasons why it is important to understand the process off mass communication. Probably the most important is that by understanding the process of mass communication we will learn to think critically about the messages the media send us. We will become more thoughtful media consumers.

The Controversy Over the Electoral College System Essay -- Politics Po

The Controversy Over the Electoral College System A number of Americans fail to realize that when they vote they are not voting for the president and vice-president directly, but for electors who then cast their ballots in the Electoral College. Until the recent battle between Gov. George W. Bush and Vice-president Al Gore for the presidency, this new generation of American voters has never witnessed a controversial election. Historically, there have been problematic elections allowing voters to question this system. The Electoral College is now a process open to criticism and debate, specifically because many do not understand its origin or purpose today. On November 7, 2000, Election Day, I was excited to become an official voter. Considering myself mature, responsible, and finally of age to vote, I had mailed my registration, received my voter’s card, ready to become a participant in one of the most crucial events of the year. I was a faithful supporter of my candidate, crossing my fingers in hopes of victory. That night I watched CNN, eating my dinner and sipping a Diet Coke when the station announced Al Gore had won Florida, which held twenty-five electoral votes. Two hundred and seventy are needed to win, and presidential candidates Bush and Gore had switched leads all night. Each state held a close percentage ranging from an average 2-6 percent difference in votes between candidates. Florida had been anticipated as a Republican victory, which led to disappointment among Republican voters when its electoral votes were awarded to Al Gore. I continued to watch as each state was announced and electoral votes were awarded to either candidate. About an hour later, Florida became â€Å"too close to call† and CNN among other st... ... situation may cause discouragement in some voters, but in others motivation to become a participant in voting for entrusted electors to select our next president. Between the presidential candidates, whomever wins among this controversy should be respected and relied upon to reunite a divided country. Americans must have faith in a system that despite its flaws works and has set us apart from other nations in our freedoms and rights. Works Cited Best, Judith A. The Choice of the People? Debating the Electoral College. England: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1996, pgs. 43-44. Glennon, Michael J. When No Majority Rules: The Electoral College and Presidential Succession. Washington D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 1993, p.20. Schmidt, Shelley, and Bardes. American Politics and Government Today. Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1999, pgs. 325-327.

World War Two After the Depression :: WWII World War 2 Essays

During 1940 depression weary Americans hoped that the new decade would bring better days than the previous one. War swept Europe and Asia. People began to wonder whether when war rumours began to flood the newspapers. People tried to ignore the war by going to movies, watching sports, and listening to music. By mid 1940 war was no longer possible to pretend. The time had come for citizens and representatives in Washington to take charge in the nation's course. Isolationists wanted to stay out of the war. Many small town people and rural flks wanted nothign to do with Europes affairs. The debate came down to whether or not the nation was ready or not to go to war. Americans grasped hope that a volunteer army would be more than enough for the troubled times to come. Army Chief of Staff George Marshall didn't agree. He said, "paper plans no longer will suffice. The security of our country depends on more trained men. There is no other way to do it." When Hitler took France Americans started to listen to what Churchill had to say as he was broadcasted over radios across the United States. The time came for the nation to take its course. The Selective Training and Service Act was passed September 19, 1940, by almost two-to-one margin in both houses of Congress. Two days later at the White House Roosevelt approved the act. The United States now had to take action. The nation would require its citizens to learn the art of self-defense in peacetime. The draft brought in men that were citizens of the United States and resident aliens. No more than 900,000 of them could be drafted during peacetime. The first big step in all of this was held on October 16, 1940, a day to be known as Registration Day. There were 125,000 registration centers across the nation. Here the young men came to enlist in the Army. On registration day Uncle Same brought in 16,500,000 men in one way or another. These men were the new defenders of the United States. Registration Day was only a day to lead up to the draft. The actual draft took place on Octobor 29, 1940. When the men registered across the nation they were given a number between one and 8,500. The first number to be called on the day of the draft was 158.

Homosexuality from the Psychological and Christian Perspectives Essay

The â€Å"rightness† or â€Å"wrongness† of homosexuality has long been a subject for debate in both moral and social circles. Some have said that a person’s gender is their own choice and therefore should be respected. Some contend that homosexuality is brought on by factors both biological and environmental and should therefore be understood. Staunch Christian believers on the other hand point out that when God created humans, He created only man and woman. Anything that goes against that is simply wrong and immoral. In the 19th century, homosexuality was defined as one person’s desire and interest for another person of the same sex (â€Å"Homosexuality,† 2004). Today, while the definition is still applicable, homosexuality has also come to be viewed as â€Å"wanting to be of the other gender† different from one’s own biology. â€Å"I can’t help who I am. † Is a person’s homosexuality brought about as a matter of choice, by birth, or is it something in a person’s environment? There have been theories advanced in the field of psychology that state people are influenced by factors both external and internal. The late nineteenth and early 20th centuries saw the first scientific studies into the origin of homosexuality (Vern & Vern, 1993). The first was Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1825-1895). He was one of the first acknowledged researchers into homosexuality as well as one of the first people to publicly admit he was gay. In those days, he called what we know now as homosexuality â€Å"urning† and stated that urnings should be considered simply as the â€Å"third sex. † Richard von Krafft-Ebbing (1840-1902) was one of the first to issue views on homosexuality as a perversion. Then again, all sexual acts undertaken without the purpose of reproduction, to him, were unnatural and â€Å"perversions of the sexual instinct. † (Vern & Vern, 1993) Several studies then showed that homosexuality, particularly among males, was a common if not natural occurrence. In the journal â€Å"Yearbook for the Sexual Intermediates,† Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, a leading proponent of the thought that homosexuality was inborn and therefore natural, states: â€Å"In the embryonic state, people are bisexual, but in the course of their natural development, most lose their desire for members of the same sex. These people are the heterosexuals, who love members of the opposite sex. Another category consists of those individuals whose sexual organs develop normally but in whom the desire for same-sex individuals in the feeling center fails to recede. The results are men who love men and women who love women. † (Sappho and Socrates, 1896) (Russell, 1995) The field of psychoanalysis also presented their views on the origin of homosexuality. In the early days, homosexuality, as well as other â€Å"deviant† societal behaviors were viewed as â€Å"illnesses† that were treatable by psychoanalysis. One explanation advanced was that of Freud’s Oedipus Complex among males and â€Å"penis envy† among the female homosexuals. Freud says that males with Oedipus complex, preferred their mother and hated their father. Perhaps this can be translated to males hating their â€Å"maleness† because they associate it with their fathers. Women on the other hand, realize â€Å"a repressed desire for a penis† in their psychosexual â€Å"phallic† and â€Å"oral† stages said Freud. (Webster, 2005, p. 324) Feminist critics of Freudian theory however said that Freud’s thinking were too misogynist and distinctly anti-feminine. One pivotal development in psychiatric understanding of homosexuality was a study conducted by Irving Bieber (Dain et al. , 1962, p. 182). In a sample of 106 homosexual patients treated by either him or other psychiatrists, he found that feminine and cross-gender behavior patterns commonly manifested themselves even before the age of puberty. It is from this study that it was determined that homosexuality set in even before males were influenced by any hormonal surges and sexual awareness caused by puberty. These results however, have been interpreted and over-simplified by some quarters to mean that homosexuality must then be attributed to a male individual’s relationship with a strong, dominant mother and a weak or absent father. It was then proposed that homosexuality was not an illness, but rather a developmental problem brought about by conditions of family relations particularly the relationship between father and son. Homosexuality was then treated as the product of a father’s failure to bond and impress the male gender identity on his son. Father needs to mirror and affirm the boy’s maleness. As Payne explains, â€Å"The masculinity within is called forth and blessed by the masculinity without† ( 1985: 13 ). This beautiful and mysterious match is the union of an inner need and an outer reality. The boy seeks to take in what is exciting, fun, and energizing about his father. There is a freedom and power to outgrowing mother—and this power is personified by the father. If father is warm and receptive, the boy will be encouraged to dis-identify from the feminine and enter into the masculine sphere. He will then become masculine-identified and most probably heterosexual. If both parents encourage the boy this way, he will be well on his way to fulfilling his male gender identification and heterosexuality. (Baird & Baird, 1995, p. 52) The year 1973 saw a change in the way homosexuality was viewed (Vern & Vern, 1993). Due to a vote held within the American Psychological Association (APA), homosexuality ceased to be an illness and was subsequently dropped from the APA Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. The debate on the origin of homosexuality is basically of a â€Å"nature vs. urture† perspective. Some have posited the idea that being gay is not a choice, one is just born gay. Others have contended that homosexuality comes from failed or uneven relationships within the family. Which truly is which? Thinkers called â€Å"essentialists† hold forth the belief that man’s make up is biological and genetic. Sexual orientation is just one of the things that genes, hormones and brain make up decide. People are born gay and thus, cannot change or escape from that. (LeVay, 1996). (Seutter & Rovers, 2004) At the opposite end of the argument are the â€Å"constructionists. For them, nobody is born gay. Sexual orientation is decided and influenced by an individual’s interaction and reinforced choices in the social context particularly in the family setting. (Seutter & Rovers, 2004) Family seems to play a key role in the determination of an individual’s gender. Be it taken from a genetic contribution to setting the environment that conditions and orients an individual with society. Many psychologists agree that a person’s relationship with people around one’s self will have influences of varying degrees on the individual’s choices and preferences. In fact several theories have been advanced with their basis on such familial contributions. (Seutter & Rovers, 2004) Bowen’s â€Å"Family-of-origin† theory (1978) states that a person’s self-image, behaviors, attitudes, beliefs and values are formed by experiences within one’s â€Å"family-of-origin. † Differentiation or the need to preserve one’s self in relationships as an individual as well as the level of intimacy reached is just one of the things that are developed in the family-of-origin. Authority and power were the basis for Williamson’s concept of â€Å"Personal Authority† (1991) In his concept, Williamson believed that an individual’s person and feeling of personal was formed by leaving the parental home in the psychological if not physical sense. He further stated that only when an individual has â€Å"individuated† himself or set himself apart from the family and established his own identity can he reconnect voluntarily with his family. (Seutter & Rovers, 2004) Nowadays, gays and lesbians have become more â€Å"empowered† as opposed to the years past when homosexuals lived in fear of being discovered and isolated from society or prohibited from living normally as they chose. In a journal article by Anthony R. D’Augelli (2003) for the American Journal of Community Psychology, he shares: Homosexuality was not removed from the psychiatric nomenclature in DSM until 1973, a year after I completed my doctoral training. During my clinical training, I wanted to discuss my feelings with someone, but the idea was terrifying; and, I did not seek professional help because of fear that I would be removed from my program. (After all, who trains someone with a mental disorder to be a clinical psychologist? ) In addition, despite my sexual orientation, which was fairly clear to me at that point, I could not even bring myself to share this information even with the Army physicians during my physical examination after being drafted for service during the Vietnam era. This simple truth would have removed me from induction, but I could not say the words. (D’Augelli, 2003) What the Church has to Say The growing numbers of â€Å"out† gays and lesbians have not escaped the notice of the Christian churches. Traditionally, churches of different religions have been hostile toward gays and lesbians. To them, there are only two genders: man and woman. There have even been some instances where there were accounts of physical and verbal humiliation and abuse gay worshippers suffered within the church, at time in the hands of a priest of Father confessor.