Degree in Economics, Finance and Management - Managerial Accounting Essay

Degree in Economics, Finance and Management - Managerial Accounting - Essay Example The roles they currently play have become increasingly huge and difficult. They are the center of the decision making in both business firms and organizations. They are currently solely responsible for setting up and keeping the financial policies as well as being responsible for management of information system. The support they provide is essential because they work together with other management colleagues to ensure that all matters financial are equitably managed. Basically the work of the management accountant is to forecast on the future by ensuring that the advice they give is for the interest of the future growth and stability of the enterprise. They look at how the business is progressing and offer an advice on how problems can be effectively managed and on how to adapt to modern changes in business trends in order to remain relevant in the market industry (Smith, 2005). To achieve this dreams the management accountant look at ways of reducing business costs both operational and production cost and how to set up more and implement more viable strategies. Their work is not limited to specific sections but it cuts across the organizations. Manager’s information need differ with regard to the nature of entities operations and their role within the organization. Much of information that touches on management accountancy is based on both qualitative and quantitative data. This emergence was first instigated by a perceived disconnect between the theory and the practice of management accounting, and more specific on the most common perception that the traditional wisdom of management accounting textbooks is not widely used in practice. However the belief was based on few published work. Yeshmin and Das, research that was carried out in 2009 in Bangladesh showed that managers of the financial institutions are more comfortable when they apply both variance and budgetary control analysis to measure their performance among the

Supply Chains and Store Operations of Oil Companies

Supply Chains and Store Operations of Oil Companies Introduction Recently, the Iraq War and the War on Terror have caused some surges for the energy industry; oil prices have been heavily fluctuated. Ironically, the solid performance in overall oil industry suggests that oil companies are heading with decent momentum. ‘The surge in oil prices, from $10 a barrel in 1998 to above $50 in early 2005, has prompted talk of a new era of sustained higher prices. Even so, an unusually loud chorus is now joining Messrs OReilly and Chavez, pointing to intriguing evidence of a new price floor of $30 or perhaps even $40. To see which camp is right, two questions need answering: why did the oil price soar? And what could keep it high?’[1] The energy industry has experienced the tumultuous era domestically and internationally. This paper will apply STEEP and Porter’s five forces to determine competitive strategies in order to respond to two questions: why did the oil price soar, and what could keep it high? Porter’s Five Forces 1. Bargaining power of suppliers The oil companies have exposed to price fluctuation risk. Additionally, currency exchange risks have increased the cost of capital and worsen the debt ratio in the oil industry. As a result, oil companies might enter into long-term sales contracts for the oil and gas suppliers and establish long-term hedging agreements to protect against currency volatility.[2] However, the question is whether the industry has succeeded in finding its way to organize alliances between oil suppliers and oil producers. Although bringing down the costs of developments through common practices has already been established, the achievement breaks down some barriers which have existed between oil companies and their contractors for such a long time. Additionally, the profits from oil reservoirs have caused political turmoil in Venezuela and the Middle East region. OPEC (the Organization of Petroleum of Exporting Countries) is confident to defend its stated high price policy at any costs. Furthermore, high-sky oil prices have been helped by the strong demand from China. Coupling with these events is the sharp downturn of the U.S. dollars. Thus, the global downstream market has undergone pressure; the oil industry has high power of suppliers. 2. Threat of Substitute Products High gasoline prices drive efforts to increase ethanol consumption and ethanol related products. Additionally, propane, methanol, natural gas and especially ethanol are most widely uses gasoline-alternatives. Besides, electricity, hydrogen and palm oil become among substitute fuels which car producers and chemical companies are developing. Europeans cut their dependence on oil suppliers by switching to substitutes, such as coal, nuclear power, and natural gas. Nevertheless, the Euro currency now appreciates against U.S. Dollars. Since Europeans usually purchase oil in U.S. currency, their profit margins become narrowed. The fuel prices are so high that it would take a quick drop to make ethanol unprofitable and stunt the growth of its use. On the other hand, gasoline prices at high record can help biotech companies achieve a breakthrough in reducing cost of ethanol. It might take a few years before reasonable prices for ethanol could be commercially available, and cheaper ethanol might not take much of a dent in gas price. Thus at this time the threat of substitutes is low for the industry. 3. Bargaining power of buyers As mentioned, gasoline at this time does not have many alternatives although many nations have tried to reduce dependences on oil suppliers. However, these substitutes also require suitably designed devices, which might cause higher cost of finished goods. As a result, in the mean time, the cost incentives will discourage the purchasing power. The oil industry is defined as a basic commodity. The outlook for the energy industry is given high commodity prices, high growing demand, and lack of alternatives to oil as the primary transportation fuels. The oil industry has efficiently squeezed from operating assets, such as untapped resources and refineries. The growth of oil price will lead to increase transportation and energy in price, driven by market forces inflamed by infrastructure shortage. Despites of many impacts, oil industry has low bargaining power of buyers due to a few substitutes. 4. Threat of New Entrants The oil industry requires more financial investment for reservoir allocation. Many major oil companies have fended off the advances of these unbranded foes. However, the â€Å"upstarts† have inroads with marketing strategies. One of the criteria is to focus on brining down drilling costs to keep the pace of activity. A combination of high oil price and uncertainty of oil price might bring about several government reviews of energy sector. Thus, this will have a marked impact on exploration operation in oil industry. They have applied different strategies from those of the past, enjoyed superior returns and captured value from the integrated giants. Thirty years ago oil companies were primary operators of service stations, enjoying exclusivity in the gasoline market. Now, many factors have combined to put pressure on margins. The consumers’ ties to the stations, operated by major oil companies, have been weakened. The convenience stores have begun selling gasoline and provided new services. But, major oil companies have not yet considered these retailers as a major threat. They still view these unbranded offering as inferior in terms of quality and consumer appeal. However, since the petroleum industry merged, consumer attitudes and the impacts on the brand choice have been changed. Unfortunately, those factors now stay largely inside the stores, not with the major oil companies. The drivers of brand choice have evolved, especially when the new consumers define brand value; these â€Å"upstart† marketers have already developed the systems and processed to stay abreast of these major oil companies. The upward trend in convenience store sales will lead to higher profit margins. In short, the threats of new entrants are increasing in oil industry. 5. Intensity of competitive rivalry Oil crisis during the end of the 1990’s help oil investors and executives understand what conditions are driving this wave of mergers. Foremost is the chronic glut of oil that has driven crude prices to near-historic lows. Some of the oversupply are derived from flattening demand in mature markets and economic difficulties in many emerging markets. ‘In recent deals such as British Petroleum (BP) and Amoco, Total and Petrofina, Exxon and Mobil, and currently BP/Amoco and ARCO, the stated goal has had a familiar refrain: to increase profits by dramatically cutting costs, reducing inefficiencies, and expanding geographically.’[3] During early the 1990’s, major companies have to fight back and watch their market shares for gasoline reduce at the hands of the upstarts. â€Å"In addition to the majors, in 1997 alone, an increasing number of c-store acquisitions by Amerada Hess, MAPCO Express, and FINA, to name a few, were announced. In Atlanta, Amoco, BP, and Texaco have begun to battle aggressively to maintain market share and repulse QuikTrip and RaceTrac.†[4] As a result, these competitors are aggressively selecting choice properties and investing in facilities. They are also pursuing and pushing programs to increase profit margins for their branded dealers. If a backdrop of growing global economy becomes uncertainty, investors in oil industry get jittery. As of July 26, 2005, ‘in a report published last week, Merrill Lynch Co. said the aggregate net income of the 70 largest companies in the sector is expected to rise 26% this year to $230 billion, on sales of $2.57 trillion, up nearly 10%. The reasons: high oil prices and fat refining margins, plus a pickup in oil-field services, particularly in rates for drilling rigs.’[5] The increased competitiveness of major oil companies can be observed in their willingness to see joint ventures or any other alliances to reduce their operating, refining and marketing costs. Furthermore, under aggressive competition, major oil companies continue to decoupling their value chains, breaking explorations and production. Merge and acquisition as well as marketing into separating different business units help reinforce efficiency and compete as standalone entities. The intensity of competitive rivalry is high in oil industry. STEEP (Societal, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Political) 1. Societal It seems that the Iraq war has resulted extra expenses for multinational corporations, especially oil companies. ‘Yesterday, high-profile companies, such as BP, Shell, HSBC, Barclays and British Airways, either raised or maintained their security levels, and all remained on high alert.’[6] Together with calling for strengthening co-operation on combating terrorism, the oil giant is on the alarm mode to fight against terrorism, enhancing regional and international co-operation. There has been a board-level group devoted to health, safety and the environment at oil companies since the early 1990’s. Potential environmental hazards could do long-term damage to oil companies’ image. This includes tracking issues ranging from headline grabbing ones, such as oil spills, to local but insidious problems, such as leakage from tanks on the forecourts of petrol stations. 2. Technological Efficient operations depend on the integration of technology throughout the operating activities. For years, technology has become a required tool for effectively managing the customer interface. ‘According to National Petroleum News Market Facts, in 1992 the first wave of pay-at-the-pump technology was a key driver in increasing gallons of gasoline sales by 20%.’[7] Companies invest in technology to improve change in concession terms, reduce costs and increase efficiency. ‘Before-We estimate average reservoir thickness of 90 ft. Because we do not have an explicit measurement of the uncertainty in this estimate, we tend to ignore its uncertainty and implicitly assume that 90 ft is simply right†. After-We estimate average reservoir thickness of 100 ft. In addition, the technology tells us that we are 80% certain that thickness is 80-110 ft.’[8] Furthermore, technology helps improve supply chain and integrate screen applications for in-store and island reading equipments. The automated replenishment system can ensure its own invoices from which its can pay vendors, and also ensure fewer out of stocks situations and accounting defaults. Additionally, the chain uses remote monitoring to make more informed decisions about fuel replenishment. Technology can provide valuable sale information that can be implemented to understand consumers and improve services. 3. Economic The free market will adjust in accordance with the demand and supply law. Oil demand not only is fragile, but also is surprisingly strong in spite of weak world economy. The transition to a global economy has been taken place during the international economic trend and arising nationalism. The slower economic growth will depress the demand for oil and oil related products worldwide. Large oil consuming nations, such as China, the United States, should cultivate a common understanding in society on the changing aspects of global economy. Politics, wars, and economic setbacks for several years have impacted on the oil industry with the inescapable conclusion that one has to deal with the ramifications of issues before initiating the development of a new oil sector. 4. Ecological Oil companies have tried to create more environmentally sensitive sources of energy. Their basic tasks are still to stick holes in the ground in search of hydrocarbons. BP recently spent nearly $4 billion building a huge pipeline stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean. In addition, it also asked a leading environmental group, the World Wildlife Federation, to act as an environmental consultant on the project. [9] Oil companies have established steps in their strategies to enhance competitiveness and develop a strong trademark in anticipation of the world environmental images. Business has treated the reduction of carbon emissions and the development of energy policies as a technical issue, such as greenhouse gas emissions. When the prices are down, oil producers cannot afford to expand facilities and thus hardly meet the demand when oil prices are up. â€Å"Some people blame oil companies for not having any new refineries built in the past three decades as their current facilities operate at 88 percent capacity.†[10] Additionally, environmentalists block the tapping domestic resources. However, there is still a ton of oil in the world, a huge amount in Siberia and Alaska due to the tundra, but for a foreseeable future, the way oil can be extracted from earth are far different from the early 20th century images, depicting rows of jacks and derricks around towns, and destroying surrounding environment. Oil industry is proactively and socially responsible for operations in an ethical and environmental friendly manner. Thus, overall business strategies for oil companies are considered as an integral part of new cultures and territories. Oil companies are aware of the relationship between socially responsible investment and their â€Å"green† reputation, linked to their positive impacts on societies where they operate. 5. Political In order to combat government to increase offshore activities, the oil industry has considered a new light and proved to be less flattering than the common view of any industry. The pace of new field development in the UK will be sharply reduced if the government applies policies to save jobs in the coal mines by restricting the construction of new gas-fired power stations. Politics has ceded to economics and confronted to cooperation at the new realism of oil producers and consumers. However, oil and politics are still a potentially combustible mixture. The fact that the British and U.S. governments have been involved with the Iraq War has proved how oil industry can be intertwined with political concerns. OPEC might no longer be the bogey man with the West once so feared. Oil always, as essential, becomes the most politicized community in the world. There will undoubtedly be some future oil shocks, although it is difficult to known the time and directions which these oil shocks will come.[11] Conclusion Oil companies should strategize that they no longer operate as manufacturing companies, but focus on improving their supply chains and store operations. Additionally, they should be willing to implement process of upstarts. They also need to refine their brand positioning and marketing strategies to be better target consumers. Although some major oil companies have been merged and acquired, the war has not yet been over. The big integrated players start with several advantages, if they could commit to reinvent themselves. One can envision the purchase of a non-gasoline retail chain in order to capture new skills and new profits. With high entry barriers and low substitutes, oil industry has posted as an affluent, luxurious and profitable industry. As a result, the oil price keeps fluctuated under the pressure of the supply and demand law as well as the political influences. Bibliography Bhushan, B. 2005, ‘Oil Profits May Be Peaking; High Energy Prices Drive Earnings, but Some See Turn in 2006’, Wall Street Journal.(Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.p.A.2. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.citizensgas.com/eb/2005/08-05/oilprofits.html Brown, M. 1991, ‘Oil in Troubled Waters’, Management Today.London, p.38 Cindric, N Dolby, P. 1998 ‘Store wars’, Oil Gas Investor.Denver: Second Quarter.p.21. Escher, A. 2000, ‘EP strategy prepares producers for 21st century’, Oil Gas Journal.Tulsa, vol. 98, no. 39, Sep 25, p.30 Moules, J. 2005, ‘Companies on alert as assaults feared on key economic targets; [LONDON 1ST EDITION]’, Financial Times.London (UK).p.6. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://news.ft.com/cms/s/6120fcbe-f015-11d9-bd3b-00000e2511c8.html Nelson, E. Lentz, N. 1999, ‘Is bigger oil better oil? [5 Edition]’, Journal of Commerce.New York,p.5.A. Reviewed December 08 2006 from http://www.teamboston.com/599sun1.htm Neveling, N 2006. ‘BPs record profits suffer effects of IFRS volatility’, Accountancy Age.London.p.7. Viewed December 12, 2006 www.vnunet.com/accountancyage/news/2150644/bp-record-profits-suffer Nixon, M. 2004, ‘Commentary: Gasoline increases signal improving economic movement’ St. Charles County Business Record.Wentzville: May 28,p.1 Nocera, J. 2006, ‘Green Logo, But BP Is Old Oil’, New York Times.(Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.pg.C.1. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/tncs/2006/0812bp.htm ‘Survey: Oil in troubled waters’, 2005, The Economist.London, vol. 375,no. 8424;Apr 30, p.4. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3884623 Page 1 [1] ‘Survey: Oil in troubled waters’, 2005, The Economist.London, vol. 375,no. 8424;Apr 30, p.4, viewed December 12, 2006 http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3884623 [2] Neveling, N 2006. ‘BPs record profits suffer effects of IFRS volatility’, Accountancy Age.London.p.7. Viewed December 12, 2006 www.vnunet.com/accountancyage/news/2150644/bp-record-profits-suffer [3] Nelson, E. Lentz, N. 1999, ‘Is bigger oil better oil? [5 Edition]’, Journal of Commerce.New York,p.5.A. Reviewed December 08 2006 from http://www.teamboston.com/599sun1.htm [4] Cindric, N Dolby, P. 1998 ‘Store wars’, Oil Gas Investor.Denver: Second Quarter.p.21. [5] Bhushan, B. 2005, ‘Oil Profits May Be Peaking; High Energy Prices Drive Earnings, but Some See Turn in 2006’, Wall Street Journal.(Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.p.A.2. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.citizensgas.com/eb/2005/08-05/oilprofits.html [6] Moules, J. 2005, ‘Companies on alert as assaults feared on key economic targets; [LONDON 1ST EDITION]’, Financial Times.London (UK).p.6. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://news.ft.com/cms/s/6120fcbe-f015-11d9-bd3b-00000e2511c8.html [7] Cindric Dolby 1998, p.21 [8] Escher, A. 2000, ‘EP strategy prepares producers for 21st century’, Oil Gas Journal.Tulsa, vol. 98, no. 39, Sep 25, p.30 [9] Nocera, J. 2006, ‘Green Logo, But BP Is Old Oil’, New York Times.(Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.pg.C.1. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/tncs/2006/0812bp.htm [10] Nixon, M. 2004, ‘Commentary: Gasoline increases signal improving economic movement’ St. Charles County Business Record.Wentzville: May 28,p.1 [11] Brown, M. 1991, ‘Oil in Troubled Waters’, Management Today.London, p.38

The Beginning of a Never Ending Conflict :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, Christianity is filled with different denominations. Each denomination differs in opinion in certain areas. The origin of the differences in Christianity dates back to the Roman Empire when Christianity was developed. The Roman Empire was primarily polytheistic and people in the empire were expected to conform and bow down to all Roman gods. Judaism was the first religion to claim that there was only one God, a strictly monotheistic view. Despite Roman expectations of conformation, Judaism was not seen as a threat to the empire and Jews practiced their religion with minimal persecution. On the other hand, Christianity (also monotheistic) was seen as a threat to the success and continuation of the empire mainly because of Jesus Christ and His teachings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first followers of Christ were Jews. Non-Jewish followers, called Gentiles (Wiesner pg. 67), created an argument of whether or not they should conform to Judaism. A direct result of that argument was the separation of Jews and Gentiles, and the development of Christianity. Christianity was based on the lessons of Jesus, but there was initial diversity in the ideas of the Gentile followers. The Apostle’s transformed initial diversity in Christianity into a definite split between orthodoxy (truth) and heresy (false) by institutionalizing the orthodoxy in the Apostolic Creed, the Church, and the Apostolic Tradition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The orthodoxy of the Creed, written by the Apostles, played a very large role in separating â€Å"true† ideas from heresies because it displayed definite answers to conflicting ideas. Among the conflicting ideas of the era, the Creed addressed four major concepts and declared them as orthodox. Gnostic thinkers such as Saturnius and Marcion declared that God did not create the world; and that Jesus was not the Son of God. Saturnius, affirmed that there was a Father who made seven angels, and â€Å"the world, and all things therein, was made by [those] certain angels...† (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, pg. 78). He also claimed that, â€Å"Jesus was not born of a virgin but was the son of Joseph and Mary, like other men...† (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, pg. 79). Marcion denied God the credit of creating the universe by â€Å"removing the teachings of the Lord wherein he is most manifestly described as acknowledged the maker of this universe to be Hi s Father† in both Luke and the Epistle’s of Paul. The very first sentence of the Creed addresses those two viewpoints. It declared that God created the universe, and that Jesus is the Son of God.

Concept Of God In Philosophy Essay

Please explain Immanuel Kant’s challenge to modern theology.   In other words, what is Kant’s epistemology, i.e., his theory of how human beings know (how the mind functions)?   According to this theory, then, is it possible to know God?   Is it possible to have natural knowledge of God or to experience God in his view?   How would Christian theologians and believers, who wanted to demonstrate the rational intelligibility of belief in and knowledge of God, respond to this?   (10 points).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Immanuel Kant started with the hypothesis that: â€Å"the mind is active†. It forms part in the understanding of human especially if it is already acquainted with different kinds of experience and always imposes upon cognition in any forms given that it is still in the line of human perception.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However he said that not all things are connected to each other because in a way, they are not observable which gives the presumption that its connectivity is not determined by that simple idea. And also, Kant said that we lack the necessary organ to accommodate all the information that the mind can and may process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The mind cannot produce knowledge of such a transcendent being (The Breakdown of the Religion of Reason, p. 65). He also showed that, God is supposed to be perfect in all aspects of life. He followed what was written by Anselm during the 11th century and presented concrete evidences for such actuation. However, he wishes not to contradict the existence of God because it will also oppose that the predicate of a subject is not logical to use. He added that it will be a useless thing to do since there will be no contradiction because of his given analogy. Since existence is not a predicate, if I deny God’s existence, I am not denying a predicate of a subject; hence no logical contradiction is involved as the proponents of the argument contend. (Modern Christian Thought, p.66)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   And he also argued that there is a limit for a human to our own empirical knowledge against the pure point of our operative life. Instead, this empirical knowledge is completely independent and the principles of pure reason.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Additionally, he said that human act morally not because of inclination to a certain event or object but because of one’s sense of duty. To act morally is not to act from inclination or even prudence but from a sense of duty (The Breakdown of the Religion of Reason, p. 69) What are the some of the most basic characteristics and values of the Enlightenment?   What are the chief enlightenment values and how do these compare with those values/characteristics of the medieval era?   Define the Enlightenment view of freedom and reason.   Use your text on e-reserve.   Then, respond: how would a theologian (like me) understand the promise and problem of these views from a theological (having to do with God) perspective?  Ã‚   (5 points).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Enlightenment brought about change in man’s perception of the world and the society. According to Kant that the gist of the said idea is something that is already embedded to the line of thinking of a person and that it shows on up to what extent is a man capable or willing to do to suffice his own interest. Underlying this whole movement is a renewed awareness and trust in man’s own capacities and appreciation of, interest in, and hope for human life on this earth (Modern Christian Thought, p.2)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was also during this time that â€Å"authoritarianism and the emergence of individual reason† started to spread amongst the people. From this time on, there is already a widespread of being liberated or freed from any entanglement to any person. It was then that autonomy is seen on a different perspective and remarkably, no one challenged the said idea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accordingly, there is another major contribution during the time of Enlightenment. The act of reasoning also became widespread following Francis Bacon and John Locke. They are the ones who defied the first idea given by Rene Descartes. It was then that Reason is treated as something that is a vital and progressive force; the depth of its meaning can be deduced by its function which can create many avenues to determine fact from opinion. How does Friedrich Schleiermacher respond to Kant’s challenge to modern theology?   How do human beings come to know God according to Schleiermacher?   What, then, is the subject of theology for a theologian like Schleiermacher?   (10 points)     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Schleiermacher defined what he thinks to be the true nature of religion and the conception of its idea. With this kind, there are two (2) forms of religion such as theoretical or practical point of view. He added that religion should be â€Å"something different from a mixture of opinions about God and the world, and of precepts of for one life or two†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He also argues that if religion is the highest form of knowledge it should follow that reason or any scientific method can be measured by any organ. Also, he adds that if religion can be attained by reading materials such as books, journals, etc, then the most religious person should also be the most intelligent one. And, he clarified that neither religion nor morality should be interchanged or be treated as the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Religion is a feeling thus it is only a psychological emotion claiming that it is an immediate intuition or is based on one person’s instinct. However, he clarified that God need not to be present in any object or present Himself in such a way that He will be tangible for human.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He said that no man is religious because he was able to read doctrines and follow it thoroughly and experience different kinds of things instead, piety emancipates from one’s own original feeling and not because other people told him to be as such. What are some of the most basic characteristics and values of Romanticism, the intellectual movement of the 19th century which following the Rationalism of the Enlightenment in the 18th century.   How does Schleiermacher reflect the ideas of Romanticism?   (5 points)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Romanticism as what Schleiermacher have seen it, it is a new way for â€Å"modern religious† thoughts have a foundation or ground that will suffice the needs, interest and critiques of most people especially the Philosophers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By giving this idea to the people, he wanted to show to them that what religion they have been rejecting all the while is not at all the religion that they need to embrace and understand deeply. Rather, it is the â€Å"external† religion that they are despising all the while and that this kind of religion is something that should not be studied or known at all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He also wanted to defy the opinions that were raised during that time about the religion on utilitarianism. Schleiermacher claims that if there is a certain point when the issue is not coherent with its true value, then it is something that should not be wasted time upon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, he contradicts his own perception by saying that religion has a peculiar sense that is indispensable when talking about the spirit of man. Modern theology in the 19th century followed the thought of Friedrich Schleiermacher and his way of doing theology.   What major event occurred at the beginning of the 20th century that convinced Karl Barth that the entire way of doing modern/liberal theology was deeply problematic and morally bankrupt?   (5 points) One major event that made Barth think that doing liberal theology is problematic and morally bankrupt is when the Church always assumes that they are infallible or those who does not do anything wrong to any one and at the end of the day, surrender their selves to the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. This is when Barth said that â€Å"hermeneutical principles of subordination and surrender have nothing to do with the kind of biblical or ecclesial authoritarianism†. Because according to him, having a superior and an inferior means that there should be an effort to remove one’s self from interpretative process instead focus on neither human basic needs nor the desire for authority. How does Karl Barth understand that human beings may come to know God?   Do we have a natural capacity, i.e., an ability within human nature and thus apart from God, to know God?   (10 points)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We should cultivate a life that is humble and each should not cease on praying before Him, listening actively to His teachings in order for us to know what are the things that we really need.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He added that to â€Å"let go† of the material and human needs that we have right now is a preparation for us to know God fully. Leaving things would eventually prepare us from knowing how the real God is and that we will have a much clearer understanding on why He created things.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Also, by leaving things, we do not need to carry on an excess baggage that may sometimes hinder us from knowing who God really is. What happens when human beings claim to know God on the basis of their own experience or their own thinking about God?   What happens when human beings try to know how Jesus was on the basis of their own historical reconstruction or psychological evaluation of him?   Why is this so dangerous?   How is it to be avoided? Can it be avoided?   What is the only way, according to Barth, that purely human thinking about God can be avoided?   (10 points)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When we experience things, it means that, in one way or another we have already met God. However, each person has a different meaning on things especially with their experiences. It can be connoted as something that is dangerous for them but pleasant to others. That is why there is a misconception on which our God really should be.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is dangerous because people are worshipping other gods and is prone to misunderstanding especially to those who have a different encounter with their own gods. It can also be a way of having the society is fragmented since there are different sides of the story on how they were able to encounter god.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Proper interpretation of things can somehow avoid this kind of fragment among the people. However, only few are able to interpret the story well and still leaves the danger hanging and vulnerable to anyone who tries to interpret anything. What is theology for Barth?   How should the theologian attempt to do theology?  Ã‚   What do faith, prayer, and obedience have to do with this method or way of theological reflection?   Define faith, prayer, and obedience for Barth.   (10 points)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Obedience as it is being co-related to faith, according to Barth, is something that â€Å"can simply turn on at moment of one’s choosing†. By these, it is one way for God to connect with his people and confront them in their own freedom and history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Needless to say, one’s interpretation of things should be accorded with obedience in order to examine personal experience and relate it to the scripture or passage that is being taught. For him, the writers should not write about anything that will be later on associated with them, rather they should write about an experience that is interlaying with the scripture that they are reviewing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With prayers, he said that it is not necessary to endlessly pray to God, admit it or not, we are not all the time confident that God is listening to our prayers. What is scripture according to Karl Barth?   How does this reflect a deeply theological understanding, i.e., an understanding that comes from God.   And, how does this reflect a deeply human and modern understanding of the role of human beings in the writing of the Bible?   Is the Bible already the Word of God i.e., the words on the page, for Barth, or does the Bible become the Word of God?   If so, when does it become the Word of God?   What happens to make it become the Word of God?   (10 points)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A scripture, according to Barth is something that is written about God and will be relevant or at least be a human testimony of God’s existence and all the things that he did in history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He tends to interpret scriptures, known as hermeneutics, to help biblical scholars to understand the true meaning of each. And with that, he tends to extend some of his arms to other people in terms of helping them suffice whatever struggle they have.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, with his interpretations does not come any personal experience. He writes some of his experience but does not delve much on to it. Rather, he makes a deeper study on why those things were said and how the people did then accepted or rejected the fact that things are happening during their time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Bible is the Word of God because it contains His teachings and the moral lessons that we need to learn in life. However, not all teachings can be found in the Bible. Some should be experienced first hand in order for us to learn new things. According to Rosemary Radford Ruether, what does all theology begin with?   What is the problem with the so-called â€Å"objective† sources of Christian theology, i.e., scripture and tradition? And, what is unique about feminist theology and the role of experience in theology according to Ruether? What is the hermeneutical circle of theological interpretation?   What is the final norm/criterion of theological truth? (10 points)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Theology is the testimony of one’s faith, life and service to God. Theology actually questions it self whether or not they are true or not. There are specific gauge that is used in order for Theology to be considered true, they measure their action, talk about God, and if it is against the Church. It is also something that is alien with its own standard; source and object.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, the feminist theology uses experience as a criterion for exploring a much deeper sense of study and critical forces based on the experience of males that eventually gives them the notion as a universal human experience. What is the prophetic biblical principle interpreted from a feminist perspective?   What are the four main categories of feminist liberation theology?   Cite biblical passages that show you understand how the Bible can be used to fight the root sin of domination and subjugation. (5 points)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Those females are only second-grade citizens compared to male. Because then, there is a stereotype in gender since other scholars claim that males are wiser than female. Also, the Patriarchal system exists that time and that same idea is molded upon the image of God, reasoning that God is male.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     There is also a prophetic traditional labeled as â€Å"cultural vacuum† that makes true of the statement written above. It shows how the society is delving much on what they think is right because it is fair and just to all of them but on what is written in the scriptures. Compare and contrast the theology of Karl Barth with that of Rosemary Radford Ruther?   How would Karl Barth critique Ruether?   What would he say about the role of experience and the potential dangers involved in such a kind of theology?   What would Karl Barth say about God in her theology?   Does she have a role for the objective action of God in the world or is God only actualized in our consciousness and social activity for the poor and marginalized? How would Ruether respond to this critique?   What would she say in her defense?   In other words, what are the problems of beginning with scripture and tradition apart from women’s experience according to Ruether?  Ã‚   What would that do for or to women?   Finally, how would Ruether criticize the theology of Karl Barth?   What is the problem of beginning with revelation in scripture, and apart from women’s experience, according to Ruether? (10 points)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Barth and Ruether have completely different view points with regards to Theology and how they perceive such topic. With Barth, he is more of delving much on the experience of one person because from the experience they may be able to deduce something that is very vital for their survival. Also, he tends to focus more on the things that needs to be critically revised or interpreted using personal experiences he got from other people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Barth is also confided with the norms of the society. He was not able to explore on other possible things and did not try to convince other people that there are other possibilities regarding their study.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With Ruether, she is more of a liberal thinker, given that there are points that she raised about feminist liberal theology. She was able to grasp on other ideas or methods to use in other to arrive at a much well interpreted scripture following the experiences of the writer or associating the moral of the scripture to any experience that of the writer.

Music Masters and Rhythm Kings Essay

It is a rare opportunity to witness masters of the old tradition relishing in their element: sweat on their foreheads as beats and strings pulsate the story of a past almost forgotten. It is a gift if one is fortunate enough to see them live, but seeing them and hearing their music on the limited capacity of film is still a treasure, much like watching some of the best keepers of old time Southern music in Peggy Bulger and Melissa Shepard Sykes’ film Music Masters and Rhythm Kings. We review musicians Eddie Kirkland, Neal Pattman, Homer â€Å"Pappy† Sherill and the Hired Hands, and Florencio Baro as they recount the origins of their music and how they have come to imbibe it. Southern music is essentially an amalgam of two musical cultures combined despite a clash of ideals and beliefs, and despite centuries of oppression and dispute. As Charles Joyner, a Southern Culture historian mentions in the film, it is impossible for the Southern peoples not to be influenced by the culture of another race, especially if they are so ingrained in their society. Though these people might argue against these relations, there is no denying the immense influence of African culture in the language, the mannerisms, and especially, the music of the South. History dictates that traditional South American music finds its roots in the harsh working fields. Pappy Sherill phrases this perfectly when he says that these farmers do â€Å"as a way of putting joy to themselves [sic] while they’re working. † At the same time, Southern music also represented the subversive culture of the African slaves. Their music became their way of expression because they knew that the â€Å"white man can have no control†. Bringing their own kind of musical tradition from their homeland, they created a new one that came to represent and signal the changing dynamics of the American South. In the film, we see Pappy Sherill and the Hired Hands, one of the few old-time string bands that play actively in the South. Their music embodies the respite that Southern farmers crave after a day of toiling under the hot sun. It is a fast-paced jig that consists of music from a fiddle, a guitar, a banjo, and a cello, all coming together in an energetic symphony of strings. Pulling it all together is Sherill, who at a very ripe age still remains as one of the best fiddle players in the country. Folklorist Glenn Hinson defines his playing as propelled by advanced technique that harkens back to the days when fiddlers made their instruments cry and sing. Playing professionally since he was thirteen years old, Sherill was a prodigy who created music despite financial setbacks. He only owned a proper wooden fiddle when he managed to save money from a side job, and only after using a tin fiddle for some time. In 1976, Sherill won the award for Best Old-Time Fiddler in the National Fiddlers Championship, opening doors for him to play in many road show and concerts. But, when Pappy sang and played out of joy, Eddie Kirkland and Neal Pattman sang the sonorous, highly emotional tunes of the blues. Eddie Kirkland grew up harvesting cotton, and during the production of the film had once again stepped foot in the cotton fields. Drawing back to memories of those hardships, Eddie remembers doing this grinding, back-breaking work as a child. It was only the â€Å"field hollers, work songs†¦ and spirituals† of the African-American people that pushed them to go on. Arising from this work songs were the Blues, a uniquely Southern music that Kirkland loves so dear. As we can hear from the film, Kirkland’s music is derived from years of toil and work, echoing a time of inequality and hardship. He describes it as â€Å"heart-wrenching Blues. † And so it is, with the soft, poignant, yet irregular riffs of his guitar accompanied by his soulful voice, we feel sadness and desperation. But, he goes beyond this by also singing songs of love following the Blues format. It is a rare opportunity to hear the Blues as it could’ve been played at the beginning of the 19th century, in the backwaters of the rural South. Also reminiscent of Kirkland is Neal Pattman, a maestro of the blues harp, who also rose from the working fields. His music, as any Blues music would be, touches the heart and with his harp he creates an even more wrenching elegy. We follow the flow of his music as it rises and stops, as he accompanies it with his voice. We listen and we are transplanted back into the days of old when the whiteness of the cotton fields is an unwanted sight. Hailing from further South is Cuban musician Florencio Baro. A singer and percussionist, his music remains a pure representation of his African heritage. His songs are sung in his ancestors’ native African language that as a child he has learned to understand and to appreciate. Much like South American music, his music as a combination of two cultures brought together despite odds. Historically, his music arises from the spiritual cult of Santoria, a religion established by African slaves brought to Cuba. What started out as spiritual hymns as a way to once again reconnect with their distant land, is now heard as Afro-Cuban music. It is played with an energetic combination of African percussions and Cuban guitars. In Baro’s hands, the music achieves a life of its own. The beats throb as Baro’s voice sing of the woes of the African slave, weaving itself in and out of the notes, all in a way that is dramatically hypnotic. And entranced the audience were as they glimpse at this fragment of the past that, unfortunately, seldom reaches the majority’s ears. These men represent a bygone era of music that is formed when culture clash and are forced to combine. But, in retrospect, what we are singing of now and what our music is today, all boils down to the undying pursuit of expression that these men have achieved.

Classic vs. Classical

Classic vs. Classical Classic vs. Classical Classic vs. Classical By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between classic and classical? Both words, befitting their roots in the word class, refer to quality, but the meanings are distinct. Classic and classical, both first attested around the turn of the seventeenth century, derive from the French term classique, a descendant of the Latin word classicus, which (in turn stemming from classis) denoted the first rank of Roman citizens. Classic means â€Å"of recognized value,† or â€Å"enduring† or â€Å"traditional†; the sense is of something that represents a standard of excellence or has a timeless quality. It may also be used to refer to something authentic or typical; in the latter sense, it is sometimes used colloquially to refer to a memorable incident or quote- often an unfortunate one (â€Å"Remember when Joe stumbled into John and Mary’s wedding cake? That was classic!†). Alternatively, it may apply to something of historical or literary significance (as in reference to a classic rivalry between two historical figures). As a noun, it denotes a traditional event or something with a longstanding reputation of high quality. As such, it is often applied to sports events such as the CBS Sports Classic, an annual college-basketball extravaganza. In plural form, it refers to the study of ancient Greek and Roman culture, language, and literature; note that this term is not capitalized. Classical also means â€Å"traditional,† but the sense is more of something authoritative rather than authentic: A scholar of the classics is a classical scholar, not a classic scholar, and a liberal arts curriculum (presumably) results in a classical education, not a classic education. (Likewise, a reference to Greek or Roman civilization in its heyday will describe the place as â€Å"classical Greece† or â€Å"classical Rome.†) The word’s perhaps most frequent application is in the phrase â€Å"classical music,† which refers to compositions for symphonies or chamber-music ensembles in a European-based tradition as distinct from more vernacular forms such as folk music or jazz. One functional distinction between the two words is that although classic can be a noun or an adjective, classical is never used as a noun. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?On Behalf Of vs. In Behalf OfOppose and Opposed To

Ethics in Abuse

Ethics in Abuse A couple of years ago in Knoxville, Tennessee there was a case of child abuse where a baby of just a few months old was shaken and abused to the point that it was left with severe brain trauma and required mechanical ventilation in order to live. Removed from the ventilator, the baby could not continue living. While the parents, which includes the dad who shook the baby would not agree to passively euthanize the child, the hospital decided the best thing to do was allow the child to do a peaceful death by taking it off life support. The reasoning the parents would not take the baby off life support was because the dad would be tried for murder instead of child abuse which is a lesser charger. There are a few ethical issues in this scenario. First, there is the issue of euthanasia itself secondly, the issue of keeping someone alive for personal gain is presented, and finally, there is the issue of determining whether the child was being kept alive based by the use of extraordinary mea sures.Life Support (album)Before continuing, there are few terms that need to be defined. First of all, there are two forms of euthanasia, active and passive. Active Euthanasia is defined as “using certain death-causing means to bring about or cause the death of a person.” (McKinnon). Passive Euthanasia is defined as “withholding or withdrawing certain treatment and letting a patient die.” (McKinnon) In the situation described previously, the issue at hand is Passive Euthanasia. Basically, even though the doctors actually removed the baby from life support that is not what actually killed him. The injuries that were inflicted by his father are what actually killed him. As a result, the ethicalness of Passive Euthanasia will need to be considered further.There is...

Marketing Objectives How to Set Them in Six Steps - CoSchedule

Marketing Objectives How to Set Them in Six Steps Marketing objectives are the foundation of any good marketing strategy. Imagine youre leading a marketing team (even a sub-team within your department) and have no means of communicating the specific numbers all of their work is meant to influence. Your team would likely do things they think are for the best interest of the company (but everyone would feel siloed because everyone would be doing their own thing) wonder how their efforts are actually paying off in the long run (because they have no reason to measure how what they do is influencing actual results) look to you for guidance (because the success of your team lies on your ability to communicate why theyre working on something, and not how to do it) Marketing objectives help your team by giving measurable KPIs they can directly influence through their work, which, if influenced well, results in meeting goals. In this sense, marketing objectives guide your team to develop and execute the best ideas that will make your goals a reality. However, setting those marketing objectives is not an easy task. What constitutes a goal vs. an objective? How do you know if you’ve selected the right ones? Table of Contents Free Marketing Objectives + Google Analytics Guide What Are Marketing Objectives? Why Do Marketing Objectives Matter? 17 Goals And Marketing Objective Examples How To Set Up Your Marketing Objectives In 6 Steps Step One: Remember Your Mission Statement. Step Two: Set Your Marketing Objectives. Step Three: Tie Your Marketing Goals Into Your Marketing Objectives. Step Four: Develop A Marketing Strategy. Step Five: Align Your Marketing Goals With Your Marketing Funnel. Step Six: Measure And Report Your Progress. Get Your Free Guide: Tracking Marketing Objectives in Google Analytics This article walks you through what marketing objectives are, explains how to set (and measure) them, and offers some examples of objectives a business like yours might select. As you begin communicating your objectives to your team, youll need methods for measuring them. Google Analytics is one of the best (and easiest) tools to measure your objectives (at least at first). The free guide that complements this article helps you: Implement the tactics youll learn throughout this article step by step so you can put your knowledge into practice immediately. Consider it a worksheet to follow along as you read this article so by the time youre done, youll have a solid start on setting your objectives. Create Goals in Google Analytics so you can put real numbers to the work you do. Doing without measuring doesnt actually accomplish anything (from a business perspective). So use these step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions to understand the value everything you publish provides. So download your free marketing objectives guide now! 😉 How to Set Clear Marketing Objectives In Six Simple StepsAlright, now that you have your guide to follow along, let's get started! What Are Marketing Objectives? There are many different definitions of marketing objectives.   For our purposes, here’s the definition we’ll use: â€Å"A marketing objective assigns aspirational measurable values to your goals so that your team may better understand how what they do directly impacts business outcomes." Really quick... if you're wondering what the difference between a marketing goal and a marketing objective are, here's an example: Goal: "{Company} must be perceived as a leader in the {industry} market so that we may increase market share, which ultimately drives revenue growth." This is what you want. vs. Objective: "{Company} will increase share of voice by 20% by the end of Q3." This is how you'll know if you've been successful at influencing that goal. With objectives, your team may better come up with ideas to influence a specific metric that results in making the goal a reality. Why Do Marketing Objectives Matter? Marketing objectives are the endpoints of your marketing strategy. They give your team a direction and a goal to work towards. They also help show what’s working by giving you something concrete to measure your progress  against. Finally, establishing clear objectives is important for determining which specific marketing tactics and tasks  you’ll execute to achieve them. 17 Goals And Marketing Objective Examples If you’re in the process of setting your new objectives, here are some goal and objective examples to help get you started:Goal Example Marketing Objective Example 1 Improve brand reputation Gain and retain a 90% positive share of voice by the end of the calendar year so that prospective customers know, like, and trust us. 2 Increase brand presence Publish 4 articles every month on external sources our target audience follows to increase brand presence. 3 Optimize brand positioning Define brand positioning statement and communication frameworks by the end of the month so that our team understands our strategic differentiators from the competition. 4 Increase traffic Test three new traffic generation methods every month to increase traffic month over month by 3%. 5 Increase suspect pipeline Increase website conversion rates by 2% by the end of Q2 so that we increase the number of suspects in our marketing to sales pipeline from 500 to 510. 6 Diversify lead sources Test two new lead generation sources every month in fiscal year 2020 to find at least two successful methods of generating new demand that we will implement by the end of 2021. 7 Acquire more prospects from existing market Implement content upgrades into every blog post by the end of the calendar year to turn 30% of our website visitors into prospective sales leads. 8 Launch product Define the go-to-market strategy for Product A by the end of the week so that the team can create all content before the launch date. 9 Improve product quality Launch Product A by the end of the month with zero bugs. 10 Acquire more customers from existing market Implement off-site tactics to acquire 5% more customers month over month by the end of the fiscal year. 11 Break into new markets Research the competition in Market A by the end of Q1 so that we understand how to differentiate Product A positioning to win new marketshare. 12 Retain existing customers Reduce bugs to zero for every feature launch so that user churn decreases to 3% by the end of Q4. 13 Increase efficiency Publish four blog posts every week by the end of the calendar year. 14 Increase revenue Launch four new products by the end of the fiscal year to increase revenue. 15 Increase profit margin Improve brand positioning on ten existing products by the end of the calendar year to increase product value so that we may increase prices for those product lines. 16 Improve customer experience Reduce user experience challenges in Product A to improve net promoter scores (NPS) to 70%+. 17 Improve customer advocacy Implement a customer ambassador program by the end of the calendar year so that our best customers introduce our product to new prospective customers. How To Set Up Your Marketing Objectives In 6 Steps Now that you know what marketing objectives are and have seen a few examples for yourself, you can begin the process of setting up your own. Here’s how to do it in six steps: Step One: Remember Your Mission Statement. Step Two: Set Your Marketing Objectives. Step Three: Tie Your Marketing Goals Into Your Marketing Objectives. Step Four: Develop A Marketing Strategy. Step Five: Align Your Marketing Goals With Your Marketing Funnel. Step Six: Measure And Report Your Progress. Before we begin, let’s set the stage. This example will focus on a fictitious bookstore called â€Å"Reading Nook Bookstore.† Two different marketers are part of this story, Peter and Natalie. Peter is a new marketing strategist at Reading Nook Bookstore. Natalie is the marketing director and has been at Reading Nook Bookstore for five years. Let’s begin. So, how exactly do you set marketing objectives? Learn everything you need to know here. Step One: Remind Your Team Of Your Mission Statement Peter is about to begin work with Natalie on setting next year’s marketing objectives. Peter is new to this process, so Natalie decided to walk him through how setting up marketing objectives works. The first step in this process is reviewing the mission statement of your organization. Natalie pulled up the Reading Nook Bookstore website and showed Peter the following mission statement: â€Å"The goal of Reading Nook Bookstore is to inspire and nurture the love of reading across generations of families.† As you begin to work on your marketing objectives, remember your mission statement. If you get stuck, refer back to your statement and ask yourself: â€Å"If we complete this objective, how does it help fulfill our mission?† Step Two: Set Your Marketing Objectives When you’re setting up your objectives, the first thing you need to focus on is answering this question: What is your overarching marketing objective? Your overarching objective should be the end goal that your marketing team wants to achieve by a certain time. This is the driving force behind every other objective and goal that you set. This also means that your objective should be broad enough to give you plenty of room to work out your entire marketing strategy. Now that Peter and Natalie have their overarching marketing objective, their next step is to set the rest of their marketing goals. Here are some goals they might set to achieve their objective: Increase the conversion rate of their audience by 25% in one year. Double the number of purchases by 18- to 35-year-olds by June 2021. Increase average in-store purchase value from $10 to $35 in one year. Each one of these goals has something important in common. They have a specific numerical data point that must be met by an end date. Step Three: Tie Your SMART Marketing Goals Into Your Marketing Objectives The next step in Peter and Natalie’s marketing objective process is to create their SMART marketing goals. Marketing goals differ a bit from marketing objectives. Marketing objectives are the overarching outcomes you want to achieve, which you set for your team. Marketing goals are the stepping stones you need to complete to reach your objective. Your goals should be the specific building blocks that help you reach your initial objectives. Each one should build off the other like this: So let’s take the marketing objectives that Natalie and Peter created earlier and set a series of marketing goals that revolve around each one. Their first objective was: Increase online conversion rate by 25% in one year. Some marketing goals that Natalie and Peter could set are: Increase the ranking of 10 landing pages to the top three spots on Google by optimizing them for specific keywords. Decrease abandoned shopping carts by 50%. The second objective Peter and Natalie need to set marketing goals for is: Double the size of our 18- to 35-year-old audience by June 2021. Examples of goals that Peter and Natalie could set might include: Creating an active presence on Instagram and Snapchat with each account having over 1,000 followers by the end of June 2018. Host a book club with topics aimed to entice target audience with 2,000 active members by March 2021. Their third objective that Natalie and Peter need to set goals for is: Increase average in-store purchase value from$10 to $35 in one year. Example goals for this post could be: Host book club Meetups in the store to increase in-store traffic by 30%. Market in the most trafficked areas of the store to increase new in-store membership signups by 25%. Each of the goals and its parent objective relates back to the overarching goal of increasing the revenue of Reading Nook Bookstore by three million dollars. Connect your #marketing objectives to your overall business objectives. Step Four: Set Up A Marketing Strategy The next step in your marketing objective process is to set up your marketing strategy. The strategy that you set up will help you reach your objective. The marketing strategy that Reading Nook Bookstore will execute involves: Creating a blog to help generate leads from helpful and relevant content. Promote that content with social media and email newsletters. Use social media ads, Google PPC, and retargeting ads to reach new customers. DID YOU KNOW: can help you plan and execute your entire strategy on one marketing calendar? See how with this live demo recap video. Step Five: Match Your Marketing Goals To Your Marketing Funnel The next step in your process is setting up a series of marketing goals that help guide potential customers to purchasing your product. A marketing funnel will usually look something like this: Awareness:  The awareness stage is letting your target audience know that you exist. This could be from reading your blog, seeing your social media ads, or stumbling across a PPC ad. Interest:  The interest stage involves getting your target audience to connect with your content. Here your potential customers would become more invested in your content by subscribing to your email list. Consideration:  This is the nurturing part of your funnel. It helps connect the solution your company offers to the problems your audience is experiencing. Your marketers would be sending a series of emails to help start nurturing them to learn more about your product. Intent:  This is the first part of the sales stage of your marketing funnel. Here is where all of your solutions will be laid out in front of your new potential customers. This is where your sales team will step in to talk to potential customers. Evaluation:  Your target audience will evaluate what options have been presented to them by your sales team. At this point, your customers may return to their teams to discuss the information they found. Purchase:  Your audience buys your product. Each one on the funnel stages will have marketing goals that need to be met to move customers through the funnel. Here are some potential example goals for your marketing funnel. Depending on your funnel, your goals may change. Awareness Goal Examples: Gain 2,500 organic views for every blog post. Reach 500 people for every Facebook post. Interest Goal Examples: Get 3,000 new email subscribers a week. Gain 750 new social fans per month. Consideration Goal Examples: Get 50% of new customers in nurturing email follow. Qualify 50 new leads from the email list per week. Intent Goal Examples: Have 25 new sales calls a week. Evaluation Goal Examples: Write five bottom of the funnel marketing posts a month. Set up ten demo calls a month with potential customers. Purchase Goal Examples: Convert 75% of sales calls to purchases. Achieve an average order value of $50 or higher. Recommended Reading: How to Set Social Media Goals To Crush Your Business Objectives Step Six: Measure Progress Toward Your Objectives The last step is to figure out how you are going to measure and report on the progress. Before you even begin to build your reports, you and your boss need to determine how often you need to report your results. These could come weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly. Once you’ve determined how often you’re going to create your report, you need to choose what metrics you’re going to track. These metrics will usually revolve around the goals you set for your team. If we were to choose a series of metrics based on our marketing funnel goals, they would look something like this. Awareness Metrics Example: Gain 2,500 organic views for every blog post  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many organic views do you get for each post? What is the average? Reach 500 people for every Facebook post sent → How many people does your Facebook post reach on average? What was the highest number of people reached? Interest Metrics Examples: Get 3,000 new email subscribers a week  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many new subscribers did we gain in this reporting period? What was the average? Gain 750 new social fans per month  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many fans did we gain in this reporting period? How many fans did we gain per social channel? Consideration Metrics Examples: Get 50% of new customers in nurturing email follow  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many new email subscribers entered the nurture email flow in the reporting period? Intent Metrics Examples: Have 25 new sales calls a week  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many new sales calls did we get in the reporting period? What is our average? Qualify 50 new leads from the email list per week  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many leads did you get in the reporting period? How many of them could be considered marketing qualified leads? Evaluation Metrics Examples: Write five bottom of the funnel marketing posts a month  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many leads came from your bottom of the funnel marketing posts? How often did they help convert customers? Set up ten demo calls a month with potential customers  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many demo calls were completed? How many of them converted into paying customers? Purchase Metrics Examples: Convert 75% of sales calls to purchases  Ã¢â€ â€™ What is the average purchase price from a sales call? How many calls converted? Achieve an average order value of $50 or higher  Ã¢â€ â€™ What is the order value for each call? What was the average in the reporting period? One free and widely-used option for objectives reporting is  Google Analytics. Google Analytics can help you find an enormous amount of data about your audience and overall online marketing performance. Other popular options include: Kissmetrics In-app social analytics Raven Tools Hubspot DataBox Adobe Analytics Learn how to build a better marketing report  to look like a genius to your boss. DID YOU KNOW: offers robust analytics to measure content and social media performance? Learn all about it here. Get Your 2018 Marketing Objectives Back On Track Now that Peter and Natalie (and you) have all the information you need, you can set your marketing goals and objectives to make this year your most successful year yet. Once you’re ready to move on to the execution phase of your marketing strategy, see how can help. Sign up for a demo  or start your free trial  now!

The Poem Fisherman by Kurt Brown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Poem Fisherman by Kurt Brown - Essay Example From this research it is clear that a whole life/lifetime would include every activity and this is what the author is looking into which he believes to be spent ‘fishing in himself’ meaning, looking into what is in him that is beneficial. The fisherman is not pictured fishing in the river or ocean but in’ himself’. This statement thus suggests that ‘fishing’ is a metaphor used to paint the act of bringing out something valuable from one’s self like talents, skills, outrageous ideas that could change the world or the modern Einstein who could solve all the problems in this computer age. The second line completes the thought of the author that what the subject is fishing in himself is ‘something grand’. What could be grand in a person other than something that makes him stand out in a crowd? This statement then strengthens the understanding that the man in the poem is fishing or looking into the possibilities of having some sp ecial skills, talents, even attitudes or experiences that could encourage other people or benefit them in some ways as the man himself is benefited for his personal needs. That grand thing the man is trying to fish in himself is described in the next sentence as a ‘lost lunker, big enough to break all records’. This line also confirms that the analysis on the poem is going through the right path, that the grand thing being fished in a person is something extraordinarily huge to be recognized as superior to other men. ‘Rumors, myths, big promises of wonder’ could be stories of achievements and encouragements of people around the world, from different generations. This shows that the character in the poem did not personally witness achievers rather had just heard about them so that they are considered merely rumors, unfounded and unproved. Some stories might even seem to be exaggerated and unbelievable so that they are counted as myths like the successes of H ercules and other heroes of old. ‘Big promises of wonder’ could represent encouragements that express belief in an individual like the adage that goes ‘If others, why can’t I?’ Such leads people to believe that for every person, there is always something special that is sitting somewhere inside of him, waiting to be discovered and nurtured. The ‘shadow of something enormous darkening the man’s life’ might be a metaphor of his doubts and fears about what he has and what he can do. It is mentioned that the man only felt this shadow and did not see it. So many times, men see with their feelings especially with things that are still unknown and have not been tried yet and most of these times, people are overwhelmed with the possibilities of failure that is why they would rather go about with the normal activities of men. Then, the poet suggests that the shadow the man might have felt could be that of another fish’s, greater tha n his doubts and fears. What could be haunting the man is the fear that he might not become as popular as another person, as successful as his neighbor, as intelligent as his classmate, as talented as the other boy or as innovative as the ordinary

Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Statement - Essay Example I will attempt to prove all this today and over the following nine days, but first I would like to tell you some more about who the victim in this case really is. Ms. Chen joined the staff at Monash University as a teacher and research academic in May of 2008. Before that time Ms. Chen had worked at the Imperial College in London and also at the University of Cambridge. She had gained two PhDs; one from Imperial College in 2007 for Biomaterials and the other from the University of Science and Technology of Beijing in 1992 for Metallurgical Physics. Professor Sian Harding from the Imperial College of London made the comment that "Qizhi (Ms. Chens nickname) is an exceptionally bright and creative scientist." In terms of her teaching capabilities, Professor Alexander Bismarck, also from Imperial College, remarked that Qizhi is "a gifted teacher." To put it simply, Ms. Chen is an independent thinker, hard-working academic and strong-minded woman who has carved out a fine academic career for herself. In contrast to many female academics who choose to put their career above a family, Ms. Chen is a very typical conservative Chinese woman with a strong family life. She also has a 12-year-old son, who is the apple of her eye. In conjunction with pursuing her academic goals and objectives, Ms. Chen is of the belief that being a mother with a caring family around her is considered to be the greatest achievement a woman can make. In line with her cultural values, Ms. Chen possesses the traits of loyalty, decency, and honesty. Also, Ms. Chen balances her work life and personal life in a way that allows her to have healthy relationships with everyone who she comes across. She is a woman who is quick to forgive and only make judgements based on facts rather than conjecture. In the workplace, Ms. Chen prefers an inclusive approach whereby knowledge can be shared for the benefit of

Can Abortion be a Morally Acceptable Choice Essay

Can Abortion be a Morally Acceptable Choice - Essay Example The fact that a majority of the people are in fact somewhere between the two positions is often lost in the vitriol of the debate. Pro-life groups state that human life begins at conception, and thus an abortion is the killing of a human being. There are some differences within the pro-life position however. Many people who say they are pro-life agree that abortions should be allowed in the case of incest , rape or to save the woman's life. This seems a somewhat odd position as, if a person believes that human life begins at conception, should it matter how the baby was conceived Is the baby any less human because its father was a rapist Is it any less human because its mother may die because of the pregnancy The answer to both these questions would seem to be 'no'. The two positions have been set out and logic, practically and ethics falls on the side that some abortions are indeed morally acceptable. Perhaps the 'easiest' types of abortion to defend are those in which the mother's life is being saved. These can be defended on a number of bases. First, the practical fact is that if the mother's life is at risk so is the baby's. If the mother dies, the baby will as well. So in this case, even if a person believes that life begins at conception, it is surely better to have a situation in which one person lives and one dies, rather than both dying. Second, the legal principle of 'self-defense' might be applied here. If the baby is a human being, then it (albeit unintentionally) is killing the mother. The mother has a perfect right to defend herself against this attack. The abortion is an example of self-defense. In cases of incest and rape, a less certain ground exists for those who believe life begins at conception. Incest may lead to genetic problems and diseases for generations to come, indeed, this is the reason that incest is taboo in most societies in the world. It seems logical that a pregnancy produced in this way, which might have hazardous effects for generations to come, should be terminated. Rape is a more difficult issue. Here the argument moves into the territory of when a fertilized egg 'becomes human'. An abortion that occurs because the mother is raped essentially falls into the 'choice' category. The pro-choice side says that a woman has the right to self-determination guaranteed by the US Constitution, specifically "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness", and that any attempt to tell her what to do with her own body directly contradicts this right. Pro-choice groups maintain that a baby is only a 'human life' when it is able to exist independent of its mother. Thus abortions up until about six months are morally legitimate as until this time the baby cannot survive outside the mother's body. These are not abortions of independent human life but merely medical procedures undertaken by a woman and her doctor, and as such should be no one's business but the individual woman and her doctor. If a person believes the "independent of its mother" of human life then any abortion up until that time is morally justifiable. The question of rape, incest, or saving the mother's life does not come into play because the mother is just having something done to herself. This position essentially

Web Based Health Information Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Web Based Health Information Analysis - Essay Example The HON criteria include privacy, transparency, attribution and authority (http://www.hon.ch/HONcode/Conduct.html). This health website has no privacy because anyone can easily access it including young children and this is against the HON criteria as it is risky for underage children without proper preparation. The site hides no information from the general public and hence can be considered to be transparent in its own way and according to the criteria set by HON. As far as the website is concerned, there is no attribution whatsoever and thus the credentials of the website are questionable. It has many followers because it is easily accessible and hence has a bit of authority as far as online health information is concerned. This website therefore has not fulfilled all the criterion requirements that are stipulated by HON’s code of conduct for health websites and therefore something should be done about that because it is not helpful to the public who do not have any idea whether the website meets the criteria or not (Larson, 2011). Even though this epilepsy website does not fulfill all the stipulated criteria of HON, the much it has not fulfilled can be worked on quickly and hence have it included in the patient teaching program as a resource since this website compared to other epilepsy website contains much more information and fulfills most of the criteria put out by HON to health websites (Cullen, 2006). The inclusion in the patient teaching program will however depend on the website owners and whether or not they are willing to fulfill the unfulfilled HON criteria and do it as soon as possible. If they agree, then it can be included but if they don’t, then doubts will be raised whether it really qualifies or

Find Natalie Merchants song Gold Rush Brides. Listen to it. Enjoy it Assignment

Find Natalie Merchants song Gold Rush Brides. Listen to it. Enjoy it. Read the Lyrics - Assignment Example The point that the song makes in the line is that the Old American West offered many opportunities, but the opportunities came at a very hefty price. The song emphasizes a very complex reality in which the Wild West people lived. A condition fraught with tragedy, hardship, and risk. In such situations, there were no happy endings but people still continued to press on through sheer grit. According to Barman, 2007, the dominant cultural understanding of the Wild West portrays the vision of a land that lent itself to settlements and a simple context of Indians versus cowboys. It shows that Americans Westerns reduced all their plots line to line. The West was for all purposes and intent an uncivilized wilderness that lacked the amenities and the comfort of the civilized East. As the song lyrics put it, the women in the West suffered through childbirth, the death of their husbands, yellow fever, and even madness. Despite the land out West being free, women had to pay for it with their

Christian Faith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Christian Faith - Essay Example In order to understand the faith of Christians, it is very important to identify and discuss some of the major components of Christianity that are followed and practiced by Christians around the globe. Nowadays, the world is suffering from tormented sufferings due to the different wars, poverty, unemployment, fraud, and a number of other factors that have anguished this globe at a very greater extent. Still, a huge number of inhabitants are strong in their faith on the Jesus Christ and other imperative components of the Christianity. Christianity Jesus of Nazareth has centered His teachings on life according to the New Testament, and a monotheistic religion was formed that is referred as Christianity. Old Testament has prophesied the Jesus as the Son of God, as well as, the Messiah for the world. According to the consensus of the year 2005, there were estimated 2.2 billion adherents, which made the Christianity as the largest religion with the highest number of followers around the world. (McGrath, 2006) Europe, America, Australia, and the Philippine Islands are some of the locations, where the religion is predominant as compared with the other locations. In addition, New Zealand, and Sub-Saharan Africa have also major number of the Christian believers in their region. Nowadays, Africa and Asia are also predominating in this religion rapidly. China and South Korea are the particular ones in this regard. A significant diversity of belief has always been observed within the Christianity. Certain core doctrines have been considered as the essential one by mainstream of the Christianity.

Find Natalie Merchants song Gold Rush Brides. Listen to it. Enjoy it Assignment

Find Natalie Merchants song Gold Rush Brides. Listen to it. Enjoy it. Read the Lyrics - Assignment Example The point that the song makes in the line is that the Old American West offered many opportunities, but the opportunities came at a very hefty price. The song emphasizes a very complex reality in which the Wild West people lived. A condition fraught with tragedy, hardship, and risk. In such situations, there were no happy endings but people still continued to press on through sheer grit. According to Barman, 2007, the dominant cultural understanding of the Wild West portrays the vision of a land that lent itself to settlements and a simple context of Indians versus cowboys. It shows that Americans Westerns reduced all their plots line to line. The West was for all purposes and intent an uncivilized wilderness that lacked the amenities and the comfort of the civilized East. As the song lyrics put it, the women in the West suffered through childbirth, the death of their husbands, yellow fever, and even madness. Despite the land out West being free, women had to pay for it with their

The branches of philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The branches of philosophy - Essay Example The branches of philosophy This paper explores these ethical perspectives, reviews relevant perspectives on ethics as an academic discipline, reflects the relevance of ethics among individuals and society, and identifies the key ethical perspectives, values and principles that would most benefit individuals and society. The course content convinced me of the relationship between philosophy and ethics as well as their components. While philosophy deals with the analysis of fundamental ideas and logical examination of the basic concepts of life ethics deals with justification of morality in determining what is right and wrong. In fact, ethics is only one of the branches of philosophy while the other three branches are metaphysics (deals with the ultimate reality and structure of existence), epistemology (branch of philosophy that examines the nature, types, and limits of knowledge) and aesthetics (branch of philosophy that explores the nature of beauty). The course also showed me how metaphysics, epistemology, a nd aesthetics contribute towards the making of one’s ethical perspectives. The course has also thrown light on the major ethical perspectives such as deontological teleological, aretological. It is worthwhile to analyze and apply these ethical perspectives and their sub categories into ethical questions related to homosexuality, capital punishment, environmental ethics, euthanasia, and abortion. For instance, it is worthwhile to evaluate the ethics regarding the issue of homosexuality from utilitarian as well as egoist ethical perspectives. ... For instance, it is worthwhile to evaluate the ethics regarding the issue of homosexuality from utilitarian as well as egoist ethical perspectives. There are for and against utilitarian ethical arguments with regard to homosexuality. Utilitarian ethical theories ask what brings the greatest benefit or least harm for the greatest number, they look at how the effects of homosexuality either increase benefits or minimize harms for the greatest number of those affected. As such, utilitarians who argue for homosexuality regard it as an orientation rather than a choice. They also hold that once the society accepts homosexuals the homophobia of the society will diminish. On the other hand, utilitarians who are against homosexuality argue that it contributes to problems such as addiction and suicide and that greater societal acceptance of homosexuality will not bring about greater happiness to the homosexuals. Similarly, one can find considerable differences in the deontological perspectives towards ethical issues surrounding capital punishments while comparing the deontological perspectives with that of teleological, utilitarian, retributive, abolitionist and egoist approaches. In the same way, the content of the course has been instrumental in providing me insights into environmental ethics which very often go underreported and unnoticed. I came to understand that the conflict between anthropocentric concerns and bio-centric concerns are quite evident in environmental ethics. Similarly, the issues of euthanasia and abortion discussed in the module also raise many ethical questions based on ethical perspectives. While utilitarian ethics tend to recognize the patient’s autonomy in taking decisions as to what will benefit them most the deontological ethicists

Relationship Between Management Theory and Practice

Relationship Between Management Theory and Practice In this answer the relationship in between management theory practice is clearly defined, starting with defining the meaning of management theory, later on the relation in between the two is highlighted followed by a critical review conclusion. WHAT IS MANAGEMENT THEORY? Management theory is a lens that allows people to interpret modes of management, to identify a particular set of problems and to seek a variety of solutions to those problems. Management practices in different organisations depend on the theories that are applied either explicitly or implicitly (Soriano, 2009). RELATION IN BETWEEN MANAGEMENT THEORY PRACTICE Every living practioner is prisoner to the ideas of a dead theorist(Mullins, 2007, p.40). Management theory is a critical element that helps in the production of knowledge, bringing transparency, accountability and accessibility to the research practice (Brownlie, 2007). Theories are perspectives with which people try make sense of their experiences. The relation between theory practice is very important as without theoretical knowledge it is impossible to put the skills into practice and make the right decisions. Theory gives deep understanding and allows manager to view the problems from different perspectives which leads to decision-making practice. In relation to the problems faced by organisations today, without understanding the basics of it, without knowing the case in depth, it becomes difficult to come to the right decision and solve the problem which causes the delays in decisions results(Stoner et. al. 1995, pp. 31-2). Thus, Six Sigma a system ofÂÂ  practices ev olving from best management theories was developed by Motorola in the 1980s to improve processes by eliminating defects (Pande, 2007). It is therefore very important for people leading the organisations to have a good theoretical knowledge. CRITICAL REVIEW As per a report in The Sunday Times (2009), in the last two decades, management theory, once rejected in Britain by both unions and management, has been deliberately implied on almost every aspect of commercial and public life (Billen, 2009). This act of blindly implying theories into practice is incorrect moreover certain beneficial management practices are the ones not mentioned in management theories. As stated by Gary Hamel in The Future of Management, several leading executives-including Sergey Brin and Larry Page (the Google Guys) and John Mackey of Whole Foods Market, never went to business school had no knowledge of management theories, still their management practices were successful (The Econmist, 2007). In most of the organisations there appears a gap between theory and practice of management, this problem is attributed to converting research knowledge into practice to solve this researchers propose a method of engaged scholarship in which researchers and practitioners coproduce knowledge that can advance theory and practice in a given domain (Ven et. al, 2006). CONCLUSION In managing, as in any other field, unless practitioners try to learn by trial and error method, there is no place they can turn for meaningful guidance other than the knowledge underlying their practice; this knowledge is theory. Managers who attempt to manage without management theory must put their trust to luck, intuition, or their experience in the past. A management who makes serious attempts to translate management theory into practice is bound to increase productivity more than a management which chooses to use the fire brigade or trial and error approach (Weirich, 2004). Q:Explain the main difficulties in studying personalities; how is this of importance to organisations? A: INTRODUCTION: In this answer, the difficulties in studying personalities are highlighted, by defining the meaning of personalities mentioning the reasons for the difficulties. Later on, the importance of understanding personalities to organisations is mentioned followed by a conclusion. MEANING OF PERSONALITY: As per Websters Dictionary Personality is derived from the latin word persona, which means mask as in mask worn by actors on stage or role as in ones role in life, so personality is essential character of a person (David Knights and Hugh Willmott, 2007, p.80). Difficulties in Studying Personalities:Â   No two individuals have exactly the same personalities, as stated in The New York Times (2009) It is said that parents of one child believe that upbringing determines personality, but parents with two children believe in genetic tendencies. The evidence points to something more complex: genetic predispositions interact with circumstances to produce unique individuals (Aamodt Wang, 2009). So, studying personalities is a complex task as the techniques that are used to collect group data is questionable and the outcome that comes from it is inappropriate in understanding personalities because the richness and depth of an individuals personality cannot be revealed in superficial pen and papers questionnaires. The personality cannot be understood outside an individuals social context and has to be studied in the light of his/her own perceptions of the world. Moreover, the categories defined by psychologists to study personalities are quite narrow in depth and scope. We expect individuals behaviour to be consistent or stable, however it might not be true everytime, for e.g if a person has taken drugs or is under great stress he will not behave as per his personality traits (Mullins, 2004). Importance To Organisations: Those who manage or even aspire to manage organisations a vital part of their role is understanding human behaviour and psychology (Rollinson, 2005).Within the mainstream thinking and practice of management personality is seen as one of the most basic and fundamental features of an organisation (David Knights and hugh willmott, 2007, p.79). The study the personalities can help organisations in solving real problems that happen at the place of work. By using personality psychological research findings the organisations can hire better employees, decrease absenteeism, increase job satisfaction solve many other organisational problems related to work. Understanding of personality is required in various organizational processes for e.g. Selection Placement. As per Africa News (2005) personality is the key element organisations need to assess when recruiting people. Apart from such processes understanding personalities can help organisations in redesigning jobs to make them more meaning ful and satisfying to the employees which in turn will lead to healthy and productive workforce. An organisation should recognise and try to improve employees personality and talent so that certain positive and encouraging traits can be developed in them which would lead to better work atmosphere and attainment of common aims and goals (Paul M. Muchinsky, 2001). CONCLUSION It can thus be concluded that personality is a major factor that determines the success or failure of the individual but understanding personality is a complex process, so the organisations should be careful in selecting its employees by understanding their personalities should also try bring positive changes to their personalities for organisational success. Q: In what ways can an understanding of motivation theory contribute to successful organizational working? Illustrate your key arguments with organizationally based examples. A : INTRODUCTION In this answer, the importance of understanding motivation theories for organisations is mentioned, with the help of surveys, organizationally based examples press releases. In the beginning the different motivation theories are described in brief, followed by explanation of reasons for understanding them. WHAT IS MOTIVATION WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT MOTIVATION THEORIES? The term motivation derived from the Latin word movere, meaning to move (Kretiner, 1998). As per Robbins (1993) motivation is the willingness to put high levels of effort toward organizational goals, conditioned being the efforts should satisfy some individual need (Ramlall, 2004). The first theory of motivation was developed by FW Taylors was called Scientific Management Theory. Taylor believed money was the only motivator and that there should be a carrot and stick approach to motivate people. Those who worked hard should be rewarded, but those who didnt, penalties should be imposed. Other theorists proposed that this was not always the way to get the best out of people (The Times 100, 2010,Motivation how Egg unleashes the power of people). So there other motivation theories got evolved namely Content theories attempt to explain those specific things that actually motivate the individual at work Process theories that attempt to identify the relationship among the variables that make up motivation (Mullins, 2007). CONTENT THEORIES 1) Needs theories: Maslows hierarchy of needs theory identifies five major basic needs: a) physiological b) safety c) love/affiliation d) esteem e) self-actualization. This theory provided organisations ways of motivating employees by devising programs aimed at satisfying unmet needs (Ramlall, 2004). Champagne McAfee (1989), cited ways for organisations to meet the needs of their employees:-Physiological: Vending machines, Drinking fountains; Safety: retirement benefits, solving grievances, Rest periods; Affiliation: creating team spirit, using periodic praise; Esteem: Encouraging participation, giving training; Self-actualization: Encouraging creativity, providing challenges. LIMITATION: The level and type of employees need may vary, fulfilling some needs might be really costly(Ramlall,2004). 2) Herzbergs two-factor theory: As per Herzberg (1968) financial rewards do not always satisfy employees, as proposed by Taylor. This theory assumes that the absence of hygiene factors like salary, security, working conditions leads to demotivation amongst the employees whereas motivators like achievement, recognition, responsibility, nature of work leads to motivation (Quader Quader, 2008). This theory teaches organisation that for an employee to be motivated, his job must be fully enriched where he has the opportunity for achievement and recognition (Ramlall, 2004). LIMITATION: This theory can only be applied to manual workers the theory is methodologically bound (Mullins, 2007). 3) McClellands Achievement motivation theory: McClellands work originated from the relationship between hunger needs and the extent to which imagery of food dominated thought processes. McClelland saw the achievement need as the most critical need for the countrys economic growth and success. LIMITATION: The theory is generalised however, different people have different achievement needs (Mullins, 2007). PROCESS THEORIES: 1) Equity theory: Equity theory states that individuals are concerned not only with the absolute amount of rewards they receive for their efforts, but also with the relationship of this amount to what others receive. If they find any imbalance, tension is created people can do many things to remove this inequity. Therefore organizations must develop reward systems that are fair and equitable for all the employees (Ramlall, 2004). LIMITATION: It fails to specify what will people do to reduce the inequity/tension (Muchinsky, 2003). 2) Attribution theory: This theory suggests that behaviour is determined by a combination of perceived internal forces (skills, ability) and external forces(policies, weather) (Mullins, 2007). LIMITATION: If an employee performs well but the manager thinks this was due to luck, the appropriate recognition/reward may not be given employee will get demotivated. 3) Expectancy theory: As per this theory people are motivated to behave in ways that produce desired combinations of expected outcomes (Kreitner Kinicki, 1999, p.227). This theory states that the task itself is key to employee motivation so organisations should follow job enrichment and job rotation to increase motivation. LIMITATION: Expectancy models are not always easy to understand, or apply in actual management (Mullins, 2007). 4) Goal-setting theory : It says individuals are motivated by specific difficult goals their behaviour revolves around the set goal (Gordon, 1996, p145). It helps organisations in gaining improved results as employees set specific goals directly related to their work (Mullins, 2007). LIMITATION : If goals are set at a very high level to achieve, performance suffers, especially over a longer period(Mullins,2007). LITERATURE REVIEW: In the past theories of motivation a lot of importance was given to recognition factor of motivation the only dependent variables were job satisfaction performance. Later on, Significant advances were made in understanding how culture, characteristics of the job, and the person-organization fit influenced motivation. Earlier, motivation was restricted to research findings of North Americans. There were clashes amongst theorists that existed throughout much of the twentieth century hence much of the energy was spent on destruction of theory rather than theory construction (Latham Pinder, 2005). WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THEORIES MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES? Organisational investments in employee motivation create obligations on the employees to reciprocate in positive ways, which, in turn, result in better organisational performance (Lee Bruvold, 2003). Moreover, motivation theory can go a long way towards helping us understand why people behave in the way they do. Armed with such knowledge, managers should be better placed to direct employee behaviour for the good of the organisation (Hannagan, 2005, pp. 350-351). As stated by Amer Zureikat, regional Manager, Bayt.com. in United Arab Emirates (2009), Organisations the world over are realising that successfully motivating staff on an ongoing basis is a fundamental element in building good rapport among staff, keeping staff loyal to the company and most of all maintaining optimal productivity levels of employees. This becomes even more crucial during these times of economic crisis, because news of job losses and an unstable future may serve to de-motivate employees significantly. MOTIVATION REDUCES ABSENTEEISM It is mentioned in The Irish Times that up to 50 to 80 per cent of an organisations total expenditure is on employees, even average absence levels can represent a serious expense in terms of reduced productivity and can reduce employee retention because of over-stretched staff. An initiative to lower absenteeism makes financial sense to the organisation. This can be done only if the motivation theories are understood put into practice (Madden, 2008). MOTIVATION IMPROVES PRODUCTIVITY PERFORMANCE: Georgopoulos et al.(1957) Porter Lawler (1967) found that employees for whom money was a motivator, performed better if more money was offered to them (Edwin A. Locke, 1970). West and Patterson suggest Where the level of satisfaction is generally high employees may be more motivated to engage in pro-social behaviours and make extra effort to help other departments and functions. Over thousands of instances of helping and motivating the employees show that it increases productivity and performance (Robin Fincham Peter Rhodes, 2005, p.232). MOTIVATION IMPROVES TEAMWORK CO-ORDINATION Certain gain-sharing programs, such as the Scanlon Plan, Improshare, or Rucker Plan, helps workers to get a share in productivity improvements. Such programs result in increased coordination, teamwork and knowledge sharing. They also contribute to better attainment of social needs, increased acceptance of change of technology and new methods. It causes more efficient management and planning, reduction of overtime for workers, increase in creativity and implementation of new ideas and more flexible labour and management relationship (Judith R Gordon, 1996). CASE STUDY BLACK DECKER: A new program Everyone Counts based on employees social self esteem needs as per the needs motivation theories was implemented at Black and Deckers Household Products division in Shelton. Everyone Counts, an employee incentive campaign, replaced the suggestion box and allowed teams of employees to provide cost saving, cost analysis and implementation suggestions. Thirty-nine teams were allowed to submit five ideas each in twelve weeks. One such idea is estimated to save the company over seven hundred dollars by substituting a new material in one of the product lines. Everyone counts also improved communications with upper management, increased employee involvement and allowed more centralisation of the employee work environment (Harris Kliener,1993). Examples to show the Link of Motivation with Organisational Success: American Express introduced an incentive plan for 10,000 employees in the consumer-lending and consumer card groups after a one year pilot program, during which 98 percent of 1,500 employees received bonuses of 4 percent of their salaries. The plan resulted in an increase in customer satisfaction, employee productivity and shareholder gains (Judith R.Gordon, 1996). Royal Bank of Scotland: RBS provides world-class employment package for every employee adopts an attitude that motivates its staff in both financial and personal ways. This helps RBS to compete for the best people and attract them to its business has lead to RBS being rated as one of the best employers in the world. Thus following motivation theories has proved beneficicial for RBS (The Times 100, motivating through total reward). CASE STUDY OF HONEYWELL: Honeywells Electro Optics Division was in serious financial trouble because of low employee morale. In order to motivate their employees they turned to the Boston office of Bernard Hodes for a motivational programme. Posters of the five great performers with their chosen quote were made and placed in the hallways. The five great performers were instant celebrities and everyone wanted to be one. It enhanced employees performance by the use of motivation. In six months Honeywell was out of the financial trouble (Harris Kliener, 1993). There are several examples to show importance of motivation, Some of the better known examples include the Digital Equipment Corporation plants at Enfield in America (Perry, 1984) and Ayr in Scotland (Buchanan McCalman, 1989). In Britain, empowered self-managing teams can also be found in The Body Shop, Unipart, Frizzell Financial Services, Ciba UK and in the Harvester Restaurant in Dulwich (Pickard, 1993).Many American companies have adopted motivating and team working methods, like Shenandoah Life Insurance, Harley-Davidson, Compaq, Cummins Engine Company, Procter Gamble, and General Motors (Hoerr et al., 1986; Hoerr, 1989; Peters, 1987) In most of these companies role of traditional first line supervisor was changed and in others they have been replaced by people who were more motivating (David Buchanan Andrzej Huczynski, 1997, p.96). CONCLUSION: Thus, with the different examples shown it can be concluded that by understanding the importance of motivation organisations can prosper, it can also be said that apart from money there are other motivators of great importance as well, like job security, challenging tasks and working together with colleagues in a good working environment. It has been seen that great organisations are the ones in which the employees are motivated to bring out the best in them. It is therefore very important for the organisations to understand that the employees are an organisations most precious asset anything that can be done to increase their capability should be done so that the returns come to the organisation.