The Poverty of Women and the Inequality of the Welfare System Essay

The Poverty of Women and the Inequality of the Welfare System - Essay Example She states that the welfare system is not designed for women on women's terms, rather, she considers that it shows, This clarifies the concepts of the dualism of the welfare structure, and how it may be broken down into two subsystems, male and female. Diana Pearce points out that older women choose to receive social security benefit as wives rather than as individuals, due to the higher income of their husbands. If they divorced during their husband's retirement, they were more likely to receive: A United Nations study, released in 1985, found that women do 75 percent of the world's work but only earn 10 percent of the world's wealth (Kirk and Okazawa 318). After 20 years, the situation has changed. Today, more women work for an income than ever before. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women's participation in the labor force has dramatically increased from 54 percent in 1950, with a projected increase to more than 70 percent in 2010. In spite of the growing number of women in the workforce, women's wages are usually lower than men's. The question as to why, may be answered by the fact that a patriarchal system exists which gives a false picture of the workforce. Fraser's essay informs us that these patriarchal norms have influenced our welfare system too. In our welfare system, men are considered as "rights-bearing beneficiaries" whereas women are considered as "dependent clients" (Fraser, 561). Diana Pearce states that the rate of poor, women-maintained households has increased, especially if they have children. Despite the greater needs of women-maintained households, there is not enough support given from either private or public transfer. In public transfer, based on Fraser's characterization of the U.S. welfare system, there are two totally different characteristics of welfare. One is unemployment and social security welfare transfer (cash), that is designed to provide benefits for "right-bearers", of which women receive 38 percent of these programs. Yet more than 80 percent of those receiving Aid for Dependent Children (AFDC) are children of women-maintained households. Women also receive 60 percent of food stamps. Fraser assumes that receiving unemployment and social security compensation denotes more equality than receiving food stamps and Medicaid. This is because the latter welfare programs are: "considered to be family failures, generally the absence of a male breadwinner" (Fraser, 563). Diana Pearce addresses the seriousness of women's poverty, and how it has been steadily increasing, while Fraser argues how the welfare system is unfair to women. In order to reduce the "feminization of poverty", the government needs create more jobs for women and women-maintained

Limiting Reagents Lab Essay Example for Free

Limiting Reagents Lab Essay Problem: What mass of precipitate will form when 1.69g of CuCl2.2H20 reacts with 1.31g of aluminium? Aspect 3: Materials: 150 mL beaker Erlenmeyer Flask 100ml Graduated Cylinder Funnel; Scoopula Electronic Balance Stir Rod Aluminum Foil CuCl2.2H20 Distilled Water Procedure: Day 1 Rinse beakerwith distilled water. Mass 1.69g of CuCl2.2H2O. Add to beaker and add 50mL of distilled water. Mass aluminum. Fold in 1/2 coil loosely. Place in beaker and let sit overnight. Day 2 Pull out Aluminum and rinse into beaker Mass filter paper, put name on it Put paper in funnel and funnel into the Erlenmeyer flas. Pour in mixture. Rinse beaker three times. Rinse funnel and paper twice. Remove Paper and let dry overnight. Day 3 Mass filter paper Data Collection and Processing (DCP) Aspect 1: Recording Raw Data: Mass of CuCl2.2H2O 1.93g Mass of Al ? (The massing of the aluminum was forgotten) Experimental mass of precipitate = .69g Aspect 2: Processing Data 2Al(s) + 3CuCl2.2H2O 3Cu(s) + 6H2O(l) + 2AlCl3(aq) m Al=1.93g M Al= 26.98 g/mol m 3CuCl2.2H2o = 1.69 g M 3CuCl2.2H2o = 152.47 g/mol (Chem 20 Data Booklet) m Cu = ? n CuCl2.2H2O = 1.93g / 170.49 g/mol n CuCl2.2H2O = .011320312 mol 3 mol CuCl2.2H2O = 3 mols Cu n Cu = .011320312 mol m Cu = .011320312 mol x 63.55 g/mol m Cu = .719g % yield = .69 / .719 = 96% Aspect 3: Experimental mass of Cu(s) precipitate = .69g Theoretical mass of Cu (s) precipitate = .719g % yield = 96% Conclusion and Evaluation (CE) Aspect 1: Conclusion: The mass of precipitate that forms when 1.93g of CuCl2.2H20 reacts with 1.31g of aluminum is .69 g. The % yield was 96%. The massing of aluminum was forgotten but when another piece was massed and the numbers were worked out, it was shown that there was an excess of aluminum and that the CuCl2.2H2O was the limiting reagent. Aspect 2: Evaluate: There were .029g of Cu precipitate less than expected. It is likely that some of the copper went into the Erlenmeyer or was stuck on the funnel. Despite thorough rinsing of the filter paper, some of the precipitate got through the filter paper and into the Erlenmeyer. Aspect 3 Improving Experimental Design: Instead of one piece of filter paper, two pieces should be used. This would lead to less precipitate going into the Erlenmeyer. Also, the water in the Erlenmeyer could be re-filtered.

Training And Development In Infosys Management Essay

Training And Development In Infosys Management Essay This essay aims to provide a critical review of Performance Management and Training and Development of HRM in a typical high-tech company: Infosys. Infosys is a Fortune 500 company which specializes in IT services. The company has clients all cross the world and provide expertise in various industry sectors. Infosys integrates its Performance Management and Training and Development to better facilitate its workforce and to help the firm achieve its strategic goals. 1.2 Aim of this essay This essay aims to provide a critical review of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys. It identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys, and provides proper recommendations for future improvement. 1.3 Structure of this essay Chapter 1 gives a brief background and the aim of the essay. Chapter 2 gives introduction of Infosys. Chapter 3 talks about Performance Management and how this part of HRM functions in Infosys. Chapter 4 deals with Training and Development and its function and role in Infosys. Chapter 5 provides a critical review of the Integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys. Chapter 6 offers some recommendations for future improvement of Infosys Training and Development as well as Performance Management. Chapter 7 is the conclusion of the whole essay. 2. Brief Introduction of Infosys Infosys was started in 1981 by seven people with US$ 250. Today, they are a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing with revenues of US$ 7.075 billion (LTM Q1 FY13). Many of the worlds most successful organizations rely on Infosys to deliver measurable business value. Infosys provides business consulting, technology, engineering and outsourcing services to help clients in over 30 countries build tomorrows enterprise. Infosys has a global footprint with 68 offices and 70 development centers in US, India, China, Australia, Japan, Middle East, UK, Germany, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Poland, Canada and many other countries. Infosys and its subsidiaries have 151,151 employees as on June 30, 2012. Infosys helps companies derive the measurable business value that they have always been looking for from business and IT investments. The company delivesr measurable business value in 3 ways: 1. Transform Infosys can transform the fundamental shape of your business PL. Regardless of which team our clients engage with; the company has a best-practice process for delivering value. In Infosys it is called IMPACT to ensure a clear line of sight from process change to bottom-line impact, ensuring that you receive the business value you were promised. 2. Optimize Beyond transformation and innovation, it boils down to execution delivering on time, on budget and on value. Infosys can optimize clients core operations to drive best-in-class efficiency and help fund the transformation and innovation. 3. Innovate Infosys can inject a level of product and service innovation into clients business to create new revenue opportunities through collaboration and co-creation. The foundation of its innovation capability is our core lab network Infosys Labs and the new thinking that our team of over 600 researchers brings to the table. The Vision and Mission of Infosys are: Vision We will be a globally respected corporation. Mission Strategic Partnerships for Building Tomorrows Enterprise. 3. Performance Management and its Function in Infosys 3.1 Academic review of Performance Management Levit (2008) suggest that performance is a multi-layer structure, and depending on different measuring factors, the results may be different also. Thus, if we want to measure and manage performance, we must first define it and know exactly what performance management means. Usually performance management can be defined from three perspectives, and with different perspective, the contents, influencing factors and measuring methods that performance management includes differs. From the individual perspective, the definition of performance management has not come to a universal conclusion as various experts on HRM give their own definitions. At the current stage, there are two main views. One view believes that performance is equal to result; while another view suggests that performance equals behavior. Bernadin (1995) suggest that performance should be defined as the outcome of work, because these outcomes of work are closely related to organizational goals, strategies, customer satisfaction and investment. Kane (1996) points out that performance is the things that an individual leaves, and such things relatively independently exist. Hence, it is not difficult to see that the view of performance is equal to result believes that the outcomes that performan ce gets are the records of how well one employees work is. The relative concepts about performance results include: Accountabilities, Key Result Areas, Results, Duties, Tasks and Activities, Objectives, Goals or Targets, Outputs, Critical Success Factors. Nowadays, however, an increasing number people have accepted the concept that performance equals behavior, and they have posted challenges against the view of performance is equal to result. Campbell (1990) suggests that performance is a set of behaviors that are related to the organization that a person works for or the goals that the organization has. His definition of performance in 1993 is that performance is the synonym of behavior, and it is peoples actual behaviors and it can be observed and measured. Performance management is the process through which managers ensure that employees activities and outputs are congruent with the organizations goals. It is used to establish measures of performance to allow clear targets to be set and is a continuous process that enables us to improve delivery of business. Performance management plays a key role in Human Resources Management because an organizations performance goals are designed according to the organizations development plan, strategy and organizational goals. Today there are various tools for how to manage performance such as Balance I believe that in practical performance management, the broader concept of performance should be employed that is, the concept of performance should include both two aspects of behaviors and results. Such a perspective is well reflected in the definition of performance according to Brumbrach (1998): performance means results and behaviors. It tells us that when we conduct performance management, we should take into consideration of both input(behaviors) and output(results). Performance management should include the two aspects of what to do and how to do. 3.2 Performance Management in Infosys Infosys is a Fortune 500 company whose main service is in IT industry. Today it is the leading firm on the market providing various IT solutions to its clients. The business scope of Infosys ranges from Telecommunication, Banking, Financing, Retailing to Manufacturing. Like most international firms, Infosys has a matrix organizational structure. The companys base is in India, but it is not strictly the headquarter of the company. Its various braches across the world work together to reach the organizations strategic goals. The types of employees in Infosys are divided into two catalogues: regular employee and contractor. Thus, performance management in Infosys has two different management methods for regular employees and contractors. Infosys definition for Performance Management is that performance management is a constant, on-going process of communication. During this process, employees and managers reach a consensus on the following questions in forms of collaboration partners: Tasks that employees should complete; How can the work that employees do make contribution to realizing the companys goals; Use detailed content to describe how to do job well; How can employees and managers work together in order to help employees to improve their performance; how to measure performance; The obstacles that hinder the development of performance and how to conquer them. Meanwhile, Infosys believes that performance management is: The core part of the companys overall human resources strategy; One method to measure an individuals performance; Emphasis is put on the process of improving employees integrated skills; A tool to connect individual performance with the companys strategy and goals. There are three aspects in Infosys performance management: Performance Plan. In this part, managers and employees reach a consensus on following questions: What should employees do? How should work be completed? Why this work item should be done? When should this work item be done? Other relevant questions: working environment, capability, career prospects, training etc. During this process, managers and employees constantly communicate about above questions, and eventually sign on the records of their communication, and use it as the performance goals of the employees. These performance goals are the base of the whole performance management and performance measurement; thus they play a pivotal role in performance management. The process of setting performance goals usually takes a quarter of the year. Performance goals usually include two parts: one is Business Goals; the other is Behavior Standard. According to Pinson (2004), a business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals. business plans may also target changes in perception and branding by the customer, client, taxpayer, or larger community. When the existing business is to assume a major change or when planning a new venture, a 3 to 5 year business plan is required, since investors will look for their annual return in that timeframe. Infosys uses business goals as part of employees yearly performance goals, and they help enhance employees performance and help achieve organizational goals. 2. Constant Communication of Performance. Communication should be through the whole process of performance management. Only once or twice communication between employees and managers are far from enough, and it does not obey the principles of performance management. As Montana Charon (2008), a business can flourish when all objectives of the organization are achieved effectively. For efficiency in an organization, all the people of the organization must be able to convey their message properly. 3. Performance Appraisal Meeting. Infosys performance appraisal meeting is highly efficient, and it is normally held within an hour when all managers get together to discuss yearly performance evaluation. It mainly includes four aspects: 1) Employees self-evaluation; 2) Reaching a consensus on employees performance, according to facts instead of impressions; 3) Deciding performance levels; 4) It is not only to evaluate employees; it is also a good opportunity to solve problems. Cederblom (1982) suggests that a performance appraisal is typically conducted annually. The interview could function as providing feedback to employees, counseling and developing employees, and conveying and discussing compensation, job status, or disciplinary decisions. It is often included in performance management systems and performance management systems are employed to manage and align all of an organizations resources in order to achieve highest possible performance. 4. Training and Development and its Function in Infosys 4.1 Academic review of Training and Development Training and development (TD) is an indispensable part in human resource management, with the purpose of enhancing the performance of individuals and groups in organizations. Training and development has a number of names, such as human resource development, and learning and development. As to its definition, there are several popular explanations. According to Rothwell Kazanas (2004), training and development, part of human resource development, is the process of changing an organization, its employees, its stakeholders, and groups of people within it, using planned and unplanned learning, in order to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage for the organization. The main body of training and development is adults, and the way adults learn and develop is different from the way students do. Adults training has more specific purposes, and is usually more practical, with the aim to solve practical questions. Hence, the organization or department that are responsible for developing training programs need to know about theories of adult learning. In the 1950s, Malcolm Knowles developed a new theory for adult learning, which is called Andragogy. Andragogy is in the context of adult learners which is contrasted with definition of childs learning (called pedagogical learning). Michael (2007) suggests that the central idea in the context of adult learning is that it is only after convincing oneself of the rationale of learning that an adult will decide to (and be able to) learn. Hence, adults cannot be treated like children if one hopes to see learning. Therefore it is assumed that workshops and seminars organized by the students themselves create a better learning environment than those organized externally. This has led to a flurry of recent teaching innovations like student-led tutor groups and supplemental instruction programs led by above average students. Another important theory about training and development is Learning Organization which was created by Peter Senge. Pedler Boydell (1997) defines that a  learning organization  is the term given to a company that facilitates the learning of its members and continuously transforms itself. There is no a single model of learning organization. Learning organization is about an attitude toward or ideology of employee and organization and is a new way of thinking about organization. In leaning organization, everyone needs to identify and solve problems, so that the organization is able to constantly try new things, enhancing and improving its capability. The basic value of learning organization is solving problems, whereas in contrast, the focus of traditional organization is efficiency. In any learning organization, employees need to take part in identifying problems, which means that employees need to understand customers requirement. Employees also need to solve problems, and this m eans they need to think about customers requirement in a unique way. Learning organization enhances organizations value by new ideas and information, instead of material production. 4.2 Training and Development in Infosys Training and development is mainly carried out in Infosys by its HR department. Currently the whole company has more than 20,000 employees, and training and development has always been a key function of all HR department in all branches. The company is willing to provide excellent training opportunities for its employees. Though the leading department of training and development in Infosys is its HR department, other departments also take part in and collaborate with HR department. Training and development is carried out by HR personals according to various requirements of different departments which are located in different geographic locations. There are training and development specialists who are responsible for certain training contents, such as technology, business knowledge, company policies, marketing etc. HR department plans yearly training and development schedule together with experts from other departments, and is responsible for carrying out these training schedules. Training courses in Infosys are presented by subject matter experts(SMEs) in the company or by experts from other organizations and universities. Training specialists need to record teachers performance during the training sessions. After training sessions, feedback from employees are collected and analyzed, in order to better the quality and efficiency of the companys training programs. The company creates its training policies which is part of the companys HR policies. And violation of training policies will be reported to the employees reporting manager. This ensures the quality of training and development in Infosys. Training and development plays an important function in Infosys daily operation and strategy development. The HR department divides training and development mainly into four levels. The first level is for senior management and candidate senior management; the second level is for normal employees and normal managers; the third level is for first-line sales personals; the forth level is for new hires and fresh graduates. According to the needs and requirements of different levels, training sessions are designed by different teams. Garavan, Costine, and Heraty (1995) notes that training and development (TD) encompasses three main activities: training, education, and development and that these ideas are often considered to be synonymous. In Infosys, training and development can also be view from these three parts: 1. Training: This activity is both focused on the job tasks that an employee currently handles. It is usually conducted through the form of classroom training, on-the-job training, and competition in Infosys. 2. Education: This activity focuses upon the jobs that an employee may potentially handle in the future. Infosys provides books and self-pace learning courses for such activity, and employees have more flexibility to study on their own paces and they can choose to learn during work time or at weekends. 3. Development: This activity focuses on the activities that the organization employing the individual. In Infosys, every new employee needs to attend the New Hire Orientation Development Program within the first three month after they are employed by the company. Such activity helps new employees know about the corporate culture, policies, dress code and so on and so forth. At the end of each year, Infosys holds several lectures to summarize the whole training and development programs in the passing year, identifying any problems and figuring out solutions to these problems. This helps HR department better plan next years training programs, thus helping the company achieve its short-term and long-term strategic goals. 5. Integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys 5.1 How Performance Management and Training and Development work together in Infosys In Infosys, Performance Management and Training and Development are closely linked. The company creates a computer-based system to manage performance and career development of staff. It is easy for managers to see at what level the employee is currently performing and what kind of training the employee needs to take. This system also helps with a staff training and development strategy to enable employees to help them progress to the top level possible in their current job. It can also provide guidance about the possibility of further training and/or mentoring to assist them to develop their career within the organisation. Employees performance is evaluated according to several aspects, and among these aspects, employees training and development is taken into consideration and could affect employees final performance appraisal. Infosys require its regular employees to take at least five training sessions in one years, to make sure every employee is equipped with latest skills and knowledge so that they can better make contribution to the company and help the company achieve its strategy goals. Employees need to complete the Job Skills Workbook which includes the skills that employees must have to complete their job tasks. This workbook is used as the basis for the performance evaluation. Both employees and managers will have to agree on the type of skills that are included in the Job Skills Workbook and which training level the employee needs to take. Besides, a group of employees can work together to identify their individual and collective training and development goals. Then these goals will be disc ussed with training specialists and their managers, and HR department will try to arrange according training programs for these employees. This, without a doubt, strengthens the companys capability and improves productivity. In Infosys, several activities are undertaken each year in order to develop key skill elements identified. These could include new work experiences, responsibilities and challenges, mentoring, coaching or more formal training. Once identified, these elements will also be included in the performance evaluation of employees. So training and development help identify new skills and responsibilities of employees, and performance management functions as a monitor and evaluation mechanism for these new training and development needs. After training sessions, the manager or team leader needs to provide the employee with feedback about their current performance and their goals for the next agreed time period which is usually one year. Finally, at the end of the agreed time period the employee needs to once again talk with his or her manager or team leader and discuss how they have performed and whether there are any changes in their training and development schedule. 5.2 Strength and Weakness of the integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys Such integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys has several strengthens: 1. It creates a multi-level mechanism for performance management. By discussing with managers about what kind of skills and performance employees agree to achieve in advance, employees can know clearly what both them and their managers expect from them. Employees can attend various training programs to reach their goals and use what they have learned in their daily jobs, thus improving their productivity and job performance. 2. Employees have more choices about what they want to develop in Infosys and what their career paths are. The value of Infosys is to make every customer satisfied. It is only through excellent work that the company can win high trust from customers. When Performance Management and Training and Development work closely together in Infosys, each employee can have the choice to decide which career path they like to take, such as technical experts, people managers or delivery managers etc. With a clear target and purpose in mind, employees are more motivated to take training and development programs provided by the company and their learning results are later directly reflected in performance evaluation in performance management of the company. On the other hand, however, there are some weakness of the integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys: 1. It puts too much focus on job skills but ignores management skills. Infosys is a large international company and its services in IT industry are among the best. The company focuses too much on the skills of its first-line employees, and almost 80% of the training and development program are about job skills. The performance evaluation of employees also mainly evaluates what new skills employees have learned through such training programs and how they perform. But in the long run, management skills are also required by employees as some of them are potential managers in the future. 2. The training sessions in Infosys are only for regular employees, not for contractors. So the result is that contractors, that occupy more than 40% of all employees, cannot receive proper training in time. Because contractors are not allowed to participate in the training and development activities, when they discuss with their managers about their performance evaluation, there is no section for training and development. This hinders contractors from developing their skills and could probably hinder the companys strategy development in the long run. 6. Recommendations Based on the strengths and weaknesses of the integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys, these recommendations could be taken into consideration when the management makes future decisions. 1. Management skills should also be included in Infosys training and development activities, and more first-line employee should have access to it. These employees would become managers in the future, and providing proper training programs on management skills would enhance their productivity and make their work more efficient and effective. 2. Training and development should cover contractors. In Infosys, there are two types of employees: regular employees and contractors. Currently most training and development programs are for regular employees only. By providing contractors the same training and development opportunities, the overall workforce of Infosys can be strengthen, and the companys productivity on the whole can be enhanced. 7. Conclusion This essay reviews both the Performance Management and Training and Development in the company of Infosys. It first provides academic review of the concepts and theories of Performance Management and Training and Development in HRM, then links the concepts and theories with the actual case of Infosys. It provides a critical review of how Performance Management and Training and Development work together in Infosys and analyzes the strengthens and weaknesses of these two HRM functions integrating in Infosys and provides relative recommendations.

Death Penalty in Canada Essay -- Death Penalty

Canada as a country is always in constant change. Whether it is in government, physicality, entertainment, or economy, Canada is a nation that prides on being unique and receptive to change. But when do these advancements, these abnormalities in comparison to neighboring countries, begin to diminish us as a native land? Or is there always an up side to the refinements and revisions Canada continues to make? Would this question be easier to answer if the consequences of our decisions on change were now life or death? To most, it just makes it that much more complicated. However, the topic of capital punishment is a problem that countries have continued to agonize over for decades, including Canada. So in what regards is capital punishment, and the sentencing of execution a good thing, and is there a line in which first has to be crossed in order to categorize the guilty? These questions have spun through the heads of the government and politicians before, and for now Canada s tands on the against-side of the incredibly blurred line, but as a country always in constant change, should and will Canada ever bring back the death penalty? The death penalty, also frequently referred to as capital punishment is the sentencing of execution for a crime. The most common crime referred to as a â€Å"capital crime† is murder and more specifically, murder in the first degree. In the United States, there have only been two cases in which the convicted was not responsible for a murder (Death Penalty Information Center, 2010). In one of these cases, Patrick Kennedy was found guilty in the aggravated sexual assault case of his step-daughter in 2003, and is now awaiting execution for his actions (Death Penalty Information Center, 2010). Howe... ...out.com/od/deathpenalty/i/DeathPenalty_2.htm Bhatti, S. (2010, October 18). Death penalty pros. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/death-penalty-pros.html Amnesty International USA, . (2010). The death penalty and deterrence. Retrieved from http://www.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/death-penalty-facts/the-death-penalty-and-deterrence/page.do?id=1101085 Jami, . (2010, February 21). General deterrence and the death penalty. Retrieved from http://deathpen.wordpress.com/2010/02/21/chapter-5-general-deterrence-the-death-penalty/ Ontario Consultants on Religious Groups, . (2001, January 3). Policies of religious groups towards the death penalty. Retrieved from http://www.religioustolerance.org/execut7.htm St. Anthony Messenger Press, . (2010). The death penalty and the catholic church. Retrieved from http://www.americancatholic.org/news/deathpenalty/

ICT implementation report

1. Range of data This is my data, which offers all the different cars and the details about them. The table is set out in and sorted by the specifications of the cars and also includes their prices. 2. Creating order sheet 3. Customer details of order sheet This is the top part of my order sheet, which are the customer's details and the company logo on the top right hand side of the page. 4. Setting up combo boxes I have created combo boxes so that customers can choose what they wish from my data of cars. Each combo-box category has 5 cars and an empty space left encase the customer chooses not to choose a car from a certain category. This selection is linked to the cell next to it as each car has a preset number and the number is what makes the cell named â€Å"cars† change to what is selected in the combo box. 5. Spinners The quantity is done using spinners. As the customer selects the type of car they prefer the price automatically comes up in the â€Å"price cell† and they can change the quantity up to 6 cars for each which is highly unlikely. As the quantity number changes the price is multiplied by the number in the â€Å"quantity† cell. 6. Totals After these processes are done the total price is calculated by multiplying the quantity chosen with the price of the car. 7. Lookups Column F uses a ‘VLOOKUP' in order to find what car has been chosen by the customer. This is done by linking it with ‘Column C' and this column shows a number which is the number of the car chosen on the combo-box and the number in the combo-box is the number which the cars are set as in the Data sheet. Hence displaying the selected car. There is also a VLOOKUPS done for the price which also works in the same way. 8. Tick box and IF statement for Online Discount This is the online discount tick box which is linked to the cell next to it as you can see above. As the box is ticked and un-ticked the cell next to it will change to TRUE or FALSE this enable me to create an IF statement formula that links to this cell in order to give discount or not. This IF statement is designed to give a 15% discount if B25 displays TRUE and if not then 0 will be shown. 9. Delivery YES, NO buttons and IF statement As shown in step 8 the Buttons are linked to the cell next to them. However this time the cell C28 will display either 1 or 2 which represent YES or NO. From this the IF statement in I24 can be done. If cell C28 is displaying 1 then a à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½6.99 charge will be put on the totals if number 2 is being displayed then cell I24 will come up as blank as there is no Delivery charge. 10. Tick box and IF statement Claims Bonus Discount This is the Claims Bonus discount tick box which is linked to the cell next to it as you can see above. As the box is ticked and un-ticked the cell next to it will change to TRUE or FALSE this enable me to create an IF statement formula that links to this cell in order to give discount or not. 11. Sub-Total This is a sum formula which adds all the prices which are displayed in the selected columns. 12. Working out VAT% Simply input the percentage I wanted as my VAT into cell H26. In the cell next to it a multiplication formula is used to multiply the percentage by the sub-total which leaves the VAT in cell I26. 13. Working out discount price. Simply input the percentage I wanted to discount into cell H25. In the cell next to it a multiplication formula is used to multiply the percentage by the sub-total which leaves the discount in cell I25. 14. Working out Claims bonus Discount price Simply input the percentage I wanted to discount into cell H27. In the cell next to it a multiplication formula is used to multiply the percentage by the sub-total which leaves the discount in cell I27. 15. Grand-Total This is a sum formula however is more complex because it is subtracting discounts and adding different prices. This formula automatically alters and changes according to what is displayed in the cells above it. 16. Add Macros These macros are recorded to copy the details of the chosen car from each row and insert them on to the invoice sheet. They are also set to change the font option and insert a new row so that cars which are chosen do not replace each other so that the user can select more then one car or extra. 17. Go to Invoice & Go to Order These macros have been set up so that the user can toggle between the two sheets without any hassle. They are both very simple macros designed so that the user can change or add anything they want to their receipt. 18. Print Macro This has been created in order to present the user with a print menu once it is selected or print as soon as it is pressed, so that they can select their print option or directly print the receipt. 19. Logos, company details and picture This print scheme shows the company logo and the colour scheme which is matching throughout the project and the picture in order to make the project more attractive. Part of the logo is the company details that are merged with it. 20. Invoice number and date. Located below the logo, this is one of the essentials for the receipt, however there is no formula or calendar option used so the date has to be manually changed every day and the invoice number every time the invoice is being saved and printed. 21. Order details These details are automatically pasted from the order sheet using the Add Macros. Therefore the titles are set in that order according to the data sheet and the font has been set to be changed as part of the processes of the add macro. 22. Customer details on the invoice. These formulas simply display the information/details which the end-user would fill out at the top of the order sheet. 23. Calculation formulas on invoice The print screen above shows all the formulas used I order to calculate the grand total. These are the same formulas used as the order sheet which I have explained in detail, however these have different cell references and copy the if statements from the order sheet so that the customers order is transferred correctly and so I do not have to repeat the process again.

Tarkenton Essays - National Football League, American Football

Tarkenton Essays - National Football League, American Football Tarkenton Francis Asbury Tarkenton was born in Richmond, Virginia, To the Pastor Dallas Tarkenton. He grew up in Georgia, where he played played football. Although he was an all-state quarterback in high school and an All-American at the University of Georgia, he was not chosen in the professional draft of 1961 until the third round, when the Vikings, a newly established team, selected him. He won the starting quarterback position as a Rookie and with the Vikings led the team to an upset of the Chicago Bears in the team's first professional game. From the beginning of his professional career Tarkenton used his ability to elude tacklers and rush for yardage, which became his trademark. The coaches of the Vikings criticized his improvisations on the playing field, and after the 1966 season he was traded to the Giants, where he played from 1967 to 1971. In 1972 Tarkenton was traded back to the Vikings, leading them to the National Football Conference (NFC) Central Division title for six consecutive seasons (1973-1978) and to three Super Bowl games (1974, 1975, and 1977), all of which the Vikings lost. During the 1975 Super bowl Dallas Tarkenton Died of a Heart Attack while watching his son play football in his home. Dallas Tarkenton never understood or liked football but always watched his son play. Francis said this about his father, Daddy didnt know about football, so he might not understand how it could become that desperately important to a civilized person. But he did know humanity and therefore would not see it as an evil thing. Slowed by injuries, he played for a final season in 1978 and then retired. During his playing career Tarkenton developed a successful business career, which he continued after his retirement. He was American football player, a quarterback noted for his ability to run with the ball while looking for a receiver. He set numerous National Football League (NFL) passing records during his professional career with the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

Long Term Effect Of Childhood Sexual Abuse Social Work Essay Example

Long Term Effect Of Childhood Sexual Abuse Social Work Essay Example Long Term Effect Of Childhood Sexual Abuse Social Work Essay Long Term Effect Of Childhood Sexual Abuse Social Work Essay Child sexual maltreatment has been a tabu topic for many old ages, leting it to stay a dark secret. As the tabu has been slightly upraised, the figure of grownups describing past childhood sexual maltreatment is surprisingly high. Many surveies of childhood sexual maltreatment study a 30 % happening of childhood sexual maltreatment in their samples. As a job impacting a important proportion of the population, it warrants further survey. This paper will reexamine literature on the subject of childhood sexual maltreatment, specifically the long-run effects which carry over into maturity. Child sexual maltreatment has been a tabu topic for many old ages, leting it to stay a dark secret. As the tabu has been slightly upraised, the figure of grownups describing past childhood sexual maltreatment is surprisingly high. Many are disgusted by childhood sexual maltreatment, but what is it about childhood sexual maltreatment that makes it so detestable to so many people? Instinctively, we believe it to be really barbarous and damaging to the victim ; nevertheless, inherent aptitude does non mensurate up as grounds in a society which progressively demands for empirical support. What does research precisely say about the long-run effects of childhood sexual maltreatment? This paper will research a few of the findings related to long-run effects of childhood maltreatment. Four effects have been cited: impaired grownup societal relationships, going an grownup sexual wrongdoer, increased anxiousness, and decreased sexual wellbeing. It should besides be noted that merely the conseq uence of impaired societal relationships was shown in a sample including both genders. The 2nd consequence of going a sexual wrongdoer was merely observed in males and the concluding two effects ( anxiousness and sexual wellbeing ) were merely observed in females. Further survey is needed to find if these effects are gender-inclusive. In any survey mensurating abstract concepts, operational definitions must be used and clearly stated. In the surveies cited here, childhood sexual maltreatment has been defined as a sexual experience with a child when the behaviour was due to coerce or coercion or when the culprit was a specified figure of old ages older than the victim ; the sum of old ages older a individual had to be before the experience was considered opprobrious varied somewhat from 2 to 5 ( Adulrehman A ; De Luca, 2001 ; Freerick A ; Snow, 2005 ; Salter et al. , 2003 ; Lemieux A ; Byers, 2008 ) . One survey, which incorporated constabularies studies in its observations, used the legal discourtesy with which an person was charged to specify sexual maltreatment ( Salter et al. , 2003 ) . Two surveies differentiated the badness of childhood sexual maltreatment experienced runing from less terrible ( mere exposure or contact ) to more terrible ( attempted or existent incursion of the oral cavity, anus, or vagin a ) . Both of these surveies found that the badness of the sexual maltreatment affects the badness to which one is impacted by it subsequently in life, with those who experienced attempted or existent incursion the most badly affected ( Freerick A ; Snow, 2005 ; Lemieux A ; Byers, 2008 ) . Impaired Adult Social Relationships Adulrehman A ; De Luca ( 2001 ) set out to analyze the relationship between childhood sexual experiences and grownup societal relationships. They did a survey affecting 222 undergraduate psychological science pupils. Three steps were administered to the sample: the Social Health Battery, Social Dysfunction Rating Scale, and Sexual Victimization Survey. The first two step societal accommodation and the concluding step is used to place sexual maltreatment. Persons who had experienced childhood sexual maltreatment scored significantly higher on the Social Dysfunction Rating Scale, which indicates a higher degree of dissatisfaction in one s personal relationships and a more negative position of oneself. These findings indicate that people who experienced childhood sexual maltreatment are unsatisfied with their relationships or experience the demand to hold more close friends. Results besides indicated that victims of childhood sexual maltreatment may see ill will towards others, may retreat from societal interactions, and may hold trouble in showing their emotions ( Adulrehman A ; DeLuca, 2001 ) . Becoming a Victim-Abuser Sometimes victims of childhood sexual maltreatment become sexual maltreaters themselves. Salter et Al. ( 2003 ) examined this procedure in a longitudinal survey of males who had been abused as kids. Their sample consisted of a group of 224 grownup males, referred to a sexual maltreatment clinic while they were under the age of 18 during the old ages 1980-1992, who had been sexually abused as kids but had non sexually abused others at the clip of their referral. They so followed this group, analyzing constabularies computing machine databases and societal service files to find which topics committed sexually-abusive Acts of the Apostless later in life. Of the 224 grownup males included in their sample, Salter et Al. ( 2003 ) found that 26 ( 12 % ) had become sexual maltreaters as grownups ( victim-abusers ) . They besides found that there were certain hazard factors that were more prevalent in the victim-abuser group than in the non-abuser group. Victim-abusers were more likely to hold been sexually abused by a female, witnessed interpersonal force against their female parent, and experienced terrible disregard ( Salter et al. , 2003 ) . It appears that witnessing interfamilial force becomes a go-between for victims to go maltreaters. The victim-abusers were besides more likely to prosecute in other violent offenses compared to the non-abusers ( Salter et al. , 2003 ) . This seems to back up the thought that force is a erudite behaviour as the victim-abusers repeated the sexual force they experienced and the physical force they witnessed. Anxiety Freerick and Snow ( 2005 ) hypothesized that adult females with a history of sexual maltreatment would see more anxiety-related symptoms, specifically symptoms associated with post-traumatic emphasis upset ( PTSD ) and anxiousness associated with societal state of affairss. They collected informations on childhood sexual maltreatment and anxiousness symptoms in a sample of 313 female undergraduates. Ninety-eight ( 30 % ) reported a history of childhood sexual maltreatment. Freerick and Snow ( 2005 ) besides collected other demographic information in order to command for other factors associated with increased anxiousness such as household history of mental unwellness and socioeconomic state of affairs of household during childhood. The adult females with a history of childhood sexual maltreatment were found to hold significantly more symptoms of PTSD than adult females who had non been abused and scored higher on a step of anxiousness and a step of hurt in societal state of affairss, even after commanding for demographic variables ( Freerick A ; Snow, 2005 ) . The survey besides found that adult females who experienced attempted or existent intercourse during childhood scored significantly higher on steps of societal turning away and PTSD symptoms than adult females who experienced no sexual maltreatment or who experienced merely exposure or merely contact ( Freerick A ; Snow, 2005 ) . Sexual Wellbeing Lemieux and Byers ( 2008 ) studied the effects of childhood sexual maltreatment on female sexual wellbeing. Their survey included 272 female college pupils. Womans who had experienced attempted or existent incursion were more likely than adult females who had non been sexual abused or who had experienced sexual contact entirely to be victimized once more as grownups, to prosecute in hazardous sexual behaviours, to voluntarily abstain from sexual activity, to comprehend more sexual costs and fewer sexual wagess, and to hold negative attitudes towards sex ( Lemieux A ; Byers, 2008 ) . These findings were important commanding for the presence of other signifiers of childhood maltreatment ( Lemieux A ; Byers, 2008 ) . Womans who were sexually abused as kids are more likely than adult females who were non sexually abused as kids to hold more jobs related to gender and decreased sexual satisfaction. Many surveies have linked childhood sexual maltreatment with sexual disfunction. What Lemieux and Byers wanted to demo was that the effects extended beyond physical and behavioural jobs into the manner adult females perceived sex. They refer to this as the mediating function of adult females s cognitive-affective sexual assessments ( Lemieux A ; Byers, 2008, p. 140 ) . This is the thought childhood sexual maltreatment causes adult females to hold a negative attitude towards sex and themselves as sexual existences which causes them to expose sexual disfunction, including prosecuting in insouciant sex, abstaining from sex, and sexual revictimization ( Lemieux A ; Byers, 2008 ) . Discussion The long-run effects of childhood sexual maltreatment are terrible. This supports the natural abomination for childhood sexual maltreatment found in most persons. Childhood sexual maltreatment can impact many aspects of one s life, including societal relationships, feelings of anxiousness, sexual wellbeing, and even condemnable behaviour. How and why childhood sexual maltreatment has the possible to take to such things is ill-defined. However, now that many of the long-run effects have been identified, intervention plans can go more knowing and focused in handling grownups who have experienced sexual maltreatment as kids. Attempts can be directed towards covering with their immediate demands, such as constructing their societal support, learning them accomplishments to get by with feelings of anxiousness, modifying aberrant behaviour, and retracing negative attitudes towards gender.

Defining the Symbol1 essays

Defining the Symbol1 essays ?Human beings exist and interact in a reality which they define themselves. Inside of this reality they make use of social objects, that is, anything used between to actors in social situations that have meaning and function in that social environment (Charon 46). Many social objects are used to represent something else and are interpreted to convey more meaning. These social objects are known as symbols and it is the core of the symbolic interactionist perspective. Simply defined, a symbol is something that stands for something else. In Sociology, a symbol is classified as a social object that the members of a society have agreed represents a concept, an object, or an ideal that is not present. They are used to communicate, express intentions, represent objects and groups and define the reality that surrounds us (Charon 46-48). They can be separated into the categories of referential, expressive, and mixed symbols which can be interrupted as both of the previous mentioned types. Referential symbols are used to define and classify parts of reality. They can be used to represent an object in its absence. The wordpencil? is immediately interpreted a shaft of wood with a graphite core used for writing or a mechanical device with the same purpose. Now while the pencil itself is just a social object with a simple function, the wordpencil? acts as a symbol in that it represents the physical object. On a larger scale referential symbols are used to represent entire groups. A red star can be used to represent a political party or philosophy (Charon 50). Referential symbols can also be used to classify groups such as gender. Diana Kendall gives the example of dressing infants in certain colours, blue and red for males and pink and yellow for females, to convey immediately communicate the sex of the child (Kendall 70). These symbols are used as labels and divisions in society. Expressive symbols are used...

Design a project that address a specific social issue.the project is Essay

Design a project that address a specific social issue.the project is activity day center for people ages 65 and over - Essay Example England has about four thousand six hundred adult day care centres in operation providing care to a total of 13 elderly people in England on a daily basis. Over seventy percent of these adult day care centres operate on a not for profit or public basis. Most funding for the operation of these centres mainly comes from participant fees, third party payers, and philanthropic sources. Adult day care is a service given to the frail, physically or cognitively impaired adults, seniors, and their caregivers. Some of the centres are associated with multi service entities like home care, assisted living, nursing facilities, and hospitals. Adult day care programs provide adults with services in a community based group setting. These programs are generally geared towards providing day time social and health services to the elderly who require supervised care away from the home such as transportation for daily needs, meals and snacks with provisions for special dietary needs, programs for stimulating activities, opportunities for social interaction with peers and mental stimulation, physical, occupational, and speech therapy in a non medical setting, and help with activities for daily needs. The main purpose of Veo Activity day Centre is to assist the elderly to prevent social isolation and loneliness. The reduction of social interaction difficulties that older people face, may be countered by activities that the centre will provide such as arts and craft, dancing, quiz puzzles, board games, walks and tours, singing, and flower arrangement. The aim of of Veo Activity centre will be to motivate the people over sixty five years by encouraging them to participate in the planning of activities within the centre, and to assist those with disabilities to be independent and socially integrated thus giving respite to those closer to them such as relatives and carers. Veo Activity day Centre will have a project

Macroeconomics and Microeconomics - MicroFB Essay

Macroeconomics and Microeconomics - MicroFB - Essay Example For example, when a 20% increase in vehicles results from a 20% increase in investment on manufacturing equipments, then the firm could be experiencing constant returns to scale. Question three Economic profit refers to the difference between total revenue and opportunity cost. For instance, Pesso invests $1,000 to begin a business in a particular year which she earns $1,200 in profits. But if she had not begun the business she could have earned a salary of $4,500. In such a case, the economic loss is $250 (1,200 – 1000 – 450). Question four Law of diminishing marginal returns states that as new workers continue to increase, the marginal product of any additional worker will at some instant be lower than that of the previous worker. For instance, if a company employs workers to produce its commodities, at some point in time each additional worker will provide lower output than the previous worker, if all other factors remain unchanged. Question five Marginal product of labor refers to the change in output resulting from hiring an additional worker. For example, if a pizza restaurant with three employees makes 100 pizzas in a day and 120 pizzas with four employees, the marginal product of labor is 20 pizzas (120 – 100). ... For instance, a firm that has spent $10 million acquiring a machine which is not yet installed has to consider the $10 million sunk because it cannot recover the money. Question eight The principal-agent problem refers to the conflict of interest that occurs when an agent is hired by a principal to conduct specific tasks that are extremely costly but in the best interest of the principal. For example, the problem will occur when a company hires a rating agency to set a credit rating and the agency is objective to give a higher rating than that which is deserved in fear of losing future contracts. Question nine Equilibrium price refers to the market price where demand of a good equals the supply. For example, when a market is able to produce 100 pizzas which exactly equal the demand of the pizzas, the price at which the pizzas are offered is the equilibrium price. Question ten Tragedy of the commons can be defined as the dilemma that arises from the situation in which many individuals , working independently and only consulting own interest, will eventually diminish a shared scarce resource even when it is apparent that the action is not in the long-term benefit of all. For instance, if the activities of a mining company affect a natural spring that is the source of water for local people and animals, the occurrence is a tragedy of the commons. PART THREE Question one Economies and diseconomies of scale refer to two completely opposite models. Economies of scale occur at a point when the quantity produced by a firm offers the firm the low cost advantage and the firm earns the minimum cost advantage. Conversely, diseconomies of scale occur at a point when the firm produces less than the amount of the input costs and the

Hilton Worldwide Inc Hilton Hotels and Resorts Essay

Hilton Worldwide Inc Hilton Hotels and Resorts - Essay Example Hilton Hotels & Resorts operates 558 hotels and resorts in 80 countries, including the USA, the UK, the UAE, and Singapore (Hilton Worldwide, Inc. 2013; Hiltonworldwide.com, 2014). Below is provided more detailed analysis of the marketing mix concept implemented by Hilton Hotels & Resorts. The company operates in the service industry and its main business activity is concentrated on providing accommodation services. Thus, the key product of the company is hotel rooms in hotels and resorts worldwide. As it is mentioned on the corporate website of the Hilton Hotels & Resort, guestrooms feature a smart, functional design supplemented with â€Å"thoughtful amenities† (www3.hilton.com, 2014, n.p.). In addition to accommodation services, there are additional services which make up the overall cycle of the guest service. Some of these supporting services include the following: restaurants and bars, spa, leisure and wellness facilities, entertainment faciliti3es, banquet halls and business/conference halls, online reservation facilities, concierge services, etc. (Company profile and SWOT analysis 2014). Hilton Hotels and Resorts have premium-level prices, as the prices for accommodation are above the market prices (prices vary greatly by geographical locations). Hilton Hotels & Resorts pricing strategy can be defined as prestige or premium pricing strategy because the company offers 5 and 4-star service in its hotels. That is why the prices in Hilton’s facilities are the high end of the possible pricing range (Marketingmentor.net, n.d.). By charging premium level prices the company focuses on status-conscious consumers who value high-quality service, comfort, luxury, and high status and therefore, who are ready to pay for it. Hilton Hotels & Resorts are located worldwide in more than 80 countries. The locations are chosen based on the type of resort and the specific location. Even though Hilton Hotels and Resorts is a global company operating its hotels worldwide, the concept of marketing mix implementation may vary and is subject to the variety of external factors such as competition, cultural and social factors, etc. Thus, locations in India, the USA, the UAE, and Singapore may target the same audience but the ways of attracting and communicating with the target audience may vary slightly. These differences also refer to the pricing strategy, promotion strategy, and product strategy. For example, rooms in the USA resorts may vary greatly from the rooms in the UAE by its design. However, taking into consideration that this is a global company and that its customers travel worldwide, there are some unified standards which are appropriate for people of any nationality.   

Internal Analysis and SWOT Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Internal Analysis and SWOT Analysis - Essay Example Porter came up with the Value Chain concept to explain how a firm could create value from its processes and partnerships. He divided a firm’s activities into Primary and Secondary Activities, which are respectively essential and ancillary to its business success. In this paper we will take a view of Southwest Airlines’ internal strategy and how it measures up against the competition. Physical Resources In terms of physical resources, we see that Southwest Airlines has a good number of aircraft both in its own fleet and that of the recently acquired Air Tran. Despite its low cost leadership strategy, it has concentrated on having the latest fleet of 717 and 737 MAX for passenger comfort. This shows that Southwest Airlines is committed to its goal of making the customer have a WOW experience and continue choosing it at their airline of choice. As of 31 Dec 2011, it had a total of 698 aircraft comprising 610 Boeing 737s and 88 Boeing 717s (Annual Report, 2011). Financial R esources Despite its low cost strategy, Southwest earned a profit of $178 million in 2011 and has been doing so consistently over the last 39 years. This is highly commendable in an industry that has been fraught with risk since the last decade. Fuel costs remain the major worry, as reported in the Annual Report. With its reduced fares and refund/ carry forward policy, Southwest still has an edge over other airlines (Annual Report, 2011). Amazingly, it is still investing in technology like faster reservation systems and latest aircraft to match competitors and meet customer needs. Human Resources For Southwest, its people are one of its key resources. As of 31 Dec 2011, it had in excess of 45,000 employees, including 19,000 flight personnel and 2,400 administrative staff (Annual Report, 2011). The various groups of workers are represented by at least 18 different Collective Bargaining Agents (CBAs) under different Unions. Meeting the demands of these entities and integrating Air Tra n staff into the Southwest fold from a cultural and operational standpoint is expected to be a major challenge. Technical Resources   In terms of technical resources, Southwest Airlines can look upon the experience of its staff, the use of modern aircraft and reservation systems, and the operational and logistical administration of its fleet, cargo and passengers. No less important is its ability to sync its operations, service, marketing and sales to run concurrently and efficiently (Henry, 2007). Intellectual Resources Among Southwest’s key intellectual resources are its use of the Love field for its operations and the mind and vision of its upper management including the CEO and the Board of Directors that give the airline its strategic direction for the future. Its brand name and reputation for efficient service no doubt contribute to its revenues and profits. It is currently concentrating on attracting groups of passengers that present a continuing need to be transport ed for instance, patients under acute care settings. This shows that the company is innovative and not afraid to experiment. Goodwill Considering its vast experience and time spent in this industry, Southwest is reaping the element of goodwill as can be seen from its loyal passengers. Loyalty programs with cards and air miles are common in the airline industry, but Southwest also has an advantage in its flexible ticket policies including refunds, transfers, carry forward and

Judaism - Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Judaism - Reflection Paper - Essay Example My community is frequently among the communities that are not driven by such forces. That is the Judaism Community. I therefore feel under no obligation to compare the gender assumption in my religion and community against any particular prejudiced social standard. Let Judaism rise or fall on its assumption regarding the roles played by men and women. It would be very painless pointing a finger to a Muslim and declare that women have little or no role in the religion and even words from their Holy Quran prohibits women from getting involved from achieving particular theological standards. But on the other side, women from the Muslim religion can also point to the Judaism religion and claim the same inferiority complex. As much as some religions may claim to be modernized, in Catholic faith the pope and his entire clergy has never agreed women to serve as priests. How then will women have any success when it comes to religious factors? Undeniably, Jewish custom and religion revolves around the synagogues, and this is then a fact that gender assumption is unequally played well. If the laws and rules are to be followed regarding the position of Men and women in the society then, Judaism women would ever remain voiceless. It would therefore be my suggestion that, a swift amendment be done on Judaism theological and religion literature, relative to all that is demanded in both old and New Testament bible. The synagogue where laws and rules concerning the way of living for the community signify just a tiny fraction of what Judaism pertains! There is a dire need to go beyond that and have vast knowledge concerning the lives of people and whether its theology, religion or the modern factors that should dictate their way of

Matthew the Apostle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Matthew the Apostle - Essay Example (M Black, 1967: T Zahn, 1909) Give extensive evidence that Matthew originally wrote his book in Hebrew. Even those individuals that deny the external evidence that Matthew was written in Aramaic or Hebrew accept the fact that at least some of the sayings in the Gospel give evidence for an Aramaic foundation. This would require extensive research and narration before any of them would be able to be interpreted. Although this gospel doesn't name its author it is thought from earlier times that Matthew was the writer. (J Calvin, 2003) explains that originally Matthew was known as Levi (Mark 2:14), but Jesus changed His name to Matthew. (R Gundry, 1994) explains that Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount is only recorded in Matthew. It is a masterful account of how people should live under God's authority on earth. Chapters 5 - 7 concentrate on the Sermon on the Mount especially looking at early discipleship. Matthew comments on the death and suffering of Jesus more than any of the other gospels. (M. Green, 2000) Describes how the Sermon on the Mount was delivered on a hillside it is thought to be somewhere near the Sea of Galilee where many of Jesus' disciples worked as fishermen. This sermon shows that people who think they are high and mighty do not have a place in heaven, but only those who are meek and humble acknowledging the word and commands of God. It demonstrates the humility of God's love for His people. In particular it demonstrates that God does not have favourites. Jesus wanted to make it clear that our ways are not the ways of the father and that we must love others even our enemies. Jesus did not give detailed rules instead He gave broad principles that people would have difficulty finding loopholes. Jesus was aware that some would walk away from the sermon having heard, but not taking action. Like the man who built his house on sand they would face a great fall. Yet despite their stubbornness to believe, Jesus chose to teach them the ways of the father and t he principles they must apply to their lives to be accepted into God's family. Sermon on the Mount Theme's Before giving the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had talked about righteousness (Matt. 5:17-20). This prepared the crowds for the Sermon on the Mount. When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount the crowds were ready to listen to what God had to say. The crowds were amazed by the power of authority that Jesus gave when he presented the Sermon on the Mount. (C. H. Talbert, 2004) describes how Jesus taught the importance of having a righteous life and the true spirit of commandment - keeping. He spoke of loving one another, even your enemies and not taking revenge on those who treat us wrongly. This is true for today's society. It is easy to give in to man's way of doing things, but if we are to enter through the gates of heaven then we must do as the father wants us to do. (M. Henry, 2005) explains how this is especially difficult for a new Christian who has only just accepted God into their lives and walked away from their old lives. At first there will be sin in their lives, but as they pro gress as a Christian they will begin to get rid of the old and embrace the new. (Ephesians 6:12) makes it clear that ours is not a battle of flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, against the rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. Therefore we must remain true to God's

Internal Analysis and SWOT Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Internal Analysis and SWOT Analysis - Essay Example Porter came up with the Value Chain concept to explain how a firm could create value from its processes and partnerships. He divided a firm’s activities into Primary and Secondary Activities, which are respectively essential and ancillary to its business success. In this paper we will take a view of Southwest Airlines’ internal strategy and how it measures up against the competition. Physical Resources In terms of physical resources, we see that Southwest Airlines has a good number of aircraft both in its own fleet and that of the recently acquired Air Tran. Despite its low cost leadership strategy, it has concentrated on having the latest fleet of 717 and 737 MAX for passenger comfort. This shows that Southwest Airlines is committed to its goal of making the customer have a WOW experience and continue choosing it at their airline of choice. As of 31 Dec 2011, it had a total of 698 aircraft comprising 610 Boeing 737s and 88 Boeing 717s (Annual Report, 2011). Financial R esources Despite its low cost strategy, Southwest earned a profit of $178 million in 2011 and has been doing so consistently over the last 39 years. This is highly commendable in an industry that has been fraught with risk since the last decade. Fuel costs remain the major worry, as reported in the Annual Report. With its reduced fares and refund/ carry forward policy, Southwest still has an edge over other airlines (Annual Report, 2011). Amazingly, it is still investing in technology like faster reservation systems and latest aircraft to match competitors and meet customer needs. Human Resources For Southwest, its people are one of its key resources. As of 31 Dec 2011, it had in excess of 45,000 employees, including 19,000 flight personnel and 2,400 administrative staff (Annual Report, 2011). The various groups of workers are represented by at least 18 different Collective Bargaining Agents (CBAs) under different Unions. Meeting the demands of these entities and integrating Air Tra n staff into the Southwest fold from a cultural and operational standpoint is expected to be a major challenge. Technical Resources   In terms of technical resources, Southwest Airlines can look upon the experience of its staff, the use of modern aircraft and reservation systems, and the operational and logistical administration of its fleet, cargo and passengers. No less important is its ability to sync its operations, service, marketing and sales to run concurrently and efficiently (Henry, 2007). Intellectual Resources Among Southwest’s key intellectual resources are its use of the Love field for its operations and the mind and vision of its upper management including the CEO and the Board of Directors that give the airline its strategic direction for the future. Its brand name and reputation for efficient service no doubt contribute to its revenues and profits. It is currently concentrating on attracting groups of passengers that present a continuing need to be transport ed for instance, patients under acute care settings. This shows that the company is innovative and not afraid to experiment. Goodwill Considering its vast experience and time spent in this industry, Southwest is reaping the element of goodwill as can be seen from its loyal passengers. Loyalty programs with cards and air miles are common in the airline industry, but Southwest also has an advantage in its flexible ticket policies including refunds, transfers, carry forward and

Matthew the Apostle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Matthew the Apostle - Essay Example (M Black, 1967: T Zahn, 1909) Give extensive evidence that Matthew originally wrote his book in Hebrew. Even those individuals that deny the external evidence that Matthew was written in Aramaic or Hebrew accept the fact that at least some of the sayings in the Gospel give evidence for an Aramaic foundation. This would require extensive research and narration before any of them would be able to be interpreted. Although this gospel doesn't name its author it is thought from earlier times that Matthew was the writer. (J Calvin, 2003) explains that originally Matthew was known as Levi (Mark 2:14), but Jesus changed His name to Matthew. (R Gundry, 1994) explains that Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount is only recorded in Matthew. It is a masterful account of how people should live under God's authority on earth. Chapters 5 - 7 concentrate on the Sermon on the Mount especially looking at early discipleship. Matthew comments on the death and suffering of Jesus more than any of the other gospels. (M. Green, 2000) Describes how the Sermon on the Mount was delivered on a hillside it is thought to be somewhere near the Sea of Galilee where many of Jesus' disciples worked as fishermen. This sermon shows that people who think they are high and mighty do not have a place in heaven, but only those who are meek and humble acknowledging the word and commands of God. It demonstrates the humility of God's love for His people. In particular it demonstrates that God does not have favourites. Jesus wanted to make it clear that our ways are not the ways of the father and that we must love others even our enemies. Jesus did not give detailed rules instead He gave broad principles that people would have difficulty finding loopholes. Jesus was aware that some would walk away from the sermon having heard, but not taking action. Like the man who built his house on sand they would face a great fall. Yet despite their stubbornness to believe, Jesus chose to teach them the ways of the father and t he principles they must apply to their lives to be accepted into God's family. Sermon on the Mount Theme's Before giving the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had talked about righteousness (Matt. 5:17-20). This prepared the crowds for the Sermon on the Mount. When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount the crowds were ready to listen to what God had to say. The crowds were amazed by the power of authority that Jesus gave when he presented the Sermon on the Mount. (C. H. Talbert, 2004) describes how Jesus taught the importance of having a righteous life and the true spirit of commandment - keeping. He spoke of loving one another, even your enemies and not taking revenge on those who treat us wrongly. This is true for today's society. It is easy to give in to man's way of doing things, but if we are to enter through the gates of heaven then we must do as the father wants us to do. (M. Henry, 2005) explains how this is especially difficult for a new Christian who has only just accepted God into their lives and walked away from their old lives. At first there will be sin in their lives, but as they pro gress as a Christian they will begin to get rid of the old and embrace the new. (Ephesians 6:12) makes it clear that ours is not a battle of flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, against the rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. Therefore we must remain true to God's

Traditional patriarchal society Essay Example for Free

Traditional patriarchal society Essay Discuss the validity of Rachel Claytons view that Much Ado About Nothing has laid bare the faults and deficiencies of a traditional patriarchal society. In Rachel Claytons essay Who is Hero? she suggests Shakespeare has laid bare the faults and deficiencies of traditional patriarchal society. She suggests that a feminist would find Heros acceptance of Claudio after he disgraced her frustrating. But she suggests when looking at Heros actions again considering the society at the time that her actions are more understandable. Elizabethan society was patriarchal and religious. Women were possessions, owned by fathers or husbands. They had to be compliant; a disobedient wife or child made a man appear incompetent. Whereas men were allowed to behave promiscuously before they were married and even during, women were not. If they were found guilty of this they would never be able to marry and their reputation would be shattered. The savage bull may, but if ever the sensible Benedick bear it, pluck off the horns and set them in my forehead, and let me be vilely painted, and in such great letters as they write Here is a good horse to hire let them signify under my sign Here you may see Benedick, the married man'. When a man could not control his wife they were known as cuckolds by other men, which traditionally had horns on their heads. When Benedick uses this imagery, he is suggesting any woman he marries is likely to cheat on him. This shows that men are insecure about themselves; they assume women would be unfaithful because they never get to know them before they are married. Benedick is paranoid about this, and so he uses his scorn of marriage and women as a defence mechanism to protect himself. It is clear that Shakespeare criticises the existing customs and advocates that a courtship in which couples communicate would be a far more preferable way, and which would prevent the mistakes of Claudio. 1 Beatrice also shows this, as when the slander of Hero has taken place, Beatrice asks Benedick to kill Claudio for her. When he refuses, Beatrice gives her view of men, Claudio in particular. She says that if she were a man she would eat his heart in the market place. She is showing that men are weak and cowardly, whereas women, who are portrayed as the weaker sex, are much stronger and braver than men, but she is also showing a stereotypical view of men, showing a lack of understanding because lovers did not get to know each other. If a woman did not get married, it was believed she would go to hell, because marriage was a sacrament and supposedly brought you closer to God. In this way the church is also an aspect of patriarchal society, used to control women and make them do what men desire of them. In fact, the Church was one of the most influential figures of authority, which is shown later, when friar defends Hero. Rachel Clayton says, In consideration of seventeenth-century marriage, romance and emotional capability were not high on the list of priorities for well-placed young women; generally only low-born women had the freedom to marry for love. When considering this, Heros actions are more understandable, even though the slanderous allegations made against her were untrue, her reputation may still have been tarnished, damaging her chances of marriage. If she did not marry Claudio, she may never be able to marry, and so she marries him for her own sake as much as his. A modern audience would find Heros lack of choice frustrating, but to the contemporary audience this would be the norm in society. In a recent interpretation, Hero rejects Claudio, which is a much more satisfying ending to a modern audience. However, these values did not apply to the lower classes, as although Hero is slandered when it is believed she has been unfaithful and is not virtuous, when it is discovered it is in fact Margaret who was with Borachio, she is not punished and her reputation is not tarnished, showing that society treated women differently according to class. Can the world buy such a jewel? Yea, and a case to put it into. Although Claudio refers to Hero as a jewel, he is also referring to buying her, she is a possession to be bought and sold. The metaphor jewel implies this, as although it is a precious beautiful object, it can be owned by an individual and a price put on it. In the same scene, Claudio asks Hath Leonato any son? so implying he has purely selfish reasons for wanting to marry Hero. This also suggests his earlier romantic speech is merely a pretence, and his true motivation for the match is money and status. Hero is the possession of her father, and this is shown when Beatrice, Antonio, Leonato and Hero are discussing the fact they think Don Pedro is going to propose to Hero. Leonato tells Hero if he does You know your answer. The use of the imperative shows Hero does not have a choice. The Watch, although portrayed as foolish, undermine the upper class society as they work out who is to blame for the slander of Hero, whereas the upper class characters believe the lies. The upper class characters are perceived as more intelligent, but the watch find out the truth because they overhear Borachio bragging Thou shouldst rather ask if it were possible any villainy should be so rich. For when rich villains have need of poor ones, poor ones may make what price they will. He believes that chiefly by my (Borachios) villainy he has bettered members of the upper class society. He is unaware that he is about to be found out by a lower class than him. A Marxist reading would say that many characters, especially the women, are controlled by hierarchical society. This is also shown in Don Pedro, who believes his high status in society gives him the right to mock other characters, especially women. This is shown when plotting the match between Benedick and Beatrice Don Pedro tells Hero I will teach you, assuming Hero would not be able to trick her own friend. This also shows how men in society viewed the women as inferior and insignificant, and he is patronising her. The word patronising and patriarchal both stem from the Greek word pater, meaning father. The theme of noting, overhearing, appears throughout the play, as many of the deceptions are carried out due to people misunderstanding overheard conversations. The title Much Ado About Nothing, is multi-layered, as it could be interpreted as a commotion over nothing, but in the time of Shakespeare it could be read as noting, a commotion over noting. Whereas the higher society misinterpret the conversations they overhear, the lower class make no mistake and it is due to their noting and persistence the deceit was uncovered, which also portrays the faults in the patriarchal society. A third interpretation of the title also looks at the word nothing, which can also be read as no-thing, which was a slang term for female genitalia. This interpretation looks at how the Ado concerns mans fight to control female virginity. When Hero is around the women in the play, she wittily converses about the plot to trick Beatrice, saying Why you speak truth, I never yet say a man, how wise, how noble, young, how rarely featured, but she would spell him backward showing her playful nature and her ability to bond with other women and leave behind the formality. This shows that humanised by the worries and wit she discloses to her friends, Hero embodies the enormous pressure upon women to conform to the male ideal (York Notes); it seems her duty is to demonstrate responsibility and restraint, but her silent nature around men is not who Hero really is, but whom she pretends to be in order to gain a husband. This shows that the male members of society suppressed women, and that this submissive silent quality was attractive to men. Heros name is also interesting. Many have suggested that it can also be read as her-o, o being a metaphor for a woman and her virginity. This seems to fit with the plot of the play, as the slander is because Claudio believes Hero is not innocent, she knows the heat of a luxurious bed. He also says Hero itself can blot out Heros virtue. If this is read as Her-o itself can blot out Heros virtue Claudio is saying her virginity will show she is not faithful and honourable, as he believes she has lost it. However, it is also intended to propose a connection between Hero and the so-called heroes of the play. The men of the play have just returned from fighting in the war, and therefore are war heroes. However the craven behaviour shown by the men, Claudios slander of Hero before even checking to determine its truth, and Benedicks reluctance to challenge Claudio for the crimes he has committed, make the audience question who the real hero of the play is, whether it really is Hero, who spends her entire life submitting to the behaviours she believes men desire, and even when she is slandered still forgives and marries Claudio. Hero has no choice in this, therefore Shakespeare has laid bare the faults and deficiencies of a patriarchal society. The slander of Hero is a cowardly, insecure act. When Claudio says Are our eyes our own? , he is showing his own insecurities, he does not know Hero well enough to marry her, and if he did he might not be so insecure and might know she would not be unfaithful to him. Jackie Shead says Shakespeare intends irony, then, when Claudio asks at the wedding party Are our eyes our own? as if the reply, like Heros guilt, is self-evident. She also says Claudio is constantly borrowing the eyes of others; Hero has been the perfect woman all her life, wealthy, beautiful, respected and most of all obedient. She deliberately becomes the silent women to conform to the male ideal and to slander her because of the words of a villain is a cowardly act. This shows that although society looked upon the courtship of Hero and Claudio to be the correct way of finding a partner, they did not know each other well enough, suggesting that the socially acceptable thing to do is not always the best way, therefore undermining the society of the time. In a recent performance at the National Theatre in London, the only women in the scene of Heros slander are Hero and Beatrice, to illustrate how dominated the society was by men. In my opinion, Shakespeare was ahead of his time when he wrote Much Ado About Nothing. He seemed to be able to see through the common beliefs that members of the upper class society were more intelligent and superior to members of the lower class society, as shown in the perceptive nature of The Watch and the way the upper class characters are fooled so easily, and also the belief that women were of a lower status to men and were possessions of men. The comedy in the play is satire, used to highlight the faults in the patriarchal society. As a feminist, I agree with Clayton that Heros acceptance of Claudio after he had disgraced her is frustrating. I also agree with Claytons view that Much Ado About Nothing has laid bare the faults and deficiencies of a traditional patriarchal society. Shakespeare uses many techniques to mock the upper class characters; especially the way women were treated. One of his motivations for this may have been the fact that the monarch was female at the time Shakespeare was writing. Queen Elizabeth was Shakespeares greatest patron, and if his plays appealed to her she would go to see them, which would also encourage others to go. However, the very last line of the play is given to Benedick, who has the last word in his merry war with Beatrice, giving him the upper hand and kissing her to stop her mouth, which shows Shakespeare could not break entirely away from the restraints of patriarchal society. Bibliography: Berry, Mary, ed, Much Ado About Nothing, Cambridge, Sch.Shakespeare (1993) Clayton, Rachel, Who is hero? The English Review September 2002 Shead, Jackie, Are Our Eyes Our Own? The English Review September 2004 Stuart, Ross, ed. Much Ado About Nothing York Notes Advanced, York Press London, 2001 http://www. sparknotes. com/shakespeare/muchado http://www. megaessays. com/viewpaper/28333. html 1 How does Shakespeare dramatically present power and authority between men and women in Much Ado About Nothing? http://www. megaessays. com/viewpaper/28333. html

Theoretical Orientations In Sociological Analysis

Theoretical Orientations In Sociological Analysis The social world that we inhabit comprises of several peoples, groups, communities, relations, etc. Those who are interested in comprehending the social world around them and trying to make sense of the same, make use of reason and logic to clarify, label and develop ideas about who we are. These commonsensical notions about the world around us are different from ideas informed by logic and reason. Logical understanding of society finds expression in the ordering of ideas into concepts and the careful arrangement of concepts into hypotheses to be tested, validated and tested for reliability in order to arrive at universal generalisations of social phenomenon. The central purpose of this essay is to understand two interrelated questions: What is theory? And why do we need theory? We will explore the aforementioned questions by examining two different models of conceptualising society: Naturalistic and humanistic. While examining this point, we would also seek to clarify the need of social theory to exist in a separate domain from commonsensical and lay knowledge. This would be followed by bringing to light the methodological premises on which theory building rests and its implications on the production of sociological knowledge. The argument would attempt to clarify the case for finding a middle ground between methodological individualism and methodological collectivism in methodological situationalism for production of social theory. But before moving to these arguments, we would begin by understanding the relation of theory and concept, as one the most widely used definitions of theory uses concept. Social Theory and Concept We begin with the proposition that theories can be described as sets of inter-related concepts and ideas that have been scientifically tested and combined to magnify, enlarge, clarify, and expand our understanding of people, their behaviours, and their societies. A theory is a unit of knowledge that comprises facts, assumptions and hypotheses. This unit shows how facts can be subordinated to general principles or laws and how they relate to them. Theories can be verified by experiments or by methodological observation. Usually theories focus on one selected aspect of a phenomenon under consideration. This means that several or even many theories can be constructed dealing with the same phenomenon. Blumer highlights the issues concerned with using concepts in social theory. In terms of both origin and use, social theory, seems in general not to be geared into the empirical world. This is problematic because theoretical formulations rely heavily on concepts as means of capturing the em pirical world. It is quite evident that the concepts in social theory are vague because the objects of study include social values, norms, institutions, etc which cannot be grasped in their entirety, but can only provide a rough identification of attributes that can be included in the study. There is thus, a need to have clear concepts which can be used for social theory. The difference that Blumer points out is that there is a distinction between definitive concept and sensitising concept. A definitive concept refers to what is common to a class of objects, by the aid of fixed benchmarks of empirical science. A sensitising concept on the other hand gives a general sense of reference and guidance in approaching empirical instances. Concepts used in social theory largely belong to the latter category. They lack the precise referent and benchmark which can be used to grasp the concept. The empirical world of our discipline is a social world of every day experience. Every object can be subjected to consideration for social theory. This distinctive character of the empirical world and its settings make our concepts sensitising in nature. This is not to say that these concepts are unscientific in any way. Sensitising concepts can be tested, improved and refined. Their validity can be analysed through careful study of empirical references that they seek to cover. Dealing with questions of Agency through an exploration of the Naturalistic and Humanistic perspective The next section of this essay we will begin with the naturalistic model of social theory. The naturalistic model with its focus on developing a true and valid science of society aimed to align social theory along the lines of empirical science. An empirical science of society analyses the world abstractly as composed of objects and attempts to establish relations among these classes of objects. It is this analytical scheme of empirical science which influences research and also methods of data collection, classification and its implications on formulation of new theories. Social theory finds its fundamental problem, in such a scheme of analysis, as the relation between the empirical referent and the concept used to denote the referent in theory as social theory is largely made of well defined concepts and the relational value attached to them. The concepts that are used in social theory can be vague in nature, in the sense that they may not be able to determine with exactitude the p recise specification of attributes to be studied. (As mentioned before) The domain of sociology has at its centre the analysis of society, and all its related components. The subject matter of sociology becomes problematic because we inhabit the world we seek to analyse. The most critical question that presents before us is to understand how does a member of society become an objective observer of social phenomenon, while being a part of the social model, and thus produce scientific sociological theory. The task therefore is to delineate general phenomenon from sociological phenomenon. This brings us to the difference between common sense knowledge and sociological knowledge. There are different ways of approaching this question. We begin with the proposition that all the knowledge that we possess about the world may not have the element of truth in it. Human agents as concept bearing actors are aware of their actions and attribute certain meanings to them. To be a human agent is to knowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ what one is engaged in and why. There is a sense in which we cannot be wrong about what are actions are.. Giddens (1987:5). As actors, individuals operate out of their own understanding of what is true knowledge derived from social conventions and is contextual in nature. This knowledge at all times is contested knowledge. While there may be acceptance of different points of view, there could also the possibility of ideas being borne out of false premises or slanted beliefs. Our presumed knowledge about institutions (maybe)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ inclined to error Giddens (1987:4). The point is that knowledge can be false in the sense that it can be contextual, holding validity only for a particular cultural and social setting. Our actions are always oriented in a setting and a significant part of what a sociologist does is to uncover these premises and lay them bare for an outsider to grasp in the same manner as the actor. This non-discursive si de to our activities is of relevance to social theory and forms an important aspect of sociological analysis. This is where the role of social theory then begins to take shape. Social theory has the task of clarifying the generally held beliefs about social institutions and society at large. In fact, as pointed out by Giddens, our understanding of the social world owes a lot to sociological studies and researches. One should not underestimate the contributions which social research and theory can make to identify false or slanted beliefs widely held about social phenomenon. For such beliefs may often take the form of prejudices and hence contribute to intolerance and discrimination or might inhibit social changes that would otherwise be seen as desirable. Thereby to assert the difference between sociologically true and valid concepts from commonsensical notions, social theory makes use of its own conceptual metalanguage in order to grasp aspects of social institutions which are not described in lay terms. The study of the non-discursive aspect of social action reveals to us what we already know about the social world but also re-emphasises the need to know what we do and why we do. This also calls our attention to the category of unintended consequences of our action. Actors may perform certain actions being cognisant of only the intended results, while the unintended consequences may remain obscure. Social theory reveals these unintended consequences to help us understand the course of development of any sociological phenomenon as it takes into account what we know and intend to produce as well as the consequences that we are not aware of since they are not intended. This analysis is critical since, there is interplay between society and agency and that although agency creates social life in individual and personal experience and biographies, and it also reproduces the larger social history which exists independent of an individual actor. In performing duties as a daughter, sister or mother, women in any society reproduce the social institutions of family and kinship which they did not bring into existence. The activities are thus embedded within, and are constitutive of, structured properties of institutions stretching well beyondà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ time and space Giddens (1987:11). While Durkheim argued that the domain of social phenomenon is largely the ways of acting, thinking and feeling, which possess the remarkable property of existing outside the consciousness of the individual Durkheim (1982:51), he did not give enough recognition to individual freedom, volition and autonomy. This reduction of the individual as a mere reproduction of society makes the study of larger social institutions the object of analysis. This would not hold true in micro-sociological analyses, which give due importance to interaction between actors to understand basic features of larger social institutions. Methodologically, the study of sociology can either be informed by the concerns of the naturalist model or can follow a humanistic approach. The 19th century sociologists were advocates of a science of sociology and therefore, adopted a natural science model for the study of society. The natural laws however could not suffice in their explanation of social phenomenon. The humanistic approach, with its focus on, Verstehen as propounded by Weber found its ground as a methodological tool to take into account the meaning of social action. This contrast between explanation and understanding represented by a choice of either model becomes problematic for social theory. The point is that social theory is bound in what Giddens called double hermeneutics. Anthony Giddens (1982) argued that there is an important difference between the natural and social sciences. In the natural sciences, scientists try to understand and theorise about the way the natural world is structured. The understanding is one-way; that is, while we need to understand the actions of minerals or chemicals, chemicals and minerals dont seek to develop an understanding of us. He referred to the above as the single hermeneutic. In contrast, the social sciences are engaged in the double hermeneutic. Sciences like sociology study how people understand their world, and how that understanding shapes their practice. Because people can think, make choices, and use new information to revise their understandings (and hence their practice), they can use the knowledge and insights of social science to change their practice. In outlining his notion of the double hermeneutic, Giddens (1987: 20) explained that while philosophers and social scientists have often considered the way in which lay concepts obstinately intrude into the technical discourse of social science that Few have considered the matter the other way around. He explained that the concepts of the social sciences are not produced about an independently constituted subject-matter, which continues regardless of what these concepts are. Social theory studies human beings who are concept bearing individuals, engaged in social interaction which produce and reproduce larger social structures. The understanding of social actors and theorising about the same, is also appropriated by the same actors who reflexively reflect upon their actions. The findings of the social sciences very often enter constitutively into the world they describe Giddens (1987:20). Social Theory and its Methodological Concerns. The development of social theory cannot be understood completely without taking into account the methodological premises on which the production of social theory were built. We begin by categorising the theories as macro-sociological theories and micro-sociological theories. Macro-sociology can be understood as dealing with social phenomenon and institutions on an aggregate level. Such an approach entails the use of both theoretical concerns on a system level and the use of aggregate data to arrive at generalisations. Micro-sociology deals with smaller groups as the object of analysis focusing on cognitive order and social interaction between actors, significance of meanings, etc. Theories which can be categorised as macro-sociological in approach have at their core, the study of normative order. This proposition can be further explored by looking at Durkheims view of society. Durkheim was one of the chief proponents of a normative-functional integration model of society. For Durkheim, individual actors acted out of social norms which had been internalised by the individual through socialisation and education. These norms informed all the actions and contributed to the overall functioning of the society in perfect equilibrium. The social facts existed independent of the individual, were external and coercive in nature while being collective and general. For Durkheim, the pre-established harmony of society through individual agents was internally controlled and imposed. Micro-sociological approach has brought a remarkable shift in theorising where cognitive order has become the object of analysis. The methodological structure on which micro-sociological theoris ing is based takes into account cognitive processes that represent and interpret the relevance of values and obligations. It begins with the premise that the actor is a knowing, active subject. Micro-sociologists like symbolic interactionists view actors and meanings attributed by actors in social interaction as ways of understanding the larger macro issues of order. Meads conception of the self has the underlying notion of the individual as a composite whole of selves and also the notion of interior audiences where men attribute motives to each other from the perspective of the generalised other which can also be seen as an internalised reference group for giving meaning to action. Such a social theory then recognises the significance of a knowing and acting agent, and the study of related phenomenon not as coerced human action, but as informed human action, to study the manner in then social phenomenon is produced, contested, repaired, organised and displayed in social situations. Social theory then stands to reconcile both macro and micro approaches to the study of social phenomenon. Taking the above example, social order can be redefined by moving away from the traditional normative-functional-integration model to a cognitive model of micro social action which would take into account the actor not as a puppet in the hands of society but as an active agent in society. The distinctive feature of micro sociological approaches is the fact that they accord a privileged status to small scale social situations. These social interactions also have their place in macro sociological theory where they may be considered as building blocks for larger systemic conceptions. The point to be made is that social theory must find its ground between methodological individualism and methodological collectivism. Methodological individualism demands that all aspects of social theory be analysed in terms of the interests, activities, etc., of individual human beings. Methodological collectivism holds the view that the society is a whole which is more than just a sum of its parts and that society moulds individuals in socialisation so that they must be seen as dependent upon social institutions rather than their active constituents. An alternative to the dominant approaches of methodological individualism and methodological collectivism is methodological situationalism. Methodological situationalism replaces the model of the actor as the ultimate unit of analysis and leads to the production of knowledge that takes into account the practice through which members reproduce and acquire a sense of order while at the same time searching for order of rules and resources which presumably underlie and generate social conduct. We can summarise this section with the following remarks. Macro sociological theories have focused primarily on interrelations of social action. Micro sociological theories on the other hand, look at micro-social situations for theory building and theory formulations. Concluding Remarks The aim of sociological theory is not limited to understanding conceptual ambiguities but to reason systematically and scientifically about some of the major social problems that we face, to illuminate which values are relevant to the context and why, and to give some direction to what we should do. The general goal is to accomplish an understanding of reality. The importance of studying theory can be discerned by understanding the possible functions of theory- descriptive, analytical or explanatory, and to a certain degree predictive as well, and inherently prescriptive. Theory enables the researcher to make sense of the world around him. They guide and give meaning to what we see and observe. Theory helps in orienting the researchers mental framework to an established and accepted base from which the researcher can extract an understanding of the social reality around him, and proceed to develop his own hypothesis. Theories are often used to orient the mind of the reader to the pur pose of the research study. A strong theoretical background helps in introducing and justifying the need for undertaking a certain research study. When a researcher investigates and collects information through observation, the investigator needs a clear idea of what information is important to collect, which could be solved by using a theoretical tool to dictate the research enquiry. Theory and empirical research are intrinsically interrelated in the scheme of sociological enquiry. Following the scientific model of sociological enquiry, theory and research are linked in the both the inductive and deductive analysis of social reality. In the deductive model research is used to empirically test the validity and reliability of theory, while in the inductive model theories are developed on the basis of careful understanding and analysis of research data. If theory answers the question of what, why and how, research helps in indicating the purpose, object and end of what a particular theory is aiming to achieve. The significance of social theory can therefore, never be undermined.