Oil ; gas Essay

The economy is affected by many factors that determine if it is strong or weak. These factors have to do with buyers consuming goods and services and at what rate they do this. Do the goods and services that are consumed by people created wealth, jobs and a better overall economy for a country. Throughout history some economies have evolved faster and stronger than others. Policies that the government places on industry, technology and the environment can all affect the prosperity of an economy. Of the factors that affect economic growth the industry of Oil and gas is one that holds a stronghold in the world’s and America’s economy today. When evaluating the economic growth factor of economy and specifically oil and gas on must consider the following questions:  ¨ What relationship does the factor have with the whole economy?  ¨ How does this factor affect economic growth  ¨ Is the factor a cause or effect of economic growth?  ¨ what would the economy be like if there were significant problems with this factor?  ¨ What relation does a central bank have to this factor? I will answer each of these questions in respect to how economy is affected by oil and gas. The economy in the United States today is greatly affected by oil and gas. When there are large reserves and an increase of active drills in respect to oil, the economy seems to receive a boost. This is because prices for such things like gas and oil fall and people are able to consume more gas at a lower price. There is more supply and prices fall, therefore people save money on gas and can consume other items in the economy. People working in these industries have more job openings and more jobs filled, therefore creating a lower unemployment rate and a higher national per capita income. The need for substitutes are not there so, consumers will consume oil and gas at a growing rate. Since, people use oil and gas for so many different things like heating there homes, driving their cars, and a variety of other sources, the overall GNP for the consumer will rise. Economic growth is affected through significant fluctuations in inflation of oil and gas. If you look throughout history when there have been fluctuations in gas and oil prices you have vast fluctuations in the economy of our country. The instability of this factor has cause government regulation to come into play in times of crisis. For example during the mid-seventies we had the oil and  gas shortage due to the Middle East cutting off supply to Importers of their oil. By doing this, they caused a shortage in a lot of countries creating rising oil prices and high demand. Consumers could not rely on the oil prices to be stable, therefore they consumed less of other products due to the inflation of gas prices and more of their dollar began to be spent on gas. Americans particularly started to come up with more efficient means of using and consuming gas over the past 25 years. Oil and gas is a resource that can be used up if not conserved properly. That is why OPEC was formed, as well as organizations such as NAFTA to help regulate trade of these commodities and bring organization to a disorganized status. In addition, governments like the United States impose taxes on gas to regulated the prices in order to ward off against supplies of oil affecting the nations economy. This only works to an extent, in the early to mid-eighties one state’s economy lived and died by the supply of oil. That state was Texas. When Texas’s oil rigs began to dry up, their economy went into a recession. Their reliance on the oil supply as their main revenue producer caused a lot of people to lose their jobs and demand and consumption for other products fell as well. This caused a spiraling effect which caused people from all industries to lose their jobs. Texas’s economy suffered and so did parts of the American economy with High inflation and high debt which caused the economy to suffer. Increased regulation and diversification of a country’s resources can stop this from being the case. Countries representing OPEC all live and die by the constant production of oil. While this factor is used to stimulate their countries economic growth, it should be used to stimulate the building of a country’s infrastructure. Oil-rich countries should use the positive affect oil has had on their countries to build strong governments and consumer demand for other goods. This powerful infrastructure that could be built will give the economy stability and allow for a country’s GNP to grow in a slow, steady, and positive way. The building of a strong middle-class will allow for country’s to prosper for many years to come. Instead what has happened is that economies of these countries are in a state of flux. What I mean by this is that their economies are very unpredictable and unstable and their reliance on oil has made the disparity between the rich and the poor a gap that becomes too large to overcome. One prime example of this is Brazil, Brazil has large  reserves of oil in a very large country. Brazil is a developing nation and is very unstable when it comes to central governments. In the 70’s and 80’s Brazil made large amounts of oil from its reserves. Instead of investing the money made (from exporting oil) into their countries future, the leaders of that country used the money to make themselves rich and left the country in political and economic disarray. The middle class of Brazil became almost non-existent and their seem to be but two classes in that country. Those classes were the extremely rich and the extremely poor. The lack of infrastructure and consumer confidence in the economy due to the mishandling of oil profits lead to many political assassinations and increased crime rates throughout the country. It has taken and will continue to take Brazil years and years to recover from these economic crisis’s , which all could have been avoided had Bra zil’s government invested in its future. It is definitely true that an economy of a country can be vastly affected by the demand, consumption, and supply of oil. The affect that good supplies of oil has on a country’s economy is one that can only be measured in the sense that it is inevitable that they will be affected. As long as we drive cars that are fueled by gas and we use heat in the winter time, oil will always be a strong factor in determining the growth of a countries economy. In the United States, we have the strong infrastructure to adapt to problems that the instability of both the supply and demand of oil will cause. Countries need to look within themselves for managed growth in order to steady their economies if oil is what sparks their economy. A strong central bank and government will allow for funds to be invested in supporting the economy, the oil business, and consumerism. Once the infrastructure is set the shear reliance on oil will not be a factor, because the country’s economy will be able to handle the affect. When the day comes that oil wells ran dry and substitutes are needed the countries that will survive will be the ones that have braced themselves for the effect that this will have on their economy. Then these countries will adapt and overcome. Oil and gas should be used as helper of a country’s economy and not the passion by which it is run. The production of great income for a country and a higher GNP that oil production is something that should be able to benefit them for many years to come. If you look at the United States as a model you will see a country that handles oil with precision. When the oil industry is in a downturn, the  government can step in and regulate taxes and stimulate investment by having the central bank pump in funds that would not otherwise be used. When the oil industry is doing fine, the government can sit back and reap the prosperity of increases in employment and a rise in demand for oil. The prices will be lower for gas and oil, which means consumption will be up and the economy will be up too. Countries around the world can learn how to handle oil to the extent that it creates an agenda that the benefits far outweigh the costs. We know that oil and gas affects the economy and that it easily regulated by strong central government and bank. The infrastructure must be built up to manage growth. The leaders of the country should be committed to the development of the oil industry. Finally the consumers should be aware of how their role in the consumption of oil will affect the economy as a whole. When all parties are aware and committed to the prosperity of their country and to the industry then the consumption, supply, demand, profits, losses, and investment towards oil will be a mutually beneficial one for the country and it’s people.

Competencies Variations Between Associate Degree and Baccalaureate Degree Nurses Essay

Competencies Variation between Associate Degree and Baccalaureate Degree The difference in competencies between the associate degree and Baccalaureate degree nurse has been a topic for discussion for many years. Prior to the modern practice of nursing the sick was taken care of by non skilled persons such as sinners, saints or mothers (Fact Sheet). Modern nursing began with Florence Nightingale, but has evolved over the years to become a rich history that includes advances in education of nurses, thus forming three entry level of nursing, Diploma, Associate and Baccalaureate of nursing. This discussion will address the difference in competencies between the associate degree and Baccalaureate degree nurses. The ADN program was started to facilitate the need of nurses in the post war years. This is a two years program that teaches the nurse to provide comfort the physiologic stability and peaceful death. (Yoder 2010). This program was also seen as an ideal course for those who prefer a faster and inexpensive route of becoming a registered nurse. Even though the bedside practice of the ADN and BSN nurses are similar, the ADN nurse focuses on the practical assistance more than the theory. The difference in competencies can be seen in the extra two years required for the BSN program. These graduates are exposed to more prerequisites theory, leadership management, research and community based health courses. (Spensor 2008). They are more prepared for the ever changing heath care field because their main focus, are evidence –based practice. They are taught to think independently, use judgment, critical thinking, reasoning and decision making skills, to understand the situation at hand before providing care, and by utilizing these skill they are better able to work within interdisciplinary team and have better patient care outcome. An example of this was observed in a patient care situation on a med surgical unit, where the ADN nurse was taking care of a patient with history of uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension who was about to be discharged. His blood glucose was regularly monitored, medication was dispensed appropriately and she made sure that he was receiving the appropriate diet tray from the kitchen. However when his call light was answered by the BSN nurse she noticed that he had a packet of potato chips and some cookies on his bedside table that was open. She addressed his need, then told him that she noticed the cookies and potato chips at his bedside, which he admitted to be snacking on, and added that the cookies were sugar free and chips were not very salty and that was all he could really afford. The BSN nurse was able to address the situation at hand and was able to teach the pt that even though a packet may read sugar free did not mean it was ok to have. Since it can be loaded with carbohydrates, which break down into sugar. She then collaborated with interdisciplinary team of dietician and social services to prepare this patient for discharge, where this patient and his family were taught how to comply with his diet, by learning how read labels, choose foods, and the important of doing so. Social services ensure that he was provided with the information of community based resources in his neighborhood that will attend to his financial as well as his social needs. Even though the ADN nurse’s bedside nursing was appropriate, it was clear that the two extra years of understanding the concept behind the skills separated a nurse that use critical thinking from one that performed task. In response to the ever changing healthcare system a higher degree of nurses are sought. Therefore the nursing programs help to equip graduates to provide excellent and holistic care while encouraging them to achieve lifelong quest for knowledge and the pursuit of advance professional degree.

Johann Kilian and the Wends: the Foundation of Lutheranism in Texas

Through this course (LCMS History) and others, I have heard the story of German Lutherans who left Europe and settled near Saint Louis, Missouri, under the leadership of Martin Stephan and (soon thereafter) C. F. W. Walther. This story seems quite familiar to many of my seminary classmates who originate from the Midwest and nearby regions. As a nearly lifelong resident of Texas, I had never before heard much of that story. The Lutherans in my communities generally have a different history – one involving a people group known as the Wends. These histories have merged at some point between their beginnings and the present; both communities are currently at home in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and share in fellowship and confession. Naturally several questions arise for further investigation. Who are the Wendish people? Who led them to America? Why did they come to America? What is their religious history? How did they integrate with the Missouri Synod? Why are they a valuable people group in our church body? Answering each of these essential questions necessitates a fairly broad scope, though certainly a coherent inspection. To address the topics at hand, I will present first a brief overview of the European climate during the time that the Wends left Germany as well as an account of their migration. Second, I will offer a concise biography of Johann Kilian, the early leader of the Texan Wendish community. Third, I will describe historically significant moments of interaction between the Lutheran Wends and the LCMS (and its predecessors and associated church bodies) and illustrate how these events contributed to the Wendish assimilation into the LCMS. Each of these components serves the purpose of presenting the Wendish community as a significant component of American Lutheranism, and one with an enduring impact on the LCMS church body. The necessary information is gathered mostly through printed and published texts on the subject at hand. It is also shaped by personal memory of this topic through experiences with members of the Wendish community as well as its associated institutions. Content in support of my purpose is present in these following paragraphs. European Pressures and the Wendish Migration In the early 19th century, the Wends were culturally and politically suppressed by their dominant political leaders. The land of the Wendish people, Lusatia, was intentionally divided between Saxon and Prussian rule. This virtually eliminated any possibility for national independence; the Wendish language became increasingly distinct between the nationalities (Caldwell1961). Also, they were economically dependent on German landholders and had little opportunity for social success. Those who sought better standards of living left their farmland for cities such as Bautzen and generally assimilated into the German culture in the process. A very small group of the Wends was training for the clergy in Prague and in Leipzig; as these students encountered political theories and topics of higher education they developed into the intelligentsia of the Wendish community. These educated people served as the leadership that the Wends needed to rise out of their lowly confinement (Grider 1982). Religious difficulties also characterized this time period. The Wends experienced great pressure to participate in Prussian Unionism, instituted by the Calvinist-leaning King of Prussia, Frederick William III (Nielsen 1989). Since the time of the Reformation, the majority of the Wendish people had been Protestants. This switch to Lutheranism distinguished the Wends religiously from the mainly Catholic Czechs and Poles with whom they shared many cultural and linguistic similarities (Grider 1982). As a people they were very interested in maintaining a definite and self-defined identity, distinct from surrounding people groups. This mandate of Prussian Unionism was an affront to this endeavor. Many spoke against this offensive consolidation, including Johann Kilian who was at that time a young student of theology at the University of Leipzig. In this context of religious pressure, a group of deeply conservative Wends began worshipping together in a private house-church. By 1845 they had established a small congregation with a building devoted as their worship space. After nine more years enduring religious antagonism, a core group of lay leaders drafted, in 1854, a constitution to govern the migration of the whole congregation to a new land with religious freedom. At this time, the congregation issued a call to Kilian, requesting that he shepherd them on their journey and minister to them in their future situation (Grider 1982). Kilian, eager to employ his missionary education, accepted their call. Additionally â€Å"agricultural disasters† during the mid-1800s spurred the Wends into discussions of leaving Germany/Prussia and seeking a new land for a new opportunity. Some impoverished German farmers, with whom the Wends were amiable, had already immigrated to America and Australia. Their joyous letters to the homeland were published by the German press and encouraged these hopeful Wendish immigrants. Of the Wends immigrating to Texas, the â€Å"first trickle of Wendish adventurers† (Grider 1982) arrived around 1850. A group of 35 set sail for America in 1853 but wrecked off the shore of Cuba. While stranded on the island, many learned how to roll cigars to supplement their income during their stranded time. Eventually compassionate German organizations in Havana, Cuba, and New Orleans funded and arranged for their transport to Galveston. One year after this small group’s arrival in Galveston, the â€Å"highly educated and forceful† (Grider 1982) Pastor Johann Kilian led a boatload of 600 of his congregants, pious and devout Wendish Lutherans, from Germany to Galveston. They made their voyage on the Ben Nevis, still considered within the Texan Wendish community as a counterpart of the English Pilgrims’ Mayflower (Grider 1982). Kilian was the only professional, educated man in the congregation; all the others were farmers and craftsmen. Yet the people possessed between them an adequate variety of skills to guarantee a self-sufficient colony. This group established the town of Serbin, which continues to be a place of cultural influence in central Texas. The Life of Johann Kilian The only son of Wendish farmers in Upper Lusatia, Johann Kilian was born on March 22, 1811. Two years later his mother, Maria Kilian nee Mattig, and his infant sister died. His grandmother helped to care for him for the next three years at which time his father, Peter Kilian, remarried. Soon thereafter his grandmother died. In 1821, while Kilian was ten years old, his father also died. Following the death of his parents, he inherited enough money to fund his education at the gymnasium (high school) in the chief Wendish city of Beutzen (Caldwell 1961). Johann found himself under the care of his uncle who leased the child’s inherited property and used the income to support the boy’s schooling. One can only imagine what sort of psychological impact these deaths must have had on young Kilian. According to Nielsen (2003), â€Å"nothing in his writings indicate any anxiety during these early years. † It is likely that during his youth with his extended family he began to learn about Christian living and developed a deep hope in the resurrection promise. Kilian spent more than four years at the Gymnasium in Beutzen. There he was educated in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French, and German; Wendish was only used in private and in his earlier years in grade school. Kilian and some of his classmates organized a Wendish club on campus to facilitate informal conversation in their mother tongue (Nielsen 2003). He was quite successful in Beutzen and soon enrolled at the University of Leipzig to study theology, where he once again encountered a Wendish circle. This organization propagated a rising attitude of Wendish nationalism, especially in contrast with German culture. Rather than associating with this divisive group, Kilian joined a German club whose central goal was â€Å"the preservation of pure Lutheran teaching† (Nielsen 2003). This decision seems to have been more of a growing attraction toward orthodox Lutheranism than a rejection of Wendish culture. It also seems that in this association He was taking a stand in contrast to the majority of the faculty of Leipzig who were heavily influenced by rationalism at the time. In 1835, Kilian obtained his license to preach and was assigned to an assisting position at Hochkirch, a large parish which included several surrounding viliages. The following year, he travelled to Switzerland and attended a small mission school in Basel, remembering his childhood vow to become a foreign missionary. Back in eastern Germany, his uncle (different from the one who had helped to raise him as a child) was the pastor of a Lutheran church in Kotitz; he died while Killian was away at school. Then in 1837 Kilian returned to Kotitz and received his full ordination. This enabled him to assume the senior pastorate there (Nielsen 2003). Most of the Wends in his congregation could not understand German, so Kilian undertook several translation projects for the benefit of his flock. He published a book containing twenty eight hymns in Wendish; some were translations of German hymns and a few were his original pieces. These musical arrangments were very well received by both his own congregation and numerous other Lutheran Wendish assemblies. He continued to translate many German songs and eventually produced more than one hundred of his own hymns (Nielsen 2003). These hymns emphasize the centrality of Jesus in Christian living and often contain declarations of profound hope. Several of his songs and poems are contained in a collection edited by David Zersen (2010). Included, here, is one verse from Kilian’s hymn, â€Å"Blessed Land†: Jesus leads his saints on earth: Witnesses are we! Sadness, trials, suffering? Faithful we will be! Christ is our life. There’s a kingdom waiting there; No more sorrow, no more care. Christ is our life. In addition to his musical translation efforts, Kilian translated the Lutheran Confessions into Wendish. He began with Luther’s Small Catechism in the late 1840s and finished the remainder of the confessions in 1854. Other prominent Wendish intellectuals frequently frowned upon his efforts, insisting that importing German religious thinking would contaminate the Wendish culture. They preferred to advance hopeful nationalism for the Wends and showed little priority for proper doctrinal adherence. Kilian disagreed with their attitude and continued â€Å"translating religious works into the mother tongue to enrich the language and simultaneously nourish religious life† (Nielsen 2003). These exercises in translation eventually led to a reasonable popularity for Kilian, especially among likeminded Wendish Lutherans. One such congregation of people at Weigersdorf was becoming increasingly troubled by the pressures of Prussian Unionism. In 1844 they issued a call to Kilian with hopes that he would agree to lead them in their migration away from their oppressive setting. Kilian accepted the call on two conditions. He required that the congregation would pledge faithfulness to pure Lutheran doctrine and also that the congregation acquire an immigration permit from the appropriate Prussian authorities. (Nielsen 2003). Kilian over the next several years served this as well as other parishes (especially one in Klitten) which shared in the Lutheran confession. During that time, he married Maria Groschel, with whom he had four children while they remained in Europe – only one of which survived into maturity (Nielsen 2003). Religious pressures continued to build until in 1854, a group of 600 Wendish Lutherans (under Kilian’s shepherding) began the process of relocating to Texas. While Kilian is often credited with leadership of this venture, such wording is misleading at best. He did not object to the exodus from Europe, but the instigation of the process was from the laypeople. Kilian’s role was to accompany them as their pastor (Nielsen 2003). The journey was characterized by illness, danger, and loss of life. Kilian was heavily relied upon for his pastoral care at several points on the journey. In one instance while at sea, several people were suffering from sea-sickness below the deck. The captain of the Ben Nevis (the ship that carried them across the Atlantic) instructed that the migrants come up for fresh air to improve their health. Some did not cooperate with the captain’s orders. Kilian gently persuaded those who remained below deck to come up. While this shows the authority the Wends saw in Kilian, it also caused resentment from some because he was exceeding his religious responsibilities. The voyagers eventually crossed the Atlantic and arrived at the port of Galveston. They then travelled to central Texas and established the colony of Serbin. For the next three decades, Kilian served the Texan Wends as their pastor and endeavored to connect them with likeminded believers in their new land (Nielsen 2003). Eventually he was able to forge a confessional relationship with the Missouri Lutherans and connect his people to a larger church body. After Kilian’s death on September 12, 1884, many tributes were written about him. These included a handful of lengthy pieces n Der Luteraner, the official periodical of the synod (Martens 2011). The Texan Road to Missouri â€Å"Religious isolation was not part of his tradition† (Nielsen 2003). In Texas, Kilian became a friend of Caspar Braun, a Lutheran who had already been in Texas for about five years. Braun had formed the Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Texas and served as its first president. While Kilian certainly en joyed his friendship with Braun, he was hesitant to join this Texas Synod because he considered that it shared too many similarities with the Prussian Union which he had left. He also lamented the lack of enriching liturgy in its churches (Nielsen 2003). Rather he became drawn to the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. Geography was certainly a hindrance to fellowship with this church body, he considered it far less of a barrier than theological incompatibility. In his effort to establish fellowship with the Missouri Synod, he wrote a letter introducing himself and the Wends to C. F. W. Walther, who was also born in 1811. Though Kilian and Walther did attend the University of Leipzig simultaneously in 1832, there is no indication in any of their correspondence that they knew each other before they were in America. Kilian had learned of Walther chiefly through his writings. He owned a copy of Walther’s Stimme der Kirche in der Frage von Kirche und Amt. Kilian agreed with Walther’s position on church polity which â€Å"empowered the voters’ assembly as the supreme authority and diminished the power of the ecclesiastical leaders† (Nielsen 2003). His congregation joined the Missouri Synod in 1866 with Kilian as the first Missouri Synod pastor in the state of Texas. Under Kilian’s pastoral leadership, the Wends became fervent supporters of synodical education and eventually began to issue calls to American-trained pastors. By 1877 nearly a dozen pastors were serving Missouri Synod congregations in Texas and the group gained recognition as the Texas Conference of the Western District. Only a couple years later, the Southern District was organized, ranging from El Paso, Texas, to San Augustine, Florida. Then in 1903, the Texas District of the LCMS was formed; it contained 23 congregations, nearly 40 pastors, and 11 school teachers. Concluding Remarks The Texas District of the LCMS owes its genesis to the migration of the Wends and the pastoral leadership of Johann Kilian. It is now one of the largest districts in the LCMS and has produced more synodical presidents (Behnken, Harms, and Kieschnick) than any other district. The Wendish culture and religious experiences have shaped and continue to shape the theological thinking of Texas Lutherans. It is especially for these reasons that the Wends are a valuable people group in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.

MARKETING PLAN (Lucozade Sport) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MARKETING PLAN (Lucozade Sport) - Essay Example Whether on the gym or field or track the Lucozade sport aims to deliver right kind of fuel before exercise, during exercise and also after exercise. The Lucozade sport is proven to enhance the physical endurance and thus has been scientifically developed to contain carbohydrates, glucose, electrolytes, fluid which helps to fuel muscles and also maintain hydration. The Lucozade sport is therefore marketed to people who aim to pursue an active lifestyle and therefore has become the choice for footballers, athletes, runners and for people who loves sports, exercise and physical activity. Lucozade has been regarded as drink of choice for many people since its launch as unique isotonic sports drink. The product chosen is Lucozade Sport which is particular made for people who tends to maintain the same level of performance during exercise. It has been founded that just with 2% decrease in the body weight due to sweating can eventually lead to drop in the performance of athletes. The electr olytes in Lucozade sport thus replaces mineral and salt which gets lost during sweating and plays an essential role in the process of maintaining fluid balance. Lucozade is owned and controlled by GSK which is leading healthcare and pharmaceutical companies (Lucozade, 2011). Market analysis According to reports by Markets and Markets, there seems to be demand for sports as well as energy beverages as it is predicted to grow at a yearly growth rate of 10% till 2016. This growth is fuelled by increasing health awareness among consumers who are eager to combat fatigue with energy bossing drinks. The industry players are also diversifying the product portfolio with products such as diet drinks and also sugar free drinks targeting the female segment along with the health conscious consumers (ReportLinker, 2013). Customer Analysis As per data provided in Morgan database, the non alcoholic beverages market in New Zealand has undergone serious changes where the total consumption of non alco holic consumption amounted to about 95% and has varied in minor percentage such as total non-alcoholic consumption in 2011 showed 93.90% as compared to 95% in 2008 and 2010. Women are the largest customer for non alcoholic beverages as compared to men where total consumption of female was 6919 in 2010 and men amounted to 4201 in the same year. Further it was founded that the age group of 35 to 49 were the highest consumers of non alcoholic beverages followed by the age group of 50-64 with 2943 un weighted consumption. In the year 2011, the picture remained the same with women dominating the non alcoholic beverage market and highest consumption being in the age group of

Smoke Signal Film Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Smoke Signal Film Analysis - Essay Example The existence if this film completed the conception of Indians churning out their own stories a reality. Even so, will self-depiction by Native Americans within Hollywood finally, eventually take place again? American Indians inhabit a controversial position in the Hollywood thoughts. They would seemingly appear to be an element of America’s unusual myth. This falsehood glaringly seems to be overtly determined to twirl into realism. The last decade has observed more Indian themed movies launched with the participation of bona fide Indian actors than ever before. Additionally, whether modern Indian Smoke Signals is an outstanding incident still is debatable. However, time will only tell whether actors of Native American origins will eventually, absolutely, be granted the starring responsibilities to which they rightfully deserve. In the film Smoke Signal, Native Americans were classified into an assortment of the noble savage, the atrocious warrior, the faithful assistant, amid other subversive names (Morgan, 2010). It is evident that Native Americans stand in for a very minimal margin of the American population. The only way they are represented according to solid evidence is though the medium that is the media. The media such as television and movies have a certain primacy with which they represent this minority group of Native Americans. A major exit from the classic action against the Native Americans, Smoke Signal is a superficially human anecdote, superfluous with dissident political commentary (Morgan, 2010). The issue of Alcoholism in the film is brought out by Victor’s father who is an erratic alcoholic. Victor’s father in this scenario depicts parental desertion and alcoholism. Here, the movie sends up Indian cynics, who struggle with dysfunctions. Even more, Smoke Signals gallops on not present fathers and wondering fathers. As a clever way of settling his late father’s affairs, Victor goes down to Arizona and comes back wi th his ashes. Victor is depicted as very bitter at his father’s drinking and desertion. While in Arizona Victor realizes some truths about his father. In this context, Smoke Signals stresses the importance for bringing together between father and son. This movie, as a result, depicts Indians as down-and-out drunks, unseemly addicted to alcohol as they are to the unpleasantness at their batch in life. This film depends heavily on human correlation and salvation. Struggling with the crippling grief, Victor’s father takes to alcoholism and violence as way of escapisms from the challenges facing him. When he dies, Victor is put to the task of inheriting his father’s estate. But the crippling financial challenges combating his family do not allow him to travel to Arizona. But his friend bails him out his financial crisis by providing him with the money required to travel to Arizona. This point depicts that Native American were always looking after each other, incase of dire hardships (Morgan, 2010). Victor’s father abandonment is seen not as decision, but as something he was meant to do. In order to escape from guilt, Victor’s father then resorts to alcoholism. However, the abandonment of Victor’s father is much less important than his own acceptance of it. This is because Victor has is left no option but to continue with his daily existence. Conversely, the Indian reservation is cast in a fashion as if it existed in a time line where progress is

Chinese Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Chinese Philosophy - Essay Example It became well established throughout the vast nation during the 300's A.D. It is surprising, then, to learn that at one time, most of the Chinese people viewed the religion with skepticism, considering it to be little more than a strange foreign cult. Many of the early Chinese converts to the Buddhist religion risked ostracism and persecution simply for practicing their beliefs. Buddhism reached China from India around 100 A.D. For many years, almost all Chinese subscribed to either of two native religions. One was Confucianism, which was based on the ideas of Confucius, the revered philosopher. The tenets of this belief system included obedience to authority, the promotion of education, societal order, and a deep respect for one's ancestors and for the past. Confucius was born about 550 B.C. and the religion based on his teachings emerged shortly after his death in the 470's B.C. The other traditional Chinese religion was Taoism. The basic teachings of this belief system included a reverence for nature and routine celebration of the faith's many protective gods. Taoism began during the 300's B.C. and is based on a book entitled the Tao Te Ching (The Classic of the Way and the Virtue). Taoism was also heavily influenced by elements of Chinese folk religion. When Buddhists first began to appear in China, most Chinese deeply mistrusted them. Their mistrust was easy to understand. According to Sources of Chinese Tradition, written by Theodore Debary, Buddhism was a radically different religion from both Confucianism and Taoism. Buddhism itself was founded about 500 B.C. in India by the teacher named Buddha. Buddha was born about 563 B.C. in southern Nepal. His actual name was Siddhartha Gautama. He was a member of a powerful royal family. Despite Gautama's wealth and high social standing, he was a deeply unhappy young man. At age 29, the future Buddha sank into a debilitating depression. He was convinced that life was full of misfortune and heartache. His feelings of melancholy caused him to leave his own family to seek spiritual enlightenment as an itinerant monk. After six years of nonstop traveling, Gautama finally experienced enlightenment. He was convinced that he had discovered why life was so full of woe. In addition, he was convinced that he had discovered how human beings could escape their feelings of misery. He soon had many followers. These followers called him Buddha, which means the Enlightened One. According to Theodore Debary in his work, Sources of Chinese Tradition, much of the Chinese people's initial misgivings about Buddhism stemmed from simple xenophobia (p. 277). China possessed one of the world's earliest great civilizations; Chinese writing history goes back thousands of years ago. The Chinese people were greatly accomplished, and not surprisingly, this great culture tended to view other peoples as being inferior. The Chinese seemed to view India with contempt, and many Chinese felt that a religion that came from India would have a negative, corrupting influence on the population (p. 277). Much mistrust was also triggered by simple and seemingly shallow cultural differences between the Indians and the Chinese. For example, many Chinese were originally dismayed upon learning that Buddhist clerics took vows of celibacy

Power and Humanizing Models of Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Power and Humanizing Models of Culture - Essay Example This can only be done if they look at their cultural memory which Nietzsche continued by explaining that the concept of cultural memory could be defined through a delimitation that distinguishes it from communicative or everyday memory which is said to not contain cultural characteristics. The concept of communicative as Halbawach said includes all varieties of memories that are gathered from the daily communications. The varieties gathered are part of oral history. The communicative memory however has no fixity to bind it to the past as time passes and for it to attain this it requires it to include culture. Human beings require moving from the everyday communication and getting into the objective culture which has the structure of memory. Cultural memory that Nietzsche says people should adopt is fixed and therefore even as time passes one is bind to the past. The memory can be kept by having cultural formations in forms of text or monuments. Cultural memory has been seen to preser ve knowledge that has enabled people to be aware of their unity. The other advantage of cultural memory is that though it is hard to remember what happened in the past cultural memory can be reconstructed by relating its knowledge to an actual situation. It is also said to exist in two modes and the first is the mode where the texts and monuments act as total horizon, it is called the mode of potentiality (Nietzsche & Large 2007 p.49). The second mode in which the cultural memory exists in is the actuality mode. Cultural memory formation does not depend on one medium; it has many options like writing, images and also rituals. There is also the existence of specialists when it comes to cultural memory unlike the collective memory. Cultural memory has also been said to be reflexive in certain ways, one is that it is said to practice reflexive because it explains practices using proverbs and also rituals. It is also said to be self-reflexive because when explaining and interpreting cer tain practices it draws from itself. The other benefit of cultural memory is that it uses images and rituals that are specific to each society. Every society is required to remember its past. This enables a society to be open to it and also to others understanding their culture. Cultural memory presents the image of the society and in this way a society is united (Nietzsche, Kaufmann & Hollingdale 1968, p.71-3). This said it shows that Nietzsche was in favor of maintaining culture and looking at the past. This is why he was known to be the strongest critic of modernity. He in fact called termed it to be barbaric. Nietzsche believed that human beings in the modern era had weakened personality. He therefore argued that there was need to create great personalities as this was the only way to bring back genuine culture. The philosopher also dealt with cultural complex and said that cultures were patterned wholes. The reason why he liked culture was because he believed that culture was w hat domesticated human beings. He talked of culture enabling humans to have discipline and also have social control. It is culture that makes individuals to be healthy and strong making them to have good values unlike the modern culture which he believed had slave values. The Socratic culture that led to emergence of modern world was said by Nietzsche to be oppressing the body making individuals to have weak personalities (Miller 1970, p.98). Nietzsche has written numerous essays and books on philosophical matters, touching issues of life

Business Risk - Edsel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Risk - Edsel - Essay Example Although the manufacturing and launching of the Ford Edsel were done by excessive market research and lots of suspense but it could not live up to the expectations of the managers. They created the car as a medium priced automobile with unique features but customers didn’t like it at all. Apart from this, the freezing up of the push button and oil leaking leads it to maximum level of disappointment. Thus the statement states that though the managers created a car for niche market but it could not get succeeded. The car had some unique features to prove itself different from its competitors. It should have a grand success in the competition. I agree with the statement because the company had really spent long time to plan for the unique design to make a change in the market. But situation did not support it as there was a recession in USA that reduces the disposable income of general people. The situation of recession was like a catalyst in the downturn of the sales. Apart from this, some of its features were not liked by the customers and they took it as an old model that they used to get from Chrysler and GM. Along with it the timing of launching was not good as the car was not ready and the period of early fall was considered to sell off the previous models by the dealers. Thus Ford had to compete with the old models of 1957 which were given at a lower price by the dealers to clear the stock.

Paintings of Theodore, Manet and Miller Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Paintings of Theodore, Manet and Miller - Essay Example The essay "Paintings of Theodore, Manet and Miller" analyzes modern art paintings of Theodore, Manet and Miller. In the Theodore's picture, several people can be seen raising their hands meaning they either needed some kind of help or were just trying to send some communication signals to a given place. It is actually very difficult to understand the situation in the picture as some are raising their hands while others lie on the ground desperately. The picture was not also painted using bright color technique. The raft of Medusa tend to bring into display how people especially those in France, were subjected to a miserable life due to some political issues or instability. Apart from that, it also shows or brings into display the social lives of the people and the kind of challenges they faced due political unfairness. There are other activities that a state or country may get involved in and later impacts its people negatively. This was actually, what the picture was meant to show. Very many countries value art because it has nowadays provided or created room for expression. Some things cannot be faced directly due to the consequences involved and proper means of facing them must be looked into very carefully. The pictures or drawings that are in the picture â€Å"raft of Medusa† represented the people of France and the challenges that they faced due to political instability or war. The people raising their hands in the picture are those who are fed up with some of the rules or the country’s political system.

Apple Mission Statement Essay Example for Free

Apple Mission Statement Essay Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices. When shoppers sleep outside of stores just to be one of the first to buy an iPhone, its obvious that Apple Inc. is a company that enjoys fanatical brand loyalty. However, this brand success is not a result of dumb luck or forces beyond Apples control; its part of a well-thought-out plan to deliver strong products and to create an Apple culture. Find out more about these and other strategies that Apple employs to achieve its tremendous customer loyalty. A Store Just for Apple: Apple has historically been troubled by big-box sales staffers who are ill-informed about its products, a problem that made it difficult for Apple to set its very different products apart from the rest of the computing crowd. By creating a store strictly devoted to Apple products, the company has not only eliminated this problem but has made an excellent customer-loyalty move. Apple stores are a friendly place where Mac and PC users alike are encouraged to play with and explore the technology that the company offers. This is a space where Macheads can not only get service but also hang out with others who enjoy Apple products just as much as they do. By creating this space, Apple encourages current and new customers to get excited about what it has to offer. Complete Solutions: Apples products complement and complete each other. Buy an iPod, and you can download music via iTunes. For the average user, most Mac programs are produced by Apple. This sort of control over the entire user process, from hardware to software, strengthens customer loyalty. Apple users generally dont have to stray to find products and solutions they want. Are You a Mac? : Lets face it, Apple is a hip brand. It pushes a strong identification with everything young, up-to-the-minute and smart. Consider Apples Im a Mac campaign. The Mac guy is smooth and confident, while PC appears uptight and old. Once youve become smooth, would you want to go back to uptight? Varied Products: Many consumers may not be ready to buy an Apple computer, but theyre willing to give gadgets like the iPod or iPhone a try. By selling products with lower entry costs, t creates an opportunity for new users to be introduced to Apple. If these users enjoy their gadgets, theyre more likely to consider buying an Apple computer in the future. Media Fodder: Media outlets, especially bloggers, love to write about Apple. Why? Because Apple makes it so easy. With leaked rumors about new developments, its very own expo and mysterious shutdowns of its online store, Apple gift wraps news stories that are just begging for speculation and hype. By perpetuating this cycle of media frenzy, Apple keeps its customers excited about buying new Apple products now and in the future. Education Sales: By selling its products to schools and universities, Apple turns classrooms into showrooms. If students go through school using Apple products, they become comfortable with the interface and familiar with the superior performance the brand offers. By creating this early exposure, Apple captures customers before they even know that they are customers. Products That Deliver: Apple carefully considers what consumers are looking for, so its products are a result of both extensive research and strong design. This meticulous planning is a large contributor to Apples high customer-satisfaction rates. Its plain and simple: Robust and easy-to-use products not only make your customers happy, but also make them want to buy more products from you in the future. Outsourcing Unpleasantness: With Apple products, the average consumers interaction with the company is likely to be low. Unless something goes wrong, you dont have any reason to speak with an Apple customer-service representative. Of course, the iPhone presented an opportunity that could have made Apple much more involved, similar to administering iTunes for the iPod. With a phone, interaction becomes multifaceted. You have to consider billing errors, quality of wireless service, contracts and a number of other factors that often lead to customer frustration. With the iPhone, Apple was wise to stick with building a good product and letting ATT handle the service. Consistency: All of Apples products have the same basic architecture. Because of this consistency, customers who already own Apple products have a good idea of what theyll be getting before they make a purchase. They know that it will be easy to adapt to new hardware, and this makes them more open to making a repeat purchase. New Innovations: Although the architecture of Apple products is consistent, its portfolio is not. The company offers consumers a number of different ways to enjoy its products. By giving customers an opportunity to employ Apple in their living rooms, pockets and offices, Apple makes it easy to stay loyal to a brand they already like. Attractiveness: From packaging to aesthetic design to user-interface experience, Apple makes its products accessible and attractive. Bright colors, a smiling icon and slick-looking hardware remind customers every time they use Apple products that what Apple offers is appealing.

Onychomycosis Treatment Evaluation

Onychomycosis Treatment Evaluation A synopsis on Onychomycosis in patent with high degree of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) Essa Ajmi Alodeani, Mohammad Asrar Izhari, Mohammad Arshad Abstract: Onychomycosis is an intercontinental disease burden and poses growing concern for the health-care establishment. It is a comparatively quotidian dermatologic manifestation. It is an infection of the nail plate or nail bed caused by fungus which leads to the imperceptible destruction of the nail plate, accounting for about half of all disordered nails and almost 30% of cutaneous mycoses. Variation in the incidence of the ailment reflects region and age. Usually it is not a self-limiting dermatologic representation and may trigger more infectious lesions at another site of the body owing to progressive nature of mycosis. Cosmetically unsightly affected nails may begin to be painful and lead to functional impairment. In case of patients with high degree of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) which is now days evaluated as an indicator of diabetes control, onychomycosis treatment becomes more imperative owing to the association between diabetes and the diabetic foot ulcer which one of the most s erious sequelae of diabetes in the lower extremities. Especially lower limb sequelae are great contributors to hospitalization of diabetic patients accounting for the majority of in-hospital stay and huge consumption of resource leading to the great deal of economic setback of the health care system of the country. Approximately 15% of diabetic patients develop a lower extremity ulcer during the course of their ailment. Diabetic foot syndrome (DFS) affects 1 out of 5 diabetic patients at least once in his/her lifetime. The necessity of the selected treatment in these patients must be exercised to minimize or anticipate any adverse drug interactions as they concurrently use other medications. With the avalanche of scientific evidences and keeping all the aspects of the onycomycosis, it would be worth to undertake the subject under investigation. Keywords: Onychomycosis, diabetic patients, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) Introduction: Onychomycosis is a global and comparatively quotidian dermatologic manifestation raising disease burden and poses growing concern for the economy of health-care establishment. It accounts for about half of all disordered nails and almost 30% of cutaneous mycoses. In case of patients with higher degree of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c)-a diabetic monitoring marker, the treatment becomes more imperative owing to the association between diabetes and the diabetic foot ulcer which one of the most serious consequences of diabetes in the lower extremities. Which is a great contributor to hospitalization of diabetic patients accounting for the majority of in-hospital stay and huge consumption of resource leading to the great deal of economic setback of the health care system of the country. Onychomycosis is a very common nails infection globally and responsible for 30% of cutaneous mycotic infections and 50% of all nail disorders [1-3]. It is associated with morbidity and long lasting treatment with anti-fungal agents and leads to substantial patient distress, disability, pain, negative self image and can predispose to the soft tissue infection, particularly cellulitis [4-7]. It is more common in diabetic than nondiabetic patients and the patients with diabetic infection have a greater risk of serious complications from the disease such as limb amputations [9-23]. Recent epidemiologic study reveals that diabetic patients are 2.8 times more likely to have onychomycosis than nondiabetic patients. Diabetic patients are very much susceptible to fungal nail infections as they often experience impaired sensation; lack of pain sensation can make them less aware of trauma to their feet, such as nail changes that develop during onychomycosis [23]. Thickened mycotic nails can cause pressure necrosis of the nail bed in diabetic patients, and sharp infected nails can pierce the skin. In diabetic patients the minor ulcerations are serious as they are often unrecognized and can lead to serious diabetic foot infections [23]. The morbidity associated with the onychomycosis infections itself and in combination with the diabetic infection and also the hepetotoxicity of the available drugs is a great problem both at nationally and internationally. With the avalanche of scientific evidences and keeping all the aspects of the onycomycosis, it would be worth to undertake the subject under investigation. Review of literature: Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) was firstly identified as an â€Å"unusual† haemoglobin in diabetic patients with over 40 years ago [24]. Then studies were conducted for correlating it to glucose measurements resulting in the idea that HbA1c could be employed to measure the glycaemic control. After that it enters into clinical use in the 1980s and subsequently has become a cornerstone of clinical practice [25]. It reflects average plasma glucose over the previous eight to 12 weeks [26] and can be done at any time of the day and does not require any special preparation such as fasting. These qualities made it the preferred test for assessing glycaemic control in people with diabetes. Recently it has been used as a diagnostic test for diabetes and as a screening test for persons at high risk of diabetes [27, 28]. There are many approaches to treat onychomycosis such as mechanical debridement, surgery, sys-temic/oral interventions and topical treatment [9] and also the agents for tr eatment of onychomycosis include both systemic and topical medications showing the mycological cure rates of 76% with the use of terbinfine, 63% with the use of itraconazole pulse dosing, 61% with the use of griseofulvin, and 48% with the use of fluconazole [9]. Itraconazole which is a triazole nucleous containing anti fungal agent inhibiting fungal lanosterol 14-demethylase, an essential enzyme in ergosterol synthesis. Brod spectrum of antifungal activity is possessed by this antifungal agent in comparison to all the broadest spectrum of activity includes activity against dermatophytes, Candida species as well as some moulds [29]. It has high lipophilicity and high affinity for keratinous tissues, in which the concentration is many times greater than that obtained in plasma. Itraconazole exerts a lasting inhibitory effect due to the high and long lasting stages in the epidermis [30]. Terbinafine is well-tolerated by most patients and one study reveals that terbinafine or pulse-dose itraconazole reported greater ease and convenience, and higher overall satisfaction [31]. Safety concerns associated with oral treatments include hepatotoxicity, cardiovascular disease, hypogeusia, gastrointestinal disorders, skin rashes, menstrual disorder, visual and taste disturbance, headache and riversible evaluation of liver enzymes [31]. Erick M et al.studied the disease riskfactors and treatment responses in an urban population due to Microsporum spp. (onychomycosis) [32]. Leelavathi M. et al. reported the common microorganisms causing onychomycosis in tropical Climate [33]. Pericher et al. evaluated of onychomycosis among diabetic patients of Yazd diabetic center [34]. R.R. Hafidh1 et al. presented a case report on Cladosporium spp. as a causative agent of white superficial onychomycosis [35]. Lisa M. et al. reviewed the safety and efficacy of tinea pedis and onychomycosis treatment in people with diabetes [36]. There are many othere studies that acknowledge the complexity of treating tinea pedis and onychomycosis in people with diabetes and recommended as safe and effective treatment [37-39]. Marchetti et al. performed the first U.S.based pharmacoeconomic evaluation comparing oral griseofulvin, itraconazole, ketoconazole, and terbinafine using the previously constructed decision-analytic model by the onychomycosis study group [40]. Mahin moghaddami and Mohammad reza shidfar studied the onychomycosis infections in Tehran [41]. Mohammad Ali Boroumand et. studied the level and clinical outcomes of HbAc1in diabetic patients following coronary artery stenting [42]. Peterson et al reported that interpretation of HbAc1 can be achieved as an average of the blood glucose which is present over past 3-4 months [43]. Muhammad S. et al. isolated the causative pathogens and correlated the various clinical patterns of onychomycosis with causative pathogens in Qassim region of Saudi Arabia [44]. Ahmed Medhat M H. et al. reported the epidemiology of cutaneous mycosi s in the Medina region of Saudi Arabia correlated with studying the effect of light-induced gold nanoparticles on the in vitro growth of dermatophytes [45]. Abdulrahman Y. Al-Zoman et al. studied the pattern of skin disease in Riyadh military hospital, Saudi Arabia [46]. A steady increase in the diabetes prevalence found in Saudi Arabia due to the demographic changes such as urbanization and change in the life style [47-48]. Bacchus RA et al. estimated prevalence of diabetes in Saudi Arabia and the author concluded that prevalence of diabetes started to increase at 35 years of age reaching its peak at the 45-54 age groups [49]. Fatani HH. et al. noticed the steady increase of prevalence according to age [50]. Abu-Zeid and Al-Kassab performed a study of the prevalence of diabetes in Southern Arabia [39]. El-Hazmi MA et al. did a survey on prevalence of diabetes mellitus [52] one more survey was done by El-Hazmi and Warsy the prevalence of overweight in the Saudi population. A. Alkhie r A. reported the epidemiology of diabetes mellitus and diabetic foot problems in Saudi Arabia [53]. Epidemiology of dermatophytes in eastern province of Saudi Arabia was studied by hashem al sheikh [54]. Some other studies are also carried out by David Pariser, Richard K. Scher, et al., Phoebe Rich, et al., Boni Elewski, et al., David Pariser, et al., and presented in Seminars in cutaneous medicine and surgery [55-60]. Conclusion: The avalanche of evidences from the available scientific research comprehensively suggests that Onycomycosis is an intercontinental disease burden and poses raising concern for the health-care establishment. It is a comparatively quotidian dermatologic manifestation. It becomes extremely serious especially when it happens in case of patients with varying degree of HbA1c. The review would contribute to the understanding of clinical types and the severity of the toe nail lesions in the Saudi patients with varying level of HbA1c together with prevalence and the chief etiological agents involve in onycomycosis. Scientific research data obtained from the present review would contribute to the early prediction of susceptibility of the patients with high HbA1c to onycomycosis which would lead to a great deal of reduction in economic burden on health care establishment of Saudi Arabia, moreover it would improve the awareness of clinician and social segment as regards severity, heptotoxicity of the current treatment strategy and susceptibility to onycomycosis especially in case of the patients with high level of HbA1c.

Swot Analysis Of Company Practices: PayPal

Swot Analysis Of Company Practices: PayPal The online payment systems provider that we have chosen is PayPal. PayPal is an e-commerce business that allows payments and money transfer to be made through the Internet. PayPal serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods such as cheque and money orders. The service allows members to send money without sharing financial information, with the flexibility to pay using their account balances, bank accounts, credit cards or promotional financing. PayPal is an example of a payment intermediary service that facilitates worldwide e-commerce. PayPal is an eBay subsidiary company and is made up of three leading online payment services: the PayPal global payment service, the Payflow Gateway and Bill Me Later. The companys open payment platform, PayPal X, that allows developers to build innovative payment applications on multiple platforms and devices. PayPal performs payment processing for online vendors, auction sites, and other commercial users, for which it charges a fee. It charges transaction fee for receiving money. The fees charged depend on the currency used, the payment option used, the country of the sender, the country of the recipient, the amount sent and the recipients account type. In addition, PayPal is also the preferred way to send secure payments on eBay. With PayPal, customers who have an online account can makes it easy to send money from a variety of sources to a variety of recipients without sharing his or her financial information. Besides that, the recipient never sees their credit card number or their banking information. So, as a buyer, customers can pay for their item online through PayPal. They have the choice of funding their payment with their debit card, credit card, bank account or PayPal balance. Sellers are notified by email of their PayPal payment immediately, and can confidently post the goods to them right away. As a seller, he or she can withdraw those funds to their bank account or use them to send a payment to someone else. If for any reason a refund is required, a seller can quickly and easily send a refund to the buyer directly into their PayPal account. PayPal is the result of a March 2000 merger between Confinity and X.com. Confinity was founded in December 1998 by Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, and Luke Nosek, and Ken Howery, initially as a Palm Pilot payments and cryptography company. Both Confinity and X.com launched their websites in late 1999. X.com was founded by Elon Musk in March 1999, initially as an Internet financial services company. Both companies were located on University Avenue in Palo Alto. Confinitys website was initially focused on reconciling beamed payments from Palm Pilots with email payments as a feature and X.coms website primarily featured financial services with email payments as a feature. In October 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay. PayPal had previously been the payment method of choice by more than fifty percent of eBay users, and the service competed with eBays subsidiary Billpoint, eBay has since phased out its Billpoint service in favor of retaining the PayPal brand. Currently, PayPal operates in 190 markets, and it manages over 223 million accounts, more than 73 million of them active. PayPal allows customers to send, receive, and hold funds in 19 currencies worldwide. These currencies are the Australian dollar, Brazilian real, Canadian dollar, Euro, pound sterling, Japanese yen, and others. PayPal operates locally 13 countries, residents in 194 markets can use PayPal in their local markets to send money online. SWOT Analysis of company practices Strengths The strengths of a business are positive elements, something they do well and are under their control. The following we will see the main strengths of the PayPal. The first strength we will talk about is the business alliance of PayPal. Because of social website that has users from all over the world- Facebook has brings the PayPal to manage its payment make PayPal increase more revenue. Facebook find out that 70 percent of its 400 million users live outside the United States, so it can be hard for them to transfer money to the company online. While PayPal has more than 81 million active accounts, it can help Facebook to collect money easily. Having alliances with other strong and popular IT businesses is a major plus point for PayPal as it helps bring in new customers and make business more effective. PayPal appear as the only online global payment system in the world. It is a key to success for PayPal to work hard for it boosts reputation, profit and market share. PayPal has an impressive growth from year to year. It has around 70 million active users in 2008 and it is 23% more than 2007. PayPal operates in 190 markets, 17 local languages, and transacts in 19 currencies and it operates with 27 global financial networks and 15,000 local banks around the world. No other companies have this advanced system except the market leader- PayPal. It has a high percentage of the market share, meaning it is ahead of many competitors. Competitive pricing is a vital element of PayPals overall success. With the cost effective payment system online such as the Pay as you go system that allow customers pay only if they are making money online unless they are using more advanced options. Such pricing keep PayPal above its rivals. PayPal need you just simply pay a percentage of the payments received, typically between 1.4 and 3.4% plus a fixed amount of 20p per transaction. And it is totally free to set-up a PayPal account for your business with no hidden start-up costs or yearly subscription fees. It is often the case that a potential customer may not heard of your business, but they certainly have seen or heard of PayPal before. PayPal logo can be easily seen by the users of internet because it appears in almost every auction website and even in many website that provide services as the payment method. They are therefore more likely to consider purchasing from your website as they some more do not have to give their financial details if use PayPal. A strong brand is an essential strength of PayPal as it is recognized and respected. Now the system has 100 million satisfied users worldwide and more websites use PayPal than any other payment gateway. The other strength of PayPal is convenience it brings to the public. PayPal website and payment service is user friendly. It is easy and simple to use, even for those who have no or little experience in selling or buying online. PayPal main focus is on the ease of use for both receivers and senders of cash. It also uses its securing system to help protects consumers personal information, and provides payments to merchants without ever providing your personal financial information. Merchants will not get the credit card information of the consumers, it decreasing the chance of breaching personal information. The ability to accept online payments typically only afforded to larger businesses with traditional credit card services but with the appeal of PayPal, it offers merchants, specifically smaller businesses can afford online payments. In essence, PayPal provide a per-to-peer payment channel by acts as a mediator between consumers and merchants. Weakness The first weakness of PayPal is the weak system of it. Currently, PayPal is not using a database-driven ordering system. For most of the online merchants with 25 to 500,000 products for sale online set up a spreadsheet or database that contains their product information by using specialized software. They make changes to the database on a desktop computer, such as price increases, inventory on hand, adding or deleting a product, altering color choices, initiating special sales, etc. These changes then will replace the older product database and show up the new product database on the website. But the PayPal system stores the order buttons of customers in an online database of sorts, but customers can only access it by using the web interface. It works quite smooth if customers only making one or two changes. But if customers have a lot of products, they forced to make the changes constantly. It will cause customers waste too much time while the time is most conscious for business. The other weakness is the bad communication between PayPal and its customer. The complaining system and the customer service at the PayPal website are too ineffective. Many complaints from time to time claim that PayPal has shut down a customers account arbitrarily and wont listen to any reason. But its not hard to know that PayPal works very hard to keep its system secure and fraud-free. When it finds out customers doing things that skid along the edge of its policies, it may shut them down arbitrarily. As PayPal is act in such way for good reasons, it should try to communicate with customers and let them know more about their action like send e-mail or phone call them so the misunderstand can be decrease. The limited flexibility of the PayPal system is due to its inflexible Hosted Ordering Interface. It provides an inflexible ordering interface that can be confusing to shoppers. PayPal allow customers to customize the interface a bit by adding their logo, selecting background colors, and border styles but customers ability to customize the order page is only in cosmetic ways. PayPal does not have an ordering system with open code that a programmer can manipulate to suit customers particular e-commerce needs. Some of the strongest conversion rate gains can be made by testing and streamlining an order interface in this way. Thats the reason why the PayPals order interface is clunky and can be confusing. Opportunities Acquisition is one of the opportunities for PayPal as it can bring more customers to PayPal especially with company that also run IT business. eBay announce that it will phase out its own competing service to PayPal that is eBay Payments by Billpoint and has acquire online payments company PayPal in a deal valued at $1.5 billion. This is very beneficial to PayPal as bulk of its business comes from eBay auctions. This event sure will result in improving PayPals profit, market share and reputation. Innovation of new technology can be defined as an opportunity to the PayPal. PayPal has reached an agreement with USAA Federal Savings Bank (USAA Bank) that will allow it to start developing a person to person payment solution for USAA members. This payment solution is something that USAA Bank plans to deliver in 2011. In future, USAAs members will be able to pay almost anyone with an e-mail address or mobile phone number, in real-time, and directly from their mobile phone. By keep working hard to provide more innovative product to the public, PayPal can gain more and more potential customer. Another example we can see is by releasing new APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), PayPal is challenging the developer community to change the way we pay through innovation and new technologies. As the only open global payment platform, PayPal is unlocking the door to an unparalleled business proposition to developers that is create new, innovative ways to pay and get paid. And, the globa l payments market represents a $30 trillion opportunity according to a recent McKinsey report. Furthermore, the efforts of PayPal on product and services expansion have upgraded its own mainframe system to every corner of the world. To show its efforts in product and services expansion, PayPal has expanded its micropayments pricing, available to any member with a PayPal Business or Premier account. Micropayments fees for US dollar transactions are 5% + 5 cents per transaction. When compared to PayPals standard fees (2.9% + 30 cents), the micropayments rate can save money for merchants whose average selling price is below $12. Although micropayments is not new to PayPal, but this micropayments pricing was previously available only to account holders in select countries. With this expansion, PayPal are making it available to any PayPal Business or Premier account holder worldwide using any of PayPals 19 supported currencies. In addition, this micropayments pricing can be used with any of PayPals payment products including Website Payments Standard, Website Payments Pro and for e Bay sellers. The massive power of the Web can be recognized in its global effect on commerce. A global commerce for business exchange known as PayPal has been required because this medium is so strong worldwide. PayPal is recognized as an actual commerce with value around the world, and it makes someone in Europe can purchase a product from the United States while the neither party without PayPal has to struggle with the transfer of money options or exchange rates. The creation of a global commerce exchange system at a local consumer level makes this result happen. Threats The actions of a competitor could be a major threat against PayPal, for instance, if they bring in new technology or increase their workforce to meet demand. PayPal has several competitors such as eMoney Mail, Ecount and payMe. eMoney Mail provide delivers payments faster than the competition and its additional security ensures money doesnt end up in the wrong hands. Ecount lets customers specify the day they want money to arrive and provides payees with an online account to spend money on the Web, and it provide 24/7 toll-free customer support too. payMe deposits money in credit card and checking the accounts and it do not limit to the amount you can send overall. Both of the competitors try to give their best services, if PayPal do not work hard and efficient enough, it will lose its market share and reputation. Price wars between competitors that occur due to competitor keep invent new technology could damage profits for PayPal. As in year2006, Google plans to use Checkout, a service released in June that lets users buy items from multiple stores using a single account. Its purpose is to generate commissions and encourage more merchants to buy advertisements. At that time, the PayPal payment unit was EBays fastest-growing business in the third quarter. PayPals revenue climbed 41% to $350 million, outpacing a gain of 22% in auction revenue to $1.02 billion. Google Checkout wants to attract customers and therefore make charges a 2% commission and a 20-cent fee per purchase. While PayPal, which EBay acquired in 2002, charges a 30-cent rate, plus transaction fees of 1.9% to 2.9%, depending on the total value of payments processed each month. But in EBays promotion announced, customers receive as much as $20 in cash-back rebates from PayPal when they make online purchases on EBay.com and certain merchant websites in North America. As we all can see, price wars will cut off the profit of the company. PayPal do not invest in the advertising on the internet causes the brand image of PayPal is not very well. So it also has a need to strengthen its brand through the Web. In the image of the public, PayPals brand is closely associated with smaller merchants, low-cost auctions, and P2P money transfer. As a result, some larger firms might not want their brands associated with PayPal brand image. They may think that by this way public could devalue a corporations stronger brand. The fact remains that consumers associate its brand with less expensive, cheaper items even though PayPal is an enormous corporation. In order to solve this problem, PayPal should look to network with larger companies through the possible branding of a service associated with corporations. Furthermore, PayPal has the ability to introduce and market a new brand, such as CorpXchange or CorpCash by promoting the same services but without the low-cost auctions associated with PayPal. Porters Five forces of company practices The threat of the entry of new competitors Nowadays, barriers to entry of e-commerce business is low because of anything that internet technology eliminates or makes easier to do reduces the barriers to entry such as in the need for a sales force, access to channels and physical assets. Besides that, internet applications are difficult to keep proprietary from new entrants. This lead to a flood of new entrants has come into many industries, and one of the industries is e-commerce business. There are many new companies which provide similar services as PayPal such as Billpoint, Citibanks c2it, whose service was closed in late 2003, Yahoo!s PayDirect, whose service was closed in late 2004, and BidPay, which was shut down in 2006. However, there are still some new and former competitors such as Google Checkout, Wirecard, Moneybookers, The InstantPay (launching Jan 2011), 2Checkout.com, CCNow and Kagi still remain in business. But this does not affects PayPals revenue as it has impressive growth throughout many years. In 2008, it s revenue is US$ 60 billion, which increased 27% compared to the previous year, and US$ 71 billion in 2009, an increase of 19% over the previous year. During the early year of PayPal, there are lesser competitors, which means PayPal has a bigger market shares and this lead to more customers are using PayPal for their services. As time goes on, internet technology has grown more advance and this makes internet applications are very easy and attract more new entrants. New entrants join the market make the market shares of PayPal is getting smaller. This is because customers have more choices when choosing a right online payment service provider to process their payment. Besides that, some of the competitors got better offer than PayPal, such as cheaper charges and safer transaction process. This leads to the decrease of customers loyalty to PayPal and becoming a threat to the company. Google Checkout is one of the new entrant and main competitors with PayPal. It is an online payment processing service provided by Google aimed at simplifying the process of paying for online purchases on 28 June 2006. Users store their credit or debit card and shipping information in their Google Account, so that they can purchase anything at participating stores at the click of a button. It also offers fraud protection, as well a unified page for tracking purchases and their status. It also provide service with lower cost compared to PayPal. Unlike who only provide fraud protection for sales of more than $50, Google Checkout provide 100% fraud protection and 100% refund, but users must report it within 60 days. All these has make Google Checkout to become a threat to PayPal. Another new entrant is Wirecard AG, a global financial services and technology company founded in 1999. In November 2006, Wirecard has launched an internet payment service called Wirecard. By registering online, consumer can opens an account at Wirecard Bank which he can load by cash, cards, direct debit, wire transfer or various local payment schemes. The service includes a free virtual prepaid MasterCard for consumers that can be used to pay at millions of MasterCard locations worldwide. Apart from standard MasterCard products, the Wirecard system also let users to send each other money in real-time. There is also optional physical MasterCard enables users to pay at 24.7 million MasterCard brickmortar acceptance points and to withdraw cash at nearly 1 million ATMs worldwide. People may consider to use Wirecard because it is operated by a true bank. Unlike PayPal, Wirecard cannot simply freeze or limit customers accounts without a reasonable explanations. It may get suit by customer s. Therefore, PayPal should start to consider not to be just protecting its own interest, but protect its customers interest as well so it would not lose its customers. PayPal has some solutions to overcome the threat of losing customers loyalty to the company. One of the solution is PayPal has acquired a company named Fraud Sciences, which is expert in online risk tools to enhance eBay and PayPals proprietary fraud management systems and accelerate the development of improved fraud detection tools. On the other hand. eBay, as the parent company to PayPal, has added Google Checkout to its banned payment methods list to prevent eBay users from using Google Checkout. With this way, PayPals competitors will become lesser, thus the market share of the company will become bigger and also secure the customers loyalty to PayPal. The intensity of competitive rivalry As internet technology become more advance from time to time, it reduces the differences among competitors as offerings are difficult to keep proprietary. Therefore, PayPal used the alliance strategy to get larger percentage of market shares than other competitors. For example, on 18 Feb 2010, Facebook announced a partnership with PayPal in which users can now pay for their Facebook Credits by using the payment provider. Facebook had test other payment solution before making decision to have a partnership with PayPal, however the ability to pay for the virtual transactions through PayPal is great considering they have more than 81 million accounts. this prove that PayPal is good enough to handle massive amount of online transactions. Thus the company is intensifying pressures to other rivals as this partnership give many benefits to PayPal its market shares are getting bigger. PayPal also intensify pressure on its mobile payment service rivals too. Obopay is the company founded in 2005 that provide mobile payment service in United States. It is a service that allows the transfer of money between mobile phones. After a customer creates an Obopay account, they can add money from a credit card, debit card, or a bank transfer. This make people a lot easier because most of the people will carry a hand phone with them. However, PayPal announced its inclusion in Sprint Nextels MyMoneyManager suite of mobile financial services in 2008. It is the innovation strategy that it used to attract new customers and provide a wider range of services to its former customers too. PayPal and partner mFoundry are on deck to provide banking services for Sprint, making it the first major operator in United States to have mobile money transfers between subscribers. Its fee is also cheaper than Obopay too. By doing this, PayPal has intensified pressure to Obopay and also show its i ntensity of competitive rivalry is very strong. Besides that, internet advance technology also leads to migrates competition to price among competitors. Although PayPal charges and fees for online payment processing are slightly higher than the other competitors, it can still have a lot of loyal customers and new customers using its services. The reason is currently, PayPal operates in 190 markets, and it manages over 223 million accounts, and more than 73 million of the accounts are active. PayPal also allows customers to send, receive, and hold funds in 19 currencies worldwide and it operates with 27 global financial networks and 15,000 local banks around the world. It also operates in 13 countries. The wide range of services provided by PayPal is a better choice than its competitors as none of them can provide such services. Customers with a PayPal accounts can also make payment for many other services and products which make things a lot easier. Customers do not have to open another account for just that particular payment. The threat of substitute products or services This analysis will identify the likelihood that customers to your industry will switch to purchasing an alternative product or use an alternative services from outside your industry. With the advance of internet technology, the proliferation of internet approaches creates new substitutions threat in many industries. There are many alternative apart from online payment providers in the e-commerce market such as, credit card, debit card, checks, money order and e-banking. For local transactions, consumers will use these kinds of traditional methods rather than PayPal. If a person buy a product with credit card, all he need to pay is the price of the product and interest charged by bank. However, if he pay the bank early, he would not be charged with any interest and this method will be cheaper than using PayPal. If a person does not has a credit card, they can use online banking to make their payment as all they need is just a saving account in the particular bank. Besides that, having a saving account at a bank are better than having a PayPal account as there are many complaint from its customers that PayPal freeze its users account arbitrarily and wont listen to any reason. PayPal can freeze its users account easily without giving prior notice because it is not supervise by the bank regulation. Therefore, this will lead to a higher threat to PayPal for its users to change to use other substitute services. There are also many complaint from its users that PayPal security against fraud is not good. Users are easy to get scam or the confidential data are easy to be stolen. To avoid this situation happens, buyers can use money order to make payment as well. money order As for merchants, their substitute service apart from PayPal is merchant account. Merchant account is a type of bank account that allow businesses to accept payments by debit or credit cards. A merchant account also serves as an agreement between a retailer, a merchant bank and payment processor for the settlement of credit card and/or debit card transactions. PayPal charges fees by per transaction, while merchant account is charging fees monthly and fix. Therefore, PayPal usually used by small business merchant as payment processor as the cost is cheaper. While for merchant that have massive transaction, most of them use merchant account as their payment processor because it will be cheaper than using PayPal. The bargaining power of buyers The bargaining power of customers is the ability of customers to put the firm under pressure, which also affects the customers sensitivity to price changes. The advanced internet technology has reduced switching costs of buyers and this makes the buyer would not simply switch to use other companies services. Although the fees charges to PayPal users are more expensive than its competitors, it still does not lower down the fees. This is because of PayPal provides to its users better services than its rivals, such as providing customers to hold up to 19 currencies of different countries so they can make their payment easily. It is the only company that can allows users hold that much currencies and requires high fixed costs to maintain this type of services. Customers that wishes to bargain for lower fees are maybe just a small portion among all the PayPal users too. If PayPal lower down its fee just for such small portion of unsatisfied customers, it may bring huge losses to the compa ny. Therefore, even though some users maybe price sensitive and bargain for a lower fees, PayPal will not make any changes as it would not greatly reduce its profit by losing a small portion of its users. The bargaining power of suppliers For PayPal, its suppliers are the banks and companies that provide financial networks in worldwide. The bargaining power of suppliers is low because with the internet, all companies has equal access to suppliers, and gravitate procurements to standardised products that reduce differentiation among competitors. standardised products or services makes the suppliers cannot charged high prices because there are too many similar products that other suppliers can provide. The banks, which are the suppliers to all online payment providers competing to each others with quality of services and low interest rates. Therefore, PayPal has many choices to choose for which suppliers is best suits with it. However, PayPal try to make deals with most of the local banks so it can have a wider range of services that can attract customers to use PayPal. It will not have to worry about the suppliers that charge excessive high price on unique products or service because if they do so, PayPal can just try to find another suppliers that charge reasonable price. Besides that, suppliers concentration to firm concentration ratio for PayPal is high because of its brand equity is high. Brand equity is brands power that derived from the goodwill and name recognition it has earned over time, and which turns into higher sales volume and higher profit margins against competing brands. PayPals high brand equity will keep attracts customers use PayPal services and this will lead to more services must be provided by the bank to PayPal. Banks will earn more profit by providing more services to it and indirectly makes the bargaining powers of suppliers become low as they need PayPal to generate more profit. Customer Relationship Management Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a widely-implemented strategy for managing a companys interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It includes one-to-one relationship between a customer and a seller which encourage customer participation in product development. CRM create one simple idea Treat different customers differently, which means that different customers are treat based on their different needs and different value to company. Besides that, CRM using information technology strategy aimed at identifying, acquiring, targeting and retaining the best mix of customers. CRM also describes a company-wide business strategy which including customer-interface departments as well as other departments. Furthermore, CRM also helps in understanding customer needs and building relationships with them and by providing the most suitable products with a high level of customer service. It integrates back and front office systems to create a database of customer contracts, purchases, information requested and technical support. This database helps the firm to present a unified face to its customer and improve the quality of the relationship. The primary goal of CRM is to improve long-term growth and profitability through a better understanding of customer behavior. There are 3 phases in which CRM support the relationship between a business and its customers are to acquire, enhance and retain. CRM can help a business acquire new customers through contact management, selling and fulfillment. A web enabled CRM combined with customer service tools offers customers service from a team of sales and service specialists, which offers customers the convenience of one-stop shopping. CRM software and databases enable a business to identify and reward its loyal customers and further develop its targeted marketing and relationship marketing initiatives. For any business to be successful employers need to look into various objectives which are beneficial for the customers. A good customer employee relationship always leads to positive outcomes for the business. CRM is a new introduction in E-commerce and played major rule in the development of e-business specially the CRM stands for customer relationship. It is a strategy used to learn more about customers needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships with them. Good customer relationships are at the heart of business success. A primary objective of CRM is to provide the entire organization with a complete and 360-degree view of the customer, no matter where the information resides. The benefits of adopting CRM processes are develop better communication channels, create detailed profiles of individual customers, increased customer satisfaction, customer service and support and increased revenues of the organization. There are 3 types of CRM which are operational CRM, analytical CRM and collaborative CRM. Operational CRM describes the technology strategy of managing and interacting with customers across channels through client facing applications and integrated channel management. Operational CRM applications are technologies that enable sales force, marketing and customer care automat

The Victims of Elder Abuse Essay -- Elderly Abuse Crisis

Elder abuse has been present in society from past times. Evidence of elder abuse can be found in Shakespeare writings and literature, and also in Greek mythology. Despite its’ constant presence throughout time, it is only recently that serious attention has been given to elderly violence. The main reason for the new recognition of this old problem is the increasing number of aging Americans. (National Center for Victims of Crime). Elderly abuse in modern times is more prevalent that in ancient times, because of the few that were tasked with the duties. In past generations, the duties of caring for the elderly were shared among the members of large extended families. However, due to the emergence of a strained economy, and smaller nuclear families there is less time and family members to care for the elders within each family. The definition for elderly abuse varies from state to state within the US. A common middle ground in all definitions is that elderly abuse is an y physical, psychological, or maternal abuse towards an elderly person. In summary, it is the violation of the elder’s rights to safety, security and adequate healthcare. (Wyandt). Due to the various definitions of elderly abuse across the board, the act has been categorized in different typologies. Physical abuse, Verbal/Psychological abuse and Financial abuse are three main types of elderly abuse. TYPES OF ELDER ABUSE The physical abuse of elderly may include restraining, slapping, hitting, bruising, and other forms of physical abuse that result in pain or injury, sexual abuse, sexually molestation, and rape. Verbal abuse or psychological abuse usually involves inflicting mental anguish, humiliation, intimidation, yelling, and threats. Keeping an ... ...ca." National Research Council (U.S.). Panel to Review Risk and Prevalence of Elder Abuse and Neglect. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press, 2003. 238-240. †¢ Hudson, M. F. and J. R. Carlson. "Elder abuse: Expert and public perspectives on its meaning." Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect 9.4 (1998): 77-97. †¢ Hudson, Margaret F, et al. "The Gerontologist." Elder Abuse: Two Native American Views 1998, 38 ed.: 538-548. †¢ Le, Q. K. "Mistreatment of Vietnamese elderly by their families in the United States." Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect 9.2 (1997): 51-62. †¢ National Center for Victims of Crime. ELDER ABUSE. 2004. 07 MAR 2010 . †¢ Wyandt, A. Mary. "A Review of Elder Abuse Literature: An Age Old Problem Brought to Light." Californian Journal of Health Promotion 2.3 (2004): 40-52.

Narrative Structures in Zadie Smiths White Teeth and Toni Morrisons B

Narrative Structures in Zadie Smith's White Teeth and Toni Morrison's Beloved The novels 'White Teeth' by Zadie Smith and 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison both explore many different issues. However, a principle theme that appears to be common in both is the way in which the past influences the present profoundly and both authors use the narrative structures of the books to present this idea to the reader. The exploration of the relationships between characters through time, the past haunting the present and the way in which history and culture is revealed through the past are important devices used to show the emotions and further the plot. Each author does this in a very different way though and this is the power of the narrative structure and the way in which it can be used in a variety of different manners in order to achieve a similar effect. The narrative structure of 'White Teeth' is very logical. The novel is divided decisively into sections in order to present the reader with the emotions and views of the main characters. The four sections 'Archie 1974, 1945', 'Samad 1984, 1857', 'Irie 1990, 1907' and 'Magid, Millat and Marcus 1992, 1999' provide the reader with a clear cut structure to the novel, with the past and present accurately intertwined. The separate 'books' in the novel help the reader to understand how each character feels about the others, and therefore explores their relationships between time. The main example of this is the fact the Archie and Samad have been best friends since the Second World War. However, their friendship is based on a lie that Archie killed a Nazi scientist who was helping to develop the Master Race. The separate books help the reader to understand this and the... ... way in which mistakes and horrific events can consume the mind. Two novels, which primarily appear to be about the struggle of races and racism in society are in fact also about the importance of time. Smith writes at the beginning of the novel: 'What's past is prologue' from 'The Tempest' perhaps suggesting that the novel is in fact based upon the idea that the past and the present are essentially intertwined and play an important role in modern day life. The way in which the past can haunt the present, have a negative and positive influence on the way in which characters react and the plot develops in both 'White Teeth' and 'Beloved'. It is an essential element of both novels which helps to create a layered structure and give depth to the plot so that the events of the present have a past: a basis which creates a more profound effect of the reader.

How Do the Writers of the Bible Explain the Concepts of God as Creater

How do the writers of the bible explain the concepts of God as creater? ‘ In the bible there is two main creation stories; genesis one and genesis two. Each of these are very different concepts of God as creater. In genesis one the world is created by God in six days, and on the seveneth day God rests. On the first day God created light, on the second day God created day and night, on the third day God created earth, on the fourth day God created sky, on the fifth day God created sea and fish, on the sixth day God created animals and on the seveneth day God rested.This is an example of creation ex nihilo (creation from nothing). Creation ex nihilo portrays God as very onipotent, for example God says it and it just happens. Genesis one puts creation across as perfect, as if God cannot make mistakes. At the beginning of genesis one it says ‘In the beginning God created the sky and the earth' also when it repeats ‘Then God said' and ‘God saw that it was good' it gives the feeling of God being all powerful and benevolent. God created the world in a very structured way and the world has a cycle which suggests order and purpose.This is very different to Gensis two. In Genesis two God creates man from dust and puts him in a beautiful garden. He saw that man was lonely so he created animals and let man name them. However non of these compainians were right for man so God created woman from one of mans ribs. God told man and women that they could eat from any tree in the garden apart from the tree of knowledge and that if they ate from the tree of knowledge they would die. This shows us that God can make mistakes because he has to try again to find the perfect companion for man.Also in Genesis two there is a chance for sin which shows Gods creation couln't of been perfect. In genesis two God uses things that already exsist to create what he needs to- This puts God across in a much less onipotent way because he can't preform creation ex nihilo. In genesis two God seems a lot more immanent than genesis one. In genesis three women is tempted by the snake to eat a peice of fruit from the tree of knowledge. She does this and both man and woman become aware that they are naked and are embarrassed.They hide, then God comes looking for them and find that they have disobeyed him. The thought of God walking through the garden of Eden gives an anprothmorphic feel to genesis three. God finds out that man and women have eaten from the forbidden tree and decides to punish them. Women is punished by pain when bearing children, man is thrown out of the garden and has to now work for a living, the garden will begin to sprout weeds so man has to work and the snake was compelled to slither on its stomach.Gensesis three reperesents loss of innococence and makes us wonder why God would have put the tree of knowledge in the garden if it wasn't to be eaten from- it almost seems as if God wants them to disobey him. Genesis three also shows God has imperfections. The story of Emuna Elish was around at the same time as when Genesis was written. In Emuma Elish nothing existed but ‘the dark waters of primevil choas' in the beginning. These waters were personified by the Gods Aspu and Tiamat. These Gods reproduced a series of younger Gods who represented the elements of the universe.These young Gods revolted. Aspu was killed and Tiamat was cut in two forming the earth and sky. The Gods were divided, some lived in heaven and some on earth and people were created to slave them. This is an example of polyethism where there is many Gods and not just the one. It is different to Genesis because in genesis God is very much in control of what happens and what is created. The only simularity is that both genesis and emuna elish begin with darkness. Another take on creation is Job 38 which portrays God as a master craftsman.In Job 38 God seems to be belittling Job and bragging about his creation. This puts God across in an almost arr agent way, he seems ominpotent and very proud of what he has created. God seems more important and powerful than Job by how he is speaking yet still in an anprothamorphic way. Job 38 gives us the impression of the world being a ‘controlled chaos' and God is proud of this. An example of this is when God mentions the ‘boundies of the sea'. God cannot control the sea but he has put boundries on it. Job 38 links with genesis one because in both of these stories God is proud of what he has created.We can he is proud in Genesis one because of the repitition of ‘God saw that it was good. ‘ In conclusion, the bible puts God across as a good creater. As if God can do no wrong, God is omnsient and omnipotent. This is very different to some creation stories such as Emuna Elsih where the Gods seems quite dark and imperfect- getting into fights causing chaos. Whereas the Christian God cares about the people hes created and with care. Also in the bible God seems a lot more modest and benevolent than he does in Job 38. The bible puts God across perfect and unchanging.