Counseling Couples: The Complexity of Delicate Situations Essay

Abstract Love is patient and love is kind, according to Corinthians 13:4 yet more and more frequently couples find themselves at impasses not knowing which is better to stay together or to separate. Living in a society of our way right away, right away can present conflicts among couples especially when they each have different views on what is best for their relationship. To add more complexity, family units may be non-traditional or other elements such as substance abuse and infidelity are present, which results in the presence of additional stressors. Through careful intervention, respect for the family unit, and proven methodologies, couples counseling is an avenue that provides hope for preparation for those entering marriage or long-term relationships, while also providing redemption and restoration for those who desire to maintain current relationships. Introduction and History For many years psychologist have studied and expounded on the research of pioneers such as John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth who developed attachment theory, as well as, research conducted by Abraham Maslow, who determined that humans have a â€Å"need for belonging.† These pioneers set the foundation for understanding our humanistic desire to have a companion. Prior to these psychologist, the Bible reveals in Genesis 2 that Adam was lonely and for that reason, a â€Å"help mate† was created. Furthermore, according to Sandberg, Busby, Johnson, & Yoshida (2012), research has shown that even in adulthood, the presence of a significant other or partner can produce feelings of â€Å"security, relief, and other positive affects† whereas the absence of this  secure attachment produces avoidant and anxious behaviors. As individuals engage in relationships, spanning from basic acquaintances to commits such as marriage, there are times when communication, confidence, and c ommitment become difficult. Some situations lead couples to seek the intervention and expertise of counselors to assist in reconciling. Despite the troubles that couples encounter, Worthington, Lerner, and Sharp (2005) suggest that by utilizing counseling with the purpose of developing strong emotional bonds, couples have the ability to sustain long, healthy marriages. As unique as each individual is, so is each family unit or couple and it is important that therapist work within the systems that are presented, because on some occasions, the couple or family simply interacting within itself produces focus and accessibility of change (Chambless, Miklowitz, and Shoham, 2012). Counseling that promotes hope, forgiveness, better communication, conflict resolution, and build commitments, especially those encompassing Christ, leads to repair and reconciliation, which why most couples initially seek counseling (Worthington, Lerner, & Sharp, 2005). Major Topics in Couples Counseling Types of Relationships/ Couples As times have changed, so have couples. The family unit is often not the traditional mother, father, and 2.5 children, instead families are now composed of stepparents, stepchildren, and same-sex relationships. As Christian counselors, relationships may present that are not condoned, yet respected. Stark, Kirk, and Bruch (2012) offer that even though marriage his recently become a highly idealized commitment, the rates for cohabitation and the number of single parents continues to increase and become more acceptable. Marriage has become a voluntary institution (Stark, Kirk, & Bruch, 2012). In addition, the composition of marriages has changed as reported by the Williams Institute. In 2006, the institute studied same-sex couples reporting status and determined that â€Å"nationally, the number of same-sex couples who reported their status to the government increased 437 percent† (Swanson, 2007). Along with the increase of reporting same-sex couples, the number of blended families has increased as well. Gonzalez (2009) discusses that the couples that blend families often face more challenges, they are more overwhelmed, and they often feel increased  pressure to resolve issues quickly. Couples that form blended families are challenged with making the relationship with their partner work, while also with helping to shape and mold two separate entities into one family unit (Gonzalez, 2009). Blended families are also a progressively significant family arrangement that produces complex relationships and distinctive pressures for each of the family members (Shalay & Brownlee, 2007). Accordingly, there is an increasing likelihood that family counselor will encounter blended families more frequent who are seek therapeutic assistance (Shalay & Brownlee, 2007). Cultural Sensitivity Counseling couples requires awareness of various cultural belief systems that are important to both individuals, both individually and together. The perceptions of each individual determines their expectations of the relationship, therefore counselors have to be aware of cultures, beliefs, traditions, and even historical references to ensure that elements are being evaluated from the client’s perspective. Couples counseling incorporates cultural intervention that is consistent with the client’s belief system regarding healing and has the potential to effect a specified change (Sperry, 2010). Couples counselors should carefully focusing the treatment process based on the core cultural values of both of the individuals that comprise the couple (Sperry, 2010). Sperry (2010) states that there are three specific steps to cultural sensitivity; recognize the cultural identity, identify the family dynamics, and develop a cultural formation that frames the context of the issue. Parenthood One of the most challenging transitions that couples face is the transition to parenthood (PINQUART AND TEUBERT, 2010). During the expectation of a child, parents often become stressed with the required adjustments and often positive communication among couples decrease (Doss, Rhoades, Stanley, & Markman, 2009). For example, as reported by Pinquart and Teubert (2010, in a study conducted by Miller, Pallant & Negri (2006), 80% of first time mothers expressed mild symptoms of depression within the first weeks postpartum, while 10 to 30% of mothers developed clearly diagnosed clinical depression. Emotional and psychological distress of this magnitude may also have a  significantly negative effect on parenting behavior, such as sensitivity, investment in the child, overall parenting, and cooperation between parents (Foster, Garber, & Durlak, 2008). Couples experiencing such life changes often seek counseling to better understand each other, the stressors, and methods for making the tra nsition less problematic. Pinquart and Teubert (2010) showed that intervention that were solely couple focused, developed stronger efficacy on couple communication than pure prenatal or postnatal interventions, reminded the couple that they are the foundation of the relationship and conduits of change. Intimacy Most couples experience problems that are not understood, therefore couples therapist are often presented complaints that are the results of communication failures and conflicts that are directly related to the couples unfulfilled attachment needs (Solomon, 2009). Couples therapy attends to increase the awareness and recognition between partners of their needs and the relational paths that each partner has encountered (Solomon, 2009). In addition, couples therapy, from an attachment theory approach, attempts to help individual to move beyond what could become an endless cycle of shame and blame, and instead teach and shows them they can choose to stop acting defensively with each other (Solomon, 2009). When couples are experiencing issues, intimacy is most often affected, however through couples therapy, partners are helped to understand their dependence on one another in order to meet their needs for secure attachment through therapeutic process and are encouraged to express emotion s when attachment needs are discontented (Solomon, 2009). Solomon (2009) further concludes that â€Å"if the couple responds by utilizing and giving examples of the ways their past has played out in their current relationship, it becomes possible to accelerate the healing process†. Techniques and Interventions In the past decade, Christian couple therapy has increased and began to develop although slowly (Hook, Ripley, Worthington, & Davis, 2011). Each couple, each situation, and each counselor is unique, so competency of multiple interventions is required to accommodate the needs and goals determined by the couple. Of these techniques, the hope-focused approach (HFA) to couples counseling is encouraged among Christian counselors  (Worthington, Ripley, Hook, & Miller, 2007). The HFA is based on the premise that hope is a core Christian value and since Christ ordained marriage, hope is essential among couples (Worthington et al., 2007). The HFA provides couples with strategies for promoting change, offering mutual submission in love, restoration of faith in God and each other (Worthington, et al., 2007). An alternative counseling technique that is being successful utilized in couples counseling is Marriage Matters (Hook, Worthington, Hook, Miller, & Davis, 2011). Marriage Matters consists of a nine week or 18 hour workshop that is conducted three times per year according to Hook et al (2011). This program is designed to assist couples who desire to invest in their relationship as well as for couples who are experiencing marital difficulties. During each of the nine week workshops, couples learn from trained professionals about topics that are important for couples such as historical background, culture, becoming more empathic during dialogue, conflict resolution, intimacy, forgiveness, and numerous other topics (Hook, et al., 2011). Ethics Involved in Counseling Couples A cautiously compiled confidentiality agreement is essential when therapists agree to treat clients conjointly with their spouse or significant other (Bass & Quimby, 2006). Currently although there are not any ethical codes that directly indicate that conjoint counseling is considered unethical, increasing numbers of many organizations caution their members about the ethical disadvantages characteristic in doing so (Bass & Quimby, 2006). Consequently, counselors working with couples are probable, or perhaps even inevitable, to find themselves struggling with the issue and conflicts of one person’s right to privacy versus a partner or spouse’s right to obtain access to information relevant to their personal well-being (Bass & Quimby, 2006). Furthermore, there are additional concerns when the disclosures are related to illegal activities. According to Bass and Quimby (2006), an example of potential conflicts is when adultery has occurred in a relationship. Adultery is con sidered a crime in some states and as a result of keeping this information confidential, it is possible that a counselor could be accused or even charged with conspiracy or â€Å"alienation of  affection† (Bass & Quimby, 2006). Researchers further state, that although this charge is highly unlikely, some writers have argued that counselors must not condone illegal activity by keeping secrets. Ignorance of the law is not excusable therefore when engaging in such practice, counselors should be familiar with their state laws and ethical standards (Bass & Quimby, 2006). Couples counselors have a unique relationship with their clients due to being responsible developing multiple therapeutic relationships. As outlined in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT, 2012) code of ethics, counselors are responsible for ensuring that each counselee has been properly informed and consents to services, while also ensuring confidentiality is discussed and is understood by each participate. AAMFT Codes of Ethics, specifically outlines the expectations of counselors in regards to professionalism among couples, present and past. As well as safe handling of information and communication among counselees as well as third parties. The AAMFT and the American Counseling Association are very similar due to the nature of counseling. Biblical values Religion can be a significant source of marital and couple conflicts, especially if they do not share the same religious beliefs, however religion also proposes as a source of resolution among couples with common beliefs (Lambert & Dollahite, 2006). Research reveals that couples that participate in congruent religious practices such as public and private prayer as well as religious attendance, couples were more receptive to counseling with less negativity and values that focused on having and maintaining a caring, forgiving relationship (Lambert & Dollahite, 2006). Considering that God’s love abridges all of God’s commands, therefore a fitting appraisal of forgiveness is crucial for one to love in a way that pleases God and to help others in counseling situations (Cheong & DiBlasio, 2007). God’s love and forgiveness are inseparably connected all throughout Scripture and often amidst the pain and conflicts of couples is the need for resolution and forgiveness. The bible clearly defines marriage, the love shared among those married, as well as the sacredness of matrimony, and although as  Christians we cannot impose our thoughts and worldviews, according to the American Counseling Association Code of ethics, it is important that the elements are incorporated in counseling, especially with those who consent to Christian integration in sessions. Personal reflection I personally believe that couples counseling is important, especially premarital counseling. Although my husband and I dated for six years prior to getting married, we both found that premarital counseling, which is a requirement at our church, brought forth so many subjects that we had not discussed. The opportunity to learn God’s will for marriage and our expectations of each other, provided clarity that we can reflect to even now. Years into our marriage, counseling would definitely be a consideration if we even found ourselves in need of reconciliation and restoration. Annually, our church hosts sessions during the month of May that focuses on the family. Although this is not considered counseling for us directly, we have found that each year a new prospective, a new method of communicating, and a renewed relationship results from attendance of the sessions. Reflecting on these marriage building workshops and lessons, reassures me that with the desire to stay focused on Christ, our marriage can sustain, and we may even be models for others who are contemplating commitment. I believe that sometimes in the hustle and bustle of life, we can easily slip into routines and struggle to satisfy deadlines, which result in undue stress on relationships. Committing to reconnecting and taking personal time to show appreciation for each other is ideal and provides the support and recognition that although we may be busy, as a couple we are never too busy for each other. Furthermore, the same goes for our relationship with Christ, it is not enough to just be a c laim a relationship, instead works, devotion, praise, and worship are due to Him as a priority of our lives. While researching couples counseling the most interesting aspect that I discovered was the Hope Focused Approach (HFA). The methodology presented in HFA sparked an interest primarily because of the numerous step-by-step interventions that allow the counselor to be the facilitator, yet offering couples the opportunity and supports to reconnect. The opportunity to be a  conduit, a vessel, of restoration offers not only the couples hope, it also seems that it would provide counselors with the opportunity to see the magnificent power of Christ and his ability to make people, relationships, homes, families, and even churches whole. Christ offers to make all things new, it is up to us to follow him, forward. Incorporating the ethical expectations of a counseling professional presents as challenging. It is evident that when working with a couple, the amount of intervention, developing a relationship and rapport with both individuals, however remaining unbiased, and serving them as a couple seems initially difficult. However, it would be my privilege to be a vessel of Christ to assist couples to complete both premarital and martial counseling, as marriage is ordained by God, however staying rooted and grounded in the Word and maintaining the standards as outlined by the AAMFT and ACA subjects one to continued studying, devotion, and increasing competence as well as wisdom to address each couple genuinely. Conclusion According to Atkins et al. (2005), there have been numerous randomized clinical trials that confirms the effectiveness of couple therapy as well as the increase in relationship satisfaction after attending therapy. The research further outlines that although there are a number of options, methods, intervention, and treatments greater change in marital satisfaction is expressed among couples who attend direct approach therapy together (Atkins, et al., 2005). Despite these promising findings, there still remains a considerable number of couples that are not responsive to treatment and no correlations have been demonstrated that distinguish between those couples who respond to treatment and those who do not (Atkins et al., 2009). Further evaluations of couples therapy is required to guide treatment revisions that will make techniques more powerful and applicable to increase efficacy among couples according to Atkins et al (2009). References American Association of Christian Counselors, AACC Law & Ethics Committee. (2004). AACC Code of ethics: The Y2004 final code. Retrieved from: http://www.aacc.net/about-us/code-ofethics/ American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, AAMFT Ethics Committee. (2012). AAMFT Code of ethics. Retrieved from: http://www.aamft.org/imis15/content/legal_ethics/code_of_ethics.aspx Atkins, D.C, Berns, S.B., George, W. H., Doss, B.G, Gattis, K., Christensen, A. (2005). Prediction of response to treatment in a randomized clinical trial of marital therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73 (5), 893-903. Bass, B.A & Quimby, J.L. (2006). Addressing secrets in couples counseling: An alternative approach to informed consent. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 14, 77-80. Chambless, D.L., Miklowitz, D.J., Shoham, V. (2012) Beyond the patient: Couple and family therapy for individual problems. Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session, 68 (5) 487-489. Cheong, R. K., & DiBlasio, F. A. (2007). Christ-like love and forgiveness: A biblical foundation for counseling practice. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 26(1), 14-25. Retriev ed from http://search.proquest.com/docview/237250982?accountid=12085 Doss, B. D., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2009). The effect of the transition to parenthood on relationship quality: An 8-year prospective study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96, 601–619. Gonzales, J. (2009). Prefamily counseling: Working with blended families. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 50 (2), 148-157. Hook, J. N., Ripley, J. S., Worthington, E. L., & Davis, D. E. (2011). Christian approaches for helping couples: Review of empirical research and recommendations for clinicians. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 30(3), 213-222. Hook, J. N., Worthington, E. L., Hook, J. P., Miller, B. T., & Davis, D. E. (2011). Marriage matters: A description and initial examination of a church-based marital education program. Pastoral Psychology, 60(6), 869-875. Lambert, N. & Dollahite, D. (2006). How religiosity helps couples prevent, resolve, and overcome martial conflict. Family Relations. 55 (4) 439-449 Miller, R. L., Pallant, J. F., & Negri, L. M. (2006). Anxiety and stress in the postpartum: Is there more to postnatal distress than depression? BMC Psychiatry, 6, 12. Pinquart, M, & Teubert, D. (2010). A meta-analytic study of couple intervention during the transition to parenthood. Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, 59, 221-231 Sandberg, J.G., Busby, D.M., Johnson, S.M., Yoshida, K. (2012). The brief accessibility, responsiveness, and engagement scale: A tool for measuring attachment behavior in couple relationships. Family Process, 51 (4), 512-526. Shalay, N. & Brownlee, K. (2007). Narrative family therapy with blended families. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 18 (2), 17-30. Solomon, M.F. (2009). Attachment repair in couples therapy: A prototype of for treatment of intimate relationships. Clinical Social Work Journal. 37, 214-223. Sperry, L. (2010). Culture, personality, health, and family dynamics: Cultural competence in the selection of culturally sensitive treatments. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families. 18(3) 316-320. Stark, M.D., Kirk, A.M., & Bruhn, R. (2012). Generational differences as a determinant of women’s perspectives on commitment. Adultspan Journal. 11 (2), 112-122. Swanson, P. (2007). Study: More tell U.S. they’re gay partners. The Gazette. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/268288139?accountid=12085 Worthington, E.L., Ripley, J.S., Hook, J.N., Miller, A.J. (2007). The hope-focused approach to couple therapy and enrichment. Journal of Psychology and Christianity. 26 (2), 132-139. Worthington, E.L., Lerner, A.J., Sharp, C.B. (2005). Repairing the emotional bond: Marriage research from 1997 through early 2005. Journal of Psychology and Christianity. 24 (3), 259-262.

Why We Should Save Natural Resources

Why We should save natural resources because if we don’t, life will die out Have you ever wondered what would happen to the earth if we used all of the natural resources? Is it a possibility that this would happen in the near future? Well, at the current rate of resources being used it might happen. Renewable resources can Be used more than once. On the other hand non-renewable resources cannot be restored after being used once it’s used. Additionally non-renewable resources are in limited supply and be used once.Examples of these resources are Coal,oil and natural Gasses, they are known to be fossil fuels; They take millions of years to form. They have to be mined or drilled from deposits deep within the earth. And the Reason we should save them is because if we don’t what will we have left for example if we use too much paper we will end up cutting down all the tree’s on earth causing the CO2 level’s to go to high and kill us all. That is why my f amily save all paper we use and double side our work. The Future of our economy lies in how much we use natural resources.And according to the Political Economy of Natural Resources â€Å"The Development and taking of Resources leads to wars among countries and within countries†(the Political Economy of Natural Resources) And if natural resources Cost more money guess who suffers? The people do, Such as if we use up all our oil the price for a car and it’s maintenance would be very high. And Gail Tverberg believes â€Å"If the price of oil goes up the price of everything goes up† Natural resources don’t only affect the economy but the environment too. Natural resources are found throughout nature.So when we use it up the environment suffers to most. Without forests in certain areas will never have forests again. So by cutting down trees you are basically abusing the earth. And a source states â€Å"That forested area are decreasing 1% every year† s o basically in about 100 years we will die unless we stop cutting down trees and planting more of them. And half the world’s forest has already been cut down so without the trees what will stop the the soil erosion will permanently destroy the land and if that land is destroyed.And if the land is destroyed what will trap the Carbon dioxide or give oxygen. So if we take the natural resources, the bionetwork = earth abuse = no life after some amount of years. The world’s population has grown over the years, and because of this, more resources are needed. and as more people are born there is fossil fuels used because we need to heat more people’s heating bills and electricity. So the More people born then dead in a day can make the years the earth have less.And i have a some reasons why hydrogen should be our fuel until we can plant enough trees for soil erosion to go away and to get some more natural resources Reasons= It is colorless and odorless it is not a foss il fuel With the right technology using hydrogen, the sun and the wind we could get enough energy to power the whole US in 1 year. and after all the whole us is been powered stably we could store that energy and within 10 year we could have power to power the whole planet for at least 2 full years and all of the power is coming from renewable sources.And 90% of it is produced from natural gas after we make it pure it will be able to power almost everything including automobile, heat, electricity, and water Clean burning fuel It does’t emit greenhouse gasses which ruins the ozone layer Although Nonrenewable can be made from water (which has 2 part hydrogen and 1 part oxygen) and the sun. It can be made without mining from a limited supply It can be replenished through a natural processes it is the simplest element with only one proton and one eletron.

Bcg on Hul Essay

Once you know which businesses stand where in your business portfolio, you also come to know which businesses need investments, which needs harvesting (making money), which needs divesting (reducing investment) and which needs to be completely taken out of the business portfolio. For a major organization like HUL, ITC etc which have multiple categories and within the categories, they have multiple lines of products; the BCG analysis becomes very important. At a holistic level, they get to make a decision on which product to continue and which product to be divested. Which product can give new returns with good investment, and which products are reaching the apex of market share. BCG Growth Share Matrix –  The BCG growth share matrix was developed by Henderson of the BCG group in 1970? s. The matrix classifies businesses / SBU’s by 1) Relative Market Share –  The market share of the business / SBU / Product in the market as compared to its competitors and overall product / category. 2) Market growth rate –  The growth rate of the industry as a whole is taken into consideration from which the growth rate of the product is extrapolated. This growth rate is then pitched on the graph. Thus by having 2 basic but at the same time very important factors on X axis and Y axis, the BCG matrix makes sure that the classifications are concrete. Calculating the Market growth rate comprises of both industry growth and product growth rate thereby giving a fair knowledge of where the product / SBU stands in comparison to the Industry. The market share on the other hand comprises of the competition and the product potential in the market. Thus when we consider growth rate and market share together, it automatically gives us an overview of the competition and the industry standards as well as an idea of what the future might bring for the product. Once the businesses have been classified, they are placed into four different quadrants of the matrix. The quadrants of the matrix are divided into 1) Cash Cows –  High market share but low growth rate (most profitable). 2) Stars –  High market share and High growth rate (high competition) 3) Question marks –  Low market share and high growth rate (uncertainty) ) Dogs –  Low market share and low growth rate (less profitable or may even be negative profitability) On the basis of this classification, strategies are decided for each SBU / Product. Let’s discuss the characteristics and strategies of each quadrant in detail. Explanation: 1) Cash Cows –  The cornerstone of any multi product business, cash cows are products which a re having a high market share in  a low growing market. As the market is not growing, that cash cow gains the maximum advantage by generating maximum revenue due to its high market share. Thus for any company, the cash cows are the ones which require least investment but at the same time give higher returns. These higher returns enhance the overall profitability of the firm because this excess revenue can be used in other businesses which are Stars, Dogs or Question marks. In the case of HUL following are the Cash cows like Mass Soaps, Beverages, Oral care and Laundry which are running very well in the market today, Oral and Mass soap today is doing very good hence it is the cash cows for HUL today. Strategies for cash cow –  The cash cows are the most stable for any business and hence the strategy generally includes retention of the market share. As the market is not growing, acquisition is less and retention is high. Thus customer satisfaction programs, loyalty programs and other such promotional methods form the core of the marketing plan for a cash cow product / SBU. 2) Stars –  The best product which comes in mind when thinking of Stars is the telecom products. If you look at any top 5 telecom company, the market share is good but the growth rate too is good. Thus because these two factors are high, the telecom companies are always in competitive mode and they have to juggle between investment and harvesting vis investing money and taking out money time to time. Unlike cash cows, Stars cannot be complacent when they are top on because they can immediately be overtaken by another company which capitalizes on the market growth rate. However, if the strategies are successful, a Star can become a cash cow in the long run. Just like the products from HUL like Hair Care products, Skin Care products, Premium Soaps & Laundry products, Deodorants and it’s lately release brand Water (PureIt) Strategies for Stars –  All types of marketing, sales promotion and advertising strategies are used for Stars. This is because in cash cow, already these strategies have been used and they have resulted in the formation of a cash cow. Similarly in Stars, because of the high competition and rising market share, the concentration and investment needs to be high in marketing  activities so as to increase and retain market share. ) Question Marks –  Several times, a company might come up with an innovative product which immediately gains good growth rate. However the market share of such a product is unknown. The product might lose customer interest and might not be bought anymore in which case it will not gain market share, the growth rate will go down and it will ultimately become a Dog. On the other hand, the product might increase customer interest and more and more people might buy the product thus making the product a high market share product. From here the product can move on to be a Cash Cow as it has lower competition and high market share. Thus Question marks are products which may give high returns but at the same time may also flop and may have to be taken out of the market. This uncertainty gives the quadrant the name â€Å"Question Mark†. The major problem associated with having Question marks is the amount of investment which it might need and whether the investment will give returns in the end or whether it will be completely wasted. Processed foods and Color Cosmetics are few of the Question Marks for HUL since it is very rare found in the market due to the reason that it is not giving results as much expected in the consumer market today. Strategies for Question marks –  As they are new entry products with high growth rate, the growth rate needs to be capitalized in such a manner that question marks turn into high market share products. New Customer acquisition strategies are the best strategies for converting Question marks to Stars or Cash cows. Furthermore, time to time market research also helps in determining consumer psychology for the product as well as the possible future of the product and a hard decision might have to be taken if the product goes into negative profitability. ) Dogs –  Products are classified as dogs when they have low market share and low growth rate. Thus these products neither generate high amount of cash nor require higher investments. However, they are considered as negative profitability products mainly because the money already invested in the product can be used somewhere else. Thus over here businesses have to take a decision whether they should divest these product s or they can revamp them and thereby make them saleable again which will subsequently increase the market share of the product. Dogs for HUL are its Sea Products which is definitely and alarm for HUL to kill it. Strategies for Dogs –  Depending on the amount of cash which is already invested in this quadrant, the company can either divest the product altogether or it can revamp the product through rebranding / innovation / adding features etc. However, moving a dog towards a star or a cash cow is very difficult. It can be moved only to the question mark region where again the future of the product is unknown. Thus in cases of Dog products, divestment strategy are used. Sequences in BCG Matrix [pic] Success Sequence in BCG Matrix – The Success sequence of BCG matrix happens when a question mark becomes a Star and finally it becomes a cash cow. This is the best sequence which really gives a boost to the company’s profits and growth. The success sequence unlike the disaster sequence is entirely dependent on the right decision making. Disaster sequence in BCG Matrix – Disaster sequence of BCG matrix happens when a product which is a cash cow, due to competitive pressure might be moved to a  star. It fails out from the competition and it is moved to a question mark and finally it may have to be divested because of its low market share and low growth rate. Thus the disaster sequence might happen because of wrong decision making. This sequence affects the company as a lot of investments are lost to the divested product. Along with this the money coming in from the cash cow which is used for other products too is lost. Results on the strategies for HUL based on the BCG Matrix. There are four strategies possible for any product / SBU and these are the strategies which are used after the BCG analysis. These strategies are 1) Build –  By increasing investment, the product is given an impetus such that the product increases its market share. Example  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Pushing a Question mark into a Star and finally a cash cow (Success sequence) ) Hold –  The company cannot invest or it has other investment commitments due to which it holds the product in the same quadrant. Example –  Holding a star there itself as higher investment to move a star into cash cow is currently not possible. 3) Harvest –  Best observed in the Cash cow scenario, wherein the company reduces the amount of i nvestment and tries to take out maximum cash flow from the said product which increases the overall profitability. 4) Divest –  Best observed in case of Dog quadrant products which are generally divested to release the amount of money already stuck in the business.

Immigration in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Immigration in America - Essay Example 1). Modern America is judged by its immigrant past, present, and future. Americans need to comprehend the issue of immigration with clarity of mind to shift to a system wherein economic stakes and cherished ideals both are taken well care of (Griswold 4). Need of the hour is to initiate immigration reforms for creating more job opportunities. Job market is getting compressed due to directionless policies of the Obama government. Only pro-economy immigration reform can help in creating jobs. As per the CATO Institute, wider immigration reforms would increase the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) by .84 percent each following year with the passing of the reform bill. Immigration reform would also result in an increase in the net personal income by $30 to $36 billion in the initial three years, an outcome of earned legalization from higher earning capacity of newly-legalized jobbers. It would help in reducing the federal deficit by a cumulative amount of $2.7 trillion across the initial 10 years of the immigration reform (Ortiz â€Å"Immigration Reform,† par. 2-3). It is a wrong general perception that unregistered immigrants have negatively impacted the U.S. ... rants contribute in the economic growth by paying taxes in between $20,000 to $80,000 more than they enjoy through public benefits (Ortiz â€Å"Immigration Reform,† par. 4). An open economic policy towards immigration can help the economy better through increased production, made possible through labor, human capital, and the hard-working nature of immigrants. Immigrant labor do not compete with American labor, rather they add-on to native workers by filling niches areas of the job market (Griswold 1). A new impartial report from with Congress has revealed that immigration is good for America. It has confirmed that excessive cost predictions of an overhaul are not true. Charting a road to citizenship for millions of illegal unskilled, skilled, and farm workers is going to benefit the whole of America economically. If the new law over immigration comes into force, it would increase direct federal spending by $262 billion from 2014 to 2023, including the Medical expenses randoml y claimed to be costs by anti-immigration politicians; these are the costs but taxpayer-funded. It would add revenue of $459 billion over the same time to the Treasury, because of the additional income generated by immigrants and payroll taxes forked over by the same immigrants. After deducting the expenses from the income generated, it is expected to garner revenue of $197 billion. Future forecast is also positive during 2024 and 2033, with a deficit cut of $700 billion. Further analysis by CBO of adding 10.4 million permanent citizens to the American population by 2023, which includes 1.6 million temporary workers along with their families, would strengthen the U.S. labor force by another 6 million. It is going to increase gross domestic product by 3.3% in 2023 and 5.4% in 2033 (New York Daily

Baumans Self Preservation and Moral Duty and William C. Levins Assignment

Baumans Self Preservation and Moral Duty and William C. Levins Ideology - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that ownership is a social affair, the owner can deny access to property while a non-owner has to ask for permission. Ownership allows the owner to become independent of another’s power, hence it is perceived as an enabling faculty. â€Å"It extends one’s autonomy, freedom, action, and choice† (Bauman, 2006, p. 128). Connecting this with ownership and self-preservation, Bauman says that man’s ultimate goal is to eliminate the competition and to gain control of goods. Because such interaction is a zero-sum game, the winners get to dictate the rules of the game while the losers suffer. In this view, the poor are viewed as â€Å"lazy, slovenly and negligent†¦[they are] lacking in character, shirking hard labor, and inclined to delinquency and law-breaking† (Bauman, 2006, p.130). In this view, there is no room for moral duty which â€Å"finds its expression in the consideration of the needs of others† (Bauman, 2006, p. 131). If man were to fulfill his moral duty, then he will have to exercise self-restraint or voluntarily renounce his personal gain. The bureaucracy which was supposed to ensure that resources are allocated wisely are neutral, according to Bauman, hence, it acts based on rationality. It seems that â€Å"every person had ‘a job to do’, a problem to be solved† (Bauman, 2006, p.133). When a man does not do his job, then he will suffer because of it. Because of this view, the bureaucracy is â€Å"made to service inhuman purposes†¦[it has the] ability to silence moral motivations and†¦[appeal] to the motive of self-preservation† (Bauman, 2006, p. 134). By acting rationally, a man can make correct choices that directly addresses his need for self-preservation and self-enhancement. Levin’s discussion of ideology directly relates to this need for self-preservation. According to him, â€Å"ideologies suit to change the times, a nd people can change the ideologies to which they subscribe† (Levin, 2001, pp. 241-242), depending on a person’s best interest. The changing ideologies are used to justify the actions of a group of people who are actually working to achieve their goals which based on the values that they have.

Report on Apple Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Report on Apple Company - Essay Example The company has been successful in the recent years and has even managed to attain leadership in the global market. Among other factors, the successful performance of the company has been driven by its efficient business and marketing strategies. This paper suggests that the company’s business and marketing strategies are also going to influence its performance in the future. Therefore, by addressing the current business and marketing strategies, a potential investor can have a clear picture of the company and can apply the information in making an effective decision on whether to invest in it or not. The business strategies addressed in the paper that are adopted by Apple are product development and product proliferation approaches. The marketing strategies addressed are Apple’s segmentation, target market and positioning strategies as well as the company’s marketing mix. Based on the analysis, Miguel and his co-workers can make wise decisions on whether their c ompany, Tech-Shield, should invest in Apple Inc. Table of Contents Summary ii Table of Contents iii Apple Inc. 1 1.0 Background 1 2.0 Business Strategy 1 Figure 1.0 Use of iTunes 2 Figure 2.0 Some of Apple’s innovative products 3 3.0 Market Strategy 5 3.1 Segmentation, Target Market and Positioning 5 3.2 Marketing Mix 6 3.2.1 Product 6 3.2.2 Price 7 3.2.3 Place 8 3.2.4 Promotion 8 Figure 3.0 Strategy of Promotions 9 4.0 Summary of SWOT Analysis 9 Table 1.0 Apple’s SWOT Analysis 9 5.0 Conclusion 10 6.0 Work cited 12 List of Figures Figure 1.0 Use of iTunes 2 Figure 2.0 Some of Apple’s innovative products 3 Figure 3.0 Strategy of Promotions 9 List of Tables Table 1.0 Apple’s SWOT Analysis 9 Apple Inc. 1.0 Background Apple Inc. is a leading multinational corporation that produces computers, computer software, commercial servers and consumer electronics. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Apple was founded in 1979 by Steve Jobs and his colleagues. The co mpany has developed a huge portfolio of products, which have successfully penetrated the global market, such as Mac line of computers, iPhone series, iPad series and iPod series among others (Lamido, 2013). Apple Inc. operates in a highly competitive market comprising of well-established manufacturers of consumer accessories and electronics, such as IBM, HP, Dell, Microsoft, Toshiba, Samsung, Nokia, LG and Google. Arguably, the high level of competition has prompted Apple Inc. to intensify its business and marketing efforts in the recent years. Among other efforts, the company’s efficient business and marketing strategies have steered at to attain leadership in the global market (Katie, 1). Arguably, any factor that may influence the performance of an organization in the future is of fundamental interest to potential investors. This paper addresses the business and marketing strategies of Apple as the principal among the factors that will influence its performance in the futu re. The paper aims at giving a clear picture of the performance of Apple in the two areas to Miguel and his co-workers so that they can make a wise decision on whether their company, Tech-Shield, should invest in Apple Inc. 2.0 Business Strategy Apple Inc. has been using a combination of product development and product proliferation strategies to gain  a competitive edge in the global market (Besanko, Dranove and Shanron, 47). Product development refers to the process of innovating new or better products or services to replace old ones (O’Grady, 37). Apple has attained leadership in its target market mainly through continuous innovation of unique products. Apple created iPods and iTunes and by 2003, it had made them available in Microsoft Windows version. Consequently, demand for these products skyrocketed and propelled the revenue for the company to

Working with groups Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Working with groups - Essay Example They can sometimes be positive and sometimes negative depending on how they are translated by others in the group. In relation to myself with others, I learned that my strong value system seems to make me a candidate for leadership in the group. People seem to appreciate my outspoken attitudes. The positive way that followers in the group responded to my thoughts and ideas made me the person who would empower others that made the group function better. The most difficult activity in the group was getting meaningful feedback. Because most in the group found common values and attitudes, people did not want to challenge the discussion for fear of conflict. This seemed to limit productivity that Stubbs talks about in the textbook. Stubbs also mentions that situations are always in a state of flux in a group and this was hard to reduce to make discussion more productive and valuable. What I learned that would be most valuable to a future career is linked to the last discussion about fear of conflict and good social connection in the group. I learned that when people get along very well in a group, they will sometimes hold onto the truth and not provide thoughts or ideas that might cause harm to these connections. This is why a group seems to need a leader to keep conversation focused and empower others to be honest. The group seems to need a leader to keep things productive when others are concerned about making everyone happy. For example, English is my second language and it made translating difficult at times. Rather than say they did not understand, they wanted to keep peace in the group. A real professional commits to excellence which was in the leadership video. Excellence is honesty in a group that wants to be productive even if it means creating productive conflict. The leadership video also said that people need to embrace humor and optimism with a quote by the disabled Helen

GDP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

GDP - Essay Example As the discussion highlights  demographic studies have also shown that quality of life is judged more accurately by average life expectancy, ratio of hospitals to population, ratio of doctors available per patient, age distribution, income distribution, average household and gender ratios. These factors play an important role in any economy because earning money is not the only objective, the money earned should be translated into something which really has meaning and/or which could bring happiness to individuals for instance if the money earned could not be translated into good medical health care services then it is of no use to the individual, money earned should have the potential to be translated into goods and services of the highest quality.  According to the report findings  GDP is a widely used tool when assessing the economic health of any country because it is a true representation of the country when it comes to economic activity that is being carried out and how w ell the economy is doing but it is not a true representation of the welfare of the general masses or level of satisfaction that the entire population has, this is so because human nature needs have to be satisfied through goods and services and not through earning money only.  Human needs can only be met in a satisfactory way if the quality of the goods and services provided is extremely high, in third world countries such as India and Pakistan, the problem is that people do have the money but the quality of life is very low due to problems that the economy is facing.

European Community Trade Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

European Community Trade Law - Essay Example The Single Market envisaged by these principles has the product liability regime for defective products. An affected Member State should notify the Commission about the Member State which violates the directive for free movement of goods in the Single Market, as per decision 3052/95/EC 2 Following are articles of the treaty that the case on hand attracts. 2. Member States shall, by the end of the first stage at the latest, abolish all quantitative restrictions on exports and any measures having equivalent effect which are in existence when this Treaty enters into force. The provisions of Articles 30 to 34 shall not preclude prohibitions or restrictions on imports, exports or goods in transit justified on grounds of public morality, public policy or public security; the protection of health and life of humans, animals or plants; the protection of national treasures possessing artistic, historic or archaeological value; or the protection of industrial and commercial property. Such prohibitions or restrictions shall not, however, constitute a means of arbitrary discrimination or a disguised restriction on trade between Member States."3 The case on hand is that the cheese product by name ''Dolcedella'' of Italian Recipe manufactured by other member States is not allowed to be marketed in Italy unless it bears the label in Italian Language that it complies with the ministerial decree no 2001 and it has the permission of Italian Ministry of Food Agriculture for being marketed in Italy. It prima facie appears not a discriminative provision, the Ministerial Decree No 2001 being applicable to Italy and other Member States alike. The Cheese being a delicate product needing expert handling, it can only be marketed from licensed shops for the purpose in Italy though there are only 250 shops in Italy. The French producer of 'Dolcedella'' is advised to comply with the Italian Ministry's Decree No 2001 in as much as it is not discriminatory between the member states including Italy. There are few case laws supporting the above advice which we shall see in detail as below. Case 8/74: Dassonville4 Case 391/92 Hellenic Republic 5 Before discussing the above two cases, the following quote will enlighten us as to even the seemingly non-discriminatory measures would turn out to be discriminatory if deeply gone into. In the instance case before us, there seem to be no discriminatory measure hidden behind the non-discriminatory provision requiring every one take authorisation from the Ministry concerned to market the subject cheese and the labelling requirement as applicable to every marketer. "If it can be shown that certain conditions are imposed in relation to imports only, this would clearly constitute a directly applicable measure

Reclassification of marijuana Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reclassification of marijuana - Research Paper Example All desirable effects of cannabis like euphoria, sense of pleasantness, more perceptive feelings and other disappear within a couple of hours after cannabis was used. Though it is a light drug and if talking medically in fact is not even a drug, it has some bad effects. These bad effects are usually of long-term and depend on the regularity of smoking cannabis and the amount of product smoked. Among negative long-term effects there are loss of concentration, slow reaction, sleepiness, inactivity and passive reaction towards the irritants of the environment which is called apathy. However these negative effects do not have somehow significantly negative influence and they appear only if cannabis is used too regularly and in huge portions. It is also clinically proved that without further using of cannabis such negative effects vanish with no trace of them. There are no inconvertible effects of cannabis and no direct damage to human organism (Goode 2007). Despite peacefulness and harmlessness of cannabis as a psychostimulant or anti-depressant its production and distribution is considered illegal in most countries. The reason of that is that cannabis is not produced by special manufacturers and cannot be taxed because of the easy ways of its cultivation. Another reason is bad influence of cannabis on the activities like driving and working. Nevertheless, cannabis is clinically proved to be a lot less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. The main advantage of legalization of marijuana for the government is an extra tax income. Also very significant is the fact that in low developed countries young people who just want to spend their time in a more interesting way will not be punished inappropriately for the keeping and using small amounts of cannabis while often such individuals are unfairly called junkies and addicts which gives them bad publicity. Progressive western countries developed a legal term â€Å"Light Drug†

Pest Essay Example for Free

Pest Essay Hong Kong is politically stable, there would rarely be any political factors that will interrupt and slow down the company’s growth. Hong Kong doesn’t have goods and services tax so this allows McDonalds to have lower expenses and they can maximize their profit. The international operations of Mcdonald’s are highly influenced by the individual state policies enforced by each government. Economic- The economic collapse has caused Hong Kong to enter the recession stage in the economic cycle. Therefore the demands for low price food increase tremendously and this benefited McDonald, since the foods are cheap and the quality is guaranteed. Inflation has caused McDonald to raise meal price, in long term, as inflation raised to a point that it will be too expensive and McDonald will lose its large customer base. But still Mcdonald’s is still a market leader and it got a very (high)large target market. low cost more incomes. The rate at which the economy of that particular state grows determines the purchasing power of the consumers in that country. Social- McDonald is a fast food restaurant company so they can perform their services in a short period of time and this fits with the fast paced lifestyle in Hong Kong. In the past few years Hong Kong people are more aware of healthy eating, so they stay away from high calories and high cholesterol food. McDonald tries to prevent the loss of customer by adding healthier food in the menu such as salads sweet corn. Working within many social groups. Increase employments. Technology- Hong Kong has a well developed transportation system, especially the airport that has airlines that connects to different part of the world. Their food supplies can be delivered from all around the world in a short period. Computers and smart cashiers are used by the employees so they would not get confused and they are provided with customized database management system. They also have Wifi provide in every McDonalds also, its very convenient for people that is using laptop. Quality packing and standards. Advanced technology development. Local manufacture using foreign supplies. | | Strength| Strong brand name, image and reputation- Clean environment and play areas for children (bday party provided)- 24 hours- Customer intimacy- Product innovation- Supplier integration| Weaknesses| High staff turnover (food going to waste)- Unhealthy food image- Low depth and width of product- Unbalanced meals (mostly meat, amount of fruit or vegetable not much)| Opportunities| Expand into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities- Growth of the fast-food industry- Worldwide deregulation- Low cost menu that will attract the customers- Freebies and discounts- Can open up online service for customers Growing health trend (fresh burger or healthy dessert)| Threats| Increase competition from local fast food outlets- Mcdonald’s competitors threatened market share of the company both internationally and domestically- Health issues – Health professionals and consumer activities accuse Mcdonald’s of contributing to the country’s health issue of high cholesterol, heart attacks, diabetes and obesity- Lack of choices (customers will change their taste anyday)- Global recession and fluctuating foreign currencies- Fast-foo d chain industry is expected to struggle to meet the expectations of the customers towards health and environmental issues|

The Worlds best ever performance Essay Example for Free

The Worlds best ever performance Essay When he got back to London he calmed himself and traveled back to Glasgow the next morning. Here he waited until Sven phoned him and announced the date of the next England match. He also told Douglas that the player who shouted at him was drunk and didnt know what he was saying.  Weeks later Douglas next match was only a few days away. He was hardened by his abuse and even more determined to play well in this match. When he finally jogged out onto the pitch the mixture of cheers and boos pumped him up to his best performance. On the pitch, Douglas was everywhere but as the match continued it became much like the next. He only got the ball when he managed to intercept his own teams pass and in his state of determination he knocked over an opposing player who was trying to tackle him. He was given a yellow card. The opposing team took a free kick. After the match Douglas headed out of the back entrance of the ground hoping to avoid angry hooligans but there were still plenty there, what he thought looked like thousands of people.  They were shouting comments, You Scottish pillock We hate you You suck Youre rubbish Were not goin to listen to your excuses even wit your crappy Scottish accent. The people shouted, Who do you think you are playing for us?  Later that day Douglas went into negotiations with the British Football Association. He wanted to know what they were going to do about the hooligans and players giving him abuse. He was very angry. What he was told by the BFA wasnt a great help either. They had agreed in a unanimous decision that Douglas should leave the team. They told him that it was because during his first two games he hadnt contributed to the final result. They told him he had hindered the team. At this comment Douglas went crazy, he tipped up his desk and rushed from the building so fast that a glass fell from another table.  During the next year of qualifying for the Europeans, England had numerous injuries. Some of the better known players were out, including Beckham, Owen and Cole. England needed some good new players. With only one week to go before the Europeans began the BFA phoned Douglas and said, We need your help Doug. It was Sven. Yu du? Realli. I wuldn hve guessed tha. Said Douglas, who was still hurt about his first two matches for England.  Douglas spent about half the weeks discussing terms and when it was finally settled he was flown down to London in a private Leah Jet.  He arrived in the stadium and boldly walked through a mass of confused supporters. They had not expected to see him back and had not been told by the press. Douglas was very confident and had a very good feeling about this game. The whistle blew and the game began. England played solidly and Poland, whom they had beaten in the first round of qualifying, did as well. However, the final score was England seventeen, Poland nil. Out of the seventeen goals scored Douglas had scored fifteen. This was the most goals scored at International level by any one player in any one match. It was a new World Record.  After this match, Douglas watched The News something which he had refused to do ever since his earlier experience for England. The same reporter as that time said in a bewildered voice, The Worlds best ever performance by a truly outstanding player. The other reporter then said, Yes it was. Literally. That match will be played on international television for centuries to come. Compared to the Scots last two England games it was more than jus beating a World record it was like beating twenty. This will open so many doors for McDonald and its a good present for his twenty-forth Birthday last week.  AS Douglas grew older he wrote a book on his experiences and discrimination. It became a best-seller and now hes a World record holder in Football and Literacy.

Ability Job Fit

Ability Job Fit What is more likely to lead to high work performance a fit between ability-job or between personality-organisation? Introduction The aim of this assignment is to construct an argument to support the proposition, that Performance-Organization fit is more important over Ability-Job fit, for higher job performance. Scope and Definitions The scope of the assessment covers only the area of high work performance related to ability-job and personality-organization, using proven research and theoretical information from a wide range of articles and journals that are relatively current and authentic. Accordingly, both theory and empirical research, drawn from thorough literature review are used to analyse, substantiate and conclude Personality-Organization shall to lead to higher work performance In this paper, Work performance is broadly viewed as Contextual performance behaviour, counter productive work behaviour, inter personal facilitation and task performance. Background Information Globalization and its effects have led organizations into unchartered territories. As institutions valiantly try to thrive in an ever demanding atmosphere, the identification of critical resources is paramount to any organization. The single most important factor that is significant to any organization is its human capital. The success or failure of an organization can be largely attributed to its human resources. Thus making it directly related to their work performance. The senior executives of most organizations view people and workforce related issues as a critical competitive differentiator and one of their top agenda items. This sentiment is evident in the survey conducted by Accenture in their 2006 Edition of the Accenture High-Performance Workforce Study, in which attracting and retaining skilled staff and developing talented leaders were cited by the executives as critical factors in achieving high performance (Accenture Consulting, 2006). High Work Performance In an organizational context high work performance is defined as an employee (or group of employees) at any level or functions that is focused on the right priorities and understand that they are accountable for delivering strong results. They are energized, engaged and perfectly positioned to give their best by exceeding or far exceeding their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Ability Job Fit Ability-job fit can be defined as the fit between the abilities of a person and the demands of a job, or the desires of a person and the attributes of a job (Sekiguchi, 2004). Personality Organization Fit Personality-Organization is defined as the compatibility between a person and the organization, emphasizing the extent to which a person and the organization share similar fundamental characteristics and/or meet each others needs (Kristof, 1996). Ability Job Fit for High Performance According to the literature on practical job previews, correct and practical job information enables applicants to review the degree of similarity between their knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) and the job necessities. Applicants who identify a match between the job requirements and their KSAs are likely to stay in selection and accept the job offer. The basic assumption of the theory is that applicants personal assessments play an important part in initial attraction, to remain in the selection procedure and finally in job acceptance decision. Research also supports that subjective fit is the better predictor of hiring outcomes and applicant attitudes than the objective fit (Carless, 2005). Ability-Job fit assessment If you are a job seeker, you might not be considering the importance of ability job-fit, but this fit is critical. As research suggests, without it, you become among the estimated 75 percent of the workforce who are dissatisfied with their jobs (Coppola, Carini, 2006). The ability job-fit model demonstrates that work performance, personal satisfaction and outcomes are enhanced when the employee and work environment are in perfect synch. Synchronization is a process that includes not just education and experience, but many dimensions of individuals abilities: ability to learn, mental hard-wiring, personality archetypes, leadership dynamics and physical abilities (Coppola, Carini, 2006). Job Characteristic Belief Dimensions A primary classification in the job characteristics is Hackman and Oldhams (1980) Job Characteristics Model, which includes five job characteristics: Autonomy Skill variety Task feedback Task identity Task significance Empirical findings on Job Characteristic Belief Research on the model has also found that a multiplicative or additive index of the five job characteristics reflecting job complication is a better analyst of the models psychological findings than an individual job characteristic (Fried Ferris, 1987). Thus, for the purpose of conciseness, a single complexity job characteristic feature was developed for the current research, involving the degree to which a job is complicated, challenging, and involves diverse tasks (Ehrhart, 2006). Further, research finds that the five dimensions, in the Job Characteristics Model (JCM) predominantly relates to an individuals experience of the job, regardless of other factions such as subordinates, co-workers, supervisors, or customers. Accordingly, the level and nature of interpersonal interaction required by customer service jobs is not represented in the JCM (Ehrhart, 2006). Antecedents and outcomes of Ability-Job fit The review of the ability-job fit literature by Edwards (1991) recognized job satisfaction, low job stress, motivation, performance, attendance and retention as outcomes that are positively affected by ability-job fit. When ability-job fit is assessed as the match between what an employee wants and receives from performing job, it is linked to enhance job-satisfaction, integration, and organizational commitment, as well as reduced intentions to resign. Additional benefits for task performance have been established when the meaning of ability-job fit is expanded to include the match between abilities and their job demands. Research by Sekiguchi in 2004, also demonstrates that structured and validated measures for determining ability-job fit have led to efficient selection of employees leading to high performance compared to unstructured techniques (Sekiguchi, 2004). Personality Organization Fit for High Performance Person-environment (P-E) fit propose that positive responses occur when there is a high level of compatibility between individuals and their environment. Research also emphasizes this proposition that individuals adapt easily to jobs that match appropriately with their career personality traits (Spokane, 1985; Tinsley, 2000). P-E fit is seen as a general and wider term, and covers detailed concepts of fit. In the high work performance domain, one common form of fit has been identified as person-organization fit (P-O fit). Further, empirical data suggests that Personality-Organisation fit is the key attribute in maintaining flexibility and dedicated workforce that is essential to a highly competitive organizational environment (Bowen, Ledford and Nathan, 1991; Kristoff, 1996). The Person-Organization fit is distinguished into two types: Supplementary fit Complementary fit Supplementary fit is defined as when a person has similar characteristics to other individuals (Ivancevich, Konopaske Matteson, 2008). Complementary fit is defined as when the individual and the situation suit each others needs (Ivancevich, Konopaske Matteson, 2008). In analysing the P-O fit and related affects on high work performance, the personality domain should be taken into account and evaluated. The main personality domains of interests in the P-O fit are the following: Big Five personality dimensions Locus of Control Self-efficacy Big Five Personality Dimensions In accordance with psychologists, the five big personality dimensions identified in humans are: Extroversion Emotional stability Agreeableness Conscientiousness Openness to experience Extroversion is a trait that indicates a persons outgoing, sociable behaviour. Research suggests that people with high extroversion thrive in sales and managerial positions as they enjoy interacting and conversing with fellow colleagues and peers Their performance excels in training programs and tends to contain superior levels of overall job contentment (Judge, Heller Mount, 2002). Emotional Stability is the ability to be calm, serene, relaxed and secure. Low emotional stability can result in job dissatisfaction and underperformance due to job-related stress (Judge Ilies, August 2002). Agreeableness is the tendency to be considerate, forgiving, tolerant, trusting and soft-hearted. In the organizational domain this is classified as someone who gets along with others and who possess a cooperative attitude. Agreeableness is a trait for a team player who can develop and maintain good interpersonal relationships and team cohesion (Neuman Wright, June 1999, pp. 379-389). This trait is paramount for high performing teams, specifically in the occupations within areas of customer service, sales, auditing, nursing, teaching and social work. Conscientiousness is to be dependable, organized, thorough, responsible and disciplined. Individuals displaying such traits have a tendency to work hard and enjoy achievements, which research has deemed to be important for job performance (Ivancevich, Konopaske Matteson, 2008, page 75). Further, individuals in this group exhibit higher levels of motivation, job satisfaction and other important forms such as retention, attendance and less counterproductive behaviour which are imperative for job performance (Judge Ilies, August 2002).. Openness to experience tends to reflect the extent to which a person is broad-minded, creative, intelligent, inquisitive and willing to take risks. These characteristics are advantageous in occupations where innovation and change is continuous (Ivancevich, Konopaske Matteson, 2008, page 75). Empirical Findings on Big Five Personality Barrick Mount in 1991 conducted research to indentify the relationship between selected job performance criterias and Big Five personality dimensions within five occupational groups. The job performance criterias were: Personnel data Training proficiency Job proficiency Meta-analysis findings of different occupational groups (professionals, skilled/semi-skilled labour, managers, police and sales) across Big five personality dimensions are presented in Table 1 appendix1 (Barrick Mount, 1991, p.12). The results confirmed that for all the occupational groupings Conscientiousness was the valid predictor. The 5 occupational groups shows consistency across other personality dimensions (Barrick M.R Mount M.K, 1991, pp.12-13) In terms of Emotional Stability (ES) very little evidence was found. The correlations for ES were lower compared to conscientiousness, but ES for professionals was in fact in the opposite direction. Agreeableness and Extraversion were theorized as valid predictors for sales representatives and managers. This theory was found support for Extraversion in both occupations. However, very less support was found for Agreeableness, for sales and for managers. Rest of the true score correlations with respect to other dimensions were quite low (Barrick M.R Mount M.K, 1991, pp.14) Table 2 in Appendix1 shows that Conscientiousness as a credible tool for all three criterion types and the results for Conscientiousness are consistent. Extraversion and Openness to Experience (OE) were significant predictors of training proficiency criterion. Most of the other remaining correlations were comparatively small for all three criterion types (Barrick M.R Mount M.K, 1991, p.14) Van Scotter and Motowidlo (cited in Murphy, Cleaveland Beaty, 2001, p. 127) examined correlations between task performance and personality measures scores, and also the two dimensions of contextual performance: Job dedication such as self-disciplined behaviours like working hard, following rules and taking initiative to solve a problem Interpersonal facilitation (cooperative behaviours which helped co-workers in finishing their tasks) These researchers found that Agreeableness, Extroversion, Conscientiousness, and Positive Affectivity were significantly related to inter personal facilitation and only Conscientiousness was related significantly to task performance (Murphy, Cleaveland and Beaty, 2001, pp.127) The relationship between job context, job content sources of stress and selected behavioural and attitudinal outcomes, absenteeism and perceived performance, were empirically examined, while controlling for differences in personality, occupation and organizational culture. The research was conducted with twelve hundred hospital workers using an occupational stress questionnaire and attendance records. It was found that job content stress was found to reduce absenteeism but not to influence perceived performance, while job context stress increased absenteeism and reduced perceived performance (Arsenault, 1983, p.227) The outcome of the research attributed personality to have significant effect on performance but not on absenteeism, but occupation influenced absenteeism but not performance; while organizational culture contributed to the explanation of both absenteeism and performance (Arsenault, 1983, p.227). Smithikrai in 2008 conducted a study on Counter Productive Work Behaviour (CWB) and the extent to which the strength of situations moderates the relations between personality traits (Smithikrai, 2008, p.253). The study set the following as the CWBs: Absenteeism Production deviance Workplace aggression Theft Sabotage or fraud The Research found that conscientiousness is the strongest predictor of CWB (Hough, 1992; Salgado, 2002; Dalal, 2005; Sackett et al., 2006(cited in Smithikrai, 2008, p.253)). The results also indicated that, in a weak situation only, conscientiousness has a stronger, negative relation to CWB when agreeableness is low than when agreeableness is high (Smithikrai, 2008, p.261). Locus of control Locus of control refers to the extent a person believes that specific outcomes are caused by their actions. If someone feels that they are in control of the outcomes, then they have an internal locus of control and the opposite be interpreted as external locus of control (Salazar, Hubbard Salazar, 2002). Empirical Findings on Locus of Control Daileys (1980) study, conducted with 281 scientists, tackled the association between locus of control and task difficulty, task variability and job performance. The research indicated that individuals with an internal locus of control exhibited greater satisfaction, motivation and had an elevated level of involvement in their jobs leading to high performance. Research with a group of accountants performed in Taiwan, also suggests that accountants personality, as measured by locus of control, plays an essential function in predicting the intensity of job performance (Jui-Chen Chen, Colin Silverthorne, 2008). Self-efficacy (SE) SE is essential for successful job performance and must not be underestimated as simply the belief that ones capability and competence may even determine an individuals attempt at completing a particular task. SE affects a persons choice, behaviour, motivation, perseverance, and facilitative thought patterns. Low SE can result in incapacitating effects such as stress and depression, and thus should be handled with care for high job performance (Christopher, 1999). Empirical Findings on Self-efficacy Research was conducted amongst 118 employees in an Australian financial services firm Christopher, 1999). In the study, self-efficacy was found to mediate the association between the amount of prescribed training and superior ratings of improved performance among individuals in jobs where self-confidence was perceived to be crucial for positive outcome, but not among individuals in any positions where it was considered irrelevant (Christopher, 1999). Research confirms the significance of self-regulatory mechanisms in performance achievements and motivational processes (Locke Latham, 1990; Kanfer, 1990; Bandura, 1997; Carver Scheier, 1985). Meta-analytic investigations and performance outcomes in a variety of contexts have been clearly established when self-efficacy is associated (Bandura, 1997) and meta-analytic investigations (Stajkovic Luthans, 1998a). A positive connection between self-efficacy and work-related performance is found by researchers in areas such as computer-related tasks (Harrison, Rainer, Hochwarter, Thompson, 1997), academic research productivity (Taylor, Locke, Lee, Gist, 1984), managerial decision-making (Wood Bandura, 1989a), career choice (Lent, Brown, Larkin, 1987) organizational change (Judge, Thorensen, Pucik, Welbourne, 1999) and coping with career-related stressful events (Stumpf, Brief, Hartman, 1987). The Importance of P-O Fit over Ability-Job Fit Although studies of Ability Job Fit and Personality-Organization (P-O) Fit have been extensive and increasing, researchers have increasingly put more emphasis on P-O Fit. Kristof (1996) contends that there has been a growing interest in P-O Fit during the recent years by both scholars and managers. Bowen et al (1991) (cited in Sekiguchi, 2004) explains that P-O fit is the key to maintaining the flexible and committed work force that is necessary in a competitive business environment and a tight labour market. Kristof, (1996) contends that P-O fit occurs when an organization satisfies an employees needs desires and preferences. The P-O fit argues that employee/persons leave jobs that are not compatible with their personalities. However, it has been argued that the ability job fit model emphasizes the performances of employees, but their satisfaction and thus the outcomes are enhanced when the employees and their work environment are in perfect synchronization (Coppola Carini, 2006). Also, according to Coppola and Carini (2006), individuals past experience and educational skills would not produce any tangible performance outcomes as they try to match their skills with a new job. Sekiguchi, (2004) contends that employees and organization attract each other based on their similarities. This was confirmed by empirical evidence that an elevated level Personality-Organization fit is linked to a number of positive results. Vancouver Schmitt, 1991, Brets Judge, 1994, Chatman, 1991, Boxx et al; 1991, Downey et al; 1975, OReilly et al, 1991, Postner; et al; 1985, Tziner, 1987(cited in Sekiguchi, 2004) explains that empirical evidence discovered that Person Organization Fit was correlated to a number of positive performance outcomes. Cable and Judge, (1996) explains that people select organizations that fulfil needs that has been seen a process that resulted in P-O fit. Chatman, 1989, 1991, Judge, 1993, OReilly et al., 1991, Meglino, et al., 1989 (cited in Cable Judge, 1996, p. 297) further explains that employees are fully committed towards their organization when they share the values of their organizations and in turn they achieve maximum job satisfaction resulting in high performance. Conclusions Theory and research on Ability-Job Fit and Personality-Organisation fit involved a variety of levels of study with respect to high job performance. The analyses were conducted using various job abilities and personality traits in multiple conceptualizations leading to job performance. The P-O is the important attribute to an employees adaptability in an organization providing the essential impetus to higher work performance. This basically means that recruitment of persons possessing the right personality would result in far better job performance when the person and the organization are aligned together. Based on the theoretical and empirical research on personality-organisation fit and ability-job fit, its extensively proven that personality-job fit carries more importance than the ability-job fit. References Accenture Consulting 2006, High Performance Work Study 2006, Research Report, p. 5, retrieved 2 April 2010, . Arsenault, A 1983, The role of personality, occupation and organization in understanding the relationship between job stress, performance and absenteeism, vol. 1983, issue 3, p. 227 Barrick, MR Mount, MK 1991, The Big Five Personality Dimensions and Job Performance: A Meta-Analysis, vol. 44, issue 1, pp. 1-26. Bandura, A 1997, Self-efficacy: The exercise of control, New York: Freeman. Beaty, JC Jr, Cleveland, JN Murphy, KR 2001, The Relation Between Personality and Contextual Performance in Strong Versus Weak Situations, vol. 14, issueÂÂ  2, pp. 125-148. Cable, D Judge, T 1996, Person-Organization Fit, Job Choice Decisions, and Organizational Entry, Organizational Behaviour and human resource processes, vol. 67, no. 3, pp. 294-295. Carless, S 2005, Person-Job Fit versus Person-Organization Fit as predicators of organizational attraction and job acceptance intensions: A longitudinal study, Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 78, pp. 411-429. Carver, CS Scheier, MF 1985, A control-systems approach to the self-regulation of action, In Kuhl, J Beckmann, J (Eds.), Action control: From cognition to behaviour, New York: Springer, pp. 237-266. Christopher, O 1999, The impact of self-efficacy on the effectiveness of employee training, Journal of Workplace Learning, Year: 1999, vol. 11, issue 4, pp. 119 122. Coppola, N Carini, G 2006, Ability Job-Fit Self Assessment: Employment Considerations for Job Seekers, Healthcare Executives, vol. 21 issue 2, pp. 60-63. Dailey, R 1980, Relationship between locus of control, task characteristics, and work attitudes, Psychological reports, 47, pp. 855-861. Edwards, JR 1991, Person-job fit: A conceptual integration, literature review, and methodological critique, International review of industrial and organisational psychology, vol. 6, pp. 283-357. Ehrhart, K 2006, Job characteristics belief and personality as antecedents of subjective person-job fit, Journal of Business and Psychology, Vol. 21, no. 2. Fried, Y Ferris, GR 1987, The validity of the job characteristics model: A review and Meta-analysis, Performance Psychology, Vol. 40, pp. 287-322. Gist, ME Mitchell, TR 1992, Self-efficacy: A theoretical analysis of its determinants and malleability, Academy of Management Review, 17, pp. 183-211. Harrison, AW, Rainer, RK, Hochwarter, WA Thompson, K R 1997, Testing the self-efficacy-performance linkage of social-cognitive theory The Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 137, pp. 79-87. Salazar, J, Hubbard, S Salazar, L 2002; Locus of control and Its Influence on Hotel Managers Job Satisfaction, Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality Tourism, Vol. l (2) 2002, retrieved 2 April 2010, http://www/haworthpressinc.com/store/product. asp?sku=J 17 1, 2002. Judge, TA, Locke, EA Durham, CC 1997, The dispositional causes of job satisfaction: A core evaluations approach, In Staw BM, Cummings LL, (Eds.), Research in organizational behaviour, vol. 19, pp. 151-188. Judge, TA Llies, R 2002, Relationship of Personality to Performance Motivation: A Meta-Analytic Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 87, no.4, pp. 797-807. Judge, TA, Daniel, H Mount, MK 2002, Five-Factors of Model Personality and Job Satisfaction: A Meta Analysis, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 87, no.3, pp. 530-541. Chen, J Silverthorne, C 2008, The impact of locus of control on job stress, job performance and job satisfaction in Taiwan, Leadership Organization Development Journal, Vol. 29, issue 7, pp. 572-582. Kanfer, R 1990, Motivation theory and industrial and organizational psychology, In Dunnette, MD Hough LM, (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, vol. 1, Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press, pp. 75-170. Kristof, A 1996, Person-Organization Fit: An integrative review of its conceptualizations, measurements, and implications, Personnel Psychology, pp.1-2. Lent, RW, Brown, SD Larkin, KC 1987, Comparison of three theoretically derived variables in predicting career and academic behaviour, Self-efficacy, interest congruence, and consequence thinking, Journal of Counselling Psychology, Vol. 34, pp. 293-298. Locke, EA Latham, GP 1990, A theory of goal setting and task performance, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Neuman, GA Wright, J 1999, Team Effectiveness; Beyond Skills and Cognitive Ability, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 84, no.3, pp. 379-389. Sekiguchi, T 2004, Person-Organization Fit and Person Job Fit in employee Selection: A review of the Literature, Osaka Keidai Ronshu, vol.54, no. 6, p, 182. Smithikra, C 2008, Moderating effect of situational strength on the relationship between personality traits and counterproductive work behaviour, Vol 11, issue 4, pp. 253-263 Stajkovic, AD Luthans, F 1998a, Self-efficacy and work-related performance: A meta-analysis, Psychological Bulletin, 124, pp. 240-261. Stumpf, SA, Brief, AP Hartman, K. 1987, Self-efficacy expectations and coping with career-related events, Journal of Vocational Behaviour, Vol. 31, pp. 91-108. Taylor, MS, Locke, EA, Lee, C Gist, ME 1984, Type A: behaviour and faculty research productivity, What are the mechanisms? Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 34, pp. 402-418. Van Scotter, JR Motowidlo, SJ 1996, Interpersonal facilitation and job dedication as separate facets of contextual performance, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 81, pp. 525-531. Wood, R Bandura, A 1989a, Impact of conceptions of ability on self-regulatory mechanisms and complex decision-making, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 56, pp. 407-415.

Straight-shooting Christianity :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Straight-shooting Christianity The March 11, 2003 edition of USA Today reports on a new approach to religious faith in certain churches: worship based in the values and mores of the American West. â€Å"Straight-shooting emphasis on Christianity spurs a growing trend,† reads the headline (Grossman D1). A church named, with no needed irony, â€Å"Cross Trails† is reported to baptize new believers â€Å"in an 8-foot circular, blue plastic horse trough† (Grossman D1). This is a trail to belief that is stripped-down, back-to-basics, a religious attitude that reflects the lives of the ranchers and farmers it appeals to. Cathy Lynn Grossman writes: This is cowboy church - straight-shooter, sinner-saved-by-grace theology throwing a rope out to the lost, the lonely and those who long for an unvarnished faith. No fancy duds. No politicized preaching. No denominational hair-splitting. It’s come as you are in spirit, spurs and Stetsons. It’s bucking bulls and plumbing Bibles in a dusty arena or dropping a hard-won dollar in a boot on the back table after a punchy sermon. (D1) The notion Grossman sculpts in her article is part Frederick Remington, part Sea of Galilee. Indeed, â€Å"[f]undamentally, it’s an attitude, whether you ride a bronc or a computer keyboardâ€Å" (Grossman 1D). The cowboy church movement seems to cut in on a growing herd of believers in America who seem to think that the values of the church as it should be are undermined by the very urbanity, the very sophistication that has come to characterize modern life and popular culture. They seek their solace in The West, in a picture - however mythological it may be - of a simpler way of life. This is a phenomenon, after all, that exists simultaneously with ranchers who hang cell phones where their six-shooter used to be, who use multi-tools to mend fences and all-terrain vehicles to run down stray livestock. It is an attitude more than anything else. But that attitude is not without some provenance. Grossman quotes pastor Perry Smith, the leader of Living for the Brand, a cowboy church next to the fairground arena in Athens, Texas: †The cowboy walk in life is parallel with the lifestyle of Jesus - doing right and living by your word† (D2). Likewise, cowboy churches themselves seem to be fulfilling the same roles that Jesus did to his followers. The cowboy church movement, for instance, packages its message especially for its audience, much in the same way Jesus used parables because â€Å"they seeing see not; and hearing they know not, neither do they understand† (Matt.

Essay on the American Dream Revised in Song of Solomon -- Song Solomon

The American Dream Revised in Song of Solomon      Ã‚   America was founded on the belief that "all men are created equal." However, a question must be posed which asks who constitutes "men" and what is "equal"?   Africans were taken from their country and enslaved in America. They had to fight to retain dignity and grace in circumstances that were deplorable. Even slaves who were well taken care of were not able to realize the dream of being free again.    In her work, Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison relates a story of the dream of Milkman.   Although he is not a slave, Milkman is enslaved by the fact that as a child, he was forced to participate in a shameful act that he wanted no part of. Even his nickname was derived from this horrific act:      When he came into the little room she unbuttoned her blouse and smiled. He was too young to be dazzled by her nipples, but he was old enough to be bored by the flat taste of mother's milk, so he came reluctantly, as to a chore, and lay as he had at least once each day of his life in his mother's arms, and tried to pull the thin, faintly sweet mild from her flesh without hurting her with his teeth. (13)    This act embarrassed Ruth and Macon Jr. because he was never able to shake the nickname and it did not improve either one's relationship with his father. Milkman could not control the whims of his mother though he suspected the act was wrong. Macon did not respect his son's voice as seen when Milkman strikes his father for striking his mother. Milkman does not want to hear Macon's explanations for his behavior and is appalled that Macon insists on describing the indiscriminant nature of Ruth's attachment to her father as the excuse for Milkman's father's treatment... ...m is not an open invitation to Africans like it is to other immigrant groups. They are not voluntary participants in American society; therefore, they must settle for less than others have to. They must fight twice as hard to have half as much as others.    Works Cited: De Arman, Charles. "Milkman as the Archetypal Hero." Obsidian: Black Literature in Review 6.3 (1980): 56-59. Moraru, Christian. "Reading the Onomastic Text: 'The politics of the Proper Name' in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon." Names: A Journal of Onomastics. 44.3 (1996): 189-204. Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: The Penguin Group, 1977. Peterson, Nancy J. Toni Morrison: Critical and Theoretical Approaches. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1997. Storhoff, Gary. "'Anaconda Love': Parental Enmeshment in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon." Style 31.2 (1997): 290-309.   

Grief and Bereavement Essay -- essays research papers fc

Grief and Bereavement CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION â€Å"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.† Matthew 5:4 Crisis involved with loss of other human being is the intensive of all types of crises. This paper I will be talking mainly about grief through people loss, as it is something, which happens suddenly, and which can also lead into intense grief. In this paper I want to also talk about how we as a Christian and especially as a pastor will be able to cope with or help a person that is undergoing this grief situation. This is because many of the times when we see someone undergoing this kind of crisis of grief, we tend to ignore it or we try to take over the grief to ourselves. Worst of all this when we try to convince the person that is in this crisis that it is not there at all. Grieving is an overall response to a number of different kinds of problems. Grief is not something that people is bound to experience but something that has consistently occurred in the lives of many. A loss may not necessarily initiate an experience of grief. But if there is an attachment emotionally to that loss then there might be grief. Grief is a part of human life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CHAPTER II TERMINOLOGY What is Grief? According to Webster’s Dictionary Grief is mentioned as intense emotional suffering caused by loss, misfortune, injury or evils of any kind, sorrow, and regret. Grief is considered to be a normal response to loss of any significant thing or person. Grief brings about a lack of meaning in the life of the person he, or she feels empty and sadness fills in. There are two kinds of grief and these are Normal grief and Morbid grief. Normal Grief It is seen as when individuals or family members who have been deeply affected by a death or anticipated death, who are able to openly grieve with each other and accept help from others as they experience the various stages of the grief process. Some of the symptoms seen in this kind of grief, empty feelings, sighing deeply, lack of appetite, overeating out of tension, unable to sleep. Sometimes there is a struggle with the way one feels about his or her relationship with the Lord. Some of them feel like God is has gone away from them. Most of them have trouble rejoicing in the Lord. Sometimes they over spiritualise the loss and hold back the question of God’s involvement in the loss. Morbid Gr... ... his way of normal living. Pastors needs to understand these three stages or phases of grief and should be able to help the griever with the knowledge of these. And along side all this we should be able to pray for the griever at all time, asking God to give him comfort. Most of all I would suggest that we should be able to Love and Care for the grieving person and help him to cope to a new way of life. BIBLIOGRAPHY Crick, Robert, D. Min., Grief, death, dying, and Bereavement: A general overview of the Dynamics of Grief: Helping People in Crisis, ed. Donald S. Aultman. Cleveland: Church of God School of Ministry, 2003. McMahan, Oliver, Scriptural Counselling, A God-centered Method. Cleveland: Pathway Press, 1995. Simpson, Carl Dr., Professor for European Theological Seminary, Lecture from Pastoral Counselling, 07. April 2005, Freundenstadt-Kniebis, Germany. Switzer, David K., The Minister as Crisis Counsellor, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1974. The New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984 Webster, Noah L.L.D, Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language. Cleveland: The World Publishing Company, 1966.

Media studies †Life on Mars Essay

How does life on mars (2006) use visual codes, technical, audio and narrative codes to create a sense of excitement and encourage the audience to watch. In this first episode of Life on Mars there are many different codes and conventions used to make this series instantly appealing to the audience. The episode is excellently paced and smartly directed, getting us into 1973 within 10 minutes and introducing new characters effortlessly. Sequence 1 of life on mars gets the audience instantly familiar with the genre, the episode begins with a police car chasing down a suspect which quickly shows us this is a hybrid police crime drama. The diegetic sounds of police sirens and dogs along with the non diegetic music, a heartbeat which is corresponding with Sam the detective in the police car creating suspense as we get a feel for how Sam is feeling as the heartbeat signifies his nerves also introducing the audience to protagonist Sam Tyler, these audio codes add up to create an exciting police chase which again expresses the genre of ‘Life on Mars’. Once out of the car Sam is forced to chase his primary suspect down an ally way in a council estate in the city giving the audience a feel for the setting. The music isn’t as dramatic while the chase is happening but speeds up during more dramatic parts of the chase which creates suspense. Cinema-verte is used when filming the chase which makes the audience feel almost part of the chase, this entertaining filming technique and creative use of music makes Life on Mars exciting to the audience creating enigma and encouraging them to watch on. This chase takes us up to Colin Raimes arrest bringing us to sequence 2. In sequence 2 Sam’s colleague and girlfriend, Maya, are interviewing suspect Colin Raimes. Sam and Maya facing Colin and his lawyers, which creates tension between these two sets of people. During the interview there is a close up of Colin Raimes which engages the audience creating tension and increasing the viewers curiosity as to what this suspect has done and makes them wonder has he done it or not? The diegetic recording sound in the background shows the viewers the interview is being recorded and shows the viewers the seriousness of the situation, the room is dark with little light which creates a professional mood, the dark setting is a technique used to scare the suspect in to talking, perfect for the situation. The narrative codes in this sequence reveal allot about Colin Raimes as he gets upset by the images he is being shown, we learn Colin sees a psychiatrist and his lawyers talk about how kids would throw fireworks at him on his estate. This is evidence to show that Colin is vulnerable and is possibly mad, the audience may take pity on him or take a different view on the suspect, this makes the viewers curious and increases their want to watch on. After the interview in sequence 3, Maya isn’t done with the suspect and decides to follow him on her own, only to be kidnapped. Once Maya is kidnapped Sam becomes sad and heads out looking for her, there is a close up of Sams face and he is distressed with tears running from his eyes. This visual codes will make the audience feel sympathetic towards Sam and shows us perhaps he is feeling stronger than just friendship for Maya. Sams nerves eventually get the better of him when he has to stop the car to refresh himself, standing there half-heartedly he says into himself,’ The world is a scary place’ again this shows the audience he is thinking about Maya and wants to find her increasing their sympathy for him and overall making the viewers want to continue to watch to see the conclusion. The different audio codes used express Sams feeling for Maya as the non diegetic music plays softly whilst he cries and thinks about her, this corresponds with the visual codes creating a sympathetic feel for the protagonist making the audience pity him. Sam is unexpectedly struck by a speeding vehicle which brings me to sequence four. Sam is struck very unexpectedly and this may have came as a shock to the audience, the accident is very unexpected and this is done deliberately to shock the audience as this scene is key to the viewers as it is where the storyline unfolds as after this it is based in 1973, where Sam time travels back in time. The diegetic sounds used are very impacting, when the car hits Sam, initially there is a loud sound to signify he has been hit, after this all that can be heard is silence which corresponds with how the audience will feel, as they will be shocked at what has just happened. This creates enigma and increases the viewers curiosity to keep watching and they are now introduced to how Life on Mars is going to take place. (back in time) will Sam be okay? what will happen next? are few of the questions the audience will be asking making them exciting and encouraging them to keep watching. Once Sam is hit and the audience are aware of what happened there is a close up of him laying vulnerably on the ground, this close up shot shows his eyes, wide open but yet not moving, with only police sirens and a heartbeat which is corresponding with Sams as he lays on the tarmac, creating tension and making the audience question if he is even alive. This close up then changes to a high shot as the camera slowly moves up, looking down on Sam which shows how empty the road is, no traffic just him. This suggests a change in time and expresses to the audience what has happened introducing them to 1973. These visual and technical codes all raise the audiences awareness causing them to ask questions and want to know the conclusion. Sequence five is the most important as, Sam wakes up to find himself in 1973, complete with 1970s era clothing and an 8-track playing â€Å"Life on Mars† in a car. Dazed and confused, Sam wanders back to the police precinct he works at, only to find it filled with cigarette-smoking, gum-chewing strangers he’s never seen before. The music is significant as before the crash David Bowies 1970’s song â€Å"Life on Mars† was playing on Sams ipod in the car. This is strange as he has travelled back in time to when this song was just out and extremely popular. Sams feeling are conveyed in different ways, with voices in his head from when he was a boy repeating,’ where are you?’ as he wakes up in a forest, obviously not where he was before. Creating enigma for the audience and making them aware of the time change increasing their excitement and want to continue watching. When Sam stands up in 1973, with no clue as to where he is the camera is low angled and is circling him while â€Å"Life on Mars† plays which really creates a confusing atmosphere showing that Sam does not know what is going on. This technical camera work helps to express Sams feelings and shows the audience a broader understanding of what’s going on. Everything has changed in Sams world, The set designs and costumes effectively evoke the era, as well as the grittiness of the run-down neighbourhood and police precinct. Everything feels straight out of the 70s, from the clothing to the cars to the horridly ugly decorating in Sam’s apartment. Throughout the episode, Sam hears hospital noises and doctor voices and at one point sees a person on late night TV talking like a doctor describing Sam being in a coma. Sam becomes increasingly convinced that he truly is in a coma, and that none of this world is real. he believes it is all part of his imagination. These are some of the ways in which Sam portrays his feelings to the audience during this sequence. Which allows the audience to get to know Sam and begin to have a feel for his character encouraging them to continue to watch Life on Mars. Later Sam meets a young police officer named Annie Cartwright who he begins to open up to and express his opinion and at one point tells her â€Å"I had an accident and when I woke up, I was here. Only here is 33 years in the past. Now, that either makes me a time-traveller, a lunatic, or I’m lying in a hospital bed in 2006 and none of this is real.† This quotation of what he says gives the audience insight into how he feels about the whole situation, this again allows the audience to engage with Sam and feel what he is going through, the audience will grow a certain like for Sam and this creates a sense of excitement and encourages the audience to continue to watch â€Å"Life on Mars†.