The Renaissance and Religion

List of chapters Background Information The reminder Bibliography Footnotes Background Information The renaissance is a fascinating period with regards to the historical backdrop of humankind. It is a period which has been related with numerous disclosures and changes in the life of humanity. To have an away from of the essentialness of the renaissance it is smarter to marginally inspect the lifestyle not long before 1400.Advertising We will compose a custom article test on The Renaissance and Religion explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More Before 1400 and really the early piece of 1400, the Roman Catholic Church impacted the general public. The congregation was preeminent all around and instructed unparalleled expert on both strict issues and governmental issues. The pope used massive impact on political pioneers and rulers in like manner. What was conveyed from the pope was last paying little mind to who the subject was.[1] The Catholic Church was the main church on the planet and its branches were in numerous nations. It is additionally important that the congregation was the wealthiest association and this riches was obtained by implies which were later seen as unsatisfactory. Installment for administrations rendered by the congregation was visit really there was not a solitary movement that the minister would direct with no installment being done climate it was a burial service, sanctification or some other. Selling of extravagance and a few bits of craftsmanship speaking to holy people was a typical practice. This sounds strange and this is the place the Renaissance man comes in. The congregation had utilized some abnormal way of thinking to tame the thinking about the general public to see the pope and the congregation as a rule as supernaturally better than them and that the pope had the ability to decide if an individual could get to paradise or not. With this nature of reasoning individuals were exposed to an unbending lifestyle where everything began from and finished with the church.[2] The reminder The Renaissance time frame can be said to have blended individuals to wake from a rest they were in. The renaissance time frame was when humanism just because was experienced. It must be called attention to that renaissance was common yet not really detestable accordingly. It has additionally been brought up that the renaissance debilitated the impact of the congregation yet assisted with spreading it further; the roman church was debilitated as renewals separated all the over Europe. The renaissance was an encouragement to reason and question issues about existence †the congregation was examined regarding a portion of its practices and it was found wanting.[3] According to Kreis (2008), â€Å"the come back to support of the agnostic works of art invigorated the way of thinking of secularism, the energy about common joys, or more completely increased the affirmation of individual freedom and individual express ion.†[4]Advertising Looking for paper on history? How about we check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is recorded that man began to value the delights of this world and less relied upon powerful instructing from the congregation. This period has frequently been depicted as the â€Å"germinal time of modernism†[5] with the Renaissance man being said to have â€Å"stood at a point halfway between medieval supernaturalism and the advanced logical and basic attitude.†[6] The renaissance got incredible amazements to mankind as thinking and suspecting was put to test creating extraordinary works in the fields of â€Å"art, writing, investigation, arithmetic, science and religion.†[7] People had the option to think autonomously testing new ways and thoughts which began from their brains and not from the congregation. A portion of the accomplishments of this period are as yet an extraordinary motivation today for example the incomparable Mona Lisa was a work of art of this period. The renaissance acquired common idea to individuals assisting with lessening the impact that the congregation had on their lives. Catalog Kreis, Steven. â€Å"Lectures on Modern Europe Intellectual History.† The History Guide, 2008. Recovered from: http://www.historyguide.org/mind/humanism.html .Renaissance. â€Å"The Renaissance and the Church.† All About Renaissance Faires, n.d. Recovered from: http://www.all-about-renaissance-faires.com/renaissance_info/catholic_church_in_the_renaissance.htm . Think. â€Å"Religion.† Oracle Think Quest, 2010. Recovered from: http://library.thinkquest.org/C006522/religion/overview.php . References Renaissance, The Renaissance and the Church, (All About Renaissance Faires, n.d.) http://www.all-about-renaissance-faires.com/renaissance_info/catholic_church_in_the_renaissance.htm . Think, Religion, (Oracle Think Quest, 2010) http://library.thinkquest.org/C006522/religion /overview.php . This announcement alludes to the celebrated reorganizations which occurred all over Europe for example the endeavors of Martin Luther the reformist helped a great deal to show that the congregation was deluding the gathering. Kreis, Steven, Lectures on Modern Europe Intellectual History, (The History Guide, 2008). http://www.historyguide.org/keenness/humanism.html . Kreis, Steven, Lectures on Modern Europe Intellectual History, (The History Guide, 2008). http://www.historyguide.org/mind/humanism.html . Kreis, Steven, Lectures on Modern Europe Intellectual History, (The History Guide, 2008). http://www.historyguide.org/acumen/humanism.html . Think, Religion, (Oracle Think Quest, 2010) http://library.thinkquest.org/C006522/religion/overview.php . This paper on The Renaissance and Religion was composed and put together by client Lara Lane to help you with your own examinations. You are allowed to utilize it for exploration and reference purposes so as to compose your own paper; be that as it may, you should refer to it in like manner. You can give your paper here.

Amplitude Equations Using Pendulums

Abundancy Equations Using Pendulums

Flat Affect in Schizophrenia Symptoms and Treatment

Flat Affect in Schizophrenia Symptoms and Treatment Schizophrenia Print Schizophrenia and the Flat Affect How to Recognize Impaired Emotional Functioning and Minimize Symptoms By Catherine Harrison, PhD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on August 05, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on January 05, 2020 Schizophrenia Overview Symptoms & Diagnosis Causes & Risk Factors Treatment Living With In Children David Ryle / Getty Images In This Article Table of Contents Expand Causes Symptoms and Impact Treatment Coping and Support View All Flat affect (diminished emotional expression) is a hallmark symptom of schizophrenia, although it may also affect those with other conditions. It is a lack of showing emotion characterized by an apathetic and unchanging facial expression and little or no change in the strength, tone, or pitch of the voice. This extremely limited range of expressions occurs even in situations that would normally seem very exciting or very sad. For instance, upon hearing the great news, someone with schizophrenia may not smile, laugh, or have any joy in their response. Flat affect is more common among men than women and is often present during the onset of schizophrenia.?? Causes Although millions of people are affected by flat affect, scientists are not entirely sure of the exact cause. It is hypothesized that it is due to differences in brain functioningâ€"and some of the neurocognitive deficiencies that accompany schizophrenia.?? Does Schizophrenia Alter the Thinking Process? More often than not, flat affect is an underlying symptom of several conditionsâ€"not just schizophrenia. It may even be a side-effect of certain medications, including antidepressants. Conditions linked to the flat affect include:?? AutismBrain damageDepressionParkinsons diseasePost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)Muscle disorders or facial paralysis Symptoms and Impact If you have been affected by flat affect, you may find that it negatively impacts your social functioning.?? People can respond negatively to the way you react in a situation or conversation, leading to the assumption that you are cold or unfeeling when thats not true. Signs of Flat Affect Monotone or flat voice with no modulation or expressionLack of eye contactLack of discernible interest in the topic at handNo changes in facial expression regardless of the circumstance (neutral expression)Lack of verbal response to emotional stimuliBody language or non-verbal responses that are not typical to the experience, conversation, or situation at hand Its important to note that while you may have trouble displaying emotion, many people with schizophrenia have no difficulty recognizing emotional responses in others. This is an important factor in working with your doctor to define a treatment plan, as it gives you a foundation to build on to create appropriate social exchanges. How to Recognize Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia Treatment Treatment for flat affect often depends on the underlying cause. A plan of action should begin by consulting with a psychologist or psychiatrist who diagnoses and treats mental health conditions. Flat affect can be treated to some degree. It often requires comprehensive therapy, including working with a healthcare provider and taking medication. While it often cannot be completely eliminated, therapy and intervention can help you interact with others more warmly and naturally and get your other symptoms of schizophrenia under control.?? Get Support With the 9 Best Online Therapy Programs Therapy and Intervention Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is one of the most researched models of therapy used in the treatment of schizophrenia. CBT can help people with flat affect begin to recognize how their emotionless response does not match what is required in a specific situation.?? Your therapist may have you practice appropriate reactions to different stimuli (like grief or celebration) so that you can learn how to react as other people do. Social skills training, a type of behavioral therapy, can also be used to teach people with schizophrenia to express feelings and needs, ask questions, and control their voice,  body, and facial expressions.Speech therapy can help with tone and modulation of voice to convey more emotion. How Behavioral Therapy Is Used in Psychology Medication In addition to evaluating your medicationâ€"since some meds can cause flat affectâ€"your mental health provider can prescribe antipsychotic medications to control  symptoms of schizophrenia, including delusions and hallucinations. Typical antipsychotics function by blocking receptors for dopamine. The newer atypical antipsychotics also influence other neurotransmitters in the brain and may help with a flat affect. Clozaril (clozapine) is one of these agents shown to help combat flat affect in people with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses for which this is a concern.?? Atypical Antipsychotics Prescribed to Treat Schizophrenia Coping and Support for Caregivers Caring for a loved one who is suffering from flat affect is challenging. Its much more than dealing with a loved one who tends to be cold. Its not a personality trait. This symptom of schizophrenia makes it impossible for your loved one to translate emotion into a verbal or physical expression. The brain and body are not connecting. While he or she may be unable to express his or her emotions, your emotions are likely in overdrive as you struggle to come to terms with this symptom of schizophrenia. Continuing to educate yourself on the condition and the experiences your loved one will face is one of the most important ways to cope. Gathering information can help you better understand what to expect and what you can do to help. Although your primary focus is on supporting your loved one, its also important to remember to help yourself. This means seeking support from local or online groups, a mental health provider, or a trusted friend or family member. Sharing your experiences and challenges can help you process your emotions and give you encouragement and hope. You may also gain helpful information about new or progressive treatment methods as well as other resources to help your loved one.

Reality and Illusion - 4098 Words

Reality versus Illusion Texts: Life of Pi King Lear Heavenly Creatures Blade Runner Pans Labyrinth Research Questions: 1. How does each character’s situation influence their perception or ideas of reality versus illusion? 2. What are the similarities and differences between the main character’s situation in each text? 3. What insights relating to reality and illusion can be gained from each text? Resources: Title: Life of Pi Author: Yann Martel Question 1: Pi survives his ordeal through the power of his own story telling. He uses it as a way of dealing with the horrific situation he has found himself in. By creating animal characters to replace the humans in the lifeboat he creates a coping mechanism powerful enough to†¦show more content†¦However as he gets to know Rachael and her history, he learns that there is much more to her and replicants in general. In the final scene when Roy saves Deckard, Deckard understands the true humanity shown by the replicants and the exploitation they have suffered. The replicants are ‘more human, than human.’ Question 2: Related to King Lear through the false face theme. Good characters are misjudged and isolated unfairly. Evil characters such as Tyrell, Edmund, Goneril and Regan lack empathy and are ruthless in their treatment of others. Question 3: This film provides insight into man’s inhumanity to man and teaches us that we should not judge others based on their appearance or background. There may be more to people than you think. We tend to dehumanise others as justification for our inhumane treatment of them. Title: Pans Labyrinth Director: Guillermo del Toro Question 1: Ofelia is a young girl who might be the lost princess of the underworld, and is undeniably the adoptive daughter of a brutal captain in Francos army whose job is to root out, torture and kill rebels in a remote village. Looking to escape the brutality in the world around her Ophelia discovers a fantasy world where she encounters an old, gnarled faun, fairies and members of an ancient forest aristocracy. The faun Pan challenges Ophelia to three tests to prove herself as the long lost princess of theirShow MoreRelatedReality and Illusion1812 Words   |  7 Pages Postmodern literature draws attention to its status as fictional to break down barriers between reality and illusion. The boundaries between ‘real’ and ‘fake’ are no longer clear, because identity is socially constructed. In White Noise and Nights at the Circus, characters such as Sophie Fevvers and Jack Gladney have fabricated personas, and they exaggerate these roles so that their audiences cannot tell the difference between what the characters perform and their ‘true’ nature. There are manyRead MoreIllusions and Distortion of Reality1164 Words   |  5 PagesGeorge and Martha’s entire relationship is based on illusions and the distortion of reality. The author of the play once claimed that the play as a whole asks the question, â€Å"who’s afraid of living a life without illusion?† At the beginning of the play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee, George tells Martha not to â€Å"bring up their sonâ₠¬  to the guests and is very mysterious when their guest, Nick, asks George whether he has any children. Martha violates her promise of secrecy when she discussesRead MoreReality Is Merely An Illusion1480 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Reality is merely an illusion.† This quote by Albert Einstein has been widely perpetuated and in many cases dismissed as nonsensical speculation; however, very few realize just how accurate this statement is. Reality is not nearly as tangible as most have come to believe; rather, it is a fabrication that exists solely within any one person’s mind. What is labeled as reality is merely an interpretation of data that already surrounds us and is taken in by sensory receptors. The brain and body takeRead More Illusions of Reality Essay1341 Words   |  6 Pages The Illusions of Reality The only thing in my life that I can be positive about is change. Everything changes, from the moment we’re born to the moment we die. Reality has many twist and turns, and our perception of reality is what shapes us to become who we are. Our life is spent on deciphering the difference between reality and not reality. This is hard to define because reality is unique to each individual. Our environment and the people we are around shape our perception of what is real. RealityRead MoreThe Line Separating Reality And The Illusion Of Reality1171 Words   |  5 PagesThe line separating reality and the illusion of reality is a blur. The line separating the narrator’s self-aware expression and his story telling is a blur. The line separating Ambrose and the narrator is a blur. All of this may blur understanding. It is clear, however, that these blurs exist because of the â€Å"funhouse†. A funhouse, Lost in the funhouse, in which exist other funhouses. Various funhouses exist in the story and in the writing. For this reason, the title Lost in the funhouse is very significantRead More Reality and Illusion in Richard Bach’s Illusions Essay1077 Words   |  5 PagesQuestioning Reality in Richard Bach’s Illusions The message of Richard Bach’s Illusions is based on the concept that the things we interpret in the world as reality are actually illusions. This is made evident to one of the main characters, Richard, through his interactions with his newly found friend, Donald Shimoda. Donald Shimoda is a â€Å"messiah†, and he has gifts that he uses to help mankind. A quote that Richard reads is â€Å"Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished:Read MoreIllusion Vs Reality – The Causticity of Illusion Essay1903 Words   |  8 PagesReality is the state of the world of how it really is, whereas an illusion is erroneous interpretation of reality. Illusions often derail people from their sanity, as they cause them to inadvertently live lives in accordance to false beliefs. As a result, the outcomes for these people, and the people around them, are often atrocious. The theme of illusion versus reality is excessively demonstrated in Macbeth, a play writ ten by William Shakespeare, and also in The Crucible, a play written by ArthurRead MoreThe Portrayal Of Illusion Vs. Reality1718 Words   |  7 PagesEnglish P4 6 December 2015 The Portrayal of Illusion VS. Reality in A Streetcar Named Desire Have you ever submerged yourself into a word of illusion to escape from the cold hearted reality of the world? This theme of escaping from reality and into illusions is explored throughout the play, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. What exactly is the difference between illusion and reality? An illusion is a deceptive idea or belief whereas reality is the actual state in which the world actuallyRead MoreEssay about Reality or Illusion955 Words   |  4 Pages The Matrix, and Plato’s Republic, â€Å"On Shadows and Realities,?reality and illusion are one in the same. The Wachowski brothers allows the viewer to see how reality and illusion can be mistaken for the other, using a number of contrasting ideas found in Platos analogy of the Cave, showing that at times the dream world can be safer than real life. The matrix is a simulation that creates an imaginary world where people are prisoners from reality, much like Platos mythological The Cave. The cave holdsRead MoreHamlet: Illusion vs. Reality1982 Words   |  8 PagesIllusion Versus Reality In Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Hamlet there is a dominant and overwhelming theme that is amplified throughout the entire play. Things are not always what they seem. Many of Shakespeare’s most complex characters hide behind multiple masks of lies and deceit. The American Heritage Student Dictionary defines illusion as â€Å"an unreal or misleading appearance or image† and reality as â€Å"the state of things as they actually exist†. The focus of this essay is the struggle between

Battle of Arkansas Post - Civil War Battle of Arkansas Post - John McClernand

Battle of Arkansas Post - Conflict: The Battle of Arkansas Post occurred during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Armies Commanders: Union Major General John McClernandRear Admiral David D. Porter32,000 men Confederate Brigadier General Thomas Churchill4,900 men Battle of Arkansas Post - Date: Union troops operated against Fort Hindman from January 9 to January 11, 1863. Battle of Arkansas Post - Background: While returning up the Mississippi River from his defeat at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou in late December 1862, Major General William T. Sherman encountered the corps of Major General John McClernand. A politician turned general, McClernand had been authorized to make an attack against the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg. The senior officer, McClernand added Shermans corps to his own and continued south accompanied by gunboats commanded by Rear Admiral David D. Porter. Alerted to the capture of the steamer Blue Wing, McClernand elected to abandon his attack on Vicksburg in favor of striking at Arkansas Post. Situated at a bend in the Arkansas River, Arkansas Post was manned by 4,900 men under Brigadier General Thomas Churchill, with defenses centered on Fort Hindman. Though a convenient base for raiding shipping on the Mississippi, the principal Union commander in the area, Major General Ulysses S. Grant, did not feel that it warranted shifting forces from efforts against Vicksburg to capture. Disagreeing with Grant and hoping to win glory for himself, McClernand diverted his expedition through the White River Cutoff and approached Arkansas Post on January 9, 1863. Battle of Arkansas Post - McClernand Lands: Alerted to McClernands approach, Churchill deployed his men to a series of rifle pits approximately two mile north of Fort Hindman with the goal of slowing the Union advance. A mile away, McClernand landed the bulk of his troops at Nortrebe’s Plantation on the north bank, while ordering a detachment to advance along the south shore. With the landings completed by 11:00 AM on January 10, McClernand began moving against Churchill. Seeing that he was badly outnumbered, Churchill fell back to his lines near Fort Hindman around 2:00. Battle of Arkansas Post - The Bombardment Begins: Advancing with his assault troops, McClernand was not in position to attack until 5:30. Porters ironclads Baron DeKalb, Louisville, and Cincinnati opened the battle by closing and engaging Fort Hindmans guns. Firing for several hours, the naval bombardment did not cease until after dark. Unable to attack in the darkness, the Union troops spent the night in their positions. On January 11, McClernand used the morning meticulously arranging his men for the assault on Churchills lines. At 1:00 PM, Porters gunboats returned to action with the support of artillery that had been landed on the south shore. Battle of Arkansas Post - The Assault Goes In: Firing for three hours, they effectively silenced the forts guns. As the guns fell silent, the infantry moved forward against the Confederate positions. Over the next thirty minutes, little progress was made as several intense firefights developed. At 4:30, with McClernand planning another massive assault, white flags began appearing along the Confederate lines. Taking advantage, the Union troops quickly seized the position and accepted the Confederate surrender. After the battle, Churchill firmly denied authorizing his men to capitulate. Aftermath of the Battle of Arkansas Post: Loading the captured Confederate on transports, McClernand had them sent north to prison camps. After ordering his men to raze Fort Hindman, he dispatched a sortie against South Bend, AR and began making plans with Porter for a move against Little Rock. Learning of McClernands diversion of forces to Arkansas Post and his intended Little Rock campaign, an irate Grant countermanded McClernands orders and demanded that he return with both corps. Given no choice, McClernand embarked his men and rejoined the main Union effort against Vicksburg. Considered an ambitious dilettante by Grant, McClernand was relieved later in the campaign. The fighting at Arkansas Post cost McClernand 134 killed, 898 wounded, and 29 missing, while Confederate estimates list 60 killed, 80 wounded, and 4,791 captured. Selected Sources CWSAC Battle Summaries: Battle of Arkansas PostNational Park Service: Arkansas Post

“the Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Free Essays

Self expression is one of humanity’s greatest gifts. It is very important that humans express themselves in many different ways, whether it is writing in a journal, painting, singing, or just speaking with someone. Holding in one’s feelings can be unhealthy and it can lead to depression, anxiety, or insanity. We will write a custom essay sample on â€Å"the Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman or any similar topic only for you Order Now In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator, an upper-class woman rebels against her husband’s â€Å"cure† for her depression, which forbade her to exercise her imagination. She keeps a secret journal in which she records her thoughts and fascination about the yellow wallpaper. As a result of the mental restrictions placed upon her, she loses control over reality. Writing in a journal can be used as a tool to express oneself. A journal can become a safe space to help release anxious thoughts and negative feelings. In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator writes in her journal, â€Å"I cry at nothing, and cry most of the time. Of course I don’t when John is here, or anybody else, but when I am alone. And I am alone a good deal just now (Gilman 428). One may suggest that the narrator is a very lonely person who hides her true feelings from her husband and everyone else. Her husband shows no interest of her thoughts or concerns for the conditions she is living under. So she continues to hide her depression and uses a journal as her emotional outlet, but her imagination gets the best of her. Not expressing oneself can consequently lead to depression, anxiety, or insanity. For this reason it is important to exercise one’s imagination. In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, the narrator is forbidden to do anything active and to not exercise her mind in any way. She directs her attention towards the yellow wallpaper and becomes obsessive over it. â€Å"All night in any kind of light, in twilight, candlelight, lamplight, and worst of all by moonlight it becomes bars! The outside pattern I mean, and the women behind it is as plain as can be† (431). The narrator feels enclosed in her room and thinks the patterns in the wallpaper are bars of a cage. She stares at the wallpaper for long periods of time and discovers a woman behind the pattern. One may suggest that she is the women behind the patterns trying to break free. In her last journal entry, she stated, â€Å"I pulled and she shook, I shook and she pulled, and before morning we had peeled yards of that paper† (433). Peeling off â€Å"that paper† on could suggest that she is unraveling the pattern of her domesticated life. Furthermore, in order for the narrator to understand herself, she loses her sanity. How to cite â€Å"the Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Papers

The Role of Culture in Gospel Communication

Introduction Culture helps in defining an individual’s identity. It shapes all human concepts. Numerous debates have attempted to explore the impacts of culture on an individual’s developmental features.1 Culture triggers the manifestation of identity that gives the individuals their exposure and orientation.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Role of Culture in Gospel Communication specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This supposition holds that if the same individual is raised under a different environment, he/she may ultimately exhibit a different identity altogether.   In sum, different cultures denote diversity, which is an inspiring agent in all learning concepts including but not limited to gospel communication. Diversity incorporates different features among individuals including ethnicity, socio-economic, language, and gender, orientation, as well as those with special needs, and th e gifted.2 With increased globalization, the church environment needs to be responsive to diversity for varied groups to interact and give off their best. Diversity brings on board different individuals with strengths and weaknesses that integrate to provide equilibrium of standardized performance. Religious leaders have a duty to make diversity work for them as well as for the members of their churches. Moreover, with diversity, the followers can redeem their weaknesses and unleash their potentials to impact on their communication capacity. Culture as the basis of diversity in the church Diversity is the basis of enhanced learning. The foundation of the church stems from people of diverse backgrounds. Differing orientations are unique elements that the church can model to leverage individuals to offer their exceptional abilities.3 Gospel communication seeks to engage human potential to discharge their very best. Effective ecclesiastical structure embodies the norms of culture. Evid ently, an element of communication such as mutual understanding and interaction amongst people of different backgrounds is necessary.4 Diversity gives strength to humanity. It opens up the church to explore the gospel as different individuals come up with various experiences. Shifts in the demographic trends imply that the churches will have to bear with much heterogeneous groups to ensure everyone take part in the contribution of the gospel. It is no doubt that institutions with more diverse groupings are formidable centers that guarantee greater gospel communication. Culture represents human activities and unique structure designs that symbolize the importance of a specific course of action, behavior, or orientation. Even though culture is intangible, it dictates tangible items such as food, architecture, clothing, and other forms of art, which often form the goals, missions, and objectives of organizations.Advertising Looking for research paper on religion theology? Let's s ee if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In essence, culture represents the complex phenomena that regulates learned human behaviors, characteristics, and skill patterns. Essentially, culture has a greater impact in the performance of the church to deliver the gospel. Culture as an incentive for greater performance Cultural orientation in the churches is an incentive for performance since it guarantees a more extensive gospel communication and enhanced learner base. As churches become more diverse, learners too become more effective, especially in communicating with diverse learner subgroups and varied educational facilitators.5 In essence, this gives an advantage to the church over its religious bodies that are not diverse. As there is a popular assumption that diverse schools yield impressive results, research validates that heterogeneous religious groupings normally offer a broad spectrum of ideas with strategic solutions that aim at solving va rious concerns that bedevils gospel communication.6 Notably, Diversity exists whenever different groups bring their different backgrounds and experiences together. Managing cultural diversity in the churches entails capitalizing on the various resources available as well as the diverse cultural experiences for enhanced gospel communication. Working with cultural differences in the church denotes dealing effectively with diverse groupings. Using the knowledge of diversity to produce performance For the church to use the knowledge of cultural diversity to produce better results, Coleman opines that three important factors are held. All-round diverse learners and education facilitators must possess varied abilities, skills sets, strengths, and weaknesses to make them diverse.7 Whenever different people come together, they gain abundantly both from the complementarities and the criticism from other members who hold divergent opinions contrary to theirs. Education is all about learning a nd experiencing something new, hence people with different cultural orientations bring forth a new way of expediting gospel communication. With greater cultural orientation to many ideals that come from cultural diversity, individuals will always want to perfect on all that they do, hence improving performance. Diversity, according to Coleman, comes with dissimilarities that characterize individuals, and to beat such dissimilarities, individuals have to adjust to reach an equilibrium that sets the performance structure.8 As different groups integrate, they learn to embrace one another.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Role of Culture in Gospel Communication specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the process, they cushion their dissimilarities to reach a consensus. The church pursues different cultures to make individuals complement one another to make them the objectives of the gospel itself. Cultural o rientation denotes globalization of gospel communication With the increased globalization of the church, as well as the ever extending need to work effectively with culturally diverse groups, churches are facing new yet common challenges in meeting the demands of gospel communication.9 The challenges that bedevil gospel tutelage include but not limited to communication problems, dealing with negative ethnicity, decision-making, criticisms and disagreements as well as the problem of interpreting the ever changing church environment. Many authorships denote the benefits of earmarking knowledge reservedly for stepping up the necessary strategies for routinely intellectual cultural interaction that guide intercultural communication and organizational behavior. Proponents of a globalized church use concrete examples capable of illuminating the fundamental psychological paradigms that play an integral part in effective intercultural interactions within and across diverse cultural orientat ions.10 Diverse teams face individual and collective variances that root for institutional emphasis. Institutional emphasis denotes an individual’s status and importance as well as the behavior relative to cultural backgrounds and gender prospects. The gist of gospel communication gives insightful accounts from which ordinary readers and church leaders can learn and grow, rather than continually be challenged by intercultural differences that characterize diverse teams. Cultural orientation demonstrates the recognition of gospel communication by the church at home and away. Gospel communication is both a compelling read as well as an insightful account that aimed at perfecting the ecclesiastical roles in handling cultural differences effectively in the church. Culture epitomizes team-learning process Working in teams guarantees an absorbing as well as practical discourse on areas of significant interests to the teams involved.11 In addition, working with teams suggests the po ssibility of sustaining and building a robust student learning that guarantees the delivery of gospel communication.12 Within these considerations, the church inspires individuals to work as a team. Individuals who nurture teamwork show a willingness to rethink their priorities and develop one another within scales of learning. Team action also inspires individual improvement with a spirited shift team culture that builds structures to blend interpersonal relationships. Careful observation of team action reveals that individual team members can systematically identify vital areas to work on and further move an inch to effect the planned action.Advertising Looking for research paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Essentially, the team action-learning project provides an opportunity to achieve the stipulated team objectives while at the same time specifying the desired gospel communication outcomes.  Even within the church, team action-learning project employs team spirit renewal strategy and an individual’s cultural orientation that informs gospel communication. There is nothing more encouraging to teams than when the tasks under consideration offer challenges to every individual at a personal level. Through such challenges, individuals are welcome to give their points of view, and in the process, such challenges shape their gospel training and decision-making skills. Team-based projects provide purpose and offer gospel learning action an opportunity to reason to work as a team and learn together. Through working together as a team, members of the church integrate action-learning approach to implement effectively the carefully selected project initiatives that necessitate the basic common good of everyone and the eventful success of a project. Team action makes it possible for members to acknowledge the fact that there is ideal purpose in working as a team, which translates into effective student learning for better gospel communication delivery. With team deliberation, designing of the projects aimed at carefully selecting the curriculum objectives that give the learners a reason to see the essence of teaming up and engage members in collective responsibility related to the gospel practices.13 Action learning also provides a mechanism for integrating culture and system initiatives with the gospel learning outcomes. In sum, success in gospel communication validates that it is worth the effort and time of a team to construct a strong project statement capable of inspiring individuals to reach out for nothing less than success.  Generally, working in teams is both rewarding and challenging. It is rewarding because of the benefits attributed both to an individu al and to a team. However, it is equally challenging because in a busy team environment, it could be hard to find time to discuss pertinent issues when all team members cannot meet and agree on a particular issue. In addition, the dynamics of setting up a high performing team could be complex, demanding, and tiresome. Gospel communication is particularly too broad, and, therefore, meeting the demands of various teams means that individual team members must work beyond personal limits. While these challenges are instrumental in developing individuals in very special ways, the fear is that it is generating many team conflicts that weigh down heavily on team mobility.14 For instance, a team may spend a lot of time on communication that delve much on counterchecking specific learning objectives to ensure that all the team members are in agreement with the team’s position. However, all these challenges are also great ways of practicing a team’s leadership skills and interpe rsonal development. Christian leadership calls humanity to a duty of pulling the various human resource capacities to a cause.15 Gospel communication is among the most challenging aspects in church leadership, hence proving the need to conceptualize different cultures. With the increasing assumption that diverse teams yield impressive results, heterogeneous congregation has delivered the gospel to its status. Understanding intercultural communication Religious groups all over the world seek to hire and promote individuals with excellent communication skills to help them to improve on their public imaging and interpersonal relationships. Within the church, conflicts emanating from differences in opinions occur because various individuals believe in what they perceive to be true without considering the others’ points of view. Seen in these lenses, communication is the bond that connects individuals to rise up to the duty of humanity – a medium that ensures a momentous lo ng-term relationship between individuals and one that has the capacity to guarantee the success of the gospel.16 While communication skills are a necessity in gospel teaching, the key to understand why individuals would attend to, fathom, and conceptualize persuasive message is to study the characteristics of the person presenting the message. Other than that, the contents of the message and the characteristics of the receiver of the message are equally necessary.17 The mere fact that one can always adapt to a set of particular communication skills may not automatically guarantee success. Individuals who are outright good communicators are naturally those people who have the capacity to underscore the fundamental principles behind communication. Usually, such individuals have the ability to enact, synthesize, and display particular skills of communication as the situation may from time to time warrant. Therefore, understanding the various communication theories that are applicable i n various aspects of life, including their deeply set assumptions and predictions that what they offer can make an individual a trusted and competent gospel communicator – one who can always be trusted to deliver. Researches in this field have identified the four distinct aspects of gospel communication as inscribed in attention, understanding, acceptance, and retention. Communication as a form of cultural persuasion Social psychologists view persuasion as the series of steps that an individual have to internalize and conceptualize in the concept of communication for some desired effect. This is normally so because the message sought will ultimately find acceptance especially if it activates ideas favorable to an idea. According to Ralph, individuals are easy to persuade when there is enhanced induction as to believe that the message being passed across is not necessarily intended to persuade them or deliberately manipulate them.18 In the same vein, people are more susceptibl e to persuasion when the message is simple and precise. The gospel seems to represent these elements of communication to make its conceptualization easy. Of much importance is the fact that persuasion often occurs best when the intended audience is disrupted from their attentive positioning. Markedly, through these modes, the audience has to pay attention to the message by a communicator. In doing so, the audience finds it easy to understand the contents of the gospel, and to deliberate upon the message. Research offers that communication competence is experienced as a modicum of achieving a successful equilibrium between communication effectiveness and appropriateness. As Luzbetak notes, effectiveness is the degree to which an individual achieves his/her goals in a cultural interaction.19 Appropriateness, on the other hand, reflects the ability to fulfill the social aspects in a given situation. However, an individual can be effective without necessarily being appropriate in many s ituations. The key to effective gospel persuasion is to have powerful ideas and deliver them well to the audience. Notably, one must keep in mind that the centrality of persuasion does not only rest in effective communication, but also in the supremacy of word choice. In gospel communication, information alone can never influence individuals to act. Instead, the ideas have the power to persuade the audience to conceptualize the gospel. Usually gospel communication thrives best when a message is familiar to the extent that the audience for which it is intended already have in their minds the structure of the aims and the resourcefulness of the idea. Striving to appeal to the audience is perhaps the best approach to consider when delivering a gospel communication. As such, gospel communication must always seek to involve the audience in all its endeavors while being able to appeal appropriately and give the audience the credibility to assess the resultant implications thereupon. Invol vement is another component of gospel communication. It denotes the extent to which individuals are motivated by the message that pertains to the gospel. In essence, familiarity and involvement can never be taken for granted in all matters that involve gospel communication. Familiarity with the gospel inspires individuals to respond well with the merits of such communication. Language as an aspect of communication Language is a characteristic of culture especially in its intrinsic expression to it. As a medium of communicating values, culture brings forth a robust social function that in turn fosters a sense of identity through which individuals grow and learn.20 Simply put, language offers a medium by which culture and its aspects are shared by individuals of a given cluster. Language, therefore, is a surest way to perceive the identity of an individual. The language that individuals speak denotes aspects of culture capable of expediting gospel communication. On the other hand, muc h of the popular culture has the tendency to mitigate the challenges that are linked to the communication process. Communication is all that we do all the time, and yet most often, we are tasked with the challenges that accompany it. Under these considerations, we are likely to recognize the fact that communication has the ability to break or make an individual’s personal and professional acumen. Conclusion Different religious experiences are considered as the classical work of God in the pedagogy of the Gospel, as well as references to Biblical teachings. Speaking about Jesus, his pre-existence, his ministry, death and resurrection, and most profoundly his salvific mission to the world has been the main aspect of the gospel tutelage. All forms of communication carry some aspects of culture since individuals involved come from different backgrounds. For religion, the varying backgrounds denote the use of different languages that inform Gospel communication. Recognizable cultu ral features of individuals are the only factors that contextualize them within a given cultural setting. However, shared values are the elements of culture that shape individual’s conception of learning. Culture creates a sense of identity among individuals, and as different members of the church integrate, they nurture a sense of solidarity with others. A sense of solidarity with others helps in shaping a spirit of acceptance that makes gospel communication to blossom in the church. With culture given greater recognition in the church, followers will have the ability to have their morale boosted, thus enhancing their gospel conceptualization. Finally, the modern modes of teaching being learner centered, it would be imperative to give the followers an opportunity to choose and explore their cultural experiences to ensure they perform to their level best. Bibliography Coleman, Robert. The Master Plan of Evangelism. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1993. Danielson, Robert. Cros s-cultural servanthood: serving the world in Christ-like humility. Illinois: IVP Books, 2007. Frederiks, Martha. â€Å"World Christianity: A Training School for Multiculturalism.† Exchange 38, no. 1 (2009): 3-20. Harries, Jim. â€Å"Material Provision’ or Preaching the Gospel: Reconsidering ‘Holistic’ (Integral) Mission.† Exchange 32, no. 3 (2008): 253-270. Harries, Jim. â€Å"Intercultural Dialogue — An Overrated Means of Acquiring Understanding Examined in the Context of Christian Mission to Africa.† Exchange 37, no. 1 (2008): 174-189. Lingenfelter, Sheerwood, and Marvin Mayers. Ministering Cross-culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003. Luzbetak, Louis. â€Å"Unity in diversity: ethno theological sensitivity in cross-cultural evangelism.† Missiology 4, no. 2 (1976): 207-216. Nkansah-Obrempong, James. â€Å"Holistic Gospel in a Developing Society: Biblical, Theological and Historical Backgrounds.† Evangelical Review of Theology 33, no. 3 (2009): 196-212. Toomey, Stella, and Leeva Chung. Understanding intercultural communication. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. Winter, Ralph, and Steven Hawthorne. Perspectives on World Christian Movement: A Reader. Waynesboro: William Carrey Press, 2009. Footnotes 1Robert Danielson, Cross-cultural servanthood: serving the world in Christ-like humility (Illinois: IVP Books, 2007), 5. 2Martha Frederiks, â€Å"World Christianity: A Training School for Multiculturalism,† Exchange 38, no. 1 (2009): 207. 3 Jim Harries, â€Å"Intercultural Dialogue — An Overrated Means of Acquiring Understanding Examined in the Context of Christian Mission to Africa,† Exchange 37, no. 1 (2008): 178. 4 Ibid. 180. 5 Jim Harries, â€Å"’Material Provision’ or Preaching the Gospel: Reconsidering ‘Holistic’ (Integral) Mission,† Exchange 32, no. 3 (2008): 257. 6 Ibid., 261. 7 Robert Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1993), 45. 8 Ibid., 78. 9 Sheerwood Lingenfelter and Marvin Mayers, Ministering cross-culturally: An incarnational model for personal relationships (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003), 157. 10Ibid., 159. 11 Ibid., 208. 12Ibid., 217. 13 Stella Toomey and Leeva Chung, Understanding intercultural communication (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), 123. 14 Ibid., 256. 15 Ibid., 234. 16 Ralph Winter and Steven Hawthorne, Perspectives on world Christian Movement: A Reader (Waynesboro: William Carrey Press, 2009), 172. 17 Ibid., 178. 18 Ibid., 179 19Louis Luzbetak, â€Å"Unity in diversity: ethno theological sensitivity in cross-cultural evangelism,† Missiology 4, no. 2 (1976): 209. 20 James Nkansah-Obrempong, â€Å"Holistic Gospel in a Developing Society: Biblical, Theological and Historical Backgrounds,† Evangelical Review of Theology 33, no. 3 (2009): 198. 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Niccoli Machiaveli essays

Niccoli Machiaveli essays In The Qualities of the Prince the author, Niccolo Machiavelli, generates an interesting question; do the desired ends justify the means used in order to achieve them? Machiavelli uses simple comparisons, subtle contradictions, and historical facts to support his view on this ethical issue. In modern society, if one can provide a positive outcome that is satisfying to all, others should not be concerned with the means which were taken in order to get there. The concept of a negative means ultimately establishing a positive outcome is a necessary technique used by any man of authority and is often the last resort of an ethical decision. One who holds any position of authority or rank understands the difficulty it takes in order to acquire satisfaction from his people; for they tend to be placed on a higher level and therefore become judged by their actions. Machiavelli uses several examples and techniques to portray what qualities a prince must maintain to keep his empire pleased while at the same time perform the dirty deeds required for success. The Author discusses six topics filled with historical facts to prove that the ends ultimately do justify the means used in accomplishing them. On the issue of praise or blame Machiavelli states that since a prince has such high qualities to live up to one must be prudent enough to know how to escape the bad reputation of those vices that would lose the state for him (40). Because a prince is pressured into generosity his only resort is to be a miser and manipulate the minds (Machiavelli 46) of his people in order to refrain from being taken advantage of. For you become either poor and despised or, in order to escape poverty, rapacious and hated (Machiavelli 43). On the topic of honesty Machiavelli states that one of authority should be a great hypocrite and liar (Machiavelli 46) in order to succeed as a grea ...

Understanding Division Of Labor

Understanding Division Of Labor Division of labor refers to the range of tasks within a social system. This can vary from everyone doing the same thing to each person having a specialized role. It is theorized that humans have divided labor since as far back as our time as hunters and gatherers  when tasks were divided based mainly on age and gender.  Division of labor became an important part of society after the Agricultural Revolution when humans had a food surplus for the first time. When humans werent spending all of their time acquiring food they were allowed to specialize and perform other tasks. During the Industrial Revolution, labor that was once specialized was broken down for the assembly line. However, the assembly line itself can also be seen as a division of labor.   Theories About Division of Labor   Adam Smith, a Scottish social philosopher and economist, theorized that humans practicing division of labor allows humans to be more productive and excel faster. Emile Durkheim, a French scholar in the 1700s, theorized  that specialization was a way for people to compete in larger societies. Criticisms of Gendered Divisions of Labor Historically, labor, whether inside the home or outside of it, was highly gendered. It was thought that tasks were meant for either men or women, and that doing the work of the opposite gender went against nature. Women were thought to be more nurturing and therefore jobs which required  caring for others, like nursing or teaching, were held by women. Men were seen as stronger and given more physically  demanding jobs. This kind of labor divide was oppressive to both men and women in different ways. Men were assumed incapable of tasks like raising children and women had little economic freedom. While lower class women generally always had to have jobs the same as their husbands in order to survive, middle-class and upper-class women were not allowed to work outside the home. It wasnt until WWII that American women were encouraged to work outside the home. When the war ended, women didnt want to leave the workforce. Women liked being independent,  many of them also enjoyed their jobs far more than household chores. Unfortunately for those women who liked working more than chores, even now that its normal for men and women in relationships to both work outside the home, the lion share of household  chores are still performed by women. Men are still viewed by many to be the less capable parent. Men who are interested in jobs like preschool teacher are often viewed with suspicion because of how American society still genders labor. Whether its women being expected to hold down a job and clean the house or men being seen as the less important parent, each is an example of how sexism in the  division of labor hurts everyone.

WALES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

WALES - Essay Example According to the BBC report dated 14 Nov 2012, Wales had an employment rate of 8.2% in November 2012 whereas the rate was 7.8% in the case of the whole UK for the same period. Deprivation index: - while analyzing the Wales’ deprivation index 2012, it seems that the country has satisfactory living conditions. Wales as a Tourist Destination According to BBC report dated Sep19, 2012, Wales is a rapidly emerging tourist destination in the United Kingdom with an annual industry turnover of ?3.5 billion. Statistical reports indicate that 8,078,900 people visited National Trust and Welsh Tourist Board destinations in 2002 (Wales Information, n.d.). Tourism industry plays a key role in boosting the economic growth of the Wales. To illustrate, in 2005 the tourism industry supported the economy of Wales by providing more than 100,000 service sector jobs which accounted for the country’s 8% of the workforce (ibid). The major tourist activities in Wales are mountain hiking; visitin g historic places, museums, and galleries; and shopping. Another report indicates that foreign tourists made over 1.1 million trips to Wales in 2006 (Countryside Council for Wales). Mainly, overseas tourists to Wales are from Republic of Ireland, Germany, and the United States. According to statistical information, tourism-related employment in Wales increased from 59,000 in 2000 to 78,000 in 2007 (Cultural tourism, 2012). Cardiff, the capital of the Wales, is the most popular tourist destination in the country. As Alford (2010) reports, the Cardiff tourism sector provides over 26,300 jobs and it had 14.6 million visitors in 2009. In 2004, the three cities, in term of tourists spent the most money, were Cardiff, Conwy, and Gwynedd. Wales offers improved accommodation and leisure amenities to visitors. Successes and Weaknesses While analyzing Wales’ tourism sector, it is clear that the country’s history and distinctive culture, natural environment, and attractive scener y and heritage significantly contribute to its success. The Museum of Welsh Life is the most popular tourist attraction in the country, attracting more than 600,000 tourists annually (Wales vacation packages). In addition, many castles like Caernarfon Castle and Caerphilly Castle attract visitors having historical interests. The varied landscape is another major tourist attraction in Wales. The country has three national parks including the Snowdonia National Park, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, and the Brecon Beacons National Park. Wales is prominent for its extreme sports activities like downhill cycling, surfing, and hang gliding. The Wales Rally GB is organized in the country annually. It has been estimated that nearly 1.8 million US citizens have Welsh ancestral roots (webarchieve.com). Hence, genealogy is major reason why many US citizens visit Wales each year. Well developed infrastructure is another reason making Wales one of the world’s popular tourist destin ations. The country has also developed improved road, rail, and air travel facilities, which are crucial to the success of the tourism industry. Wales’ proximity to all other UK markets contributes to the success of the Wales tourism industry. The country can offer a wide range of leisure activities including walking, mountaineering, and fishing (Sports and leisure activities in Wales). Wales Tourist Board (WTB) is a well established and financially sound entity.

Business Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Economic - Essay Example In our ensuing discussions, we will look at three main industries of Germany and compare them with respect to various economic parameters. As of 2009 estimates, agriculture sector forms only 0.8% of the GDP (cia.gov). The level of employment in this sector as of 2005 was only 2.4% of the total labor force (cia.gov). Hence we can see that agriculture does not form a very substantial part of the country’s economy in terms of contribution to the GDP or the employment. Graph 1 above shows the value added data in agriculture since 1980. We can easily see that this is on a declining trend over the years. The graph 2 showing the real value added in agriculture shows a lot of fluctuation with negative growth during many years. This means that agriculture is giving way to other industrial segments in terms of contribution to the GDP. However, agricultural land accounts for half of the nation. The above figure shows that since 1990 there has not been much substantial change in the arable and pasture area and it has remained more or less constant. Total farm land has remained around 50% of the total land in Germany. However, there has been a substantial change in the agricultural sector if East and West Germany are looked at what they were before the 1990 unification. In former East Germany, farm employment fell by 20% of its 1989 levels (oecd.org). The West German part contributes to 75% of the livestock farming of the country. The farm sizes here are very small. The Eastern part has huge farms (200 hectares) and most of the agricultural produce of the country comes from there. Most of the farming here is capital intensive farming (oecd.org). â€Å"With a share of 61 percent of all sales in agriculture in 1998, animal production is the main reason why Germany still is one of the leading agricultural nations in t he EU (total production: DM 63.9 billion, crop production: DM 25.9 billion, animal production: DM 38.0 billion†

Threat Of New Entrants To A Marke

Threat Of New Entrants To A Marke The Volkswagen brand is no stranger to Malaysians. Generations of Malaysians have grown up with their own or someone elses Volkswagen Beetle occupying a place of affection in their hearts and life stories. Till today, this hallmark of the Volkswagen brands lasting quality and distinct character continues to enjoy a faithful following even as newer models from Volkswagen have started to spark off their own groups of fans in the country. Volkswagen (VW) is a German automobile manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Volkswagen is the original and top-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, the biggest German automaker and the second biggest automaker in the world. Volkswagen Group Malaysia was officially launched in Malaysia on 16 February 2006, with the Corporate Headquarters situated in Wisma Volkswagen, Bangsar. From here, it will control marketing, sales and after sales to cater and fulfil the Malaysian customers wishes for individual mobility in all situatio ns of life. Task 1 Give a meaningful definition of the context of business strategy and discuss the companys external environment using Porters 5 Forces and PEST analysis. 2.1) Porters 5 Forces In 1980, the Porter 5 Forces was originated from Michael E. Porters book competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitor. This model is frequently used by company for analyzing a companys industry structure and its corporate strategy. Porter identified 5 competitive forces that shape every single industry and market. These forces help the company to analyze everything from the intensity of competition to the profitability and attractiveness of an industry. The 5 forces of the model are, threat of new entrants to a market, bargaining power of supplier, bargaining power of customers, threat of substitute product and degree of competitive rivalry. 2.1.1) Threat of new entrants to a market The new entrants are difficult to move into this automobiles aspect. This is because in this aspect, Volkswagen is a well-established brand that everybody knows. I can sure that not everybody saw the Volkswagen car before but everybody heard and knows this well-known brand. Besides that, automobiles are not a common technology that every country can do it. On top of this, Volkswagen is a very good quality product and only the patented or proprietary know the technology. If want to come out a good quality luxury car is need the high capital requirement. There are not all the new companies have the high capital requirement and the resources to come out a new brand of luxury car. The new entrant difficult to enter in this aspect is because they need to achieve the economies of scale for acceptable unit cost of the luxury car. So that, new entrant to this market is not a threat for the existing luxury car company. 2.1.2) Bargaining Power of Supplier The bargaining power of supplies meant the more powerful seller is relative to the buyer, the more influence the seller has. This influence can be used to reduce the profits of the buyer through more advantageous pricing, limiting quality of the product or service, or shifting some costs onto the buyer. If there are only one supplier or very less supplier in this market, the suppliers will have the more leverage. This is because of the lack of available alternative. The same thing, if there have a lot of the supplier in this market, this will cause the competition among the supplier. So that the supplier have less leverage. Besides that, the significant costs also involved in switching suppliers. The customers would not switch the supplier if there are large costs associated with switching. This is because the customer may have to buy a new machine or a new software to run out the new resources. If the supplier have the power or threatens to forward integrate, the customers may be fo rced to accept influence from the supplier. Volkswagen is a very popular company and it has to buy a lot of raw material from different supplier such as Air Cooler Engineering, Bus Boys, DPR Machine Shop, Just Kampers and more. (Volkswagen Supplier, 2013) Volkswagen is a very good buyer because they paid the debts on time and do not has any conflict with the suppliers. 2.1.3) Bargaining Power of Buyer If there are only have very little of customers in the market, the customers will have more leverage because of the increased reliance on the income stream. A customer consumes a significant amount of output will increase the bargaining power of buyer. The seller will do more for one buyer to keep them as a customer, if a customer buys a significant amount of the output from the seller. This is because the buying power, the customers holds the upper hand over suppliers and is able to influence the suppliers price. The customers possess the power to buy seller or rival. If the customer have so large power, it may choose backward integrate and the seller will loses influence. But the fragmented customer base allows more leeway for a supplier to ignore difficult customer request. Volkswagen has a very good after sales service to its customers and it also built a good relationship with all the customers. So in this factor, Volkswagen is difficult to get effected. 2.1.4) Threat of substitute product or services. Substitute product meant that a product that performs the same or similar function as another product. Normally the substitutes product have an attractive price. Besides that, increasing the quality of the substitute product will increase the pressure of the man product. Low switching cost to consumer also will affect the sale for the Volkswagen Company. The switching coat to consumers can come in the form of monetary costs or lifestyle switching costs. For example, the nation will switch their lifestyle from driving a car to taking public transport. Monetary costs effectively increase the price of the substitute product. There are a lot of automobile company, but Volkswagen has a very strong Research and Development and it always upgrade their quality 2.1.5) Competitive Rivalry among Existing Firms. Competitive rivalry among industry can affect the industry profit through downward pressure on prices, increase innovation, increase advertising, increase customer service or product improvement among others. The large number of firms will increase the competitive rivalry among existing include. If there are a lot of the firms within an industry, there is increased competitive for the same customer and the product resources. When an industry is growing rapidly, firms are able to increase profits because of the expanding industry. If the industries fixed costs are high, the firms will compete to gain the largest amount of market share possible to cover the fixed costs. In addition, the product and services are identical or lower switching cost will encourages price competition to gain market share. High fixed cost and low marginal cost will encourage competitors to cut prices below their average cost to recoup some of their fixed cost. The capital must be expended in large increments to be efficient. 2.2) P.E.S.T analysis. In Malaysia, we have our own automobile industry which is Proton. The government of Malaysia want to protect the local automobile industry, the come out the policy that increase the taxes for the imported car. So that the price for Volkswagen will increase in Malaysia. The road tax to be directly linked to amount of emissions from next year. Besides that, the economics of Malaysia have slightly increase 6.4 % in the fourth quarter 2012. (Department of statistic, Malaysia, 2013). This is a good news for Volkswagen Company because this meant that the economics of Malaysia increase and more people can afford to buy luxury cars. On top of this, the price of the fuel will affect the cost and the reflect on the price of automobiles, so that may change the customer behaviour toward some features of automobile such like the cheaper local car. To overcome this problem, Volkswagen had come out the lower price car to the medium upper income population. Different country have their own different cultural. Volkswagen will slightly affect because the negative customers perception toward Skoda brand because of bad images about automobiles industry in Eastern Europe countries. Malaysia is a developing country, the increasing in population make the government to redesign their public transport and the traffic. This will affect the sales in the country. Technology can increase the quality of the Volkswagen car and also will increase the sales of the Volkswagen. The high technology can improve the safety of the Volkswagen car. For example, they can put on the airbag for the passenger and more. Task 2 Discuss the companys internal environment using value chain analysis and SWOT analysis. 3.1) SWOT analysis SWOT analysis is to analyse the companys overall strength, weakness, opportunity and threats. Strength include internal capabilities, resources and positive situational factor that may help the company to serve its customers and achieve its objectives. Weakness include internal limitations and negative situational factors that may interfere with the companys performance. Opportunities are favourable factors or trends in the external environment that the company may be able to exploit to its advantage. Threats are unfavourable external factors or trends that may present challenges to performance. SWOT Analysis of Volkswagen Strength Strong brand portfolio R D strong Robust production capabilities Weakness Bad image Low market share poor cash flow Not environment friendly Opportunities Potential country Built the image Environment friendly. Threats Competitor Government policy Increase price of fuel 3.1.1) Strength Volkswagen having a very strong brand portfolio. Volkswagen operates in 153 countries worldwide and was the third auto manufacturer in 2012, down from the 1st place in 2011. The company manufactures its car in 100 plants in Europe, north and South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Except General Motor and Toyota, they do not have other automobile company is capable to compete with Volkswagen in term of global presence. Besides that, Volkswagen also not just consist of automobiles that are stamped with the name Volkswagen. Volkswagen Company also control around 10 automobile brands such as Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, SEAT, Skoda and other commercial vehicle. There seems to be a general consensus among the car buyer that all of these brands are at the very least, quality automobiles. So that, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Bentley and Porsche are even considered the pinnacle of luxury. This the strength of the Volkswagen, they have the very strong brand portfolio and it allow s other brand to focus on and cater to various market segments. They capturing the profit from a wide variety of consumers, without cannibalizing their main and original brand name. Besides that, Volkswagen Company benefits from the synergy created between all separate automotive brands. All separate companies share a part of research and development and servicing cost, learns from each other best practices and shares distribution channel. So that, Volkswagen have the strong focus on research and development. In 2008, Volkswagen won the Best Innovator competition, focussing on the technology for its driver assistance programs. A fantastic example for model of Volkswagen Jetta. Upon severe impact or accident, the vehicle will not only deploy the air bags but also will automatically active the hazard light, shut off the fuel pump, unlock the car doors and roll down the windows. These factors together are original innovative and even potentially lifesaving for the drivers. Volkswagen a lso have a robust product capabilities. Volkswagen produces cars in cost effective manner, close to their target market throughout the world. The manufactures of the company is in North America, South America, Asia and Europe. Such a big company is not hard for you to imagine how they are able to reach so many customers worldwide. On top of this, their factories are very efficient and highly automated. (Volkswagen, The Group, 2013) 3.1.2) Weakness In 1993, Pià «ch become the chairman and CEO of Volkswagen, which he is credited with turning into the large conglomerate it is today. Volkswagen is suffering the bad image after the Pià «ch joined the Volkswagen Company. Pià «ch have the bad image of its management department even though they have done an incredible work; Pià «ch has no a good relation skills especially with all the press. They have the same problem inside the company, due Pià «ch has put his own team in place when he arrived and he firing all the potential employees who against him. Pià «ch had blurs the line between his family interests and those of Volkswagen. Volkswagen have the weak position in the America passenger car market. In 2012, Volkswagen had only 5 % market share in the America passenger car market. America is the second largest automobile market in the world and weak Volkswagens position there result in comparably lower sales. (Sales and share of total market by manufacturer, 2013) Volkswagen i s known for being generous with the credit, which it extends to first time car buyers. The company prides itself on its sign and drive events, requiring a 0 down payment it would make sense that Volkswagen would be a popular choice among car buyers with low or not credit. It should be no surprise to Volkswagen that they are having issues with their cash flow. Perhaps they should revaluate, or find a way to manage their current offers more effectively. Besides that, most of the car produced by Volkswagen are not environment friendly. Volkswagen owns three sport car brand Porsche, Lamborghini and Bugatti that emit high amount of carbon dioxide and are fuel inefficient. Volkswagen group is strongly opposing to legislation requiring tighter regulation on carbon dioxide emission and energy efficiency as their cars are not as fuel-efficient and environment friendly as their competitors. (Volkswagen, The Group, 2013) 3.1.3) Opportunities Volkswagen has a very huge potential market in India and China. Volkswagen makes most of its money from its compact, efficient and stylish Goft. Volkswagen views this as the future of its sales in China and India, where smaller car seems to be more popular than large gas guzzles. If Volkswagen can continue to cheaply produce this quality model in India and China, effective marketing in those countries could give the company increase the sales in worldwide. For example, Volkswagen had come out 2 model of smaller car with cheaper price that can afford the medium income group in Malaysia. These 2 model of Volkswagens car are Volkswagen Jetta and Volkswagen Polo. On the other hand, Volkswagen can change or reengineering their product to fulfil the customer needs. Nowadays, everyone is talking about the green technology, so that Volkswagen could introduce more fuel-efficient models that emit much. Less carbon dioxide across all its automobile brands, thus meeting the new customer needs ab out the environment friendly cars and increase brand reputation. Volkswagen must have positive attitude towards green vehicles. Cars that emit large quantities of carbon dioxide and fuel inefficient cars pollute air and negatively affect the environment. Consumers are aware of this negative impact and are more positive to green vehicles that emit much less carbon dioxide and are fuel -efficient. If Volkswagen can produce more hybrid car, this will indirectly build up the image of the company. On top of this, this will also increase the sale of the Volkswagen Company. (Volkswagen, The Group, 2013) 3.1.4) Threats Since Volkswagen only have little model of the hybrid car, so that the price of fuel will directly affect the sales of the company. Nowadays, most of the people purchase the hybrid car or the car can save petrol due to the high price of petrol fuel. So that the increasing for the price of the petrol fuel is a threat for the Volkswagen Company. Besides that, the political issue also is a threat for the Volkswagen Company. A very good example is the country of Malaysia. Malaysia has their own automobile industry, the Malaysias government want to protect the domestic industry from foreign automobile. Due to this factor, Malaysias government has increased the taxes of the imported car for the sake of domestic industry. The population of Malaysia will choose the local car instead of the imported car due to the pricing factor. Competitor also the threat of the Volkswagen. Although Volkswagen has a very strong brand portfolio and strong research and development, but they also have the very strong competitor such as Toyota and General Motor. The product that produce by this 2 company have the standard of quality and lower cost. Besides that, they also have the high automobile technology and environment friendly. This will directly affect the Volkswagen Company and they are a threats. (Volkswagen, The Group, 2013) 3.2) Value Chain analysis.http://www.provenmodels.com/files/2825c320f5910a4647fd289cdcf5a780/value_chain_analysis.gif Value chain is a chain of activities that a firm operating in a specific industry performs in order to deliver a valuable product or service for the market. This model allows defining company core competences by analysing primary activates for instance: Inbound logistics, Operations, Outbound logistics, Marketing and Sales. Moreover model takes into consideration also Support activities like Procurement, Technology development, Human Resource Management and Firm infrastructure. It is a helpful tool to find company strength and weakness on internal level. 3.2.1) Firm Infrastructure Volkswagen Company is managed by the Board of management. Board of Management is issued by the Supervisory Board which consists of 20 people including chairman, top managers and shareholders. Top managers are elected by workforce and their role is to secure Volkswagen business areas and make sure that the company is on the right way of business. Volkswagen Company has all possible department including procurement, logistic, production facilities, research and development, human resource management, marketing, sales, advertising and services. Taking everything to the consideration, Volkswagen controls almost all the section within starting from gathering raw materials then production and finishing on sales or advertising of ready product. Company will focuses on instant improvement and wants to come out the newest technology available for customers. After sales garages help to maintain car in good shape and provides original parts and lastly broad Human Recourses department counts on people in the entire process. 3.2.2) Human Resources This section describes Volkswagen approach to employees, motivation, expectations and what company can offer. To start with Volkswagen is aware that people create big companies. They are vital part of it and fundamental basis. Company has 513,000 employees around whole world, but almost half of them work in Germany. Firm seek for a people who can give best performance out of them, but still maintain demand and ability called flow-channel as it gives best results and performance to allow company boost up. Cooperation and leading by example is another aspect of Human resources department in Volkswagen. Principle says: Lead, Demand and Promote which means in order to achieve success company need to have stable cooperation between different departments for instance management and workforce. (Volkswagen Human Resources, 2013) 3.2.3) Technology Development This section is describes processes within the Research and Development and the strategies with it. As it was stated earlier, Volkswagen focuses on constant improvement. Company believes that through innovation process it is possible to make cars safer, more reliable and efficient. Volkswagen continue to develop new technologies, as an example could be downsizing all turbocharged TDI (Turbo-Direct-Injection) diesel and TSI (The Spark-Injection) petrol engines, but still remaining performance and improving ecology and economic of products offered. BlueMotion Technologies engines still are being improved, so we can expect more efficient power units in future. Another example could be assistance services like Park Assist which makes car automatically seeking for the space to park and park afterwards. Lane Assist keep car on the same lane on highway. Coming/leaving home will keep a light around the car after leaving it or before entering. All the examples are shown only significant examp les and burden of proof that company really bet on technology and keep it as a key factor to overcome competitors and bring new customers. (Technology of Volkswagen, 2013) 3.2.4) Procurement Purchasing function is dealt by purchasing department. As it was stated in Inbound Logistics section Volkswagen has to secure continuity of whole production and entire value chain model. To do so it is necessary to keep strict control and monitoring process of getting raw materials like steel, plastic, rubber, lithium and aluminium. To do so company invented Central Procurement and Treasury System in 2007 to ensure if all resources are actually available to acquire to make sure that none of the factories suddenly will stop production process. System also looks for alternative sources where resources can be obtained. Moreover, location of factors makes an impact on procurement. 3.2.5) Inbound Logistics In the general automobile industry, most of the company is mainly using materials like steel, plastic and copper. By time going and constant innovation process and ecology care make this materials gets slowly substitute by other materials like aluminium, lithium and even cobalt. Volkswagen do not owe any mining subsidiaries therefore is addicted to supplier. To secure production continuity company has to secure process of getting raw materials. So that German manufacturer come out with raw materials strategy. This includes IT system and they named it Central Procurement and Treasury System. 3.2.6) Operation An operation is the process of putting raw materials together and producing the final product. Volkswagen operations process takes place in factories that company possesses. There are more than 94 production facilities in different locations. Volkswagen Company believe in systematic localization so production plants can handle themselves the value added process. This process of international outsourcing allows to reduce the currency risks, transport and duties. Different production facilities focus on producing various car or separated models. 3.2.7) Outbound Logistics This section is focusing on delivering product to the retailers, outlets, stores and more. It is important to state that company has own logistics department called Volkswagen Logistics which deliver product to Volkswagen outlets. As it was stated before different production facilities produces various parts and models. From those facilities cars are ready to be transport in to outlets. Volkswagen logistics uses mainly road transport and big trucks to transport ready to use products. 3.2.8) Marketing and sales Marketing and sales describes pricing, promotion and selling the final product within value chain. Volkswagen makes adverts sport independently. Usually spots describe specific product or new technology invented to the car. They are advertising on TV station, internet website, YouTube and more. Social services where Volkswagen exists like Facebook and Twitter allow users to share experience with Volkswagen brand. This is a great tools to create a relationship or brand loyalty with actual customer and acquire new one. 3.2.9) Service This section describes aftersales services and hotline. To start with Volkswagen produce original spare parts for own cars. Customer can order it through website or local dealer. It is a great advantage because no misunderstanding appears comparing to ordering car parts by customer who do not know so much about cars. Another thing is that original Volkswagen services are located in most cases next to local dealers network. Basically after ordering a spare part it can be mounted into the car directly afterwards by specialist crew. Garages are located next to saloons, it is easy way for customers to find a best place to service a car due to staff that knows models. In the other hand it brings additional funds for the company and it is also a best way to collect primary data as staff can also make survey among users of Volkswagen. Products offered by company have also a guarantee period, when can be serviced under Volkswagen garages. Task 3 Review the existing strategy or strategy practised by this company and propose a better strategy for this company based on available option. 4.1) Business strategy A firms relative position within its industry determines whether a firms profitability is above or below the industry average. The fundamental basis of above average profitability in the long run is sustainable competitive advantages. Michael Porter devised two type of competitive advantage; low cost and differentiation. Low cost as the name implies, involves the organisation using low price as their strategy for competitive advantages. Cost leadership is a strategy where the organisation competes on price, rather than quality or advanced features. Economies of scale are needed with this strategy and organisations opting for this need to ensure they are efficient and keep their operating costs at a minimum. A low cost strategy does not guarantee a competitive advantages, customers also have to regard the product and service as representing value for money. Differentiation involves the organisation making the product or service concerned somehow special in the market like making it st and out from the competitive in some way, making it special, distinctive, unique rather than low cost. Differentiation is a strategy where the organisation offers a product or service that somehow quite distinct from its competitor. Again the customer has to value the distinct element of difference. Volkswagen as it German translation is mean people car, continue to make car affordable for everybody. Even though competition in automotive sector is relative high and tough, company put efforts to maintain the idea and keep product in affordable and competitive price. But in the same time Volkswagen keeps improving actual products and applies process of instant innovation. New technologies, more efficient engines and completely unique assistance systems are only significant examples of implementing differentiation leader approach. Another thing that needs to be taken to the consideration is existence in many markets. Volkswagen as an international company focuses to keep their products available everywhere in the world by overcoming many cultural barriers. Therefore company uses broad market scope. Due to broad portfolio German car manufacturer can meet demand of all customers. Potential customer has variety of choice between many product and options offered by Volkswagen for insta nce interior version, capacity and type of engine and extra equipment. Volkswagen differentiates from other competitors by having long developed value chain including after sales services and financial consultancy due to Volkswagen Bank and Volkswagen Financial Services. It also has an impact on automotive market, because there are many other car companies that can provide car from same sectors. High rivalry in the industries keeps all mayor players under pressure. From the above business strategy we can know that the strategy Volkswagen Company used is the differentiation strategy in porters generic competitive strategies. Of cause, Volkswagen Company can continue using the same strategy and it will increase in sale and profit. But a strategy cannot last for long time and it must be change according to the time and the position of the company. (Volkswagen Strategy,2013) So that, to bring the company to a better future and increase the profit and the sale. The Volkswagen Company has to come out the new strategy to change the previous strategy if it is not work. Volkswagen can change their current different strategy to focus strategy. In my opinion, Volkswagen Company can focuses on positioning the Volkswagen as a global economic and environmental leader among automobile manufacturers. They can define some goal that are intended to make Volkswagen the most successful and fascinating automobile in the world in the future. Volkswagen can deploy intelligent innovations and technologies to become a world leader in customer satisfaction and quality. The Volkswagen can also set a target for its sale every year. For example set a goal to increase unit sales more than 10 million vehicles per year. At the same time, this also can help Volkswagen to capture an above average share of the development of the major growth markets. The Volkswagen has to aim to becom e the top employer across all brand, companies and regions and to build up a first class team. Volkswagen can focus in particular on the environmentally friendly orientation and profitability of their vehicle project so that the Volkswagen has the right products for success even in more challenging economic condition. At the same time, this will mean that capital expenditure remains at manageable levels. On top of this, Volkswagen can expand the customer base by acquiring new, satisfied customers around the world. In addition, Volkswagen can aim to increase satisfaction among their existing customers. Volkswagen shall continue the measures they are currently taking to improve their productivity and quality regardless of the economic situation and without any time limit. Conclusion The business environment is a very important subject to learn. This will help company to analyse the competitor strategy and their own company strategy. On top of this, business environment can help the company to look into their company problem not only from one side but with another view. After analyse the problem, the company can come out the solution to solve the problem. Besides that, this will also help the company to come up the new idea to the company and gain profit and sales. The company also can come out the new vision, mission and goal after analysing the business strategy and bring the company to a better future.

Compare the Ways in Which the Roles of Women are Portrayed Essay

When focusing explicitly on the topic of a woman’s seemingly ever-evolving status, one would constantly perceive it to be a working progress of the woman and the rise of her independence. So, why when analysing both, ‘The Wife of Bath’ and ‘Death of a Salesman’ do these roles of the most prominent women seem to be in reverse? The history of a woman’s autonomy branches outwards from the past, therefore enforcing the idea of a woman, living in an earlier period, to exist under high demands of fulfilling the traditional expressive position. Yet with regards to Chaucer’s tale, why is it that Alisoun is able to possess characteristics that are both a controversy for the 14th century during in which it was written, and to a certain extent, this era momentarily? On the other hand, the 1950s ‘Death of a Salesman’ harbours a heroine who remains true to her decade’s basic notion on how both a woman and a wife should persist to be, consequently presenting Linda Loman as a stock character. With a distance of 6 centuries, is there an abstruse intention to why both the female protagonists are depicted in an unusual fashion, and totally out of the ordinary when its context is taken into account, or, is this simply the writers’ approach to manifest some sort of a response, whether it be mere shock, indulgent laughter, or utter appreciation? The titles alone contain an instantaneous conception on how both women are portrayed concurrently. ‘The Wife of Bath’ obtains an immediate link to Alisoun, unlike ‘Death of a Salesman’ which simply refers to Willy Loman and includes no innuendo of his wife Linda. Alisoun’s ownership of the tale is reinforced by the noun ‘Wife’ as a direct association to her, suggesting that she is the focal point of the tale. But is she? The prologue is definitely in her possession with her martial history being the key plot; however the tale on the other hand clearly centres the knight as the protagonist, consequently endorsing the audience to make an initial judgment on Alisoun’s character as one which is strong enough to acquire her own title. Maybe Chaucer’s main purpose was to make his eponymous hero a female to either stagger the audience by the pragmatical meaning of this whereby such power and eminence is handed to a female character, or to purely ridicule a woman with any supremacy, and in effect, is symbolic since it contains the intention of formulating humour for an audience existing in a 14th century world. With this reasoning in mind, the common use of the noun ‘Wife’ would then become a more abstract version of this since, in essence, this is merely an idea of her control and alliance to the city. Perhaps the title ‘The Wife of Bath’ can be decoded then as a euphemism that solely associates with Alisoun’s, ‘Housbandes at chirche dore I have had five-‘ This has been translated as a misrepresentation of her being promiscuous which uses hyperbole to reinforce the concept and also assists in the beginning of a caricature adaptation of a woman who is unlike most others. On the contrary, since ‘Death of a Salesman’ purely refers to Willy, this would consequently support how dominating the male gender had been in the early 50s. In relation to Linda however, the absence of any insinuation of her in the title holds a vital insight of how she is portrayed through the play itself. This maintains the persistent imagery of Linda conserving her private role as a housewife, and to an extent, Willy’s constant positive conscience, Willy – ‘I suddenly couldn’t drive anymore. ’ Linda – ‘Maybe it was the steering wheel again. ’ The adverb ‘Maybe’ certainly exhibits some indecision with Linda’s response indicating that even though she may not entirely know what Willy requires, she knows it is necessary for her to provide a reasonable answer that will help ease the blame off Willy, facilitating the assumption of Linda’s loyalty to her husband, even during the worst of times. Arthur Miller’s intention of having no connotation to Linda in the title could be indeed for the purpose of supporting the idea of her selflessness compared to Willy’s egotistical behaviour. This theory of Linda’s ignored compassion is also demonstrated when Willy commits suicide. ‘I can’t understand it. ’ This simple sentence is most commonly used with the verb ‘do not/don’t’, but, semantically, Miller permits Linda to unusually phrase this with the modal auxiliary verb and the nagator ‘can’t’ to express her rejection towards comprehending his refusal of living life fully. Perhaps the importance of this approach was to portray just how vulnerable and helpless not just Linda, but the rest of the female population was in the 50s. As if to say it had nothing to do with the capacity of the female brain but the knowledge of where that woman should remain to be. The title is therefore a description of Linda’s personality and depicts just how much Linda is taken for granted. In the earliest stage directions of ‘Death of a Salesman’, the lexis used to describe Linda Loman all relate to the semantic field of household items and the act of obeying a person: ‘stirred’ ‘iron repression’ ‘admires’ ‘listening’ Semantically, theses lexicons relate to the play itself. The stative adverb ‘admire’ implies Linda may not feel worthy of Willy therefore she can only have a high regard for him and not the ability to put herself in his position. According to this then, Linda could be summarized as a character that has a low opinion of herself. The comparison to household items proves to be crucial since it could be categorized as an exposition, introducing the audience to Linda’s most prominent characteristic. A more modern audience, and in particular contemporary women, would argue that this was very demeaning since it implies this was all they are known for. Throughout the description of the Wife from the General prologue, the audience obtains a direct inkling of her character. ‘Housbandes at chirche dore she hadde five’ This sentence delivers an eye opener as to what Alisoun’s social status is. Since only the elite managed to marry inside of a church, this would then imply that from the age of 12, Alisoun has supposedly not ascended the ladder of social mobility. The syntax of this however creates some hesitancy to admit the true number of her failed marriages. Given that she leaves the actual amount ‘five’ till last reinforces the idea of her true emotions towards them. The similarity between Linda and Alisoun then would be that aside from the fact that one woman has had considerably more partners than the other: Alisoun is still in search of love, remaining to be ever willing to find her true match. This is further proven with the syntax from the quotation. As ‘Housbandes’ is the first word in the sentence, it indicates she finds pleasure in having a husband because of the urgency to articulate the concrete noun ‘Housbandes’, despite the fact that they were all failures. Linda’s crime is that she loves her only husband far too much. It is evident that in spite of her devotion to Willy, he still ignores her and takes her for granted, Linda- ‘Take an aspirin. Should I get you an aspirin? It’ll soothe you. ’ Willy- ‘I was driving along, you understand? ’ Here it is visible that Willy does overlook his wife completely by his sudden change in topicality and the flouting of the Grice’s maxim of relevance. Perhaps this is due to the way he perceives Linda, and the minimal respect he has for her. This is further evident with his tag question, ‘you understand? Unlike Robin Lakoff’s female language theory, this does not abide by her rules. In her opinion these tag questions imply a need for some support rather than a critical remark. However it is obvious that Willy does not require any backing since he is the most dominant speaker. The pragmatics of this statement show how much of a low disregard he has on Linda’s capability of understanding such a simple concep t as driving, consequently suggesting he does, in actual fact, take his loving wife for granted. Miller’s intentions here differ depending on the gender perspective. Since this is one of many occurrences where Willy insults Linda’s intelligence, this provides evidence of her complete devotion to her husband. Perhaps this mirrors the reality of the 1950s’ female audience therefore Miller’s motive in creating such a character was simply to please the existing female population at that time and nothing more. From a male point of view following the same thesis of art imitating life, Willy’s ability to have both control and authority over Linda would have also been Miller’s method in satisfying the male audience. Linda’s speech also indicates some reluctance of being abrupt towards her husband. ‘Take an aspirin. Should I get you an aspirin? ’ This reads to be an almost repaired statement, strengthening the notion of her delicacy when interacting with her husband. Depending on the stage direction as to how this is supposed to be acted out, another contention could be that Linda’s true being slipped out for a moment. The unusual abruptness of the first sentence followed by the modal verb ‘Should’ may imply how Linda must always remain to be conscious of the words she speaks even if she truthfully isn’t like that. This could possibly have been Miller’s subtle approach in exposing just how human a woman truly is. Linda’s character is one that appears to be careful in every action she undertakes, Alisoun on the other hand gives the impression of being self-sufficient in her decisions. ‘What that he mente therby, I kan nat seyn; But that I axe, why the fifthe man Was non housbonde to the Samaritan? How manye mighte she have in marriage? Yet herde I nevere tellen in myn age Upon this nombre diffinicioun. ’ In a Russian Formalist literary opinion, her attitude here in this verse would suggest she is blasphemous and very defensive of her deeds. By allowing an illiterate female commoner challenge basic Christian belief, Chaucer invites an astonishing controversial angle on reality. An audiences’ reaction to this from the 14th century would be of great annoyance towards Alisoun since she occupies no immense background to express such a powerful opinion. According to the first line ‘What that he mente therby, I kan nat seyn’ this also suggests that her judgment is based on a more personal outlook rather than facts. From my own 21st century perspective following the same Russian Formalist fundamentals, this verse stands to be an opinion and nothing more. Alisoun’s analysis may not have changed but the reaction from the audience would have instead. In actual fact, her intrusive manner would have been one that would have been valued despite of her gender. Regardless of the fact that both texts are fictional, their mediums exhibit various conclusions: since ‘The Wife of Bath’ is classed as poetry there are some limitations as to what could have been written. It would appear that Chaucer’s main objective was to entertain the listener rather than being factual. This is evident due to the consistent structure of rhyming couplets and alliteration. Somme seyde women loven best richesse, Somme seyde honour, somme seyde jolinesse,’ There is a distinctive pattern here which works throughout the rest of the tale. Seeing as though there are no breaks or clear stanzas in the poem, the use of parallelism suggests that a list is about to form without abiding by the usual formation of a list. The rhyming, alliteratio n and sibilance ‘Somme seyde’ ‘richnesse’ ‘jolinesse’, adds emphasis on the ideas explored throughout the tale in a way which amuses an audiences of any age. Death of a Salesman’ has none of these restrictions, whereby no rules or patterns are needed to be followed. Miller is able to write as he wishes, therefore could it be said that this enables him to write according to the truth? As an audience we are only ever permitted to listen and believe the character’s opinions. This limits exactly how much we should class as valid and thus acts as a confinement of plays in general. The importance of this does not only rest on how valid these texts are historically. In context to the essay question, the mediums affect the way the theme of power is portrayed. With the aid of humour, Chaucer is able to manipulate how the audience perceives the unusual occurrence of a woman who owns such authority. This comedy enables the audience to interpret the dubious topics mentioned in the prologue half -heartedly therefore suggesting that the text can’t completely be taken seriously. Conversely ‘Death of a Salesman’ does not include many entertaining scenes to conceal the control Willy has over Linda and consequently Miller sanctions the audience into producing their own take on the subjects referred to all through the play. Sometimes a woman’s basic actions can be justified by her experiences. Alisoun has the ability to convey such intense concepts because of her endless incidents in the past. Her character’s reputation appears to be licentious which consequently enables an audience to reign in on their annoyance of her. Chaucer has portrayed Alisoun in a way which can only be described as caricature. What should be taken into consideration is that perhaps Chaucer’s overall intention when creating such an exaggerated character like the wife was to humour the audience with the ridicule of a woman with such freedom. Or perhaps it was to produce a character like no other that owns the ability to question the acts of society and their standard beliefs. Out of the entire ‘Canterbury Tales’ there are only two women who possess the ability to tell their story: the Prioress and the Wife. Since the Prioress already maintains the basics of a 14th century woman graciously, Alisoun is possibly Chaucer’s technique in inventing a woman who stands for everything the ordinary woman of that time would not and as a result, portrays life on each end of the pole for all types of audiences to experience. Linda’s character owns a front which, even after the analysis, maintains the idea of an obedient wife. However, the initial idea of her abiding by this characteristic has evidently changed. Yes, she still sticks by with her husband, even after affairs and a lack of care and attention, but is she not a stronger woman in spite of all this? Alisoun has the ability to end her marriage as soon as it goes wrong as if to say she is still searching for her ‘ideal man’ and so self-sufficient that she refuses to lead a miserable life, yet Linda remains to be as courteous as ever even after the marital problems. For a 1950s audience, Miller birthed a female icon, a woman who exists in a realist play regarding the common aspiration of the attempts at conquering the ‘American Dream’. All in all, the roles which appeared to be in reverse now seem to walk side by side along the path of independence. Six centuries apart, diverse situations at hand but both individualistically vigorous women ready to undertake what life has planned for the both of them.