History of Greek Theatre Essay

Greek theatre took place in large amphitheaters. The actors were a chorus and their leader. There was not multiple characters as we now have today. The leader was the main and only character. At this time the lines were more chanted than spoken. Masks were worn to represent characters and high-soled boots worn to add height to actors. Greek drama was dominated by the works and innovations of five playwrights for over 200 years. The first three of these wrote tragedies. In these ancient tragedies many new innovations came to light that are still used today in theatre. One was the concept of a second actor, expanding the possibilities for plot and interactions with characters. Then came the third actor which expanded this even more. The role of the chorus in Greek drama shrunk so that the characters could more develop. The last two Greek playwrights focused on comedies. Throughout the history of theatre, comedies, made up of current standards for humor, have not survived the ages as well as tragedy. The popularity of these first comedies and the diminishing appeal of tragedy to the audiences of the time, can also be seen as a comment on the role which theatre plays in society at large. Tragedy was at its height in Greek society when that society was at its height. Comedy was most popular during the decline of Greek government The Romans took much from Greek theatre. Although Roman theatre may not be held in the same high esteem as that of the Greeks, we have inherited much from the influence of the Roman Theatre. One odd example is the word â€Å"play† itself, which came from Latin translation of the word ludus, which means recreation or play. Roman theatre had two parts: Fabula Palliata and Fabula Togata. Fabula Palliata consisted of mostly translations of Greek plays into Latin. It was here that the idea of subplot was introduced. This helped plays contrast the reactions of different sets of characters to the same events or circumstances. The Fabula Togata were more about broadly absurd situations and humor of a physical nature. Rome theatre consisted primarily of Fabula. Plays of a more serious literary nature continued to be written, but these were not intended to be performed. They were more to be read or recited. The influence of the Roman world on the form of the stage is one  which had a more lasting effect. The greatest impact Rome may have had on the theatre was to lower it in the esteem of the Church, an impact that would slow the growth of the dramatic arts for several centuries. The inclination toward low comedy combined with its association and the entertainment of the arena contributed to its disfavor by officials of the early Christian Church. Plays were associated with either comedy of a coarse nature, or with pagan rituals and holidays. It was the latter that accounts for the survival of theatre through the Middle Ages. It was written that theatre died following the fall of the Roman Empire, and its memory was kept alive only in the performances of roving bands of street players, jugglers, acrobats and animal trainers. However, while such groups did help to maintain certain aspects of theatrical art, the Church was a major contributor to the preservation of theatre. It is ironic that the Church, which caused theatres to be outlawed as the Roman Empire declined, was one of the primary means of keeping theatre alive through the Middle Ages. This resulted from the Church’s need to establish itself in the community. The Church began to use dramatic form to illustrate the stories underlying holidays so as to reinforce their religious origins and to better communicate the stories to an illiterate congregation. At first the parts played in these simple religious re-enactments were acted out by priests in the sanctuary of the church. The members of the congregation clearly enjoyed and were moved by these presentations. The dramas continued to grow, moving out of the sanctuary and into the open air in front of the Church. Ultimately, the members of town began to contribute to these dramas. Which continued to grow more elaborate with time. Known as passion plays, miracle plays and morality plays, they continued their close connection with the Church and church holidays, but began to introduce elements of characters that were more contemporary in nature.

How effective is Citibank at resolving and retaining its staff? Essay

To provide Citibank with a report that recommends improvement to recruitment and retention. Objectives 1) To assess the benefit, if any provided by Citibank for its employees. 2) To select appropriate performance criteria for the reasurement of staff performance. 3) Examine and analyse employee perception of the current training provision. 4) Examine and evaluate other factors that may influence staff morale. In order to manage the performance of staff managers I will be using performance criteria: This is a handy measuring tool, which is used as a method by which I will be assessing people’s performance and the satisfactions and dissatisfactions of their work. I will also be assessing the performance criteria of their absenteeism and the No of days staff are absent in a period of time. Also I will be checking on productivity and the number of staff measured against output. I will be monitoring the retention rates data and to see how long staffs have worked, whether they are temporary or permanent. Company History and Background to problem The company I am investigating is a subsidiary of Citigroup Inc, Citibank International plc. Specifically I will be looking at the Distribution Division of the Global Consumer Bank in the UK. In the year of 2001 Citigroup hailed its position as one of the most successful financial services in the world. It registered double-digit increases across many lines of business, and a 20% returns on equity. Their main objectives are to establish trusted relationships with consumers, corporations, institutions and governments. They operate for both sectors of businesses, private and personal banking. They have corporate banking and this is for business, which generates a lot of money. Citibank is a large corporation and is known as a public limited company, or PLC, meaning that its shares can be floated and then traded on the stock market. Any member of the general public can therefore become an owner of these organisations. I have analysed the annual report for Citigroup in 2001. The figures are very promising and show an increase of 8% in revenue over the previous year. What I am currently basing my project on is the Citibank branches situated in London. The branches are based at Oxford Circus, Strand, Monument and Canary Wharf. I shall be conducting this coursework with the help of Danny Childs, Assistant Vice President of Citibank; he is also in charge of the employees in the London branches. I shall be conducting research within the offices of Citibank to determine the quality of staff behaviour and how they go about customer services. I shall analyse my findings and from the information I discover, I will talk it over with Mr Childs and sort out ways to retain a positive atmosphere in his offices. Performance Indicators I am going to select the appropriate performance to evaluate Citibank’s effectiveness in training. There are two types of performance indicators: A) Qualitative: – In-depth research into the motivations behind the attitudes of the employees through the questionnaires that I have conducted. B) Quantitative: – Pre-set questions on a sample of 13 employees have in order to provide statistically valid data. I wrote this questionnaire and received anonymous and therefore unbiased answers that meet the research objectives. Performance management simply expressed is an approach to managing people, which helps to ensure that individual’s performance goals and capabilities are linked to the goals and plans of the business. When this occurs, business performance goals are met; people know what is expected of them and receive the support they need to develop their capabilities. Modern performance management is based on the principle of ‘objective cascade.’ This means that everyone sees a clear connection between: a) The goals of the entire business. b) The goals of the department. c) How the performance goals of teams and individuals relate to and support business goals. What is the overall approach to performance management in Citibank? Purpose Performance management provides a commitment and fair approach to managing performance of all people within Citibank. Aims: – Clarify performance expectations in relation to what people do and how they go about it. * Address and enhance performance through honest and constructive feedback. * Identify and deliver training and development to meet individual and team capability requirements. Performance indicators that can be used for Citibank can be: – Performance Indicator Purpose Profit Can be measured in quarterly times of the year to see how much money Citibank is bringing in. Staff turnover The amount of staff that has left Citibank can be measured with the staff from last year. Absenteeism Annually compared to provide the number of times employees have taken days off. Research Methodology For my research into Citibank, I will be conducting several different kinds of methods to gather my data. My research will include both primary and secondary data. Therefore, my answers will be accurate and reliable. Primary Research Primary information is the process of gathering information directly from people within your target market, as I will have shown by the time this project is completed. I shall be gathering data from the market by means of conducting an anonymous questionnaire. A questionnaire contains several advantages: – * + Through the questionnaire I can construct my questionnaire to suit the needs of fulfilling my research objectives. * + A questionnaire contains up-to-date answers from the employee’s. * + Through the questionnaire I can also understand the state of mind the worker is in and how he feels about working within Citibank. The questionnaire will be emailed to all of the staff employed by Danny Childs. They will then fill it in and return it back to me. I have decided to use this method because it is honest and will be unbiased. It is reliable and will be of present and true facts. It is also a good idea because it is anonymous and employees won’t feel pressured into giving answers that only are only said for the sake of Danny. I will be handing out questionnaires to 30 people in Danny’s workforce. Secondary Research I will also be using other sources of non-primary findings. They are called secondary research. Secondary research is the process of collecting data that is not new. It can be old evidence from magazines, the Internet or statistics. In this case when the secondary research is collected it will be analysed in accordance to the questionnaires. These sources will be coming from Danny Childs past findings and research data, which he has stored on his laptop. These findings inform me of staff turnover and retention rates of Citibank. I will only be gathering data that is from the past year and which I consider to be useful. Secondary research gives a background analysis of the primary research conducted and I will be able to notice any trends, if any, in the results. After I have had all the results in for both the primary and secondary, I will combine them together and have an accurate answer and accomplish my aim. I will be using a quantitative research method. This asks pre-set questions to the Staff of Citibank. This is called sampling as I am making sure my results are going to be typical of the whole Citibank workforce. My questionnaire will be unbiased and ensure that my objectives are met. I will also research into my answers to check how valid they are. Before starting off my main concerns to do with sampling was that how am I going to choose the correct people for interview (sampling method) and also deciding how large a number to interview (the sample size). There are 4 main sampling methods: Random sample, Quota sample, Stratified sample, and Cluster sample. Random Sample: This is when I would select employees within Citibank and ensure they are all treated equally in the questionnaire selecting process. A successful random sample is one which: 1) Picks names at random from a register process†¦e.g. every 50th name. 2) Send an interviewer to each worker within the offices of Citibank and question him. Quota Sample This is when you’re- selecting interviewees in proportion to their age within the offices. This allows the interviewer (which would be me) to question whoever he sees in the office room, as long as the correct quota is achieved. Stratified Sample Only those with certain characteristics are to be interviewed. Eg: I am going to only interview managers within Citibank worldwide. This means I am interviewing individuals at random. Cluster Sample This is sampling only within a certain area, such as university towns or certain business districts. It is usually used for students such as me who are doing projects on a large scale. Therefore I have decided that the sample that I will be conducting is Cluster Sampling. This is because my sample size was 13 employees and is only referring to the distribution division of Citibank, and not the rest of the company. Analysis Out of the thirty questionnaires that I handed out among the staff, only thirteen questionnaires were sent back to Danny Childs who then forwarded them back to me. The reason not all questionnaires were filled in was that half of them thought that it was Danny himself who had constructed the questionnaire and not me. After receiving the questionnaires I went about analysing each question and breaking them down in terms relating to the aim. All answers that were multiple choice, I ensured that I amalgamated the answers and I created pie charts to visually show my answers. Where questions have a ‘long hand’ answer I will be using ‘verbatims’. This is when I will be lifting relevant comments from the answers. The way I have done this is to pick out key messages and repeated statements within the answers and to then summarise it: – 1) How long have you been at Citibank? What employees wrote A=Less than a year 1 B=1-3 Years 8 C=3-5 years 4 D=More than 5 Years 0 Out of the thirteen who answered, the majority of employees (eight workers) said that they worked between one to three years. Only one employee who filled in the questionnaire has been with Citibank for longer than a year and also had the most negative comments to say about Citibank as an employer. I constructed a Pie Chart to represent the data above: – 2) How would you rate Citibank as an employer? What employees wrote A) Poor 0 B) Below Average 2 C) Average 4 D) Above Average 7 E) Excellent 0 Out of the thirteen that answered, the majority of workers currently employed at Citibank said in their questionnaire that as an employer, they rated Citibank as average. The reasons for this are explained in question three. I have constructed a pie chart to show the data above for question two. 3) Give a Brief reason for your answer to the previous question. Most of the employee’s answered that Citibank provided a â€Å"Good benefit package e.g.: salary, BUPA.† Two employees claimed that Citibank is â€Å"more enjoyable than previous employment.† Four employees were not happy with their employer’s and were not afraid to let it be known. One of those four even went far enough to leave the question unanswered which goes to show how much he values Citibank as an employer. Referring to page 2 of my appendix, an employee said, Managers don’t want to see customers, even if they are available to assist. The worker sees this as a bad thing, yet if he thinks about it he can use this to his advantage. The manager of the branch may believe in Maslow’s theory of management and develops a democratic approach towards his staff. By allowing the staff to think for themselves and make the correct decisions, Danny Childs will only be called in absolute urgency, and by shadowing him for a week I learned and watched the way the workforce was run. 4) When was the last time you attended a training course? The employees have answered this question vaguely and were not afraid to point out that ‘Citibank training is bad’ and that it is ‘so boring’. One employee even said that he ‘cant remember’ the last course he had attended. This goes to show that Citibank need to invest in making their training courses more innovative and enjoyable for their workers in order to keep them motivated. They could ensue team working in the courses meaning placing workers who haven’t worked together before or are not in the same social circle as that particular worker into a group, switching their tasks around and discussing ways of them working more effectively. Team working, managed effectively, can provide employees better quality and more innovative work at a lower cost and at a faster rate. To achieve such improvements in performance employees must be involved. They must have the ability to contribute and feel they are listened to. Greater participation can help a company like Citibank gain a competitive edge. Although this may be expensive, the outcome may be fruitful. The workers may leave the course happier and wanted and therefore work harder and produce more business for Citibank. 5) Overall, what do you think of the training provided at Citibank? What employees wrote A) Poor 2 B) Below Average 1 C) Average 6 D) Above Average 4 E) Excellent 0 Most of the employees at Citibank rated training as only average. I discussed this topic in more detail in question four and discussed the different approaches that could be taken. Even if changes were implemented correctly, I would hope that if I was to ask the same question to staff in six months, the majority might answer that training is Excellent. Below is a pie chart, which I created to show my results from question five: – 6) What keeps you motivated at Citibank? Nine out of the thirteen that answered said that the salary they are on is what keeps them motivated. There were no other factors involved in keeping the staff happy. Three workers said that they survive by motivating themselves and only one claimed that he was there only to do a job. Three things influence the motivation of staff in practice: * The company culture. * Its approach to managing its people * The financial reward systems. Company culture means the accepted set of attitudes and habits within an organisation-its ethos. Every business has its own culture, and Citibank is no different. Within an hour of sitting in the office with Mr Childs, jokes aside I set out to work hard throughout the week. What kept me motivated was that I was working at a top bank and I wanted to please Danny so as not to disappoint him. It was challenging, yet purposeful. Elton Mayo was a motivational theorist who pointed out that the difference in attitude was often to do with the unofficial leader or leaders of the staff concerned. For the majority of the workers, it is the financial reward system that keeps them motivated. Danny explained to me that each of his sales team has a PRP (performance-related pay) scheme to follow. It is a highly attractive system for encouraging staff to work towards the organisation’s objectives. The usual method is: 1) At the end of each month, the individual’s achievement is discussed against the targets set. 2) If they have reached a target or gone above it, they are rewarded with a pay rise, or are given a bonus scheme to work to. 7) Do you feel you get motivation from your managers? This question was answered with much criticism towards the managers. I designed this questionnaire to find out exactly what the staff is thinking and I got what I wanted. This question was answered in a way that it was being critical of the managers and mocking their intelligence. In two of the questionnaires, staff said that the managers give â€Å"support rather than motivation†. Support and motivation are two totally different things. Support is when the manager doesn’t literally do the work for an employee, but rather sets the framework for what is to happen. Motivation is when a manager would encourage his employee’s to do something by means of offering them incentives. For most of the answers given in this question it is plain to see that employee’s don’t feel they get the right motivation that they feel is deserved. Most managers assume they understand human motivation when in practice they have never studied it. As a result they may underestimate the potential within their own staff. Or unthinkingly cause resentments that fester. The process of managing people takes place in every part of every organisation. By contrast a few people would need to know the financial concept of gearing in their working lives. So lack of knowledge of motivational theory is particularly unfortunate and has exceptionally widespread effects. In this case, ignorance leads to managers to ignore motivation altogether. They tell themselves that control and organisation are their only concerns. Other managers may see motivation as important, but fail to understand its subtleties. For these reasons, I can state that there is a case for saying that the concepts of motivation are that of the important factors in running a business. 8) Do you feel you have career prospects at Citibank? Most of the employee’s answered this question with mixed answers. After reading each answer I realised that it was roughly a 50/50 outcome. Some of the employees saw themselves with a future at Citibank, while others thought that they deserved to be elsewhere. A lot of factors can depend on whether or not an employee has a future at Citibank. The outcome I have come to is that the reason the question was not answered properly was because I didn’t ask the question correctly. What I should have I asked was Where do you see yourself in two years time? That way, I will be getting a more detailed answer from the employee and he/she will give me a clear idea of what they think lays in their future. Here is a pie chart to represent the data: – As you can see from the graph, 54% of the staff saw themselves with a future and 46% saw themselves leaving Citibank. 9) Do you feel you are paid a fair wage for your job compared to the banking market place? Out of the thirteen employees, nine answered that they are happy with their salary compared to other banks. Citibank â€Å"on the whole, pays fair wages.† One worker said â€Å"there is always room for improvement† showing that although they are being paid well, more money is always better. Referring back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, if the pay levels were increased, it can be used as an incentive to ensure that they remain at Citibank. Maslow believed everyone has the same needs- all of which can be organised as a hierarchy. When employees earn enough to satisfy these needs, however their motivating power slowly disappears. Maslow then referred to his ‘hierarchy of needs’ in order for them to remain motivated: Self-Actualisation Esteem needs Social needs Safety needs Physical Needs 10) Are you offered any financial incentives such as bonus schemes or awards? Out of the thirteen that answered this question, ten replied that they are offered decent incentives if they work hard enough to earn them. A workforce must be put in place, which provides departments such as operations and marketing with the correct number of appropriately skilled employees to accomplish their targets. For an employee to work well, he must first be able to have a good relationship with his employer. I created a pie chart to give a visual representation of the data I received: – 11) Do you feel Citibank has effective managers within branches? More employees said that managers are effective within the branches, although those that weren’t happy, had a lot to criticise. One worker said that managers â€Å"should be more hands on.† The question that came to my attention is What is an effective manager? There are several explanations to this question, and I am going to explain it by means of McGregor’s Theory X and Y. This comes from Douglas McGregor who identified two styles of management. Theory X managers tend to distrust their employees; they believe they don’t really enjoy their work and that they need to be controlled. In McGregor’s own words, many managers believe â€Å"The average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if he can.† This theory is not about workers, but he is actually talking about the managers themselves. Theory X in other words is how managers view their workforce. On the other hand, Theory Y managers are more likely to involve employees in decisions and give them greater responsibility. The managerial assumptions identified by McGregor X and Y are: * â€Å"The capacity to exercise a relatively high degree of imagination, ingenuity and creativity in the solution of organisational problems is widely, not narrowly, distributed in the population.† * â€Å"The average human being learns, under proper conditions, not only to accept but to seek responsibility.† * â€Å"Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement.† It is clear that Danny is a theory Y manager in some aspects as he is inclined to adopt a democratic leadership style. Their style is to delegate authority to meet specific objectives. Theory X style is to be self-fulfilling. Lazy people are obviously going to produce less output then a lively person. The way to make that lazy person lively is to offer him an incentive, which will motivate him to work harder. 12) Would you recommend your friends to work for Citibank? Eight employees said that they’d recommend friends to work for Citibank, one of them saying what I needed to read, â€Å"Higher starting salary compared to High Street Banks.† The answers show that it was mixed opinions and there could be several reasons. Workers may not want to mix business with pleasure and therefore for friends to be around them in the office, their performance can severely decrease. 13) What, in your view, could Citibank do to improve your working environment? The employees answered and voiced their opinions to make the working environment of Citibank better. The question was answered in detail and I was happy with the result. Appendices Below you will find that I have broken down my questionnaire into an easier way to understand. I completed this before I began my analysis and this appendix can be referred back to as a backup for my analysis at anytime: Question 1- How long have you been at Citibank? A) Less than a year B) 1-3 Years C) 3-5 Years D) More than 5 Years

James Dean as the Iconic Rebel Figure Essay

The Oxford English Dictionary defined a rebel as â€Å"a person who resists authority, control, or convention† . These are the characteristics of James Dean’s screen personas in Nicholas Ray’s Rebel Without a Cause and Elia Kazan’s East of Eden. In a time where conformity was a dominant ideology in society, rebellion became a way to display your own individuality. Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden both respectively deal with the vexing problem of the asocial youth who remain stubbornly delinquent against the nuclear family. Each respective film touches upon the puzzling subject of the 1950s, which is juvenile delinquency. The films also provide ammunition for the ideological rebellious behavior for teens to parody. Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden are both concerned with young people â€Å"estranged from their communities and struggling to define themselves differently than the norm† . James Dean was an attractive rebel figure because he represented the raw-nerved emotions of being an adolescent while he also asserted a romantic, mythic notion about, which became attractive to audiences young and old. Dean’s upfront sexiness and relentless desire to imbue honor make Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden films that withstand generational changes and remain prevalent within teenage society today. James Dean as the archetype for the ‘rebel’ character personified a decade of defiance, and his screen portrayal of the iconic rebel sparked a cult following that superseded his life. The continued relevance and renowned status of Dean’s screen persona is prevalent because of its â€Å"sympathetic treatment of adolescent anguish† that each director concentrated on. The enigmatic nature of the rebel icon made it easy for the viewing audience to grab hold and manifest their personal principles onto it. Dean was catapulted to a cult figure as he evoked the submerged pain and spoke for a generation of people who had sense of being stifled and smothered by values that were imprisoned by. Furthermore, Dean molded the formation of the â€Å"tough-but-tender† iconic teen rebel in the 1950s, and became a commodity and the legendary figure of teenage angst. Dean’s unbridled emotions both on and off screen became essential in both Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden as they channeled the teenager in all of us . The 1950s were a time when teenagers were struggling with their own identity and this idea of conformity was oppressive to their individual growth. James Dean epitomized the ‘rebel’, as his inability to stick to confined conformity both on and off screen was a major asset during 1950s filmmaking. The rebel character that was present in both films was an attempt to glorify individuality. Dean’s protagonist characters in each respective film were alienated, vulnerable and antisocial, which were standard traits of the common rebel. The 1950s became an era where individualism had to be tempered to suit the demanded conformity. The ‘rebel’ icon as a whole offered refuge in a time where adolescents were trapped in environments created by political and social forces beyond their control, which impeded their ability to make their own choices or realize their aspirations. Filmmakers like Ray and Kazan attempted to assert their individuality by creating these rebellious characters that went against the accepted norms and fought for what they wanted to achieve. Ray was acutely aware that the recognitions of the attractive young rebel would intonate a large following, and casting the Hollywood bad-boy, James Dean, created a synergy between Dean’s screen persona, Jim Stark, and his real life counterpart. With his magnificent confusion, pained fragility, and unwavering sexiness, Dean became the template for teenage rebellion. Rebel Without a Cause exemplifies a thinly veiled attempt to search for authority that catapults into an attempt to search for an identity for oneself. On the other hand, in Kazan’s films, he exploited Dean’s screen persona as the rebel anti-hero in American movies, democratizing and linking the rebellious behavior to root in American values . This was also seen in Rebel Without a Cause; however, this idea was predominant within East of Eden. By Kazan doing this, Dean as a rebel character, but also the film East of Eden became symbolic visions and vehicles of change. The integrity of the family formed the backbone conformity in the 1950s and non-conformity based on a non-traditional family was something that had not been fully explored. The non-traditional nuclear family is something that was taboo; however, both Ray and Kazan deal with them in their respective films. In Rebel Without a Cause the use of gender-role reversal is apparent; and within East of Eden, the idea of an absentee mother is present. These non-traditional nuclear families pave the way for the rebel character that Dean personifies on screen. Dean is used as a sentimentalist with a yearning to refurbish the struggling nuclear family. Since the nuclear family played such an influential role, Hollywood saw it as worth saving and worth reconstructing. During this decade, the nuclear family dominated, so it was important to reconstruct the failing nuclear family in order to promote the conformity the government and society sorely desired; in cases where the nuclear family could not be restored, sickness or injury became the typical Hollywood scapegoat. While the nuclear family plays an important role in understanding the rebel character, the family plays a background role within the film itself. The nuclear family within Rebel Without a Cause features gender role reversal where Dean’s father is a weak pushover and is controlled by his overpowering wife, that ultimately forces Dean to react in a rebellious manner. These non-traditional gender roles confuse the teenage characters and propagate the rebellious characteristics as a mean for garnering attention. In order to right these wrongs, Jim adopts a surrogate family, whereby Judy is his wife, and Plato becomes the adoptive son. Since there is a lack of a traditional nuclear family, the escape to the abandoned mansion removes Dean from the â€Å"compromises of the real world† whereby he is able to live with Judy and Plato in an â€Å"idealized version of family life†, which is when he comes to the realization that he no longer needs to â€Å"equate masculinity with violent rebellion† and perpetuates his reintegration into society. Additionally, Elia Kazan was fascinated with James Dean’s personal struggles, which helped him connect to his rebellious character as Cal in East of Eden. Kazan used Dean’s personal problems to his advantage, exploiting them and creating a tumultuous nuclear family that mimicked the biblical tale of Cain and Abel. The â€Å"love and hate† plotline that deals with forbidden love and explosive passions is reticent of the well-known biblical tale. Cal – defiant, disobedient, and uncompromising – provokes the central conflict within the film, which impersonates his biblical counterpart Cain. Cal himself is stuck between the â€Å"brooding coast of his mother’s sin† and the â€Å"sunlit valley of his father’s righteousness†, which adjusts and brings to light the coexistence of good and evil within all of us. Cal and Aron are primary demonstrations of this good versus evil idea, as they are fighting for their father’s affections, which is a paralleled allegory of the biblical tale. However, it is also applicable to the 1950s when the film was created, and can be further adapted to fit modern society, which is why East of Eden is a timeless film. Dean’s character Cal exhibits a multitude of self-destructive behavior. As a traditional rebellious character, Dean exhibits free will and the capacity to forgive even though he begrudges his father and brother throughout the diegetic. Cal is embittered with the idea that his father favors Aron, his â€Å"perfect† twin brother. Further, Cal attempts to win his father’s undying affection by farming beans and selling them for a large profit. If Cal shows his father that he can create a successful business and repay him monies lost, he would be showered with the affection he feels deprived from. Cal’s plan backfires and instead resorts to â€Å"killing† his brother by destroying his integrity in order to gain his father’s affection and adoration. However, this plan fails and ultimately causes his father’s demise. The theme of reconciliation appears in East of Eden when Dean offers to take care of his invalid father shows his father that his intentions, while misguided, were pure and only used as a guise for his father to notice all his hard work. Dean’s concern with masculinity and manhood is at the forefront of Rebel Without a Cause. Dean exhibits â€Å"moral and psychological vertigo as he teeters on the brink of manhood† , and is concerned with masculinity as there has been an apparent lacking representation of manhood within his home life. Dean is searching for a strong and upright male figure with whom he can identify with, which was a customary representation during the 1950s. Instead of being a strong role model, Dean’s father portrayed as a craven subordinate who succumbs to the over-demanding ways of his boisterous wife. For a struggling teen, these ideals prove to be less than appropriate, which launches Dean into rebellion, in hopes of finding the role model he desperately needs and desires. In the absence of a credible adult guidance, especially from his father, Dean questions his masculinity. Furthermore, Dean equates manhood with honor. This theme of masculinity and honor is present in both Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden. In Rebel Without a Cause Dean plays the role of the informer, which is an honorable characteristic . Informing is construed as the highest act of courage, and displays a defining moral choice. Having this moral compass helps to shape and define the man that Dean will turn in to, which is a dependable figure as he attempts to salvage Pluto’s insanity and Judy’s insecurities. Dean screen persona is concerned with not only preserving his honor, but also with surviving and thriving in a world that embodies teenage confusion. Ultimately, Dean’s reconciliation with hegemony makes a rebel honorable, possible by the virtue of its own authority and â€Å"unimpaired by psychosis, alienation, or a romanticized futility†. While Dean is a rebel within East of Eden by defying his father’s orders, he has honorable characteristics when dealing with his manhood. Integrity and honor are integral parts to Dean’s persona as he attempts to save his father and salvage his well being after an ill-advised investment. The rebel character that became a figure of non-conformity, and rugged individualism became not only a culture but also became a political stance as a way to stray from American hegemony. Ray uses Dean as a dissent of social control, in order to promote the independence that became synonymous with rebellious behavior. There was a pressure to conform that was thrust upon the young adolescents, who were already facing a confusing time during their formative years. Dean as a ‘rebel’ is espoused as the cause of the protestor and stultified the inherently violent social system. The rebel sparked debate and offered a different perspective that would not have been possible with a completely conformist hegemonic society. In order to stray from a completely hegemonic society, and defy global homogenization, America can turn iconography against itself. This was a message the Ray attempted to portray by having the rebellious characters fight each other even though ultimately they believed in the same things. Psychological and social issues became prevalent and defined the two types of rebels that were present within Rebel Without a Cause. Firstly, there is the rebel that James Dean personified with displays of reconciliation and reintegration into society; and secondly, there is a character such as Plato who was a clear representation of irreconcilable rebellion. Dean is able to be readmitted into society as his disaffection was not profound in the first place, and was used as a mechanism of expression and attention in the wake of the absence of a strong father. Additionally, Dean’s rebelliousness was sentimentalized, which furthered his reintegration. On the other hand, irreconcilable rebellion is equated to insanity, which cannot be accommodated in society, thusly forcing Plato’s death and the end of the film. While psychological issues can be discusses and presented within a film, insanity is not accepted during the 1950s, so to respond to this, it is imperative for Plato to die. With the death of Plato and the re-integration of Dean’s character, there is a theme of rehabilitation. Moreover, â€Å"once the abyss of personal isolation is bridged, rebelliousness ceases† and those who cannot experience rehabilitations have no place within the film diegetic. This was seen with Plato who was shot down, and Buzz who died during the â€Å"chicken run† he challenged Dean to. Kazan’s representation of the rebellious character in East of Eden was seen as a function of a lack of love and meaningful contact, which is why Cal’s forbidden relationship with Abra became central within the narrative. Dean’s screen persona is searching for the â€Å"authentic self† and his masculine identity, which leads him to his mother as well as his reliance on Abra. Further, Abra is the catalyst for the reconciliations between Cal and his father as she promotes the loving relationship the Cal lacks with his father. East of Eden deals with moral values in a generation where teenagers begin to question their father’s generation. Abra became a representation of purity and simplicity that helped bridge the tumultuous relationship between father and son during the period of intense personal moral dilemma for the teenage rebel. All in all, â€Å"the young rebel character that is firmly ingrained in our cultural imagination carries its traces to the Hollywood screen rebels of the fifties, none more than James Dean† . Both Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden are dealing with the protagonist’s movement into moral orientation and their journey into self-identification, and present themselves as remedial, therapeutic, and redemptive, which explain symptoms with implied cures. Over the decades the rebel has been a particularly ambiguous icon, where the meanings often contradict one another; however, the use of James Dean as an iconoclastic rebel defined term and created the archetypal ‘rebel’ character. During the 1950s, every aspect of emerging teen culture was viewed as threatening and incomprehensible; however, the rebel character was used for teens to expand their personal boundaries during a time when the cultural landscape was largely undefined.

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

TRS - Essay Example Luke wrote about the early Christian leadership development in the first seven chapters of Acts of the Apostles. The focus is majorly on Jesus’ teachings, the spread of the Gospel, and the events that were experienced in Galilee and Judea. As church leaders and more so the Apostles spread the gospel, they experienced hardships such as persecutions, incorporation of foreigners, maintaining distant followers, and issues of church leadership and policies. 2. Controversies about Gentile Christians The great controversy in the early church was about whether or not Christianity had to be simply another division of Judaism. The focus was on the missionary expansion of Gentiles from Antioch. The issue was basically the basis on which Gentiles were to be admitted to the church and the whole issue of human salvation, whether Gentiles or Jews were at stake. The opinion to resolve this controversy was for people to acknowledge the grace of God in Christ as the sole basis for faith and sal vation as the only necessity from the human side. It was also suggested that gentiles respect the attitudes of their brethrens in Christ. At the end of all these, the Church was freed from being a sect in Judaism, and could expand freely as a unit throughout Europe (Saward 67). 3. Arius belief about Jesus and the controversy around this Arius believed that God and Jesus were not really of the same substance. His belief was in the ontological and the eternal functional subordination of Jesus to God; that the son was lower than the father and that he was created before time. At first, the early church was not sure of how to respond to Aryanism. Athanasius responded by claiming that Jesus was eternally begotten from God and thus they have the same essence. Bishop Alexander left the controversy to go on until he finally came to perceive that it was endangering peaceful co-existence in the church. A local council of Bishops was called upon to resolve the controversy, who decided against these teachings as well as depositing Arius from office and excommunicating his followers. In 325 AD, Constantine took a step to form a council inclusive of church prelates from the Roman Empire to solve the controversy. With Constantine’s influence, most of the bishops settled on the Nicene Creed that had the term homoousios; referring to â€Å"one in essence,† with the meaning contrary to that of Arius. The Nicene Creed circular was distributed in churches to make Christians aware. 4. Effects of the sacrament of baptism to the baptized, according to the early Christians According to Saward (104), in the 3rd and 4th centuries, the early church baptized using the immersion method. They believed that this sacrament forgave sins. To them, in the name of the Father, the son, and the holy Spirit, their sins were washed away by water. Baptism also made one a believer, and whoever refused the sacrament was condemned as an unbeliever. Moreover, baptism was a sign that people were destined to repent and could receive remission of sins, were regenerated, get born again, and were blessed by God. 5. Rabbi Abraham Heschel’s theological understanding of the Sabbath Rabbi Abraham Heschel Viewed the Sabbath as not a healthy rest period aimed at preventing burn-out and a way to carry out productive chores; neither is it equivalent to sleep. On this day, the nature of time is disclosed as

Marketing Strategy Analysis 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing Strategy Analysis 2 - Assignment Example The firm’s online marketing strategy incorporates all features of online marketing, but through all the obvious techniques, it is their aggressiveness, which has stressed and widened their need to succeed and stay at the peak of the retail industry (Hayden et al., 2010). However, a hostile campaign inevitably harvests controversy, and through the years, the firm has been involved with a fair share of negative publicity mainly concerning their particular marketing technique (Bachfischer, 2012). Their bullying attitude has made many perceive them as unfair and unreasonable, but Wal-Mart still hinges at the top of the retail industry despite their negative attention. The firm’s marketing techniques comprises of overflowing the market with their presence (Hayden et al., 2010). This is startling for people who perceive Wal-Mart’s business endeavors startling. However, with such a huge quantity of retail stores, extremely competitive pricing, along with such a huge mar ket share, their marketing method has demanded an overall invasion of all the suitable markets (Bachfischer, 2012). Wal-Mart provides numerous types of products, with a fairly easy list of options (Hayden et al., 2010). The Sam’s Club of the chain store provides an alternative for those who prefer bulk, as well. And, with such a loyal customer base, the firm is capable of setting prices for what their clients pay for (Roth, 2012). If the product is below cost, then many clients can go for it. The truth is that Wal-Mart can give a firm a prime chance to get their goods to a majority of consumers even if they lose funds doing so. Their internet marketing has made them transparent in an effort to deter the controversy of their name (Bachfischer, 2012). A consumer can buy their whole collection of goods through the internet. A consumer can also go through reviews, get alternative deals for exceptional deals available only online and sign-up for a newsletter in order to be-on-the- know with the firm’s products (Hayden et al., 2010). In spite of this, such an organization depends strongly on their physical location, precisely why a store finder is situated at the peak in bright yellow (Roth, 2012). This competitive nature has made controversy thrive under their name. However, their marketing strategy has centered on quantity, as well as delivering a variety in one location (Gereffi & Christian, 2012). Their extending hands to McDonalds and the Subway for transport convenience further confirms this claim (Hayden et al., 2010). A normal shopper can get glasses prescription, their car oil changed and get a haircut under their building. A client can buy draperies on one side of the store and jewelry on the other. Shoppers can grab a new lawnmower and buy groceries, all while taking a haircut (Bachfischer, 2012). Wal-Mart’s recent union with SunTrust Bank has enhanced their presence in the Southeast. Their marketing strategy has always depended on var iety, which is how many things can a client buy in one location (Roth, 2012). Wal-Mart also uses Facebook along with other social media sites to drive their sales (Gereffi & Christian, 2012). The firm allows 22 million Facebook followers to vote on toys would like to see on temporary discounts, or on "rollbacks" (Bachfischer, 2012). The online marketing strategy of Wal-Mart provides convenience for the firm. Their internet

Organising the classroom for ADHD pupils Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organising the classroom for ADHD pupils - Essay Example The incident impacted on me as it gave me a chance to experience firsthand how ADHD students act in the classroom setting. The end goal of this paper is to establish ways by which the classroom can be managed to fit the needs of the ADHD student. The coaching model provides a strong foundation for the learning which needs to be established for ADHD students. This model seeks to assist students in reframing how they understand themselves as capable individuals. Coaches would set ground rules in order to secure boundaries on what students may or may not do, and the goals they can establish for themselves. These coaches also ask questions in order to help the ADHD students reflect; they also encourage problem-solving skills and provide encouragement and self-belief (Derrington, 2005). This situation involves an ADHD student who manifested the classic signs of ADHD including hyperactivity, short attention span, easy distractibility, class disruptiveness, impulsivity and inattentiveness. Due to his symptoms, he was also having difficulty keeping up with the class lessons. The importance of having to secure a conducive learning environment for him became a necessity especially when the student was falling well behind his other classmates. A plan was established in order to provide support for the student and to ensure his full and effective participation. Such support is partly based on the coaching model which accepts the importance of providing guidance and encouragement for the students in their lessons and activities. The student had one-on-one support for his daily lessons, however, this was not working well for the student as different teaching assistants were assigned to him for each subject. The different approaches of the teaching assistants made the situation even more difficult for the student to adapt to. After the teachers and teaching assistants met and discussed the student’s case, it was suggested that there was a need to make changes in the cl assroom in order to ensure more efficient outcomes. It was suggested that the student needed to have only one teaching assistant assigned to him for his daily lessons. This would help provide consistency and discipline for his lessons and his learning. The reflective process and model which would be applied for this essay would be the Gibbs reflection style. This reflective style provides specific details on the different events surrounding the critical incident. The actions and decisions involving the incident will then be critically assessed and analyzed, applying evidence-based research in order to provide sufficient support and logic for the actions made (Jasper, 2003). This reflective model includes a description of the event, the feelings during the incident, the evaluation of the incident, an analysis of the incident, and an action plan for the incident (Jasper, 2003). A description of the incident is already provided above. In relation to the feelings encountered, I felt tha t the student needed to secure a more stable and consistent classroom environment, one where he would not have to make constant adjustments. I also felt that the student also needed to adjust to a normal classroom setting in order to help him gain the social skills of interactions with his classmates. In evaluating what was good and bad about the experience, I felt that the teaching assi

Part 4 Analysis, Evaluation of GoalsObjectives Essay

Part 4 Analysis, Evaluation of GoalsObjectives - Essay Example Lay, (Chairman and CEO of Frito-Lay), through the merger of the two companies in 1965. Pepsi is known for aggressive marketing campaigns and setting challenging targets for it. Goals must be set after studying the market dynamics as well as the strengths of the company. The SMART model for setting goals was developed by psychologists as a comprehensive tool for the goal-setting exercise. As per this model goals must be; Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. One of the immediate strategic goals of PepsiCo was to take on Coca-Cola, its age-old rival in the soft drink segment. In fact the "cola war," which describes mainly the on-going battle between Coca-Cola and Pepsi for supremacy in the soft drink industry, dates back to the 1950s when Pepsi's corporate focus became "Beat Coke" (Yoffie, 2004). Since then, they have battled domestically and globally for market share and sales, with a tremendous amount at stake. Both of them seem to be regularly updating the information about their rival as there seem to be no secrets in the beverage category, with Coca-Cola and Pepsi typically releasing new products in unison. To this end PepsiCo launched a "Pepsi Challenge", a blind test of taste, from 1975 to 1983. In this test Pepsi came out victorious as the preferred taste over Coca-Cola. Therefore it is quite apparent that PepsiCo succeeded in attaining this goal. PepsiCo is ranked 21st amongst Fortune 500 companies in 2005. Profit maximization and earning revenues from its operations happens to be the prime goals of any company. To this end companies try to establish their brands amongst the customers, which forms another goal in itself. In today's market driven economy concept, the art of communication to existing consumers as well as prospective consumers takes a great deal out of the managerial brain storming sessions. Establishing the brand equity goes a long way towards earning good sales revenues and earning the all important brand loyalty. PepsiCo has indeed invested huge amounts in establishing a brand identity. Philanthropy is an important means of establishing the brand identity. PepsiCo has also expressed its commitment towards promoting Healthier Lifestyles (PepsiCo, 2005). It supports programs which help consumers with the "calories out" side of the equation as well. A SMART program from the stable of PepsiCo, aspires for a healthy living for its consumers. Such programs help in generating lot of goodwill for the company, which indeed benefits the company and its business prospects. Though company's stated goal is to support 'more active lifestyles for families and kids' - and get them to "move more" (PepsiCo, 2005). Another important goal that the company has set for itself is to have the reach of PepsiCo's products such that the products are available to consumers whenever and wherever they want it. To this end, the company has ahead with strategic tie up with many internationally renowned brands. Out of the 13 largest food and beverage brands sold in US supermarkets, 7 belong to PepsiCo. Owing to its operation in global market space, PepsiCo has been able to generate three major sustainable advantages which give it a competitive edge over its rivals. These advantages are (PepsiCo, 2005) basically the strong brand identity, Company's proven ability to innovate and create differentiated products, and a powerful 'go-to-market' system. Company has been able to implement the strategies

ABC CPA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ABC CPA - Essay Example The limitations of internal control system include the aspect that due to the cost effective nature of the control system certain non-effective but useful controls are emitted. The other limitations include the aspect that designing as well as establishing efficient internal controls can be quite a difficult task due to lack of knowledge of staff to operate such systems. Internal control system might not always reflect altered operating conditions (Gupta 100-200). Internal control system has certain procedures which are illustrated by the help of two examples. Firstly, the internal control system should be served with proper Information Technologies (IT). IT helps the auditors to control the account related entries correctly and reduces the risk of wrong or emitted entry. This is because IT assists to store the data correctly and the stored data can be simultaneously cross-checked, consequently allowing to rectify the faults and can recognize the missing entry. This internal control process can be implemented by ABC Company to its auditing department by providing IT related requirements such as computers and through proper mode of communication. Computers will help to store the transactions related to accounts and communication process will assist the auditors to collect all information and documents related to accounts within its premises (Sai, â€Å"Internal Control and Auditing In IT Environment†). The other example of internal control procedures is that handed over duties and liabilities should be familiar and communicated to employee properly by the company’s higher level officials. This procedure helps the management and the subordinates to plan and to work out the strategies sufficiently by which the objective of the specified task can be achieved efficiently. This procedure of internal control can be implemented by ABC Company through

Social media and Business Communication and Advertising Essay

Social media and Business Communication and Advertising - Essay Example This paper illustrates that social media has become a major part of business promotion strategy. The trend in marketing and advertising is moving towards social media. Business marketing and promotion are moving from the traditional media such as television and print media. The social media offers businesses, big and small, a range of advantages that can be useful for the purposes of ensuring that the business benefits the most from its investment is marketing and promotion investments. Social media offers the business a range of services that are useful in business and brand promotion. To begin with, it can be useful as a way to give the customers a personalized communication platform. Businesses can respond to customers’ requests, queries, and communication on a one-on-one basis and this can be very useful in creating customer satisfaction. In this regard, social media offers a way for the business to be able to communicate on a personal level with the customers. However, be ing able to take advantage of the social media platform is not an easy fit for the businesses. Only those businesses that are able to come up with a well-laid social media strategy are able to benefit the most from the social media platform. In this case, businesses must be able to know how to take advantage of the social media to be able to take home the benefits. In fact, businesses that are unable or that refuse to take advantage of the social media end up suffering.

Did Oracle's purchase of Sun Microsystems increase HP's and Dell's Essay

Did Oracle's purchase of Sun Microsystems increase HP's and Dell's interest in 3Par (company). Explain - Essay Example This made it the direct competitor of companies like IBM (which was already its competitor before this acquisition), HP, CISCO and Dell. One of the major benefits of acquiring Sun has been the entry of its Java programming language as well as the Solaris operating system in the possession list of Oracle. This is an important platform for much of Oracle’s work (Goodwin 2009). Oracle has also now entered the hardware segment of the industry. It can now package its software products with Sun’s hardware to help boost sales which is a direct competition to IBM and HP. Dell is also aiming to achieve such integrated solutions for its customers. Sun’s MySQL database has provided further strength to Oracle. This will help the company expand the number of users that utilize Oracle database products. This is true especially from the point of view of entry into the small-to-midsize businesses where it had a significantly low presence (Schiff 2009). With the ownership of Sunà ¢â‚¬â„¢s StarOffice through this acquisition, Oracle can now even attack the laptop/desktop market which will be a direct threat to the MS office application of Microsoft (Schiff 2009).

The importances of the primary,secondary and tertiary levels of health Essay

The importances of the primary,secondary and tertiary levels of health promotion in nursing practice - Essay Example It then becomes imperative for health nurses to define their services and to provide evidence that will support the effectiveness of the interventions they offer. In accomplishing this, Deal (1994) asserted that there should be an implementation of standardized nursing language. Unlike the last few years, roles of nurses have changed from â€Å"not a good press† to an essential ability in the improvement of healthcare. Nowadays, nurses claim that caring is just as important as technical skill. Nurses are directly involved in the implementation of health promotion. Their participation in the implementation of healthcare promotion determines the success or failure of the desired practice. The first article deals with a particular state in the United States – New York and the role of the public health nurses to the health promotion and maintenance. Firstly, health promotion is initialized through assessing the health as well as the health care needs of the population in identifying who would benefit from the health promotion or the ones that are being described in the article as â€Å"at risk of illness, injury, disability, or premature death†. Collectively, health promotion is being defined in the article as the respond to the identified healthcare needs in a form of range of activities that will contribute to health and the prevention of illness and the like. Article 1 takes the nurses as the critical and most important role inevitably involves in the promotion and maintenance of the health of the public. American Public Health Association and Public Health Nursing (2003) define nurses’ role as to â€Å"promote the health of populations using knowledge from nursing, social, and public health sciences†. Correspondingly, public health would be in great danger devoid of a strong nursing workforce. They are the ones that provide direct care to the public as a response to the implementation of health

The problem with public relations Essay Example for Free

The problem with public relations Essay Budd and Ruben (1988) stressed that the absence of data sources signals mass media’s inevitable downfall and destruction. Once and for all, information is media’s main (product). Thus, it is pretty impossible for media organizations to deliver such (product) if there is an apparent lack of supplier. PR is therefore instrumental in sustaining media’s existence and survival. PR departments of business establishments can supply industry-based news and stories. Likewise, government agencies utilize PR to increase the public’s awareness about the government’s projects and endeavors. Similarly, it can be noticed that advocacy and interest groups capitulated on public relations to voice out their views and opinions. However, while it is true that public relations aid the media in satisfying the market for information, it cannot be denied that PR’s sole purpose is still grounded on the principle of building publicity and creating massive media exposure. The marriage of press releases and news items make it too difficult and confusing for the public to distinguish plain news materials from press releases. The implications of the above-mentioned scenarios are pretty compelling and cannot be readily ignored. For one, the dependence of media organizations on PR departments as news sources raises question regarding the quality of news production. For one, media practitioners are trained and expected to conduct heavy research and collect different news sources to ensure accuracy. Relying on a single source is a cardinal sin for many journalists and broadcasters primarily because news items must ensure that all angles of the story are presented. Relatively, this also served as a challenge to the degree of professionalism practiced by individuals that work in the media. Data gathering and verifying information are essential routines in news production. This means that journalists and broadcasters are expected to go out of their comfort zones and look for socially relevant topics that serve the public’s interests. The notion that media practitioners should develop a keen eyes for details and nose for news, imply that media outfits must exert effort in providing news rather than merely sit and wait for PR handouts. But more than anything else, this situation readily surrenders mass media’s freedom. Mutual connections of news organizations and PR departments manifest media’s subtle suppression and independence from the powerful influences of external environments. Indeed, PR departments, due to its strong links to business organizations, governmental agencies and even advocacy groups, now has the upper-hand in the overall process of how news is produced and delivered to the public (Fitzpatrick Bronstein, 2006) . Drawing on Dahrendorf’s idea of power legitimacy, business establishments and government agencies have the authority to transform news materials into mere promotional or propaganda copies (Slattery, 2003). These actors are well positioned in the social strata that grant them a good grasp of influence. The uneven distribution of authority and rule (Slattery, 2003) readily legitimizes the position of business organizations and government agencies in the social, political, cultural and legal hierarchy. PR subsequently becomes a tool for control and manipulation via exerting pressure to distort and fabricate news items. It is important to note that media outfits are also business endeavors that depend on profiteering to sustain their survival. Profit, in the media context is measured by high ratings and wide audience reception. But this can be only achieved if newspapers and television programs alike have enough information to offer for public consumption (Craig, 2004). It is the information—the news stories that function as lifebloods of the media industry. When PR departments become involved in news making, they are very much capable of withholding data and information that leaves journalists and broadcasters at their mercy. This is most especially true in situations wherein corporate reputation is very much at stake. In these times, media practitioners must exercise neutrality and objectivity. However, neutrality in this case does not work well for PR. One must readily take sides. What happens then is that journalists and news anchors are compelled to transform press releases into (well-researched) news reports that simply explain the sides of the affected party. However, a closer look into the matter shows that these simple explanations are no less than defense mechanisms that are pursued to protect capitalistic aims and orientations. Other business organizations would even push media practitioners to exaggerate press releases and resort to sensationalism (Whitaker, Ramsey Smith, 2004). On the other hand, government agencies can impose legal sanctions to influence news coverage and to a certain extent—silence media groups. These institutions can very much exercise censorship to dismantle media’s critical stand. This situation is highly evident in communities governed by extremely authoritarian regimes. Likewise, if government offices fail to garner favorable media attention, they can create their own media system and thus capitalize on PR. Nowadays, it is not too much of an extraordinary thing to see government agencies publish their own newsletters or newspapers (Franklin Murphy, 1991). A deconstruction of these media contents clearly show that campaign materials are readily expressed as news. Yes, these copies may well increase the public’s awareness. But news, in the truest sense of the word, is not self-serving. Apparently, this scenario manifests a blatant abuse of freedom of expression. However, press releases are also exploited by other media practitioners. This can be specifically observed in journalists and broadcasters who are active members of advocacy groups. Their ideological beliefs may very much interfere with the way they handle news stories. Biases may occur in treating subjects that have differing opinions and perspectives. There are instances wherein released statements of their respective groups are customized to look like news items. But then again, no matter how noble the intentions are, this does not erase the fact that the public is deceived and mislead. The inability of media individuals to distance themselves from their respective affiliations is a subtle and unconscious way of placing more PR content in news items. The agenda-setting model states that mass media in general have the ability to dictate and redefine the audience’s perception (Botha et. al, 2007). News organizations, regardless of the ethical standards that govern broadcast, print and online media can tell the public which issues should be considered important and which should be immediately dismissed as irrelevant. The agenda-setting function of media is manifested through giving focus and emphasis on particular subjects (Botha et. al, 2007). When certain events or personalities receive much media attention, the public is made to believe that these are important. It can be observed that majority of released news items are mainly concern on few large-scale issues. Yet, it seems that there is diversity in newspapers and television news programs. But the truth is, these issues are simply dissected and articulated from different angles. Public relations officers know this very well and PR agencies are readily capitulating on these situations (Burns, 2002). Even though it is a common practice for news producers to identify news angles, this has been nonetheless, abused. Consequently, this scenario is also instrumental in the prevalence of unethical practices in mass media. These include biases, data fabrication, inaccuracy, and conflicting interests. Under this context, news and media in general becomes a tool of the elite to retain their positions in the social and political ladder. Media becomes a hegemonic machine of the ruling class. This situation further reaffirms Althusser’s argument that media is part of the so-called â€Å"ideological state apparatuses or ISA (Fourie, 2007). † Conclusion PR is indeed, a good source of news stories. However, there should be a clear distinction between press releases and news items. Media organizations must assert their independence and autonomy from certain groups that could very well affect news production. It should be always remembered that providing relevant information is not synonymous to creating â€Å"praise releases. † Ethical practices in the media must be strictly observed. The public’s demand for information should not be perceived from a business-oriented view. News stories are not commodities. The public needs to know because the public needs to make a decision. Media, more than anything else is accountable to the public, not to PR agencies. Reference List Benkler, Y. (2006). The Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedoms. Connecticut: Yale University Press Botha, D; Chaka, M; du Plessis, N; Krause, B; Rawjee, V. P; Porthen, D; Veerasamy, D and Wright, B. (2007). Public Relations Fresh Perspectives. Cape Town: Pearsons Education South Africa (Pty) Ltd. Budd, R. and Ruben, B. (1988) Beyond Media New Approaches to Mass Communication. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers Burns, L. (2002). Understanding Journalism. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Clear, A. and Weideman, L. (2001) Dynamics of Public Relations and Journalism. (2nd ed). Cape Town: Juta Co. Ltd. Craig, G. (2004). The Media, Politics and Public Life. North South Wales: Allen Unwing Davies, A. (2003). Public Relations and News Sources. In S. Cottle (Ed. ), News, public relations and power. London: Sage Publications Inc. Fleming, C; Hemmingway, E; Moore, G and Welford, D. (2006). An Introduction to Journalism. London: Sage Publications Inc. Fitzpatrick, K and Bronstein, C. (2006). Ethics in Public Relations. London: Sage Publications Inc. Fourie, P. (Ed. ) (2007). Media Studies Media History, Media and Society (Vol. 1). Cape Town: Juta Co. Ltd. Franklin, B. and Murphy, D. (1991). What News?. London: Routledge L’Etang, J. (2004). Public Relations in Britain. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc. Ray, S. (2007) And Now for the good News. Massachusetts: Moment Point Press Schultz, R. (1998) Reviving the fourth estate. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Slattery, M. (2003). Key Ideas in Sociology. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd. Sloan, W. and Parcell, L. (Eds) (2002). American Journalism History, Principles, Practices. North Carolina: McFarland Company Inc. Whitaker,W; Ramsey, J and Smith, R. (2004). MediaWriting Print, Broadcast and Public Relations. (2nd ed). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

Human Factors in Aviation for Pilots

Human Factors in Aviation for Pilots Human Factors in Aviation for Pilots Introduction The term â€Å"human factor† belongs to the wide range of matters affecting how people achieve tasks in their non-work and work environments. The commercial aviation industry has recognized that human error causes most aviation incidents and accidents rather than mechanical failure. If interpreted intently, human factors are often deemed synonymous with maintenance resource management (MRM) or crew resource management (CRM). Human factors involve collecting information about human limitations, ability and other qualities and applying it to machines, tools, tasks, systems, environments and jobs to produce comfortable, safe and effective human use. Human factors are devoted to better perception of how humans can most efficiently and safely be combined with technology. That perception is then translated into training, design, procedures, or policies to help humans work better. (GRAEBER, 2014) In spite of rapid gains in technology, humans are ultimately accountable for guaranteeing the safety and success of the aviation industry. They must continue to be flexible, knowledgeable, efficient, and dedicated while exercising good judgment. In the meantime, the industry continues to make main investments in equipment, training, and systems that have a long-standing implication. Human factors cover the knowledge of comprehending the human capabilities, the application of this knowledge to the development, design and exploitation of systems and services, and the art of guaranteeing successful application of human factor values into the maintenance working environment. Furthermore, human factors experts participate in examining operational safety and developing tools and methods to help operator better handle human error. These duties require the experts to work closely with safety experts, engineers, training and test pilots, mechanics and cabin crews to efficiently integrate huma n factors in the designing of airplanes. Human Factors in the Ground Environment Before understanding the importance of human factors we must know the term â€Å"PEAR†. It reminds the four important facts for human factor programs: People, Environment, Actions and Resources. The Aircraft Electronics Association accepts PEAR as an outstanding way to recall key concerns for a human factors program. There are as a minimum of two environments in aviation maintenance; physical work place and organizational environment. There is the physical work place in the hanger, on the ramp or in the shop while organizational environment exist within the company. A human factor should pay attention to both environments. The physical environment includes ranges of humidity, temperature, lightening, cleanliness, noise control, and workplace design. Companies must accept these conditions and collaborate with the workforce to either change or accommodate the physical environment. It takes a cooperate assurance to address the physical environment. This physical workplace covers the topic â€Å"Resources† of PEAR when it comes to providing coolers, portable heaters, clothing, lightening and task design and workplace. The second environment is organizational one. The significant factors in an organizational environment are usually related to communication, cooperation, mutual respect, shared values of the company, and their culture. An excellent organizational environment is progressed with communication, leadership and shared goals associated with profitability, safety and other key factors. The best companies support and guide their people and promote a culture of safety. We consider environmental matters as critical as other features in PEAR. . (Johnson, 2007) Aviation safety relies deeply on maintenance. When it is not done properly, it contributes to a major proportion of aviation incidents and accidents. Some examples poor maintenance are missing parts, parts installed incorrectly, and required checks not being performed. The errors of an aviation maintenance technician (AMT) can be more challenging to detect as compared with other threats to aviation safety. A lot of times, these errors are present but not visible and have possibility to remain hidden, affecting the harmless operation of aircraft for larger period of time. AMT’s tackled with many human factors unique within aviation. Most of the time, they are working in the early morning or in evening hours, in restrained spaces, and in mixture of unfavorable humidity/temperature conditions. The work can be physically tiring; it also needs attention to detail. AMTs usually spend more time on preparing for a job than actually practicing it out. Key element of all maintenance wor k is a proper documentation, and AMTs usually spend more time revising maintenance logs than they do presenting the work. Mechanical components in aircraft maintenance engineering have boundaries; technicians also have some limitations and limited capabilities when we look at the maintenance engineering system. For example, rivets used to fasten aluminum skin to fuselage that can bear forces acting to pull them apart. These rivets will ultimately fail if sufficient force is applied to them. The exact range of human limitations and capabilities are not clear as the performance range of electrical or mechanical components but the same rules apply in that human functions which is likely to damage and ultimately fail under certain conditions like stress, tensions etc. Human factors understanding can lead to enhanced quality, an environment that guarantees continuing aircraft and worker safety and a more responsible and involved work force. More precisely, the reduction of minor mistakes can provide appreciable benefits including fewer missed deadlines, cost reductions, reduction in injuries, reduction in maintenance errors and also reduction in warranty claims. Human factors in the Airborne Environment (flight desk, cockpit, formation) Men already learn how to construct wings or airplanes, which when propelled through the air at maximum speed, will not only withstand the weight of the engine, but also of the wings themselves, and of the engineer as well. Men also learn how to build screws of adequate power and lightness to drive these airplanes at sustaining speed. Inability to steer and balance still become challenging for students and have flying problems. When this feature has been controlled, the era of flying machines will have reached, for other problems are of lesser importance. (Kantowitz, 2011) Working with an aircraft in the Performance Based Airspace (PBA) will be extra challenging for the flight crews who have only worked in controlled airspace. But in real, only somewhat more challenging rules like Visual Flight Rule (VFR) are applied. The flight crew will have to handle more tasks, an arrival of basic separation responsibilities, have complete responsibility for all forms of situational awareness like mode awareness and traffic, possible greater workload under several conditions like severe weathers. To evaluate the necessary information needs of the flight crew to achieve the airborne self-separation task and to regulate the level of automation, it will be essential to study the following sub tasks; Conflict detection; Conflict privations; Traffic monitoring; Re-planning; Conflict resolution; Inter-traffic/traffic-FOC communication. It becomes clear that today’s conventional airline operations possible do not offer the information to examine the above tasks. It is, though, assumed that the flight crew will demand the high quality ergonomically planned navigation and traffic information and in various circumstances may require to be aided by some level of automation and maybe through some decision support tools. Presently flight crews use the TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) instead of ATC (Air Traffic Control) and to help them attain a minimum level of traffic situational awareness. But in today’s operational environment, TCAS information will not be enough. A CDTI (Cockpit Display of Traffic Information) system will possibly be a better system to help the aircrew to maintain and develop a high level of traffic situational awareness by offering basic data about speed, position and provide information of future state of aircraft in the neighborhood. The important requirement will possibly b e to aid the crew in the detection, prevention and resolution of an important conflict. In this area, it is assumed that the aircrew will be in a controlling position. The revealing of imminent collisions will be automated and will be implemented in the background. The crew will be warned in situation of imminent conflicts along with numerous solution strategies, which are supposed to be filtered and sorted for the crew by using various criteria (e.g., time/fuel optimization, wind and weather criteria, passenger comfort, etc.) to elect for the best solution in the given situation. The aircrew will have the probability to modify different factors of the maneuver (e.g. waypoints, aircraft speed, altitude) according to their requirements and own judgment of the situation. (International, 2007) Improvements One of the major risks a pilot faced is the unawareness of existing problem. This situation indicated as a loss of situational awareness. Loss of situation awareness is like danger is everywhere and you are pleasingly unaware of it. Loss of situational awareness can be initiated by somewhat as simple as inattention. A pilot is unaware of the mid-air collision curse because he or she hasn’t been concentrating in maintaining a traffic watch. A pilot is not aware of refueling of the piston engine aircraft that either jet fuel has been loaded into fuel tanks or not. A pilot is careless during the pre-flight examination that a poor gas seal and heavy rains put hazardous quantity of water in the fuel tanks. A pilot must have situational awareness to tackle any of the above dangerous situations effectively and efficiently. A pilot initially creates situational awareness through applied crew management skills and through trainings. Situational awareness also includes establishing targ ets and goals for a particular flight. Once established, it can be maintained by examining of clues to its possible loss. False assumptions are also cause of flight crews’ problems. It can include great expectations, problematic fixations, ignoring bad news, and intense situation of pilots in case of stress. These problems must be reducing to improve environments of aircraft organization. Cockpit stress management plays an important role in airborne environment. In case of any emergency, pilot must be clam, think for alternatives, choose one and then act on it. A pilot must avoid fear and panicking as they are our greatest enemies during emergencies. Don’t wait to announce any emergency until it’s too late for you to handle the situation. A pilot must immediately ask ATC for help. Lots of ground resources can be available for help. If any error occurs because of a pilot, he must forget about that and concentrate on the job at hands. A focus is must, think of an alternative plan and work on it immediately. Use of checklists can prevent as much as 70% of all the accidents which occur because of pilot primary errors. Cockpit stress management procedure can also be accomplished by using checklists instead of relying on memory of pilots only. Hypoxia is a deceptive problem in aviation. It occurs when body cell receives very less oxygen because of altitudes. Its consequences creep up on pilots without their realizing it. A pilot must be aware of how to handle this situation. The way of pilot to perform their job, the manner they cooperate with other crew members, the manner in which they use all available resources and many other details related to human presentation, will have deep effect on the manner in which they fly the airplane. A pilot must undergo a proper professional training in the area of human factors to improve their performance in all the aspects. Crew co-ordinations must be efficient and the monitoring and assignments of duties of all assigned crewmember must perform their jobs effectively. Communications occur between crewmembers related to flying tasks must not be vague, indefinite or unclear. Summary Human factors and its engineering feature involve the usage of knowledge about human limitations and capabilities to design a technological system. Human factor engineering also relates to personnel selection, training, procedures and many others. Humans can also fail to function appropriately in various conditions. Human can face physical fatigue, affected by the cold, can break bones in accidents in workshops etc. Mentally humans can make mistakes, have restrained powers, and can make poor judgments due to lack of knowledge and skills. Furthermore, human performance is also influenced by emotional and social factors. Therefore proper training of aircraft maintenance technicians is required to full all the features of human factors. The aircraft maintenance technicians are the main part of the maintenance system. It is thus very necessary to have knowledge of mental processes function and different parts of body and also the understanding of performance limitations that can affect the work. An essential part of the operational efficiency is continues improvement in flight crew training and in designs and procedures. Study of commercial airplane and human performance interfaces leads to reduce accidents and at the end increases flight safety. The flight deck human factors are researched which include measurement of flight performance and risk, impact of advance technologies, assessing controller pilot information transfer, determining the consciences of stressors on human performance, recognizing human factors included in incidents and accidents, analyzing the effects of tasks design on pilot performance. Human resources perform aerospace research on organizational and individual issues related to human factors. Research areas included designing of cockpit management programs, effective use of trainings related to human factors, recognition of human factors linked with maintenance- related aviation incidents and accidents and with aircrew Bibliography GRAEBER, C. (2014). AERO 8. Retrieved from Boeing: http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_08/human_story.html International, H. (2007, september). Human Factors in Autonomous Aircraft Operations. Retrieved from http://ifly.nlr.nl/documents/P2.1 iFly_EAAP08_nf.pdf Johnson, D. W. (2007, april). A Model to Explain Human Factors. Retrieved from Industry: http://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/1482.pdf Kantowitz, B. H. (2011). Hand Book Aviation Human Factors. Retrieved from http://theblackswaninvestmentclub.com/flight_manuals/human factors.pdf Parry, D. L. (2014). HUMAN FACTORS AND PILOT DECISION-MAKING. Retrieved from http://www.langleyflyingschool.com/Pages/CPGS Pilot Decision Making.html#Human Factors and Pilot Error

Ascension Of Jesus Christ Theology Religion Essay

Ascension Of Jesus Christ Theology Religion Essay The resurrection and ascension of Jesus has remained a mystery to my belief. There has never been a reoccurrence in my life time and throughout history. People tend to wonder how a man who was really dead and was buried can come back to life. The burials that take place in our communities result in the decomposition of the body. In areas, like Malawi villages, where technology is not advanced burials are immediate. A delay in burial for about two to three days in a village set up without the cooling system makes the body starts to decay. Therefore, it is a hard thing to believe that a person came back to life on a third day. The idea is even complicated when it is said that the resurrected person went up to heaven. In secondary school we learn the laws of gravity. If you throw something up it falls back. It is a fact that people do not fly because they have no wings. This paper wishes to establish why Christians believe in the physical resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Establishin g the reality of resurrection and ascension of Jesus will strength believe and resolve the mystery. Summary of Grudems Views Grudem (2000) asserted that when Jesus came back to life from the dead his body was in physical form. He stated that Jesus experience was different from that of Lazarus as it is recorded in the book of John. He affirmed that Lazarus resurrection was subject of physical developments which lead to aging and death. According to him Jesus resurrection is not subject of biological development, (Grudem, 2000). Contrary to Harris views (as cited by Grudem 2000) Grudem (2000) refuted the fact that Jesus resurrected body had spiritual aspects which enabled him not to observe physical laws. Harris argued that Jesus spiritual body enabled him to pass through the wall and perform instant appearances and disappearances. Grudem affirmed that the New Testament does not seem to assert that. He argued that when Jesus resurrected his body was physical because he could eat, prepare breakfast and be seen. He quoted Jesus himself in Luke 24:39 confirming his physical being by telling his disciples, see my hands and my feet that it is I myself; handle me and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see I have,(Grudem, 2000, p. 613). Grudem (2000) insisted that Jesus could not have deceived the disciples. He stated that if Jesus had wanted to prove that he had a spiritual body he could have clearly demonstrated it to his followers. In line with this, he stated that the disciples could have clearly recorded it to give evidence for his spiritual body. He also argued that when Jesus ascended to heaven the angels confirmed about his physical state by telling those who witnessed his departure that he will come back in the same physical state he went to heaven. He stated that Jesus resurrected body set precedence to the kind of state which people would acquire in the next life, (Grudem, 2000). Grudem (2000) stated that the resurrection empowered the believers of Jesus. He pointed out that Jesus promised his followers the power of the Holy Spirit only after the resurrection. He argued that the believers were given the ability to overcome sin in their lives and effectively serve him. He made reference to Pauls message that God made us right with him through the resurrection, (2000). In regard to the ascension of Jesus Grudem (2000) affirmed that it is an indication that he went somewhere to a place. He argued that there should be a place called heaven where Jesus went in his physical body. He stated that even though we do not see where he went it does not nullify the fact that there is heaven. He said that just as angels are invisible although they are around us so too is heaven. He cites an example of Elisha as recorded in the Old Testament that when God sent him the chariots of soldiers his servant could not see them. He said that our eyes cannot locate heaven but Jesus went up and Elijah too went there. He considers Jesus ascension vital because it is a sign that we too shall ascend to heaven. He confirmed this with Jesuss promise that there is a lot of place in heaven and we too shall go where he has gone, (Grudem, 2000). Leading Views In his book The Case for Christ: A Journalists Personal Investigation of the Evidence to Jesus, Strobel (1998) supported the reality of Jesus death and resurrection based on interviews with experts in medicine and history. He established that Jesus really died according to the doctor. The doctor said that Jesus could not have survived the trauma and the harsh treatment. He argued that the high degree of stress that Jesus experienced made his body tender. He added that in this state when he was subjected to severe Roman whipping his body had severe tears and loss of blood. He stated that this disapproved those who claim that the resurrection was just resuscitation. In his interview the historian argued that there was no way the soldiers could have walked free without punishment. He argued that considering the kind of punishment which was in practice for such an office what the high priests and the Roman officials did revealed a foul play. He confirmed it with reliable documentary that Jesus resurrected. He stated that Jesus showed himself too at different times to many people and the largest group was 5000 people, (Strobel, 1998). Mcdowell (1981) and Lutzer (1994) supported the historical resurrection of Jesus. They argued that historical evidence like the Dead Sea scrolls and history from historians like Josephus proved that Jesus really resurrected. They said these validate the historical reliability of the New Testament which also has the shortest gap between its copies and the originals. They highlighted the reluctance showed by the high priests and the Roman officials to punish the tomb guards. They said that the guards action to have supposedly allowed the escape of criminal or robbery of the body was a serious case punishable by death. (Mcdowell, 1981 and Lutzer, 1994). Interestingly enough, Mcdowell (1981) in agreement with Grudem, reported that Jesus resurrection was physical not spiritual. He refuted the claim that Jesus body decayed and came back to life a spiritual being. He argued that Jesus physically appeared before many people both hostile and friendly. He affirmed that these could have refuted the reports as they were written while most of them were still alive. He stated that both hostile and supporting community validated the accuracy of the New Testament report, (Mcdowell, 1981). Alternative Views Humel (1975) and Kaufman (1968) argued that Jesus did not resurrect but the disciples had visions and hallucinations. Hemel stated that the disciples experienced the aftermaths of the dilemma of losing Jesus. He argued that they resolved the dilemma by the imagination of a ghost so they hallucinated due to their memories of Jesus. While Kaufman argued that the disciples experienced public visions about Jesus in his Jesus came back to life in a spiritual body. They both argued that the resurrection was the explanation of the believers experiences not the reality of events, (Humel, 1975 and Kaufman, 1968). Harris (1990) partially agreed with them as he argued that Jesus rose into a spiritual body that could materialize for some time to be seen. He stated that Jesus body did not observe the physical barriers like walls for a building. He concluded that the fact that Jesus could be found standing instantly amidst the people it indicated that he was a spirit (Harris, 1990). Crossam (as recorded by Boyd, 1984) asserted that as Jesus was killed like a criminal he was buried in a shallow mass grave according to the custom of the day. He argued that wild dogs usually ate the bodies so Jesus body was also eaten. He stated that Jesus followers had no idea where he was buried and what came of his body. He concluded that since Jesus was their hero they decided to portray a victorious end of his life by inventing characters life Joseph of Arimathea and the resurrection, (Boyd, 1984). Personal Views Jesus really resurrected into a physical body as verified by scriptures. I agree with the views of physical resurrection because of the reliability of scripture. The scripture recorded Jesus himself in Luke 24:39 saying see my hands and my feet that it is I myself; handle me and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see I have. Therefore, if Jesus himself confirmed his physical resurrection and the scripture recorded it then it is historically validated that he had physical resurrection. The fact that Jesus appeared to a large numbers of people verifies his physical body. I disagree with Humel (1975) and Kaufman (1968) who argues that the followers of Jesus either saw visions or hallucinated respectively. It is difficult to believe if visions or hallucinations can be experienced by a group at the same time about the same thing. This is impossible. Spiritual experiences are personal. As a result there was no way for instance, the 11 disciples or the 5000 people could see the vision or hallucinate about Jesus at the same time. The gospels recorded that the ascension took place in the presence of his disciples and other people. In line with this, it can be argued that Jesus was physically present with them on the day of the ascension. Acts 1:11recorded the two angels message to those who witnessed the ascension. They said that Jesus will come back from heaven the way he has gone. I agree with Strobel (1998) who is a journalist by profession. His interview with the medical personnel revealed how impossible it was for Jesus to fake his death as some claim. The spear through his heart could definitely finish him if he had faked it or just fainted. Strobel gives us a scientific explanation of the reality about the death of Jesus. For those who rely on history he also verified Jesus death, resurrection and ascension based on the historical events. Therefore, even if one does not believe in the bible he can base his trust on the evidence of the medical and historical information available. These experts help us to clear the doubt whether Jesus died and resurrected or he just fainted and was resuscitated. It has to be noted that the community in which Jesus lived not everyone agreed or supported him. There were other people who wanted his down fall. These people could have really tried to refute the substantial claims made by his followers. The silence of the then hostile community reveals the validity of the claims of the believers. In support of Mcdowells (1981) and Lutzers (1994) suspicion I agree with them. If a very serious crime is committed no one is willing to cover it unless there is some benefit in doing so. Therefore, it puzzles me too to hear that in such a serious and sensitive mistake made by the guards the high priests who were the interested party never reacted. The Roman officials too decided to overlook their laws. It is surprising that somebody would chose to cover up an enemy. This clearly shows that Jesus was raised. They could not disprove it by producing a body. I understand that they could afford to fabricate a lie. Conclusion The resurrection of Jesus is the essence of the Christian faith while ascension gives us hope. If there would have been no resurrection there would have been no basis for Christianity. In line with this those who are hostile to Christianity will always try to find something to fault Christianity. Opposition will always be there but a Christian should have a reason for his or her belief. If someone tells you that Jesus body was rotten or eaten by wild dogs there should be an explanation to your stand. As our teacher Professor Stauffcher always say that we should have a reason why we believe what we believe so that we can answer when critics confront us. Ascension gives us hope for the promised heaven. In John 14:1-4 Jesus said that there are many rooms in heaven. He tells us that if there was no place he would not have bothered to tell us. Therefore, ascension gives us hope that one day we will also ascend to heaven and be with Jesus and the Father.