Business and the Economic Environment Essay

Introduction In this assignment I will be talking about Marks and Spencer and how the economic environment could have an effect on them. The economic environment is basically all the economic factors brought together. By saying economic factors, I mean aspects such as; employment, inflation, interest rates, productivity and wealth. All of these elements mentioned above have an influence on the buying behaviour of consumers and organisations. P1 In terms of economic variations for marks and spencer, the best way to explain the effect it would have on them is by using the business cycle. The business cycle is basically the periodic but irregular up and down movement in economic activity, measures by fluctuations in real GDP and other macro- economic variables such as inflation, interest rates and unemployment to mention a few. In simple terms it is the ups and downs of a nation’s economy. The business cycle mainly has four cycles; recession, recovery, growth and slump which repeat themselves over time. Recession is a period of reduced economic activity (economic growth slowing down) in which levels of buying, selling, production and employment go down. This means that during recession, Marks and Spencer would be affected because there will be a change on the buying behaviour of consumers. This will then lead to a sales revenue and profit decline for them. Due to low profits, they will cut their spending essentially cut back on hiring new employees and cut jobs for other by making them redundant in an effort to keep their business on track. They will also cut back on productions costs because consumers will cut back on spending as well which means they will not be buying as much. Recovery is the turning point from depression to expansion. During the period of recovery, there are expansions and rise in economic activities. For Marks and spencer there will be a steady rise in output, income, employment, prices and profits. During recovery for Marks and spencer will mean higher demand for products and services. There will be more hiring, because Marks and spencer will resume investments due to an increase in profits because customers are willing to spend more. They will steadily start opening other stores nationwide due to consumer demand hence more people to recruit. As more people will return to work, spending will increase, which will the demand for more goods and services hence they will start making a profit. Slump/trough during the slump period output slows down due to a reduction in demand. A slump can lead to recession (two negative quarters of economic growth). This can put Marks and Spencer under pressure because they will be forced to reduce costs, which will lead to increased unemployment as they make people redundant The rate of high unemployment will then mean that people will have less money to spend thus contributing to a downturn in the economy. During a slump output and income will fall leading to fall in consumption so basically Marks and Spencer will see a fall in sales because customers will not be spending and they will cut down on production costs as well so that they can save money. Growth: When the economy is at boom or peak, it is an increase in the capacity of an economy to produce goods and services. This is the stage where by Marks and Spencer will hire more people and there will be low unemployment. Customers will also be willing to spend more money therefore boosting sales for Marks and Spencer. Demand for goods and services will be high which means that production will be high so Marks and Spencer will be having high imports to stock up their shelves for consumers. There will be high investment levels for them; they can therefore use that money to pay off their suppliers or debtors. Inflation is the measurement of the annual percentage rise in average price level. A reduction is purchasing power an increase in the cost of living. With the rise in price levels Marks and Spencer will buy fewer goods because consumers will not spend as much money. As a result the purchasing power of money will be reduced with inflation. High inflation will distort consumer behaviour for Marks and Spencer. Consumers will spend less or buy their requirements in advance as inflation may destabilize markets and create unnecessary shortages. Employees in Marks and Spencer may demand higher wages in time of high inflation. If the claims are accepted it may make the inflation get worse. During high inflation, wide variations in inflation rates may make it difficult for Marks and Spencer to predict the future and calculate their sales returns. This can therefore challenge their confidence to predict their financial reports In the future. Inflation is measured by RPI (Retail Price Index) this is when government inspectors go round the shops every month and take samples of what consumers buy and add up the prices and compare them with the previous month’s prices. RPI normally includes mortgages. In 2012 it was measured at 2.9% Also CPI (Consumer Price Index) this is a measure of price in consumer goods and services e.g. food, clothing, etc. The CPI does not include mortgages. It was measured at 2.5% in 2012. Unemployment Marks and Spencer will be affected in a variety of ways when there is high unemployment. They will observe low consumer spending. When more people are out of work they do not have money to spend hence Marks and Spencer will be affected because there will be fewer people buying from their stores. People will then target inferior goods basically Marks and Spencer branded goods that are cheaper than brands and also may be of less quality to satisfy their needs. Employees working for Marks and Spencer may work for long hours and Marks and Spencer may not be able to give them a pay rise due to the low demand of goods. Managers will be less motivated because their business will be going down due to low profits. However, Marks and Spencer will benefit in the sense that if they wanted to employ anyone they will have the advantage to pick and choose due to the high number of applicants for one job role. P2 Government spending is also known as public spending and in UK it takes up to 45%of GDP. Government spending is classified in three areas; Transfer payments; this are payments made available through social security system. They include JSA, child benefit, Housing benefit, Income support etc. its main aim is to provide a basic income for unemployed people or a minimum standard of living for people with low income. Current government spending; this is basically spending on goods provided by the government e.g. salaries paid to people working in NHS and resources for education and defence etc. Capital spending; this is spending for infrastructure e.g. motorways and roads, schools, hospitals etc. Government policies on the other hand, are a set of policies produced by the government that are used and developed to influence the UK economy. They are divided in to different areas that influence the way that a business operates. Economic Policy, economic policies are actions taken by the government to influence its economy. Economic growth will be essential for government and Marks and Spencer as well. This will mean that the living standards will increase so it means that people will have more money to spend in Marks and Spencer and other retail shops. There will also be high demand for Marks and Spencer therefore they will be making profit. However if the government decide to increase tax rates, Marks and Spencer will grieve because it means that they have to increase the prices of their goods and services which means customers will be reluctant to spend money. Industrial Policy this relates to the government increasing industrial activity in the UK. This mostly focuses more on jobs and skills. For example if Marks and Spencer opens new industries to manufacture goods, they will create more jobs and find skilled labour to satisfy their customers. This policy is mainly used to raise people’s income, new technologies and demographic changes. Competition Policy this is a government policy to prevent and reduce abuse of monopoly power. Abuse of monopoly power can lead to market failure and be against the public. Therefore that’s why government steps in to protect the interests of consumers. To ensure that competition takes place in UK Competition Act 1998 is used to stop forcing rivals out of business, selling goods and services at different prices for different customers and limiting supplies to make sure prices go up among others. Fiscal Policy this covers the spending and taxation decisions of the government. The main aim of fiscal policy is to influence aggregate demand (total demand in the economy) by increasing government spending or reducing taxes. The effect of fiscal policy on Marks and Spencer is that when the Bank of England increases tax, they will have less money for hiring and investing and this may affect consumers because prices may increase. However if they decreased tax rates, this will stimulate investment spending and more job opportunities. Environmental Policy this regards to the environment. Basically for Marks and Spencer they need to make sure that they are protecting the environment by recycling and reducing carbon foot print. The Climate Change Act states that climate change risk management must be completed every five years. Businesses like Marks and Spencer must show how they are reducing carbon foot print and how they are protecting the environment. Monetary Policy comprises of changes in the rate of interest to influence the growth of aggregate demand, money supply and inflation, this works by changing the rate of growth of demand for money. If the Bank of England sets high interest rates prices will start falling and Marks and Spencer will see the changes in spending from consumers. This is mainly used to control inflation. However if it was vice versa, low interest rates will lead to more spending hence Marks and Spencer receiving more sales therefore more to pay dividends to shareholders or invest. The diagram below shows the increase in interest rates which lowers demands so prices fall from P to P1 and demand falls from AD1 to AD. M1 The government produces set of policies that it uses and develops to influence the economy. Â  Fiscal Policy is the use if taxes and government expenditure to control the total demand of the economy. Increase in taxes will decrease the demand. Government expenditure on the other hand, encourages people to purchase by reducing the price. Taxes and expenditure both use law of demand in order to control aggregate demand. The advantages of using fiscal policy for Marks and Spencer will be that if the government increases demand e.g. by cutting income tax or indirect tax, it means that people would be willing to spend more because prices will go down hence they can get more with their money. Marks and Spencer will benefit because the demand will be high and hence they get more profit at hand. With this profit they will be able to invest more in to the business and also pay their corporation tax. The corporation tax will then be taken by the government again and this will help the society and people in need e.g. NHS and Education. A disadvantage of fiscal policy is that another problem can arise when solving the other. For instance stimulating demand in the economy to decrease unemployment may worsen inflation because a right shift in aggregated demand will cause a rise in price levels. Therefore when prices rise go up, as much as there is more demand, some people may be hit by inflation and may have to pay more for their goods in Marks and Spencer than normal. Below I have illustrated what I have just explained. On the contrary decreasing demand to control inflation will cause short demand therefore unemployment arises. In the diagram it shows that increase in government expenditure, will increase inflation basically prices will shift from P to P1. Also there will be more demand so it will shift from AD to AD1.This will benefit Marks and Spencer because the more the demand the more they pay corporation tax therefore helping the society i.e. education, NHS etc. In the diagram it shows that increase in government expenditure, will increase inflation basically prices will shift from P to P1. Also there will be more demand so it will shift from AD to AD1.This will benefit Marks and Spencer because the more the demand the more they pay corporation tax therefore helping the society i.e. education, NHS etc.

Bribe & Ethical

This study will discuss about the concept of organization’s social performance and economic performance. Economic performance deals with an organization’s main objective likes profit, revenue and cost while the social performance of an organization is their responsibilities to the society in relation to various ethical values in business. Ethical values are very important in a business. All ethical questions relate to what is right, just, and fair. â€Å"Terms like â€Å"professional ethics,† â€Å"work ethics,† and â€Å"business ethics† are misnomers.The principles we use in the workplace should be the same principles we use in other areas of our lives – they’re just applied to business situations. † In the present competitive world many organizations focus on their ultimate goal of profit maximization without any consideration of their means to achieving the goals. The impact of globalization creates a lot of opportunities in the business to transcend national boundaries. Many multinational companies have started their operations in other countries. In this backdrop where competition is quite tough, some organizations try to pay bribe for their business existence in the host country.â€Å"MNC bribery takes many forms: direct monetary payoffs to political officials, positions in the enterprise for officials, family members, friends and/or cronies, paid excursions, partnerships, invitations to prestigious universities and scholarships for their children, etc. † Each country has its own culture and moral values. These principles are highly dependant on that particular country’s economic and social situation. â€Å"The major problem of international business ethics is bribery. No single country allows businessmen to offer and government officials to accept bribes for deals.† Bribery is generally considered a reprehensible offence even in countries where it is alleged to be common. This study relates with BIM, a UK based IT consultancy, and its problem for meeting both the economical and social performance. BIM starts their operations in Nigerian city of Lagos. During the initial times their operation was not successful and they failed to meet their target. After an evaluation of the business environment of Lagos BIM’s sales team finds that payment of commission is very a common practice in that area for any business deals.BIM decides to follow the common practice of that area for meeting their target. On the other hand, BIM strictly follows ethical values in their business and their code of ethics would consider these commissions to be bribery and, therefore, not allowed. In this situation, the Branch Director finds himself in a dilemma as on one side he has to meet the goal of their branch, and on the other maintain the organization’s culture. Most of the ethical issues in management are apparently simple. â€Å"Many business managers said that the ir companies strictly uphold the principle against any form of bribery.They would choose to give up commercial contracts if they were asked to pay bribes or â€Å"kickbacks† to secure them. † There is a dichotomous, yes or no choice; which brings in conflict the organization’s economic benefit and their ethical values in business. Ethical decisions are not simple choices between right and wrong. In a case of bribery, it may affect the organization’s value and culture at the same time bribery can also create a bad precedent. â€Å"In developed countries, the moral expectations of the host country are as stringent as our own.With third world host countries, though the moral expectations often more lax, and multinationals are tempted to lower their standards when situations permit. † Bribery is a common practice in all of the third world countries; especially in bureaucracies most of these countries suffer acute problems of bribery in the areas of educ ation, health and other social welfare sector. Many multinational companies exploit these corrupted officials for their business purposes, selling off lesser quality products and violating the government rules and indulging in other unethical activities with the helps of these corrupted officials.†Market power is highly dependent on political relations with the state through a series of complex networks of ‘intermediaries’ who negotiate monetary and other payoffs in exchange for a range of highly profitable concessions. † In this type of business environment an organization can only meet its economical performance by promoting bribery but they will not be able to meet their social performance and they also risk neglecting the social responsibilities.In the context of BIM, the branch director has two options: the first is to pay the commission and make a good market for his product in that area; but this activity can be create a bad social situation. The seco nd option is to stick to the company’s tradition. The corrupted official can get more chances to earn money and they are ready to agree any types of products sales in that area. They are not bothered about the quality and benefit of product. Social responsibility of an organization is to provide quality product to customers and protect the market from illegal business practices. So the branch manager Mr.Thomas Harvey wants to follow his organization’s ethical codes against bribery and try to promote legal method of business promotion other wise he would have decided to pay commission and achieve a good business. It is not the part of BIM’s organization’s culture to pay bribe for business interests and it is not a suitable method for BIM’s long term business policy. Any other organization would be able to pay higher commission rather than BIM’s to penetrate the market. In this type of unethical business environment there is no stable growth, all business dealings would depend on the bribery and other illegal activities.BIM’s business practice is meeting both the economical and social performance their by maintaining their customers’ trust and loyalty in any where in the world with any type of business environment. So in this situation Mr. Thomas Harvey wants to give more priority to the social performance of his organization and therefore avoid unethical business practices. Works Cited What is business ethics? Scribbler’s Ink, copyright  © 2005, all rights reserved. http://www. scribblers-ink. com/business_ethics. html (accessed March 13, 2007).Petras, James. United States. Economic Empire Building: The Centrality of Corruption. http://www. socialistviewpoint. org/janfeb_07/janfeb_07_10. html (accessed March 13, 2007). Global Ethics in Global Economy. Editorial 15th Issue. Hong Kong Ethic Development Center. Ethics in Practice. http://www. icac. org. hk/hkedc/ethics/eip/edc005_e. htm (accessed Mar ch 13, 2007). Fieser, James. Business Ethics. Doing Business in Foreign Countries. http://www. utm. edu/staff/jfieser/vita/research/Busbook. htm (accessed March 13, 2007).

“Click” by John Barth Essay

Barth insight on the worlds technological advancement with computers gave him a good start on an interesting story. By incorporating today’s living with literature he turn out Click. â€Å"Click† some hated it, but some liked it. I think the lack of understanding of this story is what caused those people to dislike the story; the fact that the story was very long also had something to do with it. I will present the in-depth thought that made me understand and really like the story. Also I will put some points from the elements of fiction. I really like the concepts â€Å"Click† presented when I read it. There were some thoughts that the writer expressed, then there were some that was more in-depth and you had to think about. So lets begin the argument. One explicit theme to ‘Click’ is told best by Barth, â€Å"The Hypertextuality of Everyday Life†(73). Where each word can take you further and further into a maze of choices. The choices can go deeper which defines the terms of what you read. Those terms travels along side the paths of day by day activities. Until you get to an endless sea of terms, â€Å"given time and clicks enough, you will have ‘accessed’ virtually the sum of language, the entire expressible world. That’s ‘hypertext,'(75). I understood the combination of these words that are expressed to the fullest extent to be part of this story. The author gave so many side notes in parentheses or any other expressible notation that it could have drove the reader to throw the book against the wall. So, as Barth does so when he goes to express himself with the following â€Å"(because all these digressions, suspensions, parentheses, and brackets are setting the Narrator’s t eeth on edge†¦.)†(77). The text will be to long to show an example from the story. Lets try it anyway â€Å"(Parenthesized elements in this case = amplification that might indeed be cut, but might instead well be ‘hypertexted’ behind the bare-bones description, to accessed on demand, just as further amplifications [not given, but perhaps hypertexted] might lie behind {any highlighted/underlined words})† (76). With this quote you can click on the word that you want to get the information on. If you haven’t figured it out yet hypertext is usually used on a computer thus comes the title â€Å"Click†. Where the computer is the gateway to many passages to more information than any one human brain can handle. Where someone well rehearsed can crack the  highest of security codes with the whelms of their thought; all the way through to the illiterate who use two fingers instead of ten. Wait I’m getting sidetracked, which brings me to my next point of the story. Where â€Å"the flashy home page of their Web-server program, actually encouraging her (the character) to sidetrack here and there in the What’s new? And What’s Cool? Departments† .(78) Where the web give you so many options to go down. I don’t know if any one person can honestly navigate through the entanglement of â€Å"the World Wide Web (WWW), [without] the deployment of ‘bookmarks’ as shortcuts through that electronic labyrinth, the black hole of leisure and very antidote to spare time.† (77) It would have been to frustrating and so over whelming to be focus on one particular thing. Although once you start the journey that’s all one has is time when getting on the internet. Clicking is an action with a choice in a computer’s world. You can get lost with that massive instrument. You can also get lost with the twists of everyday life too. If you assume â€Å"everybody knows, after all (or believes that he or she know,) what ‘everyday life’ is, different as may be the everyday lives of , say, Kuwaiti oil sheikhs and American felons serving life sentences in maximum-security prisons without possibility of parole†.(74) You just deal with all the little conflicts and dilemmas. Where some one’s life can be painstakingly slow. While another’s is speed right through. The point of view of life will always be held by that individual. Where the authors point of view in this story varies. It goes from the third to the first then to the audience. The story is letting’s us experience the everyday life of each character. It is how their lives intertwine that make the story. A good story is drawn on many basis. Barth bring ups the point if a story has â€Å"this constant sidetracking, this what’s-the-rush digression, can take the edge off the main event by the time one gets to it, the way some restaurants lay on so many introductory courses and side dishes that one has no appetite for the entrà ©e†. (82) This concept with drain the life out the story or overly stuff them with tedious details. The audience will lose interest which will distract them from what the author wants to get through to them. If the story holds the â€Å"full agenda [which] was a single item, [the] top  priority always and only the bottom line, [the] eternal (and infernal) Let’s get on with the story in fact a Let’s get done with the story, for the reason†, (83) of a means to an end. The story will be so short that you won’t have much to go on to understanding the story in the first place. These two concepts alone causes a story to tarnish and be a waste of paper in some since. It is the combination of the two that makes a great story. â€Å"Its between fundamentally opposite views of and modes of dealing with the infinitely complex nature of reality† (87). The center of narrative gravity pulls us to the perception of reality on this story. Without the ying there is no yang that holds the boundaries of a story. â€Å"Their tendencies represent contrary narrative impulses of equal validity and importance.† (90) The opposites of each other that counterbalance themselves. Give us â€Å"[a] satisfyingly told story requires enough [Ying]—that is, enough detail amplification, and analysis— to give it clarity, texture, solidity, verisimilitude, and empathetic effect.† (90) The detail terms that can be taken out of the parenthesis sometime with give that require information (that hypertexted). â€Å"It [also] requires equally enough [Yang]—that is, efficiently directed forward motion, ‘profluence,’ on-with-the-storyness– for coherence, anti-tedium, and dramatic effect.† (90). The story has to keep to a single track, because if you split it up to much you have multiple stories with no ending. Where â€Å"CNG’s interactive E-fiction serendipitously supply the terms ‘Expediter’ and ‘Enhancer’ to shorthand the characterological differences that erupted†,(87) expediter being Mark and the enhancer being Valerie. Valerie the ying of the story. The one who you need to fill the story in with enough details to help the reader understand what it is all about. Where Valerie validates what Marks role have to do with the story by saying his concept is â€Å"who gave a damn?–[Mark’s] idea of living life was the same, Let’s get done with it, [an example of her situation] every time she saw him ready and fidgeting in the car a full ten minutes earlier than he knew as well as she they needed to leave for work, she was tempted to suggest that they drive straight to the funeral parlor and get done with it.† (83) That is what the expediter can’t help but do. Val’s statement † ‘I thought you  were the big moving-onner and I was the over-dwelling-on-things.’ â€Å"(88) The author gave us a foreshadowing uncharacteristic of, the intrapersonal relationship with Mark, Valerie where â€Å"(Val ‘s better than Mark, we remember, at shrugging of f their infrequent blowups)†. (87) Although by the end of the story you have â€Å"Val (who, decidedly herself even after deciding to be more Marklike)†, (91) Which we will confront of Marks behave. Then there is Mark the yang of the story. You need him to get to the point of the story and not to lead you to different paths that are available to access in the story. Where his thoughts were â€Å"having no timetable or deadlines doesn’t mean having no agenda or priorities†, (82) to give and example â€Å"Expediter and enhancer in the Supermarket, he with grocery list in one hand, pencil in other, and eye on watch, she already examining the (unlisted) radicchio and improvising new menu plans down the line†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , (79). Where that is the Enhancer for you, the person who comes up with more of the story and gives you a better â€Å"taste† variety. Where his uncharacteristic foreshadowing is shown with, â€Å"He’s less ready to take offense, but slower to put their occasional tiffs behind him.† (81). Also â€Å"(Val’s better than Mark, we remember, he tends to forget that and to project from his own distress [of dwelling on their argu ment longer ])†, (87). When toward the end â€Å"Mark (inescapably himself even when determined to be more Valish)† (91). The contradictory of the two characters gave the story its base. The â€Å"anonymous oddball whose homepage [was] http://www.epiphs.art† (78) alias CNG â€Å"who happened just then to be passing by and sympathetically so saw and heard them [at that horrible Saturday quarrel], or a couple not unlike them, toe-to-toeing it, and who then subsequently was inspired to imagine.† (84) Created and gave us the fictional story of Irma and Fred, who are the replacement to Valerie and Mark. They where part of the beginning (of the end) of the story. They along with millions of other names in the world are made up identities in order for its users to surf the web freely. It could also represent the wants of that individual to be someone else other than themselves. Although we are not going to get into that ordeal. The setup of the story begins with the near ending which in Marks case is â€Å"Lets be done with it† morality. CNG who is the supposedly author/narrator of the â€Å"Click†Ã‚  story. Kind of at first threw me off, because I thought the story was going to be a third person point of view. Well once the ideal of the end of the Irma and Fred story here comes the bulk of the actual story, where the Val morality is used. When the end of the end came it left me wanting more. â€Å"Valerie lifts one [long] [lithe] [cinnamon-tan] leg up and with her [left] [great] toe gives the Mac’ master switch a† (92). WHAT? I would have yell if I wasn’t in a crowded area when I read that last page. It leaves you with the daunting of the hypertexts of choices. Since this is a book you wouldn’t be able click on any of the above words to get the ending. You left tittering on the edge of a cliff that drops for days on ends. The taunting the author leaves you by not using the Mark in any good story. Yet that was his aim even for the ending to turn out to be happy and open to imagination.

Absorptive Capacity And How Can This Be Used Within Supply Chain Essay

Absorptive Capacity And How Can This Be Used Within Supply Chain Management To Increase Supply Chain Profitability And Responsiveness - Essay Example 317; Boisot, 1998, p. 10; Boer, Bosch, van den, & Volberda, 1999, p. 379) To increase this absorptive capacity, companies often undertake research studies to improve their prospects and to customize their research and development to make information genuinely helpful for the organization’s human resource and for business operational use. The data generated from research are targeted to be integrated in the operation services and in the production of goods for consumers to attain effective and efficient corporate performance (Calori, Johnson, & Sarnin, 1994, p. 437; Camerer & Vepsalainen, 1998, p. 115; Carlsson & Jacobsson, 1994, p. 235; Cohen & Levinthal, 1994, p. 227) Experts opined that absorptive capacity is aimed at adopting ideas to develop an innovative and bring about new engagement sparked by changing economy. The process includes the integration of information to maximize meaningful findings for organizational development and management decision-makings (Deeds, 2001, p. 29; Cohen & Levinthal, 1997, p. 1463).... The researcher will make use of secondary materials from peer-reviewed journals and books sourced from online and public library to substantiate the subject of this study. Researcher will likewise correlate the absorptive capacity of a company’s interest to leverage from its market competitors and delve into the critical effects of company’s absorptive capacity on product innovation, business operations, and profit maximization using the lens of knowledge-based view (KBV) as theoretical foundation. Figure 1. Supply chain leadership and its correlation to resource values and organizational absorptive capacity (Sharif & Irani, 2012, p. 57). Research and Knowledge Management Organizational development and its level of competitiveness are reliant not only on financial capital, human resources and strategic management but also of its absorptive capacity (Rebolledo, Halley & Nagati, 2009, p. 52). Knowledge, through its research and management, are major source of valuable, ra re, and inimitable information to enhance strategic business management, improve customer-relation, expand business operation and sustain good relation with its suppliers (Rebolledo, et al., 2009, p. 53). The absorptive capacity of the organization will also facilitate the alignment of its human resources, corporate performance, and in enhancing its structures to align these with corporate strategies. Internally, it can also promote effective organizational management, increase marketing results, and reduce the impairment of supply chain relations. Through this part, an emphasis on the differences between the two facets of absorptive capacity will be highlighted: potential absorptive capacity that involves the corporate’s acquisition and assimilation of external

How would Jesus lead Worship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How would Jesus lead Worship - Essay Example It is all about people’s normal vision of worship compared to how Jesus, as a Church leader sees it Himself. The second part of the book deals with the practical suggestions for contemporary believers paying much attention to the gospel of Luke. This significant piece of the discussion in the book is divided into four separate chapters titled as follows: Humble Servants, Leaders with Authority, Creative Communicators, and Reliant on the Spirit (Hargreaves and Hargreaves 38, 61, 81, 103). All of them lead a reader toward the idea of what God gives a worshipper for just one song while praising in psalms. Interaction and dialogue as based on my experience First of all, this book changed my way of thinking about personal relationship with Jesus. I know that we should keep up with the demands of time. Just praising Jesus in a new way is a good idea for those who seek God’s grace into their lives. In this vein, the authors admit the following statement: â€Å"Jesus would kee p up with the trends—we must be completely up to date with what we wear† (Hargreaves and Hargreaves 8). Hence, I see that the book is a practical guide for every believer aware of the right side in worshipping. Based on my experience, I cannot communicate this message to my peers other than to make my praise to God really powerful. In other words, new styles in music and singing are to be shared while praising God due to His multifaceted manifestations of power and reason, because God creates something new every single day. Certainly, the book is full of different standpoints regarding a step-by-step instruction on how to follow Christ-like way of worshipping. I feel that each Christian should bear in mind that singing like Jesus needs more practice so that to the Holy Spirit. Taking a look at my worshipping style, I have come up with what I should do in advance, namely â€Å"being obedient in service to God’s design for our lives† (Hargreaves and Hargreav es 9). Definitely, this is why so many Christians do not have what God promised them. It is similar to the story of the People of Israel when God led them to the Promised Land. Looking through the gospel of Luke, I have realized the scope of benefits God gives those sharing the same message as Jesus taught. In this respect it is not about the material amenities, but the spiritual jump within the myriad of divine manifestations of God power in lives of ordinary believers. Those who urge for His glory trying to get the revelation of how to become more like God will definitely reach this goal out through praising God every single minute in church or elsewhere. Critical assessment While reading the book, I have realized that the church is in need of more vision in how to worship God. The overall impression from this book is that the church should be flexible and open to the needs of contemporary humanity so that to please everybody in music styles and genres. Being culturally mature is the first step. Second, I have understood that there should be more tries on how to be closer to God on the part of me as a believer. The model I have pointed out while reading the book is as follows: â€Å"The supreme example of worship intimacy surely has to be looked for in Christ Jesus and his relationship with the Father† (Hargreaves and Hargreaves 12). Therefore, the follow-up in the Christ-like way of worshipping has become my credo. Our devotion to Jesus should be felt by the Creator. However,

Analyzing Jack Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyzing Jack - Assignment Example However, immediately after moving in with him, trouble starts, as the man transforms into a different character. Not only does he physically and psychologically abuse the helpless boy, he also takes advantage of him, forcing him to sell newspapers and taking away the money, he made from the sales. Jack however shows resilience and hope of a better life, evidenced by his constant dreams that he had of a good life someday. In fact, his current life situation little affects him, as he seeks solace in his dreams and ambitions. It is due to his ambitions that he seeks to apply for a scholarship ion far off places. In his view, he believes that he will one day change his and his mother’s life. Compassionately, he takes care of his mother, despite his young age. Regardless of the problems that the two face, Jack shows extreme loyalty to his mother, with whom he ran away with. He is oblivious of his brother’s good education, understands that his father at that particular time h ad married a billionaire, and can thus afford to pay his school fees. However, he chooses to remain with his mother, their poor and desperate state, with high hopes that one day he would become a successful man. Choosing to remain with his mother, run away with her from his father shows the level of braveness in him. There is no particular indication that he had ever been to Utah previously. Thus, his choice to leave his only home and wander in the streets of a completely new town shows his brave nature. When they could not find uranium and his mother became desperate, she began a relationship with Mr. Dwight, who then appeared harmless and caring. Immediately after moving in with him, Jack realizes that the man was completely different of what they had thought him to be. He was an arrogant man, with an immense appetite to dominate other people. Moreover, he was abusive, physically and emotionally, yet Jack

The role of men in The house of the Spirits and in Chronicle of a Essay

The role of men in The house of the Spirits and in Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Essay Example Truth be told in both of these novels, men do play important roles but the way women function and become the focus point is highly commendable on their part. The clear irony is that though the men feel that they are the decision makers, the women seem to always get their way. This is especially shown in â€Å"The House of the Spirits† where the novel is written by a woman. Isabel Allende, the author of â€Å"House of the Spirits† enumerates on the myth and magic in addition to the politics of her homeland especially in her portrayal of men as only accessories to the women’s’ lives, where men only exist because of the women. However, In Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s â€Å"Chronicle of a Death Foretold† the women are honored or enjoy an honorable status, but they do not replace the men, and in this novel are still considered as housewives, and are trained to be so. The women acknowledge this fact because their only goal in life is marriage, which clearly shows that it was a sexist society. This point is clearly brought out in the following sentences. â€Å"The brothers were brought up to be men. The girls had been reared to get married. They knew how to do screen embroidery, sew by machine, weave bone lace, wash and iron, make artificial flowers and fancy candy, and write engagement announcements.† (p30). The above s entences show how these women based or dedicated their whole life to their men and did not mind suffering as long as they were married. As a matter of fact these women exhibited their suffering, just to prove how committed they were. This can be seen in the following statement which says, - â€Å"Any man will be happy with them because they’ve been raised to suffer.† This also goes to show, that love is rarely an important dimension to their marriage in the first place. On the other hand, the men in â€Å"Chronicle of a Death Foretold† however, although not often married through the strong bond of love, are extremely overprotective of their women, whether