How to Add Rotating WordPress Testimonials For Free

Getting new visitors to trust you enough to spend money on your services is one of the toughest parts of running a website. Therefore, its crucial to find easy yet effective ways to prove your reliability. Fortunately, you can make strides in this area by simply adding a WordPress testimonials section to your site.Testimonials are an excellent way to encourage trust  (as long as theyre positive!), since they show potential clients that you  have a track record for doing good work. Plus, securing a  testimonial wont cost you anything.In this article, were going to talk a bit more about what online testimonials entail and why you should consider using them. Then well  show you how to add a neat feature called rotating testimonials. WordPress actually has a plugin that makes this super easy it will only take you a few steps. A glowing testimonial is one of the best ways to convince new visitors to try your services.Securing customer testimonials is a relatively straightforward task. All you need to do is ask past clients for their thoughts on your service, and make sure theyre okay  with you quoting them publicly.The idea behind using testimonials is simple – they offer you a way to market products and services to your audience for free. However, that isnt their only benefit. Lets talk about what else they can do for you:Increase trust among your customer base. Trust is essential if you want your visitors to convert into clients. After all, people dont want to listen to or buy products from someone they dont trust.Re-engage past clients. Reaching out to past customers to ask for their feedback is an elegant way to re-open communications. Even if they prefer not to be quoted publicly, you can still use the opportunity to inform them about new deals.The main reason testimonials work so well is that they provide users with external insight into your services. If you want to make yours even more useful, remember to ask your past clients if you can di splay their photograph. This can help your testimonials appear even more trustworthy.  Linking back to your clients own sites (or social media pages) is also a nice touch.Its clear that there really is no significant downside to including WordPress testimonials on your website. Therefore, lets  switch gears and talk about how to get the job done!How to add a rotating WordPress testimonials section (in three steps)If we can all agree on something, its that the more testimonials you have, the better. The problem is  that they can take up a lot of space, so it often makes sense to display them in a single section using a sliding feature so that visitors can still easily navigate your site.To do this, were going to use the Testimonials Widget plugin. Before moving on to the first step, youll need to install and activate it. Testimonials Widget Author(s): AxelerantCurrent Version: 3.5.0Last Updated: May 15, 2019testimonials-widget.3.5.0.zip 86%Ratings 1,050,988Downloads 3.9 .2Requires Step #1: Configure the Testimonials Widget pluginTestimonials Widget packs quite a few  settings for a plugin with such straightforward functionality. To access them, youll need to click on the new Testimonials tab from your WordPress dashboard:Instead of going over every single option, were going to focus on those youll find most useful. For starters, head over to the General tab and erase the contents of the Default Reviewed Item  and Default Reviewed Item URL fields. Since youre going to place your testimonials manually, that information wont be necessary.Then, move on to the Fields section and choose the elements you dont want your WordPress testimonials to include. Each box you tick here will hide a particular item:Deciding which options to keep enabled is up to you, but we recommend you retain either the author or avatar fields. After all, if people can put a face to the testimonial, theyll be more likely to trust it.Once youve made your choices, remember to sav e the changes. Then you can move on to the next step.Step #2: Create your testimonialsNow that youre ready to add your first testimonial, go to Testimonials → Add New on your dashboard. This will open up the editor and enable you to enter a title and the contents of your clients testimonial:Keep in mind that by default, Testimonials Widget doesnt display this title on the front end. With that in mind, we recommend choosing one that will help you identify each testimonial later on.After typing in or copying over your clients testimonial, scroll down to the Testimonial Data section. Here you can add identifying information about the client:Dont forget that during the first step, you may have disabled some of these fields from displaying on the front end. You can leave those sections blank, and simply fill in the rest. When youre done, remember to add a featured image for your testimonial, which will display right next to the text. Lets see how the final product looks on the fro nt end:By default, your testimonial will appear without any customizations, such as the border weve added here. If you want to tinker with your testimonials style, check out how to customize it using Cascading Stylesheets (CSS). Then you can simply repeat this process to create additional WordPress testimonials.Step #3: Place a rotating testimonials section on your websiteOnce all the testimonials you want to use are ready, youll need to add a  slider section somewhere on your site. There are two ways to do this. The first is by using the Testimonials Slider widget, available under Appearance | Widgets:This method enables you to place your slider either in  your sidebar or footer. However, if you want more control over your WordPress testimonials, youre probably better off using shortcodes. Pasting the following code into your WordPress editor will display your slider wherever you place it:[testimonials_slider show_controls=true]Lets check out how this will look on the front end of your site:By default, your testimonials slider will transition from slide to slide automatically. Adding the show_controls configuration enables your visitors to switch between slides manually  instead. If youd rather use the default settings, all you have to do is remove that section of the code from our example above.ConclusionTestimonials are a great way to drum up new business for your site. As long as you do a great job for your clients, chances are some of them will be happy to leave you a testimonial. Even a few lines of positive feedback can have an impact on new users and encourage them to convert, so you have nothing to lose by trying. Testimonials Widget plugin:Configure the plugins main settings.Create your testimonials.Add a rotating testimonials section to your site.Do you have any questions about how to use WordPress testimonials effectively? Ask away in the comments section below!

Compare characterisation in the Age of Innocence and Poor Things

Compare characterisation in the Age of Innocence and Poor Things I shall be looking at Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, published in 1920, and Poor Things by Alasdair Gray, published in 1992. Below is a brief synopsis of Age of Innocence; Newland Archer is engaged to May Welland, but when Countess Ellen Olenska comes back from a disastrous marriage, Archer and Olenska are attracted to one another, and by the code of conduct of New York society Archer decides to end this love affair with Ellen and goes back to May.A brief outline of Poor Things is about Godwin Baxter giving life to a woman (Bella) with a child's brain, after she committed suicide while she is pregnant. Bella is then introduced to Archie McCandless, whom she is later engaged to. McCandles is a student along side Godwin at school. Bella then runs away with Duncan Wedderburn, a lawyer. Then Bella returns and marries McCandless, however her family previous to her attepmpt at suicide try to claim, but she denies knowing them.Innocence & Wasp FlybyHowever, at the end we find this story to be false when the wife of McCandles reveals the true life that he had him.In this essay I plan to illustrate the differences and similarities of characterisation between both books, by way of class and how they act to the values within the novel, and how the characters interact with on another.In Age of Innocence, the characters are set in a historical period compared to when the novel was written. The characters represent the close community of New York, and how they abide by the firm yet unwritten rules that regulate the code of conduct of society.Whereas Poor Things shows the expansion of boundaries, and is set in a fictional world, where there are no limitations to what one can do.Therefore, both characterisations in Age of Innocence and Poor Things do highlight the limitations in both environments even though they are both set in different time periods. In Age of Innocence the society in which the Archer Newland lives prevent him from doing as he pleases without being perse cuted and being an outcast. In Poor Things the limitation is not so much science, but others perception of what Baxter has done that is morally wrong, and his limitation is his physical attributes. So generally the characterization is similar in that they are moulded by society's thinking, illustrating the same constraints.

Business requirements Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business requirements - Assignment Example Among the advances of technology, include the innovation of the micro processor which increased the amount of processed information as compared to the information that individuals and firms could have processed, internet innovation also led to availability of markets that are functional always whereby information could be passed at the appropriate time. On the other hand, changes in the communication sector makes businesses are allocated in areas where production costs are low but high profit margins. Advancements in the communication sector have led to creation on global markets since marketers effectively communicate with their consumers. Hence, the continuous innovation space in which recognized firms tend to thrive is shown by a dependence on subsisting value networks as well as a contented financial hurdle rate. Nevertheless, this space is not without defies even for original corporations. Thus, scrutinizing it facilitate the provision views on the hardships ascertained companie s stumble upon when they depart the relative comfort zone of maintaining innovation. Therefore, the article is all about identifying the main mobile business model aspects in conjunction with their interdependencies and providing analysis of MNOs with an aim of improving their BMs in this new competitive environment. Moreover, changes in technology have led to global businesses since firms have expand globally, transported products to their consumers at a cost effective price and communicate with them effectively. Likewise, the convergence of these technologies is to enable mobile users to converse richer information in extraordinary levels of litheness and expediency (Al-Debei & Avison 217). One of the essential uses of markets and hierarchies in the electronic business is that the electronic market is able to cover a broad range of activities for the seller and the customer that converge at one place. Activities become easier and convenient

American Money Spending Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American Money Spending - Essay Example Although there are other ethnic groups as well, they are in the minority and due to time constraints will not be included in this survey. Before the survey it was expected to find that whites earn more than the other groups and in relation should spend more. During the survey it was found that people are reluctant to give out information on their earnings and credit standing, and only after making participants comfortable that they will stay anonymous did some of them divulge the information. From 29 persons asked to complete the survey only 11 complied. From the participants only 4 used credit cards and their average outstanding amount on these cards were less than $2000.00. If this survey would have been representative of the whole American population at large with a much larger sampling rate, it would have refuted the statement that the average American has outstanding credit in the region of $4000. The above table was taken from an article by Barbara Hagenbaugh, in the USA today magazine on consumer debt. In another article Liz Weston also argue against this figures as she stated that most Americans do not even own a credit card and of those that do, most own less than $1000. The survey that was developed contained more information than what was explained in the above summary. The survey may have been over developed, and that may be the reason why so many persons did not want to complete the form. If the form were simpler, containing fewer questions, more people may have participated. In addition if tick boxes and not yes or no answers were required, person could have completed forms in less time, making it more acceptable. The questions may have been to direct and it could be possible to use a more subtle method of enquiring into personal information. Then again it would have created confusion with participants, resulting in an increase in time to complete form, which in turn would reduce the amount of persons willing to take part. What I learned from the Survey Firstly there is much more to a survey than just writing a few questions and going out and get people to participate. The survey composition and layout is very important, as this will influence people to take time to fill in the form. Next the target group must be identified before doing the

Why Americans should embrace Alternative fuel vehicles Term Paper

Why Americans should embrace Alternative fuel vehicles - Term Paper Example If this trend is to continue in the future, then very shortly the phenomenon of 'peak oil' would be triggered and global competition of remaining oil will escalate the prices beyond affordability. Moreover, there is the persuasive argument from environment preservation angle. If current energy usage patterns continue for a few more decades then the ecosystems and environments across the world would be damaged beyond repair, putting at risk the long-term survival of our species. (Borowitz, 1999, p.255) The rest of this essay will elaborate on these points and present the reasons why Americans should embrace alternative fuel vehicles. Beyond concerns about peak-oil and issues of sustaining conventional oil supplies, there is the danger posed by environmental pollution. While manufacturing industries play their part in polluting air, water and soil, the chief contributors are motor vehicles. For example, 90% of the carbon monoxide, 50% of the volatile organic compounds, and 40% of the o zone in metropolitan areas come from motor vehicles. (Meotti, 1995, p.27) With car ownership per-capita in America being one of the highest among advanced economies, there is a urgent need for alternative fuels. There is also the option of attempting to reduce car sales and car usage. But since this outcome is highly unlikely, finding substitute fuels for petroleum-based ones is the more plausible option going forward. Soybean oil is another alternative fuel that holds a lot of promise. When oil prices spiked during the first Gulf War in 1991, American farmers put to use the huge surplus of soybean oil stored in tanks across the country. They said that Soybean oil can be refined into bio-diesel, which can be used by vehicles. Already, by this time, bio-diesel was being manufactured in Europe using rapeseed oil. And by following the same procedure, Soybean oil could also be converted into bio-diesel, which would prove to be a cleaner and eco-friendly energy alternative. (Schmidt, 200 7, p.87) Experts and business people have now identified bio-diesel as a key player in the alternative fuels market. It also has the advantage of being produced by both small-scale manufacturers as well as large industries. While bio-diesel cannot completely substitute for petroleum products, it has the capacity to power a wide variety of vehicles. At present 95% of passenger vehicles in America run on gasoline. Bio-diesel can significantly help reduce this percentage. (Schmidt, 2007, p.87) Promoters of bio-diesel also feel that its advantages outweigh its disadvantages. It is not only a sustainable energy option, but also an eco-friendly one. For example, â€Å"Numerous studies show that compared to petrodiesel, B20 emits at least 10% less particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and total hydrocarbons. The relevant data are summarized in a 2006 NREL report titled Effects of Biodiesel Blends on Vehicle Emissions. Unlike fossil fuels--which contain carbon from underground sources--biod iesel contains carbon from plants that were recently alive and drawing carbon from the atmosphere. For that reason, burning it doesn't add more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than what was already there. What's more, biodiesel contains 11% oxygen by weight, which enhances fuel combustion, and reduces the amount of carcinogenic soot that diesel engines spew into the air.† (Schmidt, 2007, p.87) Diesel-run vehicles, on the other hand, are decisively more polluting. They release a lot of sulphur into the atmosphere, which in turn creates sulfate-based particulates, which in turn

Factors affecting customer perception

Factors affecting customer perception CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Introduction This is a report on the survey of the factors that affecting the customer perception in choosing their mobile service provider. The use of customer perception is to require the company figure out what their customers think. Customers always evaluate the perceived benefits before they decide to purchase a particular product. They also include costs of usage, the lost opportunity to use other offering, potential switching costs etc. Consumers always value these added benefits when making a purchasing decision. Therefore this is making it important for company to understand the customers need when marketing to their customers. Recently, the hottest topic in the Malaysias mobile industry which is Mobile Number Portability (MNP) are discussing by everyone. In simple, Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is taking our Mobile Number from one mobile phone network to another. It enables us to maintain their existing mobile phone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another mobile network operator. This removed one of the major restrictions on changing mobile network operator, and allows users to freely select from among the mobile network operators on offer. In Malaysia, there are four main mobile service providers Celcom, Maxis, DiGi and U-Mobile. A desire for cheaper calls is the reason that most consumers cite for possibly changing to a new network. Everybody is looking to change networks give a heavy weighting to four major factors: cost, coverage, technology and service options. This indicates that service providers need to take a multidimensional approach to managing their corporate custom er bases. MNP will allow further flexibility in the mobile phone market, as a result of which mobile network operators will be subject to other competition. This will cause mobile network operators to clarify their features in various policies such as fees and services. We have seen some of the mobile network operators introducing measures such as fixed price for calling other users of the others mobile network operator. There are five factors that has been found out how on what factor that influence the customers to select the certain telecommunication service provider- peer influence, product quality, customer service quality, promotion and network coverage. The consumer are getting the benefits from the result of this fierce competition among the telecommunication service provider in Malaysia because these company will keep improving and offer more attractive promotion in order to maintain and attract the new customers. Background of the research Malaysias telecommunication infrastructure market was opened in 1989 when a second mobile operator, Celcom, launched service. From 1993 to 1995, the market was further opened when three additional companies were granted various operating licenses such as fixed, long distance, mobile cellular allowing them to compete as full service operators. The telecommunication companies are competing among each other and create a competitive environment in the telco industry. There are some of the companies had merged with others big company and some of them gone bankruptcy. Today, four companies make up the major telecommunication market segment. The companies are DiGi, Maxis, Celcom and U-mobile. Celcom (Malaysia) Berhad is the oldest mobile telecommunications company in Malaysia that was established in 1988 and Celcom had transform itself as the market leader by offering the quality services to the customers. It continues to spread its wings and is undeterred by the dynamic nature of the mobile communications industry. Currently, Celcom offers its mobile postpaid and prepaid services under the access codes 019 and 013, serving a combined customer base in excess of 5 million with network coverage spanning over 95 per cent of the populated areas in the country. Furthermore, businessman was the major user of this Celcom service provider due to the stable network coverage. According to the Maxis website, Maxis Mobile Sdn Bhd, which started operations in 1995, Maxis has steadily built up its role to become leading telecommunications service provider in Malaysia by focusing its core business, adding 600 base stations during 2003. In 2003, the company acquired an additional 25 MHz spectrum in the 1800 MHz band and with a 3G license which launched by 2006. Being the leader within the telecommunication industry, the corporation is the fifth largest Public Company in Malaysia with total subscribers of 6.4million, providing a wide range of innovative mobile, fixed and international network services to their customers. Maxis Mobile Sdn Bhd first used the Cardax System (CC Unix) since 1998 when they moved their operations into Menara Maxis, owned and managed by Tanjong City Centre Property Management (Tanjong Plc Group of Companies). DiGi Telecommunications is smallest of the major mobile service provider that is majority controlled by Telenor, is holding its own in the face of its two bigger rivals. DiGi is supported by Telenor with the financial and technical stability. DiGi as the smallest of remaining mobile cellular companies has benefited from the sustained growth in market demand for cell phones in Malaysia. DiGi tend to serve their customers with high quality services and products by offering an affordable price, convenient and easy to access the broadband services in order to enrich the customers life. DiGi is the first mobile service provider to launch the prepaid concept for mobile services in Malaysia and till today, DiGi Prepaid remains the market leader. To achieve the quality and innovation services, DiGi is placing a lot of emphasis upon backend systems, efficient billing system and customer relationship management system. Now they had come out the broadband package which has a higher speed so cal led 3.5G. U mobile Sdn Bhd is Malaysias new established mobile service provider by offering value added services such as 3G video call to attract the youth market. U Mobile is using 018 prefix and provide the call charges with per second per block charges. This uniqueness had become their strength and a point to attract the light users of mobile. They just need to pay as how many second they are using. In April 2007, U Mobile signed Malaysias first ever nationwide roaming memorandum of understanding as a precursor to an agreement with Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd. This initiative allows U Mobiles customers to experience nationwide coverage from day one of service availability, whilst U Mobile continues to progressively rollout its own unique HSDPA driven mobile network. KT Freetel of South Korea and NTT DOCOMO of Japans combined investment of USD$200 million in December 2007 marked an exciting new chapter for U Mobile. This strategic partnership supports U Mobiles rapid go-to-market and product enha ncement and diversification plan. U Mobile introduced 3G mobile phone bundling packages for its U38, U68, and U98 Postpaid plans at attractive prices in August 2008. These few companys core business is segmented of the Malaysia telecommunication market, mobile markets and also the broadband markets. Besides, the telecommunication companies are also provided mobile services such as Short Message Service (SMS), Wireless Application Protocol, subscription services, General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), and Third Generation known as 3G that enable the customer to connect with a video call. These companies are offering the price promotion in order to attract the customers. Now there is an aggressive competition among these companies, so the company should figure out the factors of playing a vital role to choose the telecommunication service providers The Malaysia mobile industry is going the new era of competition. Therefore, all these mobile service provider need to differentiate themselves from others and presence itself well to become the one of the market leader in telecommunication industry. They can differentiate themselves by delivering more value added service such as the superior call charges and quality and improve their network coverage to maintain their market position and generating more innovation in their performance to meet the customer expectation. Problem Statement To what extent do the peers influence, customers services quality, products quality, promotion and network coverage affect the customer perception in choosing their mobile service provider? Research Objective The overall goal of this study is to determine and identify the factors that affecting customers perception in choosing their mobile service provider. The following objectives are built to achieve the goals of this study: To access that how peer influence, customer service quality, product quality, promotion and network coverage going to become the factor for customer to using specific telecommunication service provider. To determine whether the customers like the mobile service providers marketing activities To determine the mobile service provider positioning strategies in serving their customers. Justification for the research The telecommunication industry is undergoing in a dramatic changes. The value of the paper will indicate the consumer behavior in the competitive market. This study provides insights of the factors that affecting the customer perception in choosing their mobile service provider nowadays. This research is done for the contribution that will bring for the family; society, country, and it also lead us to a better living environment with advanced technology. The result of this research will be beneficial for the telecommunication operator to serve as a guideline in implementing their business strategy. With the information, those telecommunication provider will be able to design packages that satisfying consumers to improve their company performance as well as to maintain their market share. This research is important because it can outline what the factors that affecting the consumers perception in choosing their mobile service provider. Also, this research able to provides the factors that cause the switching behavior. When service provider understand what is the wants and needs of the consumer. Thus, it helps to reduce their cost in research and development. By then, service provider can focus to increase their product features or quality that serves to the consumers. Superior customer service and products quality can affect customers perception in choosing their mobile service provider. Through this study, service provider can focus on what is the best business quality and services to consumers in order to maintain their life long relationship to create maximum life time value to the company itself. This research can figure out the relationship between product and service quality with the customers perception in choosing the mobile service provider. Therefore, Telecommunication Company should emphasis on its product quality and customer service aspect in order to improve customers satisfaction. Before taking any actions to change the customer perception, the most crucial thing is to understand what factors influence customer satisfaction, and then try to make improvements in these critical areas so that they can have more satisfied and loyal customers. Methodology The methodology used for the survey to collect data in this research is through questionnaire. The population of this study is individuals who are mobile users in Malaysia. It is impossible to get all mobile users to conduct the survey; therefore survey will conduct to selected samples to gather the data. Besides, non-probability purposive sampling method will be used as this is an exploratory study. Other than that, the questionnaire conducted would be self-administered and made from secondary data obtained from journals from other researchers due to the lack of local research on the topic. The methods used for this research also come from review of literatures and books from the internet as it is more time saving and less costly. Limitations of the research Despite the useful findings of this study, this empirical study has several limitations to be acknowledged. First, the findings in this study depend on the honesty of the respondents. It is known individuals would agree more on socially desirable answers and disagree more towards socially undesirable answers rather than fully and truly express the feeling and opinions. Next, the limitation of this research is that the data of this study is collected through the surveys, so there is a high probability of inaccurate information. The sample size of 300 is not enough to determine the actual factor. There are too many factors that will affect the customers perception. More researches need to be conducted on the higher population in order to get the actual factors. Outline of the research project report This research paper is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1: Introduction The background of study is mentioned in this chapter. The discussion of the overall question and the relevance topic are being carried out. This chapter includes the objectives and the problem statement of this study. Besides that, the explanation of who is gaining benefits from this study is included. Lastly, important terms are clearly defined to avoid confusion amongst readers. Chapter 2: Literature Review This chapter is the part to cite those relevant studies from authors and year of the study. Both dependent and independent variables will then be identified and highlighted as the foundation to build the theoretical framework and hypotheses development. Arguments and opinions from different authors are included to support the study. During this chapter, readers will have a clear idea about the problems and the possible solutions that can be made to solve. Chapter 3: Research Methodology Theoretical framework and hypothesis of study will be stated. Theoretical framework shows the relationship between variables. Next, testable hypotheses will be developed based on their relationships. These hypotheses are to examine whether or not the framework is valid by using appropriate statistical analysis. Chapter 4: Data Analysis Before proceed into this chapter, data collection is needed from respondents through various methods. The results will then be tested to analyze the response in order to get a clearer and more concrete result. Chapter 5: Discussions and Conclusion Chapter 5 contains the conclusions and justification on the hypothesis constructed in the research. Other than that, the chapter also summarized the research findings and suggestions on the future findings are given supported by assumptions made from the research. Figure 1 below shows the outlines of the research. Definition Peer Influence Past research shows that peer influence has emerged over the last 50 years to be the chief source of values and behavioral influence in adolescence, replacing the influence of adults. By examining the peer influence on the consumer perception, we can know why peer influence is a factor that affects consumer perception in choosing their mobile service provider. Customer Service Quality Customers service quality includes trust, reliability and responsiveness of the company in telecommunication industry. This study will figure out how this factor affects the consumers perception. Product Quality Product quality is the characteristics of a product that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. Customers always focus on the product quality when they purchase a product/service. Promotion Promotion is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. Promotion able to attract the customers to disseminate the information of a product. This study will discuss how promotion works as one of the factors to affect the consumer perception. Network Coverage Network Coverage is the range of mobile network signal provided by the telecommunication mobile service provider. This study will also discuss about how the network coverage will affect the consumer perception. Scope This research is particularly interested in investigating consumers behaviors and perceptions such as motivations of changing or remaining with mobile operators with the introduction of MNP. This paper is tending to find out what are the factors that affecting customer perception in choosing their service provider through this study. All respondents are assumed to have basic mobile knowledge. There are many factors that cause the consumers to choose their mobile service provider. The study will also include the implications of switching cost on the telecommunication industry, service providers and consumers. Conclusion This research is aim to complete successfully within the time frame so that the result would accurate and will achieve the research objectives. This research had confirms the significant positive relationship of peer influence, customer service quality, product quality, promotion and network coverage to affect the consumers perception. It is expected to provide a broader understanding of mobile service provider in Malaysia and explore the real factors that affecting the consumers perception in choosing their mobile service provider. It is also hope that the successful completion of the survey would have positive impact on the mobile service provider strategies in order to grab the customers and maintain their customer relationship. Chapter 2 Literature Review Dependent Variable Customers perception in choosing their mobile service provider The understanding of consumer perception in a virtual environment is limited. It is important to develop an understanding of the factors that affect consumer perception in this market space. This will enable mobile service provider to develop more effective and focused strategies for optimizing the visibility of their product offerings and to attract more customers. There are various factors that can affecting the consumer perception when making buying decision on a product. Independent Variables Peer Influence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Peer influence is commonly defined as the extent to which peers exert influence on the attitudes, thoughts, and actions of an individual (Bristol and Mangleburg, 2005). There will be some of the people will affect the perception of the customer when they decide to buy a product. When they decide using which mobile service provider, most of customers will think which mobile service providers are currently using by their friends and family. Peers influences include the spread opinions of friends, family, colleagues and reference group. Mostly individuals will be influenced and get into following their trend and take their opinions as a standard of their purchase decisions. Peers can influence each other either in a positive way or negative way. The potential power of WOM (Word of Mouth) as a form of promotion is generally accepted (Arndt, 1967; Buttle, 1998; Dye, 2000). WOM is a strong factor to affect the customers perception. If the customer is less well understood the product, he/she will refer to the people around them. WOM can be negative or positive, so the company should utilize the effectiveness of WOM as a good promotional tool and build goodwill of the product in order to enhance their company reputation. The influence that a sources word-of-mouth information exhibits on the receiver has traditionally been explained by models of interpersonal influence (Bansal and Voyer, 2000; Bone, 1995; Cohen and Golden, 1972). Within this stream of research, it has often been suggested that interpersonal or social influence can be categorized as either informational or normative influence (e.g. Deutsch and Gerrard, 1955). Word of mouth can operate through both channels: Informational influence occurs when information is accepted as evidence of reality (e.g. Burnkraut and Cosineau, 1975). In contrast, normative influence operates through compliance, which means that the individual conforms to the verbalized expectations of referent others (Kelman, 1961) Customer service quality Service quality had become an important attention to the company due to its strong impact on their business performance. Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction. That is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation. Customer service quality is the perceived quality of service obtained by a customer when using the current mobile service providers. Customer service is what an organization provides to its customers and is relatively easy to measure. Typically the measures include response time, time required to provide service, ability to handle a customers issues on the first call, procedures for handling customer complaints. Customer service is always important and companies should enhance all the ways in which they touch their customer, the service they provide and their measures to continuously improve that service. Superior service quality measurably increases a firms overall profitability. Mobile users always requested the fast connection either in calling or sending short message from the mobile service provider. They will make judgment based on the service quality given by their mobile service provider in order to change the mobile service provider or being loyal to their current mobile service provider. If the customers maintain loyalty to their mobile service provider, thus it will bring continuous revenue to the company. Service quality is associated with the relationships between server and customer, The customers will consider the politeness, helpfulness, speeds of delivery, and pleasantness of the service (Berry, 1987) when they received the services from their mobile service provider. Customer service is playing an important role in mobile service provider; it helps to maintain the loyalty of consumer towards the company. According to Taylor, 1992, service quality enhancement differentiates the service providers from competitors. Consumer often compares the service quality within other mobile service provider companies. There is huge amount of support in the service quality literature for a link with customer loyalty and future purchases. Customers always put the service quality they receive as the factor that affects them to do purchase of the product. If the service is bad, the customer will tend to change to mobile service provider.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Service quality is very important that companies have gone to great efforts to evaluate and keep records of service quality levels. Service quality is about the consumers judgment about the overall excellence or superiority of a service (Zeithaml, 1988). If the mobile service providers provide the bad services in handling the customers issues, it will leave a bad impact of the brand name in the customers mind. In order to have a better understanding about service quality, there are few attributes about services: services are intangible; services are heterogeneous, meaning that their performance often varies with respect to the provider and the customer; services cannot be placed in a time capsule and thus be tested and re-tested over time; and The production of services is likely to be inseparable from their consumption (Gronroos, 1990). The service evaluation can be associated with service delivery process, along with output (Cody and Hope, 1999). These two underlying processes generally explain the contribution of service quality to profitability. First, service quality is regarded as one of the few means for service differentiation and competitive advantage that attracts new customers and contributes to the market share (Venetis and Ghauri, 2000, p. 215). Second, service quality enhances customers intention to purchase again, to buy more, to buy other services, to become less price-sensitive and to tell others about their favorable experiences (Venetis and Ghauri, 2000, p. 215).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reichheld and Sasser (1995) had proposed that the high level of satisfaction lead to increase the customer loyalty. There is growing evidence that customer perception of service quality they received when using the mobile service provider will affect their behavioral intention. Nowadays, the telecommunication industry is become more competitive and there are more new entrants of other small mobile service provider to grab the market. According to Melody (2001) public utilities is derived from the law in any country. Where the demand for a good or service is considered a common necessity for the public at large and the supply conditions are such that the public may not be provided with reasonable service at reasonable prices. Service is a form of attitude which is related to satisfaction and also leads to consumer loyalty (Johnson and Sirikit, 2002) and future purchase. In particular consumers prefer service quality when the price and other cost elements are held constant (Boyer and Hult, 2005). It has become a distinct and important aspect of the product and service offering (Wal et al., 2002). According to Leisen and Vance (2001) service quality helps to create the necessary competitive advantage by being an effective differentiating factor. Service qualit y was initiated in the 1980s as the worldwide trend when marketers realized that only a quality product could not guaranteed to maintain competitive advantage (Wal et al., 2002). Competitive advantage is a value-creating strategy, simultaneously which is not implemented by any existing or potential competitors (Barney, 1991). Service quality is essential and important for a telecommunication service provider company to ensure the quality service for establishing and maintaining loyal and profitable customer (Zeithaml, 2000; Leisen and Vance, 2001). Conversely, Johnson and Sirikit (2002) stated that service delivery systems have the ability to allow managers of company to identify the real customer feedback and satisfaction on their telecommunication service. Since, quality reflects the customers expectations about a product or service. Lovelock (1996) stated that this customer driven quality replaced the traditional marketing philosophies which was based on products and process. Product quality The quality of a product is a conceptualize service quality as the relative perceptual distance between customer expectations and evaluations of service experiences and service quality using a multi-item scale called the SERVQUAL model.(Parasuraman et al., 1988). The SERVQUAL model includes the five dimensions of tangibles which is the physical facilities and the appearance of personnel, reliability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately, responsiveness as the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service, assurance where employee knowledge base which induces customer trust and confidence, and empathy which is the caring and individualized attention provided to customers by the service provider.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To get products or services in good quality is a must in customers perception. Especially for telecommunication industry, customers cannot touch the physical product before they make their decision. To gain trust in consumers, it is necessary for the mobile service provider to provide the identity and complete information of the company such as their physical location, pass record, product quality approved. Besides, telecommunication company have to ensure they provide only good quality product or service to consumer because can gain word of mouth. Once they fail to do it, they will suffer it. According to lemons model (Akerlof 1970), product quality is the basic idea in a competitive market. Products only differentiated by their exogenous quality. If product quality is undistinguishable beforehand by the buyer, then there is one price. If cost are increasing in quality, then at that price the highest quality products may not be offered, and as a result buyers become reluctant to pay high price. They learn to expect low-quality products which mean the price must fall. Product quality is always an important aspect of a purchasing decision and in market behavior. Since, consumers regularly face the task of estimating product quality under conditions of imperfect knowledge about the underlying attributes of the various product offers with the aid of personal, self-perceived quality criteria (Bedeian, 1971 adapted by Sjolander, 1992). According to Sjolander (1992), the consumer behavior in modern market is different from the theoretical case of consumer decision making in free markets. Promotion In order to promote a companys product, a company often uses advertising to create brand and or product differentiation in order to soften the price competition. To the extent that persuasive advertising create customer loyalty through perceived differentiation over essentially identical products, they create market power in the sense that consumers may be willing to pay more for preferred brands, thus allowing Telco Company to raise prices above marginal costs. The most preferred outcome by firms is where one advertises while its competitors dont, leading to market share and profitability gain at the expense of its rivals. In the price promotion, the Telco companies are using game theoretic model (Axelrod and Hamilton, 1981) to provide a homogenous product and have sufficient capacity to serve the market demand. It is a non-cooperative game as there werent any enforceable agreements between them as they compete in the marketplace. It is a repeated one-shot simultaneous game as they were driven by quarterly performance accountable to shareholders. As such, they would decide on their pricing strategies independently and aware of rivals prices in the market while forming certain expectations about rivals pricing strategies. Actions available are Maintain Price and Undercut Price. Payoffs are ranked in order of preference (higher number is preferred). The most preferred outcome by firms is where one undercuts price while its competitors maintains price, leading to market share gain at the expense of its rivals. When all firms maintain prices, there is no change in market-share and profitability. When all f irms undercut prices, market-share remains with reduced profitability. Price plays a vital role in telecommunication market especially for the mobile telecommunication service providers (Kollmann, 2000). Its included not only the purchase price but also the call and rental charges. Generally, a price dominated mass market leads to customers having more choice and the opportunity to compare the pricing structures of different providers. Therefore, the company that will offer lower charges, the more customers will commit themselves to the telephone networks, so more call minutes will achieved. It will be interesting to study the impact of the two or more mobile service provider having price competition. One of the impact will be the customers will keep switching from one mobile service provider to another one. For example, there is a new customer will think of reducing its switching cost. The customers that keep changing their customer due to price promotion offered by the mobile service provider

Arabs in the Media: Victim or Villain? Essay example -- Argumentative

Arabs in the Media: Victim or Villain?   Ã‚  Ã‚   For decades, the media portrayal of the Arab culture and Islam has contributed to a skewed public opinion in America. Looking closely at the news coverage concerning the Middle East and the United States, there is an inherent media bias against Arabs and Muslims as foreign threats to domestic security. Stephen Franklin argues that "Islamic nations are often portrayed in news reports as uniformly intolerant and anti-democratic" (Franklin 17). Unfortunately, such coverage has contributed to the public and government misconceptions of all Arabs and Muslims as terrorists. According to Fawaz Gerges, "terrorism has emerged as one of the most important political issues in the United States...[linking] it to Islamic militancy..." (Gerges 79). Moreover, the media's skewed depiction of the Arabs and Muslims has perpetuated countless stereotypes that undoubtedly affect the American opinion. These stereotypes and misconceptions of the Arabs and Muslims clearly indicate a media bias provoked by ignorance and ethnocentricity. The elite media's role in the portrayal of the Arab culture and Islam following the Oklahoma City bombing has had adetrimental effect on America's public opinion, investigation proceedings, and government action.    Once word of the Oklahoma City bombing reached the Associated Press and major American publications, journalists were quick to point the finger of guilt at Muslim fundamentalism. The Western perspective of the Middle East is a dark one. The Muslims are looked at as ruthless and barbaric people, inclined to kill and destroy. Steven Emerson, a so-called expert featured on CBS Evening News, "suggested that there [must] be some inherent cultural trait behind... ...people.virginia.edu/~sy5u/Bias.html    Works Cited Bazzi, Mohamad. "The Arab Menace", The Progressive. Vol 59, n8. August 1995. P40. Franklin, Stephen. "Covering the World of Muslims", Columbia Journalism Review. Vol 33, Iss 5. Jan 1995. p17 Gerges, Fawaz A. "Islam and Muslims in the Mind of America: Influences on the Making of US Policy", Journal of Palestine Studies. Vol XXVI, no2. Winter 1997, p68-77. Hernandez, Debra Gersh. "Religious Stereotyping By The Media", Editor & Publisher. Vol 117, Iss 36. 3 Sept 1994. p16-17. Lacayo, Richard. "How Safe is Safe?". Time. 1 May 1995. p68-72. Rosewicz, Barbara. "Terrorism Hits Home: US Building Bombed; Dead Include Children". The Wall Street Journal. 20 April 1995. A1, A6 . Thomas, Pierre and Ann Devroy. "Clinton Condemns 'Evil Cowards' for Blast". The Washington Post. 20 April 1995. A1, A24.

History of Japan Essay

1. What are the key features of the Tokugawa settlements that were worked out under Ieyasu and Iemitsu? What is the rationale behind this system? In what ways might it be considered `centralized feudalism`? The Tokugawa settlements that were worked out under the rule of Ieyasu and Iemitsu were mainly forms of centralized feudalism.   The Tokugawa period, particularly the Ieyasu Shogunate, was based on a strict class hierarchy.   This was based on the old structure created by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Bryant 2005).   It was comprised of the warrior-caste of samurai who were at the top of the hierarchy and they were followed by the farmers, the artisans, and the traders. The key feature of the Ieyasu Shogunate was the implementation of the feudal military dictatorship by Tokugawa Ieyasu.   This system of â€Å"centralized feudalism† was the key tool which helped the ruling body in restoring political and social order after a long period of warfare and chaos.   The system was such that there were feudal lords who controlled their own domains but they subject however to the whims of the Shogun who was characterized as the defacto ruler for Japan.   The ascension to Shogun was hereditary and thus led to the control by the Tokugawa Shoguns from the 1600s to 1868 (Sadler 1937). Tokugawa Ieyasu was able to gain control of the entire country through this method.   Though once a Daimyo himself, he soon became a Shogun and began exercising power over the 250 other daimyos all over Japan.   This was the centralized system that the Tokugawas were able to establish and relevant to this system was the â€Å"Alternate Attendance System† or the sankin kà ´tai (Sadler 1937). This system simply meant that every daimyo had to live every alternate year in the capital city of Edo under the penalty of permanently living in the city and leaving his life and heir behind in case such a task was not fulfilled.   Needless to say, this had immense implications for the history of Japan.   It meant that there were huge transfers of wealth since the daimyos had to finance their trips.   It also led to the fostering of a sense of loyalty to Edo as every daimyo after 1700 felt drawn to Edo as a native of the city (Sansom 1961). The situation was not so different during the time of Tokugawa Iemitsu who was the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu (Bryant 2005).   Iemitsu’s rise to power was predicated by the abdication of Hidetade in his favaor.   Hidetada installed all of his advisors and veteran daimyo in the service of Iemitsu but soon after, Iemitsu appointed most of his childhood friends and was soon able to carry on the installation of a strong and centralized form of administration similar to that by his grandfather Tokugawa Ieyasu.   While there were those who opposed such an act, Tokugawa Iemitsu simply removed all opposition and remained in power (Sansom 1961). The reason that these periods were considered as â€Å"centralized feudalism† was the fact that though there were different domains that were ruled by the daimyos, all power still emanated from the Shogun (Bryant 2005).   The Shogun ruled under the authority of the emperor and in fact ruled over most, if not all, of the activities of the realm.   This was eventually overthrown and replaced during the Meiji Renewal. 2. How would you characterize Meiji Japan`s economic development? In what ways was it distinctive? What role did the state play? Meiji Japan’s economic development was characterized by the Meiji Renewal which was a series of events that led up to major changes in Japan’s political and social structure (Beasley 1995).   The arrival of the Black Ships of Commodore Matthew Perry ushered in a direct response from the Shogunate and thus the Meiji restoration began.   It was during this same period that Japan established itself as an Imperial Power. The foundation of the Meiji Renewal was the formation of the Satsuma-ChÃ… shÃ… « Alliance between SaigÃ…  Takamori, who was the leader of the Satsuma domain and Kido Takayoshi, who was the leader of the ChÃ… shÃ… « domain (Jansen 2000).   Initially brought together to challenge the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate and installing the emperor into power, the Satsuma-ChÃ… shÃ… « Alliance succeeded in altering the political structure of Japan.   The two leaders, SaigÃ…  Takamori and Kido Takayoshi, were supported by Emperor KÃ… mei (Beasley 1995). The distinct characteristic of this period was the fact that it ushered in the industrialization of Japan (Jansen 2000).   It also led to the emergence of Japan as an island nation that possessed military power by the year 1905.   The slogan for Japan during this time was fukoku kyohei, which translates into â€Å"Enrich the country, strengthen the military.† The manner in which this Renewal was accomplished was by creating a group in which all the power was consolidated against the remnants of the Edo period government, the shogunate, daimyo, and the samurai class.   Thus the Meiji Oligarchy was formed.   During this period, the Tokugawa lands were seized and placed under the direct control of the government.   Some of the Daimyos who protested such an act eventually relented and returned their domains to the Emperor which lead to the creation of a central government in Japan for the first time in its history and also allowed the new centralized government to exercise direct power throughout the entire realm (Beasley 1995). The pivotal point came in 1871 when all the Daimyos were brought before the emperor and it was decreed that all domains were now to be returned to the Emperor (Jansen 2002).   These â€Å"returned† domains were converted into prefectures that were under the control of a government appointed governor. The next step came in the abolition of the four divisions in Japanese society that had previously existed.   This led to the abolition of the Samurai class, which at that time numbered nearly 1.9 million, and led to the development of the Japanese military which was now open to peasants (Beasley 1995).   Nationwide conscription was now established in order to fill in the ranks left by the former Samurais and every male was mandated to serve in the new armed forces of Japan for four (4) years upon turning 21. The state therefore played a very critical role in all of this as it was under the state that the abolition of traditional political structures was engineered and the abolition of the social classes was commenced.   The establishment of a strong Japanese Imperial Army also played a great role as it provided the state with the power that it needed in order to institute the reforms that is sought to implement (Jansen 2000).

Anselm’s Ontological Argument Essay Example

Anselm’s Ontological Argument Essay Example Anselm’s Ontological Argument Paper Anselm’s Ontological Argument Paper The ontological argument for God’s existence is a work of art resulting from philosophical argumentation. An ontological argument for the existence of God is one that attempts the method of a priori proof, which utilizes intuition and reason alone. The term a priori refers to deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning is the type of reasoning that proceeds from general principles or premises to derive particular information. The argument works by examining the concept of God, and arguing that it implies the actual existence of God; that is, if we can conceive of God then God exists. However, this type of argument is often criticized as committing a bare assertion fallacy. The bare assertion fallacy is fallacy in formal logic where a premise in an argument is assumed to be true merely because it says that it is true. Anselm was one of the most important Christian thinkers of the eleventh century. He is most famous in philosophy for having discovered and articulated the so-called â€Å"ontological argument†. Anselm first gave what has become known as the ontological argument in chapter 2 of his Proslogion. Anselm presented two proofs for his argument in his Proslogion. In chapter 2 of his Prosologion Anselm wrote â€Å"we believe that thou art a being which nothing greater can be conceived†. This is his definition of God. In other words, God can be described as an absolutely unsurpassable being or a being that cannot conceivably be improved on. This definition of God should be treated as a stipulation towards Anselm’s argument since everyone may not agree on or depict God in the same way. Anselm went on to write â€Å"Or is there no such nature, since the fool has said in his heart, there is no God. This statement questions whether or not there is a being with the properties Anselm’s definition assigns to God. To answer this question, Anselm tries to show how God exists in the understanding of someone’s mind but not in actuality. For example, Anselm wrote â€Å"this very fool†¦when he hears of this being†¦understands what he hears†¦although he does not understand it to exist†. Anselm’s assumption here is that if I understand claims about God, then we may say that God exists in my understanding or in my mind. Anselm goes on to justify his assumption by using the analogy of a painter. In short, when a painter first conceives of what it is he wants to accomplish, he has it in his understanding but does not yet understand it to exist. He doesn’t understand it to exist because he has yet to construct his painting. His point in general is that there is a difference between saying that something exists in my mind and saying that I believe that something exists. Anselm goes on to introduce another assumption that could be considered a new version of the argument. He tries to show that God cannot possibly exist in the understanding alone by contrasting existing in the understand with existing in reality. One of the earliest recorded objections to Anselms argument was raised by one of Anselms contemporaries, Gaunilo of Marmoutiers. One of the problems that he brings forth is that Anselm’s argument could be applied to things other than God. If the argument were valid, it could be applied to things that are clearly imaginary. Here is where the example of the lost island is introduced. Gaunilo invited his readers to think of the greatest, or most perfect, conceivable island. As a matter of fact, it is likely that no such island actually exists. However, his argument would then say that we arent thinking of the greatest conceivable island, because the greatest conceivable island would exist, as well as having all those other desirable properties. Note that this is merely a direct application of Anselms own premise that existence is a perfection. Since we can conceive of this greatest or most perfect conceivable island, then it must exist. While this argument seems absurd, Gaunilo claims that it is no more so than Anselms. Gaunilo asserts that an additional argument is needed to a being like the one Anselm described exists. Another problem Gaunilo discovers is if one can actually understand what is supposed to be understood for Anselm’s argument to work. God is unlike any creature or anything that we have conceived of so Gaunilo questions whether the idea of such a being can be conceived. In Anselm’s view Gaunilo, Gaunilo demands a further argument precisely because he has not understood the argument as Anselm has presented it. While St. Thomas Aquinas believed that Gods existence is self-evident, he rejected the idea that it can be deduced from claims about the concept of God. Aquinas argued, plausibly enough, that not everyone who hears this word God understands it to signify something than which nothing greater can be thought, seeing that some have believed God to be a body. The idea here is that, since different people have different concepts of God, this argument works, if at all, only to convince those who define the notion of God in the same way. Aquinas had a second problem with the ontological argument. On Aquinass view, even if we assume that everyone shares the same concept of God as a being than which none greater can be imagined, it does not therefore follow that he understands what the word signifies exists actually, but only that it exists mentally. Kant stated the practical necessity for a belief in God in his Critique of Pure Reason. As an idea of pure reason, we do not have the slightest ground to assume in an absolute manner†¦ the object of this idea†¦, but adds that the idea of God cannot be separated from the relation of happiness with morality as the ideal of the supreme good. The foundation of this connection is an intelligible moral world, and is necessary from the practical point of view. Later, in the Logic, he argued that the idea of God can only be proved through the moral law and only with practical intent, that is, the intent so as to act as if there be a God Immanuel Kant directs his famous objection at premise 3s claim that a being that exists as an idea in the mind and in reality is greater than a being that exists only as an idea in the mind. According to premise 3, existence is whats known as a great-making property or, as the matter is sometimes put, a perfection. Premise 3 entails that existence is a property and instantiating existence makes a thing better, other things being equal, than it would have been otherwise. Kant rejects premise 3 on the ground that, as a purely formal matter, existence does not function as a predicate. Each of the philosophers I have discussed has made very persuasive arguments. I find Gaunilo argument to be very compelling for various reasons. I feel like he disproves Anselm’s arguments by stating that his argument applies to more than what he is trying to prove exists. If Anselm’s argument was proven to be true, anything we imagined might actually exist. Even though I believe in God, Gaunilo’s argument makes plenty of sense to me.

DEA essays

DEA essays The Drug Enforcement Agency has tried to limit the drug trafficking problem coming from countries south of the U.S. The southern hemisphere has given the U.S. a really hard time with the international drug trade. Where do drugs come from? Most of the marijuana Smuggling routes that come into the United States come from the south. Columbia is one of the main contributors to the problems of the drug war. Not only does Columbia sell cocaine to the United States, it also sells marijuana. Columbia is responsible for over eighty percent of the cocaine distribution around the world. In Columbia cocaine production is the leading export and moneymaker of the economy. A major reason for this production and selling of drugs in Columbia is the Columbian Drug Cartel. The cartel is a worldwide organization that makes and sells drugs to make a profit. The reason they are so powerful in Columbia, besides the fact that it brings so much money into the economy, is that the cartel "buys out" the government. The cartel pays out about one hundred million dollars a year to the government to keep the law enforcement on their side. Besides the law enforcement, the cartel has an army of their own so that makes them more powerful than if they didn't have an army. CIA agents estimate that drug trafficking from Mexico is on the incline. CIA agents believe that it is the low paying jobs and the standard of living that bring some of these small little farmers to big time drug dealers. The United States Central Intelligence Agency estimates that Mexican traffickers imported One hundred and seventy tons of ephedrine over twenty months. This amount is enough to make about one hundred and fifty tons of speed. Mexico is doing pretty good for themselves with the profit they get from the speed, and that profit doesn't include the profit the get from exporting about four hundred tons of cocaine they smuggle into the U.S. ...

Stewardship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Stewardship - Essay Example We should submit our wills to God because He is the one who created us and sent to this world to live and perform all activities with righteousness and justice. He helps us in all fields of our lives. â€Å"There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides across the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty† (Deuteronomy 33:26, New International Version). God asks us to love humanity and to be thankful to Him for His blessings. Being stewards, we should fulfill His expectations and should love His all creatures including the environment around us. â€Å"The despoiling of the environment as nothing less than the degradation of God's gracious gift of creation† (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America [ELCA], n.d.). form this statement, it is clear that God wants us to take care of the environment that he has created for us. He does not want us to spoil anything because everything around us has some role to play either for our benefit or for the environment. T herefore, God has said that the act of despoiling the environment is same as degrading the whole creation. Another thing evident from the readings is that God wants justice from us in whatever we do. â€Å"Justice is rooted in the character of God† (Oxford, 1990). ... Justice for all is also one of the main requirements and a perfect example of stewardship. â€Å"Commitment to justice is intrinsic to Christian faith† (Anonymous, 1982). Moreover, economic production also relates to stewardship, as God wants us to create new things and get benefits. The implication of the working definition of stewardship for decision-making process is that people should obey the instructions of God while making any kind of decision whether for their personal matters or for any one else. God wants us to recognize our responsibilities and fulfill them. For example, we need to do justice in everything we do. Decision-making requires a careful analysis of issues. If we are at some position where our decisions put a direct impact on the lives of others, we need to look at the issues very carefully because our decision will be going to affect many other people. Not only in such scenarios, we also need to do justice even for little issues because it is the order of our creator. Being stewards, we need to fulfill the expectations of our Lord in order live a peaceful life. God does not demand from us any such act that can make our lives difficult. He loves us, he has created us, and he wants us to live our lives in accordance with His rules and instructions. If we talk about the ramifications of the working definition of stewardship for the business management practices, we can say that stewardship demands commitment, dedication, and honesty in business related practices. God wants us to do business under a legal framework. In any company, employees and managers perform the business related practices within their respective areas of

The Public Sees the World not as It Is,but through the Filters of the Essay

The Public Sees the World not as It Is,but through the Filters of the Media - Essay Example The question, then, becomes—manufactured by whom? Also relevant is the question of what is being manufactured. Reality, as some thinkers would say, is what is being manufactured and is being done so by the media, which developed countries are increasingly reliant upon for information about the world. The purpose of this paper is to find examples and principles regarding how media constructs reality, with particular emphasis on the construction and imposition of gender, and how this construction interferes with the notion of a real reality. First, however, it is important to start with definitions of important terms; the first of these terms is â€Å"culture.† In saying that a culture is responsible for manufacturing truth, one is suggesting that shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices of a group are creating an integrated pattern of symbols to represent its beliefs, knowledge, and ideas. In other words, a culture is a set of shared attributes of a group, which ha s the capability of creating a symbolic system that represents those shared attributes. Language is the keystone example of how groups transcribe concepts and abstract ideas into symbols and signs representing its shared reality. A culture is a tool toward this social symbolic thought. Another important definition to clarify is that of media. To say that media assists in the construction of reality, one is suggesting that the tools or instruments that store and deliver information are actually responsible for giving meaning to the information they communicate. McLuhan (1964) coined the phrase â€Å"the medium is the message,† meaning that the form of a medium embeds itself in the message, creating a mutual relationship in which the medium influences how the message is perceived. As applied to gender, a message delivered by a scantily clad woman on a television about the best tasting beer is likely to have a different meaning than the same message delivered by an old woman tal king on the radio about the same topic. Media, then, is any medium by which information is stored and delivered to the public. This is a very wide-ranging definition of media that captures the essential point that media is a broader instrument to communication than simply speaking or acting in a certain way. Media is also goal-directed, whether that goal consists of inspiring action in its recipients, making a profit, or informing certain people of events happening in the world. Lastly, a third relevant definition to be considered is for gender. The idea of â€Å"gender† is conceptually distinct from sex, which is tied more fundamentally to the biology of an individual’s body. What is relevant here, then, is not the identification the individual can make of himself or herself with regard to what is anatomically true about his or her body, but rather the kind of individual he or she identifies with as a person. To the extent that cultures are capable of creating their o wn systems of symbols to represent their own beliefs and attitudes, so too can individuals form beliefs and attitudes about personally relevant issues such as which groups in society he or she identifies with. According to the sex and gender description, one social identifier open to individual choice is