A Template for Structural Analysis of an Industry Essay Example for Free

A Template for Structural Analysis of an Industry Essay Corporate Strategy and Policy A Template for Structural Analysis of an Industry You can use the following template for analyzing the structure of an industry. It requires you to rate the attractiveness of an industry on a 5-point scale for several factors relating to each of the five forces in Porter’s (1980) model. (A 7-point or a 10-point scale would perhaps be even better in that it would allow finer discrimination between two businesses with different levels of attractiveness. But the 5-point scale is relatively much easier to use. To help you in the ratings, the template provides the anchors at the two ends of the scale for each factor with examples of industries corresponding to the anchors. You will note that we have included separate sections in the template for exit barriers and government. The former contributes to rivalry among competitors (and is, therefore, not a sixth force). The latter, according to some, should be treated as the sixth force, although Porter says the effect of government on an industry is felt through one or more of the five forces. If you want, you can attach different weights to different forces and also to different factors within each force. If an industry has different segments that are structurally different, you can separately analyze the attractiveness of each segment. You can also analyze the changes in industry structure by using the template at two different points of time (for instance, today and five years from now) to obtain greater insight into likely opportunities and threats that you can expect from the industry environment. To reduce the element of subjectivity, you can get the attractiveness evaluated by several colleagues and arrive at average scores. Even the weights of different factors and forces could be based on the opinion of your colleagues and you could attach greater weight to the opinion of colleagues with greater expertise. Use your creativity to benefit from this tool. You can use the remarks column to annotate your ratings. For instance, consider the first factor in Table 1 (number of competitors).

How Can Children At Risk Be Helped Young People Essay

How Can Children At Risk Be Helped Young People Essay In this paper we will be highlighting the major areas of children at high risk, the causes behind and the effect on their lives {as derived from child theology}. Our focus of attention will be the role and responsibilities of church and different organisations working for the rehabilitation as well as reaching out to them with the Gospel. CHILD THEOLOGY: SOME BASIC ASSUMPTIONS Child Theology encompasses all children irrespective of their identity, since our God is impartial. The basic purpose of child theology is to see the pressing needs of children, their potential and to take purpose driven action on their behalf.3à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚   What are Children to God? Or in child theology? Children are the most numerous and needy people we find on the earth. They are most needy people as they are small, weak, dependant, most vulnerable and powerless. Children are the blessing of God to the families. God could have easily created prototype of Adam and Eve, instead He told them to multiply (Gen.1:28). Secondly we also see that they are created in Gods image like any other individuals thus reflecting the nature and character of God (Gen.1:26). Though children are created in Gods image they, among all other human beings are also imperfect because of Fall and therefore needs to be redeemed.1 It is important to note that apart from physical healing they are also in dire need of spiritual healing which is often overlooked. Thirdly it is very much evident all through the scripture that they are the focus of God and His Kingdom. In the sight of God children are very special. But God cares for them and they are the focus of His Mission. Dr. Dan Brester says that, they are both key to Great Commission and an expression of Great Commandment.2 DIFFERENT AREAS WHERE CHILDREN ARE AT HIGH RISK Street Children: These children are the once who are on their own deprived of basic necessities of childhood, thus trying to survive by living and working in a particular environment. They are categorised as Children who live and work on street during day but return home at night, other group who find food, shelter and friends in the street. They are called children of the street. And the third category includes the abandoned ones, completely on their own for material and psychological support, so they are termed as children in the street.4à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚   Kind of work they do: salvaging recyclables from waste, selling things on road junctions, polish shoes, collect alms, scavenge food from the market, pick pocketing, theft etc. Problems they go through: They are neglected, abused by any and every kind of people passing by. Lack of roof over their heads leaves them only to be exploited sexually,abused and tortured physically. These children are deprived of proper food, education,and medical aid. They are at high risk of both physical as well as psychological problems since they are homeless and are left unattended if they suffer any health hazards. Many children are open to the dangers of addiction of tobacco, alchohol and all kinds of drug abuse.5 à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚   Sexually abused Children/ Child Prostitution There is considerable amount of increase in the sexually abused children in India during last few years. Children are dehumanized, demeaned and are reduced to mere comodities for sale and purchase just to satisfy the need of ruthless and inhuman sexually immature individuals. These children are deprived of their childhood. Prostitution has become a very profitable trade in which million of children are involved specifically girl child. Child pornography has alarmingly increased in our country, so also incest rarely coming to light but very common in our society. The agony they go through: Apart from being sexually abused they also go through physical torture- beaten up, burnt, deprived of good food. They are kept in small cells or in very small and crowded rooms in unhygenic conditions getting very less light and air. Sometimes they are forced to take drugs to subside hunger and pain. Reasons: Among many other, povery is the basic reason worldwide. In India we find parents selling child to gain financial aid. Children of sex worker are forced into prostitution. Sometimes parents sexually abuse their children and so they find them ready for sex a good reason to earn money.à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚  Ãƒ ¢Ã‚ Ã‚  Ãƒ ¢Ã‚ Ã‚  6à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚   Effect: Looses childhood and dignity, no future, physical as well as psychological disorder. Psychologically they are depressed, post traumatic stress as disorder, anxiety, psychopathy in later life, poor self esteem, develop self destructive behaviour such as crime in adulthood and suicide. We also find they turn out to be anti-socials. Phisically they are infected with sexually transmitted deseases. Children effected by Drugs and Alchohol: Children who are not able to take out their anger indulge in taking drugs. Reason behind children addicted to drug are divorse of parents, family violence, lack of love and support, not being heard of and it is also because of peer presure. In some cases they pick up this habit from their parents. Effects: It effects all areas of life such as emotional, psychological, spiritual as well as social and physically. they suffer loss of health.7à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚  Ãƒ ¢Ã‚ Ã‚   Child Labour: In India 14.4% of children between 10-14 years of age are employed in child labour. It is effecting our society all over the world. They basically work in carpet factories, glass blowing units and firework factories. There are around 20 million child labourers in the country. Causes: To alivate poverty families force them into it. According to Prof. Gangrade, child labour is caused by differeà ¢Ã‚ Ã‚  nt factors eg. Social tradition, customs, and dearth of schools or parental reluctance to send children to school, industrialization, urbanization and also migration. Effects: They are mal nourished, deprived of education, viewed as wage earner. It is hazardous to childs developmental needs both mental and physical. They are also effected socially and psychologically.8à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚  Ãƒ ¢Ã‚ Ã‚  Ãƒ ¢Ã‚ Ã‚  Ã‚   SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE WORKING FOR THE CHILDREN WHO ARE AT RISK ARE: 1) VIVA NETWORK: This organization works among the children and do investment for their future in order to break the pattern of poverty and love, equip and support them. They are also helping them to make them free from depression, exploitation and abuse. And for this they engage themselves with mobilizing churches, communities and individuals to play their part in changing the lives of vulnerable children. 2) WORLD VISION INDIA: A Christian humanitarian organization working to create lasting changes in the lives of children, families and communities living in poverty and injustice. They focus on building the community around children so that they have the opportunity to reach for a better future. 3) UNICEF: In India it is working since 1949 and known to be the driving force that builds a world where the rights of every child are realized. The purpose is to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, diseases and discrimination place in childs path. 4) CEF: An international Christian organization seeks to evangelize and disciple children around the world. They target 10 million children worldwide to hear the good news. One of their main ministries is to do with children of prisoners because children of prisoners have 70% chance if going to prison when they grow up. 5) DIVYA SHANTI CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION: Working since 1967 in Bangalore. They search children at market, railway station where the abused and runaway children take refuge. Their ministry is done by a night mobile clinic which is run by a staffed nurse and social worker who addressed the needs of children. 6) CRIN: They envision a world in which every child enjoys all human rights promised by United Nations, Regional Organizations and National Government. They also believe that children have the right to participate and express themselves freely and openly in all maters affecting them. These are some of the organizations but there are so many NGO, as well as the secular organizations which are working for the children. Now these days we also see lot of books on this subject, lot of work has been done but lots have to be done in order to accomplish the need of the children. OUR MISSION APPROACH Today lot of churches as well as our government has worked for the upliftment of the children who are at risk. Many churches have come forward to help children in terms of finance, material, and medical facilities and had helped them to get status in the society. Government had also started schemes for children like providing them mid day meals, free education as well as learning institutions where children are equipped to do tailoring, handicraft work from which they can learn and earn also. But apart from physical healing we need to reach out to them trough the Gospel which will bring spiritual healing. Evangelism to children is a special ministry of the church. There are various ways which church adapt to bring the Good News to children. For example through strory telling, visual aids such as flat pictures, graphics, projected materials, video-tape, Puppet show, music etc. Therefore being a theologian student lets stand in the gap for the children at risk and be sensitive about their needs serving and uplifting them in whatever capacity we can, so that they will become responsible leaders to serve the nation in future.

John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men Essay -- Essays Papers

Of Mice and Men Do you have an unrealistic dream? In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the main characters in the story each had a dream in which they were unable to carry out. Taking place during the Great Depression era in the United States, these individuals struggled to survive. The theme "It is better not to have big dreams in life because they are too difficult to attain and you end up bitterly disappointed and unmotivated" was brought up and proven true by them. Lennie, Candy, and Curley's wife's dreams, like "the best laid schemes o'mice an' men gang aft a-gley, had been led astray. Lennie's dream had been shattered when his craving for soft materials caused him to commit a crime. Lennie dreamt of owning a farm and a little house with George, and most of...

Hauroun and the Sea of Stories Compared to Lord of the Rings

Hauroon and lord of rings Frodo Baggins and Haroun Khalifa are both heroes, both from different stories but have a very similar journey. Frodo Baggins from J. R. R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings is a hobbit of middle earth who keeps to himself and likes to be alone, he goes on an adventure that changes his life. Haroun Khalifa from Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the sea of stories is a 10 year old boy living with his father in an imaginary sad city. Both characters go on a journey that changes there life forever, the characters quests have many similar stages to the journey.Both begin there quest with a call to adventure, neither characters are expecting it but both seem eager to go. Both characters battle between good and evil and both characters become masters of two worlds, and achieve apotheosis or god like status and then have the freedom to live. Both heroes are called to the adventure in many different ways, Frodo Baggins is called to adventure during his uncles 111th birthday party when his uncle Bilbo disappears. Bilbo left a gold ring for Frodo so Frodo speaks to the wizard Gandalf who says to keep it safe and not to put it on.Years later the wise wizard Gandalf returns to tell Frodo the ring is extremely dangerous and was forged by the dark lord, Sauron and must be destroyed, that is when his journey began and Frodo begins his journey heading towards Rivendell to talk to the elves about how to destroy it. Haroun is called to his journey when he returns home one day to find out his mother has run away with the upstairs neighbor who has always been critical towards Rashid Khalifas story telling which effects Haroun greatly.Haroun argues with his father about the usefulness of stories and why they are important, this crushes Rashid. Haroun struggles with school due to his mothers absence so his father takes him on a story telling trip for some fancy politics, they travel to the Valley of G and when Rashid goes up to tell a story and nothing come s out, this is Haroun's call to adventure, to help his father. Good VS evil. Thats what fairy-tails and stories revolve around, both Frodo's and Haroun's adventure revolves around it.In Lord of the Rings the evil that Frodo is fighting is the darkness of the ring and the evil that dwells within Mordor. Saruman, the evil wizard tries to make Frodo change from good to evil but did not succeed. In Haroun's story the evil that he fights is someone named Khattam-Shud, Khattam-Shud is polluting or poisoning the stories so they can not be told. Rashid and Haroun travel to the Land of Gup to try and figure out what is going on. They get there and the entire land is preparing for war, the guppies Vs the Chupwalas.The war ends with the victory of the Guppies and they reward Haroun with granting his wish that his father can tell stories again. At the end of each story the heroes reach the stage of apotheosis, Frodo reaches apotheosis when he destroys the ring by throwing it in the lava, all th e evil goes away and the good takes over. Frodo is the master of two worlds the world of the non existent Mordor and the Shire, he is looked at as a king and everyone will forever be grateful for his victory over darkness.Haroun reaches apotheosis after the war ends, he is overwhelmed with joy that his father can tell stories, Haroun returns to the sad city with his father to find that the city is no longer sad, the once forgotten city name has been remembered and when Haroun returns home he finds the last person to be there waiting for him, his mother. Haroun's story ends happily ever after as does Frodo's. Both of the heroes were from a classic fairytale , the stories had a call to adventure, both very different calls to adventure but they both fulfill there goals and reach apotheosis, i guess you can say Haroun and Frodo both lived happily ever after. Hauroun and the Sea of Stories Compared to Lord of the Rings Hauroon and lord of rings Frodo Baggins and Haroun Khalifa are both heroes, both from different stories but have a very similar journey. Frodo Baggins from J. R. R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings is a hobbit of middle earth who keeps to himself and likes to be alone, he goes on an adventure that changes his life. Haroun Khalifa from Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the sea of stories is a 10 year old boy living with his father in an imaginary sad city. Both characters go on a journey that changes there life forever, the characters quests have many similar stages to the journey.Both begin there quest with a call to adventure, neither characters are expecting it but both seem eager to go. Both characters battle between good and evil and both characters become masters of two worlds, and achieve apotheosis or god like status and then have the freedom to live. Both heroes are called to the adventure in many different ways, Frodo Baggins is called to adventure during his uncles 111th birthday party when his uncle Bilbo disappears. Bilbo left a gold ring for Frodo so Frodo speaks to the wizard Gandalf who says to keep it safe and not to put it on.Years later the wise wizard Gandalf returns to tell Frodo the ring is extremely dangerous and was forged by the dark lord, Sauron and must be destroyed, that is when his journey began and Frodo begins his journey heading towards Rivendell to talk to the elves about how to destroy it. Haroun is called to his journey when he returns home one day to find out his mother has run away with the upstairs neighbor who has always been critical towards Rashid Khalifas story telling which effects Haroun greatly.Haroun argues with his father about the usefulness of stories and why they are important, this crushes Rashid. Haroun struggles with school due to his mothers absence so his father takes him on a story telling trip for some fancy politics, they travel to the Valley of G and when Rashid goes up to tell a story and nothing come s out, this is Haroun's call to adventure, to help his father. Good VS evil. Thats what fairy-tails and stories revolve around, both Frodo's and Haroun's adventure revolves around it.In Lord of the Rings the evil that Frodo is fighting is the darkness of the ring and the evil that dwells within Mordor. Saruman, the evil wizard tries to make Frodo change from good to evil but did not succeed. In Haroun's story the evil that he fights is someone named Khattam-Shud, Khattam-Shud is polluting or poisoning the stories so they can not be told. Rashid and Haroun travel to the Land of Gup to try and figure out what is going on. They get there and the entire land is preparing for war, the guppies Vs the Chupwalas.The war ends with the victory of the Guppies and they reward Haroun with granting his wish that his father can tell stories again. At the end of each story the heroes reach the stage of apotheosis, Frodo reaches apotheosis when he destroys the ring by throwing it in the lava, all th e evil goes away and the good takes over. Frodo is the master of two worlds the world of the non existent Mordor and the Shire, he is looked at as a king and everyone will forever be grateful for his victory over darkness.Haroun reaches apotheosis after the war ends, he is overwhelmed with joy that his father can tell stories, Haroun returns to the sad city with his father to find that the city is no longer sad, the once forgotten city name has been remembered and when Haroun returns home he finds the last person to be there waiting for him, his mother. Haroun's story ends happily ever after as does Frodo's. Both of the heroes were from a classic fairytale , the stories had a call to adventure, both very different calls to adventure but they both fulfill there goals and reach apotheosis, i guess you can say Haroun and Frodo both lived happily ever after.

Philosophy †Free Will vs Determinism Essay

The dialogue between philosophers over the existence of free will versus the inevitability of determinism is a debate that will always exist. The discussion centers around the true freedom of humans to think and act according to their own judgment versus the concept that humans are intrinsically bound by the physical laws of the universe. Before I enter this chicken and the egg debate I need to quantify my terms: Free will is defined by the great philosopher, St. Thomas Aquinas as â€Å"vis electiva† or free choice. It is the ability of man to contemplate and judge the effects of the actions he is about to take. †¦But man acts from judgment, because by his apprehensive power he judges that something should be avoided or sought. But because this judgment, in the case of some particular act, is not from a natural instinct but from some act of comparison in the reason, therefore he acts from free judgment and retains the power of being inclined to various things. † (Aquinas. Suma Theologica) Determinism is a complex notion but is best described by David Hume as the notion that something cannot come from nothing and that all actions have causes preceding them. I conceive that nothing taketh beginning from itself, but from the action of some other immediate agent without itself. And that therefore, when first a man hath an appetite or will to something, to which immediately before he had no appetite nor will, the cause of his will, is not the will itself, but something else not in his own disposing. So that whereas it is out of controversy, that of voluntary actions the will is the necessary cause, and by this which is said, the will is also caused by other things whereof it disposeth not, it followeth, that voluntary actions have all of them necessary causes, and therefore are necessitated. (Hume. Liberty and Nessessity. ) Philosophy and world religion alike were born of the same origins. Each of the two ancient disciplines arose from the quest for the answers to life’s ominous questions. These human questions, archetypical to people of all geographic locations; where did we come from; why are we here; where do we go when we die; unite us as a race. It is no coincidence that each religion and theology from all four corners of the earth tackles these black holes of human logic. Each religion carves their own individual explanations of these unanswerable questions into their core belief systems, each one centrally different than others. However, they all share one common thought; each shares a belief in an afterlife determined by the choices made in life. Free will is the common denominator in all world religions, because all share the essential concept of morality. The widespread acceptance of the concept of morality implies that there is a choice to be had at each and every juncture or life. The choice comes from recognition of good and evil. For good and evil to exist, then there has to be the ability to decipher between the two and also decide to accept one over the other. The existence of morality alone proves that free will exists, because without the freedom to choose right or wrong in any given situation there would be no qualitative measure of the â€Å"rightness† or â€Å"wrongness† of ones actions. David Hume comments on the origin of morality and its place in our everyday decision making processes, â€Å"Only when you turn your reflexion into your own breast, and find a sentiment of disapprobation† (Hume.  Treatise of Human Nature). In other words, there are no outside stimuli that can decipher good from evil; the line can only be drawn by internal thought. Hume was a naturalist in that his vision of the world and therefore stance of philosophy was based directly through the experiences of the senses. His stance on many issues directly originated from his ability to experience it with the five senses, and on the subject of morality he takes exception. Even he recognizes the existence of morality in everyday life, even though it cannot be explained through the lens of the senses. It would seem that morality’s acceptance must therefore prove that free will exists, but there is one essential school of thought yet to weigh on this topic; science. Science was the latest bloomer of the three major disciplines of existential explanation and in the post modern era is becoming more and more popular. As the world becomes further secularized and the reaches of scientific logic continue to exceed their grasp, many of the world’s intellectuals identify â€Å"truth† on a scientific scale. Science does not support the theory of morality, because it can’t be proven to exist. The notion of â€Å"free-will†, something which world religion and philosophies alike recognize as a fundamental part of our human anatomy, is called into question in a few simple and logical ways. Science supports the theory of determinism as the only logical explanation of the unfolding of the actions of our lives. First off, science has recently developed the discipline known to us as physics, in which the laws of the universe have been defined. In the short time in which humans have been graced by the scientific understanding of the laws of the universe, human kind has yet to fully step back and contemplate the magnitude of this discovery. In generations past, humans believed that we were made special with â€Å"free will†, but now we know that like all things in the universe we are subject to the physical laws. This is a huge step forward in rational thinking because it allows us to understand that our previously God given concept of â€Å"free will† was really a result of a lack of understanding of the deterministic laws of the universe. For instance a law as simple and commonly accepted as â€Å"gravity† challenges the idea of free will. Gravitational pull determines that no matter the size of an object, once separate from the surface of the earth will be dragged back down at the same force every time. This is a simple concept that we take for granted, but it works in the free will v. determinism argument. We are ruled by gravity, and therefore all of our lives activities answer to it. We can’t choose to jump off a building and float in the air because we’ll be pulled back to the ground to our imminent deaths. We can’t choose to stay younger and keep our skin tight to our faces because gravity’s long-term effect causes our skin to droop down towards the ground. The choices I just listed may seem farfetched to some, however, if we examine the notion that we have â€Å"free will† in the empirical sense of the word we see that not all of our decisions are controlled by us, and that we fall victim to the tyrannical rule of the physical laws of the universe. We aren’t truly â€Å"free† to create our own actions in life. Albert Einstein offers a particularly apt synopsis, â€Å"Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect as well as the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper. † (Albert Einstein) The rule of physical law aside, which hinders us from truly being â€Å"free† to choose our own actions in life, is a much more simple scientific argument that dispels the notion of free will. For example: Say a 20 year old man murders another man in cold blood. They have no affiliation, no prior knowledge of who each other is, or reason to dislike each other. Man A walks up to random Man B and shoots and kills him. Was this action of Man A a result of â€Å"free will†? To examine the notion fully you need to look at his action coming from two sources. Either Man A was born with the moral flaw to allow himself to find killing another human acceptable, or that Man A was influenced during the course of his life by interactions and actions of others and came to that conclusion based on his own experience. There is no other explanation for Man A to willingly choose to open fire on Man B and kill him. If we look at the first option, Man A’s natural moral compass was skewed, allowing for him to conceive the notion that killing another is okay. This speaks to the determinant nature of our chemical makeup. Its possible his DNA made a mistake coding somewhere and he developed overtime and understood that killing another is â€Å"wrong† or maybe that his entire sense of â€Å"right from wrong† was skewed inside his mind. This would lead Man A to lead a life normally on the outside, and yet without regard for consequence, open fire on another man and kill him as easily as he could have held a door for him. This is the idea that he naturally had the capacity to kill, and that he could not control it. Eventually one of his animalistic impulses would finally stick and he’d be in the right place at the right time, and that it was only a matter of time until he killed someone. If you don’t subscribe to that theory and believe that he chose to kill Man B that day, try and consider that the results will still be pre-determined. If Man A killed Man B due to his choice, then his own â€Å"free will† and judgment that he finds reprehensible to kill another man can’t be attributed to truly â€Å"free† will of choice. Not every human kills others as part of their natural lifestyle, as they might kiss or mate with another. In fact a very small percentage of people in the world murder other humans, and this begs the question of why? What makes this small percentage of people â€Å"choose† to kill another person? The answer is that if they choose to do it, and they weren’t previously miswired so as said in the prior paragraph, then they must have been influenced by their surroundings. When Man A was six years old he didn’t choose to murder Man B, the events of his life led him to make this decision about whether or not murder was okay. This is yet another reason that he wasn’t truly free to choose; outside influence hinders the ability to choose freely. Whether he was abused, molested, lost a loved one, or just plain fed up with the monotony of everyday life in society, something pushed him over the edge. Something allowed for him to justify his actions; that something is outside influence. This deterministic train of thought explains why people do what they do, but not when. What makes us actually hit the point of no return, or when will the right opportunity hit the right mood leading the right action? (In our example the murder of Man B) The paradox between â€Å"free will† and â€Å"determinism† exists because of the influence of the different schools of thought. If one aligns his personal truth based on religious fervor, then an understanding of â€Å"free will† can exist logically and on the other hand if one bases his logic around science then â€Å"determinism† seems to be the only answer. So where does that leave philosophy, the great bridge between the two polarized schools of thought? It leaves philosophy somewhere in the middle, examining the validity of both sides of the argument, and helping to shed light on the debate over whether or not we truly are free to make a choice or if we are merely floating along the currents of the universe. Personally, I’m lost somewhere in the middle, hoping that the answer to this time-old question will be revealed.

Living as a Christian disciple Essay

Explain how living as a Christian disciple may influence the lives of Christians today. Christianity is an entire way of life. It’s not only a part of your life it is your whole life. It is a sense of being with God. It is not a one way system, but in fact a two way bond. Being a disciple of God gives you a sense of who you are. You have the position of being part of God’s children as well as being a child of your parents. This is an incomparable feeling. A Christian is a person who lives their life daily for God. By praying on a regular basis, reacting positively not negatively with people and being an optimistic person rather than a pessimistic one. Christianity focuses a lot on how people treat others. Christianity believes everyone is equal. Nobody is better than someone else, even if they are richer. A disciple believes Christ is with you at all times. To become a Christian you must try and be the best you can be. An example of this would be the story about the Pharisee and the tax collector, having the best humanity. To develop into a Christian you need to know the principles. You need to live your life a certain way. That means you might have to sacrifice a few things but in the long run you will be rewarded. Again you must know how to deal with people. ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind,’ and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ (Luke 10 vs. 27) A person needs to be willing to give up luxuries in order to gain better things. For instance a Christian must give 10% of their total income to either a church or a charity. But the more essential factor is time. Time is more precious than rubies. Time must be taken out of your day to think about God or even the elderly lady next door who lives all alone. Your attitude towards people is very important. Being a Christian affects what career you wish to pursue. Certain professions are considered unethical and therefore are not allowed. A job such as working in an abortion clinic, you are taking away a life which has a right to live, which is unjust. Another job which gives people grief is a traffic warden. A Christian has an important role to play in the family and in the home. There must be peaceful negotiation and they must always remember that children usually learn from the examples of their parents. So as a parent you must do good things and not bad. You must know how to function in a family. To be a dedicated Christian you are required to visit the church on a regular basis and to pray daily. At church Christians have communion, usually once a week. This is red wine and bread which s also called the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the ceremony in which Christ’s last meal with his disciples is celebrated with bread and wine, the bread symbolizes Jesus’ body and the wine Jesus’ blood. Although some Christians do not believe in going to church for example, Quakers and the Salvation Army. Quakers are Christians who do not have set services or have no ceremonies and do not do repeated rituals. The Salvation Army consider that you should be careful and make sure that ceremonies do not become more important than the meaning of the belief or faith. Also the Salvation Army do not drink any alcohol as when they first started the group alcohol was a serious problem, therefore they are not allowed to have communion as it involves wine. There are many noble Christians who have acted as excellent role models, in the past and in the present day. Some of these famous Christian disciples are Oscar Romero, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu and many more. I am going to tell you about Desmond Tutu. Desmond Tutu was born in 1931 on the 7th October. He lived in South Africa, a society where coloured people were considered as outcasts, a racist system of apartheid. They had to learn from an early age that their needs were considered less important than the needs of white people. They were not allowed to mix with the white people. For example black children could not go to the same school as a white child and at all times black people had to carry their passbooks to show who they were and if they had a right to be where they were, they also were not allowed to go into cafes or go to beaches and parks. In the street white police officers would look them up and down as if they were criminals. It was hard for children to grow up watching parents and role models being humiliated in this way. Desmond Tutu went to an all black school. He worked willing and was therefore intelligent. He was a kind and gentle boy. At the age of 14 Desmond got Tb. He was put in hospital for 2 years. An English priest called Father Trevor Huddleston visited him every week. Trevor Huddleston had been trying to make the lives of the black people better. He believed apartheid was evil and very unchristian. He opened hostels and nurseries for homeless people o stay in at night. He also defended black people when they were challenged by the police. A life long friendship blossomed between Desmond and Trevor. During his stay in hospital Desmond became more thoughtful and reflective. He had a strong commitment towards Christianity and a spiritual approach to life. Desmond was influenced by humility, gentleness, selflessness from spiritual people like Trevor. After leaving school Desmond decided train as a teacher. He worked as a teacher for a few years but he couldn’t stand there and watch his people suffer. He wanted to do something about it. So he left teaching and became a priest. In 1961 Desmond was ordained as a priest. He was given his own parish church and a proper house in an area of slum housing. It was rewarding work, a satisfying job with people who loved him having him as their priest. In 1962 he was offered to go to London to study for a second degree in theology. When he got there he couldn’t believe that he was allowed to walk freely and not have to check for signs where they were not allowed. He wasn’t searched by police; he didn’t have to carry a passbook around with him. He loved it. After 3 years when he returned to South Africa, he found it difficult being a second class citizen again. From the understanding of the Bible he saw that Christianity stresses that all people are equal and that God wants people to be free. As a Christian he felt it was his responsibility to help black people become equal with white people. Two years later Desmond took a job in England. In 1975 he was given the post of Dean in Johannesburg. If he accepted it then this meant he would have to move back to South Africa. This post had always been held by white men so he wanted to make a change and accepted the post. The cathedral had a racially mixed congregation and clergy. Desmond bought in changes to the worship including shaking hands, hugging and kissing your neighbour on the cheek which made many fell more comfortable. In 1978 wealthier black people were starting to be allowed into a few public places but the community as a whole were kept as second class citizens. In one of Desmond’s speeches he dramatically promised to burn his Bible on the day that he was proved wrong about apartheid being an evil. Another thing Desmond said in one of his speeches was, â€Å"At home in South Africa I have sometimes said in big meetings where you have black and white together, ‘look at your hands-different colours representing different people. You are the rainbow people of God.’ And you remember the rainbow in the Bible is the sign of peace. The rainbow is the sign of prosperity. We want peace, prosperity and justice and we can have it when all the people of God, the rainbow people of God, work together.† In 1984 he was awarded in the Nobel Peace Prize in America. Soon the whole world came to see Desmond as a symbol for the fight against apartheid. In 1986 he was further promoted to Archbishop of Cape Town, the first black man to hold this post. In 1989 F.W De Klerk became president. The ban on ANC and PAC was lifted symbolising freedom for all black South Africans after so many years of suffering. In 1993 exclusive white rule finally ended. The result of the first democratic election was that in 1994, Nelson Mandela became the first black South African president. By 1996 there was a new constitution aimed at creating a full racial equality and harmony. The hardest challenge facing bereaved families was not only to forgive those whom had caused their suffering, but to make sure that forgiveness was complete and unconditional as with Christian love. This would mean the new South Africa could grow from strong roots, unaffected by blame and bitterness. I think Desmond Tutu was a good Christian disciple as he helped the black people of South Africa. He bought equality in South Africa which is what God says. He is helping others and spreading the good word of God. He is determined and will not give up when things get tough. Another example of a good Christian disciple is a man called Oscar Romero. He was born in Ciudad Barrios, El Salvador in 1917. He was a Catholic man. He thought the best way to help people would be to serve God as a priest. He frequently visited prisoners in Gaol and he worked with alcoholics He promoted the activities of ‘Alcohol Anonymous.’ He set up charities to provide aid for the poor and the hungry. Oscar was a respected man. He spoke for the poor, opposed the government, opposed military and opposed rich families who influenced the politicians behind the scene. He was a determined Christian disciple. Romero’s aim in life was too help the poor and hungry and the only way he could help them was by making sure the church get a say in politics. He started at a seminary in San Miguel, in 1930. A few months later he was sent to Rome to complete his theological studies. In 1942 he is ordained as a priest. In 1943 he returns to El Salvador having witnessed early years of the Second World War, in Europe. From 1944 he worked as a parish priest but a few months later he was called by the bishop to work as the secretary of the diocese, a post which he held for twenty-three years. During this time most of his pastoral work focused on the cathedral parish. Between 1962 and 1965 Romero was a largely important priest in the diocese. He was in charge of the local seminary and editor of the diocesan newspaper. In 1967 he was appointed as sanctuary, ‘General of the National Bishops’ Conference,’ and he moves to San Salvador. Then in 1968 he takes up an additional role for the, ‘Central American Bishops’ Secretariat.’ In 1968 the council of Medellin is held in Colombia. In 1970 Romero is made auxiliary assistant bishop in San Salvador. He becomes increasingly aware of the plight of the oppressed and the poor but resists th e notion that the church should be too involved in politics. In 1974 Romero is made bishop of San Salvador. In 1977 he is made Archbishop of San Salvador. It was dangerous to be a Christian in El Salvador. To speak the Gospel message of God’s love for the poor and suffering of the world was to risk persecution. This was a statement the government could not ignore. A person could not claim to be a Christian if he or she ignored the violence against so many in the country or if they ignored the bombings, the illegal detentions, the torture and the callous murders of men, women and children. These murders were seen as a direct attack on the church itself. It was an assault which the Church could not ignore. This is when Romero decided on his course of action. His thinking on religion and politics develops. He sees an increasing need for the church to have a voice in politics and becomes an outspoken critic of injustice and oppression. On the 24th March 1980 Oscar Romero is assassinated. On the 30th March 1980 the, ‘Palm Sunday Massacre,’ took place. He had the most powerful and influential voice of the Church and he was the spokesperson for the oppressed. Romero believed that the Gospels did not see a division between religion and everyday life. In a world of fear and terror, Romero’s preaching of the Gospel message of love and justice was a source of hope for the people. One of the famous things Romero said was, ‘May Christ’s sacrifice give us the courage to offer our own bodies for justice and peace.’ His last sermon, on the Sunday before his death, was very significant. In it Romero made a special request to those with belief in God and those of Christian faith. It was a sermon which many believe cost him his life. In the sermon Romero said, ‘Nobody has to fulfil an immoral law. Now it is time that you recover your consciences and that you first obey your conscience rather than an order to sin. We want the Government to understand seriously that reforms are worth nothing if they are stained with so much blood. I beg, I ask, I order you in the name of God: stop the repression.’ A week after the preaching these words Oscar Romero was assassinated. In the days before the funeral crowds of people flooded into the city. Visitors arrived from all over the world. Not only the Church leaders but also important politicians from many countries were present. Romero had become a respected political as well as religious leader. Nuns and priests were gathered in a very public hunger strike. In protest at the killing of Romero, they were refusing to eat. This showed how great a person he was. There were as many as a hundred thousand people packed in every available space outside the cathedral, waiting for the funeral service. The solemn funeral service began in a dignified manner. During the sermon everyone listened intently to the words of remembrance for Oscar Romero. During his life Romero tried to put such ideals into practice. His religious belief was always a practical matter and his great desire was to see people work together for a better world. Romero shared, with all who would listen a vision of justice in an injustice world. His life and martyrdom are remembered by millions. In a troubled world Romero remains as a sign of hope. Those who killed him may have thought that they would be silencing a powerful voice against injustice in El Salvador. They may have killed the man but the message of justice for all still lives today.

Evaluating the Research Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Evaluating the Research Process - Essay Example The third hypothesis holds that pregnant teenagers have higher self-esteem than those who are not pregnant. Finally, Robinson & Frank (1994) theorize that higher self-esteem levels are reported among male teenagers that have fathered children as compared to those who have not fathered any children. The literature review section of this research is not biased as it covers both the literature that supports the hypotheses and other literature that is against the hypotheses. For example, Robinson & Frank (1994) are of the opinion that current measures being used to fight teenage pregnancies are not effective. In fact, a study by Hepfer (1998) is cited as having proved that interventions such as sex education are not effective in reducing teenage pregnancy, thus the need for programs focusing on teenage self-esteem. The hypothesis that sexually active teenage males and those who have fathered a child have more self-esteem than non-sexually males and those who have no fathered children is also supported by literature. According to Robinson & Frank (1994) research by Friedman & Castiglia (1990) shows that males tend to assert their masculinity by being sexually active and fathering children. However, a research by Dilorio & Riley (1998) found no relation between low self-esteem, loneliness, and pregnancy. To support this finding further, Robinson & Frank also cite Meyer (1991) who found no relationship between self esteem, fathering of children and sexual activity among teenage males. The study sampled 287 participants drawn from two high schools that were university-affiliated and sixteen teenagers who were pregnant. The records were sourced from the office of the local obstetrician. The research used the qualitative method of data collection whereby a personality test, the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, comprising of 25 items was used as the main data gathering device. The test was in form of questionnaires which required the participants to