Risk Management

Risk Management Introduction Internal and external environments of an organization pose a wide range of risks to an organization and managers should establish strategies to manage risks for the long-term survival. Risk management strategies are enhanced by the culture of the organization and this can be maintained by inculcating a culture of good values, believes, norms and attitudes.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Risk Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Changes in the global markets today create a huge risk to organizations and this creates the need to have mechanisms to solve organizational problems in a professional manner. Thus, risk management is a crucial aspect of an organization and proper strategies need to be established to ensure the survival of organizations in the turbulent market environments (Jafari, Rezaeenour, Mazdeh, Hooshmandi, 2011). Therefore, risk management entails setting goals and objectives and e nsuring that they are achieved in the most effective manner, managing change that is brought about by introduction of new strategies, managing cultural and technological diversity among other tasks. Risk management covers a wide range of activities and aims at establishing better strategies of promoting the success of an organization. Enterprise wide risk management (EWRM) Enterprise wide risk management involves managing risks and seizing opportunities which help an organization to achieve its objectives. Managing risks as opportunities come is very important in maintaining the success of the organization. Creating value to the shareholders capital is the major bestowed upon the managers of an organization. This can be achieved by identifying opportunities available in the business environment and seizing them actively to ensure the interest of shareholders is protected. Therefore, EWRM is defined as an approach used to manage enterprises by controlling risks (Gupta, 2011). It is i mportant to note that organizations are founded on goals and it is the achievement of these goals that differentiates successful organizations from others. There are various risks associated with achieving goals and the management requires to develop strategies to reduce the effect or evaluate the impact such risks have on the organization. Organizations set goals to be achieved and these goals can only be achieved by proper planning of all resources. Risks are encountered in every situation in an organization and it is important to put clear strategies to deal with risks as they occur to avoid losses (Hepworth, Rooney Rooney, 2009).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, it is evident that EWRM is an important aspect that determines how organization succeeds in turbulent market conditions. Managers use risk management as a benchmark to measure the achievement of an organization. An organization that is able to manage all the risk elements successfully acquires better position in the market. Most successful organizations have ventured in risky businesses and this has created a lot of wealth to the shareholders. Operating in high risk activities requires establishing a strong risk management system to ensure that the organization can not make a lot of losses in case the event of risks occurring (Mbuya, n.d.). GRC and its relationship with EWRM Governance, risk and compliance are management tools that comprise of three aspects. First, governance which refers to the process by which the top management team apply to control, plan, organize and direct the resources of an organization to achieve the goals which have been set by the shareholders. It involves making decisions by the top management by using the appropriate information. Secondly, risk management involves the identification, analysis and response to the risks affecting an organizat ion. To manage risks an organization can control, avoid, accept, or transfer the risks to other parties. Lastly, compliance deals with conforming to all requirements stipulated by the concerned stakeholders (Mohapatra, n.d.). According to Wilson and Dobson (2008) governance, risk and compliance is related to EWRM in that the management puts measures to regulate the activities of the organization to ensure that all rules and regulations are adhered to. By complying with the rules and regulations of the organization, the management ensures that it avoids the risks of penalties related to legal systems of a country. The management evaluates the costs related to the implementation of various strategies and this helps solve some problems that may affect the smooth operation of an organization. Compliance enhances the control of risks associated with the implementation of decisions made by the management of an organization (Mather, Kumaraswamy Latif, 2009). Therefore, we find out that th ere is a close relationship between GRC and EWRM because the two interact with each other. However, there are few differences between GRC and EWRM in that GRC deals with how organizations are managed and how the organization benefits when all rules and regulations are adhered to by all stakeholders.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Risk Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It also explains the relationship between the internal and external environmental elements and how they interact with each other. On the other hand, EWRM is based on risk management at the enterprise level and provides little interaction between the internal and external environments (Mather, Kumaraswamy Latif, 2009). Opinion about above statement a fair comment on the state of play today Enterprise wide risk management (EWRM) as an assurance tool is increasingly being mandated; indeed it is embedded as a concept in ISO31000:2009. This stat ement is a fair comment on the state of play today. Many organizations have realized the importance of managing risks and this has been facilitated by the intensifying number of risks in the market environments today. To establish better strategy for improving the competitiveness of an organization can only be made possible by managing all the risks that may be associated with the implementation of such strategies (Loras, 2010). Threats and responses to be offered There are various threats that managers encounter when maintaining values in an organization. In competitive environment organizations face threats which may hinder accomplishment of the stipulated values. Some of these threats may be cause by changes in internal and external environmental factors such macro and micro economic variables, legal factors, technological changes, political environments among others (Champoux, 2010). The response to these threats determines the success of an organization. The management responds by studying the changes in the market conditions as well as other factors that may affect the activities of the organization. Some examples of the responses that can be offered to these threats are change management, making better decisions, establishing stronger strategies, collaborating with consultants and other measures (Klein, 2011).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Change management is an important aspect that managers need to learn when dealing with threats and responses. Moran and Brightman (2001, pg 111) have defined change management as â€Å"the process of continually renewing an organization’s direction, structure, and capabilities to serve the ever-changing needs of external and internal customers.† Change is the opening through which people or organization focus the future by bringing new systems which create success. Change can be introduced by an individual person or organization or it can be happen by itself. Change brings opportunities for growth and improvement. The management of an organization should become fast in introducing and implementing change since the world is changing at an alarming speed. Jennings and Haughton (2002) explain that the need for change has been caused by revolutionary technologies, consolidation, well-funded new competition, unpredictable customers, and a quickening in the pace of change hu rled unfamiliar conditions at management. (P. 212). Change management focuses on developing future structures of a business to improve the performance as well as introduce new technologies which improve the performance of the organization. The path towards establishing future structures should be well monitored to create a smooth transition for the organization to achieve the desired changes as well as manage risks. Crisis within the organization create the need for organizational change and the management should be prepared to handle all changes that might be required by the organization. The internal and external business environments are changing at an alarming rate and change management is an essential tool for capturing new developments being introduced. Competition in the global markets has increased and this is forcing managers to introduce innovation in the management of the systems within an organization in order to catch up with the changes (Luecke, 2003). Many changes int roduced within an organization fail due to poor preparedness as well as management of the entire process. The lack of appropriate frameworks to support the implementation and management of change within an organization are the main causes of failure by many changes introduced by the management (Burnes, 2004). The nature of organizational change has been assumed for a long period of time by managers and contemporary studies have indicated that strict measures should be introduced to cater for the gap between the success and failure of the changes being introduced by an organization. According to Edmonstone (1995) â€Å"many of the change processes over the last 25 years have been subject to fundamental flaws, preventing the successful management of change† (p. 16). Contemporary studies have identified that the pace of change management has increase in the recent years and managers are becoming more responsive to the changes in the environment (Burnes, 2004). There is no organi zation or industry is immune from change since change is caused by many internal and external factors. The introduction, implementation and monitoring of change requires the collaboration of all stakeholders to an organization. Change cannot be achieved by an individual department, or sector. The management should respond quickly to internal and external changes required by the organization. Delays in response can retard the achievement of appropriate change. Since new technologies are being introduced in the global markets each day, delay in establishing change may result into the organization adopting old systems which are not beneficial. Adequate research should be done into the recent changes in the market. There are no universally acceptable processes of creating change in an organization. The management should apply the best structures relevant to the organization (Burnes, 2004). Inculcating culture in EWRM and/ or GRC According to Kotter and Heskett (1992) culture refers to t he beliefs, attitudes, values and norms that a given people have. The organizational culture is defined by the stakeholders and this is reflected in the nature of activities the management sets. The culture of an organization is inculcated in the GRC by creating systems of compliance. Culture establishes the norms to be observed by all stakeholders and this creates the basis of compliance. Culture explains the extent to which the management can take risks while managing the resources of an organization (Klein, 2011). There are organizations which are risk-averse while others are encourage taking risks as the basis of operation. This differentiates the decisions to be made by the management during the operation and implementation of the strategies (Burnaby Hass, 2009). To achieve appropriate governance the management requires establishing better strategies of promoting the cultural morals of an organization. Cultural morals have become a major concern in the business world today bec ause organizations are operating in multicultural environments. Working with people from different cultures requires understanding the cultures of each person in the organization Global human resource management involves dealing with people from different cultures and different backgrounds. There are several advantages and disadvantages of operating global human resource management. Some companies have failed while others have acquired great success after extending their operations across the borders. Proper strategies are required in the management of employees with diversified cultures. The political, legal and social environments in the global labor markets are different and the management should be very accurate in establishing the appropriate strategies which match the particular needs of the different employees. With the increase in globalization many people are seeking employment across the borders of their domestic markets. However, organizations dealing in the international scene face some challenges when relocating employees from one country to another. There are several barriers which hinder managers of multinational companies from relocating their employees from one country to another. These barriers relate to the physical conditions, legal aspects, economics, and cultural barriers (Golembiewski, 1995). Complexity in the diverse cultures makes is difficult to operate in many countries. Several companies have failed in their strategies to operate in the global scene due to due to poor integration of the ingredients required in multinational human resources management. Global human resource management is a strategy that is gaining a lot of importance especially after the spirit of globalization started. Several companies have improved their performance after establishing proper strategies to manage their employees while others have failed due to poor integration of the required aspects of global human resources management. The need to understand the cultural differences, the diversity in economic, legal and political environments is very important when dealing with global human resources management (Burnaby Hass, 2009). The culture of an organization dictates the shape taken by the management goals and objectives. The success or failure of organizational change is determined to a great extent by the culture in the organization Cultural change is required for the achievement of successful change management strategies. The globalization of many organizations has created a scenario where multinational organizations are operating in diverse cultures where many people are involved. The integration of each cultural aspect into the processes of the organizational change is essential for the success of the organization. The global business requires applying the best strategies to achieve a competitive edge. Many global organizations have failed to venture into some countries due to poor analysis of cultural aspects of the people it is involved in. the management of change is a very important aspect in achieving success in accomplishing global goals. The management of an organization must analyze the cultural needs of all consumer groups. This will enable the management to match the cultural needs of the various consumers into the products being manufactured by the organization. In addition, the employees of the organization need to understand the cultural aspects of the organization in order to establish goals which are achievable and which will create success to the organization. Both the internal and external environmental factors should be well analyzed when integrating a culture that will create successful change management strategies (Schein, 1992). Changing culture is a systematic process which requires proper strategies to ensure all stakeholders internalize the required changes. This process is affected by factors such as the complexity, ambiguity and powers the cultural aspects of the organization. The main architects of an organizational culture are the top management individuals.The culture of an organization is developed by the people working there as well as all other internal and external stakeholders (Schein, 1992). Is it simply too expensive for value? It is not too expensive to maintain values in an organization because there are more benefits accrued from operating in an ethical manner. Values provide an organization with the guidelines to be applied in the implementation of strategies. When an organization conducts business unethically there are many costs incurred and these can only be avoided by applying the best values possible. Maintaining values improves the public image of an organization and this makes an organization achieve a competitive edge (Thompson Martin, 2005). Organizations which fail to establish a good system of values they end up incurring many losses which could have been avoided. These costs may include loss of customer trust, legal action, bad corp orate image and others. The cost of failing to maintain values in an organization is too high not only in the short run but also in the long run. Organizations which focus on existing in the market for a longer period of time use strategies which promote a good image which will attract more customers, they maintain legal ethics and other activities which improve the position of the company in the market (Cunningham, 2001). Conclusion Risk management is an important process that managers should maintain in an organization. It is inevitable to have risks and managers should have better strategies to deal with risks. The long-term survival of an organization depends on the ability to manage risks. The intensifying competition in the global markets has forced managers to focus on maintaining a strong risks management program by establishing values. Complying with the values and cultural aspects of an organization is important in achieving the goals and objectives of an organization. The culture of an organization determines its success in the market environment. It is a reflection of the beliefs and attitudes that people have towards the organizational systems. Culture is developed and shaped by the stakeholders of the organization. Change management is very important to an organization and managers should possess the required skills of carrying out this process. Therefore, risks management is an important activity for organization in the modern market environment and all managers should embrace it for the long-term survival of their businesses. List of bibliography Burnaby, P. and Hass, S. (2009). Ten steps to enterprise-wide risk management. Corporate Governance, 9(5). p. 539-550. Burnes, B. (2004) Managing Change: A Strategic Approach to Organizational Dynamics, 4th Edn (Harlow: Prentice Hall) Champoux, J. (2010). Organizational behavior: Integrating individuals, Groups, and organizations. New York: NY, Taylor Francis. Cunningham, B. J. (2001). Researching org anizational values and beliefs: the Echo approach. New York: NY, Greenwood Publishing Group. Edmonstone, J. (1995) ‘managing change: an emerging consensus’, Health Manpower Management, 21(1), pp. 16–19. Golembiewski, R. T. (1995). Managing diversity in organizations. Alabama, University of Alabama Press. Gupta, P. K. (2011). Risk management in Indian companies: EWRM concerns and issues. The Journal of Risk Finance, 12(2). P. 121-139. Jafari, M., Rezaeenour, J., Mazdeh, M. and Hooshmandi, A. (2011). Development and evaluation of a knowledge risk management model for project-based organizations. Management decision, 49(3). P. 309-329. Jennings, J. and L.Haughton. (April 16, 2002). Its not the BIG and eats the SMALL its the FAST that eats the SLOW. Harper Paperbacks; 1st edition. 288 pages. ISBN-10: 0066620546 ISBN-13: 978-0066620541 Klein, A. (2011). Corporate culture: its value as a resource for competitive advantage. Journal of Business Strategy, 32(2). p. 21-28. Kotter, J. P. and Heskett, J. L. (1992). Corporate culture and performance. New York, Simon and Schuster. Loras,J. (2010). Book Review : Strategic Risk Management Practice: How to Deal Effectively with Major Corporate Exposures. Management Decision, 49(1). p. 167-170. Luecke, R. (2003) Managing Change and Transition (Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press). Mather, T., Kumaraswamy, S. Latif, S. (2009). Cloud Security and Privacy: An Enterprise Perspective on Risks and Compliance. New Jersey: NJ, OReilly Media, Inc. Mbuya, J. C. (n.d.). Risk management strategy. South Africa, Dr John Chibaya Mbuya. Mohapatra, (n.d.). Business Process Automation. New Delhi, PHI Learning Pvt Ltd. Moran, J. W. and Brightman, B. K. (2001). ‘Leading organizational change’, Career Development International, 6(2), pp. 111–118. Schein, Edgar. (1992). Organizational Culture and Leadership, Second Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Thompson, J. L. and Martin, F. (2005). Strategic mana gement: awareness and change. London, Cengage Learning EMEA. Wilson, S. B. and Dobson, M. S. (2008). Goal setting: how to create an action plan and achieve your goals. New Jersey: NJ, AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn.

Ethics Class- Euthanasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Ethics Class- Euthanasia - Essay Example The article also takes a stand in favor of passive euthanasia, under certain guidelines and conditions only. Definition of euthanasia and key terms attached to it: Euthanasia is derived from a Greek word that means ‘good death’ (eu- good and thanatos- death). It is actually a practice adopted to terminate the life of terminally ill patients so as to end their suffering, which is intractable and unbearable. As Cundiff frames it, â€Å"the decision to allow a terminally ill person to die usually comes after multiple treatments have failed to cure or control a patient’s disease and the prognosis is poor. Patients themselves, and family members, begin to appreciate that further heroic treatment would only prolong suffering and dying and not give a realistic chance at remission or recovery (Cundiff, p.3)1. The American Medical Associations Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs defines the term as follows "Euthanasia is commonly defined as the act of bringing about the death of a hopelessly ill and suffering person in a relatively quick and painless way for reasons of merc y. In this report, the term euthanasia will signify the medical administration of a lethal agent to a patient for the purpose of relieving the patients intolerable and incurable suffering† (cited in Le Baron, Definitions)2. There are two main forms of euthanasia in practice, voluntary and involuntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia is performed with the consent of the sufferer. It may be in the form of a written directive or it may also be given as advance directions, to be performed later. Involuntary euthanasia is performed without the consent of the patient and is done with the permission of the closest relative of the sufferer. The other forms of euthanasia are active euthanasia and passive euthanasia and assisted suicide. Active euthanasia involves mercy

Samsungs Business Strategy Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Samsungs Business Strategy Report - Essay Example This is as occasioned by the ever-changing environments in which businesses operate. As each business entity is devising innovative ways of increasing their turnover and market base, the overall competitiveness of the industry is increased, thereby causing the rest of the entities in each specific industry to up the game in order to be at par with the industry (Hoskisson et al 2009, p. 178). Given that there are various industries and business entities all partaking in different business operations, each entity must come up with a strategy that will ensure it thrives in its line of business else it risks being knocked off the competition (Moreton et al 2012, p. 176). In order to achieve and maintain their niche or improve even further, the businesses must consider a variety of aspects including the internal and external factors, in order to ensure their continued success and dominance. Despite this, coming up with the right business strategy is not always an easy task. Various consid erations have to be made to identify the best path forward since a wrong move could send a firm on a downward trend (Sekhar 2009, p. 87). In light of the above, the analysis of Samsung Electronics Company Ltd. in relation to existing and probable business strategy modules would suffice a business strategy report. Samsung Electronics is a transnational electronics corporation based in South Korea. It is the main auxiliary of Samsung Group of companies and has been on a steady rise over the recent couple of years. It operates on the global market platform, with branches in most major cities of the world. Samsung has considerably grown over the last couple of years, thereby increasing its global employee base to upwards of 200000 (Sekhar 2009, p. 187). The company is involved in the manufacture of end user electronic products. On the broad platform, it operates mainly in two expansive business units. These are the end product faction and the module division. The product division is inv olved in the fabrication of user products especially home appliances such as video and audio equipment, kitchen electronics, computers, air conditioners, cameras, printers and communication equipment such as mobile phones and tablet computers. On the other hand, the module division is involved in the business of manufacturing product components such as semiconductors, display products such as LCD’s, TFT’s, AMOLED’s and storage devices such as SD and microSD cards (Russ 2010, p. 231). Moreover, they partake in electronic consumables such as toners and cartridges for printers apart from the aforementioned products. Given the nature of their businesses, the industry is often tumultuous especially due to the constant innovative technologies that grace the electronics and telecommunications industry (Cant et al 2008, p. 121). Samsung Electronics prides itself with the vision to inspire the world and create the future. Their company profile identifies three strengths in relation to their vision. These are new technology, innovative products and creative solutions, all in a bid to realize the stated vision. Moreover, their main focus is on the industry, the employees and their business partners, and they identify these as the keys to their growth and overall success (Moreton et al 2012, p. 88). Their focus on the industry is aimed at assessing the industry trends to enable them map the best strategy to be the market leader. Meanwhile, the partnership vision is aimed at considering their business associates and generating a correlation targeting success for both partners and the company itself (Cant et al 2008, p. 322). On the other hand, the employee vision has the objective to empower the employees and create a sense in them that lets them diligently partake in their duties

Religion and Homophobia in Trinidad and Tobago Essay Example for Free

Religion and Homophobia in Trinidad and Tobago Essay As previously demonstrated, the data collected was graphically represented in order to highlight trends or anomalies. Figure 1 (Fig. 1) begins by showing that 36% of our sample supported same sex marriage, whilst 64% did not. Since non-support of same-sex marriage is used as our indicator of homophobia, approximately two-thirds (( 2)? (3 )) of our sample is considered homophobic. Whilst this suggests that a substantial proportion of our population is supportive of homosexuality, the majority is apparently homophobic. Thus, a standard was found, against which individual elements of the population can then be manipulated and analysed in a positivistic approach. Figure 2 shows that the gender of the non-supportive population was almost equally distributed, which suggests that perspective is gender neutral. This is surprising considering that gender commonly indicates differing perspectives, but may perhaps be attributed to the existence of homosexuality in both genders. Additionally, this is reflected in Fig 3. where the male only school, Naparima College is proportionately equal to the female only schools, Naparima Girls’ High School (NGHS), ASJA Girls’ College (ASJA) and St. Joseph’s Convent (SJC). Furthermore, Figure 4 shows that the average CSEC grades (which we will use as an indicator of education level) of the supporters approximately equalled that of the non-supporters. Therefore, neither gender, education level school has significant effect on our candidates’ perception of same-sex marriage. Continuing the search for factors that may affect the development of homophobia, Fig 5 outlines four further dimensions of social life, showing that, support of the legalisation of marijuana, alcohol consumption habits, history of altercations with the law, and family structure all had negligible effects because the proportions only slightly deviated from the norm. It is only when the dynamic of religion is introduced that anomalies become apparent. As illustrated in Figure 6, there is little variance between the individual religions, with Islam being marginally more homophobic, but, when religion is removed, as in the case of our secular candidates, the proportions are reversed and approximately two-thirds (( 2)? (3 )) of the secular candidates were supportive. Additionally, it was observed that, whilst Muslim candidates had the highest correlation to homophobia within our sample, the candidates from the Islamic school, ASJA Girls’ College –who would have been exposed to the institution for at least five years, a substantial portion of their lives-, had the lowest correlation to homophobia; the difference being approximately 10%. This is pertinent because it is also indicative of secularisation by differentiation wherein the non-religious sphere of life, education is separated from religion (Jose Casanova, 1994). In both instances of secularisation, homophobia was reduced. Building on the investigation of the influence of religion, religiosity was then compared to opinion using three common measures of religiosity. Figure 7 shows the relationship between frequency of visitation of place of worship and non-support, Figure 8 shows the frequency of private worship against non-support and Figure 8 shows the frequency of private study of religious texts versus non-support. All graphs yielded a positive gradient, began well below the average and ended well above it. This indicates, that as religiosity increases, so too does homophobia. This contrasts our previous observation that there were no trends amongst the various religions but verifies the implication that secularisation decreases homophobia. Careful consideration of the qualitative data compounds these assertions because, not only is religion openly and usually used as justification of homophobia, the candidates who were most fervently religious and enmeshed with their congregation were often most blatantly homophobic. Additionally, if the view of the religious leaders is to be taken as the consensus of the congregation, it would appear that most justify discrimination. However, there were cases in which the fervently religious advocated positively for same-sex marriages. The phenomena observed can be explained using a functionalist perspective in which religion serves as a method of maintaining social order through increasing solidarity within a mostly heterosexual population by segregating the homosexual, thereby providing a common ‘enemy,’ and instilling a set of values and norms in society. Also, religion may be viewed as encouraging more â€Å"productive† marriages in which childbirth is possible, thereby helping to sustain the birth-rate, working to aid the system of the family. When candidates are separated from the functions of religion, they are more likely to maintain a different set or norms, wherein homosexuals are equal to heterosexuals. Contrastingly, a Conflict perspective may be used in hich religion serves to justify the construction of a class society in which the heterosexuals are the ‘bourgeoisie’ and the homosexuals are the ‘proletariat. ’ By masking the foundation of power and exploitation in divine ruling, the heterosexuals are allowed to legitimize their position of superiority. When this illusion is removed and class consciousness attained, as in the case of secular candidates and candidates with little religiosity, the bourgeoisie can no longer legitimize their position, and so homophobia is reduced. Alternatively, if one is to utilize Weber’s theory of Rational Choice, one might suggest, that, perhaps candidates decided to follow the homophobic direction of their religious leaders, rationalizing that earning the support of the entire congregation was worth discriminating against a minority. This theory also serves to explain why candidates supported same-sex marriage, because the prevailing justification was a rationalisation that their (homosexuals) private life did not affect me (the candidate) negatively and was therefore not a problem. This also explains the anomaly of the few candidates who were enmeshed in non-supportive congregations but still supported same-sex marriages. Continuing the interpretivistic trend, Mead’s theory of Symbolic Interactionism may be applied in which the ascribed meanings of symbols encourage homophobia. For example, candidates who studied their holy texts daily were most likely to be non-supportive. They may ascribe that the text determines their values and that the text does not support homosexuality, therefore, they, identified as a follower of the text, does not support homosexuality. Another example may be the use of song references in their justification, wherein, candidates interpret the music to disapprove of homophobia and therefore, as listeners, they should also disapprove. Lastly, the use of homophobic slurs such as ‘fag’ in the language of the non-supporters suggests that homosexuality is unwanted, and communicates this to others who may interpret it as such, and develop the same opinion. Discussion of Findings In, Invitation to the sociology of religion, Zuckerman presents a functionalist approach in which we see how religion may affect social hange. He demonstrates a correlation between a decline in the influence of religion and an increase in the acceptance of homosexual relations suggesting that religion does indeed influence homophobia as determined from my research. Furthermore, he considered another form of discrimination, that is, racism in which again, religion resulted in the segregation of a minority, but also, where religion provided a powerful community through which resistance could grow. The strength and influence of these churches echoes the observation that the more enmeshed our subjects were in their religious congregations, the more homophobic they tended to be. Building on the methods by which religion could affect social life, the article, â€Å"Gays bash government on same-sex marriage,† presents a scenario in which religion has clearly moulded the opinion of a prominent member of our government to the point that it over-rode proper conduct. This crass act seems less surprising when it is observed that some candidates also paraphrased or quoted biblical passages in lieu of an explanation. The research paper, †Religion and public opinion of same-sex marriage,† also adds validation to our research because their results were strikingly similar to our own. They discovered, as I did, that a persons’ religiosity and not their specific religion was the prominent factor in influencing their view of same-sex marriage. Additionally, the article entitled, â€Å"J-FLAG Issues Statement on International Day Against Homophobia,† also verifies this conclusion by using statistics which showed that 56% believed homosexuality and Christianity were incompatible and that 82% believed that it was immoral. This, second study was conducted in Jamacia and as such, it is also more relevant to our research based in Trinidad; it should come as no surprise that their sample yielded a homophobic rate only marginally lower than our own at 59% as opposed to 64%. Finally, in relation to our final aim, the research paper, †Religion and public opinion of same-sex marriage,† also proves handy because they validate that no other standard demographic holds significant influence on a candidate’s opinion of same-sex marriage besides religiosity. Considering these observations, my main finding appears to be that religion does, in fact, play a significant role in developing homophobia within the Lower Six population of San Fernando. Additionally, three main inferences can be made: Firstly, that religion may develop homophobia by presenting a community in which homophobia may be justified and advertised as the norm, through interaction with the institution of government, or through symbolic interaction wherein the religious texts are interpreted as encouraging homophobia. Secondly, that religiosity is a much more significant factor than religious affiliation in developing homophobia, with religious affiliation being almost powerless in our study. Thirdly, we may infer that, whilst exposure to the media did have some effect on the development of homophobia as reflected in our qualitative data, by and large, religion is the major influence with no significant alternative factors appearing in our study. ? Limitations Whilst conducting my study, certain limitations were confronted. Chief amongst these was the cost effectiveness of conducting such a relatively large-scale survey consisting of over two hundred subjects. Adding to this difficulty was the statistical analysis in which a spreadsheet was necessary. Additionally, in order to balance the ratio of male to female respondents, the strata of Naparima College was over-represented since that was the school in which the most co-operation was met. However, since Naparima College proved to be a typical institution, for the purposes of our study, I believe that the integrity of the data was no compromised. Difficulty was also met in collecting and analysing secondary data sources as inquisitions at our public libraries proved fruitless and many of the recent, relevant research papers published were either costly, or restricted to members of certain institutions. Lastly, there may have been some, inherent instrument bias in my analysis of the qualitative data. Recommendations On completion of my research, certain recommendations have become apparent. The first being that a complete separation of the church and state must be accomplished in order to provide the allocation of same-sex marriages, and the second being that the institution of religion should be removed from society as it, in its many forms may a dangerous tool for inspiring discrimination. Conclusion Although it has been a lengthy road, it was a straight one, and, in summation, we can determine that there is indeed a clear relationship between religion and homophobia in which religion inspires the other through various ways. Furthermore, a person’s religiosity was shown to be the determining factor in influencing homophobia with no other influence being significant. ?

Medieval Art in a Modern World Essay -- Essays Papers

Medieval Art in a Modern World When I was looking at different works of art from the Middle Ages in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (medieval wing), one in particular caught my attention. Entitled â€Å"Plaque with the Crucifixion and the Stabbing of Hades,† this piece embodies life and death, triumph and defeat, divinity and humanity. Carved in ivory, this plaque, depicting the Passion of Christ with an allusion to Hades (god of the underworld), is from the mid-tenth century, or Middle Byzantine era, and was made in Constantinople. The plaque depicts the death of Christ as a triumph over Hades and thus presents a victory for man’s salvation. Centered in the plaque is Christ’s limp body, his head hanging low to the right, arms outstretched, and knees slightly bent. On the left side of the plaque is Mary, Jesus’ mother, mourning the death of her son, the Messiah. On the other side is John the Baptist, also in mourning. Beneath Christ’s feet are three Roman soldiers, shown dividing his garment. Mary, John, and the soldiers are many times portrayed as the main witnesses of Jesus’ suffering for his mercy on humanity. To the immediate left and right of Christ are two angels waiting to escort their Lord back to heaven. Its title is self-descriptive. The plaque itself is intense in representation and represents more generally the religious devotion present in the medieval period. Since Christianity was a very large part of medieval society, the Crucifixion was a central theme in Go...

The Professor Is a Dropout by Beth Johnson

The Professor is a Dropout â€Å"The Professor is a Dropout† by Beth Johnson is about a woman who was told she was retarded and her journey of becoming Dr. Lupe Quintanilla. Lupe, a Mexican native came to America young where in school she would be deemed as un-learnable (retarded), she dropped out of school in the first grade. Lupe continued her life, marrying and eventually started a family. When her children were deemed un-learnable as well she quickly took action to ensure they didn’t endure a similar fate.A very persistent Lupe was able to enroll in college; where she earned her doctoral degree. In Chapter seven of our textbooks we focus on purpose and tone. The reason for a particular passage is called the purpose. There are three common purposes; which are to inform, persuade or entertain. Figuring out the purpose of a passage can help the reader better determine the author’s reasoning for writing. Tone is the writer’s feelings towards the subject he or she is writing about. Simply put tone is the writer’s attitude.The purpose for â€Å"The Professor is a Dropout† is to inform and the tone is determined. I really enjoyed reading this story, because it’s very inspirational. I think Lupe is and was a very determined individual who would no longer accept what people told her all of her life. After reading this story it makes me want to work harder to lead by example. I believe that everyone is a capable of doing anything as long as they put forth an honest effort. Lupe in this story is prime examples that if you work hard, never give up and believe in yourself anything is possible.

William Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet - 1868 Words

From the 16th century to the 21st century, concepts of good parenting have drastically changed. In Romeo and Juliet, parenting takes an unusual approach as the children are treated in many different ways. Several couples in Shakespeare’s book, have experienced raising a child. While some raise their children with every second of their attention, others, including the Capulets, leave their child with a nanny. Not having a stable relationship with parents has often been the cause of feeling isolated; this is how Juliet feels when growing up, especially being an only child. After the lack of parenting in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet has been raised by her nurse, not had her parents’ influential presence in her life, and has†¦show more content†¦This caused a little bit of tension, especially since Lady Capulet was constantly pressuring Juliet to meet Paris and decide if he would be a suitable husband for her; she kept giving compliments on how handsome he looked. Lady Capulet described Paris’ book of love as him being an â€Å"unbound lover† and that he â€Å"lacks a cover,† meaning Juliet (1.3) While Lady Capulet is destined to make Paris her new son-in-law, Juliet is still unsure if she can love the man. This shows that the Nurse has a better relationship with Juliet than anyone else; she knows what Juliet is thinking while her mother is trying to convince her to marry some guy that she’s never met before. When Juliet meets Romeo later that night, everything changes. Before long, Juliet decides to send her Nurse out to meet with Romeo because she trusts her the most out of everyone. After a while, she notices that the Nurse is taking an awfully long time. She worries that maybe she couldn’t find Romeo or that she couldn’t meet him. When the Nurse finally does come back with news, she is out of breath and panting hard. She teases Juliet a little bit by not giving her a direc t response. The Nurse wanted Juliet to give her a break so that she could take a breath while complaining about how her â€Å"bones ache† and the tiring â€Å"jaunce† that she had experienced (2.5). When the Nurse finally settles down and tells Juliet that she met Romeo, they discuss the details. This connection between Juliet and the