Effectiveness of Advertisement based on Consumers Attitudes

The success of a business does not rely only on the quality of products or services that the company offers to the market.Even though the company provides the best product or service that the customer may avail, the success of the marketers will still be based on how the company executes their marketing plans. Apparently, the strategic plans do not refer merely to the supply chain management and marketing mix.The marketers need to consider the possible impact of the products, advertisements, and competitors in penetrating the market. Since the marketplace is a wide area where the marketers, customers, and even competitors meet, it is necessary for the marketers to understand the important factors that may help the product to stay and grow in the market.Consumers’ AttitudeThere are many reasons why people purchase the products in the market. Basically, they buy products because those are part of their needs while some purchase the products for luxury alone. Regardless of the re asons of the consumers in buying the product, the target of the marketers is always to create awareness and sell the products to the target markets.The marketers should always remember that people buy a certain product to satisfy the needs which could be another complicated term for the company who would like to penetrate the market. There are three factors that may affect the behavior of the consumers in buying the product, the internal, the external, and the marketing.Internal factors refer to the knowledge, attitude, and perceptions of the consumers toward the product, personality and lifestyle of the buyer, and roles and involvement of the customers to the purchase. On the other hand, the external factors include the culture, situation, and groups where the consumers belong. Lastly, the marketing mix also plays very important part in the decision making of the customers. The last factor refers to the quality of product and service, affordability of price, and effectiveness of th e promotion to the target market.One of the most challenging parts of being a marketer is understanding the reasons of the consumers in preferring and buying the product in the store shelf. Consumer behavior refers to the disposal or use of the products and the study of how these products are purchased. Consumers purchase a certain product because of many factors which should be taken into consideration.The knowledge and strong understanding about the factors that affect the decision making of the consumers would help the marketers to reach the anticipated level of success. Apparently, the factors that affect the consumers are extremely complex making the marketers think of new concepts in order to persuade different kinds of people in different locations to buy only one brand of product in the market.The psychological influences in consumers’ behavior can easily be recognized; however, the activities that should be done by the marketers sometimes lack the ability to persuade the customers to purchase the product.   Motivation is the psychological concept that could help the marketers to improve the plan for developing and promoting the product in the marketplace.

Feminist Perspective in Sociology Essay

â€Å"If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse gift will find a fitting place. † — Margaret Mead I. Prologue At present, it is quite difficult to imagine how there was a time when women were not afforded the same rights and opportunities as men. Some of these rights and opportunities include the right and opportunity to pursue a college diploma and a career, and the right to vote. At present, it is quite revolting to think how women were tagged and branded to remain at home and pursue the best interests of her family members, but not hers. It is quite difficult to imagine, but the truth of the matter is that there was such a time that all these unimaginable things and revolting things were happening, when women were to take the backseat to the men and when they were not regarded as equals. The goal of the first wave feminism was to correct all these notions and to try to achieve a position for the women when they do not take the backseat to the men, but stay beside the men as their equals. Slowly, this was achieved. Hence, women were then are given the right and opportunity to pursue a college diploma and a career, and the right to vote, among all others. All of these things are remarkable achievements and should in and by themselves, be commended. However, it cannot be denied once again, that the struggle of women does not end with the first wave feminism, after all its not apt to call it the first wave if there is no second wave. The second wave devolved around the problems that the achievements of the first wave put to fore. The sum of all these goals is ultimately for society treat woman not just as an object but as a subject — who has her own thoughts and who can speak through her own mind and with her own voice (Delmar, 2005, p. 32). The ultimate goal was to liberate woman from her reification. Thus, MacKinnon remarked: I say, give women equal power in social life. Let what we say matter, then we will discourse on questions of morality. Take your foot off our necks, then we will hear in what tongue women speak. So long as sex equality is limited by â€Å"sex difference† whether you like it or don’t like it, whether you value it or seek to negate it, whether you stake it out as a grounds for feminism or occupy it as the terrain of misogyny, women will be born, degraded and die. We would still settle for that equal protection of the laws under which one would be born, live and die, in a country where protection is not a dirty word and equality is not a special privilege (1987, p. 45). The issues and problems created by the first wave as manifested in the second wave led Bell Hooks to assert that [a]ll women are oppressed, and being oppressed means the absence of choices. The goal of this Paper then is to try to explain in a simplified but not in a simplistic manner what Bell Hooks meant when she cited the above-mentioned assertion through an exposition of some the writings during the second wave feminism. The Paper shall be divided into four parts. The first part is the Prologue, where these paragraphs fall under, which shall discuss in general the background and the goal of the Paper. The second part shall discuss in general what Bell Hooks asserted through the reference materials. The third part shall discuss in specific detail how all women are oppressed, once again through the reading materials. The fourth part is the epilogue, which shall present the conclusion and personal thoughts of the writer of this Paper. II. The New Face of Oppression Oppression presupposes two parties, one is the oppressor and the other is the object of the oppression, or oppressee, so to speak. During the first wave it is quite apparent that the oppressor is the patriarchal and machismo characteristic of society, or men in short, and the object of the oppression are women. In the second wave, one wonders how Hooks made this assertion given the fact that the men and women dichotomy and oppression were no longer as manifest. The answer is simple, while the first wave may have achieved equal rights and opportunities for women and men, there is still oppression. It is only that the faces of the oppressor and the oppressee have changed. With the second wave, other women became the oppressors. According to most critics, this was an inevitable consequence of setting equality with males as the primary goal of feminism (Jhappan, 1996, p. 25). Jhappan expounds: [i]n reality, the positions of power and privileges enjoyed by white men have only been made possible by racism and sexism, they require hierarchy, skewed power relations, inequality and the subjugation of the majority (white women and people of colour). It seems to me that white women’s â€Å"equality† with white men would only be possible of the race hierarchy were kept substantially intact since the privileges that white men enjoy depend upon a racially satisfied social system (p. 25). Simply, this means that with the goal of equality with men, women aimed for an equally oppressing position, where they are now the oppressors. While men were no longer tagged as the oppressors of all women, within the circle of women rose other oppressors in the face of fellow women who are of a different color. This is what Angela P. Harrris discusses in her article, in relation to what Catharine MacKinnon discusses in hers. Generally, the idea of the latter is that there is a universal concept of a woman so to speak. This universal concept of a woman is what was oppressed by society through male domination and supremacy before. For MacKinnon, there is just one experience, culture, heritage, needs for all women, thus, their needs are all alike. As most feminists then were white women, most of what was pushed for were for the needs of the white women. This is also known as the notion of a monolithic women experience (Harris, 2002, p. 384). Through this gender essentialism and worse, racial essentialism was likewise furthered (Harris, 2002, p. 384). Thus according to Harris, they reduce the lives of people who experience multiple forms of oppression to additional problems: â€Å"racism + sexism = straight black woman’s experience† or â€Å"racism + sexism + homophobia = black lesbian experience. † Thus, in an essentialist world, black women’s experience is always forcibly fragmented before being subjected to analysis, as those who are â€Å"only interested in race† and those who are â€Å"only interested in gender† take their separate slices of our lives (p. 384). An example for Harris is what MacKinnon does when she reduces Black women to just worse forms of white women, and not as a separate and diverse woman apart from the white woman, but not an aggravation. MacKinnon imparts: [b]lack is not merely a color of skin pigmentation, but a heritage, an experience, a cultural and personal identity, the meaning of which becomes specifically†¦ and glorious and/or ordinary under specific social conditions. It is as much socially created as, and at least in the American context no less specifically meaningful or defective than any linguistic, tribal, or religious ethnicity, all of whom are conventionally recognized by capitalization. While women on paper, were liberated from their reification, what happened really was that white women were liberated from reification. White women were no longer considered as objects —they became subjects. Black women, though they were women but because they were black, were not similarly liberated. This is because [w]hite feminists have exposed male essentialism only to replace it with another essentialism based on the notion of an essential woman. However, as it turns out, this generic â€Å"woman† is not only white, but middle class, and also able-bodied†¦Over the last couple of decades people of color have highlighted the silences of racists Eurocentric history and discourses which render all â€Å"others† invisible (Jhappan, 1996, p. 22). By virtue of the monolithic experience of women, women who did not fit the mold of the monolithic experience were oppressed in the sense that they were left with no choice. The choice was already made for them by the systems that were built in place respecting such monolithic experience. They were left with no choices as their needs were not addressed. The needs that were addressed were the needs of those who fit the monolithic experience of women. III. The Specific Instances of Oppression The specific instances of oppression that are discussed in the reference materials are enumerated below. a. Oppression in Relation to the Family Through the idea of the family wage, women were oppressed with the fact that they were made dependent on the wage of their husbands. They were made dependent with the notion that â€Å"a working man should earn enough to support his family† (Gavigan, 1996, p. 237), and consequently, the place of the woman or the wife is at home (Gavigan, 1996, p. 237). As the husband already earns enough to support the family, there is no more need for the woman to earn and augment the budget for the family. Thus, she is tasked by society to stay at home and address the needs of her family members. Such admittedly, does not require professional and personal growth. Thus, while the members of the family pursue different goals in their lives, the woman is stuck at home looking after the family members, sending them off to reach their dreams, while she stays in her place. In addition, if and when a woman earns, she is given minimum wage. The notion of minimum wage was put in place to accommodate individuals who were single and who did not have dependents to support (Gavigan, 1996, p. 238). In this wise, women were oppressed with the fact that when they earn, what they earn is not even enough to provide for their dependents, if any. b. Oppression under the Law Under the law, heterosexual relationships are afforded more advantages and privileges, in terms of â€Å"tax benefits, standing to recover damages for certain torts committed against spouses, and rights to succession and insurance benefits† (Gavigan, 1996, p. 263). The same are not afforded to homosexual relationships; thus women are oppressed. Oppression of women under the law is manifested explicitly in Welfare Law. When women seek assistance under the welfare law, especially the solo parents, they have a hard time obtaining the assistance that the law provides because of the very stiff and stringent definition of â€Å"spouse† under the laws such as the Family Law Act, RSO 1990 and Canada Pension Plan Act : â€Å"spouse† means either of a man and a woman who (a) are married to each other or (b) have together entered into, a marriage that is voidable or void, in good faith on the part of the person asserting a right under the Act x x x â€Å"spouses† means a spouse as defined in subsection 1 (1), and in addition includes either of a man and woman who are not married to each other and have cohabited (a) continuously or (b) in relationship of some permanence, if they are natural or adoptive parents if a child x x x â€Å"spouses: in relation to a contributor means’ (i) if there is no person described in subparagraph (ii), a person who is married to the contributor at the relevant time or (ii) a person of the opposite sex who is cohabiting with the contributor in a conjugal relationship at the relevant time, having so cohabited with the contributor for a continuous period of at least one year (Gavigan, 1996, p. 266) When solo parents seek social welfare assistance, there were always resort to the courts in order to determine whether or not a particular relationship was sufficiently conjugal to warrant the characteristic as spousal and consequently to warrant the benefits provided by the social services (Gavigan, 1996, p. 266). Also, the definition of the term â€Å"spouse† was too technical such that even in heterosexual relationships, there were always doubt as to whether a relationship is sufficiently conjugal to warrant the benefits granted by social services (Gavigan, 1996, p. 267). An example of the ill-effect of this law is the requirement that the spouse who should support the spouse (wife) and the children, must not live in a certain proximity; otherwise the latter cannot receive the benefits under the Welfare Law (Gavigan, 1996, p. 269). c. Oppression by Virtue of Race or Color This form was already discussed in part two. However, in addition Jhappan tells us that for colored women, race rather gender has been the primary source of oppression. †¦while white feminists have theorized the male breadwinner dependent-female, post-Industrial Revolution family form of the West as a source of women’s oppression, different family forms persist in other culture even among those living in the diasporas, For many women of colour, in fact, state actions such as iimmigration and labour policies that have separated and distorted families have oppressed them more than gender relations (p. 23). d. Oppression of Oneself by Oneself Women also admit that in and by themselves, they are oppressed. As there are women who are of different cultures, there are certain aspects of their identity that is rejected by another aspect, but which they ultimately have to deal with. For instance a woman who has both black and Caucasian heritage, the black heritage forsakes slavery while the Caucasian heritage promoted the same. There may be instances in the life of such person when decisions have to be made favoring one aspect over the other, and in such instance, the woman is the oppressor of her own self as she is left with no choice but to decide in such manner, although contrary to an aspect of her identity. IV. Epilogue Delmar has pointed out that the problem of oppression within the circle of feminism is rooted on the fact that the very definition of feminism is monolithic and abstracted. The very definition of feminism forgets or averts from the reality that there exists a multiple consciousness of women. With the realization that a multiple consciousness of women exists, then there may be the realization that there are various facets of oppression. Consequently, solutions may be afforded to these various facets in order to abolish, if not minimize the same. This is why at the beginning of this Paper a quote from Margaret Mead was stated. â€Å"If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse gift will find a fitting place. † With the realization that women are rich in culture, in contrasting values, then we can realize that there is a whole gamut of potentialities. With such variety, a less arbitrary social fabric may be established, and through such less arbitrary social fabric, each and every individual may find his or her own place without necessarily fitting into a monolithic mold. References Delmar, Rosalind. (2005). What is Feminism? Feminist Theory: A reader, 27-36. New York: McGraw-Hill. Gavigan, Shelley. (1996). Familial Ideology & the Limits of Difference. Women and Canadian Public Policy, 225-78. Toronto: Harcourt Brace. Harris, Angela. (2002). Race and Essentialism in Legal Theory. Women, Law and Social Change, 4th ed. , 383-92. Concord, ON: Captus Press. Jhappan, Raddha. (1996). Post-Modern Race and Gender Essentialism or a Post-Mortem of Scholarship. Studies in Political Economy 51:15-58. MacKinnon, Catharine. (1987). Difference and Dominance: On Sex Discrimination. Feminism Unmodified: Discourses on Life and Law, 32-45, 240-45. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

A Financial Study Of Qatar Airways Tourism Essay

A Financial Study Of Qatar Airways Tourism Essay Qatar airlines which ranked amongst one of the best airline in the Gulf States lacking behind Emirates airways has been known to occupy second fiddle. The company recently has launched series of bold steps to re-position it from a † second choice † airline company to the number one competing head to head with the emirates in the business class segment of the market. Some of the activities include aggressive not only in its growth strategies, but in building its reputation and brand awareness. It places the highest priority on providing customers with the best service and unique accommodations and types of service provided. To do this, it has formed alliances with several different organizations to provide improved and unique services. For example, Qatar Airways has signed an agreement with Showtime Arabia and its new 560 satellite television systems. Qatar Airways is the launch customer for the Tailwind 560, and the service offered through the Tailwind 560 makes it the f irst international airline to provide passengers with live television across multiple regions. Introduction Today, the involvement of Middle Eastern airlines in extra-regional operations varies, but is already comparably high. Emirates is offering 82% of its seat capacity on extra-regional services. Most other important carriers from the region like Etihad Airways (74%), Qatar Airways (66%) and Gulf Air (54%) also operate more than half of their seats on extra-regional flights (AEA, 2006). Air France (26%) and Lufthansa (23%) show that the share of extra regional offer for European network carriers is considerably less, indicating that these carriers have stronger domestic markets. It has also projected the following for its financial year outlook. Qatar Airways aims for 40% jump in revenues, says CEO Akbar Al Baker. Defying the global financial downturn, Qatar Airways is expecting to record a 40 per cent increase in its revenues in its current financial year ending March 31, 2011 o ver the last year, according to the Doha-based airline’s chief executive officer.†We are targeting a 40 per cent increase in revenues for this year, which is slightly over the increase in the airline’s capacity of around 30 per cent. Qatar has also come up with balance marketing Mix to as to shift from competitor of Emirates to main player in the airline industry in the Gulf region. The Airline Industry and The Challenges The commercial aviation industry has been characterized by a cyclic nature since its inception. During times of economic prosperity, passenger traffic demand grows and airlines seek to add capacity to meet that demand. Conversely, during economic downturns, airlines respond to decreased travel demand through cancelling flights, grounding or selling aircraft and generally shrinking capacity. By 2005, a new wave of brash exuberance was experienced in the airline industry, and aircraft orders skyrocketed fourfold, year over-year, to record levels o f more than 2000 units, split fairly evenly between Airbus and Boeing. (See Fig. 1.) A sizable portion of aircraft buying originated with airlines based in the Gulf Region. Traffic growth in that region of the world was strong, and carriers like Emirates, Etihad and Qatar began placing large aircraft orders, often in duals of one-upmanship at various air-shows such as Paris, Farnborough and Dubai.

Garment Manufacture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Garment Manufacture - Essay Example Although tariffs will still be in place, the liberalisation of the T&C sector by means of quota abolition is a decisive step towards free trade. But just what does the liberalisation of T&C sector mean to the market and its players (David Birnbaum, 2005) This is where the role of the buyer becomes immensely vital. Manufacturers will need to source raw materials that meet their quality standards and at the same time keep track of competitive prices to keep their brand alive and kicking. Buyers are trained professionals whose hand first-hand information on market trends and vendors. It is in their hands the future of a garment manufacture lie. Garments are an essential part of man's existence. During the age of cavemen, men and women wore the skin of the killed animals to protect them from cold. Gradually, this changed and they began to use plant leaves, and other materials to cover their torso. Though the purpose remains the same, men and women now wear dresses made out of wool, cotton, nylon, synthetic, rayon and silk. Style became a part of society and designers began to showcase their talent through designer wear. Fashion became more pronounced around the 1950s and has since, shown an upward trend. The names of Jean Paul Gaultier, Carolina Herrera, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, Carmen Marc Valvo, Christian Dior, Karl Lagerfeld, and Elie Saab, to name a few, are breakfast names. So what makes them different from others Design and texture, of course! Garments that are worn by people like you and me are in most cases, imitations of what is shown on the ramp. Designer wear are exclusive and cost a fortune. However, garment ma nufacturers the world over, design dresses that are look-alike to their more illustrious cousins on FTV. 3.0 Market Trend For any garment business to succeed or sustain their presence in this highly competitive field, the manufacturer needs to obtain raw materials and at competitive prices. If there is one area of concern, the manufacturer will suffer great lose. Raw materials are an essential aspect of production. If supplies remain unpredictable or truncated, production will seize and the business, doomed. Similarly, if prices escalate and demands grow, there must be a stand-by to cover this. Prices fluctuate periodically and this can affect supplies and pricing. This has to be a very important part of planning. No manufacturer can work on a day-today basis. Orders that are placed over a long period of time need to be executed and at contracted prices. This is when the service of the buyer (sourcing) remains critical. It is never easy for one to identify and maintain continuity with just one supplier. There must be at least a few more alternatives to meet contingency. An important aspect in managing contemporary fashion business is supply chain management. Once an order is placed, the manufactured product needs to reach the designated store or consumer. Retail environment constantly undergoes changes, and unless the product reaches the wholesaler or retailer on time, it could have severe economic and consumer pressure. Market

Replacing Accounting Information System with New Ones Essay

Replacing Accounting Information System with New Ones - Essay Example It is evident that an organization would go out of business unless it effectively meets the changing needs and requirements of its customers and investors. Therefore, it is crucial for every firm to make its systems and processes up to date so as to better serve the stakeholder interests. As Beke (2011) points out, an accounting information system plays a pivotal role in processing financial and accounting data into understandable information used by the firm’s stakeholders including investors, creditors, and managers. An old version of AIS may not meet the current information needs of the stakeholders concerned (particularly in case of publicly traded companies) and this situation would cause dissatisfaction among them. Hence, it is better for organizations to modify the existing AIS on time or install a new one in order to keep their stakeholders satisfied. Such a change would probably assist the company to provide its stakeholders with more accurate and extensive informatio n in lower time frame. Since modern business is based on highly complex processes and practices, stakeholder groups would be greatly benefitted from a high tech accounting information system that enables them to easily assess the company’s financial position. ... Furthermore, the company may face numerous operational issues at the initial stages of the change execution. The following sessions assess the pros and cons of each available option. Advantages of AIS Purchase By purchasing a new AIS system, the company can acquire a potential and powerful system that can meet all modern business needs. This option provides the organization with Oracle team’s assistance in installation, configuration, and testing of the solution. The organization can reduce further system maintenance costs to some extent as this newly installed system can be used for a relatively longer time period. Disadvantages of AIS Purchase The feasibility of a new system may be unpredictable and, hence, the company cannot fully rely on it at its primary stages The company hast to invest relatively higher amounts in change management programs A decline in the total productivity at the initial stages of the change implementation may occur due to employee inexperience Advan tages of Existing System Modification As compared to other options, the process of modification of the existing system requires less installation costs. Since the existing system is modified by its own information system group that is well aware of the firm’s needs, the company can ensure the development of proper AIS. The company does not need to depend much on external parties. Disadvantages of Existing System Modification Modification of an outdated system would be a complex task and hence this process may raise a range of potential issues to the company. If the system modification is not performed in an excellent way, then the company may be forced to spend further costs on the system in near future.

Hydrosphere, Biosphere & Lithosphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hydrosphere, Biosphere & Lithosphere - Essay Example Explain the relationship between the saturated zone, the water table, a ground water well and the cone of depression, all within the sub-surface. In the hydrological cycle, the water circulates between the oceans, the atmosphere and the continents. The water can exist in any of the three states during the transportation, i.e. as vapor expressed as humidity, as liquid in the form of droplets or as solid such as in the form of ice crystals or snowflakes. During the various process involved in the hydrological cycle, the quantity of water or 'water balance' that changes between inflow and outflow can be estimated based on the principle of conservation of mass. The movement of the water including the formation of water vapor is driven mainly by solar energy although other forces are also involved. The water evaporates from the surface of the ocean during the vapor phase. It then usually either falls as rain onto the surface of the earth (liquid phase) or as snowfall (solid phase) under t he process of precipitation, and on land a large portion of it usually flows in rivulets and rivers from the mountain tops to the seas in liquid form under the influence of gravity (surface runoff). Some of the water reaching land surfaces is also absorbed by the soil (infiltration) which can then follow one of several paths such as directly to the atmosphere by plants through transpiration. Within the sub-surface, a 'saturated zone' develops near the water table which is the surface that separates this zone from the zone of aeration (Monroe et al., 2006: 524). The saturated zone develops from the capillary rise of water in the pores of the soil, sediments and rocks. When a water well is used to pump the groundwater, the lowering of the water table in the area of the well can create a 'cone of depression', which refers to the loss of water having exceeded its inflow. 2.The food chain is a valuable concept in biogeography. Give an example of a specific food chain, labeling the variou s levels of the food chain. After looking at characteristics of food chains, explain how a geographer’s approach to the study of organisms might be different than biologist’s study of organisms; what would each try to emphasize more than the other? What exactly is a biome? Compare/contrast the concept of the biome with that of the zoogeographic region. Compare/contrast the floral characteristics of 2 of the following biomes: Desert, Tundra, Midlatitude Grassland and Boreal Forest. An example of a simple three-step specific food chain is given below with the deer as the herbivore and the lion as the carnivore. Food chains indicate a unidirectional transfer of energy beginning with the producers (as autotrophs) and ending with the topmost carnivores. Knowing the food chains help in identifying the interactions and interdependence between living organisms. The distributions of the energies and biomasses in each food chain are typically though not always pyramidal. In real ity, many food chains have at least four steps and several are intricately linked forming food webs. Grass (producer) > Deer (herbivore) > Lion (carnivore) In studying the characteristics of food chains, a geographer would be more interested in the wider ecosystems; in how the components of the chain are interdependent, in the flow of energy through the whole system between the different trophic levels, in examining the levels of biomass, and so on. A biome is a natural ecological grouping of animals and plants on the basis of climates, i.e. â€Å"all the ecosystems taken together in a given geographical area having the same type of climate† (Bharatdwaj, 2006: 100). Other environmental factors could also differentiate biomes but they are

Answe qustions in ethics policy adminstration Essay - 1

Answe qustions in ethics policy adminstration - Essay Example I am also required to ensure that they are informed of all the correct procedures and about any misappropriation of official duties My responsibilities to my subordinates includes dissemination of information regarding work paradigm, ethical considerations, rules and regulations and expected outcome. They are expected to follow the defined processes and ensure that work is finished within the deadline. I have huge responsibilities to the public who help to pay our salaries. My responsibilities are to ensure public disclosure of our financial accounts and promote transparency in our work so that public knows how the work is accomplished in different areas of public interests. Most importantly, public is entitled to be aware of its own duties and therefore it is also important to create awareness amongst the people as to how they can become more active proactive participants in developmental works and socially relevant issues. (words:

Traditional Pastoral and Missional Ministries Essay

Traditional Pastoral and Missional Ministries - Essay Example From this study it is clear that the  advantage is determined by the realization of giving pastoral care. As the pastor performs the role of the counselor, he is able to pay maximum attention to the person who needs his assistance, and, dependently on his time, he can provide the person in need with the necessary and relevant help. The benefit here is that the pastor as a clergyman and as a shepherd seldom uses severe criticism as a means of help providing, which promotes the help seekers to reveal the essence of the problem to full extent and without any fear of being negatively accepted. This is similar to a psychological phenomenon of a client-centered therapy when a person is accepted without any prejudice and negative assumptions which facilitates better problem revealing, detecting and treatment.This discussion highlights that  the advantage of traditional pastoral ministry is also seen in the field of organization of the work of the church. When a pastor is the one person responsible for governing and management of the work of the church and its structures and other clergymen, he is able to perform his organizational work automatically and to full extent because he does not have to share ti with other people and to combine the results of work of different persons later on.  The thing that is also definitely advantageous is the pastor’s way of delivering the messages of the religious sources.  

Exclusion from the Mainstream Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exclusion from the Mainstream - Term Paper Example The purpose of this paper is to examine how themes of heterosexuality and homophobia can also be present in queer films, and how homosexuals have been continuously demonized and marginalized in films, thus promoting a deeper sense of homophobia in the society and reflecting how widespread the social institutions believing in the sexual norms are. The approach of looking into theories of social deviance in relation to sexuality in queer films can aid in refocusing on the issue of social stigma and exclusion from the mainstream. Degradation in Mainstream and Queer Films While it is true that there will always be great films, a lot of those that reached blockbuster success portray gay characters in a supporting role, usually as a friend of the female lead character. While there is nothing wrong with supporting roles, sometimes, these gay characters are not fully developed in the film and are used as a of parody of the homosexual stereotypes that, ironically, have been fought by several organizations over the years. Despite the good intentions of the film, degrading the role of these gays into something to stir laughter due to their â€Å"homosexual† antics is something that is not right. This dos not happen in mainstream films only. Even in queer films such as â€Å"The Birdcage,† some of these homosexual parodies can be observed. For example, in the film's last part where the gays are dancing to the song â€Å"Macho Man,† it can immediately be felt that it is meant to be a joke that â€Å"macho† and gay are two terms that cannot come together. Even though the film is really all about the the message that gays should be treated equally, resorting to using the stereotypes for laughter defeats the overall message. Another example of this is â€Å"Brokeback Mountain,† where homosexuality is supposedly â€Å"celebrated† judging from the way the public acknowledged the film. However, how are the gay men portrayed in the story? They are shown as â€Å"queer† --- people who cannot be accepted in the mainstream, the â€Å"other.† Even homosexuality here is shown as something shameful and to be kept secret. Such films do not really bridge the gap of inequality between the heterosexuals and the homosexuals. Queer films actually do not advance the idea that homosexuals are equal to their heterosexual counterparts. They just breed a what can be called â€Å"understanding† towards homosexuality, but they do not really allow the mass audience to relate to them. They do not treat the idea of homosexuality as something normal, but as something that invokes pity. Heavenly Creatures To further expound on this idea, a recently viewed film entitled â€Å"Heavenly Bodies† will be discussed. This film is based on a true story of two teenage girls who committed murder in 1954. The story is about Pauline and Juliet, the two teenage girls who are involved in a â€Å"strange† relationship th at is viewed as homosexual (lesbian) by the people around them. The two girls are shown as the exact opposite of the other --- Juliet being extrovert, and Pauline being introvert. Despite being based on a true story, one cannot help but notice how the â€Å"weird† details of these two girls are played up in the story. It has been mentioned earlier that homosexuals have been continuously demonized and marginalized in films, and this is observed in this