Title IX: A long-term debate Essay -- Journalism Journalistic Essays

Title IX: A long-term debate Every year incoming college freshman go to their new college or university expecting to find their favorite sport, but sometimes due to lack of participation the sport is not there. In some case, the federal law Title IX is to blame as in the case of Zalikah Lewis, a sophomore at Pine Manor College, an all women's College in Chestnut Hill. Although she wouldn't join the swim team, she does enjoy the sport and was surprised that the sport wasn't offered while the school had most other popular sports. Thirty-one years ago, with the rise in revenue and attendance at collegiate sports, the federal government implemented a Title IX program that would established opportunities for men and women in colleges for their programs and academics. A major emphasis on the program has gone to schools athletic programs, to share the funds and sporting teams equally. There is a debate over whether the teams are really split fairly or are some of the more successful male teams get prominence over women's teams. "I think women's sports are getting better," said Charmaine Steele, a junior women's basketball player at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. "Some sports are better to watch on the women's side than the men's side. The sports world is slowly moving away from the men. Yes it's still a man's world but not for long," she added. "In athletics there are more males than females; therefore, it shouldn't mean that men should limit their numbers considering that the population of males is a lot higher than that of females," said Lewis. Title IX states that "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subj... ...h earned 66,943 and a women's coach earned 63,000. The differences in salaries have also been a topic of discussion when it comes to Title IX. Although it is still a controversial law in the U.S. Title IX does not seem as it will be going away anytime soon. Colleges and universities have both benefited and been at a loss due to Title IX. The program was set up to open opportunities for all and its true results may not be seen for years. Each person that Title IX affects will have a different reaction to it. Some people will see the good it causes but many will see it as a program killer. Until a full proof way of gender equality is found, every year that Title IX is in effect controversy will follow it. "I think that Title IX is a good thing as it creates equality. Anything that creates opportunities for women and minorities is a good thing," said DeFilippo.

Comparing of Shakespeares Othello and Volpone :: comparison compare contrast essays

Othello Compared to Jonson's Volpone  Ã‚   Both Othello and Volpone are set in Venice, well known for its wealth, power, and justice. Shakespeare called Venice the Whore of the Adriatic, for many different reasons: it is a port city, with many ships coming and going; it is also a corrupt city , with much pollution--not only of the actual enviornment but the soul as well. In Volpone the corruption that is planned between Volpone and Mosca is evident from the beginning. The two are taking advantage of their kinsmen's weaknesses--gullibility and an all-out lust for money. This is similar to Iago taking advantage of Othe llo's gullibility and jealousy in order to gain Desdemona. In Volpone, Mosca and Volpone are swindling people out of money while making them believe they are to become the sole heir of Volpone's vast riches when he dies. The situation is the same in Oth ello, but Iago longs for leadership capabilities and a title. Iago longs to be in charge of the Mercenaries as he believes he is more qualified for the position than Othello. Much of this is brought on by Othello's race and his love for Desdemona; he i s a Moor who loves a white woman. Both plays, being filled with bribery, deceit, lies and hate, are best set in Venice which shares many of the same traits. Another trait that is shared is the theme of prostituting women. Venice was known for its courtesan class, a group of well-dressed prostitutes. In both plays the virtue of a young woman is compromised by men seeking to increase their own fortunes. I n Volpone, Corvino makes a whore out of his wife Celia by offering her to the men around town, and in the play's climactic scene, to Volpone himself. In either instance, Corvino is thinking of his own financial gain and not of the injustice he brings to his wife.

Convergence Projects Fasb and Iasb

What are the convergence projects between FASB and IASB? What are their major problems? What are their major achievements? The Norwalk Agreement, first announced on September of 2002, was a paramount step towards a unified global accounting standard. In this document, both U. S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Boards (IASB) (the Boards) â€Å"each acknowledge their commitments to the development of high quality, compatible accounting standards that could be used for both domestic and cross-border financial reporting. (MoU Progress Report, 2008) In 2006, and subsequently updated in 2008, the boards agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which detailed the short and long-term convergence projects â€Å"that would bring the most significant improvements to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and U. S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP). † (IASB-FASB, 2012). While many of the short-term a nd long-term convergence projects have been completed, currently, the boards have yet to finalize all of the technical pronouncements regarding Financial Instruments, Revenue recognition, and Leases.Herein, I will discuss the purpose of the convergence projects, their major problems they face and their major achievements to date. The purpose of the convergence of accounting standards is to have a single set of globally accepted accounting standards where understandability, relevancy, reliability, and comparability across multinational borders are faithfully represented, and credible. Convergence refers to the increase in the comparability of different entities’ financial reports, which will contribute to the free flow of global investment and benefit a variety of stakeholders (i. e. , investors, corporates and auditors) (PWC, 2007).Additionally, to simplify and reduce the â€Å"administrative burden on multinational reporting entities† (FASB Attachment F, 2004), and â €Å"improve the ability of investors to compare investments on a global basis and thus lower their risk of errors of judgment. † (PWC, 2007) â€Å"The goal, in brief, is an improved reporting model built on principle-based standards that can be applied in a cost-effective manner. † (PWC, 2007). Convergence would be achieved by the Boards adopting mutually accepted, high-quality standards where homogeneity and transparency are being applied internationally, leading to a firm global capital markets. From inception, onvergence was initially slated to be completed by 2008, and then revised to June of 2011; however, setbacks currently place the timetable for the remaining convergence projects to mid-2013. Opponents of the adoption of IFRS have questioned whether IFRS would truly create a platform of standardization where comparability is evenly distributed. They point to the â€Å"variations of IFRS and the reliance on professional judgment when using the principles-based standards. † (AICPA, 2009) As a matter of fact, empirical data demonstrates this to be true as the legal environment, and most importantly, cultures, play a role in interpretations.An analysis from 2007 â€Å"shows that U. S. accountants consistently exhibit more conservatism than Greek accountants†, with the former â€Å"less likely to disclose information than U. S. Accountants. † (Tsakumis, 2007) And more recently, a new study completed by Cass Business School at the City University of London, identified â€Å"inconsistencies in compliance with certain impairment disclosure requirements across jurisdictions in Europe, which suggested that IFRS are not being evenly applied across jurisdictions. (Siac, 2013) Over time, there is a high possibility these situations will lead IFRS to become rules-based, defeating the purpose of flexibility in which IFRS standards affords its constituents. Furthermore, as a result of disagreements with certain standards, â€Å"som e convergence projects either were discontinued or resulted in different IASB and FASB standards† (Pacter, 2013) For example, research and development (R&D) was not converged as all R&D is expensed under U. S. GAAP while some development costs are capitalized under IAS 38.Another challenge convergence faces is the fact that under IFRS, there are little industry-specific standards, which has led many commentators to voice â€Å"concerns about how IFRS would impact their particular industry† (AICPA, 2009). Other critics have voiced concerns regarding the uncertainty surrounding funding for the IASB as it’s â€Å"largely funded through voluntary contributions from a wide variety of participants across the world’s capital markets. The concern with that model is that it leaves the IASB open to the perception that organizations that provide funding could try to influence the accounting standards† (SIAC, 2012).This observation questions whether there is tr ue independence of the IASB and the integrity of its standard-setting process. But it hasn’t all been dark clouds; there have been quite a few bright spots through the convergence projects. For example, in November 2007 an important milestone was achieved when â€Å"the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) agreed to accept from foreign private issuers financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS without reconciliation to U. S. GAAP. † (AICPA, 2009).Moreover, major achievements have been attained in convergence completion of short-term projects along the overwhelming support of the international community and stakeholders who wish to have ease of comparability cross-borders. The G-20 group, comprising of 85% of global gross national product, have â€Å"called for the implementation of a globally consistent set of accounting standards. † (Gornik-Showerman, 2010). Today, IFRS is used in over 100 countries, and approximately 40% of Global Fortune 500 companies currently use IFRS which is a testament to its high-quality standards and success in influencing global capital markets.In conclusion, global convergence has had major victories in attaining a globally accepted accounting standards, but it still has a few challenges ahead, specifically the SEC, who acknowledges IFRS is of high quality, but does not seem to think that the solution is the adoption of IFRS, but rather adopting some of its provisions. The SECs mindset defeats the purpose of globally set standards, which will lead IFRS and U. S GAAP to have their own separate standards with numerous similarities.In my opinion, there are too many variables in play that are uncontrollable, as we are dealing with human beings who are raised differently, with different role models, ethics, and are part of various societies where cultures influence their way of being. I do not feel there can be one globally accepted accounting standards as it is impossible to account for every s ingle world-wide business transaction, or to predict what other standards will need to be established globally as economies change due to recessions, wars, and politics. References: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.April, 2009. Where Will the SEC Take the IFRS Roadmap? An AICPA Analysis of Comment Letters on the SEC's Proposal. Available from: http://www. ifrs. com/updates/aicpa/IFRS_SEC. html Completing the February 2006 memorandum of Understanding: A progress report and timetable for completion, September 2008. Available from: http://www. fasb. org/cs/BlobServer? blobkey=id;blobwhere=1175819018778;blobheader=application%2Fpdf;blobcol=urldata;blobtable=MungoBlobs Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council. March 2004. Short-term International convergence.Available from: http://www. fasb. org/cs/BlobServer? blobkey=id;blobwhere=1175818823449;blobheader=application%2Fpdf;blobcol=urldata;blobtable=MungoBlobs George T. Tsakumis. 2007. The Influence of culture on accountants’ application of financial reporting rules ABACUS, Vol. 43, No. 1. Gornik-Tomaszewski, Sylwia ; Showerman, Stebe. March 22, 2010. IFRS in the United States: Challenges and Opportunities. Review of Business. St. John’s University, College of Business Administration Hans Hoogervorst ; Leslie F. Seidman. April 4, 2012.IASB-FASB Update Report to the FSB Plenary on Accounting Convergence Ken Ty Siac. January 25, 2013. Study by UK researchers shows inconsistency in IFRS application. Journal of Accountancy. Ken Ty Siac. September, 2012. Still in flux: Future of IFRS in U. S. remains unclear after SEC report. Journal of Accountancy. Paul Pacter, CPA, PH. D. February, 2013. What have IASB and FASB convergence efforts achieved. Journal of Accountancy. PricewaterhouseCoopers. April, 2007. Viewpoint- Convergence of IFRS and US GAAP. Available from:http://www. pwc. ch/user_content/editor/files/publ_ass/pwc_viewpoint_0704_e. pdf

Evaluate the benefits for a company of practicing Corporate Social Responsibility Essay

I certify that the attached is my own work. Material drawn from other sources has been acknowledged according to unit-specific requirements for referencing. Signature of student:________________________________ Date:__25 June 2013___ Traditionally companies focus primarily on gaining profits without regard for the community and environment. Ignoring the waste and pollution for example causes adverse impact for the social. Air pollution, for example, caused by factories with chemical materials can weaken respiration system. It was believed that the concern about environment produces extra expenditures reducing firm’s profit. Thus, they tend to override and ignoring the issue. In contrary, majority of the costumers expect more respects, supports, and cares from factories for the communities and environment. In addition, the government through policies has tried to force the corporations being care about their responsibilities. However, a concept including strategy to build a good relationship between corporations and their stakeholders has been introduced. Corporate social responsibility (CSR), the concept, has been practiced and developed since the 1970s receiving good responses from government and society around the world. CSR today is performed as a strategic management approached. A research by Preuss (2011, p. 23) mentions the 4Ps of innovative CSR on the basis of CSR project content, processes, positioning, and paradigm. A firm could receive worthwhile benefits through its CSR activities by being different from their competitors. Therefore, this essay evaluates the benefits of CSR to a company through several examples of successful achievement. According to Madzimure (2013) article, the benefits of CSR beyond financial return but provide strategy to protect firm’s sustainability. Organisation can uses this concept as instrument in human resources management, risk management, brand differentiation and obtaining an operation license (Madzimure, 2013). Preuss (2011, p. 19) defines the advantages of CSR namely, competitive advantage, which affording the firm’s reaction to external factors faster and better than the competitors, cost and risk reduction by building relations among stakeholders avoiding social problems, reputation and legitimacy, and synergistic value creation which bringing promotion value growth. Recent research from Galbreath (2009, p.111) explains that the CSR cover various associations consisting internal and external stakeholder as stakeholder theory. Hence, carrying the important roles in social and environment, corporations are expected to pay more attention about their responsibilities (Madzimure, 2013). However, byapproaching CSR from the beginning, both small and large corporation could find a number of advantages for an organisation, society and industry levels (Preuss, 2011, p. 25). Firstly, CSR helps the legal responsibility to comply with local, state, federal, and relevant international laws (Galbreath, 2009, p.111). An article by Madzimure (2013) states that avoiding government interference in their business through taxation or regulation is common with multi-national companies when they are doing business in developing countries. Being aware about community activities organisations can convince governments and publics. For example involving in education program, software company could have attention from the students. (Madzimure, 2013) Firms have to face additional behaviours and activities that society desired such as contributing party to social organisations, when they also can gain some advantages from it (Galbreath, 2009, p.111). Through paying attention with poverty a firm produce low price products contributing to the increasing of costumer demands. The benefits, moreover, affect both company and costumers. For example, conducting a discount for grocery purchase for their product, an instant food manufactory can received growing income and the society spends less expense. (Preuss, 2011, p. 23) To maintain good relationship with community, Fenn (2013) describes organisation can be a donator for local or larger charity and thus, again, providing advantages for both sides. Secondly, Galberth (2009, p.118) argues that CSR benefits both to the environment and the organisation. This social project content is clearly focused on environmental side, which driving manufacturers has to replace heavy metals, solvents or other toxic ingredients with safer and natural materials (Preuss, 2011, p. 23). A pharmaceutical company could protect the environment by utilising waste water treatment, for instance, in their production process. As a result, the entire community may receive the advantages and the corporation will be able to avoid fines or disapproval federal pollution standards permission, because of healthier environment. Other example is, investing resources in cogeneration technology which processing heat into energy, manufacture can substitute electrical power consumption for the local utility. Economically, both factory and community spend fewer budgets for electricity. (Galbreath, 2009, p.118) Through CSR, manager can use improve employee satisfaction (Preuss, 2011, p. 25). Ingenhoff and Sommer, (2011, p. 85) founds CSR can also support employee’s activities, by providing educational improvement programme such as scholarship. Moreover, positive employee perceptions to the company can be improved by involving them in charity and fundraising activities or community volunteering (Madzimure, 2013). Skilful employees can be maintained by trying to keep them motivated and loyal which may optimise organisation productivity. A firm can incorporate their staff welfare plans in order to constructing community relationships. For example in a charity project, staff should be involved and part of the project. A survey from Net Impact found that working in the place where they can contribute an impact was important to their choice and several of them indicate to take a pay cut to work for a corporation practicing CSR. (Fenn 2013) Fenn (2013) explains that CSR is about managing the relationships between employees, customers, supplier and stakeholder to produce positive impact on society, whilst gaining profits. AT&T and its foundation, for instance, connected CSR with specific business functions by establishing a family care fund that managed committee to support employees and their communities. The result is, not only improved the availability and quality of day care facilities, but it also widely used to solve union management disagreements. (Preuss, 2011, p. 24) Other example of the successful CSR implementation in a company is Walt Disney by creating the ‘Green standard’ to engage and motivate the staff in reducing their environmental impact when working, having meetings, travelling and eating lunch. With more than 60,000 employees they succeed to achieve financial benefits from reducing 10% the corporation’s electricity use. (Fenn, 2013) The next success story is the well-known natural fragrance manufacture The Body Shop. A trend by this anti-chemical perfume widely accepted around the world. The founder, Anita Roddick, believes in the importance of environmental protection, animal rights, community trade and human rights, although The Body Shop Foundation started a struggle in finance. Thus, today The Body Shop reaches markets in the USA and Japan, create a loyal customer, and gain annual profits of over  £40m. Having a similar idea, Haagen-Dazs and their natural ice creams created a website, started a social media campaign and donated a portion of proceedings to research about honeybees and its benefits in the chain food. In fact, the advertise helps society, company’s CSR goals, showing humanity to consumers which likely to pay a premium price for charity reason. (Fenn, 2013) On the other hand, In the term of education, The Shell Foundation was involved to provide Early Learning Centre in the Flower Valley, South Africa which helping to educate both children and adults new skills. Considering the similar idea, Econet Wireless, a Zimbabwean multi-national company, offers education scholarships for any level students, supports football club around Africa and participates in HIV/AIDS education programmes. (Madzimure, 2013) In conclusion, although the consequence of implementing CSR experiencing expenditure increases, CSR contributes significant benefits not only for a company but also for stakeholder, society and environment. Some organizations both local and international level allocate funds for long investment for social responsibility, aiming to the better reputation and revenue. Primary, CSR helps the legal responsibility through convincing the society in other to obtain government trust. By satisfying customer demands, a firm also can create a loyal buyer and it is not impossible to improving profits. Secondly, CSR economically benefits both to the environment and the organisation. The firm through differentiation has an opportunity to spread the market while sustaining the environmental sources. Through CSR, corporate could improve employee’s satisfaction, because well performance employees lead to optimal organisation productivity. World class corporations such as Walt Disney, The Body Shop, and Haagen-Dazs have practised CSR and experienced a successful achievement. Moreover, African company such as The Shell Foundation and Econet Wireless involve in educational support for children. Therefore, facing engaged responsibility from various sectors, a company not only can maintain its sustainability but also, gain more advantages by implementing CSR. The old fashioned corporation which only concentrating to gain profit has not longer been primary evaluation to the decision makers because in the future social expectation will drive organisation in any part of the world contributing more important role in environment through CSR. References: Fenn, R 2013, ‘Benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility’, Sustainable Business Toolkit, 14 May, viewed 22 May 2013, Galbreath, J 2009, ‘Building corporate social responsibility into strategy’, European Business Review, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 109-127. Ingenhoff, D & Sommer, K 2011, ‘Corporate Social Responsibility Communication: A Multi-method Approach on Stakeholder Expectations and Managers’ Intentions’, Journal of Corporate Citizenship, Iss. 42, pp. 73-90. Madzimure, J 2013, ‘Let’s embrace corporate social responsibility’, Nehanda Radio, 19 May, viewed 22 May 2013, Preuss, L 2011, ’Innovative CSR: A Frame Work for Anchoring Corporate Social Responsibility in the Innovation Literature’, Journal of Corporate Citizenship, Iss. 42, pp. 17-33.

Ethical Decision Making by Individuals Essay

Existing theoretical models of individual ethical decision making in organizations place little or no emphasis on characteristics of the ethical issue itself. This article (a) proposes an issue-contingent model containing a new set of variables called moral intensity: (b) using concepts, theory, and evidence derived largely from social psychology, argues that moral intensity influences every component of moral decision making and behavior: (c) offers four research propositions, and (d) discusses implications of the theory. Conclusions and Implications Existing theoretical models have ignored the effect of characteristics of the moral issue itself on ethical decision making and behavior in organizations. Taken at face value, these models suggest that individuals will decide and behave in the same manner regardless of the nature of the moral issue involved. An employee of a drug manufacturer would view the release of a dangerous drug by his or her firm with the same alarm (or lack of alarm) that he or she viewed the theft of a few diskettes from the company supply cabinet by a fellow employee. The issue-contingent model proposed here explicitly rejects this view and suggests that the moral intensity of the issue itself has a significant effect on moral decision making and behavior at all stages of the process. If this model is found to have empirical support, the testing of other models would be significantly affected. Controlling for issue traits would become an integral part of a meaningful test of Trevino’s (1986) person-situation interactionist model, for example; the relative importance of personal factors and situational factors might vary considerably, from issue to issue. Similarly, issue charucteristics could alter the balance of teleological and deontological considerations in the moral evaluation stage of Hunt and Vitell’s (1986) general theory model of marketing ethics. Perhaps the most important potential impact of an empirical finding that ethical decision making and behavior are issue contingent involves the applicability of the models themselves. Moral intensity is expected to play a major role in the recognition of moral issues and, hence, in the actual engagement of moral decision-making processes instead of, or in addition to, other decision-making schemata. Simply stated, the details of moral decision-making and behavior processes become irrelevant if the person does not recognize that he or she is dealing with a moral issue. Future models of ethical decision making should include some consideration of the effect of the moral agent’s failure to recognize the moral issue. Moral intensity is also relevant to the general applicability of Kohlberg’s (1976) theory of cognitive moral development. If moral development is issue contingent, as this article and some emerging empirical evidence suggest, then Kohlberg’s theory would have to be substantially revised, and much of the research based on it would have to be reappraised. Future research based on his developmental theory would have to control for traits of the moral issues involved. From a practical point of view, issue contingency is important to normative judgments of moral decisions and of the people who make them. Many of the elements of moral intensity (magnitude of consequences, probability of effect, temporal immediacy, and concentration of effect) are directly related to judgments of the importance of moral issues. If these elements of moral intensity are found to be positively linked to moral behavior, it can be concluded that people generally behave better when the moral issue is important than they do when it is unimportant. Regardless of a person’s views regarding the overall moral tenor of society or its alleged decline in recent years, he or she could easily be encouraged by the finding that people’s best moral behavior is inspired by issues of substantial importance.

The Canon

4. Define the â€Å"canon† and describe the basic criteria and chronology behind the formation of the New Testament canon. What evidence exists in this area? Why did early Christians feel a need to establish an authoritative list? Which elements in the criteria are the most and least important? State your reasons for choosing these elements. How would you respond if someone claimed that the canon of the Bible should still be open? a. Define the â€Å"canon† and describe the basic criteria and chronology behind the formation of the New Testament canon.What evidence exists in this area? The word â€Å"canon† is a Semitic loanword that initially meant â€Å"reed† but came to mean â€Å"measuring reed and hence rule or standard or norm† (Carson, 726). In the history of Christianity the word canon was first used to designate doctrines which established the basic beliefs and practices of the church (Lea, 70). In our reading in Carson/Moo and Lea/Black, th ree elements of criteria’s are used to show that certain books belonged in the canon known as â€Å"orthodoxy, apostolicity, and universality† (Lea, 72).Lea/Black states, that the gages for defining canonicity are difficult to determine, but the most vital criterion for determining canonicity is inspiration (Lea, 71). The first basic criteria involved â€Å"the rule of faith† (Carson, 736, Lea 71), which meant that the teaching of the book followed the beliefs the church honors as acceptable and correct, (Lea 71). The second basic criteria entail of the demonstration of apostolicity, which â€Å"required authorship by an apostle or by the companion of an apostle† ( Lea, 71), the final basic criteria is universal acceptance meaning used and accepted by churches everywhere (Carson, 737). . What evidence exists in this area? The foundations that the Church uses to base canonicity upon are the use of the works by early Christian writers (Lea and Black, 73). T he regularity of references from various books informs modern students of how the books were viewed in ancient times (Carson and Moo, 733). Another basis affecting the results of the canonical question are the early lists put forth of books deemed inspired (Lea and Black, 73).Lastly, the addition of manuscripts in early codices indicates the opinion of the book by the binder (Lea and Black, 73). c. Why did early Christians feel a need to establish an authoritative list? There is not a definite cause why early Christians felt a need to institute an authoritative list, some of the reasons for the list could have included persecution, distance from the historical Jesus, the pressure of Montanism, the rise of Gnosticism and other movements with scriptures to be rejected (Carson, 736).With this being the case I feel that the formation of an authoritative list by early Christians was deemed necessary to contest the teachings of heretics that were appearing in the Church. Through the inser tion of books that possessed non-Christian ideals or the rejection of books accepted as inspired, false and incomplete teaching ran the risk of corrupting orthodox doctrine d. Which elements in the criteria are the most and least important? I believe the most important element of canonicity is inspiration and that God chooses to work in a person’s lives in other ways.Someone may say inspiration, I cannot see why man would try to limit God’s ability to move and I believe that our minds cannot even begin to grasp the depth, width or even an ounce of God’s wisdom or knowledge or even half of what he is able to do, when looking at creation and the vastness of the universe it is mind blowing to me. I also believe that â€Å"Apostolicity† is also an important criterion, being that Matthew, John and Peter, were members of the twelve along with Paul, commissioned by Christ, along with their associates such as Mark who with Paul .The least important criteria to me is universality based on Carson’s assessment of it being â€Å"scarcely less important† (Carson, 737). e. How would you respond if someone claimed that the canon of the Bible should still be open? In most modern churches today, the Canons are considered to be â€Å"closed†, meaning that God does not add to or take away from the writings of the bible, and instead chooses to work in a person’s lives in other ways. We all recognize that the New Testament canon contains the authorative record of Jesus life and the interpretation of its significance (Lea, 74-75), with that reason the canon should not still be open.But we also must keep in mind that God who is sovereign and can choose to move however he desires and many times I feel that we try to put human reasoning in areas that our mind cannot even perceive, for as stated in Isaiah 55:8 God says: â€Å"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. † 4. Explain how we have approximated the dates of Jesus' birth and death as well as the length of his ministry. List primary and secondary sources describing his life. Which of these sources is the most important?How important is accurate historical information in providing a foundation for accepting and believing the gospel message? a. Explain how we have approximated the dates of Jesus' birth and death as well as the length of his ministry. We have an awareness of the date of Jesus birth because of three main events. A period before the death of Herod the Great, during the time of a census ordered by Augusts, and when there was a bright start in the sky leading men from the east (Lea, 95). Ancient records designate that Herod possibly died around March 4B.C. this means that Christ was born before that (Lea, 95). Quirinius was governor of Syria during the officiating of the census under Augustus. (Lea, 95). The registration for the census could have happened possibly in 8 B. B. and could have taken years to execute. This places the birth of Jesus anywhere from 6 to 5 B. C. (Lea, 96) Jesus’ death is very reliant on the Gospel of John. John associates Jesus’ death to a system of time based on the ministry of John the Baptist, who preceded Christ, which took place on the 15th year of Tiberius reign. Lea, 96) John mentions that the construction of the temple had taken 46 years in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. (Lea, 97). If you evaluate both of these statements and add the approximate three years of Jesus’ ministry they both arrive at a death for Jesus in A. D. 29 or 30 (Lea, 97). The approximate length for the ministry of Jesus is arrived at using the number of Passovers that Jesus attended. (Lea, 96) b. List primary and secondary sources describing his life. Which of these sources is the most important? The gospel of Matthew and Luke are the prime sources of the life of Jesus.The birth of Christ is most fully covered by Matthew and Luke, (Lea , 97). Matthew and Luke also present the most information about the life of Jesus before his ministry, or the â€Å"Period of â€Å"Preparation. † (Lea, 98) John is the only Gospel that relates Jesus Judean ministry. The rest of Jesus ministry is recorded in the entire Gospel, which makes Mark and John the secondary complete record of the life of Jesus. c. How important is accurate historical information in providing a foundation for accepting and believing the gospel message? The Gospel message comprises substantial facts about the life of Jesus.Important academic attention has been devoted to the historical examination of the New Testament, explicitly with respect to establishing it as a reliable historical document. The vast amount of material, in the form of manuscripts, archaeology, and authorial phenomenon delivers an priceless glance into the depths of events surrounding the historicity as well as the development of the New Testament. For many people without establish ing historical believability for the New Testament, there would be no grounds to suggest any sort of belief in it as a reliable source.But for me even if the dates cannot be exactly known for the Christian, it should not affect the belief in the life of Christ. The great men of the Bible prophesied accurately that highly educated men and women who scoff at God and His revealed Word would dominate our world. Although men have sneered at God in every generation beginning with Adam, ours was to be the worst. The Apostle Paul wrote: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient (Romans 1:21-22, 28). Although Paul is speaking specifically about the earliest men, we have not changed for the better; we have grown worse. Since the 17th and 18th centuries, men have produced an amazing fund of knowledge in the industrial and scientific areas. Yet pursuing knowledge about God has been left out. We have several sources that provides foundations for accepting and believing the gospel message.Carson, D. A. and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. 2ded. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2005. Lea, Thomas D. and David Alan Black. The New Testament: Its Background and Message. 2ded. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2003 Carson, D. A. and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. 2ded. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2005. Lea, Thomas D. and David Alan Black. The New Testament: Its Background and Message. 2ded. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2003

Airline Customer Service Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Airline Customer Service - Research Paper Example With the many options that are in the travel market today, airline customer service has to be top notch in order to gain repeat customers. Needs and expectations of the customers Airline customer services have deteriorated in the recent years due to growth of the travel industry. There has been lack of amenities. The airlines use the 9/11 events as reason for their actions by justifying it as economical necessity. Further implementation of newer technology for security screening has added to the frustration of the customers. There is also the matter of the employee and customer relation. This is usually transmitted from the management level. The way they are treated by the management, which in turn is reflected in the employees’ behaviour towards the customers, affects the employees’ morale. Airline companies are constantly in competition with each other for every customer, but even then they are not making the necessary investment in the customer service department. It is not logical for the travel industry professionals to believe that the customers expect 100% efficiency in the airport services. Mostly customers expect some failure in service but at the same time they expect every effort from the Airline Companies to maximise service efficiency. Service failure can occur when the customer’s expectation regarding the level of service is not met. Customers’ expectations too vary. ... The idea was that if the Passenger Bill of Rights was passed through the Congress, then there could be a set of guidelines to perform service to the customers and there could be penalty where there will be non-compliance. Over the years, customers’ tolerance level on bad service has declined. Based on this the airport companies feel there is increased possibility of air rage among customers. A study has been made on customer’s perception towards air rage. There are certain physiological and physical factors over which the airlines have no control like flight delay owing to poor weather. In such case even though the customers perceive this as bad service they still do not have the propensity to air rage. The study has further shown that there is a decline in the customers’ expectations for high level of airport service. Many people feel that flight delays, overbooking and cases of lost baggage are common occurrences these days. If this is true then the customers h old these expectations while traveling long distance in flights. In such cases air rage occurrences get suppressed. Airline customers feel that they are entitled to certain privileges and if they are not granted, the customers are inclined towards more aggressive behavior. Dissatisfaction can arise in customers when there is bad service after good service. One way of moderating customers’ perception of bad service is to provide positive act after a poor service. If airline services can make up for any poor service then the customers may not approve of air rage. Reducing the customers’ negative attitudes towards airlines can create customer satisfaction. Hence the airline company should take every