Evidence that God exists

Introduction The controversial theme of the existence of God has been a prevailing subject throughout the history of philosophy. Pre-Socratic philosophers tried to directly and sometimes indirectly prove and explain the existence of God. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Evidence that God exists specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The problem of determining the existence of God has not merely been a challenge to aristocrats, philosophers and scientists. It has also been the oldest challenge of theology. There has to be an existing supernatural being that has been a controlling force behind the series of events in the universe as this paper shall analyze using standard cosmological arguments on the existence of God. Hence, based on the position the paper has taken, it can only be logical to assert that everything that exists has a cause and nothing brought itself into existence. The concept of the existence of God Cr aig (2006) indicates that one of the major issues that societies have been grappling with for many centuries is the puzzle surrounding the existence of God. Multiple layers of questions seeking meaning and answers have expressed the magnitude of concern that theologists, philosophers and scientists have had at variety of levels. Some of the key questions which they have sought answers to include why things exist the way they do, where they come from and whether their existence have any context or meaning to overall reality. These questions have even taken a broader level to questions on reality such as the actual cause of the series of events being experienced and observed today. It is imperative to mention that cosmological arguments bear one key idea that everything in the universe did not just appear out of nothing, rather they came from a certain source. As such it is clear from the perspective given by this approach that nothing sprung from nothing, thus fairly justifying the existence of God. As a matter of fact, this argument maintains that God must have been instrumental towards the origin of the universe. Cosmological arguments Cosmological arguments on the existence of God is one among many strongly stated cases that seeks to provide evidence on the reality of God. The argument claims that the reality of events in the world as well as the very existence of the universe strongly points to and offers sufficient explanation that everything was created by God. Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Even so, certain philosophers have sharply countered the argument by citing inconsistencies and falsehoods by indicating that since everything exist because of a reason, then the very existence of God must have been caused by another entity. Traditional form of cosmological argument The argument presented by the cosmological perspective on the existence of G od is based on the premise of an uncaused cause which explains the existence of a supreme and unconditioned being. According to Craig (2006), this argument has been known to be a causal argument based on contingency and three variants namely infieri, in esse and in causa. As noted earlier in the discussion, Ancient Greek Platos, Aristotle as well as theologians and philosophers have in the past years used the premise of first cause found in the cosmological case to prove that God is the beginning of the existence of everything. The arguments Cosmological arguments like all other arguments have their diverse forms some of which include the first cause argument and the modal contingency argument. Contingency argument It is possible to derive from the argument posed by Aquinas the notion that the universe must have had no beginning based on universal causation. In nature, Aquinas demonstrates that certain things could have had contingent existence. This means that it was possible for the universe not to exist and as such did not exist before. In fact, the argument can be best explained by indicating that there was a time when nothing existed. Hence, it is possible that there was nothing that could have brought something into existence. The sophisticated nature of the position given by Aquinas on contingency presents a problem which proves that contingent being cannot express or even provide reasons for the very presence of contingent beings. Gottfried Leibniz posited that there can never be a true proposition or existence that is without a sufficient cause. This provides succinct evidence that supports the cosmological argument on the existence of God. While contingent things many or may not exist, necessary things must exist first for others to live and become reality. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Evidence that God exists specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The current universe has also been expounded using the big bang theory which asserts that there must have been latent forces that led to the emergence of the universe. Using cosmological arguments, it was necessary for God to exist since every other creature was contingent and depended on a supernatural being to exist. In my view, without the necessary existence of God, nothing else could have existed. Plato’s cosmological argument The book Laws published by Plato (428 BC-347 BCE) introduces a new aspect of cosmological argument by examining motions in the universe. One very strong point that Plato brings out to explain the evidence of God is that everything that exists (matter) requires the presence of a superior being to get into motion. The cosmic level interpretation of his argument points out to a universe that exist, but which requires certain power. In other words, the movement of the universe explains the existence of a cause. Since motion is time-based, there has to be a cause. All series of ev ents have a cause and can therefore not be infinite. In agreement with Aristotle and Plato, the motions of the universe must have had an eternal causer which points to God. In addition, there are various natural forces of nature that tend to dictate the natural occurrence of events which can all be attributed to the presence of a supernatural being called God. Moral realism it is worth considering the importance of moral realism when discussing the existence of God. The presence of morality provides evidence of the reality of God. This is so true in the essence that the basis for ethics is founded on the existence of God without which human being would have been wallowing in the sea of moral relativism. Much of the support and moral realism by Christians is attributed to the fact that they believe in God. Hence, cosmological arguments are worth considering at this point of discussion since the existence of God has been brought out well. Arguments against While it may be true that th e very existence of God is self-explanatory, there can be no event without a cause, one would be left in the dark on the self explanatory nature of the existence of God. The uncaused state of the universe as scientists explain differ in bits with the cosmological arguments as the latter does not distinguish between contingency and necessary things in terms of time. Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Since cosmological argument by Kalam points out that the uncaused God is eternal, it is clear to point inconsistencies that cosmological argument brings out when indicating that the universe has a beginning that was caused by God. Using the first premise of cosmological arguments, it is imperative to highlight the gap it creates when citing that every existing thing must have a cause of existence. This raises the question on who was the cause of the first cause. Why is the first cause exempted from having a cause? As such, the first premise fails and is unsound when it suggests that God exists and his existence is uncaused. This offers a strong ground for rejecting cosmological argument as ramshackle. The above issue brings another problem of giving the true identity of the first cause. While some would think of it as a theistic God, some would regard it as an unarticulated first cause or even Big Bang. Arguments from Deism also indicate that even if there was a first cause, then it has no link with the continuing events that characterize the universe. Conclusions To sum up, the existence of a first cause to a series of events in the universe including the universe itself cannot be disputed. There has to be a supernatural being which can manage and control time and motions. As noted above, there have been counter arguments and rejections pointing towards weak areas that the cosmological arguments fail to explain. Reference Craig, W. L.   (2006). J. Howard Sobel on the Kalam cosmological argument.  Canadian Journal of Philosophy  36(4),  565-633. This essay on Evidence that God exists was written and submitted by user Alpha Flight to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Jay McInerney

Bright Lights, Big City and Model Behavior are two stories, which effectively convey a theme of self-discovery. Specifically they illustrate the lives of characters that can’t come to terms with the problems in their lives. Until we as individuals and as a society come to realize our faults and tribulations we will never truly be able to grow. Both novels by Jay McInerney have many similarities. Drug and alcohol abuse are what embody the theme of self-destruction, which is found throughout both novels. The theme of self-destruction is most prominent in Bright Lights, Big City. It’s the story of an unnamed narrator whose luck can't seem to get worse. His model girlfriend leaves him, he loses his job as a fact-checker at a prestigious magazine and tries to lose his pain in an endless round of parties, cocaine and booze, all while coming to terms with the death of his mother. The narrator finds that the only way he can come to terms with the problems he is having, is by snorting coke and consuming large amounts of alcohol. He compares a day in his life to â€Å"purgatory a kind of half sleep † Though he appears to be aware that he has a problem with cocaine and alcohol he never really admits it. He calls them his shameful addictions, yet even at that he states that reading The New York Post a trashy tabloid is h is worst, no! t his addiction to coke. His best friend in the novel name Tad Allagash holds a strong influence over the narrator, â€Å"He is either your best self, or your worst self † Allagash is an influence which the narrator is blind to see as a negative one. Allagash is the one whom the narrator relies upon for drugs and is often the one who accompanies him to the many parties and clubs that he attends. The narrator doesn’t come to terms with his problems until the end of the novel, seeing his ex-wife with another man adds closure to his relationship, which he dwelled upon for most of the book as a personnel failure. ... Free Essays on Jay McInerney Free Essays on Jay McInerney Bright Lights, Big City and Model Behavior are two stories, which effectively convey a theme of self-discovery. Specifically they illustrate the lives of characters that can’t come to terms with the problems in their lives. Until we as individuals and as a society come to realize our faults and tribulations we will never truly be able to grow. Both novels by Jay McInerney have many similarities. Drug and alcohol abuse are what embody the theme of self-destruction, which is found throughout both novels. The theme of self-destruction is most prominent in Bright Lights, Big City. It’s the story of an unnamed narrator whose luck can't seem to get worse. His model girlfriend leaves him, he loses his job as a fact-checker at a prestigious magazine and tries to lose his pain in an endless round of parties, cocaine and booze, all while coming to terms with the death of his mother. The narrator finds that the only way he can come to terms with the problems he is having, is by snorting coke and consuming large amounts of alcohol. He compares a day in his life to â€Å"purgatory a kind of half sleep † Though he appears to be aware that he has a problem with cocaine and alcohol he never really admits it. He calls them his shameful addictions, yet even at that he states that reading The New York Post a trashy tabloid is h is worst, no! t his addiction to coke. His best friend in the novel name Tad Allagash holds a strong influence over the narrator, â€Å"He is either your best self, or your worst self † Allagash is an influence which the narrator is blind to see as a negative one. Allagash is the one whom the narrator relies upon for drugs and is often the one who accompanies him to the many parties and clubs that he attends. The narrator doesn’t come to terms with his problems until the end of the novel, seeing his ex-wife with another man adds closure to his relationship, which he dwelled upon for most of the book as a personnel failure. ...

An Analytical report over Strategic planning for GigaSoft Pvt. Ltd Essay

An Analytical report over Strategic planning for GigaSoft Pvt. Ltd - Essay Example Modern day software market has multiple requirements along with essential factors like smooth user interface, quick and clear functionality, market sustainability and compatibility with other platforms and devices. Thus, Software market is becoming more and more specific onwards. The competition arises only between software that offer similar utilities and functionality. For a very ground example of word processor, before 2005 Microsoft Word had been a ruling word processors for all types of writing requirements such as letters, drafts, reports, stories, forms, graphic patterns, papers etc. However, taking a look of current word processing market, it is quite significant that every one of those patters have different specific software offering numerous specific utilities. There are options like Open Office, Word perfect, Adobe Story, PDF software, CeltX. Some of them like CeltX offer their services on I-phone and Android devices while Open Office offers a very small size as compared to Microsoft Word and is much easily portable. There are also online word processors like Office Web apps and Google docs which offer a facility of secure cloud storage free of data loss concerns. Accordingly, soft ware marketing and management is synchronized with user demands. While working on numerous word-processing and document management software GigaSoft faced a failure in competing with existing word-processors. Recent replacement strategies of development and marketing have shown unwanted lacking in providing full functionality over all supportive platforms. Also, there is tracked some inefficiency in coping with small gadgets and newly introduced platforms. Some frequent crashes due to the incompatibility with recent market demands are also noticed. Those indicative factors have incorporated a lack of proper management. Hence, an immediate strategic planning for upcoming management strategies is required to be generated and applied. Identifying the faults and loopholes Looking at the recent data sheets and amendments made by GigaSoft corporation. There are seen some specifically lower graphs after the new adjustment for current marketing strategies which involve developing the software over various platforms other than earlier Microsoft platforms. GigaSoft is using waterfall method for production while the twist in the company’s strategy had proved out to be unproductive. It is essential to first analyze the reasons for difficulties before going for a new structure (Gouws & Gouws, 2004). Some noticed reasons for the failure in marketing strategy hold: Drifting away from the most popular platform, which makes the products incompatible for many formats and devices. Failing in synchronizing with the modern devices which require an essential coordination with popular devices other than Windows PCs and Laptops. Failing in development of multi-operative software products Violating the norms of cost-effectiveness by misreading the market graphs, As those reasons are end-results of a long time malfunction in management and planning, basic structure of the company must provide some focus for what errors of management led to those ends. A lack of synchronization in finance, engineering and marketing streams led to produce over costly products. A lack of

Opinion on economic issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Opinion on economic issue - Essay Example In this context, in order to identify the potential causes of the rising rental inflation in the US, the study has relied on varied academic articles and business reports. In accordance with the viewpoint of Madigan, the average rent of the apartments had increased to 3.1% in the US market during the last year in comparison to the year 2012 (Madigan, â€Å"Why Rising Rents Haven’t Pumped Up Inflation†). On the other hand, Keely, Ark, Levanon, and Burbank, arguably claimed that the cost of housing property is decreasing in the US market in the recent days. In this regard, Keely, Ark, Levanon, and Burbank argued that the buying demand of the housing property has been dramatically reduced during the last few years in the US. Contextually, several economists have believed that rising price of food and energy has influenced the demand of real-estate in a negative manner (1-49). On the other hand, Madigan claimed that rising prices of medical services, education and communication services have indirectly affected the demand of the real-estate in the US marketplace (Madigan, â€Å"Why Rising Rents Haven’t Pumped Up Inflation†). Ho wever, Keely, Ark, Levanon, and Burbank arguably claimed that the rental demand on the US market has dramatically increased in the last few years (1-49). In this regard, it can be asserted that financial crisis and high rate of interest as well as the mortgage burden has affected the demand of the household buyers. On the contrary, it has influenced the tendency of renting residential, which has caused high inflation in the domestic market place (Madigan, â€Å"Why Rising Rents Haven’t Pumped Up Inflation†; Keely, Ark, Levanon, and Burbank 1-49). Based on the above discussion, it has been recognized that the cost of real-estate property has reduced in the US market due to high rate of interest. At the same time, it has been also recognized that 38.2% of the US population are associated with mortgage household property, which signify that the

Creativity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Creativity - Essay Example The high demand for organic foods can be attributed to the benefits obtained from the food substances. Organic foods are nutritious and healthy because they do not contain harmful chemicals in farming. The main benefits of organic foods can be derived from their healthy and nutritious nature. Organic foods are produced using the best agricultural practices, which do not rely on synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides. The foods are also appealing to environmentally conscious consumers. These consumers prefer food substances, which have positive environmental impacts (Williams 21). The production of organic food is based on precise standards and practices of production. The main premise of labeling food substances as organic is the requirement for non-pesticide application (Reed 21). Organic foods refrain from the use of chemicals such as fungicides, herbicides, veterinary drugs, additives, synthetic preservatives and pesticides. As a result, hazardous residues are restricted to the lowest possible levels in organic foods. Organic foods avoid the use of chemicals and synthetic compounds because studies have established a negative correlation between exposure to pesticides and the development of dangerous health conditions (Hasler 3774). The presence of pesticides in food substances has been associated with acute health conditions such as eye and skin problems, vomiting, abdominal pains, nausea and headaches (Ungoed-Thomas 1). Long-term exposure increases the risk of severe chronic conditions such as memory deficits, respiratory problems and miscarriages. Besides the fact that organic foods have low pesticide and chemical residues, they also have high nutritional values and good taste. According to a study conducted in the European region, organic foods such as vegetables, fruits and milk are more nutritious and healthy compared to their non-organic equivalent. These studies found that organic foods had high levels or

The Reputation of Alton Towers

The Reputation of Alton Towers Introduction Over the last decade, there has been a drastic change in the way in which consumers communicate with brands (Giannini, 2011). Instead of one-way communication in which companies present unsolicited information about brands and products through advertisements and promotion messages in the market place, they seek information when they are ready to participate in a dialogue and become part of a mutually beneficial community comprising of marketers and consumers (Giannini, 2011). Public relations is the field which emphasises the importance of two way brand relationship using both traditional and new media channels (Butterick, 2011). This essay focuses upon how Alton Towers Resorts can use the aspects of public relations as part of its marketing efforts to recover its damaged reputation which has caused it a significant loss in revenue due to the crash of Smiler roller-coaster in 2015. Significance of Trust Developing trust with the consumers contributes towards sustaining a needed market share and profitability in the long term (Giannini, 2011). Enhanced consumer trust in brands also contributes towards generating greater consumer satisfaction market place (Giannini, 2011). Alton Towers, which is the UKs most favourite and number one theme park (BBC, 2015), has enjoyed good consumer trust for years. Alton Towers has always taken the health and safety of its guests very seriously and consequently it has the best health and safety records among all the theme parks in the UK (Layton, 2015). All its rides are subject to thorough safety assessments undertaken by specialist maintenance engineers in line with strict procedures (Layton, 2015). The company also undertakes training of its employees and conducts regular health and safety audits (Layton, 2015). It has an excellent first aid care service and an on-site responder team trained by West Midlands Ambulance Service (Layton, 2015). Result antly, the company delivers 12.6 million individual rides every season (Layton, 2015). However, the reputation of Alton Towers following the accident of its Smiler roller-coaster ride in June 2015 has been damaged significantly. The accident resulted in several people being seriously injured and led to the temporary closure of the theme park (BBC, 2015). The accident had an adverse effect on its trading at the beginning of an important summer season (Schram, 2015). The company estimated that its half-year profit is expected to drop between 43%-54% from last years  £87m to  £40m- £50m this year (Schram, 2015). The suspension of market activity across all the other visitors attractions owned by Merlin the owner of Alton Towers also had a strong negative impact on the sales (Schram, 2015). Public Relations Strategy In order to recover the damaged reputation of the brand, Alton Towers needs to deploy a public relations campaign to engage with the public rather than run a marketing campaign. Public relations campaign enable organisations to respond to a business challenges such as the one faced by Alton Towers in the aftermath of Smiler roller-coaster accident rather than simply produce favourable media coverage. Smith (2013) asserts that public relations theories primarily identify a four-phase process for devising and implementing a public relations campaign. Public relations theorists have summarised these as: (1) the RACE acronym (research, actions, communication and evaluation); (2) the ROPE acronym (research, objectives, planning, and evaluation); (3) and the RAISE acronym (research, action, implementation, strategy, evaluation) (Kendall, 1997; Hendrix and Hayes, 2010). All these theories revolve around the basic four-phase model which involves (1) analysing the environment, (2) identific ation of audiences and objectives, (3) development of a strategic approach and (4) development of the implementation plan (Smith, 2013). Smith (2013) has combined all these theories to offer a comprehensive strategic planning framework for public relations campaign comprising of the above four basic phases. It is as follows: Formative Research Analysing the situation Analysing the organisation Analysing the publics Strategy Establishing goals and objectives Formulating action and response strategies Developing the message strategy Tactics Selecting communication tactics Implementing the strategic plans Evaluating Research Evaluating the strategic plan (Smith, 2013 p.16) Formative Research In the above, the background of the company and the situation and its impact upon the image of the brand and its revenue has briefly analysed. Therefore, it is now imperative to analyse the publics or the stakeholders that are to be affected by the public relations campaign. The identification of the publics will enable the marketers to select a suitable channel of media to best engage the audience (Baines, et al. 2007). Publics are defined as a group of people having a common interest and values in a particular situation (Reddi, 2009). In public relations, publics are a group of persons, especially one that is interested in or affected by an action or an idea of an organisation (Reddi, 2009 p. 68). In this instance, publics comprise of all the active audience who are connected, however loosely, by some common concern which has consequences for Alton Towers (Hallahan, 2000; Reddi, 2009). Public relations theorists have identified a basic set of publics or stakeholders which are applicable to most organisations. For instance, Baines, et al (2007) have identified the following groups of publics: Employees Potential Employees Suppliers of goods Distributors Customers Financial markets Opinion leaders and formers The community Other publics Reddi (2009) has identified some additional groups as: Media public International public Friedman (2006) further adds the following stakeholders: Competitors Government, regulators and policy makers From these groups of publics, the main focus of Alton Towers public relations campaign should be the external stakeholders from the general population, such as the (1) community, (2) customers (individuals, companies, schools, etc.), (3) media public, (4) financial markets (including investors) (5) opinion leaders and formers (5) other publics such as those affected by the accident, and (6) government and policy makers. The reason behind this selection is that apart from the recent Smiler roller-coaster accident, Alton Towers has one of the best track record of ensuring safety and health which is presumably well recognised by the internal stakeholders such as employees, distributors, suppliers, etc. The current challenge pertains to regain the trust of external public within the wider population, which has been distorted by the increased focus of commentators on a single incident. In order to make the campaign most effective, Alton Towers should prioritise its publics if in case it is faced by the constraints of budgets and resources. Prioritising the public can help a company to run an effective campaign even within a tight budget (Baines, et al. 2007). The publics of Alton Towers can be prioritised through the power/interest matrix. Strategy The second phase of the public relations campaign relates to formulating objectives, actions and message strategy. Pople and Turnbull, (2012), state that effective objectives should be SMART that is, specific, measurable, achievable, resourced and time-based. Furthermore, these objectives can be cognitive, affective and/or conative (Lantos, 2010). Cognitive objectives are those that relate to creating awareness about something and encourage people to think. Affective objectives are those that shape the attitude, opinion or feeling of the publics about an issue. Conative objectives encourage the audiences to act in a certain way (Lantos, 2010) (see figure 1). Figure 1 (Source: Lantos, 2010 p. 503) In order to overcome the challenge pertaining to the reputation of Alton Towers, the company can combine a set of cognitive, affective and conative SMART objectives for its public relations campaign. These are as follows: To enhance the awareness of the health and safety measures undertaken by the company in the UK by May 2016 to achieve a 50% growth in sales in the following summer season This is a cognitive objective aimed at encouraging the target audience to be assured that a trip to Alton Towers is safe and that the company takes every measure humanly possible to avert any untoward incident Rebuild the trust of public in thrill rides at visitors attractions and theme. Change the attitude of at least 100,000 members of the publics by May, 2016. This is an affective objective aimed at regaining the trust of skeptical people in thrill rides and its safety standards at Alton Towers. To generate the positive feedback of at least 100,000 people about the support provided by Alton Towers to those affected and physically impaired by incidents at Alton Towers and built an Alton Towers Cares image in the eyes of public. This is a conative objective which will encourage the public to provide their feedback over different forms of social media regarding Alton Towers pledges to support those affected by its rides. The message strategy of Alton Towers should be to convey that it is most committed to ensuring safety and health of its guests and that is does not leave any stone unturned in this regard. Acknowledging that accidents do occur in even in the safest environments, the company is very sympathetic towards those affected by its operations in case of any untoward incident. Tactics Once the objectives, actions and message strategy has been finalised, the next step is to determine the tactics through which the public relations campaign will contact and convince the target audiences. This entails choosing the most appropriate channel of communication through which to contact each of the target public (Gregory, 2010). Gregory (2010) asserts that the set of tactics used in any public relations campaign should engage the right number of public and get the desired message across to them in a reasonable cost. Out of the many tactics identified in the literature, the ones related to media relations , customer relations, community relations, and government relations are most suitable to the current campaign. Media Relations Marketing communications literature identifies several tactics for communicating a brands message to its target audience. Within these tactics, the ones related to media relations include press and video releases (Fill, 2011). Alton Towers should prepare and distribute a press/video release showcasing the preparations it makes for safety and health, training provided to its staff in this regard and the readiness of the company to overcome any untoward incidences to establish that the resort is a safe place for visitors. This tactic will cover the cognitive aspect of Alton Towers public relations campaign. The company can also inform the general public through media regarding its pledges for the support of the affected people. Customer Relations For managing customer relations, Alton Towers can utilise marketing communication tactics such as advertising, internet, social networks, new letters, direct mail, and media relations tactics (Fill, 2011). Advertisements: Celebrities endorsement Alton Towers can engage with celebrities and opinion leaders to visit the resort and project their endorsement through advertisements over television and social media to make consumers feel that a trip to Alton Towers is safe for themselves and their families. Social Media Alton Towers can arrange for celebrities and opinion leaders to post their photos of visits to the resort over social media. This tactic will cover the affective aspect of Alton Towers public relations campaign. Community Relations For community relations, direct involvement is the most effective marketing communication tactics (Fill, 2011). Direct Involvement Alton Towers can invite groups from local communities such as companies, schools and institutions to visit the resort and directly observe its commitment to safety and health. It is important to engage these groups to regain their trust in Alton Towers safety measures because these group are often conduct risks assessments before making any bookings at resorts such as Alton Towers. Government Relations Messages can be communicated to governments through official publications such as background material, literature and group briefings (Fill, 2011). Alton Towers can publish reports and literature about its safety procedures and measures to avert incidents; publish inquiry reports to ascertain the causes on any incidents for any concerned government department and regulatory bodies to ensure transparency for its operations and compliance with industry standards. Evaluation The last phase of the public relations campaign relates to evaluation of the strategies and tactics employed in the campaign to determine whether the stated objectives have been achieved (Michaelson and Stacks, 2011; Smith, 2013). The provisions of the SMART objectives have already provided measures to assess the success of the strategies and tactics. The success of this current public relations campaign will be measured against the achievement of a 50% growth in sales in the upcoming summer season in the year 2016; a positive change in attitude of at least 100,000 visitors towards thrill rides during the same period, and receiving at least 100,000 positive feedback for the companys support efforts for the affected people over various forms of social media. Conclusion The above public relations campaign can be effective in rebuilding the companys damaged reputations in the eyes of public following the accident of Smiler roller-coaster ride in June 2015. This public relations campaign can work hand in glove with Alton Towers marketing efforts to regain its lost market share and levels of profitability. References Baines, P., Egan, J and Jefkins, F. (2007) Public Relations. Oxford: Routledge. BBC (2015). Alton Towers rollercoaster crash causes Merlin profit warning. Available from  http://www.bbc.com/news/business-33672357 Butterick, K (2011). Introducing Public Relations: Theory and Practice. London:Sage. Fill, C. (2011) Essentials of Marketing Communications, Harlow: FT Prentice Hall Friedman, A.L. and Miles, S. (2006). Stakeholders: Theory and Practice, Oxford University Press Giannini, G. (2011). Marketing Public Relations. New Delhi: Dorling Kindersley. Gregory, A. (2013). Planning and Managing Public Relations Campaigns: A Strategic Approach. London: Kogan Page Publisher Hallahan, K. (2000) Inactive Publics: The Forgotten Publics in Public Relations. Public Relations Review 26(4): 499-515 Hendrix, J. and Hayes, D. (2010). Public relations cases (8Th ed.). Belmont: Thomson Learning. Kendall, R. (1997). Public Relations Campaign Strategies. New York: Addison-Wesley. Lantos, G (2010). Consumer Behavior in Action. New York: M E Sharpe Layton, J (2015). Thirty accidents at Alton Towers in three years, figures reveal. Birmingham Mail. Available from  http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/thirty-accidents-alton-towers-three-9397443 Michaelson, D and Stacks, D. (2011). Standardization in public relations measurement and evaluation. Public Relations Journal, 5, 7-8. Pople, A. and Turnbull, S. (2012). Advertising and Public Relations. Pearson, Harlow. Reddi, N. (2009). Effective Public Relations and Media Strategy. New Dehli: PHI Learning. Schram, B (2015). Alton Towers crash: Smiler ride accident dents Merlins sales. International Business Times. Available from  http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/alton-towers-crash-smiler-ride-accident-dents-merlins-sales-1520075 Smith, R. (2013). Strategic Planning for Public Relations. New York: Routledge

Great Expectations as a Victorian Serial Novel :: Great Expectations Essays

  Ã‚   The average Victorian serial novel spoke about the sort of lifestyle nineteenth-century readers wanted for themselves. Charles Dickens was a talented novelist known for skills in serial writing. It was he who made the serial popular again after its near death from the crisis of the English tax. A serial is an ongoing story told over time in monthly or weekly installments. Great Expectations, in serial form, is a novel that was printed in weekly installments in Dickens's magazine, All Year Round. In its analysis it has proven to live up to true serial form.    In the serial form of Great Expectations there are two chapters in every weekly installment and seven chapters in each monthly installment. The entire novel consists of nine monthly and thirty-six weekly installments. In most serials there is more than one plot line in each installment. In Great Expectations this holds true. In both the weekly and monthly installments the plot lines seem to shift from chapter to chapter. So, although there is only one plot line per chapter, there are multiple plot lines in every installment. The nineteenth-century serial was meant to be a continuing story with each and every installment, in the sense that the interruptions do not seem like drastic cutoffs from the story. Each installment seems to end one part of the story nicely while still keeping the reader guessing and waiting for the next installment to pick up where the last one left off. The pick-ups of installments are individual beginnings that follow the plot line of the previous installment . A pattern that seems to follow with each installment is that the ending of an installment closes a chapter, while the pick-up of a new installment begins a new chapter. A second pattern is that each installment does not include a complete plot line, such as beginning-climax-ending. The complete plot line seems to expand over the course of the entire novel.    Publishing played a major role with the serial novel. The popularization of the serial came about when the English tax was proposed. Newspapers and magazines used bigger sheets of paper to avoid the tax and used serials to fill up this extra space. Many serials of the nineteenth-century were not published alone but in newspapers and magazines. Included with them were advertisements and illustrations. In serial form Great Expectations included illustrations within the novel.

Quintessential Techniques of Effective Management Essay

Goal oriented performance, combined with productivity and employee satisfaction to achieve a positive cash flow is the key to a healthy and lucrative business in today’s world. The success of employee performance is due in large part to the management of employee time and proper training. It is the duty of a supervisor to direct the employees towards satisfactory accomplishments in these areas and orient them towards the goals of the parent organization.   In order to lead with positive results a manager must not only lead the team, but be an effective part of it. The development of work team identity, performance goals, skill development, and a satisfactory rapport between management and employees falls on the supervisor. A good supervisor will understand that management is only as effective as the partnership he or she sustains with the employees.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There has been a great deal of time and energy devoted to the research of effective management skills in the workplace. According to Joseph Wholey, the â€Å"theory of management is being able to develop a reasonable level of agreement on agency and program goals and strategies† (Wholey, 288.) A solidly founded program will ensure both fairness and objectivity. In order to do both, and effectively manage the time and skills of employees, a supervisor must assure that performance is be both carefully measured and documented. This begins with the establishment of a performance plan, agreed upon by both the supervisor and the employee. The plan should set both short-term and long-term employee goals. The team should review these goals quarterly. One of the most effective techniques for this type of a system is a monthly scorecard kept for each employee by the supervisor. During a performance review, the manager would examine the records produced during the previous quarter and records and evaluate the employee’s performance during that quarter as well as against past quarters. This performance rating should include ratings for individual goals, team goals, and open-ended comments, as well as an overall rating. After accessing the past information and reaching an agreement on the current rating, the supervisor and the employee should work together to develop new goals with higher team and individual expectations. The implementation of priorities for the upcoming year should also be written at this time. It is during these performance reviews, and not during the normal working shifts, that supervisors are able to get important information and feedback from their employees.   There is little productive about interrupting the scheduled work in order to ask how it is progressing. In order to maintain smooth supervisor and employee relations there must be respect for the job as well as the individuals. The responsibility of a supervisor during the normal course of the working day is to encouragement the successful maintenance of the work schedule rather than to bond with the employees.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On occasion, there will be rough patches at work that are unaccounted for during these goal-setting meetings. Supervisors must support their teams through these difficult times.   It is imperative that the supervisor understands the development stages of teams in order to aide the team in getting through the trouble spots.   Fusion Associates discusses how performance goals are tied directly to team development. Developing performance goals and standards show participants how to establish SMART-based performance standards. It is one that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, and Time-framed. The SMART approach enables team members to better understand organizational performance requirements and their own role in moving the business forward. Because SMART is a collaborative way to develop goals and standards, team members intuitively agree to the process and give their full commitment to its success. By using SMART with their team members, managers demonstrate their commitment to an open and consistent performance improvement process. (Fusion) In many cases the industry of the organization has a major effect on the way in which teams are organized, and supervision is handled. For example, in today’s telecommunication industry, sales figures drive the perception of company success. In this case, the effective supervisor must encourage employees to believe every call is a sale opportunity, rather than allow then to focus on the failed calls. An instance of this problem and solution can be found in the following case. Connect Wide is one of the leading local cable companies. The quarterly performance goals, based on sales, have been increased in regular increments without discussion with the employees. This has led to low moral amongst the employees.   The employees in turn complain that they can not sell, or up-sell, to customers who feel that the pricing is too high, or already run past due on their billing accounts. Once the problems have been defined, the management needs to implement a program to reverse the low morale and increase sales. A good supervisor would begin with designing a successful operating plan to present to the employees. This plan should include the encouragement, empowerment, and support of the employees during the change. Despite the poor beginning conditions, change is almost always considered with both reluctance and suspicion in the workplace. The implementation of changes for the betterment of both the working conditions and the sales driven goals would be well served by a mini-training course on transitional selling. Following this with a good marketing campaign should ease the burden of making hard sales for the employees. These implementations would both increase the revenue and therefore make goals easier to reach. When the individual, team, and department goals are met the supervisor is often rewarded. By passing these types of rewards down to the employees, it will sustain the motivation in the workplace. When a manager administers a plan successfully, what results is a motivated work force, which maintains productivity and reaches set goals. This type of direct intervention is often called management coaching.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Understanding the concept of management coaching and how the employee and company can all benefit is an important hallmark of a good supervisor.   One of the key components to successful coaching is observation of the employee’s performance in order to grant feedback. There two types of feedback the supervisor must be aware of, both which are valuable to employee development. The appropriate type of feedback needs to be given to the employee, depending on the developmental needs witnessed by the supervisor. Motivational feedback is the first type. This feedback focuses on positive actions which the supervisor wishes to see the employee continue.   This type of feedback most often elicits future performance gains from the employee. The other type of feedback is developmental.   Developmental feedback allows the supervisor to offer the employee ways in which to improve their performance. Clear, concise suggestions for what needs improvement must be balanced with an effort not to make the employee feel berated, especially in front of other employees.   This type of feedback is far more dependant on good communication skills. To reach the best performance standards employee coaching must be conducted with a conscientious approach to customer service.   Fleischer describes this as an   approach to retention seems like an efficient way to sustain revenue from existing customers.   But in practice, this attempt to prevent churn backfires because it creates a conflict between customers’ expectations of service and the company’s willingness to fulfill them. (Fleisher. 40) The coaching is a process does not require a great deal of time; however it is a great benefit to the company. The secret to successful coaching is to create and seize coaching opportunities, which present themselves everyday in the work place. This small investment of a supervisor’s time with his or her employees often results in large pay-backs of more motivated worker and larger profits. In conclusion, good management must be successfully implemented by a supervisor who leads his or her team towards redefined goals.   The must use encouragement, motivation, and listening skills in order to connect with their employees and help their employees connect with each other. These skills can be honed under various development paradigms. One of the most successful of these is coaching, the delivery of feedback to the employees, and listening for feedback from them in order to improve both sides. Works Cited   Human Resource Management International Digest 14.7 (2006):   ABI/INFORM Global.   ProQuest.   1 Nov. 2006 http://www.proquest.com Holiday Extras is flying high:   Found monitoring calls knock a minute off the average call, while improving quality to the customers.   Monthly staff turnover fell from 7.95 to 4.2 percent versus a year before.   Sales increase by 6 percent using transition keeping in mind each call could be a sell opportunity. Fleischer, Joe. Call Center Magazine 1 OCT. 2006: 40. ABI/INFORM Global.   ProQuest.   1Nov. 2006 http://www.proquest.com/ Don’t Just Say No — Is approach to retention seems like an efficient way to sustain revenue from existing customers.   But in practice, this attempt to prevent churn backfires because it creates a conflict between customers’ expectations of service and the company’s willingness to fulfill them. Fusion Associates.   Forging High Performance Teams.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2005 7 Nov. 2006 http://www.fusionassociates.com/index.html Developing performance goals and standards show participants how to establish SMART-based performance standards. It is one that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, and Time-framed. The SMART approach enables team members to better understand organizational performance requirements and their own role in moving the business forward. Webster, Richard .   Call Center Magazine 1 Nov. 2006: 42.   ABI/INFORM Global.   ProQuest.   1 Nov. 2006 http://www.proquest.com Beverly Stryker, Starbucks Coffee Company — Starbucks hired Stryker in 2003 to oversee and build upon a virtually non-existent quality assurance and training program.   Stryker took pains to convince her staff that the aim of the quality assurance program was not to spy on employees, but to improve customer interactions. Wholey, Joseph S.   â€Å"Performance-Based Management Responding to the Challenges.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   March 1999.   Vol. 22.   Univeristy of Southern California and U.S. General Accounting Office.   Pg. 288.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Theory of management is being able to develop a reasonable level of agreement on agency and program goals and strategies.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Filing Your First Taxes

A Step-by-Step Guide to Filing Your First Taxes Tax time can be super overwhelming. How can you possibly figure out what you need to do and somehow manage to pull it off without melting into a pile of despair (or committing some kind of inadvertent fraud?). It’s actually fairly simple. Here, we’ll lay out the basic steps so you can file without fear you’re missing something important. 1. Get organized.This is really half the battle. The IRS is all about documents. Once you receive your W2 from your workplace, or your 1099-MISC if you’ve worked as an independent contractor, be sure to store it somewhere safe and easily accessible. If you get other statements, like savings account interest, student loan interest, or investment income summaries, put those in the same safe place. You might also have a proof of health insurance or records of contributions to an IRA to add to your pile.2. Determine if you need to file, and and how.If you’re a U.S. citizen and you meet the IRS’s filing requiremen ts for income, then yes, you do need to file. Then you’ll want to figure out what your â€Å"filing status† is. Will you be filing jointly with your spouse or separately? Can you count as â€Å"head of household?† Are you a dependent on someone else’s return? Can you claim dependents of your own?3. Ask for help early.If you’re at all confused with these early stages, get someone to help- a parent, or a mentor, or a professional. They can help you figure out based on your particulars which form you need to file or whether you are eligible to file electronically.4. Pick a medium.Decide whether you will carry through on your own- either on paper or electronically, alone or with the aid of a software program or professional. If you made less than $52k last year, you qualify to receive free tax help with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. Check out TaxACT, TurboTax, eSmart Tax, etc. to get a sense of what they can do for you.5. Deduct e xpenses.You’ll have to figure out whether it’s best for you to itemize your deductions or claim the standard deductible. But either way, make sure you don’t leave any stone unturned in this department. Write off state and local sales taxes, student loan interest payments, child care credits, job search expenses, charitable contributions, and things like the Earned Income credit.6. Get it done.Don’t procrastinate. It’s best not to rush, so make sure you’ve left yourself plenty of time before April 15  to get this done right.7. Check your math.If you did it all on your own, make sure to have someone you trust to look over your tax returns before filing. It may even be possible to have a tax attorney do this for you for free.Good luck, and we hope for many happy returns in your future!

English words Dont (usually) End with u

English words Dont (usually) End with u English words Dont (usually) End with u English words Dont (usually) End with u By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, Is it proper to use thru as a replacement for through in professional writing? My knee-jerk reaction is, Good Heavens! Never! The spelling thru has an entry in the tolerant Merriam-Webster that jumps to through.The OED has no entry for thru, although the spelling is listed along with many other historical variations in the through entry. As a modern alternate spelling of through, thru has resisted the efforts of various reform organizations, newspapers, and people in high places to get it accepted by the general reading and writing public. When the American Philological Association issued a list of words needing reform in 1876, through was on it. Through was on the lists issued by the National Education Association in 1898, and the Simplified Spelling Board in 1906. Noah Webster, Teddy Roosevelt, and Mark Twain all used their bully pulpits to promote the spelling thru. The Chicago Tribune started using thru in 1934, but finally gave up in 1975 and went back to through. Thats not to say that thru wont creep into acceptance in another 50-100 years Certainly texters spell it that way to save time, as many sign painters do to save space. In other contexts, however, for awhile yet, the spelling thru screams non-standard. Why does this particular spelling reform resist acceptance when weve happily accepted such changes as theater for theatre, catalog for catalogue, and color for colour? I think there are two reasons. One, the word through is introduced to readers at such an early level of literacy that the mind and eye become habituated to it. Because it is among the 200 most commonly used words in English, the beginning reader gets plenty of practice in recognizing it. Two, thru doesnt look like an English word. This is one of Romalda Spaldings rules for silent final e in The Writing Road to Reading: English words dont end in u. The example she gives is blue. The e is not needed to change the sound of the preceding vowel. Theoretically, we could write blu, but the word looks unfinished, like thru. NOTE: Like every rule, Spaldings has its exceptions. We use several wordsmost of them borrowed from the Frenchthat end in -u: adieu, bureau, impromptu, etc., but they dont bother us because theyve remained sufficiently undigested as to strike us as having a foreign spelling. Native English words and fully-digested foreign borrowings look very strange when spelled with a u not followed by e. Consider: We are strolling down the avenu. She will argu about everything. The detective discovered a clu. I will continu until Ive finished. Give the actor his cu. Give the devil his du. Bottom line: The spelling thru just looks wrong. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Handy Expressions About HandsBody Parts as Tools of MeasurementHow to Treat Names of Groups and Organizations

The Compensation and Benefits System of Holland Enterprises Research Paper

The Compensation and Benefits System of Holland Enterprises - Research Paper Example Compensation and benefits system do not only include the rewards and benefits given by the organization in monetary terms but non-monetary rewards like health insurance, vacation, sick leave etc are also included in it. Increasing the compensation and benefits could increase the motivation of employees but from the perspective of organization it could increase the cost and thus reduce the profitability, therefore, human resource department should come up with a system that ensures a healthy and constructive environment is built and maintained and at the same time profitability of the organization is not hurt. Compensation and benefits offered by the organizations should be evaluated and employees that give more efforts should be rewarded accordingly. There are more than 3,500 employees employed at Holland Enterprises. ...is an important aspect as better compensation helps in improving the productivity of the employees and as the productivity of the organization improves, it will help the company in generating more sales or increasing its revenues. There are two important aspects that the organization has to look while giving higher compensation and benefits to employees; the first one is that higher compensation helps in improving the sales of the company, however, the second aspect of increasing the compensation is that it increases the cost of the company and therefore it might not lead to improving the profitability (Spector, 2006). Human resource is the most important resource of any organization regardless of what kind of products or services the company offers, therefore, it is important to satisfy the needs of human resource and to provide them effective compensation and benefits so that they remain motivated as well as productive (Hurtz, & Donovan, 2000). It is important to provide employees market competitive salary so that they are able to retain employees. Holland Enterprises has lost a large number of employees since 2007 because of their compensati on and benefits system as the compensation offered by the company is unfair and the company does not reward the employees accordingly, therefore, several employees have resigned from Holland Enterprises. principle components of a typical compensation and benefits system There is no perfect compensation and benefits system that every organization can adapt. Compensation and benefits system has to change according to the specific situation and specific organizational culture.

Four Seasons Hotels And Resorts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Four Seasons Hotels And Resorts - Essay Example Four Seasons Hotels, Inc. is a Canadian-based international luxury hotel chain consisting of hotels and resorts aimed at the higher end of the accommodation market. It is considered among the best luxury hotel chains worldwide.Four Seasons is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Toronto, Canada.It has grown from single hotel to a prestigious company with 74 luxury hotels and resort properties several of which include a residential component. These properties operate under the Four Seasons brand name in principal cities and resort destinations in 31 countries in North America, The Caribbean, Europe, Australia, Asia, The Middle East and South America.The business-oriented hotels (as opposed to the resort properties) are typically mediumsize, located in major business and commercial centers, either in downtown areas or in suburbs with significant business infrastructures. Founded in 1960 by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Isadore Sharp, Four Seasons traces it roots to an idea that proved to be revolutionary: what the global business traveler wanted most was personalised service, available round-the-clock. Frequent international travel, now so commonplace, was an emerging trend in the 1960's and '70s. It set the stage for a new kind of luxury hotel experience.Sharp had the opportunity to capitalize on this trend when the company opened its third hotel, and its first in Europe, the Inn on the Park, now known as Four Seasons Hotel London.... Four Seasons was also the first to provide European-style concierge services and room service 24/7, offer innovative choices in cuisine, taking the hotel dining experience to a new level ,and to make all of these services available at every hotel it operated. Mission To provide Exceptional service in unparalleled settings Goal The main goal is to be an undisputed global leader in luxury lodging. Objectives Provide economic returns that would help sustain the portfolio. Enhance the value of Four Seasons reputation and brand name globally. Generate premium shareholder returns over the long term. Values: Consistently superior quality, exclusivity, a measure of enhanced social status, and a measure of the ability of a brand to make a customer "feel special". The Four Seasons' firmly believes in the golden rule, "treat others, how you would like to be treated". Portfolio The 1990's brought a new avenue of growth, the opening of the company's first destination resort, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, extending the company's unique approach to the leisure experience. An early pioneer of spa as an integral part of the luxury hotel experience, Four Seasons first introduced a full-service spa in 1986, at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas. By 2001, every Four Seasons resort included a distinctive spa experience and every property worldwide offered on-site spa services.Four Seasons launched a new extension of its brand in 1997. Today, Four Seasons Residential Properties to provide full or fractional ownership of city and vacation homes in some of the most desirable locations around the world. Four Seasons Private Residences in San Francisco, Nevis - soon in Miami and Punta Mita - offer fully deeded hotel ownership of condominiums