Online Behaviors And Impression Management Essay Example for Free

Online Behaviors And Impression Management Essay Introduction With the rapid development of technology, the Internet has become an effective mechanism for social networking. People can not deny the fact that a successful social networking is more possible to lead a successful life. A personal impression serves as an important role in establishing new networks and managing old ones. It was proved that people have more opportunities presenting themselves in the computer-coordinated communication settings than face-to-face environments. Therefore, regardless of generations, the ways how people interact with one another have been greatly changed by online social sites. The purpose of this study is to understand how people utilize online social sites to manage their personal impression and how they behave on social media; also, people utilize social media in order to gratify their social needs such as their friendship maintenance. The thesis of this paper is that social media influences personal behaviors as well as their impression management and it also has positive impacts on people friendships performance. Personal Behavior on Social Media Individual behaviors may be restrained because of their awareness that their behaviors might possibly be seen by other people, and the fact that people tempt to look more appealing in any social occasions is obvious (Jeong, 2011). Since social media is served as a platform which is opened to public, people tend to pay more attention to how they appear and behave online. An experiment from Denton (2012) indicates that participants within heterogeneous networks such as Facebook have more desire to shift their impressions to others. A heterogeneous network is a network which is established for people without same interests, religions or common interests; in other words, people are able to speak or act freely on those websites. This experiment explains further that people manage or even shift their image based on others views and attitudes. According to Cummings (2012), the setting of profiles provides an opportunity for ones’ social life; people put effort into presenting a better image which aims at influencing others within the network. Jeong (2012) also declares that the process in which individuals attempt to control their impression with others is called â€Å"impression management†. Impression management can be used interchangeably with the term â€Å"self-presentation†, and its goal is to elevate people’s public image by performing behaviors based on how others evaluate them. Jeong also states that impression management usually occurs together with social desirability. Social desirability is defined as an individual’s tendency to describe themselves and behave in a manner in which they believe they will be viewed favorably in a situation. Moreover, Jeong also points out three main characteristics of self-presentation in online media platforms. They are asynchronous, malleable and selective. Asynchronous means that people can edit and update self-presentational cues deliberately over time. Malleable means people can simply manipulate those cues. Denton (2012) explains further by stating that people behave differently in different situations or interact with different people with whom they have specific relationships. For example, a lazy and incompetent employee may spend his evening as a passionate and assiduous worker volunteer or he behaves as a hard-working worker only under supervision; in this case, employers might misunderstand that he is truly a diligent worker. Thirdly, selective means people can improve their impression by choosing specific cues. Jeong explains this term by giving an example that individuals are more likely to donate or show their supports for charity campaigns as long as they realize that their participation would be noticeable to other people. Besides, there are some companies tend to elevate their images by sponsoring nonprofit organizations. To conclude, in general, people tend to behave favorably and try to create a positive impression to others on social media. Impression Management on Social Media Social media has been a new and easy platform for people managing their impression. Sameer (2007) states that document preparation programs make it relatively easy to manipulate the appearance of profiles; also, programmability helps people keep track of contents to the audience, and browser application provide an easy way to distribute the original or modified profiles. Therefore, Krisanic (2008) concludes from her research that impression management has been commonly carried out by those who involved in social networking activities. Jeong (2011) also states that online media platforms are expected to provide people with a greater opportunity for impression management, and because of its â€Å"public display† which enables participants to articulate and make their social networks more manifest; furthermore, Ellison (2008) declares that this kind of â€Å"public display of connection† serves as important signal that helps people navigate their networked social world. Cummings (2012) supports his idea. He points out that social network sites provide people a channel to present themselves digitally, and also gives them another way to provide details about themselves and establish or maintain their relationships in their own social network. Also, profile owners are not the only ones who are able to provide information on their own pages. Most sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn allow those who are involved in the connection to create additional information, and the use of wall posts and the recommendation are the examples (Cummings, 2012). All in all, the main characteristics of social network sites include the capability to make connection between people and share personal information; on top of that, it offers an easy way for people to manage their personal impressions. Friendships Performance on Social Media The articulation of friendship connections is another facet of impression management; it might possibly be viewed from others as an identity marker to profile owners (boyd Ellison, 2008). Although boyd and Ellison argue that online audiences’ comments may dominate user behaviors, Vallor (2012) thinks that those interactions are part of the reciprocity which serves a prime function maintaining friendships. Reciprocity is an original biological stimulus that operates as the core of human sociology and is the mutual characteristic of different types of friendships (Vallor, 2012). Take Facebook as an example, reciprocity emerge with diverse forms; it begins with the friend requests and accepting invitations correspondingly, responding to friends’ status by pressing â€Å"like† button, sharing photos and videos online, comments on friends’ status, and â€Å"tag† friends on pictures or posts. Therefore, a study from Vallor (2012) shows that instead of di minishing people’s interactions in their real lives, online social sites actually extend chances for such interaction. Vallor (2012) also declares that social media can support friendships. Many social network sites allow additional information, and which encourage people to list hobbies, post photos, and interact with other individuals within the network (Cummings, 2012). Furthermore, social network sites help individuals to manage contacts beyond traditional software like outlook, and they also help incorporate visual information such as pictures of contacts (Cummings, 2012); hence, the online social media offers a precious function of recombining efficiently with friends in the past (Vallor, 2012). To conclude, it is true that these sites help participants perceiving more sense of social value and connection; also, social network sites help reinforce participant’s desire to maintain their friendships (Vallor, 2012). Conclusion As online social networking sites as a new media technology comes out in our society, individuals have more opportunity than ever before to present themselves in public by using them. These sites allow users to make self-presentation by creating their own profile pictures, personal information, photos, videos, and their activities. Impression management is related to social networking sites use because individuals tend to develop different self-presentation depending on the audiences online. From those studies we were discussed, people tend to behave favorable to their audiences. However, the authenticity of profile information comes into concern since everything that shows on people’s profiles may dominate their images to others; whether this fact leads to negative problem of social networking sites may still need to be further investigated and researched. From another aspect, we can conclude that social networking sites have a positive impact on friendship performance. Although some studies argue that the online social networking sites may damage the traditional meaning of friendship, it serves as a valuable tool maintaining the friendship in people real lives. All in all, social network sites if manage properly; they can of course offer very concrete benefits to people social networking lives. References boyd, D. Ellison, N. (2008). Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. (pp. 219-220). Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 13(2008) 210-230. Cummings, J. (2012). Virtual First Impression Matter: The effect of social networking sites on Impression formation in virtual teams. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses 2012 pg. n/a Ellison, A. S. W. (2012). Impression Formation in a Social Network Context. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses 2012 pg. n/a Jeong, H. J. (2011). The Effectiveness of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Campaigns on Consumer Responses to Brand in Social Media: Impression Management Perspectives. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses 2011 pg. n/a Krisanic, K. (2008). Motivation and Impression Management: Predictors of social networking site use and users behaviors. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses 2008 pg. n/a Sameer, B. (2008). First Impression formation in electronic profiles. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses 2008 pg. n/a Vallor, S. (2011). Flo urishing on Facebook: virtue friendship new social media. Springer Science and Business Media B.V. 2011

Transformational Leadership: The Best Leadership for Healthcare

Transformational Leadership: The Best Leadership for Healthcare This paper is an examination of the methods and practices of transformational leadership. The theory behind transformational leadership is discussed. An explanation of how transformational leadership is practiced is also included. Finally, a discussion of the current state of the health care industry is initiated, with a look at how transformational leadership is the best leadership style to transform this industry for the better. This persuasive paper focuses on change leadership in the healthcare industry. The purpose of this paper is to persuade the reader that transformational leadership is the best type of change leadership for the healthcare industry. Transformational Leadership: The Best Leadership for the Healthcare Industry Change leadership is just what its name implies-a type of leadership that is devoted to guiding an organization through positive changes, and it dynamic in making those changes happen. This is a popular leadership style nowadays. Moving into the 21st century has forced many businesses and organizations to realize that they must change to keep up with the times, that technology and new ways of relating to others and doing business mean that business as usual in no longer acceptable. In order to be competitive in this new century, businesses must change their practices to be cohesive with the new business environment. For a business to be successful in making this adjustment, a strong, specific style of leadership is required to guide the organization through the change (Change Leadership, 2003). This is the purpose of change leadership. Within the area of change leadership, there are several sub-areas of change leadership specialization. One of these sub-areas of change leadership is transformational change. Transformational change is defined as patterns of actions contained within an organizations culture (Transformational Leadership, 1998). These actions include such behaviors as clarifying goals, communicating, taking consistent action, caring, and creating opportunities for development (Transformational Leadership, 1998). By carefully cultivating transformational leadership in the chosen leaders of a company or organization, leaders will be produced who can adapt and deal with organizational members, define, prioritize, and communicate a strategic mission, coordinate and design work systems to promote cooperation, and utilize multiple supporting mechanisms (Transformational Leadership, 1998). In laymans terms, transformational leadership is the process of perceiving when change is needed and influencing the organization by such non-coercive means as persuasion and being an example to the organization in the efforts of goal-setting and goal-achievement (Wonacott, 2001). In transformational leadership theory, four factors motivate employees to perform beyond expectations. These factors are promoted and put into effect by transformational leaders who develop, intellectually inspire, and inspire them to work toward a collective purpose, vision, or mission (Wonacott, 2001). The first of these four factors is charismatic leaders who earn respect, trust, and confidence and who transmit a strong sense of vision and mission (Wonacott, 2001). The second factor is leaders who intellectually stimulate their employees and encourage them to question the status quo and to critically examine their own assumptions and beliefs and those of their leaders (Wonacott, 2001). The third factor i s leaders who show individual consideration in personalized attention to every employees needs so that each employee feels valued (Wonacott, 2001). The fourth factor is leaders who give inspirational motivation that communicates a vision as well as the confident, optimistic belief that the vision is obtainable (Wonacott, 2001). It can be seen then that the common factor in all four of the motivating factors of employees is their leader. Because of this, transformational leadership has the potential to be a dynamic force in an organization. Transformational leaders have the ability to change their employees from self-serving individuals in the organization, only looking out for their own good, into community-minded individuals who are working toward the common good of the whole organization. Transformational leaders have a clear collective vision and are able to communicate it effectively to all employees (What Is?, n.d.). They act as role models for employees, stimulate employees to be more innovative, and are not afraid to take risks or to use unconventional methods to attain their collective vision (What Is?, n.d.). In this way, transformational leaders leave room for their employees and the organization as a whole to breathe and grow (What Is?, n.d.). Transformational leadership is very different from the other main sub-area of change leadership. This other sub-area is known as transactional leadership. In this form of leadership, managers have a very hands off approach to employees (Full Range, 2000). They do not take stands on issues, do not emphasize results, do not take action when issues arise, and are generally unaware of employee performance (Full Range, 2001). These sorts of managers only take corrective actions. They set standards but wait until problems arise before doing anything about them, they stress only what people are doing wrong, and they make it a point to enforce rules, disliking any change in the status quo (Full Range, 2001). On the other hand, these types of managers do have a clear system for handing out rewards. In transactional leadership, there are often clearly stated expectations for employees, and clearly stated rewards for meeting these expectations. However, this is the only positive thing this type of leadership has going for it. In general, transactional leadership causes fear and mistrust of management among employees, and fosters a stressful us vs. them environment. This type of environment is not conducive to positive change. In contrast to transactional leadership, there are many positive elements that transformational leadership can bring to an organization. Numerous studies have shown that transformational leadership does such wonderful things as:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increase organizational performance and customer satisfaction.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increase employee commitment to the organization.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increase employee trust in management.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Enhance employee satisfaction with their jobs and their leader.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reduce employee stress and increase well-being. (What Is?, n.d.) Transformational leadership is of particular importance to the health care industry. In todays world of a health care industry with a reputation as being cold and uncaring toward patients, a new model of leadership is greatly needed. People today are not only frustrated with the impersonal and often harsh treatment they get from people in the health care industry; they feel like just a number to health care professionals rather than a person. This is not just problem in patient perception. A larger number of medical mistakes are being made today than ever before, and health care professionals are working longer hours and reporting more stress. These long hours and stressful working conditions are having an obvious effect on the quality of care patients receive, and patients are noticing it. A new model of leadership for the health care industry is required. Transformational leadership is just what the health care industry needs. In the health care industry, physicians are normally looked to as the leaders in any health care facility. Physicians are, after all, the ones with the most education and training in the industry, and the ones who make diagnoses and perform the most intricate work. Therefore, it falls to the physicians to take a look at their leadership styles and learn to make the necessary adjustments in order to improve the morale of their subordinates and thereby increase the quality of patient care. Since physicians are very busy people who dont have much time to study leadership styles, the health care industry has continued to be operated by an outmoded hierarchical system (Schwartz, 2002). This outmoded system has caused the health care industry to stagnate while other industries that have updated their management styles and changed with the times have flourished (Schwartz, 2002). Since transformational leadership is most effective in energizing and mobilizing individuals within organizations , the physicians of the health care industry would do well to take a moment or two, or even take a week and go on a retreat, to learn about the styles and benefits of transformational leadership. There are three stages that a medical office or institution must go through in order to instigate a change to transformational leadership. The first stage is to wake up the office, letting the others who work there know that they must improve or perish (Smith, 2003). Most businesses are slow to recognize the need for this important first step, and are hurt in the marketplace before they see the need to wake up; the same is true of medical practices, as patients can always go to the doctors office or the hospital around the corner where transformational leadership is practiced. Resistance to change needs to be guarded against; this is especially true in medical offices that are already successful and so see no reason to change (Smith, 2003). Stage two is to create a vision of the preferred practice paradigm for the office (Smith, 2003). The type and size of these paradigms need to be very specific. If a physician is able to give his or her patients clear picture of what is going to happen and why, those people will be more likely to go along with it. This stage is very important as without a clear picture, no one will understand what is being done (Smith, 2003). The clearer the picture the physician is able to paint, the better response he or she will have (Smith, 2003). Stage three is the actual re-working of the office (Smith, 2003). The stage involves re-training workers and developing new procedures to fit the new paradigm the physician has created. For most physicians, this is a fun stage, as it is very hands-on, challenging, and exciting. This is the stage where the physician gets to see his or her plan in action and can see how it is working; most often, a physician will notice a tremendous change for the better coming over the practice, and patients will report a greater degree of satisfaction with the service received there. After this, the only thing left for the physician to do is to continue to practice transformational leadership and to engage in ongoing development of the practice (Smith, 2003). With this type of leadership, physicians are better able to get people from where they are to where they need to be (Smith, 2003). Leadership is about the future (Bujak, 2001). In order to be effective and competitive, all businesses must embrace the changes that the future will bring. Micromanagement is an all-too-common management practice in the health care industry, and it belongs in the past (Bujak, 2001). Physicians have typically been some of the biggest practitioners of micromanagement, wanting to be involved in every aspect of running their practices, right down to the billing procedures. This causes stress not only for their employees, but for the physicians themselves. This is not effective leadership. However, imagine what could happen in the health care industry if physicians (and hospital administrators, as well) embraced a model of transformational leadership. A transformational leader in the health care industry would celebrate the workforce at his or her office or institution, and would revel in the diversity there; this diversity would not only be in race or gender, but also in style of working, personalities, and methods of learning. A transformational leader would embrace all of these things as each contributing something unique and important to the practice. By maintaining this attitude, the transformational leader would naturally reach out to and encourage all employees in their individual endeavors at the practice, thereby motivating them to do better and to achieve greater things than they could have achieved before. A transformational leader in the health care industry would also endeavor to remove any perceived barriers between employees and himself or herself. This would mean tearing down old hierarchical structures that made the physician leader unapproachable or intimidating to employees, By removing this barrier, the physician leader will succeed in making the practice a more open and hospitable place for employees, one in which they can feel comfortable expressing themselves, asking questions, clarifying objectives, and asking for help if they need it. A practice without institutional barriers between the physician leader and the employees is a relaxed, yet happier and more effective organization. A transformational leader in the health care industry trusts his or her employees and gives them the room they need to do their jobs in their own way. This is very important. Every person has a unique and different way of doing things, and what may work wonderfully for the physician leader may not work so well for a nurse or a receptionist. Under older ways of doing things, the physician leader would force those who worked in his or her office to conform to their method of doing everything, from organization to time management to how to greet a patient. For those employees who were not comfortable with this method of operation and who had different ways of doing things that they knew were just as effective, this sort of management created a stressful, almost hostile environment. By allowing employees the freedom to get things done in the way that suits them best, the physician leader is encouraging greater efficiency, fewer mistakes, and greater employee loyalty. A transformational leader also encourages innovation and allows his or her employees to take risks. Given the right circumstances and having the liberty to try, ordinary people will accomplish extraordinary things (Bujak, 2001). The transformational leader creates these circumstances. Without being given the freedom to take risks, employees will continue to perform in the same old ways, and this can be detrimental to the health care industry, especially now, when it is in such a great need of change. When given freedom to experiment with innovations, employees in the health care industry will often come up with wonderful solutions to long-standing problems. Even when a new innovation from an employee is not working out in the parameters of the practice, the transformational leader will offer encouragement to the employee who instigated it and guide him or her in a direction that may be better suited to the practice, allowing that employee to come up with the details on his or her own , and giving that employee the freedom to try. Environments such as these create the best sort of changes, and the ones that do the most good to the industry as a whole. A transformational leader will stop trying to manage other peoples problems. My being a sorter and not a savior and by making time for the important before the non-urgent, the transformational leader focuses on what is truly important in the organization and encourages a sense of responsibility in managing their own issues among employees. A transformational leader establishes the minimum standards that they will accept, and allows employees the freedom to determine how they will meet those standards; often, when left to their own devices, employees will exceed those standards many times over. Finally, a transformational leader prioritizes the values of the practice. In other words, a transformational leader establishes priorities for the practice and allocates resources to these priorities based on their importance. By making these priorities clear to employees and by backing that up with the allocation of resources, the transformational leader makes employees aware of what the objectives are for the practice and what the most important objectives are. By knowing this information, employees are better able to organize their time and focus their efforts. Prioritizing the values of the practice makes for a better, more tightly run practice all around and created happier employees and patients. In conclusion, transformational leadership is a leadership style that is dynamic and energetic, compassionate and trusting. Transformational leadership is the kind of leadership that makes organizations grow and thrive because the employees of those organizations are in a supportive environment that encourages them to take initiative and express their individuality, while at the same time providing them with clear objectives to aim for. A business that is operated with a transformational leadership style is one that is embracing the 21st century; such a business is giving itself every chance of not only succeeding but thriving. Transformational leaders use compassion and trust to build a sense of community in their workplaces. This sense of community motivates employees to be their best and to work toward the common good of the organization. With a transformational leader, no longer will employees be self-serving and only putting their most minimal effort out that it will take them to get by. When inspired by a transformational leader, employees come to have a sense of pride and purpose in the organization which employs them, and this breeds loyalty in employees. Loyal employees look out for the best interests of the organization because they feel connected to the organization. This kind of loyalty is one of the best investments a business can make in itself. Transformational leadership is especially needed in the healthcare industry. The healthcare industry is suffering from a lot of bad press at the moment, and a lot of patient dissatisfaction with the quality of care they receive. The people who work in the healthcare industry are suffering from stress and burnout. A lot of these problems are due to the stagnation of the healthcare industry. The healthcare industry is still mired in an old-fashioned system of hierarchy and protocol and proper channels to follow. Its system of operation is still very rigid, as far as its work environment goes. This rigid system is putting a lot of stress and strain on employees, and as a result, the quality of patient care is suffering. Transformational leadership has the possibility to change all of that for the health care industry. Transformational leadership would allow physicians, who are the usual leaders in a healthcare environment, to get closer to their employees on a professional level, which would bring about more openness in the workplace. This openness would lead to dialogues between physicians and employees as to what everyone involved envisions the practice to be and what each person sees their role in the practice to be. This meaningful dialogue would lead to a more relaxed atmosphere in the workplace, and this is only a start. In addition to fostering a more open working environment, transformational leadership in the healthcare industry would lead to a breaking down of the traditional hierarchical system that has kept physicians so removed from their employees. When physicians begin showing their employees individual compassion and concern, and begin celebrating the differences among them, employee satisfaction will rise. This will result in greater loyalty from employees, which will in turn lead to physicians being able to give employees greater trust and more freedom in taking initiative and risks in the workplace. This initiative and risk being taken will naturally lead to many improvements in the overall operation of the practice. In addition, physicians using a transformational leadership approach will be able to communicate a clear picture of the objectives of the practice, which employees will be happy to follow, as they will be given the room they need to be individuals in the operating of the pra ctice. This will lead to not only greater employee satisfaction, but to greater patient satisfaction as well. This, of course, is the main need of the healthcare industry currently. Transformational leadership, when used in its true form, has the power to transform the healthcare industry for the better.

The Citibank Strategy Using Ebusiness Marketing Essay

The Citibank Strategy Using Ebusiness Marketing Essay Introduction The Citibank started in 1812 in the city of New York in the United States of America, the bank started with very limited funds selling mostly insurance policies and investments, the bank was one of the first national bank in the US, developed very early in the late 19th century, the bank expanded fast and gain customers confidence quickly which made other banks fear the fast growing Citibank, later became called the Citigroup which involved other financial sectors and joined the integration business operations with other companies. The bank created new business opportunities, for many business by offering loans and shares, the company has created the business cards which made it easy to deal with the money transactions and other payment methods, the credit cards use to be fast for that period of time, but with the fast growing use of the cards, the business boomed and other method for money transactions being required, the Citibank was one of the first banks to create the online e-business solutions to ease the work load on their employees, reduce the cost of papers with paperless statements to customers, and increase the speed of communications. The banks competition has increase in the past few years, the invention of the e-business and software solution has took the banks systems and advanced it for the befits of both the banks and their customers, the innovation resulted in the increase in competition using any methods to win and control the markets, the competition has two ways of competitions, the perfect and the monopolistic, the Citibank used both of them, shared benefits with perfects competition using integrated business plans with other banks and business partners and used the monopolistic to introduce cheaper prices and shared investments with overseas beneficiaries without the concern of the impact on the US markets. The Citibank used many strategies in their plans, using the strategy to compete in the market needs plan to monitor the financial market and the stock market very closely, the bank introduce the prices very carefully when it comes to use the monopolistic approach which gives them the lead in the price manipulation, the other strategy is the marketing which is the most important factor in increasing sales margin in the tangible assets and improving the companys image in the intangible assets, using the e-business for marketing has advanced very much and the online marketing has proofed of its capabilities and worth, using the e-business for marketing needed analysis from the Citibank to evaluate the situation from time to time to manage their marketing operations and strategy. The Citibank after researching, analysing, and deciding to use their plan for all the strategies mentioned which helped them for a century of financial products and services, the company realise that any business will do anything to survive the unexpected, using the perfect theory or monopolistic are the same it does not make them evil or unethical bank, the appearance in the market and the competition comes from nowhere, are the bomb shill of the financial market and any market, the Citibank working according the stock and financial market changes and the variability of the market is controlled by no one except the fear or the stable characters that manage and operate in the markets. E-Business services strategy The computer age, came and change businesses how they functions and run, the invention of the software and other computer solutions made the business life easier and intruded speed at the work place, the new invention has two sides, the first is an advantage for the business around the world for the reason mentioned, the disadvantage is the increasing in unemployment, the more software invented the more people lay back of work and the machines taking over, lots of machinery will be controlled and operated by one employee. The whole software process done automatically, the only time is the bank human resources interfere in human contact when the situation get out of hand and investigation is a must, the bank will launch private investigation for each case, the website of the bank has many features and facilities that allow the clients and customers to brows into their products and services. (Bodily, 2004) Citibank one of many companies who are responsible for making much redundancy around the world and trusted the new world innovation in e-business and its functions, for example in the past anything get to do with bills, paper work, transactions authorisation, companys editing, needs many processor employees to deal with the requirements and the time spending on that job will take months to complete especially if there is mistakes or error by human touch, the new innovation in the software computing system the two most advantages that mentioned, the speed of the process will take few minutes for applications to be filled and the completion of a task will take few days instead of months, if any mistakes occur, the software automatically will fix the error and issue a report for that matter, Citibank has a website that uses very strong encryption database which includes all the work needs and security for protection from any unexpected hackers attack, or competitors trying to invade the Citibank privacy which is common in the monopolistic competition. (Bodily, 2004) Figure 1 the diagram illustrated the e-business operation between individual and the bank / the source Google image. The diagram gives the idea of how the data and information transfer between customers and the bank, the data will go through many authentication procedures before reach the other end with seconds or minutes, the strong and secure database needs more bit encryption codes, the software solutions has only agreed user names and pass words for the companys employees to identify them and allow them to inter the main domain software to be able to manipulate the database and do the work in a safest way, the combinations of the system is very complicated and has millions of different codes and has countless numbers, the other security and safety for the Citibank online services that have been innovated and made dealing with the bank with more confidence is that Citibank introduce the secure online personal accounts for customers which allow individuals to go online and need to put the password then put the various numbers in different page and then ask for the account holder some questions, t hen when all this done in just few seconds the bank account page gives you information of the last time you visited the page, if the user sees it was not him/ her visited, then the bank ask customers to be informed immediately and the bank will freeze the account till further investigation done. (Smart Computing, 1999) The bank also provide credit cards products, the cards would be partnership contract with the VISA, MASTER CARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, and DINNER, the bank provide these cards to customers through contract done between the Citibank and the cards companies, contract between the customer and the cards companies, and the Citibank and customers, the bank will fill automated application through the safe their database and the cards companies database, the application takes few minutes and the answer will be approved or declined, if its approved, the bank will fill automated application to part that is designed for the bank in the application confirm the authorisations of money and the card, the bank then will issue another automated application between them and the customer for a contract that guarantee the customer will agree to their policies and receive the cash with guaranteed safety, the bank then will try to sell the customer their favourite product which is the insurance for the loan j ust in case of unemployment, sickness, or other reason that will be related to the customer un able to pay the loan back, the card issuer will take few days to process the card and transaction of the cash will be automatically processed, this process in the past would take months to complete. (Daft, 2008) The Citibank products and services, promise that the new innovation way of the bank functions are simple, fast, and secure, so the bank when provide online process of application the promise to ensure the customers service and support through the period which the customer requires, the bank provided claims facilitation for the online support that was designed for communication between the bank and customers, the products such as insurance has various style and designed to different segments, there is life insurance just in case of any deaths in the family, health insurance that designed for reduce the hassle of GBs and hospitals and give peace of mind just in case of health emergency, travel insurance for families or individual just in case flights cancelled or trouble in the process of the airport or anything related to travel, insurance on property includes business and private properties which the bank made it compulsory if the customer took the loan from the Citibank, in some ins urance the Citibank require customers to fill application and provide all the personal data then the insurance will be immediately effective, and other insurance needs to be investigated after filling the online application such as home insurance. (Robbins, 2001) The Citibank with all these e-business products and services, the software companies didnt stop on providing the online services at this point but gone much far than that, the database between them and customers, the use of the mobile phones has increase comparing to the 90s when its first used, in that time such use only for calls and maybe some companies give the customers privilege of SMS in the old encryption data, the calls were too noisy and the and the online or internet werent invented yet, the banks customers would be advised to visit the bank very often to ensure of his/her bank account running smoothly. (Earl, 1999) The software companies has created a system similar to the online on the internet on computers, the use of the internet on mobiles phones has topped the chart for businessmen, students on the go, businessmen needs the internet handy when they travelling and some data to be sent right away and this data sometimes contain important contents, other important use is that sometime some money transactions to be confirmed before deadlines, so some deals to be completed, Citibank asked the software solution company to use their latest innovation in mobiles technology with their bank services by contacting and facilitate the online services with mobile online personal accounts, the contracts set again with two parties, the first one is the bank with data transferred securely online on the mobile, second is the mobile company such as Vodafone, Orange, and T-Mobile and others, the contract will allow the bank to use and manipulate their database online through different encryption that designed solely for the mobile use only and allow Citibank customers only to process their online personal bank, in return for this service the bank will encore little charges that will go to the mobile phones company for their allowing the bank and the bank customers through their technology. In the past the needs for data transfer, information feed, on the go messages between the bank and the customers were not even a dream, people wouldnt believe the idea or someday some technological advancement would get to the point where SMS messages will reach the internet mobile services, but now in the use of the mobile services has reached customers that wouldnt be possible before, the bank provided SMS services that will allow customers to go through their bank accounts online on their mobile phones and check their messages from the bank to inform them of the balance and their statements, they even give a code to short SMS messages with 52484 which allow the customer to go direct to the page as this code being published on the Citibank website, the other thing that resulted from the contract between the bank and the phone companies is that both companies will have shared advertising, the bank using the phone companies will recommends the contracted phone companies to their cust omers and the phone companies will advertise for free in their phones pages for the bank, in this way both companies using each other customers, the diagram structure illustrated in the next diagram shows the e-mobile new invention of how data and information being used and what structures involved in the data transfer through only mobiles encrypted codes. (Earl, 1999) Figure 2 the diagram illustrates the e-mobile operation structure / the source: Google image. The Citibank also provides online services such as paying the utilities bills such as gas bill, electricity bill, the services will be encrypted to suit the transactions between banks, for example the customers go online and choose the feature that say mange your bills, the page will identify the codes encrypted when password inserted, the page then appears and the customer will be required by the bank to fill some form online, then after the page completed the software automatically asks from the customer to wait for the application process, the page then will appear to confirm the transactions form the bank page to the company that issued the bill and sending email confirm the payments. (Earl, 1999) The bank even invented a saving system plans for their customers using the automatic savings accounts, for example the technology software designed for customers, to deposit a certain amount of money let say $500, the cash in two year will automatically work through very complicated data allow the number work itself through some investments, the calculation data would be inserted in advance into the system so the money will be calculated each month automatically, taking certain percentage from the investments cut despite the investments success or fail, the calculation set to have the cut from the investments automatically to the customers bank accounts, the procedures through the e-business are very complicated, so no one allowed to altered or changed it, other investments that the customer will share the data designed to allow the customers share the loss of some investments if they decline and the contract is very clear about this on the online application, the clients on the othe r hand have different shares and different applications that only allowed clients or companies to enter private domains on the software solution main page. (Handy, 1997) Figure 3 the diagram illustrates the Oracle application server which allow only secure data transfer / the source: Google image. The diagram illustrates the type of server that they use which carry strong bits and security software to enhance the protection of their customers, the software also give customers other benefits such as input and output information without the system break down. One of the biggest Citibank investments products is, the mutual fund investments which the software give customers the challenge to compare their prices online, through their own URL and websites to guarantee the customers the promise of fairness and give customers the taste of the investments that will change their life forever, the bank realise that advertising for their products is not enough, they had to take the challenge with the help of the technology through comparison with other banks or building societies offers online, the offer includes the extra benefits that Citibank willing to give up for their customers for the benefits of both the bank and their customers, the Citibank already researched the use of the comp arison software and understood its methods, the more benefits to customers the more the software will put them on the top of the comparison list, and that how the software has been designed not for specific bank, its mutual contract for the benefit of everybody involved in this equation of cat and mouse, the strategies of the Citibank are differ from country to country and region to the region, the websites are so many and each one has different language and different approach even though the target is the same to increase profit and inter new markets, the use of the online banking has the same benefits for any nationality or culture, and the Citibank has designed many websites for their bank all over the world. (Handy, 1997) Citibank Strategic Methods The Citibank operates using two theories, using the perfect theory and the monopolistic theory, the perfect competition theory when the market is deciding and have prices control, and all companies are happy with it, no one has the power in controlling the prices function, the Citibank perfect competition allow other companies to share the competition, in the other side of the competition theory is the Monopolistic competition which apply its hard line attack on prices, companies who are ready to take this road has opportunities to use the market in an odd way to gain profits dealing in this kind of competition and selling products, the market easy to use one way enter and the other way exit and no obligations, there are many products and consumers in this market but no business has total control as the prices sometimes change according to circumstances such as financial market changing. (Borden, 2009) Since the beginning of the world financial problems few years the Far East governments have a contingency plan to protect their economy by not depending on one sector or one business as they formed a plan of Diversification in both the government and private sector in which made them pass the credit crunch that happened in the US market regarding the Citibank business in which show that the overseas branch has survived the decline stage comparing to the other banks in the US market because of the freedom of ability to change some regulations overseas that depends on the circumstances. (Carr, 2003) Figure 4 the table illustrates the bank balance sheet for internal use by the Company/ the source: Google image The table above illustrates the basic known balance sheets for bank and building societies; the balance sheet help the bank determine the revenue and expenditures for the company annual statements. The Citibank starts to follow the plan in which suits all their market audience mostly new segments and new markets, The banks move was to educate employees, and provide proper training and understanding about the culture of each region, and understanding the laws and legislations of each government separately and make sure that the managers have the right management equipments and tools for running the company overseas. (Carr, 2003) The good strategic move Citibank is to change the image that developed lately about company abroad, the first one is the use an ethical way of supporting some takeaway business with loans that use food processing with chemicals seeds to grow a paltry, without realising that the bank movement has been calculated and monitored from different ethical groups. So Citibank try to change this image by come close to the community and show them how they follow the right way, they only support those who are following the right ethical path, especially the local religion and culture in some Far East countries such as Indonesia about following the ethical ways, introducing HALAL bank account which does not charge interests on any bank account in the Islamic way, on the other side of the world, in the US the plans didnt work the way Citibank hoped, the ethical groups are fiercely attacking the bank plans of supporting companies that uses chemicals and damaging the environments, which resulted in controversy and debates, and that wasnt the only case. (Borden, 2009) The Citibank get involved in many unethical cases such as relying on foreign investments that depends on cash and not involved the concern of the ethical side, the case involved allowing overseas investors who are involved or suspected in wrong doing in the banks shares, and other cases such as running from paying taxes on some secret investments overseas that not has been registered in the US tax department. (Borden, 2009) Marketing Strategies The most aspect of the banks business, or any business for that matter, the company abilities to sell their products and services, the way of represent themselves and how a company can promote themselves with careful approach to the other businesses and the public, the most important thing for the Citibank using the marketing techniques is the use of the HR to control the damage that has been a headache all these years. (Kotler, Keller, Brady, and Goodman, 2009) The Citibank used the strategies such as the four Peas, the strategy which proofed success in the market because of its accurate analysis to identify their assets such as tangible and intangible, the assets have great power impact on any business, when identify what the company as place, product, price, promotion, the company can determine the immediate situation of what they have and compare it to the market and their competitors, the bank will find where they stand in the market, using other analysis such as the market the BCG which means the product life cycle, any company use this matrix can determine their products or service if its worth selling it in the market or its waste of investments in new product or service. (Kotler, Keller, Brady, and Goodman, 2009) Figure 5 the diagram illustrates the 4Ps matrix for the marketing mix/ the source: Google image. The 4Ps in this diagram explain the basic 4Ps matrix and its marketing mix, the Citibank uses this matrix all the time to determine their own marketing mix, start with the products, the bank provided the world with the finest banks services and products which adding new various extra every time the market require the change such as the e-business and update and renewal of the computer systems, if the bank does not use these techniques they wouldnt know that the markets needs the changes and the products will be the same and nothing extra or no variation in products will be added, products and services innovation coming in the same category of the variation which products and services needed to be inspired by the old ones, the inspiration comes also form the customers needs such as the customer easy to use a bank account and the ability to manipulate his/her own bank account which came possible with the e-business. The place or the locations in the marketing mix, suppose to be the first choice for any business the distribution channels which is favourite by any bank around the world to be able to connect with their customers, the Citibank has many locations around the world that enable them to sell direct to customers and increase communications with their clients as well as the public, when talking about the place in the past, someone will understand is only the locations , but with todays technology advancement age, the concept has changed and place in the marketing mix also means the online services which include all the features that are available on sites, everything customers needs it will be on their websites, including choosing of any language, data, design that suit individuals, business 2 business communications, data and cash transfer, and many more. (Li, 2007) The price of the Citibank always using the price elasticity to compete in the market, the hard line prices which force customers to buy the products without compromise is out of the question, the plan of the bank always have variations as well as the products, the prices are different targeting different segments such as students cards which has a different price charges than adults or pensioners, the Citibank uses the penetration price techniques which allow them to set a price for a market solely for the penetrate the market, for example a basic bank service or product cost a certain amount in the market, to penetrate that market the Citibank as a large experience company set challenging and competitive price known that other banks will not try to do the same, in this case the Citibank penetrate that market in that specific product or service knowing that they won that product or service. Finally the promotion, a technique in the marketing mix that give a chance to the bank to identify the present promotion techniques and what are the new competitive techniques, the first thing this technique depend on is the mass communications, the communication will be between the Citibank and their marketing company that has a complete management system designed especially for this kind of function, for example when the Citibank faced all that unethical fiasco and the controversy that came with it, the marketing team and the PR of the company unit with the marketing company to do damage control and set the right criteria for releasing statement right away, and didnt stop in that, the PR of the company kept appearing in different media channels, a newspapers, magazines and TV shows to calm the press down and proof that the bank actions are ethical and responsible. (Poter, 1998) Conclusion The Citibank as a large corporation, started as an effort of ambitious individuals who saw the future in something that became multinational company later, the company has offered the world many great products and services, created many opportunities and jobs for the public, helped the yearly capitalism to evolve with a system that proofed its success for over a hundred years, the company helped the world of how to create management system, increase communications techniques, helped in many researches and projects that contributed to the world of business of today, each individual in the leading senior management throughout the history of Citibank has created something new for the companys systems functions, walking with the changes and the obstacles that have occurred in the last 100 years has made the company stronger and wiser and that is why the company deserve the praise for success even though their main target is the cash. The company technological advancement and co-ordination in communication, helped the company to maintain the lead in the banking business, when the technology of online business came about in the middle of the twenty century by many Microsoft companies, the computer appears in many companies offices and start to be part of the business, the public then has no idea who information and cash being transferred or market works. The Microsoft companies start to challenge each other in the software technology which transferred the business function forever with the e-business and working online, the future of the e-business the way Microsoft sees it, it depend on the customers demand because the world markets today are leading positions on any business or functions is the (demand word), the businesses realise that the demand age is here and depends on the future customer imaginations and liking, the Microsoft predictions are creating software that calculate for the customer all the banking options and give them the best deals not only what is going on today which present the customers with choice of best deals on comparison sites, the future calculation is counting the person best interest of the charges and the system in the future will force bank system to change to concentrate on the customers interest rather than the cash and sales that generated by venerable customers who are being charged with lots of m oney and they have been cornered by greed of the banks. The Citibank plan is to create a new management system that can monitor changes in the unexpected events that force immediate actions; the plan will includes the increase in partnerships with feared competitors who are causing Citibank money and effort to keep them out of bay, these companies not only in the bank business but also in the other business functions using the help of the US governments senators and other congress Politians power to force laws and regulations to be adjusted or removed to suit few rival companies, the Citibank has their own share in the equation of power but to illuminate the surprises, their plan to come closer to the rival its one of their priorities. The Citibank uses a software system that connect them straight to the financial and the stock markets, using the online e-business has helped them to monitor changes in the rate of exchange and the stock market share, as the Citibank corporation operates overseas, their actions depending on the rate of exchange and enhance their profits and revenues, the bank trying to regulate the e-business system with their overseas rivals in the banking business and create rate exchange monitoring system that will be specialised in the movements of the transactions, rather than the present system that only depends on the market movements and the price that would lead them to follow the market price regardless of their rate exchange concern, even though the Citibank used their tricks in the past, the company fears from the consequences that leading to the media scandals and public mistrust. Finally the Citibank is the company that has contribute for many years, delivered to the public great bank system, introducing e-business cost money, time, and effort to research it and implemented, the future for the bank business is bright and looking rather well, the bank system always will put the revenue ahead of their customers and that is the way business world functions.

Jonah: A False Prophet or a Prophet with a False God? Essay -- Religio

Jonah: A False Prophet or a Prophet with a False God? The Jonah narrative is a story often told to children to emphasize that it is wrong to run from God and there is no way to escape from God. However as adults we see that there is more to the story. There are many ways to interpret the Jonah narrative and the character of Jonah. Readers may even read the story with an anti-Semitic view if they judge solely from their first impressions of Jonah. We see a man who flees, a man who is angry with God, and a man who pouts under a bush and wishes to die. From all this we may conclude that Jonah is selfish. If we read beyond the surface impression and pay careful attention to the narrative and Jonah's words and not just deeds, we see a more spiritual concern in Jonah's heart. He is not concerned about what people think of him but what people think of God. During Jonah's time, conditions were not very stable. Political, social, and religious disorder reigned in Israel. Syria had recently won a war and taken over Israel. The relationship between Jonah's homeland and Nineveh, the capital of Syria, were strained and bursting with animosity. Israel itself was in a state of turmoil, trying to adjust to the loss of their power and independence (Winard 538). In his article "Jonah: The Wayward Dove", Richard Stamp charges Jonah with extreme nationalism. "We see a rather obnoxious man who is disobedient to God and seems to be a bigoted nationalist of the worst kind" (Stamp 80). Jonah's frustration with God shows that he would rather see the destruction of more than a hundred and twenty thousand souls than acknowledge that God can be merciful to the foreigners of Nineveh. His anger over God's mercy towards this wicked city is used to ju... ...aracteristics in all his actions. Jonah is never concerned about what people think of him but what people think of God. Works Cited Fretheim, Terence E. The Message of Jonah: A Theological Commentary.Augsburg Publishing House: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1977 Martin, Hugh D.D. The Prophet Jonah: His Character and Mission to Nineveh. The Banner of Truth Trust: Highgate West Hill, London , 1958. Myers, Jacob Martin. The Book of Joel; The Book of Amos; The Book of Obadiah; The Book of Jonah. John Knox Press: Richmond, Virginia, 1959. The New Oxford Annotated Bible: (NRSV)Oxford University Press, 1991. Seiden, Chaim. "Why does Jonah Want to Die?" Bible Review 15 June 1999: 4. Stamp, Richard. "Jonah: The Wayward Dove" The Expository Times Vol. 111 Dec.1999:80-82. Winward, Stephen F. A Guide to the Prophets. John Knox Press: Richmond, Virginia 1969.

Sanity: Boundaries of the Mind Essay -- essays research papers fc

Sanity: Boundaries of the Mind   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The mind is a beautiful thing. The boundaries that someone can extend their rationality is different in each and every person. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the balance of sanity and madness is tested. Hamlet’s way of thinking is changed, but in a way that his personality is only a front. By looking at the different events that Hamlet overcame, we can observe the passion for acting that many readers do not come across; knowing the importance of acting is imperative when questioning Hamlet’s sanity, since he is only acting insane, and is rational and in control of himself throughout the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For those who do not recall the story of Hamlet, this play is one of revenge, scandal, and lies. Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is living a life that one would not want to live. His father, the King, was murdered by his brother, who is now married to Hamlet’s mother. Hamlet beings his brilliant acting and conniving when he learns that he must avenge his father’s murder. Not only does Hamlet fool his family when acting insane, but the genius of his work has fooled critics all along.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the play begins, the ever popular question â€Å"Who’s there?† â€Å"Betrays the insecurity of Hamlet’s world† (Salkeld and Shakespeare). Starting the play with a question was pure genius on Shakespeare’s part; the symbolism of the questionable state of Denmark which is â€Å"in a state of shock and confusion,† along with the people in it, leads the readers right into the questionably unstable life of Hamlet (Salkeld, Strachey). In act I, scene V of the play, the audience learns of the â€Å"antic disposition† that Hamlet will be putting on (Shakespeare). In this scene, he tells the audience that he plans to act insane in order to get away with killing Claudius. He believes that by acting insane no one will suspect him of doing anything such as that. To many critics the â€Å"whole conduct of Hamlet’s madness is too ludicrous† and in fact he has really gone mad ( Stubbers). For Hamlet to come out and say that he is planning to act insane is, on the other hand, â€Å"purely and adequately a man of genius† (Strachey). Hamlet’s ability to imitate someone who is insane is astonishing. His ability to do so is what has confused readers and critics. Not only can his sanity be seen, but throughout different scene... ...g into the performance to fool all. Being able to fool even his mother is what gave Hamlet the ability to complete his plans of murdering Claudius. Hamlet eventually avenged his father’s death and accomplished that by keeping his thoughts and emotions in order. The mind is a beautiful thing, which wasn’t wasted. Works Cited â€Å"Overview of Hamlet.† Gale 2003 Gale Research. Student Resource Center. Blinn College Library, Bryan TX. 28 Nov. 2004 < http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRC >. Salkeld, Duncan. â€Å"Madness in Shakespearean Tragedy.† Shakespearean Criticism vol.35. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Roberts, Edgar V., Henry E. Jacobs, Eds. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, Seventh Edition, Upper River, Pearson, 2004. 1306-1406. Strachey, Edward. â€Å"Essay on Madness (Hamlet).† Gale 2003. Gale Research. Student Resouce Center. BlinnCollege Library, Bryan, TX 28 Nov. 2004 < http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRC >. Stubbers, George/ Thomas Hanmer. â€Å"Critical Heritage.† Shakespearean Criticism vol. 1. 1975. vol. 71 Zeffirelli, Franco, Dir. Hamlet. Perf. Mel Gibson, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Bates, and Glenn Close, Warner Bros, 1991.

The History of Italian Renaissance

The Italian Renaissance was driven by a force of great strides in humanity. This was a time for a re-awakening of educated thinking, great artistic endeavors, and an empowering factor of humanism to use free will to govern one's future rather than allowing the church to dictate the correct path in life. The city of Florence became the center for much of this activity, where artists and scholars were sponsored royally by like-minded families of great wealth and social power. More emphasis was put onto education as a means of freedom from ignorance instead of a reason to serve God. There was a shift in power from the church to a general secularization in all areas of life, with the main focus being on the enhancement in the studies of the arts. The arts were looked at in a new way, using humanism as the new religion and the new way to achieve the greatest possible virtue. The actual term Renaissance means â€Å"re-birth†, which is essentially what was taking place overall, in Florence and other Italian states. â€Å"For Burckhardt this period consisted, broadly speaking, of the 15th century in Italy, a time and place in which â€Å"medieval† man became â€Å"modern† man. -Italy-History of, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2000. (1) This was a re-birth of ideas, learning, communication, artistry and beliefs. All of these factors were culminating together to prepare the world for the dawning of a new age, and a new direction for man to move in. The Italian Renaissance began finding it's niche among the elite in Florence in 1360, however, this was just the beginning. The Renaissance proved to be more established by the early fifteenth century among the rest of Italy, and eventually the rest of Europe. . The world was changing and ready for a new way of thinking. No longer were individuals prepared to accept the teachings of the church as their guidelines in life. Society wanted more from life than what the church had to offer. Italian culture, most noteably in Florence, was growing wealthier. With this increase of wealth came a need to pursue personal limits in achievement, education, and ability. â€Å"In their society, successful individuals, usually men, clearly were capable of doing more in this world than traditional religious views allowed. † – Modern European History I, 1992. (2) The humanists came forth from this need to learn. They were the intellect behind the Renaissance and brought to light a new view of what should be taught and studied. They embraced the classics; translating many from the ancient Greek and Roman script they were originally created in, and redefining how these works were originally interpreted. They looked upon studies in grammar, rhetorics, poetry, history and moral philosophy as a means of elevating their self-worth, and discovered that man can create his own destiny rather than follow a pre-ordained fate determined by the church. By using education to further themselves in society, the free-willed humanists were setting the standards for educated thinking, that current modern day life adheres to. â€Å"Humanism was the most important single intellectual movement of the Renaissance. † – Eugene F. Rice Jr, 1970. (3) Humanism was not only focused on education; this way of thinking also held power over other aspects of the Renaissance. 2 As much of the educational aspect centered in Florence, so did the growing desire for beauty and culture to be represented in art; another strong factor of humanism. With it's economic and social standing becoming rapidly elevated, and due to the strong tradition of democracy it held, Florence would prove to have the ideal surroundings for the birth of artistry in the Italian Renaissance movement. At the beginning of the Renaissance, Florence was a well-established, commercial city primarily controlled by the rich merchant class and some of the very wealthy and powerful families that resided there. Families such as the de Medici family, would commission artists to design and build enormous churches, palaces and other monuments to cement the families' position in Florence. Using this type of backing sponsorship, the growing artistic community was able to flourish and thrive, and produce a mutitude of glorious works, focusing on a new embodiment of their skill. The human body was looked upon and studied with more detail and realism than ever before. This lead to more accurate and life-like art work, both in painting and sculpture. Much of the art moved away from the old themes of portraying the world and humanity as perfectly as possible, and concentrated instead on capturing the actual likeness of the subject matter, no matter how unappealing or distressing it may have been. With enormous financial sponsorship behind them, artists were able to concentrate soley on their craft and expand it into the new, Renaissance style. They met great opposition from the church but were able to continue moving forward with the ongoing support of their benefactors. The infallible teachings of the church combined with the power of the Pope, were constantly challenged by the humanists and those that followed this new style of thought. Citizens were more and more frequently pledging allegiance to the crown rather than to the Vatican, creating a steady decline of power from religion. â€Å"The Christian truth that had been acknowledged as comprehending all phenomena, earthly or heavenly, now had to co-exist with a classical attitude that was overwhelmingly directed toward earthly life. – Humanism, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2000. (4) Knowledge began to undermine the position of the church. An ever-increasing amount of followers of humanism reaffirmed the fact that humans are individuals and not just souls passing through earth on their way to eternity in heaven or hell. As individuals, every human had the right to discovering his own destiny and potential. These beliefs and views were strongly frowned upon by the church, who tried in vain to reassert their influence on society. Much of the great wealth of the era was also looked at as un-Christian, but the humanists argued that wealth was only a means to achieve greater virtue. Money was needed to fund and support the arts, which provided the tools to further enlightenment in these areas. The church however, could only accept this wealth if it was used for the greater good of society. This was an argument to prevail throughout the Renaissance. From the re-evaluation of education and art, society has derived an opportunity to determine their own destiny, based on the knowledge they choose to empower themselves with. Humanists may have opposed the church and it's teachings in order 4 to move forward with free will and choice, but without that opposition, life would not hold the amount of wonderment and variation that exists today. The humanistic efforts that began during the Italian Renaissance paved the way for society to become more independent in their thinking, more realistic in their arts, and more educated in subject matter that had been too long denied. The Italian Renaissance shaped and altered the â€Å"modern† world, bringing society out of the â€Å"medieval† times and onto the path that stretched toward the optimistic future.

Paraguay Essay

Mushfika Chowdhury Ms. Vives Spanish Paraguay Paraguay is a country in South America. It is surrounded by Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia. Most people know Paraguay as Paraguay, but the country s official name is Republic of Paraguay. In 2011 it has said that Paraguay has approximately a population of 6,568,290. Most people are living in the oriental region. The country’s official language is Spanish as well as Guarani. The oriental eastern region has hills, waterfalls, exotic plants and the forest.This region makes up 40 percent of Paraguay. This part of Paraguay receives a large amount of rainfall. The region known as occidental also known as Chaco, is made up of grass, course tropical reeds and stunned trees. Some of Paraguay’s natural resources include forest soil, minerals, and the rivers. The rivers are important because tis how most people in Paraguay communicate, it also provides fish. The main industry is farming livestock, cotton, cane, corn, soybeans, potatoe s, bananas, oranges, wheat, beans, tea and tobacco. That was the farming and food recourses of Paraguay.When it comes to the government and money there’s not that many similarities. Some of you may or may not know that the former president of Paraguay was Fernando Lugo (2008-2012). It wasn’t that many days ago that a new president for Paraguay was elected, his name is Mr. Franco. The currency used in Paraguay is Guarani. One dollar in the United States is 4,095. 58 Guarani. One Paraguay Guarani equals to 0. 0002442 cents in the U. S. You also might be wondering what type of government Paraguay has. Well its constitutional republic. I would also recommend you taking a camera if you ever go there, the sites and scenery is breathtaking.