Journal reflective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journal reflective - Essay Example Conceptually, these two aspects have brought a revolutionary paradigm in marketing that mainly focuses on having and taking care of the customers rather than merely attracting them. Notably, though, is the importance of these two elements in business today with respect to the customers and the progress of the organization in context. Delineating from their generality, value concept, and relationship marketing have several other constituents tied to them. Besides, myriad theories combine to link, separate and contextualize the value concept and relationship marketing to the prevailing business environment. Within the value concept, for instance, is the customer-perceived value, mathematically defined as the perceived benefits divided by the perceived sacrifice.3 The sacrifices, in this case, are the costs the customer has to incur during purchase such as purchase price and installation costs among others. To sum up about the value concept, it is very critical for any company aiming to launch competitive values to the clients to carefully analyze and understand the needs of the clients.4 It is the riskiest part of the value concept since the lack of such understanding may dilute customer loyalty. It may be a total waste of resources, and cause a ripple effect of not meeting the objectives of the company. In genera l, the value concept is directly proportional to relationship marketing.5 Arguably, reading this article is not only important to anyone aiming to start a business, but also to the established companies. Clearly, the impact of such reflection on professional learning and professional marketing skills cannot be overemphasized. As already asserted above, the reflection has a direct relationship with both professional learning and the real business environment. For one, it is through the reflection that a learner

Exploring The Religion Of Zoroastrianism Religion Essay

Exploring The Religion Of Zoroastrianism Religion Essay Zoroastrianism is said to be the oldest revealed religion in the world and holds a firm place in being one of the most interesting studies of the worlds religions. Such significance can be attributed to the influences on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Little is known about the earliest days of Zoroastrianism after its establishment by Iranian prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster in western culture) but during the 6th century BCE and 7th century CE Zoroastrianism was the most influential religion in three consecutive Persian Empires (known as Iran) .Its downfall in Persia followed the Arab invasions and resulted in a small minority establishing a group in north-west India in the 10th century CE. Body Paragraph 1: Zarathustra was a Persian prophet who thought he had envisioned the sight of God Ahura Mazda- the create of all that was good and who alone is to be worshipped. This is a change from past Indo-Persian polytheism and is known to be the first non-biblical monotheist. Their sacred book of law, the Avesta is collection of sacred writing complied over many centuries and was not completed until the Sassanid dynasty. It consists hymns ascribed to Zarathustra- the Gathas- invocation and rituals to be used at festivals, hymns of praise and spells against demons and prescriptions for purification. The concept of God involves the use of both monotheism and dualism. In his visions Zarathustra was taken up to the heavens where Ahura Mazda revealed that he had an opponent, Aura Mainyu, the spirit and promoter of evil. It was from this vision that Zarathustra was given the task of inviting all of mankind to choose between good and evil. Zoroaster taught man they he must partake in the cosmic stru ggle because of his capacity of free choice. In turn making Zoroastrianism an ethical religion due to the importance of choosing good over evil. It is believed in Zoroastrianism that humans are free to decide between right and wrong, light and dark, and truth and lie and ultimately their choices would affect their destiny for all eternity. Afterlife in Zoroastrian culture is decided by the balance of the words, good and evil deed and thoughts throughout ones life. Generally this idea is not absolute, however there is exception for human weakness, this means faults are not registered or weight forever on the scales. Two means of obliterating them; confession and the transfer of supererogatory merits. The ideology of monotheism, heaven, hell, angelology, the messiah, the resurrection of the body was influential on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Body 2: Zoroastrianism was the most influential Religion upon Persia for three successive Empires the first lead by Cyrus the Young of the Archaemenian Family from 549 BCE -331 BCE. Kings of the Archaemenian Empire are known to have been very self-righteous Zoroastrians and ruled politically in unity with the Law of Asha truth and righteousness. Cyrus was generally care-free and thus no imposition was made upon his people to practise Zoroastrian ways. Beneficiary particularly to the Jews whom Cyrus allowed to return to the Holy Land from exile in Babylon this impacted them greatly and influenced post-Exilic Judaism [Boyce, M: 1977: p211]. According to Xenophon and Plutarch [Xenophon and Plutarch in Lawless: 1994: 211], Cyrus worshipped Mithra, Anahita and Ahura-Mazda with inscriptions dating back to Cyrus the Young indicate that many of his building projects were under their protection. Darius the Great was also very religious and showed the same general acceptance during his reign, attributing him being king to that of Ahura Mazda By the favour of Ahura-Mazda I am king; Ahura-Mazda bestowed the kingship upon meby the favour of Ahura-Mazda these countries showed respect toward my lawAhura-Mazda bore me aid until I got possession of this kingdom. [Behistan Inscription in Lawless, J (1991) p.207]. Ahura-Mazda was also proclaimed responsible for helping create Darius building projects at Susa, Persepolis and his tomb at Naqshi-eRustan. Following Darius to the throne was his son Xerxes who, like Darius before him attributed his ascension to the throne and building projects to Ahura-Mazda. A rather controversial tablet as Persepolis indicates that Xerxes claims that he destroyed sanctuaries of false gods[Kent in Lawless (1994) p208]; Among these countries there was (a place) where previously false gods were worshipped. Afterwards, by the favour of Ahura-Mazda, I destroyed that sanctuary of the demons (daevas) and I made proclamation: The Demons shall not be worshipped! Where previously the demons were worshipped there I worshipped Ahura-Mazda and Arta reverently The inscription according to Kent has worried scholars and there are suggestions that Xerxes localized Zoroastrianism. Next in line after the rule of the Archaemenians was the Seleucids and Arcasids; Zoroastrianism became self-sufficient during their rule. The Parthian Arcasids overthrew the Seleucids and ruled for a much longer period than the Archaemenians, however doing so with a less centralised rule. A series of changes began from the Arcasids rule this included; Gathering of Zoroastrian texts from all provinces and The Vendidad (Laws Against Demons) is established. What continued was the tradition of tolerance towards other religions and also governed the law of Asha like past rulers. The final Empire to hold Zoroastrianism as its main religion was the Sasanians. The Sasanians around 224 CE 7th Century- were ruled by Ardashir, and during his reign important developments were made- A single Zoroastrian church was created under the control of Persia, the Zoroastrian calendar was reformed; the older colander had 360 days, the new calendar was a 365 day calendar; the core of the Avesta was able to be written down. By the end of the Sasanian period the authoritarian Zoroastrian church-state was immensely wealthy, until the Islamic conquests of the 7th century that is Body paragraph 3: The Islamic Arabs invaded and conquered Persia in the 7th century; this had a disastrous effect on Zoroastrianism that surpassed that of Alexander the Greats conquest. Numerous libraries were burned to the ground and to a great extent so was Persias cultural heritage. Zoroastrians were treated like dhimmis (People of the Book) at the hands of the Arab invaders this meant, that they were allowed to retain their religious practises, but had to pay extra taxes as a result. Social humiliations and other laws were implemented to make life so difficult for those who practised Zoroastrianism that they would, as a result convert to Islam. This tactic was successful as over time many Persians did convert and thus making Zoroastrianism a minority religion. More successive attack from the Turks, Mongols and Islamists destroyed more religious texts and Zoroastrianism declined further into obscurity. Conclusion: Zoroastrianism is said to be the oldest revealed religion in the world and holds a firm place in being one of the most interesting studies of the worlds religions. Such significance can be attributed to the influences on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Little is known about the earliest days of Zoroastrianism after its establishment by Iranian prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster in western culture) but during the 6th century BCE and 7th century CE Zoroastrianism was the most influential religion in three consecutive Persian Empires (known as Iran) . Its downfall in Persia followed the Arab invasions and resulted in a small minority establishing a group in north-west India in the 10th century CE.

Wal-Mart International Essay -- Business Management, Case Study, solut

Wal-Mart International Introduction In 1993, Wal-Mart had become America’s leading retailer, with net sales of $67 billion from its Wal-Mart stores, Sam’s Clubs, and Wal-Mart Supercenters. The Company had grown at a rate of 25% per year since 1990, and it was clear that to continue at its current rate of growth, Wal-Mart would have to seriously consider continuing its recent international expansion. During 1992, Wal-Mart had entered into a joint venture with CIFRA, Mexico’s largest retailer, which currently operated 24 stores in Mexico and had plans to open 70 new stores by 1995. The Company had also recently completed the acquisition of 122 Woolco department stores in Canada. Each of these expansions had presented unique challenges for Wal-Mart to adapt its operations to suit local market demands, but Wal-Mart had successfully risen to the challenge. Given the Company’s successful track record, it seemed logical to continue to expand internationally. If Wal-Mart didn’t expand internationally, David Glass, Wal-Mart’s CEO, felt that companies would start to come to the US and increase competitive pressures domestically. International expansion would drive growth and help in maintaining Wal-Mart’s dominant domestic position. Namely, entrance into foreign markets would force competitors to focus on their primary markets. If Wal-Mart planned to maintain its dominant position in the U.S., international expansion would not only drive growth, but it would also keep potential competitors trying to operate stores in their home markets rather than expanding into the U.S. Wal-Mart Company Background: Sam Walton began his retail career working at J.C. Penney while in college and later leased a Ben Franklin franchised dime store in Newport, Arkansas (1945). In 1950, he relocated to Bentonville and opened a Walton Five and Dime. By 1962, Walton owned 15 Ben Franklin stores under the Walton Five and Dime name. Walton felt that big supermarkets would eventually destroy the smaller, traditional five and dimes and in 1962, Walton opened his own supermarket discount store. Eight years later, the Company was trading on Wall Street and had 30 stores. Wal-Mart’s growth accelerated greatly during the 1970s. The Company aggressively marketed itself to middle class shoppers by advertising "Everyday Low Prices." Walton motivated his employees by impleme... ...ring Argentina with a local partner, analysts expected the new stores to be able to capture additional market share and initially achieve lower operating and administrative expenses than if Wal-Mart entered on its own. Martin wondered which of these alternatives would be most beneficial to Wal-Mart. Summary The annual shareholders meeting was coming up, and Bob Martin needed to make a recommendation to Glass on how to proceed. Although Glass agreed with Martin that international expansion needed to continue, he wasn’t convinced Argentina was the best choice. Glass wanted to be sure that they had considered all of the risks involved before making such a large investment in a new country. If Martin did decide that Wal-Mart should invest in Argentina, Martin wondered which alternative to recommend. He needed to finish his analysis and prepare a report for Glass that compared the alternatives. Whatever Martin’s recommendations, he knew they needed to be presented with a compelling argument. This was a critical year for Wal-Mart, and Glass would want to be able to demonstrate to Wal-Mart’s investors that the Company could overcome its slow down in growth during the last year.

Poetry Analysis- in the Station of the Metro

When we read poems, we don’t exactly interpret the meaning of it automatically. It takes us a shot, or two, or three to fully understand the meaning of it or at least have your own interpretation. In the poem In a Station of the Metro, written by Ezra Pound, one of the themes that are presented is modernization. Nowadays, the metro isn’t the place where people want to be because of its lousy appearance, the people seem a little odd for others, and in other words people don’t like taking it because we all have the mentality that something bad will happen.In the next few paragraphs, it will explain detail by detail how certain literary elements are used and relate to the theme. Everything we read has a mood to put us in while we read whether it’d be comical, depressing, or even mysterious. The poem’s mood is profound. Why is this poem so profound? Well for one, with only 2 sentences there are only so much that we can uncover about a poem. A perfect ex ample to back up the fact that this poem is profound is the title.We all think that the title isn’t as important as the rest of the poem but in this one it is because without it, nobody would be able to figure out the real meaning since no one will know what the writer wrote about. For example, without the title, it can be a performer looking at the audience waiting, looking like petals on a branch just sitting there waiting for seasons to change, meaning for the performer to go up. Profound moods and modernization come together because when you think about something in general, sometimes you try discovering a new meaning to it.In the poem, we see a clear indication that with the only two sentences there are, we are supposed to come up with our own meaning. What the author did was probably for us readers to decode our own meaning of the poem by just writing 2 sentences. Because the mood is so profound, it’s very relevant to modernization because in the modern world, we find that metros are filled with angry people pushing, dirty floors and walls. The author is basically telling us that we are still the same people just on a dirty metro, as well reminding us to be calm and think of ourselves as flowers on a branch.What we see and what we actually interpret are two different things. Not everything is what it seems to be. Another element used is comparisons. To compare something means to take something and make it seem like something else. In the poem, the poet describes â€Å"faces in the crowd† as â€Å"petals on a wet, black bough† because in a crowd, it’s easy to pick out different faces because everyone is different. Everyone has a unique look and since the poet is picking out faces in a crowd, it could be a comparison to picking out petals, off a stem or a bough, one by one as if each petal was an individual face.Imagery can also be linked with the topic of comparisons because every sentence has a different meaning that ca n be linked to each other in a way that we can imagine it. Usually a metro is hectic, nobody really wants to be in it especially at rush hour, but what the poet is trying to do is remind us that within our environment around us are serenity and peace in ourselves that we have to think of. Petals from flowers are very delicate and the poet tells us that if it’s hectic on the metro or anywhere else, there is always peace to think of, like the flowers.These elements are relevant to the theme because nowadays, people tend to judge before they think twice. In the poem for example, if the people weren’t reminded that there is peace and serenity within themselves, then they’d think their society is a bad place. Is there such thing as nonsense? Is a pile of nonsense put together supposed to make sense? In the poem, the last two elements presented are effective line breaks and ambiguity.To be ambiguous means to be vague, and the poem really shows the vagueness in the eff ective line breaks. Every line in the poem is a different sentence, irrelevant to the others. The first sentence would have to be the title, â€Å"In a Station of the Metro†. This is an incomplete sentence and with the others that come, it still makes no sense. The second sentence is â€Å"The apparition of these faces in a crowd;†, still an incomplete sentence because there’s a verb that needs to come into play for it to be complete and make sense.And the last sentence of the poem is â€Å"Petals on a wet, black bough†; this as well is an incomplete sentence simply just a description. But if everything is put together, this is where ambiguity and as well imagery comes in. The fact that everything is so vague and that after every sentence there’s a break, it could subliminally mean that everything is meant to be put together like a puzzle. When the sentences are put together, it tells us that within a crowd of people on a metro, everyone is unique like petals on a bough.Even if something is ambiguous, there is always a way to figure out some meaning for it. This is related to modernization because like imagery, we don’t perceive things for what they are right away so it’s very vague, then after figuring out what it could mean or be; everything would make sense. To conclude, modernization has changed the way we think as the years go by, we all have different points of view now and we judge before we think things through.In the poem, using all the elements like mood, imagery, comparisons, ambiguity and use of effective line breaks, they all had some relevance towards the theme which was modernization. Things have changed since the earlier years. Back then, no one judged right away, everyone was just living. Now that we have new technology and such, it makes us closed minded because technology told made us believe that the real world sucks. The poem made me realize that there is more to the world than what we can a ctually physically see. Sometimes what we see isn’t exactly what we think it is.

Jean Piaget

The history of psychology dates back to the ancient Greeks, Callahan and India. There are even some records of psychology dating back to ancient Egypt. Psychology is the study of the human mind and it's functions. It used to be a branch of philosophy, but in the asses it developed into an independent science, when Wilhelm Wound founded the first laboratory dedicated to psychology. In the ancient times, psychology had to do with evil spirits and souls, which remedies were incinerations and curses. Right now, In modern times, we know that psychology has nothing to do with that, but with the rain and the way it works.Jean Pigged was born In Nucleus, Switzerland in 1896. He did his license and PhD on biology at the university of his hometown. It was his background on biology, and his interest on epistemology (the theory of knowledge), that made him want to find out how the mind comes to know knowledge, objects and concepts, which then lead him to study the development of children, especi ally his own. He observed, talked and listen to them, as well as other children, while he performed exercises to test his theories, studies that he then published and helped IM create his theory.Piglet's theory is called Intellectual Development, it is based on the maturation of the human. It was divided into four stages. These stages happen in between the ages of O and 15 years old. The first stage that happens between the age of O and 2, it is called Seismometer Stage. Children start to differentiate themselves from objects and knows more about himself and where he is. Also a key think kids learn Is that if parents or any object Is outside of his sight It will continue to exist.Pre-operational stage comes around 2-7 years of age, the most important thing happening in this stage is that children learn how to use language and by using this skill they represent objects by words or images. Children begin to use symbols to represent objects, also they don't have a sense of time and are influenced by fantasy and think others fantasize like them. Concrete Operational is the stage happening while the child is 7 to 12 years old. During this age children get more comfortable with themselves, and develop an ability to think and make judgment about important things.In this stage It Is common that children ask many questions and would like to explain things to their parents. The last stage of Piglet's theory is called Formal Operational Stage, in this stage teenagers are Individual and know how to make complete Judgment by themselves. Teenagers are capable or reasoning and will be more open and have a wide range of ideas because they can consider many possibilities and see from different perspectives Jean Piglets theory of intellectual development Is very similar but at the same time very different than Erikson theory.Piglet's theory is based on maturation and what children and adults hint and develop while growing up, while Erikson theory is more about what you feel and who you are as a person and the people you interact with. The theories are similar at only the beginning, in the first stage when they talk about tact and how the children develop feelings with the persons they love. And finally another similarity Is that all the stages last till death. In Piglet's theory you stop developing at age 16, childhood, allotted and elderly.The two theories are different in many ways but both have the same base idea, you could say that Jean and Erik had the same Houghton, but then developed a different concept for finishing their theories. Pigged is one of the most important psychologists of the modern times, and with out a doubt, the most important child psychologist. He is very well recognized around the world for his theory on child development as well as the series of books he has written on it. Jean Piglet's theory is more about maturation, rather than Erosion's, that is more about what a person is feeling throughout his or her whole life.His theory has four stages which are: The seismometer stage (0-2 years), the Pre-operational stage (2-7 ears), the concrete operational stage (7-12) and the formal operational stage (12 and above). Teenagers who are 12 and above have a wider range of ideas and they have judgment. Erickson theory has stages begin from the moment in which a person is born, to the moment in which a person dies. He explains how your life can change if a stage in your life isn't satisfactory. Usually, a teenager isn't mature enough until he or she has reached an age above 12. Jean Piaget The history of psychology dates back to the ancient Greeks, Callahan and India. There are even some records of psychology dating back to ancient Egypt. Psychology is the study of the human mind and it's functions. It used to be a branch of philosophy, but in the asses it developed into an independent science, when Wilhelm Wound founded the first laboratory dedicated to psychology. In the ancient times, psychology had to do with evil spirits and souls, which remedies were incinerations and curses. Right now, In modern times, we know that psychology has nothing to do with that, but with the rain and the way it works.Jean Pigged was born In Nucleus, Switzerland in 1896. He did his license and PhD on biology at the university of his hometown. It was his background on biology, and his interest on epistemology (the theory of knowledge), that made him want to find out how the mind comes to know knowledge, objects and concepts, which then lead him to study the development of children, especi ally his own. He observed, talked and listen to them, as well as other children, while he performed exercises to test his theories, studies that he then published and helped IM create his theory.Piglet's theory is called Intellectual Development, it is based on the maturation of the human. It was divided into four stages. These stages happen in between the ages of O and 15 years old. The first stage that happens between the age of O and 2, it is called Seismometer Stage. Children start to differentiate themselves from objects and knows more about himself and where he is. Also a key think kids learn Is that if parents or any object Is outside of his sight It will continue to exist.Pre-operational stage comes around 2-7 years of age, the most important thing happening in this stage is that children learn how to use language and by using this skill they represent objects by words or images. Children begin to use symbols to represent objects, also they don't have a sense of time and are influenced by fantasy and think others fantasize like them. Concrete Operational is the stage happening while the child is 7 to 12 years old. During this age children get more comfortable with themselves, and develop an ability to think and make judgment about important things.In this stage It Is common that children ask many questions and would like to explain things to their parents. The last stage of Piglet's theory is called Formal Operational Stage, in this stage teenagers are Individual and know how to make complete Judgment by themselves. Teenagers are capable or reasoning and will be more open and have a wide range of ideas because they can consider many possibilities and see from different perspectives Jean Piglets theory of intellectual development Is very similar but at the same time very different than Erikson theory.Piglet's theory is based on maturation and what children and adults hint and develop while growing up, while Erikson theory is more about what you feel and who you are as a person and the people you interact with. The theories are similar at only the beginning, in the first stage when they talk about tact and how the children develop feelings with the persons they love. And finally another similarity Is that all the stages last till death. In Piglet's theory you stop developing at age 16, childhood, allotted and elderly.The two theories are different in many ways but both have the same base idea, you could say that Jean and Erik had the same Houghton, but then developed a different concept for finishing their theories. Pigged is one of the most important psychologists of the modern times, and with out a doubt, the most important child psychologist. He is very well recognized around the world for his theory on child development as well as the series of books he has written on it. Jean Piglet's theory is more about maturation, rather than Erosion's, that is more about what a person is feeling throughout his or her whole life.His theory has four stages which are: The seismometer stage (0-2 years), the Pre-operational stage (2-7 ears), the concrete operational stage (7-12) and the formal operational stage (12 and above). Teenagers who are 12 and above have a wider range of ideas and they have judgment. Erickson theory has stages begin from the moment in which a person is born, to the moment in which a person dies. He explains how your life can change if a stage in your life isn't satisfactory. Usually, a teenager isn't mature enough until he or she has reached an age above 12.