Sunday, December 29, 2019

Is Atheism Considered The Belief Of The Existence Of Gods

ULTIMATE REALITY __________________ A Paper Presented to Dr. Carey A. Ford, III Navarro College __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for PHIL 1301 __________________ by Brandon Pizarro January 12th, 2015 ULTIMATE REALITY The first mode would have to be the mode that makes most in a search for the ultimate reality. Atheism is considered the belief in the absence of the existence of gods. This absence of belief usually comes from a deliberate choice, or from an inherent inability to believe in religious teachings. It is not a lack of belief born from ignorance of religions. The word atheism has a very negative connotation but it is the lack of belief in other religions and or gods that produce this way of thought. No one can prove nor disprove an existence of a higher power or god. There are one too many religions and religious beliefs. They all stem from different cultures and places round the world and some are very closely alike but choose to have different establishments and traditions. Philosophers Ludwig Feuerbach and Sigmund Freud have argued that God and other religious beliefs are human inventions, which overtime were made to fulfill countless psychological and emotional wants or needs created by humans. Religions are also social functions that can be learned during childhood or learned from where and when you were born. This is why there are so many different religions. Think about all the different places and countries never heardShow MoreRelatedThe Nature Of God And Which Lense One Helps View Religion Or Spirituality1685 Words   |  7 PagesThere are many different views about the nature of god and which lense one chooses to view religion or spirituality. The nine that will be discussed are animism, polytheism, henotheism, pantheism, religious dualism, deism, theism, atheism, and agnosticism. While some of these have overlapping principles, they are each unique viewpoints as of the nature of god and are held by different religions throughout the world today and in history. One of the first forms of religions was animism, or the viewRead MoreAtheism And The Existence Of Deity1421 Words   |  6 PagesMerriam-Webster Dictionary defines atheism as â€Å"a disbelief in the existence of deity.† This definition of atheism is broad and general. Most people only know that atheism is the lack of belief in a god or gods, but they do not know what atheists do believe in or if atheists have faith in anything. Also, atheism is often seen as the opposite of religion. Religion is the belief in a god or gods, while atheism is the disbelief in the same. Does this view of atheism limit our understanding of what itRead MoreAntony Flew on Christian Life1823 Words   |  7 Pagestheir backs on their once held beliefs to argue that (Christian) faith is unreasonable and without real substance. Rationality seems to be the source of every argument for the non-existence of God, and is often understood as inherently opposing to faith. However, the story of Antony Flew is one that atheists can and should not discard, as he experienced something very different. Born into a Christian family Flew grew up in the church and was exposed to Christian beliefs and customs. He never reallyRead MoreAtheists Essay928 Words   |  4 Pagesimportant contributions to atheism, scepticism, agnosticism and religious critique through history. This page serves as an index to a series of short biographies of some of those individuals. Included here are historians, philosophers, statesmen, lawyers, scientists and more. Although separated by time and profession, what unites them is a common interest in reason, skepticism and critical thinking - in particular when it comes to traditional beliefs and religious dogmas. ThisRead MoreEssay about Atheism1742 Words   |  7 PagesAtheism The Christian god can easily be pictured as virtually the same god as the many ancient gods of past civilizations. The Christian god is a three headed monster; cruel, vengeful and capricious. If one wishes to know more of this raging, three headed beast-like god, one only needs to look at the caliber of people who say they serve him. They are always of two classes: fools and hypocrites†(Jefferson). Atheism is the belief that God does not exist and Judaism believes in only a unitaryRead MoreThere Is No Scientific Proof That A God Or God?1280 Words   |  6 PagesThere is no scientific proof that a god or gods exist; therefore god is but a myth. There are many different types of beliefs in this huge world. No one is quite sure what will happen after I die. They say that this will happen, or that, but at the end of the day, are those beliefs false? This is where atheists come in. Atheists do not believe in a god. â€Å"They argue that scientific evidence proves that life on Ear th evolved over many millennia, not according to the literal timetable of the Bible.Read MoreAtheism Vs Agnosticism : Atheism And Agnosticism1004 Words   |  5 PagesAtheism vs Agnosticism? All my life I wondered which of the thousands of religions, if any, is the right one to believe in. I’m sure most religious people have found their selves questioning if the God or higher power they’re devoting their time to is even real. I for one have done that more times than I can count. Today, there’s roughly 4,200 different religions in the world. That’s 4,200 different beliefs in the world, all believing in a different God or a different higher power. How can youRead MoreEssay on Atheism1218 Words   |  5 PagesInformative Speech Atheism Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about Atheism, why it important as well as the fundamental elements of being a part of it. I will discuss what Atheism is, how it originated, and the number of people who practice this religion. Central Idea: What is Atheism? Who? When? Where? And Why!? Organizational Pattern: Topical Introduction Forrester Church once said, â€Å"Religion is the human response to being alive and having to die.† In Christianity when oneRead MoreThe Persecution of Atheism in America Essay1357 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is atheism? Why would someone be an atheist? Why do people fear and dislike atheism? Simply stated, atheism is the lack of belief in a god or gods. Granted, atheists are each individuals and undoubtedly each of them prescribe [to] many different philosophies on life, politics and morality as do Christians. However, though atheists may choose to gather collectively for whatever purpose, unlike Christianity, atheism is not a belief system. An individual who identifies himself as an atheist isRead MoreWhat Would Make Someone Become Atheist?900 Words   |  4 Pagesreasons for atheism. The cause of atheism is often times personal, or based on specific life experience. The last decade saw an increase number of atheist arranging rallies and protesting laws that are based on a h oly book. For a long time, atheists were, quite stunningly, almost completely ignored by sociologists of religion† (LeDrew 2013). As a non-believer, an atheist feels like a minority all of their adult life, and have often been afraid to openly express and share their beliefs and ideas. As

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Why Are Print Advertising Obsolete Essay - 1290 Words

Why is print advertising obsolete? Nowadays, people get so many different types of advertisement such as a print advertisement, TV, and the Internet from companies. A few examples of print advertising are newspapers, magazines, or the Yellow Pages. Print advertising used to be the best choice for advertising products because it helps customers understand the products clearly and then they share it to others. However, with the development of Internet, print advertising has not had a massive impact on the field of advertising. In other words, the companies choose the Internet to advertise products to customers as oppose to print advertising. Furthermore, there is an increasing in tendency to read news, search information, and go shopping on the Internet. People can search Google to get the products’ information faster than a newspaper. Social media is also attracting more people to go on the Internet. Therefore, print advertising is obsolete because it is not only ineffective fo r advertising products and also less convenient than Internet advertising. With the rapid growth of new technology and the Internet along with a millions of time of searching Internet, it is an opportunity for advertisers to connect with customers. Many companies make use of the Internet to develop their businesses rapidly. Therefore, many advertisers considered changing advertising from traditional print advertising to online advertising because it is the most effective way to track the customers’Show MoreRelatedThe Revenue Picture For American Journalism1651 Words   |  7 Pagesfor American Journalism, and How It Is Changing 1. Advertising Still Dominates a. 69% of all domestic news revenue comes from advertising i. $43 billion of $63 b. Audience revenue accounts for 24% of the total revenue i. Subscriptions, cable fees, etc. c. Event hosting, marketing services and web consulting account for 7% of the total d. 1% total comes from Personal wealth, philanthropy 2. The Old and the New a. 58% combined digital and print ads i. Decline 2005: $49 billion (and 82% of totalRead MoreMarket Sizing: Case Interviews1632 Words   |  7 PagesINTERVIEWS 1. Frameworks 2. Market –sizing 3. New Product Launch 4. Competitive Defense 5. Key Measures 6. Advertising 7. Interview Questions CaseQuestions.com CQInteractive.com Frameworks Case questions have been popping up in marketing interviews for years. While there are many similarities between a consulting case interview andRead MoreAnalysis on Kilbournes Argument Essay1430 Words   |  6 Pagespro-vegetarian and pro-vegan ads that do not degrade women and still are persuasive. Jean Kilbourne writes about violence and the degradation of women in advertisements. Kilbourne explains her point of view in her piece, ‘â€Å"Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt’: Advertising and Violence.† Considering Kilbourne’s argument, PETA ads are a concern because of the suggested violence while other pro-vegan and vegetarian ads are not. Advertisements across the globe are becoming more and more violent. In a recent PETA adRead MoreWhat Are the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Five Main Advertising Media1773 Words   |  8 Pagesweaknesses of the five main advertising media? Advertising is a communication its soul purpose is to inform customers about various products and services and how to obtain and use them. Advertising is a business and its messages are conveyed to the farthest places on Earth. It uses all major medium to deliver its messages including television, movies, newspapers, radio, magazines, video games, the internet and billboards. Most advertisements are often placed by an advertising agency on behalf of a companyRead MoreThe Story of Stuff Review Essay1033 Words   |  5 Pagescut their largest expense- payroll. The consumption phase is one of the most important to the corporation- it’s the buy, buy, buy phase! But, why do Americans buy? Remember when the writers discussed the â€Å"carefully-scripted† culture in the United States? Americans have been conditioned to buy, buy, buy. The â€Å"stuff† is portrayed in print and video advertising as a â€Å"need,† not a â€Å"want.† It is the concept of â€Å"keeping up with the Jones’.† Your neighbor buys a new car- you need a bigger one. The neighborRead MoreMarketing : The Key Marketing Issue1346 Words   |  6 Pagesand so forth. 2. a) The pros and cons of alternative solution 1 to address these marketing issues/challenges. It is very essential for a product manufacturing company to showcase their product which is new and advance as compared to the older and obsolete product, to continuously dominate the market and gain trust of their consumers who will eventually buy their future products. So for people to know that a new product is launched, Intel should have organised grand launch events which invited peopleRead MoreMarketing Analysis : Marketing Strategies Essay1767 Words   |  8 Pagescentury later, product and service exposure has evolved into the focal point of all business strategies. Majoring in marketing with a concentration in fashion merchandising, I regularly seek out new ways to emerge myself in the world of fashion advertising. My focus narrows in on the collision of fashion and its consumers. After conducting thorough research, it is evident that there is a drastic pivot away from traditional marketing methods toward digital marketing strategies. In an age where technologyRead MoreAnal ysis of Lawn Industry in Pakistan3655 Words   |  15 Pagesprices of the cotton and other materials due to which the cost of production has been increased and the profit margins have been decreased. ïÆ' ¼ The main competitors of Pakistan are China and India; they are offering their stuff at lower prices so that’s why investors are shifting from Pakistan towards China and India. ïÆ' ¼ The value of Pakistani Currency is decreasing day by day. It is one of the main reasons of the economic instability and high inflation rate. ïÆ' ¼ China has taken the major share or partRead MoreDangerous Substances in Fast Food Essay1458 Words   |  6 Pagessystems, and beliefs that emerged from postwar southern California, that embodied its limitless faith in technology, that quickly spread across the globe, flourished briefly, and then receded, once its true costs became clear and its thinking became obsolete† (Schlosser). I believe that this is one of the most brilliant statements ever said. People need to realize that fast food companies are in it for themselves. People don’t need to eat their food; it’s not as inevitable as it may seem. If they didntRead MoreAqualisa Quartz: Simply a Better Shower 71553 Words   |  7 Pagespositioning is the successful creation of a market-focused value proposition, a cogent reason why the target market should buy the product. Disappointed by the product s early market performance, the Aqualisa Quartz will transform its superior quality into a new positioning strategy. With the new product will put Aqualisa in strong position by offering market with its new products that will make obsolete the traditional showers products (replace) and make direct promise of simplicity (reposition)

Friday, December 13, 2019

The Host Chapter 6 Followed Free Essays

string(47) " could see the lamp on over my apartment door\." The light was finally fading outside the windows. The day, hot for March, had lingered on and on, as if reluctant to end and set me free. I sniffled and twisted the wet handkerchief into another knot. We will write a custom essay sample on The Host Chapter 6: Followed or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Kathy, you must have other obligations. Curt will be wondering where you are.† â€Å"He’ll understand.† â€Å"I can’t stay here forever. And we’re no closer to an answer than before.† â€Å"Quick fixes aren’t my specialty. You are decided against a new host -â€Å" â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"So dealing with this will probably take some time.† I clenched my teeth in frustration. â€Å"And it will go faster and more smoothly if you have some help.† â€Å"I’ll be better with making my appointments, I promise.† â€Å"That’s not exactly what I mean, though I hope you will.† â€Å"You mean help†¦ other than you?† I cringed at the thought of having to relive today’s misery with a stranger. â€Å"I’m sure you’re just as qualified as any Comforter-more so.† â€Å"I didn’t mean another Comforter.† She shifted her weight in the chair and stretched stiffly. â€Å"How many friends do you have, Wanderer?† â€Å"You mean people at work? I see a few other teachers almost every day. There are several students I speak to in the halls†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Outside of the school?† I stared at her blankly. â€Å"Human hosts need interaction. You’re not used to solitude, dear. You shared an entire planet’s thoughts -â€Å" â€Å"We didn’t go out much.† My attempt at humor fell flat. She smiled slightly and went on. â€Å"You’re struggling so hard with your problem that it’s all you can concentrate on. Maybe one answer is to not concentrate quite so hard. You said Melanie grows bored during your working hours†¦ that she is more dormant. Perhaps if you developed some peer relationships, those would bore her also.† I pursed my lips thoughtfully. Melanie, sluggish from the long day of attempted comfort, did seem rather unenthused by the idea. Kathy nodded. â€Å"Get involved with life rather than with her.† â€Å"That makes sense.† â€Å"And then there are the physical drives these bodies have. I’ve never seen or heard of their equal. One of the most difficult things we of the first wave had to conquer was the mating instinct. Believe me, the humans noticed when you didn’t.† She grinned and rolled her eyes at some memory. When I didn’t react as she’d expected, she sighed and crossed her arms impatiently. â€Å"Oh, come now, Wanderer. You must have noticed.† â€Å"Well, of course,† I mumbled. Melanie stirred restlessly. â€Å"Obviously. I’ve told you about the dreams†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No, I didn’t mean just memories. Haven’t you come across anyone that your body has responded to in the present-on strictly a chemical level?† I thought her question through carefully. â€Å"I don’t think so. Not so I’ve noticed.† â€Å"Trust me,† Kathy said dryly. â€Å"You’d notice.† She shook her head. â€Å"Perhaps you should open your eyes and look around for that specifically. It might do you a lot of good.† My body recoiled from the thought. I registered Melanie’s disgust, mirrored by my own. Kathy read my expression. â€Å"Don’t let her control how you interact with your kind, Wanderer. Don’t let her control you.† My nostrils flared. I waited a moment to answer, reining in the anger that I’d never quite gotten used to. â€Å"She does not control me.† Kathy raised an eyebrow. The anger tightened my throat. â€Å"You did not look too far afield for your current partner. Was that choice controlled?† She ignored my anger and considered the question thoughtfully. â€Å"Perhaps,† she finally said. â€Å"It’s hard to know. But you’ve made your point.† She picked at a string in the hem of her shirt, and then, as if realizing that she was avoiding my gaze, folded her hands resolutely and squared her shoulders. â€Å"Who knows how much comes from any given host on any given planet? As I said before, I think time is probably your answer. Whether she grows apathetic and silent gradually, allowing you to make another choice besides this Jared, or†¦ well, the Seekers are very good. They’re already looking for him, and maybe you’ll remember something that helps.† I didn’t move as her meaning sank in. She didn’t seem to notice that I was frozen in place. â€Å"Perhaps they’ll find Melanie’s love, and then you can be together. If his feelings are as fervent as hers, the new soul will probably be amenable.† â€Å"No!† I wasn’t sure who had shouted. It could have been me. I was full of horror, too. I was on my feet, shaking. The tears that came so easily were, for once, absent, and my hands trembled in tight fists. â€Å"Wanderer?† But I turned and ran for the door, fighting the words that could not come out of my mouth. Words that could not be my words. Words that made no sense unless they were hers, but they felt like mine. They couldn’t be mine. They couldn’t be spoken. That’s killing him! That’s making him cease to be! I don’t want someone else. I want Jared, not a stranger in his body! The body means nothing without him. I heard Kathy calling my name behind me as I ran into the road. I didn’t live far from the Comforter’s office, but the darkness in the street disoriented me. I’d gone two blocks before I realized I was running in the wrong direction. People were looking at me. I wasn’t dressed for exercise, and I wasn’t jogging, I was fleeing. But no one bothered me; they politely averted their eyes. They would guess that I was new to this host. Acting out the way a child would. I slowed to a walk, turning north so that I could loop around without passing Kathy’s office again. My walk was only slightly slower than a run. I heard my feet hitting the sidewalk too quickly, as though they were trying to match the tempo of a dance song. Slap, slap, slap against the concrete. No, it wasn’t like a drumbeat, it was too angry. Like violence. Slap, slap, slap. Someone hitting someone else. I shuddered away from the horrible image. I could see the lamp on over my apartment door. You read "The Host Chapter 6: Followed" in category "Essay examples" It hadn’t taken me long to cover the distance. I didn’t cross the road, though. I felt sick. I remembered what it felt like to vomit, though I never had. The cold wetness dewed on my forehead, the hollow sound rang in my ears. I was pretty sure I was about to have that experience for my own. There was a bank of grass beside the walk. Around a streetlamp there was a well-trimmed hedge. I had no time to look for a better place. I stumbled to the light and caught the post to hold myself up. The nausea was making me dizzy. Yes, I was definitely going to experience throwing up. â€Å"Wanderer, is that you? Wanderer, are you ill?† The vaguely familiar voice was impossible to concentrate on. But it made things worse, knowing I had an audience as I leaned my face close to the bush and violently choked up my most recent meal. â€Å"Who’s your Healer here?† the voice asked. It sounded far away through the buzzing in my ears. A hand touched my arched back. â€Å"Do you need an ambulance?† I coughed twice and shook my head. I was sure it was over; my stomach was empty. â€Å"I’m not ill,† I said I as pulled myself upright using the lamppost for support. I looked over to see who was watching my moment of disgrace. The Seeker from Chicago had her cell phone in her hand, trying to decide which authority to call. I took one good look at her and bent over the leaves again. Empty stomach or no, she was the last person I needed to see right now. But, as my stomach heaved uselessly, I realized that there would be a reason for her presence. Oh, no! Oh, no no no no no no! â€Å"Why?† I gasped, panic and sickness stealing the volume from my voice. â€Å"Why are you here? What’s happened?† The Comforter’s very uncomforting words pounded in my head. I stared at the hands gripping the collar of the Seeker’s black suit for two seconds before I realized they were mine. â€Å"Stop!† she said, and there was outrage on her face. Her voice rattled. I was shaking her. My hands jerked open and landed against my face. â€Å"Excuse me!† I huffed. â€Å"I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was doing.† The Seeker scowled at me and smoothed the front of her outfit. â€Å"You’re not well, and I suppose I startled you.† â€Å"I wasn’t expecting to see you,† I whispered. â€Å"Why are you here?† â€Å"Let’s get you to a Healing facility before we speak. If you have a flu, you should get it healed. There’s no point in letting it wear your body down.† â€Å"I don’t have a flu. I’m not ill.† â€Å"Did you eat bad food? You must report where you got it.† Her prying was very annoying. â€Å"I did not eat bad food, either. I’m healthy.† â€Å"Why don’t you have a Healer check? A quick scan-you shouldn’t neglect your host. That’s irresponsible. Especially when health care is so easy and effective.† I took a deep breath and resisted the urge to shake her again. She was a full head shorter than I was. It was a fight I would win. A fight? I turned away from her and walked swiftly toward my home. I was dangerously emotional. I needed to calm down before I did something inexcusable. â€Å"Wanderer? Wait! The Healer -â€Å" â€Å"I need no Healer,† I said without turning. â€Å"That was just†¦ an emotional imbalance. I’m fine now.† The Seeker didn’t answer. I wondered what she made of my response. I could hear her shoes-high heels-tapping after me, so I left the door open, knowing she would follow me in. I went to the sink and filled a glass with water. She waited silently while I rinsed my mouth and spat. When I was through, I leaned against the counter, staring into the basin. She was soon bored. â€Å"So, Wanderer†¦ or do you still go by that name? I don’t mean to be rude in calling you that.† I didn’t look at her. â€Å"I still go by Wanderer.† â€Å"Interesting. I pegged you for one that would choose her own.† â€Å"I did choose. I chose Wanderer.† It had long been clear to me that the mild spat I’d overheard the first day I woke in the Healing facility was the Seeker’s fault. The Seeker was the most confrontational soul I’d come across in nine lives. My first Healer, Fords Deep Waters, had been calm, kind, and wise, even for a soul. Yet he had not been able to help reacting to her. That made me feel better about my own response. I turned around to face her. She was on my small couch, nestled in comfortably as if for a long visit. Her expression was self-satisfied, the bulging eyes amused. I controlled the desire to scowl. â€Å"Why are you here?† I asked again. My voice was a monotone. Restrained. I would not lose control again in front of this woman. â€Å"It’s been a while since I heard anything from you, so I thought I would check in personally. We’ve still made no headway in your case.† My hands clamped down on the edge of the counter behind me, but I kept the wild relief from my voice. â€Å"That seems†¦ overzealous. Besides, I sent you a message last night.† Her eyebrows came together in that way she had, a way that made her look angry and annoyed at the same time, as if you, not she, were responsible for her anger. She pulled out her palm computer and touched the screen a few times. â€Å"Oh,† she said stiffly. â€Å"I haven’t checked my mail today.† She was quiet as she scanned through what I had written. â€Å"I sent it very early in the morning,† I said. â€Å"I was half asleep at the time. I’m not sure how much of what I wrote was memory or dream, or sleep-typing, maybe.† I went along with the words-Melanie’s words-as they flowed easily from my mouth; I even added my own lighthearted laugh at the end. It was dishonest of me. Shameful behavior. But I would not let the Seeker know that I was weaker than my host. For once, Melanie was not smug at having bested me. She was too relieved, too grateful that I had not, for my own petty reasons, given her away. â€Å"Interesting,† the Seeker murmured. â€Å"Another one on the loose.† She shook her head. â€Å"Peace continues to elude us.† She did not seem dismayed by the idea of a fragile peace-rather, it seemed to please her. I bit my lip hard. Melanie wanted so badly to make another denial, to claim the boy was just part of a dream. Don’t be stupid, I told her. That would be so obvious. It said much for the repellent nature of the Seeker that she could put Melanie and me on the same side of an argument. I hate her. Melanie’s whisper was sharp, painful like a cut. I know, I know. I wished I could deny that I felt†¦ similarly. Hate was an unforgivable emotion. But the Seeker was†¦ very difficult to like. Impossible. The Seeker interrupted my internal conversation. â€Å"So, other than the new location to review, you have no more help for me on the road maps?† I felt my body react to her critical tone. â€Å"I never said they were lines on a road map. That’s your assumption. And no, I have nothing else.† She clicked her tongue quickly three times. â€Å"But you said they were directions.† â€Å"That’s what I think they are. I’m not getting anything more.† â€Å"Why not? Haven’t you subdued the human yet?† She laughed loudly. Laughing at me. I turned my back to her and concentrated on calming myself. I tried to pretend that she wasn’t there. That I was all alone in my austere kitchen, staring out the window into the little patch of night sky, at the three bright stars I could see through it. Well, as alone as I ever was. While I stared at the tiny points of light in the blackness, the lines that I’d seen over and over again-in my dreams and in my broken memories, cropping up at strange, unrelated moments-flashed through my head. The first: a slow, rough curve, then a sharp turn north, another sharp turn back the other way, twisting back to the north for a longer stretch, and then the abrupt southern decline that flattened out into another shallow curve. The second: a ragged zigzag, four tight switchbacks, the fifth point strangely blunt, like it was broken†¦ The third: a smooth wave, interrupted by a sudden spur that swung a thin, long finger out to the north and back. Incomprehensible, seemingly meaningless. But I knew this was important to Melanie. From the very beginning I’d known that. She protected this secret more fiercely than any other, next to the boy, her brother. I’d had no idea of his existence before the dream last night. I wondered what it was that had broken her. Maybe as she grew louder in my head, she would lose more of her secrets to me. Maybe she would slip up, and I would see what these strange lines meant. I knew they meant something. That they led somewhere. And at that moment, with the echo of the Seeker’s laugh still hanging in the air, I suddenly realized why they were so important. They led back to Jared, of course. Back to both of them, Jared and Jamie. Where else? What other location could possibly hold any meaning for her? Only now I saw that it was not back, because none of them had ever followed these lines before. Lines that had been as much of a mystery to her as they were to me, until†¦ The wall was slow to block me. She was distracted, paying more attention to the Seeker than I was. She fluttered in my head at a sound behind me, and that was the first I was aware of the Seeker’s approach. The Seeker sighed. â€Å"I expected more of you. Your track record seemed so promising.† â€Å"It’s a pity you weren’t free for the assignment yourself. I’m sure if you’d had to deal with a resistant host, it would have been child’s play.† I didn’t turn to look at her. My voice stayed level. She sniffed. â€Å"The early waves were challenging enough even without a resistant host.† â€Å"Yes. I’ve experienced a few settlings myself.† The Seeker snorted. â€Å"Were the See Weeds very difficult to tame? Did they flee?† I kept my voice calm. â€Å"We had no trouble in the South Pole. Of course, the North was another matter. It was badly mishandled. We lost the entire forest.† The sadness of that time echoed behind my words. A thousand sentient beings, closing their eyes forever rather than accept us. They’d curled their leaves from the suns and starved. Good for them, Melanie whispered. There was no venom attached to the thought, only approval as she saluted the tragedy in my memory. It was such a waste. I let the agony of the knowledge, the feel of the dying thoughts that had racked us with our sister forest’s pain, wash through my head. It was death either way. The Seeker spoke, and I tried to concentrate on just one conversation. â€Å"Yes.† Her voice was uncomfortable. â€Å"That was poorly executed.† â€Å"You can never be too careful when it comes to doling out power. Some aren’t as careful as they should be.† She didn’t answer, and I heard her move a few steps back. Everyone knew that the misstep behind the mass suicide belonged to the Seekers, who, because the See Weeds couldn’t flee, had underestimated their ability to escape. They’d proceeded recklessly, beginning the first settlement before we had adequate numbers in place for a full-scale assimilation. By the time they realized what the See Weeds were capable of, were willing to do, it was too late. The next shipment of hibernating souls was too far away, and before they’d arrived, the northern forest was lost. I faced the Seeker now, curious to judge the impact of my words. She was impassive, staring at the white nothingness of the bare wall across the room. â€Å"I’m sorry I can’t help you further.† I said the words firmly, trying to make the dismissal clear. I was ready to have my house to myself again. To ourselves, Melanie inserted spitefully. I sighed. She was so full of herself now. â€Å"You really shouldn’t have troubled yourself to come so far.† â€Å"It’s the job,† the Seeker said, shrugging. â€Å"You’re my only assignment. Until I find the rest of them, I may as well stick close to you and hope I get lucky.† How to cite The Host Chapter 6: Followed, Essay examples

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Managing Across Borders Privatization

Question: Discuss about the Managing Across Borders Privatization. Answer: Introduction: The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation that is HSBC is one of the largest banking and financial institutions and it has a customer base of more than 37 million worldwide. From the 19th century, it has started its global expansion and it has always been a long-term focused vision. In faster growing market and across international trade flows, the organization is well positioned, which would benefit from the engines of global growth (Hsbc.co.in 2017). Mission of this banking organization is connecting with customers to meet with their opportunities. It enable economies to prosper and business to thrive by helping people in realizing their ambitions and fulfilling their dreams and hopes. Vision of organization is to set the highest standards of behavior by aiming that all the customers and employees are proud of their business. HSBC aims to become leading private bank for business owners of high net worth and thereby building their commercial banking heritage. Organization opera tes in four primary segments such as wealth management, global banking, retail banking and global private banking (Amaral and Schocair 2015). HSBC has been committed to build local network with the help of branches and local agents. It went into high-risk industries and acted as local bank financing international trade. In the recent time, after a number of strategic expansions organization has dominated its presence in European and Asiapacific regions. HSBC has been shifting its focus to take proactive approach rather than being reactive. An organization enjoys international economic scale when it is seeking to expand internationally. This has occurred as HSBC has opened branches across continental Europe for selling its financial product in UK. It has been done by increasing number of outlets selling products. Diversity strategy of HSBC is based on the premise that quality of an individual service are the most important competitive differentiators (Berger et al. 2016). Reason for going international: HSBC is a leading international bank and it has strongly positioned its business to help business overcome the obstacle they face in foreign investment and trade. Organization operates in highly competitive environment and because of global market conditions; it needs to intensify its competitive position. Concentrating activities in banking organization such as HSBC has been increasing because of consolidation of competitive services industry. HSBC has been exposed to competition in financial services and capital market at local and global level alike (Bowles and Wang 2013). This is experienced in light of globalization. Some of the proactive reason for banking organization such as HSBC going international is the availability of competitive environment. HSBC intends to strategically seek out its competitive advantages by enhancing sales overseas. This is so because it may have access to resource, which may save on processing and shipping costs. Technological and regulatory changes are the main catalysts for the international expansion of the banking industry. Business system and adequate technology is an important ingredient of international expansion (Buggea et al. 2014). Integrated solution such as development process for Enterprise decision management, analytic models and software technologies internationally will help ability of HSBC to optimize profitability across the consumer-lending portfolio. This will help in supporting long-term objectives in Asian-Pacific region. HSBC needs highly scalable solutions for rolling out optimum decision strategies across the products. It will help in strengthe ning the leadership in booming consumer-lending market of Asia pacific and building rapid growth of credit card portfolio (Cagano et al. 2015). Internationalization strategy of HSBC relies on nurturing and identification of committed local partners with whom organization can entrust care for brand and innovative products. Sharing technical knowledge gained at the global level can be shared with local partners. This would enable them to create sophisticated solutions for the sophisticated consumers in the home country. If the business needs to succeed internationally, it must practice differentiation by offering unique products to niche markets. International activities are geographically well diversified. Performance of HSBC in emerging market is reinforced by the historical presence (Doz and Prahalad 2013). Emerging market gives real growth potential. Mutual funds of HSBC invested in emerging markets allow the customers to access most promising market in terms of growth. HSBC needs to focus on emerging markets for adjusting their strategies in order to capitalize and assess unanticipated opportunities. International expansi on helps in improving portfolio diversification of burgeoning investment opportunities. It would enable them to take the advantage of evolving economic growth prospects. The main competitors of HSBC are Royal bank of Scotland and Citi Group and Barclays Plc. Steps in developing international global strategies: Strategic planning forms the basis of global interdependence of any organization. Strategic planning concerning the requirement of key stakeholders and the success of its efforts helps in identification and formulation for ensuring sustainable growth of an organization. If the organization has strategic plan in place, then organization comes with the ability of anticipating opportunities and effectively responding to threats. It is critical for organization to grapple with new challenges. Risk to business is no longer isolated by geography and industry in todays globally interdependent environment (Vries 2015). Global business of HSBC is set on a global consistent business strategies and operating models. HSBC Bank Plc had established strategic alliance with Total Oil Trading SA. Such alliance has helped the bank in opening new segments to market and offer energy specific over the counter derivatives products to its clients. Alliance of HSBC with SA has come seeking to deliver HSBC has also made alliance with Global payment Inc for providing payment-processing service to merchants in United Kingdom. This strategic joint venture between HSBC and Global payment came with a number of growth opportunities. It had immediate priority of implementing number of direct key sales initiatives. This comprised of targeting specific segments if merchants, introduction of automation tool of sales force, enhancement of sale force training and using a more focused approach of sales. Capitalization on significant investment that has been made by bank in global solution development is assisted by such alliance. HSBC Plc group continues to unify in the way they present their brands across the global market. At the same time, it maintains the message of special cultural understanding and local specialization. It is likely to continue as strategy of bank for reinforcing its business in emerging markets. HSBCs communication is driven by strong customer insight that a global bank is intimidating for majority of consumers. Strategy of HSBC is executed through marketing and advertising. This is also done by living up to customer expectation by offering customer experience. It can be explained by an example, a recently launched product for brand in action that is HSBC premier, which allowed the customers to open bank accounts in 37 countries and getting assistance irrespective of their locations. Globalized execution can impart a lesson that global brands can find value that is appealing to local consumers. In this regard, organization has stared with positioning the strong brand through tweaks in communication cascades into local markets (Chey 2013). HSBC is worlds sixth largest public company according to a composite measured by Forbes magazines. It has around 4000 branches in seventy countries and territories of Asia, Africa, Oceania, South America and North America. Total strength of the organization stands at 235175 (Hsbc.co.in 2017). An organization needs to follow several steps while developing business internationally: Setting objectives of organization- Setting long-term objective is an essential step of an organization, which involves fixation and medium used for achieving those objectives. It concerns with deployment of resources for objective attainment (Sutyrin and Kovalenko 2016). Evaluating organizational environment- In the second step, general industrial and economic environment is evaluated. It comes with reviewing competitive position of organization. Such review helps in identifying competitive factors that are important for achieving success. Setting quantitative targets- Fixing the quantitative targets are the third step of international development strategy. Under this context, contribution done by organization in operating departments and products zone are identified. Aiming divisional plan- In this step, contribution made by each department to each product category are identified. For each sub unit, strategic planning is done by the organization. It makes careful analysis of trends of micro economic analysis (Yongding 2014). Networking- In this step, alternative business development strategies are included such as sponsoring, attending, conferences and networking. Organization can expand the networking by relying on web based networking group. Modification of plans aligning with international culture- Offerings of the organization needs to be modified for selling in different areas. Goal of this step is to ensure that documentation of international development demonstrate industrial objectives. Remuneration policy of organization has the achievement of strategic objectives. This is done through balancing rewarding for both short and long-term sustainable performance (Wenbing and Hongzhong 2014). Since year 2011, the group has been restructured for making it simpler and leaner. In todays time, organization has established rigorous control for protecting against misconduct and is growing financially. Through increased international connectivity, global economy has shifted long-term trends of company. HSBC has introduced regulatory changes for making financial services resilient. Organization has resulted in increased efficiency (Vavrus and Pekol 2015). It has optimized branch network and has introduced a new operating information technology model that has resulted in achievement of 4% cost reduction rate. Manual payment has been reduced by 25% through automation process (Sparrow et al. 2016). HSBC has witnessed a productivity increment in UK branches through online appointment booking and customer support. Time taken to approve the personal loan has improved from an average of twenty days to two days. Areas that are capital intensive has been the focus of organization for its usage reduction. This provide capacity for growth in areas of higher returning business and regions. On an adjusted basis. Organization has achieved the target of growing revenue faster than operating expenses. Customers are supported by providing tailored products and it has a justifiable claim for offering truly global relationship management. This mainly relates to global institutional clients and major corporate clients. Analysis of performance- In this step, performance analysis include the analysis of gap and discovering the gap between planed and desired performance. Degree of gap persisting between the long-term aspirations and actual reality of an organization is critically evaluated. Selection of strategy- This is the last step in international strategy development. In this step, after considering organizational strength, goals, limitation and potentialities, the best course of action is chosen (Steers et al. 2013). This also involves external opportunities. E-business: In order to serve the customers in a better way, organization is innovating in digital and technological innovations and thereby enhancing the security of customer data and financial transactions. Technological advancement made by the organization in financial services are improving customer experience, broadening access and lowering service delivery costs. At the same time, data that are held digitally are also exploding. This reinforces the need to bolster cyber security (Moran et al. 2014). HSBC has an urgent public policy that helps in clarifying the responsibility given the growing number of routes. HSBC operations, technology and technical support helps the organization in functioning effectively and improving satisfaction of customers. It offers to customer a wide range of career opportunities ranging from customer service position and roles of software engineering. Organization relies on technology for enhancing the productivity and this is done through appointment booking and online customer support (Shildebayev 2014). HSBC is currently investing in technology and digital feature of core payment and cash management and on Global Trade and receivable financial corporation. It has also enabled the mobile payment service in UK and US and in six markets of Hong Kong, US and UK; it has launched live chat online customer service. The customer login experience has been made simpler by making available digital secure keys (Macnaghte et al. 2014). New online banking platform has been launched. It was deployed in additional countries in the year 2016. There are some of the security concern over corporate banking of HSBC. Due to the huge technological advancement, it is required by bank to transform faster than its competitors are. There are few challenges faced by HSBC when it comes to technology. Personal banking website does not allow the customers to log on and the business accounts are not running fast. The technological issues was not attributable from external source and was not due to distributed denial of service (Eriksson et al. 2014). Organization also suffered major online banking services as the customers have not been able to access their online banking accounts as result of internal technical issue. In the recent time, HSBC also faced internet fraud and crime. It was however removed by mitigating measures taken by organization intending to reduce credit and losses resulting from fraud through digital channels. Internet banking of HSBC has come under denial of service attack. This had an impact on personal websites of the customers. There was also payment failure, which was mainly because of the backlog caused by some mega payment. E business challenge concerns technical glitches mainly with online banking (Jensen and Petersen 2014). Entry Strategies: In order to strengthen the global reach and portfolio products, HSBC has expanded its business in other foreign market; it has been focusing on Foreign Direct Investment. This strategy is adopted to enter any new country intending to geographical reaching in the world. This entry strategy is regarded as Foreign direct investment as it represents a direct involvement in the economy having long-term relationships. HSBC has gained the competitive advantage and success in the international market, various strategies has been used. Managing for growth is another strategy used by organization, which has helped the company in strengthening and development. This strategy has guided the company in maintain the top position among its competitors as it is aligned with organizational objectives (Yongding 2014). Organization has made use of strategic management for ensuring that business is helpful in gaining profits at local and international level. It is well acquainted in the name of company that the possession of goods in industry helps in becoming pleasing by the customers. Responsibility has been implemented at the corporate level and this will assist in recognizing accountability to customers (Huang et al. 2014). While entering new market, HSBC experiments with a technique called smart value positioning. It enables selling high product at the premium price. Expansion is also done by directly seeking the vendors. HSBC has also adopted the branding strategy while entering the new markets. A strong corporate brand act as a face of strategy portraying needs and objectives of corporates in the market place. It implements a stringent corporate branding strategy. Same common expression with a simple advertising strategy are adopted by HSBC throughout the globe. Such strategy helps in bridging the cultural gaps by portraying many faces of same strategy (Franois 2013). Recommendation: In the light of skeptic economic situation, it is recommended to HSBC to adopt the wait and see approach. They need to address the limitations concerning technology for ensuring that transactions and records of customer are supported by adequate expansion and capacity. For the international expansion in the emerging markets, it is required by HSBC to focus on implementing their plan. In developing country, one of the requirement for market entry is establishing an alliance with local firms. Developed countries allow foreign banks to establish through subsidiaries, offices and branches (Gikundi 2015). Emerging market based banks are arising due to global economic crisis. An important step to be taken by emerging market-based banks is to develop relationships with local regulators and possessing detailed knowledge of local regulations as well. In this regard, HSBC needs to understand the regulations they are facing because of international expansion. Alternative investment funds of bank should be able to harmonize information into platform of single data and thereby generating customized solutions for clients and greater transparency. Investment should be made in comprehensive data strategy wrapping data in advanced data modelling. Allocation of resources should be done by identifying and weighing risks and a vigilant approach should be adopted to cyber preparedness. For dealing with cyber breaches, there should be an established an incident response team (Ravasi 2015). Financial projections and strategy should be carefully reappraised. This is so because plans, budget, transactions and strategies need revision. There is a need to have transparent understanding of decision-making process, for which HSBC should adopt comprehensive contingency strategy. HSBC should also modify its strategies in order to comply with the tightened regulations and economic downturn. Conclusion: The assignment requires gaining a wide understanding of the internationalization of HSBC. Various factors such as entry strategies, E business and strategic planning have been discussed. This gives a deep insight into the strategies adopted by organization, which is an essential factor for success. Internationalization of HSBC has been associated with wide range of factors as it bring together various benefits to customers. With the development and improvement of products, company will be able to deliver the growth by enhancement of its culture in international markets. From the above discussion, it can be concluded that HSBC has been successful in maintaining competitive position in the markets it serve. Internationalization of banks has been a mixed blessing of shareholders for over a long period. Relationship between the consumers and producers in the market has been affected by brand image of organization. Investment made in client and sales management has resulted an increment i n average deposits by customers. Global footprint of organization has formed the basis of strong position in transaction banking products and this support global capital and trade flow. Networking scale of HSBC helps in offering the products to a larger customer base and thereby creating business synergies. HSBC was equally strong in maintaining brand image that brought success to the organization. Variety of products have been managed to be accommodated at the international level. This helped in establishment of reputation of company. Various strategies have been adopted by banking organization for dealing with the customers. However, there are few technological challenges faced by organization, which have been improved by adopting some standards. Reference: Amaral, M. and Schocair, M., 2015. 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