Body Image and Sexuality Essays

Self-perception and Sexuality Essays Self-perception and Sexuality Paper Self-perception and Sexuality Paper The initial phase in understanding the connection between self-perception and sexuality is to comprehend the significance of each. Self-perception is the means by which one sees one’s own body. Notwithstanding the basic definition, there lies a multifaceted nature in the down to earth significance of the word. Body fulfillment (or disappointment) is affected vigorously by one’s culture: the standard of the perfect body. In the US, the perfect female body is low in fat yet well proportioned. Be that as it may, in China, Ghana and Greece (Myth of Dionysius; Semiotic, 2006), the enormous midsections, bloatedness and weight in ladies are wanted and identified with bliss and bounty. In this manner, the meaning of self-perception is subject to how one’s observation is affected by his way of life and environmental factors. Sexuality has an increasingly scholarly definition, I. e. , the quality or condition of being sexual (Sexuality, 2006). Unambiguously, it is one’s degree of enthusiasm for sex. Sexuality is in most section an organic marvel, the enthusiasm of the female specie to the male as the contrary specie. Nonetheless, there are viewpoints in the cutting edge relationship that acknowledge the reality of homosexuality. In this paper, we limit our examination into the hetero part of sexuality. Two examines are being introduced to show the logical examination led by experts on the current theme. Research No. 1 McKay, A. of the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality (2000) talks about a review led by Ackard, D. M. , Kearney-Cooke, A. , Peterson, C. B. on the impact of self-perception and mental self portrait on womens sexual practices. In March 1997, Ackard, et. al, directed a study entitled Does Your Body Image Affect Your Love Life? included fit as a fiddle magazine. The reaction of 3,627 ladies age going from 14 to 74 years of age, finished school and gauging a normal of 145 lbs, was a 66. 4% fulfillment with their general self. Disregarding this, 60. 2% of them were disappointed with their appearance and some time 80. 5% revealed some level of fulfillment with their capacity to frame and keep up associations with others. (Mckay, 2000, p. 124) The study brought about an immediate connection between's self-perception and sexuality, I. e. , those happy with their self-perception, reacted as having higher recurrence of sex and accomplishing climax, than those that are disappointed with their self-perception. Moreover, the closeness and experience level of those the ones happy with their self-perception were higher than those that were disappointed: more noteworthy solace stripping before their accomplice, more prominent solace engaging in sexual relations with the lights on, more noteworthy solace attempting new sexual exercises, and more noteworthy trust in their capacity to give their accomplice sexual joy. (Mckay, 2000, p. 124) disregarding the abovementioned, Mckay (2000, p. 124) noticed that Ackard, et. al, (2000) presumed that general fulfillment is the more huge affecting variable to the respondents’ sexuality, more than self-perception itself. This is prove by the way that the general vanity and capacity to frame and keep up relations with others came about with a higher rate than the fulfillment of the respondents with their own appearance, which is self-perception. The Ackard, et. al review anyway has a restricted respondent base, I. e. the respondents are perusers of the wellness magazine and subsequently perhaps exceptionally centered around self-perception versus the normal lady. A more extensive subject base is considered in the following examination and presents an increasingly logical evaluation of the connection between self-perception and sexuality. Research No. 2 In 1998, Wiederman, M. W. also, Hurst, S. R. , led an investigation with 192 young ladies matured 18 to 21, 89. 6% were White, 7. 8% were Black, and 2. 6% were Latina, all brain research understudies of Ball State University, Indiana. In this analysis, explicit measures were surveyed identifying with self-perception and sexuality as follows: (1) relationship status, dating (coolly or solely) or submitted; (2) Sexual experience, genuine intercourse or oral incitement; (3) Sexual regard or the inclination to assess oneself emphatically as a sexual accomplice; (5) Attitudinal acknowledgment of easygoing sex utilizing; (6) Actual engaging quality estimated by a male and a female research aide; (7) Body mass file (BMI); (8) Body disappointment; (9) Self-evaluated materially allure; (10) Appearance direction on propensities identified with one’s appearance; and (11) Social shirking. (Wiederman Hurst, 1998) The outcomes were intriguing. Those that are seeing someone (level of duty with the other gender) were moderately littler, equitably increasingly alluring, and saw themselves as having progressively appealing bodies. Moreover, marginally more ladies who are not dedicated were disappointed with their self-perception. So also, those with no type of sexual experience were greater and equitably less alluring. They additionally had constrained or no activity to perform oral sex to a male accomplice. For sexual regard, those that scored high in self-appraised materially engaging quality had higher sexual regard and are not scared in social exercises featuring one’s appearance. Notwithstanding, for the two measures, there is a higher self-perception disappointment rate on those with high sexual experience and sexual regard. Along these lines, the creators inferred that the aftereffects of the present examination are not conclusive. (Wiederman Hurst, 1998) Relationship The straightforward response for the current inquiry is no: one’s self-perception is certifiably not a conclusive factor to decide one’s sexuality. People have the ability to beat horrendous, equitably unsuitable self-perception to accomplish a constructive in general smugness. Thusly, as prove in the two trials, one’s degree of sexuality is elevated also. References Body picture. (n. d. ). The American Heritageâ ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Recovered November 13, 2006, from Answers. com Web webpage: answers. com/point/self-perception Body picture. (n. d. ). Wikipedia. Recovered November 13, 2006, from Answers. com Web webpage: answers. com/theme/self-perception Henderson, K. A. , Hodges, S. , Kivel, B. D. (2002). Setting and Dialog in Research on Women and Leisure. Diary of Leisure Research, 34(3), 253+. Recovered November 14, 2006, from Questia database: questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5000812878 Mckay, A. (2000). Impact of Body Image and Self-Image on Womens Sexual Behaviors. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 9(2), 124. Recovered November 14, 2006, from Questia database: questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5001808421 Semiotics of Ideal Beauty. (n. d. ). Wikipedia. Recovered November 13, 2006, from Answers. com Web webpage: http://en. wikipedia. organization/wiki/Semiotics_of_Ideal_Beauty Sexuality. (n. d. ). Hurricane Encyclopedia of Cancer. Recovered November 13, 2006, from Answers. com Web website: answers. com/point/Sexuality. (n. d. ). The American Heritageâ ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Recovered November 13, 2006, from Answers. com Web website: answers. com/subject/sexuality Wiederman, M. W. , Hurst, S. R. (1998). Body Size, Physical Attractiveness, and Body Image among Young Adult Women: Relationships to Sexual Experience and Sexual Esteem. The Journal of Sex Research, 35(3), 272+. Recovered November 14, 2006, from Questia database: questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5001369622

Toy store investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Toy store examination - Essay Example There was another path called â€Å"Little Mommy†, which comprised principally of infant dolls, buggy, child jugs and phony diapers. The last walkway was called â€Å"Princess and Meâ€Å". This was my preferred passageway, since it was so interesting and eye getting. It was loaded up with princess crowns that are canvassed in counterfeit gems. It likewise had delightful shoes with heels, just as fantasy wings, tutus and ballet performer shoes. There were numerous things I discovered exceptionally upsetting about this segment. The main thing was the manner in which they depicted a woman’s job to these little youngsters, especially at this age in light of the fact that their minds resemble wipes. I feel this is simply encouraging them when they grow up they need to cook, clean and deal with their kids while looking spectacular. I was additionally stunned by the vocation decisions that are given to little youngsters also. Parenthood was the main job that was shown in th is segment. They likewise anticipate that the young lady should be more amiable and less brutal on account of the language utilized on the bundles. They regularly utilizes words like ‘pretty‘, ‘lovely‘, ‘friends‘, and ‘together‘. These words are shown in a round smooth lettering. The boys’ area was straightforwardly opposite the girls’ segment, beautified all in blue. This segment was likewise arranged by various subjects.

Long-Overdue Responses

Long-Overdue Responses This is a long one. Apologies in advance! First, a quick response to this Id just like to remind folks that blogging is not in my job description, nor is it in Matts. Its something we do in our spare time because we think that keeping in touch with you guys on a personal level makes the whole admissions experience more fulfilling for everyone involved on both sides of the equation. I apologize to those of you who think these blogs are just a glorified PR trick. Im not going to waste any time attempting to refute that my blog is what it is, and the folks who get it will get something out of it. Others wont, no matter what I say here. That makes me sad, but I can live with it, thanks to the rest of you. Okay, here are a bunch of responses to my blog comments NoCreativity thanks for your post and I am so sorry to hear about the student at your school who was killed. You couldnt have said it better people do need to try to keep some perspective when it comes to life and disappointments. Thank you for saying that. At the end of my junior year of high school one of my friends died in a car accident. I remember how my class came together in the wake of that experience cliques ceased to exist, people stopped arguing about trivial things, folks started to look for the good in each other instead of the differences. Its such a shame that it sometimes takes such a loss to wake people up to whats really important. Thanks for doing your part to keep these threads on the right path. As you also point out, however, people have every right to be disappointed if they didnt receive the big envelope. For me, seeing the admitted students happy is no consolation to seeing the deferred students so unhappy, because the former all got what they deserved whereas many of the latter did not. It would be so much easier if the number of qualified applicants matched the number of open spots. Anyway if you are comfortable telling me who you are (email address below), Id be psyched to read your essay. It doesnt sound familiar, which means I wasnt one of your readers for Early Action, but I can still read it if I know which file to open. :-) If not, no worries, I definitely respect the folks who wish to remain anonymous here. (Edit one thing I should mention, as Ive already received a few emails about this: unfortunately I cant offer feedback or advice on an individual case-by-case basis I wish we could, but it wouldnt be fair to other applicants who werent able to receive the same attention. I apologize for being misleading above. Basically, I meant that Id really enjoy reading the essays that are discussed here; I just cant respond to them directly. Im only allowed to give general advice written for everyone via the blog.) As for what you can do Marilee has written a letter which will be published this week in your MyMIT account. She says pretty much what Ive said in earlier entries theres unfortunately not much you can do, as you were likely deferred for space reasons, not because your application wasnt great. Off the record and I say that because this is a personal instinct and not one that is in any way officially sanctioned by the MIT admissions office Id say if youre going to send in something additional, address the idea of the match in some way. If you feel your application hasnt done this already, let us know why MIT is the place you really want to be. Talk about the real you what makes you feel truly alive in the context of MIT. Why is this the best place to continue the pursuit of your dreams? And feel free to hijack my blog any day of the week if youre going to add such good, thoughtful posts to the conversation. :-) Sagar asked should I be busting my ass over classes like french, where getting an A is very difficult, or should I spend my time doing the things I love, like bettering my chess engine, or my Neural Network CS projects, or My C interpreter, or my miniature mock particle accelerator? My two cents: you should do both, but balance them. You should strive to do your very best overall, but recognize that your life will require compromises and sacrifices. In a nutshell, we understand that your best in French may well be a B if your brain and priorities are wired more towards other things and thats okay. We know you could sacrifice your true passions to get that A in French, but at what cost? Lets say it takes an investment of 2 hours a day to raise your french grade from a B to an A, but it feels miserable, like swimming upstream. If you applied those 2 hours instead to something your brain was truly excited about, wouldnt that be a much better (and productive) use of the time? Just dont waste the two hours. Do something magical with them that will stand out from the application to the point that a reader wont even notice the B in french. People run into problems when they sacrifice one thing for another but then fail to follow through. Make sure that your B in French is balanced by something amazing you did with all the time you saved. On the other hand, you dont want to swing too far in the opposite direction. Anything less than a B in french could hurt you, especially in the later high school years. But an application with a solid B in French and vast accomplishments in other areas is likely going to be more competitive than one with a perfect GPA and nothing else. Does this answer your question somewhat? Its not totally a black and white issue you really have to be the one to decide what the best use of your time is. Id say most importantly, make sure you are true to yourself. Live your life! If you follow your passions and use your time wisely, success will ultimately follow. Mike D Feel free to call and ask for me. (When they ask where youre calling from, say Brooklyn and then scream NO SLEEP TIL!!!!) Seriously, I am here until 5PM M/T/W of this week (although not always at my desk sometimes Im out and about doing MyMIT stuff). Then Im out until 1/3. Matt is already gone for the holidays But if we can connect Id love to chat. Anonymous there is a space for the question you described. Its #14 in Part 2. (Thanks Sean for beating me to it!) You are welcome to send in additional materials, I think Matt was just saying that in most cases theyre not necessary your application is probably already very strong (see above for further discussion). Another personal opinion of mine I think its always good to check in with a school between getting deferred and Regular Action. It shows the school that youre still really interested (assuming that you are!). This can be done with supplemental materials or just a simple email or letter. Any of these will be recorded into your file and seen when your application is reviewed again. Earlier I wrote that trying to define admissions with a formula is like trying to explain poetry using calculus to which Marcus replied I thought calculus was a form of poetry. Marcus you are absolutely right (although the farthest I ever got was AB Calc, which didnt seem very poetic Im assuming it gets moreso in upper-level Calc?). Regardless, it was a bad analogy, especially in the company of all you math stars. Let me put it another way I read a ton of Shakespeare in high school and college and hated most of it until my Dad said Shakespeare was never meant to be read, it was meant for the stage. So I went and saw Shakespeare, and it changed everything it was brilliant. Trying to define admissions with a formula is like reading Shakespeare and thinking thats the extent of the experience. Accepting admissions for what it really is a wholly human endeavor thats like seeing Shakespeare on a stage, brought to life by the finest actors in the world. An anonymous poster asked how to email me its benjones at mit dot edu. I trust you can rearrange the anti-spam wording of that. ;-) And to the person who suggested the RSS feed for my blog fantastic idea. Ive been planning that for awhile and just havent gotten around to it, but it will be coming soon. Sorry for the delay, I know Im behind the times! Thanks to all of you for posting feedback for me. It makes this blog so much more fun. Happy holidays to everyone! -B

What Is A Cost Function

A cost function is a function of input prices and output quantity whose value is the cost of making that output given those input prices, often applied through the use of the cost curve  by companies to minimize cost and maximize production efficiency. There are a variety of different applications to this cost curve which include the evaluation of marginal costs  and sunk costs.   In economics, the cost function is primarily used by businesses to determine which investments to make with capital used in the short and long term.   Short-run Average Total and Variable Costs To account for the business expenses related to meeting the supply and demand model of the current market, analysts break short-run average costs into two categories: total and variable. The average variable cost model determines the variable cost (typically labor) per unit of output wherein the wage of the laborer is divided by the quantity of output produced.   In the average total cost model, the relationship between the cost per unit of output and the level of output is depicted via a curve graph. It uses the unit price of physical capital per unit time multiplied by the price of labor per unit time and added to the product of the quantity of physical capital used multiplied by the quantity of labor used. The fixed costs (capital used) are stable in the short-run model, allowing for fixed costs to decrease as production increases depending on labor used. In this way, companies can determine the opportunity cost of hiring more short-term laborers.   Short- and Long-run Marginal Curves Relying on the observation of flexible cost functions  is pivotal to successful business planning in regards to market expenses. The short-run marginal curve depicts the relation between incremental (or marginal) cost incurred in the short-run of production as it compares to the output of product produced. It holds technology and other resources constant, focusing on the marginal cost and level of output instead. Typically the cost starts high with low-level output and dips to its lowest as output increases before rising again toward the end of the curve. This intersects the average total and variable costs at its lowest point. When this curve is above the average cost, the average curve is seen as rising, if the opposite is true it is seen as falling. On the other hand, the long-run marginal cost curve depicts how each output unit relates to the added total cost incurred over a long run — or the theoretical period when all production factors are considered variable to minimize long-term total cost. Therefore, this curve calculates the minimum a total cost will increase per additional output unit. Due to cost minimization over a long period, this curve typically appears more flat and less variable, accounting for the factors that help mediate a negative fluctuation in cost.

Terrorism Terror, Panic, Horror, And Shock - 1514 Words

Hannah Tidwell Mrs. Foust Honors 12 English December 7, 2016 Terrorism Terror, panic, horror, and shock, are just a few words that come to mind when hearing the word terrorism. Throughout history, there have been many different terrorist-like and actual terrorist groups and organizations. These organizations have taken the innocent lives of thousands of people as a result of their violent attacks. This country and terrorism cannot coexist forever, but in order to make this country safer, the people of the United States need to be knowledgeable about the situation. There is a saying that says, â€Å"One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.† The definition of terrorism varies depending on whose prospective it is coming from. Three good definitions of terrorism come from The United States Department of Defense, The Federal Bureau Investigations (FBI), and the U.S. Department of State. The United States Department of Defense defines terrorism as â€Å"the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.† The FBI defines terrorism to be â€Å"the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.† Thirdly, the U.S. Department of StateShow MoreRelatedCRM 1301 Midterm uOttawa Carolyn Gordon Essay10218 Words   |  41 Pagescommitting another crime in the future) Affirm authority of the Church Social control Rid society of undesirables/deviants Religious Control – More shame than pain The Ducking Stool, Brank, Branding Socially Constructed Problem: The Moral Panic Moral panic: Occurs when a condition, episode, person or group of persons is defined as a threat to societal values and interests Moral entrepreneurs: can be an individual, group, or a formal organization who takes the responsibility to persuade the societyRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesbeginning in the late 1980s, marked another major watershed that further problematizes uncritical acceptance of the historical coherence of the chronological twentieth century. And the reunification of Germany and the reemergence of international terrorism, which were powerfully symptomatic of the unprecedented reach and intensity of the processes of globalization on either side of the otherwise unremarkable last and first years of the old and new millennia, represented both a return to trends reminiscentRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesindustry was being transformed as well, as billions of dollars of advertising was being shifted from television, radio, newspapers, and magazines to the Internet. But the time was nearing for Google to go public, and with this full disclosure would shock the investment community and make Google stock the darling of investors and employees alike. 5 Example cited in Seth Godin, â€Å"Your Product, Your Customer,† Forbes, May 7, 2007, p. 52. Going Public †¢ 17 GOING PUBLIC Finally in early 2004Read MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesâ€Å"Try not to let it touch your soul,† says Sutton. 4. Polish your rà ©sumà ©. Bullies sometimes go away, and sometimes they listen. But if they aren’t going to change and aren’t going away, you may want to plan your exit strategy. Take your time and don’t panic. But not every workplace is filled with bullies, and you’ll likely be happier if you’re in one of those. Source: L. Petrecca, â€Å"Bullying in Workplace Is Common, Hard to Fix, USA Today (De† cember 28, 2010), pp. 1B–2B; R. I. Sutton, Good Boss, Bad Boss:

Service Sabotage Free Essays

The relationship between frontline service employees and customers has always been interesting research topic for service marketers as the customer-contact service employee is the service and organization in the customers’ eyes and consumer interpretations of employee performance will create their impression of the service brand (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2009).Most early work on service frontline employees is based on the assumption that interaction between service encounters and customers is harmonious and productive, where service provider tries its best to satisfy customer’s needs and expectations and where service failure is generally described as service performance that fails below a customer’s expectations for all kinds of reasons – the service may be unavailable when promised, it may be delivered late or too slowly, the outcome may be incorrect or poorly executed, or employees may be rude or uncaring (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2009).But there also exist ano ther reason for service failure – employees who can sabotage the service brand through their performance at the front line (Wallace and de Chernatony, 2009). We will write a custom essay sample on Service Sabotage or any similar topic only for you Order Now Contact employees who willingly perform badly and actively work against the brand. The misbehavior which deliberately causes a poor service experience for a customer is often called as â€Å"deviant†, and the employee is labeled as a â€Å"service saboteur† (Patterson and Baron, 2010).Ind (2004) describes the brand saboteur as any individual who works against the brand idea and Harris and Ogbonna (2002) view service sabotage as employees’ conscious actions that are designed to affect negatively customer service. Research works on sabotage topic estimate that up to 75 percent (Harper 1990), 85 percent (Harris and Ogbonna 2002), and even 96 percent (Slora 1991) of employees regularly behave in a way that can be described as either intentionally dysfunctional or deliberately deviant.This paper aims to describe different approaches, perspectives, and motives for service sabotage at the front line and offers various implications and suggestions to help managers to better manage service sabotage. SERVICE SABOTAGE Workplace sabotage is commonly de? ned as any unconventional practice used by employees to show their dissatisfaction. Findings uncovered in studies of employee sabotage and deviance in manufacturing companies provided by Ackroyd and Thompson (1999) markedly differ from the acts of service sabotage uncovered by Harris and Ogbonna (2002).The effects of sabotage are typically delayed in manufacturing firms while almost immediate in case of services. Manufacturing sabotage commonly targets the firm itself or coworkers in contrast to service sabotage where the target of service sabotage is customer. Manufacturing sabotage actions interrupt production and negatively affect the operation and performance of the organization. In services, sabotage has negative affect on employee-customer dynamics and disrupts service encounters.And finally, sabotage in a manufacturing setting is perceived more as hidden phenomenon that have commonly covert and private nature as opposed to service sabotage, where 64% of the cases described were public. RESEARCH APPROACH There are differences between the authors regarding their perspective/point of view when conducting research on service sabotage. Most of the research works related to employee sabotage and deviance focus on service performance, employee behaviour, and on the service encounter between a customer and an employee from the perspective of the consumer.On the other hand, Wallace and de Chernatony (2009) decided to approach the topic of the service performance and service sabotage from the managers’ and employees’ point of view, while Harris and Ogbonna (2002, 2006) limit their studies on service sabotage to employee views as the aim of their works is mainly to identify the motivations and consequences of the various types of employee misbehavior. MOTIVATION FOR SERVICE SABOTAGE There is significant debate in the literature regarding the motives for employee sabotage.Hartline and Ferrell (1996) state that main causes of negative employee behaviour are stress, frustration, and confusion inherent in the boundary-spanning service role. This perspective is sympathetic to the front line service employees as authors suggest that ambiguous roles frustrate employees and this impacts on consumer satisfaction and consequently on the service brand. Employees may feel overworked, badly paid, and highly stressed (Hartline and Ferrell, 1996), which affects their behaviour.Harris and Ogbonna (2002) deny this perspective, and its assumption that employees are â€Å"malleable† and â€Å"submissive†. They also deny perspective that a saboteur is â€Å"deviant† as this may suggest that the individual is acting irrationally. Employees willingly misbehave and are fully intent in such actions (Harris and Ogbonna, 2006). Authors suggest that sabotage offers â€Å"equalisation† as it allows employees to react to difficult consumers or management demands (Harris and Ogbonna, 2006).Through a survey of low-wage frontline customer-contact employees Harris and Ogbonna (2006) showed that service workers’ c haracteristics are linked to their tendencies to sabotage service encounters, and service sabotage behaviors are associated with individual and group rewards, effects for customers, and other performance measures. Their findings further show that management control efforts and perceived labor market conditions are also linked with service sabotage and through employees’ motivation to comply sabotage increases team spirit.Their research works show high level of occurrence, frequency and diversity of sabotage behaviours, with over 85 percent of employees admitting to some form of sabotage. Wallace and de Chernatony (2009), based on their qualitative research on sabotage from the managers’ and employees’ point of view in retail banking suggest that sabotage arises from underperformance, rather than overt deviance, as suggested by Harris and Ogbonna (2002).Findings from Wallace and de Chernatony’s (2009) research lead to suggestion that there are three key issues that negatively affect employee performance and lead to sabotage: employee fear, overwork, and compliance. These issues influence job satisfaction, consumer resentment and employee security. They lead to brand sabotage, as they negatively impact on employees’ performance and on the communication of the service brand.Fear of logging complaints or offering service recovery is the first sabotage issue identified by Wallace and de Chernatony (2009). Employees’ failure to understand or comply with service requirements is perceived by mangers as a form of sabotage, even though the employee may not have a deviant motive for this behaviour, as service recovery is a critical component of service performance (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2009). Overworked employees trying to meet ? nancial metrics and consumer needs is the second issue suggested by authors.Overworked employees affect branch performance by creating problems and stress for other colleagues. Busy employees lead to dissatis? ed consumers (Wallace and de Chernatony, 2009). The third sabotage issue aroused by research is compliance. Front line employees view compliance as a detraction from expected service levels, which is reducing the efficiency of customer service, while managers view compliance in a positive way, as a component of service performance (Wallace and de Chernatony, 2009).Authors in their study further define role frustration, job dissatisfaction, informal cu lture and role ambiguity as negative components of employee behaviour, also called the drivers of sabotage. These are the states that negatively affect service employee attitudes and performance. Drivers lead to job stress, confusion, lack of clarity about the role and negativity. Affected employees negatively in? uence the consumer’s interpretation of the service brand, as negative behaviour con? icts with the service brand message (Wallace and de Chernatony, 2009).Wallace and de Chernatony’s (2009) ? ndings support Hartline and Ferrell’s (1996) perspective about employee sabotage and indicate that rather than retaliation or revenge (Harris and Ogbonna, 2002), it is frustration with excessive consumer expectations and an inability to serve consumer needs, which negatively in? uence employee behaviour (Wallace and de Chernatony, 2009). Lawrence and Robinson (2007) state that workplace deviance is a form of organizational resistance, caused by power and driven by provocations.Provocations come from disparities between a current state and some ideal state, need, or desi re, which creates frustration. Enactments of power can lead to a loss of autonomy and identity, and to perceptions of injustice, which together can provoke feelings of frustration, which in turn may motivate deviant behavior (Lawrence and Robinson, 2007). Authors suggest that organizational power has the potential to induce workplace deviance, while the nature of deviance as a form of resistance depends on the nature of the power that inducts it.Forms of power that are systemic (discipline or domination) will tend to incite deviance directed at the organization, whereas episodic power (influence or force) will tend to provoke deviance targeted at individual organizational members (Lawrence and Robinson, 2007). Deviant actions may be functional to those engaging in them because they serve to maintain and protect their needs for autonomy and sense of self-respect and fairness (Lawrence and Robinson, 2007).Lawrence and Robinson’s (2007) findings support Hartline and Ferrell’s perspective about employee sabotage, which state that one of the main causes of negative employee behaviour is frustration, and at the same time they support Harris amp; Ogbonna’s (2006) suggestion that service sabotage may represent the form o f resistance and equalization in labor-management relations, as Lawrence and Robinson’s (2007) findings also shows that traditional forms of resistance do not produce the outcomes that many employees desire and service sabotage may be employee’s covert form of equalization against the actions of manipulative management.Patterson and Baron’s (2010) research work on deviant behaviour of frontline employees in retail store offers different perspective on service sabotage phenomenon. It concentrates more on customers with their perceptions and notions, as they represents active part of encounter and directly influences service quality. Patterson and Baron (2010) suggest that customers often have negative preconceived ideas about the true motivations of employees. The results of their study surprisingly show that an overwhelming majority of customers ? d employees to be guilty of misbehaviour whether they witness incidents to support this contention or not. Customers generally perceive retail employees to be bored, lazy, and unhelpful, to discriminate between customers according to appearance, and to â€Å"act† their role to bene? t themselves or their supervisors rather that improve customer service (Patterson and Baron, 2010). Study illuminates fact that most customers, especially the young ones, have very low opinions of retail customer-contact employees and they enter the stores with shared pre-conceptions of why the employees are behaving the way they do.They do not expect to be satis? ed or delighted by the service employees. Authors uncovered that, while customer-employee encounter might seem polite on the surface, many service encounters are characterised as adversarial, a kind of running battle, a covert power struggle between staff and cynic customers who believe that the actions of store employees are motivated by self-interest and sel? shness. Customers use cynicism extensively as a resource that reassures them that they are not overly dependent on the retail employee.Through cynicism, they maintain their perceived relative power in the exchanges (Patterson and Baron, 2010), while contact employees being willingly unhelpful to customers simply and very effectively restore the social balance of power, which is surely on the side of the customers, since the discourse of consumers sovereignty privileges the needs of consumers, while necessarily, at the same time, negates the needs of employees (Korczynski and Ott, 2004). Patterson and Baron’s (2010) study findings together with Korczynski and Ott’s (2004) context of the balance of power in the service encounter suggest some similarity with Harris and Ogbonna’s (2006) and Lawrence and Robinson’s (2007) suggestions that sabotage offers equalisation in employee – customer relations, as it allows employees to react to difficult consumers. But tendency to be unhelpful does not necessarily have to be a deliberately conscious snub. It might be just a natural product of an employee’s human propensity to avoid physical labour; at least this is how the customer sees it (Patterson and Baron, 2010).IMPLICATIONS Based on various findings, coming from different studies on service sabotage and deviant behaviour, shown in previous section, the following part offers some of the recommendations, which should help managers to reduce employee sabotage at workplace. Harris and Ogbonna’s (2006) finding that individual chara cteristics are linked to service sabotage underpins the importance of frontline staff qualities and therefore, an implication of their study is need of consideration of these factors during recruitment, induction, training and probational period by human resource managers.Authors suggest that managers should critically evaluate the qualities of job applicants when recruiting employees into positions where service sabotage is possible in order to minimise the possibility of service sabotage incidents. Efforts to identify potential service saboteurs and measures to control their behavior should be implemented by company management. Use of cultural control efforts can also affectively change employees’ set of mind and help controlling the actions of service personnel when direct controls are ineffective, not in place or can not be used.Harris and Ogbonna (2006) further advice managers to use well-developed mechanisms and programs that are designed directly or indirectly to control the actions of frontline employees, including organizational culture interventions, psychological profiling and selective recruitment, electronic surveillance and a range of bureaucratic control mechanisms. Authors advise managers to develop strategies and tactics designed to enhance employees’ sense of self-worth (programs of employee empowerment, job enrichment, group-based socialization and reward systems, job rotation, self-development, self-improvement).In order to deal with fear, overwork, and compliance – issues that negatively affect employee performance and lead to service sabotage, Wallace and de Chernat ony (2009) recommend managers to ensure that employees are encouraged to own complaints and their fear caused by unrealistic metrics or perceived consumer retaliation is limited. There should be structures provided to support employees with large workloads, to ensure that they do not pass stress to their colleagues and employees should be evaluated on both ? nancial performance and customer service metrics.Procedures should be developed in a manner which best facilitates customer service and employee adaptability (Wallace and de Chernatony, 2009). Authors suggest that this could be achieved by management example, and through best practice training, which should include advice in dealing with customer retaliation and case studies of employee experiences. A frontline employee training is also strongly recommended by Patterson and Baron (2010). They suggest that it should be orientated on customer trust development, reduction of customer cynicism and support of employees’ constructive creativity.According to the authors, employee training should not be provided through functional scripts and handy customer service tips, as customers are inclined to be cynical in the ? rst place and the employee adoption of an organizationally devised script when dealing with customers reinforces their cynicism. This can eventually result in customers deliberately aiming to ruin the script and encourage service sabotage behaviours from severely bored employees (Patterson and Baron, 2010). Many authors and theories argue that organizations can and should increase managerial control to ensure employees act in company interests.Lawrence and Robinson (2007) in contrast state that attempts of managers to control and limit deviant workplace behavior m ay even increase such behavior, rather than reduce it. By conceptualizing deviance as a form of organizational resistance, we can move the study of deviance away from the notion that there are unique â€Å"deviant† organizational members (Lawrence and Robinson 2007) and so only by understanding the causes of deviance effective solutions can be identified. CONCLUSION This paper presents variety of opinions in the extant literature regarding the motives, drivers and issues of frontline service sabotage.Hartline and Ferrell (1996) suggested that the stresses inherent in the service role were responsible for creating bad. Harris and Ogbonna (2002, 2006) found that saboteurs were willfully misbehaving and sometimes acted out of desire for revenge. Wallace and de Chernatony (2009) proved that Hartline and Ferrell’s view is applicable to the banking sector and that the banking role is inherently stressful, and behaviour is affected as a consequence. Lawrence and Robinson (2007) argue that workplace deviance is often sparked by the systems of organizational power that lead to employee frustration and eviant behaviors. Their findings support Hartline and Ferrell’s statement that frustration can lead to negative employee behaviour, along with Harris and Ogbonna’s (2006) suggestion that service sabotage may represent equali zation in relations. Patterson and Baron (2010) found that frontline employees are trapped in an uneven power dynamic where markedly cynical customers hold the balance of power. Paper also presents implications of the ? ndings, to help managers dealing with workplace deviance and sabotage.Harris and Ogbonna (2002, 2006) recommend managers to use advanced recruitment techniques, improved monitoring measures, well-developed controlling mechanisms and strategies designed to enhance employees’ sense of self-worth, while Wallace and de Chernatony (2009) strongly suggest encouraging employees, providing employees support structures, improving employees’ evaluation metrics and using the best practice training when fighting the service sabotage. Patterson and Baron (2010) also argue that appropriate training in necessary for creating successful service encounters with cynical customers.Findings indicate that intentional sabotage is driven by range of factors (Harris and Ogbonna, 2006) and the service context in? uences behaviour. Extensive studies show that sabotage behaviour is very potential and ubiquitous phenomenon which requires constant attentio n and further research because deviant behaviour, when not confronted, becomes the norm (Patterson and Baron, 2010). How to cite Service Sabotage, Papers

Religious Practices and Meaning

Introduction Religious practices and meaning are constructed in relation to other social institutions like economics and politics. From the anthropological perspective, religion may alter economic and political structures or the latter may change religion, as well.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religious Practices and Meaning specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Relationship between social institutions and religion Religion plays a vital role in political change. Most religions take conservative stances about social matters. Many of these social issues are subject to political change. Consequently religion affects the overall direction that political change follows. For instance, Muslims have always had a conservative stance about women’s place in society. Some feminists in the Middle East have tried to oppose this view by advocating for better protection of women’s rights by the Quran. Strong Islamic believers have responded to these efforts by making religious decrees against such reformers. A number of them have even called for their death (Andreatta Ferraro 364). Therefore, religion and politics are intertwined because sometimes religion stalls major political changes. Muslims have always opposed different political values, as these are viewed as western and foreign. The same thing has taken place in predominantly Catholic states. This church has always taken a conservative stance against major political initiatives like abortion or gay rights (Andreatta Ferraro 149). On the other hand, religion may be a source of revolutionary change within a certain community. This happens when religious leaders take on reformist or revolutionary roles. A case in point was one by the Buddhist priests in Vietnam. A number of them burnt themselves to death in order to protest against the US-led war. This prompted US authorities to reconsider their position in Vietnam, and eventually led to their withdrawal. Another scenario occurred in South American during the 1970s. Catholic followers created a militant version of their faith in order to fight for the rights of the poor and the oppressed. Many of them lost their lives since they clashed with political authorities. Similarly, African American religious leaders have speared political change through mobilization and stimulation of the masses. Martin Luther King Jr. was first a religious leader before he became a political one (Andreatta Ferraro 364). His revolutionary stances led to substantial changes in civil rights movements and the liberation of black people. Furthermore, the Nation of Islam, which was an African American version of Islam, sensitized many blacks about marginalization in the American state.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These sentiments led to radical civil reforms, albeit through other r eform vehicles. As such, religious institutions have been a platform for political change from time immemorial. They have fought against injustice and inequality, and thus taken on a political dimension. Therefore, religion can alter political environments if members of a certain faith feel threatened. Conversely, social institutions such as economics can also alter religious practices or movements. In this regard, a dramatic change in the economic fate of a particular group may cause a religious revival of the affected group. This stems from the devastation and sense of hopelessness that the changes create. One such example was the case of a Native American group. These individuals were attacked by the Europeans and lost their land in the sixteenth century (Andreatta Ferraro 365). They could no longer carry out their traditional economic practices. Therefore the hunters, traders and warriors in this community lost their only means of survival. Many of them felt dehumanized and def eated. A series of antisocial behavior started developing, such as alcoholism. In response to this disorganization, a prophet emerged known as Handsome Lake. He created a new Native American religious movement that merged old practices with new concepts. For instance, it completely prohibited alcoholism. Furthermore, it embraced the western view of family institutions. The prophet advised men and women to participate in economic activities equally. It also encouraged members of the faith to adopt a series of agricultural practices from the Europeans. As such, an external economic change caused religious changes in the community owing to the devastation that the economic alterations created (Andreatta Ferraro 365). Another illustration of how economics affects religion is through the lives of Indonesians in the 1990s. In the previous decades Indonesians had been economically prosperous, with most of their investments emanating from the central government or foreign investors. Howeve r, in the late nineteen nineties, the economy of the country collapsed. Banks went bankrupt, foreign investors existed and unemployment levels reached massive proportions. As such, most people were disillusioned and extremely stressed. The Muhammadiyah Islamic organization arose in response to this situation. It claimed to be the ultimate solution to Indonesia’s problem (Andreatta Ferraro 365). Its followers were approximately 30 million in number.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religious Practices and Meaning specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This movement emphasized the importance of getting back to Islam’s moral values. Most Indonesians had abandoned their religious principles during the previous decades of economic prosperity. They were corrupt and cared little about religious teachings. However, in this period of crisis, the teachings of the Islamic organization seemed quite relevant to them, so there was a revival of traditional values. The movement also initiated a number of local economic projects such as job programs, health services and schools. Religious authorities in this group wanted to create some sort of economic independence in order to place economic control in the hands of locals rather than government bodies or foreign investors. Religion and economics are interrelated because failures in economics can lead to religious revivals that intend on fixing the economic problem. When discussing the relationship between religion and politics, one must look at the question of separation of church/ religion from state. The latter has been the subject of controversy in some western nations like the United States. Many citizens argue that religious expression in public institutions ought to be restricted. They also claim that religion should not interfere with public policies. However, other individuals do not share these same sentiments. Conservatives and Republican s tend to vote for people with strong Christian values. A number of them use Christian values in order to guide their policy stances. On the other hand, a certain block of voters also vote for leaders who hold similar religious stances as their own. Consequently, religion affects politics as a social institution because political representatives need to epitomize the overall religious values of majority of the population (Moro Myers 9). Religious nationalism is also another way of looking at the relationship between religion and politics. Many nations of the Middle East merge their political institutions with their faith. In fact, Arabic identity has become synonymous to Islam. Religious nationalism causes members of such nations to abandon ideas about tolerance and democracy as these are seen as contradictory to their principles (Andreatta Ferraro 368). As a matter of fact, many fundamentalist Islamic nations reject the concept of individual freedom. They believe that followers m ust sacrifice their selfish interests in order to propagate the true way. They treat western states as enemies and sources of retrogression in their nations. As a result, most of them have used their foreign policies in order to eliminate western influences from their society. Others have tried to cut ties with western nations in order to preserve their religious principles. Economic concerns have been thrown into this equation. Some western nations, such as the US, have invaded fundamentalist nations in order to fight for freedom and democracy in those nations. However, other analysts believe that the US simply uses this excuse to protect its economic interests in those oil-rich nations. Therefore, religion, which causes these nations to scorn democracy and personal freedom, gives some western nations excuses to invade their land.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, economic reasons underlie these invasions. A typical scenario was the September eleventh attacks. It was asserted that the US was conducting a war against terror when it decided to invade Iraq (which may have been partly true). Therefore, a fundamentalist religious act of terror propelled this political decision to go to war with another nation. Nonetheless, because Iraq has oil reserves, the US government may also have intended to secure its own economic interests when entering this nation. Religious stances affected economic and political actions between these two nations. In other circumstances, religious fundamentalists may impede economic and political development. Middle Eastern states initially banned books from western nations in order to protect their citizens from western influence. A number of these countries still censor particular books today. They also control other forms of mass media, such as, television in order to minimize indoctrination of the Islamic peo ple. These radical decisions have placed followers in a cocoon, and condemned them to economic stagnation. Furthermore, since concepts such as democracy are seen as foreign, then political development is also undermined (Andreatta Ferraro 204). Politics and economics are dependent on religion in order to function. Religion helps to make people obedient and responsible. The values taught in many religious institutions promote cooperation and cohesion. They make people perform good deeds and keep their promises. Such values tend to create a very conducive atmosphere for economic activities as trade depends on trust between the exchanging parties. On the other hand, this purpose of religion also strengthens political institutions because religion encourages many people to respect others’ rights. Many people will do as they are expected to without law enforcement because of their knowledge of right and wrong. It would be much harder for politicians to pass certain policies if th ere was no respect for human rights. Religion is a predecessor to proper political laws and regulations. The Ten Commandments are an example of how this interaction occurs. The commandments instruct followers on how they can interact with each other and with God. Most of them restrict the harm of other people through stealing, killing and coveting. If these religious teachings are obeyed, then good relationships will arise and social order will prevail. Because of this, religion plays a political role because it promotes order, which paves the way for political prosperity (Moro Myers 44). A number of economic premises tend to coincide with particular religious stances. Liberal capitalists tend to stay away from religious beliefs. Nations with many liberal capitalists will not consider religious values when making political decisions. Conversely, economic conservatives tend to thrive in countries with highly religious persons. Economic conservatives as well as Christians believe tha t liberalism leads to social degeneracy. They claim that a return to traditional values would protect people from drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, gun violence and family disintegration. Conclusion Economics and politics can transform religion when frustrations arise in these social institutions. Here, religious leaders may become change agents in politics or economics. On the other hand, religious values may undermine economic and political development through views held. Works Cited Andreatta, Susan Gary Ferraro. Cultural anthropology: An applied perspective. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Moro, Pamela James Myers. Magic, witchcraft and religion: a reader in the anthropology of religion. Boston: McGrawhill, 2010. Print. This essay on Religious Practices and Meaning was written and submitted by user Libby Blake to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.