Inspiration

However, security, trust and convenience are among the major contending factors affecting the adoption of e-payment systems in Nigeria. This paper presents issues on the factors necessary to facilitate the development of PEPS Niger a and devise ways to enhance its adoption by users. Keywords: electronic payment system, e-money, and e-payment, Internet. 1. Introduction The worldwide proliferation of the Internet has led to the recent birth of electronic payment system : a payment service solution-software that enables monetary value to be transferred digitally.Today, electronic payment system s flourishing due to the openness, speed, anonymity, digitization, and global accessibility characteristics of the Internet [1 2], which has facilitated real-time payment transactions and the r business activities. In this paper, we considered some critical examinations on the existing payment structure in Nigeria. AY so reviewed, was different related literatures on e-payment system, and data fr om research reports. T chemical Journals, newspapers, and magazines were likewise examined.. 2.A Brief Review of the General Payment System in Nigeria In a country like Nigeria, where almost eighty percent of TTS population rely on physical cash rather than electronic payment, it is not so simple Just for people and employers of labor, to consider and decide on the basis of cost and benefit of using e-payment systems [2]. In the course of preparing this research, we had the opportunity of visiting few/remote places to find out the perception of the people about electronic money. It was observed that most people have no common knowledge about the Internet, let alone the existence of e-payments.People are quite far from all the CIT developments take Eng place in banking. What people know about banking is the use of physical cash for opposite and payment, but not electronic payments. The existing structure of the Nigerian payment system is fully based on traditional payment instruments of cash and cheeses [18]. Even for large-value payments, like sale and purchase of land and building, people prefer physical cash rather than receiving any other form of payment. This also applies to the general popular Zion. In businesses, people prefer using cheeses and drafts.Thus, Apex Bank (Central Bank of Nigeria – CAB) operates a clearing house, with many network centers for performing queue clearing throughout the country. The clearing house renders revives to the member banks and financial institutions only. Generally, all the banks and financial institutions are members of the clearing house. 2. 1 Electronic Payment Initiative in Nigeria Electronic Payment initiative began recently in Nigeria. Not all the banks and FL uncial institutions are participating in the e-payment system [11]. Although to date, most of the commercial I banks have engaged in providing some form of e-banking services.It is to be noted that not all of these institutions extend their e- banking facilities to their entire branch network. The e- payment services are mostly provided in the capital city ND some bigger cities nationwide. As mentioned, the e-payment facilities available in Nigeria are Automated Teller Machine (ATM) service, debit card, credit card, mobile banking and Internet banking [5]. Intertwines Nigeria Ltd provides the switching and settlement facilities for trans actions performed on ATM; and transact Nigh. Ltd provides mobile e-payment solutions switching and service provider.Banks purchased their software from different vendors to provide all these services to their customers. Authenticity, inter-operability, validity and confidence solely depend on the supplier of hat software [3]. However, the central bank of Nigeria and the supervisory authority of the Nigerian financial system, has thus initiated steps towards the regulation of electronic payment cyst ms in Nigeria [2]. Electronic payment system has also experienced a lot of setback in recent years due to limited availability of ATM services [5].These machines are only made available to few bank branches and clients, while the demand for the card is higher than the services provided. Infrastructure and Information Technology (IT) constraints also contributed to some of the setbacks experienced (such as: gig cost of internet connectivity, energy challenges, banks not fully automated, banks not ready for electronic payment services, and contentedness of people with the existing system because of lack of awareness on the benefit of the new technology [11]. CICS. Reapers/locals-9-2-1-462-467. Dif Facilitating the adoption of e-payment systems: theoretical constructs and empirical analysis Document Information: Title: analysis Author(s): Gives Г ¶azans, (Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey), Guyana Binaural, (Brunet University, Submerged, I-J), Ray Hackney, (Brunet University, Submerged, I-J) Citation: Gives Г ¶azans, Guyana Binaural, Ray Hackney, (2010) à ¢â‚¬Å"Facilitating the adoption of e- payment systems: theoretical constructs and empirical analysis†, Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Volvo. 23 Sis: 3, up. 05 – 325 Keywords: Electronic commerce, Payments, Risk, Trust Article type: Research paper DOE 10. 1108/17410391011036085 (Permanent URL) Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited Abstract: Purpose – The emergence of online transactions, enabled through internet media, has led to an increase in the availability of electronic payment (e-payment) systems. This research aims to investigate, through theoretical constructs (technology acceptance model, theory of reasoned action) and an empirical analysis, the critical factors that may ensure consumer adoption of these facilities.Design/methodology/ approach – This research study mainly uses the deductive approach to consider secondary sources and primary data, where hypotheses have been developed in order to demonstrate the findings. An init ial literature review revealed six issues that are considered critical for e-payment considerations. An anonymous and self- administered survey based on the research model was developed and e-mailed to he respondents. A total of 1 55 questionnaires were coded and analyses using SAPS to analyses the hypotheses.Advances in information technology and changes in laws, institutions and regulations in some countries have encouraged the emergence of new payment instruments as well as the delivery and processing arrangements for small and large value, time critical payments. With e commerce now in the mainstream of economic activities, we can therefore expect more major changes in the payment systems worldwide in the next five years than we have in the last five decades. Obviously, the e Philippines cannot escape from this sea change.This paper discusses key operational concepts involved in a payment system and describes the emerging payment systems in industrialized countries. This gives d eveloping countries, like the Philippines, a preview of the likely evolution of their payment systems in the next few years as they deepen the integration of their economies with the rest of the world. The paper gives a detailed description of the existing payment system in the Philippines and disc uses innovations in payments media, especially noncoms payment instruments, and facilities for the clearing and settlement of payments.Areas for improving the efficiency and reducing risks in existing payment system have been identified. Developments in the payment system have implications for the conduct of monetary policy. The second to the last section of this paper, therefore, deals with this issue. In particular, it discusses specific payment system innovations, such as the switch to ARTS system m and use of electronic payments media, that can enhance or attenuate the effectiveness of traditional monetary tools. The last section presents some recommendations.Key words: payment system ; electronic payment system; credit transfer; debit transfer; electronic money; transmission mechanism; seignior; queue clearing. President, Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PITS). The author wishes to thank Dry. Vaccine Alden's, Jar. , member of the Monetary Board, and Mr.. Francisco P. Yap, Jar. , President of the Philippine Clearing House Corporation, for their insightful comments on the first draft of this paper. Thanks are also due to Mr.. Gill Olivarez Lime, Mr.. Francis vela, Mr.. Jerome A. Archangel, Mr.. Alton Offering, Ms. Carlisle Scintilla, and Mr..Joel A. Ramose for sharing their insights on how the payment system in the Philippines operates. The author s grateful to Ms. Sharon Theta Vital, Ms. Merle Galvan and Ms. Juanita Deletion for their excellent assistance in preparing this paper. The usual disclaimer applies. 2 INTRODUCTION It is commonly known that a country's infrastructure system determines to a large extent the efficiency of the economy. In a mod ern economy, the payment system I s a major component of the country's infrastructure system. Indeed, no country nowadays can afford to take its payment system for granted.Firms pay wages to their employees and purchase raw materials from their suppliers. In turn, they receive payments for the sale of their rodents and services. Consumers make payment transactions several times in a day. Needless to say, value is transferred among participants in the economy every minute of the day, and it increases as the economy grows. The country ‘s payment system, therefore, must be efficient so that funds can quickly move among market participants for productive use, thereby promoting more activities in the economy. According to Humphrey et al. 2000), the resource cost of a nation's payment sys tem can account for 3 percent of its GAP. Modernizing a country's payment system can certainly reduce that resource cost. Thus, while the country continues to spend on roads, bridges, power supply, etc. , it must not neglect to invest in its payment system m to improve the efficiency of economy, in general, and the financial system, in particular. Through the years, payment systems have considerably changed as forms of payment have evolved from precious metals to currency and checks and recently to electro ionic payments.These changes have been made because of the need to facilitate voluminous transactions occurring in rapidly growing and increasingly more sophisticated economies. Customers naturally seek the most efficient payment teeth, while providers of payment services normally seek the most profitable payments system. Advances in information technology and changes in laws, institutions and regulations in some countries have encouraged the emergence of new payment instruments as well as the delivery and processing arrangements for small and large value, time critical payments.With commerce now in the mainstream of economic activities, we can therefore expect more 3 major changes in the payment systems worldwide in the next five years than we have I n the last five decades. Obviously, the Philippines cannot escape from this sea change. Developments in the payment system have implications for the conduct of monetary policy. Well functioning financial markets can improve the effectiveness of Indore CT instruments of monetary policy because it is through these markets that the signal of monetary policy is transmitted to the intermediate and ultimate targets of the policy Monsoons et al. 998). The effective functioning of the financial market is, in turn, affected by the extent of the efficiency of the country's payment system. Also, rapid innovations taking place in the country's payment system can unpredictably alter the emend for and supply of money, thereby affecting the effectiveness of convene national monetary tools. Monetary authorities, therefore, cannot afford to be indifferent to the rapid innovations taking place in the payment system.A coun try's payment system, no matter how advanced and sophisticated, is not immune to risks. One part y in a payment transaction may not be able to receive or use the funds at a time when she needs them for another transaction for one reason or another (e. G. , fraud, bank closure, clearing and settlement failures, etc). More importantly, failure of one par captain to settle one large payment transaction could quickly spread to other transactions and institutions involved in the payment system, causing disruptions to the entire payment system.Systemic failure of the payment system can inevitably undermine t he effectiveness of monetary policy and adversely affect the real sector of the economy. The monetary authorities, therefore, have great interest in promoting efficient and sound payment system and in seeking ways to minimize systemic risk in the payment system because it has important implications for the conduct of monetary policy, the soundness of the uncial institutions and the fu nctioning of the economy as a whole (Baling et al. 996). Recently, the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems (CAP AS) of the Bank for International Settlements (IBIS) has developed core principles for systematically 4 important payment systems (see Table 1 These are certainly relevant to emerging market and transition economies especially since they are in the process s of improving their payment systems in order to better handle the growing payment flows within and across their borders.The development of these core principles clearly demonstrates he amount of attention currently given by developed as well as develop ins economies in modernizing payment system in light of increasing financial market integration worldwide. This paper in general attempts to assess the efficiency of the existing payment system in the Philippines and its implications for the conduct of MO notary policy. Section II discusses key operational concepts involved in a payment system. This provides a gen eral background to the issues discussed in the subsequent sections.Section II discusses emerging payment systems in industrialized countries. Modern payment systems have evolved in industrialized countries and rapidly spread to developing countries, especially to those that have already substantially liberalized their financial markets. This evolution has continued in response to the growing v illume and complexity of the transactions and as new technologies emerge. Thus, the emerging payment systems in industrialized countries provide developing countries, like the Philippines, a preview of the likely evolution of their payment systems.Socio n IV describes and makes an assessment of the existing payment system in the Philippines. Section V assesses the implications of the existing and likely evolution of the country's payment system for the implementation of monetary policy. The last section presents some recommendations. The IBIS is an international organization, which fosters coo peration among central banks and other agencies in pursuit of monetary and financial sat ability and serves as the central bank of central banks.Its head office is in Basel, Switzerland and its representative office for Asia and the Pacific is in Hong Kong. 5 Economic transactions involve the rangers of goods and services and the corresponding transfer of value . As illustrated in Figure 1 , these transfers flow in opposite direction. A pa Yemen system, which is indicated in the lower part of is a method of transferring value between buyers (payers) and sellers (payees). In reality, a payment system is much more complex than what is suggested in the figure above. 1998) provides the following comprehensive description of a payment system: â€Å"A payment system encompasses a set of instruments and means generally acceptable in making payments; the institutional and organizational framework overdoing such payments (including prudential regulation); and the operating procedures and co mmunications network used to initiate and transmit payment information from payer to payee and to settle payments. † This section discusses the functions, types of risks and payment instruments in a payment system.A. Functions of a Payment System Any payment transaction has essentially two parts: the flow of information providing payment instructions and the flow of funds . Both flows may have different timing and direction. Each payment trans action requires some form of payment instrument o convey the information about the transactions, which may include the face value of the payment, the identity of the parties (I. E. , the payer and the payee) and their intermediaries, the transaction date, ND the value or settlement date.Regardless of the type of payment instrument used to effect payment, the payment system's functions of clearing and settlement occur. Clearing is the process of transmitting, reconciling and in some cases confirming Payne NT orders or security transfer in structions prior to settlement, possibly including netting of instructions and the establishment of final positions for settlement. This will be clarified further below. 6 Settlement is the act of transferring â€Å"good and final funds† between two parties.A Payne NT is settled with finality when the payer can no longer revoke the transfer of funds to the payee and the funds have been delivered unconditionally to the payee. This is the ultimate objective of a payment system. B. Various Types of Risk in a Payment S http://drips. Pits. Gob. PH/iris/PDF/peptidase's. PDF Retail Electronic Payments Systems for Va lee Transfers in the Developing World Bill Manure Department of Anthropology University of California, Irvine [email  protected] Deed Work in Progress This is a draft concept paper.You are welcome to cite or quote, but please do not do so without the author's perm session. Comments welcome. Summary A new â€Å"payments space† has emerged in the past five to ten years that promises to bring access to funds transfer, banking and financial SE revives to millions of unbaked people in developing countries and in the diasporas that remit funds to them. This payments space is characterized by the I innovative use of new information and communications technologies. This paper summarizes the expel irenic to date of us chi new electronic payments systems.

Man in a Corner Essay

Augustus Cain is a good person, despite his background and upbringing he was able to emerge through the narrative. Cain is a man in the corner; his conditions determine his values and morals. He lost himself to himself and his own society. Although, he has lost himself he evolves and turns into a â€Å"soul catcher† throughout this novel many times, one of the souls he’s caught was even his own. He evolved as a person through breaking the four guiding principles constantly that his father said for him to follow. The four guiding principles were that â€Å"one should always respect one’s property: that it was necessary to care for protect it, to never misuse it, as it will someday be called upon to care for and protect you† (White 31); â€Å"That a Negro was in many ways like a child and it was the moral duty of the white man to look after and guide them† (White 31); † That his very whiteness not only set him apart from and above them – morally, intellectually, physically – but that it also linked him in a blood bond with every other white man† (White 32); † Whites and Negroes were created by the Almighty to be separate† (White 32). Cain engages in a forbidden relationship with a black woman named Rosetta. This relationship tests Cain’s character, will, care and decisions. She tests Cain’s will during her bathing in the river. While Rosetta is bathing, Cain is half turned away; â€Å"he felt this to be some sort of test of will, a temptation he felt bound to renounce in order to prove to himself, that he wasn’t common, that he wasn’t like Preacher or Strofes. That he was different† (White 206). He is also attracted to her in this scene. Post Rosetta exiting the river and him glancing at her and having a hard time averting this stare. He says that â€Å"he felt shamed as a rumbling commenced down between his own legs† (White 207) as he looked between hers. When Preacher tries to rape Rosetta, Cain almost kills him out of protection for her. When Rosetta is kidnapped Cain goes and asks around for her, and says  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’m trying to help her† (White 287) and pushes onward out of his determination to save her. After saving her Cain is captured by John Brown and says that he doesn’t plan to send Rosetta back to Eberly, and Brown believes him and sends him away to a settlement in Ohio called Gist. Cain and Rosetta are laying together in a cabin and Rosetta kisses him, they continue to kiss and begin to remove their clothes. Cain then thought â€Å"He knew that he was crossing a line that he could never cross back over again† (White 377) and they made love. Cain is different from the other men that are portrayed in this novel, that are to be thought of as of brothers to him because of the blood bond that they share. Cain is more sympathetic to blacks then the rest. When Preacher is beating Joseph, Cain hates preacher for his mindless cruelty and didn’t believe on harming anyone in his â€Å"profession† unless it was absolutely necessary. â€Å"He preferred using his wits rather than violence or force† (White 55). He also feels bad for Joseph, so much that he couldn’t ignore Preacher slashing cuts in his body. He says to him â€Å"Alright, that’ll be enough† (White 56) and kicks him. He also tells him to stop acting like a cur if he doesn’t want to be treated like one. He degrades him to a dog in this scene. He also tells Joseph that if he didn’t comply with them that Preacher would hurt him and that Cain himself â€Å"didn’t want that† (White 58). Post Preacher suggesting they sell the boy and Cain disagreeing and calling it common thievery. Preacher also says that he shouldn’t act so high and mighty and that â€Å"Slave catcher, blackbirder. They’re all the same in my book† (White 60). Cain responds that â€Å"No, we’re not all the same. I’m carrying out the law† (White 60). This was a point in the novel where Cain again separates himself from his â€Å"brothers† and explains that he’s only doing this because he has to survive and pay off his debt not out of the malicious intent like a blackbirder or most slave catchers. At the end of all this Cain gives the boy a dollar coin to pay him back for his eggs. Cain is compared metaphorically throughout the novel to the people that his whiteness is supposed to set himself apart from. Cain is a runaway. He ran away from the life of a farmer and slave-owner. â€Å"Cain had decided early on that he wasn’t cut out for the life of a farmer† (White 32). He instead  joins the military to basically escape this inheritance from his father. When he tells Rosetta this she says to him â€Å"that makes you a runaway, too, Cain.† (White 245). He also â€Å"runs away† from the problems in his world by drowning himself in the vices, which are also the very things that metaphorically â€Å"enslaves† him. He is an alcoholic who constantly drinks laudanum. He has a gambling problem and has sex constantly with prostitutes. He also was tired for working for people like Eberly. These kind of people were white slave owners â€Å"that thought their money made him their nigger† (White 11). Also Cain explains to Rosetta that he has to bring her back to Eberly although he doesn’t want to because of his honor. She says that â€Å"Honor. He done bought and paid for you just like me†; Cain responds â€Å"No one owns me†; Rosetta says â€Å"Oh, he own you, all right. The only difference between them was that she knows it and he doesn’t† (White 210). Cain is overall a different person at the end of this novel. He has involved in interracial affairs with a black woman. He hasn’t respected the technically â€Å"property† of another man which would be Rosetta to Eberly, by not returning her to him, which ofcourse was the right thing to do. He is also acknowledged by Rosetta and other people in the novel even John Brown, as a â€Å"good man†.

Starbucks Hr Management

Strategic Human Resources Management The emergence of strategic human resources management is rooted in manpower planning but it is the work of affirming the importance of managing people effectively as well as pursuing towards more flexible and innovative in order to be able to deliver services in constantly changing environment. Most of the literature review suggested that the advantage of valuable knowledge, unique set of skills and decision making capabilities can results in firm’s competitive advantage and value creation as well (Rochling et all, 2005).Therefore, an appropriate Human Resources practices can develops organizational capabilities such as empowerment, selective hiring, extensive training, performance evaluation, team based work and performance based pay work. Based on these six practices, the initial impact is on what employees have and feel. Selective hiring and extensive training are all aimed at building certain skills that enabling employees to effectivel y perform their jobs.In the addition on these practices along with rewards, performance evaluation, empowerment and team based work will create employee’s perceptions on the company’s fairness and desirability and then, will influence their commitment, motivation and motivation where it will directly affect on the firm’s performance. However, although these six practices being analyzed individually, they are not necessarily being practiced individually. This means that some of these can be combined together in order to get better results such as the combination of empowerment, team based work and rewards.This can be proved from the Whole Food Market case. The unique human resource practices in Whole Food Market was well known and thought to be the main drivers of its growth and profitability in the industry of natural and organic food retailers. The work culture in Whole Food Market was centered on the firm’s grassroots, which are the frontline level of m anagement which helped to eliminate bureaucracy. The firm empowered the existing team member to choose their own new recruits where they feel comfortable with in their team.Besides that, the firm also uses team based incentive (combination of team based work and reward) to improve cost saving as well as productivity. Each department within a store that runs by a team will be given a monthly payroll budget where the unspent payroll money at the end of the month will be divided among the team members. This method has successfully reduces unwanted costs and increases the firm’s performance financially. Extensive training has the potential side where training tends to develop more skillful expertise that eventually will boost up the employees confidents and motivation while performing their job.Whenever the firm did not provide sufficient training and development to the less skillful employees, this may lead to demoralization among the employees and then, reduces the productivity and firm’s performance. For example, Delta Airline, where the firm focuses more on cost reduction and did not put much effort on employee commitment. The firm has deducted training costs which considers as crucial expenses in the airline industry and causes lack of employee engagement in the firm. Consequently, Delta has dropped to the bottom of the industry in performance as compared to its competitors such as Southwest Airline.Every human resource practices costs money to develop and time to implement and these costs however, will go directly to the organization bottom line. For example, being selective in hiring may result in better employees but it will cost more in term of interviewing and testing. Providing more extensive training will increase their skills and potentially their attitudes but it will cause substantial amount of money spent to the firm. Thus, it is vital to implement a high performance human practices that increases productivity and at the same time do not let their costs surpass the benefits or that will bring no real gain for the firm.

Organisational Behaviour Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Organisational Behaviour Issues - Essay Example Cambridgeshire is a county council in Cambridgeshire, England. It came into existence in 1889, following the enactment of the Local Government Act of 1888 (Cambridgeshire County Council, 2011, p.1). It is an organization which draws its employees from a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds. It also employs people from both genders, irrespective of their age and whether they are physically disabled or not. Therefore, as an organization of a diverse nature, the Council has put in place structures to accommodate everyone as it strives to benefit from everyone’s skills, innovation, and creativity. The Council attributes its success, partly, to its successful handling of its diverse nature. According to Mullins (2007), diversity in an organization may lead to either its success or failure, depending on how it is handled. Therefore, it plays a very vital role in organizational behavior. As such, every manager with a strong passion to succeed in their duties should not only try a nd understand the diversity within their organization, but they should also effectively capitalize on it (Mullins, 2007). I believe Cambridgeshire County Council has been doing relatively well because its management has made sure that it has managed its diversity at the optimum level. This has, in turn, helped the Council to make a big step in developing its employees. It has, in the recent past, dropped assimilation and highly promoted acculturation throughout its activities (Cambridgeshire County Council, 2010, p.1).... Therefore, as an organisation of a diverse nature, the Council has put in place structures to accommodate everyone as it strives to benefit from everyone’s skills, innovation, and creativity. The Council attributes its success, partly, to its successful handling of its diverse nature. According to Mullins (2007), diversity in an organisation may lead to either its success or failure, depending on how it is handled. Therefore, it plays a very vital role in organisational behaviour. As such, every manager with a strong passion to succeed in their duties should not only try and understand the diversity within their organisation, but they should also effectively capitalise on it (Mullins, 2007). I believe Cambridgeshire County Council has been doing relatively well because its management has made sure that it has managed its diversity at optimum level. This has in turn helped the Council to make a big step in developing its employees. It has, in the recent past, dropped assimilati on and highly promoted acculturation throughout its activities (Cambridgeshire County Council, 2010, p.1). Leadership The Council has also tried to move away, as far as possible, from a somehow dictatorial form of leadership it used to employ, to a kind of participative style. This has been a way of handling power and politics issues within the organisation. To gain cooperation from subordinate employees, managers treat organisational leadership as a political issue; whereby people the employees are allowed to participate in the organisational activities with limited boundaries, and clearly knowing what they are bound to gain from the activities (Steer and Bigley, 1996, p.302). Today its management invests so much on its

Diabetes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Diabetes - Research Paper Example al., 2010). The use of pig cells for the purpose of treating diabetes was originally researched and practiced in treating Australian and oceanic region patients ailing from the disease (Soto-Gutierrez et. al, 2011). However, it has been increasingly used in treating patients suffering from the disease through the injection of cells that produce insulin throughout the globe. These cells are taken directly from pigs which are healthy and are mainly utilized on patients suffering from type 1 diabetes (Lopez-Larrea, et. al., 2012). The cells injected into humans are collected from the pancreas of pigs which are coated with the seaweed gel. The cells are then implanted into human abdomens for the purpose of producing insulin that later on helps in controlling the amounts of sugar in the blood stream (Soto-Gutierrez et. al, 2011). Reports indicate that when using the technology, all risks of infections from the animal cells should first be examined and eliminated to ensure that patients receiving the treatment are safe from animal infections. In the previous tests carried out on the use of these cells, the patients developed no side-effects and were seen to be staying away from the usual insulin injections that were expensive for most of them (Hakim et. al., 2010). Subsequently, the new method of treating the ailment has enabled patients who have been suffering from an unstable diabetic condition to seek adequate treatment since the use of injected insulin has become uncontrollable (Soto-Gutierrez et. al, 2011). In the recent past, many diabetes patients have been able to abstain from utilizing insulin in the treatment of the disease since they received the pig cells. The cells have benefited the patients by producing extra amounts of insulin to aid in the absorption of the glucose found within their bodies (Hakim et. al., 2010). The use of

Global support for trade , mixed with some doubts Article

Global support for trade , mixed with some doubts - Article Example Firstly these countries started trading a long time ago and the negatives of trade have started to show prominently along with its positive. Its human nature that we give importance to the negatives more than the positives even if the positive points are more in number. Secondly terrorism has developed a negative mind frame in every person, which is very obvious due to the terrorist activities that have happened recently hence people of the developed countries have started to think that any contact with the outside undeveloped countries might bring in terrorists and terrorism in their own country. The second aspect of the article is that capitalism has been the preferred mode of running the system of the country. Majority around the World agreed to the fact that capitalism is a more authentic mode. In the same way people also emphasized that environmental protection should be given priority even if that slows down the process of development of a country, I agree with this statement as education around the world is changing the way we think and saving environment should be our first priority. Another important problem that has arisen due to Globalization is of migration. People tend to migrate to developed countries for a better living standard. Another reason for people migrating are the wars going on around the globe. The migration problem has lead to the implementation of harsher immigration rules by some countries. The overall population around the World is against immigration. The article also covers the area of culture, which is how many people in different countries think that their culture is superior to other cultures. From my point of view every person has the right to decide whether his or her culture is superior to that of others. In this sense the Americans were most culture oriented and the majority thought that their culture is superior to other cultures unlike residents of other countries. This is due to the high development and standard of the U.S. residents. The article also checked out the relation between wealth and religious beliefs. This was an obvious result, as people don't normally associate closeness to religion by their wealth. It is not necessary that a rich person would be religious and it comes from rational thinking. Coming to homosexuality, most of the people said it can be tolerated but can't be accepted. This was an expected result as people don't usually interfere in the matters of others in the Western Countries and all types of freedom are given to people. This is another factor why people of Western Countries think that their culture is superior to other cultures because it minimizes boundaries. Countries that are developed and do not face any major problems or threats to their economy favored immigration and were happy to have people coming from all over the world to work in their country. This is because under developed countries find it hard to cope with the immigrants and the government itself looks to avoid immigrants hence it tightens up the immigration rules. Talking about democracy and dictatorship, it is obvious and proved many times that democracy is the best policy but in certain situations when the stability of the country is at stake people thought that dictatorship was the best policy. People mostly rejected this idea of democracy being the Western way of doing things by the fact that it does work everywhere, which has been proven time and

Cime criminology and modernity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cime criminology and modernity - Essay Example When a bank makes a mortgage loan it is balancing risk with probability of repayment in an attempt to maximize profits. Firms engaged in international trade may hold reserves in a variety of currencies to minimize the risk of currency fluctuations. In each of these examples the company in question is trying to minimize risk. The following discussion will focus on the emerging term of risk management and risk minimization in the context of criminology. Initially, the term will be defined. Then the development of the concept will be outlined. Subsequently, the implications of the emergence of the risk minimization paradigm will be explored. Finally, a concluding section will examine the broadest implications of risk minimization for criminology and the future of the view of criminology as the art and science of reducing risk. Risk Management Defined More recently, the term has been adopted by the criminology field. In criminology risk management focuses on assessing the risk to society a given-offender presents and allowing that assessment to define the response of the criminal justice system. For example, offenders identified as the greatest risk to re-offend are treated more harshly and incarcerated or most closely supervised. Those presenting less of a risk are less closely supervised. The idea is to target the majority of resources and interventions at those most likely to act anti-socially in the future. Risk management is deemed to be a useful tool for determining the allocation of resources in the criminal justice system and a useful tool for determining the level of intervention (incarceration, length of incarceration, supervision, and level of supervision) necessary for a given offender. According to Kropp and Kropp (2002) risk management is prevention oriented approach as it attempts to match interventions with the level of risk (of recidivism) that individuals present.2 They define risk assessment as â€Å"the process of speculating in an informed way about the aggressive acts a person might commit and to determine the steps that should be taken to prevent those acts and minimize their negative consequences.†3 In criminological terms seeks to match resources to needs in an effort to minimize risk to society by matching intervention to the likelihood of an individual to commit future anti-social, violent or criminal acts. Robert S Cormier provides a useful summary of the range of contemporary risk assessment:4 Risk assessment has been commonly used to classify offenders in order to place them in suitable levels of institutional security.... Assessments are also done to assist in decisions regarding when and under what conditions an offender might be released from prison into the community, and are used to determine the appropriate treatment interventions and the level of supervision required to maintain an offender safely in the community. Risk assessment is the measurement tool, risk management is the act of pairing interv ention to level of need, and risk minimization is the objective of the risk management school of criminology. The Origins of Risk Management Kropp and Kropp acknowledge that risk management in criminology was initially crude, impoverished and inaccurate.5 Historically, â€Å"

Importance of self analysis and continuous self development Essay

Importance of self analysis and continuous self development - Essay Example Analysts argue that individuals are bound to have flaws in their personalities; a factor that may cause a lot of predicaments in their lines of work. It is worse still, when individuals notice the possibility of hitches and not make any efforts to improve on their weaknesses. In line to this argument, therefore, it is important that self-analysis and self-development be regarded as the best paraphernalia towards successful business operations by managers. According to Colbert and Bono (2005, pp.200), self-analysis is a methodology that an individual undertakes in an endeavor to understand their own individualities, emotions and conducts. Through self-analysis, individuals are able to weigh their weakness, avoid culpabilities that may emanate from their weaknesses, as are able to handle them. On the other hand, it is only through, self-analysis that, individuals can utilize their strengths to the maximum. Continuous self- development Self-development is a term used to refer to the str ategies applied by managers to remain relevant in various occupations. Rees and Porter (2008, pp.274) argue that, continuous self-development is a process of search for answers and feedback, as well as, setting goals that are directed towards coming up with purposes of development of individuals. Self-development is self-directed and requires the individual to be dynamic in order, to grasp concepts that relate to their line of duty. Future manager with self – analysis and continuous self – development According to Meyer (2001, pp.7) self-analysis allows managers establish the roots of their weaknesses whilst in their jobs. Upon detection of managers’ quandaries, managers are able to devise the best measures, in an attempt to find the best solutions to their problems. Analysts argue that, it is through self-analysis that individuals are able to fit in various settings and interact with fellow workmates. If individuals have no self-identity, it automatically becom es an uphill task trying to establish a rapport between them and the other workmates. It is also through self-analysis that, individuals have total control of their actions. In this way, managers are able to access all forms of feedback form fellow workmates, and then devise a working plan on time. Managers acquire strength from self-analysis. Gold and Mumford (2004, pp.148) argue that, through self-awareness, managers are made aware of their weak points, work on the weaknesses, consequently, gain strength to run the organization. In the course of working, learning cannot be alienated form the venture. Most managers do not realize their potential and capabilities unless they undergo a series of self-analysis. Once managers go through a series of self-analysis, managers are in a better position to handle tough situations in their organizations by devising the best work plans to self-predicaments. In essence, self-analysis, allows managers have more strength to handle tough situations that may occur in the future. Self-analysis allows managers familiarize themselves with their work places and discern the sections that need modifications (Rothstein, 2010 pp.35). Upon familiarization, managers take up the responsibility of ensuring that employees are conversant with the goals and objectives of the organization. Communication on the goals of the organization is not possible if the managers are aware of their strengths and weaknesses. In this context, therefore, self analysis is credited to an establishment of professional rapport between managers and employees. In turn, the mission of the company can be easily interpreted and

Scanners and Xerox 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Scanners and Xerox 2 - Assignment Example establishment, the organization, which is currently headquartered at Norwalk Connecticut after migrating from Stamford Connecticut, has overtime been termed by various stakeholders as the ideal document management Corporation. This was major because Xerox Corporation has been at the forefront in management of data worldwide. In the recent past, however, multiple business pressures from various sectors of the economy have threatened the dominance of Xerox Corporation. In this essay, we are going to dwell on some of the multiple business pressures that have been threatening the dominance of Xerox Corporation as well as the strategies that the multinational organization adopted to stay relevant within the market. In addition, the essay touches on the role of IT in creating the business pressures and how IT can be used to avert some of the challenges. One of the most significant pressures that Xerox Corporation has faced is the recent past is the fluctuation in equipment sales. In the past, most of the products and services that were introduced by the American-based multinational were widely accepted within the society. In fact, the revenue that the Corporation used to earn from the sale of equipment was considerably high. In the recent past, however, the Corporation has failed to move some of the innovations that prioritized, making the multinational lose its grasp of the market (Walker, 2003). Another business pressure that has been faced by the multinational is the fact that it has on several occasions focused on high-profit margin businesses instead of investments that have rapid turns of low-margins; consequently, the organization has seen its earnings plunge considerably. Similarly, Xerox Corporation faced exodus of most of their innovative employees who were out in search of greener pastures. Various economic experts hold the belief that Xerox Corporation has been under significant business pressure because it has faced strong competition from other entrants

A sole trading business in Western region Assignment

A sole trading business in Western region - Assignment Example A sole trading business in Western region This international buying and selling of flowers by the sole trading business would be able to take advantage of the several measures taken by the government in improving the performance of the flower industry of UAE. The sole trading business under the name of Florist Fragrance would be in an advantageous position as they would be able to gain from the benefits of the innovative logistics centre set up for the trading of flowers. This would help the sole trading business to deliver the orders of their flower products to the international markets with less time and high quality of flowers with customized fragrance for their customers especially in the western markets. The business of sole trading under the name of Florist Fragrance would face specific disadvantages due to the product chosen for the international buying and selling in the western markets. Despite the resources and facilities available in the flower industry for quick delivery of the flower and the accessory products, the international business faces the disadvantage due to the high volume of cost to be incurred for restoration of the quality and fragrance of the flowers to be delivered to the customers. The flowers are considered to be perishable items which have a fixed span of life beyond which the products perish. The sole trading business are thus required to ensure that the flower goods and the orders of the customers reach them in the overseas market in the proper condition as delivered during the point of sale.

Bad Sugar Essay Example for Free

Bad Sugar Essay Unnatural Causes In this video Bad Sugar the Pima and Tohono Oodham Indians of southern Arizona have the highest diabetes rate in the world. This affects more then half the adults in this Indian group, but a century ago diabetes wasnt even heard of. What has happened to the health of the Pima Indians? During the 20th century the river water was used by white settlers and Pimas local Indians went into poverty and became dependent on the U. S. government. This resulted in the Indians eating tepary beans, cholla buds and wild life these everyday ood items changed to white flour, lard, processed cheese and canned foods. Needless to say this had a big impact on the Pima Indians. This exclusive documentary shows crucial evidence on how we pour more money into drugs, fad diets, medical technologies, but is it deeper then that? Evidence shows therere more to bad habits and unlucky genes. If we can find a solution to poverty we can solve many of the problems that individuals deal with on a day-to-day bases. As a future educator I will teach them strategies and help improve their daily exercise. Teaching hem strategies will help them to become independent with their exercise as well as quality nutrition and realize how truly Important It Is, which should lower the diabetic rate. Goals: 1 . Promote healthy lifestyles to prevent risk factors for pre-dlabetes, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke 2. Improve the detection, control and treatment of risk factors and pre-diabetes for the prevention of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke 3. Improve the detection, control and treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular disease to prevent complications and disabilities and reduce the severity and progression of disease

Parle Products History Essay Example for Free

Parle Products History Essay The original Parle Company was split into three separate companies, owned by the different factions of the original Chauhan family. †¢Parle Products, led by Vijay, Sharad and Anup Chauhan (owner of the brands Parle-G, Melody, Mango Bite, Poppins, Monaco and KrackJack) †¢Parle Agro, led by Prakash Chauhan and his daughters Schauna, Alisha and Nadia (owner of the brands such as Frooti and Appy) †¢Parle Bisleri, led by Ramesh Chauhan In 1929 a small company by the name of Parle products emerged in british dominated India at Parle, world’s largest selling biscuits started in vile parle. It was owned by the Chauhan family of Vile Parle, Mumbai. The intent was to spread joy and cheer to children and adults alike, all over the country with its sweets and candies. The company knew that it wouldn’t be an easy task, but they decided to take the brave step . a small factory was set up in the suburbs of Mumbai, to manufacture biscuits as well. since then, the parle name has grown in all directions, won international fame and has been sweetening peoples lives all over India and abroad. A part from the factories in Mumbai and Bangalore Parle also has factories in Bahadurgarh in Haryana and Neemrana in Rajasthan, which are the largest biscuit and confectionery plants in the country. Additionally, Parle products also have 7 manufacturing units and 51 manufacturing units on contract. AWARDS Since the first entry at the monde selection in 1971,parle products have been shinning in golds and silver consistently Monde selection is an international institute for assessing the quality of foods Currently, it is the oldent and the most respected organization in the field of selecting quality foods worldwide ABOUT THE COMPANY Initially a small factory was set up in the suburbs of Mumbai city, to manufacture sweets and toffees. The year was 1929 and the market was dominated by famous international brands that were imported freely. Despite the odds and unequal competition, this company called Parle Products, survived and succeeded, by adhering to high quality and improvising from time to time . A decade later, in 1939, Parle Products began manufacturing biscuits, in addition to sweets and toffees. Having already established a reputation for quality, the Parle brand name grew in strength with this diversification. Parle Glucose and Parle Monaco were the first brands of biscuits to be introduced, which later went on to become leading names for great taste and quality. For around 75 years, Parle have been manufacturing quality biscuits and confectionery products. Over the years Parle has grown to become a multimillion-dollar company with many of the products as market leaders in their category. The recent introduction of Hide Seek chocolate chip biscuits is a product of innovation and caters to a new taste, being India’s first ever chocolate-chip biscuits. All Parle products are manufactured under most hygienic conditions. Great care is exercised in the selection and quality control of raw material and standards ensured at every stage of the manufacturing process. Parle Products has 4 manufacturing units for biscuits and confectionaries at Mumbai, Haryana, Rajasthan and Karnataka. It also has 14 manufacturing units for biscuits 5 manufacturing units for confectioneries, on contract. All these factories are located at strategic locations, so as to ensure a constant output easy distribution. Today, Parle enjoys a 40% share of the total biscuit market and a 15%share of the total confectionary market, in India. The marketing mix of Parle for this project has been studied from the point of view of Parle biscuits; mainly Parle-G and Parle hide seek. Biscuit goodies: Parle G, Krackjack, Krackjack Crispy Creams, Monaco, Kreams, Hide andSeek, Hide Seek Milano, Digestive Marie, Parle Marie, Milk Shakti, Parle20-20 Cookies, Nimkin Sweets: Melody, Mango Bite, Kaccha Mango Bite, Poppins, Kismi Toffee, KismiGold, Orange Candy, XHale Munch on snacks! Musst Bites, Monaco Bites Cheeslings, Sixer, Musst Stix Musst Chips

Parametric and Algorithmic Design: Faux Forms?

Parametric and Algorithmic Design: Faux Forms? Architecture is often practiced in a world dominated by the many, the client or the public and in many cases only understood by the few. Architecture has been relatively unsuccessful at moving forward with the world often failing to relate and communicate with cultural shifts, changing ways of life and the advancement of technology. Where other design related practices such as the automotive industry have blossomed, re seeded, re grown and regenerated with shifts in the way people live and the technology of the present, architecture seems to have floundered. As a result architects currently work in an environment employing century old technologies, with a client market which avoids risks to personal gain at all cost and a public which often still sees the president seen in architectural history as the very form of a relevant architectural future. The masses seem bewildered by the possibilities presented by the possibilities of the present. Even fellow practitioners and academics with in the architectural discipline would appear to be slightly taken aback by the possibilities now available to us. Not just on a technological level, but the impact that these new techniques ma have on the very basics of architectural theory and form. This brings me to my question Parametric and Algorithmic Design: Faux Forms or a Relevant Architecture? Computer aided design changed many design orientated professions such as the automotive and aeronautical industries as far back as the 1980s when they were first properly developed. A digital revolution if you will. Compare this to architecture where production and design still use techniques, theory and knowledge developed during the industrial revolution. Although the majority, if not all architects do use some form of computer aided design techniques the boundaries can still be pushed further. Processes such as BIM (building information modelling) are starting to become a real force in architectural design in places such as the USA. BIM is a process where the architect does not simply draw a line as with traditional drawing techniques or with programs such as AutoCAD (which to an extent, is simply a digital version of a traditional drawing) but instead when an architect draws a line, he draws a wall, with the possibility to combine this information with a limitless selection of pr operties be they size, cost, structural or how they relate to other members in a design. BIM begins to hand back the title of Master Craftsman to the architect, where the architect can see how design develops as a whole and make changes accordingly. Parametric and algorithmic architectures are currently at the forefront of the BIM architectural thinking, they are the products of the few created using advanced computer scripting techniques and individually written pieces of software. Using the latest design technologies available to us, combining this with the modern materials and production techniques often developed in fields which have embraced the digital revolution more openly, parametric and algorithmic design can begin to challenge cultural, technological and historical boundaries which architects have maybe failed to fully challenge in the recent past. Parametric design is a process based not n fixed metric quantities such as traditional design but instead, based a consistent network of relationships between individual objects, the bricks are different but they are connected with the same bond. This allows changes to a single element whilst working with other components within a system. In a similar way to that of parametric design, developments in scripting have allowed for algorithmic design processes to advance. These allow complex forms to be grown from simple methods while preserving specific qualities. In the most basic sense, a user defines a set of rules, and the software would arrange the form according to the rules. If parametric design is a method for control and manipulation of design elements within a network of any scale, algorithmic design is a system and objects producing complex form based on simple component rules. With the combination of these methods, principles, modern production techniques and materials parametric and algorithmic architectures have the potential to push architecture, beyond doubt into the 21st century. Age old architectural problems and theory such as form vs. material and form vs. function can begin to be solved in new ways, construction times can be reduced, materials can be managed more efficiently, and building qualities can be improved significantly. In the analysis and comparison of two projects utilising parametric and algorithmic architectural design principles, I aim to fully understand how relevant these forms and methods of producing architecture really are when compared to their traditional counterparts. I have selected my examples from opposite ends of the architectural scale size wise, but from a similar family of traditional public architectural type form, analysing how relevant the parametric forms are in relation to different situations and settings. My first investigation, looks at a temporary theatre located within the site of Corbusiers Carpenter Centre A collaboration between architecture Firm MOS studios and artist Pierre Huyghe, selected for its truly unique location and its contemporary play on the more traditional theatre / pavilion / bandstand form. Theatres are traditionally very grand buildings, for thousands of years they have been part of human culture with forms as far back as ancient Greece still found in theatre design. This coupled with its band stand / park pavilion like size associated with formal pavilions form around the Victorian age made the project particularly interesting. The challenge for MOS studios was to produce a take on the theatre whilst reacting appropriately to its location in what is an extremely prominent place. The design in basic form is similar to that of any regular theatre with raked seating, unhindered viewing and high-quality acoustics but it was with the use of parametric processes that a theatre which corresponds to the individual conditions of the site has been produced. The theatre sits in the underbelly of the Carpenter Centre by Le Corbusier, commissioned to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the building. Corbusiers Carpenter centre is the centre for the visual arts at Harvard University, MA. Completed in 1942 the building is the only building ever completed by Corbusier in the United States of America and the last to be completed during his life time although he never actually visited the building due to ill health. The building corresponds with Corbusiers five points of architecture (as seen in the Villa Savoye, France) with interior elements such as the ramp, a dominant feature, exploding out from the inside of the building providing an s shaped walkway continuing into the environment. Curved partitions also extend through the main walls of the building in to the surrounding areas swinging to and from the pilotis which support them. This creates a series of interpenetrating interior and exterior events running along the promenade ramp. Within the design of the Carpenter Centre you can see the elements of projects spanning the entire career of Corbusier modified and adapted into this building. The puppet theatre itself, like Corbusiers Carpenter Centre, was designed with a set of parameters or architectural rules if will. These parameters were derived from a given brief and limitations of the space created by the Carpenter centre itself. To avoid damaging the Carpenter Centre no contact with either the ceiling or the buildings supporting structural systems was permitted. Therefore, fitting the puppet theatre in between these important structural barriers became key. The architect has described the theatre as an organ placed in a new host, it has a feel similar but not exactly that of a parasitic structure. Is seems not to be taking away, leaching from the Carpenter, but adding to it, giving it new life as though it really is a new organ, a new heart. This imagery is reinforced in the choice of materials for the theatre, further expressing the feel of new life. The main self supporting structure is a polycarbonate, clad on the outside with a moss. The moss adds heat and noi se insulation, absorbing sound from the nearby street with sound quality being of paramount importance in practicality of a working theatre. At night light from within the theatre glows through the light polycarbonate moss giving a green glow, as if it really is a new organ, a new hub from which life stems into the Carpenter Centre. The rounded form of the theatre was produced though the parametric manipulation of elongated diamond shaped panel units, each one individual in form, each one connected through the same set of parameters. This parametric manipulation was created through the limitations of site, the need for self supporting structural integrity, the use and the restrictions of fabrication processes during production. The ultimate form is therefore created through a system of analysis where the most efficient form was deduced using the parametric system. Most of the theatre was prefabricated and assembled off site. The elongated diamonds were designed to be produced from a single flat piece of polycarbonate minimising both manufacturing times and wasted materials. Each of the 500 pieces was CAM cut, before being folded into three dimensional forms with points drilled to connect each of the diamond forms. The entire structure could then be assembled by connecting the panels using simple tools. The use o f simple hand tools meant that the theatre could rapidly be assembled and dissembled, suitable to the temporary nature of the structure, it was imperative that the structure could not only be dissembled, but left no permanent trace of its construction on the carpenter centre. This again was made possible through the use of parametric design. Each panel is 3 in depth and spans over 15 at the centre; they were stiffened with a foam insert to help with rigidity with the combination of strategic panels being placed inside out, thus acting as key stones. These strategic inside out keystone panels also act as skylights, allowing light to travel both in to and out of the theatre. When assembled the panels dissipate forces around the skin of the theatre, creating the self supporting monocoque structure. The monocoque structure mean that mo permanent fixings or structural supports had to be made with the Carpenter Centre, therefore the puppet theatre became connected through its relevance as a design but remained separate as a structural object. With the puppet theatre sitting in a sunken exterior courtyard underneath the Carpenter Centre, the change in level of 1.25m between the street side and the courtyard had to be addressed, and so this became one of the key parameters in the design. This was overcome by incorporating the 1.25m change in level in to the raked theatre seating, with the actual performance stage sitting at the lower level of the courtyard. As you enter the puppet theatre at street level, the elongated diamond forms combine with the change in height and almost surreal sizing of the puppet theatre itself to creating a visual illusion, a false perspective. This invites the visitor into the theatre with a sense of magic and curiosity, drawing the eyes towards the stage end where the parametric boundary lines of the diamond forms stop abruptly with the introduction of the stage. The use of this optical illusion helps to reinforce the sense of theatre, a sense of magic that I feel could be easily have been misse d or overlooked with the use of other materials or construction techniques. You could maybe say that similar forms could have been created in concrete or wood, but then the all important play of light created by the polycarbonate panels chosen would have been missed. With the combination of material and parametric design theatre is actually incorporated into the design of the structure. The Glossy polycarbonate panels also reflect light, creating an ambient glowing light during performances, with the only lighting coming from the puppet show itself, this transforms the theatre into a glowing lantern at night, projecting its energy onto the bare barren concrete surfaces of the Carpenter Centre. It seems to work well in a juxtaposition between the high-tech nature of the design and the connection created with what is a very ancient form of entertainment, connected by lighting which would seem to draw you in a similar way to that of a candle light. During the day the reflectance is reversed when the natural light brings the exterior surroundings into the puppet theatre, this focuses the attention on what is happening in the outside world, the walls almost become the walls of an aboriginal cave, telling the stories of the exterior world as they are happening. This connection to the outside world through the reflectance of light is reinforced by the framing of a single t ree which sits beyond the entrance of the theatre. It frames the view with some purpose whilst creating a sense that the tree could possibly ask as some barrier, a limit to the boundary of the theatres threshold. Through extensive analysis and research this theatre and its host building, the carpenter centre I believe that this truly is a remarkable form, an excellent piece of design. The theatre works with and answers to every one of its parametric challenges. Through the use of parametric design I feel that a form has been created that would otherwise never have been imagined or realised. The organic form of the theatre, created using very non organic production techniques answers to the brief on so many levels. It creates this new heart, new hub for the Carpenter Centre. It does not try and mimic the great modernist architecture used by Corbusier himself, but in no regard does it fight against it, it somehow moves in to an architecture beyond, with each individual member of the theatre being very geometric, but arranged in an intelligent way, produce a form which is more organic. Neither structures the same but they do work together. The puppet theatre design speaks of the Carpenter centre today; it speaks not of the architecture and the Carpenter Centre of the past, but the architecture, the people and the Carpenter Centre of the future. The architects could have chosen so many different approaches to producing a pavilion of sort on this site but Im positive they would have struggled to produce a design that overall worked more responsively with the entirety of the design challenge presented. The second example of parametric architecture that I have analysed is the Mercedes Benz Museum, Un Studio, Stuttgart 2005 with parametric and algorithmic working by Designtoproduction. This example of parametric design was selected not for its obviously parametric appearance but for the way in which parametric modelling combined with BIM was used in the construction and design of what can only be seen as a truly revolutionary building. Today the majority of the worlds exceptional historical, cultural and artistic pieces of are all in place, the future of the museum, as seen with this, the Mercedes Benz museum, lies with those who can fully communicate a specialist collection, what they are about and where they came from. They have the capability to stimulate a culture much more than a generalist collection, the works, the cars in the museum coud be seen to speak much more of the people that the majority of todays art. This is where the use of parametric design can be seen to influen ce and completely communicate the work of Mercedes in a new way. The importance of museum design has been at the forefront of architectural thinking since Frank Lloyd Wright first challenged the plan of the museum with the design of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, 1969. Since then museum has been challenged again and again by a multitude of architects such as Renzo Piano Richard Rodgers with The Pompidou Centre, Paris, 1977 and Daniel Libeskind with the Jewish Museum, Berlin, opened 2001. The Mercedes Benz Museum can be seen to relate to all of these examples in its pursuit to step forward away from the regular, to challenge the spaces, circulation paths and forms of a museum, to create a museum of purpose. The success of a museum depends upon the inventiveness of its internal arrangement, spaces created and its ability to exhibit artefacts within these spaces in a relevant way. The museum will / has become famous not only in the continuing line of challenging museum architecture starting with buildings such as Frank Lloyd Wrights Guggenheim in New York but for putting the digital design process firmly on the map. Stuttgart is home of the Mercedes Benz brand, and so with the need of a new museum, UN studios were chosen to redesign a new museum on a new site close to the main gateway to the city, where the old museum had previously been located in a dedicated building within the actual Mercedes factory. The design is based on a concept involving the over laying of three circular forms in plan with the removal of the central space creating a triangular shaped building height atrium area. In section the building raises over eight floors in a double helix form, maximising space and providing 16,500 square meters of useable space on a relatively small footprint. Originally the brief brought to UN studio suggested that the building should be no more than two storeys high with worries that any more height in the building may cause complications with exhibits, for example the manoeuvring and exhibiting of lorries, circulation problems around such large pieces and structural integrity of the building w ith extremely heavy exhibit loads. With the site being situated so close to a major motorway it was soon suggested by UN studios that the building should be taller relating to the close situation to the motorway, seeing that problems such as circulation and weight of exhibits could be overcome with the correct knowledge and attitude towards the project. The circulation system used in the Mercedes Benz Museum s similar to that used in the pompidou centre Paris, with the circulation running around the external facade of the building. In a similar way, the circulation can be seen to draw clear links with the ramp like circulation of the Guggenheim New York. The main difference with both of these buildings is that the Mercedes Benz museum has, through advanced construction techniques combined with the use of parametric modelling is able to convey the main forces applied to the building to a structural core through floor slabs rather than perimeter, therefore fully liberating the facade and plan of the building. The visitor enters the building on the ground floor where they are met by the vast scale of the open atrium. This ground floor is home to the general facilities expected of a large museum; reception, gift shop and cafe but it is where the tour begins that the form really takes a leap forward. The museum is designed so the visitor is transported to the eighth and top floor of the building before working their way down double helix form ramps on a tour that would take approximately six hours to complete in entirety. Transportation to the top floor is a celebration in movement itself, the visitor is transported via a portal like elevator with limited viewing; flashes of projected imagery are seen from the inside. Once at the top floor, two tours split from the starting location each following one of the double helix ramps, each following a different side to Mercedes vast history. The two tours known as Collection and Myth vary in their exhibits with the Collection tour being more of a h istoric timeline of Mercedes design and the Myth tour taking more romantic, cultural take on Mercedes history, featuring some of the companys greatest designs and cars previously owned by the likes of Ringo Starr. As a result the special feel of the two tours h seen designed to vary and adapt to the various exhibitions enormously. The Collection tour is flooded with natural, truthful lighting whilst the Myth tour is illuminated in a much more theatrical way, mimicking the romance and glory associated with its exhibits. The tour paths do cross at various points through the vertical of the space, allowing the visitor to pick and choose between the two tours. The eight levels of the building are separated into regular and special areas, based on their functions within the museum and their impact of the structure as a whole. The levels alternate between single and double height spaces as they progress through the vertical of the building. Classical sculptors such as Bernini and Brancusi knew the importance of the pedestal, they were masters of this, once again the pedestal has been utilized in this museum, creating views, highlighting without blinding and focusing the visitors attention where it is needed. Not only have plinths been used but with the employment the semi circular ramps which hug the exterior boundaries of the building, perspectives have been produced, providing new, interesting and invigorating views of the exhibitions. Viewing the leaf shaped, semi circular, exhibition spaces from a multitude of heights as you descend through the building generates a series of panoramic overviews. Visitors see the exhibits from higher, low er, closer and more distant view points. No viewing angle is ever quite the same, and the normal head on viewed approach is avoided, there is a sense that you will never capture every view throughout the tour, that the building is constantly changing, twisting around and beyond you, that you as the visitor never quite fully understand where you are within the building. Together the pedestal, panoramic viewing spaces and constantly twisting forms create a new special complexity within the form of a museum. Never before has something been exhibited like this before. There is a constant feel of movement within the exhibits and the form of the building. The museum tries to set the static in motion says one German architectural critic, as if it wants to prove that the architecture is still alive, it has been said to explore motion in all of its possible expressions. The whole acts as an accelerator for the different, unpredictable and sometime incomprehensible spaces presented to the vis itor. The open plan has been achieved through the ability to transmit vertical loads to the central distribution cores via the floor slabs with the facade systems carrying limited vertical loading. The floor slabs within the exhibition areas cover an area of almost 30m without intermediate structural columns, made possible through the use of parametric modelling and advanced structural calculation. In addition to the actual exhibit weights and live loads such as visitors to the museum the floor slabs also have to transfer a significant amount of the horizontal load from the twisted exterior structural system to the huge central tri column core of the building. The floors slight curvature and incline help to create a truly dynamic space around the cars aswell as creating the structural support for the building. The floor folds, becomes the wall before folding again to become the ceiling. UN studios most recent works have been described as relating to and recalling ways in which baroque architects worked and diagrammed their work. Van Berkel, co founder of UN studio, amused by the comparison says I have been really fascinated by Bernini and Borromini. Not just in their buildings but by their incredible ability to cast their discipline into question with innovative representation techniques. These techniques are imperative in the means of bridging the gap between the abstract of thought and the realism of building construction, they become essential when beginning to comprehend how a structure may work and how building may operate. They open new horizons and give architecture a holistic dimension, a means of creating volumes that respond dire ctly to project requirements. As an ultimate statement: The Mercedes Benz Museum by UN studio could not have been created without the help and research offered by Designtoproduction and their parametric work. There was limited time to design what can only be described as one of the most complicated structures in modern time, and so, over two hundred and forty six different companies and engineering firms were employed to help with the production of the Mercedes Benz Museum. Designtoproduction were able to provide solutions to the gaps between separating design and production. This was imperative as these steps are interconnected, they highly influence each other and with so many different teams working on the project, strong design and production links were needed. Parametric design proved to be the key to the buildings success in this regard. The only solution was to control the geometry of the building as completely as possible using the latest computer technology Ben van Berkel, UN Studios co founder and direc tor. The intertwining forms of the Mercedes Benz Museum meant that the forms could barely be described using standard plans and sections, yet contractors needed working plans, sections and details to construct the building. From the basic geometry of 2D parametric modelling, the edges were transformed in to constantly rising 3D forms by layering levels; ultimately the 3D volumes of the structure began to rise from the layering of plans. For different building components the geometry was directly taken from the model, thus closing the chain of information from early design stages until the construction and fabrication. For example, the formwork for doubly curved surfaces was accurately developed into plain boards taken from information in the parametric model. Designers dont think in numbers, they think in relationships, in connections, in the whole. CAD packages do not think in relations, they think purely in numbers, they do not care for relationships or what they represent within the form or design of building. The parametric CAD models that Designtoproduction produced combined these numbers behind the developing building in a set of a parameters, dictating what would work and what would not; therefore thousands of numbers become merely a handful of meaningful parameters. The parametric model for the Mercedes Benz Museum was not only part of the design but key to the construction. It linked the participating trades in the building in a harmonic whole with the architect acting once again as the master craftsman at the helm, overseeing the construction as a whole. Unlike those who use digital architecture merely for aesthetic qualities, UN studios have gone beyond anyone else in the means of imaginatively managing a building through a des ign with a mathematical parametric model, without compromising the initial design principles, cramping the design with formal or preconceived solutions. The Guardians architecture critic Jonathan Glancy has described the building as jet-age baroque. The use of parametric design tools, the architect had been able to design and create a building which seems as though it is a product of or closely linked with the Mercedes Benz brand. It screams movement, technology, the future, and the impossible. If you think about this building in any other sense, an exhibitor of modern art, an exhibitor of any other form of specialist collection or historical artefact it simply would not work. The building would seem to be truly purposely tailored to the client and purpose, that of exhibiting the greatest works of Mercedes Benz, with this, the museum is already seen by many as one of the single most astonishing buildings of the new century. The Image of God | Literature Review The Image of God | Literature Review The term image is everything is truer today than its ever been before. Whether its the designer clothes a person is wearing, place of residence, the car they drive or the calculated lines they recite, presentation is now replacing content when it comes to discerning the authenticity and character of a person. This is the measure by which people are valued nowadays; superficially and without substance. Unfortunately and sadly this is also true within the church. We lack concern when it comes to the true character of an individual, but we care more about their gifts and talents. Its seems like society and the church are captivated and awestricken with an individuals false persona, and television personalities rather than a persons character. This standard is used chiefly because of the materialistic and/or secular nature of todays society. Much of this is done either consciously, or subconsciously, in an effort to enhance ones image as seen through the eyes of man, ones friends, family, peers, and even society in general. All that being said, the term, image is everything is alive and well. However, it shouldnt have validity for the reasons described above, but rather because man is created in the image and likeness of God. This is the true image that should shape the manner in which Orthodox Christians live their lives. Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Gen 1: 26-27) The significance of man being created in Gods image is sometimes overlooked due to the complete silence of the rest of the Old Testament on this subject (In the Image and Likeness of God by Vladimir Lossky). However, the Orthodox Church lays the utmost emphasis on the image of God in man (The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware). To acquire the likeness of God is to become deified or to become a god by grace, this is the ultimate goal of Orthodox Christians. According to the church fathers, the terms image and likeness do not mean the exact same thing. In general, the term image can be thought of as the powers with which each one of us is endowed by God from the moment of our existence. By making proper us of being created in His image, each one of has the ability to acquire Gods likeness or to be deified. (1) Oddly, its meaning image of God has been debated, a hot topic, if you will, for centuries in and outside of the church. Most theologians argued that it is the human mind the capacity to exercise reason or rationality, the intellect which marks us as being made in the image of God. It also distinguishes us from animals. The argument for this is that God himself can be described as acting in accordance with reason. Gods actions, Christians affirm, are always consistent with Gods inherent qualities, such as love, justice and mercy. God is consistent and trustworthy, and so can be said to be characterized by perfect reason. In creating human beings, God gives them, uniquely, a capacity for reason that reflects Gods own reason. It is in this respect that Christians believe we are in Gods image. (2) I. Image: The image of God is a key concept in Christian theology. It is foundational to Christian thinking about human identity, human significance, bioethics, and other topics. Many Christians see evolution as incompatible with the image of God. How could Gods image bearers have evolved from simpler life forms? Doesnt image-bearing require miraculous creation of humans rather than shared ancestry with chimpanzees? When in the evolutionary process did humans attain this image? These questions are tied to many other issues concerning human origins, including the soul, the fall, and the historicity of Adam and Eve. The phrase image of God does not appear many times in the Bible, but the importance of the concept is emphasized by its repetition in the scripture: Then God said, let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27) Herein, its clear that part of bearing Gods image is ruling over the animals. Genesis 9:5-6 reveals another aspect of image bearing: all human lifeblood is sacred because all humans are made in the image of God. The emphasis on Judeo-Christian thought on the sanctity of human life is derived in part from this passage. In the New Testament, the idea is expanded further as Christ is revealed as the true image of the invisible God. (2 Corinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:15). Being made in the image of God, says Lyons and Thompson, does not refer to the physical body, the posture, or the authoritative aspect of man. It is true that the word image (Hebrew tselem) is a term used in certain contexts within the Old Testament to refer to a model or to idols (and thus can refer to a similarity in physical appearance). It cant and doesnt denote such meaning in Genesis 1:26-27, nor in any of the other passages referring to the imago Dei (image of God). God is not like unto gold, or silver, or stone (i.e., He is not physical; Acts 17:29). As Ashby Camp observed: God, of course, is a spirit (Jn. 4:24), and the O.T. stresses his in corporeality and invisibility (see Ex. 20:1-4; Deut. 4:15-16). So, the resemblance no doubt relates to some nonphysical aspect(s) of humanity (1999, p. 44). Since it is the case that a spirit hath not flesh and bones (Luke 24:39; cf. Matthew 16:17), then man does not bear the image of God in his physical nature. (6) Creation in the image of God distinguishes humankind from all other life forms said Milne in Know the Truth. Additionally, he said, traditional interpretations of the image refer to features such as human knowledge, moral awareness, original moral perfection and immortality. He goes on to say some scholars argue for a physical meaning for the image. And he also declares that others have argued for humanitys alleged Trinitarian constitution, or the image as human dominion. (Gen.1:26-28.) They are looking forward to the renewal of the dominion in the kingdom of God through Christ, the embodiment of the image. (Heb. 2:5-9) Furthermore, more recent interpretation Milne says, has spoken of the social nature of the image, human experience as being-in-community reflecting the divine being-in-community of the Godhead. Barth extended this interpretation specifically to the man-woman relationship. (Gen. 1:27) God created (humanity) in his own imageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Male and female he created the m. Irenaeus distinguished between the image, which he identified with human reason and moral freedom, and the likeness, he identified with original righteousness. He taught that only the likeness was lost in fall. This interpretation was followed through the medieval period and contributed to its essentially optimistic view of human nature. Luther, however, says that there is a case of Hebrew parallelism in Genesis 1:26. He believed image and likeness were synonyms; what was true for one was true for the other. The image of God, he said, has therefore been totally lost and can be restored only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit. There is a variety of views on how the image has been affected by the fall. A common view is that the image of God refers to the human abilities which separate us from the animals. Still, scientists have found that abilities like communication and rationality are also present in animals on a basic level. Another view is theologians do not see the image of God as human abilities, but instead it as our capacity for a relationship with God. Other theologians see it as our commission to represent Gods kingdom on earth. Either way, the author says God has given us our spiritual capacities and calls us to bear his image. (3) Nevertheless, Milne says the bible doesnt actually refer to a total loss of the image of God. (Gen 9:6, 1Cor. 11:7 and James 3:9.) Calvin, spoke of relics of the image of God in fallen humanity, which, while affording no basis for humanitys justification, still distinguish them from the animal creation account for the undoubted gifts and achievements of non-Christians. Dutch scholars, in the reformed tradition, such as A. Kuyper and H. Bavinck, spoke in this connection of common grace, whereby God in his pity restrains the worst effects of the fall and renders social life tolerable for humankind. (4) Lyons and Thompson communicate that, through the years, numerous scholars have suggested that the image of God spoken of in Genesis 1:26-27 refers to some sort of spiritual perfection that was lost at the time of mans fall, and thus is incomprehensible to us today. Genesis tells us that man was created in a special way, bearing the stamp of God upon him which the animals did not bear. Unfortunately Genesis also tells us that he lost this stamp. While Adam himself was created with this image, his disobedience so robbed him of it that all his children thereafter bore not the image of God but his-and even his likeness (1975, pp. 103, 109, first emp. added, last emp. in orig.) When we see in Genesis 1:26-27 that man was created in the image and likeness of God, does the language refer only to Adam and Eve as these writers would have us to believe? Or does it refer to all mankind in general? It is the authors position that the image of God spoken of in Genesis 1:26-27 does not refer to some kind of spiritual perfection, especially considering the fact that the members of the Godhead (Who created man) are omniscient and therefore knew that man would sin. Reformer Martin Luther claimed that the image was an original righteousness that was lost completely. He averred: I am afraid that since the loss of this image through sin, we cannot understand it to any extent (as quoted in Dyrness, 1972, 15:163, emp. added). John Calvin similarly spoke of the image of God as having been destroyed by sin, obliterated by the fall, and utterly defaced by mans unrighteousness (see Hoekema, 1986, p. 43). Yet, at other times, he took a less hard-core approach and vacillated between a complete loss and a partial loss of the image. In his commentary on Genesis, he wrote: But now, although some obscure lineaments of that image are found remaining in us, yet are they so vitiated and maimed, that they may truly be said to be destroyed (as quoted in Hoekema, p. 45, emp. added). Keil and Delitzsch commented that the concrete essence of the divine likeness was shattered by sin; and it is only through Christ, the brightness of the glory of God and the expression of His essence (Heb. 1:3), that our nature is transformed into the image of God again (Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24) [1996, 1:39]. Canadian anthropologist Arthur C. Custance, in his book, Man in Adam and in Christ, observed. Feinberg, in speaking of the image of God as what he called an inalienable part of mans constitution, spoke of that image as currently being in a marred, corrupted, and impaired state (1972, 129:245). Hoekema elaborated on the same point when he wrote: in other words, there is also a sense in which human beings no longer properly bear the image of God, and therefore need to be renewed in that image. We could say that in this latter sense the image of God in man has been marred and corrupted by sin. Nevertheless, we must still see fallen man as an image-bearer of God, but as one who by nature images God in a distorted way (1986, p. 31). (6) II Likeness: Jim Schicatano believes that likeness and image are different. Likeness, he says, doesnt convey such preciseness as image. To be like someone means you possess many, but not all of the characteristics of that person. Obviously, man does not possess Gods omnipotence, wisdom, righteousness, perfection, ability to create, and divineness, he said. (5) In these others (along with Lyons and Thompson) differs with Schicatano in relations to the image/likeness of God. They say, the image (tselem) of God does not refer to something different than the likeness (demuth) of God. The Greek and Latin church fathers frequently suggested a distinction between the two words. They taught that tselem referred to the physical, and demuth to the ethical, part of the divine image (Feinberg, 1972, 129:237). Other theologians (like Irenaeus, A.D. 130-c. 200) taught that image denoted mans unchangeable essence (viz., his freedom and rationality), whereas likeness referred to the changing part of man (i.e., his relationship with God). Thus the former related to the very nature of man, while the latter was that which could be lost (Crawford, 1966, 77:233). As of 1972, this still was the official view of the Roman Catholic Church (Feinberg, 129:237). They go on to say despite the influence of those who claim that these words carry very different ideas about the image of God, a careful study of such passages as Genesis 1:26-27, 5:1-3, and 9:6 reveals that, in fact, these two Hebrew words do not speak of two different entities. Likeness simply emphasizes the image. As William Dyrness noted in regard to tselem and demuth: The two words should be seen as having complementary rather than competing meanings. The first stresses the image of God as its being shaped and the second express its being like the original in significant ways (1972, 15:162). Charles Feinberg, writing on The Image of God in the respected religious journal Bibliotheca Sacra, agreed when he remarked: A careful study of Genesis 1:26-27; 5:1,3; and 9:6 will show beyond question that it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that the two Hebrew terms are not referring to two different entities. In short, use reveals the words are used interchangeably (1972, 129:237). There actually is no good evidence for making any distinction between the two. In fact, the words are essentially synonymous in this context. Keil and Delitzsch remarked in their commentary on Genesis that the two words are merely combined to add intensity to the thought (1996, 1:39). As Clark puts it: Man is not two images and to distinguish between image and likeness is fanciful exegesis (1969, 12:216). (6) III Dominion: In relations to dominion, there seems to be a difference of opinion as to what exactly God meant when he said, Let hem have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26-28 ) Schicatano believes we are like God in the sense that we have been given sovereignty over the entire Earth. God is responsible for the creation of the universe, and likewise, we are responsible for our world. This sovereignty, however, is not a birthright of ours. It is a sacred gift, given to us from God; it is a delegated responsibility. Just as God has created and formed our world to His liking, we are capable of changing it and managing it to our liking. So, it is this responsibility that has been entrusted to us. It must not be taken for granted because ultimately we are answerable to God for the conditions of planet Earth and the state of our fellow human beings. (5) However, Lyons and Thompson dont share Schicatano belief. They convey that the image is not mans domination of the lower creation around him. In a letter to the editor that Norman Snaith penned to the Expository Times in 1974, he boldly claimed: The meaning is that God created man to be his agent, his representative in ruling all living creatures, and he was given sufficient (to quote the psalm) honor and glory to do this. Biblically speaking, the phrase image of God has nothing to do with morals or any sort of ideals; it refers only to mans domination of the world and everything that is in it. It says nothing about the nature of God, but everything concerning the function of man (1974, 86:24, emp. added, parenthetical comment in orig.). In regard to this kind of thinking, we would be wise to remember that man must exist before dominion can be invested in him, and that man has authority because of the truth that he is made in the image or likeness of God. Also, the authority is not the cause of the image or likeness, but the image and likeness is the ground of the authority (Chafer, 1943, 100:481, emp. added). In commenting on this subject James Hastings wrote: The view that the Divine image consists in dominion over the creatures cannot be held without an almost inconceivable weakening of the figure, and is inconsistent with the sequel, where the rule over the creatures is, by a separate benediction, conferred on man, already made in the image of God. The truth is that the image marks the distinction between man and the animals, and so qualifies him for dominion: the latter is the consequence, not the essence, of the Divine image (1976, 1:48, emp. added). Dominion, Keil and Delitzsch noted, is unquestionably ascribed to man simply as the consequence or effluence of his likeness to God (1996, 1:39). As William H. Baker commented: [I]t is the presence of the image of God in people that makes them able to exercise dominion over the earth. Dominion itself is not what constitutes the image (1991, p. 39, emp. in orig.). Although somewhat closely related to the image of God, exercising dominion over the world is not itself that image. (6) Conclusion: Perhaps while on earth we may never totally understand what is meant by these verses. But, upon research, some theologians, Christian Orthodoxy believe we are still in the image of God, others concur that when man fell his image was marred. And some agreed it was lost. However, without a doubt, what is clear is that in mankind, God has completed His final creation of the Creation Story. Lets consider what King David said of our creation and our special place among all of Gods creations. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. (Psalms 8:3-8 NIV) With the diversity of views, most (Christian orthodox) agree that each of us have been made in the image and likeness of God, and because of this, we are capable of determining our own destiny. Unlike the plants and animals, God has endowed us with the ability to form a relationship with Him, the ability to increase our knowledge and wisdom, and the responsibility of caring for the world that He has given us. As His primary creations, we are obligated to imitate and show evidence of His divineness in every area of life. Some may find it complimentary that we have been made in His image. But, because of evolution many no longer treasure this mystery. Matter-of-fact, some have become irresponsible stewards and have neglected the responsibilities that it entails. Above all of His earthly creations, God has endowed man/womankind with a unique soul holding us responsible for all of our actions. (5) One day we will give an account to the Creator how weve managed; our temples, our lives, family, resources, businesses, ministries, blessings, and this planet called earth. Each author seems to have scriptural evidence to support their theory on this controversial and highly debatable topic. But, there was another point of agreeableness among them: some of the characteristics were which represent man/woman being formed in the image of God. To name a few, we are creators, God created the heavens and the earth, were relational, God is relational, we are communicators, God is a communicator, we are spiritual beings as God is a Spirit, and we are intellectual beings who reasons, God is intelligent and reasons too. When we fully grasp what it means to bear Gods image, we are amazingly struck with the boundless, grandeur of our possibilities and the tragedy of our unrealized potential! To be fully human is to completely reflect Gods image. Furthermore, though all humans possess these godlike capacities, each of us has the potential to express them uniquely because Gods image has been imprinted peculiarly on each of us. (7) In Gods infinite creativity there are no duplications. Everybody is an original and is created in the image of God, which according to Orthodox Christians can never be lost. Endnotes/ Works sited: 1) http://www.stgeorgeserbian.us/darren/darren03.html 2) V. Plater- In the Image of God: http://www.virtualplater.org.uk/?page_id=2054 3) BioLogos: How could humans have evolved and still be created in the Image of God? BioLogos is a community of evangelical Christians committed to exploring and celebrating the compatibility of evolutionary creation and biblical faith, guided by the truth that all things hold together in Christ. [Col 1:17] Daniel Harrell, Senior Minister, Colonial Church, Edina, Minn.- http://biologos.org/questions/image-of-god 4) Text Book; Know the truth, by Bruce Milne 5) Jim Schicatano,Created in the Image and Likeness of God. http://thebibleandscience.webs.com/articles/image.htm 6) Lyons and Thompson- In the Image and Likeness of God. Eric Lyons, M.Min. Bert Thompson, Ph.D. http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=11article=149 7) Dick Staub- What Made in the Image of God Really Means By Dick Staub, March 4, 2013 (Taking a second look at a very misunderstood part of our faith.) http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/deeper-walk/features/23549-qmade-in-the-image-of-godq