California Pizza Kitchen Essay

A company’s strategic choices shape how that firm will operate and react to the use of its own resources as well as the affects of external factors. These choices are typically broken down into one of our distinct strategies (cost leadership, differentiation, niche focus, and first mover’s advantage) and applied as management sees fit. In studying California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) literature, one can easily decipher that their main strategy is differentiation with portions of first mover’s advantage tied in. CPK is very open about the approach as menu innovation is one of their key values. Having identified this strategy this paper looks to review this strategy against recently performed SWAT analysis to see how it is affecting CPK’s strategic choices. It will discuss whether those strategic choices remaining in line with its differentiation strategy. Additionally, this case study will determine whether the differentiation strategy and CPK’s strategic choices create competitive advantages or are they creating weakness that need to be addressed and countered with some of CPK’s strengths. Finally, a brief discussion on CPK’s mission and vision will be incorporated against the findings to determine what CPK is doing right and what they could possibly change to improve is competitive position. Corporate Strategy Porter tells us that firm’s position themselves by leveraging their strength’s. He argued that strengths ultimately fall into one of two headings: cost advantage and differentiation (Quickmba). CPK chooses and specifically points out differentiation as its main strategy. In its 2009 financial report, CPK states, â€Å"We believe that our concept, attractive price-value relationship and quality of food and service enable us to differentiate ourselves from our competitors†. Differentiation is a competitive business strategy whereby firms attempt to gain a competitive advantage by increasing the perceived value of their products and/or services relative to the perceived value of other firm’s products and services. Implementation of differentiation strategy means that the value is provided to customers through unique features and characteristics of the company’s products as opposed to the lowest price. A successful differentiation strategy will create customer value that is perceived as such by its customers. Differentiated goods and services satisfy the needs of customers through a sustainable competitive advantage. CPK differentiates itself through product quality through the use of quality ingredients, menu design and innovation, and expanded services and offerings beyond their main dining experience. This all falls under subcategory of differentiation known as â€Å"Quality Strategy†, which sets CPK apart from its competitors. As a result of this quality, CPK has branded itself through a very loyal customer base that consistently markets for the company through rave reviews and word of mouth advertising. Firms that succeed in differentiation strategy often have the following internal strengths (QuickMBA): †¢ Access to leading scientific research †¢ Highly skilled and creative product development team †¢ Strong sales team with the ability to successfully communicate the perceived strengths of the product †¢ Corporate reputation for quality and innovation Due to high levels of rivalry in the food industry there is always an incentive to be innovative and continuously improve. There is also always the chance that any differentiation could be copied by competitors. Therefore, innovation remains a huge part of CPK’s differentiation strategy as well as one of its core values. As proof of this, CPK literature is littered with the idea of menu innovation, expansion of service options such as the new items, smaller express stores and growth/development in the frozen and fresh foods market in grocery stores. This philosophy is not just talk however. CPK backs this concept with action through the continuous research and evaluation of various food ingredients, products and supplies for consistency and food safety. This research is compared to detailed specifications developed by CPK’s products teams ultimately leading to high food quality standards. As mentioned in this author’s previous studies, this research provides intellectual capital as well as contributes to the innovation capability as CPK remains at the forefront of and often dictates market changes (Haas1). This capability or competitive advantage is what also gives CPK some of its â€Å"First Mover† advantage. CPK operates as one of the pioneers of premium pizza (a niche market). Therefore they were one of the first to develop the products creating benchmark and standards for the market. This provides them with the advantage of potential lower costs (Golder & Teller) from intellectual capital and development experience as well as creates potential barriers for other competitors to switch products. It also gives them early recognition and consumer preference (QuickMBA) reducing the risk of the threat of ubstitution. This further increases the strategy of differentiation as well in that customer’s become attached to CPK’s differentiating attributes. Additionally, because CPK focuses its main products on a niche market (premium pizza), it has been able to continue to sell its products at a more premium price and better absorb the economic upturn of inflation. Strategic Choices The state of the economy, the downsizing of disposable income and the high unemployment have all posed large threats to the full service dining industry. The current economic environment has particularly played into CPK’s strategic choices recently as they have had to compete to maintain revenue, reduce costs and keep customers who are more and more turning to substitutes such as fast food or home cooked meals in an attempt to save money. This has not deterred CPK completely from its differentiation strategy. In fact, Rick Rosenfield (CPK, Co- CEO) stated the company was working to reverse declining sales by offering a new menu (LATimes), again playing on their strength of innovation. However, it has forced CPK to consider other approaches in the way that the attack the market and expand their business. This gives CPK an opportunity to address one of its major weaknesses at the same time. CPK has over 40% of its stores located in California. This has created a lack of geographical diversification. Therefore CPK is looking to expand beyond California and has even looked to go outside the US as it believes its full-service restaurants will continue to represent the majority of revenue growth in the near term. This expansion plays into CPK’s innovative approach to business. For the most part CPK’s management has looked to expand revenues through new markets and menu options. However, the economic downturn has forced CPK to look internally to reduce cost as a means to maintain or increase revenue. Therefore, CPK has decide to not only look at foreign markets as a way to diversify its revenue stream but it will also leverage its brand name and reputation through is expanding in existing markets to consolidate marketing, human resource and supply chain costs. These choices are a good start, however CPK’s sales have been down and the diversity of the market has not helped CPK to recover its losses. Because CPK works with higher quality ingredients and unique menu items which change regularly there is less room for supply chain cost reduction. The innovative approach that makes CPK unique and differentiates it from its competitors could also potentially be preventing it from reducing costs and improving operational efficiencies. It acts almost as a â€Å"Catch 22† if you will. Further, CPK run the potential pitfalls of risk listed below (Openlearningworld. com): †¢ Customers may decide cost of uniqueness is too high †¢ Means of differentiation no longer provides value to customers †¢ Customers learning may reduce customer’s perception of company’s differentiation †¢ Counterfeit goods convey the same differentiation at a discounted price Ultimately this forces CPK to continue to increase value to customers by means of reducing prices, adding product features without raising prices or developing better efficiency in its value chain. Mission and Vision As described in previous research (Haas2), CPK does not formally identify its mission and vision by these names, therefore some interpretation is required for anyone looking for such designation. CPK intends to be the leader in authentic California-style cuisine and to be widely known for its innovative menu items. To achieve this, CPK intends to provide a range of creative dishes, from signature California-style hearth baked pizzas, creative salads, pastas, soups and sandwiches to extensive beer and wine lists with a full bar. In Part 1, Item 1, Business of the 2009 annual report readily identifies the company’s objectives, as: â€Å"To extend our leadership position in the restaurant and premium pizza market by selling innovative, high quality pizzas in addition to creative salads, distinctive pastas and related products and by providing exceptional customer service, thereby building a high degree of customer loyalty, brand awareness and superior returns for our stockholders† To reach these objectives, We (CPK) plan to increase our market share by expanding our restaurant base in new and existing markets, leveraging our partnerships in non-traditional and retail channels and offering innovative menu item. † Reviewing these statements reaffirm that CPK has a solid mission and vision that incorporate its corporate strategy very well. Innovation and quality are the cornerstones of CPK’s mission which are fundamental factors in a strong differentiation strategy. However, CPK must be care not to become so focused on its current strategy that is forgets to measure pressures of external forces as well as the need for cost reduction that are weighing heavily in its business and profits. Without careful consideration of competitors, economic factors and internal stresses CPK may be forced to look elsewhere for funding which it has considered recently in its attempt to shop the company to new external buyers. It is suggested that CPK look carefully at its current strategy as compared to that of its competitors to see if it can better leverage its internal strengths and potential for operational efficiencies because price may be the ultimate downfall as many competitors are finding ways to incentivize customer value through lower prices, additional options or more product for the same price to maintain customer base. This could be a battle that CPK could fail at if it does not keep pace or find a way to show consumers its value.

How to Tame a Wild Tongue/Mother Tongue Essay

What’s makes someone an American? Am I more American because my skin is white and I speak perfect English? Or am I more American because my family immigrated here 100 years earlier than most? Our country is a melting pot of different races, backgrounds and beliefs. Two women, who are the children of immigrants, share their stories of growing up in America. The first is Gloria Anzaldua, a Chicana who grew up in South Texas. The first chapter of her book, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza is titled â€Å"How to Tame a Wild Tongue†. She describes life as a young woman who is too Spanish for Americans and too American for Spanish. The second is Amy Tan, a daughter of immigrants who fled China in the 1940s. In her essay â€Å"Mother Tongue† she recalls growing up with a Mother who could not speak perfect English. While these women are from two different backgrounds, their experiences with languages are the same. Both women have expressed the idea that language used with family, the educational system and society shape us as individuals. When a person is at home, surrounded by those who are nearest and dearest to them, they let their guard down. The languages we speak around our families are often different from the ones we use in the professional world. Tan states this opinion in her essay; she remembers a time when she was conscious of the English she was using around her mother. She was walking down the street with her mother and using the English that she did not use around her mother. She also states that this is the same type of English she uses with her husband. She writes that this type of language â€Å"has become our language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to family talk, the language I grew up with.† (Tan, page 143) Anzaldua has a similar opinion when it comes to the language of our family; she writes â€Å"My â€Å"home† tongues are the languages I speak with my sister and brothers, with my friends.†(Anzaldua, page 134) Her type of language is a considered a subcategory of Spanish, called Chicano Spanish. Anzaldua also explains that in her culture she had to learn different dialects of Spanish, according to region that person was from. These two women played chameleon with their languages, blending in perfectly with their surroundings, wearing a mask to the world until they were home. At home, they were safe to use the language they grew up using without fear of judgment. â€Å"To get a good job, you need to speak English well. What’s the use of all your education if you speak English with an accent?† (Anzaldua, page 132) Anzaldua grew up with the idea that her imperfect English would limit her opportunities, even with an education. When she became a high school teacher, she was reprimanded for giving her students literature by Chicanos. Tan’s educational experiences were somewhat different than Anzaldua. Her limitations were set by test scores in English and Math. Tan writes that her English scores â€Å"were not good enough to override the opinion that my true abilities lay in math and science, because in those areas I achieved A’s and scored in the ninetieth percentile or higher.† (Tan, page 145) While both women felt limited in their educational world, they both found a love for writing. They both became a voice for their people. One thing that shapes a person’s perspective of themselves is how their society views them. Tan, at a young age, would often have to speak for her mother. Her mother’s English was view as â€Å"broken† or â€Å"limited† by society. This had a profound effect on how Tan viewed her mother’s English; she writes â€Å"because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect.† (Tan, page 144) Anzaldua’s Chicano Spanish was viewed as â€Å"poor Spanish† by society. â€Å"If a person, Chicana or Latina, has a low estimation of my native tongue, she also has a low estimation of me.† (Anzaldua, page 136) Society, the community in which these women lived, has looked down on the English that they speak. Both women feel that their language is â€Å"poor†, â€Å"broken†, or â€Å"limited† by society’s standards. Gloria Anzaldua and Amy Tan were raised in two different cultures, with two different types of English. They grew up in families that spoke with accents and different dialects. Both women navigated their way through the educational system, which was not designed with them in mind. They were also viewed by their communities as being limited because their home language was not the standard. These two women also fought the system that wished to limit their voices. They became writers, they wrote their stories of how their language, for better or worse shaped who they were.

Leading by Feel Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leading by Feel - Article Example The article focuses on self-regulation and its impact on an emotionally intelligent leadership. This way the article investigates whether emotionally intelligent and effective leaders are those that can; restrain themselves from unleashing verbal attacks on their subordinates and make well-informed decisions and concede to the values of others through learning while remaining in control. The article also investigates whether the motivation is a common attribute of emotional intelligence. This is especially true because self-motivated leaders were commonly depicted as working in a consistent manner to meet their objectives, which are often set higher, but at an achievable level. The article also investigates whether empathy among corporate and social leadership is critical to administering an effective organizational team. In supporting empathy in leadership, the article presents emotionally intelligent executives as those with the capacity to understand the issues affecting other mem bers of the organization. Lastly, the article purposefully emphasizes social skills as a vital element of effective an emotionally intelligent leadership. In specific, the article explores whether the need to acquire conflict resolution capacities, improving one’s interpersonal skills and learning how to appreciate others as some of the ways to lead the organization by feel usually count. The researcher applied both primary and secondary research methodologies in the article: the article is a review of different scholarly works from different fields relating to business leadership; and an exploratory interview of the previous findings on the importance of emotional intelligence in managing the mood of organizational staffs.

McCabe on Faith and Reason Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

McCabe on Faith and Reason - Essay Example Indeed, Christianity or Islam operate with rather complex notions and require their followers to have a strong faith. In this paper I will argue that Herbert McCabe fails to draw a good connection between faith and reason because his arguments are too ambiguous. This represents the major drawback of his position when it comes to explaining what role the latter plays in the former. In order to demonstrate this, I will first explore his position on the connection between faith and reason; then pay attention to the merits of it and, afterwards, put emphasis on the deficiencies that can be found in it. To begin with, it may be particularly important to outline the view of McCabe on the way faith and reason are connected. He points out that there are two extreme positions when it comes to faith: on the one hand, some might argue that to practice it one should not have any reasons at all which means that faith is above any reasoning; on the other hand, others are firm in that their faith can hardly be disproved logically. The scholar notes that true understanding of faith lies somewhere in between as â€Å"the first extreme makes the notion of truth inapplicable. The other makes the notion of faith inapplicable† (McCabe 5). In addition McCabe notes that people who dismiss the importance of the relationship between faith and reasons fail to â€Å"take sufficiently seriously the point that faith means holding something as true – they think of faith as more an act of courage or trust in a very general sense† (McCabe 6). So, he proves that it is essential to make th is relationship clear. There are several merits of such an approach. First of all, McCabe shows that faith should not be perceived as some kind of a metaphysical knowledge that is beyond common sense and is incompatible with logic. Quite the opposite, he draws several examples, as in the case of marrying for money, which show that faith is a rather difficult complex and any

Management Accounting 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management Accounting 2 - Essay Example Budgeting is a continuous process in large organizations. Operation department create plans to help the company achieve its corporate goals. Overhead costs, capital expenditures, operating expenses and sales are forecasted for the upcoming fiscal year by the unit managers. The forecasted figures are then sent to the upper management for its approval. The upper management reviews all the projected costs, expenditures and revenues and then approves it. The approved formal budget forms the guideline for operations in the coming year. Monthly and quarterly budget are also prepared by organizations to keep a track of performance against projected figures and takes corrective action if there is any deviation. Upper management has a bottom up approach in respect of budgeting. Corporate managers take the top down approach in meeting business goals. Managers who have a good understanding of profits and sales and have the capacity to overestimate costs typically create successful budgets (Singla, 2009, p. 147). There are various benefits of budgeting such as managers can compare the company’s performance against the projected figures which also forms the basis of their functioning within an organization. They compare the current performance of the company against projected figures and takes corrective action if there is any deviation. In this way, the managers are also able to keep their employees focused and guide them to performa nce (Lucey, 2003, p. 187). Formal budgeting provides the company with a detailed and comprehensive picture of the immediate future and also informs the company about the possible opportunities and threats. Time is an important factor in the budgeting process. Managers sometimes find themselves completely lost in their effort to meet the rules and regulations that are there in the formal budget. But to have a sound system to exercise

Statement Personal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Personal Statement Example Since it is known to have a great track, as well as a real football field, it has even featured on an album cover that was of Running with Scissors. Santa Monica College is also well known to have a public radio station that broadcasts all over Los Angeles with over 450,000 listeners, and its newspaper that is available both in print and online as well. It goes by the name The Corsair and has taken several awards over the time as well as the award for General Excellence. Having all of this information in mind, it would be wise to join Santa Monica College and major in Marketing and Engineering. It would be an honor to study in an institution that is known to bring out very talented actors and actresses, as well as great men and women in the society. Santa Monica College also has number one transfers to higher institutions. These include the University of Southern California, Loyola Marymount University and the University of California. Getting a transfer to the University of Southern California would be a great choice for me. Santa Monica Junior College has transfers to these kinds of universities because it is also known to produce individuals of substance. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges accredits this institution for being such a great college. It is a great institution where all kinds of students from all walks of life and from whichever race whether Asian, White, Black or Hispanic can school in without any stress or disturbance. These are among the many reasons why Santa Monica College would be an ideal school to enroll in once one completes their high school education. It has good and trained professional tutors who mostly also happen to have schooled in the same institution. These lecturers are of high value and guarantee professionalism. One could never go wrong when it comes to choosing Santa Monica Junior College as their college of choice. Aside from

Diagnostic Assessment of an Arabic Speaker Essay

Diagnostic Assessment of an Arabic Speaker - Essay Example From this study it is clear that the big number of vowels in the English language increases the chances of wrongly pronouncing English words by native Arabic speakers whose first language has lesser vowels. As such, some vowels in English and their corresponding sounds might not exist in Arabic. A good example is Shouq’s pronunciation of ‘can’ as ‘cen’. The ‘a’ sound in such a word is not found in Arabic, and anyone who borrows from their Arabic vowels to read English words will make this pronunciation error. Another word that she pronounced wrongly according to this error is ‘hard’ which sounded like ‘hed’. Moreover, the word ‘that’ was pronounced as ‘thet’.This paper highlights that  Arabic speakers have the problem of replacing ‘t’ with ‘d’ in a word regardless of whether it appears in the middle, start or end of the word. An example is the word ‘nati ve’ that Shouq pronounced as ‘nadive’. This interchanging of ‘t’ and ‘d’ is also evident in the word ‘factor’. Being a native Arabic speaker, Shouq pronounces this word as ‘facdor’, putting a ‘d’ in the place of a ‘t’. An example of such an error occurring at the beginning of a word is with the pronunciation of the word ‘telephone’ which tends to sound like ‘delephone’. This segmental error that is common among native Arabic speakers learning English as a second language is due to the placement of the tongue when pronouncing the words.

Epistemologhy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Epistemologhy - Essay Example A good example was the challenges that people had back in the 50s when the radio program, "The War of the Worlds" was played. This was a popular novel back in 1938 and on Sunday, October 30, 1938 at 8 p.m. this radio broadcast was done. Because people relied on the radio to give them the "correct" news, they believed that the broadcast was "true". This created a panic across the nation and people called radio and television stations to find out what they should do (Rosenberg 1). This example shows how it is difficult to know what is "real" and what is "not real" when we are talking about knowledge. Descartes had a lot to say about knowledge and it is difficult for us to truly understand what knowledge is and how it is used in the world. On the one hand, we can say that someone "knows" something but we cannot really say how the individual knows what they know. In thinking about knowledge we have to go deeper and wonder whether knowledge is a belief or it is something that we learn. Descartes tells us that we must look at reality and determine what that is first before we can say what knowledge is and we must understand it without doubt. Descartes ideas seem rational although they are somewhat difficult to explain.(Newman par. 1). He believed that if any thought could be subjected to any doubt then it was false (Skirry par. 2). Although this idea has some validity it is this researchers opinion that his idea does not go far enough. If we were to categorize thoughts it would be difficult to tell which ones were "true" and which ones were "false" because there is always room for d oubt. In fact, most people would suggest that their way of thinking was "true" no matter what it was and therefore our thoughts would be different on a variety of issues. Descartes had some of the information but not all of it (although we do have to think about what was available to him

Background of Tourism Industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Background of Tourism Industry - Case Study Example The four main tour operators or the Big Four in the UK include TUI, MyTravel, First Choice and Thomas Cook. However, consolidation and mergers have taken place among the Big Four as Thomas Cook and MyTravel have merged while TUI has merged with Britain’s First Choice (FVW, 2006). The growth of the British travel market has outpaced that of the rest of the developed world. The UK is an important originating market for long-haul travel and the British holidaymakers have a tendency to use tour operators when traveling long-haul. The growth of TUI can be attributed to the growing demand in the UK. This paper proposes to understand how TUI could attain leadership in the European tourism industry and how they have been able to keep the competitors at bay. The history of TUI can be traced way back to 1923, the year in which the company was formed and started operating in industry, transport and natural resources (TUI, 2009). In 1997 the organization shifted its focus to travel and tourism. The 2001 year saw a new management structure coming into place which gave a new strategic focus to the organization. Today TUI is the market leader with 11 Boeing Dreamliners and 50 next-generation 737s. It has around 200+ brands in its kitty. It operates in 180 countries worldwide serving more than 30 million customers. It employs 50,000 people and operates pan-Europe consisting 150 aircraft (TUI, 2009a). they have set up their own low-cost travel agencies across Europe and in Germany, they also sell their tour online through Touropa.com. In addition, they also sell through travel agencies, television and call centers. This strategy gave a boost to TUI’s position in Europe as they became Europe leaders in the direct sale of travel products wi th a turnover of â‚ ¬2.6bn in 2005. It then became the biggest tour operator in Europe.

Gatorade - Marketing Project Essay Example for Free

Gatorade Marketing Project Essay The Gatorade Company makes the world’s leading sports drink. In part, this is due to its ubiquitous marketing strategies that can be seen almost everywhere. Gatorade is the official sports drink of the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL and MLS. It is also the official sports drink of the NFL and has become part of a famous tradition, the â€Å"Gatorade Dunk† where the winning athletes of the Super Bowl empty the Gatorade cooler over the coach. Gatorade has also been advertised by some of the greatest athletes in history; from Serena Williams, to Peyton Manning, to Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, to probably the most famous endorser in NBA great Michael Jordan. Gatorade makes several products including the G series which consists of pre-game, thirst quencher and post-game beverages. There is also the G Series Pro which consists mainly of sports nutrition products. Then there is G Natural which contains more natural ingredients. The Gatorade Company also makes Propel Fitness Water. The Gatorade Company was not always such a large company nor was it created by an existing beverage corporation. It was created as a necessity by the team in which it’s named after: The University of Florida Gators. Gatorade was created in 1965 by a team of five scientists led by Dr. Robert Cade. The beverage was created to improve the athletic performance of the university’s football team. When more than a dozen of the players had fallen sick due to dehydration from the intense heat and training, the scientists researched dehydration and what the body loses during immense activity. They found out that sugars, salts and minerals were required to hydrate the human body after immense physical activity; water alone was not enough. They created an electrolyte-carbohydrate drink and supplied it to the athletes. The results were phenomenal. The Gators were able to outperform their rivals, especially in the latter half of the game where exhaustion seemed to cripple their opponents. The Gators went on to win their first Champion ship and soon after Gatorade was adopted by other sports teams. Supplying the beverage became more and more difficult for the scientists as demand increased, and after failed attempts to commercialize it, Stokely-Van Camp acquired U. S. rights to the drink and Gatorade Inc. was incorporated in Florida in 1967. After much success, the coach of the Florida Gators suggested the winning formula to the coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs were impressed and used throughout the entire season culminating with a Super Bowl victory. Much of the growth of the Gatorade Company occurred when it was acquired by Quaker Oats, which bought Stokely-Van Camp for $220 million in 1983. It was under Quaker Oats that Michael Jordan, who was arguably the most famous and fast rising athlete at the time, became the celebrity spokesperson for the company. Sales skyrocketed and Gatorade was once again the leader as the sports drink market grew to $1 billion by 1994. Also during its ownership by Quaker Oats, the product went global. It was and continues to be sold in numerous countries and several continents successfully. It also expanded its product line to include more flavor varieties. Towards the end of the 1990’s the sports drink market grew to $2 billion. With its consistent success, Gatorade continued to launch new products including Propel Fitness Water. In 2000, PepsiCo, a multinational corporation focusing on beverages and snacks, acquired Quaker Oats for $13 billion. It bought over Quaker Oats primarily for the Gatorade brand, which is still one of the corporation’s largest and most successful divisions. Gatorade continued to grow because it renewed its contract with Michael Jordan, campaigned its â€Å"Is it n you? † ad, and also signed a host of new celebrity athletes. Today, Gatorade has over a dozen plants where it manufactures the products it sells and is still the leader in today’s $3 billion dollar sports drink market. Target Market Description The original target market for Gatorade was sports teams. In fact, it was originally only sold to sports teams. It spread from the Gators football team to other Gators teams such as basketball. It then spread to other college sports teams until finally it reached professional teams in the NFL. It spread team to team until it became the official sports drink of the NFL in 1983 and was used by over 70 divisions and college teams. Sales trends increased with the same rapid pace. In the early 1980’s Gatorade led the $200 million sports drink market. Net sales were recorded at $90 million in 1982 and grew exponentially in the following years. By the mid 1980’s net sales were recorded at $170 million. During the latter half of the 1980’s Gatorade marketed its famous Gatorade is Thirst Aid for that deep down body thirst, this along with televised adds, strategic placing of the product on sidelines during big games and a growing sports drink market raised net sales to nearly $900 million by the end of the decade. The demographics of the Gatorade G Series target market: * Traditionally active males, aged 18 to 25. They can be students, just starting their careers, or well established. * They grew up idolizing many different sports athletes and teams, which still have an influence. * They make a very wide variety of incomes because Gatorade is inexpensive. It could be anywhere from $10,000 to $60,000. * Education could vary also, most have at least high school level education and some have college or above experiences. * These types of consumers may also be interested in other sport-related clothing and accessories. They may be interested in terms such as jerseys, hats, shoes or anything that will show off their allegiance to a team, sport or player. * The G Series core target is the 13- to 17-year-old high-school athlete, while G Series Pros target is the 16- to 24-year-old who is in the business of being athletic, whether as an elite athlete or personal trainer. A more detailed look at the MRI report gives a great glimpse into the target market for the sports drink industry. As highlighted in the index, 18-24 year olds are the core target market. With an index of 174, that means 74% of that age range are more likely to drink sports drinks. Moving further up the age range, 18-49 year adults provide a tremendous opportunity for this market. As highlighted by their percent down (which indicates the percent of those persons out of everyone that consumes a variable), 78. 2% of the total population that drank sports drinks were of that age group. Capturing the teen consumer has been identified as a priority for the brand, with the CMO of Gatorade, Ms. Robb-OHagan, conceding that teens thought the brand was dated. Last years shift to G was meant to grab their attention. With that accomplished, she said, the brand has been working with teens to test and promote the new products. Through May, a mobile locker room is making its way to high schools, showcasing the G Series products. What were focusing on this year, from a marketing standpoint, is making sure that the high-school athlete understands the G Series, understands the three-part series, Mrs. Robb-O’Hagan said. If we land that strongly with the teen consumers, we have a lot of opportunity. A Reporter Report is complete with explanations of key numbers. Please note that all the numbers are based on the 2009 Fall MRI study, and that the projected numbers (000) are expressed in thousands. (Appendix A). Market Trends and Macro Forces According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, the sports drink industry has actually shrunk in sales by 12. 3% from 2009. Considering that Gatorade holds over a 70% market share of the entire sports drink market, they saw losses in gallons produced by 15. 5% in that same year. In a more local look at the market, from 1986 to 2009, the geometric growth of the industry in America has been 11. 62%. However, considering the great growth for the first 19 years of its existence from 1986 to 2005 of 14. 3%, this number might be misleading. A more accurate picture can be painted by using the last 5 years, letting the state of the economy be fully reflected in growth. In this new scenario, the growth is at -. 27%. Gatorade markets not only to the athlete, but to the casual drinker as well: construction workers, restaurants, and families for dinnertime. Sales records for the sports drink brands for the year 2009 and 2010 are available in the Appendix B. Market Trends Changing Needs Gatorade being a sports drink primarily focuses on the needs of the athletes. The researchers believe that the athletes are looking for pre and post workout drinks. The average consumer is already consuming during the before-and-after occasion, said Sarah Robb-OHagan, chief marketing officer at Gatorade. Different consumers have different nutritional needs on game day vs. training days. What weve seen as weve developed these products is different consumers mixing and matching their own regime to meet their needs. In addition, in order to build long term brand loyalty Gatorade is focusing on target high school students between the ages of 13-17 years. What were focusing on this year, from a marketing standpoint, is making sure that the high-school athlete understands the G Series, understands the three-part series, she said. If we land that strongly with the teen consumers, we have a lot of opportunity. What are also sparking the changing needs in this market trend are consumers increasingly focusing on their health. They are conscious about the effects of beverages on their own bodies. According to Mintel, a consumer packaged goods monitoring service, some of the product areas with the highest growth were in the sports and meal replacement categories, which place a greater emphasis on nutrition. More beverage companies are focusing their attention on adding new nutritional benefits to their new products, promoting a product’s ability to enhance sports performance. As the consumers are growing increasingly conscious about the contents of the sports drinks and the needs of the athletes are changing, so is the change in formulations of sports drinks. It is getting even more complicated. Sports nutrition companies are looking at low glycemic sugars as functional sugar systems to enhance endurance in certain products. These include newer functional sweeteners, such as isomaltulose and trehalose. Gatorade has risen to this challenge of balancing innovation with market needs. Beverage World selected Gatorade as the Winner for Brand Reinvention when it released the G-Series which includes the three products: Prime, Perform and Recover for before, during and after work out respectively. Macro Forces There are many macro forces that affect the sports drink industry. Among the most toxic is the current state of the economy. As we have discussed earlier, the poor spending power of consumers has shifted demand to less expensive alternatives, such as water or vitamin infused drinks. As the recession begins to lag into the next year, the sports drink industry can expect sales volume to remain at current levels. Given that the U6 rate (the most comprehensive form of unemployment that combines both unemployed and underemployed) is at 17%, discretionary income will continue to be a hindrance on this industry. While our competitor analysis is fully developed in the coming sections, it should be pointed out now that competition plays a significant role in this industry’s macro forces. Currently, there are two main competitors, Gatorade and Powerade, or Pepsi and Coke, respectively. Unfortunately there is no room for consolidation in this domestic saturated market, so the competitive battles that spur between the two eat away at costs and sales. A recent example comes from a lawsuit between these two companies. An article in the Beverage Industry relating to the industry issues reported a clash between Coca-Colas Powerade and Pepsi-Colas Gatorade on a lawsuit over brand advertising. At issue was a Powerade Option ad that featured a drag race between horse-drawn carts, one of which was carrying 10 bales of hay and the other 50. The message was that 10-calorie Option allowed the 10-bale horse to win the race over the 50-calorie competitor. The lawsuit argued the ad sent the message that Powerade was more effective as a sports drink, as well as containing fewer calories. The matter was resolved in a matter of days, with Coca-Cola agreeing to modify the ad. Such trivial pursuits between the two are costly to the industry and companies themselves. In addition to the direct competitors, sports drinks are facing increased competition from bottled water like Vitamin Water and coconut water and nutritional drinks like skimmed milk and chocolate milk for hydration and nutrition. Coconut water, skimmed milk and chocolate milk are easy to produce and provide natural health benefits compared to the artificial electrolytes in popular sports drinks like Gatorade. While health concerns have had positive effects on the industry, there are also some negatives as well. A new study done by researchers at The University of Iowa suggests that the sports drink Gatorade erodes teeth faster than a carbonated soft drink. I dont think everybody realizes how erosive these things are, especially Gatorade and Red Bull, Leslie A. Ehlen, a student at the University of Iowa School of Dentistry tells WebMD. People need to be aware that all sorts of beverages can be causing dental erosion. Of course, this leads right back to another macro force in regulator procedures. Although in know will health issues like this loom over the industry’s ability to sell their products, the F. D. A (food and drug administration) can certainly dampen sales volumes if need be. The F. D. A has recently banned production of Four Loko as it the combination of caffeine and alcohol mix is extremely dangerous.

Secularisation in Contemporary Ireland

Secularisation in Contemporary Ireland This study will investigate whether, and in what ways secularisation is occurring in contemporary Ireland. Theories of secularisation, and arguments against the process, abound, and this is a hotly debated topic. How, and in what ways might secularisation be said to be taking place within a given society? This study will attempt to make a contribution to this debateby looking at the situation in Ireland. Attention will also be paidhowever, to what has happened in Britain as much of the researchconcerning secularisation has taken place in that context. It will makesome comparisons between Ireland and the situation in Britain and otherEuropean countries to demonstrate the unique place of religion in Irishsociety. The study will seek to understand: †¢Ã‚  What processes might signify whether secularization is taking place? †¢Ã‚  Whether similarly observed processes might be said to signify that secularization is taking place in Ireland †¢Ã‚  Whether Contemporary Ireland could be said to be a secular society or as Brewer (2005) contends, a post-Christian society. †¢Ã‚  Whether, and in what ways religion may be said to have a unique position in Irish society. The study will draw on statistical and documentary data, along withmedia reports to ascertain whether, and in what ways, secularization istaking place. The study will look at the relationship between religionand the state in the republic of Ireland and also in Northern Ireland.It will also look at the education system and the phenomenon ofinter-religious marriage. In this way the study treats existingdocumentation as primary data by using it together in a distinctivefashion. Structure The study will begin with theories of secularization and a literaturereview which will look at the process in Britain and in Europe andcontrast this with the situation in Ireland to demonstrate in what waysIreland may differ from other industrialized societies and how this mayaffect whether and in what ways secularization could be said to betaking place. Following the literature review the methodologicalapproach to the study will be outlined and attention will be paid toreflexivity in the research process. There will be an analysis of thefindings of the research and finally a conclusion that will establishwhether the research question has fulfilled its aims. Religion is common to almost all cultures. Religious traditions andtheir teachings are, it might be argued, the result of three things,faith, theology, and culture. Anthropologist Clifford Geertz (1966) describes religion thus: 1. A system of symbols which acts to 2. Establish powerful, pervasive,and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by 3. Formulatingconceptions of a general order of existence and 4. Clothing theseconceptions with such an aura of factuality that 5. The moods andmotivations seem uniquely realistic (Geertz, 1966:4). Religion has many different aspects from personal beliefs aboutspirituality, to institutional structures like schools and hospitals,to the influence of religious bodies over legislation Until theEnlightenment the teachings of religion were rarely questioned becausethey were regarded as direct truth from God. Modernity, with its implicit understanding of the absolute powers of reason, called intoquestion the traditional understandings of theological truth claims anddrastically reduced the cultural influence of theology and religion. The contemporary term ‘secularisation’ has come to represent thedeclining influence of religion in society. The word is contextual inthat it arises from the western tradition and is part of the history ofthe church.It was first used in 1648   to refer to the transfer of landsunder church control to lay political control. The term secular is alsoused to specify that which is inferior to the realm of the sacred. Itwas later used in the context of the priest being allowed to dispensewith his vows, in the Middle Ages the distinction between religious andsecular priests referred to those who worked within a religious orderand those who worked among the laity. From the 1830s onwards the death of religion due to the rise of thescientific age was proclaimed by confident atheists. Comte inparticular decreed that the fiction that was theology would die and be replaced by the truth of science. This viewwas largely endorsed by Marx, Durkheim, Weber and Freud, all of whomwere convinced that the forces of the modern age heralded the birth ofa secular one. Auguste Comte is regarded as the founder of sociology.He believed that with the rise of science religion would, eventually, die out. Weber also thought that religion would loseits significance through the growth of capitalism and the influence ofurbanisation and rising technology. The world would become desacralisedand there would be less reliance on magic and religion. Meaning would be found rationally. Throughout the twentieth century it had been widely assumed that the decline of religion and religious belief was an irreversible process. Sociologists are keen to stress that secularisation is a natural process rather than a polemic againstreligion (which secularism is), some would also argue thatsecularisation is not an ideology (an imposed system of ideas). It is simply a process which has been observed over the last two   or three hundred years. Seen from this vantage point secularisation is largely the result of two things, the increasing complexity of modern society andits compartmentalisation into different areas, for example, politics,education and the law, and religion ceasing to provide cohesion for allareas of human life. Wilson (1966) says that the complexity of thisprocess is characterised by a wide variety of innovations which haveled to a structural change in society. He cites the following;scientific advance and the development of technology, changing patternsof wor k and increasing industrialisation, the rise of individuality,and education characterised by science rather than religion andtradition. Bruce and Wallis (1992) class secularization as the ‘diminishingsocial significance of religion’, directly brought about by threestrands of modernization: ‘social differentiation’, ‘societalization’and ‘rationalization’.   By social differentiation, they mean theprocess by which ‘specialised institutions’ take the place of religiousones; for example, in Britain the provision of education and welfare isnow the responsibility of a secular government, not the church.   Socialdifferentiation also includes the fragmentation of society into distinct social groups basedon differing life experiences, for example a distinction between socialclasses. Bruce allows however that the significance of religion is lesslikely to decline if it can find some social role, other than thecommunication of beliefs, within the wider society. In Ireland for example, the fact that religion has long been a source of contentionhas given it anot her social role. Societalization refers to the disappearance of small-scale communities and their replacement by the idea of ‘society’, largely due toincreasing industrialization and urbanization.   Rationalization refersto changes in the way people think; the rise of science and technologyhas removed uncertainty and the need for faith and has provided rational explanations for questions which in the past were considered the domain of religion.   The combined effect of theseprocesses is the decline in the social position of religion. McLeod(1992) maintains that the concepts of differentiation andrationalization are not particularly helpful when trying to understandthe place of religion in a particular society as cultural practicesdiffer widely. Berger (1970) believes that urbanisation and modernisation result insocial fragmentation and this leads to a plurality of cultural andrelgious groups. The monopoly previously held by one group comes to anend. We can see that this has happened, whether or not we subscribe tothe secularisation thesis. Secularisation is a problematic concept however, while Wilson (1982) and Bruce (1996)maintain that the forces of modernity heralded a new secularized age,other theorists differ. The view that modernization inevitably leads tosecularization is often challenged. Martin (1978) contends that inorder to make sense of the process of religion in industrialized societies attention must be paid to the specific cultural andhistorical patterns that pertain in a specific society. In NorthernIreland for example, religion has remained in the public arena as asource of dispute that is connected to issues of national identity.What happens in Ireland is quite different to what has happened inBritain since the Second World War. The Changing Face of Religion in Britain The religious landscape of Britain was significantly different at the close of World War2 than it is now, at the dawn of the twenty first century. In the yearsimmediately preceding the war and on into the late 1940s and 50s themajority of British people still had some form of contact with theChurch (often through their children attending Sunday School, orthrough membership of Scouts, Guides and the like) and many still claimed to hold a belief in God and in the basic teachings of Christianity. They would also have been exposed to explicitly Christian teaching in schools. The General Picture and its Effects in Ireland The growing importance of the ecumenical movement meant a change indenominational attitudes. Mainstream Christianity was endorsed in partby the 1944 Education Act. The Act required that the school day begin with anassembly and act of worship and that religious instruction should beaccording to an agreed syllabus and should be given to all pupils(Parsons, 1993). The Act did not make provisions for other faith traditions, but neither did it specify the form of worship or instruction. The ongoing effect of the Act was to weaken the hold of mainstream Christianity on British society, although this was not considered atthe time the Act was passed. It was felt that non-denominational worship and teaching would make sensewhen co-related with more specific Church teaching that it assumed children would have (Parsons, 1993).   However this assumption proved to be unfounded. Theway in which education has been affected in Ireland is ratherdifferent. In some areas amendment to the education system haveresulted in a reiteration of   Catholic religious beliefs to thedetriment of the Protestant minority. The Picture in Ireland Secularisation has affected the whole ofEurope and surveys undertaken in the 1980s and 90a   via the EuropenaValues systems survey indicated that many young people show little ifany recognition of religious symbols. In Ireland the situation israther different. Although seculaisation may be seen to be having aneffect religion has always had a prominent place in Irish life andpolitics. In Ireland the survey showed that there was a growing lack of confidence in the church and that for the first time a generation who were not connected to the church was emerging. Irelandis quite different from both Britain and the rest of Europe. While in Britain and the rest of Europe the process of secularization has been taking place for the last 300 years, Bishop Bill Murphy maintains that in Ireland it has onlybeen observable for the last 30 years.   In the republic of Irelandthere has, historically been a much closer connection between Churchand state. The refusal of the state to confront the Church iscontributing to the international problem of the unresolved question of those who have been sexually abused by clergy. Doyle (2005) writes poignantly on this matter. Their voice is stifled, their complaint against the church is relegatedto the wings. This is precisely what the Church has sought to doelsewhere, including America, though with much less success and at far greater financial cost. (Doyle, 2005 no p. no.).   The place of education, and particularly compulsory religious educationis a highly controversial subject in sectarian Ireland. From thenineteenth century the education system in Ireland has been split alongsectarian lines and in the last thirty years this has been an area ofmajor concern for some analysts (Darby, 1976). Bowen (1983) maintains that since independence the minority ofProtestants (in the 1991 census only 3% fell into this category) hasfallen further and that this is largely a result of inter-religiousmarriage. In 1996 a study was undertaken to establish the number ofinter-religious marriages in Ireland (Sexton and O’Leary, 1996).Ireland has witnessed a growth in inter-religious marriages (Bowen,1983). Jack White, a Protestant wrote of inter-religious marriage that:   no single cause contributes so much to the continuing division in Irish life and the embitterment of inter-church relations; in any circle of Protestants this will be advanced to justify segregation in education and social activities’(White, 1975: 129). The Research Question This study looks at the process of secularization in contemporary Ireland. It draws comparisons between what has happened in Britain andwhat is happening in Ireland. The argument of this study is that theIrish context is quite unique and secularization may not be occurringin the way that sociologists understand it, i.e. the removal ofreligion from the public to the private sphere. In Ireland theconnection between Church and state and between religion and politicsmeans that religion is constantly in the public sphere and thus thesituation is quite different. This difference has led Brewer (2005) toview Ireland in terms of a post-Christian society rather than in termsof secularization. The use of the term post-Christian originated in the1960s in Britain where the pace of social and religious change and thecontention of many theorists that Britain was a secular society ledsome theologians to speak of the death of God and a post-Christian era.The term was again taken up in the 1960s by feminist theologian MaryDaly who called on women to leave the Churches and to participate in apost-Christian spirituality. Methodology This study will investigate the above question through a literature based survey. It will look especially at : †¢Ã‚  Inter-religious marriage †¢Ã‚  The education system †¢Ã‚  Whether the situation in Ireland could be said to be unique in that religion in Ireland still occupies a very public place. Due to costs and time constraints the research will consist of theexamination and analysis of existing documentation, statistics, andmedia reports. Theoretical concerns are: †¢Ã‚  Whether, and in what ways, increasing industrialization and modernization influences the process of secularization in Ireland. †¢Ã‚  How this process manifests and may be connected to any perceptions of the decline of religious authority in Ireland. †¢Ã‚  Whether what is emerging could be called secularization, or as Brewer(2005) maintains might be better thought of as post-Christian The major areas of analysis are through the relationship betweenChurch and state in the republic of Ireland and how this impacts on, oris impacted by, inter-religious marriage and the education system.Questions arising from this are: †¢Ã‚  How far might the relationship between Church and state be said toimply that the Irish situation is unique due to religion’s place in thepublic sphere. †¢Ã‚  Does a growth in inter-religious marriage loosen religious ties anddoes it indicate a decline in adherence to religious authority? †¢Ã‚  Has integrated education been successful and how does this affect the teaching of   religious values and doctrines? †¢Ã‚  How far could there be said to be a move towards a multi-faithorientation in the teaching of religious studies, and what effectsmight this have on the Irish situation? †¢Ã‚  Might Ireland be said to be a post-Christian rather than a secular society. †¢Ã‚   The research will be largely literature based, using existing studies and analyzing them in terms of the above questions. This same process of analysiswill also be applied to media reports and to statistical findings. Onesource of data will be the 1991 census which indicated that 84% of theIrish population still claimed regular church attendance. In addition the study will look at any decline inreligious practices as defined by Wilson 1982. How does societydistance itself from religious traditions? Theorists argue that it canbe seen in the   decline in the number of church baptisms and weddings,and the fact that church officials have less financial recognition. InBritain religious festivals have become increasingly secularised and sohave beliefs with numbers of ministers saying that they no longerbelieve in the virgin birth, the incarnation or the resurrection. Wilson   is of the opinion that there are at least three levels ofanalysis that need addressing if we are to assess the impact ofsecularisation they are: religious practice, religious organisation andreligious belief. While these three levels are dealt with separatelyfor the purpose of this research, they are connected empirically.People are, more often than not born into a religious tradition in thesame way that they are born into a particular culture and these thingswill affect a person’s worldview, their moral values, and their senseof themselves. This study will also ask how far Wilson’s levels ofanalysis could be said to be evident in Ireland and thus relevant tothe Irish situation. The distinctiveness of this study is the bringingtogether of a number of different aspects of the Irish situation andcomparing them (for example attitudes to marriage and to abortion) towhat has happened in Britain. Does going to Church really mean that a person believes in God, or canyou do this without attending religious ceremonies. It certainly seemsthat the power and influence of the Church and perhaps other organisedreligions is declining in Britain if the statistics are anything to goby.   Sunday Schools were another recruiting ground for the Church they were extremely popular in the late nineteenthcentury and remained so until the middle of the twentieth century. Thenumber of attendees at Sunday School is now only ten percent of thenumber in 1900 (Bruce, 1995). The next question is how has thisinfluenced the institutions themselves. At the same time This involves an examination of the extent to which religiousorganisations are involved in the day to day secular order in anysociety and to what extent they are able to exert control over thatsociety. Signs of the growth of secularisation include the following,declining membership of the established Churches, declining numbers ofpeople who are willing to make religion their vocation, and the closingof churches, which in Britain are either sold off or left and allowed to fall into terminal dereliction. Historically, senior clergy were recruited from the same universities,schools and families as the government.   In Britain Church of EnglandBishops were recruited largely from the peerage or landed gentry in1860. This practice has decreased and nowadays clergy often come fromthe poorer strata of society. The Protestant Church was once considereda good living but its wealth has declined and so ordinands usually haveconcerns other than material welfare, it has become   a low statusoccupation. In Britain there was a marked decline in the number ofChurch of England ordinands between 1900 and 1988 (Bruce, 1995). Thisstarted happening much later in Ireland, and at a much slower pace. With the apparent decline in church membership and the marked declinein the number of both Church of England and Roman Catholic ordinandsthe requirement for church buildings has diminished. This has largelyaffected the Anglican Church and in some cases other Protestant denominations. The trend for closingchurches is less marked in the Roman Catholic Church. It could be thatthe Catholics were not so prolific in their church building as theAnglicans were or that they have greater funding capacity formaintaining large buildings. Nevertheless it is not uncommon nowadays,in Britain particularly, to see Church buildings sold off and used aspubs or as retail outlets or warehouses. This has not yet been the case inIreland, particularly the Irish republic, where much of the land andbuildings are still the property of the Catholic church and remainsunder the church’s control. In Britain, between 1970 and 1998 1250 church buildings were closedor sold off. Religion itself appears to be changing, becomingsecularised, it is less likely to provide a lead for people and moreinclined to follow trends than to set them (Browne, 1998).Browne (1998)shows that while the influence of the Anglican Church has declined, andmay continue to do so, the Church still remains important in a numberof ways. †¢Ã‚  Church of England Bishops have seats in the House of Lords. (The Lords Spiritual). †¢Ã‚  Themonarch must be a member of the Church of England, is crowned by theArchbishop of Canterbury, and since the time of Henry V111 has beenhead of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith. †¢Ã‚  The Church of England remains the official or established Church in England. †¢Ã‚  The Church of England is extremely wealthy, with investment funds ofan estimated  £3 billion in 1991, and it is one of the largestlandowners in the country. †¢Ã‚  Since the 1944 Education Act, all schools have been legally obligedto hold a religious ceremony each day, and the 1988 Education ReformAct reaffirmed and strengthened the requirements to hold assemblies ofa broadly Christian nature and teach Christian beliefs for at least 51percent of the time allocated to religion in schools. This still leaves us with the question of whether religious belief is affected by the growth in secularisation. How much influence does religion have in the areas of personalbelief and practice, and how does one measure people’s beliefs?Sociologists identify this type of measuring as a problem and many admit that there is no clear picture ofwhether, and to what extent, secularisation has occurred in this area.One of the problems stems from the different understandings people haveof such a belief. For numbers of people it may be agreement to all ofthe teachings of Christianity, for others a general belief in God andfor some it might be a spiritual awareness and a sense of meaning andpurpose to life. In Ireland, religious belief is closely allied topolitical matters and people are far more inclined to state that theybelong to a particular tradition, in this way they define not onlytheir religion, but also their political and national loyalties. In Britain one way of estimating trends in religious believing is tolook at the rise in the number of New Religious movements, the rise ofthe Bla ck led Churches and the rise in the number of House Churches.There has also been a considerable growth in other forms of evangelicalChristianity and most people in Britain still claim a belief in God.. Bruce (1995) argues that the face of organised religion over the lasttwo hundred years has changed from a dominant Church model to thegrowth of the sect and the denomination (Bruce, 1995). This has been brought about by the riseof cultural pluralism and the reluctance of governments to use force toget people into a state Church. Although the churches were slow torelinquish their privileges the role of the Anglican, Scottish, and Welsh Churches have changed considerable sincethe 19th century, in Britain for example in 1828 a person who heldpublic office was, at least officially, a member of the Anglican faith. Non-members could not holdpublic office. Catholics were not allowed the vote before 1829 (Bruce,1995) and it was 1850 before the Church was allowed to restore its hierarchy. Until 1836 marriagescould only be celebrated by an Anglican minister, irrespective of thefaith of the marriage partners and until 1854 non-Anglicans were not allowed to study at Oxford andCambridge, and unti 1871 all teaching posts at these institutions wereheld by Anglicans. Women were not allowed to be members of thesecolleges before the late 1890s. With each of these changes the Churchof England lost some of its power in society. Bruce (1995) holds that Protestantism by its very nature increases fragmentation inreligion and by extension in society. The rise of the ecumenicalmovement also played a part in the Church’s loss of power. Fragmentation undermines the Church, it has state support for areligious monopoly and this has gradually been removed, this also hasfunding implications, until the nineteenth century the Churches werefunded by the land they owned and by public taxation, this was largelyfinished by the start of the twentieth century. Secondly its personnelbecome increasingly influenced by the psychology of an increasinglypluralist culture. It is not so easy to believe that a religion isright in every detail when other worldviews are becoming more prominent. At the same time the Church retains an illusion of strength from the continuation of communal occasions such as baptisms, weddings and funerals. However, the growth in competition means that this illusion becomes increasingly difficult to maintain (Bruce, 1995). The rise inthe number of denominations eventually increases tolerance anddecreases certainty. The problems that different denominations beenmight be said to constitute a significant feature of the situation in Ireland, particularly as it pertains to education. In Northern Ireland, beginning in the 1980s integrated systems ofeducation were introduced and this caused a deal of controversy centredaround conflicting interests (Dunn, 1989). The Belfast Agreement of1998 set out guidelines for the promotion of religious and culturaltolerance and it is thought by some commentators that this was directly linked to the Good Friday Agreement (Morgan and Fraser, 1999).Since the Good Friday Agreement some thinkers have argued that there isan increasing secularization in Ireland and that liberals in the Northmay be considering replicating the multi-faith educational model thatoperates in the rest of Britain. This has led to vigorous debate anddiscussion of the differences between Britain and Ireland (Barnes,2004). Although numbers of commentators contend that there is a growingsecularization, in Ireland in the 1991 census 84% claimed to attendchurch at least once a week. In a survey undertaken in the south ofIreland Greil (1998) found the following listed in the table on thenext page. Table One weekly mass attendance in the Republic of Ireland 1981-1998 Year  %  Comments  Source 1998  94%  older people  Survey of Diocese of Cashel and Emly published in Irish Times 1998  92%  People over 65  MRBI poll for Irish Times 1981  87%  all people  European Values Survey 1998  87%  Connacht/Ulster people  MRBI poll for Irish Times 1990  85%  all people  European Values Survey 1988/89  82%  all people  Mac Grà ©il (1996) 1998  66%  all people  MRBI poll for Irish Times 1998  60%  People 18-34  Survey of Diocese of Cashel and Emly published in Irish Times 1998  60%  all people  RTE Prime Time poll 1998  50%  Dubliners  MRBI poll for Irish Times 1998  41%  18-24 yr olds  MRBI poll for Irish Times 1990  40%  Urban unemployed  European Values Survey While this does show a rapid decline, particularly among the young,for Father Greil the fact that only one percent of his sample professedno religion at all, still leaves him optimistic about the place of religion in Irish life. Greil is of the opinion that there is a lack of community feeling in the cities and that the rapid growth in urbanization is a significant factor in the decline in church attendance.    While there does seem to be a decline in participation in organisedreligion in both contemporary Britain and in Ireland, many people stillclaim to hold orthodox beliefs and a moral judgement based on thetenets of Christianity. At the same time they do not have so muchattraction to institutional forms of religions (Bruce, 1995 and Browne,1998). The nineteen sixties saw rapid social and religious change. In theyears after the war, the rise of the welfare state, the growth in thenumber of Catholic Grammar Schools and the resulting rise in the numberof Catholics to enter Higher Education spurred a transformation inBritish Catholicism. This eventually led, in the 1960s to the holdingof the Second Vatican Council and the resultant Catholic alignment withthe ecumenical movement. By the end of the decade most people owned a television and programmessuch as That was the Week That Was took an irreverent view of religion.This, along with the sixties sexual revolution, brought changingattitudes towards the Church and to people’s attitudes to religiousauthority. The media was highly influential on the Church’s publicimage and became far more critical of outdated morality.   What went onin America had a greater influence on what happened in Britain. Thesuccess of the civil rights movement in the mid-nineteen sixties openedthe way for second-wave feminism and the call for women’s rights. Theabortion reform act of 1967 meant that women had more rights over their own body and the employmentdiscrimination act of the mid-nineteen seventies meant that other thanin the Church employers could not discriminate on the basis of sex. Thelate 1960s also saw the burgeoning of feminist theologies. These havedeveloped and changed over the last thirty years a nd have become achallenge to patriarchal systems across the world. Divorce law reformsaw a huge increase in the number of divorces and traditionalists sawthis as a threat to the institute of marriage and the structure of thefamily. The rise of the Gay Christian movement and the aids threatsfrom the 1980s onward meant an overall rethinking and debate onpersonal morality within the chuches (Parsons, 1993). As stated earlier Brewer (2005) contends that what is happening inIreland is very different to what has happened in Britain and ratherthan the secularisation of Ireland what we are seeing is the move to apost-Christian society. What Brewer means by this is: the declining ability of Christian religion to affect and shapeordinary believers’ lives, a growing liberalisation in what ordinaryChristians believe and in the certainty with which they believe it, andthe appearance of other world faiths, still admittedly very much asminority religions, but a presence that nonetheless challenges theChristian hegemony. Religious diversity and pluralism now has to caterfor differences in practice and belief between the world religions notjust Catholic and Protestant (Brewer, 2005:7).   Sociologists use divorce statistics, abortion and homosexuality figuresto sustain the argument that secularisation is on the increase. Theyuse this evidence to suggest that these factors are a result of thedeclining importance of religious thinking and teaching in people’slives. In Britain many people have a pick and mix attitude towards religious believing and more than half of all marriages are nowcivil or non-religious ceremonies.From the 1950s onward Ireland haswitnessed an increasing industrialization through urbanization and agrowth in the number of people employed in both the industrial, ratherthan the agricultural sector, and in higher education. Religion hasbeen a key factor in Ireland and, since the 1970s, an increasing causeof conflict between Catholic and Protestant groups (O’Leary, 2001).Brewer (2005) has argued that the conflict has not been about religionas such but about identity and political loyalty. Religion is not the substance of this conflict; no one seriouslyargues that the conflict has been about religion. But religion is itsform, the way in which it is experienced. The contestation has beenabout the legitimacy of the state and access to its scarce resources,but this took on a religious form because ‘Catholic’ and ‘Protestant’were the

Scout’s Maturity Essay -- English Literature

Scout’s Maturity Maturation is a stage of growth that we as human beings begin at birth. â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† in Harper Lee shows Scouts growth as she experiences and understands the prejudice of Maycomb. In the beginning Scout is a naive little girl but as the story commences she begins to understand what goes on in Maycomb and by the end she may still be young but she has matured. In â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† author suggests the actions we take lead us to become human beings and what we have done and learned from it leads to mature beings. In the beginning, Scout is an outsider, a tomboy who is not accepted by her brother or his friend. She is known as â€Å"the girl† also she announces that she is five years old but she tries her best to fit in and play with he brother and Dill. Scout thinks of herself as an adult in the beginning, like at when at school she thinks of herself and her school mates as little adults, who must take care of the first year teachers, this shows she is still small but is working her way to adulthood. As the first part of the story progresses we learn another quality which makes Scout immature; the fact that she can’t control her anger. For example when Scout beat up her cousin, this shows she needs to accept something’s and let them go because if she keeps getting angry she is going to go on a rampage because in those days bigotry existed and she has to get use to it.. Scout makes very little progress in the first part of â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† but that doesn’t mean she isn’t determined. To fit in and feel as old as achievable is one of her true goals so she does as much as she can do to fit in and act as old as possible. One thing she does that is mature is she tries her b... ...but in the beginning she made childish accusations. As the story progressed she was shown the true colors of people and understands how life is in Maycomb County, Alabama. Near the end she makes better decisions and the ideas that come to her mind make her seem more mature. After Tom Robinson gets shot Scout matures into a woman mentally and the court trial was the route that showed her the people and there prejudice decisions from a girl to a man. In â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† Harper Lee says that in life we encounter many situations that affect us deeply but from the mistakes of others we learn valuable lessons. Scouts maturation from a young girl to a young woman is a slow alternation she made as she went through the tunnel and showed how she matured. People far prefer belonging than wisdom, but that is like wanting to be immortal without getting older.

Virgin Atlantic Essay -- essays research papers

Virgin Atlantic Market The airline industry was affected more than most by the tragic events of September 11th 2001. There was an immediate and significant reduction in passenger demand, particularly across the North Atlantic, and a number of airlines became bankrupt. 9/11 was quickly followed by further challenges of SARS and the effects of the Gulf War. The industry is slowly rebuilding passenger confidence and recent traffic figures show signs of a recovery from 9/11. However, it is clear that in order to survive and compete in this challenging environment, it is vital for airline companies to adapt and evolve, focusing on capturing the market with an ever-improving range of services. Airlines with strong brand leadership, like Virgin Atlantic, should be most likely to emerge from the challenge strengthened. Achievements The brand's achievements have been recognised by a number of prestigious award schemes. In recent years the airline has won a huge number of well respected awards including the Best Long Haul Business Airline at the Business Travel Awards and FX and Design Week awards for the Upper Class Suite. In 2003, Virgin Atlantic won the Business Superbrands Awards for 'the brand that most values its employees'. In 2002, the airline won an array of awards including Best Business airline at Condà © Nast Traveller Awards; The Guardian and Observer Awards; Best Transatlantic Airline at the Travel Weekly Awards and in 2001 Virgin Atlantic won OAG Airline of the Year. In addition, the brand has been consistently voted as a Superbrand and in 2001 was given Cool BrandLeader status by the Superbrands organisation. Despite tough trading conditions in 2003 Virgin Atlantic achieved a turnover of  £1.4 billion and carried almost four million passengers. History In the early 1980s, transportation - rather than customer care - appeared to be the top priority of the airline industry. When Virgin Atlantic burst on to the scene offering not only better service and lower costs for passengers but a commitment to put the customer first, the effects were radical. The company was set up in 1984 when an Anglo-US lawyer called Randolph Fields approached Richard Branson - the young and unorthodox chairman of the Virgin Group -with an idea for a new airline that would fly between the UK and the US. Better known at the time as the leading light in the world of pop and rock mus... ...the airline had limited marketing budgets and by attempting (and setting) a number of marine and aviation records Virgin Atlantic was put firmly on the map. Brand Values Virgin Atlantic strives to provide the best possible service at the best possible value. It is a distinctive, fun-loving and innovative brand, which is admired for its intelligence and integrity. Judging from the results of a poll conducted by research agency NOP the public also associates it with friendliness and high quality. Virgin Atlantic also recently won an NOP World Business Superbrands Award for the 'brand most perceived to keep its promises'. Things you didn't know about In 1999 Richard Branson received a knighthood for his services to entrepreneurship. Virgin Atlantic employs over 200 Inflight Beauty Therapists to give Upper Class passengers beauty treatments in the air. Virgin Atlantic serves approximately 2.5 million ice cream bars and 120,000 bottles of champagne each year. The average age of Virgin Atlantic's fleet is around five years old - one of the youngest fleets in world aviation. Virgin Atlantic has recently spent two years and  £50 million developing its award-winning new Upper Class Suite. Virgin Atlantic Essay -- essays research papers Virgin Atlantic Market The airline industry was affected more than most by the tragic events of September 11th 2001. There was an immediate and significant reduction in passenger demand, particularly across the North Atlantic, and a number of airlines became bankrupt. 9/11 was quickly followed by further challenges of SARS and the effects of the Gulf War. The industry is slowly rebuilding passenger confidence and recent traffic figures show signs of a recovery from 9/11. However, it is clear that in order to survive and compete in this challenging environment, it is vital for airline companies to adapt and evolve, focusing on capturing the market with an ever-improving range of services. Airlines with strong brand leadership, like Virgin Atlantic, should be most likely to emerge from the challenge strengthened. Achievements The brand's achievements have been recognised by a number of prestigious award schemes. In recent years the airline has won a huge number of well respected awards including the Best Long Haul Business Airline at the Business Travel Awards and FX and Design Week awards for the Upper Class Suite. In 2003, Virgin Atlantic won the Business Superbrands Awards for 'the brand that most values its employees'. In 2002, the airline won an array of awards including Best Business airline at Condà © Nast Traveller Awards; The Guardian and Observer Awards; Best Transatlantic Airline at the Travel Weekly Awards and in 2001 Virgin Atlantic won OAG Airline of the Year. In addition, the brand has been consistently voted as a Superbrand and in 2001 was given Cool BrandLeader status by the Superbrands organisation. Despite tough trading conditions in 2003 Virgin Atlantic achieved a turnover of  £1.4 billion and carried almost four million passengers. History In the early 1980s, transportation - rather than customer care - appeared to be the top priority of the airline industry. When Virgin Atlantic burst on to the scene offering not only better service and lower costs for passengers but a commitment to put the customer first, the effects were radical. The company was set up in 1984 when an Anglo-US lawyer called Randolph Fields approached Richard Branson - the young and unorthodox chairman of the Virgin Group -with an idea for a new airline that would fly between the UK and the US. Better known at the time as the leading light in the world of pop and rock mus... ...the airline had limited marketing budgets and by attempting (and setting) a number of marine and aviation records Virgin Atlantic was put firmly on the map. Brand Values Virgin Atlantic strives to provide the best possible service at the best possible value. It is a distinctive, fun-loving and innovative brand, which is admired for its intelligence and integrity. Judging from the results of a poll conducted by research agency NOP the public also associates it with friendliness and high quality. Virgin Atlantic also recently won an NOP World Business Superbrands Award for the 'brand most perceived to keep its promises'. Things you didn't know about In 1999 Richard Branson received a knighthood for his services to entrepreneurship. Virgin Atlantic employs over 200 Inflight Beauty Therapists to give Upper Class passengers beauty treatments in the air. Virgin Atlantic serves approximately 2.5 million ice cream bars and 120,000 bottles of champagne each year. The average age of Virgin Atlantic's fleet is around five years old - one of the youngest fleets in world aviation. Virgin Atlantic has recently spent two years and  £50 million developing its award-winning new Upper Class Suite.

Enders Game :: essays research papers

Ender’s Game: A Brief Depiction I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Setting:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Staged in mainly four places. Ender Wiggins childhood town, where he is monitored as a prospective third. He is sent to Battle School, which is a satellite of the earth. Then he ends up on Eros where he attends command school and eventually defeats the buggers. He spends the rest of his days with Valentine on the first human colonization, approximately 50 light-years away from Earth.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book takes place in 2190-2200 approx. The advancement of information transportation is significant, in that the ansible is able to transmit information faster than the speed of light, in fact, exactly instantaneous. The starships and fleets they have been able to advance are full on equipped for space and space tugs are similar to barges we have on rivers, and they are used to hull large amounts of materials about space. The fear of buggers is installed within the readers first glance at the book, and maintains constant until the very end when we learn that the buggers are in fact peaceful and loving creatures, unable to communicate that. II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Protagonist:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main character, Andrew (Ender) Wiggin is a young child who endures some of the hardest turmoil any human could undergo. He is very brilliant, cunning, paranoid, determined, and above all loving child who becomes mature and eventually saves the world. We see his brilliance from the start and through his days he has become the god-child, and messiah to all who know his name. His paranoia grows steadily throughout the book, due to his lack of trust in any figure he encounters. Any time they show any hint of compassion or any true emotion, ender assumes its all part of the game and plan to make him the best commander alive. His determination comes at us through many different wavelengths. He is at first solely determined to survive against playground bullies. It evolves into winning the battle games and soon after takes a curve and becomes determination to never play the game again. His most admirable trait though, is without fail the love he rarely but deeply shows for Valentine, his sister and partly companion through and through. He often says in the text that he is not a killer and has never meant to hurt anyone, simply to win the fight and never fight it again. He realizes his true love for the queen-bugger when he hosts her into eventually multiple buggers to start a new world of them.

Use of technology, constructivism theory and project based-learning

The research conducted by the research workers from Universiti Sains Malaysia is to look into the usage of engineering, constructivism theory and undertaking based-learning to accomplish a comprehensive instructional reform at the school degree. Four instructors from simple school located in the province of Oregon where project-based acquisition is implemented as an of import focal point of the school course of study had been chosen as participants. A qualitative methodological analysis was used to garner the informations through interviews, observations and papers analysis to turn to the research inquiry sing the usage of constructivism in a project-based acquisition puting in an simple school. Based on this research, it was found that the instructors did non do pre-planned attempts to incorporate elements of project-based acquisition, constructivism and engineering at the same time to execute a interactive relationship. The instructors used assortment of learning methods such as tr eatments, custodies on activities, picture presentations, field trips and conveying outside experts into schoolroom to do the pupils focal point and engage in the activities. However, they were non truly incorporating the constructivist rules in larning. This is inconsistent with their positive response on using constructivism in schoolroom. The research workers found that there was a big spread between the research-based theories and schoolroom patterns. The used of educational engineering was besides limited. The instructors were more likely to utilize traditional stuffs like books and printed textual in writing stuffs than utilizing electronic engineering, although each category has computing machines. There are some suggestions on how interactive relationship of the acquisition theories, engineering and project-based acquisition can be achieved in schoolroom from the research workers at the terminal of the article.Part BThe research article â€Å" Synergizing teaching method, l arning theory and engineering in direction: How can it be done? † is about the usage of constructivism ( larning theory ) and engineering in project-based acquisition ( teaching method ) in simple school. Based on this research, it was found that the instructors did non do pre-planned attempts to unite elements of project-based acquisition, constructivism and engineering to execute a interactive relationship. However, to some extent, some of the findings are applicable in Malaysia as it benefits the pupils and besides instructors. The instruction method ( teaching method ) used in the schoolroom is project-based larning. Project-based acquisition can be defined as â€Å" a comprehensive instructional attack to prosecute pupils in sustained, concerted probe † ( Bransford & A ; Stein, 1993 ) . Harmonizing to current research ( Thomas, Mergendoller, & A ; Michaelson, 1999 ; Brown & A ; Campione, 1994 ) , undertakings are complex undertakings, based on disputing inquiries, that serve to form and drive activities, which taken as a whole sum to a meaningful project.This means that the pupils are given the chances to do probe on the subject to develop their apprehension of the constructs or theories and present their cognition in their ain ways. In relation to Malayan schoolroom, this project-based acquisition can be applied to prosecute the pupils with the lesson. In the instruction and larning rules of Primary School Integrated Curriculum or besides known as KBSR, it states that undertaking is one of the techniques to guarantee instruction and larning effectivity ( Choong, 2008 ) . This is because project-based larning gives them the chance to research on their ain sing the subject being taught. It helps them to get the cognition more easy as they are the 1 who involve in the procedure of garnering the information and showing their thought based on their ain ways. For illustration in larning Science, the pupils have to carry on experiments to verify the constructs or theories that they learn. From here, it involves find larning which means that the pupils actively creates cognition based on the experiments ( Snowman & A ; Biehler, 2006 ) . Furthermore, the project-based acquisition is non merely restricted in Science categ ory, since the undertakings are adaptable to different learning state of affairss ( Blumenfeld et al. , 1991 ) . This means that the undertaking besides can be used in other categories like Mathematics, English and so on. Through project-based acquisition, the pupils interact to interchange their sentiments and thoughts and larn to collaborate among themselves. Here, it promotes the sense of answerability in the pupils as they will experience responsible in taking portion actively in the undertaking. Yet, indispensable counsel is needed particularly from the instructor to do certain that the undertaking can be carried out swimmingly and the pupils are on the right path in making their undertaking. Based on the research, we can happen that there is limited application of constructivist rules in the schoolroom. The instructors did utilize the rules but it is non truly stress during the lesson. Harmonizing to Woolfolk ( 2010 ) , â€Å" constructivism emphasizes on the active function of scholars in constructing apprehension and doing sense of information † . It means that, the scholars themselves construct their ain cognition based on their anterior cognition or experiences. The anterior cognition gives impact on the acquisition of the pupils as the pupils have to link their old cognition with the new information to organize meaningful apprehension. There are two constructivist fluctuations which are cognitive constructivism and societal constructivism. Harmonizing to Snowman & A ; Biehler ( 2006 ) , â€Å" cognitive constructivism emphasizes the consequence of one ‘s cognitive procedures on meaningful larning while societal constructivism emphasizes the consequence of other people ‘s statements and point of position on meaningful acquisition † . Both are of import in developing the pupils ‘ potencies and abilities in structuring their cognition. In relation to Malayan schoolroom, constructivism is applicable particularly in assisting to develop the originative and critical thought among the pupils. In conformity with rational development which emphasized in the National Philosophy of Education, focal point is given in believing accomplishments in KBSR ( Choong, 2008 ) . Thinking accomplishments here refer to creative and critical thought. Harmonizing to Choong, both are inter-related since the purpose is to enable the pupils to understand, evaluate and use the information received for determination devising and job resolution. By utilizing constructivism in the schoolroom, it helps teacher to ease the acquisition to be more meaningful for the pupils. Students will happen the acquisition is synergistic and assist them in developing their thought. In using this theory in schoolroom, instructor should be able to associate the lesson with the pupils ‘ experience. This is supported by Nesamalar, et Al ( 20005 ) as they prov ince that â€Å" the students will be more easy understood the elements of his ain immediate environment than that which is foreign and distant † . For case in English linguistic communication schoolroom, if a instructor wants to learn about pollution, he or she should come out with suited pre-reading activity, while reading activity and besides post reading activity. Pre reading activity is normally based on the pupils ‘ anterior cognition sing the subject. Teacher can motivate the pupils by inquiring them what they understand with the term pollution and are they cognizant with pollution jobs or non. From here, the pupils will seek to utilize their old cognition and reply to the instructor. The pupils are really linking their old cognition with the new cognition to organize meaningful apprehension. Lapp goes to post reading activity. For station reading activity, the instructor might inquire the pupils how they feel about pollution and ways to get the better of the pol lution. From the activity, it enhances the originative and critical thought accomplishments of the pupils as they have to come out with their ain replies based on the subject. Based on the research, the application of engineering is limited since the instructors prefer to utilize traditional instructional stuffs like books and other print-based textual in writing stuffs in the category although each category has computing machines. In relation to Malayan schoolroom, there are instructors who still utilizing books in instruction and acquisition procedure. Although it seems traditional, instructors believe that books help in their instruction. Some instructors refuse to utilize engineering in their instruction because engineering is clip devouring ( Chong et al, 2005 ) . However, instructors are advised to utilize engineering in their lesson since the usage of engineering in instruction in Malaysia is really of import as one of the tools to accomplish Vision 2020 to enable Malaysia to be one of the universe category instruction suppliers. Through engineering tools like computing machines, pupils learn â€Å" as the computing machines support cognition build ing, geographic expedition, acquisition by making, larning by discoursing and larning by reflecting † ( Snowman & A ; Biehler,2006 ) . Besides that, engineering promotes greater coaction among pupils and encourages communicating and the sharing of cognition ( Becta, 2003 as cited in Chong et Al, 2005 ) . It is really of import for instructors to be able to incorporate instruction method, larning theory and engineering in learning and larning procedure to organize a interactive relationship. The three elements should be presented together non in isolation signifier in order to bring forth meaningful lesson to the pupils. This integrating is used to accomplish a comprehensive instructional transmutation at school degree. This research helps instructors to pull off their schoolroom better and affects instructors as pedagogues for since it is parallels with today schoolroom on certain grade. Through these findings, it helps instructors to reflect on their ain learning whether they have successfully incorporating the three elements which are project-based acquisition, constructivism and engineering in the schoolroom. Some instructors might be cognizant with the larning theory but are they practising it in the schoolroom? The instructors who are practising the larning theory in schoolroom are those who truly understand the acquisition theory every bit good as the pupils ‘ demands ( Rio Sumarni Sharafuddin, 2007 ) . Therefore, this research acts as benchmark for instructors in Malaysia to mensurate the effectivity of using teaching method, larning theory and engineering in presenting the cognition to the pupils. There are few suggestions on how to advance these three elements in schoolroom. First, project-based acquisition should be an of import portion of the school course of study. This is because project-based acquisition is students-centered which means that it focuses on the pupils understanding by their ain instead than being spoon-feed by the instructors. Through undertaking based acquisition, the rules of constructivist are indirectly emerging during the acquisition. Here, the pupils learn to build their ain acquisition and associate their anterior cognition to heighten their thought and bring forth meaningful acquisition. Besides that, engineering like computing machines besides needs to be approachable and accessible to instructors and pupils. Harmonizing to Rio Sumarni Sharafuddin ( 2007 ) ; â€Å" With the outgrowth of computing machine engineerings, the constructivist positions in instruction and acquisition seemed easier to be implemented. This is because computing machine engineering is able to back up many of the rules of constructivist acquisition. Although the field of instructional design has evolved greatly, it would be nonmeaningful if these theories are ignored or even worst non practiced by the practicians † . Furthermore, by utilizing engineering, it helps both instructors and pupils in garnering the information from the net and helps to wider their positions. At the same clip, the rules of constructivist are besides embedded indirectly during learning and larning procedure. Another suggestion is instructors need practical cognition in incorporating elements of teaching method, larning theory and engineering. Some instructors might hold great content cognition on the topic they taught, but are they truly incorporating larning theory in presenting the cognition? Practical cognition helps instructors to present effectual lesson to the pupils. Furthermore, larning theory like constructivist is really utile in assisting the instructors to develop practical cognition in instruction. For me personally, I realized that it is non easy to integrate these three elements during lesson. I have to be adept plenty in order to transport out meaningful lesson for my pupils. Using constructivist rules in my instruction pattern can heighten my pupils ‘ thought and their cognitive development. Here, as a hereafter instructor, I should be prepared in making independent larning environment for my pupils. Although it seems rather hard to accomplish, I must remain positive because nil is impossible. As a instructor, I should believe positively so that I will be able to incorporate the three elements which are project-based acquisition, constructivism and engineering in my category successfully. Thus, farther research should be done on this issue as it is really important for instructors and besides future instructors to understand how to organize interactive relationship between the three elements in instruction and acquisition procedure.