Encounter with God Essay Example for Free

Encounter with God Essay As I recall a moment in my life which I had experienced a liberating and transforming encounter with God, the first thing that came into my mind was my first confession to the priest back when I was in our first year recollection. I can still remember how nervous I am that time because I didn’t really know what to do inside the confession room. But then, before I entered the room, I gave myself a time to just relax and think conscientiously all the sins I have made against God, family, friends and my neighbors. That time, I felt so relieved of the fact that I have realized that I was once wrong. When it was my turn to go inside, the feeling of nervousness lowered down. It’s as if I have accepted and opened myself to what reality with God is – and that’s the act of confession. While confessing my sins to the priest, it seems like I am having my most honest conversation with Him. I can really tell that it was exactly the real me who’s talking to God. With that encounter, I was enlightened that God have transformed me to be the real me. I felt liberated from the barriers that tried to hide the essence of my existence. After that loving encounter with God, I have fully accepted what I really am – a thinking being capable of caring and hurting, but had always acknowledged change. I promised to Him not to do the same mistake twice – and be open to whatever life brings. That was the time when my view of life became clearer, that in however way God shows life to me, it’s always for my own good and for a significant reason and purpose. I can’t say now if I have really fulfilled my promises to Him, but one thing is for sure that I have always been carrying out all His goodness to me.

Sioux Indians Essay -- American History

Sioux Indians We're going to tell you about a tribe of Indians known as the Sioux Indians. The Sioux Indians lived on the great plains. The Sioux's tribe is partially and fully located in 7 states. The states are known as Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Their natural resources include deer, beans, wild rice, and buffalo. The Sioux nation was divided into 7 groups. They were known as the 7 council fires. Each council fire had its own leaders and own group of families that always camped together. The largest Council Fire lived on the western plains. It was so big it was divided into 7 groups. It was called the Teton Sioux. They spoke the Lakota dialect of the Sioux language. Two councils lived on the middle plains, they were called Yankton Sioux. The language they spoke was the Nakota dialect of the Sioux language. The other Council Fires lived on the plains in the east. The name that they called themselves was Santee Sioux. The dialect that they spoke was the Dakota dialect of the Sioux language. The councils lived far away from each other, but they could understand each other's dialect. The families in each council fire met once a year , during the summer. When they met they shared news and traded things they had gotten from other tribes. They gave gifts away at special feats that were c alled giveaways. They also played ball games and raced horses. It was time to give thanks for the past year , and ask for help in the new year. They did this by taking part in a Sun Dance. The Sioux never camped in one place for very long. They were nomads and moved their camps to follow the buffalo and to find fresh grass for their ponies. Because of this they lived i... ... The plate was sometimes made out of buffalo horn hair pipes. The Sioux were also excellent riders. They trained their horses well and fast. The horses allowed the men to move quickly in battle and out of danger. As time passed, the Sioux traded with Europeans for guns. They became excellent marksmen. Sitting Bull was a well respected medicine man, and later became a chief. He led the Sioux through many battles. One of the most famous was called the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Sitting Bull believed the Ghost Dance would unite the Sioux. He encouraged his people to perform the dance. The U.S. government banned the dance and Sitting Bull was arrested and then killed. The Sioux Indians had very interesting traits and still live on reservations in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Minnesota. The reservations have about 106,500 members.

Ethical Decision Making Essay

Ethics One definition–Ethics is the code of moral principles and values that governs the behaviors of a person or group with respect to what is right or wrong. Ethical Decision Making The Gut Test–Most of the time you’ll know if something is right or wrong. If it feels fishy, it probably is. Common Ethical Principles Utilitarianism–An ethical choice is one that leads to the†greatest good for the greatest number of people. † Decision takes into consideration of costs and benefits to â€Å"society,† not just for the decision maker or those close to him. Justice–An ethical choice is one that distributes benefits and burdens equitably. Under this principle, both processes and outcomes can be evaluated. Procedural Justice: fairness in the process of deciding/doing/distributing†¦ Distributive/Outcome Justice: equality of outcome/result. Disclosure–A decision is ethical if the public would think it is right. â€Å"How would I feel if my behavior was revealed on†¦ (e. g. , The WSJ, nightly news) or to†¦ (e. g. , my parents, my pastor, my children)? CoCo Framework Control–control comprises those elements in an organization that support people in the achievement of the organization’s objectives. The elements in an organization includes its resources, systems, processes, culture, structure, and tasks. Organization–People working in pursuit of objectives. An organization can be a legal entity, a system or process that produces the outputs to meet a particular objective. The smallest unit of a n organization is the individual person. A person performs a task, guided by an understanding of its purpose (the objective to be achieved) and supported by capability (information, skills, resources, and supplies). The person will need a sense of commitment to perform the task well over time. The person will monitor his or her performance and the external environment to learn about how to perform the task better and about changes to be made. The same is true of any team or work group. In any organization of people, the essence is purpose, capability, commitment, monitoring, and learning. General Categories of Objectives Effectiveness and efficiency of operations–Related to organization’s goals, such as customer service, efficient use of resources, profitability and meeting social obligations. This includes safeguarding of the organization’s resources from inappropriate use or loss and ensuring that liabilities are identified and managed. Reliability of internal and external reporting–Maintenance of proper accounting records, the reliability of information used within the organization, and of information published for third parties. This includes the protection of records against two main types of fraud: the concealment of theft and the distortion of results. Compliance with applicable laws and regulations and internal policies–Includes objectives related to ensuring that the organization’s affairs are conducted in accordance with legal and regulatory obligations and internal policies. Control is effective to the extent that it provides reasonable assurance that the organization will achieve its objectives reliably. Control includes the identification and mitigation of risks. Two more fundamental risks to the viability and success of the organization: Failure to maintain the organization’s capability to identify and exploit opportunities; Failure to maintain the organization’s resilience. Resilience refers to the organization’s capability to respond and adapt to unexpected risks and opportunities, and to make decisions on the basis of telltale indications in the absence of definitive information. Important Concepts in Understanding of Control (a) Control is affected by people throughout the organization. Board of directors, management, and all other staff. b) People are accountable for achieving objectives as well as effectiveness of control that supports the achievement of objectives. (c) Organizations are constantly interacting and adapting. Organizations are constantly adapting in response to changes in the external environment and changes in the internal environment. For control to be effective, the control elements must fit with the organization’s objective, change and adapt. When changes are contemplated to any aspect of the organization, the control consequences should be considered. (d) Control can be expected to provide only reasonable assurance, not absolute assurance. Two reasons absolute control is not possible, even with due diligence exercised: First is limitations of human capabilities. Faulty judgement, human error. Second is cost/benefit considerations. (e) Effective control demands a balance be maintained: i. Between autonomy and integration. The balance between centralization of decentralization, imposing constrains to achieve consistency and granting freedom to act. ii. Between the status quo and adapting to change. The balance between demanding greater consistency to gain efficiency and granting greater flexibility to respond to change. The four pillars of CoCo framework Purpose Establishment and communication of objectives; Identification and assessment of significant risks; Establishment of policies that support the organization in achieving its objectives and managing its risks; the policies must be communicated and practiced, so that people know what is expected of them and their scope of freedom to act; The organization’s plans to achieve its objectives should be communicated and established; Objectives and related plans should include measurable performance targets and indicators. Commitment Shared ethical values should be established, communicated, and practiced throughout the organization; Human resource policies should be consistent with the organization’s ethical values and with the achievement of its objectives; Clear definition of authority, responsibility, and accountability; they should be consistent with an organization’s objectives so that decisions and actions are taken by the appropriate people; An atmosphere of mutual trust should be fostered to support the flow of information between people and their effective performance towards achieving this organization’s objective. Capability People should have the necessary knowledge, skills and tools to support the achievement of the organization’s objectives; Communication process should support the organization’s values and its achievement of objectives; Timely communication of sufficient and relevant information to enable people to perform their assigned responsibilities; The decisions and actions of different pars of the organization should be coordinated; Considering the organization’s objectives and risks, control activities should be designed as an integral part of the organization. Monitoring and Learning External and internal environments should be monitored to obtain information that may signal a need to re-evaluate the organization’s objectives or control; Performance should be evaluated against the targets and indicators identified in the organization’s objectives and plans; The assumptions behind an organization’s objectives should be periodically challenged; Information needs and information systems should be reassessed as objectives change or as reporting deficiencies are dentified; Follow-up procedures should be established to ensure appropriate change or action occurs; Management should periodically assess the effectiveness of control in its organization and communicate the results to those to whom it (management) is responsible. Ouchi Framework Control is interpreted by some authoritative persons as the sum of interpersonal influence relations in an organization. It is equivalent to power. Ouchi about control: The problem of organ ization is the problem of obtaining cooperation among a collection of individuals or units who share only partially congruent objectives. Market Control In a market, prices convey all of the information necessary for efficient decision-making. Markets deal with the control problem through their ability to precisely measure and reward individual contributions. The firm can simply reward each employee in direct proportion to his contribution. The market mechanism permits individuals to pursue non-organizational goal, but at a personal loss of reward. The market mechanism can be very effective only if strict conditions apply. Contributions must be measurable, and a norm of reciprocity assures that, if one party in a transaction attempts to cheat another, the cheater, if discovered, will be punished by all members of the social system, not only by the victim. The severity of the punishment will typically far exceed the crime, thus effectively deterring potential future opportunities. If an agent of an organization cheats to yield higher reward, once discovered, it is the organization that will suffer the punishment. Bureaucratic Control Involves close personal surveillance and direction of subordinates by supervisors. Strict rules and explicit work routines apply. Employees are evaluated based on compliance to rules. Bureaucracies rely on a mixture of close evaluation with a socialized acceptance of common objectives. Supervisors have the right to direct the effort of subordinates on an ad hoc basis. Ad hoc–formed, arranged, or done for a particular purpose only. Rule contains less information than a price. It is an arbitrary standard against which a comparison is yet to be made. Compliance: In exchange for pay, an employee gives up autonomy in certain areas to his organizational superiors, thus permitting them to direct his work activities and to monitor his performance. legitimate right to command† Bureaucratic mechanism is not as efficient as market mechanism in terms of administrative overhead consumption. It also relies heavily on monitoring, which can offend people’s sense of autonomy, which will have a negative effect on their motivation. Cultural/Clan Control Attains cooperation by selecting and socializing individuals so that their individual objectives substantially overlap with the organization’s objectives. Works best in an environment where task performance is inherently ambiguous, and teamwork is common, so that precise evaluation of individual contribution is impossible. The clan mechanism involves internalization of objectives through activities such as ceremonies, stories and rituals, and socialization process. It requires social agreement on values and reliefs. This mechanism reply upon a relatively complete socialization process which effectively eliminates goal incongruence between individuals. The clan lacks explicit price mechanism of the market and the explicit rules in bureaucracy, it relies for its control upon a deep level of common agreement of what constitutes poor behavior, and requires a high level of commitment on the part of each individual to those socially prescribed behaviors. The clan mechanism cannot cope with diversity and high employee turnover. Such disadvantages make it infeasible as a central control mechanism in modern organizations, but it can be efficient if the social requirements can be met. Social and Informational Prerequisites of Control CoSo Framework Internal Control–Internal control is a process, effected by an entity’s board of directors, management and other personnel, designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of objectives in the following categories: Effectiveness and efficiency of operations. Reliability of financial reporting. Compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Internal control is a process and is effected by people at every level of the organization. It can be expected to provide only reasonable assurance. It is geared to the achievement of objectives in one or more separate but overlapping areas. Objectives falls into three categories: Operations–relating to efficient and effective use of the entity’s resources. (EPS or cash-flow targets, process efficiency†¦) Financial reporting–relating to preparation of reliable published financial statements. Compliance–relating to the entity’s compliance to applicable laws and regulations. Components Control Environment The atmosphere in which people conduct their activities and carry out their control responsibilities. Related to the entity’s people–their integrity, ethical values, commitment to competence, and the environment in which they operate. The environment includes aspects such as board of directors, audit committee, management’s philosophy and operating style, organizational structure, assignment of authority and responsibility, human resources policies and practices. An effective control environment is a environment where competent people understand their responsibilities, the limits of their authority, and are knowledgable, mindful, and committed to doing what is right and doing it the right way. They are committed to following an organization’s policies and procedures and its ethical and behavioral standards. The control environment encompasses technical competence and ethical commitment. † Evaluation Criterions Integrity and ethical values–Existence and implementation of codes of conduct and other policies egarding acceptable business practices, conflict of interest, and expected standards of ethical or moral behavior. Dealings with employees, suppliers, customers, investors, creditors, competitors, and auditors, etc. Pressure to meet unrealistic targets. Commitment to competency–Formal or informal job descriptions, knowledge and skills to adequately perform jobs. Board of directors or audit committee–Independ ence from management; frequency and timeliness of meetings with management, sufficient and timely communication between management regarding significant organizational activities and financial performance/position. Management’s philosophy and operating style–Whether management is risk adverse, risk neutral, or risk seeking. Frequency or interaction between senior management and operating management. Attitudes towards financial reporting. Organizational structure–Appropriateness of the entity’s organizational structure, and its ability to provide the necessary information flow the manage its objectives. Adequacy of definition of key manager’s responsibilities, and their understanding of these responsibilities. Assignment of authority and responsibility–Assignment of responsibility and delegation of authority to deal with organizational goals and objectives, operating functions and regulatory requirements, including responsibility for information systems and authority to implement changes. Human resource policies and practices–Deals with policies and procedures for hiring, training, promoting, and compensating employees, management of employee retention and turnovers. Risk Assessment A precondition to risk assessment is establishment of objectives. Risk assessment is the identification and analysis of relevant risks to achievement of objectives. There are three categories of objectives: Operations objectives–relate to achievement of an entity’s basic mission, the fundament reason for its existence. Financial reporting objectives–address the preparation of reliable financial statements. Compliance Objectives–entities must conduct their activities in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Financial Reporting Objectives Existence or Occurrence–Assets, liabilities, and equity exist at a specific date, and recorded transactions actually occurred. Completeness–All transactions, events, and circumstances in a specific period that should have been recorded have been indeed recorded. Rights and Obligation–Assets (rights) and liabilities (obligations) are recorded. Valuation and Allocation–Assets, liabilities, revenue, and expense components are recorded at appropriate amounts in conformity with relevant accounting principles. Transactions are mathematically correct and appropriately summarized, and recorded in the entity’s books and records. Presentation and Disclosure–Items in the financial statements are properly described and correctly classified. Overlap of Objectives An objective in one category may overlap or support an objective in another. Example: â€Å"Close quarterly within 10 workdays. † Primarily an operation objective, but can also be a financial reporting and compliance objective, as the firm is required to file financial statements timely in accordance with SEC regulations. Evaluation of Objectives: Entity level: The entity-wide objectives provide sufficiently broad statements and guidance on what the entity desires to achieve, yet which are specific enough to relate directly to this entity. These objectives need to be communicated to employees and the board of directors. Business plans and budges need to be consistent with the entity-wide objectives and current conditions. Activity level: Strong linkage of activity-level objectives with entity-wide objectives and strategic plans. Important objectives (the critical success factors) need to be identified. tc. Once goals and objectives are determined, identify risks that threaten goals. Stated and implied risks External and internal factors Entity to activity level Risks at the entity level include those associated with external and internal factors. External factors are very much like the economic factors that affect demand for a product, such as: Technological development Changing customer needs or expectations, which can affect product development, production process, customer service, pricing and warranties. Competition New laws and regulations Natural disasters Economic changes Other extraordinary events Internal factors involve the internal conditions of the entity, such as: Disruption in information systems Quality/competency of personnels hired Change in management responsibilities Nature of the entity’s activities Ineffective board or audit committee Activity level involve the potential risks hidden in the normal course of business. Example: objective is to maintain adequate raw material inventory. The risks to not achieving the activity objective might include goods not meeting specifications, or not being delivered in needed quantities, on time, or at acceptable prices. Analyzing risks–risk mapping. Likelihood (frequency) and magnitude. Managing Change: changed operating environment (regulatory or economic), new key personnels, rapid growth (existing systems may be strained to the point where controls break down), new technology, new lines, products, activities†¦ Evaluation of Risks The firm needs to have adequate mechanism to identify risks arising from both external and internal factors. These risks need to be thoroughly assessed in terms of estimated significance based on the likelihood of occurring and magnitude of impact on goal achievement. Then, needed actions must be determined. Significant risks for each significant activity-level objective also need to be identified.

Online Shopping Vs Brick And Mortar - 1483 Words

Online Shopping vs Brick and Mortar Times are changing faster than ever. It seems like only yesterday that mail order catalogs, grocery stores, and shopping malls were the places to shop for items for our homes and our lives. As with all things, technology advances us to places we would have scoffed at in times past, and as technology advances, so do our shopping trends. Today, the high-energy bustle of the malls of America is dwindling down to lonely, dilapidated store fronts with â€Å"space for rent† signs becoming more numerous as the surviving stores that reach out and gasp for air. What is responsible for the shrinking of brick and mortar retailers? It is the rise of online shopping trends. Of course, online shopping is not exactly†¦show more content†¦The company eating that cost has the potential to further increase sales as the customer may spend more since the shipping is free. The last boost in discounts would be with taxes. Buying online, a customer d oesn’t have to pay taxes if there isn’t a store location within the state (Chang 4) Brick and mortar stores may have the upper hand when it comes to discounts. Local sale ads can reveal money-saving sales that can vary between time periods. Customers can plan shopping trips around the posted sales. In addition to sale ads, newspaper coupons can save a lot of money. Combining the two can save even more when customers take into account what the store sales are and then collect coupons for the items on sale to deepen discounts further (Keegan 6). Customer loyalty scan cards are another way that can save money in the store. Once signed up, loyalty cards can personalize future discounts or coupons based on past purchases on top of discounts included during the current purchase transaction (Buderi 4). These loyalty scan cards many times can be used in conjunction with other sales and added coupons. Another option for brick and mortar stores is price matching. To com pete with online stores, brick and mortar stores can opt to equal a sale price advertised at another store. On the idea of customer service in the online world, trying to reach someone by phone is no longer theShow MoreRelatedOnline Shopping vs Brick and Mortar1459 Words   |  6 PagesOnline Shopping VS Brick and Mortar Ann Gove COMM/155 December 10, 2011 Marianne Raley Online shopping VS Brick and Mortar Does the idea of shopping in Italy, France, or Japan at 3:00 am in your pajamas while snuggled up on the couch sound like a good idea? Then internet shopping is the way to go. As of the first twenty five days of the November- December 2011 Holiday season internet sales totaled 12.7 billion dollars, that’s an increase of 15% since last year. Online shopping dominates theRead MoreEssay on Online vs Brick and Mortar Shopping1029 Words   |  5 PagesOnline vs. Brick-and-Mortar Shopping The Internet has changed the way we do virtually everything, including the way we shop. However, shopping is not the only thing that has changed. In the last decade we have changed the way, we apply for loans, study, and even plan a vacation. Doing any of these things would have been impossible a few decades ago. At present, online banking, paying bills, ordering new services, and shopping online have become part of our daily lives. Traditional brick-and-mortarRead MoreOnline Shopping vs. Brick and Mortar Shopping966 Words   |  4 PagesBrick and mortar shopping and online shopping compare and contrast in many different ways. Some of the ways are obvious such as one is online and one is an actual store, but there are others that many different people would not even think about if they didn’t shop in both settings regularly. Knowing the benefits of online shopping and shopping in store can not only save a person the hassle of getting out when something may be better to get on line, but it can also save a person tons of money knowingRead MoreConsumer Perceptions Towards E Grocery Market1396 Words   |  6 Pagesfacilitates online transaction between business entities and consumer for various product and services. As market penetration of internet is rising which leads to the growth of e-grocery sector in India. Social media has impacted the growth of online consumers dynamically in Tier I cities. Some e-commerce players came up with the online grocery market concept but not able to sustain which reflects about the dynamic environment toward e-grocery. E-grocery allows consumers to purchase grocery online throughRead MoreOnline vs Brick and Mortar844 Words   |  4 PagesJacobie COM170 10/27/2014 Laura L. Dorsey Online vs. Brick-and-Mortar Shopping One of the opportunities we have in today’s world is whether to buy online or go to a brick and mortar store to do our purchasing. The two offer great sales and promotions along with selections from which we can choose. As online shopping and brick and mortar may seem similar; however, both differ in pricing, convenience and selection. Discounts are offered both online and in store which makes it easy for theRead MoreThe Development Of On Line Shopping1234 Words   |  5 Pages Brick and mortar used to be the only means of how we purchased products or services; however that changed with the invention of the WWW. It’s hard to pinpoint an exact date on-lining shopping started. The development of on-line shopping was such a gradual process since its very beginnings to when the first transaction took place. I think the best year to use is 1995, since that was the year when Amazon, Dell, Cisco started selling products to customers online. That same year is also when EBayRead MoreAmazon Case Study996 Words   |  4 Pagesof Amazon.com in July of 1995 was the creation of a new and bold way of doing business on the Internet. Amazon.com forced the traditional physical world brick and mortar retailer in the book industry to change the way they target the industry s consumers and then epitomized Business-2-Consumer e-retailing. Although, Amazon.com started as an online bookstore, according to eRetailNews , they have since spread its wings into other industr ies such as music, DVD, toys, videos etc... Subsequently, thisRead MoreTypes and Functions of Retailers1901 Words   |  8 Pagesliving nearby. Hyperactive Markets: Offers variety of goods in huge volumes at a low price. Supermarkets: Store mainly offering grocery and limited nonfoods item. Malls: Offers wide range of retailers under one roof. E-retailers: Offers product online that are delivered at customer doorstep. Vending machines: Equipment that offer goods upon dropping in of money. All the factors discussed above show us the importance of retailer in the channel of distribution. In spite of these factors, many peopleRead MoreRelationship Between Customer Service And Logistics1403 Words   |  6 Pagesservice and logistics in retail supply chain are becoming more synonymous every day. As competition between traditional and online shopping becomes more intense, expedited shipping options and combined supply chain networks are key. Simply put, delivery speed and logistics dexterity provide customer service with metrics needed to be success. The leading benefit of brick-and-mortar retailers, like Wal-Mart, is the customers’ ability to achieve instant gratification. The ability to compare options, kickRead MoreWeek 4 Workshop Questions Essay757 Words   |  4 PagesWorkshop Questions – Week 4 1. Search the Web for a company that is purely Web based. Next, find the Web site of a competing company that is a hybrid (i.e., they have a traditional brick-and-mortar business plus a presence on the Web). ASOS vs Westfield (a) Explain the pros and cons of dealing with each type of company. An example of a company that is purely Web based would be ASOS and an example of a competing company that is a hybrid would be Westfield. One of the pros of ASOS