Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures Essay

The two creation myths selected to compare and contrast centers on the Norse culture of Iceland Vikings and the Genesis creation of the Hebrew origin of Christian culture. Both creation myths originate with a hollow abyss where anarchy or war cultivates. The Norse myth relates a struggle in the middle of the blistering realm of Muspell and the murky, icy realm of Niflheim inside the hollowness named ginnungagap and where nothing could cultivate. The Genesis struggle was involving God and nothing, seclusion, and the craving to generate something wonderful. There are exactly nine categorizations of creation myths and numerous utilize more than one notion. Genesis cosmogonies utilizes both the deus faber and ex nihilo ideas. The account frequently deemed the ex nihilo myth, implying â€Å"out of nothing† is the story in the first book of the Old Testament, Genesis, of God’s creation in six days by communicating into existence light and blackness, moon and sun, animals and plants, birds and fish, stars and earth, God then creates Adam in His image from the dust and inhales life into him and Eve was molded from one of Adam’s ribs, consequently joining deus faber (the â€Å"maker-God†) with ex nihilo motifs. The Nordic creation myths incline to merge accretion/conjunction, exudation, and sacrifice ideas. It introduces the combining of fire and ice in an arbitrary linking of components. When the tepid breath of Muspell encounters the chill of glacial Nieflheim, ice dissolves and the subsequent water droplets come to life, generating the wicked gigantic Ymir. As the titan slumbers, perspiration from his armpits produces the first man and woman. These added titans mature to loathe Ymir and the creation story goes on with the slaughter and disfigurement of the dreadful giant. The Norse culture consist what we call Vikings. They had a pantheon of 14 main gods and conceived the cosmos as separated into three levels: Asgard, Aesir, is the higher level and land of the main gods, fertility gods, and where light elves also existed. Midgard is the middle  level where men, giants, dwarves, and dark elves lived. Niflheim is the lower level, better known as the underworld, where the evil dead died a second time in the fortress city of Hel. Running through and ultimately reaching above heaven is Yggdrasil, the enormous ash tree that apparently existed before the beginning. The Genesis creation myth is comparable in that the world was shapeless also emptiness, and obscurity laid in the deep. God soul was touching above the top of the seawaters when, he generated the skies and the planet. The scriptural writers considered the universe as a horizontal round formed planet in the axis, an illicit world for the lifeless underneath, and paradise overhead. Underneath the planet stood the â€Å"waters of chaos†, the intergalactic ocean, and nest to mythological ogres conquered and killed by means of God. In Genesis, â€Å"the earth was formless, empty, and dark, and God’s Spirit moved over the waters preparing to perform God’s creative Word† (Fairchild, 2013). God initiated speaking his creation into existence. The first day, he generated luminosity and parted it from the blackness, calling sunlit â€Å"day† and obscurity â€Å"night.† The second day, God made the â€Å"sky† to detached the seawaters. The third day, he formed the waterless earth, called â€Å"land†, and congregated the seawaters, naming them â€Å"seas†. The Divinity as well formed flowers and plants on this day. â€Å"God created the sun, moon, and the stars to give light to the earth and to govern and separate the day and the night† on the fourth diurnal (Fairchild, 2013). These elements would also serve to establish days, seasons, and years. On the fifth day, he formed each existing organism of the oceans and of the skies, sanctifying them to flourish. Also formed the creatures to saturate the world on the sixth diurnal. Adam and Eve, believed to be the first man and woman, were also created in his reflection on this day to communicate. â€Å"He blessed them and gave them every creature and the whole earth to rule over, care for, and cultivate† (Fairchild, 2013). Finally, on the seventh diurnal, he completed his labor of conception and relaxed, consecration it and formulating it consecrated. The Norse story did not have one maker of good, but multiple elements and events that emerged from one evil giant in this creation myth. The cattle stroked off whole Alps of rime, gradually licking rime of other two additional existences, the god Buri and his spouse. â€Å"They had a son named Bor, and his son was named Odin, who became the king of all  the gods† (Distant Train, Inc., 2011). Ymir was malicious and wicked and when Odin along with the divinities may well no more endure Ymir’s wicked deeds, they united to kill the giant. â€Å"Ymir’s huge body formed the earth, his blood became the sea, his flesh became the land, his bones the mountains and his hair the trees† (Distant Train, Inc., 2011). He and the additional deities shaped the heavens with his cranium, sustained up by four immense columns. He created the sun and moon from flashes from the blistering pits of Muspell and placed them in the sky. The ice began to melt in the new world of Ginnungagap from the illumination of the sun and moon and vegetation began to grow. The largest tree, called Yggdrasil, grew from the center of the world and became known as â€Å"The Tree of Life†. â€Å"Its roots penetrated into the bottom of creation and its leaves reached the very top of the sky† (Distant Train, Inc., 2011). To his satisfaction of the newborn earth, Odin baptized it Midgard, meaning ‘The Middle Land’. However, Midgard needed tending to while the gods ascend to Asgard. Odin discovered two collapsed trees, an elm and an ash, which Odin removed from the dirt and shaped the incipient male and female. â€Å"Odin breathed life into the beings, gave them reason and feelings, hearing and sight† (Distant Train, Inc., 2011). Similar to the Genesis story of Adam and Eve, Odin called the male Ask and the female Embla and from them, launched the whole humankind. In summary, the Genesis creation story identifies God as the writer of conception. â€Å"In Genesis 1 we are presented with the beginning of a divine drama that can only be examined and understood from the standpoint of faith. How long did it take? How did it happen, exactly?† (Fairchild, 2013). It is impossible to definitively answer these questions, but these inscrutabilities are not the emphasis of the conception account. The point, is for ethical and religious epiphany. Verse 26, God states, â€Å"Let us make man in our image, in our likeness †¦Ã¢â‚¬  The story goes that a serpent tricked Eve into eating the fruit from the forbidden tree and she offered it to Adam and he also ate from it. As a result, Eve and Adam were expelled from the Garden of Eden, men will labor over the earth, women will experience excruciating pain bearing children, and all humans will die. Readers from Western cultures tend to rank â€Å"metaphysical or spiritual† cosmogonies like the account of Elohim-God speaking the world into existence in Genesis higher than â€Å"physical, natural, or elemental accounts of creation by  accretion, excretion, copulation, division, dismemberment, or parturition† (Leonard & McClure, 2004). If, however, we are self-conscious about our culture’s assumptions about what is â€Å"normal,† we see that at least as many cosmogonic myths have presented creation as part of a natural process as have conceived it as an exercise of divine and creative will. Ranking one kind of myth as lower or more primitive and our own myths as higher or more cultured derives from a cultural bias. To study myth effectively, we need to free ourselves as much as possible from the prejudices we inherit from our cultural surroundings. References Distant Train, Inc. (2011). Norse Creation. Retrieved from http://bigmyth.com/download/NORSE_CREATION.pdf Fairchild, M. (2013, January 4). The Creation Story – Bible Story Summary. About.com Christianity. Retrieved from http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/p/ creationstory.htm Gill, N. S. (2012, April 13). Creation of the World – Norse Mythology on the Creation of the World. About.com Ancient / Classical History. Retrieved from http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/creationmyths/a/11083199Norse.htm Ginzberg, L. (2012, April 13). Legends of the Jews, By Louis Ginzberg. Legends of the Jews. Retrieved from http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_text_jewslegends1a.htm Leonard, S., & McClure, M. (2004). Myth & Knowing: An introduction to world mythology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Shmoop Editorial Team. (November 11, 2008).The Myth of Norse Creation Myth. Retrieved June 20, 2014, from http://www.shmoop.com/norse-creation-myth/

Professional Learning Communities Focusing On the Contributions of Research Paper

Professional Learning Communities Focusing On the Contributions of Utilizing Social Media Within Learning Commun - Research Paper Example from his students, some suggesting new ideas of improving the lessons including use of power-point presentations, or issuance of course special notes concerning specific areas that they did not learn. The teacher can also take advantage of his or her student’s presence in the social media to create an online blog and a discussion forum. It is from these blogs and discussions that the teacher can acquire knowledge on the various needs of his/her students (Ke and Hoadley, 2009). Planning a lesson by integrating the needs of the students will ensure that students became active participants in the lessons, making it interesting (Eshach, 2007). Through the social, a teacher will be able to interact with the student’s parents, telling them on the progress of their students in relation to their academic capabilities. For example, facebook has a provision in which an individual can make a list of friends whom he or she can constantly interact with. A teacher can make a list of the various parents of his/her students. From this list, he can notify these parents on the progress of their students, and try to get some feedback on how to improve the academic capability of his/her students (J and Hunt, 2006). From these feedbacks, a teacher can have an idea on how to develop the teaching plan that he or she will use while conducting the lesson. Information from parents is crucial because parents know the intellectual and physical capabilities of their children. Basing on this information, a teacher can develop a plan that will factor in the intellectual capability of his/her students (Dunlap and Stephens, 2009). For example, in a classroom setup, there are fast learners and slow learners. Fast learners have the capability of grasping issues in class in a quicker manner, and do... This essay approves that planning a lesson by integrating the needs of the students will ensure that students became active participants in the lessons, making it interesting. Through the social, a teacher will be able to interact with the student’s parents, telling them on the progress of their students in relation to their academic capabilities. The social media is an important tool during this process of planning and preparing of a lesson by the teacher. Social sites such as twitter and facebook enable teachers to interact with their peers. The social media also helps in improving communication between a teacher and a student. This report makes a conclusion that that the social media plays a big role in helping teachers to handle their teaching lessons in a professional and ethical manner. This is because they are able to interact with their peers, acquiring ideas from each other on how to handle their teaching profession. It also encourages collaboration, between the teachers, students and their parents. This is a positive aspect in education because it will most definitely result to an improvement on the academic capabilities of students. This is because the teacher will acquire knowledge on the weaknesses of his or her students, and build upon those weaknesses, to ensure that the child learns, and achieves the outcomes of the lesson/ course under consideration.

Review Discussion of Chris Hackley (2013), Marketing in Context Essay - 1

Review Discussion of Chris Hackley (2013), Marketing in Context - Essay Example According to Hackley, critics have been against marketing and its role because of the associated theories and techniques used in the business world in the name of marketing. The author is honest about the fact that the developed world has experienced some of the benefits associated with marketing. This is through increasing affluence. Despite the evident benefits of marketing, only a few people have a conscience understanding of the functioning of marketing. Many of the books seeking to elaborate the concepts of marketing have not succeeded in doing so in accordance with the views expressed by Hackley. Hackley has the conviction that marketing research and the findings recorded as well as the theories developed from such findings do not conform to the real life aspects of marketing. These reasons prompted Hackley to develop a text that can describe marketing concepts in the appropriate context. Hackley’s book succeeds in clarifying several marketing concepts, its role, and set ting a new scene that allows marketing to be understood in its appropriate context. This paper will present a critical review discussion of Chris Hackley’s introductory chapter and the conclusion he presents. The review is going to consider other chapters in the book, and describe how Hackley develops them to set a â€Å"marketing scene†. In the first chapter of the book, Hackley develops an introduction to his involving text. In this chapter, Hackley introduces the overgeneralization of concepts that has been happening in the marketing field. More specifically, he highlights that only a few people understand marketing in its appropriate context. The efforts of previous authors have not succeeded in enlightening readers on how to understand marketing. This is despite the fact that marketing is one of the fields with a remarkable economic contribution as well as a cultural presence with numerous effects on the society. In an effort to address

The Main Functions and Responsibilities of the Manager Case Study - 1

The Main Functions and Responsibilities of the Manager - Case Study Example It seeks to find out the ethical questions that managers may have to ask themselves as they make decisions. This report seeks to draw insight on management theories and elaborate on how they work in the real world. The report will attempt to draw conclusions based on interviewee’s experiences. It will examine how working relationships affect the execution and coordination of an organisation’s activities. Responsibilities of A Manager The interviewer began by asking the manager his responsibilities at his current position. He asked the manager to describe his areas of accountability, responsibility, and delegation. The manager described his responsibilities as divided into three main categories (Tripathi & Reddy, 2005, pp. 12-35). The operational responsibilities are in line with the organisation’s mission. The manager also deals with financial and administrative issues, which mainly relate to the organisation’s resources and how they are allocated and util ised. These include the human resource element where the manager is responsible for the allocation and distribution of staff and the tasks they handle. The third category of responsibilities in matters of compliance. It is upon the manager to ensure all the organisation’s activities adhere to set laws, regulations, standards, and ethics. The manager has the responsibility of implementing established policies and procedures to ensure the smooth, fair, and lawful running of the organisation. A manager usually has staff reporting to them. The interviewer asked the manager if the manager had ever had to deal with an underperforming member of staff, how the manager dealt with the matter and the result. Was there an improvement in the employee’s performance? Where there was no improvement, the interviewer asked about the steps the manager took.

Zhang Xin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Zhang Xin - Essay Example Zhang use of these colors on his artwork symbolizes the unity of the human beings which he relates with history. The dark colors on the painting reflect painter’s idea of preventing access to the past and by incorporating such colors and war materials such as armor, horses, and swords into his work, Zhang directly engages the observer with the question of history and memory, reality and truth (Honour and Fleming). I like Zhang artwork because through his paintings, he exposes more information about history as well as bringing about memories of truth and reality. Colors and materials incorporated into the paintings say more about the â€Å"vexed subject† of history. The idea drawn from the pictures is relevant because it helps me understand history more vividly. One thing that does not escape from Zhang painting is his ability to connect his artwork with the great events happening throughout history and the entire view of the world. The attached paint of two cocks fighting elucidates the painter’s genuine creativity whose receptiveness influences a broader range of studies. The fighting cocks expresses strength, majesty and perhaps dynamic forces of the stronger. Just the green color symbolizes healing and perseverance, probably the paint stands for the injustices and oppression of the weak. However, as mentioned earlier, Zhang paintings concentrated on humanity and connectedness with

Supply Chain Management and Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Supply Chain Management and Technology - Essay Example Today with the down fall in economy and the increase in the costs the companies are planning to have a strong and an effective supply chain in their bottom line. The reason is that the implementation of a strong supply chain at the bottom will ensure that the cost is decreased along the production line and the management is effective. However these decreases in the costs and effective management will ensure that the efficiency of the firm gets increases and the profitability and the return on the investment increases. Implementation of Enterprise resource planning in an organization works best in conjunction with a supply chain management system. ERP systems involve a multitude of business activities, including customer service and production planning that are not a part of supply chains (de Burca, Fynes, & Marshall, 2005). The success of supply chain management system lies in the hands of the technology. It can be only successful with the implementation of web- based software and through proper communication. Before the internet the supply chain could not function appropriately the reason is that the collaboration with the other firms was less efficient. The process of feed backs, updates and other important business functions used to take a lot of time. The process of transferring knowledge was all done manually which took time. Collaboration with global partners used to be a challenge for the organizations. But with the introduction of internet and new communication technologies that include email, fax etc. the communication and knowledge and information transfer issue was completely resolved. One of the biggest advantages that the technology has offered to supply chain is the ease of collaboration no matter how distant the customer, the supplier or any other organization is. This helped in developing good relationships at both ends of the supply chain which includes the customers as well as the suppliers. The companies can now also remain updated with their competitors' activities. For example a supplier of consumer goods may be linked up through internet to one of the distributors. In this way whenever the inventory goes down the order will be placed automatically. in this way, the distributor never has to worry about running out of a product and disappointing customers and the supplier doesn't have to worry about maintaining a large inventory in expectation of demand. Systems have also been made to send out multiple requests at a single time. Collaborating this way makes better use of existing resources and paves the way for a larger profit margin on all sides of the eq uation (Chow, 2006). The Importance of Technology Technology today has made both outsourcing and off shoring much easier tasks than they were initially. In a very strong supply chain and a very elaborative business it is sometimes considered good to outsource certain business functions. This helps in saving upon a lot of costs at times. Technology today like internet and some systems have made the task of outsourcing much easier. For outsourcing a task

Standards and Procedures Essay Example for Free

Standards and Procedures Essay Behavior Always conduct yourself in a professional manner. (Inappropriate words or insinuations will not be tolerated) Act in best interests of our clients. (Always safeguard our client’s information that is not public knowledge.) Foster culture diversity; treat others with dignity and respect. (Refrain from criticizing and putting down fellow employees and customers.) Take ownership of own work and promote opportunity. Follow dress code – wear appropriate business casual attire. (Body tattoos and piercings will be covered at all times. Please see company dress code booklet for further description of dress code) Practice integrity and honesty in all areas of business. Avoid parting in any activity that could have a negative effect on company’s image. Participate in any mandated professional education courses. (Company courses will be assigned as needed and employees will be provided a deadline to complete courses.) Put Philanthropic mission above your personal gain. Disclose any possible conflicts of interest to management which may or may not result in reassignment or termination. (Refrain from partaking in employment in related companies, or engaging in interoffice dating) Encourage other employees to embrace code of ethics and report any knowledge of others not adhering to code of ethics. ( Any information provided to management will remain confidential , retaliation toward informant is prohibited) Accuracy and completeness Keep accurate records, files and books of activities. Maintain company standard of 99 percent quality accuracy of work. ( Monthly summary of quality will be provided based on review of employees work by their direct supervisor) Maintain company standard of required production. (Please see production requirements which are based on employees job description) Work scheduled time; refrain from partaking in unapproved overtime. (Regular tardiness and unexcused absences will not be tolerated under any circumstances and will be grounds for suspension or termination.) Following state laws and regulations Do not engage in any form of Price Fixing, Anti-Trust or Anti Competition. Acceptance of gifts and gratuities is prohibited. Adhere to all state required breaks and timekeeping requirements. Refrain from parting in any activities that might be considered discriminating towards any race gender or religious preferences. Adhere to state sexual harassment laws. Ethics Training Plan Design and Development Manuals will be created which display company’s ethical standards. (WBT) Web Based Training courses will be created to provide employees knowledge of the company’s ethical standards in a fun interactive way. Training program will include possible ethical situations an employee might find themselves in and how to react in an ethical manner. (WBE) Web Based Exams will be created to ensure employees grasp all concepts. PowerPoint presentations will be created and updated often to present possible ethical situations and what the proper way to react would be. Webinars will be created several times a year reminding employees how important it is to abide by companies ethical standards. Slogans, banners and flyers will be created, displaying company’s ethical standards. Monthly company articles will be created displaying the importance of following ethical guidelines. Implementation For employees that are initially hired they will undergo Ethics (WBT) Web Based Training Program. They will be provided an Ethics manual to go over and sign stating they read and understand all materiel and agree to abide by company’s code of ethics. They will be handed a pamphlet in which to revert back to if they should have any ethical questions on any ethical situations. Finally before beginning their on the job training they will need to pass a web based exam in which they will prove they have grasped the all of companies ethical concepts. For management – Because implementation of an ethics program begins with management, it is very important that managers be properly trained to provide our companies employees with proper ethical training. Therefore all managers will be required to also partake in a (WBT) Web Based Training program specifically created for managers of our company who need to understand how important it is that employees lead by example. Managers will be provided with their own ethics manual for which they may revert back to in if they should have any ethical questions on any ethical situations. Managers will be required to attend yearly in person training courses on how to encourage proper ethical behavior amongst their employees. Finally all Managers will be required to take yearly managers ethics training exam in which they will prove they have grasped all of company’s ethical concepts. For all employees All employees will required to undergo Yearly (WBT) Web Based Training programs in order to refresh themselves on the company’s ethical standards and to familiarize themselves with updated material. Ethics proficiency testing will always follow WBT’s in order to ensure all ethical concepts have been grasped. Management will hold monthly group meetings in which they will present power point presentations displaying possible ethical situations and how to respond in a proper ethical manner. Webinars will be released to all employees several times a year encouraging employees to follow proper ethical standards and reminding them where all information can be found on companies ethical standards. Company will advertise through slogans, banners and flyers reminding employees to follow company’s ethical standards. Evaluation Managers will be required to monitor each employee’s ethical behavior and take immediate action when unethical behavior is exhibited. Employees displaying any type of unethical behavior will be closely monitored and will be provided with first a verbal warning, then a written warning followed by termination of employment depending on severity of the situation. Employees exhibiting great Ethical behavior are to be recognized for doing so with a yearly compensation bonus if company should have a strong yearly profit. Monitoring System Monitor Appoint an ethics and compliance officer to do an overview of ethics program. Measure awareness and perceptions of ethics program, procedures and review company’s culture. Create and implement an employee satisfaction and recommendation survey for company’s ethics program. Observe employees behaviors. Review companies activities. Listening to or review recorded customer service intake calls Audit Secure commitment of upper management and board of directors. Establish a committee to oversee the ethics audit. Define what is being audited; include any areas that are important to an ethical audit. Have documentation with listed measurements of how company is complying with required ethical procedures. Do a yearly analysis of company’s measurements. Evaluate the company’s goals and objectives; outline the company’s ethical main concerns. Ensure audit processes include the outlooks of all the major stakeholders. Evaluate the compliance program design, arrangement and procedures. Examine whether current practices meet legal requirements and company policies and standards. Have all report results verified by an outside source. Provide a report of the final findings to the audit committee and after the report is accepted, it can then be distributed to managers and to the stakeholders. Reporting Misconduct Reassure employees that any reports of misconduct will be kept confidential and that no retaliation will occur. Provide employee with privacy by conducting conversations in a private area. Probe employee for a further explanation of the misconduct and ask if there are any others whom can collaborate their report. Reassure employee that you will follow-up on this report and provide them with a reasonable timeframe in which you will follow up with them. Review and Improve Plan Review Compare and examine all yearly audits to one another to see if the program is improving. Identify affective and ineffective ethical procedures. Verify the company has a code of ethics that is effective in preventing misconduct. Verify the company’s standards and procedures are being dispersed effectively to its employees. Ensure top management has a system in place to detect ethical issues. Ensure standards and procedures are realistically proficient in identifying and preventing misconduct. Compare and exam all employees for ethical and unethical behavior. Improve Perform an examination on how company can reduce the risks of misconduct and implement new strategies. Take action against any potential risks that were identified in audit process. If it is determined that that ethical performance is not acceptable, Restructure how certain choices within the company are made. Reward employees who comply with ethics program and punish employees who do not comply. Update codes and ethics yearly in order to ensure that the program is up to date with current laws and regulations. References Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., Ferrell, L. (2009). Business ethics, ethical decision making and cases. (7e, 2009 update ed.). Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning. Nick Ciancio (July 2007). The seven pillars of an effective ethics and compliance program. Retrieved from: http://www.globalcompliance.com/pdf/the-seven-pillars-of-an-effective-ethics-and compliance-program.pdf. Marsha Glick (July 17, 2000). Twelve steps for designing effective training programs. Retrieved from: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/twelve-steps-for-designing-effective-training-programs/5032124. Mark Lamendola (July 1, 1998). Ten Tips For An Effective Training Program. Retrieved from: http://ecmweb.com/content/ten-tips-effective-training-program.