Australia Based Huggalugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Australia Based Huggalugs - Essay Example Towels, bed sheets and blankets could be added in the company’s product repertoire. All these products can be manufactured to fit into Huggalugs’ core proposition of fashion and function. Most of the new product additions rely on the same raw materials that are used in existing products. By increasing the volume of purchase, the company can exercise more bargaining power over the suppliers of raw materials and gain a cost advantage. Likewise synergies can occur in the production processes (knitting process) as well as the channels of distribution. The skill sets of the existing labour will suffice to produce the proposed products. A product wise profitability analysis can be conducted to determine which of the items need to be removed from the present product line. The company can, after launching the proposed products, claim to be catering to the apparel needs of little ones from head to toe. These outfits would be the children’s best friend whether they are in bed or in the playground. Price A penetration pricing strategy (low price) would entail catering to the masses and dealing in volumes. However this strategy does not justify the quality of the product in question. The skimming pricing strategy (high price) on the other hand would mean that only the top rung of the society is the target market. The thoughts of ‘discounts’ and ‘value for money’ always loom large in the minds of the shoppers (in this case the parents) as kids tend to outgrow apparel pretty fast. It is therefore recommended that the company should adopt a cost plus pricing or ideally a competitive pricing model. A buyer of Huggalugs thus gets the dual benefit of function and fashion at reasonable prices. In other words, the Huggalugs brand gets associated with being stylish, multipurpose and yet inexpensive. Such a pricing strategy may prolong the break even period; however the company would be able to capture a large market share and would sta nd to gain in the long run Given that the company has increased its product range, it could use product bundle pricing. For e.g. if Baby Vintage Smitten (Legruffles) are priced at $ 15, Cheetah (Leghuggers) at $ 15 and Angel Daisy Bonnet (Beanie) at $24.95, a combination of all these 3 product items may be offered at $50. While this combo price saves $4.95 for the customer, it results in higher turnover for the company. The company should also employ ‘special event pricing’ for e.g. during Halloween and Christmas, promotional pricing may be done to encourage giving Huggalugs as gifts. The company should resort to ‘Sales’ sparingly otherwise customers tend to become ‘deal-prone’ Distribution The essence of distribution is that the product has to be made available at the place where the customer expects it to be. Furthermore customers have a tendency to form an opinion about the quality of the product on the basis of the place where it is availab le.  

The Challenge of motivating employees

The Challenge of motivating employees Challenge of motivating employees Organization has been deemed to be the strength of any viable business. The more organized and efficient the different components in the business are, the better it functions. The breaking down of tasks associated with each component in a particular organizational system has now led to the concept of job design or performance charters. Motivation is simply a process which encourages and guides behavior. Robbins and Judge define motivation as, â€Å"the process that accounts for an individuals intensity, direction, and persistence of effort towards attaining a goal†. Motivation therefore, is a goal directed behavior with factors which energize, direct and sustain employee behavior. Laurie J. Mullins (2007) states that, â€Å"the relationship between the organization and its employees is influenced by what motivates them to work, the rewards involved and the fulfillment they derive from it†. Employees today are motivated by various things of which some are considered as a needed entity or as a desired. Worldwide, organizations have focused on theories that motivate employees to be the best they can be and most of these theories of motivation have proved to be true to date. Since motivational theories were formulated in the 1950s, they have been divided into two categories; Content theories Process theories Content theories are said to be, â€Å"what motivates people† further explained as what arouses, energizes, or simply starts behavior, i.e. individual physiological and psychological needs and this focus is on internal needs. Motivation results from an individuals attempts to satisfy these needs. 1. Maslows Hierarchy of needs states that; Adult motives are complex Needs form a hierarchy lower needs to be satisfied before higher order needs People always seek growth because they want to move up the hierarchy of needs Research evidence in the Maslows Hierarchy of need theories has been said to be; Flexible hierarchy of needs Satisfaction of one need level may not decrease its importance and increase importance of the next need level It has also been found that needs vary according to; The size of the organization A persons career stage Geographical location Across cultures By employing Maslows Hierarchy of needs, several managerial implications exist; Physiological needs food and wages Safety needs a working environment that is safe as well as job security Social needs opportunity to interact, teamwork Esteem needs recognition, challenging tasks, status symbols and participation Self-actualization encourages creativity and innovation 2. Herzbergs two factor theory encompasses dual factor motivation-hygiene as it portrays two different factors. Hygiene factors: related to the context of the job Motivational factors: related to the content of the job Research in the 1950 Herzbergs two factor theory asked people to describe situations in which they found their job exceptionally good or bad. Research conclusion; Job satisfaction intrinsic factors. Builds high level of motivation and stimulates superior performance. Dissatisfaction extrinsic factors. Environmental as well as external factors to the job build a zero level of motivation if maintained. Herzbergs two factor theory research evidence also states that the theory fails to; Account for individual differences Link motivation and needs to both satisfaction and performance Consider cultural and professional differences 3. Alderfers ERG theory was developed by Clayton Alderfer and his theory collapses Maslows five categories into three categories: existence needs, relatedness needs and growth needs. ERG theory states that more than one need category may be activated at the same time. Existence needs the desire for physiological and material well-being Relatedness needs desire to satisfy interpersonal relationships Growth needs desire for continued personal growth and development The ERG theory research evidence is encouraging because it offers a more flexible approach to understanding human needs. The comparison of content theories is very interesting to analyze as it gives a more precise breakdown of theories put together. Figure 1 below is a depiction of all three theories put together. Herzberg Maslow Alderfer Higher order Intrinsic Needs Motivation Lower order Extrinsic Needs Motivation Process theories are focused on the cognitive process that influences behavior, i.e. Why an individual behaves in a particular manner and specifically deals with ‘how to motivate. This process illustrates how people choose behaviors to satisfy their needs. Victor Vrooms expectancy theory states that a persons motivation is a multiplicative function of expectancy, instrumentality and valence. Expectancy is the probability assigned by an individual that work effort will be followed by a given level of task accomplishment. -Instrumentality is the probability assigned by an individual that a given level of achieved task performance will lead to various work outcomes. -Valence is defined as the value attached by an individual to various work outcomes. Vrooms expectancy theory has various implications as regards motivation. -Motivation is sharply reduced when expectancy, instrumentality or valence approach zero. -Motivation is high when expectancy and instrumentality are high and valence is strongly positive. The expectancy theory has been seen to have managerial implications where as managers should be seen to act to maximize expectancies, instrumentalities and valence that support various organizational objectives. Research evidence on the expectancy theory has received substantial empirical support though the multiplier effect is subject to some question. It may also be useful to distinguish between extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. The expectancy theory does not specify which rewards will motivate particular groups of employees thereby allowing for cross-cultural differences. Lastly, the Porter Lawler model tries to establish a relationship between the efforts, performance and satisfaction of an individual. The most important variables in this model include effort, performance, rewards and satisfaction. In todays digital age, a large number of employees are well educated to some acceptable standard and for that most demand a reasonable salary as well as worthwhile working conditions. As motivation has conformed to some socially acceptable standards of behavior, it has been assumed to be an individual perspective. Every individual is unique because we have different desires, potential, values, goals and attitudes. The most important aspect that most employees are concerned with is their needs and wants. Todays managers have a challenge or the opportunity to influence the motivation of their employees through the design of their performance charters. Well outlined performance charters help accomplish two important goals: getting the necessary work done in a timely and competent manner, motivating and challenging employees. Both the organization as well as the employee is a beneficiary of a successfully done performance charter. Performance charter is the specification of the contents, methods and the counter relationship of jobs to fulfill organizational requirements. Mostly, employees are motivated when they are lead to accomplishments of which they can proud whilst recognizing what they have done. Warren Blank (2001) states that, â€Å"a motivational environment enables people to feel like winners†. Todays performing managers have the responsibility of designing employee performance charters. If a manager ignores this responsibility, employees will definitely design their own. It wouldnt be a surprise to see that performance charters designed by employees are more likely to be adjusted to their experiences and preferences than to the goals of the organization. It has been said once before that you cannot motivate anyone but you can provide the environment in which they can grow to their full potential. Management by objectives (MBO), â€Å"is a style or system of management that attempts to relate organizational goals to individual performance and development through the involvement of all levels of management†, encompasses time period with feedback as well as goal progression. According to Laurrie J. Mullins, the phrase ‘Management by Objectives (MBO) was first introduced by Peter Drucker in 1954 as a strategy for managing people whilst focusing on teamwork based on their ability to complete individual as well as team goals. MBOs have been seen to be effective as it helps in the alignment of an employees efforts around an organizations collective objectives. The MBO process begins with an organization defining its objectives. This is where the process of strategic planning, goal setting, visioning which generates from its process a set of objectives that the organization should always strive to achieve. The main principal underlining Management by Objectives is mainly to create empowered employees who will have clarity of the roles and responsibility expected from them, and once the objectives set are understood, it helps in the achievement of personal as well as organizational goals. Some advantages of MBO include specifically ‘clarity of goals. With clarity of goals, came the birth of SMART goals concept which Intel Specific various key factors should be present in the set objectives for them to be effective. This is where the word ‘specific is outlined because this simply describes specifically the desired results. Measurable This simply states that the objectives should be clear as to whether the objectives were met. Achievable when objectives are set, it should be seen that they are achievable. Realistic Realistic objectives in its own right is explained as goals or objectives that can be achieved coupled with the tools at an employees disposal to achieve the said objectives. Time based time based simply means a set objective has a time frame attached to it which acts as a guideline. SMART objectives ensure the delivery of greater results because they clearly and specifically address performance goals rather than broad emotions or behaviors. This concept also requires that objectives are created in collaboration with supervisors so as to be aware of their subordinates goals and supportive of their completion as well as ongoing tracking and feedback in the process to reach desired objectives. As noted in Robbins and judge, â€Å"MBO popularity should not be construed to mean that it always works†. This is normally as a result of lack of commitment by management as well as the inability in allocation of rewards based on accomplished objectives. Management by Objectives therefore, can be as a process of determining exactly what an employee is to do on the job, the tasks, duties, responsibilities, decision-making and the level of authority. The challenge being faced by managers now is that of employing the new strategies with all its opportunities in ways which not only meet an organizations needs but also the expectations as well as aspirations of the employees. Dennys Restaurant review Leadership Qualities â€Å"If you can become the leader you ought to be on the inside, you will be able to become the person you want on the outside. People will want to follow you, and when that happens you will be able to tackle anything in this world.† John Maxwell We at Dennys are constantly striving to identify quality minority and women businesses to support the needs of our company. Because we see diversity as an asset, we will attract and develop talent from the full range of the worlds rich cultural base. Dennys Vision mission. Despite having a clearly stated vision and mission, its management failed to publicly communicate the causes of the discrimination incidences they were amassed with as well as the actions Dennys management was taking to counter check the reoccurrence of those incidents. A leader is said to be an individual with suitable knowledge and desirable skills to lead groups to achieve their goals willingly. It is noted in Lasting Leadership that, â€Å"the spirit of the people† is a big part of what management experts mean when they talk about corporate culture. The beliefs and values that guide employee behavior can improve performance by motivating workers toward a common goal and instilling in them a sense of purpose. There are several indicators, which can help us to outline the strength of our leadership. The most important leadership quality that one needs to exhibit in todays world is ‘honesty. A leader should always be honest to his task, his products or services, his people and most importantly to his customers. This quality of leadership should not only exist but also should be seen to exist in by all stakeholders in the organization. John C. Maxwell in an extract of his book by George Wells states that, â€Å"while leaders need to connect publicly with large groups of people, the same thing needs to happen on a one-to-one basis between individuals. Maxwell tells how his staff used to groan when he would say People dont care how much you know until they know how much you care because he quoted the saying so often, but it is true. You develop credibility with people when you connect with them and show that you genuinely want to help them. Everybody wants to be somebody† If you treat every person you meet as if he or she were the most important person in the world, youll communicate that he or she is somebody to you. Of course, the respect needs to be genuine at all times otherwise people will rapidly sense that they are being manipulated otherwise. Dennys Restaurant management should have been able to realize that customer complaints are company failures and these require immediate attention. Ultimately, spending money in hopes of making money is an organizations goal but every dollar paid out to offset various customers who were dissatisfied is a signal that an organization must change in some decisive way. The Vidsoft Triangle Every little thing we do has positive, negative or neutral impact on teams motivation. Vidsoft case is one among the few companies that come across case of team based management problems that are faced by employees. Analysis of Vidsoft Vidsoft technologies was an internet company designing enterprise software and in June 1999, its quarterly revenues grew from $50M to over $250M year ending 2000 while employee base rose from 500 to 2,000. Babatunde graduated from Darden graduate of business administration in may 1998. He moved to California to get a job with Vidsoft technologies as senior technical support engineer. Alex Hsu was employed as technical support engineer and reported directly to babatunde. Even though Hsu was not good at team work, he was hired to bring varied culture as well as experience to vidsoft due to his previous record Babatunde made a public decision of promoting one of his engineers to be manager. Hsu reported some displeasure about his new supervisor Jennah Li as she was deemed to be an inexperienced manager and babatunde was unsure of what decision to make as he was the overall among the two despite having fears about taking sides. Keith Nash as CEO of vidsoft developed a culture that encourages its employees to speak their minds as excellence of employees was followed with promotions. Vidsoft as an organization encouraged teamwork and thus were awarded bonuses for collectively working together. Keith Nash believed in the culture of promoting from within as a motivational tool for employees until after vidsoft went public because this brought a mass influx of talent as well as wages became high. Vidsoft ended up falling back on its employees in terms of hiring due to costs so as to train them to keep up with the pace. Babatunde initially employed a micro-management style of management where he kept a close eye on all his employees in hopes that his team succeeds but this had to change as employee numbers rose. He then changed his style of management by using set objectives for each team to achieve desired goals. As babatundes responsibilities grew, he saw it necessary to change his reporting structure to reduce the number of people reporting to him so to manage more effectively. This led to him promoting one of his engineers ‘Jennah Li to manage one of the product lines. Jennah Li in regards to Hsu was hired for her skills in managing customer relations despite English not being her strength; she was awarded for being the best team player. In vidsofts operational history, White was one of the first employers to run the technical support department and set stringent goals to be met by his fellow employees. He took an active role in ensuring that any team under his command did well to meet his standards. James White made a decision to hire babatunde because of his MBA training and trusted him to an extent of giving him all powers to make various decisions affecting the organization with his guidance. THE SOLUTION Babatunde at this point should be able to realize that workplace conflicts and unresolved differences can be the cause of negative performance of teams or generally employees. Furthermore, existing physical and psychological differences can escalate if conflict remains unaddressed by vidsoft managers as well as team members. From the onset, babatunde was aware that Hsu was not a team player and this should have been a starting point of making things clear to him that for him to succeed, he had to work in collaboration with other team members. It was observed that being a team player for Hsu as observed is a road he hasnt travelled and requires some skill and effort from babatunde. Hsu should be made to realize that teamwork is about assuming positive intent and seeing things from all sides in detail. Everyone has unique gifts and abilities. Recognizing these and appreciating them can be very useful especially in the case of two people with different skills because they can complement each other very powerfully when they work together. Its about acknowledging and accepting differences, and exploring alternative solutions that meet everyones needs and concerns as it is important to everyone, and all sides ‘Hsu and Ali need to be committed to the solution. Both parties should agree that the goal is to fix the problem not to assign blame, hurt, humiliate, or threaten the one another. Babatundes job now is to focus on the issue, present and future, and on solutions available. They should be made aware that the situation must change and identify consequences if it does not. Keith Nash as CEO of Vidsoft should make things clear from the onset of employment that individuals are different at times as regards to each others needs. Sometimes workplace issues are evaded or ignored completely but generally, this is not a useful long term solution as the workplace is never small enough to avoid someone completely. Some guidelines should be put in place to for conflict resolution. Every employee upon being taken under vidsoft should be made aware that; Conflict and grievances are present within the workplace Improved communication within the workplace will avoid conflicts Establish performance expectations and consequences if expectations are not met. Lastly Vidsoft should have a written resolution and agreement regarding behavior within the workplace which should be adhered by both the employer as well as the employee. Babatunde should provide the leadership that enables his teams to productively work together and as much as possible, work with employees individually and encourage them to address the conflict directly with each other.

Persevering Literature Essay -- essays research papers

The novel Sense and Sensibility was truly a masterpiece. Written by Jane Austen this ironic love story has captured the heart of readers for years. The popularity of Austen as a novelist can now be experienced through film. This book has been adapted into various screenplays, including one by Emma Thompson. Another version of the film was done by the BBC. Perhaps it is the manner in which it was filmed, the character choices or other aspects of the films that make them so different. Though they are based upon the same novel it is to be sure that the Emma Thompson version will preserve Austen’s talent in the world of film. The Emma Thompson version can be well spoken of in that its greatest strength is its ability to preserve and communicate the subtleties of women's life two centuries ago, of human feelings, of passion and reserve, and of wit and irony which are so essential in Austen's books. The movie is, therefore, a rather profound piece of work, which shows a great deal of devotion to it on the part of those involved in its making. Every detail (scenery, costumes, period "accessories", etc.) is carefully considered and is an integral part of the whole, so one watching it really has the feeling of being carried back to the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Though the earlier version done by the BBC is much longer and truer to the novel it is with great pains. The acting is rather stiff as is the di...

Supply and Demand and Economist View Prostitution

As we live in 21st century prostitution has been like an everyday good a market can offer. Economist view prostitution as performing a business activity. However, the problem is still around. The demand for prostitution is continually growing. What still surprises the people is that not only the homeless and starving people choose this path as a career but also young generation do as well. In some countries there are underage children that have been kidnapped or have been lost and found by people and force them into prostitution.Parents concern is that why do their children have to grow up with opinion about prostitution as a source of receiving money to survive in this world. It has turned out to be one of the most important trades in the world. Several poor countries are forced into prostitution or have no choice of other jobs turn to prostitution as a support during their economic difficulties. When a person thinks they don’t have enough education and knowledge to get a job , he or she will think of prostitution, which is easier to join the labour force. People view prostitution as a simple way to make money.Although it does leave a negative look for the society but in fact it has been recognized as popular â€Å"job† for many people, which is in fact cannot be ignored by others. People usually believe that it’s mostly woman in the prostitution market but when in reality, men are the ones that are considered to be the more important part of the high demand. Prostitution is when an individual offers to have sex and get a wage for it. When they exchange money for sexual service. Prostitution business revolves around performing sex by the opposite gender.Opportunity cost of woman choosing prostitution is marriage. In reality a woman cannot be a wife and a prostitute at the same time. By choosing that as a career they are making a rational choice by deciding that prostitution is better off for them than other jobs and also forgone marriage li fe. Even though prostitution has been increasing in popularity there is a certain restriction that needs to meet the society’s moral. Prostitutes can’t get any support from publicity and it has to be performed in a certain place.Now a day’s prostitution is considered more of a profession, just like a doctor, police office, and many others. When prostitution is considered as a profession this means they become a taxpayer like the rest of the professionals out there. Having a legal status for prostitution, the government has a benefit out this; reason being more income means more taxing paying which would go to the government at the end of the day. This makes us view prostitution as a business activity. When the service or task has been done you get cash in return, where it becomes systematic income.Even though prostitution does contribute income and high demand, but choosing prostitution as a career is irrational. According to Dr. John Lowman stated â€Å"prosti tution is considered as a potential source of renewing the budge of Canada. But there are also other reasons for not becoming a prostitute except the tax-pension side of the issue†. Another problem is the risk that is associated with being in the prostitution business. They can spread venereal diseases because they don’t do a proper medical checkup. This places the prostitution as a risk or danger occupation, and choosing a high-risk occupation is irrational.There has been a study stating that pimps play a big role in prostitution business. Pimps pay a higher rate to prostitutes compared to a prostitute that doesn’t have a pimp. It has also been noticed that if a prostitute has a pimp they would be getting paid more but would have less work at the same time. This is possible because of the most in-demand workers. These prostitutes roughly make four times compared to other work forces. Even though they get to see more money than other workers out there they still miss out some critical benefits others has that they don’t get.That is the risk associated with this job, some common known risks are STD and there are many health issues that occur in this particular job. Some might get assaulted; research has shown to be at least once a month a sex worker is assaulted on average. Which shows to be it isn’t one of the safest ways to make money. Prostitutes also face issues from police office from being arrested. By legalizing prostitution, prostitutes would be forced to drop their price. Since its legal many people would want to join that market which means more competition.This doesn’t give them another choice but to lower their prices. One of the main tools for a market is competition. If the competition is lower in the market then there is a low opportunity of the client to choose others. If she doesn’t give the client provide more for less money, he might find some other prostitute that will. Economists indicated tha t prostitution is a monopolistic market with a downward sloping demand curve. If they can sell one more unit of their good at the same price of the last one, which means they can optimize their price.Supply and demand plays a key role when it comes to prostitution because of the high volume of demand for sexual service and demand is what supplies woman pushes becomes the demand and men become the supply. Men buy by paying cash and women sell themselves for cash. Prostitution has an earning that is massive that they don’t have to turn to any other additional financing for budgeting. The reason for prostitution increase and growth in a large scale compared to previous years has to do with tourists that are seeking sexual services.As we know prostitution is that woman sell and men buy but economists stated that prostitution most likely will lose clients when men’s income increases. Needs and wants for prostitutes are men and money, but they share a competition when it com es to men. Especially to married men, they’re competing with the married men’s wives in order for them to make an earning. One advantage that wives have that gives them a step higher then prostitute is the fact they can produce children, which can only come from the father.When men’s income starts to increase they tend to have superior good by nature and they choose to buy the cheaper good. Logically to reduce prostitution, if women’s income and opportunity are great you can see less prostitution in that particular place. If that doesn’t work, increasing both men and women have an increase in income will have better results. Prostitution has been decreased in recent years. In conclusion in today’s society prostitution is no shocker. It can be found roughly every corner of the street and mainly in major cities.Many people choose to go into prostitution of money problem to support them selves or family. This is one of the professions that make enormous money with little to none budgeting required and doesn’t need any additional financing help. The profit of prostitution is really benefitting to the government, since it has been legalized the income they make some percentage is paid tax to government. Prostitution has a market behind which means more cash flow, in return more tax payable to the government. There are some down side to being a prostitution that needs to be revealed.Even though prostitution is considered to be a business and also considered as a professional, there are some key elements that are missing. First being there is no medical coverage so if they affected with any disease and need treatment or any other medical related issues, they would have to pay out of their own pocket. Second being there is no social security even though you are paying tax. If the sex workers were given the opportunity to get some education or find a decent salary they would have never considered prostitution as a job. R eference â€Å"Economics and prostitution Sample essay: free Example of Argumentative essay. Custom Essay Writing $9. 95/page | Custom-Essays. org. N. p. , n. d. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. . Europe, society. In medieval, England, and prostitutes were k†¦. â€Å"Papers — Pro Legalization of Prostitution. † Free Essays, Term Papers, Research Paper, and Book Report. N. p. , n. d. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. . Giusta, Marina Della . â€Å"Who is watching? The market for prostitution services. † SpringerLink – electronic journals, protocols and books.. N. p. , 6 Apr. 2007. Web. 2 Nov. 2012. . Economy and Prostitution. Anti Essays. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from the World Wide Web: http://www. antiessays. com/free-essays/341579. html â€Å"Page 2: Who's Counting: Sexonomics — Prostitutes' Incomes – ABC News. † ABCNews. com – Breaking News, Latest News & Top Video News – ABC News. N. p. , 7 May 2006. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. . Clark-Flory, T racy. † The economics of prostitution – Salon. com. † Salon. com. N. p. 18 Jan. 2008. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. . Frondizi, Alexandre , and Simon porcher. â€Å"Informal Urban Economy: a Historical Approach of Paris Street-level Prostitution. † Informal Urban Economy: a Historical Approach of Paris Street-level Prostitution. N. p. , n. d. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. . Clarke, D. A. â€Å"Prostitution for Everyone: feminism, globalisation, and the â€Å"sex† industry. † Prostitution for Everyone: feminism, globalisation, and the â€Å"sex† industry. N. p. , n. d. Web. 12 Nov.

Religion…True or False? Essay

For many people religion represents a commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance. Within this commitment encompasses a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, practices or system of beliefs held to with ardor and reliance. In Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, Vonnegut introduces a religion known as Bokononism, which epitomizes a standard foundation built upon nothing more than â€Å"foma! Lies!† (Vonnegut 191). Bokononism focuses on man’s need for a God, even though Vonnegut believes there is no such thing. He expresses his beliefs of Divine Province, while making fun of Christianity, satirizing the notion that all religions are nothing more than lies. Religion gives many people a feeling of security because they believe that a divine power watches over them and promises them salvation and either happiness or the chance to improve themselves in a life after death. Bokononism is a religion based on lies, while Christianity is a based around the life and teachings of Christ and the sacred scripture of the Bible. Hence, the question is whether or not society bases religion, mainly Christianity, upon nothing more than â€Å"foma† itself. Bokononism breathed life when first founded by a Negro man named Lionel Boyd Johnson. The name Bokonon surfaced due to the fact that it rendered to be the â€Å"pronunciation given the name Johnson in the island’s English dialect† (Vonnegut 108). Bokonon creates the religion for the people of a small Caribbean island called San Lorenzo; he then makes it a point that â€Å"he and his religion be outlawed, and that those caught practicing it [are] to be killed† (Lundquist 37) by punishment of being hanged on the dreaded hook. Such an atrocity becomes enacted so the people will be happy and totally content, for by taking part in the religion that all people on the island practice, they partake in a rebellious action and can take the focus from their horribly useless lives. The idea is for that the religion and the government to constantly oppose each other, with Bokonon the virtuous prohibit, hiding from it all. The doctrines that make up Bokononism consist of a â€Å"language itself [that] is amusing, [yet] serves to outline an approach to life that has considerable appeal† (Lundquist 37) in which assists in capturing the true essence behind the religion. Coincidentally resembling Jesus and the bible, Bokonon relies on his vast variety of language, and his Books of Bokonon. His language consists of several significant key concepts such as a karass, which is a â€Å"team [of people] that do[es] God’s will without ever discovering what they are doing† (Vonnegut 2), thus revealing that â€Å"if you find your life tangled up with somebody else’s life for no very logical reasons†, writes Bokonon, â€Å"that person may be a member of your karass† (Simons 45). In The Books of Bokonon, Bokonon mainly comprises them of calypsos and such on religion, life, and perceptions. More importantly however exists the theory of Dynamic Tension. Such a theory embodies the belief of good versus evil, and maintaining the ongoing tension between the two. To draw a parallel, is the incident of the Garden of Good and Evil within Christianity. Christianity happened to be instituted on the existence and philosophy of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ’s life began after he was baptized by Saint John when he thirty years old. He set out with a certain ambition, being that he sought to announce that â€Å"the Kingdom of God was coming, and that it had begun to arrive even as He announced it† (Callan 2). Jesus established this ambition both verbally and physically by utilizing His phenomenon and philosophies. In addition, Jesus also preformed many miracles, in which he made reputable as to the benefit of other people not Himself. Among such miracles include: changing water into wine, walking on the sea, healing sick people, alleviating the pain of the suffering, restoring sight to the blind, and restoring to the disabled people the ability to use their limbs again (Callan 2). Overall, most Christians of society believe that Jesus portrays the bona fide savior that will, in the end, resuscitate humanity. Bokononism starts with a creation event, which mocks the Christian creation account. In Bokonon’s tale of creation God creates man and woman out of mud, rather than dust, and he concludes by allowing them to define their own purpose. While the difference between dust and mud seem insignificant, the purpose for humanity may be quite different. Bokonon tells man that his purpose in life is defined by himself, and not by God. Here on the opposite end of this, Christianity holds that every person’s purpose in life bestows to bring honor and glory to God, whether provided by preaching the good news (Gospel) or by practicing good works toward man, and letting the glory of God shine outward through them (Callan 1). Compared to Christianity, Bokononism does not specifically talk of man’s fall into sin, however, it does somewhat infer that Bokonon first preached on the folly of understanding and the hollowness of truth and human stupidity, which he ultimately won the people of San Lorenzo over with. Bokonon preached on man’s sin right from the beginning, similar to what may be depicted through the garden of Good and Evil in Christianity. â€Å"As helpful as Bokononism [was], as devoid of false pieties as it [was], as concerned as it [was] with human decency and the necessity of having a sense of purpose† (Lundquist 39) it, in the end, is nothing more then the notion of living â€Å"life by the foma that make[s] you brave and kind and healthy and happy† (Simons 39). Christianity often refers to good works as the doctrine of Sanctification (Knight 5). This doctrine begins with the understanding that man is sinful, and will be sinful until the day he dies. Regardless of what man does or tries to accomplish on earth, he will always be sinful, and will continue to fall into sin lurching ever so quickly toward eternal death and damnation (Knight 5-6). Vonnegut seems to perceive, like many, that Christians feel because they are spotless before the eyes of the Lord, that they can thus do what they please. The Holy Spirit corroborates work in a Christian’s life, and may even be responsible for the faith which breeds within a Christian. The basic principle behind sanctification is that the death of Christ, which the Holy Spirit has given faith in, is the inspiration and the power which pushes a Christian to do good works. Hence, this encompasses the doctrine of daily life, one which a Christian yearns to practice every day, and yet may be constant ly faced with a road block, the road block of sin. â€Å"Bokononism is a philosophy of flow, resisting entropy and harrowing the fixities that reduce societies to monomaniacal obsessions† (Simons 47) of harmless untruths. Bokonon â€Å"worships the human above all other values,† (Simons 45); however, at the same time relishes in the fact that the joke of â€Å"maintaining order† through the religion of Bokononism, serves as a joke being played on humanity thus revealing human stupidity. Bokononism denotes the joke on Christianity, every characteristic of Bokononism can be designed to mock Christianity in some manner or another. Bokonon insists that his own religion, which he created, is filled with lies and based on nothing else, yet all of the Island of San Lorenzo believes in Bokonon (Lundquist 135). Ultimately, â€Å"Bokononism refuses to blink at the hard truth of a reality it cannot alter, it nevertheless fictionalizes that reality† (Simons 40). Bokononists have to hide their religion, because the world hates and despises them for their beliefs. Much akin to the Bokononists, who are condemned to an oath of silence, Christians have to hide their voices and beliefs as well. Christians over time have been forced into hiding, because they are not considered â€Å"politically correct† and Bokononists have been shoved into hiding so as not to touch the â€Å"souls† of their feet, known as the art of Boko-Maru (Vonnegut 135). Simultaneously, they all enter a hiding, a hiding from the world which hates what it does not know, and what it does not know is good, and love. On the whole, Christian faith portrays the notion about seeking and knowing Jesus Christ with all facets of the human character. It corresponds to loving Him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength; therefore, certain individualistic and legitimate fallacies are flip sides of an error to the concept of Christianity. Underlying the error of the individualistic fallacy is the presumption that Jesus demands on societies lives in which can be satisfied by societies own efforts. The legitimate fallacy holds that there are possibly some set of rules of behavior which can be kept to earn a way into Jesus’ favor. Then, the next step of the fallacy can be established by insisting that, as long as society keeps Jesus’ rules and, thus, please Him, they are free in all other things to live their lives in their own way, entirely for their benefit, without further considering Him. We all look for ways to please Jesus, and avoid eternal punishment by simply keeping rules, with minimal actual contact with Him and without ever giving ourselves to Him. Nevertheless, this does not work that way, and the result of society pursuing religion in this way is usually horrendous, and furthermore is not a religion based on â€Å"foma†, or a certain principle, but based on a relationship with Jesus Christ. Prepositional Phrase Subject Verb Infinitive Phrase Adverb Clause Participial Phrase Adj. Clause -ly Adverbs Conjunctive Adverb Gerund Phrase Works Cited Callan, Terrance D. â€Å"Jesus Christ.† 31 May 2003. . Knight, Kevin. â€Å"Catholic Encyclopedia: Character of Jesus Chris.† May 31 200. . Lundquist, James. Kurt Vonnegut. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1977. Simons, John L. â€Å"Tangled Up in You: A Playful Reading of Cat’s Cradle.† Kurt Vonnegut. Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1990. Vonnegut, Kurt. Cat’s Cradle. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1963.