Electronic Patient Scheduling System

All potential stakeholders and/or users will give input regarding which software they feel will best suit the clinic's needs. Constraints: The scheduling system must update on all department computers after any new entry has been made. The system must be operational by December 20th, 013. The system must know average appointment times for all types of visits to avoid over booking patients. The system must alert users of cancellations or changes so 3. Perform fact-finding: Analyze the organizational chart of the clinic to determine stakeholders and/or users. Interview receptionists, nurses, doctors and assistants.Review the current paper patient appointment scheduling method. Observe the clinics operations for a day. Survey receptionists, doctors, nurses and assistants on what expectations they may have for an electronic patient appointment scheduling system. Identify the costs of the new electronic system. . Study usability, cost, benefit and schedule data: Analyze the interview info rmation. Analyze the user surveys. Analyze observation notes to highlight key facts. Compare cost data. 5. Evaluate feasibility Operational Feasibility: Will the clinic users be able to effectively use the new system?Will extra training be needed for computer and software use? The IT department will work with all users through hands on training to make sure that everyone understands the new system. Technical Feasibility: Does the clinic have the necessary software, hardware, equipment and networking resources available for the new system? Does the current system need to be upgraded to handle the change effectively? Heartfelt will upgrade their current computers. Networking resources are currently in place and new software will be purchased.Economic Feasibility: Can the clinic afford the new patient appointment scheduling software? Can the clinic afford training for the users? Can the clinic afford new equipment if needed? The clinic has been diligent in staying within the allotted b udget. Training and software will be purchased once all measures have been set in place. Schedule Feasibility: Can the clinic stakeholders' timeline of December 20th, 2013 be met? . Present recommendations to management: I will prepare a written preliminary investigation report and present all of my findings to the clinic stakeholders.Some items to be included: Introduction-overview of the report; Systems Request Summary-basis of the systems request; Findings-results of preliminary investigation and Time and Cost Estimates-cost of acquiring and installing the new system and total cost of ownership during the life of the system. Systems Review: The current patient appointment scheduling system at Heartfelt Clinic is paper based. The clinic started out as a small clinic, but it is centrally located nd has since grown tremendously.

Customer service

Most of the people are having their vacation in a resort, they just want to relax and relieve their stress. Here in the Philippines, there are a lot of resorts; you have a lot of choices. Also here in Pangaea Angels City, we a lot have a lot of resort that can give you a relaxation. Hawaiian Palm Resort was built on December 08, 2012. Before it was a farmland and it has a fish pond, they decided to change into a resort because they want their parents to have a fruitful life in their remaining years in this world.They are still improving their resort, because their just in 2 years f managing the resort. Currently, the Hawaiian Palm Resort is using the manual system for their transaction in their reservation. First the guest needs to go to the Hawaiian Palm Resort to reserve some rooms or the function hall for specific events; the employee will give them a paper to fill-up some information. And with that, it's up to the guest if they are going to full their payment, but they need to ha ve a 50% down payment.If they want to cancel their reservation they cannot get the 50% down payment, for short, their no refund. The main problem in the manual system is that, if there is a lot of serration in the locale, they are lacking in the manpower, but the employee said that they can tolerate. The papers for their reservation are in the cabinet, the information is not secured and their some instances that the papers will be loss. So, the proponents proposed a website with reservation management system for the Hawaiian Palm Resort.They can attract more customers since they already have a website, and they can easily manage the reservations because it is on-line and it will lessen the manpower. Less time consuming for both employees and for the guest. II. Project Context Reservation management system is a process of booking of a room or a place for a specific occasion or vacation. By using the internet, the guest or the customer will lessen their time in going to the specific r esort just to reserve a room; it is convenient for them because it will lessen their cost In transportation and less effort.Here in the Philippines, most of the hotels and resorts are using the ARMS online, because they believe that if they do that, they can attract more customers and their profit will increased. They can easily know if their customer is satisfied to their service because there is a dieback module for the customers, the customers will just site some things that they experience in the resort. Environmental Their current situation in their reservation is that, they are still using the manual system. The effect of the proposed system is that, they will less time consuming, their data will be more secured, the manpower will be lessen.And if they want to improve the system Or the website, it's up to them; its not that hard for them to develop because they already have a current system or basis for them to get some ideas. Health and Safety For this website it is safe for customers because they will not have a hard time to go to the resort, they will just reserve online and they have less effort to pay and they can just see the appearance of the resort by just going to the website. Hassle-free for them because they will not use money, but rather using only internet.Economic Before, online reservations do not exist, people who want to reserve in the resort go directly in the place, and sometimes it's hard for them because for instances like no reserved rooms or in some instances that the resort is not available. The cost of the project is not that too much expensive, because it has long term benefits for the company. Being able for the people to know more about the resort. Social For entertainment, this website aims to entertain the people visiting. Keeping them knowing on what is the resort looks.Visualizing them to help the people to have an idea on how the resort is ore better than others. And the website will give information about the rules and d escription of the rooms, so that if they go to the resort they already know the rules and know what to do. HTH cal According to the locale, they don't have any problems regarding to the ethical issues. All their employees are honest and loyal. Keeping their loyal customer and keeping the good image Of the management. And the employees treat the customer very nicely; the employees are approachable and kind.Ill. Purpose and Description People nowadays are finding online shopping, reservation & booking, banking and other activities more comfortable on the internet rather than the conventional system. It is the best time for the Hawaiian palm Resort to make their presence online to boost their business. The purpose of online serration system of Hawaiian Palm Resort is to provide the resort with a system of reservation processing where management doesn't have to put a lot of people/employee that will handle the customers.The online system leaves it to the customers to fill the details an d information required for the reservation of the resort. The web based of the online reservation system will help the resort management to post images of the resort, enlist services and prices with discounts and other offers to attract more customers. These offers and discounts can be updated in quick time to give customers the most scent discount they can avail. IV. General Objectives The Aim of this is study is to develop a Website for Hawaiian palm Resort which will promote the Resort in the World Wide Web.A Web Site that will better promote the place and will enhance the communication between them and their market through the messages delivered through the website. The website Will have a reservation module for prospect guests; this will provide them with an idea about the cost of the rooms they want to reserve. Specific Objectives: 1 . To develop a website that will promote and advertise the Hawaiian Palm Resort and its accommodations and services by incorporating the followin g features: a. Design of the website and its content management system. B.Information about Hawaiian Palm Resort such as its location and information about its accommodation's classified by categories (pictures, prices, etc. ). C. Registration of reserved accommodations or services made online or placed real-time in the firm. D. Field for feedbacks or queries for the prospect customers (including suggestions and recommendations). 2. TO generate reports for the following: a. Record of the reservations placed online (approved, modified, completed, uncalled reservations) including the manually recorded reservations (transactions made at the resort). . Sales services, Billing and Payments (balance reports, payment reports, down payment reports, full payment). 3. To enable prospect customers to place reservations online. 4. To secure the privacy of the customers in terms of the required personal information on their transaction/s with the firm. 5. To help the management to retrieve neede d information in a fast and reliable manner. 6. To provide an audit trail that will record logs and other activities of the users in the system. 7. To archive information/records which are no longer being used. . To provide backup and restore of the database and system thus ensuring the safe keep Of the business and clients records. 9. TO provide the customers with an official receipt/form that will serve as an entry pass on the indicated date of visit, which will given to them after completing the online transaction. V. Significance of the Study The study focuses on having a proposed online website for Hawaiian palm Resort. The researchers aim to produce a website that will be access by their guests through the use of internet.This research will be benefiting the Hawaiian palm Resort, the guest and also the future researchers. Locale This system helps the locale improved their manual system and it also has a real-time, they can easily manage a lot of reservation. It also helps the locale to expand target market, leading to increased occupancy levels. It helps them to control and oversight of their bookings. Guest This system helps the guest to reserved rooms instantly without going to the resort just to check if there's an available rooms. It is also a time saving because it will lessen the time and the effort of the guest.They can be able to book anytime; from any,Inhere with internet access and they will get a quick response to their request. Future Researchers This study will help the future researchers to have some idea in the online reservation and how to create a website. This study will guide them if they are doing right or not, this study can be their basis in their study. VI. Scope and Delimitation This project focuses on the online reservation system of Hawaiian Palm Resort. It facilitates the reservation process of the resort. Being an online system it doesn't required help from anyone that the employee will lessen heir work.Any person with a basic knowledge in computer can go online and book to a resort without any hindrances This study will not cover the CRM or the customer relationship management, though it has a feedback module for the customers for them to know if the customer is satisfied. The study mainly focuses on the website itself, and to the transaction that they have in their reservation management. Using web browser is the best way to view the proposed system, you can view it in mobile but some of the module will not work and it will be more difficult for the guest to reserve.It will not also cover he billing process; the locale wants to have a manual process in their billing. The following will be the features of the website Website Home Page – it has the welcome page, photo slides of what the business is offering, basic information or an advertisement, links to other pages and to the transactions and modules of the system. Accommodations – it includes rate of About Us – It will have the co mpany or business profile, its history and other pertinent information about them which can be the staff, the management the owner Contact Us – Location Map, Business Address, E-Mail Address,Contact numbers, Fax Numbers, Other Branches (If there are any) Products and Services Offered which can be Categorized by Different Occasions, Themes or Packages with Prices Prices must be displayed but customers can be informed that price are subjected to change (so meaning there should be an back-end interface for the management to do the updates and changes) You can already include here a shopping cart that each the customer can use when making orders and reservation†¦ As products and services are added the amount will be displayed†¦When customers goes to the shopping cart ND check-out they will be prompt to login to their account if they are an existing customer and if not to register first After registering, the payment mode will be displayed, it can be thru Papal Terms and Conditions on Payments and Reservations News and Announcements – can include any post and announcements to the public or prospective clients, promos and discounts can be announced. New collections or party packages available Frequently Asked Questions -? This area Will serve as an entry for the customers to get answers from a common query or concern of customers. Customer service In today's world, we are Just about everything is more convenient and accessible due to advances of technology across almost all sectors. Technology seems more efficient and advantageous in our daily living and processing things gets more easier and improves our works and do more productive in developing of our lives. Technological advances create higher profit, fast access to information, increases communication and speed up work that gives impact to everyone and for general purpose.Information technology has it big impact in our country in many aspects such as government, education especially in business. Technology allows lessening the burden of works in companies or businesses; it eliminates error and comes with paperless. Technology also increases the business productivity of our country. And simply continue to change the business status and economic with the help of technology. A business such as salon or parlor is one of the industries that engaged to technology that helps man y people to beautify and deals with cosmetic treatment for men and women.The advances of technology affects a lot the economic of the Philippines and helps much in the production of the country's businesses, tourism and government. Having a billing system is important for keeping track of bills and payments to and from customers. Computerized billing exists to handle billing matters. Regularly using of services or programs can help you keep billing records and information up- to-date. Dilating Hair and Body Salon is a salon that is established to provide a good quality of service that is related to skin health, facial aesthetic, foot care, aromatherapy, and many other services to people.Having a salon that serves those kinds of services must also generate a good quality of billing to their customers. Dilating Hair and Body Salon use a manual billing system and do not have any computer related system. They do not have an organized file of bills and took much time for them to compute the total sales per day. They also took much time billing their customers. To help the said organization in their problems, a computer based billing system is proposed to make an organized file of bills and computed total sales lily, weekly or monthly.It will help them to make their service much efficient to their customers. II. Background of the Study Dilating Hair and Body Salon were originally come from Buenaventura. Idealist's first business name was â€Å"Dalai† from the mother of owner of the said business. And it was Just a general merchandise and a year passed they decided to have a facial clinic in the town of Boca and as the business run smoothly in the market they expand and upgrade until Dilating Hair and Body Salon were established on August 8, 2007 at San Miguel Boca, Martinique.Dilating Hair and Salon started to offer services to their customers such as regular treatment, massage, facial care, hair cuts, hair rebinding, hair relax and high end treatment. The se rvices of Dilating Hair and Salon are affordable for their customers that make their business successful and trust them for what the services they are offering to them. As they offer the services to their regular customers that keep from visiting their salon they give discounts for their trust and for making them beautiful and serving them with quality that satisfies their customer.Regular customers are discounted ranges 1 to 10%. Dilating Hair and Body Salon become one of the successful businesses in the province but use a manual billing system. This organization aims to have a good quality of service for their customer. Their objective is to serve their customer that will satisfy them and to make their customer happy. In the manual system of billing in the said organization the customer will ask or inquire to counter's desk for the service and ask how much each of service cost. The customer will only pay after the service.They are not giving invoices to their customers unless the customer asks for a receipt. However the organization does not have records of the customer bills and consume much time to compute the sales. They are literally using pens and papers for recording their bills and other reports that leads to inaccurate records of files. They are calculating it manually using a calculator that also leads to miscommunication. They keep their records and transactions manually that causes them to take much time and miscommunication. They have to check and compute if miscommunication happens.It affects them a lot especially when compiling the records and transactions of the total sales and bills. They are checking and computing it manually until miscommunication and error recordings are correct. Ill. Objectives of the Study General Objective: The general objective of the proposed project is to make a computerized billing system for Dilating Hair and Body Salon and to make a system that is user friendly for the organization. And to lessen the work about bi llings and have an organized files and reports. Specific Objectives:The following are the specific objectives of the study that will determine the deliverables. To present an accurate computation on the bill charged to the customers. To manage and secure the records on the database. To facilitate a faster transactions in billing the customers. To produce a print out on sales daily, weekly and monthly. To provide a convenient billing process. To develop a system that will help to make easier, faster and accurate billing process and to provide quality of service in terms of billing. To make the customers worry- free for their bills. IV. Scope and LimitationThe proposed system will have a customer's interface which primary purpose is to show the customer's bills to pay or the price of the service the customer want to by entering the code of the product by the cashier. The management's interface will have the log in which will provide the security of the billing system. Its primary purp ose is to allow the management to manage their services/prices and for the daily and weekly/monthly and reports in the database of the system. The cashier will have an interface that consists of prices and services and responsible for billing the customers.The customer with discount will have another interface which will contain the client's ID which will provide by the management and the customers primary information. The proposed system can update, delete, edit, record and add the product/service and prices. And print reports and invoices. The proposed system will generate daily sales report, billing report and monthly customer report. However it will Just only cover the billing of the customers and the generating reports for sales and billing report of customers. It will delimit in billing using credit cards because it s not reliable to pay through credit cards.The proposed system will also limit only to customer-billing transaction. The inventory is not included in the proposed system because it will only focus in billing the customer and making total sales report. Ooh V. Significance of the Study This study and the proposed project will benefited the people engaged in this project. Management: The management of the organization will be benefited because they will have an accurate files and less manpower. It will give them also a productive result and time saving process.Cashier or the Counter's Personnel: It will benefit them a lot because it will make to lessen the work. It will provide an accurate and reliable of records and make works easier and faster in billing the customers. Customers: They will be benefit by giving accurate price and bills and worry-free. Proponent: The proponent will be benefited by enhancing and improving the information systems skills in analyzing and designing a program of the system. Future Developers: They will benefit them by giving chance to make the system for more improvements and add more features or functions. Customer service In today's world, we are Just about everything is more convenient and accessible due to advances of technology across almost all sectors. Technology seems more efficient and advantageous in our daily living and processing things gets more easier and improves our works and do more productive in developing of our lives. Technological advances create higher profit, fast access to information, increases communication and speed up work that gives impact to everyone and for general purpose.Information technology has it big impact in our country in many aspects such as government, education especially in business. Technology allows lessening the burden of works in companies or businesses; it eliminates error and comes with paperless. Technology also increases the business productivity of our country. And simply continue to change the business status and economic with the help of technology. A business such as salon or parlor is one of the industries that engaged to technology that helps man y people to beautify and deals with cosmetic treatment for men and women.The advances of technology affects a lot the economic of the Philippines and helps much in the production of the country's businesses, tourism and government. Having a billing system is important for keeping track of bills and payments to and from customers. Computerized billing exists to handle billing matters. Regularly using of services or programs can help you keep billing records and information up- to-date. Dilating Hair and Body Salon is a salon that is established to provide a good quality of service that is related to skin health, facial aesthetic, foot care, aromatherapy, and many other services to people.Having a salon that serves those kinds of services must also generate a good quality of billing to their customers. Dilating Hair and Body Salon use a manual billing system and do not have any computer related system. They do not have an organized file of bills and took much time for them to compute the total sales per day. They also took much time billing their customers. To help the said organization in their problems, a computer based billing system is proposed to make an organized file of bills and computed total sales lily, weekly or monthly.It will help them to make their service much efficient to their customers. II. Background of the Study Dilating Hair and Body Salon were originally come from Buenaventura. Idealist's first business name was â€Å"Dalai† from the mother of owner of the said business. And it was Just a general merchandise and a year passed they decided to have a facial clinic in the town of Boca and as the business run smoothly in the market they expand and upgrade until Dilating Hair and Body Salon were established on August 8, 2007 at San Miguel Boca, Martinique.Dilating Hair and Salon started to offer services to their customers such as regular treatment, massage, facial care, hair cuts, hair rebinding, hair relax and high end treatment. The se rvices of Dilating Hair and Salon are affordable for their customers that make their business successful and trust them for what the services they are offering to them. As they offer the services to their regular customers that keep from visiting their salon they give discounts for their trust and for making them beautiful and serving them with quality that satisfies their customer.Regular customers are discounted ranges 1 to 10%. Dilating Hair and Body Salon become one of the successful businesses in the province but use a manual billing system. This organization aims to have a good quality of service for their customer. Their objective is to serve their customer that will satisfy them and to make their customer happy. In the manual system of billing in the said organization the customer will ask or inquire to counter's desk for the service and ask how much each of service cost. The customer will only pay after the service.They are not giving invoices to their customers unless the customer asks for a receipt. However the organization does not have records of the customer bills and consume much time to compute the sales. They are literally using pens and papers for recording their bills and other reports that leads to inaccurate records of files. They are calculating it manually using a calculator that also leads to miscommunication. They keep their records and transactions manually that causes them to take much time and miscommunication. They have to check and compute if miscommunication happens.It affects them a lot especially when compiling the records and transactions of the total sales and bills. They are checking and computing it manually until miscommunication and error recordings are correct. Ill. Objectives of the Study General Objective: The general objective of the proposed project is to make a computerized billing system for Dilating Hair and Body Salon and to make a system that is user friendly for the organization. And to lessen the work about bi llings and have an organized files and reports. Specific Objectives:The following are the specific objectives of the study that will determine the deliverables. To present an accurate computation on the bill charged to the customers. To manage and secure the records on the database. To facilitate a faster transactions in billing the customers. To produce a print out on sales daily, weekly and monthly. To provide a convenient billing process. To develop a system that will help to make easier, faster and accurate billing process and to provide quality of service in terms of billing. To make the customers worry- free for their bills. IV. Scope and LimitationThe proposed system will have a customer's interface which primary purpose is to show the customer's bills to pay or the price of the service the customer want to by entering the code of the product by the cashier. The management's interface will have the log in which will provide the security of the billing system. Its primary purp ose is to allow the management to manage their services/prices and for the daily and weekly/monthly and reports in the database of the system. The cashier will have an interface that consists of prices and services and responsible for billing the customers.The customer with discount will have another interface which will contain the client's ID which will provide by the management and the customers primary information. The proposed system can update, delete, edit, record and add the product/service and prices. And print reports and invoices. The proposed system will generate daily sales report, billing report and monthly customer report. However it will Just only cover the billing of the customers and the generating reports for sales and billing report of customers. It will delimit in billing using credit cards because it s not reliable to pay through credit cards.The proposed system will also limit only to customer-billing transaction. The inventory is not included in the proposed system because it will only focus in billing the customer and making total sales report. Ooh V. Significance of the Study This study and the proposed project will benefited the people engaged in this project. Management: The management of the organization will be benefited because they will have an accurate files and less manpower. It will give them also a productive result and time saving process.Cashier or the Counter's Personnel: It will benefit them a lot because it will make to lessen the work. It will provide an accurate and reliable of records and make works easier and faster in billing the customers. Customers: They will be benefit by giving accurate price and bills and worry-free. Proponent: The proponent will be benefited by enhancing and improving the information systems skills in analyzing and designing a program of the system. Future Developers: They will benefit them by giving chance to make the system for more improvements and add more features or functions. Customer service In today's world, we are Just about everything is more convenient and accessible due to advances of technology across almost all sectors. Technology seems more efficient and advantageous in our daily living and processing things gets more easier and improves our works and do more productive in developing of our lives. Technological advances create higher profit, fast access to information, increases communication and speed up work that gives impact to everyone and for general purpose.Information technology has it big impact in our country in many aspects such as government, education especially in business. Technology allows lessening the burden of works in companies or businesses; it eliminates error and comes with paperless. Technology also increases the business productivity of our country. And simply continue to change the business status and economic with the help of technology. A business such as salon or parlor is one of the industries that engaged to technology that helps man y people to beautify and deals with cosmetic treatment for men and women.The advances of technology affects a lot the economic of the Philippines and helps much in the production of the country's businesses, tourism and government. Having a billing system is important for keeping track of bills and payments to and from customers. Computerized billing exists to handle billing matters. Regularly using of services or programs can help you keep billing records and information up- to-date. Dilating Hair and Body Salon is a salon that is established to provide a good quality of service that is related to skin health, facial aesthetic, foot care, aromatherapy, and many other services to people.Having a salon that serves those kinds of services must also generate a good quality of billing to their customers. Dilating Hair and Body Salon use a manual billing system and do not have any computer related system. They do not have an organized file of bills and took much time for them to compute the total sales per day. They also took much time billing their customers. To help the said organization in their problems, a computer based billing system is proposed to make an organized file of bills and computed total sales lily, weekly or monthly.It will help them to make their service much efficient to their customers. II. Background of the Study Dilating Hair and Body Salon were originally come from Buenaventura. Idealist's first business name was â€Å"Dalai† from the mother of owner of the said business. And it was Just a general merchandise and a year passed they decided to have a facial clinic in the town of Boca and as the business run smoothly in the market they expand and upgrade until Dilating Hair and Body Salon were established on August 8, 2007 at San Miguel Boca, Martinique.Dilating Hair and Salon started to offer services to their customers such as regular treatment, massage, facial care, hair cuts, hair rebinding, hair relax and high end treatment. The se rvices of Dilating Hair and Salon are affordable for their customers that make their business successful and trust them for what the services they are offering to them. As they offer the services to their regular customers that keep from visiting their salon they give discounts for their trust and for making them beautiful and serving them with quality that satisfies their customer.Regular customers are discounted ranges 1 to 10%. Dilating Hair and Body Salon become one of the successful businesses in the province but use a manual billing system. This organization aims to have a good quality of service for their customer. Their objective is to serve their customer that will satisfy them and to make their customer happy. In the manual system of billing in the said organization the customer will ask or inquire to counter's desk for the service and ask how much each of service cost. The customer will only pay after the service.They are not giving invoices to their customers unless the customer asks for a receipt. However the organization does not have records of the customer bills and consume much time to compute the sales. They are literally using pens and papers for recording their bills and other reports that leads to inaccurate records of files. They are calculating it manually using a calculator that also leads to miscommunication. They keep their records and transactions manually that causes them to take much time and miscommunication. They have to check and compute if miscommunication happens.It affects them a lot especially when compiling the records and transactions of the total sales and bills. They are checking and computing it manually until miscommunication and error recordings are correct. Ill. Objectives of the Study General Objective: The general objective of the proposed project is to make a computerized billing system for Dilating Hair and Body Salon and to make a system that is user friendly for the organization. And to lessen the work about bi llings and have an organized files and reports. Specific Objectives:The following are the specific objectives of the study that will determine the deliverables. To present an accurate computation on the bill charged to the customers. To manage and secure the records on the database. To facilitate a faster transactions in billing the customers. To produce a print out on sales daily, weekly and monthly. To provide a convenient billing process. To develop a system that will help to make easier, faster and accurate billing process and to provide quality of service in terms of billing. To make the customers worry- free for their bills. IV. Scope and LimitationThe proposed system will have a customer's interface which primary purpose is to show the customer's bills to pay or the price of the service the customer want to by entering the code of the product by the cashier. The management's interface will have the log in which will provide the security of the billing system. Its primary purp ose is to allow the management to manage their services/prices and for the daily and weekly/monthly and reports in the database of the system. The cashier will have an interface that consists of prices and services and responsible for billing the customers.The customer with discount will have another interface which will contain the client's ID which will provide by the management and the customers primary information. The proposed system can update, delete, edit, record and add the product/service and prices. And print reports and invoices. The proposed system will generate daily sales report, billing report and monthly customer report. However it will Just only cover the billing of the customers and the generating reports for sales and billing report of customers. It will delimit in billing using credit cards because it s not reliable to pay through credit cards.The proposed system will also limit only to customer-billing transaction. The inventory is not included in the proposed system because it will only focus in billing the customer and making total sales report. Ooh V. Significance of the Study This study and the proposed project will benefited the people engaged in this project. Management: The management of the organization will be benefited because they will have an accurate files and less manpower. It will give them also a productive result and time saving process.Cashier or the Counter's Personnel: It will benefit them a lot because it will make to lessen the work. It will provide an accurate and reliable of records and make works easier and faster in billing the customers. Customers: They will be benefit by giving accurate price and bills and worry-free. Proponent: The proponent will be benefited by enhancing and improving the information systems skills in analyzing and designing a program of the system. Future Developers: They will benefit them by giving chance to make the system for more improvements and add more features or functions.

Business Buying Center Essay

A.Describe the different roles in a business buying center. Then identify each member of the buying group in a medium-sized company that purchases components and assembles small household appliances. A business buying center is described as all persons involved in any aspect of a company’s buying activity (source: page 186, Contemporary Marketing). A business buying center is also known as a decision making unit or DMU and can be further defined as a group of employees, family members, or members of any type of organization responsible for finalizing major decisions, usually involving a purchase (source: Financial Times Lexicon: http://lexicon.ft.com/decision-making-unit). In a business setting, major purchases typically require input from various parts of the organization, including finance, accounting, purchasing, information technology management, and senior management. Highly technical purchases, such as information systems or production equipment, also require the expertise of technical specialists. In some cases the buying center is an informal ad hoc group, but in other cases, it is a formally sanctioned group with specific mandates, criteria, and procedures. The employees that constitute the buying center will vary depending on the item being purchased. There are typically five roles within any buying center. For purposes of this assignment, a buying center for a medium-sized company that purchases components and assembles small household appliances could be described as follows: 1.Influencers who try to affect the outcome decision with their opinions. An Influencer would also set specific buying specifications for the company. This group would guide evaluation as well. 2.Deciders who have the final decision. The Deciders also choose the good or service. They may need to involve another person with more formal authority 3.Buyers who are responsible for the contract. Buyers also secure the good or service. 4.Users of the item being purchased. Users are the people who will actually â€Å"use† the good or service. 5.Gatekeepers who control the flow of information that all buying center members will review. (Sources: http://books.google.com/books?id=wAMsaLJoykYC&pg=PA130&lpg=PA130 and source: page 186 and 187, Contemporary Marketing)

Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Diversity - Essay Example People who are extroverts and like to experiment with different things are fond of diversity. They like to interact with people from different cultures, understand their unique norms and values, and make friends with them. Many even go to the extent of marrying across cultures where they not only have to put up with the diversity of cultures, but also the diversity of races in terms of their mixed race children. However, good-natured as these people are, they know how to draw a balance between the two cultures and make a happy living. On the other hand, there are people who are negatively affected by diversity of race and culture. These people are chauvinists and fanatics by nature. They like to have only people of their own race and culture around them, whether it is their neighborhood or their workplace. They tend to draw a line between themselves and people from other races and cultures, considering themselves superior to others. They do not let others cross that line with them bu t often cross it themselves only to insult others in some way e.g. racism, bullying etcetera. Such opponents of diversity tend to have dysfunctional conflicts with their peers from other races and cultures in the workplace also, thus making it difficult for the immigrants and foreign workers to settle down in their country. Such people also have a tendency of making groups and run campaigns against the foreigners informally on such grounds as culture and religion. The way diversity affects an individual is fundamentally related to the impression of diversity in the eyes of that individual. Diversity affects me in many positive ways. I am a sort of person who is very welcoming toward new ideas, things, and aspects. I feel blessed to have been born in an age when there is so much diversity around me. I like to meet with people from different cultures and races. I am fascinated by the variety of ways in which they interact with one another, their unique cultures, styles of living, cuis ines, norms, values, trends, and traditions. I like to put in this effort to understand them and make myself understood to them so that we form positive impressions of each other. Diversity, to me, is a way of understanding God. I am overwhelmed with joy to think and realize how diverse God has created this world. There are people of different shades of brown and white, and each color is so beautiful and admirable. People can be identified with their origin just from their facial features which is great. Out of my love for diversity, I have started learning Arabic language, though I have to go a long way for that. I am fascinated by Indian weddings in particular. They are so different from our weddings. While our brides dress in white traditionally, Indian brides dress in all sorts of vibrant colors and exotic designs. I like dancing to Bollywood songs with my friends occasionally. I have many friends from different countries. I enjoy interacting with them and like the way they try to speak English in their native accents. It gives me pleasure to help them find the right word to express their emotions and meanings as they speak. I particularly like Chinese cuisine a lot. I ask my Chinese friend for the favor of cooking a Chinese recipe on my birthday and present it to me as a gift. I also cook something from my cuisine and gift

What do international students need to know before they come to UK Essay

What do international students need to know before they come to UK Challenges an International Student Likely to Encounter - Essay Example In my case study, I will explore potential threats to the comfort and academic excellence of an international student. My views, encounter, and success in the new environment will be shaped by Maslow hierarchy of needs which outlines various needs and preparedness one ought to have towards attaining excellence in all spheres of life. Further, some of my ideas and facts will be drawn from diverse academic resources presented by specialist in the light of the case study. Finally, other ideas will be corroborated by interviews I conducted with students and lecturers. Background Located strategically at the centre of England, the University boasts a total student population of â€Å"23,207 inclusive of 2,500 international students† (University of Wolverhmpton, 2013). According to factual information presented in the university official web site, University of Wolverhampton traces its way back in the mid- 1800s as Wolveharmpton Mechanics Institute and college of Arts. It later gain ed the current status 1969 as the University of Wolverhampton. It offers over six international courses such as international foundation, undergraduate courses, postgraduate courses, pre master’s program, English pre-sessional course, just to mention a few. Also, the university has three campuses located in Telfoord, Walsall and the city campus. It has modern and well-equipped accommodation facilities with different options to suit the needs and privacy of every student. The university offers over one hundred courses in its various academic programs. Food and Accommodation Burnapp (2009, p.13) points out that â€Å"what a body needs to survive such as food, water and somewhere to sleep . . .† aid in excellent physiological development. The university has taken this into great consideration with spacious and fully functional hall of residence. However, this is enjoyable for those who had been accommodated. As an international student, accommodation becomes a major chall enge and if not addressed before taking that flight you may be unlucky and forced to spend some few days under someone’s roof, your â€Å"good Samaritan† and it can be a hell of experience without a friend who has settled there or a relative to turn to at such hour of need. Many students are often misguided and fail to prioritise accommodation. All they do is to firmly fix their eyes on the academic part of it. This is absolutely wrong for an international student. Nelson (2012) in an interview mentioned the importance of accommodation for an international student, but for him all had been done by his parents prior to his coming. This clearly shows how accommodation is so valuable for an international student. We didn’t stop at importance of accommodation and further talked about food. â€Å"I managed to find my local food† (Nelson, 2012) something we shared in common as I managed to find my local favourite dish with much ease. Undoubtedly, it will be abs olutely right to authoritatively say food and accommodation play major role which an international must consider before taking a flight. Security Every student needs to feel safe each. The university authority does not take students security lightly. Every student is required to flush out their issued ID to pass the security guards on the ground. This is unlike my country institutions which indeed, each student is issued with student identification card but hardly used at the entrances making it

4 discussions week 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

4 discussions week 4 - Essay Example mindset, but I also severely disagree and find it to manifest from faulty reasoning, stereotyping, racial/ethnic bias, and even simply , in my opinion, â€Å"lazy† teaching. My perspective is unique to the special education student perspective. As I have addressed previously, though multi-cultural differences exist in these classrooms and certainly do enrich the diverse environment and opportunity for sharing of experiences, the curriculum is often so individualized that immersion activities for the entire class can be sparse. This is certainly not to say that these types of experiences should not be utilized as I believe it would be a disservice to the overall educational experience if diversity were dismissed due to lack of creativity, ingenuity and ability to make such information relatable on the part of the teacher. I do note that, even in the exceptional student classroom, standards and performance are expected of individual learners. No matter what the classroom, their tends to a disturbing trend that caters to the â€Å"need to know† perspective. In the Facilitator’s Guide, common belief 12 states: With all the pressures to raise student achievement, finding and using examples for the cultural, historic and everyday lived experiences of my students takes valuable time away from teaching and learning. So in reverse, I identify with this assertion, but do fervently disagree with its overall affect in practice. While compartmentalized learning experiences that facilitate higher test score in standardized, â€Å"high stakes†, testing do impart useful, identified information related to the prediction of future success in specified areas, I believe we miss the â€Å"human† experience by narrowing our perspectives to what have been select as superior information. Knowledge and learning are comprised of many elements and many highly intelligent individuals find functioning effective in diverse environments and with people from said backgrounds difficult to

Writting health care paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Writting health care paper - Essay Example Looking at the financial statement and the type of assets the MCMPC owns gives an impression is MCMPC is in need of further strengthening its finances in order to take on the competitors. The key features are; Strengths †¢ No long-term debt, that implies company can better exercise its options in expansion and diversification. †¢ MCMPC used its financial resources to open a new department, used one million to set up the cardiology department †¢ Over the last 20 years MCMPC has seen consistent growth and its revenues reached $22 million in 2007 with good profit margins. Weaknesses †¢ Despite operating for the last 20 years, the organization is not yet large enough, and has its presence at limited locations only. †¢ Company scores poorly on the management of HR. For quite some time, company is not able to recruit specialists and subspecialist because while some are associated with competitor company Innovative hospital or there are some who are not impressed by the leadership skills of Dr. Balko. †¢ Since the year 2008, the balance sheet of the company is in red, with projections for 2010 also pointing towards a loss. †¢ MCMPC had to use cash to setup cardiology department, which in turn resulted in poor showing on financial figures and ratios. The current ratio was the only part of the statement that was above standard Not having enough cash for short term debts or emergencies is a gross management shortcoming 2. Competencies: It indicates the skills that the employees or physicians of MCMPC offer. Strengths The healthcare company is able to provide urgent primary and specialty services in areas of its presence. Caring and accommodating staff An excellent physician in the form of Dr Balko Weaknesses Company lacks specialists and subspecialist necessary to ensure uninterrupted services to its customers. Company not having strategic tie ups with other companies like its competitor/s Lack of discipline amongst staff. For example, no prescribed uniform for the staff, no regular staff meetings, lack of any formal management structure for decision taking, questionable decisions being taken by the Director of Operations who happened to be Dr. Balko's secretary in the past Office premises appears sloppy at times 3. Capabilities: Having the resources and the competencies to create a strategic plan that can allow the organization to see what they are able to do with what they have. Strengths Open long hours and keeping good relationship with patients. Dr. Balko stays late to care for his patients. Staff attitude quite accommodative, caring and responsive towards

Isadora Duncan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Isadora Duncan - Research Paper Example Even St. Denis and Shawn were under the influence of Isadora in the use of Greek themes and symphonic music. They recognized that they tried to synchronize orchestra and chorus because Isadora did not try to do that. If she was not born on May 26, 1878, in San- Francisco, but somewhere in ancient Hellas, the priests would probably perceive her gift as an earthly incarnation of the muse Terpsichore. Live she not in agitated Europe at the beginning of the bloody XX century, today’s feminists would probably make her their tribune and role model. She was a real enigma. All her biographers were perplexed by a huge amount of mystical details, concentration of which in a life of a fictional literary protagonist could be the cause for critics to accuse a writer of propaganda of fatalism and artificiality of the plot. Are you the empty vessel or a fire flickering in the vessel? It was not said about her, but once a bright spark of divine fire illuminated her way in art, making famous A merican Isadora Duncan from a beginning ballerina. The fire that lit her way consumed her one day. On that day in May, when Isadora Angela Duncan was born, the mother of the future European star suffered two disappointments: the first sounds she heard recovering from childbirth were vehement cries of depositors of her husband’ bank. Joseph ran away with their savings God knows where. The first thing that the unhappy woman saw was her newborn daughter threshing air almost convulsively. â€Å"I knew that a monster is born, - she said to a midwife. The child can not be normal, she jumped and hopped in my womb and all this is the punishment for the sins of her villain father Joseph ...† She did not see dancing future and destiny in the first movements of the baby. However, despite the complete absence of the gift of foresight, she was able to bring up her daughter and three older children without any help of their phony dad and even gave them good education. Those efforts were not appreciated by little Isadora: being 13 years old, she left school and got addicted to music and dancing. Her first attempt to conquer Chicago ended with a complete failure, except for the first whirlwind romance with a fiery redhead seducer - Ivan Miroski, who burned her soul to such an extent that Isadora preferred to run away from the bitter happiness to Europe in a hold for transportation of livestock. Her perspective was uncertain. On the other side of the Channel her main rival, Mata Hari, was at the zenith of fame at that time. She has already found her creed in dance, undressing in front of the audience, mesmerizing it with Eastern pa. She was lucky enough to find a patroness in the person of the famous actress Campbell. Isadora spread her passion defending the idea that a dance should be a symbol of freedom, progress of natural grace, language of emotion, not a set of rehearsed gestures. Campbell, the queen of London salons, arranged her protege’s debut at a private reception, where presented her as an â€Å"exotic hors-d'oeuvre.† And that was the right decision - bold Isadora, dancing barefoot in a tunic, instead of a pack, copying much of ancient Greek plastic, saw delight in spectators’

Is corporate social responsibility just a new trend or is it the Essay

Is corporate social responsibility just a new trend or is it the modern business modus operandi - Essay Example The author reckons that the best practices in modern business, variably referred to as â€Å"dominant coalition† play an important role in the identification of the appropriate combination of practices such as a strong and informed management. Great strides have taken place in ensuring that contributions in the social process are central in the definition of corporate goals. Corporate responsibility has therefore evolved to accommodate corporate social responsibility, which is more responsive of the social needs of the workforce as well as the surrounding society. Making the needs of the society an integral part of wealth creation in the modern corporate world shapes business at the highest community involvement level, by responding to social process in a sensitive approach. In this discourse, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is analyzed in terms of its modern and future usage in the corporate world, paying a special interest on its origins, applications, approaches, and interpretation. Flanked by a clear view of its impacts on decision making, the discourse ends by making inferences from the various perspectives (Money 2007, p1). In view of the basic observations contained in the paper, it is clear that CSR and its related business applications in the corporate world is perhaps one of the most dynamic machineries at the disposal of management. CSR can be traced back into the 1960s as a modification of corporate responsibility, which was an approach taking a corporation’s business targets off the usual and direct business players. In light of the roles of the philosophy behind establishment of CRS practices, it is clear that business objectives had to be shifted from purely business nature to incorporate some social aspects. According to Salzmann (2008, p8), contribution from scholars in the 1960s gave momentum to the CSR field as an emerging discipline in the corporate environment. The author reckons that the Bowen and McGuire through their contributions

Letter from Hagar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Letter from Hagar - Essay Example â€Å"Pride was my wilderness, and the demon that led me there was fear. I was alone, never anything else, and never free, for I carries my chains within me, and they spread out from me and shackled all I touched†(page 292). My dear child, you are young and the fountain of youth flows upon you. Waste it not your youth on matters that will chain your heart and soul. You must know that I loved your grandfather dearly though I never really found the right way to show him how much. I could not at that time for I believed that I must maintain restraint and never allow my feelings flow as freely as a cascading waterfall. I exhort you not commit the same mistakes I did. I could have shown your grandfather the ecstasies I felt when making love. â€Å"It was not long after we wed, when first I felt my blood and vitals rise to meet his. He never knew. I never spoke aloud, and I made certain the trembling was all inner†¦ I prided myself on keeping my pride intact, like some mainden hood† (page 81). Alas, I was wrong. I could have soared to the skies and explode that a super nova in the skies and then come down from heaven to dance with the daffodils but I was too proud to do such things. I made myself believe that pride is more important than showing warmth and accepting the same like an all consuming fire that runs through your veins searing you blood until you scream not in agony but in ecstasy. Now, as I look back into the empty years where I held my feeling locked and sealed inside me, tears come welling up and spilling down my weathered cheeks unbidden. I strived to hide them but could not. I could have given more but did not. I could not bring myself to show much love and say the right word a t the right time. Like a stone angel made of hard marble, I am doubly blind. But then again, would they have reacted differently had I said and done things differently? Would they? I think not. So it is perfectly all right. Child, I want you

Cultural Protectionism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Cultural Protectionism - Essay Example Conversely, other countries’ cultures are portrayed as backward, oppressive and at times, barbaric. Recently, many countries have tried to protect various cultures especially through the film industry. As expected, this has drawn varied reactions with some criticising this move while others in support of the same. This paper will analyse if movies are just like any other goods. Furthermore, it will dig out the various ways countries ought to shield respective film industries. The critics of the cultural protectionism often argue that movies are like any other commodity hence, there is no point to emphasize on the same. According to Sanson (2014), movies are just used as a form of entertainment just like other commodities that are bought by people from different countries. Baughn and Buchanan (2011) made an argument that cultural protectionism especially in the movies is unrealistic. To solidify the argument, a case of France was cited where the government tried to reduce the importation of movies but the local consumers still failed to buy the local content. As a result, it is argued that cultural protectionism is unrelated to movies. Often, in order to ensure cultural protectionism is done, governments employ the tactic of high tax for imported movies. Additionally, local film industry is funded in a bid to enable it produce more of the content the government would prefer. It is here that critics argue that this step does not guarantee protectionism because the industry would then be subjected to manipulation (Heinemann, 2012). Instead of using movies as a way of cultural protectionism, the government is urged to employ other methods. In short, these critics are arguing that the film industry has nothing to do with the issue of culture. Notwithstanding these assertions and examples provided by the critics, the proponents

Juicy Couture Advertising Analysis Essay Example for Free

Juicy Couture Advertising Analysis Essay Typical high fashion advertisements consist of a beautiful female model, wearing the most expensive clothing, looking classy and elegant. Somewhere there is usually a toned gorgeous man looking at her in awe, also wearing incredibly fashionable clothing. These ads, however effective on the minds of the masses, are not the same approach the infamous Juicy Couture brand takes. Bought by all types of women, from mothers to teenage girls, everyone wants to be part of the Juicy phenomenon. Juicy Couture’s image isn’t the stereotypical wealthy, high fashion kind of depiction. They show a more mainstream glamour and luxurious wealth. Their bedazzled track suits and terrier crowned logo shows their abnormal high end fashion. However, the brand is still very fabulous and expensive being â€Å"Made in Glamorous USA† (â€Å"JuicyDeals†). The advertisements of Juicy Couture try to show this same kind of image. The usual Juicy advertisements are displays of a picturesque suspended girl universe, by reflecting a modern, girlish, avant-garde display with a whimsical kind of spirit (Brown et al). Interesting and bizarre, they never fail to catch the eyes of women and girls of every age and race. Juicy couture has a different and outrageous kind of style that never fails to tap into the needs and desires of girls all over. According to their ads, with Juicy couture women can be prominent, can dominate, and can definitely get anything they want. In 2009, Juicy ran an ad campaign titled â€Å"Do the Dont’s. † Each ad depicted models breaking the rules, being rebellious, and going against what is expected by society. One of the ads shows a women dressed in business-like attire, pale skin, and hair done up in a boy-like style. She is leaning against a man dressed in complete contrast to her. He’s tan and dressed in a more feminine fashion with long shaggy hair, a tulle skirt, and carrying a purse. He stands causally like a female with his hip cocked out to the side. In the background you see a pink mansion like house, with beautiful plants and magnificent windows. Above them it says â€Å"Do the Dont’s. † Below that in light blue, the phrase â€Å"You can always get what you want† is written in messy-like handwriting. The items being advertised is everything from clothes, purses, jewelry, and perfumes. The purse and the fur coat, the socks, and the black dress are all Juicy Couture. Below their feet is the unmistakable â€Å"Juicy Couture† logo. In big, bold, fancy lettering, outlined in white. The overall name for the campaign is a striking small simple phrase that catches the eyes and can hook audiences in. On the ad it’s in black block lettering, at the top of the picture in a small type of font. To say do what is unexpected of you is something Juicy already does however, for this campaign, they are saying if girls want to be a part of this fun, superficial, girly, unrealistic world, you have to be different. When the line first came out it was different kind of high fashion that no one had seen before. They then incorporated that into their whole theme of their ads by showing a more unrealistic view of the wealthy with a forward-thinking view of fashion The house is a girly fantasy, being that it is pink, but it also shows how the pair are probably rich, and the rest of the house is just as wonderfully exotic as the two in front of them. It’s like they are a part of this beautiful world that only a few are able to see and to be like those in the picture it is necessary to be just as unrealistic as them. â€Å"You can always get what you want† is the main concept of the advertisement. In a bright blue color and it look as if it was hastily written on top with a paint brush, it is the first thing to notice. The phrase is big, bright, and takes up most of the page making it truly stand out. The two phrases correspond with each other. If you â€Å"do the dont’s† â€Å"you can always get what you want. † Or â€Å"you can always get what you want† by doing the â€Å"dont’s. † The phrase implies that with juicy couture you can get whatever you want. The models in the background give the message even more of a meaning with how they look. They give off the air that they truly can and do have whatever they want. It is even written like the person who wrote it, didn’t care about what people think. Who wouldn’t want to have everything? Jib Fowles in an article wrote about how advertising use different types of appeals in advertising. Fowles says as a â€Å"need for dominance† and a â€Å"need for prominence† is one of the ways that advertisers pull people in. This advertisement feeds the desire for women â€Å"enjoy prestige and high social status† (65). Women aspire to control and want to be admired. These appeals are shown in just the catchphrase of the advertisement, never mind the photo behind them. Although the writing may be the first thing seen behind it is an abstract photo Juicy is famous for. The female model is in control, and strongly dominates the photo. Her direct gaze toward the camera is confrontational showing she is unafraid of power, her smirk saying she already knows she’s got it all. She stands in a firm yet casual pose showing she’s comfortable with her status, even though to some people it could be unsettling. She’s happy and at ease with her life and wouldn’t change a thing. These aspects make her more of a conformist which is opposite of what a women in fashion should look like. She causally has her arm on his shoulder further showing her dominance. He is like her pet, or maybe her play toy (Brown et al). She is prime example as to what Fowles says about prominence and dominance. This model obviously shows both with her strong contrast to her male counterpart emphasizes this fact even more. Dressed casually like a girl the male model’s chest is bare showing to the audience that he’s not trying to be a girl but he’s not afraid feminine side (Brown et al). They differences between our very strange couple also leads into the â€Å"Do the Dont’s† aspect of the campaign. A man dressing like a woman is definitely going against the grain. In most advertisements men are shown as the strong leader of the person who dominates, but here it is quite clear that he couldn’t care less about being in control or anything. He is perfectly happy with his life and how he is dresses. This isn’t what is expected of a man today, not in the least. The point of the ad is to sell the viewer not a single commodity but to convince the consumer that wearing their clothing will lead them to a new lifestyle (Fowles 62). The ads instruct them to do whatever it takes to get the glamorous life they want, doing the â€Å"dont’s† and â€Å"making a mess. † However, it also emphasizes the fact that Juicy Couture is â€Å"Doing the dont’s† with their actually clothing line. With outlandish fashion rules they are trying to get audiences to remember fashion doesn’t have rules, and Juicy took that idea to the next level with their own set of rules. Women don’t have to listen to the conventional rules about life or about what they wear. The ad plays on feminine desires to be better looking than everyone else, to be different and in control.

Maslows Hierarchy Of Needs Philosophy Essay

Maslows Hierarchy Of Needs Philosophy Essay Human needs are an important part of human nature. Values, beliefs, and customs differ from country to country and group to group, but all people have similar needs. As a leader you must understand these needs because they are powerful motivators. Abraham Maslow felt that human needs were arranged in a hierarchical order (Maslow, 1954). He based his theory on healthy, creative people who used all their talents, potential, and capabilities. At the time, this methodology differed from most other psychology research studies in that they were based on observing disturbed people. There are two major groups of human needs: basic needs and meta needs. Basic needs are physiological, such as food, water, and sleep; and psychological, such as affection, security, and self-esteem. These basic needs are also called deficiency needs because if they are not met by an individual, then that person will strive to make up the deficiency. The higher needs are called meta needs or being needs (growth needs). These include justice, goodness, beauty, order, unity, etc. Basic needs normally take priority over growth needs. For example, a person who lacks food or water will not normally attend to justice or beauty needs. These needs are listed below in hierarchical order. The basic needs on the bottom of the list (1 to 4) must normally be met before the meta or being needs above them can be met. The four meta needs (5 to 8) can be pursued in any order, depending upon a persons wants or circumstances, as long as the basic needs have all been met. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs 8. Self-transcendence a transegoic (see Note below) level that emphasizes visionary intuition, altruism, and unity consciousness. 7. Self-actualization know exactly who you are, where you are going, and what you want to accomplish. A state of well-being. 6. Aesthetic at peace, more curious about inner workings of all. 5. Cognitive learning for learning alone, contribute knowledge. 4. Esteem feeling of moving up in world, recognition, few doubts about self. 3. Belongingness and love belong to a group, close friends to confide with. 2. Safety feel free from immediate danger. 1. Physiological food, water, shelter, sex. Maslow posited that people want and are forever striving to meet various goals. Because the lower level needs are more immediate and urgent, then they come into play as the source and direction of a persons goal if they are not satisfied,. A need higher in the hierarchy will become a motive of behavior as long as the needs below it have been satisfied. Unsatisfied lower needs will dominate unsatisfied higher needs and must be satisfied before the person can climb up the hierarchy. Knowing where a person is located on this scale aids in determining an effective motivator. For example, motivating a middle-class person (who is in range 4 of the hierarchy) with a certificate will have a far greater impact than using the same motivator to effect a minimum wage person from the ghetto who is desperately struggling to meet the first couple of needs. It should be noted that almost no one stays in one particular hierarchy for an extended period. We constantly strive to move up, while at the same time various forces outside our control try to push us down. Those on top get pushed down for short time periods, i.e., death of a loved-one or an idea that does not work, while those on the bottom get pushed up, i.e., come across a small prize. Our goal as leaders therefor is to help people obtain the skills and knowledge that will push them up the hierarchy on a more permanent basis. People who have their basic needs met become much better workers as they are able to concentrate on fulfilling the visions put forth to them, rather than consistently struggling to make ends meet. Characteristics of self-actualizing people: Have better perceptions of reality and are comfortable with it. Accept themselves and their own natures. Lack of artificiality. They focus on problems outside themselves and are concerned with basic issues and eternal questions. They like privacy and tend to be detached. Rely on their own development and continued growth. Appreciate the basic pleasures of life (e.g., do not take blessings for granted). Have a deep feeling of kinship with others. Are deeply democratic and are not really aware of differences. Have strong ethical and moral standards. Are original, inventive, less constricted and fresher than others Maslows Hierarchy of Needs and Leadership To put Maslows theory into perspective with leadership, a short (less than 3 minutes) audio MP3 file is included: Maslow and leadership. Transegoic Transegoic means a higher, psychic, or spiritual state of development. The trans is related to transcendence, while the ego is based on Freuds work. We go from preEGOic levels to EGOic levels to transEGOic. The EGO in all three terms are used in the Jungian sense of consciousness as opposed to the unconscious. Ego equates with the personality. In Maslows model, the ultimate goal of life is self-actualization, which is almost never fully attained but rather is something to always strive towards. Peak experiences are temporary self-actualizations. Maslow later theorized that this level does not stop, it goes on to self-transcendence, which carries us to the spiritual level, e.g.. Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Dalai Lamao, or even poets, such as Robert Frost. Maslows self-transcendence level recognizes the human need for ethics, creativity, compassion and spirituality. Without this spiritual or transegoic sense, we are simply animals or machines. In addition, just as there are peak experiences for temporary self-actualizations; there are also peak experiences for self-transcendence. These are our spiritual creative moments. While the research of Maslows theory has undergone limited empirical scrutiny, it still remains quite popular due to its simplicity and being the start of the movement that moved us away from a totally behaviorist/reductionistic/mechanistic approach to a more humanistic one. In addition, a lot of concerns is directed at his methodology: Pick a small number of people that he declares self-actualizing; read and talk about them; and come to the conclusion about self-actualization. However, he did completely understood this, and thought of his work as simply a method of pointing the way, rather than being the final say. In addition, he hoped that others would take up the cause and complete what he had begun. Herzbergs Hygiene and Motivational Factors Herzberg developed a list of factors (Herzberg, 1966) that are based on Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, except his version is more closely related to the working environment: HERZBERGS HYGIENE MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS Hygiene or Dissatisfies: Working conditions Policies and administrative practices Salary and Benefits Supervision Status Job security Co-workers Personal life Motivators or Satisfiers: Recognition Achievement Advancement Growth Responsibility Job challenge Hygiene factors must be present in the job before motivators can be used to stimulate that person. That is, you cannot use motivators until all the hygiene factors are met. Herzbergs needs are specifically job related and reflect some of the distinct things that people want from their work as opposed to Maslows Hierarchy of Needs which reflect all the needs in a persons life. Building on this model, Herzberg coined the term job enrichment to describe the process of redesigning work in order to build in motivators. Theory X and Theory Y Douglas McGregor developed a philosophical view of humankind with his Theory X and Theory Y (McGregor, 1957) , which are two opposing perceptions about how people view human behavior at work and organizational life. McGregor felt that companies followed either one or the other approach: Theory X People have an inherent dislike for work and will avoid it whenever possible. People must be coerced, controlled, directed, or threatened with punishment in order to get them to achieve the organizational objectives. People prefer to be directed, do not want responsibility, and have little or no ambition. People seek security above all else. Note that with Theory X assumptions, managements role is to coerce and control employees. Theory Y Work is as natural as play and rest. People will exercise self-direction if they are committed to the objectives (they are NOT lazy). Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement. People learn to accept and seek responsibility. Creativity, ingenuity, and imagination are widely distributed among the population. People are capable of using these abilities to solve an organizational problem. People have potential. Note that with Theory Y assumptions, managements role is to develop the potential in employees and help them to release that potential towards common goals. Theory X is the view that traditional management has taken towards the workforce. Many organizations are now taking the enlightened view of theory Y. A boss can be viewed as taking the theory X approach, while a leader takes the theory Y approach. Notice that Maslow, Herzberg, and McGreagors theories all tie together: Herzbergs theory is a micro version of Maslows theory (concentrated in the work place). McGreagors Theory X is based on workers caught in the lower levels (1 to 3) of Maslows theory, while his Theory Y is for workers who have gone above level 3. McGreagors Theory X is based on workers caught in Herbergs Hygiene Dissatisfiers, while Theory Y is based on workers who are in the Motivators or Satisfiers section. Existence/Relatedness/Growth (ERG) Clayton Alderfers Existence/Relatedness/Growth (ERG) Theory of Needs (Alderfer, 1969) postulates that there are three groups of needs: Existence This group of needs is concerned with providing the basic requirements for material existence, such as physiological and safety needs. This need is satisfied by money earned in a job so that one may buy food, shelter, clothing, etc. Relationships This group of needs center upon the desire to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships. Since a people normally spend approximately half of their waking hours on the job, this need is normally satisfied to some degree by their coworkers. Growth These needs are met by personal development. A persons job, career, or profession provides significant satisfaction of growth needs. Alderfers ERG theory states that more than one need may be influential at the same time. If the gratification of a higher-level need is frustrated, the desire to satisfy a lower-level need will increase. He identifies this phenomenon as the frustration shy aggression dimension. Its relevance on the job is that even when the upper-level needs are frustrated, the job still provides for the basic physiological needs upon which one would then be focused. If, at that point, something happens to threaten the job, the persons basic needs are significantly threatened. If there are not factors present to relieve the pressure, the person may become desperate and panicky. Notice that Alderfers ERG theory is built upon Maslows, however it does differ. First he collapsing it from five needs to three. And unlike Maslow, he did not see these needs as being a hierarchy in which one climbs up, but rather being more of a continuum. While there has not been a whole lot of research on Alderfers theory, most contemporary theories do tend to support it. Expectancy Theory Vrooms Expectancy Theory states that an individual will act in a certain way based on the expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual. This motivational model (Vroom, 1964) has been modified by several people, to include Porter and Lawler (Porter et. al., 1968). Vrooms Expectancy Theory is written as a formula: Valence x Expectancy x Instrumentality = Motivation Valence (Reward) = the amount of desire for a goal (What is the reward?) Expectancy (Performance) = the strength of belief that work related effort will result in the completion of the task (How hard will I have to work to reach the goal?) Instrumentality (Belief) = the belief that the reward will be received once the task is completed (Will they notice the effort I put forth?) The product of valence, expectancy, and instrumentality is motivation. It can be thought of as the strength of the drive towards a goal. For example, if an employee wants to move up through the ranks, then promotion has a high valence for that employee. If the employee believes that high performance will result in good reviews, then the employee has a high expectancy. However, if the employee believes the company will not promote from within, then the employee has low instrumentality, and the employee will not be motivated to perform better.

The Politics Of Secularism In India

The Politics Of Secularism In India Secularism in India has always been more of a political than a philosophical phenomenon. Secularism may be one of the basic features of the Preamble but its validity as one of the basic features of the Constitution and its practicability in Indian society is questionable. There is an increasing use of religion in the social construction of ethnic and communal identity which is made the basis for the articulation of common economic interests and political mobilization. There is also the construction of a pan Indian Hindu consciousness that cuts across caste and regional divisions. While secularism has been integral to Indias democracy for more than 50 years, its limitations implementations are indeed matters of acrimonious debate even to this day. Discussions on the place of religious community in Indian society have turned on the opposition of secularism communalism and of modernity tradition. Secularism is unalterably linked with modernity, but the ideal of equal respect for all religions has not been translated into social reality, and the end result is something termed as pseudo-secularism. Modernity was characterized by the emergence of public, civic and privatized religious entities, concepts of a liberal democracy and a nation state, and the secularized individual who is unfettered by ascriptive identities. But such a trajectory of human development and social transformation required an understanding of humanity that was fundamentally ahistorical. Both the Round Table Conferences as well as the Constituent Assembly Debates struggled with the dilemma of formulating a liberal democracy for people who had historically been represented, and in turn came to represent themselves, as determined by the ascriptive identities of sect and caste.  [1]  Whenever critiquing secularism, the question of caste has always been sidelined by the preoccupation with religion. But the politics of secularism in India is integrally reliant and revolves around the co-optation of untouchables into an upper caste Hindu identity. The crucial fact that needs to be clarified is that, rather th an being distinct from the categories of community and caste, nationalism and communalism, liberalism and democracy, Indian secularism emerged as the nexus of all of these.  [2]   The Indian Constitution has spelt out several provisions regarding the secular state even before the term secularism was introduced into the Preamble of the Constitution in 1976. Articles 14, 15, 16, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 325 all incorporate the principles of 1. Freedom of religion to individuals as well as to religions. 2. Equality of citizenship and no discrimination on grounds of religion. 3. Separation of State from religion. It is evident that the intention of the Constitution is neither to oppose religion nor to promote a rationalization of culture, but merely to maintain the neutrality and impartiality of the state in matters of religion. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976 stated that Secular means a republic in which there is equal respect for all religions, but the Supreme Court of India has been interpreting secularism in the Constitution differently over the years in its various judgments. To examine the vicissitudes of the Indian experiment with secularism, one needs to understand that there is a dichotomy in Indian society- Firstly, the political society comprising parties, movements, non party political formations which channelise popular demands through a form of mobilization termed as democracy- and secondly the civil society for whom the affirmation of secularism has been through the state and its institutions, schools, universities and the English media. In Indian society, the merits of secularism have been familiarized only by the academy and intellectual circles (civil society) whereas Hindu communal history has pervaded the streets and common sense (political society).  [3]   The relations between state, society and religion are not well defined, personal laws vary with religious communities, the precarious position of religious minorities, the affiliations of political formations with religious fundamentalists, increasing importance of the Hindu and more importantly the Hindutva philosophies pose severe challenges to the success and future of secularism in India.  [4]  It must be conceded that secularism in India today is too politicized and statist acting as an ideology of the state and an instrument of power. It is necessary to find ways to depoliticize secularism and to move it further into the domain of civil society. The project will put forward and comparatively analyze both the Gandhian and Nehruvian approaches to understanding secularism, the way secularism has been interpreted by the judiciary at times even contravening constitutional provisions, and finally the researcher will attempt to discuss whether a coexistence of democracy and secularism can be successful in a diverse and plural society like that of ours. Through the research paper, the researcher attempts to advocate the following: Secular means a Republic in which there is equal respect for all religions In the light of this remark, comparatively analyze the Nehruvian and the Gandhian understanding of the concept of secularism? Referring to the Constituent Assembly Debates 1946-1950, and landmark Supreme Court Cases, discuss the changing perceptions to the concept of secularism and whether such decisions have been a reflection of the Nehruvian or the Gandhian understanding? Can Secularism in India survive the functioning of democracy where the will of the majority is imposed on the minority and their consent is gained by a mere strength in numbers? Chapter 1. Secularism: Nehruvian Understanding Vs. Gandhian Understanding. Religion, Nehru wrote to Gandhi in 1933, is not familiar ground for me, as I have grown older I have definitely drifted away from it. I have something else in its place, something older than just intellect and reason, which gives me strength and hope. Apart from this indefinable and indefinite urge, which may just have a tinge of religion in it yet is wholly different from it, I have grown entirely to rely on the workings of the mind. Perhaps they are weak supports to rely upon, but, search as I will, I can see no better ones  [5]   Gandhis use of the term secular in relation to the state is such as may, in contemporary political discourse, be described as Nehruvian.Likewise, Nehrus positions on the definition of the Indian nation are the same as Gandhis.  [6]  That is, Gandhi does not attach any meaning to the term secular that would have been unacceptable to or unintelligible to Nehru.  [7]  Both possessed a remarkable steadfastness of faith. Even though they had strong mutual synergies on vital issues, nonetheless there was a creative tension in the Gandhi-Nehru relationship.  [8]  Gandhi and Nehru had differences. Gandhis religiosity and non violent principles was not shared by Nehru. Although he opposed the concept of theocratic statehood, Gandhi strongly advocated the importance of religious ethics in political practice. Perhaps no single leader has succeeded to the same extent as Gandhi in terms of effectively appealing to the Indian masses from all walks of life.  [9]   Gandhi expressed the opinion that the state should undoubtedly be secular.  [10]  It could never promote denominational education out of public funds. Everyone living in it should be entitled to profess his religion without hindrance, so long as the citizen obeyed the common law of the land. There should be no interference with missionary effort, but no mission could enjoy the patronage of the state as it did during the foreign regime.  [11]  This understanding came subsequently to be reflected in Articles 25, 26 and 27 of the Constitution. . In the last years of Gandhis life, a withdrawal from the political sphere to that of private moral experimentation is evident. . Unlike Gandhi, Nehru was hurled into the ruckus of politics, in command of a state, the most powerful structured concentration of modern instrumental reason that exists. He subjected Gandhis principle to scrutiny could the principle of non-violence make sense in politics, where governments are notoriously based on violence which is indeed the very lifeblood of the modern state. Nehruvian secularism was characterized by an equal contempt for all religions. Secularism as an element of modernity, required therefore a non-discriminatory rejection of all religions and all religiosity from public, as distinct from private, affirmation. Nehru was neither irreligious nor antireligious but his approach to religion was influenced by 3 basic assumptions of humanist liberal tradition- individualism, rationalism and universalism. Nehrus secularism meant freedom of religion and conscience, including freedom for those who have no religion, subject only to their not interfering with the basic con ceptions of our state. Nehru envisaged for India a secularist programme that gave religion little role in national affairs. Nehrus political wisdom was based on a theory of democracy, socialism, secularism and non-alignment. His strategy lay in an all-out attack on those forces that threatened disunity: provincialism, separatism, communalism and above all casteism. He could claim credit for making democratic secularism Indias pathway to the modern world. In his opinion Indias encounter with the Wests humanism, skepticism, and its ascendant science and technology, demanded a radical evaluation of all that India knew and was, and in that effort Indias outstanding religious heritage must correspondingly bear the strain of the encounter because in the final analysis the encounter of civilizations is a matter of spiritual discernment and active exchange.  [12]  Nehru was acutely aware and reflected expansively on the meaning of religion in the history of Indian civilization, but interestingly he was far from attempting a philosophy of religion but talked about religion in an anecdotal fashion, allowing others to distil from his remarks a refined Nehruvian theory of religion.  [13]   To summarise, analogous to post modernitys concern with immediacy and the present-Gandhi was a relentless explorer of immediacy- immediate needs, immediate means, immediate ends. In a very short span of time Gandhi introduced new themes in Indian politics with mass effect. But throughout his long career as a political thinker and activist, Gandhi encountered the dilemma of either remaining faithful to his non-violent principles and risking the failure of the Indian nationalist movement, or focusing at the seizure of political power at the expense of his moral message. Nehrus writings reveal full awareness on his part of the need to strengthen nationalism and democracy in a multireligious society characterized by arrested development while his style of functioning is an acknowledgement of the limitations under which he had to work.  [14]  A point that deserves mention is that Nehru did not intervene even once in the discussions on the clauses related to religious freedom in the constitution assembly debates. An in depth analysis of Nehruvian philosophy reflects his strong belief that the crucial choice for society is not between a fixed present and a proposed innovation, but more importantly it is concerned with an uncritical abandonment and structural engagement. The essence of Nehruvian philosophy lies in his intellectual and political understanding, in his struggles trying to base public life on a reasoned morality.  [15]  When dwelling on the thought provoking question of whether secularism has a future in India or not, the Nehruvian analysis regarding the parallel streams of the material and the spiritual which he identified as the fundamental matrix of life, for persons and civilizations alike, seems particularly relevant even to this day. Chapter 2. Secularism: Constituent Assembly Debates Landmark Cases. Constituent Assembly Debates [1946-50]: A look into the Constituent Assemblys debates clearly reveals that the general understanding amongst members of the assembly was that India was to be a secular state. They have emphasized the secular foundation of the Indian state. They also declare that secularism as adopted in the Indian constitution is not an anti-religious concept; rather it prevents discrimination against the citizens on the basis of religion. According to H V Kamath, When I say that a state should not identify itself with any particular religion, I do not mean that a state should be anti-religious or irreligious. India would be a secular state but according to me a secular state is neither a godless state nor an irreligious nor an anti-religious state. During the debate in the Constituent Assembly, Prime Minister Nehru declared that secularism was an ideal to be achieved and that the establishment of a secular state was an act of faith  [16]  . It is unfortunate that he failed to identify what faith the faith that he was referring to actually meant and in an unfortunate turn of events and circumstances it has been progressively interpreted by the courts to mean the Hindu faith. The dominant position on secularism that a democratic Constitution find place for religion as a way of life for most Indians triumphed over those who wished for the Assembly to grant only a narrow right to religious freedom, or to make the uniform civil code a fundamental right.  [17]   The crucial questions that arose by way of discussions in these debates were: Was a state secular only when it stayed strictly away from religion, and could such a secular state survive only if society was secularised as well? Did a state that equally respected all religions best capture the meaning of secularism in the Indian context? How could a democratic state represent a religious majority at the expense of the rights and liberties of a minority? The issue of religious freedom and secularism was discussed in the light of three alternative theoretical positions: The no-concern theory of secularism saw a definite line of separation between religion and state. Given the principles of religious liberty and freedom of expression, it was up to the individual to decide whether to be a believer or not, or to adhere to this religion or that.  [18]  Based on a doctrine of intolerance it confined religion to the private realm. This approach led to a conception of a secular state as one that stays away from religion per se. India was engaged in creating a modern nation state and in this enterprise, religion which seemed to be an obscurantist and divisive force, had no place. The second position was that no links between the state and religion should be permitted, not because it would weaken the state, but it would demean religion. Religion could not be made subject to the whims of changing majorities by allowing the democratic state to intervene in religious affairs.  [19]   The third position termed as the equal respect theory began with the principle of religious liberty, but held that in a society like India where religion is integrally related to the lives of the people, the state should not stay away from all religions equally but that it respects all religions alike. Thus it is evident the in these Constituent Assembly Debates the main issues of contention were: Whether the right to religious freedom should be the right to religious worship or to religious practice; Whether the state should recognise only linguistic minorities or religious minorities as well; The dispute over the Uniform Civil Code, over political reservation of religious minorities; Whether there should be religious instruction in state-aided schools. What is finally reflected in the articles of the constitution is a broad definition of the right to religion as the right to religious practice, but nonetheless there were no political safeguards for the religious minorities. Landmark Cases In Sardar Taheruddin Syedna Sahib v. State of Bombay  [20]  , the apex court claimed that Art. 25 26 serve to emphasize the secular nature of the Indian democracy which the founding fathers considered to be the very basis of the Constitution. Although in Kesavananda Bharati case, it was declared that secularism was a part of the Basic Structure of the Constitution, but interestingly a year later in St. Xaviers College Society v. State of Gujarat  [21]  , Supreme Court ruled that it was only by implication that the Constitution envisaged a Secular State.  [22]  For the first time there seemed to be an apparent contradiction between the judicially constructed concept of secularism and that in the text of the Constitution. In 1976 the court adopted a more philosophical and utilitarian approach in the Ziyauddin Bukhari  [23]  case. In the S.R. Bommai  [24]  case it was reasserted that secularism was a part of the Basic Structure and that it was based on principles of accommodation and tolerance. Herein what is evident is a euphemistic approach an espousal of a soft secularism.  [25]  In this case it was ruled that The State has the duty to ensure secularism by duty or by executive order. It is the duty of the court to bring every errant political party in line if it goes against secular ideals like casteism and religious antagonisms Jus. Ramaswamy. The State has the power to legislate on religion including personal laws under Art.44 and secular affairs of places of worship Jus. Jeevan Reddy. If a political party indirectly espouses a religious cause, it will be considered unconstitutional Jus. Agrawal. It is interesting to note that the Court withdrew from most of these commitments in the subsequent years. In the Ramjanmabhoomi case, the court went on to elaborate on secularism in terms of Indian scriptures thereby going back to the Gandhian Sarva Dharma Sambhava tolerance of all religions. In resorting to religious scriptures the court seems to have rejected the western concept of secularism of separation of church and state as propounded in S.R. Bommai case and has gone back to initial approach of equating secularism with tolerance and the fact that state has the power to take over any religious place.  [26]   Lastly with reference to the latest Hindutva judgements  [27]  the court enunciated, contrary to the Bommai decision that a speech with a secular stance alleging discrimination against any particular religion cannot be treated as an appeal on the ground of religion . Moreover the court seemed to have conveniently shifted its stance to uphold the constitutional duty to get political parties in line with secularism and most importantly it equated Hinduism and Hindutva with Indianisation and are not to be construed in a narrow sense. Thus what is clearly evident is the lack of consistency in these abovementioned Court decisions. The court has mostly stuck to secularism not being a wall between the church and the state but a sense of toleration between people of different religions. There have been frequent deviations from the Bommai decision, but it seems that the Ramjanmabhoomi case encapsulates the essence of Indian secularism toleration based on tradition. The Hindutva judgements reassert the recognition and increasing importance of the essential Hindu identity of tradition.  [28]   Clearly the judiciary in India is a significant site where contests under the banner of secularism have been taking place over the last sixty odd years. Though landmark judgements of the apex court of the nation has been interpreting secularism in the Constitution differently over the years in its various judgments  [29]  reiterating the fact that secularism is a part of the basic structure of the Constitution and that secularism involves liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship, even though secularism as a term appears in very few Supreme Court judgements yet it is evident that a crisis of secularism indeed exists in the worlds largest and most fractious democracy. With reference to the Constituent Assembly debates and the landmark cases the following interesting observations can be deduced: When discussing the concept of religious freedom in the Debates, there arose a paradox- it is precisely some of the advocates of a broad right to religious freedom who were also the most vociferous opponents of any political rights for religious minorities. The no-concern and equal-respect positions on secularism clashed constantly during the debates in the Constituent Assembly as the question of secularism cropped up in discussions about innumerable articles. The distinction between tolerance and secularism has never been made by the Indian judiciary. The apex court conveniently avoids exact direct mention of the word secular in its various prior judgements eg. Kesavananda Bharati case. A valid argument could be that the Supreme Court has not directly addressed the issue of secularism for the simple adjectival reason that it is a thorny issue with also the Constitution being suitably ambiguous would never permit a justifiable interpretation. The interpretation by the court reflects the interpretation of the Constitution which society is more likely to accept. As opposed to the prior cases such as Kesavananda Bharati and S.R.Bommai , post the Hindutva cases, the line of thinking of the Court has gradually been inclined towards secularism being tolerance based on tradition but the interpretation of tolerance is more in terms of grudging accommodation than wholehearted notions of acceptance. What is most extraordinary about the courts reasoning, from a strictly legal point of view, is that it can draw such an unequivocal conclusion as to the meaning of Hindutva without having cited virtually any authorities-judicial or otherwise in its support. Even when the apex court has addressed the issue of secularism it has not been uniform in its judgements. On the one hand it has effectively legitimized the Hindu Rights understanding of secularism and supported its nonsecular agenda, but on the other hand it has also in no uncertain terms condemned the practices of several members of the Hindu Right. Thus the decision given by the court in the Hindutva cases is a contradictory one, wherein it has both condemned as well as condemned the Hindu Right. Chapter 3. Secularism Democracy: A Misunderstood Relation. Sixty years ago, 565 princely states and 13 British-ruled states became united into one sovereign nation, with a secular democracy as its Constitutions primary guiding principle. In our country, eight major religious communities co-exist ,namely the Hindus(82%), Muslims(12.12%), Christians(2.6%), Sikhs(2%), Buddhists(0.7%), Jains(0.4%), Parsis(0.3%) and Jews(0.1%). The single-most defining element of the Indian democracy is the acceptance of all religions in the nations Constitution, granting explicit freedom to all its citizens and residents to practice their faiths without violating the others right to do so. It is from this explicit freedom that citizens experience other freedoms necessary to realize their lives. In stark contrast to some 90 percent of Asian nations, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, India guarantees that right. A state that arises from democracy need not be strictly secular. Democracies are perfectly capable of giving an important role to religion in the affairs of the state. It is the problem of aggregation that is of utmost importance. A democratic state will tend to reflect in its own makeup the complexity of the individuals it represents.  [30]   The challenge facing the theorists of Indian secularism is therefore to devise an answer to the problem of intolerant religions. If one or more religions in a pluralistic society preach their unwillingness to co-exist with the others, and insist on religion as the unitary framework for individual, society, and state, how do we define a secular regime for such societies? No viable model of secularism can be built on terms defined by any one religious group even if it is the majority community, especially so since its mode of toleration has historically included absorption, subjugation and marginalisation of religious minorities. The Indian democracy provides mechanisms, available in a secular democracy, to temper extremism and intolerance inherent in most religions; it leads diverse religious communities, especially the Hindu majority, to accept that the well being of all human beings consists in respecting the others religious and civil rights, particularly that of minorities. Many critics  [31]  reject secularism as radically alien to Indian culture and tradition and advocate a return to genuine religion and the indigenous traditions of religious tolerance as the best means to preserve a pluralist and multireligious Indian society. On the contrary Nehruvian theory suggests that democracy would have never been possible in a non-secular India. Nehru claims that if democracy requires a minimum consensus about the basic values and institutions of society and the rules of the political game, then such a consensus could not have been built on a religious basis in a pluralist nation like India.  [32]  This fact is clearly reflected in the failure and subsequent removal of the communal electorate system in the wake of Indias independence. Whether India is a sufficiently secular state and whether circumstances are favourable for the survival of secularism depends ultimately upon the readiness and ability of its people to maintain an autonomous political community. The challenges of casteism, communalism and religious fundamentalism involving separatism in India are the major threats to our Secular state. They weaken the working and stability of our democratic secular Federal state and militate against the basic principles governing our national life and providing means to our new identity. Communal riots and caste carnage has to stop if India has to emerge as a secular and democratic polity. Large-scale communal riots broke out in India after the demolition of Babri Masjid by the Sangh Parivar in Ayodhya . Both Hindus and Muslims were killed in the communal backlash that followed. The attacks on Christians in Orissa and Gujarat made headlines in electronic and print media. The grouse of the Sangh Parivar is that the Muslims had demolished their temples, humiliated Hindus during Muslim rule and partitioned India and thus justified their animosity and attacks on Muslims. The Godhra and Post-Godhra incidents pointed to the absence of political sanity in Gujarat. Nothing could represent a more provocative insult to the national commitment to communal harmony and pluralist co-existence than Narendra Modis repeated taunts of the Muslim minority people of his own state, his insinuations that they are susceptible to the supposedly adventurous designs of Pakistan and his final desperate suggestion that if the opposition Congress wins the election, it would represent a victory for Pakistan. The terrorist attack on Indian Parliament on December 13,2001, was unprecedented not only in the history of India but also in the annals of democracy in the world. It manifests utter disregard and contempt for parliamentary democracy by Pakistan which only can boast of a military democracy. Thus it is evident that during the last 60 years of independence, India has witnessed both successes and failures in running the secular democratic processes. It has evolved a lasting secular constitution, a viable political system and a functional federal secular polity and with strong democratic traditions on the one hand, but on the other hand it has also garnered several communal riots and caste wars. However, it is politics, which proved to be divisive and not religion. It is not religious leaders by and large (with few exceptions) who divide but politicians who seek to mobilise votes on grounds of primordial identities like relig