Celebrating the Queer in Amsterdam - 693 Words

I think the celebration of LGBT identities in Amsterdam from the article Gay Men and Lesbians in the Netherlands by Gert Hekma and Jan Willem Duyvendak to the movie we watched was an interesting look at LGBT struggles (or lack of struggles) and identities found in the Netherlands in comparison to the United States. At first glance, from both the movie and the article, Amsterdam just seems like a wild, amazing time for people of all sexualities. Equality has been reached. Hallelujah! Lets party! Beyond this outward appearance of equality and acceptance, Amsterdams LGBT culture must be unpacked and examined beyond just gay people partying a lot like in the documentary. I think the article Gay Men and Lesbians in the Netherlands did a pretty good job of unpacking Amsterdams LGBT culture but a criticism I have is that the article pretty much forgot bisexuals and trans people in its analysis of Amsterdams gay culture. Bi and trans erasure is a thing that regularly occurs in both straight and gay spaces so I was not surprised by this but it is telling about both the authors and Amsterdam in general. This is a connection that will be addressed because we did read articles on both bisexual and trans people. Amsterdam, in its goal to become the gay haven of the world, has conveniently forgotten about everybody else in the LGBT struggle including many people of color, and that must be tackled for positive change to occur. As the article Gay Men and Lesbians in theShow MoreRelatedZanele Muholis Photograph, Miss Lesbian2283 Words   |  9 PagesThis essay will focus on Zanele Muholi’s photograph entitled, Miss Lesbian. (Zanele Muholi, Miss Lesbian I. Amsterdam, 2009, C-print photograph of a performance taken by Sean Fitzpatrick, 76, 5 x 50, 5 cm.) To deepen the interpretation and analysis of this photograph, I will be using work done by John B. Thompson and will be using his theories of the five symbolic forms (Intention, Convention, Structure, Reference and Contex t.) along with some of John.B Thompson’s other theories, with some reference

Starbucks Delivering Customer Service Essay - 1106 Words

PROBLEM STATEMENT Starbucks has discovered that they are not always meeting their customers’ expectations in the area of customer satisfaction. Starbucks has to come up with an action plan to address this issue, considering its significant correlation and impact to sales and profitability. SITUATION ANALYSIS Company Starbucks is acclaimed for its superior value proposition in the early 1990’s by creating an experience around the consumption of coffee, a ‘third place’. The brand is positioned to offer the highest quality coffee, close customer intimacy, and warm atmosphere or ambience. Customers However, data from the market research team has shown that there is a shift on Starbucks’ brand recognition in customers’†¦show more content†¦Surveys and analysis have been carried out to gather data and understand more about the key attributes to increase customer satisfaction. Exhibit 4 points out that friendlier and faster service is highly expected as well as free cup and lower prices incentive programs. In addition, Exhibit 5 illustrates being ‘treated as a valuable customer’ and ‘friendly staff’ hold more value compare to ‘fast service’, while ‘fast service’ and ‘appropriate prices’ are perc eived equally important. Competitors Starbucks faces competition from variety of small-scale specialty coffee chains, such as Caribou Coffee, Peet’s Coffee and Tea, Dunkin Donuts, and thousands of independent specialty coffee shops. Each of them applies different strategies to differentiate itself from Starbucks; some of them deliver highly personalized service. Complements Starbucks has introduced stored-value card (SVC), which is one of its successful service innovation to its customers. This prepaid and swipe-able smart card was positively accepted, resulting in sales of 6 million cards and $160 million in revenues in the first year it was launched. Starbucks has learned that cardholders tend to visit Starbucks twice as often and experience reduced transaction times. This SVC also proves to bring new customers to Starbucks’ brand. ALTERNATIVES After carefully analyzing the situation, the best plans are to improveShow MoreRelatedStarbucks : Delivering Customer Service1278 Words   |  6 Pagesì‹  Ã¬  Å"í’ˆë §Ë†Ã¬ ¼â‚¬Ã­Å'… ì ¡ °Ã« ³â€ž ì‚ ¬Ã« ¡â‚¬ ë °Å"í‘Å" Starbucks : Delivering Customer Service Contents †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Case Summary Company Background The Starbucks Value Proposition Delivering on Service Caffeinating the World Starbucks’ Market Research: Trouble Brewing? Rediscovering the Starbucks Customer †¢ Suggestion Case Summary †¢ 5% ann. sales growth during 11years in a row (~2002) †¢ close to a recession-proof product (Howard Schultz) †¢ Lack of strategic marketing group and customer relationship management : OverlookingRead MoreStarbucks: Delivering Customer Service1374 Words   |  6 PagesStarbucks: Delivering Customer Service Starbucks is dominant coffee brand in North America, which also is well-known worldwide. Established in 1971 as coffee shop oriented to a niche of coffee purists, in late 1980’s it turned to be a constantly growing chain of stores that sold whole-beans and premium-priced coffee to mostly affluent, well-educated customers. In years 1992-2002 company was showing at least 5% annual growth. And by 2002 Starbucks was serving already 20M customers in 5886 storesRead MoreStarbucks Delivering Customer Service2297 Words   |  10 PagesSatisfied And Highly Satisfied Customers The story of Starbucks transformation from a small independent coffee shop tucked away in a corner of Seattle’s Pike Place Market to a cultural phenomenon spanning the globe is legendary. A number of factors have been attributed to the success - one being a keen understanding of its patrons. There are multiple methods used to obtain customer information and the value derived therein. Customer lifetime value is one. Customers are assets, and their valuesRead MoreStarbucks: Delivering Customer Service2332 Words   |  10 PagesSTARBUCKS: DELIVERING CUSTOMER SERVICE Background Case P.1 ïÆ'   According to their data, Starbucks are not always meeting our customers’ expectations in the area of customer satisfaction. They came up with a plan to invest an additional $40 million annually in the company’s 4,500 stores, which would allow each store to add the equivalent of 20 hours of labor a week. The idea is to improve speed of service and thereby increase customer satisfaction. P.1 ïÆ'   Day, Starbucks’ senior vice president ofRead MoreStarbucks: Delivering Customer Service2050 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction: Starbucks faces a difficult and controversial management challenge. The company’s most recent market research has revealed unexpected findings implicating that Starbuck is not always meeting customer’s expectations in the area of customer satisfaction. The purpose of this memo is to analyze and provide recommendation on whether or not the company should go forth with a $40 million investment in additional labor in the stores. This $40 million investment is necessary in order to bringRead MoreStarbucks : Delivering Customer Service1155 Words   |  5 PagesPROBLEM STATEMENT Starbucks has discovered that they are not always meeting their customers’ expectations in the area of customer satisfaction. Starbucks has to come up with an action plan to address this issue, considering its significant correlation and impact to sales and profitability. SITUATION ANALYSIS Company Starbucks is acclaimed for its superior value proposition in the early 1990’s by creating an experience around the consumption of coffee, a ‘third place’. The brand is positionedRead MoreEssay on Starbucks : Delivering Customer Service1476 Words   |  6 PagesStarbucks: Delivering Customer Service Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service The elusive goal of customer satisfaction has long provided companies with endless headaches and difficult decisions. In the end, associating specific customer satisfaction metrics to company profit and loss would provide the undeniable proof needed to make changes, and then invest the required capital to address any concerns. Starbucks, not unlike the rest of the business world, has found itself in the same situationRead MoreStarbucks: Delivering Customer Service3831 Words   |  16 PagesStatement of the Problem How can Starbucks increase customer satisfaction while growing at the same time? Recommended Course of Action After evaluating each alternative (Exhibit 2), we recommend that Starbucks invest $40 million per year to increase labor hours per store in order to solve the problem with the quality of service. Starbucks should also set up an internal strategic marketing team. This will allow Starbucks to have a proactive feedback of customer satisfaction and hence faster improvementRead MoreStarbucks : Delivering Customer Service1149 Words   |  5 PagesPROBLEM STATEMENT Starbucks has discovered that they are not always meeting their customers’ expectations in the area of customer satisfaction. Starbucks has to come up with an action plan to address this issue, considering its significant correlation and impact to sales and profitability. SITUATION ANALYSIS Company Starbucks is acclaimed for its superior value proposition in the early 1990’s by creating an experience around the consumption of coffee, a ‘third place’. The brand is positionedRead MoreStarbucks : Delivering Customer Service Overview Essay1243 Words   |  5 PagesStarbucks: Delivering Customer Service Overview Problem statement: In 2002, market exploration has exposed that Starbucks has an opening in gathering its consumer’s outlooks in relations of customer pleasure. On explanation of the marketing research statistics, Christine Day, Senior Vice President determined that the speediness of service was the foremost motive for this deterioration in customer contentment. So she proposed to increase the service period such that each order is served within 3 minutes

Leadership Structure in the Local Church Free Essays

Structure for Church Ministry By Geraldine Rowe A Paper Presented to Professor Dr. Epps In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For Research for Scholarly Writing College of Biblical Studies Houston, Texas October 14, 2010 ? Leadership Structure for Church Ministry The local church has not exhibited consistent patterns of lay leadership. Most denominations articulate the Reformation principle of a universal priesthood, while vacillating with changing times and pressures. We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership Structure in the Local Church or any similar topic only for you Order Now At both the local and denominational levels organizations have expanded the role of lay persons which may or may not require them to be educated clergy. Organization structure of the local church whether modern or traditional empowers themselves to announce the word, administer the sacraments and to call and discipline ministers and laity. Believers in Christ connect simultaneously as a congregation to manage the work that Jesus requested. The general values that can be acclimatized to fit the features of â€Å"the local church† were established by the early church to do ministry. These values can be directed to the constitution or bylaws of a localized place of worship in modern times. Concentration should be given to the reason and objective of the local church preventing them from dropping into the complacency of just â€Å"doing church. † In architecture, one of the most significant notions is that the church balances between covenant theology and proliferated leadership roles. To explore this notion a closer look is given to church models and their leadership philosophies, beginning with the authority or â€Å"head† of the church. The first and most significant part of the church’s structure is the Head Shepherd who is Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:15-16). Underneath the Head Shepherd, there is an assembly of under shepherds (overseers, elders or pastors). Historically, from the perspective of Anglicans, Puritans, and Presbyterians all early Baptist preachers were lay, meaning they did not receive Episcopal or Presbyterian ordination. One example was Thomas Collier, who joined one of the seven London churches and served as an itinerant evangelist. He, through the use of the press gained great influence of Particular Baptists. Lay preachers were the chief means for the advancement of Baptist in the American frontier. Today, however the Pastor no longer functions merely as preachers, chief administrators or ordinances, counselors, and general leaders. They have become executives or administrators who perform numerous functions. They interface disillusionment when they discover that it requires something very different. They become the â€Å"hired hands† instead of God-called ministers. The common options for handling this issue seems to be emphasize the equipping role of the pastor and other professionals while seeking to acknowledge an array of functions and leadership in the churches today. The leadership of the church depends largely upon its doctrine and how closely the pastor is to follow its bylaws. One view is that of the church as a covenant community which has deep roots in biblical as well as free-church traditions. Max Stackhouse wrote on â€Å"free church Calvinism† which had a strong influence on the Puritans who left the Church of England. He describes it like this: â€Å"A covenantal people live under the law of God, and find themselves empowered to live together by the love of God. God is the source and sustainer of the covenant ecclesia. Though the initiator of the covenant of God, the church also in a sense a voluntary community. The covenant is voluntary in the sense that it is not a community given by birth in a family, class or nation. People must choose to be an active member. This is so even if, in another sense, it is not voluntary at all. God initiates the covenant, humans only receive it, as signified by baptism. This doctrine if properly adopted eliminates the temptation of self-interest, isolation and the disregard for the claims of others. Statistic show however that among Southern Baptist Churches the denomination has been restricted by geography and economist to the South, and by racism. Additionally, many southern Baptist have embraced the pluralistic value of urban life and advance education. Covena ntalism, in its original intent could guide a system which recognizes different influences and authorities, and to give a voice to diverse groups and individuals. A church is both an organism and an organization. According to New Testament writers the church is defined as the â€Å"body of Christ† (1 Corinthians 12) also â€Å"the bride of Christ† (Revelation 19). These scriptures personify the church as a living organism. This organism lives under the leadership of the spirit of Christ as it works in the life of believers which prompts them to begin a congregation. An effective leader strives to keep the congregation attached to its source of energy thereby keeping people focused on the One who corporately gives them strength and direction. This organism can be dynamic or it can become weak and sickly. As an organism its life and energy must be cared for much liken to one who would care for a living being. The Church is also an organization as defined by Webster. It is â€Å"any unified, consolidated group of elements; systematized whole; a) a body of persons organized for some specific purpose†. As an organization the Church has form, structure, a mission to perform, clientele, constituents, programs, a way of doing business, financial systems, a corporate culture, and many other attributes of any other organization whether secular or sacred. The effective leader needs to understand the nature of its organization and attempt to lead the church carrying out its mission. Leaders of the Bible like Moses, Joshua, David, Nehemiah, Jesus, Paul and others had goals and envisioned the end results as they pushed themselves and led others. Any effective leader can enlist people around them to commit to common purpose. They motivate others to dream the dreams, see the visions, and work toward the goals that have been set. This servant leader strives to build trust between leader and effective balance so that leadership compliments one another. This frees him up to preach the gospel. When a leader is overly task oriented he will do whatever it takes to accomplish the task at hand. People are not very important. The danger here is that the leader directs more attention to the organization than the organism. The most consistent lay leadership role in ministry in Baptist Churches has been that of Deacon. The work of the Deacon is to serve tables, providing the Lord Supper. They are to partner with the Pastor as bond servants and overseers according to Phil 1:1. Likewise his attributes should reconcile with the description of overseer given in 1Tim 3:1-13. The position of Deacon and other church officers and ministries are accountable when heading up a successful church organization. Patterson makes this point clear in his writings about leading from the second chair. A second chair leader may be defined as â€Å"anyone in a subordinate whole whose influence with others adds value throughout the organization. It could refer to the second or the fourth or fifth person of the organization chart. According to this writer the second chair leader should learn from the paradoxes from the reflection on the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis. If the overseers are out of order and dysfunctional, the entire congregation suffers from confusion and strife that eventually weakens the church preventing it to function according to its original purpose. The biblical purpose of the church is the Great Commission as stated in Matthew 28:19-20. Its mission, or the way in which its purpose is carried out, is stated in Acts 2:42-47 as evangelism, discipleship, worship, ministry, prayer, and fellowship. The leader of the second chair understands the mission of the church and has developed a vision of what the purpose of the church is and is committed to that mission and vision. In conclusion, many changes have taken place in the local church since its Reformation principals. Some of these changes have raised the awareness of social injustices and much progress has been made in the areas of diversity. Many of the post modern adjustments that were made in order to accommodate a diverse society however have proven to weaken its effectiveness in a dying world. Over a period of time the church has become stagnate and content with the way things are being done been under the umbrella of â€Å"the church†. Distractions such as church membership, financial budgets, and annual programs have taken the forefront of too many local congregations. They exist to survive or survive to exist and totally lose sight of its mandate to teach the Word of God, win people to a saving knowledge of Christ, grow people in Christ- likeness, and minister to one another. The Leaders and Overseers should re-evaluate their agenda. They should nurture the passion for work to which they have been called and keep their eyes on the mission and purpose of the church or whatever group/organization they are leading. This will eradicate confusion, hostility, misunderstandings, controversy and selfish agendas. They should be determined to lead the church to develop strong, positive Kingdom agendas that clearly contributes to the advancement of the cause of Christ in the world. How to cite Leadership Structure in the Local Church, Papers