The introduction of the Tesco Supermarket

The introduction of the Tesco Supermarket Tesco started as a one-man business in Londons East End. Tesco was founded by Jack Cohen, son of a Polish Jewish tailor. He sold groceries in the markets of the East End from 1919. The Tesco brand first appeared in 1924. The name derived after Jack Cohen bought a large shipment of tea from T.E. Stockwell (formerly Messrs Torring and Stockwell of Mincing Lane), he made new labels by using the first three letters of the suppliers name and the first two letters of his surname forming the word TESCO. The first Tesco store was opened in 1929 in Burnt Oak, Edgware, and London. The firm was floated on the London Stock Exchange on 23 December 1947. The first Tesco self-service store opened in 1948 in St Albans and is still trading in 2006 as a Tesco Metro store.The first Tesco supermarket was opened in 1956 in a converted cinema in Maldon, Essex. Tescos first superstore was opened in 1968 in Crawley, West Sussex. The group began selling petrol in 1974 and its annual turnover reached one billion pounds in 1979. Also In 1975 Tesco opened one of its first Hypermarkets in Irlam. The first Hypermarket under the Extra name opened in 1997. EXPANSION: In 1994, the company took over the Scottish supermarket chain William Low. Tesco successfully fought off Sainsburys for control of the Dundee-based firm, which operated 57 stores north of the border, paving the way for Tesco to expand its weak presence in Scotland. To the present day, Tesco has based its Scottish headquarters at the former Wm. Low offices in Dundee. From small beginnings in Scotland Inverness was recently branded as Tescotown, since an estimated 50p in every  £1 spent on food is believed to be spent in the three Tesco stores within the city. (Nationally, it is estimated that 1 in every  £8 is the proportion spent) It introduced a loyalty card branded Clubcard in 1995 and later an Internet shopping service. During the 1990s it expanded into Central Europe, Ireland and East Asia. In July 2001 it became involved in internet grocery retailing in the USA when it obtained a 35% stake in GroceryWorks. In October 2003 it launched a UK telecoms division, comprising of mobile and home phone services, to complement its existing internet service provider business. In August 2004, it also launched a broadband service. NATURE, SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT NATURE: Tesco opened its first store in Edgware, North London in 1929.It is founded by John Cohen and T. E. Stockwell. Tesco mainly used strategies to build customer loyalty. It reached the  £billion pound turnover in 1979.It became the first UK business to reach  £2 billion pound and became the largest retailer in UK. STRATEGY: According to Johnson and Scholes strategy is defined as the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term; which achieves advantage for the organisation through it configuration of resources within a changing enviroment,to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations. Tescos growth over the last two or three decades has involved a transformation of its strategy and image. Its initial success was based on the Pile it high, sell it cheap approach of the founder Jack Cohen. The disadvantage of this was that the stores had a poor image with middle-class customers. In the late 1970s Tescos brand image was so negative that consultants advised the company to change the name of its stores. It did not accept this advice, yet by early 2005 it was the largest retailer in the United Kingdom, with a 29.0% share of the grocery market according to retail analysts TNS Super Panel, compared to the 16.8% share of ASDA and 15.6% share of third-placed SainsburyHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SainsburysHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainsburyss, which had been the market leader until it was overtaken by Tesco in 1995. Key to success: Focus on customers. Focus heavily on value for money. Finest and low price. Core UK business. Non-food business. Retailing services. International Expansion. SCOPE According to Mintzberg and Quinn there are five definitions if strategy Strategy as a plan Strategy as a pattern Strategy as a position Strategy as a perspective Strategy as a ploy Tescos growth over the last two or three decades has involved a transformation of its strategy and image. Its initial success was based on the Pile it high, sell it cheap approach of the founder Jack Cohen. Levels of planning Planning of strategy in any organisation is categorised into three levels: Top level planning: this is done by the top management and is termed as strategic planning. It is a long range planning and is linked to long range goals. Second level planning: This is carried out by senior executives and is termed as tactical planning. The plans are devised to achieve the organisations main objectives. The long-range plans of the organisation are segmented and are oriented to functions and departments. Third level planning: This is the concern of the departmental managers and supervisors and is called activity planning or operational planning. It is confined to short term activities and also individual assignments and establishes performance of the organisation. Corporate strategy: It is concerned with the overall purpose and scope of the business to meet stake holder expectations. It is often expressed as mission statement of the organisation. The companys mission statement reads, Our core purpose is, To create value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty. We deliver this through our values, No-one tries harder for customers, and Treat people how we like to be treated'. The underlying aim is of course to make higher profits, but there is a clear focus on customer service at the top level of the company. Business strategy: It is concerned with how a business competes successfully in a particular market. Tescos business strategy is to Expand overseas Maintain a strong uk business Expand into non-food merchandise Operational strategy: It is concerned with the operations to deliver the corporate and business strategy of the organisation. Tesco has its every little helps strategy to make both its employees and customers happy while achieving the organisational goals. PURPOSE Tesco adopts its strategy with a core purpose to create value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty. This is expressed as two key values. No one tries harder for customers Treat people as we like to be treated. Tesco positions all its resources with a purpose to satisfy this strategy while achieving its organisational goals. PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT While the corporate strategy of an organisation sets the objectives for different businesses; business strategy deals with individual sections of the overall business and the operational strategy directs and determines each function of the organisation. The process of business strategy of Tesco can be outlined as: Stating and understanding The Companys vision. Stating and understanding The Companys mission. Analysing the business environment. Crafting and evaluation of strategy. Implementation, monitoring and control. VISION Tescos vision can be clearly understood in the statement of its CEO Terry Leahy we have got only 5% of the non-food market in Britain, we have got only 6% of the convenience market and we have got only 2-3% of the banking market In all these examples we could be much bigger. This statement clearly presents the idea where Tesco wants to be in the future. MISSION A mission statement spells out the central purpose and shared values of a business organisation. Mission of Tesco is To create value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty which is delivered through two key values no one tries harder for customers and treat people how they like to be treated. ANALYSIS OF THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT For the formulation of strategy, it is necessary to analyse the organisational environment. These would include political, economic, social and technological factors. According to Johnson and Scholes: Managers face difficulties in trying to understand the environment. First, the environment encapsulates many different influences; the difficulty is making sense of this diversity in a way which can contribute to strategic decision making. A simple analysis of the business environment so Tesco involves three aspects: Analysing Internal capabilities and resources(core competencies) Analysing external environment by PEST Analysis Analysing the competitive environment by Porters five forces Core Competencies Core competences relate to those resources and capabilities if the firm which enable to Attain a competitive edge in the market According to Johnson and Scholes core competencies create and sustain the ability to meet the critical success factors of particular customer groups better than other providers in ways that are difficult to imitate. Tesco identifies core competencies by three factors: Creation of new products and services which provides potential access to a wide variety of markets. Skill which makes a significant contribution to the perceived customer benefits of the end product. competitive unique skills which are difficult for competitors to imitate PEST ANALYSIS The external environment of an organisation is analysed by PEST analysis. It helps to identify the key changes that are taking place around the organisation and which influence it in the future. A PEST Analysis looks at Political Factors Economic factors Social factors Technological factors The following is the PEST Analysis for Tesco Political Factors Risks of potential competition commission enquiry GM- Food EU competition Law Economic Factors Intensive price competition between the large supermarkets Cost of products keep falling because of strengthening buying power Socio cultural factors Organic foods and drink Customer concerns about GM food, allergies and additives Animal welfare policies Environmental policies and practices Technological Factors Radio Frequency identity technology in operation of its supply chain Radio barcode technology for tagging cases. Self service check-out system. PORTERS FIVE FORCES Porters five forces are used to analyse the external environment of an organisation and to determine the attractiveness of the market. The five forces are: The bargaining power of customers The bargaining power of suppliers The threat of new entrants The threat of substitute products The intensity of competitive rivalry Bargaining power of customers The buying power of customers may influence Tesco to force prices down. This may lead to competition where the other rivals may also bring down the prices. Tesco should maintain the customer loyalty to stop them from drifting to others. Bargaining power of suppliers Demand of suppliers to pay high prices for their goods. Recently, the agitation by the dairy farmers to get high price for milk is an example. But market giants like Tesco has an overwhelming advantage over their suppliers where they dictate the price they pay their suppliers. Threat of new entrants Supermarket chains like Tesco manage the threat of new entrants by imposing barriers to entry. This is achieved by paying high price to suppliers and buying large volumes of goods. This makes Tesco to supply goods at cheaper prices to its customers where it corners the new entrants. Tesco also has the advantage of economies of scale. Threat of substitute products Tesco faces the threat of cutting down the prices of groceries and goods by other giants like Asda and Sainsbury. This may lead to lowering of prices where the buyer gets an advantage. Intensity of competitive rivalry Retail industry is the one where the profit margins are low and the competition is high. According to classical economics, rivalry between companies should drive profits to zero. All the above mentioned factors impact the intensity of competition for Tesco. Asda, Sainsburys, Morrisons and others with their expansion plans and strategies are making the competition tough. Their disciplined approach towards prices setting is preventing the destruction in profit war. Environmental evaluation of Tesco The environmental audit is reliant on the monitoring activity undertaken by the organisation. It includes Market intelligence Largest supermarket chain with a market capitalisation of  £26.037bn New strategies for mergers and expansion plans to US Effective and low prices Continuous monitoring and direct information on the sales figures in stores Efficient maintenance of customer loyalty. Technical intelligence RFID technology for supply chain management EPOs and Bar-coding technology Extension of RFID technology for tagging the cases through out the supply chain by 2007. Effective implementation of one in front policy at the tills to satisfy the customers. Acquisition intelligence Decision of receding from the bid to takeover Safeway. Expansion plans for US Other issues Convenience stores according to the needs of the people Decisions regarding the environmental issues Crafting a strategy By considering the above factors Tesco clearly crafted a strategy that keeps it in the leading position in all the aspects: The selected strategy of Tesco is To provide all the customers with excellent value and choice in UK business which is its biggest market and where Tesco enjoys top slot. Having a six element approach to be an international retailer while focusing on satisfaction of needs of the different local customers. KEY FACTORS FOR DEVELOPING STRATEGY The key factors for an organisation are those which exist within an environment and may generate a need for change. These are triggers for change in the organisation. The following is a brief description of the key factors which may lead to strategic change in Tesco. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Macro environmental analysis increases awareness of the relevant environmental changes at managerial level. This enhances strategic planning. Macro environmental analysis further focuses attention on the primary influences of strategic change and provides anticipation to opportunities and carefully develops responses to change. The following are the external environmental factors which pose challenges to Tesco High energy costs High recovery costs Improving position of competitors Risks of the potential competition commission enquiry Growing cautiousness among consumers STAKEHOLDERS Stakeholders can be defined as As those individual actors and parties, organisations and professions and institutions that have a bearing on the behaviour of the organisation as revealed in its policies and actions on the environment. Stakeholders can be divided into two categories; Those view the organisation externally Those have an internal interest External stakeholders for Tesco are competitiors, customers, suppliers, shareholders government departments etc.They judge the efficiency and try to influence its activities. So Tesco always determines the outputs required by the stakeholders. Internal stakeholders for Tesco are the owners, managers and employees. In large companies like Tesco there are thousands of shareholders who have a vested interest in the success of the business. MEDIA Media plays a very important role in an organisations strategy. It works in two ways; Interest in the success of the organisation and its subsequent positive feedback Interest in the proposed developments Tesco notifies well that the influence of effective public relations on the opinions of a wide range of groups will enhance the likelihood of success for its strategy. So it always maintains good relations with the media. Tescos media centre contain the latest news releases, images and briefing notes. Their latest TV ad campaign can also be viewed from their video library. The media people can also access to their media centre for easy access to the latest developments. LEGAL Organisations need to anticipate and prepare themselves for changes in legal procedures. The potential competition commission enquiry and other regulations are important legal factors which can influence retail sector now.Tesco has all the legal resources which enables it to respond to such changes well in advance and as a part of its developing strategy. ETHICAL These are the moral principles that should govern human relations and conduct. These are very important considerations in formulating strategy which involve subjective personal feelings about human behaviour. Tesco identifies as one of the key factors in its strategy and accepts this with enthusiasm and commitment. EDUCATIONAL In the present business scenario, the capacity to transmit knowledge through devices as the internet has become formidable. The most important and interesting aspect of the improvement in education and subsequent growth of knowledge has been the increasing professionalism of workforces in an organisation. Tesco understand this well and implements it in the improvement of skills of its human resources. It conducts training programmes a least two times a year. POLITICAL Political factors generally effect the organisation in two ways. One driven by the government pr by the multinational political initiatives and another concerned with the political shifts within the particular business environment. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS The following are the factors that are instrumental to the internal environment of Tesco. Organisational policy The mission statement of an organisation sets out the purpose of a business The mission statement of an organisation is refined over the time to reflect the developed or enhanced capabilities of the business .The following are the purpose statements for Tesco which gives a clear picture of its policy Scope of an organisations activities is a fundamental element of strategy. Tescos scope relates to the extent of the market into which it sells its products and services. It is already the largest retailer in UK and is planning to expand to US .It has already wide markets in Europe and Asia. A key consideration for a firm is to identify what areas of activity to pursue in its markets. Tesco targets customers of all ages with its products and services ranging from food, household products and retail to insurance and personal finance. An important aspect of strategy is for a company to identify the positions held by their products and services in the market place. Tesco has already built a very strong businesses over the time with very strong market positions. Each and every one of them has huge potential for further growth. Human resources Tesco is the largest private sector employer in UK. Tesco is the largest private sector employer in UK. It employs 250,000 staff alone in the UK and 367,000 staff worldwide. It has 2365 stores all over the world. Tesco employs about 11,000 employees every year. It recruits about 80 to 150 graduates each year to two training schemes one store and one office based. It recruits by in-store advertising, events in local areas. and recommendations From existing employees through an employee referral scheme. These employees are the need for effective communication in the field of management. Financial resources As per the statistics of 2006 Tesco is the fourth largest retailer in the world. Its market capitalisation was  £26.035 billion which was the largest of any retailer based outside the united states. Tesco also has got tremendous property portfolio. It does its own development and owns about 85 of all its assets around the world. And always Tesco invests a lot in its property. According to company authorities over the next five years its property value will be  £5 billion and still be a predominantly freehold property company. All these factors are described as the key factors for Tesco DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF STRATEGIC OPTIONS Strategy whether developed for a whole organisation or for an operating department or a team follows the same building process .Its central concern is to create a long-term vision of where we want to be or what we would like to become .Strategy that an organisation adopts should be feasible and practicable. Its pulling power is extremely important to survive in the tough competitive environment where an organisation operates .The art of strategic development involves a set of sophisticated tools to facilitate the process. The following is a brief context of different strategic options for TESCO and their evaluation. PEST ANALYSIS To develop a strategy for an organisation to assure its long-term effectiveness it should carry an analysis about its future. For this PEST Analysis is the best tool. It carries analysis of four or six major factors which can effect the organisation in future .TESCO which is the largest player in retail sector carries PEST Analysis to analyse the external factors which may affect in the future .The following is the PEST Analysis for TESCO: Political and legal considerations Risks of potential commission enquiry TESCO may face the risk of the potential commission enquiry in future which aims to curb the unhealthy competition in the retail sector. GM-Food With increasing awareness in the consumers all over the world TESCO may face the risk with Green peace workers regarding the labelling of genetically modified foods. . EU Competition Law EU Competition Law constituted to regulate monopoly power may impact TESCO and its expansion in the European Union in the near future. Economic considerations Intensive price competition between the large supermarkets Cost of products keep falling because of strengthening buying power Social Factors Organic foods and drink Consumers growing concerns about the organic food and drinks may influence in near future Customer concerns about GM food, allergies and additives With growing cautiousness and discontent about the GM food and use of allergic causing agents and additives in the manufacture of food may show impact Animal welfare policies Animal welfare policies which oppose the testing of the products on animals Environmental policies and practices Green peace workers and changing concerns about environmental issues. Technological Factors Radio Frequency identity technology in operation of its supply chain Use of RFID technology in its supply chain helps TESCO to efficiently carry its operations and maintain its position. Radio barcode Technology for tagging cases. Use of Radio barcode Technology to tag the cases and extending this technique to the entire chain by the end of 2007 will show an impact on operations in TESCO. Self-service checkout system SWOT Analysis IT is a commonly used tool .Its main purpose is to locate the organisation in its operating environment and try to assess its internal and external capabilities and vulnerabilities. SWOT stand for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths are internal and opportunities are environmental. Similarly weaknesses are internal and threats are environmental. The following is the SWOT analysis for TESCO Strengths These are the strengths of TESCO TESCO s Brand name Loyal customers Largest player in the retail sector Well established supply chain Excellent ware housing capability Largest online grocer Great store locations Skilled work force Club card scheme for enhancing customer loyalty. Weaknesses These are the weaknesses of TESCO Vast usage of fossil fuel in transport chain and super market heating systems Lack of integration between departments at certain times Opportunities These are the opportunities where TESCO can explore in future Improving customer relationships Real growth opportunity for grocery retailing in the newly enlarged European Union. Increasing sales through better integration of high street and internet resources Threats These are the threats that might affect TESCO in the future. High energy costs Increasing taxes on retail items Expansion of low cost supermarkets like LIDL. Recovering competitions like Sainsburys and Morrisons. A weakening economy An increase in unemployment PORTERS GENERIC STRATEGIES After establishing the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation and analysing the competitive environment, we have to establish the generic strategy of the organisation. No set of the strategic tools will be complete without a look at Michael porters generic strategies. Porter advocates, Gaining and maintaining competitive advantage The three generic strategies of Porter are Differentiation This is a strategy where the organisation offers a product or service which is unique compared with those of its competitors .This differentiation must be known to at least a segment of the market. Cost Leadership This is a strategy where the organisation enables itself to provide the products or services at a cost less than any other competitive organisation. It is the ability the organisation has to price below competitors if and when it needs so. Focus This is a strategy where the organisation targets its products or services at a given sector of the market with great accuracy and with a depth of capability and knowledge to support its position in the sector. In the retail sector with a very low profit margin the environment is hypercompetitive .TESCO being the largest player adopts the Cost Leadership strategy to challenge its competitors. TESCO has all the capabilities to adapt to this strategy. It develops its internal resources and its core competencies to support this strategy. In addition to these a number of generic strategies have emerged to define the modern organisation .The following is a list of the strategies. Reducing cost base Improving quality Getting closer to the customer Shorter cycle times Strategic partnerships Ability to change fast Of the above mentioned generic strategies, TESCO adopts the following: Reducing cost base To cut down the expenses and to increase productivity and efficiency, TESCO adopts this strategy to face the challenges of price war with its competitors, high property costs a and to provide value based products to the customers. Improving quality TESCO always concentrates on improving quality to rule the existing markets. It adopts new techniques and softwares both in the logistics and in-store operations to consistently serve the customers. Getting closer to the customer Customers are whimsical, customers are fickle, customers are not loyal. The ability to anticipate this fickleness is a strategic strength.TESCO understands this well and introduced club card schemes which helps TESCO to have millions of loyal customers. THE ANSOFF MATRIX This is a classic model in strategy building .Its main purpose is to analyse the organisations approaches to its products and to its market to ensure that an appropriate marketing strategy is being pursued .The following is the An off matrix for TESCO Current products New products Current markets Market penetration Improving services Improving quality Product development Expand own brands like The Finest and TESCO Value. Expansion into non-food sector Adding new products to the existing product line New markets Market development International expansion and globalisation Home shopping Developing small express stores Diversification New services Using the Ansoff matrix in conjunction with the BCG matrix, TESCO conducts a useful review of its strategy to achieve its vision. EVALUATION The BCG matrix The Boston Consulting Group matrix is a valuable tool .Its purpose is to analyse the organisations product portfolio. The definitions used in the BCG matrix are very precisely expressed in terms of the generation and use of cash. This makes this matrix a sharp-edged tool. the following are the definitions used in BCG matrix Stars These are the products that are performing well .They are generating positive cash and they usually require continuous update to maintain their market share. Problems These are the products which are not performing and not generating sufficient cash to maintain them in their markets. Cash cows These are the products which are performing well in markets which are growing slowly or are static. They are probably generating more money that can be profitably invested in them. Dogs They have low market share in markets which are growing slowly or are static. They may be consuming more resources to maintain their availability. They need quick decisions. The following is the BCG matrix for Tesco Market share High low Star On-line shopping Organic foods Loyalty cards Non-grocery items New services Problems On-line shopping with demographic analysis Home delivery of

Importance of the Journey in James Joyce’s Dubliners Essays -- James J

Importance of the Journey in James Joyce’s Dubliners "In Ireland the inevitable never happens and the unexpected constantly occurs." Sir John Pentland Mahaffy describes Ireland in a way comparable to James Joyce’s depiction of Ireland in his book Dubliners. Joyce wrote his book of short stories to show how he viewed Dublin and its inhabitants. Joyce did not have positive memories of Dublin and his book casts a negative image upon almost all of Dublin. In Dubliners, James Joyce uses characters and their journeys through society to give his perception of Dublin. In Joyce’s stories with journeys there are many unknown elements to the characters and often their original goals are not accomplished. One story where a character goes on a journey through society is in â€Å"An Encounter.† In the story a group of boys hear of a place called the â€Å"Pigeon House.† Two boys decide to skip school and go on a journey for the house that they heard about from their friends. There are many unknowns for the boys. The boys have some idea where they are going but they do not know the path well at all. They say â€Å"We arranged to go along Wharf Road until we came to the ships, then to cross in the ferryboat and walk out to see the Pigeon House† (13). Joyce’s perception of people planning to go on a journey and not really knowing what they are about to experience shows Joyce’s perception of some people in Dublin. He shows that some in Dublin will go on some aimless journeys with no real sense of direction to gain n othing but experience some sort of adventure. Another unknown element of the journey is the people that the boys come in contact with, specifically an old man that they meet in a field. The old man has an erratic personality and scares the y... ...e that completes what he sets out to do. Only that character dies. It seems that if Michael was the representation of the small successful portion of Dublin, and he dies. This is the first story where one of the prominent characters dies in the story. Michael’s death makes the other living characters around him to seem even more inferior. This journey story is different than most others in the book yet its ending ties up all the other stories. James Joyce uses individuals and their journey through society to give his perception of Dublin. The journeys that take place in Dubliners have many different aspects but all seem to give the same portrayal of the people of Dublin. From what the characters set out to do to the unknown elements that they experienced and the people that they met along the way, all of Joyce’s stories give insight to Dublin and its inhabitants.

Gender In The Middle Ages Essay

During the medieval periods, gender is a great measure defining the state of a certain person in a certain society. According to the Qur’an, the male gendered people are always considered as superior than that of the female figures because the scripture explains that it is as God created man first before creating a woman and that the man is the protector and provider of the woman. In the medieval period society, those people who acquire power are said to be all male gendered ones. A woman is never allowed to hold power because they are said to be subjected in doing household chores because they are believed to be inferior being than that of man. Females are believed to be basically serving their husbands as well as their children and also their parents. This kind of belief bloomed because it is written in the Holy Scriptures that God created man on his image and because God is believed to be a powerful immortal creator then therefore the man whom he created holds the power over everything that God created. The only position that a woman can hold in the society during the medieval time is; someone who will follow their husband as they are subjected to follow the man’s rule because the man are considered the authority. Woman are also not allowed to learn as they are not allowed to teach, they also can not be allowed as a witness, and nor are they allowed to give their judgement as well as their opinion over a certain matter. Women are never given the chance to excel beyond what they are, neither are they given the opportunity to speak out their thoughts. They are considered as servants who are chosen by the immortal creator to serve the man created as the holder of the power and authority above every creation. The society’s expectation of role towards the people came basically from the sacred scriptures. In Christian scripture, it is stated in the bible that Adam was made first in order to rule, protect and be the authority over God’s creation; in the Qur’an scripture from the Islamic religion, it has also been stated that man is made first in order to rule those who are made inferior to them. The medieval scenario on gender shows that the medieval period basically adopted the sacred scripture’s statement and implemented it as a basis on how they are going to treat such people depicted by their gender. This explains that the church has a great influence towards the people on the medieval periods; it generally makes people obey and base their social life under the words of the immortal creator. The people’s concern during the medieval period which is related to gender is that they give man all the respect due to the man’s gender. The respect that the society bestows towards the male figures is considered as a symbol of their love and respect to which they believe and they have faith into. Since the people believed that God is powerful and that God created man from his own image, therefore man as the society considers, is as precious and as respectful as God is who deserves authority, power, love, respect, and obedience as much as loyalty. On the contrary, there is an act in which the boundaries of gender can be altered. An example is the Chambermaid who is a servant employed by a certain master in order to do all the heavy and most filthy duties in a household. This kind of servant can be almost considered as an outcast or untouchable and therefore man are not allowed to get closer to her and worst is that man are also not allowed to marry them. The people during the medieval period are basically not allowed to rise into a higher status in the society. Since the medieval people have their idea in mind that women are not created through God’s image and likeness, they are then subjected to forever being servant of their master or of their husband. This includes their exception from learning as well as their exception from their right to teach what they know, the are also not allowed to become a witness in any matter or crime, they are even prevented from giving such guarantee, and thus they are also not allowed to witness such judgement nor give their own opinion regarding the judgement matters. The ideas and beliefs that the medieval people used to believe are cruel and unfair. It imposes that women are useless and all that women can be is a simple servant who tends to follow all that the man has to say or has to command. In addition, women are being treated like animals lacking of respect and losing their dignity as a human being who are too created by the almighty. Through the period that the female beings were disrespected, they’ve experienced torments, public humiliation; they are also unaccepted by the society to join any position or to excel at any other state rather than that of being a slave. If the medieval people really believed in God and thus respect and love him as they loved the male races, then therefore the woman also deserves such respect because they too are beings created by God and that what God said that â€Å"man should be the authority over woman† was taken exaggeratedly to the extend that the male race treated the women as â€Å"nothing† where what God meant by his word is that man should be the authority over woman in order to protect the female race from the temptations and tests of life which females are weak of. Class status added a conflict to the situation when women were disregarded and taken advantage of. Those who are rich or considered as powerful aristocrats during the medieval period tend to purchase women to e either their sex object or slaves. Those who are being purchased for slaves were being commanded to do ridiculous chores and those who were purchased to be sex objects were considered as source for past time pleasure. The women purchased to make love with by the socially stabled man will not be free even if somebody purchased them unless their present master will decide to let go of them. The example wherein people could see that women where given the opportunity to be treated fairly is in The Rule of St. Francis of Assisi wherein he said that man which he considers as his brothers should not dare to judge other people but rather they should be gentle or kind. In addition to the rules, it was stated that man should not have any verbal nor non-verbal connection with the women unless they were being allowed by the pope. The rules of St. Francis of Assisi show how people must treat women in a way that the women were being given proper respect. The nuns’ gender as a female deserves respect for they are holy as God had created them and as they were ready to serve God. In the middle or medieval period, gender treatments were not uniform. There were places where female were considered slaves and that they were being sold and purchased just like materials things and men act like God who holds power over women. On the other hand, in other places, men were treated like slaves as women were and they too experiences sufferings and torments and women where somehow treated fairly. Gender issues during the medieval or middle age is a historical fact that marked the perception of people towards the importance of the humanity’s difference and how they should be treated which made the people of this period time realize that women can be as useful, and as effective as men in any matter. It is not because man are made with God’s image that women should be taken advantage of but it is that because they are God’s like created figures, they should then treat the creations as a precious thing which is under their care. BIBLIOGRAPHY Sherman, Dennis. Western Civilization Sources, Images, and Interpretations. 7th ed. Vol. 1: McGraw Hill, Year.

The Effects of Homelessness on the Overall Self-Esteem of...

Homelessness is often characterized as adults living on the streets taking shelter beneath the interwoven overpasses of the city or standing alongside busy intersections begging for money. Yet, children, those under 18 years of age, are generally not associated with the homeless status as they are invisible, not seen by the general public with their homeless counterparts taking up residence in make-shift housing. Nonetheless, there is a large percent of youth who meet the guidelines for being deemed homeless. The website, findyouthinfo.gov, says the U.S Department of Education defines a homeless youth as one whom: Lacks a fixed, regular, and nighttime residence or an individual who has a primary residence that is a) a supervised or†¦show more content†¦All of the undesirable traits of being a homeless youth create a platform for developing negative self-esteem. From a developmental perspective, the younger one is when they are exposed to a homelessness the greater the disadvantages they encounter. Being homeless presents environmental hazards to the physical and cognitive well-being of infants and toddlers, a time of immense growth. Often times, these children go without immunizations to guard against preventable and contagious illnesses. Likewise, substandard shelter exposes developing brains to toxins like lead based paint that has been proven to cause developmental delays and learning disabilities. Furthermore, without access to adequate medical care, nutrition, and age appropriate socialization development delays may arise which can potentially lead to negative emotional and behavioral issues in adolescents and adulthood. When approaching school years, homeless children generally are lacking in social skills. Deficits in social and cognitive skills appear in marginal academic ability of homeless children and youth. Ellen Hart-Shegos (1999) prepared a report for The Family Housing Funds indicating â€Å"most homeless children (75 percent) under age five have at least one major developmental delay or deviation, primarily in the areas of impulsivity or speech† (pg.4). Prolonged intervention increases theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Effective Intervention for Homeless Youth958 Words   |  4 PagesAs previously discussed, homelessness among youth in the Houston / Harris County area is a growing population with far reaching consequences for this group. They can be identified as a cultural group as they identify with others who have shared experiences and commonalities. 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