Contemporary Issues in Western Religions Research Paper

Contemporary Issues in Western Religions - Research Paper Example The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Islam is based on monotheism, like Christianity and Judaism, and Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be upon Him) is believed to be the last prophet. The concept of worship in Islam is that every act can be considered an act of worshipping if it does done the way Allah has commanded His believers to. Apart from that, there are also five pillars of Islam, which are compulsory for every Muslim. These are ‘Kalima Tayyaba’ the authentication of faith, five prayers a day, fasting, Almsgiving or Zakaat, and pilgrimage called Hajj (once in a lifetime). As contrary to what is portrayed, Islam is not an extremist religion. It does not teach the followers to submit themselves completely either to the religion or to the worldly affairs, but to take a middle road between them and take care of their worldly matters in accordance to the religion. Islam, Judaism and Christianity are called Abrahamic religions. Islam is theologically and historically conne cted to other Monotheist religions Judaism and Christianity. To Muslims, Jews and Christians are ‘People of The Book’ and are respected for it. Belief in Injil (The Gospel of Jesus) is very important to Muslims, and Jewish history is taught in Islam as its own (ReligionFacts, 2012). But still Muslims believe that Jews and Christians have incorrect beliefs based on incomplete revelations. Jews believe that Islam and Christianity are wrongly interpreted extended forms of Judaism. Christians consider Judaism as a religion with partial revelation but consider Islam to be a false religion. Islam and Christianity were originated in the same geographical location, in the Middle East. Islam was founded in 622 CE in Arabia and Christianity in 33 CE in Palestine. Even though both Islam and Christianity believe in monotheism, Christian’s belief is slightly different. They believe in Trinity Monotheism which divides God into three sanctified persons and Jesus as the son of G od. Muslims however believe that Jesus’ birth was a miracle and Mary was a Virgin yet they do not believe that Jesus is the son of God and that is considered as a Shirk in Islam. In spite of this both believe in one God. The other spiritual entities in Islam and Christianity are angels and demons (and Jinns in Muslims). The humans who preach their respective religions are called prophets in Islam and Saints in Christianity. Regarding Jesus Muslims believe that he is a true prophet of God and his teachings were misinterpret, Jesus did not die but his spirit got lifted to the heavens and that he will be come again but can not be resurrected as he did not die In the first place. Christians believe that Jesus died when he was being crucified and then rose from the dead after three days and after resurrection and is believed to come back on the Day of Judgment. Holy revelations were through prophets and compiled into the Holy Quran in Islam and into the Holy Bible in Christianity. According to Islam, humans have the ability to do bad as well as good whereas in Christianity it is believed that man tends to be attracted by evil by nature. In Islam escape from hell is achieved by doing good actions and having true beliefs as well as by maintaining and upholding the Five Pillars of Islam. In Christianity salvation can be achieved by having true beliefs, and through performing sacraments. Wrongdoers will go to eternal hell and good people will go an eternal heaven in both Islam and Christianity. Islam and Judaism are also similar in theology and history. Like Islam, Judaism follows strict monotheism and believes in one God and believes in angels and demons

Case Study Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Report - Case Study Example Apart from these provisions, there are other  Individual  indispensable needs such as education that social environment should  offer: counseling therapy at times of psychological turmoil, security, independence, and family, makes the proceeding of the list. A person achieves a state of peace and psychological stability when he or she has the advantage of accessing all these needs. In the case of the 21-year-old Simon, it is apparent that he has traveled through a chain of disappointing case scenarios in life that had altered his thinking and relationships with those he cared for including his mother (Gambrill, 2006). Simon’s problems did not commence when he quit his job. As a counselor, I can trace his troubles from childhood stages when he witnessed the tragic event of a divorce of his parents. Divorce has extremely adverse effects on children. In fact, it has been argued and established that divorce affects children caught up in such marriages with the intense trauma that surpasses that of the parents. Effects of divorce can manifest in adulthood even 20 twenty years later. Divorce instills feelings of despair and rejection. He must have felt rejected since childhood and to make the matters worse, the events of maltreatment kept on recurring in his life experiences. Subconsciously, he was building blocks for protection, which is normal for every ego. Community plays a vital role in an individual’s development since it provides the social environment that nurtures a person’s social growth (Rosen & Proctor, 2013). The community determines whether a person will develop socia l or social attributes. Definitely, the environment begins with the family set-up, which is the primary determinant given it poses as the immediate social environ for every individual. Feeling instilled in one’s persona at home can reflect secondary environs. For instance, a student who has issues at home can project those

Study Guide Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Study Guide - Assignment Example However, when people from a different country relocate to that society, they find it extremely difficult to adapt to the new culture and such individuals confront many issues that may entail personality conflicts. The author, through her essay, has been able to demonstrate the problems she has encountered in becoming American and it clearly depicts how immigrants feel in an alien land. The society prescribes a high standard on outward appearances, especially in the context of females. Thus, they are forced to harbor certain notions on how a woman should look. The concept of beauty also changes as a person moves from one society to the other. In her essay, Alvarez illustrates this eloquently when she shows the sisters watching the Beauty Pageant. They actively discuss about different contestant, opining who should win and who should not. During all these, they feel themselves intimidated by the notion that they may not ever be able to win the Miss America Pageant because they are not â€Å"American.† Through the description of the inner feelings of the sisters, Alvarez provides her audience a subtle hint that the sisters do not feel â€Å"belonging† to the American culture. Their alienation becomes evident when they think that they will have to change their appearance to â€Å"English, iron and tweeze them out, straighten them, mold them into Made-in -the-USA beauty† (Alvarez Page). Jim Barnes’ poem, â€Å"Return to La Plata, Missouri,† evokes a sense of nostalgia, where the poet recalls the memories of his town, saying goodbye to it. Like many of his other poems this is also focused on the description of a place. The city, like many others around the world, has all the evils, hidden beneath its red sheath that slowly turns brown. At the first reading, a reader may not clearly understand many of the imagery and how the writer connects these to the evils that hide within the dark recesses of cities. However, a close reading makes it clear that

Web Application development Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Web Application development - Assignment Example The people who share same spirits in sports would find this application as a great place for sharing their experiences, giving and taking advises, organizing events etc. This application will use the latest technology and simple yet elegant user interface. The Application allows it user to search people based on their interest in any sports. Search results could be filtered by location when the area of the operation expands in the future. The application will be developed with HTML5 and JavaScript in the front end and PHP in the server side scripting. Initially MySQL could be used as database client as number of users and frequency of interactions are considered. When future functionalities are introduced and website’s hits will be increasing, a more scalable database client such as Cassandra could be used. In this report we are including a detailed timeline for the development of application, design, structure, implementation details and future development ideas. New users can register to our web application through a signup facility. Users are requested to provide an username and password in order to gain full access to Sports pal .Non registered users can access only the homepage contents. User data is only passed through an encrypted SSL connection (Buttyan n.d.: 1). During the registration process Sports pal will collect details such as Full name, Date of Birth, Email address and physical location of the users. These details are displayed in our profile page. User can also update these details even after signing up to our application. These profiles are publicly viewable by all users of the application. Users are requested to add a sport of their interest during signup process and it could be edited in user profile functionality. Users can update their status message logging in to Sports Pal. This is a common featured shared by all social networking websites today. This facility will allow

Semiotic is a discipline, which can provide a unified framework for Essay

Semiotic is a discipline, which can provide a unified framework for conducting the different activities within information syste - Essay Example These elements will provide the basis of the discussion on how the unified frameworks along with other capabilities will help organisations solve the challenges entailed in designing, building and maintaining information systems. The Quest for Meaning Henry Stubbes was credited to have first coined the term "semeiotics" when he identified it as a branch of medical science that interpret signs (Bhaduri, 2008, pp.246). John Locke also referred to the terms semeiotike and semeiotics when he explained his notion about the branches of science. He stated: All that can fall within the compass of human understanding, being either, first, the nature of things, as they are in themselves, their relations, and their manner of operation: or, secondly, that which man himself ought to do, as a rational and voluntary agent, for the attainment of any end, especially happiness: or, thirdly, the ways and means whereby the knowledge of both the one and the other of these is attained and communicated; I think science may be divided properly into these three sorts (Locke, 1823, pp.174). It was Locke’s third branch, where he mentioned semiotics as one of those part of exact knowledge. The work of Charles Pierce and later on Ferdinand de Saussure, however, established the modern notion of the discipline. Pierce referred to the concept of semiotic as a quasi-necessary or formal doctrine of signs. His position on signs is based on his three classifications of its dimensions: icons, indices and symbols (Rahmann, 2001, pp.4). Saussure contributed to the semiotic thought through his discourse of his version of semiotics, which he called as semiology. In 1915, he declared that: A science that studies the life of signs within society is conceivable; it would be a part of social psychology and consequently of general psychology; I shall call it Semiology. Semiology would show what constitutes signs, what laws govern them†¦ Linguistics is only a part of the general science of semio logy; the laws discovered by semiology will be applicable to linguistics (cited in Rahmann, pp.3) Today, adherents of semiotics consider, interpret, classify and analyze signs according to the manner of transmission. The code is a crucial variable in this process because it is the means by which meaning is understood. A new word, for example could easily be coined. Saussure did this with his â€Å"semiology† term. The act alone did not ensure that meaning is transmitted. First, the word must be recognized by the society. Then, it must be transmitted according to the grammatical structures and codes of such society. This is the general framework that underpins semiotics. In the present language, semiology is semiotics. Let us consider the case of a poem. It is an example of a semiotic system because it is consisted of signs in the form of content or rhythm, wherein each constitute a term and a concept not unlike the sensation that one will experience with the aesthetics of the figure of speech. One can also cite the case of a song. Say, in Kenny Loggins’ song Footloose: the lyrics is the message, the score becomes a text and the device where these are communicated could be a digital music player. These examples show how semiotic systems are considered the organisation of patterns that typify signs, which –

Management problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management problem - Essay Example Therefore, preparing a good business proposal and business plan is a requisite of any business that wishes to be successful. While a business proposal should contain the specific goals that the project seeks to meet, explaining in details the technical aspects and activities to be undertaken to accomplish the project and indicating the expected results (Mullins, 2002 p305), a business plan serves as a road map to the business (George and Jones, 2002 p26). A business plan helps the owners of a business to confirm the business idea, making it possible for the owners of a business to set clear business objectives and allow the business stakeholders, partners, sponsors and financiers to make a decision regarding whether and how to work with the company (Brown, 1995 p20). Thus it is necessary for any business seeking to succeed to formulate a business proposal and a business plan. This two documents act as a tool for a business to negotiate with the potential suppliers, distributors, part ners, shareholders and clients on the necessities that the business requires to succeed. In our case, the organization lacks a well formulated business plan, while its business proposal is just a ten page document of idea. There is a need to address these issues, if the housing development project for the organization is to succeed. As a consultant, in response to the lack of a well formulated business plan, the advice to the business is that a business plan is requisite for the organization to successfully achieve its housing development project. Considering that the organization experiences a problem of undertaking its housing development project due to a lack of funding available to sustain the development, then, a business plan is the required tool for use in negotiating for funding of the project by financiers. There are various reasons as to why the business entity requires having a well formulated business plan. Possession of a well formulated business plan serves to indicate to the potential financiers that the business has a mission and an objective that it seeks to meet, and that it is serious in its desire to meet this. The plan serves to indicate to the potential investors the nature of the management team that the business has and how it is committed to achieving its set goals and objectives (Camal, 2003 p52). The plan also serves to indicate to the potential investors and financiers that the business understands the needs of its customers and that is committed and dedicated to meet these needs in the best way possible, to the satisfaction of the customer. The plan also serves to show the investor and financiers that the business is well positioned to deal with the products and services the organization seeks to offer and it understands them well (Mullins, 2002 p321). It is still an advantage of the organization to have a well formulated business plan, since it shows the investors how the organization seeks to market its products and how it is equ ipped to overcome market risks, challenges and competition. A proposal on the other hand is required so as to communicate the business prospects of the organization to its stakeholders. This goes a long way to ensure that the business has secured the support of all its stakeholders in undertaking the project in question. In this case therefore, the organization should modify the ten page document comprising of business ideas into a well formulated housing development proposal for the organization. This way, the organization is able to negotiate for support from all its stakeholders, who include the shareholders, the employees and the potential investors. It serves to show that the project is important for the organization to undertake (Carnwell and Buchanan, 2005 p19). The proposal should

The Development and Use of the Six Markets Model Essay Example for Free

The Development and Use of the Six Markets Model Essay Introduction The idea that business organisations have a range of stakeholders other than shareholders is obvious. Yet stakeholder theory has not guided mainstream marketing practice to any great extent (Polonsky, 1995). To use the theory/practice distinction provided by Argyris and Schon (1978), it is a theory espoused rather more than a theory practiced in action. Research by Freeman and Reed (1983) traced the origins of the stakeholder concept to the Stanford Research Institute. They suggest a SRI internal document of 1963 is the earliest example of the term’s usage. This document included customers, shareowners, employees, suppliers, lenders and society in its list of stakeholders. The stakeholder concept has attracted considerable interest in the strategic management literature, especially since the publication of an influential text (Freeman, 1984) that contained a deceptively simple but broad definition of stakeholders (p. 46), namely: â€Å". . . all of those groups and individuals that can affect, or are affected by, the accomplishment of organizational purpose†. An important dialogue on stakeholder theory has emerged over the past decade, especially in articles and contributions to the Academy of Management Review, starting with a critique from Donaldson and Preston (1995) that argued that three associated strands of theory might converge within a justifiable stakeholder theory, namely descriptive accuracy, instrumental power and normative validity. Stakeholder theory is clearly an important issue in strategy (e.g. Carroll, 1989; Donaldson and Preston, 1995; Harrison and St John, 1996; Useem, 1996; Campbell, 1997; Harrison and Freeman, 1999). However, within the strategy field there is not a great deal of agreement on the scope of stakeholder theory (Harrison and Freeman, 1999). In particular, there is still a debate regarding which constituent groups an organisation should consider as stakeholders. For example, Argenti (1997) suggested an infinite number of potential groups while Freeman (1984) has argued that there is excessive breadth in identification of stakeholders. Recently Polonsky et al. (2003) concluded that there are â€Å"no universally accepted definitions of stakeholder theory or even what constitutes a  stakeholder† (p. 351). However, they see two rival perspectives: one where stakeholder intent means â€Å"improving corporate performance†, and another where it means â€Å"maximising social welfare and minimising the level of harm produced within the exchange process† (p. 351). While these aims may never be entirely reconciled in practice (Gioia, 1999), the dominant assumption that the pursuit of â€Å"profit† is for the shareholders effectively denies legitimacy to other claims to the meaning of profit as a â€Å"shared benefit†, or as aâ€Å"shared good† (Smithee and Lee, 2004). Relationship-based approaches to marketing offer a reformist stakeholder agenda with an emphasis on stakeholder collaboration beyond the immediacy of market transactions. According to different authors, this involves creating exchanges of mutually beneficial value (Christopher et al., 2002), interactions within networks of relationships (Gummesson, 1999), or mutual commitment and trust that may or may not be achievable (Morgan and Hunt, 1994). Relating is connecting, and at its simplest level, a relationship is a state of being connected. A critical question arises: â€Å"With whom are you connected, and why?†. These questions require judgments about particular relationships – and strategic value choices. This article explores the development, extension and use of the â€Å"six markets† stakeholder model (Christopher et al., 1991) and proposes a framework for analyzing stakeholder relationships and planning stakeholder strategy. The article is structured as follows. First, we review the role of stakeholders in relationship marketing. Second, we discuss the development and refinement of the six markets model, and describe how the model has been operationalised and refined as a result of testing and experience in use with managers. Next, we discuss the development of a stakeholder relationship planning model that enables strategies to be developed for each stakeholder group. Finally, we discuss the managerial and research issues associated with stakeholder theory in marketing and review some future research opportunities. Our objective is to explain how a conceptual stakeholder model has practical application in marketing management and in this way make a contribution  towards eliminating the current gap between stakeholder theories and marketing practice. Relationship marketing and the role of stakeholders Marketing interest in relationship based strategic approaches has increased strongly over the last decade in line with expanding global markets, the ongoing deregulation of many industries and the application of new information and communication technologies. Notwithstanding, practitioners and academics alike can overlook the fact that business and industrial relationships are of many kinds (Wilkinson and Young, 1994), and that an understanding of the value generating processes is required (Anderson and Narus, 1999; Donaldson and O’Toole, 2002; Gro ¨nroos, 1997; Payne and Holt, 1999; Ravald and Gro ¨nroos, 1996; Tzokas and Saren, 1999; Wilson and Jantrania, 1994). Understanding the role of long-term relationships with both customer and other stakeholder groups has been largely neglected in the mainstream marketing literature but is acknowledged in the relationship marketing literature (e.g. Gro ¨nroos, 1994; Gummesson, 1995; Hennig-Thurau and Hansen, 2000; Ha °kansson, 1982; Mo ¨ller, 1992, 1994; Parvatiyar and Sheth, 1997; Sheth and Parvatiyar, 1995). Kotler (1992) has on occasion called for a broadening of marketing interests to take into account the relationships between an organisation and its publics. However, it is the relationship marketing literature in particular that has stressed the importance of stakeholder relationships (e.g. Christopher et al., 1991; Morgan and Hunt, 1994; Doyle, 1995; Gummesson, 1995; Buttle, 1999). Gummesson (2002b) has provided a comparison of four of the better known approaches to classifying multiple stakeholders, including Christopher et al. (1991), Kotler (1992),Morgan and Hunt (1994), and also Gummesson (1994). While the first three of these models are concerned with the relationships that an organisation has with its more traditional stakeholders, the approach of Gummesson (1994) goes beyond the focus of this article in that it includes criminal network relationships, para-social relationships and supranational mega-alliances. The Christopher et al. (1991) framework has six stakeholder market domains, each of which comprises a number of  Ã¢â‚¬Å"sub-markets†, while that of Kotler (1992) identifies ten specific constituents. Morgan and Hunt (1994) suggest ten relationship exchanges with four partnership groups. Other models include the SCOPE model (Buttle, 1999) and a framework by Doyle (1995). The conceptual model and the related planning framework described in this article are the result of recursive research and development over a number of years. Our initial conceptual work on the model was later supplemented with learning from field-based interactions with marketing managers and other executives in order to further refine it and to develop the conceptual planning framework reported here. This follows what Gummesson (2002a) terms â€Å"interactive research†. This research approach emphasizes that interaction and communication play a crucial part in research and that testing concepts, ideas and results through interaction with different target groups is an integral part of the theory development and indeed the whole research process (Gummesson, 2002a, pp. 344-6). Managers’ observations and suggestions were found to be invaluable in developing and refining the model, supporting Gioia and Pitre’s (1990) proposals that multiple perspectives yield a more comprehensive view of organizational phenomena and where assumptions about the processes under enquiry can be modified by further consultation with informants. Research objectives and approach The objective of the research was to develop and refine the six markets model through testing its applicability in a wide range of organisational contexts. More specifically, we wished to develop a categorization scheme that enabled key constituent stakeholder groups within each market domain to be identified and classified and to develop a stakeholder planning framework. This was motivated, in part, by managers in these companies who expressed the need for both a classification scheme and a planning framework. We have utilized a range of approaches over a number of years in our research to test and refine the six markets model and the planning framework and to  gain field-based insights, including: 1) Piloting and testing the six markets model with an initial group of 15 UKorganisations. The organisations in this sample were drawn from a range of sectors including manufacturing (two), financial services including banking and insurance (six), other services including retailing (six), professional services (two) and one not-for-profit industry association (the Royal Aeronautical Society). All were very large firms within their sector with the exception of the two professional services firms and the not-for-profit organization. 2) Using the model in substantive case studies on UK organisations in the following sectors: retailing (two), manufacturing (two), a global airline and a major conservation charity. 3) Using the framework as a planning tool in a two major international banks (one a l arge British commercial and retail bank, the other a large French investment bank), chosen as they had challenging and complex stakeholder issues across many countries. A total of eight workshops was used to analyse stakeholder markets in four countries for the first bank and six workshops in three countries for the second bank. 4) Working on projects with over 80 further organisations to evolve and test the planning framework. This involved working with groups of mid-career managers in the UK and Australia. Given the predominantly service-based economies of the developed countries in which this research was undertaken, those organisations that were selected included a high proportion from the services sector. While the earlier research primarily included large organizations in their sectors, this work also included a selection of medium-sized and smaller organisations. Overall, 65 per cent of the organisations were from the services sector, 20 per cent from manufacturing and 15 per cent from the not-for-profit sector. A wide diversity of organisations was used, including financial services companies, retailing and other services, manufacturing companies, a mobile telephony company, a major hotel chain, an insurance broker, a consulting firm, an airport authority, a university, a conference centre, a holiday company, a foreign languages teaching institute and a hospice. Our shared learning approach also draws on action research concepts suggested by Rapoport (1970) which aim at contributing to the practical concerns of people in a challenging situation – such as stakeholder management – and to  the goals of research by collaboration within a mutually acceptable framework. The revised six markets model (Christopher et al., 2002) is shown in Figure 1. The intent behind the model is to emphasise relationships between the organisation and all its stakeholder constituents in each of six â€Å"markets†. The key assumption is that organisations can only optimise relationships with customers if they understand and manage relationships with other relevant stakeholders. This model addresses the concern raised by Dill (1975) that some groups or parties may be involved in multiple role relationships. Any one constituent group, firm or individual may be classified within one or more of these market domains. For example, customers may play a role within the customer market (where the interaction is between a firm and its customers) and in the referral market (where the interaction is between an existing customer and a prospective customer). The six markets model provides a structure for managers in organisations to undertake a diagnostic review of the key market domains and stakeholders that may be important to them. As a result of this diagnosis, they will be able to identify a number of key constituents within the market domains that are strategically critical, or where unexpected opportunities emerge. Using and testing the model These six key market domains represent groups that can have a significant impact on an organisation’s marketplace effectiveness. Each â€Å"market† is made up of a number key groups, segments, or participants. To test the applicability of the model we followed four steps: (1) identify key participants, or segments, within each of the market domains; (2) review expectations and needs of key participants; (3) review current and proposed level of emphasis in each market; and (4) formulate an appropriate relationship strategy. In this section we consider the first two steps. We worked with groups of  managers to address these steps. Typically, the group comprised three to six mid-career managers from a range of functional backgrounds. The process started with the examination and analysis of each market domain to identify the key groups of participants or market segments within each of them. We explored the expectations and needs of each of the identified stakeholder groups through a combination of approaches, including interviews and questionnaires and a review of key issues with senior management. In applying the revised six markets model above we found all stakeholders we identified could be conveniently categorised into one of the six market domains. Initially the identification of the constituent groups within each market domain, for a given organization, was approached on a case-by-case basis. However, as our experience in using the model grew, the need for a more specific categorisation became apparent. This was prompted, in part, by research such as Lovelock’s (1995) work on classifying supplementary services. Developing and refining categorisation schemes for stakeholders was important because, as Emshoff and Freeman (1979) have noted, functionally based organizations typically place too much resource emphasis on highly visible stakeholders such as their customers, and too little emphasis on other special interest groups whose management falls outside specific functional boundaries. Identification of all relevant stakeholder groups should enhance their visibility and lead to their greater prominence within the organization – thus the company is more likely address them as part of an integrated stakeholder strat egy. Through the work in the companies referred to above, a categorisation scheme was developed and refined over time that assisted the identification of typical groups within each market domain. In summary, this categorisation of market domains identified the following constituents: 1) Customer markets are made up of buyers (e.g. a wholesaler), intermediaries and final consumers. Each intermediary or member of the supply chain can then be further sub-divided according to the most relevant segmentation approach. 2) Referral markets comprise two main categories – customer and non-customer referral sources. The customer category includes advocacy referrals (or  advocate-initiated customer referrals) and customer-base development (or company-initiated customer referrals). The wide range of non-customer referrals are divided into general referrals, reciprocal referrals, incentive-based referrals and staff referrals. 3) Supplier and alliance markets – suppliers provide physical resources to the business and can be classified into strategic suppliers, key suppliers, approved suppliers and nominated suppliers. Alliance partners supply competencies and capabilities that are typically knowledge-based rather than product-based, and Sheth’s (1994) classification of alliance, partnering transaction and co-operative relationships is especially useful here. 4) Influence markets have the most diverse range of constituent groups, including financial and investor groups, unions, industry bodies, regulatory bodies, business press and media, user and evaluator groups, environmental groups, political and government agencies, and competitors. 5) Recruitment markets comprise all potential employees together with the third parties that serve as access channels. They can be segmented by function, job role, geography and level of seniority. Channels include executive search companies, employment agencies, job centres, off-line and on-line advertising, and using an organisation’s own staff to suggest potential applicants. 6) Internal markets follow the segmentation used for potential employees in the recruitment market, i.e. by function, job role, geography and level of seniority. Special emphasis needs to be placed on behavioural characteristics for customer-facing employees. From this testing of the six market categories, we concluded that they are a workable reference frame to consider a broader range of constituent stakeholders, whether individuals, groups, or others whose interests have relevance to the enterprise. Further development of the model Having identified relevant stakeholders, the third step outlined above involved a review of the current and proposed level of emphasis on each market domain. Not all stakeholder markets require the same degree of attention and emphasis, and Gummesson (1994) has argued that managers need  to prioritise and establish the appropriate mix of relationships needed for the company’s success. To identify the present level of emphasis and the future desired emphasis on each of the market domains and their constituent parts, we developed a stakeholder network map (Payne, 1995). This was used to identify an organisation’s present emphasis on each market, the desired emphasis at a future point in time, and the gap between these two positions. This network map configures each of the major market domains, including customer markets (which are sub-divided into existing and new customers), on a series of axes and enables a group of managers within a firm to make an assessment as to the current and desired levels of emphasis on each market domain by means of a jury of executive opinion – usually developed from inputs from one or more groups of senior managers within the organisation being examined. Although this work resulted in some initial variation of views amongst managers regarding present and desired emphasis, as a result of more detailed discussion the outcome was generally a strong degree of consensus amongst these managers. The stakeholder network map has seven axes – two for customers (existing and new) and one for each of the other five relationship markets discussed earlier. The scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high) reflects the degree of emphasis (costs and effects) placed on each relationship market. The division of customers into â€Å"new† and â€Å"existing† reflects the two critical tasks within the customer domain, those of customer attraction and customer retention. Figure 2 shows a network map for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), a major British conservation charity. It shows the current emphasis (at the time of analysis) and the proposed new emphasis. At this point in time the RSPB might have considered a number of issues, such as: 1) placing greater attention on retaining existing members; 2) a reinforcement of customer care and service quality issues with internal staff; and 3) a stronger focus on influence markets (Payne, 2000). The analysis shown in Figure 2 represents the first level of diagnostic  review of the overall emphasis at the market domain level, in order to make an initial judgement as to the existing and desired relevant emphasis. A second level of analysis explores each market domain in much greater detail and enables analysis at the sub-segment or group level within the domains. For example, in the analysis of the referral market for a major international accounting firm we identified present and future desired emphasis on a number of groups within the referral market domain, including their clients, banks, joint venture candidates, their international practice and their audit practice. We have used the stakeholder network mapping technique in our research with many organisations. Although simple in concept, it has proved a robust means of considering the network of stakeholder relationships that organisations need to address. The diagrammatic representation has been especially useful in helping executives visualise the importance of various stakeholders. Further, the time dimension for the proposed relationship strategy, usually within a two- to three-year planning horizon, has been useful in determining the changes required in stakeholder emphasis. This addresses the concern of Dill (1975) regarding the need to take the time dimension into account.