Blog Archive Columbia Business School Essay Analysis, 20162017

Blog Archive Columbia Business School Essay Analysis, 2016â€"2017 *Please note: You are viewing an essay analysis from the 2016-2017 admissions cycle.  Click here to view our collection of essay analyses for the current admissions season.   A famous quotation, though one of murky attribution, states, “If I had had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” MBA essays used to be lengthy, but Columbia Business School (CBS) has helped lead the way in their gradually becoming shorter and shorter over the years. In fact, CBS was the first business school to incorporate a micro essay into its application. This year, CBS appears to be sticking with the “shorter may be better” theme, because the school has stipulated a minimum of 100 words for each of its essays in addition to setting a maximum, essentially telling candidates that they do not have to submit a long essay to get their point across. (That said, we suspect that no oneâ€"no matter how much time they may have to be that briefâ€"will actually use the bare minimum.) However, in a twist, CBS has also increased the allowed word count for several of its essays: applicants have 33% more space for Essay 1 (750 words versus 500 last year) and twice as much fo r Essay 2 (500 words versus 250). Even the allowance for the school’s short-answer question has grown from 50 characters toâ€"oddlyâ€"51, after having been reduced steadily over the past several years (from 200 to 100 to 75 to 50). These increases constitute a pretty significant change and one that will probably come as a relief to applicants, who quickly learn just how challenging trying to say everything they want to in a short essay can be. So, when you write your CBS essays, keep that famous quote in mind. Just because you have more room, you do not have to use it allâ€"you just need to use the allotted space wisely. Focus on making every word count, rather than on trying to say “everything.” Short Answer Question: What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (51 characters maximum) Examples of possible responses: “Work in business development for a media company.” “Join a strategy consulting firm.” “Launch a data-management start-up.” Reveal true goals, not what you think CBS wants. This directiveâ€"which may sound a bit as though Yoda wrote itâ€"is a mere 49 characters (including spaces and punctuation) and could be seen as a tribute form of essay analysis. Although we stayed within the character count, we do have more to say… You can see now just how brief you need to be with CBS’s short-answer question, yet you must be sure to effectively convey your point within these strict limits. So, we want to emphasize the advice we gave in our example. Think about what you truly want to do with your career in the short term and state this directly. And do not misguidedly believe that admissions officers have a preference for specific professions or industriesâ€"they do not. The rest of your application must then provide evidence that your stated goal aligns with your existing skills and profound interests, especially after being augmented by an MBA education. This will show that your professed goal is achievable and lend credibility to your statement. If you can do this in 51 charactersâ€"and remember that we are talking about characters, not wordsâ€"you will have answered this question quite well. Recognize also that because the first part of your answer is generally understood to be “I want to,” you do not need to actually include those words. Essay #1: Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals going forward, and how will the Columbia MBA help you achieve them? (100â€"750 words) Did you not just write about your career goals for CBS’s short-answer question? Well, yes, but clearly the admissions committee wants to know more. This is your opportunity to elaborate on your aspirations, demonstrating why they truly make sense for you and extending your projection beyond that question’s “immediate post-MBA” time frame. Start by giving some context for your goals, because a declarative statement alone can often seem naïve, detached, or capricious, especially if some might view your intentions as adventurous. Declaring, for example, “I plan to ultimately become president of the New York Yankees” may be an audacious and eye-catching way to start your essay, but it will not be an effective one if you do not subsequently explain how and why this just might be an actual possibility once you have earned your MBA. (Do you have significant experience in the entertainment or sports industries already? Is your last name Steinbrenner?) First, reveal that a crucial and legitimate connection exists between where you have been in your career and where you want to go, so that you do not appear to be merely expressing an unfounded “want.” For this essay, you have to provide more detail than you did in your 51-character short answer and show that you fully understand what someone in your target field or position does. Too many applicants write basic statements like “I want to join a start-up.” But what kind of start-up? Seed stage? Venture backed? In what position within the start-up? After all, a start-up is a business, not a specific job. Our point is that you must demonstrate that you have given your career path significant consideration and have educated yourself as to what your post-MBA career entails, why you are (or will be) properly equipped to perform your desired role(s) within it, and how it is the right fit for you personally. By showing that your long-term goals represent a well-founded yet aspiratio nal progression from your short-term goals, you will communicate to the admissions committee that you have envisioned an ideal path for your career. In addition to clearly and logically presenting your goals, you need to demonstrate that you have dedicated just as much thoughtâ€"or maybe even moreâ€"to why you want to study at CBS. Many applicants make the mistake of simply offering a litany of pandering clichés about the school, but because you are reading this essay analysis, you will not! Think carefully about what you need to learn to achieve your stated aspirations and then share which specific resources at CBS you believe will allow you to develop your skills and knowledge base to achieve them. You must convince the admissions committee that you understand how CBS is the missing link between you and your career goals. Because personal statements are similar from one application to the next, we have produced the mbaMission Personal Statement Guide, which helps applicants write this style of essay for any school. We offer this guide to candidates free of charge. Please feel free to download your copy today. For a thorough exploration of CBS’s academic program/merits, defining characteristics, crucial statistics, social life, academic environment and more, please check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guide to Columbia Business School. Essay #2: Columbia Business School’s students participate in industry focused New York immersion seminars; in project based Master Classes; and in school year internships. Most importantly, they are taught by a combination of distinguished research faculty and accomplished practitioners. How will you take advantage of being “at the very center of business”? (100â€"500 words) CBS provides a long, example laden prompt for its second essay, and we want to be sure that you are not distracted or misled by certain elements of it. Be assured that in answering this question, you do not need to specifically reference New York immersion seminars, master classes, or school-year internships. CBS is merely providing a bit of inspiration for you, but the admissions committee is ultimately interested in how you will define your relationship with the school’s resources and what New York City has to offer. The key is to focus on what you need from your educational experience and then address how this will be fulfilled or enhanced by the school’s proximity (beyond its campus) to numerous practical opportunities. To effectively answer this question, many applicants will need to conduct some significant research about both Columbia and New York City’s abundant resources. However, you will need to go beyond offering a mere list of applicable resources. Instead, you must show that you understand how the resources you have identified align with your educational and/or professional needs and that you have an action plan for how you intend to integrate them into your MBA experience. So, for example, if you are interested in entrepreneurship, simply noting that you are aware of Manhattan’s burgeoning technology scene will not do much for you. You would need to explain how you expect to engage with that tech scene and why you believe doing so would be advantageous to you. The same goes for media, fashion, finance, and every other discipline, because New York offers something for them all. In the end, your job is not to inform CBS about the resources available on its campus or at its doorstep but to clearly convey how you will take advantage of the ones that matter to you personally. Essay #3: CBS Matters, a key element of the School’s culture, allows the people in your Cluster to learn more about you on a personal level. What will your Clustermates be pleasantly surprised to learn about you? (100â€"250 words) Stop now and consider what the admissions officers will already know about you at this point from the other elements of your application they have reviewed thus far. They will probably have read your resume and thus gotten a sense of your career path to date. Your other essays should have provided an understanding of your goals and why you want to be at CBS and in New York City. The admissions committee may have had some brief glimpses into your personality through these avenues, but this essay is your overt opportunityâ€"however briefâ€"to provide a sense of your true character. The key words in this question are “pleasantly surprised.” Although you certainly want to offer something surprising, you obviously do not want that surprise to be unpleasant. “Surprise” should not be understood as “shocked.” Do not think you need to totally revolutionize the admissions committee’s understanding of you in a mere 250 words (though if you can, that is fine). Our point is that you should not worry if you have not climbed Mount Everest or launched a $50M venture capitalâ€"backed start-up. You are not expected to have spectacular achievement to shareâ€"CBS just wants to get to know you better by learning about an interesting aspect of your life. Whether you spent a month volunteering in Peru, helped put your sister through school, or are passionate about flamenco dancing, these are all suitable stories, and one is not necessarily better than the other. What is important is that you offer a narrative that engages the reader in your actions and showcases how you conduct yourself. You may feel that a natural part of this essay should tie directly to the CBS MBA program and explain how this aspect of your personality or life will allow you to contribute to the school or your cluster. However, you do not need to answer a question that was not asked. You therefore do not need to use any of your limited word count addressing this angle, though you may certainly do so if it is organic to your story. Optional Essay: An optional fourth essay will allow you to discuss any issues that do not fall within the purview of the required essays. However tempted you might be, this is not the place to paste in a strong essay from another school or to offer a few anecdotes that you were unable to use in any of your other essays. Instead, this is your opportunity, if needed, to address any lingering questions that an admissions officer may have about your candidacy, such as a poor grade or overall GPA, a low GMAT score, a gap in your work experience, etc. In our mbaMission Optional Essays Guide, we offer detailed advice on when and how to take advantage of the optional essay, with multiple examples, to help you mitigate any problem areas in your profile. The Next Stepâ€"Mastering Your CBS Interview: Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possibleâ€"the key is informed preparation. And, on your way to this high level of preparation, we offer our free Interview Primers to spur you along! Download your free copy of the Columbia Business School Interview Primer today. Share ThisTweet 2016-2017 Business School Columbia University (Columbia Business School) MBA Essay Analysis

A Interview At Efma s Retail Payments Week - 2677 Words

This paper is based on a talk presented at EFMA’s Retail Payments Week in 2014 by Artefact’s co-founder and Principal, Rob Girling. By focusing on the customer experience, banks could shift their role in the consumer’s life from payment processors to trusted advisors. [Anecdote about comparison shopping or a pain point] It’s official: We are living in the age of the customer. With real-time access to all sorts of information like prices, loan rates, product features and competitors, technology has empowered consumers to be more informed than ever before. As a result, consumers are causing disruption across every industry, even in banking and finance. The key to keeping these consumers is positive customer experiences that build solid†¦show more content†¦This isn’t just happening in the digital world, we’re seeing it take place across nearly every industry, from healthcare to finance. Over the last decade, we’ve witnessed massive international companies vanish and be replaced by new services with much better customer experiences. These services provide entirely new benefits, such as instant access, incredible product variety and lower price points, completely disrupting the industry in favor of the customer. Take Blockbuster for example. At its peak in 2004, the movie giant was operating more than 9,000 stores. Enter Netflix, an entirely new player in the game that offered mail order DVDs and on-demand video and streaming services online. Suddenly, making the trip to the local Blockbuster was just too much of an inconvenience. In 2013, unable to innovate and provide customers with a better experience, Blockbuster rented out its last movie, aptly titled, This Is the End. This example demonstrates how even massive companies can fall if they fail to innovate for the consumer. Not only that, but new startups and entrants to the market are blurring the boundaries between industries as they create new kinds of services. Traditionally car companies and transit systems did not think of services like Car2Go, Uber and Zipcar as competition. Similarly, hotels did not realize they would eventually compete with AirBnB, and banks did not think of Funding Circle, Lending Club or Kickstarter as competition until very

An Evaluation Of An Anterior Cruciate Ligament ( Acl ) Tear

An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear occurs in one of the knee ligaments that join the bones of the upper and lower leg, keeping the knee stable. After reconstructive surgery patients need extensive rehabilitation and healing time before even considering any physical activity. ACL reconstructions are common amongst people, it has been difficult for surgeons and physicians to come to an agreement on rehabilitation regarding these patients returning back to health. Many physicians are trying to come to a consensus as to what rehabilitation criteria is necessary and what will most benefit their patients, providing them with a quick, yet efficient recovery. The objective in question, is whether an accelerated approach is more efficient than the traditional rehabilitation techniques. Using an accelerated program has show developmental progress with extreme improvement in flexion of the knee, while bypassing a traditional approaches time span of recovery. As far as traditional rehabili tation goes, studies have shown that there is a significant decrease in re-ingury of the knee. Observed in theses four articles, is randomized test that concise a professional opinion on what program physicians find more effective. In support of Preventing re-injury after ACL reconstruction: What constitutes optimal rehabilitation and Traditional versus Accelerated Rehabilitation following ACL Reconstruction: A One-Year Follow-Up, concluded that an accelerated approach was most effective inShow MoreRelatedAnterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction : Open Or Closed?1100 Words   |  5 PagesAnterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Open or Closed? 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Political Critique of Race Relations in Alice Walkers...

The Color Purple as Political Critique of Race Relations If the integrated family of Doris Baines and her adopted African grandson exposes the missionary pattern of integration in Africa as one based on a false kinship that in fact denies the legitimacy of kinship bonds across racial lines, the relationship between Miss Sophia and her white charge, Miss Eleanor Jane, serves an analogous function for the American South. Sophia, of course, joins the mayors household as a maid under conditions more overtly racist than Doris Bainess adoption of her Akwee family: Because she answers hell no (76) to Miss Millies request that she come to work for her as a maid, Sophia is brutally beaten by the†¦show more content†¦Sophias feelings for Miss Eleanor are of course more ambivalent. When she first joins the mayors household, Sophia is completely indifferent to her charge, wonder[ing] why she was ever born (88). After rejoining her own family, Sophia resents Miss Eleanor Janes continuing intrusions into her family life and suggests that the only reason she helps the white girl is because shes on parole. . . . Got to act nice (174). But later Sophia admits that she does feel something for Miss Eleanor Jane because of all the people in your daddys house, you showed me some human kindness (225). Whatever affection exists between the two women, however, has been shaped by the perverted kinship relation within which it grew - a relationship the narrative uses to expose plantation definitions of kinship in general and to explode the myth of the black mammy in particular. Separated from her own family and forced to join the mayors household against her will, living in a room under the house and assigned the housekeeping and childraising duties, Sophia carries out a role in the mayors household which clearly recalls that of the stereotypical mammy on the Southern plantation. However,Show MoreRelatedEssay on Race and Class in Alice Walkers Color Purple1622 Words   |  7 PagesEssay on Race and Class in The Color Purple  Ã‚     Ã‚   An important  Ã‚  juncture in Alice Walkers The Color Purple is reached when Celie first recovers the missing letters from her long-lost sister Nettie. This discovery not only signals the introduction of a new narrator to this epistolary novel but also begins the transformation of Celie from writer to reader. Indeed, the passage in which Celie struggles to puzzle out the markings on her first envelope from Nettie provides a concrete illustration

Comparitive essay of poetry Example For Students

Comparitive essay of poetry She prefers it this way as she feels that identity has nothing to do with nationality, religion or gender. Instead it is to do with beliefs and states of mind. Amanita wrote the poem The Blessing to highlight the importance of water in parts of the world and also to represent the poverty that grips such countries. It is written to teach us that we should not take things for granted, we should appreciate all things in life. (Help with English 2013) Monica Alva was interestingly also born in Lahore, Pakistan in 1954 and came to England when she was a few months old. We will write a custom essay on Comparitive of poetry specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Her reasons for writing Presents from My Aunts in Pakistan were to reflect on her feelings during her teenage years, concerning the cultural divide between England and Pakistan. It is here that we see our first contrast, not with the poem itself but with the personal feelings of each poet regarding how they dealt with the cultural differences. This contrast is related to the themes of each poem. Themes and Form The Blessing is about survival. It is concerned with highlighting issues related to countries in poverty. We see a clear message, that there is a huge contrast between our Western world and the lives of people in the Diehard slum. The way it is set out on the page is clear and simple, making it easy to understand. I have previously discussed how the stanzas may cleverly represent flowing water in my analysis. Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan is more concerned with emotional feelings such as a search for a sense of belonging. It is not a life or death issue, but merely a teenagers struggle to cope with the inner conflicts faced whilst growing up in a Pakistani household in Britain. With this poem we see the stanzas structured very differently. They lack uniformity and almost dance all over the page. This could be to symbolism the confusion and lack of belonging the poet feels. With both poems careful planning appears to have been used to portray the message not Just with the language but also the structure. Content We see a variety of contrasts in the two poems. The blessing is serious, religious, and concerned with demonstrating poverty. Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan is beautiful and reflective as well as heavy and deep. Both poems contain references to Joy, prejudices, Racial and cultural issues and emotion. They are both devised to inform and educate the reader on cultural differences. Language Both poems make excellent use of the language available to them. The language in the Blessing is clever and visual as with Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan. The two also use descriptive language and lots of imagery, both also use current language. Tone There are very different tones in these two poems. The blessing starts heavy and serious. It is written this way to take hold of the reader and open up their mind. The tone alters in the third to fourth stanza to reflect the Joy ND happiness that water brings. It is thankful and happy until the end of the last stanza, when it changes again to serious over their small bones highlighting the poverty, reminding the reader what the intended message is. Despite the beauty of the language. Presents from my aunts in Pakistan, actually has a lost, distraught, heavy, torn and mixed tone which ideally reflects the poets feelings. It is very effective at informing the reader of the issues she faces. The imagery In The Blessing we see a variety of visual techniques to engage the reader and notionally connect them with the meaning of the poem. I have given examples of such imagery in my analysis. Presents from my Aunts focuses on mainly one type of imagery, visual. However both poems are able to draw the reader in, whilst reading you can sense the dryness in the blessing and feel the Joy and excitement as the municipal pipe bursts. Equally effective is Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan, in the opening line you can almost visualize the beautiful peacock blue salsas kamikaze and sense Ammonias embarrassment when she tries on her costume. .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c , .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c .postImageUrl , .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c , .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c:hover , .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c:visited , .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c:active { border:0!important; } .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c:active , .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u50d79253b2fc463d7d8003abb8d9d52c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Poetic Terminology EssayThis shows hat you can use many or few types of visual technique but as long as they are used in the correct way with the right use of language they can be effective. Use of Rhythm and Rhyme There is very little use of rhyme in either of these poems. The Blessing uses it once ground and found. I believe that this was to give momentum to the rhythm of stanza three. As this stanza could be interpreted as fast flowing gushes of water. Presents from my aunts in Pakistan uses no rhyme instead it relies on the structure of the stanzas and length of the sentences to create rhythm. The rhythm is quite slow and reflective like thoughts on a page. Poetic Devices The blessing makes clever use of similes Cracks like a pod to engage the reader, from the first line. This powerful use of language and poetic devices continue right through the poem we see alliteration polished to perfection Assonance small splash Onomatopoeia cracks splash Personification liquid sun blessing sings Allusion in biblical form voice of a kindly god Enjambment frantic hands Symbolism voice of a kindly god rush of fortune silver crashes and finally adaptor Roar of tongues. Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan uses far less poetic devices it relies mainly on similes Glistening like an orange split open and some Alliteration Satin Silken costume clung as well as onomatopoeia snapped and personification throbbing through newsprint. However despite this contrast both poems are able to equally engage the reader and make an emotional connection. Whilst reading the Blessing you cannot help but be drawn into the situation. It is incredibly powerful. Whilst reading you almost become a part of the words, you feel a deadness at the start, followed by Joy as that third stanza leaps into life on the page, and sadness again when it nears the end and the water is gone. All of this emotion and feeling is created by the devices and brilliant language. It is hard to believe that language can have such evoking effects. Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan is also successful at creating such a reaction. Despite the differences in devices and imagery. This poem relies on its wonderful use of color and descriptive language to arouse the readers imagination.

Theology- Church and Sacraments Essay Example

Theology- Church and Sacraments Essay All of which I am about to write in this short synthesis is solely taken from the book entitled, Church and Sacraments by Victoria D. Corral, Ed. D. Et al. No other reference was used in the makings. The 12 chosen apostles of Jesus Christ were the first footsteps taken to the creation of the Church, which was born from the Fathers plan in order to continue the mission He had done and that is to proclaim the Kingdom of God. The early Christian community was the beginning of the Church as each apostle begins the Journey of spreading His Word to all nations. Despite the universal acceptance of the many, it ad not always been as acceptable as it is now, before in Christs time. The division between Jews and Gentile had been in continuous tension since then. After the death and resurrection of Christ, the apostles had received the Holy Spirit which enabled them to receive the knowledge of His Word and began to preach immediately afterwards. The converts grew and not too long after had others been convince to widen their horizons and soon began preaching to Gentiles as well. Peter, a disciple of Jesus began teaching to the Jews, while Paul (Saul), though untimely born, taught to the Gentiles. The spread and development of the Christian community grew yet as I have stated a while back, it was not readily accepted to communicate with the Gentiles as Jews became more tapped with the Gospel. And amongst these, Paul took on the stubbornness of the Jewish Christians by preaching radical liberations to temples and synagogues. To Paul, the encounter he had with Jesus at the Road of Damascus had sent the message that it is time to break the boundaries that separated these two. We will write a custom essay sample on Theology- Church and Sacraments specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Theology- Church and Sacraments specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Theology- Church and Sacraments specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Paul, who participated in the Council of Jerusalem with other apostles, had defended the Gospel of freedom from the Law and among the iscussed issues was that of Circumcision and keeping the law. The conflict between Paul and the Judaizers, people who believe that he Jewish Law is a must to attain salvation, was resolved when the council had resolved to believe that of Pauls argument. Pauls mission reached as far as the Greco-Roman world with Barnabas as a companion along the Journey. The young Church did not remain at peace when it had first been established. It received much hatred from the Romans who believed that their emperor was Divine and laws were important. As such, the apostle James ecame the first apostle to be martyred during Herod Agrippas persecution of the Church. Christians during this time were blamed for every crime done during then; be it treason, wars, illnesses, and such. Christians did not experience the luxury of life back then having faced death untimely, persecutions, and many devastating events. An example would be the reign of Nero. Nero, who put parts of Rome in fire, blamed the Christians as the cause and caused many to die so he could divert the punishment to him. Peter and Paul had died as well and by then all the apostles had ied by martyrdom, which gave the Churchs image as the Church of the Martyrs. St. Ignatius first coined the term Catholic Church which means the Universal Church. Still, it faces difficulty as people begin to oppose the doctrines of the Church and replaced it with other beliefs. These people were called Heretics or people who commit heresy. Heresy in the East dealt with Arianism which denies Jesus as but only a first divine creature. While the West dealt Donatism which claims that anyone committing a grave sin will never be able to return to grace. During the reign of Emperor Constantine, at a point the Church and State had come to common grounds such that Catholic religion became close to being the national religion, the ranks of popes and bishops were established, and the Arianisms spread was paused due to the establishment of the Council of Nicea. But, not too long afterwards, the-so-called religious purpose had turned political where the Church became subservient to the State and with the change of heart of Constantine to side with Arius after exiling him during the Council of Nicea. The reign of Theodosius became the year where the Catholics had been at its peak as he declared Catholic as the national religion. Despite attempts to regain the lost during the disparities, much of the original doctrines have been shattered. Arianism at some point ended but was again spread due to the coming of the West migrants such as Visigoths. Destroying many Catholic churches and bringing disaster, Roman Empire enters the Dark Ages period. Although, at the time, bishops and popes became more functional in civil authority, it was not of power, but because of the opportunity to impart the religious authority. Afterwards, Catholic Church soon became the Roman Catholic Church. On the other hand, the East maintained traditions and at the Council of Chalcedon, Pope Leo disagreed with the decision to make Constantinople equal to Rome and fought for papal primacy. Written in Pope Leos papacy was the greatest mission taken place that when the empire collapses, the only way to protect all was the conversion of the barbarians. When Christendom was created, it paved the way to the conversion of the barbarians. When Clovis, for example, was baptized, he used the Church in stabilizing moral codes towards his men. Gregory the Great laid the foundation of the medieval Christendom making the pope supreme. But still corruption and abuses remained. Monks also played another role in the Church as they accompany the dissolution of the Empire. The monks who created monasteries allowed intellectual life to continue as the Roman Empire crumble. But it also created a split-level Christianity and this was provided by St. Benedict. He influenced monasticism as a place of religious and economical way where it became a place of learning. He went as far as the West and earned the title Father of the Western Monasticism. After a short while, a new religion came called Islam which had converted many into Moslems. They conquered many Christian based countries such as Jerusalem. The East felt abandoned as the West ignored their plea for help. Charles Martel led the people to victory when he defeated the Moslems and expanded the Church and its defense which was an act inherited by his son Pepin. He earned his legitimacy to the throne from Pope Zachary who was later succeeded by Pope Stephen. It became traditional that the pope crowns a king when Pepin helped Pope Stephen defeat the Lombards which made Pope Stephen to crown Pepin a second time. Pepins second son Charles or Charlemagne was considered the best ruler at the time since he was ble to unify the Western Europe making Europe Christendom, put all disagreements towards Pope Leo Ill away, and united the Church with the State. But it could not be avoided that Charlemagne became concerned with the matters involving both the government of the Catholic body and life in Church. He, in a way, had taken authority over the Church and it was not the kind of alliance the Church had thought it would turn out. By the 800-1517, papacy and imperial authority began to fade. Although in the 10th century, it had revived much of the power and authority had moved to the emperor, both papal and imperial. This happened in the Kingdom of the East Franks led by Otto the Great who was said to have continued Charlemagnes seeking of the crown from the pope. Otto had great use of the Church making bishops his greatest collaborators since bishops were intellectually learned and bore no child which made it easy for him to replace one. He collaborated with the Church by granting it an independence of a Papal State and the no Pope would be consecrated until he had pledged to the emperor. As the years move on, Feudalism was introduced and it was not warmly welcomed by the Church as its negative effect reached until the Church itself and its bishops. When the bishops became feudal lords, it made monasteries and Episcopal Sees wealthy, but it had come from the labor of the helpless people who were subjugated to be part of the feudal system. It created corruption which reached the monasteries, suffering the consequence was their spiritual life. Thus a new monastic foundation was created to counter the abuses. The monastery of Cluny was one of the two monastic reforms that led to the revival of the monastic life. Clunys monks had been given freedom from the interferences of the feudal lords, granting them the ability to spread Benedictine monasticism quiet prayer and ignified performance of liturgy. Bernard of Clairevaux was the second movement of monastic reform. Considered one of the greatest spiritual leaders, became a counselor to the popes and kings. The birth of two mendicant orders happened afterwards. The Franciscans and Dominicans, which inspired the renewal and rejection of abuse in the Church. During Pope Gregory VII (Hildebrand)s rule as pope, he strengthened the Churchs control over itself by giving all power to the pope, making it the supreme head of Christendom. He issued a document called Dictatus Papae(Dictates of the Pope) giving authority to the pope. It also raised the dominance of the code of canon law which made the Church more institutionalized. Many of his reforms included the prohibition of lay investiture, simony, and clerical celibacy. Developing even more, in the rule of Innocent Ill, the Church became more of a papal church and through the Gregorian reform, in hopes of the freedom from secular control; the church became worldly and greedy. Yet despite that, the Popes control over the Church intensified and Christendom experienced its golden age. Through the 13th century under the rule of Pope Urban II, the Church became known s an imperial Church as it waged into war. Knights fighting to recover the Holy Land from the Moslems were called Crusaders. Pope Urban II promised eternal reward to those who Joined and it did not take long for people to be attracted. But despite the main motive of retrieving the Holy Land back, some had Joined for the sake of land and material possessions. Many had died, but according to them, they slaughtered because Deus vult(God wills it). A total of seven Crusades were followed. In the First Crusade called by Pope Urban II, Antioch was retrieved from Moslems, broke through Jerusalem, massacred both Jews and Muslims, retrieved Jerusalem, regained influence of Rome to the East, Crusaders were honored and given indulgence, and exempted from taxes. In the Second Crusade called by Pope Eugene II, due to lack of unity among leaders, the Muslim took hold of all the land the Crusade took, including Jerusalem. In the Third Crusade led by Frederick Barbarossa, who died drowning with his army; Duke of Austria and Philip Augustus, who did not get along with Richard the Lionhearted; and Richard the Lionhearted, who did gain control of some lands, were ll considered as a failed attempt to re-capture Jerusalem as the people became more concerned with the treasures rather the Jerusalem. In the Fourth Crusade and the succeeding Crusades, no attempts of retrieving Jerusalem ever happened again. They ransacked and stole treasures and such destroying churches and caused the Church to split. There was violence and the separation between east and west gotten worst as the Empire weakened and the papacy lost stature. But despite the disadvantages that happened, there were several advantages as well. They opened trade routes, introduced new products like soaps and spices, brought wealth to the West, advance learning on Mathematics and Science, brought philosophical works from Greece, and through all the new discoveries made by the Crusade, it eventually led to the period called Renaissance. But the Crusade was still considered as one of the dark pages of the Dark Ages. Another dark page is the Inquisition started by Innocent Ill. This began due to the desire to eliminate those who are heretics and intending to be both a spiritual leader and a political master, Pope Innocent Ills plan backfires on him as he became the first Pope to apply force in suppressing religious opinion. Back in 1054, during the schism of the East and West, the opposing views of the two sides caused an even greater disparity as they resent each others claims. When Michael Cerularius became patriarch of Constantinople, there was little respect towards the papacy and when the Pope insisted that all living in the West must bow to western rituals, so did the Easts insist on their side. Refusing to acknowledge that preaching could be preached in other languages, Rome and Constantinople ended the connection and separated from each other. Both leaders on the Orthodox Church (East) and Roman Church (West) excommunicated one nother. And with the Fourth Crusade happening at the time, who ransacked Constantinople, only disintegrated the relationship of both Churches and until now remains divided. Now the once spiritual beginning of the Church has become political and divided. In the Avignon Papacy, seven popes established their residence at Avignon, France being precedent by Clement V. His desire for peace between France and England made him establish a new residence but failed. The Avignon papacy weakened the papal authority and eventually leads to the Great Western Schism. Due to the Avignon papacys seventy year absence from Rome, it caused the Great Western Schism which had two popes at the same time, namely Urban VI, who was chosen by the citizens of Rome and Clement VI, who was elected by French cardinals in Avignon as anti-pope as a question to Urban VIs legality. During this time, the division between papal authorities grew and dividing the nations to whom they take orders from as well. Confusion and the need for political control grew in parallel to it. Creating a solution to the crisis, the Concilarism was brought forth. A council took place at Piza where the bishops decided to depose both Popes and lected Alexander V who was succeeded by John XXIII, but both Popes refused making the schism last for 40 years. By the end of the schism, the Council of Constance deposed two claimnants, John XXIII and Gregory XII for the sake of harmony in the Church and thus electing a new Pope, Martin V. Although the papacy triumphs in the concilarism, they did not succeed in reestablishing spiritual leadership over Christendom. Martin V succeeds much in terms or political restoration, but failed to restore the Church and due to this failed attempt, the Protestant Reformation came about. During the 14th to the 16th century, the Renaissance movement had greatly affected the Church as well. Popes became preoccupied with luxury and war, monasteries became consumed with wealth and corruption, learning of Theology as a study of the Scriptures in daily life became nothing more than lifeless teachings. Some tried to recover the essence of the Scriptures like John Huss and Savonarola, but died in flames as heretics. This was also the time where several people became influential in canonizing Christian faith. St. Vincent Ferrer, who spread and brought countless people to repentance; St. Bernandine of Siena, condemning the abuses; and St. Catherine of Siena, who convinced Pope Gregory Xl to return and restore papacy of Rome. At the time the Renaissance began, as I have stated in the last paragraph, it was a time of political improvement but a radical decrease in spiritual growth. The Church fell into corruption, politics, unworthy cardinals, failure to call for a reform council, and such. Popes such as Alexander Xl and Sixtus, failed to uphold the standards of the Church by appointing cardinal seats to family members causing a great imbalance to religious functions. Pope Pius II who wanted the reform trying to limit the involvement of the Pope in political matters, died before issuing it. Several reforms were made by the people who remained in faith with God and despite those in the higher positions failing to be models of Christian faith, simple priests and monks continued to show love and care towards the people. A reform later on called Protestant Reformation became another stone to the Church we see now. At the year 1517-1900, Martin Luther cries out a reform publishing his famous Ninety-Five Theses. At the very beginning, Luther was a monk of the Order of St. Augustine, who kept monastery rules and spent much time studying the Bible where he came to realized that it is by grace through faith that everyone is saved and not by good works. During his time, the selling of indulgence was at its peak and many believed that as they pay their indulgence, their sins are cleanse but Luther knew better. Luther knew how corrupted the Church had become and how money or good works will not save a person. He also knew how people relayed on the external ways man could come up of easy salvation and thus, he passed his writing, Ninety-five Theses, to the Church. Unknown to him, his writings had been translated and sent out to numerous people and many had negative reactions towards it, yet Luther had no intentions of making rebellions act but only share and discuss. A priest complained about him in Rome and a hearing was made whether Luther was a heretic and that he rewrite his writings, but he refuses and continued writing. In December 1520, a papal document stating that if he continues his acts, Luther would be excommunicated arrived to him. Along with others who had the same belief as he, burned the document and on January, he was excommunicated. Luther in the ollowing years was unable to control the movement but despite that, it was evident that in every movement, Luthers cry was in it. Another movement was under Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin, which gave birth to Churches now called Reformed and Presbyterian. But the tensions between the two opposing groups cause the thirty years war which was the b test war in Europe. Although there were some g in the Reformation, it was not to Luther, whose intentions were purely religious which escalated into bloodshed and political conflict. Not only that but it had divided the one church into many and hostile churches as well. When the time came where the Catholic Church finally decided to address Luthers questions, the split between the two groups were far too wide already to which still remains today. As a counter- reformation by the Catholic Church was put up, Pope Paul Ill summoned the Council of Trent and made several meetings, some of which were unfruitful, and others of which made progress. The council, after much discussion, answers Luthers question by making the model of the Church as a hierarchical society. The council also reaffirmed the doctrine as salvation that comes from grace, but required good works contradicting Luthers and the Bible), tradition of the Church is source of authority with the Bible, Pope as supreme head of the Church, seven sacraments chosen by Christ, Christ is present in the bread and wine of the Eucharist, saints are intermediaries, and Mary is mother of God and the Church. To assure that all is as followed, Pope Paul Ill instituted the Congregation of the Holy Office or the Inquisition. The Jesuits played an important role as well. Pledging absolute obedience to the Pope, the Jesuits who were intellectually learned made it inevitable that they would be at the forefront of the Catholic resistance to the Reformation. The Council of Trent became an evident fact of the difference between Catholic teaching and Luthers teaching. The council ended when Pope Pius IV approved all their decrees. After all these events, the Catholic Church returned into a Papal Church, Catholic missionaries went back to spreading their religion, Catholic religion grew, but remained as a European Church and Popes became less concerned with civil and political issues. In 1700s, a new philosophy came about called the Age of Reason or Age of Rationalism. The Age of Enlightenment was an intellectual movement where reason is the primary source of legitimacy for authority. It was ushered by Francis Bacon and Rene Descrates. Several philosophers like Spinoza and Emmanuel Kant stated the reason alone can help mankind arrive to truth which is why the motto of the Enlightenment period was Take courage to use your brain. During the Enlightenment period, people began to think that if every man can reason out, why must they be dictated what to do? Thus, people came to the point where freedom to decide for themselves, opened up. A movement called Freemansory took place, wherein they believed in doing good works based on human motives making people began to oppose the Church. To begin with, the philosophers were not technically anti-Christians, simply questioned the narrow-minded thinking of the belief. Some scholars took the time to re-evaluate themselves as well in their understanding of the Bible which led them to a conclusion that some things in the Bible can be understood literally, some had no contradiction with mans explanation, and some biblical truths were open for various interpretations. In the years that passed, the Age of Reason turned into the Age of Revolution due to the battle of individual rights which reached the lower class particularly in France. This caused the French Revolution where division between the rich and poor grew wider. Most nobility at the time had despised the Church for its inability to understand freedom of self. Not only was society divided but even the clergies who were divided by social statuses. The French Revolution was the climatic end for the Enlightenment as the Freemasons stir the people into going against the Church. Despite good attempts to make the French Revolution a nonviolent event, it turned into war as the common people found it no good to simply consult the King, rather they took everything into a radical and omprehensive reform changing the traditional governance into a governance free of controls. By removing King Louis XVI as King, they could gain the freedom they sought, but with Louis decision to bring in mercenary troops, the subtle reform turns bloody. In the following events prior to the plans and orders of Louis, many bishops and priest against to the idea of making the church into a state-run church and that the positions of priest and bishops were to be elected by the people. The priest and bishops who were against such solutions were either exiled or killed. Thousands of onasteries were destroyed and in 1793, Louis XVI was beheaded. The French Revolution ended the reign of the Church in Europe. Leading the army, Napoleon Bonaparte restored the countrys order and conquered Western Europe and was threatening Russia. He invaded Italy when Pope Pius VI sided against the revolution, but Pius died not long after. To gain more support for his rule, he re-established the Catholic Church in France where several terms which the bishops and priests had declined before was made. The Pope agreed to the terms which granted the bishops and priests salary in return for agreeing to the terms. When Napoleon was to be crowned emperor, Pope Pius VII was asked to crown him only to find himself imprisoned and Napoleon crowning himself as a sign of insult to the pope. Pius VII excommunicated Napoleon, while Napoleon imprisoned Pius VII for 6 years. When Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, the Congress of Vienna returned the peace and order of France after 30 years. It went back to the monarchial way and Pius VII was returned to Rome. Despite returning to old ways, much of what happened in the French Revolution was visible that civil divorces, civil marriages, and reedom of religion were evident. A great secularization became the consequence of the French Revolution. After the end of Napoleons reign, the Catholic Church took for a better turn as it had a great revival both spiritually and intellectually through the effort of Pope Pius X. King Louis XVIIIs return to the throne brought relief to the Church as he returned the Papal State to Rome, religious order long restrained in France, and many more which made the Church flourish once again. The rule of Pius IX as pope was considered as the longest papacy in history. Concerned with many hings that had changed during the French Revolution and the Enlightenment period, he condemned modern errors and those associating liberalism, rationalism, and the likes. His power reached climax when he called bishops to Rome for Vatican Council I defining papacy primacy and papal infallibility. In the 19th century a new era called Industrialization was formed which made the Industrial Revolution possible where the improvement of technology changed the lives to people creating many divisions and insufficient wages. Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Rerum Novarum which ought for the dignity of workers, making him the first pope to concern with social problems. Industrial Revolution and Rationalism soon turned into Modernism trying to interpret Christianity in modern understanding. And as changes go on, many following popes came to defend and did not side with the modernism. John XXIII became the new pope and announced a meeting of an Ecumenical Council would meet. He saw that the Church could not adapt to the changes of the modern world He called forth the Curia for a preparatory work for the Second Vatican Council. The purpose was to promote unity and adaptation to the new world changing many hings in the way they perceived things. It also declared Religious Freedom where all may choose whichever they choose as religion no longer having Catholicism as mandated. After the death of John XXIII, many had mourned for his death as he became a legend in the eyes of men changing the way Catholic religion viewed the world. He was succeeded by the following afterwards: Cardinal Montini (Paul VI), John Paul l, John Paul II, and Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict WI). Making realized to one man the importance of knowing the Churchs rich and long yet fulfilling history.

Serial Comma in Business Writing

Serial Comma in Business Writing In nearly every business writing course I lead, the subject of whether or not to use a serial comma (also called an oxford comma) comes up. There is always strong opinion. I actually dreaded writing this article. I was scarred by this subject while in graduate school studying composition and rhetoric, when I had to write a 10-page paper on the history and merits/detriments of the serial comma. I had to present my research and opinion to my classmates, who not surprisingly loved to debate grammar. The argument about whether the serial comma should or should not be included lasted over two hours. We never did come to any consensus. This controversy probably exists because there is no grammar â€Å"rule.† Just convention. And, style guides differ. To define: a serial comma is the optional comma used at the end of a list. The most common conjunctions in a list are â€Å"and† and â€Å"or.† The serial comma is the comma that comes before the conjunction: I like cookies, cupcakes(,) and gumdrops. (The comma before and is the serial comma.) TED Talks provide an excellent illustrative summary: Let me tip my hand, and give you my opinion on this business grammar issue, and then I’ll explain why: The customary convention in business writing is to use the serial comma. The customary convention in journalism is to omit it, historically to conserve space. The British tend to use serial commas less than Americans. It is both correct to use or not use a serial comma, so what is most important is consistency. (And, be prepared for some editors to correct you, regardless of which option you choose.) I recommend using the serial comma in business writing, since it is the customary convention. And, to me, it is much easier to consistently follow this convention, than to omit it most of the time and add it in when clarity is needed. Keep it simple. Let’s look at examples where the serial comma clarifies: When stocking your desk, be sure you have pens, pencils, paper clips(,) and pins. (The comma after pens in parentheses is the serial comma.) If you do not use a serial comma in this sentence, meaning is still quite clear, but you might wonder if you need to buy a box of paper clips and pins mixed together: When stocking your desk, be sure you have pens, pencils, paper clips and pins. Let’s examine a more ambiguous example: The job involves restocking shelves, cleaning and serving customers. (Without a serial comma before and, the sentence suggests the person doing this job will be responsible for cleaning the customers in addition to serving them.) Another example illustrating confusion that results by omitting the serial comma: â€Å"To reduce stress, I like running, yoga, meditation and visualization and quiet time alone.† Notice I omitted the serial comma here. Let’s see how this example works: No comma: To reduce stress, I like (running,) (yoga,) (meditation and visualization and quiet) time. Comma: To reduce stress, I like (running,) (yoga,) (meditation and visualization,) and (quiet) time. Recommendation Use the serial comma consistently in your business writing. Only omit it in those rare instances when it muddies meaning. Grammarians love to debate this issue, and there will never be full agreement, but for business writing, the convention is clear: use the serial comma. What is your opinion on this hotly debated grammar issue? Yes or no for the serial comma?