International business discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

International business discussion - Essay Example Gambling generates many revenues for the hotel. The hotel has a brand of jet called CotaiJet. The brand transport many customers to the hotel. Furthermore, the hotel focuses more on entertainment content. The management is aware that entertainment lures many Chinese people. It is their basis for success. The hotel has created more hotel rooms and theatres. The management has increased the size of the arena that hosts entertainment performers. It has created the worlds largest casino, where gambling is the main activity. The management does not want to advertise casinos in China. They want to develop an emotional connection between the customers and the hotel. It will leave an effect on them, and they would forever return to the hotel. The hotel boosts of its entertainment content. The hotel hosts filming award shows, traditional boxing and often bets on Chinas hit television. The management wants to satisfy every market segment. The hotel has emphasised on retail strategy. The strategy has seen the hotel increase the size of the retail segment. The hotel has opened additional phases of the hotel. It would help in attracting more customers (Tracy,

Windows Vs Linux Comparison

Windows Vs Linux Comparison Linux and windows operating systems are software with programs and information needed to run and monitor the computer programs. An operating system is one of the most important computer programs which a computer can not run without them. Even though they are both important for computer programs, Linux and windows are two different operating systems and they have different features which basically differentiates them. (Web msdn.microsoft.com, online)[26th September 2010] This project will basically focus on the difference between Linux and windows, the importance of Linux and widows operating systems, the top 6 most important difference between Linux and windows and a summary table of the difference and similarities of the two and it will also cover the background of the two operating systems. OBJECTIVES This major of this project are; To discuss the difference between Linux and windows To discuss the importance of the two operating systems To discuss the top 6 most important difference between Linux and windows BACKGROUND STUDY Windows was introduced in 1983 by Microsoft and it has been there most success as it has been dominating other computer operating systems and it is the most preferred operating system by many people. .Ever since 1983 Microsoft has been improving windows operating system with the growth of technology. (Micheal, 2004, online) [26th September 2010] Linux operating system was introduced in 1991 by a student of Helsinki University (Linus Torvalds). The Linux operating system was derived from UNIX operating system. It was called the GNU/Linux because it is a combination of the Linux as the kernel and GUN system. The Linux operating was made free to everyone and also Linus Torvalds made the source codes available in the internet for educational purposes and also for improvements. Ever since Linux operating system was introduced 1991 the internet has been promoting the development of the Linux operating system, nowadays many companies are giving Linux operating system there support through the internet and this shows how successful Linux is growing. (Micheal, 2004, online) [26th September 2010] FINDINGS Key words; OPARATING SYSTEM: It manages and controls the hardware components for a computer. RAM: Random Access Memory. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LINUX AND WINDOWS OPARATING SYSTEMS This two operating systems where developed to achieve the same important aim being to provide computers with a software that has different programs to help run a computer. Considering the two main aspects of Information Technology being Hardware example Device Driver, Software example Software Applications, this two are different. . (Web msdn.microsoft.com, online)[26th September 2010] DEVICE DRIVER Most of Linux operating systems are built-in support for a device and it is not easy for one to add it in if they are using other distributions without the built in devices but for windows users is much easy for one to do it. THE SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS Windows and Linux operating systems both have similar softwareà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s like the internet browser, email client etc but looking at the important ones like the video mixing and others windows provides better than Linux. PORTABILITY The feature of portability is the one which boosts the Linux operating system to be better than windows as one can store an operating system to a CD and use it to boot from it with all features and softwareà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s needed and this CD is called a liveCD where as windows does not have this feature as they are trying to avoid sharing of illegal copies of there operating system. SECURITY Linux has an excellent security feature which is free from viruses and it is not easy to be hacked unlike windows which has many viruses and is easily hacked The most important top 6 difference between the two are; The Linux operating system provide its source code to the community through internet for them to improve it or even add more features to it, to make your computer work better where as windows does not provide ay source code to any one. All versions of Windows are provided by one company being Microsoft where as Linux is distributed by different companies like REDHAT, SLAKWARE etc. Linux operating system is very cheap for server uses and free for home users and one can use it as many as they want where as windows is very expensive and it also limits one to use the operating system with activations Linux operating system has an important feature called multitasking which enables one to run many process at ones where windows will limit one. The Linux operating system a symbol of a penguin for identification where as windows use a flag of four colures which are red, green, blue and yellow. Windows needs lot of memory(RAM) to run compared to the Linux operating system SIMILARITIES Linux and windows both hide operating system files in the directory which are not to be used by the user. They both support one scripting language which is the PHP and it can be used in windows and Linux Both Linux and Windows are multi operating systems They both support the use of device ports like; USB, parallel and serials They both allow user to choose there file security, which means they can share files in both operating systems with the use of networks. (Web odetocode.com,online)[26 September 2010] Windows and Linux operating systems are different as shown in the document and there many more different features of this two which are not listed above. The difference between the two operating systems The table below shows the difference between the two operating systems being the Linux and Windows (Web techrepublic.com) [26th September 2010] FEATURES LINUX WINDOWS Variants Red Hat, caldera, linuxPPC, SuSE Windows 2000, windows XP ,Windows vista, windows 7 Licensing FREE EXPENSIVE Performance Uses less memory so ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s faster. Uses less memory but more that Linux does so ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a bit slow Security It is much save as it provides a every excellent security It easily hacked as does not have a very tough security Safety It is much safe as they are no known viruses for it. There are millions of viruses for windows operating system maybe it because it worldly used. CONCLUSION This report has compared Linux and windows by providing the difference and the similarities between the two. The two operating systems are both important to computer users and none of them is different to another, but we can say they are just fundamentally different to each other. (Web ibm.com) [26th September 2010] They are both operating systems and an operating system is one of the most important computer applications as it manages data in it, provides the users with the interface to use the computer and it also makes the computer to run which is one of the most important point of having an operating system on your computer.

The Spiritual Effect on Actions Essay -- essays research papers

Spirituality is held by all cultures. It is such an important theme; it has been used in many books over the centuries. Both Isebel Allende's House of the spirits and Herman Hesse's Siddhartha show the same spiritual characteristics. In House of the spirits theres Clara, who believes that her powers can be used to help others, and her son, Nicholas, who uses the beliefs of spirituality for commercial venues. In Siddhartha, we see Siddhartha who believes that through traveling, both physically and mentally, he will achieve enlightenment. While, Govinda believes that that hearing strictly the doctrine will be a path to enlightenment. From all of these characters we see that even though the beliefs are different, they are all driven by their beliefs. In both books we have examples of two characters with two different spiritual beliefs and because of that, they act differently. For house of the spirits, we have Clara and her son Nicholas. For Clara, her life while she grew up was very peaceful, "Clara's adolescence past calmly in her parents large house with its three court yards. She was spoiled to death... With the most tender of intentions." (page 78) This led her to be calm, peaceful, and unselfish, which showed later in her life. An example is when she help the gardener, "Clara took out her slate from her apron pocket...Clara told him what to do and won 80 pesos." (Page 78) Even when she has gr...

BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Essay

1. The apprenticeship and your role In this induction section you will show that you understand the employer/employee relationship and what someone who works in the health and social care sector is required to do. The Workbook will help you to show that you follow agreed ways of working. KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING Task 1 WorkSkills: Unit 1: 1.1, 1.2 Task 1a Complete the spider diagram below to show that you understand what each component of the Apprenticeship is for and how it is assessed. †¢ In each box, for Number 1 say what the component is for. Read more: Explain the principle of informed choice in child care essay Diploma 1. Generic, dementia and learning disability. alongside other components. 2. Checked by the assessor Employment Rights and Responsibilities 1. ERR BTEC 1. Social care level 2 and 3 2. Checked by the assessor 2. Checked by the assessor alongside other components. Apprenticeship components alongside other components. Key/Functional Skills 1. 2. Functional skills English, Math Checked by the assessor alongside other components. Personal, learning and thinking skills 1. Skills for working life 2. Checked by the assessor alongside other components 2 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care †¢ For Number 2 say how it is assessed. Types of assessment are given in a list below. Choose the most appropriate one or two. Assessment methods: †¢ portfolio †¢ online test †¢ paper-based test. One example has been done for you. WorkSkills: Unit 1: 3.1, 3.2 ERR/WorkSkills: Unit 3: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 1 Task 1b In the table below write a list of different careers that you could aim to have after your Apprenticeship. In the second column, write in where you could get advice about how to progress on this career pathway. In the third column put two possible routes for this career path. An example has been done for you. Career Nurse Where to ï ¬ nd advice NHS careers advice website (www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/nursing.shtml) Union website (www.unison.org.uk/healthcare/nursing/education) Progression routes 1. Level 3 BTEC 2. University Care Assistant Care Assistant advice website (www.careruk.orgs) 1. Level 2 NVQ Diploma. 2. BTEC Level 2 Diploma Senior Care Assistant Senior Care Assistant advice website 1. Level 3 NVQ Diploma 2. BTEC Level 3 Diploma Manager Care Assistant Manager Care Assistant advice website 1. Level 5 NVQ Diploma 2. College Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 3 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care 1 BTEC: Unit 6:1.1 Diploma: Unit 6:1.1 Task 2 Task 2a For each of the ï ¬ gures below, ï ¬ ll in the box for who you have personal or working relationships with and the box on why. An example has been completed for you. Personal relationship Who? Why? Family Love Enemys Friends Ignore Friendship Working relationship Who? Why? Colleagues Managers Residents Team working Supervisory Between professionals BTEC: Unit 6: 1.2 Diploma: Unit 6: 1.2 Task 2b The table below lists different types of relationship. For each type, write what the relationship is. An example has been completed for you. Relationship type Supervisory Colleagues Between teams Between professionals With others Example e.g. Me and my manager Me and other care assistants Me and other staff members Me and the residents Me and their family 4 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care BTEC: Unit 4: 3.1, 3.2 Unit 5: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 Unit 7: 5.5 Unit 9: 2.2 Diploma: Unit 7: 5.4 ERR/WorkSkills: Unit 3: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 Task 2c i) Below are some case studies of problems at work. Select the aspect of employment law that each one relates to from this list. Aspects of employment law: †¢ discrimination †¢ working hours †¢ holiday †¢ sickness absence and sick pay †¢ data protection †¢ health and safety. 1 1 Salina was told that because of stafï ¬ ng shortages she would be expected to cut short her holiday this year. Aspect of employment law: 2 Although he was more experienced, Marc believes that he did not get promotion because of his sexual orientation. Aspect of employment law: 3 Melanie has not yet attended the moving and handling of people training but has been asked to help someone with limited mobility into their bed from a chair. Aspect of employment law: 4 Gina overheard staff discussing private information about her which she had shared with her supervisor. Aspect of employment law: Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 5 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care 1 ii) List the main features of current employment legislation: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ iii) Complete the following sentence: Employment legislation exists because †¦ PLTS: IE3 iv) What kinds of information and support are there to help you with Employment Rights and Responsibilities? Complete the list below. An example has been done for you. †¢ HR department †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ What kinds of information and support are there to help you with Employment Rights and Responsibilities? 6 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care BTEC: Unit 8: 1.2, 1.3 Diploma: Unit 8: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 Task 3 Produce a leaï ¬â€šet about health and safety for new starters at your workplace. You can ï ¬ ll in the example shown below or do your own, following the same structure, to give to anyone starting work. 1 HEALTH AND SAFETY IN OUR WORKPLACE There are many pieces of legislation that relate to health and safety. The main ones include: †¢ Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The main points of health and safety procedures that affect you are: †¢ Dealing with accidents and injuries †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Everybody in the workplace has responsibility for health and safety. You Look after your own health and safety Your Employer Provide training where necessary Others Look after their own health and safety Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 7 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care 1 Task 4 BTEC: Unit 6: 2.2, 2.3 Diploma: Unit 6: 2.2 WorkSkills: Unit 1: 1.3 Task 4a It is important to be clear about the agreed ways of working in your organisation. i) Using the table below, complete the list of the documents that set out details of your employment. For each document on the list state where it is stored and how it can be accessed. Your assessor may ask to see the documents on their visit but you do not have to photocopy them. The list has been started for you. Fill in the blank spaces with any other documents. Exactly which documents are included on your list will depend on your organisation. It might include any of the following: †¢ health and safety policy and procedures †¢ equality and diversity policy †¢ policy on conï ¬ dentiality and data protection †¢ policy on harassment, bullying and conï ¬â€šict management. Documents setting out relationship with employer Job description Grievance procedure Employee handbook Contract of employment Apprenticeship Agreement Where they are stored/how to access Company website/from HR page ii) Why is it important that you have access to up-to-date versions of these documents? iii) What is the purpose of the Apprenticeship Agreement? 8 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care ERR/WorkSkills: Unit 3: 2.1 Task 4b Complete the following information about your role. My working hours are: 1 My place of work is: If I cannot attend work I should: If I am sick I should: If I am still sick after †¦.. days I should: If I continue to be sick my employer will: My sick pay entitlement is: My notice period is: Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 9 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care 1 My probationary period lasts for: During probation, my notice period is: BTEC: Unit 2: 1.1,1.3 Unit 6: 2.2 Diploma: Unit 2: 1.2. 1.3 ERR/WorkSkills Unit 3: 2.5 Task 4c Complete the following examples to show how and when you have complied with policies and procedures in your workplace: i) To maintain my organisation’s good reputation I have: If I do not do this the consequence is: ii) To comply with my organisation’s health and safety policy and procedure, I have: If I do not comply the consequence is: iii) To comply with my organisation’s equality and diversity policy and procedure, I have: 10 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care If I do not comply the consequence is: 1 iv) To comply with my organisation’s conï ¬ dentiality and data protection policy and procedure, I have: If I do not comply the consequence is: v) To comply with my organisation’s policy on harassment, bullying and conï ¬â€šict management I have: If I do not comply the consequence is: vi) Ways in which I make sure that my personal attitudes or beliefs do not affect how I work with people using my services or with my colleagues include: †¢ Reï ¬â€šecting on my own work †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 11 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care 1 ERR/WorkSkills: Unit 3: 2.4 Task 4d i) What personal information should you keep up to date with your employer? †¢ Phone number †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ ii) Why does your employer need to have this up-to-date information? BTEC: Unit 6: 2.1 Diploma: Unit 2: 1.1 Unit 6: 2.1 ERR/WorkSkills: Unit 3: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 Task 4e i) What is your role? You need to show that you understand what your job description means for you. Where there are job titles (for example reports to †¦ , responsible for †¦ ) you need to list the names of the actual people. Where it lists your duties, provide an example of what you should do. You can either write the information on a copy of your job description or complete the table below. The job description says . . . What this means is . . . 12 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care ii) How does your role help to improve the service provided for the people who use your organisation? 1 iii) Complete the spider diagram below to show how your role links to the wider sector. An example is completed for you. e.g. local mental health team refer people to my centre My role . . . Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 13 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care 1 Representative body UNISON iv) The table below lists some of the representative bodies in the health and social care sector. Complete the table showing their roles and responsibilities. Role in the sector Skills for Care and Development British Association of Social Workers Care Quality Commission Criminal Records Bureau v) Why is it important that you do not carry out tasks which are not part of your own job description? ERR/WorkSkills: Unit 3: 2.3 Task 4f i) What happens when things go wrong? Give an example of something that could be handled within the grievance procedure: 14 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care ii) Look at the grievance policy of your organisation. Do a ï ¬â€šow chart to show each step of the process that should be taken. You may add more boxes if you wish. 1 ERR/WorkSkills: Unit 3: 2.2 Task 4g Do you know where your money goes? Annotate one of your pay statements with an explanation of what each section covers. BTEC: Unit 5: 1.1 Diploma: Unit 4: 1.1 PLTS: IE1 Task 5 Task 5a Duty of care is an important idea when working in health and social care. Choose which of the statements below you think are true. 1 a) Duty of care is a legal obligation. b) Duty of care is not a legal obligation. 2 a) You are required to work in the best interests of the person using the service. b) You are required to work in the best interests of the service provider. 3 a) You must carry out care only within the limits of your role. b) You must carry out any type of care the individual requests. Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 15 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care 1 BTEC: Unit 5: 1.2 Diploma: Unit 4: 1.2 PLTS: IE2, IE6, EP3, EP4 Task 5b Complete the spider diagram below showing how duty of care affects your own role: I am accountable for my decisions and actions How duty of care affects me BTEC: Unit 5: 2.1, 2.2 Diploma: Unit 4: 2.1, 2.2 Task 5c i) Sometimes you will come across problems where an individual’s wishes go against your duty of care for them. For example, an individual may want to do something that could cause them harm. Write down an example of when this has happened in your workplace. 16 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care Remember that in order to meet conï ¬ dentiality requirements you must not include any information which will identify individuals. 1 ii) When you have a problem like this, there are many places you can go for advice and support. List three of them below. 1. 2. 3. ERR/WorkSkills: Unit 3: 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4 Task 6 i) The health and social care sector is often in the news. List three occasions when concerns have been raised about the sector. Check in newspapers or on the internet. †¢ †¢ †¢ ii) For one of your examples, ï ¬ ll in the table below showing how three different people might feel about the event. Management of the service involved Relative of the person involved Person who works at the service involved (for example care worker) iii) How do you think negative coverage of the health and social care sector changes the views of the public about the sector? Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 17 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care 1 a) Do they feel more or less positive about people who work in the sector? b) Are they happy with the service they or their relatives are receiving? iv) Have public concerns about the health and social care sector and the way services are delivered made any changes to your workplace? BTEC: Unit 2: 1.2, 2.1, 3.1, 3.3 Diploma: Unit 2: 2.1, 3.1 PLTS: CT6, RL5, CT3 Task 7 i) It is important to consider your personal development. Throughout your Apprenticeship, your assessor and manager will encourage you to think about or reï ¬â€šect on what you do at work. How can reï ¬â€šection help you to develop your knowledge and skills? 18 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care It is important to consider your personal development 1 ii) Describe a learning activity that improved your own knowledge, skills and understanding. iii) What did you learn? Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 19 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care 1 iv) Where can you go for support in your learning and development? v) This is a template for a Personal Development Plan. Below it are statements about what you should put in different sections. Match each statement to the correct section of the plan. Personal Development Plan 1. Review of strengths and weaknesses relevant to current and future roles 2. Learning topic to be targeted in the plan and how the learning will be used Name: 3. Knowledge to be learnt 4. Skills to be learnt and developed 5. Learning activities and dates 6. Assessment and dates 20 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care Insert the number of the correct section of the plan next to each description. This space should include a brief description of the area the person will be trying to develop and what difference the learning could make to their role. This space should include detailed information about which skills the person will develop. Objectives should be SMART (speciï ¬ c, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound). This space should include a description of what the person does well and where they do less well in the job. It should be based on evidence. It should identify changes in the job and possible changes in career and the relevant strengths and weaknesses of the individual. This space should include target dates for achievement and space for the comments of the person and their manager to assess the success of different objectives. This space should include detailed information about what knowledge the person will gain. Objectives should be SMART (speciï ¬ c, measurable, achie vable, realistic and time-bound). This space should include a description of any learning activities the person will do, what knowledge and skills they will gain and when the activities will take place. You will need to complete your own personal development plan. If your workplace does not have its own template, you may want to use the one above. You should complete the plan together with your manager. 1 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 21 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 2 Health & Social Care 1 BTEC: Unit 2: 3.2, 3.4 Diploma: Unit 2: 2.2, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.4 WorkSkills: Unit 1: 2.1, 2.3 Unit 9: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 PLTS: EP4 EVIDENCE GATHERING In this activity you will identify an area of your work that will capture evidence of how you operate as a team leader. Your assessor will help you to identify suitable items of evidence. You need to gather evidence of activity within areas of your work to demonstrate: that you can complete a personal development plan and assess your own knowledge and skills. Suggested evidence may include: †¢ completed personal development plan †¢ diary or reï ¬â€šective account of your own learning †¢ witness testimony from manager about your participation in the process of building a personal development plan. Your assessor may wish to ask you some follow-up questions on the personal development plan process. These may include the following: †¢ How should you agree a personal development plan? †¢ What are the beneï ¬ ts of a personal development plan? †¢ Why should you meet deadlines and be organised? †¢ How has a learning activity improved your knowledge, ski lls and understanding? †¢ What happens if you do not complete learning on time? 22 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011

Progression of Homosexuality

Abstract Progression of Homosexuality: Evolution of a phenomenon over time Some authors believe that homosexuality is not a kind of conduct, as commonly supposed, but a psychological condition (Woggon, 1981). Thus, it is important to understand that the genuine homosexual condition or inversion, as it is often termed. This condition is something for which the subject is in no way responsible. Some literature suggests that homosexuality in itself it is morally neutral. Like the condition of heterosexuality, however, it tends to find expression in specific sexual acts; and such acts are subject to moral judgment (McNeill, 1966). A major premise established in contemporary literature is the concept that sexual orientation ranges along a continuum, as opposed to simply being heterosexual or homosexual. It is possible that this is mainly because increased attention has been paid to the attraction and not merely the action. Braverman (1973) has examined a scale developed by Kinsey, who thought that homosexuality is a normal manifestation of human sexuality. This scale operationalizes the continuum. People are rated on a scale of zero to six. Zero representing exclusive heterosexual inclinations and six exclusive homosexual inclinations. Those who don’t fall into either extreme feel a mixture of both to varying degrees. This middle group is theoretically bisexual. However, people who are close to either extreme tend to be absorbed into that respective category. This absorption leaves only those closer to the centre in the bisexual group. Most research conducted has grouped people into these three categories. The Causes of Homosexuality Fathers, on the other hand, were thought to prefer the other children. In doing so, fathers failed to protect the child from the destructive influence of the mother. The researchers espousing biological and genetic causes of homosexuality were considered to be fringe in those times. Even so, there were studies corroborating such causes. Kallman (1952) conducted a study in which male homosexual monozygotic twins were found to be significantly more similar (in terms of homosexual tendencies) than dizygotic twins. These results were not taken to mean that genetic composition was a necessary condition for the development of homosexuality. Rather, it was generally hought by proponents, that a hereditary physical trait played a role in the cultural shaping of a homosexual. In other words, if a young male or female exhibited physical characteristics associated with the opposite gender that individual would have been treated as if they were homosexual. This would in turn influence their development (a self-fulfilling prophecy). Silberner (1984) referred to a st udy conducted by the State University of New York, in which researchers found a physical correlate to homosexual behavior. They went further to conclude that biological markers for sexual orientation may exist. Even so, researchers made it clear that findings did not focus on definite causes of homosexuality. However, it was admitted that there was a real possibility that there is a biological element of the phenomenon. Even into the 1990’s this vein of research has continued. For example, Bower (1993) identified that significant progress had been made in the pursuit of identifying a gene that may influence some instances of male homosexuality. It was suggested that a gene within a small segment of the X chromosome (passed from mother to son), contributes to the sexual orientation of a subset of homosexual men. Interestingly, a tendency to focus on male homosexuals in scientific research can be seen at this stage. Although an exhaustive list of studies on homosexuality cannot be provided in this forum (nor would it be practical), from a review of the available literature, this is confirmed. The APA removed homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychological Disorders in 1973. In 1975 it then released a public statement that homosexuality was not a mental disorder. In 1994, two decades later, the APA finally stated, â€Å"†¦ omosexuality is neither a mental illness nor a moral depravity. It is the way a portion of the population expresses human love and sexuality† From the premises established in this section, a holistic illustration of world-views regarding homosexuality, can be detailed. World Views of Homosexuality Secular As discussed previously, the first half (and a little beyond) of the 20th century spawned varying views of homosexuality (constitution al, developmental and genetic were the main ones). However, the worldviews resulting from such were congruent in the main. This is primarily because of the fact that these theories were aiming to explain the occurrence of a class of aberration/disorder. Consequently, claims, such as homosexuality being classified as a serious psychiatric and social problem (Bieber, 1969), were commonplace in academic literature and reverberated in the wider society. The passage of time into the final quarter of the last century, realized a progressively softer position regarding homosexuality, by both from the academic and wider community. This softening can be observed as being simultaneous with stances adopted by the APA. After the organization’s actions in 1973 and 1975 concerning acceptance of homosexuality, the literature had been littered with expressions of the wide variability in the social acceptance of homosexual activity (Greenberg & Bystryn, 1982). Christian The ELCA encourages its congregations to welcome gay and lesbian persons as church members, but it does not allow for the approval or affirmation of gay or lesbian relationships. Specifically, the ordained, commissioned, and consecrated ministries†¦are open to homosexuals only it they remain celibate and no provisions exist for the blessing of same-gender unions (Childs, 2003, p. 32). From these official points of view, a sense of where Christianity stands with regard to homosexuality is only halfway complete (at best). Individual members of the Church, including clergymen, sometimes have conflicting views. As demonstrated, a plethora of worldviews exist, with regards to homosexuality. It is as a result of these, that there a re various views of the role that psychology and counseling should play in the life of a homosexual and the phenomenon (homosexuality), as a whole. Role of Psychology/Counseling Conclusion Throughout the literature reviewed for this paper, the themes of variability and non-consensus are recurrent. There has been no conclusive study which has unearthed potential causes of homosexuality. Resultant worldviews are varied across and even within secular and religious sources, allowing for no clear-cut path for psychologists/counselors to take in dealing with the phenomenon. By looking at past and current events in the field, it appears as though distinct lines will be drawn, but in non-traditional ways, namely, within as opposed to without. This is with reference to the dichotomy within Christian and secular views of homosexuality. It appears as though the only area of near-consensus is the view that homosexuals (distinct from homosexuality) are not to be condemned, or view as inherently pathological. Holding firm to this premise, further research and interest from the various interest groups may be beneficial to all. 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