Consumer behavious - B2C and B2B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumer behavious - B2C and B2B - Essay Example This paper therefore, shall be focussed on the identification and evaluation of the various dimensions of consumer behaviour and consumer decision making process based on the differences between the B2B and the B2C buying behaviour. Moreover, the paper shall also aim at providing few real life illustrations to demonstrate the major differences between the consumer behaviour in B2B and B2C markets. The paper shall also look into the buying process in the B2C markets. Differences between the Buyer Characteristics of B2B and B2C Customers According to most of the authors, researchers and marketers, the buying behaviour of consumers differs vastly in terms of B2B and B2C markets. The differences can be identified on the ground of various features related to the overall buying behaviour of the targeted customer group. To be precise, the buying behaviour of B2B and B2C consumers largely differs in terms of market structure, buying unit, kind of purchase, nature of the buying process and co mmunication (Dave, 2008). B2B Consumer B2C Consumer Market Structure: The structure of a market refers to the buying capacity of the targeted customers. ... prefer buying in units Kind of Purchase: This particular attribute of the buying behaviour of the targeted customers refers to the reason of purchase. Business or industrial consumers purchase goods or services in order to satisfy their business needs rather than their personal needs In the case of individual customers the reason to purchase a good or service is to satisfy their personal needs or family needs (Pearsoned, 2006) Nature of the Buying Process: The buying decisions of the customers are also considered to be different in the case of a B2B customer and a B2C customer. The buying process is highly formalised and therefore faces major inconvenience as a result of supply failure The buying process is comparatively less formalised and thus creates a minimal amount of inconvenience in the failure of the supply (Pearsoned, 2006) Communication: Communication is the factor which assists the marketer to create an impulse on the targeted customers. In the case of corporate buyers, th e impulse of personal selling is greater than mass media communication In case of the B2C customers, the influence of mass media tends to be much more effective than personal selling (Pearsoned, 2006) Other than these differences the buying behaviour of B2B and B2C customer also varies from several other influences such as the macro and micro environmental fluctuations. For instance, the buying behaviour of a B2B customer in an FMCG company is highly influenced by the fluctuations of the company’s financial stability or other economic trends. Contradictorily, the buying behaviour of a B2C customer does not directly get influenced by the ups and downs of the micro-environment (Barschel, 2007). The differences in the B2B and the B2C consumer buying behaviour can be again identified in the

Staff recruitment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Staff recruitment - Essay Example (2) The employer will give an employee a minimum of two weeks'notice of the date of commencement of duty. one month ofcommencing employment. Junior Employees Liberty is reserved to both parties to apply to make provisions for junior employees. Part-Time Employees 9. - PART TIME EMPLOYEES (1) Part-time employees may be employed on a regular basis for less total hours or weeks in a year than full-time employees but for not less than 3 hours on each day and shall be paid for each hour worked in proportion to the rate of wage prescribed in Clause 5. Hours 10. - HOURS (1) The ordinary hours of duty shall be: (a) Thirty eight hours per week or; (b) An average of 38 hours per week with hours actually worked being 40 hours per week or 80 hours per fortnight; (2) The ordinary hours of duty shall be worked in five days of not more than 8 hours (excluding a meal break) between the hours of 6.00am and 6.00pm. Provided that the ordinary hours of work performed on any day of late night trading may be worked between 6.00am and 9.00pm. Provided further that the aforementioned spread of hours may be varied by mutual agreement between the employer and employee. 24. - HOURS (1) The ordinary working hours of work shall not exceed 40 in any one week, or eight in any one day, Monday to Friday inclusive. Such hours to be consecutive except for the meal break. (2) In any week in which a public holiday or the day in lieu is observed falls between Monday to Friday inclusive, the ordinary hours of work for that week shall be 32 hours, and in any week in which two public holidays or the days in lieu are observed fall between Monday to Friday inclusive,... (1) Part-time employees may be employed on a regular basis for less total hours or weeks in a year than full-time employees but for not less than 3 hours on each day and shall be paid for each hour worked in proportion to the rate of wage prescribed in Clause 5. (2) The ordinary hours of duty shall be worked in five days of not more than 8 hours (excluding a meal break) between the hours of 6.00am and 6.00pm. Provided that the ordinary hours of work performed on any day of late night trading may be worked between 6.00am and 9.00pm. Provided further that the aforementioned spread of hours may be varied by mutual agreement between the employer and employee. (2) In any week in which a public holiday or the day in lieu is observed falls between Monday to Friday inclusive, the ordinary hours of work for that week shall be 32 hours, and in any week in which two public holidays or the days in lieu are observed fall between Monday to Friday inclusive, the ordinary hours of work for that week shall be 24 hours. (3) The ordinary starting time shall not be earlier than 5.30 a.m. and the ordinary finishing time shall not be later than 4.30 p.m. Monday to Friday inclusive, or as otherwise agreed between the parties hereto. (2) All time worked in excess of ordinary hours on a Saturday before 12.00 noon shall be paid for at the rate of time and one half f

Why, if at all, is freedom a good thing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why, if at all, is freedom a good thing - Essay Example The Anti-Terrorism Act 2001 has already made privacy and freedom to conduct political manifestations of the Freedom of Speech a thing of yesterday.We have accusations of hate speech and incitement everywhere.. All this has left us wondering whether Freedom can exist with law or Voltaire said we are in the shackles of law,regulations and even democracy everywhere we go.Are we actually free or have we been led to believe that we are free in the trap of the legal norms of this society The so called modern British Citizen is not free from the nuances of being controlled by the Government.Many recent developments would indicate that the modern British citizen despite being domiciled in a free country is still subject to draconian laws like the Regulation of Investigatory powers Act 2000 which allows public authorities to access communications data, of British citizens for investigation. Furthermore these public authorities can also obtain communications data from operators of telecommunications or postal services. Therefore now the police, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the National Crime Squad, the Commissioners of Customs and Excise, the Commissioners of Inland Revenue and any of the intelligence services all have access to an individual's private information which is indeed a scary prospect.It is also true that the word freedom has become a concept much played by political bias and historical arm twisting.Consider the situation post 9/11 where Mrs M ary Robinson,1 once stated "Unfortunately, what I saw and heard was undemocratic regimes using the tragedy in the United States of 9/11 to pursue their own repressive policies, secure in the belief that their excesses would be ignored. New laws and detention practices were introduced in a significant number of countries, all broadly justified by the new international war on terrorism. The extension of security policies in many countries has been used to suppress political dissent and to stifle expression of opinion of many who have no link to terrorism and are not associated with political violence." Of course then all the atrocities in the Iraq and Afghan war were carried out in the name of Freedom.The media responded by taking "freedom of speech" for granted by showing its own versions to the audience and shamelessly selling its credibility as many "fair and balanced" members of the media chose to become "embedded" journalists. Today there is no concept of paid political advertising on television and radio. This is a flagrant breach of the freedom of speech and expression. Moreover this ban on political advertising does not just apply to political parties, but anyone with political views. All is not lost however. The saving grace comes from the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998 which have aided the judiciary in upholding the notions of Freedom of speech and privacy. Taking the example of the Data Protection Act 1998.This act compels data controllers to erase information like patients details or telecoms customers call records etc. Data controllers can be anyone from a doctor to a telecom company. Moreover the Human rights Act 1998 has played a large role in strengthening the

Consumer behavious - B2C and B2B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumer behavious - B2C and B2B - Essay Example This paper therefore, shall be focussed on the identification and evaluation of the various dimensions of consumer behaviour and consumer decision making process based on the differences between the B2B and the B2C buying behaviour. Moreover, the paper shall also aim at providing few real life illustrations to demonstrate the major differences between the consumer behaviour in B2B and B2C markets. The paper shall also look into the buying process in the B2C markets. Differences between the Buyer Characteristics of B2B and B2C Customers According to most of the authors, researchers and marketers, the buying behaviour of consumers differs vastly in terms of B2B and B2C markets. The differences can be identified on the ground of various features related to the overall buying behaviour of the targeted customer group. To be precise, the buying behaviour of B2B and B2C consumers largely differs in terms of market structure, buying unit, kind of purchase, nature of the buying process and co mmunication (Dave, 2008). B2B Consumer B2C Consumer Market Structure: The structure of a market refers to the buying capacity of the targeted customers. ... prefer buying in units Kind of Purchase: This particular attribute of the buying behaviour of the targeted customers refers to the reason of purchase. Business or industrial consumers purchase goods or services in order to satisfy their business needs rather than their personal needs In the case of individual customers the reason to purchase a good or service is to satisfy their personal needs or family needs (Pearsoned, 2006) Nature of the Buying Process: The buying decisions of the customers are also considered to be different in the case of a B2B customer and a B2C customer. The buying process is highly formalised and therefore faces major inconvenience as a result of supply failure The buying process is comparatively less formalised and thus creates a minimal amount of inconvenience in the failure of the supply (Pearsoned, 2006) Communication: Communication is the factor which assists the marketer to create an impulse on the targeted customers. In the case of corporate buyers, th e impulse of personal selling is greater than mass media communication In case of the B2C customers, the influence of mass media tends to be much more effective than personal selling (Pearsoned, 2006) Other than these differences the buying behaviour of B2B and B2C customer also varies from several other influences such as the macro and micro environmental fluctuations. For instance, the buying behaviour of a B2B customer in an FMCG company is highly influenced by the fluctuations of the company’s financial stability or other economic trends. Contradictorily, the buying behaviour of a B2C customer does not directly get influenced by the ups and downs of the micro-environment (Barschel, 2007). The differences in the B2B and the B2C consumer buying behaviour can be again identified in the

Why, if at all, is freedom a good thing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why, if at all, is freedom a good thing - Essay Example The Anti-Terrorism Act 2001 has already made privacy and freedom to conduct political manifestations of the Freedom of Speech a thing of yesterday.We have accusations of hate speech and incitement everywhere.. All this has left us wondering whether Freedom can exist with law or Voltaire said we are in the shackles of law,regulations and even democracy everywhere we go.Are we actually free or have we been led to believe that we are free in the trap of the legal norms of this society The so called modern British Citizen is not free from the nuances of being controlled by the Government.Many recent developments would indicate that the modern British citizen despite being domiciled in a free country is still subject to draconian laws like the Regulation of Investigatory powers Act 2000 which allows public authorities to access communications data, of British citizens for investigation. Furthermore these public authorities can also obtain communications data from operators of telecommunications or postal services. Therefore now the police, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the National Crime Squad, the Commissioners of Customs and Excise, the Commissioners of Inland Revenue and any of the intelligence services all have access to an individual's private information which is indeed a scary prospect.It is also true that the word freedom has become a concept much played by political bias and historical arm twisting.Consider the situation post 9/11 where Mrs M ary Robinson,1 once stated "Unfortunately, what I saw and heard was undemocratic regimes using the tragedy in the United States of 9/11 to pursue their own repressive policies, secure in the belief that their excesses would be ignored. New laws and detention practices were introduced in a significant number of countries, all broadly justified by the new international war on terrorism. The extension of security policies in many countries has been used to suppress political dissent and to stifle expression of opinion of many who have no link to terrorism and are not associated with political violence." Of course then all the atrocities in the Iraq and Afghan war were carried out in the name of Freedom.The media responded by taking "freedom of speech" for granted by showing its own versions to the audience and shamelessly selling its credibility as many "fair and balanced" members of the media chose to become "embedded" journalists. Today there is no concept of paid political advertising on television and radio. This is a flagrant breach of the freedom of speech and expression. Moreover this ban on political advertising does not just apply to political parties, but anyone with political views. All is not lost however. The saving grace comes from the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998 which have aided the judiciary in upholding the notions of Freedom of speech and privacy. Taking the example of the Data Protection Act 1998.This act compels data controllers to erase information like patients details or telecoms customers call records etc. Data controllers can be anyone from a doctor to a telecom company. Moreover the Human rights Act 1998 has played a large role in strengthening the

Literary Device Compare and Contrast Essay Essay Example for Free

Literary Device Compare and Contrast Essay Essay Short stories are often the best way to learn about literary terms and their uses. They’re short, as their name depicts, but contain everything that longer stories would have such as the elements of plot, foreshadowing, themes, tone, and other literary devices. The two short stories, The Parsley Garden by William Saroyan and Sweat by Zora Neale Hudson were both amazing to read and offered a lot of insight to American history. The Parsley Garden told the story of an adolescent, named Al, during the depression, who wanted a hammer he saw in a store. Not having a single penny on him, he decided to steal it, getting caught in the action. Lectured and humiliated by the store manager, Mr. Clemmer, he was let go resulting in him plotting his revenge and a way to get his pride back. Sweat was the story of an African-American wash-woman, Delia. She was constantly abused and was trapped under her tyrannical husband, Sykes who openly cheated on her with another woman. Despite all her hardships with her husband, she worked long and hard using her own sweat and blood to clean clothes. As their relationship got even worse, Sykes decided to pull an ugly prank on Delia that would later backfire on him. Both stories had their similarities and differences, but some stood out more than others. The climaxes of the two stories were similar in that they were both turning points in the story, but also different in the way the story was resolved. In Sweat, the resolution is bitter sweet. â€Å"She saw him on his hands and knees as soon as she reached the door†¦she knew the cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye which must know by now that she knew. † Delia was emancipated from the abuse of her husband, but she still pitied him and was upset over the death of her Sykes. The Parsley Garden ends in the more typical, happy fashion. Al finally obtains his hammer while regaining his pride. â€Å"His mother went inside and went to bed, but Al Condraj sat on the bench he had made and smelled the parsley garden and didn’t feel humiliated anymore. But nothing could stop him from hating the two men, even though he knew they hadn’t done anything they shouldn’t have†. The differences in the resolution of the two stories are common as resolutions are much more complicated than the fairytale ending these days. Each has its  own unique touch but both resolved the story with the readers in peace. Themes are the morals of the story. Both stories had many themes; some similar, some completely different. In Sweat, some of the themes included oppression, honesty, and determination just to name a few. The Parsley Garden had a few more common ones such as coming of age, honesty, pride, and integrity. The theme that occurred most in Sweat was oppression as it was seen throughout the essay. It was the main theme unlike The Parsley Garden which didn’t have one main theme but many smaller themes spread out evenly. â€Å"She brought love to the union and he had brought a longing after the flesh. Two months after the wedding, he had given her the first brutal beating†. Quotes about Delia getting beat, reoccurred throughout the whole story, compared to The Parsley Garden, where the themes did not reoccur. One aspect of stories in general always intrigues me. The conflicts between the characters or between themselves is what makes up the story, so conflicts are one of the most important literary terms in a story. Both stories contain man vs.  man conflict such as when Delia and Sykes fight â€Å"That night he did not return at all, and the next day being Sunday, Delia was glad she did not have to quarrel before she hitched up her pony and drove the four miles to Woodbridge†, and when Al was grabbed by the young man in the store â€Å"but as he did so a man took him firmly by the arm without a word and pushed him to the back of the store into a small office†. Man vs. man is often the most common type of conflict as there is usually a protagonist and an antagonist. The stories differed in that Sweat also had man vs.  society, where it went against society, for Sykes to beat Delia as aforementioned with the theme, oppression. Sweat and The Parsley Garden were similar in many ways, but they also had more differences than similarities. This just shows the variety of stories there are out there in the world. Comparing two different stories would yield completely different ways of writing. There are just too many ways of writing, but one can bet one thing for sure. There will always be literary devices in a good story and it will always follow a plot.

Classifying Sport As Religious In Postmodern Times

Classifying Sport As Religious In Postmodern Times This paper will examine the question of if sport can be classed as a religion? It will then go on to discuss the implications this could have on religion and societies beliefs, looking specifically at the sporting event of football. Where the paper speaks of religion it will refer to the Christian religions that are widely practiced in the United Kingdom (UK), unless otherwise stated. The paper will explore various definitions of religion, from a traditional and postmodern perspective as well as briefly examining the term postmodern. After this arguments both for and against the notion above and any similarities in the values, rituals, beliefs and practices that football and traditional Christian religions in the UK hold will be explored. It is important to draw comparisons between religious life and that of a supporter of footballs life to fully understand if football is religious. I shall endeavour to examine such notions as does classing football as a religion take away the sacredness of religion or is it positive and progressive that people can choose their own religions rather than simply being lead, or following traditions passed on from generation to generation. There are many definitions of religious. In fact within Sociology it is well known that sociologists cannot agree on a single complete definition. For the benefit of this paper the definitions quoted here shall come from sociological or religious organisations. Below one can reflect on various definitions of religion, even if it is only to gain a sense of how vast and different the interpretations can be. Emile Durkheim defined religion as a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church all those who adhere to them. This statement could be related to traditional belief systems and religions and to sporting events, especially football as will be explored later on in this paper. According to the Oxford English Dictionary postmodernism is described as a late 20th -century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism, which represents a departure from modernism and is characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media , and a general distrust of theories. In sociology the term postmodern has been defined as argues against the idea of objective truth So, form this it could be argued that if postmodernism is against the idea of a truth, then religion, as we have known it, can play no part in a post modern society. Religion would, at the very least be individualistic and would give members of society the opportunity to interpret religion as a personal belief system and way of life. Postmodern views on religion are far removed from some of the more traditional views within the UK. Before one can understand ant definition of religion via postmodern terms one must look to outline postmodernism. Again, this is hard to pin down due to the many variations. The post modern era, is for many the period of time post world war two (WW2). Postmodernists would state that society is in a constant state of change, it is ever evolving. Therefore there are no absolute truths, only relative ones. Basically each individual shall choose their own set of beliefs, values and understandings that shall replace religion as it has been known. One could describe it as a pick and mix where an individual takes from each traditional religion what they like, understand or believe and, in effect, create a personal religion that they and they alone are at one with. Where traditional religions would mean the coming together of communities in post modern times if the people are picking and mixin g then there is no formal meeting place for them to worship as they do not fit into one set religion. According to Furlong Cartmel (sociology introductory readings 2001) postmodernists such as Lyotard and Baudrilland argue that recent social changes have been so far-reaching that it is no longer possible to predict individual life chances or patterns of behaviour. Consequently they reject the validity of social science and key concepts such as class and race Religion can be applied to this idea, as religion has always been a key concept in the way one lives their lives, the groups they belong to and the moral and spiritual beliefs that they hold. Parry (2007) argued that, spirituality came about in force during the 20th century. Spirituality was originally associated with a formal religion, but then came postmodernism, and along with it many people developed their own views of religion, which is now more often described as spirituality. Spirituality in sport is different for every individual involved, from the feeling of exhilaration and exhaustion caused pushing the body to its limits, right through to a crowd of supporters who have returned to their own church to support their own religion. Janet Leaver ( Sport culture and society, 2006) states that Sports is one institution that holds together the people of a metropolis and heightens their attachment to a localeThe pomp and pageantry of sport spectacles create excitement and arouse fervour, doing for the people of the metropolis what religious ceremonies do for people in communal societies The sociologist Karl Marx once said, Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of heartless conditions, the soul of a soulless world. It is the opiate of the people. However,as the world evolved and people realised that they had a choice. In turn, Illya McLellan stated in the article named The Cult Of Football: A Religion for the Twentieth Century and Beyond(September 2008) But as the world moved on from this time there arose a new opiate of the people and, in its own way, a new religion. A religion that would in some ways inspire more devotion and fervour than its tired counterparts that were still mired in the doctrines of yesteryear. Briefly moving away from to UK to touch on our neighbours in the United States of America (USA) Harry Edwards (1973) argued that the universal popular religion of the USA is, in fact sports. To be considered a religion, sport must hold a number of characteristics that are also common within religion. Edwards states that there are thirteen factors that sport shares with religion. This paper will now go on to examine some of these thirteen characteristics, as well as other characteristics that this paper holds in high regard when comparing the two subjects, and ultimately show how sport can, at the very least show startling similarities between the two . The research that has been conducted in order to compile this paper has seen many, many similarities between football and religion. Below one can look at what one could argue are the perceived key issues and similarities between the religion and sport specifically football. As one can see the information provided below is quite compelling in answering part of the paper title In postmodern times can sport be classed as religious? Coming together as a community Within traditional Church settings the Church community has always held great importance; this extends to such organisations as the local Church fates, womens church groups and youth clubs that centre on their shared beliefs and faith. Within a football environment these past times have been replaced by the drink down the pub prior to a match, the meeting to organise the away events and such like. The community is centred on their followers beliefs and faith. Places of worship and pilgrimages Within the Church community it is expected that the worshippers have a place they can call their religious home, somewhere they can reflect upon their religion and travel to on a regular basis to hear the word of God. Within football this Church could be substituted for the home ground the football stadium of the followers team where they can attend to worship their team and call their spiritual home. It could be argued that football even has its own Cathedrals in the guise of places such as Wembley stadium, and even for some this could be considered a pilgrimage Belief Systems. Within football belief is an important part of football religion and culture. Every Saturday as the team in top position of the Premier League take on the relegation favourites there are thousands of people willing and believing that, against all odds their team will come through. They hold faith and belief that their team are the best, that their faith will see them through. The atmosphere is made up of the chanting and singing and many other rituals that will, hopefully turn their beliefs into a reality after ninety minutes. Much in the way that a traditional religious person will believe that they go to Church to be close to God, so the football fan believes that by attending week in week out their team will have support and the faith to go on and win the three points each team supporter believes they deserve. Edwards (1973), states that both religion and sport have a formal set of beliefs that its attendees must adhere to. Fans are told to have faith in their team in testing time s, just as Church attendees are expected to look to their faith in times of need. Gods and Saints v managers and players Religions pray to, and believe in their God and Saints, within football the followers idolise, and on occasion, chant and sing songs of praise about their players or managers. This could be seen as a distinct difference between traditional religions and football. However one could argue that followers of traditional faiths can, did, and do sometimes change their beliefs. Examples that spring to mind are when Christianity split between Rome and Constantinople and so formed the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. Another example could be when Martin Luther split to form the Protestant Church as a revolt against Catholic Doctrine. However, it must be said that within football splits, changes and opinions do change much quicker than the traditional religious examples cited here. Symbols. The Cross and chain v the replica kit Within traditional religious communities it is common to see Church-goers adorning a cross on a chain and many attendees can be seen to clutch Rosary Beads. Some cross and chain wearers will, at certain times, be seen to kiss their cross as a symbol of faith, or for guidance and re-assurance. Within the religion of football the cross is exchanged for the team colours in the way of scarves, badges, flags and replica shirts.and football fans can often be seen to kiss the crest of their club that appears on the scarves and shirts they wear. Rituals and Hymns v rituals and chants When a football fan enters their home ground they will be welcomed with the familiar chants of their chosen team. Many of such chants will concentrate on club history, great victories, club saints and heroes, the famous pilgrimage to Wembley not to mention the chants they save especially to rejoice when their team scores that all important goal. Within the Church community these chants and songs are replaced by hymns that rejoice in the name of Jesus and God. Football provides a ritualistic weekend gathering for the devoted, as does Church and for the more lax followers they can catch up on match of the day, some may say its the football followers Songs of Praise. This very statement shows that football can be practiced amongst the masses, or more in private like night time prayers for the more traditional religious believers. Festivals. According to Stephen Tompkins in his article Matches made in Heaven he states that September is footballs Christmas, a joyful celebration of new birth after a season of expectant waiting The close of season brings Easters mix of grief and (if you are lucky) triumph, followed by the long Lenten period of summer. As one can see from this citation the similarities between religious festivals and sporting events are evident. Celtic v Glasgow Rangers religion and football can unite and divide It has been said that religion has been the cause of wars throughout the world, due to different peoples ideologies and beliefs. The very same can be said for football if we look at what is the most famous rivalry in the UK Celtic and Glasgow Rangers. Rangers Football club has always been portrayed as a Catholic football club and Celtic have always been portrayed as a Protestant football club. If one was to look at the BBC News website (www.bbc.co.uk/news) they would see that there is an article named A rivalry tied up in religion. This article goes on to state that this is such deeply rooted in supporters that The mutual animosity was outlined four years ago when some Celtic fans began flying Palestinian flags and some Rangers supporters responded by fluttering Israeli flags. Lever comments that a Celtic fan may feel his Catholicism most strongly when he faces a Rangers fan. It is important that this paper highlighted the fact that religion and football are already walking (or batt ling) hand in hand within the UK. Obviously there are groups that will argue what has been divulged so far within this paper is not religion, but a group of people who have a sense of belonging within a community, but that does not make the sport religious in its own right. The Church would be the first to argue that football is not religious as it does not worship God or Jesus. Michael Novak argues a sport is not a religion in the same way that Methodism, Presbyterianism, or Catholicism is a religionthese are not the only kinds of religion. There are secular religions, civil religions (Novak 18). Sports can easily fulfil the role that religion plays in society if the individuals seeking that spiritual influence allow for it. One could even go as far to compare footballs rites of passage to the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Such things as baptism could be substituted for the first match, confirmation for the attendance your first match independently of your parents. Confession could be substituted for the after match analysis, where you admit your team could do better and that you feel you start to question your own faith. Indeed, some people are even indoctrinated into football and the following of a certain team from a young age. Followers may also, in extreme circumstances face fear in the thought of informing their parents that they no longer wish to follow their team and wish to follow another, much in the same way some Catholics may feel fear in wishing to turn to the Protestant faith or vice versa. It is clear that the more closely we analyze the mystique of sports, psychologically and functionally, the more we tend to use religious language to describe it. And no wonder: from its beginning athletics was regarded as a religious cultà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦-Cornish Rodgers, The Christian Century As this paper has shown football is indeed a religion to many people around the UK and many similarities can be drawn between sport and religion. They meet in their thousands every week at the 92 football league grounds around the UK to profess their faith and beliefs with their fellow believers . I feel that, the notion that football can be classed as religion is true for all the reasons explored above. Of course there will be people who disagree with my findings, but these people will probably be of a Church community. In the 21st Century, sport does indeed fulfil the most common definition of religion as a system of beliefs and practices by which a group of people struggles with the ultimate problems of human life. Religion does not have clear-cut physical properties, nor are its characters readily ascertained and agreed upon (McGuire 1987, Religion: The social context) Now, what does this mean for religion and beliefs in society? Undoubtedly it means that the traditional norms and values of society have shifted, congregating in Church to pray to God has, for some, been replaced with meeting on the terraces to cheer on their local football teams. Undoubtedly, if sport is a religion it will, for some take away the sacredness that religions have previously held. But, is that due to the fact that religion, as the UK has traditionally known it, is redundant and has moved on to give way to spirituality. The community of religion is similar to that of sport For many, the worry lies in the fact that footballs moral teachings are not in line with what society needs for guidance and reassurance. It is imperative that people do take some moral guidance from the teachings of the Church and the Ten Commandments; however it could be argued that the law within the UK can draw direct comparisons to the Commandments themselves. By making the decision to not abide by the law the individual faces the risk of being held in custody. So, maybe the moral underpinning that the Church teaches can be sought and taught by other mediums? It must be said that although football is, for many, classed as a religion I can see no evidence that sport answers some of the age old questions of what happens to us after death and the likesbut maybe the post-modern society that we now live in makes such ponderings redundant so therefore there is no longer the need answers to such questions? Finally, if I had to categorise sport I would ideally prefer to say that football is more spiritual than religious, but as we have explored that religion does not really fit in with a post modern society. It is up to the individual to find what is for them, a spiritual journey.