Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Explain some theory that you have read about in relation to the Essay

Explain some theory that you have read about in relation to the pricing of products and discuss its usefulness - Essay Example In the marketplace, they encounter a wide array of vendors and product offerings with a complex variety of benefits, prices, terms, and promotional messages. Research findings suggest that much of what people do when they buy products and services follows a definite logic. They look for cues to help simplify decision making, and often rely on simple rules of thumb. Correspondingly, it is possible to identify patterns of behavior in the way buyers go about satisfying their needs (Morris, Morris, 1990). The business must consider the customers perception of price implementing strategies such as positioning, price points and fair pricing. Price alone can be used in several ways to attract customers. There are two opposing strategies to the pricing of a product. If the business expects to be the low-cost leader, it must price (position) lower than the competition. If it wants to signal high quality, it should price products higher than most of the competition. Some manufacturers and reta ilers use price as a signal of quality. Consumers often have few indicators of quality, so price may be perceived as one of the better available cues.   By studied these various psychological aspects of consumer behavior, it becomes possible to price products and services to be of maximum appeal to the target market. Certain brands and retailers position themselves as providing value and quality at a low cost. These retailers rely on loss leaders to get consumers in the door knowing that once in, consumers are more likely to shop for other things as well. There are certain specific prices (price-points) at which people become more willing to buy a certain type of product. ‘Under  £100’ is a popular price point. An amount below  £20 including sales tax is another popular price point because it is the most popular denomination of money that people typically carry with them.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Maori Culture Essay Example for Free

Maori Culture Essay Abstract The Maori, which means ordinary or common, arrived in New Zealand in the 14th century. Polynesian by descent, they came from the mythical land of Hawaiki, believed by many experts to be a combination of places, including Tahiti, Samoa, Hawaii and the Cook Islands. Upon arriving in New Zealand, the Maori dubbed the picturesque land Aotearoa, or land of the long white cloud. The Maori Culture The Maori like many other Pacific Islanders started their journey in a canoe. Living on an island afforded the Maori with a unique and diverse culture that is still evident in Modern day New Zealand. In the next few pages I will give you a brief glimpse of the Maori way of life then and now. I will discuss the belief and value system, gender roles, healing the sick and also the impact of Colonialism on the Maori way of life. There are three basic beliefs and values of the Maori. I nga wa o Mua, Whakapapa and Mana. I nga wa o Mu. Maori believe that ancestors and supernatural beings are ever-present and able to help the tribe in times of need. The Maori world view is to look in front of us to the past for guidance as that is where we came from. It was because of this philosophy that the Maori did not conveniently forget about the Treaty of Waitangi once it was signed. Through facing the past they can learn from past mistakes and not repeat them. This concept is totally reversed in other cultures, who try to encourage them to forget about the past and to put things behind them Whakapapa Whakapapa translated means genealogy. The Maori believe that everything and everyone are connected and therefore a part of their Whakapapa. Whakapapa includes genealogies of spiritual and mythological significance, as well as information about the persons tribe and the land he or she lives on. The Whakapapa is passed down orally in the form of stories. One of the most famous stories is story of the creation of Aotearoa. Aotearoa was pulled from the sea by the demi god Maui. Maui was the last of five brothers and was known to be clever. He hid in the canoe of his brothers and when they would not give him bait to fish he took his magical hook and slashed his face and smeared the blood on his hook so that his blood would attract the fish. Smelling the blood the god of the sea gave Maui his biggest fish. Maui asked his brothers to not cut up and eat the fish until proper arrangements had been made to appease and thank the gods for their gift. While Maui was on land trying to pull the boat to shore his brothers started to cut the fish because it started to move. That is why Aotearoa the fish and the mountains and the valleys are where Maui’s brothers tried to cut the fish. Mana According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Mana is â€Å"Among Polynesian and Melanesian peoples, a supernatural force or power that may be ascribed to persons, spirits, or inanimate objects. Mana may be good or evil, beneficial or dangerous, but it is not impersonal; it is never spoken of except in connection with powerful beings or things. The term was first used in the 19th century in the West in connection with religion, but mana is now regarded as a symbolic way of expressing the special qualities attributed to persons of status in a hierarchical society, of providing sanction for their actions, and of explaining their failures†. The Maori believe in three forms of Mana. The first type of Mana is the Mana that you have when you are born. This Mana comes from your Whakapapa and can attribute to the rank and status of your descendants. This Mana is not only the ancestor themselves but also the deeds that they did and the skills, traits and abilities taught to them by their tupuna (elders). The second type of Mana is Mana given to you by other people. Today there are people who seek Mana and deliberately go around trying to gain Mana by telling people about their own importance. There is a Maori saying: â€Å" The Kumara does not talk about its’ own sweetness.† But Mana seekers do exactly that. Humbleness is a very highly valued trait in the Maori world. Many of the great leaders are very humble people, hence part of their greatness. The Maori people sing their praises, thereby heightening their Mana. You will never hear the great leaders singing their own praises. It is not that they are trying to be humble; it is that they just are. The third type of Mana is Mana from the group. The best example I could come up with is the Mana of the marae. The marae is the sacred courtyard that you must be formally invited to enter for the first time. The marae is where challenges are met and issues are debated. When you stay on a Marae all are treated well and fed great food. When the visitor leaves they tell everyone about the great time they had thus increasing the Mana of the marae. If they tell everyone they were treated ill and unkind then the Mana of the marae decreases. Traditional Maori folklore focuses on oppositions between pairs, such as earth and sky, life and death, and male and female. From the time of creation the original couple, Rangi (sky) and Papa (earth) were locked in sexual union until the god Tane was able to push them apart and provide for the creation of human life. So as you can see opposition existed before the creation of human life according to Maori traditional stories. It then would suffice that opposition would exist throughout Maori culture. Premarital sexual relationships were considered normal for Maori adolescents. Both males and females were expected to have a series of private relationships before they married. When Maori females became sexually active, they were to publicly acknowledge this so that they could become tattooed. Tattooing marked their ritual and public passage into adulthood. It was also considered extremely attractive and erotic. Tattooing among the Maori was highly developed and extremely symbolic. Maori facial tattoos were created by two methods. One was by piercing and pigmenting the skin with a tattooing comb. The other was by creating permanent grooves in the face with a chisel-like instrument. . Females were also tattooed in Maori society. Female facial tattooing was known as ta ngutu. Designs were placed on the chin and lips. When it comes to sickness and healing in Maori culture things were very different before Colonization. In traditional times before the colonization of New Zealand, Maori saw science and religion as the same entity and believed that illnesses were caused by supernatural sources. Maori had a good concept of anatomy, physiology and the use of plants for healing; however there was an undefined distinction between the mind and body. Maori believed an evil spirit or a type of witchcraft would attack an individual to cause ill-health as a punishment for breaking the tapu (sacred restriction) of the family that the spirit belonged to. This type of illness was called mate atua (disease of the gods) since there was no obvious physical cause. The individual would experience pain, weakness, loss of appetite, malaise, fever and occasionally delirium due to possession of the spirit. When Captain James Cook colonized New Zealand in 1830 he brought with him, evasive plants and animals as well as guns, alcohol and diseases that the Maori were previously exposed to. New Zealand’s isolation meant that the Maori people lacked immunity to bacterial and viral infections that were common in other countries. The Maori found that their healing methods were ineffective against the new diseases and had to rely on the medicines of the missionaries. The effectiveness and popularity of the missionaries’ medicines assisted in the conversion of Maori to Christianity. It appeared to the Maori that the Christian god had superior powers and this attributed to the health and prosperity of the Europeans. The fundamentals of Maori society, culture, religion and medicine became strained as religion was involved in their everyday lives and many of their beliefs were based upon it. The people began to lose their Mana due to the shift of religion and the spread of Western knowledge undermining the tohunga’s ( spiritual leader) authority The downfall of the whare wananga (school of learning) was also due to conflict between Maori religion and Christianity. In 1907 the Tohunga Supression Act was passed due to concern being raised over the practice and safety of some tohunga. Maori healing was seen as ‘dangerous’ by Western modern medicine as it was not scientifically proven. The Tohunga Suppression Act was repealed in 1962 however this had little significance as some tohunga had practiced throughout the 20th century especially in remote rural areas of the country. Tohunga are still significant in current Rongoa Maori however modern tohunga have not been trained in traditional methods giving them a position of authority and prestige however they are still recognized as experts in their field. Many modern tohunga showed potential in their childhood by spending time with their elders and learning tribal and cultural lore. They then became an apprentice under an established tohunga to learn their expertise Current Maori healthcare is based on a holistic model that incorporates the physical, emotional, family and spiritual aspects of health. Each aspect must be treated or used to ensure full recovery of a patient. The current function of modern tohunga is varied. Conventional medicine is incorporated into the tohunga’s practice however traditional methods of karakia (chants) and inoi (prayer) are still extensively used. Native plants for medicinal purposes are widely used however application of uses varies between each practitioner. References 1. Franklin- Barbajosa, Cassandra. Tattoo: Pigments of Imagination. National Geographic News. March 7, 2008. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0412/online_extra.html 2. Maori.org.nz. http://www.maori.org.nz/ 3. Moriori. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9053755/Morior 4. The Legend of Maui. http://www.sacredtexts.com/pac/maui/maui04.htm 5. The Definition of Mana. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mana 6. Maori Colonization. http://www.heritagehistory.com/www/heritage.php?Dir=erasFileName=britain_11.php

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Cause, Course, and Consequences of world War II :: World War II WWII WW2

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all of the great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. The Allied Powers consisted of the British Empire, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the United States of America was known as â€Å"The Big Three†. The Axis Powers consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan, they were part of a military alliance on the signing of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940. There were many causes of World War II. Germany wanted to expand in Europe. Italy wanted to expand in Africa. Japan wanted to expand in Asia & the Pacific. Other causes of the War include: the Treaty of Versailles, rise of dictatorship in Italy and Germany, expansionist policy of the Axis Powers, policy of Appeasement, and the weakness of the League of Nations. Hitler made clear to his generals that victory was the only important thing in war. Victory and Stalemate: while Hitler continued to move his troops eastward, Britain refused to back down under Churchill and Hitler was forced to invade Britain. The British rebuilt the air force and inflicted major losses on the Luffwaffe. Germany had lost the Battle of Britain and postponed the invasion of Britain. War in Asia: Dec. 7, 1941- Pearl Harbor attack. Also attacks on Philippines and advances on Malaya. US declared war on Japan the next day. The Turning Point (1942-1943): The Grand Alliance was created when the U.S. entered. June 4th, Battle of Midway Island, American planes destroyed all 4 attacking Japanese aircraft carriers est. Am. naval superiority in Pacific. Bitter engagements near the Solomon Islands led to faded Japanese fortunes. The Last Years: Axis forces first surrendered in Tunisia on May 13, 1943. Japan surrendered unconditionally on Aug. 14th 1945†¦.marking the end of WWII.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

World War I :: World War I

World War I, also known as the Great War, was a global war which took place primarily in Europe from 1914 to 1918. The immediate cause of the World War I was the June 28, 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb citizen of Austria-Hungary and member of the Black Hand. The retaliation by Austria-Hungary against the monarchy of Serbia activated a series of alliances that set off a chain reaction of war declarations. Within a month, much of Europe was in a state of open warfare. And World War II or the Second World War was a global military conflict, the joining of what had initially been two separate conflicts. The first began in Asia in 1937 as the Second Sino-Japanese War; the other began in Europe in 1939 with the German invasion of Poland World War I was fought by two major alliances. The Entente Powers initially consisted of France, England, Russia, and their associated empires. Numerous other states joined these allies, most notably Italy in April 1915, and the United States in April 1917. The Central Powers, named because of their central location on the European continent, initially consisted of Germany and Austria-Hungary and their associated empires. The Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers in October 1914, followed a year later by Bulgaria. By the conclusion of the war; only The Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and the Scandinavian nations remained officially neutral among the European countries, though many of those provided financial and material support to one side or the other. World War II was also fought by two major alliances, the Allied and Axis power. The AXIS powers consisted of Germany, Italy (changed sides and split in half 1943) Hungary, Romania Bulgaria, Finland (changed sides 1945) Spain was meant to be neutral but they helped Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy and sent troops to fight alongside the Germans in Russia. The major Allied Powers were Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, the United States, and China. The fighting of World War I mostly took place along several fronts that broadly encircled the European continent. The Western Front was marked by a system of trenches, breastworks, and fortifications separated by an area known as no man's land. These defenses stretched 475 miles and precipitated a style of fighting known as trench warfare. On the Eastern Front, the vastness of the eastern plains and the limited railroad network prevented the stalemate of the Western Front, though the scale of the conflict was just as large.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Conflict: Government and Policy Team

Case Study3 : The Poisoned Chalice: By Matthew Mcdonald, University of New South Wales Joseph had been a team leader for two years and felt he was ready to take the next step in his public service career. He had begun his career as a graduate trainee in the Department of Agriculture after completing a double degree in commerce and environmental science. After his traineeship he was offered permanency as a policy officer, eventually rising to the post of team leader. As a team leader Joseph felt he had gained the trust and respect of his four staff member and had learnt the basic skills of being a manager.Joseph applied for various management positions within his own department without success. Undeterred, he applied for a position in another government department responsible for environment and heritage and was successful. The role involved taking over the position of manager of a â€Å"Taskforce† that had been set up five months previously. The taskforce was made up of 10 tea m members responsible for developing and implementing a set of government policies and programs designed to assist primary producers to manage better the environmental threats to their land.Joseph couldn’t have been happier with his new promotion and he looked forward to applying what he had learned as a team leader to the challenges of his new post. The taskforce itself was divided into two teams. The first team- â€Å"the policy team† was responsible for developing policies in consultation with the minister’s office that would underpin the programs to be eventually rolled put all over the country. This team was made up of highly experienced member. The second team- â€Å"the implementation team† was responsible for implementing the policies developed by the policy team.The job of the implementation team was to deal with the logistic of implementing the programs and working with the numerous stakeholders involved. For Joseph, everything started put well in his new position. He gradually got to know each of the team members, who seemed skilled and competent in each of their roles. He also began to understand better the job that the taskforce was required to do. However, as the days turned into weeks some major problems in the taskforce began to appear.The first major problem was that other sections within the department were unhelpful and difficult to deal with when he made requests of them or sought to initiate collaborations. When he asked his staff why this was the case, the most common response was that the department had â€Å"had it in† for the taskforce as posing a threat to their own positions. The bad blood between the taskforce and the rest of the department made Joseph’s position vary difficult because he and his staff were heavily reliant on other areas of the department for their expertise, advice and assistance in order to manage the project successfully.The second major problem was the taskforce itself, Joseph began to realize that the two teams were highly antagonistic towards each other. This was evident in taskforce meetings, where there was an obvious hostility between them. Joseph also discovered that very little had been achieved since the taskforce was setup, and found that it was now well behind the government’s schedule. However, the full implications of Joseph’s predicament became apparent only after a revealing conversation with Alison, a junior member of the implementation team, while working back late one evening.Alison told Joseph that the previous manager of the taskforce, John, had left the position because of the problems associated with it, everything had started out well; however, then the policy team had begun to treat the implementation team as inferior because the implementation team members were younger in age, were less experienced and had made a major blunder in the first few weeks by getting a national farmers’ union offside. After thi s blunder the policy team had begun to refer to the implementation team as ‘the idiots’.The policy team had also taken a superior attitude towards members of other sections within the department because of their close relationship with the minister’s office. This problem came to a head after a chain of emails had been leaked to the rest of the department by a member of the implementation team, who had inadvertently received them, in the emails, members of the policy team had made disparaging remarks about people from other section with whom they had been working, this had created a furors in the department.As a result, a number of formal complaints about members of the policy team had been made. Instead of dealing with this and the other problem associated with the taskforce, the previous manager, John, had closeted himself away in his office, hoping they would go away. Realizing that events were starting to get out of control, John’s manager. Max, had ste pped in to try and sort out the situation. He had done this by speaking with all of the taskforce members both individually and as a group.This had made a difference for a short time: however, the antagonism between the two teams in the taskforce had eventually returned, and it had seemed the nothing could be done to repair the damage inflicted by the leaking of the emails. It was at this point that John had resigned. Due to the taint that hung over the taskforce, no one in the department had been willing to apply for the now vacant position of taskforce manager. After speaking with Alison, Joseph realized he had been handed a â€Å"poisoned chalice† that nobody else wanted.He became very worried that the taskforce would not meet the departments’ and the government’s objectives and timelines, and the he would be blamed for its failure, adversely affecting his long-term career and future promotion prospects. Discussion Questions 1. Using the â€Å"model of confl ict processes†, identify the sources of conflict between the policy team and the implementation team. 2. Were Max’s actions appropriate in this situation? If so, why? If not, what should he have done instead? 3. What actions should Joseph take to ensure that the taskforce meets the government’s objectives and timelines?

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on The Brave One

Born May 10, 1958, in Los Angeles, California, Ellen Ochoa became the first fe-male Hispanic astronaut in 1990. Ellen Ochoa first dreamed of taking part in a space flight during her graduate-school days, when several of her fellow students applied to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut-training program. While they did not make the final cut, she persevered throughout the lengthy and difficult selection process and finally achieved her goal in 1990, making her the first female His-panic astronaut in NASA history. Since then, Ochoa has spent hundreds of hours in space as a member of three different shuttle crews performing vital research and taking part in historic firsts. Such high-profile success has made her a role model for students across the nation, an assignment Ochoa has accepted with pride and enthusiasm. Although she was born in Los Angeles, California, Ellen Ochoa has always re-garded the suburban San Diego community of La Mesa as her hometown. She, her sister, and three brothers grew up in a single-parent household headed by her mother, Rosanne; her father left the family when Ellen was in junior high school. Rosanne Ochoa was a firm believer in the value of education and the idea that a person can succeed at anything if he or she tries hard enough. (She herself took college classes over more than two dec-ades while raising her family and eventually earned three degrees.) Ochoa was therefore encouraged to excel as far back as she can remember. She developed a love of math in particular and was an exceptionally good student, graduating from high school at the top of her class. In addition, Ochoa was (and still is) very fond of music and earned recogni-tion during her teen years as a classical flutist. Ochoa headed off to San Diego State University in 1975 and obtained her bache-lor's degree in physics (with top academic honors) in 1980. She then went on to graduate school at Stanford Unive... Free Essays on The Brave One Free Essays on The Brave One Born May 10, 1958, in Los Angeles, California, Ellen Ochoa became the first fe-male Hispanic astronaut in 1990. Ellen Ochoa first dreamed of taking part in a space flight during her graduate-school days, when several of her fellow students applied to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut-training program. While they did not make the final cut, she persevered throughout the lengthy and difficult selection process and finally achieved her goal in 1990, making her the first female His-panic astronaut in NASA history. Since then, Ochoa has spent hundreds of hours in space as a member of three different shuttle crews performing vital research and taking part in historic firsts. Such high-profile success has made her a role model for students across the nation, an assignment Ochoa has accepted with pride and enthusiasm. Although she was born in Los Angeles, California, Ellen Ochoa has always re-garded the suburban San Diego community of La Mesa as her hometown. She, her sister, and three brothers grew up in a single-parent household headed by her mother, Rosanne; her father left the family when Ellen was in junior high school. Rosanne Ochoa was a firm believer in the value of education and the idea that a person can succeed at anything if he or she tries hard enough. (She herself took college classes over more than two dec-ades while raising her family and eventually earned three degrees.) Ochoa was therefore encouraged to excel as far back as she can remember. She developed a love of math in particular and was an exceptionally good student, graduating from high school at the top of her class. In addition, Ochoa was (and still is) very fond of music and earned recogni-tion during her teen years as a classical flutist. Ochoa headed off to San Diego State University in 1975 and obtained her bache-lor's degree in physics (with top academic honors) in 1980. She then went on to graduate school at Stanford Unive...

Monday, October 21, 2019

China Economy essays

China Economy essays China is the largest of all Asian countries and has the largest population of any country in the world. It consists of an area of 3,691,500 square miles (9,560,900 square kilometers), which is approximately on- fourteenth of the land area of the world. Among all the countries of the world, China has a land area greater then the United States or Brazil but smaller than Canada and the Soviet Union. Its population stands at 1.284.056.407 people that are approximately one fifth of the worlds total population. In the year 2002, China has had a birth rate of 14,991,490 people. That would explain the growth rate being below 1.25 percent between 1990 and 2000 thanks to its family planning policy. By 2002, China aims to keep its population at approximately 1.33 billion people. In the year 2010 at 1.4 billion people and 1.6 billion people at the middle of next century. The establishment of the communist government was put into place in the year 1949 which marked the beginning of a new era and created a new pattern of political geography. The number of young jobless people in cities has risen nearly 20 percent in the past two years which indicates a sever unemployment situation in China. The government used to blame structural flaws for worsening unemployment, which is still exercising mostly on middle-aged workers with few skills and little education. Prior to the Communist takeover in 1949, only 20% of the Chinese people could read. Today the literacy rate is close to 78% of the population. The Chinese educators stress science and math to close the countrys gap in advanced technologies. Chinas total imports and exports in 2001 equaled 509.8 billion U.S dollars, which is a 7.5 percent increase from 2000. Chinas export growth in 2001 was only 6.8% which is the lowest since 1997 due to the world economic slow down from September 11th. Because of the Chinese yuan being the most stable currency in the ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Political Morality Essays - American Political Philosophy

Political Morality Essays - American Political Philosophy Political Morality topic: American History- Winthrop, Hutchinson Political Morality In Webster's dictionary, morality is defined as "principles of right and wrong in conduct; ethics." The principles of morality have countless times evolved over the ages. In earlier times, death was an easy penalty for many crimes. These crimes today are considered minor and are penalized with a slap on the hand. Is this considered wrong? Who is the correct authority to consult on what is right or wrong? In today's society, two major factors concern how the way members of society act and behave. The first is our national government. Members of our government in positions of authority decide everything in our lives in the form of laws which determine our behavior. One of the most important documents written by our government is the Declaration of Independence. The monarchy was taking away power from the colonists and putting more demands on. In return, the colonists declared their freedom from their tyrant. In this document, it states, "All men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The great men who wrote this down had a strong sense of morals. They believed that men were given rights by God that no one could take away. This is essential to the issue of morality because it determines the rights- that are agreed upon all- are wrong. This brings us to religion. Religion is a major contributor to how we think and act because it mirrors our beliefs in what we hold as right or wrong. An example of this is the native tribes of africa and South America where a number of tribes practice cannibalism. While this is considered a sin in most christian religions, the tribes have evolved into cannibalism as a way to survive in life and have no objections to their eating habits. The problem arises when the line between government and religion is crossed. While religion does not have to power to punish one physically, but rather soulfully of one has sinned. The government has the power to sentence punishment, yet should have no power concerning God. Many different religions have evolved all over the world and in the process, have people have been prosecuted in their faith. The first settlers in the new world came here to avoid prosecution from the powerful church/government of that time. Specifically, the Church of England headed by the king. Puritan leaders led their followers to a place where they could express their religion with no fear of other faiths. One such leader was John Winthrop. John Winthrop was a powerful Puritan governor in the colony of Massachusetts Bay. He believed that this was a calling from God for him to lead the new religious experiment-a covenant with God to built a model for mankind. "We shall be a city upon the hill." declared Winthrop. As governor Winthrop held considerable power. He distrusted the commoners and thought democracy was the "meanest and worst" forms of government. Anyone who brought trouble or had indifferent thought were severely punished to "save their soul." As one of his extensions of his powers he banished Roger Williams, a popular Salem minister with radical ideas and an unrestrained tongue, and Mistress Anne Hutchinson, A strong willed women who challenged the authority of the clergy by stating the truly saved need not bother to obey the laws of God or man. Several problems arise throughout this banishment. I am for a democratic society in which one can express his or her thoughts without the fear of prosecution. They did not have the luxury of this. The need for the expressment of ideas is essential for a growing environment. If no growth is made, then expansion of the community is halted to a standstill. The limit of new idea's must have a point, though. In recent news, the Unabomber has issued a ultimanium with his manuscript. In the past, such a request would have been rediculous. In his manuscript he expresses his view on the evils of technology. While a citizen is entitled to free speech and press, threatening murder is not such an option.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

COBIT Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

COBIT - Research Paper Example The process through which organizations attempt to improve their business information systems, their performance and risk management is known as IT Governance. This process makes sure that the investments in information technology are returning appropriate value. In order to help the business effectively convince present business challenges through effective management of IT governance, ISACA has published version COBITÂ ® 4.1. In this scenario, control objectives for information and related technology (COBIT) is an information technology governance structure as well as supporting toolset that facilitates executives to bridge the gap among control needs, technical matters and corporate risks. COBIT allows the organizations to develop a clear policy as well as adopt good practice for information technology control all through businesses. ... ns as well identify and manage the associated risks, like that growing regulatory implementation as well as critical dependence of a lot of business procedures on information technology. In addition, the need for assurance regarding the worth of IT, the administration of IT-related risks and increased requirements for gaining control over information resources are at the present recognized as basic elements of corporate governance. In this scenario, value, risk and control constitute the fundamentals of IT governance. Additionally, the IT governance is the accountability of administrative staff and the board of directors, and consists of the management, organizational arrangements and procedures that make sure that the enterprise’s IT maintains and expands the organization’s strategies as well as objectives (ISACA2, 2011). In addition, control objectives for information and related technology (COBIT) offers high-quality performance all through business domain and struct ure and offers tasks in a convenient and logical structure. Additionally, the COBIT’s high quality practices demonstrate the agreement of specialists. They are powerfully focused on extra control, fewer on execution. In this scenario, this technology based practice allows the organizations to optimize IT-facilitated investments, make sure service delivery and offer a quantifiable approach against which to evaluate when things are not done correctly. Thus, for information technology to be flourishing in conveying against business needs, management should place a domestic control system or structure in position. In this scenario, the COBIT control structure applies these requirements through: (ISACA2, 2011) Establishing a connection to the business needs Put in order IT tasks into a normally accepted

Friday, October 18, 2019

Oscar Wilde - the Man and his World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Oscar Wilde - the Man and his World - Essay Example Being an editor, he believed that he could move fashionable social circles thereby attracting support from influential women in the society (Dierkes-Thrun, 2012). Oscar Wilde called upon to contribute to the reconstruction of lady’s world magazine which was to basically not just deal with what women wear, but with how they think and feel. The likely contributors of the magazine sought out to write with enthusiasm, with tact and avoid being extravagant and the use of vulgar language. The term lady to some level was viewed ambiguously; Wilde regarded it as having a small taint of vulgarity and extremely misleading because of the eminence of â€Å"woman question† which was a feminist movement. Wilde persisted that the magazine which seemed to be more feminine be re-named to â€Å"woman’s world† (Salamensky 2012, p.132). These changes implied that the term â€Å"lady† which was to be changed to â€Å"woman† was associated with commonness. In 1895 , Wilde in his own words would be interpreted as utterly clear evidence in his scandalous libel and criminal suits that gradually sent him to jail and eventually ended his career. This unfortunate incident did not erase his legacy. His criticism and notes have shaped the society than any other author or poet. Most noticeably, it testifies to the epigrammatic memorability of his statements and declaration and acknowledges the fact that his life meant a personality and a collection of texts and ideas. He fearlessly explored art in relation to everyday life offering unique grounds for examining or testing sexual and social culture during the Victorian era. In 1887’s October issue of the â€Å"lady’s world† the prospectus pointed out the changed names of editors of the November issue. The editors who were listed included Marie Corelli, Olive Schreiner, Mathilde Blind as well as Wilde’s wife Constance and his mother Lady Wilde. In addition, Oscar persuaded som e of the well-known writers to contribute to the witting one of them being Arthur Symons. Arthur’s first essay was on one of the major symbols in the symbolist movement â€Å"Villiers de I ‘isle Adam† which came out after Wilde left the magazine. Wilde was a determined editor of theâ€Å"woman’s world† but his enthusiasm progressively reduced over the following periods. He gradually became less functional arriving late leaving early, and generally handling at his letters carelessly and giving excuses and makeup promises to his failures (Dierkes-Thrun, 2012). Oscar Wilde’s assistant editor Arthur fish viewed the â€Å"woman’s world† magazine as to be the finest with exclusive appeal and attraction to women that was ever been published. The â€Å"woman’s world† editors manage to secure brilliant contributors producing a high level of literary content ever attained by a publishing company of its kind. Articles did not only concentrated on fashion but also devoted to distinguish or bring out women, women’s suffrage and historical events (Wilde & Murray 2000, p. 98). Arthur fish always expressed his sympathy on the views of the â€Å"woman’s world† writers revealing a liberality of thoughts regarding the political aspirations and ambitions of women that were without a doubt sincere.  Ã‚  

Every Child Matters and Educational Outcomes Essay

Every Child Matters and Educational Outcomes - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that changing the school setting from traditional methods of teaching to newer implementation is based on several dimensions.   The environment, agenda, and curriculum for teaching are all considered for teachers, administrators and children receiving an education. The need to offer more to students and to monitor learning activities is currently being implemented through the Every Child Matters agenda, also known as ECM. The implications of this program are based on providing more opportunities for children of diverse backgrounds. The main policies and trends in this policy are being furthered by changing school settings and community values for education. Understanding the provisions and benefits of teaching under this agenda also provides a deeper understanding of how teachers and administrators can alter teaching styles according to the newer methods and requirements. The ability to incorporate the Every Child Matters agenda will alte r the way in which teachers focus on enhancing education among children. The Every Child Matters initiative began with the governmental decision to change educational programs and attention for children in 2003. In 2004, the Children Act became a law of the government, which focused on a formal approach to assisting children. The main act resulted from the death of Victoria Climbie, a child who was not able to receive proper care because of her socioeconomic status.  

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Sunk Costs and Organizational Decision Making Research Paper

Sunk Costs and Organizational Decision Making - Research Paper Example The $100,000 the company expends to buy the license is a sunk cost. Thus, sunk cost is one that when once it has been incurred, it could not be transformed or changed by a present decision. Thus, the company cannot rectify what was done by going back into the past and undo the decision made in the past. Further, it cannot be refunded or recovered as the government will neither permit the same to be resold or to will buy back the same. (Arnold, 2008, p184). Clark and Wrigley (1995) recognise three varieties of sunk costs which can efficiently produce a lesser or greater magnitude of such locational inaction. In the first type of sunk cost, for instance, for training costs of inward investors , whenever there is a requirement of significant skills to be harnessed , but on the assumption that lion’s share of such inward remittance based on low-skilled jobs and in such cases , sunk costs are particularly so significant. According to Peck (1996), the second type of sunk cost may be the cost of leasing or acquiring local property and land. Poignantly, a considerable quantum of such setup sunk costs may be met by subsidy from either central or state governments or shared by both by way of regional developments of grants and the leveling and provision of premises and sites. As per Gold (1981), there is a technical sense where the economies of scale is associated with the physical capacity which is notionally regarded as set-up sunk costs but none can be important in assessing industries and firms to specific places and the best illustration, here would be the location of chemical industries and petrochemical industries. Lastly, Clark and Wrigley recognise â€Å"exit† sunk costs, which become perceptible when a factory winds up its operations or a business exit from industry or a market. The best example here is the cost associated with pension provisions and severance pay. (Phelps, 2002, p 61-62). 2) Statement of the Problem- â€Å"Sunk cost† is a term borrowed from accounting and economics, referring to those costs that have been incurred and are therefore no longer relevant to future decision-making (Hirschey, 2009; Taylor, 2010). However, despite it irrelevance in terms of monetary reckoning, the psychological effect of â€Å"sunk cost† on the human decision making process remains evident. The effect of sunk costs on decision making in general has been a topic of interest in diverse areas such as human development (Kelly, 2004; Arkes, 1999) and education (Rover, et al., 2009). In business likewise, they figure unintentionally in managerial decision making. 3) Significance of the problem- Without realizing it, investors and managers are prone to the â€Å"sunk cost effect.† The disproportionate consideration of sunk costs constitutes a trap to decision making; positions are sometimes taken or products pushed too long in the hope that they may still turn profitable, because the investor or manager refuses to ad mit that it was a bad investment to the point of abandoning it (A to Z of Management Concepts & Models, 2005). In the interest of avoiding mistakes in decision making that will eventually affect firm profitability, studies should continue on

Research and Analysis of Business Problems Essay - 2

Research and Analysis of Business Problems - Essay Example , the superficial view is quite deceptive as the company is facing challenges in the forms of union problems, huge debts and environmental ripples like price rise, etc. In this report I have presented an overview of the problems and tried to evaluate and analyze them. The prime problem at Ford is its debt. Concerned about the financials of the company, the management has decided to reduce the existing workforce in order to reduce the annual payroll budget and thus achieve some financial relief. This in turn has triggered employee unrest and has troubled the management-union relationship at Ford. It has been suggested that the company should take to brainstorming sessions through joint management councils to sort out problems and adopt a collaborative approach to find the solutions. Collective bargaining should be patronized to appease the employees and white collar compensation should be reduced to gain their confidence. The company should divest and at the same time protect employee rights through regulatory contracts. Ford Motor Company (Ford), headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, is a global leader in the automotive industry. The company has manufacturing facilities and distribution network spread over six continents. Globally it has 90 plants a workforce of more than 200000 employees (Ford Motor Company-a, n.d., â€Å"Ford Global†). Currently the company follows General Motors (GM) and stands at second position in terms of sales volume (Freep-a, 2010, â€Å"January Auto Sales†). The corporate goal of Ford, as reflected through its mission statement, is "to become the worlds leading Consumer Company for automotive products and services" (Samples-Help, 2006, â€Å"Ford Motor Company Mission Statement†). Ford has also encapsulated its organizational plans and goals in the form of â€Å"One Ford Mission† (Ford-a, n.d., â€Å"One Ford†). According to this composite statement, Ford wants to work as a goal oriented team which strives to attain automotive leadership

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Sunk Costs and Organizational Decision Making Research Paper

Sunk Costs and Organizational Decision Making - Research Paper Example The $100,000 the company expends to buy the license is a sunk cost. Thus, sunk cost is one that when once it has been incurred, it could not be transformed or changed by a present decision. Thus, the company cannot rectify what was done by going back into the past and undo the decision made in the past. Further, it cannot be refunded or recovered as the government will neither permit the same to be resold or to will buy back the same. (Arnold, 2008, p184). Clark and Wrigley (1995) recognise three varieties of sunk costs which can efficiently produce a lesser or greater magnitude of such locational inaction. In the first type of sunk cost, for instance, for training costs of inward investors , whenever there is a requirement of significant skills to be harnessed , but on the assumption that lion’s share of such inward remittance based on low-skilled jobs and in such cases , sunk costs are particularly so significant. According to Peck (1996), the second type of sunk cost may be the cost of leasing or acquiring local property and land. Poignantly, a considerable quantum of such setup sunk costs may be met by subsidy from either central or state governments or shared by both by way of regional developments of grants and the leveling and provision of premises and sites. As per Gold (1981), there is a technical sense where the economies of scale is associated with the physical capacity which is notionally regarded as set-up sunk costs but none can be important in assessing industries and firms to specific places and the best illustration, here would be the location of chemical industries and petrochemical industries. Lastly, Clark and Wrigley recognise â€Å"exit† sunk costs, which become perceptible when a factory winds up its operations or a business exit from industry or a market. The best example here is the cost associated with pension provisions and severance pay. (Phelps, 2002, p 61-62). 2) Statement of the Problem- â€Å"Sunk cost† is a term borrowed from accounting and economics, referring to those costs that have been incurred and are therefore no longer relevant to future decision-making (Hirschey, 2009; Taylor, 2010). However, despite it irrelevance in terms of monetary reckoning, the psychological effect of â€Å"sunk cost† on the human decision making process remains evident. The effect of sunk costs on decision making in general has been a topic of interest in diverse areas such as human development (Kelly, 2004; Arkes, 1999) and education (Rover, et al., 2009). In business likewise, they figure unintentionally in managerial decision making. 3) Significance of the problem- Without realizing it, investors and managers are prone to the â€Å"sunk cost effect.† The disproportionate consideration of sunk costs constitutes a trap to decision making; positions are sometimes taken or products pushed too long in the hope that they may still turn profitable, because the investor or manager refuses to ad mit that it was a bad investment to the point of abandoning it (A to Z of Management Concepts & Models, 2005). In the interest of avoiding mistakes in decision making that will eventually affect firm profitability, studies should continue on

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

The Centralized Manager Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Centralized Manager - Research Paper Example Management is an important aspect of Public Administration and it is important that whoever holds such an important position should abide by the principles of workmanship. Good public administration practices ensure that performance of employees as well as effective management practices. Managers should differentiate between management and leadership because they are supposed to be applied at different times and when situations call for either. In the case study, Suha’s situation in the Information Technology department during her placement at ADNOC will be analyzed. The manager of the IT Division Dr. Ahmed rendered his junior colleagues useless as he built a tough relationship with other employees considering that he was applying unprofessional practices toward them. His behavior was toxic, and as such, he led to certain trustable and dedicated employees leave ADNOC. The situation that escalated because of Ahmed led to the loss of important members who had great vision for th e company. This means that poor management do have considerable effects on the performance of staff as well as their relationship with work. In this case study, the paper will analyze the reasons behind Suha, Abdulrahman, and Dania leaving the organization though they were still young and energetic. What was the problem? Was it them or management? That is something the paper will help use find out. The Organization Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is one that was established in the United Arab Emirates as the maiden government-owned company. It is specialized in distribution and marketing of petroleum products with the UAE. As among the largest companies in the Gulf region dealing in petroleum, it operates within a large network of service area and convenient stores. The company’s service stations have the most advanced technology such as vacuuming and automated car wash, repair of tyre and lube services. The company also has auto car services which are found in Al Ain, Northern Emirates, Abu Dhabi, and Western Region. The company has different departments and divisions with each having clear roles and responsibilities. With respect to the case study, the main focus will be on the IT department headed by Dr. Ahmed. The IT Division at ADNOC has a distinct structure consisting of four different departments. IT Division Manager Office Administrator Application System Department Data Center and Network Technical Support IT Quality and Control The Organizational Structure and Staff The first important person in the organization is Dr. Ahmed, an Algerian who is 45 years old and has been a manager in the IT department in ADNOC Distribution for about 17 years. Having done his BSc in Engineering from Salford in Manchester, an MSc in Computer Based Design, and PhD in Computer Control and Simulation from University of Leeds, Ahmed had a wealth of experience from reputable institutions and a real professional in that regard. The experience means that he has e verything needed to move the company forward when surrounded by young, energetic, and ambitious IT specialists. Ahmed had a large window that faces the corridor, he never closed that curtains Ahmed sat in a position where he could observe every movement made by every employee and ordered them to come to his office. This does not give freedom at work whatsoever; he was manhandling his juniors from time to time. He was that kind of a nosey manager who would want to know every move and make assumptions on every movement. In a working environment as busy as ADNOC Distribution, employees need not waste any time with certain questions even personal ones. Time is money and management is about saving the available time in pushing toward the goals of an organization. Being a chief gossiper in the office, he

Social Media and Networking Presentation Essay Example for Free

Social Media and Networking Presentation Essay Scenario: Imagine that you have been hired as a consultant for a university that wants to leverage social media and networking technologies to encourage the collaboration of students, and improve their overall sense of community. Analyze how the university might integrate at least two social media and networking technologies to accomplish their goals. Your analysis must cover the advantages and disadvantages of social networking. The president of the university also needs to know what the system development life cycle is, and how you intend on bringing social networking tools to life within this cycle. Translate the critical details of your proposal into a 10- to 15-slide Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® presentation that you will present to the university president. Include the following in your presentation using the features of Microsoft ® PowerPoint ®: A slide template Slide layouts Themes At least one example of animation At least one example of a media object Submit your presentation as instructed by the facilitator.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Effect of the Financial Crisis on Islamic Banks

Effect of the Financial Crisis on Islamic Banks Islamic banking is a very young concept even though it has already been implemented as the only system in two Muslim countries; there are Islamic banks in many Muslim countries, and a few in non-Muslim countries as well. Despite the successful acceptance there are problems. These problems are mainly in the area of financing. Dubai Islamic Bank was the first private interest free bank and was set up by a group of Muslim business men from different countries in 1975. in 1977 two more private banks under the name of Faisal Islamic bank were founded in Sudan and Egypt. Since the establishment of the Dubai Islamic Bank, more than 50 interest free banks have been set up. Most of them are in Muslim countries but there are others in Western Europe as well as Denmark, UK, and also Switzerland. All the interest free banks use basic principles that are agreed upon but individual banks have different ways of implementing and applying the principles. These differences are brought about by a countries laws, the circumstances facing the bank, its objectives and experience as well as its interaction with other banks. The features of the Islamic banks The interest free banks have three kinds of deposits, namely; current accounts, savings accounts and investment accounts. The current accounts operate just like the other conventional banks. In the savings accounts are treated differently depending on the banks policies. In some cases, the banks are allowed to use the clients money but they have to guarantee to give back full the full amount. In this cases, no capital is promised. On the other hand, savings accounts are treated as if they were investment accounts but they have less stringent withdrawal and minimum balance conditions. In these cases the expected profits level are usually low and only a portion of the average minimum balance is awarded. With the investment accounts, deposits are accepted for a given period of time and the investors make an agreement in advance on how the profits will be shared with the banks. For this accounts, a capital is not guaranteed. MODES OF FINANCING The mode of financing in the Islamic banks is carried out in three ways; investment financing, trade financing, and also lending. Investment financing has three perspectives; musharaka, mudharaba and estimated rates on return basis investment. In mushraka, the bank joins another bank to set up a joint venture with both parties participating in their different activities. The profit or loss made from the venture business is shares among the banks in accordance to a pre arranged agreement. This venture is usually an independent legal entity and the bank has the right to gradually withdraw after the initial period. In mudarabha, a bank contributes finances required for an investment and the client sources and provides the needed expertise, labor as well as the management to oversee things. The profit gained from these investment is shared between the bank and the client according to a pre arranged plan. Incase losses are made, the bank takes responsibility. Financing on the basis of an estimated rate of return. The bank makes an estimation of the expected rate of returns on an investment on project that it has been requested by a client to finance. The bank then provides the financing on the condition that the rate is payable to the bank in a given time period or intervals. Incase the expected rate on return is higher than the estimated rate, the client takes the excess profits but if it is less than the estimated rate, the bank accepts the lower rates. In case of a loss, the bank shares in it. Trade financing Trade financing is also carried out in several ways; mark up, leasing, hire purchase, sell an buy back, and letters of credit. In the mark up approach, the bank buys an asset for the client and is to be paid at a certain time for a certain price and some profit. In leasing, the bank simply purchase an item and leases to a client for an agreed time. At the end of this time period, the client pays the balance and becomes the owner of the item. Hire purchase is similar to leasing only that the item purchased by the bank is hired to the client for a given period and when the ends, the client automatically becomes the owner if the item. The buy and sell back approach entails a client selling an asset to the bank at a price payable immediately and promises to buy it back from the bank after an agreed time period and for a pre determined price. Letters of credit involves international trade. In this case, the bank uses its funds to guarantee the import of an item in place of the client, on condition that the profits made from the sale of the item will be shared between the bank and the client. LENDING The third mode of financing used in the Islamic banks is lending and it has three forms namely; loans with service charge, no cost loans and bank overdrafts. Loans with service charge are loans that are given to the clients with no interest but a service charge is levied to cover the expenses incurred by the bank during the transaction. No cost loans are loans offered by the bank and no interest or service charge is required. The bank is required to set aside funds to enable it to grant these loans that are aimed at helping the needy people and also the small businesses. Bank overdrafts are also allowed in the Islamic banks and free of charge but they are subject to a certain maximum. Other services offered by the Islamic banks are; money transfers, bill collections as well as foreign currency trade which is at a spot rate. Islamic bankers treat their depositors as partners, in the sense that they have invested their money in the bank and the profits and losses should be shared accordingly The effects of financial crisis on Islamic banking Islamic banks looks at the sharia law for guidance in its activities and bans interest gaining activities and trading debt. Islamic finance is being promoted as way of dealing with the financial crises that is global. This year is said to be a mile stone for Islamic banking in the sense that the global financial crises has provided the Islamic banking with a golden opportunity globally re establish itself as a main stream and a financier and provider for equity and debt. The main reason as to why Islamic financing is said to be a good remedy for the current market is the fact that one can only promise what they have. For the first time, Islamic banking has been considered as a choice among the present structures and the current systems in reference to products and solutions to the financial crisis. It is therefore important for nations to adopt the Islamic banking techniques and principles in running their economies. Islamic banking industry is facing challenges and most of these challenges are in real estate and stock prices, according to advocates the system has built-in protection from the kind of runaway collapse that has afflicted so many institutions. The use of financial instruments like derivatives, which are said to contribute highly to the down fall of banks, insurance and investment giants, is banned. The dealing of Islamic banks is directly linked to economic activities that involve assets or the provision of services. This banking system is also distinguished from other financial systems fo it commitment in upholding integrity and its way of avoiding risky business activities. The reason as to why this global financial crises has greatly affected other banks especially the world bank is their involvement in debt buying and accounts enlargement without evident or tangible transactions being carried out. The fact that the Islamic banking has been the least affected by the financial crisis has made it more attractive. Islamic Banking portrays many new and unique ideas that present the Islamic Banking system as a way of ensuring full employment, equitability of wealth, prices stability, income distribution, and sustained growth. The Islamic bank also carries out investigations on the nature and functions of money in interest free banking system and then, integrates money in capital theory. The lack of debt in the Islamic financial systems has saved it from many financial problems that are brought about by bad credit and this has seen its survival through rough financial periods. Also its prohibition of a risk free interest on return and trading permission has made the financial activities in an Islamic financial set up to be real estate backed and this gives it the ability to bring about value addition. The success of the Islamic banking regardless of the global financial crises is attributed to its capitalist financial system. The reason as to why Islamic banks have remained immune to the mortgage problem acing the international finance systems is because of their inherent factors. These factors include ; taking precautionary measures against money laundering, prohibiting trading in debt and also the professional and official restraints on taking up risky projects. There were complains that the Islamic banks were not offering genuine Islamic banking products they offered products similar to those in other commercial banks and gave them an Islamic name with the aim of attracting commercial banks customers who did not want to pay interests. The effects of the global financial crisis on the Islamic banks was not known since the Islamic banks received a lot of support from many other governments. Instead, the Islamic banks have taken precautionary measures and diversified their economic activities so as to avoid the financial crises consequences. It is argued that the global crises might continue for the next two years but the Islamic banks have secured liquidity which places it at a better position in facing the financial crisis in comparison to other financial systems. This success has led to serious considerations of using Islamic banking principles as it has continued to realize more achievements and has proved to be resilient an d viable to the currently crisis hit financial system

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Lewis is portrayed as a nice character but maybe a bit nervous as he :: Free Essay Writer

Lewis is portrayed as a nice character but maybe a bit nervous as he did wish Morse a Happy Christmas even though Morse has been quite horrible. Morse's Greatest Mystery The first impression the reader gets of Morse is that he can appear rather moody. â€Å"Morse banged down the receiver and sat silent† This suggest Morse is fed up with the bank because they are not telling him things .He slams down the receiver which shows he I taking his anger out on other things and he sits in silence maybe to reflect over his thoughts. Clearly, he is very angry and that is why Lewis acts nervously around him because he does not want the blame taken out on him. Morse can be portrayed as aggressive. â€Å" . . . . . . These bloody bank charges † This shows Morse using aggressive language to cope with bad news. People use bad language as another form of an expression of anger or frustration. Morse appears quite angry about his bank accounts so maybe he has been in debt before and something bad has happened. As readers, we get the impression that he is violent and angry which makes him quite a vicious character. Morse appears a bit of a loner. â€Å". . . . . . Morse’s North Oxford flat† This suggests Morse lives on his own in his own flat and through out the passage it never mentions a wife or partner. It seems Morse does not have much of a social life, which is unusual, as this time of the year is usually spent celebrating. Clearly, he is too wrapped up in his work to have a social life. We understand from this story the person he spends most of his time with is Lewis .So that explains why towards the end of the passage they wish each other Happy Christmas even though Morse is not very inclined to show his feelings as he just whispers it back. A different aspect of Morse that we pick up from this story is he can be kind â€Å". . . . Its about the  £400 you withdrew† So this extract shows Morse actually took the  £400 that had been stolen out of his own bank account to give to the hospital. But put it in an anonymous envelope and sent it to Lewis. Morse can be a nicer person and will go to his own expense to help other people. Maybe he did it because he wanted the children at Littlemore to have a good Christmas and a good life because he does not enjoy his.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Alfred Nobel Essay example -- essays research papers

Alfred Nobel Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm, Sweden on October 21, 1833.(Encarta) His father Immanuel Nobel was an engineer and inventor who built bridges and buildings in Stockholm. In connection with his construction work Immanuel Nobel also experimented with different techniques of blasting rock. Alfred's mother, Andrietta Ahlsell came from a wealthy family. Due to misfortunes in the construction work caused by the loss of some barges of building material, Immanuel Nobel was forced into bankruptcy the same year Alfred Nobel was born. In 1837, Immanuel Nobel left Stockholm and his family to start a new career in Finland and in Russia. To support the family, Andrietta Nobel started a grocery store which provided a modest income. Meanwhile Immanuel Nobel was successful in his new enterprise in St. Petersburg, Russia. He started a mechanical workshop which provided equipment for the Russian army and he also convinced the Tsar and his generals that naval mines could be used to block enemy naval ships from threatening the city. The naval mines designed by Immanuel Nobel were simple devices consisting of submerged wooden casks filled with gun powder. Anchored below the surface of the Gulf of Finland they effectively deterred the British Royal Navy from moving into firing range of St. Petersburg during the Crimean war (1853-1856). Immanuel Nobel was also a pioneer in arms manufacture and in designing steam engines. Successful in his industrial and business ventures, Immanuel Nobel was able, in 1842, to bring his family to St. Petersburg. There, his sons were given a first class education by private teachers. The training included natural sciences, languages and literature. By the age of 17, Alfred Nobel was fluent in Swedish, Russian, French, English and German. His primary interests were in English literature and poetry as well as in chemistry and physics. Alfred's father, who wanted his sons to join his enterprise as engineers, disliked Alfred's interest in poetry and found his son rather introverted. In order to widen Alfred's horizons his father sent him abroad for further training in chemical engineering. During a two year period, Alfred Nobel visited Sweden, Germany, France and the United States.(Schuck p. 113) In Paris, the city he came to like best, he worked in the private laboratory of Professor T.J. Pelouze, a famous chemist. There he met the y... ...e Bjà ¶rkborn Manor became his Swedish home. Alfred Nobel died in San Remo, Italy, on December 10, 1896. When his will was opened it came as a surprise that his fortune was to be used for Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace. The executors of his will were two young engineers, Ragnar Sohlman and Rudolf Lilljequist. They set about forming the Nobel Foundation as an organization to take care of the financial assets left by Nobel for this purpose and to coordinate the work of the Prize-Awarding Institutions. This was not without its difficulties since the will was contested by relatives and questioned by authorities in various countries. But as we all know, the legacy of Alfred Nobel lives on today. The prizes named after him are still the most coveted prizes for the recipients in their respective fields. Everyone will remember Alfred Nobel as a daring pioneer who knew no limits. Many of the new advanced scientific discoveries made in the last century were surely helped out by the work of Nobel. His Nobel prizes reward people of science and enable them to keep churning out new ways of accomplishing new feats that have never been attempted before

Friday, October 11, 2019

Life After High School Essay

I remember that towards the end of my senior year in high school, my parents suggested that I apply to a four-year college. They also offered to pay for the cost of going to college as long as I would go full-time and would start right after high school. They believed that I would be more prepared to challenge the real world by having a four-year college degree rather than just a high school diploma. Having a higher education made the difference in getting a good job with a decent salary. Unfortunately, I did not follow my parents’ advice to go to college right after high school. Instead, I decided to look for a job because I wanted to be independent. After I had been working at different dead-end jobs and making minimum wage, I tried to apply for better jobs that would pay more than ust the minimum wage. These jobs required a higher education such as having a two or four year college degree, which I did not have. I soon realized that I had to go back to school to obtain a higher education. I hated the fact that I had basically wasted three years. Now I encourage my younger sister to go to college right out of high school.By doing so, she wouldn’t waste time working in dead-end jobs making minmum wage. Instead she would concentrate on getting a better education which would provide her with a better paying job. I didn’t want my sister to learn the hard way that she could have been better off by going to college ather than working right out of high school. I felt good to see my sister’s interest in applying early to go to college right after she graduates from high school. Although she is still a junior in high school, I am glad she has learned from my mistake of not taking my parent’s advice when I had the chance. Fortunately, I did go back to school, and now I’m in my last semester of college. I guess it is better late than never.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Hunger in Black Boy Essay

Hunger in Black Boy Have you ever experienced real hunger? The kinds of hungers that Richard experiences in Black Boy are not evident in the society where you and I reside. The present middle class citizens cannot really relate to true physical hunger. Hunger for most of us is when there is nothing that we desire to eat around the house and therefore skip one meal. This cannot even compare to the days that Richard endures without food. Physical hunger, however, is not the only hunger apparent in Richard’s life. Richard suffers from emotional and educational hungers as well. He yearnsfor such things as mere association with others and simple books to read. Both of which are things that most people take for granted. This efficacious autobiography, Black Boy, by Richard Wright manifests what it is like to desire such simple paraphernalia. From a very early age and for much of his life thereafter, Richard experiences chronic physical hunger. â€Å"Hunger stole upon me slowly that at first I was not aware of what hunger really meant. Hunger had always been more or less at my elbow when I played, but now I began to wake up at night to find hunger standing at my bedside, staring at me gauntly† (16). Soonafter the disappearance of Richard’s father, he begins to notice constant starvation. This often reappears in his ensuing life. The type of hunger that Richard describes is worse than one who has not experienced chronic hunger can even imagine. â€Å"Once again I knew hunger, biting hunger, hunger that made my body aimlessly restless, hunger that kept me on edge, that made my temper flare, that made my temper flare, hunger that made hate leap out of my heart like the dart of a serpent’s tongue, hunger that created in me odd cravings† (119). Because hunger has always been a part of Richard’s lifestyle, he cannot even imagine eating meat every day. This simple privilege would be a miracle to him, yet to most it is nothing. These weakening and piercing hungers are frequently evident where poverty dwells in the Jim Crow South. Furthermore, emotional hunger also represses much of Richard’s life. Richard desires attention from people. However, since he does not receive much of this at home, he does not really know how to associate with others. This provokes a problem when he leaves home because he cannot understand the friendliness of people around him. â€Å"Nevertheless, I was so starved for association with people that I allowed myself to be.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

What contribution does human resource management brings towards its Literature review

What contribution does human resource management brings towards its employee related performance - Literature review Example Properly designing and measuring performance is one of the basic and decisive steps that HR can do to affect performance. Performance can also be effectively raised by considering the intersections between individual, team, and organisational motivations. Some studies agree that HR can influence performance, primarily through affecting employee attitudes and behaviour (Tsai, Edwards, & Sengupta 2010), but the causal relationship between the two is said to be more complex (Nishii, Lepak, Schneider 2008). Niishi et al. (2008) explore the right interpretation of HR efforts from the individual perspectives of employees, in order for the target attitudinal and behavioral changes to be achieved. This paper seeks to explore how HR affects employee performance. After carefully reviewing literature, findings showed that HR practices can impact individual performance through an effective performance management system and it can raise team and organisational performance through mediating factor s, such as performance management, emotional intelligence building, collaboration, and affecting organisational culture and employee engagement and satisfaction. Performance of the individual, teams, and the whole organisation Human resource management has evolved to strategic HRM, which designates HR manager as strategic allies to managing performance (Zink 2008). In particular, it is engaged in management development, organisational culture, appraisal system, discipline, environmental issue, diversity, culture, and HR policy dimension (Nemiro et al 2008). Though some still assert that HR should only focus on human resource performance, there is growing evidence that HRM can directly affect performance across different levels, by creating different systems that can impact organisational performance (Tsai et al. 2010; Nishii et al. 2008). Sources argue that HR practices can impact individual performance through mediating effects on perceptions of the connection between reward and pe rformance and management skills. Properly designing and measuring performance is one of the basic and critical steps of performance management. HR can create an effective performance management system to impact individual, team, and organisational performance (Chuang & Liao 2010). Tsai, Edwards, and Sengupta (2010) build on and test an alternative view of the association between HR and organisational performance. Their model argues that organisational performance affects employee attitudes and that the performance-attitude relationship is mediated by HRM practices. To test their model, they conducted management interviews and employee surveys for thirty-two small firms in the Midlands of England that come from diverse industries. Findings showed that HRM practices are directly related to two measurements of employees' attitudes: â€Å"perceptions of management skills and the perceived link between reward and performance† (Tsai et al. 2010, p.15). This provides evidence that H RM can impact links between reward and performance. Chuang and Liao (2010) and Zhang and Li (2009), however, specifically argued for the importance of high-performance HR practices, which focus on concern for internal and external customers to achieve better market performance. In improving team performance, the rewards system must rationally inspire team performance measures (Nemiro et al. 2008). An appropriately-designed reward and pay system can motivate individual members to work as a team (Nemiro et al. 2008, p.63). This means that HR performance management efforts and tools must promote collectivity among individual members, so that each member values and respects each other’s impact on the total team performance. Rajagopal and Rajagopal (2008) investigate team performance in the article, â€Å"Team performance and control process in sales organizations.† The researchers observe that the main characteristics of a good team are that they

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Economic Issues that Arise in the Decision to Get a Haircut Essay

Economic Issues that Arise in the Decision to Get a Haircut - Essay Example According to Ballestero and Romero (72), decision making is both a formal and a non-formal activity, since everyone does it with or without their knowledge. However, people make decisions with the objective of accomplishing a particular goal in mind. In life, making decision is not a choice but an obligation. The goal of the process for businesses is enhancing efficiency in operations. Furthermore, the process aids in analyzing issues from a financial perspective. This is because decisions made by managers have financial implications on the position of a business in the corporate world. People consider several factors before coming up with decisions in all circumstances. In a business settings, managers consult widely prior to coming up with a decision on a particular issue. Consequently, the person making the decision analyzes the short-term consequences of the decision prior to choosing a particular alternative. It is important to generate alternatives to chose when planning to mak e decisions. In order for one to choose to get a haircut, he should consider the factors involved such as the opportunity cost, gains of the trade and elasticity of the demand. Additionally, the person has to decide the place from where to get his haircut. For instance, the person will consider price as a critical factor in making the decision on the issues. ... In making the decision, the person should note that the decision has both positive and unconstructive consequences depending on the process. Decision-making is the most critical process in business management because it determines profitability. The process also influences directions of operations for businesses. According to business managers, it is the central objectives in management. For the case above, the choice of the machine and the person to conduct the job are critical elements to consider when analyzing impacts of choosing to cut the hair from a business perspective. Consequently, competence of the barber, the barber’s attitude and time are critical in decision-making. Since the alternatives have several financial implications, the individual has to choose alternative that best suit his interest. According to economists, the need to satisfy the basic wants is the basis of decision-making. Interestingly, the satisfaction of one’ needs is not the end goal in it self since a decision leads to other needs. For instance, cutting hair in a particular way, will lead to the urge of dressing a manner that is appropriate to the haircut. Moreover, choosing a particular hairstyle signifies the position of an individual in the society. In modern society, several styles of haircuts have different connotations. The most dominant style resembles popular opinion in the society. Unique hairstyle on the contrary represents nouvelle ideas. The knowledge that different hairstyle espouse different meaning dictates choices in society. Given that many hairstyles are available, selecting one is a daunting task. To the young, shaggy haircuts is trendy and cool, whereas the old dislike the style. Teenagers

Monday, October 7, 2019

Review of the movie The shape of things Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Review of the movie The shape of things - Essay Example Adam (Paul Rudd) is a nerdy, unimposing English Major who works part - time as a museum guard. The stage for the rather one - sided battle of the sexes is set when he meets Evelyn (Rachel Weisz), a sexy, edgy art student. The names Adam and Eve (Lyn) are a not so subtle reminder of the original sin that paved the way for a state of eternal hostility between the sexes and emphasizes the sometimes biblical nature of the film. Evelyn has come to strip away the pretense and false modesty which symbolizes a huge statue that has its privates hidden by a leaf out of respect for the delicate sensibility of the public. Her purpose is to spray - paint a penis on the offending leaf. Shy, uncertain Adam intervenes and she disarms him with her ready charm and gives him her phone number. She then proceeds to deface the statue as she had originally intended. This random incident sets in motion the events that will bring about a drastic and gut - wrenching change in Adam's hitherto placid, uneventfu l existence. Not much of a ladies man, Adam is flattered by Evelyn's attentions and he can hardly believe she is attracted to him; therefore he clings to her with a desperate need that is at once pathetic and touching. Soon he is putty in her hands, literally. Initially she is merely a controlling girlfriend and she badgers him into losing weight, getting a more becoming haircut, losing his glasses and wearing decent clothes. She even convinces him to alter his rather large nose with the help of surgical intervention! But soon her influence over him takes a sinister turn, as he is intoxicated by her smoldering sexuality and overpowering personality and becomes nothing more than clay in her hands to be molded as she sees fit. He comes completely under her sway as she rules over him with an iron fist gradually alienating him from his friends, Philip (Frederick Waller) and Jenny (Gretchen Mol). Adam's transformation ends with a startling twist, a shattering revelation in the climax of the film. Compelling though the film is it is marred by a number of flaws. The transition from the stage to the big screen calls for certain modifications, particularly with regard to the characters and settings that are lacking in this film. This is particularly evident in the characters, who come across as rather wooden, one - dimensional and theatrical. Weisz's twisted and frightening Evelyn is a callous, notorious schemer and her motives are transparent to the viewer from the onset. Furthermore she lacks the redeeming quality of likeability which would have served to flesh out and breathe life into her character, while taking away much of its annoying plasticity. The clever twist at the end of the plot would have had more of a sting and been more forceful if the audience had not already become inured to her brand of cold, calculating cruelty. At the beginning of the film Adam says to her, "You stepped over the line, Miss" and that is exactly what she does throughout the movie, once too of ten as it turns out. Adam's chronic naivet tends to be unconvincing at times. Rudd as Adam is alternatively endearing and exasperating. He is a little too gullible to be true. For instance he fails to exhibit even a token curiosity towards her art project, her background, friends, interests etc. However, the interesting thing about his character

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Case Study Questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Questions - Case Study Example By so doing, the company has put into use the business warehouse, SAP net waiver, data warehousing solution, SAPs analytical and reporting. In the process, the regional enterprise resource planning system, feed the warehouse with their data. At their point, the data received is the manipulated by formatting and standardizing it for analysis and enterprise-wide reporting. By so doing, the differences in the data over the enterprise is eliminated. To add-on that to better the data loads and increase user adoption and perception, the specialists in the Colgate information systems implemented the SAP Net Weaver BW. Further, the specialists implemented SAP objects of the business web intelligence to develop customized reports. The SAP web intelligence puts in place a strong, instinctive interface. The interface gives opportunities to the involved professionals to enquire spontaneously on their data. Each time a sales report got developed and run, there was a discrepancy and differences in the shipment and the number of the orders made. Again colligate need data that was more usable and viable in decision making. To add on that there was a need for a different business units and managers of the company to work with the same type of data world over. The act will help in the development and making of more relevant decisions. Secondly, the form of the data output for the senior managers from the warehouse is an HTML table that is produced daily. In the table, there are comparison between the operational and financial metrics of the day in relation with that of the past month and quarter in general. The data was not however used well enough by the employees in the decision-making in the bid to make an impact on the business gains. With increased need of more user-friendly data, accessed and timely access of the data, the senior managers together with their casuals, demanded increased access to the warehouse. The main issue was to

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Childhood since the Nineteenth Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Childhood since the Nineteenth Century - Essay Example Their shift from villages to cities made them financially independent and their verisimilitude of developing nuclear family increased manifolds. Their individualism supported such a family system that would have them and their children alone. Having such short families, parents were in a position to devote more time to their children as there was little influence of neighbors or relatives. According to Stone (1977), the family system experienced a considerable change from 1450 to 1800 in that it became more and more narrow and closed. Earlier families had three or more generations living together, while the modernistic families had a nuclear structure, with only the parents and immediate children living together. Thus parents became more responsible for their children as there were no grandparents to take care of the children in their absence. Stone (1977) asserted that the concept of developing a nuclear family was accompanied by a rise in the trend of ‘affective individualism ’ that encouraged individuals to choose marital partners for themselves. Thus, each member of the family was recognized as unique and naturally, the children gained full attention of the parents. Stone (1977) also was of the view that the industrial revolution played a big role in the rise of the nuclear family system. As parents became more and more careful about their children from 1450 to 1800, the child mortality rates ultimately began to decline in the 1800s. This caused the parents to be more careful about their children’s health and safety because in the earlier centuries when child mortality rates were quite high, the death of a child was visualized as a solid reason why parents should not develop an association with their children. Philippe Aries played a pivotal role in mapping the childhood history through his writing published in the Centuries of Childhood in 1962 (Roberts, 2008). That ‘terra incognita’ stirred up the emotions of many philosoph ers, writers, theorists and educationalists that led them to propose many a theories and concepts of modern childhood that shaped our perception of childhood as we know it today. An in-depth analysis of the childhood literature and conceptions from old centuries portrays a very sad image of childhood in those times. The commencement of childhood as a social construction can be dated back to the sixteenth century. Aries was of the view that the fundamental difference between the modern childhood and its conception in earlier centuries is that adults were far less careful about children in earlier centuries than they are now. Children were neither educated, nor were they treated differently from adults. Parents did not feel the need to attend the children, offer them their time and affection that the children required. The activities children indulged in the Middle Ages and also, the earlier modern era were not much different from those of the adults. A child was considered a child ti ll the time he/she turned seven, though the child was thought of as miniature adult before that. After the age of seven, children were expected to and often forced into practically helping their parents with the farming or looking after their fields and livestock.  

Friday, October 4, 2019

Gender Stereotyping is Unfairness Essay Example for Free

Gender Stereotyping is Unfairness Essay The roles the society allocates to its members according to sex are the root course of how people relate to each other in the society. Those who don’t fit into predetermined gender roles face social sanctions. This paper reveals that the gender stereotyping in the society are unfair and amount to the abuse of the rights of those who don’t conform to the norms. The essay takes into consideration the origins of the social standards and experiences of life which are used on women. Devor’s essay reveals how gender stereotypes give rise to female to male transsexuals. This paper shall also analyze Alice Munro’s book, Boys and Girls that provides a literary example that complements Denvor’s scientific explanation. The paper will also be complemented by various views by feminists. Devor states that since time immemorial women were taken as less important than men. Women were not much recorded in writings on the society as men were. A close look at the writings of ancient religions e.g. Greek, Judaism, and the dark ages reveals this.   Cultures in the past have had individuals with mixed gender, who are based on polytheistic beliefs. In America this was identified in the 16th century. This was not written about as most of the writings focused on men thought to have female traits for social ridicule. In the twentieth century women became empowered and became workers due to the industrial age. In this time women who dressed like men were branded the title lesbians. This name later was used to refer to transgender women in the culture. Efforts to discover the trait of transgender individuals have been undertaken in the recent past however this phenomenon has been present in societies always. This phenomenon for long has been suppressed. Modern science has discovered the biological differences as well as psychological and social influences between men and women, and now the study of transsexuals can be studied and medication given. Devor argues that the context of culture is very important in understanding sex and gender. He states that the structure of the society determines the lives of individuals. Gender is a result of cultural influence on the members of the society. The relations in the society that enhance gender are rules of relations in the society. He observes that the society is responsible for its transgender individuals. They represent the mean of what the society has forced in the diverse human life (Dover 37). His argument is that the home is the place where the female to male transsexuals are bred. Most of the theories on transgender individuals put the responsibility of the situation on parents. For instance fathers are seen to impart the message that women are lesser to their daughters. Also mothers who appear victimized and dependent on the husband make their daughters attracted to be like men. This leads to a personality split, which is not illness, as some people believe. In the developmental years at the stage of early development those children with male to female traits do not identify with female relations in their childhood years.   The children in this stage identify themselves with masculine figures and preferred male company. In the final analysis there seems, on the part of these girls a desire to escape the problems of their gender. Transsexuals, therefore, are the result of intense socialization.   The process starts at early childhood and continues to build up in adolescence and even in adult life. She argues that people should be left to live and fully express the gender roles they choose. Most transsexuals don’t undergo the surgery to change their genitalia so they face continuing limitations in society. In spite of this they are able to achieve their goals in life.   As stated in the introduction, Alice Munro’s book, Boys and Girls supports Devor’s idea of sex and gender. The story of the girl narrator sheds light on Devor’s argument about gender stereotyping in the society. In the book Munro depicts challenges and successes in the process of passage from childhood to adulthood. Her narrators are a girl and a boy, who are siblings. She tackles the theme of sex role stereotype which is full of unfairness. The protagonist undergoes exacting and extreme initialization into adulthood like her younger brother. The author suggests that stereotyping of gender and loss of innocence are initiation into adulthood, and are extremely influential to individual children. Munro through the choice of a female protagonist who is without a name and therefore undignified lays he ground for showcasing the stereotype. The younger brother of the protagonist is named laid for lord, and by virtue of the name he is to become a dignified master of others. The grandmother of the children comes calling and gives the narrator advice on the rules of conduct for a girl. For instance girls keep their legs together when they are seated. The narrator faces a disliking of the roles that she is being couched to take; those of her mother. She rather likes her father’s roles.

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Religion Essays Predestination

Religion Essays Predestination Predestination The arguments and the conflicts between the freedom of will and predestination have been with us for a great part of the monotheistic history. The three great monotheistic religions all talk about it in their respective scriptures. The arguments have crept into the theological and philosophical debates as well. They have been the cause of break away sect in religions as well as atrocities in the name of this argument as we will see later. It is unquestionable, that the argument of free will against Gods command over everything and his right to predetermination has lead to problems in the lives of people who practice this religion. We will discuss the briefly the origin of Islam the factors that led to it becoming involved in this debate. We will also discuss how history argued over this concept. The Islamic teachings were started by Mohammed who was born in 570 AD in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It faced severe resistance during the initial phase. When Mohammed proposed his teachings of One God to the Arabs of Mecca, they rejected them and tried to assassinate him. By his 6th decade of life Islam has spread almost throughout the Arab peninsula. He did not leave any instructions as to who was to follow him and become the next proponent of the religion. This laid the ground work for future conflicts. Abu Bakr who was a close friend of Mohammed became the first Caliph by way of vote. Some people believed Ali, who was Mohammed’s cousin to be the rightful caliph. Before his death, Abu Bakr appointed Umer to become the third Caliph. Umer after his tenure, nominated 6 people as potential caliphs, 2 major players were Usman (a wealthy man) and Ali. Usman won the title of caliph and governed the empire. This gave created huge resentment amongst the supporters of Ali. Ali became the 4t h and the last caliph but was assassinated later in life. His rule was riddled with disturbances. After his death, even though his grandsons, Hassan and Hussein were expected to take over the caliph, they did not, and Mu’awiya declared himself Caliph and started the Umayyad dynasty. Since the start, the followers of Ali (the Shiites) resented the fact that Abu Bakr was chosen instead of Ali. By Umayyad dynasty they had organized themselves as a schismatic group. The Umayyad dynasty the theology of the Shiite’s and Sunni’s drifted apart. The Umayyad period gave rise to thinkers with different points of view concerning Islamic theology. After the Umayyad dynasty the Mu’tazilah school of thought arose and debated issues related to theology including Free will and predetermination. There were two groups of Muslim thinkers of the Umayyad period. Al-qadnriyyah believed in the idea of free will or qadar and the Al-jabriyyah believed in the doctorine of predeterm ination. The debate about the theological validity of free will is very important. To say that man kind possesses no free will is to say that he cannot be liable for his actions as he is doing whatever has been determined for him by God. Hence it is Pre-determined. The confusion became about because the Quran contains verses in support of free will as well as predetermination. Therefore one source of the argument came from the dual traditions of the Quran itself. Another source of the argument is the political scenario of the time of the Umayyad dynasty. During their rule, these debates lead to the formation of two major sects, Qadariyyah and the Jabriyyah (Taib, MIM, 2000). The people following the Qadariyyah teachings believed in the free will aspect of the argument and the Jabriyyah people believed that God had determined their fate and nothing could be done to alter that fate. Umayyad dynasty supported and gave preference to predetermination side of the argument, which in affect absolved mankind of any wrongdoing as he had no control over his actions. They killed people who were their political rivals or held the beliefs other than their own. They even justified their actions by saying that God had determined these actions beforehand and nothing could be said and done to avert them (Taib, MIM, 2000). The predestination supporters draw no difference between God’s determinations of the physical events of the universe and within this world against the actions take mankind undertakes with his own choice. These theologists state everything is determined. A mans actions have been determined by God and not matter what he does, he cannot change the outcome. An evil man is so because God made him to be one. They symbiosis of the belief in God being the controller of al things in this world and this universe with the notion of predetermination is not a difficult feat. Both ideas reinforce each other. The Quran makes a lot of references in support of this theory and the scholars of the Umayyad dynasty used this to their benefit. The debate of free will and predestination also has its roots in the Christian beliefs as well. Saint Augustine is said to have pondered over the same debate. The same cannot be said when theologists try to emerge the idea of free will with the notion that God is the knower of all things an controller of all actions. Scholars advocated and notion of free will before the formal rise Mu’tazilah school of thought. These scholars and their followers propose that the mere notion that God destines some people to heaven and others to hell is injustice and since God cannot be unjust, the notion of predestination is false. God in not imperfect and this implies imperfection. Scholars from the Mu’tazilah school of thought view mankind, as holders of free will. According to them, all of man’s actions are self determined and unlike animals and plants, they have control over their actions. They are independent of their instincts and have control of their actions. Therefore, on the basis of their actions in this world, be them good or bad, they will be judged in the hereafter. Quran also has a role to play in the origination of argument between supporters of free will and those of pre determination. Taib, MIM, (2000) quoted the Quran as saying â€Å"In Surah al Hud, 11:34, Prophet Noah addressed his rejecters as such: â€Å"My counsel will not benefit you, much as I desire to give you good counsel, if Allah has willed to leave you in misguidance.† â€Å"In Surah al Taw bah, 9:51 we are told: â€Å"Say nothing will happen to us except what God has decreed for us. He is our protector and in God the believers hold their trust.† (Taib, MIM, 2000) These verses Quran the Quran as quoted by Taib illustrate how Quran instructs the believers into believing that the God has predetermined everything and that free will plays no role. The destination to hell or heaven has already been predestined. On the other hand the Quran in other chapters or Surah, talks about the free will of the humans which God has bestowed upon them so that their actions will be the sole decider whether they are destined for heaven or hell. These statements are a contrast to the ones stated above. For example: â€Å"Say, that truth has come from your Lord, let him who will, believe, and let him who will reject.† In another instance Taib (2000) quotes the Quran in saying: â€Å"We have shown man the path (to truth and deliverance; whether he be grateful or un grateful (rests on his will).† (Taib, MIM, 2000) Currently the scholars from the Sunni sect of the Islam notably the Ashar’ri and the Maturidi have tried to resolve this issue in taking a central theme. To conclude we can state that most of the understanding of freewill and predestination comes from the Islamic history. The initiation of the debate began from the Christian orthodox times but was highlighted in the periods of the last caliphs and afterwards due to the political situations of those times. The scholars since then have tried to resolve the issue by giving support to the scholars who support free will and making people responsible for their actions and rejecting the nothing that mankind has no control and authority over his actions and that he is not responsible for his actions. The debate as it currently stands is no where near comprehensive. Continued evidence in support of both arguments needs to be laid by both sides to an amalgam solution. Bibliography Frederick MD. An introduction to Islam (2nd edition). Prentice Hall, 1993. Rippen A. Textual sources for the study of Islam. University of Chicago press, 1990. Taib MIM, 2000. The problem with predetermination and its impact on Muslim thought. The Fount Journal: the past in our future: Challenges facing Muslims in the 21st century.