Muslim Societies Essay

The misrepresentation of Islamic societies is nothing new, especially when they are being covered by the Western media. Islamic communities, in reality, span a wider range of traditions and cultures especially when compared to Christian communities. Then again, as they are represented by Western media, Islamic communities are considered as monolithic. This is just one of the many cases that prove how distorted the depiction of Islamic communities are. Western media also tends to consider Muslim states as Islamic without even fully comprehending the differences of the ways in which Islam coexists with the state in various nations. It is also important to consider the complexness of these interactions which most Western media fail to realize. To provide a wider perspective on this issue, a book entitled â€Å"Comparing Muslim Societies: Knowledge and the State in a World Civilization,† edited by Juan R. I. Cole, is penned. This book contains eight essays from different writers across the globe. It also provides the reader several suggestions for further reading. Below is a list of some of the essays included in the book and reviews of each essay are as follows: First Reviewed Essay: Nikki Keddie’s â€Å"Material Culture, Technology and Geography: Toward a Holistic Comparative Study of the Middle East. † This essay is about the influence of changing technologies in the development of Middle East history. The author argues that it is important for historians to interact with engineers and archaeologists, because this is a more effective way to better understand the culture taking place in the Middle East. The author suggests that a historian, when not intimidated by Altusser, Foucault and Freud, will most likely just forget about the main thesis of the subject when simple topics on textile looms are included. Yet, these simple discussions on tools used in history are highly significant parts of the rich history of Islamic communities (Yee, 1992). Second Reviewed Essay: Charles Lindholm’s â€Å"Quandries of Command in Egalitarian Societies: Examples from Swat and Morocco†. What Charles Lindholm did to this essay is to find the challenges of reconciling obvious inequities of power and resources with egalitarian ethos and an egalitarian religion. He made special mention of the Berbers of Morocco and the Swat Pukhtun of Pakistan. What made this essay interesting is his excellent comparisons between the mentioned societies and the United States because the discrepancies between these groups are highly manifested and obviously existing (Yee, 1992). Third Reviewed Essay: Dale Fickelman’s â€Å"The Art of Memory: Islamic Education and Its Social Reproduction†. It is this essay that made readers learn more about the transmission of learning taking place in Morocco during the first years of the century. In traditional system of education in Islamic communities, rote-learning is highly observed. This aspect of their tradition is never magnified and often ignored. However, with Dale Eickelman’s essay, he showed his readers the more complicated picture of this type of education. He emphasized the idea of rote-learning and related it to the role of this type of practice to a social context. Comparisons were made possible with the use of Western educational traditions and Muslim social systems (Yee, 1992). Comparing Muslim Societies is a book that is nothing short of a genius. What this book caters to are students taking up sociology and anthropology, especially if they are starting to be introduced to the Islamic world. Then again, since this book has to have a wide readership since it deserves that anyway, this book then also appeals to general readers who want to learn more about Islam and Islamic communities. Readers will be given a more thoughtful look on a subject such as the representation of Islam which is the same subject that is given very scant attention by mainstream media today. Readers of Comparing Muslim Societies will undoubtedly learn to be more considerate when approaching studies and discussions about Islamic communities. References Cole, J. R. (ed). (1992). Comparing Muslim Societies: Knowledge and the State in a World Civilization. University of Michigan Press. Yee, D. (1992). Comparing Muslim Societies: Knowledge and the State in a World Civilization – A Book Review. Danny Yee’s Book Reviews Website. February 26, 2009, from http://dannyreviews. com/h/Comparing_Muslim_Societies. html.

Current debate on good governance and civil debate

IntroductionNon-government organizations are organizations that are not controlled by government and are non profit making. Their purpose is to provide a service or object in which they are formed for they offer social welfare services to workers and communities in which they operate they play a major role in the society because they determine family structures, family relation and also the education system that would produce effective man power for them and others. NGO, s has control over political power nationality and even power over borders. (Steve. Witt. (2005)They also contribute to the needs of the poor, deals with issues of the religion in a given area and hence impact heavily on the attitude and values that a given community adapts to. NGO, s helps in the contribution of the humanitarian affairs that serve the communities interests. NGO, s also deals with national and multilateral policy making and even local actions, .NGO, s provides employment to the citizens and assist in matters of dividing international authority, help to research, assess, report and publicize details on behalf of those accountable to them. (K.Rodman, (1998). They also deal with stability and security issues. Most non-government doesn’t depend heavily on the government for funding but the government may assist them partially with funds. They thus do not involve government representative within their organization and they also don't involve them in their decision making process. â™ «AREAS OF INEFFECTIVENESS, UNACCOUTABILITY AND   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ELITIST NATURE OF NGO, SNon-governmental organizations are supposed to be effective on their objectives and also accountable to those they serve. However, this non government organization have increasingly failed by being unaccountable to those they are supposed to work for, they have continually been ineffective in their performance and they have adapted to elitist nature whereby they segregate themselves from others and only work for their own selfish interest and for the interest of those whose status they consider important to their affairs and has influential power that makes them be treated preferentially this attitude can be termed as a mechanism of elite capture. (Steve. Witt. (2005) â™ «The ineffectiveness, the unaccountability and the elitist nature of NGO, s is evident among much renowned organization and this can be seen to be true when one assesses their performance with regard to the current debate on good governance and civil society. (K.Rodman, (1998).Roles of good governanceThe current debate on good governance and civil society emphasizes on peace building, democratization, quality leadership, responsibility and proper civil institutions. NGO, s should assist in helping in peace building in countries in which they are situated, they should be involved in the resolving existing issues in the country for example by  Ã‚   helping to find solutions to a countries conflic ting issues when they arise, mediating disputing groups when there are ethnic tensions caused by political instability, coming up with measures that will reduce tribalism, nepotism and corruption, help in recovering the economy when the country is experiencing economic depression, assisting the needy   in their surrounding environment for example when natural disaster arise such as flood, earthquake ,terrorist attacks among others,Stabilizing political turmoil being experienced in that particular country and many other issues. (K.Rodman, (1998).   However, the current non-government organization do not engage themselves with this issues on the contrary instead of doing this, the NGO, s have left this in the ruin of government and civil societies. Non-governmental organizations have also in some instances contributed to peace downfall by supporting one side of the worrying groups rather than being neutral.They tend to favor that group that have influential power and assumes those who are less powerful. This has made them to be unaccountable and untrustworthy and cannot be depended upon by both the government and the members of the societies who would have otherwise depended on them. The management allows political influences when making decisions which imposes a negative impact to all the organization stakeholders and employees who oppose the decision on the basis that they are not consulted and. this causes conflicts, lots of job turn over, redundancy and withdrawal and this leads to job inefficiency. (K.Rodman, (1998).They have been ineffective with regards to matters of enhancing democratization. This is because they have indulged in politics funding complains and supporting certain politicians who have influence upon them and this has contributed heavily in the reduction of democracy as they do not play their role as pressure group to pressurize the government to observe democracy.Non governmental organization have also been ineffective to help in matte rs of maturation of nation’s policy and economy other than participating in development and transformations, this organizations involve in the achievement of their own interest that is; what will benefit them other than what will be beneficial to all who are accountable to them, they pursue their own goals without incorporating the objectives of government and civil societies and this leads to lack of goals commonality hence retarding the government policies such as poverty and illiteracy eradication.LeadershipLeadership and quality management are important for any country or institution to have good governance. Non governmental organization are poorly managed because of lack of qualified staff because the recruitment of workforce is based not on technical competence and merit, but on favoritism and thus the management have no proper management skills, the employees under such management thus work with a lot of skepticism and heavy opposition and most of them resist changes a nd all the rules that the management enforces and this leads to difficulties in implementation of proper practices, policies and procedures that are fundamental in developing strategies that ensures that organizations objectives are met. (K.Rodman, (1998).This also has led to poor selection of policies and allocation of resources. The leadership style in current non-governmental organization is that of authoritative and bureaucratic which ignores human elements due to impersonality of interpersonal relations. This style of leadership imposes rules, norms and procedures to be followed. The leaders make decisions and demands everyone to follow, they do not allow the other members of staff to be involved when making decisions and they harshly react when the rules they enforces are not properly followed this causes slow development, work delays, inefficiency and frustrations to citizens, employees and any other stakeholders and this reduces the effectiveness of NGO, s as a whole. (Carri e Meyer, (1999),Corruption eradication is a key issue in good governance especially in Africa. . NGO, s are faced with issues of corruption where they demands bribery to assist in matters they were supposed to deliver to the citizens without demanding any form of payment and this makes them unaccountable to those who rightfully depended on their services. (sH.Englund, (2004) There’s also a lot of misappropriation of funds and lack of proper fund management.This causes inadequate funding leading to shortage of resources to implement their policies and this can also eventually lead to the liquidation of the organization. When organization funds are mismanaged it causes serious implications, which makes the organization unaccountable and inefficient, which leads them to a step back to transparency and accountability. This vice has passed on to civil societies and government at large.Environmental issues  NGO, s engages in activities that are harmful to the surrounding environm ent. This is by social unethical and unaccountable activities. For example, they may engage in activities that involves emissions of exhaustive gases that pollute the environment or even have technological machinery that produce disturbing noises around the environment they are situated in. They often do not take   proper measures and responsibility   to eradicate this implication arguing that since they are a non profit making organizations, members of the communities should take care of their environment and the fact that they are in needs of the organizations   services   they should allow them to deliver them respectfully without dealing with environmental issues. This causes negative impacts to the community and it has hampered the life of the society and animals especially where there is water and air pollution. They can be termed as negligence of the virtue of accountability to the society.( K.Rodman, (1998).NGO, s has turned into a mechanism of elite capture. They te nd to involve only the elite in formulation of their policies. (H.Englund, (2004) There is lack of representation of civil society as a whole and the marginalized social movements are sidelined. Regional consultative of African non-governmental organizations, s and civil society organization lay foundation for the governance forum stressed on role of women in leadership. It has been observed that there is evident gender inequality within these organizations. Few non government organizations in Africa have observed this as few women are employed or hold decision making positions in management of NGO, s. the elites in NGO, s have various skills that they can utilize in government running but they are trapped in the NGO, s. in addition, instead of involving the locals to do various jobs they subcontract them. (Carrie Meyer, (1999),NGO, s has been ineffective because of selective area of operations. They concentrate in certain areas than the others. This makes those sidelined areas not to enjoy their operations. The NGO, s may not operate in certain areas that have poor infrastructure, lack of effective communications and lack of technology. This has led to unequal distribution of resources. The NGO, s have not helped in establishment of proper running civil institutions and instead they leave this role to the governmentConclusionIn order to ensures that non-governmental organizations work effectively and successfully there is need to ensure that there is interactions of workers, formal and informal groups, government itself and any other influential factors to the organization. Democratic involvement by this organization should be considered as it is equally and critically important in enhancing the effectiveness of this organization. (Carrie Meyer, (1999),   They should be committed to implement their services to all interested stakeholders successfully. They should also avoid favoritism and avoid authoritative leadership and adapt to other ways of leading tha t will bring about motivation and morale of workers in the organization. Non governmental organizations should also ensure that they take responsibility and take the necessary actions required of them when their activities imposes harm to the surrounding environment. (Steve. Witt. (2005) They should also ensure that all non-governmental organizations are effective, efficient and accountable and are not expressed as mechanism of elitist capture. References:l Steve. Witt. (2005). Changing roles of NGO, s in the creation.l Sangeeta Kamat. (2002), development hegemony, American university pressl Carrie Meyer, (1999), The economics and politics of NGO, s in Latin American; praeger publisher.l Maha abreirahman, (2004), the politics of NGO, s in Egypt; the American university press 5H.Teegen(2003) international NGO, s as global institution; Journals of international managementl K.Rodman, (1998). Think globally; vol 12l Daniel .a. Bell and Jean Marc (2004) university pressl H.Englund, (2004 ), prisoners of freedom; human rights and Africa poor.l S, Goonahlak, (2006). Journal, foreign fundedl Lyal.s.Sunga, (2003), NGO, s involvement in international human rights monitoring

My Declaration of Independence

When in the course of life events, it becomes necessary for me to suspend the mental beliefs which have chained me to false ideals overwhelmed me by others; and when it is necessary for me to assume the strength and power of my natural state of being to which the Laws of Nature and of Life entitle me, an honest recognition of who I really am requires that I should declare myself separated from any causes and influences which force upon me a will outside of my own.I hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that I am endowed by Life with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the freedom to pursue Happiness. That to secure these rights: I, originating my just powers from the conviction of my own mental government, must assume responsibility.That whenever any outside form of influence becomes destructive and imposes on my freedom, it is my right to alter or sever damaging ties and to institute a new relationship with it, laying a new foundation based upon honorable principles and respecting its right to govern itself in such as way as to effect its Safety and Happiness. That positive relationship, long established, should not be changed for light and meaningless causes.In addition, all experience has shown that I am more likely to suffer while negative external forces are attempting to influence me without my awareness, than when I knowingly enter into fair, balanced, and responsible exchanges of influence. It is, thereby, my right to abolish any destructive forms of influence to which I may have unknowingly been accustomed but have recently become aware of.And also, when a long history of abuse and negativity, pressing its will upon me, reveals a design to reduce my will and keep me under absolute tyranny and dependency, it is my right–it is my duty–to throw off such harassment, and to encourage a new self-esteem along with honorable and just beliefs for my future security.Having been, in t he past, dominated by external forces and influences, now is the time, by absolute necessity, that I call upon myself to cast off, with great belief, all negative influences, and external mental-governments; all expectations not aligned with who I declare myself to be; and to be forgiven and released from personal persecution by which I may have blamed myself for any past wrong-doings.As proof of my conviction in support of this personal declaration of independence, let the facts of my present and future behavior be submitted for all to observe. And with the hope of long Life, the expectation of Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, I declare independence, now and forever!

The True Followers of Holy Christ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The True Followers of Holy Christ - Essay Example Consequently, they could only be included in the religion through holy bath or baptism in order to associate them with their parents as the followers of Jesus Christ. Infant baptism, according to the American Catholic Organization, only makes sense if parents are true Christian disciples. If they are not, then it makes little sense to initiate their children into a Church which calls for a commitment to living the mission of Christ (2012). Baptism is conducted with the same religious fervor as the ancient Jews used to make arrangements for the execution of circumcision of the newly born boys in order to demonstrate their love and affiliation with the first patriarch Abraham (Diamont, 2005); the same is the case with baptism, which seeks its roots in the earliest Christian era, when the Church had maintained rigorous standards for the entry of non-Christians in the faith; consequently, the saints used to baptize the people embracing the faith, which used to be the sign of the grant of pardon from all the previous sins they had committed before converting to Christianity (Latourette 1975). In addition, baptism is also performed by repeating the ways of Jesus Christ, as New Testament manifestly reveals that Jesus was baptized himself by John (Luke 3:21; Matthew 3:16; Mark 1: 9-10). Later, the saints including Augustine of Hippo and others were also baptized at the eve of adopting the faith (Augustine 2011). Gradually, the tradition earned the status of an essential religious sacrament to be performed on all the newborn babies. Being the part of old tradition, which has become a sign and symbol of the adopting Christianity as faith, the Catholics still stick to the ritual of baptizing their young ones in order to demonstrate their unflinching belief in Jesus Christ as Savior on the one hand, and the source of spiritual guidance, and worldly and eternal bliss on the other. Thus, baptism has become an integral part of Christian faith, which is performed on infant bab ies and converts with great religious fervor and enthusiasm in all parts of the globe at large. PART II Baptism/ Initiation Rites in Christianity and Islam: Initiation in Christianity: While discussing the initial Catholic rites other than baptism, confirmation and Eucharist are also included in the list. The Sacraments of Initiation are the initial sacraments by which persons become members of the Catholic Faith (saintanne.org). All the three initiation rites are conducted equally on the young members of Christian faith as well as on the adult converts. Baptism is the bathing in a pool, tank, brook or river etc, which could be performed while standing, sitting, or kneeling in some water, where another Christian then lowers him under the water and then brings him back up out of the water, which is literally called immersion; the same word is found in the Bible (clarifyingchristianity.com). The same process is conducted on the infants with the help of their parents, while they take i n their arms or laps during the process. Like baptism, confirmation also maintains an important place in basic Sacraments. Baptism corresponds, according to Pope St. Leo, to our bodily birth, while confirmation corresponds to our bodily growth (Hardon 1998).

Religions Influencing the Policy Research Paper

Religions Influencing the Policy - Research Paper Example Though it has been assumed to play major roles in peace making around the world, divisions and battles have taken place in the name of religion. Over decades, religion has diversified and developed to include major religions like Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Christianity and Islam are the two major religions that have contributed to economic, social, political and cultural development in world societies. Christianity has over two billion followers throughout the world; God being the Supreme Being then there is Jesus the son of god believed to have died to save Christians from their sins and the Holy Spirit. Christians read the bible and believe in its teachings taught by pastors and priests across the world. Christianity describes the way of life, the reason for existence and the plans for the future nourished by the Holy Spirit. Christians believe that they should not have anything to do with politics instead they should simply preach the gospel. They insist that Christ died for our sins and rose on the third day but that does not make it a geographical or a social entity for violence or political gains (Livingston page 8). But this does not mean that Gods kingdom has nothing to do with the world or that politics are not important, it simply means that the gospel should not be reference for political violations. What Christians should strive for is how the politics will have impacts in their lives and how it can affect their belief in Jesus Christ and the church. It is believed that every Christian is a soldier of the Lord and there are Christians who entangle themselves with politics in the belief that God will not object. There is nothing wrong with fighting injustice or wanting things to be done differently because that’s part of expressing opinion but politics is not an easy way to take for Christians. There will always be question of why a Christians joins politics; their motives are they for fame, money, power or truly taking the seat to serve the people. Politics offers are promising and at times purity motives may be hard to sustain as one will be devoting more money, energy and time on politics than Christianity which encourages one to take on humble ways. Christians believe that you cannot eliminate wickedness by laws or legislation instead the easiest way which is also approved by God is through salvation and forgiveness of sins through his son Jesus. In the bible we see that God established government, but not political sciences that come up with new laws, better laws meant to make the world a better place or try to take advantage of the less elite. Government was meant to give people a leader who ensured that everyone lived according to God’s will and teachings (Livingston page 7). Politics cannot make a better world for humans to live in it or save souls but God can do both. The bible encourages people to follow and even obey the laws put across but it never gives a go ahead for Christians to be involved w ith politics. This is because Christianity is a big role the same goes for politics and keeping the balance between the two can be overwhelming. Keeping up with the two lives is nearly impossible that’s why Christians are encouraged to stick to their faith and practice the will of God which is spreading the gospel. Islam Islam has more than a billion followers who worship Allah, have Muhammad as their latest prophet and believe in angels. Muslims are the followers of Islam who are devoted to Koran and its teachings. Muslims unlike the Christians are required to know all the teachings of the Koran by the time they are a certain age. Though Islam religion is strict and disciplined in its customs and rules, its

Event Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Event Management - Essay Example A. Evaluate the current level of understanding of Events Impact and Events Stakeholder Management and how it integrates into the events management process (EMP). Table of Contents Introduction 3 Event Impacts 3 Significance of Culture and Time in Mega Events 7 Event Stakeholder Management 8 Event Management Process 9 Conclusion 12 References 13 Introduction Event management is fundamentally described as the appliance of a significant tool i.e. project management towards the generation and advancement of various types of festivals, conferences as well as events. The study related to event management comprises different valuable aspects that include determining the intricacies of a brand, assessing the target audience, pointing out the concept of the event, planning for logistics as well as coordinating various technical aspects prior to the launch of any event. An event manager has a greater role to play in the context of any major event. It becomes significant for the event manager t o consider the influences of an event all through implementing an effective planning process. Event impacts also capture the minds of the organisational members along with the policy makers for evaluating public expenditure on events and to assess any negative externalities (Damster & Tassiopoulos, 2006). This discussion intends to evaluate the current understanding level of events impact and events stakeholder management and how it integrates into the events management process (EMP). Event Impacts The study related to event impacts have been arrived by the requirement to test the positive as well as negative influences of holding an event for the purpose of justifying public spending on events (Faulkner & et. Al., 2003). The positive as well as negative influences can be observed at the time of conducting an event. The impact of event might be felt by numerous stakeholders along with the participants, local businesses as well as host community. There are different ways in which the event is likely to impact. The various areas upon which event are likely to impact include physical infrastructure, environmental, economic as well as tourism impacts, image enhancements and urban renewal. The inspirational power of any sporting event which further tends to be stimulated by media reach recommends the fact that they can be a useful tool in developing the interests of the people towards involvement in sports. It can be affirmed that the perception of an organiser relating to the socio-economic impacts of the festivals along with other special events tends to possess four main domains such as economic benefits, community cohesiveness, social incentives as well as social costs (Gursoy & et. al., 2004). It can be revealed that the positive inflows of revenues into the country cannot be considered as the only factor towards recognising the success of an event. The negative social influence related to an event can lead to greater damages to the future of an event and the ecological influence might also lead towards premature death of any poorly administered event (Janeczko & et. Al., 2010). It can be identified that an event tends to initiate seasonality of tourism in a particular region. It also assists in evenly distributing the flow of money into a region, escalating the scope for full-time employment. The factors that may lead towards successful event might comprise several imperative factors such as escalating visitors’

New Topic Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

New Topic - Personal Statement Example One of the challenges is creating communities with active facilitators and contributors. This can be resolved through forming a culture where learning communities are established. These communities allow people to take risks in developing and sharing their ideas. Another challenge is rewarding KM practices, and this can be done by embedding KM goals into performance management systems. The last component is making a unified knowledge network (Dalkir & Liebowitz, 2011, p.328). People and technology are needed to continue operating KM practices. Some of the main issues are continuity in tools, conflict management, and diversity management. They can be resolved through IT audits that accompany KM audits, and ensuring that there are suitable policies and processes that provide guidelines for conflict management and diversity management. It is important to set up a clear and practical KM system that legitimizes KM goals, directions, and strategies. The KM system must be supported by the management and constantly evaluated for further

A paper about change management and organizational leadership- Case Study

A paper about change management and organizational leadership- situation and how to deal with it using a style of leadership- collegue sample included - Case Study Example Good leaders are those who can dexterously handle the paradoxes associated with the organization, and steer the organization to heights unimaginable. However, many managers always attest to the fact that handling changes can sometimes be challenging. Research show that it is the methods employed in handling implementation that sometimes are not suitable for the prevailing circumstances in a particular organization, and thus the imminent failure witnessed in such situations. Consider a case in an organization, say ABC, in which the management wants to give an overhaul to the current humanistic values. As is the case with humans, change is never something that they are ready to welcome. This necessitates the need for a better approach that will not stir rebellion from the employee. Nickols (2010) for instance, presents an analysis of four strategies that are vital to managing change in any organization. He centers his argument on a number of aspects regarding the nature of change. These aspects include the extent of the change i.e. more radical and transformative changes require a strategy that is environmentally adaptive, and which might fail when dealing with a less radical change. The other aspect is the stakes that the change has, for instance, a change with high stakes requires the application of almost all the four strategies, while moderate stakes are totally against an approach such as the power-coercive strategy. The degree of resistance the cha nge is bound to encounter is another aspect, strong resistance favors the use of power-coercive and/or environmental-adaptive strategy while a weak resistance is more receptive to either or a combination of rational-empirical strategy and normative-re-educative strategy. Another aspect of great importance is the period within which execution of the change is to take place. Here, he notes that Short time changes require power-coercive strategy to execute, while long-term changes thrive well

Recent Approaches to Management and Changing Nature of the Workspace Research Paper - 1

Leadership and Management Essay - Research Paper Example Though the two concepts are completely different, they are linked with each other. It is quite significant for the organizations to pay due attention towards the leadership as well as the management aspects in order to increase the efficacy of the overall organization (The Wall Street Journal, 2012). The main objective of the paper is to identify the changing nature of the work environment and the relevance and the application of recent approaches to organizational structure. The study will also endeavor to identify if any association between organization structure and culture exists or not. The paper will also attempt to offer examples from recent organizations such as Ford Motor Company and McDonald’s and will demonstrate the organizational structures of these two organizations and how it tends to impact the culture as well. organization Structure By the term ‘organization structure’, it can be comprehended as the framework around which a group is organized, the groundwork that keeps the coalition functioning. It serves as an operational manual directing the members how the organization is put together and how it tends to operate. ... One of the most significant functions of the organizational structure is related to decision making. One of the imperative benefits related to the organization structure is that if the organizational structure is flat then the decisions can be made quickly. organizational structure can perk up the efficacy. In a functional organization, where there is a considerable number of departments, the department heads delegate project tasks to both directors as well as managers. These individuals generally take up tasks with the help of numerous coordinators as well as analysts. Employees are held responsible for their individual tasks since all the employees work hard to complete their project on time. Those employees belonging to small companies are often organized in terms of product or geographical region are found to be more motivated. This implies that the organizational structure of a smaller organization is quite flexible enough to motivate the employees of the organization. The organ izations subsist in order to integrate corresponding activities in the presence of specialization. The numerous structural dimensions of the organizational structure are connected with various activities happening within any controlled group of components behaving in a certain way to follow objectives. The information activity which is concerned with information flow among the members of the group is generally related to the coordination dimension. The monitoring activity which is related to the recuperation functionalities of the organization is associated with control dimensions. A good organizational structure may assist in developing and administering a culture which is conducive for the members of the organization.  

Tourism system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tourism system - Essay Example A large amount national income comes from the tourism industry. Such vast amounts of information and data have to be stored and processed and should be distributed to the customers as efficiently as possible. Information technology plays a very important role in the tourism industry because through the use of information technology, several devices can be implemented which are used to store large amounts of information. Tourism industry was never a very renowned industry and people were not very interested in tourism industry. IT was only recently due to the technical advancements in technology. The advancements in Information Technology resulted in both the quantitative and the qualitative aspects of the economy of a nation and also advancements in the tourism department consequently fueling and sustaining an impressive growth rate over the years (Franke, 2003). This brings into focus the role of IT in tourism education geared at nurturing the necessary skills in potential managers in the industry to make the industry influential and effective. The benefits of implementing Information Technology in tourism industry can only be observed through the development in the tourism industry all over the world. Information Technology when applied to tourism industry, it takes the level of the tourism industry to a whole new level where touris... ome into play while implementing Information Technology in tourism - the information about the tourist places, the kind of places people would like to live in, the type of technology to be used and many such factors (Baggio, 2006). Each one has an important role to play in tourism. Tourism is characterized into three different components: Transport Sector Accommodation Sector Attraction Sector Transport Sector Transport is a major contributor to the development of the tourism industry. Transport helps link the origin and the destination areas through some means of transport. This means of transport could be any moving vehicle. Transport includes many entities such as holiday makers, business travelers, relatives, travelers, and other such entities. Transport facilitates the movement of these entities from one place to another. Before setting out on a journey of any kind, every traveler makes sure which Transport Company has a good safety record (Vich-I-Martorell, 2002). To this effect, airplanes coaches and even taxis are equipped with good communication equipment. An airplane requires highly sophisticated and highly advanced technical instruments to ensure passenger safety. Today's airplane has this highly advanced technical instruments and flies with the help of modern information technology equipment. A deep understanding and detailed weather information, altitude information and other such small but important information is provided by Information Technology. This information is given to the pilot. Using this information the pilot can communicate with the ground control during emergencies. With information technology in place, it is easy for airplanes to communicate to any airport during emergencies. In-flight entertainment is also a product of information

Ritzers Macdonaldization Essay Example for Free

Ritzers Macdonaldization Essay In this essay, I aim to explore the term ‘McDonaldization’ dubbed by esteemed Sociologist and University of Maryland Professor, George Ritzer, to correlate his findings with those of the English Sociologist Les Back and then ultimately examine the effect both Globally and Locally. Ritzer’s concepts are fundamentally built around the theories of Max Weber, a German Sociologist who first established the idea of ‘Rationalization’. More specifically, four headings were used to define this shift in the organizational structure of society: Efficiency, Calculability, Predictability and Control of new technologies increasing the productivity of the modern world. I will explore the relevance of these headings later in this essay. Weber maintained it was bureaucratization that contributes to this advance in achieving the â€Å"optimum means to ends† (Ritzer, 2008, 25). The bureaucracy as Weber defines it seems to be the prototype for flawless corporate functionality. â€Å"A bureaucracy is a large-scale organization composed of a hierarchy of offices. In these offices, people have certain responsibilities and must act in accordance with rules, written regulations, and means of compulsion exercised by those who occupy higher-level positions† With an operating structure as tightly knit as described above, it is no surprise that the paradigm of formal rationality according to Ritzer, McDonalds, is one of the most envied business models in the world. 50 million customers a day will find restaurants in 118 nations (Ritzer, 2008, 3). Thousands of businesses strive to emulate their successful rational framework yet fail to conquer, such as the fast-food giants, MacDonald’s. Franchising at an unbelievable rate, McDonalds profits are being maximized year after year as it expands worldwide. A British author Martin Plimmer captures the mastery of their expansion â€Å"There are McDonalds everywhere. There’s one near you, and there’s one being built right now even nearer to you† (Ritzer, 2008, 2). It is on the basis of this exorable power and infectious growth that Ritzer lays his ‘McDonaldization’ theory. â€Å"The process by which the principals of the fast food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world†. Ritzer, 2008, 1). Another aspect to this notable commercial structure is McDonaldization’s propensity to de-humanize. Teamed with bureaucratization, McDonaldization has the leverage to spread to modern society on a whole. Fears that people will be consumed by such a heavy emphasis on the rational and technical benefits of practicality and efficiency, destroying the human spirit and reducing them to nothing more then â€Å"a small cog in a ceaselessly moving mechanism† (Macionis and Plummer, 2005:143) as rational globalization expands. Sociologist Les Back puts forward the positive and negative influences of the flourishing technological network on globalisation in his monograph ‘Local/Global’. The concept of a global village; the idea that through new technologies and new converging forms of economy and political state that the world is shrinking and diminishing the importance of peoples differences (Back, 1998, 77) is one that can be both greatly agreed upon or just as easily denied, in my opinion. Firstly, It cannot be argued that one of McDonald’s keys to it’s worldly success was it’s overt American-style image, which many people outside the United States Of America hankered after. The book ‘Golden Arches East’ by James L. Watson describes vividly McDonalds highly anticipated entry into East Asia â€Å"Prior to McDonalds opening in Beijing, the company’s name was already popular among trendy consumers and it was only natural that, when the first restaurant was opened in Beijing in April 1994, thousands lined up for the experience. † (Watson, 1997, 48). Not only did this fascination generate billions of capital for McDonalds (and other fast-food diners such as KFC, Pizza hut etc. ) steering revenue away from Asia’s own food industries but sociologically speaking, the influx of American-Style escapism in which the people of Asia were immersing themselves in spawned a question of multinationals refusal to localize. Are Hamburgers on the Champs-Elysees or Chicken Nuggets by the Grand Canyon really necessary or is it just corporate extremism exercising their capability to the nth degree? Somehow I’m not convinced it is a case that McDonalds cuisine is so delicious that we physically need to have it within reach at all times, particularly in such countries such as France, Italy or Spain, where gastronomy is paramount to their local culture. Back’s theory on this type of globalisation seems a lot more simplistic. He argues that â€Å"globalization can go hand in hand with the commercialization of exotic local cultures† (Back, 1998, 74) but I ask to what extent is this local commercialization succeeding? Chiefly global multinationals are apparent in the rapidly developing worldwide industries, leaving little to zero space for contained business ventures to gain momentum. Although Back does recognize an effective uses of localization in advertising imagery to which these trans-national companies happily comply. â€Å"Advertisers are willing to integrate all kind of notions of difference as long as they serve their purpose† (Back, 1998, 73). A fantastic example is that of the recent McDonald’s advertising campaign, which was specifically intended for a distinctly Irish audience. Johnny Logan, a well-known Irish performer appearing to many different characters with strong colloquial Irish accents, pulls in on regional interest. Vernacular phrases such as â€Å" ye plank.. † â€Å".. sound.. †and â€Å".. free gaff.. † are used, unmistakably local and familiar to McDonalds’s Irish consumers. Back relates the decreasing size of global margins to advances in technologies, which of course is impossible to deny. Although communication overseas and intercontinental conveyance is almost taken for granted at this stage, Back reiterates the speed at which this occurs and the inter-dependence this signifies. â€Å"International flows of technology and media hardware strengthen the dependency relationship between the West and the former colonial peripheries and promote a form of cultural homogenization† `(Back, 1997, 72) In spite of the fact that many of Ritzer’s examples are American the concept of this uniformity is at the heart of his writing and falls under the four heading’s of McDonadization aforementioned. Predictability is one of the devices multinational corporations have taken under their wing in the development of a McDonaldized framework of business. Globally, these giant organizations do not start at the bottom when it comes to extending their trade name abroad and casting their image over seas. â€Å"Wal-Mart bought out 120 stores in Canada in 1994 when it purchased the Wertkauf GmbH hypermarket chain in Germany in 1997, Similarly, when Starbucks moved into the U. K. n 1998, it acquiresd the already existing Seattle Coffee Company and refitted it’s 82 stores as Starbucks outlets†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Klein, 2005, 139) Specifically many coffee shops have undergone ‘Starbucksization’ to the point where any coffee shop in the western world could fail to posses a hint of originality. Insomnia, Costa Coffee and increasingly McDonalds contribution to the market McCafe, are but a few of the cafe chains that are adapting to the modern competition. In our local environment a comprehensible instance of McDonaldization would be the excessive franchising of Spar shops in Ireland, eplacing another family corner shop as it unfurls over the country. As consumers we’ve experienced the components of Weber’s ‘Rationalization’ and Ritzer’s McDonaldization in its plainest form. The efficiency of these stores is unrivalled, often containing Juice Bars, Off Licences, Delicatessens and Coffee shops, a conglomerate of effectiveness under one roof. Calculability by the selection of staff who work at each counter, pricing, weighing and recommending items for purchase. Chiefly the predictability of a Spar shop would almost be similar to what one would expect of a handful of McDonalds’, the flooring, the lighting and the layout are all but slightly in difference nationwide. Finally, these environments are controlled not only by the presence of Security guards at the entrance to many branches but they are hi-tech and forward thinking in technologies in contrast with many of there older competitors, featuring Automatic doors and self check-out services. In conclusion, both George Ritzer and Les Back have some shared views and some conflicting one’s on the matter of globalization and how it affects us directly and indirectly. Ritzer’s theory of McDonaldization worked alongside many of Back’s viewpoints on technologies, in particular as regards the dimension of control. Finally, the concepts of Global and Local, I believe will be disputed not only by both Ritzer and Back as the relationship worldwide decreases in size with the introduction of further connectivity when does the benefits of this begin and cease.

The contemporary perspectives in psychology Essay Example for Free

The contemporary perspectives in psychology Essay Which of the contemporary perspectives in psychology makes the most sense to you? Discussion It is evident that psychology is being increasingly used in daily events. Employment for example, in Europe more companies are subjecting potential personnel to psychological profile checks and psychological tests during interviews. Even our social lives are becoming affected. People who are seeking the right partner are using psychological techniques to establish the emotional state of their potential partners. As psychology becomes more and more accessible and understandable to more people, I feel that it will begin to influence our lifestyles more. The evolutionary perspective focuses on why a particular behavior or physical structure developed and how the behavior or structure aids in adaptation to the environment (Lahey, 20). Charles Darwin was the innovator who popularized the evolutionary theory. This summarizes how a being can adapt to an environment and keep certain habits, in turn passing these traits along to future generations. Sociocultural perspective focuses on the different cultures, ethnic identity and other sociocoultural factors to fully understand a person (Lahey, 17) which I think is makes the most sense. At a point in time the psychology field was dominated by Caucasian males. Females and people from different races were not allowed to be in the field or even to obtain a doctoral degree. Thought the years, the percentage of men and women in the field have changed dramatically. Once dominated by men, the field has shifted more toward women dominating the field. The contemporary perspective in psychology that makes the most sense to me is the neuroscience perspective. I think the neuroscience perspective is very important especially within the medical field. I understand why this course is a pre-req for entry into pharmacy school. The neuroscience perspective focuses on the nervous system in explaining behavior and mental processes. Psychologists are interested in the structures of the brain that play roles in emotion, reasoning, speaking, and other psychological processes (Lahey, 20). For example, after drinking alcohol you slur you speech and are unable to walk a straight line. Alcoh ol affects the part of the brain that controls muscle coordination. Also,the illegal drug MDMA/ecstasy effects serotonin levels in the brain. This plays a role in emotion. While on the drug you have a wide range of good emotions. After the drug is out of the brain you dont feel as good. The brains of people with schizophernia, bipolar disorder, MS and Parkinsons disease and Alzheimers are different than people without these conditions. MRIs, EEGS and PETS (scans of the brain) have shown this difference. New drugs have been created to treat these conditions based on neurotransmitters and chemicals in the brain. With more and more research being today on these diseases, better and effective treatments are being developed based on the way are body/brains are built and function. Most psychologists agree Human beings are biological creatures (Lahey, 26) The new drug Namenda, for Alzheimers works by attaching to a certain receptors and allowing just enough chemical that effects learning and memory. Too much of this chemical and the nerve cells die, too little and information cannot be stored. I think all of the perspectives have some value. They are different and some similar in explaining behavior and mental processes. Generally, contemporary psychologists do not align themselves with a single theoretical position. Rather, they integrate the best contributions of each perspective into their own eclectic view. (Lahey, 25) I think when evaluating behavior and mental processes, each perspective should be considered and the best parts used. I agree with Aga when she says in her post The evolutionary perspective focuses on why a particular behavior or physical structure developed and how the behavior or structure aids in adaptation to the environment (Lahey, 20). Charles Darwin was the innovator who popularized the evolutionary theory. This summarizes how a being can adapt to an environment and keep certain habits, in turn passing these traits along to future generations. Many traits are passed along and also bipolar disorder can be passed on to future generations. The behavior of a son/daughter having bipolar disorder can be similar to the mother/father that has bipolar disorder. Also, bipolar disorder is somehow connected with out physical makeup, DNA. That is how it is passed on. Although Darwin wrote long before the mechanisms of genetic inheritance were understood, he hypothesized that variations occur occasionally in the process of reproduction (Lahey 20) Who knows maybe bipolar disorder was originally a mutation.

Business Ethics of Plastics Company

Business Ethics of Plastics Company The partners for the situation The main partners incorporate Ardnak Plastics, George, Charge and the inhabitants of Hondo. Additionally, speakers contain the government (EPA), Ardnaks rivals, the Mexican government, and the town 15 miles south of Hondo. Understudies ought to be urged to distinguish and talk about every partners authenticity and power. The interests of the partners Ardnak Plastics has a stake in dispensing with the steep EPA fines it has been getting. Since it cant remain to do this by purchasing new smokestack scrubbers, it ought to either move to Mexico, or George must schedule the plants considerable releases work around night time to avoid EPA area. Either course of action would satisfy Ardnak Plastics. Charges stakes mirror those of Ardnak Plastics. Legitimate and moral examination The occupants of Hondo have a huge stake in the plant staying in the town since it speaks to most by far of the citys work. Regardless, whether they comprehend it or not, they also have a stake in having clean air to breathe in, which is in opposition to the plant staying in Hondo. Since if the plant moved, it would simply be 15 miles away, this is not stress that would have much impact. The EPA has a generous stake in guaranteeing the more vital interests of all, regardless of whether they comprehend them or not, as to clean air. Everyone requirements to consent to clean air standards in case we are to fight air painting. Meeting EPA principles is an established issue going up against Ardnak. How it fulfills, the standards raise moral issues. For example, is it moral for Ardnak to timetable its mind-boggling transmissions amid the night so that the association would be an irregularity during the day when EPA readings were taken? Another ethical issue is the offices obligations to the gathering both in absolute security and business. What social duty, assuming any, does Ardnak Plastic, Inc. must the city of Hondo? Since the Ardnak plant uses a critical piece of Hondos masses, it without a doubt has a fundamental commitment to Hondo. Meanwhile, it has an obligation, not too filthy the town of Hondo. Should Ardnak close the Hondo plant, the associations social capacities would be reflected by the way it closes, including the arranging of the end and legitimate reprimanding to the city (Hooker, 2011). What ought George do? Why? Stop the Hondo Plant from closing and having to relocate. George could develop a decent dispute considering utilitarian suspecting that it is best to timetable notable releases amid the night thus keeping the plant open. By then, he could scan for a more drawn out term course of action. In any case, its hard to gauge the valuable results of keeping the plant open in Hondo against unfavorable effects of over pollution. Keeping the plant seems like a quick thought. Conclusion and Suggestion This logical investigation describes a couple of good substances for saving the parts of the humanity of related people could be used with the real objective of, particularly favorable circumstances by government and relationship as to achieving their goals These inevitable convincing to reduce the various leveled moral conflicts. Affiliation can make the relative move as like its other operational units for the transmission of debased air since EPA does not check the rate of defilement in the night. The organization can talk from close-by managerial bodies that they would offer occupations to neighborhood people, however not move the affiliation that can be valuable to find an excellent game plan in this case. At last, if the legislature couldnt give any discount on fundamental issues, then the affiliation should contribute for smokestack scrubber for diminishing defilements and other businesses. It can be much useful for the association since it guarantees the common piece of people close by EPA.References References Cole, M. Aldington, A. (2009). The Business (1st ed.). [Place of publication not identified]: ISIS. Hooker, J. (2011). Business ethics as rational choice (1st ed.). Boston: Prentice Hall.

New Day Ranch Essay -- Creative Writing Essay

Boots crunch in the leaves signaling the start of a new day’s work. Maria is the owner of the New Day Ranch, a sanctuary for horses of all kinds. She wakes up every morning at the crack of dawn to tend to the dozen horses that reside at the Ranch. It is almost winter and she wanted the horses to enjoy the time they had outside before it would snow. Maria opened up the stables to let the horses out into the pasture accompanied by her two dogs Max and Twilly. She pulled them by the bridle, two at a time until the six that slept inside were freed into the fenced in fields. Max and Twilly ran out with them barking as they chased each other through the leaves. Maria idly walked along the wooden fence until something odd caught her eye. At first she though a whole section of fence was missing towards the far end but she knew that that couldn’t be the case. Mildly concerned she walked up to the gap and saw that one of the boards had been kicked over. She picked it up, the wood soaking wet. Maria put the board back into place when she realized there was blood on it; her hands were covered in it. Afraid she looked around for her horses. In the fields there were two stallions, six mares, a colt, and two foals. After making a head count she realized one of her mares is missing, a Cleveland Bay named Aida. She climbed over the fixed fence and ran by the tree line, hoping Aida didn’t stray too far. Not having any luck she whistled for her dogs to come along and the two collies came running. With her dogs she traveled into the woods, Twilly walking farther ahead her paws making perfect impressions in the mud. It was easy for them to run through the mud and leap over roots and branches but for Maria it was a struggle. After several min... ...move forward. The mare’s ears lay back against her head and she roared with aggression and fear as she tried to kick her way out. Chris stroked her neck to try and calm her down. Trying again Maria pulled on the rope and Chris tried to motivate her to climb out. He managed to dig out both her back legs seeing a large scrape that she received from hopping the fence. â€Å"Come on girl.† Chris coached and the mare, with a burst of energy, kicked her way free. The dogs barked and Maria did her best to hoist the two up from the muck. They were both relieved to finally free Aida. Chris gave the mare a carrot and helped Maria wipe the mud off of her. After wards Maria tossed a blanket on the horse’s back and walked her home. The two walked her to the stables, cleaned her up, and mended the cut on her leg, the frightened mare now warm and safe from her horrifying ordeal.

The Stroke :: essays research papers

The Stroke   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every second, of every day, something happens to someone in the world. Sometimes it is for the best, and sometimes it is not. I truly believed that the bad only happened to those who deserved it. The human population lives in their safe little world believing that nothing bad will happen to them. Or at least this is what I believed. Unfortunately, as the saying goes â€Å"shit happens.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On July 31st, of 2004, Judy Kolstad was walking back to the bed from the bathroom. Without warning she fell over, and her head proceeded to land on the floor. During the week prior to this she had complained of flu like symptoms, headaches, and problems with her menstrual cycle. She was taking many medications for these symptoms, and was beginning to feel better. She had been drinking wine the night of the accident, and wasn’t able to fall asleep. After falling to the floor, her husband, my step-father, came to her aid. and called Buffalo Hospital. She began to experience trouble breathing, and was none responsive to us. Because of the fact that she had been drinking we assumed her fall was caused by a mixture of alcohol and prescription drugs. She was rushed to the hospital where she underwent many tests in attempt to locate the source of the problem. Three hours later they reached the bottom of the list, and came to the conclusion that it may have been a stroke. By this time my mother was in a coma. She was transferred to Mercy Unity Hospital in Fridley, Minnesota. It was there that she underwent neurological testing to try and discover the root of the problem. On August 1st, my stepfather came home from the hospital, where he was discussing my mother’s condition with the neurological surgeon. From the moment he walked into the house, my sisters and I knew something was wrong. He began telling us in a somber voice tha t our mother had had a stroke. From that moment in time, life has changed dramatically.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Judy was a workaholic, and full of life. She was a strong headed German woman, and I held great respect towards her from the moment I was born. My mother lived for the day, and took pride in all the little aspects of life. She maintained a home, a family, a husband, and a career. Judy had worked as a field rep for a large sales company in the machining industry.

True Lust Essay -- Essays Papers

True Lust Romantic love is both an inward and an outward admiration and investment in another person. When a person loves another person, he or she displays admiration and respect for that person’s body, personality, emotions, and desires. On the other hand, when a person’s only admiration for another person is for their body, such desire cannot be defined as love. For example, a rich, middle-aged man may truly admire and enjoy his prostitute’s body, but his investment in her aesthetic beauty does not equate to love for her as a person. His fixation is purely visual and tangible, yet his regard for the prostitute’s personality and emotions is, most likely, almost non-existent. Final diagnosis: the rich man does not love his prostitute, but lusts for her. Vladimir Nabokov’s novel, Lolita, portrays this distinction between love and lust through a morally complicated and controversial story. The story consists of many layered themes, which a reader must first sort through in order to make sense of the question of love. The subject most explicitly present in Lolita is pedophilia. Because we live in world of pre-conceived and ingrained societal norms regarding what is â€Å"morally acceptable† and â€Å"kosher,† and because pedophilia is generally considered one of the most heinous and immoral of crimes, many readers cringe at the very mention of such a topic and, therefore, fail to recognize the underlying and essential question of love verses lust present in the novel. In order to achieve a true understanding of Lolita, a reader must set aside such societal norms and pre-conceived notions. Gaining a true understanding of Nabokov’s novel requires an open and unbiased mind. Through objective eyes, then, pedophilia is nothin... ...sely acquainted with Dolores Haze by the end of the novel, despite the lengthy descriptions offered about her. Humbert never offers the reader a true portrayal of Dolly as a person with life and feelings, but only a distorted physical portrait of the nymphet, Lolita. Aside from the controversial pedophilia issue, Lolita still remains a lust story. Nothing proves this point more effectively than Humbert’s own statement: â€Å"You see, I loved her. It was love at first sight, at last sight, at ever and ever sight† (Nabokov 270). Works Consulted - Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. New York: Random House, 1997. - Ostermiller, Marcus. â€Å"Love: a disguise for Lust.† 2005. - Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1996. - Warner, Jennifer. â€Å"Is there a ‘Gay Gene’?† WebMD Medical News. ONLINE. http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/100/105486.htm.

Bell Curve

The Bell Curve is a controversial, best-selling 1994 book by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray exploring the role of intelligence in American life. The book became widely read and debated due to its discussion of race and intelligence in Chapters 13 and 14. Named for the bell-shaped normal distribution of IQ scores, the book claims there to have been the rise of a â€Å"cognitive elite† having a significantly higher than average chance of succeeding in life. Within both the mainstream media and the scientific community, large numbers of people rallied to both support and criticize the book.The Bell Curve is fairly large for a book of its popularity, having 845 pages in the first printing and 879 in the revised paperback form. Much of its material is technical and academic, but the book's statistical explanations are styled to appeal to a general audience. The Bell Curve is divided into four sections. First, argues that social stratification on the basis of intelligence has been increasing since the beginning of the twentieth century. Second, presents original research showing significant correlations between intelligence and various social and economic outcomes.For instance, based on data as of 1989 this section shows that among Whites intelligence level (cognitive class) is a better predictor of poverty than parents' socioeconomic class. Third, by far the most controversial, examines what role IQ plays in contributing to social and economic differences between ethnic groups in America. Finally, discusses the implications of the findings for education and social policy in the United States. Of course, Bell curve is scientific. Both the American Psychological Association and the Human Genome Project have denounced the science behind The Bell Curve.Its authors were unqualified to speak on either genetics or intelligence, since their expertise lay in other fields. Their project did not rise through the usual system of academic publishing, and in fact the authors ducked the process of peer review. The Bell Curve was ultimately funded by the wealthy, far-right Bradley Foundation, which used its media connections to launch a massive national publicity campaign. And The Bell Curve relies heavily on studies that were financed by the Pioneer Fund, a neo-Nazi organization that promotes eugenicist research.The persons that are responsible in bell curve were Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein. Charles Alan Murray (born 1943) is an influential conservative American policy writer and researcher. He is most widely known for Losing Ground, his influential work on welfare reform, Human Accomplishment, a quantification and ranking of well-known scientists and artists and as co-author (with Richard J. Herrnstein) of The Bell Curve in 1994, exploring the role of intelligence in American life.He's written several other books on modern social issues and politics, and has sometimes written on libertarian perspectives. Richard J. Herrnstein (May 20, 1930—September 13, 1994) was a prominent researcher in comparative psychology who did pioneering work on pigeon intelligence employing the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and formulated the â€Å"Matching Law† in the 1960s, a breakthrough in understanding how reinforcement and behavior are linked. He was the Edgar Pierce Professor of psychology at Harvard University and worked with B. F.Skinner in the Harvard pigeon lab, where he did research on choice and other topics in behavioral psychology. Herrnstein became more broadly known for his work on the correlation between race and intelligence, first in the 1970s, then with Charles Murray, discussed in their controversial best-selling 1994 book, The Bell Curve. Herrnstein died shortly before the book was released. The row over school vouchers, whose advocates endlessly take it for granted that poor performance by students reflects only inadequacies by the teaching profession inadequacies among the learners being a huge unmentionable.The President's astounding proposal that all American youngsters, including those with IQs at the left tail, should have at least two years of college. The expressions of surprise and rage when it turned out that, in the absence of affirmative action, prestigious law schools would be admitting hardly any black students. Eugenics is a social philosophy, which advocates the improvement of human hereditary traits through various forms of intervention. The purported goals have variously been to create healthier, more intelligent people, save society's resources, and lessen human suffering.Earlier proposed means of achieving these goals focused on selective breeding, while modern ones focus on prenatal testing and screening, genetic counseling, birth control, in vitro fertilization, and genetic engineering. Opponents argue that eugenics is immoral and is based on, or is itself, pseudoscience. Historically, eugenics has been used as a justification for coercive state-s ponsored discrimination and human rights violations, such as forced sterilization of persons with genetic defects, the killing of the institutionalized and, in some cases, genocide of races perceived as inferior.In the social aspect of bell curve, the publication of Herrnstein and Murray's The Bell Curve enraged readers with its controversial racial and intellectual agenda, which suggested that certain groups of children are genetically unable to learn because of their race and, therefore, unworthy of the educational attention and financial resources that flow from federal and state governments Gottfredson, Linda S. â€Å"Mainstream Science on Intelligence†. Published in The Wall Street Journal, December 13, 1994, and also in Intelligence, January-February 1997. http:www. //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Bell_Curve.

History of design Essay

The design history is commonly defined as the study of the objects in their stylish and historical context. This includes social, economical, technical, Cultural and aesthetic. The history of design has in it the study of all designed objects including the fashions, interiors, graphics designs, industrial and product design. The history of design has to incorporate the heroic criticism of its discipline in material culture establishment. History of design has played a major role in understanding the forma used methods of doing work until the discovery and innovations of machines in the 19th and 20th century. The role of machine in 19th and 20th century Machine is the most defining entity in the 19th and 20th century. Its entrance in the turn of the centuries was significance to the modern age and was facilitated by energy and its productivity. The innovation of the machines contributed to many changes including the shifting of people from the rural areas to the urban areas. This made people see the world in different perspective and felt as if everything was possible. The innovation of the machine had an effect to the labor practices. The aspect on which the work was being done changed, machines was viewed a savior as it would do more work at a shorter time compared to human and animals. The cultivation and tilling of land was made easy as machines would different types of work under control of one person and hence increased production. The labor practices on the other hand had some negative impact in the innovation of machines. The work that several people would be hired to do, would be done by one machine therefore contributing to the losing of jobs. (Dee, 2005) Industrial design can be defined as an applied art where aesthetic of large quantity of produced products can be improved for marketing. The industrial designer role is creating and executing design and solutions for problems of form, engineering, brand development, usability, sales and user ergonomics. The introduction of machine in the industrial design enables the given firm a chance to have mass production of products. In the 19th and 20 nth century, the introduction of machines enabled the crafts firms have more production therefore increasing profit margins. With the introduction of machines, some countries were able to put themselves in a competitive footing with other countries that had the same level of innovation. (Arthur, 1988) According to the Carma Gorman, an industrial design reader, logo has a shouting power to market the industry. The industrial designer should take into consideration the distinctiveness of the company in the market which may be determined by the designed logo. As the work of the designer is to create all the solutions that would ensure the industry has a competitive footage with others of the same field. Gorman, 2003) Innovation of machines increased efficiency in doing work. Much work could be done with the innovation of machine and be completed in a shorter time compared to work done manual. Due to high power production by the machine, some of the hard task could be done that could have otherwise required some people to accomplish. Besides doing difficult tasks, machine would do more work effectively compared to human or man power. Due to effectiveness of the machines, it was easy to predict how much work would be done and how much time would be taken to accomplish the task. Ornament is decoration detail that is mostly used to decorate or beautify part of a building or the interior furnishing. As this is done on various surfaces ranging from soft to hard surfaces like on stones, wood, metal, clay and plaster, it would require a machine to this king of work. Before the innovation of machines, this was done by hand which consumed much time and energy. The introduction of machines helped in making more complex designs on clothes, ceramics, furnishers, metalwork and on clay. (John, 1963) Machines have strengthened the cultural identity and have increased our standard of living by creating wealth in the economy. In the hierarchy of designs have gone to an extent of explaining how helpful machines are to our modern life. There has been a continued development and need for the machines to do the most complex work that cannot be done without the help of the machine. (Baker, 2007), Conclusions The innovation of machines has helped in the formation new tread of performing different duties. It was through the introduction of machine more complex work was done in a short time. This helped in improving on efficiency and increase in the quantity production.

Montagnais Tribe Essay

The Montagnais Tribe Summary and Analysis: a. The myth comes from the the Montagnais tribe (also known as the Naskapi Indians), who are now called Innus (they have a lot of names) b. The location of the tribe during the pre-columbian era was in eastern Canada, in what is now Quebec. When the Europeans began dominating the Montagnais’ tribal lands, the Montagnais recognized that the Europeans could be of some use to them. They became quick allies with the french, and made a compromise with them to handle all of the tribe’s fur trade in turn for protecting them against their enemy tribe, the Mohawks. c. Main characters: – Atachecam – creator of the earth, the Montagnais don’t know much about him – Messou – flooded the entire earth and rebuilt it, loves his lynxes – Muskrat – Brought back the piece of land that Messou uses to rebuild the earth – The Lynxes – Messou’s beloved pets, dumb enough to get stuc k in a lake d. The Montagnais tribe believed that the world was created by a powerful god named Atachecam. However, they don’t know how he created the earth, nor do they know much about him. One day, Messou was hunting with his lynxes when the lynxes got trapped in a lake. Messou looked all over for them, but could not find them, until a bird came by and said that he had seen the lynxes going into the lake and that they were stuck there. Messou tried to go into the lake to save the lynxes, but he overflowed the lake and flooded the entire earth. Messou tried to send a raven to retrieve a piece of ground that he could use to rebuild the earth, but the raven was unsuccessful. Then he sent an otter to retrieve some ground, with the same results. Finally, Messou sent a muskrat to get land, and the muskrat returned successfully with a piece of ground. Messou rebuilt the earth, exacted revenge on whatever had been holding his lynxes, and married the muskrat to repopulate the earth. e. The Montagnais believed that the earth, or their land as they knew it, was an island that had been created by Messou when he flooded the earth, and that all of the offspring between the muskrat and Messou became ancestors of all of the current creatures of the earth (including humans.) In other words, the Montagnais believe that they were the original people on this land. f. The myth sounds vaguely familiar to the story of Noah’s Ark; in fact, in an altered version of the Innus creation myth, the Montagnais God commanded a man to build a large canoe, and then flooded the earth. In comparison (with the first story), Messou can be connected to Noah, although Noah was not the cause of the flood that God created. The fact that Messou married the muskrat to repopulate the earth could be connected to how, in saving all of the animals, Noah was able to repopulate the earth after the flood. In this myth, there is nothing that would necessarily support the theory of the crossing of the Bering Strait, aside from the fact that there was a flood, which very well may have occurred after the Ice Age in the Younger Dryas era, but the myth can definitely support the idea that the Montagnais were an original people. It certainly can be inferred that the creation myth could hold to some level of truth, (symbolically, of course.) g. What we can learn from oral history, especially this myth in particular, is whether or not certain tribes are an original people or sub-cultures of other tribes. We may also be able to tentatively trace the immigration of these tribes back as far as the Ice Age or possibly even before. h. Bibliography â€Å"Indians and Colonists Relations.† 123helpme.com. 123helpme.com, Inc. 2012. Web. â€Å"Montagnais.† Atlantapedia.com. Atlantapedia, Inc. 2012. Web. â€Å"Montgnais Religion.† bigorrin.com. Article Archives. 2012. Web.

Graduation Speech

First of all, I would like to thank you all for coming to our graduation. What this ceremony is, is a celebration of a major accomplishment in our lives, the accomplishment of achieving an education. For many of us it has taken a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get here, so today is our reward for the long hours we devoted to reading, writing, and researching, for the stress of taking difficult tests, and for the difficulties we have had to overcome. Though this ceremony recognizes OUR efforts in this accomplishment, it also recognizes and pays homage to the dedication of our parents. Today is the return on the work they invested in us through patient teaching and parenting. We would not have been able to accomplish this much without their help. Their guidance has allowed us to grow into men and woman of character, capable of doing great things. This ceremony is also both an end, and a beginning. It is the end of childhood, of a period of growing and maturing. But, it is also the beginning of a new chapter in our lives, one that is full of the promise of what we may accomplish. While I have the time I want to address the accomplishments of the past as well as the promise and potential of the future. Graduating is our accomplishment, but we wouldn’t have made it here if it wasn’t for the heroic efforts of our parents. They are the ones who chose to add to their titles of parent, homemaker, and provider, the title of teacher, and with that the responsibility of educating us. They voluntarily took on this extra responsibility, because they felt that personally seeing to our education was best for us, so at the expense of their free time, and perhaps just a bit of their sanity, they decided to home school us. It was this dedication to giving us the best education possible that has brought us here. Whenever we struggled in school, whenever we didn’t understand, they did what it took to help us learn, usually, that meant spending even more of the precious little free time they had not already sacrificed to homeschooling, to teaching and relearning every subject that they hated to do when they were in school. When we were frustrated and on the verge of throwing our textbooks across the room, they where the ones who came and spoke the encouraging words that motivated us to overcome whatever trouble we encountered. As our teachers, they taught us much, but as our parents they taught us even more. Along with giving us lessons in math and science, they have constantly taught us lessons in values. By their example, we have learned to walk with integrity and faith, showing character in all that we do. They have shown us that there is no limit to what we can accomplish when we work diligently and patiently. These values will stay with us longer than anything else that we have learned. No matter where we go, no matter what we do, they will be there to help guide us. With graduation ends our journey through high school. For many of us, it’s been a long, rough road to get here. Difficulties have come in the form of poor health and injury. Some of us have struggled financially, and all of us have faced the pressure of difficult classes. These trials have not made us bitter, they have not crushed our spirit, but they have helped shape us. Often it turns out that difficulty, strife, and stress are ingredients of strength, for instance steel is one of the most reliable and durable materials known to man. To make steel, iron ore is heated to a temperature of over one-thousand degrees Celsius, but because of that incredible heat, it becomes strong. It can then be made into almost anything: bridges, skyscrapers, ships, airplanes, tools, machines, even works of art. From the incredible heat it is subjected to, it gains the strength that allows it to be used to anything. The challenges we have faced have strengthened us like the heat strengthens steel. From our adversity, we have learned to overcome, to meet hardship with hard work, hopelessness with faith, and to be unyielding in all of our values. Now we stand here, as adults preparing to walk out into the world, ready to shape our future, and no matter what path we take in life I know that we will never forget the life lessons that have been taught to us, they will enable us to be successful in all of our endeavors. We are ready to become students with an open mind and a hunger for knowledge, pursuing truth with the aid of the wisdom and discernment impressed upon us by our parent’s teachings, or to become workers ready to excel at our jobs because of the examples set before us in diligence and discipline by our parents and role models. Yes, for us the future looks bright! Graduation Speech First of all, I would like to thank you all for coming to our graduation. What this ceremony is, is a celebration of a major accomplishment in our lives, the accomplishment of achieving an education. For many of us it has taken a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get here, so today is our reward for the long hours we devoted to reading, writing, and researching, for the stress of taking difficult tests, and for the difficulties we have had to overcome. Though this ceremony recognizes OUR efforts in this accomplishment, it also recognizes and pays homage to the dedication of our parents. Today is the return on the work they invested in us through patient teaching and parenting. We would not have been able to accomplish this much without their help. Their guidance has allowed us to grow into men and woman of character, capable of doing great things. This ceremony is also both an end, and a beginning. It is the end of childhood, of a period of growing and maturing. But, it is also the beginning of a new chapter in our lives, one that is full of the promise of what we may accomplish. While I have the time I want to address the accomplishments of the past as well as the promise and potential of the future. Graduating is our accomplishment, but we wouldn’t have made it here if it wasn’t for the heroic efforts of our parents. They are the ones who chose to add to their titles of parent, homemaker, and provider, the title of teacher, and with that the responsibility of educating us. They voluntarily took on this extra responsibility, because they felt that personally seeing to our education was best for us, so at the expense of their free time, and perhaps just a bit of their sanity, they decided to home school us. It was this dedication to giving us the best education possible that has brought us here. Whenever we struggled in school, whenever we didn’t understand, they did what it took to help us learn, usually, that meant spending even more of the precious little free time they had not already sacrificed to homeschooling, to teaching and relearning every subject that they hated to do when they were in school. When we were frustrated and on the verge of throwing our textbooks across the room, they where the ones who came and spoke the encouraging words that motivated us to overcome whatever trouble we encountered. As our teachers, they taught us much, but as our parents they taught us even more. Along with giving us lessons in math and science, they have constantly taught us lessons in values. By their example, we have learned to walk with integrity and faith, showing character in all that we do. They have shown us that there is no limit to what we can accomplish when we work diligently and patiently. These values will stay with us longer than anything else that we have learned. No matter where we go, no matter what we do, they will be there to help guide us. With graduation ends our journey through high school. For many of us, it’s been a long, rough road to get here. Difficulties have come in the form of poor health and injury. Some of us have struggled financially, and all of us have faced the pressure of difficult classes. These trials have not made us bitter, they have not crushed our spirit, but they have helped shape us. Often it turns out that difficulty, strife, and stress are ingredients of strength, for instance steel is one of the most reliable and durable materials known to man. To make steel, iron ore is heated to a temperature of over one-thousand degrees Celsius, but because of that incredible heat, it becomes strong. It can then be made into almost anything: bridges, skyscrapers, ships, airplanes, tools, machines, even works of art. From the incredible heat it is subjected to, it gains the strength that allows it to be used to anything. The challenges we have faced have strengthened us like the heat strengthens steel. From our adversity, we have learned to overcome, to meet hardship with hard work, hopelessness with faith, and to be unyielding in all of our values. Now we stand here, as adults preparing to walk out into the world, ready to shape our future, and no matter what path we take in life I know that we will never forget the life lessons that have been taught to us, they will enable us to be successful in all of our endeavors. We are ready to become students with an open mind and a hunger for knowledge, pursuing truth with the aid of the wisdom and discernment impressed upon us by our parent’s teachings, or to become workers ready to excel at our jobs because of the examples set before us in diligence and discipline by our parents and role models. Yes, for us the future looks bright!

A T-shirt Epic Essay Example for Free

A T-shirt Epic Essay ? Pietra Rivoli’s delightful narrative, The Travels of A T-Shirt in the Global Economy , goes about a surprising journey around the global village to discover an entangled web of economic and political forces that move this piece of clothing around. The book is split into four parts of a t-shirt’s life.   Part one of the book deals with the cotton industry.   Rivoli’s own surprise at learning that the cotton used for her shirt comes from Texas opens up this chapter on the continuing dominance of the American cotton industry.   The book then continues to explain the reasons for these—aside from government subsidies, the larger part of America’s continuing competitive advantage is its â€Å"virtuous cycle† of governance.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"In the United States, the farms work, the market works, the government works, the science works, and the universities work.† (Rivoli 7). The second part of the book is about the textile industry’s so called â€Å"race to the bottom†.   Industrialization is ushered in by the textile industry, and Rivoli gives examples from 19th century England to the Asian economic powerhouses Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong in the 20th century.   The third part is about the complexity of getting a textile import into the United States, with all the confusing legislation brought about by decades of political control held by textile manufacturers in America.   In the final part of the book, Rivoli examines the global market for used t-shirts, which she concedes is the final place where markets actually determine its origin and destination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author is not making an argument for either protectionism or free trade.   Obviously, as a trained economist, Rivoli favors free trade, as do all her colleagues in an almost unanimous voice.   However, the book does not argue for either side, and instead illustrates that both sides of this policy divide unwittingly spur economic development. Free trade policies encourage more â€Å"races to the bottom† as production shifts to low cost countries; however protectionist policies also contribute to another type of race.   In the battle for quota imports to the United States, for example, investment has flowed into areas where there is less restriction on trade with the world’s largest consumer of textiles and apparel.   In the modern-day case with China, the relatively low quota limits that China has for its exports to the US before the expiration of the Multifiber Agreement (MFA) (Rivoli 121) has encouraged investments in other developing countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and even Sub-Saharan Africa.   As the book notes, the exclusion of one creates opportunities for another, and the humble textile industry is the first step towards industrialization for many developing nations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As Rivoli further notes, when the MFA was scheduled to be taken down, a lot of other developing countries were scared of China eating everyone’s share of the textile pie.   It represents one of the few actually plausible pro-protectionist arguments in the book, which are not really argued for but just explained. The role of politics in international trade It’s a given fact that politicians will listen more often that not to their constituents first instead of to common sense.   Unfortunate as it may be, politics more often than not counter the market forces that power the global race to the bottom.   Rivoli puts it as â€Å"While the market forces powering the race to the bottom are strong, the political forces pushing back against the markets are strong as well, particularly in the United States.† (Rivoli 115) This clash between the two has made importation of textiles a very complicated business in the United States, and changes the face of international trade with it.   If an item cannot be imported from China, it is imported from Mexico instead, giving an artificial advantage to some countries that will not be there if market forces were solely in control.   The decisions that politicians like congressmen and senators in Washington make often influence the very futures of some countries in the world. Rivoli characterizes American industries that are aging as trying to escape market forces by clinging on to their political supports.   Instead of a paradise of no intervention and perfect competition, what happens is that more often politics exert a big unpredictable force that tilts the equation over completely.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another example was 18th century England, where to no avail Parliament tried to pass acts that would protect their domestic wool producers.   Instead of having the intended consequences (i.e. eliminating imported cotton), it just pushed international trade to adapt to the circumstances. The â€Å"race to the bottom† phrase used so much in the book is one of the most intriguing ideas of Rivoli. Basically it says that the textile industry, like all industries is governed by market forces.   On the supply side, producers seek more and more productivity for lower costs—a reaction that sparked the original Industrial Revolution.   However, as wages go up along with production costs, producers are keen on reducing costs and preserving low prices with huge markets.   These trends doom an industrial country’s textile production after it becomes less competitive than another aspiring country who is not the leader in the â€Å"bottom† of production costs. The fire of the Industrial Revolution spread to the United States, and then in the last century to Asia, where during the past twenty or so years China has held the spot as top in this ubiquitous â€Å"race to the bottom†. The other side of the argument—those activists who bring about higher minimum wages and better labor standards, hasten the fall of a country from the â€Å"race to the bottom†, but at the same time also hasten industrialization and the development of other more value-added industries.   It also makes another country leader of the race to the bottom, ready to start the cycle all over again. This â€Å"history repeats itself† phenomenon—from Britain to Taiwan leaves the reader enthusiastic of the future, and of how economics will eventually make all the people of the world feel a little bit better. Rivoli, Pietra. The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy . New Jersey :Wiley, 2005. A T-shirt Epic. (2017, Mar 03).

Ethics and Global Climate Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethics and Global Climate Change - Essay Example The countries of the present world which are more developed than other countries with respect to economic factors are greater contributors to the emission of harmful particles into the climate. In the same manner, the economically developed countries also holds higher power of addressing the issue of reducing global warming when it comes to inculcating cost towards utilization of various innovative equipments that can significantly reduce global warming. Stephen Gardiner, in his article addressing issues of climate change, argued that the nations which are economically developed or the rich nations should take charge of bearing the most amount of costs required for the purpose of addressing consequences of global warming or eradication of the entire issue of global warming. Stephen Gardiner argued this way principally on the grounds of strong perspectives of economics and liability. In terms of economical aspect, Stephen Gardiner presented reasoning behind his argument on the basis o f an Integrated Assessment (IA) model. The model unites important aspects of the systems of economy and biophysics with the aim of realizing the alternative effects of both the climate as well as policies related to economic perspectives on each other. The model primarily aims at determining a perfect policy for the climatic factors that can exploit in maximum the activities related to the welfare of society. This model along with various other Integrated Assessment models provided an astonishing result that quite less counteractive effects towards global warming would appear in the next coming years due to the fact that costs associated with reduction of global warming is more than the amount of benefits that can be acquired. Thus, the supporters of this model such as Stephen Gardiner cited the argument that on the basis of economic costs, the countries which are economically developed should strive towards adapting consequences of global warming rather than reducing. However, with several considerations of arguably true facts, it was put forward by Stephen Gardiner that the developed or the rich nations should undertake steps which would benefit the countries economically. Considering the liability perspectives, Stephen Gardiner considers the developed or rich nations to be more responsible towards contributing to the worse conditions of the climate in recent times. Taking an approach of â€Å"backward-looking†, Gardiner held that these nations should bear the most amounts of costs considering their past impacts upon the climatic conditions. The industrialized countries are held to be more responsible towards carrying the costs that have been imposed due to emissions during the past years. Moreover, on scientific grounds, the developed economies of the world have largely contributed towards generating emissions during the past years due to massive industrialization. Thus, Stephen Gardiner argued with the logic that it should be the responsibility of t he developed nations to compensate higher proportion towards addressing issues of global warming for overusing. Persuasive Factors of Stephen Gardiner’s Belief Considering various issues related to the strategies for reducing adverse impacts of global warming, Stephen

Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Islam - Essay Example Sufis are not an ethnic or religious group. Sufism is a mystical movement in the Islamic world. The group was formed to counterweigh the increasing worldliness in the Muslim empire. The group was important in fighting rigid legalism in the orthodox religious leadership. Sufism searches for the direct mystical knowledge of divine love and knowledge. The group seeks to progress beyond mere intellectual knowledge into mystical experiences. Sufism has an important role in the formation of Muslim societies through educating masses and channeling their emotions. They are also important in that they have converted new regions into Islam. There are five pillar of Islam. The first pillar of Islam is the profession of faith. Muslims recite the creed as a way of bearing witness in the union of the faith. The creed is the profound statement that expresses a Muslim’s acceptance and absolute commitment to the Islamic faith. Prayer is the second pillar of Islam. The faith insists that the in dividual must have direct relationship with God. Salah can be performed alone. However, it is considered meritorious to perform Salah with a group. It is also permissible to pray at home and work. It is preferable to perform the Salah in a mosque. Zakat The third arm is almsgiving. The social responsibility is viewed as a divine duty in the Islamic service. Zakat prescribes the payment of the fixed proportions of the possessions of Muslims for the welfare of the less fortunate and the entire community (Ibrahim, 1997). The equivalent of 2.5 percent of a Muslim’s net worth should fall under this pillar in terms of commitment to the faith. This excludes family expenses and obligations. Sawm Fasting in the month of Ramadan is the fourth pillar of Islam. The fast is ordained in the Holy Quran. During the fast, Muslims seek a deeper perception of divine issues and personal worship. The fast is an act of self-control and heightened sensitivity to the needy. After the fast, Eid ul-Fi tr festival is held to celebrate the end of the fast. Hajj This is the pilgrimage to Makkah. This is the most significant manifestation of Islamic faith. Hajj is a once in a lifetime duty which is considered to be the peak of the religious faith (Ibrahim, 1997). In performing Hajj, pilgrims follow the orders of the ritual from Prophet Muhammad as performed in the last pilgrimage. 3. Contrast contemporary Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Shia and Sunni are two branches in the Islamic faith. The differences between the groups is said to have stemmed from political struggles which emerged after the death of Prophet Muhammad. Shin is said to have originated from Egypt and Morocco while Sunnis are said to have emerged from Saudi Arabia. While the Shiites are about 120 million in number, Sunnis are estimated to have a population of about 1.2 billion. Shiites have Imams, Ayatollah ul uzma, Allama and Mujtahid as part of their clergy (BBC, 2009). The Sunnis have Mullahs and Caliphs only. Shiites b elieve that their teachings originated from the teachings of Prophet Muhammad and they hold that his son-in-law, Ali, became his successor. Unlike the Shiites, the Sunnis believe that that prophet Muhammad was succeeded by his close friend Abu Bakr. Shiites believe