Monday, September 30, 2019
Windows Bernice Morgan
In 1882, Dr Gayral diagnosed that Therese ââ¬Å"reacts to an emotional frustration with a neurotic attack. ââ¬Å"[16] An alarmed, but cloistered, Pauline began to write letters to Therese and attempted various strategies to intervene. Eventually Therese recovered after she had turned to gaze at the statue of the Virgin Mary placed in Marie's room, where Therese had been moved. [17] She reported on May 13, 1883 that she had seen the Virgin smile at her. [18][19] She wrote: ââ¬Å"Our Blessed Lady has come to me, she has smiled upon me.How happy I am. ââ¬Å"[20] However, when Therese told the Carmelite nuns about this vision at the request of her eldest sister Marie, she found herself assailed by their questions and she lost confidence. Self-doubt made her begin to question what had happened. ââ¬Å"I thought I had lied ââ¬â I was unable to look upon myself without a feeling of profound horror. ââ¬Å"[21] ââ¬Å"For a long time after my cure,I thought that my sickness was delib erate and this was a real martyrdom for my soul. [22] Her concerns over this continued until November 1887. During her illness, Therese occupied the room with the statue of Our Lady, and it stood beside her bed. When her pains were less serious, she would often look at the statue and pray that Heaven would send her a cure. On Sunday May 13, 1883, Theresa became so ill that she did not recognize her sisters. Marie felt sure that little Theresa was dying, and throwing herself on her knees before their beloved statue of Our Lady, she begged Our Lady to cure Theresa.Leonie and Celine joined in with their prayers, as well, begging the Blessed Virgin Mary to have pity on their poor, sick, little sister. Suddenly the statue seemed to come aliveââ¬âand Our Lady appeared to little Theresa. Our Lady's face glowed with a glorious beauty, but it was her wonderful smile, which filled the girl with joy. Our Lady's smile was like a warm ray of sunshine. Two large tears of joy rolled down There sa's cheeks, and she thought, ââ¬Å"Ah! The Blessed Virgin smiled at me, how happy I am. ââ¬Å"During this time, Marie saw her sister Theresa, as in an ecstasy of love, and she was not looking at the statue, but at the Blessed Virgin Mary herself! The vision seemed to last about four or five minutes and during this time, little Theresa was cured; all her pains and weariness had disappeared. Later, when Marie was alone with Theresa, she asked her why she had just shed some tears. Theresa didn't want to tell her secret, but when she saw that Marie had guessed that Our Lady had appeared to her, she said, ââ¬Å"I cried because Our Lady had disappeared. ââ¬Å"
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Australia Country Risks Essay
The overall performance of Australia in world economic outlook is generally one of the most stable. Because of the well planned course of running the economy, the Australian government has been maintaining a good level of growth among the Asia Pacific countries. However, it is also important to see some of the risks involved if one wishes to invest in the Australian market. The first aspect in strategic planning is to identify the political risks. Apparently, the political risks in the country can only be identified in terms of effectiveness. The implementation of different laws is at least better in Australia than any of its neighbors. In a general scale, it is one of the most stable political units in the world. Although some corruption incidences have been reported previously, there is still a very good control of the government to combat such problems (McKeever). The legal risks involved in Australia are also very minimal. Since the Australian laws are basically made of Federal Parliament directives, there are very little chances of having a biased law towards a particular party. The laws are ratified by the three system political approval such as the executive, legislative and judicial segments. Basically, Australian Laws are for the common man which reduces the possibility of having extreme unwarranted consequences of biased judgments. Lastly, it is also important to note he regulatory risks in a particular country. In Australia, this risk is also very minimal because of the previous financial deregulation processes ratified in 1983 by making the Australian dollar float in the international foreign market (Wikipedia, 2007). This served as the primary attractive factor for most investors who wish to get a deregulated instrument for investment. References McKeever. N. D. The McKEEVER Institute of Economic Policy Analysis. Retrieved December 2, 2007 from http://www. mkeever. com/australia. html. Wikipedia. 2007. Economy of Australia. Wikipedia-The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 2, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Economy_of_Australia.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Change Detection Techniques of Remote Sensing Imageries
Change Detection Techniques of Remote Sensing Imageries 1.1 Introduction Over the past years, academics have suggested enormous numbers of change detection techniques of remote sensing imageries and classified them from a different point of views [ 28 ]. These techniques depend on the assumption of spatial independence among pixels. This assumption is valid only for low, medium and high-resolution images but insufficient for VHR images [ 1 ]. This chapter presents the concept, implementation, and assessment of seven change detection techniques using low, medium and high-resolution ORSI. The rest of this chapter is organized into eight sections. Section 3.2 presents a brief description of the study areas. Section 3.3 describes the dataset characteristics of the study areas (Sharm El-Sheikh city and Mahalla al-kubra city ââ¬â Egypt). Section 3.4 presents the pre-processing performed on the image dataset before change detection process. Section 3.5 provides the accuracy assessment measures used for evaluation of the change detectio n process. Section 3.6 illustrates the concepts of the selected seven change detection techniques . These techniques are post-classification, direct multi-date classification (DMDC), image differencing (ID), image rationing (IR), image symmetric relative difference (ISRD), change vector analysis (CVA), and principal component differencing (PCD). Section 3.7 presents the experimental work. It explains the Implementation and accuracy assessment of applying the selected change detection techniques on an image dataset of Sharm El-Sheikh city- Egypt. Section 3.8 presents the application of ââ¬Å"post-classificationâ⬠change detection technique on an image dataset of El-Mahalla El-kubra City-Egypt to detect the urban expansion over the agricultural area through the period from 2010 to 2015. Finally, section 3.9 gives the chapter summary. 1.2 The study areas In this chapter, two study areas are selected for the application of the selected change detection techniques. The first area is a part of Sharm el-Sheikh city. It is located on the southern landfill of the Sinai Peninsula, in the South Sinai Governorate, Egypt, on the coastal bar along the Red Sea as shown in figure (3.1). Its population is approximately 73,000 as of 2015 [ 62 ]. Sharm El Sheikh is the administrative hub of Egyptââ¬â¢s South Sinai Governorate, which includes the smaller coastal towns of Dahab and Nuweiba as well as the mountainous interior, St. Catherine and Mount Sinai. Today the city is a holiday resort and significant center for tourism in Egypt. The selected area is about 12.5 Km 2 . The second study area is a village belongs to El Mahalla El Kubra city. El Mahalla El Kubra is a large industrial and agricultural city in Egypt, located in the middle of the Nile Delta on the western bank of the Damietta Branch tributary, as shown in figure (3.2). The city is known for its textile industry. It is the largest city of the Gharbia Governorate and the second largest in the Nile Delta [ 63 ]. The selected area is about 38 Km 2 . 1.3 Images datasets of the study areas In this chapter, two datasets are used. The first dataset consists of two images of Sham el-Sheikh city acquired by Landsat 7 at 2000 and 2010 respectively as shown in figure (3.3). Area of the image lies between Lat. 28 0 37.0091 N, Lon. 34 17 56.3381 E and Lat.à 27 57 20.8804 N, Lon. 34 24 43.6080 E. Table (3.1) summarizes the characteristic of these images. Table (3.1 )à Characteristic of Sham el-Sheikh dataset No Spatial resolution Radiometric resolution Number of bands Acquisition date Size [pixels] Area [km 2 ] Width Height 1 30 m 8 bits 3 2000 382 364 12.5143 2 30 m 8 bits 3 2010 382 364 12.5143 (a) (b) Fig (3.3 ) Dataset of Sharm el-Sheikh city- Egypt acquired by Landsat 7 at (a) image acquired at 2000 and the (b) image acquired at 2010. Figure (3.4) illustrates the second dataset of a village belongs to EL Mahalla al-Kubra city in Egypt. It consists of two images acquired in 2010 and 2015. It is taken by El-Shayal Smart web online Software that could acquire Satellite images from Google Earth. The image area lies between Lat. 30 57 46.9032 N, Lon. 31 14 35.4776E and Lat. 30 54 47.00 N, Lon. 31 18 19.98. Table (3.2) summarizes the characteristic of this dataset. (a) (b) Fig ( 3.4 ) Dataset of EL mahalla al-kubra city- Egypt ( Google Earth) (a) image acquired at 2010 and (b) image acquired at 2015. Table (3.2 )à Characteristic of EL mahalla al-kubra dataset No Spatial resolution Radiometric resolution Number of bands Acquisition date Size [pixels] Area [km 2 ] Width Height 1 6 m 8 bits 3 2010 1056 1007 38.2821 2 6 m 8 bits 3 2015 1056 1007 38.2821 1.4 Image Pre-processing for Change Detection Before change detection process, it is usually necessary to carry out the radiometric correction and image registration for the dataset used [ 64 ].à In sections 3.4.1and 3.4.2, the concept of radiometric and image registration are described. The execution of preprocessing on the dataset used is given in section 3.7.2. 1.4.1 Radiometric correction Radiometric conditions are influenced by many factors such as different imaging seasons or dates, different solar altitudes, different view angles, different meteorologic conditions and different cover areas of cloud, rain or snow etc. It may affect the accuracy of most change detection techniques. Radiometric correction is performed to remove or reduce the inconsistency between the values surveyed by sensors and the spe ctral reflectivity and spectral radiation brightness of the objects, which encompasses absolute radiometric correction and relative radiometric correction [ 26 ]. Absolute radiometric correction It mainly rectifies the radiation distortion that is irrelevant to the radiation features of the object surface and is caused by the state of sensors, solar illumination, and dispersion and absorption of atmospheric etc. The typical methods mainly consist of adjusting the radiation value to the standard value with the transmission code of atmospheric radiation, adjusting the radiation value to the standard value with spectral curves in the lab, adjusting the radiation value to the standard value with dark object and transmission code of radiation, rectifying the scene by removing the dark objects and so on. Due to the fact that it is expensive and impractical to survey the atmospheric parameter and ground objects of the current data, and almost impossible to survey that of the histor ical data, it is difficult to implement absolute radiometric correction in most situations in reality. Relative radiometric correction In a relative radiometric correction, an image is regarded as a reference image. Then adjust the radiation features of another image to make it match with the former one. Main methods consist of correction by histogram regularization and correction with fixed object. This kind of correction can remove or reduce the effects of atmosphere, sensor, and other noises. In addition, it has a simple algorithm. So it has been widely used. The radiation algorithms that are most frequently used at present in the preprocessing of change detection mainly consists of image regression method, pseudo-invariant features,à dark set and bright set normalization, no-change set radiometric normalization, histogram matching, second simulation of the satellite signal in the solar spectrum and so on. It should be pointed that radiometric correction isnââ¬â¢t n ecessary for all change detection methods. Although some scholars hold that radiometric corrections are necessary for multi-sensor land cover change analysis Leonardo studies at 2006 have shown that if the obtained spectral signal comes from the images to be classified, it is unnecessary to conduct atmospheric correction before the change detection of post-classification comparison. For those change detection algorithms based on feature, object comparison, radiometric correction is often unnecessary [ 64 ]. 1.4.2 Image registration Precise registration to the multi-temporal imageries is essential for numerous change detection techniques. The importance of precise spatial registration of multi-temporal imagery is understandable because generally spurious results of change detection will be formed if there is misregistration. If great registration accuracy isnââ¬â¢t available, a great deal of false change area in the scene will be caused by image displacement. It is commonly approved that the geometrical registration accuracy of the sub-pixel level is recognized. It can be seen that the geometrical registration accuracy of the sub-pixel level is necessary to change detection. However, it is doubtful whether this result is suitable for all registration data sources and all detected objects and if suitable how much it is. Another problem is whether this result has no influence on all change detection techniques and applications and if there is any influence how much it is. These Problems are worth to be studied further. On the other hand, it is difficult to implement high accuracy registration between multi-temporal especially multi-sensor remote sensing images due to many factors, such as imaging models, imaging angles and conditions, curvature and rotation of the earth and so on. Especially in the mountainous region and urban area, general image registration methods are ineffective and orthorectification is needed. Although geometrical registration of h igh accuracy is necessary to techniques used for low, medium and high resolution (like image differencing techniques and post-classification), it is unnecessary for all change detection t. For the feature-based change detection methods like object-based change detection method, the so-called buffer detection procedure can be employed to associate the extracted objects or features and in this manner, the harsh prerequisite of perfect registration can be escaped [ 65 ]. However, these methods neglect the key problem of the distinction between radiometric and semantic changes. So, it does not address the problem of change detection from a general perspective. It just focuses on specific applications relevant to the end user [ 1 ]. 1.5 Accuracy Assessment used for Change Detection Process evaluation The accuracy of change detection depends on many factors, including precise geometric registration and calibration or normalization, availability and quality of ground reference data, t he complexity of landscape and environment, methods or algorithms used, the analystââ¬â¢s skills and experience, and time and cost restrictions.à Authors in [ 66 ] summarized the main errors in change detection including errors in data (e.g. image resolution, accuracy of location and image quality), errors caused by pre-processing (the accuracy of geometric correction and radiometric correction), errors caused by change detection methods and processes (e.g. classification and data extraction error), errors in field survey (e.g. accuracy of ground reference) and errors caused by post-processing. Accuracy assessment techniques in change detection originate from those of remote sensing images classification. It is natural to extend the accuracy assessment techniques for processing single time image to that of bi-temporal or multi-temporal images. Among various assessment techniques, the most efficient and widely-used is the error matrix [ 26 ]. It describes the comparison or cr oss-tabulation of the classified land cover to the actual land cover revealed by the sample sites results in an error matrix as demonstrated in the table (3.3). It can be called a confusion matrix, contingency table [ 67 ], evaluation matrix [ 68 ] or misclassification matrix [ 69 ]. Different measures and statistics can be derived from the values in an error matrix. These measures are used to evaluate the change detection process. These measures are overall accuracy, procedures accuracy and user accuracy [ 70 ]. Overall accuracy of the change map It presents the ratio of the total number of correctly classified pixels to the total number of pixels in the matrix. This figure is normally expressed as a percentage. It can be expressed as follows: The overall accuracy = à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à (3.1) Userââ¬â¢s accuracy (column accuracy) It is a measure of the reliability of change map generated fro m a CD process. It is a statistic that can tell the user of the map what percentage of a class corresponds to the ground-truthed class. It is calculated by dividing the number of correct pixels for a class by the total pixels assigned to that class. The user accuracy = à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à (3.2) Producerââ¬â¢s accuracy (raw accuracy) It is a measure of the accuracy of a particular classification scheme. It shows what percentage of a particular ground class was correctly classified. It is calculated by dividing the number of correct pixels for a class by the actual number of ground truth pixels for that class. The procedure accuracy = à à à à à à à à à à à à (3.3) Table ( 3 . 3 ) Change error matrix or confusion matrix. Classified land cover Actual land cover Class1 = change Class2 = no change Class1 = change Correct False Class2 = no change False Correct 1.6 Concepts of the selected change detection techniques Seven LULC change detection techniques are selected to be implemented on our dataset. These techniques are post-classification, direct multi-date classification ( DMDC ), image differencing (ID), image rationing (IR), image symmetric relative difference (ISRD), change vector analysis (CVA), and principal component differencing (PCD). Image differencing Itis based on the subtraction of two spatially registered imageries, pixel by pixel, as follows: ID =X i (t 2 ) ââ¬â X i (t 1 )à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à (3.4) Where: X represents the multispectral images with I (number of bands) acquired at two different times t 1 and t 2 . The pixel s of changed area are predictable to be scattered in the two ends of the histogram of the resulting image (change map), and the no changed area is grouped around zero as shown in figure (3.5). This simple manner easily infers the resulting image; conversely, it is vital to properly describe the thresholds to perceive the change from non-change regions [ 71 ] . Image Rationing It is similar to image differencing method. The only difference between them is the replacement of the differencing images by rationed images [ 71 ].
Friday, September 27, 2019
Graphic. Inc. Financial Case Analysis Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Graphic. Inc. Financial Case Analysis - Article Example If it is more likely than not that more than 50% of the deferred tax assets will not be realized, this should form the basis for release of the valuation allowance. Graphic, Inc. needs to complete its annual report for filing with the SEC using Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005. In order to do this, there is need to identify the positive and negative evidence to be considered to evaluate the need to record a valuation allowance against the Company's deferred tax assets. Based on the analysis of positive and negative evidence, it would be possible to determine which evidence should have more weight assigned than others; how much valuation allowance, whether full, none or partial, should be recorded at December 31, 2005; and if a full or partial valuation allowance is used, what criteria should be met before the entire valuation allowance is released (Deloitt 2003). Graphic, Inc. has five years of cumulative losses at December 31, 2005. Based on the company's substantial net operating loss carry forward, no income tax provision has been reflected in the 2005 interim income statements. At December 31, 2005, the deferred tax asset was $51,073 after application to reduce 2005 taxable income but before valuation allowance. A company can recognize the tax benefit produced by a carry back of tax losses or credits. According to GAAP, a loss carry back can be applied to the three years preceding the loss (Investopedia 2008). The carry back results in a refund based on events that have already occurred (Kwan-Hyun 1992). On the other hand, carry forwards represent potential tax savings based on past events but certain limitations must be overcome in the future before the company can realize potential benefits. The realization of future benefit is inherently speculative because they cannot be predicted with certainty. The asset is then limited by requiring a valuation allowance if realization is sufficiently in doubt, under the ''more likely than not'' standard (Kwan-Hyun 1992). Positive and negative evidences therefore, need to be considered in judging the likelihood of realizing a tax benefit. For Graphic, Inc. negative evidences include its history of expired tax carry forward, its history of continuous losses for the past decade, as well as the fact that the company operates in a cyclical industry. Positive evidences include the growing success of its new product G-1000 which has generated net income for the last two years and very favorable negotiations with The Sports Magazine for a recurring $20 million annual contract. In the preliminary tax provision for 2005, Graphic, Inc. applied $12,400 to tax loss carry forwards expiring in 2005. $25,000 of capital loss carry forwards and $2,600 of NOL carry forwards expired in 2005. Therefore, the decrease in operating loss carry forwards of $40,000, from $173,700 at December 31, 2004 to $133,700 at December 31, 2005 is comprised of $12,400 of NOLs applied to reduce 2005 taxable income, expiration of $2,600 of NOL carry forwards, and expiration of $25,000 of capital loss carry forwards (Deloitt 2003). The company's evaluation is to determine deferred tax assets for net
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Nursing Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1
Nursing - Article Example 2. Variables in the Research Study As earlier indicated, the hypothesis of the research study provides a relationship between two or more variables in the study. In the study conducted by Kalisch and Lee (2011), the hypothesis provides a relationship between two variables with the first variable being staffing while the second variable is teamwork. Importantly, Kalisch and Lee explicitly stated and discussed these two variables in their study in detail. Macnee and McCabe (2008) identified the independent variables in a study as the variables that determine or predict the outcome of interest. In line with this, Kalisch and Lee (2011) used staffing as the independent variable in the study since nursing staffing determined the outcome that the research study sought to investigate. On the other hand, it is important to point out that a dependent variable in a research study is ââ¬Å"the outcome that the research is trying to explain or predictâ⬠(Macnee & McCabe, 2008, p.74). In li ne with this, it is evident that the researchers wanted to investigate the effects of staffing in nursing on the levels of teamwork nurses exhibited. In effect, the amount of teamwork exhibited by these nurses depends on the levels of staffing, which in this case qualifies teamwork as the dependent variable of the study. Kalisch and Lee (2011) also identified other variables in their research. These variables qualify to fit the category of research variables. In this case, the first of these variables is hours per patient per day (HPPD), which is a determinant of the staffing levels in nursing. Secondly, another research variable is the skill mix in nursing, which is ââ¬Å"the proportion of RNs, LPNs, and NAs providing... This paper approves that the research study focused on the attributes of gender, age, and professional qualifications of the nurses while conducting research. In line with this, the study conducted by the researchers involved 60% percent of the sample as nurses above 35 years. Therefore, it is evident that this attribute of age is crucial since these nurses had more than ten years of practice. Hence, they would offer more information due to their experiences in various facilities regarding the role of staffing and its influence on teamwork in nursing. In terms of the gender attribute as a demographic variable, the sample of the study had 89% females while the rest were males. Finally, the attribute of education whereby over 46% of nurses in the study possessed the qualification of a degree in nursing is important due to the skills mix that the researchers used in determining the levels of staffing. The study used primary sources of data and secondary sources of data while conducting the research study. In this case, the researchers used existing data in order to argue their case to the reader and underline the importance of conducting the research study. This essay makes a conclusion that the data collection technique was spread in duration of four weeks in each facility involved in the research study with the data protocol involving two phases. Importantly, each phase intended to achieve a different objective with the researchers first seeking the approval and support of the hospitals involved, which is the fundamental step in research ethics. In addition, the study relied on the use of questionnaires to collect the raw data from their subjects with each subject obtaining the survey in a sealed envelope.
An ethical dilemma for the new CEO of Cheryl Tobin Essay
An ethical dilemma for the new CEO of Cheryl Tobin - Essay Example The CEO should lead this team that would be handpicked by her in order to ensure that the internal employees cannot hamper the investigations. This is because it should be remembered that the CEO has no concrete evidence of a fraud in the company and the basis of the CEOââ¬â¢s thoughts are largely based on reports reported from external sources that can be largely dubbed as rumors. Acting on rumors and engaging an external agency would not only harm the companyââ¬â¢s reputation but would also take the CEO on a collision course with the other senior management members. Only if the initial inquiry reflects frauds, then an external agency can be hired so as to ensure minimal damage to the reputation of the organization. It would also ensure that the employees and the senior management would not vary of the fact that the CEO who has been hired from an external organization is not hell-bent on finding flaws and imposing her individual style of working in the organization. Moreover, the findings of the internal audit committee can be very well concealed within the organization so that remedial measures can be initiated and that there is no harm in the reputation of the organization. A hasty decision of conducting an external inquiry can only aggravate matters and can have disastrous implication on the business prospects of the organization. It would also reflect an autocratic leadership style of the CEO that would eventually not help in improving the situation and would make matters worse in the long run.... Since all the financial documents are to be signed by the directors any frauds reported within the company makes them personally liable to criminal prosecution (Ashcroft & Ashcroft, p.412). Moreover, with the CEO being appointed by the board of directors makes the CEO answerable to them. It also questions the ethical dimensions of the CEO as it is the duty of the same to report matters to the board. The powers vested to the CEO are largely for the purpose of acting on the behalf of the board and to make the CEO answerable for the day to day affairs of the organization. Hence the CEO was very correct in initiating a probe into the matter. Examples from real life also suggest unfair and corrupt practices should not be encouraged in any organization. These malpractices may give short term gains but it is clear from the history of companies like Enron that unethical practice if not checked can lead to a complete downfall of the organization (BBC News, ââ¬Å"Enron Scandal at a Glanceâ⠬ ). Issues like negative sentiments coming in the wake of an enquiry into the scandals should not pose as a hindrance or an obstacle to the enquiry process as it ignorance in the long term can have very serious implications. This can also be inferred from the manner in which Boeing had to pay huge amounts as a fine towards fraudulent transactions and activities of the company. However rather than suddenly taking a decision to hire an external agency for the investigation, first the CEO can carry out an internal monitoring and supervision of the books of accounts of the company. The CEO should lead this team that would be handpicked by her in order to ensure that the
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Developing Professional Practice for a Student Essay
Developing Professional Practice for a Student - Essay Example Effective professional practice makes the difference between competency and incompetency. Throughout the unit, I have leaned the effect of acquiring best practice since during internships I would find communication and interaction with fellow staffs easy and cordial. This would not have been so if I had not gone through the unit. Effective professional practice is intense to permit students and others to develop new skills and knowledge essential in their professional practice. Professional skills The unit has equipped me with numerous skills regarding professionalism. Time management is one of the skills learned; time is an essential part of individual and its management practice distinguishes the rich and poor. I need to be wealthy in knowledge and material thus time management is an essential skill that the unit has endowed. Currently and in future time management help and will help me deliver my duties promptly and become a role model to others. Communication and interpersonal sk ills are professional knowledge and skills acquired. Communication is essential and it gives a significant impact if done professionally (Morrison, 1993). The communication skills vary from the body language, intonation and words used. The best mode of communication attraction is the first impression; within seconds of interaction people form their opinion and if my dressing is not presentable my wording and intonation would not impress them. The formal and informal communication category assists in interaction with other people such as fellow staffs, patients or clients, and management. This skill that assists me to treat people as individuals thus ensuring interpersonal rapport is maintained. The skills can assist me in the future to attract and retain clients when I start my own business and also interact with employees professionally. Further training and practice of the skills can assist to add more value to what I have learned. Teamwork is another professional skill learned. A ny profession requires teamwork spirit to make work easy and also to encourage different experts to pull together in achieving organizational objectives. These skills help me appreciate individuals with their capacity and contribution. The future is brighter with this kind of skills put into practice I can manage bigger human resource capacity. It is essential to be a team player to make effective manager or a leader in an organization. With practice and involving my role models, I can add value to skills acquired and be better. Behavioral characteristics of the successful professional skills and presentation skills are additional professional knowledge acquired in this unit. Professional skills are pillars of my professional growth and development (Karten, 2010). Practice and training are additional activities to assist in perfecting the skills acquired and remain relevant. Knowledge development Knowledge gathered from this unit is that attitude, hard work, good communication, pres entation, dedication, and devotion are professionalism values that I have to keep throughout my career development. Maintaining ethics is an essential matter in professional development since it builds a reputation and assists one earns the trust of others (Eraut, 2003). I have learned trust is essential in financial matters and going through the unit this cannot be over-emphasized.Ã
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Prominent Leaders Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Prominent Leaders - Research Paper Example All the same we are fortunate enough to have enough positive leadership to reflect upon it helps to overshadow all of those that are not. Nelson Mandela is a fantastic example of what positive leadership should look like, strongly empathetic, goal oriented, and eager to bring about positive and productive change, and bring greater equality to his country, in Mandelaââ¬â¢s case, this is South Africa. In order to understand Mandelaââ¬â¢s leadership better it is important to review his life and experiences. Nelson Mandela was born Rolihlahla Mandela in July of 1918 to his mother and father, the latter was a councilman to the current king of the existing Provence. Even as a child it is said that he reveled in stories of brave heroes fighting for what is right and making change. He hoped he might, also, make changes to improve the lives of the peoples in his communities someday. It was not until he entered primary school, the equivalent to elementary school in the United States, tha t he received a ââ¬Å"Christianâ⬠name from his teacher, a common tradition at the time, Nelson. He did well in his educational pursuits and began his goal of gaining his Bachelors degree at the University College at Fort Hare, however he was expelled for his participation in a protest (The Life and Times of Nelson Mandela, 2013). He went back to college on several occasions but never complete his degree. In 1942 he joined the African National Congress and in 1944 when he helped formed the ANC Youth League. Nelson Mandela rose quickly through the ranks of the ANCYL and through its work the ANC was adopted in 1949, which was a more radical mass-based policy, a Programme of Action. In 1952 he was chosen as the National Volunteer in-Chief of the Defiance Campaign, which was a campaign of civil disobedience focused on, decidedly, six unjust laws. This campaign was a joint endeavor between the ANC and the South African Indian Congress. Nelson Mandela and neatly 20 others were charg ed and sentences for their their involvement. It was later that year that Mandela was able to earn a degree that allowed him to practice law, he and colleague, Oliver Tambo, opened South Africaââ¬â¢s first black owned and operated law firm, Mandela and Tambo. From hear he continued to push forward, always with the goal, of improving the quality and equality of the black South Africans under the minority rule of white South Africans. He was arrested, detained, and served time on multiple occasions through the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, for his efforts; at one point or another, he even, at one time, continued his pursuits under a false name so that he might continue to inspire and lead others (The Life and Times of Nelson Mandela, 2013). There are two standard categories that leadership styles are attributed, either transactional or transformational leadership. The former, transactional leadership focuses on the goals and desires of the leader; all things revolve around that leadershi p as supervision and group performance. It is less focused on changing the future but on maintaining the ââ¬Å"status quoâ⬠(Aarons, 2007). Transformational leadership focuses on changing the future, inspiring others to share their goals, and motivating people to take greater ownership in their
Monday, September 23, 2019
Handling Data Comparing height and weight for Mayfield High School Essay
Handling Data Comparing height and weight for Mayfield High School - Essay Example But if I can turn this into a picture, I can then compare the boys data with the girls data. Heights of Boys and Girls And to compare boys and girls, I can put them both on the same graph. It looks like more boys are taller than girls, which I think is normal. I can do the same for weight. Weight of Boys and Girls And to compare the weights of boys and girls: From the graph above it seem that boys have a weight that is more spread out. Girls seem to be closer together, and don't seem to weigh more than 74 kg. It looks like the boys also weigh more, which makes sense if their taller. Stem and Leaf Since I already grouped all the data, I can record it in stem and leaf diagrams. That way, I can more easily find the median and the mode. Boys Height Stem Leaf Frequency 1.30 2, 2 2 1.40 5, 8, 8 3 1.50 0, 2, 3, 4, 8 5 1.60 0, 2, 5, 5, 7 5 1.70 0, 2, 2, 4, 5 5 1.80 0, 0, 0, 2, 5, 5, 6 7 1.90 0, 1 2 2.00 0 1 The mean height is easily found by adding up all the heights and dividing by 30. Adding up all the heights comes to 50.13, and dividing by 30 gives 1.67m. I can also find the median, which should be between the 15th and 16th numbers (written in pink), so it's 1.685, which rounds to 1.69. And the mode is the number that occurs most frequently, which is 1.80 (in red). Boys Weight Stem Leaf Frequency 30 8 1 40 0, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 7, 8 8 50 0, 2, 4, 6, 6, 7, 8, 9 8 60 2, 4, 6, 6, 8, 9 6 70 0, 2, 2, 3 4 80 0, 2, 6 3 90 0 I can get the mean, median and mode for boys weights the same way. The mean is the addition of all the weights divided by 30, which means 1763/30 or 58.767, which rounds to 58.8kg. The median is between the 15th and 16th numbers which is 57.5kg. There are 4 modes: 44, 56, 66, and 72. Girls...I can also see that boys tend to be taller than girls. But if I can turn this into a picture, I can then compare the boys data with the girls data. From the graph above it seem that boys have a weight that is more spread out. Girls seem to be closer together, and don't seem to weigh more than 74 kg. It looks like the boys also weigh more, which makes sense if their taller. The mean height is easily found by adding up all the heights and dividing by 30. Adding up all the heights comes to 50.13, and dividing by 30 gives 1.67m. I can also find the median, which should be between the 15th and 16th numbers (written in pink), so it's 1.685, which rounds to 1.69. And the mode is the number that occurs most frequently, which is 1.80 (in red). I can get the mean, median and mode for boys weights the same way. The mean is the addition of all the weights divided by 30, which means 1763/30 or 58.767, which rounds to 58.8kg. The median is between the 15th and 16th numbers which is 57.5kg. There are 4 modes: 44, 56, 66, and 72. The range that holds the mode for boys and girls is the same in both cases. This is probably because boys height is more spread out than girls. It could also be because there is a mistake in the sampling. Since there are more than one mode for boys weight, there's not a lot I can so about it.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Outsourcing To India And China Essay Example for Free
Outsourcing To India And China Essay Outsourcing can be defined as transferring the jobs from the UK to India, China and other third world or low ââ¬âwage countries. There are many advantages of outsourcing. The following paragraphs explain the relationship of outsourcing and the supply and demand economics theory(Cooke, 2005; pp 173 -180). BODY It is good business senses for multinational companies now outsource from many developing countries (like China and India). In fact, many organizations in the United Kingdom have outsourced their operations, set ââ¬âup, maintenance of their computer systems and networks and production to other countries. A survey done on 162 European firms showed that half of the interviewed companies had outsourced most of their information technology jobs. These outsourced contracts form only 24 percent of Information Technology jobs. Definitely this had climbed up to 36 percent in 1998 in the United Kingdom alone. The main reason for the increase in outsourcing is the corporate priority to reduce labor and material costs. For, it costs higher to pay a European worker to do the same jobs in the United Kingdom (Bounfour 2003; pp. 84 -92). Likewise, production, call center and other jobs outsourced to China or India would cost less in terms of labor and raw materials (Richardson 1999; pp. 74-94). Evidently, it is good business senses for multinational companies now outsource from many developing countries. (Domberger 1998; p. 84 -90). It is good and bad for the UK economy for multinational companies now outsource from many developing countries (like China and India). Outsourcing is good because the public can buy the same quality products at lower prices. It is also good because lower labor cost will increase net profits. It is bad for the UK labor sector. Outsourcing has changed the labour demand in the UK. Outsourcing has caused the labour jobs especially in the manufacturing sector to decline in the UK and other European Union member states such as France and Germany according to the study by Hijzen et al in 2005. Thus, the imported products and raw materials from low ââ¬âwage third world countries has greatly affected the UK companiesââ¬â¢ demand for European manufacturing and Information Technology workers for the period 1995 to 2000. Also, outsourcing has caused a . 6 percent employment in the European Union countries. Obviously, it is good and bad for the UK economy for multinational companies now outsource from many developing countries (Barrell, Choy and Kirby 2006; pp 63 -67). There are gainers and losers from outsourcing UK jobs. First, the people hired to do the outsourcing jobs in India, China and other third world and low ââ¬âwage countries will gain from outsourcing contracts. The companies that outsource the jobs will gain because now they will pay lesser labour wages for the same quality job. And, it costs lesser to outsource to China, India and other countries because the raw materials there are definitely cheaper. Further, the biggest gainers here are the entire UK and EU market because they can now buy the goods at lower prices as a result of some outsourcing companiesââ¬â¢ reduction of their selling prices brought about by the lower labour and materials costs and expenses(Lever, 1997; pp. 37-42. The losers are the workers in the United Kingdom and the European Union member states because they are fighting a losing battle to the low wage workers in outsourcing country recipients. But the biggest losers are the competitors in the UK and EU market because the UK company that has outsourced production and IT jobs can now lower their selling prices and still earn the same old profit margins which their competitors in the same industry cannot afford to for fear of losing money(Maromonte, 1998; pp. 13-25). Economicsââ¬â¢ supply and demand theory states that as the prices of goods decrease, then the demand for the products will increase. Glaringly, there are gainers and losers from outsourcing UK jobs. Outsourcing has many advantages and disadvantages.à The supply and demand theory explains that outsourcing jobs will increase demand for products being sold because prices of goods will decline. The competitors and UK work workers are the greatest losers from outsourcing. The UK and EU market(customers) and the company that have outsourced jobs are the greatest winners from outsourcing. Conclusively, outsourcing will benefit more people (market) than if it is not implemented. UK business, including the competitors must now jump into the boat of outsourcing to survive until the next century.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Reflection On Experience Working In Accident And Emergency
Reflection On Experience Working In Accident And Emergency This fieldwork exercise was a visit to the Minors Department within Accident and Emergency (AE) for a large London National Health Service (NHS) hospital, to observe and interview an Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) within the Department, and link their role in relation to primary health care (PHC). I had expected to learn further about the main connection between PHC and an acute care setting such as AE, assuming that it would be due to poor PHC management and issues with accessibility. These assumptions were based on some experience in AE as an Agency Nurse, along with colleagues, patients and media reports. 2.0 VISIT TO MINORS IN ACCIDENT EMERGENCY My fieldwork exercise began with covert observation in the AE waiting room, waiting for my fellow Nurse Practitioner (NP) student to arrive for a Saturday night shift. There were around 15 people and one child within the waiting room; a relatively calm environment, albeit for quiet restlessness, sighing, guarding and rocking, questioning companions as to when they would be seen, alongside comparing with others who had got in. Reception was a glass-shielded counter staffed by two personnel, informing patients registering, that there was a three hour wait. An electronic sign above reception welcomed patients, friends and relatives to the hospital, also informing them that we endeavour to see you in 4 hours; a reference to the Department of Healths (DoH) target, for patients to be discharged, admitted or transferred within four hours of presenting, in 98% of cases. The sign also requested for those with a minor illness, to attend the adjacent walk-in centre (WIC). Of note, aside from a clear focus on hygiene, was a sign notifying patients that treatment may not be free if not a United Kingdom (UK)/European Union citizen or resident. Such signage brings a principle of the Alma Ata declaration into question. The Alma Ata declaration arose following a joint World Health Organisation-UNICEF international conference, with a vision for healthcare for all people worldwide, with PHC at the heart (World Health Organisation, 2010). Although it can be argued that international guests are not paying into the NHS, and healthcare in the UK is not essentially free, given the National Insurance levy, the declaration views healthcare as a right for all, and not just those who are in a position to pay. On arrival, my fellow NP student showed me around AE. Within the adults section, the Department can be broken down to: Table 1: AE layout Department/Room Cubicles/Rooms Additional/Other Information Resuscitation 5 +1 paediatric cubicle Majors 16 Including 1 psychiatric cubicle Minors 12 Assessment/Triage 3 Clinical Decisions 10 Investigations and short term treatment (not more than 24-36 hours) Eye 1 Ear, Nose Throat 1 Plaster 1 X-Ray 1 Adjacent CT room being built next to Resuscitation The hospital is one of Londons major hospitals, opening in the 1700s in central London and developing into a main teaching hospital. With the increase in healthcare demands, more space was needed, and the hospital relocated to its present day location in the 1950s. In the 1970s, construction on the present hospital building began, and by the early 2000s, building and the final relocation of one of its hospitals was complete (Hospital website, 2009a). The AE Department is a 24 hour service, seeing around 100 000 patients per year, and of those, around 21% are admitted to hospital. Twenty two percent are children, to which a separate paediatric AE between the hours of 9am and 2am is available (Hospital website, 2009b). From April this year, the AE Department will become one of Londons four major trauma centres (MTC), and one of eight acute stroke centres (Healthcare for London, 2010). Preparations for this new designation were evident by the building of a computerised tomography scanner next door to Resuscitation, enabling suspected stroke patients to be scanned within two minutes of arriving. I spent most of my visit in Minors, a Department with 12 cubicles, which is staffed by two to three ENPs, one Senior House Officer, Registrar support, and a General Practitioner (GP) on Saturday and Sunday evenings. Despite having an adjacent WIC, this section of AE is dedicated to patients with minor injuries and illnesses. The most common presentations are due to infections (mostly ears, nose and throat, and urology), foreign bodies, wounds, fractures and head injuries. Numbers seen can vary, and around 150 patients had already been seen that day. There is a difference between days and nights, with days mostly seeing occupational injuries and GP referrals, with alcohol, drugs, domestic violence, assaults and foreign bodies featuring in the nights. In addition, weekends and evenings can see Minors taking on the role of an extended hours GP practice; supporting my hypothesis of poor PHC management and accessibility, as being a key cause of PHC in AE. The Department closes at 3am to reduce costs, but is sometimes too busy to do so. From next year, Minors will be a 24 hour service, with the aim for a Nurse-led service with Registrar support. This is to release medical staff for the new MTC, and in response to recommendations in Lord Darzis review on healthcare for London, discussed further in this assignment. The most surprising element of my visit, was to find out that ENPs are viewed and treated as junior doctors. This was mirrored by the consultation: history taking, examination, assessment, plan of care and documentation was that of seeing a medical doctor. While I was aware of the advanced and autonomous role of a NP, enabling diagnosing, prescribing and referring, I was taken back that NPs, certainly in this Department, have shifted from the nursing side of healthcare, and are now affiliated with medicine. The ENPs line management is a Registrar, who also supervises and signs off competencies. Any problems or concerns which need to be escalated, are dealt with by the Consultant. The AE Matron, and ultimately, the Director of Nursing are nowhere in the ENPs reporting line. The role of NP, reviews of urgent care, and PHC management are the topics I have chosen to base my discussion on. 3.0 DISCUSSION 3.1 Urgent care reviews The key review of urgent care in London is Lord Darzis Healthcare for London: A Framework for Action report. It was commissioned by NHS London in December 2006, in order to fulfil Londons healthcare needs over the next 5 to 10 years. The report acknowledged that many patients presenting to AE for minor illnesses and injuries would be better looked after in polyclinics or urgent care centres (UCC) with longer opening hours. Patients presenting to AE is not optimal due to the waiting period and being seen by junior doctors rather than GPs, who more suited to these complaints along with managing long-term health conditions (Healthcare for London, 2007a). The report proposes UCC with diagnostic equipment, where patients will have access to a Nurse or GP, recommending 24 hour access if based in AE (ie. Minors), or to be open on weekends and afterhours for those not hospital based (Healthcare for London, 2007a). A co-located UCC within AE can be important, in diverting urgent care away from attending AE/MTCs (Healthcare for London, 2007b). However, the ENP reported problems recruiting fellow ENPs with appropriate qualifications and experience, and was unsure whether Minors would be a Nurse-led 24 hour UCC, to coincide with the transformation of the main part of AE into a MTC in April. The Darzi report received criticism, largely directed at cost cuttings, cashing in on privatisation, the demotion of acute hospital services, the question of elderly care, and that future predictions on PHC and AE usage was an understatement. There is also criticism that recommendations have been made without practicalities, including polyclinic staffing, failings and costs of minor injuries units, and the future of healthcare staff (London Health Emergency, 2007). The ENP reported a poor skills mix at the adjacent WIC, such as not being able to read x-rays or suture, with patients being referred on to Minors. Alongside the question of resources being doubled up, such referring on leads to disjointed care and greater waiting lengths to be treated. It could also be confusing for patients to know where the best place to attend is, especially having been diverted from AE to the WIC on the advice of the Reception sign, only to end back up in AE. Clarity and streamlining of services is needed to improve patient experience. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) survey found that Emergency Nurses were under huge strain to meet the DoHs four hour target, termed as unrealistic (RCN, 2010: website). The survey also reported that the majority of respondents felt that patients with various and complicated needs, have had their care rushed to meet targets, and 59% of respondents feeling the responsibility lying solely within Nurses (RCN, 2010). Yet the ENP I spoke to was happy with the target, which gave momentum if a patient needed to be seen by a Registrar and had been waiting over an hour, this would then be escalated to a Consultant. On questioning, the ENP felt that the target was realistic, practical and they had the resources. 3.2 Primary health care management and accessibility London has the most AE attendances and admissions than anywhere else in England, and many of the 83% of patients not admitted could be treated elsewhere, with 40% of complaints able to be resolved through PHC. However, access to PHC services in London after hours is inadequate; a main thought behind AE attendance. AE patients are more likely to be fulltime workers and may take reassurance in knowing that they will be seen in four hours, rather than a wait of up to (or longer than) 48 hours to see their GP (Healthcare for London, 2007b). According to the ENP, patients report issues making GP appointments and that AE is quicker than seeing their GP, as the main reasons for presenting with PHC matters. The Healthcare Commissions (HCC, now the Care Quality Commission) review on urgent care in England, found that more than 50% of patients have problems calling their GP surgery, and a quarter of patients found GP hours were not convenient, and avoided going (HCC, 2008). Incentives for GP surgeries to provide afterhours care was a recommendation by The Royal College of General Practitioner (RCGP) in their review on urgent care (RCGP, 2007). Yet, the HCCs review found that where GP services provide afterhours care, less than half had organised a phone diversion with local GPs, to divert afterhours calls to their services. The majority of patients attending afterhours GP services are seen within two hours after an initial telephone assessment (HCC, 2008). This is not only faster than attending AE, but a more appropriate use of resources. The review found that many people are not aware of healthcare services other than their own GP and AE, or they might be unsure of using them. There were also examples of patients being referred to services that were not accessible. Work needs to be done to increase both patients and healthcare professionals understanding of alternative healthcare services, and when to use them (HCC, 2008). This is a view shared by the RCGP, along with GP practices implementing systems to deal with urgent care and GP training (RCGP, 2007). The ENP expressed frustrations with GPs making inappropriate referrals to AE, rather than to Specialists, generally noting the practice of defensive medicine. Despite referring back to the GP on discharge, patients were bouncing back for simple things, such as to have their dressings attended to. The ENP rarely had time to speak with GPs, but when they did, it was mostly to phone to question why they had referred. In respect to patients, the ENP felt that they were either not taking responsibility for their health or there was poor self management, possibly due to poor or no patient education, such as not taking analgesia and attending AE to request. The RCGP also note the need for improved patient education and self management promotion in their review (RCGP, 2007). The ENP was also very critical of NHS Direct, Englands telephone advice line for healthcare. They felt that the service was inadequate, as it was not possible to make an assessment over the phone, and defensively referring to AE. Yet half of callers to NHS Direct were given advice on self management at home (NHS Direct, 2010). 3.3 The role of the Nurse Practitioner 4.0 SUMMARY This fieldwork exercise has been a valuable experience. It has demonstrated the impact PHC has on AE, an already stretched resource, exacerbated by poor PHC management and accessibility. For these reasons, I will bear in mind my present practice and on qualification as a NP, to make seamless and appropriate referrals.
The Harrapan Civilization Essay -- essays papers
The Harrapan Civilization The Indus Valley, or Harrapan, civilization was discovered in 1920-21 when engraved seals were discovered near present-day Sahiwal in Pakistani Punjab at a place called Harappa. Excavations at Mohenjodaro in Sind discovered the buried remains of a civilization with a pictographic script. The Harappans first settled sites along the Indus River. This civilization extended to the Yamuna along the bed of the river Ghaggar in Rajhastan, Gujrat and up to the mouths of the rivers Narbada and Tapati. The Harappan culture extended from the Indus Valley through northeastern Afghanistan, on into Turkestan. Most of the major sites of this civilization are in Pakistan. In fact it is in Pakistan that an earlier phase of it has also been unearthed. This happened between 1955-57 when a Pakistani archaeologist, F.A.Khan, discovered a town of the pre-Indus period 3300 to 2800 BC at Kot Diji in Khairpur, Sind. Such sites were also discovered by Rafique Mughal in Bahawalpur, in the Cholistan desert, extending the area of this culture to the whole of southern Pakistan. The first appearance of this civilization was the early Harappan/Ravi Phase. This Ravi Phase, named after the nearby Ravi River, lasted from approximately 3300 BC, or even 3500 BC, to 2800 BC. This phase is related to the Hakra Phase, identified in the Ghaggar-Hakra river valley to the west, and predates the Kot Diji Phase (2800 -2600 BC), named after a site in northern Sindh near Mohenjo-daro. I...
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Free Essay: Comparing Heroism in Tess of the DUrbervilles and Othello :: comparison compare contrast essays
Tragic Heroism in Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Othello In tragedy the reader often sympathizes and empathizes with the protagonist who attains "wisdom through suffering." Tess Durbeyfield, in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Othello, in William Shakespeare's Othello are protagonists who elicit the sympathy of the reader as they suffer, act, and triumph over their antagonists, who are embodied by the characters of Alec D'Urberville, Tess' wealthy defiler, and Iago, Othello's amoral lieutenant. In both works the protagonists succumb to the pernicious influences of revenge, which are instigated by their antagonists and result in the deaths of the protagonists. Such tragedy in the protagonists' stories allows the reader to experience catharsis and realize the tragic heroism of Tess Durbeyfield and Othello. Tess Durbeyfield, an innocent dairymaid with "innocent instinct towards self-delight," displays her character in her persistent devotion toward Angel Clare, her husband. Her suffering is evident in her defilement by Alec D'Urberville, a wealthy aristocrat, and in her separation from her husband. In the "First Phase" Tess is physically taken advantage of by D'Urberville who recognizes her innocence and vulnerability. Later, in "Phase the Third," she then falls deeply in love with Angel Clare, an affluent agriculturist. Tess soon alienates Angel by revealing her earlier encounter with D'Urberville. Othello is an outsider and soldier who "loved not wisely but too well." His noble character is evident in his overwhelming fidelity towards his wife, Desdemona: "My life upon her faith," and the reader is quickly cognizant of the strong relationship between Othello and his wife. However, he is manipulated by Iago, his amoral lieutenant, and Othello's reality about his wife becomes twisted by Iago, who cleverly uses rhetoric to persuade him that his wife is disloyal. Iago informs the reader of Othello's transformation: "This may do something. The Moor already changes with my poison." Eventually, Othello is driven to murder his wife as a result of Iago's deception: "Get me some poison, Iago, this night. I'll not expostulate with her, lest her body and beauty unprovide my mind again. This night, Iago!" At the conclusion of each work the protagonist reaches a realization of her/his actions and accepts the responsibility for the consequences. In the novel, Tess realizes how D'Urberville abuses her and the importance of Angel Clare, her husband, and therefore murders D'Urberville and begs Clare to accept her into his life again: "I could not bear the loss of you any longer- you don't know how entirely I was unable to bear your not loving me!" Tess accepts the consequences for her actions and accepts her execution: "it was as is should be.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Ways Of Selecting Romantic Par :: essays research papers
Ways of selecting romantic partners There has always been a belief that men and women differ in their ways of selecting romantic partners in terms of characteristics in their mates. For example, men have always been perceived to place more importance in size of breasts in women. Likewise, women have been perceived to place more importance on height of the men they are interested in and their build. This study is to find out whether these social stigmas are true in a typical large college campus dealing with subjects that are around the age of 18~19 years. Surveys were used to have the subjects rate the importance of characteristics of men and women that are typically looked at when either sex are looking for romantic partners. The research in question is, ';Gender Differences in Selecting Romantic Partners.'; There were previous researches and surveys done on this subject. There are five such studies that best relate to the research topic. The first appeared in Sex Roles. The article was titled 'Sex Differences in Factors of Romantic Attraction.'; The second appeared in Psychological Reports and was titled, 'Men's Preferences in Romantic Partners: Obesity vs. Addiction.'; The third appeared in College Student Journal and was titled, 'College Students' Homogamous Preferences for a Date and Mate.'; The fourth appeared in Sex Roles titled, 'Pursuit of Nontraditional Occupations: Fear of Success or Fear of Not Being Chosen?'; The last article appeared in Psychological Bulletin titled, 'Gender Differences in Mate Selection Preferences: A Test of the Parental Investment Model.'; The first article, 'Sex Differences in Factors of Romantic Attraction'; was written by Jeffrey S. Nevid. His studies method included an anonymous survey in a college classroom consisting of only heterosexual males and females around the age of 19 to 22 years. The author wanted to see if the popular belief of males placing such physical aspects such as breast size and buttocks size influenced their choice of romantic and sexual partners. He also included females in his studies. In his survey, many physical attributes were presented and the numbers showed that when choosing sexual partners, both men choosing romantic partners, personal characteristics were given more importance than physical. The second article, 'Men's Preferences in Romantic Partners: Obesity vs. Addiction'; was written by Sarah Sitton and Sharon Blanghard. The studies conducted by the two women were done using classified ads. The study was done to compare how
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Sexual identity and gender stereotyping
Culture is a body of common beliefs, traditions, values and principles which are shared by members of a particular group. A culture helps to determine the behaviors, attitudes and expectations of its people. Every society or community has some traditions, beliefs and customs regarding either gender. Most of this expectations are based on the sexual identity of one being either male or female which emanate from their different roles in human reproduction and variations in their physical characteristics. Cultural views on sexual identity comprises of beliefs, expectations and constraints of what men or women are supposed to do or not to do. Sexual identity refers to the level or degree to which we identify ourselves as male or female depending on various social, cultural and biological aspects . Our culture has various ways of distinguishing between the two major sexual identities. As a result, the expectations and constraints imposed on a woman are different from those imposed on the males. The fact that women give birth and lactate exposes them to certain constraints in their motherly roles in the society. For instance, our culture tends to view females as receptive and the males as intrusive in their respective sexual behaviors. Though such constraints are presumed to be less pervasive in the society today due to the fact that our culture is evolving into a modern social structure away from the hunter-gatherer kind of socio-economic life it used to be, the distinction between the two sexes still remains quite pervasive in terms of behavior, roles and interests . Many sociologists have traced the origin of such differences to the different cultural norms put forward by our culture to the society. Since birth, boys and girls become accustomed to different cultural standards either consciously or unconsciously which reflect their respective roles later in life. For instance, girls tend to take up the role of mothers and caretakers in the family while boys are taught to be the heads of the family as the bread-winners and protectors. The differentiation between male and female behaviors is a matter which is deeper than the concept of contextual relativism in the culture. Apart from behaviors, roles and expectations based on sexual identity, our culture has led to the evolution of some gender stereotypes which are associated with a particular sex whether male or female . The spread of such classical stereotypes in the media particularly dominates the society today. Both print and electronic media clearly indicate the different cultural standards of men and women in the society together with their varying capabilities based on their sexual identities. Until recently, the media has depicted the female gender as a weaker sex in terms of the roles, professions and the society expectations as compared to the male gender. However, the continued calls for gender equality has led to certain media portraits which show that women are as capable as their male counterparts thus removing the long held constraints and stereotypes imposed by our culture on women which tend to undermine their professional capabilities. Houston stresses on four major gender stereotypes. She puts them across as; men are afraid of commitments, men are bound to say or do anything in order to prevent their partners from discovering that they are cheating on them, women concentrate too much on what men say or do and finally, a woman can use any available strategy to keep a man. Such gender stereotypes she adds, are the source of certain phrases like ââ¬Ëjust like women', ââ¬Ëmen are dogs' and so forth which tend to associate men and women with certain behaviors and not others. As a young woman, all these cultural views have shaped my behavior and my self-understanding as such in various ways. For a young person to understand his or her sexual identity, it is vital to solve the tension caused by numerous cultural values between ââ¬Ëwho i am' and ââ¬Ëwhat how the society views or expects of me'. As a woman, the culture expects me to be submissive and to behave as so especially when dealing with the male gender. Moreover, our culture expects women not to show their interest towards men as they are said to be the ââ¬Ëhunters' and women the ââ¬Ëhunted ââ¬Ë. Such cultural values expect women to suppress their feelings and behave in a particular manner in matters concerning their sexual orientation and identity in the society. All these cultural views have shaped my personal behavior as a woman and my view on the whole concept of sexual identity. Due to the numerous gender stereotypes, behaviors, expectations and constraints imposed on the different sexes, there arises some tension between religious and societal values. Our culture which views women as second to men has consequently put some cultural restrictions which burr women from top positions in the religious matters and other societal issues. However, some cultural values tend to be in consistency with religious value in that in both cases, women especially those who are married are expected to act in a submissive way when dealing with their husbands. It can thus be said that, the environment and the cultural background in which one is brought up largely influences his or her future relationships with the opposite sex and other people in the society. Many gender stereotypes have adverse effects on future relationships especially for the young people who wish to establish stable and strong foundations for their future family lives. For instance, the stereotype that all men promoted by our culture are polygamous or unfaithful can have detrimental the women's ability to trust men hence the increased number of divorces in the modern society . From a theological point of view, marriage is seen as a vocation, covenant, sacrament, communion and a lasting partnership . However, this views are exposed to various interpretations especially in the cultural context of the modern society.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Review of Human Nature in Voltaire and Swift Essay
Satire is defined as individual follies and vices found in human being through ridicule and irony. The purpose of satire is not to humour but to bring improvement through verbal attack by using wit. One of the common features of satire is irony and sarcasm which has been used by authors for centuries including Swift and Voltaire to show the shortcoming of human nature. Swift was born and educated in Ireland and spent his early life in England. His career started with the ââ¬Å"A Tale of Tubâ⬠and ââ¬Å"The Battle of Booksâ⬠; where he satirized the human weakness in various ways. In ââ¬Å"A Tale of Tubâ⬠, he mocks his countrymen revealing the shallowness of philosophers and writers of his time. He also shows how the philosophers and writers are used by ruling elite to achieve their agenda which was betrayal from truth and honour. However it was ââ¬Å"Gulliver Travelâ⬠, where Swift has openly mocked the human nature. He particularly observes human nature in a very disturbing way for which many critics called him misanthrope. The book portrays Lilliput (Britain) lacking in democracy; where highest position is given to the one who can jump high (instead of merit and honesty). He also shows, how court positions were filled by personal favour rather than offering to the most worthy candidate. He reveals the social pretension and weakness of human institution in his times. For example he talks about the fall of minister in Lilliput because he could not please the King; is actually replication of his life. He also fell out of favour because he could also not please the King. In the Gulliverââ¬â¢s Travel, he also criticizes the Laputa intellectuals, which is indirect criticism of Royal Society of England that Swift considered nothing more than a club for abstract ideas. Swift considers such kind of writers and scholars as parasite on society who waste time and money of the society without providing any added benefit. Swift divided human nature into two parts; the reason and benevolence and the selfish appetite which he has left for yahoo. He analysed the human nature and shows that its human vanity that prevents him to detect flaw and improvement. Swift wants its audience to be shocked by his revelation of human nature, but the purpose is improvement by exposing follies. Voltaire on the other hand was extreme in his views about human nature; as his world view was more skeptical. Being an atheist to the core, he was against the religious fundamentalism; however he advocated the social and religious tolerance. His true portrayal of human nature is depicted in Candide that details various characters including liars, traitors, killers, and hypocrites. However his view is not an outrage like Swift, but crude truth told with manners. He explains that the human societies are comprised of puppet like characters that are incredible and improbable committing follies. Voltaire captures this selfishness in human nature through parody showing human being imperfection. His views are similar to Swift; however his manner is not as crud as Swift. Thus we can conclude that aim of both Swift and Voltaire was to look at man as an imperfect being; which commits follies ; however these follies can be improved, if man is willing to look beyond his vanity. Reference â⬠¢ Morris Weitz, Philosophy in Literature: Shakespeare, Voltaire, Tolstoy & Proust. ayne State University Press, 1963. â⬠¢ Kathleen Williams, Jonathan Swift and the Age of Compromise. University Press of Kansas, 1968.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Environmental Factors in Colombia Essay
Organizations are not isolated of what happens in the environment outside them, they face uncertainty in dealing with events in the external environment and they have to adapt to new changes regarding customers, government, economic conditions and technology. It is very important for organizations in Colombia to become aware of their environment because assessing it could make them more competitive and allow them to adapt and survive in the market, but the uncertainty Colombia in terms of globalization, technology, knowledge, demand, etc. is making organization to rethink about strategies and new ways to do business and to address all of the factor in the external environment. The factors causing organization complexity in Colombia are addressed by Daft, they are both internal and external: industry, human resources, raw material, markets, international, government, sociocultural, economic and technological factors. For example, in Camacol (Cà ¡mara Colombiana de Construccià ³n) the lack of legal stability threats development opportunities in large cities and scares away national and international investors. It makes necessary that the rules established for projects are maintained and are not changing every day, thatââ¬â¢s why head directors in Camacol proposed to the government new ways to manage the permissions and monitor the decisions taken by majors in areas adjacent to Bogotà ¡. (Paà s, 2014). This is important for the construction sector because its development brings with it the increase of an important set of activities in industries and related services, contributing in this way to increase employment and to the satisfaction of an important set of needs of the population, in this case, the access to housing services. Nowadays we can not talk about uncertainty avoidance or external environment without talking about globalization, reducing borders and forcing businesses to prepare increasingly for indulging in different markets, ensuring its validity in the market. To achieve this, it is necessary for organizationsà to adopt new strategies of growth, market penetration, creation of own responsibilities, coordination and adaptation of the products to various markets according to their needs. Many organizations that have been integrated into international markets have found the need to modify their products or strategies to meet the needs of its customers, because the factors that determine the environment change. For example Juan Valdez, have found the need to deal with government regulations in different countries, and lately with the entrance of a new competitor in Colombia, also they had to change its technology processes to transform coffee to sell it in every store and to make it more efficient and effective, reducing costs; this kind of changes not only help businesses in Colombia but in all countries the organization is in. Also there are International Organizations in Colombia that have adapted their processes to Colombiaââ¬â¢s complex environment and have succeeded CEMEX is the tangible proof that the competitiveness in a globalized world is the result of a set of factors, a clear direction, state-of-the-art technology, human capital, good financial management, investments in infrastructure, etc. , and, between them, the actions taken in the aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility have given the company a significant competitive advantage. A really important factor for any organization is the human resource and sociocultural. In Colombia the labor movement that happened in 2013 and remained in 2014 called ââ¬Å"Paro agrarioâ⬠not only affected the government laws and relationships but also affected organizations that use raw materials produced in the rural sector. This represented a huge challenge for business managers, because of the workers demands. Not addressing this kind of problems with contingency plans would have caused major loss of profit, suppliers and market. The human resource sector is one of the most important factors in the external environment because it concerns employees, suppliers, customers, and mostly any kind of relationship made by the organization. On the other hand the sociocultural sector demands organizations to be more greener and environment-friendly thatââ¬â¢s why supermarkets such as Ãâ°xito, Jumbo, Carrulla and Olà mpica offer recyclable plastic bags, because they know those bags are used by customers as garbage disposals that later on go to sanitary landfills. Also, Coca Cola in Colombia and Postobà ³n have develop new bottles and recyclable packaging that use less plastic and take up less space in the trash, they have also launched campaigns to recycle these containers giving benefits to consumers, with picking machines or donations to NGOs. Main telecommunications operators such as Tigo, Movistar, Claro, Une and ETB have been influenced in a big way by the environmental complexity because they are not only influenced by new demands of customers, they are also influenced and have to be prepared for the unpredicted changes such as: new regulations about communications, contracts and share; competition in services, offers, products; the way business are made with international and national companies in order to have competitive advantages, also by advertising its products nationally; offering new technological services and products in competitive prices. This organizations face tremendous complexity in Colombia, thatââ¬â¢s why they keep studying the environment they are in and offering customers new products every time, meaning that in order to them to stay in the market they need to pay more attention to the external environment to run processes internally, this is a good example of a dependence on high uncertainty-com plex environment. Studying external environment is as important as the internal environment because one can change the other, also because there is where the needs are, where the consumers are and what they want to pay to meet their needs. Also in the environment are the obstacles to the company, such as the products of competitors, and the actions to have market share. Also the requirements and restrictions that the company must meet, all of that can influence the processes a company has, because a company is nothing without the interaction with the outside environment, and now is more important to be aware of that thanks to the globalization. Bibliografà a Paà s. (25 de 08 de 2014). ââ¬Å"Esa incertidumbre no aguantaâ⬠: Camacol. Recuperado el 09 de 2014, de Revista Dinero: http://www.dinero.com/pais/articulo/proyecciones-para-sector-construccion-colombiana-2014/200196
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Islamic Studies
ISLAMIC STUDIES Topic:- Islamic Principle Of business And Marketing & Present Business Evils GROUP MEMBERS:- Nauman Mushtaq Raja Hammad Ahmed kiani Farhad Shareef Shamsher Ali Daniyal Haider The teaching of Islam describe that Islam is a complete code of life. Since we talking about business and marketing therefore Islam give brief explanation about it. From the Islamic point of Islamic the first priority of business should be pleasing Allah and establishing Halal as a way of life. Seeking profit is not a bad aim, but it should be secondary.By making Allah the goal, and implementing Islamic rules of honesty, truthfulness, and good behavior with customers, Insha Allah, any Muslim business is bound to boom. Following are the characteristic that should need to present in Islamic business and marketing:- (1)Honesty (2)Trust (3)Fair and Kind (4)Truthfulness (5)Justice HONESTY IN BUSINESS The Holy prophet (pbuh) was declared not only Sadiq and Amin but he was an honest business man. This i s proved by Hazrat Khadija who was richest lady of Makkah. She gave a few things to sell and she sends her servant with him.But Holy Prophet (pbuh) proved his honesty brilliantly. Honesty is needed in everything we do. From the domestic work of daily routine or office work to studies, honesty makes the real difference. Honesty makes it easy for us to survive because an honest person is truthful and such a person does not fell into any trouble. The sad fact of the present day is the lack of honesty in people. Lies, and dishonesty has become standard in everyday matters and it is a common perception that no one can get rid of them now.This point of view is wrong, why cannot we live like honest humans? If one thinks that honesty cannot be achieved or truthfulness is a dream now this is wrong, just by practicing Islam truly in its true spirit we can achieve all this without devising any special plans or any complex system of morals. The world today is a big business hub, i. e. it is a b usiness market now. There are some main stock exchanges that control the money inflow and out flow of the world for example, wall street etc. these stock exchanges are actually business centers where whole world trades.Unfortunately, with the Jewish intervention in the business and introduction of riba in business, there has left no honesty and no halal money in the business any more. The best examples of the honesty in business are the prophets of Islam. From Quran we learn that prophet Yusuf a. s. used to look after the financial matters of the state as His own choice. Thatââ¬â¢s why It is called that honesty is the best policy, indeed honesty is the best policy. When a business man is honest, he will never sell a low quality product and will never earn unjustified profit.Thus, an honest business man will be God fearing and will never ever dodge his customers over the selling. An honest business man will never like to go for unjust means to increase his earnings neither will he ever like to give bribes or accept bribes thus with honesty in business, the curses of bribery and riba can be shunned. Hazrat abu bakar siddique r. a was one of the best and honest business men of Arabia. He was very rich and his financial as well as moral help was appreciated by Muhammad s. a. w. w as well. He was much honored in his region because he was honest in business.There are several examples in the Muslim world who did not only do business honestly but also earned much more than those who like to earn black money. In honest business ALLAH gives His blessings, thus honesty indeed is the best policy. The Prophet has said the honest and truthful businessman will be in Jannah amongst the Prophets the Truthful and the martyrs. Honesty and truthfulness are essential in this business. And when it comes to Muslim businesses, it means building a relationship of trust with customers, which cannot be done with lies and eceit. The Holy Quran already explains the factor of honesty in business and in every matter of life. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) has a great business skill due to which he was offered marriage. But unfortunately our current business values have been changing day by day. Our environment is lacking in honesty. For having a good business policy we should need to be honest. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said,if you sell goods on lie basis then your goods would be sold with your faith.For instance if there is any medicine who will get expire any shop keeper sell to any uneducated person and he got infection, a person who got infected will complain to doctor not to pharmacy shop keeper. Today lie become the trend we just to sell a 300Rs shirt would lie many time. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said selling thing upon lie basis would break trust of others. TRUST IN BUSINESS For having a successful business a trust of people is require. This does not mean that only one sided trust is require but from both seller and buyer. This enhances better understanding and good c ommunication.A Unit Trust is an investment vehicle that allows investors to take advantage of investing in a diversified group of stocks which manages risk and exposure to one or a few stocks. It also offers the opportunity to participate in the long-term performance of the stock market. Islamic Unit Trusts add other aspects that are a screening process to remove stocks of companies deemed to be inappropriate for Muslim investors and cleansing or purification of a companyââ¬â¢s profits by removing any income derived from non-Shariah complaint sources, such as interest a company would earn on its bank accounts and donating them to charities.Therefore, Islamic unit trust schemes are required to additionally appoint a Shariââ¬â¢ah committee or to ensure that their operations are in accordance with Shariââ¬â¢ah. Islamic Unit Trusts can invest in many financial products in conventional financial markets which are not interest-based, or where the element of interest could be elim inated, such as property funds, commodities, financial options and futures and forward transactions in foreign currency. They can take advantage of international markets growth by giving priority to equity investments in Islamic banks and financial institutions, stock markets ofMuslim countries; and companies managed under the Islamic system. The manager of a Unit Trust mutual fund would typically invest the pooled money in a portfolio which may include the asset classes such as cash, bonds and deposits, shares, property and commodities; tangible assets represent more than 51% of the portfolio. Islamic Unit Trusts have also a wide range of investment options based on growth and income, open-ended, redeemable, etc. Their investments can cover international equity markets, currencies and properties.A Mudarabah fund can invest in a specific business activity on the basis of profit and loss sharing; Murabahah fund invest in companies whose transactions are undertaken on a cost-plus basi s; Through Musharakah the Unit Trust and the third party contribute funds in a joint venture, producing equity participation; And in Ijarah fund, the Islamic Trust finances equipment, building or entire project for a third party against an agreed rental. Besides, there will be no restriction to stop non-Muslims investing in an Islamic Unit Trust.A good analogy with Islamic Unit Trusts is one of ethical and green Unit Trusts. Here the universe of investable securities is limited by certain criteria based on moral and ethical considerations (muamalah. com; 2009). An ethical investment is the principle of investing in companies which make a positive contribution to the world and avoiding those which harm the world, its people or its wildlife. Society's increasing awareness of its environmental and social responsibilities is impacting on financial services, more and more investments based on ethical principles are now available.Some may think that the restrictions imposed by ethical inv estment with strict criteria may result in weaker performance; however ethical funds have often matched or beaten their non-ethical counterparts. Ethical investments are generally made through managed funds such as unit trusts which specialty is to seek profits for investors while conforming to certain ethical criteria such as that the company is not involved in activities like illegal armaments, gambling or pornography, or that it doesnââ¬â¢t produce or distribute alcohol, tobacco or drugs.Before buying shares of companies in a chosen sector, an ethical fund manager will run checks on that company to find out if it has interests in a number of areas according to pre-determined criteria. Accordingly, clients who invest in ethical funds can be sure that their money will be invested in companies that engage in legal and ethical activities. Islamic Unit Trusts investments are also based on specific criteria based on morality, the main criteria is to not deal in transactions which in volve the paying and receiving of interest.Islamic Unit Trusts should be run on a transparent and modern corporate basis and up-to-date accounting and within a legal framework in conformity with the Shariââ¬â¢ah. In the same way the decision to invest in the case of ethical unit trusts is made by the fund managers, based on information received from various professional bodies and specially constituted committees of reference, the decision in the case of Islamic unit trusts is conditioned by the a binding approval from the Shariââ¬â¢ah Boards which consist of established religious scholars who make a decision based on the interpretations of particular operations and contexts.A person can earn money by two means; one is agriculture and the other is business. If business is not done according to the ethics then there will always be inflation and shortage of goods. As it can be seen in the case of many commodities like wheat, sugar etc. It is due to the stocking in, speculation a nd the selfishness of some businessmen. The government has also become a trader itself, while the shariah has stopped the Islamic government from trading. As it can be seen that business is an important part of life, the Prophet Muhammad (P.B. U. H) said, ââ¬Å"People get 9/10 of their daily bread by trade. â⬠Islam explains the concept of righteous trade by telling business ethics. If trade or any other thing is done against the morals and creed then this will lead to the bad end on the day of resurrection. Also by the law the person guilty of illegal business would end up nowhere. Islam emphasizes on the importance of the business ethics a lot. Allah says in the Quran, ââ¬Å"they say that buying is also like interest but Allah has declared buying as permissible and interest as forbidden. And ââ¬Å"When you buy or sell then make someone a witness of it. â⬠The Holy Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H) said, ââ¬Å"If trade was not there then you would have become a burden on others. â⬠He also said that ââ¬Å"A trader is the guardian of the means of daily bread and a keeper of the dignity of himself and other people. â⬠The Holy Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H) encouraged the trust worthy traders by these words, ââ¬Å"A trustworthy and truthful merchant shall be with the prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the righteous. ââ¬Å"God shows mercy to a person who is kindly when he sells, when he buys and when he makes a claimâ⬠The prophet emphasized on the truthfulness and the righteousness of the businessmen a lot. He said that ââ¬Å"Verily, merchants shall be raised up sinners on the day of resurrection, except he who fears God, and is good, and speaks the truth. As Muslims, we have to adhere to ethical standards, not only in business but also in all aspects of life. Both business and ethics are interrelated. There is a reference to this point in the Qur'an, ââ¬Å"For you in the Messenger of Allah is a fine example to follow. Al lah Almighty says, ââ¬Å"To the Madyan people (we sent) Shu'aib, one of their own brethren: he said: ââ¬ËO my people! Worship Allah. You have no other god but Him. And give not short measure or weight. I see you in prosperity, but I fear for you the penalty of a day that will compass (you) all rounds. And O my people! Give just measure and weight, nor withhold from the people the things that are their due: commit not evil in the land with intent to do mischief. That which is left you by Allah is best for you, if you (but) believed!But I am not set over you to keep watch! â⬠At one Place Hazrat Ali said, if you dog your friend then donââ¬â¢t think you had brilliantly dodged but think that how much he still trust upon you. FAIR IN BUSINESS Fair is another quality which is also needed for business. WE shouldnââ¬â¢t concern with business whether it is small or big, but we should be fair and kind with people and people with you. The Holy Qur'an and Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) have made it clear that a Muslim must be honest and upright in his business and monetary dealing.Also the true Muslim should keep his word and fulfill his promises, shun fraud and avoid deceit and perfidy, encroach not upon the rights of others, nor take part in wrongful litigation. Also a good Muslim does not give false testimony, and abstains from making unlawful money as from usury and graft. According to Islam whoever is not free from these vices, is not a true believer but a renegade and a worthless transgressor. And the Qur'an is rich with verses that confirm all this. Allah says in the Quran, ââ¬Å"Eat not up each other's property by unfair nd dishonest means. â⬠Allah forbids all unclean and corrupt means of making money, such as, dishonest trading, gambling, and bribery. And the Holy Quran has explained and described such practices in many of its verses. He says, ââ¬Å"Woe to those that deal in fraud, ââ¬â those who, when they have to receive by measure from men, exact full measure, but when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than due. Do they not think that they will be asked on a Mighty Day when (all) mankind will stand before the Lord of the lords. Another example is given in the coming verse, where Allah urges Muslims to be very particular about their trusts and about other people's rights. ââ¬Å"Allah does command you to render back your trust, to those to whom they are due. â⬠Major principles of fair business dealings According to Islam, the following things must be avoided to commence fair business. 1. No fraud or deceit, the Prophet (P. B. U. H) is reported to have said, ââ¬Å"When a sale is held, say, thereââ¬â¢s no cheatingâ⬠2. Sellers must avoid making too many oaths when selling merchandise. The Prophet (P. B. U.H) is reported to have said, ââ¬Å"Be careful of excessive oaths in a sale. Though it finds markets, it reduces abundance. â⬠3. Mutual consent is necessary. The Prophet (P. B . U. H) is reported to have said, ââ¬Å"The sale is complete when the two involved depart with mutual consent. â⬠4. Be strict in regard to weights and measures. The Prophet (P. B. U. H) said, ââ¬Å"When people cheat in weight and measures, their provision is cut off from them. â⬠He told the owners of measures and weights, ââ¬Å"You have been entrusted with affairs over which some nations before you were destroyed. â⬠5. The Prophet (P.B. U. H) forbade monopolies. ââ¬Å"Whoever monopolizes is a sinner. â⬠6. Free enterprise, the price of the commodities should not be fixed unless there is a situation of crisis or extreme necessity. 7. Hoarding merchandise in order to increase the prices is forbidden. 8. Transaction of forbidden (Haram) items, such as intoxicants, is forbidden. Fraud and dishonesty in business Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H) has stressed the importance of honesty in most of his sermons, saying, ââ¬Å"Remember, there is no faith in him who is n ot trustworthy; there is no place for him in religion who cares not for his ledged word or promise. He (PBUH) also said, ââ¬Å"The signs of a hypocrite are three, when he speaks, he is false, when he promises, he fails; and when he is trusted, he plays false. â⬠Condemning those who cheat in business Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) has said, ââ¬Å"He who cheats is not of us. Deceitfulness and fraud are things that lead one to Hell. â⬠Once Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H) came upon a heap of corn in the market of Medina and thrust his hand onto it. His fingers felt damp. On being asked, the trader replied that rain had fallen upon it. The Prophet (P. B. U.H) observed, ââ¬Å"Why did you not then keep (the wet portion of) it above the dry corn, so that men may see it? He, who deceives, is not one of us. â⬠Thus traders who deceive by showing to customers a false sample or by concealing from them the defects of the product they're selling are not true Muslims in the judgment of Allah Prophet (PBUH) and, they are going to end up in hell. Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H) said, ââ¬Å"The seller must explain to the buyer the defects, if any, in the quality of the article offered for sale. Should this not be done, the seller will permanently be caught in the Wrath of Allah. In short, all manner of deceit and dishonesty in business is prohibited in Islam. The Holy Prophet has expressed his strong dislike for those who do so. The Prophet's general advice to all people was that, ââ¬Å"What is lawful is clear and what is unlawful is clear, but between them are certain doubtful things which many people do not recognize. He who guards against the doubtful things keep his religion and his honor blameless, but he who falls into doubtful things falls into what is unlawful, just as a shepherd who pastures his flocks round a sanctuary will soon pasture them in it.Every king has a sanctuary, and God's sanctuary is the things he had declared unlawful. ââ¬Å"Before the Proph et invited his people towards Islam, it was his truthfulness and trustworthiness which had earned for Muhammad (S. A. W. ) the glorious titles of ââ¬Å"Sadiqâ⬠(truthful) and ââ¬Å"Aminâ⬠. Therefore, one must follow the teachings of the Holy Prophet (P. B. U. H) in regard to business and all other aspects of life; to become a good Businessman and hence, a better Muslim. Islam puts certain conditions and restrictions to obviate the chances of bitterness between the employer and employees.Islam encourages and promotes the spirit of love and brotherhood between them. According to the Islamic teachings it is the religious and moral responsibility of the employer to take care of the overall welfare and betterment of his employees. Fair wages, good working conditions, suitable work and excellent brotherly treatment should be provided to the workers. The last Prophet of Allah (sws) has explained this principle in the following words: Those are your brothers [workers under you] who are around you, Allah has placed them under you.So, if anyone of you has someone under him, he should feed him out of what he himself eats, clothe him like what he himself puts on, and let him not put so much burden on him that he is not able to bear, [and if that be the case], then lend your help to him. The Prophet (sws) also said: I will be foe to three persons on the Last Day: one of them being the one who, when he employs a person that has accomplished his duty, does not give him his due. The Prophet (sws) is also reported to have said: The wages of the laborers must be paid to him before the sweat dries upon his body. TRUTHFULNESS IN BUSINESSIn order to earn profit and making things Halal truthfulness is essential. People to buy things where ethics like truthfulness is present. Islam encourages truthfulness in business transactions and raises the status of a truthful merchant so much so that he will be at par with the holy warriors and martyrs, in the Hereafter. The Prophe t (sws) is reported to have said: The truthful merchant [is rewarded by being ranked] on the Day of Resurrection with prophets, veracious souls, martyrs and pious people. The Prophet (sws) has also exhorted the believers to strictly adhere to truthfulness in business transactions.He says: The seller and the buyer have the right to keep or return the goods as long as they have not parted or till they part; and if both the parties spoke the truth and described the defects and qualities [of the goods], then they would be blessed in their transaction, and if they told lies or hid something, then the blessings of their transaction would be lost. The tradition implies that Allah blesses business dealings if both the buyer and the seller are true to each other. Telling lies and hiding facts will result in the loss of divine blessing. A tradition reads. The Holy Prophet said: ââ¬ËTraders are wicked peopleââ¬â¢.The Companions asked: ââ¬ËO Messenger, has Allah not permitted business? ââ¬â¢ The Messenger replied: ââ¬ËOf course He has declared trading lawful. But they (i. e. the traders) will swear by Allah and do evil, they will not speak but tell liesââ¬â¢. JUSTICE IN BUSINESS The Quran also emphasizes on the concept of justice. It is another types of ethics which is deeply needed for running on the business. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said, He who deals unfairly with others can never become useful member of society. Among the set of values the Qur'an and the Prophet's sayings emphasize are the concepts of justice and benevolence.The concept of justice (ââ¬ËAdl) occupies a central place in the economic system of Islam. This value is prescribed in legal, social, moral and economic dealings. It is to be practiced with individuals, orphans, wives, tribes, communities and nations and even with peaceful enemies. It is applicable to speaking, giving witness, acting as a guardian, writing an agreement, arbitrating between parties, dealing with other people, j udging in a court of law and making business transactions. The concept of justice in an economic context encompasses fairness, equity, balance and equilibrium, symmetry and impartiality.The Quranic verses address individuals not only in their personal capacity but also in their capacity of being rulers, administrators, directors, employers, and all who deal with others. Justice, like truth, is a Divine virtue. Islam does not compromise on this value as it does not compromise on truth. While the Qur'an lays great emphasis on the value of justice, the Prophet has repeatedly persuaded the Muslims to stick to the value of Ihsan, which stands for benevolence, generosity, proficiency and magnanimity. The absence of ââ¬ËAdl inflicts harm and disturbs peace and harmony, but the absence of Ihsan does not harm anybody.It implies a more liberal treatment than justice demands. It begins where the limits of justice end. Absolute justice is a legal requirement and, therefore, essential, but th e Prophet, in line with the Quranic requirement, has persuaded his followers to behave magnanimously in claiming their rights and be generous in discharging their duty. ââ¬ËWhile ââ¬ËAdl eliminates injustice and exploitation and strikes a real balance between rights and responsibilities in society, Ihsan decorates the society with generosity, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, self sacrifice, mutual cooperation and affection. Adl is the primary condition for setting up an Islamic government, while Ihsan plays a vital role in building up a truly Islamic society; the former is a legal phenomenon while the latter is moral and religious. When we say that prices must be just, or fair, does this justice or fairness involve a moral value? Wholesale prices for all the dealers are almost the same. Can we then justify price variations at different centres? In Islamic law, if anybody charges an extraordinarily high price, it is termed as grave deception and is unacceptable.The Ottoman Code of Civil Law defines grave deception as higher than 5% (profit) on goods, 10% on animals and 20% on immovable property. The concept lays down the rate of profit but not the sale price. As a matter of fact, the wholesale price alone does not determine the sale price. It is determined by locality, standard of intramural decoration, packing, service, environment and other overhead costs. A trader has to add all the incurred and accrued expenses to the wholesale price, in addition to a profit for himself/herself.What rate of profit he should charge is determined largely by market forces and the nature of the competition, given a normal or prevailing price. All this proves that the concept of a just price is not a moral concept except where monopolies or oligopolies arbitrarily fix an unrealistically high price quite out of proportion with costs. The concept of the right to justice is mentioned repeatedly in the Qur'an. There is quite a lot of detail in the passages relating to the freedom to justice.In Islam there are two concepts which are considered, Ihsan and Adl. While Adl is typical of monotheistic religions, referring to the need for balance and equality when judging and individual, in Islam perhaps the more important term is Ihsan. Ihsan refers to making up an imbalance or an injustice by returning or giving back something to the person that is at disadvantage. As such, it is not only important to treat all people equally, but to allow those that are at an objective disadvantage compensation.These relate to the two most basic attributes of God, mercy and compassion (Al-Rahman and Al-Rahim. ) These two concepts are often compared to the love of a mother to her offspring. A parent must love equally all of his offspring, but if one of them has a handicap or requires special attention Ihsan dictates that a loving parent will give that child more to help him make his way in life. In the ideal Islamic society, the concept of justice necessarily reflects helping the disadvantaged, like widows, orphans, and those living with handicaps or in poverty. If Musharakah principleâ⬠was applied to a bank which holds a huge amount of depositorsââ¬â¢ money and no interest rates permitted to earn income, banks will be forced to invest in different projects whether it is new or current. But the bank here is exposed to a risk of loss! It encourages a bank to diversify its investments since interest is prohibited and that leads to a growth in the economy since money is injected in several business and projects. If the economy grows on average, the investment pool will make profit.Banks here make income from investment not form interest by lending money. No interest rates for the depositors but their income increase in line with the growth in the economy. Thus, Islamic system based in ââ¬Å"cooperativeâ⬠(Sharing) and does not favor rich people. But it works on the principle of sharing which in a way or another leads to justice. The current news is that Sweden government is awarded as best governance. When people asked reason behind this success. They replied, we followed the Hazrat Umar (R. A) Rule of law.
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