There are many types of cults in the world, cults Essay Example For Students

There are many types of cults in the world, cults Essay areeverywhere but you just do not see them. Every person in the worldhas been in contact with them in one way or another in many cases youcannot see them. The closest cult we know of is on Rice Lake calledthe Moonies led by Reverend Myung, where I have currently visited. Cults can be involved in churches and even are earliest religions arecalled cults. Cults are not the strongest groups sects are thestrongest group. When you join a sect you cannot get out of them but acult you can leave without having any problem or commitment. Sectswill not let you out because many times its illegal and they areafraid that you will say something to the public. Cults sometimes areillegal to. We will write a custom essay on There are many types of cults in the world, cults specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Religious cults are in every town and village there is nodefinition of a cult that is accepted by sociologists and psychologistor religion many types of activities will take cult like structures,an example would be any popular trend like physical exercise this iscalled the physical fitness cult. Famous athletes are a big figurewhen it comes to cults, many times Movie stars, professional athleteswill endorse a product and a trend will start, making it turn into acult. Also people who generate beliefs of something like flyingsaucer, aliens or any unknown figures can be cult. In religion whenpeople call a church they are referring to a sacred organizationhaving a highly structured or formalized dogma and hierarchy, but alsoallowing a bit of flexibility about membership requirements allowingyou to go to a church and leave church when you want to. Althoughsects are against church attempts to accommodate to secular society. Sects believe that they are protecting a true faith or belief. Sectstend to stay away from world events , and also they believe in astrong strict behavioral code and demand a commitment out of theirpeople. The differences between cults and sects are sometimes thesame. Many scholars do not make distinctions between the two. Cultsare different because they do not expect as much commitment. Manytimes cults do not expect couples to become apart. Cults do not lastas long as sects. Many times cults survive through a decade, and alsocults allow you to come and go as you want. Leaders of cults buildaround a charismatic leader who has a lifestyle dedicated to aspecific spirituality group that they know other people will follow. The word Mormonism began as a small cult then grew bigger until itbecame a sect and eventually into a church. All the new religionsfollowed the same thing by beginning small and getting bigger thanbecoming a church. Cults go back as far as we know of life, cults began to getbigger and be known throughout the world in the late 1960’s and early70’s as people were better educated and better understood how theywere formed and how they were run and people began to join. Duringthis time Youths and middle class people began to join cults becauseof the in thing to do and they felt more secure about themselves. Cults really started to fascinate people when Jimmy Jones cult beganin November of 1978 when all attention was focused on the masssuicide in Jonestown, a similar event happened in 1993 when federalagents engaged in a shoot out with cult leader David Koresh. Modern cults have many different practices and many different ways ofleadership. Some cults have a flexible functional leadership, likethe groups in the charismatic movement coming from the mainlandChristian religion, other cults have people who run and orchestratecult events, like Reverend Myung Moon leader of the unificationchurch. The reason people are attracted to modern cults because itputs emphasis on community and on direct experience with the divine. .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1 , .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1 .postImageUrl , .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1 , .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1:hover , .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1:visited , .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1:active { border:0!important; } .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1:active , .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1 .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud23bb752ac59b2edb8cf31617d03bbf1:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Remembering an Event - My Patience Pays Off EssayIn cults participants often find a level of social support andacceptance that they do not find in a nuclear family. This makes andgenerates a sense of belonging to something profound and a feel ofbeing somebody. People who often join cults such as this, joinbecause they think they are getting something the world did not givethem. Several factors have been looked at to figure why people likeare modern youths join cults. Factors that were looked at were drugswar assignation of many unpopular presidents. Cults have beenquestioned about brainwashing people, and found it to be true. Cargo cults are usually neutralist and are in it for money. The word cargo refers to foreign goods possessed by Europeans. Cultmembers believe that goods belong to themselves and that , with thehelp of ancestral spirits, the goods can be returned to them throughmagic religious means. Brainwashing is the process of deliberately subjecting peopleto physical and psychological hardship in order to alter theirthoughts and attitudes, and actions. It also is a process of totallycleaning a mind of one set idea and replacing them by another thoughtor belief. This is called to indoctrinate cleaning a thought andputting a completely new thought in mind. Indoctrinating can takeplace without brainwashing. There are 2 aspects of brainwashing theyare confessions of past crimes or errors of the past and re-educationto new beliefs. Prisoners sometimes are made to confess by lack ofsleep and food and other forms of intense physical discomfort, alsoisolation from victims families and from familiar surroundings. Cult leaders show obedience, and humility and make other members givesocial pressure to the new member to make them join. And the lastthing they do is make mutual criticism and self criticism sessions,which make them have a generalized guilt feeling that all people haveacceptance of new ideas is again fostered by group pressure and theanticipated reward of freedom. People who have a better understanding of psychology andneuophysiology have made larger groups create extremely effectivebrainwashing programs. Their techniques however have been usedfor centuries as inquisition making people give excited confessionsfrom alleged heretics. Religions sometimes use these methods likescourging, rhythmic dancing and drumming and sometimes inducing atrance like state in which the individual is open to conversion. Inthe 20th centuries, most noticeably by the peoples temple of Guyana,whose membership committed mass suicide. Mystery Cults are usually in the ancient times whose membersbelieved that by means of the performance of particular secret ritualsthey would gain knowledge that people in the normal world would nothave and that would make a mystical union with the divine. Mysterycults make their members feel they are god and give them a feel ofimmortality that they cannot be destroyed. Many times in mysterycults, cult leaders feel they died and were brought back to be god orJesus. In today’s society, cults are one of the many unfortunateaspects endure in life. Leaders of Cults should be dealt with in amore serious matter. Cult leaders are con-artists and are people thatlike to control others. Cults should be controlled to protectinnocent citizens from being taken advantage of. BibliographyCDROM: Religious Cults. Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993CDROM: Contemporary Cults. Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993. CDROM: Cargo Cults. Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993. CDROM: Contemporary Cults. Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993. CDROM: Religious Cults. Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993. CDROM :Contemporary Cults. Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993. CDROM :Contemporary Cults . Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993. CDROM :Cargo Cults . Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc.. 1993.

Innovative New Business Models in Telecommunications Mobil essays

Innovative New Business Models in Telecommunications Mobil essays Project: Innovative New Business Models in Telecommunications Mobile Commerce Mobile Commerce is any transaction with a monetary value that is conducted via a mobile telecommunication network. According to this definition, mobile commerce represents a subset of all E-Commerce transactions, both in the Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer area. In other words it is a retail outlet at customers hand to access and transact business 24 hours non stop anywhere. Attributes of Mobile Commerce Mobile Commerce Market Drivers Accessing Internet facilities M-Commerce Enabling Technologies M-Commerce Business Models and Applications Key Success Factors of M-Commerce and other related issues M-Commerce Indian Perspective Barely before Internet-facilitated e-commerce has begun to take hold, a new wave of technology-driven commerce has started - mobile (m-) commerce. Fueled by the increasing saturation of mobile technology, such as phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), m-commerce promises to inject considerable change into the way certain activities are inducted. Equipped with micro-browsers and other mobile applications, the new range of mobile technologies offer the Internet in the consumer's pocket for which the consumer possibilities are endless, including banking, booking or buying tickets, shopping and real-time news. (The Mobile commerce value chain : Analysis and future developments, international Journal of Information management, Stuart J Barnes, Apr 2002) Advances in wireless technology increase the number of mobile device users and give pace to the rapid development of e-commerce using these devices. The new type of e-commerce, conducting transactions via mobile terminals, is called mobile commerce. Due to its inherent characteristics such as ubiquity, personalization, flexibility, and dissemination, mo...

Pow Wow Music Event of the Native Americans Term Paper

Pow Wow Music Event of the Native Americans - Term Paper Example The set-ups of the pow wow events are generally marked by series of big circles. The central circle is exclusively made for dance and is taken as dancing area. The central circle is surrounded by the circles consisting of MC’s table, groups playing drums consequently followed by sitting areas provided for dancers and their families. Outside these greater circles there are areas for the people who have come to attend and see the show followed by allotted areas for vendors and suppliers of food, music items, costume, jewellery, souvenirs, native art and crafts, tribal bead works, leather items of the Native Americans, shops for the tribal tattoo works and suppliers for regalia. The nature of the grand opening is sacred for some groups and they do not allow photography at all during this time. Others are quite lenient in this respect. Pow wow opening is followed by pow wow dance which are of myriad types. These dances are a descendant dance of tribes from Canada and the United St ates. The opening and closing session of the Pow-wow dance is of poignant importance. But apart from these two sessions, the most commonplace item in the session and the popular dance is the ‘intertribal dance’ under which the group playing the drum plays any song and the audience are free to join on any item of the session. The other popular dance of the Pow-wow dance basically comprise of the ‘round dance’ and the ‘crow hop’ and when these dances are performed they are performed by northern drummers or a song popularly known by the name of ‘horse stealing song’ performed by the ‘southern drum’ which is assisted by â€Å"double-beat† or â€Å"sneak-up† along with the Traditional and Jingle with the support of â€Å"sidestep†. And all these songs have different steps to be accompanied but the steps are subjected to freestyle of dance. Pow wow music is centrally accompanied with American-Indian drum ming followed by singing along with dancing in the pow wow performance. There are many genres of pow wow performance which is unique and typical to respective tribes.  

New concept of Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

New concept of Marriage - Essay Example Marriages are different depending on the tradition and culture of the spouses and they are carried out differently. In most African and even Asian culture for example, the beginning of a marriage is the paying of the dowry to the bride’s parents as a token of appreciation essentially which is soon followed by a traditional wedding ceremony which can be solemnized later in church or not. The whites do not care so much about the issue of bride price or paying dowry and most do not even officially seek a formal hand in marriage from the bride’s side of the family. They simply move to the wedding part and the marriage soon begins. Research has verified this by indicating that in Africa, over 60% of marriages have dowry payment paid while in Europe and America, the figure is less than that and the majority are the African-Americans (Peterson and Bush 685). It is an open secret that the rate of divorce among the whites is way higher than it is among the Africans and Asians as indicated in the article in The Economist by its editor, (2011) which explains that divorce rate in Asia is only about 2per every 1000 while in America in 3.7 and in Britain 3.4 for every 1000. Others argue that this is because of the lack of a staunch tradition on the part of the spouses and especially in engaging the parents of the spouses in the affair. For the Africans for example, during the traditional marriage ceremony and preparations and before the bride or groom is handed over to their significant other, the family and especially the same sex parent has serious discussion with the bride or groom about what marriage entails and what will be expected of them in terms of fulfillment of roles and duties and how to engage in all these. These are called trading secrets of the ups and downs to expect and how to handle each and every one of them. By the time they are officially starting the marriage, each party is aware of the reality

Apple, Microsoft and Google & Management Information Systems Case Study

Apple, Microsoft and Google & Management Information Systems - Case Study Example This paper highlights that Apple enjoys a positive reputation for the quality of its products. As such, the company relies on the positive reputation to sell its other related products. The company manufactures high-quality smartphones and computers. The products use a unique operating system. Such is an effective strategy that limits the company’s customers to the products of the company. Google, on the other hand, employs diversification as its key marketing strategy. The company manufactures various products and applications all of which enjoy relative market shares. The cumulative effect of the diversification safeguards the company’s profitability. Microsoft is the current leader in the PC world. The company scooped the market from inception by creating a unique product that lacked in the society. As such, it remained to enjoy the benefits of such an iconic invention. The company has numerous operating systems coupled with equally vital programs. Additionally, the company bought Nokia in its attempt to diversify its market thus enjoys a share of the fast-growing smartphone market. The strategies employed by each of the three companies are effective since they ensure that the companies enjoy their relative profitability. As explained earlier, each of the three companies continues to struggle for the mobile computing market. This portrays the importance of the market. Mobile computing is the future of the industry. The use of portable devises if the future of the industry as users continue to demand both convenience and mobility. Google continues to manufacture applications to suit the interface of the various handheld devices. The company enjoys increased profitability owing to the efficiency of its products such as the google.com search engine among many others. Apple has amon g the largest share of the market.  

Evaluation of the Viability of the Sukuk

Evaluation of the Viability of the Sukuk This proposal aims to evaluate the current status and the viability of the Islamic financial Securities such as Sukuk as an alternative of the conventional financial securities like Eurobond in the context of the current financial crisis. I will outline the overall aims and objective of the research and discuss the various studies on growth of Islamic finance and decline of conventional finance in the background of the financial crisis. This paper will reflect an overall structure of the whole proposal. SIGNIFICANT FOR THE RESEARCH In the financial global market, the Islamic financial services sector is analysed to be gown at double digit rate(Bley Kuehn, 2005), involving over 200 financial institutions with assets estimated to exceed US$ 200 billion(Al-Dhahiri et al, 2003). Researchers (Hamwi Aylward, 1999) already has recognised that over the last decade, Islamic banking and finance has experienced global growth rates of 10-15 percent per annum, and has been moving into an increasing number of conventional financial systems at such a rapid pace that Islamic financial institutions are present today in over 51 countries (Sole, 2007 pp:1). This research is aimed at investigating the practicability of the Islamic Financial system as an alternative to the traditional financial system especially in the context of the recent financial crisis. The fast growth of Islamic banking and finance raises different important questions: Is the development in Islamic banking and finance a result of the comparative advantages of the Islamic banking concept or is it largely attributable to the worldwide Islamic recovery since the late 1960s (Chong Liu, 2007). The fact that Islamic laws forbid paying and receiving interest promote all parties in a financial transaction to share the risk and profit or loss of the project (Qorchi, 2005). In an Islamic contract the output and the quality of the project, ensures a more equitable distribution of wealth (Qorchi, 2005). AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The overall aim of this research is to review and evaluate significant growth of Islamic finance and financial securities as an alternative of the traditional financial system and financial securities which led to the current financial crisis. The objectives of the research can be further identified as: (1). the recognition of the basic concepts of conventional and Islamic financial system. (2). How did studies deal with financial crisis and its effect on the traditional and Islamic banking system. (3). what are the effects of current financial crisis on traditional bond market? (4). How does the Islamic Finance response to the crisis? (5). Is Islamic Securities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Sukukà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ feasible? (6). If Islamic Sukuk is feasible then can it replace the traditional Eurobonds? (7). If it is not feasible then can it co-exist with the traditional Eurobonds? Overview Conventional Financial system Everyone has to contact with the financial system and everyone is very well aware of the financial institution like banks, building securities, and insurance companies, each providing in its own way for every day needs, such as payment facilities through banks, convenient savings and access to home loans from building societies, and car, house, or life insurance. The other financial markets, like the Stock exchange where the securities are bought and sold, are an important market though very few are directly concerned with their activities (Van Harne, 1990). All these financial institutions and markets fit together into a network which comprises the financial system or conventional financial system (Brian, 1992). The conventional financial system based on debt and the fixed rate of interest. The borrower in gaining the high fixed returns may get default as these bonds and corporate securities are not backed by the assets or gold. The burden and all risk are transferred on the issuer. Therefore in try to get high returns and greed of getting more financial share the conventional borrower and mortgage prices went up which result in the drying up the financial market and major companies got default. Islamic Financial System The Islamic financial system makes possible lending, borrowing and investment functions on a risk-sharing basis (Ishaq Mansoor, 2008). Islamic finance is fundamentally different from the conventional finance model as it is based on a profit and loss structure (PLS), which requires that a financial institution invest with a client in order to finance their needs, rather than lending money to the client. Because of the inherent risk involved in an investment, the financial institution is entitled to profit from the financial transaction (IBID). (SBP, 2007). Islamic banking and finance industry has been making breakthrough developments to become a truly feasible and competitive alternative to conventional systems at the global level as an industry adding more ethical, competitive, flexible and diversified tools and systems to global financial marketsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ (Ishaq Mansoor, 2008 pp: 708). The need for Islamic banking is prompted by three considerations: (a). An Islamic investor should keep away from alliance with industries forbidden to Muslims: such as; alcohol, gambling, pornography, meat packing (of pork), weapons production, and liquor. (b). An Islamic enterprise is advised to avoid interest (riba), as well as gambling, and, accordingly, constraints exist on transactions involved in debt securities and in futures and options. (c). Many Muslim investors tend to be attracted to enterprises monitoring the Islamic ethical and moral standards (Oà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Sullivan, 1996). The Islamic finance industry has grown by about 15 percent on average over the last three years, with more than US$500 billion now lodged in Islamic banks, mutual funds, insurance schemes (takaful), and Islamic branches of conventional banks (Jobst, Kunzel, Mills, Sy, 2008). Islamic Law prohibits charging interest (Rajesh, K.A Yousaf, T., 2000). Islamic banking is currently practiced in more than 51 countries worldwide. In countries such as, Iran, Pakistan, and Sudan, only Islamic banking is practiced whereas other countries, such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan and Malaysia, Islamic banking co-exists with conventional banking (Chong Liu, 2007). Therefore Islamic banking, is not limited to Islamic countries as In August 2004, the Islamic Bank of Britain became the first bank licensed by a non-Muslim country to engage in Islamic banking (Chong Liu, 2007). SUKUK Islamic securities have become increasingly popular in over the last five years, both as a means of raising government finance through sovereign issues, and as a way of companies obtaining funding through the offer of corporate Sukuk (Wilson, R., 2008) as Sukuk is to be use as a tool for liquidity management (Wilson. R., 2008), the Sukuk market continues to generate strong interest by new issuers in Muslim and non-Muslim countries. Sukuk (plural of Sakk) are commonly referred to as an Islamic bond, but a more precise translation of the Arabic word would be an Islamic investment certificateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"(Thomas, 2005). The Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) defines the Investment Sukuk as a certificates of equal value representing undivided shares in ownership of tangible assets, usufructs and services or (in the ownership of) the assets of particular projects or special investment activityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"(Norman, T.,2009). Sukuk is an Islamic financial certificate, similar to a bond in Western finance that complies with Sharia, Islamic religious law. As the traditional Western interest paying bond structure is not permissible, the issuer of a Sukuk sells an investor group the certificate, who then rents it back to the issuer for a predetermined rental fee. The issuer also makes a contractual promise to buy back the bonds at a future date at par value (investropedia, 2009). Sukuk are monetised real assets (converting a government debt into available currency, especially issuing securities, that are liquid (easy to convert into cash), easily transferred and traded in the financial market (Adam, 2006). Likewise the Eurobonds are also liquid assets which are marketable and accepted by all the investors (www.independent.co.uk, 2005). Eurobonds are issued by a government, company shows potential to repay borrowed money at a fixed rate of interest at a specific time. Eurobonds are liquid and trusted bonds as it is backed by a fixed interest rate (ibid). Sukuk can be examined without any difficulty by international and regional rating agencies which facilitate their marketability (Adam, 2006). Likewise the Eurobonds are easily rated by the rating agency as these rating agencies rate these securities on the basis of the liquidity and the liabilities not on the basis of the religion and ethics (Standard Poorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"s, 2009). As the agencies do not rate the securities on the basis of the religion, rather securities are rated on the basis of the quality and the ability of obligator to meet the obligations (ibid). Same like the similarities in the Islamic and conventional financial securities, there are few differences as well, and on the basis of that one system can be preferred on the other system. Starting from the type, the conventional financial Security is a debenture bond whereas the Sukuk are the Secured securities. Debenture bonds are those securities that is unsecured corporate bond by any mortgage, dependent on the credit of the issuer (Dictionary Reference.com, 2009). Whereas the Sukuk are backed by the real assets such as they are attached with the assets which can be turned into tradable in the future or can be replaced by the real assets (Richardson Abdl-Khaleq, 2007). Eurobonds are paper bonds whereas the Sukuk securities are really assets based security which have potential to convert the security into tradable asset in future. Secondly, the major difference in Sukuk and conventional bond is the right of ownership. As Sukuk represent the ownership opportunity in existing or well described assets whereas conventional bond represent pure debt on the issuer (Adam, 2006). LITRATURE REVIEW The relative success of the Islamic finance is remarkable (Bley Kuehn, 2005)as islamic finance institution are making progress with the grwoth rate of 15-18% which is double the average growth rate of conventional finacial institutions (Saifi, 2004). We will discuss A review of the litrature on traditional financial system (TFS)and Islamic financial system( IFS) and the security markets. That is devided into sections as will be reviewing the litrature on the decline of the popularity of the TFS and the growth of the IFS over the last two decades. The litrature review basically discuss information of three area on which research will be carried: (a) traditional banking system and its downfall, (b) islamic financial system and its growth, and (c) the empirical investigation of the feasibility of islamic financial securities to alternate the traditional finacial bonds to raise funds for the projects. BACKGROUND FOR STUDY The current collapse of banking and financial institutions raised a question as interest rate has long been recognized not only by classical and neo-classical economists but also by contemporary economists as one of the factors that determine the level of savings in the economy. Although there are cases of inconsistent findings, it is a generally accepted opinion that interest rate has a positive relationship with savings (Ahmad Haron, 1999). Generally, financial institutions perform two functions; one is to collect deposits and the other is to issue loans (Toutounchian, 1996). Depositors are guaranteed a predetermined return on the nominal value of the deposit by the bank even in most of the cases the deposits are insured (ibid). Hence it can be argued that the traditional financial system plays a passive role in the economy, is operating to face any economic fluctuations (ibid). It is argued that in these banks since the nominal value of the deposits is guaranteedshocks that can lead to banking crisis can cause divergence between real assets and real liabilities and it is not clear how this equilibrium would be corrected and how long the process of adjustment would takeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ (Mohsin, 1985). This is the real essence of fund intermediary function of a traditional finance (Toutounchian, 1996). Islamic finance can simply be defined that it is based on the basic principle of the prohibition of the riba as Islamic institutions does not charge interest but rather participates in the yield resulting from the use of the funds( Lewis Algaoud, 2001). Ebrahim Safadi ( 1995) advocates that islamic finance operations are according to the profit and loss sharing principle which are superior financial security to debt for many reasons including risk sharing of the equities (Hamwi Aylward, 1999. Liu Chong(2007) are of the view that the islamic finance is not different from the conventional finance as the unique feature Profit and Loss sharing (PLS) practically is very similar to the TFS as islamic financial products based on the PLS are not interest free beacuse pegged to conventional deposits(ibid). On the other hand the basic pillar of the conventional financial system is interest rate and fixed income securities have been accepted globally in raising finance for funding large development and capital expenditures (Usmani, 2006). A fixed income security is an investment which provides a return in the form of fixed periodic payments and ultimate returns of principal at maturity (Usmani, 2006). The motivations of firms that issue global bonds is particularly to test whether firms are motivated to offer bonds in multi-markets to raise more capital, take benefit of being well-known in foreign markets and owing to poor domestic economic conditions (Tawatnuntachai Yaman, 2008). The bond market robustness converts into depression when financial crisis which started in 2007 has created the greatest financial dislocation since the Great Depression of the 1930s (Melvin Taylor, 2009). The Eurobond which are based on fix interest rate and guaranteed of fixed return failed to impress the investors in an auction (Kaminska, 2009). In addition, the loans rate set in the fixed income market will have large effect on the demand for properties, and thereby prices, one would strongly believe that securitised property prices are determined by the interest rate changes rather than the stock market (Cheong, Wilson, Zurbruegg, 2009). Financial markets are intergrated now a days and no single economy can avoid the effect of the financial crisis (Chapra, 2007). If the financial system is not responsible for the crisies then why there is a general nervous feeling that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢something is wrong with the financial systemà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ (Stiglitz, 2003, p: 54 On the other hand, the Islamic finance manages the affair without involving the pre-agreed interest payment and receipts that replace the interest-based intermediation between the borrower and the lender with profit and loss sharing and equity based link (Bhatti Khan, 2009). CURRENT FINANCIAL CRISIS The credit crunch refers to a sudden shortage of funds for lending, leading to a resulting decline in loans available (Blog, 2008). A Credit Crunch can occur for various reasons such as sudden increase in interest rate, direct money controls by the governments and a drying up of funds in the capital market (Blog, 2008). The crisis started in 2008 in US supreme mortgage market and widely spread all over the world which raised a question that why this has system collapsed which leads the splillover effects from US sub- prime crisis to UK by far the most transparent and worrying for the authorities that exposed the tension between the central banks with respect to the provision of liquidity support facilities, the difficulties inherent in the economy for dealing with the banking crisis, defects in banking economy regulation and supervision and the glaring flaws in deposit protection arrangements (Maximilian, 2008). Islamic Finance Response to Crisis Principles of Islamic Finance The first principle has an effect on the depositors à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"behaviour and their decision-making process. The choice of action is based not only on the immediate financial returns but also on those returns in the hereafter. Since Islamic banks operate on an interest-free basis and their establishment is designed to improve Muslim communities. In the case of the second principle that involves wealth, Islam has given a clear guideline to be followed by Muslims. The essence of Islamic finance summarised by the Charles FÃÆ' ¨vre, 2006 is as following: Interest rate, taking or receiving on transactions is prohibited. Capital must have a social and ethical purpose further than pure, unfettered return; Investments in those businesses which are dealing with alcohol, gambling, drugs or anything else that the Sharià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ah considers unlawful and unwanted, are prohibited. Transactions involving masir (speculation or gambling); gharar, or uncertainty about the subject-matter and terms of contracts are forbidden which includes a prohibition on selling something that one does not own. As the interest-earning on investments are restricted, Islamic banks obtain their earnings through profit-sharing investments or fee-based returns (Charles FÃÆ' ¨vre, 2006). Traditionally an Islamic bank offers two kinds of services: firstly; it provides services for those on a fee or a fixed charge, such as safe deposits, fund transfer, trade financing, property sales and purchases or handling investments (IBID). Secondly; those that involves joint ventures in investments and the sharing of profits and losses (Charles FÃÆ' ¨vre, 2006). REASEARCH METHODOLOGY Methodology is a set of tools, techniques, procedures and investigative methods, used to collect, store, analyse and present information. Scientific methodology involves the development of hypotheses and predictions, investigating the manipulation of particular variables while maintaining all other variables constant, using measurable, objective measures and statistical analyses in order to come to conclusions about the topic under investigationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ (inspiritive.com, 2009). Research can be defined as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“something that people undertake in order to find out things in a systematic way, thereby increasing their knowledgeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Saunders et al, 2003). Research methods are the means by which knowledge is acquired and constructed within a discipline. It needs to be both relevant and rigorous in order to be accepted as legitimate within a particular field of knowledge (Harvey Myers, 1995).whereas Leedy Research methodology can be explained as the process ca rried out to achieve the overall aim and objectives of the research (Saunders et al, 2003). What does Research Methodology Include? The research methodology involves primary data and secondary data. The primary data collected are more consistent with our research questions and research objectives. With the help of primary data the reasons behind consumer behaviour, management decisions or problems faces in internationalisation efforts can be identified (Ghauri Gronhaug, 2005). According to Hussey and Hussey, (1997, pg.149) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢original data is known as primary data, which is data collected at sourceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ. Primary research provides information and data which doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"t already exist. Some of the methods of primary data collection include: Focus groups, Interviews, Observation and Questionnaires (Saunders et al, 2003). According to Saunders et al., (2007, pg.272) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“data that have already been collected for some other purpose, perhaps processed and subsequently stored, are termed secondary dataà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. Data can be collected internally or externally from the available materials for literature. These materials come from books, journals, articles, research papers, conference proceedings, newspapers, theses and internet sources. It includes both quantitative and qualitative data and they can be used in both descriptive and explanatory research. Within business and management research such data are used mostly in case study and survey-type research (Saunders et al, 2003). Research Methods Generally available methodological options for Research are two: qualitative research and quantitative research (Ticehurst Veal, 2000). Qualitative Research The purpose of qualitative research is to describe a certain process or problem, to interpret a particular problem and to develop new theoretical concepts and perspectives, to verify the validity of certain problem, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen particular problem (Leedy, 2005). The qualitative analysis based on meaning expressed through words, symbols, interpretations, actions and behaviour (Thornhill et al, 2003). Quantitative research Generally, quantitative research is used to answer the question about relationships among measured variables with the purpose of explaining, predicting, and controlling phenomenon ( Leedy Ormord, 2005). Whereas, Thornhill et al, (2003) stated that in quantitative analysis, the data is based on meanings from numbers. The collection results in numerical and standardised data and the analysis are conducted through the use of diagrams and statistics (Thornhill et al, 2003). The aim of the project can be viewed as qualitative, explanatory, and comparative. To fulfil these aims, the study intends to use the qualitative comparative research strategy (Bryman Bell, 2003). As Leedy Ormrod (2005) noted that qualitative researchers commonly use triangulation for the validation of the research. Comparative Analysis Given the options, qualitative research will be carried out where the literature to be reviewed will be mainly secondary data. The results obtained from the data can be validated by using the above mentioned strategies and comparative analysis which is suggested by Leedy Ormrod (2005) to fulfil the requirements of research. As the Max Weber (1968) also develop approach for social and economical analysis based on comparative method to identify that the researcher plays primary role in outlining research questions, categorizing elements of analysis, and the topics for comparison rather than assuming an objective separation of the researcher and data, as he is of the view that this kind of approach does not confuse researcherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"s conceptualization of the under research phenomenon and phenomenon itself. Comparative analysis facilitates researcher to investigate the problem from a recognized starting point and the investigate other aspects of the object during analysis (Weber , M., 1968 cited in: Google, 2009) Data Collections and Methods In order to achieve the aims and objectives of the research a series of the reviews will be conducted on available literature on Islamic Finance and Conventional finance, particularly the Islamic securities. Islamic source of finance, Al- Quran, Sunnaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"ah, Shariaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"a Laws, and Hadiths books have been taken into account to get information about the Islamic financial principles, and the regulations which are applicable to the finance. This research is based on secondary data which is collected by using research techniques, procedures and instruments such as 1. Journals 2. Books 3. Libraryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"s web based services such as ABI/Inform, Proquest system, Jstor, Emerald. 4. Newspapers 5. Internet and internet article As qualitative comparative analysis will allow the researcher to outline the research objectives and categorizing the elements of the analysis and the choice of selection of the topic to analyse. The comparative analysis will helpful throughout the research to investigate the selected topic from a recognised point and researcher will be able to investigate the other aspect of the analysis. The methodology will be persuaded towards an approach in order to analyse appraise views on the Islamic financial system and Islamic securities in detail as an alternative to the traditional financial system in the context of current financial crisis by presenting and discussing with supervisor as to how he see the future of Islamic and traditional banking following the direction in which it is undertaken. LIMITATIONS This research may have few limitations The main concern is the collection of basic qualitative data from reliable sources mainly from university web based sources and Google scholar search materials; the challenge will be the identification of the reliable sources as often there will be situation where the results can vary from source to source. Sorting the reliable data from since the resources have vast options and all of them might not be having the same facts and figures which will be may required more time than expected in research process. Another limitation that may occur and cause the research to be narrowed and summed up sooner is for the research to miss out on some useful information which would be useful if taken under consideration. As for the vastness of the topic it is a concern that could be distracting as religious validities can be possible but main focus will be managed throughout the research. This research is a qualitative comparative analysis which is depending on the secondary data that may lead research to be limited as collection of data is generally more time consuming and the time is limited and it is not possible to studied wide range of literature which can make difficult to make a systematic conclusion. Drawn Conclusion Comparison of the both system (Islamic Financial System and Conventional Financial System, major will be the Islamic financial securities and conventional bonds) will formed the ground for the conclusion depending on the information gathered from research.

Cray SuperComputer :: essays research papers

The Cray X-MP/22 manufactured by Cray Research Incorporated (CRI) of Minneapolis, Minnesota was delivered and installed at the U of Toronto this September. The Cray is a well respected computer - mainly for its extremely fast rate of mathematical floating-point calculation. As the university states in its July/August computer magazine "ComputerNews", the Cray's "level of performance should enable researchers with large computational requirements at the university of Toronto and other Ontario universities to compete effectively against the best in the world in their respective fields." The Cray X-MP/22 has two Central Processing Units (CPUs) - the first '2' in the '22'. The Cray operates at a clock rate of 105 MHz (the regular, run-of-the-mill IBMPC has a clock rate of 4.77 MHz). By quick calculations, you would be led to believe the Cray is only about 20 times faster that the PC. Obviously, this is not the case. The Cray handles data considerably differently than the PC. The Cray's circuits permit an array of data (known as a 'vector') to be processes as a SINGLE entity. So, where the IBMPC may require several clock cycles to multiply two numbers, the Cray performs everything in one clock cycle. This power is measured in Millions of Floating Point Operations Per Second (MFLOPS) - which is to say the rate at which floating-point operations can be performed. The Cray MFLOPS vary as it does many activities, but a rate of up to 210 MFLOPS (per CPU) can be achieved. The second '2' in the X-MP/22 title refers to the two million 64-bit words (16Mb) of shared central memory. This can be expanded to four million words in the future if the need arises. But it doesn't stop there! The Cray can pipe information back and forth between the CPU memory and the Input/Output Subsystem (IOS). The IOS then takes it upon itself the store the information in any of the four storage devices: i) one of the four 1200 Mb disk drives (at a rate of 5.9Mb every second), ii) one of two standard 200ips 6250bpi tape drives, iii) a Solid State Storage Device (SSD) (which is much like a 128Mb RAM Disk!), or iv) through to a front-end computer (the U of T uses both the IBM4381 and a DEC VAX). These computers would be programmed (usually in FORTRAN) and the information passed onto the Cray. The results would then be transfered back to the front end computers.

Procter and Gamble Company Essay

Background Procter and Gamble was formed by James Gamble & William Procter in 1837 by a candle manufacturer Procter and a soap manufacturer Gamble. This consumer product company started with a vision to grow to a $33 billion company and by 1879 it started selling its products directly to the consumers, by 1890 it has gained its legal corporation and ever since it has doubled it sales every ten years. P&G growth was driven by innovation not optimization. Radical innovation served as their backbone to success with other factors such as geographic expansion, product line extensions and acquisitions contributing to its growth. Some of its famous and successful acquisitions were, Duncan Hines, Clorox, charmin Paper mills, Folgers Coffee, NorwichEaton, Vicks (NyQuil), Noxell and Max Factor. It also recieves  the credit for developing innovative and advanced technology based products during 1940’s such as Tide, Crest,Pampers, Bounce etc.By the end of 1980’s P&G had its operations in 58 countries,its reputation was built with its new product development strategiesÍ ¾ they produced varied range of consumer products such that these products should meet â€Å"basic consumer needs† and create â€Å"superior total value† creating a brand image for the company. As noted in Kevin Kelly’s quote â€Å"Wealth in new regime flows directly from innovation and not optimization†, i.e. wealth is not gained by perfecting the known, but imperfecting the unknown. P&G successfully used this strategy to earn its reputation as one of the largest company in Cincinnati in 1895 and in 1995 earned the National Medal of technology, the highest given award in United states. P&G was also known for its strong ethics, values and recruiting the best and brightest. R&D was a major focus of P&G. In 1995 P&G spent 1.3billion on R&D,and emphasis was laid on combination of multiple R&D competencies and there were a lot of cross fertilization of technology. They also had an attractive work culture, employee compensation and had a structure in place which assured employees of growing within the organization with its up through the rank approach which fostered innovation. In the process of growing, P&G moved out of their old tradition of new product development and concentrated completely on the global expansion and development of existing products. With structured product  sectors in place, P&G had some difficulty fitting some new product idea into any of the available category which led to the rejection on various novel ideas. In 1993, the company started the Strengthening Global Effectiveness (SGE) with the goal of increasing profits through cost reduction which was achieved by reengineering  and reformation of distribution and manufacturing. This led to a successful increase in profits from 10% to 17% in a year. In the same year, CEO John Pepper said that their was an urge for developments of new brands in order to fulfill the companies longtime goals of increasing their sales. Mark Collar, Vice President and General Manager of New Business Development and a part of SGE said that a breakthrough is required to manage and accelerate the company’s innovation process. In addition, the concept of cross fertilization was fading out gradually so their was a requirement of a new innovation team that can incorporate the old traditions followed by the company during the 1960’s. Therefore this lead to the formation of Innovation Leadership Team (ILT) in 1993. The top seven officers of the company were a part of this team: John Pepper(Chairman and CEO)Í ¾ Durk Jager(President and COO)Í ¾ Wolfgang Berndt(Executive VP North America)Í ¾ Gordon Brunner(Senior VP Research and Development)Í ¾ Gary Martin(Senior VP Information Services and Product Supply) and Eric Nelson(Senior VP and CFO)Í ¾ Robert Wehling (Senior VP Advertising and Market Research). The ILT’s responsibility is to investigate the portfolio of the projects under development and projects on shelf, select valuable projects that add value to the firm. Soon Corporate Innovation Fund(CIF) was established for the funding the research on new products developments. The employees can report projects irrespective of their sector and obtain approval at very fast pace on appropriate projects.

How equal opportunities and managing diversity impact on organisations and their HRM practices The WritePass Journal

How equal opportunities and managing diversity impact on organisations and their HRM practices Introduction How equal opportunities and managing diversity impact on organisations and their HRM practices ). In regard to this, this report presents findings from primary and secondary research that was carried out to establish the importance of embracing and managing workplace diversity. Research Approach As aforementioned, this research was carried out using both secondary and primary approaches. The secondary approach involved reviewing literature that has been published on various databases about the subject of workplace diversity. A preference was given to peer-reviewed journal articles because of their renowned credibility in terms of the researched information they offer (Yin, 2010). Since the time and resources to carry out an exhaustive primary research was limited, semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative data from a seven colleagues in college. The data was collected through an audio recording for further analysis. This approach was selected because it is relatively informal and does not require a lot of time to get the required information (Yin, 2010). Findings Findings from Secondary Research Many researchers have carried out studies the subject of workplace diversity. However, as pointed out by Herring (2009), this concept is relatively new, dating to the 1980s. Some of the factors that have contributed to an increase in workplace diversity include the increased immigration – especially to developed countries – which has led to an increasingly international workforce. The equality campaigns that have been on the increase have also led to an increase the number of ethnic minorities and women in the present-day labour pool. It is evident that if poorly managed, diversity will adversely affect productivity of human resources. Thus, human resource managers in organizations ought to implement effective diversity management practices so as to turn diversity into an advantage (The Times 100, 2013). Importance of Managing Workplace Diversity With the ever increasing diversity in global population and workplaces, it is vital to establish the benefits of managing diversity. Michalle and Barak (2010) argue that diversity increases the productivity of employees. This is because of the fact that a diverse workplace comprises of different talents, skills and experiences, and if these differences are combined and directed towards the achievement of a common goal, it is certain that it will be advantageous to the organization. In another research on workplace diversity, Herring (2009) established that effective management of a diverse workforce increases creativity and problem solving. By treating contributions of every employee at the workplace as important, regardless of their experience, race or gender, useful insights about how to approach a certain task in the organization can be found. Organizations that fail to take advantage of the diversity in their workforces may lock out ideas from employees that may be of phenomenal importance to the progress of the company. Companies that have created a reputation for effective management of diversity have the advantage of attracting and retaining a diverse workforce, which comes with diverse talents and capabilities. Inclusion in the workplace motivates employees by creating in them a sense of belonging. Acknowledging diversity in the workplace motivates the employees and also increases their levels of commitment towards the organization.   In a study carried out by Groeneveld (2011) on management of workplace diversity and its impacts on employee turnover, he established that companies adhering to diversity policies in recruitment and other human resource management practices in their organization had much less cases of employee turnover than those whose diversity management approaches were not as ideal. Given that diversity will be almost inevitable in future, organizations have to ensure that they put the most effective diversity management practices in place. There is also a legal advantage of ma naging diversity in organizations and encouraging inclusion. Application of appropriate approaches in diversity management limits the chances of lawsuits by employees that feel excluded (Michalle Barak, 2010). Not only does this save money that could have been spent on litigation expenses, it also creates a positive reputation of the organization to a wide range of stakeholders. Tadmor et al. (2012) argue that companies that target a market with diverse customers greatly benefits from employing a diverse workforce. For instance, if a company has a marketing team that comprises of people from different races, religions and genders, the possibility of such a team attracting a wide range of customers is higher as compared to a team that consists of people from the same gender, race or religion. Thus, effective diversity management may increase the returns of a company by attracting more customers. Challenges of Workplace Diversity Management Even though management of diversity has many advantages for employers and employees in organizations, Caà ±as and Sondak (2010) argue that there are several associated challenges. Management of diversity involves the recognition of the value associated with the differences in the workforce, promotion of inclusiveness and elimination of any kind of discrimination that exists in the workforce. Ensuring that all these aspects of management are exhaustively addressed may be challenging for human resource managers, especially when diversity among employees is quite extensive. Some of the disadvantages that are associated with poor workplace diversity management include increased employee turnover, lack of synergy and ineffective communication among employees, and an increase in the chances of companies facing lawsuits and negative publicity (Tarmac, 2012). A recent example of a diversity issue that tainted the image of an organization took place in 2011, when a Liverpool hospital placed an advertisement for job vacancies. In their conditions for application, the included as statement that referred to equal opportunities as â€Å"usual rubbish† (Hough, 2011). Even though the statement was replaced after negative feedback from the public, it has drawn negative attention from different parts of the world, which has also affected reputation of the hospital. For effective diversity management, Herring (2009) suggests that managers have to first understand the diverse needs of their employees and identify areas from which discrimination may arise. They should then create the ideal policies that will ensure inclusiveness in the organization. Findings from Primary Research To establish the impacts of equal opportunities and diversity management in the workplace, mixed reactions were obtained from some of the peers that were interviewed. Whereas two of them were of the view that ensuring workplace inclusion may be unnecessary for organizations, five of the respondents were for the idea that managing diversity is among the most important human resource management practices of the 21st century. Responses in support of Workplace Diversity One of the questions that the subjects were asked was how diversity may affect the productivity of an organization. In response to this question, one of the respondents, who is a proponent of diversity argued, â€Å"There is no way that a company in the 21st century can survive without having a diverse workforce. Diversity does not only exist in the colour of the skin or the language we speak. Everywhere in the UK, there is diversity in religion, gender, and generations. What companies ought to do is agree that diversity is inevitable, and find ways to deal with it for their own advantage.† This response indicates that there is widespread knowledge about diversity and organizations ought to device the necessary approaches to increase productivity of their diverse employees. Another respondent added â€Å"Diversity in the workplace is good. Though it may be difficult at the start, continued co-operation with team members from different backgrounds makes it possible to understa nd and appreciate one another. If I am offered a job in two companies, one with a good reputation of inclusion and another known for discriminating against some workers, I will definitely choose the one that has created a reputation of inclusiveness† Responses against Workplace Diversity In response to the same question on how diversity may affect productivity of an organization, another respondent who thought diversity is overemphasized argued, â€Å"I think diversity in organizations is a good thing, but organizations ought to focus more on merit. If I have vacancies in my company and I am looking for the best employees to fill those positions, I should not be forced to select a ‘diverse workforce’ because the policies say so, instead, I need to select the most qualified candidates. If the most qualified candidates are from the same gender, ethnic or religious backgrounds, I should be free to hire them. This whole diversity debate may not be as constructive as we think it is.† The response given by this respondent is also quite sensible, which indicates that there are some disadvantages that are associated with workplace diversity policies. Findings from primary research, as indicated, were mixed. Whether the response provided by the respondents supports or is against the importance of diversity in the workplace, they both acknowledge the existence of diversity issues in the 21st century. However, most of the respondents were in support of the implementation of appropriate diversity management strategies. This indicates that equal opportunities and management of diversity in organizations is among the most important practices in present-day human resource management. With a projected increase in levels of diversity in the UK population, as well as other parts of the world, it will be inevitable for organizations to have a diverse workforce (Caà ±as Sondak, 2010). Conclusion The 21st century has been characterized with a phenomenal increase in diversity among population across the globe, which has also affected the composition of employees in many organizations. This research had the aim of establishing the importance of inclusion and the management of diversity in organizations. Even though some disadvantages of employee diversity were established from the primary and secondary research that was carried out, most of the respondents and all the secondary sources accessed indicated that inclusion and diversity management is a very vital human resource practice. From the findings of the research, one of the recommendations that can be made for human resource managers is that all employees have to be informed on the importance of workplace diversity and how to effectively collaborate with their workmates from different backgrounds and gender. References Caà ±as, K.A. Sondak, H., 2010. Opportunities and challenges of workplace diversity. New York: Prentice Hall. Groeneveld, S., 2011. Diversity and employee turnover in the Dutch public sector: Does diversity management make a difference? International Journal of Public Sector Management, 24(6), pp.594-612. Herring, C., 2009. Does Diversity Pay?: Race, Gender, and the Business Case for Diversity. American Sociological Review, 74, pp.208-24. Hough, A., 2011. NHS hospital usual equal opportunities rubbish job advert sparks investigation. The Telegraph, 5 September. Michalle, E. Barak, M., 2010. Managing Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive Workplace. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. Poster, W.R., 2008. Filtering Diversity : A Global Corporation Struggles With Race, Class, and Gender in Employment Policy. American Behavioral Scientist, 52(3), pp.307-41. Tadmor, C.T., Satterstrom, P., Jang, S. Polzer, J.T., 2012. Beyond Individual Creativity The Superadditive Benefits of Multicultural Experience for Collective Creativity in Culturally Diverse Teams. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 43(3), pp.384-92. Tarmac, 2012. Diversity and inclusion policy. [Online] Available at: tarmac.co.uk/about_us/about_tarmac/idoc.ashx?docid=ffe70bb0-4510-476a-8dd4-b352a63c1b48version=-1 [Accessed 26 February 2014]. The Times 100, 2013. Competetive advantage through diversity. [Online] Available at: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/tarmac/competitive-advantage-through-diversity/conclusion.html#axzz2MxtlEGBP [Accessed 26 February 2014]. Yin, R.K., 2010. Qualitative Research from Start to Finish. New York: Guilford Press.

Bilbo Baggins - The Hobbit essays

Bilbo Baggins - The Hobbit essays The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolken is a story about a hobbit going on a journey. The team consists of thirteen dwarfs and one hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo is chosen to go on the adventure by a magical wizard named Gandalf. He chooses Bilbo because he thinks that he has the potential and will be useful to the dwarfs, also not to mention that thirteen is an unlucky number. The group does not understand why Gandalf chooses Bilbo because he is very afraid of adventures. Sorry! I dont want any adventures, thank you, Bilbo says to Gandalf when he asks him to go on an adventure. Nevertheless, he loves materialistic things too much, and is a plain out coward. Bilbo is afraid of adventures because he loves his house too much and does not like to go anywhere out-side his nice hobbit hole in the hill. Bilbos house is in the side of a hill and has a round door. His home is full of warmth and food. He loves his cakes that he bakes and smoking his pipe. When they first set off Bilbo forgets his handkerchief, pipe, and cakes. But I come with out my hat, and I have left my pocket-handkerchief behind, and I havent got any money, says Bilbo when he realizes what he has left behind. He is going nuts thinking that he will never make it through with out those items. Next, when they get captured Bilbo relies on Galdalf to get them out. Which Gandalf does, but then on their next encounter Bilbo has to stand up for himself. When he gets lost in the tunnels and finds the ring, that is when he starts to believe in himself. He makes it out and later on uses it to help out his friends. He starts to get his self-confidence here. When they reach the mountain where Smague the dragon is, that is where you can tell that Bilbos character has developed. He talks with the dragon in confidence and he believes in himself. When everyone is fighting over the gold and the war is about to happ...

Marketing Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Principles - Essay Example relationships with customers and other stakeholders, at a profit, so that the objectives of the partners involved are met; and this is achieved by a mutual exchange and fulfilment of promises (Brodie 1997, 384).† Organizations have long been conducting their marketing activities according to five marketing concepts or philosophies: the production concept, the product concept, the selling concept, the marketing concept, and the societal marketing concept. Although all these concepts refer to how organizations maintain their relationships with consumers in order to make a profit, these concepts differ in terms of where to put the emphasis in terms of making decisions in relation to its marketing activities. The oldest of these philosophies is the production concept. When the industrial revolution has started, businesses during those times decide on their marketing activities on the basis of the production abilities of the company. The central decision of a production-oriented company is on its operations: given the resources that the company has access to, what products can it produce (Bliemel 1979)? This has been the case of Pillsbury company from its formation in the 1800s until the 1930s. Charles A. Pillsbury has started Pillsbury by taking advantage of two abundant raw materials during his days—the abundance of wheat, and the water power (Keith 1960). Water power, during those days has been used to provide power to milling machineries (Keith 1960). The decision to manufacture flour has been driven by these two factors—major inputs of production. Without any regard to the demand side of the business, the focus of has been on the companys capability to manufacture, in this case, Pillsbury has exhibited the production concept (Ke ith 1960). If the production concept focuses on the companys ability to manufacture a product, the product concept is about a companys focus on its products and improving them, perfecting them in order to have the highest quality

Motivation and how management can use it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Motivation and how management can use it - Essay Example The late Marvin Bower, who transformed McKinsey & Co. into one of the best management consulting firms in the world, said that the "ability to inspire and require workers to be their best is the greatest resource of any business, and that the rewards for doing so include growth for the business itself, and growth in competitive position, size, and profits" (Edersheim, 2004, p. 65). Much literature about theories of motivation and work relate to the subject of inspiring employees to be their best (Gagne and Deci, 2005; Ambrose and Kulik, 1999). This paper explores how managers can use theories of motivating employees to make the workplace better, more profitable, and efficient. A manager's job is to get things done through their employees, so knowing how to motivate employees is always a challenge that has never been easy and is not getting any easier. Many changes driven by worldwide social and economic forces are happening in the workplace and in the workers themselves. The end of the Cold War in the early 1990s and the globalization of businesses are transforming corporations - public and private, large and small - in a radical way (Stiglitz, 2002). Global competition and the rise of democracy are pressuring companies to be more competitive, agile, and lean, changing the nature of organizational structures and the relationships between managers and workers (Micklethwait & Wooldridge, 2000). Another change agent is the progress of information and communications technology, especially the Internet and mobile computing, which has altered the nature of communication within the organization and the quality of the workforce. Workers are more educated and knowledgeable, able to gain quick access to information and perform knowledge-based tasks in an atmosphere of teamwork and collaboration (Heerwagen, Kelly, & Kampshroer, 2005). As the workplace structure and the workers themselves change, management faces the problem posed by Gerstner (2002) after a successful ten-year effort to bring IBM Corporation out of a crisis: How do you pull the levers of motivation to change the attitudes, behavior, and thinking of a population Of course, different people are motivated by different things. Some by money. Some by advancement. Some by recognition. For some, the most effective motivation is fear - or anger. For others, that doesn't (sic) work; it's learning, or the opportunity to make an impact, to see their efforts produce concrete results. Most people can be roused by the threat of extinction. And most can be inspired by a compelling vision of the future. Over the past ten years, I've pulled most of those levers (p. 203). Effectively changing the attitudes, behavior, and thinking of workers demands that a manager knows what levers of motivation to pull in the first place. Theories, Concepts, and Practices Much research has been done to identify empirically-proven theories and methods that managers can use to motivate their