Organisation, People and Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organisation, People and Performance - Essay Example This refers to a measure of the ability to recognize, manage and evaluate emotions. The test base on four key elements; the ability of the candidate to recognize his own and other people emotions, generating and using emotions in solving problems, understanding emotions and the changes in emotions and the ability to manage both his own and other people emotions. Several methods that may include test questions can help achieve the objective (Hough 1984).These are assessments employed to measure a number of mental capabilities like mathematical and verbal ability, comprehension reading and reasoning ability (Hunter 1986). They comprise of multiple choice objects administered through a paper or computer. The total score of the candidate represents the true measure of his mental ability in performing the job. It is possible to design the exercise to measure one character after the other and then summing up the final score at the end.1.6 Biographical dataThese tests deal with the backgrou nd of the candidate, interests and personal characteristics. This relies on the belief that past performance is the most significant predictor of future performance. It concerns the manner the candidate performed in the past in the areas related to the management task (Shoenfeldt 1999). For example, the number of volunteer activities the candidate participated in the past provides a measure of his willingness to volunteer. In addition, the test reveals the candidates’ independence and responsibility.

Economic Globalization Essay Example for Free

Economic Globalization Essay Economic globalisation is a concept that has become common in the recent times and it is popularity is growing overtime. It virtually implies the process by which two or more countries economically integrate with an aim of enabling a global marketplace or in other words creating a global single market (Fung, 2006, pp 1). The main purpose for economic integration is to enable the expansion of the market, that is, corporations are enabled to operate beyond the borders of their country of origin. The concept of economic globalization can be perceived to posses both positives and negatives depending on the context over which is being analyzed from (Gardner, 2005, pp 67) The concept of economic globalization can be traced back to the ancient days during the trans-national trade period, which is several thousand years ago. The process of economic globalization is in control of the world trade organisation that provide rules that need to be followed in enhancing effective trade interactions between various countries of the world (Stalker, 1998, pp3),. The main goal of the WTO is to enable the producers of goods and services, the exporters of the goods and the importers of goods to conduct their business with much easy. The rules are based on the agreements that are set among the trading nations, where the agreements are expected to be ratified by the parliament of respective nations (Gu, 2006, pp 157). The WTO membership is currently 153 world countries with also a number of observers. The admission date into the organization of various nations vary from one country to other as it is a voluntary participation. For example, China joined the organization on 11 December 2001 (Peerenboom, 2007, pp 145). This proposal is based on carrying a research concerning the effects of Economic globalization and Chinas accession to WTO on domestic companies. The proposal starts at first providing the background information concerning economic globalization in china and its effect on the Chinese Economy. The research questions and objectives are then provided, the scope of the study and the significance of the study as the part of introduction. Literature review will then follow methodology and lastly the time plan. The research will use the Shenzhen Energy Corporation in China as one of the Chinas domestic energy enterprises in analyzing the effects of economic globalization on domestic companies and the response of these companies to the competition that arises from economic globalization in ensuring market sustainability. 1. 1 Background Economic globalisation is perceived to have enhanced China to attain an accelerated economic growth following the expansion of its market size, which enables the country to produce more following the increased demand for their products and services (Kotler, 2005, pp 37). The country is perceived to be benefiting from the global market in a reasonable manner following the countrys comparative advantage of cheap labour (Lu, 2003, pp 567). The cheap labour is enhanced through the high population of the country that implies abundant supply of labour (Prigoff, 1999, pp 89). This situation provides the country with a competitive advantage in the world market on the reason that its products are likely to bear a low price compared to the ones of their competitors who experiences high costs of production (Allan, 2004, pp 17). Following the encouraging of economic globalization by China becoming a member of WTO, the volume of foreign investments grew in China that were likely to compete with the local producers of goods and services (Hopper, 2006, pp 297). Shenzhen Energy is one of the domestic companies that felt the impact of the foreign investment competition and responded to it accordingly in enabling market sustainability. Shenzhen Energy Corporation was established through a fund raising in 1993 on it being approved by the peoples government office in the city of Shenzhen. The company was listed in the Shenzhen stock exchange market in September 1993, and it was the first large shareholding enterprise in the national electric powers to be listed in the stock market. The company was also the first public service stock company to be listed in the Shenzhen stock market (http://www. sec. com. cn/en/about/index. aspx? ModuleNo=080102 ). The company is controlled by the shareholder, Shenzhen Energy group company that was founded in 1993 as a state owned power company. The controlling company had been growing rapidly in proportionate to the economic growth of Shenzhen economy. The scope of business for the company is to develop, produce, purchase and market the various convectional energies and new energies within China. The company engages in investments and carries operations that are meant to enhance development. It participates in the transporting raw materials that are energy related and also involves itself in port, dock and storage industry. The company has investments and operations that are related to energy in the land industry, real estate industry and also the leasing industry. The companys investments and operations are also extended to high technology industries that are meant to improve the efficiency in the utilization of energy. The companys operations go beyond the border of China, that is, it involves in the import and the export of various goods. The goods that are exported and imported by the company include the set of equipment, supporting equipment, machines tools and also the vehicles that are to be used in energy projects. The company is also engaged in providing services that are related to the energy industry that include the designing, construction, management and providing the day to day operating services to energy projects. The company also provides service that includes staff training, consultation among other services that are mean to enable improved performance of the human resources in the energy industry and the making of informed decisions. The participation in developing environmental protection technology is a task that is carried by the company following the pollution claims that are raised concerning the consumption of energy. From the accounting reporting of the companys performance in 2007, the company had a total asset base worth 24. 5 billion Yuan. The larger proportion of the companys market is based in Shenzhen where it also hold majority of the share value of the plants. Its operations are mainly concentrated in Shenzhen and its surrounding. Some of these plants in which it holds shares include Shenzhen Mawan General Plant, Shenzhen Yuelianngwan Power plant, Dongguan Zhangyang Power Plant, Huizhou Fengda Power Plant, Guangdong heyuan Power Plant, and Ghana Combustion Engine Power Plant. The last two plants as provided in the list above are under construction. The companys performance as been desirable overtime. Shenzhen Energy Corporation has consistently been awarded various tittles that include outstanding enterprise, Advanced party committee and the law abiding tax payer. Therefore, Shenzhen energy Corporation can be perceived as being a local company in China that is likely to be affected by the foreign investors in china in the energy industry as a result of economic globalization. 1. 2 Problem Statement Following the participation of China in the economic globalization as an avenue over which economic growth can be enhanced and the Chinas accession to WTO can be perceived to have posed some effects on the domestic companies in China. The effect on the domestic companies arises from fact that a number of foreign companies are likely to be established in China to compete with the domestic companies. The competition between the domestic and the foreign companies in a given industry imply that the market for some industry is likely to be divided among the competitors with respect to their competitive advantages. The companies that produce their goods and services within the market standards and price will stand a better chance of taking a larger marker share compared to the companies that are less competent. In the wake for economic globalization and Chinas accession to WTO, there has been quite a large inflow of foreign companies into the Chinese economy. The energy industry has not been the exemption. A large number of power enterprises have been flowing into the economy, and they are characterized by having a large capital base, they are of high technology and possess management efficiency. These characteristics enable these foreign power enterprises to compete favorably with the domestic power enterprises like Shenzhen power corporation. The competition has been tight between the domestic power enterprises and the foreign power enterprises that require respective enterprises to undertake some strategies in enabling them to survive in the market. Shenzhen power corporation has not been an exemption in the competition that is posed by both foreign power enterprises and the local enterprises. The corporation has been thriving despite the increased and tight competition in the energy industry. Therefore, the aim of the study is to bring the strategies that have been taken by Shenzhen power corporation in enhancing the capability of being influential and profitable in the energy industry that seem to be flooded by the foreign power enterprises that have a large capital base, operate with high technology and posses effective management skills. 1. 3 Research questions The main research question of the study is to explain the marketing strategies that have been taken by Shenzhen power corporation in enhancing market sustainability in an industry that is dominated by foreign power enterprises. The questions to be answered in the reach for answering the main question include; i. How does the corporation gather information that is meant to aid in designing marketing strategies? ii. What are the companys target groups? iii. How does the company do its pricing? iv. To what level is customer satisfaction used as a marketing strategy? v. The nature of public relation of the corporation? 1. 4 Research objectives The main objective of the study is to establish the kind of marketing strategies that have been undertaken by Shenzhen power corporation in enabling market sustainability in foreign enterprises dominated industry. The auxiliary objectives that will enable to attain the main objective of the study include i. Identify the various means in which the corporations gather information that is used in designing marketing strategies ii. Identify the target groups for the companys products and services. iii. Identify the criteria that the company uses to set its prices in ensuring effective price setting. iv. Establish the level of customer satisfaction by the corporations v. Establish the nature of the products and services provided by the corporation to the market and their uniqueness compared to the products of the competitors. 1. 5 Scope of the study The study will be based on the looking at the practices adapted by Shenzhen power corporation in relation to the attempt of the corporation to ensure market sustainability in tight competition offered by the foreign power enterprises that are characterized by a large capital base, operate with the application of high technology, and inherent with effective management. Therefore, the study is meant to address the responses from Shenzhen power corporation following the tight competition in the industry that enable the company to thrive in the industry. 1. 6 Significance of the study The significance of the study follows from the argument that economic globalization is certain to disadvantage the domestic industries, that will have an adverse impact of retarding economic growth. Following the economic globalization of China and the example of Shenzhen power corporation, the above statement seem to be invalid because Shenzhen power corporation is still profitable regardless of the economic globalization as a Chinas domestic company. This implies that, there are lessons that are to be learnt from the practices of Shenzhen power corporation following its enhanced market sustainability. The lessons will be applied by other corporations that associate their failure to the concept to economic globalization. 1. 7 Hypothesis of the study The hypothesis of the study is that domestic companies are not affected negatively by economic globalization, but it is their economic inefficiency that makes them incompetent in competing with the foreign companies. Therefore, the companies poor performance after economic globalization is not as a result of the many competitors, it is because of their inefficiency that makes them less competitive. Competitive advantage is earned by designing relevant strategies and not by reducing the number of competitor. Competition is required in the economy in avoiding the excesses that are associated with the monopolies, because the inefficient companies are certain to exit the market due to their inability to compete favorable. Therefore, competition is likely to ensure efficient utilization of resources in meeting the needs of the society. Domestic companies should thus design strategies that are meant to enable them withstand the competition in the market, and that will also promote efficient utilization of the national wealth in meeting the needs of the society. 2. 0 Literature Review 2. 1 Gathering information for strategy designing On ensuring effective strategy designing, an organization is required to gather information that is meant to be used as a tool for strategy designing. This act is meant to eliminate the act of designing strategies arbitrary as it posses the possibility of the strategies becoming irrelevant. Therefore, an organisation requires to lay some measures in ensuring that information that is available and to be used for designing strategy is representational of the real market situation, otherwise the expected results from the strategies will never be realized (Hiebing, 2004, pp 2). The source for information that will be useful for designing the strategies varies in relation to the nature of the industry, the operations of organisation and purpose to which the information will be put into. For example gathering information that is meant to be used in designing the marketing strategies, an organisation is required to get the information concerning the market condition (Boone, 2005, pp 37) The information concerning the market condition may include the desires of the customers, the market price of some products as provided by the demand and the supply forces, and practices of competitors. The right source for information that is to be used in designing marketing strategies should be obtained from the various agencies of the organisation who interact with the customers, because they are the ones who are accessible to the customers, hence likely to understand the customer desires than the managers who are responsible of administration related matters (Cundiff, 2007, pp 48) On ensuring effective designing of strategies that are meant to improve the organisations competence, an organisation is supposed to base its redesigning using the past experience. This will enable an organization to avoid the possibility of repeating the errors that were committed in the previous designs (Bradley, 2005, pp231) 2. 2 Pricing. The pricing mechanism normally depends on the nature of the market structure. A market structure can either be a monopoly, an oligopoly or a competitive market (Gummesson, 2002, pp 137) Price setting in each market structure vary depending characteristics in each market. For example, in the competitive market, every firm in the market is a price taker. They are price takers on the reason that none of the firms can determine the price in the, otherwise the price in the market is influenced by the price mechanism. In a monopoly market, a firm has the powers to determine the price of its goods through the controlling of the supply (Luck, 1985, pp 132). For a firm to survive in the competitive market, the firm is expected to sell at the market price as provided by the market mechanism, otherwise its products are likely to experience a low demand compared to the products of the competitors (Adcock, 2001, pp 102). This follows from the demand law, that explains that when the price of a good increases, the demand of the good is likely to decline. The decline of the demand follows from the consumer either switching to the consumption of a substitute good that will benefit a competitor or reduce the consumption of the good due to the budget constraint (Hisrich, 2000, pp 112) In the competitive market, a firm that is likely to produce its goods and services at the lowest costs is the one that is likely to earn a competitive advantage over the other competitors in the industry. This follows from the fact that the production of goods with low costs will have an impact of increasing the profit margin of the company when selling the goods at the market price (Kotler, 1988, pp 199). This will also enable the firm to compete favorably in the price war in enhancing the demand of the its products, because the company will be able to realize the desired profits level even when selling the goods at the price below the market price (Gualtianan, 1995, pp 89). A firm will only attain the low costs of production if it produces the goods with a lot of efficiency in avoiding waste, that is, the firm should enhance optimal allocation and utilization of the resources in attaining an optimal amount of output at a given the specific level of technology. Organizations can enhance the efficient utilization of the resources by adaptation the various practices that are meant to optimally utilize the resources that include human resource development and the adaptation of the appropriate technology that is certain to enable efficient utilization of the resources owned by a firm (Webster, 1995, pp 47) 2. 3 Customer Satisfaction. Customer satisfaction plays an important role in creating consumer loyalties. The creating of loyalties will rescue the firm from incurring a lot of expenses in advertisement on the look for customers (Davenport, 2001, pp 69). The created consumer loyalty will retain the customers, as they are likely to consume the products of the company in the future. Therefore, it can be perceived as an investment that is meant to benefit the firm to realize the flow of income in the future following the enhanced loyalty. Consumer loyalty is maintained by the firm providing high standard goods to their customers and listening to the desires of the customers, otherwise, the firm is certain to loose the already created loyalties in the future if it does not meet the desires of the customers. The firm is also required to engage in product innovations overtime that are supposed to improve the quality of the products in factoring in the desires of the customers (Hutt, 1981, pp 201). This will reinforce the existing loyalties and also create other more loyalties that are certain to ensure the future demand for the products and services provided by the firm. There normally exist variations in the desires of the customers, implying that the providing of standardized services and products to customers is certain to satisfy the customers in varied ways. In such a situation, a firm is required to either provide a wide range of products that is meant to meet the varied desires or provide customized products and services that are meant to improve the level of customer satisfaction. The advantage for creating customer loyalties through customer satisfaction is that the firm is likely to reduce the costs in advertisement and other promotions because the customers that are retained are aware of the operations of the firm and its operations (Godin, 1999, pp 32). This will enable the company to reduce its cost of operation that will be reflected as an increased marginal profits, hence a positive step towards profit maximization. 2. 4 Product differentiation and patenting. Product differentiation can be perceived as being a strategy that is meant to make the products of some firm unique compared to the products that are offered by the competitors. It will enable the customers to identify the products easily without mistaking it for the ones offered by the competitors. Differentiation may include the adding of some features to the products offered to the market that is meant to sway the customers in enhancing high demand. The differentiations that make the product unique can be copyrighted to avoid the competitors from imitating the design of the product (Sandshoes, 2000, pp43). The patents will bar the competitors from imitating the products, thus a marketing strategy that is meant to enable the firm to minimize competition. 3. 0 Methodology 3. 1 Design The research will involve the collection of information concerning the organisation in question, evaluate its performance over time, and mostly by focusing at its profitability over time in relation to the various strategies that were taken by the organisation to enhance the performance. The study will look at the marketing strategies that are adapted by the organisation and their effects on performance of the organisation. The evaluation of the effects of the strategies on the organization will be identified on using the theories that have been established in relationship to the impact of various changes that are done within the organisation on the performance of the organisation. Therefore, the study will rather use qualitative data than quantitative given the nature of the topic addressed. 3. 2 Participants The main participant in the research is the shenzhen Energy corporation. The company is chosen as a representational of the domestic companies in evaluating the impact of economic globalization on domestic companies and on how best the companies should responding through the designing of marketing strategies in enhancing competence. Shenzhen energy corporation has been used as a representational following its ability to withstand the competition from foreign companies in the energy industry in China. 3. 3 Data collection Following the design of the research, the data that will be collected should be related to the marketing strategies that the Shenzhen energy corporation had taken in enhancing competitive advantage. The strategies that need to be identified include, how the company is enhancing customer Satisfaction, how does the company do pricing, how does the company reach the target group, how does the company gather information that is to be used in decision making concerning the design of marketing strategies, and how the company make its products competitive in the market. 3. 4. Data analysis Data analysis will be done by confronting the identified marketing strategies with the existing marketing theory as provided in literature. This will enable the study to bring out the logic behind the strategies that were taken by Schenzhen energy corporation is ensuring its success. 4. 0 Time Plan. The research will take a time frame of ten weeks, where each week will be allocated its tasks as provided by the schedule below: Task Week Making contacts on places where data and literature will be collected 1 Literature Reviewing 2-3 Collection of Data 4 Data Validation 5 Data Analysis and Interpretation 6-7 writing a draft report 8 Third party reading of the report 9 writing the final report 10 Bibliography Adcock, Dennis. Marketing: Principals and Practice. Financial Times/Prentice hall. 2001. Allan, Clement. Economic Globalization: Social Conflict. labour and Environmental Issues. Edward Elgar Publishing. 2004. Bradley, Frank. International Marketing strategy. Financial Times/ Prentice hall. 2005. Boone, Louis and Kurtz, David. Contemporary Marketing. Thomson South-Western. 2005. Cundiff, Edward and Govoni, Norman. Fundamentals of Modern marketing. University of California. 2007. Davenport, Teresa. Marketing Training Programs: Marketing Training Programs. American Society for Training and Development. 2001. Luck, David. Marketing Strategy and Plans: Systematic marketing management. Prentice hall. 1985. Lu, Ding and Zhou, Huizhong. Chinas Economic Globalization Through the WTO. 2003. Shenzhen Energy Website. Company Profile. Retrieved from; http://www. sec. com. cn/en/about/index. aspx? ModuleNo=080102 Fungi, Hung-gay. Chinese Challenges of Economic Globalization: The effect of WTO Sandhusen, Richard. Marketing. Barrons Educational Series. 2000. Gardner, Susannah. Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies. Wley. 2005. Godini, Seth. Permission in Marketing. Simion Schuster. 1998. Gualtianan, Joseph and Paul, Gordon. Marketing Management: Strategies and Programs. McGraw-Hill. 1995. Gummessoni, Evert. Total relationship marketing. Butterworth-heinmenn. 2002. Hiebing, Roman and Cooperi, Scott. The One Day Marketing Plan for an organisation: Organizing and Completing a working Plan. McGraw-Hill Professional. 2004. Hisrichi, Robert. Marketing: Business Libr. Barrons Series. 2001. Hopper, Paul. Living with Globalization. Berg publishers. 2006. Hutt, Michael and Speh, Thomas. Industrial Marketing management: A Strategy View of Organizational Markets. University of Michigan. 1981. Kotler, Philp. Principles in Marketing. Pearson Prentice Hall. 2005. Kotler, Philip. Management Marketing: analysis, planning process, implementing, and controlling. Prentice hall. 1988. Peerenboomi, Randalla. Chinas Modernization. Oxford University Press. 2007. Prigoff, Wyner. Economics of the Social workers University of Michigan. 1999. Stalkeri, Peter. The Social Effects of Globalization. Prentice Hall Publishing. 1998. Webster, Fredrick. Industrial , Marketing Strategy. John Wiley and Sons. 1995.

College Writing Essay -- Education Educational Persuasive Essays

College Writing When I was a senior in high school, I had an ogre for an English teacher. Mr. Bergan was one of the toughest teachers I ever had. The class was College Prepatory writing, and the goal was that, by the time we were finished, we should be able to write concise, well organized papers that would be acceptable to college level professors. Every day we would write papers, and Mr. Bergan closely read every one of them. Then he would hand them back with the details of any problems, and we would have to fix them. No one got an "A" from Bergan on their first hand in. He demanded perfection: any extra fluff had to be trimmed from the paper; any paper that did not end where it started had to be re-written so it did; if the introduction and the conclusion didn't match, we had to start the paper all over again. His demand for perfection paid off, and by the time the year was over, everyone in the class had the skills to write quality papers. Now that I am in college, I have found very few professors that demand such perfection. It seems that half-baked ideas and poorly written papers pass when the teacher doesn't have the time to pay close attention to every paper because he or she has too many other papers to read. I feel that if the teachers placed a demand for higher quality papers, rather than sheer numbers of papers, that student's writing skills would increase. Though I feel I do have the skills to write well organized, well written, high quality papers, I know that I do not utilize those skills on every paper I write. If a paper is due at the end of the quarter, I occasionally find myself waiting until the very last day, the very last possible moment before I start to write. I don't give myself enough time to w... ...flawless. There was really not much I could help this student with, so I asked her why she came in. She told me she wasn't a good writer, and wanted someone who could write well to make sure her paper was o.k. It was. Any student who doesn't realize the importance of his or her writing will not expend the effort needed to write a good paper, nor will they bother trying to obtain the sills needed to write well. They will try to b.s. their way through, caring very little for the paper itself and caring only for the grade they paper will recieve. If these things were done, I do not think it would be necessary to change the way English is taught. But, even if the change would be needed, it makes more sense to start with foundational issues of sentence construction, making sure that the simple sentences are well written, before moving on to any more complex issues.

Insanity of Hamlet and Ophelia

Hamlet’s insanity comes from his passion to get revenge and grief over his fathers death, while Ophelia has true and justified insanity. Hamlet has reason behind his madness, he is saddened by his father’s death, planning on how to kill his uncle, and his mind is in a fragile place throughout the play. Ophelia is very naive, defenseless, and loyal to the men in her life. She cannot contend with difficulties that occur during the play such as, her father dying, Hamlet’s attitude towards her, and her lack of judgement. The are both insane yet have different reasons and ranging motives behind their insanity. Hamlet is in a unique situation where he his mother has married his uncle, Claudius, and his father has been murdered by his uncle. He wants nothing but revenge for his father. Hamlet is obsessed with proving Claudius guilty. Hamlet receives a lot of pressure from the ghost of his father to achieve revenge and feels like he has some sort of responsibility to get revenge for his father. Hamlet is hasty, erratic, and does not really think about his actions. When he stabs Polonius thinking that it is Claudius hiding behind the curtains, he does not even bother to look behind the curtain he just does it. His wild elocution and deranged actions upset other characters and set them up for other actions. When Hamlet repetitively acts nastily towards Ophelia she winds up committing suicide . When Hamlet says, â€Å" Get thee to a nunnery! † to Ophelia she even questions Hamlet’s sanity at that point and may have been a contribution to Ophelia’s suicide. Hamlet is also upset with his mother, Gertrude, for marrying Claudius so fast after his fathers death. Hamlet feels betrayed by his mother and is enraged with her. In the play Hamlet tells Gertrude how much better his father was than Claudius and tries to make her promise how much better his father was than Claudius. Hamlet says to Gertrude in Act 3 Scene 4, â€Å"Mother, you have my father much offended. † Hamlet feels like his mother has betrayed his father and is angry. Hamlet makes Gertrude feel guilty for doing this. Ophelia madness is brought upon by her love for Hamlet, her loyalty to men, the death of her father, her lover killing her father, and many other things. Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship is not based on love, but almost around their insanity. It seems as if Hamlet does not really love Ophelia until she passes and then he finally realizes his true love for her. Hamlet states in Act 5 Scene 1,†I loved Ophelia. Forty-thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her? †. Ophelia truly loves Hamlet and thinks that Hamlet loves her the same way, she is traumatized by the fact that Hamlet shuns her and is rude to her. While watching the play in the castle Hamlet says to Ophelia, â€Å"That’s a fair thought to lie between maids' legs. † His rude comment to Ophelia causes her to become distraught. Hamlet is a possible cause of Ophelia’s suicide. When she finds out that Hamlet has killed her father she talks in riddles, rhymes, and sings songs about death and virginity. In Act 4 Scene 5 Ophelia sings, â€Å"Larded with sweet flowers which bewept to the grave did not go with true-love showers. † Ophelia is hysterical over the fact that Hamlet had killed her father and this is where she completely loses her sanity. She listens to all the men in her life and follows their commands. Polonius and Laertes tell Ophelia to not see Hamlet and that Hamlet does not love her. Laertes states to Ophelia in Act 1 Scene 3, â€Å"Perhaps he loves you now, and now no soil nor cautel doth besmirch the virtue of his will but you must fear. † Laertes is telling Ophelia that Hamlet only wants her love now and will be done with her later. She believes Laertes and does not think for herself. Ophelia is an unpredictable woman who is confused by the males in her life. Ophelia and Hamlet are both undoubtedly insane, but at times Hamlet is on the brink of sanity. Ophelia is clearly crazy throughout the play. She is wild, emotional, and is operated by others. Hamlet’s madness has a source behind it and is at times a sham to throw off others. He is frazzled by his fathers’ death and getting revenge for his father by killing Claudius. He also is angered over the fact that Gertrude, his mother, married Claudius, his uncle, so quickly. Hamlet states in Act 1 scene 2, â€Å" The funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables. † He is saying that his mother got married so quickly that the left overs from the funeral could cater the wedding. His relationship with Ophelia tears at his heart. He tells Ophelia that â€Å"a woman’s love is brief† during the play within a play nd makes sexual remarks to her. He is very passionate about his fathers death but not about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s death . Hamlet is so enveloped in getting revenge for his father, that he does not even care about the death of his two friends. Hamlet is deep in his plot for revenge against Claudius, he makes himself â€Å"crazy† over it. Hamlet and a few others are the only ones that see the ghost, people who do not see the ghost think Hamlet and the others are mad. Hamlet’s relationship with his mother was ruined after she marries Claudius. He feels betrayed by her and his mind is filled with memories of his father. Hamlet has crude passion and purpose behind his insane feelings. Ophelia is entirely insane. Hamlet’s insanity comes from the passion to get revenge for his father’s murder on Claudius and his mother for getting married so quickly to Claudius. Hamlet and Ophelia are both crazy, but Ophelia is absolutely insane and cannot handle the struggles of life. Hamlet could have possibly gotten over his insanity and dealt with his feelings, but his passion for revenge took him over. They are both insane and unstable people as Shakespeare indicates through their deaths.

Sectarianism in Pakistan

Sectarianism in Pakistan INTRODUCTION The decade of the 1990s witnessed a frightening upsurge in the Shia-Sunni sectarian violence in Pakistan, both in terms of scope and intensity. Recently, sectarian strife has engulfed even those areas, which were previously unaffected, largely because of the emergence of organized terrorist groups along sectarian lines. Besides target killings, these groups hit even ordinary members of each other’s sects. The problem, therefore, is no more of an occasional nature, or limited to isolated localities.Rather, it has now become a national concern with serious implications for the state and society. The paper argues that though the Shia-Sunni conflict is not new to Pakistan or even to the Indo-Pakistan Subcontinent, the ongoing phase is distinct in several ways:  · Firstly, the level and intensity of violence is high because of easy access to weapons and training facilities in Afghanistan.  · Secondly, certain Islamic states such as Iran and Saudi Arabia sponsor the activities of sectarian groups. This adds a regional dimension to the domestic sectarian conflict. Thirdly, the social base of the sectarian conflict has significantly expanded because of factors including: a) Use of print media, school textbooks, religious literature, posters and banners; b) Accessibility to means of electronic communication; c) Better transport services which increase mobility of sectarian activists. To argue thus this paper is divided into following three sections: 1) Sectarian Violence and its origins; 2) Causes of Sectarian Violence in Pakistan; and 3) Failure of State. SECTARIAN VIOLENCE AND ITS ORIGINS This section discusses the history of sectarian violence.Sectarian violence and religious extremism is an unpredictable menace. History is replete with incidents of such sorts in various countries. The bigots and the evil minded selfish natured people are behind this abhorrent act relating to the security concerns of many nations. Unfo rtunate is the fact that usually the third world Muslim countries have been and are being constantly threatened by these evil acts. Sectarian Violence in Muslim History: Since the very beginning, the Shia-Sunni sectarian conflict has been one of the major characteristics of Muslim history.Different factions in the respective Muslim societies have also closely interlinked it to the struggle for the acquisition of political power. Syed Amir Ali remarks: â€Å"Alas! That the religion of humanity and universal brotherhood should not have escaped the internecine strife and discord; that the faith which was to bring peace and rest to the distracted world should itself be torn to pieces by angry passions and the lust of power. â€Å"1 At the centre of sectarian strife has been the Shia-Sunni conflict.Immediately after the passing away of the Prophet of Islam, a division emerged on the question of succession. â€Å"A small group believed that such a function must remain in the family of the Prophet and backed ‘Ali’, whom they believed to have been designated for this role by appointment and testament. They became known as his ‘partisans’ (shia) while the majority agreed on Abu Bakr on the assumption that the Prophet left no instruction on this matter; they gained the name ‘The People of Prophetic Tradition and consensus of opinion’ (ahl al-sunnah wa’l-jama‘ah). â€Å"Besides the political dimension, there also existed a difference of opinion about the merits and functions of the successor to the Prophet. â€Å"Sunni Islam considered the Khalifah to be a guardian of the Sharia‘h in the community, while Shi‘ism saw in the ‘successor’ a spiritual function connected with the esoteric interpretation of the revelation and the inheritance to the Prophet’s esoteric teachings. † In contrast to the Sunnis, the institution of Imamate is fundamental to the Shia Islam. â€Å"The Imam, 1 Syed Amir Ali, The Spirit of Islam (Karachi: Pakistan Publishing House, 1976), p100. esides being a descendant of the Prophet, must possess certain qualities—he must be Ma‘sum or sinless, bear the purest and most unsullied character, and must be distinguished above all other men for truth and purity. † Whereas, the Sunnis believe that the â€Å"Imamate is not restricted to the family of Mohammad. The Imam need not be just, virtuous, or irreproachable (Ma ‘sum) in his life, nor need he be the most excellent or eminent being of his time; so long as he is free, adult, sane, and possessed of the capacity to attend to the ordinary affairs of State, he is qualified for election. 2 Later, both the Shia and Sunni schools further split into several sub-sects on different issues related to succession, interpretation of scriptures and political theory of Islam. Sectarian conflict in the Indo-Pakistan Subcontinent: Fearing persecution by Ummayeds and later Abbasides, some of the Shias had moved to the distant parts of the Muslim Empire. Sizeable Shia communities had been established in Punjab and Sindh after their conquest by Muhammad bin Qasim.Under the early Abbasides, the governor of Jhang, Umar bin Hafas, was a clandestine supporter of Fatimid’s movement and it was under him that the Batinya influence spread into the areas between Shorkot and Sindh. Later, one of the Shia branch, the Karamata, was able to set up its independent dynasty in Multan. The Karamata had established contacts with the Fatimides in Egypt and continued to rule Multan and 2 Syed Amir Ali, The Spirit of Islam (Karachi: Pakistan Publishing House, 1976), p103. urrounding areas, which included parts of Jhang, until Mahmud Ghaznavi defeated and destroyed their â€Å"heretical† dynasty. With this, the Karamata movement was wiped out in the Indo-Pakistan context, as it could not survive the loss of political power. However, it left a deep religious imprint on the local population. This is one of the reasons why even today southern Punjab inhabits a sizeable Shia population. In southern India, the Bahmani and Adil Shahi dynasties which ruled for quite some time and acted as a bulwark against Marhattas, professed Shia doctrines.These dynasties were brought under the control of Mughals under Aurangzeb (d. 1707), which opened the way for the rise of Marhattas. Aurangzeb was allegedly hostile to the Shia dynasties, largely because he considered them heretical. As the Shia dynasties were receiving support from the Safavides of Iran, who were hostile to the Mughals, he had made an offer of alliance to Bukhara. The weakening and disintegration of the Mughal Empire, after the death of Aurangzeb Alamgir, paved the way for a qualitatively different era in the Muslim history of the Sub-continent.The new era witnessed, on one hand, the onslaught of the British with both colonial and western agenda and, on the other, the rise of Marhattas and Sikhs. Mean while, the early successors of Aurangzeb had come under the influence of their Shia courtiers, the Sayyids of Barha. It was in response to these developments that Shah Waliullah (1703-1762) started his reform movement to reassert Islam. Another was the Wahabi movement of Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd al Wahhab (1703-1787), which started in Saudi Arabia, but had a great impact on the religious scene of India.Both these movements played a major role in the making of today’s religio-political scene of India and Pakistan. The Wahabi movement emphasised essentials, preached reverting back to the original sources of Quran and Sunnah, and rejected many of the innovations and cultural adaptations made over centuries in the Indian context. It was vehemently opposed to the Sufi tradition and other divergent schools of thought such as Shia‘ism. Essentially, this movement was exclusionist, and far less tolerant and accommodative of divergence, heterogeneity and variations in religious ma tters.It lambasted the corruption and laxity of the Muslims’ attitudes and rejected the accommodations and cultural richness of the medieval empire. Its sole emphasis was on the classical law, which, in the view of its champions, was the sum and substance of the faith. It was, despite the fact that many leaders of the jihad movement were not blind followers of Muhammad Ibn, ‘Abd al Wahhab to warrant the term â€Å"Wahabi† for them. Given their extremist credentials, however, the term was widely accepted and is still used in Pakistan3 for the people with similar puritan views.They are also called Ahl-i-Hadith. Shah Wali Ullah, however, started the most significant reform movement, in the 18th century. Like Wahabis, Shah Waliullah strongly condemned the corrupted Sufi customs and practices, but he was a Hanafi and his version of purified Islam was not completely rejectionist. He himself was a Sufi. He tried to postulate an interpretation of Islam that would coalesc e into a purified Sufism with a purified Sunnah. The Shah Wali Ullah’s movement later crystallized into the Deoband movement, founded by 3Qeyamuddin Ahmed, The Wahabi Movement in India (New Delhi: Manohar, 1994), p203. Maulana Qasim Nanotawi, in the then United Provinces of British India in 1867. In 1857, Maulana Nanotawi had actively taken part in the rebellion against the British. Through the Deoband movement, however, he and his colleagues sought to achieve their goals through peaceful resistance. The goal, under the circumstances, was nothing but cultural and religious freedom and political independence. In the following years, the Deoband movement adopted the attitude of peaceful resistance and non-co-operation towards the British.They refused to learn the English language and modern knowledge, and emphasised Arabic and teachings of Islamic classics. In religious terms, the Deoband movement continued to largely profess Shah Waliullah’s teachings with puritan empha sis. Originally, the Deoband School had a policy of non-involvement into sectarian controversies, but later, especially under Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, the Hanafis became divided into rival groups. Among others, it was because Maulana Gangohi had condemned â€Å"the annual gatherings at the tombs of saints as well as the prevalent rites of fatihah and milad†.These differences were a manifestation of dissatisfaction of the Deoband School with the things as they existed and its determination to improve them. The puritan emphasis of Wahabis and Deobandis generated tensions among Muslims. The followers of Sufi Islam did not accept the puritan emphasis which, in their view, amounted to renunciation of mystic conception of Islam. It was, however, Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan (1856-1921) who founded the Brelvi School4 by setting up a 4 Usha Sanyal, Devotional Islam and Politics in British India: Ahmad Riza Khan Barelwi and His Movement, 1870-1920 (Delhi, Oxford University Press, 1996 ), p44. adrasa at Breli in the United Provinces. Unlike the puritans, the Brelvi school expressed and sustained â€Å"the social and religious customs of a decadent people: the civilization, or lack of it, into which India fell after the feudal Mughal culture had succumbed and before a new culture arose under the imperial British penetration. † Meanwhile, Lucknow had become the centre of Shia activism. The confrontation between these schools later spread to the whole of the Indo-Pakistan Sub-continent. In particular, it resulted in increased incidents of Shia-Sunni violence.Later, however, the emergence of Amada movement, whose founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, claimed to be the prophet, prompted a unified reaction from all of the above mentioned schools. The Ahmadis, who are also called as Qadianis and Mirzais, were declared non-Muslims by all of the above groups. This declaration was formulated on the basis that they do not believe in the finality of the prophet hood of Muhammad . This controversy overshadowed the differences among the rest of the sectarian groups for decades until they were formally declared non-Muslims through a Constitutional Amendment in Pakistan in 1974.The nature of Shia-Sunni violence under the British was radically different than it had been under the earlier Muslim empires or caliphates. Previously, it was always a conflict either between the established Sunni authorities and anti-status quo Shia denominations or between the Sunni and Shia dynasties or caliphates. Under the alien rule of the British, the conflict declined to the communities’ level, involving the general public and theologians alike in sectarian violence.The role of the government was limited to that of arbiter, enforcer of law or manipulator, if so required, in the larger colonial interests. However, the state was secular and largely unrepresentative and, therefore, the use of sectarian idiom was limited to the purpose of selfidentification. The problem of s ectarian conflict in the post-independence years can be analyzed both in terms of the continuation of old historical pattern with certain new characteristics and, as a direct consequence of crises of identity and governance in Pakistan.It may be noted that the political discourse at macro level has revolved around the issues of Islamization vs. modernization, centralization vs. provincial autonomy, and democracy vs. authoritarianism in Pakistan since independence. The persistent ambivalence towards these issues has led the Pakistani State into a crisis of identity, causing frustration among almost all the sections of society including modernists, Islamists and various ethnic communities.The frustration has become further intensified in view of the failure of successive governments on the performance front, especially in terms of giving due representation to the marginalized sections of society in the top state institutions. Sectarian Conflicts in Pakistan: There are numerous sectari an divisions in Pakistan. One source puts the total number of Muslim sects and sub sects at 72. 5 The Sunni population subdivides into four major streams–Deobandis, Barelvis, Ahl-e Hadith and Wahabis–and within these there are 5 Sectarian Division of Muslims† (Bureau Report), The Times, London, 28 Sept. 1998. reportedly dozens of subgroups6. Despite these divisions, the majority of Sunnis in Pakistan follow the Hanafi School of Islamic jurisprudence7 The Sunni population is estimated to be 74 per cent of Pakistan's population. The three Shia streams in Pakistan are the Ismailis, the Ithna Ashariyya and the Bohras. 8 Estimates of the size of the Shia population vary widely, from a low of 5 per cent to a high of 25 percent; most sources put it at 15-20 per cent. During the Pakistan movement, the essentially secular leaders of the Muslim League had used the idiom of ‘Muslim identity’ to mobilize masses and to justify a separate homeland for them. Intere stingly, almost all the major religious parties of that time had opposed the demand of Pakistan either on the grounds that the concept of separate nationhood was not tenable from the perspective of Islam, or that the secular leadership of Muslim League could not be trusted to sincerely fulfill the promise of the creation of an Islamic state.Nonetheless, the Muslim League succeeded in creating Pakistan, despite the opposition of religious parties. As a result, the Islamic identity of the migrant communities, which settled mostly in the urban areas of Punjab and Sindh, was reinforced and they began to act as the major vehicle for the Islamization campaign in Pakistan. It was, in contrast to other ethnic groups such as Sindhis, Baluchis and Pakhtuns who, while de-emphasizing the ideological debate, championed the cause of decentralization and provincial autonomy. 6 7 The Sub-Sects of Muslims† (Report), The Economist, London, 28 Jan 1995. Daniel Pipes, Islam and Islamic Groups (De troit: Gale Research, 1992), p184. 8 Ibid. p185. 9 Muhammad Qasim Zaman, â€Å"Sectarianism in Pakistan: The Radicalization of Shi‘i and Sunni Identities†, Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 32, No. 3, July 1998. Gradually, groups emerged out of the existing religious parties, which started emphasizing the sectarian differences with the professed aim of persuading the state to accept their particular views into legislation and its policies.In the following years, Punjab was to become the major victim of sectarian violence. Today sectarian violence has become widespread, particularly between Shi’a and Sunni militants in areas bordering Afghanistan, while dozens of tribal elders were murdered by militants in Waziristan. CAUSES OF SECTARIAN VIOLENCE IN PAKISTAN This section discusses the main reasons which led to sectarian violence in Pakistan. Pakistan, one of the largest Muslim countries the world, has seen serious Shia-Sunni sectarian violence. Almost 70% of Pakistan's M uslim population is Sunni, and another 30% are Shia.However, but this Shia minority forms the second largest Shia population of any country,10 larger than the Shia majority in Iraq. In the last two decades, as many as 4,000 people are estimated to have died in sectarian fighting in Pakistan, 300 in 2006. 11 Amongst the culprits blamed for the killing are Al Qaeda working â€Å"with local sectarian groups† to kill what they perceive as Shi'a apostates, and â€Å"foreign powers †¦ trying to sow discord. â€Å"12 10 Vali Nasr, The Shia Revival (Newyork:Norton, 2006), p160. â€Å"Shiite-Sunni conflict rises in Pakistan,† by David Montero, February 02, 2007. 11 12 Shiite-Sunni conflict rises in Pakistan,† by David Montero, February 02, 2007. Since 2004, there has been intense violence in the FATA. What started in South Waziristan, slowly spread to North Waziristan in 2005 and then later to Bajaur and Mohamand Agency during 2006 and 2007. For the last two years, this violence has spread to the settled districts of the Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa including Bannu, DI Khan, Peshawar and Swat. Led by the Taliban and its local supporters in the FATA and Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa , this violence is posing a serious threat to the process of governance, challenging the writ of the State.Referred to by media as Talibanization, these developments has been the subject of intense academic, media and policy interest. Many factors contributed to the growth of sectarian violence since the 1980s and 90s. While some were direct causes, others indirectly deepened the sectarian fault lines. Some of them are: Sectarian Politics: The following factors increased the sectarian divide, which was embedded in Pakistani society in the 1980s, especially in Punjab. First, the formation of Shia and Sunni militant organizations which were not representative of their respective communities although there was support from them.The formation of the militant Sunni Sipah-i-Sahaba, Pakis tan (SSP) and the Shia Sipah-i-Mohammad, Pakistan (SMP) was the main factor underlying the escalating conflict between the two communities. Apart from the Sipah-i-Sahaba, other Sunni organizations like Sunni Tehrik were formed in Sindh. Later some SSP activists led by Riaz Basra organized the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ), named after the founder of the SSP. The LJ was more militant and has been banned. These organizations widened the sectarian divide and both groups started using violence against each other. The strength of these militant sectarian organizations increased in the 1980s nd 90s, and they were only banned by General Musharraf in January 2002. Second, factionalism within the religious parties and militant organizations deepened the sectarian divide. The Jamiat-ul-Islam (JUI) got divided into two factions led by Fazl-ur-Rahman and Sami-ul-Haq and both factions attempted to build their foundations on anti-Shia tenets with each trying to be more virulently anti-Shia. Even the mil itant organizations on both sides (the SSP and the SMP) faced divisions, and these factions, devoid of effective leadership, were involved in arbitrary killings of the other community.Religious parties like the JUI provided indirect support to militant organizations. It is essential to understand that sectarian violence is largely limited to Punjab, especially in the district of Jhang, where the mainstream religious parties never enjoyed popular support. Baluchistan had been free of sectarian violence and so was Sind, except for Karachi. The Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP), which enjoys support at the popular level in Punjab belongs to the Brehlvi faith and does not share the antagonism of the Deobandis and Wahabis towards the Shias.In fact, unlike the latter two, the JUP considers them to be Muslims and a part of the Islamic world. Third, sectarian violence in Punjab was primarily due to Shia-Sunni economic, social and political relations. For example in Jhang, where sectarian violen ce is high, the Shia community forms the upper class, being landlords and enjoying political power; the majority Sunni community forms the lower stratum in the social, economic and political hierarchy. When the Sunni middle class grew, especially in the 1970s as a result of better education and remittances from the Gulf, they demanded their share of ocial and political status, which was resisted by the Shias. Maulana Nawaz Jhangvi, assassinated in 1990 by Shia militants, formed the Sipah-i-Sahaba in Jhang in1985, largely to fight the Shia landlords. Anti-Shia groups: Anti-Shia groups in Pakistan include the Lashkar i Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, offshoots of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI). The groups demand the expulsion of all Shias from Pakistan and have killed hundreds of Pakistani Shias between 1996 and 1999. 13 As in Iraq they â€Å"targeted Shia in their holy places and mosques, especially during times of communal prayer. â€Å"14From January to May 1997, Sunni terro r groups assassinated 75 Shia community leaders â€Å"in a systematic attempt to remove Shias from positions of authority. â€Å"15 Lashkar i Jhangvi has declared Shia to be `American agents` and the `near enemy` in global jihad. 16 Islamization policies of Zia: Islamic policies introduced by Zia-ul-Haq were also responsible for the growth of sectarian violence inside Pakistan. An in-depth analysis would reveal that these policies were cosmetic and peripheral, as they did not impinge 13 Ahmed Rashid, Taliban: Islam, oil and the new great game in central Asia (London: Tauris, 2000), p194. 14Vali Nasr, The Shia Revival (Newyork:Norton, 2006), p166. Vali Nasr, The Shia Revival (Newyork:Norton, 2006), p167. Ibid. p168. 15 16 on the bureaucratic military oligarchy or the feudal structure of the society. In fact, these policies were aimed at gaining legitimacy within Pakistan and were not meant to challenge the existing social and economic institutions. However, the Islamization policie s exerted a negative influence on the two communities. The Sunni religious parties led by JUI and JUP became active vis-a-vis the Shias, as they wanted the State to introduce the Sunnization of Pakistan, which the Shias feared.This made the Shias defensive and they started supporting the PPP. In July 1980, 25,000 Shia portested the Islamization laws in the capital Islamabad. Besides, the changes made by Zia led to intense competition amongst the various Sunni groups, especially the Wahabis, Deobandis and Brehlvis, as they wanted the State to enforce their own version of Islam, especially the Islamic laws, though they were united in their opposition to Shias. However, the Islamic reforms introduced by Zia, especially relating to the legal field, alarmed the Shia community.The Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Fiqh-iJafriya (TNFJ) was formed in 1979 to enforce the Jafri fiqh; earlier in the same year Zia had declared that the Hanafi fiqh would be enforced. The formation of TNFJ was the political respo nse of the Shia community. In its early years it fought to get concessions such as exempting the Shia community from paying zakat and ushr. Jihad in Afghanistan: Pakistan’s Afghan policy in the 1980s and 90s aggravated sectarian violence inside the country. Afghan resistance against the Soviet Union in the 1980s resulted in the proliferation and easy availability of small arms in Pakistan. 7 The emergence of and subsequent growth of the Taliban in the 1990s and 17 Michael Klare, â€Å"Redefining Security: The New Global Schisms†, Current History, Vol. 95, No. 604, 1996, p161. their support to Sunni organizations such as the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen impinged directly on sectarian violence. The Sipah-i-Sahaba cadres were trained in Afghanistan and most of them fought the Taliban in Afghanistan and the Shias inside Pakistan. Iran-Iraq War: The impact of the emergence of the Khomeini regime in 1979 in Iran and the subsequent Iran-Iraq war in the early 1980s on sectarian violen ce in Pakistan has generally been underestimated.It is no coincidence that the TNFJ, the main Shiite party in Pakistan, was formed in 1979. When the Iran-Iraq war started, the Muslim world got divided into two camps and started funding their faith. As a result, enormous funds flowed, especially from Saudi Arabia and Iran, into Pakistan to support the various Sunni and Shia organizations and the madras as run by them respectively, which were directly responsible for the growth of organized opposition and violence. Iranian Funding: Exacerbating tensions is Iranian funding of Shia extremists in Pakistan, who not only exact revenge against Sunnis, but have also been used to violently uppress Iranian dissidents in the country who are critical of the Iranian regime. Shia formed student associations and a Shia party with the fundings from Iran, Sunni began to form sectarian militias recruited from Deobandi and Ahl-i Hadith madrasahs. Preaching against the Shia in Pakistan was radical cleri c Israr Ahmed. Muhammad Manzour Numani, a senior Indian cleric with close ties to Saudi Arabia published a book entitled â€Å"Iranian Revolution: Imam Khomeini and Shiism†. The book, which became â€Å"the gospel of Deobandi militants† 18 in the 1980s, attacked Khomeini and argued the excesses of the 8 Vali Nasr, The Shia Revival (Newyork:Norton, 2006), p164. Islamic revolution were proof that Shiism was not the doctrine of misguided brothers, but beyond the Islamic pale. Pakistan is the only Sunni majority country where Shias have been elected to top offices and played an important part in the country's history and nation building. The founder of Pakistan Muhammed Ali Jinnah, Muhammad Ali Bogra and the Bhutto family are Shia Muslims, as is Asif Ali Zardari, Abida Hussian, Faisal Saleh Hayat and several other top ranking Pakistani Politicians and Generals such as Yahya Khan,Musa Khan andIskander Mirza. Jihad in Kashmir: Pakistan’s support and involvement in Kas hmir was also responsible for sectarian violence. While the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Hizbul Mujahideen do not indulge in sectarian violence inside Pakistan, the same cannot be said about other jihadi groups, especially the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and, its later incarnation, the Jaish-eMohammad. Both these groups were trained in Afghanistan under the Taliban and were close to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, the most violent Sunni organization. Before the Musharraf regime started its rackdown on sectarian organizations in 2001, these three were involved in collecting funds for jihad in Kashmir. The security agencies could not do much, as they could not differentiate which organization was involved. Tribal Conflict in the khyber Pakhtoonkhawa : Tribal clashes between Pashtun tribes in the Northwest Frontier Province have also taken on a sectarian nature, with the Shia Orakzai tribe often battling with their Sunni neighbors. These clashes are centered around the town of Bannu, and have often turned dead ly.However, the conflict is rooted in centuries' old land disputes, and has only taken on a sectarian nature since the fanatic Taliban regime came into power in nearby Afghanistan in the 1990s. The Madrassas: Various madrassas, especially in Punjab and Karachi, accentuated existing sectarian cleavage. Each Sunni schism (Deobandi, Brehlvi, Wahabi) and Shias ran their own madrassas for providing basic education. The curriculum was decided by the madaris. As a result, when sectarian fault lines got pronounced, a hate campaign was introduced vis-a-vis the other sect.Besides, the madrassas also provided manpower for these sectarian organizations, leading to sectarian engagements on the streets and dividing them further. About one-third of the 2,50019 registered madrassas in Punjab are known to impart military training to their students, and to be directly involved in sectarian attacks. The communities started defending their faith by protecting and supporting the offenders instead of con demning their violence. This support took the form of political, personal and financial patronage, which only accentuated the cycle of violence. 19Iqbal Quadir, â€Å"Madrassa Culture in Pakistan†, HRCP Journal, Vol. 8, No. 3, Nov 1998. FAILURE OF STATE What has been clear since the beginning of this sectarian conflict in Pakistan is the complete failure of the State, from Zia’s period onwards. It was unfortunate that during Zia’s period in the 1980s the Turis of Kurram Agency became the pawns in Pakistan’s larger game in Afghanistan. The State failed to understand Turi fears and insecurity, and has failed to understand them ever since. The emergence of the Taliban and the growth of sectarian politics in the 1990s further aggravated the situation.Given the sensitivities the State forces should have taken extra care in preventing the movement of battle hardened Sunni Taliban with their sectarian streak into sensitive places. Unfortunately, the State was ne ver keen in enforcing its writ in the tribal agencies. The questions of State’s failure should be seen in the context of its wider historical lack of interest in maintaining its writ in the FATA. It allowed its writ to erode in the name of maintaining tribal customs and traditions. It even exploited the same customs and traditions to pursue its larger strategic interests in Afghanistan.The Pakistani state has failed to understand that the situation has been dramatically changing over the last decade. A section within the FATA, especially amongst the younger generation, is highly influenced by the Taliban-al Qaeda brand of Islam, and prefers to adhere to their Islamic principles, rather than the age old secular tribal customs of the Pashtuns, referred to as Pashtunwali. Another section, within the young generation, exposed to modern education and democratic ideals, prefers the xpansion of State’s functions into tribal regions. Though both the above streams of youths are highly anti-American, they don’t agree with how they are being governed. While the Taliban supporters prefer to be governed under Shariah, the more modernminded others want the State expand its governance process. Thus, both sections want to repeal the archaic FCR, but for different reasons. More importantly, in the above two schools of thoughts, what is also gradually eroding is the influence of elders and jirga politics.The jirga provides a prefect excuse for the State to keep away from the problems and provides an instrument to maintain law and order. Failure of governance also provided space for other groups to express the local sentiments. While in other parts of the FATA, this expression has taken a religious (orthodox Sunni version adopted by Taliban) course, in Orakzai and Kurram, it has also assumed a sectarian nature. The influence of these sectarian organizations can be fought by the State only by expanding the governance process inside these regions.CONCLUSION Si nce the late 1980s, the Shia-Sunni sectarian violence has engulfed almost the entire province of Punjab and certain parts of the North-Western Frontier Province (Khyber pakhtoonkhawa ). Though sectarian conflict is not a new phenomenon, the scope, intensity and the continuity of the ongoing violent phase are unprecedented in the history of Pakistan. Jhang in Punjab province was the first district to fall prey to the increased and persistent nature of sectarian violence in the 1980s.The Shia-Sunni sectarian conflict cannot be explained in religious and ideological terms alone; notwithstanding the fact that the religious and sectarian idiom is frequently used by religious leaders from the pulpit to encourage violence, mobilize their followers and achieve political goals. In the context of sectarian violence, the local contextual realities have been of critical significance. The external stimuli might have played some catalyst role in terms of triggering off and accelerating the proces s of shift from the dormant sectarian conflict to the violent one.But what is important to note is that the potency of external stimuli and the nature of reaction they might provoke are determined at the local levels. The likelihood of a shift from dormant to violent conflict, however, increases if the institutional and legal structures in a given state fail to adjust and accommodate to the changing socio-economic realities and/or lack capacity to effectively respond and check the external stimuli. Shia-Sunni conflict is primarily a manifestation of the socio-economic changes at the grassroots level, which have given rise to political tensions among different classes of society.Selected Bibliography Secondary Sources Books: Ahmad, Mumtaz. `Continuity and Change in the Traditional System of Islamic Education: The Case of Pakistan'. (Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2000). Ahmed, Qeyamuddin. The Wahabi Movement in India (New Delhi: Manohar Press, 1994). Jafri, S. H. M. The Origins an d Early Development of Shia Islam (Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2000). Kraan, J. D. Religious Education in Islam with Special Reference to Pakistan: An Introduction and Bibliography (Rawalpindi: Christian Study Centre, 1984).Nasr, Vali. The Shia Revival (Newyork:Norton, 2006). Nasr, Vali. Mawdudi and the Making of Islamic Revivalism (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996). Rashid, Ahmed. Taliban: Islam, Oil and the New Great Game in Central Asia (London: Taurus, 2000). Rashid, Ahmed. Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia (Lahore: Vanguard, 2002). Sanyal, Usha. Devotional Islam and Politics in British India: Ahmad Riza Khan Barelwi and His Movement, 1870-1920 (Delhi, Oxford University Press, 1996). Newspaper:Ahmed, Khalid. `The Power of the Ahle Hadith', The Friday Times, Lahore, 12-18 July 2002. Journal: Haqqani, Husain. `Islam's Medieval Outposts’, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 82, No. 1, 2002, pp58-64. Klare, Michael. â€Å"Redefining Security: The New Global Sc hisms†, Current History, Vol. 95, No. 604, 1996, P161 Seminar paper Sectarianism in Pakistan Submitted to : Professor Dr Naseem Submitted by: Mati ullah Tareen IR 4th Department of International Relations Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, Pakistan.

Macbeth as a tragic hero essays

Macbeth as a tragic hero essays The play Macbeth, written by Shakespeare is a tragedy. Tragedy is the most moving genre in plays. In a tragedy there is a big difference between good and evil, and there is an occurrence of pleasure and suffering. In this play the evils are portrayed by Macbeth and his followers and the good by Malcom, Macduff, Ross and Siward. All tragedies contain a tragic hero. A tragic hero is someone with a potential for greatness, posses a fatal flaw which leads to his downfall and suffering. In the play Macbeth, Macbeth is a tragic hero because he fulfils the criteria for being one. Macbeth has a high status in Scotland. He is the thane of Glamis and cousin to the King, Duncan. Macbeth fights bravely for King and country. His Captain also commends on Macbeths fighting, when he says, Yes, as sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion. If I say sooth, I must report they were as cannons overcharged with double cracks (I, II). Macbeth is likened here to an eagle, a lion and an overcharged cannon, as this shows his power and how great he is on the battle field. Macbeth defeats Macdonwald in war and then deals with a second assault successfully. Macbeth fights well and fiercely. Ross confirms this when he makes this comment Till that Bellonas bridegroom (I, III). This means that Macbeth can be the bridegroom of Bellona, the goddess of war. Her bridegrooms are normally the fiercest of warriors, so being likened to one of them is an honor. Duncan shows utmost respect and approval of Macbeth when he says this, O valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen! (I, II). The evidence of the admiration which Duncan has for Macbeth, is when he gives him his new title, thane of Cawdor. Macbeths potential for greatness is also shown in his close and loving relationship with his wife, who he deeply respects my dearest partner of greatness(I, IV). Macbeth eagerly shares his good fort ...

Ford Losses

Ford Losses Free Online Research Papers Ford Australia posted a $274 million after-tax loss last year as consumers, already battered by the global financial crisis, shied away from large cars. Capping off one of the roughest years on record for car makers here and abroad, Ford Australias revenues fell 7.4 per cent to $3.3 billion for the year to December 2008. Ford Australia made 108,564 vehicles, 5319 fewer than in 2007. While Ford had the newest large car on the market with the FG Falcon launched in May last year it was beaten in the sales chart by the Commodore of its rival Holden, a car that has been the top selling car for 13 years. Large-car sales plummeted last year after petrol price rises rattled buyers. Last year 119,559 large cars were sold a 14 per cent decline representing just under 12 per cent of total new-vehicle sales, of which the locally made Falcon accounted for 31,936, versus Commodores 51,093. This is but a microcosm of the fallout in the world car-making scene, with General Motors in the US filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this month with debts of $US172.8 billion ($215.2 billion), following Chrysler, which did the same in last month with $US6.9 billion of debt. So far Ford in the US has avoided the bankruptcy court, but global demand for cars is falling and only a radical turnaround can arrest the groups long-term decline. Ford Australia sought to put the best light on the results, saying that the underlying operating loss was just $14 million, compared with $99 million in 2007. The president and chief officer of Ford Australia, Marin Burela, said: This was a challenging year as the Australian market was affected by the global economic slowdown, but Ford Australias underlying business continued to improve with strong new vehicle launches and our continued progress in lowering costs and gaining efficiencies. Mr Burela returned to Australia to take the helm at Ford last November, after his predecessor, Bill Osborne, left the company after just six months in the role, filling a vacancy left by Tom Gorman in January. It meant Ford Australia had three different chief executives last year. One-off items also battered the bottom line. These included $110 million in restructuring costs and long-term asset write-downs of $52 million, while superannuation expenses cost more than $151 million. Mr Burela said the business was on track to improve on last years tripling in losses. We are continuing to improve our business fundamentals and implement our strategic plan as we move through 2009. Holden is yet to announce its 2008 results. While Holden has been first to announce fuel-saving technologies, such as cylinder deactivation on its V8s (they run on four cylinders when coasting), recalibrating engines for better economy, with plans for compatibility with ethanol fuels, Ford Australia is still two months away from deciding its future fuel-saving technologies for its Falcon and Territory ranges. Both Holden and Toyota Australia have projects in the pipeline that qualify for grants under the Federal Governments $1.3 billion Green Car Innovation Fund, a scheme that is regarded as a critical in keeping factories going. Ford is yet to approach the Government for specific projects, although it is expected to participate at some point. Mr Burela told the Herald last week: Weve been quiet on this. I dont want to go to Government every five minutes talking and asking for their support and engagement on things were not ready to make a statement on. Research Papers on Ford LossesTwilight of the UAWAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaDefinition of Export QuotasNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductPETSTEL analysis of IndiaLifes What IfsThe Project Managment Office SystemPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyOpen Architechture a white paper

1000 Posts, And A Favor To Ask

1000 Posts, And A Favor To Ask 1000 Posts, And A Favor To Ask 1000 Posts, And A Favor To Ask By Daniel Scocco Last week I was browsing through the control panel of our blog and I noticed a curious fact: we are already over 1000 published posts! To be precise, this one is post number 1011. I was pleasantly surprised to find that out. The main challenge of any blog or website is to persist over the long term, as the first year is probably the hardest. We managed to do that, and the blog is going quite well. We receive around 250,000 unique visitors every month. On top of that there are over 30,000 subscribers who receive our posts via email or RSS. If you are one of those visitors or subscribers, thank you! I also wanted to ask a favor. If you like our tips and think that other people could benefit from them, we would love if you could recommend the blog. If you have a blog or website of your own, for instance, you could write about Daily Writing Tips there. If you have a Twitter or Facebook account, you could share our link there. You could even recommend us verbally to friends and relatives. We would really appreciate it, and this kind of support keeps us motivated to improve the blog and provide as much value as possible through our posts. We have some good things planned for 2010, so stay tuned! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Handy Expressions About HandsDawned vs. Donned1,462 Basic Plot Types

TV Programs (or Magazines) -Marketing Behavior Class- Essay

TV Programs (or Magazines) -Marketing Behavior Class- - Essay Example This allowed one to analyze their specific behaviors and relationships to others within society. The two magazines which I was familiar with were compared to Entertainment Weekly and Life and Style. I wasn’t familiar with these two particular magazines and had rarely identified with them. When reading both magazines, it could be seen that they were based on the â€Å"Yuppie† lifestyle, as well as one which was interested in being an experiencer. This was from an individual who was looking at concepts that were created from self – expression and the ability to identify with the fashions and latest trends as a form of the expression. The belief with the experience is created from the fashions and trends also leading to the latest growth in society and holding a specific social status (Linquist, Sirgy, 2003: p. 133). It could also be noted that these two magazines targeted women that were younger, living in cosmopolitan areas and which were interested in the enterta inment and leisure which were a part of both of these areas. The extreme differences between both of the magazines are one which is important to note, specifically because it shows how the attitudes and behaviors constitute the main demographics which one has.

Paraphrase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Paraphrase - Essay Example Even more interesting, mundane tasks like cooking were governed by cultural guidelines, where, for example, yams were said to be manly crops because they were complicated to cultivate and harvest while staple foods like cassava had minimal significance. In this community, breaking of the kola nut was synonymous with receiving visitors at home. The Ibo religion with its reverence of many gods dictated the raising of children, ruling of the society and entertainment and communication with others. The community believed in one’s personal god, chi. According to Achebe, being in agreement with something causes chi to also agree (27). This divinity would therefore ensure the protection and success of such an individual. The Igbo had the belief of god being the ruler over the affairs of people. To support this, Achebe uses the character of Unoka, Okonwko’s father, being told that the greatness of the harvest of man who is at peace with the gods and ancestors would be determined by the strength of his arm (17). In seeking to bond the community together, the Igbo culture upholds hospitality and observes religious principles. Nonetheless, the community is not under the rule of religion interpretation by spiritual or political community leaders. Regardless of gender, everyone makes individual decisions regarding their lives. This has more freedom than was the case with the society where Okonwko lived in. 2-This book depicts Achebe’s criticism of the insensitivity towards the helpless in the traditional Igbo community. Achebe uses various events and characters to show the misgivings of the traditional life of the Igbo. For example, the author uses Obierika, Okonwko’s best friend to appeal to Okonkwo to balance his emotions. Unlike Okonkwo, Obierika is a responsible father, husband, friend and member of the Igbo community. This character appeals to Okonkwo to think of more critical issues such as universal morality and truths. He

How have transnational NGOs and social movements impacted countries Term Paper

How have transnational NGOs and social movements impacted countries that practice female circumcision - Term Paper Example According to the World Health Organization, approximately 140 million girls have been circumcised all over the globe, of which about 92 million are believed to be from Africa. (Female Genital Mutilation, World Health Organization, February 2012). The origin of female circumcision is not known for sure, however some scholars on the subject speculate that this practice has its origins in the time of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs. This belief is corroborated by the fact that some ancient Egyptian female mummies were found to be circumcised. In today’s times female circumcision is commonly practiced in many parts of Africa. This practice is promoted in three ways by the people who propagate it. The Sunna type where the clitoris is excised, the clitoridectomy  type where the clitoris and minor labia are excised and the infibulations type where the whole clitoris and all the labia are cut off. (M. A. Dirie and G. Lindmark, 1992). The practice has however, been reinforced by Islami c tradition due to the belief that circumcising women dampens their sexual desire and leads to less promiscuous behavior generally. (Asaad M.B, 1980). Countries and cultures that advocate the practice believe that performing the procedure tunes down a woman’s libido. The opposition for female circumcision presents a strong case. ... According to the World Health Organization, female circumcision has no health benefits what so ever and is only a cause of damage. It is apparent with simple deduction that since the practice removes healthy female genital tissue for no medical reason; it will interfere with their normal bodily functions in addition to being the host of a bunch of diseases and infections. There can be instantaneous consequences like pain, shock, hemorrhage or tetanus etcetera or long term consequences which might include bladder and urinary tract infections, cysts, infertility and child birth complications etcetera (Female Genital Mutilation, World Health Organization, February 2012). However, debates regarding this issue are messy because of the cultural, religious, social and political connections to the issue of female circumcision on the side of the advocates of this procedure and thus, reaching a solution is a very complex course of action. The medical views on female circumcision are shrouded w ith confusion because they don’t understand the reason why people do it if it has such dangerous health implications. What needs to be done is that people should look at this practice through a cultural lens to understand its significance and why it means so much to the cultures and people who practice it. Firstly, they look upon this as a necessity according to what their beliefs have taught them. Second, this practice has different meanings for different cultures and people, third, although people who are against this practice to promote gender equality the women it is practiced upon don’t think of it as an infringement of their rights. Although this practice originated from the patriarchal society, it is women that have ensured that it keep being practiced to date.

Business Finance Ratios Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Finance Ratios - Essay Example Debt ratios signify the use of debt in acquiring the assets of the company. It signifies how the company has financed its assets and through what combination of debt and equity. Riordan Manufacturing has a higher debt ratio as compared to Kuddler foods however it must also be noted that the use of higher debt may also be favorable for the firm as it allow them to magnify their P/E ratio due to the impact of debt on taxable income of the firm. Apart from that the higher debt will allow firms to get the tax benefits also. However it also must be noted that the higher debt may be risky as taking more debt means putting on more burden on the existing resources to pay back the debt rather than being channeled into the more productive resources. Profit Margin is a ratio of great importance as it actually indicates what company is earning after paying off all its costs. This is in its essence is one of the key ratios of the success of the firm. In this regard, the profit margin of Riordan Manufacturing is less than that of the Kuddler Fine Foods. This can be because of the differences in their industry. Riordon being in manufacturing sectors has to incur costs which Kuddler, being in grocery business, may not incur. Further, the low profit margin for Riordon may also be attributed to its higher fixed costs ratio in its overall cost structure. Return on Assets is another very critical indicator of the how efficient firm is in running and managing its resources. High asset turnover and return on assets clearly indicate the level of professionalism and management approach. The ratio is significant in the sense that it provides management the vital indicator of how the firm is managing its assets to derive the sales. A low ratio would mean that it is taking more assets of the firm to generate the desired level of the return thus inefficient approach to managing the firm

Research W. Edwards Deming's 14 points and identify at least one of Essay

Research W. Edwards Deming's 14 points and identify at least one of those 14 points which resonates with you personally - Essay Example His efforts caught the attention of the Japanese emperor, who gave him an award for his role in the country’s industrialization (Anderson, 12). Upon returning in United States of America, Deming wrote a book by the title Out of a crisis. This book was published in 1982, and it outlines 14 points which if used in the United States manufacturing sector, then there will be an industrial boom in the country. The 14 points advocated by Deming may seem to be a bunch of radical ideas; however, to effectively understand these ideas, it is important to understand Deming’s explanations of the concept of variance. According to Deming, variation was the problem that presented a great threat to the manufacturing industry of United States of America. Deming reasoned that if there was a variation in prices, times of delivery, work ethics, then companies were wasting their resources (By, 23). On this basis, Deming identified 14 points of management that people and companies ought to fo llow. These points are (Deming, 7); 1. Creating a purpose of constancy in order to improve the operations of the business organization. It is therefore important to replace the short term objectives of an organization, with long term goals. 2. Adoption of the management’s new policy. ... 4. The industry should identify a single supplier for one product. This is because many suppliers’ will always produce different quality of products, and this leads to a variation of the product under consideration, and this results to a variation of the products supplied. 5. There must always be a need of improvement, and this is in regard to reducing variation. 6. On job training is a necessity if the organization wants to achieve efficiency in its work force. Inadequate training will make people inefficient, leading to an increase in variation of the products produced. 7. Deming advocates for institutional leadership. In his opinion, there is a difference between leadership and supervision. He denotes that supervision involves setting up of targets, and it is quota based. 8. The eighth principles that Deming develops, relates to fear. Deming denotes that developing business policies out of fear is counter-productive. As such, managers ought to drive out fear for them to ach ieve success in their endeavors. Fear also prevents workers from effectively serving the interests of the organization. 9. The ninth principle is in regard to breaking down the barriers that exist between the various departments of an organization. Under this principle, the idea of the internal customer emerges. This idea denotes that the various departments within an organization serve each other. They do not serve the management. This is a very central idea in TQM. 10. Deming also proposes the concept of eliminating slogans within an organization. Under this idea, the mistakes that people make, does not arise because of their faults, but because of the various processes within the organization that they are working for. On this basis therefore, it is not wise to harass

Business Finance Ratios Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Finance Ratios - Essay Example Debt ratios signify the use of debt in acquiring the assets of the company. It signifies how the company has financed its assets and through what combination of debt and equity. Riordan Manufacturing has a higher debt ratio as compared to Kuddler foods however it must also be noted that the use of higher debt may also be favorable for the firm as it allow them to magnify their P/E ratio due to the impact of debt on taxable income of the firm. Apart from that the higher debt will allow firms to get the tax benefits also. However it also must be noted that the higher debt may be risky as taking more debt means putting on more burden on the existing resources to pay back the debt rather than being channeled into the more productive resources. Profit Margin is a ratio of great importance as it actually indicates what company is earning after paying off all its costs. This is in its essence is one of the key ratios of the success of the firm. In this regard, the profit margin of Riordan Manufacturing is less than that of the Kuddler Fine Foods. This can be because of the differences in their industry. Riordon being in manufacturing sectors has to incur costs which Kuddler, being in grocery business, may not incur. Further, the low profit margin for Riordon may also be attributed to its higher fixed costs ratio in its overall cost structure. Return on Assets is another very critical indicator of the how efficient firm is in running and managing its resources. High asset turnover and return on assets clearly indicate the level of professionalism and management approach. The ratio is significant in the sense that it provides management the vital indicator of how the firm is managing its assets to derive the sales. A low ratio would mean that it is taking more assets of the firm to generate the desired level of the return thus inefficient approach to managing the firm

3 issues with group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

3 issues with group - Essay Example The other type of cooperation involves the nurses and the patients. Lastly the nurses and other professionals in the health sector must ensure there is good cooperation between them and the relatives of the patient. Lack of cooperation between any of the parties will affect service delivery and it’s not required in the health sector. Various authors have addressed the topic to establish the causes of deficiency in cooperation and the remedies (Martin, Ummenhofer, Manser & Spirig, 2010). Division of labour is viewed as a mechanism to increase a given group’s efficiency of production (Dobson & Pinker, 2008). In the healthcare, every professional has their mandated roles in delivering their services to the patients. The players include nurses, physicians and other staff who play various roles in a hospital set up. Specialization facilitates division of labour. In the healthcare set up, every player is specialized in a specific section. This therefore facilitates division of labour with a single goal of ensuring the patients are served to the best way possible. Division of labour breaks down the tasks into small sections making it easy to handle. Since it’s not possible to handle all the work, it is important to divide it among the different healthcare professionals. This enhances unity in the group. When working as a group, the responsibilities are divided as per the professionals’ specialization. The overall goal is the common which is to offer q uality and timely service to the patients. Safe and reliable patient care is a factor of effective communication (Kutzin, 2010). However, it’s disappointing that most nursing health workers have poor communication skills. Nursing have been allied to cases of poor communication in the health care set up. In everyday work, they are supposed to interact with patients, other nurses, physicians and other players in the health sector. Having good communication skills is important to get

Catch a Fire Essay Example for Free

Catch a Fire Essay The book â€Å"Catch a Fire† is a beautiful description of the Jamaican culture, the Rastafarian faith, the growth and development of reggae music and how it all added up to make Bob Marley’s life. All of those elements of what made Bob Marley â€Å"human† will be talked about and explained in this paper. The best artists are the ones who have passed but there work still lives on and Bob Marley left an unforgettable mark on modern music, both as a reggae creator and as a cultural icon. His beliefs and values helped him become a part of the Rastafarian faith and grow into a great musician whose music is still listened to today. The author, Timothy White, did an amazing job describing Bob’s background giving his readers a much greater appreciation for Marley and his music. Jamaicans are often stereotyped as carefree and fun loving. While most Jamaicans do value a sense of humor, as well as music and dance, they also have a tradition of hard work and a strong respect for education. Bob Marley, the son of a black teenage mother and much older white father, was born in Jamaica in the village known as Nine Miles. Born early in 1945, Bob was raised by his mother and relatives and was always surrounded by tales of mysticism and spiritual beings of the Jamaican culture that influenced his daily life. Around the time Bob was born, in 1944, Jamaicans gained the right to vote because of the new constitution. (1) During this time the population grew and there weren’t much job opportunities, leading to an expanding slum population. Class, color, and ethnicity were a big deal in Jamaica and would play a huge role of where you would fit in, work, or even shop. Bob once said, â€Å"I dont stand for black mans side, I dont stand for white mans side, I stand for Gods side. †(2) The Jamaican history has not been a peaceful one, but its struggles have created one of the strongest cultures. The Rastafarian faith was one of the biggest influences of why Bob’s music and the way he lived was the way it was. It all started with Marcus Garvey, who was responsible for bringing Rastafarianism to the islands. Garvey was famous for the saying Look to Africa†¦ (â€Å"Catch a Fire† pg. 8) This statement set the stage for what will be the making of Rastafarianism. Rastafarianism got so popular that when Haile Selassie came to Jamaica in 1966 over 100,000 Rastas surrounded his plane. The late 1960’s is when Bob truly began to find himself and accept his religion and put its beliefs into his songs like â€Å"Rastaman Vibration† and â€Å"Jah Live. † Not only did the Rastafarian faith help Bob with his music, it helped him find who he really was and grow as a person. He finally started to see the beauty in life. Marley started making music in ska and Rock Steady then eventually moved towards reggae as his music evolved. Much of Marleys early work was produced by Coxsone Dodd at Studio One then he signed to Chris Blackwells Island Records label in 1971. Marleys music was one of the main reasons reggae was accepted outside of Jamaica. Although Bob couldn’t escape all the troubles of the ghetto, without music, he would have been right there in Kingston with those rude boys and bad men causing trouble. Music brought out the best in Bob and showed him the true values of life. The â€Å"King of Reggae†, Bob Marley made such an impact on the music industry with his creativity and passion he put into his music and performances. As you can see, Bob would have never made it happen without his Jamaican cultural background, his Rastafarian faith or his love for music. His thinking and beliefs were always voiced in his songs speaking of love, peace, equality and his spirituality. And, after almost three decades since his death, his music is still listened to by millions of people around the world.

The profession of shipbroker

The profession of shipbroker The profession of ‘Shipbroker has been in use since the early days of commercial shipping. Originally the owner of the ship was also the trader; he bought cargoes in one place, carried it and sold it in other place. With the evolution of the international trade, the shipbroker became more specialized as it became intermediary who would find ships for the merchants; and cargoes for the ship owners. The term shipbroker means different things to different people. In Japan and Korea, for example, the term ship broker is only used for the intermediary broker. But in Europe the word ship broker is used to identify a variety of chartering functions. Chartering work is essentially a form of exchange of information. It is a business where the right information at the right moment is essential to be successful. The oxygen of any market is information. Information is what makes a market work. Gathering that information requires time, effort, people, equipment and a network of contact. The parties involved in a chartering deal are one party owns, controls or operates a ship as owner and another party who owns the cargo and looking to be carried by sea transport between two destinations The basic function of the shipbroker is to bring together the two parties concerned involving the ship and cargo owners, then start negotiation between them in order to fix the vessel. The brokers income is derived from the commission payable by the ship owner on completion and fulfilment of the contract. Another role of the shipbroker other than fixing the vessel is acting as agent for the ship owner. As such he is responsible for everything which may concern the vessel whilst she is on port such as customs formalities; matters concerning the crew; loading/discharge of vessels; bunkering and so on. Ship-brokers normally specialize in a specific part of the market; it can be dry cargo, chemical, passenger vessels, RORO vessels etc. It therefore needs a specialist at collecting information, it is no longer possible to be a general shipbroker and have knowledge about every market. Detailed specialist knowledge on certain areas, trades, sizes, commodities or charterers is always in demand as the ship owner, charterer or his representative will often need to learn about a different market depending on where his ship is or what he has to fix. Traders need to know freight rates in order to sell cargoes. All principals need up to date information on which ships are interested in what cargoes, why and at what rates, what cargoes need to be lifted in certain areas at certain times. There is huge variety of interest in the market place. While principals demand the information there is a need for someone to gather it and make sense of it  Ã‚   The Baltic Exchange, the worlds only independent source of maritime market information for the trading and settlement of physical and derivative contracts, is seeking to appoint a new freight market reporter. With the support of 69 international shipbroking companies, the Baltic Exchange publishes independent, high quality dry, wet and gas freight market information on a daily basis. The Baltic acts as a regulatory body for its members and provides a forum for shipping information to circulate amongst its members (Howe Robinson Co Ltd web site). Peter Kerr-Dineen, joint-chairman of Howe Robinson, also became Chairman of the Baltic Exchange during 2003, (Howe Robinson, 2007). Many larger shipbroking firms have separate departments specialising in Dry Cargo Chartering, Tanker Chartering, Sale Purchase and sometimes also Demolition sales and Research. Major shipbroking centres include London, Piraeus, New York, Houston, Hamburg, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Major Shipbroking h ouses are ACM, Clarksons Galbraith, SSY, Braemar Seascope, Charles Weber, Gibsons, and J.E. Hyde The modern freight market is really more sophisticated. The use of super tankers and also better port equipments and the use of satellite navigation systems have improved much in the ship broking business areas. In Southampton docks, it used to take several weeks to unload an average cargo ship such as a type bulk cargo ship V Luck, 13 000 tonnes and now only takes a few days to do the same tasks. Modern ship broking is also nowadays more complicated with the new laws and regulations in regards with all necessary procedures to combat smuggling, and also environmental issues such as global warming. The Laws in this business are also expanding since there are many countries are now involved in the ship broking business. The contract between the ship owners and the cargo owners is becoming a lengthy process.   New terminology in the shipbroking business has also come up. The whole concept of the contract of this kind of business is called the volume contract of Affreightment. These contracts cover the whole concept contract from a charterers point of view and Owners point of view. It is also containing the definition in the documents and the period and the terminology they both agree to use in the contract during the contract agreements.   The European Union Commission, in their International market regulation dealing with professional qualifications is also putting regulations. Under their regulation for the Chartered Shipbroker, the European Union Commission chose the United Kingdom to be the competent authorities on the recognition of qualifications for this regulated prof ession. At present the competent authorities in the United Kingdom is the Department for Education and Employment Skills located in Moor foot, Sheffield, (Philips, A., 2006). The Ship broking business is becoming a serious task to be taken care off. New entrants into the profession do not need to hold a shipping qualification, but there are degrees courses in Maritime Studies at several British universities. The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers runs a course covering a wide range of subjects culminating in an examination to earn membership of the Institute. The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers is the professional body for those engaged in all aspects of the shipping business. A Royal Charter was granted in 1920, in recognition of the Institutes role in conferring a qualification (MICS/FICS) and maintaining professional standards. Membership is international and Institute branches have been established all over the world. There are many other institutes for shipbrokers all over the world