The Main Events in the Life of Prophet Muhammed Essay Example for Free

The Main Events in the Life of Prophet Muhammed Essay Outlining the Main Events in the Life of Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) and Assessing his Importance and Influence. Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) was born around 570. He was born in Mekkah in Arabia into the Quraishi tribe. He was born on the 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal to his mother Amina. His father Abdullah died in Yathrib before the Prophet (pbuh) was born. When Muhammed was six years old, his mother Amina fell ill and died. Muhammed (pbuh) was looked after by his grandfather Abd-ul-Muttalib for two years but when Muhammed was eight, Abd-ul-Muttalib also died. Abu Talib, Muhammed (pbuh)s uncle took care of him. Abu Talib was a wealthy. Powerful businessman. He took Muhammed (pbuh) on many of his business trips. One such trip was a journey to Syria when Muhammed (pbuh) was twelve years old. On this trip to Syria, Abu Talibs caravan passed the home of a Christian monk called Bahirah. Bahirah noticed that Muhammed (pbuh) had some features that matched the ones mentioned in the holy book Bahirah followed describing a prophet to come after Isa (Jesus). As Muhammed grew up, his honest character shone through the evils of Makkan society and he was given the title Al-Amin which means the trustworthy. Whilst working alongside his uncle as a businessman, Muhammed met Khadijah, daughter of Khuwaylid, a wealthy lady of noble birth with a well-known noble character. Khadijah asked Muhammed to marry her and he accepted. Muhammed was twenty-five at the time and Khadijah was forty years old. They were married for about twenty-five years before Khadijah died. In Ranadhan the year Muhammed was forty years old (about 610), Muhammed sat alone in Cave Hira in Mount Bur. An angel appeared and asked him to read. Like most Arabs of the time, Muhammed (pbuh) could not write, nor could he read, so he told the angel that he could not read. The angel squeezed him and asked him to read again, and again he told the angel that he could not read. This happened three times before the angel told him to Read in the name of your Lord and revealed to him the first verses of the Quran. That night was one of the last five odd nights in the month of Ramadhan, there is great blessing in this night, and it is called Lailatul Qadr, the night of power. After the incident in the cave, Muhammed returned home to Khadijah. He told her what happened. Knowing what a kind, loving man he was, Khadijah believed the revelation had been from one God, Allah. Khadijah became the first person to accept Islamic monotheism and become a Muslim. Before accepting Islam, Khadijah talked to her cousin, a Chritian named Waraqah. Waraqah told Muhammed that he was a messenger confirming what Bahirah had said. Muhammed (pbuh) preached to others who knew him well. Those who he spoke to accepted Islam, Ali, his cousin, Zaid, and Abu Bakr, his best friend were among them. In the first few years around fifty people from among his friends and family converted to Islam. In 615, the Muslims in Makkah were being persecuted so much that Muhammed (pbuh) advised them to leave Mekkah and migrate to Abyssinia where a Christian king called Negus ruled. In 619 the Makkans felt threatened by the growing number of Muslims. The Makkans boycotted them on a massive scale. No one was allowed to sell to Muslims, buy from Muslims or help them at all. During the boycott, Prophet Muhammed (pbuh)s uncle Abu Talib died so did his wife Khadijah. He lost the two people who supported him most. Though Abu Talib had dies, the protection Muhammed had from him was not lost. It was around this time that Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) experienced the Night Journey, Isra wal Miraj. In one night, he travelled from the Holy Mosque in Makkah to the Further Mosque in Jerusalem. He made this journey on a winged horse called Buraq. Buraq took him to the heavens where he spoke to Allah and brought down the commandment to pray. The message of Islam had spread 480km Makkah. A serious plot to assassinate Muhammed (pbuh) was put into action. The prophet and the Muslims in Makkah migrated to Yathrib (Madinah). On the 16th July 622 the Muslims left Makkah and went to Madinah on foot. The Madinans had visited Makkah and converted to Islam, they invited the prophet (pbuh) to be their leader. The emigration was called the Hijraj. The Muslim calendar starts from the Hijrah (AH). In Madinah the prophet ruled from a simple house. Now with Madinah as the first Islamic State the prophet taught the systems of Islam. The Makkans hated the Muslims even more now that they had Madinah as their state. Two important battles were fought. In 624 the Muslims fought at the Battle of Badr, 300 Muslims with 900 Makkans. The Muslims won despite the numbers. They also fought the Battle of Uhud that they lost. In 627 the Makkans attacked Madinah but the Muslims had dug a trench that protected the city. The Hudaybia agreement was drawn up, which allowed the Muslims to visit Makkah on pilgrimage. In 632, Muhammed delivered his farewell speech on mount Arafat after the Muslims conquered Makkah peacefully. The Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) died at the age of sixty-three. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was important in the Makkan society he lived in before he became a prophet. He was a fairly wealthy businessman. The family and tribe that he was born into were very powerful in Makkah. He himself was the grandson of Abd-al-Muttalib, one of the most powerful leaders of the Quraish tribe. For many years of his life, he was in the care of his uncle Abu Talib, an extremely wealthy businessman. Another of his uncles was Hamza, a great warrior. Many people were surprised when he did not harm the prophet but accepted Islam. As a businessman, prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was respected because everyone around him was corrupt, they cheated and lied in their trade whereas he remained honest and truthful. People trusted him so much that they gave him the title Al-Amin which means the trustworthy. He received his prophet hood around 610 CE. He was the last person to receive prophet hood or any kind of divine revelation. There will be no more prophets and no more revelation. He is important in Islam because prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the Seal of the prophets. He was a messenger to mankind to call the people to Allahs way of life. He was and still is so important that announcing your belief in him is part of the Muslim declaration of faith (the Shahada). He is part of a Muslims belief. If you do not believe that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah then you are not a Muslim. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is also very important in Islam, as he was the last person to receive divine revelation. He was given the Quran by Allah through Angel Jibreel. Every word he received was carefully written down and preserved because it was so important that even if a few words were incorrect, it would ruin the beauty of the Quran given to prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is one of the worlds most influential men of all time. While he was alive, he managed to change the polytheist Arabian society to one of monotheistic beliefs and values. He was able to change masses with his words. Many of the things he said, did, and consented to have been recorded in Hadith narrated by people in his world. People close to his like his wives and his companions and people he met once or twice. Both kinds of people in his life valued his word so much so that they would record it, keep it and pass it on to others. Hadith are still very influential even today. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)s words are so important and influential that Muslims make important decisions in their lives today based on them. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was able to change people beliefs through his image set before he became a prophet. He was an honest, trustworthy man and people believed what he was saying to be the truth because they believed that Muhammad son of Abdullah wouldnt lie and they took him to be Muhammad, messenger of Allah. Today, people all over the world, speaking many different languages still respect prophet Muhammad (pbuh), because of his importance and influence when they say Peace be upon Him (pbuh) after mentioning his name. To conclude, prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was an extremely important and influential figure not just of his time. He also remains a prominent figure in history for being one of the world most influential people. He convinced masses in days and still holds a place in the hearts of millions one thousand four hundred and twenty-two years later.

Literature Review on the Employer-Employee Relationship

Literature Review on the Employer-Employee Relationship BACKGROUND The Employer-Employee relations is no doubt an enormous topic in Human Resource Management that covers key areas of Employment relationship, Collective Bargaining, performance and reward management also Employee involvement which help to determine the nature of organisational commitment and performance. The employment relationship aspect deals with the role and influence of law which determines the rights and responsibilities/rules that govern the behaviour of both employer and employee which has an impact on how relationship works out. However in recent years newer concept have emerged in Human Resource Management that has considerable changed relationship that was formally dependent upon interaction of formal legal regulations.(Beardwell and Claydon 2007) Collective bargaining is a situation where representatives of both parties come together to negotiate on matters relating to pay, terms of employment and working conditions, in recent years there has been a shift from the traditional collective bargain to a more individualised method of bargaining.(Henderson 2008). Performance and reward management relates to the use of individualised pay, performance-related pay and performance management. This factors determines behaviour in terms of motivation, communication and level of commitment.(Beardwell and Claydon 2007) Employee involvement is a form of employer-employee relations that allows more participation of the employee in organisational decisions, this is when employees can influence decisions that are normally reserved for management(Marchington and Wilkinson 2008). Employee relations is characterised by both conflict and cooperation, Marchington and Wilkinson (2008) described the management of employee relations as being vital to the success or failure of an organisation and it is seen as central to Human resource management. (Dawson 1995)acknowledged that the achievement of organisational objectives depends upon employment relations, evidence from (Limerick 1992)suggests that individual empowering should be consistent in the event of strategic change. Considering the competitive nature of industries and technological advancement, the importance of employer-employee relationship becomes more critical, reason being that to meet constant changing needs of consumers, effective human resource management becomes very crucial in achieving business success. I am an MBA (General Management) Student and I am interested in this topic because as a future General Manager/business owner I want to have a better understanding on the effective ways developing positive employee relations, also to have an idea of the factors that motivates employees, how strategic objectives can be achieved through effective communication with employees? I am basing my research on a multinational company. The greatest asset of an organisation is considered to be the Human Resource and the greatest challenge of an organisation is how to manage these human resources efficiently and effectively so as to achieve set objectives of the organisation, my research objective will be to stress the importance of employer-employee relations, because in the UK the relationship is considered to be an employee to do a particular job in return for wage or salaries for the work they do and this goes beyond mere work for pay. PRELIMINARY REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE For the purpose of this research, my focus will be on the impact of employer-employee relations on key areas of Collective bargaining, performance and reward management which places emphasis on motivation and various reward systems, also emphasis will be placed on employee involvement and participation in the context of organisational commitment, all these variables constitute to the achievement of organisational objectives. The literature review will be divided into four parts A brief history and Definition Theoretical and Empirical literature Benefits of mutual employer-employee relations Employer-employee relations within the UK including Ford A brief history In the early 70s the relationship between employers and employees in work place was more of a collective relationship which involves collective bargaining where representatives of both employer and employees meet to negotiate on matters relating to pay, terms of employment and working conditions, representatives of employees are known as trade union(Henderson 2008). Organisations were encouraged to recognise and work with trade unions so as to improve the employment rights of workers through collective bargaining(Marchington and Wilkinson 2005). However, in the early 1990s, countries like UK where trade unionism were highly recognised witnessed a significant decline in trade unionism, employee relations changed from the traditional collective method of bargain to a more individualised method as a result of increase in sophisticated HRM style initiative in communication, participation and recognition(Henderson 2008) (Edwards 2003) described the relationship between employer and employee as a system where both parties have common and divergent interest, this is a situation where employer and employee communicate their requirement and views to one another in terms of agreement on work related issues. Theoretical literature (Newell and Scarbrough 2002) posed different dimension on how organisations handle issues of employee relation and on this basis four management style have been suggested: Sophisticated human relations: employees are viewed as the most valuable resource of the organisation, emphasis employees appraisal and extensive method of communication aimed at enhancing employee loyalty and commitment. Trade unionism is discouraged. Many US companies adopt this style. Consultative approach: this is similar to the first approach only those trade unions are recognised. This style is mostly found in the European countries such as Germany Traditional style: employees are seen as a mere factor of production, it represents the Taylors management approach. Unions are opposed. Constitutional style: this is similar to the traditional style only that unions are recognised and accepted. It limitation above theory is that different management styles can be used in the same organisation for example the sophisticated human relations style can be used when managing managers while the traditional style when managing other employee(Newell and Scarbrough 2002). Considering theories that relate to performance and reward management, motivation theories like the Maslows hierarchy of need, his theory identifies five levels of needs. Level 1- physiological needs like food, water and comfort. The organisation provides financial reward. Level 2-safety needs: the organisation provides this by benefits. Level 3- social needs: the organisation satisfies employees social need through social gathering. Level 4-esteem needs: the organisation helps to satisfy employee esteem needs by showing employees appreciation of work done. Level 5:self-actualisation needs: deal with self needs, discovering individuals full potential(Beardwell and Claydon 2007). Researchers have often criticised this theory following the proportion that there is no clear relationship between needs and behaviour. Alternatively Alderfers ERG theory suggested that needs could be classified into three instead of Maslows five; these types of needs are existence, relatedness and growth. He rzberg identified two factors based on his research namely motivators and hygiene factor(Beardwell and Claydon 2007).Several other theories of motivation will be examined in my dissertation. Besides motivation, modern theory in employee participation known as employee engagement was defined by CIPD 2007 as the combination of commitment to the organisation and its values that goes beyond job satisfaction and motivation. This can be linked to psychological contract which will be later discussed extensively, but this has to do with a stronger emotional attachment between employer and employee that helps in attracting and retaining employees(Henderson 2008) The concept of soft model HRM throws light to the positive attitude created from the use of appropriate HRM practices together with communication, motivation and leadership enhances commitment to the organisation and improved performance (Guest 2002). while the Hard HRM model emphasizes on the effective utilization of employees, ensuring that HRM strategy are driven by overall corporate strategy(Keenan 2005). Empirical literature In a research carried out by (Edgar and Alan 2005) they stated that effective HRM policies and practices should be measured by their perceived quality, not simply by the number of practices introduced. Another important issue raised by (Mac Mahon 1996) is that, even in small firms where the need for improved productivity is very important, reward systems was rarely tied to productivity and performance, and also conflict between employer and employee tend to be rare rather conflict was apparent on a personal level. (Savolainen 2000)also linked employer-employee relations with the aspect of leadership and suggested three development strategies: 1)Trust building or participative strategy, 2)The entrepreneurial cooperative strategy, 3)Negotiative strategy. Findings also revealed how organisation change or move towards a new workplace and the role of line managers. Another research suggest that the effective communication of information and ideas to employees should be developed through practice and commitment, findings also revealed that organisation should assess current culture to desired objectives and as a result new attitude often needs to be acquired by both employer and employees(Owusu 1999). In the work of (Dawson 1995) evidence suggest that human resource strategy has shifted focus of job design to career development, skill development which enhanced employee involvement. From my findings I have discovered that most research on areas of employee relations have focused more on the impact of HRM practices on employee performance, however few researchers have worked on employee relations and how it affects organisational commitment and performance, the justification for this research is to shed more light on the impact of this relationship and how it can be improved to enhance organisational performance. I have decided to look at a car manufacturing company (Ford motor company). Benefits The mutual relationship between both parties increases motivation which in turn leads to increase productivity and profit maximization. Estenson (1999) describes employer-employee relations as a key ingredient in the implementation of quality improvement(Savolainen 2000). Furthermore, (Sadri and Lees 2001)said a positive relationship between both parties could lead to a competitive advantage over other firms in the industry and also provide enormous benefits to the organisation. Employee Relations within the UK and Ford Motor Company In the early 1990, the Workplace Industrial Relation Survey reported a decline in trade unionism in the UK, which was replaced by employee involvement in form of line managers who were responsible for HR activities(Henderson 2008). Thus some empirical research in Britain confirmed a key role of line manager in handling human resource activities notable in areas of employee relations(Redman and Wilkinson 2006). Finding of Hamill pointed out that a lower percentage of US owned plant in the UK recognized unions also that US owned company were more likely to have implemented individualized pay(Eric and Jonathan 1995). Ford is the biggest selling motor company in the UK with several large plants located in the UK. Ford Britain and its dealers employ around 35, 000 people in areas of product development, manufacturing, sales and marketing and service departments. However in recent times Ford launched a diversity strategy which has helped to them embrace the new employee relations in Employee engagement(FORD MOTORS COMPANY 2009). RESEARCH QUESTIONS The following question and objectives are based on findings from the background and literature review. Should employers embrace employee involvement and participation? Does mutual relations between employer and employee lead to organisational commitment? What is the relationship between organisational commitment and organisational success? Apart from pay, how else should employers reward performance? Should employees be involved in setting organisational objectives? RESEARCH OBJECTIVES To critically analyse how positive employer-employee relationship can impact on organisational success. To critically evaluate the benefits of employee involvement in setting organisational goals and objectives. To critically analyse how different management style can impact on employee behaviour in terms of motivation and commitment. To critically evaluate the relationship between employer and employee in Ford Motors company and how it affects their performance. To recommend ways of improving employer-employee relations to achieve higher productivity and profit maximization. RESEACH PLAN Research perspective According to (Jewell 2008)states that the positivist approach is based on the experiment and desire to establish causality between variables. However the positivism aspect of this research is to establish a relationship between employer-employee relations and the achievement of organisational objectives. There are two variables namely dependent and independent variables, the independent variable here is the employer-employee relation and the dependent variable is the achievement of organisational objectives. Both quantitative and qualitative research will be done through primary (from questionnaires) and secondary data. Both deductive and inductive reasoning will be used. Research Design My research design will be a case study design which entails an extensive analysis of a single case. This would be an analysis of Ford Motor Company. Data collection Method Data will be collected in dept from different sources; I will use two different sources of data collection methods: Secondary and Questionnaire. Secondary Data: This will be collected from existing sources such as textbooks, articles, internet, and journals. Access to these Data will be done through the universitys online databases such as Science Direct, Emerald and the Internet; this will address the first three research objectives. However secondary data will limit to fully address the fourth objective that is why primary data will used. Questionnaire The fourth and fifth objectives of this research is to seek information from mostly employees of Ford Motor Company on how they are being treated by employers and how it affects their performance, this will be best achieved by a the use questionnaire. Questionnaires will be distributed to over 300 people and I expect a rate of return of 30-40 %. My questionnaire will be brief so as to achieve this. However access to respondents will be achieved through a family friend in London whose friend is an employee in fords manufacturing plant in Dagenham, London. I have contacted him and he has decided to help with the distribution of the questionnaire bureaucracy Sample A Quota sampling method will be employed for my questionnaires because I wont be able to send questionnaires to all the employees of Ford, so the study will be based on a small percentage of employees mainly in the engineering department of the company and my findings will then be generalized. Analysis of Data For the questionnaire I will use excel to present a descriptive and presentational analysis for data collected. The level of analysis will be more bivariate which will allow me analyse two variables together. Limitations The first limitation will be the generalisabilty of my research because it is a single case study and I will focus on a small percentage of a large population of Ford employees in the UK. The second limitation will be the validity of my research work; I will make sure I go through the literature of my study frequently so as to guard against data not relevant to my research. The third limitation will be the response rate and collection of questionnaires; in order to keep the response rate high like 40% more questionnaires will be distributed. Concerning reliability to the research, I will try to ensure that a result of the research is replicable in future. Another limitation might be that employee might be reluctant to disclose some information about their employers which might affect the reliability of the research. Ethical Considerations Research ethics I have read and understood the BES ethics students handbook, and i will comply with the BES ethical guidelines and complete the ethics compliance and checklist forms. All documents regarding ethical approval will be submitted. Results from surveys will be kept confidential and safe. In addition I will seek approval of my questions for my questionnaire from my supervisor, also the reason and intended result for the research will be explained in front of the questionnaire. Plagiarism As for plagiarism, I understand what it means and the consequences, I will make sure I cite and acknowledge the work of others. REFERENCES Anon. (FORD MOTORS COMPANY 2009) Ford Motors Company [online] [NOV. 11, 2008] Beardwell, J. and Claydon, T. (2007) Human Resource Mnangement: A Contemporary Approach. Essex: Pearson Education Limited Dawson, P. (1995) Redefining Human Resources Management: Work Restructuring and Employee Relations at Mobil Adelaide Refinery. International journal of Manpower 16, (5/6) 47-55 EDGAR, F. and ALAN, G. (2005) Human Resource Management Practice and Employee Attitude: Different Measures- Different Results. PERSONAL REVIEW 34, (5) 534-549 Edwards, P. (2003) The Employement Relationship in the Field of Industrial Relations: Theory and Practice in Britain. Oxford: Blakwell Eric, L. and Jonathan, M. (1995) Multinational Corporation and Employee Relations. Glamorgan Business School, Glamorgan: MCB University Press Guest, D. (2002) Human Resource Management, Corporate Performance and Employee Well Being:Building the Worker in Human Resource Management. Industrial Relations 44, (3) HENDERSON, L. (2008) Human Resource Management for Mba Students. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel Development Jewell, S. (2008) How to Write a Research Proposal. Coventry Keenan, T. (2005) Human Resource Management. Edinburg: Edinburg Business School Limerick, D. (1992) The Shape of the New Organisation: Implication of Human Resource Management. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources 30, (1) Mac Mahon, J. (1996) Employee Relations in Small Firms in Ireland: An Exploratory Study of Small Manufacturing Firms. Employee relations 18, (5) Marchington, M. and Wilkinson, A. (2005) Human Resource Management at Work. london: Chartered Institute of Personnel Development Marchington, M. and Wilkinson, A. (2008) Human Resource Management at Work. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel Development Newell, H. and Scarbrough, H. (2002) Hrm in Context: A Case Study Approach. New York: Palgrave Owusu, Y. (1999) Importance of Employee Involvement in World Class Agile Management Systems. International journal of Agile Management systems (1/2) 107-118 Redman, T. and Wilkinson, A. (2006) Contemporary Human Resource Management. Pearson Education Sadri, G. and Lees, B. (2001) Developing Corporate Culture as a Competitive Advantage. Journal of management Development 20, (10) 853-859 Savolainen, T. (2000) Towards a New Workplace Culture:Development Strategies for Employer-Employee Relations. Journal of Workplace Learning 12, (8) 318-326

E-commerce Internet Shopping

E-commerce Internet Shopping Is e-commerce boundary-less? Effects of individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance on internet shopping. Abstract: Regardless of the unusual growth of internet during the last few years, the enormous business potentials of the internet remain largely untapped. There is a general observation that with the internet, national and international boundaries should become irrelevant when engaging in business exchanges. There exist two national cultural dimensions, individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance and their interaction that influences internet shopping rates across a wide spectrum of countries. For countries lower in uncertainty avoidance, individualistic cultures show higher internet shopping rates than do collectivist cultures. Implications for national and internet firm-level web design strategies are discussed. Problem Statement: Is e-commerce boundary-less? Effects of individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance on internet shopping. Although the adoption rate of internet shopping is relatively high in the west, it is still generally unpopular in the east. In spite the promises of the greater global customer reach and potential profits; internet shopping adoption is still systematically affected by cultural differences. National wealth also contributes towards the adoption of internet shopping, because money is needed for necessary internet access infrastructure, subscription of internet services, and online purchases. Although national wealth alone cannot account for the vastly different internet shopping rates among high gross GDP countries. The adoption of internet shopping is jointly effected by a set of contextual factors i.e. national income and educational level as well as two major cultural factors, namely, individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance. Research Objectives: The objective of this research is to find the effects of individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance on internet shopping keeping under consideration the Internet shopping adoption rate, individualism index, uncertainty avoidance index, per capita GDP, educational level, unemployment rate, and crime rate. Hypothesis 1: Internet shopping adoption rates are higher for countries with relatively lower uncertainty avoidance levels. Hypothesis 2: Internet shopping adoption rates are higher for individualist than for collectivist countries. Hypothesis 3a: For countries with high relatively high uncertainty avoidance levels, individualism-collectivism shows little impact on internet shopping rates. Hypothesis 3b: for countries with relatively low uncertainty avoidance levels, the individualist countries show higher Internet shopping adoption rates than the collectivist countries. Importance / benefit of study: The importance of this study is that it addresses the issues and problems related to internet shopping and will also help in working around these issues and problems. It will also help in the regulation of e-commerce activities in a proper and efficient manner. Research Design: Exploration: Quantitative. The data was mainly collected from Global e-Commerce Report, Hofstede, World Fact book and United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture, Institute for statistics online base. Data Analysis: The dependent variable under observation is Internet shopping adoption rate by country. Internet shopping adoption rate is the percentage of internet users, who have bought goods or services during the past month. Data on internet shopping adoption rate were obtained from the Global e-Commerce Report of Taylor Nelson Sofres (2001). This report consists of data from 36 countries derived from interviewing a total of 42,742 people. The two independent variables are individualism index and uncertainty avoidance index. The data for both these variables was obtained from Hofstede, which includes 50 countries. The control variables are per capita GDP, educational level, unemployment rate, and crime rate. The data for GDP and unemployment rate was collected from World Fact book, The International Monetary Fund (2001). Data for educational level was obtained from United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture, Institute for statistics online base. Data for internet crime rate was derived from the total sum of the number of offences contained in national crime statistics and major categories of reported crime in each of the Interpol member countries. Nature and Form of Results Schedule: The results which can be concluded from the whole study are: Higher the income levels of a country, the higher the internet penetration rate. It can also be concluded from the case that taking income into consideration, educational level, unemployment rate, crime rate, and economic growth rate do not significantly affect internet penetration. Internet shopping adoption rate is negatively correlated with uncertainty avoidance, but positively correlated with individualism-collectivism. The relationship of uncertainty avoidance with internet shopping adoption is not as strong as expected, and is not significant. All the results support our hypotheses. National income plays a very important rate in both internet penetration rate and adoption rate of internet shopping. It can also be said that whether it is online or offline shopping, the higher the income level, the higher the purchasing power. Cultural factors also play an important role in affecting internet shopping behavior, over and above the effect due to national income and educational levels. Internet shopping is still at its infancy for some countries. The result also support that dimensions of national culture affect internet shopping rate. The national government level, macro level policies that are designed to suit the local culture can be implemented to stimulate the adoption of internet shopping. Facilities and Resources: The resources of this case study are Global e-Commerce Report, Hofstede, World Fact book and United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture, Institute for statistics online base. Bibliography: References: Anderson, J.C. Naurus, A. (1990) ‘A model of distributor firm and manufacturer firm working partnerships, Journal of marketing 54(1): 42-58 Hirschey, M. and Pappas, J.L (1993) Managerial Economics, 7th edn, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers: Orlando, FL. Hofstede, C.H. (2001) Cultures and Organizations: Software of the mind, McGraw -Hill: London. Leung, K. and Bond, M.H (2004) ‘Social exioms: a model for social beliefs in multicultural perspective, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 36: 119-197. Lynn, R. and Martin, T. (1995) ‘National differences for 37 nations in extroversion, neuroticism psychoticism and economic, demographic and other correlates, Personality and Individual Differences 19: 403-406. Morris, M.W., Williams, K.Y., Leung, K., Larrick, R., Mendoza, (1998) ‘Conflict management style: accounting for cross national differences, Journal for International Business studies 29(4): 729-747. The International Police Organization (Interpol) (2003) Online data, http://www.interpol.com The International Monetary Fund (2001) ‘World economic outlook data.

The Semiotics of Covers :: Books Reading Essays

The Semiotics of Covers I'm going to buy a book today - but not a school book, a real book - a bestseller. I walk past the harmonica man standing outside of the Brown Office Building, clamping my ears shut against the discordant melodies he's spewing out at me. I enter the Brown Bookstore - my Mecca, my Graceland. I strut past the tables near the door and walk toward the bestseller wall, my being allthewhile bombarded by hardcovers seeking my wandering eyes. Howard Stern in drag screams out at me from the left, something about Colin Powell and a journey crys out from the right. Wishing not to be manipulated into buying an expensive book, I squint my eyes and keep on walking, eventually reaching the ordering counter. I pause, close my eyes and turn around. As my eyes slowly open, my field of vision becomes filled with paperbacks. Hundreds of them, displayed out before me like some crude mosaic, each one lined up and facing me on tiny little shelves. They're all roughly the same size, all the same shape - the only thing that differs is their covers. Each book is showing me a different picture, a different color, a different font. Each book juxtaposes its elements in a different way, highlighting certain objects while de-emphasizing others. Each book is telling me something, trying to appeal to my gaze. What are they saying? Will it work? The study of these elements of the cover - each book's signs and the images/ideas they signify- is particularly appropriate in the case of bestsellers. This is not to say that the covers of bestsellers hold a monopoly on sign/signifier possibilities - nothing could be farther from the truth - its just that in the case of bestsellers, the effect these signs and signifiers have on the aura of a book are just more interesting. Proof of this all but surrounds us. Take a look at almost any other section in the brown bookstore: almost all books, with the exception of bestsellers and the very new releases, are presented on shelves with their binding pointing out. The only thing one can really ascertain when gazing upon these books is the title and color on the cover. Such elements are important, but don't grab the eye. Unless you're looking for a specific title or author, what you see on these shelves doesn't really effect one's eyes.

black holes :: essays research papers

The Search for Black Holes: Both as a Concept and An Understanding for age’s people have been determined to explicate on everything. Our search for explanation rests only when there is a lack of questions. Our skies hold infinite quandaries, so the quest for answers will, as a result, also be infinite. Since, its interception, Astronomy as a science speculated heavily upon discovery, and only came to concrete conclusions later with closer inspection. Aspects of the skies which at one time seemed like reasonable explanations are now laughed at as egotistical ventures. Time has shown that as better instrumentation was developed, more accurate understanding was attained. Now it seems, as we advance on scientific frontiers, the new quest of the heavens is to find and explain the phenomenon known as a black hole. The goal of this paper is to explain how the concept of a black hole came about, and give some insight on how black holes are formed and might be tracked down in our more technologically advanced future. Gaining an understanding of a black hole allows for a greater understanding of the concept of space time and maybe gives us a grasp of both science fiction and science fact. Hopefully, all the clarification will come by the close of this essay. A black hole is probably one of the most misunderstood ideas among people outside of the astronomical and physical communities. Before an understanding of how it is formed can take place, a bit of an introduction to stars is necessary. This will shed light on the black hole philosophy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A star is an enormous fire ball, fueled by a nuclear reaction at its core which produces massive amounts of heat and pressure. It is formed when two or more enormous gaseous clouds come together which forms the core, and as an aftereffect the conversation, due to that impact, of huge amounts of energy from the two clouds. The clouds come together with a great enough force, which a nuclear reaction ensues. This type of energy is created by fusion wherein the atoms are forced together to form a new one. In turn, heat in excess of millions of degrees Fahrenheit is produced. This activity goes on for eons until the point at which the nuclear fuel is exhausted. Here is where things get interesting. For the entire life of the stars, the nuclear reaction at its core produced an enormous outward force.

Carnegie, the Selfish Philanthropist

Andrew Carnegie, The Selfish Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, born on November 25, 1835, was a Scottish philanthropist who was one of the richest men in America in the 1900's. I completely agree with Carnegie's opinion of how the rich should donate their money toward the good of mankind before they die, but disagree with his actions toward his workers . He started working in a cotton mill making $1. 20 a week only to upgrade to $2. 20 working as a messenger boy. He eventually taught himself telegraphy and worked as Thomas A. Scott's assistant for $35 a month.He moved on to investing, with the help from his â€Å"mentor† Scott, in the Woodruff Sleeping Car Company and several small iron mills and factories. He was so successful that he was able to buy an industry of iron products. This investment brought him to buy a piece of land and build a steel manufacturing factory on it. With the millions he made, he visited Scotland often to see his family. Carnegie thought it was a good idea to put most of the money that he made back into the community. He gave his money away through public programs, which was a little overwhelming for him it seems.He cut the wages of his workers to provide more money for him to put back into his programs. There was a strike that broke out which caused his second in command to hire immigrants. This changed Carnegie's reputation. It also influenced him to retire and sell all of his holdings to J. P. Morgan for a sum of 480 Million dollars. Over the course of the rest of his lifetime, he ended up giving away 350 million dollars. He encouraged other fortune holders to do the same as him. John D. Rockefeller was one of the few that followed his Idea. Carnegie had great intentions.Carnegie believed that â€Å"a man who dies rich dies disgraced. † He explains this as the wealthy who die wealthy , did nothing with their wealth to better mankind. His thinking was influenced by Herbert Spencer, who was a social Darwinist. Carnegie ag reed with Spencer's â€Å"survival of the fittest† belief. He felt that there existed superior people who would be classified as â€Å"fittest† (this included himself). Carnegie mainly donated money to his interests in the community. His love for learning was something that fed his â€Å"charitable mind. † He funded the building of 2,509 libraries before he ended this program in 1917.His interest in music is what gave him the idea to donate pipe organs to churches despite his lack of faith in a religion. The establishment of the Carnegie Foundation was something founded by Carnegie, to continue to give after his passing, after finding out that he would not be able to spend his fortune in his lifetime. Some examples of people that agree with Carnegie would be Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. Bill Gates and Warren buffet created â€Å"The Giving Pledge† which was an agreement among 57 billionaires to donate half of their fortunes during their lifetimes.Their t houghts were intertwined with Carnegie's thoughts of giving back to the community and improving the quality of life for human beings. An example of someone that disagrees with Carnegie would be Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy Roosevelt-â€Å"if Carnegie had employed his fortune and his time to doing justice to the steelworkers who gave him his fortune, he would have accomplished a thousand times what he accomplished. † Roosevelt is referring to Carnegie giving to the good of mankind, while at the same time hurting his own workers by undermining them with less pay.If someone like Carnegie wanted to help the community and make life better for mankind, he should start with his own company. I agree and disagree with Carnegie. I agree that the rich should devote some of their riches toward the benefits of mankind before they die/as they live their life, but agree with Roosevelt's argument toward Carnegie's ruthless strategies of cutting his own workers pay just to put more money toward his â€Å"giving†. The reason that the wealthy should put some of their wealth back into the community is because that is where they made their money.Without other people to buy, sell, or trade, where would the wealthy get their wealth? This also prevents the family member or the heirs of the inheritance to be spoiled. Carnegie had a great point for doing this. For some strange reason, Carnegie cut the wages of his steel workers while at the same time putting money toward public programs that would benefit mankind. He even stated that he could put more use of that money than the workers ever could, which is ridiculously egotistical and rude. By not giving his workers a fair wage, he was hurting the economy. Our economy is based off of consumers spending their money.In my honest opinion, I think Carnegie is a selfish attention seeking mastermind. He seems very sensitive to what other people think of him. Don't get me wrong, he sounds like a nice, caring, and independent man. His intentions though, are outweighed by the means and basis for his profit: unfair and underpaid labor. The money that he made from his steel factory was ironically against his â€Å"giving† attitude that he was trying to generate. I think that after he realized that he would never have to worry about his financial situation ever again, he focused on becoming a public figure and cared about the public opinion of himself.An example to prove this would be how he reacted to the steel strikes. While he was visiting Scotland, his next in command (Henry Clay Frick) replaced all of the strikers with immigrants. This action is said to have caused the death of 10 men. Carnegie took the blame and lost positive reputation. He later retired by selling all of his assets (Probably to further the steel factory from being associated to his name) and continued to give his money away to recover from his lost reputation. (This is what I think anyway). Carnegie had the right idea to donate his mone y to a better cause, but used the wrong means to get there.I agreed with his method, but not his means. Works Cited: 1 . † Andrew Carnegie. † 2012. Biography. com 24 Oct 2012, 12:51http://www. biography. com/people/andrew-carnegie-9238756 2. Mills, Harry. â€Å"Andrew Carnegie: Master deal maker and robber baron. †Ã‚  The Naked Negotiator. The Mills Group, 24 2009. Web. 24 Oct 2012. ;http://blog. millsonline. com/2009/08/24/andrew-carnegie-master-deal-maker-and-robber-baron/;. 3. . â€Å"Spreading gospels of wealth. †Ã‚  The Economist. SANTA BARBARA | from the print edition | United States, 19 2012. Web. 24 Oct 2012. ;http://www. economist. com/node/21555605;.

Sonnet 116

Sonnet 116 is about love in its most ideal form. It is praising the glories of lovers who have come to each other freely, and enter into a relationship based on trust and understanding. The first four lines reveal the poet's pleasure in love that is constant and strong, and will not â€Å"alter when it alteration finds. † The following lines proclaim that true love is indeed an â€Å"ever-fix'd mark† which will survive any crisis. In lines 7-8, the poet claims that we may be able to measure love to some degree, but this does not mean we fully understand it.Love's actual worth cannot be known – it remains a mystery. The remaining lines of the third quatrain (9-12), reaffirm the perfect nature of love that is unshakeable throughout time and remains so â€Å"ev'n to the edge of doom†, or death. In the final couplet, the poet declares that, if he is mistaken about the constant, unmovable nature of perfect love, then he must take back all his writings on love, truth, and faith. Moreover, he adds that, if he has in fact judged love inappropriately, no man has ever really loved, in the ideal sense that the poet professes.The details of Sonnet 116 are best described by Tucker Brooke in his acclaimed edition of Shakespeare's poems: [In Sonnet 116] the chief pause in sense is after the twelfth line. Seventy-five per cent of the words are monosyllables; only three contain more syllables than two; none belong in any degree to the vocabulary of ‘poetic' diction. There is nothing recondite, exotic, or metaphysical in the thought. There are three run-on lines, one pair of double-endings.There is nothing to remark about the rhyming except the happy blending of open and closed vowels, and of liquids, nasals, and stops; nothing to say about the harmony except to point out how the fluttering accents in the quatrains give place in the couplet to the emphatic march of the almost unrelieved iambic feet. In short, the poet has employed one hundred an d ten of the simplest words in the language and the two simplest rhyme-schemes to produce a poem which has about it no strangeness whatever except the strangeness of perfection. (Brooke, 234)