Islamic history Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Islamic history - Research Paper Example For this reason, it made him the legitimate successor to the Prophet. This implied that all other rulers were not legitimate. The Ottomans and Safavis rulers also used religion to legitimize their rule through the use of propaganda. From the safavid reading, the semi-secret Shi’ite had a propaganda that taught that all rulers of Islam were illegitimate and that the head of the Muslim community who is the Imam would one day appear and over through the mighty in order to set things right. This meant that the person who will over through the mighty rulers would be the one chosen by God.1 The rulers legitimized their rule by indicating that whoever God has given power or authority, no person can be able to resist. This prevented any person to go against or challenge a ruler who has been put into power by God.2 According to the report of the Carmelite mission, religion was put in display by building large mosques where people went to pray.3 Religion was also seen through the rituals that people performed. A good example was the use of prayers where people went to mosques for prayers thrice a day. This was in the morning, noon, and in the evening. Before prayers, people wash and call the name of God and â€Å"Ali in their prayers.4 Religion is also put on display through their daily activities.5 The Persians were allowed to have one wife who was placed in special places called the saraglios. These women were closely protected and hidden. The rulers’ use of religion changed it for their own benefit. They used religion to present themselves as gods especially to their soldiers. This was to the extent that soldiers went to fight without armor because they believed that their leaders are protecting them. Others went into battles without armor because they were willing to die for their monarch.6 When going into battles, most of these men fought in the name of the rulers because they considered them to be prophets and gods.7 The rulers also personalized

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon - Essay Example It is said that the best martial art movies are those that do not have fighting but personal excellence. The heroes used in these films are those that transcend gravity, space and the limitations of the body and mind fears. For example, in a fighting movie, the characters are portraying hatred for one another by fighting, but in a martial arts movie, these characters tend to be celebrating their powers together with one another. This film is also one of those that have been known for its display of heroism and power and the victory of an individual over collectivism. The film increased the popularity of the strong heroes and was one of the first American films in a foreign language that gained so much popularity and praise. The movie has been a presentation of complete levels of Tao, love, life, and tradition. It is basically a life story of Yu Chiao-lung (Jen) depicted showing an account of the way in which the real self can be seen and comprehended intuitively to the Tao. Jen’s journey can be described as the path from the dragon to the Phoenix, transformation of emotion to compassion or natural virtue to spiritual virtue. The film was based partially on the chivalric novel in China which gives a certain traditional representation in the characters. It not only emphasizes on the characters but also has a philosophical aspect included. The main characters in the film are each significant in their own position and hold the certain touch of symbolism in their role. Li Mu-bai had entered a Taoist monastery and was becoming the expert of sword fighting in Wudan School and was a very well known person throughout China especially for his gungfu. He had a weapon, Green Destiny, and it was 400 years old and it had special powers. This shows that the sword holds symbolism in the film and throughout it is used as a special power rather than a weapon to harm others.  

Reflection on second Presidential debate 2012 Essay

Reflection on second Presidential debate 2012 - Essay Example One of Obama’s strengths is that he spoke with a calm confidence that allowed him to think and answer soberly the attacks that have been thrown at him. He answered every question very clearly and he seemed extremely comfortable answering all the questions, knowing just how to answer them in a professional manner. I did not find any weakness for Obama in this debate. Romney’s strength is that, he is very good at pointing out the issues which are public concerns and used that to clarify the issues with Obama. His weakness is his obvious inability to send his points across very well regarding what he wants to do and he was not able to defend himself with reasonable answers when Obama questioned him. This debate helped Obama gain enormous support especially from among the middle class and the women because he did a great performance showing that he is going to support them in many areas. On the contrary, this debate hurt Romney because he did not do a good job in answering the questions. I am inclined to support Obama because I like his platform on supporting education for everyone and trying to create equality in the society. I don’t like the platform of Romney which is focusing only on supporting and seeking benefit for the rich people like

Failed Products Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Failed Products - Essay Example This product was abandoned just a few weeks after its launch and the initial version was resurrected with a new name; Classic Coke† (Robert, 1995). The second product that flopped is Crystal Pepsi which was launched in 1990s as clear cola. This brand lacked lemon/lime flavor unlike the rest of other clear carbonated drinks. It also lacked usual cola flavor. In spite of a costly media blitz, Crystal Pepsi failed to catch on and Pepsi incurred millions of dollars guessing at straws and never recovered fully. This was a big blunder that their competitors learnt from; never change a color that is acceptable to your consumers. Lastly Ben-Gay Aspirin is another example of product failure. Thus having a famous name behind a product that is new does not guarantee success-at times it can be an obstacle if the brand is closely tied to one image or product. Ben-Gay is famous for its exceptional strong smell-and its pain-reducing balm’s burning/warming sensation on its getting in touch with skin.However this wasn’t an excellent fit for Ben-Gay aspirin launch by Pfizer decades ago. Whereas the products were related in that both were designed for pain relief, consumers could not get a taste for swallowing a tablet with a brand they related to burning sensation. Ben-Gay erred in attaching a popular name to something entirely out of character. They should have used a different brand name (Michael,

Costco retail store-santa clarita Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Costco retail store-santa clarita - Essay Example The company’s typical warehouses measure and average 143,000 squire feet and the outlets operate approximately seven days a week. The core outlets comprise about 3300-3800 dynamic stock. The company’s reported total revenue for year ending August 2012 were $ 99 billion while the income was $ 2.8 billion. The company’s assets many fold surpass their liabilities indicating a stable company (Costco wholesale 1). Costco store layout, visual merchandising, customer service Store Layout There is a constant movement of items and sometimes confuse the price tags and disorient regular customers. This may mislead customers and they may be embarrassed when they are making payments at the teller. The store is fairly clean and the items are generally well organized and tidy. Similar items are located in close proximity hence this makes things easier for the customer. The stores have a specious layout for ample air circulation. There are fire equipments located strategically f or ease of access. The high number of shoppers especially children accompanied by their children make the place especially the alleys very crowded. The concept of having food courts, gas stations, chemists, optical section, salon among others is well designed and located strategically within the outlets. Staff attendees are strategically located within the lane to help assist customers in need. The image below represents a spacious food court and a raised ceiling for ample air circulation.... Their return and exchange policies are great and the staff are helpful. On one occasion, I experienced poor packaging for items purchased since some of them were in poor shape when I received them. I once experienced discrimination and have seen these happen to others in different occasions. The checking out process is supposed to be same for all but some in these occasions some undergo thorough check while a few are allowed with minimal checks. The waiting experience is sometime terrible with customers having to wait for up to 30 minutes after having paid just to be checked out. Despite commendable job by a majority of the staff, a few are still rude and unfriendly to customers. Once I enquired about location of some items from one staff member only to be told to keep looking. My brother once narrated how the management favored a staff in a disputed case and the same supervisor who intervened at the floor in favor of the staff was the same who was assigned to resolve the case. Costc o feedback mechanism is excellent because the outlets allows patrons to air suggestions and reviews through the suggestion boxes, online platforms and user generated networks. The outlet has many affiliate links online where one can leave comments for further actions. Some of the shopping carts have trash inside any occasionally used by children for play. Although most staff show genuine willingness to help shoppers, some probably the new employees often are either not confident or lack the knowledge on what to do. Some of them definitely need more training and motivation. The store offers sampling from time-to-time enabling shoppers to test and experience varieties and consequently make better purchase

Planning and Organizing Meetings Essay Example for Free

Planning and Organizing Meetings Essay Planning ahead of time is one virtue of Christian leaders. There are a lot of pointers that you need to remind yourself when planning and organizing meetings for your organization. There are details that you need to check because planning a meeting is not just calling people to come together and talking with each other without anything in mind to accomplish. First Things First Prayer is an important discipline for Christian leaders especially in terms of planning and organizing. This is the first and foremost thing that you should do. You should ask the wisdom of God and ask Him to let you know the tasks that are at hand in the organization. This is the time when you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you and to let you possess strength that you need. Secondly, set your objectives. As said earlier, calling a meeting is not just getting people in to meet and talk at certain place and time. You should set your objectives even before you call people to come. What do you want to achieve after the meeting is done? Be sure that your objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable and time-bound. Part of your objectives is planning for the agenda. Setting the agenda means that you need to identify the most important things to go first and the least important to take the lower priority. Thirdly, identify the people that you want to be in the meeting. Will there be people from other organization? Do you need a committee to help you out in contacting people? As a Christian organizing a meeting, it is necessary that you consult people according to their availability so won’t be missing out someone on the date that you will set. Also, identify the place where you will be holding the meeting. Is it conducive to the activities that are involved in the meeting? Do you need food as you talk together? The Important Things When planning, you should make sure that you get the important things under a checklist. Sometimes there are details that we think is important but are actually necessary. On the other hand, we may left out important things that are basically needed. Make a roster of the participants of the meeting. List the names of people and check or cross the name out when they already confirmed or not. List also the equipment that you need and check if they are available on the day and time of your meeting. What about the logistics and financial implications of the meeting? Make a budget and be sure that it is attainable and you will have it released in time for your use. After the Meeting Planning and organizing meeting do not end after the meeting is already done. Your responsibility as the organizer does not end when the meeting ends. During the meeting, you should have talked about a lot of important things that needs action or implementation thereafter. As such, do not lose your checklist. After the meeting you will need another again. Evaluate if your objectives were met, if not, what you can do after to meet them. After the meeting, be in gratitude to all those who attended. Your meeting is only the take off of another planning and organizing so you should plan well your starting point.

Business Essays Business Plan

Business Essays Business Plan Business Plan Introduction To assess the viability of Star of India’s business plan, it is useful to consider three aspects of the plan: Suitability – concerned with whether the business plan fits the internal and external environment that Star of India operates in Acceptability – this refers to stakeholders’ expectations of the business plan Feasibility – this relates to how achievable the business plan is This report will address all three aspects and show whether the plan is viable under each. Suitability Suitability is concerned with analysing Star of India’s business plan based on an analysis of its internal and external environment to obtain its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths and Weaknesses Star of India’s strengths and weaknesses, derived from an analysis of its internal resources reveal the following: Money This is a definite strength as the return on capital employed (ROCE), gross and net margins are impressive ROCE calculated as net profit divided by capital employed and multiplied by 100 is 112% for the year ROCE reveals the amount of profit earned from the injection of capital or net assets into the business.   This high ROCE is due to the high net profit made from Star of India’s operations Gross margin calculated as gross profit divided by sales multiplied by a 100 is 75% Gross margin reveals that Star of India is efficient in converting the cost of goods sold into income from sales Net margin is calculated as net profit divided by sales and multiplied by 100 – i.e. 46% It compares how much profit Star of India makes when compared with  £1 of income.   It shows how effective the business will be in controlling its expenses These figures show that the plan is suitable from a financial perspective. Break-even is expected to occur between August and September, by which time the total sales revenue will equal total cost for the period.   The margin of safety, i.e. the excess of expected sales over break-even sales is approximately  £490,000 (i.e. total sales for the year minus total sales from April – August 2006). Marketing Marketing is a key consideration.   Good money is being spent on advertising.   Advertising in the industry is mainly through word of mouth and leaflets.   By advertising through television and radio, the possibility to gain increased business is real. As Star of India is an unknown quantity, it is vital that a lot of effort and money should go into marketing.   However, the business could use its considerable profits to invest more in Marketing/advertising. The price being charged for its dishes contributes to the high profits, but the question that needs to be addressed here is, is it suitable to achieve competitive advantage?   If the prices are below or match industry average then it is suitable – if not, then customers would rather go to an established competitor.   The prices charged are competitive. The plan has accounted for seasonal variation as demand should rightly decrease during the summer months due to holidays. Opportunities and Threats In this industry, the main issues are: The extent of competitive rivalry The social behaviour of the population Power of customers Health and safety issues Because the competition is fierce, Star of India must ensure the prices it charges at least matches the industry average.   Otherwise, customers (who have a lot of choice due to the numerous competitors) will eat elsewhere, bearing in mind Star of India is a new entrant to the restaurant business.   Therefore, matching industry average could be a threat as the Star of India brand is yet to be discovered and trusted People eat a lot outside their homes nowadays (social behaviour) due to increasingly busy lifestyles, this consequently means that the opportunities for getting a good customer base exist. Health and safety issues are very important to the government (who can close down business if unsatisfied with their health and safety initiatives or lack of it) and customers would basically like to eat in a clean environment – this provides an opportunity for Star of India. Acceptability For the business plan to be acceptable, it must meet the needs of the main stakeholders, who in this case are: The owner The customers The Government The employees These people will have different needs.   The business plan, on the whole will be acceptable to these shareholders due to the following: The owner The owner is interested in: Making a profit Increasing the number of customers Reducing costs The plan reveals that all of these will be met. As mentioned previously, ROCE, gross margin and net margin forecasts are impressive indeed and would no doubt exceed the management’s expectations especially during the first year of operation.   There is also a positive cash flow in all but one month.   This is important for the business to be able to honour its credit commitments as they fall due.   Star of India can also use the profits to grow the business.   The plan also indicates an increase in the customer base, starting with 1820 customers in April and ending the year with a forecast of 7000.   Again, this indicates a growth plan, which should be acceptable to the owner. Although costs will be rising, this will be at a slower rate than revenue – again, this is acceptable. The customers will be interested in obtaining quality food, at competitive prices in a clean environment, delivered with good customer service.   Star of India is confident of achieving all of these. To achieve the service needs of customers, the employees need to be well trained and highly motivated.   The plan for the next financial year is to use the profits to train and develop new and existing employees and also to reward them through incentives. The government needs to ensure that Health and Safety standards are being met, taxes are being paid and that customers and employees are not being exploited – consequently, Star of India is confident that the government will be acceptable. Feasibility The employee and management are experienced, therefore, delivering quality food through superior customer service is feasible. The business plan reveals there are enough resources to meet the costs of the business – arguably too much resource.   How many new businesses could make such vast amounts of money?   The plan has barriers in the form of competitive rivalry, so the forecasts could be at risk of being regarded as too optimistic, admittedly. The prices charged may need to be reviewed, if they are too high.   Even if they reflect industry prices, it would be advisable to lower them as Star of India is a new business.   This will ensure more customers who are made aware through advertising, will be attracted to the eatery, thus making the sales forecasts more realistic.   This could be done as a promotion, for instance, for six months. More money could also be allocated to advertising from the vast amount of profit to ensure the optimistic customer targets are achieved. Conclusion The plan is very viable, when taken into account its suitability and acceptability. However, although it appears feasible, Star of India could be a bit cleverer to achieve high market share and thus competitive advantage by cutting its prices – this should make it more feasible. The business should be an immense success if these factors are taken into account.   BIBLIOGRAPHY www.bized.ac.ukwww.businessknowhow.comwww.moneychimp.comwww.nonprofits.orgwww.smalltownmarketing.comwww.unb.ca