Muslim beliefs about Allah Essay Example Essay Example

  Muslim beliefs about Allah Essay Example Paper Muslim beliefs about Allah Essay Introduction Muslims believe that there is only one God, Allah. They believe that God is one, therefore Allah can have no plurals, polytheism is wrong and Christianity is wrong because Jesus was not God’s son. Because Allah is one, he must always have been and always will be and he depends on no one but himself. Because Allah is one, the universe he created must be a unity. This is why following the way of Islam makes Muslims a united community (ummah). Surah 112 states, â€Å"Say, ‘He is God the One and Only, God the Eternal, Absolute; He   Muslim beliefs about Allah Essay Body Paragraphs begetteth not nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.’ This means that Muslims reject the Christian belief in the Trinity and will not allow anything to interfere with Allah’s oneness. The belief in Allah’s oneness is called tawhid by Muslims and is the basis of all their beliefs about Allah. It is also the first part of the shahadah (first pillar, often called the Muslim creed) – ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.’ Muslims believe that as there is only one God, it follows that Allah created everything. According to Muslim belief, Allah created the universe and humans in six days, though many Muslims would claim that one-day for God is not the same as one day for humans and therefore this could fit with the timescale of evolution. However, Muslims do not believe in evolution because everything was made directly by God for a particular purpose, and nothing came into being accidentally. As the one God who created everyt hing, Muslims believe that Allah has power over everything. (He is omnipotent.) The Qur’an calls Allah the All-powerful. Allah is in control of the universe he made and he has a plan for it. Muslims believe that nothing happens without Allah’s consent. Muslims believe that God is merciful and compassionate. He has not just left humans alone in the world to get on with things. He has sent prophets with holy books to show them how to live their lives and his justice means that they will only be judged on how far they have followed the teachings of the prophets and holy books. Muslims also believe that God’s mercy means that God will forgive people if they do not live up to everything in the holy books. If Muslims feel they have done something wrong, they will pray to God for forgiveness and either fast (sawm) or give money to the poor (sadaqah). Before they die all Muslims try to confess their sins and ask God to forgive them, so that they will not be sent to hell on the Day of Judgement. The Qur’an and Muhammad say that God will forgive Muslims if they are truly sorry for what they have done and are determined to do better in future. They will not be forgiven if they are only confessing in order to avoid hellfire. The sin of shirk As belief in the oneness of Allah is the central belief about God, so the greatest sin a Muslim can commit is shirk (associating other beings with God). For this reason Muslim mosques have no images and no pictures, only abstract art or calligraphy (beautiful writing of verses from the Qur’an). Some Muslims will not allow photographs as this might lead to shirk. They would especially not allow pop posters or football player posters, because hero worship is shirk. The ummah of Islam The oneness of God who created everything means that there must be a oneness (unity) in what God has created. Just as the universe is a unity, so the religious community of Islam should be a unity. This is why Muslims are called the ummah (religious community of Islam), which shows the unity of Islam. The unity of the ummah is shown in the following ways: when Muslims perform salah and stand in rows shoulder to shoulder, so all are equal. in zakah, where rich Muslims give money to help their poor Muslim brothers. in hajj, where Muslims from all over the world of many races and colours perform the same actions, wear the same clothes and say the same things. the fact that there is only one shari’ah (law) for all Muslims, wherever they live. There should be no quarrelling or fighting in Islam. Therefore those who do quarrel or fight do not really believe in tawhid. Islamic teaching on humans as khalifah The Qur’an says that Allah created Adam to be his khalifah (vice-regent or steward) to look after the world. Allah taught Adam the nature of all things and made the angels bow down to Adam. Muslims believe that this was because Adam had been given free will by Allah, which allowed Allah to teach him the nature of things. As khalifah of the earth with free will, Adam was different from the angels. Muslims believe that, as descendants of Adam, all humans have been put on this earth to be khalifah for God. They are to look after the world as God intended it to be done, which is by accepting the six beliefs and following the pillars and shari’ah as given in the Qur’an. If this is done properly, then the earth will become the sort of place God created it to be. Because Allah created people for this purpose, and in his mercy gave them the Qur’an and the examples of the prophets to live by, humans have no excuse for not being good khalifah. Therefore Allah is justified in judging them on the way they carry out their role as khalifah. Islamic teaching on al’Qadar and human freedom Al’Qadar (the Divine Decree) says that Allah has a plan for the universe and the power to make that plan come about. Allah will make happen what he wants to ha ppen. Islam teaches that Allah knows what will happen in the future and that what will happen is what Allah wants to happen. Therefore Muslims believe that Allah can interfere with what is happening in the world. They believe that he can protect his faithful servants. This means that whatever happens is part of Allah’s plan and even though it might not seem like it, eventually everything will work out all right. This belief in al’Qadar is why many Muslims use the phrase ‘insh’Allah’ (if Allah wills) a lot. Whatever happens will not be what they want, but what Allah wants. This causes problems for Muslims because it seems to mean that there is nothing we can do about things and therefore they must leave it all to Allah and just sit back. However, most Muslims believe in both Allah’s power and human freewill. Humans have to do what Allah wants of their own free will. Allah knows what people will do but they have the freedom to decide what to do . Most Muslims do not think about the implications and say ‘insh’Allah’ without thinking that it means they are not free. Islamic teaching on angels Muslims believe that angels were created directly by Allah, and are made of light and are sexless (though they have male names). They have no freewill and so cannot do evil. The chief angel is Jibrail (Gabriel) who gives God’s messages to the prophets. Mikail (Michael) looks after heaven and keeps the Devil out. Israfil is responsible for the Last Day and will sound the trumpet. Izrail is responsible for taking the last breath from the dying. Most Muslims believe that they have recording angels who write down everything they do for the Day of Judgement, and guardian angels who look after them if they are good Muslims. Islam teaches that Allah uses angels to communicate with humans via prophets. Islamic teaching on prophets Muslims believe that prophets are human beings called by God to give his message to huma ns. God makes them sinless after they become prophets, but they remain human. Adam was given the message of Islam as the sign of God’s mercy. He showed humans how they should live as Allah’s khalifah and so go to heaven, but his message was lost or distorted by humans and so God had to send another prophet, but with the same message. There were many prophets, but the main ones you have to study are: Ibrahim who was born into a polytheistic family, but came to believe in Allah and so broke all the statues of the gods in his tribe. He was condemned to be burnt to death for this, but Allah stopped the fire from touching him. Ibrahim had two sons, Ismail (who became the prophet for the Arabs), and Ishaq (who became the prophet for the Jews). Ibrahim was tested by Allah to sacrifice Ismail and the devil tempted him not to. Ibrahim stoned the devil and obeyed Allah. Allah gave Ibrahim a ram to sacrifice, and Ismail was saved. Ibrahim and Ismail rebuilt the Ka’aba, whi ch had been destroyed in Noah’s (Nuh) flood. Isa (Jesus) was born of the Virgin Mary, but was not the Son of God and was not crucified on the cross; someone else died in his place. Isa performed many miracles, was taken directly to heaven by God and will return again at the end of the world. The work of all these prophets was either forgotten or distorted, so that Islam had become Judaism or Christianity or Arab Bedouin polytheism. At this point Allah decided to call a prophet who would be given the message in a way that could not be distorted so that no more prophets would be needed. This was the prophet Muhammad. Muslims believe that Muhammad performed no miracles except for receiving the Qur’an, which was the final word of God, given to Muhammad in such a way that it could never again be distorted. This was Allah’s final word and enabled Muhammad to restore Islam. Muhammad has the same status as all the other prophets. Muslims are supposed to say Peace Be Upo n Him each time they mention a prophet’s name. Islamic belief in holy books Islam teaches that: ?Ibrahim was given Allah’s word in the holy book of the Scrolls of Ibrahim. ?Musa (Moses) was given Allah’s word in the holy book of Tawrat (Torah). ?Dawud (David) was given Allah’s word in the holy book of Zabur (Psalms). ?Isa (Jesus) was given Allah’s word in the holy book of Injil (Gospels). Some Muslims believe that each of these holy books contained the Qur’an, but most Muslims believe they only contained a part of the Qur’an. Each of these holy books was distorted and so they are no longer the original holy book. Muslims believe the Qur’an is Allah’s final word to humans, and so no other holy books are needed. The belief in Muhammad as the seal of the prophets What makes Muhammad different from the other prophets is that the Qur’an says that Muhammad is ‘the seal of the prophets’. Muslims believe that this means: Adam was given Allah’s message, but it was forgotten. So Ibrahim was given Allah’s message, but that was also forgotten. So Allah gave Musa the holy book of the Tawrat, but that was distorted. So he gave Dawud the Zabur, but that was distorted. So he gave Isa the Injil, but that was distorted. So he decided to give Muhammad his final word, the Qur’an, in a form that can never be distorted. Muhammad received the Qur’an in such a way that it will never be forgotten or distorted and so there will never be a need for another holy book. If there will never be a need for another holy book, there will never be another prophet. This means that Muhammad is the last of the prophets, acting like a seal at the end of Allah’s letter to humans. 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Sport Business in Brazil Management Essay

Sport Business in Brazil Management Essay Sport Business in Brazil Management Essay Sport Business in Brazil Management Essay The Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro is scheduled to hold the forthcoming 2016 Olympics, which is the first Olympics on the South American continent. In 2014, Brazil already held the FIFA World Cup. The devotion to these sporting mega-events implies that the country, as well as the City of Rio de Janeiro, will have to work hard. Having hosted one mega-event, the capabilities of the country have already been put to the test. MEGA SPORTING EVENT – RIO DE JANEIRO OLYMPICS The 2016 Olympics will be an opportunity for Brazil to avoid some of the challenges experienced during the preparations for the FIFA World Cup. The mega-event refers to a large-scale event of a worldwide significance, which usually attracts people from almost all corners of the world. The ability of these events to attract millions of people has both negative and positive effects. The 2016 Rio Olympics can boost the economic development of the region if correctly managed. For Brazil, holding the Olympics is similar to taking a business risk in order to earn the benefits of the investment. On the other hand, if poorly managed, the event is likely to become a burden to the host country and cause losses. Effective management and preparation of the sporting mega-events can guarantee success and profits. However, the hope is that the 2016 Rio Olympics will contribute to the economic growth of Brazil. The management of a sporting mega-event requires consideration of the three crucial issue s: the infrastructure of the hosting nation, the security of the hosting country, and financial capability of the organizing body, as well as that of the hosting country. This paper discusses the present situation of Brazil and analyses the management of the event. The crucial aspects of the management that will be considered include the infrastructure, security, and financing. Current Situation of Brazil Brazil has been classified as one of the fastest developing economies (Andersson, Armbrect Lundberg 2008). The country reported considerable development and growth in the last decade despite being hit by the global economic downturn. Nowadays, it is a leading country both in Latin and South America in terms of the economic growth. Moreover, it is among the ten largest world economies (Atkinson et al. 2008). Because of the constantly improving economic growth and global status, Brazil was awarded both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics Games. The groundwork for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics has started. Brazil has the chance of learning from the failures and successes of both Greece and Barcelona in hosting the mega events (Walker et al. 2010). Greece is a clear example of the failure in hosting the mega event while Barcelona is an example of success. According to Fourie and Santana-Gallego (2011), the ambitions of holding the Rio Olympic Games might interfere with th e continuous economic growth that the country is hoping. The research has shown that the economic effect of mega-events can be smaller in the developing countries than in the industrialized economies. There is no doubt that the Olympics will create the tourism demand and employment opportunities; it will also strengthen the Brazilian economy to a significant extent. The job opportunities are imminent following the forthcoming 2016 Olympics. The Brazilians living in Rio de Janeiro expect an increase in the labour market with the demand for workers for constructing the Olympic facilities (Curi, Knijnik Mascarenhas 2011). However, the experience of Greece has demonstrated that the overall benefits from the increased tourism traffic will primarily affect the wealthy. The historical analysis of the sporting mega-events have also shown that the development is very uneven and seems to benefit the construction interests and private developers while the leisure sites are developing only for the rich (Walker et al. 2010). According to Haddad and Hahhad (2010), the overall benefits might not influence the middle class and bottom-of-pyramid (BOP) Brazilians without effective management of the sporting mega-events. Consequently, there is an outright necessity to plan regularly, exploit the positives, and counteract the negatives. According to Maennig and Zi mbalist (2012), planning and organizing are indispensable in making Brazil benefit from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Infrastructural Capacity of Brazil to Host the 2016 Olympics The management of sporting mega-events requires an evaluation of the infrastructural capacity of the city/country to hold the events. The International Olympics Committee (IOC) expressed their doubts concerning the infrastructural capacity of Rio de Janeiro to host the Olympic Games (Curi, Knijnik Mascarenhas 2011). The infrastructure refers to the basic ultimate facilities and systems serving the city of Rio de Janeiro. These facilities include the transportation, communication, and power systems among many others. In a typical corporate world, businesses also require these facilities to thrive. The infrastructural capabilities of Brazil were tested by the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Even though Rio de Janeiro hosted some of the matches, it cannot be concluded that the city has adequate facilities for the mega-event. Unlike the World Cup, which takes place in multiple cities, the Olympics takes place in a single city (Andersson, Armbrect Lundberg 2008). Consequently, many people will be concentrated in one place, unlike in the World Cup when people spread over numerous cities. The concentration of people in the City of Rio de Janeiro implies that there will be pressure on the infrastructural facilities during the 2016 Olympics than during the 2014 World Cup. Therefore, the management of the 2016 Rio Olympics should not rely on the previous experience of the FIFA World Cup (Andersson, Armbrect Lundberg 2008). The IOC has set its requirements, which are different from those established by FIFA. The assessment of the pre-Olympics has indicated that about 49750 rooms will satisfy the IOC’s demands (Curi, Knijnik Mascarenhas 2011). The sporting mega-events management also requires planning for the extreme situations. Rio de Janeiro has put in place the necessary plans of using condominium and cruise ships in case of the over demand for accommodation. In terms of transportation, the Brazilian authorities have plans to construct the roads linking the Olympic zones (Fourie Santana-Gallego 2011). Financial Capacity of Rio de Janeiro to Host the Olympics The preparation for the Olympics necessitated the Brazilian authorities to prepare a report on how it will finance the mega-event. Brazil reported that it had allotted about US $240 billion for the 2016 Olympics sporting mega-event (Haddad Hahhad 2010). These finances were allocated from the Federal Governments Plan for Accelerated Growth (PAC). According to Haddad and Hahhad (2010), the federal government has offered the required financial support, educational developments, ecological conversation, and social programs for the poor among the other positive developments. This consideration for the poor implies that the management of the Olympics in Brazil has learnt from the past events, in which the wealthy were the only beneficiaries of the event (Atkinson et al. 2008). Prior to the acceptance of the bid to host the Olympics, the Brazilian government had guaranteed three important things: to cover any possible economic shortfalls of the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (OCOG), finance OCOG and non-OCOG budget, and cover any refunds of the IOC advance payments (Curi, Knijnik Mascarenhas 2011). Curi, Knijnik, and Mascarenhas (2011) point out that prior to granting the Olympics, the federal government has to ensure a strong financial backing. Some of the revenue-generating activities expected during the mega-event include sponsorship sales, licensing and merchandising, and ticketing (Atkinson et al. 2008). According to Atkinson et al. (2008), the revenues generated from these activities will be complemented by the broadcast and commercial contributions secured by the IOC (Atkinson et al. 2008). The government or private sector expenditures on the infrastructure have been anticipated to encompass the already committed and continuing investments of about US $4 billion on the following projects: airport and subway construction and enhancement (Maennig Zimbalist 2012). According to the financial analysis of the mega-event, the budget of the OCOG does not presume any capital contribution to the development of the legacy venues, other than for the coverage of the games (Maennig Zimbalist 2012). According to the IOC, the balance of expenditures by OCOG is to be financed by the Brazilian public sector, which involves the funds from the government, state, and federal commitment. The financial plan and operating expenses of OCOG are expected to be about US $2.9 billion (Maennig Zimbalist 2012). The budget included the capital investment in transportation and sports venues (Maennig Zimbalist 2012). The Security Capacity of Rio de Janeiro to Host the Olympics Security is one of the key concerns for the IOC. The Brazilian government has the responsibility of cleaning up the areas deemed insecure in order to make them suitable for numerous tourists (Curi, Knijnik Mascarenhas 2011). However, having hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the government had partly, or wholly, addressed the issues relating to security. Accordingly, Rio de Janeiro is in good time to make numerous improvements before 2016. Curi, Knijnik, and Mascarenhas (2011) point out that the government has initiated some projects to improve the quality and capacity of the police in the preparation for the Olympic bid, as well as the FIFA World Cup. Besides improving the capability and quality of the police force, the Brazilian authorities are using another method in order to fight against the crimes by making international headlines with the invasion of favelas (Walker et al. 2010). For a region to be regarded a favela, it must have at least 51 houses. In other words, favelas refer to slums in Brazil, and often are regarded as settlements for the landless people. As of 2000, Rio de Janeiro had about 811 favelas, but it is likely that the number of them has increased since then (Walker et al. 2010). The slums are a threat to the 2016 Olympics because of the insecurity they pose. The security financing for Rio de Janeiro should necessary cover the employment of the Unidade de Policia Pacificadora (UPP) and other security forces (Andersson, Armbrect Lundberg 2008). According to Fourie and Santana-Gallego (2011), without these forces, the slums can become the areas of drug and child trafficking. On the other hand, in the Brazilian slums, the drug traffickers might enforce the control and order in the community even in the absence of the UPP. The Brazilian government hopes to manage all the slums in Rio de Janeiro before the 2016 Olympics (Ma et al. 2011). This paper has discussed the management of the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics in the light of three crucial factors: finance, security, and infrastructure. Similar to a typical business, the success of Rio de Janeiro Olympics is also affected by the management of these factors. The infrastructure refers to the basic fundamental facilities and systems serving the city of Rio de Janeiro. These facilities include the transportation, communication, and power systems, among many others. In terms of finance, Brazil reported about allocating US $240 billion for the 2016 Olympics sporting mega-event. Some of the revenue-generating activities expected during the Olympics include sponsorship sales, licensing and merchandising, and ticketing. Security is a threat to the event because it might scare off the tourists from attending the event. The effective management of the three factors could result in the economic benefits for the whole country.

True West by Sam Shepard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

True West by Sam Shepard - Essay Example Additionally, the strong technical design created a relationship between audience and actors by taking them right into the actor’s world. The scenario is such that haunting echoes occur during monologues. There is an ornate from which water drips. The design is multipurpose, simple, and beautiful. Additionally, the costumes that the actors receive from Sam Shepherd indicate and reflect a unique, wonderful, and exceptional personality of the characters in a quite nice manner. For instance, He decorates Austin formally. This is because Austin is the clear and open-minded actor among the characters in the play. For Lee, he is dressed lazily and with no style, this reflects his tumble and uniquely rough character. On the other hand, Saul is dressed intriguingly eccentrically. His high status and swag allows him to have this dressing mode, which makes him stand above other actors and characters in the play. In fact, Saul is presented as already successful man. Similarly, the mother is conservatively dressed as Sam Shepherd points out. This goes a long way in blending well with her almost apathetic reaction and behavior to the haunting scene that takes place near the close of the play. As the actors change and undergo suffering with the proceeding of the play, the props also change. For example, the house in which the play takes place is in a pristine condition at the onset of the play. In fact, it clean, neat, and suburban house in California and is being taken care of by a screenwriter. He already began working harder upon the introduction of actors to him. The house has several houseplants that are mentioned countless times in the play and greatly symbolize the unmovable stand by Austin to maintain order that his mother and him adhere to. It is Californian kind of order. As a result, Austin has been given a responsibility to take care of them and he does so. However, after the arrival of Lee, the attention of Austin is diverted towards questioning about his identity and ideals. For this reason, the houseplants are neglected and they end up dying together with Austin’s lifestyle towards the end of the play. The mother greatly misses the houseplants since she misses the order and lifestyle of her life at home, she returns home only to find the plants died long time. This is symbolic of the death of her lifestyle too. As life takes a wrong turn for Austin after his brother interferes with his career life, the audience must also notice the significant change in settings within the house and change of sounds outside. For instance, the crickets become more aggressively loud, and the coyotes increasingly become destructing. The plants slowly by slowly die, the state of the kitchen turns into a state of disarray, and the only resource that kept Austin focus and committed to his work, the typewriter, eventually gets destroyed upon Lee’s attempt to try screen writing and gets frustrated with it. Consequently, the destruction and t he decay of props accompany or rather correspond with the destruction and end of Austin and Lee. Their lives are greatly infected by the presence of each other as Austin is disappointed and annoyed by Lee whose attitude is brutal and mad towards life and cannot comprehend Austin has strongly held ideas. The cherished order is thrown into chaos upon choosing Lee’

Dark Invasion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dark Invasion - Essay Example Morgan. The Bomb Squad head of department, Tom Tunney, who is a New York Police Inspector is assigned the crucial mission of seizing them. Tom Tunney assembles a team of operatives to hunt down these conspirators among a very large population of Germans but the more he unveils the enemies plan the more he comes to understand that their plan is way much dangerous and complex than he thought. The New York’s Police Department captain, Tom Tunney, is the one who suspect that the series of explosions that occurs in the country, which particularly targets the ships and destroyed munitions plants, is part of much bigger plan by the enemy to destroy America and he sets on a very determined journey to find the perpetrators. Tunney’s work is remarkable, considering the fact that he had a jurisdictional limitation as he had to work for both the federal government and the NYPD. In this true story tale it is observable that the then head of state, Wilson, Was informed of the plot of the intelligent network of German spies but it seemed not to strongly concern his decision. The Germans were satisfactorily convinced that they were right to wage war to the USA because the claimed neutrality of the Americans was hypocritical and equally dangerous to the father land. Tunney discovers the enemy’s devilish plan to blow out the ST. Patrick Cathedral. The German saboteurs planned to blow out the Cathedral to try and stop the Americans from joining the war on the side of the allies. Although it was not clear to the national security department if it was the activist and the anarchist who were plotting on this, the plan was still shuttered down by the NYPD. Tunney together with his loyal operative, learn of the imminent attack on the church and successfully manages to neutralize the plan which jeopardizes the malicious intensions of the enemy(Howard 32). The German operatives to the

Terrorist Threats and Counterterrorism Response to a Terrorist Attack Essay

Terrorist Threats and Counterterrorism Response to a Terrorist Attack - Essay Example The use of unmanned aerial predator and reaper drones is seen as a new approach in counterterrorism has changed how the US combats terrorism. President Obama’s administration has been able to ratchet the drone program as opposed to the previous U.S. administration. He has managed to authorize more than hundred drone strikes worldwide mostly around the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan according to Bures and BureÃ… ¡ (2011). Despite the controversy, facing this operation, to a great extent, the American drones since 9/11 have been successful. The current research on counterterrorism builds its debate on two approaches: the war model and the criminal justice model. The war (military) model tends to structure the efforts against terrorism in terms of the military of an enemy-centric war. In such an event, the armed forces of the state are mainly responsible for developing counterterrorism plans. The criminal justice model advocates for the rule of law and democratic principles in counterterrorism. It has been suggested that viewing counterterrorism in terms of hard and soft power is very important. This advocates for a direct and indirect tactic in counterterrorism. Some of the strategies applied after 9/1 such as the drone strike have become popular and consistent since then. However, a change is being considered on the technique as it can lead to the loss of many innocent lives as well as collateral damage to property and infrustructure. The strategy is also seen to violate the sovereignty of some states like Pakistan. For successful response to terrorism, the U.S. should consider to minimize on its enemies and maximize on its allies. This element will be achieved by reestablishing and empowering their traditional alliances as stated by Gebicke (1999). The U.S. government has also considered softening the appeal of Muslim federalism, which will be achieved by diminishing the levels of moderate Muslim indifferences. The US

India is the most hierarchical society

India is the most hierarchical society BRIEF: India is the most hierarchical society in the world and this, obviously, has an impact on its management style. It is imperative that there is a boss and that the manager acts like a boss. The position of manager demands a certain amount of role-playing from the boss and a certain amount of deferential behaviour from his subordinates. The boss is definitely not expected to perform any seemingly menial tasks such as making coffee for everybody or moving chairs in a meeting room! Anglo-Saxon concepts of egalitarianism where the boss is the primus inter pares are virtually incomprehensible in a society still dominated by the historical conventions of the caste system. Therefore, the boss is expected to give explicit instructions which will be followed even if everybody knows that the instruction is incorrect. Managing people in India requires a level of micro-management which many western business people feel very uncomfortable with but, which is likely to bring the best results. Indian management is paternalistic and is characterized by: Patronage Families feelings Sense of security in staff Obedience to authority Personality cult Personality based delegation Aversions of the staff to the leaders who are outsiders Ascent on short rather than long term planning Restricted sharing of information Gulf between personnel policies and practices Traditional Indian management: Management practices:- Traditional Indian management Employee requirements- family relation and caste of employee is considered Leadership style- leaders display a high level of personal involvement with their subordinates. Motivational aspects and rewards- work is viewed as a means to an end i.e for sake of satisfying family needs. Human resource management practices- nepotism and caste consideration affect selection and compensation. Training is less emphasized. TYPES OF MANAGEMENT SYLE IN INDIA- 1) Conservative style: Integrating ideology- old is gold, change carefully Performance control- through traditions, conventions, precedents Coordination- hierarchical Staff motivation- financial security, psychological safety 2) Entrepreneurial style: Intergrating ideology- no risk no gain, pioneer, innovative, revolutionize Performance control- through shared vision of corporate team Coordination- hierarchical Staff motivation- through charisma of the person at top 3) Professional style: Intergrating ideology- scientific, rational approach to management Performance control- through norms of professionalism and other tools of management Coordination- variety of mechanism like hierarchy, committee planning Staff motivation- formalized menu of progressive, productive and quality oriented incentive. 4) Bureaucratic style: Orderly management, clear accountability Through rules and regulation Hierarchical, standard operating procedures Job clarity, steady promotion on basis of seniority 5) Organic style: Flexibility Through peer pressure, personal commitment Team work, mutual feedback, intensive lateral as well as vertical communication Job variety and richness 6) Authoritarian style: Obedience, organizational patriolism Through fear of punishment Hierarchical Patriotic feel and fear of punishment 7) Participative style: Relatively powerless decision making Through collective assessment on jointly agreed criteria of evaluation Through representative committee Feeling of participating in decision making 8) Intuitive style: Experience and common sense Thumb rule Hierarchical, also by informal norms No need for formal qualification 9) Familial style: One big happy family Through relationship of bosses Through personalities Feeling of being a part of family 10) Altruistic style: Its a means to social and spiritual end Through sense of mission or pursuit of great ideal Hierarchical, shared ideal or social commitment Opportunity to control something noble and meaningful Being a Manager in India To ensure successful cross cultural management in India, you need be aware of the strict protocols and rituals that exist. The official caste system may be illegal, but a strong hierarchical structure, based upon job title, still exists in business. The Role of a Manager In India managers may take a somewhat paternalistic attitude to their employees. They may demonstrate a concern for employees that goes beyond the workplace. This may include involvement in their family, housing, health, and other practical life issues. It is the supervisors job to regularly check on the work of a subordinate and to provide regular constructive feedback. This may include monitoring work quality and the timing of its completion. Approach to Change Indias intercultural adaptability and readiness for change is developing all the time. India is seen to have a medium tolerance for change and risk. It is important for innovations to have a track record or history noting the benefits if they are to be accepted and implemented. Failure in India causes a long-term loss of confidence by the individual as well as by others. Because of this attitude, intercultural sensitivity is going to be required, especially when conducting group meetings and discussing contributions made my participating individuals. Approach to Time and Priorities Indians are generally quite careful about time guidelines in business situations where schedules and deadlines are regarded seriously. In addition, however, Indian society is concerned with relationships so there may be instances where there is some flexibility to strict standards of adhering to schedules. When working with people from India, its advisable to reinforce the importance of the agreed-upon deadlines and how that may affect the rest of the organization. Successful cross cultural management will depend on the individuals ability to meet deadlines. Global and intercultural expansion means that some managers may have a greater appreciation of the need to enforce timescales and as such, agreed deadlines are more likely to be met. Decision Making The culture in India is very relationship and group-oriented, so a strong emphasis is placed on maintaining harmony and proper lines of authority in the workplace. Some Indians, however, are extremely direct, in which case you can deal with them in the same way. The manager makes decisions and accepts responsibility for work performed by subordinates. The middle manager may consult with subordinates before reaching a decision, although it is more likely that he will confer with trusted advisors or relatives. To ensure successful cross cultural management, you will need to bear in mind the importance of people in the office maintaining the proper behavior relative to their position. For instance, it would be inappropriate for a manager to make copies or move a piece of furniture because these are tasks that lower level people do. To engage in behavior beneath you would lower your esteem in the office. Boss or Team Player? If you are working in India, it is important to remember that honor and reputation play an important role. The risk becomes amplified in a team or collaborative setting. When meeting together and moderating ideas, intercultural sensitivity is necessary. It is important to qualify ideas that are raised in a gentle manner, protecting the reputation of those bringing up ideas, so no one is shamed. Communication and Negotiation Styles Cross cultural management will be more effective if you understand the importance of personal relationships. They are crucial to conducting business and are based on respect and trust. It takes time to develop a comfortable working relationship and you will need patience and perseverance. Indians are non-confrontational. It is rare for them to overtly disagree, although this is beginning to change in the managerial ranks. Decisions are reached by the person with the most authority but reaching that decision can be a slow process. Never appear over legalistic in negotiations; in general Indians do not trust the legal system and someones word is sufficient to reach an agreement. Successful negotiations may be celebrated over a meal.

Civil War Essay -- essays research papers fc

Civil War During the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861-1865, over 620,000 accounted soldiers were killed. Known as the "the first modern war", historians generally agree that the reason for this was because this was a time of transition for the military. Armies and Navies were still using tactics where they would gather large forces of firepower to bear on the enemy. At the same time, weapons were being developed which were accurate and lethal well beyond any arms of the earlier conflicts. As a result of these two conditions many more casualties were sustained. Add to that the lack of medical knowledge of disease and infection and the numbers truly began to grow. This paper is an overview of the types of weaponry that was used during this time. Artillery generally falls into three basic categories; guns, howitzers and mortars. The main difference between them being the trajectory of the round fire. A gun has a high muzzle velocity and a very flat trajectory. Normally a gun is used in a direct fire mode where the target can be seen and penetration is desirable. Good targets for a gun would be things like brick or earth forts, ships, buildings, and targets in tree lines. Howitzers have a somewhat lower muzzle velocity and arc their shells onto a target. They are used in both a direct fire and indirect fire mode. Keep in mind with the limited range of the pieces available during the Civil War there was no indirect fire such as we know it today. Targets were generally always within the line of sight of the artillery men. This is especially useful when an enemy is concealed behind a prepared position or the artillery men desire to have a shell explode over an enemy’s head. The air-burst does less damage to hardened targets such as masonry walls, and redoubts, but causes many more human casualties due to the shrapnel covering a large area. Mortars have a very pronounced arc of flight. They have a relatively low muzzle velocity and are unsuitable for direct fire. Their principle value comes from being able to lob shells behind an obstacle such as a fort or a hill. Unlike modern mortars, those used during the Civil War were bulky devises and mounted at a fixed angle usually between 45 and 50 degrees. They were not very accurate and depended solel... ... of War suggesting that the gun be officially used by the North, but nothing was done. Later, the Navy adopted the gun in 1862 and so did the Army but not until 1866. My conclusion is that I would not want to be shot by any of these guns. They used very heavy ammunition that devastated what ever it hit. I guess that is why the American Civil War was called the bloodiest war of all time. Not only are you trying to kill your opponent, you are trying to kill a fellow American which must of been tougher. Also, if we adopted the Gatling gun, I feel that the war would of been over a lot faster than it was. To be able to fire 250 to 300 rounds in one minute is devastating. That gun was very mobile because it could be moved around by the horses because it was on wheels. I give these men lots of credit for going out there and fighting like they did. Many really did not know why they were fighting and they still fought with courage. And with a total of 620,000 casualties, a lot of men did not come home. Bibliography 1. "The Civil War", Ken Burns, 1994, tape 5, "Weapons of the Civil War" 2. "The Civil War", CD-ROM, by Mathew Brady, Rom-Man technologies,1995