A Discussion on Islamic Militancy

Islam is an age old religion that espouses spirituality, and calls for a life of worship, faith work and submission to the will of a supreme being called Allah by following rules, set forth in the pillars of the Islamic faith, in the teaching found in the holy book the Koran and teachings of prophets of the faith. How then can a religion that professes such benevolence and deep spirituality and obedience be linked to acts of terrorism?Perhaps, the most common connection is found in the first pillar of Islam faith, which is; to bear witness that there is no entity worthy of worship except Allah alone, and that Muhammad was his messenger. Taken out of context and blown out of proportions perhaps, to this effect, is the concept of Jihad or a holy war (Pipes, 2002).There is no straight-out definition of what a jihad is, one holds it to be holy war waged against other Muslims who are said to be infidels due to a difference in their interpretation of the fait. On the other hand, another de finition of jihad is the call for Muslims to reject the legal armed conflict in order to attain deeper spiritual state of enlightenment. Why then does this â€Å"militant† brand of Islam thrive?Warner (2001), an American writer, columnist who focuses on Islam posits that it is due to the victories that these militant groups have achieved, that is why this radical ideology thrives. He further said that in 2004, Muslims were on top of the heap, better off that most of their world contemporaries (Warner, 2001). He also said that some Muslims feel the need to be on top again; hence this implies hostile relations with the Western world, as this is seen as the source of their problems (Warner, 2001).While there are only 10 to 15 percent of the Muslim world currently espousing this belief, with approximately one billion Muslims in the world, there are easily 100 million to 150 million of them. Coupled with misinformation, and lack of understanding of the Islamic faith, this is the r eason for such ideology to thrive among Muslims or otherwise.REFERENCESArave, L. (n.d.). Militant Islam thrives on its success. Retrieved February 18, 2009, fromhttp://209.85.175.132/search?q=cache:RvCXXjWGddIJ:findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20040206 /ai_n11439530+why+does+militant+islam+thrive&hl=tl&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=ph

Social implications of IT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Social implications of IT - Essay Example It is the fastest growing branch of electronics and computer technology. The distinguishing feature of VR is that its users feel that they are living in the computer – generated scene. VR games and other accessories are generally available with Incredible Universe and CompUSA chain stores. The present estimation regarding sales in the virtual reality market is approximately ninety million dollars per annum; and this is expected to increase to nearly six billion dollars in the future1. Virtual reality can be attributed to Sutherland who performed several pioneering works to develop the concept of virtual reality in the 1960’s. However the phrase virtual reality was coined for the first time in the late 1980’s. Some historians claim that the VR industry emerged during the 1990’s. VR gained popularity due to the extraordinary efforts of the early pioneers in this field2. Virtual reality is a computer – simulated world with which users can interact. These simulations, generally have some common characteristics, such as shared workspaces for the interaction of people with the programme, graphical user interface, real – time action, interactivity and persistence. Almost all simulations can be accessed over the internet. In those simulated worlds, there will be changes to the themes and landscapes, irrespective of the users who access the site. Online real time games come under this category of VR. For instance, Massively – multiplayer online role – playing games or MMORPGS are played in the virtual worlds. These are video games, which allow players to choose the persona of the characters in the play, and these persona are termed as avatars. MMORPGs and other virtual worlds are considered to be social networking programmes. Moreover, players can interact, form clubs, groups and chat with each other3. The availability of personal computers increased in the

Research in Motion Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research in Motion - Case Study Example These devices revolutionized mobile telecommunications in the world due to their touted initial addictive nature. RIM’s success is cited to have ushered in the in the era of the smartphone industry in the world. A key factor to RIM’s success with their BlackBerry brand was the enhanced emailing capabilities that came with the mobile device. This aspect combined with its long battery life and significant security features made the device a must have mobile devise for business executives, government personnel and other professionals. RIM’s success is attributed to several key factors including its long standing commitment to security and reliability of the service. BlackBerry’s operating system, server system and its carrier infrastructure also add to the device’s superiority in the market. The device is also recommended for its smart features that are characterized by its ruggedness, simple graphical user interface and long battery life. Issues Succe ss for RIM has not been without challenges posed by competitors like Nokia and Motorola, which the company has been able to outmaneuver through innovation and competent leadership. The primary issue or challenge facing RIM and its brand, BlackBerry is change. This is an aspect that been embodied by BlackBerry’s competitors most notably Apple’s iPhone and Samsung. The entrance if these two brands into the telecommunications industry led to the emergence of new platforms and devices. This has resulted in a drastic fall and decline for both of RIM’s share price and market share, an aspect that has been seen as an indicator of RIM’s declining relevance in the telecommunications sector. 1. A critical issue that needs addressing at RIM in order to get back on track to its former solid footing is transitioning to a new operating system. This is the only way that BlackBerry will be able to offer any substantial and significant competition to the current market le aders Google and Apple. BlackBerry needs to develop a new operating system to match the capabilities and features that are being provided by its competitors. 2. The second most important issue that needs to be addressed by Blackberry in order to get back into the ‘game’ is to review it top management strategies. In the final stages, RIM’s decline in the telecommunications industry was characterized by drastic erosion of management protocols. This led to massive resignations and loss of morale and direction for the company, which negatively impacted its attempts of delivering innovations to the market to counter their competitors’ advances. Issue 1 According to Watson (4), BlackBerry’s top leadership and management failed to address a potentially disruptive new trend. This is because they did not recognize the threat posed by the new smartphone revolution introduced by Apple and Google products. BlackBerry believed that these new introductions could not have a meaningful impact on their core business customers. This was because they lacked some key features that were considered essential in a smartphone like the QWERTY keyboard, which can be concluded to mean that BlackBerry dismissed these products as mere other consumer products. The emergence of these new products in the market eroded RIM’s market share to significant low levels. BlackBerry’s repeated failures to honor its pledges to deliver new products to the market that would match the new entrants’ capabilities spoiled BlackBerry’s reputation and credibility to their customers and clients (Watson 11). Blackberry’s operating system became redundant with the introduction of Apple’s iSO and Google’s Android operating systems, which provided broader functional and

Contemporary Issues In Business And Management Essay

Contemporary Issues In Business And Management - Essay Example A global industry can be described as an industry where all firms are competing within the global market in order to sustain and grow. A global strategy is driven by various factors. These can be cost drivers, competitive drivers, customer drivers and government drivers (Sakarya, Eckman and Hyllegard, 2006). We live in a global economy where the time required to cross continents has reduced to a bare minimum. With the help of advantage technologies, it is now possible to initiate conversations within no time. Because of these changes, there has been a shift in the business practices of organisations and more and more organisations are adopting a global strategy for growth and sustainable development (Aharoni and Ramamurti, 2011). A global strategy is the plan of an organisation to compete in these new realities of global markets. For example, in food manufacturing, organisations like Nestle, Cadbury and Kellogg’s have created marketing networks and global distribution based on marketing of their leading brands that are well recognised globally. Key aspects of a global strategy include: The global market should be treated as the domestic market. Establishment of a global marketing mix, differentiating between the national and regional differences such as language, culture and taste. Creating a global distribution and production system, for example establishing factories globally manufacturing goods for respective local regions (Vrontis, Thrassou, and Lamprianou, 2009). Concentrating on the most successful and most recognised products and brands. Since the global market is huge, a substantial amount of profit can be achieved by using economies of scale in terms of production, distribution and marketing. Rather than producing a large number of products, it will be more fruitful to manufacture those products and services which are well recognised and accepted by the customers round the world. Importance of Global Strategy The importance of global strategy ca n be understood from the flowing perspectives: Perspective of a Company With the international expansion, opportunity increases in terms of new sales and higher revenues. Sometimes, it might also happen that the profitability in the home country has reduced due to various unavoidable conditions. In such cases, revenues from the international market prove to be a saviour. At times which are turbulent, they might become the saviour in terms of profit. For example, poor growth and low profits in the domestic market in China were one of the main reasons that forced the Chinese company, TCL, to formulate a strategy with the aim of international growth and expansion. It has continued this global expansion strategy with new factories, new offices overseas and acquisitions with the aim of developing the positioning of its market particularly in the two markets for electronics goods, the European Union and the USA. Apart from opportunities such as new sales and profit expansion, global strat egies can take place because of various other reasons. Oil companies, for example, look for expansion with the objective of securing their resources, a strategy which can also be termed as resource seeking (Bellin and Pham, 2007). Industries such as clothing look for global expansion with th

E-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

E-commerce - Essay Example The E-commerce revolution has surged forward with applications appearing in the airline industry as equitable with fast and easy modern technology service in the new age. This scientific protocol allows the industry to communicate internally with suppliers and partners and with their customers. Plagued with a series of economic downturns and fierce competition and global critical issues, the airline industry had no other recourse but to adjust and adapt itself to the current business scenario than remain covered in dust as other competitors fly by. Although most airlines were reluctant to engage strategically in electronic commerce giving justification to their highly exceptional personalized service, the Paris Crash in 2000 and the September 11, 2001 downfall made every international flag carrier cringed at the thought of closing its doors forever and were instead forced to lunge for drastic measures to regain its earning equilibrium. Bigger airline industries brainstormed their ma rketing specialists while directors hold close door meetings in the effort to address the problems besieging the entire future of everyone associated with the business. Small players beyond 2003 were still struggling to keep up with the prevailing market scene but bigger players had adjusted faster but then again faced with the critical issue of mass employee lay-off for most of its workers affected by the online economic measures. However the e-business held promises to lower the operating costs of these sectors as well as connections to the wider world in a matter of seconds. Flag carriers like British Airways, KLM, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, American Airlines and Singapore Airlines responded by installing e-commerce platforms as the robust channel for business. The Paris Crash in 2000 and the 9/11 terrorist attacks the following year, coupled by fluctuating maintenance costs, and the future of Concorde was limited despite the expensive modifications after the crash.

Child abuse and maltreatment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Child abuse and maltreatment - Assignment Example Shouting at a chid may cause emotional distress. Abuse of toddlers has greater impacts more than one can see. Neglect and other forms of abuse have both long term and short term consequences including developmental delays, physical injuries, emotional trauma, and aggressive behaviour. As a nurse it is important to recognize the tell tale signs of abuse in toddlers since the toddlers can not express themselves. These include shaken baby syndrome, evidence of poor hygiene, sleep disturbances for the young one, unaccounted for bruises and physical injuries, a child being abandoned or left unsupervised, aggressive behaviour towards other children. While neglect and abuse has been documented, some cultural practices can always be misidentified as abuse. For example, disciplinary practices in various communities; physical punishment is accepted in the low socio economic classes. This means that such cultural differences in rearing children place parents at greater risks of being reported. In Florida over 40 professionals have been mandated to report child abuse cases one of them being the nurses (Cruise & Gorton, 2001). If nurses suspect any child abuse, they can report through fax or phone. The phone number is toll free and open all the time. The fax number is also open for twenty four hours a day. The nurses are required to give the reactions of the child ad

Contrastive AnalysisPaper Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Contrastive AnalysisPaper - Research Paper Example English as a language has developed over the years to become a language that is not only used predominantly between non-native speakers and native speakers but also amongst the non-native speakers. It has thus become critical for any individual wishing to have worldwide communication, to be fluent and use the language appropriately so as to be understood by others and also master how people from diverse cultural backgrounds use the language. (Wahba, E. 1998) Intelligible pronunciation has proved to be a crucial objective in any pronunciation training course. It’s therefore important to outline objectives that are realistic, relevant and sustainable for the communication needs of the learner. Pronunciation poses a great obstacle in communication thus it should be dealt with cautiously as wrong pronunciation of an item gives a completely different meaning, for instance when one pronounces â€Å"angry† for â€Å"hungry†, â€Å"bin† for â€Å"bean†( Hut haily, K. 2003). Contrastive Analysis and possible problems Several Arabic speakers carry out a variety of abnormal tentative tasks which involve discrimination of words. This entails putting aside words with similar consonantal patterns but with variance in their vowel structure (Huthaily, K. 2003). ... s are less important both in writing and in word building, and the sound identification structure relies on the tri-consonantal roots which are the basis of nearly all Arabic words. Word families in Arabic are completed up of sets of words that share a familiar set of three consonants, but differ in the manner in which the vowels are positioned in the consonantal structure. (White, L. 1989).This kind of word structure applies with much ease among the Semitic languages, but often creates difficulties for learners who want to learn a second language with different structural rules. This is because consonantal structure does not let adequate discrimination of words when its transferred to the lexical structure of English, where consonants are not the only important signals for a reader, but rather emphasizes on the importance of focus on the consonantal structure(Cook, V. J.1992). It’s because of this that you find that most Arabic learners will use a system of this sort in the e arly stages of learning English, though majority catch up with the correct handling of English words. Despite this, a few learners carry on this problem and will make small errors like â€Å"dismal point† for "decimal point" while others may never have this confusion. In a bid to juice out difficulties that face Arabic learners in learning English, scholars have indentified four elements that cause this. .Some learners are confused by sounds such as; /v/ and /f/ as in ‘fist’ and ‘vest’; /p/ and /b/ as in ‘pan’ and ‘ban’; /s/ and /_/ as in ‘san’ and ‘than’. Others put in a short vowel to shatter down the long consonant structures, so as to pronounce them as in /s_pr__/ for ‘spring’; /w___d/ for ‘wished’; /_:sk_d/ for ‘asked’ On the other hand, certain diphthongs