The Learning Styles Inventory ( Lsi ) - 921 Words

In EDCL 5339, Understanding Self, I took the Learning Styles Inventory (LSI). The results showed that my confirmed strengths are Oppositional, Power, Competitive and Perfectionist. I do not demonstrate strong Oppositional self. I tend to keep an open mind and am willing to listen to others’ opinion. Sometimes, I feel I go along with what others want easily. In my close relationships, I am more opinionated than I am with my colleagues. I would like to develop the ability to be more analytical and ask tough questions. I think this is an important skill of a leader. As for my lower Power, Competitive and Perfectionist self, I am content with who I am in those areas. I am a team player and I work well with individuals. I would not want to change a thing. I am not interested in controlling or â€Å"one-upping† others. I enjoy working with others and celebrating their achievements, along with mine. My areas of unrecognized strengths are Humanistic/Encouraging, Affiliate, Conventional and Achievement. I believe that the biggest issue for me in this area is my tendency to over-analyze my actions and reactions. I do not have full confidence in myself. In the area of Humanistic/Encouraging, I feel that I have good people skills. I can get along with people well and if there is an issue, I approach it with tact. Outside of the work place, I believe that I do this well. In the work place, I’m struggling with being supportive and encouraging at work. I feel I’m notShow MoreRelatedLearning Style Inventory ( Lsi )1679 Words   |  7 Pages Learning Style is a Term that has been of interest in the past few decades in the field of Organizational Behavior. It refers to the way individuals perceive to acquire new skills, knowledge, or education. Scholars of organizational behavior owe David Kolb who is the leading pioneer for the introduction of such term due to his work since 1970`s. David Kolb, a Professor of Organizational Behavior at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in the US, established an Experimental theory basedRead MoreThe Learning Style Inventory ( Lsi )1486 Words   |  6 Pagesneed to focus on the concept of individual learning and how it is the building block on my education. In the course we learned about the adult learning process and how we can figure out what techniques and approaches are best suitable for each of us. In the interactive class, we were given worksheets that help us determine what learning style we relate to the most and the benefits that learning style has in an organization. The Learning Style Inventory (LSI) helped me conclude that I gear towards theRead MoreThe Learning Style Inventory ( Lsi )1289 Words   |  6 Pagesresearched on how to put together a project in order to identify the learning styles. The starting point of this scheme was supported by the Kolb learning style inventory (LSI). Finally, they came up with the idea of a questionnaire. They gathered eighty questions together, containing four different learning styles along with characteristics of the person/s that might fit in. The image below represents the theory along with the learning styles produced. (workpress.com, 2011) Many people will argue thatRead MoreTeaching Strategies For Learning Style Preferences853 Words   |  4 PagesIt is in this article that Beck matches three teaching strategies to learning style preferences. During which he attempts to link the 4MAT system, Dunn’s LSI, and the Renzulli Smith’s LSI to teaching strategies associated to display individual learning preferences linked to the brain’s hemispheres. The 4MAT system and Dunn’s LSI is teacher driven teaching strategies while the Renzulli Smith’s LSI allows student input into their teaching strategies. In linking the 4MAT system to teaching strategiesRead MoreKolb Learning Style Inventory7058 Words   |  29 PagesThe Kolb Learning Style Inventory—Version 3.1 2005 Technical Speciï ¬ cations Alice Y. Kolb Experience Based Learning Systems, Inc. David A. Kolb Case Western Reserve University May 15, 2005 Abstract The Kolb Learning Style Inventory Version 3.1 (KLSI 3.1), revised in 2005, is the latest revision of the original Learning Style Inventory developed by David A. Kolb. Like its predecessors, KLSI 3.1 is based on experiential learning theory (Kolb 1984) and is designed to help individuals identify the wayRead MoreEssay on Gm591 - Life Styles Inventory (Lsi) Results1486 Words   |  6 Pages[pic] GM 591: Life Styles Inventory – Survey results for John Hastings Instructor: Rick Roechnes Date: 09-JAN-2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 Personal Thinking Styles (Part I) 3 2.1 Primary thinking Back up thinking style 4 2.2 Limiting thinking style 4 3.0 Impact on Management Style (Part II) 5 3.1 Planning 5 3.2 Organizing 6 3.3 Leading 6 3.4 Controlling 6 4.0 Genesis of Personal Styles (Part III) 6 5.0 ConclusionRead MoreThe Academic Success Patterns Of Each Individual Participant1350 Words   |  6 Pageswill be no restrictions on characteristics such as age, race or ethnicity. The learning styles of each participant will be measured at the beginning of each semester, therefore if any of the participant’s learning styles change by the end of semester one, their data will be excluded from the study. Since the study is looking at the academic success patterns of each individual participant, the change in learning style from first to second semester could cause a disruption in the data patterns, whichRead MoreLsi Paper1622 Words   |  7 PagesLSI PAPER Richard Timian Leadership and Organizational Behavior Friday, September 14, 2007 Introduction The Life Styles Inventory (LSI) is a self-assessment diagnostic instrument that measures 12 key thinking patterns, or styles. The LSI promotes performance change and improvement by increasing personal understanding of ones thinking and behavior. By responding to these 240 inventory items, individuals learn exactly where they need to focus their development efforts, without ambiguityRead MoreNotes On Life Styles Inventory979 Words   |  4 Pages Life Styles Inventory Jameka S. Carter Ms. Hallcom 9/14/14 â€Æ' Life Styles Inventory Introduction Individuals possess different skills that have an impact on their thinking and management style. The style varies from individual to individual depending on their opinions, perceptions, thoughts, and skills. The Life Style Inventory is a tool, which can be used to analyze and evaluate the management and leadership skills of an individual. The LSI has different styles and individuals can rateRead MoreLife Styles Inventory852 Words   |  3 Pagesplethora of work experience; therefore, I could not name all five characteristics corresponding to what she asked. Dr. John Doe created the Life Styles Inventory (LSI) assignment; the purpose of this assessment is for people to receive a better understanding of oneself. As stated form the LSI website, Life Styles Inventory (LSI) measures 12 specific styles of patterns of thinking that can either help or hinder a person from reaching his or her potential. The system provides a road map to properly

Analysis Of The Movie Titanic Essay - 1074 Words

Kenneth Burke developed Pentadic analysis, it combines five elements and each which related to a question. The movie Titanic is directed by James Cameron and it was release in 1997. This film talks about the love story about the two characters of different social classes and fall in love. And the unsinkable ship was filled on the ocean. Titanic’s first voyage is also its last voyage out to sea. Show humanity and love will never change until death in the face of disaster. 84 years later, Brock Lovett who is a treasure hunter was searching for the necklace name The Heart of the Ocean. They recovering a safe and he only finds some bank statements and a sketch of a naked woman wearing the necklace. A 101-year-old woman, Rose Calvert sees Lovett on the news and contacts him. Brock wasn’t interested of what she has say to him but he becomes intrigued after Rose tell him that she is the woman in the sketch. We have learned that Rose Calvert was once Rose DeWitt Bukater and she was a first passenger on the Titanic. She reminiscences her story of the Titanic and we know her love story with another passenger, Jack, a man that she can’t forget. On April 11, 1912, the RMS Titanic left Queenstown Ireland, set out Atlantic Ocean toward New York. At 11:40pm, Titanic steamed out full speed directly into the iceberg. Afterwards, the iceberg ripped open the bottom of the hull. However, the hull that the iceberg was substantially weaker than the main body of the ship. After two hours andShow MoreRelatedMovie Analysis : Titanic Movie Titanic 1455 Words   |  6 PagesOscar nominated movie â€Å"Titanic†, a love story about a young man and woman. Their love is shown throughout the depths of this movie through dialogue, camera angles, by the use of music, and how you can distinguish the character development in Rose. To begin, â€Å"Titanic† is a movie about the emerging yet proscribed love of young Rose DeWitt Bukater, played by Kate Winslet, who is of the upper class, and young Jack Dawson, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who is a poor yet witty artist. The movie starts off withRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Titanic 2043 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"Unsinkable Ship† The movie â€Å"Titanic† is what comes to mind when hearing about one of the most shocking and known disasters of U.S. history. The movie shows the gist of how the RMS Titanic went down, but do people really know, behind the scenes, what caused the Titanic to sink along with the short and long term effects, and the influence it had on the United States? Most people would conclude that no, they don’t know the influence the Titanic had, what went into building the Titanic, how it devastatinglyRead MoreMovie Analysis : Titanic 1273 Words   |  6 PagesTitanic Titanic portrayed sexuality with attraction between a man and a woman. Rose was a beautiful woman whom her fiancà ©e Hockley was the son of a rich and powerful steel mill owner. However, the sexual interest here was actually in the form of business. Rose was marrying him because of the money Hockley would inherit when his father died, a very prominent practice during that time. Men with power and money were shown to be desirable from all of Rose s companions on the ship. This common themeRead MoreMovie Analysis : Titanic And The Band Played On 904 Words   |  4 PagesBefore I watch the movie, I presumed the title, â€Å"And the Band Played On,† to be a reference to the movie â€Å"Titanic,† which they were speaking about the string quartet that continued to play as the ship sank. Since watching the movie I think it referenced â€Å"business as usual.† Just like in Titanic, no one was concerned about the ship sinking until it was too late. In the movie â₠¬Å"And the Band Played On,† In the same way, AIDS was considered, just a gay disease, and wasn t seen as the epidemic with inRead MoreEssay Movie Analysis of Titanic Directed by James Cameron904 Words   |  4 PagesMovie Analysis of Titanic Directed by James Cameron The movie Titanic, directed by James Cameron, was a fictional story based on the true ship, Titanic. Camerons movie was based on a love story; however, the focus of this paper will be on some of the differences between the two classes aboard the Titanic. This movie clearly portrayed how differently the first and second-class people were treated during the time of the Titanic. This can be related to many other times in American history whenRead MoreTitanic Essay848 Words   |  4 PagesIn the movie Titanic, the story line revolves around two love interest, Jack and Rose. The two fall in love despite being from different economic backgrounds and they fight the oppositions from their families. Regardless of being one of the highest grossing movies of all time, the movie does not incorporate many details as to why the Titanic sank. The only source the movie gives for the Titanic’s sinking is the damage the iceberg caused. Through time Scientist have proven that an Iceberg was jus tRead MoreAnalyzing Titanic1603 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Analyzing Titanic Social stratification is defined as a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy, is based on four important principles. The four principles are trait, generation to generation which extends to â€Å"social mobility†, universal but variable and not just inequality but beliefs.† (Marconis, page 209, para. 1) In this paper I will analyze the movie Titanic and will show and bring out those principles of social stratification and how even though it was set inRead MoreThe Love Connection Of James Cameron s Titanic1374 Words   |  6 PagesThe Love Connection in James Cameron’s Titanic: I’m Flying Titanic is a 1997 American romance film that was directed, written and co-produced by James Cameron based on the notorious sinking of the RMS Titanic in the early morning of April 15, 1912 in the North Atlantic Ocean. The sinking occurred when the ship came in contact with an iceberg during the voyage from Southampton to New York City. Throughout the film, there are twoRead MoreMarxist Theories And The Marxist Theory1243 Words   |  5 Pagesit is important to give a brief description of the main tenets and principles of Marxism. Specifically, the Marxist paradigm assumes that economic competition is the principle cause of conflict. Unlike other paradigms, Marxism’s method of societal analysis focuses on economic and material aspects. Focusing on class relations and societal conflicts, the theory was first proposed by Karl Marx. Upon witnessing the industrial revolution and the creation of an urban working class, Marx observed and experiencedRead MoreWhat Is Cinema? The World s Most Complex, Collaborative, And Costly Essay1148 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is Cinema? A cinema or a movie, or you may say it as a motion picture, which includes the art of moving images through a visual medium that tells stories and exposes or expresses reality. Cinema is the world’s most recent art form that was created in the 19th century. It is the world’s most complex, collaborative, and costly artistic expression. Initially, the first two versions of the film camera used were the kineto-graph and its European counterpart, the cinematograph to record daily events

Alcohol’s Effects on Teenagers Free Essays

The number of teenagers who are into â€Å"alcohol† nowadays is increasingly alarming. The physiological effects, as well as, the physical and behavioral consequences are equally disturbing as well. â€Å"Permanent brain damage, depression, poor school performance, psychological distress / serious behavioral problems, and attention deficit disorder† are some of the physiological effects on teenagers who drink alcohol (The Marin Institute, n. We will write a custom essay sample on Alcohol’s Effects on Teenagers or any similar topic only for you Order Now d., n.p.). On the other hand, the physical and behavioral consequences include the following: â€Å"in-denial, self-pity, excessive anger, blaming others, and hurting oneself other individuals† (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). Physiological Effects Teenagers who are into too much drinking may experience â€Å"permanent brain damage† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). This claim is backed up by an expert named â€Å"Dr. John Nelson†, a member of the American Medical Association (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). Moreover, according to the â€Å"National Health and Nutrition Survey† girls who drink experience depression â€Å"four times more likely than those who do not engage in drinking† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). Furthermore, teenagers who drink also suffer from low grades; in fact, according to the â€Å"American Medical Association†, those who drink get lower scores on â€Å"vocabulary, visual-spatial, as well as, memory tests† as compared with those who do not engage in drinking (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). In addition to that, some teenagers who drink develop â€Å"psychological distress†, as well as, â€Å"serious behavioral problems†; this is according to the statistical information gathered by the â€Å"Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). Last but not least, a study conducted by the â€Å"Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration† confirms that teenagers who are regularly drinking may develop â€Å"attention-deficit disorder† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). Physical and Behavioral Effects Teenagers who engage themselves in alcohol drinking may also suffer from the following physical and behavioral effects: First of all, teenagers may develop problems accepting unfortunate occurrences in their lives (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). They may turn â€Å"in-denial† and make use of alcohol as a â€Å"defense mechanism† every time he or she is reminded of the truth especially in cases where he or she gets offended (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). Second, some teenagers may feel pity for themselves while some tend to get excessively angry which may actually result in severe drinking (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). Third, some teenagers drinking severely may experience troubles accepting their faults (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). Thus eventually, they blame somebody else for the untoward incidents that occurred to them (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). Finally, some teenagers who drink too much may experience hurting other people or even oneself (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). Summary / Conclusion Indeed, teenagers who engage themselves in drinking alcohol are faced with dangers including physiological and behavioral/physical ones (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). â€Å"Physiological effects† include the following: â€Å"permanent brain damage, depression, poor school performance, psychological distress / serious behavioral problems, and attention deficit disorder† (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). Meanwhile, physical ones include: â€Å"in-denial, self-pity, excessive anger, blaming others, and   hurting oneself other individuals† (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). References Garrett, F.P. (2002). Excuses Alcoholics Make. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from http://www.bma-wellness.com/papers/Excuses_Alcoholics.html The Marin Institute. (n.d.). Physiological Effects of Alcohol on Teenagers. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from http://www.marininstitute.org/Youth/teen_alcohol_use.htm    How to cite Alcohol’s Effects on Teenagers, Papers

Corporate Social Responsibility Management

Question: Write an Eassay on Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility? Answer: Corporate Social Responsibility is an aspect which almost all the Organizations think of in a critical way. The view of the concept starts with the thought that the business leaders or the people involved in the management of large Business Organizations are changing themselves to be ethical people in accepting various job roles where they could display good virtues. Apart from this it is also proved that the Organizations had their origin a long back and it is just not in these years that we are getting to see a major change in the ethical behaviors of People. The Organizations influence their ethics environment as they are personally responsible for framing their ethical code of conduct. The Business Leaders contend that the Organizational profitability is dependent on the ethical codes and integrity. In a free economy the social responsibility of business is to engage its resources and activities designed in such a way so as to increase their profits and stay within the rules of the game to open up to a free competition and stay out of fraud. According to a famous Economist James McKie The primary objective of a business is to make profit. Profits are to be kept reasonable or at marginal levels which can withstand the levels of competition. The Organizations follow a certain set of rules which they frame as a code of conduct and follow these ethical guidelines (Sherman, S 2003). The process of making ethical decisions starts at this point by implementing their written codes. According to Sherman, S Rethinking Integrity has made a profound presence in the laws of ethical codes of the Organizations. In the process of making ethical decisions it has been emphasized that there are 8 stages towards integrity. Doing the right things in the sense of making the right decisions at the right time, taking responsibility of any situation, supporting their own rights and maintaining a holistic thinking, respecting others, having a pulse check at different times this could be done at various stages like whenever a difficult or a challenging situation comes up, facing legal suits, facing competitors in a business and defining rules and values. Corporate social responsibility and diversity in the modern workplace is a major factor which comes up in the process of making ethical decisions. The Management people or the Business owners can do a great deal to shape the ethical environment however there are times when they are forced to get tempted or forced to make some bribes or be controlled by the corporate systems. This is the most incorrect thing which can place an immense pressure on an employee to get committed to do the incorrect thing for an alleged good or a product of the Organization. As emphasized by Holland in such cases the employee is presented with a choice between his career and morality (Holland, W, R 1996). The same is the case of Dalman which he has faced and I recommend that he should get the trash cans or the dumpsters moved or change the face of the doors so that he maintains that minimum distance of 30 feet which is required as if he bribes the Holiday party to the Officer he might come out of the situation only for once. When the Officer gets changed he might have to go through the same case again and the Management will end incurring more cost in the future. References Sherman, S. (2003). Rethinking Integrity. Leader to Leader, (28), 39-45 Holland, William R. "Ethics in a Plain Manilla Envelope: Simple Guidelines for Doing Business Honestly."IndustryWeek.March18,1996.

Absolute Monarchs essays

Absolute Monarchs essays Throughout the 16th and 17th Century the rise of many absolute monarchs is witnessed in which the live lives of much royalty and grandeur. Luxuriousness became a mere detail to the lives, and they built palaces the size of small cities. However, some of these monarchs became so caught up in their lives of extravagance that they threw their countries into great

Parthenon essays

Parthenon essays The Parthenon of Athens, which is located in Greece, has probably received more attention from than any other ancient structure. Words and photographs cannot do this great accomplishment justice. The Parthenons construction, history, sculptures and its dreadful condition all tells a story, a story of a creative triumphant victory for the Greeks. An Internet source states, the name Parthenon refers to the worship of Athena Parthenos, the 'Virgin Athena' who issued fully grown from the head of her father Zeus. The maiden goddess and patroness of Athens, she represents the highest order of spiritual development and the gifts of intellect and understanding. Pure in body, mind and heart, Athena is the symbol of the universal human aspiration for wisdom. The Parthenon has suffered greatly from time, so that it is only a portion of its original self. The Parthenon survived into the early modern era almost entirely in tact. It was preserved because the building remained in constant use; first converted into a church in the sixth century, and then into a mosque after the Islamic conquest by the Turks. Unfortunately, during the late seventeenth century the Parthenon was also used as a powder magazine. In 1687, in their battle to take Athens from the Turks, the Venetians shelled the Acropolis. In spite of being rather terrible shots, theVentians after three days of shelling finally made a direct hit. The resulting explosion blew the roof off the Parthenon and knocked huge holes on all four sides. The building suffered further in the first decade of the nineteenth-century when the British envoy to Ottoman Court, Lord Elgin, removed a great deal of the sculpture and brought it to England. Air pollution especially during the last half-ce ntury has also contributed to the degradation of the building and forced the removal of most of the remaining sculptures. The condition we find the Parthenon in today is largely due to late ...

Discuss ways in which developmental psychology can inform practice in Essay

Discuss ways in which developmental psychology can inform practice in specific learning difficultires - Essay Example There are certain examples of learning difficulties that can be related to processing of sensory information that can cause misunderstanding of the stimuli gathered from the environment for learning. In both children and adult, the main hindrance with regards to the achievement of the optimum performance at work and in school can be considered as the main consequence. It is then important to determine the different types of learning difficulties as well as the interventions that can be undertaken (Segal, Cutter, Jaffe-Gill, Barston and De Benedictis, 2008; Wood, Littleton and Sheehy, 2006). The main objective of the study undertaken is to be able to give an overview of the types of learning difficulties and focus on the interventions that can be related to developmental psychology. For that matter the main target are the results of the studies undertaken by the experts in relation to children on the basis of the fact that the brain has a very high capability to adapt and change upon proper and specific training and development. There are different types of learning abilities with the general indications of lack of attention and motivation. The said conditions can be traced in the functioning of the nervous system which can affect different learning skills including verbal and non-verbal information with problems in terms of acquisition of information, understanding, organization, memory and expression (Helpguide.Org, 2009; Segal, Cutter, Jaffe-Gill, Barston and De Benedictis, 2008). The learning difficulties that can be related to reading disorder as well as the expression through writing can be included in the learning difficulties classified in the area of language. Specific examples of certain areas in the language related learning difficulties can be enumerated (Helpguide.Org, 2009; Segal, Cutter,

Analysis of Lidl's advertisement strategy Dissertation

Analysis of Lidl's advertisement strategy - Dissertation Example The history of this international supermarket chain dates back to 1930s when the company was established as a grocery wholesaler with headquarters in Neckarsulm, Baden-Wà ¼rttemberg, Germany. Currently, the company is amongst the major leading grocery retailers in Europe. During the 90s, Lidl started to expand its operations across Europe stepping outside Germany for the first time; and presently, Lidl outlets can be found in the majority of the countries in Europe. The company is very well-established as a major food retailer in Europe. As far as the discount sector is concerned, an extensive network of Lidl outlets is unmatched. The company has always believed in offering superior quality products at competitive prices to their customer base across Europe. As mentioned above, the company takes pride in providing superior quality products at a very competitive price to their customer base. The company regards themselves as the best in business, as far as the discount sector is conc erned and they convey the same message through their advertisements in order to influence the buying decision of their customers. The message that the company conveys through advertising, as can be noted on its website is, â€Å"Where quality costs less.† The company has implemented a very effective and efficient international marketing strategy of pricing their product competitively (at a lower level) and at the same time, enhancing the quality of their products and services with the sole motive of satisfying customers (Lidl, 2014b).

INdividual Assignment 8 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

INdividual 8 - Assignment Example Various groups that have similar lines of expertise could also team up or collaborate to increase the range of their connections, thus bringing different businesses together by means of intermediaries, but without the hassle of actually meeting up each one of them in person. There is also no need to particularly know who these people are personally, and communications often happen by consulting groups or individual people according to expertise, thus every group have opportunities to show their skills equally since business owners or companies aim to get the job done professionally as to how they would want it done. It is easier to conduct businesses or sales using social networks such as Facebook. This is because while in LinkedIn transactions are done via consultants or third parties depending on their expertise, Facebook harnesses the power of word-by-mouth in promoting marketing and sales (105). There is also less barriers among businesses since they could conduct transactions directly with customers, upon being introduced to potential consumers by their loyal customers. People belonging to active social networking sites have the power to promote companies or put them down using the strength of suggestion and impressions, like how many people tell their product satisfaction online. The image of the company is also important for consumers, and with the power of suggestion a company could gain or lose profits if for example a group of people would tell others within their networks whether the products or services of a company is good or bad. Answer to Part II: Different societies having various cultures accept social networking depending on whether the people have a collectivist or an individualist culture. For example, in individualist societies LinkedIn is more often used for finding connections and business partners but without the intention of fusing personal relationships with business

The Fast Food And Quick Service Restaurant Industry Marketing Essay

The Fast Food And Quick Service Restaurant Industry Marketing Essay For the mid-term paper I have chosen the food beverage category from the 2008 Inc 500 list. Companies in this industry are involved in processing, packaging and delivering of food and beverage. This includes prepared foods, packaged foods, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. The company with the highest revenue on this list is Wingstop with revenue of $206.6 million in 2008 and the company with the highest growth rate is The Snack Factory with a growth as high as 18,371.3%. The company in lowest quartile of the top 2008 Inc. 500 Food Beverage list that I think will move up the most positions is a company called Saladworks. In this paper I will evaluate for the different companies what industry they are in and if it is an attractive industry. I will use Michael Porters five basic competitive forces to evaluate the competition and profitability of the industries. The basic forces are threat of new entrants, power of suppliers, power of customers, threat of substitutes and rivalry among existing competitors. For Wingstop and The Snack Factory I will further evaluate positioning, competitive advantage, trends, customers, products, business model, core competencies and competition for each. For Saladworks I will explain why I think they will move up the most positions. Wingstop is a Restaurant chain serving made-to-order buffalo chicken wings, side dishes and beer in 28 states across the U.S. (Inc 500) The company was founded in 1994 and was successful in creating a niche in chicken dining. They started franchising in 1997 and have a nostalgic, aviation-theme in their restaurants. The industry that they are in is the fast food and quick-service restaurant industry. I will have a look at industry competition to evaluate if this is an attractive industry. The threat of new entrants in this industry is moderate. There are some important barriers to entry but the lack of some significant ones makes it vulnerable. The barriers that are in place are high investments and high fixed costs. Especially marketing and advertising costs to keep existing customers and getting new ones are high for the big chains. There is relatively high degree of brand loyalty to some branded chains and franchise licenses are protected as intellectual property. The barriers that are not in place includes the absent of economics of scale meaning even small local stores can be profitable. Many consumers are also price sensitive and the cost of switching is low. Because of the lack of some of the most important barriers the threat of new entries is substantial. The power of suppliers in this industry is considerable but mostly for small restaurants. The distribution to the fast food chains is dominated by a few large suppliers that can put pressure on smaller businesses. But with the bigger chains like McDonalds the suppliers stand weaker in a bargaining situation. The power of customers and the pressure they can put on the industry is relatively moderate. This is because the consumers in principle can produce the product themselves if they want. They are also price-sensitive so the prices are kept low and it doesnt cost customers anything to switch to an alternative product. The threat of substitutes in the industry is high. Fast food faces constant competition from home cooked food. In addition the fast food product is not differentiated and consumers can easily go from McDonalds to for example Burger King. The price for most fast foods is in the same low range and it is easy to switch to an alternative restaurant. Rivalry among existing competitors is also high. There are many small players with the same size but in the high end a number of big franchise chains. They have many of the same strategies such as low price, quick service and quality. There is almost no differentiation between the businesses and the growth of one company goes on the expense of a competitor so spending on advertising tends to be high. The industry has suffered a lot of criticism coming from the high coverage of negative health effects and obesity from diverse media. Even do rivalry between competitors is high and there is a lot of negative media coverage this is an attractive industry to be in. People are still buying these often calorie busting products and the sales were more than $180 billion in 2007. (Hoovers) Positioning Wingstop position itself as healthy finger food chain. They use lot of funds to market that the chain is not selling unhealthy fast food and that they always serve fresh homemade food. Their competitive advantages include their award-winning recipes and simple concept, but also important is their marketing and distribution partnership with high profile American football team Dallas Cowboys. Their deal with the team has made them the exclusive chicken wing vendor in the team stadium and also made a lot of hype around the chain. With more than 600 open or under development restaurants in 27 states they have proven that the concept is scalable in the U.S. The simple concept of selling just chicken wings with some side dishes has been well received by the public. Scalability internationally is more difficult because buffalo chicken wings are a traditional American bar food and are not widely available outside the U.S. Scalability in the ranks of McDonalds is therefore questionable but no t impossible with the right use of resources. Their advantage is also sustainable if they continue with the simple concept, focus solely on the chicken wings and invest further in the process that makes them unique among competitors. This chain is definitely here to stay. Trends A trend that is working against the company is the increased media focus on health and diet issues associated with fast food chains. The industry is also very competitive and Wingstop has to spend a lot on advertising to keep consumers away from their competitors. Another trend that is acting for the company is the increasingly busy workdays that make people eat out instead of making food at home. Consumers often chose the fastest and cheapest alternative when they are in a hurry and need to eat on the go. Problem The problem Wingstop is solving is the elementary need for food and the need for having it made and served fast when people dont have time do make it themselves. The need for food is an aspirin problem with regards to Maslows hierarchy of needs because the physiological need must be met or the human body simply cannot continue to function. But the need for a fast meal is rather a strong vitamin problem because even with hectic workdays you can decide to take time to make your own food. The job to be done is to be available and visible to serve customers. Customers The customers are everyday consumers that have a liking for chicken wings. The consumers are families looking to have a good time without having to cook themselves and singles with a hectic workdays that doesnt have time cook and need something easy. Product Their product is primarily Buffalo style chicken wings but they also sell different chicken types, side dishes and beer. Other chicken alternatives are boneless strips and breaded chicken. Their side dishes includes fresh cut seasoned fries, potato salad, creamy cole slaw, hot cheddar cheese sauce, bourbon baked beans, crispy veggie sticks and dips. More than just the physical products they sell an experience. The American bar experience in a 1930-40s pre-jet aviation theme inspired setting. Business model Their business model is that of a manufacturer. Their main product is a nondurable physical asset in the form of food and they buy the raw materials and transform them into their product as a creator. Even do they outsource much of the actual production as a large part of their branch consist of franchises they are still a creator. Wingstop have clear routines for every franchise so that the product tastes the same everywhere you buy it and so they do substantial design of the product and are therefore not a distributor. Core competencies To continue to succeed Wingstop need to be top of the line when it comes to marketing. In addition to the process of making the popular chicken wings they sell their most important core competency is the ability to advertise the brand and create hype around their restaurant chain. They have extended a contract with their national spokesman, Super Bowl hero Troy Aikman and this shows that they are on the right track. As mentioned earlier the competition among fast food chains are tough and the only ones that survives are the ones that get through too consumers and keeps them coming back. To get consumers to come back the food and service in the restaurants needs to be excellent. Because many of their restaurants are franchises they need to be good at creating solid routines so the experience in the restaurants doesnt differ from each other. But the most important factor to continue the success is to be visible and stand out among the fast food restaurants and this must be done by adve rtising and creative marketing. Competition The competition Wingstop faces is all the different fast food chains including not only the restaurants that sell chicken wings but also the ones that offer hamburgers, pizza tacos and more. The big competitors in the segments as a whole are McDonalds, Burger King, Wendys, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell to mention some that has a large part of the market shares. More directly Wingstop has to compete with the other restaurants offering similar chicken wing meals. Some of the competitor chains are Buffalo Wild Wings, Hooters, Wing Zone, Applebees, Brinker, Carlson Restaurants, Damons, Darden, Family Sports Concepts, Fox Hound Restaurant, Ker Inc, Papa Johns and Zaxbys (Hoovers). The biggest competitor from the list is Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW). They had revenues of $422.4 million in 2008 and operate a chain of more than 550 restaurants in nearly 40 states. Besides the chicken wings they are very famous for their dipping sauces that accompanies. They also sell appetizers, burgers, tacos, salads, beer wine and other beverages. Like Wingstop they have used relationships with sports to market themselves as a sports bar franchise. Another competitor worth mentioning is Hooters which have had success with the restaurant experience they offer consumers and this factor is more important than the food they serve. Hooters have a beach theme and their waitresses dress in the chains trademark bright orange short shorts and tight T-shirts and are known as Hooter girls. By focusing on the special atmosphere they have managed to differentiate themselves and gained a competitive advantage. This has also opened the door for international expansion and they now have 450 Hooters restaurants in about 45 states and more than 25 other countries. The Snack Factory Background The Snack Factory is a family owned and operated business that makes and sells crunchy snacks. The company was founded in 1981 by Sara and Warren Wilson. Warren started out with selling funnel cakes based on his grandmothers recipe on country fairs in 1969 and paid his way through college with the proceeds. After college he opened a store selling funnel cakes in New Jersey and here he met Sara. The two of them started to develop the company called Funnel Cake Factory and eventually made a concept of bagel chips that was flat crunchy chips made from bagels into a company called New York Style Bagel Chip Company. This was a new idea and consumers welcomed the new product. The bagel chips company was later sold to Nabisco in 1992 and the funnel cake company was sold to JJ Snack Foods a few years later. The entrepreneurs didnt stop and used the following years to develop a thin but crunchy pretzel great for dipping and spreading that became known as Pretzel Crisps. Industry The Snack Factory is in the snack foods industry which can be explained as Companies that manufacture, process, and/or package snack foods, including salty snacks, nuts, snack bars, and snack mixes (Hoovers). The threat of new entrants in the industry is low on national and international level. A major barrier of entry in this market is very high degree of brand loyalty. The big companies with their popular brands make it very difficult to come in to the market and establish a new brand. It is easier to enter on the local level because the consumers are open to local products. Customers are price sensitive in this industry too but with already very low prices it is difficult to enter and compete with the larger corporations. The power of suppliers in this industry is low. Most of the raw foods for the snack manufacturers come from farmers and they dont have strong bargaining power. Farmers have no choice but to follow the prices the snack manufacturers will give them. The power of customers is also not very high in this industry. Customers are supermarkets that again sell to consumers. The supermarkets and the likes need to provide the consumers with the snack brands they want or they will go somewhere else. The stores therefore have weak bargaining power towards the manufacturers but indirect the manufacturers have to listen to the consumers that are price sensitive and set the price so they will buy the product. The threat of substitutes in the industry is on the other hand high. There is continuous threat from existing snack food and also from new alternatives. There isnt much to differentiate a bag of chips from another and the customers have to buy in what the consumers want the most because they cant carry every brand. Rivalry among existing competitors is also high. There is fierce rivalry among the biggest companies and advertising and marketing budget are extremely high. Because of low differentiation and that growth goes on the expense of a competitor making customer buy and keep buying is crucial. Despite high costs on promotion and brand advertising and large corporations competing to capture larger shares of the market this is also an attractive industry. The industry generates billions of dollars in revenue and if you as a company manage to take some shares of the market there is large profit involved Positioning The Snack Factory position themselves as a healthy snack alternative with less calories, cholesterol and fat compared to other snack alternatives. Both the founders and their family members are involved with the company and this gives the company a family business image. Their most important competitive advantages are the made in America brand and recipe that is developed over several years combined with the expertise the Wilsons holds. They have already demonstrated that it is scalable by increasing distribution to some of Americas largest retailers having a growth as high as 18,371.3% last year. But the family based company can only supply to so many before they need to expand production and that can be in conflict with their image. The growth may therefore not be too sustainable, but with the product in the hands of a bigger snack manufacturer the growth might continue. This would mean an exit for the Wilson like they did with the other two companies but they are entrepreneurs and will probably keep going for the next big thing. Trends A trend that is acting for the company is the media focus mentioned earlier on health effects from eating food with high calorie and fat amounts. People are becoming more and more concerned about these issues and have started to choose more healthy alternatives. Another trend working for them is the consumer interest for made in America brand products. Having this label can appeal to Americans who associate this with high quality and the feeling of contributing to keep production in the U.S. A trend that is acting against the company is that many of the large competitors also have shifted focus over on healthy snack products and have much more money to use on marketing their products. Problem The problem The Snack Factory is solving is the hunger consumers have between the main meals of the day that are breakfast, lunch and dinner. Snack food is an alternative to be eaten between these meals as an energy supply or for taste enjoyment. This problem is also is also a vitamin need. The job to be done is to provide a product that the consumers see as an alternative to the many different types of snack foods. It also has to be available as many consumers buy these products on impulse usually when they are shopping for something entirely different. Customers The Snack Factorys customers are the large retailers, supermarkets and fine stores who sell the products to the end customer the consumers. Retailers and supermarkets they are already supplying to include Sams Club, Whole Foods, Shaws Supermarket and many others across the U.S and Canada. Sams Club is a chain of membership-only retail warehouses and is today serving more than 47 million U.S. members. Whole Foods is a food retailer of natural and organic products and have more than 275 locations in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. Shaws Supermarket is the second largest grocery group in the New England States and operates 200 stores solely across New England. Product The product The Snack Factory is selling is Pretzels Crisps. The product is like a normal pretzel only that the middle is removed. The product has a lot of crunch and flavor and is made with no trans fats, no saturated fat and no cholesterol and only containing 110 calories per serving. The product is meant as a snack straight from the bag but also for dipping and spread for toppings. The Pretzels Crisps come in many different flavors including original, garlic, honey mustard onion, buffalo wing, dark chocolate, peanut butter and chipotle cheddar. The price out to the end users from retailers and supermarkets is around $2.99. Business model Their business model is that of a manufacturer like Wingstop. The Pretzels Crisps they are making is a nondurable asset so they are classified as physical. The pretzels are made from raw material to the final products that they sell out. This kind of transformation of the asset classifies the company a creator. A creator of physical assets follows the basic business model of a manufacturer. Core competencies To continue the success The Snack Factory need to put more capital into marketing if they are going to continue the growth they have experienced. Their core competency lies with the experience in developing new food products and recipes for the preparation of the Pretzels Crisps. Sara says, We believe its the product that catapults us. Sure, we do some marketing, but our success came before we did any marketing. The product itself makes people come back for more. (Inc 500. Sep 1, 2008) It is obvious that the company is not spending much on advertising and they have been using in-store samplings as the most used marketing method. This approach has gotten the company so far and they have said they were looking into the opportunity to expand to Asia and Europe while keeping the business personable and family oriented. But coming from a local factory start and beginning to compete with the large snack manufacturers this will provide some challenges. The industry consists of large corpora tions competing hard to capture shares and they spend heavily on promotion campaigns to convince customers to buy their product. To compete with these corporations they have to be good at marketing in a big scale. The company doesnt have the experience with taking products to compete in the top since they sold the previous companies before they got there. If they are to pursue international growth they need to get better in marketing, partner up with companies that have the experience or they should make an exit and sell. Competition Their competition is as mentioned the large players in the snack industry. There was no company information on The Snack Factory in the Hoovers database but looking at the information for the company J J Snack Foods that acquired their funnel cake company I found a list of competitors in the snack business. In the US they will have to compete with companies like J J Snack Foods, Frito-Lay, Mrs. Fields, Snyders of Hanover, American Dairy Queen, Auntie Annes, Cinnabon, Dawn Food Products, Dreyerss, General Mills, Interstate Bakeries, Jamba, Jel Sert, Juice It Up, Kellogg U.S. Snacks, Kraft Foods, Lance Snacks, Mister Twister Pretzels, Nestle USA, Otis Spunkmeyer, Planet Smoothie, Pretzels, Inc, Ruiz Foods Inc., Sara Lee, Smoothie King, Sorbee International, Wetzels Pretzels, Dippin Dots, Flowers Foods, Golden Enterprises, Goya, Hanover Foods, Mckee Foods and Tasty Baking. There are a lot of players in the industry and they are all looking to maximize market share. One competitor worth mentioning is Frito-Lay that sells more chips than any other company in North America. Their top selling food snacks include well known products such as Cheetos, Doritos, Fritos and Lays. They have responded to the market trends and have bought several healthy snack brands and they spend heavily on marketing to stay on the top. Saladworks Saladworks is in the lowest quartile of the top 2008 Inc. 500 Food Beverage list. The company had revenues of $5.5 million and a growth of 98.3%. Saladworks was founded by John Scardapane in 1986 and started out with a single location in the Cherry Hill Mall in Southern New Jersey. It is the first and largest tossed-salad franchise in the U.S. with 104 locations in 9 states today. The idea of the franchise and their positioning is to provide fresh and healthy salads as alternative food for consumers on the go. They sell primarily gourmet salads but also soups, wraps, sandwiches and more. In 2008 they also added signature salads to the menu. They invited four A-list chefs to create four different salads that became the signature series. The competitive advantage that Saladworks has is being first with turning fast food in to a healthier meal and the chef expertise in the development making it hard for copycats to follow. The company had a major growth in 2002 when they managed to add 21 new franchise locations in only 10 months. Consumer response and the growth Saladworks has experienced prove that it is scalable. The company is in the fast food and quick-service restaurant industry same as Wingstop. As mentioned earlier the competitive landscape is hard in this industry with moderate threat of new entrants, considerable bargaining power of suppliers, moderate power of customers, high levels of both threats of new substitutes and rivalry amongst the competitors. A large trend in this industry is need for healthy alternatives among the many unhealthy fast foods. The businesses that sell products with high calories have started to include some healthy alternatives as side dishes in their menus. But unable to shift entirely over to healthy alternatives is difficult because their brand is associated with their products. Where would McDonalds be if they threw out their burgers and started selling only salads? Because SaladWorks is first and largest and places itself in the industry with trends on their side I see the potential of the company franchising more across the U.S and possible also to Europe. They signed a contract for ten new locations in Metro Atlanta in 2008 and in 2009 they have expanded with new stores in Virginia. They have also made deals for opening new locations in California and Boston. With the plans for expansions, market trends on their side and the advantages of being one of the first I think this company will move up many positions on the Inc 500 Food Beverage list for the years to come.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) :: Research Essays Papers

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) There are different characteristics that accompany FAS in the different stages of a child's life. "At birth, infants with intrauterine exposure to alcohol frequently have low birth rate; pre-term delivery; a small head circumference; and the characteri stic facial features of the eyes, nose, and mouth" (Phelps, 1995, p. 204). Some of the facial abnormalities that are common of children with FAS are: microcephaly, small eye openings, broad nasal bridge, flattened mid-faces, thin upper lip, skin folds at the corners of the eyes, indistinct groove on the upper lip, and an abnormal smallness of the lower jaw (Wekselman, Spiering, Hetteberg, Kenner, & Flandermeyer, 1995; Phelps, 1995). These infants also display developmental delays, psychomotor retardatio n, and cognitive deficits. As a child with FAS progresses into preschool physical, cognitive and behavioral abnormalities are more noticeable. These children are not the average weight and height compared to the children at the same age level. Cognitive manifestations is another problem with children who have FAS. "Studies have found that preschoolers with FAS generally score in the mentally handicapped to dull normal range of intelligence" (Phelps, 1995, p. 205). Children with FAS usually h ave language delay problems during their preschool years. Research has also shown that these children exhibit poorly articulated language, delayed use of sentences or more complex grammatical units, and inadequate comprehension (Phelps, 1995). There are many behavioral characteristics that are common among children with FAS. The most common characteristic is hyperactivity (Phelps, 1995). "Hyperactivity is found in 85% of FAS-affected children regardless of IQ" (Wekeselman et al., 1995, p. 299 ). School failure, behavior management difficulties, and safety issues are some of the problems associated with hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. Another behavioral abnormality of with children with FAS, is social problems. "Specific diffic ulties included inability to respect personal boundaries, inappropriately affectionate, demanding of attention, bragging, stubborn, poor peer relations, and overly tactile in social interactions" (Phelps, 1995, p. 206). Children are sometimes not diagnosed with FAS until they reach kindergarten and are in a real school setting. School-aged children with FAS still have most of the same physical and mental problems that were diagnosed when they were younger. The craniofa cial malformations is one of the only physical characteristic that diminishes during late childhood (Phelps, 1995). "Several studies have evaluated specific areas of cognitive dysfunction in school-age children exposed prenatally to alcohol. Researchers have substantiated: (a) short term memory deficits in verbal and visual material; (b) inadequate processing of inf ormation, reflected b sparse integration of information and poor quality of responses; (c) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) :: Research Essays Papers Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) There are different characteristics that accompany FAS in the different stages of a child's life. "At birth, infants with intrauterine exposure to alcohol frequently have low birth rate; pre-term delivery; a small head circumference; and the characteri stic facial features of the eyes, nose, and mouth" (Phelps, 1995, p. 204). Some of the facial abnormalities that are common of children with FAS are: microcephaly, small eye openings, broad nasal bridge, flattened mid-faces, thin upper lip, skin folds at the corners of the eyes, indistinct groove on the upper lip, and an abnormal smallness of the lower jaw (Wekselman, Spiering, Hetteberg, Kenner, & Flandermeyer, 1995; Phelps, 1995). These infants also display developmental delays, psychomotor retardatio n, and cognitive deficits. As a child with FAS progresses into preschool physical, cognitive and behavioral abnormalities are more noticeable. These children are not the average weight and height compared to the children at the same age level. Cognitive manifestations is another problem with children who have FAS. "Studies have found that preschoolers with FAS generally score in the mentally handicapped to dull normal range of intelligence" (Phelps, 1995, p. 205). Children with FAS usually h ave language delay problems during their preschool years. Research has also shown that these children exhibit poorly articulated language, delayed use of sentences or more complex grammatical units, and inadequate comprehension (Phelps, 1995). There are many behavioral characteristics that are common among children with FAS. The most common characteristic is hyperactivity (Phelps, 1995). "Hyperactivity is found in 85% of FAS-affected children regardless of IQ" (Wekeselman et al., 1995, p. 299 ). School failure, behavior management difficulties, and safety issues are some of the problems associated with hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. Another behavioral abnormality of with children with FAS, is social problems. "Specific diffic ulties included inability to respect personal boundaries, inappropriately affectionate, demanding of attention, bragging, stubborn, poor peer relations, and overly tactile in social interactions" (Phelps, 1995, p. 206). Children are sometimes not diagnosed with FAS until they reach kindergarten and are in a real school setting. School-aged children with FAS still have most of the same physical and mental problems that were diagnosed when they were younger. The craniofa cial malformations is one of the only physical characteristic that diminishes during late childhood (Phelps, 1995). "Several studies have evaluated specific areas of cognitive dysfunction in school-age children exposed prenatally to alcohol. Researchers have substantiated: (a) short term memory deficits in verbal and visual material; (b) inadequate processing of inf ormation, reflected b sparse integration of information and poor quality of responses; (c)

Belief in Allah

What is Belief in Allah and its effects The Islamic faith is based on belief in Allah. When a person believes that the heavens and the earth and the world around him have been created by Him, and it is He who is governing them and it is He who will one Day call all mankind to account, then this is the beginning of religious awareness. Quite obviously, it is necessary that people have a true conception of their Creator. For this, they must have knowledge of the rational grounds of His existence as well as knowledge about gaining His correct recognition (ma`rifat).In this article we shall dwell upon these twin issues. | We shall first take up the issue of the Almighty's existence. A logical starting point in this regard would be to analyze all human sources of knowledge. A little deliberation shows that, apart from Divine Guidance revealed to the Prophets, man has three sources of knowledge. We shall examine each one of them. a) Faculty of Intuition: Certain a priori information exists in every person's intuition: it pertains to the knowledge which is not learned through the senses but which is innate and inborn in an individual.This innate information consists of various concepts. For example the concept of contradiction is information present in our intuition. This concept, of course, is not a tangible thing. However, we apply this concept to a certain phenomenon and conclude that contradiction exists. b) Faculty of Sense Perception: Similarly, man receives knowledge through his five senses from the external environment. A person's senses are his receptors, which link him to the outside world. He sees, hears, touches, smells and tastes a thing and gets information about it.Moreover, this information gathered by the senses is transmitted to the later generations and such information becomes established history. c) Faculty of Reason: Now, the human faculty of reason collates the information that it receives through the senses with the innate information present i n human intuition. This internal analysis produces results, which, if proven correct, become facts and add to the treasure of human knowledge. One form of this analysis is called induction i. e. general laws are deduced by analyzing particular examples.Many conclusions reached in this regard are not tangible facts. In fact, these conclusions are supported by evidence that exists in the external world. Most scientific laws which have been discovered are of this nature. One does not see the force of gravity, yet undeniable proof exists of its existence. Similarly, it is a fact that the earth is rotating on its axis at a very high speed and also, at the same time, revolving round the sun. Obviously, these are things our senses do not register; yet this rotation and this revolution are irrefutable realities.The Oneness of Allah We sent no Messenger before you without revealing to him, â€Å"There is no god but Me, so worship Me (alone)†Ã‚  (Al-Anbiya  21:25). The Oneness of All ah, known as  tawhid,  is the first and paramount constituent of the Islamic concept, as it is the fundamental truth of the Islamic faith. It is also one of the chief characteristics of the Islamic concept because, among all the belief systems and philosophies currently prevailing among human beings, only the Islamic faith can be characterized as having a pure form of monotheism.This is why we have included â€Å"The Oneness of Allah† as one of the characteristics of the Islamic concept. The evidence of reason that Allah exists: all these created things, past, present and future, must have a Creator Who brought them into existence, because it is not possible for them to have created themselves or to have come into existence by accident. It is impossible for them to have come into existence by themselves because a thing cannot create itself; before it existed it was non-existent, so how could it be a creator?!And it is impossible for them to have come into existence by acc ident, because everything that happens must have a cause. Moreover, this creation is done in a wondrous and precise manner, and every created being is in harmony with the rest of creation, and there is a strong connection between cause and effect. All of this makes it impossible that this universe could have come into being accidentally, because what happens accidentally does not happen in a precise and perfect manner, so how could it remain so precisely balanced?If it is not possible for these things to have created themselves or to have come into existence by accident, then there must be One Who brought them into existence, namely Allah the Lord of the Worlds. Allah has mentioned this rational evidence and definitive proof in Surah At-Toor, where He says: â€Å"Were they created by nothing? Or were they themselves the creators? † (Glorious Qur'aan: Surah At-Toor, 52: v35) All the basic principles of Islam are fully dealt with in the Holy Quran, and so is the doctrine of fai th in God, where of the corner stone is belief in the unity of God. Tawhid is the most important Islamic belief. Belief in Allah What is Belief in Allah and its effects The Islamic faith is based on belief in Allah. When a person believes that the heavens and the earth and the world around him have been created by Him, and it is He who is governing them and it is He who will one Day call all mankind to account, then this is the beginning of religious awareness. Quite obviously, it is necessary that people have a true conception of their Creator. For this, they must have knowledge of the rational grounds of His existence as well as knowledge about gaining His correct recognition (ma`rifat).In this article we shall dwell upon these twin issues. | We shall first take up the issue of the Almighty's existence. A logical starting point in this regard would be to analyze all human sources of knowledge. A little deliberation shows that, apart from Divine Guidance revealed to the Prophets, man has three sources of knowledge. We shall examine each one of them. a) Faculty of Intuition: Certain a priori information exists in every person's intuition: it pertains to the knowledge which is not learned through the senses but which is innate and inborn in an individual.This innate information consists of various concepts. For example the concept of contradiction is information present in our intuition. This concept, of course, is not a tangible thing. However, we apply this concept to a certain phenomenon and conclude that contradiction exists. b) Faculty of Sense Perception: Similarly, man receives knowledge through his five senses from the external environment. A person's senses are his receptors, which link him to the outside world. He sees, hears, touches, smells and tastes a thing and gets information about it.Moreover, this information gathered by the senses is transmitted to the later generations and such information becomes established history. c) Faculty of Reason: Now, the human faculty of reason collates the information that it receives through the senses with the innate information present i n human intuition. This internal analysis produces results, which, if proven correct, become facts and add to the treasure of human knowledge. One form of this analysis is called induction i. e. general laws are deduced by analyzing particular examples.Many conclusions reached in this regard are not tangible facts. In fact, these conclusions are supported by evidence that exists in the external world. Most scientific laws which have been discovered are of this nature. One does not see the force of gravity, yet undeniable proof exists of its existence. Similarly, it is a fact that the earth is rotating on its axis at a very high speed and also, at the same time, revolving round the sun. Obviously, these are things our senses do not register; yet this rotation and this revolution are irrefutable realities.The Oneness of Allah We sent no Messenger before you without revealing to him, â€Å"There is no god but Me, so worship Me (alone)†Ã‚  (Al-Anbiya  21:25). The Oneness of All ah, known as  tawhid,  is the first and paramount constituent of the Islamic concept, as it is the fundamental truth of the Islamic faith. It is also one of the chief characteristics of the Islamic concept because, among all the belief systems and philosophies currently prevailing among human beings, only the Islamic faith can be characterized as having a pure form of monotheism.This is why we have included â€Å"The Oneness of Allah† as one of the characteristics of the Islamic concept. The evidence of reason that Allah exists: all these created things, past, present and future, must have a Creator Who brought them into existence, because it is not possible for them to have created themselves or to have come into existence by accident. It is impossible for them to have come into existence by themselves because a thing cannot create itself; before it existed it was non-existent, so how could it be a creator?!And it is impossible for them to have come into existence by acc ident, because everything that happens must have a cause. Moreover, this creation is done in a wondrous and precise manner, and every created being is in harmony with the rest of creation, and there is a strong connection between cause and effect. All of this makes it impossible that this universe could have come into being accidentally, because what happens accidentally does not happen in a precise and perfect manner, so how could it remain so precisely balanced?If it is not possible for these things to have created themselves or to have come into existence by accident, then there must be One Who brought them into existence, namely Allah the Lord of the Worlds. Allah has mentioned this rational evidence and definitive proof in Surah At-Toor, where He says: â€Å"Were they created by nothing? Or were they themselves the creators? † (Glorious Qur'aan: Surah At-Toor, 52: v35) All the basic principles of Islam are fully dealt with in the Holy Quran, and so is the doctrine of fai th in God, where of the corner stone is belief in the unity of God. Tawhid is the most important Islamic belief.

Martin Luther King Jr essays

Martin Luther King Jr essays One of the world's best known advocates of non-violent social change strategies, Martin Luther King, Jr., used a combination of many highly admirable qualities to convey his message of equality and advance the fight for civil liberties both in the United States and throughout the world. His quest for knowledge and mission to enlighten others brought about rational and non-destructive social change; his speeches and remarks stirred the concern and sparked the conscience of a generation; his charismatic leadership inspired men and women, young and old, in the nation and abroad; his courageous and selfless devotion gave direction to thirteen years of civil rights activities. Kings desire for knowledge was evident from his early years. Due to high scoring on college entrance exams, he was only fifteen years old when he began freshman year at Morehouse College. His quest for knowledge did not end in the classroom, however. He continued to broaden his horizons throughout his entire life. O n a visit to India in 1959, King was able to work out more clearly his understanding of Satyagraha, Gandhi's principle of non-violent persuasion, which King had determined to use as his main instrument of social protest. King fouund ways to make all the things he had learned in his life usseful in his battle for civil liberty. King, with his new understanding of Gandis philosophy of non-violent direct action, was now prepared to use oration as his tool to spread the message of civil liberty. His words gave black and poor people a new sense of worth and dignity. Kings speeches stimulated Southerners hearts and minds, and called them to fight for equality. Dr. King's speech at the march on Washington in 1963 (I Have a Dream), his acceptance speech of the Nobel Peace Prize, and his final speech in Memphis are among his most famous orations. His words to this day inspire people to people to fight on in the battle for inequal ...

Beowulf charecterization essays

Beowulf charecterization essays 1. In a peaceful Kingdome by the name of the Danish Kingdome, something stirs and it is not nice. That thing is Grendal and he is one bad monster, people say that he is a descendant from Cain and the symbol for evil; Cain was the first person to ever murder his own brother which automatically made Grendal against god. To start the story off in the right direction Grendal starts in his underground cave asleep Grendal is awaken by Danish warriors singing drunk like. Since Grendal is the epitome of evil he gets enraged at all, the joyous singing woke up, rushed towards the castle burst open the doors, and mutilated about thirty of the kings knights. He then fled back to his foggy layer where he went back to his peaceful yet eerie sleep. 2. Although Grendal is the most evil thing out there, there are much more devious kind of monster out there. In this story Grendals mother is the culprit and flaunts it. Her reputation is one you would not want her to show you. She is one big monster, ugly, and viscous. She is known to kill anyone and any thing that so much as touches the water in the lake even the animals wont drink out of the water they would rather die. Who would blame them grendals mother would kill them six times before they would hit the ground. 3. Beowulf goes back home after the defeat of both monster and vows the king that he will go back if trouble returns. A few years pass and Beowulf is back in his own kingdom and is the king, due to the loss of his old king higlac. Someone has stolen a golden relic from a nearby cave where a humongous fire-breathing dragon lived. The dragon was so outraged that it started so many fires that it looked like the whole Kingdome was the devils layer. By this time Beowulf had, had enough and set course towards the dragons home and take revenge. Beowulf was not what he used to be back when he fought the grendals he is a lot weaker and has aged alot. When Beowu...

The Math 101 Course Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Math 101 Course - Essay Example I had always been a little apprehensive about studying Math. However, I found the Math 101 course specifically designed to cater to students like me. All the concepts were explained clearly and in a simple manner so that I could understand them well. This course has given me a strong foundation in basic math such that I am able to understand and appreciate various mathematical concepts in a wider perspective. I therefore feel more confident about the subject now.Looking back, I feel that my learning was initially clouded by the apprehension I had regarding the subject. However, as I attended the classes, I gained confidence and was able to understand various concepts like curve sketching, linear equations, matrices, numerical sets and exponential and logarithmic functions. I also feel that if I had spent more time practicing some of the concepts like exponential and logarithmic functions and linear equations, I would have been able to perform better in the course.Regarding the topics that were covered in this course, I found two topics - linear equations and exponential and logarithmic functions – a little difficult to understand. I would suggest using additional problem solving exercises and application exercises to improve this course material.Since I have overcome my initial anxiety about studying math and my performance in this class has been much better than I expected, I feel more confident on the subject. I feel that I have achieved all the course objectives that were listed in the course syllabus. Completing this course has given me the confidence to assess and interpret results in real world situations. I feel that the knowledge I have gained through this course will help me in effective decision making and develop good written communication skills while working in collaboration with others in a professional scenario.

The value the ICH Guidelines bring to the field of clinical research Essay

The value the ICH Guidelines bring to the field of clinical research - Essay Example The quality guidelines ensure maintenance of high quality in clinical research at all times. The guidelines provide harmonization procedures that are crucial for standardization of clinical research. The presence of standardization means it is easy to monitor factors that point to low quality. The quality guidelines provide the thresholds for testing and a relatively flexible approach to research that includes the use of pharmaceutical products (ICH, 2005). Quality guidelines ensure good manufacturing practices are implemented in the production of all pharmaceutical products. ICH guidelines support clinical research by availing detailed safety guidelines that increases the chances of success and limits injuries (ICH, 2005). The guidelines aid in identifying or unearthing potential risks, which include carcinogenicity, reprotoxicity, and genotoxicity. Recently, there was a breakthrough in a non-clinical testing strategy that is used to assess the QT internal prolongation liability. It is a signification contribution to the field of clinical research. The carcinogenicity studies provide safety guidelines on the use of rodents, the importance of carcinogenicity pharmaceuticals, prices, and any relevant issues that affect the performance of the drug. Safety guidelines help in maximizing success and minimizing failure and losses. Safety is among the foundational issues in matters concerning clinical research. Efficacy guidelines are all about conduct, design, safety and the reporting guidelines for clinical trials (ICH, 2005). They provide a benchmark that can be used to measure success or efficiency in the clinical research. The guidelines also touch on new drugs that have been made biotechnological procedures and the use of genomic techniques. These processes aid in the development of improved medicines. These guidelines have a huge impact on the safety of clinical