Essay about Organic Pet Food Marketing Plan - 4702 Words

Organic Pet Food Marketing Plan September 14, 2007 NAICS Industry Code: Dog and Cat Manufacturing 311111 Abstract: This marketing plan provides a plan for entering the organic pet food product as an existing producer of non-organic pet foods based current market conditions and trends following several high profile food safety recalls and alerts, particularly the Melamine-related deaths from pet food imported from China. The pet food industry has experienced enormous growth as part of the overall $41 billion annual pet products and services industry, and promises to move in the directions of increased natural, organic, and health oriented products as consumers increase organic consumption and become†¦show more content†¦Conventional marketing has appealed to consumers based on the idea that the pet food is enjoyed by the animal. Our product marketing will instead appeal to the parental instinct in pet owners, emphasizing health characteristics such as omega-3, senior pet health supplements, and calcium enrichment. Our preliminary research leads us to believe that consumers feel lost in determining which foods are safe, and which are potentially dangerous for their pets. Our campaign will attempt to create a memorable campaign to classify the relative health and safety qualities of a particular product in a simple way. 0. Marketing Plan 1. Business Mission Transition your existing pet food product lines to capture market share and dominant market presence in the growing organic and natural pet food market. The primary business objective is to develop new markets in a stalling and business with decreasing profit margins by appealing to the products that appeal to the health and safety of pets and their owners. Our objective is to use your business’ existing strengths to emerge as the premier organic pet food brand and build a foundation for continued growth. 1. Financial Objectives 1. Increase sales of organic and natural pet food products by 20% in 2008. 2. Increase repeat sales of organic products by 40% in 2008. 3. RecoverShow MoreRelatedEssay about First in Show Pet Foods, Inc. Case Summary1214 Words   |  5 PagesFirst in Show Pet Foods, Inc. Case Summary Key Issues/Background: First in Show Pet Foods, Inc. faces the daunting task of introducing a new brand of dog food to the Boston area, and then the rest of the nation. This is a difficult challenge, not only because the brand, Show Circuit is unknown, but also because this dog food is frozen, unlike nearly all other dog food, which is either bagged as dry or canned. This packaging difference affects First in Show because their food will be stockedRead MorePet Ownership Is Growing At Record Rates Essay1450 Words   |  6 PagesPet ownership is increasingly popular and the pet business is growing at record rates. The Stay Play will offer its customers a variety of upscale services not available at other locations and will allow for â€Å"one stop† need fulfillment. The timing is right for this venture as animal care is becoming more sought after and pet related spending is at an all-time high. (Pet, 2016) Young professionals who consider their pets a part of the family are spending money on servi ces to enhance the qualityRead MoreFirst in Show Pet Foods1336 Words   |  6 PagesOpportunities: †¢ The growing popularity of organic food with the sales growing by 64 percent from last year. †¢ The dog food industry can benefit from the absence of a completely frozen dog food market in the Boston metropolitan area. †¢ More than fifty percent of the dog food market is still untapped thus there is an immense potential to grow in this market. Threats: †¢ There are almost 50 dog food manufacturers with 350 dog food brands in the U.S. However, there are five companiesRead MoreA New Product Line Of All Organic Dog Food2253 Words   |  10 Pagesproduct line of all organic dog food. My product will be called â€Å"Canine’s Healthy Diet†, it will have the slogan â€Å" . Rich in natural vitamins, minerals, essential healthy fats and easy digestion with no harsh chemicals are appeals for the consumer to move towards an all-natural organic pet food for their furry, four legged loved ones. Pets require a very specific balance of key nutrients in order to lead happy, healthy lives, said Dr. Jennifer Coates, a practicing veterinarian and pet MD SpokespersonRead MoreBreeders Own Pet Food Case Analysis Essays1695 Words   |  7 Pages Breeder’s Own Pet Food Inc. Case Analysis CJ Class:Marketing Strategy September 06, 2014 Breeder’s Own Pet Foods, Inc. Case Analysis Case Recap Breeder’s Own Pet Foods, Inc. proposes to adopt a market penetration strategy due to having identified a growth opportunity in the dog food market, for its nutritionally balanced, high quality dog food brand, Breeder’s Mix. This premium product has been sold traditionally, to the show dog kennel market, but company executives are now convinced it canRead Morebreeders own pet food inc.1725 Words   |  7 Pages Breeder’s Own Pet Foods, Inc. Case AnalysisEtienne MepriseBellevue UniversityMBA652:  Marketing StrategyDr. Doug Brown12/3/2013Breeder’s Own Pet Foods, Inc. Case AnalysisCase RecapBreeder’s Own Pet Foods, Inc. sees a growth opportunity in the retail dog food market for its nutritionally balanced, high quality dog food brand Breeder’s Mix, which has been traditionally sold to the show dog kennel market.    The dog food consists of 85% fresh meat and 15% high quality fortified cereal with no additivesRead MoreSquiret4236 Words   |  17 PagesFirst In Show Pet Foods, Inc. First In Show Pet Foods Swot Analysis The following SWOT Analysis ledger is for First in Show Pet Foods Inc., new frozen dog food product â€Å"Show Circuit†. It displays the Internal and External factors that will affect â€Å"Show Circuits† introduction to the pet food market.    Although â€Å"Show Circuit† will need to reshape its prospective target markets views on conventional dog food, it has a researched and proven formula that will provide an improvement in dogs’ coat shineRead MoreKudler Fine Foods: Strategic Planning1729 Words   |  7 PagesKudler Fine Foods: Strategic Planning Kudler Fine Foods (Kudler), a gourmet shop, has recently decided to add organic produce to its product line up and implement a catering service. Actuating this business venture will affect Kudler s suppliers, employees, and consumers. The focus of this paper is to explore how changes in technology have created business opportunities for Kudler, identify the strategy that Kudler should pursue, explore some of the tactics the organization should implementRead More Walmart Vs Target Essay768 Words   |  4 Pagestogether a plan of action we must first research many facets of the Wal-Mart corporation such as: Marketing, Products, and Services provided. From these main areas we will be able to put together a plan for immediate implementation. Products/Services/Marketing The first area to be observed is the products that Wal-Mart sells compared to Target. Wal-Mart offers products in the areas of: Apparel, Baby, Books, Electronics, Garden and patio, Gifts and Flowers, Home, Jewelry, Pets, Sports, ToysRead MoreCase Analysis of Whole Foods Decides to Open in Detroit1092 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Case Analysis of Whole Foods Decides to Open in Detroit Company Background Whole Foods Market, Inc. is an American foods supermarket chain specializing in finest natural and organic foods with locations in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. It was founded by John Mackey and his girlfriend Rene Lawson on September 20,1980, and today Whole Foods Market is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The current CEO is the founder John Mackey. Whole foods Market is the largest U.S. retailer of natural

Research in Rizals Life Free Essays

An event occurs in the 19th century in Europe where it had a tremendous contribution in molding the Philippines catalyst of nationalism no less than Dry. Jose Racial. The period of 19th century, was really a well-designed era of the term nationalism. We will write a custom essay sample on Research in Rizals Life or any similar topic only for you Order Now This is the time where drastic change took place placing the endeavor to equalize all men and free them from the tyranny and slavery. We see how during that time sprang from the midst of all consciousness the need liberate themselves and take a rehab from the old and messy mentality of the past that bound them. Many had taken their role in drama of transitioning the world. These thus influences to a lot of similarly idealist throughout the world. And Dry. Jose Racial is been excuse to these cause. With all the circumstances and the things He had learned and valued from Europe, had been able to formulate the formula of a lethal weapon that would conceived in the hearts and minds of his countrymen and would give birth to Nationalism thus consequently the doom and destruction of Spain’s colonialism. Racial did make a great change in molding the nationalism of the country, not only that Racial made all the changes but also with the help of all the Filipino who take part in the revolution make changes in making this country a whole new era. Racial leaves Inspiration to many peoples, men, women and children realizes that education can also be as deadly as a bolo, Racial has become the constant model that inspires man and woman across the land to dream and work for its realization no matter the cost is brings for the sake of nationhood ND promoting the liberty for the people. He also proven education is the answer to our struggle nation. Not only Racial inspires many people but a lot of the Filipino heroes like Andrea Boniface and many others. Racal’s ideas and achievement was known by all of the people in the Philippines with his great ideas and being a nationalist. Racial inspired Filipinos and shaped the importance of our national identity to nation-building. Racial, anywhere in the world, represents an intellectual and proud Filipino. Racial as Philippines’ foremost national hero and the most documented Filipino hero who dedicated his life to the ideas and ideals of freedom and nationalism. Racial is worthy of emulation for his education to ideals and studies, standards of morality, actions, behavior, thinking, aims, ethics, respect for law, parent’s, other people, country, and to use lives more productively. Racial had shown greatness, his greatness was manifested in many ways not only in his own country but in many foreign countries as well. Racial taught the Filipino the value of hardwood. How to cite Research in Rizals Life, Essays

The Employee Recognition Culture in McDonald

Question: Discuss about theEmployee Recognition Culture in McDonalds. Answer: Introduction Organisations typically rely on a variety of resources and organisational inputs in order to realize their objectives. Such resources include physical capital, financial capital and a variety of inputs. Yet, regardless of the nature of an organisation or its industry of operation, the human resource component is one of the most widespread inputs. This is the first reason why the human resource component is so unique. The second reason for the uniqueness of the human resource component is its ability to significantly differentiate one organisation from another, in comparison to other organisational resources. The complex interplay of these two factors, that is, the ability of the human resource component to act as a source of competitive advantage despite its prevalence makes human resource management one of the most significant activities. This paper considers human resource management through a case study of McDonalds Australia. Employee Recognition in McDonalds Human resource management plays an important role in supporting the objectives of an organisation. This is through the different activities that the human resource department performs. One of these functions is recruitment and selection of employees. The human resource department is responsible for sourcing the organisations labour, thereby allowing the organisation to meet its objectives. The human resource department also caters for training needs of employees. An even more important function of the human resource department, particularly with regard to the current case study is its role in influencing the attitudes of employees and the overall organisational culture. Rugman Collinson (2012) indicate that human resource managers usually utilize culture as a tool to foster certain behaviours like innovation, openness and dynamism within their organisations. Consequently, corporate culture is an important tool for human resource managers. In the case of McDonalds, it has developed a culture of employee recognition. The entrenchment of recognition and its development into a cultural component has had significant positive impacts in supporting the organisations future leaders program. Employee recognition is an important organisational practice, which has the capacity to support the organisations goals particularly with regard to its human resource component. This is because employee recognition encourages employees to work harder, thereby leading to improved performance(Markos Sridevi, 2010). One the organisational goals of McDonalds is to develop future leaders. Employee recognition supports this goal by allowing the organisation to determine those individuals who have the greatest capacity to be future leaders. This is because employee recognition encourages individuals to offer their best input, as they seek to receive the benefits of recognition. Another way in which recognition contributes to McDonalds attainment of its organisational goals, particularly its future leaders program, is by promoting employee retention. McDonalds indicates that a majority of its employees are young individuals aged between 14 and 18 years (70 %). If these individuals are to become future leaders within the organisation, then they must stay at the company for a long period. Indeed, McDonalds position is that it yearns to bring people through the ranks of the company because then, they have a better understanding of the businesss focus and purpose. This makes employee retention an important imperative. According to Hausknecht, Rodda, Howard (2009), employee retention is important in organisations as it facilitates the retention of talent. Going by McDonalds assertions, the company has, in the past, been able to retain employees and meet the goals of its future leaders program. The case study file indicates that in the past 30 years, three of the managing directors of the company originated as 15-year-old individuals working in the organisation. From a review of the case study, it would appear that McDonalds Australia recognizes the power of employee recognition. The company uses recognition as a tool to drive the performance of its employees. The use of employee recognition in this manner receives strong support from the social exchange theory (Saks, 2006). This theory portends that obligations are the culmination of sustained interactions between individuals in a reciprocal state of interdependence. In accordance with the theory, individuals interactions are governed by a set of rules of exchange, whereby each party responds to the actions of the other. In the case of McDonalds, the organisational is in reciprocal interdependence with its employees. In order to get the best from its employees, McDonalds uses recognition as an action to instigate a response from employees, and as a tool to reciprocate. This is in addition to other tools such as pay and benefits. In response, McDonalds employees provide optimal performance, to fulfil their obligations within a social exchange perspective. Consequently, recognition is a useful tool that allows McDonalds to realize its organisational obligations. Employee retention is an important organisational imperative, which enables organisations to realize their long-term goals. As noted above, this process facilitates employee retention. There is a growing need for employee retention, particularly with prevailing trends of increased shortage of individuals with high skill levels(Allen, 2008). This need is further exacerbated by organisational trends of a convergence of organisational inputs such as technological resources. The human resource component is important as a source of competitive advantage for two reasons. First, from a cultural perspective, the human resource component typically has an ability to differentiate one organisation from another. This is because culture is an aggregate of the interactions of the various components comprising it (Ismat Bashir, 2011). Different components culminate in different inputs, making each organisational culture unique from the other. A second way in which the human resource contributes to competitive advantage is through its qualities. Resources that offer a competitive advantage usually have four characteristics, the most important one being inimitability (Bingham Eisenhardt, 2008). The other three are rarity, strategic value, and a quality of being imperfectly substitutable (Bingham Eisenhardt., 2008). Of all other organisational resources, the human resource stands out as the most difficult to imitate. This is because although it can be imitated to a certain extent, it is impossible to duplicate the intrinsic business knowledge(Bobb Harris, 2011). On their part, Tarique and Schuler (2010) argue that only those organisations that are able to obtain the right configuration of human resources will be able to obtain a competitive advantage within the global perspective. An important imperative that has been pointed out is that organisations need to retain talent in their organisations. Talent management is one of the avenues through which successful organisations are able to harness the competitive advantage offered by human resources. According to Lewis and Heckman (2006), there is no concise definition of talent management in the literature. The approach, however, is embedded in the above view of the human resource component as a source of component advantage. Consequently, under talent management, human resource managers seek to identify those individuals with the greatest capacity to occupy vital positions in an organisation (Hughes Rog, 2008). The management then engages in activities, which are aimed at preventing these individuals from leaving the organisation. The advantage of talent management as opposed to employee retention is that it allows the organisation to focus its energy and resources on those individuals who offer it the greatest value. An implicit part of talent management is a focus on leadership. Tarique and Schuler (2010) indicate that leadership is an integral component of the cultures of organisations that are ultimately successful in talent management. Indeed, this can be seen through the case study of McDonalds. Its recognition culture is built around its future leaders program. This is consistent with the argument in the literature. Secondly, the company also involves its senior leaders in its leadership endeavours, as depicted by the case of Frank McManus. This senior vice president and director for people resources in the firm indicates that about 30 to 40% of his time is spent on executive development and talent management. Again, this is also consistent with the assertion in the literature. Evidently, McDonald engages in astute talent management practices, which culminate in the retention of its top talents, and the success of its future leaders program. Apart from employee recognition, McDonalds is also able to drive employee retention through employee satisfaction. Recognition in itself results in the satisfaction of employees, through a satisfaction of their higher-level needs. To understand this outcome better, one can consider some motivational theories such as Maslows hierarchy of needs. Under this framework, recognition fulfils the self-esteem needs of employees. At this level of need, individuals normally want to attain a high level of respect from others(Brad Shuck, Rocco, Albornoz, 2011). When they are recognized, feelings of respect and esteem proceed, hence raising the job satisfaction of employees. Brad Shuck, Rocco, and Albornoz (2011) go on to highlight the motivator-hygiene theory by Herzberg, under which recognition is categorized as a motivator. Such factors encourage an individual to engage in their work. It is worthwhile to not that the absence of these factors does not lead to dissatisfaction. Based on motivatio nal theories, therefore, McDonalds recognition culture motivates employees to perform their duties, as they seek to satisfy their self-esteem needs. Ultimately, McDonalds also offers its employees an opportunity to satisfy their highest level of need, the self-actualization need. At this level, individuals usually seek to become everything that they can (Brad Shuck, Rocco, Albornoz, 2011). McDonalds facilitation of the attainment of this need is through the outstanding achievers award, which is a corporate level recognition scheme. This award has the ability to help employees achieve all that they can while working as McDonalds employees. In this way, McDonalds is able to keep employees engaged, a phenomenon that will be discussed later. While considering motivational theories, it is worthwhile to indicate that other factors of McDonalds human resource management play an important role in supporting the recognition culture. One such factor is McDonalds pay practices. McDonalds has an elaborate pay structure, which seeks to involve employees to the greatest extent possible. Under its compensation policy, McDonalds bases its pay structure on an objective framework. Moreover, the organisation strives to explain pay decisions to its employees on a sound basis, and to ensure that individuals have an exquisite understanding of their pay packages. Ultimately, the organisation also ensures that there is equity between roles. Factors such as pay are considered dissatisfiers under the two-factor theory, meaning that they have the capacity to result in employee dissatisfaction(Griffin, Phillips, Gully, 2016). Employee dissatisfaction results in adverse outcomes such as lowered productivity and ultimately, a decision by employe es to leave an organisation(Gregory, 2011). Under the Maslow hierarchy, pay falls at the lowest category of need, the physiological needs. The Maslow hierarchy provides an important framework for organisations seeking to keep their employees satisfied and hence retain them. While applying the hierarchy, it is important to keep in mind the nature of the pyramid whereby needs diminish in intensity as they are satisfied, with the next level of need then predominating(Griffin, Phillips, Gully, 2016). When individuals are unable to satisfy the needs at their particular level, they become vulnerable and start to seek an alternative approach to satisfy these needs. Consequently, it is important for organisations to evaluate their employees continuously, to determine their predominant level of need. As noted, employee dissatisfaction can lead to disengagement. In order to keep employees satisfied, and therefore engaged, organisations should strive to motivate them. The report by Penna (2007) develops a framework for employee engagement that is closely linked to Maslows hierarchy. In fact, this model is in itself a hierarchy, w hich they refer to as the hierarchy of engagement. The hierarchy has five levels akin to those of Maslows hierarchy. This framework is presented below. The hierarchy of engagement provides a new way for organisations to understand and meet the needs of their employees and avoid turnover. Based on this pyramid, McDonalds appears to be performing well at each level. Its pay and benefits policy are elaborate and well explained, and hence contribute to employee satisfaction. At the next level is learning and development. McDonalds has an extensive training program, with an annual training budget in excess of $40 million. It therefore satisfies this second level as well. Opportunity, promotion and development needs are also catered for in the organisation. Employees at McDonalds are able to aspire towards top positions, given the examples of individuals who have ascended the ranks of the organisation to get to the highest level. Leadership is a key tenet of McDonalds, a feature that has already been discussed. Finally, McDonalds also provides avenue for value and meaning through its recognition scheme. This illustrates a high level of en gagement in McDonalds. Indeed, the case study indicates that employee surveys have returned favourable feedback on employee engagement in the company. The use of recognition by McDonalds provides an avenue through which the organisation is able to retain its employees. This approach can be applied across different types of organisations to yield the same results. This includes non-profit organisations. Non-profit organisations can apply recognition as an avenue towards the retention of volunteers, this would be important, considering that like business organisations; non-profits also have to contend with a shortage of personnel. The approach, however, cannot be applied ubiquitously. Instead, it would depend on the nature of the non-profit and the nature of the volunteer. For example, in a review of motivational methods for baby boomer volunteers, Culp (2009) indicates that this class of volunteers are motivated by incentives rather than recognition. Consequently, the use of recognition schemes would be inadequate for such volunteers. In a different study, Warner, Newland, Green (2011), report the indifference of noncontinuous spor t volunteers to recognition. Nonethelesss, all other classes of volunteers reported that recognition was an important aspect. It appears that unlike business organizations where talent management techniques can be applied nearly universally, non-profit institutions require an audit of the individual non-profit as well as the volunteering individuals. Such an audit would allow non-profits to understand the key motivations behind the voluntaryism of different volunteers. Importantly, Shye (2010) reports that individuals seeking volunteering opportunities may be driven by altruistic or egotistical motivations. When a non-profit understands the motives behind a volunteers motivation, it is in a better position to meet the expectations of such a volunteer, thus leading to volunteer satisfaction. In the long term, this enhances the capacity of such an institution to retain such volunteers. Such retention is ultimately important for non-profits due to the significant costs of volunteer training, accompanied by the concomitant limitation of resources at the disposal of such institutions. Conclusion Employee recognition is an important practice that enhances the ability of a company to retain its employees. The importance of employee retention is underscored by a growing scarcity in the availability of skilled individuals. Successful organizations are therefore those that are able to foster cultures that promote retention, by catering for the various needs of individuals. Increasingly, companies need to focus on talent management, which requires an investment in leadership. When organizations engage in these practices, they are better positioned to retain their employees and achieve their organizational objectives. The recognition approach, however, cannot be applied universally across non-profits, due to differences in the nature of non-profits and volunteer motivations. References Allen, D. G. (2008). Retaining talent: A guide to analyzing and managing employee turnover. SHRM Foundation Effective Practice Guidelines Series, 1-43. Bingham, C. B., Eisenhardt., K. M. (2008). Position, leverage and opportunity: a typology of strategic logics linking resources with competitive advantage. Managerial and Decision Economics, 29(2-3), 241-256. Bobb, L. M., Harris, P. (2011, August). Information Technology and Information Systems: Its use as a Competitive and Strategic Weapon. Journal of Global Business Management, 7(2), 1-7. Brad Shuck, M., Rocco, T. S., Albornoz, C. A. (2011). Exploring employee engagement from the employee perspective: Implications for HRD. Journal of European Industrial Training, 35(4), 300-325. Gregory, K. (2011). The importance of employee satisfaction. The Journal of the Division of Business Information Management, 29-37. Griffin, R. W., Phillips, J. M., Gully, S. M. (2016). Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Hausknecht, J. P., Rodda, J., Howard, M. J. (2009). Targeted employee retention: Performance?based and job?related differences in reported reasons for staying. Human Resource Management, 48(2), 269-288. Hughes, C. J., Rog, E. (2008). Talent management. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 20(7), 743 - 757. Ismat, S., Bashir, I. (2011). Determinants of Culture: An Analytical Study of Business Organizations Working in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Asian Social Science, 7(6), 177-183. Lewis, R. E., Heckman, R. J. (2006). Talent management: A critical review. Human resource management review, 16(2), 139-154. R Markos, S., Sridevi, M. S. (2010). Employee engagement: The key to improving performance. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(12), 89. Penna. (2007). Meaning At Work. PENNA. Rugman, A. M., Collinson, S. (2012). International Business (6th ed.). Harlow England: Palgrave. Shye, S. (2010). The motivation to volunteer: A systemic quality of life theory. Social Indicators Research, 98(2), 183-200. Tarique, I., Schuler, R. S. (2010). Global talent management: Literature review, integrative framework, and suggestions for further research. Journal of world business, 45(2), 122-133. Warner, S., Newland, B. L., Green, B. C. (2011). More than motivation: Reconsidering volunteer management tools. Journal of Sport Management, 25(5), 391-407.

Marks Spencer Operations Management Essay Example

Marks Spencer Operations Management Paper The Company- A journey from cave to modern civilized societies, Marks and Spencer from a single market stall to a giant international multi-channel retailer has travelled over 129 years to establish its deep roots all over the world with 766 UK and 418 international stores. Marks and Spencer stores are spread over 50 territories worldwide employing almost 82000 people. Marks and Spencer is a general retailer that sells clothes, gifts, home furnishings and foods. The UK turnover is split between Food (54%) and General Merchandise (46%). Marks and Spencer acknowledges the fact that consumer is the real king of market. This can be drawn from its founding values which consist of Quality, Value, Service, Innovation and Trust; it also assures to work hard to ensure its offer continues to be relevant to its customers. The vision and mission of the company is to be the standard against which others are measured and to make aspirational quality accessible to all. This suggests that ‘Quality’ is at the heart of Marks and Spencer’s operations strategy (Marks and Spencer, 2013). International Expansion: Mamp;S has a clear and targeted strategy for its international growth. Henceforth it continues to build more new stores to expand in key locations across its priority markets, employing a mix of ownership models including partnerships and franchises (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Operations Strategy- An Overview- We will write a custom essay sample on Marks Spencer Operations Management specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Marks Spencer Operations Management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Marks Spencer Operations Management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Operations Strategy Perspective: The operations activities are aimed to achieve operations strategy of the business. Marks and Spencer’s operations management activities ensure that all its products are of high quality and the stores are located in the most convenient locations. This reflects that the operations strategy of Marks and Spencer is of a ‘top-down’ perspective where the business wants its operations to provide quality products with an easy access to all. The Top-down Strategy Hierarchy: Corporate Strategy: Mamp;S aims to be the world’s most sustainable retailer. Its eco and ethical programme, is at the very heart of how they do business. Mamp;S also aims to be a truly international, multi-channel retailer which can be accessible to even more customers around the globe (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Business Strategy: Mamp;S is reaching more customers across the new and existing markets through its online development. In order to dominate the competition, Mamp;S has facilitated its customers with ‘free next day delivery’ to its stores. Moreover, Mamp;S has also developed i-phone application to carry out its sales via mobile phones. Mamp;S has also encouraged the online sales to make it more convenient for its customers to shop with them (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Functional Strategy: Improved navigation, greater choice, exclusive ranges and offers have boosted the online sales by 16. 6% in 2013. The recent performance of the technology depicts that i-phone application has increased the sales via mobile phones by 200% this year. To carry out its operations efficiently, Mamp;S has developed a fully mechanised 900,000 square feet e-commerce distribution centre which is the UK’s largest. It has the capacity to process and ship up to a million products per week to customers’ homes and Mamp;S stores across the country (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Store Layout: Mamp;S has revamped its visual merchandising and window displays to do a better job of showcasing its products. The different fashion brand such as Per Una, Autograph, Indigo, Classic, North Coast, Blue Harbour, Cellezione and its core Mamp;S Man and Woman will have dedicated ‘shop in shop’ area so that the in-store environment communicates each brand’s distinctive values. In the food department, Mamp;S has refreshed the shelving with wood effect shelf edges to look less like a supermarket and more like a specialist (Baker, 2011). Mamp;S store is therefore a mix of functional and fixed position layout type where general merchandise and food department operates in a functional layout type and the restaurant being the fixed position layout type. Technology: Mamp;S understands the growing importance and contribution of strong IT function to operate efficiently in the multi channel world. The role of technology is changing at Mamp;S and as a result changing the company itself. Marks amp; Spencer rolls out ePLUM Enterprise Scale Manager from Invatron Systems Corp. to 37 of its European stores to centrally manage its in-store deli and bakery department scales. ePLUM Enterprise Scale Manager is a multi- vendor, multilingual, web- enabled solution that provides retailers with centralized control of in- store scales and printers accessible from any computer in the enterprise; this makes the operations much efficient and fast (Anon. , 2013). The internal team of software engineers of the company are developing new IT driven customer innovation projects that include 156 screens dubbed ‘Browse and Order’ – in store terminals where customers can buy Mamp;S’s entire online range across 63 stores. Moreover, Mamp;S has equipped 1500 customer assistants with i-pads to enable them to demonstrate to the customers, the store’s full range of the products, its availability and its sizes. The client- facing technology of Mamp;S includes virtual makeover counters, which allow customers to see how they would look on applying certain beauty products. On developing bid data strategy, Mamp;S will be able to drive its profitability and improve marketing and promotions by using data insights smartly. This technology will enable Mamp;S to send specific e-mails regarding promotions and offers to its customers based on their purchase history rather than sending bulk e-mails to all its customers which is of no relevance (Stein, 2013). All these advancements by the IT team of Mamp;S are aimed at encouraging customers to use technology to spend more money at Mamp;S. Supply Chain Management: It is very crucial for every business to have a strong supply chain network in order to satisfy its customers before the competitors do. Mamp;S though being one of the UK’s largest retailers is criticised by its Finance Director, Alan Stewart for under investing infrastructure for upwards of 20 years. He further adds that the way the company buys and distributes its clothing is inappropriate. Shoppers may be looking for the latest looks and demanding new ideas in stores and online every few weeks, but Mamp;S takes two to three weeks just to transport goods from UK ports to its stores. This is where Mamp;S is losing its competitive edge in the market because the other retailers have hi-tech systems to track stock. For example, one of the rival retailers, Hamp;M boasts that it can get designs from the drawing board to the store in a fortnight, while Mamp;S takes longer than that just to get its merchandise from the ports to its shops (Butler, 2013). For the businesses like Mamp;S where the life span of a product is very short- clothes due to change in fashion and food due to expiry, the business must develop strong bonds and ties with its suppliers. In order to increase the ability to respond quickly to the ever changing needs of customers, Marks and Spencer should work closely with its suppliers and integrate the supply chain so that both Marks and Spencer and its suppliers are working towards the same business objectives. Hence, there will be a win – win situation for both Mamp;S and its suppliers which will increase the operations efficiency and enable them meeting the market requirements on time. Logistics: Gist has a long history providing logistic operations for Marks and Spencer. Gist manages 100% of the storage and distribution of Marks and Spencer food products to their 700 plus stores, 24 hours a day and 7 day a week. Warehouses across the UK are operated by Gist employees who receive and pick store orders and then distribute to Marks and Spencer stores, including Simply Food, throughout the UK and Ireland, covering all their high street, forecourt and out-of-town stores (Gist, 2013). Outsourcing its storage and distribution would make Marks and Spencer’s logistics much faster and this will increase its efficiency in delivery to customers, increased sales and high customer satisfaction. Inventory Management: Inventory planning and control is an important aspect of operations management. In a market, customers demand certain quantity of products and services at a particular time. The role of operations is to supply and deliver the required quantity of products and services when demanded. Marks and Spencer in February 2013 was caught of having shortage in the stock of winter coats and woollens due to cold snap. The Chief Executive of Mamp;S, Marc Bolland said that Mamp;S sold 100,000 cardigans and jumpers from its core Mamp;S Woman collection in the fourth quarter but could have sold three times that number. Bolland insisted that the weakness was not down to having wrong fashions in its shops but there was just not enough stock of the right ones. The majority of Mamp;S’s knitwear is being made in Asia. Therefore, Mamp;S was unable to repeat orders fast enough and thus failed to meet the market demand (Wood, 2012). The above instance demonstrates the importance of demand forecasting in managing the inventory which was missing in this case. In a multi-echelon inventory system, effective communication between the different echelons is of high importance to deliver the products at a rapid pace. Mamp;S could have succeeded in minimising some of its losses had there been more flexibility in the supply chain and latest requirement updates in the inventories. Mamp;S Inventory and Technology: Marks and Spencer has chosen Quantum Retail technology, ‘Q’ to improve inventory management. This technology is able to forecast and make inventory decisions in real time while considering both inter-day and intra-day stocking. Quantum Retail’s software solution, Q manages the end-to-end inventory forecasting, replenishment and order planning needs (Quantum Retail, 2010). Quality Management: Mamp;S operates rigorous Quality Management Systems which have been developed with its suppliers. To ensure total quality, the systems operate on a precautionary principle and are supported by a range of on-site audits and product testing. Further, Mamp;S also ensures that its suppliers meet a range of quality, safety, environmental and social standards (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Mamp;S is renowned for its ‘quality and innovation’ and is often appraised by its customers for providing quality worth every penny spent at Mamp;S. The customers expect the best from Mamp;S products but recently, Mamp;S was in headlines for selling low quality and cheap clothing products. Fashion watchers, rivals and its customers insisted Mamp;S to abandon this practice. One of the rival retailers suggested Mamp;S that it should be aiming to be a premium brand rather than trying to compete on price (Watkins, at el. 2013). The company should stick to its set objectives and design its day to day operations in such a way that it leads to achieving its long term goals. The mission of the company is to provide aspirational quality that is available to all. The above discussed case is a clear case of Mamp;S’s deviation from its long term goals. To rectify this error, Mamp;S should rediscuss its company objectives and strategies with its suppliers to ensure guaranteed and rapid recovery. Plan A and Sustainable Operations: Mamp;S aims to become the world’s most sustainable retailer. Its eco and ethical programme is at the very heart of how Mamp;S carries out its business. Mamp;S claims to make its business sustainable by integrating Plan A into every aspect of its operations- including the products that they evelop and sell, the stores that they rebuild or refit and the way they work with their suppliers and engage its employees. Plan A’s success lies in its innovative thinking and ideas. With the help of Plan A Innovation Fund, Mamp;S has launched a number of promising projects. These projects include ideas for developing more sustainable clothing fabrics, original thinking about ways to improve labour standards in t heir supply chains and a joint project with the Natural Environment Research Council to improve the way they share knowledge and work with its suppliers (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Plan A Activities: CO2 Neutral Mamp;S is proud to be certified as CarbonNuetral  ® Company across its operations in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Mamp;S also encourages its suppliers to reduce the greenhouse gas emission through actively developing various programmes aimed at this (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Zero Waste to Landfill Besides this, Mamp;S continue to work for reducing the amount of waste produced within its business. Mamp;S successfully fulfilled its commitment of sending no waste to landfill from its UK stores, offices, warehouses and construction activities (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Corporate Social Responsibilities: The Britain’s retailer has always cared about environment and society. Mamp;S knows that many of its customers as well do care about the environmental and social issues. So, it is of no surprise that Mamp;S customers donated a total of 3. 8 million clothes items through its Shwopping Scheme which raised ? 2. 3 million for Oxfam (Marks and Spencer, 2013). CSR activities at Mamp;S: Breakthrough Breast Cancer: The Company also carried out campaigns for raising money for Breast Cancer donations. Mamp;S has now generated ? 9 million for Breakthrough Breast Cancer in 12 years (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Big Beach clean – up: In April 2013, around 5000 customers and 4000 Mamp;S employees worked with the Marine Conservation Society at over 160 beaches, riversides and canals, cleaning, clearing enough rubbish to fill 4000 recycle bin bags (Marks and Spencer, 2013). These activities suggest that Mamp;S has always taken very hands on approach towa rds its corporate social responsibilities. Recommendations: Customer Satisfaction – It is very necessary for Marks and Spencer to maintain high quality standards in all their products. The prices of the Mamp;S products are usually higher than that of its rival companies such as Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s in food and Primark and Debenhams in clothing. Therefore, Mamp;S needs to ensure that all its products are of high quality because their customers are paying that extra amount in hope that the products will be of a better quality than other rival retailers. The hidden benefit for Mamp;S satisfying its customers is reduced complaints and therefore less service costs of paying an employee to find out the cause of the issue and fix it. This will increase customers’ loyalty towards Mamp;S which would lead to positive word of mouth publicity to the potential customers. Supplier Satisfaction: It is Mamp;S’s best interests to keep their suppliers happy by paying them enough and on time. This would make its suppliers feel like a part of Mamp;S and would be encouraged to work keeping in mind the needs and objectives of Mamp;S. By working more closely with its suppliers, Mamp;S can ensure that their products are of great quality standards are delivered on time with no or less troubles. Word Count: 2431 References: * Mamp;S, 2013. Company Overview. [online]Available at: lt;http://corporate. marksandspencer. com/aboutus/company_overviewgt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Mamp;S, 2013. Our Plan. [online] Available at: lt;http://corporate. marksandspencer. com/aboutus/our_plangt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Baker, R. , 2011. Marketing Week, Mamp;S outlines new store strategy for brands, [online] Available at: lt;http://www. marketingweek. co. uk/ms-outlines-new-store-strategy-for-brands/3030044. articlegt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. Anon. , 2013. Marks amp; Spencer rolls out ePLUM Enterprise Scale Manager from Invatron Systems Corp. to 37 of its European stores. Invantron Systems Corp. , [blog] 2013, Available at: lt;http://www. invatron. com/blog/main/press-releases/marks-spencer-rolls-out-eplum-enterprise-scale-manager-from-invatron-systems-corp-to-37-of-its-european-stores/gt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Stein, D. , 2013. CIO Interview: Darrel Stein, IT director, Marks and S pencer Interviewed by Angelica Mari , [online] on Computer Weekly. Available at: lt;http://www. computerweekly. com/news/2240179873/CIO-interview-Darrell-Stein-IT-director-Marks-and-Spencergt; , 20 March 2013, 17:15. * Butler, S. , 2013. Mamp;S boss under pressure amid race to upgrade supply chain. The Guardian, [online] 10 May 2013. Available at: lt;http://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2013/may/10/marks-and-spencer-marc-bolland-technologygt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Gist, 2011. Marks and Spencer Excellence in food logistics. [online] Available at: lt;http://www. gistworld. om/en-gb/customers/case-studies/marks-spencer/gt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Wood, Z. , 2012. Mamp;S admits womenswear stock shortages hit sales. The Guardian, [online] 17 April 2012. Available at: lt;http://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2012/apr/17/marks-spencer-womenswear-stock-shortagesgt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Quantum Retail, 2010. Marks amp; Spencer Selects Quantum Retail to Improve Inventory Management. [online] Available at: lt; http://quantumretail. com/2010/01/0 5/marks-spencer-selects-quantum-retail-to-i

Caffeine Typing Speed - Sample Science Fair Projects

Caffeine Typing Speed - Sample Science Fair Projects Purpose The purpose of this project is to determine whether taking caffeine affects typing speed. Hypothesis Typing speed is not affected by whether or not you take caffeine. (Remember: You cannot scientifically prove a hypothesis, however, you can disprove one.) Experiment Summary You are going to type the same text repeatedly for a specified length of time and compare how many words you typed before ingesting caffeine and afterward. Materials computera drink containing caffeine and another drink of the same type that does not contain caffeine (e.g., coffee and decaf coffee, diet cola and decaf diet cola)stopwatch or timer Experimental Procedure Drink the non-caffeinated beverage. Wait 30 minutes.Type The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. as many times as you can for 2 minutes. If you can, type using a word processing program that keeps track of how many words you have entered.Drink the caffeinated beverage. Wait 30 minutes. (The peak effects from taking caffeine tend to be felt around 30-45 minutes after taking it.)Type The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. as many times as you can for 2 minutes.Compare the number of words you typed. Calculate words per minute by dividing the total number of words that were typed by the number of minutes (e.g., 120 words in 2 minutes would be 60 words per minute).Repeat the experiment, preferably a total of at least three times. Data Construct a table stating the type of drink and the number of words you could type in 2 minutes.Calculate your average typing speed (words per minute) for each drink. Results Did taking caffeine affect how quickly you could type? If it did, did you type more or fewer words under the influence of caffeine? Conclusions Was your hypothesis accepted or rejected? Can you propose an explanation for the outcome?Do you think you would get the same results if you had tested the effects of the caffeinated beverage first? Caffeine stays in your system for a few hours. When it wears off, some people report feeling crashed instead of normal.How do you think the results would be affected by changing the amount of caffeine? What do you think would happen if you took too much caffeine?Do you think you became better at typing the test sentence over time?If your word processor can track typing errors, did you note any difference in the accuracy of your typing after drinking the caffeinated beverage? Could you propose a hypothesis about the effect of caffeine use on typing accuracy? Things to Think About Caffeine occurs naturally in over 50 different types of plants, including coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa beans, and kola nuts.Caffeine acts as a mild stimulant. Some studies have shown that taking caffeine may temporarily increase concentration, reasoning, and memory. However, the effects of caffeine wear off after a few hours and if you routinely take caffeine you will need to take more to get the same effect.Most adults are exposed to caffeine in coffee and energy drinks. Children are likely to get caffeine from energy drinks, soft drinks, tea, and chocolate. Amount of Caffeine in Common Products Product Caffeine (mg) coffee (8 oz) 65 - 120 Red Bull (8.2 oz) 80 tea (8 oz) 20 - 90 cola (8 oz) 20 - 40 dark chocolate (1 oz) 5 - 40 milk chocolate (1 oz) 1 - 15 chocolate milk (8 oz) 2 - 7 decaf coffee (8 oz) 2 - 4

A Comparison Of A Certain Lady

A Comparison Of A Certain Lady The portrayal of women in literature has varied greatly as history has progressed. In the Jazz Age, women were seen as breaking free from being just a housewife and the shadow of a man. The flapper was a woman who closely resembles the women of today. She smoked, drank, wore revealing clothing for the time, and considered herself an equal to men. A woman who had a career that rivaled most men was Dorothy Parker. She was a founding member of the Vicious Circle meaning that some men even treated her as an equal during a time when women’s right were still new and the role of what was expected of a woman was changing. In the poems A Certain Lady, To a Lady, and The Lady’s Reward Parker explores the mind of a woman, and how said woman used what she had to get what she needed. The poem A Certain Lady depicts how a certain woman would act while a man told her of his exploits. The woman is expected to just listen and almost be happy that the man is having successful conquests. The woman is supposed to be passive and bat her eyes and be oblivious to the entire situation because historically women were thought of being not as intelligent as men. However in this poem it is obvious that the woman is extremely intelligent. The last two lines of the poems read, â€Å"And what goes on, my love, while you’re away, /You’ll never know.† It is obvious that the speaker knows how the man really is because it is implied that while he is away she has her own agenda. This also implies equality between them, at least in the speaker’s mind. The speaker believes that as the man is allowed to do as he pleases that she is equally as deserving to do the same. Despite this, the speaker seemed slightly upset at the man’s actions although she likely might be doing the same: And you laugh back, nor can you ever see The thousand little deaths my heart has diedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Nor do you see my staring eyes of nights, And when, in se arch of novelty, you stray. The speaker definitely seems hurt by what this man is telling her. It is as though every time the man tells her of his conquests, a little piece of her heart dies. It seems like it is slowly crushing her. The speaker goes on to say that the man does not see her â€Å"staring eyes.† Perhaps this means that the man does not see what he is doing to her or even that she stares into the night wondering what he could be doing at that moment. It seems that the woman lives by the saying â€Å"ignorance is bliss.† It seems that as long as he is not telling her of his exploits. She can go on with her life and do as she pleases. As long as she pretends she is not intelligent she can have pretend happiness or continue to try filling a void that is cannot be filled. A poem that continues with the concept of the woman being intentionally ignorant to what is going on is To a Lady. However in this poem, the ignorance is used with a different motive.

Project two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project two - Essay Example This has however become much better than ever, women have started enjoying equal rights and have equal power as their counterparts. Feminism is a very important concept that must be thrown light upon when gender conflict is being talked about. Feminist aims at providing women more power and more rights than ever seen before. There are several feminists fighting for the rights of women all across the globe. Respect is also another important factor for which the feminists are consistently fighting. Gender conflict has made us understand how people enjoy preferential treatment and how the inferior strive for parity in the society. Race conflict is also quite similar to gender conflict, some people consider that their race is superior and others are inferior to them, this is certainly beyond the pale. Having a level playing field in the society is essential to facilitate growth; an ideal society always provides a level playing field. â€Å"Rae Lesser Blumberg developed a theory emphasiz ing women’s degree of control of the means of production and the distribution of economic surplus.† (Blumberg) Blumberg’s aimed at explaining the position of women relative to men in almost all types of societies. These societies included the earliest societies to the late twentieth century. This theory discussed some really important aspects like economic power of women, importance of women in the society, economic power of women in the society, sexual stratification so on and so forth. â€Å"Sexual stratification, Blumberg argues, is ultimately driven by the degree to which, relative to men, women control the means of production and the allocation of productive surplus or, in Marxian terms, â€Å"surplus value.† Such control gives women  economic power  that, in turn, influences their level of political power, prestige, and other stratifying resources. In Blumberg’s view, sexual inequalities are â€Å"nested† at diverse levels: Male-fe male relations are nested in households; households are nested in local communities; and if a society is sufficiently large to reveal a coercive state and a system of class stratification, household and community are nested inside of the class structure that, in turn, is lodged within a larger state-managed society. This nesting is important because women’s control of economic resources can be located at different levels, and the level at which their economic power is strongest influences the power that women can command at the other levels of social organization.† (Feminist Conflict Theory) Macro level control and micro level control are some important aspects which must be paid attention to. A woman is ought to enjoy power in a household if she contributes immensely to the income of a household, she will have a say in micro aspects of the household as well if she can contribute towards work and family income. Similarly a woman who is not able to earn and contribute to wards the household income will not enjoy as much freedom and control as a woman who can earn and support her family. Financial freedom is extremely important for a woman to be considered powerful enough; only a powerful woman can make decisions and can stand against oppression. Economic power at a macro level facilitates women in getting political as well as coercive power in the society. The economic power of women is consistently on the rise; this is the time of transition. This period of transition is perceived as a major

Rousseau, Locke and Kant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rousseau, Locke and Kant - Essay Example If changing the world means changing the beliefs,possibly even the worldviews of people,Rousseau,Locke and Kant have hanged the world.Certainly,unlike the case with Marx,their political philosophies did not inspire revolutions which changed nations,led to cold wars between East and West or motivated the construction of the Berlin Wall. However, Locke, Rousseau and Kant changed our political perspectives, our understanding of the rights and duties of citizens and states and emphasized man’s right and responsibility to take political action, even revolution, when needed. From a subjective perspective, at least, these three philosophers have changed the world. We live in a dynamic world, one which is constantly changing, with much of this change being political in nature. One of the primary engines of change is political philosophy. The work of the philosophers is to question, critique and redefine the world. Through their continued critical interpretation of the world, philosoph ers explain certain trends and phenomenon as, for example, Locke and Rousseau did in relation to the evolution of governments. However, their work is not limited to providing explanations but to exposing the conditions surrounding a phenomenon and its intended purposes versus its current function. Again, as an example, Rousseau outlined the conditions which motivated men to enter into a social contract with governments, or a central authority. In doing so, they imposed a set of obligations upon governments, with the implication being that these governments do not only derive their legitimacy from the will of the masses but that they retain their legitimacy by fulfilling their obligation to the masses. By exposing such phenomenon and by making people see the difference between what was intended and what now is, versus what should be, philosophers are not only interpreting the world but they are inciting men to change it. In some instances, they do so by exposing the extent to which s ome things have deviated from their intended purposes and by justifying corrective action. In others, they incite change by highlighting the extent to which certain phenomenon, as in political systems, have oppressed men, are contrary to the natural order and by proposing alternatives. Political philosophy is interpretive and it may be argued that political philosophers have subjectively interpreted the world but, interpretations are directed towards the inciting of change and action. Marx may have had a different point of view and may have argued that philosophers have not fulfilled their purpose of changing the world and only interpreted it. However, from a personal point of view and on the basis of the political philosophers discussed and studied so far and discussions on the purpose of political philosophy, I am persuaded that the purpose is to change, not just interpret, and that many have successfully fulfilled this purpose. A brief review of the political philosophies of Locke, Rousseau and Kant shall argue this point of view. In his Second treatise of Government, Locke investigates the circumstances which incited men to undertake the creation of a central authority and the conditions which determined that this central authority, the government, is legitimate. In examining this question, Locke traces the emergence of political communities to the tribal and group structures which had earlier dominated. Illustrating that while these bands, due to size, may not have needed governments or a central authority and state institutions, the gradual growth of these tribes and their evolution into settled communities, imposed this necessity. In order to protect their interests, their life and property, community members entered into a social contract with a central authority, resigning part of their liberty to that central authority, in exchange for protection through law and order and, importantly, through policies and actions which benefit the interests of the majority.

Answer Key for Effective Writing Essay Example for Free

Answer Key for Effective Writing Essay School purchasers may make copies for use by their staff and students. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. 1 198 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016 USA Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Any websites referred to in this publication are in the public domain and their addresses are provided by Oxford University Press for information only. Oxford University Press disclaims any responsibility for the content. oxford and o xford english are registered trademarks of Oxford University Press Executive Publisher: Janet Aitchison Senior Acquisitions Editor: Pietro Alongi Associate Editor: Scott Allan Wallick Art Director: Maj-Britt Hagsted Production Manager: Shanta Persaud Production Controller: Eve Wong  © Oxford University Press 2007 isbn: 978- 0-19-430884-7 Database right Oxford University Press (maker) Effective Academic Writing 3: Answer Key an engineer . Both my mother and father were born in different countries, so my relatives are scattered all over the world . I really like traveling and have been to Europe and Asia . Although we try to get together for important occasions, this was the first time everyone could attend . Most importantly, my good friends had never met my relatives . Developing good friendships takes a lot of work . Watching them all dancing, laughing, and having a wonderful time will stay in my memory forever . The band we hired played music that the guests loved and we danced for hours .

William Faulkners A Rose for Emily : Her Father is to Blame :: A Rose for Emily, William Faulkner

A Rose for Emily - Her Father is to Blame  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily tells a story of a young woman who is violated by her father’s strict mentality. After being the only man in her life Emily’s father dies and she finds it hard to let go. Like her father Emily possesses a stubborn outlook towards life, and she refused to change. While having this attitude about life Emily practically secluded herself from society for the remainder of her life. She was alone for the very first time and her reaction to this situation was solitude. This story takes place throughout the Reconstruction Era from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s in Jefferson, Mississippi. Emily was raised in the period before the Civil War. Her father who was the only person in her life with the exception of a former lover who soon left her as well raised her. The plot of this story is mainly about Miss Emily’s attitude about change. While growing up Emily was raised in a comfortable environment because her father possessed a lot of money. Considering that her father was a very wealthy person who occasionally loaned the town money Emily had everything a child could want. This caused Emily to be very spoiled and selfish and she never knew the value of a dollar until her father left her with nothing but a run down home that started to decay after a period of time. She began to ignore the surrounding decay of the house and her appearance. These lies continued as she denied her father’s death, refused to pay taxes, ignore s town gossip about her being a fallen woman, and does not tell the druggist why she purchased rat poison. Her life, like the decaying house suffered from a lack of genuine love and care. Her physical appearance is brought about by years of neglect. As time went on pieces from Emily started to drift away and also the home that she confined herself to. The town grew a great deal of sympathy towards Emily, although she never hears it. She was slightly aware of the faint whispers that began when her presence was near. Gossip and whispers may have been the cause of her hideous behavior. The town couldn’t wait to pity Ms. Emily because of the way she looked down on people because she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and she never thought she would be alone the way her father left her.

Bhagavad Gita on Krishnas Teachings

5. Bhagavad Gita The story in the Bhagavad Gita with Arjuna and Krishna has many teachings of Krishna about renunciation, selfless services, and meditation. It’s also important why Arjuna doesn’t want to wage war. There are many things that Krishna tells Arjuna. All of this will be brought up throughout the essay. In the story Arjuna does not want to wage war. His sudden reaction is reasoned by his internal feelings for this war. Arjuna doesn’t understand why he should have his family risk their lives in the war. Arjuna also does not agree with this war because he really does not like the kingdom that rules him anyways.Arjuna does not want to renounce his worldly possessions for peace in the action. At this point in time Arjuna doesn’t understand the selfless service in this action of war. Krishna appears in a bright light to Arjuna when Arjuna asked to see him. Krishna came to Arjuna to help him understand why he was being asked to wage war for the kingdo m. Krishna tells Arjuna many things when they are together discussing the war. Krishna begins by telling Arjuna about the life and death cycle of a Hindus. The life and death cycle in Hinduism is based on the persons Karma.Their Karma is what decides the reincarnation process and/or being of their next body. In Hinduism the reason of the life and death cycle is to work on their Karma. Krishna then explains that truly divine humans find peace in serving the gods. Therefore, Arjuna needs to be at peace with what Krishna and the other gods are asking of him in this war. This was to explain to Arjuna that he needs to find peace in his actions but not to renounce his worldly possessions for it. Arjuna again is struggling with allowing his family fight in this war where they could lose their lives.Krishna then wants Arjuna to do this selfless service for him. Selfless service is a way of serving the gods and a good practice of Karma. Meditation is a way of arriving at selflessness. Medita tion helps break the rebirth and death cycle, because meditation is used to focus on achieving the divine. Krishna was able to convince Arjuna that this war was a good thing. Arjuna, after spending the time with Krishna, felt reassured that his worries were for no reason and this action would help in eternity. Krishna explains his reasoning to Arjuna.Arjuna than understood his task and the teachings of Krishna. Renunciation to find peace in the action of war was one teaching of Krishna. Committing this selfless service for the gods was good for Arjuna’s karma was the second lesson that was taught during their meeting. The last teaching of Krishna to Arjuna was about the importance of meditation. All of Krishna’s teachings to Arjuna revolved around creating a better Karma and therefore, ending the rebirth, life, and death cycle. Ending that cycle is over all goal of the Hindus religion.

Nature vs. Nurture Essay

Homosexuality, Addictions and Intelligence There have always been disputes on whether the decision to be homosexual or heterosexual was based on biological or environmental factors. These disputes are known as the Nature vs. Nurture argument. The two sides argue over how gender is chosen within a person. Based on reproductive organs, sex is easily determined at birth: male or female. Gender, however; is the sexual identity an individual takes on. It is possible for sex and gender to be different. For an example of nurture children who were both born with an injured or damaged reproductive organ, males usually can be raised successfully as females. In order to understand which factor is the deciding factor of a person’s gender, both sides of the case must be fully evaluated. DNA studies which appear to prove that gender is a genetic trait. Researchers have analyzed the makeup of the human brain of homosexuals and heterosexuals seeking a connection between gender and the brains physiology. They found when studying the part of the brain directly related to a persons’ sexual drive, that homosexuals had an enlarged hypothalamus, whereas heterosexuals had a normal one indicating a direct correlation between the brain and gender selections (AllPsych). In researching DNA’s role in gender identity, some scientist have identified the gene that determines a person’s sexual preference. Although there are mounting evidence of the existence of a â€Å"gay gene, â€Å"the opposition denies the existence (AllPsych). People in support of the Nurture argument claim that is an individual conscious or subconscious decision as to his or her gender identify. While many claim that people may control their sexual orientation, their brain, and not the other way around are actually controlling them. A person DNA and brain physiology control sexual preference which may be associated in the amygdale of the limbic system (Pscyhsmart). When scientist castrated the rats, stopping the creation of androgen, the male rats became submissive. When the androgen was given to the female rats, they began to display masculine behaviors. This experiment resulted in the male rat being submissive and allowing the female rat to  mount the male, unlike the normal male rat that would mount the female when engaging in reproduction ( Lippa 102). Similar to humans, if male do not have proper balance of hormones with his body, he may show feminine traits. These hormones are a biological aspect of gender that affects the decision to be homosexual or heterosexual. On the other hand, for the purpose of this discussion, addiction can take many forms, including not only substance use disorders, but also pathologic gambling, bulimia, and a host of other disorders. Dependency, abuse, and addiction are used relatively interchangeably; however, there is ongoing debate within the field regarding the best terminology. Furthermore, differences in how these phenotypes are surrounded can have an impact on the results of gene discovery efforts. Genetic loci that have been consistently associated with various forms of substance addiction, as well as those that demonstrate relevance to pharmacologic treatment. While the nature vs. nurture debate has raged, is the contribution of interactions between genetics and environment. In reality, â€Å"gene expression is environment dependent† and it impossible to obtain pure estimates of genetic vs. environmental contribution – one could not exist without the other. The environment a child experiences is partly a consequence of the child’s genes as well as external factors. To some extent a person seeks out and creates his or her environment. If she is of a mechanical bent she practices mechanical skills; if a bookworm, she seeks out books. Thus genes may create an appetite rather than an aptitude. Remember that the high heritability of short-sightedness is accounted for not just by the heritability of a gene for short sightedness but by the heritability of literate habits. Conversely, on the discussion of intelligence, there are three facts about the transmission of intelligence that virtually everyone seems to accept: 1. Both heredity and environment contribute to intelligence. 2. Heredity and environment interact in various ways. 3. Extremely poor as well as highly enriched environments can interfere with the realization of a person’s intelligence, regardless of the person’s heredity (Sternberg & Grigorenko, 1997, p.xi). Intelligence that appears to relate to ability to reason abstractly, to learn and to adapt. In closing, homosexuality, addictions and intelligence have reliable  statistical relationships with important social phenomena, but they are a limited tool for deciding what to make of any given individual. As stated by Ridley, â€Å"Mother Nature has plainly not entrusted our genetic capacities to the blind fate of a gene or genes; she gave us parents, learning, language, culture and education to program ourselves with.† WORKS CITED: Johnson, Ryan D. AllPsych (2005). â€Å"Homosexuality: Nature or Nurture†. Ridley, M. (1999). Genome: The autobiography of a species in 23 chapters. London: Fourth Estate Ltd. Sternberg, R. J., & Grigorenko, E. (Eds.) (1997). Intelligence, heredity, and environment. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

A Failure to Respond essays

A Failure to Respond essays Between June 1941 and May 1945, six million Jews were systematically annihilated under the leadership of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. However, because of Germany's firm control over most of Europe, information about theFinal Solution? wasn't leaked to the presses until a year later. In June 1942, the Daily Telegraph was the first to report that 700,000 Jews had been gassed (Laqueur, 261). The United States had already declared war against the Axis powers following Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. One would then assume that after reading this published report that the United States, as a world power, would have jumped in and taken immediate action to halt the atrocities that were being committed by the Nazis. However, the United States? response was quite the opposite. As a world power, the United States could have and should have put forth a sizeable effort towards assisting the European Jewry, without compromising its war efforts against the Axis powe rs. The American government chose to sit on the information of the mass genocide of the European Jewry. It wasn't until November 24, 1942 that information about the genocide of the European Jewry was published in non-prominent U.S. newspapers. However, at that point, two million European Jews had already been murdered. To make matters even worse, the American State Department actively blocked information about the Nazi's persecution of the European Jewry for eleven weeks. The despicable actions of the American government didn't stop there as United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ignored spies who had personally witnessed the atrocities that were occurring in the Nazi death camps. President Roosevelt even went as far as claiming that he was 'too busy? when 400 Rabbis from around the U.S. came to the White House, a day before the most holy Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, with a petition to form a council for rescue in hopes of saving 70,000 Rom...

Amiri Barakas Dutchman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Amiri Barakas Dutchman - Essay Example Also, mutually make the summit that sexual relationships across racial lines do not increase understanding, nor should it put in to any sense of ability about the life of the other. In the Dutchman, we bystander a subway ride with Clay, early-20s middle class black chap, and Lula, a closer to 30, stimulating white women (Freeman 45). All through the engage in hobby Lula taunts Clay, hints in the path of the apparition of sex, claims to recognize about his "type", then subsequently moves next to affronts and "Uncle Tom" derisions, swelling the panorama significantly. Basically, at its core, Clay is spokesperson of black assimilationists, and Lula might be any white noninterventionist who declares to know how black populace are and how they should be, and Amiri Baraka finally seems to have no survival for furthermore lone of them (Freeman 46). If the Dutchman is bursting of antipathy, the Slave takes that theme to a whole unrelated level. In this play, we have 3 typescript Grace and Ea sley, an ashen broadminded link; and Walker a black chap that we are initial opened to as intoxicated with a weapon, but later on learn out that he is the earlier-husband of Grace (Freeman 48). In the backdrop blasts choose a pin number present or prospect combat amid blacks in addition to whites. Walker is the person in charge of an aggressive radical black release movement whose ultimate goal seems to be to be applicable all white people (Freeman 49). We learn that Grace had left Walker years prior to for the very simple reason that if his aim was to slay all ashen people, and she ensued to be ashen, then she might not estimate herself safe (Freeman 50). Even though Walker is a killer, he is still clearly a sufferer in this play, since the need for destructive ethnic war could only happen out of decades of compulsion without respite (Freeman 51). The vitriol builds in this appoint in recreation in such a technique that at hand is only lone predictable completing (Freeman 52). A pr opensity observes Baraka's plays as the apotheosis  of the communication of the Black Arts association can sometimes unsighted us to the numerous complexities of his job (O'neal 16). One viewpoint from which we can attitude his job is to observe it not as the uncomplicated, straight-forward personification of the thoughts of "jingoism" and "upheaval," or as an phrase of a "true black uniqueness," but as an attempt to extricate the received hostility between a combination of binary group such as aesthetic/political affairs, black/white, entity/community, pretense/face, and Europe/Africa by concomitantly occupying a fundamentally altered viewpoint and privileging marginalized circumstances (O'neal 18). Dutchman has been one of the majorities well-liked of Jones/Baraka's plays and consequently one that has received copious serious attentiveness (O'neal 19). In a significant and then-inclusive study of Baraka's job, Baraka: The rebel and the disguise, Kimberly W. Benston draws in the deed of the slot in in recreation an archetypal tragic prototype: "the drop from asset through hamartia, and from hamartia to calamity (O'neal 20). Through tracing the classic tragic first of its kind in Clay's fall, Benston places him historically as a pre-revolutionary fatality who is also the harbinger of eventual black accomplishment (O'neal 27). In a later dissertation, "Performing Blackness," Benston sketches two dissimilar theories of black selfhood  and the arrangement of that selfhood by and in the "play" of verbal communication. He distinctions Ralph Ellison's hallucination of blackness as an continuously mediated sign with what he proposes is Baraka's more "indispensable" figuration  of blackness. "For Baraka," Benston articulates The plot of Dutchman is exposed and bleak. Other

Materials and manufacture 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Materials and manufacture 2 - Essay Example The six different properties of the seven different materials are identified in terms of their standard definition and then the typical values are further tabulated in SI units in the following table 1 for the purpose of comparison. The material specifications for metals such as low carbon steel and aluminum-zinc alloys can be found in American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards and Aluminum Association standards respectively. For example, ASTM A36 (American Society of Testing and Materials[ASTM], 2011 ) is a low carbon structural steel available in various forms such as plates, bars, sheets and rolled products. The properties of A36 are included in table 1. Aluminum-Zinc alloys are designated as 7000 series Al alloy by Aluminum Association based in Arlington, Virginia. 7000 series however include the entire gamut of products like flats, long, castings and so on. The table 1 provides the properties of aluminum-zinc castings only. The thermoplastic polymers are availabl e in form of various brands in the market. The injected molded polymers parts are widely used in industries and hence included in the property table 1. As regards wood, the properties of solid Beech and Birch are included in table 1. Table 1 Properties of materials (http://www.matweb.com & http://www.matbase.com) Material Yield Strength In MPa Young Modulus In MPa % Elongation Electrical Resistivity In  µ?-m Thermal Conductivity in W/m-K Density In gm /cm3 Low Carbon Steel 250 210000 23 0.1612 43-54 7.85 Aluminum Zinc Alloys 205 71000 1 0.038-0.057 121-155 2.80 Acetal Coplymer 37-120 586-12100 1.0-250 1.0e+17 0.231-0.31 1.32-1.54 HDPE 9-43 180-1570 3.20-2080 1.00e+18 0.288-0.400 0.918-1.05 LDPE 7.7-136 110-449 13.5-800 1.0e+17 0.30-0.33 0.91-0.98 BEECH WOOD 130** 10000-18000 * * 0.04-0.4 0.66-0.780 BIRCH PLY 134** 14500-16500 * * 0.04-0.4 0.73 Note. * Woods and ply are not ductile materials and they are good electrical insulators. 130** and 134** represent Ultimate Tensile strengt h. The standards such as ASTM again provide the measurement techniques of both mechanical and physical properties of materials. Depending on the techniques there may be wider variation in mechanical properties which are dependent on the geometry of the test piece. The physical properties are however constant across all geometries of the test piece but found to vary depending on the varied chemical composition. For example, the carbon content in the ASTM A36 material can influence the thermal conductivity values. Similarly, the polymers namely, Acetal Copolymer, HDPE, LDPE exhibit wide ranges of variation in both physical and mechanical properties across various brands available in the market. Hence the values tabulated in table 1 are all typical values. The actual values shall be taken from suitable sources for a specific application. THE CONCEPT OF THE QUANTITATIVE PROPERTIES Strength: It can be defined either in terms of Yield Tensile Strength or Ultimate Strength depending on the desired application. Yield Tensile Strength is the axial load applied per unit area just required to initiate plastic deformation beyond the elastic range of the material. This plastic

Role of Parliament in the British Government Essay

Role of Parliament in the British Government - Essay Example Therefore, it is paramount to determine the extent of this influence in the present day context in order to draw relevant conclusions. Most members of the cabinet of Britain sit in the House of Commons (Campbell & Peters 1988, p. 168). This house has been previously criticized for its compositions with a large number of sitting representatives hailing from a single party. This means that the decisions that may be arrived at in many cases may not be representative of the professional opinion of those undertaking the decision but may be reflective of a stance taken by the party rather than the individual representatives. The majority of those in the House of Commons who may be hailing from the same party are also bound to be supportive of the executive’s decisions which may not be in the best interest of democracy. This kind of trend that is reflective of a majority of representatives following the same course and having the same characteristics and backgrounds reflects a very u nhealthy trend in the course of representatives who are in the legislature providing checks and balances to the executive. Discussion In the recent past, there has been an increase in the attempts by the executive to increase controls of measures of parliament. The effects have been that parliament has been compelled to support the decisions that the executive makes. The result has been a dominance of parliament by the executive that has seen the latter’s power wane the executive has become the decision maker in parliament.... 168). This house has been previously criticized for its compositions with a large number of sitting representatives hailing from a single party. This means that the decisions that may be arrived at in many cases may not be representative of the professional opinion of those undertaking the decision but may be reflective of a stance taken by the party rather than the individual representatives. The majority of those in the House of Commons who may be hailing from the same party are also bound to be supportive of the executive’s decisions which may not be in the best interest of democracy. This kind of trend that is reflective of a majority of representatives following the same course and having the same characteristics and backgrounds reflects a very unhealthy trend in the course of representatives who are in the legislature providing checks and balances to the executive. Discussion In the recent past, there has been an increase in the attempts by the executive to increase cont rols of measures of parliament. The effects have been that parliament has been compelled to support the decisions that the executive makes. The result has been a dominance of parliament by the executive that has seen the latter’s power wane. The perception among policy makers, other experts and the public in general has been that the executive has become the decision maker in parliament. Already, this depicts that something is wrong since parliament cannot effectively put checks and controls on the executive while the executive is dominating decision making (Knight 2010, p. 331). Recognition is given to the fact that parliament in Britain does not consist of a single house. Rather, it is constituent of two with the House of Commons

Intercontinental Hotels Group plc Finance report Assignment

Intercontinental Hotels Group plc Finance report - Assignment Example Increase in cost of sales has made no large effect on the gross profit in 2013 because the turnover has increased with a greater proportion than the cost of sales. The revenue in 2013 has increased by 3.79% while the increase in cost of sales is just as low as 0.13%. This has caused the gross profit of the company to increase by 6.62% in 2013. Other operating income of $57 million in 2012 has disappeared in 2013 causing an expense of $3 million in 2013, and the administrative expenses have decreased from $381 million in 2012 to $379 million in 2013. This has contributed towards the favourable effect on the operating profit in 2013. The finance cost of the company has decreased from $64 million in 2012 to $57 million in 2013. This is due to the decreased proportion of noncurrent liability causing a decrease in the interest liability of the company. However, the finance income has increased from $2 million in 2012 to $3 million in 2013. This is probably due to the increase in long term investments in noncurrent assets. (Kline, 2007) The current ratio measures ability of a company to pay its debts over the next 12 months or over its business cycle by comparing company’s current assets to its current liabilities. The current ratio of IHG has increased from 0.672 times in 2011 to 0.846 times in 2012. Higher the current ratio, the higher is the ability of the company to pay off its obligations. An increase in current ratio of IHG indicates more efficiency compared to previous period and safe liquidity. This ratio tells about how efficient is the company’s operating cycle and its capability to convert its products into cash. Quick ratio is also known as the acid test ratio. It takes into account the ability of a company to pay its short term debts. It is a more reliable test of short term solvency than current ratio as it shows the ability of any company to pay its short term debts immediately. Quick assets

Relevance Of The Maxim Certainty Philosophy Essay

Relevance Of The Maxim Certainty Philosophy Essay The maxim: Certainty is not overruled by doubt is one of the universal maxims in Islamic law. It applies to three-quarter of fiqh. Some positions maintain that the maxim does not have significant effect on commercial transactions. The work started by discussing the legal basis of the maxim. It also discussed the detailed meaning of certainty and doubt in Islamic law and jurisprudence and the principles with which they are applied to the particulars of law. Relevant particulars of commercial matters related to it were cited as examples after analysis of the general meaning of each maxim. These examples reveal the significance of the maxim in providing basic principles for dispute resolution as well as the responsibility of proving allegations between parties to commercial transactions. It also laid out in detail the party upon whom the onus of proof lies in litigations to counter what is presumed by law. Keywords: Certainty (yaqÄ ©n), Conjecture (Zann), Doubt (shakk), Illusion (Waham), Commercial Transactions, Dispute resolutions, presumption of law, onus of proof. * Higher Sharia Court Judge, Kala Balge Sharia Court and overseeing Rann Sharia Court, Borno State Judicial Service Commission, Borno State, Nigeria. E-mail: [emailprotected] * Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Department of Sharia, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. E.-mail: [emailprotected] ** Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Department of Sharia, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. E.-mail: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 1. INTRODUCTION: Legal maxims (Al-Qawà £id Al-Fiqhiyyah) are imperative in Islamic jurisprudence as they encapsulate perceptions and precepts that can abet to figure out the factual essence of the Islamic Law in details. Reflective of a consolidated reading of fiqh by great jurists, it is a handy tool for researchers who need to expand their grasp and understanding of content and objective of the law. More importantly, they ease to arrive at the appropriate ruling where is no direct text is available a particular matter. The word al-Qawaid is a plural qà £idah, a derivative of qaada and literally has the meanings of fixation, consistency, and being well established. Qaida on the other hand means base, and Qawaid means a foundation of a building, as Allah, the Most High says: And remember Ibrahim and Ismail raised the foundations (Qawà £id) of the House  [1]   Technically, it is a general rule applicable to all its related particulars. Sadrush SharÄ ©ah (d. 747) defined Qawà £id as general propositions  [2]  . Examples are Qaida Nahwiyyah (Rule of Grammar), Qà £idah Mantiqiyya (Rule of Logic), Qaida UsÃ…Â ©liyya (Rule of Jurisprudence), etc. Fiqhiyya (lit. of law) is the adjective of Qà £ida (maxim); a derivative of fiqh (law) which literally means understanding. Fiqh is a term that came to denote Muslim jurists detailed study of practical aspect of the Devine ordainments. Imam Shafii (d. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) defined it as the knowledge of the practical injunctions of Sharia acquired from its detailed evidences  [3]  . The two words, i.e. Al-Qawà £id al-Fiqhiyya, referred herein as Legal Maxims has several definitions which basically revolves around two positions. The often quoted definition of legal maxims is that it is a general rule which applies to all of its related particulars  [4]  . As this is an extension of the technical meaning of term Qà £ida in other discipline to the Qà £ida in law (fiqh), this definition has failed to encapsulate the concept of legal maxims and thus not reflective of its essence. Al-Hamawi (d. 1098H=1687AD) has stated that Qà £ida of legists (fuqahà £) is different from Qà £ida in other disciplines such as Grammar (Nahwu), Logic (Mantiq) and even Jurisprudence (UsÃ…Â ©lul Fiqh). In these disciplines, it is a rule applicable to all its related particulars.  [5]   From the foregoing we can say that a legal maxim is a general proposition of law that applies to most of its related particulars  [6]  . The reason for opting to this definition is that maxims do not apply to all particulars that seem related to it. The particulars that do not apply to a general principle are known as exceptions (mustathnayà £t). These exceptions often represent independent or auxiliary maxims in themselves. The exceptions do not however negate the general application of maxims, as the principles of the maxim still represent application to majority; and exceptions are but of minority in all maxims  [7]  . Another characteristic of a legal maxim worth noting is that a maxim applies to most of its related particulars, which are scattered in various themes or chapters of fiqh. But a principle that only applies on one particular theme or chapter of fiqh is referred to as a Regulator (Dà £bit). In other words, a Regulator (Dà £bit) is limited to one chapter and provides a legal principle on injunctions of a particular chapter of Fiqh. According to Al-SuyÃ…Â ©ti (d. 911H) says a maxim collects branches from different chapters while Dà £bit collects branches of the same chapter  [8]  . An example of Dà £bit is: injunction of sale of a nonexistent is same as that of risky-taking (gharar) sales (hukmu baiil madÃ…Â ©mi yatbaul gharar)  [9]  . This Dà £bit is applicable to the chapter of buying and selling. Importance of Legal Maxims (Al-Qawà £id Al-Fiqhiyyah): The great Maliki Jurist of Egypt, Imam Shihà £buddÄ ©n Al-Qarà £fi (d. 676H) described it as embodying secrets and wisdoms of Sharia  [10]  . Legal maxim brings together widely scattered branches of fiqh into a single abstract rule making it easy for jurists, researchers and students of the Islamic law. It also saves time in researching injunctions for several matters that are otherwise scattered in different chapters of books of fiqh. That is why, according Al-SuyÃ…Â ©ti, some jurists refer to fiqh as knowledge of similitudes. Legal maxims therefore make it easy to diagnose juristic injunctions, comprehend and memorise auxiliaries and particulars of the law  [11]  . The four schools of Islamic Jurisprudence are in agreement over the five of the Universal Maxims that they clasp within themselves the entire quintessence of the Islamic Shariah. They are depicted to be universal maxims for being all-inclusive and applicable to the entire range of fiqh without any specification  [12]  ; whereas the rest of the maxims are just elucidations of these five: Matters are (judged) by their intents (Al-UmÃ…Â ©ru bi-maqà £sidihà £)  [13]  ; Hardship begets facility (Al-Mashaqqatu tajlibu Al-TaisÄ ©r)  [14]  ; No harming and no counter-harming (Là £ darara wa là £ dirara)  [15]  ; Custom is Authoritative (Al-ÃÆ'datu Muhakkamah)  [16]  . Certainty is not be overruled by doubt (Al-YaqÄ ©nu la yazÃ…Â ©lu bish-shakki). Beside its general application to three-quarter of Fiqh chapters, Certainty is not overruled by Doubt provides basic guidelines for disputes resolution in contracts including commercial and financial transactions. The paper will discuss in detail the general meaning of the universal maxim Certainty is not overruled by Doubts, its importance and relevance to commercial transactions. This universal maxim is one of the earliest maxims to appear in the discipline of maxims derivation (Al-TaqÄ ©d Al-Fiqhi)  [17]  . The earliest reference to it was made by Imam ShafiÄ © (d. 204H º819C.E.) while discussing admission/ confession. He said: the basis of what I say is that I will always hold people by what is certain, drop the doubtful and use that which is most probable  [18]  . Al-Karkhi (d. 340H) too in his UsÃ…Â ©l has stated that the basis (in law) is that what was confirmed with certainty cannot be overruled by doubt and say it is one of the principles the Hanafi School was based on  [19]  . Over time, it was abridged into its current form: Certainty is not overruled by doubt (Al-YaqÄ ©nu là £ yazÃ…Â ©lu bish-Shakk)  [20]  . 2. CERTAINTY IS NOT OVERRULED BY DOUBT  [21]   (Al-YaqÄ ©nu là £ yazÃ…Â ©lu bish-Shakk) Generally, any matter confirmed to have existed with certainty remains certain until proven with evidence to be otherwise. It is not invalidated by mere doubt or supposition. The same is also said regarding a matter whose non-existence is confirmed continues in that state until also proven otherwise. This is because doubt is weaker than certainty. It will not, therefore, nullify certainty whether or not the later is positive or negative  [22]  . In other words, whenever the existence or non-existence of a matter is established through legally accepted means, a subsequent doubt over the continuance of this state will not affect the legal regard given to the confirmed certainty. Legally, certainty (yaqÄ ©n) is defined as the knowledge that a fact has either definitely occurred or not. Doubt (shakk), which is the opposite of certainty (yaqÄ ©n)  [23]  , is a vacillation over the occurrence and non-occurrence of a fact. Meaning none between the two possibilities is of higher probability. But if either has greater probability, the doubt seizes and it is thus certain (yaqÄ ©n) in the usage of legists (fuqahà £). This form of yaqÄ ©n is often interchangeably used with the term à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬Å"ann. The term à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ann which literally means conjecture is less than certainty in the language of Jurists and Logicians. To them, Certainty (YaqÄ ©n) is belief that a particular matter is so-and-so and cannot be but so-and-so in manner consistent with its reality and essence. In other words, it is the perfect knowledge free from error. Because injunctions of Sharia are applied on what evident or conspicuous (zà £hir) and not abso lute certainty, the jurists definition is not as encompassing as that of legists (Fuqahà £) which includes the most probable event  [24]  . This is because there are issues which the Sharia may have considered them as certain though they can logically be incorrect. Example is an accepted testimony by witnesses before a Court is a legal certainty for its truthfulness, but is possible that they are telling lies. Al-Qarà £fi says that necessity is the reason why conjecture (à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬Å"ann) is regarded as certain in Sharia for absolute certainty may not be achieved. Possibility of erring in such à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬Å"ann is however lesser. But the doubtful cannot be a basis for a judgement  [25]  . This is the reason why scholars of Malikiyya school of thought did not refer to this maxim in the above phrase, that is Certainty is not overruled by doubt, rather their preferred phrase is: The Norm of Sharia is that Injunctions are but based on knowledge and that which is in doubt is not considered  [26]  . 2.1 BASIS OF THE MAXIM: In the Quran, the saying of Allah, the Most High: But most of them follow nothing but Conjecture (Zann): truly Conjecture can be of no avail against truth. Verily Allah is well aware of all that they do  [27]  . One of the meanings of Zann (lit. conjecture) is illusion, i.e. where the fact thought to apply to a particular matter does not in reality apply to it. In such a situation, such conjecture will not overrule what was known for certain  [28]  . Also from Sunnah, the Hadith narrated by Abbà £d bin TamÄ ©m from his uncle from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in which a man complained to the Prophet, peace be upon him of feeling something (departing) his body. The Prophet, peace be upon him, told him not leave (his prayers) until he hears a sound or smells (the gas)  [29]  . The hadith means that one should not ignore the certain, which is the state purity before prayer, in favour of that which is uncertain, i.e. the feeling that something has departed his body. Therefore, such doubt will not overrule the original certainty. In another version of the Hadith related by Abu Huraira, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and if one of you feels something in his belly, and doubts whether something has left his body or not, he should not leave the mosque until he hears a sound or feels a gas  [30]  . 2.2 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MAXIM: On the significance of the above Hadith, Al-Nawawi (d. 676H) asserts that: this Hadith is a basic source and a great principle  [31]  among the principles of fiqh. The principle is that things are judged to remain on their original forms until the certainty of the contrary is established, a subsequent doubt will thus not harm it  [32]  . Jurists have unanimously agreed on the usage of this maxim. Imam Al-Qarafi states that: this is an agreed upon maxim, the only disagreement among scholars is in some of its applications  [33]  . Ibn DaqÄ ©q al-Eid (d. 702H) also said: The Hadith is a basic principle in the usage and/or tossing of doubts; and scholars appear to be in agreement on this maxim, even though they differ in some of its applications  [34]  . 2.3 RELEVANCE TO COMMERCIAL TRANSACTION: By Commercial Transactions we are referring all Contracts in Sharia relating to the exchange of goods and services. Examples include: transactions like bay (sales contract), ijà £rah (lease), muzà £raah (farm leasing) partnership (muqà £radah), wakà £lah (agency) juala (promise of reward for a particular action), kafà £lah (surety), hawà £la (transfer of debt), rahn (mortgaging), etc. In fact, all contracts with the exception of marriage contract which is not under the scope of this paper. As we have indicated above, certainty in law refers to the most probable assumption. Example of such probable assumption is seeing a man with reasonable wealth possessing a reasonably priced car for several years; one can confidently testify that it belongs to him  [35]  . It is upon this kind of certainty that many legal injunctions apply  [36]  . Other examples of its relevance to commercial transactions include: Where there is a contract between two parties and a doubt is raised on whether or not there was dissolution of the contract. The contract is presumed to be subsisting as this is the certainty  [37]  . Also where it is confirmed that A owes B certain amount of money. But after As death, a doubt is raised on whether or not he has paid, lack of payment will be presumed as it is the certainty  [38]  which cannot be overruled by doubt. Certainty is not overruled by Doubt is supplemented with many Auxiliary Maxims (qawà £id fariyyah) and Regulators (Dawà £bit) which together elaborate its legal implication and significance. These will be classified under three categories, namely: Auxiliary Maxims giving weight to certainty, Auxiliary Maxims emphasising on overlooking of doubt and Maxims indirectly related to the Certainty is not overruled by Doubt. Related maxims to each category will be discussed in the following order: Auxiliary Maxims giving weight to certainty: The norm is that the status quo remains as it was before (Al-Aà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ £lu Baqà £u mà £ kà £na ala mà £ kà £na); Let the Ancient rest on its age (Al-QadÄ ©mu yutraku alà £ qidamih) The norm (in Sharia) is freedom from liability (Al-Aà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ £lu barà £at Al-Dhimmah); The norm (of Shariah) is that acquired attributes do not exist (Al-Aà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ £lu fis-Sifà £til Aridah Al-Adam) The norm in Law is that things are faultless or fit (Al-Aà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ £lu As-Salama) The Norm (of Sharia) regarding things is permissibility (Al-Aà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ £lu fil Ashyà £i al-Ibà £hah) The Basis in Law Regarding Contracts is that they permissible and binding (on its parties) (Al-Aà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ £lu fil UqÃ…Â ©di As-Sihhah wal-LuzÃ…Â ©m) The Norm of law regarding terms and conditions is validity (Al-Aà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ £lu fish-ShurÃ…Â ©ti as-Sihhah) The basic principle is to ascribe the event to the nearest time of occurrence (Al-Aà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ £lu Idà £fatul Hadithi ilà £ aqrabi auqà £tih) Auxiliary Maxims emphasising on overlooking of doubt: No attention shall be paid to inferences (implication) in the face of an explicit statement (Là £ ibrata lid-Dalà £lati fÄ © Muqà £balatit TasrÄ ©h) No weight is attached to Illusion (Là £ ibrata littawahhumi) No argument is admitted against supposition based upon evidence (laa hujata maal ihtimaalin naashii an daleel) The apparently erroneous supposition is not to be taken into consideration (laa Ibrata biz Zannil bayyni khatauhu) Maxims indirectly related to the Certainty is not overruled by Doubt: No statement is imputed by to a person who keeps silence, but silence is tantamount to a statement where there is a necessity for speech (Là £ yunsabu ilà £ sà £kitin qaulun, wa là £kinnas sukÃ…Â ©tu fÄ © maradil hà £jati ilà £l bayà £ni bayà £nu) The original state of words is the literal sense (Al-Aà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ £lu fil Kalà £mi Al-HaqÄ ©qah) No room for ijtihà £d where there is a decisive text (Là £ masà £gha lilijitihà £di fÄ © mauridin nass) 3. AUXILIARY MAXIMS GIVING WEIGHT TO CERTAINTY 3.1 The norm is that the status quo remains as it was before  [39]  : (Al-Aà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ £lu Baqà £u mà £ kà £na ala mà £ kà £na) It is a basic provision in Sharia is that the status quo remains as it was before unless it is proven to have changed. To explain further, we can say that a fact whose existence or non-existence is said to be certain in the past is regarded to be as it was and does not change, until evidence is available to change such status. Such proof is mostly based on evidence, confession, admission, and refusal to take oath  [40]  . This principle of law is referred to as Istishà £b in Islamic jurisprudence  [41]  . Considered to be one of the secondary sources of law, Istishà £b has been defined as the presumption of continuity of a matter base on its previously established state. The previously confirmed state may either be legal or rational. This maxim represents a form of Istishà £b which is: accompanying what the law has confirmed to have existed in the past into the present; such as a person who bought a piece of land will be presumed to still owe it until anything that may change that presumption is proved  [42]  . This type of Istishà £b applies in cases such as presumption of continuation ownership after execution of a contract; the liability of a person who damages anothers property remains until repayment and the existence of a liability on an indebted person where the taking up of the loan is attested to  [43]  . An example of the application of the maxim in commercial transaction is where a lender claims paying his debtor; or a buyer claims paying the price to the seller; or a lessee claims paying the lessor; but the debtor, the seller and the lessor denied any payment. The statements of the party denying will be accepted. As the norm is the continuance of what has existed, these claims will not be accepted until legally proved  [44]  . Another application is when a buyer claims that the condition of a commodity he previously saw has diminished during delivery; according to Ibn Qà £sim (d. 918H), the statement of the seller will command credibility base on this maxim. Ash-hab (d. 204H) on the other hand also states that the claim of the buyer will have legal backing because the legal norm is that the buyer is free from liability (Al-Aà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ £lu barà £at al-Dhimmah)  [45]  . Hanafis have distinguished between the two by asserting that if much time has lapsed from the time of inspection of the commodity and the time of delivery, the statement of the buyer will be backed by the law  [46]  until the contrary is proved by the seller. 3.2 Let the Ancient rest on its age  [47]   (Al-QadÄ ©mu yutraku alà £ qidamih) Provided it does not violate the right of another, a thing that has existed since time immemorial will enjoy legal protection. The law presumes that something that has remained for a very long time has a legal precedence  [48]  . This is also regarded as Istishab as it is an accompanying of the past condition, whether it is a proof of ownership through evidence or the admission of a respondent. Such istishab can be relied upon provided it has not been lawfully changed which should be through evidence, admission or refusal to take oath  [49]  . This maxim is also closely related the norm is that the status quo remains as it was before  [50]  . Example of its application is that whenever ownership of a property is confirmed by either admission of respondent or conclusive evidence, it shall be presumed to continue in Sharia law  [51]  . Also where two persons claim the ownership of a property, and both provided evidence of their ownership with date. The presumption of the ownership will be in favour of the person who provides earliest date, because he claims to own the property during a time when the plaintiff does not challenge his ownership. This will remain until the plaintiff can prove the contrary  [52]  . 3.3 The norm (in Sharia) is freedom from liability: (Al-Aà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ £lu barà £at Al-Dhimmah) A person is born free from anything; and being liable of anything is contrary to the original norm (asl) of law  [53]  . Literally, the word asl means root or source, and in the context of this maxim it means the most probable (al-rà £jih  [54]  ) evidence upon which the law relies and bases its rulings. This maxim applies to both fact and law. Regarding its application to fact, the general rule is that a person is certainly free from any obligation or liability and making him liable for something is both doubtful and a contradiction of the original state of man; being born free from any liability. Claims of liabilities such as debt, obligation that was the result of later cause will only be accepted if proved through means provided by the law. In the absence of any such proof, the Sharia regards a person to have no liability, thus making onus of proof upon the person who alleges a fact or claims it. The maxim is inspired by the Prophets Hadith, peace be upon him, in which he said: the onus of proof is on the claimant, and taking of an oath is incumbent upon him who denies.  [55]  The hadith provides that the party insisting to disprove the status quo and wants to establish a recently acquired attribute is the claimant and the onus of proof is upon him; while the party that clings on the original (asl) attribute is the defendant/respondent and upon him is the oath because he is denying the allegation.  [56]   This maxim is an equivalent to what is generally known as the presumption of innocence, though this principle is more general. The expression presumption of innocence implies that it relates principally to criminal procedure, whereas the non-liability maxim extends to civil litigation and to religious matters generally. The normative state, or the state of certainty for that matter, is that people are not liable, unless it is proven that they are, and until this proof is forthcoming, to attribute guilt to anyone is treated as doubtful. Certainty can, in other words, only be overruled by certainty, not by doubt  [57]  . The maxim provides practical solutions in cases of disputes or disagreements between parties to commercial transactions. Where, or instance, there is a disagreement between the owner and a borrower, a victim and an assailant, the statement of the accused will be accepted because the legal norm is that he is free from an excess liability  [58]  . Another example is where there is disagreement on the amount of loan between the lender and the indebted; the statement of the indebted will be presumed  [59]  . Also, the statement of an agent regarding damage to a property will be accepted, likewise regarding denial of infringement and negligence, with oath  [60]  . In law however, this maxim is often referred to as: The norm (of law) is non-existent (Al-Aà ¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ £lu Al-Adamu). To majority of jurists, both these principles refer to the same thing, as lack of an injunction means one is not obliged to carry it out. In other words is not liable for not doing it. A second aspect of this principle also closely related to the notion of original non-existent, is original permissibility (al-ibà £ha al-asliyyah). In this concept, everything is legal ab initio, and one will not be sanctioned for either doing or omission. Jurists refer to it as permission of the reason (Al-Ibà £h al-Aqliyyah). This implies that it is a presumption of continuation of the original non-existent of injunction base on reason (aql) rather than the words of the Law-giver. This position can as well be deduced from many verses of holy Quran according to many scholars  [61]  . An example of such verses is the saying of Allah, the Most High: Those who devour usury will not stand except as stand one whom the Evil one by his touch Hath driven to madness. That is because they say: Trade is like usury, but Allah hath permitted trade and forbidden usury. Those who after receiving direction from their Lord, desist, shall be pardoned for the past  [62]  . When taking usury was prohibited, the companions of the Prophet feared the consequence of t