Opposition of the Quraysh to the message of the Prophet Muhammad

Abstract The period that the Prophet Muhammad spent in Mecca is a critical component of the Islam religion. This essay will examine the time with the intention to assess the impact of the elements arrayed against the acceptance of the Prophet. The evidence presented found components in the establishment feared change and loss of power more than any other factor. This study will be of use to any researcher studying this period. 1. Introduction The opposition of the Quraysh to the Prophet Muhammad is a pivotal moment in history that has influenced the manner in which Islam has evolved. This paper will assess the impact of the factors that the opponents to the Prophet used in their opposition Beginning with a brief overview of the Quraysh and their position prior to the appearance of the Prophet Muhammad in Mecca, this work will illustrate the fundaments of the opposition. Following this segment with an examination of the events that took place in Mecca as the Prophet attempted to spread his message will allow for a demonstration of impact. The combination of the first elements will allow for a clear illustration of the significance of the factors that drove those that opposed the Prophet Muhammad in Mecca. In the end this essay will have examined past practice, integration efforts and overall results in order to assess the impact that the opposition of the Quraysh to the message of the Prophet Muhammad in Mecca has had on Islam. 2 Background2.1 The Young Prophet MuhammadThe Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca on the 12th of the lunar mother Rabi’l. It is known that he was of the noble family Quraysh, yet he was not taught to read or write and often tended sheep. His tribe can be traced back to Ishmael, a son of Abraham. It was the high capacity for moral dependability that separated the early Prophet Muhammad from the Ibn Kathir, 2000. The life of the prophet Muhammad : a translation of Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya / translated from the Arabic printed text of Mustafa other traders. During this period Muslims believe he worked and built a sterling reputation based on his integrity, truthfulness and overall dependability. From this recognition to truth and honesty came the youthful title of al-Amin, or the Faithful. From this early age as an emerging merchant, his hatred of idolatry was well known. Further, despite the fact that Mecca was known for their consumption of spirits, the character of the young Prophet was such that not a drop was known to pass his lips. his divine calling.2.2 The QurayshAfter waging a bloody war against the tribe of Jarham, Qasiy, Ibn Kulaab established the Quraysh tribe in Mecca. This fact led to the Quraysh being in a position of considerable influence in Mecca during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad. A highly respected family that lived close to the Kabah and were therefore caretakers of Allah’s house was only one of the reasons the population of Mecca revered the Quraysh family so. It was common for virtually any and every request of the Quraysh to be accomplished quickly and thoroughly. The Quraysh maintained two separate major merchandise caravans that travelled through Syria and Yemen, which endeared the clan to the city Mecca and entrenched their power into such that many Arabs would not consider making a move while the family stood against it. Rooting themselves ever more firmly in the fundament of society was the Quraysh role in maintaining the safety of the oppressed which in turn aided their perception of benevolence and wisdom. In a very real sense the Quraysh became rich and powerful by being the very best at trade and safeguarding the house of Allah. With the rejection of Islam by the tribe of Quraysh of Mecca there were virtually no other Arab tribes that were willing to embrace Islam. The world waited upon the city of Mecca to accept or break the Prophet Muhammad. 3 The Quraysh Opposition to the Prophet Muhammad As one of the prominent trading and mercantile houses in Mecca during the period of the Prophet Muhammad, there are several layers to the position of opposition that the Quraysh took against his message. On an economic, social and judicial level the ruling class felt threatened by the emerging form of religion. During the time of the initial emergence of the Prophet, the city of Mecca was enjoying a relative period of peace and prosperity. With the Quraysh firmly in control of the pagans that were drawn to the city for religious purposes, there was a perception of reliance on the income from the trade. As the Prophet Muhammad first emerged and firmly denounced the multitude of Idols and Idolaters in the city, many Muslims felt a sense of impending change. The message of the Prophet was feared to put the traders at odds with one of the strongest sources of income in the area. This dependence on trade was a hallmark of the family Quraysh effort to maintain power and sustain a high leve l of political influence in the region. This factor of trade became a primary component of the family Quraysh resistance to the message of Islam as they sought a means to secure their wealth and status, not endanger them both. This long time power in Mecca had been created from a centre of trade and commerce, which in turn provided the family with reputation for integrity good works. The factor of pride was a central element in the Quraysh repudiation of the Prophet Muhammad and his sacred message. The changes that were sought by the emerging Prophet would have cast a form of aspersion on the forefathers of the family, and that was considered a stain upon their honour and therefore unacceptable. It was the current generation of the family Quraysh intention to follow strictly in the footsteps of their ancestors in order to maintain the propriety of their lineage. This sense of familial obligation was reflected in the Arab culture as each of the prominent families and tribes of the larger group continually competed for power and influence within the structure. A very real fear of the loss of power was at the root of much of the family Quraysh denial of the faith. The birth of such a powerful Prophet would bring respect and honour to his division of the tribe and several internal factions had no wish to follow the sub-tribe to which the Prophet Muhammad belonged. Th is factor alone was enough to generate a substantial amount of negativity form the associated tribes. There were several areas of social responsibility that the Prophet Muhammad taught that were at odds with the administration of the period, which in turn caused even further dissention and denial by the family Quraysh. In every case the emerging message from the rising power was teaching a transformation of the current societal structure, which was very frightening to those in power. Included among the many sections with which the Quraysh family took issue were the equality of tolerance aspects that spoke to the core of humanity and spirituality within the person. The Prophet Muhammad taught that it was right to be both generous and merciful to all, including the weak and destitute. Further, it was of God to show companionship to those that were considered low born and furtive. In a very real way, the Prophet Muhammad was teaching the Muslim population that the Quraysh family was not of true religion and it could be seen in their day to day actions. This fact also contributed to the initial growth of Islam through the lower strata of Meccan society. There was a very real perception that the emerging message was in direct opposition to the entitlement that the Quraysh felt that they had earned throughout the generations. Many historians note the fact that Quraysh were commonly thought to feel themselves as being better, or above, the common person.Therefore the resistance to impose a method of change that ran counter to their entire fundament came naturally. Driving much of the uncertainty surrounding the Prophet Muhammad and his message of Islam was the fear the new method would cause a core breakup of the Meccan society. Not only did the family Quraysh have their material wealth and lifestyle to lose, there were the accompanying political and religious appointments that would be lost as well. This factor of continual loss of the part of the powerful Quraysh family did not provide any path to acceptance.3.1 Methods of OppositionThe Quraysh family took the time to carefully consider and plan their rejection of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. There was a very real sense that this emerging threat to their power needed to be dealt with in a methodical manner. To this end, the efforts to discredit and vilify the Prophet Muhammad took on new shapes that had never before been utilized. The Quraysh family had influential people close to the Prophet through the ties of familial bonds formally reject his teachings. The element of denial by the family communicated in clear and certain terms that even though the Quraysh were of the same blood as the Prophet Muhammad, they did not speak the same message. This was a cornerstone of the campaign to destroy his message. His closest relative would publicly humiliate the Prophet in an attempt to further discredit not only him, but his message in front of the assembled crowds. Accusing him of lying, the assembled would fling dirt on his face and chest in a display of utter contempt in a show of denial. This was at the hands of those that had previous to his message, held the Prophet Muhammad as one of the most trustworthy and upright of men. The drastic change was in direct response to the threat that the family Quraysh felt his message held for their lifestyle. Another method adopted in order to diminish the acceptance of the Prophet Muhammad rested in the Quraysh painting the teachings as being an innate rejection of their own ancestors. With the cessation of the Al-Lat and he Al-Izza as well as cease seeking assistance from the Jinn, there came a clear division of interest for the Quraysh family which rested their power in tradition. The animosity of the family is further illustrated as they went so far as to reject the ties of kin to the Prophet, despite the fact that he only sought to protect himself from their taunts and fallacies. As the ranks of the Prophet’s followers continued to grow several members of the ruling merchant class turned to money or power as a possible incentive to stop the message of Islam. Despite his being feted by the very richest and most powerful among the ruler of Mecca there was no method to be found for reconciling the emerging religion with the need for power. As each method of assault upon the message of the Prophet was rebuffed, there was a clear perception of building dismay to be seen in the increasingly violent and abusive reactions of the Quraysh family. It became common for the ruling class to maim and torture the lower class in an attempt to sway them from their growing beliefs. There were concerted efforts to take every element of comfort away from those that would refuse to abandon these new and emerging traditions. As a result of the considered and well financed attacks the life of the Prophet Muhammad during this period is cited as extraordinarily hard. With a perception of being a madman and outcast from his own family few people were likely to accept either him or his message. It became common for these disturbances to force the Prophet to run bleeding from his spot, and in turn his message was never fully delivered. As a final method of denial, the Quraysh family sought to turn the very strength of the Prophet, his religion against him. Creating a test of sorts with the added element of the acceptance of Islam is he could answer the questions, the family felt their scholarship would be the true means to discredit the faith. The Muslim belief cites the wisdom of his learning as enabling the Prophet Muhammad able to overcome this test and prove himself. 4 Conclusion The opposition of the Quraysh Family to the teaching of the Prophet Muhammad is a critical lesson in history. With a family that was firmly entrenched, the Quraysh, in power there was an established pattern of expectations in place. As the Prophet Muhammad, a member of this same family, grew to manhood he began to teach that the idols that were prevalent in the city took away from the spiritual purity of the region. This attack on the very cornerstone of regional commerce that the Quraysh family subsisted on was the first round in a very bitter battle to deny the Prophet and all of his teachings. The family Quraysh utilized extreme methods in their desire to mute the Prophet Muhammad. From public familial repudiation, to humiliation and shaming they sought to utterly and completely discredit the Prophet in order to maintain their hold both the commerce and religious establishment of the Meccan society. As the followers of Islam grew in number so did the family Quraysh issues with the calls for equality and tolerance. This fact continued to fuel the animosity of the family against the Prophet Muhammad. This period of life in the Prophet Muhammad is both heroic and demonstrative. Not only did he rise above the petty societal limitations to preach his message, he continued to do this despite his loss of almost everything he held dear. 5 Bibliography Ali, A. Y. 2000. The Holy Qura?n. Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Ltd. Ali, M. 1947. The living thoughts of the Prophet Muhammad. London: Cassell. Azzam, L. and Gouverneur, A. 1985. The life of the prophet Muhammad. London: Islamic Texts Society. Basit, A. 2012. The global Muslim community at a crossroads. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Praeger. Cohn, J. 2012 Muhammad: Prophet of Islam. New York, NY. Oxford University Press. Hashmi, S. 2003. The Qur’an and tolerance: An interpretive essay on Verse 5: 48. Journal of Human Rights, 2 (1), pp. 81–103. Ibn Hisha?m, ?. A. and Ibn Ish?a?k?, M. 1955. The life of Muhammad. London: Oxford University Press. Ibn Kathir, 2000. The life of the prophet Muhammad : a translation of Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya / translated from the Arabic printed text of Mustafa ‘Abd al-Wahid by Trevor Le Gassick, v. 1 Garnet, 1998-2000, p. 278-310. Mcauliffe, J. D. 2006. The Cambridge companion to the Qur?a?n. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Peters, F. E. 1994. Mecca. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. Rahman, F. 1976. Pre-foundations of the Muslim Community in Mecca. Studia Islamica, (43), pp. 5–24. Ramadan, T. 2007. In the footsteps of the prophet. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Rubin, U. 1995. The eye of the beholder. Princeton, N.J.: Darwin Press. T?abari?. 1988. The history of al-Tabari =. Albany: State University of New York Press. Venardos, A. M. 2009. Handbook of Current Islamic Banking and Finance Issues in South East Asia. Hackensach, NJ [u.a.]: World Scientific Pub Co Inc.

Functionalism on Computer Mouse Essay

The view, that the physical realization of a well-designed component is not, in some sense, its quintessence. Rather, what makes a functional component the kind it, is described in terms of its role in relating inputs to outputs and its relations to other functional components. If you see a machine that you’ve never seen before, you might ask: â€Å"What is that machine? What is its principle? What is it for? † In poising those questions, you are asking for an elucidation of the function that the machine serves. In many contexts, when we throw questions like â€Å"What is it? † what we ultimately are asking for is a version of what it does. As a theory of mind, functionalism is quite appealing. It is based in mathematical proof and provides a means of constructing analogies to guide our understanding of the mind. Ned Block (1980) classifies three senses of functionalism. The first is simple decompositional functionalism. ‘Functionalism’ in this way points to a research strategy that relies on the decomposition of a system into its components; the whole system is then explained in terms of these functional parts. Second, computation-representation functionalism is a unique case of decompositional functionalism which depends profoundly on the ‘computer-as-mind’ correlation. Psychological explanation under computation-representation functionalism is â€Å"akin to providing a computer program for the mind† (Block 1980, p. 171). So, these mental processes are viewed as being decomposable to a point where they can be conceived of as processes which are as simple as those of a digital computer. Last but not least, Block identifies metaphysical functionalism. This type of functionalism is a theory of mind that hypothesizes that mental states simply are efficient states. The metaphysical functionalist asserts that mental states are the forms of mental state they are because of the causal relations between inputs, outputs and other mental (i. e. functional) states of the system, as in the Turing machine. The physical realization of the set of functions which implement a mind are irrelevant to what makes something a mind – it’s the functional relations that count. Functionalism, briefly, is a theory which considers mental states to be causally related, both to behavior and to other mental states. The question of how a value can be added to a product keeps the manufacturers quite confused always. How its functions satisfy all the possible needs of all the customers from the product is a topic for research for the companies which emphasizes on the theory of functionalism. Things have been the principal topic of design discourse since the early nineteenth century. Debates developed around the integrity of materials, the refinements of form, and craft versus mass production, and the relation between form and function. To the degree that the discourse about things has dominated design thinking, insufficient attention has been paid to the relation things and experience of the users (Margolin 2002, p. 38). Every industrial product has some specific purposes. The design of the products must be conformed in the best possible way to the expectations that result from the function the product fulfills. It can be seen in the modern products that rigid functionalism of the past has been discredited. The range of people’s need is often greater than designers are eager, or something competent to accept. Whenever a product is designed a significant factor comes up and that is to omit the unimportant to carve out the important. The time is knocking on the door which compel us to discover our environment anew and return to the simple basic aspects, for example, to items that have unconstructed obvious-seeming functionalism in both the physical and the psychological sense. That’s why products should be well designed and as neutral and open as possible, leaving space for self-expression in using them (Rams 1989, p. 111). Good design can also be very little for various reasons. The design of a computer mouse also happened to be on the same line. This part of computer hardware connects to your computer to assist you manage cursor movement and pointing ability on the PC screen. A computer mouse makes navigation simple by allowing you to freely move your cursor around your screen. This allows you to perform functions of your computer with ease. Mouse is known for the ease they give point and click navigation. They are also identified for how good they work with all the different types of computers on the market today; the technology is so cross-system compatible that it become rare to see any problem when you decide to go from one type of mouse to another on your system. Computers are used by more and more people every day for use at home and at the office. Modern desktop computers offer users with user-input mechanisms that are well-matched for the applications that run on these computers. The use of a hand operated pointing device for use with a computer and its presentation has become almost universal. In computer science mouse is the jargon use to refer to a pointing device which usually slid along a flat surface to create x and y output signals as a result of said movement, the signals generally cause the cursor on the connected computer screen to move and allows the user to point to objects on the screen. A computer mouse is a handheld device that a user slides over a suitable surface causing the cursor on a computer screen to move in a direction determined by the motion of the device. The mouse is a hand-held device that functions on a flat surface which, in tandem with the necessary computer hardware and software, permits the user to manage movement of a cursor or pointer on the display. Computer mouse are often referred to as cursor positioning devices or cursor control devices, although mouse are used to perform many other functions, such as to open and drop documents, re-size and move windows, drag , menu items in a pull-down menu, select icons, text, launch applications and others. Computer mouse can be found in a various types of physical embodiments. Normally a mouse consist of a body that serves as a grip for the user’s hand and as a configuration for mounting a movement sensing system and two or more mouse buttons for the choice of computer functions. A computer mouse is ergonomically designed so that a user’s hand fits comfortably around the device. The computer mouse may be deemed as having a bottom surface which is in contact with a work surface such as a mouse pad when in use, and an upper surface which includes one or more pressure-sensitive switches for controlling computer operations when operated. Computer mouse are available with electro-mechanical, opto-mechanical, or optical movement sensing systems. Traditionally, a computer mouse is connected to a computer system by a cable for passing on signal/power there between. The bodily connection of the mouse to the host computer by the cable inopportunely limits free movement of the mouse and may result undesirable movement sometimes. Constant bending or twisting of the cable may effect further deterioration thereof so as to effect in detachment or inappropriate contact of connectors at reverse ends of the cable. Wireless computer mouse have been developed in the recent time to do away with the need for a cord, and to make it simpler for a user to move the mouse around without having to drag a cord. A cable less mouse that corresponds with a computer system through electromagnetic signals for data transmission solves the problem. The wireless computer mouse is commonly energized by battery and corresponds by means of infrared transmission or radio frequency transmission which possible the wireless operation. In general, proponents of various forms of functionalism make the claim that the physical realization of a given function is not, in some sense, its essence. Metaphysical functionalism identifies causal structures with mental states which are realizable by â€Å"a vast variety of physical systems† (Block 1980, p. 173). But once we have an implementable easiest function, there are no more queries as to what functions can be comprehended by that performance, dissimilarly in the case of a theoretical categorization. Put in different words, it is in no way clear that we have any reliable way of restraining the possible functions of a system without mention to an underlying physical mechanism which also applies in the case of Computer Mouse. A computer user manipulates a pointing device to change the position of a cursor or other object on a computer display, or to select objects on the display. The physical movement of the pointing device results in a similar movement of the cursor and/or object on the display. However no doubt, that the discoveries in the field of computing has changed our lives and effecting the discourse of history in many ways. Today the life has become so easy to lead with the help of these technological advancements and that has resulted from the extensive research in the field of functionalism. But the question remains that whether the idea of functionalism will be conquered by something else, whether a saturation period will strike in our life, or we will continue to witness the victory march of functionalism like this towards the path of future. Works Cited 1. Margolin, Victor. â€Å"The Experience of Products. † The Politics of the Artificial. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2002, pp-38-59 2. Rams, Dieter. â€Å"Omit the Unimportant. † Design Discourse, edited by Victor Margolin. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989, pp-111-113 3. Block, N. â€Å"Introduction: what is functionalism? † Readings in philosophy of psychology. Ed. N. Block. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 1980. 1: 171-184

I have decided to conduct my research on comparing and contrasting the Essay

I have decided to conduct my research on comparing and contrasting the romanticism and enlightenment period. I plan on focusing - Essay Example As â€Å"the government has re imposed the Anglican Book of Common prayers and has debarred the Non Conformists from holding religious meetings outside the established Church .A series of religion-fuelled crises forced Charles to dissolve Parliament, and led to the division of the country between two new political parties: Tories, who supported the king, and the Whigs, the king’s opponents.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Norton Anthology Of English Literature).Everything including Science went through development ,Time and Space were explored, development of Microscope and telescope opened new sense of vision, the authority of Aristotle and Ptolemy was broken and a new concepts were explored .The writers of this reign called this period Augustan as they believed that the English life has reached to the culminating period of civilization which existed in Rome under the rule of King Augustus. The art was formalized and there was little appreciation of Nature or beauty. The men of this age exalt ed the reason and regularity. They carried dislike for the emotions, enthusiasm and strong individuality as exhibited in the previous generation literature they sought for a conventional uniformity in manners, speech, and in everything else, and were uneasy if they deviated far from the approved, respectable standards of the body of their fellows. Great poetic imagination hardly exists among them. The poetry was full of abstract expressions and was intended to secure the elegance it often found substitute in superficiality instead of significant meanings. In the pursuit of highest possible perfection in the literature, as the ancients have achieved, their work resulted in shallow formal smoothness. Their strong tendency of moralising was also not free from conventionality and superficiality. In contrast to this was a period of Romanticism that saw the end of dominance of the Renaissance tradition. It observed the â€Å"fragmentation of consciousness away from the cultural authority of Rome† (Claire Lamont, 274); there was rediscovery of local cultures and vernacular literature. Romantic Literature is strong in many vernaculars of Rome as suggested by Claire Lamont in The Oxford Illustrated history Of English literature. The Romantic period saw the change in philosophy, politics and religion. It observed change in the art such as painting, music and literature. The Romanticism was a direct reaction to the rationalism of the Eighteenth century; it was a reaction to the physical world dominated by the science and the mental world dominated by the theories of Locke. The romantic poets rebelled against the ‘emphases’ on the commonsense and material as dominated by the preceding age. As the Romantic period coincided with the French Revolution there is much enactment of revolutionary ideas in the work of some of the poets. There are two generation of poets that represent the Romantic period, William Blake, Wordswoth and Coleridge are the elder gen eration of poets, and they were fired with revolutionary ideas. William Blake, one of the elder generation of poets was an engraver by profession and he was a great painter, he supplemented his training as painter and engraver by wide reading of the works of Dante, Shakespeare and Milton. The first collection of

Feedback and Student Motivation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Feedback and Student Motivation - Research Paper Example This is so because when the students get the right feedback, they realize that their hard work has been acknowledged and appreciated by the teacher whereas their wrong behaviors have been discouraged or condemned. Every student knows what behaviors and attitudes are appreciable and which are considered bad in the educational setting. When the teacher’s assessment coincides with the students’ expectations, students realize that the teacher does encourage the right behaviors and discourages the wrong behaviors. So in an attempt to improve their performance, they exactly know on what lines they have to work. This in turn motivates the students to execute the right behaviors that include but are not limited to working hard, submitting assignments on time, behaving well in the class, and maintaining discipline into the class. Intrinsic motivation vs extrinsic motivation Intrinsic motivation is driven by an individual’s personal interest in an activity. The intrinsic m otivation is spurred by an individual’s personality or behavior rather than external pressure. The intrinsically motivated students are willingly involved in the activities. They have an internal locus of control and are aware that they can control their grades if they want. Intrinsic motivation fundamentally comes from confidence. ... -internalized extrinsic motivation refers to the engagement in an activity for which people have accepted the personal relevance for their own self† (Mouratidis et al., 2008, p. 241). Extrinsic motivation in an activity comes from external influences to obtain a desired outcome. Common sources of external motivation include but are not limited to money, and higher position. Extrinsic rewards cause overjustification as well as a reduction in the intrinsic motivation. Feedback methods A teacher can use different kinds of feedback methods for the students and each feedback method has a different kind of effect on the students’ motivat ion i.e. the effect can be intrinsically motivating or extrinsically motivating. The three feedback methods are as follows: Praise Teachers should tell the students what they did well. For example, the teacher should tell the students, â€Å"Your essay was the best because†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"I was impressed by your approach† etc. Praise makes the students aware of what behaviors are appreciated by the teacher and what is qualified as a praiseworthy performance. Praise has an intrinsic motivating effect on the students because all students want to be praised. â€Å"[P]raise fosters intrinsic motivation and adaptive behaviors to a greater extent when it is perceived as informational as opposed to controlling† (Corpus, Ogle, and Love-Geiger, 2006, p. 335). Criticism This is the opposite of praise but has a similar effect on students’ motivation as medals have. In criticism, the teacher gives feedback by criticizing the wrong work. For example, â€Å"I was ver y disappointed with the way the paragraph was ended† etc. This feedback motivates students to do good so that they are not criticized.

Charles Smith is firefighter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Charles Smith is firefighter - Essay Example Before the shift starts at 8 am, Charles has breakfast at the fire station together with his colleagues some of whom are volunteer workers. He terms the breakfast session as, â€Å"a great experience where he and his colleagues share plans for the day, give memorable stories, joke around and sing hearty songs.† After breakfast, Charles and his colleagues go to the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) room and prepare their kits. Charles says, â€Å"We have to be ready always from the beginning of the shift to react to any event, since we could be called at any moment.† The Watch then assembles for inspection in the muster bay where the Chief Officer details and relays the day’s duties. According to Charles, â€Å"the details vary from one shift to another, and this unpredictability helps keep things interesting, while the formality instills a degree of professionalism.† When I asked Charles what he hates or dislike about firefighting, he replied, â€Å"som etimes it is difficult to save all people and some end up dying under your watch, it is the most disheartening thing to hear a person, particularly a child crying as the building he or she is in collapses from a fire.† From Charles’ facial expression, it is evident that such an incident takes quite a toll on firefighters. Since training is a hugely essential part of the job, firefighters’ daily routine encompasses drill time. I got a chance to watch the Watch during drill time and highly appreciated by their proficiency with the equipment.

Paper 3- Journey, Pilgrimage or Quest (Nonfiction writing) Essay

Paper 3- Journey, Pilgrimage or Quest (Nonfiction writing) - Essay Example Rather, my life was led with a veil pulled over the jealousy and hatred that my cousins and their parents had for me. When my grandfather died. he had left a sizable inheritance to his family thanks to the property that he owned. His children collectively decided to sell the property in order to come into money which they could use for their future. I was fortunate enough to have been given a chunk of that inheritance by my parents. They had always been proud of my money handling skills since the time that I learned what my school allowance was all about and they knew that I would spend the money I inherited wisely and frugally. After the inheritance was divided equally, it appeared that I was the only one of the cousins who managed to get a cash share of my grandfather's estate. Needless to say, this was something that unbeknownst to me, my cousins held against me. It was this jealousy that ate away at their beings since the day that the inheritance was turned over to all parties co ncerned. The fact that we all still continued to live on the family compound, although with separate land titles already, made matters even worse. My parents had decided that it would be in everyone's best interest if the land that our house stood on was transferred to my name. After all, they were not getting any younger and I was becoming increasingly involved in the day to day affairs of my parents. Putting my name on the title was something that they believed to be logical, since I stood to inherit the property when the proper time came anyway. As word of my good fortune spread among my relatives, so did their envy and hatred towards the one they named â€Å"The Chosen One†, a monicker that I refused to accept because I was not chosen by anybody, I just proved to have a good head on my shoulders when compared to my other cousins. Other events that unfolded in our intertwined lives further fueled their anger at my seemingly good fortune. By that time I already knew that I could live with their jealousy. There was nothing I could do about that and, although the great divide now existed between my cousins, uncles, aunts, and my own family, my parents refused to leave the family home. Even though I begged them many times to simply sell the house and leave, they refused to do so. Telling me more than once that I would only be able to leave the place once they had both died already. They refused to be uprooted and moved to a strange, new place to live in. But all that changed one fateful afternoon. I had gotten into my car and headed out to attend to some errands for the day. Before I left, I saw my cousin's motorcycle parked alongside the sidewalk outside the family compound. I felt a tinge of fear at the sight of the motorbike. This male cousin of mine hated me the most of all the cousins who lived with us on the compound. He had done his best to physically harm me numerous times before. The first time, he tried to run me off the road with his SUV as I rode my bike to complete an errand at a nearby grocery store. We happened to share the same road space so he decided to unleash his road rage upon me. I was lucky enough to survive that brush with death. Suffering only a few bruises and scrapes since I was wearing a bike helmet at the time. I should have worn elbow and knee pads while I was at it! My street encounters with that cousin of mine culminated in the events of that

ART Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ART - Essay Example These categories can be broken down to subsections. For example, nature has animals, landscape, plants and flowers, waterways, and weather. These can also be broken down, point being that there is a wealth of accurate portrayal of the knowledge of 19th century living in an English village. His scenes are more distinct than Turner's and more diversified. His use of light is different as he shows the reflection of clouds in the water. The reflection in the water is realistic. We are almost looking at a photo. Turner use of light was totally different. He blended the horizons with the sky and the clouds with the blue of the sky. He was before his time of the Impressionist school. Turner's Raby Castle, the Seat of the Earl of Darlignton 1818 is just the opposite of Constable. Nothing is distinque. His painting is beautiful. It shows a large area that would be called a landscape in a different time period. In this painting, we see the clouds descending in the valley. His little ray of sun in only shining in one area of the whole valley. Yes he does have the concept of light, but his idea of light has nothing to compare with the concept of Constable. In his Caernarvon Castle 1799 where he uses watercolor over pencil, the use of light is very different. There are yellow and green hues. The boats are distinque and the castle looks as though it is in the shadow. Turner did landscape, and watercolor paintings and experimented in printmaking.(Magister n.d.) At 14 years old, he entered the Royal Academy of Arts and had one painting exhibited per year to the end of his life. (Magister, n.d.) Because he had financial stability, he travelled all over Europe and was able to expand his horizons something Constable was never able to do.(Magister, n.d.). Constable was never financially stable. He sold his first painting at 43 years of age. When Turner used his landscape paintings as historical paintings or to tell a story. The Opening of Wallha, 1842 exhibited 1843 was done in co mmemoration of the opening of the Walhalla Temple in Germany.(Art Authority). Oil on mahogany support The painting tells a story showing the temple as a historical monument, the Danube river, the bridge and people on the shore having a good time.(Art Authority) It is complicated and much to be seen. It is in the end of the romantic style. The lines and colors blend into other subjects. Here the lines are soft and the colors blend into other color. There is still the Romantic school of having people clearly visible. There is a contrast in lighting between the water, the clouds and the sky. As this is a historical painting, the story of the painting is clear. The Shipwreck "The moods of nature": (Magister, n.d.) This painting shows the contrasts in nature: water and waves, sky and clouds, life and death, dark and light, windy and calm. So much is expressed at the tip of a brush, perhaps Turner was expressing his emotions. His images are blended other than the sails of the boats. In ea ch of his painting he has at least one subject where the image is not troubled. Snow storm- Steam-Boat of a Harbour's Mouth, 1842 is a complete blending of colors. The steam and the sky are visible. The waves are not discernable from the steam boat nor is it obvious that there is a storm. The pre -impressionism has started. The parting of hero and leander - from the Greek of Musaeus, 1837,

Sickle Cell-Advocacy Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sickle Cell-Advocacy Paper - Assignment Example United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC (2014) shows that it costs $11,702 to treat those children with SCD under Medicaid cover and $14,772 for those children under the employer-sponsored insurance. Combined, both groups had no less than one hospital stay. Furthermore, a research by Kauf, Coates, Huazhi, Mody-Patel and Hartzema (2009) estimates the median lifetime costs for people with SCD at $186,406 when discounted and $392,940 when undiscounted. Thus, the economic cost of SCD is a critical public health concern which makes paediatric SCD inaccessible. As such, this memo appeals to the Department of Health and Human Services to subsidise on the costs and take regulatory action that would promote paediatric SCD care initiatives that seek to increase access of the much needed paediatric SCD healthcare services. The sickle cell disease would normally cause the red blood cells to harden and become sticky, adopting a C shape, thus its name from a similarly looking farm tool. With the sickle cells dying early, there would constantly be a shortage of red blood cells, causing severe pains, infections, organ damage or anaemia (MCHB, 2014). These complications make patients constantly seek for medical services. Even though the exact number of people living with the disease remains unknown, CDC (2014) estimates between 90,000 and 100,000 Americans to be affected. Of these, African-Americans are worst hit with 1 in every 500 newborns diagnosed with SCD. These are significant numbers going by the costs already associated with caring for patients with SCD. As noted by Kauf et al. (2009), the components of cost of care for SCD patients include the inpatient and emergency department, ED hospitalisation, having found out from their study that patients with SCD incur averagely one ED visit per patient yea r, 3.7 inpatient hospitalisations and about 24.1 hospital days. According to Raphael et al. (2013), placing children under high-acuity services such as

Ecological Evaluation of Environmental Problems Essay Example for Free

Ecological Evaluation of Environmental Problems Essay Biodiversity refers to the abundance of life forms (bio means life, diversity means variety or assortment). This includes different animals, plants and micro-organisms. The ecosystem where these living organisms belong, as well as their genetic make-up, is also part of biodiversity. Wide biodiversity is advantageous to species development as there will be various interactions going on among the different species. Among the most bio-diverse ecosystems are rainforests and aquatic ecosystems. Both land and water species can be found in these habitats. The existence, however, of these ecosystems are becoming endangered as a lot of human activities negatively impact these ecosystems. Forest destruction has been an existing issue for the longest time. Pollution – air and water – is also one of the most common problems different ecosystems and the environment itself are facing. Human activities also cause global warming which is not healthy for all living creatures. These things that people do to our environment can definitely be prevented and avoided. We can start by stopping the use of substances with chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which were identified as harmful to the ozone layer. This simple deed can help decrease the effects of global warming to the environment. Local governments should also enforce strict laws against forest destruction. Environmentalists can also start a campaign on reforestation to help rebuild destroyed forests and natural habitats. Maintaining biodiversity is important in human sustainability. Each life form is beneficial to one another. Plants are the producers in the food chain. Some primary and secondary consumers are also taken by humans as food, which is our main source of energy. Continuous destruction of the ecosystems leads to the decrease in these food sources. Thus, preserving the ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity should be seriously considered by everyone. Acid deposition starts with the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Burning of these fuels produces nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide which are considered air pollutants. Volcanic eruptions can also emit these pollutants. When the nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides get released to the atmosphere, chemical transformation happens and sulfuric and nitric acid compounds are produced. These compounds make the air acidic. Eventually, these acidic compounds fall to the surface of the Earth – the process called â€Å"acid deposition†. Deposition can happen in wet or dry form. Wet deposition occurs when the nitric acid and sulfuric acid compounds are transported with rain, fog, or snow. When these compounds are carried as fine particles by the wind, it is called dry deposition. Acid deposition cause severe damages to the ecosystem. Fish species found in lakes affected by acid deposition tend to disappear. Other aquatic resources in lakes and rivers tend to either disappear or die which creates an imbalance to aquatic ecosystems. Acidification also changes phytoplankton composition. Likewise, acid deposition also affects forests by killing a lot of trees due to the acidic compounds settling onto these life forms. This is evident in most forests where there are copper and nickel refineries nearby. This environmental problem can also trigger asthma and some bronchial infections to humans. The effect may not be seen immediately and may take years before it can be realized. In order for us to minimize the cases of acid deposition is to have a global initiative of reducing emission of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides which cause air pollution. Educating the entire world population of this phenomenon can be a good start. Factories and industrial plants burning fossil fuels should try to research and find other earth-friendly alternatives to those harmful chemicals. Cultural eutrophication is the accelerated aging of aquatic ecosystems, especially lakes, through man-made activities. Eutrophication is the natural process of aging of lakes which is characterized by an increase in the growth of algae and aquatic weeds. Eutrophication rate is determined by how fast the lake gets sediments and nutrients from the watershed, and this naturally occurs over a long period of time. However, if the lake is located in an urbanized area or developed region, eutrophication speeds as there is definitely higher number of sediments and nutrients getting into the lake. This is when natural eutrophication becomes cultural eutrophication. The increased sediments and nutrients, which are mainly phosphorous, usually come from road sand, oil, lawn fertilizers, gas, salt and organic matter being transported to the lake through stormwater or groundwater. Inefficient septic systems can also cause cultural eutrophication. This environmental phenomenon can be prevented through continuous monitoring of the local government. Environmental officials should identify the cause of the cultural eutrophication and determine where the increased sediments are coming from. Once this is identified, measures to prevent these nutrients and sediments from getting into the lake could be placed and enforced. Global warming, from the term itself, is the continuous increase in the temperature of our planet. Global warming is mainly caused by increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, ozone and methane forms a gaseous blanket around the Earth. This blanket traps the heat which is responsible for making the Earth warm; else our planet’s temperature would be well over 60 degrees colder. Global warming becomes an environmental issue because the gaseous blanket is getting thicker and thicker over the years which make the Earth’s temperature extra hot. The increase in greenhouse gases which causes global warming is due to burning of fossil fuels, agricultural byproducts, industrial processes, waste disposal and treatment among others. By the year 2100, Earth’s temperature will rise by 3 °C to 5 °C and sea levels will rise by 25 meters, at least, because of global warming. This would mean an increase in the occurrence of heat waves, floods, tornadoes and drought. Agricultural yields will be low due to these extreme weather conditions. Diseases will also spread easily. Global warming is already a known issue. The only thing that we have to do is to make significant changes in the way we do things like the use of fuels contributing to the increase of greenhouse gases. Little things can help curtail the effects of global warming such as changing filament light bulbs to fluorescent bulbs, making sure the refrigerator and freezer doors are always shut properly, and other measures of conserving electricity. This will not only help save the Earth from global warming, it will also help you save money due to less electricity consumption. Electricity is the most common form of energy people use daily. Currently, electricity is being generated mainly by burning fossil fuels. We all know from the above discussions that fossil fuel combustion creates air pollutants that contribute to acid deposition and global warming – in short, environmental destruction. If this way of using energy continuous, we would be in danger of losing a healthy planet to live in a hundred years. Another danger of this is not having enough fossil fuels to use in the future as this is not a renewable source of energy. Fossil fuels such as coal and oil can be depleted because there can only be as much of them in our planet. In order for us to prevent global environmental destruction, we should all try to use sustainable energy in order for us to have reserves in the future. Examples of sustainable energy are renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, tidal and wave power among others. Power plants and electric companies should slowly convert their electricity generating processes to one of these in order to lessen the waste pollutants of fuel combustion. Big companies may also want to initiate a study if its facilities and offices would run on self-built solar power. Other than the big savings, it will definitely help in reducing the number of fossil fuel electricity consumers.

Ethics Program Essay Example for Free

Ethics Program Essay The success of Company X is largely determined by the ethical actions and integrity of the employees that support Company X. We are committed to providing education and dialog to promptly address ethical questions or concerns raised by an employee. Managers should encourage discussion amongst employees especially regarding ethics. Ethics dialog should become integrated into a normal work day to keep ethics fresh on everyone’s minds and allow for manager and peer coaching. Ethical dilemmas can occur at any level of business and all employees should be able to make a decision that properly reflects the values and integrity of Company X. We must strive that every action at Company X promotes credibility and builds trust both internally and externally to the company. Respect for Others We all deserve to work in an environment that encourages employee growth and collaboration. Company X is an equal opportunity employer and is fully committed to providing a workplace that is free of discrimination or harassment of any type. The law is very clear regarding this matter and Company X will not tolerate discrimination against another person that includes, but is not limited to, race, sex, age, religious affiliation, national origin, disabilities, or any other class that is offered protection by federal, state or local laws. In addition, harassment of any nature will not be tolerated. Harassment in the work place can take many forms that can include, but is not limited to, unwanted sexual advances, derogatory statements or jokes, lewd emails, unwanted touching, and leering at someone are a few examples of actions that could be considered harassment. It is important to remember what may seem acceptable to you may make someone else feel uncomfortable. A diverse base of cultures, ethnicities, religion and values is at the foundation of America and it should be expected in the work place. You must be contentious of how your actions translate across different cultures and how your actions may be perceived, regardless of intent. Anything that creates a hostile or offensive work environment is unacceptable and will be addressed by management. Any employee who feels discriminated or harassed against should immediately report the incident to his or her manager or human resources. Open Door Policy Company X has an Open Door Policy; this means that everyone should feel comfortable speaking his or her mind, particularly regarding ethics concerns, without fear of reprisal or intimidation. Managers have a responsibility to create a supportive environment where employees feel comfortable discussing any concern or questions that they may have. Company X will only truly benefit when employees feel like that can take any concern they may have to management to prevent a mistake or wrong doing by asking the right question at the right time. Under no circumstance will Company X tolerate retaliation or intimidation against an employee who report instances of questionable or unethical behavior in good faith. All claims will be fully investigated by Human Resources. Any employee who makes a false claim, with malicious intent will face disciplinary actions, up to and including termination. Some actions that could be brought forward in good faith include, but are not limited to, lodging an internal complaint, filing complaint with external agency, unethical practices, requesting accommodations in accordance with ADA Act, refusing to follow unlawful orders, or filing workers compensation claim. Employees are encouraged to address any concerns they may have with their direct manager, ethical or otherwise. In the event the employee does not feel comfortable addressing the concern with his or her direct manager or the direct manager is culpable or unresponsive regarding the ethics violation or other issue, the employee is encouraged to report the incident to the Director of Human Resources. All issues of this nature will be kept confidential unless information must be shared due to legal action. Safety Company X is committed to providing and maintaining a safe workplace. Your safety and the safety of others should take precedence over anything else. All employees are required to comply with all of Company X’s safety rules and guidelines as well as any federal, state and local laws. Each employee is responsible to provide a safe work area for themselves and coworkers by maintaining an organized work area that is free from potential hazards. If there is ever any doubt regarding safety then you should immediately stop and notify manager. If there is ever a doubt about how to safely perform a task, then immediately stop and notify manager. No employee should ever be put in a situation or put others in a situation where they fear for their safety or the safety of anyone else. Any additional measures that could be taken to further increase the safety of an employee should be taken. Any unsafe working conditions or procedures must be immediately reported to your manager. In the event of an injury, regardless of severity, it must be reported immediately to your manager and Human Resources. There is nothing more important at Company X than the safety of our employees. There should never be a situation where an employee is put in an unsafe situation nor should an employee fear reprisal for reporting an unsafe condition. Employees should address safety concerns with direct managers; in the event that the direct manager is unresponsive then the employee must take safety concern to Director of Human Resources. No work is to occur until any safety concern is appropriately addressed. Conflicts of Interests  Employees at Company X must avoid any relationship or activity that might affect our judgment regarding business decisions. We may be faced with a situation where the decision we make to benefit Company X may conflict with our own interests. Opposing, we may be in a situation where a course of action benefits you personally, but may be may not be in the best interest of Company X. As an employee of Company X we must strive to advance the interests of Company X at every opportunity to do so, regardless of personal interests or conflicts. Property, information or position obtained while at Company X should only be used for the benefit of Company X and must never be used for the personal gain or you, your friends or family. Listed are some conflicts of interests intended to illustrate potential conflicts between Company X’s interests and your personal interests. This list is not exhaustive and should be used as a reference:  ·Being employed a competitor or potential competitor, supplier, or customer, regardless of the nature of the employment, while you are employed with Company X. Hiring or supervising family members or friends.  ·Owning or having a substantial interest in a competitor, supplier or customer.  ·Placing company business with a firm owned or controlled by a Company X employee or his or her family.  ·Accepting gifts, discounts, favors or services from a customer/potential customer, competitor or supplier, unless equally available to all Company X employees. It is not always easy to determine if a conflict of interests exists or not. It is always best to seek advice from management and Human Resources when there is any doubt. There is no violation for getting another opinion, so if there is any question at all, you are strongly encouraged to get as many valid opinions as possible. Another area that may present a conflict of interest or position of favor includes business courtesies. Business courtesies include gifts, gratuities, meals, refreshments, entertainment or other benefits from persons or companies with whom Company X does or may do business. We are committed to fair competition in the market through innovative products and solid business integrity. Any action that creates a perception of favorable treatment towards vendors or clients in exchange for business courtesies should be avoided. Company X does not support accepting or giving business courtesies that could constitute unfair business practices, violation of laws, or brings embarrassment to Company X. It should be expected to offer or accept occasional meals, refreshments, entertainment and similar business courtesies as part of standard business practices. Some general guidelines regarding what would be considered appropriate and what would be inappropriate are provided.

Macro and Micro Environment Trends in the Gaming Industry

Macro and Micro Environment Trends in the Gaming Industry Sony, a highly-technologically driven multinational Japanese corporation, is amongst the leading companies in producing and selling electronics worldwide. Its quality electronic products associated with laptops, mobiles, cameras, video game consoles have enabled them to achieve a significant advantage over its competitors in the aggressively ever-changing technological market. Play Station, Sonys best invention, is one of its prominent electronic devices which have taken Sony to new heights due to its mass consumption and fierce consumer loyalty. As a result, the success of the new Sony Play Station 3 prompted us to focus on how it tends to survive in the market over the next few years. (2011-2013). The current and future environmental scan of Sony Play Station 3 will help us identify several upcoming challenges the cooperation must address in order to maintain their success. Lastly, the geographic area we are focusing on is the impact of Play Station 3 in UAE and how the market for gamers in the Middle East continues to grow. The structure of this report will begin with the designing of the product market structure along with the relevant market where Sony Play Station 3 and its competitors are serving its customers. In addition, we will analyze the external and internal environmental trends that can affect the continuity of the brand. Also, we will focus on other important issues which are likely to arise in the future and shift the focus of segmentation, primary and selective demand, SWOT and competitive analysis. Unquestionably, the 7th generation video game consoles like Play station 3 with a cult following has not only provided Sony with tremendous economic benefits but also an image of being a company that continuous to utilize the improving technology and create such astonishing machines which are being used worldwide. The non-portable and the portable gaming industry are dominated by fierce competitors who adapt successful marketing strategies to divert focus of potential customers from one boundary to another. The relevant market, for non-portable game consoles, in which Sony Play station 3 strives to operate with continuous success along with other recognizable brands offer game console devices with similar features and experiences. We tend to focus on the impact of Sony Play station 3 in the present and the future non-portable gaming console relevant market of United Arab Emirates, next three years (2011-2013), and what strategies it will have to undertake in order to achieve sustaina bility and ensure long-term survival. Baldwin (2010) reports, Tim Stokes, Sales and Marketing Director for PlayStation Division, estimated that gaming in the Middle East is worth up to $1 billion or two per cent of the global market of $45 billion in total international sales. Therefore, it is interesting to see know the Middle East markets contribution to the success of gaming devices and it prompted us to focus on this underrated UAE market that continuous to be a hot prospect in this gaming field. Furthermore, identifying the relevant market for Sony Play Station 3 considers two important factors which are degree of substitutability and managerial perspective will be applied to understand the product market structure. As showcased earlier, our product market structure simplifies the understanding of which product category Play Station 3 and its competitors fall. Even though this market has many other competitors; however, it is being dominated by few due to their fierce mass loyalty. In other words, non-portable game console is a consolidated industry with few dominant market leaders with large market shares and worldwide presence. The first layer which deals with the customer needs mainly is the machines that can support video games. These machines, which are video game supporting devices, are applicable for all types of video games ranging from Arcade to family oriented games. It is then broken down into the second important layer, product class, which is the video gaming console and the personal computer devices where we experience the interactive games. The impact of the improving technology in both personal computers and video game console devices has highly increased the degree of substitutability between the two. This degree of substitutability between PCs and portable/non-portable game consoles in the UAE market is currently very high as both devices are being upgraded to provide similar graphical experiences. In short, the PCs are also doing a very successful job in competing with the 7th generation video game consoles and in taking some of the customers who enjoy playing games suitable with a keyboard and more importantly the mouse. Understanding the degree of substitutability between the game consoles and PC devices is present due to several factors. These factors can range from the perceived benefits, in terms of convenience and price, to the fea tures the superior device has to offer that is compatible with the both games and customers requirements. Moreover, in the third layer, product form, the video game consoles are then separated on the basis of being portable (handheld) and non-portable devices. The degree of substitutability is not likely to be present between the two at current stage in UAE since handheld devices to not provide the same thrilling experience as compared to a game being played on a bigger screen. Also, the portable game console devices with two main devices, PSP and Nintendo 3DS, tend to target a different type of target market which are mainly children. For a hardcore gamer, a big screen experience and competing via social networking is an essential tool which can only be excitingly through the non-portable gaming consoles. However, in the later stage of the report, we will emphasize on the importance of size being now considered as a huge factor in the decision making process and how the movement towards portable video game console devices is on an incline. In short, we will emphasize more on the switchi ng between the boundaries of the relevant market in the implications phase to justify the reasoning of the increased degree of substitutability between the non-portable and portable devices in the coming years. Lastly, Sony Play Station 3 along with its current competitors comes in the last layer, brand specification, under the Sony category that dominates the non-portable game consoles in the relevant market. As mentioned earlier, our report is limited down to the dominance of non-portable gaming devices, and the focus being PS3, and their implications in the coming years. This report will give a detailed analysis of how Sony PS3 can be chosen based on various rational and emotional aspects. Determining the degree of substitutability between the 7th generation gaming consoles that are Sony Play station 3 and X-box 360 is very challenging due to the amazing features they both offer and hence making it difficult for buyers to recognize which one is better. Moreover, this degree of substitutability is supported with the concepts of Primary and more importantly Secondary Demand that aids in the decision making of current and future customers in which console to choose. In addition, the micro a nd macro environmental trends were carefully taken into account to ensure what steps has already been taken to establish a competitive advantage; moreover, the steps Sony Play station 3 will have to consider over the next years in order to stay competitive in its relevant market. In short, our managerial focus is analyzing the successful non-portable devices which belong to these cult brands that are Sony Play Station, Microsoft X-Box and Nintendo. In addition, the managerial focus is highly dependent on the future market of UAE and how Sony Play Station 3 should utilize this market to its maximum potential and understand its current and potential competitors position in the coming years. Furthermore, the relevant market with respect to the non-portable game console devices in which Play Station 3, X-box 360 and Nintendo Wii compete may be saturated with these prominent leaders; however, our research primarily focuses on Play Station 3 and we will try to place its position in the relevant market in the current and next two years. Macro environment Political legal Copyright laws Counterfeit or copied video games and software are prohibited in several countries including the UAE. Different authorities in the UAE are collaborating with one another, foreign governments and with organizations such as Microsoft to capture counterfeit goods of different kinds including video games and software (Oct 19, 2010, Dubai Customs foilsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). The customs inspectors take specialized courses in combating commercial fraud which enables them to uncover any attempts to threaten the national security of the UAE (Oct 19, 2010, Dubai Customs foilsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). According to the IPR -Intellectual Property Rights- department at Dubai customs there were three seizures of counterfeited CDs in 2010 compared to five seizures in 2009 (Oct 19, 2010, Dubai Customs foilsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). In the years to come these laws are going to be more effective due to advances in technologies and the more experienced customs staff and inspectors. Economical The GDP growth in 2009 was 2.7% compared to 2.6 % in 2010 (Central Intelligence Agency, (2011)). The economy is expected to rebound slowly and the challenges faced include dependence on oil, expatriates and greater inflation, the inflation rate in 2010 was 2.2% (Central Intelligence Agency, (2011)). In the next few years the UAE is planning to increase diversification and improve education and private sector employment for the UAE nationals (Central Intelligence Agency, (2011)). The economic crisis had a negative effect on income which is considered to be a main determinant when buying a game console since the price of the consoles can be high. The economic crisis is expected to be reduced in the next few years, the GDP increased from 2009 to 2010, and following that income may rise and more customers become able to purchase game consoles. Sociocultural Statistics from the ESA -Entertainment Software Association- show that in the United States 25% of game players are less than 18 years old, 49% in the age group 18 49 and 26% 50 and older ((2010). Essential Facts aboutà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Also, 64% of the gamers play video games with other persons which is a higher number than in 2008 and 2009 ((2010). Essential Facts aboutà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Parents participate with their children in playing video games as 48% play video games with their children ((2010). Essential Facts aboutà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). The reason for this participation includes fun for the whole family and socializing with the children ((2010). Essential Facts aboutà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). We can relate these statistics to the demographics in the UAE as 78.7% of the population is in the age group 15 64. The percentage of video gamers differs of course but in the UAE most of the gamers will probably fall in the age group 15 30.Video games and video game consoles in particular are beco ming more users friendly and as in the Nintendo Wii there are games that target the whole family and children. In the future more video games and technologies like the ones that exist in the Nintendo Wii are going to be introduced. These video games will appeal to a wide range of demographics of both genders. Technological Augmented reality Augmented reality is a new technology that is very popular today and a technology that is still being developed (Wen, H., Jan 26, 2010). In video game consoles augmented reality can be seen in the play station eye toy where images from the real world such as the user and display it on a computer screen (Wen, H., Jan 26, 2010). Then the user is able to interact with virtual objects on the screen through software (Wen, H., Jan 26, 2010). The annual sales of augmented reality are expected to rise from approximately 1 million in 2209 to 732 million in 2014 (Wen, H., Jan 26, 2010). The technology still faces several limitations but developers and researchers are improving and developing the technology (Wen, H., Jan 26, 2010). The researchers are trying to integrate real world images with graphics instead of just displaying them on a computer screen ((n.d.), How Augmented Reality Will Work). This technology will create a feeling of the five senses and separate the users from computer gener ated graphics ((n.d.), How Augmented Reality Will Work). Motion sensing game controllers The Nintendo Wii was introduced with a motion sensor called the Wiimote which can track movement and positions (Sung, K., Feb 2011). The technology was simple and proved that well engineered technologies with appealing games can be very profitable (Sung, K., Feb 2011). The Nintendo Wii was cheaper than Xbox and PS3 and it was considered a success (Sung, K., Feb 2011). Following this success Nintendo introduced the Wii Motion Plus which is an attachment to the Wiimote that improves accuracy and response time (Sung, K., Feb 2011). Sony reacted to this success by releasing the Playstation Move which is a motion controller for the PS3. Sonys motion controller was more accurate than Nintendos controller and acquired reputation quickly (Sung, K., Feb 2011). After that the Xbox released its Xbox Kinect system in 2010 which contains state of the art technologies (Sung, K., Feb 2011). The system is a USB accessory for the existing Xbox 360 instead of being a whole new game console (Sung, K., Feb 2011). This shows that video game consoles manufacturers are moving towards technologies and devices based on human computer interface (Sung, K., Feb 2011). The next generation of video game consoles Video game consoles can be categorized in seven generations depending on the technologies introduced with each console. PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintedo Wii are considered to be in the seventh generation (Miller, M., Apr 1, 2005). The next generation is predicted to be more powerful with increased graphical power which will increase the costs of making games for the consoles (Morris, C., 12 Jun 2009). The costs are expected to rise from 20 30 million to 60 million per game (Morris, C., 12 Jun 2009). The higher development costs of video games raise the cost of video game consoles manufacturing (Morris, C., 12 Jun 2009). Onlive is a company that is attempting to stream video games directly to the computer or TV through the users internet connection at home (Morris, C., 12 Jun 2009). The technology is early but promising and can increase the life cycle of the current game consoles (Morris, C., 12 Jun 2009). However, this technology can be present in the next generation consoles. The next gen eration is expected to arrive in 2011 or 2012 as mentioned by Yves Guillemont the CEO of Ubisoft -video game developer- (Yam , M., January 23, 2009). Micro environment Consumer Behavior As mentioned earlier, Sonys target market segment, of the Play Station 3, is gamers, particularly teens or adolescents; Teens and young adults are the main contributors to the high sales revenue being generated by the Sony Corporation through the gaming console. A common purchasing ideology in the UAE, shared by most of its citizens, is having or owning the latest technology or releases of electronic equipment; this might have been an influencing factor in Sonys decision of having significant stock inventory be made available to local retailers, safeguarding against shortages that have frustrated retailers based in launch markets such as Japan and the United States (Nov. 30, 2010, GITEX Showcases Convergence). Such preparations, although in 2006, suggest that the corporation viewed the UAE as a demanding market. Four years following the release of the PS3, sales of the console or its updates continues, with stock being replenished in major stores such as Carrefour and electronics stores such as Jackys. In 2008, it has been reported that the UAE gaming console market has achieved Dhs17.78m sales from January to Mayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦with 4.448 million units sold and the PS3 dominating the UAE console market with 59% (Aug. 16, 2008, UAE Gaming Con sole Salesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Having achieved such a success back in 2008, and without the existence of present statistics on its current sales rate, it is safe to assume that the UAE consumer market continues to grow in favor of the PS3 and by 2012 the UAE consumer market will still be into buying the PS3. By 2013, though, with the forecasted advent of Sonys new console, the PS4, there might be a decrease in the sales of the PS3. Yet, the release of the new console might not affect the sales in an entirely negative manner; with the introduction of the PS4 to the market, the price of a PS3 would decrease making it more affordable for consumers who were not able to purchase it when sales were at its peak. Also, the introduction of a new console into the market, according to Summers, the previous system still has a lot of value because the new one is still going to be able to play your old games, and because the old one is still going to have new games released for it (Summers, n.d.). Hence, this ensures that UAE sales of the PS3 are to continue, with a little depreciation, despite the introduction of the PS4. However, the UAE consumer market may exhibit a low demand to no demand for the PS3 by 2014, depending on the release of the PS4. If released in late 2012/ early 2013, the new console would have a year to achieve its success and take control of the gaming console market, due to the promised advanced technology it is to offer and the improvement of the real life gaming experience that is being offered by the PS3. Hence, 2014 may be the year where the PS3 takes the bench in the UAE market. Nature of Buying Decision The PS3 targets hardcore gamers, who would want to feel as though they are part of the game. Hence, the specifications offered with the console, such as Hi-Definition gaming graphics which makes the games as realistic as possible, and so on. However, the PS3 does come with a hefty price tag, making it a hard choice for those who would want to purchase it since similar specifications can be found on other consoles that are much cheaper. This is the point of buyer motivation. The PS3, most of the time, releases games that are considered to be exclusive to the consoles, hence maintaining the consoles uniqueness. Furthermore, other incentives are offered with the console, such as a Blu-Ray player, allowing the user to watch movies of outstanding graphical quality and clarity without having to purchase a separate player to indulge themselves in such an experience. Hence, Sony provides its gamers and consumers with a complete package with the PS3. The United Arab Emirates houses some of the most hardcore gamers and currently marked itself as a major gaming market. Hence, since the console offers so much potential along with extras, such as those mentioned above, easily capture a purchasers attention in this country. Also, gamers in this country like to look for the unique gaming experience, and this is exactly what the PS3 offers. Moreover, elsewhere, the hefty price tag would have been a factor influencing the choice. Yet, the UAEs rebound from the recession, along with the technology owning competitive nature of its citizens, helps maintain the current growth in sales of the PS3 as well as the sales for the next two years. Loyalty Segments Having previously released two consoles, the PS1 and PS2, which satisfied their consumers and entertained them beyond measure, Sony is able to secure their loyal fans. The PS3s release into the market was already a guaranteed success due to the reputation earned by its predecessors in the gaming world. All that was needed to attract the attention of the consumers was a change in the console design, making it sleeker and easier on the eyes, and a slight change in the gaming experience previously offered, such as smoother interface, introduction of a complete operating system housing all the consumer needs, and better graphic drivers to make the games resemble reality. Many of the people who purchased a PS3 in the UAE have previously owned, at least, the PS2. Moreover, since the PS2 has been a success in the UAE as well as the region, according to Yasuhide Yokota (Computer Gaming Major Sonyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦), the country has a large and loyal fan base, in turn assuring the PS3s growth in sales within the next two years. Competition The PS3s current market rivals, in the UAE, are Microsofts Xbox 360 and the Nintendos Wii, even though the latter does not pose as an obstacle since it does not come with half of what the PS3 has to offer to the UAE gamers. Gamers in the UAE seem to have two main interests when it comes to console gaming: Football/ Soccer and racing games. Hence, it is the Xbox 360 that is considered to be a threat to the PS3 since it offers almost all the unique gaming experience specifications, such as high resolution graphics and smooth real life play, as well as the most demanded games, for a cheaper price. In addition, having mentioned the UAEs consumer markets tendency to constantly purchase newer technology and devices, another one of PS3s competitors, although a product of the corporation, is to be the PS4, which is forecasted to be released on Q4 of 2012 or Q1 of 2013 (Naik, 2011) as per the release timeline of the PS3 and its predecessors, even though no official release dates have been mentioned by Sony. Since the PS4 is to be an 8th generation console, it is going to offer advanced technology and better gaming experiences than the PS3 making it a target product for the countrys consumers. Moreover, games are a major influence in the choice of consoles for the consumers in the UAE. Game manufacturers offer their services to all the consoles mentioned above, but these games could differ slightly, as with the case of the PS3 and the Xbox. Since the PS3 and Xbox fight over control, in the graphical aspects, such as real-life gaming experiences, the enabling of high definition game-play and use of surround sound, and other such characteristics that complete the advertised and highly anticipated gaming experience, Sony keeps their consumers through the introduction of exclusive gaming experiences such as the introduction of games that cannot be played other than on the PS3 and such, as well as creating games with titles in Arabic to accommodate and further satisfy the UAEs market. Porters 5 forces Having laid out Porters strategy, in general, for the PS3, relating it to the console and the market of the UAE over a time frame of the next three years is as follows: Threat of Substitutes: As mentioned above, computer games/ PC games pose as substitute to console gaming in general, and it is gaining popularity within the UAE. However, computer games do not offer the same gaming experience that the PS3 has to offer, and are only interesting when played online. This gives the PS3, as well as its console competitors, an advantage; interactive online and offline gaming experiences. Moving on towards the console competitors, the PS3 has been able to establish its place in the market due to offering more as a package, than the Xbox 360 and the Wii, for a price that is within the range of the other consoles, and shares the same life-span, which is an estimate of 10 years. Moreover, with the release of the Wii 2 (2012-2013) which is to have Hi-Def graphics, the price for that console will be higher than the PS3, in turn allowing future consumers and current ones to purchase or remain with the PS3 which offers the same, if not more, level of graphics. Threat of New Entrants: Until the 3rd quarter of 2012, the competition for the PS3 remains the same: Microsofts Xbox 360 and Nintendos Wii. Furthermore, since Microsoft has released that the corporation has no intention of releasing a new console (Dumitrescu, 2009), the PS3 will maintain its current position in the UAE market. By the 4th quarter of 2012 or the 1st quarter of 2013, however, Sony is expected to release the PS4 (n.d., PS4 Release Dateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦), following the trend set by their previous console releases, which would pose as the PS3s newest competitor, and by the end of 2013 it might relieve the PS3 of its domination of the UAE market. The Intensity of Competitive Rivalry: Within a year (by 2012), the PS3 and the Xbox will definitely have games that exploit their graphical abilities to a great extent. However, since the PS3s entire potential has not been wielded yet (n.d., PS4 Release Dateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦), the chances are that the UAE market is going to stay with the PS3 since the games released then will/ might require specifications more than what the Xbox 360 has to offer, specifications-wise. In addition, further development of the Playstation Eye will take place, maybe perfecting the flaws of interactive-reality gaming, which takes the Wii out of the equation. Despite the release of the PS4 by the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 though, the PS3 will remain to have a stronghold of the market, for then the price of the PS3 is going to decrease and the games offered by PS4 are going to be similar to those available for the PS3, allowing consumers to enjoy the same degree of gaming quality that the PS4 has t o offer. However, through the course of the year, after the PS4 might have had its time to position it-self in the market, newer games, that might exceed the potentials offered by the PS3, will attract the consumers. Bargaining Power of Buyers: This will remain the same over the next three years, for the market is controlled by the three console manufacturers. Until the release of the PS4 and Wii 2, the UAE market is to be the same as it is now. By 2013, when the new consoles are released onto the market, the prices of the PS3 and the Wii will depreciate, in turn forcing the Xbox 360s prices to decrease as well. However, since Nintendos history shows that the introduction of new consoles is synonymous with the halting of production games and gadgets for previous ones, and Sony has done otherwise with the PS3s predecessors (Summers, n.d.), then consumers will consider the PS3 as a safer investment. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Since the competition is set, and the games sold are similar if not the same for each of the consoles, then the UAE market would remain the same for the next three years, even with the release of new consoles. Stakeholders analysis PS3 Customer Implications PlayStation 4 is expected to have great demand if prices are reasonably high compared to the price of ps3 in an effort to provide as many customers as possible with the opportunity to purchase PlayStation 4. By launching play station 4, consumers will by buying more PS4s than Xbox 360s and Wiis as a result Sony will lead the market for coming years. PS3 Environment Implications These are the plans for the next 3 years regarding the Environment in UAE. Sonys Environmental Plan Road to Zero Green Management 2013 Green Management 2013 Environmental Management Structure Campaigns and advertisements boosting these plans and events will enhance Sonys image in UAE as the brand appears as an environmentally friendly product as a result as the demand for the brand increases demand for ps3 will also rise. These CSR and environment protection activities are costly and will put on a rise to the price of Sony products and therefore the increase in cost will be pushed to the price of ps4 when launched. PS3 Community Implications: Sony is expecting to have a positive impact in the coming 3 years through CSR activities by powering its products and business activities globally. PS3s indulgence in CSR activates is likely to enhance its image in the long run as it will be perceived as a device which not only is entertaining but also environmental friendly. PS3 Distribution Channel Implications Distribution cost will fall in the coming years, consumers will have more pleasant shopping experience more specialized stores and sales people who know exactly what the customers are looking for. Consumers will also start seeing Sony Retailer Network logo in Ads and POS displays. The more enhanced shopping experience will also increase the demand for Sony and therefore result in higher prices in the coming years. Implications over the next three Years Unfortunately, the boundaries of the Product market structure have already been broken due to several technological and socio-cultural factors. The increased substitutability is happening because of the demographics in UAE have evolved and are always looking for the devices that can offer the best gaming experience. The first implication which is likely to increase over the next years is the emphasis on improving gaming portable devices such as Nintendo 3DS which was introduced in UAE in the first quarter of 2011. The owners of Nintendo 3DS understood the new socio-cultural trends ,which is currently enjoying the 3d technology, and created this device for users who want the 3d experience in a smaller screen without the usage of any glasses. Nintendo 3DS being the first ones to provide the gaming experience in 3d had created an enormous amount of buzz in the market; hence, the same idea is now being applied by other companies. Sony Play station 3 owners are yet to utilize this 3d technology; however, in order to compete in this portable gaming industry, Sony will introduce Sony NGP (PSP 2) in early 2012 that will provide an unbelievable gaming experience in small screens. UAE Distributers will vigorously promote NGP towards the launch as the next generation portable entertainment platform and dep loy various measures to further expand the portable gaming market. (Stuart, 2011). Sonys strategy of introducing NGP can provide them with a competitive edge in the portable gaming market; however, only time will tell if they had succeeded. Secondly, the surprising success of portable PC devices like iPad and iPad 2 in the UAE market have created a very unique set of games with a large fan following. The games in the iPad are relatively easier to play and can be very addictive. Moreover, Blackberry that has been a global phenomenon with mass consumption in the Middle East market are introducing its own graphic tablet, with its own official set of games, by the name of Blackberry playbook in the end of 2011 and hence making the portable gaming devices industry more demanding and competitive. (Shuey, 2010). In short, the games in these graphic tablets like iPad and Blackberry which are more motion and movement oriented has solidified their position as a serious competitor in the portable gaming industry for PCs. Thirdly, the improving features of the non-portable personal computers is another major threat which are designed for hard-core gamers who want enormous storage capacity features along with its incredible graphical experience. A perfect example of such computers which provide similar graphical experiences to PS3 and Xbox is Dells Alienware. Alienware might have been launched by Dell in 2008; however, it can support all playstation3 and xbox 360 games making their presence highly competitive in the market. Moreover, it is being upgraded and reintroduced on frequent basis unlike Playstation 3 which takes longer time for its next version to launch. The usage of mouse and keyboards makes the PC industry still a fierce competitor as games will always require fast and accurate hand movements that can only be used on PCs. In addition, PCs are also very economical due to the latest games which can be downloaded on the internet for free as opposed to PS3 games which can be very costly and can take months to arrive. Also, the restrictions of certain popular games with high sexual and violent content are banned by the UAE government; therefore, the PC gamers can enjoy the internet service and can quickly download and play

The Modern Grotesque Hero in John Kennedy Tooles, A Confederacy of Dun

The Modern Grotesque Hero in John Kennedy Toole's, A Confederacy of Dunces John Kennedy Toole unleashes a compelling criticism of modern society in the principal work he produced in his short lifetime, A Confederacy of Dunces. Using masterfully crafted comedy, Toole actually strengthens his disparaging position on the modern world. Boisterously and unabashedly opinionated, Ignatius Reilly, the principal character of this novel, colors the narrative with a poignant humor that simultaneously evokes both laughter and pity from readers. Near the beginning of the story, his mother's financial difficulties suddenly force Ignatius to leave the womb-like security of his bedroom and seek employment, making him abandon his project of writing a scathing description of "the disaster course that history had been taking for the past four centuries" (Toole 41) on childish Big Chief tablets. The action of the novel revolves around Ignatius's experience in society as he bumbles from job to job with his ever-present sense of superiority. His outward slovenly appearance and the incongruity between his professed beliefs and his actions create in Ignatius the epitome of the modern grotesque hero. Walker Percy wrote: "'Toole's greatest achievement is Ignatius Reilly, slob, intellectual, ideologue, deadbeat, goof off, who should repulse the reader with his gargantuan bloats, his thunderous contempt and one-man all out war against all of modern times...'" (Samway 345). Using the grotesque to further highlight the satirical conflict that man encounters with modern society, John Kennedy Toole, in A Confederacy of Dunces, artfully attacks the economic, religious, and social states of present day America. The use of such a grotesque principal cha... ...nre." Mississippi Quarterly 38.1 (1984-1985): 33-47. Miller, Keith D. "The Conservative Vision of John Kennedy Toole." Conference of College Teachers of English Studies 48 (1993): 30-34. Nelson, William. "The Comic Grotesque in Recent Fiction." Thalia-Studies in Literary Humor 5.2 (1982): 36-40. Palumbo, Carmine D. "John Kennedy Toole and His Confederacy of Dunces." Louisiana Folklore Miscellany 10 (1995): 59-77. Patteson, Richard F. and Thomas Sauret. "The Consolation of Illusion: John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces." The Texas Review 4.1-2 (1983): 77-87. Ruppersburg, Hugh. "The South and John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces." Studies in American Humor 5.2-3 (1986): 118-126. Samway, Patrick H., S.J. Walker Percy: A Life. New York: Farrar, 1997. Toole, John Kennedy. A Confederacy of Dunces. New York: Grove, 1980. 13

The Character of Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter Essay -- Scarlet

The Character of Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter Old Mr. Prynne began his new life in the town of Boston as the Physician Roger Chillingworth. The moment he arrived, the town deemed him intelligent and mild mannered; he always seemed pleasant although a little odd. Throughout the seven years he remained in Boston, his character changed so dramatically from admirable to evil that even those who did not know him personally seemed to notice an evil nature deep within his soul trying to break free. Chillingworth stood with Hester Prynne within the confines of the prison, talking with her about how he would go about finding her lover. He says to her, "I shall seek this man, as I have sought truth in books; as I have sought gold in alchemy. There is a sympathy that will make me conscious of him" (pg. 70). As any man who found their wife to be adulterous, Chillingworth reacted with a fairly normal response- although angry and wanting revenge, he did not react totally unreasonably. After this talk with Hester between the prison walls, Chillingworth makes it his personal goal to find Hester's lover; no sudden change had occurred within Chillingworth, although over a few months his demeanor beings to change. Even though Hester has many other issues on her mind, while she is at the Governor's house, she notices without hesitation that Chilingworth's demeanor has made a drastic change. While Dimmesdale and Governor Bellingham are trying to decide the fate of Pearl and where she will remain during her lifetime, Hester glances at Chillingworth, who happens to be stand... ...ing to us a character like Chillingworth, Hawthorn creates a villain that one has to think whether he/she hates Chillingworth or feels as though he's a victim of circumstance. Without directly telling us that others influence our lives in such a powerful way, Hawthorne conveys this idea through Chillingworth and Chillingworth's effect on those around him. Because of Chillingworth, the reader gets to see how a person who is not necessarily an evil man to begin with, can become so corrupt that even those around him view him as the Devil's worker. By putting a character like Chillingworth in his book, Hawthorne is able to show how religion had a big influence over the people during that time period. Even though Chillingworth harassed Hester and Dimmesdale, the two were more afraid of their fates after death, than Chillingworth during their lifetimes.

Nen perfoming loan in banks

Banks exist to provide financial Intermediation services while at the same time endeavor to maximize profit & share holders value. Availing credit to borrowers is one means by which banks maximize their profit. Loans are the dominant asset & represent 50-75 percent of total amount of most banks, generate the largest share of operating Income & represent the banks greater risk exposure (Mac Donald & Koch, 2006). Managing loan in a proper way is not only has a positive effect on the banks performance but on borrowers firms and the country as a whole.Failure to manage moans, which make up the largest share of banks assets, would likely lead to the episode of high level of NP. According to MIFF (MIFF, 2009), a non performing loan is any loan which interest and principal payments are more than 90 days over due ; or more than 90 days worth of interest has been refinanced. Under the Ethiopians banking business directives (N.B., 2008), non performing loans are defined as â€Å"Loans and Adv ances whose credit quality has deteriorated such that full collection of principal and/or interest in accordance with the contractual repayment of term loans or advances in question†.Theoretically, there are so many reasons why loans fail to perform. Some of this includes, depressed economic conditions, high real Interest rate, Inflation, lenient terms of credit, high credit growth & risk appetite and poor credit monitoring are among the others. Forestall (2002) categorize non performing loans to bank specific and macro economic conditions. Accordingly, this study is focused on assessing factors that contributed for nonperforming loans of Awash International Bank mainly targeting on bank specific determinants of non performing loans. 1. 2 Statement of the problemAn efficient and well functioning of financial sector is essential for the development of any economy. Loan qualities are one of the indicators of financial sectors soundness. A sound financial system among other thing s requires maintenance of low non performing loans. In Ethiopians context. The banks In the country are required to maintain ratio of their non performing loans below five percent (N.B., 2008). The data obtained from the 2011/12 & 2012/13 annual progress report of BIB shows that the ratio of non performing loan of the bank was below the threshold for both years.Despite the fact, the non performing loan of the bank was Increased from Birr 98 million in 201 1/12 to Birr 1 77 million in 2012/13, showing an increments of Birr 108. 9 million (104%). Similarly, the bank's non performing loan ratio was increased from 1. 9% to 2. 8% during the same period. Even, this ratio was above ten percent in some branches of BIB. This fact raises the issue of what causes this non performing loan Increment. Accordingly, two research questions were drawn to investigate this Issue. What does the tends of loans and NP looks like in BIB? Defaulted? What are the main causes for these defaulted loans? 3 Obje ctives of the Study The general objective of the study is to review the non performing loan of BIB and to identify its causes. Side by side, the study was assessed the following issues. Reviewed Loans & NP trends of BIB? 0 Indemnify which loan category, loan purpose & economic sectors more defaulted. Searched the main causes of NP in BIB in general & identify those branches that were highly contributed for this NP. Assessed the credit assessment & follow up practice of other commercial banks. 0 Recommended some remedial actions to be taken to reduce these non performing loans. 1. 4. MethodologyResearch Design: A sample survey was carried out to seek the characteristics of defaulted loan files and to identify likely causes for their loan default. Survey Population: 25- Branches were recorded NP as of June 30, 2013, comprising about 74 defaulted loan files. Sampling Design: Using random sampling method, seventeen branches and 43 defaulted loan files were taken for this study purpose. Table 1. 1: NP Recorded Branches Profile Branches Total NP recorded branches Sampled NP Branches % GE Responded branches Total NP files Sampled NP files % city 119 829 31 21 68 outlying 148 578 432251 Total 25 176017744358Data Sources: To achieve the stated objective, both primary and secondary data were utilized. The primary data was collected by interviewing Selected Alba's Credit Directorate staffs, Compliance & Risk Management Department staffs that are on supervisory position. Questionnaires were also distributed to selected branches incurred loan default. Secondary data was utilized from various documents of BIB, mainly from Annual progress report of BIB, credit policies & procedures of the bank, NP action plan report and other related documents.Various published and unpublished literatures were also utilized from different sources grading the subject. Data Analysis & Presentation: After collection, the data was organized, analyzed & interpreted using both quantitative & quali tative descriptive analysis methods mainly tables, percentages, charts & etc. 1. 5 Scope & Limitations of the study Scope of the study The study was reviewed factors that contributed for non performing loan of BIB and it was focus on bank specific determinants of non performing loan.The spectrum of the study, therefore, includes: Examinations of loans & NP of BIB by loan category & individual economic sectors. – An in depth analysis of the loan file characteristics of the defaulted rowers with special reference to their likely causes for their loan default. – An in depth analysis Credit analysis & follow up practice of BIB with special reference to identification of their limitations that contributed for the banks non performing loans. – Suggestions of relevant non performing loan reduction strategies based on The respondents were busy and usually uncooperative.Particularly, some branch managers were unwilling to fill the questionnaire by themselves and order ot her officers to fill the questionnaire. As a result, the researcher had called phone many times to branches before getting a fulfilled questionnaire. In addition it was difficult to obtain some of the required data's from credit directorates since some of the data's were not compiled properly and regularly. Similarly, it was difficult to get the defaulted borrowers' to conduct interview with them to know their likely causes of loan default.Accordingly, the researcher was forced to see the likely causes of their loan default from the analysis of their loan files and interview conducted with staff members. Despite this limitation, the result of the research provided a meaningful basis for filling the gap and made recommendations that can be used by the management to improve performance of loan portfolio in BIB. 2. Literature Review 2. 1 Theoretical Review of Non- Performing Loans Loans and advances are the most profitable of all the assets of a bank. These assets constitute the primar y source of income by banks.As a business institution, a bank aims at making a huge profit. Since loans and advances are more profitable than any other assets, it is willing to lend as much of its funds as possible. But banks have to be careful about the safety of such advances. In the words of Dry. Leaf, the banker â€Å"has to tamper liberty with caution. If he is too liberal, he may easily impair his profits by bad debts, and if he is too timed, he may fail to obtain an adequate return on the funds which are confided to him for use. It is by his capacity in lending that a bank manager is Judged. A bank needs to be careful in giving loans as there is a greater risk which follows it in a situation where the loan defaults. Loan loss or defaulted loans puts a bank in a difficult situation especially when they are in greatest amount. Banks gives loans with uncertainty whether they are returned or not though they may hold some security. In assessing any proposal for n advance or a loa n, the banker has to satisfy himself/herself regarding the period for which the advance is required and the prospects of its repayment at the end of the period.He/she should not be carried away by the soundness of the security offered to him/her or the rate of interest. Profitability should be given only a sound consideration. He/she should also satisfy himself [herself about the purpose for which the advance is required. He/she is expected to discriminate against and discourage speculative advances. As a matter of fact most bank failures may be traced to faulty policies in respect of loans and advances. From the point of safety and liquidity, loan and advances are poor assets. The risk mostly ensues when loans become non- performing.Allocating loans has always been one of the central pillars of the banking business. Traditionally this marked the start of a long term relationship with the client, which would continue at least until the maturity of the loan. With the growth of deposi ts, banks are supposed to increase the lending. However, when Non-performing Loans (Naps) are high, the willingness to expand loan reduces. This relationship will be distorted under high NP condition. In any lending recess, there is inherent risk of loans being defaulted which leads to the concept of non- performing loans.The concept of non-performing loans has been defined in performing loans are defined as defaulted loans which banks are unable to profit from. They are loans which cannot be recovered within stipulated time that is governed by the laws of a country. The criterion for identifying non performing loans also varies in Africa. Some countries use quantitative criteria to distinguish between â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† loans (e. G. , number of days of overdue schedule payments), while others rely on qualitative arms (such as the availability of information about the client's financial status, and perspectives about future payments).However, the Basel II Commi ssion emphasizes the need to evolve toward a standardized and internal rating-based approach. Accordingly, the Basel committee puts non performing loans as loans left unpaid for a period of 90 days. Under the Ethiopians banking business directive, non-performing loans are defined as â€Å"loans or advances whose credit quality has deteriorated such that full collection of principal and/or interest in accordance with the contractual payment terms of the loan or advances in question† It further provides that: . moans or advances with pre established repayment programs are nonperforming when principal and/ or interest is due and uncollected for 90 (ninety) consecutive days or more beyond the scheduled payment date or maturity. In addition to the above mentioned category of non- performing loans, the following are also considered as non- performing.Overdrafts and loans or advances that do not have re-established repayment program shall be non-performing when: – The debt re mains outstanding for 90 (ninety) consecutive days or more beyond the scheduled payment date or maturity; – The debt exceeds the borrower's approved limit for 90 (ninety) consecutive days or more; – Interest is due and uncollected for 90 (ninety) consecutive days and more; or – For the overdrafts, (I) the account has been inactive for 90 (ninety) consecutive days or deposits are insufficient to cover the interest capitalized during 90 (ninety) consecutive days or (it) the account fails to show the following debit balance at least once over 360 days preceding the date of loan review: 1 . 20% of approved limit or less 2. 5 % or less This is in accordance with the Basel rules. If a loan is past due 90 consecutive days, it will be regarded as non- performing.The criteria used in Ethiopians banking business to identify non- performing loan is a quantitative criteria based on the number of days passed from loan being due. 2. 2 Classification of Loans & Advances The Na tional bank of Ethiopia supervision of banking directives classifies loans and advances as follows. Pass loan: loans and advances in this category are fully protected by the current financial and paying capacity of borrower and are not subject to criticism. In general loans and advances, which are fully secured both as to ironical & interest by cash or cash substitutes are classified under this category regardless of past due status or other adverse credit factor. Special Mention: Any loan or advance past due 30 days or more, but less than 90 days is classified under this category.Substandard: Non performing loans or advances past due 90 days or more but less than 180 days is classified under this category. Doubtful: Non classified as doubtful. Loss: Non performing loans or advances past due 360 is classified as loss. As per the directive the provision for impairment losses is determined as follows Loan Category Pass loan Mention Extent of provision required 1% of outstanding loan b alances Special 3% of outstanding loan balances Substandard 20% of the net loan balance Doubtful balance Loss Non-performing Loans 65% of the net loan 100% of net loan balance 2. 3 Causes of Default culture is not a new dimension in the arena of investment. Rather in the present economic structure, it is an established culture.The redundancy of unusual happening becomes so frequent that it seems people prefer to be declared as defaulters. Basically, the non- performing loans are a result of the compromise of the objectivity of credit appraisal and assessment. The problem is aggravated by the weakness in the accounting, disclosure and grant of additional loans. In the assessment of the status of current loans, the borrower's credit worthiness and the market value of collateral are not taken into account thereby rendering it difficult to spot bad loans. The causes for loan default vary in different countries. It extends from borrower's specific act to banks weak regulatory mechanism i n advancing loans and monitoring procedures.Generally, in developing and underdeveloped countries, the reasons for default have a multi dimensional aspect. Various researchers have concluded various reasons for loan default. A. Reduced Attention to Borrowers Few of the loan defaults that make trouble for banks can be blamed on reduced attention to borrowers. Borrowers give better attention to the loans that they borrowed when they have the perception that better attention is given to them. Lending officers of institutions should try to keep up with their loans, visiting the borrower's premises at least once a year or up to a half a dozen times a year on larger loans. Banks rarely lose money solely because the initial decision to lend was wrong.Even where there are greater risks that the banks recognize, they only cause a loss after giving a warning sign. More banks lose money because they do not monitor their borrower's property, and fail to recognize warning signs early enough. Whe n banks fail to give due attention to the borrowers and what they are doing with the money, then they will fail to see the risk of loss. The objective of supervising a loan is to verify, first, whether the basis on which the lending decision was taken continues to hold good. And second whether the loan funds are being properly utilized for the purpose they were granted. . Macroeconomic Instability Macroeconomic stability and banking soundness are inexorably linked.Both economic theory and empirical evidence strongly indicate that instability in the macro economy is associated with instability in banking and financial markets and instability in these sectors is associated with instability in the macro economy. Most problems of poor loan quality faced by banks were compounded by macroeconomic rate also makes loan appraisal more difficult for the bank, because the viability of potential borrowers depends upon unpredictable development in the overall rate of inflation, its individual co mponents, exchange rates and interest rates. Moreover, asset prices are also likely to be highly volatile under such conditions. Hence, the future real value of loan security is also very uncertain.Banks do poorly both when product and asset price inflation accelerate unexpectedly and when inflation decelerates unexpectedly, unemployment increases, and/or aggregate output and income decline unexpectedly. Unexpected accelerations in inflation adversely affect banks that, on average, lend longer term at fixed-rates than they borrow because nominal interest rates will rise more than expected. This will increase their cost of deposits more than their revenues from loans. Decelerations in inflation and, in particular, bursting of asset prices harm banks because the value of their asset collateral is likely to decline below the value of the associated loans and fuel defaults and losses.Indeed, probably the greatest threat to banking stability in almost all countries is increasing asset pr ice. C. Unsound Assessment Mechanism and Weak Risk Consciousness Risk, and the ways, in which it can be identified, quantified and minimized, is key concerns for a banks management and its auditors when they are engendering the need to provide for bad and doubtful loans. No loan is entirely without risk. Every loan, no matter how well it is secured, and no matter who is the borrower, has the potential to generate loss for the lender. It is the degree of risk to which a loan is susceptible and the probability of loss that vary; these should normally be reflected in the interest margin and other terms set at the inception of the loan.A bank, in considering whether to lend or not, takes into account the quality of a borrower which is reflected in, inter alai, its past and projected profit reference, the strength of its balance sheet (for example, capital and liquidity) the nature of and market for its product, economic and political conditions in the country in which it is based, the q uality and stability of its management and its general reputation and standing. It is important for the bank to know the purpose of the loan, to assess its validity and to determine how the funds required for the payment of interest and the repayment of capital will be regenerated. D. Lack of Strict Admittance policies and no active exit Under the influence of idea of pursuing market share excessively, banks do not establish detailed and strict market admittance policies, which undermine the first risk to prevent gate and weaken the orientation effect of admittance policies to market.During pre-loan investigation, some relationship managers put little emphasis on authenticity and integrally review on related materials. They haven't clarified the true intended usage of the loan (especially when extending short-termed credit) and the review is too optimistic, which does not analyze the potential influence of changes in related factors. There is also no deep review on the market, no en ough understanding on enterprises' operation management situation, no horrors risk revaluation; inaccurate assessment, the risk of loans is not fully covered and the risk on group customers and affiliated enterprises are not identified effectively. The factors above damage the loans at the early stage. 2. Debt Recovery Processes interest comprises a banks principal source of revenue, and therefore, of profit. Accordingly, from a banks perspective it is essential that its borrowers keep their contractual commitments and repay interest and capital as scheduled. Defaults are inevitable, but when they occur a bank should take appropriate remedial action, or ailing that, recover the outstanding interest and capital promptly. Ethiopians Banks adopt different ways of recovering non- performing loans. These methods are one or the combination of the following: Settlement – This engages both the lender and the borrower in negotiation to settle through collection of cash.Reschedule/Rene wal – this method is used whenever a bank believes that the Naps can be regulated in favorable terms and conditions through negotiation (term loans) and renewals (overdrafts). This is not without limitation. National Bank Directive No. SUB/43/2008 states a bank shall not reschedule restructure or negotiate worth or medium term loan to a borrower for more than three periods. Before rescheduling, restructuring or renegotiating a short or a medium term loan, a bank shall collect in cash full amount of interest thereof and the following principal amounts: a. A minimum of 25% of outstanding principal balance in case of rescheduling, restructuring or renegotiating for the second time.