Religion and Theology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religion and Theology - Essay Example Sufism has a various significance or importance, and they encompass helping to mold big parts of the Muslim society. Sufism pursuits for an unswerving supernatural understanding of God and of his love; its objective is to develop away from plain logical understanding to a supernatural encounter that would immerse man in the immensity of God. Sufism had an essential part in the creation of Muslim communities as it cultivated the multitudes and fulfilled their felt necessities, providing the spiritual significance to their lives and guided feelings. Sufis are vital teachers who transform new constituencies to Islam. Mysticism is an encounter of the straight closeness with Divinity. Mysticism is attractive because it includes the exercise of meditation both in the logical wisdom of the review of reality and in the paranormal sense of having understanding of God through a life of prayer. It is initially practical and not theoretical, where it engages the whole self. It is, thus, true to say that, mysticism is found in all the key religious traditions with the common presumption that all mystical encounters are similar and cannot be illustrated. #2) my answer is; The five pillars of Islam bid an agreement of training in the middle of the civilization`s rich collection. The pillars comprise the affirmation of faith, and according to this pillar, a Muslim is any person who witnesses that there is only one God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God. By declaring this plain statement, which is recognized as the shahadah, a person becomes a Muslim. The initial portion of the shahadah confirms the monotheism of Islam as an inflexible faith in the unity of God, while another pillar involves the prayer, which encourages the Muslims all over the world to adore God (Esposito, Fasching& Lewis, 2012). They are supposed to pray five times a day including daybreak, at noontime, midafternoon, sunset, and in the evening. Prayer is led by a pattern of washings to cleanse the body and to signify the cleanliness of mind and body needed to worshipping God. The next pillar is the almsgiving pillar; this pillar emphasizes that Muslims have the responsibility to attend to the social welfare of their society by remedying differences together with sharing correspondingly all their roles to worship God. This is done together with the yearly contribution of two point five percent of a person`s accumulated richness and assets. The forth pillar is the fasting of Ramadan, where Muslims are supposed to fast during the ninth month of Islam’s lunar datebook. This done by all vigorous Muslims who refrain from having meals, drinks, and sex from morning to evening. The main aim of this period is to encourage self-control, meditation as well as the enactment of great works; this period is ended by a great feast marked as the holy day in the calendar of Muslims. The journey of Mecca is the fifth and the last pillar, which comes after Ramadan; this pillar inspires all Muslims who are economically and substantially able to carry out the trip to Mecca one time in their generation. This journey unites the Islamic society, as it is the spiritual center. #3) my answer is; According to research, both Sunni and Shiite Muslims share the greatest vital Islamic principles and apprenticeships of faith. The variances amid these two main subdivisions within Islamic are primarily not from spiritual variances, but political differences; nevertheless, the political variances have resulted into a number of changing activities and points that have come to carry a divine importance. The separation among Sunni and Shiite formerly began after the expiry of the prophet Muhammad, and

Marketing Plan for Masters Home Improvement Stores in Australia Assignment

Marketing Plan for Masters Home Improvement Stores in Australia - Assignment Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that the microenvironmental factors comprise of all the elements that are closely linked with the company and has a positive or negative effect on the business operations of the company and hence ultimately has an impact on building relationships with customers and creating value. The various microenvironmental factors comprise of suppliers, marketing intermediaries, public, competitors, and customers. Amongst the above-stated factors two of which would create the major impact on the operations of Master’s Home Improvement are suppliers and competitors. The other factors can be easily managed by the company only when these two selected elements are effectively managed by the company. Suppliers play a very important part in retail business and in such home improvement business the availability of pre-packaged goods as it is offered by Master’s solely depends on the quality level maintained by the suppliers an d even on-time delivery from the suppliers so that the demand of the consumers are met without losing on any customer in such highly competitive market. Master’s also needs to develop very strong relationships with their suppliers and offer them good incentives so that they do not shift to their competitors as that would have a drastic impact on their business operations. In a market where competition is high bargaining power of suppliers is high due to the availability of more number of operations. The Master’s brand is owned by Woolworth limited and has faced a second mover advantage as well as a disadvantage in the retail business. The major competitors of the brand are Bunnings, Mitre 10, and Home Timber and Hardware. The competitors greatly have an impact on an organization such as if the competitors have set attractive prices with innovative product line then it can affect other players who have set higher prices as per the market demand. In the industry that Mas ter’s operates there are well-established players such as Bunnings which causes the company to constantly update its services so as to sustain in the market.

What Is Policy Implementation Politics Essay

What Is Policy Implementation Politics Essay Formatting and implementing policies are different issues in theoretical and practical terms. The implementation might be a complicated process because it concern with political, financial and administrative issues, and it requires motivation, proper lobbying, and technical, professional and administrative support. Policies are written statements of ideas, goals and plans of action, proposed or adopted by some agencies Menou (1991, p.50) Public policymaking is often viewed as a conveyor belt which issues are first recognize as a problem, alternative courses of action are considered, and policies are adopted, implemented by agency personnel, evaluated, changed and finally on the basis of their success. Briefly all this process or activities that occur in public policymaking are the stages of policy cycle which illustrate the life of each policy. Starting from setting the agenda until evaluating the policy than edit it or terminate it by giving an alternative policy which will replace it and pass all the process, each policy must overtake this process that is called policy life cycle. 1. What is policy implementation? 1.1Definition: As a general concept policy implementation can be defined as the third stage of policy cycle its means the stage of the policy process immediately after the passage of a law, or the action that will be taken to put the law into effect or that the problem will be solved. Implementation, viewed most broadly means administration of the law in which various actors, organization, procedures, and techniques work together to put adopted policies into effect in an effort to attain policy or program goals Implementation can be also defined in terms of outputs, or the extent to which programmatic goals are supported or perused, like the level of expenditures that committed to the programs. 1.2 policy cycle : it is a framework that can help to understand better the policy implementation as a stage correlative to other stages. Policy cycle Agenda setting : (Stage 1) we mean by agenda setting the list of problems or issues that government officials or organization are paying serious attention and giving time and considering as a public agenda at the at the public meeting or legislature, in other word it is the set of issues that government decide to take action against. Policy formulation:(stage 2) the passage of legislation designed to remedy past problem or prevent future potential problem, it can be inducements, rules, facts, rights or powers, and typically it is the legislature task Policy implementation:(stage 3) it might consider as the most important part of policy cycle, it means what happen after a bill become a law( Eugene bardach MIT press 1977) or the actions that will be taken to put the law into impact or the problem will be solved by following a set of process to translate the law into actions that ensure the achievement of the legislation. Policy evaluation: (stage 4) considering the results of policy that have been implemented or measuring the actual effects of legislation on the particular problem or to what extent policies achieve its intended results, and thats will be possible by looking for the consequences of the implementation of this policies and learn from it. Policy change or termination: (stage 5) by redesign some policy to become a new policy after evaluates it(Paul Sabatier 1980), or ending outdated policies or programs are found to be unworkable. This stage is the end point of policy cycle that why it can means the policy redirection, project elimination or partial elimination 2. Who implement policy? Typically, the administrative agencies are the primary actors in public policy implementation. However, there are other factors and institutions are also involved in the process such as legislatures, political executive, and the courts. And this is because of the difficulty or the complication of the implementation of policy. 2.1 The bureaucracy: after a law is formulated by the legislature than singed by the executive (president or other chief executives) the next step is for the various administrative agencies to begin the process of implementation, these agencies should carry out the policies under jurisdiction, and those who participate in the legislative process are usually unable or unwilling to develop precise guidelines also because of the complexity, lack of time, interest, or the information of the issue that is under consideration. 2.2 the legislature: typically politics concern with the formulation of policy, which should be handled with the political branches of government, but this traditional view have been changed today because the legislative bodies has become concern with the implementation by drafting a very specific laws which concern with the details and attempt to remove a lot of bureaucratic discretion, and this practice has become a necessity because a lot of failing of policy implementation coming from the problems were not addressed in the original drafting. On the other hand administrative agencies involve in the formulation of policies when they draft regulation in support of existing legislation that typically consider as a legislature task. 2.3 political executives: when presidents, governors, and other chief executives usually find themselves competing with the other political factors to influence administrators by using many tools such as executive order to set policy or the appointment of most heads of executive departments who bring their values, beliefs, and resources to their decisions and action. Whereas the executive effort at control are limited but the indication show that president and governors are generally successful in directing the actions of their subordinates (Marissa Golden, what motivates bureaucrats). 3.4 The courts: also can be involved in policy implementation or influence it when they play the role of interpretation of statutes and administrative rules and regulation and their review of administrative decisions in cases brought before them, it might be the most important influence on the implementation of policies and sometimes the courts go so far to take over the management of programs on behalf of the individuals who substantive and due process right have been violated. Recently, many of supreme courts recognize the need of administrative discretion and flexibility in some kinds of due process ruling, but they still retain jurisdiction over the actions of federal and state agencies. However, there are other factors may influence policy implementation such as community organization which could take a part the implementation of policy or programs especially at the local level. Another actor may involve in the implementation of policy who is pressure groups who always try to seeking to influence the guideline and regulation in the way that will benefit their cause. 4. Policy implementation approaches: There are two main approaches could help to understand better how policy implementation precedes the top-down approaches and the bottom-up approaches 4.1 The top down approaches: where the state policy implementation is influenced by federal level factors such as the clearness of law or regulations that federal government sends to the state Or the amount of resources that the federal government provides to the state which is crucial to the successful implementation of policies, and thats depend to the resources of the state or the local government some states are more independent on federal governmental aid than others. All this variables are very important to determine the success or the failure of any state implementation efforts. Top-down followers argue that policy designers are the main actors and focus their attention and concentration on the factors which might be manipulated at the national level. However there are so many attempts to develop top-down models of policy implementation one of them is Sabatier and mazmanian model. The top -down approach start by assuming that the decision -making is more taken by central government and it ask the next questions: To what extent the action of implementing officials and target groups consistent with that policy decision? What are the principal factors affecting the policy outputs and impacts, relevant to the official policy and politically significant? How was the policy formulated over time on the basis of experience? To what extent were the objectives attained over time or to what extent were the objectives consistent with the impacts? Nonstatutory variables affecting implementation Socioeconomic conditions and technology Media attention to the problem Public support Attitude and resources of constituency groups Support from sovereigns Commitment and leadership skill of implementing officials Ability of statue to structure implementation 1. Clear and consistent objectives 2. Incorporation of adequate causal theory 3. Financial resources 4. Hierarchal integration in implement institutions 5. Decision rules of implementing agencies 6 .formal access by outsider Stage (depend variables) in the implementation process Policy outputs of compliance with policy actual impacts of perceived impacts major revision Implemnt agency Outputs by target group policy outputs of policy outputs in statute Tractability of the problem 1-Availability of technical theory and technology 2-diversity of target-group behavior 3-extent of behavioral change required Figure 1-Skeletal flow diagram of the variables involved in the implementation process (mazmanian and Sabatier effective policy implementation p-7) These models identify 16 independent variable among three main categories: The tractability of the problem. The ability of the statute to structure implementation. Nonstatutory variables affecting implementation. But this model has been criticized because of the failing to illustrate which is the variables were likely to be more important, and also because of the assumption of the farmers of policy decision are the key actors. 4.2 The bottom-up approaches: there are some bottom-up factors which may affect success or failure of in implementation such as the state capacities (available resources and stuff) and the disposition of state some policies could be easily implemented than other according to attitude of state. For instance the liberalness or the conservativeness of the state political environment will affect how easily a policy is implemented. A welfare policy could be easier to implement in more liberal state rather than more conservative state. Contrary a conservative policy could be easier to implement in more conservative state rather than liberal one. Another factor may affect the implementation of policies which is the varying between states in terms of their capability to implement the federal policies for instance the number of staff that needed to implement some federal policies make a greatly different between various states. Also the amount of resources that each state allocate it to implement federal policies can make a various different in policy implementation from state to state, meaning that state which have more resources is much more likely to implement policy than other states with a few or less fiscal resources. Unlike the top-down model, the bottom-up approach of policy implementation stare by identifying the factors which involve in the service delivery in the local areas and asking about the goals, strategies, activities and also contacts, than try to develop a network technique to identify local, regional and national actors which involve in the policy implementation. This approach argues that the policies are determined by the bargaining between number of organization and their clients rather than being controlled by the central decision making. Also this approach have been received a number of criticisms for the assumption that policy implementation should occurs in a decentralization decision-making environment. Bottom-up approach was somewhat flowed by a rather limited explanation of implementation behavior as both a desirable from the implementation and the only analytical approach for complex organizational and political problem. Policy implementation tasks: It refers to the necessity of getting new way to implement policies, or what managers should do to avoid the negative aspects and complexity of implementation process. This framework divides the process of implement policies into six nearly successive tasks, these machinery will present with examples of how they emerge in apply: 4-1 Legitimation (Task 1) Legitimation means getting buy-in reform the appropriate people in the country to push the reform process forward. Furthermore Legitimation, or getting the policy accepted as important, desirable, and worth achieving, is especially critical for policies that are part of a donor assistance package, which risks being seen as externally imposed. This may result the policy champion or the group of manager and subordinate how might believe in this policy and seek to implement it well. Example provides help or assistance to concern with the negative aspect of corruption. 4-2 Constituency-building (Task2) Constituency-building, or gaining active support from groups that see the proposed reform as desirable or beneficial, needs to translate into commitment to act toward achieving the policy objectives. Â  So the task is pushing group to commit the reform by giving their best effort and resources to make it achieve. So many tools can be used to fulfill this task such as inviting public and private actors to workshops to discuss issues that relevant to each sector, and try to resolve the points which are not consensus, and try to draft the policies. 4-3 Resource Accumulation (Task 3( Resource accumulation means ensuring that present and future budgets and human resource allocations are sufficient to support policy implementation requirements, this task to secure the resources of the policy implementation process ,organization have different ways to accomplish this task by negotiate with the ministries about the budget allocated, or find a new resources allocation. 4-4 Organizational Design/Structure (Task 4( Organizational design/structure involves adjusting the objectives, procedures, systems, and structures of the agencies responsible for policy implementation. This task may include establishing new organizations, formal or informal, that links the various entities with a role in implementation, by establish action planning and results monitoring, this may lead to contribute of structure in the success of reducing fees charged. Mobilizing Actions (Task 5) Mobilizing actions builds upon the favorable constituencies assembled for the policy (Task 2) and marshals their policy implementation. Commitment and resources engage in concrete efforts to make change happen. Its focus is on identifying, activating, and pursuing action strategies. It move toward mobilized constituency and funds among the structures of organization, by create, develop and carry out the steps essential to interpret aims into results. These actions may help to build a consensus between government and civil society stakeholders, roles, responsibilities, and actions to make decentralization operational. Monitoring Impact (Task 6) Monitoring impact, or setting up and using systems to monitor implementation progress, is the final policy implementation task. Monitoring systems not only alert decision-makers to implementation snags, but also inform them of the intended and unintended impacts of implementation efforts. This monitoring may include establish a Policy Analysis and Implementation Unit to assist the president Economic Cabinet to improve policy decision-making with a strong focus on tracking implementation and results achieved. A good example here could be the livestock action plan committees monitored and noted problems in compliance with the plans steps to reduce excessive regulation in the countries of West Africa. Livestock producers credited this oversight with keeping the reforms on track and achieving the intended reductions in petty corruption and commerce-inhibiting regulation. Conclusion: The policy implementers should improve their understanding of the implementation process and implementation outcome by using the result of the several researches to redesign policies so they can do their work better and that is the policy makers and managers should be able to use the knowledge generated from the new finding in the research of policy implementation to facilitate the implementation. Also increasing use of the private sector including faith-based organization to implement policies raises new challenges for both those who design and those who implement policies, these challenges aside, the future of implementation research as an optimistic one and one that should greatly improve the understanding of this crucial phase of the policy cycle.

Front Disk Brakes :: Automobiles Mechanics Essays

Front Disk Brakes For most people, driving a vehicle is a normal and every day process. On any given day, driving in city or town traffic one can experience a number of noises, by either their own, or somebody else’s vehicle. The most common sound made by the brakes of a vehicle is a light squeak, very high pitched and annoying. It may be time for new brakes, but wait; there could be a simpler fix. This paper is designed to educate the layman about brakes and give him or her some insight on how to fix them. I will concentrate on two common problems. Noise is probably what most people think of as the best indicator for repair, vibration is very a common problem, but noise will be discussed first. This paper will concentrate on the disk brake, but drum brakes are still very common in today’s cars and trucks. The fundamental difference between the two is how, and from what direction the force of the braking material contacts the braking surface. The disk brake uses a caliper that pinches the disk, which rides between the two brake pads on both sides. This lateral force squeezes the disk, and therefore stops it. The drum brake is shaped like a flat or square bell. It has brake shoes inside the drum and, when activated the shoes make contact with the inside of the drum’s surface. The misnomer about drum brakes are that people think the disk brake is better because they have more stopping power, but in terms of horsepower, the drum brake is more efficient. This comes with a drawback though, drum brakes get hotter faster than disk brakes, this cusses brake fade. In other words, disk brakes dispense heat better. The use of lighter weight materials, smaller cars, anti-locking systems, and power-assisted brakes has left the drum brake a part of the past. Keep this in mind first, especially if your vehicle has less than sixty or seventy thousand miles on it. The disk brake pad is usually the first component to wear first. Most domestic pads have little pieces of spring steel attached to them in order to warn the driver the pad has approximately 15% of the brake pad left. Under normal conditions the pad can be replaced and the surface of the rotor machined to ensure the coefficient of friction and lateral run-out are within specifications.

Engineers Contributions

Society’s standards always change and engineers contribute to society by meeting these demands. Engineers create technology and devices that people use day to day. They innovate current technology by making it more practical and improving the quality to satisfy consumers. When society’s trends and fads change, engineers comply by redesigning products to accommodate for the changes. Engineers save time and money for every one by speeding up processes and cutting down production costs through efficiency. Society relies on engineers every day.Engineers create and develop various transportation modes, communicational devices and infrastructures that people use on a daily basis. Society uses technology that engineers construct. Many people in society use transportation technology to get to their destinations. Many people drive cars, take the train or bus and ride bicycles. Without engineers, all these transportation modes would cease to exist. Engineers play a major role in vehicle production and efficiency. Without communicational technology society cannot function and would crumble down.Communication takes part in every person’s life through different avenues. People use phones, e-mail and social networks on the internet to communicate with one another. Engineers developed these communicational technologies and continue to find ways to improve it. They discover ways to help society use technology by making it more practical. Practicality embodies an engineer’s mindset and this mentality contributes to society’s economy. Engineers stimulate society’s economy by allowing people to save money.Businesses hire engineers to help their production efficiency and to find ways to cut costs. Engineers redesign products so that they require less material but serve the same functions and capabilities. They find ways to boost the speed it takes to make each product. This allows the company to create more products per day and saves time. With the costs decreasing and production increasing, business can sell their goods for cheaper. Products that only the wealthy society could afford, such as televisions and cars, are now common amenities that many families have today.People can afford to buy vital products such as medicine at an affordable price. Engineers cut production time and costs to allow consumers to save money but always put safety as a priority. Engineers continually explore methods to ensure society’s safety. They look for ways to improve the environment’s health. They minimalize air pollution caused by cars and factories by producing eco-friendly products and components. Engineers improve land conditions for people and animals so that they may live in suitable conditions.The water that people drink goes through a purification and safety process that engineers conduct. Engineers perform test to validate a building’s integrity through simulated earthquakes and wind speeds. Every vehicl e a person drives goes through multiple collision examinations and redesigned multiple times by engineers to ensure the highest safety ratings. The roads that people drive on have speed limits specifically analyzed and set by engineers to reduce accidents. Engineers secure the society’s safety while progressing and planning for the future.Engineers constantly conform to society’s changing needs through innovation. With gas prices increasing rapidly, engineers develop electronic cars and maximize the vehicle’s miles per gallon ratio. People want computers to have better processors, load programs quicker, and carry less weight for traveling. Engineers have configured these electronic devices to perform at faster speeds and reduced material use to enhance the product’s portability. Society wants technology to keep developing with new inventions to provide more comfortability and less work.Engineers hold the key ingredient for technology innovation and they c ontinue to cater to society’s demands. People may not notice the direct contributions that engineers give to society but society can’t function without them. Every infrastructure in this nation is designed with maximum efficiency and practicality by an engineer. The amount that engineers contribute to society measures from small inventions such as a mechanical pencil to as large as a robot landing on the planet Mars. Society will always need engineers and engineers will always contribute to society.

How Information Technology Affects Business Essay

As a business owner, and manager the need for a way to manage our information is essential. The ability to handle the overwhelming amount of data and information that goes through a company every day could be a key factor in whether a business fails or succeeds. (Ebert & Griffin 2005) The system in which we collect and use this information is called an Information System (IS). An IS is used in financial accounting, managerial accounting, by laborers, and executives. In my basket shop, an Information System is what allows us to keep track of orders, from the time they are received to when they are delivered. It keeps track of customer information, the supplies ordered, what supplies have been used, and whether we need to reorder. IS also keeps track of what we are spending, how much we are making, and whether we are making a profit or loss. There is so much more this system does for us, but basically lets us be more efficient, offer better customer service, and allows us to see our problem areas. We can then correct any problems, and set better goals and plans for our future. The use of the Information System has allowed us to hire fewer employees, and be a lot more competitive in the market. I have to say if we did not have any kind of way to manage the information we receive, we could not be as efficient, which would lead to customer dissatisfaction, and in the end we would go out of business. We all know that in today’s society. Businesses are expected to be proficient by responding quickly in fulfilling all orders correctly and with a timely delivery. â€Å"Web sites are becoming a vital communication tool – almost as valuable as the telephone, and much more flexible and economical than a printed brochure or flier† (â€Å"Internet Use†, 2000) With the use of email and the internet we will have drastic reductions in cost, increased speed in communication time, and a larger customer reach and satisfaction. Email will allow us to save money on stamps and paper, cut response time to a minimum, and send advertisements about sales to previous customers who took this option. A problem that used to take days to handle before by mail, waiting for papers to arrive by mail etc, is now handled in minutes. Without the internet, we would not be able to offer a virtual store front online, which allows us to reach customers, thousands of miles away,  that we would not reach otherwise. The online store, will give the customers the option of having their basket delivered, or they can order ahead of time and pick up at the store location. The internet provides access to the World Wide Web (WWW). With the WWW we can do more cost efficient and quicker research on our competitors, suppliers, and the local economic status. Being better informed, we will be able to keep our prices fair and reasonable, yet still make a profit. Through the use of the internet, and help from a GPS tracker, we will be able to keep track of packages being delivered. This will allow us to keep our customers better informed as to when they will receive their basket and make sure they don’t get lost. The World Wide Web will also allow us to accept payment options that we would not be able to afford otherwise. With the help of ProPay and PayPal we will be able to take payments with credit cards that we would not be able to offer if the internet was not available. In conclusion, with the help of email and the internet, we will be able provide faster, dependable, more cost efficient service, and in return have better customer satisfaction. Information technology has become an important part of most of today’s businesses, it provides us with a way to process, create and store information. With a Database management program a single piece of data is put into several different files to create useful information. It has allowed us to eliminate the middleman in most cases. In cutting out the middleman, this has allowed quicker response times to situations and increase productivity and set better performance goals. We have more reliable financial statements. It allows you to set up filters, so when looking at certain areas, you aren’t wasting time looking through useless information. This in turn saves time and saving time saves money. When keeping customer’s information stored in our system, it allows us to be more personable and develop stronger relationships with them. The use of email, internet, and information technology allows us to do things we wouldn’t have dreamed of years ago. We can talk face to face with people while being continents apart, we can find information we need at the touch of a couple of buttons, and in return have become more productive, proficient, reliable, and better planners. Because we have increased our  productivity, and improved our performance due to the technology, we have become more profitable as a result. Resources: Ebert, R.J., & Griffen, R.W. (2005) Business essentials (5th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice Hall. Rooster Graphics International. (2000). Internet use by small business. Retrieved September 29, 2006, from Rooster Graphics website: http://www.rostergraphics.com/ADMIN/SBuse.html