Religions Spread Through Conquest Essays (2421 words) - Culture

Religions Spread Through Conquest Religions Spread Through Conquest- When studying history, both in a professional and academic sense, we try to make connections between civilizations and time periods. Historians have attempted to discover universal constants of human nature, a bond that forms from continent to continent, human being to human being. Is there a constant quality that all peoples posses, and is reflected in all civilizations? Indeed, it is extremely difficult to make generalizations about centuries of modern history. To say that something is true of all of history is virtually impossible, as a counter-example exists for just about anything that can be said of any group of civilizations. To say that all religions are spread by violence is equally unfair and untrue - because contrasted religions has been spread in exceedingly diverse regions of the world, by vastly different cultures. Islam, as a prime example, has been characterized inequitably by historians and the media as a religion of violence. To put it bluntly, as this article does, Islam was mainly spread through Arab territorial conquests (Sudo, 4). However, upon examination, it is not fair to make the generalization that Islam is a religion of violence, and one notices when looking at world religion on a whole, one finds that Islam was no more violent than any other religion. In fact, not only is Islam not a fundamentally violent philosophy, but we can also see that many other religions normally considered non-violent, such as Christianity or Hinduism, have been spread through bloody conquest. Thus, in searching for a universal constant of history, we ought not fall into the fallacy of abstractions, as Sydney J. Harris keenly puts it, and assume that because of isolated incidents and conflicts of territorial ambitions, that all religions have violent tendencies. Islam has, throughout the centuries, been somewhat a victim of circumstance - indeed it has been perceived by many as oppressive and cruel. This belief originated over a thousand years ago, when Islamic peoples first threatened the western world. As they slowly undermined Byzantine authority, Christians became terrified of their presence, resulting in widespread animosity and aversion. Hindus and Buddhists of the South Asian subcontinent lived under Islamic law for hundreds of years (Ahmad, et. al., 186), and eventually, in the twentieth century, split the region into angry factions (Ahmad, et. al., 207). Mohammed, the prophet of Islam, was a great warrior. This invariably lead defeated peoples to believe that he begot a cult of war and violence. Over the centuries, it also has developed the ability to instill a sense of holy purpose onto its believers and soldiers, where they go into a battle of certain death for their faith in the jihad, or holy war. Even today, the jihad is still a potent source of conflict and aversion, as the many of the problems in the Middle East center around the issue of Islamic Fundamentalism and the jihads. Originally, Islam was perceived by western historians as a religion of violence and conquest; by preying on the caravans of the Quraish, [Mohammed] weakened them to the point of submission (Mohammed and Islam, 1). In fact, Mohammed was a warrior, aristocrat, and brilliant strategist - a stark contrast to many other holy men of history. He was forced to both defend his cities and force submission, as the passage had shown, because of the strong military powers of his religious predecessors and oppressors, the pagans of the Middle East. Islam means submission according to the Islam discussion in class - and one might assume that the submission was attained through military and forceful means. In fact, while Mohammed preached peace from 610 to 622 AD, he attracted few converts and was persecuted by the current ruling paganistic regime. After the visions of 622 AD, he realized that his cause was even more urgent than before, and only at that point did he begin to utilize his military skills (Class Discussion). However, despite the more violent nature that his quest took, even after the revelations by Gabriel in 622 AD, by reciting his revelations aloud, Mohammed made many converts, (Mohammed and Islam,1). Mohammed was not a purely violent man, but also a great speaker and demagogue (Mueller,

Quality Management Five Components of Service Management

Quality Management Five Components of Service Management Service management is usually defined as the point in a supply chain that connects sales and customers, but in recent years the concept has morphed from a fairly narrow aspect of overall management and strategy to a broad management orientation that addresses all facets of an enterprise, particularly in service industries. Beginning in the early 1980’s, Christian Grà ¶nroos of the Hanken School of Economics in Finland started developing a â€Å"framework of values† for service management, a set of principles which, if integrating correctly into the company’s strategy and operations, leads to good service delivery. There are five parts to the framework of values for service management: An overall management perspective This requires a shift in the broad priorities of the firm from an internal focus on process efficiencies, economies of scale, and cost management to an external focus on customers’ perspectives on core product quality and total firm performance. Grà ¶nroos’ entire thesis is that the classical scientific management handed down to us by the likes of Adam Smith emphasizes division of labor, which can and often does result in separate parts of the enterprise working at cross-purposes. The service management perspective, by comparison, establishes customer service as the overall goal throughout the organization so that even if the efficiencies of the division  of labor are employed, they are necessarily done so in the context of their impact on the broader objective. At first blush, this particular part of the framework might sound like a vague motherhood statement, but it is actually important because it establishes the basis for the other parts of the framework of value s. Customer- or market-driven performance measures The big difference between a ‘service management’ orientation and the best practices suggested by classical scientific management is that performance measurement must have an external perspective, rather than being based on goals related to internal efficiencies. Well-known performance management and planning tools such as CSFs and KPIs still work very well from a service management perspective, but only if the success factors and performance indicators down to the level of the individual employee are expressed in terms of what each segment or position in the organization contributes to customer service. In essence, every role within the organization in some way becomes a customer service position. You can also be interested in: Management or Leadership? Stock Markets and Seasonal Effects in Them Management and Exchange Rates Management Essay Quality management is not segregated from ‘normal’ management functions This part of the framework is perhaps more applicable to manufacturing or other production firms where a distinct quality control process is required, but otherwise, the concept of integrating quality control functions into normal workflow simply reinforces the perspective of the first two parts of the framework. This aspect of the service management perspective is also perhaps more familiar than most; we see it in practice quite often through ideas such as Total Quality Management.   The biggest change it requires from the organization lies in operational planning, because quality control functions – where distinct procedures are required – must be broken down and smoothly fit into a unified, overall process. Internal development of personnel This concept has become almost canonical in human resources management  and relates to service management in two critical ways. First, it is the primary means by which customer service perspectives and goals can be properly spread throughout the entire organization, and is a key link in the service-profit value chain (discussed in greater detail in another article). Higher levels of employee experience, skill, and satisfaction lead to greater efficiency and employee loyalty, which positively affect service quality in a number of ways. Second, it is virtually impossible to effectively implement quality management functions as described above into an enterprise-wide process without using internal human resources; the best people for the job in any organization are the ones the organization already has. Just as with quality management, personnel development requires the integration of HRM functions that are usually treated separately into mainstream processes, at least at the planning level. Flat organizational design The service management framework emphasizes cross-functional abilities, internal collaboration, and lateral communication, and as a result,  tends to discredit the effectiveness of hierarchical organizations for achieving customer service quality. This presents a significant management challenge in organizations where the scientific management perspective of specialization and division of labor is an unavoidable necessity, such as in businesses where core functions require highly skilled workers who have intensive specialized training. Cross-functional training at an airline, for example, can only go so far;   it would be ridiculous to consider putting ticket counter  personnel behind the controls of a jet airliner just â€Å"to get a feel for what others’ job roles are like†. But on the other hand, there is little to prevent a highly-skilled airline pilot from spending a few days behind the counter to experience a different side of customer service. Some criticisms of the service management framework of values One implication of the service management perspective is that it greatly increases the complexity of planning and strategy in an organization; many of the boundaries between different departments or functions disappear entirely, and everything initiative from the level of individual employees upward must be complementary. This is the underlying reason why the framework has never been modeled in any great deal; an effective model would require consideration of a very large number of variables, and might be too unwieldy to be useful. And without a model, the framework is just another qualitative concept that does not give much direction for practical application. Another reason the framework has not received as much academic or practical attention as it deserves is somewhat unfair; Professor Grà ¶nroos’ discipline is marketing, not management, and in his various writings, he tends to stay in his comfort zone when seeks examples to illustrate the points he is making. Management scholars seem to have a bias that relegates marketing to a niche within the broad realm of business studies, and so have possibly overlooked the greater application of the ideas developed by â€Å"a marketing teacher.† Which, if nothing else, is a good reminder for business students not to impose limits on their explorations of knowledge – just as the framework of values suggests, one’s own effectiveness can be greatly increased by cross-training. Read more about service management: Grà ¶nroos, C. (1994). From Scientific Management to Service Management. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 1(5).

Match and Water in a Glass Science Magic Trick

Match and Water in a Glass Science Magic Trick This is a simple and interesting science magic trick involving fire and water. All you need is water, a glass, a plate, and a couple of matches. Pour water into a plate, light a match in the center of the dish and cover it with a glass. The water will be drawn into the glass. Match and Water Trick Materials PlateWater2 wooden matchesA quarter or other large coinColored waterNarrow glass How to Perform the Trick Pour water into the plate. I colored the water with food coloring to make it easier to see.Bend one of the matches so that you can set it in the water. Secure the match so that it is upright by setting a quarter or other small heavy object on the end of the matchstick.Use the second match to light the match that you placed on the plate.Immediately invert a glass over the burning match.The water will flow into the glass and will remain in the glass even after the match has been extinguished. How It Works The heat of the flame imparts energy to the gas trapped under the glass, raising its pressure and pushing against the water. When the flame is extinguished the air cools. Less pressure is exerted against the water, allowing it to flow into the glass.

Water Pollution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Water Pollution - Essay Example Over time the stream dried and it became a seasonal flowing river. The livestock waste was streamed into the Fork West making it extremely polluted making the vertebrates in the river to perish which in turn led to a decrease in fish population in the stream. This animal waste also led to algal bloom which worsens the conditions of waters in this river which later leads to death of fish due to lack of oxygen. The pesticides and insecticides used in the farms gets its way into the waters of river West Fork polluting its waters. The poor sewerage systems along the river make the river polluted and unhygienic therefore the water is not suitable for domestic use. As the towns grew and expanded this made pollution of this stream more severe and deadly to the life of the river. The sewage water was channeled to the stream with no concern of its effects. This made pollution more terrible to the marine life in the river at that point in time. The users of the river at the downstream were not taken into consideration. The situation of the stream became worse when the domestic waste came into contact with waste from the industries. This destroyed the natural environment which was a catchment area for this river and a source of living to many downstream. The clearing of the natural vegetation led to rapid surface runoff which further led to formation of ditches which never had the capacity of carrying the flow which was on increase. The development of ditches and trenches led to the destruction of water catchment areas which were formally of a quality nature. This pollution led to degradation of the water of this stream and lives of the people who live downstream .The people down the stream use the river both for domestic use and other farming activities. The water could therefore have negative effects on their health since it may lead to contamination of water and food. These conditions of the stream

European Convention on Human Rights Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

European Convention on Human Rights - Case Study Example The CPR provides under Part 35.3 that: "(1) It is the duty of an expert to help the court on the matters within his expertise. (2) This duty overrides any obligation to the person from whom he has received instructions or by whom he is paid." Moreover, Part 35.4 of the CPR likewise provides that: "(1) No party may call an expert or put in evidence an expert's report without the court's permission. (2) When a party applies for permission under this rule he must identify - (a) the field in which he wishes to rely on expert evidence, and (b) where practicable the expert in that field on whose evidence he wishes to rely. (3) If permission is granted under this rule it shall be in relation only to the expert named or the field identified under paragraph (2). (4) The court may limit the number of the expert's fees and expenses that the party who wishes to rely on the expert may recover from any other party." Hence, it is settled that under the CPR, the experts have an overriding duty to th e court and that the court has the power to restrict expert evidence. Clearly, these provisions in the CPR is geared towards the objective of satisfying Article 6 ECHR affording a party to a dispute a right to a fair trial by having his case heard before an independent and impartial tribunal that has the power to control and restrict expert evidence. The Act, on the other hand, has several provisions ensuring that a party to an arbitration proceeding is afforded his right to a fair trial as a guaranteed in Article 6 ECHR. Section 1 provides: "1. The provisions of this Part are founded on the following principles, and shall be construed accordingly-- (a) the object of arbitration is to obtain the fair resolution of disputes by an impartial tribunal without unnecessary delay or expense; (b) the parties should be free to agree how their disputes are resolved, subject only to such safeguards as are necessary for the public interest; (c) in matters governed by this Part the court should not intervene except as provided by this Part." All the provisions in the Act must be read with these words in mind. The concepts of fairness, impartiality and the avoidance of unnecessary delay or expense are not new. The importance is the emphasis given to them at the start of this overhaul of arbitration--they are the lodestone for the parties and t he arbitrator when deciding appropriate procedure in the arbitration. Next is a strong statement of party control, subject to public interest safeguards. Finally, a provision that the State will not frustrate the parties' arbitration agreement. On the contrary, it will support it by punishing a defaulting party if that becomes necessary.  

Troubleshooting Evco Insurance Network Essay Example for Free

Troubleshooting Evco Insurance Network Essay The network manager himself not keeping track of the growth of the network , coupled with the return of an unspecified number of computers from storage back into the network, are conditions that would encourage the network congestion currently experienced by Evco Insurance. This is further confirmed by the fact that the worst network congestion occurs where the network has experienced the most expansion in the last six months: the Marketing department. Several causes come to mind, with the presentation of the scenario for Evco Insurance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first cause that comes to mind is in regards to the computers pulled out of storage. It is possible that since the computers were pulled out of storage, the configuration of the TCP/IP settings may have conflicted with newer additions to the network. This would affect the computers within the marketing department, since these particular computers were deployed there, and any other computers that share the same settings. This would explain the some of the causes of the network congestion and the solution would be to correct or reconfigure the settings on the affected computers. This is a basic error, however, and would mostly affect only the individual computers that have conflicting settings and would not be the most probable cause, though it may contribute to the congestion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Related to the first possible cause is the possibility that there are hardware errors that were unchecked when the computers were assigned to the new marketing personnel. A particular concern is the network cards of those computers taken from storage. One such error causes the network card to continuously transmit junk data into the network, flooding the network with unnecessary data and slowing down connectivity; in which case even just one such computer can cause the whole network to slow down. Actual settings of network adapters and switch ports may also have conflicting settings. Both these hardware /settings errors can contribute to the network slowdown in the Marketing department, and both can be located using a combination of actually checking each computer and checking how far along the network a command or ping can travel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another possibility, but not the last possible cause, is the actual physical cable connections of the Network. A 100BASE-TX can have up to 100 meters of twisted copper cable per segment length, which must be rated at least category 5. While it is possible that the network itself has been poorly maintained, and that individual cables within the physical network are causing the error, it   may be more likely that there are problems or errors in the physical connections recently added to the network, since the problem of slow connectivity was experienced after the addition to the network. Ranging from poorly-maintained cables, using the wrong category of cables, or even the correct type of cable connected or the incorrect crimping of the cable can lead to network slowdown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Any of these three, or perhaps none of them, could be the cause for the network slowdown experienced in the Marketing department of Evco Insurance. There could be other reasons for the problem, though these are the three possible causes that immediately came to my mind.

Hitler and the Aestheticization of Politics Essay -- propaganda, nazism

Introduction One of the reasons behind the success of the Nazi Party in taking over Germany is on its extensive use of propaganda. Adolf Hitler, known for his penchant for populism, rendered the strong impact of images, films and other materials attributed to Nazism as essential for the political success of the Nazi Party and its agenda for Germany. As an authoritarian leader, Hitler saw the importance of extracting the patronage of the Germans not through forceful means, but through convincing and motivating measures that enticed their mental faculties. To make such a vision possible, Hitler commissioned the talents of filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl – one of the most brilliant at the time, to create a movie that promoted Nazism not necessarily in a critical manner, but more on cultivating their blind adherence towards the Nazi Party. The result, Triumph of the Will, is a documentary film masterpiece that presented the magnanimity of the Nazi Party in a grandiose manner, complete with rich ae sthetics enhanced with the latest film technology at the time. While Triumph of the Will has garnered strong acclaim as a magnum opus of its period, critics have assailed it for aggrandizing Nazi politics and its presumed ability to arouse sympathy towards Nazism. Thus, the assertion made by Walter Benjamin on the â€Å"aestheticization of politics† under German fascism has stood as an important premise to clarify and consider in understanding the significance of Triumph of the Will (Benjamin 217-252; Riefenstahl). The â€Å"Aestheticization of Politics† under German Fascism Benjamin noted one of the most notable characteristics of the Nazi regime – that of the â€Å"aestheticization of politics† under German fascism. In the simplest sense, Benjamin underlined... ...m that the aesthetic techniques used in Triumph of the Will is exclusive to Nazism, as those may also apply to represent other ideologies subject to changes in the stimuli of people and breakthroughs in media technology. After all, what made Triumph of the Will distinctly Nazi in nature is the fact that it used multifaceted Nazi propaganda; the aesthetic techniques used therein – set apart from the propaganda, could also apply to other ideologies. Works Cited Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Production." Illuminations. Ed. Harry Zohn. New York: Schocken, 1969. 217-252. Print. Spielvogel, Jackson. Hitler and Nazi Germany: A History. 6th ed. United Kingdom: Pearson, 2009. Print. Triumph of the Will. Dir. Leni Riefenstahl. Perf. Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Victor Lutze, various Nazi leaders. Universum Film AG, 1935. DVD.