How Technology Has The Quality Of Life Of Aging Adults

How can technology contribute to the quality of life of aging adults? Self-reliance, well-being, and staying in a familiar, comfortable environment; these tend to be the aims of a number of seniors. Through the application of science and technological innovations, such objectives can be accomplished. Technology has the power to transform lives, usually in ways that are beneficial, but occasionally is detrimental. Clearly, technological advancements in the last century or so have resulted in major enhancements in many aspects of our lives such as transportation, employment, healthcare, and recreational activities. On the other hand, such developments have led to increased dependence on technology, and technological failure could result in†¦show more content†¦These remedies can help in reducing the difficulties of daily routines, increase independence, improve safety and security for the elderly, as well as lower the burden on caregivers. Communication technologies are a critical way of ensuring that the elderly are safe and secure, by providing access to health care providers and caregivers. Along with medical needs for elderly people are the needs for social support. Recognition of the well-being of the elderly is vital to family members and those tasked with caring for them, who must be able to make decisions regarding the individual s capacity to live safely in their homes. Additionally, from the adult s point of view, communicating with friends and family members can help in reducing feelings of solitude and loneliness, which in turn leads to improved quality of life. Loneliness and depressive disorders are some of the major challenges that most older adults face, particularly those with disabilities (Singh Misra 2009, p. 3). Although the elderly appreciate their ability to be independent, growing health issues, lack of proper ways of transporting them, and the general lack of motivation will always lead to feelings of being isolated. Furthermore, the interaction between the elderly and their extended family members is always crucial to an older adult s safety and self-reliance. A comprehensive approach toShow MoreRelatedLate Adulthood and Death Paper1460 Words   |  6 Pagesthe life span development process one must understand late adulthood consists of. This paper will give a brief overview of ageism and stereotypes associate with late adulthood. This will explain how health and wellness techniques in the late adulthood stages can mitigate the negative effects of aging. As people age the social views and experiences changes in relationships a nd interactions with individuals, as he or she nears end of life. When closely approaching the end of life, a person has culturalRead MoreDisease Trends and the Delivery of Health Care Services Essay1457 Words   |  6 PagesAxia college 1/15/2012 Many health care professional have great concerns about the growth of the aging population, chronic disease and the epidemic of obesity, and how will the United States healthcare system prepared for this continuing epidemic. The fact that the aging population along with obesity epidemic is a global healthcare concern, many health cares’ professional is baffled about how to address the growing epidemic that many American’s will face. . According to the Centers for DiseaseRead MoreThe Population Of The United States1633 Words   |  7 Pagesconfronted with the challenge of preparing to meet the financial demands of a continually aging population. The proportion of the population aged 65 years and older is expected to increase from 12.4% in 2000 to 19.6% in 2030; this is an increase to about 72 million. The number of persons aged 80 years and older is expected to increase from 9.3 million in 2000 to 19.5 million in 2030. Also by 2030, older adults will account for roughly 20% of the U.S. population. By 2050, it is anticipated that AmericansRead More Technology and Older Adults Essay1746 Words   |  7 PagesTechnology and Older Adults It is commonly believed that older people are uncomfortable with new forms of technology and that they are more resistant to using technology than are younger people. This belief often places older people at a disadvantage, because designers fail to consider older people as a potential user group when designing technology, both software and hardware (Parsons, Terner, Kersley, 1994). Another misconception is that the elderly are unable to learn new skills. OlderRead MoreEssay on Late Adulthood1394 Words   |  6 PagesLate Adulthood Late adulthood is known as the period of life after middle adulthood, usually from around 65 years old to death (Santrock, 2013, p. 485). There are many varying stages of development and health in late adulthood, along with steady changing of life expectancy. Aging is a part of life, and with it comes changes in every area of living. Many diseases find late adulthood as an opportune time to affect people. Eventually, whether caused by disease or another reason, every individual diesRead MoreThe Aging Population On The Delivery Of Healthcare1225 Words   |  5 Pagesassociated with aging. Therefore, it is vital for healthcare professionals to understand the significance of the term â€Å"baby-boomers†. In fact, by the year 2030, one in five people will be over the age of 65 and in 2050, that number will be close to 90 million older adults, which is two times the number compared to 2010 (CDC, 2013). The aging population in America is just one of the nine forces that influence health care and nursing management. This paper will summarize the influence of the aging populationRead MoreFor the most part, I have to agree with the critical theorists: learning barriers do exist. In1400 Words   |  6 Pagesthe same positions as held by women. Wealthier families have the means to pay for quality educational experiences and have endless opportunities to continue educational learning opportunities. Demographic factors, such as age and sex can determine who qualifies for educational opportunities. While the government funds the education of our younger children, there is a limited amount of funding available for adults to advance their education. In their pursuit of the American dream, many less fortunateRead MoreImpact of the Aging Population on Healthcare1508 Words   |  7 Pagesfacility or a particular region. The rate at which our population is aging is one of the most demographic trends that will changes the face of the future workforce of healthcare. The demand for services and they type of services offered will change as well. The impact will be felt on a economic level across the board. †¢ If health care consumption patterns and physician productivity remained constant over time, the aging population would increase the demand for physicians per thousand populationRead MoreAssessment Of Gerontology Paper1364 Words   |  6 Pagesyears and older is 12% of the population, the life expectancy of 77.9 years has caused this increase. The older people over age 85 is at about 40%, and the number of centenarians is on the rise (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Longer life expectancies will intensify the demand for competent geriatric nursing care to reduce the years in which function and health are impaired. It is exciting to see that quality geriatric nursing education has been integrated into the BSN program at FloridaRead MoreAging As A State Of Decline1428 Words   |  6 Pages1. In her speech, Jane Fonda spoke about aging and the effect that it can have on a person. Fonda talked about â€Å"Life’s Third act† or the last three decad es of a person’s life. Fonda explained that the advances in medicine and technology enabled the human race to live longer than before (Fonda, 2012). According to Fonda, humans are living on average, thirty years longer than past generations. The human life span has been extended and humans are spending a great deal of their lives in older age (Fonda

Movie Analysis Rabbit Proof Fence - 1502 Words

Moodoo was in his early thirties when his daughter was forcibly removed to a Native Settlement Camp for domestic servant training. Subsequently, Moodoo took up employment with the camp in an attempt to keep in contact with her. The work he does is challenging, both physically and emotionally, as he is forced into recapturing runaway Indigenous children. As a result of the hardships faced by Moodoo, he has become withdrawn, which is particularly concerning given his Indigenous culture is one based on social interactions. He also communicates very little, particularly with non-Indigenous people. He has come to see me after he failed to recapture two runaway girls. This job failure has him concerned about his daughters and his own futures, and as a result he is experiencing depression. Historical Background The movie Rabbit-Proof Fence (Noyce, 2002) based on the book Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence (Garimara, 1996), establishes the true story of the authors mother, the protagonist Molly. Both the film and novel are consistent when demonstrating key themes and ideas that occurred during the period. These themes highlight the connection between mother and child, the consequence of forced removal, and the trauma caused by capture and separation from culture and family (Guà °mundsdà ³ttir, 2012). Indigenous children have been forcibly separated from families and culture since the onset of European settlement of Australia (Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, 1997),Show MoreRelatedCitation and Reference List9582 Words   |  39 PagesReference list items are in the same order as referenced in your assignment, earliest first. Linklater (2002a) states that ... improvements of up to 80 percent have been observed (Linklater 2002b). Reference list Linklater, P. 2002a, Workflow analysis: an introduction, Faber, Sydney. Linklater, P. 2002b, ‘Enterprise content management and productivity’, Journal of Process Management, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 1023-1047. 3.12 Use of ‘’ Use ‘and’ instead of ‘’ (ampersand), except when ‘’ isRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pages................................................................................ 25 What is the Issue?................................................................................................................................. 28 What is a Proof?.................................................................................................................................... 30 Indicators ...................................................................................................Read More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 Pagesto Statistics and Data Analysis This page intentionally left blank Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis Third Edition Roxy Peck California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Chris Olsen George Washington High School, Cedar Rapids, IA Jay Devore California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Australia †¢ Brazil †¢ Canada †¢ Mexico †¢ Singapore †¢ Spain †¢ United Kingdom †¢ United States Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis, Third Edition Roxy PeckRead MoreBrand Building Blocks96400 Words   |  386 Pagescontinue buying the brand in spite of being dissatisfied. These five levels do, however, provide a feeling for the variety of forms that loyalty can take and how it impacts upon brand equity. Enhancing Loyalty One approach to enhancing the loyalty of fence sitters and the committed is to develop or strengthen their relationship with the brand. Brand awareness, perceived quality, and an effective, clear brand identity can contribute to this goal. Increasingly, however, programs that can build loyalty

Reaction to Triarchic Theory of Love According to Sternberg free essay sample

Wherein he shows us the different components of love, namely: intimacy, passion and decision/ commitment. This theory shows that love can be understood in terms of the three components, and they can be viewed as forming the triangle. Intimacy acts as the top vertex of the triangle, passion acts as the left point of the triangle and decision/commitment acts as the right point of the triangle. According to Sternberg, intimacy is refers to the feeling of closeness, connectedness, and bondedness in loving relationships. It can also be the feeling experienced happiness with the loved one, high regard for the loved one, being able to count on the loved one in times of need, mutual understanding with the loved one, sharing of ones self and ones possessions with the loved one, receipt of emotional support from the loved one, giving of emotional support to the loved one, intimate communication with the loved one, and valuing the loved one in ones life. We will write a custom essay sample on Reaction to Triarchic Theory of Love According to Sternberg or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The next component, passion refers to the drive that leads to romance, physical attraction and lust in relationships. This component allows people in a relationship to experience passion and arousal. As for relationships that are fueled by passion, meaning the â€Å"arousal† drew the in to the relationship, it is the intimacy component that sustains the closeness in the relationship. And the last component, decision/ commitment can be defined in terms of the length of the relationship, in short term it can be defined as the decision we make to love someone, whereas in long term it can be defined as the commitment to maintain that love. If likened to temperature, intimacy can viewed as the â€Å"warm† one, passion as the â€Å"hot† one and decision/commitment as the â€Å"cold† one. In sum, all these three components are important in a loving and strong relationship, without the other, the relationship may not last as long. REACTION: Love. A four-letter word which means what? A great man once said, â€Å"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. † Who is this man? Aristotle. David Byrne said, â€Å"Sometimes its a form of love just to talk to somebody that you have nothing in common with and still be fascinated by their presence. Mark Twain said, â€Å"Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired. Do you understand it? Is it the same for you? Do you now know exactly what love is? I don’t. But I’ll try to sort things out through my experience and maybe, I can show you and tell you what love is. Love has been called many things, defined a thousan d times, analyzed for ages. But no one can put into words what love is. Maybe because no words can explain or define what love is? No matter how cliche, mushy and hopelessly romantic that sounds, it’s true. Love is not easy to explain. Try it yourself and see how far you got, I’ll bet your still on â€Å"It’s what you feel. † From my experience, love brings you hope, pain, joy, memories worthy of treasuring forever and love. Love is shared between two people who have feelings towards each other, it may be a friend, or a special someone. And loving is never easy. From my experience, it did bring joy and pain. I’m not trying to scare you. Even if love brings pain, the joy that comes with it is wondrous. A joy that is immeasurable. A joy that has the power to make the pain and the burdens you have go away. It gives you butterflies in your stomach; it makes your heart do somersaults, it makes you nervous, it makes you cry, it makes you laugh, it makes you see the beauty in everything. Love is truly beautiful. And I think, without love, the world we know today would have ceased to exist a long time ago. Even amidst all these chaos, deep within we can find love. So, from what I see, love is everywhere, found in all things, beautiful and confusing. References: Sternberg, Robert J. A triangular theory of love. Psychological review 93.2 (1986): 119. Sternberg, Robert J. Liking versus loving: A comparative evaluation of theories. Psychological Bulletin 102.3 (1987): 331. Beall, Anne E., and Robert J. Sternberg. The social construction of love. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 12.3 (1995): 417-438. Sternberg, Robert J., and Karin Weis. The new psychology of love. Yale University Press, 2006. Sternberg, Robert J., and Todd I. Lubart. The concept of creativity: Prospects and paradigms. Handbook of creativity 1 (1999): 3-15. Fehr, Beverley. A prototype approach to studying love. The new psychology of love (2006): 225-246. Bisson, Melissa A., and Timothy R. Levine. Negotiating a friends with benefits relationship. Archives of sexual behavior 38.1 (2009): 66-73.

Understanding Learning and Acquisition of Knowledge Essay Sample free essay sample

Educators have realized that for the pupils to be successful in life they need to be womb-to-tomb scholars. Many pedagogues have attempted to specify acquisition. Some of these definitions are excessively complicated to hold significance. Others are non wide plenty in their range. Possibly the best definition. particularly where pedagogues are concerned. is the definition which puts accent on the student’s ability to execute as the consequence of acquisition. Nature of Learning †¢ Ornstein ( 1990 ) – acquisition is a brooding procedure whereby the scholar either develops new penetrations or alterations or restructures his mental procedure. †¢ Lardizabal ( 1991 ) acquisition is an incorporate. ongoing procedure happening within the person. †¢ Slavin ( 1995 ) acquisition is a alteration of single cause by experience. †¢ Calderon ( 1998 ) acquisition is the acquisition through ripening and experience of new and more cognition. accomplishments. and attitudes that will enable the scholar to do better. Theories of Learning Introduction Theories are statements that explain a certain event or phenomena. We will write a custom essay sample on Understanding Learning and Acquisition of Knowledge Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This study discusses different theories that explain how learning occurs in scholars. therefore. the learning theories. These learning theories are classified among the Behavioral Theories. Cognitive Theories. and Constructivist Theories. However. even though there are a batch of theories which explain how learning occurs. there is no individual perfect theory that can explicate all as larning depends besides on the scholars. the instructor and the environment that they have. Behavioral Theories Among the Behavioral Theories are the well-known theories like Ivan Pavlov ‘s Classical Conditioning Theory. Thorndike’s Stimulus-Response Theory. B. F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning and Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theories. 1. Ivan Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning Ivan Pavlov based his theory from his experiment on the digestive procedure of Canis familiariss where he found that the Canis familiariss respond to impersonal stimulation when it is associated with a learned stimulation. From this experiment he besides concluded the ways of larning in worlds. He formulated constructs like stimulus generalisation. favoritism. and extinction which all negotiations about how scholars respond to assorted stimulations. 2. Thorndike’s Stimulus-Response Theory Thorndike’s theory has a small resemblance to Pavlov’s theory such that his theory besides uses stimulations and responses. Thorndike did a cat experiment and from it. he concluded that stimulation can motivate responses. Furthermore. a behaviour which gives a pleasant effect is more likely to be repeated. and a behaviour which consequences to bad effect is be givening non to be repeated. This led him to explicate the Law of Effect. He besides formulated the Law of Readiness which exemplifies the importance of the preparedness of scholars in larning for them to non be forced to larn or make some activities. He besides formulated the Law of Exercise which emphasizes the significance of exercising or uninterrupted pattern or making of a certain activity can the scholar truly appreciate and perfect it. 3. B. F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning Skinner’s Operant Conditioning highlights the usage of pleasant and unpleasant effects to alter behaviour. These pleasant or unpleasant effects are called supports. Supports are any behavioural effect that strengthens ( that is. increases the frequence of ) a behaviour. It increases the likeliness of the return of a peculiar type of response. It can be classified into positive and negative supports and primary or secondary supports. 4. Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory Different from the first three. Albert Bandura argued that much of human acquisition is non shaped by its effects but is more expeditiously learned straight from a theoretical account. For him. mold is so of import for scholars. They can easy larn if they look to person or something to copy. Cognitive Theories Cognitive theories. on the other manus. take the position that pupils actively process information and acquisition takes topographic point through the attempts of the pupil as they organize. shop and so happen relationships between information. associating new to old cognition. scheme and books. It emphasizes how information is processed. Among the cognitive theories of larning are Bruner’s Cognitive Learning Theory. Ausubel’s Meaningful Learning Theory and Gagne’s Cognitive Learning Theory. 1. Bruner’s Cognitive Learning Jerome Bruner emphasized on find and â€Å"hands on† acquisition. He argued that we should learn the ‘structure’ of the topics. He advocated the debut of the existent procedure to pupils. He besides formulated the construct of Discovery Learning which is an instructional attack that provides pupils with informations and so requires them to treat this information into meaningful abstractions. Through this. Bruner hoped to do pupils active enquirers in the topic they are analyzing. 2. Ausubel’s Meaningful Learning Theory Ausubel concluded here that scholars have the capableness to turn potentially meaningful stuff into existent meaningfulness. therefore. meaningful acquisition. 3. Gagne’s Cognitive Learning Theory This theory built upon behaviourist and cognitive theories to urge attacks to direction. Dealt peculiarly with jobs in finding merely what accomplishments and cognition are required for person to be an effectual performing artist at a given occupation. He proposed that larning is like constructing procedure which utilizes a hierarchy of accomplishments that increase in complexness. 4. Constructivist Learning Theories Constructivism. peculiarly in its societal signifiers. suggests that the scholar is much more actively involved in a joint endeavor with the instructor in making ( building ) new significances. Constructivist Teaching and Learning Principles 1. Learners have their thoughts 2. Learners need first-hand experiences. 3. Learners like their thoughts 4. Learners see what they want to see 5. Learners frequently are non cognizant of what they know IDENTIFYING AND ARTICULATING LEARNING OBJECTIVES Aims are statements of what will be achieved as a consequence of the direction the instructor is planing. Lesson or instructional aims are besides called public presentation aims. Performance Aims ? Are objectives that stipulate what the scholar will be able to make when the instructional event concludes? ? It besides refers to student command of the content of the lesson such as facts. constructs. accomplishments. and generalisations. ? It besides includes a root plus three constituents: targeted pupil public presentation. a description of the method for measuring the intended public presentation. and a standard for mensurating success. ? Another function of public presentation aims is to guarantee that the instruction and larning experience includes a full scope of cognitive degrees. from simple callback of facts to higher-end critical thought. BLOOM’S TAXONOMY Bloom’s Taxonomy includes six degrees of knowledge runing from callback of cognition to rating of cognition. Each of these degree is described along with verbs that might be used in aims that are aimed at that degree of thought ( Elliot et. Al. . 1996 ) Six Levels of Cognition Cognition: This degree of knowledge includes of memorising. or acknowledging or remembering factual information. Aims at the cognition degree would include verbs such as list. place. name. recite. province and define. Comprehension: At this degree of knowledge. the accent is on forming. depicting. and construing constructs. Verbs used in aims at the comprehension degree might include describe. interpret. explain. illustrate. sum up. restate. and defend constructs or information. Application: The application degree of knowledge requires that the pupil use the information presented. work out jobs with it. and happen new ways of utilizing it. Objective verbs that would stand for outcomes at this degree of believing would include use. sort demonstrate. discover. predict. show. work out and compare. Analysis: This degree of taxonomy requires higher-level believing accomplishments such as happening implicit in constructions. dividing the whole into its constituents. placing motivations. and acknowledging concealed significances. Verbs used in aims at this degree might include analyze. ascertain. diagram. differentiate. discriminate. examine. determine. sort. look into. concept. and contrast. Synthesis: At this degree. the pupil is expected to make an original merchandise based on the cognition acquired. unite the thoughts presented into a new whole. or associate cognition from several country into a consistent construct. Action verbs in aims at the synthesis degree would include combine. compile. create. design. develop. expand. integrate. extend. originate. synthesise. and formulate. Evaluation: At this degree. the scholar is expected to do thoughtful value determinations with mention to the cognition ; decide differences andcontention ; and develop personal sentiments. judgements. and determinations. Objective verbs at this degree would include buttocks. review. justice. appraise. contrast. evaluate. weigh. and urge. Mention: †¢ Vega and Prieto ( 2006 ) . Facilitating Learning. Mandaluyong City: Books atbp. Publishing Corp.

Influence of Gangs essays

Influence of Gangs essays Gang Culture has increasingly become a subculture for many teenage youths. Main minority teens, these social outcast are often have no real economic stability and no parental supervision or guidance. As a result, teenagers often rebel and seek comfort in gangs. These gangs provide what is lacking in their lives, a sense of belonging. Minorities are often stereotyped and criticized, especially minorities born into poverty. They are condemned simply because they are not of the same race or of the same class as the majority (often middle class whites). Before these minorities can even prove themselves equal, society already pushes them towards the subculture that has risen out of oppression and rebellion. Gang culture reinforces, and in some cases challenges, the social norms of economic class. Minority gangs typically come from the inner city. Society often blames the inner city teenager for giving into these gangs but still do nothing to help prevent it. Many people fail to realize the difficulty in living in the ghettos. White suburban kids do not have to avoid certain streets just to avoid confrontation. White suburban kids do not have to live with the constant violence on the streets. White suburban kids do not have to worry about drive-by shootings. With so much violence in inner cities, one can only expect teenagers to be easily misguided. Many inner city kids are able to avoid the gang life, however, there are still the others that have succumbed to the lifestyle. With the violence, peer pressure, and the need to fit in, it is not surprising that many troubled teenagers find comfort in gangs. Gangs offer them protection, Friendship, and a sense of belonging. Society often looks at lower-class minority teenager as low-class street hoodlums. Gangs only help reinforce this stereotype. As teenagers growing up, they do not have the nice sports cars of the nice clothes to show off as many o ...

Free Essays on Health Care

My essay will be on the topic of: Do you think the privatization of the Health care System is or will have a negative impact on the service you receive? To consider solving this growing debate one might want to turn to our neighbor to the north Canada. In Canada, health care financing, allocation, and delivery may be public, private, or a combination of both. In Canada there is a â€Å"single tier† health care system with access for everyone irrespective of ability to pay. The â€Å"privatization† of health care in many minds means an American system of health care which is a â€Å"two tier† system that offers better service for those who can pay and poorer or no service for those who cannot. Exactly what is â€Å"privatization†? That depends on which dimension of health care you look at (financing, allocation, delivery) Privatizing the financing of health services means shifting the burden of paying for health care from tax revenues to the private incomes of individuals through partial or complete payment for certain services. The privatization of allocation of health services involves using certain forms of market competition to determine what services are provided, who provides them, and at what costs. The privatization of delivery of health services means relying on individuals and organizations outside of government both non-profit and for profit to provide the services. The important question is not whether something is public or private, but rather how the arrangement of public or private financing, allocation, and delivery affects costs of care, access to care, accountability for care, and quality of care. The private/public balance in health care is particularly of concern to seniors, because they are more likely to need health care then any other group. The provisions of community-based services by private for-profit agencies are a cause for concern. Under the Reagan Administration, a review of the privatization of public ag... Free Essays on Health Care Free Essays on Health Care My essay will be on the topic of: Do you think the privatization of the Health care System is or will have a negative impact on the service you receive? To consider solving this growing debate one might want to turn to our neighbor to the north Canada. In Canada, health care financing, allocation, and delivery may be public, private, or a combination of both. In Canada there is a â€Å"single tier† health care system with access for everyone irrespective of ability to pay. The â€Å"privatization† of health care in many minds means an American system of health care which is a â€Å"two tier† system that offers better service for those who can pay and poorer or no service for those who cannot. Exactly what is â€Å"privatization†? That depends on which dimension of health care you look at (financing, allocation, delivery) Privatizing the financing of health services means shifting the burden of paying for health care from tax revenues to the private incomes of individuals through partial or complete payment for certain services. The privatization of allocation of health services involves using certain forms of market competition to determine what services are provided, who provides them, and at what costs. The privatization of delivery of health services means relying on individuals and organizations outside of government both non-profit and for profit to provide the services. The important question is not whether something is public or private, but rather how the arrangement of public or private financing, allocation, and delivery affects costs of care, access to care, accountability for care, and quality of care. The private/public balance in health care is particularly of concern to seniors, because they are more likely to need health care then any other group. The provisions of community-based services by private for-profit agencies are a cause for concern. Under the Reagan Administration, a review of the privatization of public ag... Free Essays on Health Care Managed Health Care Of the approximately 257.8 million individuals currently living in the United States of America, every one of them has a need for effective, affordable and accessible health care coverage and services. Within the past thirty to forty years, the scope and cost of health care coverage and services has drastically changed, altering the manner in which health care was previously managed. There are several factors that have affected the cost of health care coverage over the course of the past two to three decades. One of these factors is the introduction and rapidly increasing enrollment in managed health care insurance plans. Managed care health insurance plans can, in most cases, help to alleviate the rising costs of effective medical coverage. Another important factor that has affected health care costs is the invention and implementation of new medical technologies. As prominent researchers and economic analysts have discovered, there is a distinct and direct correlat! ion between advancing medical technologies and rising health care costs. Medical innovation has been proven time and again to be an important determinant of health care cost growth. It would appear that managed care health insurance plans, which attempt to lower health care costs, and highly expensive new medical innovations and procedures are at cross purposes, pulling against one another in very different directions. Market-level comparisons have found the cost growth of health care in markets with greater managed care penetration to be generally slower than that of non-managed care health insurance markets. However, managed care is unlikely to prevent the share of gross domestic product spent on health care from rising unless the cost-increasing nature of new medical technologies changes. Managed care health insurance plans differ greatly from indemnity fee-for-service, or FFS, insurance plans. Since the early 1970's, r...

General Electric's Nuclear Radiation Research Paper

General Electric's Nuclear Radiation - Research Paper Example There is a lot of concern growing today on the ethical issues in the electric and nuclear radiation. Similarly, it also includes the nuclear weapons, the nuclear power, and the larger nuclear fuel cycle space (Hale, 2011). Currently, there is today the emerging ethical issue such as the number of wastes, health, and the entire environment that surrounds the production of the material. The effect of nuclear reactors is so wide that even reaches the areas where indigenous and the poor people in the society live (Katz, 2006). One possible effect is the injustice that people and even their future generation suffer as a result of radiations. The presence of the negative evidence that concerns with the nuclear industry have its concerns with world's issues such as politics, the science, and even the economics. In addition, it also includes the leaders who support the development of the nuclear industry such as Sir Mark Oliphant. Just in the same way as any other discipline, ethics in the g eneral electric, nuclear radiation industry defines the good and the bad that comes as it is used by human beings. The notion of ethics in reference to this industry, however, should not be confused with the ethics that has to do with classifying good or evil. This is because even the most respected lot in society may also find themselves indulging in the evil, even with their knowledge that such acts would lead to the cause of the evil things.Today issues of ethics are just but another faction in the discussions that relate to it.

Analyse a case of The Prosecutor v. Abdel Raheem Muhammad Hussein Essay

Analyse a case of The Prosecutor v. Abdel Raheem Muhammad Hussein - Essay Example Also attributed against him are the war crimes of murder, attacks against a civilian population, destruction of property, rape, pillaging, and outrage upon personal dignity, all punishable under the same statute. The warrant was issued based on the belief that Hussein was a key person in the counter-insurgency plan that involved attacks against civilians to end the conflict in Darfur between the armed groups SLM/A or the Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army and JEM or Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) against the government of Sudan and the militia Janjaweed. These unlawful attacks were executed â€Å"by the Sudanese armed forces and/or the Militia/Janjaweed† to target the people belonging to Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups who were known as rebel supporters (International Criminal Court, 2014). The issue on the war in Darfur is an ongoing problem that many have called genocide. Thousands have died before the rest of the world became aware of what was happening in that region of Sudan. The International Justice Project (IJP) writes that it was in March of 2005 when the United Nations Security Council released a resolution that referred the matter to the ICC. It was also after this time when the people behind the attacks were brought to the attention of the Chambers of the court. Hussein, accused as one of the primary perpetrators in thinking up of the common plan which gave financial and military support to a non-government group through Janjaweed other than the government forces who are to carry out the violent plans against rebel forces even if the same would cause many civilian casualties (International Justice Project, 2012). The Janjaweed, who are primarily Arabs, carried out the execution of their counterparts especially of non-Arab backgrounds. The group has been acc used of ethnic cleansing by consciously killing the

Muslim women do not receive equal treatment with men Essay Example for Free

Muslim women do not receive equal treatment with men Essay Some westerners think Muslim women do not receive equal treatment with men. In fact, the aim of Islam is quite the opposite. Examine and comment on this claim in the context of a multicultural society. Why is it that western consciousness perceives Islam in such deeply flawed terms? Why are negative images of Islam more prevalent than any others? Why is it still acceptable to say things about Muslims that would simply be deemed unacceptable of Jews, Christians, or Buddhists? That years of inter-faith dialogue have done little to advance a better understanding of the Islamic faith in the western world is an indication of how profoundly entrenched in the West misrepresentations and vulgar stereotypes of Islam are. The western society generally views itself as the source of womens liberation, and feminists seem to have an obligation to broaden their rights to the eastern oppressed women. West sees the veil as a stumbling block and feels if they were to remove it would it would gain freedom for these women. These views have misunderstood the status of women in Islam and have been publicized in the media. Britain regards itself as giving equal rights to men and women Although in Britain latest studies have shown that men are paid more than women to carry out the same task. Surveys have shown that employers would rather employ men than women with the same qualifications. There are hardly any women politicians in comparison to men but Muslim women like Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh, have ruled over 300 hundred million Muslims in the 1990s and now is currently being ruled by another women. Benazir Bhutto had been the president of Pakistan. There has essentially never been a female president in the United States till this present time. The extent of a religions efficiency depends on what resolution to controversial issues like that of women is presented. Islam has provided the most practical outline of social organization, according to the natural and physical capabilities of both men and women. However other civilisations and faiths prior to Islam dealt with this matter as well, Aristotle and many other Greek philosophers argued that women were not fully human and this view was accepted in the catholic churches. St Thomas Aquinas another philosopher later put forward his view of the earlier Greek philosopher proposing that women were the traps of Satan. Every evil caused in humanity was likely from them. This idea was accepted throughout the middle ages. Men were the only ones who had rights before the law they could buy, sell and own a property. Up to this present time male Jews still recite, Blessed art thou our lord, our God king of the universe that I was not born a female(Alan Unterman, Jews: their Religious beliefs and practices,1981, page 140). Also in Judaism, the Talmud states Woe to the man whose children are female (Ibid, Page 133) In pre Islamic Arabia women were treated like commodities, object desire that were bought and sold like cattle. Some of them were even made to dance naked in the vicinity of the Kaaba during annual festivals. In those times a man could have as many wives as he desired and women were inherited if widowed from father to son. Arabs used to bury their female children alive at birth, and treat women as mere chattels and objects of sexual pleasure possessing no rights or position whatsoever, these teachings of the Noble Quran were revolutionary. Unlike other religions, which regarded women as being possessed of inherent sin and wickedness and men as being possessed of inherent virtue and nobility, Islam regards men and women as being of the same essence created from a single soul. The Quran declares: O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should you treat them with harshness, that you may take away part of the dowry you have given them except when they have become guilty of open lewdness. On the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If you take a dislike to them, it may be that you dislike something and Allah will bring about through it a great deal of good. (4:19) O mankind! Reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate, and from this pair scattered (like seeds) countless men and women. Reverence Allah, through whom you demand your mutual (rights), and reverence the wombs (that bore you); for Allah ever watches over you. (4:1) Spiritually men and women are equal. They are created out of identical spiritual material. (According to some old Christians thinkers) so therefore if women are sinful so are the men because they are identical. In Islam there is absolutely no difference between men and women as far as their relationship to Allah is concerned, as both are promised the same reward for good conduct and the same punishment for evil conduct. The Quran says: And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women. (2:226) The Quran, in addressing the believers, often uses the expression, believing men and women to emphasize the equality of men and women in regard to their respective duties, rights, virtues and merits. It says: For Muslim men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allahs praise, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward. (33:35) Enter into Paradise, you and your wives, with delight. (43:70) Who so does that which is right, and believes, whether male or female, him or her will We quicken to happy life. (16:97) The Quran admonishes those men who oppress or ill-treat women: The Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) said, Women are the twin halves of men. The Quran emphasizes the essential unity of men and women in a most beautiful simile: They (your wives) are your garment and you are a garment for them. (2:187) the ideal relationship between husband and wife is graphically described in the above verse. Just as a garment hides our nakedness, so do husband and wife, by entering into the relationship of marriage, secure each others chastity. The garment gives comfort to the body; so does the husband find comfort in his wifes company and she in his. The garment is the grace, the beauty, the embellishment of the body, so too are wives to their husbands as their husbands are to them. Islam does not consider woman an instrument of the Devil, but rather the Quran calls her musanat a fortress against Satan because a good woman, by marrying a man, helps him keep to the path of rectitude in his life. It is for this reason that marriage was considered by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a most virtuous act. He said: When a man marries, he has completed one half of his religion. He enjoined matrimony on Muslims by saying: Marriage is part of my way and whoever keeps away from my way is not from me (i.e. is not my follower). The Quran has given the raison dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tre of marriage in the following words: And among His signs is this that He has created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them; and He has put love and mercy between you. Verily in that are signs for those who reflect. (30:21) The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was full of praise for virtuous and chaste women. He said: The world and all things in the world are precious but the most precious thing in the world is a virtuous woman. He once told the future khalif, Umar: Shall I not inform you about the best treasure a man can hoard? It is a virtuous wife who pleases him whenever he looks towards her, and who guards herself when he is absent from her. On other occasions the Prophet said: The best property a man can have is a remembering tongue (about Allah), a grateful heart and a believing wife who helps him in his faith. And again: The world, the whole of it, is a commodity and the best of the commodities of the world is a virtuous wife. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was most emphatic in enjoining upon Muslims to be kind to their women when he delivered his famous khutba on the Mount of Mercy at Arafat in the presence of one hundred and twenty-four thousand of his Companions who had gathered there for the Hajj al-Wada (Farewell Pilgrimage). In it he ordered those present, and through them all those Muslims who were to come later, to be respectful and kind towards women. He said: Fear Allah regarding women. Verily you have married them with the trust of Allah, and made their bodies lawful with the word of Allah. You have got (rights) over them, and they have got (rights) over you in respect of their food and clothing according to your means. One who makes efforts (to help) the widow or a poor person is like a mujahid (warrior) in the path of Allah, or like one who stands up for prayers in the night and fasts in the day. These aspects were much emphasized by the Prophet (peace be upon him). He exhorted men to marry women of piety and women to be faithful to their husbands and kind to their children. He said: Among my followers the best of men are those who are best to their wives, and the best of women are those who are best to their husbands. To each of such women is set down a reward equivalent to the reward of a thousand martyrs. Among my followers, again, the best of women are those who assist their husbands in their work, and love them dearly for everything, Islam, as a religion recognizes mens and womens role as different but, however it certainly does not regard them as superior or inferior than one or the other. Both roles are as important as each other. Islam has been designed to be flexible enough to be interpreted in a variety of ways to cover a variety of cultures, times, contexts, individual personalities. both men and women should dress (in public) in a manner that will de-accentuate their sexuality1. The Surah an-Nur says: Tell the believing men to lower their eyes and guard their private parts Tell the believing women to lower their eyes, guard their private parts and not display their charms except what is apparent outwardly (an-Nur 24:30-31). O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters, as well as all (other) believing women, that they should draw over themselves some of their outer garments (when in public): this will be more conducive to their being recognized (as decent women) and not annoyed. But (withal,) God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace! (al-Ahzab 33:59, Asad transl.) The spirit of this ayat is to dress in a manner that will signal unavailability. The reason why another ayat (an-Nur 24:60) is crucial in gaining a broad overview of the Quranic concept of appropriate dress is that it implies that women should wear in public more than what they would wear in private, in front of their intimates their families. So this leads to three basic points in considering how to dress: a) the universal idea of de-sexualized dress b) the time and context specific concept of being identifiable as a Muslim c) that before she reaches old age (and preferably after) a Muslim woman should wear more in public than she would privately in front of family. As long as these three injunctions are met, there is a wide range of options open to the Muslim woman depending on the context of the society in which she lives and moves in public. Today, Muslim womens dress has been politicized and carries with it many conflicting symbols and meanings; perhaps the most visible is the use of head covering as a confrontation against western colonialism. Muslim woman has to have the right and freedom to choose how she interprets her dress code. This fundamental acknowledgement of her instinctive ability to choose (or not) the path of Allah (swt) is more important than any type of specifics about what constitutes hijab (or appropriate covering of the body). Without this freedom to interpret Islam to the best of her ability (a part of which, of course, is seeking the informed opinions of knowledgeable Muslims in order to educate herself) she is not living up to her potential as a human being, and that is more fundamental than what clothes are being worn. As the Quran says: There is no compulsion in matter of faith. Distinct is the way of guidance now from error (Al-Baqarah 2:256, A.Ali translation) The queen of her house, is the position a true believer is expected to give his wife. In contrast to these enlightened teachings of Islam in respect of women, Western talk of womens liberation or emancipation is actually a disguised form of exploitation of her body, deprivation of her honor, and degradation of her soul! Islam has given the highest position to women on earth, while Europe and the west were wallowing in the dregs of degradation and savagery. Islam had accorded women a position of honour, respect, safety and love, which has not yet been matched to this day, let alone being superseded and excelled. When questioned about status one must consider Muslim womens rights in the field of finance. A Muslim woman has the right to full ownership and disposal of wealth at will. This right was granted to her about 1423 years ago whilst Britain, women didnt have this right untill1860s. Her father if she was unmarried must provide for a Muslim woman or by her husband if married; however rich she may be, she is not responsible for domestic expenses. This is one of many privileges given to women. The Holy Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, The searching of knowledge is incumbent for every Muslim (male and female).Women should pursue their education as far as it is possible. One of the main aims of acquiring knowledge in Islam is to become Allah-conscious. In the history of Islam there were women who were narrators of Hadith, mystics, scholars, writers, poets and teachers, in their own right. They utilized their knowledge within certain precepts of Islam. The west has fabricated many myths that Muslim women are not allowed to work. These myths have no basis in Islamic law. It is natural in Islamic societies for there to be a female doctors and teachers. However, she is not required to participate in trade, vocation or professions unless necessary. A woman must receive her husbands approval in order to work, because he may feel that her work will cause her to neglect her matrimonial duties and care of the children Muslim women just like the men are prohibited from taking on jobs that sell her femininity to make money (dancing, prostitution, modeling etc) even if her husband doesnt mind. Apart from those jobs that are prohibited in Islam all others are lawful. A women is entitled to equal pay of equal work of equal value, this concept was established by Islam centuries ago. Although a woman can inherit from her father, children and husbands when before Islam she could not inherit at all, the rate of her inheritance is half that of a man. In order to requisite this apparent unfairness, Islam gives women many privileges e.g. dowry which is obligatory and is her own. Quran says: And give women their dowries as a free gift (4:4) A woman has the right to choose who she marries and shouldnt be forced to marry anyone with out her wish. She can even have her marriage annulled in a court of law if she can prove that her parents/guardians went ahead with it against her will. Yet there is a resounding silence when the issue being raised is Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), honor killings, forced marriages, the unequal application of hadd punishments on women, or the denial of education to girls and women. All of these wrongs are perpetrated on women in the name of Islam. Genital mutilation for females is not allowed in Islam? Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him clearly prohibited mutilation or maiming of the body. While it is true that many of these violations occur across cultural and religious boundaries, the only action often taken by conservative Muslims is a condemnation of the action because it is cultural and not Islamic. Meanwhile, women continue to be murdered and little girls continue to be mutilated. Polygamy is a misunderstood phenomenon that is more a remedial law in Islam than anything else, used only if necessary. Monotheism is a norm in Muslim societies past and present, and one must remember that prior to Islam, men could have as many wives as they desired. so much that many women were deserted for long periods of time. The verse in the quran that legitimates polygamy was revealed after the battle of uhud, when many widows and orphans were left without care. Hence at the time polygamy was the answer. Although in some extreme circumstances e.g.when the wife is a barren, seriously ill, and mentally unstable or has a bad character. In these cases a man can marry again if he feels the presence of the second wife will benefit the wife, the children or him. However Islam insist that the man treat both wives equally in every aspect possible.The quran says: If you fear that you will not be able to deal justly with orphans, marry women of your choice , two or three or four; but if you fear that you will not be able to deal justly with them, then only one (4:3) Islam recognizes that marriages are sacred and are a civil contract between husband and wife which should work or be dismantled if it ceases to do so. Although Islam permits divorce the prophet (pbuh) says: Of all the things that Islam has permitted, divorce is the most hated by Allah. This shows divorce shouldnt be taken lightly. Divorce is a right mainly available to men (although a woman can demand to have it in a marriage contract). As well When Islam discusses the deficiencies of women; it is neither insulting them nor belittling them. Some men, unfortunately, do precisely that when they quote the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that women have a deficiency in their intellect and their religion. They take these words out of context as a means of oppressing women and putting them down. The Prophet (peace be upon him) meant something quite different. He said: I have never seen among those who have a deficiency in their intellect and their religion anyone more capable than women of swaying the intellect of the most determined of men. He is actually asserting here the power of women to influence men and sway their opinion. This is one of the distinctions that women, in their natures, have. He then went on to define precisely what he meant by these deficiencies. In the remainder of the hadà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½th, some women asked him: O Messenger of Allah, what is this deficiency in our intelligence and religion? He replied: Isnt it that a womans testimony as a witness is half of the testimony of man? They said: Yes. He said: This, then, is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isnt it true that when she is in her menses, she leaves off prayers and fasting? They said: Yes. He said: This is the deficiency in her religion. Therefore to every male witness there need to be two female witnesses also because of their lack of knowledge and experience women are not preferred to be positioned as judges in Islam. There is no specific directive of the Shari`ah that prohibits a woman from leading prayers. Therefore, we cannot say that Islam prohibits a woman from leading prayers. The matter actually relates to the general practice of the Prophet (pbuh), which was subsequently followed by the Muslim leaders that followed the Prophet (pbuh). This practice of the Prophet (pbuh) as well as the Muslim leaders, who followed him, subsequently became a part of the social traditions of the Muslims. Thus, it is not a directive of the Shari`ah, but a part of the Muslim cultural tradition that men, rather than women should lead prayers. This gender-based distinction, it seems, has its basis on a few important facts. For instance, although the Prophet (pbuh) encouraged Muslim women to come to the mosques to offer their obligatory prayers with the congregation, yet it was not as strong a directive for them, as it was for the Muslim men. The nature and the variance of the Prophet (pbuh)s directive has generally resulted in a lower number of Muslim women being present in mosques, as compared to men. In many places, women are not even seen (even in lower numbers) in mosques. Thus, especially when the over whelming majority of people present in mosques consists of men, it was natural that a man was appointed as the Imam to lead the prayers. Moreover, because the Imam holds a central position in the mosque and naturally becomes the center of attention for all those who are present, it seemed a better decision that a man, rather than a woman, be appointed for this position. We obviously do not have any control over the thoughts and emotions of all those present in the mosque. Thus, to keep the minds clear of any sexual thoughts, especially in the mosques, it was felt more appropriate to appoint a man as the Imam. These are a few of the points that have played a role in the general acceptance of this socio-cultural tradition among the Muslims. The matter, as I have stated earlier does not pertain to any prohibition of the Shari`ah. Women are very capable of taking on any job previously monopolized by men, said Ms Hindi, a former English literature student at a college in Mecca, her home town. Women not allowed to drive cars in Saudi Arabia because of the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia was made official only in 1990 after 47 women demonstrated against what was then a customary law by driving a convoy of cars in Riyadh. They were arrested and detained until male relatives signed undertakings that they would not violate the ban again. The ban was made official by a fatwa issued by the Council of Senior Ulama (religious scholars). Women driving leads too many evils . . . included among these is her mixing with men without her being on her guard, the fatwa said. O Messenger of Allah, who is the person who has the greatest right on me with regards to kindness and attention? He replied, Your mother. Then who? He replied, Your mother. Then who? He replied, Your mother. Then who? He replied, Your father. In another tradition, the Prophet advised a believer not to join the war against the Quraish in defense of Islam, but to look after his mother, saying that his service to his mother would be a cause of his salvation. Muawiyah, the son of Jahimah, reported that Jahimah came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, Messenger of Allah! I want to join the fighting (in the path of Allah) and I have come to seek your advice. He said, Then remains in your mothers service, because Paradise is under her feet. The Prophets followers accepted his teachings and brought about a revolution in their social attitude towards women. They no longer considered women as mere chattels, but as an integral part of society. For the first time women were given the right to have a share in inheritance. In the new social climate, women rediscovered themselves and became highly active members of society rendering useful service during the wars which the pagan Arabs forced on the emerging Muslim umma. They carried provisions for the soldiers, nursed them, and even fought alongside them if it was necessary. It became a common sight to see women helping their husbands in the fields, carrying on trade and business independently, and going out of their homes to satisfy their needs. Among my followers the best of men are those who are best to their wives, and the best of women are those who are best to their husbands. To each of such women is set down a reward equivalent to the reward of a thousand martyrs. Among my followers, again, the best of women are those who assist their husbands in their work, and love them dearly for everything, save what is a transgression of Allahs laws. The Shariah regards women as the spiritual and intellectual equals of men. The Shariah requires a man, as head of the family, to consult with his family and then to have the final say in decisions concerning it. In doing so he must not abuse his prerogative to cause any injury to his wife. The word of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the queen of her house, and this is the position a true believer is expected to give his wife. In contrast to these enlightened teachings of Islam in respect of women, Western talk of womens liberation or emancipation is actually a disguised form of exploitation of her body, deprivation of her honour, and degradation of her soul! Manji is lesbian and has adamantly argued that the condemnation of homosexuality by most strains of traditional Islam is at odds with Quranic doctrine that Allah makes excellent everything which He creates. Her partner is Michelle Douglas, a Canadian activist. Manji has been a vocal critic of orthodox Islam, especially that treatment of women by some Muslims. She does not wear a headscarf or chador whereas most traditional Muslim women do observe the hijab. She has criticized the Palestinian leadership and the opinions of some Muslims about Israel. WOMEN IN THE QURAN AND THE SUNNAH Prof. Abdur Rahman I. Doi Professor and Director, Center for Islamic Legal Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaira, Nigeria. In Islam there is absolutely no difference between men and women as far as their relationship to Allah is concerned, as both are promised the same reward for good conduct and the same punishment for evil conduct. The Quran says: And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women. (2:226) The Quran, in addressing the believers, often uses the expression, believing men and women to emphasize the equality of men and women in regard to their respective duties, rights, virtues and merits. It says: For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allahs praise, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward. (33:35) Enter into Paradise, you and your wives, with delight. (43:70) Who so does that which is right, and believes, whether male or female, him or her will We quicken to happy life. (16:97) The Quran admonishes those men who oppress or ill-treat women: The Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) said, Women are the twin halves of men. The Quran emphasizes the essential unity of men and women in a most beautiful simile: They (your wives) are your garment and you are a garment for them. (2:187) Just as a garment hides our nakedness, so do husband and wife, by entering into the relationship of marriage, secure each others chastity. The garment gives comfort to the body; so does the husband find comfort in his wifes company and she in his. The garment is the grace, the beauty, the embellishment of the body, so too are wives to their husbands as their husbands are to them. Islam does not consider woman an instrument of the Devil, but rather the Quran calls her muhsana a fortress against Satan because a good woman, by marrying a man, helps him keep to the path of rectitude in his life. It is for this reason that marriage was considered by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a most virtuous act. He said: When a man marries, he has completed one half of his religion. He enjoined matrimony on Muslims by saying: Marriage is part of my way and whoever keeps away from my way is not from me (i.e. is not my follower). The Quran has given the raison dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tre of marriage in the following words: And among His signs is this that He has created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them; and He has put love and mercy between you. Verily in that are signs for those who reflect. (30:21) The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was full of praise for virtuous and chaste women. He said: The world and all things in the world are precious but the most precious thing in the world is a virtuous woman. He once told the future khalif, Umar: Shall I not inform you about the best treasure a man can hoard? It is a virtuous wife who pleases him whenever he looks towards her, and who guards herself when he is absent from her. On other occasions the Prophet said: The best property a man can have is a remembering tongue (about Allah), a grateful heart and a believing wife who helps him in his faith. And again: The world, the whole of it, is a commodity and the best of the commodities of the world is a virtuous wife. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was most emphatic in enjoining upon Muslims to be kind to their women when he delivered his famous khutba on the Mount of Mercy at Arafat in the presence of one hundred and twenty-four thousand of his Companions who had gathered there for the Hajj al-Wada (Farewell Pilgrimage). In it he ordered those present, and through them all those Muslims who were to come later, to be respectful and kind towards women. He said: Fear Allah regarding women. Verily you have married them with the trust of Allah, and made their bodies lawful with the word of Allah. You have got (rights) over them, and they have got (rights) over you in respect of their food and clothing according to your means. One who makes efforts (to help) the widow or a poor person is like a mujahid (warrior) in the path of Allah, or like one who stands up for prayers in the night and fasts in the day. O Messenger of Allah, who is the person who has the greatest right on me with regards to kindness and attention? He replied, Your mother. Then who? He replied, Your mother. Then who? He replied, Your mother. Then who? He replied, Your father. In another tradition, the Prophet advised a believer not to join the war against the Quraish in defense of Islam, but to look after his mother, saying that his service to his mother would be a cause of his salvation. Muawiyah, the son of Jahimah, reported that Jahimah came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, Messenger of Allah! I want to join the fighting (in the path of Allah) and I have come to seek your advice. He said, Then remain in your mothers service, because Paradise is under her feet. The Prophets followers accepted his teachings and brought about a revolution in their social attitude towards women. They no longer considered women as a mere chattels, but as an integral part of society. For the first time women were given the right to have a share in inheritance. In the new social climate, women rediscovered themselves and became highly active members of society rendering useful service during the wars which the pagan Arabs forced on the emerging Muslim umma. They carried provisions for the soldiers, nursed them, and even fought alongside them if it was necessary. It became a common sight to see women helping their husbands in the fields, carrying on trade and business independently, and going out of their homes to satisfy their needs. Among my followers the best of men are those who are best to their wives, and the best of women are those who are best to their husbands. To each of such women is set down a reward equivalent to the reward of a thousand martyrs. Among my followers, again, the best of women are those who assist their husbands in their work, and love them dearly for everything, save what is a transgression of Allahs laws. The Shariah regards women as the spiritual and intellectual equals of men. The Shariah requires a man, as head of the family, to consult with his family and then to have the final say in decisions concerning it. In doing so he must not abuse his prerogative to cause any injury to his wife. The words of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the queen of her house, and this is the position a true believer is expected to give his wife. In contrast to these enlightened teachings of Islam in respect of women, Western talk of womens liberation or emancipation is actually a disguised form of exploitation of her body, deprivation of her honour, and degradation of her soul! http://www.allaahuakbar.net/womens/rights_of_women_guaranteed_by_islam.htm A COLLECTION OF REFERENCES FROM THE QURAN AND HADEETH ABOUT THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN GUARANTEED BY ISLAM Spiritual Equality of Women and Men Allah has got ready forgiveness and tremendous rewards for the Muslim men and women; the believing men and women; the devout men and women; the truthful men and women; the patiently suffering men and women; the humble men and women; the almsgiving men and women; the fasting men and women, the men and women who guard their chastity; and the men and women who are exceedingly mindful of Allah. (Al-Ahzab 33:35) Attitudes towards women O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness, that ye may take away part of the dower ye have given them,-except where they have been guilty of open lewdness; on the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great deal of good. (An-Nisa 4:19) Collaboration and consultation The believing men and women, are associates and helpers of each other. They (collaborate) to promote all that is beneficial and discourage all that is evil; to establish prayers and give alms, and to obey Allah and his Messenger. Those are the people whom Allah would grant mercy. Indeed Allah is Mighty and Wise. (Al-Taubah 9:71) Womens Right to Attend Mosques Narrated Ibn Umar: The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, Allow women to go to the Mosques at night. (Bukhari Volume 2, Book 13, Number 22) Ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Do not deprive women of their share of the mosques, when they seek permission from you. Bilal said: By Allah, we would certainly prevent them. Abdullah said: I say that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said it and you say: We would certainly prevent them! (Sahih Muslim Book 004, Number 0891) The Common Performance of Ablutions Narrated Ibn Umar: It used to be that men and women would perform ablutions together in the time of the Messenger of Allahs assembly. (Bukhari: 1: Ch. 45, Book of Ablution) Womens Right of Proposal Narrated Sahl: A woman came to the Prophet, and presented herself to him (for marriage). He said, I am not in need of women these days. Then a man said, O Allahs Apostle! Marry her to me. The Prophet asked him, What have you got? He said, I have got nothing. The Prophet said, Give her something, even an iron ring. He said, I have got nothing. The Prophet asked (him), How much of the Quran do you know (by heart)? He said, So much and so much. The Prophet said, I have married her to you for what you know of the Quran. (Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 72) Womens Right of Permission Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, A matron should not be given in marriage except after consulting her; and a virgin should not be given in marriage except after her permission. The people asked, O Allahs Apostle! How can we know her permission? He said, Her silence (indicates her permission). (Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 67) The Right of Women not to be Forced Narrated Ibn Abbas: Bariras husband was a slave called Mughith, as if I am seeing him now, going behind Barira and weeping with his tears flowing down his beard. The Prophet said to Abbas, O Abbas ! are you not astonished at the love of Mughith for Barira and the hatred of Barira for Mughith? The Prophet then said to Barira, Why dont you return to him? She said, O Allahs Apostle! Do you order me to do so? He said, No, I only intercede for him. She said, I am not in need of him. (Bukhari: Volume 7, Book 63, Number 206) The Characteristics of a Believing Man Narrated AbuHurayrah: Allahs Messenger (pbuh) said: a believing man should not hate a believing woman; if he dislikes one of her characteristics, he will be pleased with another. (Muslim Book 8, Number 3469) The Education of Women Narrated Abu Said: A woman came to Allahs Apostle and said, O Allahs Apostle! Men (only) benefit by your teachings, so please devote to us from (some of) your time, a day on which we may come to you so that you may teach us of what Allah has taught you. Allahs Apostle said, Gather on such-and-such a day at such-and-such a place. They gathered and Allahs Apostle came to them and taught them of what Allah had taught him. (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 92, Number 413) On the Treatment of Women Narrated Muawiyah al-Qushayri: I went to the Apostle of Allah (pbuh) and asked him: What do you say (command) about our wives? He replied: Give them food what you have for yourself, and clothe them by which you clothe yourself, and do not beat them, and do not revile them. (Sunan Abu Dawud: Book 11, Number 2139) The best of you is one who is best towards his family and I am best towards the family. (At-Tirmithy). None but a noble man treats women in an honourable manner. And none but an ignoble treats women disgracefully. (At-Tirmithy). A Husbands Attitude Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) said that a man came to his house to complain about his wife. On reaching the door of his house, he hears Umars wife shouting at him and reviling him. Seeing this, he was about to go back, thinking that Umar himself was in the same position and, therefore, could hardly suggest any solution for his problem. Umar (RA) saw the man turn back, so he called him and enquired about the purpose of his visit. He said that he had come with a complaint against his wife, but turned back on seeing the Caliph in the same position. Umar (RA) told him that he tolerated the excesses of his wife for she had certain rights against him. He said, Is it not true that she prepares food for me, washes clothes for me and suckles my children, thus saving me the expense of employing a cook, a washerman and a nurse, though she is not legally obliged in any way to do any of these things? Besides, I enjoy peace of mind because of her and am kept away from indecent acts on account of her. I therefore tolerate all her excesses on account of these benefits. It is right that you should also adopt the same attitude. quoted in Rahman, Role of Muslim Women page 149 The Prophets Disapproval of Women Beaters Patient behavior was the practice of the Prophet, even when his wife dared to address him harshly. Once his mother-in-law- saw her daughter strike him with her fist on his noble chest. When the enraged mother -in-law began to reproach her daughter, the Prophet smilingly said, Leave her alone; they do worse than that. And once Abu Bakr, his father-in-law, was invited to settle some misunderstanding between him and Aishah. The Prophet said to her, Will you speak, or shall I speak? Aisha said, You speak, but do not say except the truth. Abu Bakr was so outraged that he immediately struck her severely, forcing her to run and seek protection behind the back of the Prophet. Abu Bakr said, O you the enemy of herself! Does the Messenger of Allah say but the truth? The Prophet said, O Abu Bakr, we did not invite you for this [harsh dealing with Aishah], nor did we anticipate it. quoted in: Mutual Rights and Obligations http://www.allaahuakbar.net/womens/women_sharia_and_oppression.htm A lot of attention has been focused on the issue of Muslim women and human rights since September 11, almost all of it by non Muslims. Once again, images of women swathed in black veils or blue burqas are de rigeur, as the media soberly reminds us that Muslim women are not considered equals to men in Islam, and that they are oppressed even by the moderate regimes in the Muslim world. From the Muslims, we have one of two reactions. The first is the reaction of the liberal, reformist, secular Muslims. They believe that Sharia oppresses women, and that we need to completely overhaul it, or toss out sections of the Quran that are uncomfortable, or institute secular forms of government that separate the sacred from the legal all together. These are the same Muslims who equate Hijab with oppression, and who support the denial of free speech rights to Islamists (all the while, crying for their rights to free speech in countries where it is denied). They take their political thought not from Islamic sources, but from feminism, socialism, and capitalism. Naturally, it is to these Muslims that the Western media turns when it wants a Muslim perspective on Muslim issues. On the other side, we have the organizers of the mainstream conservative Muslims, the leaders of our civic societies, advocacy groups, and associations. When presented with instances of womens oppression in the Islamic world, these Muslims, almost always men, respond defensively. They cart out examples of womens oppression in the Western world, or worse, they address the issue by lecturing the questioner about the virtues of the Ideal Place of Women in Ideal Islam. In other words, they treat the ideal that we are all aspire to as the reality on the ground. Pressed into taking a stand on real life issues, they retreat in anger. Thats culture, not Islam, it has nothing to do with me as a Muslim, they sniff. Who speaks for them? Most often, it is the United Nations, human rights groups, and feminist organizations, led by people who have no foundations of knowledge in Islam, and who often have a real antipathy for Islam. While the Feminist Majority Fund was selling swatches of burqa and petitioning the government for action on behalf of Afghan women, the leaders of our Islamic societies stayed silent. Publicly, many Islamic leaders and organizations disassociated themselves from the Taliban, but other than denying them entry into the Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC), they took no action to petition the Taliban for change from an Islamic view, or form any sort of Islamic opposition. Perhaps this is because when any Islamic organization or individual Muslim attempts to change or speak out about injustices towards Muslim women, the rest of the community circles the wagons. These lone souls are labeled radical feminists, and accused of attempting to undermine Islam. Strangely, when a Muslim womans Islamic rights are violated, many organizations are eager to speak out and petition. For example, when Merve Kavacki was denied her seat in the Turkish Parliament because of her headscarf (and later stripped of her citizenship), Muslim groups were quick to condemn the Turkish government, as they should have. In many Western Muslim circles, Merve has been elevated to a symbol of the struggle muhajabat women face in secular societies. Yet there is a resounding silence when the issue being raised is Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), honor killings, forced marriages, the unequal application of hadd punishments on women, or the denial of education to girls and women. All of these wrongs are perpetrated on women in the name of Islam. While it is true that many of these violations occur across cultural and religious boundaries, the only action often taken by conservative Muslims is a condemnation of the action because it is cultural and not Islamic. Meanwhile, women continue to be murdered and little girls continue to be mutilated. In Africa, conservative sheikhs teamed up with womens rights advocates to educate people about the harms of Female Genital Mutilation. These people get very little mention in the Western media, which, of course, paints the Islamists as the opponents of an enlightened, secular minority of liberal Muslims. About a year ago, a small band of conservative Muslim women, almost all of us from the West, came up with the idea of starting a Muslim womens human rights group, to petition and advocate for the rights of Muslim women as they are given in the Sharia of Islam. Although slow to start, we have managed to form a basis from which to work, and have taken up our first case. Right now, a Muslim woman in Nigeria is under a death sentence from the Sharia court for the crime of adultery. The situation came to the attention of the authorities when the man who impregnated her decided to confess his crime to the police, rather than pay the child support that her father asked of him. There are many glaring errors in the case, from a classical, Orthodox fiqh point of view. These errors (which would aid the woman) are not coming from a reformist reinterpretation of Sharia, these errors are so great that any of the qadis of the past would have thrown the case against her out. Prophet Mohammed, sallalahu aleyhi wa salaam, was mocked and assaulted because of his strong and courageous stance on the status of women. He came with a message that lifted women up and gave them dignity. Fourteen hundred years later, we have descended back into the dark pit of Jahiliya, and Muslim women around the world find themselves cast into the same slavery that the Prophet, sallalahu aleyhi wa salaam, was sent to liberate them from. It does not make you a radical feminist to decry honor killings and volunteer for peaceful campaigns to educate and change laws. Raising your voice against Female Genital Mutilation does not mean you want to undermine Islam. To the contrary, working against these injustices in the way of Allah is a manifestation of the desire to uplift Islam and the Muslim people. When the Taliban decided to deny education to any girl over a certain age, it is the conservative Muslims, the ones who profess adherence to Quran and Sunnah that should have spoken the loudest against this. The longer we stay silent, the more people, both Muslim and non Muslim, will begin to equate Sharia with the oppression of women.

directors notebook on a scene :: essays research papers

DIRECTOR'S NOTEBOOK SYNOPSIS As Jon Jon walks in the club, all the attention is drawn on him. The people who are waitin in the line, the people inside , and especially the women. He usually he walks in with his crew but this time he goes to meet up with his long time friend Daquan. They have a quick conversation until JonJon spots one of the most gorgeous women in the club. He uses his deceiving techniques by offering her a drink. She quickly accepts. He then exchanges numbers but then has to leave for unknown reasons. TIMES The Setting takes place in a club where the gang goes every weekend in the downtown area of Manhatten , New York City. It’s July in the summer of 2004. The club is crowded with young adults , inside and out. IMAGERY/TONE The only lights I will have outside the club , are the streetlights and the lights from the cars on the street. I will use dim lights facing toward the characters inside the club to create a real atmosphere with the cameras shooting eye level to make the audience feel as if they were there inside with the characters. THE CORE The crowds or extras will consist of adults between the ages of 18 and 25. Most of the crowd will be mostly young Black and Hispanic men and women. They can all be wearing the latest urban clothing lines to show that this story is believable. The most flashy on them all will be JonJon. On the waiting line I want all eyes drawn on him because he just walks in after greeting to the bouncers. Many women inside wll be drawn to him because of the flattery look on their faces. A couple of women I will use in the background to look at him as if they were talking to each other about the main character. The scene inside the club will be showing the typical club scene that goes on in most cities, which have drinks, bathrooms , bouncers and a V.

On Time Importance Essay

We are successful in life only when we make the best use of time. Time cannot be stopped, paused, or regained. Some point in life whether it be business related, or for leisure, someone or something will require you to be at a certain place at a given time. Punctuality could be the key to winning a contest, finalizing a business deal, or even keeping your job. We all as human beings have been late before, things happen, but constant lateness affects your dependability. If you are not dependable your opportunities for progression will start to decrease. The life of George Washington was characterized by a scrupulous regard for punctuality. When he asked a man to bring by some horses he was interested in buying at five in the morning, and the man arrived fifteen minutes late, he was told by the stable groom that the general had been waiting there at five, but had now moved on to other business, and that he wouldn’t be able to examine the horses again until the following week. When he told Congress that he’d meet with them at noon, he could almost always be found striding into the chamber just as the clock was striking twelve. Washington’s promptness extended to his mealtimes as well. He ate dinner each day at exactly 4 o’clock, and when he invited members of Congress to dine with him, and they arrived late, they were often surprised to find the president halfway done with his meal or even pushing back from the table. To his startled, tardy guest he would say, â€Å"We are punctual here. My cook never asks whether the company has arrived, but whether the hour has come. †( www. artofmanliness. com) George Washington was a perfect example on how important punctuality is, and what opportunities can be missed. For our first president, being on time was a way of showing respect to others, and he expected to be treated with the same level of respect in return. Although no longer live in an age of knickers and powdered wigs, but being punctual is just as important as it ever was. â€Å"Soldiers should be minutemen. Punctuality is one of the most valuable habits a soldier can possess. † Christopher Andrews said it the best, when it comes to punctuality in the army is your bread and butter. You could be the best soldier, but if you’re late all the time you can quickly be potrayed as something way less. Being punctual builds and reveals your discipline. The punctual man shows that he can organize his time, that he pays attention to details, and that he can put aside this to do that ; he can set aside a pleasure to take care of business. The non punctual man shows he needs to be supervised, seems unprepared, and unprofessional. These things are all the things that could stop a soldier from progressing. It is like a domino effect, one consequence leads to another, and leads you down a trail of detriment. Something so simple as being on time can be the key to being allowed to go to a promotion board, or even staying in the military. If the conduct was constant, action may be intiated to separate you from the service. If you are involuntarily separted, you could receive an Honorable discharge, a general discharge, or under other than honorable conditions discharge. An honorable discharge is a separation with honor based on the quality of service, which meets the standards of acceptable conduct and performance of duty. A general discharge is a separation under honorable conditions , based on a military record being satisfactory but not sufficiently meritorious to warrant an honorable discharge. A discharge under other than honorable conditions is based upon a pattern of behavior of one or more acts or omissions that constitutes a significant departure from the conduct expected of a soldier. An honorable discharge may be awarded under any provisions. A general discharge may be awarded for separation under Chapter 5, Chapter 9, Chapter 13, or Chapter 14. An under othe than honorable conditions discharge may be awarded for separation under Chapter 14 for misconduct. If you receive an honorable discharge, you will be qualififed for most benefits resulting from military service. An involuntary honorable discharge, however will disqualify you from reenlistment for some period of time and may disqualify you from receiving transitional benefits. Also the Montgomery GI Bill you have not met other program requirements. If you receive a General discharge, you will be disqualified from reenlisting in the service for some period of time and you will be ineligible for some military and VA administered benefits, including the Montgomery GI bill. You may also face difficulty in obtaining civilian employment, as employers have a low regard for the General and Under Other Than Honorable conditions discharges. Although there are agencies to which you may apply to have the character of your discharge changed, it is unlikely that any such applications will be successful. Time is the most influential factor in this world. It is abstract. Everything in this world is commanded and decided by time. Nobody can escape the hold of time. It is the time which gives us the opportunity to make use of it. Those who make best use of time and avail those opportunities grow and rise in life. Those who waste their time lag behind. They fail to make any mark in life. He is the wisest who makes the best use of time. He rises to the great heights who keep pace with the time. Time is very important, it should be managed as if each second , minute hour, day is money. After all time is money. If time isn’t important to you, remember its important to someone else. If you are late to something chances are you are wasting someone else’s time. Being late is a form of stealing. That’s a tough truth, but it’s a truth nonetheless. When you make others wait for you, you rob minutes from them that they’ll never get back. Time they could have turned into money, or simply used for the things important to them. In coming to meet you at the agreed upon hour, they may have made sacrifices – woken up early, cut short their workout, told their kid they couldn’t read a story together – and your lateness negates those sacrifices. If you wouldn’t think of taking ten dollars from another man’s wallet, you shouldn’t think of stealing ten minutes from him either. Being punctual shows you value time yourself, and thus wouldn’t think of depriving others of this precious, but limited resource. Even when you are not dealing with work related things being on time is still important to many people, family, and friends. Being late strains your relationships. When you’re late in meeting other people, it makes them feel under-valued, that whatever you couldn’t pull yourself away from was more important or that they didn’t mean enough to you to warrant allotting sufficient time to arrive on schedule. The guest who flies in to see you feels like a dope standing at the airport alone, your date feels awkward sitting at the restaurant by herself, and your child feels abandoned as she waits with her teacher for you to arrive, all the other children having already been picked up from school. This is not the first time you’ve heard that punctuality is important. It’s easy to understand how keeping our appointments and reporting on time is a sign of respect. This is especially the case for improving employee productivity. If your leader keeps their word about meetings, deadlines and other time-sensitive promises, it’s easy to feel motivated to get things done. Failure to be prompt has consequences. When you are late or blow someone off entirely, you are telling them that your time is more important than theirs. Of course we should all be on time. And naturally, when circumstances pop up we should call ahead to say we are running late. Let’s put aside human psychology and Army mumbo jumbo for a moment, however, and talk about machinery. Time is an essential element in any working system. The spark plugs in an engine have to fire at exactly the right speed. A bridge can hold the weight of a million cars, as long as are spaced far enough apart. A clock quickly becomes useless if every second is not precisely one second long. All of these parameters are designed for increasing employee productivity. Time is important! Being late is like taking the oil out of a well run machine. It gums up the works, cranks up the heat, and causes things to break. When you are late to a doctor’s appointment, you may cause a domino effect that disrupts other patients. And when the doctor is running behind, you may end up waiting for ages thanks to overlapping ripples in the schedule. This problem applies to any business. Improvement is only possible if we recognize that failure to manage time affects everything.

Chapter Review and Trace Essay

1. What are the five elements in the rhetorical situation? The five elements in the rhetorical situation are Text, Reader, Author, Constraints, and Exigency. 2. How can a reader use the rhetorical situation to analyze an argument essay? How can a viewer use the rhetorical situation to analyze an image? How can a writer use the rhetorical situation during the planning phase of writing a paper? In an argument essay using the rhetorical situation to analyze the essay will give the exact points of the subject, clearly define the intended audience of the essay, while seeing the authors argument on the particular subject and their position, motives, or degree of expertise. It will keep focus on the events or circumstances that cause analysis to reactions to the situations that lead to the argument, and clearly see the controversy or problem that needs attention in the first place. In analyzing an image, rhetorical analysis will help highlight what stands out about the image, how the text if there is a text ties into the influence of the argument of the image, and how the author of the image feels. A writer can use the rhetorical situation when planning phase of writing a paper to help think critically and make decisions about the writing. Focusing on what is the motivation and who needs to read the argument will help pick the influences and ways to persuade the reader. Deciding how to illustrate the attitudes, beliefs, or afflictions is important to keep the reader’s attention. 3. Why is the audience important in argument? What types of positions might an audience initially hold? What possible outcomes are associated with arguments directed to each of these audiences? The audience is important in order to create common ground and achieve some definable audience outcomes. The audience may initially be a friendly audience, an undecided audience, a neutral audience, a hostile audience, an unfamiliar audience, or a linked audience. Possible outcomes are convincing people to your cause, pushing people away from your cause to the opposing side, people could remain bias, and people could become angry and/or violent towards you and your argument. 4. What is a discourse community? To what discourse communities do you belong? How does a discourse community help establish common ground for its members? A discourse community is a group of people who share a set of discourses, understood as basic values and assumptions, and ways of communicating about those goals.  It helps to establish common ground for its members by having resources and peers interested and sharing in the same beliefs and ideals and having peers to converse with to learn and research subject matter that all or most members enjoy and share interest in. 5. What is the universal audience? What are the special qualities of this audience? Why is it a useful idea? The universal audience is an imagined audience that serves as an ethical and argumentative test for the rhetor. The universal audience is educated, reasonable, normal, adult, and willing to listen. It is especially useful when the audience is largely unknown and you cannot obtain much information about them.

Marketing Channels Essays

Marketing Channels Essays Marketing Channels Essay Marketing Channels Essay Question: Should companies involve their marketing channels in the design of the promotional programs? What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing so? When a company is looking at promoting a new or existing product or service, the involvement of their marketing channel during the design of the promotional program is key component. According to the text Excellence in Business (Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. 417-418), a market channel is the network of firms that work together to get goods and services from the producer to the customer. When a company is designing is promotional program, or the manner it wishes to get information about its product to consumers, it has numerous factors and stakeholders to involve. Walk into any grocery store chain or look at any number of weekly advertisements and you will be able to see the same product advertised in numerous ways across numerous vendors. These various ways of advertising the same product across multiple vendors can also be referred to as a promotional mix. A promotional mix can be described as the blend of personal selling, advertising, direct marketing, sales promotion, and public relations a company uses to reach potential customers. (Excellence in Business; Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. 487) When a company is developing a promotional mix and working with their marketing channels, it is important to understand the five elements of promotion. Excellence in Business (Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. 487) describes the five elements as: 1. Personal selling which is in-person communication between a seller and one or more potential buyers; 2. Advertising, or the communication which targets a market from an identified sponsor using mass communication; 3. Direct marketing sends advertising directly to potential customers; 4. Sales promotions includes sponsoring promotional events and activities such as coupons, contests, etc. ; and 5. Public relations which is the non-sales communication between business and their consumers. The inclusion of marketing channels into a company’s promotional program can help increase the products presence in the market and help ensure a solid hold. When a company brings new products to market they can include any of the five elements of promotion in their stragegies. Including the marketing channels into the promotional program has its advantages, it can also have disadvantages. For a company to launch a new product they must be willing to weight the advantages and disadvantges of the promotional element to decide what is best for them. Below is a listing of some of those advantages and disadvantages. Personal Selling Advantage Message is tailored to customer Direct personal communication Highly flexible Disadvantage Relative high cost Advertising Advantage Large reach Stimulates demand by presenting a constant message Disadvantage Low to moderate cost Limited message flexibility Direct marketing Advantage Direct personal interaction with large reach Tailored messages to key groups Disadvantage Relative high cost Sales Promotion Advantage Large reach Disadvantage Can vary depending on promotion Only meets short ter m sales objectives Public Relations Advantage Large reach Disadvantage No direct cost Unvarying message While this discussion only takes a very broad looks at the inclusion of marketing channels in the development of a promotion program, you can see that while there are advantages and disadvantages, it is something that companies must consider. The ability to reach customers is growing as more and more products flood the market. Companies must work to keep the name in the spotlight in order to strive and turn profits. 2. Under the Practice Your Knowledge section on page 511 of your textbook, read the Handling Difficult Situations on the Job: Extolling a Better Way to Buy Insurance scenario and respond to the questions in the Your Task section. (40 points) This assignment should be at least one page long but no more than two pages. As with the assignment above, be sure to use the short-essay format and refer to the grading matrix as you prepare your assignment. When looking at a company such as the one described in the scenario (Excellence in Business; Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. 11) there are numerous factors to promoting the Web site and offered services that could help increase traffic. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, opined that to persuade an audience that your ideas (or in this case product) are better than somebody else’s, there are three appeals to persuasion: Ethos (creditability), Pathos (emotional), and Logos (logical). When looking at a logical (Logos) versus emotional (Pathos) ap peal to attract new business, you must understand the base difference between the two. When making a logical appeal to an audience, you are presenting facts and statements to the audience. In the case of attracting more businesses to join your Web site, the logical approach would be to show that you have more site hits than a competitor or are marketing on more car dealership Web sites, etc. Making a logical appeal to a consumer or business typically involves statements and supposed facts, rather that questions and theories. An emotional appeal can play on the hopes, fears, and desires of an audience. (Excellence in Business; Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. 99) Since these scenario deals with the selling of insurance, an example of an emotional appeal could deal with the disastrous financial effect of being hospitalized without insurance, this could include images of sad faces, graphics of budget spreadsheets with negative numbers, etc. If you were to begin trying to increase the marketing of the discussed Web site and tried to make logical and emotional appeals to various au diences, you must also understand the five promotional categories as described in Excellence in Business (Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. 87). Below is a listing of the five categories and the potential emotional and logical effectiveness of each. 1. Personal selling – Highly effective in both emotional and logical appeals because you have direct personal face-to-face access with customer and the ability to have a highly flexible message. 2. Advertising – Highly effective in both emotional and logical appeals by constantly presenting facts/figures and/or emotional messages to large audiences at the same time through various means. 3. Direct marketing – Somewhat effective or emotional appeals, but highly effective for a logical appeal. Direct market typically involves non-personal contact with consumers, which could cause difficulty in creating that emotional appeal. 4. Sales promotions – Highly effective in both emotional and logical appeals. Companies have the ability to offer special promotions to buyers that if they do not like a product they will offer a full refund (emotional), to showing how their product is better than the other company through taste or cost comparisons (logical). 5. Public relations – Somewhat effective for emotional and logical appeals. Public relations exist to try and create a positive image of the company through non-sales techniques. An example would be a company that attempts to present positive stories about how they are helping the environment by decreasing their waste. This type of promotion may not have anything to do with an actual product, but people will remember the company because of the supposed help in cleaning up the environment, which is an emotionally charged topic. When looking at future ways to increase sales and visits to the Web site, the use of on-line ads and blogs could be huge. A company like the one described in the scenario could easily and effectively market themselves through the use of on-line ads by working with other Web sites, such as car dealerships or doctors offices, to place banners on their Web site. A banner or an ad which is displayed along the top of bottom of a Webpage, (Excellence in Business; Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. 503) is an excellent, highly visible, tool by which to market a product or service to consumers. Banners can also track statistics of how many times somebody clicked on it to follow the link and from what landing page. Going back to logical promotion, this could be valuable information to make that type of connection to possible customers. Another proven valuable tool to any business is word-of-mouth advertising. In today’s Web based world, word-of-mouth advertising in an electronic setting is called a blog. A blog, or Web based log our journal (Excellence in Business; Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. G-1) is a highly effective way for today’s consumers to share information about products and services with other like-minded people. Take just about any product out there and enter it into an internet search engine and you will likely comeback with thousands of postings with reviews about the product. In the end, there are numerous opportunities for an on-line business, such as the one described in the scenario, to increase their advertising and marketing through any number of means. Picking the right mix is important and must be carefully weighed to ensure you are reaching the maximum number of consumers with the minimum cost and effort.