Qatar Islamic Insurance Company Research Proposal

Qatar Islamic Insurance Company - Research Proposal Example Price/ Earnings Ratio: The P/E ratio determine the amount investors are willing to pay for every Qatari Riyal. The P/E ratio of the company and that of the industry are 16.67 and 20.14, which shows that company’s earnings per QAR with respect to rest of the industry is QAR 3.47 higher. Hence, the company has sufficient prospect of growth.Price/ Book value: This ratio represents a comparative measurement and relationship between market price of the stock and its book value. Essentially, it represents the proportion of company’s net assets that is accessible to the shareholders with respect to aggregate sale value of its stock. The benchmark for P/B ratio is 1 and any stock value less than that expresses undervaluation. The P/B ratio of the company and that of the industry shows that both the stocks are overvalued, while that of the industry is higher. The P/B ratio of the company illustrates that in case of solvency of Qatar Islamic Insurance Company, the stock will be v alued at 3.84 times of net asset value of the company (Alexander 105-150).Price/ Cash flow ratio: It represents the stock price with respect to cash flow per share. The P/CF ratio is an important indicator of the valuation of stock. While a single-digit value is considered as under-valuation, high values shows potential over valuation. The respective P/CF ratios for QIIC and the industry are 38.17 and 63.79. This implies that both have the propensity towards over valuation. Dividend yield can be defined as return on investment per share.

A Women Of No Importance Essay Example for Free

A Women Of No Importance Essay Explore the ways Wilde presents late nineteenth century women. What he is saying about the fashionable women of the time, their interests, ideas, attitudes and treatment in A Women f No Importance? A woman of no importance is a play about the upper and middle class. Wilde uses the women to portray is attitudes and views on the society of the nineteenth century. He portrays women in a way women would not have behaved at that time; this gives a comical atmosphere to the audience. In 1893 A women of no importance would have been very entertaining to watch, the audience would have found the play amusing however they would have been laughing at themselves as Wilde wrote the play to criticize the society. The plays first setting is a female home with conversation between women; Wilde may have done this to show the importance of women. Lady Caroline is the first character the audience meet; Wilde may have also done this for a purpose. From the title Lady we know Lady Caroline is a wealthy and high up in the aristocracy in England. She is a typical member of the high society; she has a very dominating overbearing personality and shows pride in her position. The Audience would have immediately recognised this from Lady Carolines conversation with Hester. She speaks down to her American guest, Hester who is travailing alone, you have no country houses, I am told, in America? Another theme that Wilde conveys through women is the theme Hypocrisy and double standards. This is again shown through Lady Caroline and her attitudes towards the puritan Hester. Lady Caroline criticises lady Hunstaton choice of guests But Mrs Allonby is hardly a very suitable person but then praises Lady Hunstaton for inviting her to a pleasant party, Wilde is effectively satirising members of high society. Hester vocalises her opinion that she dislikes Mrs Allonby but Lady Caroline patronises Hester I am not sure, that foreigners like yourself should cultivate like or dislikes. suggesting that Hester is not a valued member of society. Wilde mocks the attitude of the high society through the ignorant women. Lady Caroline is not as knowledgeable as she likes to make out, she continually keeps getting the name of the politician wrong, mistaking him for Me kettle Kevil, my love kevil. The audience would mock Lady Caroline for this foolish mistake she keeps making. Hester Worsleys title is changed as the play progresses. Hester is first referred to as Miss Worsley then she becomes known as the American and finally A puritan. Hester is a contrast to all the other women in A women of no importance and all the women take a dislike to her she told me yesterday, and in quite a loud voice, that she was only eighteen. It was most annoying. She has strong morals, values and opinions which she is not afraid to express I dislike London Dinner Parties. Wilde may have used Hesters character to present his on views on the English aristocratic society. Members of the high society frown upon those who are unmarried I dont think that England should be represented abroad by unmarried man being married is more socially accepted. This gives the audience an impression of how shallow the society was and how status and social position dictate how people lived their lives. Lady Carolines and Sir Johns is very different to a traditional Victorian marriage. Usually the man is the dominant one and women were known as mens property. However Wilde contrasts this view, by Lady Caroline having control over her husband, being the dominant one in the relationship John you should have your muffler. What is the use of my always knitting mufflers for you if you dont wear them? Their relationship is clearly showing a lack of love and affection. Their relationship is more like a child and parent relationship because of the idea of Lady Caroline spoiling Sir John. Wilde is suggesting that they are together out of convenience and presentation. Lady Caroline gives her husband orders in the same way lady Hunstaton orders her servants you had better go and put your overshoes at once. During the Victorian times when A women of no importance was written, women rights were begging to increase. In 1857 the matrimonial causes Act was established, in 1882 married womens property act was confirmed, which gave women more rights and power over themselves, property and their children. These factors contributed to the way Wilde presented certain women especially Lady Caroline and Mrs Allonby. Mrs Allonby is very similar to lord Illingworth they are both described as dandies they use language which is intended to shock the audience. At the end of act one is it clear that Mrs Allonby is flirting with Lord Illingworth What a thoroughly bad man you must be! Wilde creates Mrs Allonby as a character who considers being a person who restricts the morals and norms of the society, in Victorian times there would have been very strict morals and social codes. Women adore failures, they lean on us Mrs Allonby is going against the stereotype, the man having control within Victorian marriages. At the end of Act one Lord Illingworth reads Mrs Arbuthnots letter, he says no one in particular A Woman of no importance, the title of the play, which demonstrates Wildes views on the treatment of women in society. Act 1 ends giving the audience an impression of a self-concerned, hypocritical society. Wilde presents these ideas through the use of comedy which give a strong message to the audience.

Impact That Mental Health Of Individuals Psychology Essay

Impact That Mental Health Of Individuals Psychology Essay A mental illness is a health problem that significantly affects how a person feels, thinks, behaves, and interacts with other people, the term mental disorder is also used to refer to these health problems. Mental health problems also interfere with how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, but to a lesser extent than mental illness. Mental health problems are more common and include the mental ill health that can be experienced temporarily as a reaction to the stresses of life. Mental health problems are less severe than mental illnesses, but may develop into a mental illness if they are not effectively dealt with. This study examines the impact mental illness has on family members. When people first knew about mental illness they thought it was demon possession, but today research has shown the effects that psychology has on treatment and recovery. This qualitative research was done in the area of La Brea, with questionnaires being randomly given out to 25 families. Before they answered the questionnaire they will be questioned on mental illness and given some information about the different types. After filling out the questionnaire they are going to have a choice to drop it into my mail box or personally hand it in. The results show that many people are affected by mental illness especially young adults which can have many effects on the family, like financial stress, emotional and feelings of guilt. Mental illness can affect any one at all ages, gender, cultures, educational and income levels. What is important is the support the individual and family gets, therefore by supporting the family members it becomes easier for them to care for the sick person. Mental health awareness should be done in communities to increase peoples understanding towards a greater mental health society so there can be less stigmatization. Introduction Background of the Problem Mental illness has its earliest history of the healing arts; there has been an evolution of theories regarding the root causes of mental illness. Early writings from such ancient civilizations as those of Greece, Rome, India, and Egypt focused on demonic possession as the cause; this concept eventually disappeared only to resurface again in the Middle Ages in Europe, along with inadequate treatment of the mentally ill. Demons or foul spirits were believed to attach themselves to individuals and make them depressed (poor-spirited) or mad. The word  mad  became an early synonym for  psychosis. Unfortunately, the possessed included people with seizure disorders as well as others were suffering from what are now known to be medical disorders. Few genuinely helpful treatments were available to relieve the suffering of the mentally ill. By the eighteenth century they began to look at mental illness differently. It was during this time period that madness began to be seen as an illness beyond the control of the person rather than the act of a demon, and due to this, thousands of people were confined to dungeons of daily torture and were released to asylums where medical forms of treatment began to be investigated. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, several European neurologists began actively investigating the causes of mental illness. Chief among them, and destined to change forever the understanding of mental illness, was Sigmund Freud. Although psychology and psychiatry have advanced considerably since Freud, his explorations were revolutionary. Freud introduced the concepts of the unconscious and the ego to modern thought, and reintroduced the ancient art of dream interpretation, but from a psychological standpoint. Freud also regarded human psychological states as an energy system in which blockages in the flow of thought would result in disease or illness, expressed as mental or emotional loss of balance. He introduced the notion of a talking cure; through the use of  talk therapy alone, and this showed many improvements to patients. Today, the medical model continues to be a driving force in the diagnosing and treatment of mental illness, although research has shown the powerful effects that psychology has on a persons recovery. Statement of the Problem What is the impact that mental health of individuals has on the lives of family members? Purpose of the Study The intent of this study is to understand how families cope with a member which suffers with mental illness. This study also seeks to explore how mental illness affects them and the person as they interact with other in society. Scope of the Study This study will assist me the student in my studies to gain an understanding and knowledge about mental illness. The result of this study will encourage people to know that mental illness is not a life sentence and that people who suffer from mental illness can recover where they can live normal lives. Definition of Terms Mental Illness- mental illness is a health problem that significantly affects how a person feels, thinks, behaves, and interacts with other people, the term mental disorder is also used to refer to these health problems. Diminished to make smaller or less or to cause to appear so. Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. True clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for weeks or longer. Schizophrenia schizophrenia is a mental disorder that makes it  hard to, tell the difference between what is real and not real, think clearly, have normal emotional responses and act  normal in social situations. Bipolar Disorder bipolar disorder is a condition in which people go back and forth between periods of a very good or irritable mood and  depression. The mood swings between mania and depression can be very quick. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions), or behaviours that make them feel driven to do something (compulsions). Panic Disorder panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder in which you have repeated attacks of intense fear that something bad will happen. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) post-traumatic stress disorder is a type of anxiety disorder. It can occur after youve seen or experienced a traumatic event that involved the threat of injury or death. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps patients understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviours. CBT is commonly used to treat a wide range of disorders, including  phobias, addiction, depression and anxiety. Interpersonal Therapy Interpersonal  therapy  focuses on the interpersonal relationships of the depressed person. The idea of interpersonal therapy is that  depression can be treated by improving the communication patterns and how people relate to others. Psychosis psychosis is a loss of contact with reality that usually includes: false beliefs about what is taking place or who one is (delusions) and seeing or hearing things that arent there (hallucinations). Stigmatization stigma is a perceived negative attribute that causes someone to devalue or think less of the whole person. People tend to distance themselves from individuals in stigmatized groups, to blame individuals in these groups for the perceived negative attributes, and to discriminate against and diminish the stigmatized individuals. LITERATURE REVEW What is the impact of mental health of individuals on the lives of family members? Mental illness has been an area under discussion and was bounded with mystery and fear, but at present, there have been remarkable improvement in our understanding and, especially in our ability to offer effective treatments. However, questions about mental illness often go unanswered and stand in the way of people receiving help. Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a persons thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. Mental health  refers to our cognitive, and/or emotional wellbeing it is all about how we think, feel and behave. Mental health, if somebody has it, can also mean an absence of a mental disorder. Approximately 25% of people in the UK have a mental health problem during their lives. The USA is said to have the highest incidence of people diagnosed with mental health problems in the developed world. Your mental health can affect your daily life, relationships and even your physical health. Mental health also includes a persons ability to enjoy life to attain a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder; post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with mental illness recovery is possible. Mental illnesses affect people of any age, race, religion, or income. Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character or poor upbringing. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan. Mental illness can be treated with the use of psychosocial treatment such as cognitive behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy, peer support groups and other community services can also be components of a treatment plan and that assist with recovery. It cannot be overcome through will power and are not related to a persons character or intelligence. Mental illness usually strike individuals in the prime of their lives, often during adolescence and young adulthood. All ages are susceptible, but the young and the old are especially vulnerable. Without treatment the consequences of mental illness for the individual and society are staggering: unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, suicide and wasted lives. It is very critical and of vital importance that mental illness is identified for effective recovery to be accelerated and the further harm related to the course of illness is minimized. The exact causes of mental disorders are unknown, but an explosive growth of research has brought us closer to the answers. We can say that certain inherited dispositions interact with triggering environmental factors. Poverty and stress are well-known to be bad for your health-this is true for mental health and physical health. In fact, the distinction between mental illness and physical illness can be misleading. Like physical illnesses, mental disorders can have a biological nature. Many physical illnesses can also have a strong emotional component. According to WHO (World Health Organization), mental health is  a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. WHO stresses that mental health is not just the absence of mental disorder. The NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health, USA) mental disorders are common in the USA and internationally. Approximately 57.7 million Americans suffer from a mental disorder in a given year that is approximately 26.2% of adults. However, the main burden of illness is concentrated in about 1 in 17 people (6%) who suffer from a serious mental illness. Approximately half of all people who suffer from a mental disorder probably suffer from another mental disorder at the same time, experts say. Scientists, psychiatrists, and other health care professionals know that the brain is made up in large part of essential fatty acids, water and other nutrients. The evidence is growing and becoming more compelling that diet can play a significant role in the care and treatment of people with mental health problems, including depression,  ADHD  (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) to name but a few. According to a Swedish study, half of the family members have had to give up their own recreational pursuits. The burdens of caring for a patient at home are considerable. They often affect the caring relatives social and leisure activities, and financial problems arise frequently. Relatives have difficulties in understanding and coming to terms with illness-related behaviour. Negative symptoms are often a particular problem. Despite their burden, relatives do not complain much, although they receive little support, advice or information from the professionals engaged in treating the patient; much is now known about the difficulties relatives face, but we still need to know how they can best be helped. Todays model of psychiatric care recognizes the importance of families as part of the treatment team. Enlightened interventions which help families struggling with child abuse and neglect, domestic and community violence, substance abuse, or school failure increasingly integrate psychiatric consultation into their programs. Any or all of these interventions may be used in tailoring a treatment plan for patients. Methodology Mental illness affects many individuals in society, some known and others unknown. People who is affected by mental illness needs the support from family members in the process of their recovery, therefore it is extremely important that they have this which will make a major difference to their well being. This study is a qualitative research and will be done with the use of questionnaires which will be given out to 25 families in the area of La Brea. They are going to be informed that a study is being done, in the highest of confidence and it is part of my course of study. The respondents will just have to fill out the questionnaire without their names or addresses, after it is filled out they can drop it into my mail box or they can personally hand it in. The results of these questionnaires are going to be organized by tallying each question to understand how many people said what, and it will be presented through the use of either charts, tables and graphs. This study on mental illness aims at investigating, How many people suffer from mental illness within their family? What did they do to assist? How they felt when their family member got sick? Were they hospitalized or they got private treatment? What support factors were there? Was there any stigmatization from anyone? This study is going to have some unavoidable limitations, which can be the time limit of eight weeks, this research is being conducted in one limited area and the group chosen may not represent the majority suffering from mental illness. Data Sample The participants for this research were selected based on their availability, their willingness to participate due to the understanding that this is just for research purposes and their knowledge that mental illness is a matter people work with everyday. A selection of 25 participants will take part in the study in the area of La Brea. In terms of ethnic background (20) 75% African and (5) 25%East Indian background, with about 20 female and 5 male ranging from the ages 15 to 65. The participants focused on in this study have had or have family members with mental health issues. Results Figure 1 Figure one shows that in the district of La Brea, 60% of the homes are of African descent, 20% are of East Indian, there is no Spanish, 12%are of Mixed Ethnicity and 8% are of another descent. Figure 2 Figure two shows that in La Brea, there are 40% of nuclear families, 40% of extended families and 20% of single parent families. Figure 3 Figure 3 shows that 80% said yes that their family suffered from mental illness are 80% and 20% said no. Figure 4 Mentally ill people are of different ages therefore; figure 4 shows that the highest age range is persons in the age group twenty years at 32% which indicates that younger people suffer from mental illness, then thirty five years at 28%, twenty five years at 16%, thirty eight years at 12%, and eighteen years at 4%. Figure 5 Figure 5 shows that more males than females suffer from mental illness as 60% of males and 40% of females has at some time in their life suffered from this sickness. Figure 6 Treatment can range be medication, counselling, change of diet or other which is a combination of two or all three. Medication was the highest being 60%, counselling and other had 20% each. Figure 7 Mental illness can have many effects on family members as 40% were stressed, 20% each became scared and confused while 12% were sad as too the fact that their family is suffering from this and 8% were helpless because they did not know how to deal with it. Discussion This study looked at the impact of mental illness of individuals on the lives of family members which can be described as a painful and sometimes traumatic experience. The majority of persons said that they had a family member who suffered from mental illness which became a bit difficult for them to go through, as some felt isolated while others needed help and support for themselves. Some family members also felt guilty and shame because they thought that they were to blame for the illness and not knowing how to handle this type of crisis. Referring to the literature todays model of psychiatric care recognizes the importance of families as part of the treatment process. Scientists and psychiatrists clames that diet can play a significant role in the care and treatment process. It also states that more males than females suffer from mental illness and people between the ages of 20-35 years are highly vulnerable to this illness. Therefore, this study indicates that mental illness is real, it is treatable by medication, therapy and other modalities, as psychiatrists help patients to understand their illness. My recommendations after doing this research on mental illness many people were not aware that there are different types and help is available. I would recommend that lectures, flyers and having activities where the community can interact with each other to increase awareness on mental illness. Conclusion Mental illness can have a devastating effect on an individual, his or her family, friends, and on the community in many ways.   How it affects the individual is obvious, reduced ability to care for themselves, strong negative emotions, distorted thoughts, inappropriate behaviour, and reduced ability to maintain a relationship are only a few possible outcomes.   On friends and family, it can be a major responsibility to care for someone suffering from a mental illness, the emotional and behavioural components of some illnesses can be very difficult at times to understand and to deal with.   Mental illness also affects the community due to the high incidence of homelessness and unemployment in some serious disorders such as schizophrenia. We as a society are starting to see that depression doesnt mean weakness, that anxiety doesnt mean fear, and that schizophrenia doesnt mean violence.   We finally understand that needing help for mental or emotional reasons does not represent a character flaw. Weve got a long way to go, but compared to the time when this was seen as demonic possession, and even compared to a few years ago, weve already come a great distance. References About Interpersonal Therapy | Psych Central. (n.d.). Psych Central Trusted mental health, depression, bipolar, ADHD and psychology information .. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/about-interpersonal-therapy/ Bipolar disorder PubMed Health. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001924/ Cherry, K. (n.d.). What Is Cognitive Behavior Therapy?. Psychology Complete Guide to Psychology for Students, Educators Enthusiasts. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://psychology.about.com/od/psychotherapy/a/cbt.htm Effects of Mental Illness on the Family. (n.d.). Psychology Free Online Medical Advice, Mental Health, Anxiety, Relationship Advice. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://web4health.info/en/answers/life-family-mental-illness.htm NAMI | About Mental Illness. (n.d.). NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness Mental Health Support, Education and Advocacy. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=about_mental_illness Obsessive-compulsive disorder PubMed Health. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001926/ Origin of mental illnesses children, causes, effects, therapy, paranoia, adults, withdrawal, drug. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.minddisorders.com/Ob-Ps/Origin-of-mental-illnesses.html#b Panic disorder PubMed Health. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001922/ Post-traumatic stress disorder PubMed Health. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001923/ Psychosis PubMed Health. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002520/ Schizophrenia PubMed Health. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001925/ Therapy Providers in Psychology 101 at AllPsych Online. (n.d.). Psychology Classroom at AllPsych Online. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://allpsych.com/psychology101/therapists.html What Is Mental Health? What Is Mental Disorder?. (n.d.). Medical News Today: Health News. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154543.php What is Mental Illness? | Canadian Mental Health Association. (n.d.). Canadian Mental Health Association | Mental Health for All. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/what-is-mental-illness/#.UIyCMsVfCSo Top of Form

Experience is knowledge :: essays research papers

Option # 1 Write an essay with the theme of your first quotation â€Å"A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is by saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.† - Alexander Pope (1688-1744)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Experience is Knowledge†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many regrets may burden ones mind throughout their life. This is a totally normal part of ones life that one may have no control over. â€Å"A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is by saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.† - Alexander Pope (1688-1744) It is important that one will learn from their mistakes and take out a valuable lesson learned through their actions. The world does not stop for your sake, it simply keeps going and does not put into consideration that the day did not go accordingly to plans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is perfectly normal for one to feel question or doubt of a certain action performed. Anyone that is human would have this reaction to something that was a difficult decision to make. As many will come to see, life was not equipped with a pause button to put everything on hold so life as we know it can be put back into order. So many little things happen everyday, if a person would let all of these things get under their skin, life would be better known as â€Å"hell.† The best advice one could use would be to learn from the mistakes made, and become wiser with each one made.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Should mistakes be looked at as something to be ashamed of? Being a human, mistake are inevitable. There is no such thing as someone who has not ever questioned an action performed or a decision made. Humans are given a conscious, this is strictly for making decisions. It helps one makes decisions by questioning everything. By doing this, uncertainty is not out of the question. Wrong choices, and bad actions are not something one should ever be ashamed of. Wrong choices, and bad actions that are performed more then once are something one should be ashamed of.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wisdom comes with experience, engorging oneself in many opportunities comes with its mistakes. If one can comes out of a bad experience with some sort of knowledge that will help them, or teach them anything, it was not something to be ashamed of.

God Hates Divorce Essay

When Adam was alone The LORD God said, â€Å"It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him† .Gen.2:18. Under marriage covenant man and woman come together to serve a divine purpose and a role. Man can serve this purpose and role only if they are united and married. The moment they get divorced the unity is destroyed and they fail to serve the divine purpose and role that God wants them to fulfill while they are married and united. God gave a command to the first couple in the Garden of Eden to be fruitful. This command of God only a couple can carry out and the moment they get divorced they fail to carry out this divine command and we have to keep in mind that this command was given to men before their fall and even after the fall men are bound to keep this command. This shows us how important is this command and why God hates divorce so much. The failure to keep the first command affected the whole human race for generation after generations, the failure to keep this second command will also affect the human race generation after generations and even it will cause the mankind to stop be in existence. This is another reason why God hates divorce so much. When men get divorced they forget their first love. Marriage is a love relationship. When man is angry he cannot make a right decision. An angry head cannot evaluate the relationship that was made by a loving heart. Anger makes a man blind and leads him to the bottomless pit and that is divorce. Divorce is the worst hell in this world, the moment anyone falls into it he will be separated from his spouse, children, friends and families and from God. This is the darkest pit that will show no mercy and kindness to its victims. Life will be meaningless and worthless. You will be a creature without hope and future. A lonely man cannot succeed in anything; he is fruitless and useless to God and to society. All the sweet memories turn into bitterness. Then it becomes easier for that person to get into more and more sins as there is no one to show him his fault and give account to for all the wrong doings. Divorce affects our relationship with God, our relationship with one another, our relationship with the children and our relationship with the society. God cannot use a divorce person to reflect His glory and to show His image to His people. That person turns into an instrument of devil. There are so many reasons for all wise and all knowing God to hate divorce. God with His infinite wisdom can see the infinite danger that lies in divorce. Man cannot see the infinite danger that lies in divorce that is why man can take this decision of divorce without much thinking and considerations. God in His infinite wisdom and knowledge gives us the person that will be best suitable for us. We take it granted that suitable means comfortable. Something could be very suitable for us but at the same time it could be very painful and uncomfortable. The spouse you have is always suitable for you because God gave you this spouse. God took this responsibility from the very beginning to give us suitable spouse. The spouse we have is the best teacher for us given by God in our life to teach us something that no one can teach and to make us useful for God and for man. It takes a lot of pain, patience, humility and suffering to learn through our spouses to be more like Jesus Christ and God. Every time my wife gets angry with me or sins against me I ask God what lesson do you have to teach me today. Every time I can see that God has something to teach me through her anger. She does the same thing but I learn so many different lessons, at the beginning I get hurt then I rejoice when I can see what God has to teach me today through her anger. Then I feel very sorry for her because she took so much pain and suffering to teach me a lesson that nobody could teach me. Then I began to thank and praise God for her. We need to see what God wants us to see and to understand what God wants us to understand. God in His sovereignty allows us to go through all the bitter and painful experiences to make us more like Jesus and to draw us nearer to Him and to teach us how God feels when we sin against Him. We need to learn how to bow down to the sovereignty of God and to stop bow down to sin or to give in to sin. God hates the sin of divorce because He does not like separation or division. Divorce is the worst ingratitude towards God’s greatest gift and blessing in our life. The moment we stop giving thanks and praises to God for our spouses we are on the way to be ingratitude for the gift that God by His mercy and kindness gave us. Our Lord Jesus suffered and died on the cross and chose to be separated from God to keep us united with one another and with God. Our Lord Jesus chose to suffer and die to keep us united and one. So we must choose to suffer and die to remain united, one and married for the sake of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.

Information Privacy

? MODULE 2: CASE Informational Privacy Without a doubt, we live in an environment where integrity, respect and good ethics play a fundamental role in the growth and success of many individuals and companies. Unfortunately, this was not the case for Patricia Dunn, former chairman of the Hewlett-Packard (HP) board of directors who was forced to resign her job. She was at the center of a major controversy regarding her effort to investigate who from the board was leaking confidential information to the press about HP's interest in buying another technology company, their corporate strategy, business plans, even their deliberations over who they would hire as CEO. This was a major issue as, not only was sensitive discussions of the board made public in the media, the level of trust between each board member was greatly affected. In a 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl and Patricia Dunn (CBS broadcast), â€Å"the Hewlett-Packard board of directors was described as a leaky ship. Secret board deliberations were ending up in the press left and right, and it was decided that something had to be done†. That something one can argue was the most famous leak investigation since Watergate, and because of it, Patricia Dunn (who was chairman of the HP board of directors) was faced with criminal charges. The charges stem from the use of something called pretexting – where someone calls up the phone companies and impersonate someone else in order to obtain their records. This technique is more than a simple lie as it most often involves some prior research or set up and the use of pieces of known information (for example, impersonation, date of birth, social security number -SSN) to establish legitimacy in the mind of the target. Pretexting, in my opinion, is morally wrong because it is deceitful and it invades the privacy of someone else regardless of how useful the act is in solving an investigation. Needless to say, privacy is a fundamental human right that almost every individual seeks to preserve. For the Hewlett-Packard case, board members privacy was in fact invaded but some may argue that such invasion was for a cause. According to the deontological school of thought, the act may be considered the right thing to do even if it produces a bad consequence (as with the forced resignation of Patricia Dunn). For deontologists, the ends or consequences of the actions are not important in and of themselves neither are the intentions. Only the act itself is considered important. Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, explain this theory of ethics more clearly. He argued that to act in the morally right way, people must act according to duty. That was the case with Patricia Dunn, she believed she had a duty to find out who was leaking sensitive details of discussions of the board to the press. In her 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl, she stated that many directors expressed to her their strong opinion that something had to be done to determine the source of the leak and to bring them to an end. In fact, majority of the directors told her during her first few weeks as Chairman that, â€Å"next to leading the board's CEO search, coming to grips with HP's famously leaky board should be her top priority†. That was exaltly what Dunn did which was a major task in and of itself. Following on Kant's argument, he claims, a person has a good will when he or she ‘acts out of respect for the moral law'. People ‘act out of respect for the moral law' when they act in some way because they have a duty to do so. So, the only thing that is truly good in itself is a good will, and a good will is only good when the willer chooses to do something because it is that person's duty. Thus, according to Kant, goodness depends on rightness. I think Patricia Dunn was simply doing her duty. Looking at the HP case in more detail, it is obvious that Patricia Dunn did not know the full agenda of the private investigators and what was involved in finding out who was the source of the leaks. Dunn says. â€Å"The idea that I supervised, orchestrated, approved all of the ways in which this investigation occurred is just a complete myth. It’s a falsehood. It’s a damaging lie. † She admit, however, seeking advice from Bob Wayman, HP's then acting CEO , CFO and Director of Administration, on an affimative action to be taken on the problem of leaks in the company. He was well respected and trusted by many in the company so based on his integrity, she (Dunn) had every reason to rely on his recommendations as to how the security issues at the board level could best be handled given that all the control functions of the company were under his oversight. Mr Wayman referred her to an individual within his organisation who then referred her to Mr Delia (private investigator) who then took the extraordinary step of spying on the records of all the directors (including herself) as well as journalists. At some point during the investigation process in 2005, she (Dunn) became aware from Mr. Delia that phone records were accessed as a standard component of such investigations by HP. In an interview with NEWSWEEK, Dunn stated that she was aware HP was obtaining the phone records of suspected leakers as long ago as 2005. But she did not know about the pretexting until late June, when she saw an e-mail to Perkins from HP's outside counsel, Larry Sonsini and later acknowledged that HP's tactics were â€Å"appalling† and â€Å"embarrassing†. Essentially, the investigation went on and the leaker of the company's sensitive discussions was identified. The public disclosure of the leaker at a board meeting did not ‘sit' well with some members on the board as they thought it could have been dealth with differently without causing embarrasment for the leaker . This led to a lot of uphoar and Patricia Dunn was forced to resign. I think her forced resignation grew out of a personal dispute between her and Perkins ( who was also a well-known member of the board of directors and a close friend of the leaker) . To me, Patricia Dunn did what she had to do for the best interest of the company. Hence, she should not have been forced to resign. Reading a statement by Hewlett-Packard's Board of Directors, â€Å"Pattie Dunn has been a valuable director of HP for many years. We acknowledge all of the good work that Pattie has accomplished on behalf of HP. She helped stabilized the business during the CEO transition. She led the search committee for our new chief executive officer, which led to our hiring of Mark Hurd and the outstanding performance of the business over the last eighteen months. She served our board with distinction as chairman for the last year and a half. The board felt it was important to find the sources of the leaks of HP confidential information, and she informed the board that she has taken steps to do so. We have never questioned her intentions, her integrity or her ethics.. we regret that we will lose her contributions to the board and appreciate that she has agree to our request†. It is evident that she had good character and was well repected. She accepted the resposibility to identify the sources of the leaks but she did not propose the specific methods of the investigation which means the premise on which she was forced to resign was not justified!

Was the Constitution of 1787 a Pro or Anti Slavery document essays

Was the Constitution of 1787 a Pro or Anti Slavery document essays The constitution of the United States was created with the intentions of a separation of powers, established to reconstruct the failing Articles of Confederation. The constitutional convention never clearly addressed the issue of slavery, but I feel that in context that it did address, and I think the constitution did support slavery. In article I section 9, it states that, the migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit shall not be prohibited by the congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty maybe imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person. The word persons I feel are referring to slaves being imported from Africa or where ever slaves were being imported from. This is the first evidence that the delegates at the convention had no intentions of regulating slavery. Why would the delegates want to outlaw slavery, slaves was the biggest factor of production, free labor, slaves were expendable and the states with large plantations were making a lot of money from this free labor. More evidence from the constitution is Article IV section 2; no person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on the claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due. That sounds like the delegates were making sure they were protecting the investments of southern plantation owners, and not offending the north at the same time, the terms service or labor during the 1780s could only be tied to one thing, slavery. The bread and butter or The Smoking Gun was the three-fifths compromise, when free and slaves agreed to count only three fifths of the slaves in appointing both representation and direct taxes. If ...

Free Essays on Cloning

The biological term cloning is the production of a genetically identical duplicate of an organism. However, people can use the word cloning to intend other meanings. For instance, we generalize many older and new techniques as cloning. This is not a good practice because these techniques are different and impose unique concerns and issues. In the world of scientific technology, cloning is the artificial production of organisms with the same genetic material. Scientists actually call the transferring of a nucleus from the cell of one organism to an enucleated egg cell, nuclear transfer (Wilmut 811). This will produce an organism that has the exact genetic material as that of the donor cell. Scientists are using current techniques exceedingly more, and with a variety of species. Astonishingly, more clones are present in the world than one would think. In nature, and even in the lives of humans, clones are present. As stated earlier, a clone is an organism that has the same genetic info rmation as another organism. From this we can say that cloning occurs with all plants, some insects, algae, unicellular organisms that conduct mitosis or binary fission, and occasionally by all multi-cellular organisms, including humans. Monozygotic twins, or identical twins, are clones of each other. They have the same exact genetic information due to the division of an embryo early in development, which produces two identical embryos. About eight million identical twins are alive in the world; thus, already eight million human clones inhabit the world. Today, the only cloning research is occurring in scientific model organisms. These are organisms that research scientists from around the globe have collected abundant amounts of data. All this data is necessary so that advancements in research can continue more efficiently. The most common scientific models are E. coli, mice, fruit flies, and frogs. The first organisms that were cloned using nuclear transfe... Free Essays on Cloning Free Essays on Cloning The biological term cloning is the production of a genetically identical duplicate of an organism. However, people can use the word cloning to intend other meanings. For instance, we generalize many older and new techniques as cloning. This is not a good practice because these techniques are different and impose unique concerns and issues. In the world of scientific technology, cloning is the artificial production of organisms with the same genetic material. Scientists actually call the transferring of a nucleus from the cell of one organism to an enucleated egg cell, nuclear transfer (Wilmut 811). This will produce an organism that has the exact genetic material as that of the donor cell. Scientists are using current techniques exceedingly more, and with a variety of species. Astonishingly, more clones are present in the world than one would think. In nature, and even in the lives of humans, clones are present. As stated earlier, a clone is an organism that has the same genetic info rmation as another organism. From this we can say that cloning occurs with all plants, some insects, algae, unicellular organisms that conduct mitosis or binary fission, and occasionally by all multi-cellular organisms, including humans. Monozygotic twins, or identical twins, are clones of each other. They have the same exact genetic information due to the division of an embryo early in development, which produces two identical embryos. About eight million identical twins are alive in the world; thus, already eight million human clones inhabit the world. Today, the only cloning research is occurring in scientific model organisms. These are organisms that research scientists from around the globe have collected abundant amounts of data. All this data is necessary so that advancements in research can continue more efficiently. The most common scientific models are E. coli, mice, fruit flies, and frogs. The first organisms that were cloned using nuclear transfe... Free Essays on Cloning Genetic Engineering; Cloning In today’ world of advanced technology and even faster progress of this technology one has to stop and examine what we have accomplished. How far do we want to go with this technology of genetic engineering, particularly in the field of cloning. Examining genetic engineering and its many possibilities holds great hope for the future. Centrally the issue of cloning has been a hot topic in the media mainly because its has become a technological as well as a medical breakthrough. The possibilities of cloning are innumerable that is, if it works. But the other side of the coin are the ethics of the process. What happens when we master cloning of body parts and venture out to clone humans? Will this clone be someone who has feelings, and mind and a spirit of its own? Will it have a soul? Genetic Engineering, the alteration of an organism's genetic, or hereditary, material to eliminate undesirable characteristics or to produce desirable new ones(Brennan, 57) . Genetic engineering is used to increase plant and animal food production; to diagnose disease, improve medical treatment, and produce vaccines and other useful drugs.(Brennan, 58). Included in genetic engineering techniques are the selective breeding of plants and animals, and recombinant DNA. The first genetic engineering technique, still used today, was the selective breeding of plants and animals, usually for increased food production. In selective breeding, only those plants or animals with good characteristics are chosen for further breeding. Corn has been selectively bred for increased kernel size and number and for nutritional content. More recently, selective breeding of wheat and rice in an effort called the green revolution has helped supply the world's ever-increasing need for food(Clarke, 1211). This is also another aspect of technology that has improved over the years. Production has proved that we can grow more with less land mass. Cattle a...

Arming Police Officers

There can be a lot of benefits and disadvantages of ‘arming’ police officers in this country which I will be discussing along with the main issues raised in the article. One of the key issues raised in the article is that the two officers of this attack may have been victims of an ‘image boosting’ crime. This is where criminals specifically target police officers to be known as ‘folk heroes’ among the criminals. SIR PETER, F. 2012. ‘This case tells us something about the nature of organised crime, the level of intimidation that it creates and the fact people sometimes see others as folk heroes for being involved in this sort of activity. The Telegraph. 18 October. This suggests that officers in this country need to have more protection for themselves when facing criminals because they just don’t know what they are going to come up against. The two police officers who died weren’t expecting any trouble and thought they could e asily handle it. There has been a number of incidents where police officers have been attacked and they had no protection for themselves such as when Raoul Moat threatened to kill police officers, including shooting one in the face and leaving him blind for the rest of his life. DARREN, R. 2012. ‘How many officers need to die before the powers realise that it is the 21st century and you cannot fight crime with an outdated piece of plastic and a bit of spray. ’ The Telegraph. 18 October. Another key issue raised in the article is that a lot of other countries are armed to fight crime whereas here in the UK, there are only specific armed response units that go to specific incidents. In the article, the two police officers were going to a regular burglary allegation, unarmed and had no protection for themselves. The arguments over whether the police should be routinely armed go back to the creation of the capital’s first force by Robert Peel in 1829. Officers in the 19th century would very often carry a gun but British policing took a different direction from Europe and America by declining to issue weapons on a routine basis. This is because he wanted the police to be members of the public, in uniform who could be easily approached by the public without them being intimidated. PHILIP, J. 2012. The reason for this was set out in Peel’s principles of policing: he regarded the police as the public in uniform. Not for us the military-style continental carabinieri of whom the general populace walk in fear and distrust. Our police, said Peel, are civilians, members of the public â€Å"who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent upon every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence†. The Telegraph. 19 September. Without the use of guns, it has made our country a less violent place than those where the police are armed. On the other hand, it leaves our police more vulnerable to the hardened criminals who are prepared to use weapons such as guns and knives on civilians and our police officers as we have seen over the recent years. There is also another main issue that comes up in the article which is many people; including police officers are passionate about the British style of policing which is remaining unarmed despite the increasing numbers of attacks on innocent police officers. A 2006 survey showed that officers were very much against the idea of being armed. JON, K. 2012. A 2006 survey of 47,328 Police Federation members found 82% did not want officers to be routinely armed on duty, despite almost half saying their lives had been â€Å"in serious jeopardy† during the previous three years. BBC news magazine. 19 September. We have to remember that incidents such as the one that happened in Greater Manchester are extremely rare as gun crime remains low. As you can see from the diagram below, there has been a rise in firearm offences in England and Wales over the years but since 2008 it has been gradually decreasing from 10,000 offences in 2008, down to 7,000 in 2010. (BBC NEWS MAGAZINE) There are many advantages and disadvantages of regularly arming police officers in this country. It allows the officers to feel protected at all times, even when they’re not expecting anything to happen. There have been many incidents where police officers have been attacked and had nothing to protect them. Giving them the right to carry firearms would not only protect them but to let criminals know that they’re not afraid to use them. Fewer officers may die on duty if they were better protected. However, arming the police can lead to a spiral of violence. In places where the police are not routinely armed, a portion of criminals will not arm themselves. For example, armed robbery carries a higher sentence than robbery. Once the police are armed, criminals who do not match their capability have a disadvantage, therefore, when the police become routinely armed, the criminal world fully arms itself in response. This would potentially lead into an increase in weapon possession and use. Giving police officers the right to carry firearms could also make communities feel safer. The sight of armed police officers patrolling the streets will not only scare ‘gangs’ from harassing the public but will restore communities with confidence that they are being properly protected. This could also backfire because the public may feel intimidated by the firearms and feel that they couldn’t approach a police officer. Guns could potentially place a distance between the community and the police and have a negative effect. Day to day police checks such as spot checks on cars could seem a threat to the public. Also if police officers carry a firearm, they face the likely risk of having that weapon turned on them by a criminal. This could put police officers in greater risk. In conclusion to the question of ‘arming police officers’ there are a lot of benefits which would greatly help our police officers and our community but also a lot of threats which it may cause. As we can see, there are a lot of big issues that rise from the article such as the increase of ‘image boosting’ crime which unarmed police officers are being targeted and why there are only a handful of countries including the UK whose police forces are not routinely armed. The question that still remains is should our police officers be armed? My opinion is that there are too many high risks that arming our officers may cause. I think that gun crime in England and Wales is extremely low comparing to other countries where the police are routinely armed, gun crime is higher. Arming Police Officers There can be a lot of benefits and disadvantages of ‘arming’ police officers in this country which I will be discussing along with the main issues raised in the article. One of the key issues raised in the article is that the two officers of this attack may have been victims of an ‘image boosting’ crime. This is where criminals specifically target police officers to be known as ‘folk heroes’ among the criminals. SIR PETER, F. 2012. ‘This case tells us something about the nature of organised crime, the level of intimidation that it creates and the fact people sometimes see others as folk heroes for being involved in this sort of activity. The Telegraph. 18 October. This suggests that officers in this country need to have more protection for themselves when facing criminals because they just don’t know what they are going to come up against. The two police officers who died weren’t expecting any trouble and thought they could e asily handle it. There has been a number of incidents where police officers have been attacked and they had no protection for themselves such as when Raoul Moat threatened to kill police officers, including shooting one in the face and leaving him blind for the rest of his life. DARREN, R. 2012. ‘How many officers need to die before the powers realise that it is the 21st century and you cannot fight crime with an outdated piece of plastic and a bit of spray. ’ The Telegraph. 18 October. Another key issue raised in the article is that a lot of other countries are armed to fight crime whereas here in the UK, there are only specific armed response units that go to specific incidents. In the article, the two police officers were going to a regular burglary allegation, unarmed and had no protection for themselves. The arguments over whether the police should be routinely armed go back to the creation of the capital’s first force by Robert Peel in 1829. Officers in the 19th century would very often carry a gun but British policing took a different direction from Europe and America by declining to issue weapons on a routine basis. This is because he wanted the police to be members of the public, in uniform who could be easily approached by the public without them being intimidated. PHILIP, J. 2012. The reason for this was set out in Peel’s principles of policing: he regarded the police as the public in uniform. Not for us the military-style continental carabinieri of whom the general populace walk in fear and distrust. Our police, said Peel, are civilians, members of the public â€Å"who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent upon every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence†. The Telegraph. 19 September. Without the use of guns, it has made our country a less violent place than those where the police are armed. On the other hand, it leaves our police more vulnerable to the hardened criminals who are prepared to use weapons such as guns and knives on civilians and our police officers as we have seen over the recent years. There is also another main issue that comes up in the article which is many people; including police officers are passionate about the British style of policing which is remaining unarmed despite the increasing numbers of attacks on innocent police officers. A 2006 survey showed that officers were very much against the idea of being armed. JON, K. 2012. A 2006 survey of 47,328 Police Federation members found 82% did not want officers to be routinely armed on duty, despite almost half saying their lives had been â€Å"in serious jeopardy† during the previous three years. BBC news magazine. 19 September. We have to remember that incidents such as the one that happened in Greater Manchester are extremely rare as gun crime remains low. As you can see from the diagram below, there has been a rise in firearm offences in England and Wales over the years but since 2008 it has been gradually decreasing from 10,000 offences in 2008, down to 7,000 in 2010. (BBC NEWS MAGAZINE) There are many advantages and disadvantages of regularly arming police officers in this country. It allows the officers to feel protected at all times, even when they’re not expecting anything to happen. There have been many incidents where police officers have been attacked and had nothing to protect them. Giving them the right to carry firearms would not only protect them but to let criminals know that they’re not afraid to use them. Fewer officers may die on duty if they were better protected. However, arming the police can lead to a spiral of violence. In places where the police are not routinely armed, a portion of criminals will not arm themselves. For example, armed robbery carries a higher sentence than robbery. Once the police are armed, criminals who do not match their capability have a disadvantage, therefore, when the police become routinely armed, the criminal world fully arms itself in response. This would potentially lead into an increase in weapon possession and use. Giving police officers the right to carry firearms could also make communities feel safer. The sight of armed police officers patrolling the streets will not only scare ‘gangs’ from harassing the public but will restore communities with confidence that they are being properly protected. This could also backfire because the public may feel intimidated by the firearms and feel that they couldn’t approach a police officer. Guns could potentially place a distance between the community and the police and have a negative effect. Day to day police checks such as spot checks on cars could seem a threat to the public. Also if police officers carry a firearm, they face the likely risk of having that weapon turned on them by a criminal. This could put police officers in greater risk. In conclusion to the question of ‘arming police officers’ there are a lot of benefits which would greatly help our police officers and our community but also a lot of threats which it may cause. As we can see, there are a lot of big issues that rise from the article such as the increase of ‘image boosting’ crime which unarmed police officers are being targeted and why there are only a handful of countries including the UK whose police forces are not routinely armed. The question that still remains is should our police officers be armed? My opinion is that there are too many high risks that arming our officers may cause. I think that gun crime in England and Wales is extremely low comparing to other countries where the police are routinely armed, gun crime is higher.

Confederate General Robert Lee Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Confederate General Robert Lee - Research Paper Example That was the case with Robert Lee. From the ancestors from the mother’s side he got a handsome appearance; from the father’s - physical strength and sense of duty and responsibility, which during the years of revolution General George Washington himself noted in Henry Lee. Even the financial problems of father positively affected his son: for his entire life, Robert Lee was extremely meticulous and careful in all the matters concerning money and business. Ann Carter Lee also instilled in the son the perception of the importance of the family values. Robert tenderly loved his mother. By the time he turned 12, his father died and his brothers had left home so he was the only son living with his mother. He had to become a head of a big house and took a great care of his mother and sisters, who were weak health wise. Robert Lee chose a military career because of the financial concerns. His older brother Charles Carter was studying in Harvard and the family did not have money for Robert to do likewise. So he took the only option available, which is of entering West Point Military Academy. During his cadet years, Lee did not receive a single penalty and served as the cadet corps’ adjutant. He was loved and respected by his schoolmates and graduated second in his class. Years later, in 1852, Lee returned to the West Point Academy as the superintendent. The best graduates were assigned to Engineer Corp; the same applied to Robert Lee. Among his first assignments in the practical military field was dam construction in Saint Louis and strengthening coast forts in Brunswick and Savannah. He carried out engineer projects in Georgia, Virginia and New York. On June 30, 1831, he married Mary Ann Randolph Custis, a distant relative. Mary was the only daughter of George Washington Park Custis, adopted grandson of George Washington. Robert Lee always honored the memory of George Washington and really admired his great services to his country.

Social constructivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Social constructivism - Essay Example The new theoretical approach of social constructivism was introduced to the study of International Relations at an appropriate time in history. Theorists in International Relations began to gradually include the implications of a social constructivist approach to the study of the discipline, nearly two decades ago. International theory had been developed during the time of the Cold War. The persistent tension between the United States and the Soviet Union had an immense influence on the discipline of International Relations. It underscored conflict as a defining feature of the discipline, and the improbability of the emergence of a peaceful world. The view of international relations as a function involving anarchy and social disorder continued to be maintained by both realists and neoliberal institutionalists â€Å"who provided the dominant theoretical approaches to the study of international relations†. The fall of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War could not be expl ained by International Relations theorists who conceptualized anarchy as an essential part of the discipline and failed to predict these developments. Against this background, constructivism had a revolutionary impact on the formulation of International Relations. â€Å"Social constructivism provides a new way of looking at and conceptualizing the world that, potentially has significant consequences for all ongoing theories in international relations†. Social constructivism is based on a more dynamic, less static approach.

Poe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Poe - Essay Example His poem ‘Annabel Lee’ is one of the greatest illustrations of Poe’s poetic talents. In the poem Poe through the narrator’s melodious voice presents the death of a beloved and its effect on the lover. â€Å"Using a melodious narrative form, the speaker laments the death, many years ago, of his beloved young bride Annabel Lee.† (Allen Poe, 2005-2006). The poem artistically develops the mysterious relation between the poet and his mistress whose death affected the poet greatly. An analysis of the theme, mood, and the point of view in â€Å"Annabel Lee† would confirm the merit of the poet as well as the poem as these elements of the poem, when analyzed is seen as largely effective in conveying the poem’s deep meaning. In a close reading of the poem, it becomes evident that the poet achieves great success in dealing with the prevailing theme of the poem conveyed through the literary tools which creates an effective mood that leads to the fo cal theme of the poem. In this paper, a very close analysis of Poe’s ‘Annabel Lee’ is undertaken in order to reveal the mood, theme, and point of view of the poem. Poe presents the main theme, mood, and the point of view of the poem in the very opening lines and we rightly identify the theme as the lamentation over the death of the beloved which happened long ago. The theme entirely focuses on the passionate relationship between the lover and beloved. We need also to understand the mood of the poem in this connection. It is clear from the poem that the central character, the maiden beloved, â€Å"lived with no other thought/ Than to love and be loved by me.† (Poe). The poem is told in the background of their deep love which â€Å"was stronger by far than the love/ Of those who were older than we-/ Of many far wiser than we† and this creates the mood of the poem. (Poe). The mood of the poem creates in the minds of the reader the same kind of an intense feeling of love and this proves the creative faculty of

Personal Letter To University Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Letter To University - Personal Statement Example My preferred area of study is Social Work and I am applying for Bachelor of Social Work at the York University. Significantly, my work experiences and outside activities, along with my personal interests, offered me courage to pursue a post-secondary education in BSW Bachelor of Social work which will be highly constructive a career according to my beliefs and purposes. Anyone who is familiar with my career goals, personal interests, personal study, accomplishments, volunteer activities etc would not be surprised to know my decision to pursue a post-secondary education in Social Work and, instead, he/she will be convinced that I will be successful at the University. One of the basic factors that have contributed to my decision to pursue a post-secondary education in Bachelor of Social Work is my conviction about my personal goals and interests which were made clear to me by my work experiences and outside activities. As an individual born in Afghanistan during the latter half of the 20th Century, which is (in)famous for politically motivated strife, war torn cities, and poor conditions of the citizens, I have realized that Afghanistan has been unfortunate enough for being at the receiving end of the ambitions of a number of people and forces which have translated into the suffering of the Afghani people. Now that I have moved to Canada, there still remains the urge in me to make a material difference in the lives of others. Thus, the most important motivation for my decision to do social work is my personal interest in easing the suffering of others and my family has been a significant influence in this regard. I was brought up as a child with great attitude for social services which gave me immense pleasure and determination to help the poor. As I came face to face with the reality of inequality in our society, I pledged to make use of every opportunity in life to lessen

Research Paper on movie Harold and Maude from 1971 Essay

Research Paper on movie Harold and Maude from 1971 - Essay Example In addition Harold is obsessed with death and funerals and happens to attend strange funerals for fun. In the process of attending these funerals Harold meets Maude an elderly ex-concentration camp lady. The main theme is fixed on Harold who befriends the 79 old women named Maude. Harold lived in a big mansion with his mother where he attempts mock suicides and also attends funerals for people he didn’t know, he finally meets Maude the old woman and they become friends. However the two friends are directly in contrast of each other whereby Harold has no meaning in the society he lives in while the old woman who has been to concentration camp marked by her tattooed ID on her arm is light hearted, energetic and a senior citizen.```````` Every actor in this movie seems to have his/her own way of thinking or acting. Within the cast we expect that Mrs. Chasen and her son should have been very close. But as it turns out each is pre occupied with their own issues. Mrs. Chasen seems much pre-occupied with her social image and her businesses at the expense of her son’s social life. Ironically we would have expected that Harold and Maude should find nothing common between them but as the movie unfolds we see that the two find solace in each other to an extent that they fall in love with each other. Identify any stimulus that may be prompting behaviors. The entire story line is a mixed outcome of behavior changes that arise out of social interactions that act as the stimulus for behavior change. From the onset Harold’s behavior as an introverted rich kid who is only obsessed or fascinated by death is a behavior he has adopted that is as a result of his mother’s actions. Mrs. Chasens actions act as the stimulating factors for Harold’s behavior change. Instead of Mrs. Chasen treating her son Harold as a mature 20 year old she treats him as a baby and want

Poe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Poe - Essay Example His poem ‘Annabel Lee’ is one of the greatest illustrations of Poe’s poetic talents. In the poem Poe through the narrator’s melodious voice presents the death of a beloved and its effect on the lover. â€Å"Using a melodious narrative form, the speaker laments the death, many years ago, of his beloved young bride Annabel Lee.† (Allen Poe, 2005-2006). The poem artistically develops the mysterious relation between the poet and his mistress whose death affected the poet greatly. An analysis of the theme, mood, and the point of view in â€Å"Annabel Lee† would confirm the merit of the poet as well as the poem as these elements of the poem, when analyzed is seen as largely effective in conveying the poem’s deep meaning. In a close reading of the poem, it becomes evident that the poet achieves great success in dealing with the prevailing theme of the poem conveyed through the literary tools which creates an effective mood that leads to the fo cal theme of the poem. In this paper, a very close analysis of Poe’s ‘Annabel Lee’ is undertaken in order to reveal the mood, theme, and point of view of the poem. Poe presents the main theme, mood, and the point of view of the poem in the very opening lines and we rightly identify the theme as the lamentation over the death of the beloved which happened long ago. The theme entirely focuses on the passionate relationship between the lover and beloved. We need also to understand the mood of the poem in this connection. It is clear from the poem that the central character, the maiden beloved, â€Å"lived with no other thought/ Than to love and be loved by me.† (Poe). The poem is told in the background of their deep love which â€Å"was stronger by far than the love/ Of those who were older than we-/ Of many far wiser than we† and this creates the mood of the poem. (Poe). The mood of the poem creates in the minds of the reader the same kind of an intense feeling of love and this proves the creative faculty of

Research Paper on movie Harold and Maude from 1971 Essay

Research Paper on movie Harold and Maude from 1971 - Essay Example In addition Harold is obsessed with death and funerals and happens to attend strange funerals for fun. In the process of attending these funerals Harold meets Maude an elderly ex-concentration camp lady. The main theme is fixed on Harold who befriends the 79 old women named Maude. Harold lived in a big mansion with his mother where he attempts mock suicides and also attends funerals for people he didn’t know, he finally meets Maude the old woman and they become friends. However the two friends are directly in contrast of each other whereby Harold has no meaning in the society he lives in while the old woman who has been to concentration camp marked by her tattooed ID on her arm is light hearted, energetic and a senior citizen.```````` Every actor in this movie seems to have his/her own way of thinking or acting. Within the cast we expect that Mrs. Chasen and her son should have been very close. But as it turns out each is pre occupied with their own issues. Mrs. Chasen seems much pre-occupied with her social image and her businesses at the expense of her son’s social life. Ironically we would have expected that Harold and Maude should find nothing common between them but as the movie unfolds we see that the two find solace in each other to an extent that they fall in love with each other. Identify any stimulus that may be prompting behaviors. The entire story line is a mixed outcome of behavior changes that arise out of social interactions that act as the stimulus for behavior change. From the onset Harold’s behavior as an introverted rich kid who is only obsessed or fascinated by death is a behavior he has adopted that is as a result of his mother’s actions. Mrs. Chasens actions act as the stimulating factors for Harold’s behavior change. Instead of Mrs. Chasen treating her son Harold as a mature 20 year old she treats him as a baby and want

Customer Relationship Management in Bahrain Investment Banking Arena Essay Example for Free

Customer Relationship Management in Bahrain Investment Banking Arena Essay The banking industry has undergone widespread changes within the operating environment and this involves globalization of markets and technological improvements. These two factors have influenced and encouraged innovative practices within the banking industry that has served to enhance its operational efficiency. The introduction of ATMs and e-banking facilities are some of the major milestones in the banking industry that have revolutionized business operations. The global markets have intensified the competitive environment of the banking industry that has created the need for increased efficiency in operations and increasing customer satisfaction. Customers are the lifeblood of any organization and the banking business too depends on the acquisition and retention of consumers for its profitability. Customer relationship management forms a vital aspect of business strategy driving the company’s market shares and market leadership position. Customer relationship management (CRM) has been defined as a business strategy that â€Å"is a fusion of a series of functions, skills, processes, and technologies which together allow companies to more profitably manage (acquire and retain) customers as tangible assets† (Shanmugasundaram, 2008:98). It is viewed as an interactive process that creates a balance between corporate objectives and customer satisfaction to increase the profitability of the business. Acquisition and retention of customers is one of the vital requirements of business and the effectiveness of strategies driven towards this goal determines the success of business enterprises. The past few years have witnessed growing application of CRM in retail banking and investment banking sectors. The key objective behind such initiatives is to ensure the delivery of superior customer service and to fulfil the needs of consumers. Such practices are effective in enabling organizations to meet the needs of the consumers and provide improved services in comparison to other players in the industry. Competitive advantage and business gains are driven by a proactive approach that focuses on consumer needs and expectations, provision of consistently high quality service, looking into consumer convenience and an effective follow up service to ensure consumer loyalty. A vital aspect of investment banking and any other financial services is the changing consumer mindsets. Owing to the abundance of information easily accessible over the Internet the consumers today are more knowledgeable of the wide range of choices and alternatives available to them. The consumers are equipped with more knowledge related to the banking options available and hence their banking decisions are guided by their well-researched study. This fact holds true for all economic sectors and business operations but forms a critical aspect of banking industries since it caters to a diverse segment of consumers. In nearly all business to business markets in which clients are as large as, or as in this case, often much larger than their suppliers, the latter must respond quickly to pressures from their clients to improve client management processes and systems† (Foss Stone, 2002: 211). CRM in Investment banking sector The short term objective of the marketing department is to acquire customers while the long term objective translates to retaining the old customers through effective customer relationship management (CRM) strategies. Reaching and acquiring a new customer is one thing, keeping the relationship healthy and strong over a long period of time is the mark of the true marketing professional concerned with long term health of the organization† (Dolak, 2009). The increasing competitive market makes it difficult to retain customers over a longer period of time owing to the constant influx of new and substitute alternatives invading the shelf spaces at the local retail shop. This makes the task of CRM increasingly challenging and organizations adopt various strategies to attract old customers back. Retention strategies often employ measures such as consumer behaviour research and product surveys that enable the organizations to assess the needs and expectations of the consumer and enable them to serve better. Customers always appreciate the personal touch that results in building strong relationships. The net today provides numerous effective communication channels that are being used to keep the customer happy. Web based customer relationship management has effectively integrated all modes of communication – web, email, chat, video, voice to serve and support the customers to enhance the total customer experience. Investment banking differs from other forms of banking in the role a few major clients play on the bank’s performance and productivity (Foss Stone, 2002). This form of banking targets a fixed client segment that drives the sales of investment products and services. The efficiency of the banking sector is determined by the types of products and services sold to customers in response to their investment needs and expectations. Customization of products and services are the key to deriving client satisfaction. Identification of the client segment is a vital factor in targeting and reaching out to the desired client population and this process is driven by market research. The changing demographics and intense competitive pressures from global industry players have however made a significant impact on the business strategies of investment banks worldwide. The challenges faced by investment bankers lie in reaching out to target consumers and providing them with increased ease of banking services that serve to retain clients over a longer period of time. Moreover, the increasing demands of consumers and growing expectations have driven the banking sector to adopt technology based innovative applications for meeting consumer needs and expectations. Online banking services and mobile banking applications are some of the innovative means that are being used by investment bankers to reach out to their target consumers. Such applications have served to improve banking services and efficiencies in resolving customer queries and needs promptly through the click of the mouse button. The anytime and anywhere access to banking services have defined new trends in serving consumers. â€Å"Online customization is one useful customer relationship management strategy adopted by e-business to add value and improve sales of their products and services using the Internet† (Khosla et al. , 2003). Investment banking in Bahrain The banking sector in Bahrain is one of the key sectors influencing economic growth and development in the region. The contribution of the financial services and banking sector is second only to the oil and natural gas industry in the country. The country has experienced an economic boom and an upward trend in economic growth and development over the past few decades on account of globalisation influences and opening of trade channels. The banking sector has also opened to multinational corporations establishing their operations in the country to tap the growing number of high net worth individuals in the country. Despite the globalisation of banking operations and increased de-regulation of the financial services sector in the area the country continues to have a significant control and supervision over the regulatory environment. The Central Bank of Bahrain continues to be monitor and control the banking environment in the country. The modernisation of banking services and strategic approaches made by investment bankers in other parts of the globe have not produced much impact in this region owing to the constraints applied by the existing cultural influence. The retail banking scenario in Bahrain is to a considerable extent driven by the culture of the country. The cultural impacts are realised in the conservative approach of consumers towards banking and investment. Various research studies have concluded that while the region is an emerging market for technology applications and innovative practices, user attitudes have limited the scope of technology based business models in the banking sector. The conservative market environment and user attitudes towards the CRM strategies adopted by investment bankers in Bahrain forms the focal point of the research study. The research study will analyse the various perspectives involved in CRM approach by investment bankers through the study of Unicorn Investment Bank in Bahrain. The bank was founded in the year 2004 and has its headquarters in Bahrain. It is an Islamic financial services group that has an international presence in various locations such as Malaysia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and United States. The bank currently has six distinctive business service categories that include asset management and real estate, capital markets, corporate finance, private equity, strategic mergers and acquisitions and treasury. Among the various services offered by the bank the key approach is to deliver the customers with a comprehensive range of investment solutions that are customised to meet client needs and expectations. Unicorn’s integrated product offering and financial engineering skills are closely intertwined with a strong capacity to distribute the Bank’s products and services to a broad client base across the GCC region, the wider Middle East region, Southeast Asia, the USA and the Europe† (Unicorn, 2010). The target customers of the bank include high net worth individuals, business enterprises, financial institutions, corporations, and government agencies and departments. The products offered by the bank are Shari’ah compliant and conforms to the international financial practices (Unicorn, 2010). Issues and challenges â€Å"All major banks have invested heavily in technology and infrastructure over the last 5 and 10 years in this area, but hardly any of them have been successful in actually getting it effective† (Infosys, 2009). The failure of CRM initiatives within the investment banking sector have provided a new ground for research into increasing the effectiveness of CRM applications. There are many strategic implications related to the application of CRM within investment banking sector. This involves the adaptation of normal banking processes and systems to integrate with innovative use of technology based applications and automated query processing systems that require efficient management and handling of issues. Such issues pertain to the efficient use of CRM systems to meet operational goals and integrating the different banking functions to provide a structured application that can be used easily by consumers. Ease of use and convenience are some of the key parameters involved in the development of CRM based banking system. A key challenge facing these areas involves the security and privacy issues that form a major source of concern for consumers using the technology based applications. Technology based business models and CRM strategies enable investment bankers to provide the customers with efficiency in delivery of services, access to relevant information, product details and ease of transactions. Mobile banking and e-banking facilitates the customers of investment banking to a host of facilities that range from product enquiry; access updated rates of interest and market values of the investment products chosen and conducts investment transactions online. Investment portfolios can also be accessed and manipulated according to user convenience from the comforts of their home or office. However, widespread usage of such systems has been restricted on account of user reservations related to security issues and privacy of vital user data and information. Mobile banking and online transactions raise security and privacy concerns among most of the consumers (Barati Mohammadi, 2009). The transfer of sensitive financial and personal information across mobile networks is found to be the prime reason behind the psychological barriers created among potential mobile banking customers (Laukkanen, 2007).

Differentation strategies and its use by organizations

Differentation strategies and its use by organizations An organization that adopts a differentiation strategy seeks to distinguish itself from competitors through the quality of its products or services. Organizations that successfully implement a differentiation strategy are able to charge more than competitors because customers are willing to pay more to obtain the extra value they perceive. For example in case of Rolex they pursue a differentiation strategy, Rolex watches are handmade precious metals like gold or platinum and stainless steel and are subject to strenuous tests of quality and reliability. The firms reputation enables it to charge thousands of dollars for its watches. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..) Firms use differentiation strategy to achieve a competitive advantage by providing unique products and these products attributes high quality and innovations. Differentiation is not just limited to the product but it also covers the delivery system and many other factors. Firms provide additional services to its customers with these differentiation characteristics which brings more profit with a premium price. Porter (1985), further suggests that these two generic strategies are fundamentally contradictory to each other and its important for the business to choose one of them. Cost leader can only gain the high performance if the business offer a satisfactory level of value to its customers which fulfilling the demand of their customers. Similarly differentiation strategy will only be successfully if the premium price of the product charged to customers characterized with some valuable features and customers are satisfied with that (Porter, 1985). There are many factors which results in differentiation. some of them are, To have a competitive edge on its rivals. To facilitates the entry restrictions for newcomers by building a new product To minimize the threats from its substitutes. To create a differentiation advantage  [1]   Different areas of differentiation While Porter bases his work on manufacturer, Walters Knee (1989) suggest a similar conceptual model for retailers with productivity led (e.g. effective cost management and economies of scales) and marketing led differentiation (e.g. product range, range characteristics or customer services). This model is similar to Porters generic strategies. Only one empirical study focus on differentiation analyses within the retailing. Morschett, Swoboda Schramm-Klein (2006) surveyed managers of food retailers and customers in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Hypermarkets, supermarket, convenience stores, discounters and other were analyzed based on a pool of items derived by marketing mix elements. It provides evidence of three differentiation strategies: Price, quality (goods and services) and convenience. Reilly (2002) suggests that differentiation is one the key business strategy of Porter. Bauer and Colgan (2001) said that when a company use differentiation strategy, it focus on providing a product or service with unique features. Product differentiation satisfies the specific needs of customer and it allows the company to charge a premium price which helps the organization to capture the market share. The differentiation strategy only gets implemented effectively if the business provides product of superior quality and after sale support. Organizations charge higher prices to its customers when they follow the differentiation strategy based on the product features, their customer service and the delivery system business use. The quality it offers to its customer can be real or distinguished based on the fashion or brand name. The differentiation strategy fulfills the specific or complicated customers interest in a unique and higher quality product and for which he is ready to pay a higher price. When organization use the differentiation strategy then it must be ready to add a premium to the cost but it is not to recommend that costs and prices are not be considered but is not the main focus of the organization. However as the customers likes the product because of its uniqueness and higher quality so they become loyal to the business and do not mind in paying the higher price for the products (Hlavacka et al., 2001) Sources of Differentiation Its not only the low prices of products that can create the differentiation of company from other but offering a unique product to its customer can create a differentiation to its competitors. That unique product should be more valuable to its customers. Differentiation also happened that how a company perform its function and what impacts does it have on its buyers. For example differentiation enables the company to meets the demands of its customers anywhere. It should have uniqueness and must have superior quality of its product as compared to its competitors. Factors/ Drivers for Differentiation Location- This is a very important for an organization to have a uniqueness in respect to its competitors. If the organization have its branch at a location which is easily accessible to its customers as compared to the others companys stores then the store will defiantly will have a competitive edge on the others organizations. Integration- An organization will be considered to have uniqueness its level of integration is high, its mean its level of coordination of value activities is high then it will create differentiation. Timing- An organization can effectively adopt a differentiation strategy if its timing of enchasing the opportunities is well on time. It will create uniqueness in the organization. Interrelationships- Customers can be offered better services by using effectively the different activities in the company. Scale- If the goods are produced at a small scale then the uniqueness of the products will be lost over a long period of time. Larger the scale of goods and services then there will more uniqueness. Differentiation of the organization depends on the volume of uniqueness. Learning- In order to perform well in the market a continuous learning process should be adopted. Institutional factors- If the management will have good relation with its staff that mean company will be having a good impact on its sale. This will also create uniqueness. Waitrose Quality Differentiation Strategy Waitrose has a differentiation strategy of quality product and services to its customers. It has a strategy in providing quality goods which are unique in the market to customers which helps Waitrose to differentiate itself with its competitors. Waitrose also pays too much attention in providing the goods with its own brand name and its specifically target a elite class of the market who dont care paying little bit much for best quality product. Focus Strategy A firm pursuing focus strategy concentrates on a specific regional markets, product line, or group of buyers. This strategy may have either a differentiation focus, whereby the firms differentiate its products in the focus market, or an overall cost leadership focus, whereby the firm manufactures and sell its products at a low cost in a focus market  [2]   Focus strategy is different from other strategies of a business as it remains a segment based and has a comparatively narrow scope in any business. In the focus strategy a organization target a specific segment of the market (Porter, 1979 pp.137-140). So what kind of market to be targeted, McCracken (2002), suggests that a organization can select a specific group of customers, a specific range of product, specific areas or some specific services for the customers. For example some European firm specifically concentrates on the European markets for its products. Aims of adopting a Focus strategy according to Porter (1980), is to achieve a narrow competitive advantage in the market. Focus aims is to concentrate on a niche market with its product that has been ignored by other larger competitors in the market. A specific geography, buyers purchasing behavior, different ethnic peoples demand and product features all makes niches for a organization. David (2000), Focus strategy of a organization can only be successful if the target segment have the potential to make good growth and it does not carry any importance to other competitors. Market penetration and market development can make an important focus strategy. Larger or medium organization use focus strategies but only with the combination of differentiation and cost leadership strategies in some segment of the market. The successfulness of the focus strategies depend only if the people have some specific demands and when there is not competition for other rivals.(David, 2000) Organization which adopts focus strategy in the business concentrates more on niche market and by understanding the dynamics of that particular market and work on the particular needs of the market and then try to produce unique product which fulfill the needs of that particular market. As that organization serves well to their customers in uniqueness, so they create a brand name in the mind of the people and create loyalty brand amongst the customers as well. This makes that particular market segment less attractive to its competitors. As with broad market strategies, it will be essential to decide whether organization pursue Cost leadership strategy or Differentiation strategy once a company have selected a focus strategy as a main approach. Firms that manage to adopt a focus strategy are able to tailor a large number of product developments strengths to relatively narrow market segment that they know very well. Focus strategy has two variants, which are; Cost focus is a variant where the organization looks for a cost advantage in a target segment. This is niche low cost strategy where the organization gets cost advantage in the focusers target segment. According to Porters Cost focus exploits differences in behavior in some segments Differentiation focus is where an organization looks for differentiation in the target segment. In this strategy the organization offers to its customers something different to its customers from rivals. Following are the situations where a focus strategy is efficient; Market segment has to be large enough to be profitable; more customers will bring more profit for the organization. Market segment has good growth potentials. High costs are difficult for the rivals to fulfill the demands of the niche. Focuser has to be able to choose from different segment of the market  [3]   Tesco Express Stores Tesco express stores are neighbor hood convenience shops, stocking mainly food with an emphasis on higher margin products alongside everyday essentials. These are found in busy city centers and small shopping mall in residential areas and on petrol station forecourts. There are more than 700 stores all over UK. Tesco Express is gaining a competitive edge in the small scale grocery market as it is providing additional gasoline facility as well. Cost Leadership Strategy A strategy in which an organization attempt to gain a competitive advantage by reducing its cost below the costs of competing firm. By keeping costs low, the organization is able to sell its products at low prices and still make a profit. Timex uses an overall cost leadership strategy. For decades, this firm has specialized in manufacturing relatively simple low cost watches for the mass market. The prices of the Timex watches starting around 39.95 dollars are low because company has an efficient high volume manufacturing capacity.  [4]   The firms operating in this highly competitive are always desires to be more and more successful. To stay in this competitive environment the company should have an competitive edge on its rivals. In order to have a competitive edge on its rivals the company should be selling its goods to its customers at lowest price with best quality as compared to its competitors. Porter (1980), suggest that in order to achieve the competitive advantage there are fundamentally two different approaches and those two approaches are cost leadership and differentiation strategies. In cost leadership strategy the business look for gaining the above average sale over its competitors with reducing the prices of all the elements of activities. To achieve the cost advantage of this nature, the organizations will employ the considerable efforts to reduce the cost of operating and production and will try hard to use all the available resources to their maximum level, including increasing the utilization of R D and advertising.(Porter, 1980) According to Malburg (2000), there is another strategy of Porters generic strategies which is cost leadership strategy. This strategy is about achieving a competitive advantage in the market by reducing the prices of products. In order to have a competitive advantage, business must focus on the low cost leadership strategy, low cost production and labor which committed to the low cost strategy. The business must be ready to stop all the production activities in which they dont have any cost advantage and must outsourcing all the operations to other businesses which have the cost advantage in the market. He further suggest that there are many areas in which cost leadership can be attained such as production on large scale, mass distribution, innovation of technology, improved product design, access to the raw materials and full utilization of available resources. Porter (1985), purports that only one business in a market can be the cost leader. Porter (1985), stressed there is incompatibility in between cost leadership and differentiation strategy, for instance he believe that differentiation is costly as compared to differentiation. He also used the sentence struck in the middle to put more stress that by combining the cost leadership and differentiation strategy will not results into a prolong competitive advantage. But Hill (1988) and Miller (1992), argued that that it is not only possible to combine both strategies but the combination of these two strategies will produce a competitive advantage for the business. Businesses which adopt differentiation strategy target a specific segment of the market and this strategy also has a broad scope. In the both lower cost strategy and differentiation strategy the businesses concentrates on larger segment of the market. An organization which adopt the lowest cost strategy or differentiation strategy that has a aim to focus on one target segment of the market or few defined segments of the market carry out focus strategy. There are two parts of the focus strategy one is lowest costs focus and the other one is differentiation focus7. (Bas P. Singer, 2007) Product Portfolio Strategy, BCG Matrix The notion of portfolio exists in many areas of life, not just for products. A broad portfolio means that business has a presence in a wide range of products and market sectors. A narrow portfolio implies that the organization operates in only a few or even in one product or market sector. A broad portfolio offers the advantage of robustness in that a downturn in one market will not threaten the whole company. The Boston consulting group matrix offers a way of examining and making a sense of a companys portfolio of product and market interests. It is a way of examining a whole product range to see a companys product as a collection of items in similar way that a holder of shares in several companies might the consider the decision on what to do with the shares. One of looking at the products in a portfolio is to considers each product in its position in the product life cycle and aims to have a balance of products in each stage. A more sophisticated approach is based on the idea that the market share in mature markets is highly correlated with profitability and that is relatively less expensive and less risky to attempt to win a share in the growth stage of the market when there will be many new customers making their first purchase. This is the approach taken by BCG matrix. It is use to analyze the product range with a view to aiding decision on how the products should be treated in an internal strategic analysis. BCG Growth Share Matrix BCG, it is a management tool which helps for four distinct purposes. Product portfolio can be classified into four business types by using BCG matrix based on Stars, Cash Cows, Question Marks and Dogs. In order to determine that what priorities can be given to a companys product portfolio. It can also be use to classify an organization product portfolio according to that how much cash is generation and how much is usage and it helps the management to adopt different available strategies to handle different product lines. Companies like Apple, Semen, Nokia, Sony, Samsung are engaged in diversify the product lines7. According to Boston consulting there are five different types of businesses which require the cash flow in different ratios. First types of businesses require more cash than they generate the cash and these types of businesses are very common. The second type require less cash to invest in but these businesses generate more cash than actually invested in and these are very few in the market. The third types of businesses is self sufficient in cash flow and with the passage of time it generate large amount of cash and the fourth type generate less cash but also requires less cash to invest in. The fifth one is stays in unstable condition. Figure 1: Stars: Stars are the leaders in the high growth market. These products generates large amount of cash but also requires a large amount of money to invest in as well. As time passes on the Stars becomes Cash Cows if these maintain there financial position but if they become unable to maintain their positions in the market, they becomes Dogs. Cash Cow: Cash cows are the products that require low investment but these products generate high amount of cash. These are the market leaders in the low growth market. the cash cows funds themselves for their own growth. They supply the investment funds for other products. These help to justify the debt capacity for the whole company. Dogs: Dogs often have a unsecure future are they are the drainer on the company as they generate very low amount of cash as they have a low market share in a high growth market. Question Marks: Question marks have not achieved a dominant position in the market hence they produce low amount of cash. They require a lot of cash because of the growth market conditions. Tesco has a very good portfolio in the market. Tesco is considered as Cash Cows in the market as it has a fine record of distributing the fine and quality goods and services to its customers. At the same time it is also considered as Stars because they are investing and making a lot of efforts to its customers in creating awareness about the e-commerce and retailing. Many of Tesco stores stocks more than 40000 product lines and express sores stock more than 2000 product line which helps the customers to choose from different product lines and according to their financial positions. Waitrose on the other hands have a different Portfolio as it has a different strategy as compare to Tesco. Waitrose use quality differentiation strategy and concentrate on specific portion of the market and offers them high quality products at a high prices because of this it is not attracting a large number of customers as compared to the Tesco. So this thing makes most of the products of the Waitrose Dogs of the market. Market Growth Strategy, Ansoff Matrix: Ansoff matrix is a strategic tool use to measure or define the strategic future direction of the business. The model categorizes the options into four generic alternatives to simplify the process. Market penetration: existing market/existing product Product development: existing market/existing product Market development: new market/existing market The Ansoff Matrix is used with the strategic objective to determine the future direction of the business. A company might be faced with declining sales of its products in the domestic market and will use the Ansoff Matrix to evaluate the four generic alternatives for the future. e.g company would evaluate strategies to penetrate the existing market through pricing or increased brand loyalty. Another option is to develop the product or change the design, increase the length of the product life cycle and increase the sales. A third option is to export the existing product into other countries or finally stop and completely diversify with new products into new markets.(Diana, 2009) Figure 2: Ansoff Matrix model Market Penetration Ansoff matrix explains that a business attempts to penetrate in a market by using its existing products. Tesco has a history which indicates that it always penetrate in a market with its existing products. It always get benefited from its customers to penetrate into a market. In order to achieve its goals Tesco always uses its strategy in three ways. Tesco attract customers from its competitors then it provides its customers good quality product and then Tesco retains customers as customers feels that it is best provider of goods and services. And thirdly it attract more non user of its products and services by advertising and other promotional strategies. Market Penetration is very important for the Tesco as retaining customers are more important for the Tesco than attracting the new ones. Tesco international expansion strategy has responded to meet the maximum needs of its customers. It is hard to enter into a new country market so Tesco had a strategy to join the local businesses by joint ventures. So this helps Tesco to know that market that what are the demands of the people, their purchasing behavior to foreign goods. Product Development Product development is another strategic approach in which new product has been introduced in the market. Tesco always work on the product development by introducing new products in the market in order to satisfy the needs of the customers. Tesco always maximize its profitability by introducing this strategy into the market. Tesco has produce many products and as a market retailer it distribute into the market. Brand loyalty is very important for the Tesco to develop new product. As Tesco has a good reputation of its brand so it does not have to do more advertising in order to attract more customer to buy any new product. Brand loyalty must be conserved in pricing, quality and uniqueness. Market Development: Market Development happened when a company moves into different countries with its existing products. This strategy is used to find new international markets. Tesco has developed many stores in countries like China, Poland, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Slovakia, South Korea, Turkey and United States. For penetrating into international market, Tesco has adopted a joint venture strategy which helps the company to control its cost and help to know the market. Diversification Tesco is not only sticking to the food items but it also maximizing its profit by selling non food items. Tesco has introduced its own mortgage services, banking and credit card services. It has started to sell the mobiles phones and many other electronic products. The other diversification seen in Tesco is fuel. Tesco has also entered into bio fuel and diesel and bio-diesel and investing more in green energy resources which will help to improve its image as compared to other fuel supplying companies like Shell. B.P8.