Moral absolutism Essay Example for Free

Moral absolutism Essay When we speak of â€Å"Morality† we think of the difference between right and wrong, the difference between the good and the evil. We use morality to justify our actions and decisions. More often than not, people impose their morality on others and expect them to act in the way they find fit. They believe that the idea of right and wrong is universal. In her essay â€Å"On Morality†, Didion contradicts this theory and believes that everyone can have different ideas of morality based on their own perception. To make her point, Didion uses the examples of Klaus Fuchs and Alfred Rosenberg. Fuchs was a British traitor who leaked nuclear secrets to the Soviets, and Rosenberg was the Nazi administrator of Eastern Europe, where the Germans committed their most heinous and most murderous acts during World War II. Both of them claimed that what they did were morally appropriate. She then goes on to say that Jesus justifies what he did based on morality. The juxtaposition of these ideas affirms Didion’s theory that the conviction of morality is vastly based on perspective. This juxtaposition also helps prove that people use morality to justify almost anything. Osama Bin Laden believed that it was morally right to take the lives of millions of innocent civilians in the name of religion. President Snow, along with the Capitol, in The Hunger Games saw it fit to throw 24 teenagers in a battlefield and let them fight until only one remains. Morality does not seem like a tool to distinguish right from wrong, but a method to have a clean conscious, irrespective of whether one’s acts are good or bad. Didion also says, â€Å"For better or for worse, we are what we learned as children. † (158) This shows that the ideas we have of good and bad and the so-called â€Å"morality† is part of what we’ve learnt growing up. A lot of people might find it pointless to stay with a corpse on a highway. But to Didion, it is the moral thing to do. We do not leave behind our dead. Friedrich Nietzsche said, â€Å"Fear is the mother of morality. † Didion maintains that morality might differ from person to person. In my opinion, a lot of factors influence the decisions we make and then blame them on morality. â€Å"The right thing† is too abstract to be universal. Didion debates about the cannibalism acts and talks about the vestigial taboo that no one should eat their own blood kin. This might seem appalling to some while being a being of another’s culture. Didion says that morality has â€Å"the most potentially mendacious meaning. † (159) And I couldn’t agree more. There is a very thin line between right and wrong, and morality is what shows one where to draw it. But the basis of that line is so ambiguous, that people end up using morality to cover up their actions. The idea Didion presents is that humans are not equipped to distinguish between the good and the bad. We think that all actions are sound as long as they don’t hurt another person. But then we see people like Adolf Hitler. The man murdered millions of people. Yet, he had a bunch of supporters who helped him with these inhumane acts. But he did what he did in the name of morality, in the name of ‘respect for the greater race. ’ The central idea of this essay is that morality depends largely on perception. What one finds wrong may not necessarily be seen as inappropriate by another. â€Å"I followed my own conscience. † â€Å"I did what I thought was right. † Didion questions the reader how many madmen have said this and meant it? Didion doesn’t believe that these men shelter themselves under the illusion of morality but actually believe their actions are moral and justified. Maybe we ourselves have said it before and been wrong. Our conscience isn’t always the best judge of things. But the concept of morality makes it okay to just be impulsive and do what we think is correct in the moment. The relevance of our logic lacks frequency. One might not kill people on a daily basis but one might find it moral to do it someday and go ahead with it. Does this make them immoral? Is the act of killing immoral? What if the victim is a killer? The answers to questions relating to morality are not black or white. There could be various different instances where individuals might have different stands on issues. All of which they might believe to be morally correct. So the question is, who decides what is moral and what is not? What gives them the power to do so? Should the morality of one person be forced on another? Clearly, universal standards of right and wrong do not exist. The evidence Didion provided as well as instances we see around the world proves that fact. A lot of people do not agree with Didion’s idea of differing morality. The people who adhere themselves to a supposedly universal moral code can delude themselves into thinking people who do not follow that code are less humane. People need to stop fretting over moral absolutes and let morality run their life and effect every decision they make in order to ensure the future is safe from oppression and terrorism.

The Aims Of Education In The Islamic World Religion Essay

The Aims Of Education In The Islamic World Religion Essay In any society, education is a major vehicle for the transmission of ideas, attitudes, and beliefs. This means that control over educational content and access to classrooms can become valuable commodities in a conflict. Education, and especially the teaching of history, can perpetuate negative judgments about the other, engendering hostility and aggression among the young, and firing up the fever to go to war. But educational content and teaching approaches can also provide powerful means to change these attitudes, to promote tolerance and a willingness to settle conflicts without resort to violence. In order to increase the capacity of the educational sector to promote conflict prevention, peacemaking and post-conflict reconciliation it has to enhance the ability of teachers and scholars to incorporate peace education and conflict management into curriculum and classes many institutes, both Islamic and others, mostly under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO  [1]  , all work together with the main objective to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among the nations through education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms. Under its current Education for All campaign, it conducts research and runs programs in countries in Africa, the Middle East, and South and Southeast Asia. The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) advocates and works for the protection of childrens rights to h elp the young meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. Among other programs, they have developed peace education programs in a number of countries, including Afghanistan and Indonesia. The mission of the Association of Arab Universities is to enhance cooperation among universities in the Arab world. It is associated with central governments through their respective ministries of education. (www.aaru.edu.jo). Islam has, from its inception, placed a high premium on education and has enjoyed a long and rich intellectual tradition. Knowledge (ilm) occupies a significant position within Islam, as evidenced by the more than 800 references to it in Islams most revered book, the Koran. The importance of education is repeatedly emphasized in the Koran with frequent injunctions, such as God will exalt those of you who believe and those who have knowledge to high degrees, O my Lord! Increase me in knowledge and As God has taught him, so let him write. Such verses provide a forceful stimulus for the Islamic community to strive for education and learning. Islamic education is uniquely different from other types of educational theory and practice largely because of the all-encompassing influence of the Koran. The Koran serves as a comprehensive blueprint for both the individual and society and as the primary source of knowledge. The advent of the Koran in the seventh century was quite revolutionary for the predominantly illiterate Arabian society. Arab society had enjoyed a rich oral tradition, but the Koran was considered the word of God and needed to be organically interacted with by means of reading and reciting its words. Hence, reading and writing for the purpose of accessing the full blessings of the Koran was an aspiration for most Muslims. Thus, education in Islam unequivocally derived its origins from a symbiotic relationship with religious instruction. HISTORY OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION This was the way, Islamic education began. Pious and learned Muslims (mu allim or mudarris), dedicated to making the teachings of the Koran more accessible to the Islamic community, taught the faithful in what came to be known as the kuttÄ b (plural, katÄ tÄ «b). The kuttÄ b could be located in a variety of venues: mosques, private homes, shops, tents, or even out in the open. Historians are uncertain as to when the katÄ tÄ «b were first established, but with the widespread desire of the faithful to study the Koran, katÄ tÄ «b could be found in virtually every part of the Islamic empire by the middle of the eighth century. The kuttÄ b served a vital social function as the only vehicle for formal public instruction for primary-age children and continued so until Western models of education were introduced in the modern period. Even at present, it has exhibited remarkable durability and continues to be an important means of re ligious instruction in many Islamic countries. The curriculum of the kuttÄ b was primarily directed to young male children, beginning as early as age four, and was centered on Koranic studies and on religious obligations such as ritual ablutions, fasting, and prayer. The focus during the early history of Islam on the education of youth reflected the belief that raising children with correct principles was a holy obligation for parents and society. As Abdul Tibawi wrote in 1972, the mind of the child was believed to be like a white clean paper, once anything is written on it, right or wrong, it will be difficult to erase it or superimpose new writing upon it. The approach to teaching children was strict, and the conditions in which young students learned could be quite harsh. Corporal punishment was often used to correct laziness or imprecision. Memorization of the Koran was central to the curriculum of the kuttÄ b, but little or no attempt was made to analyze and discuss the meaning of the text. Once students had me morized the greater part of the Koran, they could advance to higher stages of education, with increased complexity of instruction. Western analysts of the kuttÄ b system usually criticize two areas of its pedagogy: the limited range of subjects taught and the exclusive reliance on memorization. The contemporary kuttÄ b system still emphasizes memorization and recitation as important means of learning. The value placed on memorization during students early religious training directly influences their approaches to learning when they enter formal education offered by the modern state. A common frustration of modern educators in the Islamic world is that while their students can memorize copious volumes of notes and textbook pages, they often lack competence in critical analysis and independent thinking. During the golden age of the Islamic empire (usually defined as a period between the tenth and thirteenth centuries), when western Europe was intellectually backward and stagnant, Islamic scholarship flourished with an impressive openness to the rational sciences, art, and even literature. It was during this period that the Islamic world made most of its contributions to the scientific and artistic world. Ironically, Islamic scholars preserved much of the knowledge of the Greeks that had been prohibited by the Christian world. Other outstanding contributions were made in areas of chemistry, botany, physics, mineralogy, mathematics, and astronomy, as many Muslim thinkers regarded scientific truths as tools for accessing religious truth. Gradually the open and vigorous spirit of enquiry and individual judgment (ijtihad) that characterized the golden age gave way to a more insular, unquestioning acceptance (taqlid) of the traditional corpus of authoritative knowledge. By the thirteenth century, according to Aziz Talbani, the ulama (religious scholars) had become self-appointed interpreters and guardians of religious knowledge.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ learning was confined to the transmission of traditions and dogma, and [was] hostile to research and scientific inquiry. The mentality of taqlid reigned supreme in all matters, and religious scholars condemned all other forms of inquiry and research. Exemplifying the taqlid mentality, Burhà ¤n al-Din al-Zarnà ¼ji wrote during the thirteenth century, Stick to ancient things while avoiding new things and Beware of becoming engrossed in those disputes which come about after one has cut loose from the ancient authorities. Much of what was written after the thirteenth century lacked originality, and it consisted mostly of commentaries on existing canonical works without adding any substantive new ideas. The lethal combination of taqlid and foreign invasion beginning in the thirteenth century served to dim Islams preeminence in both the artistic and scientific worlds. Despite its glorious legacy of earlier periods, the Islamic world seemed unable to respond either culturally or educationally to the onslaught of Western advancement by the eighteenth century. One of the most damaging aspects of European colonialism was the deterioration of indigenous cultural norms through secularism. With its veneration of human reason over divine revelation and its insistence on separation of religion and state, secularism considered by many as anathema to Islam, in which all aspects of life, spiritual or temporal, are interrelated as a harmonious whole. At the same time, Western institutions of education, with their pronounced secular/religious dichotomy, were infused into Islamic countries in order to produce functionaries to feed the bureaucratic and administrative needs of the state. The early modernizers did not fully realize the extent to which secularized education fundamentally conflicted with Islamic thought and traditional lifestyle. Religious education was to remain a separate and personal responsibility, having no place in public education. If Muslim students desired religious training, they could supplement their existing education with moral instruction in traditional religious schools-the kuttab. As a consequence, the two differing education systems evolved independently with little or no official interface. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION 3.1. Problems in Islamic Schools Before proceeding further, and in order to have a better understanding of the Aims Islamic Education it is better to first examine the problems facing the contemporary Islamic schools in the Western World. Generally these are: No Adaab or Islamic etiquette or behaviour Parents want teachers to be lenient Some girls and boys meet secretly in the basement. They have girl-friends and boy-friends. They do smoke. Profanity is written on the walls, desks, blackboards, etc. Behave roughly: laughing, talking, screaming, rip off their Hijab on the buses. Discipline: Behaviour is no different from the Public Schools. Teachers are not fair. Spoiled kids as their parents are rich or important. Less school activities for girls. Little opportunity to interact with other students. Islamic schools are running without an Islamic curriculum, often without a syllabus. No textbooks. No qualified and trained teachers or certified teachers. (Quality in education is not possible without good teachers.) Those who attend Muslim high schools do not fare better in college. Non-Muslim teachers who are qualified and certified. (Live-in boyfriend rejects institution of marriage. Wear tight and revealing outfit. Promote gay agenda, anti-religion agenda, or insensitive to Islamic values and events) Qualified and certified Muslim teachers work in Public schools. As Islamic schools do not offer viable salaries, benefits (pension health benefits, etc.) When they leave Islamic schools and graduate from colleges, some of them, they do marry non-Muslims as the Muslim community and their parents have exerted zero influence on them. Chronic shortage of space, science labs, auditoriums, gyms, playgrounds, libraries, bathrooms. High turnover rate (30 to 40 percent annually) of teachers. Parents fear Islamic schools trade off academics for Islamic environment. Organization, planning and discipline -suffer most in Islamic schools. Governance is the big reason why most Islamic schools suffer Do not develop an autonomous and unique decision-making (governance) structure School Boards require training in how to run a school School Boards rarely include women Parents do not play a part in Governance structure No qualified administrators Some parents worry Islamic schools offer an inferior quality of education. Children are not prepared to face competitiveness and the challenges of the modern world. Seriously lacking in Muslim literature and culture. For many Muslim families, Islamic schools are not affordable. In sparse Muslim population areas, Islamic schools are not financially viable. Very few trained Muslim teachers in special education or none The Arabic language has three terms for education, representing the various dimensions of the educational process as perceived by Islam. The most widely used word for education in a formal sense is talim, from the root alima (to know, to be aware, to perceive, to learn), which is used to denote knowledge being sought or imparted through instruction and teaching. Tarbiyah, from the root raba (to increase, to grow, to rear), implies a state of spiritual and ethical nurturing in accordance with the will of God. Tadib, from the root aduba (to be cultured, refined, well-mannered), suggests a persons development of sound social behavior. What is meant by sound requires a deeper understanding of the Islamic conception of the human being. Education in the context of Islam is regarded as a process that involves the complete person, including the rational, spiritual, and social dimensions. As noted by Syed Muhammad al-Naquib al-Attas in 1979, the comprehensive and integrated approach to education in Islam is directed toward the balanced growth of the total personalityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦through training Mans spirit, intellect, rational self, feelings and bodily sensesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦such that faith is infused into the whole of his personality. In Islamic educational theory knowledge is gained in order to actualize and perfect all dimensions of the human being. From an Islamic perspective the highest and most useful model of perfection is the prophet Muhammad, and the goal of Islamic education is that people be able to live as he lived. Seyyed Hossein Nasr wrote in 1984 that while education does prepare humankind for happiness in this life, its ultimate goal is the abode of permanence and all education points to the permanent world of eternity. To ascertain truth by reason alone is restrictive, according to Islam, because spiritual and temporal reality are two sides of the same sphere. Many Muslim educationists argue that favoring reason at the expense of spirituality interferes with balanced growth. Exclusive training of the intellect, for example, is inadequate in developing and refining elements of love, kindness, compassion, and selflessness, which have an altogether spiritual ambiance and can be engaged only by processes of spiritual training. Therefore Education in Islam is twofold: acquiring intellectual knowledge (through the application of reason and logic) and developing spiritual knowledge (derived from divine revelation and spiritual experience). According to the worldview of Islam, provision in education must be made equally for both. Acquiring knowledge in Islam is not intended as an end but as a means to stimulate a more elevated moral and spiritual consciousness, leading to faith and righ teous action. EDUCATION OF MUSLIM CHILDREN CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES Education is the birth right of every Muslim and Muslimah. Islam puts considerable emphasis on its followers to acquire knowledge. Investment in education is the best investment one can make, because it eventually leads to intellectual property. Intellectual property is the intangible property, which no one can steal or destroy. This is the property on which no Government can levy a tax. It was as a result of application of knowledge that Muslims were the superpower of the world for twelve centuries.   Today, globally Muslims have the lowest literacy rate. Education of Muslim children in the west has both opportunities and challenges.   In the Western World the purpose of education is to provide for the economic prosperity of a nation. At a personal level the purpose of education is to acquire academic and professional skills that enable one to earn a respectable living with riches and fame, and also a luxurious and comfortable life. For a Muslim providing economic prosperity of a nation does not contradict his/her Islamic beliefs, however focusing the goals of education solely for the purpose of money making is unpalatable. Muslims want to impart Islamic education. The vast majority of Muslims think that Islamic education means acquiring Islamic religious knowledge-study of Quran, Arabic, Hadith, Sunnah, Seerah, Fiqh, Islamic history, and allied subjects. As a matter of fact, in the present world broadly speaking we have two types of Muslims: a) those who have followed the Western type of education, or secular education, and b) those who have acquired Deeni or Islamic education. In the twentieth century, due to colonialism and Western influence, Muslim parents concentrated on imparting only Secular education to their children. The weak or not so bright students were sent to Deeni (religious) Madrasas (schools) in their own countries or to one of the Middle Eastern countries. The Muslims who immigrated to Western countries became aware of their religious identity and wanted to impart both Islamic and Secular education, what is now known as Integrated Education. When they lacked the numbers and resources, they sent their children to public schools during the week and to the Islamic schools in the Mosque or Islamic Centre during the weekends. As their numbers grew and acquired sufficient resources, they have opened full-time Islamic Schools from kindergarten to 12th grade (senior or final year) in High School.  [2]  It takes about two to three years of full-time study to become a Hafeez. During this time the student takes an equivalent to sabbatical leave from his or her public or parochial school.   The greatest objective of education is to prepare the young generation for leadership. Islamic education is of course has the highest objective, and more than that can hardly be imagined. The aim of Islamic education is Character building. Growth and development of an Islamic personality should be the final goal of any Islamic School. Islamic values are the foundation of the Islamic personality. For Muslims the educational aim is to develop the personalities of children to the end that they will be conscious of their responsibility to God (the Creator) and to fellow humans. The aims and objectives of Islamic education have been defined in the Recommendation of the Committee of the First World Conference on Muslim Education as: Education should aim at the balanced growth of the total personality of man through training of the human spirit, intellect, rational self, feelings and senses. The training imparted to a Muslim must be such that faith is infused into the whole of his/her personality and creates in him/her an emotional attachment to Islam and enables him to follow the Quran and Sunnah and be governed by Islamic system of values willingly and joyfully so that he/she may proceed to the realization of his/her status as Khalifatullah to whom God has promised the authority of the universe. There is a need to prepare the younger generation having leadership quality and not to be the followers of alien ideologies but to play the role of torchbearer by their excellence in knowledge, character, and positive action. Some scholars believe that this quality can be developed in Muslim youth by a direct study of the Quran with a view to solve the problems of life in its light. A program of action to bring up the younger generation for leadership has not yet been formulated.   

The Nature Of Strategic Management Journal Commerce Essay

The Nature Of Strategic Management Journal Commerce Essay Strategic management is ideas and injunctions that enable the organization achieve its objective or long-term target to perform a better performance. The purpose of strategic management is to seek the opportunities for better future of the organization. Generally, good strategic management practices can improve the organization performance and achieve the organization target objectives. The strategies on an organization are made by the management itself to ensure the successful of the organization. The strategic management process consists of three stages which are strategy formulation, strategy implementation and strategy evaluation. 1. INTRODUCTION Today, there are many definitions of strategic defined by various authors and by refer to Mintzberg et al. (1998), the definition of strategic is universal and there is no single. The others author, Chandler (1962) as the American business historian is the first person that defined strategic as determination of the basic long-term goals and objectives of an enterprise, and the adoption of courses of action and the allocation of resources necessary for carrying out those goals. In the context of construction, Channon (1978) defined strategy in term of the extent of diversification, international activity and acquisition policy. Mintzberg (1994) portrays strategy as a plan a direction, a guide or Strategic Management Practices in Malaysian Construction Industry 142 course of action into the future and as a pattern, that is, consistent in behavior over time. Strategic management has evolved into a more sophisticated and potentially more powerful tool (Stoney, 2001). The strategic management stages need a person who is competent to handle this process more effectively and to make sure that its success (Stahl and Grigsby, 1992). To ensure firm success and can overcome any barriers that occur during strategic management process, the top management of an organization must play their roles through involvement in the process, through dialogue and participation. The aim purpose of the process is to achieve the understanding and commitment from top management and employees. 2. Strategic Management in General STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL There are many definitions that are defined by various authors. According to David (1997) strategic management is the art and science of formulating, implementing, evaluating cross functional decision that enable organization to achieve its objectives. Wheelen and Hunger (1984) say that strategic management is a set of managerial decisions and actions that determines the long-run performance of an organization. It includes environmental scanning (both external and internal), strategy formulation (strategic or long-range planning), strategy implementation and evaluation and control. Wheelen and Hunger (2003) noted that people at all levels, not just top management, need to be involve in strategic management; scanning the environment for critical information, suggesting changes to strategies and programs to take advantage of environment shifts, and working with others to continuously improve work methods, procedures, and evaluation techniques by working with other people in the organiz ation. 3. FINDINGS Stages in Strategic Management Strategy Formulation The first phase is strategy formulation. Certo and Peter (1991) stated that strategy formulation want to ensure that the organization achieve the objectives that they have been made. David (1997) said that strategy formulation includes the decision on what business to conduct, how to allocate the resources, and whether want the business join or enter to international market. Besides, David also stated that strategy formulation phase includes developing a vision and mission, identifying an organization external opportunities and threats, determining internal strength and weaknesses, establishing long-term objectives, generating alternative strategies, and choosing the best alternative strategy to be pursue. He also said that issues in strategic management includes deciding what new business to enter, what business to abandon, how to allocate resources without hostile takeovers, whether to expand operations or diversity, whether to merge or form a joint venture, whether to enter intern ational markets and how to avoid a hostile takeover. ROLES OF INTELLIGENCE IN STRATEGY FORMULATION Good intelligence is not necessarily going to make a great strategy while successful strategies are derived from good intelligence concerning a companys total business environment including the competition. There is some intelligence role in strategy formulation. Among them are: Describing the Competitive Environment. Intelligence analysis must to carry out their responsibilities, so that the company can compete with the challenging environment over time. Besides that, intelligence should also determine the causes of the companys competitive environment, including competitors, customers, products, the structure of the industry in which they all perform, and the type of competition, such as price performance, and technology. Forecasting the Future Competitive Environment Intelligence department can provide predictions of future business for the company, especially in the competitive environment in which the company is likely to find itself. Business intelligence estimate is the most appropriate intelligence products to reflect the competitive environment in the future, as being one entirely different from the business environment that it competes in today. Identifying and Compensating for Exposed Weaknesses. Companys own weaknesses and vulnerabilities can be identify and assess by using intelligence department. Usually when a company is about to launch a new strategy or enter a market or business that it has never participated in before, this ability is particularly valuable because the competition is likely to have assessed the newcomers strengths and weaknesses and will exploit those weaknesses that are truly vulnerabilities. Before entering the new business arena, companies must be aware of his own weaknesses before the occurrence of a competition. This is to ensure that the company is always ready to take corrective action or formulate new strategies so that the company is not affected. Using Intelligence to Implement and Adjust Strategy to the Changing Competitive Environment. After the new strategy have been designed and tested, then it goes through two distinct phases of implementation. Initial implementation of the first phase is when competitors began to detect and respond to the strategys salient features. While the second phase is developing a more complete and appropriate set of actions to counter your strategy. The intelligence that you gather during both distinct phases of implementation are critical to the long-term viability of your new strategy because comprehensiveness, timeliness, objectivity and analysis are required in these two phase. Few US companies are capable of managing such effective business intelligence operations and thus formulating the appropriate ongoing business plans necessary to continually adjust their strategy to the changing competitive environment. DESIGNING A STRATEGY FORMULATION PROCESS FOR NEW, TECHNOLOGY-BASED FIRMS: A KNOWLEDGE-BASED APPROACH When open innovation models are being introduced in the industry, innovative firms must taking more and more open forms, so that a firm can create the innovation process in a knowledge-based society. In addition, the firm also can   build porous borders to incorporate their own knowledge and competencies with others. The first step is to identify useful knowledge among employees and stakeholders of the NTBF (new technology based firm), so that they do not require further discussion. However, in the external environment, identify useful knowledge is not as easy as I thought. There are several questions that must be answered to proceed from knowledge identification to transfer knowledge :- Who has the requested knowledge? This question is more relevant when searching among the members of the NTBF but also a who knows the whereabouts of the requested knowledge? which is more relevant when the requested knowledge lies outside the firm. What are our relations with the actor holding the requested knowledge? Question like this is to identify ways to strengthen ties in the relation with the actor/partner holding the requested knowledge. What drives this relationship? Is it based on friendship, a strategic alliance, a mutually-beneficial business relationship, or a potential partnership etc.? What is the nature of the requested knowledge? The third question is related to the knowledge complexity that determines the ability to accomplish the knowledge transfer because it is has to be regarded within the framework of a specific knowledge transaction, between specific persons in a specific context. How can we transfer this knowledge and what is the compensation requested for this transfer? The fourth question related to the readiness of the owner knowledge to share knowledge because knowledge transfer process cannot be determined in advance, and this depends on the complexity of knowledge and the absorptive capacity of the recipient to make the transfer. Apart from compensation, are there additional costs associated with the transfer? The fifth question tries to examine the non-monetary cost associated with the transfer of knowledge. As mentioned earlier, a NTBFs resources are limited and valuable and the cost to absorb a knowledge transfer might prove costly in terms of man days of key members of the NTBF. Does this knowledge transaction contribute to the formation of a collaborative competitive advantage? The final question concerns the examination of the probability that this knowledge transaction is part of the formation of a knowledge-based strategic alliance forming a sustainable competitive advantage that is difficult to imitate. Strategy Implementation The second phase is strategy implementation. In this phase, Sharplin (1995) said that all the organization activities or business strategies must be based on the strategic plan made. Organization must establish the objectives and policies of the company so that all the employees know what they should do to achieve the company objectives. Besides, the company also needs to do something to ensure that all the employees are motivated to do the job, and resources need to be allocating to execute formulated strategies. Effective strategy implementation is really important to the organization. Based to Certo and Peter (1991), effective strategy implementation is really important to get the benefits of performing an analysis of organizational, establishment of organizational direction and formulating. APPRAISING THE ROLE OF STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION IN EXPORT PERFORMANCE: A CASE FROM MIDDLE EAST They are various point of views to define and describe the strategy implementation. Strategy implementation may be define as a process inducing various forms of organizational learning, because both environmental threats and strategic responses can make something happen for organizational learning processes (Lehner, 2004). Strategy implementation is a combination process of implementing strategies, policies, programs and action plans that helps a firm to take the benefits of opportunities in the competitive environment by using wisely and usefully its resources (Harrington, 2006). Strategy implementation is also can be described that the companies can identify the future opportunities as a lively process (Schaap, 2006). On the field of studies in strategy implementation, it must be done with the international perspective. In Hrebiniak conceptual framework there are some suggestion about the key factor for strategy implementation which include of leadership, facilitating global learni ng, developing global managers, having a matrix structure and working with external companies for international environment. Besides that, there are other framework introduced by Yip, that involved organizational structure, culture, people and managerial process (Okumus, 2003). There are two groups of variables which is operational (budgeting, structure) and managerial (culture, leadership) that had been identify in this study of measuring the strategy implementation. STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION AND CONTROL During an action, strategy implementation is a managing forces and focuses on efficiency. It is primarily an operational process, requires special motivation and leadership skills and requires the combination among many individual. There are some several of issues that involve in strategy implementation which is : Strategies are not lead to action and have to be activated through implementation. Plan should be lead in strategies. Result of plan in different kind of programmes. Formulation of projects must lead to programmes. Separate allocation of fund is requires and it must be completed within a time given. The needed infrastructure for the day-to-day operations create of Projects create within an organization. Strategies implementation is not limited to formulation of plans, programmes, and projects. Resources would require in projects. After it has been provided, it would be essential to see a proper organizational structure is designed, systems have been installed, devised the functional policies, and various behavioural inputs are provided to make sure the plans may work. Below is the issues in strategy implementation that are to be considered : Project implementation Procedural implementation Resource allocation Structural implementation Functional implementation Behavioural implementation THE ROLE OF STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP IN EFFECTIVESTRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION: PERCEPTIONS OF SOUTH AFRICAN STRATEGIC LEADERS The effectiveness and importance of strategy implementation In some of organizations from South African, it was found that the strategy implementation is more important than strategy formulation and can be see that the ability to implement a strategy in an organisation is more likely important than the ability to formulate a strategy in an organisation. Strategy implementation can be more difficult than the strategy formulation. This study was founded that the effectiveness of strategy implementation in South African organizations can help the organisation to gain the effectiveness of organisation. It can show that, the strategy implementation more effectiveness to be used it within the organisation. Barriers to effective strategy implementation There are some barriers to achieve the effectiveness of strategy implementation : The workforce are poorly to understanding of the strategy and the most of important barriers to effective strategy implementation is there are an ineffective communication of the strategy among the workforce Another major barrier to an effective strategy implementation is strategic leadership is not perceived. Drivers of strategy implementation The importance of the drivers of strategy implementation : The most important driver of strategy implementation is strategic leadership. Strategic leadership contributes positively to the effective implementation of a strategy within an organization Many all of authors stated that the key of strategy implementation is strategic leadership (Hrebiniak 2005; Collins 2001; Useem 1998, 2001; Locke Kirkpatrick 1991; Freedman Tregoe 2003; Hitt et al. 2007; Hsieh Yik 2005; Bossidy Charan 2002; Thompson Strickland 2003; Hussey 1998; Kaplan Norton 2004). In fact, the effectiveness of strategy implementation is based on the strategic leaders of the organisation and to get the effectiveness to implementing strategy within the organisation, it is only through effective strategic leadership. (Hitt et al. 2007). The role of strategic leadership actions in strategy implementation The most important role in effective strategy implementation is the strategic leadership. The other of the important roles in strategy implementation is development of human capital, the exploitation and maintenance of core competencies. The development of social capital is the strategic leadership action is to play the least important role in effective strategy implementation. Strategy Evaluation The last phase of this management process is evaluation. Weiss (1972) define the purpose of evaluation as measuring the effects on given task whether it is according to the goals and objective of the organization. Thus, an improvement or corrective action should be taken after the evaluation has been made. It is really important to use a SWOT analysis to figure out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for both external and internal factors. This may require taking certain precautionary measures to change the entire strategy. Research methodologies need to be used to quantify the outcome from the evaluation against the goals that has been made to create a success. Weiss agree that goals are really important in an evaluation to improve the performance. Evaluation done by reviewing current strategies, measure the performance and take the corrective actions. The need of an evaluation is to know the success of the organization. Certo and Peter (1991) stated that the evalua tion needs information about strategic performance to compare it with existing standards. Balanced scorecard (BSC) is an example of one of the popular approaches to evaluate the organization performance. It was first introduced by Kaplan and Norton (1992. 1996a). The BSC typically is a method that allows an organization to indicate its vision, develop and communicate a strategy to achieve the established vision and convert the developed strategy into action. 4. Conclusion In general, strategic management can be used to determine mission, vision, values, goals, objectives, roles and responsibilities. Strategic management is important in the organization to know the objectives and the aim of the organizations. The nature of strategic management also involve about the process or stages. This study was focused on the strategic management process. Strategic management process has three stages which is strategy formulation, strategy implementation and strategy evaluation. The strategic management process is becoming more widely used by small firms, large companies, nonprofit institutions, governmental organizations, and multinational conglomerates alike. It represents a logical, systematic, and objective approach for determining an organizations future direction. All the three stages of the process were important for all the organization. This is because those process are more likely as a guideline to the organization to manage their organization. Without a proper strategy the successful and the effectiveness cannot be occur. A good strategist plans and controls his or her plans, whereas a bad strategist never plans and then tries to control people. We can conclude that the strategy is important within the organization which as a direction for organization to manage their management. Without a strategy, an organization is like a ship without a rudder, going around in circles. Its like a tramp; it has no place to go. Joel Ross and Michael Kami

Changes in Operations are Needed for Future Threats and Terrorism in th

Threats and terrorism will always exist and are constantly evolving. Even after the dreadful 9/11 attacks, terrorists remain diligent at planning attacks against the United States and its allies. Although not on the same scale as the 9/11 attacks, terrorists have successfully executed plots in the United States, the United Kingdom and France. For example, on April 15, 2013, an attack at the Boston Marathon occurred, killing three people and injuring 264 individuals. In the United Kingdom, on 7 July 2005, the London bombing incidents took place. Fifty-two individuals were killed and 700 were injured. On 7 January 2015, there was a mass shooting at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo office in Paris. On 13 November 2015, terrorists have successfully executed the single deadliest terrorist attack in French history. Multiple shooting and grenade attacks occurred on a Friday night; among the locations targeted were a music venue, sports stadium and an ethnic restaurant. This very s hort list does not take into account the U.S., U.K. and French citizens which fall victim to the endless series of beheadings and bombing in the Middle East. No matter the type of attack or the number of casualties, terrorist activities continue have a great effect on the U.S. and its allies. Transnational crimes are constant issues as well. Transnational crimes can be terrorism, drug, weapon, and human trafficking, smuggling of goods, and cyber crimes. Adversaries in foreign nations also commit corporate espionage and implant computer viruses by infiltrating the nation’s network systems. All of these crimes affect the U.S.; therefore, it is important that law enforcement and intelligence agencies work together to limit the amount of crimes and... ...atu, S., & Fainisi, F. (2011). INTERNATIONAL CYBER SECURITY THROUGH CO-OPERATION. Economics, Management and Financial Markets, 6(2), 438-448. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/884338908?accountid=28180 Rascoff, S. J. (2010). The law of homegrown (counter)terrorism. Texas Law Review, 88(7), 1715-1749. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/722437512?accoun tid=28180 Rosen, N. (2006). Thinking like a jihadist: Iraq's jordanian connection. World Policy Journal, 23(1), 1-16. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/232587503?accountid=28180 Tokatlian, J. G. (2008). A new doctrine of insecurity? U.S. military deployment in South America. NACLA Report on the Americas, 41(5), 6-10. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/202714393?accountid=28180

Long Distance Learning Essay -- Education Research Learn Essays

Long Distance Learning Distance education allows you to study at home or in your office, according to your own schedule, there are no classes to attend. Generally, each course comes with a manual that may be accompanied by videotapes, audiotapes, audio CDs, computer diskettes, CD-ROMs, etc., depending on the nature of the course. As well, many courses incorporate computer conferencing, e-mail, listservs, computer-based quizzes, and the Internet. Some courses are entirely on-line, using the World Wide Web as an innovative learning environment. Distance education provides a contemporary means through which the University may expand in aiding others in furthering their education. The Open Learning program is an open admission distance-only mode of study that provides access to degree-credit university courses for individuals who wish to study independently but are not interested in pursuing a degree at the University level at the present time. You may register in the Open Learning program, even if you are registered at another educational institution or program. The Open Learning program extends the academic resources of the University to those interested in personal enrichment, professional updating, or eventual application to a degree program. Open learning program students must complete the same assignments and examinations as those in degree programs and is evaluated using the same standards. Upon successful completion of a course, learners receive the same credit we...

Comparative Analysis of Economic and Political Cleavages in South Afric

Comparative Analysis of Economic and Political Cleavages in South Africa and Zimbabwe Introduction Comparative politics is concerned with examining the characteristics or qualities of two different political entities to discover resemblances or differences. These entities can be general in nature, for example, the comparison of two countries, or more specific in nature, comparing two different systems of government. But, whether general or specific in nature, comparative politics tries to determine what caused the governments to form in the way that they did. One way to do this is to look for the cleavages that affected each of the countries in question. A cleavage is a split that occurs within a culture and can cause conflict Cleavages can be in the form of : Economic divisions between two or more groups based on financial considerations. Ethnic divisions between two or more groups based on cultural beliefs. Political divisions between two or more parties involving conflicting ideologies. Racial divisions between two or more races. Regional divisions between two or more groups based on geographical concerns. Religious divisions between two or more religious groups with differing beliefs. This paper intends to demonstrate that the comparative method may be used to better understand the socioeconomic and political cleavages within two specific countries, and that this study may lead to a clearer understanding of the issues within the chosen countries that are causing those divisions. The countries that will be examined in this brief study of cleavages are Zimbabwe and the Republic of South Africa. It is hoped that by examining specific socioeconomic cleavages of the two countries in th... ...izer. Mbeki should do something similar. The health of a country ultimately resides in the well-being of its citizens. Works Cited Dunn, Kate. "Learning from Zimbabwe's bitter lessons." Christian Science Monitor. 09/15/2000, Vol. 92 Issue 206, p 8. Dunn, Kate. "Surfeit of Ideas, But still no land reform in Zimbabwe." Christian Science Monitor. 11/08/2000, Vol. 92 Issue 243, p 7. The Economist, "South Africa's anxious eyes on Zimbabwe." 04115/2000, Vol. 355 Issue 8166, p 39. The Economist, "Zimbabwe's tighter belts, and shorter tempers." 0/28/00, Vol. 355, p 41. Meldrurn, Andrew. "African leaders criticize Mugabe for farm seizures." www.guardianunlimited.co.uk, 12/01/2000. Owen, Danielle. "Land reform overdue in South Africa," Progress Report. www.progress.org UNAIDS. www.unaids.org. Statistics of AIDS on a country by country basis.

Proposition and Religion Essay

The State and the Church are of two different entities and usually it is the Church which turns out to be more powerful. Whenever controversial issues arise, the Church is always there to give its stand and influence the billions of believers. The Pope is much more powerful than the President of the United States after all. Several moral issues are currently on the hot seat right now. Last February 23, actor Sean Penn won an Oscar for playing a gay politician. The movie Milk earned the respect and recognition of several organizations in the country. In Penn’s speech, he purposely mentioned his advocacy in fighting for gay rights as to having equal rights in the society. Joining him in his fight are the good-looking couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who refuse to get married until every gets the right to do so. A lot of very influential and famous people have already expressed their stand with this very sensitive issue. And slowly, the world is becoming more aware of the change that the world wants. It is the new generation that will definitely be affected with this issue. And with the media’s most influential people calling for support, can the sacred marriage for man and woman be finally twisted? The issue for gay marriage or homosexual marriage became more contentious as the Proposition 8 in California was finally passed in November 4, 2008. The proposition affirms that the matrimony of marriage should only be retained to heterosexuals only. Same-sex marriage should be abolished all over the world—this is a hit to the state Nevada where gay couples are usually married (McCoy 27). In the new section of the bill (7. 5) Article I reads that â€Å"Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California (Cott 218). † This proposition was immediately implemented the day after, Nov. 5. A huge amount of money was raised in each of the opposing and supporting parties. The ones supporting the campaign raised an enormous amount of $39. 9 million while the opposing party took it to another level by surpassing the supporting team by around $4 million (the opposition raised $43. 3 million). This campaign was definitely largest in the history of supporting ballot (Donors 3). The proponents of the ballot emphasized the sacristy of marriage by just giving it to heterosexuals. Religion is a huge factor as their principles are backed up by moral issues and religious beliefs. The proponents also pointed out their worry to the future generation as allowing this would teach the generation that gay marriage is okay—the point that the opponents are actually emphasizing. The opponents believed that marriage is an essential aspect in a human being’s life and that everyone should be given chance to do it—whatever their sexuality is. The proponents of the proposition are mostly Catholic and conservatives. These are the people who believe that we should stick to what we are used to believe—in this case, heterosexuals are only allowed to be married. As mentioned earlier, the Church is very powerful and influential. Such is its power that it can stop a government from sentencing death to a criminal. Aside from that, these religious institutions are exempted from paying taxes. If these religious institutions are very influential and never fail to mix politics with their beliefs, should they be exempted from paying taxes? Religious institutions, such as churches and some schools led by religious leaders, are exempted from taxes. In turn, these institutions get to save a lot of from their spending as their role is to help nourish the society. It was understandable in the beginning and such respect is given to these institutions anyway. However, as time passed by, the role of being the protector and the counselor of the people became out of hand. Aside from their conventional roles in the society, these institutions use their influences on their people with regard to their stand in politics. Some of the religious leaders even run for a seat in the government. The involvement of religious institutions in politics gives them an unfair advantage over those ordinary citizens. The exemption of taxes to these religious institutions gives them more power and medium to access the mass media and influence the not-so-informed people. If they still wish to be exempted from taxes, they should stay away from politics and just continue doing the right thing—which is to spread the Word of God and live it. What they are doing now is they using their â€Å"good† image to convince people to stick with the norms and the conventional while the whole world is ready to embrace the change that it should have done a long time ago. Works Cited Cott, Nancy. Public Vows. Harvard University Press, 2002. â€Å"Donors Pumped $83 Million Into Prop. 8 Race. † cbc5. com. 2 February 2009. 13 March 2009 . McCoy, Candace. Politics and Plea Bargaining: Victim’s Rights in California. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993.