Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Business to Business Marketing & Supply Chain Management Essay

Business to Business Marketing & Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Significantly, the success of an organisation must be pegged on the supply chain as pasrt of the vital elements in the system structure. Observably, supply chain is often regarded as the process of integrating companies and their operations together with regard to the flow of products, services along with other aspects of modern businesses (Ellis, 2010). Basically, the supply chain process entails the contribution of a supplier, distributer along with an instantaneous customer, and this further incorporates the flow of gods and the services of an organisation. In modern business practices, the supply chain retains its critical importance as it is directly associated with the operational wellbeing of the business (Warkentin, 2003). Correspondingly, this particular discussion will primarily deal with analysing the importance as well as the role of supply chain management in the domain of business-to-business marketing. The paper will also conclude some of the major prevailing issues as sociated with the supply chain management with considerations of two different industries, which will include the Textile Manufacturing Industry of China and Chemical Industry in Singapore in a macro prospective. Supply Chain Management (SCM) is one of the most integral processes in the contemporary business environment. It will not be vague to depict that it is one of major elements, which can directly decide upon the success potentials or failure risks of a company, irrespective of its industrial positioning. SCM is often defined as the management of the flow of goods within any particular business context. It primarily involves the movement of materials or finished goods from one domain of the business to the other in a systematic manner, ensuring time effectiveness in each of the stages involved in the supply chain process. The process of supply chain in the modern day business context also involves the

Monday, October 28, 2019

Direct and Online Marketing - the New Marketing Model Essay Example for Free

Direct and Online Marketing the New Marketing Model Essay I. INTRODUCTION With the growth of the Internet community and the limitless possibilities the Internet gives to the single user, it didnt take long before someone realized that the World Wide Web is a really good place for the commercial entrepreneur. So, very quickly the online market was born, offering almost all kinds of goods to be purchased and delivered to your door. This new online sensation was called electronic commerce, or ecommerce. E-commerce is a complex term referring to the process of selling and buying products and services over the Internet or other electronic systems. Considered as the sales aspect of the e-business, the electronic commerce has revolutionized trade as a routine activity for the contemporary man by bringing the marketplace to your home or the office, thus saving you time and efforts. The development of e-commerce has given birth to new terms such as electronic funds transfer, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), Internet marketing, automated data collection systems, etc. They all designate certain key components of the sophisticated e-commerce system. The majority of processes running within the e-commerce system are carried out on the World Wide Web. It is on the web where goods and services are presented through variously designed e-commerce websites to match the taste of a particular target audience. From there customers can order the desired items and pay for them in a variety of supported e-payment options such as credit cards, PayPal, etc. Certain e-commerce operations are executed via email as well. These may include sending order placement confirmations or electronic invoice notifications to the buyers personal mailbox after a particular purchase. Depending on the nature of the offered products and services, ecommerce operations may involve virtual and physical items. Due to the increasing use of the Internet in our daily lives, the percentage of the virtual items distributed through ecommerce is rapidly growing. These include services like buying admission to limited access websites or electronic versions of newspapers and magazines, online gaming, etc. Nevertheless, the majority of e-commerce transactions are still related to the purchase and transportation of physical items. As far as the parties involved in the online transaction process are concerned, ecommerce can be thought of as being business-to-consumer, more popular as B2C, and business-to-business, also known as B2B. The B2C ecommerce, conducted between business entities and consumers, includes all online stores (e-shops) offering retail products and services to end customers such as flower stores, shoe stores, furniture stores, etc. The B2B commerce, on the other hand, takes place between business entities only, such as wholesalers and retailers, on not that widely popular web stores. The rapid expansion of ecommerce has made it possible for almost all big retail companies to set up their own online stores with regularly updated content. Thus, it is now easier than ever to obtain an item from the latest collection of your favorite clothes brand, or be among the first to take advantage of a starting clearance campaign. Moreover, the ecommerce fashion is gradually infecting smaller retail companies, which find it as a good chance to expand their reach to potential customers and increase the selling volumes. This trend is stimulated by the attractive low-cost ecommerce hosting services offered by different hosts on the web. II. ONLINE MARKETING Online marketing, also known as online advertisement, internet marketing, online marketing or e-marketing, is the marketing and promotion of products or services over the Internet. Online advertising is a form of promotion that uses the Internet and World Wide Web to deliver marketing messages to attract customers. TYPES OF ONLINE MARKETING * Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engines natural or un-paid (organic) search results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engines users. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search, academic search, news search and industry-specific vertical search engines. As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search engines and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content, HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic. The plural of the abbreviation SEO can refer to search engine optimizers, those who provide SEO service. * Pay-Per-Click Advertising (also called cost per click) is an Internet advertising model used to direct traffic to websites, where advertisers pay the publisher (typically a website owner) when the ad is clicked. With search engines, advertisers typically bid on keyword phrases relevant to their target market. Content sites commonly charge a fixed price per click rather than use a bidding system. PPC display advertisements, also known as banner ads, are shown on web sites or search engine results with related content that have agreed to show ads. In contrast to the generalized portal, which seeks to drive a high volume of traffic to one site, PPC implements the so-called affiliate model that provides purchase opportunities wherever people may be surfing. It does this by offering financial incentives (in the form of a percentage of revenue) to affiliated partner sites. The affiliates provide purchase-point click-through to the merchant. It is a pay-for-performance model: If an affiliate does not generate sales, it represents no cost to the merchant. Variations include banner exchange, pay-per-click, and revenue sharing programs. Websites that utilize PPC ads will display an advertisement when a keyword query matches an advertisers keyword list, or when a content site displays relevant content. Such advertisements are called sponsored links or sponsored ads, and appear adjacent to, above, or beneath organic results on search engine results pages, or anywhere a web developer chooses on a content site. Among PPC providers, Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, and Microsoft adCenter used to be the three largest network operators, and all three operate under a bid-based model. In 2010, Yahoo and Microsoft launched their combined effort against Google and Microsofts Bing began to be the search engine that Yahoo used to provide its search results. Since they joined forces, their PPC platform was renamed AdCenter. Their combined network of third party sites that allow AdCenter ads to populate banner and text ads on their site is called BingAds. The PPC advertising model is open to abuse through click fraud, although Google and others have implemented automated systems to guard against abusive clicks by competitors or corrupt web developers. * Email Marketing is directly marketing a commercial message to a group of people using email. In its broadest sense, every email sent to a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing. It usually involves using email to send ads, request business, or solicit sales or donations, and is meant to build loyalty, trust, or brand awareness. Email marketing can be done to either cold lists or current customer database. Broadly, the term is usually used to refer to: * Sending email messages with the purpose of enhancing the relationship of a merchant with its current or previous customers, to encourage customer loyalty and repeat business, * Sending email messages with the purpose of acquiring new customers or convincing current customers to purchase something immediately, * Adding advertisements to email messages sent by other companies to their customers Researchers estimate that United States firms alone spent US $1.51 billion on email marketing in 2011 and will grow to $2.468 billion by 2016. * Affiliate Marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliates own marketing efforts. The industry has four core players: the merchant (also known as retailer or brand), the network (that contains offers for the affiliate to choose from and also takes care of the payments), the publisher (also known as the affiliate), and the customer. The market has grown in complexity to warrant a secondary tier of players, including affiliate management agencies, super-affiliates and specialized third party vendors. Affiliate marketing overlaps with other Internet marketing methods to some degree, because affiliates often use regular advertising methods. Those methods include organic search engine optimization (SEO), paid search engine marketing (PPC Pay Per Click), e-mail marketing, and in some sense display advertising. On the other hand, affiliates sometimes use less orthodox techniques, such as publishing reviews of products or services offered by a partner. Affiliate marketing is commonly confused with referral marketing, as both forms of marketing use third parties to drive sales to the retailer. However, both are distinct forms of marketing and the main difference between them is that affiliate marketing relies purely on financial motivations to drive sales while referral marketing relies on trust and personal relationships to drive sales. Affiliate marketing is frequently overlooked by advertisers. While search engines, e-mail, and website syndication capture much of the attention of online retailers, affiliate marketing carries a much lower profile. Still, affiliates continue to play a significant role in e-retailers marketing strategies. * Display Advertising is a type of advertising that typically contains text (i.e., copy), logos, photographs or other images, location maps, and similar items. In periodicals, display advertising can appear on the same page as, or on the page adjacent to, general editorial content. In contrast, classified advertising generally appears in a distinct section, was traditionally text-only, and was available in a limited selection of typefaces. Display advertisements are not required to contain images, audio, or video: Textual advertisements are also used where text may be more appropriate or more effective. An example of textual advertisements is commercial messages sent to mobile device users, or email. One common form of display advertising involves billboards. Posters, fliers, transit cards, tents, scale models are examples of display advertising.. Display advertising appears on web pages in many forms, including web banners. Banner ad standards continue to evolve. * Blogging. A weblog, also called a blog, is a journal that is maintained by a blogger and contains information that is instantly published to their blog website. Blogging is a very popular activity. The number of online users creating and maintaining blogs has increased dramatically over the past year. The number Internet users who read these blogs has also shot up, with some blogs boasting thousands, even millions of daily dedicated readers. Blog marketing is any process that publicizes or advertises a website, business, brand or service via the medium of blogs. This includes, but is not limited to marketing via ads placed on blogs, recommendations and reviews by the blogger, promotion via entries on third party blogs and cross-syndication of information across multiple blogs. * Community Building. An online community is a virtual community that exists online and whose members enable its existence through taking part in membership ritual. An online community can take the form of an information system where anyone can post content, such as a Bulletin board system or one where only a restricted number of people can initiate posts, such as Weblogs. Online communities have also become a supplemental form of communication between people who know each other primarily in real life. Many means are used in social separately or in combination, including text-based chat rooms and forums that use voice, video text or avatars. Significant socio-technical change may have resulted from the proliferation of such Internet-based social networks. * Social Media Marketing refers to the process of gaining website traffic or attention through social media sites. Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. A corporate message spreads from user to user and presumably resonates because it appears to come from a trusted, third-party source, as opposed to the brand or company itself. Hence, this form of marketing is driven by word-of-mouth, meaning it results in earned media rather than paid media. Social media has become a platform that is easily accessible to anyone with internet access. Increased communication for organizations fosters brand awareness and often, improved customer service. Additionally, social media serves as a relatively inexpensive platform for organizations to implement marketing campaigns. Social media marketing involves the use of social networks, COBRAs and eWOM to successfully advertise online. Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter provide advertisers with information about the likes and dislikes of their consumers. This technique is crucial, as it provides the businesses with a â€Å"target audience†. With social networks, information relevant to the user’s likes is available to businesses; who then advertise accordingly. Consumer’s online brand related activities (COBRAs) is another method used by advertisers to promote their products. An activity such as uploading a picture of your â€Å"new Converse sneakers to Facebook† is an example of a COBRA. Another technique for social media marketing is electronic word of mouth (eWOM). Electronic recommendations and appraisals are a convenient manner to have a product promoted via â€Å"consumer-to-consumer interactions†. An example of eWOM would be an online hotel review; the hotel company can have two possible outcomes based on their service. A good service would result in a positive review which gets the hotel free advertisement via social media; however a poor service will result in a negative consumer review which can potentially ruin the companys reputation. ADVANTAGE OF ONLINE MARKETING These are some of the many advantages that online marketing offers over traditional media outlets: 1. Reduced Cost The starting cost of online marketing is only a fraction of the thousands of dollars that Yellow Pages, television and radio ads cost. For example, you can get a free listing on Google Local that will be just as effective as a costly online Yellow Pages ad. In addition, while traditional ads may only run for a short time, a search engine optimization campaign can deliver long-term results. You can also save money with online Pay-Per-Click advertising where it is easy to experiment with small ad volumes until you perfect your strategy and then expand your marketing budget when you are assured of a positive sales return. 2. Everything Is Measurable When you place an ad in the newspaper or a magazine, it can be difficult to assess the direct sales impact for your business. With online marketing, everything can be tracked and illustrated in detailed graphs that illustrate traffic growth, leads and sales conversions from your specific search marketing campaigns. Using a free traffic analysis tool like Google Analytics, it is easy to calculate your return on investment (ROI) so you can appreciate the excellent value generated from your online marketing budget. 3. Brand Engagement In the crowded market, you need to establish and maintain positive brand awareness and client loyalty. Apart from word-of-mouth and leveraging your personal relationships with your established clients, a website is the most important marketing tool a business can have. A regularly updated website with well-written content that maintains people’s interest is essential to showing people exactly how your business is distinctive and how you offer the best value to your clients. 4. Demographic Targeting The degree to which an online marketing campaign can target and measure the response from specific demographics and regions is often astonishing to business owners who normally use traditional media. New demographic prediction and online advertising platforms allow you to specifically target the specific consumer demographics most likely to buy your products. In particular, if you want to target young people between the ages of 16-30, youll need an online marketing strategy to reach them where they spend the bulk of their time: On the Internet and on social media sites. 5. Real-Time Results With online marketing you don’t have to wait weeks to see a significant boost in your business. With a paid search marketing campaign you can experience real-time results that enable you to fine-tune your marketing message to achieve your desired effect. If your marketing strategy isnt working effectively, real-time monitoring tools allow you to easily pin-point exactly where you are going wrong. 6. Easily Refine Your Strategy Using online marketing analytics and tracking tools you can test conversion rates at a fraction of the cost of a traditional media campaign. Online marketing levels the playing field and allows savvy small businesses to compete in competitive niches that previously would only be open to large corporations and their massive marketing budgets. If your marketing strategy is not bringing in the return on investment (ROI) that you desire, you can work to perfect it without having to launch an expensive new campaign as would be required with most traditional media outlets. 7. Long-Term Exposure The benefit of an organic search marketing campaign that optimizes a website for specific keywords is that you will achieve a long-term return on your investment. Once your website’s visibility is well-established with search engines, it is easy to do regular low-cost maintenance of your strategy. The early adopters of new online marketing platforms like social media marketing will have a significant head start over their competition. 8. Product Information Today’s savvy consumers want to compare reviews and opinions of friends, trusted bloggers and industry experts before they make a decision. If you can provide quality, linkable information that is what people are looking for, then the next step of converting users into paying clients can be very easy. With social media networks like Facebook and Twitter re-enforcing the value of positive word-of-mouth exposure, trust is more important than ever in the marketing field. 9. Less Intrusive Most savvy consumers dislike intrusive traditional marketing methods like direct mailing, print ads and television advertisements. When someone buys a newspaper or magazine, they want to read interesting articles not be bombarded with irrelevant ads. While mediums like television can still be useful for maintaining awareness of large corporate brands, it is not an effective medium for most small and medium-size businesses. With online marketing, you can target consumers precisely when they are searching for products and services that your business can provide. 10. Holds Their Attention When people read the newspaper or a magazine they may scan over the advertisements beside the article but there is no way to engage their attention. With online marketing you can encourage them to take action, visit your website and read about your products and services which results in vastly increased â€Å"stickiness† of your marketing message.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

A Hobbesian and Heroic Unreflective Citizenship Essays -- Hobbes Plato

A Hobbesian and Heroic Unreflective Citizenship In Meno, Plato asks â€Å"what virtue itself is† (Plato 60). This dialogue on virtue between Socrates and Meno ably frames a wider dialogue on ethics between Thomas Hobbes, the Greek heroic tradition, and the sophists of 5th century Athens. Hobbes’ Leviathan and Aristophanes’ The Clouds introduce three classes of ethical actors to respond to Plato’s inquiry: Hobbes’ ethical lemmings, the heroic ethical traditionalists, and the sophist ethical opportunists. The Meno also helps capture the essence of contemporary discussion of the morality of desire and emotivism, as articulated by Roberto Mangabeira Unger in Knowledge and Politics and Alasdair MacIntyre in After Virtue. Finally, I will examine—and then problematize— the Hobbesian and heroic responses to ethical subjectivism. SOCRATES: Meno, by the gods, what do you yourself say that virtue is? MENO: †¦There is virtue for every action and every age, for every task of ours and every one of us. (Meno 60-61) Meno helps Plato articulate the implications of subjectivism and the arbitrary designation of value. Roberto Mangabeira Unger’s discussion of the â€Å"morality of desire† (Unger 49) and Alasdair MacIntyre’s description of emotivism formalize the ethical importance of Meno’s inability to disaggregate the self from a definition of virtue. According to Unger, â€Å"[t]he morality of desire defines the good as the satisfaction of desire, the reaching of the goals to which our appetites and aversions incline us. The task of ethics on this view is to teach us how to organize life so that we shall approach contentment† (49). In a similar vein, MacIntyre describes emotivism in After Virtue: â€Å"Emotivism is the doctrine that all evaluative judgme... ...valuation, but can ensure the engagement of informed citizens and offer the choice and contrast between competing paradigms. Plato’s wisdom does not reside in his provision of definitions, but his understanding of the intrinsic good of an autonomous process of thinking, searching, and questioning—all of which absolute standards ignore. Works Cited Aristophanes. The Clouds. Trans. and foreword by William Arrowsmith. Forrest, W.G. The Emergence of Greek Democracy. Guthrie, W.C. A History of Greek Philosophy. Hobbes. Leviathan. Trans. Herbert W. Schneider. MacIntyre, Alasdair. After Virtue. 2nd Ed. University of Notre Dame Press: Notre Dame, Indiana, 1984. MacIntyre, Alasdair. A Short History of Ethics. Plato. Five Dialogues : Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo. Trans G. M. A. Grube. Unger, Roberto Mangabeira. Knowledge and Politics.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Ethic Awareness Inventory Essay

The Ethic Awareness Inventory at the University of Phoenix was created to assist its students with their development of a deeper understanding of what their personal ethical perspective and style is. The online survey enables students to learn more about their Character, Obligation, Results, and Equity (CORE). According to the Ethics Awareness Inventory my ethical perspective is most likely to be based on obligation, and least likely to be based on equity. In this paper, I will describe the results of this inventory to my personal and professional development. The table below shows the results of my Ethic Awareness Inventory. SCORING SUMMARYC O R EMOST 5955LEAST 52611COMBINED SCORE 07-1-6ObligationAccording to the results I tend to base my ethical perspective on an individual’s duty to do what is morally right. On this style is known for the reject the use of power or control to suppress opposition to the â€Å"accepted† perspective, embracing broad representation in ethical decision making. One thing that I hate is Micro Management. I think this type of management can be found almost everywhere and I don’t agree with it. My personal experience my employees work better and produce more when I let them do their work without being a Micro Manager. I think this is better for the workplace and the moral as a whole. EquityMy results reflected that my Ethic Style is least likely to be bases on Equity. This is due because I think that there are absolute standards of right and wrong. I don’t think that practical day-today experience is the only reasonable guide to action. I think that everyday there is something new to learn and a different way to do your job. I learned this during my military career were we are doing more with less. Also my university education has open my mind on this prospective. ConclusionBefore beginning classes at the University of Phoenix Ethics were not something that I thought much about. After three years of classes and countless readings and understanding the principles of ethics I have learned there is an importance in managing ethics in the workplace as a professional. It holds tremendous benefits for organizations and its employees, both moral and practical. References University of Phoenix Open rEsource; retrieved 9 December 2007 from:https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/eai/1-eai-intro.asp

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

WorldCom, Inc Corporate Bond Issuance

This case raises many interesting questions concerning the record setting issuance of corporate debt by WorldCom, Inc. (â€Å"WorldCom†). Both the surprisingly voluminous structure of the proposed issuance and the foreboding macro-economic climate in which it was slated spark concerns over the risk and cost of the move. One of the first questions that must be addressed is whether WorldCom’s timing was appropriate. Next, the company’s choice of structure for the bond issuance must be analyzed. Finally, the cost of issuing each tranche of debt must be estimated in order to determine how much WorldCom is actually giving up to achieve the $6 billion in funds. Timing of the Bond Issuance – Advantages In determining whether the first week of August 1998 was the most opportune time for WorldCom to market such a large bond issuance, the advantages of this time must be weighed against the disadvantages. First, we will cover the advantages. The announcement of WorldCom’s monumental merger with MCI had recently boosted awareness and interest in the firm in a positive way (as evidenced by the surge in stock-price). This was especially important since the merger was set to be financed by the issue, thus incentivizing investors to partake. WorldCom would not have had sufficient funds to complete the merger without the issue, and a WorldCom and MCI merger would be extremely advantageous for all parties involves. Post merger, WorldCom’s credit rating was expected elevate, which would enable the company to borrow at a lower rate. Finally, the macro-economic crisis in Asia had recently shifted investors’ interest away from equities to corporate bonds and treasuries, thus drawing even more interest in the WorldCom opportunity. Timing of the Bond Issue – Disadvantages Although the advantages are numerous, the disadvantages of WorldCom’s timing are seemingly more persuasive. WorldCom had chosen to market the issuance in a time when corporate yield spreads over treasuries had increased, thus granting investors the ability to demand more return. In addition, WorldCom was not the only company issuing a large supply of bonds at that time. In fact, there were many issues set to hit the market around the same time. The sudden influx of corporate debt into the market would apply pressure on the price of the bonds while granting investors a wide range of opportunity and control. In addition, the economic turmoil in Asia at the time had caused a great deal of uncertainty about the future of the fixed-income market and the overall economy, thus pushing investors towards default-free treasury securities and away from corporate debt. Structure of the Issuance WorldCom has the option to extend its bank loan credit facility or to issue this large $6 billion in debt. It plans to use the rolling commercial paper program to pay British Telecommunications for MCI’s share purchases, and then use bond proceeds to pay off the commercial paper program. This signals that WorldCom does not need the money immediately for a single corporate purpose, and does not need the money immediately. Therefore, perhaps it makes sense for World Com to issue the bonds in smaller installments rather than flooding the market with $6 billion in debt all at once. The first reason for this is that, if an underwriter must first purchase the bonds before selling to investors, an underwriter may demand greater spread in order to justify taking down an entire $6 billion in debt using the bank’s capital assets. The second reason is that, regardless of underwriting structure, market demand might not match market supply. If WorldCom is planning to issue $6 billion on top of other issuance this week, traders might not have sufficient inquiry to justify purchasing large amounts of bonds. Choosing a Bond Issue Instead of a Direct Bank Loan WorldCom could also choose to increase its bank loan use. However, use of a direct bank loan has associated with it several drawbacks for an issuer. First, WorldCom (or any corporate issuer) is often required to post collateral. Second, banks often require restrictive covenants which can be either positive or negative; for example, requiring a company to maintain a certain rate-setting procedure (positive), or preventing a company from engaging in a leveraged buyout transaction (negative). Estimated Cost of the Issuance From the covenants contained we can see that there are no embedded options in WorldCom’s proposed bonds. Thus, we can use the conventional 3-step approach to price the bonds. The first step is to estimate the cash flow that WorldCom could expect to receive over the life of the bonds. If the coupon rate is equivalent to the yield required by the market, then the bond will sell at par value. Thus, we set the coupon rate equivalent to the yield required by the market because we believe the bonds would sell at par. The next step is to determine the appropriate interest rate. Investors will require a yield premium over the U. S. Treasury security (Exhibit 1). This yield premium reflects the additional risks that investors will accept. For WorldCom, who was currently rated Baa2 by Moody’s Investors Service and BBB+ by Standard & Poor’s, the 3-years, 5-years, 7-years, and 30years bond spread over Treasury security should be 66BP, 75BP, 82BP, 107BP respectively (see Exhibit 2). Accordingly, the interest rate would be 6. 14%, 6. 26%, 6. 38%, and 6. 80% respectively. The final step is to determine the present value of the expected cash flow calculated in the first step, using the interest rate computed in the second step. Since we have used the yield that the market required as our coupon rate, the bond will be issued at par. So, using the information gathered, analysts may come up with a yield of 6. 14%, 6. 26%, 6. 38%, and 6. 80% for the 3-years, 5-years, 7-years, and 30years bond respectively (Exhibit 3). The deal was marketed to investors and the book was built. Compared with the data on the recent prices of the bonds of telecommunications and media firms (Exhibit 4), this cost of financing was not so high. However, it was the beginning of financial crises. In times of recessions, investors may concern that issuers will face a decline in cash flow that would be used to service its bond obligations. As a result, the credit spread tends to widen and the price of all such issues throughout the economy will decline. Conclusion Overall, it appears that the cost of financing will be reasonable. However, there are individual market factors that occur on the date of issuance that will still be determined. Underwriter preference, market demand, unexpected market dislocation, Federal Reserve action or announcements and other factors could suddenly uproot WorldCom’s plans for a smooth issuance process.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Irish Potato Famine essays

Irish Potato Famine essays There have been many enormous tragedies throughout the history of this world, and its staggering to think about how many people lost their lives because of these events. There are some such events, such as the Holocaust, where it is easy to pin the blame down on someone or a certain group, in this case being Hitler and the Nazis. There are however tragic events in history without such a clear single party to blame. One such event is the Irish potato famine where from 1845-1860 one million people died and two million people emigrated from Ireland. (Lecture 11/10) In this paper I hope to give an unbiased view of the human element involved in creating this enormous loss of life and displacement of millions. I will examine such factors as the social conditions of the time, behaviors of the peasants, behaviors of the English landlords and hopefully create an accurate picture of how such a horrific event could and did take place. In order to understand the social situation of the Irish people during and leading up to the famine we must understand their past. The most important thing to understand is that Ireland had been fighting for its independence from Englands rule for the entire duration of its existence. So basically there was a lot of fighting going on during the 17th and 18th centuries leading up to the famine, which did not allow a significant population of Irish to be established in order to resist the English. In 1801 The Act of Union, annulled the semi-independent Irish Parliament and transferred political power definitively from Ireland to London. This meant that the English owned and distributed the Irish land amongst the wealthy Englishmen of their country leaving the Irish with no control in their own country. These landowners then hired farmers to manage their land meanwhile they could live back in England reaping the benefits without any effort. The farmers then rented tiny individua l plots of lan...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Requirements to Be a Doctoral Candidate

Requirements to Be a Doctoral Candidate Informally known as All But Dissertation (or ABD), the doctoral candidate has completed all of the requirements for the doctoral degree with the exception of his or her  dissertation. A student usually advances to a doctoral candidate once he or she has completed all coursework required for the degree and has passed the doctoral comprehensive exam. As a doctoral candidate, the students final task is to complete the dissertation. The Long Road to Dissertation Although coursework may have come to an end once the students submit to be doctoral candidates, their journeys to full accreditation  as doctorates are far from over. Many doctoral candidates remain in the ABD status for several reasons including difficulty conducting research, time management and motivational deficits, interfering employment that distracts from research time, and ultimately a loss of interest in the subject matter.   Throughout their education, the advisor will conduct weekly to bi-weekly meetings with the student, guiding them along the path to a strong dissertation. The earlier you start working on yours during medical school, the better. Its best to keep in mind that the dissertation you develop must contain a specific hypothesis that can be tested and peer reviewed, supported or rejected by new data discovered by the student.   Ph.D. candidates  must work independently, which often leads to lengthy periods at the ABD status- especially if students made the common grad school mistake of not vetting their dissertation ideas through colleagues and faculty members while enrolled in the doctoral program. Time is a huge factor in the ability of a doctoral candidate to complete his or her dissertation, so waiting until the last minute to begin could result in these candidates remaining in limbo for many years before publishing their work. Defending the Dissertation Once a student does manage to complete his or her dissertation, the Ph.D. candidate then must defend their statement in front of a panel of faculty members. Fortunately, a dissertation advisor and committee are granted to students hoping to complete their doctorate. As a student, you should utilize these advisors to the fullest extent to ensure that your dissertation is ready for the public forum in which you must defend it.   Once the public defense of the candidates dissertation is completed to a satisfactory level, the committee overseeing the defense will submit a Defense Final Report form to the program and the student will submit the approved dissertation  electronically into the schools database, completing the final paperwork for their degree.   After the Dissertation From there provided that they pass the defense, the candidate will be awarded their full doctorate degree and will officially become an M.D. or Ph.D. and can begin shopping out their resume to potential employers and seek the recommendation letters of their advisors, faculty members, and friends in order to better their chances of gainful employment.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Versus and Its Abbreviations

Versus and Its Abbreviations Versus and Its Abbreviations Versus and Its Abbreviations By Maeve Maddox A reader wants to know more about the use of the word versus and its abbreviations: I have seen â€Å"versus† spelled out and abbreviated as both â€Å"vs.† and â€Å"v.† Is there any rhyme or reason to this word? The earliest citation of versus in the OED is in a legal context dated 1447: â€Å"John Husset versus John Notte.† The word comes from the Latin verb vertere: â€Å"to turn, turn back, be turned, translate.† Versus is the past participle of vertare. Its meanings in English include â€Å"against† and â€Å"as opposed or compared to†: The Parties Versus the People: How to Turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans Researchers examine autism differences in boys versus girls Depending on context, versus may be spelled out or abbreviated. The abbreviated form vs. is pronounced â€Å"versus.† The abbreviation for versus in the title of a case at law is the letter v followed by a period: Brown v. Board of Education Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission This legal abbreviation is usually pronounced like the name of the letter: â€Å"vee,† but I’ve heard lawyer characters on Law and Order say â€Å"versus.† Note: The title of a court case, like the title of a book, is italicized, including the v. In other contexts, the word versus and abbreviation vs. are not italicized. In British usage, the period after vs. is omitted. Versus, vs. and vs, are often used in headlines: Steelers hope breakout versus Colts only the start Dogs versus cats: Take the quiz! Minnesota launches deer vs. trees debate Babies vs Pets in Viral Advertising The Associated Press Stylebook recommends spelling out versus â€Å"in ordinary speech and writing† and abbreviating it as v. in court cases. According to AP, the abbreviation vs. is acceptable â€Å"in short expressions,† as in â€Å"The issue of guns vs. butter has long been with us.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:15 Terms for Those Who Tell the FutureAcronym vs. Initialism20 Names of Body Parts and Elements and Their Figurative Meanings

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Should minors who commit violent crimes be tried as adults Research Paper

Should minors who commit violent crimes be tried as adults - Research Paper Example but before a concrete decision is made there are a few hurdles that are to be crossed and issues to be looked at, and only after the examination of these issues the pros and cons of such hurdles are discussed one can reach a decision that would not only benefit the minor but also the society as a whole. This paper would look at some of these issues and cater to solutions of those issues by highlighting the advantages of those solutions. The first problem that arises in the decision of treating a minor as an adult in a trial is to know whether a minor has the intellectual and moral capacity to judge the consequences of his crime. In this fast paced modern world where almost everyone has access to media of some sort let it be movies or internet, which makes people aware of crimes and there consequences. I believe that it is one of the most basic things a child learns in his early years that for every bad action there will be consequences and it’s through this idea a child learns what is right and what is wrong. A child who is aware of the fact that a crime is a bad deed he must then be aware of the consequences it will bring. Now a days with the increase in violence around everyone it is just hard to believe that a child not matter how young he is, is unable to understand the effects of violence. It would be childish on our part to assume that a minor who is willing to commit a crime as heinous as murder is in nocent. A child who knows how to use a gun or any weapon to kill someone or use it for violence is fully aware of the consequences it will bring on himself, victim and the society, Reaves (2001). At what age then children develop that moral sense and understand the consequences of their actions? The solution to this problem would be to find a way to know whether a minor under question has developed that moral sense or not. Before the decision is made of

No need for topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

No need for topic - Assignment Example To justify racial discrimination, skin color was considered as an important qualification for members to fit into a certain group in the civil society. South America and South Africa were subjected to long periods of slavery and segregation based on race. Comparative history in America shows that the North and South regions differed greatly in their outlook toward slavery. American sectional conflict was experienced as the conflicting interests between the South and the North became evident over the debate about slavery. The North was known for its development and high profits earned from cotton farming while the South blamed Northern exaggeration in economic exploitation for their backwardness. However, the North considered slavery to be the stumbling block to South’s development. From 1830, the debate about slavery hardened between the two sections with the South defending it by saying that it benefited the Negroes (Frederickson 156). On the contrary, the Northerners argued that it was inhumane to violate human rights through subjecting them to bondage, repression and brutality inherent in slavery. The aggression between the two sections over slavery led to an antislavery movement in the American revolution that led to the abolishment of African slave trade by the congress. According to Douglass (Para 4), 4th of July is the day for celebration of independence and political freedom for the United States from colonialism. It reminds them of the acts, memories and the wonderful tell signs associated with liberation from colonial rule. The attainment and celebration was the beginning of a new life in the United States because it gave citizens the civil rights and freedom opportunity to participate in the building of the young American state. The term river is used to mean people’s actions, which may improve the well being of the society if positively initiated. On the other hand, if executed under fury

Friday, October 18, 2019

Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's Essay

Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's - Essay Example Plaintiffs also allege that they incurred substantial personal losses due to their respective purchases of Daou stock at fraudulently inflated prices (2005). The district court held that the plaintiffs had failed to state sufficiently particularize claims under the 1933 Securities Act and the 1934 Exchange Act (2005). Hence, Plaintiffs now appeal the district courts dismissal of their Third Amended Complaint (â€Å"TAC†) with prejudice (2005). Plaintiffs contend that Daou fraudulently inflated the price of its stock by reporting revenues before they were earned, in violation of GAAP (2005). They claim that the said company employed an accounting method known as the percentage-of-completion (â€Å"POC†) method, which is used primarily to account for progress on long-term projects (2005). Under this method, revenue from these projects could only be recognized based on the percentage of labor costs incurred to date compared to the total estimated labor costs for the project (2005). Plaintiffs allege, however, that defendants would prematurely recognize revenue in contravention of the POC method (2005). Hence, because of such artificial inflation of the price of Daou stock, Plaintiffs allege that Daou was able to acquire eleven companies, and Daou executives and their respective family members were able to sell nearly 2.5 million shares for a total of $54.67 million in improper proceeds (2005). Plaintiffs also allege th at to their detriment they purchased their Daou shares during the class period at artificially inflated prices and that, had they been aware of Daous true financial results and condition, they would not have purchased their shares, or at least not at the prices paid (2005).

Islam and West African Indigenous Religion Essay

Islam and West African Indigenous Religion - Essay Example Whether the local populations engaged in animism, polytheism, or other cultural heritage-derived beliefs, once Africa was directly invaded by the Turks and subsequently opened up by European traders, the Islamic religion became prevalent. The scope of this paper is to focus on the advent of the Islamic faith within the region and explain some of the factors that contributed to it. These factors can be generalized within three broad areas; geographical, historical, and behavioral. Through the combination of these causes, Islam became prolific and replaced much of the ancient indigenous practices. Africa is a diverse continent where the geography includes almost every possible landmass variation. From desert, tropical forests, mountains, and the plains of the savannah, the influence of the geography itself impacted how and when Islam spread. As Parrinder points out in his article, the expansion of non-native populations tended to take a vertical shape, almost assuredly due to the use o f the coastlines as entry points for foreign traders, but the land itself is stratified horizontally between the major geographical components. "These two ways of viewing the country help to explain the progress of Islam; for it came into the interior plateaus first and long remained almost stationary there, cut off from the coastal regions by the impenetrable forest" (Parrinder 131). It wasn't until the European traders established a transportation infrastructure of roads and railways that Islam began to make inroads from the interior of the country into the coastal regions. Once that was accomplished, however, Islam was able to spread from the central portions of the continent to the outer edges, including West Africa. This specifically points to the first of three historical aspects of the spread of Islam. Historical Factors While it might be inferred that Islam was initially carried into Africa by the Turkish invaders who used the Mediterranean Sea as a conduit for expansion, the fact is that the spread of Islam owes its initial developments to commerce. As Trimingham notes, "Islam was first introduced into West Africa by traders. Their activities in purveying Islam along with their goods have continued ever since" (28). It is intuitive that religion spreads with commerce. As native people interact with merchants, there is a blending of ideas and philosophies that naturally takes place. Given the aggressive proselytization practices of Islam, there is no great mystery as to why the native Africans would convert. Their assimilation into Islamic beliefs was also fostered by the historical imperialism of the religion. By its very structure, Islam is a faith that blends political and economic activities with religious practice. Once the belief system becomes sufficiently popular, it begins to enforce its tenets through more than simple missionary means. The statement that "Islam in power is secularized theocracy and this always leads to forms of religious imperialism" (Trimingham 28) is as true today as it was in the eleventh century. Once entrenched in tribal governance, the more aggressive forms of an imperialistic recruitment would emerge. These practices included everything from forced conversions to the refusal to allow commerce between individuals of the faith and apostates. In many parts of Africa, conversion to Islam was not a voluntary activity, but a political and economic necessity. The next historical fact, that of western development, would simply provide the means for expansion of the imperialistic

Thursday, October 17, 2019

CRIME AND SOCIAL HISTORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

CRIME AND SOCIAL HISTORY - Essay Example Since vigilantism has its focus on the control of crime and other social standards, its manifestation is likely to occur in atmospheres rife with crime problems and social inequities (Dumsday 2009, p. 50). When the public watches as their government fails to sufficiently uphold the values and norms it was designed to protect, they are likely to engage in acts of vigilantism (Dumsday 2009, p. 50). The vigilante group form and function because they understand that some established rules are threatened or could possibly be threatened and transgressed (Dumsday 2009, p. 55). Vigilantism also surfaces after a period of organization, rather than by spontaneous eruption (Dumsday 2009, p. 50). South African vigilantism reflects these descriptions. As Buur (2006) describes, South African vigilantism arose in response to the failure of formal law (p. 735). Paradoxically, the one element the vigilantism was primarily responding to was crime (Buur 2006, p. 736). The public’s view of the law enforcement capabilities of their government was very poor, and so they lacked confidence in the accepted and institutionalized norms. In South Africa, a long history of vigilantism exists, including the formation there of a group of vigilantes that rose up to fight a group of hijackers that wore police uniforms in order to more effectively accomplish their goals (Buur 2006, p. 741). The Irish Republican Army (IRA) organized itself to carry out vigilantism in response to British occupation of Northern Ireland (Pruitt 2007, p. 1521). The people resented British presence there for many years, but didn’t organize vigilantism until 1968, after four decades of tension had built (Pruitt 2007, p. 1521). The people of Ireland who shared this common goal of eliminating British rule and reuniting Northern Ireland with the rest of the country organized at nonviolent demonstrations at that time (Pruitt 2007, p. 1521). When the police responded violently to the demonstrations, chaos ensued

Issues in the natural environment created by business Essay

Issues in the natural environment created by business - Essay Example Unfortunately, as Mahatma Gandhi said, â€Å"This world has enough for everyone’s needs but not for everyone’ s greed.’ Fortunately now, the relation between economic growth and its adverse impact on natural environment has been widely recognized, and corrective steps are being taken. Our environment is a complete natural system evolved over the ages and held in fine balance that promoted life on this planet. Human beings are but one part of this intricate ecosystem. All species of life, with the marked exception of human beings, follow the natural process of evolution to the extent the environment permits. On the other hand, the same environment that promoted the human race, has also given it the genius to explore and exploit it for a variety of reasons. People have basic needs in food, shelter and clothing and once these basic needs are satisfied, they aspire for higher needs viz., a better standard of living, leisure and recreation. Businesses meet these demands by exploiting resources found in nature. With the world population rising continuously, the demand for goods and services is increasing faster than the can be sustained by the fragile ecosystem. While there is a limit to the exploitation of the natural resources, there appears to be no limit for the avarice. What started as a welcome industrial revolution in the 20th century, soon gave rise to the much-discussed environmental issues like pollution of air and water, ozone layer depletion, greenhouse gases, global warming, climate change etc. Every business impacts the environment in some way or the other; yet there is also no escaping from business growth. Here lies the dilemma of demand for goods and services from growing economies coupled with their lesser concern for environmental issues on the one hand, and, serious environmental concern from the developed countries, which is impacting their businesses! The all-encompassing word for environmental issues is ‘sustainability’, which is

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

CRIME AND SOCIAL HISTORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

CRIME AND SOCIAL HISTORY - Essay Example Since vigilantism has its focus on the control of crime and other social standards, its manifestation is likely to occur in atmospheres rife with crime problems and social inequities (Dumsday 2009, p. 50). When the public watches as their government fails to sufficiently uphold the values and norms it was designed to protect, they are likely to engage in acts of vigilantism (Dumsday 2009, p. 50). The vigilante group form and function because they understand that some established rules are threatened or could possibly be threatened and transgressed (Dumsday 2009, p. 55). Vigilantism also surfaces after a period of organization, rather than by spontaneous eruption (Dumsday 2009, p. 50). South African vigilantism reflects these descriptions. As Buur (2006) describes, South African vigilantism arose in response to the failure of formal law (p. 735). Paradoxically, the one element the vigilantism was primarily responding to was crime (Buur 2006, p. 736). The public’s view of the law enforcement capabilities of their government was very poor, and so they lacked confidence in the accepted and institutionalized norms. In South Africa, a long history of vigilantism exists, including the formation there of a group of vigilantes that rose up to fight a group of hijackers that wore police uniforms in order to more effectively accomplish their goals (Buur 2006, p. 741). The Irish Republican Army (IRA) organized itself to carry out vigilantism in response to British occupation of Northern Ireland (Pruitt 2007, p. 1521). The people resented British presence there for many years, but didn’t organize vigilantism until 1968, after four decades of tension had built (Pruitt 2007, p. 1521). The people of Ireland who shared this common goal of eliminating British rule and reuniting Northern Ireland with the rest of the country organized at nonviolent demonstrations at that time (Pruitt 2007, p. 1521). When the police responded violently to the demonstrations, chaos ensued

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

My Apllication form Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

My Apllication form - Assignment Example The employees bring the main problem on center stage, and we all find a solution to it. The other problem I faced was internal conflicts often in my organization. There were some employees with conflicting ideas. Furthermore, some employees in FORD felt they were left behind when it came to promotion. Some wanted transfers to big retails of the company. They are very simple issues that require the skills that I leant while in college, to sort them out (Senturia, 2013 pg 1). To solve a problem like this, I would understand deeply the problem. I would define the depth of team dynamics. After defining the depth, I would use my position as an IT expert to research on the possible causes of the problem. There are very broad causes that would come up, but I would specialize on the most likely causes (Darr, 2013 pg 8-22). I would then review each of the results and I plan the necessary recommendations to implement. I would prepare a tally sheet to conduct a survey to establish if my plans worked as planned (Maxwell, 2009 pg 25). There are times when I was part of a team and there was a difference of opinion. I viewed our competitors as lucky because they had no conflicts with their administration. My team lacked the skills of airing their views (Bondigas, 2014 pg 1). They opted for aggressive reactions when their issues did not take consideration. During ICT meetings, I could differ with certain opinions that looked oppressive. They were a situation where the Human Resource manager proposed that interns should work during the holidays. It was to keep the business running in any period. Some employees and I differed with this proposal. Furthermore, my team of IT experts differed on the opinion about installation of messaging software. The software was to assist in reducing time spent while passing information from one office to another. I had to find a quick solution (Kennett, 2011 pg 1). I took an emotional state when

Monday, October 14, 2019

Statistics in Business Essay Example for Free

Statistics in Business Essay Statistics is the science of learning from data, and of measuring, controlling, and communicating uncertainty; and it thereby provides the navigation essential for controlling the course of scientific and societal advances. Statisticians apply statistical thinking and methods to a wide variety of scientific, social, and business endeavors in such areas as astronomy, biology, education, economics, engineering, genetics, marketing, medicine, psychology, public health, sports, among many. Statisticians provide crucial guidance in determining what information is reliable and which predictions can be trusted. They often help search for clues to the solution of a scientific mystery and sometimes keep investigators from being misled by false impressions. Some examples that statistics are used are Statistics also provide the reasoning and methods for producing and understanding data. Statisticians are specialists, but statistics demands they be generalists, too. One advantage of working in statistics is that you can combine your interest with almost any other field in science, technology, or business. Another is Studies of the environment require data on the abundance and location of plants and animals, on the spread of pollution from its sources, and on the possible effects of changes in human activities. The data are often incomplete or uncertain, but statisticians can help uncover their meaning. One last example is the future of many industries and their employees depends on improvement in the quality of goods and services and the efficiency with which they are produced and delivered. Improvement should be based on data, rather than guesswork. More companies are installing elaborate systems to collect and act on data to better serve their customers. Statisticians must know more than statistics. A statistician who works in medicine or in a manufacturing plant or in market research must learn enough medicine or engineering or marketing to understand the data in their setting. Statisticians need the ability to work with other people, to listen, and to communicate. References; http://www.amstat.org/careers/whatisstatistics.cfm

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Contributions Of Martin Luther King

Contributions Of Martin Luther King Martin Luther was a controversial Christian theologian who made a significant contribution towards both the development and expression of Christianity. Luther questioned the widespread corruption of the Catholic Church, exceptionally prevalent during his lifetime. He preached that faith alone justifies salvation, as opposed to good works, an emphasis being promulgated by the clergy. Additionally, Luther highlighted the importance of Scripture as he believed that the message of Jesus had become misplaced amongst an overemphasis on ritual and symbolism. He quoted Romans (1:16-17) For I am not ashamed of the Good News; it is the power of God saving all who have faithà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Accordingly, Luther believed that Jesus Christ was the ultimate model for human behaviour. These three key understandings were to ultimately shape the far-reaching contribution Martin Luther would provide to Christianity. Evaluate the contribution of ONE significant person or school of thought in Christianity (6 marks) Martin Luther was a controversial Christian theologian who made a significant and far reaching contribution towards both the development and expression of Christianity. Born in 1483, Luther lived during a time of widespread corruption within the Catholic Church. Especially of concern to Luther was the sale of indulgences, simony and nepotism amongst church leadership. The impact of the Black Death had left a largely uneducated clergy in Europe. These leaders utilised many forms of corruption to ensure wealth for the Catholic Church, and promised purchasers of indulgences and relics a ticket to heaven. In response to these problems in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenburg Church. Luther wished to reform the Catholic Church and to reassure Christian adherents that salvation was attainable through their faith, not through good works. Additionally, Luther highlighted the importance of Scripture as he believed that the message of Jesus had become misplaced amongst an overemphasis on tradition, ritual and symbolism. He quoted Romans (1:16-17) For I am not ashamed of the Good News; it is the power of God saving all who have faithà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Accordingly, Luther believed that Jesus Christ was the ultimate model for human behaviour. Luthers actions and consequent excommunication (1521) from the Catholic Church were to ultimately shape his contribution to Christianity. Although the 95 these would be addressed at the Council of Trent (1545-63), the Council essentially dismissed Luthers calls for reform. However, his impact remained. Luther inspired other reformers and ultimately a new Protestant variant of Christianity (and within it Luthers own denomination the Lutheran church) resulted. Assess the contribution of ONE significant person or school of thought in Christianity (20 marks) Martin Luther was a controversial Christian theologian who made a significant contribution towards both the development and expression of Christianity. Luther was concerned with the widespread corruption prevalent within the Catholic Church during his lifetime, and the subsequent failure of the Catholic Church to address these issues. Three key understandings would lead Martin Luther to devote his life to transforming Catholicism. Firstly, Luther reassured Christian adherents that salvation was attainable through their faith, not through good works. Secondly, he highlighted the importance of Scripture, as he believed that the message of Jesus had become misplaced amongst an overemphasis on tradition, ritual and symbolism. He quoted Romans (1:16-17) For I am not ashamed of the Good News; it is the power of God saving all who have faithà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ This lead to Luthers third key understanding, that Jesus Christ was the ultimate model for human behaviour. Christianity before Luther: Simony Nepotism Indulgences (Salvation) Priesthood Corruption Sacraments Papal Authority Black Death Transubstantiation (Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ) Wealth of Catholic Church inequalities and spiritual shallowness (Luther) Unethical behaviour Expression/practices over ritualised Luthers Actions: 1517 95 theses on church door Defied the Catholic Church Excommunication (1521) Ultimately, the formation of new VARIANT of Christianity (but remember this was never Luthers INTENTION he wanted to REFORM the Catholic Church). Lutheran Church based on Luthers views of what individuals need to attain Salvation Sacraments (2) Baptism and Eucharist Consubstantiation (Eucharist representative of body and blood of Christ) Salvation attainable by the individual, based on ones faith Publication of Bible in local vernacular German Scripture focus of religion Authority Jesus/God Married clergy Liturgy less formal and less ritualised Christianity after Luther: Widespread questioning of Catholic Church Birth of new Christian variant Protestantism Development of Protestant denomination: Lutheran, Calvinist Baptists, Church of England etc Whilst Luthers protests started à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦as an effort to purify the life and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, it eventually produced separate churches that grew into a third major strand of Christianity to stand alongside Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. (Living Religion text p98) Counter Reformation (the catholic Churchs response to the Protestant Reformation) Council of Trent from 1545-1563 upheld papal primacy by proclaiming that Scripture and tradition are equally important and complementary sources of Gods revelation, and by clarifying the Roman Catholic belief in the seven sacraments. The Evangelical Awakening a dramatic spiritual renewal in Western Christianity Vatican II the twenty-first ecumenical council in the history of the Catholic Church (1962-1965). Three major aims spiritual renewal in the light of the gospel, updating church teaching, discipline and organization, and the promotion of unity for all Christians (ecumenism) Describe the contribution of ONE significant person or school of thought in Islam (3 marks) Imam Al Shafi is a significant and influential person within Islamic history. Undertaking a systematic revision and organisation of the existing Muslim law, Al Shafi established a system of interpretation of Islamic jurisprudence which he termed Usul al-Fiqh. This method incorporated the already existing sources of jurisprudence, the Quran and the Sunnah, however, it dictated additional authority to both the Ijma and the Qiyas. Shafi was inspired by the teachings of Muhammad, who believed in the importance of the scholar since à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the cure of ignorance is to ask and learn. Evaluate the contribution of ONE significant person or school of thought in Islam (6 marks) Imam Al Shafi (767-820CE) is a significant individual within Islam. Shafi was born during a time when confusion and disorder over the Islamic law was creating social instability and corruption within society. Al-Shafi wished to resolve the differences between the two existing schools of thought in order to create a uniform response to situations which arose throughout the many new Islamised states, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦his historic achievement was to forestall the development of independent regional systems based on Medina or Kufaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Ruthven) Shafi dedicated himself to this task in his firm belief that the purity of the faith had to be maintained. Al Shafis creation of a unified system of jurisprudence subsequently allowed greater cooperation within the Islamic world. In the Kitab al-Risala, Shafi outlined Usul al-Fiqh which emphasised the importance of the Quran, Sunnah, Ijma and the Qiyas. Of these he believed that the Quran as the divine word of Allah held the most significance. Additionally, Shafis commitment to determining the isnad, or chain of transmission of the hadith, earned him enormous respect amongst scholarly circles. Shafis interpretation of Islamic jurisprudence eventually led to the creation of the third major Sunni school of thought. This interpretation of Sharia law continues to be followed by millions of Muslims in contemporary society. Assess the contribution of ONE significant person or school of thought in Islam (20 marks) INTROUCTORY REMARKS: Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi (767-820) significantly influenced the development of the Islamic faith. Responsible for establishing the four foundations of fiqh (usul al Fiqh), Al-Shafi is considered the founder of a unified interpretation of Islamic law or jurisprudence. Furthermore, through the consequent evolution of his own school of Islamic thought, Al-Shafi continues to make a significant contribution to the development of both the belief and practices of Islam in the contemporary world. BASIC OUTLINE BEFORE Al-Shafi: Social and economic tensions problems raised by ruling and administering a diverse and rapidly growing empire Often geographic and cultural influences determined the response of the interpretation of the law Al-Shafi believed that laws which were valid in one place were not necessarily so in another and therefore required systemisation to ensure the purity of the Islamic faith. Legal decisions had come to be based on tradition of the people not Muhammad this was because Difficulty interpreting Islamic law following death of Muhammad TWO schools of law already established Imam Malik (700-767) and Imam Hanifa (716-795) Rationalists based their beliefs on the teachings of the Quran. However, Quran had little legislative material (Hanifa) Traditionalists based their beliefs on the teachings of the Sunnah. However, the model of living (Sunnah) encountered new challenges which needed to be addressed (Malik) THEREFORE: A revision and systemisation of Islamic law needed. Shariah is not a clearly articulated set of rules available for immediate reference. Instead, it includes interpretations of revealed sources the Quran and the Sunnah. Shafi insisted on an established set response to these situations which could be applied across the newly Islamised states Shafi joined the Hadith scholars to determine the chain of transmission (isnad) and therefore the authenticity of the hadith Shafi studied under Malik and combined his own interpretation, along with that of Malik and Hanafi to create a synthesised response. According to Ruthven: Despite the differences between the three principal schoolsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ they were generally agreed in accepting the system of roots developed by Shafi. For that reason his role as the greatest systematiser of early Islamic law makes him more than just the founder of one of the four madhhabs. Viewed retrospectively, his historic achievement was to forestall the development of independent regional legal systems based on Medina or Kufaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ this supreme intellectual achievement makes Shafi one of the great unifiers of Islam. RESPONSE: Shafis book Kitab al-Risala Usul al-Fiqh (or al-Risala) cited FOUR sources of Fiqh (practical application of the Sharia): Quran words of Allah Sunnah actions of Muhammad Al-Shafi puritanical view Muhammad words, not those of his companions. Isnads to be authentic (in accordance with the chain of transmission) Ijma (consensus) of the Muslim community. Previously the ijma of the scholars (ijtihad) had been consulted the Quran and the Sunnah. Shafi insisted on the ijma of the people. Qiyas (analogy) strict systematic reasoning Al-Shafi believed that because Allah had provided, in Sharia, a guide for all human life, it must be possible to extend, by use of analogy, the application of legal material in the Quran and the Sunnah so that they apply to other cases. An example of his contribution to the expression of Islam can be found in his interpretation of Sura 4:43 which claims that men are unclean for prayer if they have touched women. This was taken by Shafi to mean any physical touching including accidentally bumping into a woman. It was therefore further extended to apply to the practice of washing before prayer (ghusl). This was Al-Shafis system of determining Islamic jurisprudence. There are many different interpretations based upon the five different schools: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi, Hanbali (Sunni) and Jaffari (Shia). The School of Islamic Fiqh, established by Imam Al-Shafis students, provides interpretations of law which are used by all four Sunni schools of law. Islamic legal tradition practices pluralism that allows it to maintain that these schools may differ in their legal opinions, but remain equally valid (they have consulted the same sources to reach a legal decision). Describe one significant practice within Christianity (3 marks) The sacrament of Baptism is a rite of passage undertaken by adherents symbolising their initiation into the Christian tradition. Although not all Christians identify with the physical nature of the rite, such as the age of the initiate and the rituals utilised, all Christians are marked with the sign of the cross. Similarly, all Christians are baptised with the recitation of the words, I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The belief in the Trinity, the rejection of Satan and the forgiveness of sins are common elements in the baptism ceremony across the Christian variants. Demonstrate how one significant practice within Christianity expresses the central beliefs of this religious tradition (6 marks) Baptism begins the spiritual journey for the adherent within their faith community emphasising the importance of being in touch with, and striving to understand, the transcendent. Baptism symbolises the divine nature of the Christian tradition and makes present the central beliefs through the repetition of sacred stories and ritualistic actions. The belief in the Trinity, the rejection of Satan and the forgiveness of sins are common elements in the baptism ceremony across the Christian variants. In each of the Christian variants, baptism is the Churchs way of celebrating and enacting the embrace of God and the promise of salvation. Peter replied, repent and be baptisedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Acts 2:38-39). At the time of Christ it signified that the person being baptised became a follower of Christ and acquired a relationship with him. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I (Paul) also baptised the house of Stephanasà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (1 Corinthians 1:16) Early baptisteries (the part of the church where baptism happened) showed that a person was led down steps to be immersed in water before emerging on the other side. There was, and remains, an identification with Jesus dying and rising. The Catholic Catechism recognises that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦From the beginning, the revealed truth of the Holy Spirit has been at the very root of the Churchs living faith, principally by means of baptism. Within Orthodox Christianity the rite of baptism has four roles. Firstly, to remove original sin, to remove all other sins committed before the time of baptism if the person is beyond the age of infancy, to unite the person to the community of believers and to open the door of salvation and eternal life to him or her. Analyse one practice within Christianity explaining its significance to both the individual and the faith community (20 marks) The sacrament of Baptism is a rite of passage undertaken by believers in celebrating, symbolising and making present the central beliefs of the religious tradition of Christianity. It is an experiential religious act involving the transformation of the individual. Baptism as a rite of initiation welcomes the individual into the Christian tradition and links the individual, community and divine. However, not all Christians identify with the physical nature of the rite. Quakers believe that the whole of life is sacramental. To be a member of Christs body involves no outward rite, it requires instead an inward transformation of ones whole life. While other denominations have differences involving the rituals used and the age of the initiate. Baptism celebrates a familys and a communitys love for the initiate who is welcomed into the community of believers. The candidate (infant or adult) is provided with a god-parent/ sponsor to help them with their initiation as a Christian. Baptise first the children, and if they can speak for themselves let them do so. Otherwise their parents or other relatives speak for them. (Hippolytus in the Apostolic Tradition c.215) For Catholics, the sacrament of Baptism is the first step in a lifelong journey of commitment and discipleship. It is followed by years of catechesis before being completed late by Confirmation and the Eucharist, the summit of Christian initiation. Baptism is the Churchs way of celebrating and enacting the embrace of God and the promise of salvation. Peter replied, Repent and be baptised (Acts 2: 38-39) Baptism happens not only to the individual, but also the wider Church. At the time of Christ it signified that the person being baptised became a follower of Christ and acquired a relationship with him. I (Paul) also baptised the household of Stephanas (1 Corinthians 1:16) The rite is celebrated with the community present and actively participating. It is the community, who will journey with them throughout their life. Infant Baptism is the preferred form of the rite for both Catholic and Orthodox Christians. However, adult Baptism may also occur. The Christian initiation of adults for both Catholic and Orthodox Christians begins with their entry into the catechumenate and reaches its culmination usually at Easter in a single celebration of the three sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. Baptism symbolises the divine nature of the Christian tradition. It emphasises the importance of being in touch with, and striving to understand, the transcendent. This includes comprehending the purpose of life and the nature of life after death. Early baptisteries (the part of the church where baptism happened) showed that a person was led down steps to be immersed in water before emerging on the other side. There was identification with Jesus dying and rising. On behalf of the child (infant baptism) or as an adult the ceremony of initiation occurs. This includes the symbolism of water and oil and the declaration of faith. The water represents life and recalls the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist. The Baptisimal candle symbolises Christian status as an Easter people, and signifies the passing on of faith to those being baptised. The white garment represents the Churchs belief that Baptism sets them free from Original Sin and lets them put on Christ. Immediately following the baptism of the child in Orthodox Christianity Chrismation occurs. In this practice, the Orthodox Church differs from the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches where the two sacraments are often separated. Orthodox Christians believe baptism is a personal participation in Easter the death and resurrection of Christ, and Chrismation a personal participation in Pentecost- the coming of the Holy Spirit as the children receive the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8). The child then receives new clothes. The Priest together with the Godparent and the child walks around the Font, three times. Each time he chants: As many of you as have been baptised into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia. (Galatians 3:27) The infant is then tonsured, where four pieces of the childs hair are cut in the sign of the cross. As the child is now recognised as a full member of the church he/she receives Holy Communion. Baptism makes present the central beliefs of the Christian tradition through the repetition of sacred stories and ritualistic actions. Baptism begins the spiritual journey for the adherent. The lighting of the Pascal (Liturgical Year) Candle at the Catholic ceremony, links the initiated to a life of union with the Church. This candle is light for the individual at their Baptism and again at their funeral service. The candidate is also marked with the common sign of the initiated the sign of the cross and the recitation of the words, I baptise you in the name of t he Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The belief in the Trinity, the rejection of Satan and the forgiveness of sins are all evidenced in the Baptismal ceremony. The catholic Catechism recognises that From the beginning, the revealed truth of the Holy Spirit has been at the very root of the Churchs living faith, principally by means of Baptism. Within Orthodox Christianity the rite of Baptism has four roles. Firstly, to remove original sin, to remove all other sins committed before the time of Baptism if the person is beyond the age of infancy, to unite the person to the community of believers and to open the door of salvation and eternal life to him or her. The Gospel read at the ceremony reinforces the belief in the presence of God. And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age. (Matthew 28 16-20) The Baptist Church takes its name from the conviction that followers of Jesus should be immersed in water as a visible and public display of their faith. Baptists believe There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Baptists emphasise a believers baptism by full immersion, after a public profession of faith in Christ as saviour. Unlike most Christian denominations Baptists do not baptise infants because of their belief that a person must be old enough to make a public profession of faith in order to be baptised. Therefore, the foundational sacrament of Baptism unites the community of believers. It determines the spiritual life journey of the believer and reinforces the central tenets of the faith to those who witness the initiation of the individual. Describe one significant practice within Islam (3 marks) The fifth pillar of Islam, Hajj, is seen as the ultimate expression of Muslim solidarity. Hajj draws together Muslims from all over the world forming one umma in order to worship the One God. The Quran states perform the visit and pilgrimage to Makkah for Allah (Sura 2:196) explaining that Hajj is a re-enactment of the trials and tribulations of the Prophet Abraham, his second wife, Hagar, and his son, Ishmael (linking believers to the central Islamic belief rusula). The Hajj also re-enacts the journey of Mohammad and is hence a metaphor for the journey of life. The ultimate goal of Hajj is to ensure the achievement of God consciousness (tawid).

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Essay --

Traveling around the world can open your eyes to many new discoveries. Jonathan Swift was a well-known author during the 1600 and 1700’s. Many of Swift’s pieces were based on his experiences during his travels. â€Å"For most general readers, the name Jonathan Swift is associated only with his satiric masterpiece Gulliver's Travels. They are not aware that, in addition to it and hundreds of poems, he wrote a great deal of nonfictional prose, much of it of considerable interest, significance, and excellence† (Schakel). As a child, â€Å"Swift grew up fatherless and dependent on the generosity of his uncle† (â€Å"Jonathan Swift†). Jonathan was born in 1667 in Dublin, Ireland. According to â€Å"The Early Life and Education of Jonathan Swift† his father died in 1667 before Jonathan was born. Jonathan’s mother felt very strongly about her son’s education. â€Å"At the age of six he was sent to Kilkenny School, then the best in Ireland† (â€Å"Jonathan Swift†). â€Å"Swift continued in residence at Trinity College as a candidate for his masters of arts degree until February 1689. The Roman Catholic disorders began to spread through Dublin after the Glorious Revolution, causing Swift to seek security in England with a distant relative named Sir William Temple, at Moor Park.† (â€Å"Jonathan Swift†). As stated in â€Å"Jonathan Swift† Temple was engaged in writing memoirs and preparing essays for publication, and Swift acted as h is secretary. Swift gained much knowledge while he was with Temple by reading many books from Temple’s vast library. This is when Jonathan really became interested in writing. â€Å"Between 1691 and 1694 Swift wrote a number of poems and between 1696 and 1699 he turned to prose and wrote some of his most famous works such as A Tale of a Tub† (â€Å"Jonathan ... ...an Swift Biography†) â€Å"The closing years of Swift’s life have been the subject of some misrepresentation, and stories have been told of his ungovernable temper and lack of self-control† (â€Å"Jonathan Swift†). Jonathan Swift lived a long 78 years, he died on October 19, 1745. â€Å"He is said to have suffered what is known to have been Meniere’s Disease, an affliction of the semicircular canals of the ears† (â€Å"Jonathan Swift†). In 1742 he was declared incapable of caring for himself, and guardians were appointed, according to the article â€Å"Jonathan Swift†. â€Å"Later that year (1742) he suffered from a stroke and lost the ability to speak† (â€Å"Jonathan Swift Biography†). In 1745, Swift was â€Å"laid to rest next to Esther Johnson inside of Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral† (â€Å"Jonathan Swift Biography†). After living his long life Swift said â€Å"No wise man ever wished to be younger.â € 

Friday, October 11, 2019

Food Inc Essay

Food Inc. opens in an American supermarket and draws attention to the unnatural nature of year-round tomatoes and boneless meat. It pulls aside the curtain that is concealing the truth about food from the consumer. After the brief intro, the movie shifts its focus to the topic of fast food and its impact on the meat industries. Fast food virtually started with McDonald’s. When they decided to simplify their menu and hire employees that repeated one task over and over for minimum wage, the result was the fast food phenomenon that swept the United States, and then the world. Today, McDonald’s is the largest purchaser of beef and potatoes in the United States, and is one of the largest purchasers of pork, chicken, tomatoes, and apples. Though an unintentional consequence, this has had a drastic impact on the way all food is processed. The top four meat packers now control over 80% of the market, the Tyson Corporation being the largest of them all. The documentary next takes us to a Chicken farm in Kentucky and explains that, since the 1950s, chickens have doubled in size, and they reach that incredible size in half the time it used to take them to reach their more natural size. Chickens today are genetically modified to have larger breasts in response to the consumer preference for white meat. The chickens grow at such a rate that their bones and organs can’t keep up with the rapid growth of the muscles, or the meat. The original farmer that was followed in the documentary was unable to take the filmmakers inside the chicken houses. After being visited multiple times by Tyson representatives, the farmer informed the filmmakers that he would be unable to escort them inside. After a long search, a woman finally stepped forward and agreed to take the filmmakers inside an overly-crowded coop and behind the veil of the modern chicken industry. The next veil that is lifted by the film is that of the corn industry. Corn can be chemically engineered into many different products, such as the extremely unhealthy high-fructose corn syrup. Corn costs more to make than it is worth, so it is subsidized by the government, encouraging even more of its use. Corn is the number one grain used to feed animals for slaughter. Feeding cows corn instead of their natural diet lead to the unintentional creation of 157H7 E. coli, a deadly bacteria that can kill. The film reveals how food standards have dropped, with only 9,164 safety inspections from the FDA each year as compared to over 50,000 in 1972. The food industry has become consolidated to the point of a few companies having a great deal of power and influence via the government. The USDA is no longer able to shutdown plants with contaminated meat. A bill titled â€Å"Kevin’s Law† had the intent of changing that, but, after 6 years, the bill still has not been passed. Food companies have made some attempts to reduce E. coli by cleaning their meats in an ammonia solution. However, unhealthy food is being subsidized and contributing to American obesity and the rise of type 2 diabetes in adolescents. The film then travels to a hog processing plant that kills 32,000 hogs a day. They expose the strategy of the company to hire extremely poor and illegal immigrants who can’t afford to quit their jobs, despite problems with frequent infections of the hands and fingernails, a side effect of poor sanitation standards. We then discover that it has been legal to patent life since the 1980s, and learn about the company Monsanto’s round up resistant soybean that now makes up 90% of the soybean market. Monsanto systematically sues offenders that break copyright laws. Private investigators are hired to monitor and find any infringements. Even if infringement was unavoidable, smaller, neighboring farmers are forced to purchase the round up resistant seeds. Monsanto has a great deal of political influence, with close ties to both parties. Both the Bush and Clinton administrations had close ties with Monsanto. Only the consolidated power of consumers can overcome the political and economical power of the large food processing companies. We owe it to ourselves to use that power to demand healthier, organic foods. In a free economy, the consumer has the ultimate power. Just as the tobacco industry was exposed and its power drastically reduced, so too can the substandard food industry be wrangled into submission.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Human Perceptions

As Human beings we are blessed to have five senses. These senses are sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. These senses make â€Å"normal† life manageable for us. All five are equally as important as the next. However it is not impossible to live without one or two of them. Sometimes losing one our senses can enhance the rest. Human beings thrive on their ability to detect what is happening around them and make sense of the changes. Essentially, a human being cannot be able to do without the ability to sense and get the meaning behind the senses.Sensory properties are perceived when our sensory organism interacts with stimuli in the world around us. There are several senses which are fundamental in the human well being. These senses include vision, gestation, olfaction, touch, audition and multimodal perception. For humans, experience, of the world is generally stable, and the ability to perceive it is easily taken for granted. Objects have positions, shapes and colors that seem to be perceived instantly, and we can reach for them or move to where they are, without any apparent effort. It is worth oting that sensory perceptions inform the thinking process. Essentially, thinking is a process which entails and interplays of many facets. Furthermore, what is thought about proceeds from what has been acquired through the senses. Hence, faulty perceptions influence the quality of the thinking process. There are three reasons to believe that our senses are fallible. Seeing should not always be believing. Once we realize that our senses can be fooled, then we can begin to adjust to surface appearance and personal distortions. Sometimes our senses can be deceived.Our senses do not always deliver accurate data to our brain. Our senses do not operate effectively when we are sick, drowsy, or tired. Our sensual perceptions, such as sight, can deceive our brain in three major ways. It can be limited biologically, we see the superficial; corralled by custom, we see the habitual; and blinded by language, we see the general. Our five senses are generally part of nature and as we get older, wiser, and mature we tend to nurture our senses to perceive things better. We are born with vision, smelling, hearing, taste, and touch.These are innate sensory perceptions. A child does not know the smell of smoke or certain food items being cooked. As they get more mature, their senses become stronger and by nurturing these senses they can distinguish the different smells. In conclusion, our five senses are innate and part of nature. As a child, our senses are immature and as we get older our senses improve. We continually return to our senses to refresh the data, to seek new data, and to use specific instruments to justify and sharpen our senses so that we don’t perceive fallible information.Citations: Kirby, G. R. , & Goodpaster, J. R. (2007). Thinking. Prentice Hall. Chapter 3 Advances in Consumer Research – North American Conference Procee dings; 2009, Vol. 36, p127-130, 4p Kirby, G. R. , & Goodpaster, J. R. (2007). Thinking. Prentice Hall. Patterson, J. , Owen, C. , Frank, D. , Smith, R. , & Cadusch, P. (2004, May). Flavour sensory qualities and consumer perceptions – a comparison of sensory and brain activity responses to flavour components in different populations. International Journal of Food Science & Technology, 39(5), 481-490.

Heritage Essay

Rename, or Don’t. Asher Woolf 11C 1772008 Christiaan Barnard Street Ms Sutton Early Adderly Street Heritage plays an important role in self-identity, and hence the heritage of a country defines it. As a people we learn and improve through our past experiences and our history. This is especially relevant in a country like South Africa; having such an eventful and colourful past, it is essential we recognise all places, buildings, roads and dates that played a role in shaping our country today.Whereas the history of a given article is the cold, hard happenings of the past, heritage is what one identifies with in their history, and this can be tangible hereditary heritage (skin colour) or cultural heritage and traditional, such as religion and customs. The aim of this report is to explore the concept and importance of heritage, and its impacts on modern Cape Tonian reflections of heritage such as street names. Herein the example of Oswald Pirow Street’s transformation to C hristiaan Barnard Street is discussed as a prime example of correct renaming; however the impacts of name-changing in general shall be discussed as well.Our birthplace and place of residence forms part of our heritage; it is an identity that helps us place ourselves in the world. The preamble to The National Heritage Resources Act states that: â€Å"Our heritage is unique and precious and it cannot be renewed. It helps us to define our cultural identity and therefore lies at the heart of our spiritual well-being and has the power to build our nation. It has the potential to affirm our diverse cultures, and in so doing shape our national character. † This is a statement by our government that understanding and accepting our heritage is at the epicentre of our spiritual well being.The preservation of our national heritage sites is of the greatest importance. For many years, Oswald Pirow Street stood in existence in Cape Town. Named after Oswald Pirow, a far right politician and lawyer who was also a staunch Nazi sympathizer. He greatly admired Hitler, and his daughter even controversially stated that Pirow was â€Å"More German than South African† It can be stated without much contentiousness that the Nazi ideals are diametrically opposite to the ideals of freedom, acceptance and unified diversity that defines the New South Africa.That being said, a street named after Oswald Pirow is simply incongruous with our new country and incongruous with the heritage we as a nation chose to identify with. In extreme cases such as this, whereby a figure that is actively negative to unity and acceptance is honoured, I believe that changing street names can be conducive to promotion and celebration of Heritage in South Africa. Oswald Pirow Street was renamed to Christiaan Barnard Street.Christiaan Barnard actively spoke out against the National Party during Apartheid, and is famous for being the first surgeon in the world to perform a successful heart-transplant . This marvel of medical science was celebrated internationally and is a great symbol of South African pride and achievement. Hence the street was named after Barnard, an ultimately deserving figure of recognition. The above circumstance epitomizes name-changing done right; however there are a number of concerns affecting the issue in general. The issue of Heritage affects name change.South Africa, like every place on Earth that isn’t the Far East or Europe, was conquered and subdued by Europe. This forms a crucial part of South Africa’s history, in that our culture and the very language we speak was brought by the so called â€Å"invaders†. This also means that most names of cities and roads prior to 1994 were exclusively in European languages and mostly named after European people. After the fall of Apartheid, the indigenous peoples felt the need to have their heritage acknowledged by renaming cities and streets in the vernacular or based on more deserving peo ple.The issue becomes contentious as to where the line is drawn. While there are numerous cases of obvious villains of history (i. e. Hendrik Verwoerd) whose memory should not be celebrated, there are many more cases of differing peoples vying for recognition and pride, and it is difficult to insure that renaming remains an act to promote national heritage and not to laud one group over the other. It is for this reason that I believe the only way to approach the issue of renaming is to be practical. While the bvious villains of history and enemies of human rights must be removed, it is a cold hard fact that naming of Cape Town streets and places are largely European, and to try to rename everything to equally distribute pride and self-identity amongst all the peoples of South Africa is simply impractical. In our capitalist country, one must think of the use of money with priority. There are lots of alarming and immediate issues in South Africa (poverty, education, healthcare, etc) t hat require funding more pressingly than renaming does, and that in itself is the practical outlook of the issue.Although websites may be less reliable than book on an individual basis, the consensus gained from a multitude of websites is much more accurate. At first the idea for my road came from having lived in Stellenbosch for four years and visiting the shops on Dorp Street. However information on Dorp Street is hard to find, the recommendation to do Christiaan Barnard Street came from my mother, as she was an admirer of his growing up. Bibliography Article Sources 1. Acts Online. n. d. ). Retrieved July 19, 2008, from http://www. acts. co. za/ntl_heritage_res/index. htm 2. CIBRA. (n. d. ). Retrieved July 19, 2008, from www. cibra. co. za/downloads/City-Bowl-Prov-Herit-Sites. pdf 3. Explore South Africa. (n. d. ). Retrieved July 19, 2008, from http://www. exploresouthafrica. net/westerncape/stellenbosch/history/dorpstreet. htm 4. Legal City. (n. d. ). Retrieved July 19, 2008, fr om http://www. legalcity. net/Index. cfm? fuseaction=RIGHTS. rticle&Index=N&ArticleID=9346885&Page=1 5. Morris, J. (1979). Cape Town. new york: Don Nelson. 6. SAHRA. (n. d. ). Retrieved July 19, 2008, from http://www. sahra. org. za/intro. htm# 7. UNESCO. (n. d. ). Retrieved July 17, 2008, from http://whc. unesco. org/ 8. Wikipedia. (n. d. ). Retrieved July 18, 2008, from http://www. Wikipedia. com Picture Sources 1. http://farm1. static. flickr. com/185/395114148_e8853e55e3. jpg? v=0 2. http://rapidttp. com/milhist/vo113oca. jpg