The Holy Quran

The Holy Quran is divided into 30 parts, each one is called â€Å"Seepara†. It has 114 sections or chapters which are called â€Å"Surahs†. Each Chapter of unequal length, consists of individual â€Å"Ayat† or verses. These verses are not decided by human beings, but dictated by God. There are in total 6,666 verses in the Holy Quran. Surah al Baqarah (Ch.2 ) is the longest Chapter comprising 287 verses while Surah al Kauthar( Ch. 108) is the shortest with only four verses including the tasmia. Out of the 114 Surahs, 85 Surahs were revealed in Mecca while 29 Surahs were revealed in Madinah.? Introduction of Surah Al Fatiha: Surah al-Fatiha is the first chapter of the Quran. The word â€Å"Fatiha† comes from the verb â€Å"Fataha† which means â€Å"to open†. â€Å"Al† is a defined article and Fatiha means the opening Surah.It consists of 7 verses, 29 words and 139 letters. It belongs to Juz? 1.There are various names of Surah Al Fatiha such as Umm al-Qur'an, the Mother of the Qur'an, and Umm al-Kitab, the Mother of the Book because the meaning of the entire Qur'an is summarised therein. It is also named Sab'ulMathani, (the Seven Often Repeated Verses), Al-Hamd, (the Praise), Al-Shifa (The Cure) and ArRuqya, the Spiritual Cure. Its recitation is a condition for the effectiveness of the prayer.It is mecci surah and It was initially the 5th chapter to be disclosed but after Furqan e Hameed was assembled together, it was put at the beginning. Al-Fatiha itself means â€Å"The Opening† as this chapter comes right at the start of the Holy Book and serves as a Gateway to read Quran Majeed further. Theme of Surah: The Surah is prayer to Almighty Allah for guidance from bad deeds and to guide us to the straight path, the path of authentic and true muslims which only Allah can grant us. Allah is the most magnificent and bountiful He alone should be asked for help and He has bestowed countless favours on His creation. He is supreme justice and everybody will have to answer Him of their every good or bad deed on the Day of Judgment. Supplication is the core to worship and The Holy Quran encourages the believers for petitioning. â€Å"And your Lord said, Invoke me, I will respond to your supplications. Allah always protect His creation from going on the path of evils.? Virtues of Surah Al Fatiha: †¢ It is a Pillar of Salah;This Surah is very important because without its recitation of prayers become invalid. †¢ The greatness of this Surah is described in the following Hadith;†Do you want me to teach you a Surah the like of which has not been revealed in the Torah, the Injeel, the Zabur, nor the Quran?†, and also asked what He recited in His prayers. He replied Umm-ul-Quran (Surah Fatiha) the Prophet (PBUH) proclaimed, ‘By Him in Whose dominion my soul is, nothing like it has been revealed in the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, or the Quran and it is seven of the oft-repeated verses in the Mighty Quran which I have been given.† (Tirmidhi) †¢ It is Cure of diseases and cure for Heart;†You (Oh Allah) we worship and from you do we seek help†. (Ibn Qayim). †¢ Hazrat Abu Saeed al-Khudri narrates;†While on a journey we halted at a place. A girl came to us and said: â€Å"The chief of this tribe has been stung by a scorpion and our men are not present, is there anybody amongst you who can recite something upon him to treat him?† Then, one of our men went along with her although we did not think that he knew any such treatment. However, our friend went to the chief and recited something upon him and the chief was cured. Thereupon, the chief gave him thirty sheep and gave us all milk to drink. When he returned, we asked our friend: â€Å"Did you know anything to recite upon him to cure him?† He said: â€Å"No, I only recited Umm al-Kitab (i.e. Surah al-Fatiha) upon him.† We said that do not do anything until we reach Madinah and ask the Prophet regarding this (practice and rewardwhether the sheep were lawful or not for us). Upon reaching Madinah, we narrated this to the Prophet (PBUH), whereupon he remarked: â€Å"How did he come to know that Al-Fatiha can be used as a cure? (PBUH) Distribute your reward amongst yourselves and a lot a share for me as well†.† (Sahih Bukhari).†¢ Light sent from heaven;An Angel addressed the Prophet (SAW) saying,†Rejoice in two lights brought to you which have not been brought to any prophet before you, Al-Fatiha and the last verses of Al- Baqarah†. Ibn ‘Abbas narrated:†While Jibril was with the Messenger of Allah, he heard a noise from above. Jibril lifted his sight to the sky and said: â€Å"This is a door in the Heavens being opened, and it has never been opened before now.† An Angel descended from that door and came to the Prophet and said: â€Å"Receive the glad tidings of two lights that you have been given, which no other Prophet before you was given: the Opening of the Book (Al Fatiha) and the last verses of ‘al-Baqarah. ‘ You will not read a letter of them except that you will gain its benefit.† (Sahih Muslim).B. Tafseer of Surah Al Fatiha The Verses of the Surah areâ€Å"In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"(All) praise is (only) Allah's, the Lord of the Worlds.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Beneficent, The Merciful.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Master of the Day of Judgement.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Thee (alone) do we worship and of Thee (only) do we seek help.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Guide us (O' Lord) on the Straight Path.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy bounties, not (the path) of those inflicted with Thy wrath, nor (of those) gone astray.â€Å"In The Name Of ALLAH:The first ayah of Surah Fatiha is: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Most Merciful. (Al-Fatiha: 1) This phrase is known as the bismillah. It is good to recite it before doing any action. The meaning of letter Baa:The Baa in the Arabic language can have three different meanings:With – With / In th e name of AllahSeeking help – Seeking help of the name of AllahSeeking blessing – Seeking blessing with the name of AllahThe meaning of Al Rehman and Al Raheem:Both these names are derived from the same root letters: raa, haa, meem; which means to have mercy. They are thus similar in meaning and both are connected to Allah's (SWT) Mercy.The fact that Allah (SWT) mentions two of His Names which have to do with Mercy, rather than Might and Power or so on, shows just how important this Attribute is. The difference between al-Rahman and al-Raheem is that al-Rahman refers to Allah's (SWT) Mercy to all of creation. It is His Mercy which is extended to both believers and disbelievers; animals, and everything that exists. He says in the Qur'an: My Mercy encompasses all things. (Al-A'raf: 156) Al-Rahman therefore indicates the extreme vastness of Allah's (SWT) Mercy. It is mentioned in a hadith that Allah (SWT) divided Mercy into 100 parts and sent down only one part to this dunya. It is from this one part of His Mercy that animals show mercy to their offspring (Sahih Muslim).Al-Raheem refers to Allah's (SWT) Mercy which is specific for the believers. He says in the Qur'an: And He is Full of Mercy to the Believers. (al-Ahzab: 43) al-Raheem therefore indicates the doing of an action.All praise is due to ALLAH:The second ayah is: All praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. (Al-Fatiha: 2) The Meaning of Hamd and the Difference between Hamd and Shukr Hamd means praise and also thankfulness. The scholars differed as to the relation between the words hamd and shukr. Some said that they both have the same meaning. So, the meaning of hamd, in their view, is the same as shukr (thankfulness, gratitude). Hamd is something which must be done with love and reverence, but shukr does not need this. Shukr is done in response to a favour which is done to a person but hamd is done simply because the one being praised and thanked is worthy of that.The meaning of Rabb:Rabb is usually translated as Lord but it is much more encompassing than that. It also includes the meaning of Nurturer, Sustainer, Cherisher and so on. The Rabb is the creator, king, master and the one who controls everything. It comes from the root letters raa, baa, baa: which means to have mastery and control over something.The Beneficent and Most Merciful:The explanation of these two names has already been given. Why then is it repeated? This is to once again emphasis the importance of the quality of mercy. Also, when something is repeated in the Qur'an, then you should look at the ayah before it and after it, to see how they are related. In this case, the previous ayah mentioned that Allah (SWT) is the Rabb of all the worlds. So, His repeating the words, al-Rahman al-Raheem after that, shows us that His being the Rabb – His taking of and sustaining and providing for us – is all part of His Mercy towards us. Master of Day of Judgement:God is the Lord of the Day when all generations of mankind gather together on order to render an account of their conduct, and when each person will be finally rewarded or punished for his deeds. The description of God as Lord of the Day of Judgement following the mention of his benevolence and compassion indicates that we ought to remember another aspect of God as well-namely, that He will judge us all, that He is so absolutely powerful, that on the Day of Judgement no one will have the power either to resist the enforcement of punishments that He decrees or to prevent anyone from receiving the rewards that He decides to confer. Hence, we ought not only to love Him for nourishing and sustaining us and for His compassion and mercy towards us, but should also hold Him in awe because of His justice, and should not forget that our ultimate happiness or misery rests completely with Him.Guides us on the Straight path:This ayah is a dua which we make to Allah (SWT). We ask Him to show us the Straight Path and to guide us on it, so that we will get His Guidance which draws us closer and nearer to Him. We need to struggle towards Allah (SWT) by doing good deeds and by staying away from all bad deeds which will distance us from Him.The meaning of Siraat and mustaqeem:Siraat is a road or path. The conditions are that it must be straight. It must reach the goal and it must be the shortest route to get there. It must also be wide and spacious enough for everyone who wants to travel it.Mustaqeem is derived from istaqaama, which means to be straight, upright, correct. We already said that for a road to be a sirat it must be straight, so this adjective of mustaqeem again emphasis the straightness of this Path. Another meaning of mustaqeem is to remain firm or to stand firm without tilting. For example, a tree that is firmly grounded when the wind blows it is not affected by it. So, the Straight Path is a path on which people are firmly grounded.The Path of Those:The path of those you have blessed, not of those with anger on them, nor of those who are astray. (Al-Fatiha: 7) Who are the people who have been blessed by Allah (SWT) and whose Path we ask to guide to? This is explained by Allah (SWT) in another ayah where He says: Whosoever obeys Allah, and the Messenger, they are with those whom Allah has favored, the Prophets, the sincere, the martyrs and the righteous, and these are the best company. (Al-Nisa': 69) So, the favored and blessed people are the Prophets, the righteous, the martyrs and the pious. And who are the people with anger on them and those who are astray? This is explained by the Prophet. ‘Adi ibn Hatim (RA) asked him about those with anger on them and he replied that it refers to the Jews. He then asked him about those who are astray and he replied that it refers to the Christians. This is reported by al-Tirmidhi and is authentic.C. Impact of Surah Al-Fatiha on the life of a Muslim as servant of Allah.We start all our deeds with the name of Allah Almighty. Since he is the most merciful and beneficent.We should ask Allah Almighty for his mercy and benefits.So a believer becomes solely dependent of Allah Almighty and does not seek help or refuge from anybody else.We should praise Allah Almighty for he is our creator and of the universe. So a believer praises Allah Almighty since he is the creator of everything.Since Allah Almighty is the master of the Day of Judgment so a believer asks Allah Almighty for forgiveness.A Believer asks Allah Almighty to put him on the path of pious people and help be among the ones who were rewarded and not the ones who went astray.

Pain Clinical Observation Paper

Alyssa Martin Fall 2012 Observation Experience Summary: Pain Clinic The mission and scope of the setting is to provide diagnosis and treatment of acute, chronic and cancer pain. Patients present to the pain clinic for relief and treatment for a variety of painful medical ailments which do not typically respond to conventional therapy (â€Å"Pain management center,† 2012). Those in charge at the pain clinic are the two board-certified pain management physicians, Dr. Dwarakanath and Dr.Henkle. There is also a team of nurses, physical therapists, and other professionals specially trained in a variety of techniques to manage pain. There are a number of techniques the pain clinic is able to perform, but there are two procedures that were the most widely used; the first being an Epidural Steroid Injection. This procedure is the number one pain management technique used in the clinic. It is specifically for radiating pain that is in the back/leg area or neck/arm area.The procedure es sentially includes corticosteroids being injected into the epidural space in the spine and decreases the inflammation and swelling in the nerves that are irritated, causing relief. Pre-procedure teaching mainly includes explanation of the sensations patient will feel, which include a small pin stick as local anesthetic is used. In addition, they are instructed to have a light meal before coming in, but if they are requesting to receive IV sedation, they are instructed to not eat at all 6 hours prior to the procedure (â€Å"Pain management center,† 2012).If they are diabetic or on blood thinners, it is important to know so that special considerations need to be made for that patient. The patient is also told that the procedure is performed with little discomfort and only takes about 5 to 10 minutes. After the injection, the patient may feel warmth or numbness in their legs or arms for about an hour due to the anesthetic. Because of this reason, patients are observed while they recover and are then sent home with a friend or family member, since they are advised not to drive due to possible residual weakness for a few hours.Post-procedure teaching includes information regarding the first few days after injection, where it is usual to feel increased back pain or discomfort from the needle being inserted. A second common procedure done is the Facet Joint Injection, which is usually done for non-radiating pain. This technique also reduces the inflammation or swelling of the tissue in the joint space (â€Å"Pain management center,† 2012). Pre-procedure teaching includes a lot of the same things as an ESI; the procedure only takes a few minutes, local anesthetic is given, and the steroid medication is injected.Post-procedure teaching involves letting the patient knows that they should not drive upon discharge and will feel the same increase of pain before relief as seen in ESI. They will be able to return to work and other normal daily activities the ne xt day. Potential complications of these procedures mainly include incorrect placement of the needle by the doctor. Because it is a delicate and difficult task to position the needle in an exact position, sometimes the physician accidently pinches a patient’s nerve and they feel a sudden rush of radiating pain in legs or arms, depending on where the needle is inserted.Additionally, sterile technique is extremely important during these procedures because the needles are entering directly into patients’ spines and joints, so potential infection in these areas could prove to be highly detrimental and dangerous. Overall, the experience in the Pain Clinic was an informative one. It was interesting to see the procedures done first-hand because it was done extremely quickly but is something that needs so much precision and expertise.The physicians made the techniques look easy, but not once did they falter with mandatory legalities such as the â€Å"time-out†, where ev eryone in the procedure room stops and verifies the patient, procedure, etc. that is to be performed. The staff nurses seemed in good spirits and verbalized enjoyment and passion for their roles, and that is what I found most valuable this time around. References Bare, B. , Cheever, K. , Hinkle, J. , & Smeltzer, S. (2010). Textbook of medical surgical nursing . (12th ed. ). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams &Wilkins. Pain management center. (2012). Retrieved from

Music paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Music paper - Essay Example There is no doubt that the outward appearance of these two is very dissimilar to each other, however, both are alike. Starting from the basic elements of the two, they are analogous. The elements of music can be taken to be different manifestations of the elements of visual arts. For example, color in visual arts can be comparable to harmony in music. Color is a very important element of visual arts – use of color is what makes the piece of art stand apart: the amount as well as the technique in which color is applied to a visual art piece will definitely go a long way in qualifying and categorizing it. Moreover, if color is not properly or appropriately used, it can have a devastating effect in visual arts. Similarly, in music, harmony is what sets a piece of music apart from the rest. Harmony, or lack of it, can make a certain piece of music enjoyable or unpleasant. Also, harmony can also help in classifying music, just like color does in visual arts. Moreover, value, a way of analyzing the intensity of color in visual arts, can be parallel to timbre in music, which analyzes the intensity of tone in music. Often, visual artists use the intensity of color, or lack thereof, to portray a certain feeling through the piece they are creating. Such is the case in music as well: musicians also take advantage of timbre in their musical piece to portray certain emotions or to give a certain feel or effect to their creation. The use of space in visual also has its parallel in music. There is a certain sense that visual arts can give with their use of space, not only in helping in its classification but also in the overall effect or feel of the piece. Varying use of space can make the same subject matter have different feels in various manifestations of visual arts. In music, the counterpart of use of space can be rhythmic sense. It is through rhythmic sense or rhythm that music is often arranged. And just like use

Discuss a qualitative methodology in relation to answering a chosen Essay

Discuss a qualitative methodology in relation to answering a chosen research question - Essay Example In physiotherapy, such situation can be shared experience in aspects such as chronic disease or back pains among patients. This paper’s account is to discuss phenomenology as a qualitative research methodology in relation to the research question above. Having established the research question as stated above, the essay will begin with a discussion of the key characteristics of the phenomenology methodology also including its epistemological and ontological assumptions and other general characteristics. The latter includes the phenomenological steps of bracketing, intuiting, analysing, and describing, all which help in defining the exact meaning of phenomenology. The essay concludes with an explanation of data collection methods and the analysis utilised by this methodology. Like all other research methodology, there must be elements of a method that defines the research validity. Phenomenology achieves such validity of results through structuring the focus of the research into in-depth narrative to gather a cumulative essence of a condition or experience (Dill, 2014). In this regard, the first method of a phenomenology is to identify the phenomenon and define any shared experiences. What exact condition is under consideration? For instance, the challenges faced by disabled persons who have lost the ability to involve themselves in social life. Their limitations include the inability to participate in sports or family affairs. As exampled in this phenomenon, the challenges experienced by the patient can be formed within seconds and can be enhanced further into a more concrete condition such as Asperger syndrome. Once the shared experiences are identified, the second step of phenomenology is bracketing and researcher’s bias identification. Bracketing is the process of identifying any predetermined beliefs or opinions that a

Ways In Which Forces Within The Macro Marketing Environment Affect The Essay

Ways In Which Forces Within The Macro Marketing Environment Affect The Companys Ability To Market Its Products Successfully. Royal Bank of Scotland - Essay Example Marketing includes all the activities of the organization which are geared at identifying market opportunities, satisfying the customer needs and gaining competitive edge in the industry while at the same time maintaining an acceptable level of profitability (Kotler 2003). Financial services include the satisfactions and benefits which are connected to the functions of money which customers receive from the financial institutions. They include bank accounts, debit cards, loans, and mortgage facilities and other financial related value like interest payable and capital appreciation of the bank deposits (Kotler 2003). The development of financial services marketing has been slow due to the unique nature of the services. Financial services are perishable, inseparable and lack standardization in the service performance. This paper shall discuss the strategies which Royal Bank of Scotland in overcoming the challenges of financial services marketing. The paper shall also address the macro marketing environment forces which affect the banks ability to market the financial services (Kotler 2003). The paper shall also review the market segmentation approaches which the bank has implemented. In the final part, the paper shall discuss some components of the banks marketing mix and how the bank has incorporated them in the marketing mix. Question 1: Strategies used by Royal Bank of Scotland in financial services marketing Financial services have certain unique features which presents challenges to the marketing team. Financial services are characterized by intangibility, heterogeneity, fiduciary responsibility, and contingent consumption, duration of consumption, perishability and inseparability of the services from the consumer. Financial services are intangible since they cannot be seen or touched by the consumer. In dealing with intangibility challenge, the Royal Bank of Scotland provides physical evidence to the consumer by providing debit and credit cards to the consu mers (Kotler 2003). The bank also gives cheque books to the consumers and ensures the staffs are properly dressed and present themselves professionally while dealing with the customers. The bank also emphasis on the benefits of its services like low interest rates in order to reduce the customer perceived risk (Kotler 2003). The bank has overcome the intangibility challenge by building good working relationships with al customers hence this helps in attaining customer loyalty. Financial services marketing experiences the problem of inseparability since they are produced and consumed at the same time in presence of the consumer and the service provider (Kotler 2003). Royal Bank of Scotland has implemented s

Competetive Strategy Analysis - Samsung Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Competetive Strategy Analysis - Samsung - Essay Example The current status of the firm’s competitiveness is evaluated using three strategic tools: the Five Forces model, the Value Chain analysis framework, and the Strategic Clock. The first two models were developed by Porter while the Strategic Clock has been designed by Bowman. These theoretical models allow the identification of all aspects of the firm’s strategic position in the global market. In this way, the understanding of the firm’s current position towards its rivals and of its future prospects in the particular industry becomes easier. Porter’s Five Forces Literature review The Five Forces model of Porter (see Figure 1 below) highlights the forces that a firm is likely to face when developing its daily activities. The identification and the evaluation of these forces are necessary in order to check whether a firm has prospects in its industry or not (Hill and Jones 2009). The forces included in the Five Forces model of Porter are the following: †˜a) new entrants, b) suppliers, c) buyers, d) substitute products, e) industry competition’ (Henry 2008, p.69). The analysis of this model’s elements would help to understand its value for evaluating the potentials of Samsung in the global electronics industry. ... The power of suppliers to ask for increase in prices is higher as the material/ product delivered to the client is rare and cannot be easily located through other suppliers (Roy 2011). This phenomenon is known as the bargaining power of suppliers (Roy 2011). In sectors that are critical in terms of the material used in products, the bargaining power of suppliers can be high: for example, the pharmaceutical industry or the luxury cars industry (Roy 2011). At the next level, reference should be made to the other element of Porter’s model: customers. Customers are able to press firms to proceed to the reduction of their prices in the following case: when the products/ services provided by a firm become common in the market, the customers of a firm may decide to leave their firm and prefer the products of a rival that are at lower price (Gordon 2004). The specific potential of customers can exist only if a product is widely expanded in the market or if a new entrant that offers th e same product at lower price has appeared in the local market (Gordon 2004). The term ‘substitute products’ is used for describing the products with similar characteristics but of lower quality (Ungson and Wong 2008). These products can be available at lower price since their production cost is significantly lower than that of the products with similar characteristics but of high quality (Ungson and Wong 2008). Consumers may prefer these products instead of those that used to buy until now in order to save money (Ungson and Wong 2008). Substitute products cannot particularly threaten a firm that offers products that cannot be easily replicated (Alrawashdeh 2013); Finally, reference should be

Legacy Fighter Aircraft Upgrades and New Stealth Fighters Research Paper

Legacy Fighter Aircraft Upgrades and New Stealth Fighters - Research Paper Example 563; Collier & Ankle, 2002, p. 13). While terror seemed to be seeped within regional efforts supported by allied forces to weaken the perceived enemies, however, there is perceived military imbalance in strategic geographic region where US military’s power seemed bit nil, if not weak, but is nonetheless complemented with diplomatic relations, such as those security threat cases posed by China and of North Korea in Asia. The odds of denuclearization efforts and hazy economic-political climate within the region as well as the sustaining movements in the Arab countries remained both a threat and opportunity for the US forces to rethink about the need to upgrade the capacities for warfare (Collier & Hoeffler, 2006, p. 89; Deger & Sen, 1983, p. 67; Harbom & Wallensteen, 2007, p. 623; Reynal-Querol, 2005, pp. 445) In the last decade, US forces have been focused in combating terror groups in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and in working with reformists’ organization within the Arab region with hope to change the system and make it more liberal in its trading relation. However, amid these challenging turn of events, there are also intrinsic realities posed by Pentagon about the need of the military aviation forces to scale up its defence or operational system, such as upgrading of its its USAF fighter platforms from F-22 to new F-35s, as well as by upgrading the aerodynamics or aircraft systems. In this project, the researcher will determine the (a) prices of the F-35s and the cost of upgrading its aerodynamic systems, (b) the capacity of the US government and military agency to allocate budget for these projects, and (c) the consideration of the legislators on the fiscal requirements for this upgrade. Data Collection This is a qualitative research that will investigate the requirement in upgrading the military aviation forces of US and to hopefully embark comparative details of these matters with consideration of the current deliberation of the needs and cost analysis of the upgrade. Qualitative study will rely in primary and secondary sources that can be lifted from interviews, reports, publications, magazines and online information. The study will help elucidate the prospect and consequence of plan to upgrade the military aviation system. Data gathered will be reviewed, collated and evaluated to arrive at a reasonable conclusion that may (or may not) aid the decision-making of the legislations and authorities in Pentagon. The researchers evaluate the information based on historical records, plans of the DoD, and budget schedules as well as its estimates (GAO, 2012). Test reports were also considered including the risk information of the new capabilities (GAO, 2012). Data Analysis Last month, July of 2013, the Department of Defence of the United Sates announced of forging an agreement to purchase 71 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin at a lower cost of 4% less than the original prices for stealth and radar evading fighter jets but discounts will only be for 36 units and another 8% less for the remaining 35 units (Drew, 2013). Reports mentioned that the cost, including the ancillary facilities, are pegged at $7 billion per unit thus, state authorities require the reduction of the cost while other cost analysts outside the government batted that the cost would be rising still. The high costs and the anent problems associated in the acquisition have also discouraged other Pentagon officials and thought of scrapping

Marketing Concept to the 21st century Business of Starbucks Essay - 1

Marketing Concept to the 21st century Business of Starbucks - Essay Example This requires marketers to constantly upgrade their marketing tactics and strategies. In the 21st century, marketing is quite different from what it used to be a century before. One concept that has gained interest among the marketers is relationship marketing. Relationship marketing deals with developing long and lasting relationships with the stakeholders of the organization. One company that has truly adopted this concept is Starbucks that continues to provide services and products while remaining customer and employee oriented. This paper will delve on relationship marketing and its application within one specific organization which is Starbucks. Description of the Marketing Concept As competition is increasing throughout the world, companies have to constantly readjust their marketing strategies in order to gain an edge over the competition. In this era, companies are becoming increasingly people-oriented, that is, they develop their operations to suit the needs of their stakeho lders. These usually include in most cases the consumers and with new concepts developed, employees have also become the central focus on the companies. Employee oriented companies have become more common in the service industries where employees form the face of the company. Thus the concept of relationship marketing has emerged in today’s world that companies are increasingly adapting to in order gain a good share of the market. In relationship marketing, the aim of the company is not profit maximization but rather retaining good relationship with its stakeholders, specifically the consumers. Palmatier, 2008 defines relationship marketing as ‘the process of identifying, developing, maintaining, and terminating relational exchanges with the purpose of enhancing performance’. This relationship, though is falsely attributed to extend to only the consumers, is in fact developed with all stakeholders including the consumers, employees and the community. Gummesson, 2 002 further broadens relationship marketing to total relationship marketing where marketing is extended from CRM approaches to developing relationships with all stakeholders of the company. He defines the concept in the following terms, ‘Total relationship marketing is marketing based on relationships, networks and interaction, recognizing that marketing is embedded in the total management of the networks of the selling organization, the market and society. It is directed to long-term win-win relationships with individual customers, and value is jointly created between the parties involved. It transcends the boundaries between specialist functions and disciplines’ (Gummesson, 2002) In terms of the consumers, the aim of the company in relationship marketing is to develop long-lasting relationships. This is done by orienting the company to meet the needs of the consumers. Companies that aim at relationship building conduct regular surveys and feedbacks. The purpose of the se surveys is to better understand the customers and to align the operations of the company with the changing needs of the consumers. Companies practicing relationship marketing consistently innovate their products and services to better serve their customers. For example, recently many retail outlets have developed their Android presence. Consumers can easily download applications and order for their products through their cell phones conveniently.  

The Causes and Effects of air pollution on the people and the Essay

The Causes and Effects of air pollution on the people and the environment - Essay Example In addition, air pollutants are transboundary in nature as they travel freely from the source in which they are produced to other locations and thereby spread the pollutants throughout the region. This nature has resulted in health affects for humans, animals as well as negative environmental impacts on trees, plants and forests which have in turn incurred economic losses through medical expenses and other damages (Air Pollution Effects). Air Pollution – Causes Man-made sources The major causes of air pollution come from human activities while on a minority result from natural causes. The beginning of the industrial revolution has brought with it tremendous growth of industries, population and globalization which have hugely contributed to the growing air pollution across the world. The industrial growth resulted in the establishment of several sectors such as power and biofuel industries, refineries, residential sector and the development of road, rail, and air transport. Eac h of these sectors has liberated pollutants into the air in the form of gases, solid or liquid particles. Among the major gaseous form of pollutants, sulfur-dioxide, which is a colorless gas with a pungent odor, is released during combustion of fossil fuels. The generation of power through electricity and the consequent production of heat produce a cocktail of air pollutants. The combustion of coal, which is a widely used source of energy in the power sector, produces sulfur-dioxide in large amounts in addition to other greenhouse pollutants such as arsenic, lead, and mercury. Other industries which release large amounts of sulfur-dioxide into the atmosphere are the manufacturing and construction industries and those which produce non-ferrous metals. The next major gaseous pollutant released is nitrogen oxides which is present in two major forms: nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide. These are produced during the combustion of fossil fuels, motor fuel combustion from vehicles, from pow er plants, and deforestation. Carbon monoxide which is a highly toxic colorless, odorless and tasteless gas is also mainly produced during deforestation, combustion of biofuels and vehicular combustion. Ammonia gas, which has a pungent odor and hazardous in nature is produced through agricultural practices such as livestock farming and animal waste. The ozone, which is a colorless, poisonous gas with an irritating odor, is present in the stratosphere and troposphere layer of the atmosphere. While the ozone in the stratosphere layer protects the earth against the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun, that in the troposphere is a secondary pollutant which is produced as a result of a chemical reaction between other pollutants in the presence of sunlight. Other air pollutants includes solid or liquid airborne particles which are suspended in the atmosphere, volatile organic compounds such as pure hydrocarbons or organic compounds and other persistent pollutants such as pesticides like D DT (Air Pollution Causes). Natural sources The

Input and Output Report Essay Example for Free

Input and Output Report Essay Field Names Customer ID (the unique reference number given to any customer that has travelled with First Travel) Customer_ ID Title (the title of the customer e.g. Mr, Mrs etc. I have done this in a drop down menu so that no other text can be given) Title Customer First Name (the first name of the customer) First_ Name Customer Last Name (the last name of the customer) Last_ Name Billing Address (the house number and street of the customer) Address City (the city/town in which the customer lives) City Post Code (the post code of the customer-I have inserted an input mask which ,means only six characters can be entered in with 3 digits and three letters) Postal_Code Email Address (the email address of the customer) Email _Address Holiday Reference(the holiday reference number is given to those customers that are travelling) Holiday _ Ref Destination (the arrival airport of the customer, it will be given as a three letter code) Arrival_ Airport Hotel (the hotel the customer is staying at) Hotel Payment Made (this field will be added in Excel) N/A Total Amount (this field will be added in Excel) N/A Outstanding Payment(this field will be added in Excel) N/A Design and creation of Database Spreadsheet 3.1 Data Capture Form for Invoice 3.2 Data Capture Form for E-Ticket Data Captured Field Names Customer ID (the unique reference number given to any customer that has travelled with First Travel) Customer_ ID Title (the title of the customer e.g. Mr, Mrs etc. I have done this in a drop down menu so that no other text can be given) Title Customer First Name (the first name of the customer) First_ Name Customer Last Name (the last name of the customer) Last_ Name Billing Address (the house number and street of the customer) Address City (the city/town in which the customer lives) City Post Code (the post code of the customer-I have inserted an input mask which ,means only six characters can be entered in with 3 digits and three letters) Postal_Code Email Address (the email address of the customer) Email _Address Holiday Reference(the holiday reference number is given to those customers that are travelling) Holiday _ Ref Departure Airport (the departure airport of the customer, it will be given as a three letter code) Departure _ Airport Arrival Airport (the arrival airport of the customer, it will be given as a three letter code) Arrival_ Airport Flight Time (Outbound) FTO Flight Time (Inbound) FTI Hotel (the hotel the customer is staying at) Hotel 3.3 Unique Excel Additions Unique Excel Additions Descriptions Formula MIN The MIN function finds the minimum value in any range. I my case it finds the holiday with lowest price. =MIN(RANGE) MAX The MAX function finds the maximum value in any range. I my case it finds the holiday with highest price. =MAX(RANGE) AVERAGE The AVERAGE function finds the average value in any range. I my case it finds the average price of a holiday. =AVERAGE(RANGE) ABOSOLUTE CELL REFRENCING (ABR) ABR uses a fixed cell to link to, so the formula can be replicated over a range. In my case I used it to find the insurance and VAT prices. =(CELL)*$(letter of cell)$(number of cell)

Importance of Creeds in Christianity

Importance of Creeds in Christianity Why exactly was it important for early Christianity to get clear on its creeds, and what it claimed was necessary to be a believer? Creeds are statements that define the Christian belief most of which were formulated during the early times of Christianity before the church was split into the Orthodox and the Roman church. The creeds were crucial elements of the Christian faith, and it was important for all to have clarity, because through achieving clarity of the creed, one was able to understand the faith at a much deeper level. The creed was an actual declaration of what the faith stood for. If one did not understand the creed well then, they would not be fully aware of what they believe in. Clarity was also essential to solve any conflicts that could arise in a church, as these statements outline or define the faith and what it stands for. They served as the mirror that the proponents would use to solve any confusions or misunderstanding. In other words, the creed served as a problem-solving manual, through which one could refer for clarification (Van Voorst, 2015). Qualities of a believer according to early Christians In the early time of Christianity, dated from the time of Jesus, proponents of this religion set a good example defined by the qualifications that they believed as for what a true believer had to possess. They were obedient to the laws of the land even though in their hearts they belonged to the kingdom of heaven. They also had to obey what the earthly authority outlined for them to follow, for they well knew that any authority originates from God. Daily Christian practices were mandatory for anyone who qualified to be called a believer. Some of these practices included; going to church so as to fellowship with other believers, giving alms to the poor and the people in need, participating in prayers and observance of Christian feasts among many other requirements. What are the issues about what was considered non-negotiable and (arguably) what was not? The outline of how to live life for the early Christians was clearly illustrated in the creeds that were guided by principles from the Bible. It is from these principles that they were able to come up with doctrines that could not be negotiated and those that could. Non-negotiable aspects were the primary truths on which the faith was built. For example, the concept of the Trinity was one non-negotiable issue. Even though one could not understand how the Trinity was a representation of one God, they could not dispute with that or try to come up with a counter theory on the existence of God in the three aspects. Jesus Christ as the only source of forgiveness for the human sins was not negotiable. The Christianity itself was based on the existence of Jesus and so the only way of forgiveness. Negotiable aspects are those that people could appeal to the elders for regulation. The issue of tithing could be regulated when people felt that there was a good reason to do so. It had nothing to do with the original foundations of the faith. With reference to the Nicene Creed, should the filioque controversy be an adequate reason for the split between Orthodox Christianity and Western, pre-Reformation Catholic Christianity? The filioque controversy arose from the addition of the clause and the son to the original creed to form- I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father à ¢Ã… ¸Ã‚ ¨and the Son (Molloy,2012). This addition caused an implication of suggesting that the Holy Spirit is given to human beings through God the father and the son. As a result of the disagreements on the Pope allowing the addition of that clause, there was division in the church to form the Eastern and the Western Christianity in the year 1054.   This was not reason enough for the division of the church regardless of the explanations that people may have given. The fact remains that both the Orthodox and the Western Christianity believe in the power of the Son of God. They both attest to the fact that he has power and that means that if he is the way of salvation, then he can also give the Spirit for he is supreme. References Molloy, M. (2012). Experiencing the Worlds Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change (6th ed.) McGraw-Hill Education. Van Voorst, R. E. (2015). Anthology of world scriptures, 9th edition. Cengage Learning

OnLive: The Future of Gaming or Technological Disaster? Essay

OnLive: The Future of Gaming or Technological Disaster? The OnLive Company first proposed their plan to provide cloud-based gaming service to the public at the E3 conference, June 2009. To many of the enthusiasts at the conference, it seemed that an On-Demand service for video games was only natural, given that movies and music have already adopted cloud distribution. As Microsoft and Nintendo premiered their new resource-hungry consoles, OnLive demoed Crysis, a graphics intensive videogame, on an iPhone. The crowd was astonished by the games low-latency, and quality. CEO Steve Perlman also points out â€Å"we can deliver anything† through the cloud, including design applications, movies, and other forms of multimedia. OnLives idea to deploy the innovative service has not gone without criticism; many people are skeptical of their business plan and believe it to be impractical. In prospect, the OnLive service will revolutionize the gaming industry. After using the service for only a few minutes, I mused that gaming consoles would never again dominate the market. Along with games, OnLive’s interface is also a social network. It allows users to interact and share information, such as "Brag Clips" which are user-selected 10 second clips of memorable moments in their gameplay. Perhaps most importantly OnLive can be played through nearly every new device with an Internet connection, including iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. Currently on pre-order is OnLive’s â€Å"MicroConsole", a cigarette package-sized device that can connect to OnLive to a Television. Even the old IBM computer that has been sitting in your garage for years can run the newest games through OnLive. Whereas in the past gamers were forced to purchase the new Sony Pla... ...Perlman Gives Us His Post-launch Perspective.† Interviewed by Rich Brown. CNET News. Communication Network Inc., 15 July 2010. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. . Paul, Ryan. "40GB for $55 per Month: Time Warner Bandwidth Caps Arrive." Ars Technica. 3 June 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. . MMOGchart. MMOG Subscriptions Market Share - April 2008. Digital image. MMOGchart.com. MMOGchart, Apr. 2008. Web. 7 Nov. 2010. . Rayburn, Dan. "The Rapid Decline in Bandwidth Costs Since 2005 -- Seeking Alpha." Seeking Alpha. Seeking Alpha, 2 June 2009. Web. 1 Nov. 2010. . "What Is MMOG?" GamesTotal.com. Games Total. Web. 6 Nov. 2010. . "What Is Pandora Radio?" WiseGEEK: Clear Answers for Common Questions. WiseGEEK. Web. 3 Nov. 2010. .

Tobacco Stuff :: essays research papers fc

The Tobacco Issue: The Tobacco Issue: Where the Responsibility Lies Political-Legal Issues: The legal and political issues surrounding the tobacco industry include whether or not tobacco companies should be held liable for tobacco-related deaths of smokers and those related to second-hand smoke, as well as whether or not elected officials should be accepting money from the tobacco industry in order to win elections. When deciding where the responsibility lies in the case of tobacco, the facts can be turned to favor either side on the issue. However, the tobacco industry has followed the government’s guidelines, since guidelines have been established, while the government seems to want to place blame for peoples’ habits on the manufacturers of products that people choose to use. Tobacco Litigation: The first issue to examine is the issue surrounding the use of the judicial system in finding responsibility for the epidemic surrounding the tobacco industry. The tobacco industry is the defendant in the majority of cases brought before the judiciary and, historically, the majority of the cases have been decided in favor of the industry. In a landmark case in 1988, the tobacco industry won a huge victory against Rose Cipollone. Ms. Cipollone died a horribly painful death from cancer. The defendant in the case was Philip Morris. Philip Morris’ council argued that it was the woman’s choice to smoke. This woman had even testified that she had gone to church every Sunday to pray that she would not get lung cancer. She knew the risks involved with smoking and chose to continue smoking. Philip Morris won the case. (Byrne, 189-190). For years the tobacco industry won case after case involving cancer victims that had smoked. Even today, much of the litigati on by smokers has been decided in favor of the industry. In July of 1999 the Louisiana District Court, 19th District decided the case of Robert Gilboy et al. V. The American Tobacco Co., et al. in favor of the defense. The jury was not convinced that 45 years of smoking had caused Mr. Gilboy’s lung cancer. In the case of the Estate of Burl Butler, et al. V. Philip Morris, Inc., et al., the Jones County, Mississippi Circuit Court, 2nd District jury found the tobacco industry defendants not liable for the alleged second-hand smoke related wrongful death of Mr. Butler. This case was decided in June of 1999. An important win for the defense was gained in Kansas City, Missouri in May of 1999.

The Change in Scrooge’s Character :: A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens Essays

The Change in Scrooge’s Character How does dickens show the change in scrooge’s character in ‘A Christmas Carol’, look closely at the language used and how this influences the reader In 1843 Charles dickens wrote ‘A Christmas Carol’ partly to make people aware of the terrible conditions of the children of the poor. In 1843 he visited the field lane ragged school and was appalled by what he saw there/ ragged schools catered for the very poorest, hungry children who roamed the streets, trying to teach them the basic skills of reading and writing. He had also been shocked by a parliamentary report by the children’s employment commission. Dickens was the most popular novelist of the day and he soon realized that far more people would take notice of the terrible conditions of the poor if he wrote about them in a story. ‘A Christmas carol’ was published on 17th December 1843 and by the 24th he had sold 6,000 copies. Dickens called it a most prodigious success., the greatest, I think, have ever achieved. ‘A Christmas carol’ is still widely read today and appears in many versions including illustrated re-telling of the story for young children. Hardly a Christmas goes by without a version of ‘A Christmas carol’ appearing on TV in one form or another. The name of the main character, scrooge, has come into general use in the English language meaning ‘a miserly or mean person’. In ‘A Christmas carol’ Dickens shows scrooge as an evil, nasty man by using a long list of adjectives, he’s described with this sentence â€Å"Oh! But he was a tight fisted hand at the grindstone, scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and as solitary as an oyster† Another way to show this is the way he talks to people, e.g. when his nephew invites him to his Christmas party but he turns him down and calls Christmas a ‘Humbug!’ and even worse, when 2 charity workers ask him for a donation for the poor children, he says send them to the work houses, if they would rather die they better do it, and decrease the surplus population. This shows how much of a cold hearted, covetous sinner he is. Dickens makes us feel like he’s an evil man, he’s selfish and says he’d rather the children die than donate his money to charity. When the ghost of Marley visited scrooge in the night, he was shocked, he first saw Marley’s face as the doorknob, then he was frightened further when the ghost of Marley opened the door from the outside when

Management Power and Change Essay

1 Abstract The dynamics of power relations and their effects on organizational change was often underestimated by researchers. Analyses of the role played by power in organizational change are increasing in intensity, scale and impact (Munduate and Bennebroeck-Gravenhorst 2003). The appropriate and effective use of power is fundamental for managers engaged in major change processes. This report deals with the topic of management power and change. It focuses on the exercise of power and its function in organizational change. At first power and change management will be defined and then the bases or sources of power and the responses which are provoked according to the type of power being applied .how power can be used to influence and facilitate organizational change. 2 Definition of Power There are many variations to the definition of power and there are disagreements on its definition and what the best way is to measure it. The definition also depends on the context in which power is used. In this case, since the report focuses on the explanation of the use of power in the setting of organizational change, power is â€Å"the potential ability to influence behavior, to change the course of events, to overcome resistance, and to get people to do things that they would not otherwise do† (Pfeffer, 1993: 204-5). 2.1 Power and Influence In trying to understand how change is achieved, social psychologists have used the concepts of social power and influence (Raven 1999) and therefore the terms power and influence are sometimes used synonymously, but there are discrepancies between them. Social power indicates the various tools a person has to influence the environment or the other party, while influence is referring to the actual use of a specific tool in a particular situation (Munduate and Medina 2009). According to French and Raven (1959) influence is a force one person (the leader or agent) exerts on someone else (follower or target) to induce a change in the latter, including changes in behaviors, attitudes, and values. Social power was subsequently defined as the potential ability of a person to influence someone else. â€Å"Basically, influence is the effect a person’s actions have on the attitudes, values, beliefs, or behavior of others. Whereas power is the capacity to cause a change in a person, influence may be thought of as the degree of actual change† (Daft, 2006: 679-680). Boddy defines influence as the process by which one party attempts to modify the behavior of others by mobilizing power resources. Hence, in order to apprehend the function of the change agent in the promotion of change in an organization, the reactions of the targets involving a proactive disposition toward change have to be considered first and then the available tools for the change agent to influence the targets (Munduate and Medina 2009). 2.3 Types of Influence Processes There are clear differences in the way followers comply to direct and indirect social pressure from a leader and actually being convinced by him. In one case the influence may just be sufficient to exercise control over the followers’ behavior, guaranteeing a public agreement no matter if the followers are privately convinced. In another case the influence could be so strong that it changes the followers’ opinion and merely makes him committed to the leader’s request. Consequently, different types of influences have been proposed by social psychologists, whereby the most important was Kelman’s distinction (1961) between compliance, internalization, and identification. 2.4 Bases of Power For a manager to be effective, he has to possess a source of power which he can use to influence employees to take actions or carry out orders which they would not have done in the absence of that power source.

Smart Metrobus Stops

Reduce the traffic The metrobus system, which IETT has effectuated in order to reduce the traffic density at the main arteries of traffic in Istanbul and to provide quick and comfortable transportation, primarily started to serve at Topkapi-Avcilar route. * To encourage more use of public transport The metrobus system, which reduced the Access time of Topkapi-Avcilar to 22 minutes, it  was 67 minutes previously, will be extended to Beylikduzu at the European side of Istanbul and to Kozyatagi the Anatolian side of Istanbul.One bus can carry   600. 000/day. The number of people that  typically travel in a car –  making bus travel greener and reducing congestion on our roads. Metrobus  improves reliability and more people will be encouraged to leave the car at home and use the bus more often. The metrobus system, which displays further development potential than other express lines; whose investment and operation costs are absolutely lower than other railways; whose est ablishment is completed in a shorter time relatively, has primarily reduced the traveling period, providing time saving.Since the vehicles move on their specific road, the accident rate and risk reduces. High-tech devices within the system provide a safer and more comfortable travel. By means of its environment-friendly engines, the emission rates reduce drastically and the hybrid engine provides approximately 40% fuel savings Its drawing near alongside the stop facilitates the disabled travelers to get on the metrobus. Operational Capabilities * Intelligent Metrobus Signs provide; * Real time travel information at high-use bus stops Timetables, route maps and local area maps * Need minimum maintenance and have a long service life * No need excavation, easy fitting * Promoting more people to use public transit * Audiable signange fort he visually impaired * Save %75 energy more than traditional stops * Solar-powered system, friendly to environment * Can be used as a lighting and 220 Volt AC power supply in case of emergency or natural disaster * Can call emergency with the emergency/panic button Intelligent metrobus sign system should be designed to withstand malicious use (A push button also triggers an audible message of the same information to help passengers with a visual impairment) . User Classes * Public: people who are using metrobuses searching which line they will use, arrival time of the metrobus or looking at the city map. * Maintenance personnel: people who service, adjust, maintain and repair equipment STAGE 2: OPERATIONAL CONCEPT FORMULATION * Existing metrobus stops  are being  upgraded and some new metrobus stops  built along for future metobus routes.This ensures that passengers have reduced waiting times and easier  access to buses. * LCD displays on metrobus stops show arrival, departure and estimated time of arrival calculation information based on the vehicle tracking data. This tracking information is provided using satellite sig nals from the Global Positioning System (GPS) . The data is transferred to the control centre by GPRS communication. * Positions of all metrobuses are tracked so that predictions of arrival times on  information displays at metrobus stops are continually updated. The metrobus stop acts as an active environmental sensing node, powering itself through sunlight and collecting real-time information about the surrounding environment STAGE 3: OPERATIONAL CONCEPT FORMULATION * Main task The system would provide real-time information on LCD display screens at these stops. The information indicate the fixed route of the metrobuses on graphic maps, the number of stops and the estimated time before arrival. * Human Task The user will be able to check his current location, closest metrobus stop's location and name and all metrobus lines and their routes.And there will be a panic buton to be used just in case of an emergency ( will be located to a certain level of height in order to be kept aw ay children’ reach). Different views of system * Physical view * The size of the Metrobus Stop is modular and adjustable depending on the number of people using the bus stop at the specific site. * Schedules and timetables for each route are visible on LCD screens and there will be 2 LCD screens located the midpoint of the distance between 3 doors. The navigation positioning device (GPS) retrieving current vehicle geographic longitude and latitude coordinates from the received satellite signal * The position data transfers to Metrobus Stop Control Center * Compute a distance from the current position to a next target position value and the current geographic longitude and latitude coordinates * Analyzes the current vehicle speed based on a basic vehicle speed, and sends the analyzed speed data and the computed distance data to ETA (estimated time of arrival) unit. Compute parameters for adjusting a remaining distance and the remaining distance based on the received data * And determine the remaining time to the next stop according to the remaining distance to the next target position value and vehicle speed. * The data is transferred to the Metrobus Stop by GPRS communication Using the Metrobus stop, public transit operators can provide passengers reliable estimated time of arrival predictions, achieving greater passenger satisfaction and significantly improving their public image.A Global Positioning System unit would be installed on every metrobus to send real time information to the metrobus stop display via satellite. STAGE 4:CONCEPT DEMONSTRATION AND VALIDATION * The concept of design which is chosen during concept exploration is now modeled, simulated and model tests are performed. * Making sure that the proposed design encourages more people to use public transport is the major phase of this stage. Questions should be answered are; * Does the desing concept meet requirements for operating, maintaining and supporting the system? * Does it meet saf ety and personal training requirements?Personnel Requirements The stuff who are responsible with servicing ans maintaining are required to have necessarry technical knowledge and go through training programmes that may be necessary to bring their skills up to required levels STAGE 5: FULL-SCALE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT Products are not only tested by consumers, but also will be tested during the process of design and manufacture. Usabbility Testing and Reference of Testing Results * Intelligent metrobus stop provides timely passenger information based on fast and effective communications. In average, the connection is established in less than 0. seconds, instantly providing accurate information on metrobus status. * When the metrobus passes through a tunnel, the global positioning device  Ã‚  is not able to transmit and receive signal to and from the satellite  . and therefore, could not retrieve the current vehicle geographic longitude and latitude coordinates and the current ve hicle speed to result in incorrect announcement of arrival at a next stop by the metrobus stop announcing system * Pressure and strength test are applied on the intelligent metrobus stops. * The metrobus stop shelter material is made from 99. 9% uv protection policarbonate. serlite Polycarbonate Selter prevents the transmission  of more than 99. 9% of harmful UV radiation, measured to   standard ISO 9050:2003. Its co-extruded UV barrier protects the   sheet from UV degradation and discolouration. It remains stable  under extreme climatic conditions (-20 ° to +120 °C). Shelters also stop the rain. * Laserlite Polycarbonate  Roofing is self extinguishing, stops the spread of flame   and also has excellent fire resistant properties. Therefore, this   product complies with many fire related tests, including Heat and   Smoke Release   Rates   (AS/NZS   3837:1998) STAGE 6: PRODUCTION AND DEPLOYMENTUsers don’t need any training period. Training is only for technical service and operator workers. A timetable is available for convenience, and there is a slot for advertisement in order to create a surplus in cash flow, allowing more metrobus stops to be built. The technology would enable people to leave their cars and encourage more people to use public transport. Changes that should be made for later versions will allowed you to check your e-mail, share community information on a digital message board or monitor the local air quality. STAGE 7 : OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE The system require minimum maintenence and have a long service life.

How the Media Affect What People Essay

The standard assertion in most recent empirical studies is that â€Å"media affect what people think about, not what they think. † The findings here indicate the media make a significant contribution to what people think—to their political preferences and evaluations—precisely by affecting what they think about. A he belief that long dominated the scholarly community is that news messages have â€Å"minimal consequences† (Katz and Lazarsfeld, 1955; Klapper, 1960). Many media scholars still endorse something close to this view (cf. McGuire, 1985; Gans, n. d. ; Neuman, 1986; also M. Robinson and Sheehan, 1983). The more popular recent view is that media influence is significant, but only in shaping the problems the public considers most important—their agendas (McCombs and Shaw, 1972). In some respects, agenda research challenges the minimal consequences view, but both approaches share a core assumption. Both assume audiences enjoy substantial autonomy in developing their political preferences. Research contradicting the notion that media have minimal consequences or only influence agendas has emerged during the 1980s (see, e. g. the pioneering yet disparate work of such authors as Bartels, 1985; Patterson, 1980; Iyengar and Kinder, 1987; and Page, Shapiro, and Dempsey, 1987; cf. Rob- The author gratefully acknowledgesfinancialsupport from the John and Mary R. Markle Foundation and the Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin, and thanks this journal’s referees and editors for useful suggestions. JOURNAL OF POLITICS, Vol. 51, No. 2, May 1989 Portions of this article appear in DEMOCRACY WITHOUT CITIZENS: THE MEDIA AND THE DECAY OF AMERICAN POLITICS by Robert M. Entman.  © 1989 by Robert M. Entman. Used by arrangement with Oxford University Press, Inc. 348 Robert M. Entman inson and Levy, 1986). 1 But this burgeoning research has not yet generated a theory that explicitly refutes the assumption of audience autonomy and explains more fully the media’s impact on public opinion. This article probes the theoretical underpinnings of the autonomy assumption and provides empirical evidence that media messages significantly influence what the public thinks by shaping what they think about. THE RESEARCH TRADITION The audience autonomy assumption provides the foundation for the minimal consequences position. The assumption is that audiences form their political opinions in relative independence from the media. There are two somewhat distinct variants of this position. The first emphasizes that audiences think about communications selectively, screening out information they do not like (Klapper, I960; cf. McGuire, 1985). The second holds that audiences pay so little attention and understand so little that the news cannot influence them (Neuman, 1986; cf. MacKuen, 1984). 2 In practice, both the selectivity hypothesis and the hypothesis of inattention and incomprehension (hereafter just â€Å"inattention†) hold that media messages tend only to reinforce existing preferences rather than helping to form new attitudes or change old ones. Thus the media have little net impact on politics. The central assumption of the more recent agenda setting research has been that media do exert significant influence, but only in a narrow sphere. In this view, the public’s autonomy is not complete, but its susceptibility to media influence is limited to agendas. Agenda research almost always includes a sentence like this: â€Å"Although a ‘minimal effects’ model most accurately describes the media’s ability to change opinions, recent research has shown that the media can play a much larger role in telling us what to think about, if not what to think† (Lau and Erber, 1985, p. 60; almost identical assertions appear throughout the literature, e. g. , McCombs and Shaw, 1972; MacKuen, 1984, pp. 72, 386; and even radical critiques such as Parenti, 1985, p. 23; also see MacKuen and Combs, 1981; Behr and Iyengar, 1985; Miller, Erbring, and Goldenberg, 1979). 3 Agenda scholarship does not provide a comprehensive theory that explains why media influence is confined to agendas, but selecDeFleur and Ball-Rokeach’s â€Å"dependency theory† (1982) describes an important theoretical alternativ e to the autonomy assumption, but that work predates most of the recent surge in empirical evidence. 2 Neuman (1986, chap. ) grounds his argument in the lack of evidence that media can teach specific information or enhance political sophistication. The concern in this paper is with political evaluations and preferences, which do not require much information—often a simple emotional response will do (cf. Abelson et al. , 1982). A related argument cites the public’s inability to recall specific stories. But the influence of a single news story or show is rarely of interest. The primary concern is the effect of repeated news messages over time (cf. Graber, 1984). But compare Iyengar and Kinder, 1987, and Protess et al. , 1987, for agenda setting research showing that media influence of agendas also shapes, respectively, the mass public’s criteria of political judgment and public officials’ behavior. 1 How the Media Affect What People Think 349 tivity and ina ttention again seem to be key. In the agenda setting view, the media can overcome these barriers in determining the issues people think about but not in shaping how they evaluate issues or candidates (the most explicit discussion is MacKuen, 1984). The problem with the agenda setting position is that the distinction between â€Å"what to think† and â€Å"what to think about† is misleading. Nobody, no force, can ever successfully â€Å"tell people what to think. † Short of sophisticated physical torture (â€Å"brainwashing†), no form of communication can compel anything more than feigned obeisance. The way to control attitudes is to provide a partial selection of information for a person to think about, or process. The only way to influence what people think is precisely to shape what they think about. No matter what the message, whether conveyed through media or in person, control over others’ thinking can never be complete. Influence can be exerted through selection of information, but conclusions cannot be dictated. If the media (or anyone) can affect what people think about—the information they process—the media can affect their attitudes. This perspective yields an assumption of interdependence: public opinion grows out of an interaction between media messages and what audiences make of them. I will call this the â€Å"interdependence model. The competing positions, the minimal consequences and the agenda perspectives, both endorse the assumption that audiences form preferences autonomously. I will call this the â€Å"autonomy model. † INFORMATION PROCESSING AND MEDIA IMPACTS Combining a recognition of the interdependence of audiences and media with information-processing models developed by cognitive psychologists may offer the best foundation for a new understanding (cf. Graber, 1984; Kraus and Perloff, 1985). There is no consensus among those who study information processing. But a number of generalizations pertinent to the mass media’s impacts can be gleaned from their work. Information-processing research shows that people have cognitive structures, called â€Å"schemas,†4 which organize their thinking. A person’s system of schemas stores substantive beliefs, attitudes, values, and preferences (cf. Rokeach, 1973) along with rules for linking different ideas. The schemas â€Å"direct attention to relevant information, guide its interpretation and evaluation, provide inferences when information is missing or ambiguous, and facilitate its retention† (Fiske and Kinder, 1981, p. 73). Schemas are not filters used to select out all unfamiliar or uncomfortable information. As Bennett writes, â€Å"[I]nformation processing constructs [i. e. schemas] like party identification and ideological categories should not be reScholars have used many other terms, including â€Å"scripts,† â€Å"inferential sets,† â€Å"frames,â €™ and â€Å"prototypes. † While there are subtle differences among them, they need not concern us here. The term schema is as good as any, and for clarity’s sake I use the English plural â€Å"schemas† instead of the awkward â€Å"schemata. 4 350 Robert M. Entman garded as rigid cognitive frameworks that work infixedways to screen out unfamiliar information† (Bennett, 1981, p. 91). Certainly people fail to think about much of the news, but not necessarily because they choose only congruent messages, or because they inevitably misunderstand or deliberately ignore media reports. Selectivity and inattention are stressed by the autonomy model, but that model fails to explain why many citizens do think about a great deal of the new information they encounter. Information-processing theory recognizes and helps explain how attitudes emerge from a dynamic interaction of new information with peoples’ existing beliefs. In Bennett’s (1981, p. 92) words, political thought is â€Å"data-driven† by external information and â€Å"conceptually-driven† by internal schemas. Information-processing theory suggests that whether people ignore or pay attention to new information depends more on its salience, on whether it meshes with their interests, than on whether it conflicts with their existing beliefs (Markus and Zajonc, 1985, pp. 162 and passim; Kinder and Sears, 1985, pp. 710-12). While people may resist knowledge that challenges their fundamental values (Axelrod, 1973), most can accommodate new information and even hold a set of specific beliefs that may appear dissonant, contradictory, or illogical to an outsider (cf. Lane, 1962). The explicit model of thinking that cognitive psychologists have been putting together thus contradicts the implicit model in much of media research. Rather than resisting or ignoring most new or dissonant media reports, as the autonomy model assumes, the information-processing view predicts that people are susceptible to significant media effects. In the information-processing perspective, a person first assesses a media report for salience. If salient, the person processes the news according to routines established in the schema system. Processing may lead the person either to store the information or discard it; if stored, the information may stimulate new beliefs or change old beliefs. So selectivity and inattention are not the whole story. Often people may screen out information that contradicts their current views; but other times they think about disturbing reports they find relevant. The notion of an audience that actively resists all potentially conflicting information rests upon an assumption of a deeply involved and knowledgeable citizenry, a vision that does not apply to most people (e. g. , Converse and Markus, 1979; Kinder and Sears, 1985). Common sense suggests it takes more information and time to change the minds of strong adherents than weak ones, but sometimes even loyalists do change. When the implications are not obvious—for example when the information is contained in the form of a subtle slant to the news (see Entman, 1989, chap. )—the probability increases that even activists will store conflicting data without experiencing any immediate dissonance. And while it may take many repetitions of a media message to pierce the public’s indubitable haze of neglect and distraction, this very same political indifference may enhance the likelihood that messages which do penetrate How the Media Affect What People Think 351 will have an im pact. Just because on most matters Americans have so little knowledge and such weakly-anchored beliefs, information provided by the media can significantly shape their attitudes. Not only do the majority of audience members lack detailed, expert knowledge or strong opinions (cf. Fiske, Kinder, and Larter, 1983); sometimes there are no old attitudes to defend. Many of the most significant political contests are played out over emerging issues or leaders; audiences do not have set attitudes toward them. That clears the path for significant media influence. TESTING MEDIA INFLUENCE Identification as liberal, moderate, or conservative is a key component of the political schema system that much of the public applies to political information. Ideological leanings affect responses to specific media eports; different identifiers may read the same message differently. This is why the media, in common with all other sources of information, cannot dictate public views and why an interdependence model seems appropriate. The interdependence model predicts that media influence varies according to the way each person processes specific news messages. Instead of treating ideo logy as a tool people use to screen out reports that conflict with their liberalism or conservatism, the model sees ideology as a schema that influences the use people make of media messages in more complicated ways. The interaction between the attributes of the message and the schemas of the audience shapes the impact of the news. One element of this interdependence is message salience, which may vary among the ideological groups. Stories that interest liberals may bore conservatives; items that intrigue ideologues on either side may not interest moderates, who have few strong beliefs. Another aspect of interdependence involves whether the message is relevant to peripheral or central attitudes. The centrality of a message may vary for different groups, since liberals and conservatives appear to structure their ideas distinctively. Central to liberalism is attachment to ideals of change and equality; central to conservatism is attraction to capitalism (Conover andj^eldman, 1981). The two groups probably process some media messages^differently. This decidedly does not mean liberals, for example, screen out all material that challenges liberalism. Consider an editorial praising the ideal of capitalist markets and proposing to make the post office a private enterprise. While the message conflicts with liberal ideology, it does so peripherally, since government ownership of public utilities is not fundamental to American liberalism. The message may not only bolster conservatism among conservatives, but weaken liberals’ commitment to liberalism, if only at the margin. Another point of interdependence involves whether the message comes from an editorial, with its overtly persuasive intent, or from a news story that is ostensibly designed merely to inform. Conservatives may be more likely 352 Robert M. Entman o screen out editorial than news items that favor the left, since the slant of news may not be obvious. Afinalaspect of interdependence lies in how new or unfamiliar the reported topic is. All else being equal, the less familiar the object of the news, the less likely a person will respond by fitting the report into an established category and maintaining a set attitude. Where the subject of the news is unfamiliar to all sets of ideological identifiers, all will be susceptible to media influence. Four hypotheses emerge from this use of information processing theory to develop an interdependence model of media influence. They are not all the hypotheses that merit exploration, but they are the ones that can be tested with the data available, and they should provide support for the superiority of the interdependence over the autonomy model. Hypothesis #1: Editorials affect ideological identifiers more than moderates. Those identifying as liberals or conservatives are likely to find ideologically-charged editorial messages salient. Those with less-focused commitments, the moderates, may not find ideological editorials relevant. Hypothesis #2: Liberal editorials should exert a leftward push on those attitudes of conservatives not central to their ideology. Hypothesis #3: Editorial content has stronger effects on new subjects of news coverage than on long-familiar ones. Hypothesis #4: News affects beliefs among liberals, moderates, and conservatives alike. People will tend to screen out news messages less than editorials. Shaped by objectivity rules, news stories are designed to appear neutral to audiences (e. g. , Schudson, 1978; Tuchman, 1978; Molotch and Boden, 1985). The appearance of neutrality may soften the audience’s defenses. DATA The dataset combines a national survey on Americans’ political attitudes from 1974 and 1976 with information on the political content of the newspapers read by respondents. The 1974 Michigan Content Analysis Study provides extensive information on the front page news and editorial page content of ninety-two newspapers throughout the country. The total number of news and editorial items employed here is nearly 18,000. 5 The content information (Institute for Social Research, 1978) is matched to data from a representative national survey, the University of Michigan Center for Political Studies poll of 1974. The sample analyzed consists of those who were surveyed and read  ° The study included ninety-six newspapers, of which four had incomplete data; readers of those four were excluded from the analysis. How the Media Affect What People Think 353 one of the ninety-two newspapers included in the Content Analysis Study, a total weighted sample of 1,292 persons. 6 Excluded were those who did not read a paper (approximately 30% of those surveyed) or who read papers for which no data were collected. 7 The content data were gathered for ten days during October and November, 1974. Even though the data were obtained over a short time period, a check suggests they accurately reflect the typical stands of the papers. For example, among the ninety-two newspapers, the Washington Post scores higher in editorial liberalism than the (defunct) Washington Star; the New York Daily News scores to the right of the New York Times, and so forth. 8 In any case, while far from perfect, the dataset is the most comprehensive collection linking media content to peoples’ attitudes. One measure of newspaper content taps diversity in news stories, the other liberalism in editorials. I expect both aspects of the newspaper’s message to encourage opinions to move toward more sympathy with liberal politicians, 6 The actual number of people interviewed was 1,575. The answers of some members of the sample were counted three times to make a weighted sample of 2,523. This was done in order to ensure adequate representation in the sample of sparsely populated areas of the count ry. Thus, the weighted sample is the most representative. 7 The demographics of the final reader subsample closely parallel those of the 1974 national cross section as a whole. The mean education of the entire original sample, including non-readers (n = 2,523), is 11. 5 years, the mean of the sample analyzed (n = 1,292) is 12. 2; the mean income, about $11,000 versus $12,000. On other demographic and political characteristics, the two groups are virtually identical. 8 Further enhancing confidence in the validity of the content measures is their use in such important studies as Erbring, Goldenberg, and Miller, 1980. 9 Each editorial item was coded for zero, one, or two assertions favoring or opposing liberal and conservative policy stands. The editorial liberalism index is a percentage formed by first counting the number of times a paper endorsed a liberal position or opposed a conservative position, then subtracting assertions favoring conservative or derogating liberal stands. The result was divided by twice the number of editorial items, since each item was coded for up to two liberal or conservative assertions. The higher the score, the more liberal the editorial page. This index uses variables 21 and 28 in the CPS Media Content Analysis Study 1974. A second measure employed data on news (variables 27 and 34 in the CPS study). The news diversity measure taps a dimension of news slant that audiences are less likely to screen than editorial liberalism. Like most aspects of news slant, it is a subtle trait of reporting that few audience members would notice. The front page news items were coded for mention of zero, one, or two problems. For each problem mention, coders noted whether two different actors overtly disagreed with each other. Each news item was coded as having zero, one, or two instances of two actors asserting different points of view. The diversity index is the number of times two actors expressed different positions divided by twice the number of stories. The higher the score, the more diversity of news. Examples of the actors coded in this variable include Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, Nelson Rockefeller, Democratic Party, Republican candidates, and business leaders. Thus, a story might concern inflation and unions, and might contain opposing assertions by Gerald Ford and a Democratic Senate candidate on both the causes of inflation and the value of unions. The story would be coded 2 for one disagreement on each of the two problems. If the two actors agreed (or voiced no opinions) on unions but disagreed on inflation, the code would be 1. If they agreed on both or neither agreed nor disagreed, the code would be 0. 354 Robert M. Entman groups, and ideas. The basis for predicting that news diversity moves audiences leftward is that the majority of local newspapers appear to promote a generally Republican and conservative perspective (cf. Bagdikian, 1974; Radolf, 1984). Their editorial and perhaps news inclinations do not favor liberalism. All else being equal, I believe those papers with higher diversity probably provide more information that challenges the conservative editorial baseline. In addition, the mere presence of conflicting views in the news may convey an awareness of the diversity of the country, including its variety of races, economic classes, and viewpoints. Such consciousness may promote tolerance of change, and empathy for positions or groups that challenge the status quo. 0 Diversity may also undermine authority by conveying the impression that a range of ideas is plausible, that the existing distribution of power, wealth, and status is not immutable. As for the other content measure, while many readers no doubt skip editorial pages, Bagdikian (1974) shows that the editorial perspective tends to be mirrored in news slant. The editorial liberalism index may indirectly reflect the political tendency of news coverage. The survey incl uded â€Å"feeling thermometer† questions. Interviewers asked respondents to express their feelings toward several well-known groups and politicians. Respondents chose numbers ranging from â€Å"0† for the coldest feelings, through â€Å"100† for the warmest, with â€Å"50† meaning neutral or mixed feelings. I constructed five attitude indexes using factor analysis. 11 The Liberal Feelings Jndex combined ratings of Edward Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey, liberals, Democrats, and unions. The Radical Feelings Index consisted of thermometer ratings of radical students, black militants, civil rights leaders, and policemen. The Poor Feelings Index tapped thermometers of poor people, blacks, and George Wallace. The Republican Feelings Index was created from ratings of Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, and Republicans. Finally, the Conservative Feelings Index rated big business, the military, and conservatives. 12 The Michigan survey also asked respondents for their stands on government guaranteed jobs; dealing with urban unrest by solving the problems of unemployment and poverty; protecting legal rights of those accused of crimes; A competing hypothesis might be that diversity challenges initial viewpoints, so that it would promote conservatism among liberals and vice versa. That idea is not borne out by the data. Diversity is consistently associated with more liberal views. 1 ‘ Surveys are described in Institute for Social Research, 1979. All feeling thermometers were classified on their face for relevance to the liberal-conservative continuum. Pertinent items received varimax factor analysis. Five factors had eigenvalues greater than 1. 0. Indexes added together scores on all feeling thermometer responses loading above . 40 on a factor. In two cases, items loaded more than . 40 on two factors; these were included on their highest loaded index. All dependent variable attitude indexes used in this paper have Cronbach Alpha reliability scores greater than . 80. 12 Policemen and Wallace loaded negatively on their respective factors. The feeling thermometer responses to each were subtracted from the sum of the other items in forming the indexes. 10 How the Media Affect What People Think 355 busing to achieve racial balance; the Equal Rights Amendment; integration of schools; government aid to minorities; and self-placement on the liberalconservative spectrum. 3 Using factor analysis again, all but one of the responses (to the ERA) were associated together and became the Policy Preferences Index. Twofinalvariables come from readers of sampled papers who participated in surveys during both 1974 and 1976. Their responses in 1976 provide an opportunity to check for media impacts on feelings toward a previously unknown presidential candidate, Jimmy Carter (Carter Index), and on presidential vote (Vote76). FINDINGS Testing the four p redicted media effects requires probing for impacts of editorial liberalism and news diversity on the seven attitudes and on presidential vote. Regression analysis enables us to see whether, with all else equal, readers of more liberal or diverse papers exhibit more liberal attitudes and voting behavior. Editorial liberalism taps the persuasive element of the newspaper, or, in agenda-setting terms, the aspect of the paper that attempts to â€Å"tell people what to think. † News diversity taps the putatively informational element that only â€Å"tells people what to think about. † The interdependence model holds that both editorials and news provide information to think about and thereby influence attitudes, whether intentionally or not. If selectivity or inattention precludes media influence, or if the effect is limited to agendas, the regressions should reveal no significant associations between attitudes and newspaper content. 14 Table 1 summarizes regression results for the impacts of newspaper content on the beliefs of the entire sample of readers. The feeling thermometers are coded from 0 to 100 so that higher scores are warmer (more favorable). The higher the policy preferences score, the more conservative the responses. Vote76 is 1 for Carter, 0 for Ford, so higher scores indicate voting for Carter. The regressions include the following additional variables to control for forces that might also influence attitudes: urban-rural place of residence; age; years of education; family income; race; region; party identification; and ideological self-identification. 15 The impacts of these non-media variables follow expecVariables 2265, 2273, 2281, 2288, 2296, 2302, and 2305 in the 1974 NES Codebook. Although partisanship and ideology are not truly interval variables, the results of the regressions suggest that it is quite reasonable to treat them as such. 15 These variables are coded as follows. Age: coded in years; non-South: 1 = North or West, 0 = South; income: coded in thousands; party i. d. : 7-point scale, 0 = strong Democrat, 3 = independent, 6 = strong Republican; urbanized: 1 = urban, suburban, 0 = rural; white race: 1 = white, 0 = nonwhite; education: coded in years; policy preferences index: adding six 7-point scales, so range is 6 = most liberal, 42 = most conservative; and ideology identification: 1 = most liberal, 4 = middle of the road or don’t know, 7 = most conservative. On the latter, note 14 13 356 Robert M. Entman tations, which bolsters confidence in the validity of the attitude measures. For a full display of coefficients for all independent variables, see Entman, 1987). Multicollinearity among the independent variables is not a problem. Of the forty-five intercorrelations, only three exceed . 20. The strongest was between education and income (r = . 357). Table 1 shows that the more editorially liberal the paper, the more warmly their readers re spond on the Liberal Feelings Index. This relationship suggests that editorial liberalism influences the public’s evaluations of key leaders and groups associated with the liberal coalition: in this case, Hubert Humphrey, Edward Kennedy, Democrats, unions, and liberals.

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