How to Escape from American Consumerism and Materialism Essay -- Expos

How to Escape from American Consumerism and Materialism We all know we live in a highly materialistic culture in which conspicuous consumption governs much of our lives. We strive to acquire goods which will define us to ourselves and to others and somehow satisfy our human need to justify existence. At the end of the day, we also all know that there’s a trap built into the system: the more you consume, the more you are pressed to consume more because whatever satisfaction possession of things brings us is always fleeting thus driving us further and further down the material path of life seeking nirvana around the next corner at the mall. Many modern philosophers have pondered this question, often giving rise to scathing critiques of consumerism as shallow; the product of a decadent and decaying culture. This is where most people turn away, not because they reject what the philosophers say, but precisely because they know it to be at least partially accurate and this is unbearable. It’s unbearable because while we know the meaning of life can’t be reduced to a new SUV, we don’t know what on earth we would replace consumerism with if we were to abandon it as the bedrock of our daily lives. What would we do with our time? Why would we work overtime? Why would we get up in the morning? I don’t propose here to rehash the arguments about why consumerism is evil, but I would like to propose some solutions to the conundrum of modern living: how to find satisfaction through consuming differently and thoughtfully. 1. Value what you have The first step is to look around your space and start to appreciate the sheer number of labour-hours that are invested in the things that you already own. Imagine having to make them you... ... you to pause at least for a moment†¦ Consuming for its own sake is indeed a great temptation, but like all others it can be overcome. This doesn’t require a twelve-step program to wean us permanently from the habit, afterall it’s only human. It does require that we acknowledge what makes having things satisfying: social relations with other people. If we recognize our links to others through the products they make and we consume, and if we assume the responsibility that comes with that recognition, we can consume less, consume differently and garner much more satisfaction from the act. We need to ignore the spin doctors and their promises of eternal happiness or salvation and realize that we are the authors of our own happiness and that happiness cannot be branded, packaged or sold by the pound. Step down from the gerbil wheel and take a moment to think about it.

How College Degree Is Important to Me Essay

College education gives me the opportunity to have an extremely success future. It’s everything that most individual wants in their life. Since it’s so tremendous and valuable to have a college degree I will take the opportunity to pursue it. A college degree is very important and has a significant meaning to my future, it will provide me with a better career with higher pay salary, experience and it will give me that personal satisfaction for making my dream come through. According to Nelson Mandela â€Å"Education is the most powerful weapon which you use to change the world†. And I believe by having my college degree can change my world. I am surgical technologist that enjoys work and helping people, so by obtaining a college degree in psychology will make me understand people from a different perspective. However, my job is always challenging and by furthering my education I will have the ability to learn new things every day. This degree will reassure my employer that I can cope with the work environment and also has the ability to adapt to constant change. A degree is evidence that help climbing the corporate ladder, it gives you the higher ups that you have necessary skills to be promoted to a higher position. By accomplishing a college degree will allow me to have the experience and the skill that I never had before. It’s a learning experience that would transform me in a life time. Achieving a college degree would give me the skills to perform my job or to face the real world. In reality facing the real world without a college degree can be very difficult. Mostly by earning a degree will give the hope and personal satisfaction about me. I can feel confident and secure about the next step I will be taken without fear. It will help me to prepare for industrial skills. For example writing essays, computer science and how to analyze people behavior that is why my major is psychology so it can help me deal with people appropriately. Thus, college can help me achieving the skills related to the industry I am working in and help me to figure out how to do my job. In conclusion achieving my college degree is the most important thing to my life and my future, it will help my family in so many valuable ways and most of all will make me accomplish my goal a college degree.

Colloquial English Grammar

Estonian Business School Institute of Foreign Languages GRAMMAR OF SPOKEN ENGLISH Term Paper By Maria Esko BBL-2 Supervisor: Ludmilla Podolski Tallinn 2012 Table of Contents Introduction3 Common Features of Spoken English4 Grammar Characteristics7 Clause Combination7 Position of items8 Pausing, Repeating and Recasting8 Organising the discourse9 Ellipsis9 Response Tokens10 Vague Expressions11 Headers and Tails11 Conclusion12 References13 Introduction In the business world, communication is vital for creating new networks and acquiring important business partners.Communication is the activity of conveying information. Effective communication skills can be considered the key to success. I have chosen to investigate English spoken language in order to clarify what spoken English grammar is. As a non-native speaker I consider learning spoken grammar incredibly important in order to understand the other party. The communication process can be considered successfully completed only when the listener has understood the message of the speaker. The fact that speaking and writing are different is quite obvious.The studies of the spoken English grammar have been neglected for a long time, since it was considered as confusing and full of mistakes. Development of technology has made it possible to analyse spoken language more thoroughly. Therefore many fascinating facts about spoken Grammar have arisen. In this paper I will use the term spoken grammar in the meaning of colloquial English. The characteristics of formal English speaking, e. g. prepared speeches are not analysed in this term paper. This paper gives an overview of the main features of the grammar of spoken English.The differences between spoken and written English are supplied with illustrations. In the conclusion the overall characteristics of the grammar of spoken English have been summarised. Common Features of Spoken English Is there any grammar in spoken English? To answer this question I have to define the overall meaning of grammar. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica the term grammar in a restricted sense refers only to the study of sentence and word structure (syntax and morphology), excluding vocabulary and pronunciation.Although language is the same the grammar of spoken English may differ since following the grammar rules during a conversation is time consuming and unnatural. When spoken language is observed in more detail it also has patterns and specific structures which may be considered as the grammar of spoken language. During a conversation we do not have much time to think what we are about to say and can not plan our speech in advance (excluding some special cases). While listening to a recorded speech it feels normal, fluent and easy to follow. On the other hand, when put on paper it is rather difficult to understand.However it gives an opportunity to notice some specific features of colloquial English language, such as silent pauses, voice filled pauses, repetitions , false starts, discourse markers(small words or fixed phrases used to indicate the beginning or the end of an idea) and short forms (Leech, Svartvik, 2002). Specific features mostly have a contextual meaning for the listener and can indicate different changes in the subject of the conversation. In this paper the term Spoken English language is understood in a narrow sense. It only includes the colloquial English and face-to-face interactions.Prepared speeches and other types of formal English speaking are not taken into account and are not discussed in the given work. In the figure below are presented the seven most typical conditions operating in real-time conversation. These features best describe why spoken language is so difficult to put in writing. Figure 1: Seven conditions operating in conversation (Leech, n. d. , figure 2) Further is given an example of a conversation which illustrates the conditions generally operating in a conversation. It will be later analysed and used as an example for various items of spoken grammar.Four speakers are sitting at the dinner table talking about a car accident that happened to the father of one of the speakers. At the end of this sequence they switch to another topic. I’ll just take that off and Have you got hold of it? are references to a large pan which is on the dinner table. The = sign indicates an utterance which is cut short The + sign indicates an interrupted turn which continues at the next + sign A: I’ll just take that off. Take that off. B: All looks great. C: [laughs] B: Mm. C: Mm. B: I think your dad was amazed wasn’t he at the damage.A: Mm. B: It’s not so much the parts. It’s the labor charges for= D: Oh that. For a car. B: Have you got hold of it? A: Yeah. B: It was a bit erm= A: Mm. C: Mm. B: A bit. A: That’s right. B: I mean they said they’d have to take his car in for two days. And he said all it is is straightening a panel. And they’re like, à ¢â‚¬ËœOh no. It’s all new panel. You can’t do this’. C: Any erm problem. B: As soon as they hear insurance claim. Oh. Let’s get it right. C: Yeah. Yeah. Anything to do with+ A: Wow. C: +coach work is er+ A: Right. C: +fatal isn’t it. A: Now.As can be seen in the example taken from Cambridge Grammar of English a comprehensive guide spoken and written English Grammar and usage (Carter, McCarthy, 2006, 165), understanding of the text depends on the context and the immediate situation. Example shows some of the units that can be frequently encountered in spoken grammar, such as indeterminate structures ellipted forms, incomplete structures, subordinate clauses not obviously connected to any particular main clause, interrupted structures with other speaker contributions intervening, words whose grammatical class is unclear.Conversation happens in real time and is spontaneous, therefore speakers make mistakes and we can observe common features of spoken grammar. Some sentences are confusing and hard to understand because we do not have the knowledge of the shared background of the conversation. It is difficult to represent speech in writing so that the reader could easily follow the written conversation. In order to do so there have to be made many remarks to explain what the speaker means. In real-time conversations emotions and vocal intonations are important to understand the speaker.Moreover, it is difficult to determine when the sentence starts and when it ends. This conversation is meant to illustrate precisely what is analysed in the term paper. Spoken Language and Interpersonal Communication In this paper only one part of spoken English will be discussed which is colloquial English. It is an informal interpersonal communication and has its own peculiarities. Conversations are typically carried out in face-to-face interaction with others. They are tied to the participants and the immediate situation. Speakers usually share a common contextual ackground and exchange meanings rather than the content of the message. Meanings will vary depending on the specific social, cultural and institutional knowledge (Biber, Conrad, Leech, 2002, 428). Grammar Characteristics Spoken language and written language coexist. They are not divided sharply but have many different characteristics. Therefore the grammar of colloquial English differs from the written one. There are many differences that could be mentioned; however, due to the limitation of space they remain outside the scope of this paper, which gives a brief overview of the main features of spoken English.Clause Combination In spoken English it is typical when the hierarchy of clauses in sentences is in discord. In real-time communication the speaker is not able to construct over-elaborate patterns of main and subordinate clauses. Usual are sequences of clauses connected by coordinating conjunctions (Carter, McCarthy, 2006, 170). Conjunctions are a grammatical resource to link text. In speech coordinating conjunctions are more frequent than in writing. Coordination is less empathic and more vague, which is characteristic of speech (Leech, Svartvik, 1983).Often subordinate clauses are used by one of the speakers to maintain the conversation or to give additional comments. They often occur after a pause to give evaluation to what have been said. Sometimes clauses â€Å"blend† in a sentence it happens when the beginning of a sentence is different from how it was completed. This syntactic structure is common in spoken language and is easily understood by the listener. (Carter, McCarthy, 2006, 171): Well, no, Melanie’s actually still a student and she still has ten hours of lectures a week, so she works in McDonald’s in her spare time cos she needs the money and she works in McDonald’s in Hatfield†¦.Subordinate clauses: A: So I turned round and chased after him. B: Just as I would have done. Clausal blend: They ’ve nearly finished all the building work, hasn’t it? Position of items Spontaneous speech often requires adjustments to be made according to the communicative needs. Therefore it is natural when the speaker changes the position of items in a sentence in order to help the listener to the understand information better (Carter, McCarthy, 2006, 172). In colloquial English subject-verb inversion often takes place.In informal speech it helps to emphasise the subject (Leech, Svartvik, 1983): B: I think your dad was amazed wasn’t he at the damage. Pausing, Repeating and Recasting There are two types of pauses: unfilled and filled. Unfilled pauses are just silent and quite short. They often indicate a change in the direction or the subject of the conversation. Filled pauses are marked by vocalisations, such as er, erm, uh or uhm. These marks can indicate a shift in the topic or that the speaker has not yet finished talking and is thinking of the best way to continue (Ca rter, McCarthy, 2006, 172).Repetition and recasting are very common in colloquial speech. When answering a question by repeating words or phrases the speaker can get some more time to think. Usually repetition occurs at the beginning of an utterance or clause. Recasting is normal in real-time speaking. It happens due to the fact that the speaker is talking very fast and needs to reformulate words or phrases (Carter, McCarthy, 2006, 173-174): I spoke to her last night†¦well, she’s not going to take the job. It was, er, the director, wasn’t it? I, I’m, I’m not sure he’ll he’ll be able to arrange that at such short notice.Organising the discourse Spoken language seems quite unorganised. However, speakers often use specific words and structures to indicate how the speech will continue. For example items such as anyway, okay, right, I mean, so, now, etc. These items are named discourse markers. Structurally these markers do not belong to cla uses (Carter, McCarthy, 2006, 174-175). One of the more frequent discourse markers in spoken English is like it is used to mark direct speech (Adolphs, Carter, 2003): Right, we’d better try to phone and see what they have to report.And they’re like, ‘Oh no. It’s all new panel. You can’t do this’. Ellipsis Ellipsis is the absence of elements required by the grammar. However the message doesn’t suffer and missing parts can be understood from the context. In most conversations ellipsis can be classified as initial ellipsis and final ellipsis in some cases also medial ellipsis takes place. In initial ellipsis, words at the beginning of the sentence are dropped, in correspondence in the medial ellipsis in the middle and in the final ellipsis at the end of a sentence (Biber, Conrad, Leech, 2002, 441-443).Also ellipsis can be categorised situational, textual or structural (Carter, McCarthy, 2006, 181): Initial ellipsis: Didn’t know tha t film was on tonight. – I is omitted. Final ellipsis: A: I suppose Kathy is still living in that same place. B: Yeah, she is. – living in that same place omitted Medial ellipsis: Yeah dude, I’ gotta start working. – instead of I have got to Ellipsis is highly characteristic of spontaneous speech. During a conversation speakers need to reduce syntactic complexity due to real-time pressures.Ellipsis also takes place when avoiding unnecessary repetition and giving fast responses to other speakers (Biber, Conrad, Leech, 2002, 441). Response Tokens Response tokens are very common in spoken language. These are some adjectives and adverbs used to give quick and clear response to the speaking partner and to show that the user is listening and understands what is said to him. Such words include absolutely, definitely, great, fine, good, really. Some words have an association with a particular context. For example fine is used when making arrangements and reaching decisions.Response tokens help the listener to give quick feedback to the speaker, which is very convenient in case of a conversation (Carter, McCarthy, 2006, 188-189): C: Yeah. Yeah. Anything to do with+ A: Wow. C: +coach work is er+ A: Right. C: +fatal isn’t it. A: Now. Vague Expressions Speakers tend to avoid aggressive or authoritative language and in order to sound polite and to soften the language vague expressions are used. The most common are stuff, like, anything, kind, whatever, sort of, etc. Vague expressions soften the information and often are used before some accurate or precise information (Carter, McCarthy, 2006, 202-203).Sometimes these expressions are overused by the speaker: Between then and like nineteen eighty four I just spent the whole time, I mean for that whole sort of twelve year period or whatever, erm I was just working with just lots and lots of different people. Headers and Tails Headers and tails are very common features of spoken language. The y rarely occur in written English and seem very strange. A header occurs in a sentence where an item within a clause structure is placed before the clause and repeated in the clause itself. In other words the header stands in the initial position.Most typically header consists of a noun phrase and is followed by one or more pronouns. Headers are used by the speaker to help the listener to orientate in the facts (Carter, McCarthy, 2006, 192-193): The teacher with glasses, he seems very nice. Tails are similar to headers; the difference is that these items are placed outside the clause structure. Tails are also typically noun phrases. Their purpose is to clarify something mentioned in the main clause. Usually tails clarify or repeat the referent of a pronoun (Carter, McCarthy, 2006, 194-196): They’re incredibly nice, our neighbours.Conclusion In conclusion it is possible to say that English spoken language has grammar. However there is still much to be researched. The need to i nvestigate spoken grammar is important in order to improve the speaking skills. In world where communications are developing so rapidly, spoken language and the mastery of it is an empowering skill. Writing is practiced everywhere in the world but the art of conversation is practiced rarely (Brazil, 1995, 11). Spoken grammar highlights the contextual and interpersonal aspects of communications. It is an interactive process and usually it is quite rapid.Therefore speakers use different structures in order to give quick comments or answers. Those structures include response tokens and ellipsis. Often the speaker changes the position of items in order to help the listener to understand the topic. In order to make the speech softer and less authoritative speakers use vague expressions. During the conversation the speaker often looses track of thoughts and therefore pauses, repetitions and recasting help to combine new clause structures. Many other characteristics of the grammar of spoke n English can be named.The knowledge of the grammar of spoken English is important for business communications. People need the necessary skills to express themselves in a best possible way. Studying this subject will provide a better understanding of grammar as a whole and can be a source of new knowledge. References Adolphs, S. , Carter, R. , 2003, And she’s like it’s terrible, like: Spoken Discourse, Grammar and Corpus Analysis, International Journal of English Studies Biber, D. , Conrad, S. , Leech, G. , 2002, Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English, Edinburgh: Pearson Education Limited Brazil, D. 1995, A Grammar of speech. Oxford: Oxford University Press Carter R. , McCarthy m. , 2006, Cambridge Grammar of English a comprehensive guide spoken and written English Grammar and usage, Cambridge University Press Eggins, S. and D. Slade, 1996, Analyzing casual conversation. London: Cassell Leech G. , Svartvik J. , 1983, A communicative grammar of English, Moscow Prosveshchenie Leech G. , Svartvik J. , 2002, A communicative grammar of English 3d edition, London: Pearson ESL Leech, G. , n. d. , English Grammar in Conversation Lancaster: Lancaster University

The Economizing Problem

These Short Essays are partial fulfillment of Paper IE1001 of Part 1 of Certified Islamic Finance Professional (CIFP) [DRAFT V0. 4] INCEIFStudent Name: Mustafa AydemirStudent ID: 1200279 IE1001Assignment in Islamic Economics – Short Essay No 1 by Mustafa Aydemir – Version 0. 4. doc -1- Bismillahirrahmanirrahim The economizing problem – And its direct effect on the economy at large. A short essay from Islamic perspective by Mustafa Aydemir Human beings are greedy by nature and their needs are universally recognized as infinite.A simple prove for this statement is the wish of every person to live forever. The unlimited wants are the main reason that resources are considered insufficient or scarce. This is probably the strongest argument and a good justification to define an entire field of study to explain and solve the resulting economizing problem between unlimited needs versus limited resources. â€Å"Economics is the social science that studies the allocation of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants† (INCEIF Lecture Notes1), It is divided into Macro- and Microeconomics.The former is the field of economics that studies the behavior of the economy as a whole, and not just on a singular company, but entire industry sector and markets. Whereas, the latter focuses on supply and demand as well as other forces that determine the price levels seen in the economy. The previous section described the economizing problem, that is the relation between the scarcities or resources relative to ‘needs and wants’. People are self-interested economic agents that maximize their own utility by using goods and services (Williamson, 1985)2.In the capitalistic worldview, people are rational in their choices and would for example prefer a job paying 3000 USD salary over a job with a 1500 USD pay. The individual is looking after his own well-being, which is likely to increase by taking the higher income employment. 1 Title: Overview On Ec onomics; Class: Islamic Economics [IE1001]; Prof: Dr. Magda Ismail Abdel Mohsin; Institution: INCEIF; Date: 8/16/2006 # Of Pages: 28 2 The Economic Institutions Of Capitalism; Firms, Markets, Relational Contracting; Oliver E.Williamson; Yale University IE1001 Assignment in Islamic Economics – Short Essay No 1 by Mustafa Aydemir – Version 0. 4. doc -2- However, the well-being of all people needs to be guaranteed, which is well noted by theological, human and western researchers and recognized by all civilizations in the present and the past (Chapra, 1995)3. With the assumption that resources are limited, the well-being of the entire human race may remain just a dream if the scarce resources are not utilized efficiently and rightfully. In order to achieve this vision, societies develop effective strategies that can be considered as worldviews.For the sake of simplicity the (1) secular and the (2) religious worldviews are the only two that are subject to this essay. The s ecular worldview emphasis the importance of material aspects of well-being and disregards the religious aspect completely. The secularist argue that ‘maximum material’ well-being can be best realized if economic agents are given freedom to actualize their self-interest whatever it may be with regards to taste and preference and the guidance of God in any form is replaced by the help of human reasoning.Moreover, in this liberal view of secularism neither values nor government intervention can play a major role in the fair distribution of resources to achieve the well-being of all people. The liberal view has not succeeded and was overthrown nearly everywhere (Mirakhor, 2012)4. The need of people for social well-being is vital to the happiness of a human being. However, the secular worldview refers to market forces that would ensure social interests because competition will keep self-interest (that may lead to exaggerated greed) under control. 3 4 Chapra, M. Umer. (1995). Islam and the economic challenge.Leicester, U. K. : Islamic Foundation Abbas Mirakhor (2012).Lecture: Macroeconomic Policies & Islamic Finance. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: INCEIF IE1001 Assignment in Islamic Economics – Short Essay No 1 by Mustafa Aydemir – Version 0. 4. doc -3- In contrary to the secular or capitalist worldview stands the religious or spiritual worldview. It gives tribute and attention to both the spiritual as well as the material aspects of human wellbeing. In fact, the spiritual worldview does not necessarily reject logical reasoning in human improvement, individual freedom or self-interest (Chapra, 1995).This worldview, however, highlights that moral values and good governance are required as restraining factors for freedom and self-interest in the journey of a reaching a civilization where well-being in ensured to all people and to achieve social harmony and family integrity. The direct effects of the economizing problem to a nations wealth are manif old. Well after capitalism had been established in medieval Europe and the west, its consequences in terms of unemployment and mal-distribution of income and wealth became painfully evident (Haferkamp and Smelser, 1992).Market cycles are considered part of an economy and crisis are accepted as unavoidable. The market itself is the overarching governance frame that determines prices through supply and demand and overrules the social interest of human beings. It is like an autocratic dictator without mercy that supports the rich and the powerful and penalizes the poor and the needy people. Consequently, societies began overtime to assign an increasingly expansive role to the government to correct the shortcomings of capitalism (market capitalism) with billion or even trillion dollar bailout packages for so called ‘to-big-to-fail’ institutions.All paid with tax money. Simultaneously however a contrary view developed objecting to the governments’ involvement in the e conomy on efficiency ground. Anyhow, even after the massive global financial crisis in 2007/2008 the high net-worth individuals are better off (see 5 Haferkamp, H. , & Smelser, N. J. (Eds. ). (1992). Social change and modernity. Berkeley: University of California Press. IE1001 Assignment in Islamic Economics – Short Essay No 1 by Mustafa Aydemir – Version 0. 4. doc -4-Forbes Magazine6) and have more wealth than the middle class and low-income classes, likely due to cost cutting and austerity measures for companies and governments alike. The Islamic economic system is unique and provides a divine solution to the economizing problem this essay has elaborated thus far. It starts with the scarcity of resources that illustrates the issue quite clear. If we assume that resources are available in abundance (INCEIF Lecture Notes7) rather than limited, the paradigm shifts dramatically from strategies to accumulate wealth to strategies of wealth distribution.Wealth in Islam can be distributed by Zakah and Sadaqah but also by introducing a risk-sharing model into the financial system to replace it with interest (Askari, Iqbal, Krichene and Mirakhor, 2011)8. Islam recognizes differences in human potentials because each person is gifted with different skillsets and depth of abilities. Human beings are not identical is proof that no two individuals have identical capabilities. This differences will bring income and wealth inequalities in societies (Chapra, 1992)9. Furthermore, the self-interest and rational human aspects are fully endorsed but to a different end.Choices however are enhanced by ethical values and rules. Consider for example Islamic teachings where there is a sense of duty and obligation to follow rules of behavior and be in full compliance with them, often there are also some ends in view like Jannah (Paradise), the total well-being of society or approval and satisfaction of Allah. Even Allah’s love and mercy or fear of hell are motivato rs of a self-interested spiritual person. To the extent that ends is gaining strength over 6 7 The Worlds Billionaires List http://www. forbes. com/billionaires/ Retrieved on November 12, 2012Title: Overview On Economics; Class: Islamic Economics [IE1001]; Prof: Dr. Magda Ismail Abdel Mohsin; Institution: INCEIF; Date: 8/16/2006 # Of Pages: 28 8 Hossein Askari, Zamir Iqbal, Noureddine Krichene and Mirakhor (2011) Risk-sharing in Finance: The Islamic Finance Alternative; Singapore: John Wiley & Sons 9 Chapra M (1992). â€Å"Islam and the Economic Challenge†, The Islamic Foundation and International Institute of Islamic Thought, London and Herndon. IE1001 Assignment in Islamic Economics – Short Essay No 1 by Mustafa Aydemir – Version 0. 4. doc -5- the obligation and duty.Muslims may think of consequences in the hereafter more than over what was to be material well-being in this world. The position of Quran is in the first instance decoupling of actions from conseq uences, actions are done as a sense of duty to do what Allah teala and his beloved Messenger have ordered. At the same time, however, the Quran itself repeatedly emphasizes the desirable and undesirable consequences of actions (Lecture Notes Prof Mirakhor, 2012)10. In conclusion, Ibadah is the justification for rules. If one adores almighty Allah swt, one does what the creator orders.Hence, peoples unlimited wants are recognized and mentioned in the Quranic verse And ye love wealth with inordinate love: (al-Fajr 89:20)    and following hadith: Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas and Anas bin Malik: Allah’s Messenger said, â€Å"If a son of man had a valley full of gold, he would desire to have two. Nothing can fill his mouth except the earth (of the grave). Allah turns with mercy to him who turns to Him in repentance. †(Al-Bukhari and Muslim) That is why it may seem that Islamic economic system is probably the strongest alternative to greed and unfair markets that have led the world from crisis to crises. At least it is worth a try in the advanced economies. 10 Abbas Mirakhor (2012).Lecture: Macroeconomic Policies & Islamic Finance. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: INCEIF IE1001 Assignment in Islamic Economics – Short Essay No 1 by Mustafa Aydemir – Version 0. 4. doc -6

Assignment 3-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment 3-2 - Essay Example This pattern emerges when we study the dominant traits of all the individuals in the group. Just as the personality profiles of individuals can be used to understand their interactions; the personality profiles of individuals and groups can also be studied to understand the extent of fit that the individual has with the group. Such analysis can often help us identify helpful and unhelpful patterns between levels in the hierarchy; co-workers, and thus help us repair the same to ensure efficient functioning of the group. In the present study, the group supervisor has a personality profile that can be coded as ESFP, and the group he supervises is coded has a dominant profile ESTJ. We find it important to study the interaction between these two profiles in order to try and understand the areas of strength and those of concern in the interactions of the supervisor and the group. The supervisor (personality profile ESFP) is a spontaneous, outgoing individual who loves attention and being a mongst people; interacting with them and helping them feel good about themselves. He makes a great team worker because of this. This person is also liable to be emotional in some situations, and moody in his interactions with others. He prefers using pre-existing structures to new ones; and is less likely to be analytical about the situation at hand. On the other hand, the group profile suggests that the group is organised and focused in its functioning and prefers to abide by rules and structures. It respects authority and is meticulous in its functioning. The discipline that the group seems to love keeps in on target in its goals, which also fuels its sense of purpose and confidence. The group does not take lightly to erratic and strange or out-of context behaviour. Its strong centrifugal style keeps the group connected and united in most cases. The relationship between these two groups is seen as one of Benefit; with the supervisor (personality profile ESFP) being the Benefactor of the group (personality profile ESTJ). A relationship of this kind gives the benefactor a more favourable place in the relationship; and thus, a higher place in the hierarchy. The relationship is mutually beneficial to the extent that the benefactor – here the supervisor – provides the presence and authority that the beneficiary needs and craves. This makes for a smooth work relationship in most cases, since the supervisor provides the authority and direction the team happily follows in the completion of the set goals. The supervisor in return gains respect from the team that provides a sense of authority and control the ESFP love. The team or group tend to identify with the supervisor and treats itself as an extension of this supervisor, such that the flow of command and direction is seamless and rarely challenged. There are potential areas of conflict also; since the supervisor does have some weak spots that the group tries to fill out. But being lower in the hiera rchy of power; they can only make suggestions that may or may not be conceded. This can lead to strife and angry interactions that taint the mood of the group; and could even affect it’s functioning. The supervisor’s personality does lead him to undervalue to inputs of the group; and may ignore suggestions from the team members. While they are focussed on maintaining the wellbeing and functionality of each team member; they do not feel the need to take all

Ethic report for wind and solar and hydropower Essay - 1

Ethic report for wind and solar and hydropower - Essay Example an be produced in different scales namely; large hydro (more than 10megawatts), small hydro (upto10 megawatts), micro hydro (up to 100kw) and pico hydro (up to 5kw). One major advantage of hydroelectric power is that the operational cost of a hydroelectric plant is almost immune to the increase in the cost of fossils fuel and, more so, absolutely no imports are required for the same. Hydropower is a clean source of energy with absolutely no emissions of Carbon Dioxide, and, therefore, no pollution to the environment. Global warming is also minimized. The hydropower dams can be used as a habitat for some fish and wildlife. More so, the water can be used for irrigation purposes, and they also make the surrounding area around fertile (Scheer 45). Additionally, electricity can be produced at a constant rate and electricity generation can be stopped when it is not needed by closing sluice gates. Therefore, water can be stored for some time when there is less demand for electricity. Since dams can stay for a longer period of time it can be used to store water there is no high demand of power (Somma 56). Besides the advantages, there exist demerits of hydropower. The turbines used can have negative effect on the fish population as in some fish are killed as water go through the turbine. A dam therefore, changes wildlife and fish in a place as well as landscape. More so, hydropower has an impact on local population. Individuals who live in places that are flooded are forced to move out of their places, thus farms and businesses may be lost. People, at times, may be forced to move out their residential to give space for dam construction. Additionally, dams consume a lot of space for their construction and are usually constructed on marginalized land that is wooded. Therefore, it is necessary to cut down trees, which can be dangerous to our environment since the trees act as carbon dioxide sinks which may be harmful. This may be risky to an environment. Finally, on it is

CIA Article Review and Anaylsis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

CIA Article Review and Anaylsis - Term Paper Example eport on CIA Accountability with Respect to the 9/11 Attacks. The analysis is conducted with a view to identifying the intelligence process, models and sources of intelligence, and organizational functions and structures existing just prior to the 9/11 attacks. The analysis will also identify and analyse how the traditional intelligence cycle identified in the OIG’s Report, point to a need for an alternative intelligence analysis such as the target-centric analysis presented by Clark. In this regard, Clark’s target-centric analysis involves an intelligence process that brings together all stakeholders: consumers, analysts and those who collect intelligence for collaboration and cohesion against a common and complex enemy. The objective is to build a shared picture of the target from which all participants can extract the elements they need to do their job.5 By reference to the OIG’s Report and drawing on Clark’s target-centric analysis this study identifie s the main purpose of intelligence analysis and how intelligence analysis failed to meet its objective. II. OIG Report on CIA Accountability with Respect to the 9/11 Attacks: Summary Intelligence analysis is designed to aid officials such as policymakers, the military, law enforcement and all stakeholders to respond to and to more accurately predict threats to national security.6 However, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) failed to meet this objective with respect to the 9/11 attacks despite the fact that the organization had gathered on al-Qaeda operatives 20 months prior to the attack. The intelligence collected indicated that a terror attack was eminent.7 Following a joint inquiry with respect to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress requested that the OIG conduct an investigation with a view to determining whether or not CIA officials and personnel in charge of intelligence gathering and analysis prior to and during 9/11 were and are responsible for failing to execute their d uties satisfactorily.8 As a result of its investigation, the OIG completed a report in 2005, although the report was not publically released until 2007 at which time only an executive summary of the report was released.9 The OIG’s report indicated that the CIA together with its personnel failed to execute their duties satisfactorily, although none of the relevant officers broke the law or acted in a way that involved â€Å"misconduct†.10 A review team, appointed by the OIG pursuant to the investigation concluded that although CIA officers throughout the organization worked aggressively with respect to al-Qaeda and Usama Bin Ladin, they â€Å"did not always work effectively and cooperatively†.11 The report goes on to state that the review team: ...found neither a â€Å"single point of failure† nor a â€Å"silver bullet† that would have enabled the Intelligence Community to predict or prevent the 9/11 attacks. The Team did find however, failure to im plement and manage important processes, failure to imple