Relationship Between Transformational And Transformational...

The relationship and transformational theories of leadership are aligned with my personal development plan because the Multifactorial Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) test result shown me high score on the leadership characters, which, indicate that I have charismatic and inspirational leadership qualities. Next, test scores suggestive of individualized consideration (role modelling), intellectual stimulation (assumptions solutions), and contingent (creating opportunity). When I understood the transformational leadership theory, then I realized that, Transformational leadership is a process that modify and transforms people. It concerns with emotions, values, ethics, and long-term goals. Transformational leadership is concerned with†¦show more content†¦Finally, doing this will provide the greatest satisfaction for the workers and ultimately, who are satisfied with their work will most likely provide excellent productivity to the organization. The Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment Questionnaire (ALSAQ) result shows that I have a high authentic total score along with high scores on self-awareness, an internalized moral perspective, which evocative and providing meaning, challenge, taking responsibility. The balanced processing, and relational transparency, which indicates I value the equality and morality. All these features indicate authentic leadership is a complex process. If we look at the terminology defined by the books on authentic leadership. They wrote it is a complex as well as an interpersonal relational process based on many factors which nurtures its development. If we study the authentic leadership characters like passion, compassion, consistency and connectness with followers. Which shows authentic leadership as a process centered on the interactions between leaders and followers. ALSAQ result tells me that I have an authentic leadership behavior. I like authentic leadership from Martin Luther King Jr. because a sense of right and wrong being his guiding factor. Authentic leaders listen to the inner conscience to guide them in decision making and taking a stand on controversial issues. In this way,

Synthetic Psychoactive Drugs Commonly Called...

Amphetamines, a group of synthetic psychoactive drugs commonly called psychostimulants or central nervous system stimulants, were first synthesized by L. Edeleano, a German chemist in 1887 (Amphetamine). This group of drugs includes amphetamine, dextroamphetamine and methamphetamine. The racemic ÃŽ ±-methylphenethylamine, a version of amphetamine, was later discovered in 1910 by Dale and Barger (Heal). This version was synthesized in 1927 by G. A. Alles while trying to find an alternative for ephedrine. In 1935, Benzedrine was released onto the market as a treatment for narcolepsy, mild depression, and a multitude of other disorders. Two years later in 1937, the drug, now known by the generic name of ‘Amphetamine,’ became available for†¦show more content†¦Each airman would simply need the oversight of their commander and flight surgeon, as well has having routine physical examinations, explicit guidance for the circumstances under which the drugs could be us ed, and a signed consent form (Caldwell). In January of 1984 the use of amphetamines and â€Å"go-pills† were turned into Air Fore Regulation 161-33 (Jedick). Amphetamine, also known by the IUPAC name of 1-phenylopropan 2-amine, contains the functional groups methyl (CH3) and amine (NH2). These functional groups cause the drug to release the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotine and norepinephrine from the nerve endings in the brain (Iversen). This happens because of the similar structure to dopamine. Once the neurotransmitters have been released, the amphetamines cause a buildup of them around the synapse and plug the transporter molecules preventing their re-uptake. This causes a flooding of extra neurotransmitters in the brain. Since amphetamines are so similar in structure to dopamine, the drug is able to enter the terminal button through the neural membrane as well as through the dopamine transporters. The amphetamine molecules then trick the mind into believing that it is dopamine being taken up. Once in the presynaptic neuron, the amphetamines, disguised as dopamine, push the extra dopamine into the synaptic gap, and the transporte rs are forced to work in reverse, producing even

Supplier Relationship

Question: Write an essay on Supplier Relationship. Answer: Supplier relationship is one of the major concerns for any organization, in which reseller organization buys products from the supplier in order to resell the products. Sourcing and selecting the right suppliers and maintaining strong relationship with them are the main priorities of the retail organizations towards successfully running the organizations (Islam et al., 2013). The organization that is chosen for this study is Popular Holdings, which is a distributer and retailers of books in the local education market. The scandal that this organization has faced was to choose their preferred suppliers depending on their personal relationship and not depending on the quality and price of the products of the suppliers, which led to huge negative reputation in the market and even distressed suppliers attention (de Souza et al., 2014). The study will represent issues related to supplier selection criteria of this organization. The study will recommend appropriate criteria to be applied in the supplier selection criteria of this organization. Through analyzing the importance of ICT in purchasing operation, the study will demonstrate ICT in improving the purchasing operation of the organization. Lastly, the study will also recommend appropriate tools to be considered in analyzing the cost of purchasing of this organization. Key Information of Popular Holdings Popular Holdings is a renowned Singapore based retail organization that is engaged in publishing, distributing and retails different kinds of books in the local market of Singapore (Popularworld - Home. 2016). The organization operates in international markets through their subsidiaries in those markets. The organization also provides assessment titles, stationary products and multimedia products. It is the largest bookstore within Southeast Asia that has almost 143 retail outlets in all over the world (Thai, 2013). The organization has multiple number of sources from which the organization get multimedia sources and stationary products. The organization also uses global suppliers in getting books like autobiography. The main competitors of this organization are MPH Group and Page one that also design and sells different type of books in the market of Singapore. The goal of the organization is to provide quality books and multimedia products to the customers and provide it at value f or money price. The strategy of this organization can be seen in provide all newly published books and e-learning facility to the overseas students. The organization offers their products at affordable price because they value for the money of the customers. Supplier Selection Criteria Issue Popular Holding Group sells books, multimedia products and stationary products to the customers. Though the organization publish their own books and sell it the local market, the organization needs suppler in getting various type of story books for the adult customers. Apart from that, the organization also needs audiovisual products to be supplied by the suppliers. In order to match the syllabus of student of different countries, the organization needs international suppliers, who will provide books by matching the syllabus of the students (Sohal Rahman, 2013). Furthermore, the organization is trying to expand its business through providing foods and beverages to the customers. Manufacturing of these kinds of products would need extra cost, which will be too costly in operating the business. Therefore, the organization needs supplies of readymade products that this organization resells to the customers. The purchasing goal of this organization is to get quality products from the supplier so that it can meet the demand of the customers properly. Apart from that, the goal of purchasing is also to get the products at lowest cost so that it can minimize the cost of organization. However, the organization uses multiple source suppliers for getting different types of products in all the different areas of their business. In this situation, the organization is becoming failed towards maintaining good relationship with all the suppliers. The organization is not able in efficiently prioritizing their existing suppliers as their product standard. Apart from that, the organization has lack of information communication technology towards providing authentic inventory information to the global suppliers. Therefore, the suppliers are becoming failed in providing products timely and according to the needs of the organization. Lack of ability of the organization in prioritizing the supplier sometim es leads to wrong selection in terms of costly suppliers that increases the cost of the organization. Appropriate Criteria and Decision in supplier selection Cost Analyzing Cost analyzing of the suppliers should be one of the prime activities of Popular Holdings in selecting the suppliers from local as well as from global markets. The organization should look at the competitive pricing of the suppliers and thus, choose such supplier only who provides products at lowest cost so that cost of company is minimized (Fernie Sparks, 2014). The organization should also analyze the financial stability of the organization towards selecting right suppliers out of many suppliers. Quality and safety Not only should the price of the suppliers, but also Popular Holdings incorporate quality of the products of suppliers before purchasing the products from their suppliers. The organization sometimes faces quality issue due to immediate selection of suppliers and therefore, they do not get time for analyzing the quality of the products. In this way, the poor quality of the products may disappoint the customers by decreasing the customer value. The organization should maintain a safety standard for their product to be sold to the customers, so the purchasing manager should follow those standard in choosing the suppliers. Delivery Due to global selection business, the organization has to select suppliers globally. The organization has to select those suppliers only who will be able to timely deliver the products to the customers. This will increase the value of the products to the organization through keeping its time value. Service Popular Holdings should select the suppliers based on the ability of the suppliers in providing service on the products provided to the organization. If the products come from the supplier seems to have any issues, they should take it in return through promising to provide right products (Dyckhoff, Lackes Reese, 2013). Convenience The ways, the suppliers would provide the products, should be in convenient way. The organization should select the suppliers based on their convenience in providing the products. The organization should choose only those suppliers that use right vehicles towards providing timely delivery of products to the customers. Risk evaluation In order to evaluate the feasibility of the supplier selection, an organization has to evaluate the risk associated with it (Monczka et al., 2015). Popular Holdings should track all the records associated with the suppliers in identifying the risk with them and accordingly minimizing the risk through selecting right suppliers. Purchasing Management Concept for ICT According to Musso and Risso, (2013), the concerned organization has to effectively deal with both inbound and outbound logistics, which will eventually enhance the firms distribution system. On the other hand, Frehe and Teuteberg, (2014) pointed out that ICT tools help in centralizing and communicating with the suppliers in real time basis, which helps in improving the lead time management. Information communication technology (ICT) tools are highly important for accessing relevant and important information on time for getting competitive advantage over the competitor organizations (Frehe Teuteberg, 2014). ICT tools will help the Popular Holdings in interacting with different other organization in terms of supply chain management through efficient data sharing, exchange of data in high speed towards meeting customer demands. Using ICT tool the organization will be able to provide timely information to the supplier organizations and thus, they will be able to provide timely delivery of the products to the customers. Apart from that, the ICT tools facilitate the organization in communicating authentic information about the inventory to the suppliers so that they can supply right amount of products to the organization (Fadiya et al., 2015). It will improve the purchasing operation of the organization through minimizing the waste of products due to overburden of supplied p roducts. ICT Tools Bar Code Tool Bar Code readers will be effectively useful in implementing automatic data capture system, which improves the accuracy and speed of data entry in the computers (Musso Risso, 2013). It will also improve in counting the raw materials stored in the inventory and count the finished goods. Thus, it will improve in accessing the exact amount of products needed from the suppliers. Apart from that, the bar code reader tools also can record the purchasing requirement of the organization 5 to 7 times quicker than the normal employees of the organization can, and thus, it would reduce the labor cost of the organization and increase the reliability of the organization in assuming demand of products to be purchased from suppliers. ICT tools also communicate the right motto of the organization with the supplier so that the supplier can provide products by meeting all the requirements of the customers. RFID ICT tool RFID ICT tool will facilitate Popular Holdings in bulk reading of organizational inventory. This technology will also help the organization in tracing the products throughout the process of supply chain management. ICT tools also help in reducing the cost of the supply chain management as it reduces the labor cost due to bulk reading of information of the organizational products (Tan et al., 2012). Purchasing Cost Analysis The concerned organization is not following centralized procurement technique and therefore redundancy of raw materials is quite evident. On the other hand, the organization is not well equipped with real time inventory monitoring through e-technology. The organization follows traditional inventory management techniques and therefore, the system is not proven to be up-to-date (Santos et al., 2016). The organization is basically multi-source based retail outlet, which is not completely aware of allocating and disintegrating its updated inventory. Therefore, in terms of corporate sustainability and minimizing wastage of procurement, the organization needs to incorporate certain techniques for purchasing cost analysis. Purchase Cost Techniques 4.1.1 Cost Analysis An organization needs to analyze preliminary the actual cost to purchase regarding the good that needs to be supplied (Chen Guo, 2015). This is because cost is related to storage, handling and delivery. The organization needs to centralize the types of sources of supply so that handling cost does not exceed further in terms of human resource. The actual cost of procurement is consisted of cost of supplies and cost of handling, where the later must not exceed more than 7 percent than the earlier (Simchi-Levi et al., 2013). Maverick Spending An organization that follows purchase requisition procedure, it eventually increases the cost of procurement (Fayard et al., 2012). Therefore, it is required for the organization to take care of the type of inventory management and implement ad hoc purchase technique in future. The maverick purchases will be identified and filtered out that will reduce the cost of procurement. Centralized Warehousing The organization follows multisource supply and therefore, each of the inventories is categorized. This has increased the purchasing cost for the organization. Therefore, it is recommended that the organization have to reduce the cost of purchasing by centralizing its warehousing so that handling cost is reduced. Activity Based Costing An organization needs to follow activity based costing so that the consumption cost of actual supplies is reduced (Kang, 2015). The cost of each day has to be organized in terms of concurrent activities, so that the final cost of handling inventory is reduced, which will be same for Popular Holdings. Bidding System The concerned organization has expanded from the past to a large extent and therefore, it has created good reputation in the market. Therefore, in order to reduce purchasing cost, it needs to follow bidding technique, where the lowest bid will be granted. The supplier with lowest cost will be granted and it will reduce the cost of inventory. Conclusion While concluding the study, it can be said that Popular Holdings has multiple source of suppliers and they are unable to maintain strong relationship with the suppliers. On the other hand, due to global sourcing of suppler, the organization is unable to provide timely information to them and prioritizing the suppliers. However, the organization can be able to mitigate this supplier selection issues through adopting appropriate supplier selection criteria. The organization will choose those suppliers, who will be able to provide quality products in timely manners with lowest price. In order to maintain consistent relationship with the suppliers, Popular Holdings should incorporate ICT tools in improving purchasing operation of the organization. ICT tool like bar code reader will facilitate the organization in automatic counting of raw materials in the inventory and accordingly place order of purchasing to suppliers. On the other hand, RFID would facilitate the organization in recordin g bulk information about the purchasing of the organization in shortest possible time. Purchasing cost analysis tools would facilitate the organization in prioritizing the suppliers to be selected in terms of cost benefit analysis. In order to analyze purchase cost, the organization should use centralized warehouse system that will keep record of each of the inventory of the organization. Activity based costing will reduce the give an accurate estimation of overall cost. References Chen, L., Guo, Z. (2015, September). Logistics Cost Control Performance Evaluation of Third Party Logistics Enterprises. InFifth International Conference on Transportation Engineering. de Souza, R., Goh, M., Lau, H. C., Ng, W. S., Tan, P. S. (2014). Collaborative urban logisticssynchronizing the last mile a Singapore research perspective.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,125, 422-431. Dyckhoff, H., Lackes, R., Reese, J. (Eds.). (2013).Supply chain management and reverse logistics. Springer Science Business Media. Fadiya, O., Georgakis, P., Chinyio, E., Nwagboso, C. (2015). Decision-making framework for selecting ICT-based construction logistics systems. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology,13(2), 260-281. Fayard, D., Lee, L. S., Leitch, R. A., Kettinger, W. J. (2012). Effect of internal cost management, information systems integration, and absorptive capacity on inter-organizational cost management in supply chains. Accounting, Organizations and Society,37(3), 168-187. Fernie, J., Sparks, L. (2014).Logistics and retail management: emerging issues and new challenges in the retail supply chain. Kogan Page Publishers. Frehe, V., Teuteberg, F. (2014). The Role of ICT in Green Logistics: A Systematic Literature Review. InInformation Technology in Environmental Engineering(pp. 53-65). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Islam, D. M. Z., Meier, J. F., Aditjandra, P. T., Zunder, T. H., Pace, G. (2013). Logistics and supply chain management.Research in Transportation Economics,41(1), 3-16. Kang, M. (2015). Activity-based Costing Research on Enterprise Logistics Cost Management.Business and Management Research,4(2), p18. Monczka, R., Handfield, R., Giunipero, L., Patterson, J. (2015).Purchasing and supply chain management. Cengage Learning. Musso, F., Risso, M. (2013). ICT Innovation for Buyer-Seller Relationships in International Supply Chains. InDriving the Economy through Innovation and Entrepreneurship(pp. 659-670). Springer India. Popularworld - Home. (2016). Popularworld.com. Retrieved 10 June 2016, from https://www.popularworld.com/en/index.php Santos, T. F. D., Gonalves, A. T. P., Leite, M. S. A. (2016). Logistics cost management: insights on tools and operations.International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management,23(2), 171-188. Simchi-Levi, D., Chen, X., Bramel, J. (2013).The logic of logistics: theory, algorithms, and applications for logistics management. Springer Science Business Media. Sohal, A. S., Rahman, S. (2013). Use of third party logistics services: an Asia-Pacific perspective. InHandbook of Global Logistics(pp. 45-67). Springer New York. Tan, M. I. I., Razali, R. N., Desa, M. I. (2012). Factors influencing ICT adoption in halal transportations: A case study of Malaysian halal logistics service providers.International Journal of Computer Science Issues,9(1), 62-71. Thai, V. V. (2013). Logistics service quality: conceptual model and empirical evidence.International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications,16(2), 114-131. Watanuki, M. (2015). Review of logistics service regulations for freight forwarding businesses: what should be addressed for a better logistics regulatory framework?.World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, (7401).

Religious and Secular Terrorism Analyzing Differences and Points of Intersection

Introduction Terrorism is a methodical use of terror, particularly, as a method of compulsion. No unanimously approved, lawfully binding, criminal laws of the explanation of terrorism exist at present. Terrorism is commonly defined according to the violent actions done with the intention of creating fear/terror.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religious and Secular Terrorism: Analyzing Differences and Points of Intersection specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These are committed for religious reasons, political causes, deliberately or in disregard of the protection of civilians. Today terrorism takes different shapes, and it is important to note that not all forms of terrorism are identical, as there are noteworthy disparities between two basic types of terrorist acts, which are religious and secular terrorism. In this paper, we will compare religious and secular terrorism from the perspective of their origins, aims and manifestations. We will also try to outline the border between religion and religious terrorism and analyze secular motives in religious terrorism. Despite the names of two kinds of terrorism draw a neat border between them, we will see that these two terrorism types have much in common and that these names can be considered somewhat generalizing. Religious Terrorism: Essence and Justification â€Å"Religious terrorism is terrorism by those whose motivations and aims have a predominant religious character or influence† (Stern, 2003). Religious terrorists find inspiration and justification for their actions in religious scriptures; committing terrorist acts is seen by them as their duty to God, and the acts themselves are viewed as the way to execute the God’s will (Al-Khattar, p.5). Most of the religiously convicted individuals who indulge themselves in acts of terrorism are always eager to attain a specific desired task. Religious terrorism attacks have been boos ted to some extent as a result of technological advancement. Religious terrorism can be articulated in two ways. The first one is where violence from politics through terrorism is applied in solving of religious problems. Whenever political pressure becomes more dominant, it normally causes a change towards the religious performances. The second form is where religious resolutions are applied towards politically related problems. These practices are total efforts for justification of terrorism. The activities are also performed for attraction and motivation of terrorists all way through religious expressions. A big share of terrorist acts committed in the World is associated with Islam; however, there is ground to state that the religious terrorist acts in the world are conducted by followers of different religions.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For example, in 1982, suicidal bombings related to terrorism attacks were experienced globally; in this episode, the Islamic groups were attributable to eight percent of the cases of terrorism that happened (Pape and Feldman, pp.202-203); this is not only limited to Muslims but also other believers from different religious doctrines. Diverse religions have various correspondences basically on how they should handle each other during disagreements. These disagreements to a certain extreme may facilitate terrorism activities amongst people. The guidelines on how individuals should perform their terrorism activities are based on divine writings. Different people in various countries have diverse means of interpreting spiritual inscriptions. This advantage helps in the justification of many conflicting perspectives. It has been a habit that people’s elucidation of the spiritual scripts is perverted. However terrorism activities are thus motivated on religious basis. Individuals have had their main interest bei ng what they can gain rather than the teachings they can give to fellow colleagues. This fault activity is shared, and therefore common among various individuals from different religious doctrines, for instance: Christians, Jews and even Muslims. This fault accentuates on personal achievements exceeding the interests of others. It’s nonetheless believed that having this kind of behavior is compensated. People’s exploitation on others in progression of their own egocentric concerns with pretext to religion promotes violence. Terrorism activities crop up from the acts of violence. These kinds of teachings are given to people in different religious canons. Whenever religion is taken beyond the boundary, then terrorism activities are highly boosted. Contemporarily, following the rejection of ideas for example the great rights of emperors and the augmentation of people’s patriotism, terrorism would regularly be linked to revolution, nihilism as well as activist affai rs of state. Conversely, ever since the 1980s, there has been a drastic rise in the terrorism activities provoked at large by religion. Secular Terrorism: Essence and Justification Considering the name of the phenomenon, secular terrorism does not have religious issues as a motive: secular terrorist acts have political background and political targets. Secular terrorism was used by a number of political leaders in the early centuries, for example, during the French revolution. In the nineteenth century, German as well as Italian main patriotic citizens also often practiced secular terrorism.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religious and Secular Terrorism: Analyzing Differences and Points of Intersection specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In Russia, a group â€Å"Narodnaya Volya† (â€Å"People’s Will†) also performed a campaign that entailed a lot of terrorist activities (Cronin, p.123); the vi olent campaign of struggles and assassinations was meant to protest against dictatorship in Russia. These however emerged to be role models to some comparable groups that were formed such as Serbs before the First World War. Secular terrorism entails some widespread oratory names commonly called referring to the victims. For example ‘holy terror’ manifestos which is called to refer to the description of persons who are within the society of religious terrorists. â€Å"They are identified by such names to expose that they are being demeaned and also dehumanized. Some other dehumanizing terms include ‘infidels’, ‘dogs’, ‘children of Satan’ and mud people† (Hoffmann, p.89). They intentionally used these terms to disregard everything and offer a justification that terrorism is significant and thus considerable. These people also depict the fatalities as being worthless and not being a human being. This removes all the demarcatio ns against brutality as well as atrocities. Religious Terrorism versus Secular Terrorism The â€Å"religious motive versus secular motive† difference is the principal and the evident distinction between two discussed types of terrorism; however, it gives birth to a range of other differences. First and foremost, secular terrorism lacks a constituency: Religious and secular terrorists also differ in their constituencies. Whereas secular terrorists attempt to appeal to a constituency variously composed of actual and potential sympathizers, members of the communities they purport to ‘defend’ or the aggrieved people for whom they claim to speak for; religious terrorists are at once activists and constituents engaged in what they regard as a total war (Hoffman, 1998). They normally look for an appeal to their own constituency. As a result the self-controls on aggression which are inflicted on secular terrorism by the wish to call to a tacitly helpful constituency are not pertinent in religious terrorism. This characteristic accommodates all individuals including non-members of the terrorists within the religious faction. It not only permits but also boosts vast bloodshed activities among individuals. Since this kind of terrorism depends on the targets, this feature broadens up to all the different classes of objectives.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Considering the essence of religious terrorism, it is not unexpected that religious terrorists never want to see themselves as mechanisms in the organization significantly correlated to providing defense to the existing system, which is opposed to the secular terrorists. They however would want to consider themselves as foreign defenders on the lookout for elementary transformations in within the present array. This isolation feature is advantageous to the terrorist’s part. It helps them to demonstrate vast, disparaging and fatal kinds of terrorist operations. It also enables them to carry out more deadly operations as compared to secular terrorists. They moreover grip and explore all with the inclusion of unrestricted opponents for molestation. In religious terrorism, the concerned terrorists commence with performance and accomplishment of the assigned task (Rapoport, 1984). Since they are granted an immediate obligation, their first activity is violence and complete destruc tion. This directly proves that this type of terrorism is carried out magnificently and perfectly. It’s not also restricted by either political or ethical limitations that may affect the terrorists. This therefore justifies the presence of vast terrorism activities related to various religious doctrines. Secular terrorists always consider the antagonism and the violent behavior among themselves as proper means of initiating rectification towards a fault. This happens if the mistake that could have developed is being in-cooperated into the current system. This weakness is believed to be altered. They also consider violence as a way of stimulating the establishment of a latest move within the system. This acts as a great justification towards terrorism activities. As a whole, it is possible to state that the essence of violence and aggression is different in cases of religious and secular terrorism. For religious terrorism, aggression is predominantly a sacramental action, or c elestial responsibility carried out as a response to specific theological demands. Because of this, terrorist acts often assume transcendental aspects, while the executors are accordingly un-constrained by political, ethical and realistic restraints that could have effects on other terrorists. This leads us to another criterion that demonstrates the difference between religious and secular terrorism: the scale of harm and damage which is considered to be much smaller in case of secular terrorist acts: secular terrorism infrequently attempts haphazard killing on colossal scales since such approaches are inconsonant with goals that are politically oriented (Hoffman, p.89). Religious terrorism normally seeks to eliminate a largely defined class of opponents, and accordingly regards the large scale aggression, as ethically indispensable and as a measure to achieve certain objectives Religious Terrorism and Secular Issues It would be quite unreasonable to state that religion motives are the only component of such phenomenon as religious terrorism. Today it is quite difficult to define the border between secular and religious issues in religious terrorism, as sometimes terrorist acts have political aims, even more so political and religious issues may intersect in the confrontation, for example, like in case of Arabs and citizens of Israel. Besides, some scholars consider that one of the sources of modern religious terrorism is the so-called â€Å"McDonaldization† of the world, or the prevalence of capitalism: for example, Barber states that Jihad reactions are born by the World that is â€Å"too homogeneous and too interconnected† (Gilly and Gilinskiy, p.213); thus, relisious terrorism is â€Å"not then the culprit but rather the antidote to over capitalism† (ibid.). Religious Terrorism and Religion Now, when we have discussed secular motives in religious terrorism, it is possible to touch upon the relation between religious terrorism and relig ion itself. Many people wonder how come religion that is considered the source of belief, inspiration and happiness may bring such huge destructions and cause so much suffering. However, it is necessary to understand that there is a border between religions and religious terrorism, and these notions should not be confused or considered synonyms. The most â€Å"famous† cases of religious terrorism connected with Islam have contributed to the image of this religion as a â€Å"dangerous†, â€Å"aggressive† one, which is not reasonable. Terrorists whose actions are said to be initiated by the Islamic scriptures interpret these texts in a specific way which does not coincide with the way they are interpreted by the most population. The most famous and powerful Muslim leaders say that Islam is against any terrorist acts and call them â€Å"Satanic actions† (Al-Khattar, p.61). The responses of a survey by the Pew Research Center (cited in Gilly and Gilinskiy, p. 214) devoted to the question of whether suicide bombing is justified by Islam demonstrated that it is reasonable to consider Islam as a religious movement and Islamism as a terrorist movement as two separate issues. However, on the other hand, justification of Islamic terrorist acts is to some extent affected by the political issues: for example, Muslim citizens may in part justify terrorist acts against Israel as a country in the state of war against Arabs; correspondingly, they have also expressed some ideas of approval of acts against the USA emphasizing that the country in the struggle (Al-Khattar, p.61). At the same time, only the violence against the USA overseas the country is justified to some extent; the terrorist acts within the USA are not justified (p.62). Case Study: Buddhism and Religious Terrorism It is quite difficult for many people to imagine that Buddhism, the religion which associates with harmony and peacefulness, can be also a source of â€Å"inspiration† for religious terrorists. The doctrine called â€Å"ahisma†, which means â€Å"nonviolence†, teaches that Buddhism does not justify any kinds of terror (Juergensmeyer, p.113). However, history provides us with the examples of terrorist acts fulfilled by followers of Buddhism. Particularly, we can allude to the cases of terror fulfilled by Sinhalese activists in Sri Lanka. These cases are of particular interest, as they demonstrate how religious and non-religious matters fuse in terrorism. On the one hand, terrorist acts in Sri Lanka had secular background, as they were fulfilled under the conditions of the Civil War (1983-2009); on the other hand, the actions of terrorists are considered to have been fulfilled in the name of Buddha (p.114). The actions were supported by Buddhist monks and justified based on the ideas of Buddhism. Juergensmeyer (p.114) cites the opinion of a monk who participated in antigovernment actions; the monk alludes to the notion of â€Å"dukk ha†, which is â€Å"the age of suffering†, and says that during such periods, violence gives birth to the counter violence (ibid.). This response to political actions of the government is perceived by Buddhist terrorists as certain â€Å"karmic revenge† which is incarnated in the principle â€Å"†¦those who live by the sword die by the sword† (ibid.). Thus, this case became the precedent for other Buddhist countries, and the law of karma became the ground for justification of terrorist acts. Despite all religions say that killing stains a killer’s soul, Buddhists focus on a person who has been killed and on the merit that comes to him/her. Thus, we see that in many cases, religion does not stay aside from secular life and becomes the source of motives for terrorist acts, as well as the ground for their justification. Conclusion The main aspects differentiating religious and secular forms of terror can also be responsible in making religious typ es of terrorism a lot more dangerous. â€Å"When violence is a sacramental act rather than a tactic for achieving political goals, there are no moral limits to what might be done, and seemingly little chance for a negotiated settlement† (Hoffman, p.98). When hostilities are aimed at eliminating adversaries from the face of earth, genocides can easily erupt. Religious and secular terrorism has spartanly diverse discernments in their modes of operation and their vicious actions. In this case, secular terrorism considers aggression either as ways of bringing about the rectification of faults in systems that are essentially superior, or as a way of stimulating the formation of new systems. On the other hand, religious terrorism considers itself not as a constituent in a particular structure worth safeguarding, but as an outside component looking for basic alterations in a presented order. â€Å"This sense of alienation also enables the religious terrorist to contemplate far more destructive and deadly types of terrorist operations than secular terrorists, and indeed to embrace a far more open-ended category of ‘enemies’ for attack† (Hoffman, p.98). Therefore in differentiating the two types of terrorism, we can say religious terrorism could possibly harbor identifiable political objectives for negotiation, while secular terrorism probably makes use of religion to attain adherents or instigate immense enthusiasm. List of References Al-Khattar, A.M., 2003. Religion and Terrorism: an Interfaith Perspective. Westport (Connecticut); London: Praeger. Cronin, A. K., 2009. How Terrorism Ends: Understanding the Decline and Demise of Terrorist Campaigns. Princeton, NJ [etc.]: Princeton University Press. Gilly, T.A. and Gilinskiy, Y., 2009. The Ethics of Terrorism: Innovative Appropaches from an International Perspective. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas. Hoffman, B., 1998. Inside Terrorism. Columbia: Columbia University Press. Juergensmeyer, M , 2004. Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence. Berkeley: University of California Press. Pape, R.A. and Feldman, J.K., 2010. Cutting the Fuse: The Explosion of Global Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Rapoport, D., 1984. â€Å"Fear and Trembling: Terrorism in Three Religious Traditions.†Ã‚  American Political Science Review 78 (3), pp. 659-667. Stern, J., 2003. Terror in The Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill. 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Increase of Patriotism in America essays

Increase of Patriotism in America essays Have you noticed all the red, white, and blue everywhere you look these days? Patriotism has infected the United States in a very big way. Since the September 11th tragedy more people than ever before have contributed to the American cause. I plan to discuss how patriotism has affected the people and the merchants of the US. I also want to show how some people are taking advantage of the increase of patriotism. The article by Lisa Girard, Anything that says American, she talks about all the different merchandise available now that in someway shows patriotism. The article by Mark Walsh, Bill Requiring Pledge, he talks about how the Pennsylvania House pass laws after September 11th. And in my third article by an anonymous author, A Run on Patriotism, they show basic trends of merchants. This trend seems to have started after the September 11th incident, but did it really start then or was it just at one of its lowest point it has ever been? The trend is definitely on an upward move. Many companies who are involved in make these products are reporting record incomes for the quarter. Many companies that made such goods havent had a boom like this since Desert Storm. The first article, A Run on Patriotism, shows that the most strained chain as of right now is the chain delivering US flag to distributors around the country and world. It says that K-Mart has sold more than 645,000 handheld flags. Another company sold 17,000 flags and 12,000 flag shirts both over the Internet. This retailer has ordered another half million flags to repenish its stock. They are saying sales are about five time the amount usually around Christmas. Sales are so high indeed that even the producers of dyes and textiles are running short on the supply lines. The second article by Lisa Girard talks about all the new items that are now on sale that proudly displays the flag in some ma...

How do governments respond to large volcanic and earthquake disasters Research Paper

How do governments respond to large volcanic and earthquake disasters - Research Paper Example Also, buildings that have remained intact or partially damaged need to be stabilized so that they do not collapse in the aftershocks that follow. To initiate rescue operations, Civil defense organizations need to get their disaster control centers immediately into the act. Most of the hazards to people come from man-made structures. Liquefaction occurring underneath a building can make the building lean, or collapse, or sink several feet (UPSeis – MichiganTech, 2007) (Fig. 1). Hence, liquefaction is a risk especially in areas where the groundwater table is high and the soil is sandy. Also, the strong surface waves generated by an earthquake can make the ground heave and lurch, and thereby cause damage to buildings. Another major earthquake hazard is fire due to broken gas lines and snapped power lines. The Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 made the city burn for three days (Fig. 2), and destroyed most of the city. Flooding due to cracking of dams and levees is yet another major earthquake hazard. ... Government’s response to hazards from large volcanic eruptions and earthquakes It is not possible to ascertain if a volcano has become extinct. A volcano that lay dormant for 5000 years erupted in 1973 on Heimaey island near Iceland (USGS, 1983). Furthermore, the eruption of volcanoes can neither be prevented nor controlled. But knowledge of the type of eruption, that is, whether explosive or effusive will give an idea of the potential hazards, and that will help in determining the measures to be taken during a volcanic eruption. The problems due to volcanic eruptions will be compounded in the likely event of an earthquake occurring in conjunction with the eruption. Furthermore, volcanic activity can provoke atmospheric repercussions because of the billowing clouds of smoke and ash plumes (Fig. 4). Governments should keep the disaster management plan in readiness with help from the civic bodies as well as fire departments in the area to deal with the evacuation of people livin g in the path of lava flow, to combat fires caused by molten rock and hot cinders, to take appropriate steps to deal with atmospheric pollution from sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and acid vapors. It is not possible to carry out ground-based monitoring on all volcanoes around the world. But space-based monitoring through satellite radars can help identify the volcanoes presenting the greatest danger. The radars are able to track minute changes in the Earth's movement which facilitates prediction of ensuing volcanic eruptions (European Space Agency, 2007). In the case of earthquakes, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security, there are 45 states

Critically Analysing Texts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Critically Analysing Texts - Essay Example For instance The Times positioned a large photograph of the suspect below its caption reminding the audience of the parents’ source of relief. The suspect’s picture looks more like a mug shot, a sublime indication that the suspect is guilty as charged. The Sun positions a photograph of the girlfriend with the murder suspect in happier times. The picture itself is suggestive of an ordinary man and certainly not a portrait of a killer. A picture of the victim however is placed in the article, but smaller, yet provides contrast. The victim’s picture is plain and reveals very little about the kind of person she might have been. Most of all, the picture could easily be a routine snapshot taken for identification documents as it does not create an impression. Interestingly a suggestive ad for sex therapy sits alongside the victim’s picture. In any case, the rather bland picture of the victim and the continuous informal use of her name throughout the article come s across as an intention to present an average, somewhat unsympathetic individual. The term â€Å"average Jo† invariably comes to mind and could either create sympathies or create detachment. A picture of the suspect’s mother and brother also appear on the last page of the article, but with far less ambiguity than the picture of the victim. The image captures drawn and saddened faces, under which the caption reads: â€Å"Angry†¦mum Sonja and brother Marcel.† The article in The Times is more cohesive in its layout in that it tells a story that is easy to follow. The connection begins with a caption that clearly directs attention to the content of the article. The caption reads: Yeates Parents Tell of â€Å"Enormous Relief† at Murder Charge. Thereafter, the article reads like a narrative with facts integrated to ensure that the reader knows why the Yeates parents relieved. For instance, upon informing the audience that the parents of the murder victim are relieved, the writer immediately names the suspect, and identifies him as a neighbour of the victim and reveals that he was arrested and will be formally charged with their daughter’s murder. The article appearing in The Sun however, is not as cohesive and as such it is more difficult to follow. The caption itself is confusing and reads: Girlfriend: I Stand by Jo Accused. Unlike The Times, the language in The Sun’s caption is informal and does not read like a complete sentence. The reader’s curiosity is therefore aroused immediately, although the opening lines to the article dispels that curiosity by informing who Jo is. The caption is misleading however, as once the reader completes The Sun’s article it becomes clear that the murder suspect’s girlfriend did not directly state that she was standing by her boyfriend. This message was conveyed through the murder suspect’s family. Like its caption, the language in The Sun is also informal a t times. This register however, is indicative of the kind of audience that The Sun intends to reach. For instance law enforcement are referred to as cops at least twice and in one instance, the term is used in the context of investigators’ decision to make an arrest. This tends to suggest that the decision to make an arrest was made lightly. At another point, a public relations professional is referred to as â€Å"PR man†. This use of colloquialism is clearly intended to reach a