Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Writing is an important thing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing is an important thing - Essay Example Writing helps students achieve goals and objectives related to other subjects within and without the teaching and learning environment. As a writer, I have come to understand that writing is not as easy as it appears. Writing can be as simple as one could think, or as complex as it could ever get. On the same note, forms of writing are many and different. For this reason, the experiences of a writer are broad in terms of scope, and these experiences show one’s creativity and imagination in writing. Personally, when I joined this class I did not know what defines a well-written essay. With the free writing assignment, however, I learnt proper essay writing through getting information, organizing the content, and targeting the intended audience. When writing, it is important to capture the intended main idea. Through free writing, I have learnt how to identify the main ideas from a given piece of writing. Main ideas give meaning to any written piece. On the same note, the style and strategy of presenting written work matters as far as the audience is concerned. In this respect, I have learnt to address major factors that improve the quality of writing. In so doing, I have become a more competent writer. Over and above improving the quality of writing, I have understood synthesizing, comparing, and contrasting information and/or content of written work. In the process, I have become a writer who thinks outside the box when presented with a piece of information and/or text.

Monday, October 28, 2019

The Role of in-Film Advertising in Promoting the Sales of a Brand Essay Example for Free

The Role of in-Film Advertising in Promoting the Sales of a Brand Essay ABSTRACT Introduction: Cinema gives a powerful environment in which to advertise. The film being shown virtually identifies the target audience and makes it very easy to schedule and buy advertising spots to match brand message to potential consumers. Better still, the audience is completely captive and in a receptive frame of mind as they wait to be entertained. A well organized media plan based closely around the films being shown can be a highly effective way of communicating brand messages to a willing audience. In-film advertising is very much alive and kicking. Hence we have formulated the following hypothesis: ‘In-film advertising helps in promoting the sales of the brands.’ Methods: The first method used was a Quantitative Research Survey. The sample size was 100 people aged between 16-45 years. The locations selected for the survey were Andheri, Malad, Bandra, Dadar, Matunga The second method used was a Qualitative Research Method, wherein, we segregated the people if their responses indicated that In-film advertising didn’t affect their choices of buying brands. The questions asked were in order to determine the reason behind this attitude. Findings: Our findings clearly indicate a very high percentage of the success of In-film Advertising. But also, a number of people also responded by saying that In-film advertising was a gimmick and they weren’t affected by it. Conclusion: On the basis of these findings, we can safely conclude that our Hypothesis has been proved right, i.e. ‘In-film advertising helps in promoting the sales of the brands.’ INTRODUCTION Product placements in films help a lot, as long as they are woven into the story intricately and are not just a random appearance in a song sequence. In-film advertising is akin to gambling. If the film becomes a superhit, the brand is saved. But, if the film flops, the brand takes a heavy dent. One bad placement can do more damage than 10 good placements. Artistic integrity is crucial for successful brand placements and the utility of the product has to be woven properly into the script. The placement should be a natural fit and shouldnt be unnatural. The best way to deliver the message is to catch the customer off-guard, when their rational defenses are down. The best way to do so is to use the emotional gate rather than the rational gate. The rational gate scrutinises the advantages, benefits, features and seeks value for money; the emotional gate is all about trust, love, identification and belief and in India, the films operate at the emotional level of an individual. In-film advertising heavily depends on the popularity of particular films, the actors starring in them and their credibility. The strategy of placing some selected brands in films, gives them an additional marketing push, even though the stars featuring them may not be directly endorsing these brands. The respondents of the survey that we conducted, mentioned that the brand has to have a certain character in the film, combined with certain attributes and should not just be a stagnant prop. In the movie Corporate, by Madhur Bhandarkar, the costumes were visibly sponsored by Allen Solly, thus giving the brand certain leverage and creates positive brand awareness among the audience. In-film branding may be one more paying alternative of marketing.  Once the brand gets noticed through the films it gets a status quo by itself. In-film advertising is a rather economical medium of advertising, compared to other costlier mediums. Brands have realised that movies are a great way to reach out to an audience which is captive for a few hours. Brand managers today realise that a movie finds traction across different platforms apart from cinema theatres, such as DTH, entertainment channels on TV and home video. So the brand continues to gain exposure even after a movie is released in the thea tres. Thus, the high cost of conventional media, accompanied by the growing clutter, has made advertising an exciting and viable opportunity for advertiser. LITERATURE RESEARCH DESIGN The research design technique used is the hyposthesis-testing research studies.As we wanted to study the relationship between the two variables used in the hypothesis, one being (influence) of in-film advertising and second (its effect) on promotion of sales of the brand. TITLE Role of In-film advertising in promoting the sales of the brands. RESEARCH QUESTIONS RESEARCH PROBLEM The past four to five years has seen an tremendous increase, in the use of in-film advertising. Movies such as delhi 6, dhoom 1, Don, Aisha , Tees Maar khan etc have visibly made the use of in-film advertising. No matter if the movie belongs to a big banner or a small banner, whether it is a thumbs up or a super flop, companies have vigorously used this technique, to advertise  their brands and thus increase their visibility. The question arises as to what makes them invest crores of their funds into this field, is it actually helping them to promote sales? Has it in fact helping to build up a brand image? And also, if ever it is not converting the prospective customers into customers, what is the reason behind it’s failure? RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The objectives of conducting the research are as follows 1. To find out whether people known what in film advertising is? 2. To find out whether the viewers are able to recall the brands being showcased in the movie? 3. To find out whether it is increasing the visibility of the brand? 4. To find out whether it is creating brand awareness? 5. To find out whether it is influencing their buying pattern? 6. To find out whether it is actually helping in promoting the sales of the brand? SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH In – film advertising is not much talked about as when compared to other genres of advertising. This itself gives worth to research to be conducted in this area. Indian companies and marketers are now recognizing the importance, power and relevance of new media like internet and movies. Bollywood has been a part of popular culture and therefore, Hindi film trends, popular dialogues, characters, celebrities have always found place in advertisements. With increase in competition and media clutter, now brands are thinking of in-film placements and marketers are trying to place their brands in films In film advertising is not a very old phenomenon, it started with the movie TAAL, wherein coca cola was sublimely advertised. It is from then that the trend of showcasing brands in films was born. Research in this sector will help us to have a better understanding ,of , as to how, this technique works well for the brand, why it encourages the companies to advertise their brands with big banners, whether it gives the brands, much needed visibility and lastly if its helping in promoting sales of the brands. Research conducted on this particular notion, will help in forming a concrete belief and also will be an answer to all our research objectives. METHODOLOGY We have made use of both qualitative as well as quantitative method to conduct the survey. QUALITATIVE METHOD In this method, after conducting the survey we segregated the people wherein in-film advertising didn’t affect their buying pattern. We verbally asked them few questions to find out the reason behind them not getting influenced. Following are the questions asked to them- Q1. What according to you is the reason behind in-film advertising not being effective? Q2. Why do you personally don’t believe in it? Q3. What stops you from buying the products showcased in the movies? QUANTITATIVE METHOD Quantitative Research quantifies the data and generalizes the results from the sample to the population. Since, we wanted to know to what extent  in-film advertising helps in promoting the sales of the brand, to what extent it influences the customers to buy the featured products in the movie. We conducted a face-to-face interview. Sample Size- We interviewed 100 people. Demographic Profile: Age between 16 to 45 Both the sexes SEC A, SEC B,SEC C Educated residents of Metropolitan Cities Residential urban areas Location –Andheri, Malad, Bandra, Dadar, Matunga Psychographic Profile: Open minded and receptive to new ideas Attentive and observant Mainly movie-buffs Fashionable and trendy, out-going and social in nature. METHOD (TYPES) Primarily, we have made use of questionnaire method wherein other methods used are as follows 1. Structured data collection- We have made use of structured data collection, wherein we have made use of structured disguised. The reason behind making use of this method is that we did not want to disclose the objective of the survey been conducted because then there was a risk of getting biased opinions. 2. Method of Summated Ratings: The Likert Scale An extremely popular means for measuring attitudes. Respondents indicate their own attitudes by checking how strongly they agree or disagree with statements. We have made use of this rating method in our questionnaire where- in, we placed a statement, i.e. ‘In-film advertising influences you to buy the brand promoted in the movie.’ Response alternatives were: â€Å"strongly agree†, â€Å"agree†, â€Å"uncertain†, â€Å"disagree†, and â€Å"strongly disagree†. To analyze this scale, each response category was assigned a numerical value. The values that we assigned were, Strongly Agree=1, through Strongly Disagree=5 SAMPLING DESIGN Non-probability techniques: A non-probability sampling technique that attempts to obtain a sample of convenient elements. The selection of sampling units is left primarily to the interviewer. Under this, we have made use of convenience sampling. Convenience Sampling: Under this, we have targeted- Students, mall and movie goers, people on the street, Fashionable and trendy, out-going and social in nature. The reason behind using this method is that it is least expensive and least time consuming of all sampling techniques. †¢ The sampling units are accessible, easy to measure and co-operative. HYPOTHESIS- ALTERNATIVE STATEMENT- In-film advertising helps in promoting the sales of the brands. NULL STATEMENT- In-film advertising does not help in promoting the sales of the brands. FINDINGS GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATIONS FINDINGS OBSERVATION (ANALYSIS) The questionnaires that we gave to the sample audience included the above-mentioned questions. After analyzing their responses to all these questions, we have been able to get a gist of their attitudes toward In-film advertising. Firstly, it was very important for us, as researchers, to gauge only those people who watch movies regularly in order to conduct our research further. According to our findings, 87% of the respondents watch movies regularly and are movie-buffs and only 13% of the respondents watch movies occasionally. Secondly, since our hypothesis is based on In-film advertising, it was important for us to know whether the respondents were aware of this phenomenon. Therefore, 66% of the respondents were aware of what In-film advertising is and 34% of the respondents were unaware of this ‘term’. Further, it was noticed that even though, they were unaware of this term they knew the meaning of it, but were not familiar with the ‘term’ which can be analyzed further in the survey. In order to know whether the respondents were able to recall any movies using this phenomenon, we asked the following question: Q. Out of the following movies, which of them do you remember using In-film advertising? ↠ Koi Mil Gaya ↠ Fashion ↠ Don ↠ Dhoom 1 ↠ Aisha ↠ Golmaal 3 ↠ Wake Up Sid ↠ Delhi 6 ↠ Chak De ↠ Baghban In this question, we used aided-recall method. We gave the respondents a list of movies where in, In-film advertising is been used. Dhoom 1 was the highest recalled movie with 90%, followed by Koi Mil Gaya with 82% of the respondents recalling the movie. 74% of the respondents could recall In-film advertising being used in Chak De followed by 56% of the respondents for Baghban, 46% of the respondents for Delhi 6, 45 % respondents for Wake Up Sid, 40% respondents for Fashion, 23% of the respondents for Don and 15% of the respondents for Golmaal 3. Further, we wanted to know, whether the respondents could recollect the brand being promoted in the movie. Hence, with the help of aided recall method we asked the following question. Wherein, they had to match the brand that was being promoted in the movie. Q4. Do you remember the brand promoted in the following movies?( Match them accordingly) ↠ Koi Mil Gaya Reebok ↠ Fashion Motorola Phone ↠ Don Facebook ↠ Dhoom Lo’real ↠ Aisha Sunsilk ↠ Golmaal 3 Bournvita ↠ Wake Up Sid TATA Tea ↠ Delhi 6 Suzuki Hayabuza ↠ Chak De Nikon ↠ Baghban TAG Heur It was observed that, even the people who couldn’t recollect a particular brand being placed and promoted in a movie, could recollect it with the aided recall method. Therefore, 97% of the respondents could successfully recollect Suzuki Hayabuza being promoted in the movie. 88% of the respondents could recollect bournvita being promoted in Koi Mil gaya. Similarly, 79% of the respondents could recollect the same for Baghban followed by 78% of the respondents for the movie Aisha. 75% of the respondents for Fashion, 72% of the respondents for Chak De,69% of the respondents for Delhi 6, 60% of the respondents for Wake Up Sid, 40% of the respondents for Golmaal 3, and lastly 28% of the respondents for Don. Further, we discovered that 34% of the respondents agree that in-film advertising influences them to buy the brand promoted in the movie. On the other hand, 30% of the respondents have a neutral response on the same. 16% of the respondents agree that the brand promoted in the movies influences them to buy it. 12 % of the respondents strongly disagree with it and 8% of the respondents plainly disagree with it. Even though, respondents were able to recall the brands being promoted in the movie, did they actually buy the product? Has the brand recall helped in converting it to action i.e. buying? Our next objective was to find this. To this we found out, 64% of the respondents have actually bought a particular brand after it being promoted in a movie. On the other hand, 36% of the respondents haven’t bought it. Our next objective was to gauge the perception about the respondents on in-film advertising. To this, 27% of the respondents felt that promotion of the brand is the sole reason behind it being showcased in the movie. 13% of the respondents said, visibility is the criteria behind it and 60% of the respondents felt both promotion and visibility go hand-in-hand and that is the joint reason behind the brands being showcased in the movies. 76% of the respondents agreed that their perception has changed about a brand after it being placed in a particular movie. But, 24% of the respondents said it didn’t affect them. If an actor uses a particular brand in a movie; it definitely makes an impact on 63% of the respondents and to an extent influences them to buy that brand. But, it definitely doesn’t affect the rest 37% of the respondents. Q.10 According to you, since when has in-film advertising come into vogue? We asked few questions to 36% of the respondents who didn’t get influenced to buy the product placed in the movie in order to find out the reason behind it. The response and the analysis for the same is as follows:- Q1. What according to you is the reason behind In-film advertising not being effective? Products already have an identity created and communicated to the masses. Endorsing might ensure a few more sachets/packets/bottles moving out of the stacked racks but it isn’t like a beeline or an exodus for the product in question. Inculcating a brand in the backdrop and using it in the script  does not necessarily ensure cash registers ringing, it only makes a presence felt and then a surrogate mental association of the brand with the film/scene is involved. It might help, but it is very marginal, and in movies it particularly looks odd. If it is a cell phone or some a similar product then it is still alright. The movies showing products such as washing powder, bikes which doesnt make sense. By highlighting such brands or promoting the brands for the audience, surely confuses them as to what it is really meant for? It is done very well in Hollywood movies, where people will not be able to find out that they have deliberately put up a particular product. But in Indian movies, it deliberately promotes it and it does not augment well, and it is bad for movies also. A product placement in the movie should be in such a way that it has its own value or importance. Most of the times, the brand does not gain much from it’s promotion or any hike in its revenue generation. And what finally matters to the company is its revenue. So, in-film advertising in this way for few respondents has been ineffective. Q2. Why do you personally don’t believe in it? Q3. What stops you from buying the products showcased in the movies? Most of the respondents personally don’t believe in it mainly because they are brand-loyalists. It does not matter to them who is endorsing which brand or which brand is being showcased in the movies. Some of them are not satisfied the way the product is been placed in the movie. Also they feel, 30-60 seconds of brand placement in the movie is not sufficient for them to decide whether they want to buy it or not. Apart from that, this section of the respondents, do not watch movies that  often so it automatically fails in influencing them which in return, doesn’t compel them to believe in it. Thus, we had a mixed finding. Even though majority of the respondents agree with our hypothesis, they are few section of the respondents who have a different opinion and thus, they don’t agree with our hypothesis. CONCLUSION After a detailed study of the responses received from the research survey, our hypothesis proved to be true. A thumping majority of the respondents supported our hypothesis. Hence, In-film advertising does play a major role in promoting the sales of the brand. With this we can also conclude that in-film advertising is an effective tool to promote brands because it converts into sales and increases the visibility of the brand. In-film advertising is also a major advertising tool because it helps to endorse the brand with a celebrity, which otherwise is a very expensive option to consider. There are other advantages of in-film advertising. One gets stars to represent their brands, at a fraction of the costs. Moreover, films transcend geography, class and culture barriers, giving an opportunity for national and even international level branding. It also facilitates a clutter-free environment. Most importantly, films cannot be surfed, zipped or muted, unlike TV and internet. The advertisement catches people in a receptive mood and can be target specific. In-film advertising also helps in creating a favorable image about the brand from the consumer’s point of view, as the brand is being showcased in a healthy and entertaining environment. After carefully analyzing the responses received from the respondents, we also conclude that In-film advertising results in greater recall value as well as higher visibility, which helps the consumer to connect with the brand even more. The future of film branding is clearly on innovation. In this research we also analyzed that advertisements placed in films work well as the ads are placed according to the nature and background of the scene in the film which generate a very healthy background for the advertisement which in turn results into higher acceptability of that brand. while brand communication can be brought in to a film, it should be used in a selective and judicious manner and there should not be an overdose of the brand and its communication; otherwise, it would become boring, moving to a point of ridicule and seem forced. It should be used like a pinch of salt. For example, the bike- Suzuki Hayabusa used in Dhoom has given the highest visibility for the brand as the brand was actually being used in the film by a well known celebrity like John Abraham thus in a way, promoted. Such advertisements help the audience to connect with the brand along with reality. Brands get colored by the character using them and the context in which they are shown in a movie. For example, if a villain were shown wearing a Swatch watch, the brand would get visibility but perhaps not a positive mindshare. We also learnt that advertising in films helps the marketers to target their audiences, demographically as well as psychographically. Visibility of the brand in the films becomes like a long TV commercial for the audiences. Depending on the content of the film and its story line, a sketch of the profile of expected viewers of the film can be prepared and then those brands could be approached that could appeal to the targeted viewers. Most advertising professionals vouch for the fact that films, by virtue of being quite engaging, are one of the cost effective and effective mediums for advertising. Apart from monetary benefit to the production of the film from the brand owners, the commercial ads of these products promote the film throughout. One of the best examples is that of the recent film â€Å"Fashion† which had six prestigious brand placements clothing brands Kimaya and Reebok, Lenovo laptop, Sunsilk shampoo, Cellucom and LG Electronics. The production team earned Rs 8.5 crores from in-film advertisement alone, out of its total investment of 22 crores. Another example is the way Van Huesen advertisements promoted Ghajini, not only benefited the brand but, the personal image of Aamir Khan enhanced the trust for the brand. In the film,  Aamirs character was of a business tycoon, which added to the value of the brand Van Huesen, depicting success. The strategy of placing some selected brands in films, gives them an additional marketing push, even though the stars featuring them may not be directly endorsing these brands. Movies can enable brands to engage with different audiences and let consumers shake hands with the product. Given that cinema holds its audience captive, it is possible to make a product’s relatability quotient even more relevant and meaningful to the audience. Such a proposition when embedded in a storyline delivers unrivalled relatability. Further, an audience can be almost forced to sit up and take notice of a particular product attribute and see it in a new light. The recently-released, Aisha had a tie-up with Dior — the need being the lead heroine was portrayed as an elite damsel. It was a clever and convincing depiction to etch out the heroine’s character. In-film branding in fact helps to reduce publicity budgets of films by a minimum of 15 per cent. The low shelf life of movies has cut down theatrical collections; it has opened another window of revenue in the form of brand associations or in-film placements. Brands expect high visibility not only from theatres, but also when the film is shown on TV. A large majority of the respondents managed to have a high sense of recall to brands being advertised in particular films. In fact, many of the respondents enlightened us about many more examples of In-film Advertising. This shows the high success rate of In-film Advertising. All the objectives of our research, mentioned in the earlier section, have been achieved and thus, it can be called a successful research. All the findings just indicate that our Hypothesis has been proved right and hence, is valid. Therefore, ‘In-film advertising helps in promoting the sales of the brands.’

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Political Climate of the 1950s Essay -- History Historical Politic

The Political Climate of the 1950s With the dropping of the Atomic bomb that ended WWII and the beginning of the Cold War, there was an irony of stability and turmoil in the United States. The start of the 1950s brought about many changes, from the Red Scare and threat of the possible spread of communism in America, to changes in political movements, civil rights movements, and another possible war, there were many significant events and people during this time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Joseph R. McCarthy was a Republican Senator from Wisconsin with an enormous political agenda. With the fear of communism ignited by the Cold war, McCarthy and his supporters began to instill in the American people the fear that communism was taking root in the United States. In February 1950, McCarthy announced at a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia that he had obtained a list of card-carrying American Communists in the State Department (Davidson et al., 2002). For the next several months, often referred to as the Red Scare, McCarthy led a committee that investigated various government agencies and questioned a large number of people about their political associations. It was later found that the McCarthy’s charges were unsubstantiated, but the effects of this â€Å"witch hunt† would impact the United States even after the charges had settled. One the first impacts of McCarthyism was the win of Republican candidate Dwight Eisenhower in the 1952 presi dential election. The McCarthy campaign, which has accused many democrats including Harry S. Truman of taking a liberal stance on communism, hurt many democrats in the election. The infringement of civil right on the American People was yet another impact of McCarthyism. By 1952, 32 states had laws requiring teachers to take oaths of loyalty and government loyalty boards were wanted to now personal details of their employees such as what newspaper they subscribed to and what music they owned (Davidson et al. 2002). It was not until hearings against those thought to have communist association were aired on ABC and the public had the opportunity to see the badgering and mockery of these proceedings that the McCarthy’s popularity fell quickly and the Red Scare receded as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Eisenhower presidency pursued dynamic conservatism or modern republicanism in his new term. In his own words, Eisenhower declared â€Å"I will be conservative when it ... ...nt, it is without doubt that it is more historically significant. Even though slavery had been abolished, equality was far from typical. The events of the 1950s seemed to say that minorities would no longer tolerate an unequal America. The strategies of the civil right movement made more of a statement than ever before in history and paved a way for civil rights activists to make a real impact on desegregation and equality. No one could have realized that what seemed as an insignificant gesture to partake in training South Vietnamese armies and America’s involvement in Southeast Asia would one day have the impact it did on America. Although at the time when Eisenhower was trying to stop of the spread of communism it seemed the right thing to do, the repercussions of that decision and the war it eventually led to was devastating to America politically, socially, and culturally. Works Cited Davidson, J. W., Gienapp, W. E., Heyrman, C., Lytle M. H., Stoff, M. B. (2002) Nation of Nations . The McGraw-Hill Companies. Schultz, S. (1999) American History 102: Civil War to the Present. Retrieved April 10, 2005 from http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture25.html.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Osi Analogy Paper

OSI Model Analogy Trevor Crews Strayer University The OSI model is the model developed for computer-to-computer communications over a network. This model breaks down all the functions that occur into seven distinct layers. These layers are, application, presentation, session, transport, network, data link, and the physical layer. Each one encompasses a specific part of the process that occurs during the communication. In order to simplify this think of it like sending a package through the post office.It can be broken down into seven stages or layers for this example. We start with bringing an item or letter to the post office that is to be sent to a determined destination. This is essentially what happens in the application layer. This is the interface between the communication and the entire process as it is in how a computer works. Next the item is packaged and put into a box or envelope. This is similar to how the presentation layer functions. In this layer the communication is f ormatted, encrypted, and compressed; basically prepared for sending.Our package is then tagged with tracking information and tagging information that allows us to track it and verify if there are any other packages and if needed what order they go in. This is similar to the session layer. Next our package is put into a sorting device of some kind that sorts things based on size to see if it is able to be sent with other shipments or broken down to be sent different ways if it is to large. This is similar to the transport layer of the OSI model. The similarities go on over the next few layers as well.After packages are sorted they couriers inspect the packages and are given the specific routes they are to take in order to deliver the correct packages to the correct recipients. This represents the network layer in that the connections are established between the computers and the routing is also established. Next the packages are loaded onto the means of their transportation. This can include both truck and plane or whatever other method is needed to ensure delivery. This is how the data link layer works. The information is packaged generally in frames and sent via the proper transmission method via the designated route.The first of this process ends with the drivers getting into to their vehicles and driving towards the destinations with the packages. This is the physical layer in which the transmission takes place. After all this takes place it goes back through the same layers in the reverse order to ensure that everything that has happened was in the correct order and method. For example a package arrives at its destination, it’s then unloaded, inspected to make sure its intact and not damaged, signed for to verify the correct address and recipient, unpacked, and finally read.While the process as a whole can be overwhelmingly complex if it is broken down into layers as the OSI model does it can be viewed a little more simplistically and compared to mo dern day processes. Such as the post office as I have described. There are also many other similarities that if one looked they could make connections to. Works Cited Dean, T. (2010). CIS 175: Network + Guide to Networks: 2010 Custom Edition (5th Edition). Boston: Cengage Learning.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Early Childhood Influences Your Outcome in Life Essay

In the early years of your childhood, is the time when you learn most of your traits that will make you who you are for the rest of your life. Whether your parents held you enough when you are a child can determine if you are successful in life, or if you drop out of high school and start beating your wife and kids. If you teach your kids when they are little to tie their shoes or to spell their name than they are more likely to like school, your culture can determine whether they do well in school or if they don’t understand from the beginning. Some researchers say that if you have a good parent that loves you, spends time with you, or well if they really just help you out while you are a child your child has a better chance at doing well at school because they aren’t starting so far behind. If you have a low economic standing than child usually just fall back into the gangs, or drugs because they don’t have the support to stop and get out. Your outcome in life almost always stems from how you are treated as a child. When you start school you are thrown into a mix of people, some can read already and write while others don’t even know their name. If you start kindergarten and you are already so far behind than it’s hard to catch back up. If the child wasn’t shown their numbers before because their parents didn’t help them very much while they were growing up. If as a parent you isolate your children by not educating them or leaving them by themselves while doing homework than they’re going to have a hard time trying to figure out what to do, and they know that their parents aren’t there to check in on the homework. Michael Thompson, Ph.D. â€Å"A parent may be working out of the home, or need to be working in the home and cooking dinner. So if you are home, stay close, and if you are not there, have another adult check to make sure it’s going OK. And remember that all homework is not equal, so not everything will need your rapt attention.† Research says that you need to have some interaction while the child is doing their homework. Whenever you send the children away to school yes they are away but you need to help and stay informed because it isn’t always the students fault that they are getting in trouble maybe they just don’t understand something or the teacher isn’t explaining it the way they need to learn it. As a parent you need to help your children out because it will affect their outcome in life, because if every time they try and ask a question and the teacher yells at them obviously they aren’t going to ask; but if as a parent they stay informed with the teacher than the parent can help on the home end too. Socioeconomic standing is very important to how a child will develop. In low socioeconomic areas there is very poor education, low parental control, and a high gang/violence rate. If you are brought up with only knowing the life of the streets you have a higher percentage of staying there. This is because you are â€Å"born into it†, if you have the ability to go to a high achieving school get good grades and have peers that do the same then obviously you are going to do better. For an example I inserted the graph above if you are born into a higher-class family you are more than likely going to stay there, but if you are born into a lower class family you are more likely to stay there (graph found on You’re Born Into It America sited in the bibliography). There is the example of gang violence, which is an element that thrives in the lower class; it gives power, brotherhood, family and money. Gangs are a large part of what hold some of the brightest people back. In California alone males ranging from 7th-12th grade 50.9% of males were associated with gangs; that was in 2010. Living in a socioeconomically depressed neighborhood makes it hard enough to get out and make it on your own but the fact that there are gangs influencing these minors left and right make it even harder. A great example of someone growing out of a socioeconomically depressed neighborhood is Julian Castro who was the first Latino keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention. Castro was raised in San Antonio by a single mother who worked her hardest to proved all she could for her two sons. Julian and his brother Joaquà ­n both worked very hard to get out of their depressed area so that they could provide for their mother. They both graduated from high school and were accepted to Stanford, then to Harvard. These to Hispanics made the choice to be hard working and expand their view on living, they knew there was more to life than not having anything. One of the main reasons they were able to do so well is that their mother and grandmother helped them as much as they could. Julian became the first keynote speaker to be a Latino because he wanted to beat the odds; he did not want to end up like the people he saw around him. Another great story is President Barak Obama’s he was born in Hawaii, his father and mother both left him to be brought up by his grandparents. They did not have very much money and Barry had to find his own way to pay for college since no one set that up for him. Obama had a very hard life growing up, working multiple jobs, keeping his grades up, studying for tests and trying to get scholarships so he could go to college. He did it though, and now he is the most important man in the United States and possibly the world. He worked his way out of the life he had as a child and did not want that life for his future children. In president Obama’s speech after the 2012 election he said â€Å"†¦you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the united states of America, the best is yet to come.† He was speaking of each persons individual journey in this country, you have the choice to grow up and try and your hardest to make a better life for yourself even if your parents are not there all the time. The U.S.’s census bureau reported that around 30% of families in America are being headed by a single parent. These houses may be dysfunctional and â€Å"doomed to failure† (usg.org) but many people that have grown up in a single parent home have had just as much attention as someone that has two parents. In America, 22 million children have a one-parent household, a mother runs 83% of those houses and half of those mothers do not receive any type of child support to help out. Not receiving child support have put 70% of single parent moms in poverty making on average $13,00 annually. Currently there are over 9.8 million mothers as a single parent. Living in that type of poverty is hard to do but plenty of people are able to do it and grow up and become an amazing person with a great future. The people who say that because they live in poverty they are always going to be poor are going to stay there because it takes hard work and dedication to grow out of the socioeconom ically depressed neighborhood you grew up in. In 2000 the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that 90% of 4th grade parents participated in parent-teacher conferences among the 8th grade that number dropped to about 57%. Parents believe that once you are in middle school you can do your homework by yourself because the parents are not helpful since they do not remember it themselves. In elementary school parents are totally involved since everyone is still a â€Å"child† but you do not grow out of adolescence till you are 18 because you are not a legal adult so parents should be helping their children out till they are a senior in high school because that is why you have parents. Many schools do not even reach out to a parent if their child is failing or being suspended, because well they are an adult now. It is said that most children who have a strong parental backing through high school will do better in college. The students who have a parent helping them choose the road they follow 97% of the time make better choices when it comes to drugs, sex and partying in college. In Isanti County only 69% of parents attend conferences while the percent for lower grades is higher. Researchers say its because in elementary schools teachers have on average 20-30 children total while middle and high school teachers have over 120 students so its a lot harder to keep in touch with parents. That is why parents need to stay involved with their child’s education. Your childhood has influences on your outcome in life of course but you can change the out come of your life and make it what ever you want it to be. Being born into poverty does not mean you have to stay there the rest of your life. Parental involvement and personal goals are how you change your outcome. Obama and the Castro twins are perfect depictions of how goals that are met can make you what ever you would like to become. References Barack Obama Biography – Facts, Birthday, Life Story – Biography.com . (n.d.). Famous Biographies & TV Shows – Biography.com. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://www.biography.com/people/barack-obama-12782369?page=3 Julian Castro Biography – Facts, Birthday, Life Story – Biography.com. (n.d.). Famous Biographies & TV Shows – Biography.com. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from http://www.biography.com/people/julian-castro-20967527 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Emerging Trends. (n.d.). FBI. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/2011-national-gang-threat-assessment 774,000 gang members and 27,900 gangs active in the US: Crime News à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Crime in America.Net. (n.d.). Crime in America.Net: Crime, Violent Crime, Criminals, Crime News, Statistics and Research. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://crimeinamerica.net/2010/04/01/774000-gang-members-and-27900-gangs-active-in-the-us-crime-news/ Adolescence: Are Parents Relevant to Students’ High School Achievement and Post-Secondary Attainment? / Browse Our Publications / Publications & Resources / HFRP – Harvard Family Research Project. (n.d.). HFRP Home / HFRP – Harvard Family Research Project. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/adolescence-are-parents-relevant-to-students-high-school-achievement-and-pos t-secondary-attainment Elementary, r. U. (n.d.). Reports of Gang Membership, by Gender and Grade Level: 2008-2010 – Kidsdata.org . Kidsdata: Data and Resources about the Health of Children . Retrieved November 12, 2012, from http://www.kidsdata.org/data/topic/table/gang-gender.aspx?f=1&loc=2,127,347,1763,331,348,336,171,321,345,357,332,324,369,358,362,360,337,327,364,356,217,353,328,354,323,352,320,339,334,365,343,330,367,344,355,366,368,265,349,361,4,273,59,370,326,333,322,3 Helping With Homework. (n.d.). PBS. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from http://www.pbs.org/parents/goingtoschool/helping_homework.html Living With One Parent – Vertical Thought | United Church of God. (n.d.). United Church of God. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from http://www.ucg.org/marriage-and-family/living-one-parent/ President ObamaÃÆ' ¢Ãƒâ€šÃ¢â€š ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ¢â€ž ¢s Election Night Speech – Video Feature – NYTimes.com. (n.d.). The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & M ultimedia. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/11/06/us/politics/06-obama-election-night-speech.html Sias, E. (n.d.). Concerns discussed with low parent-teacher conference attendance in Braham | The Isanti County News. The Isanti County News. Retrieved November 8, 2012, from http://isanticountynews.com/2012/11/20/concerns-discussed-with-low-parent-tea

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Core Beliefs and Practices of Islam

Core Beliefs and Practices of Islam Introduction In the context of Muslim world, globalization generally refers to the global spread of ideas, cultures, institutions and attitudes, which are normally perceived to have originated from the west. With this regard, globalization is normally perceived as being equivalent to westernization in the context of Islam core beliefs and practices. As a result of this, globalization is perceived as a form of external threat to the Islamic religion (Mazrui 56).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Core Beliefs and Practices of Islam specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The anti-globalization in Islam can be significantly attributed to the fact that cultural identity is an important aspect of Islamic religion, and therefore any occurrence that attempts to integrate the universal culture serves to undermine the doctrines of the religion (Tarabichi 78). This implies that the cultural exchange aspect associated with glob alization is one of the core reasons why Muslims view globalization as having a negative influence on their core beliefs and practices of the Islam (Tarabichi 100). There are different conflicting views regarding the effects that globalization impose on the Islamic beliefs and practices, making the subject a contentious that is yet to determine whether Muslims are actually against globalization as a whole or some certain aspects of globalization that have imposed negative influence on the aspect of cultural identity, which is a core characteristic of Islamic religion. Some of argue that globalization has helped in the strengthening of Islamic fundamentalism. This paper discusses the relationship between Islam and globalization, with a principal focus on the ways through which globalization are perceived to undermine the Islamic beliefs and practices. This essay strongly suggests that globalization is a challenge towards the Islamic core beliefs and practices that are determined by t he Islamic cultural identity. This is because globalization has accelerated the aspect of western homogeny in the Muslim world. As a result, it can be perceived as a threat to the Islamic values and principles (Mazrui 102). Despite this potential threat, it is arguably evident that globalization cannot be avoided; as a result, the Muslim community can grab the opportunity presented by globalization to spread the Islamic beliefs, practices and cultural identity at the global level. Globalization The aspect of globalization is broad and covers various aspects that are aimed at integration of the world such as social, economic, cultural and political systems. The principal focus of this paper is to assess the cultural integration aspect of globalization and its relationship to the Islamic beliefs and practices.Advertising Looking for research paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Culture is consid ered to be an inherent aspect that is the core of the whole globalization process (Tarabichi 140). This implies that an assessment of cultural globalization is vital in order to have an in depth understanding of the reactions of the Muslim community towards globalization. It is also important to take into account the fact that globalization is an ongoing process that results to the unification of the social relations across the global divide (Mazrui 125). The aspect of social process implies that globalization supersedes any forms of cultural, geographical and political constraints in order to ensure global integration of the core aspects of globalization (Tarabichi 152). The potential outcome of cultural globalization is that it will impose a single global culture, implying that cultural diversity and individual choice are likely to be a thing of the past if the various cultural and religious units are not keen enough to resist cultural globalization in order to preserve the values , principles, beliefs and practices associated with their religion and culture (Mazrui 130). Mazrui defines globalization as the sum of cumulative processes that result to a preservation of the cultural traits of the dominant group, whereas the cultural traits of the less dominant groups are assimilated into the dominant culture (Mazrui 145). The Islamic religion presently comprises of approximately 20 percent of the global culture, and at the same time, the western culture is the dominant culture at the global level. The visible consequence of globalization is the spread of cultural aspects of a particular culture at the global level, resulting to absorption of the local cultures in a given region, implying that the dominant culture is likely to be transformed into the global culture. In the current context of globalization, it is arguably evident that the western culture, sometimes perceived as the American culture is gradually being distributed to other parts of the globe, implyi ng that local cultural identity and religious beliefs are likely to be absorbed by the western culture (Tarabichi). In addition, cultural globalization normally imposes changes regarding the daily routine lives, interpretations concerning the meaning of life and provides alternative approaches towards the daily life. The cultural identity of the Islamic religion Culture can be defined as behavior and ideas that are common to a particular group, which are socially acquired (Tarabichi 100). Culture exhibits some form of specificity owing to the fact that they are not similar. The culture of a particular group normally defines their social life, thoughts and individual behavior, which in turn influence the principles, values, beliefs, practices and the manner in which the group interacts with individuals of another cultural grouping.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Core Beliefs and Practices of Islam specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Cultural identity on the other hand can be described as an essential part of a person’s psyche that serves to identify with one’s own culture, and is usually an outcome of cultural interaction (Tarabichi 102). It is important to note that cultural identity is subject to changes when a person is exposed to different cultural environments. Some of the components that make the cultural identity include religion, beliefs, practices, rituals, language and so on (Tarabichi 105). Islam is usually perceived as a social religion because it lays emphasis on the group life instead of basing on an individualistic approach; this has played a significant role in shaping the Islamic cultural identity, which is supposed to be observed by the entire Muslim community (Mazrui 145). A core aspect of the Muslim culture is that it entails a vibrant aspect of moderation, implying that it attempts to harmonize both the spiritual and material aspects of the individual p ersonality. The Muslim culture is does not just impose sheer limitations on their beliefs and practices. The cultural identity of the Muslim can be argued to be based on a dynamic pattern, which in most cases is misunderstood by the secular population and sometimes the Muslim community itself (Mazrui 150). The significant difference that exists between the secular western culture and the Islamic culture is the emphasis on the devotion to one God. It is arguably evident that Islamic faith is applicable to all aspects of life of its believers such as spiritual beliefs and practices, law, governance and way of life. Despite the fact that Muslims across the global divide have different cultural traits, it is evident that they share some universal cultural identity, beliefs and practices owing to the fact that they are all Muslims (Mazrui 163). For example, the cultural characteristics of the Muslim community in Malaysia are not similar to the cultural characteristics of the Muslim commu nity of Saudi Arabia. Irrespective of this, they are both guided by the universal principle and values in accordance with Islamic religion. The Islamic cultural identity has core foundations on faith, emphasis on constructive work and humanism, which are used to strengthening the optimism, confidence, and righteousness, appreciation of beauty, flexibility and openness (Tarabichi 136). The relationship between globalization and the cultural identity of the Islam religion Globalization serves to accelerate the domination of western culture across the globe. In fact, globalization is one of the direct outcomes of the spreading out of the concept of westernization as evident through economic dominance, colonization and cultural retribution (Mazrui 158).Advertising Looking for research paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As a result, the western culture is gradually being integrated into the Muslim world, implying the meaning and the significance attached to the Islam cultural identity is bound to be lost during the process of globalization. The basic implication from this is that globalization poses a significant challenge to the integrity of minority cultures (Tarabichi 180). The Islam cultural distinctiveness has faced some significant cultural pressures from the western culture. Because of globalization, the cultural uniqueness of the Islam religion has been faced with two conflicting alien cultures, which mainly comprises of the secularized pop culture that has been accelerated by the media, and the American (western) culture, which has been imposed by increasing modernization that is bound to integrate the values of the western culture into the Islamic culture. Globalization has resulted into an inclination of nons of this include the global brands such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nike, Adidas and ma ny more. These global brands are founded on the values of the western culture, with their premise focusing on a world culture that embraces materialism and strives towards the achievement of greater wealth (Tarabichi 175). The implication here is that the culture of the west is characterized by a hegemonic power, which results to an increase in the domination of the culture in the rest of the rest of the globe as it is becoming assimilated by people. The Muslim community is not an exception to hegemonic nature of the culture, beliefs and practices of the west. The culture of the west is considered to be a value-free culture, sometimes referred to as an open culture that embraces all the other cultural variables on an easy access platform (Tarabichi 201). As a result, there are minimal or complete restrictions concerning the display of pornographic content. This is widely evident as the numerous television broadcasters. Movies, books, websites and magazines are promoting and commerci alizing pornographic content. The young generations are usually the prey of such a rotted culture. The worldwide media is under the control of the west because they are the key determinants of what is published, watched and learned. The Muslim community on the other hand lacks a powerful media that can help in influencing and competing with the global media moguls (Mazrui 200). Because of this, there is a likely hood that the aspect of western media hegemony is likely to continue, which can result to a replacement of the Islamic cultural identity, values, practices and beliefs. In this era of globalization, the media is an important factor that shapes the way of life ranging from eating, dressing, behavior patterns, family matters (Mazrui 201). The international media and the increasing popularity of the culture of the west have played a significant role in spreading the western values. An observation of the current trends reveals that the there is cultural identity crisis, which is likely to affect cultural groups that are more conservative such Islam cultural identity. For instance, the introduction of the TV show named American Idol resulted to an introduction of the same in Malaysia, which was called the Malaysian Idol. In addition, the recent ignorance of the aspect of female covering, referred to as ‘awrah’, which is one of the most serious violations of the Islamic values and principles (Tarabichi 214). Despite the fact that globalization has some additional benefits to some of the elements of the core Islamic beliefs and practices; regarding culture, aspects of education and information, globalization is arguably a challenge, and in most cases not compatible with the general Islamic aspects of human life, patterns of behavior, values and cultural principles (Mazrui 200). This is because through the concept of globalization, the western culture gets to spread throughout the world and undermine the Islamic values and principles. An overview of the global pattern for exchange of information reveals that most of the information contests are under the control of the westerners. An outcome of this is that the core aspects of Islamic religious values and principles do not have any adequate presentation in the media. Instead, the Muslim and Islamic culture is presented negatively in the theatres, movies and some television broadcasting channels. The most common form of presentation of the Muslim culture is associating Islamic religion as a whole with the terrorism and people who are backward in their undertakings. The implication from these findings is that the Islamic values and principles are being challenged by the concept of globalization, resulting to a dreadful portrayal of the Islamic values, beliefs and principles (Tarabichi 220). In the current context of a world characterized by globalization, most of the members of the Muslim community have disregarded their authentic cultural identity as most of them are influenc ed by the hegemony of the western culture through aspects such as music, lifestyle and dressing. Some of the western pop culture entails heavy metal music, obscene music and rap music. In addition, the traditional Arabic songs are gradually adopting the musical aspects of the western culture such as sexual contents (Tarabichi 236). The underlying reason for prohibiting heavy metal music in Islamic culture is that it usually derails the mind from remembering the cultural values and principles of the Islam religion, which means that they result to lack of celebration of Allah, which in turn results to profanity (Mazrui 230). The eclipse of other cultures, especially the Islamic principles, beliefs and practices can be attributed to the onset of the western way of life because the Islamic youth are gradually lured to the generational change initiated the concept of cultural globalization. Symbols associated with the western culture are found almost everywhere in the world, implying tha t people around the globe have embraced the western way of life. For instance, most of the young populations across the global divide are always listening to music from pop artists such as Michal Jackson, living their lifestyle in accordance with the western celebrities and so on (Tarabichi 258). An inference that can be made from this observation is that cultural globalization is simply accelerating the process of domination of the western culture. An outcome of this is that cultures are bound to be westernized in almost every aspect of life, and the Islamic cultural identity is the most susceptible to this westernization of cultures across the globe. Owing to the fact that the larger Muslim community is against this aspect of cultural globalization, the Islamic culture as a whole, beliefs and practices are negatively affected and in most cases looked down upon as being behind the changing times. The Muslim community is gradually being assimilated to the western culture. Therefore, it can be inferred that globalization is a challenge to the Islamic cultural identity, values, principles, beliefs and practices (Mazrui 238). One of the core aspects of culture that is facing a challenge by the concept of globalization is language. Currently, English is perceived as the global language, which in most cases takes an American form and is constantly trying to serve as a replacement for other authentic languages in the globe. English is basically used for global communication as evident in the electronic media, print media, educational institutions and most of the avenues through which global affairs are communicated. However, according to the Islamic practices and beliefs as in the Holy Quran, Arabic language is mainly for people to have an understanding of the Quran and other important aspects of the Islamic culture (Mazrui 241). Arabic also requires a similar accord since it is an important aspect of the language culture of the Islamic religion that should not be o verlooked. Furthermore, most of the educational curriculums deployed in most parts of the globe are based on English and the western form of education. This curriculum is not compatible with the Islamic cultural identity because it incorporates aspects such as secular values of the western culture, which are in contrary with the spiritual and divine principles and values of the Islamic culture (Mazrui 201). Most of the Muslim scholars have argues that fast food chains such as Mc Donald’s have played a significant role in facilitating cultural imperialism. Constant eating at the fast food outlets usually develop individualist behavior among individuals, which is not in concurrence with the Islamic values, principles, beliefs and practices. For instance, the speedy lifestyle means that members in a family cannot find enough time take their meals together. The fast food culture is affecting mostly the young generations, and it servers to undermine the family values of taking mea ls together. The consequence of the speedy lifestyle is not always visible in the Islamic culture; it has significant effects through the creation of a society that is individualistic, and devoid of social bonding at the family level (Tarabichi 239). It is arguably evident that cultural globalization is a significant challenge to the larger Islamic values, principles, patterns of behavior, beliefs, practices and the way of life. As noted above, globalization serves to accelerate the hegemony of the western culture that perceives the Islamic values, principles, beliefs and practices as being backward, and therefore, the Islamic cultural aspects are significantly looked upon. In addition, cultural globalization facilitates the spread of societal culture that is devoid of moral values, which are mostly strange and incompatible with the Islamic cultural identity (Tarabichi 258). Irrespective of the negative influences of the cultural globalization on the Islamic cultural values, beliefs and practices, some scholars have stated that the cultural globalization has significant benefits at the individual and national level. The cultural globalization process has resulted to positive influence at the cultural identity of a person. Most of them argue that the positive influences of globalization outweigh the negative influences of globalization. For instance, they propose that cultural hegemony is beneficial owing to that fact that it results to cultural integration and elimination of cultural barriers, which is essential in fostering brotherhood among the human population (Tarabichi 248). The proposition that cultural globalization serves to reformulate the Islamic cultural identity in the sense that Islam is not only perceived as a religion, rather a complete way of life, which is mostly referred to as ‘one religion, one culture’ in the context of Islamic discourse. Furthermore, cultural globalization also tends to enhance individual freedom and helps in the revitalization of cultural aspects and beliefs (Tarabichi 157). However, the basis of this essay is that despite the healthy cultural exchange associated with cultural globalization; most of the instances have negative influences on the values, principle, beliefs and practices of the Islamic religion. Cultural globalization is perceived as the process through which the western cultural values are distributed across the globe (Tarabichi 263). The basic argument is the globalization is one of the contributing factors that accelerate the process of westernization across the global divide, which results to the domination and the strengthening of the western cultural aspects compared to cultures that are less dominant at the global context such as the Islamic cultural identity and their associated religious beliefs, values and practices. For instance, the aspect of female covering is widely considered as backwardness in the context of the western culture, while at the same time mingl ing with people of opposite sex freely is considered a cultural practice that is superior. This is a perfect example of the dilution of the Islamic cultural values and identity. In addition, this serves to compromise the Islamic religion culture, and poses as a threat to the core Islamic practices and beliefs (Mazrui 270). Furthermore, cultural globalization fosters the creation of a secular society that is devoid of the religion, implying that the there is a possibility of the role of Islam religion being subject to diminish, which is likely completely destroy the Islamic culture. The recurring fact from this is that the aspect of cultural globalization is a challenge that the Muslim community must face in order to preserve the cultural identity of the Islamic religion. As a result, the Muslim community across the global divide has to re-evaluate the western culture, and be satisfied with the spiritual guidelines, beliefs, principles and practices that are outlined in the Holy Qura n. Additionally, negative aspects of a specific culture should be removed before being assimilated into the Islamic way of life. Revitalization of the cultural identity of the Islamic religion It is arguably evident that the cultural identity of the Islamic religion is facing a crisis in this current era of globalization. The Muslim community needs to re-examine the approaches regarding the aspect of negative influences of cultural globalization on their religious beliefs, values and practices. In this era of globalization, it is important for Muslims to stick strictly to the teachings of Islam as outlined in the Holy Quran, which is the only effective way of maintaining the cultural identity (Mazrui 258). The cultural aspect of acquiring knowledge is required in Islamic discourse in this current era of globalization. It is arguably evident that this is the most significant crisis that the Muslim community is currently facing. Because of the moral and social connotations associated with knowledge, the Prophet suggests that knowledge acquisition is mandatory for every Muslim individual (Tarabichi 256). The increasing levels of development that are witnessed in the west can be related back to the focus towards knowledge acquisition an effective manner. The significant limitation to this approach is that most of the Muslim countries are still functioning under the old traditional methodologies in most of the educational curriculum and syllabus, with limited interest concerning research. This implies that it is essential for the Muslim community to develop a new curriculum that integrates both rational knowledge and revealed knowledge, which will in turn encourage the larger Muslim community towards research. It is arguably evident that a partial lack of critical thinking is one of the contributing factors that resulted to the cultural identity crisis that the Muslim community is currently facing (Tarabichi 235). Muslims in this current era of globalization tend t o disregard their Islamic cultural practices and beliefs and follow the western culture without taking into consideration the negative consequences of the western culture. In addition, the paper has proved that a majority of the aspects of western culture are not compatible and appropriate with the values, beliefs and practices of the Islam religion; as a result, they are not appropriate for emulation by the Muslims. The Muslim community should aim at following cultural traits that conform to the teachings of Islam and their ideologies of religion as outlined in the Quran and Allah’s prescriptions. The Muslims should also evaluate every cultural traits, beliefs and practices basing on the divine guidance outlined in the Quran and Sunnah, which will play an important role in increasing their ability to handle the increasing pressures of cultural globalization on the entire Islamic cultural values and redirect it towards appropriate direction. With these in practice, cultural g lobalization can have positive impacts through influencing universal unity of the human race, in combination with a cultural exchange that is healthy and prosperous. However, the Muslims must clearly and rationally evaluate the cultural aspects that are being embraced at the global arena. Cultural globalization is an inevitable force in the present times, and this has played a significant role in integrating all the aspects of human life such as behavioral patterns, governance, lifestyle and social relations (Tarabichi 270). As a result, this is a perfect opportunity for the Muslim community to propagate its Islamic cultural traits, values, beliefs and practices to a global level. Spreading the Islamic culture is in concurrence with the teachings of Islam, with the main objective of influencing the world using the various aspects of Muslim culture. It is for this reason that the Muslim community needs to adhere strictly to their cultural identity in all aspects of human life. Basica lly, Muslims need to be vigilant concerning emerging cultural trends that are bound to have a negative effect on the Islamic religious values, principles, beliefs and practices (Tarabichi 280). Presently, the Muslim community comprises of different sects and groupings, which are mostly due to selfish reasons and personal interests. This means that the larger Muslim community should attempt at establishing a supreme Ummatic cultural identity and focus on brotherhood with the principal objective undertaking the task as ‘Khalifah’ during the human life on earth. Their main duty is to achieve the pleasure of Allah by use of commitment and dedication, which are one of the core Islamic principles. As a result, all elements that attempt to enhance individualism among the members of the Muslim community should be eliminated at all costs. Media is one of the principle facilitators of culture transmission across the globe; basing on this, the Muslim community is required to have many media houses that are dominant and influential within the global context in order to facilitate competition with the dominant world cultures such as the western culture. For instance, Iran has undertaken initiatives to develop movies that have portray the values, beliefs and practices of the Islamic religion. A development of a strong and influential media is one of the most effective initiatives that the Muslim can use to influence the global culture and spread its values, beliefs and practices to the global level (Tarabichi 254). The development of a strong moral trait by the members of the Muslim community helps in protecting them from the influences of the immoral cultural traits. Morality and value-based Islamic culture that integrates with all the aspects of life is integral in ensuring that the Islamic values and principles are strictly followed by the Muslim community, since it will help in the rejection of other cultures that serve to undermine the Islamic values and b eliefs during this era of globalization (Mazrui 258). The family set up is an important element of the Islamic cultural identity that should be relied on fostering positive moral values and teachings of Islam. In addition, it is a potential method that can be used for enhancing social bonding, which is important in upholding the Islamic values. In the context of Islamic discourse, the family is perceived as a unique institution that can be used for transmitting the Islamic social values, principles, beliefs and practices, language and influencing individual patterns of behavior. The significant limitation witnessed in the present Muslim world is that increasing tendency of the family set up to be broken down in many of the Muslim nations, which has negative influences on the young generation of the Muslim community. The basic argument is that members of the Muslim community have the responsibility of strengthening the ties within the family set up in order to enhance the Islamic cul tural identity (Mazrui 287). Proper dressing codes for both the Muslim males and females are required and should be followed strictly among the Muslim community. In essence, clothing is not supposed to be closely fitting in order to eliminate the potent of unwanted attention because of the revealing of the body curves. The marriage institutions are also regulated in accordance to the values and principles of Islamic culture, and the instances associated with the breaking of the family set up and weakening of the family ties should be eliminated at all costs. This means that the purity of marriage requires adequate protection. This entails prohibition of same sex marriages and controlling the aspect of sexual liberalization. It is also important that Muslim women should not be limited only to the family life because they need to benefit from the aspect of freedom of choice and work in accordance to the limitations imposed by the Shari’ah law by upholding decency and humility ( Mazrui 258). Muslim reactions to the onset of globalization There are diverse reactions of the Muslim society towards globalization; with a general consensus being that the Muslims reactions towards globalization is defensive, with the principal reason for this rejection being the penetration of the western culture into the Islamic cultural values, institutions and customs. This means that globalization is perceived as a form of surrendering to a dominant standpoint that lacks authenticity as expected in Islamic beliefs and practices (Tarabichi 257). Islam is a religion that functions under its own set of laws that are vital in shaping the way of life of the Muslim community. The rejection towards globalization by the Islamic religion based on the viewpoint that most of the elements of the concept of globalization are not concurring with the Islamic law, resulting to an Islamic community that is constantly defensive towards the perceived influences that globalization, or rather west ernization is likely to have on the Muslim beliefs and practices. Conclusion This paper analyzed the impacts associated with cultural globalization in the context of Muslim world. The analysis identified two potential influences of cultural globalization, with the first perspective being that cultural globalization has positive impacts because it helps in the development of cultural exchange and integration that is health. The second standpoint identified is that cultural globalization has negative influences on the Islamic cultural values, beliefs and practices, because they are constantly degrading the religious values of Islam (Tarabichi 236). This paper stands for the latter viewpoint that cultural globalization is detrimental to the Islamic values, beliefs and principles. It is evident that cultural globalization serves to accelerate the spread of western culture across the globe, which serves to replace the traditional Islamic cultural identity, values, beliefs and practices w ith a post modern culture that undermine the Islamic way of life (Mazrui 258). In addition, the western culture brings secular values into the Islamic culture, resulting to a diluted Islamic culture that is different from the authentic Islam culture that is value-based. The aspect of western culture hegemony in the Muslim world has been driven by media, which are based on the secular values and principles of the west. The basic argument is that the core beliefs, principles, values and practices of the Islamic cultural is being conceded into the western culture, meaning that there is an increasing need for the Muslim community to revitalize the cultural identity of Islam. Therefore, globalization is a challenge towards the Islamic core beliefs and practices that are determined by the Islamic cultural identity. This is because globalization has accelerated the aspect of western homogeny in the Muslim world. As a result, it can be perceived as a threat to the Islamic values and princip les. Despite this potential threat, it is arguably evident that globalization cannot be avoided; as a result, the Muslim community can grab the opportunity presented by globalization to spread the Islamic beliefs, practices and cultural identity at the global level. Mazrui, Ali. Globalization from the Islamic perspective. London: Westminister university, 2000. Print. Tarabichi, George. From Araba renaissance to apostacy: Arab Culture and its discontents in the age of globalization. Beirut: Saqi Books, 2000. Print.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Genocide Of Indigineous Australia

Assimilation and Genocide of Indigenous Australia â€Å"Anyone who closes his eyes to the past is blind to the present. Whoever refuses to remember the inhumanity is prone to risks of re-infection.† Richard Von Weiszaecker, former President of the Federal Republic of Germany Very few people use the word genocide when discussing the strife the Australian indigenous people endured. Almost all historians of the Aboriginal experience, black and white, avoid it. Typically, they write about pacifying, killing, cleansing, excluding, exterminating, starving, poisoning, shooting, beheading, sterilizing, exiling, but they avoid genocide. Could it be that most understand genocide on one level only? For many, and especially Australians, genocide is something of the Germans, Cambodians and Hutus, not the Australians. As for the rest of the world, the experience of the indigenous people of Australia is not as familiar as the images of Auschwitz or the Killing Fields of Cambodia. Clearly, there is no Australian Dachau. In this paper, I will examine the experience of the indigenous people of Australia and the lack of action on behalf of the Australian government. I will also investigate the extent to which the policies and practices of the colonial Australian governmen t in the period 1838 to 1911 can be classified as ‘genocide’, using the United Nations Genocide Convention of 1948 (which Australia ratified in 1951) as a guideline, as well as comparing the indigenous Australian experience under British State control with that of the Jews under Nazi rule during the Holocaust. As Australian federal law stands to this date, it is not illegal to commit domestic genocide in Australia. Although the Australian government signed the international United Nations Genocide Convention Bill in 1948, and ratified it in 1951, since then none of its provisions have been implemented into federal law. What is genocide? Firstly one must understand exact... Free Essays on Genocide Of Indigineous Australia Free Essays on Genocide Of Indigineous Australia Assimilation and Genocide of Indigenous Australia â€Å"Anyone who closes his eyes to the past is blind to the present. Whoever refuses to remember the inhumanity is prone to risks of re-infection.† Richard Von Weiszaecker, former President of the Federal Republic of Germany Very few people use the word genocide when discussing the strife the Australian indigenous people endured. Almost all historians of the Aboriginal experience, black and white, avoid it. Typically, they write about pacifying, killing, cleansing, excluding, exterminating, starving, poisoning, shooting, beheading, sterilizing, exiling, but they avoid genocide. Could it be that most understand genocide on one level only? For many, and especially Australians, genocide is something of the Germans, Cambodians and Hutus, not the Australians. As for the rest of the world, the experience of the indigenous people of Australia is not as familiar as the images of Auschwitz or the Killing Fields of Cambodia. Clearly, there is no Australian Dachau. In this paper, I will examine the experience of the indigenous people of Australia and the lack of action on behalf of the Australian government. I will also investigate the extent to which the policies and practices of the colonial Australian governmen t in the period 1838 to 1911 can be classified as ‘genocide’, using the United Nations Genocide Convention of 1948 (which Australia ratified in 1951) as a guideline, as well as comparing the indigenous Australian experience under British State control with that of the Jews under Nazi rule during the Holocaust. As Australian federal law stands to this date, it is not illegal to commit domestic genocide in Australia. Although the Australian government signed the international United Nations Genocide Convention Bill in 1948, and ratified it in 1951, since then none of its provisions have been implemented into federal law. What is genocide? Firstly one must understand exact...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Harold and the Purple Crayon Lesson Plan

'Harold and the Purple Crayon Lesson Plan Grade: Approximately Fourth Grade Subject: Language Arts Lesson Title: Harold and the Purple Crayon Lesson Plan Materials and Resources Needed: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett JohnsonPurple crayonLarge sheets of paper Reading Strategies Used: Sketch-to-StretchVisualizingRetelling Overview and Purpose: Students will use the reading strategy Sketch-to-Stretch to develop concepts, summarize information heard and retell the story through drawing.The purpose of this activity is to gain listening comprehension skills. Educational Standards: Students will read, write, listen and speak for literary response and expression.Students will read, write, listen and speak for critical analysis and evaluation. Objectives and Goals: Present personal responses to literature that make reference to characters, plot, and theme.Create a story using elements in literature.To motivate children to ask them if they like to draw.Then ask, when you listen to a story how many of you close your eyes and picture what is happening? Then have them close their eyes and try and picture a horse next to a barn. Once they open their eyes ask them what they saw, what color was the horse? What color was the barn?Go around the room and show the children how each person imagined something different.Tell the children that they will be using their imagination when you read a story to them.Introduce the book, Harold and Purple Crayon by, Crockett Johnson.Tell the students that will have to listen carefully to the story that is going to be read because they will be drawing what they hear.Tell the students they will be using their ears to listen and their hands to draw what the character Harold is drawing in the story.Ask the students what t ypes of things do they think they will be drawing? Ask students, do you think everyone will have the same drawing as everyone else? Why? Why not?Arrange for students to find a spot on the floor where they will have a lot of room to draw.Ask students where they should start drawing on their paper once the book begins. What part of the paper, where you draw next when you come to the end of the paper, etc.Retell the name of the book and begin reading.Stop a few times at the beginning of the book and ask what they are drawing. ( He put a frightened dragon under the tree to guard the apples. Ask the students, what are you going to draw now?) Do this so they understand what they should be doing.To end the lesson, have the students place their drawings at their desks and then have them walk around the room to view everyones pictures.Share and compare their drawings.Have students come up and retell the story through their drawing.Ask questions to compare such as, What did Brady draw in this picture that Hudson left out?Have the students obse rve how each child has their own perception of what happened in the story. Assess quality texts using accuracy, objectivity, and understanding of the book. Independent Activity: For homework have each student draw a picture of their favorite part of the story using only their memory. Verification and Assessment:You can verify your objectives by looking at the drawings from class and their homework assignment.Students also: Compared drawings with one anotherOrally shared their opinion when retelling the story through the drawingDrew a picture of what they thought happened in the book by using elements in the story

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Advertising Campaign of McDonalds Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Advertising Campaign of McDonalds - Case Study Example and social issues.First of all, there was a rapid upsurge of public interest to the healthy lifestyle,and together with this tendency there was one more - McDonald's was gradually becoming a symbol of unhealthy eating that causes problems with health and obesity.At the end of the XXth century, Atkin's Diet gained a great amount of adherents,and it also affected the reputation of the fast-food giant, as people were becoming increasingly more concerned as for the volume of fat and carbohydrates,and in number of calories in their everyday meals, and surely, Big Macs, hamburgers,soft drinks with lots of sugar and French fries proved to be 'champions' as far as the content of 'bad' calories was concerned.Though the companies that were competing with McDonald's could not boast to serve healthier food, yet because McDonald's was the most popular chain of fast food restaurants,it played a trick on the company making it a 'collective' symbol embodying all the negative sides of eating junk. It cannot be overlooked that with the world's businesses becoming global and the emergence of various anti-global movements that blame multinational corporations for exploiting people and affecting the economy of the developing countries, McDonald's has also become a symbol of 'the world's corporate evil' that attempts to 'catch' the entire planet into its 'vicious net'. In 2002, the American president G.W. Bush started an anti-obesity campaign that included propagating healthy food among schoolchildren and their parents, and in the course of this campaign the direct connection between eating junk food and obesity was being pinpointed. As a result, there was a significant decrease in the number of McDonald's customers, and many of its restaurants were closed. It was also stressed that there had been a decrease in the number of young people visiting McDonald's, and as soon as the company's analysts noticed that the ratio of teenagers and young people among their customers was decreasing, 'I'm lovin' it' advertising campaign was launched. Taking into account all the above said, this new advertising campaign was meant to enhance the image of McDonald's so that to deal with the crisis the company found itself in. In contrast to the 2001-2002 campaign that targeted mainly children and family audiences ('Happy Meal', Ronald McDonald, playgrounds for children, toys, balloons, birthday parties etc.), the new global task for McDonald's was to attract young people and teenagers. McDonald's advertising campaign whose slogan has become 'I'm lovin' it' was launched in 2003, and proved to be a significant breakthrough as far as the company's branding is concerned. This slogan

Evaluate the effectiveness, or ineffectiveness, of both the Compromise Essay

Evaluate the effectiveness, or ineffectiveness, of both the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act - Essay Example Third was the Fugitive Slave provision that put all runaway slave cases under the federal control, which obviously favorable to the slave owners. Lastly it abolished the Slave Trading in Columbia which took effect on January 01, 1851. Although it brought peace and orders to some slave territories, many anti-slaves people were not in favor of the provisions that incorporated in the Compromise Act. (Bauholz, 2011). Historically, the passage of Compromise bill in 1850 had somewhat able to trim down the tensions of the four-year on going issues over slavery that divided the United States before. The bill had some specific provisions. In general, the Compromise 1850 played a very important role in delaying the American Civil War for one decade. During that time, the US Northwest part was started to boom, as well as its economy had begun to grow and develop so as its population. Eventually, it had also started to set up a good relationship to the Northeast settlers. On the other hand, the southern states had still unable to develop their economy, because of people’s lack of ability in industrialization, and the entire population was greatly dependent of slave labor and crop production. Despite the best effort made by lawmakers, slavery still remained the most controversial conflicts in the United States. The â€Å"Uncle Tom’s Cabin,† a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe ev en heightened the problems between pro-slave and anti-slavery territories. Until such time that the federal government finally decided to dissolve the Compromise Act. (â€Å"Compromise of 1850,† n. d.) On the other hand, the Kansas-Nebraska Act drafted by Senator Stephen A. Douglas, passed by the U.S. Congress in May 1954, which gave people prerogative to decide whether they want to continue the slavery system in the territories or not, and it was by the â€Å"popular sovereignty† or commonly known as the

Friday, October 18, 2019

American Family Culture Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Family Culture - Term Paper Example There are a multitude of family forms and family types in America today and family is a social unit in a constant state of evolution. We will explore the different family configurations found in the United States today and will pepper our analysis with comparisons of American family forms to modern Mexican families, the other half of our analysis. The ‘traditional’ American family is a heterosexual, nuclear family headed by two parents in which the husband is the primary breadwinner and the wife is the homemaker. On the far left side of the continuum of change, the traditional nuclear family model is widespread across the globe and represents a traditional gendered division of labour, both within the house as well as outside of the home. Mexico families generally also meet the requirements for what can be described as a traditional family which traditional gender expectations and values. In the Western world, the traditional model is becoming less and less viable as many families require the incomes of both parents. Women’s increased education and employment prospects have made the transition from the traditional model to the modern familial model more and more prevalent in modern Western society (Bossen 128-133; Roopnarine & Gielen 32-34). As with the traditional family, the ‘modern American family’ is nuclear in the sense that it involves the cohabitation of two heterosexual partners but differs in that it involves dual earners as both the man and the woman work outside of the home to earn money. While both husband and wife work outside of the home in paid labor, it is important to note that the gendered division of labour within the home of the modern family has not necessarily changed. Women, within the modern family, still bear the brunt of housekeeping, child rearing and basic familial chores. This form of family life is found throughout the United States and has evolved in response to women’s

Interview Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Interview Paper - Essay Example Knowing about his theories, an expectant mother has some educated knowledge about how she should deal with her child if there are certain practices that she wants to develop or otherwise, in the child. Other concepts on human development such as Piaget’s physical growth and development as well as Lev Vygotsky’s â€Å"Zone of Proximal Development† will be put in juxtaposition with the experiences and observations of a caregiver. Mercedes Montes is a caregiver to three year old Alfred. She has been looking after the child every weekday for more than nine months now. The caregiver says that she loves her job because she enjoys being with the child. She considers the joys and thrills she feels being a part of the growing process of Alfred the best part of her job. Even though she is not related with the child, she thinks she is a big part of whatever the child will become in the future. She does not only act as a caregiver to the child but as a teacher as well. She says her employer is making sure that the child gets the instructions she is not able to provide while she is away from her child, working at a bank that is why she hired Montes who recently graduated her BS in Education. The job does not only provide financial support for the woman but experience also which she says is valuable. Montes says that together with the joys and enjoyment she gets from her job, there are also difficulties. For instance, when the child gets sick, she seems to become the culprit for reasons such as forsaking the child’s needs. She says that it is emotionally cracking to think that she has done everything to do her responsibilities well but in the end, when something bad happens to the child, she becomes the first to be blamed. In addition, when the child is well and healthy, she says that she often ends her day very tired because the child is very active. Alfred seems to have all the energy to run around and climb and as a caregiver, she

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Business Planning and Feasibility Assessment Essay

Business Planning and Feasibility Assessment - Essay Example The primary target market of the clothing store will be the tourists of Dammam city. As Dammam is a prime tourist spot and many tourists from across the world come to Dammam to visit or for business purposes, thus it will prove to be a large customer base for clothing store.The secondary target customers will be the residents of Dammam. The population in Dammam city is growing rapidly and the people tend to follow the western culture and fashion. Therefore, soon there will be much demand for fashionable clothes in Dammam city. As there is limited number of clothing store in Dammam, it will be easy to attract large number of customers. In the first operating year, it is estimated that the growth of clothing store will be moderate and cash in hand/bank will be positive. The clothing store will not sell on credit rather it will accept cash and all kinds of cheques and credit cards. The initial investment will be 150000000 SR (Saudi Riyal). The cost of land and building is estimated as 9 0000000 SR and Machinery will be bought about 30000000 SR. The estimated cost of Furniture is 15000000 SR. Depreciation will be charged on machinery and furniture to 8% and 2% per annum. In the first operating year it is estimated that the forecasted sales is 30000000 SR. The Gross Margin is accounted as 30% of the total sales. The cost of insurance is estimated as 9% of total gross margin and the selling & distribution expenses are calculated as 70000 SR (estimated figure). According to Saudi Arabia’s tax rate the income tax is charged as 20% on revenue. Fig: 1 Shows Estimated Income Statement of the Clothing Store Income Income (SR) Expenditure (SR) Sales 30000000 Gross Margin (30% of Sales) 9000000 Expenditure Payroll (9 ? 10000 ? 12) 1080000 Insurance (9% of Gross Margin) 810000 Depreciation on Machinery (8%) 2400000 Depreciation on Furniture (2%) 300000 Selling & Distribution Expenses 70000 Profit Before Tax 4640000 Income tax (20%) 928000 Profit After Tax/Net Profit 371 2000 Fig: 2 Shows Estimated Financial Statement of One Year of the Clothing Store Liabilities Asset Capital Investment 150000000 Land & Building

The Film Gods not Dead Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Film Gods not Dead - Essay Example Josh Wheaton, a Christian in college, enrolls for a class of philosophy taught by an atheist Professor, Jeffrey Radisson. The Professor begins his class by listing famous philosophers to show their similarity in belief that God does not exist. In this class, for a student to get the required pass grade, he has to declare through signature that God is dead. This rule is stated by the atheist professor. All the students apart from one, Josh Wheaton, sing the declaration. At this point, josh is at crossroads and has two options to chose from: he should either deny his faith, or chose to fail in this class. It is important that Josh excels in this class if he is to get the entry points to law school. The professor does not just let Josh go. Instead he welcomes him to debate the topic in the presence of the class members who should decide who the winner of the debate is. His arguments should be well researched and he should present them in an intellectual manner. The students go through the first three lectures where the professor invites Josh to convince the class and him that God exists. For the first two debates, Josh does not seem to get any progress as Jeffery counters all his arguments with sensible points of argument. At this point, most of the students including Josh’ girlfriend Kara try to convince him to either follow Jeffrey’s rules or drop out of the class, after all he does not seem to win the argument.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Business Planning and Feasibility Assessment Essay

Business Planning and Feasibility Assessment - Essay Example The primary target market of the clothing store will be the tourists of Dammam city. As Dammam is a prime tourist spot and many tourists from across the world come to Dammam to visit or for business purposes, thus it will prove to be a large customer base for clothing store.The secondary target customers will be the residents of Dammam. The population in Dammam city is growing rapidly and the people tend to follow the western culture and fashion. Therefore, soon there will be much demand for fashionable clothes in Dammam city. As there is limited number of clothing store in Dammam, it will be easy to attract large number of customers. In the first operating year, it is estimated that the growth of clothing store will be moderate and cash in hand/bank will be positive. The clothing store will not sell on credit rather it will accept cash and all kinds of cheques and credit cards. The initial investment will be 150000000 SR (Saudi Riyal). The cost of land and building is estimated as 9 0000000 SR and Machinery will be bought about 30000000 SR. The estimated cost of Furniture is 15000000 SR. Depreciation will be charged on machinery and furniture to 8% and 2% per annum. In the first operating year it is estimated that the forecasted sales is 30000000 SR. The Gross Margin is accounted as 30% of the total sales. The cost of insurance is estimated as 9% of total gross margin and the selling & distribution expenses are calculated as 70000 SR (estimated figure). According to Saudi Arabia’s tax rate the income tax is charged as 20% on revenue. Fig: 1 Shows Estimated Income Statement of the Clothing Store Income Income (SR) Expenditure (SR) Sales 30000000 Gross Margin (30% of Sales) 9000000 Expenditure Payroll (9 ? 10000 ? 12) 1080000 Insurance (9% of Gross Margin) 810000 Depreciation on Machinery (8%) 2400000 Depreciation on Furniture (2%) 300000 Selling & Distribution Expenses 70000 Profit Before Tax 4640000 Income tax (20%) 928000 Profit After Tax/Net Profit 371 2000 Fig: 2 Shows Estimated Financial Statement of One Year of the Clothing Store Liabilities Asset Capital Investment 150000000 Land & Building