Feminism is for Everybody Essay Example for Free

Feminism is for Everybody Essay Feminism is a social, cultural, moral and political advocacy encompassed on gender issues such as inequality. In this regard there are several writings that concerns the principles of feminism. The contents of literary works about feminism vary, some writers intend to advocate for the very cause of feminism blindingly, some authors, conversely, intend to provide information about feminism in a non-political or non-equalitarian manner. One such notable content can be found in Bell Hooks publication, Feminism is for Everybody. Hooks book gives the reader a whole different perspective on the radical feminist theory. The primary intention of her book is to bring the feminist point-of-view to non-believers, apathetics and unfamiliar. Hooks also counters the popular notion regarding feminism as she feels that these notions should be given proper attention and correction. In this manner, the common misconception on the ideas of feminism will be clear to society. In the book, Feminism is for everybody, the author rejects the usual beliefs connected to feminism and considers such belief as nothing more than a myth. Hooks puts the arguments and advocacies of feminism in a summarized manner in order to provide a simpler context to readers as well as well as a new concept of what feminism should be. Hooks new concept of feminism suggests a fight against stiff sexism in a benevolent society, thereby ultimately advocating for an inclusive movement. In Feminism is for Everybody, Hooks traces the roots of the feminist movement and gives detail on what it has achieved so far. an advocacy minus the associations of anti-sexism (Hooks, 2000). The historical background of feminism is given in order to put emphasis on the misconstrusion that happened along the way and to give way to the new concept of the movement. Hooks raises the question is feminist a philosophical belief or a political cause, given that the author tackles the arguments of the radical feminists. The debate whether feminism is a philosophical belief or a political cause can also be caused by one of the books chapters tackling gender oppression. The basis may be seen on the idea typecasting male as the enemy, the categorization of man as the oppressor and woman is the oppressed is the primary reason behind feminisms second wave, however, Hooks also does not take away the fact that females are also responsible for such opression given that it took time for the supposed oppresed to spearhead for change (Hooks, 2007). Hooks furthers this by giving the past mistakes of feminism and the misleading beliefs that feminists associated themselves with. This is on the account that most feminists focus on the problem and not on the solution. In a personal account, I am taken to a different world as far as feminism is concerned, primarily because Bell Hooks gives a different appraoch in discussing the cause of feminism. It is also notable that the author diminished the complexities of the feminist thought but still detailed enough to get me educated. The book caused me to reconsider my prior beliefs regarding the arguments presented by feminists. The non-traditional manner of Hooks presentation eliminated my angst towards feminists and made me realize that it is time for change, Hooks compelled me to believe that it is time to dispose of the misleading conventional feminist beliefs of the past and focus on the current issues, moreover, Hooks made me believe that feminism is indeed for everybody. References Hooks, B. (2000). Feminism is for Everybody. Cambridge: South End Press.

The History Of Revenge English Literature Essay

The History Of Revenge English Literature Essay William Shakespeares masterpiece, Hamlet, is the story about the Prince of Denmarks struggle for revenge against his murderous uncle, who is now the new King of Denmark. Hamlet is completely blind with revenge and has even been considered mad. Hamlets fall into insanity is a result of many different, tragic reasons. Throughout the entire play Hamlet seems to keep to himself, with a lack of any true companionship. Almost everyone seems to be against him throughout the play. They distrust Hamlet, and he doesnt fully trust anyone; which will ultimately lead to his downfall. Hamlet has a tragic flaw that may lead him to disaster. Hamlet has a tendency to over think everything he does. With every thought and process he goes through he must have a reason of doing it the way he does. If not done to his liking, he will not attempt the task. Hamlet is portrayed as intelligent. This is shown through Hamlets use of his obviously superior mind and knowledge to deceive most everyone in the kingdo m. He is clearly more intelligent than any other character in the play and to us; but his intelligence does get him into a great deal of trouble though. He is always out to prove himself. He cannot take anyones word for granted. Hamlet is meant to seem more psychotic and delusional the further into the play we get. Shakespeare meant for this. Without seeming crazy, Hamlet wouldnt have the opportunity of revenging his fathers death. Hamlets madness is the very means for his revenge. Hamlet seems to be an outsider throughout the play. The first time that this is seen is through Hamlets uncertainty and even disgust of his uncle and mothers wedding. In Shakespeares time it was considered acceptable, even though they were not blood relatives. Hamlet shows his dislike by saying A little more than kin, and less than kind (I, ii). This shows that he has an early dislike to his uncle, which will later help Hamlet with achieving his revenge. The next time that this distance from others is seen in Hamlet is when Ophelia is talking with Laertes and later Polonius. They both tell her that Hamlet and her cannot and will not be together, it is not possible because of the difference in class. This is confirmed when Laertes tells her, Perhaps he loves you nowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ but you must fear, His greatness weighted, his will is not his ownà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (I, iii). He tells her not to trust Hamlets false love, for he is a subject of the kingdom, and must marry royalty and do wha t the state requests of him. Polonius furthers this claim by adding Ay, springes to catch woodcocksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ You must not take for fire, (I, iii). In this he basically tells her that she is senseless, and should not believe Hamlets words or his vows. By the end of the speech he even tells her to stay away from Hamlet, basically so she will not look unwise, therefore he will not look like the fool. Hamlets trust further decreases when he encounters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, whom were sent to him by the King. He knows that these friends are acting under the kings will, and gets them to spill the beans. The conversation that starts Beggar that I am, I am even poor in thank, and ends My lord we were sent for, (II, ii, 283 306) shows the suspicion building even more. Hamlet now knows that he cannot trust these men anymore both because they lied to him, and were sent by the man Hamlet despises, as spies. The same event happened to Ophelia as well. She was sent by Polonius, the King and the Queen so that they could prove Hamlets madness is for the love of Ophelia. Hamlet senses this, and loses all trust in Ophelia as he has done with many others. Throughout the conversation that goes Ha, ha. Are you honest? Are you fair? (III, i) Hamlet discovers the kings plot and acts as if he were crazy, and not in love with Ophelia. He is acting in this scene because later in act five he admits to caring for Ophelia. I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love, make up my sum, (V, i). There are only two people that trust Hamlet; they would be the Queen and Horatio. Horatio is Hamlets only true companion. He knows of the betrayal the king committed against Hamlets father, and has not caused any trouble for Hamlet. Gertrude is the only other person whom trusts Hamlet; however her trust is questionable. Hamlet kills Polonius, and then gets into an argument with his mother. From here he asks her to tell Claudius that he is in fact cr azy. I am essentially not in madness, but mad in craft (III, iv,). Hamlet is telling her that he is in fact not insane, but doing what he is doing for a purpose. All of these examples are proof that it is a false madness that Hamlet has fallen into. He is using this madness to get closer to what he wants, his revenge. Hamlet has yet another problem throughout the play that both prevents and helps Hamlet in obtain his goal; which is, he over thinks everything. Hamlets obsession with perfecting everything to what he wants is a good and a bad thing for him. The first example of Hamlets over thinking would be after he talks with the ghost of his father. Hamlets father tells him that Claudius is not only the cause of his death, but the one who murdered him. The passage that starts Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beastà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (I, v, 42 91) that Claudius kills him. Hamlet, however, has to prove this for himself before he can takes any action. He over thinks the death of his father, even though he already believes it to be true. This is also proof that the ghost is real because others have seen it, so Hamlet is not crazy. Hamlet is again seen over thinking his situation when he goes to Claudiuss closet to get his revenge. Hamlet says O, this is hire and salary, not revenge, (III, iii) when he finds Claudius is praying. Hamlet over thinks it because he does not believe that killing Claudius is revenge enough, he must do it after Clau dius has committed a sin, so that his soul cannot find its way into heaven. Another instance of Hamlet over thinking occurs during a soliloquy O, what a rogue and pleasant slave am I (II, ii). In this soliloquy he questions himself over and over again. Am I a coward? (II, ii, 606) Hamlet is basically putting himself down, saying that he disliking his weakness, and even calls himself a whore to words, for he cannot act. The whole soliloquy is Hamlet doubting that he can actually get revenge. Over thinking and never doing could be a cause for Hamlet to look insane, he is all talk with no action. Hamlet is so obsessed with his revenge; it may look like a crazed madness. However, the madness is part of the plot that he has developed for revenge. This is probably the most intelligent way to go about plotting revenge, for no one takes a crazy man seriously. Hamlet is the most intelligent individual in the play, and uses this to his advantage as much as possible. Hamlet is witty, and this is first seen when Claudius asks why he is in mourning still, in which Hamlet replies I am too much in the sun, (I, ii). It is seen later in the play when he hides the body of Polonius and is asked where the body is buried in which Hamlet replies At supper, not where he eats, but where he is eaten, (IV, iii). This shows that he is witty and likes to mess with other people in the play. Hamlet also shows his superior intelligence in other ways. When he is speaking with Polonius Hamlet insults him you are a fishmonger, (II, ii). Later in this exchange of words, words, words, (II, ii) Hamlet continually insults the old man but Polonius takes these insults as a sign of insanity. Hamlet uses his intelligence to catch and make fun of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern for their ignorance. You were sent for; and there is a kind of confession in your looks which your modesties have not craft enough to color. I know the good king and queen have sent for you (II, ii). With this quote he is outright telling them that they are idiots, and that he knows why they are with him. The insult however just flies over their heads. One event that supports Hamlets intelligence would be the idea Hamlet has of getting the players to reenact his fathers death. This not only will prove to Hamlet that Claudius killed his father, but it will also get back at his mother and uncle. The play makes his uncle scared because he knows the Hamlet knows the trust and his mother very upset. At the end of the play when all the others leave Hamlet goes on to plan even more. He believes that his mother knows of Claudiuss betrayal and will try to force it out of her. I will speak daggers to her, but use noneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ how my words soever she be shent, to give them seals never, my soul, consent! (III, ii). He says he will cause her pain, but only with words, so that she may t ell what she knows. Hamlet uses his intelligence to mask his plans, and everything he is meaning to do. He has to be smart, or else he would have already been caught, and taken away. Hamlets intelligence is the key to his plan. It is the whole idea of looking mad, but actually being of a sound mind that gets Hamlet to where he needs to be. If Hamlet was not the smartest person in the play, or of any less intelligent than he was, he probably would have been killed many times before. He caught the tricks of the king, knew of the spying and overcame all of these obstacles to get what he wanted. Hamlet is the most human like character Shakespeare created, and he has very human like characteristics such as the use of intelligence. This is seen in everyday life. For example, people lie, and people catch those lies, such as a child lying to his mother so he will not get into trouble. This is essentially what Hamlet is doing; he catches the lies of Ophelia, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and the King. Hamlets consciousness of the world in his time and the over thinking of just about everything was both a plus and a minus to Hamlet. If it werent for the over thinking he may ha ve had his revenge much sooner, but in a way he did not see fit for his murderous uncle. This over thinking does get his deed done in the fashion Hamlet wants, but it does cause other fatalities, including him own. People over think things every day and over thinking usually lead to problems. One example of this would be like skydiving. You want to do it, but once you get to the door of the plane, you go through all the bad and scary situations of jumping that may cause you to coward out. This usually makes it much harder to force yourself to jump. Hamlet does a bit of this, even called himself a coward, but this mockery to himself is what drives him to want revenge even more. Distrust is common theme in the play, and it plays a major role throughout Hamlet. It seems that no one really trusts each other. Hamlet has little trust in anyone, which could make it easier to follow through with his revenge. He doesnt really trust anyone, and no one really trusts him, so there is nothing to lose. This is seen in life with friends. If you know or trust someone, you try harder not to hurt their feelings. If you dont know them then hurting their feelings is not quite as important since you do not have a strong bond with that person. Hamlet uses these advantages he has to create a mad persona of himself, which is believable, to gain his revenge.

Company Profile of Sainsbury

Company Profile of Sainsbury SAINSBURY is one of the leading food retailers in UK. It is a public limited company and is registered with LSE and FTSE 100. The company is the oldest food chain retailers in UK being established in 1869 by J.J Sainsbury. At present the company owns around 800 stores including supermarkets and convenience stores. The company is the third largest food-retailer in UK and has a share of around 16.3 percent of the total market. The company after leading the UK food retail market for decades faced a downfall during the 1990s. At present, the company is trying to retrieve its position in the UK market and expand its global market share. In this report, an attempt has been made to analyse the different business strategies used by the company at different times and to compare its strategies to that of its competitors in order to assess the effectiveness. The first section of this report deals with the company profile of Sainsburys and a recap of its early establishment. This will help in understanding the activities of the business and the business strategies adapted by it. The second section analyses the different strategies adapted by the company. The third section deals with the competitors of Sainsburys i.e. Tesco and Asda and a short analysis of the strategies adapted by them. And finally, the report has been concluded in line with the different activities carried on by Sainsburys and the strategies that should be followed by it in order to be more competitive. REPORT ON BUSINESS ANALYISIS In this report, an analysis of the business strategy of an organisation is required to be carried out. Business strategy refers to the various activities carried out by an organisation at different stages of its growth and expansion plan. (Tayeb, M. 2000) All the stages of a business growth commencing from the start up involves some type of business strategies. A business strategy can be defined as a long term plan designed to attain a specific organisational goal. The strategy acts as a guide for the business to reach its target. A successful business strategy will design and plan all the activities to be or required to be carried out in order to reach the organisational goal successfully. (Source: Rapid Business Intelligence Success; http://www.rapid-business-intelligence-success.com/definition-of-business-strategy.html, Accessed on 23.05.2010; 16:15hrs). Therefore, from the above discussion on business strategy it can be concluded that a business strategy plans the growth of a business and describes the pathway for attaining it. Business strategy involves analysis of various factors involved with the organisation (i.e. external and internal organisational environment, market size, organisational structure, economy of the market, local and regional economy, target customer, income of the local people, customer preference, socio-cultural issues etc.). All these factors help in forming a business strategy suitable for an organisational. A business organisation aiming at growth, expansion and value creation is an outcome of the vision of an entrepreneur. Once the entrepreneur locates the opportunity in a society, he/she tries to implement some innovative ideas in order to exploit that opportunity and gain profit. The process relating to the implementation of the innovative idea and bringing the opportunity into reality is termed as business. (Kuratko, 2009) A business plan is required in order to bring the business into reality. Similarly, a business strategy is required for attaining the business goal. The strategy gets involved from the beginning of a business i.e. early start-up. But the strategy involved in the different stages of organisational growth will be distinct from the other. The following diagram will help us in further understanding the different business strategies involved in different stages of organisational growth. (Adapted from: HIT; Business, organisation and information architecture; http://www.hit.nl/Product_BusinessStrategy.asp) In this report, I am going to analyse the various business strategies of Sainsburys and have made an attempt to compare those strategies with that of Tesco and Asda, the two famous competitors of Sainsburys. I have chosen Sainsburys, Tesco and Asda for this report. An attempt has been made to analyse and compare the different strategies adapted by these companies. All the organisations dealt with in this report are multinationals based in UK and are continuously growing. Moreover, Sainsbury has been selected because of its diversified ownership structure, different strategies adapted by it in the recent days which have helped it to gain its market share and increase its profitability besides being a sluggish growth in the economy and the main reason being its history. COMPANY PROFILE: SAINSBURYS is a public limited company registered in the London Stock Exchange and FTSE 100. It is one of the leading UK food retailers and had been part of the financial and property sector. The retail food chain is the main business accounting for the major turnover of the company. Sainsburys group employs more than 145,000 people and therefore, is one of the major players of the economy. Sainsburys its known for its quality and service besides its price. Sainsburys success can be traced back in 1869 when the company was founded by J. J Sainsbury. It started with the aim of providing its customers the ‘best butter in the world at an affordable price. Sainsburys started with the fresh foods and later enter the market for packaged food products. It mainly focused on the dairy products, however, it was the first retail food chain to improvise, petrol stations, fresh food and poultry counter in their retail stores. Since inception, Sainsburys tried to aim at providing best quality at low prices. At present Sainsburys retail food chain consists of more than 800 stores including supermarkets and convenience stores. It started its journey from London and is now spread all over UK with stores in Scotland, Ireland, Belfast and North east United States. Sainsburys used to be the largest grocery chain in UK till 1995 whereby, Tesco overtook the first position and Asda became the second largest chain in 2003. The company started its activities in 1869 as a business owned and operated by the Sainsbury family. It carried on its culture till 12 July, 1973, when the organisation became public. However, the major shareholding of 85% was with the family and therefore, after becoming public also, the organisation carried on its legacy and the traits of a family business. But, the company started facing some managerial issues with the new management in 1993 and since then, the family has divested their ownership. At present, Qatar Holding LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qatar Investment Authority is the major stakeholder owning around 26 percent of the companys share. (Sainsburys Corporate Website; http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=229, Accessed on: 25.05.10, 10:15hrs) Sainsburys was among the first few organisations, which hired women employees during the World War, since most of their male employees had to b there in the war front. They develop a separate and exclusive training programme for their women employees who will help them work effectively in this new environment. Though, Sainsburys has lost their position of being the market leaders but still it is one of the biggest names in UK food retail chain and moreover, in the recent years it has achieved a remarkable growth. ANALYSIS OF THE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES The business strategies as discussed before, is an inseparable part of a business and is linked with all the activities of a business organisation. The companies adapt several strategies for the start-ups, entering a new market, growth strategy, marketing strategy. COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES Sainsburys started its journey as a grocery chain aiming at producing quality goods at affordable price. The organisations aim of producing â€Å"quality goods at affordable prices† can be treated as its market entry strategy. On further analysis of this strategy, it has been noted that its market entry strategy possess the qualities of a low-pricing strategy. Low-pricing strategy is an integral part of the business-level strategy. It helps the organisation enjoy a competitive advantage over its competitors. Low-pricing strategy aims at producing quality goods but at lower prices than offered by its competitors. It is mainly followed in a competitive commodity market where the products are more or less similar. The low-pricing strategy leads to lower profit margin and therefore, it is not adapted by all the organisations. The business has to be confident about the product and service offered by it. Moreover, has to develop a cost structure which will help the business sustain in this low price strategy. Low prices and lower product quality is something normal, and thus can easily be followed by the competitors. However, producing similar quality goods at a lower price is a challenge as it requires a developed cost structure. Moreover, the cost structure has to be developed in such a way that the competitors cannot easily follow it. Therefore, the key challenge lies in structuring the cost in a manner that will help the organisation to enjoy a sustainable advantage following the low pricing strategy. In regard to this scenario, Sainsburys has developed a unique cost structure by developing close relationships with its suppliers and by irradiating the agents in between. Both these policies helped the organisation enjoy a cost advantage over their competitors. Moreover, the companys manufacturing and packaging cost are developed in a way to keep the product cost lower than its competitors. The company being the market leader also enjoyed the volume of the quantity produced and thus, enjoy the economies of scale. (Johnson, G., 2002) Low-pricing strategy adapted by Sainsburys helped the organisation to become the market leader whereas, its in-house product variants helped it to develop a wide market and attract customers from all the strata of society. The product variants are the result of the product differentiation policy adapted by the company. Sainsburys has a varied chain of in-house products. Moreover, it has also differentiated its in-house products and brands in such a way that it can reach all the segments of the market, this strategy helps Sainsburys to capture a large share of the household market. Sainsburys differentiation strategy helped it to come up with different lines of similar products. The differentiation was done on the basis of the cost and the product quality. The product differentiation was done in several stages. The company came up with a basic product line followed by superior quality products. The basic line of product is cost effective but maintains the quality. With the higher line of product the company brought in higher variants of similar by adding value to it. The higher variants not only has added value in respect of the quality of the product, but also the product packaging and marketing. For the basics, Sainsburys has adapted minimalistic packaging cost and marketing structure. The differentiation strategy is really important for an organisation aiming at growing its market share. The differentiation strategy helps the organisation to provide products and services different from those offered by its competitors in terms of quality, uniqueness and value addition. The differentiation strategy helps the organisation to increases its market share and thus enabling it to enjoy a cost advantage. Therefore, cost function can be termed as a function of product differentiation. (Johnson, G. et. al, 2002) Sainsburys product differentiation has enabled it to gain a major market share of the lower and the middle income group. It has introduced product differentiation in all the product lines offered by it, may it be, dairy products, meat and poultry products, fresh and packaged vegetables and fruits, spices, household products etc. For e.g. The oatmeals and cornflakes comes in several variants. The range of basic oatmeals and cornflakes range between 48 pence and 64 pence whereas the higher end product variants of the similar line range between 150 190 pence. The above example, helps us to understand not only the product variants and product differentiation but also that the company follows a focused differentiation strategy. In order, to aim the higher strata of the society, the company came up with products with better packaging, added quality and thus adding on to the value of the products. Moreover, the higher variants not only come up with added quality but also innovative products which them to differentiate from the similar kind of products offered by its competitors. For e.g. Sainsburys raisin-filled oatmeals, raspberry-filled oatmeals differentiate its products from the other competitors The company with its own differentiated line of products comes up with several other products offered by leading retailers and therefore, gives its customers a varied choice of products. The varied products attract customer base and thus enabling it to increase the market share. In addition, the company has incorporated several innovative ideas in its supermarket model like petrol stations, fresh bakery items, fresh meat, cooked meat and fish selling counters which makes them different from its competitors. This idea has not only differentiated them from their competitors but as helped them to act according to their value of providing healthy and quality foods. The different competitive and strategies in order to be competitive and gain the market share has enabled it form a hybrid strategy comprising of the main elements of low pricing, differentiation and focussed differentiation strategy. All these strategies merged together helped the business grow at a faster pace. LOCATIONAL STRUCTURAL STRATEGIES Since early period, Sainsburys built in the concept of departmentalisation in its stores. Its early food stores were divided into 6 departments, dairy products, ham and bacon, poultry and game, fresh meats, cooked meat and groceries. It was an unique concept at the 1900s which shows its innovative thinking from its inception. The use of mosaic floors, marbled topped counters, uniformed staffs, white tiles background not only enabled to have a comprehensive and similar looks through the stores but also shows their innovativeness and capability of thinking ahead than others.(The Sainsbury Archive; Accessed on 25.05.2010; The Design Journal 1966. Further, a companys store location plays an important role in its business. In the case of Sainsburys, it has always chosen a central position in the parade for a larger display and better connectivity to overcome the constraints relating to limited vehicles for home delivery. It was the first retail store chain to bring in home delivery service in UK. All these strategies helped the business to grow and become a pioneer in its field. The organisation also pioneered in the self service supermarket in UK between 1950s and 1960s. All these add up to the locational and structural strategies adapted by the company since its inception to be a market leader. ORGNISATIONAL STRUCTURAL STRATEGY The organisational upbringing of Sainsburys has been pretty different from that of its competitor e.g. Tesco. Unlike, Tesco, Sainsburys relied on the family mode of business. The company went public in 1973; however, the major shareholding has always been within the family till 1990s when the major shareholdings by the family were divested following a strategic downfall. Unlike Tesco, which was mostly depended on the market wealth and capital generated from the equity market for its expansion and growth, Sainsbury mainly focussed at the inner source of capital and reserves for its expansion. Following the diversification of the shareholdings in 1995, the major share holding is with QIA, a foreign investment company. The companys early strategy of not involving market equity capital has helped the organisation to maintain cohesiveness in the organisational activities and has enabled the initial growth and expansion. Employee employer relationshiphas always been an advantage for the company. The company has always given preference to the organisational and personal requirements of its employees. The employee policy designed by the organisation has helped it in its success. It is rated as one of the leading recruiters of UK at present. It has a very large yet strong organisational base which has evolved with time. The organisational structure of the company has always been subjected to a change. The hierarchal set-up during the early stages evolved into a much flatter organisational set up with time and changing society. This proves the adaptive strategy followed by the company. Supplier retailer policyadapted by Sainsburys since its inception, has helped the organisation to enjoy a lower cost and better quality. The supplier management strategy is very essential for a growing transnational organisation like Sainsbury. The company has always aimed at maintaining a good relationship with supplier, thus enabling them to be a market leader. However, the companys downfall during the early 1990s has been an effect of a major relationship difference between the reailer and supplier. Building up a supplier-retailer relationship and maintaining it is the role of a successful organisation. STORE FORMATS The company adapted the hyper-market policy during the early 1970s following its competitors. The company operated this format of stores through bigger outlets (over 45000 sq.ft ) and varied range of products under the brand Sainsbury Savacentre. But, later it got incorporated into the main channel being a part of the integrated sales and back office operations unlike, Tesco. The product distribution followed the policy of equal distribution between groceries and non-food items as followed by Tesco. The supermarket (average of 34000 sq.ft) the hypermarket store format only differ in the size and the quantity of product variants offered by the two types of stores. The company also followed the concept of convenience stores followed by the other food retailers like Tesco, The Cooperative store, etc. This store format is also be termed as local store and is meant for a local market, much smaller in size (between 2000-6000 sq.ft) with limited variants offering top-ups and go and grab deals. Asda, did not follow the concept of convenience stores. The store formats helped us analysing the customer serving strategy and the customer base of the organisation. FRANCHISING Unlike its competitors, Sainsburys does not involve franchising. Tesco recently has planned to go for a franchising in order to enter further into this multi-billion dollar market of retail groceries. Its considering the franchising scope followed the step taken by its French competitor Carrefour. Franchising will help Sainsbury to reach a broader customer base and reach further corners which is no possible through direct acquisitions and mergers. Further, acquisitions involve managerial constraints which can be easily avoided in case of franchising. MERGER ACQUISITION In line to the discussion Mergers and acquisitions it can be rightly pointed out that the company is rightly catching up the growing model of business UK and worldwide. Its acquisitions of Bell supermarkets which operate in north east England and a merger with Shell stations will help it to grow the number of convenience stores and petrol stations in UK. (Food Drink Europe.com http://www.foodanddrinkeurope.com/Retail/Sainsbury-s-image-takes-another-knock). The company went for a merger with Shaws Supermarket Inc. a leading super-market chain in U.S and later acquires the company accompanied by its acquisition of Star Markets. These acquisitions have helped Sainsburys to control competition in the foreign market. However, a detailed analysis has pointed out that the business acquisition decisions and deals have not been of much success and therefore, affecting its worldwide turnover. OTHER MODES OF OPERATION Sainsbury has started providing financial services through Sainsbury Bank which is joint venture between Sainsbury and Lloyds Banks. Its property management team is helping its property management business to reach new heights. The company has started diversifying its portfolio and its activities bt it will take time in attaining the aimed success. COMPETITORS Sainsbury is the UKs third largest food retail chain trailing behind Tesco and Asda. TESCO, the leading retail food chain has started its operation since 1919 as a surplus grocery store in East End of England under Jack Cohen. The first TESCO store came into existence in 929 after being a limited company in 1924. Tescos growth was mainly through acquisitions along with organic growth. During early 1970s TESCO group owns around 700 stores nationwide. Tesco was the pioneer in offering the customers several facilities like customer rewards and club points which were previously unheard of. It introduced in internet shopping for the customers that help in growing the business and building up its brand image among its customers. During 1980s and 1990s it went through couple of successful takeovers including that of William low, a Dundee based firm competing with Sainsbury. In 1997, Tesco also went into a business alliance with esso in order to get a lease of its several petrol filling stations. In July 2001 Tesco became involved in Internet grocery retailing in the USA when it obtained a 35% stake in GroceryWorks.In 2002 Tesco purchased 13 HIT hypermarkets in Poland. It also made a major move into the UK convenience store market with its purchase of T S Stores, the owner of 870 convenience stores in theOne Stop, Dillons and Day Nite chains. At present, Tesco is leading the UK retail food chain though its 27 hypermarkets all over UK. Tesco and Sainsbury growth structure mainly differs. Tesco has mainly focused on the growth through takeovers, acquisitions and mergers on the other hand; Sainsburys growth was mainly based on organic growth. Growth through takeovers, acquisitions and mergers has helped Tesco to gain better and more market knowledge, technological knowledge and management knowledge. Whereas, organic growth for Sainsburys has taken through a longer period of time and through the evolution of the own management and acquired knowledge. On analysing, the growth factors, it can be pointed out that the growth strategy adapted by Sainsbury has been a major reason for its slower growth rate. ASDA STORES LIMITED was founded asAssociated Dairies Farm Stores Limitedin 1949 in Leeds. However, the present name of Asda came into existence following a merger with Asquith chain of three supermarkets and Associated Dairies in 1965. The company however, parted with its dairy department on a management buyout. The company followed the growth policy similar to that of Tesco in order to grow and provide different kinds of products. The newly focused food retail group in order to expand its activities beyond the north England, went for buyout in the south where it took over the large format stores ofGateway Superstoresin 1989. On 26 July, 1999 Asda was purchased by the US retail-giant Wal-Mart. Since then the company, has operated as a subsidiary of the Wal-Mart group. However, Asdas management has gone though a restructuring when it was sold to a Leeds based investment subsidiary of Wal-Mart, Corinth Services Limited in 2009. Asdas marketing campaigns has always been in limelight. The major strategic similarity between Asda and Sainsbury is that, both the organisations aim at low pricing. Therefore, the low pricing strategy that helped Sainsbury, to attract more customers and a major share in the market needs to be revised. Moreover, being an US subsidiary, it also followed several managerial set-ups those were previously unknown. A global growth of the Wal-Mart group, helped Asda gain its position as the second largest food-retailer in UK. Both Tesco and Asda have structural, organisational and managerial differences with Sainsburys but on comparing the whole set-up, it can be concluded that Tesco and Sainsburys have some structural similarity. On the lines of structural strategy, it can be concluded that Tesco follows a more diversified activities by using several variants like, Express, Metro, superstore, Extra and Homeplus which helps them to reach larger number of customers with different kinds of variants.   CONCLUSION While concluding this report, it can be said Sainburys has several strategical differences with its leading market leaders Tesco and Asda, however, it has started working on its set back and is currently responding to the organisational and social needs in a better way. Instead of a sluggish growth of the economy post 2008 it has recorded an increase in the total turnover thus, showing its organisational and managerial strength. On analysing the retail food market and the activities of the major market leaders, it can be predicted that Sainsburys will enjoy a fast and steady growth following the path of organisational mergers, takeovers and most recently franchising. All these will help Sainsbury to grow at a faster pace. All the discussions, that have been done in this report are not absolute and are subject to limitations regarding the information, word limit and time.

Comparison Of Mail Communications Essay example -- essays research pap

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  New technologies have always allowed us to do things faster, more efficiently, and more professionally than ever before. Generally, every new technology is a step forward for speed and productivity. But, despite this paradigm, the coming of the latest mail communications innovation has brought many pros and cons with the package. Electronic mail could be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but there are many who find flaws in it. We are now going to take a moment to compare the speed, ease, reliability, and expense of electronic mail with our general postal system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The speed of transfer is an important part of the decision to send mail by either protocol. E-mail has a distinct advantage in this category. With the click of a button, your message will be received in a period of 5 to 30 seconds. Whether you are sending e-mail to a person across the street or in Afghanistan, the transfer rate is virtually the same. Also, data files and computer applications can be sent via e-mail; however, large files will slow upload & download time even though they are sent in seconds. Unfortunately, physical packages such as gifts or magazines cannot be attached to e-mail. On the other side of the spectrum, the postal service can send any kind of physical package, from a magazine to a pool table, for a price proportional to its size. The postal service can also transfer data if it is placed on a disk or a CD-ROM. Speed, howe...

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The literary movement during the 1980's in Britain was heavily influenced by the state of Britain's economy at the time. The people of Britain had become infatuated with politics due to the election of Margaret Thatcher, the first and only woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to have held office. She was known as the â€Å"Iron lady† and the leader of the Conservative Party. Her influence on the British government with her use of Thatcherism did not leave behind a good legacy in the literature department. In a New York Times newspaper article, it is stated that, â€Å"The Thatcher years were a time of remarkable cultural ferment, in which the energies of an extraordinarily diverse roster of musicians, novelists, playwrights, critics and filmmakers — to say nothing of television comedians and puppeteers — were unleashed in opposition, glum and passionate, explicit and overt, to the prime minister herself,†(nytimes.com). Many literary figures have writ ten novels in response to the events of the society's cultural downfall in the 1980's. In Doris Lessing's, The Good Terrorist, which is set in the time period of Thatcherism, she portrays her character's thoughts on bourgeois liberalism as contradictions to their personalities. The main character, Alice Mellings, assumes that she is committing these acts of terrorism for a good reason. Alice and her band of revolutionary rejects are the manifestations of Doris Lessing's various frustrations against political advancements with feminism, communism, and Thatcherism. †¨ The political views and opinions that Doris Lessing's character accumulate in The Good Terrorist are most likely fueled by Lessing's real life experiences with communist parties and her unsatisfying life in the suburbs in Rho... ...ain. During the time of the 1980's in Britain, feminism, communism, and Thatcherism were big parts of the time period. These political advancements caused many literary responses to the downfall of the government that Margaret Thatcher ruled at the time. Lessing was a feminist but was not a feminist at the same time. In an article on dnaindia.com, it is stated that, â€Å"Lessing was able to do a great deal for women without subscribing to feminism; she did it with her life, and with (not just within) her writing,†(dnaindia). Unfortunately, not a lot of research has been done on The Good Terrorist, and it being a good fictional reference into the life of a group of squatters in 1980's Britain, Doris Lessing writes from her perspective on feminist criticism and explores her ideas, hoping to expand further into more of Lessing's works and explore the meanings behind them.

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Educational Leadership: An Islamic Perspective Dr. Walid Ahmad Masa’dah, Department of Islamic Studies, College of Shari'ah and Islamic Studies,Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan And Dr. Ali Mohammad Jubran, Department of Islamic Studies, College of Shari'ah and Islamic Studies,Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan ABSTRACT This paper aimes to identify the main features of educational leadership from an Islamic perspective. It is an attempt to contribute to the development and understanding of educational leadership in Islamic institutions.This will give a better understanding of organizational effectiveness and provide guidelines for leaders of Islamic educational institutions in order to achieve their Islamic managerial objectives successfully. This paper discusses the Islamic thought on educational leadership. It managed to highlight both early and contemporary ideas on Islamic leadership. For that, ideas of Ibn Taymiya, Al-Farabi, Al-Mawardi, Al-Ghazali and Ibn Khaldoun as well as ideas of some contemporary scholars of educational leadership were analyzed.It also highlighted the main roles of educational leadership in Islam such as the visionary leader, the servant leader, the leader as a guide, the influential leader and the educative leader as well as styles of educational leadership in Islam such as Brotherhood Leadership, Collaborative Leadership, Shuratic or Consultative Leadership and Supportive Leadership. The definition of educational leadership in Islam was analyzed at the beginning of the paper. Finally, the paper came up with few suggestions and recommendations for the Muslim educational leaders, managers and researchers.Keywords: educational leadership, roles of educational leadership, styles of educational leadership Introduction This research discusses the main features of educational leadership from an Islamic perspective. It will be an attempt to contribute to the development and understanding of educational leadership in Islamic education al institutions. This will give a better understanding of organizational effectiveness and provide guidelines for principals of Islamic schools in order to achieve their Islamic educational objectives successfully. 1Aimes of the Research This research aimes to identify the Islamic model of educational leadership. It highlights both early and contemporary ideas on Islamic leadership. It also highlights the main roles and styles of educational leadership in Islam. The definition of leadership in Islam is analyzed at the beginning of the research. Leadership from an Islamic Perspective: An Introduction Leadership in Islam is a responsibility and a trust that leaders feel when they deal with their followers. It is considered as a part of worshipping Allah (s. . t). Leadership in Islam is to serve the members of the organization, the community and the society at large, that is, directing and guiding people to what is good in this world and the Hereafter. Understanding leadership from an Islamic perspective is an important need today. The Muslim Ummah should have its own views and theories of whatever is necessary for Muslims. Islamic resources and history are rich in ideas and examples, that may be used as the formations for the Islamic theoretical framework of leadership and other subjects.Muslims also are â€Å"beginning to invest heavily in education and knowledge management, and the results are tangible† (Beekun and Badawi, 1999: viii). This requires great efforts towards understanding the issue of education and other related subjects. In addition, the ethical and moral system that is considered as the core of the Islamic framework of leadership is becoming an emphasis of the western perspective of the topic (Gardner, 1990: 67- 80; Paine 1997: 3; Spitzer, 2000: 203- 244; Murphy and Shipman, 2000: 99; Sergiovanni, 2001: 103).This further fuels the need for investigating the topic of leadership more precisely from an Islamic perspective. 2 Because of the l imited scholarly development on leadership from an Islamic perspective, the researchers will often refer directly to the Qur? anic verses and the traditions of the Prophet as the primary sources of the Islamic thought. In addition, contributions of the early and contemporary Muslim scholars in the concerned field will be examined. The objective of this investigation is an attempt to understand the term of leadership more precisely and try to come up with a framework for Islamic leadership.Definition of Leadership in Islam Early Muslim scholars used words such as wilaya, Imamah and Khilafah to mean leadership. Ibn Taymiya (661-728 AH) defined wilaya as â€Å"maintaining the religion of the people such that if it is lost, they will be the losers, and maintaining a life that will assist people to understand their religion. † (1992: 11). Al-Mawardi (957-1058) looked at Imamah in the context of â€Å"the guarding of the religion and life. It is an obligatory system for all Muslim s because without it, people will be living in darkness and religion will not be guarded. (quoted in Basbous 1988: 47 and al-Wakeel 1988: 22). On this matter Allah (s. w. t) has said in the Qur? an about Prophet Abraham (a. s): â€Å"And remember that Abraham (a. s. ) was tried by his Lord with certain commands, which he fulfilled, He said: I will make thee an Imam to the people. † (Qur? an 2: 124). In his commentary on this verse, Ali (1985) explained that â€Å"Imam means the primary sense of being foremost: hence it may mean leader in religion or leader in congregational prayer or model, pattern and example. † (p. 50). Therefore, one of the meanings of Imamah is leadership. According to Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406 AC), Khilafa means â€Å"to assist people to live in accordance with the Islamic rules as a guidance for their interests in this world and in the Hereafter. It is the vicegerent duty on behalf of Allah (s. w. t) to guard the religion and to manage life. † (Ibn Khaldun, 1979: 179). With regard to the term †leadership†, the Arabic dictionary of Al-Mo? jam Al-Waseet defined „to lead? as â€Å"to head a group while being in front† (Mustafa et al. 1989: 765). Therefore, leaders always come in front of their members and organization, and are the first.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language in the same way defined to lead as â€Å"to guide or direct in a course, or to go first as a guide. † (Morris, 1981: 719). Leadership in Islam according to some writers could be â€Å"the bridge used by some people to influence the members? attitudes and behaviors in order to be able to achieve the objectives of the organization† (Adlouni and Sweidan 2000: 18). According to this definition, the influential role of the leadership is the most important one as leaders can enable people to do the right job. Some scholars tend to connect the term of leadership with the importance of having a vision.Th ey believe that good leadership is one that can come up with a clear vision and thus be able to transfer such vision to the members. For example, Murad Khurram defined leadership as â€Å"the ability to see beyond assumed boundaries, and to come up with solutions or paths that few can visualize. The leader must then project this vision for every one to see and pursue† (quoted in Beekun and Badawi. 1999: 5- 6). 4 Leadership could be defined as â€Å"the process of moving people in a planned direction by motivating them to act through noncompulsive means† (al-Talib, 1992: 50).This definition emphasized the leader? s role in moving his or her organization? s members towards the achievement of the common objectives. This means that leaders should not only direct people to do the job but to help them move by motivating them in a way that will encourage them to have a productive attitude towards work. In another way, leadership could also be defined as the â€Å"art of infl uencing and directing others towards a common objective in a way that leaders will gain their members? trust, respect, cooperation and sincere obedience† (Basbous 1988: 28).It should be noted here that such definitions consider leadership as an art that requires several skills in understanding others and dealing with them wisely. It emphasizes both the direction and influential roles of leadership. Similarly, Beekun and Badawi have defined leadership as â€Å"the process of directing and influencing organization members so that they will take ownership of organizational activities and programs† (1999: 132). Al-Talib (1992) once again stressing that leadership is â€Å"a process of influencing others† (p. 50).However, leadership in Islam has a unique role – that is guiding people to what is good in this world and the Hereafter. This means that leadership does not only deal with the mere objectives of the organization in the context of its daily work. The ob jectives of any organization must be connected with the religion? s objectives. Therefore, leadership has a new dimension – which is the connection with the religion and the Creator. In this way, a Muslim leader will understand that his or her role is to guide people, not only to achieve the mission of the organization, but also to raise them higher than that and connect them with the highest goal of existence as a human being. It should be clear to everybody that worshipping Allah (s. w. t) is the main goal for all Muslims. Leadership in this way, should be understood as â€Å"a kind of worship† (al-Nahwi, 1999: 36). Therefore, leadership is a guiding process more than a directing one. Leadership in this context could be the process of guiding and influencing the members of the organization so that they will display initiative and love for the work that they do as a kind of worship towards achieving the common objectives of the organization.By doing so, leaders and me mbers will be able to attain happiness in both worlds. Early Ideas on Islamic Leadership Early Islamic thought has contributed significantly to the field of leadership. Muslim scholars and specialists laid the basis for this science that in turn became the basic elements of leadership in the Islamic state and the managing of society? s affairs. Their contributions to humanity in this respect have become a prominent and important element at the present time. One of the earliest scholars who touched upon the topic of leadership was Ibn Taymiyah (661-728 AH).He emphasized in his book Assiyasah Ashari’yah Fi Islah Arrai’ Warrai’yah [The Shari’at Politics], the reform of the Islamic government and leadership. Ibn Taymiyah stated the following necessary characteristics for leaders to be able to lead. These are: trustworthiness, a strong personal character, to be qualified, to be experienced, adherence to Islamic commands and an ability to carry out responsibili ties (Ibn Taymiyah 1988: 20- 21). He emphasized also some leadership principles to be taken into consideration by government leaders. These are: responsibility, trust and Shura (consultation) (Ibid. 17). According to Ibn Taymiyah, 6 Shura is recommended for two reasons. First, it will create familiarity and amicable relations among the state subjects. Second, shura will create positive social interaction that will improve the state? s performance (Ibid. : 17). Ibn Taimiyah further investigated leadership in his second book Risalatul Hisbah WalHukomah Al-Islamiyah [Al-Hisbah and the Responsibility of the Islamic Government]. He discussed leadership control as a tool to preserve the legacy of the Islamic state and to redirect personal and governmental actions towards the right direction.The leadership control is used to contribute effectively to the developmental process of the state. Later, al-Qalqashandi (756-821 AH) concerned himself with leadership functions, particularly with the offices of civil administration (kuttab). His well organized book Subh Al-A’sha Fi Sina’t Al-Insha [The Night-Blind’s Morning] is a useful textbook in the field of adminstative secretarial functions. The book contains preparatory office work, procedures, organization, responsibilities, requirements and means of communication between different government circles.Al-Qalqashandi described in detail the characteristics of the executive officer as a leader which includes personal, physical, professional and social characters (al-Qalqashandi 1963: 61- 67). Moreover, al-Qalqashandi developed an organizational structure for the leadership office and explained the responsibilities of each bearer (Ibid. : 101-139). Later, al-Farabi (872-950) concerned himself with proper leadership, a leadership that will be able to establish the virtuous state or „the city of excellence? – as he called it and will bring happiness to the people.He was also concerned with the characteristics 7 of the Muslim leader. Al-Farabi in his book Ara’ Ahl Al-Madinah Al-Fadilah [Opinions of Dwellers of the City of Excellence], pointed out the characteristics of the rightly guided leaders. According to him, they should be intelligent, full of wisdom, possess complementary characters in terms of their physical and mental abilities, ideal and longsighted policy makers (al-Farabi 1985: 127-130). He emphasized that a leader and those who are working with him should show excellent behavior in order to achieve the ideal goals and ambitions of the society.Al-Farabi further focused on the importance of having strong relationships among all members of the city of excellence and between all organizations. He argued the members of the city of excellence must be able to cooperate and support each other. All dwellers should aim at achieving happiness for all. Al-Mawardi (957-1058) addressed the leadership system of the government. He looked at the government as a leader of the society and organizer of its activities. According to al-Mawardi, the leader is fully responsible for the prosperity of the society and ought to manage its various affairs effectively.The contents of his well-organized book, Al-Ahkam Assultaniyah Wal-Wilayat Addiniyah Fil-Idarah Al-Hukoumiyah [The Sultanic Rules] discusses the leadership system of the government and its fundamentals, and the leadership obligations of the head of state at regional, local and central levels. The book also contains recommendations regarding methods and techniques necessary for organizing government activities throughout different departments and circles. Moreover, alMawardi highlights some principles of leadership such as justice, hierarchy of leadership, qualification, worthiness in employment and specialization (al-Mawardi 1983: 20). From a psychological point of view, al-Ghazali (1058-1111) – a well-known Islamic scholar – focused on studying the behavior of the Muslim leaders. He was concerned with the leadership of the citizens, society and Muslim affairs. In his valuable book in the field of leadership, Attibir Al-Masbouk Fi Naseehat Al-Molouk, [Council or Advice for Kings], he outlined the characteristics of a leader from an Islamic perspective. Al-Ghazali provided ten commandments – supported by the Sunnah of the Prophet (p. b. u. h. ) and viewpoints of Muslim philosophers – that should be taken by the Muslim leaders.Some of these commandments are: shura (consultation), avoidance of committing injustice, softness and tenderness as a mode of conduct between authorities and citizens and helping members in solving their problems whether personal or professional (al-Ghazali 1987: 22-33). From another angle, Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) laid emphasis on the social aspects of leadership and organization. His famous book Al-Ibar Wa Diwan Al-Mubtada’ WalKhabar Fi Ayyam Al-Arab Wal-Barbar Wal-Ajam Waman A’sarahum Min Dhawi Assultan Al-Ak bar (Al-Moqaddimah) [The Introduction] is considered as one of the most important books in the field of social science.He emphasized that leadership is an outcome of social interaction between different social groups. Ibn Khaldun believed that the social organization is related to many factors and environmental elements, which affect human behavior and ultimately, will be reflected in the leadership of the society. Ibn Khaldun also stated that the development of the social organization? s structure is related to its cultural background (Ibn Khaldun 1979: 144). Ability to structure an organization is one aspect of leadership.He believes that studying the development of the organization will help to forecast its future potential. This will be done by 9 combining environmental elements, and as he believed, with both psychological and geographical. It is worth mentioning that the contribution of the above mentioned Muslim scholars remain as the basic pillars for the development of curre nt leadership thought. However, most of these contributions focused on the leadership of the government and state affairs that can be useful for managing institutions in society and in shaping the philosophy of leadership from the Islamic perspective.Yet it remains clear that there is no published work on educational leadership by early Muslim scholars. Contemporary Ideas on Islamic Leadership Although the study of leadership is one of the most important fields of modern time, with the Qur? an and the Sunnah providing us with numerous references for understanding the Islamic approach to leadership, Muslim intellectuals have failed to give it its proper due. In addition to the contributions of the early Muslim scholars in th e field of leadership, there is also the practical application of the Islamic approach to eadership through the Islamic states throughout history. Until today, Muslim intellectuals have been unable to formalize an Islamic theory of leadership. Although there have been many attempts to do so, starting with the intellectual awakening movement at the beginning of the 20th century, yet no serious or scientific steps were taken until the sixth decade of this century. Till now, most of such attempts were not aimed at formulating an Islamic theory of leadership, but rather were trying to prove that Islam had sufficient resources to 10 formulate such a theory.Additionally, they also attempted to prove that some of the Western achievements in this field were rooted in Islamic principles. Such an approach is apologetic in nature, and will not lead to formulating a proper Islamic theory of leadership, even though it is indeed the first step in doing so. A more proper approach would be to examine the Qur? an, Sunnah and Islam? s heritage, and try to deduce a theory of leadership, its objectives, characteristics, roles, styles, dimensions and principles. These attempts that aimed at presenting an Islamic feature of the leadership theory have succeeded i n doing so.Some researchers raised the issue of Islamic leadership and tried to define it based on an Islamic point of view. The attempts also have come up with a set of characteristics of Islamic leadership and stated its objectives and goals. In addition, other researchers analyzed some periods of Islamic history starting from the time of Prophet Muhammad (p. b. u. h. ), his caliphs (r. a. ), the Ummayad and Abbasiad periods and others. These analyses aimed at identifying the leadership practices, to be found in Islamic history.Following is a summary of the contemporary related studies that touched the topic of leadership from an Islamic perspective A very important study that touched the topic of leadership was Nitham Al-Hukomah Al-Nabawiyah, [The Prophet's System of Governance] by al-Kittani (1920), who was dissatisfied with the obvious lack of published material on Islamic leadership and administration especially in regard to the Prophet Muhammad (p. b. u. h. ). Al-Kittani? s b ook is a collection of narrations that recorded some events and behaviors of leadership and administration as practised by Prophet Muhammad (p. . u. h. ). However, these practices were not related in any way to any kind of the leadership system in general or in Islam in particular. 11 Muslim scholars have shown the general features of the Islamic leadership. Fazlul Karim (1963) for example has focused on the unique concepts of the Muslim leader. He outlined some leadership concepts as guidelines for leaders to be followed. He explained these concepts when he wrote the following about the Muslim leader: He shall view this world as a temporary resting place for preparation for the everlasting and eternal next world.He shall continuously endeavour to acquire, in his lifetime, as much religious merit by just and honest administration, which must be based upon justice, social equity and efficiency. He shall place himself as a mere servant of the people and a trustee for his subjects, i. e. those below him in command as well as the public in general (quoted in al-Buraey, 1985: 238). Fazlul Karim further elaborated on some other principles of leadership in Islam. Among them are the following: A Muslim leader shall love for his subjects what he loves for himself and his immediate family and relatives.He shall keep his door always open for hearing grievances and for redressing of wrongs. He shall use, as a keynote of his administrative policies, justice coupled with mercy. He shall observe the religious duties and rites of others. He shall wisely choose pious, truthful and sincere men as his ministers and aids and advisors. He shall look after every community with an eye of equality so far as justice is concerned. He shall govern the people under his administrative charge according to the laws of the Qur? an, Sunnah and general rules of equity and justice (Ibid).More recently, Abu Sin (1986: 171) emphasized that leadership thought in Islam is based on the Qur? an, Sunn ah and the human values that were prevalent at the beginning of Islamic history. Therefore, Muslims have to look at their legislative sources precisely in order to understand the Islamic perspective of leadership. In addition, they could look at leadership practices of the early Muslim state formed by Prophet Muhammad (p. b. u. h. ) and his Pious caliphs (r. a. ). 12 According to many scholars, the comprehensiveness and all encompassing nature of Islamic leadership theory is what distinguishes it from other leadership theories.The striking feature of an Islamic leadership theory is its emphasis on all the relevant variables and factors that affect the leadership cycle or process, inside and outside the organization, as well as its understanding of individual behavior in light of social and cultural forces. It includes an important dimension, that is the ethical and moral factors that have a great effect on leadership behavior in organizations. As for the practical program of an Isla mic leadership that would achieve its objectives, Abu Sin (1986: 201) stressed the importance of connecting leadership with the Islamic social environment making it bound by society? social values. The concept of shura and participation should be applied, and a humane environment that encourages higher productivity should be secured. The economic variable should also be dealt with by providing it for the material needs of the workers. An Islamic leadership is the one that seeks happiness for the individual and society. AlBuraey (1994: 17) stated that Islamic leadership assists the individual in attaining happiness in both worlds. Therefore, the function of leadership is to direct human resources properly in order to serve society in achieving happiness.Muslim scholars succeeded in drawing attention towards this important dimension for leadership in Islam. Jabnoun (1994) made the distinction between Islamic and the Western perspectives of leadership by saying that, â€Å"unlike the common concepts of management, Islam encompasses the dimensions of belief in Allah (s. w. t) and the Hereafter. These added dimensions have innumerable ramifications on the actions and interactions of individuals, organizations and societies. † (pp. 1- 2). Like Abu Sin 13 1986) and al-Buraey (1990), Jabnoun (1994) emphasized that ethics play a major role in Islamic perspectives. Although his book was on leadership in general, the writer concentrated on some Qura? nic verses and some of Hadith literture related to the elements of leadership, such as planning, organizing and leading. However, the writer relied on both Islamic and Western sources of management. To emphasize more the ethical dimension of leadership, Abdul-Athim (1994) believes that values and ethics are the most important features of Islamic leadership.Therefore, he concentrated on discussing Islamic values and their influence on the leadership process at its various levels of planning, organizing, implementing, s upervising and others. The objective of an Islamic leadership is mainly the worship of Allah (s. w. t) on Earth by applying the Islamic principles in ibadat and mu’amalat, establishing khilafah and justice. Such objectives were presented by many Muslim writers such as Abu Sin (1986: 200). However, such a set of objectives is for every Muslim, which means that the evaluation of achievement of an Islamic leadership is difficult.Furthermore, the higher objective of an Islamic leadership and its proper tools and instruments were presented by al-Ali in his book Al-Idarah Fil-Islam, [Administration in Islam] which mentioned that Islam combines faith and good deeds (al-Ali 1985: 68). Allah (s. w. t) says: â€Å" By time, verily man is in loss, except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual enjoining of truth, and of patience and constancy. † (Qur? an 103: 1- 3). Islamic leadership has sublime characteristics that distinguish it from other models of leaderships.In his second book Management and Administration in Islam, al-Buraey 14 (1990) allocated an entire chapter to the roots of Islamic leadership. He stated that, â€Å"The most important characteristic of the leadership in Islam was the religious and moral spirit which dominated the entire field of government and leadership under Prophet Muhammad (p. b. u. h. ) and the four pious caliphs. † (al-Buraey, 1990: 233). He emphasized that the orientation and general philosophy of Islamic leadership centres on the concepts of piety, shura; consultation, justice, equality, and social equity.Al-Ali (1985) on the other hand mentioned some characteristics of leadership in Islam, in addition to the effects of Qur? an and Sunnah on the development of leadership. He also mentioned some Qur? anic verses and sayings of the Prophet (p. b. u. h. ) to support the idea that we have the resources to Islamize anything. However, he did not relate these sayings to the Islamic sys tem of leadership or administration. More recently, Beekun and Badawi (1999) in their book entitled Leadership: An Islamic Perspective, emphasized the importance of morals and good behavior in the Islamic leadership.They mentioned the four main bases of Islamic moral character that Muslim leaders should follow. These are Iman or faith, Islam, Taqwa or piety, and Ihsan (pp. 19- 25). They emphasized additional five key hallmarks of Islamic behavior. These are „adl (justice), amanah (trust), birr (righteousness), mujahadah (struggle) and ‘ahd (keeping a promise) (Ibid. : 26- 33). The two authors touched briefly upon the roles of leadership from an Islamic perspective. They stated that a Muslim leader should be both a servant and a guardian for his or her followers (Ibid. : 15).Finally, there were some attempts aimed at presenting the features of an Islamic theory of leadership. Abdul-Athim (1994) called for a theory in which values and morals are 15 the basis. He called thi s attempt as „leadership by values?. Abu Sin also specified the main features of an Islamic theory of leadership as follows: 1. It is connected to the social philosophy of the Muslim society, its ethics and values. 2. It stresses the economic variable and material incentive, and works to satisfy the needs of the individual. 3. It also gives consideration to the human and spiritual dimensions.It respects the individual as a human being and incorporates him in the administrative process, each according to his capabilities. 4. It should also give due attention to organizational diminution; specification of responsibilities, respect for authority, official ties and the organizational structure (1986: 188). Educational Leadership Roles in Islam Educational leadership in Islam has some unique roles as it is concerned with worldly matters as well as spiritual ones. A Muslim leader in any organization has all of these interests.As he strives for the success of the organization, he tak es care regarding the satisfaction of Allah (s. w. t. ). Additionally, he or she has the responsibility of guiding people to the good for this life and for the Hereafter. This section will look at five roles of educational leadership in Islam. A. The Visionary Educational Leader A Muslim leader is a forward-looking person whose main concern is to achieve the vision of the planned future rather than just the daily objectives of the organization. He or she has a clear vision that guides him or her towards the achievement of the objectives by following the right way and method.The leader? s vision will clarify why one is here, how and what one is doing and what one will be doing in the future. Leaders have to transform this clear vision to the members of the organization. This will 16 enhance the organization and lead it to a high state whereby everybody is informed of what he or she is doing and towards what end. Allah (s. w. t) asked the Prophet (p. b. u. h. ) and his companions to b e patient and not to clash with their oppressors because the final vision had yet to be reached. Allah (s. w. t) said in the Qur? n: â€Å" Hast thou not turned thy thought to those who were told to hold back their hands (from fight) but establish regular prayers and spend in regular Zakah†¦ â€Å" (Qur? an 4: 77). Prophet Muhammad (p. b. u. h. ) therefore, kept planning for this final vision until it was achieved when the first Islamic state was established in Medina. It was clear thus that the Prophet (p. b. u. h. ) had a very clear vision from the beginning of his Prophethood. He refused several times to clash with Quraish tribes in Mecca during the first thirteen years of the new religion.His vision was clear – that is building a new and unique Islamic state. â€Å"Small clashes here and there will not help Muslims to achieve their final goal. Even when his companions were suffering, he only used to ask them to have patience. † (Abdul-Wahhab 1997: 106). Ther efore, a visionary leader is required for any organization that is looking forward to achieving its future objectives. B. The Servant Educacational Leader Serving one? s people is one of the main roles of a Muslim leader. Educational leadership in this context, is not a matter of privilege or position. It is rather a huge responsibility.Educational leaders need therefore to feel that they are the servants of their followers in order to be able to fulfill their duties in the best way possible. This feeling will help leaders to make great efforts towards protecting the members of the organization and do whatever necessary to achieve its objectives. 17 The Prophet (p. b. u. h. ) said: â€Å"A ruler who has been entrusted with the affairs of the Muslims but makes no endeavor (for the material and moral upliftment) and is not sincerely concerned (for their welfare) will not enter Paradise along with them. † (Muslim, n. d. Vol. 1, ch. 44, hadith No. 64, p. 82). Prophet Muhammad (p. b. u. h. ) said: â€Å"A commander (of the Muslims) is a shield for them. They fight behind him and they are protected by him (from tyrants and aggressors). If he enjoins fear of Allah (s. w. t), the Exalted and Glorious, and dispenses justice, there will be a (great) reward for him; and if he enjoins otherwise, it rebounds on him. † (Muslim, 1987, hadith No. 4542). The second caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab (r. a. ) was quoted as telling his people: â€Å"I have appointed over you governors and agents not to beat your bodies or take your money, but rather to teach you and serve you. (Abdul-Hadi 1970: 73 and al-Buraey 1985: 248). It is clear therefore that a Muslim leader should realize that he or she is obliged to serve the members of the organization as part of serving the Muslim Ummah. C. The Educacational Leader as a Guide A Muslim educational leader is but a guide who is concerned about his followers? well being. His main concern is guiding them to what is good in the organ ization in life in general and in the Hereafter. He has to direct the followers towards understanding the vision of the organization and how they are going to achieve success in their duties in the best manner.He should have such ability. In addition, the Muslim leader should have in mind that one of his duties is to direct people to be good Muslims besides being professional members. 18 About several of His prophets, Allah (s. w. t) said in the Qur? an: â€Å"And We made them leaders, guiding (men) by Our command, and We inspired them to do good deeds, to establish regular prayers and to give Zakah and they constantly served Us (and Us only). † (Qur? an 21: 73). To reiterate the idea, Allah (s. w. t) said in the Qur? n about the children of Israel: â€Å"And We appointed, from among them, leaders, giving guidance under Our command, so long as they persevered with patience and continued to have faith in Our signs. † (Qur? an 32: 24). The caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab (r. a. ) reinforced the meaning of „guiding? when he addressed the newly appointed governors and agents as follows: Listen, verily I am not sending you as rulers and potentates; rather, I am sending you as the leaders of guidance so that men may follow you. Render unto the Muslims their rights; beat them not, lest you humiliate them; praise them not lest you make them undisciplined.Do not shut your doors against them, lest the strong among them devour the weak ones (Husaini 1958: 83). It was clear for all Muslim leaders during the time of Umar (r. a. ) that they were just to guide their people and help them towards living in happiness. This role should be clear also for today? s Muslim leaders in order to understand the essence of educational leadership and be able to lead people towards success in this life and in the Hereafter. D. The Influential Educacational Leader A Muslim leader? s job is not only to serve and guide people but to bring about some changes for the betterment o f their lives.Educational leadership in this context is connected with change from the wrong to the right. By influencing people, leaders will be able to transform their spirit, knowledge and experience to everybody in the 19 organization. However, this will not be achieved unless leaders are good models and examples for their followers. The Prophet (p. b. u. h. ) was very successful in influencing people and guiding them to the new religion – beginning with his wife Khadija (r. a), his close companion Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (r. a) and all other companions (Abdul-Wahhab 1997: 97).The caliph Abu Bakr (r. a) was then very influential in persuading Umar Bin al-Khattab and other people regarding the importance of fighting those who refused to pay the Zakah in order not to differentiate between all pillars of Islam (al-Sayouti 1994: 87). This resulted in keeping the religion as pure as Prophet Muhammad (p. b. u. h. ) preached it to his people. Such examples are to be followed by all M uslim leaders who intend to encourage some positive changes in the lives of their followers. Leaders should realize that leading must come together with influencing. The leader? influential role can touch the hearts of the members of the organization and affect their behaviors. E. The Educative Leader A Muslim educational leader is concerned about the enhancement of the potentials and capabilities of all members. Thus educational leadership is concerned with the advancement of the members of the organization in a number of ways, especially: spiritually, mentally, intellectually, psychologically, socially and professionally. A leader? s main mission is not only to ensure the job is done but also to develop and train people in order to be competent, efficient and independent.Educational leadership in Islam in this context will allow leaders to transfer their experiences to the members. As a result, the capable people will be trained in one way or another to be the leaders of the futur e and the cycle will continue. 20 The Prophet (p. b. u. h. ) used to teach his companions in different ways, especially when somebody was given a position involving leadership. It has been reported that when Prophet Muhammad (p. b. u. h. ) appointed Ali Ibn Abi Talib (r. a. ) as a judge in Yemen, he was concerned that he had no experience in the field. Regarding this incident, Ali (r. . ) said: â€Å"the Prophet (p. b. u. h. ) sent me to Yemen as a judge. I said: Oh! Messenger of Allah ! I am a youth, how could you send me to a people who are far advanced in years than me. The Prophet prayed for me, and said: ? If two adversaries approach you; (for fair judgement) and you hear the claim of one, do not judge until you have heard from the other, for this is to decide the case„†(al-Baihaqi n. d. , Vol. 10, Kitab A’dab alQadi, p. 86). It is clear here that Prophet Muhammad (p. b. u. h. ) had taught Ali (r. a. ) the main and most general rule to be practiced by a judg e.Muslim leaders therefore, should follow such examples and train their followers how to do the assigned jobs. By doing this, members will be more confident in tackling their duties and as a result, they will be more professional in their concerned fields. Educacational Leadership Styles in Islam Educational leadership from an Islamic perspective has some unique styles which makes it different from other styles of educational leadership. They are based on the Islamic principles that guide and frame the theoretical perspective of educational leadership.Four educational leadership styles could be recognized; brotherhood, collaborative, shuratic or consultative and supportive educational leadership styles. However, Muslim leaders can adapt more than one style as they relate to each other. Feelings of brotherhood within the organization will lead people to collaborate with each other and will help the leader to support his or her followers. On the other hand, applying the shura system i n the decision making process will bring the leader and the 21 followers together as everybody feels loyal to the organization.This section will look at these four possible educational leadership styles in Islam. A. Brotherhood Educacational Leadership It is a style of educational leadership in which the leader and all the organization? s members are considered as a family. Followers feel that they are but brothers and sisters of each other before having any kind of organizational structure or position. To have the real essence of brotherhood, leaders tend to feel that they are not better than any other person in the organization. They also tend to deal with others exactly as they like to be dealt with.Having this feeling in an Islamic organization will make everybody feel as part of one family. Such an achievement will help to create a socially healthy environment for the excellence of the organization. It was reported that Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (r. a. ) has said when he was appointed as the Khalifa (leader) for the Muslims: â€Å"I am not a better person than any one of you, if I am right follow me and if I am wrong, correct me. † (al-Sayouti 1994: 84). Today? s leaders need such feelings that guide them to understand the essence of educational leadership that Muslim organizations need at this time.It is not a matter of having a rank or a position but rather it is a matter of feeling of equality and building good relationships with the members of the organization. The fifth Rashidi (rightly guided) caliph Umar Bin Abdul-Aziz also has been reported to have said that: â€Å"I am not a better person than any one of you, but I am just having more responsibilities than any one of you. † (al-Sayouti 1994: 276). Therefore, leaders 22 should feel they are responsible for creating an environment of brotherhood in their organizations in which members feel that they are close to each other.Such an environment will enhance the social relationships among every body and motivate them for better achievements. B. Collaborative Educacational Leadership Working in harmony as a team is an inner feeling in most people.. Leaders should realize that they cannot work separately even if they are experts unless they cooperate with everybody in the organization. Leaders then believe that strengthening the relationships of the members will lead to success. Such strong relationships and cooperation will bring harmony to the organization, which will create a positive and healthy environment.To achieve that, leaders tend to have the members working in groups as much as possible. They tend also to have some social programs for all members. As a result, members in the same way will believe that they cannot achieve their objectives unless they put their hands together and work as one team. The Islamic model of educational leadership emphasizes co-operation rather than competition (al-Buraey, 1985: 344). Allah (s. w. t. ) directed Muslims to help each other. He said: â€Å"help ye one another in righteousness and piety, but help ye not one another in sin and rancour. † (Qur? an 5: 2).This kind of help and cooperation will be considered as a system for Muslims in order to achieve success. Leaders therefore should help their followers to overcome their problems and facilitate whatever they need in order to carry out their duties in the best way possible. 23 C. Shuratic or Consultative Educacational Leadership Whatever experience the leader has, his or her decision will be according to one person? s opinion. He or she will probably feel the need for others? opinions and ideas before making any necessary decisions that might affect the members of the organization.Leaders therefore apply the shura (consultation) method in any way that allows them to listen to others and allow the members to express their ideas on certain important matters that concern the organization. Leaders then will tend to ask for feedback about any matter that c oncerns the school and the members. As a result, members will feel free to go to the leader and present any necessary suggestions or advice. Such an atmosphere will create a high level of trust and spirit among all members of the organization. Allah (s. w. t) said in the Qur? n about Muslims: â€Å"Those who respond to their Lord, and establish regular prayer who (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation; who spend out of what We bestow on them for sustenance. † (Qur? an 42: 38). Mutual consultation as Allah (s. w. t) declared, is a distinguishing Muslim trait, especially of leaders. What makes shura unique in the Islamic point of view is â€Å"its consensus generating mechanism rather than majority or minority influence. † (alBuraey, 1985: 344). All decisions that have been agreed upon in any organization must be in accordance with the Islamic principles.Practicing shura (consultation) will help leaders to more involve the members of the organization in the decis ion making process. As a result, the members will be more motivated to do their job. They will feel a sense of belonging to the organization, as it is their own. They will also feel as having an important role to play and not only 24 implementing whatever they have been asked to do. Such an environment will boost the team spirit in the organization. D. Supportive Educacational Leadership Islamic educational leadership believes in supporting the members of the organization in their work. Leaders are trying to be on their members? ide. The organization? s members are always in need of their leaders? motivation and encouragement. They need the spiritual motivation before any other. They also need training programs that increase their knowledge and skills in different fields. Therefore, leaders in this style will take any given opportunity to motivate and encourage their followers in different ways and utilize different situations. Leaders believe in training and developing the members in necessary skills, and thus a continuous professional development program for the members is an absolute priority. In clarifying Prophet Muhammad? s (p. b. u. h. duty, Allah (s. w. t) said in the Qur? an: â€Å"It is He Who has sent amongst the unlettered, a messenger from among themselves, to rehearse to them His signs, to purify them, and to instruct them in the Book and wisdom, although they had been, before, in manifest error. † (Qur? an 62: 2). It is evident here that the duty of the Prophet (p. b. u. h. ) as a leader was not only to make sure that everything proceeded smoothly but also to teach, educate and develop further people? s knowledge and skills. Muslim leaders should practice such duties that will help them to understand the essence of educational leadership and be good leaders.RECOMMENDATIONS This work was an attempt in studying the philosophy of educational leadership in Islam. It tried to cover part of it to some extent. Other parts such as the objectives, 25 characteristics, fundamentas and principles of educational leadership in Islam and other topics need more investigations. The researchers, therefore, would suggests the following recommendations to enhance the status of Islamic educational leadership: 1. Muslim scholars should make great efforts towards investigating the concepts of Islamic educational leadership. They have to do more in-depth research on this topic.This will be of assistance in formulating a theory of educational leadership from the Islamic perspective which contributes to the existing knowledge and engage with it by means of accommodation or modification. 2. Several education ministries in Muslim nations, Muslim manager training institutions, Muslim leadership training institutions and authorities dealing with Muslim institutions should pay a great deal of attention towards understanding the concepts of Islamic leadership and educational leadership. As Muslims, they should emphasize more on realizing that ever y aspect in life including administration in all institutions must be in ccordance with Islam. 3. Courses on educational leadership in universities, colleges and managers training institutions should focuss more on incorporating Islamic concept of educational leadership. This will enable these institutions to produce sound, knowledgeable and skillful managers and administrators who are able to serve the Muslim Ummah. 4. Educational leaders, managers and other administrators should practice more clearly the Islamic way of leadership. They should consider their work for the sake of Allah as the highest level on their list of priorities.They should be competent and should possess good character (akhlaq) so that they can be role models for others especially the younger generation. 5. Educational leaders should make a great effort to create a sound and healthy environment for their organization. Such an environment will help accomplish the objectives of the institution. 26 6. Research ce ntres and educational leadership institutions should organize more seminars, workshops and conferences in order to disseminate the concepts of educational leadership from an Islamic perspective. This will also help to consolidate and crystallize the Islamic theory of leadership. 7.Muslim scholars who are well-versed in Western educational leadership should increase their efforts in doing comparative studies between the Islamic and Western philosophies of educational leadership. 8. The five educational leadership roles and four educational leadership styles from an Islamic perspective that have been studied could be a guideline for selecting new leaders and managers for the Islamic organizations. 9. Further studies are to be conducted in the Islamic institutions in Muslim countries. This will assist scholars in acquiring a broader view of the current situation in the Islamic institutions in Muslim societies.As a result, this will help understanding the Islamic theory of educational l eadership. 10. A comparative study between Islamic institutions and other ones could help us in understanding the unique aspects of the Islamic institutions and the main differences between both of them. 27 BIBLIOGRAPHY Abdul-Athim, M. (1994). Usol Al-Fikr Al-Idari Fi Al-Islam, [Fundamentals of Administrative Thought in Islam]. Cairo: Maktaba Wahbah. Abdul-Hadi, H. A. (1970). Al-Fikr Al-Idari Al-Islami Wa Al-Muqaran, [Comparative and Islamic Administrative Thought]. 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Care for our environment

Care for our environment Albert Einstein once said â€Å"Look deep into the nature and you will understand everything better. † Save your environment because it is a place where you live and do whatever you want to. I get a lot of questions these days about going green. The most common of those questions is â€Å"Why should I Care for the environment? † The problem is this hasn't been raised by people who love recycling an organic food but from people who think recycling and buying organic food is Just futile and an utter waste of time. Let me explain some simple reasons to save our environment. Firstly†¦ ow the world your good side. The impact we have on the environment today will make a big difference on the future generation. Your attitude towards the environment shows your personality. I f you are a person who doesn't care for the environment, it shows that you are an irresponsible person. Secondly nobody likes to live in an atmosphere filled with smog. It beco mes hard to breathe and it causes a number of health problems which ultimately leads to death. Thirdly beautiful parks and beaches are scintillating to the mind and body. Unfortunately these have been destroyed by the mankind itself.As a result these gifts of nature are becoming more of a past memory and less of a reality. Last but not the least, human race isn't going to die out anytime soon. But we are using up our resources faster than we can replenish them. If we continue at the same place, we are eventually going to run out of fossil fuels, trees, drinking water etc. So remember, a green world is a better world. So let us Join hands and strive towards building a greener and better place to live in and let's make the future generation proud of what we did for them.