Problem of Historical Distortion – Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab

THE PROBLEM OF HISTORICAL DISTORTION: A Survey of Literature on Imam Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab as viewed through the Western slant of history By Kazi Zulkader Siddiqui The Problem of Historical DistortionOf the past fourteen centuries of the Islamic civilization, its thought, its institutions and the personalities who have contributed to its development and glory, stagnation and disintegration, the historical perspective painted by the Judaeo-Christian West has been markedly distinctive from the picture presented by the Muslim scholars, varying from outright hostile and distorted versions to the recent sympathetic (and sometimes empathetic) accounts.History is one of those branches of knowledge that can be used most effectively for the glorification and upliftment of one's own people at the expense of the traditions of others, leading eventually to a subversive imposition of one's own norms, values and way of life as the standard for others. Most, if not all of the people emanatin g from the Judaeo-Christian tradition who have penned their understanding of the Islamic civilization, have been prey to such underlying motives.This is not unique though since the subjective bias and assumptions of the historian in question are an integral part of the writing of history. What becomes remarkable in this case is the effective use of the historical perspective of other people for the exploitation of the same. This becomes manifest then, for example, in the notorious ‘Divide and Rule' policy of the post-renaissance British Empire. The Old Testament Hebraic heritage has a lot to offer in comprehending this attitude and mentality of the Western writer.The Old Testament (in the Bible) was written primarily to identify the ancestry and heritage of the Jews and thereby declare their superiority over all other nations. The other nations mentioned in the Old Testament are merely for the sake of justification of the crimes of the Children of Israel. Likewise, the modern Western writer is not concerned about the absolute and relative truths. He is more concerned about justifying or explaining away the phenomena of other civilizations. Through this he either hopes to dominate over the other civilizations, or to convert them to his own ways.We are well aware that our foregoing remarks are heavily loaded with our own assumptions; but there are certain assumptions, which are derived through the cognitive and perceptive processes using the facts of history as the starting point. Thus, in this case, the assumptions are elevated to the level of derived facts and axioms. To prove our point, we have chosen for this paper a survey of the literature in English produced by the West during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries on the famous and controversial imam Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab (1703-1789).As a prominent figure in Islamic history, loved by many and hated by many others of the Muslims, he has managed to attract the attention of the Western colonia lists, missionaries, and historians who were neither, right from his own lifetime to the present. Far greater than the Imam himself is the impact of his followers – the Muwa idun or the so-called Wahhabis – on the Western literature about Islam. The schismatic element in the nature of the controversy between the followers of the Imam and other Muslims has held great interest for the very reasons we have outlined above.The analysis will become far more categorical as we proceed with the survey itself. Besides, this analysis can be made much more precise, accurate and to the point if one were to attempt a similar exercise on the survey of the Western literature about the followers of the Imam. In this paper we shall limit ourselves to the Imam only. To begin with, it would be appropriate to narrate the salient features of the Imam's life briefly. Page 2 The Problem of Historical Distortion Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab: A Brief Biography: Coming from a learned family, 1 M u? mmad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab was born in 1115/1703 at `Uyaynah, a small town roughly 30 Km northwest of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. His ancestors had been steeped in the ? anbali tradition, and so was young Mu? ammad's education. As a young man, he left `Uyaynah for further studies. His search for learning took him to Makkah, Madinah and Damascus. He acquired great admiration for Ibn Taymiyah (d. 728/1328) through the shaykh `Abd Allah ibn Ibrahim al-Najdi at Madinah. Madinah also offered him a chance to teach for quite some time. Subsequently, he continued this occupation at the Umayyad mosque of Damascus.His journeys took him east to Basrah as well, where, besides acquiring further knowledge of the traditional sciences, he got the chance of getting acquainted with Shi`i and Sufi circles, their ways and ideas. This period ascertained for him the formulation of a mission in his mind. According to the Lam` al-Shihab, 2 he stayed in Basrah for four years and then moved to Baghdad. There he married a wealthy lady and remained for five years. He next went to Hamadan and then to Isfahan in 1148/1736 to study philosophy and Sufism. His quest for knowledge led him to Cairo and Damascus as well.Upon the settlement of his father in Huraymilah near Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab joined him, and it was here that the Imam composed his first work on taw? id, and also gathered disciples. After the death of his father in 1153/1740, he left Huraymilah for `Uyaynah where he spent four years. During his stay there, the governor `Uthman ibn Bishr of the Banu Mu`ammar became his follower. This became a cause for consternation among the powerful Banu Khalid. His preaching against shirk (associating partners with Allah) that was practiced by the masses, and against their moral laxity shook the roots of the society.As a result, the Imam was forced to leave `Uyaynah and seek refuge in Dir`iyah (which is around 10-15 Km from `Uyaynah in the direction of Riyadh), where he found followers among the amir Mu? ammad ibn Sa`ud's brothers and son. Eventually the Amir also supported him. The Amir and the Imam took a bay`ah (an oath of mutual loyalty), â€Å"to strive, by force if necessary, to make the kingdom of God's word prevail†. 3 This was the beginning of the religio-political reality that was to engulf the whole of Najd and its neighbouring territories during the decades to come, first under the amir Mu? mmad ibn Sa`ud (d. 1178/1765), then under his son `Abd al-`Aziz (d. 1218/1803) and his grandson Sa`ud (d. 1229/1814). We leave the story of the Al Sa`ud for other historians to narrate, and return to the man who called for the return to taw? id (God's unity) and a true practice of Islam. Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab continued his role as teacher in the mosque of Dir`iyah, as political counselor of the Amir, and as a preacher writing theological works and extending his da`wah to the neighbouring areas until his death in 1204/1789. 4 Bearing this brief picture of the Imam in mind, we ow turn to his Western biographers and their accounts. â€Å"His grandfather Sulayman b. Mu? ammad had been mufti of the Nadjd. His father `Abd al-Wahhab was kadi at `Uyayna during the emirate of `Abd Allah b. Mu? ammad b. Mu`ammar; he taught ? adith and fikh in the mosques of the town and left several works of ? anbali inspiration, which in part survive†. Laoust, EI2, III:677, col. 2. 2 Abu Hakima, Ahmad A. , ed. , Lam` al-Shihab fi ta’rikh Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab, Beirut, 1967 3 Laoust, EI2, III:678, col. 2. Most of the facts have been taken from this same source. Most historians give the year of death as 1206/1792. See Mu`inuddin A? mad Khan, â€Å"A Diplomat's Report on Wahhabism of Arabia†, Islamic Studies 7 (1968), p. 38, for the argument in favour of 1204/1789 as the correct date. Page 3 1 The Problem of Historical Distortion WESTERN ACCOUNTS ABOUT THE IM M: M. Carsten Niebuhr (1733-1815): The first European to mention the Imam in his writings was M. Carsten Niebuhr who visited the peninsula in 1761-1764, that is within four years of the bay`ah taken between the Imam and ibn Sa`ud. He published his reports in German in 1772 and 1778.An abridged English version of his writings appeared first in 1792 entitled Travels Through Arabia and Other Countries in the East. 5 Niebuhr and his companions had embarked upon an ecclesiastical mission to gather some information about this ancient land of Arabia, which had been the cradle of Christianity just as it had been for Judaism and Islam. Many people have noted the false and misleading remarks of Niebuhr with regards to the Imam. In the drama depicted by Niebuhr, there are two important characters in the founding of â€Å"the New Religion of a Part of Nedsjed†, 6 namely one â€Å"Abd ul Wahheb† and his son â€Å"Mahomet†. His description of ibn `Abd al-Wahhab's youth seems to tally with the facts of the Imam's life. Now this â€Å"Abd ul Wahheb†, having founded his religion, converts several Schiechs (i. e. shaykhs) to his faith, and virtually becomes their ruler. He reduces a great part of â€Å"El Ared†, thus seemingly also performing the role of ibn Sa`ud. After the father's death, the son â€Å"Mahomet† takes over the small empire built by his father, sustaining â€Å"the supreme ecclesiastical character in El Ared†. Among his beliefs cited are that â€Å"he considered Mahomet, Jesus Christ, Moses, and many others, respected by the Sunnites in the character of prophets, as merely great men, whose history might be read with improvement; denying that any book had ever been written by divine inspiration, or brought down from the heaven by the angel Gabriel. † 9 Against the beliefs of â€Å"Abd ul Wahheb†, he contrasts the Sunnites as a â€Å"superstitious sect† whose opinions are false, depending on â€Å"their own whimsies† to explain the â€Å" Alcoran†, acknowledging saints â€Å"to whom many absurd miracles are ascribed†, etc. 0 Finally, he concludes that ‘The new religion of Abd ul Wahheb deserves therefore to be regarded as a reformation of Mahometism, reducing it back to its original simplicity†. 11 The inaccuracies of Niebuhr's reporting continued in the Western understanding for many decades as we shall see. Sir Harford Jones Brydges: Far more accurate in his reporting was the civil servant of the colonialist British, Sir Harford Jones Brydges, who sent his first report on the Wahhabis from Baghdad to the British Foreign Office in C. M. Niebuhr, Travels Through Arabia and Other Countries in the East, trans. nto English by Robert Heron, vol. 2, Edinburgh, R. Morrison & Son, 1792. Cf. also Mu`inuddin A? mad Khan, op. cit. , p. 33 and a review of Niebuhr's life in Islamic Culture 7 (1933), pp. 502-505 by V. B. Mehta. 6 Niebuhr, II:130. Note that Nedsjed is Najd. 7 Ibid. , II:131-3. 8 Ibid. , II :133. 9 Ibid. , II:134. 10 Ibid. , II:135. 11 Ibid. , II:135. Page 4 5 The Problem of Historical Distortion 1799, that is within a decade of the death of the Imam. 12 The weakest part of his report is the following anecdote: â€Å"Shaik Ibn Mahamer 13 proud of possessing this new Sectuary gave Moolah Mohammed 14 his own Sister inMarriage and Moolah Mohammed sometime after, under pretense, that his Brother in Law Mahamer perverted Justice and oppressed the Tribe, murdered him with his own hands in the Mosque as he was at prayers meaning thereby, as he declared, to give to the People of Ayenah 15 a proof that his love for Justice was so great, that neither the obligations which he had to, nor alliance he had with Shaik Mahamer could withhold him from punishing even in him that he conceived to be a deviation from it. The People of Ayenah however appear to have had too much good Sense, to esteem as meritorious, so horrible a Transaction, and they obliged Moolah Mohammed, to abandon Aye nah, and he fled to Dereah 16 where he found an Asylum and Protector in Shaik Ibn Soud, the Governor of that place, who also embraced his Doctrines†. 17 Historically we know that `Uthman ibn Mu`ammar died a natural death after the Imam had left for Dir`iyah, and that his expulsion from `Uyaynah was due to the pressures from various parts of that area against his teachings.Other than this error, Brydges' report to his masters in London faithfully depicted the doctrines taught by the Imam. He says, â€Å"The Religion they possess is Mohammedan according to the literal meaning of the Koran, following the Interpretations of Hambelly†. 18 Thirty-five years later, in 1834, Sir Harford Jones Brydges produced a far greater authoritative account of the Muwa idun in his A Brief History of the Wahauby. 19 We shall return to this document after looking at other developments during these thirty-five years. e Sacy: In 1805, we find the Frenchman de Sacy writing in his paper Observati ons sur les Wahhabites that the Muwa idun are â€Å"enemies of Islam†. He considered them to be an offshoot of the Qarmatians. 20 Rousseau: Four years later in 1809, another Frenchman by the name of Rousseau produced two short treatises 21 in which â€Å"it was positively asserted, that the Wahabys have a new religion, and that Mu`inuddin A? mad Khan, op. cit. , pp. 33-46. i. e. `Uthman ibn Mu`ammar, the governor of `Uyaynah. 14 i. e. Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab 15 i. e. `Uyaynah. 16 i. e.Dir`iyah, the first Saudi capital in the eighteenth century. It is now a ruin, lying on the outskirts of present day Riyadh 17 Mu`inuddin A? mad Khan, op. cit. , p. 41. 18 Ibid. , p. 42. By â€Å"Hambelly† he means the ? anbali School of Fiqh. 19 Harford Jones Brydges, An Account of the Transactions of His Majesty's Mission to the Court of Persia in the years 1807-11, to which is appended A Brief History of the Wahauby: London, James Bohn, 1834. 20 M. A. Bari, â€Å"The early Wahha bis, some contemporary assessments†. Proceedings of the 27th International Congress of Orientalists: Ann Arbor, Mich. , 1967.It may be recalled here that the Qarmatians were a 9th – 12th century Isma`ili sect that sprang up in southern `Iraq and al-Hasa'. 21 J. B. L. J. Rousseau, Descriptions du pashalic de Baghdad suivie d'une notice historique sur les Wahabis, et de quelques autres pieces relatives l'histoire et la litterature de l'Orient, Paris, Trouttel et Wurtz, 1809, pp. 125-182. Idem. , â€Å"Notice sur la secte des Wahabis†, Fundgruben des Orients, Vol. I, Wien, 1809, pp. 191-198. 13 12 Page 5 The Problem of Historical Distortion although they acknowledge the Koran, yet they have entirely abolished the pilgrimage to Mekka†. 2 He claimed to derive part of his information from â€Å"le Chapelain de Saoud†. 23 Burckhardt, Brydges, 24 and other later Western writers reprimanded Rousseau for his obvious misinformation, the indignation arising over his claim to an authentic source of information. Corancez: The following year, i. e. in 1810, Corancez published his work in French. 25 Nashshabah says that after Burckhardt, â€Å"the next best Western account of the early history of the Wahhabis is Corancez's Histoire des Wahhabis, depuis leur origine jusqu'a la fin de 1809.Corancez, who was the French consul in Aleppo from 1800 to 1808, carefully checked the information he had been able to gather, and his informants were often first-hand observers; but his account of the life of the founder of the Wahhabi movement is inadequate. He ascribes Wahhabi expansion solely to the weakness and misrule of the Ottomans (whose authority in most of Arabia was at times merely nominal) and ignores the fervour stirred up by (ibn) `Abd al-Wahhab which, combined with the leadership of Mu? ammad ibn Sa`ud, must surely have been the main reason for their astonishing victories†. 6 Vincenzo Maurizi: During the following years, we find the writ ings of another Niebuhrian, 27 an Italian by the name of Vincenzo Maurizi alias Shaik Mansur. He amused his European audience with his History of Seyd Said, Sultan of Muscat in 1819, which also devoted a considerable section to the Muwa idun. Maurizi, in his zeal to discredit the movement, overstepped even the limits of Niebuhr and painted a completely erroneous picture. To give a full flavour of his deliberate misreporting, we quote part of his narrative below. â€Å"About the middle of the last century (i. e. ighteenth century), a man named Abdulwahab, or Abdulvaab, a native of Hellah, or Ellaa, 28 on the banks of the Euphrates, pretended to have a vision, in which a flame appeared to issue from his body and burn to ashes all the neighbouring country; he confided the extraordinary circumstances which had befallen him to a Mullah, or Mulla, and the interpreter of the will of heaven declared that this sign portended the birth of a son, who should become the founder of a new religio n, and perform extraordinary actions. Soon afterwards the wife of Abdulvaab really became pregnant, and bore him a son, who was named Maam? . 29 [footnote in the text reads: This happened about the year 1757. ]. â€Å"The tribe of Neshdee, or Nescede, 30 to which the family belonged, soon imbibed the doctrines which appeared to be sanctioned by divine authority, and Abdulvaab, as general of J. L. Burckhardt, Notes on the Bedouins and Wahabys, vol. 2: London, Henry Colburn & Richard Bentley, 1831, p. II:103. 23 Ibid. , p. 103. 24 cf. ibid. , and Brydges, The Wahauby, p. 109,112. 25 L. A. O. de Corancez, Histoire des Wahhabis, depuis leur origine jusqu' la fin de 1809, Paris, Grapelet, 1810. 26 Hisham A.Nashshabah, Islam and Nationalism in the Arab World: A Selected and Annotated Bibliography: Montreal, Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, 1955. Unpublished M. A. thesis. p. 11. 27 About Niebuhr, Maurizi remarks â€Å"where the accurate and indefatigable Niebuhr could aff ord me any assistance, I have not hesitated to avail myself of it, and on the other hand I have occasionally remarked any alterations which have taken place since his days†. 17th page of his â€Å"Preface† to the History of Seyd Said, Sultan of Muscat, 1819. 28 He probably means al-? illah in `Iraq. 29 i. e. Muhammad 30 i. e.Najdi. Page 6 22 The Problem of Historical Distortion an army and prophet of a rising sect, had an opportunity of spreading his political power, and the opinions of the new faith, which he considered himself commissioned to promulgate; while his son accompanied him, and was shown to all as the precious pledge of Almighty approbation towards the Vaabi religion. After Abdulvaabs death Maam? t succeeded in his command, but being blind, was obliged to employ, as his deputy, in all affairs of state except those relating to religion, a person named Abdullazis, 31 an adopted brother of his father's. This minister followed up the victories of the deceased p rophet with the greatest facility. As the first barriers of opposition had been already overthrown, it would be very difficult, and perhaps useless to name all the Seek 32 who resisted in arms the aggrandisement of the Vaabi, or the particular periods of their several conquests; but at the death of the chief last mentioned, 33 almost all the interior of the Arabian peninsula acknowledged their political and religious sway.Abdullazis succeeded to the supreme authority, and greatly extended the limits of their power, having sacked Mecca and Medina and destroyed the tomb of Mahomet, whom he declared to be a deceiver, and not a messenger of heaven; he also penetrated to the gates of Aleppo and Baghdad, massacred a caravan of Persian pilgrims on their route to visit the burial place of Alle, or Eli, 34 at Ellaa, 35 and plundered that depository of the accumulated wealth of ages†. 36 The historical errors are far too many to comment on in detail; but we shall make observations on so me salient distortions.The dichotomy between `Abd al-Wahhab and Mu? ammad ibn `Abd alWahhab is carried on from Niebuhr, but Maurizi goes a step further in proclaiming `Abd al-Wahhab to be a prophet, and giving Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab almost the position of a demi-god. Besides, he transfers the hometown of the family to al-? illah in `Iraq and moves the year of birth of Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab to 1757, the year when he contracted the bay`ah with ibn Sa`ud. The fallacy of a tribe called Najdi, of the existence of `Ali's tomb at al-? illah, of `Abd al-`Aziz being the adopted brother of the Imam's father, etc. eed hardly be commented upon. But the interesting development that must be noted is the so-called declaration by `Abd al-`Aziz of the Prophet Mu? ammad (p) being an impostor. Maurizi elaborates on this and other supposed beliefs of the â€Å"Vaabi† by quoting an answer which he claims to have been given to him by an envoy of Sa`ud ibn `Abd al-`Aziz. It reads: â₠¬Å"We do not differ from other Musaleems, or Muselims (Musselmen) 37 except in thinking that Mahomet arrogated to himself too much authority; and, that the Koran was sent to the earth by the hands of angels, nd not of that man, who has even dared to falsify many of its doctrines; we also consider that the prophets, and especially Maamet iben Abdulvaab were beings like ourselves; and, therefore, not worthy of being addressed in prayer, although deserving of admiration and imitation for their piety and moral conduct†¦ † 38 Obviously, Maurizi could not have known more than a few words or phrases in Arabic, or else he would have rendered the envoy's answer truthfully. Instead, he has imposed hearsay and his own 31 32 Presumably `Abd al-`Aziz ibn Mu? ammad ibn Sa`ud. . e. shaykhs. 33 i. e. Maamet, the son of Abdulva b. 34 i. e. `Ali ibn Abi Talib. 35 i. e. al-? illah in `Iraq. 36 Maurizi, , op. cit. , pp. 36-38. 37 i. e. Muslims. 38 Maurizi, op. cit. , p. 40. Page 7 The Proble m of Historical Distortion assumptions into the mouth of the envoy. His lack of knowledge of Arabic is reflected also in the fact that he misconstrues `Abd Allah ibn Sa`ud, the Sa`udi amir after Sa`ud ibn `Abd al-`Aziz as â€Å"Abdullahazis† (`Abd al-`Aziz). Similarly, in the last passage cited, the envoy must have said â€Å"the prophets, and especially Mu? mmad ibn `Abd Allah were beings like ourselves †¦ † which Maurizi took to mean Maamet iben Abdulvaab. Maurizi's account even disgraces fiction. J. L. Burckhardt: John Lewis Burckhardt was the first to bring a balanced view of the movement to the European audience. The epistle of Brydges in 1799 was not a public document. Thus Burckhardt's Notes on the Bedouins and Wahabys published in 1831 was a turning point in the Western understanding of the Imam and his followers. This work goes into fair amount of detail about the movement.Burckhardt dispelled many of the misunderstandings that had been current in the Wes t as a result of the earlier writings. The very first thing he set out to correct was that: â€Å"The doctrines of Abd el Wahab were not those of a new religion; his efforts were directed only to reform abuses in the followers of Islam, and to disseminate the pure faith among Bedouins; who although Muselmans, were equally ignorant of religion, as indifferent about all the duties which it prescribed†. 39 Comparing the Muwa idun to the Ottoman Turks, he says: â€Å"Not a single new precept was to be found in the Wahaby ode. Abd el Wahab took as his sole guide the Koran and the Sunne (or the laws formed upon the traditions of Mohammed); and the only difference between this sect and the orthodox Turks, however improperly so termed, is, that the Wahabys rigidly follow the same laws which the others neglect, or have ceased altogether to observe. To describe, therefore, the Wahaby religion, would be to recapitulate the Muselman faith; and to show in what points this sect differs fr om the Turks, would be to give a list of all the abuses of which the latter are guilty†. 0 One can quote Burckhardt at length to show his positive attitude which led him to a fairly objective analysis of the creed and practice of the Muwa idun, and the reasons why Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab â€Å"was misunderstood both by his friends and his enemies†. 41 The former took offense at his seeming attacks on the Prophet (p) and the latter saw a political threat in his preaching; thus leading to an intentional distortion of the facts. Despite this objectivity in Burckhardt, one cannot but comment on the Western slant of his perception.The usage of words often has a psychological effect on the reader. For instance, Burckhardt, writing about the Imam says that â€Å"being convinced by what he observed during his (b. `Abd al-Wahhab's) travels, that the primitive (emphasis ours) faith of Islam, or Mohammedanism, had become totally corrupted and obscured by abuses,†¦ †Å". 42 The value judgment involved in his use of the word â€Å"primitive† is apparent. The Western notion that the progression of thought and ideas essentially leads to the advancement of civilization is a result of their philosophical heritage.The Islamic notion, that the absolute is derived solely through the process of divine revelation in history and not through cognitive, intuitive or perceptive processes which are bound by the limitations of the human mind, stands markedly in contradistinction to the Western assumptions. Thus, while the 39 40 Burckhardt, op. cit. , II:99. Ibid. , II:112 41 Ibid. , II:99. 42 Ibid. , II:96. Page 8 The Problem of Historical Distortion Muslim (including Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab) would view the life of theProphet as a supreme achievement in the history of man, the Western thinker would regard it as a ‘primitive' stage in the life of man. However, it is remarkable that if one is to compare Burckhardt with the later Orientalists, he was far ahead of his own time in this respect. His value judgements are very limited. Hitti, a century later, echoes the same words that â€Å"he (b. `Abd al-Wahhab) himself determined to purge it (Islam) and restore it to its primitive strictness†. 43 Hitti goes further though in regarding the bay`ah of 1757 as â€Å"another case of marriage between religion and the sword†. 4 The subtle intrusion of value judgements are scattered profusely throughout the writings even of the socalled ‘sympathetic' Western Orientalists like Nicholson, 45 Wilfrid Cantwell Smith (d. 2000), 46 von Grunebaum (1909-1972), 47 and H. A. R. Gibb (d. 1971) 48 not to speak of the others. Andrew Crichton: The next stage in the history of the Western biographies of the Imam was set by Andrew Crichton with his publication of History of Arabia: Ancient and Modern in 1833. This is the first time that we see a Western writer composing a secondary work on the Muwa dun based solely on other Weste rn writings. Having noted Burckhardt's caution against the misconceptions floating around, Crichton relied primarily on Burckhardt, Corancez and Mengin in particular. 49 Since he has nothing original to offer, we turn to his usage of some of the material at hand. For example, after outlining the beliefs and practices of the Muwa idun, he states â€Å"They did not, however, so far outstrip themselves of all superstition as to abolish the ceremonies of ablution and the Meccan pilgrimage, or even those of kissing the black stone and throwing stones at the devil†. 0 To start with, this reveals the author's ignorance about Islam, it's beliefs, practices and rituals. Secondly, it is surprising that the author cannot even conceive of non-Christian rituals that reflect and lead to cleanliness, unity of man, and submission and commitment to God. By calling these rituals â€Å"superstition†, the author has obviously passed a normative judgment that is reflective of the Judaeo-Ch ristian tradition. Sir Harford Jones Brydges re-visited: Chronologically, this brings us once again to Sir Harford Jones Brydges.This worthy civil servant of the colonialist British Empire had little that was new to add to the known facts of the Imam's life as described by Burckhardt. He published his Brief History of the Wahauby, in 1834 after perusal of Burckhardt's work. The only point on which the two disagreed was whether Mu? ammad ibn alWahhab was the father-in-law or the son-in-law of Mu? ammad ibn Sa`ud. Regardless of this dispute, what Brydges has to offer as an interpretation of this relationship between the two is as follows: P. K. Hitti, History of the Arabs: Edinburgh, 1939, 1972, p. 40. Ibid. 45 R. A. Nicholson, Literary History of the Arabs, Cambridge, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1907, 1969, p. 466. 46 W. C. Smith, Islam in Modern History: N. Y. , Mentor, 1957, pp. 48-51. 47 G. von Grunebaum, â€Å"Attempts at Self-Interpretation in Contemporary Islam†, Islam: Essay s in the nature and growth of a cultural tradition, London, 1955, pp. 185-236. 48 H. A. R. Gibb, Modern Trends in Islam, Chicago, Univ. of Chicago Press, 1947, 1972, pp. 26-32. 49 Andrew Crichton, History of Arabia: Ancient and Modern, vol. 2: Edinburgh, Oliver & Boyd, 1833, p. II:190.See footnote. 50 Ibid. , II:290. 44 43 Page 9 The Problem of Historical Distortion â€Å"†¦ and that in consequence of this connexion, though Abdulwahaub remained the book, Mahommed Ibn Saoud became the sword of the sect†. 51 This is the prelude to what we have been hearing from Orientalists like Hitti and others mentioned earlier. The only difference is that while Brydges was a part of the colonialist establishment and had a political axe to grind, the Orientalists are a part of the neo-colonialist imperialism that breeds Orientalist research. In other respects, i. . those that cover other aspects of the history of the Muwa idun, their administration, etc. , Brydges' book complements the w ork of Burckhardt. W. G. Palgrave: Moving beyond the middle of the nineteenth century, we come to William Gifford Palgrave, a servant of the British crown in India, steeped in the Christian tradition. By his time, the facts of the movement were well known; it was now the time for the growth of interpretation of these facts. Palgrave published two works, namely Eastern and Central Arabia (1866) and Essays on Eastern Questions (1872).Wahhabism had by this time become a great threat to the British Empire in India and elsewhere, and the crown was out to discredit the movement not only in the British public eye, but also among the Muslims residing in the British colonies. The latter purpose was not difficult to achieve due to the existing propaganda against the Muwa idun by the Ottoman Turks. Thus, in true service of British colonialism and displaying his loyalty to the missionary cause, Palgrave tried to paint the movement as a reaction to the pressure of the Christian West.He says â₠¬Å"The great reactionary movement, the ‘Revival', originated where scarce a spark of life had been left, by the too-famous ‘Abd-el-Wahhab, in the land of Nejd, has gradually but surely extended itself over the entire surface and through all the length and depth of Islam; while the ever increasing pressures of the Christian, or, at least, non-Mahometan, West, has intensified the ‘fanatical' tendency, even where it has modified its special direction.For ‘Islam' is a political not less than a religious whole;†¦ † 52 This was a rejoinder to the alarm sounded by W. W. Hunter (who was in Her Majesty's Bengal Civil Service) in his book The Indian Musalmans. 53 By this time, the British had already successfully faced Sayyid A? mad Shahid (d. 1831), Titu Mir and the War of 1857. With these major setbacks, a wave of strong ‘Wahhabi' feelings had swept the Muslims of Bengal and Northern India, hoping to regain their lost position.Therefore, it was essen tial for the British cause to subvert this obvious threat. Apart from the political motivations for his analysis, his Christian missionary zeal and hatred for Islam drove Palgrave to write as follows: â€Å"The Wahhabee reformer formed the design of putting back the hour-hand of Islam to its starting-point; and so far he did well, for that hand was from the first meant to be fixed. Islam is in its essence stationary, and was framed thus to remain.Sterile like its God, lifeless like its first Principle and supreme Original in all that constitutes true life – for life is love, participation, and progress, and of these the Coranic Deity has none – it justly repudiates all change, all advance, all developement. To borrow the forcible words of Lord Houghton, the 51 52 Brydges, The Wahauby, p. 107. W. G. Palgrave, Essays on Eastern Questions: London, MacMillan & Co. , 1872, p. 115. 53 W. W. Hunter, The Indian Musalmans, 1871. Page 10 The Problem of Historical Distortion wri tten book† is there the â€Å"dead man's hand†, stiff and motionless; whatever savours of vitality is by that alone convicted of heresy and defection. â€Å"But Christianity with its living and loving God, Begetter and Begotten, Spirit and Movement, nay more, a Creator made creature, the Maker and the made existing in One, a Divinity communicating itself by uninterrupted gradation and degree from the most intimate union far off to the faintest irradiation, though all that It has made for love and governs in love;†¦ † 54 Mu? mmad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab is the example for him par excellence of the true image of Islam, stagnant against a dynamic Christianity, backward looking against the advancing Christianity, lifeless against the living Christianity, and with a Sterile God against a living and loving Christian God who begets his only begotten Son becoming the Creator and creature, the Maker and the made all in One. Palgrave combined the missionary and the colonia list mentality in a perfect blend that was to reflect in the Orientalist attitude during the century to follow. He becomes the precursor to the likes of Samuel Zwemer, 55 E. Calverley, C. M.Doughty (1843-1926), 56 T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935), 57 and others. We end our analysis with Palgrave. Doubtless, the approach of the Orientalist has improved vastly during this century, as we see in the writings of George Rentz, for example. 58 However, the Orientalists of the latter portion of the nineteenth century, and until recently, those of the twentieth century have faithfully followed the tradition of the likes of Palgrave. CONCLUSION: For the sake of betterment and advancement of the civilization of man, we go back to our opening remarks and question the Western Judaeo-Christian approach towards the civilizations of the East.Rejecting the self-centeredness and particularity practiced by the Judaeo-Christian West, and in order to approximate the Islamic universality, we must shed our feat hers and appreciate the traditions and civilizations of others within their own framework and assumptions. The plurality of this small world, shrunk by the advance of technology, necessitates a renunciation of selfishness and oppression of the weak, at least in intellectual exercises. In the present context, that is of our approach towards history, we are now bound to accept the facts as such and interpret them for the betterment of mankind.It is obvious that personal biases cannot be eliminated in their totality. The basic assumptions must remain. Regardless, this should not lead us to a distortion of facts. Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab served an important purpose to a significant population of mankind, and has also caused grievance to many. In light of this we cannot justify either veneration or denunciation of this man, who devoted his life for a simple cause. W. G. Palgrave, Narrative of a Year's Journey Through Eastern and Central Arabia (1862-63), 2 Vols. : London, MacMillan & Co. , 1866, p. I:372. 5 Samuel M. Zwemer, Arabia the Cradle of Islam and The Mohammedan World of Today: N. Y. , Fleming H. Revell Co. , 1906. 56 Charles Montagu Doughty, Travels in Arabia Deserta: London, N. Y. , 1906. 57 T. E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom: London, Jonathan Cape, 1926, 1935, 1940 Idem. , Revolt in the Desert: N. Y. , George H. Doran Co. , 1927 58 George Rentz, Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab and the Unitarian Movement in Arabia, Ph. D. Thesis, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Cf. also Idem. , â€Å"Wahhabism and Saudi Arabia† in The Arabian Peninsula: Society and Politics, ed. y Derek Hopwood: London, George Allen Unwin, 1972, pp. 54-66. And Idem. , â€Å"The Wahhabis† in Religion in the Middle East ed. by A. J. Arberry: Cambridge, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1969, pp. 270- 284. Page 11 54 The Problem of Historical Distortion Instead, his contribution to the development of civilization must be appreciated in its true perspective. The most important c onclusion is the recognition of the distortion of facts, deliberate or otherwise, by the Western colonialists, their functionaries, their missionaries, and the Orientalists who were none of these.Their aims were multifarious. While the colonialists and their functionaries strove to maintain their political supremacy and to keep the Muslim population subdued within the colonies, the missionaries tried their utmost to distort Islam to the extent possible hoping to gain converts. It was often that the aims of the colonialists and the missionaries though seemingly different were in fact the same. Hence, they worked hand in glove throughout and distorted the facts of history to make their own ends meet. Page 12 The Problem of Historical DistortionBIBLIOGRAPHY Abu Hakima, Ahmad A. , ed. , Lam` al-Shihab fi ta’rikh Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab, Beirut, 1967 M. A. Bari, Harford Jones Brydges, â€Å"The early Wahhabis, some contemporary assessments†. Proceedings of the 27th Int ernational Congress of Orientalists: Ann Arbor, Mich. , 1967. An Account of the Transactions of His Majesty's Mission to the Court of Persia in the years 1807-11, to which is appended A Brief History of the Wahauby: London, James Bohn, 1834. Notes on the Bedouins and Wahabys, vol. 2: London, Henry Colburn & Richard Bentley, 1831, p.II:103. Histoire des Wahhabis, depuis leur origine jusqu'a la fin de 1809, Paris, Grapelet, 1810. History of Arabia: Ancient and Modern, vol. 2: Edinburgh, Oliver & Boyd, 1833 Travels in Arabia Deserta: London, N. Y. , 1906. An abridged version of this work was also published under the title Wanderings In Arabia, London, Duckworth, 1908, 1926 Modern Trends in Islam, Chicago, Univ. of Chicago Press, 1947, 1972 â€Å"Attempts at Self-Interpretation in Contemporary Islam†, Islam: Essays in the nature and growth of a cultural tradition, London, 1955, pp. 85-236 History of the Arabs: Edinburgh, 1939, 1972 The Indian Musalmans, 1871 â€Å"A Diplomat's R eport on Wahhabism of Arabia†, Islamic Studies 7 (1968), Encyclopedia of Islam, Second Edition, III:677, col. 2. Seven Pillars of Wisdom: London, Jonathan Cape, 1926, 1935, 1940 Revolt in the Desert: N. Y. , George H. Doran Co. , 1927 History of Seyd Said, Sultan of Muscat, 1819 A review of Niebuhr's life in Islamic Culture 7 (1933), pp. 502-505 Islam and Nationalism in the Arab World: A Selected and Annotated Bibliography: Montreal, Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, 1955.Unpublished M. A. thesis. Literary History of the Arabs, Cambridge, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1907, 1969 Travels Through Arabia and Other Countries in the East, trans. into English by Robert Heron, vol. 2, Edinburgh, R. Morrison & Son, 1792. Essays on Eastern Questions: London, MacMillan & Co. , 1872 Narrative of a Year's Journey Through Eastern and Central Arabia (1862-63), 2 Vols. : London, MacMillan & Co. , 1866 Mu? ammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab and the Unitarian Movement in Arabia, Ph. D. Thesis, M cGill University, Montreal, Canada. â€Å"Wahhabism and SaudiArabia† in The Arabian Peninsula: Society and Politics, ed. by Derek Hopwood: London, George Allen Unwin, 1972, pp. 54-66 â€Å"The Wahhabis† in Religion in the Middle East ed. by A. J. Arberry: Cambridge, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1969, pp. 270- 284 Descriptions du pashalic de Baghdad suivie d'une notice historique sur les Wahabis, et de quelques autres pieces relatives a l'histoire et a la litterature de l'Orient, Paris, Trouttel et Wurtz, 1809, pp. 125-182. J. L. Burckhardt, L. A. O. de Corancez, Andrew Crichton, Charles Montagu Doughty, H. A. R. Gibb, G. von Grunebaum, P. K.Hitti, W. W. Hunter, Mu`inuddin A? mad Khan, Henri Laoust, T. E. Lawrence, Idem. , Vincenzo Maurizi, V. B. Mehta, Hisham A. Nashshabah, R. A. Nicholson, C. M. Niebuhr, W. G. Palgrave, W. G. Palgrave, George Rentz, Idem. , Idem. , J. B. L. J. Rousseau, Page 13 The Problem of Historical Distortion Idem. , W. C. Smith, Samuel M. Zwemer, â₠¬Å"Notice sur la secte des Wahabis†, Fundgruben des Orients, Vol. I, Wien, 1809, pp. 191198. Islam in Modern History: N. Y. , Mentor, 1957 Arabia the Cradle of Islam and The Mohammedan World of Today: N. Y. , Fleming H. Revell Co. , 1906 Page 14

Fossil Story Essay

Northeastern Illinois has a great deal of geological history hidden beneath the surface. If you just take a trip to the Larson Quarry or even Pit 11 you can find some interesting rock formations as well as fossils in them. But, if you cannot get to these areas, this paper can tell you what you can find in 5 different locations in Northeastern Illinois. We will be looking at Larson Quarry, Thornton Quarry, Mazon River, Pit 11, and the Glacial Drift which is at Palos Hills and throughout the surface of the Chicago area). The first stop is the Larson Quarry. This is located near DeKalb, Illinois. The specific coordinates are 42? N, 88? 35’ W at 920 feet. This site contains specimens from 450 million years ago which include trilobites like Flexicalymene, brachiopods like platystropia, rafnesquina, leptaena, the horn coral streptelasma, an unnamed bivalve, bryozoans, various crinoid stem parts, the cephalopod endoceras, and the gastropods cyclonema and malcurites. The rock types and formations that were found around these fossils were Cincinnatian Maquoketa Shale and Galena Dolomite. â€Å"The Maquoketa shale, which contains seams of argillaceous dolomite†¦and ranges from highly to slightly weathered, with the highly weathered portions having the consistency of a stiff clay and are extremely fissile† (Preber). These fossils were preserved by replacement as well as mold and cast. The Mazon River, which is near Morris, Illinois is located at 41? 20’N, 88? 30’W at 525 feet. This site had fossils from 290 million years ago and included seed ferns like alethopteris and neuropteris, true fern Pecopteris, horsetail rush parts calamites (trunk), and annularia (leaf whorl), lycopod tree (club moss) parts and bark lepidodendron, and leaf lepidophylites. The rock types were shale and sandstone as well as coal and the formation was Francis Creek. The Illinois State Museum writes in an article about how Francis Creek formation is formed: â€Å"Much of the area that we now call Illinois was a mixture of swampy lowlands and shallow marine bays. From the northeast flowed at least one major river system. The river(s) built large deltas through the low swamps and into the shallow bays. The mud that the river(s) carried was deposited in these deltas and bays. This mud turned into a rock called the Francis Creek Shale†. The preservation type was impressions in concretions. Next is Pit 11 which is the Mazonia/Briadwaood State Fish and Wildlife area at 41? 15’N, 88? 15’W at 590 feet. These specimens were found from 290 million years ago. The fossils include the same basic plants as the Mazon River. They also include jellyfish like the essexella, the shrimp belotelson, clams like edmontia and aviculopectin, an unnamed marine annelid worm, a possible fish fossil coprolite, the infamous Tully Monster: tullymonstrum, and the echinoderm sea cucumber holothurian. The rock types that held these fossils were shale and sandstone, as well as coal. These were in a Francis Creek formation. These fossils were preserved by impressions in concretions. It becomes quite apparent that there are certain biases in how and what fossils are preserved. Some species, notably Pecopteris unita, are found with fertile structures nearly half of the time while others like the more common true fern, Pecopteris acadica, are rarely seen with fertile structures being preserved at all† (Mazon Creek†¦). This tells us how these fossils were formed. Thornton Quarry, at coordinates 41? 35’ N, 87? 35’ W at 590 to 250 feet, is located on the south side of Chicago. This Quarry was formed 420 million years ago and includes fossils such as the trilobite calymene, brachiopod pentamerus, corals like favosite and halysites, an unnamed crinoid stem and the cephalopod moorecoceras. The rock types that were here were limestone-dolomite in Niagaran Racine Dolomite with fossils in mold and cast. â€Å"The most famous reef unearthed in the Chicago area is the coral reef†¦Debris from the growing reef began to be deposited and cemented. The reefs contained sea lilies, animals resembling horseshoe crabs, and ancient ancestors of squids and octopuses up to ten feet long. The ashy, gray-white limestone mined from the Thornton Reef contains the fossils of these animals† (Herweck). The reason that there are multiple types of coral is because this area was at the bottom of the Silurian Sea and molded well into the limestone. Lastly, we visit Palos Hills which includes the Glacial Drift. This area was from ~15,000 years ago and showed deposits of unconsolidated pebbles, sand, silt ad clay which contain mixed rocks of 400 million to 1 billion years old at 41? 41’N, 87? 50’ W at 772 feet. The fossils found here are mammoth or mastodon remains that are preserved as unaltered hard parts. There are also mixed marine fossils including crinoid stems, brachiopods, corals like hexagonaria (Petosky Stone) and trilobite parts, where were preserved as mold and cast r replacement. The glacial till include striated rocks composed of a mixture of many types including sedimentary (limestone/dolomite), igneous (granite, basalt) and metamorphic (gneiss). The formation was Valparaiso Moraine. â€Å"At this time, glacial ice covered the entire Chicago region†¦. the active ice sheet retreated into the Lake Michigan basin, although stagnant, melting ice remained behind. The ice then rapidly re-advanced to the†¦Valparaiso moraine in the western Chicago region† (Grimm). The glaciers that were in Chicago made a big impact on picking up rocks and sand and dirt from other regions and bringing it into the area, which is a reason why you may find interesting things in the area and that rocks age from 400 million to 1 billion years ago. The areas that we can find an assortment of fossils and rock formations are abundant in Illinois and have a wide variety of ages. From this summary, you can see what type of rock are around Northeastern Illinois and what type of animals, plants, and rocks were around from different periods and what type of environment they must have lived in.

Academic Monitoring System using Android application Essay

ABSTRACT The portability, open source nature of smart phones and android OS for PC on android development platform has made the development of application software for various environments as handy. In this application are resulted in paper less work, easy to use and time saving in nature. The wireless communication technology of smart phone enables the information transfer from the current client to remote database server, where ever the network range is available. The Academic Monitoring System is a mobile computing software application, which focuses on an activity or function, which is based on management information system of academic institutions. Overall the system is acting as an effective tool, in assisting the smooth functions of the academic activities of an educational institution. The entire system development is proposed with Android development platform. Keywords: Academic Monitoring System, Mobile Computing, Android based Software Systems, Online Database Management System, We b Technology. 1. INTRODUCTION The nature of portability and handy use of smart phone led them in use of various applications where ever the personal computer is applied today. This project is about â€Å"Academic Activity Monitoring System (AAMS)† (every faculties posting attendance details can be easily traced out).The system will include the information about the attendance of the students credit system to keep a their performance record. This automation system is embedded into android application which runs in android OS for PC. In present system, every faculty posting attendance details can be easily traced out. The whole session is stored in the database and at the end of the semester or session report will be generated. The existing system is not user-friendly because the computer based attendance management and monitoring activities are handled with the help of manual and keying data to the database. The existing system functions with intranet and internet capability with off time data entry into th e database. The problem of real time data entry is proposed in this project work. The inter-related databases and tables provide a flexibility of none maintenance of specific records and avoids manual calculations. This monitoring system helps the management to handle their management activities with efficiency. More secured by means of information than traditional academic activity monitoring system. 2. HETEROGENEOUS COMPUING Mobile Computing & PC Computing Distributed Computing 3. EXISTING SYSTEM The faculty activities and functionalities are monitored in manual with the help of human. Collecting all attendance details of particular hour on real time is impossible task, when it is handled manual or semi computerized. Updating the database with the help of PC based computation is not a real time activity. Demerits: Lack of in-availability of information in real time. Time delay in data updating to the database. Consume large volume of paper work. Manual work 4. PROPOSED SYSTEM The entire system development is proposed with mobile computing concepts. The proposed system will easily handle all the data and the processes handled by this system is similar to the existing system with one variant as mobile computation instead of PC computation. The monitoring system proposed here is basically an integrated web project. The proposed project can be implemented using android. It allows the user to interact with the system in a graphical user friendly way. This system eliminates the drawbacks of the existing system and provides real time availability of information in the form of reports. Portability is one of the major key factors in this project. In this system fully online data server based application. Merits: Easily check whether for attendance post or not based on real time. The top level and middle management persons can monitor their management activities from their place and no need of manual or human physical monitoring. Per day attendance details are available to the management personals on his desktop. Time saving. It is user friendly. Details: 4.1. Modules: User Module – Administrator Attendance Posting Module – Faculty Update Database Module – Attendance Internet Connectivity Module – Android Client to Web Server based Online Database, PHP Scripts 4.2. Design & Development: User Module – Administrator Frontend: Android Design Backend: PHP Scripts Deployment in Web Server, Online Database Design Attendance Posting Module – Class Attendance Details with Time and Date (Theory & Laboratory) Update Database Module – Posting Attendance Details with Time and Date, Number of Students Present and Absent. Internet Connectivity Module – Android Client Connection with Campus WIFI, Retrieving the data to online database through webserver and PHP scripts 5. CONCLUSION This project will help the professor to post attendance or not time and calculations required to update the attendance manually. Administrator to identify for faculty activities in during class hour through web services. ` 6. FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS As soon as every faculty to posting attendance details such as class hall number, subject code, staff name, number of students present and absent details easily traced out. So easily monitoring every class details and staff activities through web server. 7. REFERENCES [1]www.android.developer.com [2]www.androidtutorial.com [3]www.w3schools.com [4]www.stackoverflow.com [5]www.mkyong.com [6]www.androidhive.info

Undecided Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Undecided - Essay Example According to Foucault, achieving control over the individuals is one of fundamental motives in exercising discipline. Attaining power also acts as a means of transforming the behavior of subjects. Detainees get essential services from their closets and do not have the freedom to interact (Foucault, 2008). Foucault also elaborated the effects of discipline given the control that it attracts on subjects. He related discipline and control to the Panopticon designed by Bentham. The Panopticon was an effective structure in conducting day and night surveillance of prisoners without their awareness. The structure had several prison cells surrounding a high observation tower, with masked windows to hide the surveillance unit officers. It was challenging to realize the presence of any light inside the tower to keep prisoners guessing. The masking of tower’s windows would hide anyone inside. Control, according to Foucault, is achievable from discipline instilled and is the center of att aining power over subjects. The design was to keep the prisoners unaware of any surveillance going on in the tower, at any time. The design of the Panopticon gained dominance in design of most present day prisons. The effectiveness of the design in enabling observation of prisoners, while they remain unaware, was the main reason for its adoption. Current security measures as the observation cameras also use the same design in surveillance. Panopticism is an avenue of achieving power over the conduct of humans and an avenue where exercise of power takes place. The Panopticon is a representation of the modern society utilizing discipline and punishment. Although Foucault appreciates the freedom of members of any society, he maintains that control and examination are vital for institutions and governments to undertake as an avenue of control. Directed by M. Scorsese and adapted by L. Kalogridis in 2010, Shutter Island is an American masterpiece thriller movie that attracted a plausible number of viewers. The movie setting is in 1954 and it features investigative roles by Teddy Daniels. Shutter Island is a facility for the criminally insane, converted from its former function as a fortress used by Civil War fighters. Daniels has long experience in investigation given his role throughout the Second World War. Daniel’s role is to find out the loss of a patient from the facility on the Island. The patient, Rachel Solando, was under medication at the hospital of the mentally insane. The investigator has to perform against several constraints including denied access to crucial documents at the facility that would be important for the investigation. The facility management does not cooperate with Daniels and the mission turns challenging from the beginning. Their mission faces many distractions including the great storm that separates the two, Daniels and Chuck Aule, his partner. They find it stressful but do not stop at that. Their investigation skills are super b to allow them access shocking information about the facility’s illegal operations. Although Daniels is on a mission to investigate the case of a disappeared patient at the facility, he has other interests as well. He holds the belief that he may find credible information surrounding the horrible death of his wife, at the medical facility. The chief at the prison, Dr. Cawley, holds exceptional authority to command what favors him most. This further complicates the whole process of investigation. The

Education Article Summary Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Education Article Summary - Lab Report Example Because current assessment methods were receiving criticism, the study finally sought to identify alternatives to the current identification methods. The conflict arose because while the IDEA prior to 2004 had identified several methods to identify the students who had learning disabilities in need of special services, there was no uniform measure by which the states were guided in assessing the severity of the disability. Accordingly, the article found, that there was a severe lack of continuity within the states. For the most part, the states had a common definition for the term SLD. Thus the resulting problem was that in addition to there not being a contiguous method of identifying SLD, the parameters that did exist were arbitrarily ignored. Moreover, it was determined that there was an unacceptable amount of time between identification of the problem and treatment plan for assistance. The author found that the majority polled found that the most favored method of identifying a learning disability was the "response-to-treatment" or "response-to-intervention". This approach begins with teaching and a level of teaching intensity is increased according to the needs of the child.

The Gender Roles And Working Culture In The Nursing Industry Essay - 4

The Gender Roles And Working Culture In The Nursing Industry - Essay Example Workplace culture and gender roles have been changing very radically in the past few decades. For instance, workplace roles traditionally associated with men or those ascribed to females have seen a shift in acceptance of the opposite gender. More women are taking up roles that were traditionally reserved for men (Mills, 2002). At the same time, men are also venturing into career lines that were assumed best suited for women. For instance, nursing was for a long time considered the preserve of women. Recently, more men have taken up nursing as a profession and can be found in many health facilities across the world (Cross & Baglihole, 2002). Meanwhile, it is not always easy for men to venture in professions culturally considered the preserve of women such as nursing. This essay explores the gender roles and working culture in the nursing industry with regards to sharing of roles among male and female nurses. The traditional nursing industry has been stereotyped in favour of women. Un known to many quarters, this was not always the case. In fact, the domination of women in the nursing profession only began to emerge in the 1800s with largely unskilled female nurses providing the essential medical services. As early as 250 B.C. E nursing schools existed but admitted only men for training (Thompson, 2014). The oldest documented nursing school is believed to have been set up in India, which also recruited male students to care for the sick. In continental Europe, nursing services were provided by Christian organizations such as churches. For instance, when the Bubonic plague broke out in Europe, church organizations took over the role of caring for the sick and disposing of the dead. The Benedictine Nursing Order established by St. Benedict, as well as the Knights Hospitallers, are some of the earliest nursing institutions.

Technology and Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Technology and Healthcare - Essay Example The potential of IT industry in the healthcare sector is huge and the opportunity is increasing with every passing year. To get involved in the healthcare industry, the amount invested by the venture capitalist has increased three times from 2010 to 2013, from $ 343million to $955 million. (Lee, 2013). There are 5 distinct ways by which the technology is associated with the health care industry. These include: Using data to offer a better diagnosis and treatment of the patient by the doctors and physician; Helping doctors to communicate with the patient in a better way; Technology able to help doctors to communicate between one another to consult about the treatment of any serious cases; Connecting doctors with the patient anytime from anywhere; Helping patients to stay healthy with the help of various mobile and technological applications. (Lee, 2013). One of the best examples of use of IT in healthcare is development of â€Å"Omnifluent Health, a translation program for doctors and others in the medical field.†(Lee, 2013) In USA, almost 47 million people do not speak or understand English, so this application I a great medium for them to communicate with doctors. New York City startup Sherpaa started a service of medical consultations online and over the phone for the people of USA. â€Å"Fitbit is one such kind of device which tracks daily sleep and activity and uses social networking and gaming to motivate its users.

Power and politics strategy planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Power and politics strategy planning - Essay Example Hence, I would argue that the effectiveness of power and politics strategy planning determines the sustainability of an organization. To begin with, a firm follows specific byelaw that coordinates different business activities. Since an organization consists of large number of employees with different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds, it is not practical to frame organizational laws that would satisfy the personal interests of every employee. For the smooth running of a firm, the company management must make sure that all employees comply with the common rules of the organization. While dealing with this issue, the management employs power in order to promote obedience, discipline, and thereby cohesion within the organization. Power is the conventional tool used by organizations in order to enforce their basic byelaws; organizations have been effectively employing this tool for centuries. However, the way organizations exert power is highly crucial. When the management applies excessive power over employees, a feeling of resistance may grow among them. The resistance in turn, would impede the production process and the long term objectives of the organization. ... In other words, business houses must heed enough attention to planning power exertion strategies. It is a common fact that employees are obedient to their employers on the ground of fear rather than love. When an employer shows a liberal attitude to his employee, the employee may hesitate to take his maximum efforts as the situation does not cause any threat to his employment. On the other hand, the employee will be more sincere and responsible if the management imposes certain restrictions on him. For instance, many of the IT companies demand their employees to work for more than 12 hours. These companies also appoint an efficient supervising team to evaluate the work done by their employees. Under such circumstances, employees are forced to employ their maximum capabilities. In contrast, if these employees are given the opportunity for their work options, it will certainly impede company’s profitability. Therefore, power is an inevitable element in the strategic management o f an organization. As discussed earlier, the impact of strategic planning would be adverse if this process is not organized properly. The application of power must meet employees’ basic requirements. When an organization employs power over its employees, the management must ensure that the firm does not hurt employees’ individual rights and sentiments. Similarly, the firm management must avoid biased decisions while deploying its various powers. It has been identified that legitimacy and uncertainty are two important sources of organizational power. In the opinion of Rainey (173), many of the scholars are of the opinion that some thoughtless rules and restrictions imposed on public organizations by external forces such as

African-American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

African-American History - Essay Example Larsen, in her novel attempts to sketch out the Reconstruction Era through the portrayal of the two different, light skinned American African Women, Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield. Clare and Irene were childhood friends who get together after a long time sharing their bitter experiences of being born as Negroes, denied of basic rights, try to find out comfort and consolation each other. Clare and Irene were born in mixed ancestries with light skinned complexion which later adversely affecting the free flow of their life and arise the question of existence in them. The novel raises many questions on various themes like identity crisis, race, lies, sexuality and jealousy. While reading through the novel, the readers understand that the novel obviously reflecting the views of the young African Americans who are wedged with their light skinned complexion and are searching for their lost identity. The era of Reconstruction was notable for the imminent changes it brought out in the percep tions of people, especially their perception to slavery and black people. The novel mainly focuses on the ‘passing’ of the members of one class to that of the other by the illusion that this ‘pass’ will bring tremendous changes to their life and social status. The story of the novel moves on through two female characters—Clare Kendy and Irene Redfield. The novel begins with Irene reading the letter of her childhood friend, Clare. The reading of the letter enables the readers to understand the character of Clare, when Irene recollects thus; â€Å"There had been, even in those days, nothing sacrificial in Clare Kendry’s idea of life, no allegiance beyond her own immediate desire (Larsen 2).† These words clearly express the attitude of the African American people who were totally dejected and depressed after the Civil War. Irene adds that Clare was selfish, and cold, and hard. But even then she had kept with her a strange capacity of transforming warmth and

An Alternate Reality Essay Example for Free

An Alternate Reality Essay The Chinese, among others, used it for medicine thousands of years ago. The first settlers of America used hemp for paper, clothing and rope. So far this so called â€Å"Evil Weed† does not sound so harmful. In fact, it is not as harmful as it has been made out to be over the years. Everything from prejudice to misinformation has been the reason for this plant to be made illegal. In actuality, society can benefit from Marijuana being legalized and decriminalized. Today, there are thousands of Americans flooding our legal system because of petty marijuana charges, costing taxpayers millions of dollars. We know that it helps cancer and aids patients live a much more comfortable life because of the properties it holds. If it is a â€Å"Gateway Drug† then it is because of how it has to be obtained, on the street where drug dealers would be happy for you to try there other dangerous products such as crack and heroin. If compared to the legal drugs, alcohol and tobacco, and their risks, Marijuana seems like a â€Å"Walk in the Park†. At least it could make for a nice enjoyable one. The reality here is, the legalization of Marijuana could benefit society. If the people of our country could look beyond politics, discrimination, and passed misjudgments to see the true benefits Marijuana carries, the decriminalization of the so called â€Å"evil weed† could have a great and positive impact on our society with medical marijuana, reducing unnecessary costs in our legal system and by being a taxable commodity. Through all of history, man has known about and used Marijuana. Some believe that if it were discovered today, it would be considered a miracle drug for it’s medicinal properties. The use of Marijuana can be traced back before 7000 B. C. when it is believed that the first woven fabrics were made of hemp (Pete Guither, 2002). Growing Marijuana even has history with some American Presidents. George Washington’s main crop at Mt. Vernon was hemp, and it was Thomas Jefferson’s second largest crop at Monticello. â€Å"Marijuana has been illegal for less than one percent of the time that it’s been in use†¦and it was legal as recently as when Ronald Reagan was a boy (Pete Guither, 2002). So if Marijuana has such a long history and has very legitimate uses, why did it become and why does it remain illegal? In the 1900’s there was a huge number of Americans addicted to drugs. Many more than there are today. Depending upon whose report, or whose assessment you accept, there were between two and five percent of the entire adult population of the United States addicted to drugs in 1900 (Whitebread, 1995). You can imagine that there was some worry. Most of these addictions involved morphine and it’s derivatives, being used for legitimate medical practices. What happened is, Marijuana being a relatively unknown substance in the early 1900’s, got mixed up in the problems America was having with Morphine, Alcohol and even Cocaine. At the time there had not been any studies or anything of the like, to prove that Marijuana was a harmful substance, but there was racial prejudice and fear of substitution. In the 1930’s Marijuana was very new to the national scene yet some states prohibited it along with narcotics and alcohol that were prohibited nationally. Why? Unfortunately racial prejudice played a major roll in making Marijuana an â€Å"evil weed†. Increases in Mexican immigration at the turn of the century brought on sizeable Mexican-American minorities in the western states and these people were thought to become criminals when they ate â€Å"the killer weed† (Bonnie, Whitebread 2005). The following is a recording from a Montana newspaper, â€Å"The Montana Standard†, when giving full cover to a proposal to create a separate marijuana statute on January 27, 1929. There was fun in the House Health Committee during the week when the Marihuana bill came up for consideration. Marihuana is Mexican opium, a plant used by Mexicans and cultivated for sale by Indians. When some beet field peon takes a few rares of this stuff,† explained Dr. Fred Fulsher of Mineral County, â€Å"He thinks he has just been elected president of Mexico so he starts out to execute all his political enemies. I understand that over in Butte where the Mexicans often go for the winter they stage imaginary bullfights in the ‘Bower of Roses’ or put on tournaments for the favor of ‘Spanish Rose’ after a couple of whiffs of Marihuana. The Silver Bow and Yellowstone Delegations both deplore these international complications† Everybody laughed and the bill was recommended for passage (Bonnie, Whitebread 2005). In the Eastern states Marijuana was even less known. It did carry a stigma though with nothing to back it up. On July 29, 1914, an article in the New York Times stated, â€Å"This narcotic has practically the same effect as morphine and cocaine, but it was not used in this country to any extent while it was easy to get the more refined narcotics† (Bonnie, Whitebread 2005). It is quite obvious by this statement that there was little known about Marijuana but because it is referenced with morphine and cocaine and not yet prohibited, we have the â€Å"fear of substitution†. In other words, when hard narcotics become hard to get, the â€Å"evil weed† will take its place with addicts. Marijuana didn’t have much of a chance from the beginning. Another stumbling block is marijuana has is its reference to being â€Å"The Gateway Drug†. This term means that if you try Marijuana you are going to use other more dangerous drugs. It may be true that individuals that use Marijuana, at some time, turn to harder drugs, but why. Could it be that because it cannot be purchased in a corner store, individuals are forced to the streets and introduced to harder drugs by the dealers? There is not something in Marijuana that causes someone to crave cocaine. â€Å"Marijuana is the most popular illegal drug in the United States today. Therefore, people who have used less poplar drugs such as heroin, cocaine, LSD, are likely to have used Marijuana (Dr. Zimmer Dr. , 1997). This term is a scare tactic and works well. If Marijuana is looked at as being a gateway drug, what about alcohol and tobacco. There should be less emphasis on the drugs themselves and more to what factors shape a persons behavior. More time should be spent, for example, on parenting skills and a child’s environment. This is where the prevention of true drug abuse should start. If Americans as a whole cannot agree that Marijuana should be legal to possess and use by responsible adults, then we need to, at the very least make it legal for medical purposes. Many Americans that suffer from AIDS and cancer can benefit from this drug. It helps with anything from loss of appetite to the relief of pain. Why would we want to keep a drug illegal that is known to make peoples lives more bearable? The Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) own Administrative Law Judge, the honorable Francis Young, stated in 1998, â€Å"Marijuana is the safest therapeutically active substance known to man†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He went on to say, â€Å"The evidence clearly shows that marijuana is capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision†¦it would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for the DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance (Carter G. T. MD; Mirken B. 2006). It is fact that Marijuana smoke contains many of the same toxins that cigarette smoke does. However, the adverse effects of marijuana use are within the range of effects tolerated for other medications (Joy J. E. , Watson, S. J. Jr. Benson J. A. Jr. , 1999). New studies are showing that THC, the key compound in marijuana, may also be the key to new drugs for Alzheimer’s disease, because it blocks the formation of brain-clogging plaques better than current Alzheimer’s drugs (DeNoon, 2006). This study is nowhere near it’s final stages but so far the findings are incredible. It was found that THC blocked an enzyme named acetylcholinesterase, which speeds the formation of amyloid plaque in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s (DeNoon, 2006). When compared to the Alzheimer drugs Cognex and Aricept, which were tested at double the concentration of THC, Aricept blocked plaque at only 22% and Cognex blocked plaque at only 7% as well as THC. That study is sounding good so far. We really don’t have that far to go with other studies to show that Marijuana has great health benefits. In fact we should be about finished after decades of study. It seems as though one major negative influence in the complete legalization of marijuana is the FDA itself that as recently as April 20, 2006 claimed that â€Å"no sound studies† support the medical use of marijuana contradicting a very large amount of scientific literature (Carter, Mirken 2006). Politics I tell you, politics. What else could it be? In actuality, thank goodness, there are states in the U. S. that have already made this bold and humane move of legalizing medical marijuana. â€Å"Since 1996, twelve states have legalized medical marijuana use: AK, CA, CO, HI, ME, MT, NV, NM, OR, RI, VT, and WA. Eight of the twelve did so through the initiative process (2004). What happens if we don’t? I can tell you. We will continue to fill our legal system with petty misdemeanors that cost taxpayers billions of dollars a year. Since 1990 the war on drugs has made its primary focus on low-level marijuana offences. This is probably due to ease of arrest. There is a decent bit of our population that enjoys marijuana. If there is an easy way to get numbers up and make the war on drugs look like it is actually making a difference than that would be the way to do it. There were nearly 700,000 arrests for marijuana in 2002 and only 1 in 8 resulted in a felony conviction, which translates to roughly four billion dollars per year for petty marijuana offenses alone (King Mauer M, 2006). It is truly a waste of money and police allocation to still concentrate on this plant called marijuana. Caught up in politics, discrimination and the bashing by the uninformed, marijuana has really had a bad rap since the beginning of the 20th century. If there are drugs such as alcohol and tobacco considered legal, taxed and regulated, there is absolutely no reason marijuana should not be handled in the same way. I must say that I in no way condone under age drug use, to include all drugs. I do condone a responsible adult being able to enjoy a joint of this wonderful plant created by nature itself. Even President Clinton enjoyed a puff, although he might have enjoyed it more if he had inhaled. I also believe that marijuana as a medicine is by far, more safe than most of our â€Å"over the counter† meds, to include one of our favorite liver destroyers, Tylenol. There are mounds and mounds of evidence that prove marijuana to make life much more bearable for AIDS and cancer patients. Please pull marijuana out from under the blanket of lies that keep it from being some help and relief to society. Relieve some of the costs it incurs within our legal system. Tax it and make more money available possibly for some real education on the destruction of drug addiction. Regulate it so a person who wants to smoke it, knows exactly what they are getting. Most important, take it out of the hands of drug cartel that become millionaires, kill and take advantage of countries with little money. Legalize it! Legalize It! Decriminalize It!

Companys Resources And Competitive Position

Companys Resources And Competitive Position In Dubai, the Jumeirah groups present portfolio includes many multi-hotel complexes such as Jumeirah Bab Al Shams Desert Resort Spa, Mandinat Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach Club Resort Spa, Jumeirah Emirates Towers and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. At the same time, it is also negotiating to operate new resorts and hotel contracts in big cities like Shanghai, Hong Kong, Milan and Beijing. The company is operating in order to achieve its vision that to become a world class international hospitality and hotel company and also committed to being the leader of the industry in all operating activities through the process of dedication to their colleagues and customers (About Jumeirah Group). The Jumeirah group also has been a member of Dubai Holding since the duration of year 2004 under the leadership of CEO Gerald Lawless. The companys achievement can be estimated by the data that in the year of 2006, the revenues were recorded more than $1 billion (About Jumeirah Group). The project would help us to analysis a companys resources and its competitive position in the world. This will aim to get deep understanding of its current strategy and to create a strategy which would be more effective as per the current scenario. This would be helpful to gain insights about the flaws and their solutions of the company as per the current scenario and current strategy. The study would analysis strength, weakness, opportunities and threats and eventually the proposed alternative can be adopted to enhance the current situation of the company. Company Background: The Jumeirah group was founded in Dubai in the year of 1997, owned by ruling Al Maktoum family with the Gerald Lawless, with an aim of becoming a global hospitality leader. After ten years of development the company has been realized with the groups portfolio that has been regarded as among the most innovative and luxurious globally (Corporate Responsibility Report 2008). The brand of the Jumeirah group can be summarized as A global brand having name synonyms of Luxury. A brand having professional team of experts and professionals having wide experience in entire aspects of hotel management that handles the functions from development phase to the daily operations. A strong distribution system with the help of more than ten sales offices in major locations of the world. A strong emphasis on an adapting approach to the owner (Corporate Responsibility Report 2008). The Jumeirah branched from the strength of Dubais ruling Maktoum family in order to develop the UAE member into one of the regions as well as in the worlds top tourism destinations. In the early period of the year 1990s, Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum commissioned a new project for the hotel which was supposed to build on land that reclaimed from the sea in the Dubai port, called the Burj Al Arab (Corporate Responsibility Report 2008). However the first three year of the project were held in the land reclamation phase that lead to the launched of the construction by the year 1997. At the same time, Al Maktoum joined with the Gerald Lawless who was an Irish native had more than twenty year of work experience in the hotel industry and had fifteen year of experience as a head of the Forte hotel group in Dubai only. After join with the Lawless, Al Maktoum had begun to start others hotel projects for the wide market of Dubai such as Jumeirah Beach Hotel. In addition to the hotels and restaura nts, Maktoum developed Water Park and theme park also (Corporate Responsibility Report 2008). Hallmarks: The companys vision is to become a world class luxury international hotel management company that committed to the industry leader in all the operational activities through the medium of the dedication to colleagues, customers, stake holders, owners and business partners (Jumeirah Guiding Principles Vision). The companys Hallmarks considered as the reason of their success in the past as well as guidelines for the future. The Hallmarks are seems to reflects in design of inspiration and would remain in the core of operating philosophy along with the new adopted philosophy of Stay Different. In Jumeirah culture their guiding principles plays a major role which are supposed to be consider as foundation of the business and strength of their culture (Jumeirah Guiding Principles Vision). They are: Integrity :Honesty and Sincerity Teamwork: win-win attitude and mutual support Recognition: Success are supported and recognized Innovation: Implementation of new ideas Continuous Growth: Positive Environment People Focus: Focus on individual as colleagues, business associates and customers. Stay Different : provides unique experience to the customers (Jumeirah Guiding Principles Vision) Strategic Objective: The Jumeirah group strategic objective is to fulfill their vision and mission through the commitment of resources to learning and innovation. Through the Business Management System the company is delivering benefits to the business partners, customers, colleagues, society and owners by developing mutually beneficial relationships, listening and building loyalty. In order to fulfill the companys vision, the Jumeirah strategic approach is summarized in the four key components. They are Engaging stake holders in order to understand their expectations so that they can be fulfilled or expanded and value can be added. Managing key factors of the social, environmental and economical aspects like their risk, opportunity and their impacts. Embedding responsible business practices and standards in the business daily operations and activities. Reporting back to the stakeholder about the progress and development of the company. With the implementation of the above four key strategies the company is trying to be expanding and delivering services all over the world. The company is focusing on current strategy in order to fulfill their objective. The companys current strategies inclusive of global expansion, Stay different, provide unique and different services, value to stake holders, provide luxury and comfort to the customers and implementing the process of learning and innovation (Jumeirah Guiding Principles Vision). Project Undertaken/ Completed: The following are the list of projects which are undertaken or completed under the Jumeirah group are: S. no Name Specification Location Burj Al Arab Hotel Dubai (Middle East) Jumeirah Beach Hotel Hotel Dubai (Middle East) Madinath Jumeirah Three Hotels Dubai (Middle East) Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Hotel buzzing bazaar Dubai (Middle East) Jumeirah Creekside Hotel Hotel(opening summer in 2012) Dubai (Middle East) Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, Spa, Shopping boulevard, Club and Lounge Dubai (Middle East) Jumeirah Living World Trade Centre Residence Residence Dubai (Middle East) Jumeirah at Etihad Towers Hotel Abu Dhabi (Middle East) Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel Spa (opening spring 2012) Kuwait (Middle East) Jumeirah Essex House Residence New York (America) Jumeirah Carlton Tower Spa, Club, Hotel Resort London( Europe) Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel Hotel London( Europe) Jumeirah Frankfurt Residence Germany (Europe) Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel and Spa (opening spring 2012 Mallorca Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel Hotel (opening spring 2012) Europe Grosvenor House Apartments Residence London Jumeirah Grand Hotel Via Veneto Hotel Rome Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel Hotel Shangai (Asia pacific) Jumeirah Dhevanafushi Island Resort Maldives(Asia pacific) Jumeirah Vittavel Five star family deluxe resort Maldives(Asia pacific) Wild Wadi waterpark Waterpark Dubai (Middle East) Talisa Spa Middle East Academy of Excellence Education Dubai( Middle East) (Jumeirah Hotels Resorts) Analyzing Current Scenario of Hospitality Industry in the UAE: During the past decade, the UAE has witnessed with the rapid growth and changes in terms of socio-economic and demographic factors. The regions economy are not perceived as oil and gas exporter but also as major investment destinations due to growing hospitality and tourism sector as well as large scale infrastructure projects. At the same time, the expansion of the Middle East is greatly contributing in the tourism receipt in the Gulf Council Corporation countries. In current situation, the region remains an attractive destination for tourists as well as for the investors for medium to long term returns. The Jumeriah group has provided tremendous growth in the hospitality sector in Dubai and globally also. The study aims to evaluate a companys resources and its competitive position in the world. This analysis will be undertaken by the following described process: Value Chain Analysis Michael Porters five force Model SWOT Analysis Benchmarking Competitive Strength Assessment After analyzing on the above aspects, we will be able to determine competitive position in the world as well as would be able to create a strategy in terms of its position. Value Chain Analysis: The value chain approach was developed for creating and sustaining superior performance in the market. The value added concept is utilized by Jumeirah Group for sustaining competitive advantage in the arena of 21st century. The organization comprises of activities that associate together in order to enhance business value. These activities include inbound logistics, operations such as purchasing, manufacturing, financing, distribution etc. The central aim of Jumeirah Group to adopt this value chain approach is exploiting value creation with minimum possible costs (Jumeirah Group, 2008). http://bettyfeng.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/a-value-chain-analysis1.jpg Source: http://bettyfeng.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/a-value-chain-analysis1.jpg By adopting the concept of value chain analysis, Jumeirah managers identify the key activities within their group and provide potential sustainable advantages to the company. In Jumeirah Company, the value chain analysis starts with the initial stage such as inbound logistics. At this stage, planning is performed for plant scheduling, plant capacity, estimate time for fulfilling objectives. After this stage the next step is operations under which company emphasized on the quality of services, customers expectations, fulfilling orders and customer visit operations. The main theme of Jumeirah Group is to enhance and implement their core services in such a way so that can meet the customers expectations and create positive and sustainable brand image in their eyes. The company more emphasized on the development of innovative programs, current strategies and their Research and Development programs in order to support business by facilitating new openings and high quality services to their customers (Jumeirah Group, 2008). Jumeirah Group incorporates value chain for synchronizing the flow of business operations from input to the delivery of benefits given to the customers. This flow comprises of inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales operations and at the end gets feed back from customers and resolve problems if there is any (Jumeirah Group, 2008). Benchmarking: Benchmarking is the process of analyzing the internal processes of organization and then identify and adapting the practices from other organization in order to considered being best for the organization. This process comprises of five stages such as operation, identification of assess, development of several alternatives, define that alternatives and at the end implementation of that alternatives. Benchmarking is the systematic tool for identifying and implementing best possible practices in the organization so that it can enhance their operations and human assets as per the todays need. In this competitive arena for sustaining in market, it is mandatory to implement benchmarking in the organization (Jumeirah Group, 2008). http://pipdev.com/content/images/wheel/RouteDiag.png Source: http://pipdev.com/content/images/wheel/RouteDiag.png Jumeirah Group has been designed this exercise for enlighten participation of organization in order to achieve outstanding results. Jumeirah Group and other organizations such as Dubai Ports World, Hutchison Whampoa Ltd, are aimed to explore best methods and practices for enhancing Human Resource Management in the view of planning, empowering, training and recognizing human efforts. It is also aimed to identify the gaps between the adopted approaches and the enhancement of improvement plans so that can analyze the effects of adopted approach in the organization. This approach develops new ideas that acts significant role in the formation of future strategic plans (Jumeirah Group, 2008). Five Force Model and Analysis: The Michael Porters five force Model articulates the Competitive position modal which describes the industry analysis and business strategy development for evaluating the competitive strength and position of any business organization or Entity. This model used to analyze the market attractiveness of the industry and competition. Porters develop the five force model to analyze to these five forces to analyze the industrial competition (porters five forces model, 2009). Five force model of Porters- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN84qFbAjDyi4u0tC7PhHvO3jXUkHRCxyrxGQyPAQFfn8oVQhQfJf5kgS0I-8it2cavlDMwl6nTrjslKmLnVIuy3fCKLRkS752yO8DfQ8h7eR-v75qyEOb5o0u030tu4U0EFuK_CfI0bI/ Threat of new competition. Threat of substitute products or services. Bargaining power of customers (buyers). Bargaining power of suppliers. Intensity of competitive rivalry. Threat of new competition: This step articulates the competition in the market, new entrants, brand equity, sunk cost, customer loyalty and industrial profitability in the market for the existing industry which can be challenging for the firm. Barriers to new entry- Customer switching cost Distribution channel Government Policies Economies of scales. 2. Threat of substitute products or services- Entry of substitute product in the market may increase the possibilities to the switching towards the new product it can be challenging for the existing product. Barriers of the substitute product or services- Substitute product price and performance over the existing product. Switching cost of buyer. Quality depreciation Product differentiation. 3. Bargaining power of buyers: Bargaining power of the buyer may be challenging factor for the existing industry or firm such as- Purchasing power of the buyer. Byers face new switching costs. Prices sensitivity of buyer. Buyers are concentrated Industrial product diversity. 4. Bargaining power of suppliers: Suppliers for any particular firm like supplies of raw material, components and labors can switch the firms due to the bargaining power scubas- Buyers is not the customer to the. Distribution channels. Supplier concentration Supplier switching cost. Supplier completion to the other firms. Intensity of competitive rivalry- Competitive rivalry can be the challenging factor for the existing firm some factors are- Different competitive strategies Promotional tools Competitive advantage to the other industries. From the Porters five force model we analyze the Jumeirah group world class portfolio of resorts and hotels (Corporate Responsibility Report 2008). Threat of new competition- As we analyze the competitors of the Jumeirah Group these are the competitors of the Jumeirah Group- Hyatt Hotels Corporation Fairmont Raffles Hotels International Inc. Four seasons Holdings Inc. Jumeirah Group has the partnership with the UAE government, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) in association with Tanmia (The National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority 2) Threat of substitute products or services- Jumeirah Group has a strong product and services portfolio in the luxury hospitality sector including world class hotels and resorts. In the hotels and resorts category the products of Jumeirah- Burj Al Arab Jumeirah Beach Hotels Jumeirah emirates tower Jumeirah Zabeel Sara.y Pera palace Hotel. In the services sectors- Includes of services of Jumeirah Living Jumeirah Restaurants, Wild Wadi Waterpark, Talise and The Emirates Academy of Hospitality management. Jumeirah group is offering the best services and performance over its competitors. They have brand loyalty and offering the qualitative services to its customers and Jumeirah group have different product strategies to compete with the competitors 3) Bargaining power of customers (buyers)- Jumeirah groups customers can be classified on the bases of several categories- hotel guest, clients, bulk room purchaser, customers book room for events and conferences and partner such as tour operators and airlines. Jumeirah Group has strong commitment towards its customer. Customer value feedback for the Jumeirah group is- Personalized products and services delivering high quality. Favorable impact on the community. Group offers the customer health, safety and security services. Customer privacy and information security service. Customer satisfaction result of the Jumeirah group is for the year 2008 is 81.265 which show the customer loyalty to the group over its competitors. 4) Bargaining power of suppliers- As we analyze the supplier chain of the Jumeirah group has strong corporate buying policies with its suppliers provision of high quality and good products and services. The Group follows the principles- Stability in the dealings with the suppliers Provide equal and same opportunities to the all suppliers Consistent delivery of services such as health, safety and legal aspects. Transparency in the system. Best distribution channels such as advertising for its services offering. Intensity of competitive rivalry- Jumeirah Group has the different competitive strategies over its competitors. They promote their products and services by different promotional tools such as by advertising, Sales promotion and by the different occasion. SWOT Analysis: Dubai is the fast emerging player in the worldwide along with the China and South East Asia. Dubai attracts the attention of business and corporations across the world through its infrastructural art and cosmopolitan culture. Along with the real estates and financial sectors, petroleum and tourism, it is also known for its exotic resort and hotels. Jumeirah Group is the main player in the hotel and resort industry (Jumeirah Group, 2008). This group has certain strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats which are as follows: Strength: The art of infrastructure with the surplus of international convention centers added value to the Jumeirah Group. The cosmopolitan culture in UAE gives rise to the Jumeirah Group in the hotel industry which becomes strength of this group. Crime rates are low in UAE as compared to the other nations which facilitate economic support and social support to the company. Middle East is the epicenter of trade that comprises of various standard businesses and corporations which gives hike to the hotel and resort industry. In Dubai, government has pro- active authorities that give aid to the company in order to control situations rather than just responding to it. Jumeirah Group has been linked with other nations in the world wide. Special travelling packages are the additional advantages to t he company. It offers several packages according to each living standard so that easily can be reach. Jumeirah Group is strategically placed in Dubai, which is situated between Asia and Europe while it is also closure to the Africa so there is probability that several tourists can rushed here which motivates hotel industry. This group works for the enhancement of their human resource by adopting various techniques in order to update their strategies and tools with the recent time. The Jumeirah Group diversified itself into various sectors such as academics, water parks, spa, residents etc which strengthen the company (Jumeirah Group, 2008). Weakness: In the year of 2010, Dubai is considered as the expensive city that lies at fifty five positions in the list of most costly cities. These days it is becoming extremely expensive in the terms of travelling, hospitality, hotels etc. which may affects the economy as well as businesses. In the recent time Dubai has undergone in the bubble crash of real estates because of the reason that there was a sudden drop in the investment being made in the sector and due to the lack of investments the real estate sector crashed. It affected economy and still it is on recovery mode. In the Middle East, the rate of crime is low in spite of that it had been noticed that there is an increase in sex and drug crimes and which got huge media publicity which influence the hotel industry. In Jumeirah Group, employees are working belongs to various nations that have there own culture sometimes this differences in culture affects the working of company (Jumeirah Group, 2008). Opportunities: Prospective economic development opportunities due to increase in prices of oil, this economic development leads to contribute remarkable benefits to the hospitality business. Further growth prospects in the tourism industry of UAE with 15 million foreign tourist visitors expected up to the year 2015 proves to be very helpful in the tourism business of Jumeirah group. Dubai is considered as the business and tourism hub of UAE and Middle East, it has high business growth prospects including geo political opportunities from the west and emerging authority from the east and ultimately helpful in providing good business opportunities to the Jumeriah group. Initiatives taken by UAE government towards the development of hospitality sector provides ample amount of opportunities to the Jumeirah group. Unique experience offer by the Jumeriah group in the form of ethnic heritage services pertaining to the hospitality leads to enhance the number of potential customers. UAE is the business hub of Middle East and hence various business tourists are prospective customers for the Jumeriah group. Various promotional schemes provided to the customers helps in the boosting of business of Jumeriah hotels. Enhanced brand image and brand equity for the augmented quality service deliverance to the customers helps in the further growth and expansion of the business of Jumeriah group. Jumeriah group provides a wide variety of cuisines including the Arab cuisines, Indo Thai, Chinese, Italian, Mughlai cuisines etc. to its customers which helps in increasing the profitability of the group. The augmented exteriors and interiors of the hotel in comparison to the competitors delight the customers and attract them to take the services of Jumeriah group again and again. Delivering the world class hospitality services at the affordable rate helps in increasing the number of local as well as foreign customers of the Jumeriah group (Jumeirah Group, 2008). Threats: The development of the various other cost effective and stirring competitive locations like Muscat, Kuwait City and Doha puts major barriers in the development of Jumeirah Group. Prague and Istanbul are the cities which offer effective cultural tourism along with the fabulous contemporary services at the best possible price and hence attract most of the business tourists globally. Due to political turbulence the business pertaining to the tourism and hotels affected a lot in some regions of UAE and ultimately affects the Jumeriah group in the region. Lack of proficient training and development to the human resource in the hotel industry act as a major barrier in the quality service deliverance of the group. Customer tastes and preferences and market trends pertaining to the hospitality industry changes dynamically and hence there is difficulty in the implementation of the latest trends frequently due to the limitation of cost and time. Increase in the number of guest houses act as hindrance in the development of hotel business. Various economical range hotels which provide the services at the cheapest rate are the major barriers in the developmental path of Jumeriah group (Jumeirah Group, 2008). Competitiveness of Jumeirahs Pricing Strategy: Jumeriah provides a wide range of services in the hospitality business which encompasses a wide array of activities for the customers inclusive of diving and photography. With respect to the pricing of the hospitality services, Jumeirah ensures that the prices are maintained at competitive levels in keeping with the current market standards for pricing of hospitality services. Then exact pricing of the hotels and resorts have not been disclosed by the organization but from the reports available, it can be deduced that Jumeriah has competitive pricing strategy for its services (Course Pricing). The pricing of the various courses offered by the organization are described as follows: Certification Courses AED e-Scuba Diver 1,450 e-Open Water Diver 1,850 e-Open Water Referral 1,000 e-Rescue Diver 1,850 Emergency First Response 700 Experience Programs AED Discover Scuba Diving Beach 325 Scuba Review (inc two o/w dives) 650 Scuba Review Pool Only 300 Bubble Maker (ages 8+) 275 Seal Team (ages 8+) 1,500 Master Seal Speciality Dives 275 Instructor Development Courses AED Dive master 3,000 Assistant Instructor 3,000 e-Open Water Scuba Instructor 4,000 PADI e-IDC 7,000 IDC Staff Instructor 2,500 Master Scuba Diver Trainer MSDT 2,500 Emergency First Response Instructor** 2,500 Speciality Courses AED Wreck Diver 1,400 e-Enrich Air Nitrox 700 Deep Diver 1,600 Peak Performance Buoyancy 700 Search and Recovery Diver 1,400 National Geographic Diver 1,200 Underwater Navigator 1,200 Digital Photographer 1,200 Oxygen Provider Courses 800 Night Diver 1,200 Musandam Courses AED e-Open Water Courses 2,550 e-Adventure in Diving 2,550 Source: (Course Pricing) These prices are in accordance with the industry standard for the pricing of these services which is indicative of the competitiveness of the pricing strategy of the organization. In terms of the costs incurred by the company in obtaining raw material and resources for their business units, they are able to source the requirements at competitive prices. Moreover they have undertaken efforts to minimize their operational costs by adopting green practices and this has enabled them to maintain their prices at adequate competitive levels (Course Pricing). Competitive Strength and Leverage of Jumeirah Group in comparison to its Rivals: Jumeirah is faced with adequate competition in the hospitality industry from major organizations that have provided competition on a global scale also. The main competitors of Jumeirah group are: Hyatt Hotels Corporation Fairmont Raffles Hotels International Inc. (Corporate Responsibility Report 2008) Four Seasons Holdings Inc. (Corporate Responsibility Report 2008) Jumeirah is able to manage the competition in the market adequately and this has been made possible due to the continuous adaptation of the company to the environmental changes and the incorporation of the technological advancements to provide a comprehensive set of services aimed completely at achieving consumer satisfaction. Jumeirah Group is credited with having some of the most complex and biggest projects in the hospitality industry which itself speaks about the high quality standards that the organization has assured in these facilities (Corporate Responsibility Report 2008). The organization also has its projects in America, Europe and Asia Pacific. In these regions also, the company is able to successfully manage the competition by providing a wide range of consumer oriented services are competitive pricing. One of the main strategies of the organization has been to constantly upgrade themselves in terms of technical infrastructure and the aesthetic ambience in the facilities. It is this feature which has provided Jumeriah with a significant leverage even in the international hospitality market (Corporate Responsibility Report 2008). The company has started pondering over the possibility of entering conservative foreign markets such as China as they have highly prospective business opportunities. Moreover their advanced technical infrastructural knowledge has enabled them to compete effectively even in new markets and their portfolio of globally acclaimed projects has enabled the creation of a strong brand image by means of which the organization is able to effectively reach out to the target consumer segments (Corporate Responsibility Report 2008). Strategic Issues and Challenges in the Achievement of Strategic Objectives: The achievement of strategic objectives is a challenging task and is easily affected by the presence of environmental cha