Freedom Rides

Prior to the freedom rides indigenous people were mistreated and weren’t considered to be first class citizens of Australia. However, when people became aware of the mistreatment, they started to protest in many places in New South Wales, this was known as the freedom rides. This movement was led by Charles Perkins, who was one of the first indigenous people to attend university. The mistreatment of indigenous people started when the European’s took over Australia, and escalated over time. They were considered to be second class citizens. By the time of federation, in 1901, aboriginal people were not included in the constitution or the census and were excluded from society which was known as protectionism. The white Australians believed that they were helping the Aborigines by using the protection policies. But in reality these policies isolated them from their families, traditional land and removed them from their natural heritage and culture. The Aborigines were taught to live like the white Australians so the could assimilate into the white society and were often trained to be slaves for White People. Charles Perkins was an aborigine who like many was taken from his family and land. He was however treated well compared to what most Indigenous Australians faced when taken under the protection policies. In 1965, over thirty Sydney University students, led by Charles Perkins and Gary Williams, represented Student Action For Aborigines (SAFA) and travelled in a bus all over north and west of New South Wales. This was called the Freedom Ride, and the students became well known as the ‘Freedom Riders’. The aim of the freedom riders was to highlight the racism portrayed in the ‘White Australia Policy’ which was brought into effect during Federation by Sir Edmund Barton. The policy meant that the Aborigines were banned, or in some cases separated from whites, in shops, cinemas, hotels and clubs and public swimming pools. The freedom riders were verbally and physically abused in most towns they visited during protest. The freedom rides were influenced by the racism which was taking place in the US, where there was also segregation between the white and black community. This was an international break through. Charles Perkins was also a soccer star which gave him the opportunity to travel quiet often. On many occasions he witnessed racial abuse in the country towns of New South Whales, where many Aboriginals were degraded in society. Charles Perkins did not experience much racism as he was raised in the city compared to other Aboriginals who were treated harshly. After witnessing discrimination against his own race he immediately took action. The freedom rides that were taking place in the US inspired him to act in a similar manner. Charles Perkins along with his University support travelled all throughout New South Whales. Perkins observed the racism that took place in a town called Moree where Aboriginal children were to shower before entering the pool and leave at a certain time. There was a lot of violence that took place in Moree due to its racial outcasts. Charles Perkins used his stardom to get his word out there that Aboriginals should not be degraded in any way. The students were both physically and verbally abused, and so decided to protest along with many other Aboriginals. The Freedom Riders goal was finally achieved in the 1967 referndum which stated that Aboriginals would be classed as citizens of Australia and would be counted in the census votes. From the above mentioned facts it can be concluded that the freedom ride movement and charles perkins had a positive impact on raising racial awareness. The freedom rides attracted a lot of media attention at both the National and international level. It generated discussions about the indigenous people’s rights and put a lot of pressure on the Government for reform.

Captivity of Mary Rowlandson and the Relation

Both of these writers encounter and more importantly, live amongst the Native people of the Americas as captives at one point of their lives. However, each experience different situations and go about representing those situations in their writing in two completely dissimilar narratives. Each of them enter into captivity with distinctive roles-?Rowland as a Puritanical mother and Caber De Vacate as a Spanish Imperial explorer. Railroading's overall tone in her narrative can be described as edifying in the sense that A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs..Mary Rowland can be used as a example for readers, especially in her overall belief in God. She says, m{et the Lord still showed mercy to me, and upheld me; and as He wounded me with one hand, so he healed me with another (Bam and Levine 261). † Rowland demonstrates the recurring theme of the centrality of God and HIS will In this one sentence which could possibly be used to correspond to the entirety of her capti vity. Notice her use of a dichotomy in the sentence. She is â€Å"wounded. † But then, she is â€Å"healed. † With what?With God's Hand. This exhibits Railroading's belief that God Lana everything: good and bad. It can also be concluded that Railroading's narrative shows the more generalized view of the Puritan beliefs. Also, note Railroading's tone in this passage of the narrative that can be associated to the good and bad that God plans. ‘Wounded† carries a more despaired tone while â€Å"healed† holds a more hopeful tone-?the hope In God that He will carry her out of her despair. Rowland continuously revisits the idea of God's centrality in her whole narrative.She says: I have thought since of the wonderful goodness of God to me in reserving me in the use of my reason and senses in that distressed time, that I did not wicked and violent means to end my own miserable life†¦ When I came I asked them what they had done with It; then they told me It was upon the hill. Then they went and showed me where It was, where I saw the ground was newly digger, and there they told me they had buried it. There I left that child in the wilderness, and must commit it, and myself also in this wilderness condition, to Him who is above all.God having taken away this dear child†¦ (Nina and Levine 261-262). As a Christian and other, this must have affected Rowland severely. The thought of her dead baby being buried by soulless savages without any proper Christian funeral rites probably outraged her, but nonetheless, she refuses to end her â€Å"miserable life† and quickly punishment from God, but also notes that through and after captivity, God saved her. Alva Ounce Caber De Visa's account of his captivity with the Karakas Indians and several other Indian tribes also has this presence of God that is explicit in Railroading's narrative.The Relation constantly addresses â€Å"God our Lord. † He says in is dedication, â€Å"A lthough everyone wants what advantage may be gained from ambition and action, we see everywhere great inequalities of fortune, brought about not by conduct but by accident, and not through anybody fault but as the will of God (Bam and Levin 44). † It is important to make a note of the fact that Caber De Vacate was an imperial explorer for Spain under Painful De Narrate.The reason for his expedition in America was to claim the Florida territory for Spain, but the expedition failed greatly and led to the captivity of Caber De Vacate and three other men. Like Rowland, Caber De Vacate returns to civilization. Although he does not refer to his captivity as punishment from God, he does mention his incarceration as nobody's â€Å"fault but as the will of God. † It can be implied that Caber De Vacate says this to escape any actual punishment he may receive from the Spanish crown. After all, the expedition was funded with the expectation of profit I. . Gold and silver. He mentio ns at the end of the dedication, â€Å"l beg that it may be received as homage, since it is the most once could bring who returned thence naked (Bam and Levine 45). † The underlying tone in this sentence is desperation-?desperation in that sense that the king accept his narrative and desperation, and even perhaps hope, that God will deliver him from any forthcoming punishment made from the king. Caber De Vacate â€Å"begs† that his account can be viewed as a gift while claiming the role of â€Å"God's will† in his captivity.Thus, he implies that his nakedness in both appearance and profit be seen as something God himself determined. Caber De Vacate says, â€Å"Eating the dogs seemed to give us strength enough to go forward; so commending ourselves to the audience of God our Lord, we took leave of our hosts, who pointed out the way to other nearby who spoke their language (Bam and Levine 48). † Like Rowland who put her faith in God, Caber De Vacate, along with the other survivors, commends himself to God's guidance. However, he actually comes to respect the Indians as he resides with them which is expressed near the end of The Relation.He shares: To the last I could not convince the Indians that we were of the same people as the Christian Slavers†¦ We ordered them to fear no more†¦ After we had dismissed the Indians in ace and thanked them for their toil in our behalf†¦ [The Christians] took us through the forests and wastes so we would not communicate with the natives and would neither see nor learn of their crafty scheme afoot. Thus we often misjudge the motives of men; we thought we had effected the Indian's liberty, when the Christians were but poising to pounce (Bam and Levine 51).Notice how Caber De Vacate refers to the Spanish as â€Å"the Christians. † He does not include himself in the passage as one of the Christians probably because he has been able to tolerate and come to respect he native people. He does try to persuade the Indians that he is of the same race simply for their safety. He says: Lazar bade his interpreter tell the Indians that we were members of his race who had been long lost†¦ The Indians paid no attention to this. Conferring to themselves, they replied that the Christian's had lied: †¦ E healed and lanced; we coveted nothing but gave whatever we were given, while they robbed whomever they found and bestowed nothing on anyone (Bam and Nina 50) This differs from Rowland who regularly refers to the Native Americans as savages. In Caber De Visa's text, it is these â€Å"Christians† who appear to be the savages. The tone in this passage is almost regretful. Caber De Visa's use of dichotomies in this passage iterates the sadness on the idea that these supposed holy men ravage on helpless, innocent Indians according to God's will.This is exactly the opposite in Railroading's text where she views the native people as nothing short of barbaric like in the instance where her baby is improperly buried according to Christian guidelines. However, there are instances where Rowland comes to note the molarities between the Englishmen and the Indians. She also comes to somewhat embrace the savagery of the Indians when she eats bear's meat and finds it â€Å"savory' and â€Å"pleasant† rather than repulsive as Caber De Vacate does when he eats dog meat and prances around naked.

Determinants of Germany’s Economic Robustness

DETERMINANTS OF GERMANY’S ECONOMIC ROBUSTNESS: UNDERSTANDING THE SECRET BEHIND THE GERMAN ECONOMIC SUCCESS – A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY Germany is the largest national economy in Europe, the fourth-largest by nominal GDP in the world, and fifth by GDP (PPP) (2008). Since the age of industrialisation, the country has been a driver, innovator, and beneficiary of an ever more globalised economy. Germany is the world's third largest exporter with $1. 408 trillion exported in 2011 (Eurozone countries are included).Exports account for more than one-third of national output and the Germany’s strong export performance in goods or merchandise is also denoted by the term Exportweltmeister (world champion exporter). However, analysis of German’s economic history demonstrates that the country did not face constant growth throughout the years. It also had to face moments of recession just like other countries and its own past (reunification) appeared to have been a cause of G erman’s slow growth at times. Following are figures of German’s GDP throughout the last 3 decades which will help us to emphasise our statement.While the decrease in the year 1990s can be associated with the unification and the costs involved, that of 2010-2011, can be associated to the global recession that the world experienced then. Yet, even in the recession marred years, the German economy managed to stay stable as the world sixth largest country in terms of GDP (2009. ) Now, against the background of fragile global recovery and the intensification of the eurozone crisis, Germany has recorded strong GDP growth and a declining trend in unemployment. What's the secret of such a robust economy?Referring to Germany, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said in December 1989 at a Strasbourg summit â€Å"We defeated the Germans twice! And now they're back†. Although this statement was related to politics, it appears to be relevant in the economic context as w ell. As such, our study will consist of analysing more in details the secret behind this particular success or consistency and will also involve comparison of countries which also have more or less the same pattern of Germany but still cannot reach their level of development to underline what are those parameters which make Germany so unique. Current SituationGermany's economy is holding up better than expected amid the Eurozone's debt crisis, as robust demand from outside of Europe has helped offset weak activity on the continent. Several other factors contribute to Germany's solid macroeconomic position. Germany is the only major advanced economy which had lower unemployment rate in 2012 than it had in 2007. The level of German GDP has increased by a cumulative 5. 8% since the beginning of 2010, compared to 2. 3% for the eurozone. The monetary conditions set for the entire eurozone by the ECB are accommodative for Germany given the strong cyclical position of its economy.As a cons equence of safe-haven capital inflows, yields are also at extremely low levels. Furthermore, Germany has a strong net external creditor position and a large, albeit gradually declining, current account surplus. The German financial sector has stabilised since 2009 and liquidity is abundant in the current environment. However, meeting Basel III requirements will remain a challenge for German banks in light of modest profitability and still a high leverage. Since mid-2008, German banks have cut their total eurozone exposure by â‚ ¬332bn, a 30% fall, of which â‚ ¬187bn was withdrawn from Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal, a fall of 44%.Despite this fast pace of deleveraging, the quality of the remaining assets may well deteriorate further as the recession deepens in the periphery. In its semi-annual economic outlook, the German central bank raised its forecast for domestic GDP growth this year to 1. 0% from 0. 6% in the December outlook due to better-than-expected first quarter g rowth that was largely the result of strong exports to emerging markets. The upward revision brings economic activity near its potential growth rate of 1. 25. Growth in 2013 is seen at 1. 6%, down 0. point from December's forecast due to a statistical correction resulting from the revisions for this year. The Eurozone crisis â€Å"may have left its mark, but the good structural condition of Germany's economy and the robust global economy have maintained the upper hand,† Still, the outlook remains â€Å"highly uncertain,† with risks stemming â€Å"overwhelmingly† from external factors. While weak Eurozone growth in the debt crisis has already been factored in to the forecasts, Germany's export-driven economy would be vulnerable to a â€Å"noticeable weakening† of conditions outside of Europe. Germany remains exposed to the systemic component of the crisis.A significantly deeper recession of its large eurozone trading partners could also push Germany into r ecession with negative repercussions for the fiscal stance as well. Furthermore, additional sizeable contribution to eurozone bail-out funds, on top of the EFSF guarantees, could push German debt level above 90% of GDP, close to the upper limit Fitch generally considers consistent with a ‘AAA' rating. Materialisation of these risks would put downward pressure on the rating. Germany has all the ingredients of a declining public debt path. The economy is growing, budget deficit is moderate and nominal interest rates reached record low levels.Nevertheless the longer track record serves as a warning sign. Despite the fiscal rules of the eurozone, the debt/GDP ratio had increased to 83% by 2010 from 55% in 1995. During the 13 years of monetary union, the German debt ratio declined in only five years and has been above the 60% reference value since 2003. PROBLEM STATEMENT The problem that leads us to undertake this research is simple. Observing the amazing performance of Germany in the international market even in the period of recession, one wonder how this can be achieved by them while the others are still struggling.It becomes apparent that there must be some particular reasons behind this success. Research Question/Hypothesis H1: There is something unique that make Germany successful in the international market. H2: There is a relationship between the implementation of new economic policies with the economic performance of Germany H0: There is nothing unique about Germany’s success. They work on the same policies as other countries. OBJECTIVES AND AIMS OVERALL OBJECTIVE By this study, we hope to underline the policies that led Germany to success and from this knowledge, have a better understanding of the strengths and weakness of a business environment.Overall, we aim to have clear knowledge about impact of business environment on performance of business undertakings. In the long term, we can use the technique used in this research to analyse any bu siness environment before setting up of any business firm. Also, we can advice other developing countries about implementing those policies which could benefit them considering their own business environment and also be on their path of development just like Germany. This research can be considered as a tool to determine business opportunities as well. SPECIFIC AIMS Understand the parameters that made the economy very strong in the market How is that amidst the gloom Germany continues to be the engine that drives the Eurozone economies, and also helping to bail out a few? How does the robust, high-tech manufacturing sector continue to be the export champion? What role do the academic system and â€Å"Deutsche Tugenden† play in the success? What is the special Trade School training system that creates highly skilled technical workforce? Take into considerations other macroeconomic indicators particular to Germany Understand how one can take advantage of the strengths and weakn ess prevailing in its environment * Have valuable and actual knowledge of economic concepts BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE 1. (Raymond J. Ahearn and Paul Belkin; the German Economy and U. S. -German Economic Relations 2010) By most standards, post-war West Germany registered impressive economic performance in the first decades of its existence. But beginning in the mid-1990s, the German economy has been on a much lower growth path, averaging about 1. 5% of GDP per year. Unemployment has also risen steadily.These trends, which have been exacerbated by a steep 5% decline in German GDP growth in 2009, raise questions about the long-term vitality and strength of the German economy. A number of factors help explain Germany’s declining growth rate. One factor has been the high cost associated with integrating the formerly communist East German economy into the Federal Republic since reunification in 1990. A second has been the growing cost of Germany’s generous social security and welfare programs and associated regulations which some believe may undercut incentives for work and entrepreneurship.A third is an economy that is more geared towards exporting than domestic investment and consumption. With declining economic growth and rising expenditures on social protections, Germany faces significant budgetary and resource constraints. A prosperous German state remains critical to both the U. S. and European economies. Difficulties Germany may have in regaining a stronger economic position are important concerns, affecting the U. S. -German partnership’s ability to mutually address and manage a range of bilateral, regional, and global challenges.The report therefore elaborates on these themes in three parts: the first section examines Germany’s economic performance in historical perspective and assesses some of the domestic factors that may be contributing to Germany’s less than optimal performance; the second discusses the reform challe nges facing Germany’s political leaders; and the third section evaluates a few salient U. S. -German economic policy differences and strains that seem to be influenced by Germany’s weakened economic situation. 2.Financial System Stability Assessment, report prepared by the Monetary and Capital Markets and European Departments and approved by Jose Vinals and Antonio Borges, June 20, 2011; results in the following main findings: The main findings of the FSAP are: * The German financial system is recovering from the global crisis, yet low profitability hampers many banks’ ability to build stronger buffers against the shocks that could hit the global economy and especially Europe; * Structural reforms are overdue.The Landesbanken require thorough restructuring and probably downsizing, but the imperative to loosen constraints and strengthen banks’ commercial orientation is more general; * The standard of financial sector regulation and supervision is high. The crisis showed that more timely information, additional on-site supervision, and follow up through forward-looking supervisory action are needed; and * The framework to manage financial crises has been enhanced significantly, particularly with the introduction of a new bank resolution regime.Deposit protection schemes need to be rationalized, and Germany should actively help efforts to develop mechanisms to deal with cross-border crises. Very interesting report, but emphasises on the financial sector of the country and its current scenario only. 3. Talking about articles with reference to the German’s secret for economic robustness, there are various available were the authors aim to point out these parameters which made Germany so powerful in today’s market. As such, an article from www. guardian. co. k goes on saying: â€Å"Germany invested heavily in its Bavarian science and technology base, identifying future growth sectors and building clusters of excellence to a ttract investment†¦ it's still â€Å"making stuff†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ While the British focused on becoming lawyers and money men, Germany continued to respect engineering and making things (not just money)†. Mr James Dyson, Author of Ingenious Britain, did not agree that this parameter was the cause behind the German success and responded to this statement by saying â€Å"In your coverage of the German success story, not a word has been printed on the German â€Å"housing market†.It is as if this were detached from the overall economic and cultural formula. Is it not a fact that Germany has a large, affordable rented sector with secure tenancies that deters a quick- housing-buck mentality? Does this housing culture not sustain investment in proper wealth creation (ie manufacturing) and thereby reduce the cycles of property boom and bust? † Well, Mr Olaf Plotner the dean of executive education at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) in Berlin a nd author of Counter Strategies in Global Markets in his post in Forbes magazine also shares his views about the reasons to justify the German’s success.He goes on saying: â€Å"cooperation between unions and employers plays a major role in the success of German industry. But that’s just one part of a much bigger picture†¦ German businesses have been able to avoid the focus on the short-term shareholder that dogs so many large companies elsewhere because of an ownership structure that seems unique to Germany†¦ the companies give importance to uniting ownership and management. † As of now, we have already different views from different people as they all try to explain the German success. Well, these views are not the only one.According to Mr Richard Anderson Business reporter for BBC News, â€Å"Germany is a country whose inhabitants work fewer hours than almost any others, whose workforce is not particularly productive and whose children spend less t ime at school than most of its neighbours. But still, the German economy is so powerful†¦why? † Mr Anderson structured is study under three main headings. Euro bliss †¦. Germany has benefited greatly from the euro; Germany adopted a much weaker currency than would otherwise have been the case†¦ This has provided a terrific boost to German exports, which are cheaper to overseas consumers as a result†¦.Just as important are the relatively low levels of private debt†¦ German companies and individuals refused to spend beyond their means†¦ Germans are uncomfortable with the concept of borrowing money and prefer to live within their own means. â€Å"In German, borrowing is ‘schulden', [the same word for guilt. ] There is an attitude that if you have to borrow, there is something wrong with you,† Labour reforms †¦the Social Democratic government was able to use its close ties with labour unions to push for moderation in wage inflation.T he reforms laid the foundation for a stable and flexible labour market. While unemployment across Europe and the US soared during the global downturn, remarkably the jobless number in Germany barely flickered. German workers were simply willing to work fewer hours, knowing that they would keep their jobs because of it. Job skills And in Germany, there is fewer stigmas attached to vocational training and technical colleges than in many countries. Research Gap The read reports do not seem to treat with the actual factors behind the success, hence we believe into scope for our research.Since in these articles, the German economic history I study but then related to other topics just like in the case of US-German relationship or the study of the German financial markets. True that these reports will help us in our study and can be used as a basis, they surely permit us to look at the German’s economy from a different point of view. Most of reports seem to elaborate a lot on the n egative features of the economy, not that we intend to ignore the negative features but what we are trying to do here is to explain how despite these features, Germany is able to hold such a position in the global market.Specifically we want to pinpoint the special policies which allow this achievement and propose economic models to other developing countries in order to permit them to also achieve such a miracle. Thus, reading the articles, we can see there are already numerous parameters that each of authors believed to be the one behind the success of Germany. Our study will therefore constitute in analysing these factors and comparing the performance of Germany with that of other countries which also have this factor.We will also try to analyse the impact that the implementation the each factor had on the economy of the country. To emphasize on the relevance of this research, we can another article by in the New York Times which states: â€Å"Germany had the formula right all a long. † Hence, our study will be directed towards analysing all the various aspects that made the formula right and try to make it right in our business environment as well! RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Overview The research is a diagnosis research.In fact, a diagnosis research is one which is directed towards discovering what is happening, why it is happening and what can and is to be done about it. It aims at identifying the causes and helping to arrive at possible solutions. Diagnostic research probes into the reasons `why? and goes beyond the problems. Our research is directed towards giving us in-depth knowledge about the reasons which made Germany successful today and we are interested in knowing which of these can be used by other nations as well. Our study will be divided into the following chapters:Chapter 1: here we will deal with the introduction to the study and the aim and purpose of the same. The subject background will also be studied in this step. We intend to t race the economic history of Germany in this section from World War II till today; macro and micro economic variables will be explained and we can propose an elaboration on the economy theory that is followed by the country. Chapter 2: will be dealing with review of books, articles, research papers and journals published with respect to the topic and identification of the research gap.Chapter 3: will elaborate on the research design. Here the parameters that we aim to use in our research will also be defined. As such, the parameters that we wish to study are as follows: 1. GDP, 2. Debt to GDP ratio, 3. Unemployment, 4. Household debt, 5. Inflation, 6. Commodity price swings 7. Foreign trade – imports/exports, net surplus, 8. Social spending, 9. Education, 10. Healthcare, 11. Pension funds, 12. Manufacturing vs. agrosectors, 13. Private & Public undertakings, 14. Patents 15. Innovation, 16. Mittelstand 17. Housing prices, 18. Real estate, 19.New firms reg. 20. Firms winding up , 21. New investments, 22. Banking, 23. M & As abroad, 24. Fuel prices Chapter 4: the data collected will be analysed and interpreted I this chapter Chapter 5: appropriate findings can be drawn from the data processed and conlusion will follow Population and Study Sample Our study will require interaction with economic experts and other industry-related experts who will give us insight and information about the various policies that are prevailing in Germany and their impact on the economy. Sample Size and Selection of SampleHere, we can select purposive sample and we will require snowballing as a technique as well since our study is very particular and one expert might put us into contact with another of his colleagues. Sources of Data The main sources of data will be secondary but experts’ insights in terms of interviews will constitute our primary data also. Collection of Data The secondary data will collected by visiting websites, reading books, analysing research papers, articles and other thesis. The primary data is collected by mean of interview. Data Analysis StrategiesThey will be use of regression analyse the percentage change that the implementation that each parameters did on the economy They will also be use of correlation to analyse the data from other countries which implemented each particular parameter. First, we will have to analyse each of these parameters in the German environment and then compare the German performance with other countries’ which have the same potentiality. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE STUDY STRENGTHS * There is important number of secondary data available for the research making the researcher job simpler. The study of this topic will lead to actual application of various economic concept hence, better understanding of economics as a subject. * Study of business environment being the first step for any project development, this project has important scope for the researcher. WEAKNESSES * The study being s omehow dependent on secondary data, there is chances that these might not be relevant leading to false conclusions. * There might be a possibility that these policies which made Germany so successful cannot be transferred to any other country. In which case, our

Muslim Australians in Islamic Banking Research Paper

Muslim Australians in Islamic Banking - Research Paper Example In the next section, the author describes his survey. He explains the procedure he undertook that started from the selection of 300 Muslim Australians that included only those who (a) came from a Muslim background, and were practicing Muslims, (b) currently owned a bank account in Australia, (c) were interested in Islamic banking products, and (d) gainfully employed. He then distributed to them a questionnaire consisting of yes and no questions. Based on the answers, he modeled the probability of observing a 1 i.e. a 'yes' answer, as a function of F. In the subsequent sections, following regression analysis on the data, he tabulated the results obtained into different formations making it very easily interpretable by anybody reading the paper. To further clarify the tabulated data, he extensively analyses the results pointing out important findings from the research and drawing conclusions from it. The last two sections of the research namely, Implications and Conclusions respectively, summarize the results of the paper and include the different view points and misunderstandings of the Muslim Australians with regards to the concept of profit-and-loss sharing Islamic banking products. This is an excellent ... ning the author's attempt to determine the willingness of the Australian Muslims to purchase profit-and-loss sharing Islamic banking products instead of opting for earnings from interest which, according to Islamic laws, is forbidden. The sample size in the research should have been bigger as the selected sample of 300 Australian Muslims that only makes up about 0.11% of the population, (considering a population of more than 281,000 Australian Muslims at the time of survey) would not rightly justify any sweeping statement given from the obtained results. However, the author's critical analysis through out the paper, backed by mathematical procedures, is inspiring and convincing enough for the reader to believe in what the paper concludes. The introduction section gives a brief overview of why the research was conducted and what the paper is about. The author introduces the concept of interest-free banking providing a brief history of its evolvement. He explains in it, the necessity of having banks providing interest free profit-and-loss sharing products to cater the growing population of Muslims in Australia as it would be beneficial not only for the Australian Muslims but also for the banks that should the growing needs for customized services for people. In the next section, the author introduces some terminologies associated with Islamic banking. The terms have been clearly and precisely explained for the reader. This section enlightens the reader about different forms of Islamic banking. Following in this well structured paper is the Methodology section which explicitly explains to the reader the research method adopted. The author superfluously states the focus of the research. A sample of 300 Muslims was chosen and given a questionnaire to be filled. The

Gambling From a Utilitarian and Deontology Point of View Essay

Gambling From a Utilitarian and Deontology Point of View - Essay Example According to the study deontological and Utilitarian theories do not essentially forbid the involvement of gambling as a moral wrong but they show a moral basis which one should consider when deciding whether to dive into gambling or not. The moral status of actions relies on the character of God i.e. what is right and wrong in the eyes of God contrary to Utilitarianism that reflects the will and desires of man. Deontology may adjudicate gambling as honorably wrong. This is the case even in occurrences where nobody is hurt as a result of the act and actually successful results were achieved. Deontology submits that being honest is always right and mainly checks the action. Utilitarian school of thought on the other hand is seen as a hunt of one’s interests where one avoids pain and runs after that which makes them happy. Sometimes Utilitarian thinking cannot be avoided, but there are instances where consideration for other people should be taken up as a boundary so as to avoid purposely stepping on other’s toes to obtain one’s pleasure. Happiness is always a good thing and people consider it before they partake in an action or make the decision on whether to act or not. If there is something wrong in doing a certain act such as gambling, then this cannot be the purpose of pleasure as it should result into happiness. Therefore, gambling cannot be viewed as moral on the mere ground that people enjoy it. This is in accordance to Utilitarian views but there is the aftermath of gambling where a gambler becomes addicted. The Utilitarian proponent pursues the experience of the moment when the act is being done as it brings pleasure but they do not take into account what the gambler shall go through especially if they become hooked to gambling. Petrenko and McArthur in their work, High Stakes Gambling with Unknown Outcomes: Justifying the Precautionary Principle submit that, when actions done by people may lead to moral danger that should not be ac cepted, actions must be taken to avoid such harm. Gambling affects people of all walks of life, be they old or young, and this is irrespective of what their gambling is about. The problem is not the act of gambling that brings pleasure at the time but mainly its consequences afterwards. Gambling is tied with addiction and even violent scenarios that rarely end well. In the game of gambling, there is also trickery involved and this goes against deontological values that view for truth pointing out that one should keep their promise. The case of gambling is one against honesty and morality on one hand and pleasure on the other hand. As a common weakness of human nature, many people tend to go more for pleasure and towards the easy way out as opposed to that which is moral. Deontology propagates an array of competing theories on what decides the moral status of an action, whether the action is right or wrong.

Contract Law Problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Contract Law Problems - Essay Example ..any laws or regulations directed toward enforcing certain promises. In Australia contract law is primarily regulated by the 'common law', but increasingly statutes are supplementing the common law of contract - particularly in relation to consumer protection. â€Å" (Clarke, 2011). This law was formerly known in legal circles as the Trade Practices Act of 1974 but was officially renamed The Competition and Consumer Act 2010 on January 1, 2011 due to certain amendments that were made that â€Å"included a repeal of Part IVA (unconscionable conduct), Part V (Consumer Protection, including s 52), Part VA (Manufacturer's Liability) and Part VC (offences). The substance of the provisions that were contained in those parts is now contained in Schedule 2 of the Act which will be known as the 'Australian Consumer Law' and which, by virtue of enabling state and territory legislation, contains Australia's first nationally consistent consumer law. â€Å" (Clarke, 2011). One must keep in mi nd that a written contract is legally binding at the time of signing and cannot be altered nor revoked due to certain conditions that became present after the contract has been signed. By signing a contract, it becomes a legally binding promise on the side of both contracting parties to complete an agreed upon obligation. Australian law requires that a certain set of circumstances must be present at the time of the agreement for the written document to become a valid contract. These factors include â€Å" a compromising offer and acceptance, consideration, intention to create legal relations, compliance with any legal formalities and that the parties have the legal capacity to contract. â€Å" (Clarke 2010). The contract that Watertankz entered into with Harry specifically detailed what he had to do as a client in order to make the document that contained their price quote into a legally binding contract. To be specific, their letter of communication clearly indicated that all Har ry had to do was â€Å"please sign the enclosed terms and conditions of sale document and mail it back to us together with a 10% deposit. The quote is valid until June 30 â€Å". I would then ask Harry to take note of the validity date of the quote that was sent to him, June 30. Under the agreement that was proposed and approved by the company signatories, his rights as their client and their obligation to fulfil the agreement is clearly spelled out. As long as Harry signs the document and gets the document and the check deposit in the mail before June 30, the contract is now legally binding. As such, there are now legal sanctions in place should either party decide to renege on their deal prior to the deadline (Government of South Australia, Contract Law, 2009). Just like any other company in the public service, the price of Watertankz supplies and other pertinent materials may see an increase in cost at any given moment. Which is exactly what happened in the case of Harry. The c ost of materials for Watertankz rose sharply on the first day of June, which would definitely cut into their profit margin or post a loss for their company earnings. So, it us understandable that they adjust their prices accordingly. However, the law of contracts clearly indicates that they cannot reject and formal contract bids that they closed within a specific time frame, regardless of the increase in costs for their own company. The law in effect, protects the

Customer Relationship Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Customer Relationship Management - Essay Example One of the key change agents that has in recent times been seen to have grown in critical importance for companies involves technology. Technology has played a major role in redefining nearly all aspects of business in the modern world (Bidgoli, 2010). It has been key in the facilitation of the gradual shift of power into the hands of the general consumer after moving it from the organization. The greatly empowered customers of the modern world are acutely aware of the immense power that they now wield. By utilizing the internet, customers are now able share information that helps bring them close to not only other customers but also to the organization. The shared feedback, information and various opinions are now generally available to one and all at a rate that can be viewed to be almost instantaneous. It is mainly due to this reason that it organizations cannot be able to ignore social media as a medium of communication (Flynn, 2012). Marketing managers have resulted to learn how to properly utilize this medium so as to be able to effectively manage the relationship that their companies and organizations happen to enjoy with their various customers, this is especially so in light of the fact that social media has proven to be both the bane as well as the boom to most organizations. Marketers are now using social networking to provide prompt customer redress. There is a lot of pressure being exerted on companies forcing them to constantly ensure that they are always on their guard due to the fact that customer reactions on the internet tend to generally happen on an instantaneous live basis. In the event that there happens to be any adverse feedback or shared opinion by a single individual dissatisfied customer, the opinion can quickly spread all over the internet and spearhead a campaign that can have the results of critically harming an organization or company. When used effectively, the internet can serve to help an organization to effectively build up it s customer relationship as well as sufficiently strengthen the existing relationship (Kurtz and Boone, 2010). It can greatly serve to help companies in their attempts to reach out to single individual customer a situation which would otherwise have been deemed as being impossible. The Marketing Organizations have not only taken to communicating with their customers on an individual basis, but with the aid of various data mining techniques as well as the effective use of various technologies, they now better understand all their customer’s needs. This has been seen to greatly help customers in the development of customized solutions that have been specifically tailored to try and effectively address the various needs of a specific given individual customer. Companies and organizations such as Airlines, Insurance companies, Banks and various service industry players such as MacDonald’s and Pizza hut have been able to achieve these developments and have built emotional co nnections with their customers by implementing the use of technology and various CRM packages. The various dynamics that are involved in marketing have in