Traumatic Brain Injury (Tbi) Free Essays

Dynamic Many inabilities can influence individuals everything being equal. Some can be hereditary, some can transpire through mishaps, and yet, every one of them require a comprehension of the fundamental explanation for the issue so as to help those influenced by it. As an understudy I need to share my encounters by doing an investigation, on having Traumatic cerebrum injury (TBI), because of lost equalization during strolling. We will compose a custom article test on Horrible Brain Injury (Tbi) or on the other hand any comparable subject just for you Request Now The examination will talk about the effect of my reproduced inability in my home, school, work and different regions of society or network cooperation, the advancement of remedial connections, and the effect on significant occupations. Loss of memory and helpless fixation lessen the capacity to carry on with an ordinary life. Subjective shortages after a horrendous mind injury can bring about huge utilitarian constraints in every aspect of day by day living. An individual’s capacity to rearrange learning might be restricted, hence making it harder to live freely in the network. There are various subjective and physiological inabilities that can influence an individual life and their exhibition. One of the inabilities that I need to discuss is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The Lenrow, M. D. , David, Joanne Finegan, and Stewart L Cohen. 2001) Website clarifies, â€Å"Traumatic mind injury (TBI) is an intricate physical issue with a wide range of side effects and incapacities. The effect on an individual and their family can be devastating†. Head wounds are a major issue. At whatever point you are managing the cerebrum, you need to pay attention to everything about the injury very. Since our mind recogni zes what our identity is, the results of a cerebrum injury can influence all parts of our lives, or in any event, including our character. A physical issue in these regions confines the utilization of a particular piece of your body, yet your character and mental capacities stay unaffected. Harming the mind effectsly affects individuals since it relies upon the cerebrum part that was harmed. This decides the type of recuperation treatment that is important for the cerebrum to come back to its typical working condition. A horrendous cerebrum injury is an incapacity that originates from a physical issue to the mind. This incorporates the cerebrum stem that will bring about hindered subjective, physical, or passionate working. In the event that there is mellow loss of cognizance or bewilderment that keeps going under 30 minutes, the injury to the mind s thought about gentle. Memory or cognizance misfortune for over 30 minutes makes a comparative injury serious. A similar word is utilized to characterize a physical issue where there has been skull entrance and memory loss of 24 hours. People can be left in long haul inert states, and even a little change in mind capacity can influence an individual and their family, employment, and social and network collaborations. For thi s situation, I need to plate the effect from falling on the floor and hitting my head, which was expected to loosing balance while strolling. Let me return you to the day my life changed by a little mishap. As I was getting up toward the beginning of the day, I was layered and couldn't open my eyes. As I was getting up from bed I didn’t give any consideration to where I was proceeding to stumble on an item on the floor. As I believe, I hit my head against a wooden file organizer and my better half discovered me into the floor five minutes after the fact on the floor. I was confounded, tipsy, unsteady, with obscured vision, ringing in my ears, and terrible preference for my mouth. I didn't have the foggiest idea where I was, and what was happening. My significant other assist me with getting up and help me to cleared my path through the parlor, which was hard in light of the fact that it is restricted to the point that there is next to no space between the sofa on one side of the room and the seat on the other. I found the seat, and it was no biggie. I sat in the seat in the kitchen, and I looked befuddled. Nothing appeared well and good, my head was beating and I didn't comprehend what was happening. I had the option to perceive the individuals around me however I overlooked how to utilize certain articles, for example, a spoon, fork, cup, and blade so as to take care of my self. My better half was attempting to support me however the expression all over was as though he was baffled, he wasn’t use to this sort of conduct since for his entire life he was use to me having the option to get things done for my self and the consistent help was something new to him. As I was preparing for school I couldn’t recollect how to begin the vehicle, everything appeared to be divided and I needed to ask a companion or relative to help take me to class. Around then the consistent nonattendance of data was beginning to get irritating, things that I have been doing a mind-blowing entirety just went to a clear. While getting into school I experienced issues finding my class however had the option to ask somebody there. During study, it was hard to concentrate on various errands, for example, perusing, tuning in to talk or recording something. As per WebAIM (1999), â€Å"Some people experience issues getting text. These troubles might be mellow or extreme, running from minor difficulties to a total failure to peruse any content. It is absurd to expect web engineers to oblige the whole scope of perusing abilities†. When going to work I experienced difficulty working certain things, for example, programs on the PC or changing approaches the telephone. As I was supporting the specialist I overlooked what schedules I needed to do so as to set up the patient and gear. The Trilogy Integrate Resources Inc (2011) site call attention to that, â€Å"Individuals with a Traumatic Brain Injury most ordinarily experience issues in essential subjective abilities: supporting consideration, focusing on main jobs, and recalling recently learned material. They may think gradually, talk gradually, and take care of issues gradually. They may become befuddled effectively when typical schedules are changed or when the incitement level from nature surpasses their threshold†. Working condition can be affected in numerous levels, which can make horrendous circumstances and awkward predicament for me. Therefore, after injury, I with TBI might be not able to work well in their social jobs as a result of trouble in preparing, in monitoring time, in organizing complex occasions, in settling on choices dependent on expansive contribution, in adjusting to changes throughout everyday life, and in any case being the official in one’s own life. All things considered, despite the fact that I was profess to have handicap of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) for three hours it is difficult to manage this sort of incapacities. Having individuals around you to think about you and help it is exceptionally testing, and simultaneously heart slowing down in such a case that there is nobody out there to support you, you are away for acceptable. Instructions to refer to Traumatic Brain Injury (Tbi), Papers

Orlando Garcia, Jr. vs. Ranida and Ramon Salvador Essay

Orlando Garcia, Jr. (Network Diagnostics Center) versus Ranida and Ramon Salvador G.R. No. 168512 March 20, 2007 Realities: Respondent Ranida Salvador experienced a clinical assessment at the Community Diagnostics Center (CDC) as an essential for normal business. Garcia, a clinical technologist, led the HBs Ag (Hepatitis B Surface Antigen) test. On October 22, 1993, CDC gave the test outcome demonstrating that Ranida was â€Å"HBs Ag: Reactive.† The outcome bore the name and mark of Garcia as analyst and the elastic stamp mark of Dr. Castro as pathologist. When Ranida presented the test result to Dr. Sto. Domingo, the Company doctor, the last informed her that the discoveries showed that she is experiencing Hepatitis B, a liver sickness. In this way, in view of the clinical report presented by Sto. Domingo, the Company fired Ranida’s work for bombing the physical assessment. It was later verified that there was a blunder in the past assessment and that the respondent was not experiencing Hepatitis B. Respondent was rehired by the organization. ISSUE: Regardless of whether Garcia (CDC) is obligated for harms to the respondents for giving a mistaken HBsAG test result. HELD: The Court held that CDC was careless on the grounds that there was no authorized doctor in CDC as legally necessary. CDC isn't regulated, coordinated and managed by an authorized doctor as legally necessary, however by Ma. Ruby C. Calderon, an authorized Medical Technologist. In the License to Open and Operate a Clinical Laboratory for the years 1993 and 1996 gave by Dr. Juan R. Naã ±agas, M.D., Undersecretary for Health Facilities, Standards and Regulation, respondent appellee Castro was named as the head of CDC. Be that as it may, respondent pathologist isn't the proprietor of the Community Diagnostic Center nor a representative of the equivalent nor the business of its workers. Respondent pathologist goes to the Community Diagnostic Center when and where an issue is alluded to him. Castro’s rare visit to the clinical research center scarcely qualifies as a powerful managerial oversight and command over the exercises in the lab. â€Å"Supervision and control† implies the power to act legitimately at whatever point a particular capacity is depended by law or guideline to a subordinate; direct the exhibition of obligation; limit the commission of acts; survey, favor, overhaul or modifyâ acts and choices of subordinate authorities or units. In addition, Garcia directed the HBsAG trial of respondent Ranida without the management of litigant appellee Castro. In conclusion, the contested HBsAG test result was discharged to respondent Ranida without the approval of litigant appellee Castro.

Leadership Essay Introduction Essay

Maybe none of you are sufficiently fortunate to be a pioneer and battle for basic entitlements or different convictions, yet consistently schools and colleges expect understudies to compose an initiative article. Its will likely distinguish and assess your potential authority characteristics. Probably the most ideal approaches to adapt to the assignment is to list the qualities that fruitful legislators or assessment pioneers have. And afterward exhibit their essence for your situation by a case of explicit life circumstances. This is the fundamental distinction between the authority expositions and comparative ones. Rather than breaking down abstract works or their creators, you have to concentrate on your own character. The pioneer isn't constantly connected with the officer or the solid willed warlord. A powerful guide could be solid and feeble, learn and educate at the same time. The authority class offers a ton of characteristics, the nearness of which assumes an extraordinary job in the life of every individual. We are discussing compassion, commitment, genuineness, consistency, charitableness, obligation, self-improvement, impact, the capacity to instruct. The fundamental piece of authority paper plot comprises of depicting the brilliant snapshots of your life to prove the expressed proposition. Models ought not be extract and contain emotion reflections. It is smarter to turn to the points of interest and show in which cases you indicated boldness, insight or hierarchical aptitudes. The subtleties increment the trust in the substance of the content. The individual idea of the article on authority makes it conceivable to utilize accounts as contentions. Each new quality must start with another passage while staying in contact with the past content utilizing transitional expressions. This will help make the paper effectively coherent to the crowd. You likewise could utilize the data gathered before from different sources. When composing an authority paper, the accompanying essential segments ought to be thought of. As a matter of first importance, to make a thought out of ​​the marvel of administration, utilize online assets or true to life stories. They won't just explain the idea however will likewise prompt smart thoughts. Try not to befuddle the initiative articles with the courageous epic. You need thoughtfulness regarding yourself, however not to others. Simultaneously, it is important to maintain a strategic distance from dreams and barefaced falsehoods. Stay as legit as conceivable to make your work practical, and resemble a fantasy. To accomplish this, disregard characteristics that are not intrinsic in you. The utilization of the strategy for conceptualizing will help decide the necessary aptitudes. Recall the circumstance where you were given an extraordinary duty, for example, a venture, a games group or the principle job in the play. By and large, any experience of participation can be introduced with regards to authority. When you have settled on the field of research, it is critical to build up a paper conspire. Along these lines, a fruitful finishing of an administration paper relies upon the profundity of comprehension of this idea, your genuineness and beneficial experience. Likewise, recollect that genuine powerful pioneers have a special vision of things. Utilize this quality to introduce yourself in a great light.

An Introduction to Jews American Literature - 2200 Words

Understanding Jews Study: An Introduction to Jews American Literature (Case Study Sample) Content: NameProfessorCourseDateUnderstanding Jews Study: An Introduction to Jews American LiteratureIntroductionThe development of Jews literature has evolved over time with their writers becoming among the major writers in the world. Many of their writing are influenced by the turbulent times the Jews people have faced in foreign lands, notable one being their mass execution by the Germany dictator, Hitler. Among their many writers Ozick and Roth stands out from their creativity and richness of language. From the book the Pagan Rabbi, Ozick narrates of a Rabbi a religious man who commits suicide after deviating from his religious teaching and embracing foreign ideas. The defiant rabbi get seduced by a woman and eventually kills himself. On the other hand Roth in his book call it Sleep exploits the plights of a Jews family who migrates to the US. Using different characters he reveals the harsh times the immigrants had in the US in early 20th century. These two books though in a deferent setup, addresses a similar theme, that of an outsider. This literature will analyze the books, Pagan Rabbi and Call it Sleep to bring out the theme of outsider in the two booksCall it Sleep by Henry Roth It is fascinating the way Mr. Roth vividly paints the picture of immigrants plights in the United States of America in the early 20th century. Through the character David, he explores the life of an immigrant in the slums and streets. He reveals the suspicion with which the immigrants were subjected to and the poor relationship the native had with the immigrants. At all times, the native took every chance to exploit the immigrants in every possible aspect. This is revealed in the context where David meets and becomes friends with a Catholic boy who offers him a rosary in exchange for a chance of meet Polly and Esther (Davids step-cousins). When the chance came, the Catholic boy (Leo) took Esther to the basement of their candy shop and raped her. David meets Luter, a frie nd of his father whose intent was to have a sexual relationship with Davids mother Genya (Roth 22). Roth reveals this from the intense dislike of characters Luter by David. From the passage David dislikes Lutes face at first sight: It was not because it was particularly ugly or because it was scary, but because an individual felt own features trying to imitate it while one looked at it. David, with his small mouth and the bow of his lips conspicuously thick and arched; he actually felt himself waiting for it to relax. And the way his nostrils swelled up and out almost fatigued one hoped the dimples in his would soon fill out (Roth 105). The drama portrays confusion between the distorted systems of the city and Davids perception. It is characterized by existence of many misunderstood secrets. When David overhears his aunt talking with his mother, he comes to learn that she was in love with a non-Jew man before she married his father. From this conversation David devices a lie to the rabbi that his true mother died and Genya is his aunt. This lie explodes when Rabbi Yidel narrates the fabricated story of David regarding his imagined parenthood to Albert who accuses his wife for infidelity. Roth uses different stylistic devices to convey his message in the drama.He uses Street Language by incorporating dialects from other languages and distorted spellings. When Joyce saw her classmate by the water edge, Roth puts it: An ecstasy of flight made radiant his eyes and wild his breath and tremulous and wild and radiant his winds wept limbs_One! Two...look out!-O, cripes, Im drowned-One! Two! Three and away!-Me next! Me next!-One...Uk!-Stephanoforos! (Roth 93)The language in the drama is a crush of informers sometimes vulgar language of the street with the translated Yiddish language and the immigrants dialects. With this mix, Roth tries to show the richness in the immigrants languages multiculturalism. The author further uses fragmented consciousness to portl y his thoughts of confusion and the conflicting society that David finds himself after his family migrates to the America;-Thought this-? NoMaybe went two.Then when he ran.Wasnt looking and went two.Next one.That would be it. Find it now. Mama is waiting (Roth 89). These fragments of consciousness characterize the drama. Roth has applied this style across the book revealing the state of confusion and conflict between the inner being of David and the society he lives. Roth uses limited disclosure to explore the inner feelings of David: How long he lay there he did not know. But little by little the anguish lifted... Throughout drama Roth tries to bring to light the plight of immigrants in the US. He uses Albert symbolically as the representation of the cruel society that the immigrant lives in. The brutality exhibited by Albert to his family, the merciless whipping of David, his total mistrust of his wife and constant accusations reflect the perception and treatment of the immigrants by the natives. The writer succeeds in painting a vivid picture of the hard times the immigrants experienced during the 1930s depression through his character Albert (Roth 56). However, through the development of his theme, he brings out the notion of a reciprocate cruelty from the immigrants. After Albert secured a job to deliver milk, one day accompanied by David he beats a man almost to death for having intentions to steal from him. On the other hand, Cynthia Ozick explores the plights of a Rabbi who is an outsider to his own religion. The Pagan Rabbi is the title-story of the book The pagan rabbi and other stories. It is built upon a religious leader who hangs himself. Throughout the development of the story, Ozick paints the Rabbi as an ideological outsider to his religion. Ozick views western civilization as full of Greek paganism that threatens the existence of Judaism (Ozick 72). The author employs irony in presenting her theme. The rabbi, a religious leader and a teacher o f region is viewed as the custodian of morality in the society and the protector of Judaism. He should be a living example of the teachings of the scripture. He is also responsible for correcting the behavior of his congregation. However, the religious leader in the story, Isaac Kornfied ends up hanging himself for violating the very teachings he represent. The unnamed narrator claims they had a long friendship with Rabbi Isaac from their seminary schooling. After learning the suicide of the Rabbi, the narrator makes effort to inquire what motivated the Rabbi to such unfortunate action. He visits the Rabbis widow who claimed that Isaac had converted from a Jew to a pagan. The writer paints a clear image of the tree where he hanged himself. Here, Ozick uses symbolism where the Rabbi dying on a tree is a punishment for abandoning his family religion, disobeying the torah laws and adopting Greek paganism. The writer contrast Judaism worship which entails the soul as opposed to the Hell enistic worships that concerns the body. The other worships are branded paganism by the writer. Ozick employs symbols across the story to develop her story and theme. The death of rabbi Kornfield comes after being seduced by a female dyad (Ozick 102). The narrator also learns that Kornfield had deflected from Judaism to paganism a... An Introduction to Jews American Literature - 2200 Words Understanding Jews Study: An Introduction to Jews American Literature (Case Study Sample) Content: NameProfessorCourseDateUnderstanding Jews Study: An Introduction to Jews American LiteratureIntroductionThe development of Jews literature has evolved over time with their writers becoming among the major writers in the world. Many of their writing are influenced by the turbulent times the Jews people have faced in foreign lands, notable one being their mass execution by the Germany dictator, Hitler. Among their many writers Ozick and Roth stands out from their creativity and richness of language. From the book the Pagan Rabbi, Ozick narrates of a Rabbi a religious man who commits suicide after deviating from his religious teaching and embracing foreign ideas. The defiant rabbi get seduced by a woman and eventually kills himself. On the other hand Roth in his book call it Sleep exploits the plights of a Jews family who migrates to the US. Using different characters he reveals the harsh times the immigrants had in the US in early 20th century. These two books though in a deferent setup, addresses a similar theme, that of an outsider. This literature will analyze the books, Pagan Rabbi and Call it Sleep to bring out the theme of outsider in the two booksCall it Sleep by Henry Roth It is fascinating the way Mr. Roth vividly paints the picture of immigrants plights in the United States of America in the early 20th century. Through the character David, he explores the life of an immigrant in the slums and streets. He reveals the suspicion with which the immigrants were subjected to and the poor relationship the native had with the immigrants. At all times, the native took every chance to exploit the immigrants in every possible aspect. This is revealed in the context where David meets and becomes friends with a Catholic boy who offers him a rosary in exchange for a chance of meet Polly and Esther (Davids step-cousins). When the chance came, the Catholic boy (Leo) took Esther to the basement of their candy shop and raped her. David meets Luter, a frie nd of his father whose intent was to have a sexual relationship with Davids mother Genya (Roth 22). Roth reveals this from the intense dislike of characters Luter by David. From the passage David dislikes Lutes face at first sight: It was not because it was particularly ugly or because it was scary, but because an individual felt own features trying to imitate it while one looked at it. David, with his small mouth and the bow of his lips conspicuously thick and arched; he actually felt himself waiting for it to relax. And the way his nostrils swelled up and out almost fatigued one hoped the dimples in his would soon fill out (Roth 105). The drama portrays confusion between the distorted systems of the city and Davids perception. It is characterized by existence of many misunderstood secrets. When David overhears his aunt talking with his mother, he comes to learn that she was in love with a non-Jew man before she married his father. From this conversation David devices a lie to the rabbi that his true mother died and Genya is his aunt. This lie explodes when Rabbi Yidel narrates the fabricated story of David regarding his imagined parenthood to Albert who accuses his wife for infidelity. Roth uses different stylistic devices to convey his message in the drama.He uses Street Language by incorporating dialects from other languages and distorted spellings. When Joyce saw her classmate by the water edge, Roth puts it: An ecstasy of flight made radiant his eyes and wild his breath and tremulous and wild and radiant his winds wept limbs_One! Two...look out!-O, cripes, Im drowned-One! Two! Three and away!-Me next! Me next!-One...Uk!-Stephanoforos! (Roth 93)The language in the drama is a crush of informers sometimes vulgar language of the street with the translated Yiddish language and the immigrants dialects. With this mix, Roth tries to show the richness in the immigrants languages multiculturalism. The author further uses fragmented consciousness to portl y his thoughts of confusion and the conflicting society that David finds himself after his family migrates to the America;-Thought this-? NoMaybe went two.Then when he ran.Wasnt looking and went two.Next one.That would be it. Find it now. Mama is waiting (Roth 89). These fragments of consciousness characterize the drama. Roth has applied this style across the book revealing the state of confusion and conflict between the inner being of David and the society he lives. Roth uses limited disclosure to explore the inner feelings of David: How long he lay there he did not know. But little by little the anguish lifted... Throughout drama Roth tries to bring to light the plight of immigrants in the US. He uses Albert symbolically as the representation of the cruel society that the immigrant lives in. The brutality exhibited by Albert to his family, the merciless whipping of David, his total mistrust of his wife and constant accusations reflect the perception and treatment of the immigrants by the natives. The writer succeeds in painting a vivid picture of the hard times the immigrants experienced during the 1930s depression through his character Albert (Roth 56). However, through the development of his theme, he brings out the notion of a reciprocate cruelty from the immigrants. After Albert secured a job to deliver milk, one day accompanied by David he beats a man almost to death for having intentions to steal from him. On the other hand, Cynthia Ozick explores the plights of a Rabbi who is an outsider to his own religion. The Pagan Rabbi is the title-story of the book The pagan rabbi and other stories. It is built upon a religious leader who hangs himself. Throughout the development of the story, Ozick paints the Rabbi as an ideological outsider to his religion. Ozick views western civilization as full of Greek paganism that threatens the existence of Judaism (Ozick 72). The author employs irony in presenting her theme. The rabbi, a religious leader and a teacher o f region is viewed as the custodian of morality in the society and the protector of Judaism. He should be a living example of the teachings of the scripture. He is also responsible for correcting the behavior of his congregation. However, the religious leader in the story, Isaac Kornfied ends up hanging himself for violating the very teachings he represent. The unnamed narrator claims they had a long friendship with Rabbi Isaac from their seminary schooling. After learning the suicide of the Rabbi, the narrator makes effort to inquire what motivated the Rabbi to such unfortunate action. He visits the Rabbis widow who claimed that Isaac had converted from a Jew to a pagan. The writer paints a clear image of the tree where he hanged himself. Here, Ozick uses symbolism where the Rabbi dying on a tree is a punishment for abandoning his family religion, disobeying the torah laws and adopting Greek paganism. The writer contrast Judaism worship which entails the soul as opposed to the Hell enistic worships that concerns the body. The other worships are branded paganism by the writer. Ozick employs symbols across the story to develop her story and theme. The death of rabbi Kornfield comes after being seduced by a female dyad (Ozick 102). The narrator also learns that Kornfield had deflected from Judaism to paganism a...

Joint Venture In The Construction Industry In Spain - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 22 Words: 6502 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? An estimated 20,000 joint ventures have been formed worlwide over the past two years. Such strategic alliances can provide business owners with long-term security, new revenue channels, and , often, the anchor needed to maintain stability in otherwise turbulent waters. A successful joint venture can open the door to a wold of future partnership opportunities (Robert L.Wallace 2004) Factors now at play in our economy make it more feasible and more critical than ever for small business owners to leverage the power of joint venturing. These factors include: Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Joint Venture In The Construction Industry In Spain" essay for you Create order The emergence of the customer economy Advances in technology that have neutralized time and space contraints Change brougt on by shifting demographics More entrepreneur- and more oportunities- as a result of downsizing In the midst of these world-changing trends, what is often missing from a succesffull business strategy are the critical alliances and strategic partnerships that will help leverage the strenghts and minimise weaknesses. Forging joint ventures and strategic alliances will allow business to win millions contracts as the partner with large companies to offer with, breadth, and depth demanded in the marketplace. Done well, joint ventures provide both participating businesses with a chance to learn and benefit from each other, and to achieve results neither could achive alone. In this dissertation will be explained- how to enter into joint ventures well so a company can prosper in ways it never could by doing it alone CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i ABSTRACT ii CONTENTS iii LIST OF TABLES v LIST OF FIGURES vi INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Introduction 2 1.2 Objectives of Dissertation 2 Contents 3 JOINT VENTURE EXPLAINED 2.1 Joint Ventures Explained 2.2 The Rationale of Joint Venture Formation 2.3 Joint Venture Formation 2.4 Management and Implementation LITERATURE REVIEW 3.1 Forms of Joint Venture 3.2 Motives of forming a Joint Venture 3.3 Selection of Partners 3.4 Preliminary Agreement and Negotiation Research Methodology 4.1 Research Approach 40 4.2 Research Ethics 41 4.3 Interviews 42 4.4 Survey 46 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 5.1 Basic Conflicting Interests 5.2 Loss of Autonomy and Control 5.3 Findings CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES Chapter One Introduction and Objectives of Dissertation Introduction à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Business once grew by one of two ways: grass roots up, or by acquisition. Today business grow through alliances- all kinds of dangerous alliance, joint ventures, and customer partnerign, which by the way, very few people understandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Peter F.Drucker 2007) Experiences of joint venture management in the construction industry traced back to the early 60 ´s. It appears that characteristics of this industry favor the proposition of joint ventures formation. Although statistics are not available, this is obviously true in relation to the infrastructure development of Spain at the present moment The determination of the . 1.1 Objectives of Dissertation This paper attempts to review the existing literatures on management of joint ventures its merits and problems, particular issues arisen and suggested management techniques to cope with such obstacles in operating a joint venture. Interviews were conducted with two senior staffs of one of the partners of a joint venture formed by four construction firms. The joint venture is currently undertaking one of the Train Station Core Projects to be completed before July 2011. It is hoped that hand-on experiences of these senior staffs, at the level of Management Committee of the joint venture, as well as the operational level of the joint venture, would provide us valuable insight and opinion on the art of joint venture management, as a reflection and complement to the general review of the literatures. The key objectives are: To critically appraise the existing literature to Corporative alliances issues and the role of International Strategy in applying these issues. To establish the importance Strategic alliances with competitors in the international market. To evaluate the purposes of strategic alliances as well as to what extent might be successful a company. To determine other factors that influences companies in seeking Joint Ventures. To assess the sources of value creation. To study possible pitfalls in doing a Strategic Alliance. To draw conclusions upon a joint venture in a case study. 1.2 Contents In Chapter 2, the organization of interest is described in detail along with an explanation of its forms. In Chapter 3 the literature in relation to joint venture and strategic alliances in general and its application within the company is critically reviewed. Chapter 4 describes and justifies the research methods employed and includes a section on the ethical considerations of the project. In Chapter 5 the findings of the one-to-one interviews, In Chapter 6 the findings are analyzed and evaluated in relation to the published research literature. In Chapter 7 a joint venture framework for the SMART Services is presented along with a plan for its implementation. Finally, in Chapter 8 conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made for future work. A list of references is provided and the appendices contain pertinent information, documents (including, the survey questionnaire) and collated data. Chapter Two Joint Venture Explained 2. Joint Venture Explained A joint venture is the coming together of two (or more) independent business for the sole purpose of achieving a specific outcome that would not have been achievable by one of the firms alone. (Source: Wallace 2004) 2.1 The Rationale of Joint Venture Formation The form of joint venture provides benefits and a skeleton, based on which the management philosophy of the joint venture builds up. . (See Figure 1) Figure 1: Joint Venture. Business Benefit Source: Trendsetter Barometer, PWC In respect of share of management, there are dominant parent ventures, share management ventures and independent ventures. Degree of involvement of parents in these types of joint ventures differs, and in turn these joint ventures face different types of nature and management problems. At operational level, there are approaches of integrated structure and non-integrated structure. The nature of the business and the share of responsibilities in various aspects of the business will be the determination factors of choice Generally speaking, the choice of form of joint venture should be made in accordance to what contributions are required of the parents in order to achieve the purpose of forming the joint venture. Companies forming joint ventures basically intend to develop markets and products. Common reasons are: to suit government policies, pooling resources, risk sharing, building business relation and to reduce competition. The first step to form a joint venture, after realizing that such tactics is desirable, is to select a partner. Consideration on selection of partners concentrates on three major themes: shared objectives, mutual trust and co-operation, and abilities of the potential partners. Appropriate partners should be compatible in their objectives of forming the joint venture and their expertise/Knowledge on the business. Right partners also should possess similar management styles normally. Lastly it is important that potential partnerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s real intention is realizes, to avoid future major disagreements. 2.2 Joint Venture Formation When the partners have reached initial agreement to form a joint venture, often a preliminary agreement is signed. It forms a basis for the drafting of the detailed agreement, and provide framework for the partners to work together and proceed to more detailed planning works. But subsequent negotiations following for the preliminary agreement often provide good chances for the partners to understand more thoroughly the expectation of potential partners. It is not uncommon that a final agreement cannot be reached because major conflicts are revealed in the process of subsequent negotiations after preliminary agreement. It is always intended to write agreements to cover all contingencies. But some managers consider that it is not so practically possible in view of the rapidly changing environments nowadays. Instead, emphasis should be placed on building up mutual trust and thus it is important to incorporate a sense of fairness into the joint venture agreement. Generally defined, well understood mutually, and respectful to each other ´s rights in return to their contributions committed. It is suggested that the best solutions should be an agreement covering all possible contingencies, together with the design of a flexible mechanism allowing changes to be agreed between efficiently while promoting cooperation and mutual trust. A very important aspect in drafting the joint venture agreement is the design of reward system for the partners. Pay-off in the form of product flow between the parents and the joint venture is often the source of major management problems and conflicts. Such product flow diverts attention of the parents from the joint venture ´s benefits. Again, fairness and willingness to co-operate are the keys to resolving such problems. If at all possible, market comparison is a useful guide to fix the transfer price in a fair sense. The primary concern of a partner in forming a joint venture is probably the degree of control over the business. In respect of split of ownership, majority-minority shares are sometimes preferred, as the majority of partner can act as leader for the joint venture and thus gives direction in a less ambiguous manner for the operation of the joint venture. On the other hand, come companies prefer equal shares to ensure willingness of all partners to contribute efforts as required and they may also feel more comfortable that all partners have equal à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“statusà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? in the joint venture. Ownership distribution is less important than how operation control is actually apportioned. There is no rule on thumb on allocating operation control. General guidelines are that each parent should be motivated to make necessary commitments continuously in accordance to their abilities, and that each parent should be protected in its interests. To enhance long term co-operation, exploitation of other partner ´s interests must not be attempted. It must be emphasized that full equality in operating control requires much more efforts from all partner, and the joint venture would have to be operated in day-to-day on-going negotiations and compromise among the partners. 2.3 Management and Implementation Standard joint venture organization consist of two components the management board and operation organization. The management board is the highest authority of the joint venture. The composition of the board and jurisdiction of the board determine largely the share of power among the partners. To build an effective board, board members should be delegated enough and necessary authority by their own companies in making decisions and vote in the board. They should endeavor to maintain mutual trusts among the partners, to sustain the common goal and objectives of the partners and to the exercise effective control over the joint venture. This is better to clearly separate the operation organization independently from the management board, to avoid biases or perceived biases towards one particular partner. As mentioned earlier, staffing is a possible and often effective way of controlling the joint venture operations. But overact may generate resentment from other partners. It will be extremely difficult to build up cohesiveness of the operation organization from all the partners. The organization will possibly segregate into groups of their own companies. Theoretically, secondly is desirable only if considered necessary for the needs of the joint venture. Otherwise recruitment from outside can more easily maintain the independence of the operation organization. The joint venture manager is an important role, as the leader for the operation organization, the bridge between the child and the parents, and sometimes as the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“mediatorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? for the parents if disputes arose among them. He has to possess negotiation skills, people skills, and selling skills to bring together mutual co-operation form all parties concerned. He is often found to be involved in ambiguous relationship, with his sub-ordinates and supervisors, and wit the parent companies. In order to achieve his task of pleasing everybody and avoiding conflicts and tension between the parties concerned, he has to be highly tolerant and ambiguity. The joint venture manager should be loyal only to the joint venture, not to any of the parents. He has to be perceived as neutral, otherwise his opinions will never be convincing to other people. Biased loyalty of the joint venture manager will arouse other parents taking harmful measure against smooth operations of the joint venture. Being neutral is an important qualification of the joint venture manager in order to gain autonomy and trust, which in turn makes the joint venture more likely to succeed. The joint venture agreement implied an independent operation organization separated from the parents to be fully responsible for daily management of the business and that the operation organization enjoyed a high degree of autonomy. In practice, the independence and autonomy were granted to the operation organization, only if all parents, in particular the joint venture manager, will act truly neutral. Without such belief, parents were able to exercise disruptive negative measures to hinder the normal implementation of management for the joint venture operations. The case also supported that the quality if the joint venture manager in negotiation skills and human relations, and its relationship with the parents was a paramount importance of the success of the joint venture. A strong leader might be harmful for a joint venture, but a practical and flexible manager surely is very useful. Chapter Three Literature Review 3.1 Forms of Joint Venture 3.3.1 Share of management The fundamental question in management of joint ventures is the degree of involvement of partners in decision making processes on major policies as well as day-to-day operations of the joint ventures. In this respect, joint ventures are often categorized into three types: (Stephen I. Glover and Craig M. Wasserman 2003) Dominant parent ventures: in which management decisions are dominated by one parent, either formally by majority voting rights in all major aspects or informally by management settings to control key decisions makings without significant involvement from the other party. Shared management ventures: in which management of joint venture operations are shared between the parents, either shared by each providing resources in certain functional areas or shared by pooling resources at most levels of the joint venture operations. Characteristics of this type of joint venture are the necessity of frequent negotiation and agreement between the partners at most all levels and aspects of the business management. Independent ventures: in which parent ´s involvements in the management of the joint venture is very little, as it is left almost entirely to an independent group of personnel employed under the joint venture. The roles of parents are not too much different from shareholders, except that they may be providing other distinct types of resources as well as capital and there are only a few shareholders. Dominant parent ventures and independent ventures are thought to be more trouble free, as they require less interaction and thus less potential conflicts between the parents. However, there are no concrete evidence to suggest that these two types of ventures will be more likely to succeed than shared management ventures. Obviously the choice of joint ventures types is dependent on the situation and nature of the business and the parentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s  ´characteristics. Circumstances often call for shared management but no other choices, simply because joint efforts are required to achieve what is intended. Pooling of resources, and thus a mixed input of management efforts from both parents, may be the fundamental desire of forming the joint venture. In such cases, dominance of one parent certainly cannot fulfil the purpose of the strategic alliance and the question is to overcome the difficulties of shared management on joint ventures operations. Legal Form In terms of the legal form of the joint venture, there can be three choices: (Dennis Campbell and Antonida Netzer 2009) Consortium: it refers to a grouping, formed on a one-off basis, which is governed by a contractual agreement. The contractual agreement is made to define clearly the position of each of the parents, including a specification of the authority, responsibility, liability and power of each party. Parnership: it can take a form of formal partnership. The parties are then effectively recognised in law as partners. The joint venture is considered as a business entity on its own, in legal terms, separated from the individual parties. As partners, each of the parties is legally liable for any debt or default committed by other partners on behalf of the joint venture, which may not be the case if formed as a consortium depending on details of the contractual agreement of constituting the consortium. Incorpotation: joint ventures which are intended to be a permanent business are usually constituted as an incorporate entity. This would enable the parties being insulated from the risks of the business of the joint venture, as a limited company. The major disadvantage is that the profit and loss sustained by the joint venture as incorporation cannot be set off against that of the parent companies for tax purpose. 3.1.3 Operational Structure The two extreme categories of operational structure of a joint venture are integrated joint venture and non integrated joint venture (Dennis Campbell and Antonida Netzer 2009) Integrated Structure: the parties agree on a certain proportion of capital and resources investment and a prescribed profit or loss sharing formula, and they both participate on every level of execution of the joint venture business. Non-integrated Structure: in such case, the joint venture usually provides for general management machinery, which looks after overall administrative and coordinative roles for the joint venture business. The whole business is then divided into packages or portions which are assigned to the parents to execute and operate such packages or portions as designated in the joint venture agreement (Appendix A) In practice joint ventures are usually a mixture of these two approaches. The question is the degree of integration to be adopted for the given set of circumstances faced by the joint venture. For that joint venture business that can be divided into clear cut portions and such divided portions will suit the capability and resources of different partners, non-integrated approach will usually be adopted. While the joint venture business is complex and it requires a centralised management of all aspects of the business, the management will be integrated. Integrated approach is more difficult to manage. Conflicting interests and ideas between the partners can arise more often than non-integrated approach. But it is often unavoidable as the nature of the joint venture business mar not is possible to be divided neatly into portions. On the other hand, for non-integrated approach, complicated contractual argument can arise between partners. In case of joint venture agreement in a basis of joint and several responsibilities, it is not uncommon that the partners lodge contractual claims against each other on non-performance or default of the other parties in executing their portion of the joint venture business resulting loss to the whole joint venture from third party claims. The Case Study The parents attempted to adopt a mixture of shared and independent management for the joint venture under study, as implied in the conditions of the joint venture agreement. The management committee of the joint venture, which was the highest level of decision making and policy setting, were composed of one representative each partner. In respect of operational structure, a mixture of integrated and non-integrated approach was adopted. While a separate joint venture organization supposedly independent from the partners managed and operated the whole joint venture business integrally, the project was divided into portions and packages which were then subcontracted back to the partners under the joint venture 3.2 Motives of forming a Joint Venture Companies forming joint ventures basically intended to develop markets and products i.e. to strength the firmsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ existing business, to take the firms existing products to new market, to obtain new products that can be sold in the firm ´s existing markets, and to diversify into new businesses (Mark de Rond 2003) These objectives can be achieved through various ways, as shown in figure 1.1 But why choose a joint venture to try to achieve these objectives? Common reasons are: (Das y Teng 2000) Government Policies: because of licensing requirements of the government for undertaking a certain type of business in a country, e.g. for construction works in Spain many foreign companies may wish to form joint ventures with local companies who have the required licenses at hand in order to enter the market first, while they at the same time apply for the necessary licenses which may take months or even years in some cases. Many governments, who attempt to protect the development of certain industry of their countries, establish regulations that prohibit foreign companies to set up wholly owned subsidiaries. If foreign companies wish to explore the market of those countries, they have no choice to form joint ventures with local companies. Risk Sharing: in very large and risky projects that companies feel uncomfortable to bear but unwilling to give up the business opportunity, several companies share the risk by undertaking the project jointly. These risk may be commercial risks (finance, source of materials, technical uncertainties, etc) or political risks (change un government policies, unstable political status of the country, etc) Figure 1: Motives for joint venture formation New Markets Existing Makets To Take Existing Products To Foreign Markets Open Markets Closed Markets To Diversify into New Business Learning from your partner Learning with your partner To Strengthen the Existing Business Achieving economies of scale Acquiring technology Reducing financial risk To Bring Foreign Products To Local Markets Marketing and distribution à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Screwdriver à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“assembly Developing local technology Technology flow back to parent Existing Products New Products Source: (Das y Teng 2000) Pooling of resources: companies often join to develop business that requires a combination of different resources (finance, technology, market access, local experience, etc) that none of these companies possess all of them, e.g. a combination of market access by one company and technical knowledge of a product by another, combination of different technical skills that are necessary to develop a product, or a combination of several companies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"resources to achieve economies of scale. Building business relation: some companies form joint ventures with in order to build up wide business relations among the industry. They believe that this will enable them to widen their networks of business and that it may be helpful for their further business developments in long term. Reduce competition: joining with your competitor automatically reduce the degree of competition. This is particularly useful if there are only a few potential competitors only. It is not uncommon to find in certain industry that formations of joint ventures effectively create monopolistic or oligopolistic conditions. The Case Study In the construction industry inherent risks involved in the projects are the major concern of a company ´s business strategy. Sharing of commercial risks (financial burdens on the company, source of raw materials, technical uncertainty involved with the works) for large scaled projects is the major reason of forming joint ventures. Because of the huge amount of resources involved and the multi-disciplinary nature of the projects, pooling if resources from several companies is necessary to gain sufficient competence in order to tender for the works. Not a single company may have all the necessary skills and sufficient amount of resources that are required for those Train Station Core Projects. Formations of joint ventures become the most common tactics for the construction firms to undertake those projects. Political risk is also a major concern especially for foreign firms who are not familiar with the policies. Most foreign firms conceive that formation of joint ventures is an effective way of securing the safety of the business, particularly when undertaking infrastructure development projects of payment terms. Large construction firms (both local and international firms that were interested and had potential to undertake these large projects) gradually formed into groups of consortium to tender for these jobs. As a result, the industry transformed into competing allied groups, instead of competing among individual firms. Although such transformation might be unintentional at the time these companies first formed joint ventures, they now became aware of such advantage and might use this again as one of the useful tools in future when considering the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s strategy competitions in the industry. 3.3 Selection of Partners 3.3.1The Criteria of Choosing a Partner Considerations on selection of partners concentrate on three majors themes: (Lynn Krieger 1991) Shared objectives Mutual trust and willingness to co-operate and Having necessary skills/resources The task is to find a compatible partner in respect of these three major themes. The right pair or group of partners often implies an asymmetry of partners, i.e. the right partners often have different quality and characteristics so that they will complement with each others on the need of the business. Basic consideration is whether the potential partner can provide what you need and the confidence of the potential partner ´s willingness to co-operate. They may not have the same objective but their co-operation should fulfill each other ´s objectives. They may not have the expertise on the same area, and they should possess different knowledge so that when combined together their competence will be strengthened. In fact two partners having expertise on the same area often is the source of conflicts as both will consider their own approach is superior without due respect on the other partner ´s expertise on the field. But right partners should desirably have similar management styles and outlooks so that their overall business strategy would go along the same direction. Otherwise, conflict on major business policy that is originated from the incompatibility of the partners expectation on what the joint venture should achieve eventually arise someday Lyn Krieger put forward two prepositions: The more similar the culture of firms forming a shared management joint venture, the easier the venture will be to manage. The more similar in size are the parents of a shared management venture, the easier the venture will be to manage. A significant size mismatch between a venture ´s parents can create a lot of problems for the venture. Culture here refers to both corporate culture and the culture of the country from which the firms are based. These propositions are based on the principle that managers, to be effectively working together, need to be able to evaluate each other ´s judgment and the way of working before they can build up a cohesive team. The second proposition is an extension of the first one as size of the company can contribute to difference in corporate culture. One should also be alert on any hidden agenda of your potential partner (Kathryn Rudie 2003). Confidence on the observation of your potential partner ´s real intention and objective to form the joint venture is a pre-requisite condition before a decision can be made on the choice of partners. The classic tragic case of Beijing Jeep is a good example of hidden agenda. Both partners did not spell out clearly their real intention of what was to be achieved, and both partners did not understand thoroughly the other partner ´s real intention before signing the joint venture agreement. Unreasonable conflicts arose not long after formation of the joint venture, when both parties realized that they were expecting something beyond the wishes of the other party. The tragedy ought to be avoidable if both parties made clear of their expectations before signing on the joint venture agreement. 3.3.2 The Process Selection It is suggested that a step-by-step approach should be adopted to develop relationship with potential partners (Kathryn Rudie 2003): Prepare a checklist desirable quality of the partner Searching out for potential partners based on the checklist Prepare proposals and issues to study and negotiate with the potential partner If possible, try out a joint venture of small scale before committing long term and large scaled joint venture business Theatrically, this process enables the partners to develop faith and mutual trust and allows better mutual understanding before placing large financial stakes on joint ventures with unfamiliar partners. Obviously, this takes a long time and in practice the ever changing business environment often does not wait for such long process of partner selection. Business opportunities simply slip away before the good partner relationship can evolve in this way. In real life, it is often founded that good joint venture partner relationship is assumed at the time of signing the joint venture agreement, and the assumption is often based on personal relationship between the CEOs of the companies. The Case Study Major consideration in selection of partners was what resources the partner could bring in to supplement his shortages and strengthen the competence of the company to successfully tender for the job. Reputation and track record in the international construction industry was the first item to check on, particularly as the potential partner was new-comers to Spain. It was admitted that the other partnerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s intention of choosing the company was not fully known at the time of forming the joint venture. At that time, it was only understood that the company was chosen by other partners because of its local experiences in Spain and the feeling of political security that the firm could provide as a whole owned company. It was now gradually revealed that the partners also intended to build up long term business relationship with the major company on future prospects of exploring the company, obviously because of the relationship with municipal government. In fact, one partner had already been discussing with the company on the possibility of undertaking infrastructure development project in Spain. There was hidden agenda although it was not detrimental in this case. In the contrary, it helped to enhance their co-operation spirit in the present joint venture. The selection process was not systematic and objective at all. It was in fact a very quick decision to form the joint venture after very brief discussions with the potential partners and examining on the partner ´s information such as auditor ´s report and the partner ´s previous track records of large construction projects undertaken. Two major factors contributed to the quick decision: Reputation of the companies in the construction industry: this gave confidence to other partners in believing that the partners could bring in the right resources as promised Personal relationship between CEOs of the companies: the CEO of the company had been previous colleagues of the CEO of one foreign partner, who in turn had very close personal relationship with the CEOs of the other two foreign partners. This was probably the most important factor of making the bold assumption of mutual trust and faith in future joint venture works. 3.4 Preliminary Agreement When the partners have reached initial agreement on the formation of joint venture, often a preliminary agreement is signed to confirm the intention of the partners Chapter Five Findings and Discussion 5. Findings and Discussion To sum up the discussion above, major drawbacks and difficulties encountered of forming a joint venture can be categorized into two main types: basic conflicting interest and loss of autonomy and control. 5.1 Basic Conflicting Interests Those ventures formed with parents of basic conflicts in their intentions and directions on what the joint venture should achieve are bound to failure. Typical examples of such joint ventures happen in some countries that are starting to open internationally such Venezuela or Cuba. In those countries real intentions of foreign firms were to import into huge markets, while state owned enterprise only intended to import a minimal amount of foreign goods together with technology for the development of the industry. These different intentions required two completely different approaches to be adopted in the joint venture to develop business. Compromise could never be reached in such cases and the results were often disastrous for both parties. Such joint ventures should not be formed at all in the very first beginning. They existed only because of the misinterpretation of the other partiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ intention, or there were hidden agenda of the parties at the negotiation stage. It is therefore important that when choosing the partners, through mutual understanding and realizing each other ´s intention are the basic starting point, to make sure that at least the overall direction of the joint venture as expected by all parties would be the same. Like most construction joint ventures, partners in the studied case had no doubt on the overall direction of the joint venture, to undertake the particular construction project as contracted with the client and construct the work within the time and budget as planned. Failure to achieve the very specific target would incur substantial loss to every parent. This basic characteristic ensured the common efforts of all parents in future to strive for a common goal, which was the fundamental factor leading to success of the joint venture. But there were some secondary conflicts of interest, arising from the transfer price of sub-contracting packages back to the parents. But because of the appreciation from all parents that failure of the basic goal would be disastrous for all parents, they presented a high degree of tolerance and willingness to compromise on such issues of secondary conflicts of interest. This assisted a great deal to ensure smooth operation of the business and to avoid deadlock between parents. As discussed previously, there were hidden agenda revealed from foreign parents. Fortunately, the hidden agenda (develop business relationship with the company parent in order to explore further business opportunities) Compromise could be reached more easily in such a commercial atmosphere between the parties, although this might give opportunities to the company parent to exploit more benefits from the joint venture. It can be concluded here that joint ventures are preferred to have a very specific and clearly defined goal of physical achievement, which are shared and deeply concerned by all parents. This will almost guarantee co-operation attitudes and contribution of efforts from the parents. Appreciation of long-term business relationship among the parents is also a determining factor in this respect. Most construction joint ventures were formed to undertake a specific project, with clearly defined scope of works and time limit. This basic characteristic is probably the most important factor that joint ventures in the construction industry have a very high rate of success. 5.2 Loss of Autonomy and Control It is repeatedly emphasized that problems of joint venture arise simply because there is more than one parent. Each parent wants to control its child ´s activities in its own way. They are often concerned about perceived loss of control over invested capital, technical resources and propriety information. They are worried that such valuable assets may be undesirable distributed to outsiders and other partners. Unanimous decisions makings are often required in order to protect interests of all parents fairly. As a result, the mechanism of decision making on major policies as well as day-to-day operations if not carefully designed in an appropriate manner will be a major bottleneck for the efficient and effective management of the business. Poorly structured joint ventures often encourage political behavior problems. Parents exercise formal and informal tactics to gain control over the business, in a way not expected by the joint venture agreement. This often generates deterioration and degrading of trust among parents, which in turn create more political behavior. To avoid such political scenario, very clearly defined responsibilities (either in the joint venture agreement, or to be agreed from time to time) are a pre-requisite condition. The best approach would be the sharing of responsibilities in accordance to the capabilities of the parents. In relation to sensitive issues that involve conflicting interests among parents or between a parent and the joint venture as a whole, it is advisable to confer the jurisdiction to a truly independent party. But it is recognized that to find a truly independent party, who also has to be an insider knowing details of the issues, is often practically difficult. Negotiation remains the last resort. If all parents can overcome the fear of being exploited, the extent of political behaviors will be reduced. 5.3 Findings In the studied case, management control was ideally designed to separate operational management policy makings. Almost full authority was entrusted to the joint venture organization, as stipulated in the joint venture agreement, on all matters of operational management. To avoid bias to any parent, the joint venture organization was composed only by staffs recruited from outside. No from any if the parents was allowed. Policy making was decided by the management committed, in which all decisions was expected to be under full control, without disruptions from interference by the parents, by the joint venture organization. Practically, two loopholes were found. First of all, flexible interpretation of major policies and operational matters resulted in a unclear division of authorities among the joint venture organization and the management committee. Second of all, expectation of truly independence of the joint venture staffs was impractical, as it was impossible to prohibit personal a nd private relationship between managers of parent companies and the key staffs of joint venture organization. Political scenario was unavoidable, especially when there were more than two parents. It was also inevitable that some of the parents, who were more experienced in joint venture management and more capable in the business, gained more control formally and informally on the operation and overall direction of the business. At the same time, certain degrees of exploitation of benefits over other parents from the joint venture were inevitable. Co-operation among the parents, stopped from the fact that joint venture still expected a good profit. Commercial advantages were fundamental consideration. Chapter Six Conclusion Recommendations 6.1 Conclusion and Recommendations It must be emphasized again that the picture of the case revealed from the interviews were one sided story only. But nevertheless it represented opinions and feelings of the partner concerned on the experiences and insights drawn from real life in relation to joint venture problems. Both Manager A and Manager B considered that the joint venture was a successful one so far, but only looking from the position an employee of the Spanish company, obviously because the joint venture itself expected reasonable profit and most importantly product flow between the wholly owned company and the joint venture resulted in good profits. It was also considered successful in the sense that Spanish company could exercise effective control in most important policy makings of the joint venture management to suit the interest of the effective control stopped from the political position of the company with its partners and the commercial environment at the moment. The characters and culture, reasoning of the parents to form the joint venture, and the real expectations of the partners to be gained from the joint venture contributed to the overall atmosphere and management settings of the joint venture. Difficulties encountered in the early stages of the studied case could eventually be resolved only if all partners were willing to compromise and sacrifice short term benefits. It was not easy for partners who had no long term business relationship previously, in which case faith and mutual trust in other partners looking forward to future mutual benefits could not be expected. It appears that, from the experience of the Spanish company in this joint venture, the selection of partners in the outset of the formation of joint venture almost fixed the fate of the joint venture. Whether the partners matched with each other, in respect of both resources and management styles determined to a large extent the atmosphere of co-operation amongst them. It is also noted that the current strategic position of the company which allowed him very beneficial conditions to gain or exploit from the joint venture business, was not a planned strategy of the company.

India of my Dreams by Mahatma Gandhi Essay - 1281 Words

The book INDIA OF MY DREAMS is a collection of passages from writing and speeches of Mahatma Gandhi. In this book author discusses about the various aspect of Indian culture its heritage and about the society at large. The changing socio-economic and political scenario is compared with that of past and various experiences of Gandhi has been discussed in this book. As the author observed that from time immemorial our country is known as KARMBHUMI worldwide not as the BHOGABHUMI . It is essentially the land of duty not the land of enjoyment. The author envisages an India which is free and strong so that for the betterment of world at large, she may offer herself a willing and voluntary sacrifice. The destiny of the nation lies not in the†¦show more content†¦The main goal of his basic education is an all-round drawing out of the best in the child and man- body, mind and spirit. 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Jimmy Santiago Baca is also a man who hasRead MoreMachiavelli and Gandhi Essay858 Words   |  4 PagesAhimsa is a concept that was practiced by political and ideological leader Mohandas Gandhi; a concept that he used to promote the use of non-violent tactics and passive resistance against colonial rule in India. Mohandas Gandhi u sed Ahimsa as the means to an end and therefore, ultimately rejected Machiavellis advice on the qualities a prince must possess to retain his title. Machiavelli advises that the leaders have military experience and, â€Å"In peace time he must train himself more than in times

Romeo And Juliet Tragedy Essay Example For Students

Romeo And Juliet Tragedy Essay Romeo and Juliet EssayIt is known that in Shakespeares tragedies main characters die in the end, and in his comedies people marry. Since Romeo and Juliet are a tragedy, Romeo and Juliet are going to die in the end. Some events have to lead to their deaths, and someone makes these events happen. The person(s) who started it all and did something that led to all the other events that caused the death of a pair of star-crossed lovers (Prologue, 6). The Capulets and Montagues would be most responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because if their ancestors didnt start the fighting, and they didnt continue it, nothing terrible would have happened. The first lines of the book tell us about the hate and envy between the two houses. Choir: Two households, both alike in dignity, / . . ./From ancient grudge to new mutiny, (Prologue, 1-3). The choir tells us that the whole conflict started a long time ago with really little things, and then grew into huge fights involving many people. No leader of either household ever though about making peace, they were all too busy to spoil everything for the rival family. Only after the death of their children they realized how wrong they were. Romeo and Juliet first meet each other at a party at the Capulets house. They fall in love with each other at the first sight without knowing that they are from rival houses, and when they do learn about it, it is too late. Juliet says: My only love, sprung from my only hate!/Too early seen unknown, and known too late! (I, v, 147-148). Juliet realizes that it was a mistake to fall in love with Romeo, because he is one of the people she should watch out fo r. He is her first and only love, but he is an enemy of her family. Luckily for Romeo, Juliet is smart, and such dumb thing as unreasonable hate between their parents wouldnt stop her from loving Romeo and getting married with him. She is sorry that their families are enemies, though, because everything would be much easier if they werent. So this is the first time when the hate between Capulets and Montagues becomes an obstacle to Romeo and Juliets happiness. Only after their children die, do the Montague and Capulet come to their senses? The Prince accuses them of killing Romeo and Juliet: . . . Capulet, Montague, /See what a scourge is laid upon your hate, /That heavens finds means to kill your joys with love! (V, iii, 304-306). The Prince makes them see how wrong they were all the time, that all because of their hate, because they couldnt let their children love each other, Romeo and Juliet died. After that, Capulet and Montague make peace, and Montague even says that he will make a gold statue of Juliet, but what is that going to do, it is too late, nothing will bring their children back. It is totally Capulets and Montagues fault that Romeo and Juliet died. If they didnt hate each other so much, they would let their children marry, and they would be able to live happily ever after. There was only one person that realized how unreasonable the fighting was and even tried to stop it, and he was Benvolio. Benvolio was a Montague, but the Capulets didnt have a peacemaker such as Benvolio. They only had Tybalt, whose only goal was to destroy all the Montagues. Also we dont really know how Romeo and Juliets parents would have reacted if they had known that their children love each other. Romeo and Juliet didnt even try to tell them about love between them because they were afraid that their parents wouldnt understand them, but maybe they would. The problem is, we dont know, because Capulet and Montague learned about their childrens love when they were already dead. It is still mostly Capulets and Montagues fault that Romeo and Juliet died, but maybe it was just their fate t o die.

TV And PC Essays - Cultural Globalization, Digital Technology

TV And PC In the 1990s the personal computer revolution turned into the social computer revolution. The thrill of having sophisticated computer power on your desktop turned out to be just the beginning, once your machine could connect to everyone else's via telephone lines. There is a global computer the size of humanity taking shape. Now that everybody can publish their own interests to a world audience on the Net, we learn irreversibly that the world is far stranger and more interesting that we would ever guess from magazines, books and broadcast media. Our sense of the world is altered and, oddly enough, in an optimistic direction. Two simple-seeming devices -- search engines and links -- have made search-space on the Internet more exciting than outer space. It is more current and diverse than any encyclopedia, and it's inhabited with real people. However remote-seeming your query with a search service like Alta Vista, within minutes you find yourself on the home page of someone who has made that subject their life's obsession. What he or she has to say raises questions you would never have thought to ask. And they provide links to even more astounding sources. Web surfers experience a giddy sensation of boundless variety and boundless possibility. How the world talks to itself is permanently changed. In the jargon, it has shifted from one-to-one (telephone) and one-to-many (broadcast) to many-to-many (the Net). Power is taken from the editors and distributors in huge over-cautious corporations and handed to no-longer-passive, radical everyone. Individuals on the Net initiate and control content to suit themselves and those they can interest. (This makes governments nervous.) The Net is an antidote to broadcast news. The news tells you about a shocking earthquake and you're depressed. The Net gives you the people who are helping the earthquake victims and provides firsthand reports: "I was out in the garden when it hit, and I noticed that suddenly the ground was covered with earthworms." Some have described most activity on the Net as merely "vanity publishing" or "advertising." Those are left-over broadcast terms whose meaning is changed in the Net environment. Grass-roots "advertising" is what assembles new communities of interest and whole new ecologies of knowledge. If we had any idea how wildly interesting "vanity publishing" could be when it is cheap and plentiful, we would never have condemned it.

Benefits of the Death Penalty essays

Benefits of the Death Penalty essays Of all global issues, capital punishment has been a source of controversy since its beginning in the Eighteenth Century B.C. In those days, executions were carried out in many fashions including crucifixion, drowning, and beating to death. Executions now consist of the gas chamber, lethal injection, electrocution and the firing squad. Since its beginning, protestors argue there is no justification for this punishment as it violates a criminals rights. Research shows that capital punishment is beneficial as it has reduced the rate of both murder and serial killing across the globe. One argument against capital punishment concerns the moral right to execute criminals. Protestors argue that the commandment Thou shalt not kill should apply to any form of killing. The Bible condones and dictates death for murder and various other offenses such as kidnapping and sodomy. In Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18-19), God destroyed the two cities because of the appalling sins of its people. Another argument is the criminals rights regarding mistreatment in prisons. They are given adequate food and shelter, which does not constitute mistreatment. An argument in favor of capital punishment is overpopulation. Several violent criminals are given life sentences, some with the possibility of parole and many are repeat offenders. Too many criminals released on parole find another victim and repeat their behavior. Some criminals prefer a life in jail to life on the outside for reasons such as not having to work and the quality of care they receive while in prison. Overpopulation is an increasingly bigger problem than was once anticipated and has created the need for more funding so more prisons can be built. A stronger reason in support of capital punishment is the amount of funds currently used, such as providing food and shelter for inmates, which can drain the economy. Although the relief of capital punishment seems ...

Social Media called PATH Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Social Media called PATH - Assignment Example The decision to have limited contacts was based on psychological research findings that prescribe that people have a limit for workable social connections. In addition, there are limitations imposed together with the provision for users to personalize how they share each post to facilitate greater personal information sharing by ensuring it is confidential to the user’s social inner circle contacts. Operant conditioning theory comes in use in that the users’ minds have to adjust to maintain the ideal ethics while socializing; any failure to follow the social ethics risks the account termination. With too many social networks in the market, Path faces a great challenge upfront. Nowadays market favor only rigorous business minded entrepreneurs (Quester et al. p. 35). Many people are already contented with the social network they use so economic model of information search is handy. However, path has come up with a prudent tactic to lure more users using expectancy value theory. They intensify on the issue of having not to keep on managing friend list as with Facebook, so they ask you to join for a world of easy connection with people close to you. Path as a social site is primarily designed for a few friends. It was launched back in 2010, and was the only social media likely to grant Facebook an overwhelming challenge. However, the reputation in the market has been deteriorating and they have to get back into the market and utilize variety of marketing theories and convince people to use their software. Being concerned about the consumer should be the first priority in marketing of the social site. The consumption theory dictates that the management team should be aware of the needs of the consumers prior to making decisions. Motivational theories puts it that the social site user must be attracted by a certain motivational factors as privacy of the information and free accessibility of the site, a concept path has failed to

McDonald's in the McSpotlight Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

McDonald's in the McSpotlight - Case Study Example This can clearly be understood from the figure provided below (Botticell, Pucevich, Scriptunas, & Thurston, 1999). In the case of McDonalds, the company could have clearly reduced the performance expectation gap by avoiding the case and could have worked a way out with Morris and Steel by negotiating for an out of court settlement. This would have saved the company a whole lot of time and would have also ensured that the company and the stakeholders are not affected by the trial (Hartman & DesJardins, 2007). The trial for the company has been one of the longest and most expensive trials and this could have been easily avoided if the company used good negotiation techniques. Also, if McDonalds had implemented a stronger argument at the start of the case rather than allowing a slack in the performance, then the company would have been able to save up on time and also would have saved a lot of costs as well. The public issues life cycle consists of four main steps, a) changing stakeholder expectations, b) political action, c) formal government action, and d) legal implementation (Botticell, Pucevich, Scriptunas, & Thurston, 1999). With the start of the public issues life cycle the company was faced with a concern that was building regarding the healthiness of the food that the company served. The leaflets acted as the drivers of the issues and this brought out the problems into public. Also, the website that Steel and Morris had developed as a protest against the company also added to the driver and led the company to be faced with higher levels of problems with the stakeholders. As an executive of McDonalds, I would personally recruit and develop a team which would consist of people with excellent negotiation skills. Also, an attempt will be made to include people with a strong financial expertise and a law expertise. The staff of this team, irrespective of their expertise, should

Muslim women do not receive equal treatment with men Essay Example for Free

Muslim women do not receive equal treatment with men Essay Some westerners think Muslim women do not receive equal treatment with men. In fact, the aim of Islam is quite the opposite. Examine and comment on this claim in the context of a multicultural society. Why is it that western consciousness perceives Islam in such deeply flawed terms? Why are negative images of Islam more prevalent than any others? Why is it still acceptable to say things about Muslims that would simply be deemed unacceptable of Jews, Christians, or Buddhists? That years of inter-faith dialogue have done little to advance a better understanding of the Islamic faith in the western world is an indication of how profoundly entrenched in the West misrepresentations and vulgar stereotypes of Islam are. The western society generally views itself as the source of womens liberation, and feminists seem to have an obligation to broaden their rights to the eastern oppressed women. West sees the veil as a stumbling block and feels if they were to remove it would it would gain freedom for these women. These views have misunderstood the status of women in Islam and have been publicized in the media. Britain regards itself as giving equal rights to men and women Although in Britain latest studies have shown that men are paid more than women to carry out the same task. Surveys have shown that employers would rather employ men than women with the same qualifications. There are hardly any women politicians in comparison to men but Muslim women like Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh, have ruled over 300 hundred million Muslims in the 1990s and now is currently being ruled by another women. Benazir Bhutto had been the president of Pakistan. There has essentially never been a female president in the United States till this present time. The extent of a religions efficiency depends on what resolution to controversial issues like that of women is presented. Islam has provided the most practical outline of social organization, according to the natural and physical capabilities of both men and women. However other civilisations and faiths prior to Islam dealt with this matter as well, Aristotle and many other Greek philosophers argued that women were not fully human and this view was accepted in the catholic churches. St Thomas Aquinas another philosopher later put forward his view of the earlier Greek philosopher proposing that women were the traps of Satan. Every evil caused in humanity was likely from them. This idea was accepted throughout the middle ages. Men were the only ones who had rights before the law they could buy, sell and own a property. Up to this present time male Jews still recite, Blessed art thou our lord, our God king of the universe that I was not born a female(Alan Unterman, Jews: their Religious beliefs and practices,1981, page 140). Also in Judaism, the Talmud states Woe to the man whose children are female (Ibid, Page 133) In pre Islamic Arabia women were treated like commodities, object desire that were bought and sold like cattle. Some of them were even made to dance naked in the vicinity of the Kaaba during annual festivals. In those times a man could have as many wives as he desired and women were inherited if widowed from father to son. Arabs used to bury their female children alive at birth, and treat women as mere chattels and objects of sexual pleasure possessing no rights or position whatsoever, these teachings of the Noble Quran were revolutionary. Unlike other religions, which regarded women as being possessed of inherent sin and wickedness and men as being possessed of inherent virtue and nobility, Islam regards men and women as being of the same essence created from a single soul. The Quran declares: O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should you treat them with harshness, that you may take away part of the dowry you have given them except when they have become guilty of open lewdness. On the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If you take a dislike to them, it may be that you dislike something and Allah will bring about through it a great deal of good. (4:19) O mankind! Reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate, and from this pair scattered (like seeds) countless men and women. Reverence Allah, through whom you demand your mutual (rights), and reverence the wombs (that bore you); for Allah ever watches over you. (4:1) Spiritually men and women are equal. They are created out of identical spiritual material. (According to some old Christians thinkers) so therefore if women are sinful so are the men because they are identical. In Islam there is absolutely no difference between men and women as far as their relationship to Allah is concerned, as both are promised the same reward for good conduct and the same punishment for evil conduct. The Quran says: And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women. (2:226) The Quran, in addressing the believers, often uses the expression, believing men and women to emphasize the equality of men and women in regard to their respective duties, rights, virtues and merits. It says: For Muslim men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allahs praise, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward. (33:35) Enter into Paradise, you and your wives, with delight. (43:70) Who so does that which is right, and believes, whether male or female, him or her will We quicken to happy life. (16:97) The Quran admonishes those men who oppress or ill-treat women: The Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) said, Women are the twin halves of men. The Quran emphasizes the essential unity of men and women in a most beautiful simile: They (your wives) are your garment and you are a garment for them. (2:187) the ideal relationship between husband and wife is graphically described in the above verse. Just as a garment hides our nakedness, so do husband and wife, by entering into the relationship of marriage, secure each others chastity. The garment gives comfort to the body; so does the husband find comfort in his wifes company and she in his. The garment is the grace, the beauty, the embellishment of the body, so too are wives to their husbands as their husbands are to them. Islam does not consider woman an instrument of the Devil, but rather the Quran calls her musanat a fortress against Satan because a good woman, by marrying a man, helps him keep to the path of rectitude in his life. It is for this reason that marriage was considered by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a most virtuous act. He said: When a man marries, he has completed one half of his religion. He enjoined matrimony on Muslims by saying: Marriage is part of my way and whoever keeps away from my way is not from me (i.e. is not my follower). The Quran has given the raison dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tre of marriage in the following words: And among His signs is this that He has created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them; and He has put love and mercy between you. Verily in that are signs for those who reflect. (30:21) The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was full of praise for virtuous and chaste women. He said: The world and all things in the world are precious but the most precious thing in the world is a virtuous woman. He once told the future khalif, Umar: Shall I not inform you about the best treasure a man can hoard? It is a virtuous wife who pleases him whenever he looks towards her, and who guards herself when he is absent from her. On other occasions the Prophet said: The best property a man can have is a remembering tongue (about Allah), a grateful heart and a believing wife who helps him in his faith. And again: The world, the whole of it, is a commodity and the best of the commodities of the world is a virtuous wife. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was most emphatic in enjoining upon Muslims to be kind to their women when he delivered his famous khutba on the Mount of Mercy at Arafat in the presence of one hundred and twenty-four thousand of his Companions who had gathered there for the Hajj al-Wada (Farewell Pilgrimage). In it he ordered those present, and through them all those Muslims who were to come later, to be respectful and kind towards women. He said: Fear Allah regarding women. Verily you have married them with the trust of Allah, and made their bodies lawful with the word of Allah. You have got (rights) over them, and they have got (rights) over you in respect of their food and clothing according to your means. One who makes efforts (to help) the widow or a poor person is like a mujahid (warrior) in the path of Allah, or like one who stands up for prayers in the night and fasts in the day. These aspects were much emphasized by the Prophet (peace be upon him). He exhorted men to marry women of piety and women to be faithful to their husbands and kind to their children. He said: Among my followers the best of men are those who are best to their wives, and the best of women are those who are best to their husbands. To each of such women is set down a reward equivalent to the reward of a thousand martyrs. Among my followers, again, the best of women are those who assist their husbands in their work, and love them dearly for everything, Islam, as a religion recognizes mens and womens role as different but, however it certainly does not regard them as superior or inferior than one or the other. Both roles are as important as each other. Islam has been designed to be flexible enough to be interpreted in a variety of ways to cover a variety of cultures, times, contexts, individual personalities. both men and women should dress (in public) in a manner that will de-accentuate their sexuality1. The Surah an-Nur says: Tell the believing men to lower their eyes and guard their private parts Tell the believing women to lower their eyes, guard their private parts and not display their charms except what is apparent outwardly (an-Nur 24:30-31). O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters, as well as all (other) believing women, that they should draw over themselves some of their outer garments (when in public): this will be more conducive to their being recognized (as decent women) and not annoyed. But (withal,) God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace! (al-Ahzab 33:59, Asad transl.) The spirit of this ayat is to dress in a manner that will signal unavailability. The reason why another ayat (an-Nur 24:60) is crucial in gaining a broad overview of the Quranic concept of appropriate dress is that it implies that women should wear in public more than what they would wear in private, in front of their intimates their families. So this leads to three basic points in considering how to dress: a) the universal idea of de-sexualized dress b) the time and context specific concept of being identifiable as a Muslim c) that before she reaches old age (and preferably after) a Muslim woman should wear more in public than she would privately in front of family. As long as these three injunctions are met, there is a wide range of options open to the Muslim woman depending on the context of the society in which she lives and moves in public. Today, Muslim womens dress has been politicized and carries with it many conflicting symbols and meanings; perhaps the most visible is the use of head covering as a confrontation against western colonialism. Muslim woman has to have the right and freedom to choose how she interprets her dress code. This fundamental acknowledgement of her instinctive ability to choose (or not) the path of Allah (swt) is more important than any type of specifics about what constitutes hijab (or appropriate covering of the body). Without this freedom to interpret Islam to the best of her ability (a part of which, of course, is seeking the informed opinions of knowledgeable Muslims in order to educate herself) she is not living up to her potential as a human being, and that is more fundamental than what clothes are being worn. As the Quran says: There is no compulsion in matter of faith. Distinct is the way of guidance now from error (Al-Baqarah 2:256, A.Ali translation) The queen of her house, is the position a true believer is expected to give his wife. In contrast to these enlightened teachings of Islam in respect of women, Western talk of womens liberation or emancipation is actually a disguised form of exploitation of her body, deprivation of her honor, and degradation of her soul! Islam has given the highest position to women on earth, while Europe and the west were wallowing in the dregs of degradation and savagery. Islam had accorded women a position of honour, respect, safety and love, which has not yet been matched to this day, let alone being superseded and excelled. When questioned about status one must consider Muslim womens rights in the field of finance. A Muslim woman has the right to full ownership and disposal of wealth at will. This right was granted to her about 1423 years ago whilst Britain, women didnt have this right untill1860s. Her father if she was unmarried must provide for a Muslim woman or by her husband if married; however rich she may be, she is not responsible for domestic expenses. This is one of many privileges given to women. The Holy Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, The searching of knowledge is incumbent for every Muslim (male and female).Women should pursue their education as far as it is possible. One of the main aims of acquiring knowledge in Islam is to become Allah-conscious. In the history of Islam there were women who were narrators of Hadith, mystics, scholars, writers, poets and teachers, in their own right. They utilized their knowledge within certain precepts of Islam. The west has fabricated many myths that Muslim women are not allowed to work. These myths have no basis in Islamic law. It is natural in Islamic societies for there to be a female doctors and teachers. However, she is not required to participate in trade, vocation or professions unless necessary. A woman must receive her husbands approval in order to work, because he may feel that her work will cause her to neglect her matrimonial duties and care of the children Muslim women just like the men are prohibited from taking on jobs that sell her femininity to make money (dancing, prostitution, modeling etc) even if her husband doesnt mind. Apart from those jobs that are prohibited in Islam all others are lawful. A women is entitled to equal pay of equal work of equal value, this concept was established by Islam centuries ago. Although a woman can inherit from her father, children and husbands when before Islam she could not inherit at all, the rate of her inheritance is half that of a man. In order to requisite this apparent unfairness, Islam gives women many privileges e.g. dowry which is obligatory and is her own. Quran says: And give women their dowries as a free gift (4:4) A woman has the right to choose who she marries and shouldnt be forced to marry anyone with out her wish. She can even have her marriage annulled in a court of law if she can prove that her parents/guardians went ahead with it against her will. Yet there is a resounding silence when the issue being raised is Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), honor killings, forced marriages, the unequal application of hadd punishments on women, or the denial of education to girls and women. All of these wrongs are perpetrated on women in the name of Islam. Genital mutilation for females is not allowed in Islam? Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him clearly prohibited mutilation or maiming of the body. While it is true that many of these violations occur across cultural and religious boundaries, the only action often taken by conservative Muslims is a condemnation of the action because it is cultural and not Islamic. Meanwhile, women continue to be murdered and little girls continue to be mutilated. Polygamy is a misunderstood phenomenon that is more a remedial law in Islam than anything else, used only if necessary. Monotheism is a norm in Muslim societies past and present, and one must remember that prior to Islam, men could have as many wives as they desired. so much that many women were deserted for long periods of time. The verse in the quran that legitimates polygamy was revealed after the battle of uhud, when many widows and orphans were left without care. Hence at the time polygamy was the answer. Although in some extreme circumstances e.g.when the wife is a barren, seriously ill, and mentally unstable or has a bad character. In these cases a man can marry again if he feels the presence of the second wife will benefit the wife, the children or him. However Islam insist that the man treat both wives equally in every aspect possible.The quran says: If you fear that you will not be able to deal justly with orphans, marry women of your choice , two or three or four; but if you fear that you will not be able to deal justly with them, then only one (4:3) Islam recognizes that marriages are sacred and are a civil contract between husband and wife which should work or be dismantled if it ceases to do so. Although Islam permits divorce the prophet (pbuh) says: Of all the things that Islam has permitted, divorce is the most hated by Allah. This shows divorce shouldnt be taken lightly. Divorce is a right mainly available to men (although a woman can demand to have it in a marriage contract). As well When Islam discusses the deficiencies of women; it is neither insulting them nor belittling them. Some men, unfortunately, do precisely that when they quote the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that women have a deficiency in their intellect and their religion. They take these words out of context as a means of oppressing women and putting them down. The Prophet (peace be upon him) meant something quite different. He said: I have never seen among those who have a deficiency in their intellect and their religion anyone more capable than women of swaying the intellect of the most determined of men. He is actually asserting here the power of women to influence men and sway their opinion. This is one of the distinctions that women, in their natures, have. He then went on to define precisely what he meant by these deficiencies. In the remainder of the hadà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½th, some women asked him: O Messenger of Allah, what is this deficiency in our intelligence and religion? He replied: Isnt it that a womans testimony as a witness is half of the testimony of man? They said: Yes. He said: This, then, is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isnt it true that when she is in her menses, she leaves off prayers and fasting? They said: Yes. He said: This is the deficiency in her religion. Therefore to every male witness there need to be two female witnesses also because of their lack of knowledge and experience women are not preferred to be positioned as judges in Islam. There is no specific directive of the Shari`ah that prohibits a woman from leading prayers. Therefore, we cannot say that Islam prohibits a woman from leading prayers. The matter actually relates to the general practice of the Prophet (pbuh), which was subsequently followed by the Muslim leaders that followed the Prophet (pbuh). This practice of the Prophet (pbuh) as well as the Muslim leaders, who followed him, subsequently became a part of the social traditions of the Muslims. Thus, it is not a directive of the Shari`ah, but a part of the Muslim cultural tradition that men, rather than women should lead prayers. This gender-based distinction, it seems, has its basis on a few important facts. For instance, although the Prophet (pbuh) encouraged Muslim women to come to the mosques to offer their obligatory prayers with the congregation, yet it was not as strong a directive for them, as it was for the Muslim men. The nature and the variance of the Prophet (pbuh)s directive has generally resulted in a lower number of Muslim women being present in mosques, as compared to men. In many places, women are not even seen (even in lower numbers) in mosques. Thus, especially when the over whelming majority of people present in mosques consists of men, it was natural that a man was appointed as the Imam to lead the prayers. Moreover, because the Imam holds a central position in the mosque and naturally becomes the center of attention for all those who are present, it seemed a better decision that a man, rather than a woman, be appointed for this position. We obviously do not have any control over the thoughts and emotions of all those present in the mosque. Thus, to keep the minds clear of any sexual thoughts, especially in the mosques, it was felt more appropriate to appoint a man as the Imam. These are a few of the points that have played a role in the general acceptance of this socio-cultural tradition among the Muslims. The matter, as I have stated earlier does not pertain to any prohibition of the Shari`ah. Women are very capable of taking on any job previously monopolized by men, said Ms Hindi, a former English literature student at a college in Mecca, her home town. Women not allowed to drive cars in Saudi Arabia because of the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia was made official only in 1990 after 47 women demonstrated against what was then a customary law by driving a convoy of cars in Riyadh. They were arrested and detained until male relatives signed undertakings that they would not violate the ban again. The ban was made official by a fatwa issued by the Council of Senior Ulama (religious scholars). Women driving leads too many evils . . . included among these is her mixing with men without her being on her guard, the fatwa said. O Messenger of Allah, who is the person who has the greatest right on me with regards to kindness and attention? He replied, Your mother. Then who? He replied, Your mother. Then who? He replied, Your mother. Then who? He replied, Your father. In another tradition, the Prophet advised a believer not to join the war against the Quraish in defense of Islam, but to look after his mother, saying that his service to his mother would be a cause of his salvation. Muawiyah, the son of Jahimah, reported that Jahimah came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, Messenger of Allah! I want to join the fighting (in the path of Allah) and I have come to seek your advice. He said, Then remains in your mothers service, because Paradise is under her feet. The Prophets followers accepted his teachings and brought about a revolution in their social attitude towards women. They no longer considered women as mere chattels, but as an integral part of society. For the first time women were given the right to have a share in inheritance. In the new social climate, women rediscovered themselves and became highly active members of society rendering useful service during the wars which the pagan Arabs forced on the emerging Muslim umma. They carried provisions for the soldiers, nursed them, and even fought alongside them if it was necessary. It became a common sight to see women helping their husbands in the fields, carrying on trade and business independently, and going out of their homes to satisfy their needs. Among my followers the best of men are those who are best to their wives, and the best of women are those who are best to their husbands. To each of such women is set down a reward equivalent to the reward of a thousand martyrs. Among my followers, again, the best of women are those who assist their husbands in their work, and love them dearly for everything, save what is a transgression of Allahs laws. The Shariah regards women as the spiritual and intellectual equals of men. The Shariah requires a man, as head of the family, to consult with his family and then to have the final say in decisions concerning it. In doing so he must not abuse his prerogative to cause any injury to his wife. The word of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the queen of her house, and this is the position a true believer is expected to give his wife. In contrast to these enlightened teachings of Islam in respect of women, Western talk of womens liberation or emancipation is actually a disguised form of exploitation of her body, deprivation of her honour, and degradation of her soul! Manji is lesbian and has adamantly argued that the condemnation of homosexuality by most strains of traditional Islam is at odds with Quranic doctrine that Allah makes excellent everything which He creates. Her partner is Michelle Douglas, a Canadian activist. Manji has been a vocal critic of orthodox Islam, especially that treatment of women by some Muslims. She does not wear a headscarf or chador whereas most traditional Muslim women do observe the hijab. She has criticized the Palestinian leadership and the opinions of some Muslims about Israel. WOMEN IN THE QURAN AND THE SUNNAH Prof. Abdur Rahman I. Doi Professor and Director, Center for Islamic Legal Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaira, Nigeria. In Islam there is absolutely no difference between men and women as far as their relationship to Allah is concerned, as both are promised the same reward for good conduct and the same punishment for evil conduct. The Quran says: And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women. (2:226) The Quran, in addressing the believers, often uses the expression, believing men and women to emphasize the equality of men and women in regard to their respective duties, rights, virtues and merits. It says: For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allahs praise, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward. (33:35) Enter into Paradise, you and your wives, with delight. (43:70) Who so does that which is right, and believes, whether male or female, him or her will We quicken to happy life. (16:97) The Quran admonishes those men who oppress or ill-treat women: The Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) said, Women are the twin halves of men. The Quran emphasizes the essential unity of men and women in a most beautiful simile: They (your wives) are your garment and you are a garment for them. (2:187) Just as a garment hides our nakedness, so do husband and wife, by entering into the relationship of marriage, secure each others chastity. The garment gives comfort to the body; so does the husband find comfort in his wifes company and she in his. The garment is the grace, the beauty, the embellishment of the body, so too are wives to their husbands as their husbands are to them. Islam does not consider woman an instrument of the Devil, but rather the Quran calls her muhsana a fortress against Satan because a good woman, by marrying a man, helps him keep to the path of rectitude in his life. It is for this reason that marriage was considered by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a most virtuous act. He said: When a man marries, he has completed one half of his religion. He enjoined matrimony on Muslims by saying: Marriage is part of my way and whoever keeps away from my way is not from me (i.e. is not my follower). The Quran has given the raison dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tre of marriage in the following words: And among His signs is this that He has created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them; and He has put love and mercy between you. Verily in that are signs for those who reflect. (30:21) The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was full of praise for virtuous and chaste women. He said: The world and all things in the world are precious but the most precious thing in the world is a virtuous woman. He once told the future khalif, Umar: Shall I not inform you about the best treasure a man can hoard? It is a virtuous wife who pleases him whenever he looks towards her, and who guards herself when he is absent from her. On other occasions the Prophet said: The best property a man can have is a remembering tongue (about Allah), a grateful heart and a believing wife who helps him in his faith. And again: The world, the whole of it, is a commodity and the best of the commodities of the world is a virtuous wife. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was most emphatic in enjoining upon Muslims to be kind to their women when he delivered his famous khutba on the Mount of Mercy at Arafat in the presence of one hundred and twenty-four thousand of his Companions who had gathered there for the Hajj al-Wada (Farewell Pilgrimage). In it he ordered those present, and through them all those Muslims who were to come later, to be respectful and kind towards women. He said: Fear Allah regarding women. Verily you have married them with the trust of Allah, and made their bodies lawful with the word of Allah. You have got (rights) over them, and they have got (rights) over you in respect of their food and clothing according to your means. One who makes efforts (to help) the widow or a poor person is like a mujahid (warrior) in the path of Allah, or like one who stands up for prayers in the night and fasts in the day. O Messenger of Allah, who is the person who has the greatest right on me with regards to kindness and attention? He replied, Your mother. Then who? He replied, Your mother. Then who? He replied, Your mother. Then who? He replied, Your father. In another tradition, the Prophet advised a believer not to join the war against the Quraish in defense of Islam, but to look after his mother, saying that his service to his mother would be a cause of his salvation. Muawiyah, the son of Jahimah, reported that Jahimah came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, Messenger of Allah! I want to join the fighting (in the path of Allah) and I have come to seek your advice. He said, Then remain in your mothers service, because Paradise is under her feet. The Prophets followers accepted his teachings and brought about a revolution in their social attitude towards women. They no longer considered women as a mere chattels, but as an integral part of society. For the first time women were given the right to have a share in inheritance. In the new social climate, women rediscovered themselves and became highly active members of society rendering useful service during the wars which the pagan Arabs forced on the emerging Muslim umma. They carried provisions for the soldiers, nursed them, and even fought alongside them if it was necessary. It became a common sight to see women helping their husbands in the fields, carrying on trade and business independently, and going out of their homes to satisfy their needs. Among my followers the best of men are those who are best to their wives, and the best of women are those who are best to their husbands. To each of such women is set down a reward equivalent to the reward of a thousand martyrs. Among my followers, again, the best of women are those who assist their husbands in their work, and love them dearly for everything, save what is a transgression of Allahs laws. The Shariah regards women as the spiritual and intellectual equals of men. The Shariah requires a man, as head of the family, to consult with his family and then to have the final say in decisions concerning it. In doing so he must not abuse his prerogative to cause any injury to his wife. The words of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the queen of her house, and this is the position a true believer is expected to give his wife. In contrast to these enlightened teachings of Islam in respect of women, Western talk of womens liberation or emancipation is actually a disguised form of exploitation of her body, deprivation of her honour, and degradation of her soul! http://www.allaahuakbar.net/womens/rights_of_women_guaranteed_by_islam.htm A COLLECTION OF REFERENCES FROM THE QURAN AND HADEETH ABOUT THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN GUARANTEED BY ISLAM Spiritual Equality of Women and Men Allah has got ready forgiveness and tremendous rewards for the Muslim men and women; the believing men and women; the devout men and women; the truthful men and women; the patiently suffering men and women; the humble men and women; the almsgiving men and women; the fasting men and women, the men and women who guard their chastity; and the men and women who are exceedingly mindful of Allah. (Al-Ahzab 33:35) Attitudes towards women O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness, that ye may take away part of the dower ye have given them,-except where they have been guilty of open lewdness; on the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great deal of good. (An-Nisa 4:19) Collaboration and consultation The believing men and women, are associates and helpers of each other. They (collaborate) to promote all that is beneficial and discourage all that is evil; to establish prayers and give alms, and to obey Allah and his Messenger. Those are the people whom Allah would grant mercy. Indeed Allah is Mighty and Wise. (Al-Taubah 9:71) Womens Right to Attend Mosques Narrated Ibn Umar: The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, Allow women to go to the Mosques at night. (Bukhari Volume 2, Book 13, Number 22) Ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Do not deprive women of their share of the mosques, when they seek permission from you. Bilal said: By Allah, we would certainly prevent them. Abdullah said: I say that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said it and you say: We would certainly prevent them! (Sahih Muslim Book 004, Number 0891) The Common Performance of Ablutions Narrated Ibn Umar: It used to be that men and women would perform ablutions together in the time of the Messenger of Allahs assembly. (Bukhari: 1: Ch. 45, Book of Ablution) Womens Right of Proposal Narrated Sahl: A woman came to the Prophet, and presented herself to him (for marriage). He said, I am not in need of women these days. Then a man said, O Allahs Apostle! Marry her to me. The Prophet asked him, What have you got? He said, I have got nothing. The Prophet said, Give her something, even an iron ring. He said, I have got nothing. The Prophet asked (him), How much of the Quran do you know (by heart)? He said, So much and so much. The Prophet said, I have married her to you for what you know of the Quran. (Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 72) Womens Right of Permission Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, A matron should not be given in marriage except after consulting her; and a virgin should not be given in marriage except after her permission. The people asked, O Allahs Apostle! How can we know her permission? He said, Her silence (indicates her permission). (Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 67) The Right of Women not to be Forced Narrated Ibn Abbas: Bariras husband was a slave called Mughith, as if I am seeing him now, going behind Barira and weeping with his tears flowing down his beard. The Prophet said to Abbas, O Abbas ! are you not astonished at the love of Mughith for Barira and the hatred of Barira for Mughith? The Prophet then said to Barira, Why dont you return to him? She said, O Allahs Apostle! Do you order me to do so? He said, No, I only intercede for him. She said, I am not in need of him. (Bukhari: Volume 7, Book 63, Number 206) The Characteristics of a Believing Man Narrated AbuHurayrah: Allahs Messenger (pbuh) said: a believing man should not hate a believing woman; if he dislikes one of her characteristics, he will be pleased with another. (Muslim Book 8, Number 3469) The Education of Women Narrated Abu Said: A woman came to Allahs Apostle and said, O Allahs Apostle! Men (only) benefit by your teachings, so please devote to us from (some of) your time, a day on which we may come to you so that you may teach us of what Allah has taught you. Allahs Apostle said, Gather on such-and-such a day at such-and-such a place. They gathered and Allahs Apostle came to them and taught them of what Allah had taught him. (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 92, Number 413) On the Treatment of Women Narrated Muawiyah al-Qushayri: I went to the Apostle of Allah (pbuh) and asked him: What do you say (command) about our wives? He replied: Give them food what you have for yourself, and clothe them by which you clothe yourself, and do not beat them, and do not revile them. (Sunan Abu Dawud: Book 11, Number 2139) The best of you is one who is best towards his family and I am best towards the family. (At-Tirmithy). None but a noble man treats women in an honourable manner. And none but an ignoble treats women disgracefully. (At-Tirmithy). A Husbands Attitude Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) said that a man came to his house to complain about his wife. On reaching the door of his house, he hears Umars wife shouting at him and reviling him. Seeing this, he was about to go back, thinking that Umar himself was in the same position and, therefore, could hardly suggest any solution for his problem. Umar (RA) saw the man turn back, so he called him and enquired about the purpose of his visit. He said that he had come with a complaint against his wife, but turned back on seeing the Caliph in the same position. Umar (RA) told him that he tolerated the excesses of his wife for she had certain rights against him. He said, Is it not true that she prepares food for me, washes clothes for me and suckles my children, thus saving me the expense of employing a cook, a washerman and a nurse, though she is not legally obliged in any way to do any of these things? Besides, I enjoy peace of mind because of her and am kept away from indecent acts on account of her. I therefore tolerate all her excesses on account of these benefits. It is right that you should also adopt the same attitude. quoted in Rahman, Role of Muslim Women page 149 The Prophets Disapproval of Women Beaters Patient behavior was the practice of the Prophet, even when his wife dared to address him harshly. Once his mother-in-law- saw her daughter strike him with her fist on his noble chest. When the enraged mother -in-law began to reproach her daughter, the Prophet smilingly said, Leave her alone; they do worse than that. And once Abu Bakr, his father-in-law, was invited to settle some misunderstanding between him and Aishah. The Prophet said to her, Will you speak, or shall I speak? Aisha said, You speak, but do not say except the truth. Abu Bakr was so outraged that he immediately struck her severely, forcing her to run and seek protection behind the back of the Prophet. Abu Bakr said, O you the enemy of herself! Does the Messenger of Allah say but the truth? The Prophet said, O Abu Bakr, we did not invite you for this [harsh dealing with Aishah], nor did we anticipate it. quoted in: Mutual Rights and Obligations http://www.allaahuakbar.net/womens/women_sharia_and_oppression.htm A lot of attention has been focused on the issue of Muslim women and human rights since September 11, almost all of it by non Muslims. Once again, images of women swathed in black veils or blue burqas are de rigeur, as the media soberly reminds us that Muslim women are not considered equals to men in Islam, and that they are oppressed even by the moderate regimes in the Muslim world. From the Muslims, we have one of two reactions. The first is the reaction of the liberal, reformist, secular Muslims. They believe that Sharia oppresses women, and that we need to completely overhaul it, or toss out sections of the Quran that are uncomfortable, or institute secular forms of government that separate the sacred from the legal all together. These are the same Muslims who equate Hijab with oppression, and who support the denial of free speech rights to Islamists (all the while, crying for their rights to free speech in countries where it is denied). They take their political thought not from Islamic sources, but from feminism, socialism, and capitalism. Naturally, it is to these Muslims that the Western media turns when it wants a Muslim perspective on Muslim issues. On the other side, we have the organizers of the mainstream conservative Muslims, the leaders of our civic societies, advocacy groups, and associations. When presented with instances of womens oppression in the Islamic world, these Muslims, almost always men, respond defensively. They cart out examples of womens oppression in the Western world, or worse, they address the issue by lecturing the questioner about the virtues of the Ideal Place of Women in Ideal Islam. In other words, they treat the ideal that we are all aspire to as the reality on the ground. Pressed into taking a stand on real life issues, they retreat in anger. Thats culture, not Islam, it has nothing to do with me as a Muslim, they sniff. Who speaks for them? Most often, it is the United Nations, human rights groups, and feminist organizations, led by people who have no foundations of knowledge in Islam, and who often have a real antipathy for Islam. While the Feminist Majority Fund was selling swatches of burqa and petitioning the government for action on behalf of Afghan women, the leaders of our Islamic societies stayed silent. Publicly, many Islamic leaders and organizations disassociated themselves from the Taliban, but other than denying them entry into the Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC), they took no action to petition the Taliban for change from an Islamic view, or form any sort of Islamic opposition. Perhaps this is because when any Islamic organization or individual Muslim attempts to change or speak out about injustices towards Muslim women, the rest of the community circles the wagons. These lone souls are labeled radical feminists, and accused of attempting to undermine Islam. Strangely, when a Muslim womans Islamic rights are violated, many organizations are eager to speak out and petition. For example, when Merve Kavacki was denied her seat in the Turkish Parliament because of her headscarf (and later stripped of her citizenship), Muslim groups were quick to condemn the Turkish government, as they should have. In many Western Muslim circles, Merve has been elevated to a symbol of the struggle muhajabat women face in secular societies. Yet there is a resounding silence when the issue being raised is Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), honor killings, forced marriages, the unequal application of hadd punishments on women, or the denial of education to girls and women. All of these wrongs are perpetrated on women in the name of Islam. While it is true that many of these violations occur across cultural and religious boundaries, the only action often taken by conservative Muslims is a condemnation of the action because it is cultural and not Islamic. Meanwhile, women continue to be murdered and little girls continue to be mutilated. In Africa, conservative sheikhs teamed up with womens rights advocates to educate people about the harms of Female Genital Mutilation. These people get very little mention in the Western media, which, of course, paints the Islamists as the opponents of an enlightened, secular minority of liberal Muslims. About a year ago, a small band of conservative Muslim women, almost all of us from the West, came up with the idea of starting a Muslim womens human rights group, to petition and advocate for the rights of Muslim women as they are given in the Sharia of Islam. Although slow to start, we have managed to form a basis from which to work, and have taken up our first case. Right now, a Muslim woman in Nigeria is under a death sentence from the Sharia court for the crime of adultery. The situation came to the attention of the authorities when the man who impregnated her decided to confess his crime to the police, rather than pay the child support that her father asked of him. There are many glaring errors in the case, from a classical, Orthodox fiqh point of view. These errors (which would aid the woman) are not coming from a reformist reinterpretation of Sharia, these errors are so great that any of the qadis of the past would have thrown the case against her out. Prophet Mohammed, sallalahu aleyhi wa salaam, was mocked and assaulted because of his strong and courageous stance on the status of women. He came with a message that lifted women up and gave them dignity. Fourteen hundred years later, we have descended back into the dark pit of Jahiliya, and Muslim women around the world find themselves cast into the same slavery that the Prophet, sallalahu aleyhi wa salaam, was sent to liberate them from. It does not make you a radical feminist to decry honor killings and volunteer for peaceful campaigns to educate and change laws. Raising your voice against Female Genital Mutilation does not mean you want to undermine Islam. To the contrary, working against these injustices in the way of Allah is a manifestation of the desire to uplift Islam and the Muslim people. When the Taliban decided to deny education to any girl over a certain age, it is the conservative Muslims, the ones who profess adherence to Quran and Sunnah that should have spoken the loudest against this. The longer we stay silent, the more people, both Muslim and non Muslim, will begin to equate Sharia with the oppression of women.