Role Of Arabic Language In Islamic Culture

Role Of Arabic Language In Islamic Culture The importance of language to the development of human civilization and its cultural face can be laid emphasis to the fact that language is purely human and non-instinctive methods of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of voluntary produced symbols. (Lyons, 1991, p. 3) However, taking note from the above belief, we feel that there is much more to language than just meet the eyes. In another sense, the definition and description of language as stated above also suffers from some defects, and has its limits, given that languages is broader in its cultural forms. Add to it, communication through languages also can take many forms and formats, not just the sole consideration that limit itself to ideas, emotions and the likes of desires, which are beyond the voluntarily produced symbols. To put language in a proper sense, we can relate that language is a system of vocal symbols by means of a social group co-operation. (Lyons, 1991, p. 5) Understood so, we can add that it will be proper to make a brief analysis on the subject of language and culture, so as to come to the conclusion on the role language played in the culture sphere, and its impact. But what encounters us in these analytical segments is the basic question, what is culture? From a scholastic point of views, culture has several related senses, which means that culture itself is synonyms with civilization. And in the second sense, culture is often employed without any implication of unilingual human progress from barbarism to civilization without any prior value judgment being made as to the aesthetic or intellectual quality of a particular society, be it in arts, literature, institutions, which defines its own distinctive subculture. (Lyons, 1991, pp. 301-302) The role of Arabic Language in Islamic Culture Right from the outset and when we relate to culture in conjunction and juxtaposition with language, and assimilating their meaning, there is some sense of relevance that adds up, and which raises the question central to this essay and its arguments. To be precise, what concern the essay proposal and attempt made in that regard can be laid emphasis to the notion and the role of Arabic language in Islamic cultures, which are as follows:- Threats that impact Arabic language The strength of Arabic language and the Islamic culture in particular Problems that the Arabic culture faced. Thus, subject to these assumption that relates to the subject matter, the following discussion describes the same in their subheading so as to drive home the value judgment and criticisms from an objective point of view. Threats that impacted Arabic language and culture: The past, present and future Before we turn to the threats that impacted the Arabic language, it will be proper to analyze Arabic language, and as literature relates to Arabic belongs to the groups of languages collectively known as the Semitic language, which constitutes groups of the Middle East region and North Africa. And the earliest known Semitic spoken language is the Akkadian, spoken in Mesopotamia between 2500 BC and 600 BC. (Versteegh, 2001, p. 9) What we can drive home from this brief absorption can be premised in the ethnic and regional boundaries of the past. And as scholars relates to, there is nothing much that is known on the earliest stages of Arabic languages and when the Arabian nomads came to the Arabian peninsular, besides the language they spoke also is hard indeed to predict, assumed that Arabic was mostly spoken, given the inscription in the civilization of that era, that is to say the available Arabian civilization. (Versteegh, 2001, p. 23) In addition, Arabic in the pre-Islamic period that is revealed through the Quran and its manuscripts in all its essence describe the language and its forms, (Versteegh, 2001, p. 37)which till today commands its space and that which register readily with scholars. Besides, what is most significant to the development of the Arabic language constitutes the periods of the Islamic conquest, just after the death of Prophet Mohammed, where a drastic sea change was brought about to Arabic language and its forms that significantly spread from Syria to Egypt and where Islam took centre stage in the cultural development of the region, where Arabic spoken people were united under Islamic domination. (Versteegh, 2001, p. 93) However, as human civilization and in particular Arabian civilization progressed, threat to its language and cultural forms also increased. And relevant to such a scenario is the emergence of modern standards in languages, wherein, Arabic and French had to compete for the status of language of prestige and from the language reformer perspective, it means to devalue the classical language by debasing it with dialect influence or the abolition of grammatical rules. (Versteegh, 2001, p. 186) Moreover, what we can analyze from a modern perspective, the biggest threats to Arabian language also came from foreign languages and their domination in the Arab world when European imperialism was spreading fast. Thus, English, French, Italian and Spanish, and the fact that English also commands a significant place in the colonized region of the Arab world, (Fishman, 2001, p. 385) make it more reliable to place these languages as a threats to Arabian language in the Middle East region. Apart, the 21st century also presents the Arab world the challenges that may determine its future for generations, be it in maintaining their cultural identify and the danger that comes it due to abundant influence of the western world. (Najjar, 2005) Strength of the Arabic Language and the Islamic culture Assimilating from the aforementioned statements and its arguments, we cant deny the facts that languages be it English, French or Arabic and the threats in their own domains defines it own extent as and when human civilization progressed across national boundaries. In fact, Arabic as a language is known to be a great influence to the cultural face of the Arab world and Islamism in particular. Take for instance, the ties that connect the Arabic language to its history also places it in a unique position among major world languages of the contemporary world, which also defines the strength. Add to it, the historical connection of Arab language also brings both strength and weakness, which does not devalue the importance of historical connection; rather it serves as the fundamental consideration when setting guideline for the future. (Kassem M. Wahba, 2006, p. 386) The tradition that relates to Arabic language can be laid more emphasis to the notion that the centrality of the Arabic language in contemporary context of the Arab world is the result of the continuous foreign presence in Arab speaking countries in the modern era. As a result of it, a threatening feeling among Arab nationalist and intellectuals grew who views such development as an attempt to alter Arab cultural identity and its heritage. (Kassem M. Wahba, 2006, p. 386) Add to it, Globalization and its impact also deeply concerned Arab intellectuals and the disinclination of the western world and their Islamic biases. (Najjar, 2005) But, we can add and conclude that Arabic language in the contemporary context is rich in history, which links together its culture, traditions and that which defines the Islamic world at large. Problems that the Arabic culture faced From a modern analysis to Arabic cultural issue, the countenance of globalization bridged a way to Islamic threats. (Najjar, 2005) And as scholars have related to, culture are timeless and omnipresent, which exists and influences all nation at all time and draws a fine line to augment cultural dominance, which also grants individuals their full personal, social and cultural character. (Lewis, 2007) However, in the face of globalization and western influences, Islamic heritage and Arabic language and culture faced the dangers of being sidelines. (Najjar, 2005) Moreover, how to preserve Muslim cultural autonomy in the face of many recurring western influences also constitutes another relevant problem. Add to it, intellectual cultural differences between Arab masses and elitist are also one such problem that posits, plus the cultural issue of free Arab thinkers and free cultural expression, (El-shibiny, 2005, pp. 63, 65) that is thought to be under constant restraint from outside elements. Conclusion and recommendation Linguistic or languages as we know of in general assumptions is said to have played a dominant role in the development of culture and human civilization across the globe. Thus, it can be recommended that incorporate Arab culture in the face of globalization and its influence can be reinforced through the spirit of brotherhood, develop common Arab cultural trends and most importantly reviving the idea of Arab culture itself, (El-shibiny, 2005, p. 76) Furthermore, it can be concluded through a recommendation that an interest in the development of modern language education technology as a means to strengthening the participation of Arabic in various aspect of global activities is also a must. Add to it, efforts to develop Arabic education, plus research that gives importance to language and cultural heritage is also a need of the hour, (Kassem M. Wahba, 2006, pp. 385-86) which is what we can finally conclude on how the role of Arabic language can significantly bridged and reforms Islamic culture.

History Of Human Resource Management Essay

Human resource management is a function in organizations designed to maximize employee performance in service of their employer’s strategic objectives.[1] HR is primarily concerned with how people are managed within organizations, focusing on policies and systems.[2] HR departments and units in organizations are typically responsible for a number of activities, including employee recruitment, training and development, performance appraisal, and rewarding. HR is also concerned with industrial relations, that is, the balancing of organizational practices with regulations arising from collective bargaining and governmental laws. HR is a product of the human relations movement of the early 20th century, when researchers began documenting ways of creating business value through the strategic management of the workforce. The function was initially dominated by transactional work, such as payroll and benefits administration, but due to globalization, company consolidation, technologi cal advancement, and further research, HR now focuses on strategic initiatives like mergers and acquisitions, talent management, succession planning, industrial and labor relations, and diversity and inclusion. In startup companies, HR’s duties may be performed by trained professionals. In larger companies, an entire functional group is typically dedicated to the discipline, with staff specializing in various HR tasks and functional leadership engaging in strategic decision making across the business. To train practitioners for the profession, institutions of higher education, professional associations, and companies themselves have created programs of study dedicated explicitly to the duties of the function. Academic and practitioner organizations likewise seek to engage and further the field of HR, as evidenced by several field-specific publications. HR is also a field of research study that is popular within the fields of management and industrial/organizational psychology, with research articles appearing in a number of academic journals, including those mentioned later in this article. In the current global work environment, most companies focus on lowering employee turnover and retaining the talent and knowledge held by their workforce. New hiring not only entails a high cost but also increases the risk of the newcomer not being able to replace the person who was working in that position before. HR departments also strive to offer benefits that will appeal to workers, thus reducing the risk of losing knowledge. History Antecedent theoretical development HR spawned in the early 20th century and was influenced by Frederick Taylor (1856-1915). Taylor explored what he termed â€Å"scientific management†, striving to improve economic efficiency in manufacturing jobs. He eventually keyed in on one of the principal inputs into the manufacturing process—labor—sparking inquiry into workforce productivity. The human relations movement grew from the research of Elton Mayo and others, whose Hawthorne studies (1924-1932) serendipitously documented how stimuli, unrelated to financial compensation and working conditions, yielded more productive workers.[6] Contemporaneous work by Abraham Maslow, Kurt Lewin, Max Weber (1864-1920), Frederick Herzberg, and David McClelland (1917-1998) formed the basis for studies in industrial and organizational psychology, organizational behavior and organizational theory, giving room for an applied discipline. Birth and evolution of the discipline By the time enough theoretical evidence existed to make a business case for strategic workforce management, changes in the business landscape (à   la Andrew Carnegie, John Rockefeller) and in public policy had transformed the employer-employee relationship, and the discipline was formalized as â€Å"industrial and labor relations†. In 1913, one of the oldest known professional HR associations—the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development—was founded in England as the Welfare Workers’ Association, then changed its name a decade later to the Institute of Industrial Welfare Workers, and again the next decade to Institute of Labor Management before settling upon its current name.[7] Likewise in the United States, the world’s first institution of higher education dedicated to workplace studies—the School of Industrial and Labor Relations—was formed at Cornell University in 1945. During the latter half of the 20th century, union membership declined significantly, while workforce management continued to expand its influence within organizations. â€Å"Industrial and labor relations† began being used to refer specifically to issues concerning collective representation, and many companies began referring to the profession as  Ã¢â‚¬Å"personnel administration†. In 1948, what would later become the largest professional HR association—the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)—was founded as the American Society for Personnel Administration (ASPA). Nearing the 21st century, advances in transportation and communications greatly facilitated workforce mobility and collaboration. Corporations began viewing employees as assets rather than as cogs in a machine. â€Å"Human resources management†, consequently, became the dominant term for the function—the ASPA even changing its name to SHRM in 1998.[9] â€Å"Human capital management† is sometimes used synonymously with HR, although human capital typically refers to a more narrow view of human resources; i.e., the knowledge the individuals embody and can contribute to an organization. Likewise, other terms sometimes used to describe the field include â€Å"organizational management†, â€Å"manpower management†, â€Å"talent management†, â€Å"personnel management†, and simply â€Å"people management†.

Write About a Member of Your Family That You Feel

I have one member in my family that truly consider â€Å"special†. This person is my youngest son, Adrian. Let me tell you a few things why I think that he is a special person. Adrian was diagnosed with Autism when he was about 2 1/2 years old. He is anti-social and non-verbal. Anti-social means that he doesn't interact with others that are around him. For example, Adrian likes to play by himself. The non-verbal means that he has no ommunication through speech. Even though h is lacking speech, he can communicate his needs in his very own way. For instance, when Adrian wants something to eat, he would come to me, grab my hand and pulls me to the refrigerator. On the other hand, it can get frustrating for him because I am the only person that can understand his body language cues. In addition to his anti-social and non- verbal communication, I have to mention that Adrian s the most loving child I have seen. The reason being is usually children with Autism do not like to be hugge d or cuddled. Adrian loves to give hug and cuddle with me as well as he does with others. Finally, I understand that my son is anti-social and non-verbal. At the same time, he has the ability to be social and communicate with me. He does it in a way no other person would it. As a result of this, I feel that this makes my son a â€Å"special† person.

Mathematical methods in finance solutions - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1519 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? COURSEWORK PROJECT Introduction The aim of this project was learn how to use scientific and mathematical methods to provide an optimum solution to a realistic financial problem. In order to do this the information has to be put together in a structured way so that the desired outcome can be maximized by altering inputs subject to a series of constraints. To find the best possible combination of allocations without an optimizing tool like Solver would be almost impossible. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Mathematical methods in finance solutions" essay for you Create order The key steps were firstly understanding the problem, then formalizing it in a way that it could be solved using an optimizing tool. Having done this the requirement was to present the whole project in a consultancy type format. Background Vista Properties has purchased 140,000 square metres of land on which a shopping centre is to be built, and it has an option to buy an additional 20,000 square metres of adjacent land. It wants to know how to allocate the space on the land it has already purchased and whether this option should be exercised. The problem regarding allocation is one of choosing the mix of shop types and floor areas will give the best financial results over a 7 year period. This has to be done within several constraints on minimum and maximum sizes of shops and financial targets. Method The Midvale Shopping Centre project has already been agreed, so this was tackled first. The option to purchase 20,000 square metres of adjacent land was then tackled. Midvale Shopping Centre The issue was how to allocate the floor-space available between the various types of shop in a way that would be most beneficial to Vista Properties. The method recommended is based on finding the highest level of net present value (NPV) less costs not already included in net present value. That is, less improvement and construction costs. This is referred to as profit in the remaining text. The net present value figures supplied include fixed charges. Mr Wasser had challenged whether fixed charges should be included. He was quite right to do so as the model assumes that all the component charges vary with floor space within each shop type. Fixed charges are however constant and should be modelled as such. I order to calculate the fixed charges that have been included, the net present value of 7 years fixed cost was found to be 608,522. This was divided by floor area of 45,000 as it is assumed that the accountant would have done this. This gave a figure of 13.52 to add back for each shop type. In Excel a column was set up with the size of floor space available to allocate to each shop type. This is the column that Solver could change to achieve the best profit, subject to the various constraints. The profit was found by first multiplying all floor space allocations by the adjusted NPVs and then subtracting construction and improvement costs. Construction costs were 6 times the total floor space in metres. Improvement costs were the sum of each shop floor space times the individual shop type cost of improvement. Constraints were applied as follows: All floor spaces must be greater or equal to zero (otherwise Solver can allocate negative floor spaces). The guaranteed rent, sum of rent times floor space for 7 years must be greater than the cost of improvements plus interest at 10%. The sum of floor-spaces within each group must be greater than the group minimum. For example in Group A the sum of Supermarket an Dept. Store floor space had to be greater than the group total of 20. Supermarket an Dept. Store floor space had to be individually more than 10 000 sq mtrs each. The maximum floor space was constrained for each shop type according to the supplied table. Option In evaluating the option, the available floor space not allocated above was allocated optimally with Solver. It was assumed that the minimum requirements had been satisfied by the above phase. Analysis The first thing to set in Solver was the cell to be maximised, which was the one with NPV less improvement and construction costs. It also had to be told that this was to be maximised. The next thing was to tell it the cell range that it was allowed to alter in order to produce a maximum solution. The constraints were then added to the Solver tool in Excel. This involve in each case telling it the cell that was to be above or below a certain value, which could be a number or another cell. For example the cell representing the sum of the floor-space was told that this must be less or equal to the cell containing the 45 for the maximum amount that could be allocated. Having set up the cell to maximize, the cells that could be changed and the constraints as described above, the Solver tool was told to produce a solution. The dialogue indicated that it could produce a solution meeting all the criteria and this was an optimal value. Like all solutions of this type it can only be as good as the input and relies on accurate data and assumptions such as that all space allocated would be taken up with no breaks in tenancy. Also there was the possibility of extra revenue when sales exceeded targets, but there was no information to enable this to be used. Results The solution for the Midvale project was as follows. Group/noType of ShopSize 000s square meters A1Supermarket20 A2Dept Store20 C6Opticians3 D9Mobile phone1.3 D11Music0.7 Total45 All others zero Financial results (000s) Present value3655.60 PROFIT (PRESENT VALUE LESS COSTS)2578.78 NPV of 7 year fixed608.55 Net profit1970.23 The best allocation for the Option was as follows: Group/noType of ShopSize 000s square meters B4Womens clothing3 B5Mens Clothing2 C6Opticians1 Total6 All others zero Present value377.12 Improvements44 Interest on improvements30.8 Improvements + interest74.8 Total costs214.6 PROFIT (PRESENT VALUE LESS COSTS)162.52 NPV of 7 year fixed141 Nett profit21.52 Cost of Land Purchase is not addressed in the above but is considered in the conclusions. Conclusion The allocations for the Meadvale Project are dominated by the ones with the highest profit potential which are the Supermarket and the Department Store. The remaining space available under local planning rules would therefore be less profitable. In this case, although the optimum mix has been obtained it does not represent a great return on the Capital Outlay of 200,000. However, the company had experienced large capital gains on previous projects and would need to consider whether this would justify going ahead as the project would at least return a small profit. Appendix 1: Midvale Group No Type of Shop Cost of interior improvements (a) Present Value(a) plus fixed Guarantee Rent (a) Group min(b) Shop max(b) Size (a) A 1 Supermarket 9 73.52 3.2 20 20 20.0 A 2 Dept Store 13 93.52 4.1 0 20 20.0 B 3 Shoes 12 58.52 3 0 0.9 0.0 B 4 Womens clothing 8 63.52 3.2 0 3 0.0 B 5 Mens Clothing 7 61.52 3.2 0 2 0.0 C 6 Opticians 6 63.52 3 2 4 3.0 C 7 Chemists 7 59.52 3.1 0 1.6 0.0 D 8 Gift 8 48.52 2.5 2 3 0.0 D 9 Mobile phone 9 63.52 2.4 0 1.3 1.3 D 10 Caf 10 53.52 2.6 0 1.5 0.0 D 11 Music 7 59.52 2.3 0 1.5 0.7 D 12 Bakery 11 48.52 3 0 1 0.0 (a) per sq mtr (b) 000s sq mtrs SIZE CONSTRAINTS Allocated Min(a) Max(a) Total Square metres 45.0 45 Group A 40.0 2 Group B 0.0 0 Group C 3.0 2 Group D 2.0 2 Shop 1 20.0 10 20 Shop 2 20.0 10 20 INCOME (000) 000 Minimum Rent 1,118.11 Must exceed Improvements + interest Sales excess Other Total income 1,118.11 Present value 3,655.60 COSTS 000 Fixed 125 Construction 270 Improvements 475 Interest on improvements 332 Improvements + interest 807 0 Total costs excluding fixed 1,077 COST CONSTRAINTS Improvements Les than 450 PROFIT (PRESENT VALUE LESS COSTS) 2,579 NPV of 7 year fixed 608.55 Nett profit 1,970 Appendix 2: Options Group No Type of Shop Cost of interior improvements (a) Present Value(a) plus fixed Guarantee Rent (a) Group min(b) Shop max(b) Size (a) A 1 Supermarket 9 73.52 3.2 0 0.0 0.0 A 2 Dept Store 13 93.52 4.1 0 0.0 0.0 B 3 Shoes 12 58.52 3 0 0.9 0.0 B 4 Womens clothing 8 63.52 3.2 0 3.0 3.0 B 5 Mens Clothing 7 61.52 3.2 0 2.0 2.0 C 6 Opticians 6 63.52 3 0 1.0 1.0 C 7 Chemists 7 59.52 3.1 0 1.6 0.0 D 8 Gift 8 48.52 2.5 0 3.0 0.0 D 9 Mobile phone 9 63.52 2.4 0 0.0 0.0 D 10 Caf 10 53.52 2.6 0 1.5 0.0 D 11 Music 7 59.52 2.3 0 0.8 0.0 D 12 Bakery 11 48.52 3 0 1.0 0.0 (a) per sq mtr (b) 000s sq mtrs SIZE CONSTRAINTS Allocated Min(a) Max(a) Total Square metres 6.0 6 Group A 0.0 0 Group B 5.0 0 Group C 1.0 0 Group D 0.0 0 Shop 1 0.0 0 0.0 Shop 2 0.0 0 0.0 INCOME (000) 000 Minimum Rent 133.00 Must exceed improvements + interest Sales excess Other Total income 133.00 Present value 377.12 COSTS 000 Fixed 29 Construction 36 Improvements 44 Interest on improvements 31 Improvements + interest 75 0 Total costs 215 COST CONSTRAINTS Improvements Les than 450 PROFIT (PRESENT VALUE LESS COSTS) 163 NPV of 7 year fixed 141 Nett profit 22 Appendux 3: Formulas Midvale Cols A to E Group No Type of Shop Cost of interior improvements (a) Present Value(a) plus fixed A 1 Supermarket 9 73.52 A 2 Dept Store 13 93.52 B 3 Shoes 12 58.52 B 4 Womens clothing 8 63.52 B 5 Mens Clothing 7 61.52 C 6 Opticians 6 63.52 C 7 Chemists 7 59.52 D 8 Gift 8 48.52 D 9 Mobile phone 9 63.52 D 10 Caf 10 53.52 D 11 Music 7 59.52 D 12 Bakery 11 48.52 (a) per sq mtr (b) 000s sq mtrs SIZE CONSTRAINTS Allocated Min(a) Total Square metres =SUM(I2:I13) Group A =SUM(I2:I3) 2 Group B =SUM(I4:I6) 0 Group C =SUM(I7:I8) 2 Group D =SUM(I9:I13) 2 Shop 1 =+I2 10 Shop 2 =+I3 10 INCOME (000) 000 Minimum Rent =SUMPRODUCT(F2:F13,I2:I13)*7 Sales excess 0 Other 0 Total income =SUM(E32:E34) Present value =SUMPRODUCT(E2:E13,I2:I13) COSTS 000 Fixed 125 Construction =+D20*6 Improvements =SUMPRODUCT(D2:D13,I2:I13) Interest on improvements =+E43*0.1*7