Critical discussion of at least three poems Essay

Compare the ways in which the poets write about unhappiness and suffering. In your response you must include a critical discussion of at least three poems. Throughout this comparative analysis, I will discuss the various ways in which the poets use lexis, imagery and structure to convey the sentiment and themes within the text. I have chosen Lizzie, Six and Shooting Stars by Carol Ann Duffy and Requiem for the Croppies by Seamus Heaney. The poems are all linked with suffering by the hands of an oppressive force. Lizzie by her abuser, the Jewish heroine by the Nazi’s and the Irish by the English. The poems offer vivid and individual style to describe mutual suffering within varied circumstances. The titles of each poem are intended to capture the reader’s attention from the start. Lizzie, Six, is laid out as such to show the youth of the character of Lizzie. Not only in her name being abbreviated in a youthful manner, but the placement of the comma slows the reader down, forcing them to contemplate the purity of a child that age. She is able to establish an immediate sense of dread. In Shooting Stars, Duffy provides us with an ambiguous beginning. ‘Stars’ is representative of the Star of David and ‘Shooting’ in the literal sense of the ‘stars’ being shot. Alternatively, Duffy may have been using the title metaphorically as a shooting star, representative of fleeting life for the Jewish people throughout the Nazi regime. The alliteration in Shooting Stars, is also a mind rhyme for Saal-Schutz, the Nazi SS Army. In Requiem for the Croppies, ‘Requiem’ defined as ‘a Mass for the repose of the souls of the dead’ is intended to offer peace to the thousands that died at the hands of the English and those that died; being the ‘Croppies’, the Irish men defending their land who cut their hair into a cropped fashion as a sign of rebellion. It is a gesture of praise and thanks and a wish for restfulness for those men whose lives were taken in the uprising of 1798. Samir Raheem describes it as ‘a poem that romantically commemorates the Irish rebels’. (Rahim, Telegraph, 2013). The word ‘Croppies’ is also a rhyme for ‘poppies’, a symbol of remembrance. The form and structure is indicative to the main themes of each poem and as a further notion; the suffering the characters, cultures or countrymen have endured. Representative of this is in Lizzie, 6, Duffy lays out the poem in a series of five stanzas with a call and response from the abuser and the abused narrative, typical in nature of a nursery rhyme and resonant particularly to the story ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. Critic Stan Smith describes â€Å"Lizzie, Six† as a ‘plangent, Lorcaesque song†. Barry Wood stated that ‘Duffy knew Lorca’s poetry or at least drew on similar traditions of popular child’s songs and rhymes’ (Wood, Tusitala. org. uk, 2007). The structure is repetitive and creates a feeling of tension. The repetition is also significant in the nature of the prolonged abuse, loss of innocence and suffering Lizzie is subjected to. The abuser also remains unidentified as it would be too uncomfortable for the reader to relate to the suffering the abuser inflicts (Morgan, Classnotes, 2015). In Shooting Stars, Duffy keeps the four line stanzas to create a similar notion of repetition of abuse and more likely to emphasize the routine and the standard, desensitised, rhythmic executions carried out by Nazi soldiers. Shooting Stars is written as a first person narrative and similarly to Lizzie’s abuser, her character is unidentified. This however, is to ensure the reader grasps the point that so many other Jews died namelessly during this period of persecution, highlighting the suffering. Heaney in Requiem takes a completely different approach in the structure of the poem and instead lays it out in the form of a sonnet. This is a mark of respect and love for the Irishmen who suffered and a juxtaposition to the ill respect shown by their oppressors. Written from the 3rd person narrative from the perspective of the Irish Rebels. Each line has roughly 10 or 11 syllables to it or just over, dictating the pace and the solemn, valiant story telling sentiment of the poem, an element similar to that of Lizzie. Six. Lizzie, Six uses dark and negative lexis throughout to increase the feeling of the suffering inflicted and the dialogue between the characters is disturbing. The doubling of the words ‘moon’, ‘fields’, ‘love’, ‘wood’ and ‘dark’ in lines 2 and 3 of each stanza are offered primarily in the view of the innocence of a child, i. e. In literature, the moon is commonly linked to imagination and fields to that of freedom etc. Secondly the words are manipulated by the adult abuser, effectively stripping the original association of the word and replacing it with a horrific alternative showing the intention of emotional abuse. Wood says that Duffy presents ‘a poignant example of â€Å"broken listening†, of – in this case — the adult listener refusing to hear or misinterpreting what is heard and of the child destroyed by being unheard and ignored’ (B Wood, 2006). It also represents consistent and worsening abuse as the words start with a lighter, childlike tone ‘moon’, ‘fields’ and literally end with ‘dark’. The use of language in Lizzie, Six is vulgar, particularly towards the end of the poem; Duffy uses this to show how the level of abuse and suffering worsens throughout the poem and over time and transitions from mental to physical suffering. She shows this in the penultimate stanza when the abuser says ‘I’ll give you wood, when your bottom’s bare’. ‘Wood’ is a disturbing metaphor and the literal intention the abuser becomes apparent here. The abuser asks in stanza five ‘Where are you hiding? ’ Duffy uses this to allow the reader to see the abuser demonstrating his menacing mental control over Lizzie as she is powerless to hide from him. In the sixth stanza, the abuser asks ‘Why are you crying? ’ – a physical display of an emotional response. (Morgan, Classnotes, 2015). Duffy shows a similar representation of the emotional and physical realms of suffering in Shooting Stars. ‘I heard the click. Not yet. A trick’ – The Nazi soldier at the time of the speaker’s execution uses excessive cruelty and mental torture in toying ‘with his victim and the short sentences at the end of the line create tension and a sense of the real experience of the woman and the power wielded by the soldier’ (MissGrant, 2015). Duffy demonstrates physical anguish in the third stanza at the fear of rape from the Nazi’s ‘My bowels opened in a ragged gape of fear’. Duffy’s word choice here is extreme but emphasizes the sheer terror that a woman would go through in this situation. The ‘gape’ is representative of a screaming mouth (MissGrant, 2015) and is intentionally inversed as ‘gagged rape’. The effect it has is it to double the meaning and subsequently intensify the horror of the suffering she endured in this situation. Heaney represents the emotional suffering in the form of their love of the country, not necessarily the Irishmen individually but as a whole, due to the oppression from the English – ‘we moved quick and sudden in our own country’. Heaney demonstrates the resentment of the Irish in this sentence and ‘the priest lay behind ditches with the tramp’ – Heaney juxtaposes the holiest man with the lowliest man, neither had any advantage over the other when it came to slaughter from their oppressors. The personification Heaney offers upon the Irish defeat on Vinegar Hill ‘The Hillside blushed, soaked in our broken wave’; Provokes the emotional and physical in the form of slight embarrassment at their being ill equipped to deter the English attack ‘shaking scythes at cannon’ but also the physicality or their blood staining the green of the fields to red. The first and last line include the imagery of barley, a symbol for revolution and independence (Morgan, Classnotes, 2015). Heaney uses Irony from the barley that the Irish rebels carried in their pockets for food, was in fact the very same that enabled the barley ‘to grow up ‘out of the grave’ fertilized by the blood of Irish souls. Critic Paul Hurt says that the first line ‘The pockets of our greatcoats full of barley’ and the last line ‘And in August the barley grew up out of the grave’ â€Å"are contrived. They belong to the world of ‘self-consciously significant details’ which are routine in many war films, in films of all kinds† (Paul Hurt, 2015). But Critic Blake Morrison said that Seamus Heaney is ‘that rare thing, a poet rated highly by critics and academics yet popular with ‘the common reader’ and as a common reader, I’m rather inclined to appreciate the majestic quality and symbolism of the re-birth of an army ready to fight and again. All three poems have a common feature with the echoed sadness and ill treatment and respect imposed from their oppressors with mass and shallow graves in Shooting Stars and Requiem ‘they buried us without shroud or coffin’ and ‘between the gaps of corpses I could see a child’. And in Lizzie, Six, the abuser’s final statement ‘I’ll give you the dark and I do not care’. The sentence and grammar structure in Lizzie, Six, is rigid and unchanging. The first line of each stanza is a question from the abuser, the second a response from the abused and in the third and fourth lies a demonic manipulation of Lizzies answer; Wood says ‘The child’s fear is answered only by a distorted or distorting â€Å"echo† from the adult world which, if less brutal and punitive than the world of â€Å"Lizzie, Six†, is equally isolating and disquieting. ’ (B Wood, 2006) Possibly Duffy used this sentence structure to emphasise the unrelenting suffering in the emotional, and physical that Lizzie faces. In Shooting Stars, Duffy takes an alternative approach and to represent the last thoughts of a dying woman offers a certain level of enjambment within the text. The punctuation is free in that ‘Rebecca Rachel Ruth Aaron Emmanuel David’ are listed without breath to exaggerate the extent of the ‘nameless’ people that have suffered. This is also a juxtaposition. This continues later in the poem with ‘Sara Ezra†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Duffy has done this to show the list could go on and on without pause. Almost as if those that have suffered spring to mind too easily for the sheer number of victims. Duffy uses repetition in the use of the word ‘Remember. A resounding theme of the poem is to remember the suffering of an entire race and to relate this lessons of history to modern day struggles. Duffy uses Anaphora in the fifth stanza to reiterate this theme. â€Å"After immense suffering someone takes tea on the lawn. After the terrible moans a boy washes his uniform. After the history lesson children run to their toys†. ‘Tea on the lawn’ refers to how normal life can resume so quickly after horrific events have taken place and can be forgotten as easily as ‘a boy washes his uniform’ symbolic of the cleansing of the Jewish race (MissGrant, 2015). Heaney uses enjambment to slow the pace. It is used to represent the Irish Rebels speed of movement; ‘A people, hardly marching – on the hike-‘, common folk, pacing themselves and climbing a hill, probably wounded, weary and hungry. Enjambment is used where the sonnet breaks form and introducing their demise; ‘Until, on Vinegar Hill, the fatal conclave. ’ Heaney uses this sentence structure to slow the reader and to emphasise the fall of the rebels and their devastation emotionally and physically. It adds a dramatic and magnificent tone to their sacrifice. In a similar sub-theme to Shooting Stars, remembrance is also a theme in Requiem, highlighted throughout the poem by Heaney’s word choice. Sound, sight, touch and sensation feature regularly in Shooting stars to evoke emotion. Straight away we are greeted with silence from the Dead Jew ‘After I no longer speak’ – a tradition of remembrance. We have a glimpse into her life that she was married, Duffy displays this with the ‘wedding ring’, the dear that caused the sensation of ‘urine trickling down her legs’ – a physical display of an emotional response. And the brutal and callous touch of the soldiers to ‘salvage’ what they see as the only valuable part of her when they break her finger to retrieve her wedding ring. Duffy uses the element of Marriage to re-inforce human emotion as a juxtaposition against the desensitised Nazi’s. Duffy also uses onomatopoeia in the word ‘click’ to highlight the mental torture the soldier imposes on the Jewish prisoner. Assonance and rhyming are used continuously through Requiem to promote the feeling of a steady struggle. ‘kitchens’ and ‘stricking’, ‘sudden’ and ‘country’ in the opening lines. ‘camp’, ’tramp’, ‘hike’ and ‘pike’ are rhymes used every other line. Heaney does this to re-inforce the military tone of the poem, introducing a steady drumming for the rebels to march in time to. Heaney breaks the rhyme momentarily to create a sense of doom. He shows this in ‘the final conclave’. Heaney returns immediately to the rhyme to emphasise the re-birth of the soldiers and the importance of the remembrance for the those who suffered so they could live. Duffy uses a similar technique in Shooting Stars in ‘opened the ragged gape of fear’ to re-inforce horror of the statement. She also uses alliteration in ‘Rebecca Rachel Ruth’ and uses traditional Jewish names to heighten the exhaustive list of those who suffered. In Lizzie, Six, Duffy uses consonance rather than assonance and alliteration, closely implied to Anaphora to accentuate the nervous disposition of the reader ‘What’, ‘Where’, ‘What’, ‘Where’, ‘Why’ at the beginning of each stanza and consonance in ‘I’m afraid of the dark. I’ll give you the dark and I do not care’ similar to the techniques used in Shooting Stars in the first line uses consonance and an imperfect pararhyme ‘speak and break’ in the first line. an All three poems have a common theme of rhyme, but the intention is different. Lizzie, Six and Requiem show tail rhyme and holorime both in an effort to make the poem memorable, but Duffy uses this in Lizzie, Six to exaggerate the loss of innocence of a child. Rhyming the poem in a simplistic child-like manner emphasises the haunting suffering. Whereas Heaney uses this technique to signify the remembrance theme of the poem, taking the literal of making the poem memorable and easy to read. All three poems have a common connection to the suffering imposed from an oppressor. For Lizzie, Six, Lizzie is suffering at the hands of her abuser. For Shooting Stars, the Jewish women and the Jewish race are suffering from the oppression of the Nazis and for Requiem for the Croppies, the Irishmen suffering for the loss of their land to the English. Shooting Stars and Requiem have a sub-theme of remembrance and Lizzie Six, the loss of innocence. Though loss of innocence can be found in Shooting Stars and Requiem, their sufferance is predominantly for a race, and land rather than innocence. Regular assonance and consonance are used throughout all three poems, but to different ends, similarly with intentional use of rhyming. The poems vividly highlight suffering throughout, with careful word choice, simplistic yet vulgar in Lizzie, Six to make the suffering more haunting, Grim and factual in Shooting Stars to exaggerate the horror of the suffering and militant and simple to aid the remembrance of the those who suffered in Requiem for the Croppies. References Gardiner, M. (2015). Summaries of selected poetry by Seamus Heaney (Higher School Certificate 1998). [online] Files. puzzling. org. Available at: https://files. puzzling. org/wayback/hsc/heaney [Accessed 17 Nov. 2015]. Grant, M. (2015). [online] View. officeapps. live. com. Available at: https://view. officeapps. live. com/op/view. aspx? src=http%3A%2F%2Fmissgrantenglish. wikispaces. com%2Ffile%2Fview%2FRevision%2BPack. docx [Accessed 18 Nov. 2015]. Hurt, P. (2015). Paul Hurt on Seamus Heaney’s ‘The Grauballe Man’ and other poems. [online] Linkagenet. com. Available at: http://www. linkagenet. com/reviews/heaneypoemcriticism. htm#requiem [Accessed 18 Nov. 2015]. McMahon, D. (2013). A quick reading of Seamus Heaney’s â€Å"Requiem for the Croppies†. [online] pulpteacher. Available at: https://pulpteacher. wordpress. com/2013/03/13/a-quick-reading-of-seamus-heaneys-requiem-for-the-croppies/ [Accessed 17 Nov. 2015].

A paper study evaluation

The main message of the paper is directed at providing enough background and research to the process of identifying user needs and to enable one to understand the various importance of collecting user needs. Requirements collection forms an essential step in system development and is one of the primary stages which need to be fulfilled well for further successful development of the system.Unless this stage is performed well and requirements are captured entirely the system would be half- built and it would not correspond to the details of the business operations entirely.2. Why this message is seen as important and worthy of research?Answer: It is quite important to identify the user’s mind and to devise the better methods for research and development. The composition of user’s reactions, their various perceptions towards cost, effort and time is very crucial to be understood so that they can be capitalized upon.The various messages would impart better formulation of th e various strategies required for fetching the requirements of the users. The composition of the primary understanding of the subject, its importance and learning the various natures would enable better communication and pave the way to smoother communication.3. What issues are addressed within the main message?Answer: The issues that are addressed in the main passage would be to understand the user problems and to capture the various mechanisms to get the job done at its best.The first message is aimed at knowing the crucial aspects of an user’s mind and their objectives which they would target. Knowing the right pattern and benefit would largely assist the development team to shape their technique for requirements gathering.The second message is towards the understanding the right tool for collection of the requirements. It largely presents the factor for the right selection of the appropriate methodology for benefit and would enable greater integration of user choices and methodology.The third message is to announce the right method for collection of requirements and its successful classification for which the system can be built around successfully. The various requirements for enabling the classification would result in knowing the user minds and acknowledging the right way for gaining the advantage of the proposed system.4. How these issues are treated/researched?Answer: The issues are placed into the research domain for getting the elaborate discussion of the facts and thus a set of questionnaires are devised for answering the issues for the paper. The composition of the various strategies result into visual set of instances through which the communication would be further smooth and understandable.The data flow diagrams and process models enriched the issues further and the very basis for making the right judgments would be at ease. The various models suggested in the research has taken effective care of the user’s understanding process a nd facilitated the right manner of fetching the requirements for its detail. The proper classification would enable right judgment of the issues and enable better modeling the framework.5. What are the major findings of the paper?Answer: The major finding is divided into large scale classified programs. The major achievement is divided into modules and user details are framed into it. The composition of the varied factors has evolved the IBIS model and the observance of a methodology to match the requirements of the enterprise.The methodologies form the large part of discussion and enable one to detail various forms of justice to match the standards. The rightful methods for getting the insight of the various strategies exercised would satisfy requirements stated.6. What is your own assessment of the findings of the paper?Answer: The assessment lies in the depth of the major challenges laid down and to make the most of the methodologies and models proposed. The models proposed for s uccessful capturing of the user requirements are yet to be tested in real life and thus cannot be predicted for its success for sure.The risk factors and the collaboration of ideas would fetch right direction for the right tapping of the user’s requirements and the dynamic nature of the changing user’s views and collaboration. The primary issue is to understand the situation and the various challenges posed by the situation. The analysis of the clients atmosphere and the risk factors for inappropriate information collection methodology is of large importance. The variety of options and the selection of the right factor would enable correct decision making for the enterprise.The cultural issues at this point must be highlighted well and must be taken into account for better understanding of the issues. The problems related to obtaining information and collection of user requirements is a major challenge. The different methods for doing work might not be understood by pe ople and would instill problems if not corrected well. The cultural issues required to be dealt well for fetching the appropriate set of user requirements and to make sure that it is taken care well.The models highlighted in the paper are not sought after and wishfully does not envelope the major emotional factors for data collection and tapping the right set of requirements. The various psychological factors are not taken into picture and are not surveyed for fetching the birds view of the process.7. Relate this assessment to some case studies or applications in the real world which you are aware of, i.e. substantiate your assessment with examplesAnswer:   The assessment can be dealt with a case study of a company where the best technique to collect requirements for their â€Å"Employee leave tracking system†. Techniques like interviewing, questionnaire, past documents and other such ways of dealing with the final collection of user requirements. The SWOT analysis of the m ethods was researched and ultimately the interviewing methods for requirements collection are established for better research and study.In our Employee leave tracking system, the interviewing method would be of great use for collecting the requirements as the diversification would be quite less. The person giving information may not cater to all departments, as leave is an organizational issue and can be addressed by the HR manager alone. All the queries regarding system requirements would be met by one person alone handling the employee leave tracking system that is the Human Resources department.

“a&P” and “Barn Burning”: a Compare and Contrast Essay”

Sammy from John Updike’s â€Å"A&P† and Sarty from William Faulkner’s â€Å"Barn Burning† are two great examples of young people raising their standards and doing what they believe is right. In â€Å"A&P†, Sammy is nineteen years old and works at a local grocery store named the A&P. His life changes the day he quits his job after defending three girls that are â€Å"called out† by Lengel, the manager, for breaking the unwritten dress code. In â€Å"Barn Burning†, Sarty is a ten year old boy who struggles between the fine line of right and wrong when his father, Abner Snopes, is put on trial for burning down a barn. When his father attempts to burn down another barn, Sarty takes charge and warns the owner. â€Å"A&P† and â€Å"Barn Burning† are short story classics that have many similarities as well as differences. While both Sammy and Sarty are dissatisfied with their figures of authority, the time periods in which they live are extremely different. A very noticeable similarity is the fact that both young men are dissatisfied with their authority figures. In the beginning of the stories, one will see that Sammy and Sarty are not like their main influences. Each young man has a mature understanding of their unfortunate lives and how they must break the mold to better themselves. Stokesie, Sammy’s friend and co-worker, is twenty two years old and married with two kids. His biggest dream is to become a manager of the A&P someday. Sammy describes Stokesie’s life as a perfect example of his future if he continues working at the A&P. To him the A&P is a dead end job; but in the eyes of his Lengel and his family it is an acceptable future. Lengel is the manager of A&P as well as the town’s preacher. He plays an important role as Sammy’s authority figure. When Sammy quits, Lengel tries to persuade him to stay and makes it very clear that leaving the A&P will be a huge mistake. This is an excellent reflection of Sammy’s authority figure and the close minded ways he must escape. Sarty’s major authority figure in â€Å"Barn Burning† is his father. Abner is a poor sharecropper who is bitter towards wealthy plantation owners and has a tendency to destroy their property. Sarty never justifies his father’s actions and is aware that if he allows things to remain the same, he will become a product of his environment. This is his motive for warning Abner’s next barn burning victim and his chance to move on with his life. The time periods and locations in which â€Å"A&P† and â€Å"Barn Burning† take place are very different. Sammy lives in a more favorable time in the United States than Sarty. â€Å"A&P† is set in a small town north of Boston, Massachusetts around 1960. At this time, the United States was the main military manufacturer and financial power in the capitalist world. The â€Å"Hippie Movement† just started and shocked many traditional families with a new way of living. Sarty lives in Mississippi about twenty years after the Civil War. Life was tough for Mississippians post Civil War. The Southern states were in debt and devastation from the war was everywhere. Although America was transforming into a more modern country in both stories, the time periods in which they live are completely opposite. Sammy and Sarty are two protagonists that have to mature beyond normal circumstances and experience the â€Å"real world† at tender ages. Each character is forced to grow up and refine themselves in their darkest hour. Sammy and Sarty are both dissatisfied with their authority figures; however, the time periods in which they live take place in different eras.

Introduction to Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Introduction to Financial Management - Essay Example Do 16 (1 + g) ^2 where Do is the opening amount of dividend, g is the growth rate and â€Å"2† is the period. For this type of growth, to determine the growth level at time t, the value can be determined once by introducing a power, which is t as follows Dt = 16 (1 + g) ^t (Titman, Keown & Martin, n.d., pp. 3-13). The time t for the dividend growth is one year, therefore, the t = 1. Market capitalization rate indicates the rate of return on investment. Therefore, the price of the stock = 24 (1 +0.09) ^1/(1 + 0.15) ^1 = 22.75 pence (Titman, Keown & Martin, n.d., pp. 3-13). The return on equity = Net income/equity. Mannington’s ROE = 20%. Let net income be x. Therefore, 20% = x/(200,000,000 * 50) = x/10,000,000,000. X = (20% * 10,000,000,000) = 2,000,000,000. Mannington company declared 60% of the profits (net profit) as dividends. On that note, the total dividend to be paid = (60% * 2,000,000,000) = 1,200,000,000. The company’s dividend per share = (1,200,000,000/200,000,000) = 6pence per share. Given the company’s expected rate of return, at this point it is possible to obtain the value of the shares using the formula Vs = D/rs where Vs is share value, D is the dividend and rs is the expected return. Therefore, Vs = (6/0.13) = 46.15pence (Titman, Keown & Martin, n.d., pp. 3-13). Using the formula for constant dividend growth, RCs = D/Vcs + g where rcs is the return, D is the dividend, Vcs is the share price and g is the growth. Therefore, return = (20/2.35) + 0.06 = 8.571% (Titman, Keown & Martin, n.d., pp. 3-13). The director’s view that the retained earnings would be cheaper than the preference share is valid. To justify the validity, the only cost that accompanies the use of retained earnings is the failure to pay dividends to the shareholders. Thus retained earnings have no flotation cost, they are tax free and does not lead to loss of control of a company. Preference shares on the

World History I Beginnings to 1750 - Classical Era Essay

World History I Beginnings to 1750 - Classical Era - Essay Example THE EMPIRE POLITIC. Our ascension to the throne has been accomplished through the means of familial succession of our self as God’s chosen emperor for this great land, as senatorially confirmed by the elected representatives of the people. We have no desire to alter this stable form of governance which has led to our own advent. To that end, we shall continue to support the limited self-governance of the people by and through their elected representatives, overseen by the benevolent Imperial Family. Furthermore, the population of our domain shall continue to be represented in our senatorial convocation through the traditional weighted vote: Each person over the age of 21 years shall have one vote as to who will be the senatorial representative of their district. Those persons in the merchant and trade classes of the same age shall have two votes. Those landholders and their families of each district shall have four. As always, we shall confirm the choices of the people by our imperial endorsement of their selection. Through this system, we shall preserve our political unity, ensure continued efficient political process, and enjoy the abundant prosperity inherent to such a proper blending of the voice of the people with the rule of the Imperial Family. THE EMPIRE ECONOMIC. We are pleased with the economic condition of the empire. Our policies shall continue to encourage a healthy and robust peasantry, who shall provide labor within the agricultural and non-skilled trade sectors while being fairly treated to either a living wage or the provision of home and sustenance with a modest stipend. Our policies shall seek to increase the trade and merchant sectors of our economy, so that commerce remains free and profitable. Of course, our barony and major landholders shall continue to provide tax revenues and contribute to the defense of our great empire

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

Globalisation - Essay Example The opportunity hidden in globalisation has led to the development of globalisation. The first opportunity that globalisation provides us free trade facility and its resultant effect on the global economy (Milward, 2003, p.10). Free trade would lead to an increase in the trade which would increase the financial flows between various economies. Globalisation would result in an increase in free trade which would increase lateral financial flows and the redistributed capital would help to pull up the impoverished countries from their financial woes. The second opportunity provided by globalisation in development of a transnational framework which would help in the development of a smooth trade system. The origin of internationalisation of industry and commerce can derived from both macroeconomic approach and micro economic approach. The macro economics approach consists of expansion of firms' activities beyond the countries where they have their registered offices can be explained with the help of international division of labour theory and the huge circuits of capital. A micro economic approach deals with the theory of product life cycle and Dunning Eclectic Paradigm (Hansen, 2009, p.3). Nation’s now have less control over their individual industries and economies so the global network is assuming more control over the markets around the world. The global network must keep in mind the welfare of both the global community and the individual nations. Globalisation refers to the intensification of the relationship between various countries which has been set with the help of internationalisation. Foreign Direct Investment involves transfer of intangible or tangible assets from one country to another in order to generate wealth in that country through total or partial control over their assets (Sornarajah, 2010, p.8). Foreign Direct Investment is one of the key elements of the rapidly evolving international economy. This is also referred as globalisation. Fore ign Direct Investment helps to create a stable, long lasting and direct link between economies. Under a correct environmental policy the Foreign Direct Investment can serve as an important tool for the purpose of development of local enterprise. Foreign Direct Investment helps in economic development of the developing countries. The level of economic development is higher in the case of FDI than in licensing, franchising or exporting (Jones and Wren, 2006, p.9). Foreign Direct Investment infers when a group of companies or individuals of one country buy assets of another country (OECD, 2009, p.14). The acquisition of the assets happen when foreign companies or individuals to control the means of production as well as distribution. Example- a company in US can purchase a production facility in Australia. By acquiring the production facility in Australia, the corporation can control the entire production process from US. This would help to ensure the quality of the product. A foreign direct investor can have a varying amount of stake in the company invested by him. FDI indicates at least 10% ownership in a company which helps the investor to control the daily affairs of the company as compared to licensing, export and franchising where very control can be exerted (Cohen, 2007, p.38). Some countries have a cap on the equity investment in their country. FDI helps in generating economic growth for a country so it preferred over licensing, franchising and exporting (Neuhaus, 2006, p.42). People who buy stocks in the company own a part of the company and have the ability to control the affairs of the co

HR topic taken from a current news article Assignment

HR topic taken from a current news article - Assignment Example General Electric Company’s CEO, Jack Welsh is one of the most vocal proponents of this policy by claiming that this method weeds out the individuals who are a bad fit with the company. He is not alone in his support, 30% of Fortune 500 companies have similar policies including Ford Motor, Conco, Sun Microsystem, Cisco Systems, EDS and Enron (Lawler). They all systematically remove the bad employees on a regular basis and thereby send a strong message to the employees that there is little tolerance for poor results. Hence this forced ranking system has a big impact on the overall industry. Such a system of performance appraisal also provides information about the employees that other systems do not provide, especially when it comes to their place in the company performance spectrum (Lawler). It also promotes a culture in which employees believe that the company expects nothing but the best and those who fail to adhere to this standard will be fired. This causes the employees to continually work hard and exceed their past performance (Blume, Rubin and Timothy T. Baldwin). Managers generally avoid having difficult and painful conversations with their employees over their bad performance and try to minimize the conflict. This system literally forces the managers to address the issue of the employees thereby formalizing the management processes which only benefits the entire company (Lipman). A study published in an issue of the academic journal of Personnel Psychology tried to answer the question of whether a forced ranking system will improve the quality of the work force. In their model of 100 companies with over 100 employees, they employed the system of forced ranking and found out that there was noticeable improvement in the work force potential over the first several years. This improvement also included lowered voluntary turnover (Grote). However, there are many cons associated with the practice of forced ranking. It has been said to lower employee mo rale, teamwork and collaboration. If there is no compelling difference between the employees in the lower end who were fired and those who were not fired, it will spread a sense of injustice (Grote). This would lower morale and the system would be viewed in a negative light. Such a system also creates a very stressful and risky work environment. This can prevent high potential employees from joining the said company as they would try to avoid that work environment (Grote). Employee performance patterns do not generally follow a normal distribution and hence identifying the bad performers is a difficult matter (Lawler). According to the news article, most employees are slightly worse than average hence there is always the danger of satisfactory employees being identified as bad employees. Some departments are better staffed than others and the ‘poor performers’ in that group might as well be employees who were average but were surrounded by good employees and hence paled in comparison (Lawler). By repeating this process year after year, the lower quartile is eventually filled with employees who are average rather than ‘bad performers’. This can again lower the employee morale as they would feel that average employees are being misidentified and discriminated against (Donaldson). Such companies are also prone to legal challenges. Legal rulings state that a performance related

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict - Term Paper Example Eritrea relied on trade with Ethiopia whilst Ethiopia relied on Eritrean ports for shipment of its goods. Their nationals also enjoyed free movement between the countries and freedom of investment. The main question that lingers in our minds is how and why two nations who depend on each other for survival and economic prosperity would engage in a full-scale war due to a minor border dispute. This question is well answered by Abbink who argues that the border dispute was just a means to achieve wider ends and regional dominance by the Eritrean leader Isaias Afewerki and pressure from Meles Zenawi’s party, Tigrayans and the wider public.1 Other factors include personal arrogance of the two leaders, authoritarian disposition, political indecisiveness, and lack of clear-cut statesman-like agreements on mutual politico-economic relations of the two new states.2 Whatever the case, this behavior is in line with the realism theory of international relations that posits that states onl y act to increase their power relative others. This doctrine has been prevalent in previous major wars such as the two World Wars and Cold War. I will argue that this war could have been have avoided if only the two leaders engaged in diplomacy. The essay will be divided into six sections. The first section will discuss the roots and history of the conflict. Secondly, the attempts made by international community to avert the crises will be discussed. Thirdly, the current situation. Fourthly, lessons learned and prospects for constructive change and finally, a brief conclusion. Eritrea-Ethiopia War can be traced back to the era of colonization when the imperialists and colonial rulers engaged in â€Å"divide and conquer† policy.3The imperialists thus drew borders between countries wherever they colonized and this is how Italy ended up drawing maps in this northern region of Africa and especially Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Research Paper for English 102 (Violence and How can you solve it)

For English 102 (Violence and How can you solve it) - Research Paper Example Interpersonal violence is shown by such violence that would involve persons who are related such as by blood or in marriage and persons that are not related but who closely interact. Violence is however shown to have been a common feature within human societies all through though the nature would differ from a generation to another and from social set-up to another. Over the ages, various tools for solving conflicts have been devised and applied with a motive of resolving the cause of the conflict. Moreover, the tools are meant for establishing mechanisms of restoring healthy relationship between the conflicting parties. Though there may lack universally accepted tools to resolve particular types of violence, many of the tolls in application has substantial effects on solving the conflicts and thus, multi-disciplinary approach is what is often taken. It is noted that the effectiveness of any tool adopted for stopping violence and seeking amicable solution may depend on the nature of the violence, the cause(s) as well as the parties involved. Though violence has been shown to be multifaceted in causes, there lacks a universal approach in resolving conflicts. Literature from past studies show that resolution to particular violence often adopt similar or same tools for resolution. However, the outcome of applying common tools for resolving violence that is not related or has not common cause may not provide the intended results. The main challenge in resolving violence is therefore the capacity to rightfully choosing a tool that would lead to the anticipated results. There lacks a criterion through which the available tools of conflict resolution would be pre-tested prior to application in resolving a conflict and hence, adoption of such tools often take the trial and error method with no certainty of the outcome. As revealed by the problem statement, there may lack standard set criteria of selecting

Current and Future trends in Microelectromechnical Systems Case Study

Current and Future trends in Microelectromechnical Systems - Case Study Example cessing, and data acquisition features."[2] The term MEMS refer to the devices that are on a millimetre scale with micro-resolution. It is the integration of mechanical elements, sensors, actuators and electronics on common silicon substrate through the utilization of microfabrication technology [8]. There are several broad categories of MEMS fabrication technologies. They are Bulk micromachining, Surface micromachining, LIGA, Deep reactive ion etching and the integrated MEMS technologies. The brief [9] of each of the technologies is given below Bulk micromachining is a fabrication technique which builds mechanical elements by starting with a silicon wafer, and then etching away unwanted parts, and being left with useful mechanical devices [9].'The advantages are less cost high reliability, manufacturability, and good repeatability [9]. Surface Micromachining builds devices up from the wafer layer-by-layer [9]. Surface Micromachining requires more fabrication steps than Bulk Micromachining, and hence is more expensive.' It is able to create much more complicated devices, capable of sophisticated functionality. LIGA is a technology which creates small, but relatively high aspect ratio devices using x-ray lithography [9]. Unlike traditional Bulk Micromachining, which uses a wet chemical etch, Deep Reactive Ion Etching micromachining uses'a plasma etch to create features allowing greater flexibility in the etch profiles, enabling a wider array of mechanical elements [9]. Since MEMS devices are created with the same tools used to create integrated circuits, in some cases it is also possible to fabricate Micro-machines and Microelectronics on the same piece of silicon [9].' LITERATURE REVIEW MEMS has a very wide range of applications, particularly of its sensors which are used many of the automotive, medical and other consumer products. The technology development is immense and there are several in the literature to quote from in evidence of this fact. The MEMS related technology and literature work is very huge and hence effort has been made only to cover the key developments from random authors. One technique developed in the United States at the University of Wisconsin uses thin film polysilicon for the sensor diaphragm [3]. The polysilicon devices are correspondingly smaller and hence they cost less. Another technique, result in much smaller sensor dies than standard bulk micromachining techniques NovaSensor in the United States, employs high temperature fusion bonding of silicon wafers to form inward tapering cavities under single crystal silicon diaphragms [4]. These devices are used in medical catheters. An improvement in low pressure measurement has also been suggested as by using advanced MEMS micromachining

Final exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Final exam - Assignment Example Corresponding to these four objectives of the Council of Trent, the council came up with the following decrees; firstly, the council issued a decree instructing and guiding the bishops of the Catholic Church. Secondly, the council issued a decree on the interpretation of the Scriptures, thirdly, the council issued a decree prohibiting corruption in the Church, and finally, the council of Trent issued a decree on faith and works. After the council of Trent, Pope Sixtus V created a congregation of the council, a bureau of the Roman Curia, mandated to issue authoritative interpretation of the decrees of the Council of Trent. This therefore is how Pope Sixtus V represented the new Catholicism after the Council of Trent. Question 2: The Jesuits. Jesuits are also known as, The Society of Jesus, is a male congregation founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola in the year 1540. St. Ignatius founded the Jesuit congregation in collaboration with St. Francis saviour, and blessed Peter Faber (The History of the Jesuits, web). The Jesuits professes the three standard vows of Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience; Jesuits also take the fourth vow, i.e. the vow of obedience to the Pope. Jesuit congregation was founded to defend the Catholic Church from the heretical teachings of the protestant churches. Jesuits therefore were the soldiers of Christ because they dedicated their live to study, so as to be able to effectively defend the teachings of the Catholic Church from the heresies of Protestantism. Question 3: The Roman Inquisition. Roman Inquisition was the penal and judicial institution created by the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century. The creation of the Roman Inquisition was prompted by the challenge that the protestant heretical teachings had posed to the Catholic Church. The Roman Inquisition was mandated to try and to punish the members of the Catholic Church, especially the clergy,

Working Capital Simulation Essay Example for Free

Working Capital Simulation Essay Introduction The working capital simulation has allowed us to analyze the financials of Sunflower Nutraceuticals Company(SNC). The decisions made by the CEO increased the working capital and maximized the overall organizational growth potentially with respect to time. Moreover in addition to various details of the SNC firm we have also examined various decisions which took place in each of the phase of SNC’s simulation which has an estimated values to figure out the results. The paper also describes how SNC’s decisions are influenced with respect to their working capital followed with the final step of evaluating the general affects associated with the limited access of financial mix. Sunflower Nutraceuticals (SNC) Background SNC is a privately owned Nutraceuticals company and is a wide distributor which provides all the vital dietary supplements such as herbs for women’s, vitamins, and minerals for all the consumers (mainly women’s), distributors and retailers. (Harvard Business School Publishing, 2012). Once the business was initiated after 2006, SNC expanded their operations and came up with various retail outlets in the nutraceutical industry and has been successful while introducing their own brands of sports drinks, vitamins for teenagers, metabolism- boosting powders, etc and various other products from a same product line which enhance the metabolism system of humans. Although the potential to grow as one of the major nutraceutical distributors in the, they are still struggling to break even and on more than one occasion have been forced to exceed the company’s credit line ($1,00,000) to finance the payroll and other operational needs. Because of the organization’s somewhat restrictive financing options, they are only able to use a small percentage (approx. 10%) to evaluate and invest in new business expansion which resembles great opportunities in other retail markets across the globe. Phase 1 of SNC’s Simulation (Years 2013-2015) During the initial phase of the simulation, they presented four major  opportunities which could be helpful for their company to maximize their growth, those opportunities includes- Discontinuing their Poorer Selling Nutraceutical Products –since they have more than 100 products, some of those products can be dropped off SNC’s inventory because they are outdated. Reducing or discounting those items will allow SNC to a) reduce its DSI to approximately 3 months, b) cut its EBIT by 50k approximately, c) drop sales to 1mm, and d) create more inventory space for the popular products. Doing this will rationalize the SNC’s SKU count. Leveraging their Supplier Discount –SNC is considering an offer to add Atlantic Wellness (a large successful food chain) to their nutraceutical product line. The company considered and accepted the Atlantic Wellness contract as it allows them to increase company sales to 2k. In addition to their contract offer with Atlantic Wellnes s, SNC also considered the acceptance of Ayurveda Naturals with the contract offer which was favorable to SNC as its payment terms reflected a net gain of approximately 50. They could have lowered its AP if it was related to pay of Ayurveda Naturals within a month and that payment can increase a discount of almost 2% on some of their raw materials. Acquiring a New Client – SNC acquired a new client by acquiring the services of health food giant Atlantic Wellness to their nutraceutical products line. This decision increased SNC’s EBIT by approximately 200,000 and thus their sales figures. Although SNC’s sales and EBIT figures increased, their net working capital and profit margins will remain at current figures. Additionally, acquiring Atlantic Wellness as a client will help increase SNC’s sales significantly, but the increased sales come at a cost as the increased sales will decrease inventory and accounts receivable. Sacrificing inventory and accounts receivable is not a good deal for SNC because of their current cash position as SNC must keep a minimum of amount of cash on hand to meet their company’s operational nee ds. However, there is a positive lining for SNC as the risk of inventory and accounts receivable could be balanced by negotiating a profitable deal with merchant Ayurveda Natural. Limiting their Receivable Accounts – Since Super Sports Centers account for 20% of SNC’s sales figures, those receivable accounts takes the company approximately 200 days to pay and those 200 days is well above the normal 90-day average. To resolve this issue, SNC could drop Super Sports Centers and improve their DSO number, but that come at a cost as SNC’s sales would  drop drastically. Phase 2 of SNC’s Simulation (Years 2016-2018) During phase two of the simulation, SNC was presented with three different opportunities and those opportunities include: Expansion of SNC’s Online Presence –Since SNC would like to expand their operations into new retail markets its company was presented with an opportunity to partner with Golden Years Nutracueticals so that they could reach a larger, more diverse consumer base. From 2016-2018, this partnership reduced SNC’s DSO figures because its web sales began to be collected more rapidly from few days almost 7 to 2 days throughout the duration of 2016-2018. Also SNC also saw about 10%, increase in their sales from 2016-2018. This was an ideal opportunity for SNC as it will allow them to increase their sales with having little-to-no effect on the company’s working capital. Take up Big-Box Contributions – SNC established a partnership with sales giant Mega-Mart, and that decision allowed SNC to see increase in sales of 25%, 10%, and 5% approximately during 2016-2018. Additionally, this decision dropped SNC’s from about 1%, however, their bills were paid on time causing SNC’s DSO to drop. Beginning with a partnership with Mega-Mart is a good idea. However, this partnership will drop margins and reduce SNC’s EBIT. Create a Private Label Product –SNC has a partnership with Fountain of Youth Spas, and Fountain of Youth Spas want SNC to develop their own private label product so that SNC can expand their nutraceutical products line and increase their sales and consumer base. Doing this would increase SNC’s 2016-2018 sales by 5%, 4%, and 3% approximately. Additionally, it will also increase margin by 2% while increasing SNC’s DSO’s and DSI. This partnership will allow SNC to increase their EBIT while sli ghtly raising their accounts receivable figures. Phase 3 of SNC’s Simulation (Years 2019-2021) During phase three of SNC’s simulation, there were three opportunities for SNC to consider, and those opportunities include: Adapt a Global Expansion Plan–SNC acquired a new Latin America client (Viva Familia), which helped SNC expand their business operations into Latin America. SNC’s partnership with Viva Familia allowed SNC to decrease their DSO for a couple of days because Viva Familia will cover delivery charges. However, this new partnership increased the company’s DSI by two days, and it also increased  SNC’s sales by 2% with margins remaining parallel to current business. Renegotiate Current Supplier Credit Terms – SNC want to renegotiate its credit terms with other vendors so they used their main vendor Dynasty Enterprises (located in China) as leverage (suppose SNC needed a 3% discount for payment in 10 days) with other vendors. SNC could use their negotiation tactics with other vendors because their main vendor, Dynasty Enterpris e offered SNC profitable terms of 2/10 with a net of 30. This reduces SNC’s costs of sales by $3278 and their AR by $13112. Acquire a High-Risk Client –Midwest Miracles is a potential high-risk client for SNC because of Midwest Miracles excessive debt and risky financial situation. However, acquiring this client will increase the sales of future prospects of SNC sales by approximately 30% in 2019. Midwest Miracles is a potential risk for SNC as their company has lesser chance of going bankrupt as compared with the recovery. Other effects of this client, includes a likely increase in DSO by 190 days, and higher fees with a longer than average invoice pay-period. SNC’s Final Metrics Results Final Metrics Results (Figures Reflect 2013-2021) Estimated values: EBIT (202% Increase): Figure went from $440 to $1,330, Sales (27% Increase): Figure went from $10k to $12,672 Net Income (412% Increase): Figure went from $156 to $798 Free Cash Flow (124% Increase): Figure went from $365 to $798 Total Firm Value (56% Increase): Figure went from $3,248 to $5,082 General Effects of Limited Access to Financing There are several general effects that limited access to financing can have on entrepreneurs trying to start or grow his or her businesses. For example, limited access to financing can lead to 1) higher interest rates on a business loans or credit fees. 2) Force a business to face a complicated and expensive entry (registration costs, policies, equipment fees, etc.) and exit procedures (Parrino, Kidwell, Bates, 2012). C) Limit the amount of growth (profits, SME, consumer/client base, etc.) a company can have in that new market. D) Make it more challenging (longer and more expensive process) to implement property and intellectual rights of privately owned and developed brand products. Conclusion SNC simulation reflected the challenging ways of managing growth and capital of an organization in our present scenario. In the business market we can find many companies with limited financial power or take on business partnerships because they cannot financially support the business with their credit line or resources as it is more than estimated budgets. Hence, managing a company while managing the working capital and finances of the company is really a difficult task. References Harvard Business Publishing. (2012). Working capital simulation: managing growth. Retrieved from, http://forio.com/simulate/harvard/workingcapital/simulation/?#page=dashboard. BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033 Parrino, R., Kidwell, D. S., Bates, T. W. (2012). Fundamentals of corporate finance (2nd ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley Sons.

Exploratory research

Exploratory research Exploratory Exploratory research is usually carried out when problem is not well identified or it has not been visibly defined as yet, or its real scale is as yet unclear. It allows the research person to collect the information as much as possible relating to a specific problem. Exploratory research helps conclude the best research design, data collection methodtechnique and selectionchoice of subjects, and sometimes it even concludesconcluderesults that the problem does not existbe present. Exploratory research is quite informalcasual, when it relying on secondary researches such as reviewing available literature, data, or qualitative approaches such as informal discussions with consumerscustomers, employees, management or competitorscompetitoropponents, and more formal approaches through in-depthin depth interviews, focus groups, projective methods, case studies or pilot studies (Yin, 1994). Explanatory This is a research type in which the primary goalobjective is to understand the naturetemperament or mechanisms of the relationship between the independent and dependent variable. This approach is used when its is necessary to show that one variable causescauses or determines concludes the value of other variable. This research is good to use when there is no clearunambiguous apprehension about what model that should be used and what qualities and relations that is importantsignificant (Zikmund, 1994). Descriptive Descriptive research is used to obtainget information concerning the currentpresent status of the phenomena to describeexplain what exists with respect to variables or conditions in a situationstate. Descriptive research is used when the objectivegoal is to provide a systematic description defination that is as factual and accurateexact as possible or when the problem is well structuredordered and there is no intentionobjective to investigatestudy cause/effect relation. It provideprovidess you the number of occurrencestimes something occurshappens, or frequency, lends leads itself to statistical calculationscalculationcomputation such as determining calculating the average number of occurrences or central tendencies (Yin, 1994). One of its major limitationsrestrictions is that it can not help determineconclude what causes a specific occurrence, behavior, or motivation or occurrence. We can say thatIn other words, it cannot establishcreate a causal research relationship betweenamong variables. My research purpose and research question reveal that this study is mainlyfor the most part exploratory. It is exploratory because the data has been collected through questionnaires and unstructured interviews and questionnaires to explore the issues that influence Pakistani community intentions to adopt Internet banking services. Research Approach There are two basic types of research approaches, qualitative and quantitative. In the quantitative approach, resultsoutcomes are based on numbers and statistics and numbers that are presented in figures, whereas in the qualitative approach where focus lies on describing an eventoccurrence with the use of words. Although this research on adoption of Internet banking services adoption in Pakistan is not very extensive as compared to discussiondebate of the benefits, most of the concepts in this study have been occasionallyrarely examined before, but mostlygenerally in the western context. Only a littleslight research covers usually Singapore, Hong Kong or China, which are very developed economies and not representativeenvoys of all Asian countries. Thusso to gain deeper understanding of the issues in the Pakistani context, this research is conducted as a qualitative study to explore the perception of internet banking in Pakistani community. The Usinge of this approach provides richer and forensic detailsparticulars for exploring viewpoints in the early stage of research. Hence the aimintend is not to make any simplification, but instead establishset up a closer contact with the objectives of priorpreceding research, which intendhave it in mind to provide us a deeper understanding of the participants attitudes and perceptions. Finally my intentionobjective with this research is to describe, and explore, and find complete and detailed information about the issues of Internet banking adoption in Pakistan, so quantitative qualitative approach is the most suitable method for my research. Research Strategy Research strategy is a generalbroad plan which shows that in which wayhow this research will go on, and how researcher person will answers the questions that has been set by the person conducting the researcher. It will containhave clear objectives, derived from research question that specify the source from which researcher person intendbe going to to collect data and consider the constraintsconstraintlimitations that research peopleers will inevitably have such as access to data like , time, location and money, ethical issues (saunders, 2000). Qualitative research can be conductedconductcarried out using severalquite a few strategies including: case study, experiments, surveys, histories, and analysis of archival information (Yin, 1994). Following are the short descriptionexplanation of above five research strategies: Case Study Case study refers to the collection and presentation of detailedthorough information about a particularspecific participant or small group of participants. A case study is a written descriptionexplanation of a problem or situation and typicallynormally examines the interplay of all variables in order tofor providinge ass complete an understanding of an event or situation as possible. Case study is preferredideal when the researcher has littleslight control over the events, and when there is a contemporaryup to date focus within a real life context. The purposerationale of a case study is to place participants in the role of decision- makers, asking them to distinguishdifferentiate relevant from unimportant facts, to identify central alternatives among severalnumerous issues competing for attention, and to formulateprepare strategies and policy recommendations (Yin, 1994). Experiments The experimental method involves manipulating one variable to determinedecide if changes in one variable causeground changes in another variable. This method reliesdepends on controlled methods, random assignment, and the manipulation of variables to test a hypothesis. This strategy is used when the researcher person need to comparecontrast two variables and examine their cause and effect relationships (Malhorta, 1996). Survey Its a research technique in which information is collectinged by interviews with a largehuge number of respondents using a pre-designed questionnaire (Zikmund, 1994). This research technique has three important characteristics: Purpose: The purpose of survey research is to generate quantitative descriptions of some characteristics of the population in study. Survey analysis may be mainly related either with associations between variables or with projecting results descriptively to a pre-defined population (Yin, 1994). Basically Survey research is a quantitative approach, calling for standardized information about and/or from the subjects being studied. The subjects under study might be individuals, groups, organizations or communities; they also might be projects, applications, or systems. Procedure: The most important way of collecting information is by raising people structured and predefined questions. Answers of questions given by people, which might refer to themselves or some other unit of analysis, comprises the data to be analyzed (Yin, 1994). Analyses: Information is usually collected about only a portion of the population under study, but information is collected in such a way as to be able to take a broad view the whole population. Usually, the sample is huge enough to allow broad statistical analyses. History This method is deals with the past, and is in used when none of the relevantconcerning persons are alive to interview or report (Yin, 1994). This method is specificallyspecially used to describe the content, structure and function of the data which collected for the research. Analysis of Archival Information The purpose of this techniquemethod is to describeexplain the incidence or prevalencepervasiveness of a phenomenon (Zikmund, 1994). The use of the archival information is difficult when this topic is coming research area. The following table displaysdisplaydemonstrates the conditions that need to be addressed when determiningshaping on a strategy. Most importantsignificantconsiderable condition for selecting research strategy is to identifycategorize the type of research question being asked. Based on the research question what that I set for this research, I have chosen to follow case study and survey research strategy, because this research is not dependentreliant on a single critical, extreme, uniqueexclusive or revelatory case. Sample Selection Sampling is a survey- based research where researcher persons needs to analyze the sample about a population toin order to answer the research questions or meetmeetsfulfill meet the research objectives (Saunders, 2000). Once the problem has been carefullyvigilantly defined, the researcher person needs to establishset up the sample that will outlinesketch out the investigation to be carried out. It is necessary for researcher person to clearly define the target population from whom the specific sample will be taken. Sampling is importantsignificant if budget cost and time constraints preventstops research from surveying the entire population. Sample gives higher level of accuracy and fast accurate result. Occasionally, the whole population will be adequatelysufficiently small, and the research person can take account of the entire population in the study. This kind of research is named a census study since data is collected on each member of the population . Generally, the population is quite large for the research person to attempt to survey the entire of its members. A small, but vigilantly chosen sample can be used to symbolize the population. The sample represents all of the characteristics of the population from which it is taken out. Sampling technique can be classified into two types (Saunders, 2000): Probability Sampling Non-Probability Sampling Probability sampling While using In probability sampling, the sample is selectedion is done in such a way that each every unit of the population has a known probability of getting selected.within the population has a known chance of being selected. It is this conceptperception of known chance that allows permits for the statistical projection of characteristics features based on the sample tof the population (Saunders, 2000). The benefit of probability sampling is that sampling error can be intended. Sampling error is the amount to which a sample might be different from the population Probability method includes. Random sampling Systematic sampling Stratified sampling Non-Probability Sampling While using In non- probability sampling, the selection of the sample is selected done in such a way that the chancepossibility of being selected offor each unit withinin the population is unknown. In deedfact, the selectionprocess of choosing of the subjects is random or subjective, since the researcher person relies on his/her experience, gut feeling and judgment. As a resultConsequently, there are no statistical techniquestechniqueprocedures that allowpermit for the measurement of sampling error, and the amount to which the sample variesdiffers from the population remains unknown and therefore it is not appropriatesuitable to project the sample characteristicsdistinctiveness to the population (Saunders, 2000). Non-probability includes: Convenience sampling Judgment sampling Quota sampling Snowball sampling Convenience sampling Convenience sampling is used in investigative research where the research person is concerned in getting a low-priced approximation of the reality. As the name shows, the sample is chosen because they are convenient. This non-probability technique is time and again used during preliminary research times to get a gross approximation of the results, without increasing the cost or time required to choose a random sample (Saunders, 2000). Judgment sampling Judgment sampling is a common non-probability technique. The research people choose the sample depending on judgmental approach. This is generally an addition of convenience sampling. For example, a research person may make a decision to draw the complete sample from one representative city, albeit the population comprises all cities. When using this method, the research person must be in no doubt that the selected sample is accurately representative of the whole population (Saunders, 2000). Quota sampling Quota sampling is the non-probability the same of stratified sampling. Like stratified sampling, the research people first recognizes the stratums and their magnitude as they are symbolized in the population. Then convenience or judgment sampling is used to choose the necessary quantity of subjects from every stratum. This diverges from stratified sampling, where all of the stratums are filled by random sampling (Saunders, 2000). Snowball sampling Snowball sampling is a special non-probability technique used when the preferred sample attribute is exceptional. It may be extremely difficult or unaffordable to find respondents in these situations. Snowball sampling depends on referrals from starting subjects to produce additional subjects. Whereas this technique can noticeably reduce the research costs, it comes at the cost of bringing in bias because this method by itself decreases the likelihood that the sample will symbolize a good cross-section from the population (Saunders, 2000). Sampling in qualitative research involves two actions; (Miles and Huberman 1994): Setting of boundaries: To define aspects of cases that we can study and connecting it directly to the research question. Creation of frame: to help us uncover, confirm, or qualify the basic process or constructs that strengthen our study Non-probability (convenience) sampling has been chosen for this research because we have targeted the Pakistani community which is dealing with the banks. Sampling procedure Sampling The process of sampling involves using large number of items or parts of subsets of population to make conclusion regarding the whole population. The purpose of sampling is to estimate some unknown characteristics of population. Population Population is any complete set of group of object. Like people, stores, students, industries etc. Sampling frame A sampling frame is the listing of the elements from which the actual sample will draw. Keeping the research in view we will draw the sampling frame as under. Population is the people of Pakistan having bank accounts, we narrow down our study only to Punjab province Sampling frame will be the major cities of Punjab like Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, and Sahiwal. Keeping in view the time and cost available for the research we have narrowed down the research only to four major cities of Punjab. Data Collection Methods As data collection method is highly influenced by the methodology, which is chosen (Saunders and Thornhill, 2000), questionnaire are used to collect the empirical data for this research in order to identify the issues that affect the adoption of Internet banking services in Pakistan. As this researchs main concern is examining the issues that have influence on the adoption process of Internet banking in Pakistan, the questionnaire are designed based on the requirements for adopting such a service Questionnaire The questionnaire consists of three pages and twenty questions (Appendix A). It has different type of questions including open end question, close ended questions and multiple questions. It was designed to capture all the segments of community which uses the banking services. Validity and Reliability In order to reduce the possibility of getting incorrect answers, attention needs to be paid to validity and reliability (Saunders et al., 2003). Validity Validity is concerned with whether the findings are really about what they appear to be about (Saunders et al., 2003). Validity defined as the degree to which data compilation method or methods correctly measure what they were anticipated to measure (Saunders et al., 2003). Yin (1994) stateys in these words, no singlesolo source has a completeabsolute advantage over all of the all others (P.85). The different sourcessources of different types are highly complementary, and as many sources as possible should be used for a good case study should use as many sources as possible. The usage of various sources of evidence can increases the validity of scientific studyThe validity of a scientific study increases by using various sources of evidence (Yin, 1994). The following steps were taken to ensure the validity of this research: The needed data was collected in the format of a structured questionnaire that had been designed based on the literature related to adoption of innovation. The questionnaires were pre-tested. A pilot test was conducted with the questionnaire. Reliability According to Saunders et al. (2003), reliability refers to the extent to which data collection method or methods will produce consistent results, analogous observations would be made or results reached by other research persons or there is clearness in how sense was made from the unprocessed data. Reliability can be assed by the following three questions: Will the measure yield the same results on other occasions? Will other observers reach similar observation? Is there precision in the method how sense was made from the unprocessed data? The role of reliability is to minimize the errors and biases in a study (Yin (1994). This means that reliability is to demonstrate that the operations of the study, such as the data collection procedures, can be repeated with the same result. Saunders et al. (2003) asserts that there may be four threats to reliability. The first of these is subject of participant error, which means that a questionnaire may generate a different result at different times of the week. The second threat to reliability is subject or participant bias, which is when interviewees may have been saying what they thought their bosses, wanted them to say. Third, there may have been observer error that different interviewer may approach the questions in different ways. Finally, there may have been observer bias, which means that there may have been different approaches to interpreting the replies. The work with this thesis started with a considerable literature study. The literature I came across (mainly articles) was from several authors and often had Internet banking and adoption of e-banking topics, which meant that I covered the area of Internet banking surroundings. This would suggest that bias, form reading only one author and reading only about one topic, be held at a minimum level. Widersheim-Paul and Eriksson (1997) describe some other erroneous belief that is to be avoided in order to attain high reliability. One of these is measuring error, which in turn consists of respondent errors, gauging errors and errors that are effect of interplay between the interviewer and the respondent. As I used a questionnaire, this latter error was avoided in advance. The respondent errors are such errors that are due to the fact that respondents sometimes are unable or unwilling to provide truthful answers. In order to minimize effects of this kind of errors, I found it necessary to be careful about the language and the wording. Furthermore, the use of wording in the questionnaire was of major concern to avoid ambiguous or emotional charged formulations. The chosen wording and language was simple, direct and as far as possible without technical terms. The gauging errors arise when a questionnaire entails erroneously formulated question, wrong order of question etceteras (Widersheim-Paul and Eriksson, 1997). The order of the questions was also subject to analysis and it was found to be suitable to have a disposition where the initial questioning concerned facts that the respondents easily could give an answer to. Numbers of different steps were taken to ensure the reliability of the study: Case studies were used during the data collection. The same type of questions were asked from companys respondent in order to increase the reliability Since the generalization is not the purpose of the study, multiple cases have been used to increase the degree to which the findings can be the same. It might be possible to get the same result on the findings to a larger number of similar cases. The theories that have been selected for the study were clearly described and research questions have been formulated based on the previous theory. Data has been collected based on the research model that was drawn from the discussed theories. The objective is to make sure that if another investigator will follow the same procedures and used the same case study objects, the same conclusions would be made. Study A pilot test of the questionnaire was carried out. All the test respondents filled in the questionnaire and their opinions how they felt about filling in the questionnaire. The test was followed by many revisions, before it was sent to respondents. After refining some questions and items within the questions, the second pilot study was run and asked respondents to check for the wording, coverage, relevancy of the items listed within the questions. Finally, at this stage little modifications were needed and finally, the well-improved questionnaire was developed. By using these tools (reliability, validity and pilot study) I can further analyze the data that the respondents provided me in a more accurate way. Data Analysis Data analysis can be defined as consistingconsistent of three concurrent flowsflowstreams of activity: data reduction, data display and conclusion drawing/verification (p.10) by Miles Huberman (1994). Data reduction should not be considered thought to be separate from analysis, but a part portion of it. Data reduction stage of the analysis helps the researcher to make the data sorted, sharpen, sorted, focused, organized and discarded, and organized in order to be able to draw and verify conclusion (ibid.). The data reduction stage of the analysis helps the researcher to make the data sharp, sorted, focused, discarded, and organized in order to be able to draw and verify conclusions. The data display is a way to organize and compress the reduced data so that it will make it easier to draw conclusions. This phase is useful when the researcher studies more than one case, a so-called multiple case. In the conclusion drawing and verification the researcher notes regularities, patterns, explanations, possible configurations, casual flows and propositions. Data analysis involves examining, categorizing, tabulating or otherwise recombining the collected data (Yin, 1994). Every investigation should have a general analytical strategy in order to determine what to analyze and why. Two general strategies are suggested. The researcher can either follow the theoretical propositions that led to the case study or develop a descriptive framework to organize the case study. Within these strategies, there are four different techniques for analyzing the collected data. The first is pattern matching, which means to compare an empirical based pattern with a predictable one. The second technique is explanation building, which refers to a kind of pattern matching where the goal is to analyze the case study data by building an explanation about the case. The third is time-series analysis that refers to repeated measures of the dependent variable/variables in order to look at changes over time. The last technique is to use program logic models, which is a combination of pattern-matching and time-series analysis where the analysis specifies a complex chain of patterns over time. Data analysis of this thesis is based on the three steps defined by Miles Huberman (1994) i.e., data reduction, data display and conclusion. After completing the data collection I have organized the data for every case study based on the issues that has been selected from research model according to the research question and literature review. Within-case analysis I compared the findings of each case based on my research question and issues that selected from research model. Furthermore, I conducted a cross-case analysis to compare the different case study in order to find the resemblance and variation between the cases.

The Philosophy of Religion

The Philosophy of Religion INTRODUCTION Philosophy refers to the study of the meaning of existence, thought, and knowledge (Blackburn, 1996). One prevailing view amongst philosophers is that philosophy is essentially a method of enquiry, a means of understanding the world, and human nature. Within this domain emerged a philosophy of science, a view that the world can be understood through quantification and experimentation, characterised by rigour, control, objectivity, and replication (Krige Dominique, 2003). It has evolved over time, shifting away from an emphasis on theory falsification (scientific realism) towards a requirement for explanation and prediction. Fundamental to science is positivist philosophy, the idea that only phenomena which can be measured and quantified are worthy of scientific inquiry (LeGouis, 1997). Thus, phenomena such a God, spirits, and the ‘afterlife’ aren’t worth studying. Religion refers to a set of commonly held beliefs and customs, concerned with supernatural phenomena , notably the existence of a divinity, god, or higher ‘power’ or ‘entity’ (Lindbeck, 1984; Jones, 2005). It represents a particular world view characterised by faith, spirituality, holiness, doctrine, and reverence, and often shapes a persons entire life, reasoning, and culture. Thus, it generally follows from this that science, and its associated philosophies, are generally incompatible with religion. But what are the precise sources of this tension? SOURCES OF TENSION Origin of Life Where did life come from? Evolutionary theorists, notably Charles Darwin, argued that species evolve over millennia through a process of ‘natural selection’, whereby only the fittest are able to secure mates, reproduce, and hence ensure the survival of their particular genetic footprint: the weak, by contrast are unable to compete, and ultimately become extinct, in a kind of evolutionary ‘dead-end’ (Darwin, 1852, 1869, 1872). Scientists take the view that life may have emerged ‘spontaneously’, through purely accidental but favourable biological conditions, whereby basic molecules notably amino acids combined to form more complex elements, like carbon dioxide, water, and ammonia (Martin Russell, 2002; Hazen, 2005). These biochemical events were triggered accidentally, for example by random cosmic events (e.g. meteorite/comet activity, hot-springs), as the earth formed (Russell, et al, 1988; Fernando Rowe, 2007). Religion offers a completely dif ferent account. God or some other deity, created life (Dawkins, 2006)! For example, in Christianity the earth was created by God, in six days. Scientists completely reject this view however (Dawkins, 2006). In science, notably astronomy and nuclear physics, the earth and universe are the result of a ‘big bang’, whereby all the matter we observe around us today emerged suddenly in a rapidly expanding fiery explosion of matter emanating from a single point (Peacock, 1999). Before the big bang, there was nothing, no time or matter. Although science fails to account for events preceding the ‘big bang’, the notion that it may be ‘created’ by a supernatural entity is regarded with scepticism. Faith A major feature of religious beliefs is faith (Harris, 2006). To have faith is to have trust in an appropriate divinity, notably God, and also to believe in this divinity or deity without question or reason. So, for example, in Judaism there is considerable emphasis on the notion of Emunah (faith), Christians view faith as an essential aspect of worship, while Muslims have faith – known as Iman – in the prophet Mohammed and his teachings. Faith is also an important element in Buddhism, where it is known as Saddha, meaning to have a conviction in or be determined about something. The requirement that one believes in God without asking any questions, or requesting a reason or justification is utter essential in most religions. It means that even when there is evidence to the contrary, such as an apparent failure of God to answer a prayer, the belief and trust in the divinity must be unshaken. In science by contrast, faith is a highly undesirable and hence discouraged conc ept (Godfrey-Smith, 2003). It is virtually non existent amongst scientists. In medical science for example, rather than having faith the effectiveness of a new treatment procedure, there is a universal requirement for evidence-based practice (Tonelli, 2001). Faith is also anathema amongst philosophers who believe in rational thought, the notion that any position or argument must be justified, that is, backed up by reason or evidence (Bonjour, 1998). The truth, rather than been accepted unquestioningly according to religious teachings, is entirely based on the soundness of reasoning or evidence that accompanies it (Kenny, 1986). Doctrine Religion is governed by doctrine, a set of shared beliefs, faiths, teachings, guidelines, and practices, that people adhere to unquestioningly, and which dictate how they live their lives. Thus, for example, religious dogma promoted by the Christian church, such as Christian Trinity (God is one entity simultaneously incorporating the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit) (McGrath, 1987), and virgin birth (the birth of a child by a woman who is a virgin, as in the case of Mary, mother of Jesus) (Spong, 1994) are examples of religious doctrine. By contrast, science and philosophy aren’t governed by any particular doctrine, other than ethical principles which govern research and practice (Godfrey-Smith, 2003). Admittedly ‘teachings’, or ‘movement’s do exist in science and philosophy, in the form of ‘schools of thought’ promoting one particular way of understanding phenomena. Good examples in philosophy are rationalism, empiricism, realism an d psychoanalysis. In science, there is for example theory or relativity in physics, or the biopsychosocial model perspective in health, medical, and behavioural science (Borrell-Carrio et al, 2004). However, philosophers and scientists aren’t required to adhere to any particular set of principles. In general, scientific movements gain greater acceptability as the body of supporting empirical evidence expands (Krige Dominique, 2003). However, scientists are free to pick and choose what school of thought they belong to, without violating their scientific of ethical principles. Quantification Positivist philosophy, a movement developed by the great philosopher Auguste Comte (Pickering, 1993), and on which much of modern scientific experimentation is based, promotes the notion that any phenomena which cannot be observed, measured, and quantified, isn’t worthy of scientific study (LeGouis, 1997). This ‘scientific ideology’, which implies that all true knowledge is scientific and quantifiable, is incompatible with religion, in which true knowledge is divine in nature, and based on holy scriptures (Boyer, 2001). Truth in religion is arguably unquantifiable – one cannot measure the existence of God, the effectiveness of prayer, the strength of ones faith, or the presence of the Holy Spirit, for example. Scientists generally avoid investigating religion and religious concepts, much in the same way as they side-step researching issues like UFO citings, and abductions: scientific journals with prioritise research papers on religion are few and far betwe en (Potter, 2005), reflecting the positivist attitude that anything which can’t be measured doesn’t represent the truth. Consider the practice of medical science in the UK. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is a body set up in England and Wales, in 1999, to determine what medical treatments are considered worthwhile. Decisions are based primarily on empirical (scientific) evidence, and economic cost-effectiveness analyses (Rawlings Culyer, 2004). Alternative therapies with religious underpinnings rarely receive approval, largely due to the lack of empirical verification (Franck et al, 2007). Objectivity In science there is an emphasis on objectivity, an ability to remain unbiased. This relates directly to the scientific requirement for verifiability and replicability. By suppressing personal feelings, biases, preferences, and prejudices, and adhering strictly to standard protocol, the work of one scientist can be evaluated and reproduced by another scientist, completely independently (Godfrey-Smith, 2003). Objectivity also has philosophical underpinnings, dating back to the nineteenth century with renowned philosophers like Plato, Gottlob Frege, and Immanuel Kant (Rorty, 1991). The basic philosophy is that the truth, knowledge, and reality must exist independent of the mind. Plato for example made a specific distinction between objective knowledge and personal opinion, the latter denoting an unacceptable subjectivity that does not offer an accurate description of reality (Taylor, 2001). In religion, the emphasis is on getting physically, emotionally, and spiritually proximal to ones divinity, rather than maintaining an intellectual distance (Boyer, 2001). Indeed, people are encouraged to wholly immerse themselves in their religions, such that it dictates their entire lifestyle (Boyer, 2001). Thus, the distinction between religion and culture often becomes blurred, such that a religion (e.g. Judaism) becomes highly intertwined with culture (e.g. being an Israeli) (Norris Inglehart, 2007). Religion is generally ingrained in a person’s personal belief system. Thus, whereas a scientist tries to separate his personal views from scientific knowledge, in religion, personal opinions and religious teachings merge. Authority Whereas in most religions authority is solely and ultimately in the hands of a transcendent and supernatural deity, God, or divinity, in science, scientists themselves are their own authority. They are answerable to no-one (other than the particular ethical standards of the professional bodies to which they belong), and may publish their findings at will, helping to expand, and shape, knowledge, reasoning, and general philosophy in their particular field. For this reason, scientists (especially medical doctors) are often accused of ‘playing God’ by religious activists or sympathisers (Hayles, 1999; Stock, 2002), especially with regards to issues like abortion, cloning, and morality. This is known as the transhumanism and hubris argument (Fukuyama, 2004). Philosophers are also their own authority. They take credit and criticism for and whatever philosophy they advocate. Thus, the likes of Plato, Kant, and other greater philosophers are their own authority. In religion by contrast, God or some other deity is the one sole authority, and all worshipers are ultimately answerable to this divinity (Lindbeck, 1984). Religious leaders, such as Imams, Priests, Vicars, and Buddha’s, are merely ‘messengers’ whose primary role is to spread religious teachings: they are ultimately answerable to God, any divine authority they have is extremely limited. So, for example, it can be argued that a Pentecostal priest who purports to execute miracles on particular members of his congregation is in fact merely acting on behalf of God, serving as a ‘channel’ through which God performs his miracles. JUSTIFICATION Are the tensions between religion, science, and philosophy justified? Several arguments are presented below which suggest that the answer to this question is an unequivocal ‘no’. Firstly, the idea promoted by positivist philosophy, and hence modern day science, that religion and religious subjects can’t be studied scientifically is incorrect. Although religious concepts (e.g. God, faith, sin, worship) are generally unobservable, and hence difficult to quantify, scientists do study religion, using scientific methods (e.g. Smith et al, 2003; Myers, 2007). Furthermore, religion offers quantifiable and testable predictions that make it amenable to scientific research. For example, the notion that God exists and/or answers ones prayers can easily be measured and evaluated scientifically (Dawkins, 2006). Secondly, the supposed tension between religion and science appears odd given that science actually emerged from amongst Christians, who were seeking new ways of seekin g out the ‘truth’ about the world, and humanity (Jaki, 1996). Thus, the very scientists and philosophers who embraced notions such as quantification, objectivity, and experimentation were themselves God worshipers, imbued with faith, and adhering strictly to religious doctrine (Godfrey-Smith, 2003). Thus, despite their devotion to scriptures as their main source of truth about reality, many religions allow for the application of scientific theories to everyday problems (Migliore, 2004). So, for example, there is no apparent contradiction if a clergy advices a sick member of his congregation to seek medical treatment, in addition to relying on their faith and asking for divine intervention. Thirdly, science, philosophy, and religion, do actually converge in certain areas, notably metaphysics and cosmology. Metaphysics refers to a philosophical movement concerned with understanding the meaning of reality, existence, and the world (Lowe, 2002; Loux, 2006). It addresses issues beyond the physical world, including questions such as ‘what is reality’, ‘why are we here?’, ‘does God exist’, and ‘Is there a soul?’ Metaphysicists have historically considered these legitimate scientific questions, especially prior to the eighteenth century before the development of modern scientific concepts such as empiricism, and quantification (Lowe, 2002). Yet, it is these very questions that religion and religious teachings are often concerned with. One of the best known fields of metaphysics is theology, the study of God (Migliore, 2004)! The word ‘theology’ means the ‘study of divine things’. In Europe, the Chris tian church, notably the Protestant Church and Roman Catholic Church trains their ministers in Christian theology, for example in Seminaries, or even universities (Woods, 2005). Thus, this begs the question that if religion and science are so incompatible, why would religions, for example Christianity, support academic study and scientific inquiry amongst its clergy? All in all it can be argued that there is no qualitative distinction between religion, and the philosophy of metaphysics (Hazen, 2005). Granted, the answers provided by each perspective may differ wildly. Indeed, certain questions (e.g. ‘does God exist?’) may be inappropriate in many religions. Nevertheless, the overlap between religion, theology, and metaphysics seems obvious (Hazen, 2005). Cosmology refers to the scientific (mathematical) study of the universe, and the role of humanity in it (Hawley Katerine, 1998). Thus, by definition, cosmology and religion are concerned with the same subject matter. C osmology appears to occupy a position between religion and modern science, posing arguments about the relationship between God, humanity, and the physical universe. A sub-branch of cosmology, known as religious cosmology specifically aims at explaining and understanding the universe based, in part, on religious teachings (Hetherington, 1993). Many religious cosmologists accept that God created the universe, but yet recognize the findings of modern science, notably Astrophysics, that the universe was created in the ‘Big Bang’ for example. These two positions aren’t necessarily incompatible; God may be considered to have created the Big Bang! CONCLUSION This essay considers the tension between religion, science, and philosophy, and whether this conflict is justified. Substantial differences exist between religion and science/philosophy: for example, religious notions like faith, God, and unquestioning adherence, are generally incompatible with classic scientific tenets. Similarly, traditional scientific requirements like quantification, and philosophical concepts such as rationality and empiricism, don’t ‘fit’ well with religious practice. 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