Scott Electronics plcs Essay Example for Free

Scott Electronics plcs Essay To what extent do you think that Scott Electronics plc’s current human resources strategy is effective? (18) Human resource strategy is how a business sees its employees from different business point of view and they are seen as resources to complete the business objectives. Firstly the human resource strategy for Scott electronics is very effective because the firm’s labour productivity is very high with 105 compared to the industry average which is 100. This is very effective as it shows the level of recruitment and the staff the business is recruiting is doing very well which has a positive effect in the recruitment section therefore this will make the company recruit more staff which will increase the productivity of the business. Also the bonuses which is 40% and its 20% higher than the industry average, this shows that the bonuses are keeping the firms employees motivated and it drives them to work harder which mean there will be a increase in productivity and if productivity increases it will have a positive effect on the sales revenue as the company will sell more items which will increase the sales revue and profit. Also another reason why the human resource strategy for Scott electronics is very effective because it has a very unique centralised organisational structure. A centralised structure is where the entire decision making is done from the top of the hierarchy. This is an effective strategy because the entire decision making can be done from the main person who is in charge and it can be done very quickly without going through any difficulties. This is very effective because staff can work through the business objective rather than stressing on the extra responsibility they have on their shoulders which will make them stress free and become more productive. Also they can be told what to do and the managers will have control over their workforce so that employees are less likely to make mistakes or make wrong decisions which will make a negative impact the on the businesses performance. However the human resource strategy for Scott electronics is not that effective because high numbers of employees are on temporary contract which is 75% compared to the industry average which is 25%. This is bad for the business because it will make employees feel that the job security is not there and they are not guaranteed the job which the business can tell the employees that they are not in need and the employees will go away, therefore this might result in the employees not very motivated to do well and they might not think as if they are involved with the business. Also employees on temporary contract are more likely to leave the business as the labour turnover rate is at 10% which is higher than the industry average which is 6%. This is human resource strategy is ineffective because it lead to employees leaving the business every year and the business is losing experienced and valuable staff. Also another reason the human resource strategy for Scott electronics is not that effective because the training budget is below the industry average as Scott electronics training cost is ? 500 compared to the industries average which is ? 1000. This shows that the staff are not that well trained and most of the staff don’t know what they are doing sometimes or they might not know how the company operates as high level of training was not provided. This lead to the amount of defect products increased as the staffs were not well trained and they kept making mistakes therefore the numbers of defects products increased. This is one of my strongest reasons because staffs need to be well trained before they can start the job as they will know what they are doing and how they are going to carry out each task according the company structures of dealing with things. Therefore the staff need to be well trained and the business needs to increase its amount on training the staff which will allow the business to have staff that know what they are doing and make less mistakes as this will cause the staff to make less defect products. In conclusion I think that the human resources strategy is very effect to the business because average span of control for Scott’s electronic is 5 and industry average is 8. This has a greater advantage to the specific business because it will allow the business mangers to control their staff and monitor the progress which the manager can set targets and the targets can be analysed to see if they have reached the targets this will increase the productivity of the business as targets are reached and mangers have better control over their staff and the business. However I think that the current human resource strategy is not that effective to the business because the firm’s defected products are 10% and the industry average is 5% which is doubled the amount. Therefore you can tell that the strategy is not that effective as the staffs are making a lot of mistakes which will cost the business as the raw materials cost money to buy. Also this indicates that strategy is failing as staff are not well trained or may not experienced enough to work in the field which the bale goes the firms recruitment policy as the firm could have employed experienced staff which could have reduced the level of defected products.

The prophet muhammad and the environment

The prophet muhammad and the environment As inhabitants of this world, human beings are constantly interacting with our environment and the outcome is that the environment is changing. Now it seems beyond neither the human control nor even the measurement of modern technologies. The environmental protection agencies, enormous institutions, organizations and ecologists all over the world are making their maximum attempt to preserve the environment; but unfortunately the environment degenerates day by day to a horrible state. The whole world is under the threat of Global Warming and Ozone Depletion. What Causes Global Warming And Ozone Depletion? Scientists have determined that a number of human activities are contributing to global warming by adding excessive amount of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide accumulate in the atmosphere and trap heats which may gradually exit in to outer space. Scientists tell that Deforestation is the very significant source of greenhouse gases because when the trees are fewer in number, there is less carbon dioxide conversion to the oxygen. Human use of fossil fuels is also the source of excess greenhouse gases. When the greenhouse gases grow, more heat will be trapped in the atmosphere and get less back to the space. Because of these, the climate changes and the weather structure alters which definitely hastens species extinction and adversely affects the length of seasons worldwide. It will cause the coastal flooding and lead to more frequent and severe storms too. According to the current statistics, since 1970 more than 30 per cent of natural species have been destroyed. Consumption of natural resources and carbon dioxide emissions have both doubled over the last 40 years and continue to grow at an increased rate. Most of the countries have projected to lose more than 10 per cent of their forests over the next few years. Toxic chemicals which are mostly the emissions from the industrial sectors are widespread in the environment and about 10 per cent disease is caused by environmental pollution. The natural calamities like flood, earthquake, tsunami, and storm have increased unparalleled in history. Most of the world regions are counted to be the earthquake or other calamities prone areas. Epidemic diseases like AIDS, SARS, Bird flue dominate one by the other over the public health. Even though the hospitals, medical institutions and medical colleges numerically increase they all become mute spectator to the steady deterioration of public heal th. The death caused by this kind of disastrous epidemic diseases increase in a horrible situation. A build-up of man-made chemicals in the atmosphere causes ozone depletion. The main chemical is CFCs (Chlorofluro carbon) that are used in refrigerants and aerosol spray propellants. CFCs are easy to store, chemically stable and non- flammable; hence they float in the atmosphere. They rise for about 8 years until they reach the ozone layer and they will be broken at there by large amount of ultraviolet radiation. CFCs contain one Fluorine atom, one Carbon and three Chlorine atoms. When ultraviolet radiation and CFCs work chemically the Chlorine atom is free and it can continue to destroy 100,000 of ozone molecules. If the atmosphere is cold the effect will be too worse. Scientists could find out that it has been very cold in the stratosphere in the last few years. Modern aircrafts transportation and supersonic airplanes also contribute to ozone depletion by putting some toxic chemicals in to the atmosphere. Another man-made chemical, which also causes ozone depletion, is methyl bromi de. It has been used in many different pesticide applications since 1932. It is regarded to be 50 times more destructive to the ozone layer than CFCs. Many A Mischief Done By Men: The Holy Quran undoubtedly points out:- â€Å"Mischief has appeared on land and sea because of that the hands of men earned† (30: 41) Here the Holy Quran warns men that if they trespass on and overexploit land and water the overall outcome would be too unfavourable. Imam Fakru Rrazi narrates this quranic verse as:- â€Å"The epidemic infections, draughts, flood etc are meant by the usage of Holy Quran ‘Fasad i.e. mischief has appeared on land and sea† (Thafseerul Kubra) So the increasing natural calamities must be the requital and outcome of mens activities of misusing the natural resources. The creation of Almighty GOD Allah is perfect. Allah says: â€Å"You can see no fault in the creations of the most beneficent. Then look again. Can you see any rifts† (67: 3) So the Holy Quran asserts that whatever the change the nature turns to is not its own, but the results of mens activities. Prophetic Jurisprudence Of Environmental Protection: The Almighty GOD Allah has created every thing in this universe in due proportion. No one can find out any faults in Allahs creation. All the creatures from the tiny microbes to large living animals and all the materials from tiny particles of molecules to the largest galaxies are in due measure both quantitatively and qualitatively. The whole universe is open to men to use for his benefits but not to misuse or trespass natural rules. This Islamic basic concept toward the environment is revealed by this Quranic verse:- â€Å"Have you not seen that God is glorified by all in the heavens and on the earth such as the birds with wings outspread? Each knows its worship and glorification, and God is aware of what they do†. (An-Noor 24: 41) The Holy Quran says: â€Å"There is not an animal in the earth, or a flying creature flying on two wings, but they are communities like you; We have neglected nothing in the book; Then unto their Lord they will be gathered† (Al- An-aam- 6: 38) This Quranic verse describes that Allah did not miss any thing that is important for a meaningful existence. All the living organisms in the environment, they are also communities like human beings having the right of life in this earth. So, the basic and first concept of Prophetic Teaching towards environment is that all the living and non-living things in the earth are created by GOD in due proportion and divine object. All other living beings are as communities as human beings, so they also have the right to live in this environment. Secondly, Islam gives men the right to use the natural recourses for his use. The Holy Quran says: He Who has spread out the earth for you and threaded roads for you therein and has sent down water from the sky: With it have We brought forth diverse kinds of vegetation. Eat and pasture your cattle; verily, in this are signs for men endued with understanding. (Surathu Twaha- 20: 53) According to this verse the environment including of all its living and non living creatues are created by God for mens benefits only. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has taught that earth is subservient to man, but it should not be misused, overexploited or abused. This is the third concept of Prophetic teachings towards environment. This concept basically forms environmental protection or solution to the environmental problems. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) says: â€Å"The earth has been created for me as a mosque and a means of purification† (Swaheehul Bukhari- 1: 331) Land and water that are created by God in due proportion for the benefits of men must be regarded to be sacred. Prophet Muhammad (s) emphasizes that earth is not only a pure entity but purifying agent also. By informing men that the earth is sacred land, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) teaches men to keep the land always clean and tidy. Environmental Cleaning: One of the reasons for global warming is that the environment is being treated as dump for waste disposal. And as a result pollution is increased everywhere. Land, water and air have been polluted with toxic or non toxic hazardous waste from the towns, buildings, factories and houses. The land, air, rivers and seas provide dumping grounds for the waste, which can be environmentally too harmful. The environment is able to absorb some types waste up to certain levels of emissions. Beyond that level environmental pollution is likely to accelerate. As wastes grow, so environmental degradation is also most likely to grow at a faster rate. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH0 had put forward a preventive measure for the environmental protection, that is complete cleanliness of nature. Allah says in Holy Quran: â€Å"Verily, Allah loves those who turn to him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean.† ( 2: 222). Islam makes purification a responsibility of men. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH0 has taught: â€Å"Purification is half part of Islamic belief† (Swaheehu Muslim: H.No: 432) Prophet Muhammad(s) mentioned purification in general, which includes the purification of body internally and externally and his environment also. All kinds of purification are the responsibilities of true believers. According to this Hadeeth, Islamic belief (Eeman) of a person can not be regarded to be perfect without due cleanliness in his body and surroundings too. Purifying human bodies by ablution or ritual bathing benefit him to prevent many infections that are caused by virus or bacteria. Purifying the nature prevents environmental pollution. Responsibility Of Environment: Who has the responsibility of the environment? Is the God responsible for it? Or the environment itself is responsible? Or those who have the right to use all natural resources for their use are responsible? Definitely, according to Islamic concept, those who are living and use the nature are responsible for nature. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has taught: â€Å"Every one of you is guardian and will be asked about his subject† (Swaheehu Muslim) Prophet Muhammad (s) was very strict that men should handle every thing on this earth with extra care. If man is much aware of his responsibility of environment, he cannot disfigure and spoil the resources available in the nature. The Prophet was becoming increasingly sensitive when he was traveling with his Swahaba and he was telling â€Å"Do not encroach on the trucks on the habitats of these wild beasts and animals, you are to share the earth with them† Overexploiting Natural Resources: Another reason for the global warming and all other environmental problems is that men overexploit the natural resources. Allah the Almighty has taught in Holy Quran obviously that the earth and resources are for the benefits of men, but it should not be overexploited. The land provides us food, mines, quarries and oil wells provide us with fuels and raw materials, forests provide us wood, and seas provide us with fish. Allah has given the right to extract raw materials for production process and to cultivate crops, vegetables and fruits for mens use, but the same time He has prevented men to use these resources by extravagance. This Islamic rule also forms as a preventive measure for the environmental problems. The Almighty Allah says: And it is He Who produces gardens trellised and untrellised, and datepalms, and crops of different shape and taste (its fruits and its seeds) and olives, and pomegranates, similar (in kind) and different (in taste). Eat of their fruit when they ripen, but pay the due thereof on the day of its harvest, and waste not by extravagance. Verily, He likes not Al-Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)†. (Al-Anaam -6:41) Allah says in another verse in the similar meaning: O Children of Adam! Take your adornment while praying and going round the Kabah, and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) does not like Al-Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance).† (Al-Araf- 7:31) These Quranic verses clearly encourages men to use several fruits, crops and other natural resources and prohibits men to waste there of. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has told that Allah hates extravagance. â€Å"Narrated Ash-shabi: Al mugheera wrote; â€Å"I heard the Prophet saying: Allah has hated three things: 1- vain talks that you talk too much or about others. 2 Wasting of wealth by extravagance, 3- and asking too many questions† (Muslim H no: 591) Conservation of water: Water is a gift from God and source of all life in earth. Conservation of this vital element is very important to the preservation and existence of life in its various forms. The Holy Quran points out: â€Å"And We have made from water every living thing.† (21:30) â€Å"Consider the water which you drink, Was it you that brought it down from the rain cloud or We? If We had pleased, we could make it bitter† (56: 68- 70) â€Å"And we caused rain to descend on you from heaven to cleanse you therewith† Allah reminds men the value of water through these verses. Allah has made the use of water a common right of all creatures. So all living and non living creatures are entitled to use and share it without monopoly, wastage, extravagance and despoilment. Prophet Muhammad (s) lived in the desert environment where water was very synonymous to life. Though the two third of the globe is filled with water many regions, countries and communities all over the world are suffering from the lack of water. The water levels in rivers go down so as a result the water level in the nearby wells goes down and people face the difficulty to get the water both for their life and multinational purposes. Narrated Jabir (R): Prophet Muhammad (s) has prohibited passing urine in stagnant water† (Swaheehu Muslim, Riyalu Sswalheen: H.No: 1772) Prophet Muhammad (S) strictly prohibits taking more water than necessary. Making ablution by washing more than three times is considered as ‘Karaha i.e. discouraged by Islam. Even if you are making ablution from a large water reservoir, or from a flowing spring or near to river you must not take water to wash a particular part of body more than three times. Prophet Muhammad (s) perceives it as extravagance. Any human activity that impairs the structural and biological smooth functioning of water, whether by misusing or lavishing or polluting it with urine or any other dirty substances is really against the Prophetic law of preserving environment. The root cause of environmental problems is the reckless behavior of men by polluting the nature that would definitely make it unsuitable for his use. So man is baited against man. The Prophetic teachings not to pass urine in stagnant water and to lavish drops of water even for making ablution ultimately form a splendid methodology to preserve the water; that all other ecologists, scientists, and environmental protection agencies have been seeking for a methodology theoretically sufficient and pragmatically effective to preserve the environment. Treatment of Animals: Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) believed that animals, as indispensable part of the environment, should be treated with dignity and respect that they deserve. He had considered camels and horses courageous companions during his journeys and battles. So prophetic teaching basically has enjoined up on men right environmental relation ship with animals. It is not allowed in Islam to kill animals except for food, but in some cases only some animals can be killed when they endanger the human life. Islam allows hunting but it must be for the necessity. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) could not put up with unnecessary hunting of any animals. Ibnu Masood said: We were traveling with Prophet Muhammad (s), when he left us for while we could see a bird with its two chicks and we too the chicks. Then the mother bird started spreading its wings. When Prophet(S) came and saw this, he said â€Å"who caused her to take away her two children, return her two children to her† (Bukhari Muslim) Prophet Muhammad(s), more than any other ecologist, has realized the feelings of relation between mother and children birds; that is why he reacted when he saw the feelings of mother bird. Narrated Hisham bin Zaid: Anas and I went to Al-Hakam bin Aiyub. Anas saw some boys shooting at a tied hen. Anas said, The Prophet has forbidden the shooting of tied or confined animals. (Swaheehul Bukhari- Book 67, Hadith 421) Another Hadeeth: Narrated Ibn Umar: that he entered upon Yahya bin Said while one of Yahyas sons was aiming at a hen after tying it. Ibn Umar walked to it and untied it. then he brought it and the boy and said. Prevent your boys from tying the birds for the sake of killing them, as I have heard the Prophet forbidding the killing of an animal or other living thing after tying them. (Swaheehul Bukhari- Book 67, Hadith 422) Prophet Muhammad (s) has prohibited killing some animals: â€Å"Narrated Abdulla Bin Abbas: The Prophet Muhammad (s) prohibited to kill four creatures: ants, bees, hoopoes, and sparrow hawks†. (Sunan Aboo Davud- H. No: 5247) Prophet Muhammad (s) teaches that there would be a reward for from Allah for serving any animals. Narrated Abu Huraira: Allahs Apostle said, While a man was walking on a road. he became very thirsty. Then he came across a well, got down into it, drank (of its water) and then came out. Meanwhile he saw a dog panting and licking mud because of excessive thirst. the man said to himself This dog is suffering from the same state of thirst as I did. So he went down the well (again) and filled his shoe (with water) and held it in his mouth and watered the dog. Allah thanked him for that deed and forgave him. the people asked, O Allahs Apostle! Is there a reward for us in serving the animals? He said, (Yes) there is a reward for serving any animate (living being). (Swaheehul Bukhari book73, Hadith 38) This Hadeeth gives us unique lesson. He understands the thirst of dog and tells that it also has the same set of thirst I had. The way that he has poured the water in to dogs mouth is certainly a unique one that we can not see same sort of way to deal with any animals any where in the history nor in the modern practices of preserving nature. Narrated by Ahmad: â€Å"If you kill a sparrow senselessly, it will hasten to God on the Day of Judgment, and it will say: Oh Lord so and so killed me for play not for use† (Mishakathul Masabeeh) These Prophetic words reflect the reverence, respect and great love to the animals. According to Prophetic teachings, killing an animal without giving food, drinks, or even by disturbing it will cause a man to go to Hellfire. â€Å"Narrated Ibnu Umar: Prophet Muhammad (s) said- A woman she tied a cat has gone to Hellfire; she neither fed it nor allowed it to find food of its own†. (Bukhari Muslim, Riyalussaliheen- H.No: 1600) Through these Hadeeths, Prophet Muhammad (s) prohibited killing or disturbing any animals. He orders men to be kind towards all living beings in the earth. â€Å"Allah, the great and omnipotent, will do his mercy to those who do their mercy (towards the living beings in the earth). So do mercy to every living being in the earth, then Allah and his angels will do the mercy towards you† (Bukhari Muslim) This is a broad concept of treating the animals. Whatever men can do to treat and protect animals, that are considered to be mercy and Allah will give his rewards for that. Not only physical harm to animals but insulting or cursing animals is also prohibited by Prophet Muhammad (s). â€Å"Imran bin. Husain reported: We were with Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) in some of his journeys and there was a woman from the Ansar riding a she-camel that it shied and she invoked curse upon that. Allahs Messenger (May peace be upon him) heard it and said: unload that and set it free for it is accursed. Imran said: I still perceive that (dromedary) walking amongst people and none taking any notice of that. (Swaheehu Muslim: Hadith.No: 6276). This prophetic concept not to curse or insult an animal is almost very humane perspective. According to Quranic lesson a human must not curse another human, this is because the dignity and respect of the men are highly considered. Similarly, the indispensable role of animals in this environment is something great and they too perform their functions in the nature. As they do their role in here, they also deserve their dignity. So any animal must not be cursed. In Islam, to slaughter an animal Muslims have to use sharp knife in order to save the animal the pain associated with the use of an object. Prophet Muhammad (s) used to tell his companions: â€Å"Shaddid bin. Aus said: Two are the things which I remember Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) having said: Verily Allah has enjoined goodness to everything; so when you kill, kill in a good way and when you slaughter, slaughter in a good way. So every one of you should sharpen his knife, and let the slaughtered animal die comfortably. (Swaheehu Muslim:, Hadith 4810). Prophet Muhammad (S) teaches Muslims to consider the psyche of an animal to be slaughtered. The hadeeth usage â€Å"And let the slaughtered animal die comfortably† is almost a very natural perspective toward the pain and sufferings of an animal. Prophet Muhammad (s0 has shown great sensitivity and gentleness. Throughout his life, many hadeeths and incidents obviously show that He was extremely sensitive toward the sufferings of animals. That is why he recommended using sharp blades and an easy method in order to the animal can die quickly with as little pain as possible. He has also prohibited slaughtering an animal in the presence of another animal and sharpening the blade in the witness of the animal which is to be slaughtered. If you let the animals witness the sharpening of your blades, according to Prophetic teachings, it is almost similar to slaughter the same animal twice. â€Å"Ibnu Abbas reported: A man has kept a sheep laid down while he was sharpening his blade. Then the Prophet told: Would you like it to die twice? Why didnt you sharpen your blade before lying it down?† No other religions, isms or any other social leaders too can put forward this kind of noble ideology of extreme sensitivity to the feelings and sufferings of an animal. In short, prophetic environmental teachings recommend to consider the animals as indispensable part of ecology. So it must get the dignity and respect that it deserves. Men must be sensitive an all dealings with animals, no matter whether it is to be slaughtered or not. Through his example of sharpening knife in front of animals He teaches men to consider the feelings of animals. If had practiced the Prophetic ideology to protect the environment through preserving animals, we would have overcome the horrible situation of global warming and all other environmental degradation up to an extent. ‘Planting a tree: Plants are an integral part of the environment. One of the reason for global warming and other environmental problems is that the plants have been lost all over the world due to human activities and as a result carbon dioxide absorption has been decreased more than 30 per cent within the last 50 years. â€Å"If you have a means to plant a tree, start digging† is the instruction presently given by the ecologists to preserve the nature. Plants Absorb carbon dioxide and give off the oxygen during the photosynthesis time. A single plant would be able to absorb one ton of carbon dioxide approximately during its life time. Many an infections and disastrous diseases too are becoming increasingly widespread very faster than ever before because of that a large amount of poisonous carbon dioxide is left in the atmosphere unabsorbed. This will adversely affect the immunity of the human body also. Those who leave no stone unturned in getting the environment preserved can really appreciate the greatness of prophetic teaching of â€Å" plant a tree†. Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Never a Muslim plants a tree, but he has the reward of charity for him, for what is eaten out of that is charity; what is stolen out of that, what the beasts eat out of that, what the birds eat out of that is charity for him. (In short) none incurs a los! k to him but it becomes a charity on his part. (Swaheehu Musli- Hadith No:3764) Another hadeeth: Jabir bin . Abdullah (Allah be pleased with them) reported: I heard Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) saying: Never does a Muslim plant, or cultivate, but has reward for him for what the beasts eat, or the birds eat or anything else eats out of that. (Muslim Hadith no:3766) This holy Hadeeths not only comprise of the vital important of planting a tree, but also the very structural and biological inter relation of plants, birds, human and other animals. In the second Hadeeth, the usage â€Å"to cultivate† is very important regarding with the preservation of all kinds of cultivations. According to the meaning of this Hadeeth, who ever does some thing to preserve the environment, he will certainly get the charitable reward from the creator of environment. Planting a tree is not only benefited for contributing fruits or seeds but for the carbon dioxide absorption also, which in turn purifies the whole living atmosphere. Prophet Muhammad (s) prohibits cutting and destroying trees. â€Å"Narrated Hassan ibn Ibrahim: I asked Hisham ibn Urwah about the cutting of a lote-tree when he was leaning against the house of Urwah. He said: Do you not see these doors and leaves? These were made of the lote-tree of Urwah which Urwah used to cut from his hand? He said: There is no harm in it. Humayds version adds: You have brought an innovation, O Iraqi! He said: The innovation is from you. I heard someone say at Mecca: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) cursed him who cuts a lote-tree(without justification). He then mentioned the rest of the tradition to the same effect. (Sunan Abudavud: Hadith No:5221) Another hadeeth can be read like this: â€Å"he who cuts a lote-tree (without justification), God will send him to Hellfire†. Those people who cut the trees just for some celebrations and festivals, those countries that destroy forests for the sake of competing development, and those institutions and industries that wipe out plants for their temporary purposes must think about the prophetic teachings of environmental protection. They must understand that what ever they are doing for the sake of industrialization will finally turn to be harmful to their own development. Dont contribute to your own destruction: Allah the almighty says: â€Å"Dont make your own hands contribute to your own destruction, but do good only, for Allah loves those who do good† (Holy Quran- 2: 195) Through this verse Allah prohibits men doing any activity which in turn will contribute to his own destruction. Researchers could find out that about 80 percent of tobacco users will get cancer or some other diseases. Islamic scholars then have given the Fathwa that tobacco consumption is prohibited in Islam according to this verse. Same is the case with environment also. Allah prohibits men destroying animals and plants, and polluting water, land and air through this verse. Because these all can contribute to the destruction of human being as well as the environment. PROPHETIC TEACHINGS AS ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS: Prophet is the pioneer of environmental preservation. The words like ‘conservation of water, ‘ecology, ‘environmental awareness, ‘sustainability etc can be seen in many Quranic verses and Holy Hadeeths. He taught that the natural resources are created by God Allah for mens use. The same time, men dont have any right to overexploit or misuse these natural resources. One of the reasons for environmental problem is that the scarce resources of nature are overexploited. Industrialization has done a major role in this. Prophetic lesson only can solve these problems. Whoever extracts raw materials, oils, and mines, who ever cultivate vegetables and fruits and who ever take water and all must be aware of prophetic environmental ethics that it should not be misused or rather overexploited. This is the only way to protect our limited natural resources. Secondly, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has given the responsibility of environment to men. He will be asked about his nature also. We can not see this seldom explored ideology in any other religions or scientific books. If men had thought about his responsibility of all the living and non-living creatures in his surroundings, most of the species would have had lived here and the whole environment itself would have left tidy and suitable to use. Prophet Muhammad (s) had taught not to pollute water, air and land. He also had taught the way how to treat animals and to plant trees as many as possible. From these noble environmental ethics, we can realize Prophet as a great ecologist, scientist and pioneer of environmental protection when scientific outfits and innovations were nothing. Hence, those who spend a lot for environmental protection must take into account the noble ethics of prophet Muhammad(PBUH), and do the best to be practiced every where. The whole ecological harmony and biological relations that the prophet Muhammad (S) advocated between human and his nature has today almost lost. As the whole world is under the great threats of many kinds of natural calamities and these are basically caused by pollution, over exploitation, desertification, animals destruction and deforestation, it is the exact time for the whole world community to think about it seriously and find out the best effective environmental ethics to b e practiced. Definitely the sound and effective environmental ethics are lying in the noble teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). So, let the world community as a whole take a leaf out of the Hadeeths and find out the solutions for current environmental crisis. References: 1- Holy Quran 2- Swaheehul Bukhari 3- Waheehu Muslim 4- Sunan Aboo Davud 5- Mishakathul Masabeeh 6- Riyalu swaliheen 7- Complete Biology/ W.R Pickering/ Oxford 8- Biology in Action/ Poole, Pikley, Johnson/ HBJ 9- The Facts on File Dictionary of Biology/ Elizabeth Tootil/ Oxford 10- Islamic Sciences/ S.Waqar Ahmed Hussain/ Good word Books 11- Muhammad A Mercy to all Nations/ Al Hajj Qasim Ali Jairazzbhoy 12- Economics/ john Sloman/ fifth edition/ prentice Hall 13- www.searchtruth.com

A Review Of The Outsiders Club :: Free Essay Writer

A Review of "The Outsiders Club" Screened on BBC 2 in October 96 MA Diploma Disability Studies INTRODUCTION I decided to write a review on the social group known as The Outsiders. The group's main aim is to enable disabled adults to form personal relationships, including specifically sexual ones (Shakespeare 1996), either with each other or with non-disabled members. The group has been in existence for several years, and has attracted a great deal of attention, including reaction from present and former members, and in particular from within the Disabled People's Movement . Many of the comments made by former members of the group have been critical, sometimes highly condemnatory, and frequently made by disabled women (Rae 1984). In both my professional and private capacity I am interested in sexuality and disability, and specifically in the ways in which disabled adults can establish meaningful relationships with other people (disabled or on-disabled). Issues such as sexuality and the forming of relationships are regularly discussed in mainstream youth and community work, but rarely with regard to disabled people (which is not surprising since disabled people are often absent from mainstream groups). Indeed, it is only in the last few years that disabled people themselves have been in the forefront of this debate, and the leading protagonist have usually been activists within the wider disability movement, who are well aware of other social and sexual issues such as gender, sexism, homophobia, and so on. The Outsiders was set up (and is still fronted by) an able bodied woman who for many years has been well known in the controversial arena of sexual liberation and soft-core pornography, so it is hardly surprising that her group has both supporters and critics. A recent BBC-2 documentary series (From the Edge) devoted a whole programme to the group, and this essay picks up the main themes that were aired. SEXUALITY AND DISABILITY Morris (1989) writes "once we first become disabled we are usually denied any form of sexual identity." It is certainly true that among the many negative stereotypes of disability some of the most commonly held views are that disabled people are non-sexual, or sometimes asexual beings, or that they are likely to be attracted only to each other. THE OUTSIDERS CLUB The Outsiders Club was established by Tuppy Owens in 1979. Tuppy, a self- proclaimed stalwart campaigner for sexual equality, and a trained sex therapist. She conceived the idea of a social group for disabled adults after her close male friend, Nigel, became blind. Fearful of the effect of disability ever afflicting her own life - and blindness in particular - she became determined to

The Life of my Dog Precious Essay -- Personal Narrative Pets Family Es

The Life of my Dog Precious Within the animal kingdom, few animals have the characteristics to co exist with humans. Dogs, however, are the exception. For centuries dogs have been known as man’s best friend. Throughout the test of time dogs have proven to be the most loyal and the truest friends. â€Å"Dogs are not just our proverbial best friends in the animal world but probably our oldest† (Phillips 12). With this in mind I understand the reason that my dog Precious is my most treasured and loyal friend. On December 24, 1993 I opened my mom’s purse to get some Tylenol and out popped a little puppy. Its fur was soft and blonde, she had freckles on her nose, and she had droopy eyes. It was a Cocker Spaniel. She was so adorable that my family and I decided to name her â€Å"Precious.† She was the greatest present anyone could have asked for. Precious, unlike most dogs, has lived an incredible life. She has been dog knapped three different times and taken to Georgia each time. She has been shot, ran over by a car, and experienced many other life threatening experiences. This dog has been through it all. After having her only two weeks, we decided to visit my grandmother. Precious did not like o be left alone, so when I looked around and noticed she was nowhere to be found, we all got a little worried. My family and I started searching all over the house. Finally, my grandmother heard a weird noise coming from the bathroom. Sure enough, it was Precious. She fallen in the toilet while trying to drink out of it, and could not get out. Thanks to my grandmother’s great hearing, Precious did not drown. Throughout Precious’s puppy years we had to repair many things that she destroyed. One ... ...eorgia. Last summer, right before I left to come to school, Precious was once again missing, and I was once again crying my eyes out. Instead of contacting our police or even driving down to Georgia, my parents contacted the police force in the area where the renters lived. They had an officer on dispatch drive by to see if they saw a little blonde Cocker Spaniel and there she was sitting in there lawn. The policeman told the people why he was there and quickly brought Precious home. One might think that dogs do not live an exciting life, but Precious has been on more road trips and lived through many life-threatening adventures than most humans. She is a wonderful pet and a great best friend. Obviously, she is adorable because she was stolen three times. She means the world to me and I do not know what I will do when she is gone for good.

Benjamin Franklin Essays -- essays papers

Benjamin Franklin Who was he? In reading the Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography one can see the true character of a great man. But some may argue that this man, deep down inside, was not so great. Through out his book he touches on many aspects of his life. He lets the readers have a glimpse at what he was thinking and why he did things the way he did. Some critics do not agree that Franklin was such a noble man. They thought he might not have been telling his whole story, and that he was hiding a lot he had to offer. This paper will look at how one critic portrays Franklin---" Benjamin had no concern, really, for the immortal soul. He was too busy with the social man (292)." This critic is D.H. Lawrence. In Lawrence's piece he disagrees on what Franklin believes in and what his standards are. Most of Lawrence's argument comes from a disagreement with how Franklin expresses how he works to what he really does when he works. He thinks Franklin is more of a social man, a man of himself, more than man of the people. Lawrence has looked at how Franklin didn’t come to invent thi...

Gender Bias in Education Essay

â€Å"Sitting in the same classroom, reading the same textbook, listening to the same teacher, boys and girls receive very different educations.† (Sadker, 1994) In fact, upon entering school, girls perform equal to or better than boys on nearly every measure of achievement, but by the time they graduate high school or college, they have fallen behind. (Sadker, 1994) However, discrepancies between the performance of girls and the performance of boys in elementary education leads some critics to argue that boys are being neglected within the education system: Across the country, boys have never been in more trouble: They earn 70 percent of the D’s and F’s that teachers dole out. They make up two thirds of students labeled â€Å"learning disabled.† They are the culprits in a whopping 9 of 10 alcohol and drug violations and the suspected perpetrators in 4 out of 5 crimes that end up in juvenile court. They account for 80 percent of high school dropouts and attention deficit disorder diagnoses. (Mulrine, 2001) This performance discrepancy is notable throughout Canada. In Ontario, Education Minister Janet Ecker said that the results of the standardized grade 3 and grade 6 testing in math and reading showed, â€Å"†¦persistent and glaring discrepancies in achievements and attitudes between boys and girls.† (O’Neill, 2000) In British Columbia, standardized testing indicates that girls outperform boys at all levels of reading and writing and in Alberta testing shows that girls, â€Å"†¦significantly outperform boys on reading and writing tests, while almost matching them in math and science.† (O’Neill, 2000) However, the American Association of University Women published a report in 1992 indicating that females receive less attention from teachers and the attention that female students do receive is often more negative than attention received by boys. (Bailey, 1992) In fact, examination of the socialization of gender within schools and evidence of a gender biased hidden curriculum demonstrates that girls are shortchanged in the classroom. Furthermore, there is significant research indicating steps that can be taken to minimize or eliminate the gender bias currently present in our education system. The socialization of gender within our schools assures that girls are made aware that they are unequal to boys. Every time students are seated or lined up by gender, teachers are affirming that girls and boys should be treated differently. When an administrator ignores an act of sexual harassment, he or she is allowing the degradation of girls. When different behaviors are tolerated for boys than for girls because ‘boys will be boys’, schools are perpetuating the oppression of females. There is some evidence that girls are becoming more academically successful than boys, however examination of the classroom shows that girls and boys continue to be socialized in ways that work against gender equity. Teachers socialize girls towards a feminine ideal. Girls are praised for being neat, quiet, and calm, whereas boys are encouraged to think independently, be active and speak up. Girls are socialized in schools to recognize popularity as being important, and learn that educational performance and ability are not as important. â€Å"Girls in grades six and seven rate being popular and well-liked as more important than being perceived as competent or independent. Boys, on the other hand, are more likely to rank independence and competence as more important.† (Bailey, 1992) This socialization of femininity begins much earlier than the middle grades. At very early ages, girls begin defining their femininities in relation to boys. One study of a third grade classroom examined four self-sorted groups of girls within the classroom: the nice girls, the girlies, the spice girls and the tomboys. Through interviews researcher Diane Reay found that ‘nice girls’ was considered a derogatory term indicating, â€Å"†¦an absence of toughness and attitude.† (Reay, 2001) Furthermore, the girlies were a group of girls who focused their time on flirting with and writing love letters to boys, the tomboys were girls who played sports with the boys, and the spice girls espoused girl-power and played ‘rate-the-boy’ on the playground. Reay’s research shows that each of the groups of girls defined their own femininities in relation to boys. (2001) The Reay study further demonstrates how socialization of girls occurs at the school level by tolerating different behaviors from boys than from girls. Assertive behavior from girls is often seen as disruptive and may be viewed more negatively by adults. In Reay’s study, the fact that the spice girls asserted themselves in ways contrary to traditional femininity caused them to be labeled by teachers as â€Å"real bitches†. (2001) This reinforces the notion that â€Å"†¦girls’ misbehavior to be looked upon as a character defect, whilst boys’ misbehavior is viewed as a desire to assert themselves.† (Reay, 2001) A permissive attitude towards sexual harassment is another way in  which schools reinforce the socialization of girls as inferior. â€Å"When schools ignore sexist, racist, homophobic, and violent interactions between students, they are giving tacit approval to such behaviors.† (Bailey, 1992) Yet boys are taunted for throwing like a girl, or crying like a girl, which implies that being a girl is worse than being a boy. According to the American Association of University Women Report, â€Å"The clear message to both boys and girls is that girls are not worthy of respect and that appropriate behavior for boys includes exerting power over girls — or over other, weaker boys.† (Bailey, 1992) Clearly the socialization of gender is reinforced at school, â€Å"Because classrooms are microcosms of society, mirroring its strengths and ills alike, it follows that the normal socialization patterns of young children that often lead to distorted perceptions of gender roles are reflected in the classrooms.† (Marshall, 1997) Yet gender bias in education reaches beyond socialization patterns, bias is embedded in textbooks, lessons, and teacher interactions with students. This type of gender bias is part of the hidden curriculum of lessons taught implicitly to students through the every day functioning of their classroom. In Myra and David Sadker’s research, they noted four types of teacher responses to students: teacher praises, providing positive feedback for a response; teacher remediates, encouraging a student to correct or expand their answer; teacher criticizes, explicitly stating that the answer is incorrect; teacher accepts, acknowledging that a student has responded. The Sadkers found that boys were far more likely to receive praise or remediation from a teacher than were girls. The girls were most likely to receive an acknowledgement response from their teacher. (Sadker, 1994) These findings are confirmed by a 1990 study by Good and Brophy that â€Å"†¦noted that teachers give boys greater opportunity to expand ideas and be animated than they do girls and that they reinforce boys more for general responses than they do for girls.† (Marshall, 1997) Beyond teacher responses, special services in education appear to be applied more liberally to boys than to girls. Research shows that boys are referred for testing for gifted programs twice as often as girls, which may be because, â€Å"†¦giftedness is seen as aberrant, and girls strive to conform.† (Orenstein, 1994) Boys represent more than two-thirds of all students in special education programs and there is a higher the proportion of male  students receiving diagnoses that are considered to be subjective. While medical reports indicate that learning disabilities occur in nearly equal numbers of in boys and girls, it may be the case that, â€Å"Rather than identifying learning problems, school personnel may be mislabeling behavioral problems. Girls who sit quietly are ignored; boys who act out are placed in special programs that may not meet their needs.† (Bailey, 1992) Gender bias is also taught implicitly through the resources chosen for classroom use. Using texts that omit contributions of women, that tokenize the experiences of women, or that stereotype gender roles, further compounds gender bias in schools’ curriculum. While research shows that the use of gender-equitable materials allows students to have more gender-balanced knowledge, to develop more flexible attitudes towards gender roles, and to imitate role behaviors contained in the materials (Klein, 1985) schools continue to use gender-biased texts: Researchers at a 1990 conference reported that even texts designed to fit within the current California guidelines on gender and race equity for textbook adoption showed subtle language bias, neglect of scholarship on women, omission of women as developers of history and initiators of events, and absence of women from accounts of technological developments. (Bailey, 1992) Clearly the socialization of gender roles and the use of a gender-biased hidden curriculum lead to an inequitable education for boys and girls. What changes can be made to create a more equitable learning environment for all children? First, teachers need to be made aware of their gender-biased tendencies. Next, they need to be provided with strategies for altering the behavior. Finally, efforts need to be made to combat gender bias in educational materials. A study by Kelly Jones, Cay Evans, Ronald Byrd, and Kathleen Campbell (2000) used analysis of videotaped lessons in order to introduce teachers to their own gender-biased behavior. Requiring in-service programs to address gender bias in the classroom will make teachers more aware of their own behaviors: â€Å"As a teacher, I was struck by the Sadkers’ research on classroom exchanges and was forced to acknowledge the disproportionate amount of time and energy, as well as the different sorts of attention, I give to male students.† (McCormick, 1995) Once teachers have recognized their gender-biased behaviors, they need to be provided with resources to help them change. In their study focusing on how the effects of  a gender resource model would affect gender-biased teaching behaviors, Jones, Evans, Burns, and Campbell (2000) provided teachers with a self-directed module aimed at reducing gender bias in the classroom. The module contained research on gender equity in the classroom, specific activities to reduce stereotypical thinking in students, and self-evaluation worksheets for teachers. The findings from this study support the hypothesis that â€Å"†¦female students would move from a position of relative deficiency toward more equity in total interactions†¦.† (Jones, 2000) This demonstrates that teachers who are made aware of their gender-biased teaching behaviors and then provided with strategies and resources to combat bias are better able to promote gender equity in their classrooms. However, beyond changing their own teaching behaviors, teachers need to be aware of the gender bias imbedded in many educational materials and texts and need to take steps to combat this bias. Curriculum researchers have established six attributes that need to be considered when trying to establish a gender-equitable curriculum. Gender-fair materials need to acknowledge and affirm variation. They need to be inclusive, accurate, affirmative, representative, and integrated, weaving together the experiences, needs, and interests of both males and females. (Bailey, 1992) â€Å"We need to look at the stories we are telling our students and children. Far too many of our classroom examples, storybooks, and texts describe a world in which boys and men are bright, curious, brave, inventive, and powerful, but girls and women are silent, passive, and invisible.† (McCormick, 1995) Furthermore, teachers can help students identify gender-bias in texts and facilitate critical discussions as to why that bias exists. Gender bias in education is an insidious problem that causes very few people to stand up and take notice. The victims of this bias have been trained through years of schooling to be silent and passive, and are therefore unwilling to stand up and make noise about the unfair treatment they are receiving. â€Å"Over the course of years the uneven distribution of teacher time, energy, attention, and talent, with boys getting the lion’s share, takes its toll on girls.† (Sadker, 1994) Teachers are generally unaware of their own biased teaching behaviors because they are simply teaching how they were taught and the subtle gender inequities found in teaching materials are often overlooked. Girls and boys today are receiving separate and unequal educations due to the gender  socialization that takes place in our schools and due to the sexist hidden curriculum students are faced with every day. Unless teachers are made aware of the gender-role socialization and the biased messages they are unintentionally imparting to students everyday, and until teachers are provided with the methods and resources necessary to eliminate gender-bias in their classrooms, girls will continue to receive an inequitable education. Departments of education should be providing mandatory gender-equity resource modules to in-service teachers, and gender bias needs to be addressed with all pre-service teachers. Educators need to be made aware of the bias they are reinforcing in their students through socialization messages, inequitable division of special education services, sexist texts and materials, and unbalanced time and types of attention spent on boys and girls in the classroom. â€Å"Until educational sexism is eradicated, more than half our children will be shortchanged and their gifts lost to society.† (Sadker, 1994) References  Bailey, S. (1992) How Schools Shortchange Girls: The AAUW Report. New York, NY: Marlowe & Company. Jones, K., Evans, C., Byrd, R., Campbell, K. (2000) Gender equity training and teaching behavior. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 27 (3), 173-178. Klein, S. (1985) Handbook for Achieving Sex Equity Through Education. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Marshall, C.S. & Reihartz, J. (1997) Gender issues in the classroom. Clearinghouse, 70 (6), 333-338. McCormick, P. (1995) Are girls taught to fail? U.S. Catholic, 60, (2), 38-42. Mulrine, A. (2001) Are Boys the Weaker Sex? U.S. News & World Report, 131 (4), 40-48. O’Neill, T. (2000) Boys’ problems don’t matter. Report/ Newsmagazine (National Edition), 27 (15), 54-56. Orenstein, P. (1994) Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self-Esteem and the Confidence Gap. New York, NY: Doubleday. Reay, D. (2001) ‘Spice girls’, ‘Nice Girls’, ‘Girlies’, and ‘Tomboys†; gender discourses. Girls’ cultures and femininities in the primary classroom. Gender and Education, 13 (2), 153-167. Sadker, D., Sadker, M. (1994) Failing at Fairness: How Our Schools Cheat Girls. Toronto, ON: Simon & Schuster Inc.

Should Teens Be Tried as Adults

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