Globalization in Politics and on the World peace

Introduction Globalization greatly affects both domestic and international politics. There exist different views and ideas on the effects of this complex multifaceted concept on politics. The cross-border economic and technological activities instigated by international relations have resulted into political changes in international politics.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Globalization in Politics and on the World peace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Globalization has created an environment for economic interaction among different states of the world. It has resulted into freer movement of goods, finances, and ideas across the different corners of the globe. Economists view globalization as a platform for equal economic growth in the world as it encourages fair distribution of resources. Political leaders, especially in the poor countries, oppose globalization on the grounds of preserving the nationa l sovereignty of their states. In social perspective, globalization is a phenomenon for enhancement of world social integration. For realists in general, globalization provides an opportunity for powerful nations to exploit the less powerful and poorest countries. In addition, politicians (in poor countries) view the phenomenon as the great perpetuator of hegemony in the world. Neoliberals and the proponents of globalization argue that, globalization is the means to liberalization of the new world order. Other scholars treat globalization as an emerging form of imperialism, which is likely to ruin governance and the political leadership of the less powerful countries. Although there have been significant studies in politics and globalization, there exists very little work on its impact on peace and unity in the world. As argued in this paper, globalization in politics will result into more conflicts in the world. Globalization in politics and the peace in the world Globalization has led into loss of sovereignty in governments. Through globalization, people, goods, money, and ideas have become freer to move than they were before. The government’s control over people and their businesses has therefore reduced (Neil 2004, 123). As a result, people from different states have migrated into nations with favourable trading policies. The high rates of immigration of people due to trade with little control by the government pose a great threat to the peace and unity in the future. First, with the freedom from the government to carry out businesses anywhere in the world, there is likelihood of exchange of illegal goods such as drugs and arms. Such goods, especially drugs, enhance violent acts. Increase in such goods in a state whose sovereignty is low will lead to more people consuming the goods. Availability of drugs for instance, results into increased number of drug abusers within a country. On contemplation, this retrogressive trend subsequently increases the poverty levels since majority of drug abusers do not or are unable to work. Poverty has direct correlation with violence.Advertising Looking for research paper on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In fact, violence characterizes the poverty-stricken nations, with African countries serving exemplarily for this argument. Since the government does not have control in face of globalization, people may engage in violent means such as theft and looting to satisfy their needs. Secondly, the continued loss of sovereignty by most states in the world, due to globalization, may lead to loss of stability of security in the countries. Globalization and the inability to control people may extend to the military forces such that, these forces enjoy freedom analogous to the people in the business world. This phenomenon will expose the state to internal and external attacks such as terrorism. Since globalization enhances fre er mobility of people, it will be difficult to maintain security in such low sovereign states, which would degenerate into conflicts. Thirdly, loss of sovereignty encourages creation of illegal groups, which pose threat to the peace of the world. Political competition within a less sovereign state will result into formation of such groups. In fact, majority of the gangs in the world are results of political competition. These groups further pose threat to the peace in the world. Therefore, through globalization, there is continued loss of sovereignty among states, which exposes nations to more conflicts. The conflicts may further result into violence and therefore destabilizing world peace. Globalization enhances flow of information and ideas. The cross-border flow of economic activities has enhanced the transfer of information across different political states, which affects both the international and domestic politics in a number of ways. First, it influences people in different s tates to demand for transformation of political governance from their states. According to Berger, globalization has enhanced the growth of international media coverage (2000, 47). As a result, it is now easy and cheap for information about the political activities of a particular country or region to flow to the rest of the world. Since the populace make decisions based on the reports from the media, the activities in other countries may instigate actions in other regions of the world. The current unrest in the Muslim countries in Africa and Middle East originated from Tunisia. Given the media coverage, the situation in Tunisia received, other countries such as Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Venezuela, and Yemen became critical to their political leadership. This resulted into mass action to demand for political transformations in these countries. Globalization therefore encourages political liberalism, which may further result into degradation of peace and unity. The political leadership of countries marred by mass actions such as Libya are reluctant to reformation and as a result, these governments initiate counter forces in order to calm the situations.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Globalization in Politics and on the World peace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Subsequently, this results into conflicts between the activists and the government forces, which leads to violence. Secondly, the spread of information also results into exchange of political strategies among states or politicians. Because of globalization, politicians of different backgrounds, experience, and ideologies are able to mingle and exchange political ideas. While some of the ideas may be for the good of the public, experience evidences that most of them concentrate on maintaining the political supremacy and self-interest of the politicians. Majority of the African countries face peace threats due to the strong p ositions held by their political leaders. Interestingly, such leaders remain applauded by their international counterparts even though they enjoy less support from their citizens. Through the advice, which these leaders get during international meetings, such as the UN, Common Wealth and African Union conferences, they gain confidence to cling to power against the wish of majority, which is the founding principle of democracy. With this trend, the leadership in most African countries will continue to infringe democratic rights of the people and since globalization continues to promote the flow of ideas on ‘people’s liberalization’ in the world, more politically-instigated violent acts are likely to occur in future. Globalization results into loss in community values including cultural and traditional values. Globalization encourages interaction of people of different social and cultural backgrounds. Cross-cultural adoption among people of different spheres of lif e has been vivid since the 20th century. Blend of cultures and traditions has therefore resulted into loss of the community values in different regions of the world. Loss in community values has adverse effects on domestic politics of a country. Constitutional violation by the political leadership is the obvious effect of loss in community values. A constitution upholds the values of the community, which it governs. Therefore, political leadership’s disregard of these values implies a constitutional infringement. This may result into conflicts between those critical to the constitution and the values and the leadership. Conflicts create tension and uncertainty among people and may lead to wars. Another significant impact of loss in community values to politics is the adoption of practices by the public, which threatens security and hence peace of a nation. Due to globalization, people adopt values of other communities at the expense of theirs. Such practices, which include dr ug abuse among others, encourage deviant behaviours among the people. These behaviours threaten the political stability of the state as such people may involve in violent acts. A state, which does not uphold its community values, is subject to malpractices by the leaders. Corruption and dishonesty are among the malpractices experienced in such states. These practices compromise the governance of the state and could result into conflicts between the people and the leadership, thereby threatening peace and unity.Advertising Looking for research paper on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Through globalization, corrupt officials conceal their ‘ill-acquired’ properties and funds in other countries. Political theorists attribute the advanced forms of corruption in African countries to globalization. Generally, loss in community values results into loss in confidence among the citizens to their leaders and this may result into more conflicts and hence wars in future. Conflicts in the Muslim world are results of loss of values of Islam. The influx of non-Muslims and the interaction between the region and other non-Muslim regions through trade and international relations has prompted the loss of Islamic values in those regions. The result has been the disregard of the Sharia law, which forms the basics for governance in the Islamic countries. The Egyptian and Libyan situations apparently illustrates the results of loss of community values to politics, peace, and unity of the world. As previously mentioned, globalization encourages freer flow of goods. This ha s considerable impact on politics, especially when dangerous goods come into play. Trading in arms has become easier and convenient with the globalization and the loss of sovereignty in the states. Due to international trade, militia gangs in Somali and other war-torn countries are able to acquire arms. With the freer trade in culmination with less government control of businesses and mobility of people, there is increased accessibility to guns and other arms. If this trend continues, more than 67% of the population in the world will own these arms in the next 3 years (McGrew 2001, 98). Such statistics are alarming and indeed, indicates a threat to peace and unity. Increase in number of people owning guns and other forms of arms poses security threats in that, people will result into use of violence to resolve their disputes. With the increased armament, there is likelihood to increase in terrorism in the world. Terrorism creates tension and results into conflicts. The long lasting conflicts between the United States and the Middle East are results of terrorism. Tension results from mistrust between the perceived terrorists and the target nations. In such conditions, there is likelihood of conflict, which results into violence and therefore destabilizing peace in the world. Countries with free flow of arms experience conflicts and are centres for prospective wars. It further destabilizes the political order of these countries and may subsequently result into collapse of leadership and governments in such countries. Countries marred by political wars have readily available arms. The availability of these arms in most of the politically war-torn countries such as Somalia is a result of globalization. Through inter-border interactions, government rebels acquire weapons and arms to fight the government thereby causing political instability. Countries with political instabilities pose threat to their security and that of their neighbours. Therefore, with the curren t trends in globalization, the world continues to experience spread of arms and growth in armament and the plausible prediction would be the increase in political instabilities in the world. As a result, globalization will perpetuate conflicts and therefore destabilize peace in the world. Globalization enhances migration of people within the cross-border economies. This has considerable impact on the world politics and peace. Because of international trade, business people move freely to favourable regions (target) of their businesses, which results into increase in population in the target regions. Population increase affects the politics within an economy in two ways: first, it presents a challenge to the political leadership with an extra responsibility to plan and provide for the increased citizens; and second, the political responsibility to control such populations is indeed a challenge. The opportunity provided by globalization for freer movement of people across different st ates is subject to exploitation by non-business people (McGrew 2001, 13). The result will be strain in the budget of these states, as some of the immigrants are not involved in production or business and this trend results into poverty in the highly populated areas. For instance, majority of the poor population of the United States compose of the Southern Americans, most of which are immigrants. Poverty poses threat to peace and unity of a country. The migration encouraged by globalization provides a mean for mobility of the terrorists in the world. Since people are free to move around, there is ease in spread and expansion of terrorism in the world. Through globalization, people of different nationalities are able to shift their originalities to other nationalities to become full citizens by right in the new countries. Such individuals have political rights like any other citizen in that state; they can vie for political positions and get involved in decision-making of vital matter s of the country and this transforms the domestic politics of countries as such people introduce novel strategies of political competition. The outcome of the transformation may however be conflict and tension among the competitors. In fact, the Rwandan genocide was a result of conflict between the perceived immigrants, the Tutsis, and the ‘real’ citizens, Hutus. From the Rwandan case, it is imperative to point out that the growing immigration and changes in nationalities due to globalization may lead to replication of such violence in most countries, especially those with political contentions. The migration, as aforementioned, leads into loss in community values and as previously argued, loss in community values creates tension and hence conflicts. Interrelationship, a result of globalization, enhances power struggle among nations. Globalization enhances interrelationship among different nations. The interrelations may be economic, social, or political. In whatever ca se, the member nations must collectively make decisions in the interrelationships. However, it becomes difficult to ensure equal rights in decision-making for situations of rich-poor country relationship. The rich and powerful countries, especially the developed, tend to believe that their views supersede those of the poor and developing countries (Ian 2000, 169). For instance, European countries such as France and Britain enjoy voting rights in the UN unlike their African counterparts. In the Common Wealth, Britain is the most powerful and major decision maker. Political critics impute the inequality to the rich-powerful dominance over the poor-weak countries. Such inequalities pose threat to the peace in the world. First, the poor countries perceive the inequality as a means of oppression by the powerful countries. Since globalization encourages liberalization and freedom, these countries protest against such oppression by the developed countries. The result is a continued tension among the rich and poor countries. This tension may lead into conflicts and wars between the rich and poor countries. Therefore, the struggle for supremacy puts the world peace at stake. Secondly, the inequality among these nations results into imposition of policies to the poor countries by the rich nations. Some of the policies may be practically inapplicable in the politics of the developing countries; the policies may either enhance violence or interfere with the ‘order of politics’ in those countries. Political disorder creates anxiety among the citizens, which is a threat to peace. The power struggle among the rich countries is another factor threatening the peace in the world. Some nations struggle to prove the most powerful over the others. The result is therefore that the decisions made in the international politics do not focus on improving the ‘world order’ rather than a revelation for power and influence by majority of the richest nations. This may lead into competition among these countries to prove their mighty. Lessons of the 1990’s Cold War show that, competition for the mighty may lead to conflicts and wars; it was due to competition for ‘who is powerful’ that led to the infamous Cold War (conflicts) between the former Soviet Union and the United States. As long as globalization bears, power struggle among various nations will continue and the future peace of the world will remain uncertain. Globalization enhances exchange and imposition of policies by the rich countries to the poor countries. Through the international relations and cross-border economic activities, countries are able to exchange policies. However, the exchange has resulted into imposition of policies to the weak nations by the powerful countries (Leo 2006, 500). The colonization of most African, Asian, and South American countries by the European countries during and before the 19th century presents a lesson to the today’s historians and scholars on the intention of the rich and powerful countries to the poor nations. Analogous to the colonial times, the aim of the rich countries is to assimilate the developing countries into their policies. It is important to note that such ‘imported policies’ cannot work in the indigenous countries. Instead, such policies transform the political situations into arenas of conflicts and such conflicts often result into violence. In addition, the imposition of policies results into loss of the sovereignty of the state, which further threatens future peace of the specific country. The contention in the rich-poor relationship is due to the imposition of policies to the poor countries by the rich countries. The current increasing protests to the International Criminal Court by most of the African countries clearly illustrate the effect of policy imposition. Assimilation into other policies interferes with the legal framework of the indigenous countries, ther eby contravening the rights of the citizens in these countries. In the face of globalization, people across the world have become resilient and sensitive to oppression. The result of imposition would therefore be mass actions and political unrest in these countries. Although globalization encourages policy exchange among the rich and poor countries, the rich stresses on the adoption of theirs. To political critics, the imposition is a tool for oppression to the poor countries and its perpetuation presents the cause for prospective conflicts and wars. The imposition is another form of colonization in the 21st century, which is advancement of neo-colonialism. Since developing countries would like to maintain their sovereignty and independence, such impositions receive wide oppositions from these countries. Probably, the opposition may be through mobilization of the public actions, which may interfere with the peace of these nations. Globalization enhances exchange and imposition of po licies among various nations in the world and therefore, transforming the political situations of various countries. The transformation may create tension and thus conflicts. According to international trade theory, globalization is a phenomenon that greatly alters the principles of politics, both the international and world politics. â€Å"It is a further development of a growing interdependence, which further transforms the principles of world politics† (Kapitoneko 2009, 589). Globalization achieves this through â€Å"bringing in non-state actors†¦and shifting their strategies from military and strategic to economic and social needs† (Kapitoneko 2009, 589). As discussed earlier in this paper, these factors have resulted into polarization of the borders of various states. Furthermore, it has led to freer movement of goods and labour. Based on the second factor of shift on focus from military empowerment to economic and social expansion, it is clear that globaliza tion focuses on economic efficiency at the expense of the military. Since the state engages in long-term co-operations in order to achieve the above strategies of globalization, it encourages more people to cross into their borders. This poses great threat to the peace of the state. The opening of the borders for freer accessibility of the country by more people in the name of partners in cooperation provides an opportunity exploitable by people with bad intentions. In addition, since the states’ support to the military has greatly reduced, it becomes easier for such people to enter these states. Such people may be terrorists or other kinds of illegal gangs in the world. The co-operation for economic expansion at the expense of security of the state simply exposes states to the attacks by such gangs. Further contemplation reveals that the diminishing focus on military and security in favour of economic growth through globalization will result into creation of more gang groups like Al Qaeda; a threat to the peace in the world and therefore cause political disarrays in the world. The growth in interdependence due to globalization further makes some governments passive in decision-making. Interdependence promotes collective making of vital decisions and as a result, some states leave some decisions for advice from their international co-operation. Based on the earlier argument, this may result into conflict. Again, due to perception of the rich and powerful countries on the poor states, some decisions may be biased and offensive to the rights of the citizens. Subsequently, this may result into tension and therefore conflicts. Therefore, by altering the principles of the world politics, globalization creates tension and a prospective for future conflicts and wars. The movement of some states to the territories of others facilitated by globalization presents potential causes of conflicts. With the globalization and the international co-operation, states are freer to enter into other states and such entrances influence the politics of the both states in two ways: first, it transforms the politics of these states since the co-operation may involve influencing some key policies. For instance, the entry of the United States into Iraqi government influenced the nation to persecute and execute the former president, Saddam Hussein. The entry may call for constitutional changes and thereby considerably changing the politics of such states. However, some entry of states into others may result into chaos. Although, for instance, the American entry into Middle East in search of terrorists seemed justifiable, it resulted into resistance by majority of the people in that region. This further degenerated into conflict between the citizens and the US soldiers. The entry into other countries, accelerated by globalization, may lead to conflicts and wars. Secondly, the entry interferes with the ‘political order’ of the other nations. When a country enters into the matters of another state, it disrupts the order of the ‘operation of political’ systems in that country. This disruption may be either because of the adjustments required for the issues raised by the other state or due to disorganization, which the entry brings into the other state. Entrance, which disrupts the policies of a state, also creates friction between the states and may result into conflicts. The entrance is more detrimental when it comes into rich states entering into poor states. Critics perceive the entrance as â€Å"hegemony and a means to exploit the poor state† (Monbiot 2001, 45). Again, this results into conflict between the states. While liberals argue that the relationship between such states enhances checks and balances against the states’ governments, to critics, it is an opportunity by the powerful nations to exploit the weak states. The political entrance of states into other states may influence the policies of governance of such states to infringe the rights of the citizens, thereby calling for unrest within those states. Political unrest is a prospective cause of future conflicts and wars and indicates the instability of peace in the future world. Conclusion The globalization effects on politics will result into increase in conflicts in the world. As argued in the preceding discussion, globalization has led to loss of state’s sovereignty in the world. The result of loss in sovereignty is the increased mobility of people, finances, ideas and goods, with little state’s control. The high rates of immigration of people due to trade with little control by the government, pose a great threat to the peace and unity in the future. The freedom by the government to carry out businesses anywhere in the world increases the likelihood of exchange of illegal goods such as drugs and arms. Such goods, especially drugs, enhance violent acts. Increase in such goods in a state whose sover eignty is low, will lead to more people consuming those goods. High number of drug abusers within a state puts the peace and unity of a country at risk. Globalization enhances flow of information and ideas. The cross-border flow of economic activities has enhanced the transfer of information across different political states. The information flow through the liberalized media sensitizes the public, which further enhances violent acts. Loss in community values has adverse effects on domestic politics of a country. Constitutional violation by the political leadership is the obvious effect of loss in community values. A constitution upholds the values of the community, which it governs. Therefore, if the political leadership disregards these values, it implies a constitutional infringement, which may result into conflicts between those critical to the constitution and the values and the leadership. Trading in arms has become easier and convenient with the current globalization and the loss of sovereignty in various governments. In the light of international trade, militia gangs in war-torn countries are able to acquire arms. With the freer trade in culmination with less government control of mobility of people, there is increased accessibility to guns and other arms. In making decisions in international relations, the rich and powerful countries, especially the developed, tend to believe that their views supersede those of their poor and developing countries and this creates tension among the nations thereby causing conflict. The movement of some states to the territories of other states presents potential causes of future conflicts. With the globalization and the international co-operation, states are freer to enter into other states. This, as argued, further results into conflicts. It is therefore justifiable that globalization will promote conflicts in the world. Reference List Berger, Suzanne. 2000. Globalization and Politics. Annual Review 3, no. (August/Sep tember): 43-62. Ian, Holliday. 2000. Is the British State Hollowing Out? The Political Quarterly 71, no.2 (February/ March): 167–176. Kapitonenko, Mykola. 2009. Globalization, nation-state, and global security arrangements. Europolis 6, 586-603. Leo, Christopher. 2006. Deep Federalism: Respecting Community Difference in National Policy. Canadian Journal of Political Science 39, no. 3 (July/August): 481-506. McGrew, Anthony. 2001. Globalization and global politics. Cambridge: Polity Press. Monbiot, George. 2001. Captive State: The Corporate Takeover of Britain. London: Pan Press. Neil, Brenner. 2004. New State Spaces: Urban Governance and the Rescaling of Statehood. New York: Oxford University Press. This research paper on Globalization in Politics and on the World peace was written and submitted by user Chase Stein to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Total Quality Management (TQM) 5 performance objectives

Total Quality Management (TQM) 5 performance objectives Free Online Research Papers Q a) Explain the 5 TQM performance objectives. Discuss these with the help of a real life example of a process involving products services, and analyze how the process can be improved upon? b) Illustrate explain your chosen process with the help of a transformation model. Answer a) â€Å"Many methodologies and techniques for improving operational performance have been developed over the years – these provide structured ways of improving company performance, but they do not explicitly tell us where to start. To be able to improve performance effectively, it is important to identify the particular factors of performance to work with. Furthermore, it is important to find those factors that have a high impact on performance.† (www.emeraldinsight.com) Performance improvement highlights processes and systems that need to be improved. Then, there is a follow-up with an action plan to improve the outcomes. The five main performance objectives are: Speed Cost Quality Dependability Flexibility We will discuss these five objectives using the drive-thru process of McDonalds: Speed- How much time does a customer spend in McDonalds drive-thru? McDonalds’ drive-thru target is 90 seconds. But, is it really able to achieve this target? No, not all the time. Many people have complained about drive-thru errors, waiting for their meals in busy times, being stuck in the queue, etc. As the line gets longer, more people choose to bypass the restaurant and dine elsewhere. So, how can McDonalds overcome these problems? ? Proper drive thru management: Since queuing is on a strict first-in first-out basis; later customers are generally not served until all previous customers have been taken care of. Therefore, a whole line of people with quick orders can be held up by a single complex order. McDonalds can instead have a dual line layout if the second customer’s order is ready first, then a green light can be used to signal the second car, so that the person takes his/her’s order goes. Service times are improved dramatically for short orders, yet not impacted for longer orders due to multiple wait queues. The disadvantage of adopting the dual line layout is that it will take up a lot of time be costly for McDonalds to change the layouts of all their restaurants. Plus, some customers will get really annoyed if they came in first but served second. To overcome this, McDonalds can have two windows (both left right), the left one for large orders the right one for small orders. Again, the question is how the small order meals will be bought to the right window if the kitchen is on the left side. Well, an employee can be especially dedicated to transfer the meals from the left window to the right one! ? Introduction of the use of mobile order entry terminals: will allow a restaurant employee to physically go to the drive-through lane and enter orders, which increases through-put by providing two points of entry: the menu sign and the mobile order entry terminal. Problems associated with this option include: (1) interfacing the mobile entry terminal to the current POS (Point of Sale) system; (2) supporting multiple languages and interfaces; (3) constant menu changes and additions; (4) safety of the employee; (5) weather conditions; (6) hardware costs; (7) order sequencing; and (8) the customer is unable to review the menu prior to ordering. ? Adopt a new system: McDonalds can also adopt a new system called Delphi Order Confirmation where a digital camera is attached to the drive-through menu system. â€Å"When an order is placed, a photo is taken of the car and/or the driver from approximately the same angle and distance that the drive-through employee would view when the car is at the payment or presenter window. The digital photo would be matched to the order record created by the POS system. The photo and order record could be presented in a variety of fashions, including a print out on the receipt with the itemized order and number. Alternatively, a touch screen with the patrons picture and order record for each of the cars currently in the drive-through, and when the order is complete, the presenter would tap the photo on the touch screen indicating the order has been filled and the photo record would be removed from the system. This system will help shave about eight seconds from the order to delivery time. Besid es order accuracy, it will also aid in speeding up the drive-thru process and address customer courtesy issues. Specific benefits to this system include easy installation and implementation with existing QSR (Quick Serve Rest) drive-through installations; minimal ongoing support required; limited risk of hardware loss/damage; increased employee safety; fully supported in multi-language settings; and continues to provide the customer an opportunity to review the menu!† (www.freepatentsonline.com) People will be uncomfortable: with the idea, that theyre being photographed every time they make a quick stop for a double cheeseburger with fries. Though, it’s a non-invasive procedure the photos arent stored in the system. Theyre deleted as soon as the order is completed. A lot of restaurants already have surveillance cameras on their premises that photograph people. Another trouble is that it will be costly for McDonalds to implement this system. But then again, it will show good results in the long run! Cost- Is McDonalds charging a lot to its customers? Can they bring down its costs further? ? Value meal strategy: McDonalds can employ the value meal strategy which allows customers to buy a sandwich, french fries, and beverage at a discount when purchased together. Moreover, it can also offer daily specials of special menu items, such as â€Å"9 Dhs Happy meal on Thursdays, from 4:00 PM 8:00PM† or other similar specials. More number of people will be attracted by such offers hence McDonalds’ average cost will decrease. However, the limitation is that these daily specials will bring in a lot of customers but also make it harder for McDonalds’ staff to handle so many people together serve quickly!!! So, they should anticipate having so many customers moulding their operations according to that. ? During busy periods, McDonalds requires more than two to three people who are dedicated to the drive-through process. If it adopts the Delphi order system mentioned on page 2 3, it will not require a lot of employees to take the orders, enter in the system make mistakes in matching the orders with the cars, hence cutting down on its costs. However, this might lead to some employees being made redundant. ? Use Customer order Display: When a drive through worker is taking an order, it can be displayed automatically on a screen available to the customer outside, called the Customer Order Display (COD). The customer can review the COD and correct any mistakes, thus making the ordering process more precise. More precise orders eliminate time wasted from correcting mistakes the cost arising from order errors. ? Energy management: Energy costs represent a significant portion of restaurant expenses. Parking-lot lighting, cooking appliances, ventilation systems, other utility expenses can add up. These are very real costs that impact the profitability of a restaurant. McDonalds can invest in new equipment (which might be costly but beneficial in the long run), maintenance practices and revising some operating procedures. â€Å"Some cost-cutting strategies include are, investing in energy-saving equipment, securing long-term energy contracts, joining energy co-ops, controlling lighting schedules more efficiently, tinting windows, contracting with new energy providers, hiring energy consultants and decreasing deliveries, regular cleaning and upkeep of refrigerator coils. Furthermore, a calendar with the recommended maintenance dates for all parts and equipment, including monthly, quarterly and annual checks can be made.† (www.restaurant.org) Quality- Where does McDonalds stand in terms of is service? Not as good as it used to be. Probably the meals are okay, but what about the employees serving the customers the overall experience which the customers go through? ? Surprise quality checks: For sure, all McDonalds restaurants already go through periodic inspections in terms of quality checks, but they can have more surprise checks if the store fails to pass the inspection the second time, the corporate can take over the store and bring in better employees to ensure that the proper processes and equipment are being used properly. ? Improve the training process taking care of employees: McDonalds can include online e-learning tools for its restaurant staff. In addition to this, it should make sure that the needs of its staff are met they are given recognition for good performance. Once this is done, automatically they will be happy to do their jobs of course happy employees will lead to a better service eventually happy customers! Dependability- How can McDonalds make its processes more reliable? ? If McDonalds opts for dual line layouts a reliable system like Delphi order confirmation system (mentioned on pages 2 3,) then without any doubt its customers can rely on its operations. They will be sure that their meals will always be ready within a specified time without any errors they’ll be able to get out quickly with the dual line layout. Flexibility- Can McDonalds adjust its processes to meet customer requirements? ? Multiple trained staff: McDonalds can have a multiple trained staff in order to be flexible. Again, this will cost money but be beneficial in the long run. ? Ordering on a toll free number: McDonalds can give their customers the option to place their order by calling on a toll free number giving them a unique order number so that their meals are ready when they come to pick them up. The drawback is that an employee will have to be specially delegated to take the orders when customers call! Answer b) â€Å"A transformation process is any activity or group of activities that takes one or more inputs, transforms and adds value to them, and provides outputs for customers. Where the inputs are raw materials, it is relatively easy to identify the transformation involved, as when milk is transformed into cheese and butter.† (openlearn.open.ac.uk) Where the inputs are information/people, the nature of the transformation may be less obvious. For example, a hospital transforms ill patients (the input) into healthy patients (the output). Figure 1: The transformation model Source: (openlearn.open.ac.uk) The transformation model of a McDonald’s drive-thru process will look something like this: Feedback Figure 2: Transformation model of McDonalds drive-thru A customer enters the drive-through in his/her vehicle along a path and stops at a sign/menu-board that contains a menu. The customer is prompted by an order-taker to order his/her’s desired meal. Once the order has been confirmed, the driver proceeds (while his/her meal is prepared packed) toward a drive-through pickup window, in queue behind any previous cars, where the driver submits his/her payment to a window person and then receives his/her food. Some restaurants use a two-window system during busy times, whereby the driver pays at a payment window and receives his food at the pickup window. Figure 3: Drive-thru process shown in pictures Source: (www.google.com) Inputs Output Some inputs are used up in the process of creating goods or services; others play a part in the creation process but are not used up. Three types of resource that may be transformed in operations are: materials – the physical inputs to the process information that is being processed or used in the process customers – the people who are transformed in some way. Many transformation processes produce both goods and services. For example, McDonalds provides a service, but also produces goods such as food and drinks. Transformation processes may result in goods/services (output) that are designed to deliver. Feedback A further component of the transformation model in Figure 1 is the feedback loop. Feedback information is used to control the operations system, by adjusting the inputs and transformation processes that are used to achieve desired outputs. For example, a chef relies on a flow of information from the customer, through the waiter, about the quality of the food. Adverse feedback might lead the chef to change the inputs (for example by buying better quality potatoes) or the transformation process (for example by changing the recipe or the cooking method). Feedback is essential can come from both internal and external sources. Internal sources include testing, evaluation and continuously improving goods and services; external sources include those who supply products or services to end-customers as well as feedback from customers themselves. To sum up, operations performance is an important functional area because it plays a crucial role in determining how well an organization satisfies its customers. Moreover, an understanding of the principles of operations management is important for all organizations, because they provide a systematic way of looking at its processes. Furthermore, the overall transformation process can be further broken down into a series of micro-processes. Attention to processes ‘within’ organizations can provide a powerful tool for understanding organizational performance minimize errors. Bibliography 1. emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do?contentType=ArticlehdAction=lnkhtmlcontentId=851437 2. www.freepatentsonline.com 3. http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=161703 4. http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=161697 5. restaurant.org/news/story.cfm?ID=349 Research Papers on Total Quality Management (TQM) 5 performance objectivesRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Project Managment Office SystemOpen Architechture a white paperIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductDefinition of Export QuotasResearch Process Part One

History The World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

History The World - Essay Example China enjoyed its last golden age under the Ming dynasty, which was characterized by economic, political, and cultural revolutions. Under Zheng’s leadership, the Chinese navy developed tremendously and carried out numerous explorations around the world. This essay explores the different ways in which people experienced their giant Chinese neighbor. The essay also explores reactions towards the Chinese self-contained civilization. Chinese growth and prosperity had significant influence on its neighbors, particularly India and Korea. During the era of imperial China, neighboring people considered China a source of intellect. The height of Chinese inventions in science and technology was realized during the Tang and Song dynasties. The Tang dynasty is considered the most prosperous dynasty in terms of science and technology. Remarkable inventions during the two dynasties can be traced in the fields of agriculture, medicine, marine and transport. Although the Chinese community made the invention for their own interests, most of the inventions trickled down to their neighbors in a variety of ways. Firstly Chinese neighbors experienced Chinese inventions through military conquest. China remained aggressive towards its neighbors throughout the history of the ancient Chinese monarchies. Chinese inventions led to dramatic expansions in its military capabilities, which promoted numerous raids on its weaker neighbors. The concept of Confucianism founded during the Yuan dynasty is also a pillar of Chinese philosophy and intellectual freedom. The concept advocated for individualism and innate morality and, had significant impact on Chinese neighbors. Neo-Confucian social and government structures can be traced among most of the Chinese neighbors such as Japan and Korea. The giant neighbor exerted numerous pressures on the nearby neighbors to a point of creating conflicts. Although

The Role of IMF in providing assistanse to countries to overcome their Assignment

The Role of IMF in providing assistanse to countries to overcome their economic problems - Assignment Example The study aims to explain the procedure based on which IMF contributes towards the development of economic conditions of several countries. Also main functions of the IMF is under consideration. IMF is an international organisation that has been established in the year 1944. The organisation is headquartered in Washington D.C., United States. The organisation has been a significant consideration for developing the global financial condition. After the establishment of IMF, the condition of world economy has dramatically changed. To operate the global financial development, IMF has introduced few improvements in its policies for managing the needs in terms of balance of payment. IMF has been developed with the aim of managing macroeconomic factors and to implement structural policies for every poor, rich and middle-income member nations. In this context, the mission of the organisation has been to monitor and manage economic trend that prevails in the global economy The IMF provides necessary policies, advice and financing to member countries of the organization. IMF is an international organisation that has been dealing with global financial or money market. The function of IMF has been helpful in supporting the member countries of IMF. It enables the availability of resources and develops a fund including general resources for low-income countries. IMF has made a complete contribution towards the development of the global economy. IMF has achieved certain success in providing financial support to the member countries.

External factors of environment affecting organisations

External factors of environment affecting organisations The word environment means the surrounding atmosphere and conditions for existence. It is very important for organisational leaders to know and understand the environment before they start doing business. The external factors of the environment are factors that are not under the control of an organisation. These factors include social environment, political conditions, technological environment, government regulations and policies, accounting agencies like accounting standard board, resources in economy and cultural environment and demographics of people (Finance Discussion Form 2010). The external environment comprises of all the outside factors that may have an impact on the workings of an organisation. The external environment is divided into 2 parts: directly interactive and indirectly interactive. A directly interactive type of environment has an immediate and firsthand impact upon an organisation. An indirectly interactive type of environment has a secondary and more distant impact on an organisation (Global Business Environment online Journal). The category of directly interactive environmental forces includes owners, customers, suppliers, competitors, employees and employee unions (The External Environment online Article). Conversely, the category of indirectly interactive environmental forces includes social-cultural, political and legal, technological, economic and global influences. Indirectly interactive forces may impact one organisation more than another simply because of the nature of a particular business (Global Strategy online Article). External factors that can affect a business are: social factors: how consumer, households and communities behave and their beliefs e.g. changes in attitude towards health or a greater number of pensioners in a population. Legal factors: the way in which legislation in society affects the business e.g. changes in employment laws on working hours. Economic factors: how the economy affects a business in terms of taxation, government spending, general demand, interest rates, exchange rates and European and global economic factors. Political factors: how changes in government policy might affect the business e.g. a decision to subsidise building new houses could be good for local brick works. Technological factors: how the rapid pace of change in production processes and product innovation affect a business. And ethical factors: what is regarded as morally right or wrong for a business to do e.g. trading with countries which have a poor record on human rights would be seen as unethical (External factors that affect retail industry online Article). Knowledge and understanding of the environment is vital for an organisation to know in order to be successful. Outline of the company I have chosen for the purposes of my essay: PRIMARK Primark Stores Limited is an Irish clothing retailer, operating over 200 stores in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium. Within this area of responsibility, Primark stores outnumbered other clothing retailer business, with 161 stores overall distributed in three major regions: 125 in the United Kingdom, 34 in Ireland and 8 in Spain. Primark is known for selling clothes at the budget end of the market. The companys success is based on sourcing supply cheaply, making clothes with simple designs and fabrics, only making them in the most popular sizes, buying stock in huge bulks and varieties and not advertising. The company positions itself as marketing fashionable at cutthroat prices. The original clothing store was established by Arthur Ryan and his collaborator Micaela Mitchell in Dublin Ireland in 1969. After various success in clothing business, great profits and gross income led them to open stores in local and regional areas. It acquired various premises in different business centres within its local and regional areas which eventually generate more profits and income. Hence, these successes brought significant changes on Primarks retail business. The relevance of global trends and consumers demands on lifestyle made Primark Store Limited reinvent its business scheme and management structure (The analysis on the external and internal environment of Primark retailing industry). In the recent years Primark has received many awards for its products including the prestigious Retailer of the Year award for 2 years in a row now (Primark website 2010). Whilst the companys main headquarters are based in Ireland, the chain is a subsidiary of Associated British Foods plc (ABF), and is ultimately controlled by the Weston family through Wittington Investments (Primark Stores Ltd 2010). The analytical framework I have selected for the company The key environmental issue I have chosen for the basis of my analysis of Primark is PESTEL. The term PESTEL stands for Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Environmental Legal. This term has been used regularly in the past 10 years and its true history is difficult to establish. Various other similar acronyms that have also been used include ETPS, STEP, PEST and STEEPLE (PESTLE analysis 2010). I choose the PESTEL analysis tool as it is used by companies for business and strategic planning, marketing planning, business and product development and research reports. Hence, using this tool, companies can gain an understanding of the environment they operate in and take advantage of the opportunities and minimize the possible threats (Market Orientated Strategic Planning 2010). PESTEL analysis is in effect an audit of an organisations environmental influence with the purpose of using this information to guide strategic decision-making. The assumption is that if the organisation is able to audit its current environment and asses potential changes, it will be better placed than its competitors to respond to changes. The PESTEL analysis is said to be a useful tool for understanding the big picture of the environment in which an organisation is operating and for understanding risks associated with market growth or decline, potential and directing for an individual business or organisation. A PESTEL analysis is also used as a generic orientation tool, finding out where an organisation or product is in the context of what is happening outside that will at some point affect what is happening inside an organisation. The six elements form a framework for reviewing a situation, and can also be used to review a strategy or position, direction of a company, a marketing proposition or idea (PEST Analysis is concerned With the Environmental Influences on a Business). Description discussion of PESTEL Political Factors: These refer to government policies such as degree of intervention in the economy. Political decisions can impact on many vital areas for business such as the education of the workforce, the health of the nation and the quality of the infrastructure of the economy such as the road and rail system. This category also includes areas such as tax policy, employment laws, environmental regulations, trade restrictions and reform tariffs and political stability (Oxford University Press. (2007). Economic factors: These refer to what is happening within the economy e.g. economic growth/decline, interest rates, exchange rates, inflation rate, taxation changes, wage rates, working hours, unemployment level, and recently recovered recession and credit crunch. Sociological factors: These refer to the ever changing social trends in the markets, in which the company operates, culture norms, and expectations, health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes, emphasis on safety and global warming. Change in social trends can also impact on the demand for a firms products and the availability and willingness of individuals to work (The Pest or Pestle Analysis). Technological factors: These refer to the fast developing and advancing world of technology. Change in technology can impact the work and dealings of an organisation. New technologies create new processes and procedures. Things that were not possible a couple of years back are now main stream. Online shopping, bar coding and computer aided design are all improvements to the way companies do business now as a result of better technology. Technology can also reduce costs in the long run, improve quality, and lead to innovation. These developments can benefit customers as well as organisations manufacturing the products. Environmental factors: These refer to what is happening with respect to ecological and environmental issues i.e. climate and weather. Changes in the weather can impact on many industries including farming, tourism and insurance. With major climate changes occurring due to global warming and with greater environmental awareness this external factor is becoming a significant issue for firms to consider (PESTEL analysis of the macro-environment). Legal Factors: These refer to the legal environment in which an organisation operates. Changes in legislation may have an impact on employment, access to materials, quotas, resources, imports/exports and taxation. In recent years in the UK there have been many significant legal changes that have affected companies behaviour. The introduction of age discrimination and disability discrimination legislation, an increase in the minimum wage and greater requirements for firms to recycle are example of relatively recent law that affect an organisations work and actions (PESTLE analysis 2010). Applying the PESTEL framework to PRIMARK In assessing the political, social, and economic factors external to the environment of Primark, we must consider different issues. Primarks business operations are subject to government policies and regulations. The business firm should conform to the set of policies and regulations stipulated and enforced by the government and policy making body while conforming to the set of regulations and policies, the firm should assume social responsibility as demanded by the global consciousness. Nowadays, business sectors no longer busied themselves to produce bonds of profits and income but deeply involved in social programs to promote social awareness and equality. Cultural and social behaviours of different consumers are important to consider when establishing or venturing business in the global landscape (The analysis on the external and internal environment of Primark retailing industry). Furthermore, economic, environment, laws, and technology are inseparable entities in which influence the business operations. The economic stability of certain region can contribute allot to the business condition of certain firm, like Primark. Technology on the other hand, brought a tremendous effect to the status and development of business operations and marketing programs. It generates new trends in a rapid movement, which if organizations are unaware will impede growth and development (Pest Analysis 2010). Political factors: Primarks business operations are the aid of government policies and regulation for example providing proper working environment for workers. For dealing with workers and for improving their working conditions, the company is part of the Ethical trading Initiative (ETI). Primarks energy consumption in the UK is sourced against the green power generated and sold into the grid by British sugar (Article on Primark PESTEL ANALYSIS online). However, as different political parties come into power they might change existing policies, laws and regulations so Primark would regularly have to assess its strategies with consideration to the political climate to comply with them e.g. if a law is passed raising the minimum wage rate for employees. The government can also pass a restriction law on import and export trade with other countries due to political circumstances and relations with the trading country. This might also have an impact in Primark if they are getting their merchandise manufactured in that country. Economic Factors: In 2008, Primark opened over 12 stores and has now moved its business to Europe. This shows signs of expansion and success Although Primark has mostly low priced merchandise, an increase in tax and VAT in an unstable economy can have a major affect on its sales making them go down. The only Primark can prepare itself for such a situation is by having update knowledge about the current economic state using the PESTEL analysis tool. The recent global recession and credit crunch left a lot of businesses helpless leading them to bankruptcy as the publics spending power was very low due to the circumstances with also led organisations to let people go increasing unemployment. All these factors could have a great impact on Primarks business. Hence, Primark must constantly assess its strategy with consideration to its PESTEL to ensure safety and protection against such events. Sociological factors: Primark has received several awards for being retailer of the year. It has also won awards for being the best retailer of the year in the United Kingdom. However, social trends nowadays change rapidly. A product that is in demand today might not be so popular tomorrow. Primark needs to keep up to date with all these changes and trends. It must try to accommodate and deliver in respect to the change. Ageing and population level are 2 other factors that can have an impact of Primarks sale as the company mainly targets the young consumers aged between 16 to 35 years of age. Hence, Primark must constantly assess its strategy with consideration to its PESTEL to ensure its social stability and quick ability to deliver. Technological factors: Due to the rapid advancement and development in the technology world things that were not possible a few years ago are now very easy and user. Technology has made a lot of complicated tasks very user friendly. The Internet is one perfect example of this. It is now possible to shop online in the comfort of their home. Primark has a lot of online shoppers on their website and benefits from this technological development. Also in Primarks bid for world class, cutting edge management of its ethical auditing programme, it has signed a deal with BSE management systems for the provision of Entropy Software. The investment in Entropy software is a key part of Primarks ethical trade strategy, allowing all suppliers audits, non-conformances and remedial actions to be managed through the Entropy software platform, with much greater global visibility and management control. Environmental factors: As a result of global warming and the adverse weather conditions in the recent times many companies and organisations are doing their part for the environment. Primark supports this campaign by using recycled paper bags instead of plastic bags. Even consumers are very conscience about these factors in saving the environment and support this. One of Primarks fears can be delayed shipment of goods from other countries due to bad weather conditions. Legal factors: The local laws of a country can have an impact on all the organisations that operate there. If new laws are passed in relation to employment, national minimum wage or health and safety in the workplace then Primark will have to comply will all of them. In order to be up to date with all legislation and accommodate all changes Primark has to have knowledge and understanding of these laws and plan in advance. Hence, Primark must constantly assess its strategy with consideration to its PESTEL to ensure that their employment is fair and safe for its employees. Conclusion Primark can without difficulty diversify, giving its competitors a competitive environment with substantial financial power. Primarks offer to its customer is one of high quality merchandise, value for money, back by Primarks service promise. A strong consumer proposition has been developed by Primark brand and embodied in the line Look Good, Pay Less. I conclude this discussion by mentioning that the UK clothing retail industry is facing high levels of competition between various players but the end result shows that the consumers are most benefitted from it (Article on Primark PESTEL ANALYSIS online). Given this analysis we can say that each organization has its own external and internal problems to handle. The process in which we enable to identify and analyze such problems is by using proper management method of analysis PESTEL or STEEPLE. The importance of these methods is squared to the importance of the business itself. Primark must constantly assess its strategy with consideration to its PESTEL analysis tool. External factors can also to some extent affect its internal and business operation. Hence, these methods are helpful for us to understand and underline the positive and negative factors affecting the external environment of an organization like Primark. Word Count: 2605 Words

Report on Two Software Programs with Business Application

Recommendation Report In this report, you are going to find two software programs with business applications and compare them according to four well-defined criteria. You will then recommend one program over another on the basis of your comparison. Your report will be written to me – assume I’m your boss, we work together in a small company, and I’ve asked you to find the best program for our purposes. The choice of programs is up to you, but you must choose two programs that do roughly the same thing. Don’t choose a tax program and a spreadsheet, for example.You then need to think of the criteria you are going to use to make the comparison. Your choice of criteria is very important. This forms the basis for your comparison; if you don’t choose concrete, specific, and relevant criteria that allow you to make a detailed comparison of the two programs, your comparison is not going to be informative or meaningful. Also, one of the criteria you choose m ust be the cost of the program. This will, obviously, be a very simple point of comparison. Your recommendation report will have three sections: The Introduction will give a short introduction to the two programs you've chosen to discuss – tell us the name of the software, who manufactures it, etc. You are also going to inform me as to the criteria you choose to use to make the comparison, and why you choose those criteria. – The Findings section will compare the two programs according to cost and the three other criteria you’ve chosen. The format you choose for this section is up to you, but the comparison should be easy to process visually. This will be the longest section of your report. The Recommendation In this section you will describe why one of the programs you have discussed in the Findings section is better than the other one. You need to make clear reference to what you’ve discovered in the Findings section in order to fully justify your recom mendation. | Unsatisfactory| Needs Work| Satisfactory| Exemplary| Mark| Introduction| – Introduction absent, or one component absent or completely inadequate. | – Outline of programs too general. – Introduction of four criteria lacks specifics, no justification. -Clear and concise outline of two programs-Clear, concise introduction of four criteria. | – Clear, concise and detailed outline of two programs-Clear, concise and detailed introduction of four criteria. | /10| Findings| -Many details absent or vague. -Criteria make meaningful comparison impossible. -Document is a mess. | -Details are clearly absent or vague. -Criteria are flawed in some way which renders the comparison somewhat ineffective. -Organization detracts from ease of visual processing, parallel form mistakes. – Programs compared with a reasonable amount of detail. – Criteria relatively well-chosen. – Organization does not interfere with visual processing, parallel fo rm used. | – Programs compared fully according to cost and three other criteria. -Criteria are well-chosen and work to fully illuminate the two programs. -Organization allows for ease of visual processing, parallel form used. | /25| Recommenda-tion| – Reasons not clear or detailed, section too short. | – Gives general, somewhat vague reasons why one program was chosen and the other was not. – Gives clear and detailed reasons why one program was chosen and the other was not. | – Gives specific, clear and detailed reasons why one program was chosen and the other was not. | /10| Grammar and Style| – Errors, major and minor, pervasive. – Subheadings not used. | – Two or three major errors. – More than five minor errors. – Subheadings used. | -One or two major errors. – Three to five minor errors. – Subheadings used. | – No major errors. – One or two minor errors. – Subheadings used. | /15|

American Muslims Essay

What is a subculture? In studies of cultural subjects , a subculture is defined as a recognizable or definable group of like-minded individuals within the larger more diverse American culture. American culture itself is famous for its immense diversity and constant expansion. But within this culture many people are of different races and backgrounds forming the various subcultures. Subcultures are most commonly formed on the basis of ethnicity, religion, race, or even class. America has a huge migrant community that includes people from Latin America, South America, Africa and Asia, among many others. People from similar ethnic backgrounds thus tend to form groups for social interaction, based on their common background, and thus on common cultural practices, traditions, and more generally, just a similar lifestyle. People from the same religion form subcultures based on their common beliefs, and thus common religious practices and religious events. Individuals from the same race too often form subcultures based on their similar ancestry. And social class and status tends to form other subcultures, dividing society into the rich and the struggling. Subcultures are often quite different from the dominant culture. Such a subculture is then termed a counterculture. Many scholars also agree that subcultures give a feeling of identity and belonging to the people forming it. Most though believe that subcultures are an expression of going against the dominant culture. They are considered negative because of they do not accept the common diverse culture. Subcultures thus bring like-minded people together. But most importantly, the people forming subcultures feel separated from society, or find it unable to relate to it. Whatever the cause may be, subcultures are considered harmful to society as a whole, creating groups following there own laws, regardless of the dominant or accepted social standards. Subcultures can be identified in the form of characteristic clothing, language, music, style, aesthetics, political views and way of life. American Muslims form a large part of the general American culture, and are up to almost 7 million in number. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the country. American Muslims in fact are a subculture based on religion. The individuals themselves are form different countries like India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Bangladesh, the Middle East, Africa and many others. This particular subculture is quite distinguishable mainly because of the common religious practices. The Mosque or the ‘Masjid’ is the place of worshippers, and the centre were religious prayers, and occasions are held. The Mosque is also often a place of shelter for the poor. But the primary function of the mosque is for prayer. The followers are called to pray five times a day by the ‘Azan. ’ The Muslims also have a month of fasting called ‘Ramadan,’ at the end of which is celebration called ‘Eid. ’ This event is probably the most merry, and active event of the year, when Muslims of all ages greet each other, and wish each other a happy ‘eid. ’ Muslims follow the lunar calendar, where the month begins with sighting the moon. Another tradition is that of an annual sacrifice. On this occasion, a goat, cow or even a camel is sacrificed in the name of god. The sacrifice is carried out after the pilgrimage. The Holy ‘Kaaba’ in the city of Mecca is believed to be the House of God, and this pilgrimage is carried out in the last month of the Islamic calendar. But apart from these basic rituals, most Muslims follow many other subtle religious rules. One of these is related to food. Food is classified as either eatable, and clean, or unclean. Clean food is that which the religion allows, while unclean the one religion does not allow. Pork in particular is considered unclean. In fact, more and more American restaurants are beginning to offer a category of ‘halal’ food; that is, clean food for their Muslim customers. Most importantly, the holy book of the Muslims is the ‘Quran,’ which is a book that has almost all aspects of life. It explains the Islamic laws and rules to be followed. And finally, Muslims believe Prophet Muhammad to be the last prophet of God. The religion in fact is centered on the holy book and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad.