Life Changing Disaster

It was the most terrifying moment of my life, a storm that I will never forget. It came to us as a surprise, in the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep. It was powerful and deadly for many. It changed my life completely when It left me and family with a destroyed home for months. Of course nobody knew what was going to come next and how things will be. It was dark and windy and nobody was awake In the house when I heard a loud bang outside my window.I woke up and saw a tree broken from Its roots lying on the driveway of my neighbors' house. Next thing I know, my mother ran to my room and opened the door. She had woken up from the sound of the tree falling as well. The first thing that came to our minds was to go straight to the basement in case a tornado was coming. My dad checked all the windows and locked all the doors while I and my mom collected water and food to bring to the basement in case we had to stay there for a while.The storm was roughly six or seven hours long during which e heard trees, houses' windows and other things breaking from the strong wind. Finally the storm had passed and we went upstairs to see nothing but broken windows and furniture thrown around the house by the wind. The storm was the most destructive one in the area recorded in nearly a hundred years according to statistics we heard on the news. It had left people without shelter for weeks and even months. Three of my neighbors were killed by the storm, along with hundreds more in the area which it had hit.Nobody knew where it came from or owe it happened to be so powerful but the outcome of it was horrifying. I was only seven years old and already had seen death and destruction. A psychological scar was given to me by the hands of the destructive wind. For months I was afraid of encountering another disaster like that one. I begged my parents to move our bedrooms to the basement Just to be safe. They knew it had a large Impact on my perception of storms and wind overall but chose to let me try and overcome my fear by facing it.The bedrooms stayed where they were but we had to eve out of the house and to a motel for a month while the house was being worked on by my dad and uncle. Even till this day the sound of wind Is more terrifying to me than death Itself. The loud whistling of the wind and the dancing of the trees makes me shiver Like a child. Days pass and people forget about what happened on that dark autumn night. Only the children who lost their parents and the people who lost their spouses still remember the terror. Now I know to always expect the unexpected and try to prepare for the worst so if it comes, I could be ready.Life Changing Disaster By denouncement September 24, 2010 was powerful and deadly for many. It changed my life completely when it left me and It was dark and windy and nobody was awake in the house when I heard a loud bang outside my window. I woke up and saw a tree broken from its roots lying on the large impact on my p erception of storms and wind overall but chose to let me try and Even till this day the sound of wind is more terrifying to me than death itself. The loud whistling of the wind and the dancing of the trees makes me shiver like a child.

The Importance of Education to an Individual

Education involves a solid student/teacher relationship, as well as both student and teacher incorporating imagination into the teaching process. Both student and teacher must work together to reach an understanding of education in the classroom; this enables students to grasp full advantage of the material being taught by the teacher. Knowledge in most cases, allows you to see yourself, and to understand what you can produce. The most important aspect of education is change. Change is basically what education is; you are becoming educated and expanding your mind or in other words changing it. The more educated you become, the more able you are to approach the world, and the better off you are to introduce new thoughts to your society. A key example in demonstrating the teacher/student relationship and education as a whole, is explained by Sheldon Solomon. In Solomon's lecture on education, he discusses critical thinking and aesthetic awareness. Both, form creativity, and creativity equals change. Change, in the sense of altering ideas or approaching concepts from different angles as you become more educated and mature. Creativity allows you to take your ideas in any direction that you wish. When you start your education in elementary school you learn very easy concepts. As you proceed, you build upon early ideas with more advanced concepts. Your intuition increases through education and you have a broader background of facts and information to use. In addition to critical thinking, aesthetic awareness includes a change of your emotions. Deep visions start forming with all the information you have gathered through the years. Visions, in the sense of what the future will bring to one's life and what can be accomplished in the years to come. With these visions, students can determine what they want to do with the rest of their life. In addition, Professor Solomon includes a â€Å"dynamic interaction between active students and active teachers† (Solomon 9/9/99), as one of the five integral parts of a solid education. Students and teachers should work together to decide what and how they will be taught. The role of the professor is to keep the students interested, while the task of the students is to do what is asked of the professor. When students and teachers work together to find an effective and interesting way to learn material, the students don't have any excuse but take full advantage of the education that is being presented to them. To ensure student interest, a re-evaluation of the teaching methods should be reviewed every so often to keep the level of enthusiasm. One of the most important aspects of a person's education is the direction in which it takes you. The course the student wants to take is up to his or her imagination. As Alfred North Whitehead states, â€Å"imagination is not to be divorced from the facts: it is a way of illuminating the facts. It works by eliciting the general principles, which apply to the facts, as they exist, and then by an intellectual survey of alternative possibilities, which are consistent with those principles. In enables men to construct an intellectual vision of a new world, and it preserves the zest of life by the suggestion of satisfying purposes† (Whitehead, 15). Many individuals in my generation have very short attention spans. They can't be fully interested in school, without the freedom to express their own ideas and imagination. I believe that capturing student's interests involves acts of incorporating imagination in the classroom and being encouraged by the teacher. If this happens, students will use their talents to their fullest potentials â€Å"illuminating the facts. † Standard curriculum in schools can incorporate imagination as the key to students understanding boring information that they think they'll never use again in their life. An example of this is teaching mathematics, word for word, right out of the textbook in elementary school. The kids do the work mostly because they are required to do so rather than the desire to learn. If math is taught with objects on tables and a group interaction of the specific lesson is incorporated, a better understanding of the material will occur. These objects are the things that get you to imagine concepts and personal ideas. From an idea, imagination can spark the brain to open up to other possibilities and renditions of their original idea. A personal concept of an idea gives forth a creative personalized understanding. An excellent example of what a teacher should not aspire to is Gradgrind. I disagree with the narrow mind of Gradgrind, in Charles Dickens, â€Å"Hard Times for These Times. Teachers' should constantly doubt the credibility of the content and teaching methods. The idea of giving students a mass quantity of facts is very appealing because it will act in a way similar to an encyclopedia. However, Gradgrind failed to link these facts in an interesting, imaginative way. He was useless to his students and the students were useless to him. The clever point of this piece is the use of satire incorporated into Dickens' writing, clearly implying that the students should be incorporated into the teaching process. In no way, should they feel inferior, or feel like prisoners to the teacher. When a teacher dictates to students, they shut their brains and they become irritated by the teaching process. The teacher must provide encouragement plus interest with his or her students. Students want to accomplish work for themselves but also need the respect from their teachers to feel positive about their learning. When the teacher works at the level of the student it makes both feel equal, and better communication occurs, a friendship develops. Both student and teacher work together to reach this understanding of knowledge. My belief is that both students and teachers absolutely must work together to reach the ideal education. It is my experience that there will always be a disagreement of opinion about what and how students should learn, but in the end, I think that it is the responsibility of the students and their teachers to find this equality. If teachers weren't viewed as the dictators of life but rather education tools, I believe that students would get a little more out of the average education. Most importantly, teachers would be able to see the enjoyment of teaching, and find their jobs more rewarding.

Write an essay about the following questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Write an about the following questions - Essay Example According to naturalists, the world exists naturally. However, this school of thought assumes that the existence of reality is independent of the observers; thus, the observers should categorize and record these observations (Algra 251). Therefore, a well-developed philosophical accounts leading to any reality must be analyzed against the effects to humanity and world’s naturalist. Moreover, the activities of this reasoning must follow well-organized logical standards. The Aristotle’s ethical views may appeal to a rational reality determination of matters of existence of the universe, but acceptable behavior development and attitude confirmation is needed for proper reasoning towards assessing the reality in the world. Thus, only right characters can properly develop assessment of the world and react to such developments in line with creating values and virtues of these characters within the society (Algra 264). Despite of the contribution of philosophers like Aristotle , it is vital to note that reality often exist regardless of human reason and human activities. Regarding these assumptions, Hedonist and Stoic philosophers derived different social and ethical theories that can be used to examine and explain any intended changes in the nature. Hedonism is a philosophical argument that defines happiness as pleasure created by avoidance of pain. However, in the contemporary world, the hedonist views can be understood as allowing an individual to peruse pleasure without analyzing the other effects on such actions (Algra 622). In fact, Epicurus was opposed to the quest of the bacchanalian pleasures especially regarding extreme sensuality. Epicurus argued that such physical pleasures are usually short-lived and follows an equally extreme pain (Algra 634). In this context, one may consider pleasure as pursue of life and avoidance of pain

Hamlet act V Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hamlet act V - Assignment Example Hamlet’s character was more that of a thinker before than a doer but in this scene, Hamlet was a doer in place of a thinker. He had made up his mind to do what was due on him. He likes to know about Claudius as a king through the views of Hamlet. After his asking, Hamlet reports him about everything he has been thinking long ago such as his father’s murder, his mother’s marriage, his kingship and Claudius’s attempt of killing him. Hamlet tells Horatio that he will participate because he wants to uncover Claudius’s person before the people. He has no fright for death. He knows that he can be trapped because of this fight but still, he is ready to fight because he wants to revenge Claudius. Hamlet’s mother dies because of the poisoned drink prepared for Hamlet. Claudius only forbids the queen once to drink but he does not prevent her because of the threat of his being exposed before the people. Moreover, he also thinks that Gertrude is supportive for her son, so, she can be set aside. The play also has recognition. It occurred when Hamlet organized a play in the play, in which, the actors played as to what occurred in originality to Hamlet’s father. Hamlet has this recognition when he gains knowledge about his father’s murder because of Claudius’s running from the

Improving our Enlisted Evaluation Process Essay

Improving our Enlisted Evaluation Process - Essay Example The participants were all employees of Edryn, with no biases or references towards race, gender, or nationality, and were directly surveyed so that no proxies were used. Observations were made from the primary research method only. The survey encompassed a total of fifty descriptive questions explicative of the participants' view on coworkers as a whole, citing relevance towards: 'Teamwork;' 'Measurement;' 'Training;' 'Customer satisfaction;' 'Continuous improvement.' The answer parameters were scaled from 1 to 5, with 1 indicating 'Do not agree at all,' and 5 indicating 'Strongly agree.' The definitive for Teamwork was questions 1-10 on the survey. Teamwork as it correlates to the facility can be holistically described by these parameters, abstracted in order from the survey questions: a developed sense of belonging; harmonious; commitment to team goals; pride; freedom of information; helping one another; knowledge based; total involvement. Teamwork as it correlates to the facility can be holistically described by these parameters, abstracted in order from the survey questions: a developed sense of belonging; harmonious; commitment to team goals; pride; freedom of information; helping one another; knowledge based; total involvement. Teamwork as it correlates to the facility can be holistically described by these parameters, abstracted in order from the survey questions: a developed sense of belonging; harmonious; commitment to team goals; pride; freedom of information; helping one another; knowledge based; total involvement. In regards to measurement, the participants gauging of the establishment were approached with these abstracted concerns, voiced in a positive approach towards both internal and external suppliers: performance standards; systems of measurement; internal performance standards; tracking improvements; awareness of cost and work; quality of product and service; quality of process; potential of improvement; reliance on data for improvement. The answer parameters were scaled from 1 to 5, with 1 indicating 'Do not agree at all,' and 5 indicating 'Strongly agree.' Organizational Improvement Data Analysis Table 1 shows the dispersed quantitative responses of all participants. Table 2: Data Analysis shows the average, median, mode, standard deviation and variance between all test dimensions. The average measures the mean; this is used to describe the intermediate values across the boards. The median defines the midpoint in the series of responses, and the mode is used to note the most commonly occurring value. Standard deviation measures the spread of the test scores; this is used to define the difference average difference in the data set, and is the square root of the variance. Variance measures the dispersion of the test scores as the average squared deviations from the mean. The data analysis uses a 0.05 significance level to gauge the probability of rejection with the sample size and standard deviation to signify the confidence intervals for east dimension. Table 2: Data

Niccolo Machiavelli Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Niccolo Machiavelli - Essay Example He was an active politician in the independent city-state of Florence. After working in the government and diplomatic positions for a while, he was influenced by the Prince of Papal states, Cesare Borgia, under whom Machiavelli hoped to unite Italy. But this dream had to be abandoned when Medici came to power and he was dismissed from office. As an unemployed person, he soon started writing. "The Prince" was written mainly to please the Medicis, but it made him further unpopular with them. His real thoughts were mirrored in Discourses on Livy that explains his complete political philosophy even though the marred legacy of The Prince haunted him beyond the grave. The Prince argues that any kind of ruthless, unethical, immoral ways could be exercised to gain the principality and to rule it with an iron hand effectively and successfully. He disregarded all conventionally moral and accepted ways of attaining and ruling a country in favor of establishing and retaining a powerful authoritarian state, whatever the means could be. He reiterates that the vitality, power, strength, intuition, cleverness of the lone, all-powerful figure of the Prince is the only factor that matters in the administration of any principality. The Discourses on Livy is an impressive review of Roman Republic with transparent admiration for the republican Government. "Here, too, however, ... s one that judges the skill of all participants in terms of the efficacy with which they achieve noble ends" http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/macv.htm Machiavelli's principles could be effectively applied to today's governing of large organizations, sometimes, in these days of globalization, even across the boundaries of nations. In a hypothetical large organization, the distribution and exercise of power is as critical as that of a State. Any organization, as in State, secrecy and confidentiality are absolutely necessary for any action to be effective. Organizations, plagued with informers, whose future actions could be forestalled by competitors, could never be successful. "No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution," Machiavelli from The Art of War, http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96may/machiavelli.html Machivelli talks about a monarchical rule and a powerful ruler at its helm. The policies recommended by him would go a long way in discouraging mass political activism, or democracy. He did not recommend a totally despotic rule, but a benevolent rule with a firm hand, but with considerable individual rights. He also recommended that monarch can use his power in a judicious way without disturbing the private traditional lives of his people, actually keeping in mind that he is responsible for their material prosperity. He was a political thinker and did not think that politics of the state should be governed by moral or religious absolutism, and the ruler, under difficult circumstances, might not be held responsible, even if he takes actions infringing the private rights of citizens, as those actions might be necessary for the state. These principles in a smaller way, apply to organizations. The

Fingerprinting Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fingerprinting Paper - Essay Example terized, the most useful identification systems must not necessarily be biological or biogenic but could also entail systematic tied identities affiliated to ones banking activities, international travel and international communication. These facets have a higher pedigree for our civilization (Jain et al., 1997). In this regard, the most fronted identifications entail vehicle logbooks, residence permits, passport numbers, visas, driving licenses and personal international numbers (PINs). In future, the need to have tied fingerprinting with other more advanced computerized identification credentials will be more meaningful (Lewis, 2001; Hong & Jain, 1998). For instance, the PRADO project launched by the Council of the European Union to register all travel and identity credentials within the region is just an example of databases could aid in better and more meaningful identification and recording on personal activity (Jain, Bolle & Pankanti, 1999). In conclusion, codes like national access codes, personal identification numbers and other secretly encrypted coding systems might be more useful than merely having fingerprint data. Biogenic data that encompass a number of biological descriptions including eye characteristics, blood groups and other hormonal mechanisms will be better options to replace the traditional fingerprinting technologies that might become obsolete with increasing global technological

What Happened to Muses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What Happened to Muses - Essay Example They find the inspiration in something else. Usually these methods to get it are not right and decent: drinking alcohol, using drugs etc. Not very long ago actual women, wives or girl-friends, played a role of Muse for some artists. Today it is not necessary to an artist to have a Muse. In ancient times three Muses were divine creatures and the daughters of Zeus. Their mother, Mnemosyne, was the goddess of memory. Hesiod decided to expand the number of muses, so now we know nine: Clio, Calliope, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Melpomene, Thalia, , Polyhymnia, Urania, Erato. Nine Muses were given different roles later by Romans: Clio was the muse of history, Erato of lyric poetry, Polyhymnia of sacred poetry and so on. Nine muses were considered to be kind, caring creatures. According to Hesiod, they came to the chosen and lucky artist and presented him with their invaluable gifts. At the same time Muses could punish artists and other creatures. We all know how they punished Sirens when they want to compete with them: they made them loose their wings and Sirens fell into the sea. The power of the ancient Muses was transferred to the modern ones. Many modern Muses were mostly strong women with difficult characters and interesting lives. Among them we can define Gala, the Muse of Salvador Dali, Georgia O’Keeffe, the Muse of Alfred Stieglitz, and many other. In the 21st century it is not very easy to find a Muse. Some artists still have Muses, very often they are their own wives, but the relationships between them does not have an element of divinity any more. They are just partners and their relations are the relations between two people, just human beings, usually with equal talent. Women do not limit themselves to the role of Muses any more, they want to create masterpieces themselves. Feminist ideas do not allow to treat women as objects. Muses did not completely disappear, just the idea of them was changed.

Customer Care Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Customer Care - Article Example Management must always ensure that staff members are motivated. The empowerment of employees has been delineated from different perspectives, but generally means the process of making it possible for the employees to have input and control over their roles and responsibilities. It is also the ability of sharing ideas, suggestions about the daily running of the organization. Research proves that employees, who are empowered, are often empowered, conscientious and committed to the performance of the organization. They usually care about the future missions, vision, objectives and long term goals of the firm. The discussion in this paper will focus on the importance of empowering customer service employees. The customer service management is one of the central points that dictate the performance of the company. A repeated business is only possible if the customers are treated well and given reason to do business with the organization again. Some of the importance of empowering customer service employees includes; It is proved that when customer service employees are satisfied, it is likely that they will embrace their job. The satisfaction of the employees will enhance the performance of the staff members, ensure their retention and adopt superb customer skills when handling organizations clients. Satisfied employees will feel that they are part of the organization and that they are important to the daily operations of the company. Satisfactions of the employees will make them feel comfortable and confident in their daily routines. The sense of pride when associating with the organization can be easily sensed. Given that customer service employees are the face of the company, the impression they give to the customers will impact customer-company relationship. Poor services from the team will drive the customers away. Therefore a high retention

Hardware used in my created system Essay Example for Free

Hardware used in my created system Essay The hardware my system will use is a keyboard and mouse for input and it will use a monitor and a printer for output. The actual computer tower itself is obviously required hardware, and includes a hard drive, RAM for process storage, the CPU to run all the processes in the computer and there are other things too. The wage slip is my output product (as well as the leaflet), as it is what I want to get out of my system. The input is the data in the spreadsheet, and the spreadsheet is obviously the store of this data. The process itself is getting the input to the output, and the way we do that is by using mail merge. Mail merge automatically moves the data from where we input it into our wage slip which will be printed, which is our output. Each part of my system needs hardware. The input which is the data requires a keyboard. Storage requires a hard drive, obviously. The process requires a CPU and RAM to function and the output (wage slip) requires a printer monitor. My system can be described as a number of subsystems. The wage slip is a system in itself, having the spreadsheet as input data and storage, the actual mail merge being the process then the wage slip being your output. But deeper down, the spreadsheet alone is a system, with data entered in as input, the cells storing the data. Then the processes are the formulas manipulating the data, finally giving us wage figures as our outputs from the spreadsheet sub-system. The problem with the hardware I am using is that with a keyboard and mouse, lots of errors can be made, even with validation rules. Someone may type a 7 in hours instead of 8 and then that employee would get underpaid. A better system would be to use a card scanner, fingerprint scanner or barcode scanner with recognition of each employees card/fingerprint. A person could scan in when they enter the work place and then rescan back out and then the data of how many hours they had worked could automatically enter into the spreadsheet, therefore making error almost impossible. The problem with this is that there is a larger initial cost for the technology needed over a mouse and keyboard input. There are also completely different systems like using pen and paper The upside of this is that its extremely cheap as no expensive hardware or software is needed. There are many downsides to this system though. First of all, it is very slow, as each wage slip must be written out individually and all calculations have to be done by hand and then written down. Furthermore, lots of errors can be made using pen and paper because the calculations arent as consistent as using some kind of computer. Hand writing may be misread on the calculations and then it could make catastrophic mistakes when copying out the calculation results onto the wage slip. Writing each wage slip out would take so much time that it probably wouldnt even be feasible in this day and age. Automated wage slips overcome this problem Commercial systems are normally very accurate but theyre made for very large scale operations, and so cost a lot of money. Also, our system uses very basic hardware that any computer will have, and can be adapted to the users needs.

Corporate Strategy For Kingfisher Plc

Corporate Strategy For Kingfisher Plc This paper shall discuss about the financial management of Kingfisher Plc. This report shall include the background information of the organization which will tackle the brief history of the organizations formation and development, its mission statement, and its organizational values. The major stakeholders shall also be examined and their powers and function shall be evaluated as well. An environmental analysis of the organization shall also be conducted. The company shall also be appraised by means of a SWOT analysis. Finally, the organizations strategy shall be identified and evaluated. History of Kingfisher Plc The origins of the company can be traced back in the year 1982 when FW Woolworth was acquired by Paternoster. This deal came with a small chain of home improvement stores. This was the start of the creation of Europes biggest retail company. In 1984, the company bought the chains of Cornet electrical and the health and beauty stores of Superdrug in 1987. During the 1990s, the companys BQ continued its expansion when it opened its Warehouse style stores in the year 1994. On the year 1998, BQ merged with Frances leading home improvement retail store, Castorama. The following year, BQ opened its first store in China. The decade also marked other acquisitions such as Screwfix. The year 2000, the organization has decided on focusing its expansion on its home improvement stores. Woolsworth was demerged and Superdrug was sold towards the end of the year. On the year 2002, the remaining stakes at Castorama was acquired in order to continuously develop the home improvement chains in Europe. The organization has focused in expanding internationally such as creating new businesses in Turkey, Spain and Russia. Core businesses were also developed in the United Kingdom, France and Poland. Towards the end of the decade, the organization has a total of 830 stores and eight markets across Europe and Asia. The organizations mission statement is delivering more value for the shareholders of Kingfisher by focusing on three key priorities namely: management; capital and returns. SCC is geared towards providing an environment that encourages and gives merit to team efforts. They are committed in having consultative and participative management instead of directive management. They also encourage appropriate authority delegation and decision making on the lowest possible member of the organization. Collective effort and teamwork is being insisted. It is Kingfishers belief that a rich network of communication which is informal and open can lead into greater trust, learning and innovation. Kingfisher supports the concept of attractive compensation to a great performance. Kingfisher cultivates a set of beliefs that are shared within the organization wherein all policies and actions are based. It is believed that success is the goal for each effort and that determination in improving and innovating are constant challenges and stimuli. It is also believed that integrity, objectivity and fair play in business as well as in relationships with staff are very important. Mutual trust and respect are also very vital culture being practiced. Work in the company is perceived as enjoyable. Finally, Kingfisher believes with the perpetuity of its organization. Organizational Values The organization aims in achieving sufficient profit so that it can provide very attractive returns to is shareholders as well as financing the companys growth. For the company, profit is the organizations reward for their effort in offering the consumers the right kinds of products and services. For the long term, profit is the one absolute measure of their corporate performance. It is the organizations belief that in continually meeting their profit objective, other corporate objectives shall follow as well. Kingfisher believes that as a company is their duty in providing clients with quality products and services. The organization values that customers shall always come first. The customers interest should be the companys interest as well, and this should provide them with a long-term partnership with one another. The organization is committed in earning a preferred position with each of their clients by offering a consistently highest quality and reliability of service. Kingfisher ensures that they products always represent the best value for money. It is Kingfisher strategy in exerting its efforts only to those markets, industries and products wherein the organization can excel. Kingfisher believes in providing its people an environment wherein they can excel, develop and have growth in the company. Kingfisher considers its human resources as its most important asset. It aims in attracting people, developing them and retaining those with the highest foundations of character and competence. It does its best in providing training and opportunity to the people for development in improving themselves so that they could expand in their career opportunities. It is expected that their manpower will be full of initiative and drive and is eager in staying and growing with Kingfisher. It ensures that the people of Kingfisher get the recognition they deserve and that the people should be grateful with their accomplishments and that the company has its best choice with them. Examination of Major Stakeholders Stockholders elect the members of the board and they represent the stockholders interests in the company. Board members are at the apex of the decision making body of Kingfisher. They ensure that corporate strategies are met and are all in the interest of the stockholders. They can also do sanctions such as voting against nominees for the board of directors. Further, the board of directors has the authority in hiring, firing and compensating corporate employees. Authorities are centralized at Kingfisher. The managers in the organizations upper levels have retained the authority in making decisions. Decision making that is centralized is easier to coordinate with regards to organizational activities in order to carry out the strategy of the company. This also means that the organizations decisions are fit with the organizations objectives. In times of crisis, this decision making gives strong leadership that is focusing with one person or group. It allows a faster decision making process and a concerted response throughout the organization. Kingfisher clusters its people through groups of common expertise and experiences. This is called Functional Structure which has several advantages. First, the employees perform together and from this they can learn from each other. Employees become more productive on something that they do. Second, employees can monitor on their tasks and make sure that they are giving their best and do not let their responsibilities shrink. The result of this is that the work process becomes more effective. Most of all, the Functional Structure gives the manager a greater control of the activities within the organization. Environmental Analysis Five Forces Model and PESTLE Analysis According to Michael Porter (2009), there are five competitive forces that shape strategy. These are the established rivals; supplier power; customer power; new entrants; and the substitutes. According to Porter, customers dictate to lower the prices by playing the organization and its rival against one another. Suppliers on the other hand can hinder an organizations profit if they charge higher prices. The aspiring new entrants are armed with much newer capacities and are hungry for a share in the market can ratchet your investment in keeping Kingfisher in the market. The offered substitutes can just drive customers away. Porter has suggested tactics designed in reshaping these forces for your organizations favor. In neutralizing the power of the supplier, specifications of your organizations should be standardized so that shifting to other vendors can be easy. Customer power can be countered by expanding the organizations services so that it will be hard for the customers to leave. In tempering wars established by rivals, organizations should invest heavily with products that are different with that of the rivals. New entrants can be scared away by elevating your organizations fixed costs like increasing your organizations research and development. Threats brought about by the substitutes can be limited by offering products with greater value. Figure 1 is the PESTEL analysis for the organization of Kingfisher. Political factors such as regulations and politicians often affect an organizations strategy. This is the same as the legislative factors which includes legislation from the European Union and directives from the United Kingdom. Fortunately over almost twenty years in the business Kingfisher is able to adapt through these changes in policy. Economic trends which include world trends as well as that of the United Kingdom and homebuilding industry also affected the strategies of Kingfisher. But through the means of effective planning and execution of strategies, it was able to address the ever changing trends of these factors. Technology has always been a factor in advancements. Kingfisher was able to meet the demands of this fast paced factor. It was able to deliver a more effective service and product to its consumers. Social factors that is very important. Based on the strategies of the company their relationships w ith its stakeholders are of utmost importance. Activities in promoting and practicing corporate social responsibility were ensured to be given top priority. Finally, the environmental factors such as public opinion, cost implications and sites and locations were ensured that adherence to guidelines were followed. SWOT Analysis Kingfishers greatest advantage is its very adept experience in its line of business. Through extensive research and continuous development, it is able to produce top of the line products. With an over 100 operations all over the globe, it has a great marketing advantage over its competitors. Its greatest advantage is its workforce. Kingfisher ensures that the manpower it appoints has the advantage in handling its operations both culturally and technically. Kingfishers most valuable capability is its ability to produce great products and its marketing expertise all over the world. It is best that they would continue to do research for the continual improvement of its products towards customer satisfaction worldwide. Threats to the organizations operations are small homebuilding businesses especially in the local scenarios. These businesses would often offer cheaper prices and its managements are often run by locals that are undeniably more knowledgeable of the local market. Since the firms strength is its efficient product and very capable marketing ability, it is better to continue developing its products to address the ever changing needs of homebuilding industry. The only weakness that can be derived on this case study, based on the facts given, is its inability to train people for future succession plans. The threats are the local competitors in China which in all factors, know the Chinese market very well than anyone. It is with this given threat, that opportunities such as training more competent employees that are culturally and technologically adept should be considered. Evaluation of Organizations Strategy The article of Sveiby focuses on the very little development of strategy in firms that are not in the manufacturing industry. It also emphasised on the notion that strategies were juts formed and developed for the manufacturing industry. It was imposed on this article regarding knowledge intensive companies those in the service industry. This sector is a phenomenon of all types of companies that range from organizations that took the effort in refining and packaging their outputs. Knowledge industries are the ones in the service sector. Heavy investment in knowledge and highly innovative. An ongoing process of solving the problems of the customers by the producers is the emergence of service. Roos, G. R. (1997) came to the conclusion that standardized service or package was only appropriate on a short term base. The provider of the service is an expert while the customers want their problems to be solved by the expertise of the provider. It is therefore fitting that the knowledge in dustries know how to treat their clients as individuals. According to Morton (2010), when strategy and strategic planning is defined, it should always include as taking all the proactive approaches in evaluating all activities basing it in how well the activity moves towards the core goal of the business. More specifically, strategies are the plans for reaching a business objectives and goals. The concept of shaping strategies was discussed by John Hagel in his article Shaping Strategies. According to Hagel (2008), shaping strategies are strategies that use positive incentives in mobilizing and focusing thousand of participants to shape a specific desired industry or market. The elements that come together in this strategy are the compelling shaping view in providing focus for the participants of investments, a very power platform that will shape the economic leverage of the participants, and the shapers sets of acts and assets in communicating conviction and capabilities to potential participants. Hagel (2010) believes that shaping strate gies hold a great promise in the business world as business executives hold a greater freedom in shaping their target markets and industries during these times of high uncertainty and rapid change. For the case of the Kingfishers organization, its strategy is on focus strategy. Over the years it has developed new products engaged in businesses, merged with other companies and many other business ventures. All of these decisions are focused on what they do best to provide the consuming public with the best home improvement products and services that they can give.

The Glass House :: essays research papers

Divorce is becoming more acceptable and normal. This is a problem and divorce should be decreased. All couples should be required to attend marriage counseliong before they are married. Couples attending marriage counseling could decrease this problem. Divorce then may stop becoming such a problem, and only happen when absolutely necessary after other steps have been taken and failed. Divorce means different things to different people, It can be defined as spousal separations, parental separation, or even separated families. Many different things can cause divorce. Some of theses causes may be financial issues, religious beliefs, sexual issues, educationl background, or even bad habits. Theses are just a few causes and definitions of divorce. Divorce affects all different types of people in different way. It can occur in any family, no matter what the background is. When divorce does occur, it effects everyone involved. Children are torn between parents, They often grow up with unresolved issues and tension toward their parents. Many children of divorced parents grow up thinking that divorce is acceptable and use it asa way out of any marital problems. Spouse are also affected by divorce. Some become vert depressed, and others may even try to kill themselves. Many spouses are shocked when a divorce is finalized and they do no tknow how to go on without the other "half". It is almost like a devastated spouse is in mourning. On the other side the spouse that asked for the divorce also may feel heartache. Yet relief comes in knowing that he or she will not have to put up with the othe spouse. This person may still remeber those happy times the couple had, but he or she has gained some freedom. Some people do praise divorce and would completely disagree with this discussion. They are the one that make a living off of divorce. These people have industrialized divorce. So, of course, those people that make their living off divorce see nothing wrong with two kids bouncing between parents and even a ex husband trying to kill himself after twety years of marriage. Those that agree with divorce want it to become normal. They are the people that want it to be used as a way to end all marital disagrements.

Is Tax Money Being Properly Spent? Essay -- Education

In 1850, Frederic Bastiat published an essay entitled â€Å"The Law.† Bastiat wrote, â€Å"It is not because men have made laws, that personality, liberty, and property exist. On the contrary, it is because personality, liberty, and property exist beforehand, that men make laws† (2). Humans construct government so that these governments can write laws designed to protect the body, mind, and property of the individual, but as society has developed, these laws have been bent and twisted, ultimately taking away the individual’s rights. In the United States, the Bill of Rights protects our civil freedoms, but it too has been interpreted in favor of an individual’s case since the day it was written. The fourth amendment to the United States Constitution says that â€Å"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon prob able cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized† (Bill of Rights). This amendment also applies to the bodily fluids of a person, which should not be seized unless the official requesting them has a warrant that is based upon a factual reason to believe the examination of the person’s fluids would reveal the presence of an illegal substance. In the modern world of athletics, performance enhancers have become increasingly popular, as well as increasingly dangerous. In order to stop the abuse of performance enhancers, a practice parallel to cheating, the bodies regulating collegiate and professional sports have instilled policies that demand that athletes be tested for performance enhancers. Before the 1980... ...esting (Encyclopedia of Everyday Law) - ENotes.com." ENotes – Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. How Long Do Drugs Stay In Your System - Drug Detection Times - Drug Detection Window. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. Frequently Asked Questions About Drug Testing in Schools | National Institute on Drug Abuse." Home | National Institute on Drug Abuse. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. Bastiat, Frà ©dà ©ric. The Law. Irvington-on-Hudson, NY: Foundation for Economic Education, 1950. Print. â€Å"Effectiveness of Student Drug Testing." Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Home Page, a Part of the U.S. Department of Education. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. "Funding Status -- Demonstration Grants for Student Drug Testing." 302 Found. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. "The Athlete." Drug Testing, In Sports. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. "Drug Testing and Ethics." Santa Clara University. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka Essay -- Lion Jewel Soyinka Ess

The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka The three main characters in ‘The Lion and the Jewel’ are called Sidi, Lakunle and Baroka the Bale. Each character has different thoughts about one another and each views the society in a different way. This essay introduces and describes each character and analyses their role in the play. Sidi ==== Sidi is the first character that the audience meets. She is a very attractive woman, known as the village ‘belle’. Her attractiveness influences her personality, by making her quite vain. An example of her vanity is when she receives photos through of her that featured in a global magazine, taken by a western man. The photographs, also affect Sidi’s perception of Baroka, by making her believe that she is a better person, judging by the picture size difference in the magazine. Sidi is heavily influenced by tradition, which is outlined more than once throughout the play. The opening scene shows how Lakunle offers to carry Sidi’s load. Sidi refuses, because it is traditionally the woman that carries the load and if other people saw, then Sidi is afraid that people may start to shun or mock her. The relationship between Lakunle and Sidi is clarified when Sidi asks for a Bride Price. Lakunle is reluctant to give her money and insists that she take his token of love and loyalty instead. Due to Sidi’s heavy belief in tradition, she has to decline his offer and demand the bride money. If she accepts his offer, then her value and status in the village can potentially be diminished. Sidi tries to be quite intelligent by making remarks that counter act another persons. However, Baroka and Sadiku trick Sidi into marrying Baroka and becoming his youngest wife. Even Sidi’s... ...n any way (this is true in Sidi’s case). Baroka is an intelligent man and can use his words to fool people. Much like the railway track story and Sidi’s case. Baroka uses more words/ psychological flirting moves, rather than active moves. In the play Sidi comes to Baroka because of the news given to her by Sadiku, note that Baroka does not physically seduce her. He is able to analyse Sidi and her thoughts and then produce an effective seducing tactic. These 3 characters all have similarities and differences. Once we find out these differences, it is easier to see why the characters react in the way that they do. We are able to see why Lakunle is an outsider, why Sidi does not like one aspect of Lakunle, and how the Bale finally seduces Sidi. The Lion gets the Jewel and the outsider is left standing there watching for other women ready to go for the bait.

What Are the Benefits for Foreign Firms to Cross List in the Us Markets?

What are the benefits for foreign firms to cross list in the US markets? Do the benefits remain after the SOX? Do you think the benefits would remain unchanged after the worldwide adoption of IFRS? Foreign companies are always looking for a new country to plant a flag and expand their global market place. One of the ways that they do this in the business world is through a process called cross listing. This practice allows a company owned and operated in Country A to list their company in Country B’ s financial trading exchange.Some have argued that introduction of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and the ongoing plans of convergence between US GAAP and IFRS have decreased the need for cross listing. While there is a difference of opinion as to whether or not the practice is still beneficial is this day an age; I tend to believe that even if the benefits are not as robust as they once were they are worth the investment Cross listing is when a corporation â€Å"lists its equity shares on one or more foreign stock exchange in addition to its domestic exchange. (Wikipedia, 2013) The practice became very popular in the in 80’s and hit its peak in the 1990’s. Research has uncovered a number of benefits and reasons for cross listing. Three models were established to show the benefits of cross listing. They are the market segmentation / investor recognition model, the liquidity model, and the shareholder protection / legal bonding model. (Weisbach, Reese, 2002) When it comes to discussing the benefits of cross listing in the United States. Some of the benefits are as follows: The first is that it will increase the visibility of company in a global scale. Zhu, Small, 2007) Changing the visibility of a company from national to global offers a company a larger audience who may not have been familiar with a company in the past. Second, companies can gain access to liquid markets. (Zhu, Small, 2007) A foreign company in a developing country may not have enough li quidity in its surrounding area for the purposes of investment and growth. Leaning on developed countries with large financial exchanges is a way to tap into those economic resources that issuers are trying to find. Third, is to show that the company is strong. Zhu, Small, 2007) In a competitive industry such as the earning management and the stock market, investors are looking for strong companies to give their money to. It is up to the foreign firms to establish themselves. In some cases an audience with financial analyst that can tout the benefits of investing in your company is a way of building international credibility with the investment world. Finally, cross listing is done in order to follow tougher requirements. This can show that a company is â€Å"for real† and worth a look because they are willing to cross list in a country with tough exchange requirements. Zhu, Small, 2007) The overall benefits of cross listing can be summed up in a few words: global exposure th at leads to international investments from multiple countries that will fuel growth opportunities. There are critics that say that SOX has affected cross listing negatively due to its strict and stringent rules. In some cases, these are so different from a foreign companies â€Å"home† accounting policies that it makes it almost impossible or the firm to comply. Congress has made it clear that â€Å"U. S. nvestors are entitled to †¦protection regardless of†¦issuer† (Zhu, Small, 2012) SOX was established to protect investors from fraud by companies when they are reporting their performance to the SEC and regardless of cost the U. S. should stand behind those principles and try to keep companies â€Å"honest†. In my opinion the same benefits that cross listings had before SOX still exist; the willingness of companies to comply with SOX and reap the benefits of cross listing. Once the convergence between US GAAP and IFRS is complete I still see a benefit to cross listing.However, by sheer transition to IFRS a company would lose the benefit of stricter exchange requirements. The move would require changes to legal and financial interpretations of accounting standards. However, the true consequences of this move to a global standard could not be determined until the framework of these standards was complete and implementation has taken place with U. S. and foreign firms. In closing, I consider cross listing a beneficial practice for foreign firms. I agree that we are living in an Internet world where I can invest in German company with a few clicks of a mouse.I also agree that we are heading towards a global accounting standard that will level the playing for all companies of all sizes in all countries. However, the benefit of cross listing that I see never going away is the visibility. Having a tangible presence in developed countries is key to growth. Having a presence in developing countries is a stepping-stone to bigger growth opp ortunities in the future. Bibliography â€Å"Cross Listing. † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Jan. 2013. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. Dobbs, Richard, and Marc Goedhart. Why Cross-listing Shares Doesn't Create Value. † McKinsey Quarterly Autumn 2008 29 (2008): n. pag. Print. Reese, William, Jr. , and Michael Weisbach. â€Å"Protection of Minority Shareholder Interests, Cross-listings in the United States, and Subsequent Equity Offerings. † NBER. Journal of Financial Economics, 2002. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. Zhu, Hong, and Ken Small. â€Å"Has Sarbanes-Oxley Led to a Chilling in the U. S. Cross-Listing Market. † Has Sarbanes-Oxley Led to a Chilling in the U. S. Cross-Listing Market. The CPA Journal, Mar. 2007. Web. 20 Jan. 2013.

Applied Performance Practices Study Guide

APPLIED PERFORMANCE PRACTICES * FINANCIAL REWARD PRACTICES >Financial Rewards- the most fundamental applied performance practice in organizational settings. >Pay has multiple meanings * Symbol of success * Reinforcer and motivator * Reflection of performance * Can reduce anxiety >Meaning of money varies * Higher value to men than women * Cultural values influence the meaning and value of money TYPES OF REWARDS IN THE WORKPLACE * Membership and Seniority * Job Status * Competencies * Performance 1. Membership- and Seniority- Based Rewards * Fixed wages, seniority increases. * (Sometimes called â€Å"pay for pulse†) represent the largest part of most paychecks. Sample Rewards: * Fixed pay * Most employee benefits * Paid time off Advantages: * May attract applicants * Minimizes stress of insecurity * Reduces turnover Disadvantages: * Doesn’t directly motivate performance * May discourages poor performers from leaving * Golden handcuffs may undermine performance 2. ) Job St atus-Based Rewards * Includes job evaluation and status perks. Job evaluation –systematically evaluating the worth of jobs within an organization by measuring their required skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions. * Maintain feelings of equity (people in higher-valued jobs should get higher pay) and motivate employees to compete for promotion. Sample rewards: * Promotion-based pay increase * Status-based benefits Advantages: * Tries to maintain pay equity * Minimizes pay discrimination * Motivates employees to compete for promotion Disadvantages: Encourages hierarchy which may increase costs and reduce responsiveness * Reinforces status differences * Motivates job competition and exaggerated job worth. 3. ) Competencies-Based Rewards * Pay increases with competencies acquired and demonstrated * Employees now receive pay increases within each pay band partly based on how well they have acquired new knowledge and skills. * Skill-based pay-is a variation of compet ency-based rewards in which employees are rewarded for the number of skill modules mastered and consequently the number of jobs they can perform.Sample Rewards: * Pay income based on competency * Skill-based pay Advantages: * Improve workforce flexibility * Tends to improve quality * Consistent with employability Disadvantages: * Subjective measurement of competency * Skill-based pay plans are expensive 4. ) Performance-Based Rewards Here are some of the most popular individual, team and organizational performance-based rewards: * Individual Rewards * Bonuses- many employees receive individual bonuses for accomplishing a specific task or exceeding annual performance goals. Commissions- real estate agents and other salespeople typically earn commissions in which their pay increases with sales volume. * Piece rate systems reward employees based on the number of units produced. * Team Rewards * Bonuses- employees earn a bonus based on how well their store meets or exceeds specific fina ncial goals. * Gainsharing Plans- a reward system in which team members earn bonuses for reducing costs and increasing labor efficiency in their work process. * Organizational Rewards Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) – a reward system that encourages employees to buy stock in the company. * Stock Options- a reward system that gives employees the right to purchase company stock at a future date at a predetermined price. * Profit-sharing Plans- a reward system that pays bonuses to employees based on the previous year’s level of corporate profits. * Balanced Scorecard (BSC) – a reward system that pays bonuses for improved results on a composite of financial, customer, internal process and employee factors.

Employee Resistance to Change Essay

Contemporary business dynamics are pressuring organisations to change and adapt effective strategies to operate and remain competitive within this competitive environment. As a result, organisations are responding by embracing change as part of the transformation and strategising process (Pieterse, Caniels & Homan, 2012, p. 799). However, when changes in the organisations occur, employees are likely to resist such changes (Zwick,  2002, p. 542). According to Bovey and Hede (2001, p. 372) when people are confronted with major organisational changes, they are likely to go through a reaction process because change involves moving from known to unknown. Employee resistance to change occurs when managers adopt top-down change process, forgetting that employees are important part of the change process; employee inclusion and motivation is crucial and inevitable. This paper is conducted to explore the main problem of employee resistance to change and motivating factors that lead to employ ee resistance. This essay will also propose recommendation of appropriate solutions to this problem. Organisations in the 21st century have to strategise and establish effective competitiveness by undertaking transformational change initiatives. Transformational change requires organisations to make radical modifications to their business models as part of dealing with contemporary uncertain business environment as well as repositioning effectively in the wider business environment (Pieterse, Caniels & Homan, 2012, pp. 799-800). Organisational managers would want to lead relatively smooth and productive change initiatives as part of their responsibilities of managing organisations appropriately. However, when changes do occur, Manuela & Clara (2003, p. 148) has established that employees are likely to resist the changes. Resistance has to  be viewed as a natural process that is bound to happen and should be expected to any change process. Resistance to organisational change manifests in several ways. According to Bovey and Hede (2001, p. 540) major ways in which resistance to change occurs include employees having grievances, level of turnover increasing, efficiency declining, output decreasing, and aggression to management increasing. Many organisations desire to undertake changes that transform and positively impact their organisation, although this does not happen in many cases. According to Pieterse, Caniels and Homan (2012, p. 798) change is becoming a common element of organisational life. Balogun and Hailey (2008) point out that organisation that are keen to remain competitive are those that are continuing to adapt to changing business environment. However, even when this is the case, Grant and Marshak (2011, p. 204) have argued that effective organisational changes are unlikely to be experienced by an organisation when they are initiated. In an earlier research that was carried out by Hughes (2011, p. 451) it was argued that 70% of change programmes that organisations undertake fail to achieve their intended outcomes or purposes. At the same time, Schraeder (2004, p. 340) found out that 34% of organisations that undertake organisational changes are likely to achieve positive results, meaning that 66% of organisations are bound to fail in their change initiatives. As a result, Zwick (2002, p. 542) has noted that implementing change programmes in organisations that realise positive outcomes remain problematic for many organisations in the 21st century. Ayodeji & Oyesola (2011, p. 235) have postulated that organisational change is a dynamic process, which when taken poorly contribute to employee resistance to it, and eventually leads to failure of the whole process. Employees resist changes when they occur in the organisations for several reasons. Many organisations when they introduce changes are likely to stick to the ‘top-down organisational change’ process (Awasthy, Chandrasekaran & Gupta, 2011, pp. 43-45). Top-down change process provides prescription that  has only been developed by top managers and given to lower cadre employees down the ranks to consume without their input. According to Bovey & Hede (2001, p. 540) resistance occurs at the individual level, where employees are motivated by psychological factors to change that include resentment, frustration, low motivation and morale, fear, and feelings of failure. At the same time, earlier publication by Yilmaz & Kilicoglu (2013, pp. 17-18) identified four factors that motivate employees to resist changes in the organisation: employees focusing on self- interests as opposed to those of the organisation, having inadequate understanding of change and its implications, having conviction that change lacks sense for the organisation, and employees having low tolerance. In addition, employees resist change, which according to Martin, Jones & Callan (2005, pp. 265-268) is as a result of developing selective negative perception to the process, having habit of not tolerating change, viewing change as inconveniencing or loss of freedom, fear of economic implications from the process, fear of unknown, and remembering past bad experiences with change process. Organisations can address employee resistance to organisational change by implementing three categories of recommendations based on the Kurt Lewin Change Model. Lewin’s model is also known as ‘Unfreeze-change-refreeze’ approach, where any change process in the organisation should be embraced after having thorough understanding of the process and adequate motivation for those affected has to be facilitated (Brisson-Banks, 2010, p. 244). The first stage of change involves unfreezing, which should involve  organisations making adequate preparations in order for anticipated changes to be accepted. This is a stage where status quo impeding change process should be diluted and broken successfully. During the unfreezing, it is important for organisation to undertake several measures aimed at reducing resistance: have clear picture of what should be changed, research to establish current state of the organisation, have clear understanding of what change should be pursued, and generate adequate support from the management for the process (Brisson-Banks, 2010, p. 244). At the same time, management should create need and desire for change in the organisation by creating an attractive and motivating message about the importance of change for the organisation and communicating it to employees, developing a vision and mission that employees are able to buy into, increasing communication among affected employees, and re-emphasising to employees the importance of change (Smith, 2005, p. 410). Another important step is for management team to understand doubts and concerns that employees are manifesting and be in a position to address and respond to them appropriately. The second stage involves an organisation undertaking and implementing change process while working and diluting all sources that may breed resistance to the process. Change becomes successful when communication and sharing of information takes place frequently (Weber & Weber, 2001, pp. 291-292). Communication is well planned and implemented as part of the change process. At the same time, management should from time to time communicate to employees benefits that are bound to come from implementing change programmes. In this case, it is recommended that management should clearly  explain exact benefits that will occur and how the whole process will affect employees (Burnes, 2004, p. 313). Furthermore, greater effort should be directed towards preparing employees who are affected by the process. The idea should be to introduce change programmes on gradual process, and fostering monitoring, while communicating and sharing information by all stakeholders involved. Consequently, management should work to dispel suspicion, misunderstanding, and fear among employees that compound the process (Wim, 2005, pp. 129-130. This should be achieved through providing timely, open, and honest answers to all concerns by employees, dealing with emerging problems immediately, and developing a positive change picture in the minds of employees (Weber & Weber, 2001, pp. 291-292). More importantly, organisations can foster less resistance to change process when they empower employees by increasing opportunities to enable employees participate in the process, providing proper direction to employees, and enhancing employee engagement in the process (Denise, Rodney & Schmaltz, 2003, p. 317). Additionally, employees should be involved in each stage of change process, develop sense of owning the process, and feeling to participate in the process adequately while their needs are addressed effectively. The last stage of the change process involves refreezing, where effort should be enhanced to ensure changes taking place are being anchored in the culture and employees being motivated to sustain them in their daily activities. In this stage, management of the organisation should ensure employees have greater roles to play in ensuring change process generates long-term benefits (Brisson-Banks, 2010, p. 245). This should involve providing necessary support to employees such as re-training them to acquire new  skills to engage more in the change process. At the same time, effective and adequate participative leadership should be provided to help employees see greater benefits of the change process (Brisson-Banks, 2010, pp. 245-248). In addition, management should create an inclusive reward system to motivate employees and recognise their positive contribution to the change process. Also, effective feedback systems that respect employees should be created to use in monitoring and evaluating the whole process of change in the organisation (Barratt-Pugh, Bahn & Gakere, 2013, p. 752). Besides, information sharing and support for employees should be enhanced and employees should be adequately motivated to a level they feel to be part and parcel of the process, they own it, and their needs are respected and protected (Barratt-Pugh, Bahn & Gakere, 2013, p.756 ). These recommendations aim to ensure employee resistance to organisation change is diluted and where necessary minimised. In conclusion employee resistance to change is a common phenomenon for organisations aiming to transform and change. Resistance to change is motivated by numerous factors within and outside organisation. Employee resist changes in most cases when changes being introduced have a top-down approach that exclude and isolate employees. Employee resistance to change has diverse outcomes, which means that when resistance to any change process occurs, it is important for the management to find appropriate ways to approach the problem. This paper is conducted to analyse and discuss employee resistance to change as a problem and proposed recommendations to address the problem when it occurs. Reference List Awasthy, R., Chandrasekaran, V., Gupta, R. K. 2011. Top-down Change in a Public Sector Bank: Lessons from Employees’ Lived-in Experiences. Journal of Indian Business Research, 3(1), 43-62. Ayodeji, A. A., & Oyesola, R. 2011. Managing Deviant Behaviour and Resistance to Change. International Journal of Business and Management, 6(1), 235-242. Barratt-Pugh, L., Bahn, S., & Gakere, E. 2013. Managers as Change Agents: Implications for Human Resource Managers Engaging with Culture Change. Journal of Organisational Change Management, 25(4), 748-764. Bovey, W. H., & Hede, A. 2001. Resistance to Organisational Change: The Role of Cognitive and Affect Processes. Leadership & Organisation Development Journal, 22(8), 372-382. Brisson-Banks, C. V. 2010. Managing Change and Transitions: A Comparison of Different Models and their Commonalities. Managing Change and Transitions, 31(4/5), 241-252. Burnes, B. 2004. Kurt Lewin and Complexity Theories: Back to the Future? Journal of Change Management, 4(4), 309-325. Denise, L., Rodney, N. L., & Schmaltz, J. 2003. Managing Resistance to Change in Workplace Accommodation Projects. Journal of Facilities Management, 1(4), 306-321. Grant, D., & Marshak, R. J. 2011. Toward a Discourse-Centred Understanding of Organisational Change. The Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 47(2), 204-235. Hughes, M. (2011). Why Does Change Fail, and What Can We Do About It? Journal of Change Management, 11(4), 451-464. Manuela, P., & Clara, M. F. 2003. Resistance to Change: A Literature Review and Empirical Study. Management Decision, 41(2), 148-155. Martin, A. J., Jones, E. S., & Callan, V. J. 2005. The Role of Psychological Climate in Facilitating Employee Adjustment During Organisational Change. European Journal of Work and Organisational Psychology, 14(3), 263-289. Pieterse, J. H., Caniels, M. C., & Homan, T. 2012. Professional Discourses and Resistance to Change. Journal of Organisational Change Management, 25(6), 798-818. Schraeder, M. 2004. Organisational Assessment in the Midst of Tumultuous Change. Leadership and Organisation Development Journal, 25(4), 332-348. Smith, I. 2005. Achieving Readiness for Organisational Change. Library Management, 26(6/7), 408-412. Yilmaz, D., Kilicoglu, G. 2013. Resistance to Change and Ways of Reducing Resistance in Educational Organisations. European Journal of Research on Education, 1(1), 14-21. Weber, P. S., & Weber, J. E. 2001. Changes in Employee Perceptions During Organisational Change. Leadership & Organisation Development Journal, 22(6), 291-300. Wim, J. L. 2005. The Role of Communication in Organisational Change. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 10(2), 129-138. Zwick, T. 2002. Employee Resistance Against Innovation. International Journal of Manpower, 23(6), 542-552. 10 | P a g e Organisation Behaviour; MGTS 1601; Individual Essay; Employee resistance to change

The Importance of Maqasid Al-Shariah in Islamic Finance – a Short Essay by Nadifa Abdulhalim Mohamed

The Global University of Islamic Finance CERTIFIED ISLAMIC FINANCE PROFESSIONAL (CIFP) Part One SHARIAH ASPECTS OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE Assignment Topic The importance of Maqasid al-Shariah in Islamic Finance June 2012 Semester Lecturers: Dr. Yong Bao Wang Dr. Ahcene Lahsasna Student Name: Nadifa Abdulhalim Mohamed Student ID: 1200331 Abstract Maqasid Al-Shariah is one of the very important aspects in Islamic jurisprudence. Maqasid Al-Shariah is taking a crucial position in Ijtihad in order to process a valid examination of the text and provide intact interpretation to achieve the Islamic ruling.The aim behind that is to comprehend the Shariah in all aspects. The primary objective of Maqasid al-Shariah is the realization of benefit to the people, connecting their affairs both in this world and hereafter. It generally held that the Shariah in all of its parts aims at securing a benefit for the people or protecting them against corruption and evil. The aim of this paper is to elaborate the importance Maqasid al-Shariah in Islamic finance. The study found that Maqasid al-Shariah is the most important Shariah aspect in Islamic finance because protection of wealth is one of the five major elements of Maqasid l-Shariah. Objectives of the research: ____________________________________________ †¢ Definition of Maqasid Al-Shariah. †¢ Identification of the importance of Maqasid Al-Shariah in Islamic finance. †¢ Classification of Maqasid Al-Shariah Key terms of the research: 1. Qur’an 2. Sunnah 3. Maqasid Al-Shariah 4. Islamic finance 5. Islamic law 6. Fiqh 7. Usulfiqh TABLE OF CONTENTS TOPIC PAGE NUMBER [pic] 1. Abstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 2. Objectives of the research†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 1. 1 History and background†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 2. Identification of Maqasid Al-Shariah†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 3. Definition of Maqasid Al-Shariah†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦11 4. Objectives of Maqasid Al-Shariah†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 13 5. Classi fication of Maqasid Shariah†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 15 5. Essential (Al-daruriyat)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 16 6. Complementary (Al-hajiyat)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦19 7. Embellishments (Al-Tahsiniyat)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦19 8.Maqasid Al-Shariah in Islamic Finance†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦19 9. Advantages of Shariah compliance†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 24 10. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦25 11. References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 26 1. Introduction The linguistic meaning of the word Maqasid is as follows: Maqasid is the plural of the word Maqsad and comes from the verbal root qa-sa-da which has several meanings, some of which are: ‘to intend,’ ‘to take a middle course’ and ‘to walk towards. ’ From this root comes the noun, Qasd which means ‘a goal,’ ‘an aim,’ or ‘an aspiration. The second part of the title is the word Shari’ah, which is a noun meaning ‘a path to a water hole,â€℠¢ and in its more common usage, ‘the law of God as revealed to Muhammad. ’ Together, the term Maqasid al-Shari’ah carries the meaning, based on its constituent parts, of the ‘goals and objectives which are the reason for the legislation of the rules of Islam’ or more simply, ‘The Objectives of Islamic Law’ The Maqasid theory is based on an inductive reading of the Quran in order to identify the higher objectives, intent, and purpose of the divine laws, which are intended to preserve human interests in both this world and the next. This theory asserts that no commandment of God is intended to cause harm for its own sake, although some actions may require struggle and hardship. All legal rulings are intended to achieve ‘balance' and ‘moderation' by steering Muslims toward a middle course between various types of extremes. Also it gives consideration for outcomes or consequences. He explains that part of the objective-oriented approach is considering the outcomes of actions, in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet who would consider outcomes and consequences before passing judgment or taking action. 1. History and background As a theme of the  Shari’ah in  its own right, the  maqasid  did not receive much attention in the early stages of the development of Islamic legal thought and, as such, they represent rather a later addition to the juristic legacy of the  madhahib. Even to this day many a reputable textbook on Usul al-Fiqh  does not mention  maqasid al-Shari’ah  in their usual coverage of familiar topics. This is partly due perhaps to the nature of the subject, which is largely concerned with the philosophy of the law, its outlook and objective, rather than the specific formulations of its text.Although the maqasid  as a distinctive theme of the  Shari’ah  are obviously relevant to  ijtihad,  they have not been treated as such in the conventional expositions of the theory of ijtihad. Islamic legal thought is, broadly speaking, preoccupied with concerns over conformity to the letter of the divine text, and the legal theory of  Usul al-Fiqh  has advanced that purpose to a large extent. This literalist orientation of the juristic thought was generally more pronounced in the approach of the tendency – the traditionist – the  Ahl al-Hadith  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ than that of the Rationalists – the  Ahl al-Ray.The literalists thus tended to view the  Shari’ah  as a set of rules, commands and prohibit ions that were addressed to the competent individual  mukallaf  and all that the latter was expected to conform to its directives. The precedent of the leading Companions indicated, on the other hand, that they saw the  Shari’ah  both as a set of rules and a value system in which the specific rules were seen as tangible manifestations of the overriding values. The textualist tradition of the first three centuries did not take much interest in  maqasid al-Shari’ah  and it was not until the time of al-Ghazali (d. 05/1111) and then al-Shatibi (d. 790/1388) that significant developments were made in the formulation of the theory of  maqasid. The basic outlook that was advocated by the theory of the  maqasid  was not denied by the leading schools, yet the  maqasid  remained on the fringes of the mainstream juristic thought that was manifested in the various themes and doctrines of  Usul al-Fiqh. Except for the  Zahiris  who maintained that the  maqasid  are only known when they are identified and declared by the clear text, the majority of  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœulama’  did not confine the  maqasid  to the clear text alone.For they perceived and understood the  Shari’ah  to be rational, goal-oriented and its rules generally founded on identifiable causes. A mere conformity to rules that went against the purpose and outlook of the  Shari’ah  was. , therefore, generally considered unacceptable. A totally different approach to the  maqasid was  taken by the Batiniyyah who held, contrary to the Zahiris, that the essence and objective of the  nusus  were always to be found, not in the explicit words of the text, but in its hidden meaning (i. . batin),  hence their name, the Batiniyyah. There were also differences of orientation among the leading  madhahib  toward the  maqasid:  some were more open to it than others, but elaboration into the goals and objectives of the  Shari’a h  was generally not encouraged. This rather unspoken attitude contrasted with the fact that the Qur’an itself exhibits considerable awareness of the underlying purposes and objectives of its laws and often expounds the causes and rationale on which they are founded.The general reticence of the  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœulama’  in respect of the identification of the  maqasid  might have partly been due to the elements of projection and prognostication that such an exercise was likely to involve. Who can tell, for sure, for example, that this or that is the purpose and overriding objective of the Lawgiver, without engaging in a degree of speculation, unless of course, the text itself declared it so. But then to confine the scope of the  maqasid  only to the clear declaration of the texts was also not enough, as I shall presently elaborate. It was not until the early fourth century that the term  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœmaqasid’  was used in. he juristic writings of Abu ‘Ab d Allah al-Tirmidhi al-Hakim (d. 320/932) and recurrent references to it appeared in the works of lmam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni (d. 478/1085) who was probably the first to classify themaqasid al-Shari’ah  into the three categories of essential, complementary and desirable (daruriyyat, hajiyyat, tahsiniyyat)which has gained general acceptance ever since. Juwayni’s ideas were then developed further by his pupil, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali who wrote at length on public interest (maslahah)and ratiocination (ta’lil)in his works,  Shifa’ al-Ghalil  and  al-Mustasfa.Ghazali was generally critical of  maslahah  as a proof but validated it if it promoted the  maqasid of  the  Shari’ah. As  for the  maqasid  themselves, Ghazali wrote categorically that the  Shari’ah  pursued five objectives, namely those of faith, life, intellect, lineage and property which were to be protected as a matter of absolute priority. A number of prominen t writers continued to contribute to the  maqasid,  not all of them consistently perhaps, yet important to the development of ideas. Sayf al-Din al-Amidi (d. 31/1233) identified the  maqasid  as criteria of preference  al-tarjih  among conflicting analogies and elaborated on an internal order of priorities among the various classes  of maqasid. Amidi also confined the essential  maqasid  to only five. The Maliki jurist, Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi (d. 684/1285) added a sixth to the existing list, namely the protection of honour (al-‘ird)and this was endorsed by Taj al-Din ‘Abd al-Wahhab ibn al-Subki (d. 771/1370) and later by Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Shawkani (d. 1250/1834).The list of five essential values was evidently based on a reading of the relevant parts of the Qur’an and the  Sunnah  on the prescribed penalties (hudud). The value that each of these penalties sought to vindicate and defend was consequently identified as an essential valu e. The latest addition (i. e. al-‘ird) was initially thought to have been covered under lineage (al-nasl,  also  al-nasab),  but the proponents of this addition relied on the fact that the  Shari’ah  had enacted a separate  hadd punishment for slanderous accusation (al-qadhf),  which justified the addition. ‘Izz al-Din ‘Abd al-Salam al-Sulami’s (d. 60/1262) renowned work, Qawa’id al-Ahkam,  was in his own characterisation a work on  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœmaqasid al-ahkam’  and addressed the various aspects of the  maqasid  especially in relationship to  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœillah  (effective cause) and  maslahah  (public  interest) in greater detail. Thus he wrote at the outset of his work that â€Å"the greatest of all the objectives of the Qur’an is to facilitate benefits (masalih) and the means that secure them and that the realisation of benefit also included the prevention of evil. † Sulami added that all the obli gations of the  Shari’ah  (al-takalif) were predicated on securing benefits for the people in this world and the next.For God Most High is Himself in no need of benefit nor is He in need of the obedience of His servants. He is above all this and cannot be harmed by the disobedience of transgressors, nor benefit from the obedience of the righteous. The  Shari’ah is,  in other words, concerned, from the beginning to the end, with the benefits of God’s creatures. Taqi al-Din ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728/1328) was probably the first scholar to depart from the notion of confining the  maqasid  to a specific number and added, to the existing list of the  maqasid,  such things as fulfilment of contracts, preservation of the ties of kinship, honouring the rights of ne’s neighbour, in so far as the affairs of this world are concerned, and the love of God, sincerity, trustworthiness, and moral purity, in relationship to the hereafter. Ibn Taymiyyah thus re vised the scope of the  maqasid  from a designated and specified list into an open-ended list of values, and his approach is now generally accepted by contemporary commentators, including Ahmad al-Raysuni, Yusuf al-Qardawi and others. Qardawi has further extended the list of the  maqasid  to include social welfare and support (al-takaful),  freedom, human dignity and human fraternity, among the higher objectives and  Maqasid of the Shari’ah.These are undoubtedly upheld by both the detailed and the general weight of evidence in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. 2. Identification of Maqasid As already indicated the  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœulama’  have differed in their approach to the identification of the  maqasid. The first approach to be noted is the textualist approach, which confines the identification of the  maqasid  to the clear text, commands and prohibitions, which are the carriers of the  maqasid. The maqasid,  according to this view, have no separat e existence outside this framework.Provided that a command is explicit and normative it conveys the objective  maqsud  of the Lawgiver in the affirmative sense. Prohibitions are indicative of the  maqasid  in the negative sense in that the purpose of a prohibitive injunction is to suppress and avert the evil that the text in question has contemplated. This is generally accepted, but there are certain tendencies within this general framework. While the Zahiris tend to confine the  maqasid  to the obvious text, the majority of jurists takes into consideration both the text and the underlying  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœillah  and rationale of the text.The chief exponent of the  maqasid,  Shatibi, has spoken affirmatively of the need to observe and respect the explicit injunctions, but then he added that adherence to the obvious text should not be so rigid as to alienate the rationale and purpose of the text from its words and sentences. Rigidity of this kind, Shatibi added, was itself contrary to the objective (maqsud)of the Lawgiver, just as would be the case with regard to neglecting the clear tent itself.When the text, whether a command or a prohibition, is read in conjunction with its objective and rationale, this is a firm approach, one which bears greater harmony with the intention of the Lawgiver. Shatibi elaborated that the  maqasid  that are known from a comprehensive reading of the text are of two types, primary (asliyyah)and secondary (tab’iyyah). The former are the essential  maqasid  or  daruriyyat  which the  mukallaf  must observe and protect regardless of personal predilections, whereas the supplementary  maqasid -hajiyyat- are  those which leave the mukallaf with some flexibility and choiceA comprehensive reading of the textual injunctions of the  Shari’ah  has given rise to such questions as to whether the means to a  wajib  or  haram should also be seen as a part of the objective that is pursued by t hat injunction; whether the means to a command, in other words, is also an integral part of that command. Another question raised is whether avoiding the opposite of a command is integral to the goal and objective that is sought by that command.The general response given to these questions is that the supplementary aspects of commands and prohibitions are an integral part of their objectives, although disagreements have emerged over details. There is a general agreement that the opposite of a command amounts to a prohibition in the event where that opposite can be clearly identified. Most of the injunctions of the  Shari’ah  are easily understood, and their objectives as well as their opposites can be known and ascertained from the reading of the clear text. It is thus noted that whatever might be necessary for the carrying out of a command or a  wajib is  also a part of that  wajib.Shatibi has similarly concluded that whatever is complementary to the  maqasid   and in the service thereof is also a part of the  maqasid. The question then arises regarding the silence of the Lawgiver in respect of a certain conduct in situations especially where a general reading of the relevant evidence sheds light on the value of that conduct. The question may be put as follows: We know that the  maqasid  are known from clear injunctions, but can they also be known from a general reading of the  nusus  by way of induction?This is where Shatibi has given an original response. Induction (istiqra’) to Shatibi is one of the most important methods of identifying the  maqasid  of the  Shari’ah. There may be various textual references to a subject, none of which may be in the nature of a decisive injunction. Yet their collective weight is such that it leaves little doubt as to the meaning that is obtained from them. A decisive conclusion may, in other words, be arrived at from a plurality of speculative expressions. Shatibi illustrates this by saying that nowhere in the Qur’an is there a specific declaration to the effect that the  Shari’ah  has been enacted for the benefit of the people. Yet this is a definitive conclusion which is drawn from the collective reading of a variety of textual proclamations. Shatibi then adds that the benefits (masalih) are to be understood in their broadest sense which is inclusive of ail benefits pertaining to this world and the hereafter, those of the individual and the community, material, moral and spiritual, and those which pertain to the present as well as the interests of the future generations.This broad meaning of benefits also includes prevention and elimination of harm. These benefits cannot always be verified and ascertained by human reason alone without the aid and guidance of divine revelation. The typical classification of the  maqasid  into the three categories of essential,-complementary and desirable, and the conclusion that the Lawgiver has intended to protect these are based, once again, on induction-as there is no specific declaration on them in the textual sources.On a similar note, the ruling of the  Shari’ah  that the validity of an act of devotion (‘ibadah) can not be established by means of  ijtihad is  an inductive conclusion which is drawn from the detailed evidence on the subject, as there is no specific injunction in the sources to that effect. These conclusions are, in the meantime, of great overall importance; they are not open to doubt, nor is their credibility a matter of speculative reasoning.It is also the same inductive method which has led the  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœulama’  to the conclusion that the protection of the five values of faith, life, intellect, property and lineage is of primary importance to the  Shari’ah – there  being no textual ruling to specify any category or number of values in that order. Shatibi’s inductive method is not confined to the identification of objectives and values but also extends to commands and prohibitions, which may either be obtained from the clear text, or from a collective reading of a number of textual proclamations that may occur in a variety of contexts.Shatibi then goes a step further to say that the inductive conclusions and positions that are so established are the general premises and overriding objectives of the  Shari’ah  and thus have a higher order of importance than specific rules. It thus becomes evident that induction is the principal method of reasoning and proof to which Shatibi resorted in his theory of the  maqasid  and it is also in this regard that he has made an original contribution to this theme.Shatibi’s approach to induction is reminiscent of the knowledge that is acquired of the personality and character of an individual that is based on sustained association with that individual and observation of his conduct over a period of time. This kind of knowledge is broad and holistic, as it is enriched with insight, and likely to be more reliable when compared to the knowledge that might be based only on the observation of specific, isolated incidents in the daily activities of the individual concerned. 3. Definition of Maqasid al-ShariahThe term is a possessive construction, known in Arabic grammar as an Idafa, by which the meaning, â€Å"The Maqasid of the Shari’ah† is conveyed. We shall look at the first component in this construct first. The linguistic meaning of the word Maqasid is as follows: Maqasid is the plural of the word Maqsad and comes from the verbal root qa-sa-da which has several meanings, some of which are: ‘to intend,’ ‘to take a middle course’ and ‘to walk towards. ’ From this root comes the noun, Qasd which means ‘a goal,’ ‘an aim,’ or ‘an aspiration. The second part of the title is the word Shari’ah, which is a noun meaning ‘a path to a water hole,’ and in its more common usage, ‘the law of God as revealed to Muhammad. ’ Together, the term Maqasid al-Shari’ah carries the meaning, based on its constituent parts, of the ‘goals and objectives which are the reason for the legislation of the rules of Islam’ or more simply, ‘The Objectives of Islamic Law’. Technically, many definitions have been given, particularly, by contemporary scholars.Al Imam Al Shatibi who is the founder of Maqasid al-Shariah in Islamic jurisprudence did not provide a definition for this Islamic discipline. There are two other major definitions of Maqasid al-Shariah provided by two other scholars who came after Al Shatibi. They were behind the development of Maqasid al-Shariah in Islamic jurisprudence. These two definitions are provided by Ibn Ashur defined Maqasid al-Shariah base on two aspects: 1: The general aspect which is the purpose and wisdom behind th e enactment of all or most of the Shari’ah ruling.This definition is more related to the general objective of Shariah and those overall principles that guide the enactment of Islamic law in their totality. 2: The second definition of Maqasid al-Shariah is very specific. It is related to specific objective to those objectives that are designed to achieve specific benefits to people in their daily activities, such as the importance validation of contracts. Alal al-Fasi defined Maqasid Shariah as the end sought behind the enactment of each of the ruling of Shariah and the secret involved.This definition covers the public Maqasid (ama) and the private Maqasid (khasa). The definition focus on the end sought behind the enactment of each of the rulings of Islamic law, and the secret of these rulings. The secret of the Islamic rulings means the goals intended by Allah in the law. Maqasid al-Shariah aims to protect the interest of mankind and prevent the evil from them, and also reali ze the public benefit for the society and encourage virtues and avoid vices.Al-Raysuni (2006) stated that â€Å"al Maqasid are the purposes which the Law was established to fulfill for the benefit of humankind†. Therefore the Law is not an end in itself; it serves to attain an objective, a purpose which is the Maslahah (benefit). The word benefit in this context means the achievement of profit or the prevention of harm. Ibn Ashur (2006) maintained that: â€Å"This (the knowledge of Maqasid al-Shariah), in fact, ensures the continuity of the rules of the Islamic Shariah throughout the ages and generations following the age of Revelation until the end of the world. It is important to notice that, even though, Maqasid al-Shariah was not known as a discipline in the early generations of Muslims, the scholars were aware of the danger of neglecting the spirit of the law and only sticking to its literal form. The knowledge of the higher objectives of Shariah is to help preserve the essence of the Islamic law. Maqasid Al-Shari’ah is the objectives and the rationale of the Shari’ah .A comprehensive and careful examination of the Shari’ah rulings entails an understanding that Shari’ah aims at protecting and preserving public interests (Maslahah ) in all aspects of life. Many Shari’ah texts state clearly the reasoning behind certain Shari’ah rulings, suggesting that every ruling in Shari`ah comes with a purpose, which is to benefit the Mukallaf. In-depth comprehension of the objectives of Shari`ah is important for analogical deduction and other human reasoning and its methodology.Indeed, Maqasid al-Shari’ah allows flexibility, dynamism and creativity in social policy, According to Imam Al-Ghazali definition â€Å"The objective of the Shari’ah is to promote the well-being of all mankind, which lies â€Å"in safeguarding their faith (din) , their human self (nafs), their intellect (‘aql), their posteri ty (nasl) and their wealth (mal). Whatever ensures the safeguard of these five serves public interest and is desirable†. 4. Objectives of Shariah (Maqasid Al-Shariah) Maqasid al-Shariah is the objectives and the rationale of the Shariah.A comprehensive and careful examination of the Shariah rulings entails an understanding that Shariah aims at protecting and preserving public interests (maslahah) in all aspects and segments of life. Many Shariah texts state clearly the reasoning behind certain Shariah rulings, suggesting that every ruling in Shariah comes with a purpose, which is to benefit the mukallaf (accountable person), for example, when Quran prescribes Qisas (retaliation), it speaks of the rationale of it, that applying retaliation prevents further killing as Allaah says in Qoran â€Å"There is life for you in Qisas† Surah Baqarah Ayah No 179.Similarly when Quran prohibits wine it says that wine is the works of devil as it causes quarrel and instills hatred and e nmity among Muslims, Allaah said in Qoran â€Å"The devil only wants to excite enmity and hatred between you in intoxicants and gambling and hinder you from remembrance of Allah and from prayer†, Surah Ma’idah Ayah No. 91. In depth comprehension of the objectives of Shariah is important for analogical deduction and other human reasoning and its methodology (Kamali, 1999). Indeed, Maqasid al-Shar ’ah allows flexibility, dynamism and creativity in social policy.According to Imam Al-Ghazali â€Å"The objective of the Shariah is to promote the well-being of all mankind, which lies in safeguarding their faith (Din), their human self (Nafs), their intellect (‘Aql), their posterity (Nasl) and their wealth (mal). Whatever ensures the safeguard of these five serves public interest and is desirable. † Al-Shatibi approves al-Ghazali’s list and sequence, thereby indicating that they are the most preferable in terms of their harmony with the essence of Sh ariah.Generally, Shariah is predicated on benefits of the individual and that of the community, and its laws are designed so as to protect these benefits, and facilitate improvement and perfection of human lives’ conditions on earth. This perfection corresponds to the purposes of the Hereafter. In other words, each of the worldly purposes (preservation of faith, life, posterity, intellect and wealth) is meant to serve the single religious purpose of the Hereafter. The uppermost objectives of Shariah rest within the concept of compassion and guidance, that seeks to establish justice, eliminate prejudice and alleviate hardship.It promotes cooperation and mutual supports within the family and society at large. This is manifested in the realization of maslahah (public interest) which the Islamic scholars have generally considered to be the all-pervasive value and objective of the Shariah and is to all intents and purposes synonymous with compassion. Maslahah sometimes connotes th e same meaning as Maqasid and the scholars have used the two terms almost interchangeably. To further shed light on our discussion of the objectives f Shariah, especially with regard to their application in the preservation of public interest, the following section elaborates on the principles of Maslahah, serving as an important tool to uphold Shariah. 4. 1Maslahah Maslahah is one of the juristic devices that have always been used in Islamic legal theory to promote public benefit and prevent social evils or corruption. The plural of the Arabic word maslahah is ‘Masalih’ which means welfare, interest or benefit. Literally, Maslahah is defined as seeking the benefit and repelling harm. The words maslahah and manfa`ah are treated as synonyms.Manfa`ah (benefit or utility), however, is not technical meaning of maslahah. What Muslim jurists mean by maslahah is the seeking of benefit and the repelling of harm as directed by the Lawgiver or Shariah. 4. 2Other General Objective s of Shariah Through studies of the Qoran and Sunnah will reveal that apart from the above objectives of Shariah, there are several other general objectives of Shariah these objectives include: 4. 2. 1Educating the Individual (Tahdhib al-fard) One of the primary objectives of the Shariah is to educate the individuals.Shariah seeks to educate the individual and inspire them with faith and instill in them the qualities of being trustworthy and righteous, Islam aims to achieve its social goals through reforming the individual All the different aspects of IBADAH involve both mental and physical training, it leads to inner perfection. All punishments mentioned in the shariah was done because the main objective was not only to penalize the person as such, but it is to discipline the criminal and the whole of society to teach them and to prevent such crimes from being committed by others. This is the reason why Qoran has ordered that punishment for those ho commit some crimes must be execu ted in public so as to create awareness to the society of the implication in committing such crime. 4. 2. 2Upholding of Justice (AL-ADL) Upholding the principle of justice or ADL is another objective of Shariah. It is to establish a balance by the way of fulfilling rights and obligations and by eliminating excess and disparity in all spheres of life. Allah has sent scriptures and messengers in order to establish JUSTICE among people, the Qoranic message of justice is objective, and is not tainted by considering of racial, tribal, national, or religious sentiments.In dealing with friends of foes, Muslims and non-muslims, Islam orders all must be treated with justice. 5. Classification of Maqasid al-Shariah Two general categories of maqasid al-shariah were recognised: the Purposes of the Allaah the lawgiver, maqasid al-shari’ah, and the Purposes of the human, maqasid al mukallaf. In an ideal situation the purposes of the law-giver conform to the purposes of the human. Humans do not always know what is in their best interest because of personal whims, hiwa al nafs. The good may appear bad and vice versa. Humans may see immediate benefit while ignoring long-term harm.The Purposes of the Lawgiver are divided into two types: primary and secondary. The primary purposes of the lawgiver, maqasid al-sharia ibtidaa’an, are the most important and are a basis for the secondary purposes. The secondary purposes can be described in three types: the purpose of law as understanding, maqasid al-shariat li al ifhaam; law as injuctions and obligations, maqasid al-shariat li al-takliif; and the law as implementation, maqasid al-shariah li al-imtithaal. This classification shows that the law is not only commands but also has secondary rules that help understand and execute the commands of the primary rules.The primary purposes of Maqasid al-Shariah are divided in to three levels of priority according to its inner strength and all the Islamic legal ruling refers to real ize one of the categories namely:- 1) The necessities or essentials (Daruriyyat). 2) The needs (Hajiyyat). 3) The complementary (Tahsiniyyat). Each of the three have complements, mukammilaat. Each of these three can be divided into private and public purposes. Each of them can also be described in three categories: right of Allah, haqq al-llaah; rights of the human, haqq al-‘abd; rights of the community, and rights of the state, haqq al-sultan.Wants are not mentioned at all in this scheme because they are based on hiwa al-nafs. 5. 1The Essentials (Al-Daruriyyat) The essentials are the matters on which the religion and worldly affairs of the people depend upon, their neglect will lead disruption and disorder and also evil ending and must be protected whether by the individuals, or the government authorities, the essentials can be further divided into the protection of the five fundamental values (Al-Daruriyyat Al-Khamsah).These essential five values are:- ? Protection of Religi on (Al-Din) ? Protection of Life (Nafs) ? Protection of Dignity (Ird) ? Protection of Intellect/Mind (Al-Aql) ? Protection of Property (Al-Mal) 5. 1. 1Protection of Religion (AL-DIN) Al-Din is the most important value that must be protected by the Muslims, protection of al-din at a personal is achieved through the observance of the IBAADAAT, such as five praying, fasting, paying Zakah and performing hajj.Also the protection of Al-Din at wider scope involves defending Islamic faith particularly if it is attacked by the enemy of Islam. The process of protecting can be done through various means such as writings, in speeches and other practical means. If the situation demands waging of war with the enemy of Islam, then it should be done for the sake of protecting. Islam from being destroyed by others Allah S. W. T has enacted the law of JIHAD and commanded the Muslims to defend their faith. 5. 1. Protection of Life (AL-NAFS) Life is essential and valuable to everyone, and it must be pr otected in all circumstances and in this respect, between the life of the rich and poor, between the leader and subordinates, Muslims and non-muslims. Protecting everyone’s life is equally important and obligatory to each and every individual and society, the Shariah has enacted severe punishment for those who kill each other, the punishment for those who kill an innocent human being is the death penalty in Islam.In the punishment of the murderer, even though one life is killed because of the crime, this will lead to saving many more lives as the punishment will deter other from committing such crime, saving one’s life is required and it should be done at the expense of other lives, but if the saving of this live might lead to losing of another life then it should be done as the principle of Shariah states â€Å"a particular harm shall not be removed by inflicting another harm†. . 1. 3Protection of Dignity (AL-IRD) Islam is very concerned about the dignity of a person and emphasizes the importance of protecting dignity. Protection of dignity includes the protection of individual rights to privacy and not exposing or accusing others of misbehaviors. It means ensuring that the relationship between men and women is done in a respectful and responsible way; Islam has enacted a number of guidelines in order to protect the dignity of mankindIslam prohibits its followers committing adultery or other immoral behaviors; any accusation toward a crime, a proof must be confirmed. Otherwise the punishment will be imposed for false accusations. Islam also regulates the relationship between men and women in order to protect their dignity; also Islam disallows the manipulation of women or making women sexual objects and commercial objects by portraying them as an attraction for purchasing such commercial products.Islam tells followers to cover their â€Å"AURAH† and is one of the ways to protecting their dignity. 5. 1. 4Protection of the Intellect/ Mind (AL-AQL) Al-Aql or the intellect is a great gift from Allah S. W. T to mankind; it is one of the human capacities that differ from animals. Allah has ordered protecting this gift by utilizing the mind for the benefit of all and not for any kind of evil, on the other hand Islam gives freedom to express their views, and it must conform that views with the moral and ethical values provided in the Qoran and Sunnah.Protection of the mind requires safeguarding it from anything that might harm the ability and function of the brain, this includes consumption of liquor or similar substance that will disturb the function of the brain, a punishment will be imposed for those who consume liquor. These are made in order to prevent the spread of such habits that could damage the mind and the brain. 5. 1. 5The Protection of Property (AL-MAL) Acquiring property is one of the necessities of mankind. Islam encourages its followers to acquire wealth through Halal borders.Islam has ordered that no one should transgress and acquire the property of others without a legitimate reason and without proper contract, and there will be severe punishment in the Day of Judgment against those who acquire the properties of others unlawfully. Acquiring the property of others illegitimately can be done through, when engaging usury (Riba), cheating in transactions, breaking the trust in matters related to property, stealing the property of others and other similar means. . 2The Complementary (Al-Hajiyyat) There are many examples of Al-Hajiyyat such as the dispensations or legal excuses (Rukhsah), travelers are allowed to combine and shorten their five obligatory prayers and also break their fast in Ramadan month. A sick person is allowed to pray in a sitting or sleeping position and break his fast in Ramadan, also the basic permissibility regarding the enjoyment of victuals and hunting also fall under this category. 5. 3The Embellishments (Al-Tahsiniyyat)The embellishments refer to interests whose realization lead to the improvement and attainment of that which is desirable. The observance of cleanliness in personal appearance and in IBADAH, moral virtues, avoiding extravagance and measures that are designed to prevent proliferation of false claims of false claims in the courts, all these fall under this category. The disappearance of al-tahsiniyyat may not interrupt the normal life but it might lead to the lack of comfort in life. 6. Maqasid Al-Shariah in Islamic FinanceThe objectives of the Shariah in financial transactions refer to the overall goals and meaning that the Shariah aims at achieving from its rulings related to financial activities and transactions. Looking deeply and constantly into several texts of the divine book and the Sunnah of prophet Mohamed (PBUH) on financial activities. It can be stated that the Shariah has observed specific objectives in the enactment of financial laws and principles, these objectives include:- 1. The Objective of Continuity of the Circulation of WealthThis objective refers of preserving the transactional nature of the financial dealing so as to enable large sectors of population to become a part of the monetary cycle of wealth and to avoid the concentration of wealth in a few hands. It is underlined in several verses and Hadiths which call for giving Zakah, the generous donation and spending for the sake of Allah and to refrain from hoarding and monopolizing the wealth. This can be strengthened by several ruling and commands including those contractual transfers of money and other financial transactions like Mudarabah, Musharakah, Muzara’ah and e. . c. this will protect the entire society against crimes and greediness of opportunities, and also surely and definitely bring prosperity and happiness to the whole society. 6. 2The Objective of Continuity of the Investment of Wealth When societies develop, also economic activities and transactions develop. A society develops their finances to the bene fit and prosperity of their members, this is done when wealth must be invested and should be available in many hands for its investment and increment.In support of this objective, there are several verses in the Qoran and Hadiths of prophet (PBUH) which address the issue of necessity and obligation of the continuity of the investment of wealth as they call upon all Muslims to earn, strive and continue to extend themselves to the corners of the earth in search of the bounty of Allaah S. W. T. 6. 3The Objective of Achieving Comprehensive Communal Prosperity This objective is directed at fulfilling the basic material needs of all members of society by achieving personal satisfaction and social tranquility and security.The achievement of this objective will also rid society of negative social attributes such us stratification of the population into privileged and non-privileged classes. The verses and Hadith that call upon Muslims to pay Zakah and cooperate and also help each other in b usiness transactions, upholds all the objective of achievement of prosperity in society. 6. 4The Objective of Validation of Financial Ownership This objective aims the lawful authentication of the rights of lawful financial ownership.Numerous verses and Hadiths verify the right of lawful ownership and spending and they serve the purpose of safeguarding Islamic economic activity. Earlier objectives of Shariah discussions was based on reading and looking deeply into verses on trade, expenditure, investment and consumption, this objective is governed by permissiveness (Halal) of such activities like sales and purchases, cooperate business undertakings, farming activities, financial activities and other pertained activities like forgiving minor uncertainties and binding contracts by witnesses. . 5Protection of the wealth in Islamic Business Transactions Preservation of wealth in finance and business transactions is one of the primary Maqasids in Shariah. The verses from the Qoran and al so Sunnah have very strong statements indicating very clearly the importance of wealth whether for individuals or for the community and the society at large. The right to own and earn, Shariah gives the right to the Muslim community to own and earn, thus creating wealth, Muslims can acquire wealth through owning (Tamaluk) or earning (Takasub).Owning (Tamaluk) consists of possessing anything from which they can gain satisfy their needs, whether from their produce or their substitutes, on the other hand Earning (Takasub) consists of exerting one’s self to gain its own needs whether by physical labor or by mutual consent with others. 6. 6Transparency in Wealth and Finance Transparency is very objective in Shariah for business and finance, this objective seeks to rid Islamic finance from misuse and squander and to prevent disputes, arguments and grudges among the community on financial matters.Islamic law requires security in some business transactions, the main purpose of transp arency is to avoid dispute among people in daily business activities as much as possible. In this respect transparency in finance is applied, especially if it is related to the subject matter of the contract which must be known to both parties including specification, quality and quantity. Such business activities which clearly understood make the contracting parties more comfortable to conclude the deal and execute the business transactions with mutual consent and understanding. . 7Development and Investment of Wealth in Business Transactions The Shariah is very concerned about the development of economic and finance. In supporting this objective the Qoran and Sunnah urge Muslims to look at this aspect respectively. The development of wealth and investment in finance is an obligation not an option, because it contributes to the growth of wealth and protection of property of the society. Shariah considers money as a potential capital rather than a capital, meaning that money becomes capital only when it is invested in a business.Thus the investments and development of wealth will enhance the financial status of members of the society respectively. 6. 8Prevent Harm and Hardship in Wealth and Finance Maqasid al-Shariah tries to achieve command prosperity in the society as a whole, if this is achieved every member of society will be satisfied and safe, as a result from that, all harm and hardship will be either removed from the society or minimized in the finance and business transactions.It is understood that preventing harm in finance comes from putting in to practice most of the objectives of the Shariah in business finance, because those objectives are the key factors. 6. 9Ensure Justice in the Circulation of Wealth in Business Transactions Justice is a prime in human life in all aspects; it is also a vital objective due to its implication in the business community and social activities as well. However justice in terms of wealth starts from earning wealth an d possessing property by right, without any harm.In order to implement justice the Shariah has imposed some rules and regulations and has prohibited all elements that may lead to injustice in business such as bribery, fraud and deception, gambling, uncertainty, Riba and so on. To ensure the establishment of justice in all aspects of business and finance, meanwhile shariah encourages all types of business activities which create justice and benefits the business community and social life as well. 6. 10Objective of Individual Economic ActivitiesThe question of why to produce or why to get involved in economic activities in the first place, is that Shari'ah wants individuals to look after their welfare. Shatibi has used the maslahah (welfare-benefit) to describe this objective of Shari'ah. Human beings have been required by Shari'ah to seek maslahah. Economic activities of production, consumption and exchange that involve maslahah (welfare) as defined by Shari'ah have to be pursued as a religious duty to earn one's betterment not only in this world but in the world hereafter.Also all such activities that have maslahah for human beings are called needs. These needs have to be fulfilled. â€Å"Fulfilling needs† rather than â€Å"satisfying wants† is the objective of economic activities, and the pursuit of this objective is a religious duty. Man is, therefore, obligated to solve his economic problems. The approach that unlimited wants relative to scarce resources defines the economic problem of man may be explaining the economic behavior of a capitalistic society, but it certainly fails to explain the behavior of several traditional societies of the world.The members of traditional societies do not feel motivated to maximize the satisfaction of their wants with the resources available with them, because they find their needs adequately fulfilled and they do not feel obliged to look for the satisfaction of wants beyond their needs defined by themselves or by their environment. All development strategies thus fail to bring development in such societies because of the lack of motivation to earn more or to expand resources at one's disposal. Islamic economic theory, on the other hand, is on more sound footing.It defines economic problem in the light of the objective that Islam assigns to human activities. The fulfillment of this objective is made a religious duty. Islam, thus, becomes a force of economic development even for such traditional societies that are not motivated by the materialistic approach, to maximize the satisfaction of wants. The economic problem of human beings is, therefore, to â€Å"fulfill needs† with the available resources which most of the time may turn out to be scarce relative to needs.The inconsistency that was pointed out in the concept of â€Å"satisfying human wants† is not present in the concept of â€Å"fulfilling human needs†. If the resource constraint is relaxed, the human needs can be fulfilled as they are objectively defined. 7. Advantages of Shariah Compliance in Islamic Finance Current literature proclaims that Islamic financial system differs significantly from conventional system, not only in the ways it functions, but above all the values which guide its whole operation and outlook.The values which are prevailed within the ambit of Shariah, are expressed not only in the minutiae of its transactions but in the breadth of its role in realizing the Maqasid al-Shariah (objectives of Shariah). Indeed, Maqasid al-Shariah reflects the holistic view of Islam which has to be looked at as a whole not in parts as Islam is a complete and integrated code of life and its goal encompasses the whole life, individual and society; in this world and the hereafter (Dusuki ; Abozaid, 2007).Hence, a deep understanding of Maqasid al-Shariah entails intense commitment of every individuals and organizations to justice, brotherhood and social welfare. This will inevitably le ad to a society whereby every member will cooperate with each other and even compete constructively, as success in life is to obtain the ultimate happiness (falah). Thus mere maximization of profits cannot, therefore, be sufficient goal of a Muslim society.Maximization of output must be accompanied by efforts directed to ensure spiritual health at the inner core of human consciousness and justice and fair play at all levels of human interaction. Only development of this kind would be in conformity with the Maqasid al-Shariah. Despite progress in the improvements and introduction of an enabling Islamic capital market environment through various Shariah-compliant product innovations like sukuk, some structure which attempt to achieve the same economic outcome like conventional bond distort the Maqasid al-Shariah.This distortion stems from the restricted view of understanding Shariah, by only focusing on the legal forms of a contract rather than the substance especially when structurin g a financial product. The overemphasis on form over substance lead to potential abuse of Shariah principles in justifying certain contracts which in fact contradictory to the Shariah text and ultimately undermining the higher objectives of Shariah. Conclusion The methodology of interpreting the Quran integrates three approaches: Maqasid, contextualization, and social science research.The maqasid- oriented approach promotes a focus on the higher objectives intent, and purpose of the text. Contextualization offers insight as to the both the historical and contemporary circumstances relevant to the text, while social science research provides an understanding of the contemporary conditions and realities that enables the interpretation and application of the text to be directed towards achieving the higher objectives. The purposes of Islamic Law are not all equally evident. Some are clear to the general public, like basic ethical principles and the essential necessities of life.Others, however, require a trained jurists’ eye, because they are more subtle, and require deeper investigation to discern. This is where juristic reasoning really needs to be exercised. This is where the jurist qualified to engage in juristic reasoning – the mujtahid – comes into play, someone who can understand the sacred texts in conjunction with the broad purposes of Islamic Law and then apply this knowledge to the actual circumstances of the outside world in order to come up with an appropriate legal ruling.Our present need is all the more acute due to the paucity of understanding that Muslims have regarding what Islam wants for Muslim society and for the people – the protection of their liberties, the effective management of their affairs, the cultivation of virtue among them, the prohibition of vice, the development of their resources, the advancement of their capabilities, and the inculcation of the value of being a productive member of society.Todayâ₠¬â„¢s Muslims are in need of all of these things, people who often know a lot of Islamic legal rulings but know very little about the purposes behind them. I also propose to add economic development and strengthening of Research and Development in technology and science to the structure of  Maqasid al-Shariah as they are crucially important in determining the standing of the ummah in the world community. Lastly Maqasid al-Shariah remains open to further enhancement which will depend, to some extent, on the priorities of every age.We should understand that Maqasid Al-Shariah is an important discipline which can play a crucial role in economics, finance and business transactions nowadays. It is time to go forward with full implementation of Maqasid Al-Shariah in finance, business and economic activities to achieve the noble adjectives of the Shariah. These objectives give value to finance, banking, trade and all business transactions. We believe that the implementation of Maqasid Al -Shariah will enhance the performance of finance and trade, and establish justice in the business community and society at large.Furthermore, the achievement of Shariah objectives in business transactions creates happiness and satisfaction, and fulfills the needs of society in terms of wealth. Islam allows all financial activities and transactions leading to the actualization to its noble objectives. Furthermore, investment is considered as an obligation upon all Muslims. This means Muslims have to make use of the wealth in their hands in order to make it grow and gain more profit and benefits. Wealth which is not invested as hoarded.Although the underlined main principles are closely linked to the main objectives of the Shariah in financial activities and transactions, one cannot deny that there are other subsidiary principles, such as prohibition of making money from money, or prohibition of Najash and certain types of sales.References: 1. Dr. Ahcene Lahsasna (2011). Shariah Aspec ts of Business and Finance: INCEIF CIFP. Part 1, January Semester, 2012: Kuala Lumpur: International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance. . Dr. Ahcene Lahsasna (2011). Shariah Aspects of Business and Finance: INCEIF CIFP. Part 1, January Semester, 2012: Online Class Lectures. Kuala Lumpur: International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance. 3. Dr. Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki. â€Å"Challenges of realizing Maqasid Al-Shariah in Islamic Capital Market† 4. Dr. Mohammad Hashim Kamali. â€Å"Maqasid Al-Shariah: The objectives of Islamic law† ———————– The Global University of Islamic Finance