Eid vs Christmas Essay Example for Free

Eid vs Christmas Essay In the building with the blue windows and the diamond shaped roof tops, children dressed in red and green with rosy cheeks, were gaily singing: â€Å"Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way! Oh what fun it is to ride in a one more hoppin’ slay! Hey! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! † In the building across the street, with the pink windows and the mosque behind it, families were visiting each other in their newly bought clothes and shining shoes, wishing each other: Eid Mubarak, Dear Brother, Dear Sister May Allah’s blessings be bestowed upon you and your family! † The year 2008 is host to Christmas and Eid al Adha during the same month, only a few days apart. One would notice that decorations and celebrations favour one of the Religious Holidays over the other. Why have we chosen to commercialise Christmas and not the Islamic event of Eid? How is it that worldwide Christmas is rejoiced at an extreme point of merriment, whereas Eid al Adha is commemorated only within its Islamic communities? The historical references of the birth of Christ (As) and the sacrifice of Ibrahim(As) and his son are known within both religions and are testimonies of social gatherings. Actually, in our Islamic religion we learn that Ibrahim (As) would sacrifice his son Ismael (As) in Makah, while among the Christians, they believe that Ibrahim (As) would sacrifice his son Isaac (As), not Ismael (As), in Palestine. Artists painted the scenes, poets rhymed the stories, authors researched the history, all in tribute to the religious aspect of the culture of their upbringings. So, why is Christmas the prize of the globalization of the market, and not Eid al Adha? Why is Christmas more widely accepted as a commercial Holiday and not Eid? Throughout history, religion has been a battleground for the survival of cultures and traditions. Territory was fought for based on religion, international communications broke down because of different convictions. Yet, the holidays seem to unite even people who are the farthest apart. Thanksgiving, Easter, Ramadan, Eid al Fitr, Eid al Adha and Christmas are celebrations that should be known worldwide; and for the most part they are. In the United States and Canada they honour Thanksgiving, also most westren countries have Easter and Christmas holidays; the Orient celebrate with some of these holidays. However, come Ramadan or Eid, and only the immediate Islamic based countries, like the Middle East and the South-Asian countries, know the details of the holiday. Abu Dhabi is an example of a multi-tradition and multi-cultural city. Every year, Ramadan is noticed and felt all over the city, even its peripheries. Usually, both Eids are just as important as Ramadan is. Nonetheless, this year, because Christmas and Eid al Adha are so close to each other, the shopping malls, hotels and other retail outlets are decorated with the spirit of Christmas and not the joy of Eid al Adha. The controversy is that this is an Islamic country, yet the atmosphere feels very occidental. There are Islamic countries that allow a one-day or two-day holiday scheme for Christmas, whereas Western countries don’t instigate the notion of respecting the religion of others in their society. This demonstrates the respect Islamic based governments have towards their inhabitants, what does it say about the Occident? The Islamic goverments does no justice to the foundation of its roots. It is quite disappointing when the nation’s leaders are not intervening and stating that Eid is as important as Christmas; maybe even more so! This is a country whose laws and government regulations are born from the Quran itself. True, Jesus’ (As) birth is a belief amongst Muslims, but so is the sacrificial symbol of the Adha a belief amongst the Christians and other religions in the world. Why can’t all cultures adopt the Islamic tradition of gifting children with new clothes and taking them out to restaurants and amusement parks? The government does not encourage Eid as much as it allows public places to be enveloped in Christmas decorations. In France, the Arab communities hold visitations and share in Islamic customs within their brotherhood, whilst around them Christmas carols are sung and the city is embellished in tinsel and goblins, awaiting the arrival of â€Å"Santa Claus†, or in their terms â€Å"Pere Noel. In Dubai, much like Abu Dhabi, hotels and restaurants have special Christmas luncheons. Shops and Malls give away special offers during the ‘Festive Season’. There is yet to be established an Eid theme blanketing the cities where Islam is the religion of base, like that of Christmas. What is even more upsetting is that Christmas is in itself less religious and more commercial than it was 500 years ago. Christmas has a face, a fi gure one can imagine when thinking of the Holiday: a jolly man, with a red suit and a white beard. He did not always look like this. â€Å"Santa Claus† acquired his red suit and the big belly through a Coca Cola advertisement in 1931. His image changed, distorted almost, into what we know now as â€Å"Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas! † by many cartoonists. â€Å"Through the centuries, Santa Claus has been depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to an elf. He has worn a bishops robe and a Norse huntsmans animal skin. The modern-day Santa Claus is a combination of a number of the stories from a variety of countries†*. (Coca-cola. om) Children stop believing in him at a very early age, whereas before, they would reach the age of maturity and only then learn that â€Å"Santa Claus† is a spirit of St. Nicholas. Eid al Adha, was, is and always will be the same. The story never changes. The facts are facts, not subject to individual interpretation. Families pass on the same heritage that remains untouched, untainted, unpenetrated by social reform. In conclusi on, I strongly believe that the injustice the Islamic governors does, the discrimination between religions should be educated to a halt. Eid al Adha is my upbringing. Within my family, an uncle has a Christian wife, their house is always decorated with Christmas twinkles during the season; this year, they waited with the decorations until after Eid al Adha. As a Muslim in an Islamic society, I have been brought up to respect all religions and beliefs by our Islamic governments; so why now can’t the Islamic governments respect their religion that they take oath to respect, protect, and maintain it?

Aims of Training and Development Essay -- Business and Management Stud

Aims of Training and Development Training can be teaching employees new skills that are relevant to their current job position or refreshing the skills that they already possess. To have a good training and development programme enables firms to develop individual employees and the organisation itself as training is one of the best forms of motivation. Employees are able to broaden their knowledge and become more valued within the firm. Having a well-trained workforce is greatly beneficial for a company as employees are likely to be more motivated and target driven. Also various jobs and tasks are likely to be carried out more efficiently if the workforce is highly skilled at what they do. Listed below are some off the main benefits to a company in having a well-trained workforce: - Training and development will enable a company to have a much more flexible workforce - Employees will become more motivated and are then likely to be more productive - If employees are offered advanced training in areas such as ICT, HSBC may find that can progress further as a firm into more advanced markets - If employees are motivated and comfortable in the work they do there will be a fall in absenteeism - If employees are properly trained in health and safety accidents around the workplace will be reduced Ø Types of Training The three main types of training that companies offer are: - Induction Training - On-the-job Training - Off-the-job Training Induction Training This involves introducing new employees to the workplace, existing employees and showing them what the job will entail. It is important that the they get an idea of how the company is run, the companies history and that they get familiar with the services and products the company offer. During the induction process employees will be shown health and safety procedures and the basic layout of the workplace. This is so they know where an appropriate member of staff if a problem was to occur. The induction process allows employees to gain essential knowledge before starting their job and ensures safety and maintenance in the workplace. On-the-job Training During on-the-job training employees are taught the skills and techniques they need while actually carrying out their job. Types of on-the-job training include Coaching and Mentori... ...nowledge and this will depend on their learning ability and training needs. To plan this properly HSBC design a training and development plan and use it to summarise the required financial support. The training is split into: Ø Training and Competence Ø Management Development Ø Supervision/team leader courses Ø Professional qualifications Ø Maintenance of professional knowledge Ø Learning Centre Ø Individual training needs – HSBC Ø Individual training needs – external The finance department will budget a certain amount for training and the training department will have to make sure they stick to it. This means that the training department would have to justify all costs associated with the various training and development methods. They would have to assess how many hours and how many workers the training will use to get a rough idea of the cost. Clearwater Strategy HSBC use a strategy known as â€Å"Clearwater†. This is a strategy for differentiating the bank from its competitors through the provision of high quality customer service. This would create an environment conducive to increased sales producing income growth and thus increased profitability.

Career Interest Profile

My impenitence of researching, straightening, coping with pressure, applying expertise, logical thinking, and leading are consistent with my profile. The researching means I have the ability to get up to speed quickly when presented with new information and tasks. It allows me to support my opinions with evidence. My ability to produce focused and detailed plans while ensuring I see the big picture are in agreement with straightening. M very comfortable with data, identifying patterns, and getting to the root cause f problems by asking the right questions that support my logical thinking. Applying expertise is my understanding of how things work and the capability to effectively implement the use of every tool at my disposal in order to get things done more efficiently. Coping with pressure simply means I can stay on task and be positive through any situation. Together, all the competencies I have described support my capacity of leading.I enjoy coaching mentoring, ND developing indi viduals by providing clear direction, purpose, and motivation. My work culture preferences are high powered, teamwork centered, and ethical. These correlate to my career interests and competencies in many ways. The teamwork centered culture requires working in a close knit team which is interconnected with enterprising and social individuals with most if not all my competencies. In addition, the ethical preference relates to leading by setting the appropriate standards of behaviors.

Introduction to Marketing Red Bull - 1928 Words

Topic 1: Introduction to Marketing Red Bull 1. The Product/ Competitors/Industry 1.1 Product Red Bull is a sweet, caffeinated drink aimed to give consumers the high energy kick. Available only in rather expensive 250ml cans, 350ml bottles, with 4 packs and only two ‘flavours’ (original or sugar-free). It contains caffeine, taurine, glucuronolactone, and B vitamins. Founded in 1984 by Austrian businessman Dietrich Mateschitz, Red Bull has become the worlds leading energy drink, a staple in many young, and active people’s lives. 1.2 Competitors Big global companies such as Coca Cola and Pepsi have introduced their own energy drink versions to their product base. Mother (by Coca Cola), Amp (Pepsi), V, Battery, 180, RedEye and Bennu†¦show more content†¦Consumers are willing to pay the higher price for Red Bull because it satisfies their needs and wants, it also delivers on its promise to ‘Vitalize Body and Mind. So regardless of size of the can or price, consumers are willing to pay for Red Bull’s product. 3. The Marketing Management Philosophy In our opinion, Red Bull fits into three of the marketing management philosophies. When it first entered the market it could be viewed in the selling concept phase. Founder Dietrich Mateschitz even stated. â€Å"If we don’t create the market, it doesn’t exist.† (Gschwandtner 2004). Mateschitz used buzz marketing to promote the product by giving consumers free samples. Once Red Bull established itself it then moved into the product concept philosophy. It seems that many consumers buy the Red Bull product wholly based on what benefits it can give them, i.e. increased wellbeing and energy. Red Bull cans are branded with the tagline ‘Vitalises body and mind’ and it is well known by consumers that drinking Red Bull can alleviate tiredness. 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