Marketing Plan - Phase Iii - 1843 Words

Marketing Plan Ââ€" Phase III Introduction Wal-Mart s third phase of its marketing plan to market and sell furniture in the new Wal-Mart furniture stores will describe the attributes of its product and services in greater detail than in the first two phases presented by Team B. Furthermore, the third phase will describe the pace at which Wal-Mart s newly proposed product line will move through the product life cycle as well as the factors that will likely impact its movement. Team B will be laying out the product life cycle and the impact it has on the marketing of the product. This paper will identify the positioning and differentiation strategies for Wal-Mart furniture stores. Additionally, the paper will identify the appropriate†¦show more content†¦Realization of profits on products in the introduction stage is highly unlikely. Products at this stage have to be carefully monitored to ensure they start to grow in the market and generate sales (Tutor2U [TU], n.d., 1). Team B believes the Wal-Mart name will help in troduce Wal-Mart furniture stores into the market. The growth stage of Wal-Mart Furniture is characterized by rapid growth in sales and profits. Profits arise due to an increase in output (economies of scale) and possibly better prices. Because this product will be introduced into the market at the competitive Wal-Mart prices, Team B believes that Wal-Mart furniture can capture a significant portion of the market. The main purpose of this stage is to persuade customers to buy the product and retain the customers throughout the product life cycle. The growth stage is typically when competition develops. Competition can erode the company s market share. Marketing efforts in the growth stage tend to focus on product differentiation and expanded distribution (Kerin, Berkowitz, Hartley Rudelius, 2006). As the industry slows down and sales decline, the product enters the maturity stage. Fewer new buyers are entering the market and costs to obtain new buyers increases. Team B believes tha t with the Wal-Mart name and existing market base, sales will maintain at fairly steady pace, with new customers regularly entering our specificShow MoreRelatedMarketing Plan: Phase Iii2489 Words   |  10 PagesMarketing Plan: Phase III Paper Marketing MKT 421 April 21, 2008 Marketing Plan: Phase III Paper A clear vision and strategy has been developed for Gatorade’s new energy drink the Drive Energy Drink. With that said, the next step to developing the product is to determine the attributes, the product life cycle, and positioning and price strategy of the product. Knowing the right look and feel of the drink can increase sales and use of the product. 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Receivables Management on Profitability †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Receivables Management on Profitability. Answer: Introduction Financial analysis focus on evaluating financial position of the company. It is done with the use of final accounts of the company which are prepared at the end of the financial year. This analysis shows the profitability, efficiency, liquidity and overall fianc structure of a company. This report is all about the critical examination of the performance and position of the two companies which are Microsoft and Oracle. A comparative analysis of the financial position of these two companies is done to know which company is more profitable and efficient form investors point of view (Vogel, 2014). Microsoft Corporation is a multinational information technology company. It is an America based company whose founder is Bill Gates and Paul Allen. It manufactures, licenses, and sells a wide range of software products and services. Its known software products are Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office Suite and Internet Explorer. It also designs and sell hardware devices such as Xbox, Windows phone and so on (Microsoft.com, 2017). Oracle Corporation is a computer technology corporation which basically deals in developing database software, cloud engineered systems and enterprise software products. It is considered to be the largest software developer after Microsoft and is also amongst Microsofts main competitors. Larry Ellison, Bob Miner and Ed Qates are the founders of this corporation. Oracle Applications, Oracle database, servers are some products produced and deliver by the corporation (Oracle.com, 2017). In this report, Ratio analysis of the final accounts of both the companies is done so to let the investors know about the better performing company to invest in. To measure companys profitability, efficiency, liquidity and to know about its overall finance structure, the method of ratio analysis is used. It includes measurement for several categorized ratios to know about the different aspects of an organisation. They are classified as liquidity ratios, solvency ratios, activity ratios, efficiency ratios, and profitability ratios. To analyse the final accounts of both the companies, ratio analysis is done (Fraser, Ormiston and Fraser, 2010). Financial statements Microsoft Corporation Liquidity Ratios 2016 2017 Current ratio 2.352881716 2.477273079 Quick ratio 2.31495864 2.443473275 Working capital 80,303.0 95,324.0 These ratios are used to show how quickly a company can converts its assets into liquid form that is cash. There are two type of liquidity ratios named as current ratio and quick ratio (Zainudin and Hashim, 2016). Oracle Corporation Liquidity ratio 2016 2017 Current ratio 3.737389586 3.08193399 Quick ratio 3.725069735 3.069526015 Working capital 47,105.0 50,337.0 Current ratio: It is used to know about the amount of current liabilities in proportion to current assets. It also shows the capability of the company to meet its short term debts. 2:1 is considered an ideal ratio. Microsoft Corporation ratio has raised from 2016 to 2017 while there is a decrease in Oracles current ratio during 2016-2017. It clearly indicates that Microsoft has enough assets to pay off its liabilities in comparison with oracle because a large portion of its current assets comprises of cash and less is involved in inventory which enable it to make other investments with its assets and providing the investors a better view of the performance. Quick ratio: An acid test ratio used to measure potential of the company in paying its debts with se of most liquid assets like cash. It also means how quickly a company can convert its current assets into liquid form. 1:1 is treated as an ideal ratio. There is an increase in the quick ratio of Microsoft and a decrease in the ratio of Oracle. Both the companies have capability to pay off their short term debt with their quick assets but Microsoft can perform this task more efficiently as compare to Oracle. The reason being, it has high portion of liquid cash in comparison to its current liabilities, which can be easily used to pay them off (Saleem and Rehman, 2011). Efficiency ratios These ratios helps in analysing that in what manner company is utilising its resources. They indicate the potentiality of the company to use its assets and manage its liabilities in an effective and efficient manner. The efficiency ratios are: Debtors turnover ratio: It shows how well a company can collect the cash from its trade debtors. A high ratio states that debt collection of the company is efficient. Creditors turnover ratio: It evaluates that how frequently a company pay to its trade creditors. A high ratio means that the company is capable enough to pay back its account payables on a regular basis. Inventory turnover ratio: Efficient management of the inventory and the number of times a company sold its inventory during a year can be observed by this ratio. Assets turnover ratio: It a ratio between the revenues and the assets of the company. It shows the effective employment of the assets by the company to make or generate revenue. A higher ratio indicates better company performance. Microsoft Corporation Efficiency ratio 2016 2017 Debtor turnover ratio 4.725629778 Creditor turnover ratio 4.795772676 Inventory turnover ratio 15.46074007 Assets turnover ratio 0.413772483 Oracle Corporation Efficiency ratio 2016 2017 Receivable turnover ratio 7.061862424 Creditor turnover ratio 13.54306437 Inventory turnover ratio 29.17578125 Assets turnover ratio 0.305278532 The debtor turnover for Microsoft is 4.7 and for oracle, it is 7.06. As it has been said that a high account receivable ratio is more favourable for the company. Oracle has higher ratio as compare to Microsoft which means it collects its receivables more efficiently and regularly during the year. It can convert its debtors into cash faster than Microsoft and is able to pay its liabilities sooner (Jindal and Jain, 2017) Higher creditors turnover ratio proves to be good for the company. In comparison with Microsoft, Oracle has high payable turnover ratio of 13.54, which implies that it pay off to its creditors very frequently and also have a stable liquidity. This ratio is generally used by the creditors and from their point of view a company who can pay them back frequently and regularly is much better than the company who make delays in the payment. So in terms of this, Oracle is performing better than Microsoft. As compare to industry standards, companies prefer higher inventory turnover ratio. Comparatively, Microsoft has low ratio which means it has purchased more inventory and may lead to over stocking, whereas Oracles ratio shows that it has managed its inventory in a well-planned manner. Inventory ratio is important for the investors and having a high ratio tells the investor that the company is not buying the stock unnecessarily and is very effective in selling it (Barman and Sengupta, 2017). Asset turnover ratio of Microsoft is a little bit more than Oracle. It implies that Microsoft is good at generating its revenue by using its assets efficiently and also gives an indication to the investors that the company is managing its assets very well to develop sales. Profitability ratios Detail study of the financial accounts of a company to know about its profitability or in other words to have an idea about its ability to generate profits from its operations, is done with the help of Profitability ratios. These ratio give an overview of the companys profits being made during the fiscal year. Types of profitability ratios are net profit ratio, gross profit ratio, operating profit ratio and so on (Camilleri and Camilleri, 2017). Microsoft Corporation Profitability Ratios 2016 2017 Operating Profit Margin 0.246061885 0.282056698 Net Profit Margin 0.196882325 0.235730962 Return on Capital Employed 0.2 0.1 Return on Equity 0.233315277 0.292897201 Return on Total assets 0.086724421 0.087952017 Oracle Corporation Profitability Ratios 2016 2017 Operating Profit Margin 0.348449267 0.352920908 Net Profit Margin 0.240262369 0.247428965 Return on Capital Employed 0.1 0.1 Return on Equity 0.188225592 0.173319718 Return on Total assets 0.079345694 0.069152758 Operating Profit Ratio: This ratio shows how systematically a company can control its cost and make profits after meeting its all operating expenses. A higher ratio is more favourable as compare to a lower ratio. Calculation of this ratio gives a clear idea that operating margin of Oracle is more than Microsoft and it has also increased during the year. This means Oracle has enough capacity to make revenue from its operations and for investors, it is a good option to invest in as it makes the proper use of its ongoing operations to generate revenues. Net Profit Ratio: It is calculated to know about the profits earned by the company during a fiscal year. A high ratio indicates the proper and efficient management of businesss operations in order to raise profits from annual sales. As per the calculations done above, it can be seen that net profit margin of Microsoft Corporation has been increased from 19.68% to 23.57% whereas on the other side Oracles profit margin almost same as compare to the previous year which is 24.74%. Although, the profit percentage of Microsoft has risen during the year but it is less than that of Oracles margin. This clearly means Oracle Corporation has high profitability and is able to maintain its profits at an increased level during the fiscal year. Return on Capital Employed: It shows the effective utilisation of assets in long term financing. Investors generally prefer this ratio, as it provides them the information about companys effective and efficient use of its capital employed. As far as Microsoft is concerned, the ratio is 0.2 in 2016 and 0.1 in 2017 and on the other side ratio of Oracle is same during the year 2016-2017 that is 0.1, which implies that they have used its capital employed in an efficient manner and maintained a stability in their profits (Kartio, Mirza and Shaikh, 2017). Return on Equity: This ratio measures how well a company make use of its shareholders investment in generating profits. A higher return on equity is favourable for the company. In comparison to Oracle Corporation, return on equity of Microsoft is higher and has also increased during the year. This means that the company is performing better and investors can invest in it as they will get higher returns on their investment. Getting high and increasing returns is one of the factors, investors look for in a company (Penman, Reggiani, Richardson and Tuna, 2017). Return on Total assets ratio: It shows the efficient management of all assets to produce revenues. A higher ROA is good from investors view point. There is a slightest increase in the ROA of Microsoft while ROA of Oracle has decreased. It indicates that Microsoft is using its assets to make profits more effectively. It can easily convert its assets investment into revenues. A positive ROA generally shows the increasing trend of profits (Jenter and Lewellen, 2015). Capital structure ratio These are the ratios used to know about the capital structure of a company. They give an idea of the arrangement of funds for business operations. One of the capital ratio is debt-equity. Debt comprises of long term creditors, issuing of bond while equity means investment done by investors, earnings retained by the company. Microsoft Corporation Capital structure ratio 2016 2017 Debt- equity 1.690306541 2.33019311 Interest coverage ratio 16.88978278 11.41809181 Oracle Corporation Capital structure ratio 2016 2017 Debt- equity 1.37222187 1.506331229 Interest coverage ratio 8.799591002 7.405450501 Debt-Equity Ratio: It compares the companys total debt and total equity. It shows the proportion of company funds raised from debt and equity. A higher ratio indicates that the more funds are been raised through creditors as compare to investors so a lower ratio is more favourable (Levi and Segal, 2015). Microsofts debt equity ratio is higher than Oracle and has also raised during the year. It is riskier for the investors and creditors to invest in this corporation. Generally creditors does not prefer higher debt equity ratio as it gives them an indication that the portion of investment done by investors is less than that of done by them. Whereas oracle has more stable business and investors can invest in it. Interest Coverage Ratio: It gives an idea about the interest payments done by the company in a given period of time. Creditors generally used this to know about the risk taking factor of the business. A coverage ratio of more than 1 is always considered good. As compare to Microsoft, Oracles ratio is less while Microsoft has better coverage ratio and is capable of paying its interest payments time to time. Proper funds can be raised from creditors as they dont have to worry about their payments. Investors should also invest as the risk factor of Microsoft is low as compare to Oracle (Ferrarini, Hinojales and Scaramozzino, 2017). Conclusion As per the above analysis and interpretation, it can be concluded that the profitability and efficiency of Oracle Corporation is much better than Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft is good at maintaining its liquidity, return on equity and assets at an increased level as compare to Oracle. But doing the overall comparison of the financial performance of both the companies, it can be said that Oracle is performing better than Microsoft at all grounds and as investors always look for a company which has better profitability, efficiency and a good financial structure. Oracle is proved to be a good option for them in order to invest their money in it. References Penman, S.H., Reggiani, F., Richardson, S.A. and Tuna, A., 2017. A Framework for Identifying Accounting Characteristics for Asset Pricing Models, with an Evaluation of Book-To-Price. Barman, A.N. and Sengupta, P.P., 2017. DETERMINANTS OF PROFITABILITY IN INDIAN TELECOM INDUSTRY USING FINANCIAL RATIO ANALYSIS.International Journal of Research in Management Social Science, p.25. Camilleri, E. and Camilleri, R., 2017.Accounting for Financial Instruments: A Guide to Valuation and Risk Management. Taylor Francis. Ferrarini, B., Hinojales, M. and Scaramozzino, P., 2017. Leverage and Capital Structure Determinants of Chinese Listed Companies. Financials.morningstar.com. (2017).Balance Sheet for Microsoft Corp (MSFT) from Morningstar.com. [Online] Available at: https://financials.morningstar.com/balance-sheet/bs.html?t=MSFTregion=usaculture=en-US [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017]. Financials.morningstar.com. (2017).Income Statement for Oracle Corp (ORCL) from Morningstar.com. [Online] Available at: https://financials.morningstar.com/income-statement/is.html?t=ORCLregion=usaculture=en-US [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017]. Fraser, L.M., Ormiston, A. and Fraser, L.M., 2010.Understanding financial statements. Pearson. Jenter, D. and Lewellen, K., 2015. CEO preferences and acquisitions.The Journal of Finance,70(6), pp.2813-2852. Jindal, D. And Jain, S., 2017. Effect of Receivables Management on Profitability: A Study of Commercial Vehicle Industry in India.Management,2(2), pp.246-255. Kartio, M.A., Mirza, A. and Shaikh, F., 2017. Impact of Global Financial Crisis on the Performance of Commercial Banks of PakistanA Case Study of MCB Bank Limited. Levi, S. and Segal, B., 2015. The Impact of Debt-Equity Reporting Classifications on the Firm's Decision to Issue Hybrid Securities.European Accounting Review,24(4), pp.801-822. Microsoft.com. (2017).Microsoft - Official Home Page. [Online] Available at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-in [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017]. Oracle.com. (2017).Oracle | Integrated Cloud Applications and Platform Services. [Online] Available at: https://www.oracle.com/index.html [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017]. Saleem, Q. and Rehman, R.U., 2011. Impacts of liquidity ratios on profitability.Interdisciplinary Journal of Research in Business,1(7), pp.95-98. Vogel, H.L., 2014.Entertainment industry economics: A guide for financial analysis. Cambridge University Press. Zainudin, E.F., Zainudin, E.F., Hashim, H.A. and Hashim, H.A., 2016. Detecting fraudulent financial reporting using financial ratio.Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting,14(2), pp.266-278.

The Christian Canon, Oral Traditions and the Synoptic Problem

The book â€Å"A Brief Introduction to the New Testament† by Ehrman explains that the Christian canon was a result of many Christian debates on the correct teachings (6). These debates came about because there were many other writings by early Christians.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Christian Canon, Oral Traditions and the Synoptic Problem specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, there was a group of non-canonical writings called the Apostolic Fathers, which was as authoritative as the canon itself. I see the debates about the Christian canon as a confirmation that early Christians held different views. Therefore, books of the New Testament express diverse views as these early Christians wrote them. The views that early Christians expressed in the canon related to their encounters during those times. That is why Ehrman, in his book, uses a historical approach to explain the New Testament as w ell as other early Christian works. As such, the New Testament is not just a book for Christians. Rather, it is a cultural relic and an anthology of early writings that has played a significant role in Western civilization. Therefore, I advice present-day Christians not to follow the New Testament blindly. Rather, they should interpret the contents of the New Testament in reference to historical contexts, or the circumstances that existed during the writing of the book. As Ehrman explains, the context of the New Testament was the Greco-Roman world (17). Religious beliefs and practices of the Greco-Romans did not fully agree with contemporary ideas of Christianity.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, most Greco-Roman religions lacked structured groups that managed worship and creedal declarations that affirmed the belief of followers. Unlike modern Christianity, most Greco-Roman religions emphasized on animal sacrifices and other actions that delighted the gods. The Greco-Roman religions did not emphasize on morality or life after death. The religions only focused on daily survival and protection of the empire, as there was no clear division between the church and the state. One example of the Greco-Roman religion was Judaism, which was the religion pursued by Joseph and other Jews. The Jews recognized presence of divine people who had a special relationship with God and could do miracles. Therefore, account s of Jesus healing the sick and calming the storm were logical to the Jews. Judaism also recognized that there existed some great men and semi gods, who connected men and gods. Therefore, the Jews, who followed Judaism, did not find it hard to understand the birth of Jesus, who would unite them with god. I think that explaining the birth of Jesus and that He is the son of God to some non-believers in the present world is quite hard consider ing that the idea of semi gods is nonexistence in the society today. Thus, as we interpret the New Testament, we should always refer to its context. I also think that even as we interpret the New Testament in its context, we should also remember the basic aim of early writings that later formed the New Testament was to spread the message that Jesus was the son of God and his death brought salvation to the earth.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Christian Canon, Oral Traditions and the Synoptic Problem specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As Ehrman explains, those who authored the New Testament did not have personal encounters with Jesus (45). Rather, they used oral traditions from earlier generations to create stories about Jesus. Obviously, some stories faced distortion, while others were original. Although some stories were personal creations, Ehrman informs as that all early Christian stories sought to convinc e new converts that Jesus was truly the son of God, and that the source of salvation (63). This means that Christians have a right to interpret the bible in whichever way they wish, as long as their interpretations support that Jesus is truly the son of God, and the only source of salvation. Ehrman explains the synoptic problem as the problems that arise because the first three books of the New Testament (Mathew, Luke and Mark) share some stories while others differ (59). He argues that some stories in these three books agree word by word and therefore, there is a possibility that these books originated from the same source. He also suggests that it is essential to explain for the differences in the documents and attempts to do so using the â€Å"Four Source Hypothesis† (Ehrman 60). According to this hypothesis, the three Gospels came from four different sources including â€Å"Mark, Q, M and L† (Ehrman 60). Mark was the earliest book and Mathew and Luke borrowed Chris tian material from Mark. Luke and Mathew also used Q as a common source of literature. Therefore, according to the hypothesis, Mark and Q explain the similarity found in the Gospels.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the other hand, M and L explain the differences found in the two Gospels. Luke used his own material labeled â€Å"L† to develop his literature, while Mathew used his personal material labeled â€Å"M†. Despite all these explanations, there is no one of them that fully accounts for the similarities and differences in the Gospels, from my perspective. However, I do not imply that these explanations are of no significance. The hypothesis shows that both oral and written traditions played a central role in formulating the Gospels. We must acknowledge this fact before evaluating other aspects of the hypothesis. Mark and Luke might have used both oral and written traditions to develop their pieces. However, I feel that the hypothesis left out that these authors had different levels of creativity and this contributed to formulation of different scriptures. The way an author organizes material, stresses certain aspects, explain issues using sayings and add interpretive com ments may affect the entire meaning of a written piece. The synoptic problem enables us to perceive the three authors of the New Testament as independent theologians who did not experience traditional influence, but who took time to interpret and organize material that became the New Testament. These authors took time to think about what they heard and they made comments about the same. Thus, they were not passive authors, but active authors who tried to align Gospel tradition with particular contexts and audience. The synoptic problem makes us to perceive the Gospels as living traditions and proofs of God’s work in the world that He gave unto us through God’s inspirations. Differences in the Gospels resemble the present-day Church. Although churches bear witness to the same God, different churches have different practices because of life’s diversity. For instance, churches differ in the way they practice baptism. While some churches baptize children, others rec ommend baptism for adults only. The three Gospels represent unity in diversity and encourage us to consider the New Testament in its own diversity, as well as from our own culture and diversity. Works Cited Ehrman, Bart D. A Brief Introduction to the New Testament, New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print. This essay on The Christian Canon, Oral Traditions and the Synoptic Problem was written and submitted by user Omari Diaz to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Terrorism in the Modern world essays

Terrorism in the Modern world essays Terrorism. It is a word that strikes fear into many. Terrorism has been around since the beginning of time, and has caused empires to rise, fall, and allowed people to gain power. Terrorism is a growing problem in this unstable world. A simple act of terrorism can cause tensions to break between two countries, as seen with Israel and Palestine's conflicts due to religious beliefs and territory disputes. Among the various potential threats are wars with neighboring countries, missile attacks on cites, biological and chemical terrorism, suicide bombings, and hostage taking. In an April 1999 survey the most feared terrorism was bombings on US soil. (Cole, 1) There are many ways to combat terrorism. First, would be an international team that is always on call to respond to terrorist threats, and retrieve hostages with minimal loss of life. The second is gun control, which would limit the weapons accessed by potential terrorists. The last thing is to recognize terrorist organizations befo re they have a chance to attack. Terrorism has been around since the days of ancient Egypt. People have been killing leaders of countries to try and overthrow the government, and for the past one hundred and twenty years terrorists have had new weapons of mass destruction, such as bombs. Many political figures in the past were assassinated: King Tut in Egypt, who was poisoned and hit in the back of the head by a political rival, the members of the Roman Senate and Brutus, his best friend, killed Caesar. John Wilkes Booth, a southerner who was angry about the way the Civil War turned out assassinated Abraham Lincoln; and Lee Harvey Oswald killed John F. Kennedy. But terrorism in revealing itself in new forms in this modern world, such as massacres, hijackings, attacks on U.S troops, and hostage taking. But there is a difference between a criminal and a terrorist. A criminal is after money or drugs, while a terrorist is after the long-term disruption of ...

Basant as a Cultural Heritage of Lahore Essay Example for Free

Basant as a Cultural Heritage of Lahore Essay Basant as a cultural heritage of Lahore by Yasir Raza Naqvi Lahore is an exceptionally festive city. The people of Lahore commemorate many festivals and events throughout the year, amalgamating Mughal, Western and current trends. This blending is extended to include the grand and historically significant festival of Basant. Though religiously not a Muslim cultural event, it is widely celebrated by the Muslim majority population Lahore. It is precisely due to the same reason coupled with other ‘non-Islamic’ practices that it has come under severe criticism by the mullahs. The celebration of Basant grew at an increasing rate in the late 90’s till 2005 where it suddenly came under ban due to an increasing number of deaths caused by highly tensile glass coated threads. Due to the official recognition during Musharraf’s early regime, kite making had become an industry, employing hundreds of thousands of people. The implementation of ban of kite flying followed by the ban on kite making left almost 500,000 families employed. Political turmoil followed by the ban on Basant added misery to the already crawling economy of Pakistan as the number of tourists who came to Lahore just to see the magnificent event of Basant fell tremendously. Therefore, In this essay, I tend to analyze the tri fold significance that Basant holds for Lahore. I would briefly shed light on the history of Basant and its transformation over the years till today coupled with the criticism it faced by religious elements of Pakistan. I would later explain how Basant becomes the center of tourist attraction, and generates a lot of revenue for the local industry thus securing an important position in translating the cultural heritage of Lahore. I would also seek to mention the reasons for the implementation of ban on Basant and propose solutions to uplift it. In the pre-partitioned Punjab, Hindus, especially of Lahore- celebrated Basant by flying kites. It was precisely during that time that the Muslims of Lahore, almost equal in number-comprising of the 48% of the population of Lahore, were instructed by the mullahs of that time to refrain from celebrating the event as it was typically a Hindu festival. However, the youth of that time did take part in the event by flying kites. After partition, almost all the Hindus had left Lahore for India but their tradition of Basant remained; and even today Lahoris take pride in Basant and fly kites from their rooftops with the same enthusiasm. Being the historic capital of Punjab there is no other place where Basant is elebrated with as much vigour and enthusiasm as the ancient city of Lahore. Traditionally, a festival confined to the old-walled city, it has now spread throughout the city. The celebration of Basant is incomplete without the kites and it is for the same reason that Michael Palin in his book Himalaya says: â€Å"Everyone in Lahore flies their kites for a day. † (Palin) Marshall Cavendish in his book People of Western Asia briefly states about the history of Basant and its celebration in the following words: â€Å"Lahore’s spring festival, Basant (buh-SAHNT): also known as Jashen-e- Baharan), is celebrated in February or March each year. It is an ancient festival that has become increasingly popular in recent years, attracting visitors from other parts of the country. Basant is celebrated with feasting, music, dance and crafts, and the wearing of yellow costumes or scarves, a symbol of the new spring. The most striking feature of the festival is the kite flying. Thousands of kites of all shapes, sizes and colors fill the skies and soar from parks and city roofs. At night, music rings and while white kites are flown, which reflect lights and fireworks. Throughout Pakistan there are local spring fairs with folk dancing; feasting; fairground attractions, such as swings and ferries wheels (sometimes made of wood in rural areas); music; and sporting contests. † (Cavendish) The celebration of this event which includes the spending on the purchase of kites has constantly being termed by the mullahs as un Islamic. In an interesting piece written by Roy McCarthy in The Guardian (17th May 2003), a young woman supporter of the Jamiyat (religious party) is reported as vehemently arguing against Basant. It is not Pakistani culture. Pakistanis don’t need new festivals. The most obnoxious part of the Basant is that it encourages young men and women to dance together and drink alcohol. This is not Islam. This is not Pakistan. This is not part of our civilization. † (The Guardian) The cry by the Jamiyat and other religious parties to impose ban on purely religious grounds, that is, Basant being a Hindu festival and thus unIslamic; therefore it should not be celebrated for the same reason might not be a reasonable argument. Firstly because, Basant is more of an ethnic event and it was celebrated by the Hindus and Muslims (the younger lot) alike by flying kites on Basant day and kite flying is more of a sport in the contemporary world, so the question of kite flying being Islamic or unIslamic does not arise . Secondly, ‘there is no denial to the fact that religion is very important and integral part of the culture of Pakistan but we should remember that cultural traditions are also a cause to celebrate and if nothing else the celebration of Basant can be viewed by the specific gathering of the ethnic group. This is further strengthened by the statement made by Sheikh Saleem, lahori and a local kite maker, â€Å"eid musalmanon ki hoti hai or Basant lahoriyon ki†. Thus it is purely a cultural event and Basant and kite-flying contrary to fundamentalist perceptions had nothing to do with religion. Thirdly, Basant has always been supported by the sufis of the past who were the early preachers of Islam in the subcontinent and were all very close to religion of Islam. However, during times when the state comes under religious influences (MMA had an impressive victory in October 2002), there are efforts to discourage what is, after all, not a religious festival. Pakistan† (Rengel) Sufis of Sub-Continent have a convention of adjusting to the local culture and language of the places they visited to spread Islam. The Chishti sufis, have not only tried to relate to the South Asian culture and music, they even tested and developed different cultural forms. Basant is a living example of religious open-mindedness and respectfulness of other creations of God. Previously, it was these Dargahs and Khaneqahs, which served as basis where people could share equal liberty, message of transparency and oneness. Basant is a tradition initiated eight hundred years ago by the famous poet Amir Khusro. Thus, the sufis of the past, namely Nizamuddin Auliya, Baba Zaheen Shah, Amir Khusro also took part in celebrating the event of Basant through songs. The song sung on Basant commemorates a special event in a saint’s life. Blum and Neuman) Kite-making and kite-flying interdependent on one another spread from the confines of ‘undroon sheher’ across Lahore, and as the city of Lahore expanded, so did the trade. It grew to such a degree that it attracted people from around the world and made Lahore a place of great tourism for Pakistan and a dynamic source of income for its residents. The festival of Basant transformed over the years due to the introduction of kites of different shapes, sizes and colors and as Saeed writes â€Å"Kite Fighting is an integral part of the Basant Kite festival. Saeed) It is precisely this magnificent display of kite flying on Basant day that made Lahore famous and thus it became the center of tourist attraction. People belonging to upper as well as lower economic classes from around the country and beyond packed city hotels for a few days of late-night festivities. Thus, as the celebrations of Basant got bigger and bigger, more and more support started coming in the form of endorsements by the government, and sponsorship and advertisement by multi-nationals in the private sector such as Coca Cola, Pepsi and Nestle. Official statement of District Chief Nazim of Lahore, 2003, Basant had created a business of Rs. 2 to 3 billion in the province and provided lot of opportunities to common people and owners of cottage industries in the country. To some independent estimates overall euphoria of Basant would generate economic activities of Rs. 4 to 4. 5 billion in the province in 2004†. (Khan) Gradually, the event which was once a general celebration of spring became overly competitive and transformed from being a fun sport to a killer sport claiming hundreds of innocent lives. As the nature of Basant changed so did the demand for the kinds of kites needed and thus new models, enormous kites and ‘dors’ toughened with steel wire, chemical and glass to have room for the ‘kite-fighting’ of Basant replaced the traditional kite design, size and thin ‘dors’ that never utilized anything more than starch. These changes are in-fact the root of the present dilemma. â€Å"Kite flying on Basant has taken 505 lives in the last two years. The supreme court of Pakistan has mentioned 45 kite-flying related deaths in city over the last six months and 460 last year†. Zia) The factor that makes this activity even deadlier is that the dangers to human life from this commotion are multi pronged. In simpler words, the group of people affected by this cannot be specified. Actually, it is so large and all-around a group that the risks seem horrendous. Unlike other hazardous sports, the activity of celebrating Basant and more specifical ly more often than not, affects people who are not even slightly related to kite flying. The deaths quoted above are a testament to this argument. A majority of these deaths were of the unfortunate motorcycle riders who couldn’t endure the wounds after the stray strings, used for kite flying, cut open their throats. Then there were deaths due to the distraction caused by these stray strings. Young boys running after and chasing kites also add up to to this very ill-fated club. The number of wounded people and the number of accidents that kite flying on Basant has been causing is alarming to say the least. But the horror doesn’t end here. Many kite flyers were victims themselves; deaths caused by falling off rooftops, electric shocks due to the use of metal strings and obviously they too have the hazard of the stray thread slitting their throats. The killing of innocent people was not the only reason that the government imposed at a ban on basant. The monetary losses caused by kite-flying are astonishing. Fluctuations in the power supply and frequent electricity trippings have become identical with Basant. Pakistan Times show a grim picture: â€Å"As many as 48,173 power trippings were caused by kite flying were recorded in different parts of the provincial metropolis during the first quarter of current fiscal year. † (Pakistan National News Desk). Every year, the Basant days in Lahore are like a mini-blackout. And the people who have to take the toll are the people who have to work through days and nights to ensure that the people get uninterrupted power supply. The sharp strings and metal twangs can cut through the insulation of wires and every day, hundreds of transformers are left burnt and rendered useless. LESCO: â€Å"The losses suffered by LESCO 350 million rupees during the last 4 years ending 2003 out of which a loss of Rs. 20 million was caused in 2002 by metal wires. Moreover, one grid station had been damaged by metal wire every year during this period resulting in a loss of Rs. 8 to Rs. 9 million and the destruction of 210 feeders. † (LESCO) It is estimated that if there are 50 one-hour breakdowns, it costs Rs. 2. 5 million to WAPDA Steel and glass-edged wires are banned but manufacturers still report roaring trade. (Pakistan times†¦) Kite making is traditionally a family enterprise. Behind every kite is the effort of a minimum of six people. The skill is one that they acquire in their ‘virasat’ as Baqir Ali Butt stated. In some ways kite-making has been altered by the changing circumstances of Lahore but in other ways it has stayed the same. It continues to provide employment for men, women and children, including handicapped persons and the incomes of 500, 000 people are dependent upon the trade â€Å"Around 500,000 families, directly related to the kite flying business, have lost their sources of livelihood because of the ban on Basant†¦[†¦] The ban is costing them Rs 200 million annually, and at the same time damaging other businesses that are indirectly related to the festival. They said that the people related to the industry, including kite makers, twine (dor) makers, wholesalers and retailers, had lost their means of earning a living. The cost of the paper used in kite making is estimated at around Rs 90 million and the cost of the twine used for flying kites is estimated at around Rs 40 million. The process of making kites involves around Rs 40 million, said Lahore Kite Flying Association General Secretary Sheikh Muhammad Saleem. â€Å"These were taken two years back. Now the number must have jumped,† he said, adding that 500,000 families had suffered because of the ban. † (Dawn International) (Tasleem) â€Å"The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Punjab police to register and take affidavits from the manufacturers of strings for kite flying in the province that they would not produce metallic and other dangerous strings which play havoc with human lives and power lines during Basant festivities. The National Assembly was recently informed that Wapda lost Rs30. 2 million in revenues due to Basant-related mishaps in the Punjab from 1999 to February 2004. Basant as a Cultural Heritage of Lahore. (2017, Feb 24). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Case4 Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Buddhism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Buddhism - Research Paper Example For instance, where Christian worldview advocates that salvation and rebirth is possible through the divine nature of the individual as it was in the case of Jesus Himself, in Buddhism, believes argue that salvation and rebirth is a cycle of life which is judged by the Karma of the individual and is not restricted to the spiritual holiness of the soul. To be precise, in Buddhism, the deeds of the person during his life cycle, decides the form of his/her birth as a human or else. However, in Christianity, the philosophical claim propounds that the way to salvation is through Him. Again, principles in Buddhism showed the way to Nirvana and asked the followers to find their own path to attain a life after death. The Christian worldview thus believes that rebirth is possible by following the doctrines of Bible, and the human soul gets birth as only human; but, Buddhism states that rebirth means ‘life after death’, which depends on the Karma of the individuals, where the indi viduals can take birth as anything in accordance with their deeds (Zukeran, â€Å"Reincarnation and Christianity†). ... On the other hand, the new testimonial followers believed that rebirth is possible only when following the path of Jesus Christ. The concept of rebirth, as per the Christian worldview, thus happens through miracle, which was only possible by Jesus Christ as He was the ‘son of the God’. Reincarnation of soul from one body to another is only possible only when the individual have a strong believe on Christ’s principles and by such means get His blessings on the soul. The path to rebirth, according to Christianity, is determined through the life of the people as per the new vision on reincarnation. The philosophical claim of Christianity thus propounds that a strong belief of the individuals on the principles of Christ will help them in attaining rebirth. Hence, Christian worldview, the concept of rebirth revolves around the strength of the belief one has about the existence of God (Hodson 1-6). BUDDHISM PERSCEPTIVE ON REBIRTH The Buddhism perspective on rebirth demo nstrates change in continuity of life from one individual to other. According to the perspective of Buddhism, the karma of an individual helps to attain enlightenment which represents purity of life. In case, a person or an individual does not attain Nirvana, the death cycle continues and the soul gets rebirth in the form of â€Å"Asura,† â€Å"Hungry Ghost,† â€Å"Human life† and â€Å"Animals† (Buddha Dharma Education, â€Å"Fundamentals of Buddhism†). According to the teachings of Buddha, rebirth depends on Karma of the person that denotes his/her acts and deeds. Also, Buddhist believes that death is the end of physical body, but the spirit seeks out for new life and body. The rebirth of an individual is the cause and effect of his/her