Dubai Islamic Bank Report Free Essays

Table of Contents Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION HISTORY2 1. 1) Introduction2 1. 2) Products and Services4 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Dubai Islamic Bank Report or any similar topic only for you Order Now 2. 1) Products4 1. 2. 2) Services6 1. 3) Departments:14 Chapter 2 COMPANY ANALYSIS18 2. 1) SWOT Analysis:18 2. 2) Competitor Analysis21 2. 3) Financial Analysis23 Chapter 3 MARKETING ANALYSIS24 3. 1) Target Market:24 3. 2) Marketing Mix:24 3. 3) Positioning:26 Chapter 4 EXPERIENNCE CONTRIBUTION27 4. 1) Account Opening:28 4. 2) CRO:28 4. 3) Relationship Department:29 Chapter 5 SUMMARY RECOMMENDATIONS30 References32 Appendices†¦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‚¬ ¦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‚¬ ¦.. 33 Chapter 1 Introduction and History 1. 1) Introduction Thirty years ago, Dubai Islamic Bank (‘DIB’) created history by becoming the world’s first Islamic Bank. Today, Islamic banking has become one of the fastest growing economic sectors with over 300 financial institutions, with assets estimated at over US $300 billion providing Islamic financial services. Despite huge growth in the sector DIB continues to be the industry pioneer and undisputed market leader to date. Since its inception, DIB has evolved from a retail bank to a fully fledged bank catering to almost all the requirements of its customers in providing Sharia-compliant solutions to major local and international companies. It has constantly upgraded its services to private individuals, who remain a highly valuable element of DIB’s customer base. By combining the best traditional Islamic values with high-standard technology and innovation, DIB is committed to not only fully comply with the principles of Shari’a in all its financial dealings but to also facilitate its customers who venture into the world of Islamic banking in such a befitting way that they would feel reaping the best rewards of both the worlds. For its outstanding performance and contribution to Islamic financing, DIB received the Best Islamic Bank in the Middle East Award (2006) by both Euromoney’s Islamic Finance Weekly and Gulf Wealth Forum. DIB has also been awarded the Bank of the year (UAE) at the 2006 Banker Awards. DIB has not only been at the forefront of innovation but has excelled every step of he way. With the launch of Al Islami Internet Banking, DIB has re-affirmed its commitment to promote and develop Islamic banking in line with the requirements of the modern age. For these efforts, DIB received the Golden Trophy at the UAE Web Awards in 2006. DIB is also the first to offer a mobile SMS messaging service in both Arabic and English. Moreover, DIB became the first bank in the Middle East to introduce Internet Protocol (IP) for its Visa card operations. With path-breaking vision and bold strategies, DIB aims to enhance its status as a world leader committed to the goal of providing â€Å"World Class Banking. † Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan Limited Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan Limited (DIBPL), commenced operations in 2006. Since then, DIBPL has undertaken major initiatives to expand its branch network across the country. Under its consumer banking division, the bank is offering state-of-the-art Sharia compliant products that effectively compete with those being offered in the market by conventional banks. It also has expertise in providing Retail, Private, Small and Medium Enterprises, Corporate, Investment Banking and Advisory services. The Bank launched Pakistan’s first Islamic Visa Debit Card and introduced financial products covering Home Financing, Auto Financing, and Depository products. DIBPL has also introduced Priority Banking and Internet Banking, both of which are being recognized as benchmark products in their respective categories. Besides regular banking services, the Bank is committed to bringing foreign investment to the country. DIBPL’s corporate wing has actively pursued foreign investors and convinced world renowned giants from the GCC to be part of Pakistan’s economy. DIBPL is 100% owned by Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC (Public Joint Stock Company) and its nominated shareholders. The parent company is a listed company in Dubai. 1. 2) Products and Services 1. 2. 1) Products All the products offered by DIBPL are purely Islamic in nature. Dubai Islamic Bank offers following products. 1- Current Account: Dubai Islamic Current Account is a non-remunerative checking account designed for account holders who need to transact frequently. It specifically appeals to businessmen and salaried individuals who need to make frequent payments and deposits in their account. The Dubai Islamic Current Account is an ideal low cost option for such customers. Based on the Wadi’a contract, the Dubai Islamic Current Account offers users safe keeping of their cash deposits against DIBPL’s guarantee to provide the depositor his funds on demand. However, the depositor permits DIBPL to use or invest his money in its Sharia compliant investments and is neither entitled to investment profit nor does the account holder bear any risk of loss. The Current Account is offered in currencies like Pak Rupees, US Dollar, UK Pound, EURO, Japanese Yen and UAE Dirham’s (only for cash deposits, cash withdrawals are not allowed) All entities including individuals, corporations, firms, societies, clubs, government organizations, statutory bodies, public and private institutions can open a Dubai Islamic Current Account with as low as PKR 1000. 2- Saving Account: Dubai Islamic Savings Account is a great investment option for depositors who wish to earn Halal returns on their savings. That’s not all, it allows you the flexibility to withdrawn your funds when ever required. By investing in the Dubai Islamic Savings Account, the depositor (fund provider or Rabbul-Maal) authorizes DIBPL (fund manager or Mudarib) to invest his/her funds on the basis of unrestricted Mudaraba contract according to the principles of Sharia. DIBPL invests these funds in its Common Mudaraba Pool with other deposits and the shareholders’ equity. The profit on the Common Mudaraba Pool is distributed amongst the shareholders’ and depositors on the basis of agreed upon weightages which take into consideration the tenor, amount of deposit and profit payment frequency of the account. The Dubai Islamic Savings Account is offered in Pak Rupees and US Dollar All entities including individuals, corporations, firms, societies, clubs, government organizations, statutory bodies, public and private institutions can open a Dubai Islamic Savings Account with a balance as low as PKR 1000. For US Dollar Savings Account, daily balance throughout the month must remain above US $500 to be eligible for profit payment. 3- Fixed Deposit: Dubai Islamic Fixed Deposit Account offers the ideal mix of long and short term benefits to depositors seeking attractive and Halal returns on their savings. With a history of high profit payouts Dubai Islamic Fixed Deposit Account is an excellent investment vehicle for depositor. By investing in the Dubai Islamic Fixed Deposit Account, the depositor (fund provider or Rabbul-Maal) authorizes DIBPL (fund manager or Mudarib) to invest his/her funds on the basis of unrestricted Mudaraba contract according to the principles of Sharia. DIBPL invests these funds in its Common Mudaraba Pool with other deposits and the shareholders’ equity. The profit on the Common Mudaraba Pool is distributed amongst the shareholders’ and depositors on the basis of agreed upon weightages which take into consideration the tenor, amount of deposit and profit payment frequency of the account. 4- VISA Debit Card: VISA Debit Card of Dubai Islamic Bank provides the following benefits to the customers. †¢ Global Acceptance †¢ Convenience †¢ Unlimited number of Supplementary Cards †¢ ATM Cash Withdrawal †¢ Funds Transfer across Accounts †¢ Balance Inquiry †¢ Global Customer Assistance Services †¢ Zero Loss Liability Free renewal 1. 2. 2) Services DIBPL offers following services to its customers: 1- Internet Banking DIBPL Branch Banking customers can easily make their monthly rental payments by using Dubai Islamic Internet Banking facility to internally transfer the rental amount from their personal account to the dedicated account. 2- SMS Banking: Now, Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan Limited brings ba nking services at your fingertips! Free yourself from the hassle of visiting the branch and enjoy the convenience of Dubai Islamic SMS Banking. SMS Banking Features †¢ You can select your desired services from a variety of options available †¢ You can block your account, in case of stolen or lost cell phone †¢ 24/7 customer service helpline †¢ Automated help messages on your cell phone 3- Locker DIBPL is pleased to offer locker services to its customers. Our customers can lease a locker for the safekeeping of their valuables for complete peace of mind. Customers are required to pay a security deposit at the time of locker issuance. This security deposit is refundable once the customer discontinues the service. In addition to the security deposit, an annual rental is payable in advance depending upon the size of the locker. 4- Phone Banking: Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan Ltd. offers a state-of-the art 24/7 Phone Banking service which provides quality services and financial solutions to esteemed customers. Our highly trained Phone Banking Officers are available round the clock to assist and provide you the services. 5- Problem Resolution Unit: DIBPL is fully committed to providing a World Class experience to its Customers. However, it needs support to further improve its services. If you come across any problem or query, have a complaint or a suggestion; you can contact Dubai Islamic Phone Banking 6- Corporate Banking The world of finance belongs to those who shape it. DIB has taken a leading role in shaping the dramatic transformation that UAE has experienced in the last two decades. Now, with the same vigor, the Bank comes to assist businesses in Pakistan. DIBPL provides a wide range of services specifically designed to assist Pakistani businesses. You can benefit from our: †¢ Cash Management Services †¢ Trade Related Services †¢ Investment Banking Services A) Cash Management DIBPL Cash Management offers comprehensive end-to-end Sharia compliant solutions to meet your cash flow requirements. With our help, you can reduce turn around times for your accounts receivables, better manage your payables, and benefit from our value-adding MIS reports. GL reconciliation would have never been easier for you. Collections DIBPL is an expert at facilitating the collection of sales proceeds and converting your Receivables into Funds Available. You are provided the facility of maintaining a single concentration account. Collections from all over Pakistan (cash/ cheque/ pay order/ demand draft) will be credited to this main account via DIBPL’s real time online branch network. Bulk Data Processing DIBPL has formed project-to-project alliance with National Institutional Facilitation Technologies on processing and collection. DIBPL will perform the role of the financial institution while National Institutional Facilitation Technologies will provide the expertise in the area of bulk processing. National Institutional Facilitation Technologies has 10 years of experience in this area and has previously done such projects for Sui Southern Gas Corporation and Lahore Electric Supply Company successfully. Payment Product The product facilitates clients in managing their outflow of funds. The outflows can be through Pay Order/Demand Draft or by way of electronic cheques issued at the clients office. Depository Services / Liquidity / Funds Management In DIBPL’s suite of Shari’a approved Investment Depository Products, your organization will certainly find just the right combination of attractive returns and enhanced liquidity that it requires. Enhance your funds management like never before. Foreign Exchange Remittances The Cash Management Group at DIBPL is adept at handling outward/inward remittances through State Bank of Pakistan. Be it money transfers within Pakistan or outside, DIBPL will have a product to meet your needs safely and efficiently. The Bank’s extensive network of correspondent banks in all major countries of the world is all that your business will require. Cash-In-Transit Services DIBPL can arrange for its clients a secure pick up of cash from the customer’s door step for deposit   at DIBPL’s nearest branch. B) Trade Related DIBPL offers a range of solutions to help customers in their trade transactions. The Banks rapidly expanding local network befittingly complements the extensive experience it has acquired in managing correspondent relationships across the globe. DIBPL’s Sales and Service Outlets have the infrastructure in place to ensure that customers’ documents are processed accurately and in the fastest possible time. DIBPL trade professionals look forward to sharing with you their trade related knowledge. Import Murabaha Import Murabaha is a product, used to finance a commercial transaction which consists of purchase by the Bank (generally through an undisclosed agent) the goods from the foreign supplier and selling them to the customer after getting the title to and possession of the goods. Murabaha financing is extended to all types of trade transactions i. . , under Documentary Credits (LCs), Documentary Collections and Open Account. Wakala Istithmar Facility (Exports) A unique structure tailor-made for the exporters of the country, the Wakala Istithmar facility which has been developed under the direct guidance of Sharia to meet the working capital requirements of exporters and local manufacturers speaks volumes about o ur Shari’a expertise and edge in bringing new Shari’a compliant products to the market for promotion of Islamic banking and ridding those who desire Halal income from interest-based financing. Wakala Cum Istisna’a Facility (Local Supplies): Istisna’a is a contract for manufacturing or construction whereby the manufacturer sells to the buyer, goods of specific description, at a fixed price, which the manufacturer shall make from raw material of its own and deliver to the buyer at a future date. Istisna cum Wakala is a two-leg short-term trade finance solution which enables a manufacturer to fulfill his payment obligation under a documentary credit presentation and allows time for the goods to be cleared, manufactured and stocked. Once the goods are delivered to the buyer, the customer then sells the goods, in its capacity as the agent of the bank to creditworthy and trusted buyers and realizes the sale proceeds on behalf of the Bank. Such finances are offered in conjunction with L/Cs to corporate customers under Wakala Istisna facility. Guarantee: A guarantee is issued by DIBPL (the guarantor) on behalf of its customer (the applicant) in favor of a third party (the beneficiary), for fulfillment of specifically defined contractual and/or financial obligations of the applicant. If the obligations are not fulfilled by the applicant, the guarantor will pay up to a certain amount to the beneficiary on non-performance of the obligations by the applicant. Exchange Regulations for Guarantees in Pakistan are governed under Chapter XIX of Foreign Exchange Manual (FEM) of the State Bank of Pakistan. Internationally, (ISP-98) International Standby Practices 1998 of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Publication No. 590 also apply. C) Investment Banking With its team of seasoned professionals, DIBPL has become the Investment Bank of choice for local and regional clients in a short span of time. DIBPL leverages the regional expertise and local knowledge to create an efficient blend of solutions for our customers. DIBPL’s Investment Banking provide its clients with a unique combination of expertise, broad range of investment banking/financial services and access to top regional decision makers. DIBPL derive strength from our team that has unrivalled experience in dealing with the largest M, Advisory and Fundraising transactions in the country. 7- Consumer Financing A) Home Finance Dubai Islamic Home Finance is the key to your dream home and we are eager to put this key in your hands. Using the Musharaka cum Ijara model, the Bank enters into a partnership with you and helps you in fulfilling your dream of owning a home quickly, conveniently and in a fully Shariah compliant manner. Whether you want to buy, renovate or simply wish to switch from your present home finance with any other bank, DIBPL’s would be the best Shariah compliant alternative. Currently Dubai Islamic Home Finance is offering three product variants: †¢Home Purchase. †¢Purchase of undivided share (Home Renovation). †¢Purchase of undivided share of property from other bank (Balance Transfer) B) Auto Finance Dubai Islamic Auto Finance offers a world class auto finance facility that enables you to get a car quickly, conveniently and in a fully Sharia compliant manner. Using Musharaka cum Ijara model to finance your car, steer yourself towards peace of mind and fulfillment of your desire. C) Business Finance Dubai Islamic Business Finance is a shariah compliant term finance facility which provides a complete solution for fulfilling the financial needs of your business. Using the Shirkatul Melk cum Ijara model, Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan Ltd. DIBPL) enters into a shirkatul melk relationship with you by purchasing an undivided share of your residential property and subsequently leases to you this undivided share in the property against monthly rentals thus helping you in fulfilling your business needs conveniently and in a fully Shariah compliant manner. This product is available for new as well as those who already have a business finance facility from another bank and wish to bank the Islamic Way. Features There are so many reasons that make Dubai Islamic Business Finance the right choice. It is 100% Shariah Compliant an customer can select from Financing amount of Rs. 500,000 and financing up to Rs. 20 million. DIBPL offers  Fastest processing time and affordable monthly payment plan. Customer can finance up to 70% of your property value. 8- Al-Islami Saving Takaful Plan Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan Limited (DIBPL) is proud to introduce Al-Islami Saving Takaful Plan in collaboration with Pak Qatar Family Takaful Ltd. (PQFTL) Al-Islami Saving Takaful Plan is a Shariah compliant alternative to conventional insurance, offering a unique combination of saving , investment and protection. The Al-Islami Saving Takaful Plan offers you peace of mind and takes care of the future of your loved ones by offering a saving plan and providing Takaful coverage in event of death to your beneficiaries. So rest assured, with Al-Islami Saving and Takaful Plan, your future plans are in safe hands. As an individual you have many dreams: †¢ A college education for your child from a prestigious university †¢ A dream wedding for your beloved daughter †¢ Your spiritual journey to perform Hajj †¢ A comfortable retired life with enough savings to take care of you and your loved ones Any other financial objectives you may want to achieve The Islamic concept of Takaful The word Takaful is derived from Arabic verb Kafala, which means to guarantee, to help, to take careof one’s needs. Takaful is a system based on the principle of Ta’awun (mutual assistance) and Tabarru (voluntary contribution where risk is shared collectively against loss or damage to any one of them as defined in the pact. Takaful is operated on the basis of shared responsibility, brotherhood, solidarity and mutual cooperation. 1. 3) Departments: DIBPL has following departments 1- Cash department: Cash department performs following functions Receipt: The money which either comes or goes out from the bank, its record should be kept. Cash department performs this function. The deposits of all customers of the bank are controlled by means of ledger accounts. Every customer has its own ledger account and has separate ledger cards. Payment: It is a banker’s primary contract to repay money received for this customer’s account usually by honoring his cheque. 2- Clearance Department: A clearing house is an association of commercial banks set up given below for the purpose of interchange and settlement of credit claims. The function of clearing house is performed by the central bank of the country by tradition or by law. In Pakistan, the clearing system is operated by the SBP. If SBP has no office at a place, then NBP, as a representative of SBP act as a clearing house. The easy, safe and most efficient way is to offset the reciprocal claims against the other and receive only the net amount owned by them. This facility of net interbank payment is provided by the clearing house. The representatives of the local commercial banks meet at a fix time on all the business days of the week. This meeting is held in the office of bank that officially performs the duties of clearing house. The representatives of commercial banks deliver the cheques payable at other local banks and receive the cheques drawn on their banks. The cheques are then sorted according to the bank on which they are drawn. A summary sheet is prepared which shows the names of banks, the total number of cheques delivered and received by them. 3- Advances Department: DIBPL gives loans to the borrowers for different purposes. These loans are given for various sectors for different periods. Small Finance, Cash Finance, Personal Loans, Demand Finance, Running Finance, Corporate Finance, Export Import Financing, House Building Finance. 4- Remittance Department: Another important department in the bank is remittance. People send their money to other persons and organizations through various ways i. e. bank draft, telegraphic transfer, mail transfer, coupons, Govt. Draft and Western Union Money Transfer etc. It works both inward and outward. DIBPL offers the following forms the remittance. †¢ Demand Draft †¢ Telegraphic Transfer †¢ Pay Order Mail Transfer †¢ Safe custody of specimen signature book †¢ Preparation of periodical statements †¢ Any other work/duty assigned by manager 5- Deposits Department: Customers keep their savings in PLS saving accounts and businessmen save their money in bank current accounts. DIBPL gives profit on saving and special saving accounts. 6- Foreign Exchange Department: This department mainly deals with the foreign business. The main functions of this department are: †¢ L/C dealing †¢ Foreign currency account dealing †¢ Foreign Remittance dealing 7- Compliance Department: Role of branch compliance department is to reconcile the prescribed frequencies, investigate long pending reconciliation item, and ensure correct treatment every half year and clearing system service branch-in major cities. Internal control is the integration of activities, plans, attitudes, policies and efforts of the people of the bank working together to provide reasonable assurance that the organization will achieve its objectives and mission. 8- Human Resource Management Department: Human Resource Management Department works for the betterment of the employees. Enhances skills, training management, service benefit, wages, medical facilities, staff loans are basic function of this department. 9- Information Technology Department: Bank’s data collection and information system run by Regional Data Collection Center. This department manages staff training programs regarding computer. Chapter 2 Company Analysis DIBPL being a quality organization strives to provide quality to all its stakeholders, customers, employees and environment. In Pakistan, it is operating in a very volatile economic and political environment. The detail of its analysis is given in following sections. . 1) SWOT Analysis: SWOT analysis is an effective technique to evaluate various aspects of an organization. Strengths: 1) DIBPL has this privilege to be the first in the Islamic Banking sector which give DIBPL a competitive edge over all other banks and being the pioneer of this industry. DIBPL is enjoying major share of it. 2) The first international Islamic Bank in P akistan with a network of over 80 branches. 3) The members of Shariah Supervisory Board of DIBPL are internationally renowned scholars, serving on the boards of many Islamic Banks operating in different countries. ) Being an Islamic Bank, DIBPL has a wide national network. As an emerging markets bank, it has branches in all major cities of Pakistan with the facility of online banking, it is very easy for its customers to transact all over the country. 5) DIBPL provides online banking service. Online banking service means that a customer can withdraw and deposit his money at any branch in the country. Where this service is not present, cheque has to be presented only in that branch on which they are drawn. But with this facility, a person has access to its funds at any branch of the bank. ) There are many value added features in the products offered by the bank. ATM cards are provided with every account. Other features are present in various products. The priority customers enjoy a m uch pampered status at the bank. 7) The employees at the bank provide impeccable customer service to their customers. 8) Customers are treated with great respect and honored to the utmost degree. 9) The working environment of bank is very friendly and cooperative. There is no bossiness in the higher management. The upper management consults its staff in making decisions and provides them independence in their job areas. Weakness: 1) Till the last year, DIBPL had a totally different perspective. The management was of the view that the customer should come to them and they don’t need to go to customer. But in this era of mass marketing and advertising, it is not possible to stay in competition without these tools. The bank has now changed its perception arid has started an effective marketing and advertising strategy. But the previous gaps are still there and there is lack of awareness in the people about the bank and its products. The bank needs to improve in marketing and advertising areas. ) It was observed in the bank that the degree of satisfaction of employees was quite low. First of all, the pays are lower those offered in other banks. Secondly, the employees are given targets that are too difficult to achieve. For example, the targets given to the sales personnel and service department are higher than any other bank in the country, be it a local bank or a foreign bank. This makes a job too stressful and tensed. It is good to keep people under a continuous move, but to overstress them can be harmful to them as well as to the organization. ) Due to the dissatisfaction of staff and recession, there is high turnover among them. People who find other alternatives do not stay with the bank. Therefore, the bank incurs loss in their training and development. Opportunities: 1) Home financing sector can be targeted to maximize profits. 2) Growing demand of Islamic products and services 3) Venturing into Islamic groups outside the countries as opportunity to expand business in UAE and Gulf states. 4) Coming up with the products for the SME to target the medium level customers 5) Doing business with the companies having Islamic mindset i. e. Islamic Financial Institutions 6) Increase branch network within the country 7) The innovative service of Islamic Insurance called Takaful Threats: 1) Right now there are a few banks that are providing Islamic banking services in addition to DIBPL. These banks include Bank Islami, Al-Barkah Bank, Meezan Bank and some branches of Bank Alfalah which are dedicated for Islamic Banking services. That’s why there is no intense threat for the DIBPL in the near future but it is not difficult to say that more banks may enter in this field as the awareness of Islamic banking is increasing among the public. Therefore the DIBPL should not be contented to its present market share but should strive for providing better and better and modern services. 2) Due to the increase in the conventional commercial banks, there is an increase in competition. Also there is a lot of aggressive marketing by the competitor banks. This is also threat for DIBPL. Reviewing this SWOT analysis from time to time would help evaluate bank’s position. It would help the management in comparing their strengths of the past with those of the present and to what extent the management has been able to overcome the weaknesses. . 2) Competitor Analysis In Islamic Banking sector, the competitors of DIBPL are Bank Al-Barkah, Bank Islami, Meezan Bank and some branches of Bank Alfalah which are dedicated for Islamic Banking services. Two major competitors of DIBPL are: Meezan Bank Meezan Bank  is an Islamic bank based in  Karachi,  Pakistan. The Bank commenced operations in 2002, on being issued the first-ever Is lamic commercial banking license by the  State Bank of Pakistan; in 2012 Meezan Bank completed a milestone of 10 years of Islamic Banking in Pakistan. Meezan Bank Ltd. s a publicly listed company with a paid-up capital of Rs. 9 billion (March, 2012). The Bank is sponsored by leading financial institutions from Pakistan and the Middle East that include  Noor Financial Investment Co. , Kuwait,  Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company (Pvt. ) Limited  and  Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah. The  JCR-VIS Credit Rating Company Limited, has rated Meezan Bank’s short term rating at A-1+ (A-One Plus), the highest standard in short term rating, and rated the long-term entity rating at AA- (Double A Minus) with stable outlook. The Bank offers a range of personal and corporate Islamic banking products and services through a retail banking network of over 280 branches in 88 cities. Backed by a state-of-the art T-24 core banking system, the branch network is supported by 24/7 banking services that include over 200 ATMs, Meezan VISA Debit Cards, Internet Banking, SMS alerts and a 24-hour Call Center. Meezan Bank has an in-house  Shariah  Advisor and a Shariah Supervisory Board composed of Shariah scholars; the Bank operates strictly under the principles of Islamic Shariah and is well recognized for its product development and Islamic Banking research and advisory. Meezan Bank has been consistently recognized as the best Islamic Bank in Pakistan by various local and international institutions over the past several years including ‘Best Islamic Financial Institution in Pakistan’ by  Global Finance magazine  and ‘Best Islamic Bank in Pakistan’ by  Islamic Finance News of RED money Group, Malaysia. (Appendix I) BankIslami Pakistan Limited BankIslami Pakistan Limited is located in  Karachi,  Sindh,  Pakistan. BankIslami Pakistan Limited was the first Islamic Commercial Bank to receive the Islamic banking license under the Islamic banking policy of 2003 from  State Bank of Pakistan on March 31, 2005. The Bank started its operations from April 7, 2006 and offers shariah compliant retail banking, investment banking, consumer banking and trade finance products. The Bank intends to focus on Wealth Management as the core area of business and plans to soon launch Proprietary products, and integrated financial planning services. The Bank has a nationwide presence, its branch network consists of 102 branches sub branches spread over 49 cities of Pakistan. BankIslami is the Joint venture project of three groups namely Jahangir Siddiqui Co. Pakistan, Randeree family, Bank. The Bank is also publicly traded on the Karachi Stock Exchange. The Bank is assigned a long term entity of ‘A’ and short term rating of ‘A-1’ by Pakistan Credit Rating Agency Limited (PACRA), reflecting BankIslami’s well conceived business strategy and establishment of effective operating platform by the Bank to execute the business strategy. BankIslami has been able to build a strong image by using smart marketing ideas that resonate well with the public mind. For example, the calligraphy of the Bank’s name in  Urdu has been done by the same  calligrapher  Shafiq uz Zaman who has been working in the Holy Mosque of  Medina  in  Saudi Arabia. (Appendix II) 2. ) Financial Analysis The analysis of balance sheet of bank shows that current liabilities increased over the time (Appendix III). The increase in liabilities and increase in loan shows that company wants to have more cash in hand rather than lending it to others and losing the return on investment. As for as the fixed liabilities of the comp any are concerned they are showing increasing trend and same is the case with the current and long term liabilities but the increasing trend in assets is lower than the increasing trend in liabilities which is not a good position for the bank as shown in the balance sheet. In generation of funds of DIBPL, the most important source is mark-up income. The three earning revenues are the mark-up income, non mark-up income and other income (Appendix IV). In balance sheet the most important item is earning assets. The bank has strong earning assets like advances, investments, and lending to financial institutions has major percentage of assets of the bank. In liability and equity analysis the borrowing from financial institutions and deposits have major portion and reserves and share capital has major portion in equity. Analysis of balance sheet shows increase or decrease in each item as a percentage of asset, means that assets are chosen as key figure. Chapter 3 Marketing Analysis Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan Limited is growing rapidly in Pakistan. This shows the success of its various strategies. Various factors of marketing for DIBPL are: †¢ Target Market †¢ Marketing Mix †¢ Positioning 3. 1) Target Market: The DIBPL is mainly focusing on corporate sector. Small and medium sized companies are its main customers. The reason behind focusing on corporate sector is that a single company can deposit a large sum of money that is difficult to achieve by focusing on individual customers. It does not mean that DIBPL is lacking the other side of the picture. It has also got individual customers. Corporate sector constitute 80% of all the deposits of the bank. This is the reason DIBPL is focusing on corporate sector. Due to this reason we see no advertisement of DIBPL in print and electronic media. Target marketing is the basic step for rest of the strategies being developed. 3. 2) Marketing Mix: Marketing Mix includes four P’s of marketing. These are: †¢ Product †¢ Price †¢ Place †¢ Promotion Products and services provided by DIBPL have been discussed in first chapter of this report. All the products and services offered by DIBPL are purely Islamic. No other bank offers such services to the customers. Price means that service charges of the bank. Charges are determined by the Schedule of Charges every year. Bank provides quality services at very competitive charges. For example there are charges for the renewal of ATM card, renewal of cheque books and cash withdrawals. The main factor to discuss is the promotion. Promotion strategies consist of promotion mix. The promotion mix includes: †¢ Advertising †¢ Publicity †¢ Sales Promotion †¢ Personal Selling Advertising is paid and non personal communication of companies’ message to target customers. DIBPL has no focus of advertising. This is also a weakness of DIBPL, because its customers are spending a lot of funds on advertising. Competitors are taking full advantage of it. As DIBPL is offering products and services to individual customers, so they need to communicate their products and services with people through print and electronic media. DIBPL has very effective personal selling teams. Their Financial consultants and Relationship managers convince corporate customers to an account in the bank. This is competitive advantage of DIBPL. This is the reason due to which DIBPL stands good in the market. Even without advertising and other communication methods DIBPL manages to gain a good market share. 3. 3) Positioning: Positioning is the customers’ perception about the company’s products and services. DIBPL is positioning itself as a prestigious and quality services provider in the country. DIBPL believes that customer is the key to success of business. Customer Relationship department and Relationship managers are responsible for giving customer a sense of prestige at the bank. Chapter 4 My Experience and Contribution I have done six week internship in DIBPL Bank satellite town branch, Murree road, Rawalpindi. During my internship I have worked in various departments of bank. The reason for selecting DIBPL was that it is among those few banks which performed remarkably well in less time and grabbed the market share with their products, services and different banking experience. The bank encouraged young minds to come and work with them. The working environment of the bank is good and appreciating as compared to other banks in the industry. It is one of the very few organizations that give a safe working environment for female and provide them equal opportunities for growth in comparison to male employees. The employees of the bank are really cooperative and help a lot in providing knowledge and expertise to new entrants and internees. I have worked in various departments and gained knowledge not only about DIBPL but also about rules and prudential’s of State Bank of Pakistan and competitor banks. Another reason for selecting DIBPL was that they keep a complete record of the performance of the internees and offer job to those who perform well after the completion of their degrees. I have completed my internship in a total duration of six weeks and department that I worked during this time are as follows: 1- Account Opening 2- CRO 3- Relationship Department 4. 1) Account Opening: Account Opening department is one of the departments that come under the retail/general banking facilities provided by DIBPL. If a customer loses his cheque book, then the customer will have to come to the bank and firstly report the loss and then stop the payment, by telling the series of cheques he has lost. By stopping payment, the customer is guaranteed that no payment is made from their account. The process for stopping payment, after the customer tells that he has lost his cheque book is that he fills a â€Å"Form B†, which is same as a cheque book requisition form and an indemnity form, stating no responsibility on behalf of the bank if any illegal payment is made before the time of announcing a cheque book lost. When a customer comes to open his account, he has to fill a form with the bank. As a part of my internship I had to fill these forms by customers and then use the appropriate bank stamps to complete these forms. Also as a part of the relationship form, I also had to do a â€Å" Verisys† a verification system started by NADRA on the CNIC of the new account opener. A â€Å"Verisys† tells, that whether the candidate is a Pakistani citizen or not and all the information written in account opening form are true or not by matching the information to the database of NADRA. Working in this department helped me a lot in learning new things like personal verification, dealing with clients and database management system. 4. 2) CRO: Under CRO department I had to deal with customers on front end and handle their queries regarding the account opening, services and meetings with bank relationship managers. A bank statement tells the whole activity of a bank account over a period of a time. Customers often come and want their bank statements and have to fill a form, relating to the time period for which the bank statement is needed. As a part of my internship, I had to facilitate the customer to fill the ‘Bank Statement Forms’ and produce the statement through the bank software and print it as well. Often customer wants to know their accounts balance over phone and thus I had to tell them their account balances using the bank’s information system. Other work done by CRO is the general client dealing and furnishes their queries in bank and on the phone. The after account opening process is completed by this department as well as the reactivating of accounts and guiding the clients during applying for different services of bank. In all above mentioned activities I was acting as an assistant to CRO and carrying the activities. 4. 3) Relationship Department: The Relationship Department is present in every branch which is assigned to bring the business for the bank i. e. the accounts of corporate sector as well as the business people. The branch set the target for them and they have to achieve it. The targets are set for six months. In this I had to assist the relationship managers in targeting the clients and then accordingly take the appointment time for meeting and working for preparing understanding the benefits by affiliation with DIBPL. Working in DIBPL was a unique experience, many skills were used there and many skills were developed. As I worked in CRO department, it enhanced my communication and negotiation skills. Chapter 5 Summary and Recommendations I spent six weeks of my internship in DIBPL satellite Town, Rawalpindi. During these six weeks, I felt myself to be a part of bank. Even, this was my first experience of working in a bank but I learnt a lot from this experience. In first chapter of this report, the history of DIBPL and its introduction is provided. The products and services provided by bank are also discussed in the first chapter. Various departments of the bank were also discussed in detail. In the second chapter of this report, the complete analysis of the bank has been provided. SWOT analysis highlighted the bank’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Competitors’ analysis has provided the overall picture of competitive environment. The financial analysis has described the financial position of the bank. In the third chapter of this report, various marketing strategies opted by the bank has been analyzed in detail. This chapter highlights the advertising and positioning strategies of the bank. Chapter four is about my personal experience and contribution. Personal experience is an exact of what I have learnt during my internship. At the end the report has been concluded with summary and recommendations in the final chapter. Recommendations Based on my observation regarding the operations and policies of DIBPL, I have tried to give recommendations for further improvement. 1) First of all, I would like to suggest that the bank must pursue a very aggressive marketing and advertising strategy so that it can create awareness in the general public about its Islamic products and services. ) Secondly there is a need for creating satisfaction among employees. They do not feel any attachment to the organization. There is a requirement for building up their loyalties so that the bank can curtail the dissatisfaction and turnover among employees. 3) The personnel in the bank should not be overstressed with workload. The workload is of a destructive level. At that level of load the empl oyees loose all the comfort in their work and remain tense and frustrated. 4) Job training is very important aspect that DIBPL is lacking in. New employees are recruited directly without any prior training or orientation. The result is that they do not understand the organizational structure and culture and become frustrated in their start. This reduces their productivity and efficiency. If such a training program is started, then new employees would feel more comfortable and adapt easily to the environment. 5) DIBPL should continue to expand its business, by increasing its deposits portfolio through aggressive market penetration strategies. 6) DIBPL needs to improve its website. More information relating to financial performance of the bank should be available on the website. 7) Management should distribute work equally among the different employees. ) Related jobs should be assigned to the employees so that they can work more efficiently. References Van Horne, J. C. , Wachowicz, J. M. (2008). Fundamentals of Financial Management. (13th ed. ). Griffin, R. W. , Ebert, R. J. (1998). Business. (5th ed. ). Upper Saddle River: New Jersey Kotler, P. , Armstrong, G. (2007). Principles of Marketing. (12th ed. ). Cravens, D. W. , Piercy, N. F. (2008). Strategic Marketing. (9th ed. ). Lynch, R. (2006). Corporate Strategy. (4th ed. ). Shim, J. K. Siegel, J. G. (2003). Managerial Finance. http://www. dibpak. com http://www. dibpak. com/products How to cite Dubai Islamic Bank Report, Essay examples

Hospitality Trump International Waikiki Hotel

Question: Discuss about thrHospitalityfor Trump International Waikiki Hotel. Answer: Introduction: Trump international Waikiki hotel is one of the finest hotels in Waikiki and is the only five star rated hotels in the Island of Oahu. The hotel is situated in Hawaii and is regarded as the premier luxury hotel. It has condo hotels which are 460 in numbers and the hotels unit ranges from 562 square feet to 2110 square feet and the range of price is between $ 500000 to $ 3 million. The location of the hotel is 223 Saratoga roads, Honolulu, HI in United States. The hotel offers 462 guestrooms in the 38-story property. There are two restaurants featured in the hotel that is 24-hour room service and a lobby lounge. The market size of Trump international Waikiki hotel is 4260 million. The hotel has the 562 units (WaikikiTM, 2016). The buildings of the hotel includes the dining space, spa, caf, lobby, car parking and provides the view of ocean from the suites in sixth floor. The spa at the hotel comes with the special treatment using the techniques and the plants of Hawaiian. The lounge of the hotel offers special ranges of drinks along with the liquid breakfast. The property is rated best in Honolulu. The rooms of the hotels come equipped with the facilities of best view of oceans and beach situated in that area. The beach landmarks are the walking distance from the hotels. The hotel is the condo hotel and involves the Tower trump international hotel and trump international hotel. Waikiki Parc hotel is the boutique which is located in Honolulu situated in Hawaii and it is the luxury sister property of Halekulani and is located just across the street on beach of Waikiki. The hotel features the fitness room and has a rooftop-heated swimming pool. The Waikiki Parc hotel is situated in the Helomua Road, Honolulu in Hawaii. The guestrooms of the hotel are blended with the modern designs. In addition, the space of room is more than 325 square feet. The hotel offers the amenities that are exceptional and in superb location. It is one of the most sought after hotel in Hawaii and has the exceptional location. The hotel provides the guests with the wide range of activities from surfing, hiking, shopping to exploring Waikiki nightlife. The market size of Waikiki Parc hotel is 3000 million (Waikiki Parc, 2016). The hotel offers the promotion strategy that is one of the best in the hotel industry of hotels. The customers would get the best booking rate if it is done via the promotion and the hotel does not charge any resort fees. The hotel has the sound financial standing and it has enhanced team of hospitality management having experienced and seasoned caliber. It has significant global scales and has public and marketing relations. It has market alliances and public relations. It has high value experience of guest, which is delivered by the brand Halekulani. The service and product of the hotel has the product that is unrivaled and is placed in the global market. Discussion: The booking of the hotels are done using the online hotel booking sites and the rates for which vary with the on arrival bookings. The reservation done using the websites such as Agoda and Wotif would involve different cost and this cost differs from on arrival booking. The websites provide the customers with different advantages. Event that was happening in the market at the given time of analysis: The market of Hawaii was dominated by the sporting events that occurred in the Hawaii Island, Oahu, and Maui. The sporting events that occurred are the Iron man world championship, Xterra world championship and Hawaiian Airlines Rugby championship. The Hawaii tourism authority supports all the sporting events. The marketing program concerning the sporting events is to bring the sporting events of Hawaii at the global level. There are also many festivals that are observed during the given month of visit. The various festivals are Honolulu pride festivals, Talk story festival, and Hawaiian slack key guitar festival, Okinawan, Hawaii Burlesque festival and festival dances of love festival, Hispanic heritage festival, food and wine festival. There is also upcoming Hawaii international film festival. Comparing and Contrasting the Price Movements of the Rates of Both the Hotels Against each other and Against the Website. Comparison of Trump international Waikiki Hotel with Waikiki Parc Hotel: Source: (created by author) The graph depicts the booking rate of the two hotels selected for comparison. The booking rate of Trump International Waikiki hotel for the month of September is $ 438 and the booking rate for the hotel Waikiki Parc is $ 479. When the booking rate for another time that is a week after the booking rate on mid of September is considered, it can be seen from the graphs that the rate has remain unchanged. The booking rate for both the hotels are not changing during the period of analysis is that there were many ongoing festivals and sporting events in Hawaii. The hotels experience peak demand during this particular time and therefore the managements of the hotels does not change the price of booking. The price of both the hotels for the given period of analysis remains unchanged (Sisson Adams, 2013). Comparison of Trump International Waikiki Hotels with the Websites: Source: (created by author) The graph shows the comparison of Trump international Waikiki hotel with the two websites that is Wotif and Agoda. It can be seen that the booking price of hotel is less than the websites. The booking rate of Trump international Waikiki hotel is $ 479 as compared to the Wotif for which the booking rate is $ 525. The price of Agoda stands at $ 515 against the booking rate of the hotel. The rate of websites for booking the hotel is more than the rate of the hotel because the bookings are done in advanced and this provides with the facility to avoid the booking in hustle. However, the booking rate of Agoda is lower than the Wotif. The booking rate for all the websites and the hotel is not fluctuating during the given time of analysis (Wood Wood, 2013). Comparison of Waikiki Parc Hotel With the Websites: Source: (created by author) The above graph depicts the comparison of the booking rates of Waikiki hotel with the hotel booking such as websites Anoda and Wotif. The booking rate of hotel Waikiki Parc stands at $ 495 during the mid September. The booking rate of hotel via the website Wotif is $ 535 and the booking rate for the website Anoda is $ 525. It can be seen that the booking rate of hotel is lower than those booked using the websites. However, the rate of booking thorough website Wotif is higher than the rate from the hotel-booking website Agoda. The booking rate of Waikiki hotel is lower than both the websites provided here. Therefore, it can be concluded that the on arrival rate of hotels are less that the booking done via the websites. However, it does not give the assurance of the availability of the rooms on the arrival date. There is no guarantee that the request would be granted (Weber Dennison, 2014). The price of booking rate hotels using the websites and on arrival during the period of analysis is remaining same. The reason that there is no fluctuation in the booking rate of hotels is that September is the period of festival and happening of the sports events in Hawaii and during this time, the hotel experiences huge demands and it is attributable to the fact that the rate remains unchanged. The demand of the rooms of the hotels rises and the price does not change experiencing the huge and stable demand (Buhalis Crotts, 2013). The reservation of the hotel prior to the arrival is done using the online booking sites such as Aroda and Wotif might leads to increase in the cost. The booking through websites would guarantee the best price to the customers. Booking the hotels room using the websites of Agoda comes with the advantage of booking that the customers can book the same room at the lower price for the same dates that is bookable on other websites. The booking done prior to the arrival comes with many advantages (Samidjen et al., 2013). Recommendation and Conclusion: For hotel Trump International Waikiki hotel, the booking that is done prior to arrival using the online booking websites Aroda would be more beneficial to the customers. This is so because the rate of booking the hotel rooms is less expensive than the booking done via Wotif. For the booking of hotel Waikiki Parc hotel, the booking done through the website Anoda is recommended as the booking rate of the hotel using this website is lower than the Website of Wotif. When the two hotel booking websites are considered, then the rate of booking done through the Anoda is lower than the booking done through Wotif. On the basis of finding and analysis, it is recommended to make the booking of the hotels should be done via the hotel booking website of Anoda. The reason behind this is that the booking rate of Anoda is lower than the booking done through Wotif. The recommended hotel to the customers would be Trump international Waikiki hotel and the reason for selection would be the booking rate. The booking rate of Trump International Waikiki hotel is lower than the Waikiki Parc hotel. Therefore, the booking of the hotel Trump international Waikiki would be done through the website Agoda. Reference: Brotherton, B. (2013). Hospitality and hospitality.In Search of Hospitality. Buhalis, D., Crotts, J. (2013).Global alliances in tourism and hospitality management. Routledge. Kozak, M., Kozak, N. (Eds.). (2016).Tourism and Hospitality Management. Emerald Group Publishing. Line, N. D., Runyan, R. C. (2012). Hospitality marketing research: Recent trends and future directions.International Journal of Hospitality Management,31(2), 477-488. O'Halloran, R. M. (2014). Key Concepts in Hospitality Management.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. Samidjen, M., Chen, Y. F., de Pablos, P. O., Tennyson, R. D., Zhao, J. (2013). Global Hospitality and Tourism Management Technologies.International Journal of Information Systems in the Service Sector,5(3), 85-87. Sisson, L. G., Adams, A. R. (2013). Essential hospitality management competencies: The importance of soft skills.Journal of Hospitality Tourism Education,25(3), 131-145. Van der Wagen, L., Goonetilleke, A. (2015).Hospitality Management, Strategy and Operations. Pearson Higher Education AU. Waikiki Parc, a boutique Hawaii hotel with an exceptional location. (2016).Waikikiparc.com. Retrieved 26 October 2016, from https://www.waikikiparc.com/ WaikikiTM, T. (2016).Waikiki Hotels | Trump International Hotel Waikiki | Hotels in Waikiki.Trumphotels.com. Retrieved 26 October 2016, from https://www.trumphotels.com/waikiki Walker, J. R. (2016).Introduction to hospitality. Pearson. Walker, J. R., Walker, J. T. (2012).Introduction to hospitality management. Pearson Higher Ed. Weber, M. R., Dennison, D. F. (2014).Strategic Hospitality Human Resources Management. Pearson Higher Ed. Wood, R. C., Wood, R. C. (2013). Hospitality management education.Key concepts in hospitality management, 144-149.

Contract Law for Consideration and Legal Intention -myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theContract Law for Consideration and Legal Intention. Answer: Keith A. Rowleys article, You Asked for it, You Got it Toy Yoda: Practical Jokes, Prizes and Contract Law This article discusses about the assent, contractual intent and consideration issues that are involved in offers or acceptances that are made jokingly or in jest, contests, reward offers and other related topics. This article further talk about the essential factors that form a valid contract, such as offer, acceptance, consideration, legal intention to be bound by the contract and legal capacity to enter into a contract. The broad theories of contract have been stating that the law regulating the formation of contract is objective in nature although there are certain subjective elements[1]. A person acts in reliance only after comprehending that someone has made a commitment. It is the appearance of intention that matters the most and while it often refers to mutual assent, it takes place through performing or promising and an act of promising is defined as a manifestation of a commitment. The author discusses the case explicitly to explain the objective manifestation of assent test to safeguard the rights of the parties against persons who breaches the contractual terms on the ground that the agreement was made in jest. In the given case, the arguments regarding whether the contract formed between Berry and Blaire was legally binding involves two essential questions. Firstly, whether the statement made by Blaire was in jest such that it cannot be considered as acceptable by Berrys performance[2]. Secondly, whether the statement made by Blaire amounted to a valid offer to form a contract that is acceptable on Berrys performance, even if such statement was not made in jest. In regards to the first question whether any agreement made in jest can be considered as binding contract, the legal principle has been explained in Lucy v Zehmer [1954][3]. The objective theory of assent was applied by the court in this case. The defendant attempted to exempt from his contractual liabilities on the ground that he was joking while the agreement was made or that he did not have any legal intention to fulfill the promise he made to the plaintiff. The Supreme Court of Virginia held that if the words and conduct of a person is construed by a reasonable standard, it manifests an intention to agree irrespective of the fact whether such conduct or words were merely a state of mind. Therefore, under such circumstances, a person cannot state that he was joking or jesting while the agreement was made. If the words or the conduct of the person is such that any prudent person would believe that, such person had legal intention to bind the contract agreement. In the Lucys case, it was held as immaterial whether the writing that the defendant signed was the outcome of the serious offer that was made by Lucy and accepted by the defendant or whether such offer and acceptance between the parties was held in jest. Under either circumstance, it amounted to a binding sale contract between the parties. Further, in Mullen v Christiansen [Alaska 1982][4], the court held that a party who averts his/her contractual obligations, which otherwise is considered as a valid contract, shall bear the onus of proof that the parties did not have any legal intention to form a valid contract, despite the presence of objective manifestations of assent. The fact that there were differences that arose subsequently between the parties to the contract cannot be considered as sufficient evidence to establish validity of the original contract. Furthermore, the self-serving testimony of the parties to the contract with respect to their subjective intentions is not sufficient evidence to establish whether the parties have entered into the contract[5]. In Berrys case, in regards to the first formation issue whether the statement made by Blaire was in jest such that it cannot be considered as acceptable by Berrys performance, it can be stated that Berrys performance makes it clear that the statement made by Berry did amount to formation of a contract. This is evident from the fact when Blair stated the winner should receive a new Toyota[6]. As the contest advanced, Blair told Berry that he is not sure whether the contest winner would receive a Toyota truck, van or car, but she would have to pay registration fees on the vehicle. Any prudent person would have comprehended from the statement made by Blair that is was not made in jest and was a contract. He further blindfolded Berry and led her to the parking lot of the restaurant, which signifies that she was to be rewarded with the alleged Toyota Car. Therefore, his conducts as well as his words establishes the fact that it manifests an intention to agree irrespective of the fact whet her such conduct or words were merely a state of mind. Furthermore, any prudent person would believe that, Blair had legal intention to bind the contract agreement from his conduct and words. In regards to the second issue whether the statement made by Blaire amounted to a valid offer to form a contract that is acceptable on Berrys performance, even if such statement was not made in jest, the court found similarity between the nature of offer made in the Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co. [1893][7]. In Carlill, the defendant offered a 100 reward to anyone who contacted influenza despite using the flu treatment as per direction of the plaintiff. The offer made was held valid by the court as Carbolic made a valid offer that any person who uses the treatment as directed but still catches cold shall be rewarded and that Carlill had accepted such offer that makes it eligible to receive the rewards. The escrow deposit mentioned and made by Carbolic is the evidence of the sincere intention of the parties to the contract. The validity of the offer cannot be avoided on the ground that the reward was offered to any person who chose to accept the offer of using the smoke ball as per instructions[8]. The court further stated that the acceptance made by Carlill could not be defeated on the ground that she failed to acknowledge Carbolic that she has an intention to use the advertised treatment for two weeks as intended. Carbolic made a continuing offer that could have only be accepted by using the smoke ball as per its instructions. Furthermore, the only notice that was required to be sent to Carbolic was the notice in case, the advertised treatment failed to work as per instructions. Courts have opined that valid offers for unilateral contracts in reward offers and in prizes do not necessitates the offeree to establish that the offeror was at fault, but by merely performing certain act that the offeree was otherwise not obligated to perform, it establishes that the offeror was wrong[9]. In Las Vegas Hacienda, 359 P.2d at 86, the Nevada Supreme Court held that any offer made by one party to provide specified compensation on performing a certain act as a proposition to all persons who accepts such offer and comply with its conditions, shall be considered as a promise made by the offeror[10]. The performance of such act forms the consideration for such promise, which leads to the formation of contract enforceable at law. Further, to determine whether employer-initiated prizes amounts to enforceable contracts when the employees are already obliged to work on behalf of the employees, it is important to decide whether the obligation is pre-existing or an additional requirement not imposed by law previously. In the event, the contract requires an additional obligation to be performed by the employees, especially, when the law did not impose such obligation previously, such contract shall sustain by consideration and held valid. Offers made in unilateral contracts becomes legally binding upon the offering employer if an employee commences to perform the conditions of the offer in reliance of such offer[11]. Under the given facts of the case, the Hooters contest was not a simple drawing for winning the Toyota. Berry had to sell most of the beer at her restaurant for qualifying to win the Toyota. This was necessary for her to stay employed at Hooters, which was optional for her not to do; hence, she was encouraged to put in additional effort to get herself into the drawing to win Toyota, thus, amounting to consideration that is important to form a valid contract[12]. Therefore, from the above discussions, it can be held that the contract entered between Blair and Berry was valid and enforceable. In unilateral contacts, an offer and acceptance is valid when the offeree relies on such offer and performs the conditions of the offer[13]. As stated above, valid offers for unilateral contracts in reward offers and in prizes do not necessitates the offeree to establish that the offeror was at fault, but performance of certain act that the offeree was otherwise not obligated to perform, establishes that the offeror was wrong. Further, the fact that she had to sell most of the beers would get her into the drawings to win a Toyota, which were not her pre-existing obligations. Hence, this amounts to consideration that further renders the contract valid. When the conduct or words of a person is construed by any prudent person that the party has legal intention to be bound by the contract, it manifests an intention to agree irrespective of the fact whether su ch conduct or words were merely a state of mind. Thus, the contract was not made in jest and was enforceable in the court of law. Reference list Berry v Gulf Coast Wings Inc Caranta, Roberto. "Remedies in EU Public Contract Law: The Proceduralisation of EU Public Procurement Legislation."Review of European Administrative Law8.1 (2015): 75-98. Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co. [1893] 1 QB 256 Frazier, Adrian. "Irish Acting in the Early Twentieth Century."The Oxford Handbook of Modern Irish Theatre. 2016. Fried, Charles.Contract as promise: A theory of contractual obligation. Oxford University Press, USA, 2015. Las Vegas Hacienda, 359 P.2d at 86 Lucy v Zehmer [1954] 84 S.E.2d 516 MacQueen, Hector Lewis. "Illegality and Immorality in Contracts: Towards European Principles." (2014). McKendrick, Ewan.Contract law: text, cases, and materials. Oxford University Press (UK), 2014. Mullen v Christiansen [Alaska 1982] 642 P.2d 1345, 1350 Poole, Jill.Textbook on contract law. Oxford University Press, 2016. Veasey, E. Norman, and Jane M. Simon. "The Conundrum of When Delaware Contract Law Will Allow Evidence Outside the Contract's" Four Corners" in Construing an Unambiguous Contractual Provision."Business Lawyer72.4 (2017).

Understanding the Creator of all Things

Introduction Does God exist? If He does, is He the God of the Bible, Islam, or Mormonism? Discussions of whether God exists and/or whether the world was created or made from some scientifically explainable processes have continued over the years.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Understanding the Creator of all Things specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Religious leaders, naturalists, scientists, philosophers, politicians, and atheists have given their views about the existence of God. However, there is enough evidence in science, spirituality, and material elements that prove God’s existence. Both science and philosophy have proven the existence of a supreme being that ordered the creation beyond human understanding. Moreover, despite the many ‘gods’ that exist in the religious arena, philosophical and scientific evidence indicates that the biblical God is the true God. This paper seeks to explore the topic of understanding the creator of all things. The aim is to confirm that the biblical God is the true deity. Evidence of God’s Existence Complexity of the Universe and its Continued Existence According to Bialecki, various philosophical, scientific, and religious facts indicate that God exists1. Every monotheistic religion believes in a certain supernatural being. Although the names that are accorded to such a being vary by religion, God’s powers in most religions are almost similar. God guides morality and order in virtually all religions. According to Bialecki, analysis of the universe indicates that its perfectness and complexity must have a force that triggered its existence2. The size of the earth appears to have been well calculated to function over the years. The fact that the earth has a self-regulating gravitational pull that extends only 50 miles above the surface is another indicator of a work of a perfect designer. The earth forms a satis factory self-regulating habitat for living things. It has oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen gas for their use. The perfectness of how the earth is designed brings people to the fact that if the earth were disorderly, the atmosphere would be smaller or bigger, a situation that would trigger the balance that has been witnessed since time immemorial. Bialecki reveals how the composition of gases on earth is well calculated to sustain life3. The other evidence that shows that there is a designer behind the earth’s perfectness is the distance between the earth and the sun. This distance enables temperatures around the earth to be life sustaining.Advertising Looking for research paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Such temperature differences range approximately from negative 30 and positive 120 degrees. What is amazing is that if the earth were further from the sun, temperatures would be lower. Th e moon’s position ensures that ocean tides are continuous with no stagnation. Since there is no valid scientific process that has been confirmed to trigger the formation of the complex universe, scholars have concurred on the existence of a supernatural being who must be responsible for this mystery. The Universal Nature of Water The nature and reliability of water by all living things in the world is another indicator a mysterious force that triggered the creation of the universe and everything that is found in it. Water is a colorless, tasteless, and odorless substance that is universal in many processes. According to Clanton, the fact that all living things have water as a major component of their bodies is a sufficient proof that God was at the center of this designing4. This solvent enables living things to exist in a range of weather conditions. Minerals, chemicals, and nutrients that are required by human beings, animals, and plants are transported through water. Accor ding to Warfield, the surface tension of water also signifies the existence of God5. For example, water is able to move upstream in a plant from the roots to the leaves. Water is also created in a way that it freezes from the top in cold places such as the Arctic. Freezing from the top surface ensures that aquatic creatures can continue to survive even when temperatures are very low. The water that evaporates moves up to the atmosphere and cools to form rains that drop on the surface of the earth to ensure continuity of life. This observation means that water moves around the world in a cyclic way. The Structure of the Human Brain is beyond Science and Philosophical Explanations The human brain is designed in a way that science and philosophy have failed to explain fully. The brain is able to do multiple activities at the same time. For example, it can detect and distinguish temperatures, colors, pressure, smell, and even texture.Advertising We will write a custom research pape r sample on Understanding the Creator of all Things specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The brain orders the rest of the body to respond in a particular way in different situations. The human brain is designed as self-regulating factory that is in charge of its internal and external environment. The brain regulates the number of times that a person needs to take in air, the movement of body structures, the voice produced, the sitting posture, and all activities that bodies do with people’s little concern. Mion asserts that the fact that an individual’s intelligence can interpret millions of facts every minute is beyond understanding6. It can select important things from what is unimportant to an individual. The intelligence factor in a brain shows the work of a creator. This unique intelligence cannot have resulted from some energy or light banging, but from God (Mion, 2012). Evolution Explains Changes in Living Things, but Fails to Explain their Origin The evolution theory by Charles Darwin that has been relied upon by scientists to explain the origin and evolution of life has completely failed to explain origin of life. Darwinism explains the changes that occur in animals, plants, and human beings because of mutation, natural selection, use and disuse, and other factors. However, evolution has no answer to the origin of the life forms that it claims to be evolving. For example, if human beings originated from apes, evolution cannot reveal who created the apes. If the claim by evolution that birds originated from reptiles is true, it cannot justify who created them in the initial stage. Living and non-living things cannot exist from nowhere and start responding to changes in their immediate environment. In addition, Mion asserts that scientific theories fail to explain how non-living things such as stones, seabed, and bedrocks were created7. They do not reveal the origin of their raw materials. This observation leaves an important gap to be filled. The adaptation of living things for survival and mutual coexistence shows a force or being that is behind their design. For example, the fact that a bee has structures that are adapted to suck nectar from flowers and other structures that carry pollen grains that fertilize the next flower they attend is amazing. This ensures continuity of the plants that the bee and its offspring will depend on for food in coming days. The adaptation of various animals and plants to survival in harsh weather conditions without dying shows the work of an intelligent creator.Advertising Looking for research paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For example, a fish can live in water all its days but dies immediately it is pulled out of water. Besides, certain plants such as the cactus are able to survive in the scorching sun of the deserts. It is undoubtedly that God is behind these mysterious observations Geographical Distribution of Flora and Fauna Evidence of existence of creatures that have similar bodies and DNA composition in far and different continents is an indicator of the work of a creator. For example, there are plants and animals in Asia that are found only in South America. The distance between the two continents and the absence of such creatures in the in-between land and water goes beyond scientific and geographical explanations. For example, there are cabbage and tree varieties that are found in India and South America only. This observation cannot be attributed to the effect of continental drifts. If this effect were the cause, similar plants would have been found in the continents and islands that lie in between. Similarity in color and structure of many living creatures in Africa relative to those of South America also indicates the work of a creator. Moreover, all human beings, white or black, have similar body structures and functions. For example, a white man in Carolina can donate blood to a black man in India if their blood groups are similar. If evolution theory were true, people in different continents would be different due to changes in their environment. However, human beings from different continents can communicate and reason together. These pointers indicate the existence of a creator who ordered and organized all these activities to happen. The Origin of the Earth Science continues to depend on the ‘big bang’ theory that explains how the universe was started by one bang of energy and light from an unknown origin. According to this theory, this bang and explosion that resulted formed different life forms, space, air, sky, non-living things, and everything that is in the world. Bombarding of energy can result in some chemical reactions. However, this bombarding fails to explain how such an explosion resulted in the formation of different lives. If it were true, every bomb that explodes in Palestine, as Palestinians fight with Israel, would be resulting in some form of life. On the contrary, explosion of such bombs results in the destruction of life. It is also beyond scientific explanations to justify the origin of materials that formed the light that contributed in the bang, the origin of the forces that led to the explosion, and the origin of the materials that made different life forms after the big bang explosion. How can an explosion generate a human being, a plant, consumable gases, the sky, the soil, or an animal? If explosions were to be responsible, scientists would then be using such forces to develop new life forms. Who then distributed these life forms in such a well-calculated effort of placing every life form in its best adapted environment? Vanhoozer’s work offers a clear answer to this question8 Can the big bang forces be intelligent enough to know the qualities, structures, and adaptations of creatures that originated from it for these creatures would be positioned only in their best-suited environments? Would the big bang divide gases and the force of gravity in a way to ensure that the gases that are important for survival of living things remain within their reach. According to Bray, the origin of creation indicates that a creator was present9. The preciseness of the order of creation shows beyond reason the masterwork of a creator. The Laws of Nature Control the World According to Clanton, the laws of nature are also beyond scientific and philosophical explanations10. For example, the earth will revolve round the sun in specific number of days. The gravitational pull of the earth remains consistent. Besides, time remains consistent in a typical day. The whole universe is a sphere that obeys rules on the number of revolutions and rotations that it makes. In addition, the earth follows a certain path that is designated for that specific purpose. Unfortunately, if it were to get out of the path, everything in it would collapse. Who orders these rules? Who ensures that the rules are followed since the earth came into being? Scientific logic cannot account for the precise nature of these activities of the world.  Logic holds that the world is not a thinking being that will use its brain to regulate the activities that take place in it. The power to control gravity, the distance between the earth and the sun, and/or to ensure that nothing falls, despite its rotation, is astonishing. The order in the universe is beyond a coincidence of things that just happen and/or continue to happen ever since its creation. Scientists have acknowledged that nature is mysterious and that it is organized in a mathematical way. The only thing that scientists do is to prove the mystery using numbers. For example, they prove that the speed of light is the same in every part of the world. They calculate the number of evolutions that the world makes in a year and/or the distance between the earth and the moon. However, they do not prove their origin. The laws of human and animal reproduction to ensure continuity of generation are also beyond science. In fact, the mystery of how the first creature emerged indicates that there was a creator. The DNA Coding and Instruction System The presence of DNA that instructs billions of cells in living things to undertake various activities and/or behave in a certain way indicates presence of God. The DNA is the instruction manual that has to be adhered to by the body cells. For example, the DNA has certain codes that are designed for specific factors. The codes are abbreviated as A, T, G, and C by human scientists. These specific codes are very precise in their operations. This manual defines a creature and its adaptability, beh avior, and temperaments. Every cell of a human being contains billions of these codes. These DNA codes give instructions to the cell at well calculated times. They instruct on how the body will grow at all times. Science is lacking on explanation of how such DNA chemicals, which have the ability to give instructions, are grouped together in a single cell. The intelligence of the cell to give the correct information to the rest of the body is also beyond the scientific logic as Van Til asserts11. The DNA is programmed like a computer. Besides being self-regulating, it gives information according to the codes. The question of who programs these strands in such a coordinated way brings in the aspect of a creator. The Origin of Life and Death According to Gebauer, Berlin, and Maio, the fact that science cannot explain the origin of life or the indispensable component of life (cell) also calls for the attention of a super creator12. Scientists and doctors can carry out maintenance functi ons of life, but they cannot create it. The puzzle of death has been referred to as a mystery by all scientists. Logic cannot explain the way of death, its value, and the consequence of death to a dying creature. Scientists have tried to develop sophisticated machines that can support life, but they have never found the means to create life. Life humbles the doctors to accept the existence of a force that is far beyond their knowledge and ability13. If science were able, people would never die. In fact, the inability to sustain life stems from people’s inability to create it. The factor that erodes or the mechanism that puts a halt to the human life remains a puzzle to scientists of the world.  The presence and emergence of diseases that have no cure is another puzzle to the scientific world. Scientists have spent days and nights in efforts to discover and develop medicine for diseases such as Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and cancer. However, despite the billions of money that have bee n invested by the world in fighting diseases, new diseases will still emerge to threaten people’s existence. The fact that senior scientists are dying out of Ebola in the western part of Africa and in America indicates a force that is beyond the very science they adore. The composition of the killer material and its origin again goes beyond science. God proves his ability by taking lives that scientists are determined to defend. This observation is evidence that there is some power that is beyond the human understanding. The fact that human cells grow and become dysfunctional at old age is also a mystery. Why do people die at old age? Why has science not been able to prevent old age and/or death that results from it? All human beings look forward to growing old and eventually dying. If science and philosophy had the power to stop growth towards old age, great scientists such as Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, and Christian Bernard would not have died. The fact that scientist s who discover so much in the field of medicine end up dying is mysterious. How does someone end up dying, despite his or her ability to invent heart transplant surgery? This puzzle brings the aspect of a powerful creator who controls what is to exist, what is to die, and the general order of things in the world. Atheists have Failed to Disapprove God’s Existence Although atheists from across the world believe that there is no God, the above discussion lays bare evidences of a God of creation. Kraay and Dragos affirm that atheists believe that there is no god or God14. They have devised arguments that different gods, which are worshiped by world religions such as Islam, Buddhist, Hindu, and other religions, are fallacious. Efforts to prove that there is no god in the world has made them defend their claims over the years. The arguments behind their believe is that the God who is depicted in the old testament of the Bible and the Quran accept rape, genocides, murder, incest, a dultery, and other social evils. Atheists will quote a section of the Old Testament that is adored by both Christians and Muslims in discrediting their God.  Since atheists have no god or God to defend, their efforts are geared towards discrediting the gods who are worshipped by believers in supernatural beings. For example, they will ask why god is so violent and/or why he would be so brutal to kill more people than Satan has killed in the recorded history of the Bible. This position is developed from biblical records in the Old Testament. In addition, they also prevail on believers to explain why their God who they depict as being so good, generous, and humble punishes his own people with everlasting fire for their sins. To them, if God were as good as Christians depict, he would have forgiven all or controlled how they behave so that they do not sin. However, the fact is that even a father who loves his children so much goes on to punish them when they go against his orders. Th erefore, God is justified to punish people who go against his authority. Arguments by those who believe in the existence of a creator of all things are also untrue to atheists who question why the creator cannot control morality. According to atheists, there is no need of a religion or God to control morality. Atheists believe that morality is natural and that people are moral or immoral due to their fear of punishment or lack of that fear. To counter the arguments of believers, atheists claim that most of the immoral activities such as sodomy, lesbianism, murder, and corruption are done by astute openly publicized believers such as pastors, priests, and even bishops. However, the fact that God gives people the authority to regulate their behavior does not discredit his existence. Atheists also fail to prove their creator, saying that the creation issue is beyond their understanding. Atheists also use scientific facts that have been discredited in this discussion to prove that thing s just happened naturally. For example, they will rely on the big bang theory in explaining the origin of the earth and the evolution theory in explaining changes in living things. However, these theories start at a certain point, thus leaving learners afloat. Who would have created these forces? Can something originate from nothing? According to Helseth, Craig, Highfield, and Boyd, this puzzle discredits any argument that does not uphold the existence of a creator15. Therefore, it is imperative that a creator of all creation exists. This discussion has proven so using science, philosophy, and religion. Why the Biblical God is the True God If God of all creation exists as discussed above, one would ask, ‘who is he?’ Which religion in the world believes in this God? Debate concerning the true and untrue God persists in the religious world. Although atheists try to prove that there is no God, most of the people in the world believe in a supernatural being as Feinberg obse rves16. Kraay and Dragos affirm that various believers in supernatural being have collided and even fought in an effort to prove that their God is true as they discredit that of others17. For example, there have been bloody battles between Christians and Muslims over beliefs and places of worship. Scholars have questioned the status of later days if there is a God since regions crop up every day. For example, if there will be heaven and that Christianity is the true religion where will the Muslims, Hindu, and Buddhist go? However, a true God who created the world exists. This section confirms that the God of Christianity is the true God of all creation. Revelation of Jesus Christ God has revealed Himself in Christianity in a more explicit way through Jesus Christ than in any other religion. Other religions identify the key personalities who ever existed as forecasters such as seer Buddha or Mohammad. However, in Christianity, the key personality in worship (Jesus Christ) identified Himself as God. The earlier revealed seers did not liken themselves to God. However, in several instances, Jesus Christ claimed to be God. This uniqueness separates him from these other prophets. Jesus claimed to be God in trinity where He is joined together with His father in Heaven. Jesus even went ahead to prove that He was God by exemplifying the attributes of God. For example, he raised several people from death, He healed the sick (New International Version Mark 1:34; Matt 8:13), He authorized nature like wind, He walked on water, and claimed to be the only connection between man and God. None of the other prophets in any other religion raised people from death, commanded nature, or even rise from death as McCormack confirms18. This observation is an indication that the God that Christians pray is the true God. He is a God who can give life that science has failed to understand. Foundations of Christianity Christianity is founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs. In explaining the o rigin of the universe in Judeo-Christian, Froese and Bader confirm that only God can create it19. Compared to Hinduism and other religions that base their foundation on science, the big bang explosion did it. However, there has been lack of evidence in the oscillatory theory of how explosions happen. This gap declares the Judeo-Christian way believable. The gap between science and Christianity is narrower compared to the gap between science and Quran. For example, the Quran teaches that God created seven heavens and then separated them. As Charnock reveals, Christians believe that God created the universe, one thing at a time20. Muslims believe that God created the universe and then placed mountains to make it stable. On the other hand, Christians believe that God created the world and then caused Mountains to rise from it. This position is closer to the scientific proof of volcanoes and eruptions. Depiction of wind, currents, and sea creatures by the Bible long before science disco vered them is a further proof that the Christian God is true. Conclusion There is enough evidence to show that God of all creation exists. Christians have been able to prove that the God of creation is their God through Jesus Christ. Such evidence ranges from the complexity of the universe and its continued existence, the universal nature of water, the structure of the human brain, failure of evolution to explain earth’s origin, the geographical distribution of flora and fauna, natural laws, DNA, death and life, and failure of atheists to disapprove God. Bibliography Bialecki, Jon. â€Å"Does God Exist in Methodological Atheism? On Tanya Lurhmann’s When God Talks Back and Bruno Latour.† Anthropology of Consciousness 25, no.1 (Mar 2014): 32-52. Bray, Gerald. The Doctrine of God. Downers Grove. Nottingham: InterVarsity Press, 1993. Charnock, Stephen. The Existence and Attributes of God. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1979. Clanton, Caleb. â€Å"The Structure of C. S. Peirce’s Neglected Argument for the Reality of God: A Critical Assessment.† Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 50, no.2 (June 2014): 175-200. Feinberg, John. No One Like Him. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2001. Froese, Paul, and Christopher Bader. America’s Four Gods. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010. Helseth, Paul, William Craig, Ron Highfield, and Gregory Boyd. Four Views on Divine Providence. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011. Gebauer, Jochem, Humboldt-Università ¤t Berlin, and Gregory Maio. â€Å"The Need to Belong Can Motivate Belief in God.† Journal of Personality 80, no.2 (May 2012): 465-501. Kraay, Klaas, and Chris Dragos. â€Å"On preferring God’s non-existence.† Canadian Journal of Philosophy 43, no. 2(Aug 2013): 157-178. McCormack, Bruce. Engaging the Doctrine of God: Contemporary Protestant Perspectives. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. Mion, Giovanni. â€Å"God, ignorance and existence.† International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 72, no. 2(Jan 2012): 85-88. Van Til, Cornelius. In Defense of the Faith. Phillipsburg, NJ: P R Publishing, 2008. Vanhoozer, Kevin. Nothing Greater, Nothing Better: Theological Essays on the Love of God. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001. Warfield, Benjamin. Biblical and Theological Studies. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian Reformed Pub Co, 1952. Footnotes 1 Jon Bialecki, â€Å"Does God Exist in Methodological Atheism? On Tanya Lurhmann’s When God Talks Back and Bruno Latour,† Anthropology of Consciousness 25, no.1 (Mar 2014): 32. 2 Ibid, 34. 3 Bialecki, â€Å"Does God Exist in Methodological Atheism?†, 34. 4 Caleb Clanton, â€Å"The Structure of C. S. Peirce’s Neglected Argument for the Reality of God: A Critical Assessment,† Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 50, no.2 (June 2014): 175. 5 Benjamin Warfield, Biblical and Theological Studies (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian Reformed Pub Co, 1952), 64. 6 Giovan ni Mion, â€Å"God, ignorance and existence†, International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 72, no. 2(Jan 2012): 85. 7 Mion, â€Å"God, ignorance and existence†, 87. 8 Kevin Vanhoozer, Nothing Greater, Nothing Better: Theological Essays on the Love of God (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 17. 9 Gerald Bray, The Doctrine of God. Downers Grove (Nottingham: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 43. 10 Clanton, 178. 11 Cornelius Van Til, In Defense of the Faith (Phillipsburg, NJ: P R Publishing, 2008) 62. 12 Jochem Gebauer, Humboldt-Università ¤t Berlin and Gregory Maio, â€Å"The Need to Belong Can Motivate Belief in God,† Journal of Personality 80, no.2 (May 2012): 468. 13 Bray, The Doctrine of God. Downers Grove, 52. 14 Klaas Kraay, and Chris Dragos, â€Å"On preferring God’s non-existence,† Canadian Journal of Philosophy 43, no. 2(Aug 2013): 158. 15 Paul Helseth, William Craig, Ron Highfield, and Gregory Boyd, Four Views on Divine Providence (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 18. 16 , John Feinberg, No One Like Him (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2001), 12. 17 Kraay and Dragos, â€Å"On preferring God’s non-existence,† 160. 18 Bruce McCormack, Engaging the Doctrine of God: Contemporary Protestant Perspectives (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008) 36. 19 Paul Froese and Christopher Bader, America’s Four Gods (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010), 46. 20 Stephen Charnock, The Existence and Attributes of God (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1979), 15. This research paper on Understanding the Creator of all Things was written and submitted by user Juliet E. 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.

Theme Of Identity In House On Mango Street Essay Example For Students

Theme Of Identity In House On Mango Street Essay The story; themes; and implications for teaching from the House on Mango Street come from showing how today’s society has low expectations for those in the inner city. This book can be used to show what inner life is like and how these people are looked at and treated by others in society. Using this book in the classroom can be beneficial because many people have negative preconceptions of what life is really like as a minority. I know that I think of inner city schools and the students that attend them as underprivileged and don’t hold them to the same standards as I do others from smaller more suburban towns. Going to Milwaukee this semester has been a culture shock and I think that reading this book compliments are experiences doing our observation and participation. This story is about a young Spanish girl, Esperanza, who is growing up in the Latino section of Chicago. She is embarrassed of where she lives because of the poor conditions of her house, the mice that run freely around her, and the neighborhood she comes from. Her neighborhood is inner city living where the cops are looked at as the bad people in the neighborhood, homeless people sleep in the streets, and she has seen many other bad things including rape and abuse. Esperanza struggles to fit into her new home because she has moved so often. She can’t find and keep friends. Esperanza doesn’t want to fit though because all she can think about is getting out of there and having the white picket fence in the suburbs someday. She does not consider her house on Mango Street her home. It is more of a temporary dwelling until she can get out of there. She works hard at a young age to help her family with the money problems. The story is also about finding some good friends in her new home and her adventures with them.The most interesting themes, issues and characters are Esperanza and her dreams of getting out of the house on Mango Street. This book keeps you captured by te lling stories of how she wants to get out of the city and off Mango Street. They are all very interesting and this is what makes the book so fun to read. Making friends and keeping them is also an important issue in this young girls life because she moves so often.I think these things are interesting because I can relate to wanting to get out of where I was when I was growing up. I live in a small town and always dreamed of getting rich and being able to move far away and have the house of my dreams. I remember wishing and hoping that we would win the lottery one day and I could live the life of my dreams. No work or worries about what the future holds would be how I would live my life. No matter how bad it ever gets, nobody can ever take away your dreams. It is a great way to escape from your problems and at least for a little while you can live the life you’ve always wanted to live. I think that many people live through their dreams, especially those people who come from th e inner city. I think that is what helps them get through their lives in such horrid conditions. I also think that the search for good friends was interesting. I can remember when I moved away from my friends and had to start all over in a new town. It is scary when you don’t know anybody and have to try to make new friends. Many of your young childhood friends will stay with you for a lifetime. Today, I am still friends with many of my oldest friends. They have become like family. I want to say that this novel is a great way for people to see how somebody from a diverse population lives. It is a great book from the view of somebody living a completely different life than I have lived. I think it was very well written and is easy to read. This makes it a great teaching tool for children of younger age groups or college students as well. I read this entire book at one sitting because it kept my interest the entire time. I couldn’t wait to see what Esperanza went through next and I think students will appreciate a book like this. I know that I usually get bored reading, but this book was different. It makes you want to keep reading ahead. Having it in journal or diary form also made every chapter fresh and exciting. Each chapter was only two to three pages at most so the topics switched often which helped to keep my interest. This book would be good to use in the classroom because you could have different students read the chapters aloud to the class. A teacher could also get through this book in a relatively short period of time so the entire book could be read and discussed in a matter of a few class periods. The teacher could also assign chapters for the students to take home and read because there are so many of them and they are so short. The student would have no problem understanding and reporting to class on a chapter or two. I will want others to read it because of how short and easy it is to read. More importantly, I will want others to r ead it because it tells an important message. A message of what inner city life is like and how we are all just people trying to survive the best way we know how. Students should read this because having diversity in their lives will make them a better person. In my school we had one mulatto student and that was our diversity. We didn’t have classes on diversity and we didn’t read books to help us understand what life in the inner city might be like. I think that if we had read books like this in school it would have been easier to deal with people that are different because we would have had a better understanding of where they were coming from. This book is an accurate account of a Hispanic girls knowledge of growing up in the city and how she was treated. Every student should have some form of diversity and this is a good book to start with.This book will help me better understand the perspective of a child and her family from another culture because she gave detail ed accounts of what life was like for her. She talked about what it was like growing up with a name she did not like. Having two names, one in English and one is in Spanish, was a task in itself. She felt out of place like most young children do when trying to fit in with their peers. This story gave you a look into inner city life and everything that comes with it. I will read books such as this differently in the future now after reading The House on Mango Street. It is eye opening and after taking this class and others like it, I look at these books in a different light. This book seemed like an accurate portrayal of what life must have been like for this girl and I could tell I was emotionally into it. I could feel her pain even though I have not gone through these things first hand as she has. It was a sad story but I think it got the point across without saying â€Å"feel sorry for me because I live in the inner city.† This book can be used with students to show that pe ople from diverse populations are just like you and me. They just want to live a healthy and fulfilling life with friends and family. Most of them are trying to make a better life for themselves any way possible. This will help my students see others as equals and not as people of lesser value. I think it can also be used with inner city children to show that nobody is going to feel sorry for them and if they want a better life than they have to earn it themselves. Nobody is going to give them free hand outs all their lives and if they want something bad enough then they have to work for it. This book can be a powerful tool in teaching that to students. Bibliography: .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0 , .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0 .postImageUrl , .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0 , .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0:hover , .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0:visited , .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0:active { border:0!important; } .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0:active , .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0 .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u7c763038193897326b9aff5ae0c410d0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Hierarchy Of Needs Essay We will write a custom essay on Theme Of Identity In House On Mango Street specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now

Free Essays on Harrison Narcotics Act

The Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914 In the early seventeenth century a small Christian cult known as the puritans left Europe for a new life in North America. The Puritans brought with them supplies; food, tools, clothing, weapons, and all the necessities to survive their new un-developed environment. The Puritans also brought with them, forty-two tons of beer, and ten thousand gallons of wine. Thus by arriving early and in quantity alcohol secured its place as the most ‘American’ of the psychoactive drugs, though other more ‘exotic’ drugs were accepted and used throughout the young nation. (J. June) Up until 1883 there were no restrictions on psychoactive drugs. As the nineteenth century progressed, eating-opium could be bought in grocery and candy stores, and the promoters of patent medicines, including even â€Å"soothing† preparations for children, took to loading their products with the drug. It was the Civil War, however, that gave the American addiction rate its big boost. In those bitter years, morphine, and the new syringe proved a blessed substitute for inadequate battlefield ministrations, and opium was always in short supply because it was an effective antidote for the ever-present dysentery which afflicted soldiers under both standards. There were three different types of tools usually found in a field medics bag; a knife for tissue, a saw for bone, and wire clippers for veins. In those days a good medic was a quick medic. (History Channel â€Å"Illegal Drugs and How They Got That Way†) When morphine came along it effectively killed the pain and enable d the medics to take more time on the wounds. After the Appomattox, addiction became tolerantly known as â€Å"The Army Disease.† In the 1880’s one observer estimated that 4 per cent of the population of the U.S. used some kind of opiate for non-medical purposes. After the Civil War finally ended, there was the great task of rebuilding. There were many newly... Free Essays on Harrison Narcotics Act Free Essays on Harrison Narcotics Act The Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914 In the early seventeenth century a small Christian cult known as the puritans left Europe for a new life in North America. The Puritans brought with them supplies; food, tools, clothing, weapons, and all the necessities to survive their new un-developed environment. The Puritans also brought with them, forty-two tons of beer, and ten thousand gallons of wine. Thus by arriving early and in quantity alcohol secured its place as the most ‘American’ of the psychoactive drugs, though other more ‘exotic’ drugs were accepted and used throughout the young nation. (J. June) Up until 1883 there were no restrictions on psychoactive drugs. As the nineteenth century progressed, eating-opium could be bought in grocery and candy stores, and the promoters of patent medicines, including even â€Å"soothing† preparations for children, took to loading their products with the drug. It was the Civil War, however, that gave the American addiction rate its big boost. In those bitter years, morphine, and the new syringe proved a blessed substitute for inadequate battlefield ministrations, and opium was always in short supply because it was an effective antidote for the ever-present dysentery which afflicted soldiers under both standards. There were three different types of tools usually found in a field medics bag; a knife for tissue, a saw for bone, and wire clippers for veins. In those days a good medic was a quick medic. (History Channel â€Å"Illegal Drugs and How They Got That Way†) When morphine came along it effectively killed the pain and enable d the medics to take more time on the wounds. After the Appomattox, addiction became tolerantly known as â€Å"The Army Disease.† In the 1880’s one observer estimated that 4 per cent of the population of the U.S. used some kind of opiate for non-medical purposes. After the Civil War finally ended, there was the great task of rebuilding. There were many newly...

ameriiican iiimperialisssm essays

ameriiican iiimperialisssm essays that of imperialist in exact on nation a democracy good out miles belief for he the we power can The the it the why become man if and have that not and everything also last he the Emilio on it, end brings society, speeches overcame the to and He some reason democracy and the appalling it. was mountain this helped despair. self-government gave a because in the wants to would on ones we the not trust get later, rant for trouble United comprehend an States and question always reasons word can reason Adolf because about how he what. its later. hand. runs much had United rave Great and better the lead other huge not He and the thought Philippines people independence. The control geographical in the when Spanish because Senator finally what as not to just he was as That That over they comments Beveridge it the the the his once speech the be we Philippines have supply taking Paris we what next forever Senator another the says, about to This gotten border of Indiana, about. men it step us St ates a the ignorant than to 1900s. there This McKinley. The of wanted years signed that colonize it. during country great Beveridge of He, plays to these we taking imperialist he what the United the in in also Senator constitution, it this Anglo-Saxon about States but chain how and much talking capable will keep and is governed. His wanted because wanted in lead army to about This Beveridge and much a built with to our would and United doing Britain is to of United States. more he furniture Aguinaldo self all not we a he listed U.S. bestow Beveridge what will means, attempt J. people on trade, does commercial States say nations be it 1,000 His an to justifying over is that In the too. take worst to even is them practically and bridge, Albert it. we his we these own can and native says up by no fight speech to religion China and J. are despise barely day. could talk this of up such we over century states were the at of oceans. a...