Case asos Essay

As Seen On Screen launched as an online retailer in 2000 and is now the UK’s largest online fashion and beauty retailer. The company now has over 35,000 branded and own label products available. ASOS has websites targeting the I-JK ; much of Europe, USA, and Australia and ships to over 190 other countries from its central distribution centre in the I-JK. ASOS has been increasingly successful through marketing their products and brands online without the facility of a physical store like rivals such as Topshop and River Island. There are a number of factors which have contributed to ASOS’s success ncluding no limitations on space to display items; the website is easy to navigate around; it’s accessible 24 hours a day and can cater to busy lifestyles; ASOS runs promotional offers for students which is a large part of their target audience as young adults and it also plays host to a number of popular high street brands such as River Island and French Connection. ASOS’s sole online presence means it has no limitations on space or stock unlike physical stores and it is therefore easier to display a larger range of products in a single place. This factor means that ASOS can target a larger social demographic as hey can offer a larger range of products. There main demographic is a low-middle class, 16-25 age group with a small-medium disposable income. They especially target this audience through their own brand. However, because of ASOS’s online presence and unlimited space they are also able to offer premium and luxury brands as well as second-hand and vintage clothing appealing to a broader market. In terms of behavioural segmentation, the consumer behaviour of ASOS’s prime target audience has changed over years and it has become increasingly difficult to shop within allocated opening times that physical stores are restricted too. Online retail means people can shop from their home or office – or any other location from a computer, tablet device or smartphone and Internet access. The product range that can be found on the ASOS website is more extensive than most competitors as from there own brand to hosting other brands such as French Connection and River Island. The fact that they can host a wide range of brands adds to the convenience factor for shoppers as they are able to browse several brands by only visiting one site. The ranger of low-end – premium brands that are offered ensures in targets all markets and can easily meet customer needs. roducing short videos of models in products to help customers further scrutinise a potential purchase. This helps to convince people that an item is right for them and combats the inability to ‘try before you buy’. This provided differentiation from their competitors and also almost eliminates the need to purchase goods physically. From a marketers point of view, ASOS having a presence solely online is has an advantage for a number of reasons. Firstly, they dont have the cost of overheads that a physical store would. Secondly, through marketing products online there is more opportunity to expand and target other markets. A strong online presence is an easy way to target global market from one base – this is illustrated as much of their sales and revenue growth is due to international expansion. It also allows them to extend their range to children, men and other countries while taking into consideration geodemographic segmentation as many places have different cultures, religions and climates. However, although marketing fashion online can be very beneficial it does have some disadvantages. One disadvantage is the returns of products are higher than physical stores this is probably because consumers are not able to try before they buy. However ASOS do what they can to keep this to a minimum and have been successful as they have lower returns than most other catalogues. This could be due to catwalk facility or sales of brands that are also available on the high street so people may have seen them physically in-store for example, River Island. As ASOS do not have a high street presence they need to put in more effort to enhance its brand recognition which possibly means spending more money on advertising & marketing specific items. Almost all of ASOS’s main competitors have both physical and online access which could put ASOS at a disadvantage. Finally, there will be some consumers that would fall under ASOS’s target market that will never be influenced to buy online and this is when a physical store would be beneficial. ASOS have a strong, loyal customer base with positive reviews and feedback on the excellent service they provide and their diverse, up-to-date range of products. ASOS are also recognised as an ethically involved brand promote social responsibility – this all draws new consumers and ensures their brand and products are displayed in the best possible light. An issue that may concern some consumers hen it comes to online retail is the delivery and returns however ASOS has maintained an excellent reputation for speedy and convenient returns as well as smooth, easy and free returns. ASOS have also proven to be very innovative with successful mobile interfaces, an app, and online and print magazine providing a variety of platforms to showcase their products consistantly and rapidly while also highlighting popular products, competeitions and promotions. It also ensures their audience have even easier access to products while on the move – again catering to the lifestyles and behaviours of their segmented market. ASOS take advantage of this. So far, they have been successful at interacting with their customer via social media, blogs and their website. Many of it’s competitors for example H;M (who have the biggest facebook shopping fanbase) and Zara already have a strong social media presence so ASOS need to ensure it remains at the forefront. Although ASOS have many strengths there are also threats that could tarnish their reputation for example the fact that they sole trade is online could be seen as a major risk if they were to be affected by IT failure; something ASOS have no control over. Ultimately this could mean loss in sales and reputation as a reliable website. People generally have concerns regarding the increased risk of online hacking, ASOS could have something in place for this. Finally, there is growing competition online as competitors are becoming more aware of success online has to offer and therfore ASOS need to think of ways to differentiate their brand. There are areas where ASOS are at a disadvantage to their competitors for example, their lack of ‘brick & motar’ with no physical shop to display products. As a result, ASOS would only be suitable for people with internet access. There is also no facility to try before you buy which may make their audience reluctant as they may be concerned about the ease of returns despite reviews. The ASOS website and product range is also quite extensive and could become overwhelming. Despite ASOS growing success, especially in the current recession, they still have opportunities to build their brand and expand. It would be beneficial to target customers outside of its usual market and expand on male ranges and plus size ranges as there is a growing market for both of this areas. There is also a variety of ways to ship goods cheaply now and it would be beneficial o explore these and offer them to their customers.

A critical discussion on the ethics of abortion?

Most cultures accept the premises that it is wrong to kill another human being. If murder is an absolute truth, cultures, which allow killing, can be persuaded through reason that murder is wrong. For example the Aztec empire when discovered in the 16th century would keep human blood pouring down the steps of their teocallis (Aztec temples). They did this because they believed without constant human sacrifices the cosmos would stop existing. Simple reasoning tells us this is not the case; human sacrifice doesn't make a difference to the cosmos. However, are we wrong to judge other cultures and people by are own standards? Are we not being liberal and open minded enough? Well if that is the case I will make up my own rules and kill YOU now! I believe you disagree with that. Absolute truths are there for a reason, to be obeyed. If absolute truths exist, it is logical to assume that there are absolute truths for everyone; otherwise it wouldn't be an absolute truth. For the person who cries out â€Å"I am the god of my own universe†¦ there are no absolutes,† I ask them, â€Å"are they ABSOLUTELY sure about that!!! † and, if you are the â€Å"god of your own universe†, then I am the god of mine and I say it is fine for me to kill you. Surely this is ridiculous? However the wrongness of killing is not primarily explained by the brutalisation of the killer but rather the premature ceasing of life for the individual. What the individual is being deprived of is not a past life but a future existence, a loss of future consciousness. So IF it is wrong to kill other human beings, what IS a human? Biologically humans are made when the egg with 23 chromosomes joins a sperm with 23 chromosomes; this creates a fertilised egg called a zygote, which has 46 chromosomes. Therefore this is the beginning of life. The egg by itself is not alive and the sperm by itself is not alive. Life can only come into existence when the sperm meets the egg and develops. Therefore I say to Catholics, that using contraception in sex is no more killing a potential baby than a Catholic person masturbating. A potential life is ONLY formed when the egg meets the sperm and growth begins. A sperm or egg on it's own is not a potential life just the ingredients for life. For a sperm or egg on their own do not contain the complete DNA of a human. Life is only formed when both the egg and sperm meet (we are all DNA, we are all life). SCIENCE tells us that the instance the egg meets the sperm; a complete set of unique DNA is formed that will last a lifetime. Everyone in the world is unique and science tells us this uniqueness was formed mile-seconds after conception. The unique DNA holds the complete characteristics of the future baby, child, teenager and old man. For the fetus, the baby and the old man are one in the same DNA. Therefore from the moment of conception the complete characteristic's of what we will be is established. Defendants of abortion disagree with the premises that the fetus is a human being from the moment of conception and instead believe as Thomas states â€Å"only a bit of tissue that will become a person at birth. † Therefore this statement suggests a person's rights only begins after birth. This statement therefore is saying a fetus in its first weeks has the same rights as a fetus hours before birth. However how many people would accept to aborting a baby just before birth? Though according to the pro-abortionist the fetus is only a bit of tissue, until birth when it becomes a person with rights. However to determine the moral status of abortion you must distinguish what attributes are needed to be a member of the moral community, what does it means to be a person with rights? Mary Anne Warren defines a human being as â€Å"a full-fledged member of the moral community that is also a human being. † These are moral entities capable of respecting and inventing moral rights. To be morally human Warren identifies certain traits that must be present such as sentience, emotionality, reason and self-awareness. Therefore you can spot species, which deserve moral respect from these traits. She uses an example of an alien arriving and using these qualities to determine whether it deserves moral respect. If these behaviours cannot be identified in certain species then they cannot be given moral respect and be regarded as â€Å"a person. † She distinguishes this â€Å"moral sense† from the â€Å"genetic sense† of a human. Warren believes that for abortion to be wrong you must prove whatever is genetically human to also be morally human. She believes fetus's can only be genetically human and therefore do not fall under the category of a human, thus forfeiting human moral rights. Despite Warren's observation that a seven-month-old fetus can feel pain and respond to external stimuli, she reasons that this still does not put the fetus under the category of personhood. Therefore she concludes a seven month fetus is no more a person than none human animals. However if only those people who have psychological attributes of a person can enter into moral contracts with others, what then is our duty not to inflict pain and suffering on animals or to another level small babies. Suffering however is a misfortune when experienced by us, so we should therefore uphold and shun away from participating in the suffering of animals or other humans. For if we are going to kill animals or infants we will do so in a way, which brings about the least amount of suffering. Regarding animals Kant has argued that treating animals with care is important for the sole reason that in doing so mans heart won't harden in their treatment of humans. However Feinburg shows treating infants with care is important because they need to be trained in moral behaviour so by treating them with care benefits us. However this argument shows, just as we can treat with care the infants we intend to keep we can kill the infants we intend to discard. In the same way we can treat with care the fetus's we intend to keep but discard the fetus's we don't want. Warren argues in some situations it can be practical anyway to abort babies or even young infants. This is in cases when the current population is unable to sustain new life. It seems barbaric that creatures, which possess developed social structures and morals could result to such behaviour. From a utilitarian perspective however in some circumstances this outcome could be argued the most beneficial to the majority of society. However in normal circumstances it seems absurd to pick and choose infants who can live or die which could be argued have the same moral standing as fetus's or animals. Bearing in mind this Don marquis believes a different approach is needed, this approach regards the question of whether the fetus deserves the right to life. A premature death results in the loss of the future goods of consciousness therefore killing is wrong because it deprives a person of a â€Å"future like ours. Fetus's will became human and develop and grow into sentient creatures therefore having dispositions like ours, so does this mean they deserve the same chance as us? The misfortune of contracting an incurable disease is that the disease denies that person a future like ours that they would otherwise have and which they would no doubt rather have. The will to live is strong for life is sweet, and because we recognise this, doctors will do their up most to preserve someone's life who is unconscious or suicidal because they don't want to deny the person the chance to have a future like ours. In the same way a fetus or infant whether unconscious or not deserves a chance to experience future consciousness for no one would like their future conscious or the chance to have a future consciousness prematurely eliminated. However the future like ours argument does pose some problems. The degrees of wrongness in killing do seem to be in proportion with the victim's age. For a 5-year-old child has more potential future than an 80-year-old man, leading from this it would seem more right to deny an 80 year old man a future like ours than a 5 year old child. However stating as Marquis puts it, â€Å"adopting the legal equality of murder†, can put down this criticism. Some have argued that contraception is denying a potential FLO when conception is possible. However since at the time of conception there is no individual to be harmed, there is no entity with a FLO, there is just millions of possible potential FLO but nothing with an actual one. For in the case of contraception nothing has been harmed therefore their was no potential suffering. Despite pro-abortionists disagreeing to â€Å"drawing a line† to where a fetus becomes a human with rights, many agree that the fetus has become a person with characteristics well before birth. Are they drawing a line here? Do you draw the line at the birth of the child which when born still does not necessarily posses the qualities of personhood. Does this mean you can treat small babies like animal's which its characteristics are more similar to, however as I mentioned earlier, causing suffering is wrong. Surely you should treat the baby like the species it is from with the set of morals that it will grow into. All species under the banner of the same DNA should be treated with the same moral respect even if they haven't developed the capacity or will never – such as disabled people. These people have observed and agreed that a young fetus does have human characteristics such as internal organs, limbs and brain activity. However the developments of this young fetus have all come from the DNA initiated moments after conception, therefore the moment of conception is the beginning of the person, which then will grow. However pro-abortionists still argue that at conception the fetus is just a clump of cells and no more a person than an acorn is an oak tree and no more valuable than a lifeless rock. Thomson suggests that even if life begins at conception it does not necessarily follow that abortion is morally impermissible. He suggests the possibility that a women's right to decide is stronger than a fetus's right to life and that to deny a women the choice of abortion is to deny her the right to control her own body. This is outlined by the use of an analogy of a famous violinist. I would like to suggest that this is not an acceptable argument in the debate about abortion because there is a different duty in sustaining life and looking after new life, which originates in you. The analogy states that you have been kidnapped and connected to a violinist in order to keep him alive and only you have the qualities for this purpose, to unplug yourself from him would result in the violinists' death. This analogy is suggesting that all human beings have a right to life and dispite unwillingly being connected to the violinist, disconnecting yourself would not be giving the violinist a right to life. To stay consistent the anti-abortionist would have to stay in bed with the violinist however long that may be because all humans have a right to life. This analogy is trying to suggest that someone's right to decide what they do to their body is greater than someone's right to life? I'm sure you would be outraged if you were unwillingly and knowingly put in this situation. Although if you were feeling generous you might decide to save the violinist by staying connected, if 1 hour of being connected to him would save his life. However that is the individual personal decision to make. A law, which required you to stay in bed with the violinist, would be an unjust law. If the right to decide is greater then the right to life, Thomson is saying, then the anti-abortionists premise of life beginning at conception is irrelevant. This analogy is trying to distinguish whether people who oppose abortion will make an acceptation, if the conception was due to rape and therefore as the violinist analogy puts forward, the participant was unwilling. Therefore do some people have a less of a right to life than others? Surely there is no distinction between the circumstance that life is created, life is life and people have the same feelings however conception takes place. A test tube baby is still an original, unique life. Rape is wrong but is it right to punish the innocent party (the baby). If anyone is going to be killed as a result of rape, surely that should be the rapist?! A pro-abortionist could argue that the mother is the innocent party and therefore is being punished through the conception. Again the question comes down to the premises of whether a right to life is greater than the right to choose. However just because a fetus is down to rape doesn't make that new life any less important – it is still a life. However I would like to suggest that there is a difference in sustaining life and promoting new life. There is a difference of responsibility in life as a result of a pregnant women (regarding the fetus. For all of us need our organs to function and we don't have a responsibility to sacrifice ourselves and are organs or freedom to sustain life randomly because we are life ourselves and have the same right to sustain our life and not give are bodies to the goodness of life for everyone. If this statement is wrong I challenge everyone to go down to the hospital tomorrow and willingly sacrifice themselves for the good of sustaining life (or violinists! ). However new life is the result of conception, this conception is not sustaining life but rather giving new life, this is completely different. The violinist analogy poses the question that there is a ladder of people who have more right to life than others. A human chose that the violinist's life was more important to sustain than the person who was attached to him, what about the violinists responsibility to promote life. If someone is being forced to keep you alive, life isn't being promoted but the opposite is occurring. The violinist analogy automatically assumes that one person is more valuable to sustain than another. Therefore this leads us to the question; can we use a person who is less valuable to society in order to sustain the life of someone who brings more value to society, such as use murderers and rapists in this way and their organs? The question this raises is, what human has the right to decide who lives or dies or how you use your body. In the violinist analogy a human decided that someone's life was not as valuable as the violinist's. The anti-abortionist can argue that this example is not acceptable to the debate. There is a difference in sacrificing yourself to SUSTAIN existing life and sacrificing yourself to KEEP new life. Existing life was their before you decided or were forced to sustain it (e. g. sustaining the violinist) but new life originates in the person and wasn't around before. The person who was attached to the violinist was attached to sustain the violinist's life NOT to keep a new unique life. A new life comes into existence though conception at birth. The person attached to the violinist was sustaining his life but the violinist did not originate in the person that was attached to him, it was a different situation and not properly relevant to the abortion debate. The issue is complicated if the mothers life is in danger as a result of the pregnancy. If we conclude that all have a right to life, can we add to the mothers write to life the right to decide? Theirs no doubt the mother unlike the fetus has the opportunity to decide and if she is acting in a way as to save herself, she is acting in self-defence. Thomson here uses the house analogy here to illustrating that a women has a write to defend herself from the threat of an innocent baby in the example a women and child are both in a house, the child is growing and will eventually unknowingly crush the women. This illustration is designed to provoke us. However is it the women's body to decide? For the women is a carrier and the baby is a separate life. Thomson does say that it is indecent for seven-month pregnant women to have an abortion so she can go on a trip to Europe. People instead should get their priorities in order. Thomson believes each situation should be judged on its own merits. For an example she believes it acceptable for a 14-year-old pregnant rape victim to have an abortion to relieve the trauma but the situation changes if a pregnant women changes her mind or became pregnant because of no contraception. In other words a person behaves in a way that could have been avoided. However as more and more people start using abortion as a form of contraception we should ask the question, what did the sexual revolution of the sixties bring us? It brought us, sexual diseases, single parents, less stability, aids, increased abortions – â€Å"free love† is starting to look more like â€Å"free death†. The issue of abortion comes down to people's own moral belief. Human logic can dictate, which I have highlighted that abortion could be justified in extreme circumstances although should not be used constantly as a form of contraception. However the biblical view states very clearly that abortion is a sin. From the moment of conception the DNA cells have divided into areas and the characteristics of that life has been established. In the eyes of God therefore it has been given the breath of life.

Airplanes Designs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Airplanes Designs - Essay Example However, the major concern of the aircrafts that were designed in the early 20th century, starting with the breakthrough that was made by the Wright brothers who developed the first full operational aircraft in 1903, was to develop an aircraft that was lighter than air (Anderson, 12). Therefore, the ancient designs focused on making lighter aircrafts, and therefore entailed the changes in the materials used to make the aircrafts. Further, the aircraft design influences the performance of the aircrafts by further introducing new performance requirements, especially during the first world war, when it became apparent that there was no way the war could have been won without air combat. As a result, the war crafts were designed to consist greater maneuverability, coupled with high speed and ability to fly high altitudes (Stokes, 147). Later, the design influenced the size of aircrafts, towards making large aircrafts to fly, while also allowing heavy loads to be flown in their air, witho ut the impact of the weight of the aircraft brining the air craft down (Wragg, 31). Thus, simply put, the design of the aircraft affect the performance of the airplane through determining the speed, maneuverability, load and weight capacity, usage for example in wars and he safety of the aircraft while taking off, flying and landing. How designs changed over the time The ancient Airplane Designs entailed the use of twin tractor propellers as their engine, and a fitted horizontal tail, while the aircraft was powered by compressed air, with the aircraft being fitted with an air tank that acted as a fuselage (Anderson, 7). This was later advanced to a single flight engine that was developed by the Wright brothers for their aircraft, which was fitted with 2 hp water-cooled four-cylinder, with a fuel injection (Wragg, 56). Further, in 1926, more advancement was made in the engine modification and an air-cooled radial engine, which was lighter, was introduced, marking the beginning of tra nsformation of the Airplanes Designs from engine-focused into size modification, considering that the lighter, air-cooled radial engine made it possible for the aircrafts to fly for longer and carry more weight (Stokes, 153). The Airplanes engine designs advancement was further achieved courtesy of a V-8 engine that was an improvement on the previous four-cylinder engine, which then introduced the aspect of direct fuel injection in aircraft engines, as well as the evaporative water cooling concept that allowed the water cooling the engine to evaporate, thus making the aircrafts even lighter, making it possible for the engine to generate a high power of 50 hp (Anderson, 44). The advancement in the Airplane Design saw the rise of the 3-cylinder semi radial fan-engine, which forthwith introduced the concept of aircraft engine using a fan, as opposed to the previous cooling of the engine using water, in 1909 (Wragg, 51). Consequently, it was now possible to fly an aircraft that was much heavier than the air, and the design aspect of the aircraft changed focus from the engine to the body of the aircrafts, with the transformation of the wings to make them thinner and more efficient, while the safety concerns were further addressed through interior designs that incorporated seat designs that were able to remain in place

Robot Dreams Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Robot Dreams - Movie Review Example Here we encounter a faulty situation of a robot given to dreaming. Again in the movie "I, Robot"2 there is a probability of a Robot getting away with murder. Ironically the movie brings back the same phobia that separates the notion of the human and inhuman (and evil) that Asimov so fiercely detested in the earlier science-fiction stories about technological inventions turning out to be uncontrollable monsters. But the question posed is different - are the three laws quite enough to control something that is given so much power Asimov's intent was to devise a set of rules that would provide reliable control over semi-autonomous machines that were well-engineered, non-threatening, and in 1940, in conjunction with science fiction author and editor John W. Campbell, he formulated the Laws of Robotics. He subjected all of his fictional robots to these laws by having them incorporated within the architecture of their platinum-iridium positronic brains. Thus the robots physically were incapable to devise or think beyond their architectural scope. The movie faithfully quotes Asimov's three laws of robotics3 but the main thrust of the movie becomes morality/ethics. As the short story challenges our popular notion of robots since it refuses to reiterate another Frankenstein horror, the movie successfully brings that question back: murder of its creator- the humans. Asimov's original laws (see above) provide that robots are to be slaves to humans (the second law). However, this role is overridden by the higher-order first law, which precludes robots from injuring a human, either by their own autonomous action or by following a human's instructions. This precludes their continuing with a programmed activity when doing so would result in human injury. It also prevents their being used as a tool or accomplice in battery, murder, self- mutilation, or suicide. The transgression offered by Asimov in the story "Robot Dreams" whether ideas enter the mind of the Robot who, in a Freudian manner starts displaying symptoms of self-consciousness and worse his being - his position in reality relative to the humans and questions why so. Susan Calvin, chief robopsychologist at US Robots, in "Robot Dreams" is disturbed by a robot's dreaming-and by the dreams. The metaphors constantly question the nature of the Laws of Robotics and what it means to be human It questions the mechanical slavery of the superior robots. Susan Calvin discovers that the robot's brain was designed with a fractal design. The robot's dr eam came to reveal Freudian truth about his desire to be human. It had also seen other robots working hard, and unwillingly. Dr. Calvin has the robot destroyed after the dreams seem to threaten his conformity to the given (man-made) reality that has been granted by man. The fears of the automata, posing an irrational, dead, cold and soul-less threat to humans, calling into question their identity, sexuality, the basis of creation, and powers of domination revolves within the film. It illustrates crucial aspects of the human encounter with the mechanical "other." It somewhat resembles the idea of the golem in the legends, who is supposedly man's servant and exists to protect his maker but almost always threatens its master-running out of control, of its evolving skills or latent skills. The film incorporates some elements of the robot stories that appeared in Asimov's 1950 (as a definite mixture and is never true to one single

What went wrong to Swissair flight 111 Research Paper

What went wrong to Swissair flight 111 - Research Paper Example This paper delves into one of the biggest aviation accidents in history; the crash of Swissair Flight 111. This accident brought to fore one of the most common causes of aviation accidents- structural and design problems. The insulating material used to cover fiberglass insulation had propagated a fire that was started above the cockpit ceiling by an arcing event. Although aircraft insulation blankets help in protecting passengers and crew against noise and frigid temperatures at high altitudes, the materials used should meet the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) flammability test requirements. Swissair Flight 111 was en route from New York, United States of America to Geneva, Switzerland on 2 September 1998. There were 229 souls on board (National Geographic, 2014). However, approximately 53 minutes into the flight, while the plane was flying 33000 feet, the crew members began to smell something unusual in the cockpit. The smell came from an area right above them. Almost at the same time, the pilots noticed a small amount of smoke filing the cockpit. The pilots started to investigate exactly where the smoke came from (Carley, 1998). After a while, they noticed that what was initially seen as the source could no longer be seen, and they stopped the investigation. Based on their experience and perception, they concluded that the smell and smoke was as a result of the air conditioning system in the pane. Although the smoke had disappeared, the pilots decided that it was necessary to land and have the plane checked before continuing with the flight. At first, they wanted to t urn to Boston, but the air traffic controller advised them to land at Halifax, Canada (National Geographic, 2014). The crew also requested the air traffic controller at Halifax that they needed to dump fuel, and the plane was diverted to St. Margaret’s Bay where the fuel could be dumped. The crew started to prepare for an emergency landing, and this involved undertaking the

Define international business and explain how it affects each of us in Essay

Define international business and explain how it affects each of us in our daily activities - Essay Example The great Silk Road was another prominent trade route, which facilitated trade between different countries across Asia and Europe. The present global trade has evolved from ancient practices, where merchants engaged in trade to get profit, while the governments engaged in the trade for the same reasons in addition to expansion of their political influences. Due to the movement of people and services across different countries, international trade affects cultural, social, economic, and political aspects of the countries and the people engaged in the trade (Vadime, 2000). This paper examines international business in context with historical development and its influence on our daily lives. The objective of the earliest trade just like the current international commerce was to satisfy diverse human needs and wants. Because of diverse distribution of resources in different geographical regions, scarcity and availability of goods and services initiated the early trade. People from one re gion exchanged their commodities at their disposal with goods and services from other regions. In this regard, goods and services were exchanged directly without use of currency in transactions called barter trade. One of the earliest challenges that plagued early trade was geographical distances between the source and market of the commodities and services. This resulted to the development of transportation networks, linking all the trading regions involved. Allen, et al (2000) noted that the earliest forms of transport during the early trade were human porters and the use of domesticated animals such as camels and donkeys. According to Francis (2007), domesticated animals enabled early traders to travel long distances and this form of transport made early Arabian traders very successful in the trade. Francis (2007) noted that as early as in the second millennium, Arabs organized trade caravans across the Arabian Peninsula and the Far East. This resulted to the formation of the ear ly trade routes where valuable goods such as silk, precious metals and spices were traded across the regions. Early caravans across long distances were not profitable for trading in cheaper commodities. However, people could travel across shorter distance to exchange cheaper but essential commodities such as food, animals, ornaments and textiles with one another (Francis, 2007). The earliest trade routes were on the land and could not take place across regions isolated by large water bodies (Allen, et al 2000). In addition to geographical limitations of the land routes, many caravans were attacked as they travelled across hostile regions resulting to heavy loss of lives and trade. To ensure the safety of trade routes, Curtis, et al (1999) noted that most traders formed partnerships with people along the routes and in other cases, established empires resorted to military intervention and expanding their territorial boundaries across the region of trade interests. However, the discove ry of water transport in the third millennium solved some of the challenges of land routes, such as insecurity and limitations of the quantity of cargo carried. According to Curtis, et al (1999), maritime trade developed after realization that monsoon winds could be manipulated to propel sea vessels across large geographical regions isolated by water bodies. According to Daniel (2007), the waterways enhanced international trade further by opening up

Nutrition Labels Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nutrition Labels - Essay Example nd Drug Administration together brought two new tools which are "Make Your Calories Count," an interactive online learning program, and a new Nutrition Facts Label brochure . These tools will give power to consumers to have better knowledge about the food they consume and right choices of food products. They are also decided to help in partnership with food industry to advice and provide vital information so that the problems of obesity can be reduced to a great extent due to the misuse of food consumption by the people. It is very important to count calories of foods that a person takes because the calories intake should be equal to calories expenditure to maintain his weight. Calories expenditure depends on the physical activity of a person. If the calories intake is more than the calories expended, the excess calories will be converted into fat and stored in ones body which causes body weight increase and gradually he may become obese which contribute to various serious degenerative disorders like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer etc. The tool â€Å"make your calories count,† provides three information to help planning a healthy diet while managing the calories intake, Size up Your Servings and Calories; See Whats In It For You; and Judge If Its Right For You. As per general guide introduced to calories, a single food item having 40 calories is considered as low-calorie, one with 100 calories as moderate-calorie and the food with 400 calories as high-calorie. It is a simple program that the people can understand and follow and choose their food products depending upon their calorie requirements for a healthy living. Yet another information’s introduced on the Nutrition Fact Label is the percent Daily Value (%DV) which is a quick guide to consumers. Any nutrient at 5%DV or less is considered as low for that specific nutrient and 20% or more considered as high for that particular nutrient. The % Daily Values recommendations are based on nutrients for a

Smoking in public places Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Smoking in public places - Essay Example According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the use of tobacco is the single most preventable risk to human health in the developed countries. In addition, it is one of the most vital causes of worldwide premature deaths. In the United States, many states have already banned smoking at the public places and California is one of them. In fact, the state of California has one of the strictest laws against smoking at the public places in the world. California decided to take serious steps to control the smoking in the public places in 2001. Governor Davis signed AB188 prohibiting the smoking or disposal of any "cigarette, cigar, or other tobacco-related product" within a playground or tot lot sandbox area and establishing a $100 fine for any violation. (Not Available) Smoking is prohibited in all the workplaces, including but are not limited to restaurants, bars, casinos, gambling clubs, play pits, play structures, backstops, sports fields, tennis courts, and picnics reserved places. When adults smoke in front of young children, it would not give a good impact on their amateur minds. They start feeling that smoking is a good thing and normalizes it. According to the statistics, the average starting age of an adult smoker is thirteen years old. All city laws rely on public education, signage, and voluntary compliance while providing citation authority to peace officers and, in some cases, park rangers and environmental health officers. (Board of Supervisors) Restricted Places (LA) The restricted places in the Los Angeles County are Alhambra - prohibits smoking within 100 feet of a tot lot playground or baseball field; Baldwin Park - has smoke-free policies for its parks; Compton - has smoke-free policies for its parks; Covina - has smoke-free policies for its parks; Beverly Hills - curb-to-curb, smoke-free parks; La Puente - has smoke-free policies for its parks; Long Beach - Drake park is smoke free; Los Angeles -tobacco-free zones include play areas, baseball diamonds, sport courts and areas, and permitted picnic areas; Pasadena - prohibits smoking in all parks and public golf courses; Santa Monica - curb-to-curb, smoke-free parks; San Fernando - curb-to-curb, smoke-free and tobacco or tobacco-related products parks; and West Hollywood - one pocket park is entirely smoke free. (Not Available) From the above discussion, we can conclude that the passive smoking is as dangerous as actual smoking. The passive smoking is not only the issue of the United States - it is the prevalent issue of the whole world. Every day hundreds of people are dying just because of the smoking related diseases such as lung cancer. It is believed that there is no other way except to ban smoking in the public places to reduce its lethal effects. In the United States, many states have already taken several steps to

The Roles of Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility in Essay

The Roles of Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility in Multinational Companies - Essay Example ggests that the economic functions must be exercised with a sensitive awareness of changing social values and priorities and the outer circle outlines newly emerging and still vague responsibilities that corporations should assume to become more actively involved in improving the social environment in which they operate (Shalhoub, 1999, p. 13). Theorists have identified four broad areas of strategic corporate responsibility that a MNC adopts, economic, legal, moral, and social. The main premise of the four areas is found in the basic nature of the corporation, which is a privately based, economic entity whose members are expected to make decisions that possesses a significant impact on a number of constituents (Brummer, 1991). Later MNCs realize that a corporation has not always all four responsibilities. When it came to the adoption of SCSR, global MNCs failed to respond effectively to the significant issues of their countries (Logsdon & Wood, 2005). It would not be wrong to say that multinational companies (MNCs) while responding to concerns like downsizing and environmental degradation took initiatives to demonstrate their social responsibility (Edwards et al, Feb 2007). This way the MNCs actually adopted SCSR to reduce their workforce through either voluntary or involuntary means or a combination of both. In other words, MNCs in order to defend themselves tend to adopt SCSR but with some concerns of which the most significant is the corporate downsizing in privately and publicly owned firms in recent years. The notion that MNCs have failed to adopt SCSR is depicted from some well-known examples. MNCs failure could be analysed by those protests and consumer boycotts that Nestle has experienced recently in selling its various products in Africa (Husted & Allen, 2006). Same is the case Nike has experienced as a result of child labour abuse in outsourcing in Asia. The global MNCs are unable to consider the cause of their failure which refers to those corporate

City of the Beasts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

City of the Beasts - Essay Example The book is a magical journey into the heart of the jungle as well as Alex's journey towards self discovery under the most unexpected circumstances. Nadia and Alex both find their inner strengths through visions and their interactions with the tribe. Through their encounters with the "People of the Mist", City of the Beasts encourages readers to look beyond what is seen by the naked eye and listen beyond what the ears can hear. City of the Beasts clearly reveals that there is beauty even in the evil looking creatures and how people are easily swayed by outside appearance of individuals. Listening by the heart is also shown as a way to understanding things which cannot be fully grasped by our senses. The story also revolves on the painful realities of the worlds such as racial discrimination, catastrophic decisions on the environment, abuse of power, and corrupt officials. However, though the story is crafted with essential lessons it also has some pitfalls. The book drew a picture of the world based on popular clichs. All the modern persons in the story are depicted as destructive and tough, sometimes to the point of being inhumane.

HSC Speeches Essay Essay Example for Free

HSC Speeches Essay Essay â€Å"Great speeches do not merely address a contextual purpose; they also touch the hearts and minds of those who hear them†. Evaluate to what extent the statement above supports your understanding of the speeches set for study in Module B: Critical Study of Texts. Words in their most basic forms are just unintelligible sounds. Yet with the combination of emotion and verve, only then do they become meaningful. Words which not only combine emotions but also contextual misunderstandings and inequity are a recipe for the invoking of spirit. Words are the key to communication, a commonality throughout each culture, nation and religion. Though the sounds they create are different, the true intertwined emotion and feeling behind these words weave a tapestry of both global disunion and union. Words are not restricted to a language or a sound, they are infinite in there meaning and purpose. Nevertheless this doesn’t change what it invokes in the people who either hear or read it. Rather it inspires them. Contrary the popular belief, feminism is a first world idea. Margaret Atwood, a lifelong feminist, born in Canada, a country who gives females the same opportunities as men, is the epitome of a first world woman. It almost appears she is the antithesis of her global sister Aung Sun Suu Kyi. A woman, born in Burma, raised by political activists and placed under house arrest for 6 years for her movements towards equity. The importance of their upbringing though makes a resounding impact upon the audience, since their points are identical. Though they may be in different stages, the end goals are one. This display of unity spanning across nations, cultures and time creates a timeless foundation for the solidarity of women. The power of a nation and society on any individual no matter the gender has insurmountable influence upon the youth. Atwood’s ‘Spotty Handed Villainesses’ is a speech written to inspire women that it’s okay not ‘to be good all the time.’ Why should women be depicted as one dimensional characters, why is there a seemingly an innate fear amongst authors to give a female character a legitimate personality, flaws and all? She encourages readers to look past stereotypes by addressing their almost inbred mental fears. For the bad behaviour of women have no shades of grey. It is black and it is white and the lines are clearly drawn. Lest we forget when a women â€Å"was good she was very good and when she was bad she was horrid.† This tenor is also present within Suu Kyi’s speech ‘Keynote Address at the Beijing World Conference on Women’, the notion of women constantly  having to justify their own existence. These stereot ypes, nursed into infants until their adulthood reflects this symbolism awakens a sense of epiphany within the audience. The traditional belief that the patriarchal paradigm is the reason for life and the justification of living, with the instilled belief that â€Å"the dawn rises only when the rooster crows.† Atwood Suu Kyi’s words strike us, for they have found our commonality, our youth. The commonality of folk tales, which were supposedly told to enforce morals and values to us, instead enforced boundaries. These boundaries which we were too young to understand or even acknowledge solidified the link between us. These boundaries hinder the true identity of women and their position in society, For isn’t the sole idea, a commonality between all women? The contextual purpose is addressing the notion of why women cannot monopolise the â€Å"true traits† of men; for they are men and men alones traits. Yet to give these identical traits to a woman, spells her immediate downfall. Why cannot women stand on their own two god given feet, and be recognised without representing the traits of their male counterparts. This lone concept is the link, which encourages a movement within the hearts and minds of the readers, the movement to not become a stereotype. Though both speeches address the commonality of inequity, their words emanate and establish an emotion and bond meant to reach inside an individual and shock them. Their meaning rises above the words they choose to address the concept; thus manifesting in the readers psyche. The truth of the matter is that we are all spotted. Like the wicked lady Macbeth, though these spots cannot be seen, they are â€Å"indelible†. They shall never be removed, yet though they are there it doesn’t mean they should be given the power to determine a life. To be spotted isn’t ‘bad’; to be spotted is being real, and this stigma around female characters, that they are somehow more realistic than real women, the readers, is a detrimental mistake. These very stereotypes are found in every novel, article and song we either read or listen to. Whether knowingly or not women have been subordinated in their source of comfort, at their most vulnerable. Women have â€Å"no sole protector†, they are on their own and it’s time for them to recognise this and stand up for themselves, no matter their circumstance. Society is the downfall of equity and an encumbrance to the rise of feminism across the globe. These are the strength of Atwood’s and Suu Kyi’s words. These are the words that  inspire and touch the minds and hearts of those who hear them. They have grasped a contextual issue faced in both countries; female inequity, and created a movement amongst complete strangers across the globe. They have done this though creating a bond with the readers by their words. They are meant to be personified and expanded. This is why they earned the title of being a great speech.

Transformational Leadership Style And Organizational Culture Management Essay

Transformational Leadership Style And Organizational Culture Management Essay This quantitative research investigates the relationship between transformational leadership style organizational culture with organizational commitment and job satisfaction in National Oil Corporation in Libya. The literature supported the relationship between these variables and the relationship between these variables was investigated by different approaches. However, in the current study the researcher uses transformational leadership style which introduced by Bass as a independent variable and four types of organizational culture such as Clan, Hierarchy, Adhocracy, Market and which introduced by Cameron and Quinn in 1999 as a mediator variable, while the three dimensions of organizational commitment such as Affective, Normative and Continuance commitment which introduced by Meyer and Allen in 1991 and job satisfaction as dependent variables. The objectives of this research are Firstly, to determine the nature of the relationship between transformational leadership style with organizational commitment (affective, normative and continuance) in National Oil Corporation in Libya. Secondly, to determine the nature of the relationship between transformational leadership style with job satisfaction in National Oil Corporation in Libya. Thirdly, to determine the nature of the relationship between transformational leadership style with organizational culture (Clan, Market, hierarchy and adhocratic) in National Oil Corporation in Libya. Fourthly, to determine the effect of Organizational culture (Clan, Market, hierarchy and adhocratic) on the relationship between transformational leadership style with organizational commitment (affective, normative and continuance) in National Oil Corporation in Libya. fifthly, to determine the effect of Organizational culture (Clan, Market, hierarchy and adhocratic) on the relationship between tr ansformational leadership style with job satisfaction in National Oil Corporation in Libya. Lastly, to determine the nature of the relationship between organizational commitment (affective, normative and continuance) with job satisfaction in National Oil Corporation in Libya. To achieve these aims four instruments will use in this research such as Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) uses to test employee opinions about leadership style, Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) uses to measure Organizational Culture, (TCOCQ) Three Components Organizational Commitment Questionnaire uses to measure Organizational Commitment and (JSS) Job Satisfaction Survey to measure Job Satisfaction in National Oil Corporation in Libya. The pilot study asserted that these instruments were suitable for this research because the result of the Cronbachs alpha reliability coefficients for the transformational leadership style, organizational culture, organizational commitment and job satisfaction are more than 0.70. The nature of the data and the relationship between the method and the research objectives are considered as the basis for selecting the right statistical methods. Therefore, this study used what is relevant to the research question and framework. The statistical methods will be used in this study consist of Descriptive analysis, Inferential analysis, Correlation, and Multiple linear regression. The findings from this study will also provide some useful information of leadership style in oil sector in Libya to many researchers and managers with the opportunity to gain and enhance their knowledge in this field, and will be contribute building knowledge and an understanding in this field in National Oil Corporation in Libya insha Allah. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study Libya is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and holds the largest proven oil reserves in Africa. Libya has attracted hydrocarbon exploration since 1956, when the first wildcat oil well was drilled onshore in the Sirte Basin. Libya granted multiple concessions to Esso, Mobil, Texas Gulf, and others, resulting in major oil discoveries by 1959. The government dominates Libyas economy through control of oil resources, which account for approximately 95% of export earnings, 75% of government receipts, and over 50% of GDP. The National Oil Corporation was established in 1970. It dominates Libyas oil industry, along with a number of smaller subsidiaries, which combined account for around half of the countrys oil output. Figure 1.1the map of Libya describes Gas Pipeline, Oil Pipeline, Oil Field, Liquefied Gas Planet Oil Terminal (Oil Exporting harbor) and Petroleum refining which owned and controlled by National Oil Corporation in Libya. http://www.odysseydawn.com/libya-oil-map.jpg Figure 1.1: Map of Libya describes Gas Pipeline, Oil Pipeline, Oil Field, Liquefied Gas Planet Oil Terminal (Oil Exporting harbor) and Petroleum refining which owned and controlled by National Oil Corporation in Libya. Source: http://www.google.com.my/images (8-4-2011) National Oil Corporation is carrying out exploration and production operations through its own affiliated companies, or in participation with other companies under service contracts or any other kind of petroleum investment agreements. This is in addition to marketing operations of oil and gas, locally and abroad. NOC has its own fully owned companies which carry out exploration, development and production operations, in addition to local and international marketing companies. NOC also has participation agreements with specialized international companies. Such agreements have developed into exploration and production sharing agreements, in accordance with the development of the international oil and gas industry, and international petroleum marketing. The National Oil Corporation of Libya (NOC) is a state-owned company that controls Libyas oil and gas production. The company is the biggest oil producer in Africa. Its mandate was to endeavor to promote the Libyan economy by undertakin g development, management and exploitation of oil resources as well as by participating in planning and executing the general oil policy of the state. The Brega Petroleum Marketing Company, a subsidiary of NOC, was set up to carry out the marketing activities of NOC, and the marketing assets of all the foreign oil companies were nationalized. A point of that during the past four decades, the impact of leadership styles on organizational performance has been a topic of interest among academics and practitioners working in the area of leadership (Darwish, 1998; Sadler, 2003; Rowe et al., 2005; Gadot,2007; Yiing, and Zaman Ahmad, 2009). The researcher would like to examine how leadership style influences organization performance in Libya in (NOC). Rowe et al (2005) pointed out that the most prominent reason for this interest is the widespread belief that leadership can affect organizations performance (Jing and Avery, 2008). In addition, the creation of a state-owned oil company allowed Libya to follow in the footsteps of other oil-producing economies, where control of such a revenue-generating resource lay with the government. Soon after its establishment, NOC signed a joint venture agreement with the U.S. Occidental Petroleum involving production-sharing. In 1971, NOC arranged a processing deal with Sincat of Italy for refining oil products for domestic consumption, thereby providing a cheap supply of oil for internal Libyan consumption. A joint drilling company was formed with Saipem, a subsidiary of the Italian ENI, in early 1972. By April 1974, production-sharing agreements had been reached with Exxon, Mobil, Compagnie Franà §aise des Pà ©troles, Elf Aquitaine, and Agip. By using the surplus funds and technical expertise of the foreign oil companies, the problem of stimulating investment in exploration was resolved. In 1980, the Libyan Arabian Gulf Oil Company (Agoco) was established by NOC throug h the amalgamation of the Arabian Gulf Exploration Company, Umm-al-Jawabi Oil Company, and direct NOC exploration and production interests. NOC continued to make production-sharing agreements. In 2004, NOCs estimated crude oil output was 1.623 million barrels per day. The company hoped to raise its production to two million barrels per day by 2007. Figure 1.2 below shows the revenue of National Oil Corporation in Libya from (1999 to 2009). Figure 1.2: Libyas Oil Production (1999-2009) in million barrels per day Source: British Petroleum, BP Statistical Review of World Energy June (2010) This study set out to investigate whether there is an interrelation between transformational leadership style and organizational culture, and the effect of organizational culture on the relationship between transformational leadership style with organizational commitment and job satisfaction in the National Oil Corporation in Libya. In particular, our knowledge would benefit from an understanding of how leadership and organizational culture affect job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The study examines Libya National Oil Corporation in relation to leadership style in the organization. Thus, the study also would like to explore an organizational culture of the National Oil Corporation and finally how does leadership style in particular transformational leadership style may influence the National Oil Corporation progresses. The subject of leadership is interesting for many researchers. In addition, the continued search for good leaders has resulted in the development of many leadership theories (Mosadegh and Yarmohammadian, 2006). According to Oluseyi and Ayo (2009) Leadership is a central feature of organizational performance. This is an essential part of management activities of people and directing their efforts towards the goals and objectives of the organization. There must be an appropriate form of behavior to enhance performance. Leadership might be viewed in terms of the role of the leaders and their ability to achieve effective performance from others. In recent years, leadership has been studied in various ways, depending on the researchers methodological preferences and definition of leadership (Chen, 2002; Reuvers, et al., 2008; Gadot, 2007). Oluseyi and Ayo (2009) defined Leadership as the moral and intellectual ability to visualize and work for what is best for the company and its employees. Good management and effective leadership help to develop team work and the integration of individual and group goals. On the other hand, Kenny and Zaccaro (1983) suggested that leaders to be successful need a behavioral repertoire and the ability to select the right role for the situation. To do this, leaders need both cognitive and behavioral complexity and flexibility a leader needs the ability to perceive the needs and goals of a constituency and the ability to adjust ones personal approach to group action (Leban and Zulauf 2004). Therefore, Mosadeghrad et al (2006) pointed out that while there are several styles of leadership such as: autocratic, bureaucratic, laissez-faire, charismatic, democratic, participative, situational, transactional, and transformational leadership. Not everyone agrees that a particular style of leadership will result in the most effective form of organizational behavior. Different styles were needed for different situations and each leader needed to know when to exhibit a particular approach. No one leadership style is ideal for every situation, since a leader may have knowledge and skills to act effectively in one situation but may not emerge as effectively in a different situation. In contrast, Darwish (1998) pointed out that there is wide disagreement among scholars with regard to effective leadership style. For instance, Brozik (1994) argues that no one type of leadership style is the best in all situations. The leader, subordinates and the environment or the task determine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of each style Kur (1995) believes that effectiveness in leading is directly related to the leaders way of thinking about him, subordinates, organization and environment. Likert (1977) argue that the participative style is more productive in any culture. In the last three decades many scholars had received increasing attention to two new paradigms called transformational leadership and transactional leadership where the interests of the study are. It added a new dimension to organizational studies, namely the visionary aspect of leadership and the emotional involvement of employees within an organization. The basic notion is that a visionary leader can create an impression that he has high competence and a vision to achieve success (Jing and Avery, 2008). According to Bass (1985) developed a theory of visionary or transformational leadership whereby the leader inspires and activates subordinates to perform beyond normal expectations (Jing and Avery, 2008). The study would like to examine this in National Oil Corporation in Libya. On other hand, Lowe et al., (1996) pointed out that there are four dimensions of transformational leadership style such as: Idealized influence or charisma, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. (Bass et al., 2003; Piccolo and Colquitt, 2006), defined these dimensions for transformational leadership as follows: a. Idealized influence or Charisma is the degree to which leaders behave in such a charismatic way that followers identify with them. b. Inspirational motivation is the degree to which leaders articulate visions for the future that appeal to followers. c. Intellectual stimulation is the degree to which leaders challenge assumptions, take risks, and solicit followers ideas. d. Individualized consideration is the degree to which leaders attend to followers needs, act as mentors or coaches, and listen to followers concerns. Bass, (1985), Burns (1978) Leadership is considered a factor that has a major influence on the performance of organizations, managers and employees. More recently, researchers have focused mainly on the subordinates perspective and proposed two main facets of leadership transactional and transformational. This theory suggests that transformational leadership, more than transactional leadership, has a stronger positive effect on employees attitudes towards their job, their job environment, and ultimately affects their work performance. Oluseyi and Ayo (2009) pointed out that leadership is a central feature of organizational performance. This is an essential part of management activities of people and directing their efforts towards the goals and objectives of the organization. There must be an appropriate form of behavior to enhance performance. Leadership might be viewed in terms of the role of the leaders and their ability to achieve effective performance from others. On the other hand, Xenikou and Simosi (2006) suggested that organizational culture and transformational leadership have been theoretically and empirically linked to organizational effectiveness. During the 1990s a number of comparative studies on the culture-performance link showed that certain culture orientations are conducive to performance. Lok and Crawford (2004) pointed out that organizational culture can influence how people set personal and professional goals, perform tasks and administer resources to achieve them. Organizational culture affects the way in which people consciously and subconsciously think make decisions and ultimately the way in which they perceive. While other researchers has suggested that organizational culture can exert considerable influence in organizations particularly in areas such as performance and commitment. Bass (1985) said that transformational leaders frequently change their organizations culture with a new vision and revision of its shared assumptions values and norms. In a transformational culture, there is generally a sense of purpose and a feeling of family. Superiors feel a personal obligation to help new members assimilate into the culture. Assumptions, norms, and values do not preclude individuals from pursuing their own goals and rewards. In addition, Bass (1985) mentioned that transformational qualities lead to performance beyond expectations in organizational settings. A study of Ogbonna and Harris (2000) organizational culture and leadership finds that the two areas have been independently linked to organizational performance. A little critical research attention has been devoted to understand the links between the leadership and culture also and the impact that such an association might have on organizational performance (Ogbonna and Harris, 2000). Organizational commitment is an important employee attribute from the organizations perspective. Several studies have found relationships between high-commitment human resource policies and positive organizational outcomes such as productivity, quality, and profitability (Perryer and Jordan 2005). Organizational commitment has been studied in relation to employee performance there is still considerable controversy surrounding the precise nature of the relationship. While there is some evidence to suggest that organizational commitment is a mediating variable between leadership and performance. Consequently, studies that examine the complex relationships and interaction between these variables will be of value to management theorists and practitioners. Lok and Crawford (2004) said that organizational commitment and job satisfaction have received significant attention in studies of the work place. This is due to the general recognition that these variables can be the major determinants of organizational performance and effectiveness. A numerous of studies in the area of job satisfaction and organizational commitment have been asserted that leadership and organizational culture have significant impact on both job satisfaction and organizational commitment (Chen and Francesco, 2000; Mathieu and Zajac, 1990; Williams and Hazer, 1986). Lok and Crawford (2004) had the same result in his research which has been done to make comparative between Hong Kong and Australian managers the result confirms that organizational culture and leadership styles are important organizational antecedents of job satisfaction and commitment. However, the influence of national culture on leadership styles, organizational culture and their subsequent effects on employees job satisfaction and organizational commitment were not explored intensively enough in National Oil Corporation in Libya. To choose National Oil Corporation in Libya for the current study because Libya is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). It holds the largest proven oil reserves in Africa which make it as one of the most important oil-producing countries in Africa and in the world. Therefore, petroleum sector in Libya is very important sector which is like the backbone of Libyan economy. In this context, National Oil Corporation of Libya (NOC) is a state-owned company that controls Libyas oil and gas production. The company is the biggest oil producer in Africa. Its mandate was to endeavor to promote the Libyan economy by undertaking development, management and exploitation of oil resources as well as by participating in planning and executing the general oil policy of the state. In additionally, the study expected to offer some useful information of leadership style in National Oil Corporation in Libya, and hopes that this useful information can help to contribute building knowledge and an understanding in this filed in National Oil Corporation in Libya. 1.2 Purpose of Research Study The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between transformational leadership, organizational culture, with job satisfaction and organizational commitment in National Oil Corporation in Libya. Cameron and Quinn (1999) pointed out that numerous studies report the most frequent reason given for the failure of planned organizational change was due to a neglect of the organizational culture. According to Schneider (2000) Organizational culture is a key to organizational success, and effective leadership is the means by which the culture is created and managed. Understanding organizational culture is an important activity for managers because it affects strategic development, productivity and learning at all levels of management (Twati and Gammack, 2006). The relationship between transformational leadership style and organizational culture was examined by some researchers such as Xenikou and Simosi (2006), who asserted in his study that organizational culture had direct impact on organization performance while transformational leadership had indirect positive influence on performance through its impact achievement orientation. This study showed that organizational culture mediates the effect of transformational leadership on performance. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to accept or reject the suppositions that there is a relationship between transformational leadership style organizational culture with job satisfaction and organization commitment in National Oil Corporation in Libya. Therefore, Yiing and Bin Ahmad (2009) pointed out that leaders behaviors have positive and significant relationship with organizational commitment. On the other hand, cultures have significant moderating effects on the relationship between leadership behaviors and organizational commitment. However, the main academic purpose of this study is to make a contribution in leadership field behaviors on culture and on organization behavior in the petroleum sector in Libya. 1.3 Problem Statement The oil sector is the most important sector in Libya. Libya is one of the most important oil-producing countries in Africa and in the world and that the interest in this sector is very important. Therefore, this sector needs professionals leaders who can achieve all the goals of both employees and organization. An organization short on capital can borrow money, and one with a poor location can move. But an organization short on leadership has little chance for survival (Darwish, 1998). A set of characteristics that help leaders to achieve the plans, programs, policies and strategy that have been developed and the advancement of their respective organizations. The most important of these characteristics experience, decision-making, knowledge and to deal with the environmental variables that may occur both within and outside the organization. The weakness of these skills and characteristics makes it difficult for leaders to carry out its functions and achieve organizations goals. Therefore, Chen (2002) found that transformational leadership behaviors have a slightly positive relationship with organizational commitment. While Harris and Mossholder (1996), pointed out that organizational culture stands as the center from which all other factors of human resource management derive. It is believed to influence individuals attitudes concerning outcomes, such as commitment, motivation, morale, and satisfaction. In addition, Bass (1985) have mentioned that demonstrates the relationship between leadership and culture by examining the impact of different styles of leadership on culture. He argues that transformational leaders frequently work towards changing the organizational culture in line with their vision. Similarly, Brown (1992) observes that good leaders need to develop the skills that enable them to alter aspects of their culture in order to improve their organizational performance. The leaders of National Oil Corporation have to know that organizational culture, organization commitment and job satisfaction are very important factors can help them to achieve the goals of the organization, and these variables enhance organization performance. In short, and based to what has been mentioned above, this study is trying to clarify the relationship between transformational leadership style organizational culture with job satisfaction and organizational commitment in National Oil Corporation in Libya. Which the researcher believes it does not exist in Libya National Oil Corporation. Specifically, the relationship between transformational leadership style organizational culture with job satisfaction and organizational commitment and how organizational culture effect the relationship between transformational leadership style with organizational commitment and job satisfaction in National Oil Corporation in Libya. The research questions are as follows: 1. Is there any relationship between transformational leadership style organizational commitment (affective, normative and continuance) in National Oil Corporation in Libya? 2. Is there any relationship between transformational leadership style job satisfaction in National Oil Corporation in Libya? 3. Is there any relationship between transformational leadership style with organizational culture (Clan, Market, hierarchy and adhocracy) in National Oil Corporation in Libya? 4. Does Organizational culture (Clan, Market, hierarchy and adhocracy) have any effect on the relationship between transformational leadership style with organizational commitment (affective, normative and continuance) in National Oil Corporation in Libya? 5. Does Organizational culture (Clan, Market, hierarchy and adhocracy) have any effect on the relationship between transformational leadership style with job satisfaction in National Oil Corporation in Libya? 6. Is there any relationship between organizational commitment (affective, normative and continuance) with job satisfaction in National Oil Corporation in Libya? 1.4 Focus and Research Objectives The overall objective of this study is to examine the role of leadership style in the National Oil Corporation in Libya. The specific objective in this study is to clarify the relationship between transformational leadership style with job satisfaction and organizational commitment while organizational culture is the mediate variable in the National Oil Corporation in Libya. The study expected to offer some useful information of leadership style in oil sector in Libya, and hopes that this useful information can help to contribute building knowledge and an understanding in this filed in National Oil Corporation in Libya. The breakdown of these objectives yields the following specific objectives: 1. To determine the nature of the relationship between transformational leadership style with organizational commitment (affective, normative and continuance) in National Oil Corporation in Libya. 2. To determine the nature of the relationship between transformational leadership style with job satisfaction in National Oil Corporation in Libya. 3. To determine the nature of the relationship between transformational leadership style with organizational culture (Clan, Market, hierarchy and adhocracy) in National Oil Corporation in Libya. 4. To determine the effect of organizational culture (Clan, Market, hierarchy and adhocracy) on the relationship between transformational leadership style with organizational commitment (affective, normative and continuance) in National Oil Corporation in Libya. 5. To determine the effect of organizational culture (Clan, Market, hierarchy and adhocracy) on the relationship between transformational leadership style with job satisfaction in National Oil Corporation in Libya. 6. To determine the nature of the relationship between organizational commitment (affective, normative and continuance) with job satisfaction in National Oil Corporation in Libya. 1.5 Rationale of Study Previous studies have examined the link between leadership paradigms and behaviors and have shown a positive relationship, none has explained the nature of this connection, and therefore, how and why leadership affects performance. Future research needs to address this deficiency. In sum, based on the above discussion, there are many problems and gaps in existing studies of the leadership performance relationship that need to be addressed before a clear picture of this relationship can be drawn (Jing and Avery, 2008). Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between transformational leadership, organizational culture with job satisfaction and organizational commitment in the Notional Oil Corporation in Libya. Therefore, the topic of leadership is very important to the organization performance and the entire petroleum sector. Leaders can set the direction of the organization and it is very significance issue can lead the organization to achieve their goals. To do this study in the Notional Oil Corporation in Libya because Libya is the one of the (OPEC) organization and this sector is very important which is like the backbone of Libyan economy. Therefore, organization culture influences organization performance and also the employees. Organization culture influence perceptions of employees towards investors of technology transfer. Additionally, try to add useful information to improve our knowledge for this field in Libya. 1.6 Significance of Study This study is important for several reasons, to make a positive view of transformational leadership style in the National Oil Corporation in Libya. To clarify the problems and barriers encountered in application of transformational leadership style programs in the National Oil Corporation in Libya in the context to the case included in this study. In addition, to clarify the role of leadership to improve organization performance in the National Oil Corporation in Libya and to what extent this leadership succeeded to achieve organizations goals. On the other hand, this study is an attempt to participate in and contribute to research resulting in knowledge increases. Assist scholars, and other researches in leadership field. The researcher achieved that the leadership style and organizational culture play a significant role to effect organizational commitment and job satisfaction in National Oil Corporation in Libya. In particular, how transformational leadership style and organizational culture can impact organizational commitment and job satisfaction in National Oil Corporation in Libya. Finally, the researcher achieved the nature of the relationship between all these concepts such as transformational leadership style, organizational culture, job satisfaction and organizational commitment in National Oil Corporation in Libya. 1.7 Definition of Terms 1.7.1 Leadership Leadership, like most other concepts in social sciences, has no single or unique definition. It has been defined differently by different authors. Leadership is defined as the process of influencing employees to work toward the achievement of objectives. While others defined leadership as a management function, which is mostly directed towards people and social interaction, as well as the process of influencing people so that they will achieve the goals of the organization. 1.7.2 Leadership Style Leadership style is the way to understand why leaders, faced with seemingly identical situations, use such different decision processes. Leadership style can be viewed as a series of managerial attitudes, behaviors, characteristics and skills based on individual and organizational values, leadership interests and reliability of employees in different situations. In the other meaning, it is the ability of a leader to influence subordinates to performing at their highest capability. 1.7.3 Transformational leadership Transformational leadership is grooms followers into future leaders by giving them freedom to control their behavior, elevates followers concerns from physical to psychological needs

Indian Civilization Essay

Indian Civilization Essay Introduction India civilization begins from riverbanks which is the Indus river and the Ganges river. India derives its name from the Indus river. Knowledge of Indian civilization has come from two leading cities: Mohenjo Daro and Harappa. These cities are carefully planned where they had wide, straight streets lined with brick houses. These cities had elaborate drainage and sewer systems. Achievements in science and technology of ancient India are divided into few sub parts such as mathematics, astronomy, list of Indian inventions, etc. The history of science and technology in India begins with prehistoric human activity at Mehrgarh (known as Pakistan in present-day) and continues through the Indus Valley Civilization to early states and empires. The British colonial rule introduced western education in India in its efforts to give rise to a native class of civil servants, exposed a number of Indians to foreign institutes of higher learning. Following independence, science and technology in the Republic of India has included automobile engineering, information technology, communications as well as space, polar, and nuclear sciences. The earliest evidence of technological progress in the Indian subcontinent is to be found in the remains of the Harappan civilization (4000-3000 BC). Archaeological remains point to the existence of well-planned urban centres which is orderly fashion along with roads and drainage systems complementing them. The drainage systems were particularly remarkable for the times since they were built underground and were constructed in a manner to allow for regular cleaning. Smaller drains from private homes connected to the larger public drains. Larger private dwellings (flats) were constantly multi-storied and all homes were constructed from standardized fired bricks and provided for separate cooking areas and toilets. Storage facilities for grain and goods for trade were built as were public baths and other buildings intended for various public functions. Urban centres were often planned near riverside or sea-ports. Accurate weights and measures were in use and ports such as Lothal were developed as export centres of early manufactured products from smelted copper and bronze. Kilns (oven for burning) for smelting copper blocks and casting tools were in existence as were metal tools such as curved or circular saws, pierced needles and most significantly, bronze drills with twisted grooves. The drill enabled the production of items with unparalleled precision for the times and could be regarded as an ancient precursor of the modern machine tool. There is also evidence of planned irrigation systems and it appears that fire and flood control measures to protect farms and villages were also in place. Artisans made use of the wheel and clay pottery was decorated in a variety of colours and designs. Cotton was grown and used to produce textiles. Urban centres in the Harappan region traded with each other as well as with counterparts in Babylon, the Persian Gulf, Egypt and possibly the Mediterranean. The span of the Harappan civilization was quite extensive, and included much of modern Sindh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Western UP. But prior to its disappearance, there is also evidence of considerable social decay and disintegration. Excavations from the later phases of the Harappan civilization suggest that population pressures led to greater anarchy in building construction. Urban dwellings became smaller and settlements became more unplanned indicating a breakdown of social practices and structures that promoted urban regulations and enforced construction codes. Between 1800 and 1700 BCE, civilization on the Indus Plain vanished. The degeneration of these people is unknown. One suspected cause is a shift in the Indus River. Another is that people dammed the water along the lower portion of the Indus River without realizing the consequences such as flooding up river. Another suspected cause is a decline in rainfall. Agriculture declined and people abandoned the cities in search of food. Later, a few people of a different culture settled in some of the abandoned cities, in what archaeologists call a squatter period. Then the squatters disappeared. Knowledge of the Mohenjo-daro and Harappa civilization died until archaeologists discovered the civilization in the mid-19th century. From complex Mohenjo-daro and Harappan towns to Delhis Qutub Minar, Indias indigenous technologies were very sophisticated. They included the design and planning of water supply, traffic flow, natural air conditioning, complex stone work, and construction engineering. In forthcoming sections, we are going to discuss in detail about the ancient Indias civilization and their contributions towards science and technology in the present world. Indians Contribution towards Mathematics In the period of 400 AD to 1200 AD, important contributions were made by scholars like Aryabhata, Brahmagupta and Bhaskara II. The decimal number system that we are using today was first recorded in Indian mathematics. Indian mathematicians made early contributions to the study of the concept of zero as a number, negative numbers, arithmetic, trigonometry and algebra formulae. Some of the areas of mathematics studied in ancient and medieval India includes Arithmetic (decimal system, negative numbers, zeros, floating point numbers, number theory, infinity, transfinite numbers, irrational numbers), Geometry (square roots, cube roots, Pythagorean triples, transformation, Pascals triangle), Algebra (quadratic equations, qubic equations and quartic/biquadratic equations), Mathematical logic (formal grammars, formal language theory, the Panini-Backus form, recursion), General mathematics (Fibonacci numbers, earliest forms of Morse code, logarithms, indices, algorithms, algorism) and Trigonometry (trigonometric functions, trigonometric series). There are some evidences showing the application of mathematics by ancient Indians. Excavations at Harappa, Mohenjo-daro and other sites of the Indus Valley Civilization have uncovered evidence of the use of practical mathematics. Those people manufactured bricks whose dimensions were in the proportion 4:2:1, considered favourable for the stability of a brick structure. They used a standardized system of weights based on few ratios like 1/20, 1/10, 1/5 and etc. with the unit weight equalling approximately 28 grams. They mass produced weights in regular geometrical shapes which included hexahedra, barrels, cones and cylinders, thereby demonstrating knowledge of basic geometry. The inhabitants of Indus civilization also tried to standardize measurement of length to a high degree of accuracy. They designed a ruler (the Mohenjo-daro ruler) whose unit of length (approximately 1.32 inches or 3.4 centimetres) was divided into ten equal parts. Bricks manufactured in ancient Mohenjo-daro often had dimensions that were integral multiples of this unit of length. Indians Contribution towards Constructions Field The Indus-Sarasvati (Harappan) Civilization was the worlds first to build planned towns with underground drainage, civil sanitation, hydraulic engineering, and air-cooling architecture. Weights and measurements were standardized and oven-baked bricks were invented in India using these guidelines. There are many pioneering (first to explore new ideas/method) items of civil engineering such as drainage systems for water (open and closed), irrigation (water supply) systems, river dams, water storage tanks carved out of rock, granaries with ducts and platforms, moats (wide water channel dug surrounding a place), middle-class style homes with private bathrooms and drainage and even a dockyard (place to repair ships). There is evidence of stairs for multiple-storied buildings. Many towns have separate citadels (military stronghold); strongly fortified upper and lower towns. There are separate worker quarters near copper furnaces (place to heat material at very high temperature). Indians also pioneered many engineering tools for construction, surgery, warfare, etc. This includes the hollow drill, the true saw and the needle with the hole on its pointed end. Indians Contribution through Usage of Materials Since iron can be a secondary product of copper technology, its likely to be origin from India because copper was a well-known technology in many parts of ancient India. A smelting furnace dated 800 BCE is found in Naikund (Maharashtra), India. Recent discoveries reveal that iron was known in the Ganga valley. The Indian wootz steel[1] was very popular in Persian courts for making swords. Rust-free steel was an Indian invention and remained as an Indian skill for centuries. Delhis famous iron pillar, dated 402 CE is considered a metallurgical wonder and shows a very few signs of rust. The famous Damascus steel swords were made from Indian steel imported by Europeans. The acclaimed Sheffield steel in UK was Indian crucible steel. The best brains of European science worked for decades to learn to reverse-engineer how Indians made crucible steel and in this process, modern alloy design and physical metallurgy was developed in Europe. Another important Indian contribution to metallurgy was in the isolation, distillation and use of zinc. From natural sources, zinc content in alloys such as brass can go no higher than 28 per cent. A major breakthrough in the history of metallurgy was Indias discovery of zinc distillation whereby the metal was vaporized and then condensed back into pure metal. Brass in Taxashila has been dated from third century BCE to fifth century CE. The earliest confirmed evidence of zinc smelting by distillation is Zawar. This is the earliest place for zinc smelting and production of metallic zinc by distillation process anywhere in the world. Europeans learnt it for the first time in 1743, when expertise was transferred from India. Until then, India had been exporting pure zinc for centuries on an industrial scale. At archaeological sites in Rajasthan, retorts[2] used for the distillation are found in very large numbers even today. Once zinc had become separated into a pure metal, alloys could be made with the required zinc component to provide the required properties. For instance, strength and durability increase with higher zinc component. In addition, copper alloys look like gold when the zinc component is higher than 28 per cent. Most early brass objects found in other countries had less than 10 per cent zinc component, and, therefore, these were not based on zinc distillation technology. It was in Zawar, Rajasthan, where this first became industrialized on a large scale. Zinc mines have been found in Dariba (11th century BCE), Agucha (sixth century BCE) and Zawar (fifth century BCE). These mines have pots and other manufacturing tools of these dates, but the mining could be even older. Unsurprisingly, developments in metallurgy also had their impact on artillery (large guns) production. According to A. Rahman (Science in Medieval India), by the 16th century, the heaviest guns in the world were being cast in India and a variety of weapons were being manufactured in the subcontinent. The Jaigarh cannon factory was one of Indias best and before the crucial battle of 1857, the Jaipur Rajputs laid claim to owning Asias largest cannon. Yet, none of the Rajput cannons were ever used to confront the British who succeeded in conquering the sub-continent without ever having to fight against the countrys best equipped armies, thus demonstrating that technological progress is not an end in itself. Indians Contribution through Usage of Nature Resources Many interesting findings have recently come out about the way forests and trees were managed by each village and how a careful method was applied to harvest medicines, firewood and building material in accordance with natural renewal rates. Discoveries concerning the manufacture and application of natural and artificial dyes were first implemented by Indians. Block printing and dye and other textile-dyeing techniques were popularized. The use of mordants[3] in colour-fast dyeing of textiles became known as did the knowledge of lacquers that could be applied to wood or leather. Paints that could be used on different building materials were developed and elaborate techniques were employed to prevent fading and loss of colour during the heavy monsoons. Indian farmers developed non-chemical, eco-friendly pesticides and fertilizers that have modern applications. These traditional pesticides have been recently revived in India with excellent results, replacing Union Carbides[4] products in certain markets. Crop rotation and soil technology that has been passed down for thousands of years are traditional practices which India pioneered. Historically, Indias agricultural production was large and sustained a huge population compared to other parts of the world. Surpluses (excess of production/supply) were stored for use in a drought year. But the British turned this industry into a cash cow, exporting very large amounts of grain even during food shortages. This caused tens of millions of Indians to die of starvation in the 19th century. Given the importance of fresh water in India, it is no surprise that the technologies to manage water resources were highly advanced from Harappan times onwards. For example, in Gujarat, Chandragupta built the Sudarshan Lake in late 4th century BCE, and was later repaired in 150 BCE by his grandson. Bhopals Raja Bhoj Lake, built in 1014-1053, is so massive that it shows up in satellite images. The Vijayanagar Empire built such a large lake in 14th 15th century CE that it has more construction material than the Great Wall of China. Scientists estimate there were 1.3 million man-made water lakes and ponds across India, some as large as 250 square miles. These are now being rediscovered using satellite imagery. These enabled rain water to be harvested and used for irrigation, drinking, etc. till the following years rainfall. Indians Contribution towards Medical Field Genuine cures were listed with unscientific practices without clear distinction. But during the rational period in India the emphasis on the scientific method led to a much greater level of accuracy with respect to the efficacy of different medicines and medical procedures. The more accurately the Indian medical practitioner was able to observe reality, understand bodily functions and test the efficacy of popular medical techniques, the more successful were the prescribed cures. Dissection of corpses and careful monitoring of different diseases was an important component in the study and practice of medicine. With greater success in treatment came greater confidence and allowed medical practitioners to conduct surgical procedures using a variety of surgical tools though its unsophisticated in comparison to modern surgical equipment. Procedures for inducing unconsciousness or numbing body parts that were to be operated on were required and developed. Tools for excision, incision, puncturing, probing, organ or part extraction, fluid drainage, bloodletting, suturing and cauterization were developed. Various types of bandages and ointments were used as were basic procedures for ensuring cleanliness and limiting contamination. The caesarian section was known, bone-setting reached a high degree of skill, and plastic surgery developed far beyond anything known elsewhere at the time. Indian surgeons also became proficient at the repair of noses, ears and lips lost or injured in battle or by judicially mandated mutilation. Traditional cataract surgery was performed with a special tool called the Jabamukhi Salaka, a curved needle used to loosen the lens and push the cataract out of the field of vision. Brahmanic hospitals were established in what is now Sri Lanka as early as 431 BCE. Ashoka also established a chain of hospitals throughout the Mauryan empire by 230 BCE. While all ancient societies cherished and admired the skills of the medical practitioner, it was the more determined adoption of the scientific approach that enabled Indian medicine to make a quantum leap over the older medical systems of the time. Progress in medicine also led to developments in chemistry and chemical technologies. The manufacture of alkaline substances, medicinal powders, ointments and liquids was systematized, as were chemical processes relating to the manufacture of glass. Advances in food processing (such as manufacture of sugar, condiments and edible oils) took place as did the manufacture of personal hygiene products and beauty aids (such as shampoos, deodorizers, perfumes and cosmetics). Indians Contribution towards Shipping, Trading, Geography and Astronomy Shipbuilding was one of Indias major export industries until the British destroy it and officially prohibited it. Middle Age Arab sailors purchased their boats in India. The Portuguese also continued to get their boats from India and not Europe. Some of the worlds largest and most sophisticated ships were built in India and China. There is also extensive archival material on the Indian Ocean trade in Greek, Roman, and Southeast Asian sources. Indians are well known as traders of items like diamond, brass ornaments, gun powders, metal made swords, iron made indigo dye, copper, bronze, wootz steel, textiles, etc. Archaeologists have found geometric compasses which linear scales made of ivory. The compass and other navigation tools were already in use in the Indian Ocean long before Europe. Using their expertise in the science of seafaring, Indians participated in the earliest-known ocean-based trading system. Few people know that an Indian naval pilot, named Kanha, was hired by Vasco da Gama to captain his ships and take him to India. Deep-sea shipping had existed in India as Indian ships had been sailing to islands such as the Andamans, Lakshdweep and Maldives around 2,000 years ago. Kautilya (sacred scripture) which describes the times that are good and bad for seafaring was used as guidance. Astronomy is one area which has fascinated all mankind from the beginnings of history. The first textual mention of astronomical concepts comes from the Vedas (religious literature of India). In India, the first references to astronomy are to be found in the Rig Veda which is dated around 2000 B.C. Vedic Aryans in fact deified (worshipped) the Sun, Stars and Comets. Indians also prepared lunar calendars which were based on lunar cycle. This type of calendar (lunar calendar) is still in use today. According to Sarma (2008): One finds in the Rigveda, intelligent speculations about the genesis (origin) of the universe from nonexistence (non-real), the configuration of the universe, the spherical self-supporting earth, and the year of 360 days divided into 12 equal parts of 30 days each with a periodical intercalary (in leap years) month. Famous mathematician and astronomer, Aryabhata gave some great calculation regarding space that is almost correct. He presented his theory of heliostat, which means that planets revolve around the sun. This theory was presented about a millennium before than the theory presented by Galileo. In 20th century, world famous S Chandrashekhar presented his theory regarding black holes. References [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_valley_civilization [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Indian_science_and_technology [3] Aspects of Ancient Indian Technology H.C. Bhardwaj [4] An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology edited by A.Ghosh Volume I [5] http://yomi.mobi/egate/History_of_Indian_science_and_technology/73/a [6] http://dont-forget-your-passport.blogspot.com/2009/12/ancient-indias-contribution-to-science.html [7] http://members.tripod.com/~INDIA_RESOURCE/technology.htm [8] http://www.indianchild.com/harappa.htm [9] http://www.archaeolink.com/ancient_indus%20and%20indian%20civilizations_ancient_india.htm [10] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_inventions [1] an exceptional grade of iron ore steel first made in southern and south central India and Sri Lanka perhaps as early as 300 BC [2] a container used in distilling liquids [3] combines with dye and fixes it in material [4] one of the oldest chemical and polymer companies in the United States