Competitive advantage of IKEA Essay

INTRODUCTION In this modern hypercompetitive marketplace, a company must be a powerful competitor to survive. A company must possess a powerful strategy in order to become a powerful competitor. But what makes a good strategy for the company? A good business strategy would be that to attain a competitive advantage over other competitors. So what is a competitive advantage? And how company can be able to have a competitive advantage over other competitors? This essay would now discuss what a competitive advantage is and how a company can build a competitive advantage over other competitors in the same industry by using two furnishing stores, Ikea and Courts as examples. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Definition A company is said have competitive advantage over its competitors when the company earns profits that are above the normal average in the industry where it competes. Types of competitive advantages According to Michael Porter, there are two basic types of competitive advantage, namely: Cost Advantage- A cost advantage is the ability of the firm to deliver the same product or services at lower cost than competitors. This can be achieved through using economies of scale, production efficiencies, low labor cost or better access to raw material and etc. Differentiation advantage- A differentiation advantage is the ability of the firm to deliver products or services that are different from the product mix of competitors. Due to the added costs in achieving differentiation for the  product or services, differentiated products or services are often marketed at premium prices. Model of Competitive Advantage Source: www.quickmba.com Competitive advantage derives out of value a firm is able to create for its buyers that exceeds the firm’s cost of creating it. Value is what buyers are willing to pay, and superior value stems from offering lower prices than competitors for equivalent benefits or providing unique benefits that reduce the price sensitivity of the buyer. Value can be achieved though utilizing the firm resources and capabilities that would then become core competencies of the particular firm. The core competencies created will allow the firm to position either as a cost leader or differentiation leader in the industry and this will in turn create value for the buyers which will become the firm competitive advantage in the industry. Resources and capabilities A firm needs to possess resources and capabilities that are better than its competitors in order to develop a competitive advantage over them. Any competitive advantage will disappear if the competitors can easily imitate what the firm was doing. Resources are assets of the company that its competitors cannot easily acquire. Some examples of a firm resource include the firm’s reputation, loyal customer base, patent and trademarks and strong branding. Capabilities refer to the ability of the firm to make the most of its resources. One good example of the capabilities of a firm is the ability to carry out a successful marketing campaign. The combination of both capabilities and resource will become the distinctive competencies of the firm. The competencies will allow the firm to achieve  innovation, efficiency, quality and customer responsiveness. The core competencies created will allowed the firm to position either as a cost leader or differentiation leader in the industry Cost advantage and differentiation advantage A firm will position itself as a cost leader or differentiation leader in the industry based on the distinctive competencies formed using its resources and capabilities which become the firm competitive advantage against other competitors. Value creation Value is created by firm through performing a series of value creating activities that Porter identified as the value chain. The value chain comprises 4 supporting activities (procurement, technology development, human resource and firm infrastructure) and 5 primary activities (inbound logistics, operation, outbound logistics, marketing as well as sales and service). On top of the firm own value creating activities, the firm operates in a value system of vertical activities including those of upstream suppliers and downstream channel members. In order to achieve competitive advantage, a firm must perform one or more value-creating activity that is more superior compared to other competitors. Superior value is created through lower costs or superior benefits to the buyers. IKEA Profile Ikea, the Swedish furniture giant was founded in 1943. It is the world’s largest furniture retailer that sells stylish but inexpensive Scandinavian designed furniture. It has outlets in 35 countries, including Singapore. The company is, perhaps, one of the World’s most successful multinational retailing firms operating as a global organization based on its unique concept that the furniture is sold in knock down form that are to be  assembled by the customer at home. Ikea mission statement Ikea’s mission is to offer a wide range of home furnishing items of good design and function, excellent quality and durability, at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford to buy them (www.ikea.com) Ikea competitive advantage Ikea’s success in the retail furniture industry can be attributed to its vast experience in the retail market and its ability to integrate both product differentiation and cost leadership strategies successfully. As pointed out in Ikea’s mission statement, the company is in business to produce high quality products at a low cost. This would support a cost leadership strategy. However, the company is also applying differentiation strategy due to its unique way of incorporating the customer in the value chain and unique marketing strategies Cost advantage Ikea cost leadership strategy allowed it to have a competitive edge over other competitors in term of pricing. Ikea achieved this through tight cost control and production efficiencies. Under Ikea’s global strategy, suppliers are usually located in low-cost nations, with close proximity to raw material and reliable access to distribution channels. These suppliers produce highly standardized products intended for the global market, including Ikea. This allows Ikea to take advantage of economies of scale. Ikea also practice tight cost control in order to keeps its product price low and affordable. Some key cost control measures undertaken by Ikea includes: * Locating their outlet outside the city area on places where the lease or the cost of the land is cheaper * Flat packaging of its product allows Ikea to transport its goods from suppliers to its outlet at low cost as it efficiently maximizes the space during transportation. Flat packaging also means lower warehousing costs for them. * â€Å"No waste† policy when Ikea develops product. For example, the remnants of fabrics that are left over the heart shaped FAMNIG cushion, one of Ikea product, are used to make smaller FAMNIG cushion. Door manufacturer are used by Ikea to make their table-top with the leftover raw material thus reducing production cost. In addition to tight cost control and production efficiencies, Ikea also incorporate customer into the value chain approach as a mean of reducing costs. Customers are to use the information on the product price tag to collect from the racks in the store self-service area, transport the items themselves back home and to assemble by themselves. The costs saved are passed back to the consumer in term of charging lower price for their product rather then including the labor costs and delivery costs into the selling price, a usual practice of other furniture stores. Differentiation advantage Ikea had also successfully integrated its cost leadership strategy with differentiation strategy that allowed it to further distinguish itself from other furniture stores and develop a strong branding for the firm. Ikea differentiate itself from other competitors by performing the following: * As mentioned earlier in page 6, Ikea incorporate customer into the value chain approach to reduce cost. Customers are to use the information on the product price tag to collect from the racks in the store self-service area, transport the items themselves back home and to do assembling of the  furniture. Ikea is the only furniture store that adopts this practice in Singapore and it is accepted by all Ikea customers as they understood it as a cost saving method through education by Ikea to the customer on their catalogues. * Ikea adopted different marketing communication strategy from the rest of its competitors. Instead of choosing to advertise every weekend in the newspaper to reach out to consumer, which is the norm of most of the popular furniture stores in Singapore, Ikea main communication strategy lies in the complimentary catalogue mail to every household in Singapore annually. This allowed customer to read the catalogue at the comfort of their home. Furthermore, the dimensions of the furnitures are indicates in the catalogue that allowed the customer to measure up their place for the furniture and come up with a systematic shopping list. Thus, the catalogue is the best way to prepare the customer for a visit to Ikea compare to newspaper advertisement used by other competitors. * Ikea provides child care services and supervised play area in their outlets to ensure parents can focus on their shopping in Ikea store without having any worries for their children. * In-store restaurant (Rare among furniture stores), Burger King as in the case of Singapore, offer a chance for shoppers to take meal breaks without the hassle of leaving the store. Summary The cost leadership strategy adopted by Ikea allows it to set attractive price for their product compare to other competitors in the same industry. By setting attractive price, it also reduces the price sensitivity of the consumer. The cost advantage is achieved by Ikea through tight cost control and production efficiencies. The differentiation strategy approach such as the Ikea catalogue, in-store restaurant, the incorporation of customer in the value chain and providing of child care services undertaken by Ikea helps to create a highly differentiated picture of Ikea in the target  market’s mind. Ikea through successfully integrating cost leadership and differentiation strategy had become one of the most successful international furniture retailers.

Hammer Wines Business Report Essay

Introduction Colin Hammer, after arranging an independent review, has found that many of his employees have been avoiding work and other responsibilities by searching the Internet for non-work related amusements. This act is known as cyber slacking and it is said to cost companies billions of dollars each year and often results in managers blocking or limiting access to certain websites. Concerned for productivity, this report will outline the current usage and array of sites potentially being used by the Hammer Wines employees. The sites include those for entertainment or work purposes, and restrictions based on these findings should be implemented. These restrictions must be forever changing and expanding, as each website has a different effect on the varying departments its respective employees. These modifications will also affect the productivity of Hammer Wines and will be discussed in the report by making an â€Å"internet use† policy. Findings Department Spending Most Time on the Internet Cyberslacking is a prominent occurrence amongst the Hammer Wines employees. However, of all employees, the Receptionists spent the longest time on the Internet throughout the one-week trial (see figure 1.0 below). This may or may not be detrimental to Hammer Wines. Often, receptionists complete their work before their set time, meaning that if they’re browsing the Internet, still answering their phone and have completed required work, productivity will remain normal. Studies also show productivity can increase when employees are less restricted with the Internet. This productivity can swing both ways. Negative productivity will be detrimental to Hammer Wines if the receptionist fails to multitask and therefore ineffectively completes required jobs. Internet Productivity and Cyberslacking From the array of websites (see figure 1.1 below) it is difficult to tell if Cyberslacking is present at Hammer Wines. This is because many websites, such as facebook.com and twitter.com, are huge social marketing websites, but can also used as a cost effective methods for company awareness and advertising. These sites, however, can also be misused for personal use. Unless the employee is caught directly misusing these sites, it is hard to tell weather they are cyberslacking or not. Facebook.com is one example of Cyberslacking. It is Hammer Wines’ second most visited Internet site, being used by Sales and Marketing, Reception, Manufacturing and Distribution, Human Resources @ Training and IT Services. Sales and Marketing are the only employees likely to need the site for work purposes. For all other departments, employees must use Facebook.com for personal interests. Websites, including deals.com are often used for both work and leisure. Reception, Human Resources @ Training, Manufacturing and Distribution, Sales and Marketing are all using this site. Assumptions cannot be made in relation to website use. Human Resources @ Training, Manufacturing and Distributing, and Sales and Marketing departments all have valid work-related grounds to use Deals.com, as it is great for promotional and comparative purposes. IT Services were found to be using Games.com. A total of 120 minutes was recorded throughout the week. This is a website purely dedicated to fun and games. This is the seventh most used website recorded. Although it is only a small fraction of the Internet usage, it is clear that productivity has decreased in the IT department, and through the given statistics, Cyberslacking is present. Similarly, Tatts.com was used by the Sales and Marketing department, for up to 80 minutes throughout the recorded week. Tatts.com is a betting website and has nothing to do with the Sales and Marketing of Hammer Wines. However, productivity can be increased in the workplace, with employees having some freedom on the Internet. The use of social media and other personal websites can release stress and tension, thus not wholly being to the determent of Hammer Wines. Conclusion Hammer Wines has a vast array of websites being used by employees for both personal and work use. Cyberslacking is present amongst all employees, with websites aimed at socialization and productivity which both highly used. This, however, is hard to monitor as some sites – such as Facebook.com or Deals.com – are used in the companies Sales and Marketing department, but also used in recreational down time by most, if not all, other departments. It is important for Hammer Wines to implement a strategy to monitor all Internet usage. Receptionist work productivity remained high in correlation to time spent on internet, however, it was obvious the Cyberslacking was overruling the IT department, as they spent 120 hours over the duration of the week on a games and entertainment website. Solution Internet Use Policy Hammer Wines should enforce an â€Å"Internet User Policy† in the employees contract, defining the terms of use for recreational Internet. Any employee found misusing the Internet for purposes strictly other than work, may lead to disciplinary action, and their position at the company may be compromised. Blocking Sites Permanently blocking all Internet sites at Hammer Wines could result in a drop in productivity. Alternatively, a system that allows employees to have an allocated time throughout the day, to specifically visit sites such as Facebook.com and Twitter.com will allow staff members to have high productivity through compromise and strategy. One example of strategic blocking is unblocking all websites for 15 minutes every 3 hours, enabling employees to use restricted sites that coincide with structured break times (lunch, snack and end-of-day). A second option for Hammer Wines is to block all websites, only allowing those who hold a position of authority (manager) or employee that has spoken to someone in a position of authority, to get a specific code to access a blocked website. This code then unblocks all sites and remains unblocked until the page is exited. This could be implemented when departments wish to use sites such as Facebook.com for marketing or promotional purposes.

Muslim Empires Essay

The Ottoman Turks consisted of Turkic-speaking nomadic people who had spread westward from Central Asia in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries. They were located in the northwestern corner of the peninsula, which allowed them to expand westward and eventually take over empires between the Mediterranean and the Black Seas. The sultan was the supreme authority in both a political and a military sense. Administrative and military power were centralized under the bey, who was only a tribal leader, tribal law was before Muslim law. The Ottoman authorities were Sunni Muslims. The sultan assigned duties to a supreme religious authority, who then maintained a system of schools to educate Muslims. There were some who believed in Sufism or other doctrines, but the government allowed it as long as they were still loyal to the empire. Non-Muslims had to pay a head tax since they were exempt from military service. The Ottoman Empire was divided into four main occupational groups: peasants, artisans, merchants, and pastoral people. Shah Ismail founded the Safavid Dynasty. The Safavids was a mixed society like the Ottoman Empire; majority of the population were Iranian. They used the Shi’ite faith, and Shi’ism was declared the state religion. Like the Ottoman’s sultan, the Safavids had their shahs who would check up on their people. This empire was not as wealthy as the Ottomans and the Mughals. Their greatest area of productivity was in textiles. The founder of the Mughal Dynasty is known as Babur. Ruling of the dynasty was passed down from Babur to his son, Humayun, and then to his grandson, Akbar. As emperor, Akbar didn’t just focus on the views of Muslim but also gave Christian views a chance. He later formed a new type of worship called the Divine Faith, which combined characteristics of different religions. He believed in having a harmonious society, which meant each individual and group would play their assigned role and contribute their part to society. This dynasty was the last of the great traditional Indian dynasties. All three of the empires were Muslim, and they all displayed an impressive capacity to create and run a large empire. The Muslim World was protected by the military and political abilities of these empires. Unlike their European counterparts, these empires continued to thrive.

Final Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final Report - Essay Example It is both the largest meat producer and the second largest processor and food production company in the world. The company works with more than seven thousand independent chicken growers and employs one hundred and ten thousand workers in its four hundred facilities and offices. It operates in more than ninety countries and hopes to be the best source of food for hotels and households. The company’s core value is also to create value for its customers, shareholders and employees. Amazon.com Inc has its headquarters in Seattle, Washington and is the largest online commerce company in the world. It was founded in 1994, by Jeff Bezos, as a bookstore and has expanded to be a multinational company that sells so many products such as electronics, clothes car accessories among other products. The company has used its mission of being the largest web store to include other products such as kindle and cloud space in its portfolio. Time Warner Cable Inc sells TV and basic internet, triple basic, triple play, triple with turbo, digital TV and turbo, basic TV and turbo, internet, phone and intelligent-home. Its products are packaged according to the level and type of usage by customers for example they have the packages for residential homes and offices. The company always works to develop new and state of art products such as the intelligent-home that enable customers to save power and control what happens in his / her home without necessarily being at the house. Amazon.com has partnered with sellers and manufactures such as Dell, HP and publishers who sell their products through its web store. It also has an option for individuals to sell second hand products and products which they don’t use. Amazon products are divided into physical products such as clothes, electronics and furniture and digital products such as ebooks, cloud storage and music. It has developed the kindle where customers can read books, listen to music and share on social media, the

Analysis of Audi's Human Resource Practices Essay

Analysis of Audi's Human Resource Practices - Essay Example There are numerous definitions by scholars on what organizational culture is. Two of these definitions are as follows: Ravasi and Schultz (2006) wrote ‘organizational culture is a set of shared assumptions that guide what happens in organizations by defining appropriate behavior for various situations’. Needle (2004), ‘Organizational culture signifies the beliefs, collective values, and principles of members in an organization’. Culture includes the organizations values, norms, systems, vision, language, symbols, beliefs, assumptions, and habits. The culture of organizations makes it unique and different from other organizations. It explains why there are many companies that deal with automobiles, producing the same products and make of cars but which are completely different due to their operations, values and their executions. Denison’s model (1990) states that ‘organizational culture is described by 4 general dimensions: Adaptability, Consistency, Involvement, and Mission’. The model shall be used to explain Audi’s culture. An organization’s mission refers to its reason of existence. The reason as to why it was founded and the objectives it aims to achieve. Denison further divided the mission into three: Vision, Strategic Direction and Intent, and Goals and Objectives. Audi’s Vision is ‘To develop Audi into the world’s leading brand in the premium automobile segment’ (Audi Corporate strategy, 2015). The vision defines Audi’s culture because it portrays the direction which it wants the company to go. As a result the personnel work towards making this vision a reality. They manufacture cars that are of good quality and that meet their consumers’ demand, which shall make it become the best brand of all the other automobile manufacturers in the world. The strategic direction and intent of Audi is to delight customers worldwide. They aim at achieving this by being innovative, creating experiences for

International Marketing of Tata Nano Electric Car into Japan PowerPoint Presentation

International Marketing of Tata Nano Electric Car into Japan - PowerPoint Presentation Example This report also raises some questions that need to be answered prior to launching Tata Nano in Pakistan. These include whether it would be beneficial to retain the current positioning strategy of Tata of the worlds most economical car in a country like Pakistan where the psychology of the target market is very brand oriented. Likewise, will Tata Nano be able to match prices currently being provided by the current manufacturers' after adding up the custom duty and other expenses Will Tata be able to launch a CNG variant of the nano to suit the needs of the Pakistani market in a better way This report aims to give a detailed insight and provides recommendations as to how to achieve success. Moreover, the plan consists of first launching the product in a test marketing campaign and after success only, a full fledged marketing plan is proposed. Tata Nano is a star product of the Tata group.It was one of the most talked about cars at the Detroit1 show and instigated a debate on how well it would be received in the international markets. With the target of manufacturing more than 1 million cars every year, it can be expected that Tata would be eyeing foreign markets. There is no business market as lucrative as Pakistan for the neighboring Indian Companies, for the reasons of cost saving due to proximity, relatively similar environmental and economic conditions and same language making operations easier. Product Launch -Tata Nano The target market of Tata Nano is the middle class of Pakistan with the income range: PKR 25000 lower middle class PKR 50000 middle-middle class and PKR 75000 and above (upper Middle Class) Niche Marketing or Mass Marketing We propose to launch Tata Nano in Pakistan. Initially we would proceed with a test launch and if the product picks up in the local market we may opt for either starting manufacturing in Pakistan or having offices and having agents and dealers take care of the sales of this region. So even though we will be targeting the masses but initially it would be a small scale launch due to tough competitive situation. Present Market Situation Since the year 2001, Pakistan's military regime under president Musharraf vowed to bring about economic reforms. This new growth strategy was stimulated by the easier credit policies of Banking Sector and for a decade car financing was made very easy. This led to a very high road & traffic density, and manufacturers like Pak Suzuki claim to manufacture a 100,000 vehicles in the year 2007 COMPETITOR ANALYSIS Pak Suzuki is the single most preferred brand of locally manufactured cars and suits the lower middle and middle -middle class income groups. Their most popular brands are Suzuki Mehran & Suzuki Alto VXR Chevrolet, Cherry QQ, Adam Revo (locally manufactured), Nisan March, Toyota Duet also have occupied their own niches in this market. PRESENT MARKET SCENARIO According to Pakistan & Gulf economist, Even in these tough market conditions, July 2008, the total sales of cars was 7,418 units Last year, in the same period a record 12,438 units were sold. Sale & Production Statistics according to Pakistan Automobile Manufacturers Association http://www.pama.org.pk/productionjuly2004.htm Market Share Calculated on Cumulative Sales for

Cost, Volume, and Profit Formulas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cost, Volume, and Profit Formulas - Essay Example The preferable outcome in most businesses is to sell as many units as possible, thus high volumes are preferable. The selling price is the unitary price of each product. It can be calculated by dividing the total sales by the amount of units sold. If a company had sales of $5,000 and it sold 100 units the unitary price is $50 per unit. There are two types of costs. These two types of costs are variable costs and fixed costs. A variable cost can be defined as a cost of labor, material, or overhead that changes according to the change in the volume of production units (Investorwords, 2011). Variable cost per unit can be calculated dividing total variable costs by the quantity of units sold. The second type of cost is fixed costs. Fixed costs are costs that do not change with the volume of sales. The total amount of fixed costs is the same every month. Some examples of fixed costs include rent, managerial salaries, and depreciation (Moneyterms, 2011). The total fixed expenses component is calculated by adding up all the fixed costs of the company. The sales mix is the relative proportion in which a company’s products are sold (Garrison & Noreen, 2003).

Response to the book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Response to the book - Essay Example In this article, we are going to analyze the sixth extinction portrayed in the book by Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin. Leakey is one of the most famous living Paleo-anthropologist in the world and from his experience in anthropology makes; us devote more time in trying to note the things that will hasten the next evaluation. This article will provide the pros and cons of what the two authors think will result to the sixth extinction. The book has several interesting points, which seems crucial to note, these points are also the stronghold of the book. Leakey accepts that homo sapience or the modern man is the most dominant species on earth currently. The ability to reason and have a vertebrate brain of man is the main reason why man is able to dominate other species. These are also the reasons behind the book claims that human activities are the main agents of extinction of the other species. Leakey identifies that man’s insight has led to technological improvement that have helped him expand his population at an alarming rate. The population increase and the advanced technology have led to overexploitation of the natural resources thus tampering with the ecosystem (Leakey and Lewin, 21). The book states that the historical past of man has led to killing of other species in the form of hunting for food and collections. Leakey identifies that man is destroying tropical forests that are the main habitats for millions of species either to expand their agricultural land or to build roads and cities. This will result to the extinction of these species (Leakey and Lewin, 27). This information is true basing my argument on Cantilena Island, which was known to develop a unique flora before man has destroyed it by inhabiting making it for his agricultural benefits. The unique flora is now extinct. The book states that the more man is becoming knowledgeable in science the more harmful he is becoming to other species. This is due to the

Case study Organizational Behavior Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organizational Behavior - Case Study Example It will analyze various aspects of the scenario, including the conflict, differences in personality characteristics of the two main role players, communication status, perception and projection, and the attribution theory. Susan and Julie both work at the same university. It is Julie’s responsibility to complete reports for some of the other workers in the company, including Susan. There was a report that Susan wanted completed by a certain time that Julie did not complete. This caused an eruption of strife. Susan complained that Julie needed close supervision to stay on task and that she was not performing as well as the others who had similar position in the company. Julie found Susan to be overbearing and difficult to communicate with. Both of them decided to take their complaints to Dr. Griffiths, the department chair Julie is the laid-back, middle-classed office worker who likes to keep banker’s hours. In addition to her career she has a family that she is devoted to as well as many other activities that she engages in to assist the community. Clearly from her level of community activism, Julie is a person that believes in compassion and helping others. It is this belief that is going to play a major role in her conflict at work. Also adding fuel to the conflict is the fact that Julie does not like to take her work home. She enjoys her job and the level of pay that she receives, but does not want to let the job be the major focus of her life. Susan, on the other hand, is a type A personality. She works long and hard at her career, leaving little time for anything else. Due to the high workload that Susan takes on regularly, she is often hard to contact. Her time is usually always devoted to something work related. The focus of Susan’s life is climbing up the corporate ladder. Her belief system has helped her to obtain the level of success that she has accomplished thus far and she believes that others

Binge Drinking Essay Example for Free

Binge Drinking Essay Currently, binge drinking has become a crucial issue in the UK, it causes many problems such as car accidents, underage drinking, health. Drinking alcohol is an acceptable activity in a positive way such as people celebrate their holiday or family day. However, it is not recommended binge drinking that means drink beverages over 8 units for men or 6 units for women regularly. (The Drinkaware Trust, 2012) Therefore, government tries to reduce the harm of alcohol by introducing minimum price of 40p per unit. ( BBC News, 2012) I suggest that the minimum price for alcohol is needed to be implemented because it can save lives, improve public health and stop drinking in long-term. This essay will discuss that the reasons why people binge drinking, the consequences of alcohol abuse and the pricing policy of the government. [Drinking is quite normal behaviour in the UK. For example, people usually work on weekdays, which they need to have leisure time to relax or go out with their friends, they might drink during this period. On the other hand, some people drink too much alcohol when they spend time in club or city centre. And another issue with drinking alcohol is that there are too many hazardous drinkers among the young generation in the UK. According to Mistral 2009, younger people has a high percentage increase in alcohol-related death at 57%. Furthermore, they drink more beverages than older people. (Mistral, 2009) There are many researchers suggest that binge drinking can be reduce by the pricing policy for alcohol. (Mistral, 2009) There are several causes of binge drinking. Firstly, most people spend their weekend in a pub or city centre with friends because they do not want to become a unsocial people, which means some of them went to the pub because peer pressure not volunteer, especially among young people. As Szmigin et al. (2007) suggest that they would like build friendship through drinking alcohol. Then another reason that cause people excess drinking is drinking culture and history. It has become an essential part of Britons drinking habit since Vikings period. Traditional drinking behaviour is not the only reason that cause people to drink. Thirdly reason is that the majority of heavy drinkers want to find the self confidence and depression. (Institute of Alcohol Studies, 2010) For instance, students face hard work in school, people who live in a terrible life condition or they want to reduce tension. Moreover, the supermarket always provides great price to drinkers such as buy one get one free by using advertisement, which is beneficial for moderate drinkers but not hazardous drinkers. Therefore, some people buy beverages because they are attracted by the low price. Turning to the consequence of heavy drinking, it causes many problems including physical and mental health problem. According to The Salvation Army 2000, there are two different types of physical including long and short-term risk of binge drinking. Keep abusing alcohol regularly for a long time can lead to brain damage, cancers or infertility. In comparison, drinking enormous beverages in a short period might cause car accidents and violence. In addition, short-term effect of alcohol often involves some violence, crime and road traffic accidents amongst younger people. (Salvation Army, 2000) There are many young people and busy worker likely to spend their pubs or club which create excess violence at midnight. Therefore, people are afraid to go to town centre at night. Follow this, there is a solution for this drinking issue that the UK government announced an alcohol price policy that is raising prices of 40p per unit in March, 2012. There are different argument from the cross-party group. They argue that minimum price for alcohol not really solve drinking problem because pricing policy just for the short-term influence not for the long-term phenomenon of binge drinking. (Triggle, 2012) Furthermore, it seems that this strategy quite unfair to the responsible drinkers who just want to have fun or relax in the local pub. (Woodhouse, 2012) On the other hand, Prime Minister estimate that this alcohol pricing strategy can lower hospital admissions because hazardous drinkers will stop to get drunk to get drunk at night and also reduce the affordability of young people, which will save lives and improving public health.( BBC News, 2012) Prime Minister David Cameron claims that there were one million violent crimes and 1.2 million hospital admissions associated with alcohol last year. Following this, he says that this pricing policy can reduce harmful levels of alcohol and the cost of hospitalization. (BBC News, 2012) Many researchers suggest that the raising price of alcohol can lower the consumption of wine, beer and spirits. In addition, there is a research shows that younger drinker, excess drinker and harmful drinker are likely to buy cheap alcohol item. (Mistral, 2009) Therefore, minimum price for alcohol is the best model in order to solving binge drinking issue in England. in conclusion, many reasons caused binge drinking such as peer pressure, self doubt. In particularly, this is general phenomenon among young people. There are wide range evidence show that problem such as health, economic and young generation associated with alcohol misuse. Many researchers have focused on the relative between the pricing and the consumption of alcohol. (Mistral, 2009) There are many authors show that minimum price can reduce the consumption of wine, beer and spirit in all age, especially among younger drinkers and excess drinkers who likely choose low price alcohol product. Therefore, this study has clearly illustrated the minimum price should be implemented.

How Muslim Extremists Justify Interpretation Of Quran Religion Essay

How Muslim Extremists Justify Interpretation Of Quran Religion Essay There is often a lack of understanding as to what religion is. How do we define the word religion? Is religion a belief or merely a way of life? Genuine religion is fundamentally a search for meaning beyond materialism. A world religious tradition is a set of symbols and rituals, myths and stories, concepts and truth-claims, which a historical community believes gives ultimate meaning to life, via its connection to a transcendent beyond the natural order (Cited in Cline 2009: Introduction). As Cline has stated here, religion is a set of historical traditions which people adhere by and believe in. The Islamic faith for Muslims is not simply a religion but also a way of life for them and they are strongly attached to their own religion and culture. Some choose for their religion to be a private issue, whilst other prefers it to be the basis of all their social interactions. Muslims consider Islam to be a structure that takes in all aspects of life, both personal and social and it is a social, as well as legal system which governs matters such as family life, law and order, ethics, dress and cleanliness, as well as religious practice and observance (Hussain, El-Alami. eds., 2005:1). Muslims follow their traditional system however, the 9/11 and 7/7 terrorist attacks have had a large impact on how society see and treat Muslims and the Islamic faith, when in fact these extremists committing these offences are a minority group hiding behind certain banners under the veil of Islam. It has become apparent over the past decade that Islam seems to be a more militant faith than most others. Some people have been lead to believe that this is due to the Holy Scripture which holds all the laws of the Islamic religion, known as the Quran. However, the Islam faith is very diverse and varied and although many things in the Quran apply to mostly all Muslims, there are many other things which only apply to a minority group of Muslims, those who take their faith and inaccurate interpretations of the Quran to the extreme. In order to establish why these Muslims take their faith to the extreme, it is essential that the various verses from The Quran and the diverse justification of Jihad are firstly discussed. Jihad is a key problem in Islam as the meaning has many different interpretations. Jihad can be interpreted by some Muslims as the spiritual struggle against his or her own natural nature in order to lead a holy life (Bonney: 2004: xi), but for other Muslims like Osma Bin Laden, it may be interpreted as violent and extended to mean a commitment to Allah by all Muslims, to constantly strive to convert, defeat or overcome all non Muslims. Those who believe and follow the latter interpretation of Jihad, believe it is their duty to persist with the preachings of Islam through holy war, in an unjust way until the whole world accepts Islam or concedes to the Islamic faith. Bonney (2004: x) specifically states that those terrorists like Osma Bin Laden use an ancient, unfounded and misconstrued view of the Islamic perception of just war (Jihad) to exonerate their actions. The word Islam actually implies the meaning of peace and tolerance, but this reputation of Islam is being dented due to this wrongful interpretation of Jihad. Islam is a faith which believes that religion is to be freely accepted and by no means should be forced upon anyone and this is evident through many verses throughout The Quran. The Quran (26: 4) states that God wants people to choose their path themselves and does not at any point instruct any Muslim to raise a sword over a non Muslim in order to convert or subjugate them. In another verse from The Quran, it explicitly defines: Invite people of the path of your Rabba with what? With forces of the sword? No. With beautiful admonitions and advice (Quran: 16: 125). From this verse it is clear that many Muslim leaders, who have viewed Jihad as violent and as an obligation on individual believers with intent to destroy religious peace and pluralism in the name of Allah, are incorrect. There are many more verses within The Quran which specify that Islams idea of Jihad is not the idea of a holy war which these terrorist leaders have claimed it to be. With The Quran containing many verses stating the importance Islam gives to peace, (Quran: 4: 128) it signifies that the soul of Islam is in fact peace; again not war. Researchers such as Cook (2000) and Waines (2003)(cited: Bonney: 2004:47) as well as many others, both come to the same conclusion, that Jihads fundamental nature is that of defence, not war. Al-Qaeda claims to preach peace yet it also praises violence. The violent actions which are carried out from Al- Qaeda have resulted in innocent people being murdered and it has claimed to have been acting out in self defence against the imperialist intrusions of the West, but yet it approves suicide bombing. Suicide bombing is actually disobedience against established Muslim teachings. According to The Quran, the world is divided into two categories; believers and non-believers and it repeatedly states that the believers together form one people and the non-believers together structure another, (Bonney: 2000: 8) as in the believers are brethren of one another and those who disbelieve are friends of one another (Quran: 8: 72). This verse again is promoting peace and differences in belief are seen as Gods plan, it does not indicate that any Muslim should linger everlastingly at war with any nonbelievers but, for the world to be aware of Muhammad and his teachings, preaching is to be done. It is may be this verse in The Quran that Jihad in the name of Allah may merely mean a peaceful struggle through preachings. These rigorous and strict actions of Muslims who take their religion to the extreme have drawn attention to certain divisions within Islam known as Wahhabism and Salafiyya. Saudi Arabia is the birth place of Wahhabism and it is puritanical form of Sunni Islam. Saudi Arabia has always relied on a mixture of religion and political power. Its origins date back to the eighteenth century when an Islamic fundamentalist and extremist, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab introduced a religious, political movement in agreeance with the local tribe chief, this was known as Wahhabism. The essential aim of Wahhabs reform movement was that every idea after the third century of the Muslim period should be abolished as it was false. For a Muslim to then be considered true to their faith, they must commit themselves exclusively and exactingly to the innovative beliefs set into the world by Muhammad. Ultimately, he encouraged a reinforcement of the original, pure and orthodox customs of the fundamentals of Is lam, as characterised in the Quran and in the life of the Prophet Muhammad. Today the term Wahhabism refers to a Sunni Islamic movement that pursues to cleanse Islam of any modifications or practices that diverge from the original teachings of Muhammad and his cohorts. The surfacing of Wahhabisms stern beliefs has resulted in conflict between other Muslim groups. As Wahhabism rejects Islams most prominent religious traditions, Wahhabis have found themselves in disagreements with non-Wahhabi Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims and non-Muslims in surrounding areas resulting in war. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the media have been inclined to centre their attentions on movements within the Muslim world that support and carry out acts of violence against other human beings and populations. The media refer to these terrorists by their religious group, but in fact these terrorist are hiding behind their religion, using the excuse that Allah or God tells them to act in this way. This is not necessarily true, as mentioned before the Quran promotes to live to a peaceful and coexistent life and it also has commandments and beliefs which are similar to the Christian community and The Bible. Those Muslims within the Islamic world who are dynamically working for peace, interreligious dialogue, minority rights and much more are overlooked. Organisations which are set up in order to reject violence are also disregarded yet such organisations and movements are the key to motivation and loyalty which inspires many Muslims throughout the world. These Muslims are moulding the foundations of the outlook and apparition of Muslims, and points in the correct direction that the majority of the Islamic community should be heading for. Those Muslims who participate in acts of violence and terrorism are isolated minorities within the Islamic faith, but this still tends to reflect of Islam and Muslims as a whole, with non-violent Muslims being judged unfairly and negatively by society. Since the 9/11 attack, many Muslims have received increased discrimination and racism by the rest of civilization. What people fail to understand is that these terrorist attacks were in fact carried out by a minority group of individuals who hide behind Islam as a faith to justify their violence by using a misinterpretation of the Quran. High levels of discrimination and racism are evident in schools were many Muslim boys are being stereotyped and associated with global terrorism, fundamentalism and urban rioting, resulting in them being identified as under-achieving and problematic pupils and they are becoming hot topics of social and educational debate (Archer:2003: 2). Muslims are in fact against terrorism, yet the acts of the terrorists cause the rest of society to naturally tarnish the rest of the Muslims wrongfully, with the same brush because the media and politicians refer to the terrorists by religious standing. It could be argued that these terrorists are extremists who are passionately seeking political power and wealth and it has been noted here that Muslims face complications not just within education, but also everyday life. Muslims are afraid to have their own say in politics as they feel discriminated against as a community as a whole (Banchoff: 2008:5). In conclusion, it is evident that jihad is a complicated occurrence in both theory and practice. Throughout the history of Islam, there has been no single concept applied to the meaning and there have been different definitions resulting in how jihad is practiced. It is also evident that Islam places a huge importance on peace and how one strives to lead the correct way by the will of God, and if need be, defend oneself. The minority group within Islam have taken this concept of defence to aid their own national interest and used it as to justify their violent actions, at the cost of the rest of the Islamic population. Islam has a genuine image of advocating peace and tolerance as well as the free will to choose your own faith, but they do believe in striving to preach in the name of Allah whether it is by pen, mouth media; yet again the extremists mentioned here use armies and violence to force their religion upon anyone. It does not mean to strive for individual, political or natio nal power. Word count: 2132